#a little guy who committed lots and lots of crimes but it’s ok because I like him

[doctor-vertigo]

I found a really cool fnaf roleplay game on Roblox and I want LolzHax sO BADDDDDD CRIES AND SCREAMS!!! I could just use robux to purchase the currency but I want to EARN this! but it. took me two hours to get less than a third of his cost…… yeah okay I’ll take the robux route into consideration

[helpallthenamesaretaken]

hi so this is a bit of a rant because I had a lot on my mind and needed to get it out, don't mind me, I might have gone little mad in this. warning: probably an unpopular opinion

ok now that you're here.

why are the logical behind pre-tlo jealous!percy fics so despicable? like seriously. this is a sentiment ive seen from lot of percabeth fans, and I hate it so much.

so a lot of posts I've seen about this are like "why did percy have to have love interests ? annabeth needs a side man too to make it equal" ok first of all, why is there some weighing scale in all of this? it's not a court situation where we need to judge which side committed more crimes.

having a 'side man' for annabeth completely disrespects the feelings she was going through in the period of botl-tlo. I think most people forget that rachel wasn't her only problem during that time. luke, her older brother figure from 7 years old had been possessed by the soul of kronos. OF COURSE she would be emotionally unavailable due to her grief. at the end of botl, percy describes that SHE never came and talked to him either about the kiss or whatever. it was a mutual silent treatment. percy couldnt have confessed to annabeth even if he tried, because it was obviously a bad time for her duh. they rlly expect percy to be like "annabeth😍 I know you're going through major grief right now ❤️ but pls kiss me" the same way annabeth found it hard to confess to percy because of rachel and whatever.

people think it's really funny to write fics about annabeth flirting with someone like connor during times like when percy got exploded by the volcano. "percy was doing things with Calypso too--" HE WAS HEALING. He had to stay there for some time to heal after getting EXPLODED. he was also tempted with paradise. stuff like that isn't a decision to make in a second. having annabeth have fun with other boys with connor or smthn while she thinks percy is dead is such a disrespect to her love for percy, I wonder how people like that are percabeth fans at all. same goes for fics where annabeth does it ON PURPOSE to make percy mad.

problem with these type of fics is that they're so PETTY. "If i was annabeth I would have made percy beg on his knees" "if I was annabeth I would murder him--" BUT YOURE NOT ANNABETH. annabeth chase LOVED percy jackson and would never do something on purpose to hurt percy or annoy him. she's not vicious like you.

also percy wasn't falling all over rachel and calypso. he treated them as he would treat any other best friend and kept his distance romantically, even though it was clear he might have had a crush. making annabeth purposefully flirt with other guys or accept other guys advances doesn't equal the weighing scale, it makes it even more unequal.

look, I'm not saying annabeth can't have any love interest other than percy. she CAN find other men attractive. she CAN have interest in other men. you can write that all you want. I'm just saying it was never something so necessary and the logic behind it is so petty. and her weaponising it because of her jealousy towards rachel is just so not something she would ever do.

also, just a short note before this ends: i actually like some jealous!percy fics. some are good. it's just some people get really worked up about the fact that annabeth NEEDS a love interest to get back at percy. that's who I'm mad about. if you've written a jealous!percy fic, cool!

[vvaspoppie]

Doc Ock x Symbiote!Reader

→ Author’s Note: Requested this from another writer (that’s also really cool), and decided to also write my own version. No specified version of Ock, pre and post evil versions are mentioned.

→⚠ Warnings ⚠: unethical science,

→ Fandom: Unspecified

→ Genre: Headcanons

→  Pronouns: They/Them

The Backstory:

You were a scientist who worked on studying the organic matter samples Colonel Jameson had brought to earth. Unfortunately, one of those samples was capable of a lot more movement than originally believed.

Long story short: Some of it bonded with you, you quit soon after due to not wanting anyone to get suspicious then started working at Oscorp.

Pre Tentacles:

He, and almost every other co-worker, is a little bit curious about the fact that you quit your last job to work at Oscorp but drops the subject after the mention of an NDA (which wasn’t true)

Notices you talking to yourself a lot, but doesn’t question it much. Most of the scientists he works with have an odd habit or two.

You totally slip up and call yourself 'we' in a conversation, which he does bring up

"There's a perfectly reasonable explanation if you give me enough time to think of a lie."

On to the actual dating

You guys keep it on the down low and by that I mean absolutely nobody knows. He likes privacy

His love language is talking about his experiments and asking you about yours (and physical touch but that takes a while)

The symbiote makes the relationship difficult, especially because he doesn't know about it

You don’t ever tell him about the symbiote, the symbiote speaks for itself (literally, and to a disastrous extent)

He takes a while to process it, but once he does he shares his work on his tentacles

He tries not to think of the moral implications of the whole situation because he loves you and knows you wouldn't do harm intentionally (he is wrong)

Post Tentacles:

Ok so in most versions Otto goes missing for a brief time after the accident™

So what happens in this brief time?

Chaos. Pure chaos and fear

Not only are you distraught and angry but your symbiote also formed an emotional attachment

Absolutely no one gets a break. Criminals, civilians, co workers, Norman even Spider-Man

The streets are filled with nothing but fear and it stays like that until you get your Otto back

At which point:

Yay, evil power-couple time!

I mean what did you expect, you’re the host to a symbiote that eats people to survive and likes to commit crimes; there is almost nothing he could do that you either 1) haven’t already done or 2) had to literally fight yourself not to do

He changed after the accident, and it reminds you of when you first bonded with your symbiote. You try and be patient, knowing that he's still the same person, just with a different attitude and outlook on life.

With some communication skills being flexed, the relationship works out well

He also gains a new thing to be mad at the world about (Tabloids keep calling him a monsterfucker and so does your Symbiote)

It's that whole Roger and Jessica Rabbit thing except no one knows who's Roger or Jessica at any given moment.

You keep working at Oscorp to keep suspicions low and provide insider information

Yes, the suit makes you look very good - now do you want to be part of the Insidious Sinister Six or not?

You don’t want to fight Spider-Man head-on most of the time (much to the Symbiote's chagrin) so you agree to work with them, but not be on the team.

Anyway you end up kicking ass and now half the team is scared of you (Much to the Symbiote’s delight) (remember that episode in the 90s show were Venom Spider-Man almost kills Rhino and Shocker? Yeah you do something like that)

His ego may be nearing the size of the sun, but even then he’s slightly scared of what would happen if your symbiote gained full control. (Your symbiote likes him so his nerves are good, but still makes sure nothing happens that affects your memories)

Speaking of which he wants to do some - totally not evil because he loves you- experiments revolving around the Symbiote

Overall, the relationship is wholesome, if not unconventional.

[officialtrashbin]

Ok ok ok ok ok wrap-up thoughts on the season now that the finale is out:

First of all, DEATHBIT DEATHBIT DEATHBIT

2) ok the subplot with Rogue and Magneto actually grew on me. Like, she’s rejected him ultimately but they still mattered to each other and they still do, it’s just not romantic from her side anymore. I can’t blame magneto for not getting over her rejection I’d never be able to take the psychic damage of losing Rogue

also yeah the age gap was a little weird but I’m living for the drama and the potential for their platonic friendship. I want to make a comment about how their stint is an example of unidentified trauma becoming trauma bonding but then I have to like…write it.

