#THIS MAN IS MAKING ME LOSE MY WHOLE MIND AND I'M MAKING IT EVERYONE'S PROBLEM

[babyangelsky]

I'm gonna let my crazy show for a second

I need to talk about how fucking beautiful Fort looked this episode and why, because it's not like I just woke up today and noticed how stupidly attractive he is for the first time ever, I already knew that.

This production is making choices that I really, really fucking appreciate. The most immediately noticeable of which is that they didn't whitewash him at ALL which just makes me so indescribably happy. It's all beautiful golden skin all the time and it's fucking amazing.

But it's not just that they didn't whitewash him, look at his cheek. You can see his skin texture. And it's not just a one-off because he and Peat were gonna play in the ocean later in the scene and the makeup people didn't wanna apply makeup just so it could get washed off by the saltwater.

You can see it here too when he and Peat are back inside. You could use the excuse of "oh well he's meant to be freshly showered so it makes sense that he doesn't have a lot of makeup on". And to that I say, when has that ever stopped a production from caking makeup on their "freshly showered" characters? Half the time their hair isn't even wet when they're meant to be drying it.

Beyond being vastly appreciated by me, the fact that we can see skin texture is also an excellent character detail, and it's deliberate. It wouldn't make any sense for a person who spends their whole day outside sweating and getting in the ocean to look perfectly airbrushed all the time.

It makes sense for someone who spends their whole day inside working on their computer to look airbrushed though, which Peat does. Especially in the first episode when he arrives on the island.

But you know what?

You can see Peat's skin texture too. They put more makeup on him than they do Fort but they don't cake it on. I cannot even TELL you how happy that makes me.

But this...this is what I really wanna talk about.

Do you see them?

DO YOU SEE THEM? DO YOU SEE THE BEAUTIFUL NORMAL STRETCH MARKS ON THIS MAN'S SHOULDER AND CHEST? DO YOU KNOW HOW AMAZING IT IS THAT WE CAN SEE THEM, THAT THEY DIDN'T EDIT THEM OUT IN POST OR SLAP MAKEUP ON THEM TO HIDE THEM?

*pauses to get myself together*

Listen I am someone who notices every single little mole, freckle, and birthmark that someone has because I think they're beautiful. It's probably concerning how often I notice them and how happy it makes me when I do. And it really makes me angry that these completely normal parts of someone's skin are seen as imperfections or only desirable when they're a certain size or on a certain part of their body. And you know what else always gets labeled as an imperfection? As something that has to be hidden?

Stretch marks.

Every single human being alive has stretch marks because every single human being alive has skin but for some reason, people are made to feel ashamed of them. They're made to feel like stretch marks are these unsightly things that they only have for x, y, or z reason.

Our skin stretches as we grow! Of course we all have stretch marks! All of us! Even the fittest, most shredded person you can think of has stretch marks! They aren't a consequence of your weight or how much muscle you have, they're part of having a body! They're NORMAL.

Do you understand how big a deal it is that we can see Fort's? That we can see every aspect of his skin, including and especially its actual fucking tone? This man--I just--just--

I WANT TO EAT HIM WITH A SPOON

I love that they didn't make him get shredded for this role I love how beefy he looks I love that he looks like a real person I love that you can see his shirt tan I love his fucking stretch marks I love the mole on his chest and the one on the back of his upper arm and the ones on his face I love love love love love!!!

Alexa, play "Piel Morena" by Thalia

[sailorblossoms-snowbaz]

Baz's raised eyebrow:

(yet another "Simon identifies as 'Baz-sexual' for very good reasons' post)

few things have annoyed me more with these books than when people do not take Simon's "I don't know anything about anything but maybe I'm just a Baz-sexual" comments seriously (dismissing it with a combination of not paying attention to what he's putting down and good old confirmation bias). He even says it in less "goofy" ways with lines such as "he's the only person I have ever wanted" (in the context of thinking about having sex) (note the emphasis on ever) (yes, it's one of the clues saying he didn't want to have it with Agatha, in case it's not clear)

"Like Baz has only ever wanted Simon, Simon has only ever wanted Baz," is necessary to bring up before I get to my point here. I have seen Simon being read as in love or attracted to Agatha ("he must have been or else how they had sex?"... I mean, Simon tells you why it happened without attraction, but even if he didn't, we could make an alphabetized list of reasons it can happen without it, the desire to fit in is no joke) or the idea of Simon liking all sorts of girls, including the girl he pointedly doesn't notice despite her being obvious to others, for the sake of drama and conflict. I have wondered if they don't believe the characters, or if they find the highlighted sentence here boring. "It's boring if the characters only want each other," "in real life people want multiple people" – indeed, but not everyone is wired the same (and why are we stuck on "real life" so much anyway in stories about half-dragon and vampire boys falling in love). But it's not like this sentence is without conflict. Note Baz's eyebrow...

In CO, when Simon says Trixie is cute, Baz's reaction is a boyish "I'm going to puke" comment, which is likely part of how he dealt with jealousy and thinking Simon was straight for years: masking his feelings with "harsh" or sort of "edgy" jokes (probably not the right words to use, but getting too hung up on precise wording is the reason I never finish these posts). In awtwb, Simon calls Pippa cute, and Baz raises an eyebrow...

By those reactions, we could say the idea of Simon calling someone cute because he finds them attractive crosses Baz's mind – or is something he feels in some way, even if the thought doesn't explicitly cross his mind. It's something the reader might assume as well... however, I don't think the way Simon uses cute – which can be used in many different situations – says anything about attraction for him. I mean, a gay man can see a girl being cute or gorgeous as well – Baz certainly does! (attraction is portrayed in these books as thoughts derailed, repetition, sentences being cut off, fixating in a detail no one else notices like they do – you see it with Baz and Simon, Agatha and Niamh, Shepard and Penny. Shep doesn't just call Penny cute – he loses his entire goddamn mind for a whole page about her cuteness and her knees. It's not just a passing comment).

I don't think those scenes when Simon says "cute" is highlighting something about him, other than the fact that he's able to note cuteness. I think it's saying more about Baz's insecurities (I know I once posted something long about it somewhere...) Baz brings attention to it in a way with his reactions... because he's bothered by it. It's something that's sort of hidden and sort of contained, but it's there.

Baz doesn't find himself desirable, partly because of his vampiric nature. But part of it is also about the complicated and messy fear that perhaps... Simon has a problem with being with a man (I know I have unpacked this in other posts, finding them though...). Perhaps "a girl would be better" (It's messier with boys than with girls, it's a thought that comes out before he catches himself with "I don't actually know anything about being with boys or girls".... "I don't know anything about being in a relationship," he says, while still being able to catch there was something wrong with Agatha and Simon's relationship when Simon talks about – because Simon will process things he would rather avoid when it's about opening up to Baz, he wants Baz to know things that would help Baz understand him better, even if he himself would rather not understand... still Baz can't let go of the programming of all those years believing in the golden couple – he has spent a longer time believing that than dating Simon, after all) (Agatha is alive and beautiful, the sort of beauty that's used to "embody" "desirability".... and Baz is "not alive"...) (as a side note, have you noticed the idea – or the actual action – of sex with Agatha is used both with Simon and Baz to indicate a lack of desire toward women?)...

While Simon thinks of Baz as the only person he has ever wanted – Baz is as desirable as it gets for him – Baz struggles with feeling desirable at all. Baz doubts and wonders and has to catch himself – even if he doesn't notice he's doing that. Even if he doesn't consciously think "a beautiful girl who is alive is more preferable than me, a gay male vampire." That is a far more interesting conflict than Baz having legit reasons to be jealous, I think. The fact that he has truly nothing to feel jealous about, and yet... he just can’t help it. It's hard to go against years of programming, of going against the idea that everything about yourself is undesirable and it's better to hide it – another way he matches with Simon. They also match in their insecurities, with small differences: Baz is so amazing and attractive while Simon doesn't feel like he's good enough for him, he can do better than him, etc... while Baz clearly only has eyes for Simon, Simon feels like Baz is merely stuck with him. And the conflict here is that you think "they need to TALK and voice their thoughts for the love of god, what do you mean Baz doesn't know Simon sees him as the love of all his lives??"... talking is not enough. That Simon and Baz only have eyes for each other is not without conflict. Sometimes we need to keep hearing some things, and even then... the fears and insecurities don't go away. Especially when we have spent a really long time believing ourselves to be unwanted, undesirable, something to be hidden. When we have been exposed to things that confirmed those beliefs for longer than we have been exposed to things that challenge them

[yujeong]

So. I think as a fandom we haven't talked about this nearly enough. Actually, I haven't seen it mentioned at all and I want to change that.

It's just a throw away line. The screen writers were probably like, "Hm, we need to make Tankhun say something relevant to the situation as a reason for him wanting to give Pete to Kinn and take Porsche. Ah, yes, a bizarre thing from the past with Macau and Pete, cool, throw that in." What the screenwriters didn't expect, I suppose, is me seeing that line and losing my mind over it. I've been thinking about it for months, it's kind of a problem.

