#also i hate peter so much but i'm kind of obsessed with him. what is his DEAL? what is his end game????

[marnz]

teen wolf status update: the fucking audacity of the Darach to say “you mercy killing your virgin girlfriend at age 15 saved my life so we’re made for each other, please don’t be shallow about my slashed up face or the fact I’ve been killing people” to Derek!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHY DO THE WRITERS TREAT HIM SO BADLY!

[delqcate]

hi angel!!! im aware of how super busy you are rn, but I can't get like frenemies scott barringer and reader out of my head, imagine it, like he's so annoyed by everything she does, she's the total opposite of him, sweet and kind, but also the sarcastic angry feminist, and he's the self-righteous football captain arsehole.

But no matter what he does, she's constantly stuck in his head, and it's kinda like the song "you look so pretty, pretty like the sun, i could watch forever while you shine on everyone" and he's so in love and a little insecure, which he covers up with this pompous arrogant fboy persona

anyways, you're writing gives me life more than anything! when i first discovered your flannel shirt fic on scott, i became obsessed and stalked your profile and obsessively read through all your fanfics, hayden characters or not, I read them all, and im head over heels in love w u :) you genuinely write the best fluff ever, like your my favourite blog for fluff, like don't get me wrong smut is cute and that, but god i would kill for some forehead kisses and hayden fluff

because i love you.

scott barringer x reader

anon you own my whole heart ilysm!!! you're soso incredibly sweet and being your favorite fluff writer??? such an incredible honor 🥹 i'm sorry it took me a while to get to writing this and i feel so bad cause i feel like i just didn't have enough inspiration for this so it's all messy but I hope it's still good. scott and shelby don't get together here but they're still good friends

summary: you and scott don't necessarily hate each other, but you can't tolerate both that much either. after a plan gone wrong, turns out there's a reason why.

warnings/cw: swearing, kissing (i don't know if that's warnings but yeah), fluff fluff fluff

word count: 1.9k

Where does Scott even begin with you? The Cliffhanger's sweetheart, the epitome of the sun in this hell hole, is his friend. Well, sort of.

Because every time he was near you, it felt like he was constantly basking in the sun, yet at the same time, he was warmed up by everything you did, from your smile to your voice. It was almost like he was constantly taunted.

He couldn't get enough of you, though. You were everything he's ever wanted—the warmth and love of another—and yet he still seems to be pushing you away.

But then that all changes when a little surprise is left on one of the class boards one morning when Scott and the other Cliffhangers are called to meet up with Peter and Sophie.

Scott walks into the classroom, wearing a sweater he just threw on due to the cold, and looks at the board in confusion. "Morp? Wh-what's a morp?" His brow was furrowed, and he frankly didn't care too much about decoding it until Auggie followed from behind him. "Oh, cool, a prom?"

Scott looks at Auggie, realizing everyone else is inside already. His eyes land on you, and he suddenly can't focus on anything but you. Everyone was taking a seat, and it took him a moment to realize you sat with him until a hand waved at his face.

"Scott, y'there?" Your voice rings out, and he looks at you, his face brooding as always. "Why? What's up?" He clears his throat and focuses his gaze on you. Despite hating you, he seems to be interested in what you have to say. Probably just sucking it up so it would be over.

You look at him, and suddenly you find yourself drawn to his eyes. Do they seem more blue than usual lately, or have they always been this way? But you don't have time to ponder about that because now it’s his turn to snap you out of your thoughts.

"Hey, are you there?" He gives you a small smirk, and you playfully roll your eyes. “Yeah, sorry,” you say, clearing your throat and resting your head on your palm. “Sophie and Peter paired us for morp planning.”

His eyes widen slightly, but he immediately covers them up with his emotionless stare again. “Why us? ," he asks, sounding annoyed. “Dunno,” you reply. “Probably ‘to build a stronger relationship between us’,” you say, playfully mocking what Peter constantly tells everyone whenever there’s a team activity.

He let out a soft scoff but couldn't help but let a smirk form on his lips. He was starting to let his guard down, something he rarely does around people; besides Shelby, she relates to him more than anyone. "Yeah, all that bullshit."

You nod and chuckle, watching as he bounces his leg, a habit you share with him. "All we have to do is plan the music, so it shouldn't be too bad. They're letting us use Peter's office and a couple more gadgets, I think." You shrug, but all you could think of was Scott.

Spending time alone with him in a room for days on end sounded both eventful and terrifying. But at least it was him instead of anyone else; at least you could get some peace and quiet for once.

————————————————————————

It had been days since you and Scott were assigned to make the playlist, and despite the bickering and constant grogginess you two would feel the next day, it was bearable. It caused something in Scott to brew—something he thought he could keep in, but it was just waiting to burst.

Scott dragged Shelby away to a corner in the common room—not the best place to have a private conversation, but it'll do.

"Let me guess," Shelby starts, her gaze landing on Ophelia talking to Peter and back at Scott. "You need advice to ask her out?" Scott scrunches up his face, annoyed but thinking about it. "Well, yeah," he says after a moment.

She chuckles and looks over at you again, trying to think of anything. "Morp's tomorrow, Scott. How are you sure Auggie or someone else asked her out?" Scott suddenly seemed upset at the thought, however. "You think Auggie has more of a chance than me?" His angry question was a little too loud, loud enough to catch your attention, at least.

Shelby quickly looks away and narrows her eyes at Scott, slapping his arm playfully. "Will you keep it down, you idiot?" He whines and leans against the wall, crossing his arms and staring at you from afar. "How am I ever going to ask her out? I'm just the cocky football star, a pompous asshole fuckboy. Every bad thing you could think of."

She sighs and moves closer, taking his hand and watching his expression before continuing, "Sure, you can be a complete asshole." He scoffs and looks at the floor. "Great way to start that off," he muttered. She rolls her eyes and continues with, "But all that matters is what they think of you. You wanna go all out and be stupid with your promposal? Go ahead. I'll be there every stupid step in the way."

He moves his gaze on her and mutters, "Stop calling me stupid. But, thanks."

————————————————————————

The plan was perfect. You and Shelby would be hanging out together, saying some good stuff about Scott, and Scott would play football with Auggie. Auggie would throw the ball at you, and he would save you. He would tie that to some smooth way to ask you out, but he would worry about that later. What was the worst that could happen?

Scott watches nervously as Shelby and you sit at the bleachers, taking a deep breath as Shelby discreetly nods and Scott starts to play. Your gaze moves to Scott, and a small smile grows on your face. Seeing Scott play football was cute to you. Despite being an ex-football captain, he still never lost his love for the sport, and you admire him for that.

Shelby notices your stare and chuckles, looking at Scott and back at you. "You eyeing Scott?" Your cheeks heat up and your eyes land on her, shaking your head as your face gets all flushed up. "No- well yeah, but not in that way! He's my friend; I just want to watch him."

Your gaze moves back to the two boys playing, and you swear you saw Scott wink at you, but maybe it was your mind playing tricks on you; he probably got something in his eye.

But you didn't even have time to think because the football started flying towards you, and Scott's amazing plan came crashing down as soon as the ball hit him right in the face.

"Scott!" You yell out and rush down to him with Shelby. He lets out a loud groan and covers his face. He's never felt so much pain and embarrassment before. "Auggie, fuck!" He groans out. "I didn't mean to, I- I'm sorry!" Auggie frowns and looks at the two, watching as you take Scott into your arms and prop your leg up for him to rest on.