3) I actually think Roberto and Jubilee were super cute and have elected to give their storylines a pass. Like they’re just kids coming into adulthood and have found comfort in each other, that’s good enough for me for now. (Though I’d like to see more of comic-accurate Sunspot being adapted but I digress. It’s only been 1 season.)

Also I think Sunspot awkwardly hanging around the Xmen slowly coming to terms with his speedran adoption is the funniest basis for an arc and have no further comments. Might write a fic later on his Struggles.

4) KURT JOINING THE MOTHERFUCKIN SQUAD BABYYYY and literally just everything about him. Being so supportive of Rogue and holding her and encouraging Gambit and just 😭😭😭😭

5) PHOENIX JEAN PHOENIX JEAN I LOVED JEAN

6) cyclops was one of my least favs in the original, this show put so much respect back on his name. I actually adore him now—plus the scenes with him doting on his grown ass man child is hysterical. Need more of it. I need this guy telling people this Hulk Hogan of a unit is his lil boy.

If Nathan isn’t seen later at a baseball game with Scott in a Summer 01 jersey and the cyborg arm badly painted over I’m committing crimes.

7) I think Storm needed way more screen time. I know there were scenes with her written out due to budget issues (and also them skipping her goodbye to Gambit made me annoyed) but like. The fact that her centric arc was put across two episodes shared with other episodes was irritating.

7.5) In this same vein I missed Bishop, I got so attached!!!! but here’s to hoping he’s kicking ass again in s2!

8) the rate in which I fell in love with these characters all over again is insane. Like harder than the original show in a fraction of the time.

9) Rogue did nothing wrong. 😭

10) Magneto definitely wasn’t right, but it’s interesting to witness how they justified his view point with Genosha and Bastion, and the ripple effect it had on people who didn’t even agree with him in the first place.

11) Cherik lmfao they were SO gay. I’m all for affectionate besties and dudes being shown as having close platonic bonds but this was Very Affectionate Besties with Seductive Grin Bedroom Eyes Charles Every Two Sentences.

12) honestly want a version of this show though where Charles stayed gone. I actually like him! I just think not having him around to help guide everyone made things so much spicier. Magneto was StrugglingTM for Real

13) Gambit’s death was so good, but I definitely figured he’d be coming back somehow because there was no way they were offing him thinking Rogue didn’t choose him.

14) speaking of, I was mostly joking in my shitposts about Death Gambit cause I had my money on a possible Sentinel Gambit with Bastion’s introduction, but the moment they went to Egypt I started clawing up all my old shit posts.

15) ROGUE DID NOTHING WRONG (lots of wrong but you know what? I love her. She can commit wrongs again.)

16) Beast was so good but I also low key wish he had a bit more screen time. His bitterness after Genosha was short-lived, I wish it had been explored more, like Charles talking it out of him or something and reminding him about their goals or…something.

17) Bastion was awesome no notes, hope he comes back as a horseman for the flex

18) hot Magneto no notes

19) hot Apocalypse no notes

20) crop top Gambit no notes

21) “His name was Gambit! Remember it!” Rogue was so beast in this season, it was cathartic watching her beat the shit out of Bastion. Her and Sunspot honestly make for a cool combat duo and I want to see them interact more.

22) DEATH GAMBIT AAAAAAHHHHHG

23) ey yo hold up does this mean Leech and the Morlochs and the perished Genosha mutants are permanently dead??? 💀

24) Logan and Morph were definitely something this season and I adored it, I adored Morph especially. Like Morph really said I Love You even if it was as Jean, I take what I can get

26) Magneto ripping Wolverine’s skeleton out like homie wouldn’t try to kill him with a wooden chair if given the opportunity. If anything now Logan has 0 weaknesses and a personal vendetta he can act upon. Rest in pieces Erik.

27) A goddess, a gravely injured Canadian, and a metaphor for gender identity walk into a bar and all 3 say “ouch” (bad joke. You’re welcome. Don’t worry guys, Storm is there so their arc will be wrapped up in about 12 minutes. Sorry can you tell I’m still mildly salty about her lack of screen time)

28) Rogue launching Cap’s shield is 11/10. Do it again do it again (woulda been top tier humor if the end credits showed him still looking for it frantically as the asteroid got closer)

Mostly that’s all I got. I have various other thoughts including how fucking HYPE seeing my fav duo Cloak and Dagger made me, but these were the key personal takeaways.

[lunanoc]

hello. i see you enjoy dmbj. what adaptation (preferably available for free but if not that's okay) would you recommend i watch next? I've seen tsop (I'm the tsop rant guy you just reblogged lol) and i think some of explore with the note...? don't really remember much of it tho

hi! uhhh i'm probably the worst person to ask this about oh no fjskds but i'll try my best?

i say i'm the worst person to ask because generally speaking i'm more of a book person for dmbj, as in once i started reading the books some of the adaptations felt like they went from a little lukewarm if fun to this is committing multiple crimes by comparison so i always recommend the books over everything else, but i'm also in the minority in the english-speaking part of the fandom that tends to favor the adaptations so heads up for that. not that that should stop you from watching them if you want to!

which adaptation i'd recommend watching next i feel depends on what you're looking for and where you're coming at them from. reboot/the sound of providence is "good" if you're looking for something understandable as a stand alone thing for example, but it has other issues. in general i think the best approach to the dmbj dramas is exceptions (very rare) aside, it's best not to try and judge them as faithful adaptations, and as long as you don't do that some of them are enjoyable on their own

ultimate note is probably my favorite in terms of the dramas because for the most part it follows the books it's adapting, and even when it tweaks characterization or introduces characters earlier than in book canon, it never does it in jarring ways, and the pacing is also good. it also has gratuitous pingxie (and heihua) it has a special place for me djskds. this one is free on youtube that i know

sand sea (or tomb of the sea) is another good choice even if it's a little bit of an unconventional one. it does have some down sides like the pacing (that's a general issue with dmbj dramas to be fair), some subplots that drag and aren't always that interesting depending on who you ask, and the fact that like its book counterpart, wu xie isn't the main character so he gives center stage to someone else. it's interesting for the vibe alone and wu xie's very specific mindset at this point in canon, and it's understandable as a standalone thing, but it's also very much apart from the rest of dmbj as a whole. this one is also free on youtube

lost tomb 1 (not sure if this one is on youtube but tempted to say yes?) is only good if what you want is to start from the very beginning if you know nothing about the story, but besides that's it's kinda mid? it's ok but it's a but bland. lost tomb 2 is a little similar to me in that it's better (and i do like this drama's version of pangzi) but it drags a lot and makes some weird choices among other things in my opinion

i'm not gonna personally recommend either lost tomb 2.5 (which should be explore with the note? the one where they go to changbai mountain) or tibetan sea flower because those two have committed too many crimes to me personally, but if you want to try them feel free!

