#There's just so much room to explore in a villain / hero relationship

[earlgreylatte]

Hi can you do yanderes with a hypersexual darling? Like they dont like their partner but still need it, its okay if you dont want to love your work (its up to you about yanderes)

Friends with Benefits

Hal Jordan: Your next door neighbour was annoying, incorrigible really, in how much he seemed to relish in being a bother. Loud and arrogant, flirting with you at every interaction, but infuriatingly attractive, you don’t like him, at all. Especially since he seems to wait until all he has left is a pair of sweatpants to actually head down to the basement to do his laundry, proudly showing off his slim waist and defined abs. Okay, maybe you want him in a purely sexual way. And he feels the same way, so you find yourself falling into a purely transactional arrangement with him; you’re both clean and neither of you expect a follow up call, so it works. And he’s gone half the time, leaving no room for awkwardness as he’s more concerned with jumping you. And he knows how to put that annoying mouth to use. But during one of his longer stints of absence, you find yourself calling an old hookup over instead. Before you can even take your clothes off, Green Lantern of all people is bursting into your bedroom and throwing the other man off you with a brutal punch, daring him to show his face near you again before throwing him out. And, oh god, Hal is Green Lantern. That explains the constant leaving he does. But you’re more concerned about his audacity. It’s not like he’s your boyfriend and he no right to interfere in your affairs. When his face goes blank, you’re almost thankful his eyes are covered. But he only smiles before yanking you towards him by the wrist, “Looks like I’ll have to change that then.”, and you don’t think you can say no.

Booster Gold/Ted Kord: It’s not that you disliked them or anything, you even found their antics humorous at times. But, that’s as far as you would go. The whole hero community wasn’t one you wanted to involve yourself in, preferring to just do your work and return home without having to go to any of their holiday parties. But the one time you are roped into going one, and after a certain beetle starts flirting with you, you find yourself in supply closet and being joined by Booster Gold who walked in on you two. And, it’s easy being with them, not having to explain your bruises and being able to take what you want, what you need. Ted even offers to create toys that could better fit your desires. And they both seemed to understand your arrangement well enough. But soon they goad you into playing Smash Ultimate after you shower, then they’re making you food and even bringing you pastries if you’re working together. But it’s still casual, even as they refuse to let you leave their cuddle pile and start wrapping their arms around your waist after you finally agree to platonically hangout. But when a villain gets the upper hand on you, and you find yourself whisked away in the Bug as Ted cradles you and Booster nearly beats a man to death, you realize you’re totally dating them, or at least they think so. Fuck.

Kyle Rayner: Kyle’s never had the greatest luck with romance, so at some point, he just says fuck it and gives up on the whole true love thing. He just pours himself into the whole Green Lantern thing, remaining in space, exploring and tending to his duties, rather than try to cultivate a relationship back home. You enter the picture as a fellow lantern, assigned on a diplomatic mission with him, and those always take a while to complete. So when you two are bored out of your minds in your shared room, one things leads to another, and you two begin a series of flings with each other. By the time your mission is over, Kyle has already told the Guardians you need more training and that he’s more than willing to help you for the foreseeable future. He knows he said he was done with love, but he couldn’t help himself. He needs to stay with you just a little longer, just to make you feel the same way as him. And you can’t really say much, seeing as how he’s your superior and saviour of the Corps.

Johnny Storm: Everyone and their mother knew about the Human Torch, former teen idol now a general nuisance. It’s a bit hard not to be envious of him, with the glitz and glam of his hero/explorer life, surrounded by models and fast rides. So, when he asks you out after saving you, obviously you reject him. But you keep running into him afterwards, much to your annoyance, and eventually he’s grating on your nerves enough that you say fuck it, and skip the date and fuck him instead (and maybe the look of shock on his face was worth it). And that was your first mistake because god was he disgustingly good in bed, leaving you utterly satiated and covered in bite marks, so of course you proposed to keep things casual, seeing how he probably wanted sex too rather than something more intimate, playboy that he is. Until he starts referring to you as his future wife to others before insisting he’s joking when you confront him. And showing up at your work while suited up, causing everyone in your vincity to start recording. After appearing on TMZ, you decide to distance yourself from him, but kidnappings and villain encounters push you back into his arms, while his nephew starts to call you ‘auntie’ and his niece stares at you menacingly. Well, if the world is going to see you as the Human Torch’s lover, the least he can do is put his powers to some use in the bedroom…

Peter Parker: You can’t really escape him, or at least that’s how it feels like. You and Peter have attended school together since kindergarten, but that hasn’t necessarily forged a friendship. No, he’s just kid you’ll have in your class some years or see around. You thought you’d never see him again once you reached adulthood, but he’s a student of Empire State University too. You don’t have anything against him, really, but you’d rather have one of your friends show up as much as he does. But you can’t deny he’s attractive, muscle hidden beneath those baggy shirts he wears, toned stomach revealed when he stretches just so. So when you see him hanging around at a party, awkwardly nursing his solo cup, you approach and one thing leads to another, and you’re back at his place. He’s stronger than you expected, able to manhandle you into any position he likes with a near punishing force, so you stay a bit longer. You thought he knew things weren’t serious between you two until, he’s confessing he loves you, that he has for a while, as he’s climaxing in you. You wait until he falls asleep to sneak out, but you knock a box off his desk. One filled with pictures of you. And when you feel someone hovering above you while you were inspecting a particularly risqué photo of you, you don’t turn around in fear of the expression on his face. God, you’re fucked, in more than one way.

Matt Murdock: He doesn’t have the time or capacity for a relationship, but he has his urges, ones that he isn’t able to control, if his body count or meetups with the Avengers aren’t evidence enough. He knows that you’re like him too, and that you won’t get attached, so you two come to an arrangement. But the more time he spends with you and the more accustomed he becomes with your body, the harder it is for him to keep his feelings down. He knows you don’t feel the same way, from the reactions and chemicals he can feel and smell from you. But even then, he can’t bring himself to push you away. So he listens to your heartbeat from outside your home, makes sure no one even thinks of approaching you when you walk home, and continues to pine. And when he overhears a coworker plan to make a move on you, he pays them a visit as the Devil. Even if he wants more, he would rather die than have things change with you.

Thanks for the ask! Changed the request just a bit—

Also 2025 is the year of Johnny Storm, whose comic version has no fics here!! Hopefully marvel rivals creates some hype!!

Masterlist

[moonchild701]

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A Thawing Heart

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Summary: A snowstorm hits and you meet someone unexpected

Pairing: Dabi/Gen Reader

Content Warning: Pre Relationship, SickFic (kinda), Hurt/Comfort, Injuries, Mentions of blood, Implied Murder (off screen, not reader), SFW

Word Count: 1.6k

Disclaimer: Character belongs to Kohei Horikoshi

A/N: This is the 9th part of 12 fics for a 12 Days of Christmas event. Enjoy and Happy Holidays!

Prompt: Stuck in a snowstorm

My Masterlist

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Harsh winds whip through the trees of the forest, the falling snow and rain thick enough to blot out your surroundings.

Multiple layers of warm clothing are rendered useless as the wet mix is mercilessly soaked into gaps in the fabric, leaching away whatever heat you had.

You just wanted to go on a nice stroll in the scenic wintry woods, but then the weather took a turn, so you're on your way back to your cabin.

Just wanting a holiday getaway from everything and everyone, you decided a little trip to your dad's old cabin in the snowy mountains of Hokkaido was the perfect place to do so.

You'd gotten there the day before, and all packed and settled in, you wanted to go exploring a bit. It was beautiful and peaceful, and the weather seemed nice enough at the time, only very lightly snowing.

That was a while ago. You'd stuck to the path precisely, and when the winds picked up, the air getting colder than it had any right being, you spun right around to head back to the cabin.

On the way back, it started snowing heavier, and then came the rain.

Eventually, you manage to break through the treeline, with the cabin in sight.

And between you and said cabin, is a dark lump on the snowy ground, slowly but surely being covered in snow.

Creeping closer, you notice it's a person,and they're bleeding, and you speed up your steps.

As you reach them, you see familiar eyes the most gorgeous shade of blue you've ever seen peering up at you, before they roll back in his head.

*****

Dabi.

You're dragging Dabi, one of the most wanted villains in the country, back to your cabin.

But really, what else are you supposed to do? He's injured right in front of you, and it's not like you can call for help.

You don't listen to the annoying voice in your head inquiring if it's just because of the faulty reception and not because you don't want him to get caught.

Because to you, he's your hero.

You doubt he'd remember you, roasting your would-be attacker to a crisp in an alley all those months ago after happening upon it. You don't like to dwell too much on what might've happened if he never stepped in, but the fact that he did, means the world to you.

So if you can help him in return, you will.

Not to mention that you've seen the video. The video of his past, of how he came to be, and you can't help but sympathize.

So you bring him into the warmth of your temporary little home to patch him up and help him however you can.

*****

Somehow, you manage to get him inside, taking off his jacket before settling him on the couch and lighting the fireplace. You quickly strip off your icy, wet clothes and change into something warmer.