Alright. How is this line significant? Well, it gives us vital information about 1. Pete himself and 2. Pete and Macau's relationship, because it sure af affects it later on, even though we never saw it in the show (we needed more Macau GODDAMMIT.) Ok, so first things first. Pete. I would like everyone to know that this is the second time we get indication that Pete speaks his mind against things he believes are wrong to do. The first is during the mermaid scene in ep 2, the screenshot below showing what Pete said to Tankhun when he ordered him to feed Porsche bread:

Generally, throughout the show, we see glimpses of Pete's opinions being expressed at the Theerapanyakul sons, and while most if not all of those times he gulps them back down, the fact that he said them at all is significant to his character. He's not a pushover. He doesn't just blindly follow orders. He has *opinions* about what he sees and hears and he expresses them. And he's smart enough to not retort when those opinions are not taken seriously, being ignored or when he gets warned about them (a.k.a. the interaction he had with Vegas at the table in ep 4, this moment also lives rent free in my mind, thank you.) Back to Macau, what was even the situation with him that ended up making Tankhun asking Pete to tie him up? Was it just silly Tankhun being silly (that man is never silly, he knows exactly what he's doing)? Was it something serious that involved the whole family? Neither of those? Whatever it was, the most important thing is that Pete said no. And, in headcanon fashion, I believe Macau was present during that moment. Macau saw Pete refuse Tankhun's order, the order of someone from the main family, someone above Macau in status. He saw it and he remembers it to this day, because during the temple scene in ep 9, we get this:

Ok. I'm going a little feral over what my mind has come up with. What we're seeing here is Macau, a member of the minor family, the lesser family, making fun of Tankhun, the oldest son of the main family. The family Pete serves. And all of the people present know this. It's evident - to me at least - by the fact that Vegas says *nothing* about Tankhun. He just says Pete is alone as an answer to Macau's question. So, the conclusion of this is that Macau feels confident and comfortable with sharing his actual opinions about Tankhun to Pete, who's Tankhun's main bodyguard, which both brothers know about. Vegas is also comfortable and confident with allowing Macau to say those things and the reason I'm mentioning him as well is because we all know how protective Vegas is of Macau. If that endangered him in any way, he wouldn't allow it. A reason they're both comfortable, of course, is because Pete is below *everyone* in status. He's literally just a foot soldier, he has no power over them. But the moment he returns to the main family, he has protection against Vegas and his side. He's in his own turf, and Vegas cannot do shit to the main family bodyguards if the main family decides so, as evident by the whole Porsche&Macau situation in ep 2. Now, can we imagine for a hot second, if Pete reported that back to the main family, what would have happened? Probably nothing, I hear you say, and maybe you're correct. But the more suspicious (and angsty) part of me wants to believe that there would be repercussions for this. Tankhun can literally hit Vegas with a fucking tray if he wants to, because he dared eat at the same table as Kinn. He can order Pete to tie Macau up because...something something Macau is a brat I guess. He can do whatever the fuck he wants to them, even if they've done nothing wrong. Can you imagine what he would do if he had actual reasons to punish them? The thought makes me shiver but it's reality and it's evident from ep fucking 2, as mentioned above, when all Porsche gets for making Macau BLEED from the HEAD, is a little choking and a pat on the back. The same goes for Kinn of course. He threatened Vegas with a gun in his OWN FUCKING HOUSE because he kissed Porsche in ep 7. He says the line "Do you see my ring?" and everyone understands what that means. The main family can do whatever the fuck it wants to the minor family and you just have to shut up and accept it. In conclusion, where does that bring us to Macau&Pete post-canon? Well, there's the simple thing called "trust". Yes, Macau will not trust Pete immediately. Yes, I love seeing this in the multiple hospital era fics I've read. But, can I introduce the variable of that event shaping Macau's feelings about Pete to the table? Because holy shit, it's eating away at me and I love it so much to let it be ignored anymore.

[transgenderdoctorwhomst-old]

So I've spent the past like, two weeks, trying to dissect with my partner what exactly is making 13's first season so... uninteresting and even just bad to us. And today I've finally figured it out!

Obviously just my opinions, disclaimer I've only watched up to the end of Spyfall, this is not intended as hate but rather criticism, and you are completely free to disagree or just ignore the whole post..

I'm going to put this under a cut in order to not take up the whole dash. Topics: The Doctor's autism, and the dynamics between 13 and her companions. So, let's start!

The failure to characterize 13 consistently with past incarnations, especially in regards to the Doctor's naturally rebellious nature and extremely visible autism.

As someone who's autistic, the very very consistent autistic traits in the Doctor are always extremely obvious. And for an incarnation written with that in mind, you'd think that it would be consistent, right?

But here's where something major about the Doctor is missing: so far, as of the end of Spyfall part 2, I have rarely seen 13 engage extensively with her special interests. The only examples I can think of are when she meets Rosa Parks, visits Kerblam!, and when she meets the Solitract.

The Doctor has a strong tendency to get so caught up in their special interests that they basically will not shut up about it when it comes up, often rambling without fully checking if someone is actually listening. I... feel like I rarely see 13 do it that much? Sure, she's happy to explain things when she's asked, and she clearly has special interests, the sheer prevalence it should have in how she engages with the world is just... not really there.

The lack of it makes it feel like her character is missing something major, and was hard to put together that it was this specifically that was bothering me. I can think of a million examples of each Doctor respectively engaging with their special interests near constantly, but it feels like it's hardly there for 13 in comparison.

As for her rebellious nature, 13 has so far been remarkably passive about capitalistic crimes. I'm sure we all remember her and Kerblam!. And the spiders in the hotel. You would expect the Doctor to challenge the systems that caused those respective problems, encourage the people in those systems to fix it, but she just sort of... doesn't.

She doesn't care the warehouse employees have to save up miniscule wages just to see their family once a year, that they're tracked and constantly under threat of losing what little income they have, that even though society has progressed so this can all be automated, the powers that be are not adapting with that to provide basic necessities to the public, and instead are telling everyone they're lucky if they get to be indentured to Kerblam!. The Doctor stops a man from committing terrorism (because all protesters of these systems are also serial killer terrorists, clearly), and then doesn't stop to deal with the root cause. She just tells him he's wrong, is satisfied the company will hire more humans (put more people in the meat grinder), and leaves.

The spiders episode is a whole thing, focusing more on the side effects of the actual problem, which is capitalist businessmen cutting corners for profit and ignoring regulations, and getting away with it. The message of the episode at the end comes out as "you shouldn't actively kill any living thing for any reason", citing trapping the spiders in a room to die as more humane. But I would strongly disagree.

The humane thing to do for those spiders, who were mutated, suffering, and having a negative impact on both the local spiders and humans, would have been to swiftly kill them. The Doctor cares more about not feeling bad about killing the spiders than the system that made this happen in the first place, or ending their suffering, which feels wildly out of character.

2. The companions don't feel like they have a lot going on, and lack the kind of strange connection past companions have.

So, Graham Ryan and Yaz are all kind of just boring. I see the dynamics and relationships they're supposed to have with each other, but none of it feels compelling. I don't feel any connection to them.

At first, I thought that it was because Chibnall introduced three companions in the first episode. It's definitely a contribution, since having to introduce four major characters compared to one or two isn't the easiest thing to do. But it's possible.

Torchwood introduces six characters to us at the start: five members of Torchwood 3, and Gwen. Every single character feels distinctive, they have clashing personalities that also bounce of each other. The introduction feels great, and you can immediately watch their characters develop and change over the course of the first season.

The Doctor and the Fam? I literally cannot tell you distinctive personality traits about each of them besides basic vibes. It took until Spyfall for them to start feeling distinct. I can't tell you major flaws, major anything. I can barely describe their respective relationships to the Doctor, besides "weird friend with the time machine we know nothing about."

The single thing portrayed as a flaw in the Doctor is that she doesn't like talking about herself unprompted. They don't know a lot about her, but in her defence, they barely ask.

Past companions in New Who always have some strange relationship with the Doctor. Rose is having a situationship with him after he blew up her workplace, and has complex feelings about how travelling with him affects her life at home. Martha is having this weird situation where he's using her to fill the gap left by Rose, while trying to keep his distance, and Martha is just trying to figure out how the fuck to get him to look at her as her own person. Donna decided she wanted more in life, and by god was she going to grab the Doctor and take it, assigning herself his new best friend.

Amy met the Doctor as a child, obsessed over him for 14 years, ran away with him before her wedding, and then dragged Rory along, and ended up with the weirdest family dynamics possible. Rory isn't sure how to feel about the Doctor, and the two of them for some reason take turns being the "mature" one. Clara is overly dedicated to him and deeply enjoys the power trip that comes along with having time travel.

I can't speak about Bill or Nardole, because I haven't actually met them, but I know there's some kind of dynamic going on there.

The point is, every individual has some kind of distinctive and very strange relationship with the Doctor, from the very start. Friends, but something else. Romantically interested in each other, but dancing around that boundary. The 13th Doctor has absolutely nothing strange or compelling with hers so far.

Like, I could think of at least some with what we have! 13 decides Graham is her grandson, because Ryan and Yaz have a grandparent figure, but Graham doesn't, and then extends that to Ryan with deciding to be a great-great-grandparent figure to him.

At least in her first season, she doesn't seem opposed at all to a relationship with Yaz. The Doctor is notoriously weird about relationships. If Yaz panicked and told her mom that she was dating the Doctor, the Doctor could just roll with it and now Apparently They're Dating ???. It could be so fun! But there just... isn't anything!

Maybe it gets better in her second season onwards, but these kinds of things should be established fairly quickly. Like, at least halfway through the first series. I genuinely hoped her first season would be better on a rewatch, because I watched it while it was airing, and dropped the show after because I was just so not into it. I shouldn't have to be doing this much work to make it interesting to me! I shouldn't be enjoying early Moffat Who more than this!

Anyways if you read all this, I am very happy to hear thoughts and counterpoints, just please don't send me hate anons :)

[kattt-5865]

Right. I'm in the rambling mood. So this post is probably going to be a whole load of nonsense, but fuck it I ball. I'm boutta yap to everyone about why I think Norman Osborn is a villain I can't sympathise with.

Let's start this by talking about villains I CAN sympathise with; Otto and Flint. I can sympathise with the other two because they have stories that make me feel empathetic. Flint wants to help his sick daughter, even if it's through illegal means. Otto had effectively a perfect life; a stable career and a loving wife, and he was doing what he enjoyed. When he loses it, it's bound to cause some empathy. Yes, his ambition is the cause of it all, but regardless, he lost practically everything.

With Norman, there's none of this. I don't feel any sort of sympathy. NWH's portrayal of him just makes it seem like his actions aren't his fault. In the Raimi Trilogy, the opposite is true. Norman wants the control, the power, but to accomplish that, he would taint his image. He doesn't want to taint his image because that would simply cause more problems. The serum simply just removed his inhibitions. Having had his inhibitions removed through the Goblin, he can do the things he wanted to do but without tainting his image. Norman lost nothing to achieve his goals.

But then you wonder, "Why didn't the same happen to Harry?"

It's because Harry had one goal in mind; kill Spider-man. He didn't want to harm anyone else, just him. Norman didn't care who he hurt, whereas Harry only wanted to harm Peter/Spidey.

Besides this, Norman was generally a bad father, too. That helps us sympathise much less.

Anyways, thanks for listening to me ramble, I had to get my thoughts out before I don't get any sleep ;-;

[kipscorner]

Monsters! Feel free to change pronouns, relationship mentions and anything else to match your writing preferences! Part of the list has been put under Read More due to it being a long list!

“Uh... my friends call me Phlegm.”

“Mr.(Mrs/Miss/etc) [Name], can you tell me what you did wrong?” “There is nothing more toxic or deadly than a human child. A single touch could kill you!”

“You can't make me!”

“Yes, it's dangerous work and that's why I need you to be at your best.”

