#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

[ithinkabouttzu]

Can you please do band of brothers react to you being a dallas cowboys cheerleader? I've been watching the netfilx show and I'm so invested lol. LOVE YOUR ACCOUNT BTW🩷

Easy co. reacting to their s/o being a Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader!

a/n: thank you for your request! i’m sorry this took so long, hope you enjoy!

genre: romance; a little comedy

warnings: a little suggestion, kinda dirty on ron’s part; fem! reader

description: The men of easy, reaction to you (their s/o) being a DCC!

Taglist: @executethyself35 @linhkhanhcps @1waveshortofashipwreck @grumpy-liebgott @barbeygirl @samwinchesterslostshoe @ronsenthal @sweetxvanixlla @mstiemountainhop @imaginethatneathuh @goodluckbabeheffron @resting-distressed-face @bossboudicca (If you want to be on this list, let me know!! :))

BoB masterlist

Dick Winters: Oh wow, this guy is usually pretty good about keeping himself composed in overwhelming situations, but it’s almost impossible for him to keep his chill when he sees you in that costume for the first time, he’s at a total loss of words. He thinks you look amazing. His face gets so red, it’s adorable. He would be at every one of the games cheering you on, being the most supportive husband ever. He would pack your lunch and make sure you’re ready for every practice/game.

Lewis Nixon: This man is just WAITING for you to ask him to be your personal assistant. If the moment ever presents itself, he's definitely telling everyone that you're a cheerleader for the Cowboys. I feel like he’d be the type to take a tonnnn of pics of you every single game (he’s giving soccer mom vibes.) I feel like he’d also be one of those husbands who collect a lot of your merch?? He’s also very obnoxiously cheering you on every single game lmao.

Carwood Lipton: This guy is the best support system EVER!!! He’s at every game, watching you attentively, cheering you on. And at the end of each game, he’s waiting for you and congratulating you on how well you did. He thinks he is the luckiest man in the world, he honestly doesn’t know how he got you at all. I feel like before each game he’d definitely send you off with sweet little notes of affirmation to hype you up.

Joe Toye: Oh boy, when I tell you that Joe becomes insufferable about the fact that HIS girlfriend is a Dalla Cowboy Cheerleader, I mean it. He’s bringing it up anytime he can, literally just wants to brag to all of his friends about you 24/7. Whenever this guy sees you in your cheerleading outfit though is when he really loses it. He would be in a complete trance the entire game watching you dance in very little clothing, he also temporarily becomes a Cowboys fan just for you.

Joe Liebgott: If this guy wasn’t already down bad for you before, he definitely is now. When he sees you in your uniform he loses his mind for a second. To put it to you simply, he is obsessed. He’s got plenty of photos that he’s showing just about EVERYONE when he gets the chance. From now on, absolutely no one can give him shit about anything because his gf is a dallas cowboy cheerleader. You can always look in the crowd to see him cheering you on loudly.

Bill Guarnere: Like Toye, he’ll temporarily become a Cowboys fan for you, but don’t let it fool you, if you guys are playing against the Eagles he’s gonna be decked out in their merch. He will tell you that the best thing about dating a professional cheerleader is getting to go to all of the football games, but don’t listen to him because he’s more than obsessed with you. At the games if another guy in the crowd tries staring at you he’d be kicked out for trying to fight the guy. “Gotta starin’ problem, pal?”

George Luz: This sweet babe makes being your boyfriend his entire personality trait. Like on every single profile his bio is probably “y/n’s boyfriend” or “I love my girlfriend.” Like a lot of the others, he’s also telling the whole world about you when he gets the chance. He thinks he is the luckiest guy ever, when he sees you in your uniform his smile gets so big it's adorable. Like Nix, he also gives off soccer mom vibes. Making sure you’re well fed before each of the games, laying out your clothes, he’ll go the whole 9 yards just to see you smile!

Moe Alley: Oh man, he looks like a kid in a candy store seeing you out there dancing for the first time. He’d be there with a camera being your own personal photographer. To him it’s the best deal ever, getting to see you perform and watch all of the cowboys home games?? He’s such a simp for you it’s hilarious, like this man is scrubbing the floors, cooking you all kinds of treats, spoiling you with gifts, absolutely anything because this man is OBSESSED with you.

