#THE WAY HE WAS LOOKING AT HULK ON MEDIA DAY?

[scrollonso]

why do you, as a man, have a waist so small? so men that are 30+ can grab it?

[bunny-jpeg]

wrestling au 🤼 - starring task force 141!

simon 'ghost' riley -

oh, big scary ghost. the masked heel of the little association he was apart of. he took in the sounds of people's booing, and he fought without much remorse. he tried not to make it look too real, by that he meant not messing up his opponent too much. the last thing he wanted was to get his ear talked off by upper management. there was a routine to follow, even if it ended in bruising, simon still had to follow it. or else everything could be thrown off. his hulking size made him a wall of an opponent, and the story lines where he won were always a crowd favourite. he loved being the big baddie of the ring, he loved to be the monster they booed at. because no matter how loud they got, simon would always walk away with the title belt.

he fucked like an animal though. you were the daughter of his trainer and boy did he love to take you for a spin after he got nice and sweaty. when your father was in his office cashing the cheque for the monthly payment for his services, simon was servicing something else. your back on the wooden bench of the men's locker room. simon's cock splitting you. he used his size to his advantage, while he couldn't do too much damage in the ring. you sure as hell could take a sexual beating. the numerous amount of times, simon had you twisted up as he fucked you. in the locker room, in the back of his car, even that time over your father's desk when he had left early. you were good stress relief and even when the crowd booed him, you were in the back happily cheering for your big, beefy lover.

john price -

face turned heel, a seasoned veteran with the aches and pains to prove it. his knees cracked if he tried to go to low and it usually takes him an extra few days to recover from it all. when he was clean shaven and younger, he was the pretty boy from liverpool. now in the twilight years of his career, he loved to be big, bad, price. he was the kind to play 'dirty', the sort of wrestler to throw last ditch effort tricks to win the match. he got his fists bloodied. he laughed when the crowd booed him, he basked in the feeling of being the worst of the worst. alongside his right-hand man ghost, they were destined to take the title from the pretty faced good guys. he looked good in the books and the 'shorts'. anyone close enough to the ring could see price's bulge. it was the type of be circulated on social media. he was hairy, a little different than the normally smooth wrestler. he smoked on stage and antagonized the audience. he was a hefty man who loved to get his opponents down on the mat.

but even at his age, he likes to sink his teeth into the competition. and what's better than the fresh face they got in the women's division. oh, you look amazing under him. price got into the ring with you a few times, the he had you bent in certain was that made you blush. you almost moaned when he had you basically in a ball with his barely covered crotch up against your ass. he even barked the words, "guess it's time for me to find a missus! what do you think? could our new starlet be the wife of the big, bad price?" which only earned hollering from the crowd. he liked it rough outside the ring, when he had you pushed into storage closets. when he got to tear your underwear off of you and sink into his prize. that was his cunt, don't you forget. if he sees you talking to another male wrestler, then there would be hell to pay. you better pray that the pill works, or you'll be in the stands a lot sooner than you expected with price's hefty baby in your arms.

john 'soap' mactavish -

face, face, face! but the face you hate to love! his story lines are always so good. he was cocky, loud, his laughter was like a bark when he got the microphone. he was the good boy from glasgow, even had saint andrew's cross across the ass of his shorts. he was the most flexible, often having the heels of the organization bend him in ways that most others couldn't. while he wasn't the broadest (he was still fairly big), he made up for it in endurance. one time he was asked how he could keep up for so long even if he was bloodied and bruised, he simply laughed and said, "well, ya bed enough bonnies. you can keep goin' all day and all night with the likes of these guys. sadly, the girls tap out before i'm finished." he felt like he teetered between being a heel and a face, he only became more cocky when he won the title from price. when he got the older man on the mats. it was only right for a face to have the title, for a heel to have it was wrong. but yet, there was a cockiness to him. even was he stripped price of the belt and gave the shiny metal a heated kiss. the man from the highlands was on top!

but of course the man on top loves to have his woman on top. and who exactly was the lovely woman to be with mister mactavish? well, it was the ceo's daughter of course! and the stamina he had in the ring bled into your experiences with him in the bedroom. johnny was a cervix bruiser, the kind where you'd feel it for days afterwards. when you sat at lunch with your father, you'd wince and pray that no pained expression crossed your face. like price, johnny was a breeder. with a stamina like a rabbit, of course he was shooting loads into you on almost a daily basis. you'd lie to your father about you whereabouts, you said you were at the library studying for your upcoming final. meanwhile johnny was pouring shots of liquor down your throat then messing up your pretty face with his cum as you sucked him off behind the building. insatiable, with the title around his waist only making it worse. he had the title in his hands and the ceo's daughter's lips around his throbbing cock. but don't worry, johnny isn't the type to tap and leave. no, no, finishing in you is a promise. a promise that you'll be mrs. mactavish very soon. after all, his kids weren't going to have your father's last name.

kyle 'gaz' garrick -

a very clearly a face. his gimmick is the sweetheart next door who can handle himself in the ring. a real knight in shining armor, it was hard when the story called for his defeat. but, in the end he always came back to secure his title. there was a bravado to him, and a real charmer. while some had a face that others wanted to hit, no one wanted to mess up that perfection that was kyle garrick. he did play it up a little bit, sauntering as he entered the ring, letting the crowd get excited for what was to come. he had more than a few fans, but he was always respectful. a real gentleman. he even had a trick where he'd give roses to female fans as he walked towards the ring. his smile gleaming under the bright lights.

of course, the sweetheart of the ring has the perfect love story. the woman who had been with him since his early days. while his fellow wrestlers got into all sorts of trouble, he enjoyed the company of his dear wife. but, don't get it wrong, your sex life was not boring. while price was screwing newbies, kyle was on his knees in the bathroom of the pub you all went to after the match. your back up against the sink of the single stall washroom. your pants around your knees and his large hands on your thighs. his tongue lapping at your pussy. your sweet, muffled moans kept kyle wanting more. his cock throbbed in his jeans, the rush of the match was still abuzz in his system. he loved the taste of his wife, how could he not? even after all these years together, tasting you was like biting into a ripe apple at the peak of its season. the kind of fruit that had a price tag that would make the average person shudder. you were the apple of his eye and the love of his life. of course he'd worship you. there was still an electricity between you two, a fire that couldn't be tamed. if he gave a rose to a fan as part of his gimmick, then you got a dozen. if roses made you allergies flare up, then he'd give you fake ones. so they'd never wilt, like his love for you.

[wyattjohnston]

if you only knew - jeremy swayman

summary: abby shouldn't let her daydreaming get the best of her, but it's not that easy when sway is the one standing in front of you.

song: i can see you by taylor swift

word count: 3.2k

note: this is for The Eras Tour Fic Challenge that was all @comphy-and-cozy's idea, and i'm delighted she let me be part of the process. thank you to @laurenairay for reading this when it was getting started!

hoping to hell that this makes sense, please let me know!

The players filed off the ice at their own pace, some of them off of the ice the very second practice finished while the others hung around for a little extra ice time.

Abby didn’t mind waiting, capturing photos as they passed her that would probably never see the light of day. They were all friendly with her, despite her presence almost guaranteeing a camera being shoved in their face whether it be for a still photo or a TikTok video. Frankly, she didn’t know why they were still happy to see her.

The hulking figure of Jeremy Swayman in his goalie pads stepped towards her, his helmet tucked under his arm and his head tilting as he approached. Abby picked a spot behind him to look at so that she didn’t have to make eye contact.

“No question today?”

“I couldn’t think of one, so just the photos,” she said, smiling as she held up the DSLR to his unsuspecting face and held the trigger for a few seconds. “Logan has one for next practice that I think you’ll like.”

Jeremy didn’t look convinced, shifting from foot to foot—though he barely even seemed to register the camera or the many photos she’d just taken. He suggested, “You should ask us who our favourite social media person is.”

Abby lowered her camera completely, her shoulders sagging a littler. She refuted, “No. That’s mean and I don’t want you guys to all say Logan; I know he’s more fun.”

“Not a chance anyone says Logan over you,” he said emphatically. “Logan would agree it’s you, too, if you asked him.”

“That’s just not true. I’m not asking questions that will hurt someone’s feelings.” Her words were final, and she imagined that the hurt my feelings was implied.

“Fine,” he conceded, though the slight roll of his eyes showed he wasn’t happy about it. He added, “But you do ask better questions. You’re also way hotter than he is.”

Abby rolled her eyes back at him. The beating of her heart became louder in her ears, harder in her chest, despite her desperate attempt at nonchalance when she took the opportunity to greet Pasta as he wandered through the tunnel behind Jeremy.

“I didn’t mean that in an inappropriate way,” Jeremy said, glancing back over his shoulder to watch Pasta leave. “I just—I have eyes, you know? But like… I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

“It’s fine,” Abby said, shrugging. “It’s far from the most degrading thing a hockey player has ever said about me.”

Tension suddenly overcame them, and Abby froze in place. She couldn’t work out what she’d said that could have caused the sudden shift between them and found her shoulders curling in to try and get away with it.

“Here?” Jeremy asked after a few, long painful seconds. “One of the boys?”

A loud guffaw left her mouth entirely involuntarily and she gestured back to the ice to ask incredulously, “Those boys? No, they would never. Not where I can hear anyway. Just guys in college.”

The returning question was immediate and gruff: “Where did you go to college?”

“That’s not—Sway.”

Any and all tension dissipated as quickly as it had come, Jeremy somehow standing even taller than he had been, and a broad smile overcoming over his face, “Just making friendly conversation and trying to get to know you, Abs.”

Jeremy’s winks always disarmed her. He dealt them out so freely, so regularly, that she was sure they were just an unconscious behaviour whenever he was coming to or going from a conversation. And yet, even if she didn’t think he meant them, they still rattled her to her core.

In the same way his weeks were unintentional; Abby never meant to watch him for so long as he walked away. If anyone ever caught her—and maybe they had and were too nice to say anything—she wasn’t sure she’d ever get over the embarrassment.

That didn’t stop her, though. She didn’t look away until he was out of sight.

Abby posted up in her usual spot at TD Garden, waiting for the boys to arrive for the game. They were all painfully consistent, so she knew exactly how long she had between arrivals to quickly edit photos and post them in small groups. It was such a to-the-minute routine that she could have done it on autopilot—did do it on autopilot. A lot.

They all filed in as normal, nothing disrupting her routine until Jeremy’s arrival time came. Abby knew his arrival time just as well as she knew anybody else’s, but nervous energy always took over when it came to him.

She had her phone positioned and ready for the next group to come in, filming whether they acknowledged her or pretended she didn’t exist. The younger boys were more likely to say hello, she found, mostly because they’d come into the league when social media was already a big part of it. The older the player was, the more set he was in his routine and superstitions—even if they refused to call them superstitions.

Jeremy was always good for a greeting, oblivious to the damage his smile and wink did to her, but Abby steeled herself for him to step towards her.

She couldn’t have been prepared for the casual speed at which he reached into the inner pocket of his suit and pulled out his phone, holding it up in her direction. The shutter went off and he was walking past her before she could even work out what had happened.

Abby didn’t always stay late after games. She had to stay around for media, but on a normal day she was posting the post-game interviews and promptly jumping on The Orange Line before posting some game recaps from whatever corner of the subway she was crammed into. That all changed when Logan was hanging around and she was able to convince him to drive her home.

While it saved her a sardine packed trip, it did mean she had to hang around longer than she normally would to as he packed away videography equipment. She found herself a chair to sit on in the hallway near the Bruins’ family room, trying to make herself disappear into the brickwork.

It didn’t take long for Abby to run out of things to post, and for her eyes to grow heavy. She still didn’t know exactly what she had to wait for Logan to finish, but the sudden end to her busy day was enough for her body to realise she could relax—normally that end was when she was flopping onto her bed.

The players started to file out, crossing in front of her on their way to their families and their cars. Those she made eye contact with said goodnight, although most of them were on a mission to get out and only had eyes for the exit. She couldn’t blame them.

A shadow appeared over her lap where she’d turned back to her phone to respond to some people on the socials. When Abby looked up, Jeremy was looking down at her with head slightly tilted.

“Why’re you still here?”

His towering figure would never get old. It would have a hold on Abby until the day she died, she was sure of it, especially when he was in his suit.

“Getting a ride home. Would rather sit here than jump on the subway,” she told him, keeping her words and breathing measured. “Something must have happened because Logan’s taking ages.”

“You sure he didn’t forget?” Jeremy asked. “I’ll take you home if you need.”

Multiple things were wrong with that idea—primarily that she was positive that he did not live anywhere remotely close to Roxbury, but also that being alone in space as confined as a car was sure to ruin her life.

Abby assured him, even if she didn’t totally believe it, “He wouldn’t have forgotten. Thanks, though.”

“See you at practice, then. Hope you have something good planned.”

She did, and she would have told him if his wink hadn’t left her speechless.

Jeremy’s retreating figure was still in view when a text came through, Logan telling Abby that he had forgotten he was taking her home and he was already halfway gone. He would come back and get her if needed, but it didn’t take a genius to work out that he was hoping that wasn’t the case. He would have called if it was.

“Sway!” Abby shouted, not allowing any time for another possibility to come to mind.

He stopped instantly, yet his turn back to face her was slow. He didn’t say anything, just waited for her to gather her bag and rush in his direction.

“Can I get that ride, please?”

With a simple nod, he took her camera bag without being asked and led her to the player parking lot.

Even half empty, it was clear to Abby that she didn’t belong. She didn’t even own a car let alone the six figure vehicles she was being confronted with. One of them, if sold, could probably pay off her student debt.

There were many thanks, most embarrassed, while Abby sat in the passenger’s seat and tried not to touch anything except for the chair. Even then she was worried about all the potential damage she could do to the leather.

“Why are you so tense?” Jeremy asked. “Just relax a little.”

His words were accompanied by a large hand on her thigh. In what world that was supposed to relax her, Abby did not know, because even through the denim of her jeans she could feel the warmth and size of his hand. Looking down at it made her dizzy.

There was no way he was oblivious to what he was doing to her, she knew that for certain when she caught the smirk on his face after he finished talking. She didn’t know what he was talking about—it may have been about the game, or it could have been a question about the best way to get to her house. Abby would never be able to repeat what he said because the only thing playing in her mind was the feeling of his hand moving higher and higher up her thigh.

Never before had she wished she lived further away from the arena, but Abby was desperate for it to never end because by the time she could see that they were only a few turns away, Jeremy’s hand was pressing right into the crease of her hip. Squeezing her thighs together was really the only thing she could do because Jeremy was driving, and Abby did want to make it home.

A lot of the wanting to make it home was because she was desperate to find the words to ask him inside.

She didn’t need to find those words, though, because they were stopped on the street, and Jeremy hadn’t even killed the engine before he was asking, “Are you gonna invite me in?”

“Sorry!” a voice called, accompanied by the loud squeak of sneakers on concrete. “One of the cameras was fucking up and it needed—”

“It’s fine, Logan. Let’s just get out of here.”

“Sway’s looking a bit worse than I remember?”

“What? I haven’t noticed anything different.”

“Might want to proofread what you post to Twitter.”

Abby instantly reached into her pocket, her heart racing at the thought of having posted anything to the team socials that wasn’t absolutely perfect. The notifications were more out of control than normal, only adding to the sinking feeling in her stomach.

When she finally looked at the tweets coming from the Bruins’ official account, it was clear what Logan was referencing because staring up at her was a picture of their beloved captain—with Sway being the one mentioned.

She would claim it as a way to boost engagement and vowed to herself that she’d do it a few more times with other players throughout the week. Anything to stop the replies asking if Admin had the hots for Sway.

Finding a coffee shop on the road was something Abby did every road trip; sitting in a hotel room editing photos or TikToks or thinking up (or responding to) tweets was lonely, and sitting in the practice arena of the day was normally too loud to be in for longer than strictly necessary. The coffee shops weren’t always much quieter, but there was at least natural sunlight shining through the windows and some fresh air entering when the door opened.

On a normal day, Abby was able to work uninterrupted. Logan never followed her, just as she never followed him, and she was left to read through the mind-numbing analytics without losing concentration. She could count on one hand the number of times someone she knew had found her hiding spot which is why she was not at all expecting a hotel key and pair of sunglasses to be placed right next to her mouse and for someone to ask her what it was she was drinking.

Looking back over her shoulder, she made eye contact with Jeremy Swayman.

“Do you want one?” he prompted after being met with silence, gesturing to the empty coffee mug.

She considered whether she needed another entire coffee, before conceding, “a flat white with oat milk, please.”

He sat down on the empty stool beside her, pushing his sunglasses out of the way and resting his elbows onto the table. He looked exhausted, which wasn’t a great sign for it only being the middle of the season. Abby never knew what to ask the boys when she wasn’t holding a camera to their faces—not that she was regularly put into a position where she had to make conversation. It was so rare that she was certain that most of them didn’t even know her name. Jeremy didn’t seem bothered by the silence, instead opening up his phone and opening his Messages app with a red notification showing a very high number and responding to a text seemingly at random. Abby went back to her laptop, deciding to take a break from trying to work out what type of content needed to be scrapped in favour of opening up Indeed.

“What’s that website? Is that where people look for jobs?” Jeremy asked, peering over to her screen.

“Uh, yeah, most of the time.”

Her scrolling was half-hearted; it was nothing she hadn’t already seen before, and nothing she hadn’t already compared to what she was currently doing. Or making. The jobs she had the perfect set of skills for were few and far between because people didn’t tend to be leaving sports teams, and she hasn’t quite yet worked out how to transition out of that job yet.

“You want to leave the Bruins?” Jeremy asked after a few minutes of silence, leaning in just a little closer. His presence in her space was always hard to miss, and even more so when he was actively moving closer.

“No, not really. I’m just seeing what’s out there.”