“it's going to be a perfect day to maybe, hey, just lie in bed, sleep in or simply... work out that flab that's hanging over the bed!”

“I don't believe I ordered a wake-up call, [Name].”

“Did you see me? I'm a natural!”

“Hey, wasn't I great? Did the whole family see it?”

“You've been jealous of my good looks since the fourth grade, pal.”

“Big deal. Guy takes five steps and he's there.”

“I told you, call me [Name].”

“We just wanted to wish you good luck today.”

“Quiet! You'II make him lose his focus.”

“Oh, Googley-woogley, you remembered!”

“So, uh... are we going anywhere special tonight?”

“But it's impossible to get a reservation there!”

(singing) “You and me! Me and you! Both of us together!”

“You know, pal, she's the one. That's it. She is the one!”

“Oh, and, uh, thanks for hooking me up with those reservations.”

“Oh, no problem. They're under the name Googley Bear.”

“I wasn't scared. I have... allergies.”

“Do you hear that?It's the winds of change.”

( mocking voice ): ''You hear it? You hear the winds of ch...? –Oh, what a creep. One of these days, I am really... going to let you teach that guy a lesson.”

“[Name], you didn't file your paperwork last night.”

“I'm watching you, [Name]. Always watching.”

“You're the boss! You're the boss! You're the big, hairy boss!”

“She wasn't scared of you?”

“I could've been dead! I could've died!”

“I will personally put you through the shredder!”

“I love working with that big guy.”

“[Name] and I are like brothers.(sisters//siblings/etc)”

“We're just going through a rough time, sir.(ma’am/name/etc) Everyone knows you're going to get us through it.”

“Now, that's my boy(girl,etc)!”

“I've never seen anything like you today. You were on a roll, my man.(girl/etc)”

“So get this-- as if dinner wasn't enough I'm taking her(her/them/etc) to a monster truck rally afterwards.”

“You know, I am so romantic sometimes I think I should just marry myself.”

“'Cause I got to tell you, buddy that face of hers, it just makes my heart go...Yikes!”

“Your stunned silence is very reassuring.”

“Kitty!”

“No, no-- stay back!”

“Oh, [Name], I've had a lot of birthday... well, not a lot of birthdays but this is the best birthday ever.”

“I was just thinking about the first time I laid eye(eyes) on you-- how pretty you looked.”

“What a coincidence, running into you here! Uh, I'm just going to order something to go.”

“Get out of here. You're ruining everything.”

“Please remain calm. This is not a drill.”

“Well, I don't think that date could have gone any worse.”

“Well, a kid flew right over me and blasted a car with its laser vision!”

“I tried to run from it, but it picked me up with its mind powers and shook me like a doll!”

“It is my professional opinion that now is the time to... panic!”

“No, don't touch those, you little...! Oh, now those were alphabetized.”

“It's okay, it's all right. As long as it doesn't come near us we're going to be okay.”

“I have no idea but it would be really great if it didn't do it again.”

“How could I do this? How could I be so stupid?”

“That thing is a killing machine!”

“I bet it's just waiting for us to fall asleep and then wham! Oh, we're easy prey, my friend-- easy prey. We're sitting targets.”

“Using mainly spoons, we dig a tunnel under the city and release it into the wild.”

“That's it, I'm out of ideas. We're closed. Hot air balloon? Too expensive. Giant slingshot? Too conspicuous. Enormous wooden horse? Too Greek!”

“Are you sleepy? You want to sleep? ls that what you want? Huh?” 

“No. Hey, hey, that's my bed! You're going to get your germs all over it. ( sighing ) Fine. My chair is more comfortable anyway.”

“Will you go to sleep?”

“Oh, boy, how do I explain this?”

“How about I sit here, until you fall asleep? Go ahead. Go to sleep. Now. Now... go. Uh, you... go... to... sleep. ( imitating snoring )”

“Really? Well, in that case, let's keep it. I always wanted a pet that could kill me!”

“Is that a joke? Tell me you're joking.”

“[Name], I'd like to think that, given the circumstances I have been extremely forgiving up to now but that is a horrible idea!”

“Don't panic-- we can do this.”

“Actually, that's my, uh, cousin's sister's daughter…”

“That is the weirdest thing you have ever said.”

“That's a cute little dance you've got. It almost looks like you've got to…”

“Where did she go? Oh, did she disappear? Did she turn invisible?”

“[Name], my tender, oozing blossom you're looking fabulous today.Is that a new haircut? Come on, tell me. It's a new haircut, isn't it? That's got to be a new haircut. New makeup? You've had a lift. You've had a tuck. You've had something. Something has been inserted in your skin that makes you look like...”

“Ready or not, here I come! I'm getting warmer! Any second now! Fee fi fo…”

“Don't you think I'm aware of the situation? I was up all night!”

“Yeah, well, until we know for sure we're going to act like nothing happened, understand?”

“You're right, you're right. We're just two regular joes on our way to work. We will blend right in!”

“Very good. Now bon voyage!”

“That's what I decided to call her(him/them). Is there a problem?”

“[Name], you're not supposed to name it. Once you name it, you start getting attached to it!”

“ow put that thing back where it came from, or so help me…!”

“But if it was an inside job I'd put my money on [Third party].”

“( whimpers ) last night was one of the worst nights of my entire life, bar none!”

“Sushi? Sushi?!! You think this is about sushi?!”

“So I said, ''If you talk to me like that again, we're through!''

“Oh, well, hello, there. What's your name?”

“I got us a way out of this mess but we got to hurry.”

“Oh, you're all right! I was so worried! Don't you ever run away from me again, young lady(mnan/etc)! Oh, but I'm so glad you're safe.”

“We're going to get our lives back. The nightmare is over.”

“Okay, first of all, it's cree-tin. If you're going to threaten me do it properly.”

“Well somebody's certainly been a busy bee.”

“I'm sorry, [Name], but [Third party] said I'm not allowed to fraternize with victims of his(her/etc) evil plot.”

“We got to get out of here now! We can start a whole new life somewhere far away!”

“I was going for a snake ninja approach with a little hissing.”

“How many times do I have to tell you? It's all about presence!”

“[Name]? [Name], it's me…”

“[Name]? No, no, no, no. It's okay. I was just…No, no, no, no, no, don't be scared. That wasn't real. It's just a...I was just…”

“Does anyone else know about this?”

“All you had to do was listen to me-- just once! But you didn't, did you? You're still not listening!”

“Welcome to the Himalayas!”

“Snow cone? No, no, no. Don't worry-- it's lemon.”

“Did you see the way she(he/etc)... looked at me?”

“Take my buddy, Bigfoot. When he was banished he fashioned an enormous diaper out of poison ivy. Wore it on his head like a tiara. Called himself King Itchy.”

“Look at that big jerk. Ruined my life, and for what?”

“Wasteland? I think you mean wonderland! I mean, how about all this fabulous snow, huh?”

“Okay, rule number one out here. Always…No.Never go out in a blizzard.”

“None of it matter...Wa-wait a second. None of it matters?”

“So, now the truth comes out, doesn't it?”

“What about everything we ever worked for? Does that matter? Huh?”

“What about me? I'm your pal. I'm... I'm your best friend. Don't I matter?”

“I'm sorry, [Name]. I'm sorry we're stuck out here. I didn't mean for this to happen. But [Third Party]’s in trouble.”

“'Whoa, whoa, whoa. ''We''? No. There's no ''we'' this time, pal. I-if-if you want to go out there and freeze to death you be my guest... because you're on your own.”

“I never should have trusted you with this.”

“Let's get you home.”

“You don't know how long I've wanted to do that, [Name].”

“I was just mad, that's all. I needed some time to think.” “I'm being attacked!”

“No, I'm not attacking you. I'm trying to be honest. Just hear me out. You and I are a team. Nothing is more important than our friendship.”

“If you start crying, I'm going to cry and I'II never get through this. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you but I am now.”

“[Name], I am baring my soul here. The least you could do is pay attention!”

“Somebody's got take care of you, you big hairball!”

“[Name], if you don't tell me what's going on right now, we are through! You hear me? Through!”

“You expect me to believe that pack of lies, [Full name]!”

“Go get 'em, Googley Bear!”

“What a plan-- simple, yet insane!”

“How are we supposed to get to it now? Oh, it's a dead end, [Name]!”

“Hurry up, hurry up! Give me your hand.”

“Jump! I'm behind you!”

“Hurry up! Keep moving!”

“You stupid, pathetic waste!”

“You've been number one for too long, [Name]. Now your time is up!”

“Mama, another gator got in the house!”

“Give me that shovel! Come here!”

“All right, I got a move here. It'II bring down the house.”

“I think we stopped him, [Name]. You're safe now.”

“She's(he’s/etc) seen too much. You both have.”

“Well, I don't know about the rest of you guys but I spotted several big mistakes.”

“Two and a half years of undercover work were almost wasted.”

“What, you mean... you mean, I can't see her(him/etc) again?”

“I bet we get the rest of the day off.”

“Come on, pal, cheer up, we did it!”

“Oh, sure, we put the factory in the toilet, and... gee, hundreds of people will be out of work now. Not to mention the angry mob that'II come after us when there's no more power, but, hey... at least we had some laughs, right?”

“Oh, I love kindergarten. Best three years of my life.”

“[Name], you're such a charmer.”

[littlewriterfullofwords]

Only one for me pt. 3

Parring: Hanaoka Y/N x Takajo Tsukasa

Summary: YasuKiyo knows some things they shouldn't

Warnings: she/her pronouns, fluff, mention of fight, wounds and blood

A/N: Hi! I'm back...again. Enjoy my work and let me know what you think😊

Dark eyes scanning your face, gentle touch of a thumb caressing your cheek, causing blush to appear, the smell of his perfume tickling your nose. He was closer with every second. Your lips were about to touch. You were so close to kissing Tsukasa, only the air was between you two....

"Are you listening?" Yasushi's voice kicked you brutally out of your dream world, almost making you jump on your seat.

"Yes." You nodded vigorously, trying to not only convince YasuKiyo but yourself as well.

"Yeah, sure." Murmured Kiyoshi with a smirk. "And your red face says otherwise."

"It's just hot in here." Your answer was given too fast, and was totally out of the frame because everyone in Oya was wearing long sleeved clothes.

"Bullshit." Summarized Yasushi. "We know who you're thinking about."

"You're in love!" Yelled Kiyoshi as he burst laughing.

"No." You opposed.

"You're in love!" Joined Yasushi and now both of them were jumping around you, yelling that you're in love.