Eugene Roe: I would be lying if I said he didn’t get nervous every time he saw you dancing. (or really doing anything if we’re being completely honest.) He has the sweetest face while watching you do what you love. I would say he’s the most supportive out of all the guys. He just wants you to be the happiest girl in the world :) He might get a little shy cheering you on sometimes, but he’ll always be there watching you with a smile on his face

Floyd Talbert: Oh you’re a Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader? Oh that’s hilarious you say that because his clothes just magically disappeared when you told him. To put it simply, he’s a total slut for you. Every time he sees you in the outfit he can’t control himself. He’s cheering as loud as can be, reminding everyone in the stands that you’re his girl. He can’t help himself but to stare at you the entire game. In the end he’s absolutely crazy about you and the uniform just fuels it even more lmao

Bull Randleman: He absolutely loves it. He goes all out in supporting you of course. I feel like he’d be the type to bring his entire friend group to the game just because he needs more people to help cheer you on. When he sees you in your uniform for the first time, he’s most likely drooling on himself. Like most of the others, he turns into a complete simp watching you do practically anything. During the games he’s decked out in the corniest cowboy gear you’ll find. Before the games he’d send you sweet goodluck messages too ;)

Skip Muck: He’s at a loss of words. He finds you absolutely breathtaking. “How in the world did I ever catch you?” He finds it so interesting that you take on such a complex hobby, and even more interesting that you participate in it at such a high level. He's definitely setting up posters of you all over his room like a schoolboy who just hit puberty. Honestly, this man makes being your partner a part of his personality trait. Every game he’d be cheering you on so loud, completely fangirling.

Don Malarkey: This guy is also going to be fangirling so much lmao. He’s gonna let everyone that sits beside him at the game know that you're his partner. “You see her? Yeah that’s my girl.” He’s so proud watching you go. To you, you look like a complete goddess, he can’t help but stare in awe the entire game. After every game he’d be waiting for you with flowers and food to congratulate you on your great performance.

Babe Heffron: He’s drooling at the mouth seeing you perform for the first time. He’s a complete whore for you. He’s probably got some huge camera with him, filming you dancing for the majority of the game lmao. During auditions and tryouts this man is making sure you are completely prepared. Packing you the best lunches, making sure you have all of your stuff ready and packed. He'll do almost anything to make you happy. He’s a total simp for you, it's adorable haha.

Shifty Powers: He’s probably the sweetest of the guys, along with gene. He’s in heaven. He thinks it’s amazing how talented you are. Before every game he’s wishing you the best of luck and after every game he’s waiting for you with a bouquet and a bag of your favorite snacks. “Oh boy, you did great out there, I wish I could watch it again.” He’s in absolute awe every time he sees you dance. Not to mention how he thinks you look absolutely STUNNING in your uniform.

Frank Perconte: Frank thinks it’s brilliant how graceful you are out there. I mean, how many other guys can say that their girl is a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader? Whenever you are dancing he’ll be there watching, and obnoxiously cheering you on, to the point where the others around him actually get irritated. The first time he saw you in your uniform he was close to fainting (let’s just say he was VERY excited lmao) He’s always happy to see his girl do good on the field.

Ron Speirs: This is the only time you’ll probably ever see this man crack into a full smile, when you’re out there in little to no clothing, dancing your ass off. He can’t stop watching. He’ll always find himself stuck when you ask him why he was staring so intensely during the game, (this might sound super weird but let me tell you this man wants you to full on lap dance on him with your outfit on) Good thing you’re a cheerleader bc he knows exactly what you guys are gonna be for halloween!!

Johnny Martin: He tries his hardest to seem unfazed by the whole cheerleader thing (this guy tries being so nonchalant it KILLS me.) Secretly on the inside though, little 12 year old him is fangirling like there’s no tomorrow. His facial expression might hide how he’s feeling when he sees you in your uniform for the first time, but let me tell you his ears and cheeks are blood red. After every game he’ll walk over to you like a proud father and give you his daily words of affirmation with of course, a pat on the back to go along with it.

Skinny Sisk: To him, it’s a total dream come true, a complete blessing to him. Getting to watch you go out there in little to no clothing, and dance like the pro you are, FOR FREE is insane to him. He thinks you’re a total vixen. I think during the season he gets pretty protective over you. He’s heard things about other men taking inappropriate pictures of the cheerleaders without their knowledge so he’s always looking out for that kinda stuff. (Also if Judy and Kelly are being bitches to you, he will be HAPPY to burn their house down for you.)

Chuck Grant: He has SO much respect for you it actually makes my heart melt. I feel like he’s also seen and heard things about just some of the stuff you girls have to go through just about everyday with constant competition around you 24/7. He’s gonna cheer you on no matter what. Hell, he might just be the loudest guy in the whole damn stadium. He’s so supportive though, just know you’ll feel it every time he’s watching you out there :)

David Webster: I have this super cute thought in my head that you guys met during an interview, where Web (some journalist writing on the DCC) is asking you (a DCC) for all the inside scoops for his next piece. From then on you guys would be inseparable. He’d be at all the games watching you with so much interest and enthusiasm. I think he’d actually kind of enjoy the environment during the game. Give him some popcorn and he wouldn’t mind a bit.