Now behind closed doors, the difference is stark. Where it was once freezing, it's now just a bit chilly, with the air slowly warming up; where the air was previously occupied with howling, icy winds, it's now filled with the sound of the crackling of fire.

The room is dimly lit from the flames, casting deep shadows and patches of dancing orange light around the room, the few lightbulbs dull, not really adding any more light, but you get to work with what you have.

With the room slowly warming, you strip him out of his wet clothes, starting with his boots and pants, taking care to not jostle his wounds, and you throw a blanket over his legs. He's bleeding from his shoulder, so you have no choice but to cut him out of his shirt.

As more of his chest is exposed to the air, goosebumps appear along his skin. The fibers stick and pull at the wound, and you try to be gentle, but from the pinched expression on his face, he's beginning to wake up.

You're proven right when, just as you get the last of the fabric off, cerulean eyes just as icy as the outside world snap open, glaring at you as a heated hand grabs your wrist tightly. Or as tightly as he can in this state. He's rather pale.

"Who the fuck are you?" Dabi's voice is rough, guarded.

Somewhere in the back of your mind, you know you should technically be afraid, but all you could focus on is that his eyes are on you.

But also, his grip is starting to get uncomfortable from the heat.

"The owner of the cabin you were bleeding out in front of." you say calmly, tugging your wrist free. "I'm trying to help you."

That gives him pause.

"Why? I could burn you to a crisp," he says, rightfully suspicious in his position, to be honest.

"Well, yeah," you admit. "But then I can't patch you up, hm?"

He looks at you skeptically, "You didn't answer me. Why are you helping me? I'm sure you know who I am."

You sigh, telegraphing your movements as you reach for the first aid kit at your side. "You helped me once. Saved me really. I'm returning the favour to my hero."

He's taken aback at your words, at your soft smile and the gentle look in your eyes as you look at him.

A myriad of emotions flash over his features, before settling on a scowl. "I'm no hero."

You can't help the snort of laughter that escapes you. "I know very well that you're not a hero, Dabi. It was a hero, a sidekick, that you saved me from." Then, gentler, "You're not a hero, you're my hero, and that's all to it."

He seems at a loss for what to say, so you move along. "I'm gonna clean you up, okay?", you say, gesturing toward the wound on his shoulder. After all of the fabric was removed, pulling away whatever scabs that were forming, it started bleeding again, albeit sluggishly, and it needs patching up.

He's snaps out of it at that, nodding stiffly as he looks away.

Smiling softly, you grab the roll of gauze and get to work.

You work in a comfortable silence for a while, before your curiosity gets the better of you.

"Can I ask what happened?" You ask softly, not wanting to disturb the fragile peacefulness, but feeling the need to ask anyway.

He doesn't say anything for a while, to the point that you think he's not going to answer, before you hear him sigh heavily and mutter, "Recruitment went wrong. Guy had an ice quirk and managed to stab me with an icicle before I torched him."

He's watching you closely, watching your reaction, but you just hum, continuing to gently wrap and tape down the wound.

"You got nothin' to say about the guy I killed?" His voice is mostly taunting, but you can hear the underlying curiosity and disbelief lacing it.

"I'm sure you had your reasons, and again, I know you're a villain. Stop trying to scare me." You roll your eyes, putting away the leftover supplies.

He looks at you incredulously, but you ignore it, standing up. "Stay here, try not to jostle your shoulder. I'll be right back.", you say, not waiting to hear a reply before leaving.

He's left staring at your retreating form, perplexed and slightly concerned if he's being honest. Because that can't be it, right? That's it? He thinks he vaguely remembers you; you do seem kind of familiar, but really? Him, your hero? He knows the system is fucked, but this is a whole new level, where someone has to consider a villain their hero.

Shaking his head lightly, he's pulled out of his musings when you return, a glass of water in hand. "Here, take this. Pain meds." You hold them out to him.

He eyes it skeptically, slowly taking them from your hands and you have to sigh. "Seriously? I just used most of my supplies to patch you up and you think I'd try to poison you now?"

You understand his paranoia and caution, what with how he lives and what he does, but come on.

He rolls his eyes and shrugs, muttering, "You never know.",  and downs the pills.

Satisfied he's complying, you finish cleaning up.

And then he says something stupid.

"Well thanks, but I gotta go." He mutters, grunting as he tries to prop himself up to stand.

You hurriedly but gently push him back to lie down.

"Absolutely not, you need to rest. Besides, go where? How?" You scold, exasperated. "The storm is still going strong, so there's shitty reception, and even if that weren't the case, your phone's busted."

He scowls, grumbling but complying, lying back and letting you pull the warm blanket back over him.

"I'm gonna make some hot cocoa for us, okay? Just rest for now. Please?" He goes to retort, complain really, but the words get stuck in his throat. You're looking at him so earnestly, so concerned and tender.

He doesn't remember anyone ever really looking at him like that, not for a long time.

And it's possibly the worst time to realize that you're fucking pretty. Beautiful really, in a way that makes his scars itch with the flare of heat beneath them.

He swallows thickly, turning his head away to look at anything other than your pretty, pretty eyes staring at him.

You sigh, standing back up to go make some hot cocoa.

Something tells you that Dabi could really use it right now.

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[froldgapp]

We Need a Hero. Ladybug Ain't It

In a July 2023 interview for the Guardian, creator of the Bechdel test, Alison Bechdel, bemoaned the toothless response from big media properties to demands for more complex female leads:

Is it dismaying that so many films continue to fail the test?

What’s really dismaying now is the way so many movies cynically try to take shortcuts and feature strong female characters – but they just have a veneer of strength and they’re still not fully developed characters.

I won't argue that Marinette/Ladybug isn't developed, but rather, that in Astruc's pursuit of a Strong Female Lead, we have a character whose strength, agency, wit, grief and elation, is most often at the expense of the cast around her.

We see this most clearly in her relationship with Adrien/Chat Noir. Here is a boy who is controlled, neglected, (arguably) abused, lied to, used, and weaponised by his sole guardian; his father. This has resulted in a sheltered and naive character who canonically has a desperately conditional understanding of love and loyalty. Most if not all of the displays of love Gabriel shows Adrien rest not on Adrien the person, but on Adrien the asset. His life is not his own, and as is revealed in very literal terms in Season 5, nor is his body.

The Gabriel and Adrien dynamic echoes through the Marinette and Adrien relationship. We are shown, explicitly in canon, that Marinette doesn't really know Adrien. He's a heartthrob and she understandably has a crush on him. But while in later seasons she casts aspersions at his army of adoring fans who go to any length to be close to him, she herself is clearly no better. Evidence says she's much worse actually. She takes astounding liberties with his day to day life, she lies to get closer to him, she polices his relationships with specifically other female characters, she delights in his sadness as seen in Glaciator 2:

Marinette: Oh, Adrien! Fancy seeing you here! And you look so sad, that's good!

Marinette as hero even abuses her position as Ladybug to break into his room, rifle around his things and even sniff his pillow. The show seems to make some attempt to explain away her behaviour in Derision by telling us that, in fact, Marinette does all this because she is the wounded party. Even if we accept for the moment that Derision wasn't a lazy retro-justification in service of Marinette's poor behaviour, her trauma does not trump Adrien's right to privacy.

Except, in-show, anything Marinette wants or needs trumps anything anyone else wants or needs, including Adrien–her ostensible partner. Adrien feels left out? Actually, this is more stress for Ladybug. Adrien dates Kagami? Actually this is competition for Marinette. Adrien is locked in a near-sensory deprivation chamber by his super villain father and feels forced to relinquish his miraculous? Actually this is bad news for Marinette.

If she's a hero, then she's one that comes with a price–one far beyond what I'm willing to accept as audience. I want a flawed hero. I don't want perfection. But equally, I don't want to be force fed the notion that this girl's dominant flaw is being a clutz. We get a few brief glimpses into the cost of her controlling behaviours but generally we suffer almost the entire cast telling us she is the Most Wonderful and Supreme Being That Has Ever Existed, all this while she consistently excels within the narrative through the diminishment of others. Need we remember her acing the gamer competition having never displayed a previous interest? How she surpasses even Joan of Arc in all matters miraculous?

Marinette the knight and Adrien the supposed Princess in the Tower: on paper the concept is a little tired but interesting, worth exploring. The role reversal that Astruc aimed for fell short though, and what we have instead is a role amplification. As I write, I struggle to think of a piece of media where the romantic interest has been quite so violated, lied to, limited and enfeebled.

Why did Bechdel's quote ring so true with how Marinette/Ladybug is drawn? That I feel cheated. That the potential for greatness was there, but instead we have a character who from a slightly different angle looks like a hero from wow-heroes-are-jerks juggernaut, The Boys.

I hope Season 6 interrogates Marinette's issues of control and denying agency more. I hope we see consequences beyond what is now a tedious series of panic attacks from Marinette when she's caught short. I hope real contrition and growth are modelled and that real, impactful, damaging character flaws aren't swept away by a cloud of narrative magical ladybugs.