“But what’s the point if you don’t want to leave?”

“You went to college; you have to have some understanding of what it’s like in the real world.” Abby, picking up on the ever so slight shrug in his shoulders, and the hint of embarrassment, continued in a gentler tone, “I have to check the market. It’s to see if there are similar jobs paying more, or if there’s a really good opportunity out there to get into marketing or something.”

“Check the market? Like testing it in free agency?”

“Yeah,” Abby nodded. “Except I don’t have an agent. I just have to do it myself.”

“Sounds really boring.”

“Boring and exhausting,” she admitted. “But hardly anybody gets any career progression by staying in the same job. I will have to leave the Bruins at some point.”

Jeremy’s eyebrows pulled together in the middle, but he nodded like he understood—Abby wasn’t wholly convinced that he did.

With his pre-game nap calling, Jeremy didn’t stay for much longer. He apologised for annoying her, and she hastily assured him that she was always happy to talk to him and left her with another coffee that he ordered for her on his way out.

He was long gone by the time Abby noticed a piece of paper he’d left behind where his hotel key had been. She lifted and flipped it to see it was important, expecting it to be the sleeve they were all given with their room keys, and did a double take when she saw something hastily handwritten instead of the hotel logo.

Room 914. See you soon.

A warmth that could only be brought on by Jeremy rose in Abby’s cheeks. She slammed her laptop shut, held her bag beside the table and swiped all of her belongings into it. It wasn’t anything she had expected, especially on the day of a game when she knew how specific a goalie’s routine was, but she wasn’t going to ignore such an obvious invitation.

The café was, thankfully, closer to the hotel than almost any other she’d found in other cities, so it was a short, fast-paced walk back. Her focus was so intense that she would have stepped out in front of a car if it weren’t for a woman grabbing her by the wrist to keep her on the sidewalk. It wasn’t one of Abby’s proudest moments, certainly, but she was on a mission and needed to make sure she was able to reach her destination before the rules changed.

Nobody else was in the lobby, that Abby noticed anyway, and her ride to the ninth floor was unimpeded—which was for the best because there was no way she would have been able to hold an intelligent, or intelligible, conversation had anybody tried.

Jeremy must have been waiting at the door with how fast he answered it after Abby��s first and only knock. He pulled her inside quickly, the door shutting heavily behind them as he crowded her against the door. She dropped her bag to the floor, the thud only causing a slight concern about her laptop, before his hands were curling into her hair and his mouth was drawing closer.

“Don’t leave,” he said, his breath moving over her lips. “Don’t find a new job.”

Abby wrapped her arms around his neck to stop herself from melting to the floor. She pressed her mouth to his, a silent promise that she wouldn’t go anywhere if he didn’t want her to.

His knee moved between her thighs, helping to keep her lift her further off the ground—closer to him—and added friction it gave to her jeans caused a breathy moan to leave her mouth.

“Are you done here?”

Abby looked up over the laptop screen she’d been staring at blankly, making eye contact with the aggressively raised eyebrow of the waiter and nodding sheepishly before slamming her laptop shut and leaving the café before anybody could read her mind.

[kingkatsuki]

There’s just something special about Bakugou getting comfortable around you.

Once a man who would usually force himself out of bed at an ungodly hour, no matter how much he enjoyed sleep, just to go for a jog or to the gym before work— is now silencing that blaring alarm to spend a few more precious minutes cuddled in bed with you, the warmth of your body coaxing him back to slumber and ensuring that he definitely isn’t moving.

Stopping by your favourite bakery on the way home from work, a box of your favourite treats in hand as he watches the way your face glows at the offering. Any hints of a bad day begin to crumble away as you bite into the soft choux pastry as you offer Bakugou some in return.

And those late night drives where you can finally be alone, away from the incessant media scrutiny and nagging from his agency. Forgetting all your responsibilities as you end up at the same quaint twenty-four hour diner that always does the best soba. No one would ever believe you could convince your boyfriend to stay up past his bedtime, and yet in moments like this Bakugou reckons he’s never been more content.

And that’s why after everything, finally allowing himself to relax— to take it easy. It takes a toll on his body.

The once complete hulking wall of muscle is now becoming softer around the edges, soft fingers squeezing the softest hit of fat on his hips as you bury your face in his chest. Pure muscle morphing into delicate pudge as Bakugou finally allows himself to be happy.

The media commenting on his new look as though he appears different, the chiselled abs no longer as defined as the harsh scrutiny starts to roll in.

But there’s no disagreement that the number two hero can no longer protect the city, in fact it’s quite the opposite. Dynamight is still ever the commanding presence over the city, and his numbers prove it.

The gym and arduous workouts still call his name, and he’s still cooking well-balanced meals for you to enjoy between sweet treats and takeout.

The only difference? He’s allowing himself to be happier.

[zombholic]

| 𝐃𝐑. 𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝐏𝐓. 𝟒 |

abby’s pov

walking into the seattle hospital, abby greeted everyone, hands in her white coats pockets as she entered her personal office.

Dr. Abigail Anderson

was written on the black door name slip, unlocking her door she slid her coat off, placing it behind her rolling chair before taking a seat herself, she starting on all the paperwork for surgeries she had to confirm for. a soft knock from her door only a few minutes after she walked in.

“come in” her eyes never adverting from her paper and signatures “hey abs, i got you coffee” owen chimed in, placing her favorite black coffee on the table near the doctor. “oh hey owen, thank you, how you been?” she finally focused her attention on her ex fiancé who unfortunately is neurosurgeon at the same facility.

“i’ve been the same, just curious, manny is having an engagement party next week on sunday, he finally proposed to ms. scientist” owen let out a chuckle, desperately trying to get his ex back. “yeah of course i’ll come, haven’t seen that pendejo in months” she crossed her arms, mans spreading in her chair.

“would you be wanting to come with me? yanno, for old times sake” he left out a breathy chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck “well, i was thinking if manny will let me, bring my close friend along instead” she only used close friend not wanting to assume your guys situation at the moment. seeing as owen clearly tensed up in his chair, he sat up straight.

“oh who’s the friend?” he could only curiously ask, not knowing what abby has been doing ever since she broke things off with him “her name is y/n, she’s pretty young but i think everyone would love her, she has the best humor i’ve ever seen” the muscular woman clearly swooning over the girl, even just saying her name gave her butterflies in her stomach.

“oh a girl” owen relaxed a bit, not seeing the very indicating signs that his ex was now fascinated with someone else, a woman. “i don’t think manny would mind at all, she’s probably harmless” he would’ve continued on the conversation until his pager started to go off “that’s my sign to see myself out, see you sunday abs” his gaze lingered a little longer before he left her office.

abby pulled out her phone, her big arms leaning on her desk as she carelessly scrolled through all your social media pages. abby being older didn’t understand that tiktok showed who was able to view your page, the doctor repeatedly watching all your videos, biting down on her bottom lip.

one thing about the cardiologist is that she loved to take things slow, first kiss on the third date, confirm the mutual feelings for each other, she will take her time to make sure its the perfect day to ask you to be hers.

abby hates having intimate moments over the phone, it’s classless unlike her who will take you out on the most magical date, wait till the moonlight is shining on your face, ocean waves flowing so heavily she has to give you her coat to ask you to be her girlfriend.

then theres you … who is literally the most impatient, impulsive girl anyone knows, how else did you get majority of your tattoos anyways? and how else did you end up with three cats that you had to sneak into your apartment to avoid the repulsive pet fee. you’ve gotten into god knows how many fights and arguments with random people because they looked at your loved ones the wrong way.

polar opposites

—

abby dialed your number into her phone, waiting as it rang for the first, second and third time before you picked up with “doctor? is there an emergency” you sarcastically gasped causing abby to snort “yes there is actually, i need you to be my date for my friends engagement party” she had a toothy smile over the phone, your voice already having her in a foolish daze.

“and how could i ever say no to that? it’s a date lady hulk” god that made her die of laughter “lady hulk? you’re so creative with your words baby” you swore up and down if she continued calling you these pet names you would get down on your knees and suck her str-“will you pick me up?” you spoke up “of course, i’m a lady, i’ll see you sunday and i’ll text you the time when i find out ok?” her little black box going off in the pocket of her fitted scrubs “sounds good to me doc” “bye sweetheart.”

she smiled oh so sweetly before hanging up the call, she could swear that she could listen to you talk nonstop and never get bored. getting up and wrapping the coat around her she dashed into the patients room “he’s having a stroke, close the curtains.”

—

sunday came creeping by sooner or later, abby who was getting dressed in a fitted long sleeve beige sweater that showed off her arms so well, black slacks with a belt wrapped around and her boots, her har as always in her signature braided ponytail.

she wrapped a cartier watch around her wrist, god she looked so expensive. abby grabbed her engagement present for her friends and headed out her house to swoop you up finally.

parked outside of your apartment she took her phone out to text her pinned contact, y/n 💕. (shes a old give her a break)

—

Hey, I’m outside.

coming! putting on my shoes loser

—

she watched as you exited the apartment complex, she couldn’t keep her damn eyes off of you, admiring every aspect of your outfit to the way your black skirt fitted your waist, your grey sweater that fell off your shoulder to the stunning way you layered your silver jewelry.

silver, got it.

she thought to herself, doing her usual thing and opening the door for you, the smell of your florally perfume hitting her like a drug that she can’t get enough of. “you look so so beautiful y/nn” she softly licked her lips, basically drooling over you.

you couldn’t even lie, you were doing the exact same thing, your jaw wanting to drop to the floor with how she had her sleeves rolled up halfway on her arms, god her arms. “you literally look tasty” you giggled causing her to grin.

—

y/n’s pov

it had been almost ten minutes since you and abby arrived at manny’s, abby having a glass of very expensive liquor in her hand while having you cling onto her other arm like you were showing her off, she loved the way you were wrapped around her.

“so y/n are you in school? majoring in anything?” owen brought up, he was burning holes into your face ever since you walked in holding abby like she was yours. “um no, i’m not in school, i just decided it wasn’t for me i think i rather just explore different things before i settle into one thing for the rest of my life” nora and mel were literally in awe of you, they loved that you were so open and honest.

“oh so what is it that you’re interested in doing?” mel smiled, genuinely wondering unlike owen who wanted to tear you limb from limb. “i think if i do want to school for something it would be veterinarian school, i adore animals.”

abby couldn’t keep her eyes off you, gently rubbing her fingers on your arm with a loving smile across her freckled face. “so do you work?” owen butted in once more “yeah i work at a small coffee shop” you gave him a tight lipped smile causing him to snicker “abby you found her at a coffee shop?” he remarked, he fucking hated that he would rather be with someone of working class than him.

abby was quick to defend you but you were quicker “listen white guy, not all of us our privileged enough to even afford to go to school, i will beat your ass if you keep talking” you jabbed your finger in his chest, everyone around chiming in to calm down the situation.

“oh please you’re the size of my fucking arm i can throw you around like a rag doll” abby pushed you behind her, grabbing the collar of owens button up, nostrils flaring as she threw him against the wall causing him to lose his breath for a minute. “keep talking owen and i will rip your god damn head off” she yelled before manny had to get in between the both of them.

“owen it’s time to go, guys the party is over just go home” he sighed defeated that owen managed to ruin a important day for him.

—

abby had taken you to her place, still in complete anger from what owen did. you sat on the edge of her bed as she undressed into something more comfortable, she walked back towards you, cupping your face in her hands making you look up at her, her thumbs softly caressing your face “i am so so sorry for what he did, i would have never let him touched you ever.” you held one of her hands that was holding your face and smiled up at her. “abs, i’m not mad at you i swear, plus why was he even coming at me?” you farrowed your brows in genuine confusion.

she sighed heavily, getting down on her knees in front of you, her hand still holding yours. “he’s my ex fiancé, he was jealous of you, why do you think i left him? he always had outbursts like that and i just couldn’t.” she shook her head disappointed “ew you were almost married to a man?” you looked at her in disgusted before turning into a ball of laughter “he’s so ugly, why?” you were curious “i can’t even tell you myself hun, here, i’ll grab you some of my clothes and you can stay here for the night ok?” you felt your stomach burst out in fireworks.

staying at her house? oh my god.

AUTHORS NOTE: yall … anyways fuck owen and idk anything about working at a hospital so if my info is wrong DONT COME AT ME!!

[hero-nerd]

The Symbol of Peace: An Analysis of Masculinity in My Hero Academia

Izuku Midoriya runs through the city toward the site of a villain attack, excitement on his face as he knows what this means. He elbows his way to the front of the crowd and up to the very front line the heroes set up as they battle their foe, watching in awe and excitement as the heroes he looks up to are locked in battle.

This scene plays out in the beginning of the hit anime series My Hero Academia. Set in a fantastical version of Japan in which heroes are a part of every day society, the series follows the story of Izuku Midoriya, also known as Deku, as he strives to become a great hero using the power passed on to him by Japan’s number one hero, All Might. The first chapter of the manga series was published in Shonen Jump in 2014, and was adapted into an anime in 2016. Both the manga and anime are still in progress, and have a great level of popularity. According to Parrot Analytics, My Hero Academia is “ranked at the 99.9th percentile in the action genre, indicating that it enjoys exceptional demand compared to 99.9% of all action titles in the United States” (My Hero Academia YTV). Due to its outstanding popularity, I believe this is a relevant text to analyze.

From the very beginning scenes of the series, as Midoriya watches this battle unfold, the audience is shown what the image of a hero looks like. They are strong and powerful, with physiques that look like action figures. They are something for the ladies to swoon over. Notably, they are men. It is not until the very end of the fight we see our first female superhero, who is shown as “stealing the spotlight” from the men in her skintight suit, and immediately subject to objectification and sexualization by the media on the sidelines. To those who know comics and superheroes, these types of hegemonic masculine messages are to be expected. While these messages are seen as such a norm that it’s just a part of the superhero genre, there are real impacts to this. In a study conducted by Coyne et al. about the effects of superhero media on kids, research found that “early superhero exposure was indirectly associated with weaker egalitarian attitudes toward women and greater endorsement of the muscular ideal” (Coyne et al. 634). This shows that superheroes have a real impact and are worth studying. This analysis will look at masculinity in the world of My Hero Academia, as shown through the lens of All Might, the Symbol of Peace.

Who is the Symbol of Peace? All Might is one of the top heroes in the version of Japan this story takes place in, and has been for years by the time the series starts. He is rated the number one hero in the in-universe hero popularity polls, and has one of the greatest powers that citizens in that world have ever seen. As such an important cultural figure in this world of heroes, he is the ideal, the standard, the one everyone looks to when they want to see what it means to be a hero, and we know that what it means to be a hero in this world is to be masculine. That is why I have chosen All Might as the subject of this analysis, and to begin I would like to look at Kimmel’s tenants of masculinity. In his documentary Guyland, Kimmel breaks down four basic rules of masculinity: “No sissy stuff”, “be a big wheel”, “be a sturdy oak”, and “give ‘em hell” (Kimmel). Let’s explore what these mean, and how they are evident in the character of All Might.

When Kimmel says “no sissy stuff”, what he means is that there can be no sign of femininity or weakness. In societies where masculinity is seen as the ideal, femininity and weakness have become synonymous with each other when it comes to the measurement of masculinity. This is apparent in All Might’s appearance. He is the perfect picture of the classic superhero, with bulging muscles and a towering, hulking figure. When he speaks his booming voice resonates and shakes you to your core. It is not just his appearance that this is evident in, however. We can see this line of thinking, “no sissy stuff”, in the way All Might acts, especially toward the beginning of the series. In season one episode 3 “Roaring Muscles”, All Might passes on his power, known as a “quirk” in this world, to the protagonist Izuku Midoriya. As he does this, Midoriya’s eyes welled up with tears as the emotions of all of his dreams finally coming true overwhelm him, All Might says “Seriously! You gotta stop crying so much if you want my quirk” (My Hero Academia). This is a common theme, as Midoriya is very outwardly expressive with his emotions while All Might begins their mentorship with a much more hegemonic view of masculinity.

To “be a big wheel” means to have lots of money, power, and status. This is probably the tenet that All Might intentionally goes after the least, but that does not change the fact that he fully embodies it. As the number one hero in Japan he holds a very important status, and the Symbol of Peace is a name anyone in the world of the show knows. In season three episode 49 “One for All”, All Might is fighting against the main antagonist of the show in a large display that is being televised to all of Japan. He has lost the last of his power that allows him to stay in his superpowered form, but he continues to fight on despite this. His mentor urges him to stay strong, saying “No matter what you look like, you’re still everyone’s number-one hero!” This is just one of many illustrations of the status All Might holds in the eyes of the citizens of Japan.

Arguably the most prevalent of the four tenets in All Might’s story is “be a sturdy oak”. All Might specifically created the idea of the Symbol of Peace to be an unwavering force of help to those in need. This is evident even in his catchphrase. We see him use a variation over and over, a common theme throughout the series, going all the way back to his first appearance as a hero: “Fear not, citizens. Hope has arrived. Because I am here” (My Hero Academia season one episode one “Izuku Midoriya: Origin”). When Midoriya is talking about what he looks up to so much about All Might he says “There’s always a smile on his face, no matter how bad things get. Even when things seem impossible, he never gives up” (My Hero Academia season one episode one “Izuku Midoriya: Origin”).