Buck Compton: Oh he loves it! Of course we all know this man LOVES football, and he most definitely loves you, so seeing both at the same place at the same time is like his dream come true lol. He’d probably be out there every game with one of those huge face posters of just you. He thinks you are more than talented and honestly so proud to have a girl like you. Like Ron, he’s definitely gonna pick a DCC and a DCF as y’all’s halloween costume just about every year.

Thank you again for reading! I hope you enjoyed! Make sure to help a writer out and like or reblog if you’d like! 🤍💗

[asarigg]

Inside the Character's Mind: Part 3

AOBA'S JEALOUSY

To be honest, I find it difficult to decide in what order to look at the different scenes in their lives. I don’t know whether to do it chronologically, thematically, or as they appear in the game, and that’s without having in mind that I lose track of what I write easily.

Before continuing, I would like to comment on one aspect that never convinced me about how NC wrote this character, as I mentioned with other aspects above. It is probably what I like the least, I think it is very poorly used and lays a questionable foundation for the character that in my opinion does not do him justice.

The first thing we see of him is him throwing one of his client’s boyfriend to the ground for causing trouble, and a bunch of women wetting their panties around him. Again, I don’t mean to get into the sexism issue right now, but it’s inevitable to mention it. Having a fan club isn’t a bad idea, but of course the only thing they could ever do was to make a bunch of annoying, yelling, toxic and childish women behaving like they’re 15 and had never spoken to a man before. They’ve worked on it in the most superficial and stereotypical way possible that the only thing it leads to is discomfort and rejection of the idea of meeting him again. And the worst thing is that it’s not just you, it’s also Aoba, so they don’t help much. Luckily it doesn’t last too long.

Obviously you can’t just lay it all out right from the start, it’s normal that you’re shown the most superficial side and as you progress you get to know him in depth, like everyone else. But it’s extremely superficial. I personally wouldn’t change that much, and maybe my biggest problem (besides the representation of women) might be just a translation problem, but hey, I work with what I have. They’re just a few small details that make it seem like a textbook white knight copy and paste. If his relationship with women was just as superficial, maybe it wouldn’t be so disappointing, but the thing is that it isn’t, so it doesn’t feel completely right with his character.

Anyway, back to what I wanted to get to. The way Aoba talks about Koujaku is quite stiff, distant, even though we learn a little later that Koujaku has been his friend since childhood. It’s true that he left the island for many years, but then he says that Koujaku came back three years ago and that he hadn’t changed at all since they were children except for his appearance, he was still just as friendly, kind and smiling. So why this coldness?

Aoba practically talks about him like he’s some guy he met a few months ago and occasionally runs into and that’s it, despite what we’ve already mentioned. Not only that, but it turns out that Koujaku drops by his house quite often, staying for lunch and overnight, sleeping in his room. What kind of stranger would you do that with, especially someone like Aoba?

Even Tae herself, famously known for always grumbling and acting a bit surly, is fond of him. She is precisely the one who would be the least hesitant to kick him out of her house if she didn’t want him there, however Aoba points out that he knows that his grandmother considers him a second grandson. After all, she has known him since he was a kid. I'm sure that she’s very grateful to Koujaku for having been there with her grandson when no one else was, not even her, even if she wanted to be.

I talked about this topic a while ago with another tumblr user, who basically attributed Aoba’s behavior to pure discomfort and displeasure when seeing Koujaku’s fans interacting with him, due to having been distant for so long, so it seemed important to mention those three years. I’m not saying Aoba should not be uncomfortable in this situation, seeing your bestie flirting with a group of women jumping around him is definitely not the most fun thing to do. Also, he wants to avoid the gaze of the whole group because they would eat him alive, something he doesn’t achieve because Koujaku notices him anyway. But he seems very distant, he is not only showing discomfort or just wishes to disappear, he is excessively rough with the words he uses, saying that all that charisma he has is an act, false. Like I said before, this is because Aoba knows better, sure, but the way he says it gives it a pretty negative tone.

It seems to me that NC simply wants to introduce the character to you, as the reader, rather than introducing him as Aoba’s bestie, hence the coldness, it’s not Aoba, it’s you. They still joke around all the time and the complicity between them is quite clear, so it’s not like it’s entirely wrong or weird or distant, it’s just those details of Aoba’s thoughts that seemed somewhat dissonant to me.