[vvitchering]

Everyone talking about their opinions re: Din's possession of the darksaber and his development (or lack therefore) and I wanna talk to so

Ever since he got the darksaber at the end of s2 I've been firmly in on the side of "Din should be Mand'alor", which was a topic the fandom seemed pretty evenly split over. A lot of people got hung up on his personal distaste for leadership and while I understand and see that I STILL think he was the best possible choice to be the new leader. And imo the show spent a ton of time reinforcing that!

Din IS a great leader, whether he likes it or not. He's calm under pressure, he's a fantastic negotiator, he's well versed in the ways of many different ways of life and cultures, and he's honorable yet flexible, I could go on and on. I also think narratively, at least as far as we got in mando s1-2 and tbobf, he was being set up as someone who could be the bridge between the more traditional mandalorians he was raised with and the rest of the scattered clans.

Din's personal journey was so fascinating. At least until S3 dropped the ball, it seemed like we were heading into a really interesting exploration of Din as a symbol of growth and change. His growth from a relatively sheltered personal existence to one that was shaped by all of his new experiences in protecting and raising Grogu and meeting all kinds of new people was one that I thought foreshadowed his becoming a great leader for his people.

There was so much room at the end of S2 to explore Din's changing relationship with his faith and Creed. Even the developments within tbobf added some really potentially amazing facets to that with the possibility of redemption existing within an old Mandalorian legend.

His journey to Mandalore should have been the bulk of S3, continuing with the adventure-of-the-week format, but peppering in more Mandalorian culture as Din learns more about himself and begins teaching Grogu about his adoptive culture. I've never been in favor of Din giving up his devotion to his Creed, but I have been thinking a lot about him altering his relationship with it and I think a tight focus on his struggle with figuring out this new perspective in light of everything that has happened to him so far would have been really emotionally rewarding.

And to wrap that all up with his eventual arrival on Mandalore could have been beautiful and epic. Finding the planet ravaged but not inhospitable to life, wandering the ruins of the city, and then finding his way into the mines to the Living Waters. Finding not a dark dank cavern with a museum plaque, but a sanctuary protected and preserved from the bombing of the surface by the sacred metal in its very foundation.

He walks into this beautiful place at the end of his journey, redemption for his sins right there within reach, and he reflects on what it means to be Mandalorian. Not the definition he was always taught, but what is means to HIM. What it will mean for his son. What it will mean for his scattered people.

And he does go through with the ritual bathing. He recites the Creed just as he did as a child, he walks into the water, and he doesn't feel much different for it. There's no big a-ha moment, no bright light shining down on him, no mythosaurs dragging him down, it's all a little underwhelming after all he's been through.

But as he's floating there, much more dressed down than he ended up being in the show, letting his vision adjust to being without the helmet, he notices there's murals all along the walls. The history of his people all laid out in brilliant color. Stories he's never heard, victories and defeats, heroes and villains, war and peace. His people were once mighty. They could be again.

And maybe he's STILL on the fence about it all, even after this experience. And it's not until he's drying off and watching Grogu splash in the shallow water that he realizes it's not about whether he wants to do it or not. Just as it wasn't really a choice to save Grogu from his fate, it's not really a choice to save his people. To revive their culture and their planet and bring everyone home again.

JUST imagine his speech that he gives to his covert but in the context of bringing their children home to live and play under their own system's sun.

The thing about Din is, from the get-go, he's a protector. He's a guardian, he's a caretaker, he can't help but want to help. A season devoted to further exploring his relationship with being Mandalorian and how that translates to his eventual decision to lead his people would have been sooooo so so good. I am literally always thinking about this and all the lost potential. He wouldn't even have had to STAY Mand'alor for this to work. He could have accomplished what he set out to do and then quietly stepped down and left the politics to someone else (NOT Bo-Katan, I still don't see any reason why she should be allowed anywhere near the throne after how much of her own fault it was the planet was lost in the first place, especially since she's clearly not interested in confronting or even admitting her guilt)

Like. Literally every fan theory I've seen about what S3 could have been is 100x better than what we've gotten. I have to believe its intentional sabotage at this point because no other explanation makes sense. This could have been an absolutely AMAZING season if it had followed up on any of the plot points it spent two and a half seasons establishing.

):

anyway id love to hear your theories and what you would have done with this season given the chance! Tell me your thoughts!!!!

[sepublic]

It’s obviously incredibly dumb but with how barebones Tridax is as a character (Tridax without an E, not to be confused with Teridax) I think there’s a lot we could explore with his sort-of relationship to Takanuva. He’s defeated and brainwashed so many alternate timeline versions of him that he probably understands Takanuva as a person and how he thinks, inside-out. Despite having never met our Takanuva, y’know? What personal secrets was each Shadow Takanuva made to confess to their new master?

There’s room for angst, an AU or two, of our beloved Takanuva, once Takua, coming across Tridax as this enemy who is somehow already intimate with him as a person, has done so much to him but also nothing at the same time. Talking to Takanuva like they’ve met before, because they have. We could set up Tridax as the ultimate enemy for Takanuva, the Doomsday to his Superman, the one who can and will always defeat him even though Tobduk killed Tridax with a sneak attack.

What makes our Takanuva any more special than the rest, what makes this scenario any more different, enough to end differently? Tridax has seen all the routes Takanuva can take, in some ways he knows him better than Takua himself. Tridax could be such an existential threat for Takanuva who sows so much doubt and paranoia into him, the inevitability of fate... Not just a Hero Killer, but the Takanuva Killer, the one who slays the biggest hero like it’s nothing! Practically exists to torment, to personally target him... Not just this one-off dude who exists for Vezon to annoy. If we did Into the Takanuvaverse, Tridax should be the villain, the Morlun to his Spider-Man.

[arealphrooblem]

5 Things You Can Find in my WIPs/Snippets

Thank you @those-damn-snippets for tagging me!

1. Power Imbalance

I think at the heart of a power imbalance, it's more about trust. In a healthy relationship dynamic, that trust is secured and so underneath the outer power imbalance is actual equilibrium. But when you have a power imbalance between enemies, you get a delicious uncertainty of putting your trust in someone who is just as likely to break it as not. It's a real leap of faith on the part of the protagonist and an opportunity to inspire mercy on the part of the villain. And I can't get enough of it.

2. Ruthless Antagonists

For me there is a difference between ruthlessness and outright cruelty. I love a ruthless villain who has no qualms committing cruel acts when there is a purpose. But they wouldn't be cruel just for the sake of being cruel and are perfectly capable of kindness or mercy when it doesn't clash with their goals.

3. Forced Proximity/Relationships

Because how else would you be forced to reevaluate your relationship with your enemy unless you had no other choice. I am a sucker for forced marriage because it's much more binding. Both parties are stuck with each other and they will have to find a way to make it work because the rest of their lives are on the line. No one is going anywhere. Plus I love having that clash of a situation that has built in expectations for a certain level of intimacy -- emotional or otherwise -- being shared with someone you can't trust at all.

4. Slow Burn

One of the reasons why I love enemies to lovers (when its done right) is that gradual change of their ideas about each other, which in turn gives them real reasons to love each other that isn't just "we are two people with connecting sexualities that exist in the same room as each other). Any romance I read or write needs a slow burn, a stage of relationship where they matter to each other before romance is even a factor

5. Fantasy/Historical type settings

As much as I love hero x villain when it's a superhero, so many excellent writers in this community have explored so much of it already. A lot of my ideas have started to become more centered around Hero x Villain as more of a protag/antag in fantasy or pseudo historical settings, where their powers exist outside of a superhero universe, or from being a supernatural creature, or even not having any powers at all. I still definitely write and still plan to write superhero universes, but I have also branched out a bit. I am planning on putting more snippets out in the fantasci tag on tumblr for this reason!

I don't know how has already done this fun tag game, so if you see this and want to try it, consider yourself tagged by me!

[xlillilith]

nothing to see here just have a lot of thoughts on tiana toomes as a character and how if marvel actually utilized her more and don't end up screwing her over she can a really amazing character and become a character able to stand alone (esp as a black female character because marvel has a serious lack of them)

this got long lolll

tiana/starling has so much potential as a character, in the sense of being standalone and not just a character who's Miles's Girlfriend. there's so much potential with her lore, being the granddaughter of one of the most infamous spiderman villains and the relationship between them. also her past + life before meeting miles, how she grew up, the impact that her father's abandonment and her mother's death had on her, what led her to becoming starling, etc---there's a lot of ways they can explore and develop her into a complex character. there just needs to be a writer to push her more, who cares about her and her potential. cody ziglar is great with miles but he hasn't really done enough work on cementing her as an individual character (because what do we know about her other than she dates miles and is a fellow superhero? whats her life like outside him, what other relationships does she have? what does she do outside of being a hero) and it's hard to get to know her because she just shows up every now and then. she needs an arc focused on fleshing out her backstory so people are given a reason feel an impact from her. and to care for her beyond her relationship to miles

as for her relationship with miles, i love them and i think they're great! i think she's the best love interest he's had in any media and i sincerely hope and pray she'll last and stick around for a long time as his long lasting love and become a permanent member to his cast, but there's room for their relationship to grow too. why are they good for each other? what made them fall for each other? we need moments outside of spiderman and starling, as miles and tiana. what they do in their downtimes. how do they spend their time together, does tiana know miles's family? has she interacted with billie, what do rio and jeff think of her? has miles interacted with adrian (actually this would be the perfect storyline for them to do considering she cut him off because of spiderman) we see tiana support miles, but how does miles support tiana? how would he react in a situation where she needs his support. there's a lot to consider and a lot of ways they can flesh out their dynamic

miles and tiana have potential to be one of the greatest couples in marvel, and im tired of ppl overlooking and ignoring it (and her). miles and tiana as of right now are one of the very few black relationships in marvel (which is extremely extremely sad how rare black couples are) and are one of the more healthier ones. they're great representation and fill a void we so desperately need to fill when it comes to black love and i'd hate to see it thrown away. i hateee how much marvel overlooks them and that there's the possibility of breaking them up (due to....certain factors 🙄)

overall tiana just has so much to offer and it hurts to see how marvel isn't doing what they could with her and she deserves better. i just hope she can be able to live up to her potential and not suffer the fate a lot of black marvel characters do ahhhhh

[jackiestarsister]

OUAT Rewatch: Overall Thoughts

~ The difference between binge-watching and watching it week by week, season by season is huge. I was more patient with the drawn-out storylines and filler episodes.