"Shit- Scott, move your hand." You frown and try to move his hand, watching as a crowd of people form, someone rushing to grab Peter. Scott whines and shakes his head, saying something about how it really hurt, but it's muffled from his hands.

"C'mon, please? I swear the pain will be gone soon; I need to see how bad it is." You were trying to stay calm for the both of you, and after a moment, he moves his hands away to reveal a bleeding nose and some tears.

You wince and help him stand up. With the help of Shelby and Auggie, you guys safely bring him to the girls rooms and onto your bed, hurrying off to the bathroom while the two find something that could help Scott besides a wet rag.

You return to him on the bed and move his hand away. A small hiss escapes you, and you start to clean him up. The silence was killing you after a while, so you mumbled out, "That was stupid, y'know?"

He looks at you with an annoyed expression and scoffs, trying not to move too much as you clean his nose and check if it is broken. "Well, I'm sorry for saving your life," he says sarcastically, clearly upset that you didn't appreciate him saving you. Maybe his plan was just stupid.

"I mean, I appreciate it, but look at you now." You frown and place the rag on your side table, grabbing some tissues to clean the spot better. "Why'd you do it? Ruin your oh-so-perfect face for me?" He smirks and looks at you. "You like my face, huh?" You roll your eyes, and he lets out a small laugh as you punch his arm.

"Sorry, I couldn't help it." He lets his laughter die down and listens to the two of you breathing. It calmed him down to hear your breath, especially because he definitely needed to calm down. He took a deep breath and calmly let out, "Because I love you."

You stop your arm and move your gaze from his nose to his gaze, which was locked onto yours. You couldn't tell if it was because he was frozen in embarrassment or because he wanted to show you he really meant it; either way, it left you shocked.

How does he like you? He's made it very clear that he has some hatred towards you , so it didn't make sense. "But the way you act around me—" he quickly interrupted you. "It's because I'm insecure." He sighs and looks down at his hands, feeling the embarrassment creep up on him.

"You're just so- so gorgeous. You make everyone smile and laugh; it's like the goddamn sun. You shine so bright, and I can't help but feel this jealousy towards you because everyone gets to experience all of that." Although he didn't outright say it, it was clear to you that he was jealous, and it was incredibly adorable.

You let out a soft laugh, and at first he thought you were laughing at him, but a small smile formed on his lips when he realized you were laughing with him. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, I feel like I shine brighter when I'm with you. You make me sparkle, I guess."

He chuckles and moves a little closer, sensing the change in tension, and he was sure you did too because you moved closer. "Sparkle, huh? What are you, a vampire?" He smirks and wraps his arm around you, making you roll your eyes and cup his cheek. "Just shut up and kiss me."

"Yes, ma'am." He smirks wider and kisses you gently, immediately crash-landing into heaven as soon as he feels your lips. They were soft and felt heavenly, just like he imagined. The kiss grew deeper but didn't last too long as someone threw a box of bandages at them.

Scott pulls away in annoyance but quickly gets flustered as soon as he sees Shelby and Auggie; he completely forgets they were coming back. "Congratulations, lovebirds!" Shelby smirks and moves her gaze between Scott and you. "But do us all a favor and get a room, will you?"

You let out a small chuckle and quickly helped Scott clean up, hearing the pair's footsteps as they headed outside. Despite both of you being complete opposites, Something told you it would all work out in the long run.

taglist: none!

[sciderman]

Sci I would like to speak to you about your quote on quote “Wade Wilson is half native Canadian” agenda pls it sounds Coolio

i haven't had the chance to do due research, and i don't have a lot of greater plans but i kind of just always like to make wade wilson a little more complicated than he appears, even if it's something he's buried. i don't want wade to be a plain toast white boy. not that white boys can't be complicated, but - you know, you know. i need more to sink my teeth into. and i'm kind of all about wade and peter consistently having parallels, and that being a strange sort of explanation for everything. for why they kind of hate each other but can't let each other go. for why they kind of understand each other better and are so forgiving of each other, over and over.

for - well, for why wade picked peter, specifically.

i think a huge motivation for wade wilson in 9319 - like, a huge motivator for all of his behaviours, and the reason why peter is such a vital part of his journey of self-improvement is that - he kind of lives vicariously through peter.

[x]

peter had, has, or has the opportunity to obtain everything wade wilson has ever wanted. peter embodies what wade wishes he was, and what he feels like he could be, if... if he was dealt a different hand, or whatever.

kind of obsessed with wade "could'a been, would'a been different, if i had what you had" wilson.

so wade kind of becomes obsessed with getting peter to reconcile all the pieces of his identity. all the things that wade sees in peter, that peter buries. and all the things that peter has, that he doesn't show gratitude for.

peter had a loving father figure, wade wishes he had that.

peter has a flawless bod. he should flaunt that.

peter is fruity as all get-out. he should be proud of that.

and – well, peter has a culture and a heritage too, that he's estranged from. he's jewish, but he wasn't raised that way because his parents left him.

[x]

it isn't a part of his life or identity that he's reconciled with. even though he could. it's something he doesn't do much with. it's not wrong of him, really, but peter has a tendency to reject vital parts of his identity just for fear of complicating his life. for fear. fear of being othered.

wade's obsessed with peter as a project, and kind of likes to live vicariously through peter. if he can improve peter and get peter to reconcile those missing parts of his identity then it's catharsis for him too. he can feel proud knowing peter's proud.

i just think it speaks to wade a little that he also has this heritage that he's estranged from. and it's one that can't be reconciled with, because not only is his mother gone, but his community is so dispersed and so forcibly assimilated that there's very few resources left for him to better understand his heritage. so, when he sees peter ignoring or rejecting this heritage that he has the means to rekindle, wade encourages peter. it's - it's this whole storyline i really wanted to do. where wade falls backwards over himself trying to throw peter a bar mitzvah because he's SO invested in peter reconciling his cultural identity.

and i think he's so invested because he doesn't have the chance to do it for himself.

same as him doting uncle ben because he didn't have that for himself either.

wade "i wish i had what you have" wilson, lovingly forcing one peter parker to count his blessings.

anyway this is just a thing that lives in my head all the time. don't know when it'll make it to the blog. but it's in my head, every time i write wade wilson. a boy who was "othered" in his community for every little piece of his identity. every little thing about him made him different. his heritage, his class, his gender expression – his brain.

[x]

he's a kid in a world that never felt built to fit.

[x]

thinking of him, always.

[sunnysaystuff]

My stance on the Jegulus-Jily-"All Death Eaters suck because canon says so" dispute (or whatever):

TLDR AT THE BOTTOM!!!!!!!!!!!

After receiving MULTIPLE hate asks (wtf I'm literally nobody why do you care so much) guess I have to put this out here!!

first up - stuff I think is important:

Wolfstar isn't canon and it's the backbone of the fandom, so why do we suddenly decide canon is the shit when people write Jegulus/Jegulily fics? "James would've never liked a Death Eater" fanfiction means you can make stuff up, regardless of what canon James would've liked or wanted.

"Canon-compliant Jegulus fics don't make sense" did James explicitly tell you to your face that he would never date Regulus :0 canon-compliant is a very loose term. a lot of the time it just means that canonical deaths and plot-related events occurred, moreso than relationship-related events.