"Who's in love?" The crazy mood was interrupted by Fujio and Tsukasa coming into the room you and YasuKiyo have been sitting in.

The only response you could give the guests was more blush on your cheeks and the eyes on the floor.

"Your sister." You were ready to kill Kiyoshi for that, you were even planning his murder in your mind.

"Oooo." Fujio looked surprised but happy at the same time, his eyes were focused on his sister that has been looking away all this time. "With who?"

"No one." You jumped out of the table and headed towards the exit, but before leaving you ruffled Tsukasa's and Fujio's hair with a smile to hide your nervousness. "Bye."

And you left, leaving all four men with confusion in the air.

You walked out of the building and ended up on the patio you really liked, actually it was your favourite spot in the whole Oya, besides the roof.

Your eyes searched the surroundings, and when you saw nothing and no one, you sighed loudly. Your hands immediately touched your red and warm cheeks to cool them a bit. The impact Tsukasa had on you was huge, out of your mind, heart and will. And YasuKiyo noticed that, for your unfortunate.

"Still reacting like a girl in love?" Todoroki's voice made you roll your eyes and turn around to look at him.

"You have a problem with it?" The hidden side of Hanaoka siblings started slowly to show off.

"As long as you won't be walking around, smiling like an idiot with a red tomato face, then no." Yosuke shrugged. "I don't wanna see you drooling over Takajo on my floor."

You gasped offended. It's not like you weren't drooling over Tsukasa, you were, but how the fuck did he know that? Was it that obvious?

"I- I don't know what you are talking about." You huffed trying to hide your nervousness...again.

"Yeah, whatever." Todoroki shrugged and went away, leaving you with your thoughts.

You decided to consider them on your way home, that's why you left the Oya High and headed south.

Feet after feet, step by step, you were walking on the payment, trying to keep your balance on the edge with arms spread to the sides and eyes focused on your shoes. This lil activity made you feel a bit more nostalgic than anything else. You remembered running down the hill with Fujio and his friends. Doing make up with Madoka or watching Arata cook. But when your brother was spending time with the other group, now the Oya students, you preferred sitting on the swings on the playground or drawing in your room. It would be okay to say you had a favourite group.

"Where is the lady going?" The sudden appearance of the voice and three figures in front of you made you lose balance and step on the pavement.

"Alone." Added another man, the one wearing a cap with a dangerous smile.

"Well." You shrugged. "I like walking alone. It's comforting. So if you, gentlemen, excuse me, I'll be walking."

Without anything more, you continued walking, trying to pass the men but one of them grabbed your wrist and stopped you.

"Where do you think you're going?" Asked the man that stopped you the first time.

"Not a gentleman then." You whispered and the fire appeared in your eyes.

You didn't hesitate to throw a punch, you aimed at the nose, neck and the back of the head. Fujio taught you some things, and you were a good student.

"Y/N!" Tsukasa's voice made you look from above the suffering, bleeding and moaning in pain, men and wipe the blood from your lip, you didn't avoid wounds yourself, things like that only happen in books.

"What are you doing here?" You asked a bit confused but embarrassed as well, he's never seen you as messy as you were now.

"It doesn't matter, are you okay?" Blond haired stood in front of you and gently lifted your chin to examine the wounds.

"Yeah, I'm fine." You looked at the group still curled up and in pain. "I think they are not."

"They don't matter now." Tsukasa looked and sounded concerned and scared. "Let's take care of you."

Takajo grabbed your elbow and led you a few steps away from the place of the incident, but suddenly he stopped, turned back and walked slowly to the men. Without a problem, he grabbed one of them by the shirt, brought him closer to his face and whispered in his ear:

"You better don't mess with her. Next time she won't be that generous."

And he left, letting the man fall to the ground with a loud thud.

"Let's go." Again you were grabbed, this time by the wrist, and led towards the place only Tsukasa knew about.

You didn't ask anything, so did he. You were silent, enjoying the companion and rethinking decisions.

"Sit here." Finally the silence was interrupted by Tsukasa pointing the bench. "I'll be back."

You only nodded and obediently sat on the wooden bench by the playground.

Again the nostalgia hit you, you loved this place as a kid, you'd spent hours here by yourself on the swings or with Madoka. You felt the smile coming up to your lips. It hurt a bit, your bottom lip was cut in a few places, but you didn't mind it too much.

"Okay." Tsukasa showed up as quietly as a ghost and sat next to you on the bench. "Show me your wounds."

"Those aren't that serious." You whispered but turned your face his way.

When he touched your face with his cold fingers, the chills ran up your spine, making you shiver a bit.

"The guys out there...." Started Tsukasa as he was cleaning the cuts and bruises under your eyes and on the cheeks. "You gave them a lesson."

"Fujio taught me some tricks, I used them in self-defence." You shrugged with a little smile. "They were in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Takajo's smile was saying one thing, "I'm proud of you." So were his eyes, that were scanning your face for injuries.

"Okay, all done." Tsukasa put the last band aid on the wound on your forehead and gently caressed it, slowly moving his hand to the lost strand of your hair that he put behind your ear.

His cold fingers were touching your skin as he was going down your face, finally resting on your cheek, that was still red from the fight but also from his touch.

Your lips trembled, ready to say something but failed. Your eyes locked with Tsukasa's but only for a second because you dropped the gaze.

"Thank you." You whispered with a gentle smile that hid under your hair that fell down.

To show how grateful you were, you touched every and each band aid with fingertips.

"I didn't cover your lip injuries because you wouldn't be able to talk..." Explained briefly Takajo, sitting straight, his side facing yours.

"Don't worry about that. Some for sure would be happy if I were silent." You joked, having Fujio in mind.

Tsukasa chuckled quietly, making you feel those butterflies in your stomach. You loved this sound, it was so calming and gentle. You could listen to it every day.

Suddenly, your phone rang in your pocket so you quickly reached for it and looked at the screen. Fujio.

"Excuse me." You said and picked up. "What's up? Yeah I'm coming. Yeah. See you. I'm sorry."

"Nah, that's okay." Assured you Takajo.

"Fujio called. Said I should be coming home." You explained with a sad smile. "Guess I will be going."

"I'll go with you." Said Tsukasa. "I'm going this way anyway."

Your eyes brighten and widen. Was your life a book? Was it all real?

"Y-yeah, sure. Let's go." You both got up from the bench and headed one way in silence.

Blond haired hid his hands in his pockets, as usual, and started walking by your right side, the side closer to the main road.

You really felt like in a movie.

"It's here." You pointed at the wooden door and smiled. "Thank you for your help with those..."

You again touched your band aids and smiled a bit wider.

"But your lips...." Started Tsukasa but you interrupted him.

"Don't worry about that. You did a lot."

"I hope it helps." After saying that, Tsukasa came closer and left a gentle kiss on your lips.

Butterflies went crazy, breath disappeared but this warm feeling inside took it place. When the blond haired moved away a bit, you looked him in the eyes with this innocent but happy light.

"Take care." Tsukasa ruffled your hair and walked away like nothing had happened.

It took you a moment to properly understand what just happened. After blinking for some time and thinking too much, you turned around and came to your home.

"Hi! Where hav-" Fujio, who came to greet you, stopped in the middle of the way and went silent after seeing you on the floor with back against the door and a big smile on your face. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah." You whispered and nodded. "Yeah."

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

Will we never see the day the Harkles get what they deserve rumour tracking anon? I'm losing faith and I'm really tired. They are saved from all those scandals that demand their answer just with this one incident. I cannot anymore

I know, anon. It's really frustrating to see them keep getting away with it, almost as if they're constantly rewarded for bad behavior.

Some things that have helped me (bolding for emphasis to break up the giant chunks of text):

Taking breaks. Just walk away from it. A day, a weekend, a week. There isn't a whole lot happening in the BRF to counteract the Sussex shenanigans so Harry and Meghan are dominating the news There are no tiara or glam events. No tours/foreign visits. No projects being announced. 3 out of 7 senior royals are on medical leave and the ones who are working don't generate the same kind of headlines, attention, or coverage. Take a break from all this - maybe do a deep dive into another royal family or read historical books about the BRF (especially ones that pre-date the modern House of Windsor) or non-text books (like Angela Kelly's books or Chris Jackson's photobooks).

Spend time pursuing a creative hobby. I find that doing something creative helps keep my mind from wandering to the Sussexes and the nothingness coming from the BRF too often. Some of my creative pursuits: baking and cooking new recipes, DIY and craft projects (I love going to Goodwill, thrift stores, and architectural salvage places for home decor and furniture. Also, I'm not saying you need to pledge allegiance to Catherine, The Princess of Wales in every aspect of your life, but I'm also not not saying that Kate's Ring is an excellent accent color for an end table), learning how to make craft cocktails (it was a pandemic thing), and organizing decades and decades of family photos.

What I also find a cathartic is fanfiction writing. I've had dreams of being a writer since I was Princess Charlotte's age but listen. I cannot stick to a plot for the life of me, because I always want to know "what happens next." But let me tell you. It is hugely cathartic to write a fanfiction novel where a Meghan-like evil witch gets everything she deserves and a Harry-like tortured prince is redeemed by the pure love of an ordinary American girl (okay, that one was pre-Oprah before we all learned how truly messed up Harry is) or where a revenge fantasy where a Harry-like spoiled brat loses everything when he treats his saintly Kate-like girlfriend abominably and when he tries to win her back, she's fallen in love with a Henry Cavill-like swashbuckling Real Man or where the Harry-and-Meghan-like entitled spoilt prince and his wife try to overthrow the saintly and universally loved heir but the Queen swiftly, immediately, justly, and properly handles them with eviction, termination, and worldwide embarrassment. You can do everything to your characters and you can make them suffer in a way the real Harry and Meghan may never.

Find trashier, more trainwreckier drama to get stuck in. Bravo, anyone? A new season of Vanderpump Rules has just started, Summer House is about to start, and two of the villains from OG Vanderpump Rules (Jax and Kristen) have a spinoff series that's about to launch.

Changing your perspective. There's a famous leadership quote about problem-solving: How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. In other words, you have to take big things (big problems) one at a time, piece by tiny piece. So yes, the big "elephant" is that the Sussexes look like they have everything - they still have titles, they still have massive million-dollar deals, they've got the Olive Garden, the BRF isn't stopping their PR. But also look at everything they don't have anymore:

They can't use their HRHs.

Their RPOs were taken away.

Their royal charities and patronages were taken away.

Charles isn't paying them as much money, if he's even paying for them.

