#aesthetically still my favorite DC movie

[the-mummy]

"I'm older now than my father ever was. This may be the only thing I do that matters."

[jollyfunvoid]

Bucci gang headcanons

Bruno Bucciarati

-Wes Andersson fan (his comfort movie is Grandhotel Budapest)

-fave era is roaring 20s (aesthetic & music wise)

-listens to electro swing, swing, jazz and blues

-has a very strong sweet tooth. His cravings are so extreme he is able to eat whole giant chocolate on one go and not gain a single kilogram. His favorite ice cream is stracciatella and his go to dessert is tiramisu. If you wanna bribe him, use sweets

-loves Golden Girls (Sofia is his favorite character)

-hardcore Eurovision fan, always prepares for the Eurovision weeks in advance, it's like a holiday for him

-brings small camera with him everywhere he goes, gets very emotional and sentimental when taking pictures, loves to keep all the memories

-shares an old record player with Abbacchio, they collects vinyl records together

-in charge of shared Netflix and Disney+ account

-has an ornamental lower back tattoo which matches the one he has on his chest. Has a lot of tattoos all over his body in general

-is very good at sailing and has a captain's licence. As a kid he used to be obsessed with pirates, he still lowkey fantasizes about life at sea

-surprisingly a very good dancer and hella skilled belly dancer. He is also very flexible

-Caterina Caselli number 1 fan

-drinks a lot of coffee, never starts a day without a cup of cappuccino

-obsessed with candles

-as a kid he used to build wooden ship models with his dad. Now as an adult he still does it sometimes, when he is not too busy

-bought himself a sewing machine because he is really into fashion and wanted to start making his own clothes. Isn't very good at it tho, his sewing skills are poor, so he always ends up zipping everything up with his stand and then acts like that's how the "sewn" piece is supposed to look like

-has a sweet melodic laugh

-extremely flirty, he is a snarky little shit who loves to tease others

-"Oh my god look at the sky! The colors are so beautifl!" *takes a picture* "And the clouds? Wow!" *takes another picture* "Guys, come look at the sunset!" *takes 20 more pictures*

-has a very low alcohol tolerance (3 glasses in and he is under the table)

-although he seems like a very well put together person, he is very messy and tends to misplace things, especially when he creates extra storage with zippers he can't find anything. He calls it "organized chaos"

-can easily sneak up on others, he just silently spawns out of nowhere. Is it his natural ability or is Sticky Fingers involved? No one knows

-is able to talk his way out of anything, uses his charm to his advantage a lot. Also the master of puppy eyes

-suffers from PTSD because of the attack on his father, that's why he always sleeps with a knife under his pillow. Everytime he hears noises in the middle on the night he gets paranoid that someone is hiding in or sneaking into his home with the intention of harming him and his love ones. When the panic attacks hit him really hard, he irrationally makes extra safety precautions, such as blocking doors with furniture or leaving the lights on. Also has trouble sleeping in unknown places because he feels vulnerable and exposed to potential dangers, he is always in a state of high alert.

-his favorite season is winter, he enjoys Christmas the most because he loves giving presents and being with his family. He definitely plays an old Ella Fitgerald vinyl records during Christmas time

Leone Abbacchio

-tea lover, his favorite is earl grey

-doesn't like sweets, however he enjoys dried fruit (especially figs)

-Narancia is his favorite kid

-movies enthusiast, has seen sooo many movies and is the biggest critic. He has a Letterboxd account where he writes reviews. Loves watching old horror movies the most because of the gothic aesthetic, but DC movies have a very special place in his heart

-hardcore Depeche Mode, Calabrese and London After Midnight fan

-goes jogging every morning

-after getting sober he tries to look after his diet more, thanks to Bruno

-knows a lot about occult stuff

-secretly watches RuPaul's drag race with Trish

-owns a motorcycle

-named his stand after Bruno's favorite music genre to honor everything Bruno has done for him

-takes very cold and brisk showers

-taught all the boys how to drive

-thanks to Mista he became a huge Gorillaz fan

-since Moody Blues doesn't have lips, she communicates with him via symbols on her digital forehead screen

-never puts down his headphones

-has a playlist for literally any occasion. Tends to gatekeep music, you have to be very special if he shows you his playlists. Has made a playlist for each member of the Bucci gang, the only one who knows is Bruno (Leone created him multiple playlists, they even have a shared one, which they play when they are alone)

-his skin is very prone to bruising

-Moody Blues also allows him to see fragments of the past when he touches various items, he is able to sense the overall vibe and emotions of their owner and the situation they were in while using the item.

-his clothes may be dark, but I know for a fact his socks and underwear are colorful af, wild patterns all over

-his favorite season is autumn, he loves rainy and foggy weather

-the biggest prankster of the group. Everyone thinks either Narancia or Mista are always responsible for the pranks, but it is actually Leone. No one ever suspects him, because he doesn't look like the type of guy who would enjoy such childish things. And thanks to his stoic appearance he always gets away with it.

-true crime podcast listener. Him and Fugo share this passion and often discuss their favorite podcast shows. Sometimes they watch detective movies together and bet on who will solve the mystery first

Pannacotta Fugo

-reads a lot of crime novels in his free time, always comes up with his own theories and tries to solve the case before the detective (got mistaken only once and couldn't get over it for a long time). His favorite author is Sebastian Fitzek

-loves watching cartoons and animated movies, because he didn't get to enjoy them as a child

-hates horror movies because of loud jumpscares, but doesn't mind gore

-drinking green tea helps him to calm down

-gets sunburnt easily

-either never gets ill, or is sick for several weeks straight

-developed not only respiratory, but also digestive problems because of Purpe Haze and feels nauseous a lot (also throws up very often)

-uses make up to cover his facial scars

-his skin is extremely dry

-has a very light sleep, he finds it extremely difficult to share room with others during missions (he is only able to fall asleep with either Bruno or Giorno because they are not noisy sleepers like the others)

-Sheila, Murolo and him have regular sleepovers and movie marathons. They also cook dinner together

-his favorite bands are System of a Down, Slipknot, Bad Omens and Motionless in White

-can't go on rides in amusement parks because he gets sick

-him and Abbacchio visit rage rooms regularly

-always carries a book with him

-chews a lot of bubblegum to release his anger

-everytime the gang travels abroad he is the one who has to translate everything since he knows many foreign languages. He speaks english, french, russian, spanish and norwegian fluently, his pronunciation is so spot on you could barely tell he is not a native speaker. Doesn't have an accent at all. Also knows basics of sign language and cyrillic alphabet. He uses these skills often in Italy too, when he gets approached by strangers on the streets he pretends he is a confused tourist who doesn't undertand italian

-gets overstimulated easily, he is especially sensitive to noises (suffers from misophonia)

-bites ice cream and ice

-"the book was better than the movie" type of person

-picky eater, very cautious with unfamiliar food

-takes extremely hot showers. Whenever he is in the bathroom it ends up looking like a sauna in there. Also the gang has an unwritten rule that if they share a room during a mission, Fugo can use the bathroom first because he hates feeling dirty and has to use the shower immediately, otherwise he will be grumpy and won't shut up about it

-has a nasty skin picking habit, which results in him picking patches of dry skin and scabbed-over cuts and scratches (many of his injuries never fully heal because of this)

-never leaves the house without a hand sanitizer

-fidgets with his hands a lot when he is anxious

-goes to bed first and also wakes up the first

Narancia Ghirga

-vegetarian

-convinced Abbacchio to watch Brooklyn 99 with him (although Leone didn't like it at first, they now binge watch it together). They also watched Breaking Bad and What We Do In The Shadows

-has heterochromia

-thinks Orange Capri Sun is the supreme flavor and refuses to drink any other flavor

-created a shared playlist for the squad, he blasts it everytime the gang travels somewhere (it mostly consist of EDM, trap, phonk and rap)

-always beats everyone in Just Dance game sessions

-wears mismatched socks

-somewhat good at drawing, has a very unique cartoon caricature-like style

-hardcore Marvel fan (loves Guardians of the Galaxy the most), argues with Abbacchio a lot because he likes DC

-Mista, Trish and him had a podcast at some point

-his favorite candy is Kinder Surprise

-makes paper airplanes when bored

-bites people he love

-cries when animal dies in a movie

-suffers from seasonal allergy

-sleeps with tiny Creeper and Enderman Minecraft plushies, he takes them everywhere and even made them an instagram account, where he shares random pictures of them. When someone from the gang goes on a separate mission, he gives one plushie to the group or the individual, so they wouldn't feel lonely. And they also take pictures of the plusie and send them to Narancia.

-speaking of Minecraft, he manages a server where the gang plays together. He even created custom skins for everyone which look like their stands. Since he is the only one without humanoid stand, his skin is Mr. Smith, the pilot or Aerosmith. He wears a jacket with a picture of his stand in the back

-he is afraid of doctors and doesn't like hospitals. Everytime he gets sick or injured, he gets very anxious about his health. He hates dentists the most.

-loves when Fugo reads to him because he has a very smooth audio-book-like voice when he is calm

-experimented with different hair dyes couple of times, Trish and Abbacchio helped him

-die hard South Park fan, quotes the show on daily basis

-steals everyone's clothes. Can't find a shirt? Narancia is wearing it. Your hoodie is missing? It's in Narancia's closet

-has sticky notes all over his room, because if he doesn't have something written down, he will most likely forget it

-surprisingly very strong, the only person from the gang he is not able to lift up is Leone

Giorno Giovanna

-his emotions effect his powers (different flowers grow around him or from his hair when he gets excited, angry or scared), however he manages to control and hide it well

-master builder in The Sims game; doesn't care about the gameplay as such, he just enjoys building the houses and spends hours decorating them. Fugo loves to join his gaming sessions, but he on the other hand doesn't care about the houses or decorations, his goal is to always kill as many sims as possible (he loves to play around with various gruesome mods, which Giorno secretly enjoys watching)

-walking cottage core moodboard aesthetic

-goes on a picnic at least 2 times a week. In general preferst to eat ouside, terrace or garden are his favorite places

-has a very complex skincare routine

-heist movies enthusiast

-Trish got him into astrology and tarot cards

-loves theatre and poetry, even tried to write some poems himself

-writes official Passione documents on typewriter

-installed beehives in the Passione mansion gardens and makes his own honey

-collects dried flowers

-is the best liar in the group

-a bug magnet, there is always some type of insect crawling on his clothes

-him and Fugo have library & bookshop dates, they also visit museums together and exchange random facts about nature. Nerds in love, what can I say

-caramel is his favorite ice cream and dessert toping

-has a small floral tattoo on his wrist

-autistic

-loves taking bubble baths

-takes part in any bet without hesitation, no matter how absurd it is

-very bad dancer, has no rythm, but he is the best singer from the group, his voice is angelic

-very rough driver; hits the breaks hard, pumps up the gas fast and does very sharp turns. Also drives hella fast

-learned how to differentiate the steps of other people (especially the fellow teammates, since they live together). This is an old habit from his childhood.

-he walks very quietly, others barely notice when he walks into a room or when he leaves

-hates the smell of cigarettes

-others think he has a very odd music taste, because he will be singing a song from a Disney movie and within a couple of minutes you can catch him vibing to Banshee. He is forbidden to play his music in the car because it consist of all kinds of genres it makes it almost uncomfortable to listen to. His fellow gang members say his playlists are inconsistent, but they just make sense to Giorno.

-speaking of music, he is a huge fan of Hozier, Die Antwoord, Ghostemane and Little Big

-very creative, his hobbies include all kinds of crafty ativities, such as sewing, embroidering, pottery making, felting, knitting, soap making, candle making…. you name it, if he can create something, he will. And he is very good at it

-extremely fascinated by venomous animals and poisonous plants. The deadlier the better. His obsession with killer plants led to him nicknaming Fugo "his aconito", because he associates the aconite flower with his stand (it disables nerves, lowers blood pressure, and can stop the heart, plus it's purple). His other favorite flowers associated with Fugo and Purple Haze are Nightshade, Love in a mist, Spider lily and Morning glory

-zones out a lot

-sleeps with dozens of pillows, when he sleeps he is literally burried under them

-when he gets overwhelmed he lights up an incense stick and it calms him down. He is very fond of nice smells.

Guido Mista

-enjoys shitty movies, especially buddy commedies and low budget rom coms. Abbacchio hates when Mista picks films for the movie nights. Bruno on the other hand loves it

-Adam Sandler number 1 fan

-signed up for an archery course, also tried to use crossbow at some point

-can fall asleep anywhere, snores very loud

-likes the weirdest food combinations (like ice cream and pickles and stuff), the type of person who eats fries with McFlurry

-kills bugs with Nerf guns, Giorno hates it

-plays airsoft and paintball in free time

-enjoys camping, rockclimbing and rafting. Outdoor activities are his thing

-hella superstitious, made up various rituals he repeats in order to avoid bad luck

-very religious, always says a prayer before every mission

-reggaeton is his favorite type of music

-idk why but him having diabetes makes so much sence, since Pistols have to eat regularly to keep his energy and sugar lvl. stable

-mayo is his go to dressing with everything (fries, hot dog, nachos...)

-him and Narancia have 1am fast food trips

-makes silly bets with others and always challenges them to do something stupid for money, Giorno is always the first one to participate

-the best hugger

-big brother energy, everytime the other teammates screw something up and are afraid to tell Bucciarati or Abbacchio, they go to Mista for advice. He is extremely responsible and can always keep his head clear in stressful situations

-claims to hate drama but is always down to listen to some fresh tea

-loves watching cooking competitions. He is always judging the contestants harder than Gordon Ramsay ever could, Abbacchio occasionally joins him because he finds it amusing

-whenever someone tells him "I love you" he replies "Ditto", referencing one of his favorite movies (Ghost, 1990)

[narabea06]

Do you... Have any Flynn Rider headcannons..? From NIWL?

HI THERE YOU LOVELY PERSON OF COURSE I HAVE HCS FOR FLYNN I FUCKING LOVE FLYNN-

Flynn Rider (NIWL) Headcanons -

Flynn is queer and transmasc (according to Plu in their discord, Flynn actually had a late husband who used to work for Fazbear, though I'm unsure if this is still canon, but I personally like to think it is)

After he quit working at Wonderheart, Flynn actively refused to enter the Wonderheart building anymore, and any time he ever has to go there, it's just to talk to Zero or pick up Sova.