Jegulus haters often say that Jegulus fans constantly villainize Lily, but the fact of the matter is that they don't. You see more Jily fans villainizing Regulus for originally being a Death Eater than you see Jegulus fans villainizing Lily. "Regulus deserves the villainization and Lily hasn't done anything wrong" - reminder that you can hate on canon Regulus all you want (despite the fact that he eventually changed) but you should know that fanfiction might present him differently. Random fanfic Regulus is not the canon Regulus you despise.

Jegulus fans who despise Snape for his actions in canon aren't being very fair. He joined the Death Eaters and then he ended up working against the Dark Lord, just as Regulus did. Yes, he spent years bullying Harry, but do you honestly think Regulus wouldn't have behaved similarly if he had been in a similar position? If Regulus had been in love with Lily, and James and his brother and their friends were constantly making fun of him, and then Lily died after marrying someone he hated, do you think Regulus would have treated the godson of his estranged brother who betrayed Lily, the identical-to-James son of his enemy, with fairness or kindness? Regulus was canonically also not a nice person at all - was literally a Voldemort fanboy, and Snape wasn't even confirmed to be that much - and in fanon he's often characterized as this petty little shit. So do you think Regulus wouldn't have been awful to Harry as well?

Adding on to that, people call Snape toxic and creepy for being "obsessed with Lily" (he loved her because she was a bright spot in his awful life, platonic or romantic. Obsessed? Maybe <- My hot take), but when Regulus does it with James, it's sexy?

"Stop romanticizing Death Eaters" if it's not your cup of tea, don't read. I think these characters are just that, characters, and fanon stuff means you can do whatever you want with them! You can rewrite someone's entire story and personality if you want (ex: THOSE Dark Harry fics, a number of Dramione fics).

my personal opinions:

Jily and Jegulus are both super fun ships. Love 'em equally, though I'd say currently I'm leaning toward Jily.

I love Jegulily. I think it's really fun and has a lot of potential :0

I'm alr with Snape bashing and no Snape bashing (it's not that deep gang, same for Peter 'cause honestly it's kinda silly how people try to sub-in other characters as the 4th Marauder. Peter existed y'all.)

I think the Black sisters deserve more attention :0

Yes sometimes the characters are ooc in fics!! What to do when you see this and don't like it is click the back button!!

I don't have a problem with Remadora, but I prefer Wolfstar :)

I don't believe in canon casanova of gryffindor tower; I think it's cute in fanon though<3

endnotes/tldr since I wrote a whole essay:

ship and let ship. every (non-proship) ship is valid. this is what fanon's for.

let people hc and do what they want omg pls stop throwing hands over little things

have your opinions they're valid! just don't try to force them on others!!

feel free to argue with me in notes if you want; just be respectful please! I'm down to hear others' opinions; you might change my mind on stuff!!

might add more if I missed anything! I just thought it was lowkey important to put my opinion out here.

[fandoomrants]

Okay, so I'm fully into my HP obsession again (honestly, I don't care what anyone says or how much the world tries to cancel this fandom. This is my childhood, it's a part of me that's always there and I eventually go back to between the other things) and therefore, the Marauders era's obsession.

And like, I've always loved them for some reason. Honestly, when I found fandoms and stuff and saw they're actually almost a fandom on it's own, I was so happy and relieved that I'm not the only one. (I realised at one point that I love HP yet I've never read a fic that's not about them from this fandom...)

But I've been thinking about some things and also came across some random videos summarizing what we know about them (because there are so many hcs that most people accept as common that it's easy to forget the real facts) and now I have so many thoughts I need to share because they haunt me.

-They were like... Big jerks. Especially James and Sirius. Mostly them, tbh. Like, not only because we see them from Snape's perspective in memories and he hates them but because, well, they were mean. Especially Sirius (he's my absolutely favourite character but still), he's done pretty shitty things. I think James mostly had beef with Snape but they were overall kinda bullies.

-Even though I love Wolfstar just as much as 90% of this fandom (I mean the Marauders era), I think they're a famous ship just because we get to see interactions between them while alive and not just flashbacks but I don't think they were really close back in the days. James and Sirius were the ones extremely close and maybe if we had seen extended Marauders' interactions or they were eventually all alive, then most likely Wolfstar wouldn't have been that popular.

-I'm 99% sure that the great friendship between Lily and Remus is completely fan-made. I believe Remus was the most reasonable (but nobody can convince me he wasn't the mastermind behind 99% of their pranks at the same time) and wasn't into being mean with anyone so it's possible that they were interacting on much better terms than her and James (I mean, until they got together) but I don't think they could have ever been called friends.

-In fact, canonly, Sirius was taller than Remus. (What a shock, right?)

-Lots of people say stuff like "Who was the fifth guy in their dorm?" and there are many theories about it but do we even have a proof that the four of them were in the same dorm at all? Nope.

-Now that's my personal opinion but... I absolutely believe they were really good friends and while at school at least, nobody was left out intentionally but... Maybe Peter betrays them in the end because of some build up stuff throughout the years. We know James and Sirius meet on Hogwarts Express and immediately become best friends. We don't know when Remus and Peter join exactly but it must have been shortly after, I think Peter is pretty much the last who joins. Seeing how some of the people are very good friends, it's a bit hard to truly feel a part of a friend group and might make you feel a bit left out at times (but that's basically a rule in every friend group, tbh. There are the two best friends and well... the other, still close friends).There's also the fact that Peter canonly wears the Sorting hat for over five minutes so here you have another episode of feeling kind of left out. Then later they learn about Remus and they all decide to support him and even learn how to transform and Peter is the last to learn how to do it too. Then even later, James and his family take Sirius in. What I'm trying to say is, we have no canon information of any of them doing anything for Peter and I'm not saying that they weren't good friends, it's just that he was exposed to them doing stuff for each other, and like, really big stuff too (granted, it was really all about helping a friend in a big need) but he was never the center of it + some occasions that might have left him feel kind of uncertain and uneasy about himself like not being sorted for a longer time or needing help to transform. And the result might be feeling emotionally distant from the group and with desire to prove himself worthy of something. So, that's maybe why he finally turns to Voldemort.

-They canonly don't trust Remus much by the end and even suspect he might be Voldemort's spy.

-There is a big chance that Harry and Remus really meet when Harry is 13, meaning that he never saw him as a baby.

-Speaking of feeling left out earlier... I think Remus might have also felt so more often than not. I think they were all into innocent pranks but he wasn't into actively being a jerk, especially considering that he was someone who would have gotten lots of hate if people knew about the werewolf thing. The stupid prank in 5th year must have been a real punch in the gut too. The fact that he gets to stop interacting with them and they even start mistrusting him. Lots of things, really. AND HE STILL NEVER BETRAYED THEM, WAS NEVER A JERK TO ANY OF THEM, AND GOT TO LIVE FOR 12 YEARS BELIEVING THAT ONE OF HIS BEST FRIENDS KILLED THE OTHER TWO!!!

Okay. I made myself enough sad for one evening. Might add more to this.

[24-guy]

I really want to hear the opinions you have on this! What horror movies do you think the main npmd characters like to watch? I don't know much about horror movies (yet) but I like to think Max is the kind of guy who is genuinely scared of the live action Scooby Doo movies

Yes absolutely! Enjoy below the cut!! (Cos it's long and I'm sorry about that-)

I'll start with Max since you mentioned him. He's absolutely scared of even the Scooby Doo cartoons. Because of the fear of skeletons and ghosts. So he stays right away from paranormal movies. I think Ghost face even is a hard no, too. However: I think he liked the purge movies. Because those are just guns, really. But like. That's probably the only horror he likes.