Everyone is blaming them for hastening Philip's and The Queen's deaths.

They were evicted from Frogmore Cottage.

It took six months for the palace website to add Prince/Princess titles to Archie and Lili but it was instanteous to change George, Charlotte, and Louis to "of Wales."

Charles calls them "Harry and Meghan" or "my other son and his wife."

The family doesn't want to be seen with or around them. Even Eugenie seems to have abandoned ship these days.

William isn't taking Harry's calls.

Lili doesn't have a webpage on the royal website.

Harry's military titles and honors have been revoked. All he has left is the merit-based rank he "earned" as an enlisted soldier. (Which is being generous.)

Their Spotify deal was cancelled early. (Scobie admits this in Endgame.)

No more social media birthday greetings/shout-outs from official royal accounts.

Nothing has come out of Netflix except a whinefest docuseries that no one has taken seriously. Everything they've pitched gets shot down and Meghan isn't getting the talent she wants for her movie.

The only awards they're getting are the ones that they pay for - no Grammys for Spare's audiobook, no Emmys or Golden Globes for their documentaries or the Oprah interview, no Pulitzers or Literary Awards for their books. No Nobel Peace Prize for their recordbreaking humanitarian aid work.

They got the knockoff Kennedys (William got the real ones).

Meghan isn't "in" with A-List Hollywood. The celebrities she's been namedropping haven't had commercial box office hits in at least a decade. She isn't hosting or presenting at award shows.

Meghan isn't getting the lucrative influencer sponsorships and merching she wants, which is why she papwalks in parking lots.

Their foundation is a joke and their philanthropy/giving is increasingly under scrutiny for things that don't make sense.

Their "good deeds" are actually ulterior motives designed for maximum PR and celebrity bandwagons, rather than actually helping underserved communities.

There is actual, open, frequent speculation that their children aren't even real and that has to hurt as a parent.

The British press doesn't take them seriously.

They're a comedy punchline, and not just for satire. The Golden Globes made fun of them. The whole world laughed at them after the "car chase."

Harry's lawsuits aren't going well. He's now trying to relitigate a court finding so he doesn't have to pay his fines.

Elton John isn't flying them anywhere anymore. Oprah and Gayle have cut ties. Ellen DeGeneres seems disinterested. Tyler Perry noped out.

Harry's balding is atrocious. (I mean, really. In the overhead camera angles of The Queen's funeral, his bald spot jumps out at you from a mile away. Not even William's bald head stands out that much.)

They/Archewell bleed staff faster than a flesh wound.

Andrew -- ANDREW! -- still has a royal residence, still has RPOs, still gets papped with members of the royal family, still gets friendly press coverage (on occasion), still gets to wear/use some of his honors (like the RVO at coronation).

Eugenie got to have her own personal social media while Harry and Meghan got a "business" account.

The Sussex wedding was overshadowed by so much drama that still persists to this day (thanks for the Markle v Markle lawsuit, Sam!).

Spare made everyone realize Harry is as bad as Meghan and it's not all on her.

Harry's "Hero Harry"/Queen's Soldier PR persona has been completely and thoroughly shattered. Everyone knows it was just a publicity facade now.

Harry isn't even getting the "William's brother" edit anymore - that's now Mike Tindall.

They were erased from most of the Platinum Jubilee - their only official event was the service of thanksgiving. They didn't even get Trooping - Meghan had to arrange for a pap to take her picture to show us they were at Trooping.

They were erased from the Coronation - Harry got lumped in with the extended family (vs the line of succession, order of precedence, or working royals) and didn't get into any of the official programs, memorabilia, or portraits.

They've been shunned by most of British aristocracy - no invite to the Grosvenor wedding later this year.

No royal christening for Lili, and it's exceedingly more and more likely that the BRF hasn't met her yet.

The British media/press actually shows up and will be the first to defend the BRF against Sussex allegations when it really matters.

There are accusations of stolen valor against Harry because he seems to be supporting American military more than British military.

Harry's African charities, of which he is the figurehead, are in crisis with the discovery of SA and other allegations.

Supposedly Harry's role with BetterUp has been downgraded/demoted.

Invictus Games is going through some serious money issues. There's talk of cutting Harry and Meghan loose because they aren't/can't fundraise, and you know they won't go down swinging.

I'm sure there are more, but my point is that even though it looks like the Sussexes are getting away with things, they really haven't. after all, it's death by a thousand cuts...or eating an elephant piece by tiny piece -- it builds up over time.

Also I just realized that the Kate's Ring paint chip linked up earlier shows it being more of a teal or an inkier blue. It isn't - it's more of a cobalt blue or a royal blue.

[demontime09]

Faded - Chapter 2

Alr posting the second part 😈

____________________________________

Chris never came back. But that's normal now, I guess. I've curled myself into my bed, my reading glasses on, carefully turning pages so as not to rip it.

"Wha' youu readin?" I don't even look up as I immediately recognize the voice.

"Old yeller." I reply softly. I finally look up to see him teetering on my window sill.

"Can I uh-" He stumbles and holds himself up on the wall. "Comeee in?" He finishes.

"Aren't you already?" I reply, placing my book back on the nightstand. He stumbles over and falls on top of me. His gaze lingers on my chest before looking at me. His eyes desperately try to focus to no avail. "Mm, you're so purtty," He mumbles before yawning and beginning to snore on me. I run my fingers through his hair before turning off my lamp. This has become our nightly routine, and who am I to break it? If Chris enjoys it, I do, too.

11:35am

I wake to no Chris. No warm embrace, no pillow talk, no making coffee for each other. But again, that's how it is.

I walk downstairs to see him reaching into his pockets and desperately searching for something. He's dressed, his wife beater and jeans hugging him perfectly. Sometimes I wish i could take off his clothes in a sexy manner but its almost always to wash vomit stains out.

Instead of it smelling of sex, it smells like weed and booze. Instead of moans and happily praising eachother, it's him mumbling profanitys at me or passing out on me. Like last night. I'm glad it wasn't the latter.

He turns suddenly and notices me. He finches slightly. "Oh, hey. Thanks for letting me crash here last night, ma, " He says awkwardly. "Of course, anytime." I smile a tiny bit, which seems to affect him in some way, and he immediately looks away and rambles about losing his keys. I nod toward the bedroom and tell him they're on my floor. And by the time I'm in and out of the bathroom, Chris is nowhere to be found.

_______

I guess I should give you some background. I met Chris at a highschool party in 12th grade. Before he had any of his issues, back when he only dabbled in weed and only drank at parties. I thought he was cute, funny. The type of guy I'd see myself being with. He ended up driving me home, kissing me goodnight, and that was that. I was hooked. I knew I needed this man.

I spent the next couple months trying to get close to him. I'd invite him over, ask him out, and he would most of the time. By month 3 he was canceling dates, but would always somehow make it up to me. By month 6 he was high 24/7, making excuses, and starting to sell bud. Before I knew it, a whole year of knowing Chris had passed. And the chris i met at that party, the chris who bought me flowers at graduation, the chris who told me he'd wait for me when I wasn't ready, the Chris who used to blast rap music in my house without my input. It was always him choosing the music, but I never minded. All of those things, all of that chris, was pretty much gone. Now I only ever get affection if Chris is drunk enough.

I know this sounds like I'm just throwing a pity party for myself, but I really don't mind it. I've always been on the passive side, things don't bother me too bad. That's why me and Chris work so well. He wants to get high and drunk, that's his business. And I'll always be here for him. And even though everyone tells me to leave him, I can't bring myself to. Who will be here to take care of him? To hold his hair back when he's sick? to get him water and advil for his hangovers? This has become somewhat of a purpose for me and I'll never give it up, I don't care what my friends say.

I snap out of my daydream and start getting ready for work.

(Time skip, I am not writing abt her working who gives a flying fuck)

After hours of work all I really want is a joint. And I know I know, but I used to dabble in weed too, and I developed quite the liking to it. Ever since I saw chris and his problems, I got scared off from it. But if he gets to get faded every single day, why should I not get to have a bit of fun?

Only problem is, I don't have any weed, it's super late, and I'm itching for the sweet sweet smell of bud. I have one choice.

I call chris, and thankfully, he doesn't sound drunk. "Hey ma, what's up?" "Can you come over, please?" I hear him hesitate and sigh. "I dont-" "I wanna get high." I blurt. "Oh. Uh, um yeah, gimme 15 minutes." He hangs up.

I'm about 20 minutes I'm sitting on my bed with Chris, his wife beater has gotten a little dirty and his jeans are scuffed up.

He clears his throat and fixes his hat.

"Why don't you change chris?" "Wha- I don't have any clothes here. "Yes, you do. In that drawer, I had you bring some over a couple of weeks ago." "Oh I um, forgot." Chris always,"forgets." I think it's cute.

He changes into some pajama pants and white shirt. Classic chris.

I look closer at his eyes, they're red, he doesn't seem to be drunk at all, just high.

"Would you like some eye drops?" I ask camly. "Fuck ma, are we gonna smoke this or not!" He snaps. I immediately flinch away a bit. "Fuck, I'm sorry Char, I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Chris." I smile softly. "Really, it's okay, you're right, let's do it." He looks away, "You sure you don't mind it in your room? I can blow it out the window." His voice is low and calm. "It's fine." I don't wanna inconvenience Chris, he's come all this way to smoke with me, I don't wanna ruin it.

He lights it, the smoke slowly drifting up to my ceiling. His hit is huge, and he holds it in, zeroes it, with not even a flinch. I am in awe. Chris hands it's to me. I look at it nervously. "Hey ma, don't worry." His eyes shift slowly towards me. "You've got it. You've done it before."

I take a deep breath and take a hit, hold it in, and cough it out. My chest burns And my throat is raw. God I've missed this.

As I'm coughing and covering my face from embarrassment, Chris reaches out for my hands and holds them gently in his. He focuses right into my eyes. "You did so good mama's, hey, hey look at me." I haven't seen chris like this in a very long time. Its just like the old chris, the one who kissed my lips softly before typing his number into my phone and driving away in his little rinky dink Honda. God I've missed this.

He blows more smoke up into my ceiling.

"I'm sorry, ma." He looks in my vague direction. "Hm, for what?" I saw reaching for the joint. He rubs his eyes and clenches his jaw. "I'm just not myself anymore, am I?" I sit with that statement for a while before I exhale and cough a bit more, he reaches for me almost like it's a reflex, only for him to retreat his hands back to his sides. "I like you how you are, Chris." He flicks the joint over my ashtray and puts his head back, his adams apple bobbing as he thinks. "I'm glad, char." Is all he says. It's a miracle he's even over here at this time of day. Usually, he's off with his buddies doing God knows what, so I don't push it.