Flynn is the kind of guy to put his boots on your dash in your car.

He is actually really gentle and patient with kids despite seeming super intimidating.

Flynn doesn't like physical touch.

His love language is gift giving.

He’s a dog person.

He dresses mainly in a 80s rock aesthetic in his free time, and actively listens to punk rock, mullet rock, and classic rock. (The way I draw Flynn is directly inspired by my dad, so I'll admit, it is a bit self indulgent, but idk I love it)

Flynn has tons of piercings, namely an eyebrow piercing, a nose bridge piercing, and four ear piercings. They used to have gages too, but they stopped wearing them and let them close up and heal.

Flynn is the only Wonderheart worker that's taller than King. (King is 6'2")

Because of Hatter stabbing him in the arm so badly, Flynn hasn't been able to use the injured arm very much and had to get a fuck ton of stitches. He can barely carry stuff with that arm and it constantly hurts like hell.

Before Pluto realized how bad their injury was and after noticing Flynn hadn’t been at work in a bit, Pluto tried to get Flynn back into work only to immediately get a prompt "fuck you" from Flynn.

He is left handed, so when his arm was stabbed, he had to learn how to write with the other hand.

King and Flynn actually get along super well, with them being the grumpy + sunshine duo. Even though Flynn doesn't work with King anymore, they still see each other from time and frequently text and send each other voice memos.

King and Flynn once ran into each other at the mall when they both happened to be getting groceries. Flynn offered to help King find stuff and read their grocery list. In return, King held his groceries to take the strain off Flynn's arm.

King and Flynn have matching blue heart clips that King bought them.

Flynn does not like Iris too much because of his connection to Fazbear but tolerated working with him.

Flynn loves horror movies, with his favorite being Nightmare on Elm Street.

They can play the bass guitar, and are a decent singer.

Flynn was a guitarist in a band in highschool in the 90s.

Flynn has a shepherd dog named Max. Zero often dog sits him.

His main interests are DC Comics, horror movies, and psychology.

Brian and Flynn are neighbors and live in the same apartment building.

Before Flynn quit, he actually considered White Rabbit his favorite among the animatronics, which was saying a lot because he practically hated everyone else.

Zero, Flynn, and Sova all hang out as a trio a lot, and have a found family dynamic, with Sova and Zero seeing Flynn as a dad.

Flynn, even though he's not actually working at Wonderheart anymore, is always invited by Zero, Sova, and King to out-of-work hangouts.

Flynn would punch a transphobe in the face, especially if they messed with Zero or Sova.

Flynn is very intimidating and oftentimes Zero and Sova will hide behind him for scary dog privileges.

Flynn sometimes picks Sova up from work on his motorcycle. He always gives Sova his helmet, and constantly double-checks that they're comfortable.

Flynn lends Zero clothing sometimes, such as jackets after Cheshire ate most of his.

Zero asks Flynn for advice a lot since Flynn has "old man wisdom". Zero also genuinely looks up to Flynn and cares a lot about what Flynn has to say.

Zero and Flynn are both transmasc, with Flynn being an older trans man and Zero being a much younger, newly out trans guy. Zero got his top surgery very recently and even got a couple months off work to recover while Flynn got his surgery YEARS ago. They bond over it a lot. (I DID WRITE A ONESHOT ABOUT THIS ON AO3 IF YOU'RE INTERESTED: "Same Scars")

Flynn has a motorcycle that he named Joan.

Flynn has been trying to get Zero to get drumming lessons because Zero has a drumroll stim and he genuinely thinks he'd enjoy it.

[starcloud-nova]

PLEASE ramble to me about your OCs I am 👀👀👀

Catla this ask has been sitting in my inbox for so long that it has gotten EMBARASSING but I will move past all that and take this opportunity you have given me. Thank u. This ended being 2k+ words and it’s late and I’m tired of half-assedly proofreading so I am putting it out into the world.

Some preface before we get into it (there are a lot of prefaces bear with me!): The story of my original OCs (just 2-3 characters) was “what if there was a character, and she was adopted by [character I am too embarrassed to name], and there was found family.” This was the end goal. Everything else was backstory. They started off as Marvel OCs, then BNHA, then Haikyuu, then Black Clover, then DC, before I finally decided that they were too far removed from any canon to fit into a preexisting story and finally made them just original characters.

By the time I hit DC OCs’, I decided I needed a team of people for my main OCs (siblings) to be friends and allied with, to juxtapose the batfam, so I created a plethora of OCs to go along with them. Suddenly we had a lot of characters, and I needed to thread them all together. I developed my own dynamics, backstories, and other details for all of these characters. 

Instead of starting with an archetype or trope (hothead, scarecrow, hero, rebel, sunshiney, miserable, etc), I started with different events or moments in their lives. Essentially, I went backward, deciding key events before personality (kind of like how real life works…) This is what makes it so hard to describe my OCs to people. There isn’t just a set of keywords I can pull out of nowhere*, like “happy-go-lucky” or “angry” because they react differently in different situations. The only way to know the full range of my characters is to…know them.

*This is for most of my OCs. some of them I never developed as much, so they’re a little more black and white. Looking at you, Kicks.

That was a lot of ramble (it’s well past 1am as I write this) but to boil it down, the reason why i shared all of this information is this: My OCs are not ‘characters’ to me. They are people. They are so complex and have rich histories and aren’t just moodboards or aesthetics to me. And there’s no single plotline that I follow through either (more on this later**), because there is no overarching plot throughout their entire lives. Conflicts get resolved, or there are multiple at once, just like how someone can have both school and home life drama at once.

No, I don’t know their favorite songs, or movies, or colors, or what their ‘likes’ and ‘dislikes’ are. Yes, I know that Daiken would never ever speak to Brii again after everything, and he would definitely fight her if they ever met again, but he still picked up the phone when she called because he knew that she would only call him if it was important. And it was.

Sorry,. I am so normal abt my OCs. no one will read this post LMAO but . oh well. Already at 500 words and no sign of the end.

So the most basics are this:

For the sake of this post, ‘canon’ is at this point in time: Sachi Kojima (she) (16) lives with her three brothers, her twin Kazuki (he) (16), younger (half-)brother Kaito (he) (11), and elder brother Daiken (he) (21). Daiken is their legal guardian and took custody of them when he was 18, after The Incident™ when their severely abusive father (who was also a crimelord) was arrested. Her mother died when she was 4. 

Remember that thing I mentioned about the crimelord? Yeah, so as it turns out [bear with me this is the least plausible part of the story] all of the local bigger criminals/crimelords in the area…participate in ‘bring your kid to work day’, like, most days. Yeah, yeah I know. All of the Criminals™ are lowkey training their kids to follow in their footsteps and take them with them to places but also leave them in this old ass conference room for hours at a time I DONT KNOW it doesnt sound plausible to me either. Anyways. Jokingly, this group of kids call themselves the ‘Junior Murderers Club’ and they fuck around and do a whole lot of Nothing and bond while their parents talk about crime and get drunk and shit. They also call themselves ‘Sixes’ because they’re either six inches away [from their parent] or six rooms away, unless they wanna be six feet under…haha.

This group of kids exists in the ‘pre-canon’ of the story (from when Daiken was 12-17) and consists of: 

Daiken Kojima (he/him) (age 14 for reference)

Former team leader

Original codename: Moonstrike

Current codename: Redpoint

Maisie “Maze” Morian (she/her) (15) [deceased]

Codename: Freyja

Brielle “Brii” Hayes (she/her) (14)

Codename: Widow

Jacob Myers (he/they) (14)

Codename: Nightlight

James “Jamie” Moreno (he/him) (13) [deceased]

Codename: Piccolo

[Deadname] “Amelie” Espinosa (she/they) (12)

Original codename: Torito

Current codename: Mariposa

Lorena Inés “LS” Sauly (she/they) (12) 

do NOT call her by her first name or they will kill u

Codename: Siren

[Deadname] “Kicks” Hall (they/them) (11)

Codename: Kicks

Daiken is one of the few people that can still get away with calling Kicks ‘KJ’, their old nickname derived from their deadname + their codename, Kicks.

Azarus “Azz” Adams (he/him) (10)

Codename: Merlin

Best friends w/Kazuki (currently 17), also hates his first name lol

They are all trauma buddies and went on missions together n stuff and they all mostly*** hated their parents. After Sachi + co. (her siblings) escape their situation, they all kind of break off, and eventually they form the Information League, or the IL, or just… no name at all because I’m still not satisfied with that one.

***EXCEPT Brii who was treated quite well by her father and was brainwashed/manipulated into believing that what they did was okay in some capacity. She is essentially Daiken’s narrative foil and I love her to death. She is the worst. Stupid gay bitch <3

One of the previous generations of Sixes is Perria Dawson (she/her, codename: Delphi), who is ten years older than Daiken (so in canon, 31) who watched silently from the shadows, collected information, and slowly worked her way out of the complicated network of crime that she was entrapped in to eventually Get Out. She specialized in information gathering and staying under the radar. The IL’s base is a warehouse that her father used to own but sorta kinda forgot about, so she took over it when she got away from him and made it HQ. Notably, it has a big open space with high ceilings that they call the Fly, short for flyspace, a few rooms out of the way (kind of hidden) that she lives in with her kids (see below) part-time, and high rafters with those criss-crossy metal ladder things that are a bunch of X’s and stuff. 

In current canon, she’s a programmer or something like that and works a day job and while she’s cool with calls, everyone else feels bad for mooching off of her, so she’s Not to be disturbed during this time. She is my Deus ex machina. Anytime something goes Majorly wrong, someone always has to say the line “I’m calling Perria”. 

Perria also has the habit of picking up strays lmao and later takes in Manha Latif (she her, codename: Trebleclef, 15 in canon), my little meow meow who was not a Six but had a much beloved older brother who disappeared after dealing with some fucked up shit, so she got a little toooo involved in the nightlife and the IL got involved and now she’s one of them. Her brother (Binyamin) is probably dead rip and during all of this mess, her mom goes back overseas to Pakistan and is currently living there, so Perria was like “yea dude I’ll take you in”, so she lives with Perria

A year and a half later, she adopts the strangest fuckin little kid who talks like an adult and doesn’t know her name and appears from the shadows when you call for her and oh shit she’s probably magic or something. When you let a six-year-old pick their own name they will generally pick shit like Andromeda (or Anna for short). They refer to her as ‘The Kid™’ or ‘Star’ in the field.

Other character info I didn’t mention:

Sachi’s codename is ‘Scapegoat’ to reclaim her identity as the childhood scapegoat, because “everything’s always my fault, isn’t that right? 🙄”

Kazuki’s and Kaito’s I am still not completely satisfied with. I have spent many walks home contemplating something that doesn’t sound like a 12 year old came up with but it is hard I tell you. Kaito doesn’t really go into the field much anyway because everyone is determined to not traumatize him anymore than he already is but the name I picked for him is Gear. Kazuki is Steel.

If anyone has suggestions, my criteria are that Kazuki’s starts with an S (to match his sister) and sounds somewhat physics-y or steampunk/cyberpunky. Kaito’s is so weird that anything works really but he likes animals and will probably be a vet so keep that in mind. Also reminder he is 11.

Now that most of my characters are out of the way it’s time to explain the **many plotlines that I have going on. When I come up with scenarios in my mind, they fit into the below categories. Essentially, if I wanted to actually sit down and tell the story of these kids, these are the options that I have.

One: The Early Days (2011-2019) 

The abuse Daiken, Sachi, Kazuki, and Kaito faced at the hands of their father for 8 years. This is either from Sachi’s or Daiken’s point of view. 

Sachi has the unique experience of being the scapegoat and most hated child and also only girl (which is important here as well as later****). Also goes into Sachi’s relationship with her best friends (Bianca/Bia (she), who she was probably in love with [or was she?] and Trey (he)), her twin, lying pathologically to all the adults in her life, her anger issues, and more. 

Daiken has the experience of being the eldest child forced to look after his siblings while work alongside his father on missions and meeting people as well as maintain his grades to escape to medical school and a better future. He’s a lil parentified. Lol. 

Two: Daiken as a Six (2013-2018) 

Trigger warning for child death in this one.

The struggles that Daiken experienced before escaping his father at 18 (when he got arrested). This mainly focuses on how Brii is his narrative foil as well as goes into more detail on the missions he went on with LS and Jacob and Jamie and Azz. When Daiken was 14, he was going through his father’s computer, and accidentally discovers that Jamie had died a few weeks prior, at only 13. This devastates him, and while he was already against the work he was forced into, the circumstances of Jamie’s death (at the hands of one of Jamie’s father’s employees in the mob, used brutally as a human shield), radicalizes him, and he ends up toe-to-toe with the ever-loyal Brii. Brii is like Daiken but her father actually loves her deeply and manipulates/abuses her differently. Years later, Maze (who Brii was secretly in love with) dies at 19, protecting Brii on a mission, and while this would have radicalized Daiken, this only further cements in Brii’s eyes that what they are doing is the way to keep the most people safe. This story is really interesting and nuanced in a lot of ways.

Three: To Grow Again (TGA)/After (2019-) 

The story of Sachi and her siblings’ lives after they’re taken out of their father’s custody and transferred into Daiken’s care a few months later. Mostly a story of healing and setbacks as Sachi experiences loss, works through trauma, adjusts to a new way of life, and also forms close bonds with the IL. This is the Good Ending

An AU of this: Daiken becomes a teen dad and shares custody of his daughter Aika with her mom. This is mostly fluffy slice of life stuff and isn’t canon to anything. 

Another AU of this: I like to play with a roleswap/reverse siblings so that everyone is backward in age. I haven't played with this concept as much so feel free to ask more abt this.

Four: The Dimension Girls (2020-) 

Eventually I got bored of the happily ever after stuff so I gave Sachi the power to travel between dimensions and made her a guardian of the planet Earth. I have a lot of lore I’m still working on (ATSV gave me so many good ideas, but also hey I already had the ‘anomaly’ concept!) but I’ve tried to distinguish between dimensions, universes, and smaller changes in dimensions. That’s a different post. 