for other adaptations, the qinling bronze tree donghua is actually really nice. it's basically the book it's adapting ad verbatim with an added twist at the end that's still plausible, so you get book wu xie flavor which is always nice

plugging the books again because i'm annoying like that but to be fair by comparison to the adaptations they're more of a time investment so i understand why people would find getting into them daunting or not worth it if you aren't hardcore into dmbj

[peachjagiya]

hi peach...

i don't know if you've heard about the scandals with deepfake porn in sk, which is really just a tip of the iceberg of many things. the state of things are horrible for women. the male population are pretty much horrible, and i know that is a generalizing statement but the statistics agree. womens position in korean society is seriously not good. and i don't want to make this about myself. but i don't know how i can continue to support bts. yes, on one hand, there is nothing that shows that these men are like that, and most things show that they are good people. and i would never even think these things about them if it werent for the things i have read. but they are also very protected, and are meant to be portrayed in positive light. i just mean, even though i feel that i can trust them, i also can't? but i don't want to judge them for things they haven't done. i don't know why i am sending this to you, i know you probably don't have the answers. but i like reading your blog and i am especially invested in tk even though i like all of bangtan. i know that we know very little. it just scares me. i know that i have to accept that we can not know for sure, but how do i continue to support them then? but my life would feel so empty without them, i don't think i could stop supporting them either because my heart does not believe these things about them. i just don't know how to justify it to myself when i read about these women suffering, i want to help and support them and if supporting male idols isn't then... i don't know. i know i probably shouldn't invest so much in these artists that i don't know, but i can't help it... if something ever came out about them, i don't think i could take it.. what are your thoughts on this, and maybe your followers too? thank you

<3

I am so sorry this has affected you this way. I think your concerns are valid - ultimately we shouldn't be placing any person we don't personally know on a pedestal, man nor woman.

The first thing my wife said to me when I said I was getting Tae tattooed on my arm was "What if he turns out to be a bad person?" and I did have a think about it. Like all I actually know him is what I value in him. That stuff isn't for nothing. I think it's very human to gravitate towards traits in people that feel familiar, help you feel seen, make you feel good, give you that dopamine. But you do need to consider there's always a possibility.

(In the end I decided to go ahead with tattoo anyway. It's not photorealistic, it's a photoshoot that represents something I've been into a lot longer than BTS, etc)

The advice I have is make their humanity your baseline. My baby army observation is that we're not very good at treating these guys like humans even when they haven't done anything wrong. We expect perfection, we expect they share their whole brain with us, we expect a lot from them that is highly unreasonable to expect.

Accepting they're human as a baseline means you're less surprised when they behave like humans who make mistakes, who are flawed and imperfect, who probably have darkness in them like everyone does. And if they should have committed a crime you find abhorrent, you're not losing the idol love of your life.. you're cutting loose a human.

Of course this is easier said than done. I fully admit BTS, especially TKK, are a huge source of dopamine for my depressed ass. If I had to cut them off for any reason, it would suck! I would be so sad. That feeling is ok too.

Think about JK R0wling. Nearly every single queer I know personally was once a Harry Potter OBSESSIVE. I know about eight lesbians with a Deathly Hallows tattoo. And she has let our community down. She has gone all in on a hate campaign against us to the point where I have gently held my gender questioning child, with a non-binary mama, by the shoulders in a shop and explained softly that I would never be buying him Harry Potter pyjamas he wanted because "the person who created this is an open and active bully." And do you know what? It's fine. My son is fine. I am fine.

If I said to the much younger Peach who idolised her that one day the sight of her would make us feel sick, much younger Peach would have been devastated and disbelieving. But you know what? It has been remarkably easy to get over it. My life is actually missing nothing as a result of getting rid of a deeply abhorrent author who was once my world.

All eight lesbians have got or are in the process of getting them covered or removed. And they're fine too.

So that's what if they HAD done something.

But the thing to remember... is that they haven't. And it's still ok to enjoy them right now! This Yoongi situation probably hasn't helped because I think I'm feeling overanxious about stuff like this too. You can only act on facts though. Half the criticism they receive online is just people making stuff up.

The Nth room stuff was wrapped up in 2020. They weren't on lists then. The new Telegram stuff is an ongoing investigation. They have not been arrested. This doesn't mean there's no way BTS have ever been involved. It just means based on the facts, we have nothing untoward to go on.

If "protected" is an indicator of maybe there's shady dealings going on, then every film, every piece of music, every TV show, every book has a connection to shady stuff. Art exists to get us through hard times, not to make things worse. That's why it sucks so much when artists DO let us down. Because they take away a piece of something we need to be happy. Music, art, film, literature.

You can't live like that, anon. You're doing the right thing by educating yourself, by believing victims, by being appalled by this. I know many people who simply don't become so affected by this stuff that they even think about it beyond the article they read and a few more who would laugh it off. You are on the right side of history. Think what your care means to people who've been abused. In a world where people do not listen to women, you're saying you hear them and you see them. That does actually mean something.

But please protect your spirit - you need to be able to sing, and look at pictures and watch films. You're not doing the wrong thing to still enjoy things right now when the world is in the dumpster. There's nothing to suggest BTS have been involved... so stick with facts.

Anxiety is ruling our collective mind at the moment, I think, and though she's helpful in small doses, Anxiety is a bitch in big doses. Letting Joy take control is not naivete. It's strength.

I don't know who you are but I am sending you so much love, anon.

💜

[anneangel]

A note on BBC John's silly behavior ⬇️

First, why does he care so much about what 'people might say'? It's the 21st century, it's not like someone can legally destroy them for it. The only thing that might break is John ego if he isn't called 'straight', it seems. A person who needs so much to ensure this, all the time, shows an insecure.

It's like any characteristic, whoever has and is sure of it doesn't need to reaffirm it to others and little is shaken when put to the test, whoever doesn't have it or is insecure about it will insist on reaffirming it all the time.

Where does John fit in with all the "people might talk", "I am not gay" and "we not a couple!" ???

Realize that Sherlock doesn't show the same insecurity as John, he doesn't need to reaffirm anything, whatever it is, he's sure of it and knows he doesn't owe anyone satisfaction, and little is shaken if someone doubts him, he doesn't cares about what 'they might talk', because he doesn't need other people's opinions to ensure what he is or isn't.

but John, having anything to talk about and joke about, chooses always to raise this.

Excerpt from the Canonical books:

I should recommend you also to send a note by the cabman to your wife to say that you have thrown in your lot with me" say Holmes to me.

It was difficult to refuse any of Sherlock Holmes’s requests, for were always so exceedingly definite, and put forward with such a quiet air of mastery. (...) I could not wish anything better than to be associated with my friend in one of those singular adventures which were the normal condition of his existence. (...)

"Now, Watson,” said Holmes (...). “You’ll come with me, won’t you?".

“If I can be of use.”

“Oh, a trusty comrade is always of use; and a chronicler still more so. My room at The Cedars is a double-bedded one.”

“The Cedars?”

“Yes; that is Mr St. Clair’s house. I am staying there while I conduct the inquiry.”

“Where is it, then?”

“Near Lee, in Kent. We have a seven-mile drive before us.”

“But I am all in the dark.”

“Of course you are. You’ll know all about it presently. Jump up here (...)".