The last of the tenets is “give ‘em hell”. This comes down to a reckless sense of daring, always throwing yourself in no matter the danger and being willing to do things no matter the risk. This is seen as bravery, the opposite of being a “sissy” as mentioned in the first tenet, even at the cost of the person performing these acts. We see this in All Might’s willingness to throw himself into any battle, no matter the cost to himself, and how he sees that as admirable. In his backstory preceding the events of the show, All Might was injured in a battle with All For One that left him only able to use his power for a finite amount of time each day. During the time All Might first meets Midoriya he has reached his limit on his power use for the day when a villain attacks a student. All Might is on the sidelines in his disguised form, watching this go down while cursing himself for not being able to help because of his limit. When he watches a powerless Midoriya rush in to help, All Might says “I have to do something, no matter the cost” before pushing past his limit to use his power. He tells Midoriya “Pros are always risking their lives, that’s the true test of a hero!” (My Hero Academia season one episode two “What It Takes To Be A Hero”). He uses his great power to blow the villain away with a single hit. After things have calmed down from this battle, All Might talks to Midoriya about this and what it means to be a hero. He tells Midoriya “There are stories about every hero, how they became great. Most have one thing in common. Their bodies moved before they had a chance to think” (My Hero Academia season one episode two “What It Takes To Be A Hero). This becomes a recurring line in the show when people talk about what it means to be a hero, and it truly highlights the reckless and daring action described by the tenet “give ‘em hell”.

These are only a handful of examples of how All Might embodies the tenets of masculinity in each and every episode. However, these tenets do not go without cost to All Might. We can see as his adherence to these tenets broaches the realm of toxic masculinity-”a particular version of masculinity that is unhealthy for the men and boys who conform to it, and harmful to those around them” (Flood).

In season four episode 67 “Fighting Fate” All Might tells his protege about that time from his past. His sidekick, a hero named Sir Nighteye with the power to see the future, warned All Might that if he were to keep fighting, he would die a horrible death at the hands of villains. All Might acknowledges this, but he presses forward despite the warnings in an attempt to uphold the Symbol of Peace. He says “For the sake of this world, I have to be able to say that I am still here” (My Hero Academia season four episode sixty-seven “Fighting Fate”). As he tries to uphold the tenets, particularly “be a sturdy oak” here, he only begins to break himself down and harm himself as he exacerbates his injuries and puts himself at risk again and again. This is often rewarded in the show, saying he is a good hero for doing these things.

This line of thinking gets passed down to his protege Midoriya as All Might trains him to become the next Symbol of Peace. Here we can see the effects of gender socialization on the story. As defined by Dipti, “Gender socialization is a process by which individuals develop, refine, and learn to ‘do’ gender through internalizing gender norms and roles as they interact with key agents of socialization” (Dipti 9). All Might passes down his ideas of masculinity, such as in the “no sissy stuff” point when he tells Midoriya he needs to stop crying so much. In season two episode 19 “The Boy Born With Everything”, Midoriya is competing in his school's sports tournament and is nervous for his upcoming battle. In his pep talk, All Might tells Midoriya “Whenever you’re scared or nervous about a fight, just try to deal with it by smiling!”, passing on the ideals of being a “sturdy oak” that never wavers even in the face of fear.

Midoriya internalizes these messages, and it all comes to a big culmination in season six. The main antagonist appears to be on the winning side, the world has fallen to ruins, and Midoriya is working as a vigilante trying to take on the world and save everyone himself. All Might was initially in contact with him during this, until Midoriya runs off leaving All Might behind to fight the main antagonist alone. In doing so, Midoriya embodies the traits of “be a sturdy oak” and “give ‘em hell'' by rushing off without regards to himself to take everything on his own, and makes sure there is no “sissy stuff” as he insists he is fine, shoving down any emotions and refusing to ask for help. These are all traits he learned from All Might, and in season six All Might has the realization that the messages he passed down to Midoriya were toxic. As Midoriya speeds away, too fast for All Might to catch up, All Might cries after him, saying “I get it! I know what a heavy burden this is to carry alone! Which is why I want to scream at you, ‘Don’t work too hard. It’s okay to take a break when you’re tired.’ Young man, I’m sorry” (My Hero Academia season six episode 135 “Friend”). Later that same season, Midoriya is confronted by his classmates and close friends in a stunning display of emotional vulnerability that warrants an analysis of its own beyond the scope of this paper. Toxic masculinity is broken down as the characters show that it is leaning on others and being vulnerable that shows true strength.

The vulnerability in this show was not lost on viewers. One article details the reaction audiences had to this scene on social media as people shared their thoughts and breaking down their own toxic masculinity. The article states “Many users openly expressed how much they sobbed wholeheartedly alongside Deku and the gang during this segment of the storyline, without a worry in the world about how ‘unmanly’ their confession may be perceived” (Chester-Londt). It is clear that audiences hold a place for this type of breakdown of toxic masculinity, even in superhero stories where that is perceived to be the default.

For a long time superhero stories have been a place of traditional, hegemonic masculine ideals, and My Hero Academia is no exception to that. The leading figure in the hero society, the Symbol of Peace, exhibits clear signs of all four tenets of masculinity talked about by Kimmel. He passes on these masculine ideals to his students, as evident through the character of Midoriya, and the strict adherence to these ideals proves to be quite toxic. What makes this series unique for a hero story, however, is the recognition of that toxic masculinity and a changing of messages saying it’s okay to rely on others, ask for help, and not always live up to unattainable ideals. We know from audience reactions that there is a want for these types of stories, and I hope to see more like it in hero media going forward.

Works Cited

Chester-Londt, Levana Jane. “My Hero Academia Is the Cure for Toxic Masculinity.” Game Rant, 1 Apr. 2023, gamerant.com/my-hero-academia-is-the-cure-for-toxic-masculinity/.

Coyne, Sarah, et al. “Making Men of Steel: Superhero Exposure and the Development of Hegemonic Masculinity in Children.” Sex Roles, vol. 86, no. 11/12, June 2022, pp. 634–47. EBSCOhost, https://doi-org.dmacc.idm.oclc.org/10.1007/s11199-022-01293-2.

Dipti. “Gender and Socialization.” International Journal of Recent Research Aspects, vol. 9, no. 2, June 2022, pp. 9–12. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=asn&AN=158174861&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

Flood, Michael. “'Toxic Masculinity': What Does It Mean, Where Did It Come from – and Is the Term Useful or Harmful?” The Conversation, 21 Sept. 2022, https://theconversation.com/toxic-masculinity-what-does-it-mean-where-did-it-come-from-and-is-the-term-useful-or-harmful-189298.

Kimmel, Michael S., and Media Education Foundation. Guyland : Where Boys Become Men. Media Education Foundation, 2015, http://www.kanopystreaming.com/node/144408.

My Hero Academia, created by Kohei Horikoshi, Bones, June 2016.

“My Hero Academia (YTV): United States Daily TV Audience Insights for Smarter Content Decisions - Parrot Analytics.” Parrot Analytics, tv.parrotanalytics.com/US/my-hero-academia-ytv. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.

I hope everyone enjoyed!! I have so much more to say about this topic that I didn’t get to due to the page restraints on the paper. This version already goes over the page limit and still manages to cut out about two thirds of my initial points. So if anyone wants to discuss further with me, please do!!!! I love talking about this stuff!!

And for those who asked to be tagged:

@steh-lar-uh-nuhs

@anna-pre

@0im-kinda-dumb0

@ghostspace37

[duhragonball]

Enter the Casinoverse: Why I Don't Like Multiverse Stuff.

I probably should be resting instead of writing, or at least writing stuff that actually counts towards my writing goals, but dammit, this is how I relax, and I finally found a way to tackle this topic properly.

Over the last decade or so, I've come to loathe all the multiverse fare in pop culture. This is probably because it's gotten so overexposed in media, but also because comic books were running it into the ground well before I was born. When I actually got into comics in the 90s, a lot of the older fans used to pine for the "good old days" when DC had a multiverse, and everybody was constantly teaming up with their Golden Age self to fight their Evil Universe self. DC keeps teasing bringing the Multiverse back, and sometimes they even go through with it, but it's like they can never get it quite right or something, but they refuse to just commit to anything, and that's one reason I don't read DC comics anymore.

These days the Marvel Cinematic Universe keeps horsing around with the idea, and even using "Multiverse" in one of the movie titles. I haven't watched the Dr. Strange movies, but my idea of a good Dr. Strange story is Doc traveling through a dimension that looks like a Salvador Dali painting, battling Lovecraftian horrors by uttering spells that rhyme. Then he goes home to hang out with Namor and the Incredible Hulk, and Queen's "It's a Kind of Magic" is playing the entire time. But sure, have Benedict Cumberbatch screw around with AU Reed Richards and revisit some of the dirt-worst Scarlet Witch stories ever written, all for the sake of setting up Phase Five. Sounds good.

Here's the problem: The whole premise of a multiverse story is that none of it matters, because somewhere out there is another set of universes where everything turned out differently. There's a DC direct-to-home-video cartoon about this, where the Justice League battles their Evil Counterparts, and the Evil Batman is named Owlman. His plan is to destroy the entire multiverse, including himself, because he he's a nihilist. Faced with an infinite reality where every possible decision has already been made somewhere else, he wants to blow up the entire thing, because that's the only choice that can actually matter.

I like Owlman's speech, but he's a dope. Batman stops him before he can go through with his plan, but it still doesn't matter, because even if it worked, there would still be an alternate reality where Owlman didn't destroy the multiverse. At best, he can only wipe out parts of it, because it goes on forever. Owlman believes there's some "Prime" universe from which all the others originated, but he has no way to know for sure. I guess he doesn't need to actually be capable of destroying reality to be a good villain. His frustration and willingness to try is sufficient.

Nevertheless, the multiverse concept is deceptive because it seems to raise the stakes. Instead of fighting for one world, the good guys have to fight for many worlds! What could be better? But ultimately it lowers the stakes by presenting too many shortcuts and loopholes. Instead of defending one home which is precious and irreplaceable, the heroes have to live with the knowledge that there are infinite copies, and they could just as easily switch over to one of them when things go wrong. Instead of getting to know other characters with diverse backgrounds and histories, they wind up bonding with alternate versions of themselves.

I'm trying to be careful here because I've heard the Spider-Verse movies are quite good, but I haven't seen them yet so I can't comment on how they might have gotten the formula right. My best guess is that they focus on very different versions of Spider-Man. Miles is different from Peter who is different from Miguel, etc. They seem more like the Green Lantern Corps than a multiverse concept. A fraternity of superheroes with the same powers, that just happens to be operating across multiple Earths instead of outer space. "No Way Home" went the opposite direction, with three Peter Parkers all being amazed that they each had an Uncle Ben who told them about great responsibility, like this is some big revelation.

The multiverse premise also suggests a broader canvas for greater creativity, but in practice it always seems to mean repeating the same ideas over and over. Hence the Council of Cross-Time Kangs, or the Flash teaming up with himself to fight... himself. Or the MCU revealing that Dr. Doom will be played by the same guy who already featured heavily in nine of their previous movies. You'd think an infinitude of universes would open the door for all sorts of bizarre ideas, but instead they just use it to bring back dead characters like Loki, so he can join the Time Variance Authority, which in the comics was a bureaucratic organization made up of identical men who all looked like Marvel Comics editor Mark Gruenwald. Loki's job in the TVA was apparently to apprehend... another Loki. Brilliant.

I'm not saying these projects can't be successful, or even well-told. Again, a lot of people were high on the Spider-Verse stuff, and it looks pretty cool. I need to check it out. But I've seen lots and lots of stories that get it wrong, or use it as a crutch, or present it like some novel concept that hasn't already been going on for decades. The TV show "Sliders" aired from 1995 to 2000, and its opening credits had to explain the premise, probably because general audiences weren't familiar with the concept. That was a quarter-century ago. And I got bored with "Sliders" after the first season.

You might be wondering how Multiverse Stuff is different from Alternate Timeline Stuff. And you're right, the two ideas tend to blend together a lot. My personal definition is that an Alternate Timeline depends on some sort of time anomaly or time travel to exist. For example, in "Back to the Future II", Old Biff goes back from 2015 to 1955 and gives his younger self the sports almanac. This creates the "Hell Valley" timeline where 1985 Biff is rich and powerful. When Doc and Marty go to 1955 and destroy the almanac, the "Hell Valley" timeline is prevented and it no longer exists.

By contrast, the parallel worlds seen in "Sliders" or DC's multiverse appeared to be permanent fixtures. They may have been spawned by decisions made in some "prime" reality, but they couldn't be un-made like "Hell Valley". DC's Earth-2 was a place you could just go to whenever you wanted, but "Hell Valley" only existed for as long as the future almanac was in the past.

This was something I liked a lot about Terminator 5. It had its problems, but the movie's premise was kind of fun for a fourth sequel to a time travel movie. Both sides of the conflict have been using time travel to win their war, but there's only one world, so all of the characters remember events from timelines that no longer exist because of all the tampering. They each have ideas about what was supposed to happen, but all bets seem to be off.

So, with all that said, let me talk about the 1995 film "Casino". It's based on real world events involving the Chicago Outfit's skimming operation in 1970's Las Vegas. The names were changed for the movie, and some events are retooled to work better for the movie, but I started reading the book this was all based on, and it's interesting to me how closely the movie matches up so far.

The story is the same, though. I'll stick to the movie version, since I know it better. The mob installs a trusted bookie (Sam "Ace" Rothstein, played by Robert DeNiro) to run their casino, the Tangiers. Ace's job is to run a tight ship and make the casino as profitable as possible, so the Outfit can send a guy into the casino's count room every month to steal a bunch of money. The "skim" is a bit more complicated than this, from what I understand, but the point is to avoid paying taxes on the profits. A made man, Nicky Santoro (Joe Pesci), is sent to Vegas to protect the Outfit's investment.

But by the early 80's the whole operation goes wrong. The FBI uncovers the skim. Ace screws up his marriage and career because he's too stubborn to compromise and too greedy to cut his losses. Nicky defies the Chicago Outfit by trying to become his own boss in Vegas, and the Outfit fails to deal with any of these issues until it's too late. I guess you could call it a tragedy, in the sense that everyone is brought down by the same brutal and venal talents that made them successful in the first place.

What makes the movie so awesome is how inevitable this is. There is no Plan B for any of the characters. Ace's wife Ginger (Sharon Stone) tries to find a way out of her abusive marriage, but every path leads to her demise. Nicky screws up so badly that he can't even go near Las Vegas by the end of the movie. He thinks he still has prospects in the mob, but instead he gets executed for all the trouble he caused for the bosses. Ace gets so focused on running the Tangiers that he loses sight of what he's really there to do: Supporting the skim operation. He survives the events of the movie and ends up living in San Diego, but he'll never again be the big shot he was in Vegas.

The point I'm trying to make here is that there isn't a "Las Vegas 2" these characters can go to and start over. This is their big opportunity in life, the only one they'll ever get, and they all blow it. And it's not just one or two big mistakes that bring it all crashing down. It's lots of little blunders and unforced errors that happen over the course of the movie. It's a beautiful thing, because when you rewatch the film, you realize just how many chances they had to save the thing, and they kept zigging when they needed to zag.

For example, let's talk about Joe Bob Briggs. The host of TNT Monstervision got a small part in "Casino" as this Nevadan Slot Manager named Don Ward. I'm not even sure what his job was in the movie, except to watch the slot machines and make sure his area was clean. Ace says he had to hire Don Ward because his cousin-in-law Pat Webb is the county commissioner, and they need support from local officials like Webb to maintain the mob's control of the Tangiers.

Later in the movie, Ace fires Don Ward for general incompetence. It's not clear what Don did wrong, but someone won a bunch of money on his slots, so Ace is sure there was cheating going on, since the odds of winning that big are astronomical. Don was either stupid enough to let it happen, or he was in cahoots with the cheaters, so either way, Ace wants him out. This upsets Pat Webb, who tries to talk Ace into hiring Don back as a personal favor. But Ace refuses to budge.

And this is a big mistake, because throughout the whole movie, Ace has been running the casino without a gaming license, and relying on a loophole that lets him do the job as long as his application is still pending. Before, everyone was willing to look the other way, but now that Ace has angered the county commissioner who handles those applications, Pat Webb fast tracks the application and it gets denied, making Ace's position even more tenuous.

And from there Ace becomes more worried about vindication and getting his license than his actual job: Supporting the skim. If he had just kept Don Ward on the payroll, and tolerated his incompetence, then maybe things could have been different. Maybe some of the other dominoes in the movie wouldn't have fallen. But he made his choices and the movie played out the way it did.

So when you watch the movie, it's tempting to play What If and imagine things going a different way. This is what Multiverse stories try to do all the time. Ace Rothstein meets his AU counterpart who still runs the Tangiers and patched things up with Ginger and Nicky. Then they team up to fight an Ace who ratted everyone out to the FBI, which I guess is just Lefty Rosenthal, the real life guy Ace Rothstein was based on.

The problem is that the alternate scenarios don't make sense. Multiverse stories love to present ideas like "What if the Nazi's won World War II?" but they neglect to consider whether such a scenario is even possible. The whole "infinite worlds from infinite choices" concept presumes that every scenario is equally possible. The Nazis didn't win World War II, and they probably never really had much of a chance, since their strategies usually involved taking badly needed oil resources from countries they hadn't finished invading. It's more complicated than that, sure, but when you learn more about the war, you begin to realize just how steep the odds were for Nazi Germany.

But I didn't want to get into all that historical analysis, which is why I'm talking about the movie "Casino". Joe Bob Briggs' role in the movie is a little easier to discuss. What if Ace rehired him? Ace wouldn't re-hire him, though. He was too stubborn and arrogant to go back on his decision. Pat Webb warned him of the consequences, but he stuck to his guns. Whatever money loss Don Ward caused for the Casino was surely a pittance compared to the eventual loss of the entire skim operation, but Ace couldn't see it that way.

Well what if he could see it that way? What if hats were ants? Look, if you rewrite the story where Ace Rothstein always does the most logical thing, he never would have gone to Vegas in the first place. He never would have gotten involved with organized crime in the first place. He wouldn't have been a bookie in the first place. He would have become an accountant or something.