In any case, there are behaviors that resonate with another idea that is very true and it’s Aoba being jealous. As we have already mentioned before, there are subtleties that make his attraction to Koujaku obvious from the beginning. In the Drama CD and the SSS we see that Aoba is quite insecure, undervaluing himself mostly for being in a homosexual relationship. Seeing that women continue to go after Koujaku makes him feel bad, although there is not much to do, he cannot lock Koujaku up so that he doesn’t talk to anyone ever again and that’s it. He is very troubled by this, and even wonders if Koujaku wouldn’t have preferred to be with a woman at the end of the day, as if he was less, as if Koujaku should be in a straight relationship.

Most notably in the Valentine’s Day story Aoba wants to be able to do what all those girls can do openly without having to worry about prejudice or stares. He wants to be able to kiss him, hold his hand, go on dates, and make him chocolates, normal couple things. Those reactions he had when seeing those women holding onto Koujaku’s arm or having his attention were nothing less than jealousy, because Aoba wanted him to give that attention to him.

This not being possible, since he doesn’t even realize what he feels to start with, makes Koujaku sharing other kinds of things with him that he doesn’t share with anyone else extremely valuable, like the balcony scene, or Koujaku holding his hand when they make love, even if he doesn’t like to admit it. That's why he loves to keep learning new things about Koujaku as their relationship progresses, even the silliest ones. The unknown is not a source of uncertainty or shock anymore, but one of curiosity, a way of loving.

Please Koujaku quit smoking I don’t want you die you're too sexy. haha

That’s why when he discovers that there are things about Koujaku that he doesn’t know, that Koujaku isn’t willing to share with him, among other things, it affects him in this way, like he’s not as special as he thought for knowing a side of Koujaku that most didn’t, because that is no longer a reality for him.

[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 :)

[savemeaimeemann]

Babe wake up! I have insomnia and wrote another fic about Arthur Fleck.

I'm Curious Yellow

AO3

Arthur Fleck is perplexed with a street girl rounding his neighborhood. He didn't know she felt the same.

Srry I'm to lazy too describe it but trust me.

Chapter 01 // I Think of You

- "What?"

- "I don’t know, that man over there...he keeps staring at you."

- "Yeah? Well, if he’s paying, I don’t mind."

- "Have you seen him? He’s kind of creepy. Dressed like a old man misplaced. Kind of a nerd I would say. He was inside that phone booth, and then was staring at you for... way too long. I don’t know, Maxine. Doesn’t feel right."

"Also is not the first time I've seen him around." added Grace.

- "Since when can we afford to be picky? I know I can’t. And, honestly, I think he’s kind of sexy with that weird set of clothing and hair. He has a "virgin" energy, don't you think" Maxine said as she was now really paying attention at the guy from the other side of the street. He was not staring anymore. He picked his colorful bag from the booth and was heading to another way".

"Look at those limbs, Grace. Don’t you think they could... do the job? I bet he can."

- "He looks broken as hell."

The man wasn’t exactly conventional. His appeal was a tightrope walk: either intriguing or repellent. To admit he was sexy felt like a confession. But Maxine didn’t care—she liked to push her own boundaries, make her own statements.

She took a long drag of her colored cigarette, watching the clown cross the street, deciding what her next move should be.

Maxine wasn’t your typical street worker. She had a certain French allure—literally, she was born in France, though how she ended up in Gotham was a story she kept to herself. Family issues, a love affair, a few revengeful twists. Gotham didn’t ask questions. It was a shadowy haven for those who didn’t quite fit anywhere else.

Today she wore a long leather coat with knee-high brown boots, just the right height to stay clear of Gotham’s filthy sidewalks. Underneath, a suede skirt and a black velvet top that hinted at more than it revealed. Her makeup was understated: a hint of blue eyeshadow, soft brown lipstick, bleached brows. Maxine was her own kind of eye candy for Gotham’s bleak streets.

No one asked much about her past. Everyone had their own dark stories. “Leave your problems at home,” they’d say. “These streets are for fresh starts.”

Not that they knew she had money stashed in a local bank. More than enough to live comfortably. But she chose to be out here. It wasn’t about the money, as she’d tell Grace—it was something more, something she couldn’t quite name. A “Belle de Jour” life, minus the self-awareness.

"We’ll see, then" She teased Grace.

-----

Arthur was glancing at the girl before, drawn to her in a way he didn’t quite understand. Her elegance had an aloofness he usually only saw in old Hollywood movies on his decrepit TV. Her colored cigarette, her presence—she felt foreign. She couldn’t possibly be a Gotham native, yet somehow she fit here perfectly.