Sachi and two other girls****, Allison (Aussie, she/they, 19) and Imogen (Irish, she/her, 16) are meant to help dimensional anomalies, act as ambassadors to other dimensions, and protect the dimension from threats. I used the concept of the 5 senses, where Allison is sight, Sachi is hearing, and Imogen is taste (which I decided includes gasses/the lungs). There are 5 senses, obviously, but I decided that the other 2 girls haven’t activated their powers yet, so right now, Sachi’s Earth doesn’t have all of its guardians, making the burden greater on the three. Not every dimension uses the 5 senses in their powers, or even has the same rules for picking guardians. In this dimension, the guardian powers are passed through the girl in the bloodline (trans-inclusive! Which is why none of the others can be transfemme and Sachi can’t be transmasc lol) until there isn’t one, then it jumps to a new family. There’s some fun horror where these senses sometimes cross over and they can experience things from other dimensions (phantom hearing, vision, smoke in Im’s lungs, etc). There’s also this mirror dimension where they go and blah blah I don’t feel like explaining.

I love doing crossovers so when I do those I just make it a dimensional thing. I tried staying away from the ‘fantasy structure is just a bureaucracy hierarchy’ concept because I hate it, but there are also beings with more power, like Cosmic/Cozy who is an inter-dimensional higher being who steps in when situations get dire. Pronouns pending because I can’t decide between they/them and he/she so y’all can help me out with that as well.

An AU of this: Sachi also gets stuck in timeloops sometimes, caused by her powers somehow. I have fun with it. This one is more canon than the other AU I have, and I headcanon that she wears a watch that beeps at 11:50 pm and again at midnight because when she loops it’s always at midnight, and she can get her bearings at 11:50 pm so that if she ends up looping, she’s somewhere safe and can remember what she was doing at the time to avoid suspicion of the others. It’s a vibe.

Another AU of this: Sachi keeps getting dreams of treading water in an endless ocean as her mother calls out to her and tells her it’s okay + something ominous about where to find her/info about her death. Every time Sachi wakes up, water materializes out of nowhere and she awakens drenched and exhausted, a pool of water around her. This period of time would be either on and off for a few months or for a few weeks straight. She sets an alarm for every 20 minutes so that when she sleeps, she never starts dreaming. She’s constantly exhausted and is living hell for this period of time until the dreams stop.

I think that’s all of the information about my OCs and To Grow Again, the name I picked for their story. This was a lonnggggg post so I will not be surprised if no one reads this. If you made it this far and read most of it, leave a goat emoji in the replies <3. Thank you for letting me rant Catla!!!!! Hope you all enjoyed lol. There is so much information still in my brain, resting, that I have not released yet, so if you have any questions, please hmu with an ask!!! I am obsessed and will respond.

peace ✌️

[anjelicawrites]

Get to know me

I was tagged by @hoosbandewan (thank you so much!!!)

Nickname: My real name is Giorgia, friends call me Gio', Giogio' or Gigi.

Sign: Sagittarius.

Height: 168 cm.

The last thing I googled: a Brazil - Italy time converter (do I have to admit why???).

Amount of sleep: It should be enough, but I still feel overly tired all the time (my cat wakes me up at 3 am to watch her eat, that doesn't help!).

Dream job: Teacher.

Favorite song: You shook me all night long by the AC/DC.

Movie/Book that Summarises Me: It's probably a mix between LOTR and In Search of Lost Time.

Favorite instrument: Piano

Aesthetic: It's very basic and comfy with some more elegant stuff thrown in the mix.

Favorite authors: Carlo Emilio Gadda.

Random fun fact: I played the piano from elementary to high school. I have just recently started studying it again!

Absolutely zero pressure tags: @assortedseaglass, @liv-cole, @fan-goddess, @asa-do-your-thing, @barbieaemond, @exitpursuedbyavulcan, @st-eve-barnes, @the-wonderland-madnesss and whomever else stumbles upon this! I'm curious!!!

[averagewriter-inthedark]

Video Killed The Radio Star ⭐️ | Rhett Abbott Headcanon

Link to my Rhett Abbott Masterlist

Rhett dating someone obsessed with the 80s would look like:

The second verse in the song “1985,” by Bowling for Soup literally describes you when it goes, “She’s seen all the classics. She knows every line. Breakfast Club, Pretty In Pink, even St. Elmo’s Fire. She rocked to Wham! Not a big Limp Bizkit fan. Thought she’d get a hand on a member of Duran Duran.” Yeah, you’ve seen all the classics (including Dirty Dancing, Footloose, Top Gun, The Outsiders, The Karate Kid, Terminator, etc) and can recite every line to the point you don’t even need your eyes on the screen when the scene plays. Rhett was amazed the first time he witnessed it and would challenge you during the scenes with a lot of dialogue.

Rhett was well aware of your love for the 80s. The movies, the music, the aesthetic, just everything. The whole damn reason y’all met was because you worked at the record store in town. He’d always admired you from afar and finally got the courage to go in and talk to you. Wearing an AC/DC shirt and smudged eyeliner, you definitely gave off that classic rock look. Sometimes he’d come in and you were more colorful like when channeling Cyndi Lauper or Witney Houston.

After that first conversation Rhett swore he could hear you talk for hours. You spitted fact after fact to him when he asked questions about a particularly band or movie. Like you knew the exact date MTV launched on cable (August 1st, 1981) and the first music video that aired (Video Killed The Radio Star by The Buggles). Other famous events you knew by heart were Charles & Diana’s wedding, the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion, the Berlin Wall coming down, and the fact the 1984 L.A Olympics was boycotted by the USSR & their allies.

Rhett could easily pick up on who your favorite bands/artists, songs, movies, and 80s heartthrobs were by how consistently you spoke of them. It amazed him, especially because you were likely either a small child or not even alive when the 80s happened, but everything about you screamed you were born in the wrong decade. “I take it if you could go back in time and choose a decade to live in, It’d be the 80s huh?” “Is that even a question? It’s why I need them to crack the code to time travel so I can go!”

Anytime y’all go on road trips you are in charge of the aux and Rhett has grown accustomed to your choice of music. By now he knows all the lyrics from Def Leppard’s Hysteria and almost everything from Journey and Whitney Houston. Before he met you, all Rhett listened to was country and maybe a modern pop or jazz/blues artist once in a blue moon, now his music taste has broaden to classic/metal rock & techno pop. He personally prefers AC/DC, Guns n Roses, & The Simple Minds and you’ll catch him jamming when he thinks you’re not in the room. “Don’t look at me like that, Y/n.” “I’m just admiring those moves, cowboy.” “Stop right there, or imma have to punish you.” “Does punish involve playing ‘Pour Some Sugar On Me,’ if you know what I mean?”

Anytime y’all go on road trips you are in charge of the aux and Rhett has grown accustomed to your choice of music. By now he knows all the lyrics from Def Leppard’s Hysteria and almost everything from Journey and Whitney Houston. Before he met you, all Rhett listened to was country and maybe a modern pop or jazz/blues artist once in a blue moon, now his music taste has broaden to classic/metal rock & techno pop. He personally prefers AC/DC, Guns n Roses, & The Simple Minds and you’ll catch him jamming when he thinks you’re not in the room. “Don’t look at me like that, Y/n.” “I’m just admiring those moves, cowboy.” “Stop right there, or imma have to punish you.” “Does punish involve playing ‘Pour Some Sugar On Me,’ if you know what I mean?”

Not many groups/artists still toured, but the ones that did you guys would try your best to attend the concerts. Together you both saw Pat Benetar, Def Leppard, Journey, & even Rick Springfield a couple times. On your bucket list is to see Mötley Crue, Metallica, Cyndi Lauper, and Joan Jett.

When it comes to birthdays & holidays, Rhett loves to spoil you when he gets enough money too. Merchandise and collectors items are usually what he sets his eyes on to get you, but then he discovered the annual ‘80s in the Sand’ festival that takes place in the Dominican Republic where several of your favorite artists/groups will attend. When he heard about that, Rhett was on a mission. For over a year he saved every penny to book flights, tickets, rooms at the resort before surprising you on your birthday with an envelope. You were a fucking mess at the table when you opened the envelope and read the writing—you couldn’t believe he actually got you tickets for the festival. “What the fuck, Rhett—o-oh my gosh how did you—how did you do this!?” You stuttered between sobs, tackling him to the floor and kissing all over his face as he laughed beneath you. “I love you so much—thank you thank you. This is the best gift ever!!”

The anticipation and working so hard to take you to the festival was so worth it when you guys arrived. The smile on your face never left and Rhett swore you were gonna pass out when Simon Le Bon from Duran Duran waved to you. “I just fucking made eye contact with Simon fucking Le Bon—Rhett!! He waved at me!!” Then after y’all had some drinks at the hotel bar you about shit your pants at the realization Nina Blackwood, one of the five original MTV’s VJ’s, was sitting next to you and had complimented your outfit.

Each time you happened to get the once in a life time chance to meet/interact with the artist/group you spent years fangirling over, Rhett would have a tissue ready to catch your tears (of happiness of course) and capture every picture/video so you could have it forever. He literally was the best boyfriend you could ask for, still in disbelief he had given you such an amazing gift he knew you would cherish till the day you died. It was truly the experience of a lifetime.

That entire trip Rhett fell more in love with you and with your love for the decade. He could see it in your eyes and how you connected with people not only y’all’s age who were there, but also the older folks who grew up during that time. Rhett couldn’t wait for you both to go again the next year, making it a goal to attend annually and working to save every penny to make sure he could see that light in you shine bright in the place you belonged.

[fismoll7secinv]

17 questions

Tagged by @miyakuli 💚💚

Nickname: yzz

Sign: libra

Height: won't be specific, so let's just say below 180

Last thing I googled: dongfang qingcang

Song stuck in my head: vodka by korpiklaani

No. of followers: :)

Amount of sleep: 4-7 during workdays, ~9 at the weekend

Lucky number: 13

Dream job: astronaut, neurologist, biotechnologist, composer + pianist, edit: okay adding software developer bc i actually like what I'm doing

Wearing: jeans, red shirt with the flash (DC), loose sweater

Movies/books that summarize me: :v i have no idea. The poem that my friend wrote for me. Maybe Amelie, the owl house

Favorite song: oof can't choose, recently i'm constantly listening to Forgotten People by We lost the sea and Longing for colors by ef

Favorite instrument: Piano <3

Aesthetic: colourful sky before the sunset with lush green mountainscape bathed in warm sunlight below

Favorite author: hmm i like a few tho it's hard to say that someone is "my fave", especially if I like the books but not necessarily the author (like Sapkowski lmao). Okay let's list: Neil Gaiman, Stephen King, Brandon Sanderson, Henryk Sienkiewicz, Juliusz Słowacki, Priest (pipi) <3, MXTX, Meng Xi Shi

Favorite animal noise: woof of a dog <3 or birds singing, also the click-clack of horses' hooves is very satisfying

Random: I want to merge with ideas, it's so tiring that we need context

Tagging (free to ignore as always): @prommethium @daltonkeys @uweiy @domidoom @a-very-fond-farewell @still-gathering-roses @bishounen-jump @silver-colour @theyilinglaozus @carmine-sunlight @willowclarissoon

[tealwrightiv]

Introducing Teal Wright IV

Syrok, 25, EST; HE/HIM. | if you’re hearing D'Evils by Sir playing, you have to know   TEAL WRIGHT IV (HE/HIM; CISGENDER MAN) is near by! the 30 year old OWNER OF PANDORA’S BOX has been in denver for, like, EIGHT YEARS. they’re known to be quite DEMANDING, but being THOUGHTFUL seems to balance that out. or maybe it’s the fact that they resemble ROME FLYNN. personally, i’d love to know more about them seeing as how they’ve got those NICE CORVETTE, BOMB STYLE, AESTHETICALLY PLEASING HOME vibes. and maybe i’ll get my chance if i hang out around the CHERRY CREEK DISTRICT long enough

►GENERAL INFORMATION

FULL NAME: Teal Wright IV NICKNAME(S): T4 AGE: 30 DATE OF BIRTH: 1/1/1994 ZODIAC:  Capricorn GENDER & PRONOUNS: Male He/Him SPOKEN LANGUAGE(S): English OCCUPATION:OWNER OF PANDORA’S BOXl SEXUALITY & ROMANCE: Heterosexual

► APPEARANCE

FACE CLAIM: Rome Flynn HEIGHT: 6'1 WEIGHT: 185 lbs. DOMINANT HAND: Right HAIR COLOR: Black EYE COLOR: Brown

►PERSONALITY

POSITIVE TRAITS: Entertaining, Charming, Accepting, Ambitious , Funny, Thoughtful NEGATIVE TRAITS: Stubborn, reluctant, shuts down, demanding LIKES:

Hiking

working out

reading

people watching

fashion

mentoring

coffee

walking and talking

Hooping

DISLIKES:

people who don’t understand there emotions

candy

Pets

mean people who treat people badly

drama of any kind

►BACKGROUND

HOMETOWN: Washington DC CURRENT RESIDENCE: CHERRY CREEK DISTRICTEDUCATION LEVEL: Masters

►FAVORITES

FOOD: Ledos Pizza DRINK: Manhattan or Old Fashioned MOVIE: Crazy Stupid Love TV SHOW: This is Us, Boy Meets World BAND/ARTIST: Third Story, Jake Issac, JP Cooper SONG: Still in Love By Third Story

► EXTRA INFORMATION

JUNG TYPE: INFP ENNEAGRAM: 1w9

[quartings]

My favorite shows/movies/comics of 2023!!

What a year! I graduated from college, made a few animated shorts I’m really proud of, and got my first proper internships in the industry! Not to mention a ton of great movies, shows, comics, etc came out- so I decided to use this as a chance to recommend some of my favorites to you if you’ve been looking for something new to check out!