Or take Nicky Santoro for example. He got too big for his britches and started doing mafia stuff in Las Vegas because no one else was doing it, so he had no competition. Great, except the reason for that was because the Outfit purposely suppressed that kind of crime in Vegas in order to encourage tourism. More tourists means more gambling, which makes the casino more profitable and the skim even greater. Everyone wins, as long as Nicky stays quiet and does his actual job: Protecting the skim.

But Nicky couldn't do that, because he was too ambitious and aggressive to just sit around waiting to respond to trouble. And all the bosses were 1700 miles away, so he could start robbing jewelry stores and hotel rooms and dating Ginger behind Sam's back without any consequences. Well what if he just... didn't do all that? What if he stopped and realized how badly that would mess things up? Because if he didn't make those kinds of mistakes, he wouldn't be Nicky Santoro! That's why!

The simple fact is that Nicky is a violent, ambitious man. When he wants something, he takes it. That's the character. He can be reasoned with, but only to a certain extent. Early in the film, he shakes down bookies for money. Later in the film, he tries the same thing with an investment banker, as if that's the same thing. To him it is, because he thinks he's invincible, but to the rest of the world, its ridiculous. The bookies can't stop him because no one in law enforcement would care if they got whacked, but an investment banker can go to the authorities. There is no alternate universe where Nicky Santoro is a chill guy who only does bad things when his superiors tell him to. Because that guy wouldn't be cut out for the mafia in the first place.

This is why alternate timeline concepts work better, because there has to be an inciting incident that creates them. Trunks goes back in time and warns Goku about the androids and the heart virus, so now we have a timeline where Goku lives and one where he died. And we don't have to trouble ourselves with 500 other universes where Goku doesn't like to fight, or 37 realities where Goku is a porn star, or that one AU where he got the bit role in "Casino" instead of Joe Bob Briggs.

This is why I got sick of "Sliders" back in the 90s, because they would find themselves in an alternate universe where women overthrew the patriarchy, or the British won the Revolutionary War, but they would never adequately explain how those things happened. The one where the women run everything was especially insulting, because one of the characters reads a history book and explains that the women just got fed up one day and took over. Like, that's it. It's that simple. It's the most interesting aspect of the show and they don't even bother with it. If it was a time travel story, then you'd have to show a character going back in time and actually doing something to cause history to change, and then explain why that one change worked.

This is why "Back to the Future II" works, because it's simple enough to understand that if 1955 Biff knows the outcome of every sports event for the next fifty years, he can win big by placing bets with bookies, like the Earth-7 Ace Rothstein, who never went to Las Vegas and became a bookie in Hill Valley instead. It's the same Biff, with the same wants and desires and flaws, but now he has an advantage that he didn't have before, and we can see the character taken to the logical extreme.

I suppose this is the gripe I have with that animated movie version of Owlman, becuse it's kind of silly that an ominverse-killing nihilist just happens to still be similar enough to Batman that he throws knives and ropes and such, and he dresses up in a Batman costume even though he's supposed to look like an owl. It would all work a lot better if he was just a whole new character without any ties to Batman at all.

I don't really have a neat little conclusion to put on this. Studios are probably going to keep milking mutliverse fare until it stops making money. The idea will never entirely go away. It's not the worst thing in the world or anything like that, but I do sort of wish everyone else was getting just as bored with it as I am, so that we could move on to some other cliche, like boat chases, or sexy assassins.

And this is where it's nice to just write my own stuff, because at least I can make my own stories where the Time Patrol doesn't get bogged down with Goku-on-Goku action.

[mowritesstuff]

Irondad and Spider-son

Something that I think is super interesting yet isn’t talked about enough (in my opinion) is the idea of “Irondad/Spiderson” and the subsequent infantilization of Spider-Man. Regardless of if you enjoy the trope or not, it is incredibly interesting to look at the way that Irondad is made to be perceived in modern day media. If you go on Ao3, Tumblr, or Fanfic.Net, you can find story after story that all essentially have the same format: something happens to Peter and Tony is the only one who can make it better.

It isn’t surprising that this is the way that this trope has developed, seeing as that’s exactly how marvel/the MCU showcased their relationship.

In order for there to be a father-son relationship between Peter and Tony, they need to make Peter Parker fundamentally different from his cannon comic book roots. Not only do they need to erase the role that both Uncle Ben and Aunt May play on his development into adulthood, but they also need to shift around more subtle, impactful factors in Peter’s life; like his financial situation.

The only way that Irondad as a concept can work is if Peter is raised by a young single parent/guardian who can work enough to support both her and Peter. This allows Peter to have the luxuries that come with growing up financially stable: recklessness with clothing and school supplies, immaturity and gullibility, and a lack of responsibility.

Spider-man’s story arc is meant to showcase the struggles of a young boy forced to become a man. Peter Parker got powers and his uncle was killed. Hes essentially on his own, and has to become the type of man that his uncle would be proud of. He has to take the mantle as “man of the house” and take on responsibilities of someone much older than him. That’s the brilliance of it. If even a small piece of the story is changed, then it differs how the character develops.

If Ben doesn’t die, there’s no need for him to become Spider-man. Subsequently, there is no one for peter to base his own self/his identity of when comparing his actions and reactions.

If May isn’t frail/unable to work, then there is no need for Peter to become aware of his financials. There is no need for him to struggle to make sacrifices in order to make sure the bills are paid. (A prime example of this is Peter selling his photographs to the Bugle. Why would he sell his photos to a magazine that continuously drags his name through the mud? Why else if not because he has bills that need to be paid?)

If Peter is in a financially stable situation, then there is no need for him to look at corporations/rich people with a critical lens. There is a difference between knowing that someone is richer than you are and being made aware of their wealth in everything that they do. If Peter was raised poor, do you really think he would have been comfortable around Tony Stark or Avengers tower? You think he wouldn’t on some subconscious level, resent the fact that Tony Stark can damn near literally throw money around, while he has to scrape to pay the bills? Do you really think he would have been anything less than hyper aware that Tony Stark has the privilege of being able to buy literal buildings at the last second, just to toss the Hulk through them?

If none of these factors play a role in Peter Parker’s development, then he becomes a different person. A character who has the privileges of being gullible, reckless, and less mature than his original counterpart. There’s a reason why in every other iteration, Spiderman is more mature/has more emotional struggles.

And unlike Tony Stark, Peter doesn’t have the privileges that he (TS) has. Tony has money, power, and influence in order to make sure that the consequences given to him are less severe.

In my opinion, what it boils down to, is that Irondad/Spiderson can only work is Spider-man isn’t Spider-man. He doesn’t have to worry about bills or politics. He doesn’t have to worry about food, or his aunt, or filling the shoes that Ben Parker left for him. He doesn’t have to worry about the consequences of his identity being exposed or stress over repairing his spider-suit again and again when he goes out to keep New York City safe. He has no responsibilities.

All that’s left is a kid with a whole bunch of powers, but very little responsibilities. And that’s not Spider-man.

[blancheludis]

Whumptober Day 2: Trust Issues / "you got away with the crime while the knife's in my back"

Fandom: DCU, Batman, Superman Characters: Tim Drake & Conner Kent, Bruce Wayne, Clark Kent Tags: Child Abuse. Hurt Tim, Hurt Conner, Batman's and Superman's Bad Parenting, Hurt/Comfort, Found Family

Summary: Robin seems tiny next to Batman's hulking form, especially walking a step behind, a speck of colour ready to absorbed into a black hole. Conner wonders whether the size difference between him and Superman makes him look just as vulnerable.

"You're hurt," Conner blurts out and does not expect Tim to take it as an accusation.

"I'm fully functional," Tim snaps and walks out, clearly trying to hide his limp.

- Or: How two hurting boys in dire need of a hug find to each other.

Robin seems tiny next to Batman's hulking form, especially walking a step behind, a speck of colour ready to absorbed into a black hole. Conner wonders whether the size difference between him and Superman makes him look just as vulnerable.

---

"You're hurt," Connor blurts out as they run into each other in the communal kitchen. They have not talked to each other beyond essentials for various missions, both of them usually too absorbed in their mentors' business to have time for anything else. But Connor noticed, and now he cannot unsee it, especially since nobody else seems bothered by it.

Robin looks at him full of suspicion before he clears his face into something approximating carelessness.

"Some thug got a lucky hit in," he says, sounding like he is giving a report. "It's nothing serious." With that, he keeps on walking to the coffee machine, not quite turning his back towards Conner, but clearly dismissing him.

But Conner is not ready to let this go. Whatever happened is serious enough that Robin favours his right side. At least whenever Batman is out of the room and therefore unable to notice.

"And Batman still lets you out in the field?" Conner asks, barely suppressing a wince at the sharpness in his voice.

"I'm fully functional," Robin snaps, full of indignation as if that is a normal thing to say for anybody, much less a pint-sized vigilante. His knuckles are white around his coffee mug.

Conner guesses he is in no position to point fingers, considering half of his back is covered in a throbbing bruise. But it surely does not count if his mentor is the one to put it there. Conner has always been slow on the uptake and some lessons need to be repeated often.

"I wasn't implying anything," he says and means it. He knows that, sometimes, the worst thing that can happen, is to be useless, because then nobody will bother with him at all.

Deciding to let the matter drop, he nods at Robin and navigates smoothly past him, ignoring the pain in his back as he stretches to get a mug for himself. When he turns around again, Robin is gone.

---

The next time they meet, they are both limping and trying to hide it. Robin raises his chin, daring Conner to say anything. He does not. Considering he very much does not want to talk about his own mishap, he thinks it is only fair.

---

It is only when Conner walks in on Batman and Robin training that he realizes that he might not be as special a case as he always thought. Batman is brutally efficient and barely out of breath as he puts Robin down on the mat too many times in rapid concession, barely giving the kid enough time to get to his feet before charging anew. The hits are clinical, dispassionate, so Conner at least thinks this is training and not a punishment. He is not sure there is always a difference, though.

Later, when Robin walks straight-backed towards the showers, showing not a hint of the pain he must feel, he hisses at Conner, "Not a word." Spots of red colour his cheek, borne from exhaustion or shame at having been observed.

Mutely, Conner shakes his head. They would only need to have words about this if something were wrong, right? He does not know anything about Robin and Batman's dynamic. Perhaps Robin, just like himself, is also a ticking time bomb, just waiting to blow up and hurt innocent people. Perhaps Robin, just like himself, needs to be reminded, every now and then, of being careful, of his place, of the precarious balancing act his usefulness hinges on.

---

"Are you all right?" Conner asks after a mission. His senses are not as good as Superman's but he can still smell the iron tang of blood in the air, following Robin around.

They are in an open hallway and even though there is nobody around, the question is risky. Conner is not sure how he would react if someone just asked him that. Few people do, of course. Ma, sometimes. But why bother when there is only one answer he can give?

Robin is all teeth and narrowed eyes. "I don't need you to hold my hand," he snaps and makes to move past Conner with his shoulders straight and his chin up high. If not for the smell, Connor would believe the posture.

He cannot forget about the blood, however. Half a step to the side and he is not quite blocking Robin's way but, at least, getting him to slow down. "Do you need help with stitches, though?"

For a moment, it looks like this will end like any other time they meet, in a prickly argument neither of them will walk away from satisfied.

Robin gears up for it, clear as day. But then he slumps, hissing when the abrupt movement pulls at some bruise or worse.

"Actually," he says slowly, eyes widening just so as if he cannot believe the words coming out of his own mouth. "If you wouldn't mind."

Warmth spreads through Connor's chest that is half-satisfaction, half-panic. If Robin asks for help, it has to be bad.

Careful not to show any of that on his face, he falls into step next to Robin. "Do you have a first-aid kit you can use?"

"Of course," Robin scoffs, then takes a double take at Conner, seemingly reevaluating some information he thought he had. "You don't?"

The warmth shifts into embarrassment. He is supposed to heal quickly, so it does not make sense to waste good medical equipment on him. Of course, he should not rectify that misconception. He is already slower and less strong. Less useful, even while more volatile. No need to add breakable to the list.

"I do now," he says, maybe more honest than he should be. "Do you have antibiotics?"

Conner's healing is not enhanced enough to not get him out of pain and inconvenience, but he usually does not have to worry about infection. Robin, however. is entirely human and does not even have that luxury.

"Yes," Robin says slowly, looking at him with an unreadable expression. "Meet me in my room in ten? I need to take a shower first."

Nodding his agreement, Conner turns to get his own shower and change of clothes. He is not sure what to make of this sudden show of trust, simply hopes it is not due to desperation. If Robin is hurt enough that he cannot deal with it on his own, surely Batman would help. He always thought their partnership was one of choice, not like his and Superman's.

The cut is long and nasty, spanning from Robin's lower right-side abdomen up around his back. Again, Conner wonders quietly how Robin would have stitched this up if he had not offered to help. There is no way he could have reached all the way on his back. He keeps his mouth shut, though, not wanting to upset their new shaky balance.

They do not talk while Conner cleans the cut, and Robin barely gives any outward reaction while the needle moves through him too many times. Impressive pain tolerance, Luthor liked to say about Conner. And then, of course, let's turn it up a notch. Conner swallows down bile and moves as carefully as he can without drawing things out needlessly.

Robin comes back to life once the stitches are done and helps wind the bandages around his abdomen. His fingers move quickly, obviously practiced in patching himself up.

When they are done, he offers a small smile to Conner, even while immediately testing his range of movement. His expression barely moves out of place, even though Conner knows a wound like that hurts.

"What about you?" he asks when he is satisfied, letting his shoulders fall in as much of a slump as Conner has ever seen from him.

"I'm good," Conner replies, and it is not a lie. A few scrapes, a bit of a strain on his knee. Nothing that needs attention. "I heal fast."

Robin's lips twist into a wry smile that does not hold much amusement. "Not fast enough to keep you from limping every other week."

Conner's first instinct is to deny it but trust goes both ways. Instead, he shrugs. "I'm usually still functional." He uses the same word Robin once hurled at him, not surprised when it does not get a reaction out of him. One does not choose a descriptor like that if one does not believe in its value.

With a deep exhale just shy of a sigh, Robin gets to his feet. "I should go. I've got reports to write."

They have just come back from a mission that left Robin seriously injured. Yet, he is here instead of in the med bay, with Conner instead of with Batman. Of course, reports take precedence over comfort. For once, Conner is glad that Superman does not trust him. Otherwise, he might be stuck with this unenviable post-mission duty, too.

Not for one moment does he think about trying to talk Robin out of it. What they are doing is already risky enough. Batman might be of the opinion that, if Robin is clumsy enough to get hurt in the field, he should deal with it himself instead of bothering others. Superman is, certainly. It never ends well when Conner goes against the rules, explicit or otherwise.

Instead, he asks, "You want to come back and eat when you're done?"

Robin hesitates. Denial is written all over his face. But then he looks down at the mess of both their first-aid kits on the ground and the bloody compresses they have yet to clean up. They have already crossed several lines they cannot take back. What is one more?

"Pizza?" Robin looks constipated, like it took enormous effort to drag that one word up his throat.

Connor smiles solemnly. "I'll get something for us."

---

"You think Superman would cover for me if I were to hide in your room?" Robin zips past him in the hall and does not stop moving. Conner, naturally, falls into step with him.

"What happened?" he asks, instantly concerned.

Robin's stoicism is usually unparalleled. To see him all but running away from something has all of Conner's instincts go haywire.

Despite that, Robin waves dismissively. "Nothing." He slows briefly to peek around a corner before barrelling on. "Messed up some basic task because I was distracted."

Basic task in Batspeak can mean anything from brewed Batman's coffee wrong to accidentally launched a nuclear missile.

"You're never distracted," Conner protests, knowing when he will not get any further information.

Robin flashes him a smile that is as genuine as it is worrying. He seems jittery, almost buzzing. "I guess you can't use caffeine indefinitely to push off sleep."

That explains the lack of calm. "How long?" Conner asks, sounding exactly like Ma when she is scolding Pa for working through lunch break.

"Does it matter?" Robin shoots back with an utterly expected dismissal of his own well-being. "With a bit of luck, B will knock me out with the first hit. I'll get some rest, then."

Conner is familiar with the icy fingers spreading through his insides, encasing him until the only choices left to him are fight or flight. Too often, he is forced to push that down, to remain right where he is and let happen what others intend to happen, all for the sake of proving to Superman that he is not the next mad supervillain. But this is not about him. This is about Robin joking about Batman coming for him as if it is inevitable, as if this has happened so often that this is the only result any mistake on his part will ever lead to.

Before he knows what he is doing, Conner reaches out to put his hand on Robin's shoulder. Both of them pretend Robin does not flinch and Conner does not pull his hand away as if burned. Time is frozen for a long moment as they stare at each other.

"My room is this way," Conner then says, voice rough with some unnamed emotion he does not have the time to look closer at.

"I know." Robin frowns, the expression somehow more genuine than most of the smiles he wields on a normal day. "I was joking. Do you really think I would get you into trouble like that?"

Something is happening here, shifting. This is not just crossing lines; this is redrawing the entire playing field. Or maybe that is just how it feels to Conner. Getting ready to fight for Robin had felt naturally. Robin, in turn, not rejecting his help on principle but refusing even the mere possibility of Conner getting hurt, feels monumental.

Conner's throat is dry as he tries to put any of that into words. Instead, like a coward, he says, "I don't think Batman would care either way."

"Yeah, but we both know Superman's just itching for an excuse." Robin scoffs and then gestures at the two of them with a roll of his eyes as if to say, can you believe us? Just crazy. Then, barely missing a beat, he starts moving again. "No, I'll go back, try to stay awake through the lecture and then survive training." He grins at Conner, full of sleep-deprived, coffee-fuelled mania and the certain knowledge of pain in his future. "Find you afterwards?"

Indignation rears its ugly head. "How about you go to sleep, afterwards?" 