Stephanie I think is a bad movies and popular movies enjoyer. She likes the most popular movies (Halloween, Elm Street, Friday, Etc) but then will pull out the most random movie you've never heard of (Frogs) and it'll be a moment and a half. She collects the memorabilia and has the replica of the Reverse Bear Trap even though I don't think she loves Saw. She's seen all of them. But I don't think she'd intentionally go out of her way to rewatch them outside of watching with somebody else. Not to say she hates gore, though. I think she'd love Terrifier and it's sequel. She probably saw them at the cinema.

Peter mildly dislikes horror. He's probably more fond of horror comedies. Things like child's play and the more recent elm street movies. He probably likes the Jordan Peele horror movies, too. Other than that, I think he'd like making fun of shitty B movies with Steph because making fun of them is the best part. He also probably unironically enjoyed the original black and white Universal Monsters movies. He has those vibes.

Richie is a film geek who watches anime and because I'm those things he gets the "he's just like me" and he loves all sorts of horror but in a more pretentious way than me. He's a stickler for the classics, probably hates all the remakes/requels - he refuses to acknowledge their existence. He probably has a list of his top favourites which involves the original Psycho, Halloween, Alien, and basically any other movie that was "revolutionary" to the genre. He does have a guilty pleasure for so bad they're good movies though. Mainly killer klowns. Also his ass probably likes the unique/artsy films like Jordan Peele's Get Out and Skinamarink.

Ruth hates all horror and she only watches the horror musicals. Thus her favourite horror movie is Sweeney Todd. She will happily vacate the room or hide under a blanket, thank you very much.

Grace thinks horror is satanic and, as a joke, I think the nerds would show her The Nun. And she grows a minuscule obsession with horror movies with religious themes and backgrounds. Like the Exorcist, the other nun films, midsommar, and Carrie to name a few. She would refuse liking them, of course. But she gets away with watching them from describing only the religious meanings.

[apprenticestanheight]

I've seen some fics of these, but I'll never turn down a coffinshipping fic where Strahm has to patch up Hoffman from when Jill uses the Reverse Bear-Trap on him. It's just sweet to me that although they hate each other, they love each other or are rather obsessed with each other, and yet Strahm would stitch up Hoffman's face... even though Hoffman put Strahm through two deadly traps 😆

Cat and Mouse- Hoffstrahm

Hi!! I am so sorry that this took as long as it did--I swear I meant to do it but stuff gets buried really quickly in my inbox and my track record with object permanence is kind of terrible, which definitely applies to requests as a lot of the time they're left to sit until I work through a backlog.

HOWEVER, this is my second coffinshipping fic and in my saw rewatch I am barely halfway into the second movie so I apologize if their characterizations are at all off, I like to think I've nailed my characterization of Hoffman but I haven't written for Strahm very much so my characterization of him might not be perfect and the same goes for how I've written their interactions.

Fic type- this is some light angst

Warnings- mentions of canon-typical saw violence, murder, and this has been edited but not very well--be wary of spelling and grammatical errors, I wrote this while tired and edited it while also tired.

Peter should probably be putting a gun to Mark Hoffmans head, if he's being honest with himself. He should be holding a gun to Marks head and demanding a confession or some kind of acknowledgement of the crimes he'd committed under the Jigsaw alias, but he's not.

He's not because Mark showed up at his house and gestured to a very gruesome looking wound on the side of his face, and when Mark wordlessly asked Peter to stitch him up, before he could think through his response, Peter was agreeing and grabbing a towel and a first aid kit with a needle and thread inside while instructing Mark to sit on the couch.

And then he was wetting the towel with antiseptic to clean the wound, telling Mark he was getting what he deserved when he flinched away or shouted with his discomfort. And then he was actively helping a serial killer.

He recalls the words that Perez had told him once, just before he'd interviewed Jill Tuck that first time.

"You should be careful," she said. "Especially with mostly unsolved cases like this one, that work ethic of yours can turn into obsession real quick. Hatred for someone might as well be able to turn into obsession with the drop of a hat, Peter, so I'd watch myself. Make sure it wasn't an obsession before I kept on with the case."

At the time, Peter had scoffed at the notion. "I'm not becoming obsessed," he'd told her, even pairing it with a smirk, like a smirk could've been convincing. "And if I am, hatred and obsession will prove to be so dangerous a line to walk that I step away anyway. I know that much--I know when to step away from my work."

But, Peter supposes he should've known that he would know when to step away from his work in all aspects except for whichever one concerned Mark Hoffman, who he felt a deep disdain for and yet wanted to know everything about all at once.

Of course the line blurred whenever Mark looked at him, had been particularly blurry as he stitched up a wound caused by one of Hoffmans so-called enemies, Jill fucking Tuck herself.

"She put a trap on me," Mark explains as Peter finishes the stitches. "That fucking bitch put a goddamned trap on me, claiming it was Johns will and all that other shit."

"I really don't want specifics, Hoffman," Peter says dryly. "You put me into two deadly fucking traps, yeah? I don't need to hear about whichever woman you've made an enemy out of, even if I hate her as much as the next person."

Mark smiles at him. Peter doesn't know if he wants to punch him square in the lips or pull him into a kiss so intense it shocks the air out of their lungs.

"You do realize what I have to do if you let me leave this house not in handcuffs, yeah?"

Peter runs his tongue over his teeth, stands up from the crouching position he'd taken while stitching up Hoffmans wound.

"I do," he says. "You're going to go kill a relatively innocent woman because she followed what I am presuming to be the will of John fuckin' Kramer, who was her murderous ex husband who willingly put innocent people to death. Yeah, I think that's easy enough to follow, Hoffman."

Mark stands, grins at Peter.

"You realize that letting me go means the chase continues?"

Peter shrugs. "You'll slow down one of these days, Hoffman. You serial killers always do. When you do get slow I'll catch you and be the one to put your ass behind bars."

Mark looks to his feet, "I really do wish this could've been different," he says.

Peter forces himself to look at the brown color he'd chosen for his curtains.

"You have fifteen seconds to be down the street and turning the corner before I start chasing you and eventually arrest your ass," he says, feeling conflicted as he speaks.

The simple truth is that Mark Hoffman is a serial killer. The simple truth is the fact that Peter should be putting him into handcuffs and bringing him to the station while he declares the Jigsaw killer caught once and for all.

But, when has their relationship ever been simple, really? Peter cannot pinpoint a moment of simplicity from it's beginning.

So, when Mark nods, bolts out the front door, Peter lets him go. He falls into the couch with a monumentally tired sigh and presses his face into the palm of his hand. A few minutes pass, and he laughs to himself.

He and Mark are in a cat and mouse scenario, and while Peter hates it, he also knows that he wouldn't have it any other way.

[gyllenhaalstories]

presumed innocent episode 3 word vomit <3

when rusty's face went 🥺 my heart went 💔

THE GLASSES THE CLOTHES THE GLASSES THE ASS THE GLASSES

the moment during which rusty fell in love. "carolyn has kindness" no she doesn't hope that helps.

the softness. the cuddliness. the nuzzling against her face. he is a soft man. i can't hate him anymore. oh my god poor rusty.

raymond i love you. if raymond has 0 fan i am dead and he's probably dead too he's so old. poor raymond. you need to learn how to make better friends. rusty is putting you on the highway to a heart attack.