Favorite Movie: Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3

Summary: The third and final entry in the series- and it’s not often you get a proper conclusion in superhero franchises, so that’s already a great sign! If you want to get into the series I’d highly recommend it- and if the whole MCU is too daunting for you, then just watching it in the below order should still suffice:

Guardians of the Galaxy > Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2 > Avengers Infinity War > Avengers Endgame> The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special > Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3

Pros: This isn’t much of a surprise if you’ve followed my blog- I absolutely ADORE this series- The combination of both amazing practical and CGI effects. The story full of creative action sequences and sweet found family bonding moments. The well-rounded characters, who grow beyond the usual stereotypes people would assume of them, learning how to process and overcome their trauma. The amazing soundtrack and score. The comedy combined with the surprising dark and emotional moments and characters. And the fact that this was a beautiful conclusion to the story instead of just dragging it out into endless status quo or replacing the main cast 1:1 like other superhero stories makes it an added benefit! My eternal thanks and congratulations to writer-director James Gunn, whom I wish all the best to in his future at DC!

Cons: I really can’t think of anything major! Maybe just that instead of being able to marathon all 3 Guardians movies in a row, you have to watch two Avengers movies in between with their own storylines?

Favorite Western Cartoon(s): My Adventures with Superman

Summary: As I follow James Gunn over to DC I’ve decided to brush up on some DC characters for the first time in a while! A fresh anime-styled look at Superman’s first weeks working at The Daily Planet with a slightly new take on his crush Lois and best friend Jimmy!

Pros: The art style and animation are gorgeous, knowing almost exactly what good influences to take from anime! The new designs and personalities for Lois and Jimmy are fun, and most importantly- Clark Kent aka Superman’s portrayal is fantastic- just the right balance of heroic, kind, and awkward in a way that’s cute but not annoying.

Cons: You may have heard this complaint go around, but I have to echo what some of the fanbase when I agree that most of the villains in this series are a big letdown. A lot of them have the same angular tech aesthetic, not many of them have creative powers, and some of their voice actors I’d even say don’t fit them at all. And a certain pair of them who do have creative designs and likable personalities aren’t even villains in this series despite being villains in the comics and other series. Hopefully this gets amended in season 2, which I’m still excited for!

Honorable mention goes to Hilda!

So far, I’ve just watched the first 2 seasons and the movie but here’s what I have to say!

Summary: A cozy and cute kids cartoon that beautifully captures the spirit of a magical Scandinavian adventure! I put off watching this for years and finally got around to it- it really is as great as everyone says! Though looking at how long the hiatuses were between seasons, I’m actually glad I took this long to start watching- I don’t think I could have survived the wait, haha.

Pros: The art style and animation are GORGEOUS- some of the best ever! The voice acting is great and adorable (It blows my mind that I watched Bella Ramsey as Hilda in this and as Ellie in The Last of Us- the two characters are like night and day, haha) The tone is really sweet and cute while still having enough adventure and hints of good comedy to not make it feel too slow-paced. It may not be my favorite animated show ever, but I can 100% understand if other people want to rank it as their #1!

Cons: I don’t know if anyone will agree with me, but I felt Season 2 was a bit predictable? I still loved the season, don’t get me wrong, but there were moments where they cut from the adventure to focus on two characters disagreeing and it wasn’t really as tense as the show wanted it to feel, because you’d know how things would get resolved. It’s forgivable for a kids show, but it just stands out because of how mature all the other plot points and the tone of the series is overall.

Favorite Anime: Tomo-Chan is a Girl!

Summary: Tomo Aizawa tries to win over her crush and childhood friend Jun, who just sees her as “one of the bros”. To do that, her gloomy friend Misuzu suggests that Tomo act girlier. But as the series goes on and we learn the characters’ backstories, it becomes obvious that things aren’t so simple and gendered (thankfully!)

Pros: Despite starting off on pretty standard shenanigans, I love how much respect is given to both leads in this romance! Usually most love interests in media are just treated as objects to be won regardless of gender, but thankfully the friendship between Tomo and Jun here is treated with a surprising amount of respect and care! Plus if you prefer dubs, this show has a fantastic one! And the supporting cast of Misuzu and Carol are some of the most iconic and hilarious best friend characters in anime ever!

Cons: If you’re not a fan of typical anime romcom shenanigans then this may not be for you- though I will say, like many shows it does get better after Episode 2 (the big reveal at the end should hopefully get you on board!) Also, the subplot for the comic relief character Carol has some problematic undertones which are already dialed down from how they were in the manga- though it’s a pretty minor subplot so it shouldn’t be too bad in my opinion!

Sidenote: I know Frieren is one of the best anime ever made, and I will probably check it out when the season wraps up next year!

Favorite Western Comics: Superman Smashes the Klan!

Summary: More Superman! A period piece about two American-Chinese immigrant siblings trying to fit in their new neighborhood, and Superman trying to protect them from the KKK while struggling with his own heritage as an immigrant.

Pros: I don’t normally like western comic art styles, but this was drawn by GuriHiru (the group who does the ATLA comics) and their style is one of my favorites ever! A nice, self-contained graphic novel, so you don’t have to worry about reading 1000 other side series! This version of Superman and his supporting cast is even more enjoyable than the version in My Adventures with Superman in my opinion- just as much focus on kindness and real heroism! And this has some of the best Asian representation I’ve seen in a long, long, time- actually focusing on how hard it can be for anyone of any heritage to adjust to a new neighborhood and prejudices, instead of how most other Asian-American movies and cartoons these days are like “My parents abuse me but that’s a quirky part of my culture so I should be happy about it!”

Cons: I can’t really think of any! This is an amazing short graphic novel- definitely buy it and read it!

Honorable mention goes to Hooky!

Summary: Magical twins Dorian and Dani find out they have an important and terrifying magical destiny, and in their quest to survive their world and defy fate, they make some great new friends and allies along the way!

Pros: A wonderful and cute art style, great story full of emotional highs and lows, characters with lots of depth and development, and very well-tailored worldbuilding that makes the world feel alive but not too crowded. The stars of the show, Dorian and Danielle, have a great and believable sibling bond, and you get really attached to how their stories progress over the course of the story. I will also add that the endings of each of the three books are some of the most powerful I’ve ever seen!

Cons: This was a webtoon at first, so that may be why the pacing is REALLY fast. Even the slower chapters feel like they move really quickly and are full of dialogue- not a lot of room for slow atmospheric panels. Also this is a con for me but maybe not for others- there are a LOT of romantic subplots in this. Not than any of them are poorly-written, but when they all have to compete with each other and the main plot, it makes the crowded pacing feel even more rough. Also the plot in the third book feels like it’s trying to get to the resolution even faster, which may be a let down from the amazing ending of book 2.

Favorite Live-action Series: The Last of Us

Summary: A zombie apocalypse series about people getting taken over by Cordyceps fungus! Hardened smuggler Joel (Pedro Pascal) has to escort angry teen Ellie (Bella Ramsey) across America on a dangerous mission.

Pros: An amazing adaptation of the games, adding even more intense action and mature themes than before! Gorgeous visuals, superb acting and great pacing! And if it’s your jam, there’s even more well-written LGBT storylines than there were in the games! Not just one of the best live action shows or shows of 2023, but one of the best shows of all time!

Cons: Going to echo another common critique- I don’t mind that there aren’t as many infected in the show compared to the games- for the first 6 episodes or so I think it’s just fine! But when the last 4 episodes of the show don’t have a single infected at all in the present day (there’s like 2 in flashbacks) when it’s a big theme that ties into the stakes of the ending, that’s actually a big problem.

Honorable mention to Prehistoric Planet!

Pros: One of THE BEST prehistoric documentaries of all time! With gorgeous CGI depictions of dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals, and portraying them as real animals, not just man-eating monsters! You will grow attached to the dinosaurs as characters, not just creatures. Actual respect for prehistory is so hard to come by in media, so I value it way more than live-action dramas or even most cartoons!

Cons: All episodes take place in the same time period- essentially the last few years of the dinosaurs in the late Cretaceous. Which means we miss out on a lot of other eras and animals. On top of that, the episodes are composed of many short 3-minute bits rather than full storylines like Walking With Dinosaurs, which is a bit of a letdown.

Favorite Manga Lightning Round!

Somehow, my favorite three manga that I’ve discovered this year are all romcoms!

#1: Pseudo Harem (Completed!)

Despite the name, this is an adorable and wholesome series about a stagehand and an actress in a highschool drama club- they’re friends who pretend to be in all kinds of tropey relationships for fun, and these adorable interactions lead to a really sweet romance between them! Like all good romances, we get to see the quirks and perspectives of both parties! And what’s more it’s even getting an anime adaptation next year!!

#2:  Kimi wa Yakamashi Tojite yo Kuchi o! (You Talk Too Much, So Just Shut It Already!) (Ongoing at 38+ biweekly chapters)

The story of a deaf girl and the extremely cheerful and stupid boy who tries to befriend her! It’s fantastic representation for the deaf community (even having some small sign language lessons in chapters!) Unlike many manga where the nonverbal girl is just a shy cute thing to be pined after, we get to hear the inner monologue of our female lead Tsukino and see her perspective on things as THE protagonist and not just the love interest. The side characters are also hilarious, the story takes some surprisingly wacky turns for your average high school romcom (name another meetcute that involves a feral Komodo dragon, I dare you) and the comedy is surprisingly witty and fanservice-free- very much a style rarely seen in manga and really up my alley!

#3: Mietemasu yo! Aizawa-san (I See You, Aizawa-san!) (Ongoing at 14+ monthly chapters)

You might be surprised to see a Yuri (WLW) romance series on this list, but I’d say I’m more surprised that not more people are talking about this compared to the usual generic Tsundere x Genki Girl stories that dominate this site year-round for some reason.

This series is about an emo highschool girl named Michi who has been plagued by visions of ghosts her whole life. When she finds out her classmate Aizawa who passed recently was an idol, Michi simultaneously becomes a diehard fangirl of Aizawa, but also tries her best to ignore the adorable and goofy ghost of Aizawa because of Michi’s longtime fear of ghosts (honestly one of the best metaphors for gay panic I’ve seen).

I think the reasons I prefer this over most shoujo manga are as follows- First, the art style has a good usage of shading and black colors and not just the usual light airbrushing that is in most of them. Secondly, it’s got a good mix of the typical pretty and detailed shoujo art but also cute silly chibis in comedic moments (very good comedy I might add!). And thirdly, there’s a cool fantasy element that ties into the romance rather than fighting for screentime with it (the ghosts and such)! There also seems to be a deeper mystery to the plot but I don’t think it’ll be addressed anytime soon, which is fine! (Sidenote this isn’t the first WLW series I’ve watched but it might just be my favorite even after just 14 chapters!)

The only con I’d give this series is that it still has one shoujo trope I dislike- where almost all the female characters have to be the same kind of pretty. Thankfully our lead Michi is spared of this and looks like the stressed emo she should be, but there’s a “dumb jock” character later on who looks just as elegant and feminine as the other girls even though the story implies she looks tougher than most, haha.

If you do decide to check out any of these, or have already seen and love them, let me know what you think! I’d love to hear more people gush about stuff I love, and I can’t wait to see what other amazing series I’ll discover in 2024!

[clowningachievement]

Joker Rankings:

Step inside my twisted mind as I rank my personal favorite Jokers. This will largely be from media I have consumed, or ones I have a strong memory of. I don't intend to make this as a like "if you disagree with me you are wrong" thing, just a thing of the ones I have personally found the most interesting or engaging.

I will not be including comics, or the individual DC animated films because there are. So dang many of them.

Mark Hamill's Joker (Various media)

Idk if it's cheating necessarily to list Mark Hamill's various Jokers as one guy, but I feel like even across different adaptations the general vibe of his joker is pretty consistent. Flamboyant, annoying, and often more interested in being an annoying pain in the ass than an actually effective adversary. It's pretty obvious that he is kind of the biggest inspo for my own take on the funny clown man, DCAU and the Arkham series just provide so much good material to work with for this funky little guy. Plus I feel like pretty much every major Joker adaptation since this one has, in some way, tried to emulate it. This ranking is also pretty obviously biased by both Nostalgia and also just. Prevalence. The Arkham series, especially Knight, really did a lot to push Hamill's Joker over the top for me on top of my prior enjoyment of the DCAU. 2. Kevin Michael Richardson's Joker (The Batman 2004)

So first, a series of admissions that will make this one's inclusion on this list and in this place a bit weird: I barely watched the 2004 Batman series and what I did see of it I never particularly liked. Rino Romano's Batman was not interesting to me (and I never cared for his voice), and the series in general was just. Not the sort of thing I wanted from Batman, I guess? BUT! I just really like this Joker's unusual design and Kevin's VA work for him, it's incredibly unique and definitely a take I would like to see explored more in a better property. The sort of wild-man like aesthetic is one a bit less conventional than the standard mafioso with a purple suit and a knife bit we usually get. I really hope if we get another POC take on Joker it takes some inspo from this, especially giving him a big mess of dreads. Very good stuff.

I will note that listing the animated Jokers above the Live Action ones probably isn't a coincidence, I feel like there are qualities to the character that just can't be effectively captured in Human Meat.

3. It's Heath Ledger because of course it is

The Christopher Nolan Batman movies are pseudo-fascist trash. Heath Ledger had a good take on the Joker and brought a lot of life and light to what was otherwise an incredibly miserable franchise and film. Not a lot to say that hasn't been said, if MH set the tone for Jokers aimed at a younger audience this one definitely set the tone for ""Mature"" Joker interpretations. The Twoface stuff in this, while probably being the best major film rep Harv has got so far, absolutely should have been left out for us to get more screen time with this guy. Very fun, a good edgy take that is sadly ruined by a lot of weird freaks out in the wild. We live in a society. 4. Jack Nicholson Joker

Definitely the best live-action take on the classic Joker while still managing to be threatening and substantial. He is just a wacky mobster with a grudge, which isn't bad but isn't particularly remarkable either. The movie obviously went a bit too hard with him, making him the one to kill Bruce's parents et all, but I think on the whole it's a pretty fun take. Jackie can't laugh for shit though.

5. Ceasar Romero

The Baseline Joker intepretation against which all others ought to be judged.

Maybe a bit of an overstatement but he is, to my knowledge, the first actor to ever portray the Joker in basically anything and he sets an adorably high bar. Obviously the series is aimed at kids and is highly episodic so it's not like he's going to get a lot of development but he is fun, he's cute, I wanna give him a little pat on the head.