He stopped staring and went on to his way, still in need to stop by the pharmacy and go back to his mediocre life, caring for his mom and all. Today he had a plus, as he was limping the whole way. He kept the pretty street girl aside on his mind and went on with his life.

Hours before all this, Arthur nearly got fired for losing a sign at his job as an entertainer for a run-down vinyl shop. His boss tore into him over the phone, at the booth.

"Arthur, I told you. You’re mediocre. A freak. Get it together, or you’re done. Trust me, half the guys here would love to see you gone."

Arthur banged his head against the phone booth glass, desperation seeping through him.

"I love my job. Please don’t fire me, Hoyot. Those kids at the hospital—they’re why I do this. I got jumped; it was just bad luck. I’m sorry."

- "Whatever, Arthur."

-----

1hr had passed after the intriguing man from the phone booth head his way. Maxine was intrigued by him, imagining what it would be like if he went to hire her right at that moment. Grace was right, he seemed broken. Maybe she would accept him for free only for the story. It would be fun, she thought.

Her trance for that man was so on her mind that she didn't bother working the rest of the day. She kept smoking with Grace.

- "I’m leaving for today"

"Leaving early hmmm?"

"I have a important visit to make close by. Gonna save some time."

- "So you’re off to see your new dealer?"

- "Hm...perdon?"

- "I saw you yelling at our last dealer yesterday. The whole block knows he’s been short on coke."

- "..."

- "Just tell me if he’s any good, alright?"

Maxine rolled her eyes. Grace wasn’t wrong, but she hadn’t touched cocaine in ages. She was looking for marijuana, a rare find in Gotham these days. “Let Grace think I’m as messed up as she is,” she thought.

Maxine cut through a back alley and arrived at a grim apartment building. Sad, filthy and dark.

She didn’t like elevators, but she wasn’t about to take the stairs in this place. Knife tucked into her skirt’s waistband, she stepped inside.

"Hey! wait!"

The elevator doors were about to close when she saw someone holding them open with their foot. Breathless, she stumbled in and mumbled, - "Thanks. I hate elevators. Its better to have company"

As she said the last phrase, she looked up. It was him—the sad man from earlier. Now that he was close she could white stains clung to his neck; he also was clutching a package from the pharmacy, she could tell.

Arthur looked as startled as she did, like he’d been caught mid-crime. Maxine’s confident facade faltered.

- "Oh, hey... stranger."

- "Uh... hi."

- "You know, you feel like a ‘known stranger’ to me."

- "Do I?"

- "Sure do. Maxine, by the way."

- "Arthur. Arthur Fleck. Nice to... meet you."

She leaned over to press her floor number and stood close to him, forcing herself to stay calm. She hadn’t planned on this confrontation happening here, in his territory.

The elevator shuddered upward, and she exhaled a shaky breath. - "Jesus," she muttered, as Arthur stood rigidly beside her, barely breathing.

Suddenly, the elevator jolted to a stop. Maxine grabbed her arm, squeezing so hard it hurt. She didn’t realize she was shaking.

- "It’s... it’s okay. It does this sometimes," Arthur murmured, almost kindly.

- "Oh. Great. Yeah, that makes me feel better."

- "Don’t you live here?"

- "No. Business meeting."

Arthur understood what she meant. Two floors in the building were reserved for dealers and addicts. He wasn’t naive; he knew what went on.

- "Oh."

"Can I ask you a question, Arthur?"

He nodded his head, in shock.

"I don't want to make this weird but... wasn't you staring at me earlier today?"

Arthur tensed, his body trembling. He tried to hold it in, but laughter bubbled up, uncontrollable. His shoulders shook, and he buried his face in his hand, laughing so hard he could barely breathe.

Maxine stared, horrified. - "Are you okay? Are you going to pass out?"

He doubled over, laughing and crying at once. She edged back, her hand instinctively finding her knife. - "Grace was right. Damn it."

Arthur fumbled in his pocket and held out a card. Warily, she took it with her free hand, glancing down. His laughing fit was finally subsiding.

She handed it back. - "Sorry..."

"It-its quite al- alright I-"

"No, I meant to say I don’t know how to read." She said with a smirk.

Arthur’s eyes widened, and then the laughter overtook him again.

She rolled her eyes and sighed, - "I’m joking, alright? Stupid joke. I didn’t mean to..."

She reached out, steadying him as his fit faded, feeling oddly protective. He looked down at her, still catching his breath.

The elevator jerked back to life, halting at his floor. Without a word, he stumbled out, covering his mouth.

