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cheapshrimpysheep · 2 days ago

Note

Hiii!! is it okay if I request a comfort(?) scenario/headcanons with Vil, Idia, Malleus and Lilia where a female protagonist feels self-conscious about having stretch marks and/or cellulite, thanks (Sorry if it's not spelled well, English is not my native language)

COMMENTS: So... even though I myself am a woman, I genuinely never saw stretch marks or cellulite as something bad or ugly, and I still don't. So maybe making the characters share the same vision as me would be accurate? The only exception to complete indifference is Vil, but not in the way you might be thinking.

Btw, I didn't see any point in writing this in a context other than an already advanced relationship given the topic. Fortunately, the 4 characters are 18 years or older so it doesn't end up being... you know, too weird.

I explain at the end why I couldn't write anything for Malleus or Lilia. But despite that, I hope you and all like what I managed to write. ❤️

CHARACTERS: Vil Schoenheit / Idia Shroud

TAGS: Fluff; Fem!Reader; Comfort; In a Relationship; Suggestive(?)

WORD COUNT: An average of 580 words per character

CONTEXT: I don't think it would make sense for two people to have this kind of intimate conversation outside of a romantic or even sexual relationship. So in that situation, he and you would be in a relationship.

This was an insecurity of yours from the beginning. After all, your boyfriend was none other than Vil Schoenheit. It would be worrying enough if he were a normal model, but he's not only a super model but one of the biggest in all of Twisted Wonderland.

He had already noticed that since you started dating you seemed more worried and less confident about your appearance and that was when he said to you:

“I am the one who needs to be perfect, not you. If I wanted to date a model I could do it, but my standards in romantic relationships are others. Different from some of my colleagues in this field. I will always help you to further improve your image if you wish and feel comfortable with it. Please don't see this as me wanting you to change your appearance, but as an attempt to make you as beautiful on the outside as you are on the inside.” He pauses for a second. “However, for some reason, there's something that bothers me about the possibility of making you start living the same lifestyle as me.”

But he would only get the answer to why that bothered him later.

“The truth is: you are my escape. I don't feel the pressure to be perfect with you because... you know I'm not and yet you look at me with more admiration than anyone else. You are my escape from the superficial and futile parts of my professional life. When you live in these types of environments, you start to lose track of what really matters and what really does you good. Thinking about you being swallowed up by this... and losing your genuine smile... because of me... I can't allow it! Please know that no opinion about your appearance matters other than your own. And it wasn't just that that made me fall in love.”

This may have made you feel more comfortable and confident about your appearance again, but as the relationship became more serious and you became more intimate, eventually your problem with stretch marks and cellulite began to affect your mood again.

At home, Vil had massage sessions from time to time not only to help him relax but also for other healthy effects it had on his body. He thought that now that he was dating you, maybe it would be interesting for him to buy massage products and for you to start having these sessions with each other.

“You deserve a massage probably even more than I do.” He tells you, referring to the hardships you go through with Grim and the others.

And that's when he realizes from your hesitation that something about your appearance has bothered you again. He asks you to tell him and that you can trust him. After all, if you couldn't, what kind of boyfriend would he be? And you end up talking about your stretch marks and cellulite.

“I see.” He says understandingly. “I've never had them myself, but I've met many women in the beauty industry who talk about it to each other. Not to mention the advertisements for products for it. Do you remember what I told you when we first started dating and you felt less confident about your appearance? I am the one who needs to be perfect, not you. Furthermore, from what I understand, these marks are usually found on areas around the stomach, hips, breasts, and thighs.” He looks at you seductively. “You don't really think I would have any kind of criticism if you gave me the honor of seeing these parts of your body, do you? Why don't you let me give you that massage? I'll show you what I truly find beautiful about you.”

At first you didn't even think about it. It was only when the relationship started to get more serious and you started to sleep together from time to time that you started to worry.

Especially when Idia started having less of a problem walking around you shirtless. And giving hints about how he would like to see you wearing his shirts, without pants.

One day he says he wants to acknowledge the elephant in the room, but instead of asking why you hide your body so much, he asks if you still don't consider him worthy of seeing his girlfriend comfortably sexy.

“You never hid the fact that you like to see me shirtless.” He says while playing some game on the computer. “I also want to see you like that. Not necessarily shirtless, that's another level, but like, you know I don't like to embody the confident handsome guy who likes to walk around with little clothing on." His hair starts to turn hot pink.” But... I like how you look at me when I do. And what you say. Which I never understood ‘cause I don't even have good physics. But you do! You would be that character that every player simps for.” He sinks into his chair. “But I understand, getting that kind of look from me is disgusting...”

You may have your insecurities, but he has them too. And finally you feel the need and the comfort enough to reveal to him that that isn’t the problem, that you would also like him to find you hot as you find him and that the problem is your marks.

“What marks? Like scars? Don't tell me you have cool battle scars, like doesn't that make a person even sexier?”

You say you're not talking about scars, but stretch marks and cellulite.

“... Yah... sorry, I think I rolled a natural 1 in intelligence for this. What was that again?”

You say they are marks, irregularities and dimples in the skin and that he can search them on the internet. He does that.

“It says that these are natural things that don't do any harm. But they can impact self-image.” He researches a little more. “Wait! Are you trying to tell me that you find these strips and irregularities ugly enough to the point that you have to hide them? THIS?” He smiles mockingly “Oh no! How horrible! Your skin looks like... skin! What a tragedy!”

He will be very happy if you can laugh with him.

“As if I would even notice that. It says here that these marks are usually found on areas around the stomach, hips, breasts, and thighs. Do you really think that if I saw these parts of your body it would be little stripes and dimples that would catch my attention?” The pink in his hair becomes more intense. “I may be a shut-in but don't lump me in with those worms who define their standards based on adult videos. I can assure you that's not what you'll have to worry about if you take your clothes off in front of me.”

He finally looks at you with a seductive look and smiles confidently when he sees that you are flustered.

I really really really tried to imagine scenarios with Malleus or Lilia, but I couldn't think of anything very meaningful.

Malleus wouldn't understand the problem even if you tried to explain it to him because... it doesn't make sense to him. They're just marks. He also has marks, like, on his forehead. Is there something wrong with this?

And Lilia would just laugh for you thinking this is a problem and just tell you to forget about it.

They wouldn't understand, because it wouldn't make any difference to them at all. And that's it.

With Vil and Idia I was able to think of something because they are, like, from this generation, and because one is in the beauty industry and the other is, probably, chronically online, they can see where your insecurity comes from. But for someone like Malleus or Lilia, this type of insecurity has no basis whatsoever. I really don't know what to write with them.

Sorry. 🥺

If you dropped in here out of the blue and want to read more from me, you can find it in my pinned post: INDEX

#3K followers #3K followers milestone #Twisted Wonderland #twst #twisted wonderland x reader #twst x reader #twst imagines #twst fluff #Twisted Wonderland Fluff #twst requests #Twisted Wonderland requests #requests #Vil Schoenheit #Vil Schoenheit x Reader #Idia Shroud #Idia Shroud x Reader

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thewizardingpost · 2 days ago

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When the Finch Tries to Shout

poly!marauders x fem!reader

note ⌇ the Marauders’ playful teasing about your quietness makes you insecure, leading you to try becoming more extroverted and loud. warnings ⌇word count 3.2k, established relationship, misunderstanding, shy/introverted!reader, hurt/comfort, r feels insecure, r’s Hogwarts house is unstated

You sit in the dining hall alongside them. It’s the weekend, a time when the dining hall was a place to hangout, study, or wait a few hours until you had to leave for your train ride. They’re chatting amongst themselves while you listen and observe, occasionally adding a comment or two. All was well, this was how the dynamic between the four of you played out.

It was a good dynamic. With James being the most extroverted, then Sirius, then Remus–and then you. You all respected each other’s personalities, learning how to shift your day around one another’s social battery. You all also tend to comment on each other’s personalities, making jokes and teasing one another. It’s lighthearted, laced with an intent to bring a smile to your face.

But today? It felt different.

As they continued to joke around, something in the air seemed to shift. The teasing, which usually made you smile, felt sharper than usual, like a little poke at your ribs that didn’t feel playful anymore. Sirius was in the middle of a story, gesturing wildly with his hands as he talked, and then his eyes flicked over to you with a mischievous grin.

“Oi, Finch,” he said with a wink, “You know, if you smiled more often, you wouldn’t look like you’ve got your own personal mystery going on. You’re like a bloody riddle wrapped in a frown.”

The words were meant to be playful, but they stung more than they should have. You blinked, forcing a smile that didn’t quite feel genuine. The teasing used to make you laugh, but now it just made you feel... small. You shifted uncomfortably in your seat, suddenly aware of how your quietness seemed to fill the space in a way that wasn’t as welcome as it used to be.

James, picking up on the slight shift in your mood–though not fully understanding it– leaned forward with a grin. “What’s the matter, love? You’ve gone all quiet on us. Don’t tell me you’ve gone shy again.”

You swallowed, the lump in your throat feeling heavier than usual. The comment was meant to lighten the mood, but instead, it felt like an expectation. Like your silence wasn’t something they were used to anymore—like it was something they were beginning to outgrow.

You didn’t respond right away, letting the words hang in the air. The silence stretched between you all, but it felt different this time. You weren’t sure if it was your own insecurities talking, or if their teasing really had changed, but it left you with a sense of unease. Maybe they didn’t mean to hurt you, but... maybe they were tired of you being quiet.

Nevertheless you gave them a smile and the night went on.

The words lingered in your mind long after you’d returned to your dorm. You lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, overthinking every little moment. Have they outgrown your quietness? Did they secretly wish you were louder, more energetic, more like them? A knot twisted in your stomach, your heart growing heavier the more you thought about it.

Your quietness had never bothered you before. It was simply who you were. But now? Now it felt like it was something you had to change, something you had to fix. You rolled over onto your side, pulling the blanket closer around you, but the ache in your chest didn’t go away. You could almost hear their voices in your head again, the teasing that used to be so playful now feeling like a subtle jab at your identity. Maybe they didn’t mean it, but maybe that didn’t matter. It hurt all the same.

By the time the morning light filtered through the windows, you’d made up your mind. You didn’t want to disappoint them. You didn’t want to be the quiet one anymore.

The next morning, when you greeted them, you were all smiles. You waved enthusiastically, laughing at jokes that didn’t quite land as hard as they used to. You talked—a lot. Far more than you usually would, your words tumbling out, faster than you could stop them. You were cheerful, a little too cheerful, acting like everything was just fine. But inside, your heart was burning. You were doing it. You were being louder. You were being more open.