~ I don’t think a series like this would have been made after the Trump presidency, covid pandemic, and other events since the mid/late 2010s. Its themes of hope and redemption already seem old-fashioned and idealistic, but I think they may be needed now even more than when it first came out.

~ There are great themes throughout the show: seizing the present moment, being open to love, giving people second chances, looking to the future with hope rather than fear.

~ This time around, I was more aware of the music score and how different characters have their own leitmotifs. I love it!

~ For many shows, the pilot/premiere episode is not great, and it takes a while for the story to find its footing. But the first episode of OUAT is absolutely perfect and one of the best in the series.

~ The first few seasons and last couple seasons were great. I much prefer the seasons when the characters are in Storybrooke dealing with a variety of problems and antagonists, rather than introducing a particular world and/or character and focusing entirely on them for half a season. The writing suffered most in Seasons 4-5, to the point that it felt like the writers were creating drama purely for the sake of drama, even at the cost of consistency in themes, plotlines, worldbuilding and characterization. But even in their worst parts, there are still great moments here and there.

~ Although I don’t always like the costuming choices, some of them are great! The Camelot styles are probably the closest to the European medieval fairy tale style one would expect.

~ It’s great to see a show with so much emphasis on parenthood and family, including the breaking of intergenerational cycles of trauma.

~ It’s great to have a female-centric show (Emma, Regina, and Snow White are the main characters for most of it), but it sometimes feels as though they would have benefited from more women in the writers’ room and wardrobe department. This is most painfully felt through the duos and trios of sisters during the “Frozen” arc; it sounds like men trying to write about the bond of sisterhood with no actual understanding of that dynamic.

~ The most compelling thing about the first few seasons is Emma’s effort to connect first with her son and then with her parents. The later seasons explore other aspects of her identity, particularly her fear of losing the people she loves.

~ Cora Mills is the best villain. All the others are just trying to live up to the standard she set, and they all start to sound repetitive after a while.

~ As someone who was obsessed with “Peter Pan” as a kid, I wouldn’t have expected to enjoy a story that depicts Captain Hook as a hero and Peter Pan as a villain, but it works so well! Colin O’Donoghue’s Hook is fantastic, and Robbie Kay’s Pan is truly sinister.

~ Rebecca Mader was great in “Samantha: An American Girl Holiday,” but I hate her as the Wicked Witch. She’s so sickly sweet and poorly written in her first few seasons, only becoming tolerable later on.

~ As a lover of “Beauty and the Beast,” I loved Belle and her relationship with Rumplestiltskin in the first few seasons, and was saddened to see both the characters and the relationship decline later on. They try to make Belle a strong, active character, but she is still too often swept off the chessboard, and their relationship devolves into toxicity and abuse before finally being resolved in the end. It feels a bit demeaning, like it’s living up to modern, literal interpretations of B&B rather than leaning into the symbolism and psychology of the story.

~ Emma and Hook’s relationship strikes a beautiful balance between epic love story worthy of legend and ordinary couple navigating the day-to-day difficulties of dating. I think Emma’s struggles with trust, vulnerability, and commitment are very relatable to young adults today.

~ Rumplestiltskin did not need that many love interests. Seriously. I lost count of how many women Robert Carlyle got to kiss in this show. He’s supposed to be a physically and morally repulsive villain, the Beast that only Belle can truly love. Making him an object of so many women’s desire undermines that.

~ The script throws around a lot of religious/spiritual words—like hope, faith, grace, redemption—without really digging into what they mean.

~ The worldbuilding is inconsistent and illogical, particularly with the Dark One, the Author, the rules of magic, and the existence of different realms.

~ I don’t like that they treat the Disney versions of so many stories like they are the official canon, rather than retellings of much older stories. The incorporation of characters from more recent movies like “Brave” and “Frozen” is kind of hit or miss. I will say, though, that the casting for Anna, Elsa, and Merida was spot-on!

~ The writers and characters go back on their own word a lot. The biggest example: the first few seasons emphasize that “magic comes with a price,” but the later seasons use magic as a cheap plot device and shortcut.

~ It’s great to see redemption arcs for many villains, but many of them involve character regression just for the sake of stretching out the drama. And because sometimes they simply kill of characters

~ The writers seem unable to decide whether they want the show to be idealistic or realistic.

~ I don’t like how the show leans into negative stereotypes and misconceptions of foster care. I remember watching the show back when my own family was hosting foster kids; it was extremely awkward hearing the characters such awful things about foster homes.

~ It seems like the writers struggled to decide which characters should be leads, supports, recurring, or limited to a certain period. They kill off characters that might have been better off staying alive, and resurrect characters that might have been better off staying dead. It makes me wonder if they looked at Grimm’s fairy tales and thought “Hey, these are full of people dying and coming back to life, we could use that!”

~ The show sometimes seems to reinforce the very labels it tries to transcend, particularly the concepts of “hero” and “villain.” It tries to be deep and nuanced but sometimes ends up sounding shallow and dissonant instead.

~ I was prepared to thoroughly dislike the seventh season, but I found myself enjoying it a lot! It managed to capture at least some of the sense of intrigue and suspense that characterized the first season. My main critique is that it should have been a separate spin-off, not tacked on to the rest of the show. It doesn’t really build on the previous seasons’ storylines; it just puts the action in a new setting and mixes old protagonists with new ones.

[tobiasdrake]

So, episode 2-1. Overall, I'd say this was a fun one, if a bit spotty. This is a popcorn episode.

What If sometimes plays fast and loose with continuity, ostensibly spinning out of a particular point in the MCU but flagrantly ignoring continuity entirely in favor of telling its own unique story instead. Sometimes this goes well; Sometimes it's just weird.

This was one of those episodes. It purports to diverge from Guardians 1 but makes no effort to shore up its characters or plot points with that film. It vaguely alludes to Guardians 1 moreso than it spins out of Guardians 1. Using familiarity with Guardians 1 to fill the gaps in its plot and worldbuilding but having no solid relationship to the film whatsoever.

More "Somewhere in the Multiverse where everything is different" than "What if?" Sometimes that works out great and sometimes it doesn't.

They play around with a film noir aesthetic and give us some spotlight focus on Nebula, though much like their relationship to MCU canon, they rarely go beyond inferences to the noir genre; This is very much not a noir story, opting instead for a more straightforward and upbeat tale of a hero overcoming adversity to save her adopted planet and people. The cynicism, tragedy, and grittiness of the genre is all absent here.

Rather, in MCU style, the episode manages to be heroic and optimistic, with likable protagonists fighting for a heroic cause and prevailing despite the odds. Its one dalliance into darker fare is a betrayal of Nebula's trust that is meant to be significant, but that fails to land on account of a lack of emotional investment in Nova Prime.

The short run-time and quick pace of these episodes mean the writers need to really think about what they want to spend their time on. This episode spent about a third of its runtime developing and exploring Nebula's relationship with Yon-Rogg, a character who is ultimately unimportant and would be relegated to a funny Hulk Smash gag during the climax, while barely even offering glimpses into the main villain until what's meant to be an emotional gut-punch of a twist.

They touch ever so briefly on an interesting notion, of Nebula being an ex-con and outsider to Xandar who becomes its greatest hero in spite of the other "proper" Novas looking down on her judgmentally (while they conspire to betray Xandar to Ronan). But it never has a chance to manifest as a serious theme.

Nonetheless, Nebula's a neat protagonist who's easy to root for, and it's great to see her in control of situations. Where the episode excels is in its action, its lighthearted antics, and letting its heroes shine. Korg, Groot, and Miek being "Rock, Paper, Scissors" killed me. That might be the best joke in the series.

Overall, I'd say this was one of the better episodes of What If, while nonetheless showing room for improvement. Structurally, it has great ideas that don't come out properly in execution and feels in need of another draft to become what it seems like it wants to be. But for what it is, it's still well-made and a lot of fun to watch.