- "Arthur!... Shit."

She glanced quickly at the corridor where Arthur had gone, trying to figure out which apartment was his. The last one seemed to be the only option. It must be that.

In the elevator, she pressed the button for her stop again, but all she could think about was Arthur. And how stupid she’d been with him.

She headed toward what seemed to be the dealer’s place, her package in hand, counting the cash, paying the steep price without hesitation.

“High-class babe, huh? Look at you.”

She couldn’t let herself be too familiar here. Dealers were touchy, especially the ones at the top. Guns, drugs—anything could be involved, but she had to keep her cool.

“Well, with all due respect, it’s been a good weekend.”

“Yeah? Hope you can keep up.”

“I hope so... " She said, as she gave him her paper note and he went inside to take it.

The man had it already settled. The transaction was fast.

"Efficient and worthed" Maxine thought.

"Well, Goodbye then. See you next time.” she said, turning on her heels.

“Wait.”

Maxine froze, looking up at him.

“I saw you with that weirdo who lives downstairs. Not my business, but... that’s some fucked-up shit. Guy’s not that young, lives with his mom, laughs like a maniac... I’ve had issues with him. Laughing at my customers in the elevator. Even laughed at me once. Almost shot his brains out, swear to God. He seems okay now, but trust me, you should be careful. Guy’s got problems, but maybe you can help. Fix him up a bit, stop him from scaring my customers with that laugh.”

Maxine didn’t know how to react. She wasn’t about to start defending Arthur, not after that elevator incident. She had her reasons for feeling guilty, but this wasn’t it.

"What I meant to says was, no offense, but maybe he could use your services. Blow some steam off"

Maxine wanted to laugh, but kept it serious.

“We were just talking,” she said, shrugging. “I don’t even know him. Not interested.”

“Okay. Just saying... keep an eye on him.”

“Fair enough. I’ll definitely take your advice. See you next time, thanks.”

“Sure, babe. Take care.”

Maxine’s stomach churned as she stepped out of that floor, fingers twitching in frustration. “How the fuck does he know about Arthur?” she thought. “What the hell is going on?”

She flipped him off as she stepped back into the filthy elevator, muttering under her breath. “Fuck you, fucker.”

That man really gave her something to think about. Did Arthur really live with his mom? Poor bastard, stuck in the wrong place at the wrong time, almost killed by those idiots. She didn’t want to think about it too much, but the thought lingered in her mind as she pressed the button for the 8th floor.

She needed to know more. Needed to fix this. And the guilt from earlier was eating at her.

The 8th-floor hallway greeted her with its usual griminess. Her heart was pounding now, but she kept moving, determined to find Arthur’s door.

It wasn’t unusual for Maxine to be in dangerous situations. After all, she used to be a journalist—her degree, her past, still clung to her. Danger was a language she spoke fluently, even if she didn’t like it. As a working girl, she knew how to deal with people. Knew what they were capable of. And the knife she always carried? It wasn’t for show.

But she couldn't. Not today. She turned back and headed home. She would just make things worse and she needed time to process what happened and have something of use to say to him. He was becoming her obsession and she needed to act carefully.

[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.”

[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 ;-;

[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."

[alloveydovey]

Blah blah, dramas of this month. This is the ACTUAL month of rewatch lol.

It’s Okay, That’s Love, 2014 (kdrama) 8.5

A psychiatrist who has issues getting intimate in her relationships meets a flirty famous author who might have a lot more issues than he lets on.

Okay, so, mixed feelings. It's very different from what I've seen before, so that's a good thing. It took me a while to get into it because I didn't like the secondary characters that much. One of them is 28 and is after a high schooler, and the other one has a whole family somewhere but lives with FL, ML, and the dude in love with the teenager-- and like? He's also in a weird relationship with his ex-wife. Maybe I can't take complex characters cause what is this man doing with his life? Or maybe that's part of the theme of this drama. What are we all doing? lmao, anyway. It's more adultish, and it deals with mental health. Zo In Sung and Gong Hyo Jin are great, their acting very natural, and their chemistry is fire. It did take me a while to end it, sooo... I don't know. I'm still not sure how to rate it. Overall good, though.

One Spring Night, 2019 (kdrama) (rewatch!) 9 ⭐

A librarian meets a pharmacist. She’s already in a relationship, and he has a kid outside of wedlock.