CAROLYN IS A FUCKING CREEP. I HATE HER. I WILL NEVER SUPPORT YOU CAROLYN.

ass ass ass ass back back back back ass ass ass ass

mya is hot as fuck i'm so sorry i cannot act normal around her i love her already and usually that's a bad sign because characters i like are not good people

GLASSES glasses glasses glasses GLASSES

the judge calling nico 'delay guardia' is so funny yes miss judge <3

carolyn was never in love with rusty. you cannot fucking control falling in love with someone. that's creepy. how she pushed rusty back is so heartbreaking. she broke rusty's heart and yet he came back begging and obsessing over a chance at being with her. i just know he would have left his family to build one with carolyn and she would have abandoned him and their child without remorse.

fucking in missionary right on the spot on the carpet where she was tied up... rusty you will rust in jail you're so doomed

tommy........... tommy............ tommy you are hot. i hate you.

also tommy??? if peter and jake weren't brothers in law i'd fully believe in the theory i had since their first interaction that tommy was in love with rusty and he knew about the affair and he was extremely jealous that the affair was not with him. that will forever remain canon in my heart <3

lorraine is freaky like okayyy that was spicy i can only imagine her telling raymond that barbara is having an affair and raymond would die bye poor raymond

the bartender is hot if i didn't want barbara all to myself i'd allow it teehee

barbara losing her job is so NO I LOVE YOU I WILL CALL YOU MOMMY AND TAKE CARE OF YOU SO SO GOOD I LOVE YOU SO MUCH. the scene in the train bus tramway idk? oof that was so fucking hot. barbara is so beautiful. she is so pretty. she is so magnificent. rusty you are a dumb man.

i'm the worst person for whodunnit media, i fall into EVERY. SINGLE. TRAP. i thought it was carolyn's son. then KYLE? KYLE WHAT THE FUCK. could kyle have done it. was he just following his father around and found his car parked in front of carolyn's house. is this a kyle and barbara project. IS THE EMO SON IN ON IT. what the hell.

KYLE. KYLE WHAT THE FUCK KYLE. what the fuck was that. the theory daphne and i are thinking of makes so much sense and we're so right and we should be defending rusty in court like we are absolutely brilliant the world has never seen genius like ours @sizzlingcloudmentality

RUSTY I LOVE YOU YOU'RE SO PATHETIC BUT YOU'RE ALSO PATHETICALLY IN LOVE AND I LOVE YOU.

also the way i guessed SO MANY THINGS from this episode in a fic i'm writing right now (and started like last week) is actually wild. you guys will see when i post it but i guessed so many elements that it's actually trippy. wow i did that i'm so smart this is the smartest thing i've ever done. thank you presumed innocent for supporting my narrative <3

[buckybarnesss]

Imagine a world where all of the TW characters were given time and space to unpack their trauma. Where we saw Scott and Derek actually get to bond over how Peter hurt them both, how Isaac and Stiles could relate to seeing a parent become someone they no longer recognized. Just. Imagine.

the fact derek hale was never allowed to talk about his trauma will forever make sad, frustrated and angry. he is probably one of the most traumatized characters to grace television but he's not allowed to acknowledge any of it.

the other day, on the teen wolf sub reddit (believe i know. it's a sickness that i keep going back) i talked about how it bothered me how it is peter and jennifer that get to talk about paige. in visionary, peter is telling a story. paige isn't really a person to him and we know there is no way what peter tells stiles and cora is the whole truth. for her part, jennifer has mythologized paige's death and almost sanctified derek for committing the virgin sacrifice that allowed the nemeton to have enough power to save her when kali left her for dead. it's partly why she's so obsessed with him. in a twisted way derek saved her so paige is just a means to an end.

meanwhile derek doesn't even get to so much as say her name or confirm the real story when he was the one who had a relationship with paige. he is the one who knew her as a person, loved her and mourned her. .

someone in response to my saying that was like yeah well derek's not just gonna talk about his trauma. he's not that kind of guy.

and i'm like why not? characters suffering is not the only interesting way to tell a story.

if derek's story was to eventually evolve than that could've been part of it. opening up and healing.

imagine how powerful it would've been if derek was able to reach out to scott in the wake of allison's death and be able to tell scott about paige, that he understood all to well what scott was going through. imagine how much character growth that would've been for the both of them. derek finally able to reach out to someone emotionally and for scott to reach back finally able to set aside his issues with derek to see him as a person.

the missed opportunity that was cora hale. we could've learned about talia and laura and pre-fire peter via a couple of conversations between her and derek. there wasn't even a proper reunion between the two. (the fact most of our information about talia hale comes from gerard fucking argent still pisses me off).

malia was also a missed opportunity. derek had what? maybe one real scene with her? malia's character development should've been related to her reconnecting with her father, readjusting to being human and her figuring out what it means to be a hale by blood and what that legacy meant to her. not putting her immediately into a romantic relationship with stiles. derek could've factored into that. specifically regarding loss and guilt.

like derek finding out he had a cousin and malia finding out that just because she doesn't really care for peter doesn't mean there aren't other hales she can possibly have a relationship with.

isaac and stiles being bitchy to each other is fun but it's jealousy based due to scott. i think they could've overcome this eventually. imagine them hating theo together???? beautiful.

scott and isaac. i love them. adore them. but i will forever be pressed about that scene where scott throws isaac into a wall. like, fuck off. it was weirdly out of character for scott. instead of all the stuff about allison they could've talked about their dads. scott weirdly doesn't talk much about rafael and that bothers me because rafael mccall needed to be read for fucking filth (i am a child of an alcoholic so this may be a me thing). like we saw how much stiles hated rafael mccall. it would've been interesting for isaac (who was living with scott and melissa) to in turn be protective of him.

we had a whole episode of kira having a life changing field trip with derek and i wanted more that okay. that was a dynamic we needed more of.

i maintain lydia and derek's relationship would've been like two reality show judges. two beautiful people dealing with a world of plebs. lydia martin making derek hale have a spa day was a missed opportunity.

jordan parrish and derek hale being the personification of "someone is going to die." "of fun!" meme from parks and recs.

derek hale (and everyone else on this show) should've been allowed to unpack some of their trauma suitcases.

the fans wanted found family and the show took us by the hand and said "no. xoxoxoxo"

[lauren-no-why]

💎📌💔 for Lord Huron?

💎 are there any fun facts or trivia that you would like to share?

Ooh ok yes. Fun fact, Peter Mendoza is an absolute treasure and I really am bummed he didn't have more of a role in Vide Noir. He played Alex, Johnnie's brother/World Enders leader, and of course he didn't even have a single speaking line. Which is a DAMN SHAME because he's a fantastic actor! Mostly he does live theater which crushes me as I am not in LA and can't go see it, but he had a lead role in the second season of Perry Mason (HBO) as Mateo Gallardo. He's a big champion of bringing Latino voices and stories to film and TV. He's also a real sweetheart - I think I may be the only person who has done fanart for him ever and he freaked out in the best way when he saw my drawing of Alex and shared it with everyone he knew, haha. Treasure your small time, up and coming actors and let them know how appreciated they are!

📌 how did you find your hyperfixation?

A friend of mine (@leucrotta, you've done this to me and I thank you) and I were doing memes on another social media site that involved linking songs/playlists back and forth for our favorite characters/stories in an RPG we were in. Meet Me In the Woods was the song sent to me and boy did I love that and have to go listen to more.