And

(...) he was exceedingly loath to communicate his full plans to any other person until fulfilment. It came no doubt from his own masterful nature, which loved to dominate and surprise those who were around him. Partly also from his professional caution (...)".

Yes, Watson's first thought is to question the place, and wanting to know how Holmes is proceeding, although Holmes likes to have control over what to reveal and when.

Modern John's first thought would be: 'people might to talk'.

Oh, they seem so worried, john? And even if they did, they would have real reasons!

So, keep calm, John. It's not like you're going to be publicly rejected for 'committing a crime', go through a trial that exposes you and arrested by the police for it, you would not be killed by hanging, you would not be obliged to do forced labor, nor would you be forced to undergo chemical castration...

It's not like it's going to ruin your life if someone thinks you're gay and in a romantic relationship with Sherlock, John!

It shouldn't be a laughing and joker either, because what's the fucking problem with it?

Did you really think people wouldn't talk, john?

Oh, of course Sherlock acts like "I'm awesome" to the point of winking like a "nice guy", of course, did he do that to Anderson too? Donovan? Dimmock? For Greg? Sherlock wink at everyone he's just met. OK. He would wink to anyone who would share a room with him? Well, he seemed really desperate for a place on Baker Street! OK, I believe. Lmao.

But John is ALL the time like:

And if it's not for his ego or insecure then...

It's 'like fun' at first, but nasty when you think about 'what the show is mocking'. From the beginning this show laughed at the fans who would read "between the lines". ????

Oh, I like BBC Sherlock, I really like, but honestly; they mocked some fans of Canon (queer and shipping Watson/Holmes fans) so much.

[questforgalas]

Sibling moments in the Bad Batch that live rent free in my head

S1E11 "Devil's Deal" and S1E12 "Rescue on Ryloth"

The batch are literally in Devil's Deal for 2 minutes so we be doing a joint watch babes. Special recognition to the introduction of the greatest hair in the GAR, Captain Howzer, and a lot of screen time for my favorite babes who I wish would stop committing war crimes for the Empire

Devil's Deal

Nothing says family bonding like black market weapon runs

"Tech won't let me train until I can recite all the ship's specifications from memory" IS THE MOST SIBLING THING TO EVER SIBLING LIKE NO YOU CAN'T PLAY WITH MY TOY UNTIL YOU CAN TELL ME EVERY FACT ABOUT IT GOOD LUCK IT'S GOING TO TAKE YOU YEARS

You can't tell me Omega doesn't know all the things she's showing Hera because she's 10000% sat in the copilot chair while Tech flew and asked "what's this? and what's this? and what's this?" repeatedly for days and it was probably the best days of Tech's life

"Did you know flying's about a feeling?" and Tech's immediately concerned "What feeling?" while giving concerned eyes at Hunter

Rescue on Ryloth angsty siblings 👏 angsty siblings 👏 angsty siblings 👏

Crosshair babe please stop hunting down children

Hunter's immediate appearance as soon as he hears sparks and a mini explosion happening

Gonky is the best side character of TBB

"You gave her our comm channel?" oh no big bro is exasperated

Hunter getting absolutely owned by the optimism and rose colored glasses of a pre-teen girl

His face is so "god dam it I'm really proud of you right now but I also wish you'd take a break for just one second"

Tech and Wrecker glance Tech and Wrecker glance

After Hera says "I don't have anyone else to ask", Echo mirrors Omega's same facial expressions and head movements behind her, the little empathetic babes

The grumbles after Omega points out Crosshair's there 😂😂

Here's why I'm putting that as a sibling moment - we've seen this squad face down entire cities worth of troopers at this point (Raxus was just 2 episodes ago, and we've seen them take on 3 ships worth of clones too) without even batting an eye. But one sighting of Crosshair and they're all grumbling and that's what throws them in the "we can't pull this off mentality" and I interpret that as coming from the continuing theme of the Batch being so proud of each other's skills and enhancements, they're so in awe of each other, and the only thing that could ever give them a challenge is one of them. He may be their enemy right now, but they still believe in Crosshair's skillset so much that just him makes them decide to abandon the mission

Wrecker's smile at Echo when Hunter drops down on the probe droid

Crosshair seeing a from-above POV scan of the Batch and knowing exactly where they would've been staking out

"She's trying to save her family, Hunter. I'd do the same for you" BOOM OMEGA COMING IN WITH THE FAMILY FEELS ARROW RIGHT IN THE CHEST

Oh no, this one really hurts after season 2

"We have a battalion of troopers right outside." immediately countered by Crosshair's "That's not enough!" emphasized so much he's jabbing his finger into Rampart's desk. They may be enemies but god these bros are all up in the proud feels

Shout out to Howzer for standing down immediately when Crosshair started glaring at him. Smart guy knows a battle he won't win

"Because he's my brother." this is such a cute Omega episode

Omega's coaching Hera about coming up with a plan is 100% Hunter teachings

"Wh-that was my plan!" sibling 101: never let them have credit

Wrecker and Echo glance Wrecker and Echo glance

the surprised "Really?"s when Hunter gives the ok on the plan like they can't believe their hairbrained scheme actually worked on big bro

Tech's fun smirk when Omega says "Do some damage Wrecker" and Wrecker starts laughing in the gunner seat

Crosshair figuring out the true plan like god dam it they were all so in synch I need a Bad Batch curing the clone wars show immediately I will literally fund it with the $10 in my bank account

The Hunter and Crosshair cut scene stares

Wrecker's high five with Omega on Ord Mantell 😂 he's so proud of his little war criminal sister

Nothing like sibling bonding via showing how to scramble a ship's signature

Tech and Wrecker's smiles at Omega they're so proud of her for making a friend

[yakuzacanons]

hihi!!! happy 1 year!!!!! I luv your blog, please don't commit crimes or die or anything.

so... I like Zhao, but, like, not romantically? like I'm not attracted to him I just think he's super silly and he's one of my favs. IDK he's just... silly!!! and he makes me cry sometimes!! would you be willing to do some older brother hcs for him...?? like, how he'd be as an older brother... to someone who is not MUCH younger than him,, but,, yeah... about 7 or 8 years? (⁠´⁠-⁠﹏⁠-⁠`⁠；⁠)

if not that's ok!! thanks so much!! <3

I haven't gotten a platonic ask in a while and I would be very happy to do this for you! I think Zhao is one of the friendliest characters for sure, it's easy to like him. I'm also Chinese so I'm biased by default...

Zhao is very much an only child. He had an interesting childhood. His parents were very strict and his hobbies were super limited, especially since he was raised to be a successor to his father. He can't help but wonder if he kind of missed out on the chance to be a kid and maybe that's why he's so playful.

No one loves their friends like Zhao does. Well, maybe Ichiban. He could probably compete with that. But Zhao really cares about those closest to him. He knows what it's like to feel completely alone and never wishes that on anyone.

One of his flaws, in his mind, is that he considers his coworkers and underlings his friends too and cares about their personal lives. This is something his father, if he were alive, would probably chastise him for. It has lead to the occassional betrayal but Zhao is nothing but forgiving if someone shows they've changed.