How about they both stop being so nonchalant about an enraged vigilante hunting down their protégé to dole out lectures and punishment - training - instead of feeding him chicken soup and tucking him into bed so he can sleep for the next two days? Well, things could always be worse. Conner does not yet know what Robin's worse looks like, but he knows he would take anything over white-tiled cells and cold metal tables and restraints around his wrists. Bad is always just a matter of definition.

Robin's grin just grows wider, showing too many teeth, but Conner finds himself answering in kind without hesitation, which surely means that something is broken in him. Both of them, probably.

Still, he grows serious again. "Call, if you need me."

That stops Robin in his tracks, if only for a moment. This is a new promise, one that might go too far, but Conner needs to give it nonetheless. His hearing is not as good as Superman's, but if Robin calls, he will answer.

The moment passes but Conner knows it does not go unheard.

"Later," Robin says and vanishes down the hall. That is not a no. Conner will take it, gladly.

Only moments later, Batman appears, forbidding in his dark cape, demanding underneath his cowl. "Superboy, have you seen Robin." Unlike Superman, who tends to put special inflection on the boy in his name, Batman does not hint at any feelings he might have towards Conner.

Silently, Conner shakes his head. Robin has not asked him to help, but that does not mean he will give him up willingly.

---

Conner hears the crack and familiar yelp of pain from several streets away. Not for the first time, he curses the fact that he is an inferior copy who cannot fly. He still immediately changes direction and fights his way towards Robin. The small part of his mind that is not drowning in worry, wonders whether this is what Clark means when he talks about the danger of attachment.

He finds Robin tucked away behind a dumpster in a side alley, furiously putting a makeshift splint on his arm.

"What happened?" he asks, even while he is dropping to his knees and reaching out to help.

Robin looks up at him warily as if debating whether it is safe to tell Conner. For just a moment, they are back to square one, full of pretences and mistrust. Then, however, his shoulders slump and he easily relinquishes the bandage and splint to Conner.

"It's not like I can hide this from Batman anyway," he mutters under his breath. Pointing at his arm, he adds, louder, in a clear attempt to summon his usual unflappable demeanour, "I'm pretty sure something's broken. Arms are not meant to bend that way."

Conner's mouth is dry, all of a sudden. For a normal person, broken bones mean weeks out of working condition, weeks of being useless. He puts everything he has in keeping his breathing even and his heart rate down. Neither of them needs Superman rushing in because he is thinking Conner is about to snap.

Once he has himself under control again, he starts to redo what little progress Robin has already made on the splint. His hands, he notes with some relief, are not visibly shaking. They will be fine. They will be -

"What are you going to do?", he blurts out.

So much for being calm. Conner could get away with hiding a broken arm. Actually, he has done so before. But Robin? Tiny, fragile Robin? All he can see is Robin as they first met, dwarfed by Batman's hulking form. And that was before he knew.

"Well, I'll be benched," Robin says full of fake nonchalance. He still cannot hide his wince that has nothing to do with the pain in his arm. "Depending on how I spin this, I'll be allowed to work from the cave. Recon, surveillance."

Depending on whether he can convince Batman that he did not fail here in a manner that needs further punishment.

Conner does not want to know, but he needs to know. "And if not?" He keeps his eyes on Robin's arm, only looking up when the silence stretches too long.

Robin watches him. They do not talk about home. Not openly.

"I'll go home until I've healed up and B thinks I've learned my lesson. Then he'll call me in again." Robin's voice is calm, every word intoned clearly, which is obviously for Conner's benefit, to banish whatever terrible scenarios are rearing their head in his imagination.

And he thinks he can believe Robin, believe there will be no further harm inflicted for a perceived failure. It is not like Superman would do that to him. It is not like either of them gets hurt without reason. Only during lessons. Only through carelessness.

Conner breathes. In and out. In and out. Calms himself. He is a ticking bomb and he needs to control himself. Otherwise, he will be sent away and locked up just like Robin. So, Conner breathes and finishes splinting Robin's arm. Then he twists and sits down besides Robin, allowing the wall behind him to hold him up for a while.

"You don't live with Batman?" Conner asks, trying to pick up the thread of their conversation so he does not get lost in his head.

Robin scoffs, apparently willing to let Conner's brief panic attack go. "I'm not his child." Which is the answer to a completely different question, but Conner understands it nonetheless.

"And your parents are okay with all this?"

"They wouldn't be if they knew." Robin's voice holds a challenge that Conner simply shrugs off. It is very clear that neither of them has the kind of stable, loving homelife that raises well-adjusted people.

"I -" he begins and hesitates. It is only fair to share something of himself. Their relationship - dare he say friendship - is based on mutual knowledge, after all. "I don't live with Superman either. He has me out on a farm. Not many people around, lots of work to do. I'm - I'm with his parents. They're kind."

Robin takes that information in while pretending to study his splinted arm. "Somehow I can't picture Superman as someone with parents."

"They really are good people," Conner reassures him, feeling warmth at the realization that his caring for Robin is reciprocated. "But, Batman? Can't see him as someone with parents either."

A smile ghosts over Robin's lips, not quite amused but not bitter, either. There is a story there. "They're gone. Believe me, it's a whole thing."

Before Conner can answer, there is a blur of blue and red and Superman is in the alley with them.

"Superboy," he snaps, taking in their huddled forms against the wall. "Why are you hiding?"

Conner straightens on instinct and, next to him, Robin does the same.

"It's my fault, sir." Robin stands up with a fluent motion, holding up his arm for inspection as if he had not wanted to hide it away earlier. "I broke my arm and Superboy was helping me put a splint on."

Superman studies the arm for a moment, then nods tersely. "I'll call in Batman."

"No need, sir," Robin says quickly, too quickly to be professional. Then he adds, much calmer, in a voice more suited to reading a lab report. "He's still needed out here. I'll get back on my own. It's just the arm."

"Son," Superman says and steps closer, leaving little room between him and the wall. "You're hurt."

Conner cannot suppress his flinch, and judging on the way Robin's shoulders stiffen, it does not go unnoticed. That is Superman's victim voice, his kind voice, paired with a soft curl of his lips that he has never, ever directed at Conner. He does not need it, of course, but it is jarring to experience it from up close, just out of reach.

Robin pushes away from the wall, shifts so that he is in between Superman and Conner. "I'm fine, sir."

"Sure you are," Superman says with a smile, probably not even noticing how patronizing he sounds. Does he think child soldiers other than his own need coddling? "Superboy, get him safely back to the transport."

Conner steps up, glad to be given a command he does not have to disobey, because there is no way he will leave Robin alone right now. "Yes, sir."

They are left to stare at each other once Superman is gone. Then Robin smirks, entirely without humour.

"How about we take the long way round. Just to make sure I'll get there safely."

Conner cannot help the laugh that bursts out of him. He finds he does not mind it as much as he probably should.

---

The next morning, Conner sneaks into Robin's room to say goodbye, since there is no telling when they will see each other again.

"Call me, if you get bored," Conner says, pressing a piece of paper with his phone number into Robin's hand.

Robin stares down at it, something like wonder on his face, before he folds it up carefully and tucks it into his shirt pocket.

"I'm pretty sure that's a violation of at least a dozen rules," he says, sounding a bit like he is coming down with a cold.

With a smile, Conner shrugs. "Might as well give them a reason."

Robin stares at him, disbelieving, before some sort of unholy glee takes over his face, however briefly.

It is strange to laugh together, especially while keeping it muffled so that no one will overhear and draw the wrong conclusions from it. Like that they are getting too close, too attached.

Growing serious again, Robin asks, "Will you be all right?"

What kind of question is that? It is not like either of them have much control over what is going to happen to them.

"Of course." Conner says nonetheless and shrugs. Nothing to do about that, so why worry about it. "Will you?"

"All I'll be doing is sitting around an empty house, catching up with my schoolwork." Robin sounds dismayed, like being normal is the worst thing that could happen. "I'll be the safest I've been in years."

Conner very carefully does not do the math. Years could mean two, just a bit more than one. Robin could simply be very small for his age.

"Still," he says and, without thinking, pulls Robin into a hug. "Take care."

Robin is stiff in his arms, his breathing controlled. But right when hot blood shoots into Conner's cheeks and he intends to draw back, Robin puts his arms around him and melts against him.

"You, too," he says, his voice muffled against Conner's shoulder. Once they separate, their faces carefully blank, Robin adds, utterly serious, "And tell me if I need to hide you away."

---

Conner's phone rings while he is in the middle of mucking out the stables. He can count the number of people who would call him on one hand and it is highly unlikely any of them would do so without a world-ending threat hanging over them. He puts down the shovel, wipes his hands on his trousers and picks up his phone with some trepidation. It is an unknown number, but considering their security, there is really only one person this can be. Relief floods Conner's system as he accepts the call.

"It took you longer than I thought to get bored," he says by way of greeting.

He swears he can hear Robin's grin as he answers. "Oh, I'm back to work."

Then, of course, the words register and Conner swallows down a curse. "It's only been three weeks," he says, immediately wondering how best to get Robin out of Batman's clutches.

Robin clicks his tongue in familiar dismissal. "Children's bones heal fast," he says as if that titbit of information makes things better instead of worse. "And I'm on light duty. No field work. No using my arms during training."

For the umpteenth time, Conner curses the fact his speed is limited to very fast running. Otherwise, he would be in front of Robin in a heartbeat to shake some sense into him.

"You're training," he repeats, his voice brittle, ready to cut someone open. Preferably someone wearing a black cape and cowl.

"Dodging, mostly," Robin says, way too cheerful.

Conner takes a deep breath. "Do you need me to pick you up?"

There is a pause on the other end, then Robin clears his throat. "No." He sounds much more sombre now, apologetic. "I'm mostly helping out Oracle. That's - I like it. Don't worry so much."

He very much hopes Superman is not checking his heart rate just now. Otherwise, he is going to have a more immediate problem than Robin giving him a heart attack.

"Somebody has to," he grumbles and sits down against the stable wall. Just to rest his feet, not because he is feeling lightheaded.

"Talking of -" Robin says, apropos of nothing. "My name is Tim."

Conner's brain goes blank and he almost chokes on his own spit. "I - what?"

"Friends should know each other's names." Robin's - Tim's - voice holds a stubborn kind of determination that Conner has as of yet only associated with him getting back up from the mat for the hundredth time in a row. The kind of conviction that does not leave any room for or else.

"I -" Conner says and trails off. Where does this come from? Has Ro- Tim even thought about the consequences if people find out? Secret identities are secret for a reason. Even with just their first names, their entire world could easily unravel. What if Batman finds out? What if Superman -

"You don't have to reciprocate," Tim says, sounding too neutral to be honest, and it immediately snaps Conner out of his panicked downward spiral.

"No, I want to. I'm -" He swallows, breathes. "I'm Conner."

On the other end, Tim exhales audibly.

"Hello Conner," he then says, a smile in his voice. "Nice to meet you."

Conner wants to return the sentiment, but the air still feels rather thin, barely filling his lungs. "Does Batman know?" he pushes out.

Tim laughs. "He'd bury me himself if he knew." As if that is a thing he should just put into the world. Conner knows Batman, knows that one of his hands easily spans half of Tim's ribcage. "But I figured if you were to snap, you'd sell Superman out first. And, well, if you snap, I'd probably not be far behind." He pauses briefly, then adds, quietly, "Things would have to get bad."

Conner still does not know what Tim's worse looks like, but they both know loneliness intimately. Loneliness and pain and constantly hiding parts of themselves. Is it really so bad to reach out to the one other person in the world who understands, who is in the same position as them?

"Tim." Conner tries out with a smile. The name fits. Much better than Robin.

"Conner?"

This feels good. Then, Conner's brain screeches once again to a cold stop. "Friends?" he echoes, minutes too late. He never had a friend. What do friends even do?

"I mean, I thought -" Tim cuts himself off, sounding about as uncertain as Conner feels. "If you want to."

"Yes," Conner says, simply ruling over that voice in the back of his brain that constantly worries. And then again, with feeling, "Yes."

---

They slip up. Of course, they do, but they at least should have tried to do not do so while both Superman and Batman are within hearing range. As it is, Clark throws Conner into a wall with enough force to make something rip in his shoulder and break a number of ribs on his right side. The pain makes his vision go black, but he is still mumbling out apologies. They will not help, but he also does not want to find out what happens if he does not show he is sorry.

So, one moment he is watching Batman yell at Tim while he is flying through the air, the next Tim is standing in front of him - between him and an enraged Superman - and shouts, "Stop hurting him."

In fact, there is a lot of shouting. Batman wants Tim to stand down, Superman insists Conner is dangerous - of course - and invincible - what? - and Tim exclaims coolly that "beating your son bloody every chance you get and excusing yourself by pretending you don't know he can get hurt is really fucking cold."

"You're one to talk," Conner says, or tries to, because his ribcage feels very much crushed and he is not sure there is enough oxygen in his system for him to speak.

"What do you mean?" Superman asks.

And, oh, now Tim is facing off against Batman and Superman standing side by side and he looks smaller than ever. Conner wants to reach out, to pull himself forward and offer some back-up, but his shoulder does not cooperate and he is not sure he is standing so much as that he is partially embedded in the wall, so all he can do is listen while his vision blacks out sporadically.

"Conner is not as fast as you and not as strong as you. He cannot fly," Tim counts out all of his flaws as if they are Superman's fault, not Conner's. "So why would you think he is invincible? He bleeds and he bruises and he breaks." Tim's voice gives out, but that has never stopped him before. "You break him and you don't even care."

Through the black dots and the tears, Conner imagines he sees horror on Clark's face. Normally, it would be a sight to treasure, but there are more important things than vindication.

"Tim," he wheezes. His lungs really do not feel good.

"We're not doing this now," Tim snaps, and Conner briefly feels the sting of rejection. But then Tim turns his back towards two of the most dangerous people Conner knows and comes towards him. "Either you help or you get out of my way."

Then Tim's face is closer to his, skin stretched tight over his cheekbones, worry etched into every line.

"Breathe, Conner," he says like that is something he is supposed to be capable of. "Do you think you can move?"

"I -" Conner coughs, then flinches at the pain wracking through him. "Don't think I'm functional."

Tim closes his eyes as if he, too, is hurt. "It's all right. I've got you. You concentrate on breathing. It's high time you let me take care of you, for once."

Then, Conner just hears, "I've got you," over and over again. And this is Tim. Of course, he has got this. They are friends. Finally, Conner lets himself slip into darkness.

---

He wakes up sporadically, but never enough to actually regain consciousness. He just needs to check whether Tim is still there, still whole. 

He always is.

---

"I've known who all the Bats are since I was nine and followed them around with a camera at night. If I haven't sold them out then, why do you think I would sell you out now?"

---

"Conner hasn't told me anything. The Bats are at least wearing masks, Mr. Kent. Did you really think glasses could hide who you are?"

---

"I have hurt him?"

"You have super strength, Mr. Kent. He is half-human. What do you think?"

---

"What you said, Tim, about taking care of him for once. What did you mean by that?"

---

"Leave."

And they do. They do. But not Tim. Never Tim.

---

When Conner finally wakes up for real, Tim looks like death warmed over.

"Have you slept?" Conner tries to ask and promptly has a coughing fit that pulls at his ribs but does not incapacitate him with pain. They are either giving him the good stuff, or enough time has passed that his body has done significant progress in knitting itself back together.

"Hello to you, too," Tim says wryly, but is too busy checking him over to pull off proper nonchalance.

Conner tries to sit up, but stops when the movement makes his ribcage feel like it is going to fall apart, at once incredibly tense and not quite fitting together. He lets Tim help prop him up, and then he can look him over in turn.

"How are you?" he asks, not trusting that he does not see any marks beyond the dark rings beneath Tim's eyes.

"Better than ever," Tim says and sounds honest. "Who would have thought it could feel cathartic to yell at the bastard who keeps hurting my friend."

There it is again, friend. Conner wonders whether the warm feeling inside him will ever stop at hearing that. "What about the bastard that keeps hurting my friend?"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves" Tim scoffs, then seems to change his mind. He jumps up, buzzing with the familiar frantic energy that comes from too much caffeine and too little sleep. "Actually, let's. Are you ready to get out of here?"

Conner looks down at the mess of cables running from him to various machinery at the side. "Should I?"

He does not have much experience with hospitals and proper medical care. All of this reminds him too much of the lab, so he wants nothing more than to leave, but he does not actually want to screw up his body permanently. What use would he be to anyone then?

"We'll take everything we need, but I'll trust you if you say you can handle it," Tim says as if any of this is actually up to Conner. His expression turns cautious. "My home is open to you and my parents won't return for at least another three months. Enough time to get back to your feet and to -" He trails off, suddenly uncomfortable.

Conner thought they were beyond this, beyond doubt. "And what?"

Tim does not look at him but fiddles with the cable for the blood pressure. "Decide what's next?" he asks more than says.

Conner just stares at Tim, uncomprehending, until he clearly loses his cool.

"I told Kent to stay away from you until you said otherwise. I mean, it's not like I could stop him, but he seems pretty shocked at the moment and B is apparently on our side for now. I -" He shrugs as if he had not just revealed that he told off Superman. For Conner.  "I'm just saying. I've got money and a house. There's no need to rush into anything."

It turns out, Conner is not awake enough to fully comprehend what Tim is saying, what he is offering, but he knows he is with the one person he trusts explicitly in this world.

"Let's get out of here."

And Tim smiles at him, wide and open and relieved. Once Conner is sure that his shoulder is fully usable, he will definitely hug Tim and not let go for a long time.

[sorcharavenlock]

31. Big Ass Avenger.

The Winchesters settle in nicely with Kitty, who keeps me regularly updated. There is plenty to do for them, they certainly don't get the chance to be bored!

I continue with my writing, and Loki keeps himself busy with his hobbies: playing guitar, checking his social media, reading and taking Fenrir for walks.

Then I get a DM from Nea. Her friend 'Webhead' has contacted her, and wants to meet up! He warns her he's bringing a friend who can help.