You noticed James raise an eyebrow at your sudden burst of energy, and Sirius gave you a curious glance. But Remus? Remus was the one who watched you closely, his gaze a little too gentle, a little too knowing.

You kept talking, though. You had to. The more you talked, the less time you had to think about it. And the more you smiled, the more you could pretend everything was fine. You could, you could try to pretend it was all fine.

You all wandered through Hogsmeade, the chilly winter air nipping at your cheeks as you led the way. Your steps were light, your voice a little too loud, a little too eager, but you couldn’t stop. You had to keep the act up. You had to keep the energy high, even if it felt like it was slowly draining you from the inside out.

James and Sirius were leading the pack, as usual, their laughter echoing through the streets as they spotted a new magical gadget in one of the nearby shops. They’d be distracted for a while, no doubt. Meanwhile, you found yourself pulling Remus along, a wide grin plastered on your face.

"Oh, look at that!" You pointed to a shop window, bouncing on your toes. "We should go in here, I heard their chocolate frogs have a special edition!" You kept the chatter going, trying to fill the space with noise, hoping the others wouldn’t notice how loud you were talking.

Remus, however, was quiet, his usual calm presence hovering at your side as the others got farther ahead. You could feel his gaze on you, the gentle pressure of his quiet observation weighing on you. After a beat, he leaned toward you, his voice barely audible over the noise of the bustling village.

"You know, you don’t have to do this. We love you as you are, dove." His tone was soft, concerned, his words carrying a quiet weight you weren’t ready to hear.

You laughed a little too loudly, trying to mask the sudden rush of nervous energy that had flooded your chest. "Whatever do you mean?" You flashed him a smile that felt like a mask, wide and bright but not quite reaching your eyes. "I’m just excited, that’s all! Isn’t it a great day?"

You kept walking, forcing the words to tumble out, your gaze darting from one shop to the next, looking anywhere but at him. Remus didn’t move, though. He kept pace beside you, his hand casually brushing against yours as if offering comfort, but you weren’t sure if you could let him in just yet. Not with the way your heart was pounding, the way you were desperately trying to fill the space with something—anything—to make it seem like you were okay.

Remus sighed quietly, but you didn’t give him a chance to say anything more. "I’ve been here before, you know," you added, forcing a playful tone, "Hogsmeade’s not exactly new to me." You laughed again, the sound coming out more hollow than you intended. "I think I’m getting pretty good at this tour guide thing, don’t you?"

Remus didn’t respond immediately. Instead, his eyes lingered on you, soft and knowing. He wasn’t fooled by your act. But still, he didn’t push, just walked silently by your side, letting the others enjoy their candy-filled distractions.

You could hear James and Sirius in the distance, their voices rising as they discovered some new magical candy that they were already arguing over. But despite the noise around you, it felt like there was a quiet tension between you and Remus that hadn’t been there before. The pressure of trying to be something you weren’t... trying to be someone else.

You told yourself you could handle it. You could keep the smile up, but you’re not sure how much longer. How long could you keep it up? How long should you? Until they’ve accepted you as being ‘one of them?’

The Gryffindor common room was full of life, laughter spilling out from every corner. The fire crackled cheerfully in the hearth, and students were sprawled out on couches, some chatting about the latest gossip, others buried in their books or playing games. You, of course, were doing your best to engage, even though your social battery was drained beyond belief. The effort of keeping up with everything was wearing on you, but you didn’t want to seem like the odd one out. You didn’t want to be the quiet one in the corner, especially with your partners—James, Sirius, and Remus—sitting nearby.

They were laughing and teasing each other, as usual, their energy contagious. James and Sirius were as loud and energetic as always, while Remus sat back, watching, offering quiet commentary here and there. You found comfort in their presence, even if it made you more acutely aware of your own lack of energy.

Your attempts to match their enthusiasm were wearing thin. Every time you laughed a little too loudly or tried to jump into the conversation, it felt forced. You could feel the weight of exhaustion creeping in, but you shoved it aside, determined to keep up the appearance of being just as talkative, just as carefree. You didn’t want them to think you were being distant or boring.

As you sat with the group, chatting with a couple of Gryffindor girls you had started to bond with, the conversation turned to teasing—just lighthearted fun, nothing new. But when one of the girls, Iris, leaned in with a mischievous grin, you had no idea that it was about to spiral.

“Alright, Finch,” Iris said, nudging you with her elbow, “I dare you to ask one of your boyfriends a question. Something... interesting.”

Your eyes widened as the attention of the group immediately shifted to you. You knew she meant well, but your heart raced at the thought. James, Sirius, and Remus were right there, their attention now on you, waiting for your response. You didn’t want to be shy or boring in front of them—especially when they were all so full of life. You had to keep up the act.

“Come on, you’ve been so chatty tonight,” Iris pressed, her eyes twinkling with excitement. “Ask something… interesting.”

You glanced at the Marauders. James and Sirius were grinning, egging you on, clearly amused by the dare-like request. Remus, always the more reserved one, watched you with a small smile, but there was an unreadable expression in his eyes.

You had to do this. You couldn’t back down now. If you did, it would look like you were too quiet, too shy, too... boring. You had to show them that you were capable of this, that you could play along.

Without thinking too much, you stood up, trying to look casual as you walked over to where James was lounging on the couch, his usual grin plastered on his face. Sirius leaned against the wall nearby, watching you curiously.

“Alright,” you said, the words coming out a little louder than intended. You tried to smile, but it felt tight. “James, if you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?”

James blinked, clearly surprised by the question. He looked at you for a moment, then broke into laughter.

“What kind of question is that?” He chuckled, leaning back against the armrest. “I don’t know, I’d probably go with butterbeer or something stupid like that.”

The group laughed along with him, but there was an awkwardness in the air. You forced a chuckle, hoping it didn’t show that you were feeling a little embarrassed by the whole thing. It wasn’t a bad question—it just wasn’t the one you had intended to ask. You were trying to be funny, trying to fit in, but it felt like the whole room was watching, and you could feel every eye on you, waiting for the punchline, waiting for you to get it right.

You smiled again, though it didn’t feel as genuine this time. The laughter faded quickly, and you could sense the shift in the atmosphere. It wasn’t that they were laughing at you, but the attention felt uncomfortable now. You had forced the moment, and you couldn’t shake the feeling that you’d made it weird.

You glanced at Remus, hoping for a familiar, comforting smile—but all you saw was a concerned look on his face. He wasn’t laughing like James and Sirius were. He was watching you, his brow furrowed just slightly, as though he was trying to figure something out.

“You okay, love?” he asked softly, but the words felt too loud, too much in the quiet that had fallen around you.

You cleared your throat and nodded quickly, but your smile didn’t quite reach your eyes.

“Yeah, I’m fine..” You laughed, but it was full of exhaustion. You could feel the walls of the common room closing in on you, the weight of everyone’s attention suddenly too much to bear.

Before anyone could say anything else, you turned away and walked briskly toward the door, your pulse racing. The chatter around you faded into background noise as your mind spiraled.

James called after you, but you didn’t stop. Sirius’s voice followed, but it was distant now, as you pushed through the door and into the hallway. You needed air. You needed to be alone. You had to escape the eyes, the whispers. The room had been too much, everything was too much.

You didn’t hear Remus’s footsteps behind you until they were just a few paces away. You could feel him catching up, but you didn’t want to stop. You couldn’t face him now—not when your chest felt like it was going to burst.

“Finch, wait.” His voice was soft, but firm.

You didn’t look back, your eyes fixed ahead as you continued walking, your breath shaky. You tried to ignore the burn in your throat, the tightness in your chest. You couldn’t hold up the act anymore. You couldn’t pretend to be someone you weren’t.

But you heard him behind you, his footsteps echoing in the silence.

“You don’t have to keep pretending,” Remus said quietly, his voice full of concern. “You don’t have to act extroverted if it’s not you. We love you the way you are.”

You froze. You could hear the sincerity in his voice, and it made your heart ache. You didn’t want them to see you this way—weak, insecure, struggling to fit into a mold that didn’t suit you.

But Remus was right. You didn’t need to prove anything.

You turned to face him, your smile forced once more. “I know. I’m fine.”

But the words didn’t sound convincing, even to yourself. Remus didn’t buy it. He took a step closer, placing a gentle hand on your arm.

“But you’re not. Finch, it’s okay to be quiet. It’s okay to not always be the loud one. We love you just the way you are.”

You bit your lip, and a tear threatened to spill, but you quickly blinked it away. You hadn’t realized how much you needed to hear that until now. You were trying so hard to keep up, but they loved you quiet, too.

You took a deep breath, trying to calm your racing heart. Remus offered a small, reassuring smile.

“Let’s get you back to the dorm,” he said softly. “You don’t need to keep up the silly little act anymore.”

You nodded, allowing him to lead you back toward the warmth of the common room, hoping that you could start to relax, even if just a little bit. As you walked side by side, the exhaustion of the night started to catch up with you, the effort to be someone you weren’t suddenly feeling pointless. You had been trying to be louder, more outgoing, all because you thought the teasing about being quiet and shy meant you weren’t enough. You had overthought it, convinced yourself that your quietness was something to change. Then Remus’s words, his understanding, grounded you yet again.

When you reached the door to the dorm, James and Sirius appeared in the hallway, glancing between the two of you. They didn’t need to say anything right away—just their presence made you feel a little lighter.

James broke the silence, his usual grin replaced by something more serious, softer. “Everything okay?”

Sirius, too, was watching you, his arms crossed but his expression warm, full of concern. You offered them both a small, honest smile.

“I’m fine,” you replied. “Just needed a minute.” You didn’t want to hide it, the fact that you’d been struggling all night, trying to act like someone you weren’t. You couldn’t hold the facade anymore.

James’s eyes softened, and he gave you a gentle squeeze on the shoulder. “You know you don’t have to act different around us, right? We love you as you are. Quiet or loud, doesn’t matter.”

Sirius nodded, his voice carrying the usual teasing edge but with sincerity underneath. “Exactly. We’re not expecting you to be loud to make us like you. You don’t have to be anything other than you.”

Your chest tightened, but it was in a good way, like a weight was lifting. The insecurity that had been gnawing at you all night, the thought that you had to be louder to belong—finally started to fade. You hadn��t realized how deeply it had affected you until now. The teasing, the joking about your quietness... it made you feel like you weren’t enough. You’d overthought it, thinking your silence was something to fix, something that would push them away.

But standing here with the three of them, their words washing over you, you knew they meant it. You didn’t need to pretend to be anything else.

You looked up at them, the weight on your shoulders finally easing.

“I know,” you said softly, your voice steady now. “I just... I kept thinking that because I was quieter, I wasn’t enough.”