And as much as I liked Strange Trails a lot and rocked that album for a while, Vide Noir is the one that really got its hooks into me thanks to Ancient Names pt. 1. The implications of some kind of strange, vaguely cosmic horror thing going on made me really want to know what the heck was going on in this song. I'd also seen The World Ender music video by then and had noticed that Hurricane was specifically written as "(Johnnie's Theme)" so I was like ok, clearly there are characters and related stories going on in here, there must be a write up somewhere. Went to reddit as the first line of searching, where the wiki was linked, and I basically just read everything on the wiki until I had absorbed it all over the course of like a week as my nightly reading. So yeah, that's how I became well and truly obsessed, haha.

💔 tell us about one of your LEAST favorite characters and why you dislike them.

Mmm, most of the characters designed to be unlikable I still find super interesting as characters. I mean, I joke about hating fuckboy stalker Buck Vernon who can't let a girl go, but like, I don't actually hate him at all, it's just entertaining to make fun of him.

I think the only real contender here is Andrew Winthrop. Fuck that guy. But he's super fucking dead as is his entire corporation now as far as we know. I absolutely love The World Ender as a story of anticapitalist and anticolonial revenge. That's the kind of fantasy I'm super here for.

Winthrop himself is barely a character though, he's really just an archetype. But I'm ok with that. I will hate him regardless.

[heatwa-ves]

For the character headcanon ask game!!!! Firstly, the Tenth doctor as I like that guy and secondly,,,, Klavier or Kristoph Gavin or both because they are just so epic to me,,,,,

under the cut because I talked a Lot

ten

sexuality + gender: canonically genderfluid yippee!! as for sexuality idk. rose tyler.

fav ship: tenrose u will always be famous. tensimm you will be famous too I guess because what the fuck was. Everything. in the end of time. not my fav incarnation of thoschei but I do enjoy it . "you could be beautiful" doctor do you have something to share with the class.. OH. TENJACK ALSO. I am perpetually haunted by the scene in utopia wjat the hell is this

fav platonic relationship: doctordonna is LEGENDARY. they're so good they're sooooooo good. entirety of S4 is banger after banger after banger I'm excited to watch the 60th specials and see donna and dt again but im still dragging myself through chibnall era. It's bad.

general opinion: I used to like ten more than I do now not that I dislike him but watching twelve set a gold standard for doctors and I think none of the others quite reach it. am I biased because I'm obsessed with peter capaldi? No comment. anyway. ten is really good and has a lot of strong episodes particularly with donna ofc. I like his relationship with martha in theory I just wish the show didn't hate her guts . Midnight is one of theeee best episodes on television and ten is so good in it he's also particularly good in waters of mars tho I do wish the time lord victorious was dragged out a bit longer like for another episode or so before that finale. His regeneration never fails to make me tear up especially the part with rose... she WILL have a good year. sobs. Finally obligatory mention that fear her is a GOOD EPISODE IM SICK OF THE HATE.

klavier

sexuality + gender: bi + genderfluid she/her pronouns would solve all her problems

fav ship: klapollo I love u... t4t

fav platonic relationship: his relationship with trucy they're sooooo silly look at this art . also obsessed with what we see of his relationship with kristoph I'm thinking about them always and I wish we saw more

general opinion: she's my fav from aa4... No one is surprised. cute + silly + has problems + sees the protagonist and is like omg hi. did you know I'm bisexual. did you know im really into you . just saying. 0.5 seconds after meeting. I would like it if the game went more into his feelings on losing kristoph and then daryan and then kristoph again all back to back but I guess that's what fanfiction is for. guilty love is such a good theme I don't normally listen to just instrumental songs but.... She's beautiful. the concept of the gavinners is fucking stupid so I'm living in my dream world where they're a normal band not a weird law cop themed one.

kristoph

sexuality + gender: idk nothing in particular .

fav ship: he and phoenix definitely fucked at some point

fav platonic relationship: once again gavin siblings. I wish the game also went more into how his relationship with apollo is like I assume they were working together for a while pre 4-1 .. it's interesting to think about but there's not much to go off

general opinion: beautiful evil man. I love him and it really surprised me how many people hate him??? the godawful mischaracterisation I've seen on ao3 haunts me like yes he's a cunt but he wouldn't fucking do THAT. he's a cunt in a different way. please hate him correctly at the very least. I want to know what goes on inside his head. he was definitely lying about why he killed zak there was more to it than just being a petty bitch like the black psyche locks and everything... I don't think he's the sort of person who'd resort to serial murder over just not being chosen as lawyer there's definitely things he didn't tell us. I like him. he's also kind of stupid like if he just hadn't tried to be all poetic describing the cards in the first trial he never would've been caught??? and come on now why is he using the same fancy rare nail polish that he poisoned as a gift. If he hadn't used it they couldn't have proved he gave it to vera. I could not fix him but I could fuck him.

[616phyla]

1 & 7 if you’re still taking asks cause I like chaos and I think I might have an idea about 1 🫣

The character everyone gets wrong

I FEEL like you might be thinking I'd answer Shatterstar (?) or Thanos (?). Which is what I would answer right now but I'm curious. I do think there's more characters people get wrong I probably would agree LOL.

BRIEFLY: Shatterstar suffered so much from Peter David just not giving a shit about him and writing him like a biphobic stereotype and making fun of him, but people don't understand who Star actually is and keep continuing this and thinking it's true! Star is really smart and can be offputting to others because of his attitude but I love his arc about learning to value his own emotions and feelings and experiencing love and connection for the first time, without acting like there is something wrong with his behaviours, it's like other people need to accept him and he needs to treat himself like a person and not a weapon. Also like I hate how people act like he would cheat on Ric like he isn't codependently obsessed with him lol, like he watches dating shows canonically he knows cheating is bad PAD. IDK people just treat him like a big joke which is sad. He is not a himbo also.

Thanos - There's so many things fans and writers get wrong about him. I think for one people fundamentally misunderstand his relationship with Mistress Death and are like "LOL he is a simp/incel/getting cucked" when it's like... the thing with that is that for one she is a personification of an abstract entity and two not actually what is going on in the stories. Like he was so isolated and alienated from everyone that he thought he could only find solace and hope in literal Death. It has an allegorical component you know. Also people ignore all his development and act like he's still a conquering nihilist, which they do in canon too which is sooo annoying because his arc into valuing life and hope again was so good. Seeing him grow and help and assist... Also if you don't understand everything going on with Adam and the Magus and Thanos you don't get him... universal forces to stop each other exploding everything and save each other for real. IDK people just don't treat him like a character and just some big scary plot device sometimes. He is not obsessed with the Earth, he is not doing stuff for ideological reasons, he is a guy with personal issues who ultimately causes his own downfall but then sees the error and tries to grow.

Neither of those were brief.

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

I don't .... exactly hate her but I feel like you of all people would get this but I get kind of annoyed seeing Carol now because of how her fans act especially in regards to Phyla. Carol getting so much attention and books all the time and Phy didn't even get to have an ongoing ever... and then Carol fans try to use Phy just to say Carol is a lesbian or whatever else it's annoying, otherwise they just ignore her.

[trifoliate-undergrowth]

Ship opinion bingo! Lonely eyes

(x)

YES! the multi-divorced chronically-remarried bastards. The Eye and The Lonely. Avatars of similar but not necessarily cooperative forces. The loneliness inherent in being an observer from afar and in the fear of observation, the knowledge of isolation feeding the mist. I think they could make each other worse but also that maybe some of the divorces were bc they accidentally started to make each other just a tiiiiny bit better (less Lonely, less solely obsessed with the Eye) and panicked and had to take a break and re-fuck themselves up in service to their respective eldritch evils.