Plus he is improved 100% if you take the obviously painted over moustache as diegetic. Just kind of a silly guy who loves doing silly crimes.

6. Jouaqin Pheonix

I thought the movie was fun. I don't generally like the Joker having a concrete origin story, nor him seeming overly sympathetic, but for what it was I thought it was a pretty fun and funky film. It just didn't really feel very Jokerish, to me? I mean he is a criminal with a clown aesthetic and a very annoying laugh but. Idk. Good movie, anyway.

7. Harley Quinn Joker

I liked this show a lot! At least the first season and a halfish, anyway? Kinda felt like it got bogged down towards the end. Anyway! Their take on Joker as a complete annoying sleezeball is fun, and Joker definitely would buy a Tesla if only to annoy people with it. It's a good Joker Parody, a funny little subversion of most modern moody Joker takes in the adult-oriented comics sphere. I am really only putting him so low because like I said he is more of a parody of the Joker than an earnest interpretation of the character, I feel like? Shrugs. Just my onions.

8. That Lego Joker?

He was just kind of an extended gay joke, I felt like? Idk I have always felt Overly Sensitive for this take but this movie never really sat right with me. Like yes, we all know they have a weird underlying psychosexual thing going on. I dunno, I thought the design was cute for a lego movie but. Idk. Very one note, by which I mean even more one note than Joker usually is.

9. Brave and The Bold Joker

I was too old for BnB when it came out, and I still am. The aesthetic is weird, the design is weird, and I am sort of mixed on the voice. Just kind of a worse take on the like Cesar Romero style Joker. Maybe I just like my Joker's nasally and weirder. That's. That's kinda all I have to say on this one. 10. Jared Leto

An incredibly poorly thought out attempt at modernizing Joker's admittedly very aged gimmick. Just. Really fucked it on this one. Not a single good thing to be said about him, other than he is only kind of bearable if you assume every negative aspect of him is a put on he's doing intentionally to be as bad to look at and perceive as possible.

The problem with that being that the films he is in obviously want to take him seriously and make the viewers perceive him as a threat, instead of a weird dude being annoying on purpose. 11. Whatever was going on in that The Batman deleted scene

This has the same problem, to me, as Faceless Joker from the comics (the only comics mention I will be making in this thread, lol). The Joker doesn't need to be a horrific disfigured mutant guy. It's not a cool new take to give the Joker a big scary mouth and make him look like some sort of ghoul, and even if you want to do that there are many way more interesting ways to do it than. This. It feels weird to rank him so low just based off a single deleted scene cameo but I hope if this version of Joker ever makes it to film he is changed dramatically. Like I'd rather see more Jared Leto Joker than this. It's not scary it's just. Boring. He doesn't need to look like a ghoul to get across that he is scary and crazy. Tbh I think a component of him being so effective usually is that he is goofy, he looks goofy!!! Like even Heath Ledger's Joker has a certain Sillyness to him. Idk maybe if we see more of him my opinion will change I am just not optimistic about this grungly man.

I do like the Laugh though.

[speedierthanasubmarine]

My list of least favorite to favorite Batman actors:

Note: I’m a random person on the Internet, and my opinion should not affect you to the point of rudeness, harsh comments, or any sort of discourse whatsoever. I never say DNI, because you can interact with whoever you want, I’m not your mom, but if you want to start an argument…

DNI.

Also, I am an idiot and I’m aware of that, please don’t judge me.

Lastly, I’m excluding Kevin Conroy from the list because all his works vary, I either love his voice or I hate his voice, there is no in between. (Note: this was in my drafts for a very long while, during which Mr. Conroy had passed away. RIP Mr. Conroy.)

Without further ado: My Batman actor list:

9. Adam West- I personally didn’t enjoy his Batman… the whole vibe was too old and silly looking for me, but if I’d been alive at the time it came out I think I would’ve enjoyed it. It’s like the way my little siblings feel about the original yugioh series.

8. Battinson (Robert Pattinson)- I have a whole speech for this but I’ll try to be brief. Batman is the second smartest character in the DC universe (after Lex Luthor, a fact I think is still up for debate.) and the second best in hand to hand combat (after Lady Shiva which is not up for debate, I totally get that.) He can toss a man across a room with one hand, aim a gun without looking and grapple across cities supporting himself and all his body weight and muscle mass with one arm. He can learn a person’s tells, weaknesses, and inner natures after a few moments of conversation. Guy is a freakin BEAST of a man. Battinson gave me Walmart edition Tim Drake Batman from battle of the cowl vibes. He was like the brown ninja from Lego ninjago. (I don’t know if that guy went on to become great or something, all I know is that when I stopped watching the show he was a liability at best.) He didn’t feel like batman, or at least any batman I knew and liked to see. I don’t know if they were going for like, detective comics batman, but even then I felt like he fell flat and did a poor job. That’s my opinion and that’s that.

7/6/5. (Totally equal.) George Clooney, Val Kilmer, and Michael Keaton- Movies were fine, they weren’t anything special for me in terms of acting, no issues, no highlights.

4. Batfleck (Ben Affleck)- LISTEN I know his movies sucked, I’m not defending those, however he did a great job of playing the white knight, future state, urban legends, Injustice, Heroes in crisis, Doomsday clock, basically any elseworld Batman I ever read and liked- he pulled off the vibes. The paranoia, the desperation, the determination- he did those very well. He was the best BRUCE WAYNE. His Batman performance was eh, nothing special, weird suit, but his Bruce performance? Phenomenal. Especially when he had to be Bruce, party boy Brucie, shaking hands, “I bought the bank” Bruce, and then when he was “even a 1% chance” contingency, decoding files, nightmare having Bruce, and when he was working out, investigating, preparing Bruce. He did them all justice (pun intended.) better than pretty much everyone else. (UPDATE) I just remembered this list is for Batman actors, not Bruce, so I’d put him at 7, maybe 6. I’d change the list, but I’m lazy. (I also wrote the word Bruce so many times the word has lost all meaning.)

3. Jason O’mara- I thought he was great. I loved his voice, it was basically perfect. 10/10 Nothing more, nothing less.

2. Christian Bale- Absolutely amazing. Amazing Batman, fantastic Bruce, really cool detective, awesome everything. Only thing I’d change, and this is super petty, is just that in terms of aesthetics I’d want him to be thicker, I thought he was very lean, and the suit would just be upgraded to like 2022 quality, little more updated/sleek, yknow? But that’s not even a real critique, just a thought. I loved him, absolutely phenomenal.

And finally.

The moment we’ve all been waiting for.

The GOAT.

NUMERO UNO: MR. WILL ARNETT.

ALL OTHER BATMAN ADAPTATIONS ARE DOWNRIGHT MID WHEN COMPARED TO THIS GOD

Thanks for reading.

[unragazzovero]

🖥🎮

MUNDAY  ASKS !

🖥 — favorite platform besides tumblr?

Honestly... I'm not sure. Does discord count? LOL. Otherwise RP-wise uh... I'm cool with writing on discord too. Don't gotta worry about aesthetics much or people probably silently judging us.

I'm hoping like if tumblr seriously goes downhill (like twotter did), maybe there will be an alternative to this hell site and we'll be able to customize our text posts much easier like back in the old days where tumblargh did not fuck everything up. Maybe people will be able to post pronz again lolololol.

🎮 — favorite video game(s)?

There's quite a lot. I don't really have an all time favorite, but if I had to list maybe a top 10 (in no particular order) that comes from the top of my head, I'd say...

Nier Replicant - IDC if this game was not the greatest to Automata players or even the people who played this before Automata. I fucking love the "Drakenier" lore. The designs are amazing. The songs are also fucking beautiful and amazing. The timelines can be kinda confusing, but you really don't have to play any of the Nier or Drakengard games in order to understand anything.

Lies of P (despite it being soulslike, which are games I kinda hate cuz I'm more of a casual gamer and I don't like being burnt out so much to where I'd avoid playing for a few weeks or so)

Tales of Destiny - A classic. Honestly the story is kinda cheesy. Basically you find a legendary sword that can talk to you, and then you meet other fellow "swordian" holders. And then someone tries to destroy the world, so you, your fellow "swordian" holding friends, and other friends have a goal to stop the dude trying to destroy the world. This has always been my favorite Tales game though and always will be. The manga is good too. I also actually liked the sidequests of this game~

Final Fantasy VI - Though I never beat it, but I love this game to death. I also love how the main villain is just merely a psycho maniac. He's practically the Joker (NOT THE ONE FORM PERSONA 5!!!!!) of this game. There is also a character in this game that shares my alias: Celes~

Final Fantasy IX - I kid you not, I hardly ever cry over games, but maaaaaaaannnnnn. There was a part in this game that legit made me cry.

Resonance of Fate- Also never beat this cuz I'm still fucking stuck at that stupid "statue escort" mission. I am also damn out of practice with this game. Like I forgot how the combat system works, and the last I played this game, yeah... I forgot everything LOL. The combat system for this game is definitely kinda tricky)

Eternal Sonata - Give this game a remake or remaster, damn it!!!!! I never beat this game either, but everything I saw of it omg I fucking love it. Beautiful story and characters. Honestly this game is mostly about Frederic Chopin but anime LOL. Still a great game tho, and I think you might like it too if they were to ever at least remaster this game and port it

South Park the Stick of Truth - ...You know this game LOL. But honestly when I first heard of SOT and FBW, I thought they wouldn't be good cuz usually games based off TV shoes or movies that got made into games tended to be shitty. SOT was great though and I felt I was watching the show! I also loved their medieval aspect ehe. I just loved they were making fun of medieval times, and the 4th wall breaking never gets old, especially from South Park. This game brought me back into my love for South Park and its legendary comedy.

South Park the Fractured But Whole - You know this one too LOL. Also ehe. "But Whole"... :smirk: Anyhoo, this game got me writing Craig and fucking loving Craig LOL. I also love this game was making fun of Marvel and DC Comics, basically LOL. I still have hope that South Park Studios will make more games like SOT or FBW. I know their latest game Snow Day was a shit show, but I also get they wanted to try something new, so I try not to like judge 'em too much for it ehe.

Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia - The remake of the second fire emblem game (Gaiden). I fucking adore the art. The art was also drawn by Hidari. I think he was known to have drawn most of the art for Sound Horizon (which is my favorite JP theatrical band btw that people may now also know as Linked Horizon). Story-telling was great. I also loved the new add ons and the new characters that were never in the original game. I wish some of these new characters were not done so dirty though, but aside from that FE Echoes is mmmmmmm good shit.

Kliff is the best boy btw.

[localbreeze]

Nicknames: nyx/Vix depends

Zodiac: Scorpio

Height: 160 💔

Hogwarts house: IDK

Last thing you googled: dc pfps that’s why my pfp keeps changing 😭

Favorite music: idk honestly.

Song stuck in your head: FUCK YOU HEATHER BY BOYISH

Following: 75

Followers: 40 smth idk

Do you get asks: sometimes

Amount of sleep: ..also depends

What you're wearing: Pajamas!!!

Dream job: I honestly don’t know. Maybe like a doctor or smth

Languages: i can talk English. Arabic and RARELY Spanish :) still practicing

Random fact: I am currently watching a movie

Aesthetic: grunge idk

@ anyone I’m kinda not in the mood to tag tbh

Thank you for tagging me, @s-nebul0sa!

Nicknames: Ingy/Ivy (I don’t have many friends so Ivy is one that I picked because I don’t like my name so I ask to be called Ivy instead or maybe another nickname if the person prefers that)

Zodiac: Pretty sure it’s Scorpio

Height: 152.5 cm (some trashcans in my city are taller than me…)

Hogwarts house: Hufflepuff

Last thing you googled: Stardew Valley Mods

Favorite music: Mostly Pop music

Song stuck in your head: Who We Are by Hozier

Following: 263

Followers: 312

Do you get asks: Maybe once a year, it’s really rare

Amount of sleep: 3/4 hours when I’m lucky, 6 hours sometimes when my body is truly exhausted and I pass out at 3 am and sleep throughout the morning

What you're wearing: Pajamas (it’s hot AF and this is the lightest option of clothes I have)

Dream job: Movie/TV show director but I don’t know if I’m actually capable of doing that

Languages: My birth language is Portuguese (Brazil) but I’m also fluent in English and Spanish (I'm better at English than any other tho, including Portuguese)

Random fact: A chicken’s heart rate is about 4 times higher than humans, for example, a healthy adult resting heart rate ranges from 60 to 100 bpm while a normal chicken has a resting heart rate of 200 – 300 bpm

Aesthetic: I’m honestly not sure how to properly describe it, it’s a colorful mess basically

 

I'm tagging (no pressure) @laurensxdeath, @seriously-poppins, @kai999 and anyone else who wants to do it!

[detective-ritsu]

Marvel & DC Comics?

Help me please. 

I’ve found comics really interesting and always wanted to get into them, especially Marvel and DC comics, but for a beginner, there’s so much that I need to catch up on I feel like. There’s been resets in the multiverses and it’s extremely confusing on where I’m supposed to start on. 

My only media of comics is the movies and Invincible. I’ve watched all the Marvel Movies and Disney Plus shows (Except Moon Knight and Hawkeye, plan to though) and only a few DC movies except for the most recent movies. 

I don’t really care to be caught up on the entire absolute lore and instead as a casual reader, but wherever I find an interesting comic I wish to read, there’s like multiple series I need to read before starting that one. 

I only have 3 comics: 

Ms. Marvel

Invincible

Harley Quinn: White Knight

I’m slightly put off of from reading comics as Harley Quinn: White Knight is apparently a sequel to to the White Knight series so I’ll like a few starters that’ll be good for a beginner. 

Besides that, here’s some characters I’m really interesting in and would like some help on where to read comics for them. 

[The Batman Who Laughs] I love the concept and design for this character, but getting into his comics seems so confusing. I’ve looked up a reading order and there’s like 5 different series I need to read before reading his main series and IDK where to start his comics. Plus I hear he’s pretty powerful and has become a fan favorite so I’d really like to get into his comics. 

[Silk] When I bought my first comics, I was going to buy Silk: Out of the Spider-Verse, but they only had Vol 3 and I dislike buying series out of order so I didn’t but it. Besides that event, I lover her design, I heavily enjoy Spider-Man and she’s from the main series which means she must be relevant or some degree. What I’d mainly like to know is if Silk: Out of the Spider-Verse a good place for her character or not? Please answer. 