Remus gave you a soft smile, one full of understanding. James grinned at you, ruffling your hair in that familiar, affectionate way. Sirius, ever the mischief-maker, leaned in with a wink.

“Well, we love you the way you are, Finch,” Sirius said, teasing but gentle. “You’re not boring, not by a long shot. You don’t need to be loud to make us like you.”

James nodded in agreement. “You’re perfect just as you are. So no more pretending. We’ve got you, yeah love?”You felt your chest finally release the breath it had been holding. You didn’t need to prove anything. You didn’t need to be louder, or more outgoing. The way you were—quiet, thoughtful, and you—was enough. They loved you exactly as you were, and that was all that mattered.

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skyscrapergods · 1 day ago

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can you stop with the cryptic answers and just tell us the lore we want to hear

Yeah the last couple answers have been very cryptic so I get where you're coming from.

Here's a suggested rephrase: "why are you so cryptic about lore instead of just telling us?" Because this implies I might have a reason for it, and allows me to answer without feeling attacked.

Writing lore takes time, especially when I haven't cemented something yet. If I'm cryptic, it means I don't know, or I do know and the answer is part of another update that will be dropped in the future.

For example, forgotten gods withering away will be answered by Sombra lore drop, once that is finished being written.

Similarly, sunburst, nightmare moon, and flurry heart all have extensive lore that i simply haven't published yet.

It exists, though, and is accessible on my discord server. Because it is not yet public, I am able to change and overhaul it to make more sense or better connect with other lore.

Some things that you can find on the discord server in various stages of completion:

Sunburst's god form, domain, and destiny

Sombra's rise and fall, god form, and costuming visdev

Flurry heart's god form, domain, powers, and story

Celestia and nightmare moon's battle

What the planet was like before Celestia and Luna made the sun and moon

Parasprite breeding and genetics

Hippogriff and seapony evolution

Queen novu

Unicorn horn shedding, regrowth

Starswirlwill the bearded

The washouts

Discord

Mudbriar as an alicorn

Rainbow dash as an alicorn

There is so much to backread, so much to finish. Come, let's take ibuprofen together

I don't use patreon to host my content, I just use it to collect admission to the discord server.

You can also message me for more clarification on things and I will tell you what my working theories are so far.

#ask #shire screams #meta #skyscraper gods

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genderqueerdykes · 2 days ago

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as someone who is asexual and a trans man (amongst other things, i'm agender and xenic but also a man and prefer calling myself a trans man over masc + don't like calling myself under the non-binary umbrella label), seeing this massive wave of transandrophobia pop up has only made me feel more afraid online. 2016 alone was a detriment to my life, as i had just figured out what asexuality was and how that label fit me perfectly. only to find a wave of people who don't find me "queer enough" to call myself queer! i feel like i'm reliving those days again, as i've noticed a lot of trends in how people who are aphobic and/or transandrophobic tend to have similar arguments. "this side has it so much worse so you should shut up and stay in your lane" rhetoric has made me a lot more frustrated to exist in queer spaces. i don't have the space irl (due to where i live as well as my age being an issue in this regard) and having the space online just feels like this massive argument of erasure and negativity where i do not exist to these people, you know? apologies for the vent about this, at first i was going to try to articulate some sort of point about this and how trans men and asexual people are often put into this little erasure and confused person box but i sorta lost the point. mb

yeesh, i'm sorry you've gone through this. it really does seem like there's another wave of mass aphobia and aphobia, as well as transandrophobia coming to an all time high. it's really disturbing. i'm a trans man who's aromantic and on the asexual spectrum but that doesn't erase the fact that i'm queer. i've never understood why people say that aromanticism and asexuality aren't queer identities. like how? society expects very specific kinds of relationships out of all of us. if we don't fall into those types of relationships, or don't have the same kind of relationship with sexuality and romance, we're treated like shit and dehumanized. how is that not something that falls outside of the cultural norm?

people are just proudly being assholes again at this stage. it feels like rude ass people simmer down for a while and then get pissed the fuck off again in a never ending cycle. people don't like change. they don't want to have to change how they see other people. people become very attached to the versions of other that live in their heads and their heads alone. i don't really get why people who aren't/weren't a queer identity feel like they get to tell other people what it's about.

if you aren't or weren't that thing, how would you know? that makes no sense. it's just talking over people at this point. i hope things improve for you, and everyone in general. this is just sad behavior. it's toxic and abusive. it's hurting people in real time

#asks #answers #asexual #ace #acespec #ace spectrum #trans man #trans men

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annakabeybeh · 2 days ago

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Batman & Robin #17 Review

I don't know if there's too much or too little to unpack here. I'm really loving this chapters and leaving me wanting more. It's steady and calm in the pacing without feeling boring. It's just perfect. Little by little it's opening the story of Memento and I absolutely love it.

The mix of past and present could be a little annoying to some but I feel it has a good effect because even if tells you almost nothing it still gives you a precedent of things to happen.

I love the way Damanian's character is being build, it's a change from his always sure demeanor. He always had doubts about himself but he tried to no show them so this Damian is a nice breath for his development.

Spoilers ahead

This panel is important.

1st Is he talking about the way he was raised? Talia and Ras or was a small backhanded comment about Bruce? It could be both but I love the idea of it being about Bruce. Yes, Damian is intellingent and brilliant for his age but that doesn't mean that he should be doing what he's doing. He might at that moment saying that Bruce could be more and do more by being a normal citizen than as Batman and it is a good take, boring in comic sense but it is an amazing take.

2nd The doubt about the need of Batman in Gotham, it is a issue talked about in a book I read, Batman and Psychology. The question is Batman the reason everything happens or everything happens and that's why Batman is needed. The question as far as I know has arose outside comics not in them and this being questioned for me it is interesting. It's a doubt beyond capacity of a character but more of need and reason (Do I make sense? I hope so)

This panel is something that I feel writers had made Bruce do over and over again. Bruce blames others for his failiures (Blamed Dick for Jason's death. Tried to guilt trip Jason about Damian's death -DAMN BRUCE, FUCK YOU!- and he even blamed and guilt tripped Damian about Alfred's death -Again, Fuck you Bruce) but this goes beyond that in my opinion, why? Because this is a Bruce that relies on his Robin, he's not an accessory, he's an extension of himself and it was shown not only with this interaction but with the chapter before but it also goes beyond just passing blame because it also shows that Damian is getting away and he doesn't like that.

Is this just jealousy of a parent as he watch his son drift away?

Damian had been raised to be a villain or a vigilante, his choice nevertheless and his connection with Thomas Wayne was bigger than Bruce expected. He understood him and he liked him, in a way that Damian might not like Bruce but in the way Damian liked and loved Alfred. I love the idea that Damian is seeing Dr. Bashar's as some sort of Alfred's substitute (I do not trust the man but Damian needed that support because let's be honest Bruce is not that, not for Damian and not for anyone.) This show Damian in a nutshell. A person that sees the world and sees not only what's infront of him but what it can be. He sees he can be bigger and better than what he's that moment.

I mean Bruce, your ego, keep it in check. He should have done this since the beggining but he didn't because of his ego but now that Damian is interested in someone else, looking up someone that is not him he became this kind of person. That's what I feel. I find it funny and it will funnier that there's nothing to doubt the man.

This interesting. She had been suspicion that Jack is Batman but this is not a comfimation of the suspicion but to show that despite everything Damian is Bruce's son and I love it. They're different but similar. I feel that this is like comfirming that he won't stop being Robin (Don't do that to me, I need more Damian content I love him so much).

The team up with Jason is something that would fuel more disputes between Bruce and Damian. Some sort of jealousy from both of them and I love the idea, they need to communicate but they are too stuborn to do so. Damian's fears and doubts about himself and what he thinks Bruce wants from him push him to not tell him stuff. That kind of stuff was something he shared with Alfred and he hadn't found someone to confide in so Bashar had stepped because he communicates and Bruce hadn't communicated he never had ease Damian's worries.

The title of the new chapter seems Chef's kiss to me. A reference to both Death in the family and Death of the Family. I have big expectations in next chapters. Tbh this is what Damian is for me.

#damian wayne #dc comics #batman #bruce wayne #jason todd #robin #batman and robin #batman & robin #b&r #batman and robin 2023

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eternaltempest · 23 hours ago

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Light without Darkness

{Part 2 / TBD}

Demetrian Titus x Fem reader

! 🔞 ! ✠ Pregnancy ✠ Violence (chase scene?) ✠

A/N : God this park took forever. Also writing the latter half took the writussy outta me. Not sure what else to put for tw so uh- good luck!

Tempe out! ✌️

S : After a chance encounter with a guardsmen, you find yourself pregnant and terrified of the future in store. You plan to escape, only to be stopped in your tracks by Demetrian Titus himself, who gives you an unexpected vow

Part 1

Following the celebration, your days return to relative normalcy. You and the other serfs are put straight to work cleaning up after the feast. This one was particularly... unseemly and the messes made throughout the fortress take nearly a week to properly cleanse.

You and your fellow serfs are no stranger to disarray though, and it is cleaned with efficacy.

While working, however, you notice a set of unwanted changes within your body. At first you're just sore, that which is to be expected and only lasts for so long. And even the bruises and love bites eventually fade with time, albeit you found it tedious to cover them up each morning. But such was the livery codes of serfdom, as no self respecting serf would present themselves in such a manner before their lord.

This was all manageable and you are able to pull through after a couple weeks. However, the soreness and pains were replaced with a sudden sickening dizziness and nausea.

Each morning, you wake queasy and unsteady, a green tint to your bronzed skin damn near every morning. Your senses become hypersensitive, particularly to smells and you end up forgoing breakfasts, running to the nearest chamber pot or window each time you get a scent of anything unsavory. Which was more often than not. Still, you press on. You dismiss the minor aches and inconveniences; the unusually strong, lingering odors of over seasoned food or the caked on sweat and blood of the infantry's laundry.

Yet as days turn into weeks, you continue to push your luck and brush it off. You convince yourself that it’s just a passing sickness. Everyone falls ill at some point, you tell yourself. And many of the serfs became ill after the feast, you were just taking a bit longer to recover, that's all. Nothing more.

But by the time you know it, it has nearly been two months since the night of the feast. The morning sickness shows no sign of stopping and other symptoms arise as well, like near constant exhaustion even when you've had a full night's rest. you start to become anxious as you cannot deny the looming truth any longer.

You find yourself one day brooding and sitting on your bed in your shared room, half-asleep and clutching your aching stomach. You stress about your realization and the truth of your... condition. You wearily get up and head to the serf maids common area, everyone else is there and as you enter the chamber there is a noticeable hush in the previously boisterous conversations.

The other serfs have long noticed your behavior as well, but in your exhausted state, you fail to register their concerned whispers.