I guess this is where cultural differences collide. This drama would make absolutely no sense where I'm from. ML is a father whose girlfriend runaway after having the child... ok? Single parents (even young ones) are a common thing where I'm from. FL breaks up with her boyfriend, but he, her father, and his ex's father as well don't seem to get the memo and insist on a wedding... absolutely insane. I do get it, though. I get that in their culture, such things (maybe a little hyperbolic) happen, so I forego the cultural contrast and absolutely adore this drama. It's one of my favorites. And not just because of Jung Hae In (although, yeah, he was the reason I watched it the first time lol). The whole cast is amazing, you hate almost every man in it, but the women... the women are so worth it. Hae Ji Min is such an amazing and realistic FL. And the comfort... It's one of those cozy dramas perfect for watching every once in a while. Even the repetitive songs hit differently.

Because This is My First Life (kdrama) (rewatch!) 9

FL loses her job and on top of that doesn’t have where to live. ML wants monthly rent to keep up with his mortgage. A wedding contract ensues.

This is probably my favorite marriage contract/fake relationship drama. Also, the softest FL and ML ever. Even with their awkwardness, Jung So Min (I loooooove her) and Lee Min Ki manage to grasp you. My only two cons are the ending and one of the secondary couples. The unnecessary, always present separation between FL and ML. Sometimes it makes sense, sometimes it doesn't. I feel like it might have made sense here, but at the same time it was one of the separations I hated most. Happy ending, though, so yay. I loved the girl with the bra problem and the sentimental boss, they were badass. But yeah, I hated the other secondary couple that broke up and made up over and over again. Extra notes: It was the first drama I saved music from lol.

Boys Over Flowers, 2009 (kdrama) (rewatch!) 7.5

Jan Di gets a scholarship at a rich kids' school and stands up to the F4, a group of popular guys who love to bully the shit out of everyone who they dim as bothersome.

I watched BoF when I was fourteen, and to be honest, I didn't remember much other than the fact that it wouldn't be one of those dramas I'd rewatch again. Well, let's ignore the fact that I'm here watching it again lol. I’m into 00s dramas lately, they’re kind of addictive so I had to re-check this one.

I didn’t remember Joon Pyo being so soft. I mean, still a menace to society, yes, but I think my mind got stuck with the first episodes and I low-key forgot that he actually falls for Jan Di way earlier in the drama and that he's just a caricaturized dumbass. And as for our FL, she could be a pain in the ass, but Jan Di could also be pretty fucking badass. Obviously the drama is way outdated, an adaptation from an even more outdated manga, and has a million red flags. Outside of that, I didn't think I'd be able to rewatch it. It gets extremely annoying at one point, but maybe the nostalgia won me over, and I low-key mostly enjoyed this. Extra notes: One of my favorite secondary couples/ Fuck Ji Hoo I never liked him lol.

Love in Contract, 2022 (kdrama) 8

FL works as a wife for hire. In between various clients, she’s had a consistent one for the past 5 years, a quiet and awkward man who she doesn’t know much about. Now, when she decides to retire, she has doubts about how to approach the end of their business relationship (fake marriage) with her longest and favorite husband/client.

I should stop reading drama reviews before watching them cause, unlike everyone else apparently, I enjoyed this drama a lot. Sure, it’s not perfect, but it’s far from being bad. The chemistry between Park Min Young and Go Kyung Pyo is everything. It also has an openly gay character who is possibly my new favorite character ever. It does drag at the end, but I don't think it diminishes the rating of the drama.

A Piece of Your Mind, 2020 (kdrama) 8.5

ML is trying to capture the personality of the woman he loves (but hasn’t seen in years) inside a device he invented. A classical music recording engineer ends up connecting with that same woman, and they both meet in— spoiler.

I admit I still haven’t finished this one but I’m really into it. Great story, great visuals, great OST. It’s a slow drama, but I feel like it’s meant to immerse you in its little melodrama world. It's both heartbreaking and comforting at the same time. Apparently, it has a low rating, and I can understand why it might be that way because it's a soft drama, but I absolutely adore it. Jung Hae In never disappoints. Also, Chae Soo Bin might be becoming one of my favorite Korean actresses.

Rich Man, Poor Woman, 2012 (jdrama) 8

Poor Woman is restlessly looking for a job and ends up working for the project of Rich Man’s company. Poor woman likes Rich Man. Rich Man is bratty and in serious need of social skills. However, fire chemistry ensues.

This drama was a surprise, for sure. The chemistry between the leads is amazing (old rom-com style), and the storyline itself, though sometimes focusing a little too much on the company and the partners-turned-rivals, is quite capturing. I did wish that it could concentrate a little more on the two leads and their romance since they were great together. I usually hate when dramas have their leads get together in the last episode (jdramas do this so much man) but here... well, I hated it, but it's okay cause they were cute af. (Also there’s a follow up movie apparently).