After 4 more hits, I'm really feeling it. I'm closer to chris, laying on my bed. He's right here, finally. God, he's warm. My vision blurs and focuses on his features. "Ma.." he trails off when I touch his jaw. He holds my hand away, his breath quick, "I gotta.." I don't hear the rest of what he says. I hear the creaking of my bed, and feet hit the floor. "This was fun ma, I'll see you." He reaches for the door handle, hesitates. "Fuck.." He cusses under his breath. I hear his footsteps again and feel his breath on my face. He kisses me quickly, turns on his heel, and with one door slam he's gone.

Authors note

Goodbye. How can I ruin chars life any further bro 😭 this poor girl

[nightcrawlerzincorporated]

I'm curious about what your opinion on dtamhd is?

I talked about it a bit when the episode first came out, but I'll summarize my thoughts for the new folk. This is all just my personal opinion/interpretation, feel free to disagree, etc etc

I really like DTAMHD! Dennis is my favorite boy and I enjoy being with him for 20 minutes and watching him bop around trying to keep his cool and be kind to people while he slowly loses his mind. I fuck very heavily with the idea that Dennis actually does try to be calm and kind most of the time, he just gets overwhelmed by his own emotions and lashes out because he has no healthy outlit or healthy coping mechanisms. And he refuses to accept help from others because he doesn't trust anyone but himself with his mind and body because growing up every adult in his life that we know of abused him in some way. So when he has a problem, like high blood pressure, he keeps it all inside and tries to deal with it himself, which just makes him more stressed and miserable. I really like all the little things in his fantasy that actually do highlight parts is his real life, like him having to be on Frank's family plan, forever tied to him and relying on him even as an adult, or him crying "nightmare nightmare please somebody help me". We love to see a man suffer on this blog. But that's the aspect of the episode people usually don't have a problem with. Let's get more controversial

My interpretation of the ending is that Dennis did not actually lower his own blood pressure, he's just so stuck in this fantasy version of his life where he has control and where things can't hurt him that he blocks out the negative information and replaces it with positive. I don't see it as a "win" for Dennis because I don't think he succeeded at all in actually changing anything. I think the fact that the gang's phone call at the end is the exact same one that's explicitly a fantasy is supposed to clue us in that this is fake too, the difference is Dennis isn't aware that it's still a fantasy because he's so wrapped up in his own idea of himself as someone who CAN lower his own blood pressure and someone who the gang needs and relies on. So he has these purposeful fantasies to help him cope, but those fantasies still bleed in to real life and color his perception of himself and the world even though he thinks to himself that he's in control of the fantasy. But much like how he can't actually control his physical health, he can't control his mental health either, and this constant fantasizing that he can do all these things has led him to see a distorted version of reality where he doesn't have to change or grow or learn. Which is kind of the core of the whole show if you think about it. I do agree completely with the criticism that Dennis actually having the ability to lower his own blood pressure is stupid, so I get hating the end if you see it as him returning to reality and being successful in his endeavors, but that's not how I see it, so it's not an issue for me.

I can also understand why people could see the heart eating scene as a serial killer Dennis thing and dislike it because of that, but that's not how I saw it at all. It's really goofy and cartoony and obviously not real when he rips the guy's heart out and eats it; it's not about killing someone (the guy doesn't even look hurt at all, he just stands there watching Dennis—I think a real murder fantasy would focus on the pain and dying but it’s not about that, it’s about defeating a metaphorical evil, not a literal man) it's about oversimplifying the world. There’s so many fun different ways you can interpret the CEO, like that he represents Dennis’ relationship with himself or with the world or with his parents, etc. I think if you detach yourself from the literal image and look at things in a more abstract, metaphorical way it makes the scene and the episode as a whole more enjoyable—but I understand that’s not something everyone is interested in doing.

That’s why it doesn’t just feel like a retelling of Glenn’s real life experience to me—I think there’s a lot of Dennis-specific ideas and systems (lol) throughout the episode that give it more symbolism and weight and makes it into a good (imo) narrative.

And I get why, if you’re the type of person who feels a Sunny season should end with a story about the entire gang, or about the gang helping one of them do something big, or something similar, DTAMHD would be disappointing, but I personally have no expectations for what a Sunny finale “should” be, so I wasn’t bothered by the fact that Dennis never opened up to anyone or had any real growth. I was just along for the ride.

I really enjoy the fact that the episode has a lot you can read into and a lot that’s open to interpretation, but that’s also the exact reason different people came away with such different views of the episode. I love when Sunny takes risks and makes unique episodes like this. And I like watching Glenn Howerton smear blood all over his mouth

[starleska]

No spoilers but are you going to see Across the Spider-Verse? I predict The Spot as totally prime FO material

I'M CRYING I LITERALLY JUST GOT BACK FROM SEEING ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE AND YOU GOT ME!!!!! I ADORE HIM SO MUCH 🙈🙈🙈💖💖💖 SPOILERS BELOW THE CUT!!!!!

look at him, he's perfect!!! he's cringefail, he's a malewife, he wields impossible amounts of power, he's an egotistical scientist AND he literally kicked his own ass...i'm genuinely in love 🥴💖 is there anything more thrilling than seeing a jokey 'villain of the week' transformed into a chilling existential threat to the multiverse?? his build-up was executed so perfectly...you really sympathise with the horror of The Spot's plight, how he's been maligned and ostracised from everything he knew and everyone he loved...how he doesn't even have a face anymore. a complete erasure of identity coupled with the ability to warp reality...such a glorious set-up for a character to completely lose his fucking mind. babygirl deserves it ⚫ confession: i was already eyeing The Spot before going in as i'm always intrigued by any villain, especially if they're a fun, niche, gimmicky sort. plus he's played by Jason Schwartzman, who most know for playing Gideon Graves in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (a very early crush 😳)...i knew he was going to deliver a killer performance even if he didn't end up OP, and hoo boy, i don't think any of us were disappointed 🙈 i just loved how right from the start, even though he's embarrassing and uncoordinated, you can tell he has an ego and a thirst to be better than others around him. the way his desperation builds and his focus on Spider-Man as the reason for all of his problems is delicious. ohh, i love how insane he is. i love how crazy his powers are (and all the potential that comes with them 😉). i love how awful he is too. 100000/10 🔥🔥🔥 listen, the whole movie was absolutely astonishing from start to finish and jam-packed with amazingly designed characters, jaw-dropping moments and i don't even need to say a word about the animation, holy shit. but the one thing i walked away thinking was 'oh my god i need more of The Spot right now';;;; with the amount of fanart pouring in it seems many people are in agreement - i can't wait to see what folks come up with while we wait for the next instalment :3c if anyone is being cheeky and looking at spoilers without having seen the movie, seeing if they should, my God please do it!!!!!! 💖💖💖 oh one last thing - my mind is all scrambled because of how amazing the movie is and how much was packed into the 2 hour+ timeframe, but. there's a moment where The Spot gives this evil little chuckle. and i swear i got goosebumps 🙈🙈🙈 can't wait for the movie to leak in high quality to make edits with this hole-filled little freak;;;;

what do you guys think of The Spot? 👀

[autisticwriterblog]

Welcome to: gender thoughts and worrying with Riley

Putting this under a cut because it's all about gender dysphoria, my thoughts about potentially starting HRT, transphobia and misgendering, and also some pretty TMI details.

Okay, so I've been comfortable describing myself as a transmasc person, or a NB trans man. Something very man-adjacent. And I'm happy with he/they pronouns (although I wish my family would use he/him more often - but that sounds ungrateful because I'm so glad they all got used to they/them, even my grandparents). Basically, I'm comfortable in my gender. But I sometimes wonder if I want my body to be different.

Top surgery was, without exaggeration, one of the best things that ever happened to me. I'm so much happier in myself, I can actually look at myself shirtless now, and I love touching my scars and seeing my flat chest under my shirts. I love everything about it.

But it sometimes doesn't feel like enough. I worry that everyone still views me as a girl who just cut her tits off. I met my aunt's boyfriend and within five minutes, he was talking to my aunt and said, "I was just asking Riley what sort of video games she likes." And I was sitting there in my clothes from the men's department and my buzz cut hair and my pretty androgynous appearance (I've naturally got a deeper voice for someone AFAB, I'm not that short and I have big feet, and I have a bit of very dark facial hair on my upper lip that the women in my family all pluck or bleach because they're self conscious about it, but I like it) and as I said above, my flat fucking chest under my POTF T-shirt. And yet he she/her'd me and it infuriated me. I clearly can't pass well enough to fool even someone who never met me before I came out.

(Side note: I really don't like the guy. He's a conspiracy theorist weirdo and he misgendered my aunt's god-son (not actually their relationship but it's easier to explain this way) multiple times and it was so fucking awkward. He kept asking about this couple's 'daughter' and I said "X and Y don't have a daughter" and he still kept doing it. Fucking prick.)

Anyway, this whole thing got me thinking about T again. I've always said I don't want it because you can't pick and choose what it'll give you. And for example, whilst I'd love my voice to be deeper and facial hair sounds pretty rad, I'm really not sure about the going through puberty all over again thing and there's a chance I'd lose my hair and I don't want that, and I'm 50/50 on if bottom growth would be an improvement or not. So, yeah, I always ruled it out.

But... I want to pass. I want to be read androgynous or masc, not just a butch woman. And I really think some parts of T would help. And who knows? Maybe I would like bottom growth? Who fucking knows. I'm already dysphoric about my genitals, so even though I mentioned worrying about that above, I'm not sure bottom growth could make things worse for me down there. I'm also a bit concerned about libido increase, but it's actually already been up recently since I got my first crush and I'm learning to deal with it. Plus, I did experience some of that during puberty and I survived.

Oh, and the hysterectomy thing is very likely to fall through because my doctor is fatphobic, so I'm kinda fucked about my painful periods for ages. But for a lot of people, T weakens or even stops their periods. And I keep thinking about how if that happened to me, it'd possibly solve my period dysphoria problem without having to pay £8000 for private surgery (because the NHS would never do it), assuming that my doctor would even do it even though he said he didn't have a fucking weight limit when I fucking paid £200 for a consultation. But I'm getting off topic.