Your friend Zoahra and two recently conscripted serf maids; the twins Sydia and Dynia, approach you out of concern.

Zoahra puts a hand on your arm and tenderly pats you “Morning lovey, we're all a bit concerned for you, are you… feeling well?” You blink through the mind fog that seems to perpetually follow you, bleary-eyed and exhausted. "I am well, just a little tired.” you lie, forcing the corners of your mouth into a smile. "Why do you ask?"

"Because you are most clearly NOT, fine child!" A voice sharp but smooth pierces the hushed mutterings of the room. You turn around and realize it’s one of the older head serfs, Icara, a woman everyone sees as a mother in her matronly role. She’s seen many things in her long years as both a midwife to the high Lords of Macragge and a veteran serf. Throughout her years her eyes and mind remained sharp as steel and she was known for picking up on falsehoods or sniffing out a rat.

“You are not fine,” she scoffs. “And your deceptions are as poor as your health, child." She booms as she squints her knowing eyes at you. The room erupts with more whispers and you realize what everyone has been talking about. You hang your head with a mixture of embarrassment and shame.

"WHO TOLD YOU LOT TO PRATTLE ON ABOUT MENIAL TOPICS, ALL OF YOU, BACK TO WORK. IMMEDIATELY!" Icara booms, causing the hive of serfmaidens to frantically scatter to their posts. Zoahra, who stayed by your side, gives you an apologetic look and stays right where she is. The twins in their curiosity stay as well.

You four are left alone with the matron as she refocuses her attention on you. "Now, child, I am no stranger to the throes of life as a serf maiden. Nor am I ignorant to the annals of youth. And I promise you, no harm will come to you if you speak with honesty and humility. So that being said, if you'd please, tell me. Who is the father?” she sternly but gently coaxes you.

You hesitate, taking a pensive breath before answering in a rattled voice, “One of the guardsmen, an officer, I think. He had a beard but I… I-”

You swallow your nerves before continuing. “Forgive me, Icara, I cannot remember. My memory of that night is all a distorted blur.”

“Emperor guide us, let’s hope it’s not one of the insufferable ones, like Major Cytharion,” Zoahra says with a sigh of exasperation. Cytharion is known to be a strict officer to both his serfs and the guardsmen under him. He has a presence as intimidating as an Ultramarine.

Your stomach churns at the very thought.

“He’d never. If anything, he would be easier to deal with if he got a little action. Even his personal serfs say he’s a headache.” one of the twins says with a wag of her eyebrows. "Besides I heard he's made friends with a company of Ultramarines and they often let him train with them!" Another adds enthusiastically.

"Just think if he ends up being an Ultramarine." At this point the twins are going back and forth, forgetting that the matron is right there beside them.

"No way, that's unheard of. Regular people like Major Cytharion cannot become Space Marines so late in life. It's a whole process that starts at boyhood, you know."

"Well maybe that's why he's so wound up, he missed his shot right? And that's why he's just a Major in the Imperial Infantry?"

"Tch Major Cytharion, more like Major pain in the-"

The matron tsks and snaps her fingers at the two of them. “If you have the ability to stand idle and chitter then, you most certainly can start thinking to help.”

The twins are stunned into silence but turn to you and offer an apologetic bow, to which you return with a pat on their heads. They remind you of the younger serfs that grew up with you.

“Now, we must make plans,” the matron says firmly. “You may not recall the face of the father, but he will certainly remember you. In order to avoid confrontation, you'd best get to the outer city. I have connections there, people: good people, who can help hide you. Keep you and the child safe until enough time has passed to avoid suspicion. If we time everything correctly you may leave within-”

"Wha- pardon me, Matron, but leave?? I cannot leave. All my life I've only ever known the inner city and this fortress.” Your face twisting in horror as you imagine the situation

“And a serf can't simply leave, we're hunted down and forced to return to our lords. Nevermind about the subjection to any manner of punishment. It's dangerous!" You plead with a tinge of fear in your voice. Such notions of fleeing your livelihood are unthinkable to you and many others in servitude.

She pauses, her tone deepening when she speaks. “Ordinarily, yes, this would be unheard of. However, given the circumstances you cannot stay. If you do, you'll be punished either way, and even worse, your child could be taken and you would have little say in it. You must have strength.”

You reel slightly and your face contorts with the realization. They're both dangerous options, but at least with the former you'll be able to be with your child and it wouldn’t be subject to a life as a serf like your own parents subjected you at birth. You swallow a knot in your throat and meet the eyes of the Matron.

"What must I do?"

She begins to explain her plan with precision worthy of her years. Like she has done this a million times before, and it comforts you in your hour of need. The preparations will take time, lots of time. Over the next fortnight, you all coordinate in between downtime and shared chores. Practicing over and over until everyone has their parts memorized by heart.

A few days after you are with Zomahra and Icara, hanging up sheets to dry in the inner courtyards. It dawns on you to ask something that has been at the back of your mind since the day in the common room.

"Why are you all helping me?" You ask with a curious and cautious tone.

They both pause their work and steal a glance at each other before once more busying their hands. But nonetheless they answer in haste. Icara is the first to speak.

"Many years ago when I still worked as a midwife to many of the Lords and their ladies I was also midwife to the locals. Young maidens such as yourself, but oh how they struggled. You know not of the desperation countless women suffer through. Many of them endured violent acts at the hands of their lords and subsequent retaliation of their envious ladies. And many more succumb to unspeakable invasions of their bodies so they would be rid of a lifetime of living reminders of their abuse." Her voice drops to a reverent whisper as she reaches the end of her sentence.

"Others were in a situation similar to yours but with much less at stake, they chose to flee regardless. No matter the situation, I helped them all. And although it has been decades since those times, your struggle reminded me I still have a moral obligation to uphold." She finishes with a pained smile.

There are countless people under the Imperium of the God Emperor, as abundant as the grains of sand or stars in the sky. One less life in the world would make little or no difference at all. But to say or think one thing and to actually do it are completely different concepts. And you cannot bring yourself to do what the Matron spoke of.

Zoahra speaks up while you ponder Icara's words. "Well, I am not sure if you remember but you helped me so much when I first came to be conscripted. And over the years I've come to see you as a dear friend. Perhaps... My dearest one." She states bashfully

“And there's no chance I'll let you suffer through this alone, at least not if I can help it…” her words trail off as her face flushes red and she quite literally hides behind the fresh linen.

Overwhelmed with gratitude you give her the warmest hug you can muster “For one such as I, so fallen from grace, it is an assurance to have so faithful a friend. Thank you so much, Zo.” You say as you bury your face in her side swept hair. You squeeze her close, grateful to have someone like her in your corner. “I'm grateful for your steadfast loyalty, even though I have not mirrored the same to you.” You place a hand on the side of her head and leave a kiss on her forehead. Her entire face turns crimson as she jerks back and touches her hand to where you planted it. “Wha- you! I-!!!” She stutters as she tries to find her composure “I-it's not like you wouldn't do the same for me!”

Her bashful demeanor makes you smile and the Matron lets out a hearty laugh behind you. In days of relative anxiety, the jovial mood is a welcome one and it gives you hope for the long journey ahead of you.

The coming weeks are filled with further preparation for your departure. Icara has asked a few other serfs whom she trusts to aid with the plan. She begins to detail her plan for you. Schedules and movements are practiced with everyone over and over, all under the guise of emergency drills or supply runs so that the ever watchful eyes of the servo-skulls and the chaplains are avoided. Until finally, everyone is comfortable in their roles and timing and the day of your escape is at hand.

That night, you make your escape, donning an unassuming merchant garb and a cloak to attract less attention. Clutching a satchel of emergency supplies you begin your path, your heart stirs in your chest while you navigate the fortress’ dimly lit corridors. Thanks to Icara’s foresight, all who would be patrolling are well distracted or removed from the usual patrol routes.

You slip through the dimly lit corridors, staying close to the stone walls with quiet steps, and appearing as normal when you encounter someone so as to not raise suspicion. You swiftly twist and turn in the halls that are more abandoned as you pray that no one spots you. You grow more excited the closer you get to the main exit, but then notice— a shadow of movement, the steps quiet as a barge mouse but sñthe figure large enough to be...

You pause at the realization. An Astartes. The world goes deafeningly silent and your stomach lurches with a combination of your sensitivity and anxiety. Then the shadow moves again, and your senses sharpen with the sudden adrenaline. You can hear the ceramite dragging on the stone floor as he inches closer. Your eyes dart around as a multitude of questions arise. Here? Now? Why? He shouldn’t be here. You and the others checked and double-checked, consistently and obsessively, so no one should be here. So why, why?

You don’t have time to ponder long as the weight of the steps continue their pursuit of you. But as you try to shake him it dawns on you; he’s been following you. He knew you were there from the beginning, before you could even think to run or hide.

The corridor suddenly shrinks around you and you feel a chill as you break out into a cold sweat, but you regain your composure and instead retreat back around the way you came. Darting down a different hallway, keeping note of your location respective to the fortress' exit. Maybe you can get around him and avoid being caught completely. “Don’t panic, don't panic, if you act as if you’re doing nothing wrong you’ll be fine, just keep going, keep going.” You think to yourself like a mantra to keep yourself grounded and focused.

Your stomach twists, threatening to fold you over and slow you down. But you can’t let yourself get caught — not now, not after coming so close. You clutch your abdomen as you calmly navigate the corridors until you find something familiar, a symbol on the walls signaling a path to the exit. You let out a quick sigh of relief. You approach the corner and beyond it finally see the massive metal doors that are marked as an egress.

You’re so close now, but so is the marine you catch a glimpse of — your eyes meeting for a split second as you round the corner. Something in you snaps and you break out into a run, hopeless compared to the speed of an Ultramarine but you’ll be damned if you don’t try.

Thunk- Thunk- Thunk- Thunk.

The heavy footsteps fall in line, one rapid step after another. The chase is pathetically short lived, you don’t even make it half way down the hall before he’s already upon you. His imposing shadow looms over you and the world slows to a crawl, the once long corridor stretches out into an abysmal length. Like a rabbit in the clutches of a wolf, you freeze. Your hands are chilled as your sweat robs you of warmth.

There’s silence except for shaky breaths and the loud rushing of blood to your head.

Until a heavy gauntlet hand lands on your shoulder and you jump from the sudden contact.