[skin-slave]

Can I add the sexual and emotional maturity part? Pretty pls? *doesn't wait for an answer*

Ok, so, there's obv sexual tension with Jareth. That's by design. The original script called for a kiss. (David refused, bc Jennifer was 14 and he wasn't comfortable.) It's very apparent. They're obsessed with each other, breathlessly consumed. All of their interactions are way too intimate for strangers.

That's bc Jareth is based on her mom's bf, Jeremy. That isn't super obv in the original cut, but he's in pics and clippings with her mom in her room.

Girls have crushes on men. That goes double if he's an authority figure, which mom's partner would be. And since she lives with dad, there's space to idealize him. Super normal teenage stuff.

The fantasy world gives her a way to explore the crush. He's still a gorgeous bad boy. But, this time, he reciprocates her feelings. He reflects her ideas on romance. Jareth is Jeremy, filtered thru her interests and desires to be "perfect" for her.

She spends so much time in the begining trying to prove that she's grown enough for him. From the get-go, he teases her about having toys and costumes, being too much of a little girl to play his game. She responds by being overly confident. It doesn't look that hard... It's a piece of cake. She's mature enough to be his partner the hero to his villain.

The masquerade scene is so romantic. He's serenading her while they dance like a king and queen in a beautiful room. He holds her. It's so dramatic and velvety and deep.

But she breaks away. She lost the plot with the peach. She doesn't leave bc of Toby. She leaves bc it's weird. She isn't herself. She's out of her element. It was what she thought she wanted, but getting it (or getting very close to it, since this is still fantasy) just feels vaguely wrong.

And, in the end, she has to face him alone. He's offering her everything, as long as she obeys. Fear me, love me, do as I say and I will be your slave. All she has to do is leave her family, leave her old life, depend on him, and cosplay a queen. But she doesn't actually want that.

So she delivers the final blow. You have no power over me. Even if she can be with him, she doesn't have to be. Not even if he's willing to fulfill the fantasy. She's in control. Not him, not the feelings.

Which is huge for a kid! It can be so hard to fall for someone and not try to have a relationship. It feels like you have to. But at that age, with a very normal crush on an adult, it's not a good idea to seek out a relationship. Learning to enjoy the crush without trying to pair off is important.

She even admits that she's not done with the fantasy. She's still a kid, and it's ok to be a kid. But even when she's grown up - every now and then in my life - she'll need that inner space with the characters and symbols she's created to process.

And Jareth is there, in his owl form. She rejected him - the reality of what being with Jeremy would mean - but he's gonna be around to help her deal with the tension and excitement. And to just be fun. Fun is ok.

There are so many themes in the film. The transition from believing she wants to live in a fantasy, to trying the fantasy, to realizing it should stay fantasy, is one of my faves.

what the fuck was wrong with people that Labyrinth was originally a flop. How could they take any aspect of it so for granted. How could they fucking do that to Jim Henson. Newspapers were calling it boring and even ugly. I want to go back in time and beat their asses.

[shikai-the-storyteller]

I honestly go ham for any well-written villain / hero relationship, I don't care if it's romantic or platonic, I LOVE ME A GOOD VILLAIN / HERO RELATIONSHIP...GOOD CONTENT

Give me villains who gloat about kicking the hero's butt 24/7 but would burn the world to the ground if the hero ever got seriously injured or even died. Give me heroes whose sworn duty is to defeat the villain, but instantly jump in to save them from a worse Bad Guy without a moment’s hesitation. Give me Hero / Villain relationships!!

[justgottafinishthischapter]

Writing Resource: Character Driven Storytelling VS Plot Driven Storytelling

We’re stepping back from romance tropes to talk about a fundamental building block of narrative storytelling. Today, I want to explain the difference between a story that is driven by its Characters, and a story driven by its Plot. Going into this, I wanna make it clear that I have no bias between either. Both forms of storytelling are good. But as we’ll see in my examples, one of them does have a weakness that the other does not. More on that later.

CHARACTER DRIVEN STORYTELLING

In a Character Driven Story, the narrative is used to create avenues to explore the characters. The characters, their relationships, dynamics, and flaws come before the story being told. The characters are the true heart and center of the story. Most Sit-coms and other such comedic stories follow this approach where the characters are used to tell the jokes, while the deeper world or story is used to give these compelling characters a world to inhabit. Daria, Futurama, and Bob’s Burgers are three such examples of excellent comedic shows that are Character Driven. Futurama may have compelling narratives and deeper lore, but it is still a comedy with a cast of lovable characters at the center of the story being told. This is not to say that a character-driven story can’t have an ongoing narrative, but rather that said narrative takes a backseat to the characters. Daria is great at using its characters to explore its themes and ideas. Let’s take an episode of Daria for our example. In the episode Through a Lens Darkly, Daria gets contact lenses. Her change to contacts from her former pair of glasses that seemed almost alienating and off-putting leads to many people complimenting Daria on the change, but the contacts are itchy and irritating. The next day, Daria doesn’t want to wear her glasses, but she also doesn’t want to wear her contacts, and lies about having her contacts in. After causing a mess in the cafeteria, Daria hides in the girl’s room out of shame, and her two closest female friends try to talk to her about what she’s going through. Daria confesses to feeling like a hypocrite, usually mocking the girls who care about their appearances, yet now being guilty of it herself. It’s not until popular girl Brittney comes into the bathroom that the situation improves. Britney tells Daria that knowing that someone as smart and antisocial as Daria cares about her appearance too makes Britney feel less self-conscious about how much SHE cares about her own appearance, and reminded Britney that Daria is a human being just like her. This is enough to finally get Daria to open the stall door and emerge, thanking Britney for her insight. Caring about her appearance doesn’t make Daria a hypocrite, it just makes her human. Daria the show isn’t full of bombastic action scenes or intense steaks, but the really good episodes have some amazing character work at their cores, exploring the identities and values of its cast.

PLOT DRIVEN STORYTELLING

When a story is driven by the Plot, the exact opposite happens. The narrative is the primary focus, while the characters exist to propel the story forward. However, just as a compelling story can exist within a character driven show, so too can compelling characters exist in a story driven show. Unfortunately, sometimes you end up with a story like RWBY, where the characters are only fighting the villains because they just happened to stumble into the larger narrative by accident. None of the characters have any personal steak in defeating the big bad. Most barely have a reason to even be heroes at this point. Blake has effectively completed her character arc, and Ruby is so stupid that another character had to make her sit down and learn about her protagonist super powers. Why are the heroes fighting the villain? Because... Qrow told them to? Hell, the girls now spend about half of every volume sitting around talking about what they should be doing while they wait for orders from Qrow, Oscar, or some other ally. You’d think that Ruby, the protagonist, would be the one leading the group towards the fight with Salem. But no, Ruby is as much a follower as the rest of the main cast while the grown-ups actually make most of the decisions. Does Qrow even need Team RWBY? Well... extra man power doesn’t hurt. That’s about how much Team RWBY specifically needs to be involved in this story. The Characters of RWBY do not exist to give the story shape, but rather, the narrative drags the characters through the story by their nose hairs. The girls have little to no agency. Qrow said go to Mantel, so they went to Mantle. Qrow said go to Atlas, so they go to Atlas. They haven’t been to Vacuo yet, so everyone heads to Vacuo. At this point, the main characters are just passengers in the narrative.

TEEN TITANS

Teen Titans is a perfect example of a character driven action cartoon. Every episode is centered around either nonstop jokes and comedy or a character having an emotional revelation. If one really stops and thinks about the villains of Teen Titans, one may realize how non-entities they all are. Almost every single villain is a two-dimensional bad guy with no redeeming quality, and some barely have a solid motivation. But that’s not why they exist as villains. The villains of Teen Titans are not nuanced people meant to be full characters in their own right. They are plot devices. A source of conflict to drive our heroes to act. Let’s take the episode Car Trouble from Season 1. This is a Cyborg episode. The episode begins with Cyborg showing the rest of the team the super car he built and is super proud of. A mission comes up, and the team gets in the car to thwart the villain, Overload. A couple thugs steal Cyborg’s car, and Cyborg goes crazy looking for it, with Raven questioning why he’s losing his mind over a stupid piece of machinery. The car gets stolen from the thugs by Gizmo, and finally possessed by Overload, who can assimilate into machinery. In order to get the car away from Gizmo and Overload, Cyborg has to destroy the T-Car, and Raven gives a heartfelt speech about how the car is a part of him and how he had to put a piece of himself into it when he built it. She then points out that the super chip of the car survived, and the episode closes on Cyborg rebuilding his car with Raven lending him a hand and giving him a rare and genuine smile as it fades to black. Did you notice how little the villains factored into that episode? Because the episode isn’t about Gizmo, or Overload, or the thugs that stole the car to begin with. It was never about them. The episode was about Raven and Cyborg making a connection. The car being stolen was simply the conflict used to facilitate this heart-to-heart between them. While Teen Titans did have arcing storylines that spanned season-wide arcs like the Terra Arc in season 2, H.Y.V.E. and Brother Blood in season 3, Trigon in season 4, and the Brotherhood of Evil in season 5, the show by large was still episodic, with most episodes featuring on two (or more) characters getting the spotlight as they work on better understanding one another, or realizing they were wrong about something.