Despite the fact that Zhao wishes he could've had more childhood friends, he's actually never wanted a sibling. He kind of likes marching to the beat of his own drum and he couldn't imagine living with a sibling.

That doesn't stop him from constantly adopting a brotherly role to almost all of his friends. He's certainly got the sass of an older sibling sometimes! Likes the occassional prank, nothing to drastic.

He has this funny habit of teasing his younger friends about their age. He calls them "a little bun". Sometimes he'll make buns, and be like "Look. It's you."

Being friends with Zhao is always a laugh. He just smiles a lot and it's hard to not smile with him. Also, he's just a funny guy! Definitely someone who would be great at cheering you up and getting your mind off of things after a bad day.

Younger friends get taken under his wing. He'll tell them which places have good food, which places are overpriced, what drinks to order, what streets to avoid because they're owned by a particular gang. He knows everything. Just ask him.

Has this weird joking habit of sometimes just saying shit for the hell of it. He and Joon-Gi take turns doing this, sometimes. The man will say something as if it's a straight fact then five minutes later go "By the way, I made that up. I have no idea."

Would protect his friends with his life. Make no mistake regarding his loyalty. You might not be brothers by blood but all of his friends are brothers in arms.

[catholic-character-tournament]

Round 3 - Catholic Character Tournament

Propaganda below ⬇️

Gabriel

Well he's an angel so I'm taking him being catholic as canon. There are a lot of themes in the game that point to catholisism specifically.

He's so fucking funny. he listens to nine inch nails and quotes one of the songs in a fight basically "fight me like an animal". he and v1 kind of have this yuri thing going on. he has an official bodypillow. hes a metaphor for being excommunicated and no one gets him like me and my friends do

The *true* Catholic experience is leaving the church and having a gay awakening, ask anyone

its debatable if Gabriel truly believes he's "the one true savior" or is mocking the idea of it

ok im actually gonna write some gabe propaganda bc despite what you may expect from a game called ULTRAKILL theres a lot to be said about his character and how catholicism is represented

Gabriel is a genuinely caring person who struggles to square his desire to help people with his duty as an archangel. He's the only one in Heaven trying to make things better for those in Hell, but his faith is used to manipulate him into committing atrocities against the people he used to protect (see the "TRAITOR" mural in 4-2)

he only realizes his mistakes after losing everything and being sentenced to death, but he still decides with only a little time remaining to try and make things right. for the sake of spoilers i will just say that the measures he takes are... extremely drastic and very enjoyable. i just really like the idea that even facing the end of all living things, no matter how steep your crimes, it is never too late to fix your mistakes. you are never unworthy forgiveness.

hes also SO FUCKING GAY for this dumb little robot. it mauled him so hard he tasted his own blood and he fell in love right there. theres no way this guy has a normal healthy relationship to pain he is soooooooooo fucked. i love him. please vote for Gabriel "patron saint of gay lapsed catholics" Ultrakill !!!!!!!!

Shadow

In sonic destruction (the AI generated fan thing snapcube made a while ago) shadow was catholic or something which I think is reallyyyyyyy funny

Ok listen. I know this is a stretch but hear me out. He says “oh my God” in the Twitter takeovers so we know this is a possibility. I see him as a Christ-like figure because I saw his whole confrontation with Mephiles and was like “this is a thing that happened in the Bible??” and the pose Mephiles shows him in is literally like a crucifixion and Mephiles is meant to be a demon / false prophet reference. And also he’s called a demon in Shadow The Hedgehog 2005 then the guy who calls him that is like “I was wrong I’m sorry” and that also reminds me of a thing with Jesus in The Bible. But the biggest reason is his whole thing with Maria cause I think he’d come to earth and hear Ave Maria once and convert to Catholicism idk he’s like we’re comforted by a female familial figure named Mary sometimes called Maria?? And her color is blue????? Heck yeah I’m in because I Will Cry. Also feel free to share this as propaganda obv even if he doesn’t get in the bracket just. It’s funny.

I feel like he’d battle a lot with being seen or portrayed as a demon and how the aliens he’s related to very much look and act like demons idk lmao- and also I feel like confession would just be good for him I think he needs it for his mental health

There is a debate on the lovely website tunblr that Shadow T. Hedgehog is an allegory for Jesus Christ.

He is Jesus, idk what to tell you. He lived, he was sealed away, he was awakened again and deemed the ultimate lifeforms, he’s angry but not evil, does what he believes is best for people and the world at any given time. Total loser.

[constellama]

Both six of crows and pjo are rotating around in my head like a rotisserie chicken so I was thinking what it would be like if The Crows met The Seven (including some other characters)

!! Spoilers for both the Six of Crows duology and the pjoverse !!

Also disclaimer it’s been literally years since I’ve read any of the riordanverse so I’m going off of solely my memory here bear with me

Jesper joking around with Percy and Leo like cmon they would all be such good friends

And knowing how excited Jesper was with Sturmhond’s flying ships, he’d probably think the Argo II is the coolest thing ever

That’s where this is taking place actually I’ve just decided. Let’s put all these traumatized teenagers on a giant ship and see what happens

Wylan and Leo talking about explosives, need i say more

Wylan and Annabeth talking about architecture and Wylan showing Annabeth his sketches of the Ice Court

I wanna say Kuwei and Leo would also get along, since yk, fire powers and they both know science things. Leo keeps getting called an Inferni and it sounds cool to him so he doesn’t say anything

I don’t know why but I feel like Kaz and Percy wouldn’t really like each other (at first)

Kaz probably respects Percy a bit more though after learning that Percy literally fell into Tartarus for Annabeth and they made it through alive

Either that or he wouldn’t believe it

He’d also try to steal Riptide just to look at it after seeing it turn into a sword. It keeps returning to Percy’s pocket which confuses Kaz even more. After Kaz finds out just what’s up with Riptide though, he continues stealing it just because he can. He knows it’ll go back to Percy’s pocket but Kaz needs to be dramatic ok

Just “where did my pen go this time—?” “THIS pen?” “Damnit Brekker—”

Jason and Matthias would be friends, the stoic blond dudes who are incredibly loyal to the places they grew up in. They’d both be talking about wolves and growing up with them. Oh and they also have one other thing in common I’ll let you guys guess that one 😁😁

Nina being a big sister to Nico bc let’s be honest they’ve both been through a lot and hello?? Raising the dead??