"He's running late," I say to Nea.

"Who do you think the friend is?" Kitty asks.

"let me send him another DM, see what's taking so long," Nea whips out her phone.

"Maybe it's Thor himself, wouldn't that be exciting?" Kitty smiled.

"Oh yes, I'm practically beside myself, how will I ever contain my joy?" Loki replies sarcastically.

"Be nice," I murmur at him.

"My apologies. Either it is no one important and we're back to square one, or it is truly one of the Avengers, neither of whom I'm eager to get reacquainted with," Loki explains to Kitty.

None of us notices the young man who walks into the coffee shop.

He stands still and looks around, obviously looking for someone.

"Hey Nea, could that be your friend?" I ask.

"Peter?" Nea waves him over and he sits down with us.

"Hi! Yeah, so I'm 'Webhead', but my real name is Peter. Peter Parker. And you must be Nea, Kitty, Marianna... and... and Loki's ghost. Sure. Because life isn't already weird enough." Peter introduces himself.

"It's a temporary situation!" Loki is quick to point out.

"We are trying to help Loki get in touch with his brother, Thor," I explain. "We had hoped you might be able to help with that since you've been able to get up close with the Avengers a few times."

"Up close? Yeah, you could say that," Peter mutters.

"I don't know Thor very well. I met him once or twice, but I'm not exactly on his BFF list. I'm friends with someone who is though.

He'll be here soon, he's just parking the jeep. He wanted to see for himself whether this was for real or a prank. But seeing Loki is actually here, if not a bit see-through, I'm sure he'll help you."

Before the waitress can take our order, the door opens again.

"Oh, I should have probably warned you!" Peter realises. "I can assure you, he's nicer then he looks!"

Half of our group jumps out of their seat.

"WTF! Is that the Incredible Hulk!" Nea blurts out in surprise.

"It's alright, I know Bruce. He won't harm you." Loki reassured Kitty.

We all sit down again.

"WTF? WTF WTF WTF?" Nea thinks as Bruce sits down next to her.

"Do'nt worry, I've got the Big guy under control," Bruce reassures us. "I won't start smashing up the place."

"Loki," Bruce greets Loki wearily. "How are you these days?"

"I have been better," Loki admits.

"I can see that," Bruce agrees.

"So you are trying to contact Thor. I suppose I do'nt have to ask why. Thor left with Peter Quill and some of the others after the whole Thanos thing.

I have a way to contact them, but only in emergencies. I wanted to see what was going on with my own eyes first, it was hard to believe three random ladies would know anything about Loki. Especially since I last heard you were dead."

"this time, I am," Loki admits. "For now anyway.

I have spoken to our mother's spirit and she believes I can be restored to life. She also believes it is important I contact Thor.

Can you help us with that?"

"Yeah okay, this seems emergency enough. But it might take a while, he's not exactly nearby right now."

"How do you know the Hulk?" Nea asks Peter. "And how do you get all these amazing pictures?"

"Let's say I am in a unique position to take them," Peter winks. "it's as easy as taking selfies."

"Wait.... what???????" Nea nearly chokes on her coffee. Slowly the penny drops. "Hey, that's cheating, I'm sure of it!"

"You think you might be able to return to life? How?" Bruce asks curiously.

"I'm not sure yet," loki admits. "We're still trying to work that part out. Right now, I'm open to any suggestions."

Bruce hesitates for a moment.

"I own a beach house in Sulani, it's nice and quiet there. Local legend speaks of healing waters that are rumoured to cure anything, possibly even death."

"It's a good a lead as any," Loki shrugs.

"I'm not promising anything, I haven't been able to find it. But come to Sulani, and we'll look for it together!"

"Yay!" Peter and Kitty cheer at the same time. "beach holiday!"

[s10127470]

Fant4stic: A Fantastic Failure (Part 2)

Warning: LowTierGod moments incoming

Hey guys!

I'm back with the awaited second (and final part) of my Fant4stic review!

As I'm sure most you of read the first part noticed, there was one other important character that I didn't get to (largely due to media image/video limits).

And that's none other than the villain of the film himself, Victor.

GOOD LORD, THIS CHARACTER……

But before we talk about him, let's talk about his original counterpart.

Victor is cold, arrogant, petty, relatively calm but can be little theatrical at times, and most importantly of all, has an ego the size of Ego!

Like, he literally wants to the conquer the world just to show that he would be better at running it than everyone else.

The thought is nice and all but….ego much?

He's also incredibly vain and a massive perfectionist.

The reason he wears his trademark mask is because he sees himself as hideous because of a scar he obtained during his university days via an miscalculation, despite the fact that the scar itself isn't even all that bad and Victor himself is actually a pretty handsome man.

Apart from his personality, Victor is also one of the biggest villains in the Marvel Universe.

In addition to his willpower and diplomatic immunity, he is insanely intelligent.

He's literally tied with Reed as being the most intelligent person in the Marvel Universe, which he hates (more on that a little later).

Victor's famous armor also makes him even more of a threat, granting him strength and durability that allows him tank and trade blows with Ben (along with other heavy hitters of the Marvel Universe like Spider-Man and even The Hulk), the ability to project energy in all kinds of ways (from concussive blasts to force fields), and all kinds of special gadgets.

This is made even worse with the fact that he's a skilled combatant, being skilled in the ways of the Tibetan monks and is even a master swordsman.

But the real kicker to his presence as a major threat is that he's a master of the mystic arts, rivaling even the likes of Doctor Strange as being one of the most powerful magic users in the Marvel Universe.

Another major and important aspect of his character is his rivalry with Reed.

Victor hates Reed with a passion, due to them being rivals during their university days.

This was only made even worse due to the accident that scarred Victor's face, which was the result of a miscalculation on his part, which Reed pointed out but Victor ignored.

Victor feels that Reed is always trying to outdo him, and will go drastic, borderline psychopathic lengths to 1-up him.

If I remember correctly, he was once willing to allow the destruction of all reality just to show up Reed.

It's that bad.

Now let's look at Fant4astic Victor.

This version has practically nothing in common with the OG Victor, apart from being arrogant, cold and a little petty.

This Victor is an anti-social, basement-dwelling, nihilistic douchebag with a hard-on for Sue.

I'm not joking. They basically turned Doctor Doom, one of the greatest villains in all comic book and even fictional history, into a Discord moderator!

Or a Redditor. They're kinda interchangeable.

But apart from those traits I just mentioned, he doesn't have any......ANYTHING in common with his original counterpart (or most other iterations of the character in general)!

He doesn't really have an ego, despite his anti-social personality.

He never shown be all that theatrical, because that would actually require showing actual emotion!

Which yeah, I'm going off-tangent here, but let's talk about the acting real quick.

Is acting in this film is genuinely awful, despite the fact that I know DAMN well these people are actually good actors.

Every person in this film talks in such a dry and bland tone.

There's no distinction in how any of them talk!

And my GOD! Could these people look anymore miserable?

It's so apparent that nobody was enjoying acting for this film.

Probably because their characters had nothing that made original counterparts so great.

Top that off with how Trank famously treated literally everyone on set like absolute SHIT.

You can't blame anyone in this film for looking or acting the way they did.

They do not want to be here!

The only time any of these guys show any other emotion besides boredom or silent misery is during the body horror scenes.

Where everyone is screaming and in pain.....

Speaking of which, that was something Trank was really pushing for in this film.

And while the concept doesn't sound too bad on paper, like most of the other stuff in this movie, it ended up coming off as unnecessarily tryhard and edgy.

But back on topic about Victor.

He's not shown to be all that vain.

Nor does he come off as a massive perfectionist.

Because showing actual care, dedication and passion for your work was just clearly too much for this film's direction.

Also, what it is with live-action adaptations forgetting that Victor is literally the ruler of an ENTIRE FUCKING NATION?!

That's a pretty big deal, if you ask me!

But then again, I don't think anyone would want the ruler of a nation to look like.....this:

He's not skilled in magic because that's certainly not "gRoUnDeD aNd ReAlIsTiC".

And there's NO WAY in hell that this version actually knows how fight anyone.

The only powers this Doom has are vaguely telekinetic ones, which he obtains after the incident.

That's literally it.

We don't known if his new skin makes him all that durability.

Nor even that physically strong.

And he doesn't have any sort of special gadgets on him because that would actually be interesting to see.

Which this film can't be bothered to do.

And side-note: Victor's metal look just looks so fucking dumb. In the words of the SmegHead (of Cinematic Excrement fame), he looks like C-P3O had sex with a glowstick....inside a microwave oven.

And although all of this is incredibly bad, perhaps the worst thing about this version of Victor is rivalry with Reed.....or lack thereof.

Yeah!

Despite being one of the most important aspects of Victor, he has no rivalry (or any of sort of relationship) with Reed all at.

Hell, they only interact with each other a handful of times throughout the film.

And this actually perfectly segways into one of the film's greatest flaws: the lack of chemistry between any of the characters.

It's actually hilarious how this film was aiming to be "grounded and realistic as possible", but nobody in this film talks like an actual fucking human being!

They speak like walking cliches (which many of them are) and even A.I.

But even that's an insult to A.I. because I've heard A.I. voices with much more emotion than any of the performances in this film!

Despite being childhood best friends, Reed and Ben never really come off as friends whatsoever.

They feel more like acquaintances who just so happen to have known each other for many years.

It's even worse with Sue and Johnny.

You remember how I mentioned making Sue and Johnny adopted siblings rather than biological ones like in every other iteration was quite debatable?

Well, this is why.

These two don't feel like siblings whatsoever.

And even if they were biologically related, it still wouldn't make much of a difference.

Even worse is Reed and Sue, who have little to no scenes between each other and have the chemistry of water and oil.

And remember. In the comics and most other iterations, these two are married and have children!

But worst of all is the "chemistry" between the Four.

Fun Fact: The entirety of the Four don't share the screen together until the film's climax!

This film undoubtedly misses the main core of the Fantastic Four.

They're suppose to be a family! Even if they're not all related to each other! And no matter what, they would always be by each other's side!

Even the Story films, as flawed as they are, understood that point.

But here, the Four just feel like four random schmucks who barely care about each other.

And I'm guessing because it wasn't "dark, grounded and realistic" enough.

Which yeah, let's talk about that real quick.

The movie's depiction of a dark and gritty style feels like it was written by an angsty teenager who thinks 13 Reasons Why and Rick and Morty are deep, thought-provoking masterpieces and that Devil May Cry would've been better off with this Dante.

There's just something about the style that just screams pretentious.

Plus, it seems that in terms of realism, they're going off the Mark Millar philosophy of such.

As where life is just a never-ending stream of failure, disappointment, and misery.

And literally every human being is some variation of being a miserable asshole or loser.

Which like.....can we kindly let that mindset fucking die already?

Conclusion:

And it says in the title of this post, Fant4stic was a FANTASTIC FAILURE!

It only grossed $167.9 million worldwide against a production budget of $120 million, essentially making the film a bonafide box office bomb.

And it wasn’t any better with the reception.

Pretty much everyone HATED this film. Critics hated it. Audiences hated it. And you better believe that the FF fans hated it as well.

But the biggest haters of the film, funnily enough, was actually Marvel themselves.

They've understandably and rightfully disowned this film.

They never mention it's existence.

Which is saying something when you remember that they've actually mentioned the existence of this in the past....

The universe of the film itself doesn't even have an official convoluted number like literally every other piece of official Marvel nedia.

Hell, Marvel's hatred for this film is so great that in issue 12 of Jason Aaron's run of The Punisher, there was actually a scene where the actors of the movie literally get violently killed in an fucking explosion!

I've heard of spite, but takes it to a whole new level!

And although Jason claimed that they did survive the explosion. Let's be real, he definitely intended for these guys to get blown to kingdom come.

And you know this film was absolute garbage when even Stan Lee himself didn't cameo.

Yeah! Fant4astic is one of the VERY few films based on a Marvel property pre-passing that didn't feature a cameo from him.

And this isn't gonna be the last time you'll be hearing about Stan in this post.

And in all honesty, you can't blame anyone for the reaction this movie got.

This is movie is just genuinely really terrible.

Apart from the effects (which are decent enough) and the weirdly funny choice of casting Dan Castellaneta (the voice of Homer Simpson) as Reed's teacher, there is not ONE ounce of redeeming worth about this film.

The story is paper thin and ungodly boring.

The acting is incredibly half-assed.

The tone and style is just plain sucks.

And the characters are about as interesting as cardboard on wheat beard.

As an adaptation of the Fantastic Four, this film is an absolute insult and disgrace to the team and their legacy.

And even you look at the project as its own thing (which like, why would you do that for an adaptation of all things?), it's still awful.

Fant4stic is genuinely one of the worst films I've ever had the displeasure of watching.

And among the multitude of superhero films, I wholeheartedly say that it's the worst one of all time (along with being one of the worst overall films in history).

Yes. Worse than Howard the Duck. Worse than Catwoman. Worse than Batman & Robin. And even worse than Morbius and Madame. FUCKING. Web.

At very least, those have a "so-bad, it's-good" kinda feel to them.

Where you can't help but laugh and be charmed at how awful they are.

But Fant4stic? It has nothing. It is nothing.

And the thing that really pisses me off about this film (apart from everything listed above) is just how blatantly....shallow it is.

Fant4stic is one of the most lifeless, soulless and passionless pieces of media I've ever seen in my entire life.

And as an artist, this genuinely makes me upset.

And when you look at the history of the film, it really was.

It was created by a studio who only wanted to make it as an excuse to latch onto rights that they would've needed to sell at some point.

And a director, who as we would find out from various members of the crew, didn't care about the property he was working with and essentially wanted to make his own new movie.

Speaking of which, let's talk about the after effects this film had on the people involved.

20th Century Fox was definitely affected by the film's failure the least.

However, they never made any more FF films after this one.

Especially since they would be officially bought out by you-know-who.

Plus, plans for sequels (yes, they actually believed this piece of shit would actually be successful enough to warrant continuations) were INSTANTLY scrapped.

One of which included a crossover with the X-Men film franchise.

Which continuity of it, your guess is as good as mine's.

Next we have the main stars.

With the exception of Michael B. Jordan, this film seriously wrecked many of their careers, due to how young (though I use that term somewhat loosely) and up-and-coming they were.

It would take them a good while before they really reached stardom.

But the one who was affected by the film's failure the most was none other than Josh Trank himself.

If you look at his filmography, you can see that ever since this film, this hasn't done much.

Ever since Fant4astic, He directed, wrote and edited the 2020 film Capone, which I had only found out the existence of while I was doing research for this post.

From what I've gathered, the film was released to streaming (for obvious reasons) and received mixed reviews.

And apart from minor acting credits in 2021, he's barely done anything in the last decade.

And hasn't done anything in the last three years.

I think it's safe to say that Trank is pretty much a washed-up has-been now.

And honestly, rightfully so.

If you read the first part of this, you'd remember the list I made about how much Trank made the production of Fant4astic an absolute FUCKING nightmare.

Yeah, I know everyone's has already said it, but I'm gonna say it as well.

Trank's behavior was ABSOLUTELY unacceptable.

Just because the studio is making your life a living hell, doesn't mean you have the right to treat everyone around you as your verbal and physical punching bags!

And it's safe to say that the reason Trank has barely done any work since this film is because no major studio wants to work with him.

And remember, all the stuff about Trank's behavior was leaked even before the film even got a trailer.

And I'm sure had to be very shocking, given how new he was to the film industry.

And in all honesty, Trank got what he deserved.

Over the last couple of years, Hollywood has become infamous for stories of directors and producers abusing their cast and crew in all types of ways.

Only to get away with it because of their power.

But thankfully, there are stories of these monsters getting what they deserve.

And I'm glad that this is one of those stories.

And just to show how much of a scumbag Trank truly is, let's go back to Stan Lee.

According to Trank, he claimed that Stan himself actually approved of his dark take on the Fantastic Four.

However, Stan had been quite open about how much he hates this film.

So much so that once again, he refused to cameo in it!

With all that considered, it really makes it seem like that Trank essentially lied through his teeth in order to justify his take on the Fantastic Four, which I think even before the teaser trailer, was already getting major criticism.

And for the last part of this discussion: you remember how I mentioned that Trank made an infamous tweet on Twitter just the day before the film's release, only to get deleted the next day?

Well, this is what he said.

"A year ago I had a fantastic version of this. And it would've recieved great reviews. You’ll probably never see it. That’s reality though."

Trank ended up deleting the tweet as he felt that it came off as an insult to literally everyone else who worked on the film.

And it was.

And apart from that, the tweet also has this sense of ego to it.

From what I've gathered, the final product is pretty close to what Trank envisioned for the film, albeit somewhat mangled thanks to Fox's constant meddling.

And even if Trank didn't have to deal with the meddling, I highly doubt that Fant4stic would've still be any good.

It's like how The Snyder Cut of Justice League is technically better than the theatrical cut of the film, but it's still not a good film.

Snyder fans after reading this:

But overtime, we would actually get to see the original draft of this film.

And believe or not.....

It was actually good.

Like, REALLY good.

But the thing is....this wasn't from Trank.

It was actually from Jeremy Slater, one of the writers on the film.

This draft was FAR more faithful adaptation of the Fantastic Four.

In general, the Fantastic Four would have used their powers in more varied ways and would utilize a greater degree of teamwork.

Franklin Storm was not present in the script.

Ben and Reed teleported objects into another dimension, which would have later been found in the Negative Zone.

Ben's status as the team's muscle was also established in more detail - essentially having the character serve as Reed's bodyguard - as a way to justify his involvement in the expedition.

Victor would have secretly stolen Reed's research to give to Latverian spies.

Sue and Johnny were originally both going to stay behind and use the Baxter Building's technology to help Reed, Ben, and Victor explore the Negative Zone. The expedition would have involved a portal instead of a teleporter.