You hear movement and a sudden whisper in your ear

“Breathe,”

You do, but it refuses to come out as anything less than trembling breaths. In an instant all those plans you made, the efforts of everyone involved, have been in vain. Tears of fear and frustration well up in your eyes. But that voice, it almost sounded like

He squeezes your shoulder. It’s not a command, but a gentle urging for you to turn around and face him. And what else can you do? You obey and half heartedly turn to look up at him. You recognize him right away. It’s Lord Lieutenant Demetrian Titus, an officer of the Ultramarine 2nd Company. As a ranked officer his orders were absolute, second only to those above him in rank. From the whispers and gossip you had heard of him, he is a long decorated war hero. Though if you recall correctly he had a recent demotion, why and of what severity was unknown to you. Despite his vague fall from grace, he’s always been a favorite among the serfs for his exemplary kindness and temperance among his fellow Ultramarines. Why someone of such renown was bothering with a lowly serf like you was beyond you though.

The usual stern expression softens with concern when he takes in the clearly troubled look on your face and your still shaky breathing. Yet, his hand remains firm on your shoulder, steadying you.

“Breathe,” he says again, kinder this time. “Explain yourself.”

“P-please my Lord,” you whisper as you turn your gaze to the ground between the both of you. There’s no sense lying or trying to make excuses now. “I cannot remain… I-” Your own words betray you as they get caught in the lump in your throat.

You feel another gentle squeeze, a soft but urgent reminder to speak. You lift your head back up to him but avoid meeting his eyes by squeezing your eyes shut. A warm, desperate tear streaks down your cheek.

“I’m with child, Lord Titus.”

Titus slowly moves his head back, as if to show his sudden clarity, his grip on your shoulder lifting but never leaving. “Hrm, but why flee?” His question coming off rhetorical.

You blink, not expecting the question, and the shock suspends your tears momentarily. Titus’ mind races, no doubt, mulling the situation over in his head, trying to find answers in the codes and regulations, and a way through. But he comes up short. After all, it is not often an Ultramarine, especially an officer, is made to deal with such civilian frivolities. Not knowing what to follow up with, he begins asking more questions. “Why not just raise the child here? It would not be the first time.”

You shake your head, your head still hanging low. “The Ordinator of the House and the Master of the Refectorium I serve under, are both exemplary but quite strict. They say there is no room to bring up unwanted babes. Besides I—.”

The shame in your next thought stops you as you further explain.

“As much as the position is honorable, I do not wish to burden my child with the life of a serf. My own parents brought me into this world a serf but that does little to motivate the same fate for mine. My thought was to flee the fortress and raise my baby in the outer city, where it is relatively safe. But… now…”

His gaze hardens as he brings the other hand up and squeezes your shoulders.

“That is… unfortunate” he begins. “However, suppose there was a way to avoid this.”

Your brows furrow in confusion, lifting your head to look up at him, a fragile blend of fear and hope twisting inside of you. “...how?”

“You wouldn’t just run without a good reason especially given the ideology of your serf officers and the mention of your child being unwanted.”

While he continues you wince at his words, although you yourself never considered your baby undesirable, it hurts to think others would. Or worse, take them from you.

“I suspect the father is not another serf, and it is this that drives you to take such drastic action.”

Meeting his eyes, your face twists in the looming fear of having to relinquish your child “I am afraid,” you confess quietly, as the stream of tears track down your face once more. “I don’t know what to do. What if he takes the baby from me… what if he makes it so I never see it again— what if he dooms it to a life worse than serfdom!” You place your hands on his forearms in a desperate attempt to explain yourself “I do not want them to take away my baby!” You shake your head vehemently among your cries.

Titus’ hands tighten on your shoulders, effectively focusing you and drawing your attention back to him. “I understand. I do. It is the duty of an Astartes under the God Emperor Himself to protect humanity. That is why, on my honor, I will offer you my protection,” he vows. “Become my personal seneschal and I can shield you. And if need be, I will claim your child as my own.”

You jerk your head back and your face contorts in apprehension at his sudden vow “But— my lord… What of your status? What of your reputation!? Why would you—?” you bring a hand to your chest as you react.

“I have weathered worse blows to my reputation,” Titus replies, a look of fortitude upon his face. He looks down at you. “And this is the right course of action. There is little I could do in this situation, this is what I believe is appropriate.”

The astounded expression remains on your face as you cannot shake the reality of what is happening.

“Come,” he says, letting go of your shoulders. He gently takes the satchel of supplies from your hands.

But you are frozen still. More so stunned than afraid now. Titus could have easily overtaken your meager strength when you refused to budge but he just looks back when he notices your hesitance.

You stare at him. A scowl on your face and mouth agape. “My lord, forgive my impertinence but why are you doing this? Do you not think this to be far beneath your station? It’s not even—”

You look away as you stop yourself from sounding too insolent by telling him it has nothing to do with him.

“It’s nothing to do with one such as yourself. My lord.”

He is silent for a moment too long until finally “Do not concern yourself with such things.” he says with a low timbre in his voice.

He extends a firm hand to you.

You glance at his hand and back at him. Your expression falls seriously.

He sighs, perhaps out of slight exasperation.

“Come. There is a room near my quarters you may utilize, and once you’ve gathered your thoughts we can discuss this further.”

You hold his gaze but take his hand and begrudgingly accept his help

It is either this or losing your child to its unknown father. The former, although bizarre, seems a lot more… manageable at the very least.

“Thank you. Lord Titus.” you murmur, following him as he leads you deeper back into the fortress. With each step, you feel the heavy weight of fear and uncertain lift and for the first time in weeks, you breathe.

#warhammer 40k #40k #wh40k #warhammer 40000 #demetrian titus #titus x reader #space marine 2 #space marine #titus #are oo pegante?#surprise tsundere #tempest

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luvvictoria · 2 days ago

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A Dance with Despair

+ pairings. suguru geto x f!reader/satoru gojo x f!reader

+ tags. romance, heavy (?) angst, cheating, betrayal, dark romance themes, love triangle (more like a square), secrets and lies, eventual smut

+ status.on-going

+ official playlist.by victo

+ materialist ; prev. part ; next part

+ a/n. Reblog with your favorite line ! It would help me very much to grow my account !! Thank you in advance. Also, should I make the chapters shorter ? Like, I feel like the chapters are too long and maybe I shoul make them shorter and add more chapters, idkk

The late afternoon sun bathed the streets in a golden glow, a serene facade masking the storm brewing inside [Name]’s mind. She walked with deliberate slowness, her bag slung over one shoulder, her thoughts heavy and unwieldy. Suguru had always been her safe haven, her anchor in the chaos, but lately, his steady presence had started to waver. He was charming, as always, but there was a distance to him now, a hollowness that her heart refused to ignore.

Shoko had changed, and [Name] felt the loss of her friend like a sharp sting. Shoko had always been the steady one, the calm in the storm, but lately, she had become distant, almost cold. Conversations with her were like walking a tightrope — every word felt loaded, every silence deafening.

“Did I do something wrong?” [Name] had asked one afternoon, her voice trembling despite her efforts to sound casual.

Shoko had looked at her, a flicker of something — regret? guilt? — crossing her face before she forced a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Of course not,” she had replied quickly, brushing the question aside as though it was ridiculous. “You’re imagining things.”

But [Name] wasn’t imagining it. She could feel the growing distance, the unspoken tension that hung between them like a fog. Shoko had started to pull away, and [Name] didn’t understand why. She replayed their recent interactions in her mind, searching for clues, for some sign of what she might have done to push her friend away, but nothing made sense.

The warmth of their shared laughter, the ease of their companionship — it all felt like it was slipping through her fingers, and no matter how tightly she tried to hold on, she couldn’t stop it from unraveling.

I'm not crazy. I'm not imagining things. Everything is fine. It has to be fine. The words looped in her mind like a broken record, a desperate prayer she clung to. But the more she repeated them, the more hollow they felt, as if she was trying to convince herself of something she already knew wasn’t true.

Her chest felt tight, her breathing shallow and uneven as she paced her room. She ran her hands through her hair, gripping it at the roots as though the pressure might somehow ground her. Something’s wrong. Something has to be wrong. But it’s not me. It’s not me. Maybe Shoko’s going through something — maybe that’s why she’s pulling away. Yeah, that’s it.

But the thought didn’t bring the comfort she hoped for. Instead, it spiraled into something darker. What if it is me? What if I said something? Did something? What if I’ve been too much — too needy, too emotional, too…

She shook her head violently, trying to banish the thoughts, but they clung to her like shadows, refusing to let go. Her heart was racing now, pounding against her ribs as though it might burst. She sat on the edge of her bed, gripping the sheets tightly in her fists, her nails digging into the fabric.

Why won’t she just tell me? Why does she look at me like that, like she knows something I don’t? What if she hates me now? What if they all do? No, that’s ridiculous. That’s crazy. I’m not crazy. I’m not.

But the thought planted itself in her mind, spreading like poison. She could feel her chest tightening even more, her throat constricting as the air seemed to grow thinner. Her legs bounced uncontrollably, and she pressed her palms against her knees, trying to steady herself.

What’s wrong with me? Why am I like this?

Her eyes darted to her phone on the nightstand, her fingers twitching with the urge to text Shoko again, to demand an explanation. But the memory of Shoko’s carefully measured responses, her distant smiles, made her stomach churn. She doesn’t want to talk to me. She’s avoiding me. They’re all avoiding me.

A tear slipped down her cheek, and then another, until her vision blurred. She rubbed at her face harshly, angry at herself for crying, angry at the suffocating wave of emotions she couldn’t control.

“I can’t… I can’t do this,” she whispered to the empty room, her voice shaking.

Her hands trembled as she reached for her phone, pulling it close as though it could anchor her. She scrolled aimlessly through her messages, her heart clenching at every unanswered text from Shoko. Her thumb hovered over the call button, but she couldn’t bring herself to press it.

If she wanted to talk to me, she would have already, she thought bitterly, the ache in her chest deepening. Maybe she’s tired of me. Maybe they all are. Maybe I’m the problem.

The thought hit her like a blow, leaving her breathless. She curled into herself, wrapping her arms around her knees as her tears fell freely now, hot and relentless. The room felt like it was closing in on her, the walls pressing closer, suffocating her.

“I’m not crazy,” she whispered again, her voice broken. “I’m not imagining things. I’m not. I’m not…”

But even as she said the words, she wasn’t sure she believed them anymore.

The clash between Satoru and Suguru had been building for weeks, a storm brewing beneath their carefully maintained facades. It happened one evening in Suguru’s apartment, a space that should have felt familiar but now felt suffocating. The tension between them was palpable, thick enough to cut with a knife.

Satoru stood by the counter, leaning against it with his usual air of nonchalance. But his eyes — sharp, unyielding — betrayed his calm demeanor. They locked onto Suguru with an intensity that made the air in the room feel heavier.

“You’re playing a dangerous game, Suguru,” Satoru said, his tone deceptively light, laced with a cutting edge that left no room for misunderstanding.