Plus, I'm an impulsive person who changes his mind really easily, so my anxiety is being bitch and making me think "what if I regret it?!" even though that almost never happens and it's a fucking TERF talking point in my country. I don't even know what I'm trying to say anymore.

But the biggest part is... I live with my parents and I need help with a lot of things bc autism (I can't drive or go anywhere on my own and I need help with phone calls and all sorts of shit that mean I'm never going to be independent), so if they had a problem with me taking T for whatever reason, I'd be fucked. They've always been supportive and say that they'll help me with whatever as long as it makes me happy... but what if me taking hormones would be a step too far for them? My dad still hasn't seen me shirtless and I worry it's because he still thinks I'm a girl. So he might freak out. Or maybe my mum would and that would hurt even more because she's the person I love most in the world and I wouldn't want her to hate me.

I just get scared of everything. And I want to be happy and I wonder sometimes if hormones would help. Or if even bringing up the topic with my family would make everything fall apart.

[ashwhowrites]

Angst- no happy ending

A song blurb based on "You don't go to parties" by 5 seconds of summer

Not proofread

It's 5:00 a.m. clinging to my couch

And everyone I ever knew is standing in my house

Oh, I wonder who I'm looking for

'Cause you don't go to parties anymore

Eddie swallowed down his fifth drink of the night. The room was close to spinning and his eyes couldn't focus on a single thing. Well, they could focus if the one person he craved was here. Brown eyes bouncing around every corner of his big new house. He looked at his watch and sighed, 5 am and here he was lonely on his couch. A house filled with every single person he knew, except the one that mattered most.

He knew there was a tiny chance she'd actually show up. She went to every party she could find. That's how Eddie met her. She was alive and wild. Dancing on tables as she screamed every song at the top of her lungs. She was drunk, a huge mess, singing off key, laughing as her friends tried to get her off the table. But she didn't care. She looked so carefree. Her hair was everywhere, sweat clinging to her skin, and her hips never stopped moving. Many people ignored her, but Eddie swore he's never seen someone so beautiful.

Eddie Munson never went to parties, and the one time he did, he fell in love.

I'm still here in the darkness

Back where we started

You make me a heartless monster

I'm caught up in distractions

Fatal attractions

I'm starting to come undone

If Eddie would have known that following his dreams of becoming a rock star would lead her to walk out, he would have fought harder for her.

He came to the same realization every weekend. Sitting on his couch, drink in hand. A party alive all around him, but he never felt so dead inside. He was scared to admit that he'd never feel alive again. There was no heartbeat in his chest, no air in his lungs and no blood running in his veins. A shell of a broken hearted man on his couch.

The second he tastes a drop of alcohol, he's back in the darkness. Surrounded by the hauntings of her. The way she danced, how she smelled, how she tasted, and how she loved him. But also how she fought, how she'd scream, cry, and punch. Eddie was nowhere near an angel himself, but she made the devil look weak.

She wasn't ever afraid to say what she wanted. And she had no problem throwing Eddie right back in his place when he stepped out of line.

She left, it was plain and simple. He had the chance to prove himself, he never did. He had the chance to kiss her one last time, he never did. Instead he picked up another bottle and drank away her tears. Swallowing the burn of the alcohol, and the burn of her bags being packed. His body on fire from the alcohol in his veins, and the fire in her eyes as she slammed the door.

She allowed herself to be weak with him one time, the one time she'd ever beg a man to love her the way she needed. Eddie Munson just wasn't that man. He was a man for the road, the alcohol and the groupies. She was weak, and he showed her how weak she truly was.

Eddie's mind could never focus on one thing. He'd try to write songs, but there were too many distractions. He moved houses, needed her ghost to be packed away with the past. But somehow the box with her ghost made it into the moving van. And made its own home in his head. He couldn't escape her. He was desperate now, he needed her. He needed to see any sight of her, even if she screamed how much she hated him the whole time. He was becoming more and more undone. Unraveling non-stop.

I got the last five years running out my mouth

Always stay too late, I should kick me out

Oh, I wonder who I'm looking for

'Cause you don't go to parties anymore

How long until he feels like himself again? Will he ever feel the same again? Will he ever feel better? Or just always worse?

Five years of chasing after her, loving her, and losing her was too much. It doesn't matter what time the last guest left, he was still stuck in that same party all over again. He always stayed too late, he needed to be kicked out. But no one knew he was stuck. Dancing and drinking all around him. No idea he was absent in the "best" years of his life. The best years have already happened, and now he's stuck in the consequences of not being good enough.

He wished she'd come stumbling out of the nearest bathroom. A whine on her lips, begging Eddie to take her home.

"babbbbyyy we need to go home"

Eddie would always laugh and walk her out to the car. Admiring how beautiful she looked as she drew on the windows. Drunk giggles leaving her mouth as he drove them home.

Now, he never gets to leave the parties. He's stuck watching them last all night long. A reminder he didn't have anyone to leave the party for, or with.

He can't help it, but he'll still look around every party for her.

Lost my limit 'cause I'm dumb and I'm passionate

Took my foot off of the break, it's not an accident

Eddie went too far and he lost her.

He was in love and way too passionate. She never seemed to love him enough. He was missing something with her. He tried to find it in her, but he never could.

One night he decided to let it go. He took his foot off the break and let them crash. And fuck, they crashed and burned. Every doubt and insecurity hit the surface. She believed she loved him way more than he could ever love her. And he believed she couldn't ever love him enough.

He fell in love with her at a party

And he fell into a dark place with her at a party

Their relationship left dead on a random road, after a party

Oh, I wonder who I'm looking for

'Cause you don't go to parties anymore

Tags!

@bmunson86 @mxcheese @ladymunson @michaelfuckinglangdon @z0mbie-blah @biittersweet @mirrorsstuff @slightlyvicked @micheledawn1975 @ago-godance @magnificantmermaid @tlclick73 @hargrovesswifee @cityofidek @manyfandomsfanvergent @silky-luxe @lokiofasgard616 @loving-and-dreaming @eddiemunsonsbitch69 @thegemaqua @ashlynnkennedy @strangerthingsstories5255 @harringt8ns @pleasinghellfire

[itstaisstuff]

you are SO right about traffic!tango from the things i've heard u say so far. PLEASE talk more about him (only if u want ofc) i would love to hear it

Ah yes, traffic Tango! My little traumatized babygirl! I honestly don't know where to start here. Oh my.

Third life? Let's check. Uh huh. Doesn't trust anyone and plays on all sides of the game? Creates his own game as something that can be remembered for killing people because he can't do that? Actually joins the side of people who killed him because of a silly rule break no one really cared about? Yeah that's a lot going on. Yet he managed to get pretty far. The one thing that actually makes me lose my mind over him is that fact that he didn't run away once it came to the finals. He could have became a coward and run away from the battlefield, yet he saw his best friend dying and decided there's nothing left to lose. Maybe he didn't pay enough attention to notice Impulse had one more life, maybe it wasn't even the case, I'm not the one to tell. But the fact that he tried to revenge Impulse says a lot, actually.

Last life(my favorite one and actually the reason why I liked Tango at first place) is the most fucked up for him. Sticking to another best buddy of your since the start just to completely leave him behind once he turns red? People say Ranchers had so much angst, but Tango and Skizz duo? You guys don't give them enough attention. Building a nice base and calling it home just to abandon it and move in with some freaks you messed with in the first episode sounds... Cool, yeah... The problem is: team BEST was too good from the start. Making presents for each other, being the heroes of the server, just messing around and living their best lifes. They all felt like family. Maybe that's why it hurt so much when Bdubs turned red and tried to kill him in the nether.(yes canonically Tango skipped next session because he was hiding from Bdubs because I said so) and of course Tango wanted to bring him back. But here comes the main problem with him this season: "I'm never a boogie man, I'm just a life dispenser!"©Tango, session 5. No matter how hard he tried to do anything, he was only know for giving away lifes. Even "You bet your life" is a game about Tango giving lifes. He was just a tool this whole season. He knew about it, and he knew he couldn't do anything about it. Once again, he had a chance to avoid his final death, yet, he didn't. Because it didn't matter anymore.

Double life. "That's why we can't have nice things!" Is basically about it. It was probably the worst season for Tango in terms of surviving: he didn't have any stuff, no big plans, no huge alliance problems and basically noone saw his as a threat AT ALL. Of cours, he was still a madman. Trying to bring out a warden to make Scar pay for burning down the only place through all the seasons he could actually call home. Didn't turn out the way he wanted at all, but hey, at least he brought some fun in the overworld. Still no result, everyone wasn't really scared of him bringing out another one. But he was finally happy. He finally had someone on his side who cared and would never betray him. He was finally loved. Jimmy is one of the most loyal players, and finally he gets his perfect pair. Well... He is also cursed. And Tango is cursed with him. They even die on the different sides of the map, without telling each other goodbye. Universe does want Tango to be happy, hmm?

Limited life. If you think about it... It was the best season out of all. No betrayals, actually being the last green, getting two boogie men in a row, finally getting his revenge, just doing great in general. So what was wrong here? It was going too good. He just... Doesn't learn on his past mistakes. Remember how in last life session 5 Tango *checks notes* canonically... Sniffed the Boogie man curse on Bdubs and Etho? My man's got a great intuition. Yet he never trusts it. Which brings another issue: he doesn't trust himself. Even if he knows he's right, he just plays along, no matter what. Because he can't do anything. He doesn't care. So when Martyn offers to team up, Tango feels something is wrong. But he doesn't try to stop anyone from agreeing to that deal. The good thing about team TIES for Tango is that he can may trust his teammates enough to care about them, always be on their side. But he doesn't trust enough to be sure they won't kill him. Even when Skizz, one of his best friends and the most pathetic wet cat on the server turns redTango accidentally ruins his silly spying moment- notice how he puts a shield up? He apologies like crazy, even though it was a joke. He was scared. Or when Impulse reveals he's a boogie man? Tango trusts his alliance, but it doesn't mean he isn't scared of them killing him. Like it happen a few seasons ago. Why? Once again: he's just a life dispenser. He gives his time to Skizz to get the team back together. Doesn't it seem familiar? He doesn't change at all: once again, he died fighting Scar, who didn't really... Fight back. He could run for his life, like he usually does, he just... Didn't.

So let's put it all together: Traffic Tango is a paranoid life dispenser who doesn't trust anyone fully(including himself) who just wants to have fun, but he's so tired of being in constant fear of death so he doesn't listen to his intuition, which always says the right things to him and is basically the reason for most of his deaths because of that, and he knows that nothing good lasts for long. In other words: someone get him to a fucking therapy.