Kaz would be somewhere off to the corner avoiding talking to anyone and maybe just maybe he’d see Nico, the boy with hurt in his eyes who reminds him a little too much of himself when he was younger

Wait I just had the sudden image of Kaz and Nico bonding over card games excuse me while I cry

OUGH WAIT THEYVE BOTH LOST OLDER SIBLINGS TOO HOLD ON

Kaz being haunted by his memories of Jordie 🤝 Nico being haunted by his memories of Bianca

Piper and Nina sharing beauty tips and braiding each other’s hair :>

Annabeth showing Inej her dagger bc oooo knives

Wait I just realized they both have daggers/knives either made of bones or having a bone handle

Frank turning into a wolf and Matthias being really excited

The Crows tripping up and accidentally calling Percy a Tidemaker (multiple times) He doesn’t know what it means but hey it sounds cool

Hazel doing things with her mist magic and Kaz being so incredibly baffled bc what do you mean it’s just magic. No there’s a trick behind it how did you do that

Frank turning into a crow and Kaz internally fanboying just a tad bit

Jesper and Hazel can both do cool things with metal and rocks and stuff so I think Jesper might call her a Fabrikator they’d exchange some knowledge about it or smth

Frank lowkey losing his mind bc one Leo was bad enough but now there’s Jesper ?? (/lh)

Kaz and Annabeth being the schemers/planners and leading their groups. Don’t know if they’d get along or not, what with Kaz’s,,, methods

I also think The Seven trying to explain the gods being real would go horribly wrong. Kaz would just snort and be like “yeah and I have two good legs”

Ough don’t even get me started on all the parental issues literal everyone has here

Except for like. A select few that have stable relationships with their parents

Colm Fahey helping his children commit crimes 🤝 Sally Jackson and Paul Blofis fighting off monsters that one time in The Last Olympian

I literally can’t think of any more, feel free to mention any interactions you think would happen :D

[borom1r]

1-25 choose violence ask game ❤️

ALL OF THEM?????? you’re so real for this ty snfnsnbfns. doing LotR bc of course I am

1. the character everyone gets wrong

PIPPIN I HATE TO SAY IT BUT PIPPIN. all those incorrect quote polls that have been posted where pippin keeps fucking winning YALL REALIZE HES AN ACTUAL CHARACTER RIGHT?? with like depth?? and bonds?? and a personality. yall realize that right?????? right??? ik we all love 2 joke but he would not say half of those things

2. a compelling argument for why your fave would never top or bottom

ok I personally enjoy both for Boromir BUT if he IS topping. he is a service top. I will die on this hill

3. screenshot or description of the worst take you've seen on tumblr

I block ppl for these takes so no screenshots but everyone who thinks Boromir is a villain. if you think Boromir is a villain I will key your car.

4. what was the last straw that made you finally block that annoying person?

there is one singular straw and it is bad Boromir takes in the Boromir tag

5. worst discord server and why

I don’t join fandom discord servers bc I love myself too much for that 💗

6. which ship fans are the most annoying?

ummm idk? most of my lotr mutuals have different ships from me and it’s all chill. but tbf I’m very selective abt who I interact with now lmao.

7. what character did you begin to hate not because of canon but because how how the fandom acts about them?

no one yet thank fuck.

8. common fandom opinion that everyone is wrong about

Aragorn/Arwen isn’t actually romantic sorry I think it’s fucked up actually. the vibes are off there for SURE

9. worst part of canon

FARAMIR’S “yeah I’m gonna take you from your home and tame you. haha wdym. you don’t need a blade during times of peace.” SHTICK WITH ÉOWYN IN THE BOOKS. UNPACK YOUR BIASES YOU LITTLE FREAK!!!!!!!!

10. worst part of fanon

HM. I will stick with “people who horrifically misinterpret Boromir’s character”

11. number of fandom-related words you've filtered

at the moment I only have rings of power blocked but I’ve had that blocked since it came out bc if I look at the armor in that show I will commit crimes.

12. the unpopular character that you actually like and why more people should like them

MOVIE!FARAMIR MY SPECIALEST LITTLE GUY OOOOOOOOOO MOVIE!FARAMIR I LOVE YOUUUUUUUUUU he’s so handsome and special and I love him and you WILL all look at him and clap and cheer. it makes me insane that his temptation by the ring mirror’s Boromir’s and he’s actually fucking normal abt the Rohirrim AND I just love him very much :)

13. worst blorboficiation

ummm idk… maybe Frodo

14. that one thing you see in fics all the time

HMMM exposing myself but I basically only read Aragorn/Boromir fics lmao + since we’re Choosing Violence the most annoying thing is Boromir just being A Brute. like damn I love the surface level reading of the text maybe try engaging with it above a 1st grade analysis next time 💗

15. that one thing you see in fanart all the time

hmmmmm idk cuz again I don’t interact w a lot of fanartists so there’s nothing like. annoying. all th ✨motifs✨ I do see r very fun + I like them :)

16. you can't understand why so many people like this thing (characterization, trope, headcanon, etc)

ummm for Serious, portraying Pippin as Stupid. for Silly, uhhhh Trans Faramir is so real to me I completely forgot cis people both 1) exist in the real world and 2) probably interpret Fara as cis too. i don’t get it :(

17. there should be more of this type of fic/art

trans Faramir 🩵💗🤍

18. it's absolutely criminal that the fandom has been sleeping on...

HM idk. trans Faramir again. also bc I love it, utilizing Old Norse culture for the Rohirrim teehee

19. you're mad/ashamed/horrified you actually kind of like...

OK IM MAD THAT FINNISH BOROMIR IS JUST ME. THATS ME. THATS AN OUTFIT I WEAR REGULARLY MINUS THE LONG HAIR. I DRESS LIKE THAT TO BUY GROCERIES. i love him for that tho. I’m also mad that MtG Boromir’s stupid pointy muttonchops have grown on me. freak behavior, keeping his facial hair trimmed in those stupid little points

20. part of canon you found tedious or boring

I’m fighting for my life reading the histories rn 😑 I find them very dry for the most part

21. part of canon you think is overhyped

idk? I think there is an appropriate level of hype. but idk if Rings of Power had a lot of hype. if it did, then Rings of Power is my answer

22. your favorite part of canon that everyone else ignores

idk if it’s IGNORED necessarily but the fact that Boromir carries a Rohirric shield in the films does actually genuinely make me insane 💞 I love that sm

23. ship you've unwillingly come around to

UNWILLINGLY?????? idk?? ummmm I think it’s all fine for the most part I’m just A Fag so I don’t write het ships. it’s like a moral thing. Éowyn/Faramir gets a pass conceptually bc they’re T4T to me tho

24. topic that brings up the most rancid discourse

idkkkkkkk I don’t engage w discourse bc I want this fandom to remain pleasanttttt

25. common fandom complaint that you're sick of hearing

again idk.. I block on sight if I see a Bad Take + then I erase it from my memory so I can continue to live in a beautiful blissful world where I. forgor abt cis people ☺️

[alovelyburn]

This has nothing to do with anything, but after having several arguments with AI  chatbots about this (don’t ask), it occurs to me that one of my biggest pet peeves with the evil (human) Griffith crowd is the rampant hypocrisy. 

Uh, just ranting about Griffith again, it’s been building up in the like 1.5 months I’ve been semi-MIA. Nothing to see here.

I’ve said before that when I read their descriptions of Griffith’s actions and crimes I feel like they’re sitting around going, “Oh hey tripped and fell on a guy one time, let’s call that assault and battery kekekekekekekeke.” And it really does feel like that, but it also feels like another pet peeve i have just in general which is an absolute refusal to consider contextual norms. And in this case that applies when judging him and only him.

For example, one thing that has come up is this idea that Griffith has child soldiers with the examples being Casca (because she was young when they met), Rickert, Sonia, etc. 