Like its never getting written at this point but I had an idea for a looooong long ass mutual pining arranged marriage fic where a younger Peter was overconfident in his inability to ever care about anyone ever and his complete essential solitude on a deep level and then started to Actually Care About Jonah and had an entire crisis of faith/his Lonely powers eventually resulting in a scenario where he had to kill his love for Elias to keep his connection to The Lonely but it happened bc he wanted to protect Elias with his Lonely powers, but couldn't if he cared too much, so what the fuck is going on here. meanwhile Elias is having his own horrific discoverings about his unexpected and unwanted ability to care about people as something more than pawns in his game (also he is finally discovering his sexuality after being a repressed internalized-homophobic Victorian through multiple lifetimes of bodyhopping) and also hates it but then comes around and is like actually I think this is fine I'm kind of enjoying it but then is like Oh No Peter can't actually fall for me or it'll compromise his connection to his Fear IT WAS A WHOLE THING. that never got written. Like it was going to be an epic tale of their journeys of self-discovery and love that crashed and burned and had to thwart themselves intentionally bc they Could Not Afford to continue going down that road bc it was incompatible with What They Are and they absolutely could not give that up. setting up for the canon-era dynamic where they're like. deeply involved with each other but carefully not too involved. enemies and allies and exes and dating and what the fuck.

The Lonely does not allow you to cheat on it. The Lonely is ok with hookups but it has to be your first love and your heart has to be empty to enter the mists.

I"m trying to remember what the details of this were supposed to be now, it's been awhile. I think Peter's eyes would get bluer rather than grey and he would gradually stop feeling cold to the touch and seem more solid and present as he developed An Human Relationship for the first time in his life. Then he... recovered from that little error to take his place as fully-fledged main avatar of The Lonely and became something even different from what he was before, eyes like ice, the air chilled around him, body not quite there, existing mostly inside the Lonely.

[lymbreaksin]

I don't usually post on this blog but anyway, I wanted to sort all of my opinion about the spiderverse movies. I'm not even a marvel or spiderman or anything but holy shit how much I liked the itsv and atsv. I'm not gonna say anything controversial just an average view on the whole thing

things I liked the most about it:

1. the protagonist

MILES IS SUCH A GOOD PROTAGONIST. at first we see him as a typical awkward teen protag but he's that and so much more!!

the creators did such a good job with showing him as a teen(which is a rare thing)! like they've actually seen teenagers irl!! he is soo relatable. the way they showed his life is really natural. all the problems he has seem like those that an average teenager would have: his parent–child relationship issues, changing schools, getting closer to his origins, finding his sense of identity, his poor flirting skills etc. etc.

he really was an average teen in the first movie and it's such a good start. it really connects him to a viewer. but in the second movie we also see him as a skilled spiderman!! he's gone through a lot tho to become one, they really showed how difficult it was to him. my man upgraded so much!! he's not only relatable but also amazing!! but it's not even the best part of him.

I WAS STUNNED BY HIS ACTIONS IN THE ENDING OF ATSV. THE WAY HE REBELS AGAINST THE WHOLE FREAKING SPIDER SOCIETY. he chooses his own path!! he's not going to be stuck in the past like Miguel, he's gonna save everyone!! he became one of the strongest and unique spidermen, the whole spider society couldn't keep up with him!!

he may look liker your average teen protagonist but he's not!! the representation is sooo good!!

2. the message

THE WAY THIS SHOW SAID "WE SHOULD NOT BE A PART OF THE HARMFUL SYSTEM" IS SOOO POWERFUL. THE MESSAGE WAS STRAIGHTFORWARD AND LOUD. the show nailed it!!

3. the animation and the artwork

it's hella amazing. goes with the storytelling really well, reflects the true colors of the characters and affects viewers in a way that no animated show would to, truly perfect.

4. the side characters

Gwen

she's so cool. her design, how graceful and confident she seems(she isn't), her vibe. the conflict with her father hit toooo close to home, honestly. the special connection she has with Miles, they really understand each other on emotional level. also I really appreciate that they didn't make this whole stupid love triangle things with other characters like Hobie and her friend Peter. their pairing with Miles is great, honestly I'm surprised there aren't many fics about them in ao3(I've searched).

Peter B Parker

he may seem like a loser: he's divorced, doesn't have a house, looks imperfect and generally isn't what you would expect from a superhero. but it's not what he is. he's also a really kind–hearted character, he and Miles have really taught each other a lot of things. he's his first mentor and without his help we Miles wouldn't be the same. he is also a really powerful Spiderman even if he doesn't look like it. kinda reminds me about one of my friends who's really alike to him. I love his character development in the 2nd movie, he overcame his fear and now we can see cute Mayday with him. the way he acts kinda obsessed with his parent role and kids is soo funny to me. are they all like that after they become parents?

Miguel

he is a rich man, spiderman wannabe, stuck in the past, he can't deal with his emotions, he's projecting onto a 15 years old boy who doesn't want to lose his father. he's exactly what you would hate about a character, he suits the antagonist role so well. I honestly don't understand the hype about him bc maybe bc I'm not straight so Idc about how he looks. for me he looks pathetic actually. but pathetic enough to be a low key interesting character

Pavitr and Hobie

these two are great too but I was kinda expecting them to have more major role in the plo, but okay we'll see it later. their designs are really cool tho and their friendship is precious

aunt May

she's soo badass, I really liked it. reminded me of mrs Hudson from Sherlock tbh, one of my fav characters. she knew all about her nephew and helped him with being a superhero?? kind of a shame we didn't really know him, I wonder what was he like. maybe we will see in the next movie??

Doctor Octavia

her design is so cool tho and damn, she looks really good. the way she and Peter B Parker interacted was hilarious tho. also were they friends with aunt May I ship them kinda?? pretty sure they're gonna tell us in the 3rd movie. can't waiit

5. the villain

I thought he was gonna be some kind of a comic relief but he upgraded and now he isn't and looks freaking terrifying?? really excited about what's gonna happen to him in the 3rd movie and how he would develop.

6. the ending

AGAIN, THE ENDING. I HAVEN'T SEEN THAT COMING. THE EARTH–42 PROWLER BEING MILES, HIM THAT SHOULD'VE BECOME A SPIDERMAN AND ALSO DOES MIGUEL NOT KNOW, WHAT THE HELL?? really broke all the expectations but in a good way

[holographicbutch]

Thoughts on across the spiderverse in whatever order my brain comes up w because I need to write it down while it's fresh in my mind:

Starting with things I was wrong about (based on minor spoilers I'd seen beforehand):

1. Thought spot was another spiderman. Was proved wrong instantly. All I knew was that he was a silly little guy and I LOVE that he's a silly little guy but also fucked up with it <3

2. Thought miguel was the main villain. Sort of right, will go into my thoughts on his character later because he's SUCH a good villain

3. Thought hobie would have more screen time, purely based on the amount of fanart and gushing abt him I'd seen. Disappointed he wasn't around as much as I thought he'd be but I still love him and understand the hype

MOVING ON, scenes I really enjoyed:

1. The opening scene (obviously). As a percussionist every time I see gwen on the drums I get so excited. The visuals along with the music made me have to restrain myself from bouncing my legs a lot because I didn't want to shake the chairs of the people next to me lmao

2. The scene where spot explains his connection to miles and actually becomes legitimately threatening/scary. No longer villain of the week!