VOLTRON: LEGENDARY DEFENDER

Voltron is the exact opposite of Teen Titans. Where Teen Titans uses its narrative to put a spotlight on its characters, Voltron uses its characters to put a spotlight on the narrative. The story is the main focus, with many episodes in a row sometimes carrying on small arcs within each season as ongoing plotpoints. While the story shines in its storytelling (at least in the early seasons), a few characters clearly get neglected in the process. It’s clear the writers liked Keith and Pidge since they get the best storylines and development, but the same cannot be said for Hunk. Hunk has a small arc in season 1 about helping Shae, a Balmeran alien he met. He doesn’t get another real heavy focus again until season 7, when he reminds a group of Galra the cultural significance of ‘Vrepit Sah’, an often repeated verbal salute that the Galra use. Hunk went 6 entire seasons being a background character with little if anything to do. What’s worse, Team Voltron has two tech people. Pidge, who is the hacker softwear specialist, and Hunk, the engineering hardware specialist. But when the warp core needs fixing, does Coran ask the engineer to help him with the engine? No, he asks the hacker to help with ship maintenance. The main thing Hunk should be doing for the team, and it’s handed to Pidge instead because she was clearly a writer’s pet character for the crew. To a lesser extent, this lack of attention from the writers effected many of the characters. Lance never really completes his arc, his friends constantly mock his lack of book smarts, and he gives up on his dreams at the age of 21 to spend the rest of his life pining over a girl he knew for about 4 years, and dated for a maximum of a few months. Allura started off as the effective team leader, telling the Paladins where to go and what to do to keep the ship operational, but once she becomes a Paladin, she’s actually demoted to taking orders from Keith. Also, she repeatedly makes it clear she has no romantic interest in Lance, he keeps persisting despite her telling him to stop, and then they start dating. And Shiro, poor Shiro, once they bring him back to life he has nothing to do. His dynamic with all of the Paladins has completely evaporated, his role in the team is gone, his brotherly bond with Keith has cooled to a highly formal workplace dynamic, and until the Atlas is finished being built, he has nothing to contribute to the team. In most scenes, he’s just ... there. Voltron is so focused on telling a story-driven narrative that it abandons its characters by the side of the road. And by the late seasons, the characters are so disregarded by the show that the story-driven narrative starts to crack and break apart without good characters to hold it together. When most fans talk about why the show isn’t as good later on, it’s because the great character writing from the first few seasons deteriorated. And even a good story is meaningless without compelling characters at the heart of it.

AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER

Avatar is objectively the perfect balance between story-driven and character-driven storytelling. The overarching narrative of Aang needing to defeat Fire Lord Ozai propels the characters through the story, but several episodes take the time to make sure each character has compelling personal storylines as well. Whether it’s Iroh teaching Toph that it’s okay to let people help her, Sokka telling Toph that he can’t remember his mother’s face, Katara and Haru talking about the price of war and the loss of family, or just Zuko’s everything, the characters are the true heart of Avatar, and they get the love and attention that the characters of Voltron never did. I would say that Book 1 is more character-driven as it’s more episodic and light-hearted with occasional plot episodes, while Book 2 is the most plot-driven, as it has several tightly interwoven storylines between the day of black sun, Appa’s kidnapping, the Dai Li, and Azula’s coup, it’s the best season in terms of Avatar firing on all cylinders in the story-telling department. Book 3 is also story-driven, but a little weaker than season 2, as it loosens up on as much of a narrative focus to balance between character and plot. Yes, several important plot points appear in Book 3, but the season also takes several episodes to show Zuko going on friendship field trips with the three main heroes, Aang having a severe anxiety attack about the invasion plans, and The Beach is just a masterclass in character writing. Avatar strikes the perfect balance between Teen Titans’ character-driven action show, and Voltron’s narrative-driven action show to make Avatar an action show driven by both its characters and its narrative in equal measure.

[chatonnoir]

So the plotline of Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man movies from the 2000s has always been an obvious inspiration for Miraculous. For those who don’t know or remember, basically Spider-Man’s first nemesis was The Green Goblin, who also happened to be his best friend’s rich, distant, widowed father. Spider-Man and Green Goblin find out each other’s identities over the course of the first movie, and in the final battle, the Green Goblin makes a mistake that leads to his own death. As the man was dying after he'd spiraled in to insanity & his plan to kill Spider-Man backfired on him he used his last words to ask Peter not to tell his son the truth: that he turned out to be a villainous piece of shit. Spider-Man isn’t able to leave before Harry sees him with the dead body of his father. So riddled with horror and sadness and guilt over destroying his best friends' family/leaving him orphaned and wanting to honor that dying wish Peter lets his best friend be devastated believing his superhero persona just murdered Harry's "innocent civilian" father in cold blood and lets the public believe Norman Osborn was just a normal billionaire and not the public menace he actually was.

The next two movie adaptations in the trilogy then explored how the knowledge weighs on Peter and how this all put a strain on their friendship and how Peter now has to listen to his best friend tell him how much he wants to kill his superhero alter ego for revenge. Many civilians hate him and think he’s a danger to the public, and he struggles to balance his personal and hero lives, so for a brief period of time he gives up being Spider-Man before realizing that the city needs him. Harry resolves to kill Spider-Man to avenge his father, but when he’s about to go through with it he discovers Spider-Man’s identity and is devastated to find out it’s his own beloved best friend and can’t bring himself to hurt him. Soon after this, Harry discovers his father’s secret Villain Room within their house and realizes his father was the Green Goblin and has visions of his father compelling him to avenge him and kill Spider-Man despite he himself not wanting to hurt Peter. The end of the second movie is also when Mary Jane, Peter’s love interest, finally learns his identity.

The plot of the third movie is all over the place but tl;dr: Harry becomes the new Green Goblin and is hellbent on killing Spider-Man, while the movie also continues to emphasize through this that Harry loves and would die for his friends, and in the final battle against two other villains, Harry takes a hit for Spider-Man and dies protecting him because his love for Peter won out despite everything.

And as you can see the story starts out having a LOT in common with Miraculous. The hero is a regular boy who is saddled with superpowers, a red suit, and great responsibility, he struggles with balancing his real life and civilian lives, he suffers due to having to keep secrets from his loved ones and hurting his relationships because of it, and he’s not able to be with the girl he loves because of his hero identity. The hero’s rich best friend has a father whose love and approval he yearns for. Said father is a cold, distant widow who changed after his wife (named Emily!) died. He's a famous business owner who is impressed by the hero’s talents as a civilian. He’s also secretly a supervillain/domestic terrorist who progressively loses his sanity over the course of the movie. His identity reveal is a devastating secret that has major impacts on the hero and his best friend.

But then that plot plays out a lot differently than how most people seem to expect the story of Miraculous to play out, at least judging from the trends I see in fanfiction etc. and how they expect the order of events to go. Like with the villain's son not finding out about his father’s villainy at all in the first arc and only learning long after his father is defeated and dies, at the end of the second film. Same with him finding out the hero’s identity. And also with the hero and the best friend/rich villain’s son having a whole angst/enemies arc over how the villainous father’s ghost still hangs between them long after his death.

So my deranged possible prediction for Season 5: At the end of the season Gabriel will die due to something of his own doing (he IS already dying from the cataclysm on his arm as is). There’s also a part in the Spider-Man comics where Spider-Man is briefly able to snap the Green Goblin out of his madness by showing him that his son was emaciated in the hospital, so maybe Gabriel snaps out of his madness when he somehow senti-snaps Adrien out of existence and then realizes what he’s done, leading to Ladybug being able to defeat him and possibly having to use the combined Ladybug & Black Cat Miraculous wish to bring Adrien back (since the final ep is called Re-Creation). Gabriel's last dying wish is that Ladybug not tell Adrien his secret. The world doesn't find out Gabriel Agreste was Hawkmoth and mourns the death of Gabriel Agreste and Ladybug has to carry the secret and guilt alone.

Speculating on what could happen after that in the next season is harder and even more deranged. I'm pretty sure the lovesquare identity reveal is supposed to happen this season but maybe they Don't reveal this season at all and the next season(s) follow the aftermath and consequences of Gabriel’s death, seeing as Spider-Man 2 had Peter struggling with the Green Goblin secret and had both his love interest and his best friend learning his identity. Adrien Agreste is not as vengeful as Harry Osborn is and unlike Harry with Spider-Man before Spider-Man’s identity reveal, Adrien knows and loves Ladybug, so would he actually believe Ladybug killed his father or anything close to it? Could they do a Ladynoir enemies arc? While Adrien and Marinette are dating pre-reveal and Marinette struggles with the weight of the promise she made and the secret she has to keep from the person she loves? The end of the first Spider-Man had Peter and Mary Jane at Norman Osborn’s funeral, with Mary Jane confessing that she loved Peter and Peter rejecting her by saying they should remain Just Friends and breaking her heart, despite spending the entire movie pining for her, because he refuses to put her in danger. In a similar fashion, if we get Adrienette dating pre-reveal this season, maybe they’ll break up? I highly doubt Adrien would have a badboy revenge phase but there’s other ways it could be done. I was wondering how Lila (who is obviously being set up to be the next hawkmoth) could possibly be a more threatening/dangerous villain than a billionaire, but thinking about her lies/manipulation in the context of the plot of the Spider-Man movies and how Peter struggles with the people not trusting him and the media making him out to be a menace after he defeats the Green Goblin...... maybe Lila convinces the public that Ladybug is actually a threat? That her failure led to the death of """Beloved Designer""" Gabriel Agreste? Public enemy Ladybug perhaps?? Vs. conflicted hero Chat Noir??? And then an identity reveal that changes everything??? Idk if I can imagine Chat Noir believing Ladybug could be bad or turning on her especially when they're closer than ever right now but if the cards were played right who knows. Or maybe they'll just have an angst arc without the enemies part?? I probably won't even have an answer to any of this for another 2 years 🥲

[the-stove-is-divorced]

there will never be 0 tabs. the tabs are forever. the tabs know all.