[chaotic-history]

History questions 1, 6, and 9 👀

Thanks for the ask!!

I'm sure no one will be surprised to hear that it's Voltaire lol. Love that weird little guy

6- Military unit?

If we're talking type of unit, cavalry. If we're talking more specifically, is the Band of Thebes too basic of answer? I know basically nothing about military history lol.

9- Favourite historical film?

I'm torn between 1776 and Mein Name Ist Bach. 1776 is *better* imo, but... Mein Name Ist Bach deserves to be a cult classic. That movie fucked me up because ough Fritz saying he felt trapped and isolated by his father and then Amalia saying Fritz was taking away everyone she loved from her... And then the weird gay-adjacent scene with Fritz and Bach's son in the stables? Maupertuis' fluorescent dog poo? The whole thing ending with V looking like THAT while it's pouring rain on the shitty Prussian roads and the parallel between him and Bach?? We need more history movies that are just an hour and a half of mental illness dialed to 100; I want to see this same movie about like Caesar or Alexander or someone, screw the military stuff, I want sad wet mental illness, artsy gay drama, and interpersonal problems.

Two vaguely relevant Voltaire quotes, aka I just really like them especially the second one:

"A canal that connects two seas, a picture by Poussin, a beautiful tragedy, a discovered truth, are things a thousand times more precious than all the annals of the court, all the narratives of war. You know that with me great men rank first, 'heroes' last. I call great men all those who have excelled in the useful and agreeable. The ravagers of provinces are mere heroes" - Letter to Thieriot, 15 July 1735

"Great king, I love heroes very much when their mind gives them over to sweet pastimes, to kind words; for then they are at rest and they don't harm anyone. I love Caesar, that brilliant man Caesar, whose fortunate hand, destined to win all the laurels, makes Rome great and ordains for it another sky and another year. I love Caesar in the arms of the mistress who yields to him. I laugh and am not perturbed to see him, young and attractive, above and under Nicomedes. I admire him more than Cato, for he is tender and magnanimous, eloquent like Cicero, and sometimes cheerful, sometimes sublime, like a king whose name I will not say. But I lose a little of my esteem for him when he crosses the Rubicon, and I cry when this great man, good poet and good orator, having fought so hard for Rome, fights Rome to the point of its misfortune." - Letter to Frederick, June 1743 (originally was a poem but I hate translating poems)

[ben-talks-art]

Super-Heroes, Relationships, and Catfishing

In the latest episode of "My Adventures With Super-Man", the story took a rather interesting direction on how they approached the relationship between Clark and Lois.

This choice caused some people (and by that I mean Twitter) to feel like the same thing that happened with the character of Amber from Invincible was sorta happening again, although to a not-as-bad degree.

I was a little surprised to be honest because I felt this was handled worse in Superman than it was handled in Invincible. So I took some time to ponder about both situations, trying to consider everyone's perspective, and reorganize my opinion on the topic and how I feel about each case.

I also felt this could be interesting to talk about so, let me share my thought process...

(spoilers for both shows)

First of all, let's talk about secrets and relationships by using a certain Japanese animated movie as an example, "Wolf Children."

For those who don't know, this movie is a story about a woman who develops a romantic relationship with a guy that can turn into a wolf. He keeps it a secret at first but eventually reveals to her his secret and she accepts him for what he is.

As time passes, the woman eventually gives birth to two kids who inherited their father's wolf powers and thus also can turn into wolves depending on their emotions.

Only problems is, the father who knows all about how wolf people work ends up dying trying to catch a bird for his kids to eat (which should be sad but it's such a silly way of dying that I couldn't help but laugh when I first saw it), leaving the mother alone with no idea on how to raise children that are half-human and half-wolf.

The entire movie is just watching this poor lady trying to handle a situation that she clearly is not prepared for. The husband told her next to nothing about how wolf people work or how to take care of them, and she has no idea on where to find other wolf people to ask for help, making this whole thing into a guessing game of what's right and what's wrong.

The reason I bring this up is because I feel it's important to note how extremely selfish it is for the father to get involved with a partner and start a family with her without ever preparing her for what kind of life he would be throwing her into.

He never considered what it would be like for her if he ended up dying, and not only that, his soul appears in her dreams after he passes away to basically go "You better not quit on them! I'm guilt-tripping you, lol!"

Of course everything turns out okay in the end, but still, this movie is a great example of what's like being in a relationship and having to learn how to deal with aspects of someone's life you completely were not prepared for.

It shows the weight of accepting someone into your life and what this really means.

When there are aspects about your life that greatly affects the people you're interested in, it's your job to let them know about it if you plan to start a relationship with them so they can be prepared or so they can know if they want to be with you or not.

I think this is important to keep in mind when thinking about relationships with Super-Heroes, because the way I see it, a hero who keeps a secret identity and develops a romance with a civilian is not very far from an act of catfishing.

A superhero is someone who could die at any moment and leaving their partner alone, someone who has several enemies who would love to use their loved ones as a way to hurt them, and is someone who constantly has to take time out of their schedule to help out those in need.

Dating a superhero, or a person who happens to be a very big figure with a very significant career, is not an easy job, and it's not for everyone.

When you don't let the person you're dating know that you're bringing a lot of baggage into the relationship that they will need to deal with, you lose all the moral ground.

It's not that you have baggage, it's that you didn't prepare them for that baggage.

And again, that's not that different from someone committing catfishing on the internet.

You're pretending to be something you're not to lure someone into a relationship with you by omitting all the facts about you that might affect their judgment, all the struggles they might face, the changes that they will have to adjust to, the people that they might no longer be able to interact with.

You're cornering someone, and you're not letting them know about it.

Now… With all that said, how do I feel about the way Invincible and Superman tackled this theme?

In Invincible (the show not the comic), Amber broke up with Mark because she found out who he was and kept waiting for him to tell her the truth, but he never did and he wasn't planning on doing it until he felt he was about to lose her.

Except by the time he finally did tell her, Amber had already lost faith in Mark because, as Eve put it, she felt like he was just "stringing her along for five months."

A lot of people don't like this scene and Amber as a character because it felt like she was blaming Mark for being a hero and disregarding all the good he was doing and all he was sacrificing in order to help out people while not being understanding of the hard position he's in.

I'm honestly kinda mixed on this...

On one hand, if she knew what he was going through, why didn't she make the first move and cleared everything so they could try actually working through this together? You know, trying to make the life of the guy who's constantly having his head smacked against the pavement a little easier?

On the other hand... The fact that Mark has a noble and important job does not absolve him of the fact he was promising her a relationship without letting her know what she was in for.

Yeah, she found out, but what if she hadn't? Mark would have dropped new information into her lap that would completely change everything about their future together.

If this was like, after a week into dating, then sure, he's right in not knowing if he should tell her or not, but five freaking months? I feel like by that time he should already be sure if he really wants to stay with her or not and if she could handle the truth or not.

It's a delicate situation but... I feel like I'm siding with Amber in this one. I feel like Mark should have been honest much earlier or have broken up with her himself if he wasn't ready to let her know what kind of life she would have to deal with, and I feel it's fair for Amber to feel like she was being treated like an idiot for not being told what kind of relationship she would need to prepare for.

It's not even that it would be a hard to adjust relationship for her to accept, it's the fact he kept acting like he could control everything when he clearly couldn't. He wasn't acting like they were partners in a relationship, he was acting like she was just a thing he needed to handle so she would be happy... which, honestly? Feels like a very common relationship problem.

Someone trying to be the one handling everything without letting your partner help you out in it so you two can deal with it together because you don't trust their ability to accept you or don't think they have anything to contribute.

Mind you... I feel like the scene was a little too rushed and the big problems to address weren't made very clear, which end up making Amber look like a kid that's mad their best friend didn't share a secret with them.

I like the idea and the message, but I don't think they executed in the best way they could.

And now finally, the Lois and Clark scene from episode 5.

In this episode, Lois snaps at Clark for hiding about being Superman after spending a whole episode trying to get him to confess to her the truth, resulting in her trying to catch him with his guard down and eventually resulting in her throwing herself off a building so he could fly and save her.

The two end up fighting, Lois because she feels betrayed and Clark because she's not seeing where he's coming from and ending on a sort of "We're no longer friends!" moment.

From what I saw, people seem more forgiving of this scene than the one from Invincible.

My take on it is... I actually think Lois is 100% in the wrong in this situation, and I much prefer how it was handled in Invincible.

Keeping in mind, Clark and Lois have flirted multiple times throughout the series so far, but they are not in a relationship.

Clark doesn't owe Lois a thing. If anything, Lois owes Clark a lot for all the times she herself tricked him, used him, and had her life saved by him. Not to mention, Clark has said to her that he himself is still figuring out things, so even if he wanted to tell her, what would he even have to tell?

This isn't a "How could you not tell me you were this kind of person when you asked me out?" situation, this is just a person who doesn't feel comfortable talking about his secret not talking about his secret, a very harmless secret that does not affect her whatsoever.

The most you can say is that he kept her running around on a wild goose chase after Superman even though Superman was right there the whole time... Except he didn't? Cause we see multiple times Clark as Clark going to Lois "Maybe you should stop obsessing over Superman?" But she simply refused to listen to him.

So, unless I'm missing another point of view that I didn't consider yet (which could always happen, I'm always ready to be proven wrong and take in a new perspective), I feel like Lois has no leg to stand on, and I feel like the Lois scene is honestly much worse than the Amber scene.

Now... Does this mean I hate Lois? Of course not, because the story isn't over yet. All it means is that I'm gonna be very skeptical towards her character depending on how they handle her moving forward.

I love good redemption arcs. I love stories about characters making a mistake, realizing it, and then learning from it and thus teaching the viewer a valuable lesson they might need to learn too.

If they are to use this as some sort of setup to explore why someone would be so unhealthily obsessed with the truth to the point where they would ignore their own friend's feelings I would be interested in seeing it.

If they were to use it to teach some lesson about the importance of respecting boundaries and not being so demanding of facts 24/7 and so entitled towards crucial information always being in your lap with no effort (which is a lesson the internet desperately needs to learn), I would be down for it.

They could use it to teach a lesson about how sometimes you just don't need to know everything.

I don't know, I'm hopeful.

Maybe they make good use of this direction the story took, maybe they don't. We'll have to wait and see.

Like I said above, I do think there's a time and place to share certain things with certain people. I don't think this was the time and place or the thing to share, but I still wanna see where they go with it before making my call.

Fingers crossed!