3. Every scene with gwen and her father. The way the background steadily becomes more abstract the longer they talk is so good. The way it reflects their emotions and also makes them seem more defined in contrast.

4. Miguel's intro. When his theme kicked in I was like oh yeah. This guy is a villain for SURE

5. When they first entered the HQ and all the spidermen were making quippy one-liners. Made me smile real big. Also the sheer amount of individual spider designs they made was incredible.

6. The chase scene in the HQ had me leaning forward with my heart pounding. Just. Everything about it. The music was amazing (as usual)

7. The way they make you think gwen is listening in on miles' conversation with his mom was so clever, made the reveal that he was in the wrong dimension so much more impactful

8. WHEN THE PROWLER THEME KICKS IN. THE PANTIES HIT THE FLOOR

And now the main event - thoughts on miguel because he's incredibly well-written and I'm obsessed with him:

Finding out that spot was the "main" villain surprised me because of my impression of him before I saw the movie, but after watching it I still don't feel like he IS the main villain, because really, there's two. Spot is a villain because his actions drive the plot forward - he's the Bad Guy that the Good Guys need to stop. His reasons for hating miles are understandable (if misplaced. It's not like miles hurt him on purpose), but ultimately, the viewers aren't supposed to sympathize with his cause. His actions are clearly Wrong, and the heroes' attempts to stop him are clearly Right. While his actions upset miles and the rest of the spidermen (who wouldn't be upset by someone threatening to kill their loved ones?), they don't present any moral conflict, or provide character growth for the heroes.

That's where miguel comes in. He doesn't give a lot away from his first introduction - he's more stiff and serious than other spidermen, but the way he fights with gwen and jessica shows that he's used to working with a team, and is ultimately willing to let gwen join them. When he sees her argument with her father, he sees a like-minded individual - someone who's willing to do what they think is right, even when it's not easy.

When he meets miles, we've already seen glimpses of his life with his daughter - but it seems like typical Spiderman Tragic Backstory. The longer he talks with miles, the more he loosens up (his quip about how their official name for the spider-verse is also kind of dumb stuck out to me the most). He becomes more complex and relatable, easier to like when he's not acting like batman. It's easier to understand why so many spidermen across multiple universes follow him, and why gwen and peter listened to him and hid the truth from miles.

He truly and completely believes that what he's doing is the right thing, and that alone makes him feel more like the "main" villain than spot. When he tells miles that saving the captain was the wrong choice, because it means that that universe will start to fall apart, it's both shocking and understandable, to a degree. It's a classic use of the trolley problem: allowing one person to die when you can save them seems extreme, but when you let someone die in order to save an entire world, it's the right thing to do... right?

THIS is the main conflict within the story - not what the heroes should do to stop spot, although that's still important - but whether allowing someone to die is the right thing to do (and by extension, if it's what spiderman would do). Because miles is the main character, it's clear to the audience that miguel is wrong, but the other spidermen don't know they're in miles' story. And generally in media, the option to sacrifice one person to save many is shown as the correct option, or the heroic option. Believing that their loved ones HAD to die, and the idea that nothing they did would be able to stop their deaths from happening, makes it easier for all of them to cope. When miles stands up to miguel, it's clear why the rest of the spidermen would try and stop him.

Miguel's belief that certain people have to die in order to maintain balance, the reveal that miles wasn't supposed to be bitten, and the fact that he turned miles' friends against him is what drives miles' character development. Miles' actions in response drive the development of the rest of the cast - from main characters like gwen and peter, to the spiderwoman who allowed miles to escape. Suddenly, they're found questioning whether what they're doing is right.

But miguel unshakably believes in his cause, and is willing to do whatever it takes for the Greater Good. Which, to me, is the hallmark of a compelling villain. He's angry at himself for inadvertently destroying a universe. He grieves the loss of his daughter and his chance at a happy life. And he projects this onto everyone around him. To him, everyone is as likely to make the same mistakes as him, because they weren't calculated decisions. They were simply the actions of a man who just wanted to live a good life with the people he loved. And if he couldn't have that, why would the universe make an exception for someone else? Why would it be kind to miles, who wasn't supposed to be bitten, but was still able to exist in his universe without consequences? It isn't Fair.

The reveal that the other miles became prowler adds an extra layer to miguel and miles' dynamic: miguel took the place of the other spiderman because in his universe, his family was alive. From what we see of prowler miles at the end of the movie, he feels the same. His uncle may be alive, but his father is dead. (Cue the "we're not so different after all" speech.)

To summarize: miguel provides the bulk of the moral conflict to the story, is a relatable and compelling character, and this is why he feels like the "main" villain, despite all of spot's hard work to not be Villain of the Week.

Also, rip to noir and pig john mulaney for getting like two seconds of screen time

[traincat]

Hi traincat!

I finally caught up with your Flash/Kaine fics today and I am. A little obsessed with them, I really enjoyed them so thank you for writing them! I’m not sure if you’ve been asked this before, and if you have you don’t need to answer this, but I was curious what it is you like about this ship? I think they have such good potential and I can definitely see how they might be able to give each other a certain kind of understanding and compassion that might be hard for them to get elsewhere, but I was wondering what your thoughts in particular were, if you had any.

I hope you’re doing well!

Thank you for reading my FlashKaine fics and I'm so glad you enjoyed them!! They've been so fun to write and I'm so into the ship but also I'm always like "wow is anyone gonna read fic from me that's not Spideytorch" so it's extra nice to hear that they've been enjoyed. :)

I think also coming from me it's kind of a funny ship because with Spideytorch I'm like "wow, I love the history! the connection! the decades worth of team ups!" and then with FlashKaine it's like, well, they talked once. So sort of the opposite of where I usually come from, but I think what you mentioned about them being able to find a certain kind of understanding and compassion with each other is really accurate because I think they really could grow to understand each other in ways that might be difficult for a lot of other characters. I think it's also a case of like, Kaine being My Little Meow Meow, I want nice things for him, and even if Flash and Kaine haven't interacted much, we do have a Romance Model for Flash, like we've seen enough of him in relationships to know what he's like in them, and I think especially borrowing the framework from Flash/Felicia -- Flash likes to be the knight in shining armor.

(ASM #337)

And Kaine! Deep down wants to be saved.

(Scarlet Spider #2)

So there is that kind of aspect to them that appeals to me as a fan of romance. A chance for Flash to be a different kind of hero, and a chance for Kaine to be, in a way, rescued. (I've been toying with a '70s Clone Saga what if where the rescuing is a little more literal.)

Also, even though they've have pretty limited canon interactions, their one team up (Minimum Carnage) does have pretty good shippy moments if you like bickering.

(Scarlet Spider #10)

(Minimum Carnage: Omega)

(Long Way to Happy by pariahsdream was written for me for Yuletide and it's a canon divergent fic where Flash and Kaine kept in contact after the events of Minimum Carnage, if you want more fic for them, by the way!)

I also think the thing about FlashKaine is that it would be very funny because Peter would hate it. This is probably not the best reason to ship something but he would hate it so much. Flash and Kaine having to carry on a clandestine romance in a Parker siblings AU just because no one wants to put up with the fit Peter is going to throw until everything comes out one fateful Thanksgiving.