Platonic relationships get seriously side-lined and it's honestly maddening. They make a point to have hero teams, long standing and assumingly incredibly tight knit, and then have ZERO elaboration for any of those dynamics! We get a Kate & Immortal, Rudy & Monster Girl which are both weird as best, but no actual exploration into what TT was like! It's so odd? Like they're teams! TT is arguably family-like. AND DON'T GET ME STARTED ON MARK AND EVE, OMG. Like, they incited Mark's interest in her, not from Mark just admiring her, naturally crushing on her over time, bonding, or even her flirting first, it's guilt. Like, actual guilt? It's not even her her, it's another verison of her that actively rescued him at such a horrible low, Mark probably feels like he owes her! It feels like they're checking it off the last quickly than natural development? It's so bizarre??? We already discussed Kate, too, but it's all so odd. What are the priorities???? (」＞＜)」 I loathe their ship because of it, istg.

Kate and Mark need to hang out and just chill, please. Literally they both need it.

Yeah, and if they're test subjects, or anything like Rex, this normally would be an insanely fucked up thing to do, but especially fucked up thing to do! Where's the rage at feeling like a lab rat all over again? If Robot got them all together, where's the accusations that he was just testing them, seeing which one made the best to copy? AND RIGHT? Why doesn't it affect how Rex sees Amanda? How Amanda sees Rex?Where's any commentary about this impacting dynamics permanently? Why are they just cool with it? Where's the arc to gain trust back? Why haven't the dynamics shifted for a season, mistrust? Missions gone wrong because they don't believe him? Leaving rooms because he's in there, even. Outright refusing to even go on the field with him. Go dramatic and have him kicked out the team! SOMETHING! What GDA doesn't and do know about the Mauler twins will never not be funny to me like they're casually pushing the boundaries of technological accomplishments when blackmailed, and even not, they could single-handedly end wait lists for organ transplants.

I'd love more look at Art as a way to explore the hero ecosystem, like him being outright, stubbornly neutral. Does he have discounts for non-indestructible supers? How does he keep from being pressured to spill anything about villains if GDA/GoG knows/figures out what he may know about dangerous villains? Does he kinda just know everybody by proxy? Like does he refuse to know any details about what people do, or does he just get close to some clientele like Nolan? Does that make an unintentional informant, if he wanted to be? Do registered supes have their suits paid automatically? I'd love if villains/heroes referenced him randomly, like "damnit, I just saw Art," like randomly.

The Immortal and Mark comment is actually insane, when have they ever? Immortal actively distrusted him???? Like, there is potential for Mark somewhat projecting into Immortal and trying desperately to prove himself to him specifically, because if someone who KNEW Nolan AND hates Mark changed their mind about him, then it could really prove he's not his Father's Son...and dammit I want a fic on this now. That's so compelling. Dammit. But in canon, it's just like one-sided mistrust that dies after one mission and they're like distant coworkers. Though, kinda crazy Mark isn't trying to have some mentor, I'd think he'd want to model himself after anybody else. He wanted to be just like his Dad so bad, it'd make sense to me if he tried find a new role model. Idk gimme desperate asf Mark.

AND YES. Please give us SOMETHING to work with 'cause why is no other nation even mentioned? How is there NO throwaway lines about that? Shadow gov't type comment would work so perfectly, it's so fitting??? [[ Also still baffled that Immortal cared so much to yell at Shapesmith about AMERICANS getting left behind on Mars and not just, y'know, HUMANS. ]] <- This is such a good fucking point cause why does this show ffr not mention ANYONE ELSE. And why is Immortal (incidentally???) such a patriot??? I'm too tired to add on my own questions, but it's such a head scratcher. This is needed world building here. AND INCENTIVE for hero kids is so interesting. Like hero recruiters trying to snatch up needed heroes, or even flex how many they have in case of anything. Is having more heroes like having more nukes/weaponry, or something adjacent? Like is it a threat if one nation has more loyal heroes than others considering how potentially destructive they can be?

NO FR! WHAT WAS THE CECIL INCIDENT AND WHY IS DEBBIE NEVER LETTING IT GO. I would fucking laugh my ass off if it was because while babysitting, Cecil stopped paying attention while his precious teleporter was still in production and he just fucking lost Mark. Like they were running tests and Mark got hit by a stray beam of light, or sneaking somewhere and they lost him. I'd never forgive that either. What do you mean you lost my CHILD? AND HE COULD BE ANYWHERE ON EARTH OR EVEN FUCKING BEYOND? Please, let this be the reason I'd die laughing. It'd be typical of a kid POV if for Mark he had this grand adventure one day but after his Mom HATED Cecil and he never babysat again.

ALSO YES? This is what I'm talking about like the impact of a Hero Family, because yes Debbie shouldn't be afraid of her own husband but also like,,,, he could kill you in seconds, I'd be wary, personally. Like her sense of danger should be skewed? Maybe even desensitized to violence, death, threats, dangers. At what point does the vaguely dangerous stuff your husband does become mundane? Like, at what point does it become kinda meaningless??? Or, has she always been a Take No Shit kinda person?

I feel like this is what I mean but how it's ODD that Invincible tries to have the "normal family for YEARS" dynamic that ONLY changes when Mark gets his powers, but refuses to elaborate on how average they can possibly be with their shown dynamics, or possible implications considering who they are? I get why, it's a classic comic setup, average teen until POWERS, but also... it is so much more fascinated and makes more sense if they're fucking unhinged in weirdly specific areas by proxy. Debbie has a completely warped sense of danger + unimpressed by most heroic activities b/c they've become mundane, Mark, subconsciously, views heroic work as ultimately superior if it's more important than his Dad being home, Nolan thinks is fine to be majority hands off for his own child, etc, etc.

While I'm not too familiar with the DCU- your batfam meta posts are intiguing- so in transfering some of the broader strokes from them- I think you tackling a 'Mark isn't Nolan's biological son' fic would be fascinating. Sort of a step to the side of the 'what if Mark never got his powers' fic that sometimes pop up in the fandom

OOOOOO chewing on this currently, hm, the much a distinct flavor of exactly what you’re talking about, but the potential for more family drama depending on WHO knows. Does Mark know?? Is he waiting every day only to be crushed? Does he confused non-Debbie features with Nolan’s? I suppose I’m not the most enthusiastic about non-power AUs, but I think there’s something very fun to explore about Mark having to settle with, if he knows all his life, he will never have powers? I think the trajectory of his dreams will obviously shift, I can see him still having that distinct fatherly idolization, but perhaps embraces being useful to the GDA? Cecil’s number one intern—only intern—curtesy of nepotism, ha! There is something tickling me about Mark taking the Robin Route/Role for the Teen Team in terms of having no powers, just insane skills, BUT there’s something way more delicious about intern Mark when s1e01 happens and Mark tries snooping around to find out the truth about what happened to his Dad.

I wonder if, with Mark having a whole another father, if they’re more or less distant relationship, depending on WHEN Nolan entered Mark’s life? Like if Debbie met Nolan later for this, or just for fun, they dated once, separated (Mark being born during then), then they happened to stumble into each others lives again and Mark’s already been born, anywhere from tween to teenager so there’s a gap in how close they are. I feel like one important aspect of the whole Family Drama is how close they’re supposed to be, a functional, loving family turned upside down? So I wonder what more distance does. I wonder how Nolan copes when his family is entirely human and he can’t project onto Mark.

I love thinking about these, omg.

[champion-prism]

Fantasies- Toshinori Yagi/All Might

Requested by anon: hello prism!! Do you write young age all might? If you do, can you write one where toshi fantasizes about f!reader and feels bad about it, but cant help it? Maybe he has her clothes or something?

Anon im coming back from the dead to write this bc guilty jerking off is my FAVOURITE thing ever.

Pairings: Young!All Might x F!Reader

Warnings: NSFW, guilt

Word Count: 1734

Toshinori’s life is a whirlwind right now. He’s getting major attention for his hero work, making sure to be seen publicly at least once a day, staying on call with the fire department in case there’s an emergency and his rescue services are needed, he’s attending classes at university, working out in his spare time, working with Dave on testing new tech and variations to his suit for maximum utility…

...oh, and he’s avoiding you.