When the characters teleported into the Negative Zone, they would have found themselves inside a ruined otherworldly city with alien corpses strewn about. They would have found Galactus there (appearing as he does in the comics), who would have seemingly killed Victor with Dark Matter. Galactus would have fired the Dark Matter into the portal that Ben and Reed were using just as they escaped, affecting the two of them alongside Johnny and Sue. A Body Horror sequence similar to the one in the final film (though most likely not nearly as edgy and tryhard) would have played out, with a noted addition of there being a scene where Sue's skin disappeared and her muscles were visible.

A time skip of four years would have been implemented. While Ben still would have been used as a military weapon and Reed would still have been a fugitive, Johnny was going to have been a television star and Sue would have used her powers to help people suffering from cancer (and search for a cure for Ben's condition). During his time in hiding, Reed would have built H.E.R.B.I.E. as his own robot companion, alongside the Fantasti-Car. Ben also would have come to terms with his status as a monstrous-looking being.

Latveria's government would have completed their own version of the portal using the knowledge that Victor stole. Victor would have come out of the portal as Doctor Doom, killing the military and government leaders singlehandedly and quickly conquering Latveria.

Doctor Doom would then send shock troopers armed with futuristic weapons after Reed, who would escape with H.E.R.B.I.E. and the Fantasti-Car to warn his friends in New York.

Harvey Elder (who was planned to be in the movie) created artificial life (The Moloids) at the Baxter Building that Sue would have feared would be weaponized. Her fears are proven correct when Doom's shock troopers arrive and activate the Dark Matter on one of the Moloids, transforming the creature into Giganto. The Moloid formula would have spilled onto Harvey Elder and he would have become The Mole Man, who would've served as the villain for a potential sequel.

The team then would have met in New York to battle Giganto together, officially making them the Fantastic Four. After defeating the monster, Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Thing, and Human Torch would travel to Latveria to battle Doctor Doom and his army of shock troopers.

Doctor Doom would have been revealed to be a composite character with traits of The Silver Surfer, while Galactus would similarly have been a composite character with traits of Annihilus. After serving as Galactus's herald for four years, Doctor Doom decides that it would be better to destroy him and save the Earth by building the Ultimate Nullifier.

The Fantastic Four would have discovered that the Doctor Doom they face was actually a Doombot in a manner of speaking - Victor Von Doom is physically tied within the Negative Zone. The Fantastic Four ultimately defeat Doctor Doom's copy on Earth and trap Doctor Doom in the Negative Zone. The Fantastic Four warn the government of the threat of Galactus, continuing Doctor Doom's work on the Ultimate Nullifier in a way that does not threaten the rest of the world.

The Fantastic Four make the Baxter Building their base of operations and sow the seeds of the Future Foundation by bringing in child prodigies and teen geniuses from around the world to solve the world's problems.

As for why this draft wasn't used, there were two reasons....

Fox believed that this version of the film would've costed them more money than they initially had planned to used. It seems like they were trying to keep the budget of this as low as they could in order to make any sort of financial returns worth it. We all know how that went....

As I mentioned in the pervious post, it clashed with Frank's vision for the film, who 1) Had little familiarity with the Fantastic Four, and 2) wanted to make a film that, as I mentioned before, was "dArK, gRoUnDeD, aNd ReAlIsTiC."

And after reading all this, I'm sure many of you are going....

Like dude.

We were SO close to greatness.

This easily could've been the best Fantastic Four ever made and the first good one since the Roger Corman film!

This draft really felt like it was made by someone who actually understood and cared about the Fantastic Four.

But unfortunately, it was made for a studio that was kinda being cheap and were kinda rushing it for pretty scummy reasons, and worse of all, a director who couldn't fucking cooperate and wanted everything to be his way.

In the end, Fant4stic serves as a example of the worst kind of inception a film can have.

Not one from the passion of a director/creator.

Nor the curiosity and willing to experiment from a studio.

This movie was only made for one reason only: copyright hoarding.

And between this and the Roger Corman film (which I was mentioned in the last post was also made for the same reason as well), I don't know which one had the more tragic and scummy outcome.

The Roger Corman film never even got to release and resulted in the lives of literary everyone involved to be played with.

But at the very least, I think the cast and crew of that were treated well during the film's production.

Contrast that to Fant4stic, where the cast and crew of that film literally went through hell having to deal with Fox's constant meddling and Trank's constant douchebaggery.

And despite Fox having high hopes for the film, it ended up bombing hard and being reviewed bombed into oblivion.

And while people are cautiously interested in the MCU film.

With that caution becoming even greater after a recent announcement involving a particular casting choice.

I think we all agree that at least it'll NEVER stoop as low as this film.

[clownhoodieguy]

A celebrity, who is quite small in stature, and who is often portrayed as the damsel in many of the films they star in, is often accompanied by a much larger body guard.

The body guard has been her friend since kindergarten, and has always been the protective type. The actress always thought that she was quite capable of defending herself, as she was trained to use and carry a firearm (mostly for action film gigs), and mostly just kept the body guard around because they like hanging out.

However, in the moments where the actress is feeling stressed, hung over, or particularly overloaded, she tends to mysteriously vanish for a while.

Yeah, the body guard devours her. I mean, he's her closest, and most trusted friend, and he's ripped. The only problem is that they don't make bullet proof vests for engorged stomachs.

One fateful evening, after a tiresome day of intense acting, arguing with the obnoxious director, and attending mind numbing meetings, she calls up her best friend and body guard to come take her home "the squishy way".

For 15 minutes, she waits inside of an empty conference room, updating her social medias to keep fans engaged. There's a light knocking before the hulking bodyguard crashes through the door, carrying a takeaway bag.

"I bought fries! I'd umm... eat them now before you get soggy."

Plonking himself down next to the weary, 'eepy actress, he sets a box of Frenched fries in front of her and digs into his own. While shoveling fried potatoes into his maw, he'd come to realize that his friend was very unresponsive, and snoring softly in the palm of her own hand. Softly bumping her elbow, he'd double check that she was sleeping and not dead.

"Mouth..."

Oh, right, she did ask for that, he'd think to himself. With a hand/paw under each of her arms, he'd raise the limp lady up and towards his lips. Teeth parting, a wave of damp, soft breath would blow thin wisps of her hair back. Gently lowering her head onto his squishy, cushy tongue, the actress would murmur and exhale a pent up sigh.

Gulk!

His friend's dome makes a light bulge in his neck, and he tilts their floppy form up so he can funnel them the rest of the way down-

Click! "Oh man, you're screwed!", it was a camera guy, they must've come from an interview or something! And they'd just caught the body guard with a mouthful of a very valuable person, not a good look.

Hot shame fills the guard's face as they slowly lower their friend to the ground, who also realized what just happened. After some explaining to the police, and some bartering the the photographer, the image and story was released anyway, but to the pair's dismay.

Oddly though, this didn't have the career annihilating effect they thought it would've had. Instead, with the assistance of some very talented managers, it was twisted into a feel good story about two very, very close buds. Yay vore world logic.

[russellsppttemplates]

Charles walking around in socks everywhere is why this man packs thousands of socks

"Charles, can you help me with these, please?", you said to your boyfriend as soon as you got home, knowing you wouldn't be able to carry all of them, already hearing him make his way to the hallway, "that one is rhe heaviest, it had the big bottles of water and- Charles! You could hurt yourself like that!", you scolded, looking at his feet cladded in a pair of grey socks, "what? Where?", he looked at you, "I'm not Hulk, but I'm not weak either", he giggled.

"You don't have shoes on, Charles! What if there is a shard of glass in here somewhere? The other day, the upstairs neighbours said she dropped her flower vase, there could be bit still here!", you said, looking at him carefully for any sign of discomfort, "you worry too much, amour, I've got this!".

.

"Do you guys want to have dinner here or go out?", Pierre asked you and Francisca, who were sitting in the outside area of the placed you had rented for the week. The boys had suggested a little getaway in between race weekends to switch off and enjoy some time together away from the paddock, "I don't feel like going put to be honest", Francisca said, "I don't mind staying in", you offered, settling the plans as the boys offered to cook something quick and wholesome. Heading inside since you had little trust in your boyfriend to cook a decent meal, you were presented with Charles in his swimming trunks and socks, "Why are you wearing socks?", you teased him before holding him from his back, your hands running up and down his tummy, "Because I got cold", he explained as he stirred the pasta on the pot, "maybe you should've put a t-shirt on, no?", you clarified, "how else would I have you attached to me like this?", he winked.

.

As you waited for Charles to get out of his racing suit and ready to go to the debrief meeting, his media assistant knocked on the door of his driver's room, "I'm nearly ready!", he said, leaving the room with his shoes on his hand, "See? I'm ready!", he said as he walked to the meeting room, greeting everyone very quickly while you chuckled, "shoes are a social construct to him at this point".

(Thank you for submitting an ask 🤍)

[inchidentally]

tricky asks below! pls do not rb as that removes the readmore for some reason and I want to keep these out of tags <3

the fact that we're having to to discuss friendzoning about two friends anon we're really in it now aren't we

I want to take a moment direct ppl to this interview if they like Carlos tho bc his interviews are always so intelligent and thoughtful. you also get a much more authentic persona out of him when he speaks in Spanish. there are more videos on that account from that interview too.

I love that he listed Checo and Fernando so highly bc of course he gravitates toward ppl he can speak to in his born language. the three of them personality wise are pretty different but whenever they move toward each other you can tell they're in compatriot mode.

but yea what he said re Lando and racing is exactly what Lando says - and what nobody ever wants to post except begrudgingly. the 'bromances' are dressed way up by fans and media but there is no deeper narrative and it's not that serious. when they're driving, all friends disappear bc winning is the only reason to even be in F1 let alone the only way to stay in it for certain. even the comments on videos like that are next to nothing bc they're not "shippy" videos. but it's authentic and true that these guys are F1 drivers first and foremost and wayyyy after that it's nice to have some regular buddies to hang with. we should all be able to put shipping aside and appreciate the actual drivers these guys are and the fact that they can put aside their intense competitiveness to be so friendly.

asgfkasgfksag I love that last part anon. fr I've found it so funny that the larrie carlandos class Oscar in with all the women they despise bc it threatens their ship. it's like sexy Brazilian woman, sexy European woman, sexy IG Baddie, and... Oscar.

that's wild though about lestappen having their own larries. how in the hell do ppl look at Charles and Carlos and even bother pretending they dislike let alone hate each other. we literally have real life F1 examples of teammates who are neutral/uninterested in each other w KMag and Hulk and teammates who bitterly hate each other w Ocon and Gasly. if Charles and Carlos were even in a dislike/disinterest category we wouldn't see them giggling and touching right up to the last day at Abu Dhabi this year. and side note but we also wouldn't see their gfs enjoying spending time together during races and events either, which Alex and Rebecca do.

I've seen that too it's insane. when has Lando NOT considered Silverstone the most important race on the calendar for him?? and nothing will beat his high over that podium until his actual win, nothing. (the fact that he kept saying how Oscar deserved to be up there with him was just the icing on the cake)

and like can they please just remember here that Lando was excited and happy on that podium in Singapore for himself as well???? that his own result meant more to him than a Ferrari driver?? yes he was happy for Carlos but Lando is sort of an actual F1 driver and if he could've knocked Carlos' ass aside and gotten that top spot for himself he very. much. would. have!! and that the double podiums that followed meant more to him bc y'know the team he drives for get more points?? carlando is a miniscule part of Lando's F1 career and Carlos is less a part of his life than Max V in terms of drivers who spend non-driving related time with him. after that being George, Alex and Daniel. and then Carlos.

yea honestly I'm not sure if the larry element has always been in carlando fandom and the latest Netflix/Liberty Media commercialization of the ship has just amplified it or if these are a bunch of new ppl who only go for the unhinged accounts. but that side of the ship literally view Lando as someone who responds to Carlos and does nothing else so huge shock that they try to override his actual choices and his actual race weekend with Carlos literally years after Carlos left him for Ferrari.

I'm guessing it's enraging watching Carlos do with Charles all the jokey sexual/romantic things they kept wanting him to do w Lando but sorry folks for all that we slow down certain moments and obsess over them sharing an umbrella to walk down the pit lane it's literally brotherly behavior. I've got another anon who brought up my tags of carlando being Charles and Arthur and it straight up is. all the physical carlando stuff is what they do. and I say this as someone who fully does twist all those carlando moments into something romantic/sexual lol. but gotta be able to keep that line between reality and fantasy.

fortunately Lando is chronically online enough to brush this crap off and Carlos just sees the carlando fan stuff as decent publicity. but fingers crossed it doesn't escalate even further to Sky Sports or F1 pushing it and fans getting so crazed that Lando or Carlos has to put their foot down. if it's already swamping McLaren social media and Lando's fan accounts then expect it to get even worse.

the lack of Oscar's presence in all of these places is probably the lamest thing bc good lord the guy has a long term gf can they all admit that as Lando's ACTUAL teammate he has more relevance to Lando's career than any former teammate? and can McLaren please get their act together next season and bring back Unboxeds and stop splitting up Lando and Oscar content when they never did this with Carlos or Daniel?? sorry Oscar ain't a wacky character but we all happen to love his dynamic with Lando.

you just answered that question anon and it's exactly why I can't believe they want carlando back as teammates. as things are we get to have a nice sprinkle of carlando content throughout the season and no drama! do they truly want silly challenges videos so badly that they want to watch the entire friendship sink like a stone now that Lando would be challenging and beating Carlos AND that now it would be Lando as first driver and not Carlos? the Sainz family's warmth is there bc they never had to see Lando as a direct competitor or hindrance to Carlos' success. they'd turn on him in a fucking second when Carlos didn't get an update and Lando did or Carlos wanted to change the car but Lando didn't or Lando was the reason why Carlos missed out on a podium. the main reason why Charles and Carlos work so well through the drama is that they're such similar people and can keep a level head and distance from it all. Lando is n o t h i n g like Charles' personality. Lando cannot translate frustration and misery into anything, it just sits with him until he does better. Carlos literally said he didn't know what to do with Lando when he'd get into those funks. imagine all the god awful repeats of that carlando "breakup" clip from 2021 bc Lando can't hide anything on his face and he'd be fed up with Carlos or his family or himself and christ.

it would be so. so very bad. can they at least be happy that Lando's got a nice placid easygoing guy in Oscar as a teammate and carlando content still rolls in.

I could def see the fact that Oscar is neither older brother or younger brother age for Lando and they do all the same gen z references and the same hobbies is probably part of whatever they perceive as a "threat". like it's still such a reach but it would explain the way Lando fan accounts try to post as little Lando with Oscar as possible but dredge up 2019 slowed down Carlos shoulder bumps and shit lol.

truly I personally don't know if the Oscar and Carlos dingdongs play much of a part for carlando fans bc honestly Carlos has quite a few regular enemies on the track alsgfjlsagf. by this time they've got to know that. Carlos sometimes can't drop the red mist even hours after a race so Oscar just happens to have come in for a share in his rookie season! but especially with how much Carlos has actually seemed to chum around with Oscar before and after drivers parades etc (even ignoring Lando a couple times to do so !!!!!! gasp horror etc)

side note that I'd honestly be glad if Oscar chose never to get into golf bc ohhhhh the shit fit if he went golfing at the same time as Lando and Carlos. even though Lando golfs with tons of people and they always play in fours anyway.

I still personally think that the mostly straight women who buy into the bromances to the point of thinking this is how gay relationships actually look are pretty cold toward Oscar bc even Lando has said that Oscar's brought out a new level in Lando's driving and that he likes how calm Oscar is. so the fact that Oscar and Lando aren't fake gaying it up and they're also not doing a bunch of physical touch that can be edited and slowed down to look gay to those women has got to look like Lando being I guess unhappy or like they have no chemistry. so they'll allow that Oscar can be cute sometimes and maybe sometimes he can be cute with Lando. for a treat. but that in their mind Lando is meh about Oscar and is just dying to have the guy back who... actively chose to leave ??

I never saw that cartoon but I remember one from the summer that had Lando and Oscar together in a boat - SHIP CONFIRMED???? CARLANDO OVER??

jesus christ thankfully the drivers never see these comments.

and yikes at the meltdowns over that Carlos trip to Monaco bc he was with Rebecca the whole time and rumors were that they were looking at apartments. I do hate myself for liking gossip but it's literally in a sit back and enjoy the madness way lol.

askfgakg anon are you by any chance part of the sainz family?

(if I didn't answer your ask here it's probably bc it's something I'd rather discuss privately/don't want to stir up in fandom. feel free to message me tho <3 tumblr may also have devoured it bc it still does that sometimes)

[halfagone]

I was just rereading Insomniacs Anonymous (which, good stuff 👍👍) and I was just wondering if you've seen Miraculous season 5 yet? And if so, thoughts?

Why thank you~ ✨

And yes! I have seen Miraculous Season 5. You might notice in one of the A/Ns in Insomniacs Anonymous I say that the story won't be following Season 5. Mainly because the story starts somewhere in Season 4 and diverges from canon from there, you know how that goes.

As for Season 5... I think this season made me realize that this genre is not meant for me. Yes, it's superhero media (and I love superhero media; I still need to catch up on Invincible before they release the rest of Season 2), but the genre itself is very different. Like how Captain America: Winter Soldier is action (you could even make an argument that it has aspects of the thriller genre), while She-Hulk is comedy. They're both superhero mediums, but the content and storytelling are completely different.

In general, I have a very complicated relationship with Miraculous Ladybug. I don't read fanfiction for it anymore, and I dropped a lot of the MLB blogs I used to follow.

A lot of my problems aren't even from Season 5 but comes from the show altogether. The characterizations are very inconsistent, and the writers often ignore their own worldbuilding. They'll create hard rules and then backtrack.