[Reverse Flash] I’ve never seen him in any media, but the movies and only know a few thighs about him besides the one clip where he tells Barry that it was him that made it seem like his girlfriends touched his thigh when it was him. Besides that, I seen how he’s extremely petty which I find pretty funny and how ruthless he is. Any comics about him will be welcomed as he seems extremely interesting. 

[Gwen Poole] I just searched her name up and found out she’s an alternate version of Gwen Stacy so that’s something. Besides that, I like the more anime style she has and love her aesthetic. I was originally going to buy the The Unbelievable Gwenpool comics, but they were a bit expensive at the time and didn’t but it, but I really like her character design. When I researched the order of her character, it was like only 2 series I need in order to understand the The Unbelievable Gwenpool. 

[Zatanna] Most of these are me liking their designs as I don’t know their characters all to much, but I lover her design. I don’t know like anything about her, I don’t even know if she’s a villain or not, but she was in Injustice 1 which I’ve never played. I don’t know what comics she mainly shows up in, but suggestions will be really nice. 

[Raven] The Teen Titans always interesting me and especially the Cartoons for it. I never watched it a bit of Go so that’s how I know most of the characters, but they still interest me. Characters like Starfire, Blackfire, Beast Boy, Deathstroke, Jinx, and especially Raven always interested me. I however don’t know where to really begin the Teen Tians story or character specific characters. 

[Spawn] I sorta main him in MK11, plus his design is sick as usual. I’ve never really seen him connected with the main timeline characters, but I wish to read his comics. Best comics for Spawn please. 

[Galactus] Fortnite. Anyway, I’ve always found Galactus interesting since he’s such a major and powerful character inside of Marvel. I don’t believe he has a comic specifically for him and I don’t really know where to start reading for his character, but he’ still so cool in everyway. Enemies to some of the most powerful characters, devourer of planets, it’s so interesting. 

[Red Hood] I know the basics of his character, Jason Todd if I’m correct. The first Robin and was killed by the Joker, but Batman or someone brings him back and Jason changed to Red Hoot, wanting revenge as he regretted meeting Batman cause he got torture by the Joker because of it. I may be incorrect, but I find such a motive for a character really fascinating. 

[Harley Quinn] Harley Quinn is probably one of my favorite comic characters of all time. I’ve seen people complain about her character, especially with how she’s becoming something like the Deadpool of DC which I don’t fully see, but I don’t really think that's a bad thing. When I bought my comics, I knew I wanted something Harley Quinn related because I love her character. Please give me suggestions of comics with Harley Quinn that a beginner can understand without needing 50 other comics to understand. I plan to buy the rest of the White Knight comics so I can understand the story better, but I really just loved her character.

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

For those wondering, I do plan to do some research on my own so I can get a good understanding of these characters comics, but comics seem truly hard to get into. It’s nothing like collecting Video Games, Movies, and Manga which set itself up to be easy to follow certain plot lines while comics seem to branch so much that it’s truly hard for a beginner to get into. 

There’s obviously characters I’m interesting in besides these 10, characters like Loki, Deathstroke, Captain Marvel, Lobo, Joker, Thanos, The Presence, and TOAA (The One Above All)

This ended up becoming a rant so thank you for reading this far, if you can help and decide to leave a comment then I thank you. Have a wonderful day. 

[valkerymillenia]

-The Batman (2022)

Spoiler heavy review (under the cut). YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

Also it's a very lengthy analysis/meta because I got carried away.

Here's my non spoilery review.

I try to be impartial here but just remember that this is my analysis and my opinion. You can disagree, I'm not here to fight a anyone.

As I mentioned before this a good movie.

I'd like to watch it again and will probably notice new things and have more to say when I do, but for now, here's my first (lengthy) impressions.

It might not be my personal interpretations of Batman but as its own universe it's so good.

Solid premise, smart and engaging plot, lovely aesthetic, great pacing and visuals, excellent music, good wardrobe, great comic references and foreshadowing, awesome acting.

Just good, ok?

Probably my favorite modern live action Batman (again, sorry Keaton, you got dethroned).

I've said it before but the fact that this is a movie that was clearly written and directed by a comic book reader (thank you for not disappointing me, Reeves) really comes across well. Not only in the way it's adapted and the characterization of the characters but also in all the subtle references and all the foreshadowing constantly being dropped.

And like any DC fan there was lot of picking and choosing about what bits of canon to use and which to ignore but it really worked.

It's also a great movie because there's no need to censor it for a younger audience (definitely not a movie for kids, be warned), seeing as it's not under the family-friendly umbrella of the DCEU.

Honestly, the old Comics Authority would have a field day with this movie and probably die. (Good.)

And I'm insanely glad we didn't have to watch the Waynes die for the millionth time, jfc.

But let's get to the spoilery parts.

First things first, we finally see an adaptation with the true original essence of Batman- the detective.

The detective and the scary cryptid long before he just became the rich gadget boy from the JL and the brutal fighting machine (although, he still is that last one),

Robert Pattison really understood the essence of a young Batman. Depressed and obsessive with a one track mind, anti social but highly intelligent, totally mission driven and yet still so young, a little bratty even, impulsive and in need of growth. Hyper competent but human. Clinging too hard to the past but also kind.

He also used silence so effectively, communicating with body language and being imposing and intimidating without having to resort to posturing and violence, the way he expressed Batman's perceptiveness and intelligence but also Bruce's awkwardness, impatience and stubbornness were top notch. And the way he expresses so much emotion with just his eyes was incredible.

The suit had nods to previous Batmans, the mask was clearly a nod to Adam West's Batman, and the disassembled gun turned bat sigil is dramatic as hell but very effective and actually practical.

The thing you have to remember most is that this is a movie about a Batman that is still very green, he hasn't been Batman very long, just long enough to have Gordon's trust and to gain a cryptid reputation.

And he fights brutally. A fun fact is that he barely uses gadgets at all in this movie, it's mostly his wits and fighting skills (though those contact lenses rocked) and as much as the gadgets are fun, it was refreshing to see something different.

So this is a Batman that is severely unbalanced, he's young and emo and obsessed and still immature, he only knows how to be Batman, he doesn't know how to be Bruce Wayne yet, he doesn't touch the family company (doesn't care) and hasn't yet become the renowned philanthropist intent on making a Gotham a better place, he's not the socialite hiding his identity behind a public persona.

All he knows is how to be fear and vengeance because he's still just fighting for revenge rather than justice.

However, this is also a movie about growth and self-discovery. It takes Alfred being injured but Bruce learns that perhaps he's taking things for granted, it also takes seeing Riddler's followers mirroring him at the end for him to realize that maybe he's not so different from the people he fights and that he needs to grow up and become less about vengeance and more about justice and change.

In fact, he starts out as vengeance and fear but ends the movie vowing to bring hope to Gotham.

Alfred's injuries also seem to give Bruce a renewed appreciation for family, and he's also shown being extremely empathetic and caring towards children in general (not only does he see himself in traumatized children, which says a lot about him and is perfectly in line with the comics, but he also genuinely seems to be a good Bruce that likes kids), on top of that, the insistence that Bruce "can't do this alone" feels very much like foreshadowing. Also, this is a Bruce that very intentionally feels like he is missing something or someone in his story (perhaps someone more innocent and positive too balance him out?)

This is absolutely a version of Batman that I can see getting his batfamily.

(Even though ironically it's the least family-friendly Batman movie in tone and rating but that just makes it more interesting.)

And on that note, both Pattison and Reeves claimed before that they both love the Robin character and would very much like to use it in a sequel so let's hope this trilogy gets green lit.

My only concern is that the inmate interacting with Riddler at the end seems to be hinting at Joker (although that might be red herring, I hope so, everyone is so tired of that fucking clown at this point) and we know from interviews that Reeves loves the Death in the Family comic arc so there's a possibility they could skip Dick and go straight to Jason. And while I would desperately love to see a live action Robin!Jason, I'm still worried about the implications (and on a personal level, I really would like to see a decent movie Dick for once too) so I seriously hope they don't skip Dick and I desperately hope they don't bring Jason in just to die... Then again, Reeves has proven smarter and more respectful of the source material than that so I'm hopeful.

I wish we'd seen more of Andy Serkis as Alfred, I liked this bossy Alfred that tries to dad Bruce because he is, for all intents and purposes, Bruce's guardian and surrogate father. I like this Alfred that tries to steer him well instead of just enabling him. And the way Bruce seems to reject Alfred (probably because he's too attached to his grief about his parents) until he almost loses him, is such good character growth.

I know a chunk of Serkis' scenes got cut though, I'm curious about them.

Zoe Kravitz delivers an outstanding performance as Catwoman! This is so very very loyal to Selina's roots and youth but the best part is that we get a Selina that is her own character with her own personal development instead of just being a romantic interest or a prop for a male driven story.

She gets to actually fight and fight well, she gets to actually show compassion and care about people and be very human.

In fact, the BatCat romance feels entirely optional. It works, there's a fucked up sort of empathy between two traumatized people with mutual goals that drive their relationship and create chemistry, but it also feels like it could easily have been platonic.

In fact, it's very clear that Annika was Selina's girlfriend, Zoe gave us a great example of a bisexual woman in a wlw relationship (and deeply worried about her partner) without ever even having to use the word "girlfriend". It gives the BatCat chemistry a unique vibe, almost feels like Selina might have been leaning on Batman romantically either purely to stay on his good side or in a messed up search for comfort in the whole situation (probably the latter).

I could be wrong but it's my interpretation.

And yes, Warner might not have let them use the term "girlfriend" but Zoe just went "hold my beer" and went all out to show that was the case. They were two women living together in a house full of cats and using pet names like "honey", "baby" and "sweetheart". Those two were a couple and that makes Selina's grief and Annika's fate even more tragic and heart wrenching.

Plus Zoe herself confirmed this version of Selina is bisexual (much like in the comics), so there's that added confirmation.

(And if you start telling me Selina couldn't be attracted to Batman because she was in love with Annika or vice-versa, I will slap you. Polyamorous people exist and even if that's not the case, attraction is a complicated thing, specially in the circles Selina and Annika are living in.

Also, if you bring up Annika possibly being a prostitute or escort as a reason why Selina wouldn't/couldn't have been with her, I will slap you harder because sex workers get respected in this house and let me remind you that Selina herself has started out in that line of work in the comics before becoming a world class burglar.

Also, Annika is very reminiscent of Holly and therefore Selina's protectiveness and choosing crime for Anni's sake is very in character.)

Either way, I digress, the point is the BatCat romance feels unhealthy and morally dubious yet interesting and compelling, which is exactly what BatCat should be about. They are also both very good at influencing each to act and be better. My only peeve is that second kiss at the arena felt really forced with bad timing.

(Keep in mind that I'm not speaking as a shipper or non-shipper, I'm trying to give an unbiased opinion of the onscreen relationship).

Oh! And taking a page out of "Long Halloween" and making Selina Falcone's daughter?? 👌👌👌 Brilliant.

That final confrontation between them felt very cathartic and satisfying.

Let's face it, Selina's comic book deadbeat mob boss father will never make it into live action so this was the next best thing and Zoe put so much intensity and emotion into the scenes with Falcone and Selina that it came out incredible.

Dano as Riddler is fantastic and so complex. It's another example of going back to the character's comic book roots.

We get a very intelligent, attention seeking, narcissistic, puzzle obsessed villain that actually uses intricate death traps and is doing it for more than just fun or personal vendetta, he's actually sending a message and inspiring followers in the process. He's even intelligent enough to figure Batman out. And yet, unmasked he is a nerdy, awkward and neurotic man that is obviously disturbed, jealous and obsessive. Such good acting and perfect characterization.

And the puzzles! Dear lord, the puzzles and traps! Well worth the three hours!

And the dark web recruitment thing with Riddler's little lives was sooo extra but so Eddie. Excellent addition.

Not to mention, Riddler's obsession with Batman, he idolizes Batman as a warrior against corruption and wants him at his side but he's so jealous of Bruce himself, it's twisted but very in character and the perfect wake up call for Batman to do better and evolve.

Oh! And using the original Edward Nashton name instead of Nygma was such an awesome comic reference and just worked!

Jeffrey Wright gave us a very faithful but fresh take on James Gordon too. I loved the synergy with Batman and the fact that he's not commissioner yet, and in fact goes over the commissioner's head to enable Batman.

Colin Farrell as Penguin was unrecognizable (that makeup deserves a damn award) but the acting was five stars. He managed to make Penguin menacing and sleazy and yet so human, made him feel like an actual key component of the Gotham crime world without trying to steal the spotlight. He was secondary but already ingrained and established and so very ruthless and ambitious. More amazing acting.

Tuturro as Falcone... It felt a little iffy to me at first but it grew on me, still not my favorite but he did manage to play an excellent mob boss, ruthless and heartless and narcissistic but intelligent and commanding nonetheless.

The word building in this movie is fascinating, the drops (drugs), the criminal hierarchy, the rotting corrupting everywhere, the mentions to Bludhaven, but also the gorgeous visuals! The architecture, the colors, the lighting!

And my god, the fact that they didn't base 90% of the movie on CGI (looking at you, Marvel) and gave us more realistic scenes and practical effects was beautiful. There's still a lot of CGI, it's just that the movie isnt totally dependant on it and even seems to shy away from it at times.

And set designs/props were amazing too!

The filmography, lighting and editing are just so well thought out too. It manages to be gritty, dark and intense without being boring, washed out or too real, it's complex in a lovely way.

The car and the bike! Simple but cool and are actually decent for stealth. A very creative, believable and interesting bat cave rather than the soulless holes in the ground of other movies. An incredibly gothic and striking Wayne manor that I am bereft we couldn't explore more, the Iceberg Lounge, the crime scenes... Don't even get me started on the wardrobe, it was just right, very good without being over the top or distracting at all.

Just, everything was good!

The music is fantastic too, it slaps. Complements the movie amazingly. Are there any bops that will be stuck in your head afterwards? Not really, but that's not a bad thing, the soundtrack enhances the movie without distracting from it.