Suguru, seated on the couch, didn’t flinch. Instead, he smirked, the corners of his lips curling into something that might have been amusement if his eyes weren’t so cold. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Satoru’s jaw tightened, and his fingers curled against the counter. “Don’t play dumb with me,” he shot back, his voice dropping an octave. “This thing with Shoko? It’s not just reckless — it’s cruel. And you know it.”

Suguru’s smirk faltered, his expression hardening. The room seemed to grow quieter, the hum of the refrigerator the only sound cutting through the thick silence. “And what exactly are you planning to do about it, Gojo?” he asked, his voice smooth but carrying an unmistakable challenge. “Run to [Name]? Tell her everything? Break her heart?”

Satoru’s fist slammed down on the counter, the sudden sound echoing through the room. He stepped closer, his presence like a force of nature. “She trusts you, Suguru,” he said through gritted teeth, his voice trembling with restrained anger. “She loves you. And this is what you do? Behind her back?”

Suguru’s eyes narrowed, and for a moment, something dark flickered across his face. “And you think you’re any better?” he countered, his voice like ice. “Always hanging around her, acting like you’re just the concerned friend? You think I don’t see it? You’re just waiting for me to mess up so you can swoop in and play the hero.”

“That’s not what this is,” Satoru snapped, his voice rising. He stepped even closer, his height casting a shadow over Suguru. “I’m not the one betraying her. I’m not the one tearing her apart while pretending to love her.”

The words hit their mark, and Suguru stood abruptly, his movements sharp and deliberate. The two of them now stood inches apart, the air between them charged with unspoken accusations and barely contained rage.

“This isn’t your business, Gojo,” Suguru said, his voice low and dangerous. “Whatever happens between me and [Name], it’s our problem. Not yours.”

Satoru’s hands clenched at his sides, the war inside him waging fiercer than ever. Every fiber of his being screamed to tell [Name] the truth, to expose Suguru for the liar he was. But another part of him held back — loyalty, guilt, fear of what the fallout would do to her, to their fragile circle of friends.

“You’re a coward,” Satoru said finally, his voice trembling with the weight of his frustration and restraint. “You don’t deserve her.”

Suguru’s lips curled into a cold smile, one devoid of humor. “And what are you going to do about it?” he asked, his tone mocking.

Satoru held his gaze for a long moment, the tension crackling like a live wire. Finally, he stepped back, his hands trembling slightly as he forced himself to pull away. “Fine,” he said, his voice tight, the words bitter on his tongue. “But don’t think for a second that I’m okay with this. One day, this is going to blow up in your face, Suguru. And when it does, don’t expect me to pick up the pieces.”

Suguru didn’t reply, and Satoru didn’t wait for one. He turned on his heel and walked out, slamming the door behind him. But even as he left, the weight of his silence pressed heavily on him, a constant reminder that doing nothing wasn’t the same as doing the right thing.

Utahime sat at the small café table, her fingers wrapped tightly around a steaming cup of tea, her brow furrowed in deep thought. Across from her, Mei Mei sipped her coffee with her usual air of detachment, but even she couldn’t entirely mask the curiosity in her sharp eyes.

“It’s like watching a slow-motion car crash,” Utahime muttered, her voice low but heavy with frustration. “Something’s wrong — off — and no one is talking about it.”

Mei Mei raised a perfectly arched brow. “Isn’t that how it always is with them? Secrets and tension. It’s practically their dynamic at this point.”

Utahime shot her a look. “This is different, Mei Mei. Suguru and [Name]... there’s something going on. And Satoru’s been acting strange too — quieter than usual. That never happens.”

Mei Mei smirked, setting her cup down with a delicate clink. “I’ve noticed. He’s brooding, which is almost funny if it weren’t so ominous. But you’re right; something’s brewing. And whatever it is, it’s big enough to shake even him.”

Utahime sighed, leaning back in her chair. She hated this — feeling like she was piecing together a puzzle with half the pieces missing. “I tried talking to [Name], but it was like talking to a brick wall. She’s too caught up in her own head to see what’s happening around her.”

Mei Mei studied her for a moment, her expression unreadable. Then, with a slight shrug, she said, “Maybe you’re pushing too hard. People see what they want to see when they’re ready to see it. Forcing it might just make her dig her heels in deeper.”

Utahime’s lips pressed into a thin line. “So what, I just let her crash and burn? That’s not exactly my style.”

“Neither is rushing into something without all the facts,” Mei Mei countered, her tone cool but not unkind. “Which is why I suggest we wait. My party this weekend — everyone will be there. Whatever’s festering under the surface, I have a feeling it’s going to bubble up sooner rather than later.”

Utahime frowned. “You think something’s going to happen?”

Mei Mei’s lips curved into a knowing smile. “I don’t think, darling. I know. There’s too much tension for things to stay contained. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that people can only wear their masks for so long before they start to crack.”

Utahime leaned forward, her expression serious. “If you’re right — if something does happen — we need to be ready. I don’t want to see [Name] get hurt.”

Mei Mei waved a hand dismissively, though her eyes gleamed with sharp intent. “Oh, don’t worry. I’ll be ready. After all, nothing makes a party more memorable than a little chaos.”

Utahime groaned, burying her face in her hands. “You’re impossible.”

“And you’re far too earnest,” Mei Mei replied with a light laugh. “But don’t worry. Between the two of us, we’ll make sure the fallout isn’t too catastrophic. Probably.”

Utahime shot her another glare, but deep down, she knew Mei Mei was right. Whatever was building, it wasn’t going to stay hidden for much longer. And when the truth finally came out, she could only hope it wouldn’t destroy them all.

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helluvabossrewrite45 · 15 hours ago

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I never fully agree with argument that “Via is sheltered”. I can see if she didn’t fully understand how bad the marriage, but then I remember that she responds to her Mother’s violent outbursts as if they were a usual occurrence. She casually steps over the broken vases like she’s done it before; she has a tendency control her own outbursts in a more restrained manner as seen in Seeing Stars and now in Sinmas. To me it implies she’s half aware that her mother does is wrong, but then have some fans—not all—claim that she likes Stella more even though everything in her body language says otherwise. The only reason she finds it easier to get mad at her Dad is like you once said about it being the black sheep method.

I feel honestly bad for this kid. At best she thinks that behaviour in this family is normal. At worst she just feels alone in a situation she on some level knows is messed up. Like she believed or knows that her Dad cares about her, but when it feels like it’s needed most he isn’t there to at least ease her into this transition. I was slightly forgiving at Looloo Land because I thought he was going to tell her in the future. Seeing Stars made me frustrated because why are we standing around in a studio? Because Blitz gets trick into thinking people finally find him funny? To then cutting to his backstory on how adopted Loona? What about the main mission? A small portion of fans thinks she doesn’t change when the writing itself keeps running through the same arc until the consequences finally catch up with the characters. No, let’s blame some characters instead of how the writing likes to use the characters and their growth.

Honestly, the more of the list of Octavia and her coping mechnasms works, the more fascinating she is. She uses music to cope, like you said, but now we’ve seen her escape her family members sights twice now which is interesting. Still would like to know how she knows IMPs address unless she went there during Looloo Land? Also where’s the castle security or a they just on call?

Sorry if this doesn’t make much sense. Sinmas got under my skin and a small portion of fans blaming a teenager is irritating.

It's okay, I understand what your saying and yeah, fans blaming on her is irritating especially when she's a teenager and her father, Stolas, has done much worse (coercion to Blitzo, neglect to Octavia), yet they don't give him the same blame or frame him as a good father with the "oh if only Via realises how he cares for her" which misunderstands why Via even cutted out Stolas to begin with. He prioritised Blitzo over her from Loo loo land to Mastermind where he almost sacrificed himself for Blitzo and only considers Via once his powers get stripped temporarily (Stolas' sacrifice also feels quite icky from it being Blitzo's reason to 'love' Stolas as if sacrifice makes it obligatory for affection) Your insight into how the environment around her causes her to normalise it or feel isolated by it is spot on. When rewatching Loo loo land, I liked that Stolas couldn't easily explain Stella's abuse to her because it felt realistic for an abused parent trying to explain to their kid of how their other parent is abusive, especially when circumstances lead it to becoming more complicated like cheating. This kind of realistic depiction of abuse is unfortunately erased overtime as the show prioritises us on hating stella by making her a one note over-the-top villain instead of depicting an abusive complex villain. You get a good scene of Stella comforting Octavia as a false pretense for her satisfaction in her presumed ex-husband's death, presenting her manipulation. Yet in Sinmas, she is shown to openly cut Octavia from contacting her father and openly laugh and mock him with her brother. The show cannot decide on how to portray Stella, so long as she is framed as unlikeable in every scene shes in for us to sympathise and root for Stolas.

In fact, I argue that due to Stella and Octavia not receiving any depth compared to Stolas as characters despite the plot giving this family's conflict at least some significance is that they aren't their own characters but prompts; prompts that are for Stolas' gains through different lights. Stella was a prompt to make us sympathies with Stolas that would make us excuse his wrongdoings such as cheating because well, Stella is an abuser and she is constantly unlikeable in every scene. Why should we feel bad for her? Stella is apparently meant to be inspired by Beatrice but these characters direction were the main difference. Beatrice was given backstory and depth because she was intended to be a complex character who is abusive. Stella on the other hand, is a prompt whose abusiveness was used to benefit Stolas' character within the narrative.

Octavia is different where she was a prompt to make Stolas likeable. Everytime Octavia is on screen with some significance to the plot, it always involved her problem being primarily her father and the narrative always focused that Stolas loves Via very much, even explicitly pointed out to her in Seeing Stars like Loona. It's only in Sinmas where this direction has shifted to be the same as Stella where she's now used to make us feel sympathy towards Stolas in the loss of his daughter. Frankly her blaming stolas for taking anti-depressants seem like a tactic of some sort to establish what the framwork is suppose to be; Via isn't understandably cutting off her dad for his neglect because it would make the sympathetic framework of stolas not be effective, so they had to use his anti-depressants in order to make Via cutting off her dad seem unreasonable on surface level. "See? Via is blaming stolas for his depression so she's not entirely right in her cutting him out of her life and therefore, you should feel bad for stolas." It's what these fans don't understand, they only look at the conflict through surface level and not view the bigger picture as despite the anti depressants, Via was reasonable in that situation. Stolas had neglected Via, like you pointed out with him in the film studio, his focus is always on Blitzo first and Octavia second. And what makes it more awful is that Via's experiences applies to many people in real life so for the fandom to demonise her entirely for this when you know people who were Octavia with their fathers before makes you think of it in a different light. A more tragic perspective of a fandom, regardless of intention, demonises those people who were like and related to Octavia in that situation while coddling/sympathizing with the fathers that neglected their Octavias.