Not that you know he’s avoiding you, he’s always sweet when you run into him in the common area of your four person suite, always offers to pour you a drink of lemonade, always asks how your classes are going. He just tries to make sure that he’s not out in the common area while you’re there, preferring to skulk out whenever you go back to your room, because he knows.

He knows that if he runs into you, he’s going to stare at your legs, smooth and pretty looking in those tiny, tiny shorts you’re always wearing, and he knows that if you bend down he’s going to catch a glimpse of your panties. He feels terrible about it, because he has seen your panties- not on purpose! He’s All Might, he doesn’t look up skirts or things like that, he isn’t… he isn’t a pervert.

Truth be told, he’s been rather taken with you ever since he and Dave were assigned to this suite with you and another girl. At first, he supposed he didn’t really care much- roommates had never given him trouble, female or otherwise- but you...you made him feel weird.

You had this gentle tone of voice when he introduced himself, his name softly rolling off your tongue, making him feel this oddest urge to...know what you were thinking. He wanted to talk, he wanted to brag, he wanted to lift something heavy just to show you that he could lift heavy things, even though he was aware that it would be a ridiculous thing to do. It was a ridiculous thing to think, even, as he confided in Dave later.

Dave had just laughed at him.

The urge he got when he saw you, the urge to pull you into a hug and press you flush against his whole body, he didn’t know what to make of it.

Until now.

He’s been sitting in almost darkness in his room for a while now, holding in his hands his varsity “Plus Ultra” jacket that he had put around your shoulders last night, when he’d walked back with you from a late evening lecture. You’d just been to return it, a soft smile on your lips,and now he’s sitting here, jacket in hand, breathing in your scent that was on his jacket, feminine and sweet. He slumps back to lay on the bed, still holding it close, one hand unconsciously smoothening over his crotch. He only notices when he gives himself a light squeeze- the warmth is both pleasurable and uncomfortable at the same time, his cock growing hard underneath his sweatpants.

He breathes in.

He is not a pervert.

But is this perverted? Rubbing himself over his sweatpants while breathing in your scent?

How would you feel if you found out?

You’d probably never even look at him again.

His hips buck.

He knows he should get his hand away before this escalates, but grinding into his own palm is just about his only option. He’s not comfortable with casual relationships, and he’s too busy to ever pursue a serious one, and being as busy as he is gives him almost no time to take care of himself.

He sighs as he removes his hand for good, rolling over to his side and grabbing his phone from his bedside table. He needs to distract himself, so he opens up his social media- he’s not necessarily a huge fan of it, but he knows it’s important for a hero like him to have a presence.

He scrolls a bit, almost lazily, but the universe is not on his side. Pretty soon he’s on your page, looking through your pictures with his lower lip between his teeth.

There’s this one picture of you. You’re wearing a short red dress, one that complements your body perfectly, tight in all the right places, with thin straps that show off your beautiful shoulders, ones he wants to kiss all over, bite and suck and leave marks on. His bright blue eyes fix themselves on your thighs- would you like it if he dove between them? If he licked the insides of your thighs, sucking on their softness- would you buck your hips and whine at him to kiss you where you wanted it?

His hand is between his legs again, his sweatpants uncomfortably tight, face half buried in the jacket.

He wishes he could bury his face in your pussy, instead.

The thought is so graphic that he flinches, but his hand stays.

He’s just going to press down a little, to help with the discomfort. He keeps staring at the picture, glancing at your cleavage, but going back to the hem of your dress.

Such a short dress. Hitch it up a few inches and you’d be exposed- had you been wearing those lacy pink panties he got a peek at, once?

Were you even wearing panties at all in this picture?

His mind wanders to how you lounge in your shorts in the common area, those tiny shorts that barely cover your ass, only offering a thin strip of protection to your bare cunt.

Toshi knows it’s not very plus ultra of him to commit the image of you in those shorts to memory, and he’s ashamed of what it says about his self control but he gives in, shucking off his sweatpants and kicking them away, palming himself through his boxers.

He’s just so sexually frustrated.

His cock is hard, straining against them as if threatening to break out of his boxers. He circles the covered head with his fingers, the pleasure too much but not enough.

He doesn’t want his hands. He wants your tongue, wet and pink and swirling gently on his head, pushing at the slit and lapping up his pre.

He’s not the most experienced guy on the block, but Toshi knows that just like the rest of him, he’s a bit larger than life. He wonders how much of him you’d be able to take into his mouth, groaning as he imagines your mouth sucking on his head, your soft hands pumping his length.

Tears in your eyes as you try to take him further into your mouth, but don’t even get a quarter of the way through.

His hand slides inside his underwear, eyes glued to his phone as he scrolls further down your page.

Perv, he tells himself, flushing from both embarrassment and arousal. You’re just down the hall from him, sweet and unaware, and he briefly wonders what you’re doing before he begins to wonder what you look like touching yourself.

He can just imagine you, lying on your bed wearing nothing but his large, open jacket, playing with your nipples and rubbing your slit. Whose name would you whisper?

Or maybe he’d save you from a villain or something and you’d like to pay him back in kind-

Toshi shudders as he bucks his hips into his hand, chastising himself for that last thought. He is a hero, even fantasizing about something like that is unethical and abhorrent and-

-he wants to hear you moan his hero name, he wants to see you free his cock from his hero suit, run your hands over his body, look up at him with worshipping eyes-

His cock is slick with his own pre cum as he begins to pump himself in earnest, phone dropped to a side as he focuses on his own fantasies. What would you be like if he saved you from a villain attack? Would you cling to his form, subtly running your hands over his muscles, maybe nuzzling against his chest for comfort?

Would you tilt your head towards him, hoping for a kiss?

He imagines kissing you, his lips on yours, tongue exploring your mouth. Carrying you to safety as you begin to take your clothes off, grateful and adoring and looking at him as if he’s the whole world.

Fuck.

His balls are throbbing in his hand, and he gives them a squeeze, imagining you trying to suck on them, trying to cup them in your small hands, trailing kisses all over his sac and licking up his shaft.

Fuck, all he wants right now is for you to blow him. You, naked and on your knees in front of him while he sits back, completely clothed in his hero suit with only his cock out, sighing as you lick and suck and moan against his shaft, your hand occasionally moving to play with your tits or to rub your clit.

He wants to hear you call him All Might in a breathy little voice, hands clutching his thighs as you look pleadingly up at him and beg him to fuck you.

And he would fuck you, oh, he’d press you down onto the bed and tower over you, groping your body, grabbing your tits, settling between your open legs and rubbing his cockhead against your swollen lower lips-

He’s close, he can feel it, pumping and squeezing his length and taking deep breaths of the jacket you wore, imagining himself sinking slowly inside of your wet cunt until his hips meet yours.

He just knows you’d whine about how big he is.

He’d grip your thighs and fuck into your cunt, eliciting moans and screams, hitting every little spot inside your cunt, oh, he’d make you cum around his cock so many times that you’d be begging for him to stop, that he was too much and you couldn’t take it and-

Toshi comes with a muffled moan, hips jerking as he cums all over himself, his body tingling and desperate for your touch. He keeps pumping until he’s made a whole mess of himself, then lays back, gasping and panting as guilt creeps over him, making him blush even redder, even though there’s a part of his mind already formulating a plan to make his fantasies a reality.

[loservenom]

For you, what are the differences between the Eddie/venom relationship in the comic and Eddie/venom in the movies?(to be more precise, the current films) And which version do you prefer between the movie and the comic? 👀

quick disclaimer: i haven't read the costa run in a bit and haven't touched cates in even longer. i do very much still have Feelings on them, though, and we know i love a good overly long post so buckle up!

as to the differences: oh boy. i think we all know how much i love the movies, bless their cgi hearts, but they are so far from the comics. they're romcoms, folks. as such, their relationship is much more anne-centered in the movies (in the old comics, she's dead, and she comes back briefly in the cates run but eddie and venom are much more Bros there iirc). it creates a lot of interesting interpersonal tension between eddie and venom, and it's a really wonderful love story, but there's much less of the delicious (sorry eddie and v) codependency that we see in the comics.

also! eddie is almost a completely different person in the comics. like, in the comics, eddie's super jacked, apparently in an attempt to make his dad be less absent, and he's also super violent (as comics men tend to be) and Not Okay. this results in much less posturing over the moral implications of eating people and much more fighting people. their main conflict (i say "main" because their writing tends to be kind of inconsistent; looking at you, cates) is still between being a hero or being a villain, but it's one they traverse together rather than being opposing forces. suprisingly, they're still just as domestic as movies symbrock!

tldr the movies are romcoms and the comics are superhero stories.

as to which i prefer- probably the comics, just because they have more room to explore eddie and the symbiote's relationship. they can take a darker turn (e.g. later portions of venom 2018) OR a sweeter turn (the hunger 1996, my favorite venom comic), or anything and everything in between (costa <3). the movies are really sweet and fun too! it's just that there's only like four hours of content between them lol. thank you so much for asking! i got to remember how much i love venom and eddie <3