Oh! And no white washing! We actually get excellent fleshed out and respectfully written POC characters, as well as strong (aka well written) female characters.

Now, other little details...

Bella Real, the young mayoral candidate, was a very interesting touch and breath of fresh air for Gotham but I need to see more of her, as a side character she's obviously under used but she's a good motivator.

Despite being dead, the Waynes were given more depth and development rather than being the perfect, generous, upstanding shiny examples that feel one-dimensional and too good to be real (which is exactly how Bruce sees them through his nostalgia lenses but making them flawed and human for the audience to see was pretty original).

Thomas running for mayor feels... Appropriate, yes, but not my cup of tea, I prefer the Waynes that had little interest in power and preferred to use their money for change (couldn't someone bring back that one storyline of Martha's secret identity as fighter against pedos and child abusers instead?)

Making Martha an Arkham instead of a Kane certainly was a choice.

I did like the implication of generational trauma and that Martha Wayne had had mental health issues, mostly because it opens up some interesting backstory and certainly would explain Bruce's depressive tendencies even beyond the trauma. However, this could have all been done with Martha still a Kane, the choice of changing her to an Arkham feels like either a way to associate the family with a negative name or possible foreshadowing for future movies.

Still, they kept Thomas as a doctor, which was good, and while I can see him covering up the scandal with Martha, I don't believe for one second that he hired a hit on anyone; yes, Falcone had a guy killed for Thomas but I don't think Thomas was aware until after the fact, I'm pretty sure Falcone was just being a manipulative fuck. In fact Alfred confirms that Thomas did the cover up but wanted to turn Falcone in after finding out about the reporter's murder.

The implication that Falcone could be responsible for the Wayne murders is interesting but I like that there is no proof or confirmation because I like being able to believe it was a random act of senseless violence with no agenda. But that's just me.

One thing struck me as lacking though- the whole basis of the plot begins with the massive drug bust and arrest of mob boss Maroni, which is great, but canonically Harvey Dent was involved with that, it's the reason he becomes Two-Face.

I get that Harvey was supposed to be the incorruptible DA and that wouldn't work in this particular plotline but I wish they had at least mentioned him, even in passing, perhaps replacing the current corrupt (and now dead) DA at the end of the movie.

It's not a big deal, just a personal little nitpick.

The flood scenes were incredible, people always keep forgetting that Gotham is basically an island/peninsula, I'm glad somebody finally did something with that and gave us a "natural" catastrophe angle instead of just exclusively making it about human violence and combat. It was a sort of crisis that really helped Batman's humanity shine and created a great sort of tension (let's face it, we're pretty desensitized to direct combat at this point but the chaos of natural disasters really shines through).

"El Rata Alada" drove me nuts but in a good way, not only because of the obvious Spanish error being a clue but the fact that they went through so many different bird theories (stool pigeon snitch, Falcone the falcon, etc) before remembering that "winged rat" is also a euphemism for bat.

And by the way, lots of rats in Riddler's schemes. I liked it but I'm guessing some people might get a little squicked.

And speaking of which, the practical effects and the violence in Riddler's murders were very good (at times a little censored by the lighting but in a good way). It's graphic, just graphic enough to creep everyone out.

Selina leaving at the end was unexpected but completely understandable, she needs to be her person for a while and so does Bruce. And I like the ambiguity- she could come back, or she could finally go into a life of crime professionally, she could do better and create hey own story, she could take on a Sofia Falcone role (I'd rather see Sofia actually being a character and villain though), she could become more heroic, either her or Bruce might have other romantic interests... We don't know and I like that, I like to dwell on the possibilities in this specific context.

There's a part at the end where Batman is passing out and needs to keep fighting so he injects himself with a green liquid that kick-starts him and has him going feral on his enemies (and overly violent).

Now, this could be just adrenaline but that wouldn't be green, my gf theorizes it's Lazarus water but I think it's Venom, as in Bane's steroid drug of choice, the same stuff Bruce was briefly addicted to in the comics.

If I'm right then it is an awesome nod to the comics and great foreshadowing, in fact if it gives us a decent, intelligent, POC Bane in the future then I'm all for it (hell, if my gf is right and it's Lazarus Pit related I wouldn't mind either, so long as they give us an accurate POC Ra's and Talia). But either way I'm curious.

.

Anyway, it's a very good movie, a few flaws like any movie but good, solid, however this universe has so much POTENTIAL to be so more, Reeves already laid the ground work and the foreshadowing, so I really really hope we get a trilogy at least.

8/10. Worth the three hours. I was not disappointed.

[samuel-de-champagne-problems]

Honest and Truly

Summary: Spencer has his prom 10 years late, but none of that matters when it's with the girl of his dreams.

Word Count: 4.8 k

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Female (She/Her)-- Fluff

CW: Minimal vulgar language (PG-13)

Author's Note: This just might be my most favorite thing I've written in a very long time :) Also listen to the song I linked, it makes the title and the ending make more sense! thank you to @spookydrreid and @writhingintheroses for helping me a particular scene!!

Add yourself to my taglist! It makes it much easier for me :)

Honest and Truly

“A prom?” Spencer asks, realizing that the conversation had entered uncharted territory, a territory in which he had not a single clue how to navigate. Spencer, being a preteen in high school, never attended prom.

“Yes, Reid. A prom,” Penelope says, staring at him over the many monitors and stuffed cats that littered her desk, “It’s going to be so much fun!” she says, excitedly.

“That sounds like, uh, I’ll have plans that night,” Spencer tells Penelope, spinning around in the swivel chair as he eats his turkey and cheese sandwich. He usually enjoys their lunches together, but when Penelope gets an idea in her head, there’s no stopping her.

@s“Now I don’t believe that for a second, Reid. The only time that you have plans is when you’re with Y/N. And Y/N is going to be at this prom,” Garcia says, her pink glasses sliding down her nose. She winks at Reid, almost like she enjoys watching him squirm.

“How do you know that she’s going? Did she say she’s going?” Spencer asks, unable to conceal his eagerness that Y/N could be attending. Spencer might hate dancing and those fancy shoes that are too tight on his toes, but all that can be talked away if Y/N is there.

“Yes, she’s going because you’re asking her. That and I’m making everyone go,” Penelope says matter of factly.

Spencer opens his mouth, attempting to talk away Penelope’s suggestion. But Spencer Reid is a smart man and he knows better than trying to argue his way out with Penelope. Especially when it comes to Y/N. He might have an excellent poker face, but Spencer can’t hide his love for Y/N.

“I’m not going to ask her. You know she’ll think it’s because-” Spencer says, prepping for a long winded rant before the door of Penelope’s office swings open.

Y/N, with two coffees in hand, floats into the room like she’s walking on air. Or maybe it’s Spencer’s mind that’s floating when Y/N walks in. He can never tell. Whenever he’s near her, it’s like everything is sweeter, lighter and airier. Wordlessly, she passes the coffee to Spencer. Feeling her fingertips graze his reminds him of how pathetic he must be. He nods, telling her thanks, knowing that he’s unable to fully articulate just how grateful he is for the littlest things.

“Who are you not going to ask and to where, Spence?” Y/N says, leaning against the filing cabinets and sipping her coffee. Penelope, never one to be quiet, silently watches as Spencer and Y/N converse. Spencer looks up at her, feeling that light and airy feeling again. He brushes his hair that falls against his forehead nervously thinking of an answer.

“I- uh, I was thinking of asking my mother to come stay with me for a couple of weeks. You know, she hasn’t seen DC in a couple of years. And I do have some personal days banked,” Spencer says, telling Y/N a small white lie.

“She’s in Vegas, right?” Y/N asks, interested in what Spencer is saying, which is something that he’s still not used to. Spencer nods, smiling awkwardly.

“Yeah, she says that she likes the heat,” Spencer says, hating how formal and cold the conversation sounds. It’s normally flowing with easy and familiarity, but something is wedged between them. Penelope, long forgotten by the pair, types rapidly on her keyboard.

“You know, Spence. If you’re up for it maybe we can have lunch or meet at Elmwood Park. I’d love to meet the woman that made my favorite person,” she says, staring directly into Spencer’s eyes. Her stare is so intense that it’s like she’s looking into his soul. He thinks that if she looks deep enough she’ll see her own reflection because his soul belongs to her.

“I-I uh,” Spencer says, immediately thinking that he should actually invite his mother out for a visit, “I think that’s a good idea. She likes the sites and all,” he tells her nervously, trying to ease his beating heart.

He’s her favorite person.

Out of all the people in this city, this world. He’s her favorite person. Spencer, a lover of math, is tempted to figure out the odds of being his favorite person’s favorite person. He knows it’s slim. He knows it’s rare. It’s something magical and Spencer is terrified he’s going to ruin it. He’s terrified he’s going to fuck something up that’s not even his.

“It’s a date,” Y/N says, turning to Penelope, who’s still long forgotten, “Oh, Penny, you need to yell at Morgan for me. He ate my leftovers,” she tells Penelope, who feigns horror, “And now I don’t have lunch”

“How dare he!” Penelope says, her exaggerated response inciting chuckles, “he can get away with murder because he’s pretty,” she says, shaking her head.

He knows that she’s pretending to be disappointed, but he still doesn’t like to see it. Spencer unwraps the other half of his turkey and cheese sandwich and hands it to Y/N. She looks surprised, as if Spencer just handed her a million bucks.

“Spence, you don’t have to,” Y/N says, softly, handing back the half of the sandwich, “It’s your sandwich, I don’t want you to feel-”

“Eat it, Y/N,” Spencer says firmly, looking straight at Y/N, “You need to eat something. We both live off coffee as it is,” he says, hoping that Y/N will take the sandwich.

He’s looking straight at her and she’s looking straight at him. Spencer wonders if he looks deep enough he’ll reach her soul. He dares to think that if he can find her soul, he’ll stare at his face. He’s her favorite person after all, that’s got to count for something.

“Thanks, Spence,” Y/N says, smiling softly, “You make the best sandwiches,” she tells him, taking a bite of the sandwich as Garcia’s eyes flit from Spencer to Y/N. Back and forth, she watches the pair engage in the world’s best miscommunication.

“Y/N, did you hear? I’m throwing a prom!” Garcia says excitedly, hoping that Y/N’s reaction will be more enthusiastic than Spencer’s.

“A prom?” Y/N asks, unconvincingly, “God, I hated my prom. I got punched spilled all over my dress and my date tried to sneak alcohol into the banquet hall. It was a shitshow,” Y/N says, remembering the less than happy memories from high school.

“I didn’t go to prom. You know, between being a 12 year old and a dork,” Spencer says, self deprecatingly, “It’s not the ideal scenario, but I am familiar with the cultural significance of proms in American high school,” Spencer says, speaking to no one in particular, yet looking at Y/N directly.

“Maybe we’ll both get the prom night we deserve, Spence,” Y/N offers, tossing out her wax paper wrapper. She walks past him and it’s like the air is sweeter. He believes in science, but loves magic. Y/N is magic.

“Maybe,” Spencer says, refusing to make eye contact with Penelope, ��you know, sorry to uh, cut this short. I have some paperwork to finish. Hotch’s been on me all day about it. So, uh, see you later,” he says, walking out of Penelope's office like a bat out of hell.

He tries to ignore the knowing stares from Penelope and Y/N’s confusion as he ducks out and walks into the bullpen. Spencer doesn’t have paperwork. He finished all his paperwork by 11:12 am. But what Spencer does have is a flight from Vegas to Quantico to book.

And prom shopping.

___

As it turns out, Spencer doesn’t know much about teenage American culture. Sure he’s seen 90s movies that Y/N forced him to watch. But it was quite difficult to pay attention when all he could feel was Y/N’s fingers brushing up against his in their shared bucket of popcorn or her head laying against his shoulder when she got tired.

He doesn’t know much of anything when it comes to romance. But he knows that he loves Y/N— and hopefully that’s enough. He still hasn’t asked her if she’d go with him. Honestly, he’s not too sure why he even has to ask her in the first place. She’s going to be there already, but Garcia and Morgan convinced him that it’s part of the so-called “Prom Experience”

“Spence,” Y/N says, she’s perched on the tall bar stool and rests her elbows on her kitchen island, “did you find a suit yet? I was thinking that we can go to that vintage store on Rock Ave. They have a surprisingly good size selection, and I think that this whole vintage thing fits your aesthetic really well,”

“My aesthetic?” Spencer questions, again lost at sea.

“You know, you’re like nerdy chic. Equal parts dorky and equal parts handsome,” she tells him. He feels his cheeks burn at her words.

Handsome

“I don’t know if that’s a compliment or not,” Spencer says, eyeing Y/N over the rim of his hot coffee.

“It is,” Y/N says like it’s the easiest thing in the world. Like him being handsome is just as obvious as him being dorky, “And get your wallet. We’re going to the vintage store,”

Spencer has a hate-love relationship with weekends. He loves spending time with Y/N where it was so easy to pretend that she loves him as he loves her. He hates the weekends for the same reason he loves them. Spencer knows that it’s all fake. It’s a façade of the truth.

“Spence! You’d look great in this,” Y/N suggests, holding up a gray sports coat, “I think it will match your eyes perfectly,”

“If you think so, Y/N,” Spencer says, nodding his head in agreement. She continues eyeing him as if she’s imagining what he’d look like in the jacket. He has to admit, it’s a very nice jacket.

“Come on, Spence. There’s a mirror over in the corner. Try it on for me,” she requests and not even a second later Spencer finds himself being dragged by the hand to try on the suit jacket.

Y/N holds the jacket open for him as he slips it on through his arms. He’s surprised to realize that it fits perfectly. He looks into the mirror, staring at his face and Y/N, who tugs and smooths the jacket. Spencer can’t look too much longer because if he does the lines between reality and fantasy will be difficult to distinguish. As much as he wants to stare into the mirror all day long, pretending that this is real, he much rather it actually be real. But wishing and dreaming only ends up with battle wounds and broken hearts.

“You look very handsome, Spencer. Very handsome,” Y/N says, staring into the mirror too now. But she’s not looking at the jacket, she’s looking at him. The beat of silence lasts longer than what’s comfortable, “Um, I think, I saw some pants that would look good on you, with this jacket, I mean,” she says, stumbling over her words. She’s not looking in the mirror any more, her gaze is noticeably away from Spencer and the mirror.