But ok first of all Griffith is the same age as Casca and she volunteered so that’s stupid. I’m not saying 14-year-olds or however old she was should be considered of sound mind to volunteer for war, I’m just saying if she can’t be considered responsible for her decision to join because she was a child then he shouldn’t be considered responsible for having the questionable judgment to accept her, because he’s exactly the same age as her.  

But more to the point, whatever historical period the Berserk timeline primarily adheres to, it isn’t “the modern one,” right? Whether you assume its moral standards are more in line with the middle ages or the renaissance or anything in between, it was still common for 12 and 13 year olds to be soldiers, so it’s a little weird to villify him for doing what everyone did, which is also evident in the fact that Guts was on the field as a literal 10-year-old and no one was surprised.

...also Rickert’s 20 years old now - if the Eclipse was 3-4 years in the past, then he was 16-17 back then, he’s not THAT young, he’s just short.

Similarly, if you’re going to get on him for being “brutal” and “using violence to attain his goals” then you ought to be getting on literally every major character and most of the minor ones. Everyone in the Band of the Hawk was a soldier - they’ve all killed dozens or hundreds of people. Griffith was a war leader - every single general or leader of men you see in Berserk makes the same kinds of choices he had to make. Serpico burned his own mother (”but he felt bad about it” Yeah, and Griffith did too?). They all use violence to achieve their goals - if anything, Griffith was a bit of a marshmallow for being so upset about it but he still did what he had to do. Guts has the highest body count in the manga, and is so unbothered that he never even thinks about it.

One conversation I had involved a statement of the effect of, “he’s not all bad or anything, but it's important to remember that he is brutal and destructive and willing to use violence to achieve his goals and blah blah, and I was just kind of like... I’m not here to pretend that he’s never been brutal, but where are the people saying “Yeah Guts has a good heart and mostly good intentions, BUT it’s also important to remember he has the highest body count in the manga and doesn’t care about it, he assaulted Casca, he was the actual one who committed all the assassinations and he wasn’t even bothered by it, he considers killing innocents a decent crowd-management technique, he routinely kills people literally just for not moving when he’s trying to get past them, and he’s been known to use children as monster bait.”

You hear a lot about how Griffith “used” Guts to commit those assassinations but that’s out of touch with reality. What actually happened in the first one is that he asked Guts to do it, Guts didn’t care and even made a quip about how Griffith shouldn’t have bothered making it a request and should’ve just made it an order, and then he went and did it and wouldn’t have been bothered if he hadn’t accidentally killed Adonis, which Griffith didn’t even tell him to do. And what actually happened in the second one was that they were co-conspirators, not some master manipulator and his puppet, and in the end Griffith felt bad about it and Guts didn’t.

What I’m saying is, not only do I on principle object to judging characters by standards that are wholly inapplicable to them in the context of their story and world, I also think it’s weird that it only applies to Griffith. It’s like everyone else in the series gets a “well that's just part of the world” pass, and then with Griffith it’s like let's list out everything he’s ever done that a 21st century western person would find objectionable, frame them all in as hyperbolic a way as possible, and then use them as examples of why he’s an awful person.

“He’s motivated by power, money and glory.” He never mentions money except in the context of needing it to supply his men, he specifically notes that he doesn’t really like the nobles and such fawning over him and as for power, I mean I guess wanting power is inherent to ambition but the only things we really know about his motivation directly is that he wants to see how far he can go, and the only thing we know about what he does when he has power is that he tries to move toward egalitarianism, like even Neo does that and Griffith certainly did. 

Someone once told me that he’s narcissistic because he’s preoccupied with his looks, but like... no he isn’t. It’s everyone else that’s preoccupied with his looks.

It’s just a bunch of unsupportable assumptions based on vibes, I don’t know how else to frame it. If you can’t back it up, don’t say it. Especially not to me, l-lol. 

...I should probably delete this, lmao. 

[cinema-wasps]

phoenix moment.. my oldest [& probably favorite] dialtown oc is finally real. please love and appreciate him or i will cry so loud

more facts + bonus doodles under the cut [warning. it got kinda long im sorry :[]

phoenix is romance repulsed, so you don't get to actually Date date him in its route. you still get to spend some quality gay time together though :]

you unlock his route by asking gabby to take you to the funfair with a phone head. if your head is a typewriter, the interaction goes like in canon, but if it's a phone, she tells you that she can't take you, but might know someone who needs the company & calls phoenix over. after that, asking him out to the funfair locks you into his route

the route is about helping it navigate being romance repulsed on valentine's day and get over a heartbreak it recently experienced. also committing crimes and getting lost in the woods looking for unicorns. there's also a big scene of breaking into an abandoned building and having an emotional Talk on the roof to make phoenix open up about his emotions at least a Little. after that the two of you go steal a motorcycle and the route ends <3

phoenix is Really into diy, he made all the patches on his jacket & attached the spikes himself. also spray painted the baseball bat to make it Pink and added nails. it actually always keeps the bat in the trunk of its car because "you never know". he also always carries a pocket knife with him. though it mostly uses it to carve things on trees rather than stab people with it

phoenix considers himself a horse girl, but his actual knowledge of horses is very. debatable. in its route you visit the stables its friend works at and both the friend and the owner don't hide the fact that it internalized a lot of false information from watching too many horse movies and is too stubborn to unlearn it. and that's why no one actually trusts him with a horse

phoenix has like a gay thing going on with a couple of my friends' ocs and it's very silly. guy gets bitches i fucking guess. [said ocs are @transgingi 's jackson bc phoenix has awful taste and @mnyehlike 's ace because phoenix can sometimes have slightly less awful taste]

phoenix swears a lot but he's also polish so that's kind of a given. it first arrived to dialtown when it was 19 and just kind of. stayed there since then. never came back to europe and doesn't plan to

his head is a speaker and he can make noises and play music and imitate different voices with it. it can also turn up the volume really loud to yell at little billy when he screeches through his megaphone. when a child screams at you scream louder to assert dominance

phoenix has a cat named pablo [yes after the off cat] and he's the meanest most awful bitey little creature this earth has ever seen but phoenix loves him so so much. it's his ugly little child and he's only aggressive because he's just like his papa

good lord. ok im done rambling. feen time

[yellowocaballero]

I love the fact that in your story Jason tends to mythologize himself and everyone around him. The clock isnt just a clock it has a dramatic heartbreaking tragedy attached to it. Bruce and Batman arent just Bruce or Batman but also Odysseus. He himself isnt just a boy but pariyah who found someone like him, a soldier trying to stand his ground. I also love that he looked at Tim "cringefail loser conspiracy theorist who commits crimes just because he wants" Drake and decided he's the coolest guy ever, similarly he heard about Stephanie "literally Just Some Guy with social skills and adhd" Brown and decided she's perfect and he could never measure upto her

Jason is so incredibly baby I love him. Terminally twelve. Afflicted with tween disorder. It's terminal. Baby boy.

Jason was easy to write, because he's just meant to be the opposite of Steph in every way. But they are identically Mary Sues. He's such a heroic, perfect little baby. He has a drive for justice and heroism like Steph does not have at all. His voice is almost as sophisticated as an adults. I wrote him as over the top perfect and virtuous. And he's still here like PERFECT FREAKING STEPHANIE BROWN. HOW I HATE HER.