Her lack of depth despite the little details as well as her background being the tools to create an interesting thorough character highlights the main issue of the series in how despite desiring to be complex within their characters and conflicts, they manage to fail with their character bias for and against certain characters that reduces their complexities to either make you like or dislike these particular characters. Octavia, like the rest of the characters, had potential yet the writers never utilized that to their advantage. The whole series in general is wasted potential that wasn't properly utilized to their advantage.

#helluva boss criticism #helluva boss critical #helluva boss critique #helluva criticism #helluva critical #helluva critique #anon #ask

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isatartdump · 18 hours ago

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How does zobie siffrin get infected. Is there a story/character reason like the eye?

Also,,, if the zombies don't rot, how can you tell who is and isn't a zombie? Do they move differently due to the brain being rewired? Do they just look sick? OR. Do they look too healthy considering the situation...

About how siffaroni got infected I imagined it being a mix of them being super tired after going through the house on their own and protecting someone else. I think it would make sense.

It's like what made him lose his eye, you know? That bit of them that would throw themselves infront of everyone. Being faster makes it easier and the adrenaline and tiredness hides the starting symptoms that already involve... Being tired and sick.

This wont change ^. The rest may change a bit or a lot depending on what feels/reads better, honestly...

I've been thinking on what would be better? I don't think they should rot as it would be agaisnt King's wishes but then they'd probably look like they're sleep walking in a bit of an extreme, you know? The infected are healthy- and stuck in time, which means they don't grow old, feel hunger, pain, etc etc- but they're still able to "infect" others. They look like really, REALLY tired sleepwalkers so. Sometimes they're... Almost being themselves. Almost. So eager to welcome loved ones but being rewired to work like a zombie (prioritize infection and ETC) they'd be violent. Loving someone so much your bear hug may break some ribs- It won't matter once you're "frozen" since you don't feel pain anymore but. Maybe it isn't good on the long term.

Maybe I need to re-rethink that. But the heavyness of losing someone that is, roughly, still there is what is the most interesting thing to me on zombie stuff so i'd focus a lot on that.

They're not losing siffrin (or anyone else that has already been turned) but if they can't find a cure they're never having the actual Siffrin back

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aventurineswife · 22 hours ago

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hey so feel free to ignore this request if you're uncomfortable with it. Can i ask Kinich x suicidal reader? They're already dating and the reader confide in their true feelings about slowly losing the will to live because they feel like they cant handle life.

More explanation: i imagine the reader have a laid back, cheerful and out going personality, the reader joke about offing themself everyday intentionally so nobody will take them seriously if they ever for real tell them about it.

Also i kinda see Kinich as young adult(19/20) and i think the reader is also one who is struggling with adulthood(the reader's family used to spoil them)

Note: this is so self-indulgent, im so sorry if this makes you feel uncomfortable😭 should've just talk to a therapist bot on c.ai or summ.(sorry if this triggers you☹️)

“If I Fall, Will You Catch Me?”

Summary: You and Kinich have been dating for some time, your contrasting personalities complementing one another. While you wear a mask of cheerfulness and make light of your struggles, you harbor a deep internal battle against feelings of inadequacy and hopelessness. One night, unable to maintain the facade any longer, you confide in Kinich about your true feelings.

Tags: Kinich x Reader, Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Suicidal Thoughts, Emotional Vulnerability, Found Family, Struggles of Adulthood, Fluff and Angst, Supportive Partner, Healing Through Understanding.

Warnings: Mentions of Suicidal Thoughts and Ideation, Themes of Emotional and Mental Health Struggles, Potential Triggers for Readers Sensitive to Discussions of Depression or Hopelessness, Includes moments of emotional distress but concludes on a hopeful note.

A/N: I'm really glad you felt comfortable sharing this, and I want to remind you that you're not alone in how you're feeling. Struggling with these emotions, especially when the world feels heavy, is so difficult, but it’s okay to reach out and talk about it when you're ready. You don’t need to carry everything by yourself. Life can be really overwhelming, and even though it can feel like you're stuck or that things won’t change, there is support available to help you work through it. It's okay to feel lost or unsure—what you're going through doesn’t make you any less valuable. Take care of yourself, and I hope you find the peace and healing you deserve. You are worthy of it! 🫂💖🫶

The sun hung low in the sky, casting a golden hue over the trees of the canopy. The air smelled of damp earth and the wild, untamed beauty of nature. You sat on the edge of a rock, watching the wind ruffle the leaves, your feet dangling over the edge.

Kinich sat next to you, his eyes scanning the surroundings with that focused, pragmatic gaze of his. He wasn't one for small talk, never had been, and you appreciated that. Silence between you felt like a comfortable thing, a space where words weren't always necessary. Still, you knew him well enough by now to sense when something was off.

You leaned back, stretching your legs, trying to distract yourself from the heaviness that had been creeping into your chest for weeks. Life felt like a mountain you could never quite scale, and no matter how many times you tried to climb, it always felt like it would swallow you whole.

"Hey," you said casually, as if this was just another joke, "maybe I should just go out and... off myself, y'know? Maybe then I'll find some peace."

You tried to make it sound light, as you always did, tossing the words out like they were nothing. It was the same joke you made every day, the one you used to hide the truth. But today, your smile felt forced, and you hated the way the words tasted in your mouth.

Kinich didn’t laugh. He never did when you said that.

You glanced over at him. His eyes were locked on you, unreadable yet piercing. He didn’t say anything at first, just let the silence drag on.

Finally, he exhaled deeply, his expression softening, but not in a way that was comforting. "You don’t get to joke about things like that with me," he said quietly, his voice steady, almost too calm. "Not anymore."

Your heart skipped a beat. He'd never said anything like that before. You turned to face him, your playful demeanor slipping away as you stared at him.

"Kinich, come on. You know it’s just a joke. I’m fine," you said, trying to backpedal, but the words didn’t sound convincing, even to you.

He didn't say anything, but his gaze hardened slightly, and for the first time, you saw a flicker of something deep in his eyes. Maybe it was concern, maybe it was frustration, but it was there. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, the intensity of his presence filling the space between you.

"You think I don’t notice?" Kinich said, his voice barely above a whisper, but it held weight. "You laugh and joke, but I can see it. You’re not fine. I’ve seen the way you look at the world like it’s just... too much. Too heavy. Like you’re carrying something too big for your shoulders."

You stiffened, your throat tightening as the words he said felt like they were cutting straight through the walls you’d carefully built around yourself. You didn’t know how to respond.

"I’m... I’m just tired," you managed to say after a long moment. "Everything’s harder than it should be. It feels like I’m never going to figure it out. And... I don’t think I have the strength left to keep pretending."

Kinich didn’t look away. His expression was unreadable, but there was something in his gaze that made you feel like you were under a microscope. He didn’t need to speak to convey how much he understood.

"You’re not alone in this," he said softly, and for the first time, there was a tenderness to his words that made your heart ache. "You might feel like you’re alone, but you’re not. Not anymore."

The silence stretched between you two again, but this time, it felt less oppressive. Kinich’s presence beside you was comforting, even if you didn’t fully understand why. He wasn’t the kind of person who offered comforting words freely, but when he did, it always felt genuine.

"I don’t know what you’re going through," Kinich continued, his voice still steady. "But I know what it’s like to feel lost. To feel like you’ve got nothing left to give. To carry things you shouldn’t have to carry. I’ve been there."

You turned your gaze away from him, a lump forming in your throat. You hadn’t expected him to share anything about himself, and it made you realize just how much you didn’t know about him, despite everything.

"Kinich…" you started, but he held up a hand.

"I don’t want you to carry this by yourself," he said, his voice hardening slightly. "I’ll help you carry it. You don’t have to handle everything alone. Not anymore."

Tears welled up in your eyes, but you didn’t want to cry. Not now. Not in front of him.

"I’m scared, Kinich. I don’t know how to keep going when it all feels like it’s too much," you confessed, your voice shaking despite your best efforts to remain steady.

He didn’t hesitate. Kinich placed a hand on your shoulder, firm and unwavering, and his eyes softened just a little. "You don’t have to have all the answers. Just take it one step at a time. And if you fall, I’ll be here. You won’t have to do it alone."

You blinked, feeling the walls around your heart crack just a little, the weight on your chest easing ever so slightly. Kinich wasn’t here to fix you. He wasn’t offering grand solutions. He was simply offering to stand by your side, no matter what.

And for the first time in a long while, you believed him.

"Thank you," you whispered, barely able to keep your voice steady. "I don’t deserve it."

He shook his head, the faintest smirk playing on his lips. "Don’t talk like that. You’re not the only one who’s struggling. We all have our battles."

You nodded, trying to hold back the sob that was threatening to escape. For the first time in weeks, you felt like you might be able to breathe again.

Kinich didn’t speak further. He didn’t need to. His presence was enough. And that, in itself, was a promise.

A promise that no matter how dark things got, no matter how heavy life seemed, you wouldn’t have to face it alone.

You weren’t sure what the future would bring, or how you would handle everything, but you knew one thing for sure: Kinich would be by your side. And that, somehow, made everything a little easier to bear.