“Okay, uh, whatever you think, Y/N,” Spencer says, “I’m not even sure why I agreed to this thing. I don’t dance,” he says, regretting his choice to go to Penelope’s prom, but feeling guilty for maybe disappointing Y/N all in one breath.

“Did you ask her yet?” Y/N asks, holding up a pair of similarly gray colored pants. She must notice his confusion, “You know Austin, the woman you heroically saved. Does any of it ring a bell, Spence?” Y/N teases. Spencer feels his cheeks burn and his heart tighten, that happens a lot around Y/N.

“Oh Austin, uh no. She wasn’t interested in me, after all,” Spencer says, shifting his weight and staring at his converse, “I mean, I should have seen it coming. It’s transference, that’s like Psych 101,” he says, feeling strange. It was odd when Austin broke up with him, even if you can consider it breaking up. He felt a strange sense of relief when it happened, like a weight was lifted off his shoulders.

Y/N clicks her tongue in annoyance as she walks over to Spencer. Tugging slightly on the sleeves of the jacket she says, “well she’s not as smart as I thought she was. You have to be a complete fool to let someone like you go,” she says quietly. She’s standing too close, looking too beautiful, and seeming too perfect for Spencer to not be completely enamoured.

Then it breaks, like shattered glass. The rosey glasses are lifted, leaving only cheeks that sting with nervousness and hearts the yearn for something a little more tangible.

“Stop staring at me and go try it on,” Y/N says, handing him the pair of pants, “Oh and I’m going to look for a vest and a tie to match. This store is unbelievable,” she tells him, pushing him into the makeshift dressing room.

Spencer puts on the pants, which fit, despite being maybe an inch or two loose in the waist. He looks into the tall mirror, which is noticeably empty without Y/N standing with him. A floating hand, belonging to Y/N appears. She holds a burgundy tie and a dark brown vest, both of which are very Spencer. He smiles slightly, strangely happy that Y/N has picked something out that’s perfect for him.

“Tell me when you’re decent,” she says, her voice muffled by the curtain that separates them. He sticks his head out of the curtain, his eyes immediately finding Y/N’s.

“Ohh, Spence, you look amazing. Very handsome,” she says, her hands clasped around the tie, tugging just like she did with his suit jacket before, “What do you think?” she asks, looking at him curiously.

“It’s nice,” Spencer offers, approaching this like he does everything: cautiously, “I do like the texture,” he says, running his hands up and down the sleeves of the jacket.

“You look more than nice, Spence. I know I’ve said it like 30 times, but you look very handsome,” she says. Spencer hopes that she means it. He needs something to be real. Sometimes besides what he feels, because what he feels is the realest thing in the world.

“It’s nice to hear,” Spencer says, “you know from someone who’s not my mother,” he jokes, shrugging off the jacket and grabbing the hanger from Y/N.

“You deserve to hear it,” Y/N says so softly Spencer wonders if she’s saying it all. That beat of silence, followed by the awkwardness is back.

“So, uh, I saw a dress that I’m going to try on,” Y/N tells him, her gaze shifting everywhere but Spencer’s eyes.

“I’ll go pay for this,” Spencer says, walking back into the dressing room and the mirror that lies to his face.

___

Back in Y/N’s car, Spencer shifts in the passenger seat trying to find a way to sit comfortably while holding his suit jacket, pants and vest. Y/N hangs up her dress, that’s wrapped in a gown bag. She wouldn’t let Spencer see the dress, despite her practically picking out his entire outfit.

“So what’s next,” Spencer asks, as Y/N gets into the car. She smiles over at him sheepishly, leading Spencer to think she’s got another trick up her sleeve.

“I’ve got a confession, Spence. And please don’t hate me for it,” Y/N says, her voice coming out a little nervous as she eyes Spencer.

“I don’t think I could ever hate you, even if I tried. And I’m certain I’ll never have to,” he says softly, resting his hand over hers on the console. He rubs the back of her hand gently, thinking about just how easy things are with her. If he could only be a little braver, maybe then the mirror wouldn’t be so empty.

“Okay. I knew that things didn’t work out with you and Austin. I overheard you telling Derek,” Y/N confesses, “And I know that it makes me a horrible friend or whatever, but I’m sorry that I eavesdropped,”

“Oh, uh how much did you hear?” Spencer asks, suddenly quite nervous. He can feel his heart drop, waiting for the moment when Y/N laughs at the thought of her loving him. He knows that it’s not fair to her, but then again all is fair is love and war.

“Enough to know that you’re still hung up or or someone else. I left once my conscience got the better of me. Once a Girl Scout, always a Girl Scout,” she says, making the three finger salute that’s common in scouting, “I just wanted to hear it from you, you know you’re my favorite person and all,” she says, a frown forming.

“I think, uh,” Spencer says, “That I was just a little embarrassed. You know how Derek and Penelope and Emily and JJ can get. It’s basically just you and Hotch who aren’t jumping down my throat about being, you know, alone,” he says, chuckling awkwardly.

“They just want to help you, Spence. In their own ways, but I’m always on Team Spencer. You never got to worry about that,” Y/N offers, squeezing his hand.

He considers what she says, not responding verbally, but nodding his head. He hasn’t ever had someone on his “team”, so it’s strange. But a good kind of strange.

“Spence, you okay? I wanted to give you something. To be truthful, I’ve been thinking about how I was going to do this for awhile,”

“Ask me what?” he questions, wondering what she has in store. He watches as Y/N rummages in his bag, clearly looking for something. He’s thoroughly confused when she pulls out a TI-84.

“What on earth?” Spencer says, as she places the calculator in his hands. Her sly grin, beaming up at him only further proves his point: his heart just beats faster around her.

“Just shut and press the on button. You’d think that a genius would know how to work a calculator,” she comments, rolling her eyes playfully.

“You know, I never used these. I can just do it in my head faster,” Spencer says, winking at Y/N when she pushes him teasingly.

“God, Spencer just turn it on!” she demands, very apparently getting more and more impatient.

He turns the calculator on and is brought to a green screen that has a picture of a graph. Spencer raises his eyebrow, as if to ask Y/N for the next direction.

“Press the graph button,” she says, getting quieter as Spencer looks at her.

He presses the button that she said to, waiting for whatever is supposed to happen. Spencer watches as the screen draws four black lines running parallel to each other. A curved line is drawn on the first two black lines, forming the letters “P” and “R”. The screen continues to draw, making an oval that looks like an “O” and the last two parallel lines are joined together with a “v” shape, forming the letter “M”. He takes a second glance, reading the 4 letter word slowly.

P-R-O-M

“Well?” she asks, waiting for his answer.

He’s speechless. Spencer blinks. It’s like his brain has stopped working. It’s a prom, a stupid prom that’s 10 years too late. But it’s the girl of dreams that’s asking him. And that’s the stuff those rom-coms he couldn’t pay attention to are made of.

“I mean, of course. Of course, Y/N,” Spencer says, dropping the calculator into the cup holder and leaning in to hug Y/N.

His heart stops again. Falling into that tricky habit of either speeding up or stopping when she’s around. He thinks he’s ready to implode when she pecks his cheek. Her lips don’t linger, hardly touching his skin for it to be considered a kiss.

“I don’t think I’d want to go with anyone else,” she says, mumbling into his skin. She seals his fate with her lips against his skin. Never again will Spencer imagine what it’s like to have her lips against his skin. Even though it’s a fraction of the time he’d want, it’s tattooed in his mind.

“I’m not much of a dancer, by the way,” Spencer says, reluctantly letting go and sitting back into the passenger’s seat, “so don’t expect too much,” he jokes.

“Oh you better watch it, Doctor Reid. I’m getting you on the dance floor, even if you hate it,” Y/N says, smiling as she backs out of the parking spot and turns into the street.

Spencer looks out the window, thinking to himself that there’s probably nothing he can hate if he’s doing it with Y/N.

--

Spencer didn’t go to prom in high school. He didn’t do a lot of the traditional things that most former high schoolers reminisce about at his age. He didn’t go to football games or have a best friend to make lifelong memories with.

He didn’t have any of that, until now.

But it’s prom night, 10 years late. His hands are sweaty and his mouth feels dry. Spencer wasn’t this nervous for even his first day at the BAU all those years ago. He tries to fix the burgundy tie that Y/N picked out at the vintage store. It looks crooked and twisted. Nothing like when Y/N tied perfectly in the store for him. He supposes that he can wait till she comes to pick him up.

The mirror, again, is noticeably empty without Y/N standing beside him. He can get lost in there, thinking about her standing with him. He does, because it feels like seconds later when he hears a rapid knocking on his apartment door.

Standing on the other side of the door is Y/N. She wears a sage green dress that looks like it’s made of softest silk. He smiles at her, not sure if he can trust his words. Spencer doesn’t think he’ll be able to do much thinking when all he can focus on is the tiny straps that rest on her shoulders or how the sage green compliments her skin tone.

“You look, god. You’re beautiful,” Spencer says, partly under his breath partly aloud to Y/N, “so beautiful,” he says again, focusing on her eyes.

“And you’re looking very dashing in that suit, Spence,” she says, pushing her way in, “do you need help with your tie?” she asks, looking at the tie he holds in his hand.

“Yes, please,” he says sheepishly. He holds out the burgundy colored tie, but takes his hand back as an idea crosses his mind, “oh wait here, I’ll be right back,” Spencer says, walking quickly to his bedroom.

“Alright,” Y/N says sceptically, “Don’t ditch me, Reid!” she calls out from the living room.

Spencer returns, hiding the new tie behind his back. He places an olive green tie with dusty blue and pink flowers in her hands. He notices her smile grow, realizing that he’s picking a new tie for a reason.

“I might not know much about prom, but I think that we’re supposed to match. You know, since we’re going together,” he offers, “but I need help putting it on,” he says.

“We’re going to match!” Y/N says excitedly. As she unbuttons the first button on Spencer’s cream colored shirt he holds his breath. He can’t breathe when she’s this close. Her fingers are quick and nimble as they feed the tie around his neck and elegantly create a knot. If Spencer wasn’t already in love, he knows that watching her eyes twinkle and her tongue poke out as she concentrates would make him declare it then and there.

“So handsome,” she says, using that quiet voice that makes it seem like she’s talking to herself rather than him, “I can’t wait to dance with you,” she tells him tugging the tie.

“I’m not going to be good, Y/N. I’m going to be a fool,” Spencer says, lamenting already about what an idiot he’s going to look like in front of Y/N.

“That’s nonsense, Spence,” Y/N says, waving him away with a toss of her hand, “You’re going to be the best dancer there,” she tells him rubbing her hand up and down his arm, like she did at the store.

“Would you believe it, if I told you I never danced with anyone?” Spencer says, being the most honest and true he’s ever been.

“We can change that,” Y/N says, stepping towards Spencer and linking her hand in his. She squeezes, restarting and stopping his heart all in one go, “oh wait we need music,” she says, feeling around for where her phone usually is.

“I got it,” Spencer says, stepping away from Y/N. He walks over to the small record player in the corner of his living room. He doesn’t play it too often, the records he has were once his mother’s and they’re too painful to play most days. But Spencer’s sure that he can make every exception to all his rules for Y/N. Maybe he’ll get some happy memories out of it.

“Going old school I see,” Y/N says, teasingly as Spencer walks over grabbing both his hands in hers, “everything about you is very charming, Doctor Reid,” she says, softly swaying to the jazzy tunes of Sarah Vaughan.

“I’m not too sure about that,” Spencer says, following Y/N’s lead as she floats around his living room, carrying him everywhere she goes. She rests her head against his chest and Spencer swears that she’s going to get a concussion from how hard his heart beats.

They’re alone, no audience to witness the moment that Spencer wonders if he can dare to call intimate. It’s intimate to him because every moment with Y/N is intimate. Maybe if someone had told Spencer that dancing like this could bring pure paradise all the way from your fingertips to your eyelashes, maybe he would have done it sooner.

“You’re quite the romantic, Spencer,” Y/N says as the song comes to a close. The record player stops, but they don’t stop swaying, “And you told me you couldn’t dance,” she scoffs lightly, with her head still resting against his chest.

“Is that okay with you?” He asks, “me being romantic,”

“I don’t think that I’d want it any other way, Spencer,” Y/N says, removing her head from his chest and her hand from his. She cups his face, touching him lightly. Y/N holds him like he aches to be held. It’s gentle and tender, yet leaves him desiring more.

“Honest?” Spencer asks, daring to be brave.

“Truly,” she responds.

Spencer shifted slightly, so he can also hold her face in his hands. Y/N drops her hands though, wrapping them around Spencer’s waist to pull them closer together. Spencer’s phantom fingers are like that dance around that dance around Y/N’s skin.

It’s Y/N that initiates the kiss. She moves in slowly and tenuously, looking just as nervous as Spencer is. He’s shaky slightly, the anticipation getting to his head when all he can see is Y/N’s eyes looking into his and all he can think about is how soft her skin is. It’s all he’s ever wanted to think about. Her lips are soft and pillowy.

But it’s more than that.

Kissing her is everything to Spencer. It’s the breathy sighs she lets out as he moves his hands and rests them securely behind her neck. It’s the peachy scent of her perfume that’s so sweet and strong it should be overwhelming when all it is, is intoxicating. Kissing her is dizzying and terrifying, but wonderful and sweet. He can’t tell where his lips start and where her’s end, but it doesn’t matter.

He doesn’t open his eyes because he knows he’s facing the mirror. But unlike before, he doesn’t need a mirror to know what he’s looking at. He can look into his soul for that.

“Very romantic,” Y/N says, smiling through the quick kisses she plants on his jawline, “I always thought you’d be a romantic,” he tells him.

Spencer brushes his thumb over Y/N’s bottom lip. It’s puffy and bitten from his kisses, but he thinks that it would be a shame to not bite and kiss it some more. He smiles so hard he knows that he’ll wake up in the morning and his mouth will hurt. But that’s the least of his worries if Y/N’s there to kiss it better.

“Honest?” Spencer says, calling back to the song, that’s now their song.

“Truly,”

---

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