OK this story exists because my friend and I were joking about how fucking awful it has to be to follow up on Steph's act. The sheer level of favoritism has to be fucking insane. Bruce thinks Steph is the most perfect child ever, who on Earth is going to match up. Jason has no idea that he is the favorite baby. It's so funny to me to write Steph "Canonical Fuck-Up" "Internal Narration at 8th Grade Reading Lvl" Brown perceived as some stupid perfect genius princess who everyone is obsessed with. It's a meta-commentary.

I think he's a very, very thoughtful person, but he's one with a temper. He's dreamy and spends a lot of time in his own head, but he most frequently uses his daydreams and habits of fictionalizing his own life like oven mitts, as a way of protecting himself and processing his own world into something he can handle. Being homeless is stressful and boring so he just read a lot. I think Bruce did that too as a kid, and their mutually overactive imaginations and more quiet and reserved natures let them bond. But like Steph, he understands the big picture and the importance of Batman and Robin in the cultural landscape of Gotham - Jason knows the meaning of Odysseus. I think he understands his spot as the inheritor of Steph and Bruce's legacy before Steph does. They began it, but Jason has to figure out how to tell its story and make it a myth. He's well-suited for the task: it was never Steph he saw in that Robin costume.

Re: Tim: if I was a 12yo boy and my big brother was a domestic terrorist who infiltrated foreign governments and went to MIT I would think he was super cool. Of course Tim's a helpless dork but Jason doesn't see that. It was fun to write Tim "Pathetic-ass Nerd" Drake viewed as incredibly cool, for the same reasons it was fun to write Stephanie "Has Not Read A Book In Four Years" Brown seen as a genius. Jason thinks of himself as someone with a strong imagination who also has a strong grounding in reality, but I think his overactive imagination makes him lose touch with the people around him!

[variousqueerthings]

so ok, having finished rodeo, a movie I've been excited to watch for over a year, lotta thoughts

definitely worth the wait for me

the ideas explored in this movie are so very very complex, it's almost difficult to fit plot around them and yet it does so pretty immaculately

my biggest downside i think would be that it had space for a longer runtime. there were definitely bits that were rushed and the ending seemed to come... not out of nowhere, but faster than i think it needed to. some of the character dynamics (especially mr crime boss) felt a little underbaked

but. BUT: it doesn't really matter to me so much for several reasons - the story trajectory was fucking solid (I saw some people say not enough happened/that it was purely a vibes-based film, which was odd to me. i thought this film careened forward plotwise, it was very easy to see the direction it was going in, it wasn't trying to trick us or slow us down to get there) - the acting was great across the board. read that they were non-actors, and that naturalism really did come across, but i also don't think there was awkwardness or a lack of direction in the acting that can sometimes come from working with non-actors. probably because they were in their element - obviously, especially the lead -- can't tell if she's a non-actor or a newcomer, but either way she was amazing. every time a movie creates a female character who is SO SO off-putting and abrasive and angry and unwilling to give an inch an angel gets its wings, and she really commits, but also i thought she was incredibly vulnerable, it was simply that the language for who she is is completely impossible to access so what has she got left as a girl-who-may-not-be-a-girl from a rough estate, multi-ethnic, desperate to access a macho environment? like. of course she's got her hackles up near-constantly - the haunting???? THE HAUNTING?????? THIS WAS A GHOST STORY???????? HELLO????????????? what if you were a girl-who-was-an-incorrect-girl-who-wanted-to-be-like-a-boy-but-mainly-you-wanted-to-go-fast! and this man who helped you start getting your wings haunted/possessed you and you knew the only thing that mattered was being on the bike, that moment when you're going as fast as you can, that's who you really are, and you get it via the ghost of this dead man who comes to you in your dreams and claws his way inside you and gives you sage advice (and is also stunningly beautiful) - the gender, obviously. the overlap of trans/non/agender/dyke-gender/boy/boi/girl-not-girl coming-of-age explorations in there and the thing is, the beautiful beautiful thing is... i was expecting this film to go in the direction of "ah yea, and then she discovers her innate womanhood via this straight romance clearly being established between her and this guy" OR later on "she discovers her innate lesbian womanhood via this romance possibly being established between her and this woman" and neither of these things happen!!!!!!!! - this movie is for the aroaces, is what I'm saying. the triple-a's even. heck possibly the pentagon a's tbh: she's giving us aro, ace, aplatonic, afamilial, agender, she's giving us "all that Matters is the bike, stealing them, riding them, cleaning them up, going fast" she even sleeps with the bike at one point (literally sleeps, not sexually), that's who she is! - for the objectums too i just realised. the bike is the most important relationship here - and all of that Lack Of Romance that gets established is kind of at the heart of untangling a lot of her gender as well. she never does have a traditional coming-of-age, because to her all that mattered was getting to ride bikes, getting to steal those bikes, being the baddest bikerider, becoming something mythological and she did that! - so the ending is probably not for everyone, but i did see it as a positive. she wasn't in it "to be accepted" in the end (that was her first need, but really it was a means, and while she did take the kindness and give it back at times, esp to the wife, and i think one can read it as subtextual lesbianism, i do think there are textual moments to suggest she feels mostly sorry for her and her solution is: BIKES!!! like she wants to get her away from her husband, and she likes her kid, but it's not necessarily about getting her to herself, it's about offering freedom), she was in it to ride bikes forever and she does get that - fucking. it's a ghost story!!!! about asphalt pirates!!!!!!!! it invokes cowboys and pirates and highway men!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

so in the end ok yeah, maybe the movie is a little bit about The Vibes, but I'd say more about The Themes and i can imagine a lot of people are seeing setups and expecting certain directions and feeling let down when that's not what the movie does. i did that at one point, specifically related to either having a heist go wrong or the crime boss guy acting out, and neither of these really happen, she's like. very good at what she does, consistently, and the only thing that goes wrong, every time, is that her innate being -- her Otherness (she calls herself Unknown arghhh) -- gets her into trouble with the guys (later just one guy who can't let go) who cannot square that with their reality of how the world Should Be, which is very very interesting. the plot doesn't come for her, her own hubris doesn't come for her, it's simply that Who She Is is threatening

but also that "Who She Is" is never totally spelled out -- it could be dykery, gender (which is also dykery in many ways), aroness, and really it's a mix of all of these because these things overlap in a multitude of ways (AND the movie definitely lends deliberate credence to all of them -- at one point someone disputes that she's "a tranny," at another point she's playing house with a married woman for a day and is warned away from her, at a third point a guy asks her if she "has a pussy" it's all "wrong gender/sexuality/relationship-structures")

which is. very very queer of this film

anyway. so. queer asphalt pirate haunting. but not as a series of tropes, if you expect tropes you will be disappointed. as an exploration and a kiss towards subculture and a feminist coming-of-age that's not about love for once

also this as double-feature with titane, although i wouldn't call this eroticism of the machine, because crucially julie in this film does not want to fuck anything or anyone, she just wants to be spiritually connected to a motorbike forever, unlike ofc alexia, who is consistently very very horny for the cars/trucks

spiritualism of the machine, if you will