I'm not a huge fan of how Thomas Astruc handles the show and some of the characters. Keep in mind, this is the same man that once said Jesus Christ used a Miraculous, before he rescinded the statement when he realizes oh fuck this is a bad idea.

I think a lot of it comes down to the fact that there is so much potential, but at the end of the day, this isn't the genre for it. Their focus is on something else, so I can't judge it based on what genre I want it to be.

It's also a little disappointing because there are so many other cartoons that are limited by their ratings as well but they can do so much more with it. Like, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is rated PG. That movie had depth and character growth and never once lost its charm and humor.

But I know there are those that really enjoy it, and honestly? It makes me really happy. Buggachat has some amazing art; her Bakery "Enemies" AU is an incredible display of love for the show. She also has some great analysis posts about the series, and Season 5, that I would recommend. There was a post she made about the Season 5 finale that made me appreciate it more. There's also frostedpuffs who makes beautiful pieces of art and fanfiction.

I'm never going to criticize anyone that enjoys it. I know what it's like to be interested in a piece of media that gets a lot of contention and discourse. With the rise in popularity with DPxDC, I've seen a lot of posts that gave bad faith interpretations of Danny Phantom because they didn't try to look into the show beyond the tropes they saw and disliked. Hell, just yesterday I saw the most rancid take on a beloved character that had absolutely no depth or nuance.

There are so many times when I'll see these posts and just know they've got it all wrong. Because they don't love the show. Sometimes they know the show, but they don't love it. You know what they say about authors and directors and creators who get their hands on a character they hate- they ruin them. Because they don't love them.

I don't love Miraculous Ladybug. There are parts about the show that I wasn't fond of, and then I'll see analysis posts about how the episode fits into the series as a whole, and you know what: they make sense. I couldn't have thought about it that way, because I simply don't love the show like they do. And I don't have to.

I don't think I'll watch Season 6 when it comes out. I was morbidly curious about Season 5 after the Season 4 finale, but knowing that the studio is hoping to produce 8 season total, I don't think I can commit to that. The show just isn't for me, and it's time I accept that and move on.

I'll still play in my little corner of the playground, but I think otherwise I'll just stand aside and let everyone else play with their toys how they want to.

[mrsaguapapi]

Ch 1  Ch 2  Ch 3  Ch 4  Ch 5  Ch 6  Ch 7  Ch 8  Ch 9  Ch 10  Ch 11 Ch 12  Ch 13  Ch 14 Ch 15

Chapter 16

PDA

We're about 2 beers in of this 30 min interrogation tag teamed by Foggy and Matt when Namor excuses himself to use the bathroom. He kisses me on my cheek, "Jáan in yaakunaj ' I'll be back my love' " he says

"Taan pa'atik ' I'll be waiting," I say smiling before he walks away; I watch him waiting to speak before I'm sure he's out of earshot, "Alright yall knock it off," I say pointing at them

"Knock what off?" Foggy fakes innocence, then breaks out in laughter, "Cut the shit, who is he really?"

"Obviously I can't say, not my truth to tell. Karen help me out here" I half beg

"Lay off guys, I'm sure they have their reasons" she pauses, "But um-" she clears her throat "what about the ears?"

"What's wrong with his ears?" Matt asks

"They're pointy" Foggy and Karen say in unison

"Pointy? Like an elf?" Matt says

"Alright, Alright. Let's not act like a mysterious man with pointy ears is the craziest thing to ever happen in this city. His identity is a secret for a reason, kind of reminds me of someone" I say looking at Matt, "Can we respect that?"

"She's looking at me isn't she," Matt says

"Yep" Foggy laughs

"Yes we can respect that" Karen speaks up for them

"Thank you" I relax," I've missed you guys" I laugh

"We miss you, which reminds me, we have something for you! Foggy walk me to my car real quick" Karen says pulling Foggy from his seat and scurrying away.

"We'll be back" Foggy groans and waves his hand

With both of them gone it was just Matt and me all alone, "So how have you been alter boy?" I laugh taking a sip of beer

"I've been good actually, kind of seeing this girl" Matt Smiles

"No way! Tell me about her"

"She's a lawyer in LA, her current focus is in superhuman law"

"What's her name, I'm gonna look her up" I laugh menacingly

"Jennifer Walters," He says

"No" I gasp

"I take it you've heard of her," he says smiling to himself

"Have I HEARD of her? Am I a human woman on social media? Of course I have. How the hell did you pull the 'She Hulk'?"

"I mean she kinda 'pulled' me"

"Omg, you slut! Is it serious?" I ask

"I mean I met her family and we talk every day, so yea?" he softly laughs

"Matthew Murdock you cheeky devil," I say holding his hand "I'm happy for you"

Squeezing my hand back, "I'm happy for you too, you sound content" he says

"Very" I laugh to myself

At that moment I feel someone touch my lower back and I automatically assume it's Namor and I lean into him but I quickly move when I see an unrecognizable hand wrap around me.

The Vibe:

Black And Gold - Sam Sparro

"Get off her" I hear Matt say as I shove this creep off me and turn around. The man touching me was the stereotypical douchebag, he had a nasty unkept beard, was balding, and reeked of liquor. He was accompanied by 2 equally disgusting friends who smelled of piss and cigarettes

"Sorry sweetheart I couldn't help myself," the creep says trying to touch my hair.

"Don't touch me" I say smacking his hand

"When you're dressed like that you're asking for it" he replies laughing

I sense Matt walk up to my side ready to defend me but I hold my arm out stopping him.

"What are you gonna do? You're a blind dumbass. Can't even see how hot this piece of ass is" he drunkenly laughs with his friends, causing a small crowd to form around us.

"Let me make this clear enough for you," I say stepping up closer to him, "You have a better chance of sprouting wings than you do getting into my pants"

"Come on baby, I could give you a good time," he says grabbing his crotch

"I'd rather fuck a cactus" I plainly say

He spits beside my feet, "You Cun-" Before he could finish I grab his neck firmly squeezing and lifting him, successfully cutting off his airway. The room was filled with gasps and whispers of fear.

"Finish it," I say as he gasps for air and pulls and punches at my arm, "Finish what you were going to say" he continues to choke now kicking his feet.

I loosen my grip a bit so he can speak, "Put-" He coughs "Put me down"

His friends begin to yell and walk up to me so they could help their friend, "Touch me and you're fucking next" I say without even looking at them, causing them to quickly stop.

"I think that's enough Millie" Matt speaks up

Ignoring him I continue, "Are you going to respect women?"

"Fuck You" he chokes out.

Filled with unbridled rage, I squeeze his throat again, and he begins to turn red coughing and gasping for air, "The answer I was looking for was 'Yes'" I say practically hissing, "I'm getting real tired of being touched by assholes like you. Fucking pathetic" I seeth

"Put him down Ki'ichpan, you'll kill him" I hear Namor speak up stepping from behind the man, "Ta vale le pena K'astal junxóot' a humanidad 'Is he worth losing a piece of your humanity?'" he says lightly touching my shoulder

Finding a moment of clarity I snap out of it and I sigh. Rolling my eyes I drop him face-first on the floor. As he coughs finally breathing air, I walk up to him and bend down lifting his head and whispering in his ear:

Bad intentions, divine interventions.

Convictions of disgrace shall call upon my face

"Now anytime you decide to disrespect women, you'll see my face and remember this moment." I pause letting that sink in for a moment, "Have a good night!" I playfully whisper and tap his head before standing up abruptly dropping his head to the floor.

"Sorry Josie," Matt says to the woman behind the bar

I echo Matts's words, "Sorry Josie" I nervously laugh

"No need," she says "Get him the hell out of here," pointing to the creeps friends. They quickly help him up and drag him out of the bar.

"What just happened," Karen asks as she and foggy walk-in

After we all sit back down, I bring them up to speed, "He should be thankful I didn't permanently hurt him, just his ego" I laugh

"What did you whisper to him?" Namor asks

"Bad intentions, divine interventions. Convictions of disgrace shall call upon my face." Matt repeats, "She cursed him"

"You what?!" Foggy asks

"Not all curses are bad, this one will teach him a lesson. Be happy I didn't cause him impotence" I Scoff finishing my beer.

Namor whispers to my ear, " Yaan k'intaj ti' u llegaras leti'e' yáax, tu habría kiinsik ti' le acto. 'He's lucky you got to him first, I would have killed him on the spot " he says causing a shiver to go down my spine

Whispering back to him, " Wa teene' ma' in tsa'ayaj, Teeche' ma' a ' If I can't, you can't" I half laugh, "Yuumbo'otik je'elel in. Ma' in wojel ba'ax Ku taal yóok'ol 'Thank you for stopping me. I don't know what came over me "

Still whispering in my ear, "Mantats' táan in waye' teechi 'I'm always here for you' " he says, "Bejla'e', ti' jump'éel Páaybe'en asab seria, táan u yuk'ik tuláakal in muuk' yo'osal ma' atar a jump'éel pak'o' yéetel follar a kíinsa'ab tu táan tuláakal ' Now on a more serious note, It's taking all of my strength to not pin you to this table and fuck you in front of everyone.' " he says as he roughly grabs my ass under my skirt.

"Comportar u 'Behave' " I say looking at him, "Lelo' a chen advertencia, 'That's your only warning'" I say smiling and booping his nose

"You guys make me want to throw up," Karen says laughing at us, "Here," She says handing me a gift bag, "Before I forget, I know we're like 2 weeks early but, Happy Re-Birthday!" She squeals

"Oh you guys, thank you" I smile

"Re-birthday?" Namor asks

"It's the day Peter found me at the lake. I don't know my real birthday so we use my 're-birth' date to celebrate." I say a little embarrassed, "You guys didn't have to get me anything"

"Don't worry it's not expensive," Foggy says

"Pro Bono work doesn't exactly pay great" Matt laughs

I look in the bag and see a bottle of Whiskey, a Framed picture of us, and a weird engraved case. I pull it out and open it seeing 2 handcrafted Kunai's, "Oh you guys shouldn't have" I pull them out and test the agility of the weapons, spinning them in my hands "where did you find these?" I asked amazed

"A friend from K'un-Lun gave them to me. Not my weapon of choice so I figured you could use them" Matt says

"Thank you guys, so much," I say "I can't wait to use these," I say tucking them in my boot

"Let's hope you don't have to" Karen laughs

The rest of the night was easygoing, we had a few more drinks and talked for another hour or so. Namor finally began to warm up to my friends; laughing and making jokes with them. It was nice to see his guard down a little. Feeling a little tired I rub Namor's leg and whisper in his ear, "Táan wáaj a ts'o'oksik u bin 'You ready to go?'" he nods his head yes and smiles at me, "Alrighty guys we are gonna head out"

"Really? It's still so early though" Karen whines

"11 pm is way past my bedtime" I laugh, "I love y'all," I say before hugging them all

"Bye Mills, Love you too!" Karen says as Foggy waves at us

"Don't be a stranger," Matt says before we walk out of the bar

Now outside and finally alone I look to Namor, "Ready?" I smile. He nods his head and we begin to walk the other way

"Your friends are way more than you let on, especially the blind one," he says

"They are" I laugh "They're good people though," I say.

He responds with a head nod and a grunt, "Roughly how long before we make it to your place" he asks

"40 min without traffic" I respond

"Okay," he says nodding his head, "Will Peter be home?"

"Yes, he should be. Why do you ask?"

He abruptly stops and pulls me close to him "Because I intend on doing things to you that will scar the boy if he overheard" he says roughly grabbing my ass and pulling me into him, "Tell me Millaenyia, have I been on my best behavior?" he asks causing me to feel a heartbeat in my pussy.

Wanting to play along, "Yes Daddy you have," I say snaking my hand down to his dick and lightly touching him just enough to feel him get hard.

I have an idea, hehe

"Come on," I said pulling his hand

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

The Vibe:

Woo

I decided it would have taken too long to get home so we checked into a fancy hotel down the road. This will give us much-needed privacy and won't traumatize Peter. I booked us a nice Suite with a balcony overlooking the city.

"Alrighty Mrs. Parker your room is 2007, the elevator is that way, and check out is at 11." The hostess says to me as she hands me our key cards

"Thank you," I say pulling Namor away to the elevators. We get in and another couple tries to come in after us but Namor just holds his hand out and stops them. Not saying a word and just staring at them until the door closes causing me to laugh, "What is wrong with you?" I laugh hitting the elevator button to bring us to our floor

"I just wanted a bit of privacy," He says before pinning me to the wall and looking down at me like I was his next meal, "You were so sexy earlier when you handled that man," he says, "So powerful," Slowly, he slides his hand under my skirt and touching my pussy making me gasp from his cold hands.

I forgot he still has my underwear in his pocket

He roughly slides 2 fingers inside me beginning to slowly finger me as he begins to speak, "I hope you're not too tired my love" he says hooking his fingers and going deeper inside of me prompting me to moan out, "That rights let it out Ki'ichpan" he says breathing down my neck picking up his speed and driving me wild. I throw my head back hitting the wall behind me; this left my neck exposed giving Namor the perfect opportunity to bite and suck on my bare skin.

Feeling the elevator starting to slow down as we approach our floor, Namor takes his free hand and holds my chin, "Open" he says as he pulls out of me. I listen and open my mouth allowing him to place his soaked fingers on my tongue; I grab his wrist holding him in place while I clean his fingers, licking up all of my juices and never breaking eye contact.

When done, I pull him out of my mouth and fix my skirt just in time for the elevator to stop. Namor takes my hand and pulls me behind him as he walks us to our room. When we arrive I open the door with the key card and begin to walk in but before I could take a step further Namor lifts me up bridal style and walks us in, kicking the door closed behind him, "You are too much" I say laughing at him.

He puts me down and takes a seat in front of me on the bed removing his shoes and his shirt, and throwing them both to the floor. "Take off your coat" he calmly demands

I drop the coat to the floor, "What now?" I playfully ask

"Come here"

I walk over to him and stand in between his legs and place my hand on his cheek gently stroking his face. He leans into my touch and breathes in my scent eventually grabbing my wrist and placing it down to my side, "Turn around" Slowly I do as he says. He gently takes both my hand and holds them together behind my back. I feel him shuffle in his pocket looking for something, "Almost forgot I had these" He says

My Panties

I feel him take my panties and use them as a rope to tie my hands together firmly, "You know I can easily break out of these" I lightly chuckle.

He slowly rubs his hands up my legs stopping at my waist, "Be a good girl and don't" he says before forcing me to sit down in his lap. I can feel his erection grow harder under me; taking this opportunity I begin to slowly grind in his lap, massaging his dick under me. Hands still gripping my waist, Namor begins to match my grind back, breathing heavily and softly moaning under his breath. We stay this way for a few minutes enjoying each other's longing touch, eventually, this wasn't enough for Namor; very abruptly I feel him rip my skirt off so easily that for a moment I thought it was paper.

"Hey! I liked that skirt" I half complain

"I did too," he says ripping off my bra and holding it out for me to see, "I liked this too"

"You're an animal," I say as he roughly grabs both of my breasts

"An animal?" he says before grabbing a handful of my hair and holding me back to his chest, "Shall I fuck you like one?" he whispers in my ear

Completely speechless and unable to move I just shake my head yes. Namor chuckles under his breath and stands us up; he walks me over to the desk next to the bed and gently folds me over it. Face down, ass up. I feel him take the majority of my hair in his hand and wrap it around his wrist, kind of like a dog leash. He then takes his dick and positions himself at my entrance, "Are you ready Ki'ichpan?"

"Yes, Daddy" I smile to myself.

Namor takes the okay and begins to slowly enter me and stops when he's balls deep, "If I get too rough, say my true name 'K'uk'ulkan'" I nod my head in response. Before I knew it Namor began to slam into me as if his life depended on it. With each thrust, his hips made a loud slapping sound when he made contact with my ass. The position I am in is extremely uncomfortable, my hands were bound and my hair was being pulled so I couldn't move my head; but despite that, all I could think about was how good Namor was making me feel.

I swear with each pump I can feel him go deeper inside me, inching closer to my cervix. This feeling was painful but mostly I felt a sense of euphoria wash over me causing me to instinctively clench my walls around his dick and arch my back so he could go deeper. With each desperate thrust from Namor, I was sent closer and closer to the edge. I swear I could feel every vein and twitch from his dick as my walls form around his incredible length. I let out my cries of pain and pleasure unable to compose myself, "Oh fuck" I yell out

Namor growls out and pulls me from the table and roughly walks me toward the balcony pressing me against the window and continuing to pound me to oblivion, "This is what fucking you like an animal is like; out in the open for the world to see" He says between grunts, "Do you want to me to stop?" he says gripping my neck and breast from behind

I don't want him to stop... but anyone can see us. And yet, something about that is turning me on more.

"No" I choke out

"Are you scared someone will see us?" He says smacking my ass

I heard his question but I couldn't answer, he has been hitting my sweet spot for the last few minutes and I was about to burst. Pulling me to his chest and bear-hugging me, he continues to slam into me, "Answer me" he says in my ear

"Yes!" I moan out

"I hope someone sees us, I wish Bucky could see us right now." He laughs sinisterly, "You're mine. You will be my queen. Say it" He demands

"I'm yours!" I cry out as he drills into me, "I'm so close, don't stop," I say blinking back tears.

Namor then releases me from his arms and unties my hands allowing me to fall forward on the window to brace myself. With every hard thrust, my tits pressed against the glass; it was a wonderfully lewd site to see. I feel Namors dick begin to twitch in me as he rests his head on my shoulder, whimpering and breathing in my ear. That was all I needed to reach my orgasm; my walls firmly hold Namors dick in place, practically forcing him to cum with me. My Climax was so strong that I begin to black out a little and my legs give in. Fortunately, Namor was holding me upright and in place as he released himself in me. Unable to keep my eyes open and maintain a balance I feel myself drift off...

Oh my god, am I fainting?