Haven't finished yet and don't know if I will ⬇️

Amidst a Snowstorm of Love, 2024 (cdrama) 8

ML falls in love at first sight with a girl in Finland. She plays billiard which is coincidentally the sport he gave up.

I have a lot of mixed feelings here because, yes, this is extremely romantic, which is what I always look for. The chemistry absolutely takes the cake, and the actors deal with it incredibly well. But... For me, love at first sight lacks substance. I rarely like it, and here, it felt like she liked him because he was good-looking and attentive (sometimes a bit too much... like back off, she's not a kid), and he liked her because... he just did. She obviously had great qualities but, yeah, I don’t know. I need a little friction to enjoy a good romantic drama. Also, it's not important, but I don't like billiards, so a lot of this was a bit boring for me. The writing felt also a bit off.

I might finish it because the characters and setting are interesting enough. Romance is cute and seems promising as well.

My Boss, 2024 (cdrama) 7

An inexperienced lawyer ends up sharing a flat with her boss after they accidentally rent the same place. Both are complete opposites.

This is actually from January, but I tried seeing if I'd be able to finish it now and still no. Back then I was looking forward to this one cause it seemed like a cute silly rom-com, but it might have been a little bit too much on the silly. The actors are okay, their chemistry is fine. I guess what really made me drop it was the writing. Which was not good... at all.

[skyler-moose]

ok so like, infinite. right?

so we are coming up to the release of SXSG and i want to talk about this guy, cus he might be in it. I talked about this very topic on a different thred and twitter.

I went to go read the comic, read the song lyrics, and watch all the cutsenes (i haven't played forces). Studying* all of this leads me to one conclusion. they forgot to make it all connect.

so like squad jackal, they look like they could be family since they look so similar (fir and eye colour) but that is mostly just speculation. even so i think he does care about them (keep this in mind) and he likes them.

i feel like he wants them to have a better life and hes a little sick of this life. (even though he wants to be the ultimate mercenary ¯\_(ツ)_/¯) and thats his motivation some lyrics in his theme even point to this "When everything you know has come and gone (You are at your lowest, I am rising higher) Only scars remain of who I was (What I find in the ashes, you lose in the fire) When there's no one left to carry on (This is an illusion, open up your eyes, and) This pain persists, I can't resist But that's what it takes to be infinite"

"'Cause if you're messing with me I am a dangerous weapon I am the sharpest of blades I'll cut you down in a second 'Cause I was born in this pain It only hurts if you let it So if you think you can take me Then you should go and forget it"

but here is the problem. In the game he seems like nothing other then "i want to rule the world cus evil" there's some dialog saying that his whole squad was k!lled and he get orders from egg man to go take out shadow who just took out squad jackal.

but now he has no motivation, like you would think hed want to kale shadow but he doesn't really do that, its mostly just kida floating around breaking all the phantom ruby prototypes. and yeah he could recreate squad jackal with the ruby but they wouldn't have like a soul so i dont think hed so that.

and yaknow that one part were shadow calls him weak? yeah that left a bad taste in everyone's mouth just thinking doesn't like being called weak and thinks hes strong. But the context is so bad thanks to the righting. none picked up on the fact that HIS WHOLE SQAUD WAS JUST KILED BY SHADOW, AND CALLED USELESS.

he doesn't sound (or even look) very sad but i don't think he would be a sopping mess of tears for anything.

Alright i should have said in the start that i suck at righting on the fly, but im going to try to tie all my points together.

First, infinite was very likely born into life of killing and being a nomad. second, he has been doing this a while and has grown sick of this life. third, he wants a better life for himself and his squad so he can be the ultimate mercenary without having too worry about being forced to do it. fourth, the people he wanted a better life for are all dwead thanks to shadow, and now he has to go and face shadow not in the right head space to do so or be prepared for a teleporting hedgehog who is the ultimate lifeform. and now he puts a mask and a very powerful rock. to get revenge (even tho he doesnt really go after shadow idk man¯\_(ツ)_/¯).

follow all that? yeah the game explains nearly NON of this to the player. in base forces infinite is just generically evil and wants to rule the world with or without egg man. in episode shadow, hes treated like a joke who hates being called weak. yeah squad jackal is mentioned but the player knows nothing about who they are just that infinite is there leader.

i feel like infinite is and can be good but they just didn't make him good just put a bunch of things that WOULD make him good but didn't put it together.

if you read all of this and somehow followed it. thank you so much. i want to make it clear that I'm an infinite fan and do like him.

[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, before coughing it out and handing it 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? 👀

[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!