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gamingblur103s · 2 days ago

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my thoughts on neo the world ends with you

long but probably not very good to read. spoilers and allat

i have to admit that i have a knee-jerk resentment towards a lot of the twewy franchise outside of the original game. every port and remake and reimagining of the original is simply worse off because something fundamental about what made the original experience so fantastic is removed. granted, this is often out of necessity for it no longer being a DS game, and from a business perspective, something like the anime adaptation only makes sense when a sequel is coming out practically immediately after the anime ends. still, in regards to these rereleases, i can easily see them as things that only add to the franchise rather than remove from them. the mobile port, despite screwing with the art style and the gameplay, added new music that is on par with the original game's score. the anime adaptation, despite its truncation, occasional mischaracterization, and format the story was not made for, looks pretty great and is still fun enough to be an effective recap, which was its precise purpose. it is much harder to say the same for final remix.

final remix is a port of a port; it maintains the streamlined and exponentially less engaging gameplay of the mobile version. granted, it comes with new pins which work well enough with this new base, but that doesn't change the problems i have with these fundamentals. to make up for that (as well as bridge the gap between it and neo), final remix comes with "a new day": a continuation of the story that is necessary to experience in order to understand neo.

to be blunt, a new day is where my previously mentioned resentment began. the story it tries to tell is so emphatic on its mystery that it foregoes any actual depth. as something that is expressly being tacked onto the original story rather than its own entity, its poor quality leads to directly detracting from that story.

the reaper's game (for og twewy at least) was meant to act as a symbolic prison for neku that colored every bit of his progress. yes, his character development is fairly blatant, but if anything, it benefits from that. the framing of the reaper's game actually makes the arc more grounded in how arduous it is, in how it was so much longer than neku could have ever expected, in how it hurt in all the ways he was scared it would.

it's all perfectly embodied by the fact neku is still wearing his headphones when the original game ends on the sublime emotional note of him taking them off. it's careless storytelling, to such an extent that it colors everything that came before it as the last canonical events we get to see, made all the worse by how it (and consequently, the game) ends with Neku dying. again. the only thing that keeps me from being completely outraged at the comical disregard of his arc is that it at least doesn't take away his emotional development.

there's also the iffy characterization overall, once again to serve a mystery the plot cannot afford to answer the larger reaching implications of. mind you, there's nothing outright OFFENSIVE about its portrayals (i actually think fake joshua is the best example of characterization in the whole thing; it's fun to show what a character is by what they aren't), but it's all just so vapid. forgive me for being smarmy enough to use an antimetabole, but when you go through a whole-ass video game that has its plot function in service to its characters, playing such a blatant sequel-bait that has its characters serving the IDEA of a plot feels like a disservice to those characters. if there's a connection to be felt, it's not indicated or made stronger by what happens here; it's all for the sake of hype.

i'm rambling, but hopefully that embodies my emotions going into neo comprehensively enough. i couldn't help but see a new day as utterly counterintuitive, and as a result, i had my typical territorial nature for my favorite things cranked up to twelve. i couldn't even fully trust the original staff with this game. for a while, i couldn't shake the feeling that the franchise of twewy outside the original game tarnished my experience with it. i did everything i could to convince myself to go full "death of the author": everything that isn't the original game simply isn't canon. but that didn't feel right to me, so i still kept this deep curiosity in me. then, about two and a half years after its release, i started up neo and spent my winter break exclusively on playing it through to the end (college made it so if i didn't finish it then, i'd have to wait till the summer).

this FINALLY leads me to my thoughts on the game this post is supposed to be about.

in a word, neo feels derivative. mind you, that's by no means the full story. for certain aspects, that description is either deeply unfair or outright untrue; for others, it's frankly generous. holistically, however, it feels like a continuation of what twewy had to offer, when it could've been an evolution. this by itself would make it worse than the original, but then there are times where it can't even accomplish that much.

on that note: the presentation.

og twewy didn't just have a fantastic style, but phenomenal direction. it was a multi-pronged refutation of the idea of "style over substance". the pause menu alone is so informative, yet so digestible because of its adherence to the game's style, what with its inspired choice of music and cute lil thumbnails for all the menus you can navigate to from there. there's also accounting for what players will most often check the menu for and an effort to make such features particularly accessible. the shining examples of this are dedicating nearly all of the top screen to the map and the fact that all the combat options aside from the pins (your level, partner behavior, game difficulty) are available on that screen, rather than hidden in another menu. hell, credit where it's due, the rereleases' version of this menu are all just as good; the attempt to depixelize the visuals makes it look a little too much like a gacha game for my liking, but absolutely nothing about it was changed in such a way that it becomes harder to navigate

in general, i think ui/ux design is way more important in games than it's given credit for, though that's undoubtedly changed in recent times. it's always been listed as a separate career from other graphic design jobs, and rightfully so, but for games especially, it can't be stressed enough how much they make or break a game's flow and "vibe". fact of the matter is, a significant chunk of a player's time is going to be spent in menus no matter what. i'm sure there's exceptions to this, but all i can think of is very primitive examples like pong which obviously don't apply to what i mean. as a result, making those menus feel fun and/or natural to use elevates the entire experience in ways even the most diligent game developers might not realize. an article from gamesradar has a translated quote from persona 5 director katsura hashino which really emboldened my feelings on the topic

"In Japan, UI design is often handled by new employees. ... Top level designers are usually in charge of characters and background graphics, with the UI being secondary. I think that’s a mistake. That’s why Atlus' UI designers are paid so well."

(side note: as great as the menus in p3r mostly are, the change for the in-battle menu from the revolver chamber is criminal. i know they still kinda have it, but i still prefer what the original did)

with all that said: neo twewy has three pause menus.

the first menu, which i will call the main menu, is where most of the options that relate to gameplay are. your current objective, social network (no jesse eisenberg in sight), equipment, map, and collectible progress. each of those five things i mentioned are their own menu within this menu, except for equipment which is actually two menus in threads and pins (to be fair, just like twewy).

the second menu, which i’ll call the pause menu, has all the shit that give off system setting vibes. saving, loading, going to the title screen, volume control, subtitles (always yes), voice track (we’ll get to that), the works. worth noting that this menu has absolutely no style to it. it is laughably barebones. sauceless, if you will.

the third menu, which i’ll call the combat menu, has all the combat options twewy had at the bottom of its main menu. this menu is also pretty lacking in sauce, though i suppose there’s only so much that could be done without it feeling obtrusive.

an insane person would argue this is a good translation of the immediate access in twewy’s ui. this division means less navigation is needed for certain option and it makes clutter a non-issue (in theory). while i’m sure this is true for some, for me, it became a consistent headache which would often undermine what i think are its design goals. the main menu’s subdivisions are a good example, but i actually didn’t have too much of a problem with it since switching between the menus was fairly snappy. the pin menu, however, was COMICALLY clunky. it becomes far too difficult to navigate your list as soon as week 2 starts. neo is a home console game, so there is zero need for a single pin to take up THAT much space on the screen, especially when that same pin at a different level of progress is listed separately, effectively doubling the amount of shit you have to sift through. the attempts at giving me shortcuts and filters ended up only confusing me. by the end, i resorted to exclusively consulting the full list every time, because even if it was tedious as all hell, at least i understood it and could eventually memorize the positions of things.

granted, it’s not all bad. you can actually access the combat menu while you’re in the main menu, so you can experiment with your level and view the drop rates in the noisepedia simultaneously. this version of the map, while it takes extra steps to access, also has features twewy’s map did not, namely the ability to see the kinds of noises that spawn in an area. you can even zoom in and out! for some reason!

these undeniable improvements are not only things twewy did not have, but in some cases (i.e. the map's new features) couldn’t have. however, it’s still missing the forest for the trees; the fundamental flow is still so disjointed that these features feel like a bandage on a tumor. i fully concede this next complaint is at least partially on me, but i cannot tell you the number of times i pressed the button for the wrong menu. because each menu has important shit that i need frequent access to, my muscle memory for the “i need menu things” neurons are always confused. if i’m not wasting time by going to the wrong menu, i’m wasting time by hesitating on pressing any button in case i’m wrong.

i’m being cruel here to an extent, and i acknowledge that. in isolation, these problems aren’t even a fraction as damning as i make them out to be, but when it’s something repeatedly experienced throughout the entire game, i cannot ignore how i dread having to interact with these menus and how they color my experience. granted, you could argue these complaints refute my thesis statement on neo being derivative. it may have failed, but is this not neo trying something new? to that, i would make the distinction that this is not a case of neo evolving, but rather, simply adapting.

allow me to branch back out to the more general subject of the game’s presentation.

i am by absolutely no means going to be calling the presentation of neo bad. that might be shocking to hear after me going so hard on the ui of all things, but i'm not an idiot. the soundtrack is a delight ("the beginning of a happy life" is genuinely, no bullshit, honest to god one of my favorite vg songs i have ever heard), the visuals are never any worse than ok (fret's design is by FAR my favorite, but i also liked shoka, rindo (mainly just his mask continuing the theme of neku's "hear no evil" with "speak no evil"), and susukichi), and when the two combine, it consistently achieves a familiar vibe throughout.

VERY familiar.

again, the presentation of neo is not bad. i would go so far as to call it good overall. but i genuinely struggle to think of any way it substantially iterates on what twewy has to offer. from where i'm standing, it feels like a complete copy-paste (with one exception that i swear i will get to soon cuz this is now like my third time alluding to it).

it's a bit of a mainstream example, but when you look at something like final fantasy, there's a clear throughline in the presentation of pretty much the entire series. even at its most vibrant and cutesy, there's this particular breed of gothic or sci-fi or—and i truly do not mean this disparagingly—edgy you can feel in the foundation of a final fantasy game. conversely, even at its darkest, final fantasy has its own brand of whimsy and bombast in chocobos or summons or the bajillion leitmotifs throughout the franchise. through it all, final fantasy has maintained a strong fundamental identity, but has managed to express it in a myriad of ways that, rather than dilute said identity, only bolster and refine its spirit.

i use final fantasy specifically because of its similarities to twewy. granted, these similarities are largely surface-level, but that's also kinda my point. final fantasy as a franchise achieves the variety it does through acknowledging what is fundamental to it and innovating off of that. by contrast, twewy (the franchise, not the game) is afraid to change its spirit and seeks purely to preserve it. because of that, the only way you could really differentiate twewy (the game, not the franchise) and neo at a glance is because of the hardware they are on. acquiescing to the merciless march of time, rather than embracing it.

that's why i still think my complaints about the ui ultimately fall back on the critiques of neo being derivative. while the problems with the ui in isolation seem like the developers trying something new, when you look at neo holistically, it is so clearly just an attempt at merely adapting, and sometimes it feels like neo fails even on that level. it isn't even innovation by necessity; every change feels like a sacrifice more than anything.

and on that note: gameplay.

i would say i generally enjoyed playing neo. the overworld exploration is very bog-standard, but i still appreciate it. remind is cute (it and telewarp's mechanics are obviously scripted but successfully "feel" cool to use) and dive fights are cool. i didn't mind the lack of fast travel, and in fact ADORED beat's soundsurf. having it add to your groove makes so much sense it hurts, and i love what it does to the music. but all of this is kinda window dressing when compared to the combat.

i'm sure my utter obsession with rpg (especially traditional rpg) gameplay aids my love of neo's combat, but i think most people can appreciate the gameplay loop. assigning party members to specific buttons is an undeniably fun concept. the hyper-customization of the combat is also something to be admired (to an extent); i'm sure i'm not particularly special for this, but i adore any opportunity to play a game "my way". the pin list is a teensy bit bloated with repeated ideas but with a higher number and/or different and somewhat arbitrary "element", but i sincerely love it overall. with how diverse the ideas are, there's a shocking few that i would consider objectively worse than the others. for example, the strength of the game's combo system "groove" means that a pin having a lower power doesn't actually make it necessarily worse, since less damage per attack allows for longer combos, which allows for more liberal and consistent use of the special moves unlocked by reaching the 100%, 200%, and 300% thresholds. inversely, as a compulsive grinder, the game's progression felt fairly natural even when i was pretty blatantly overprepared. fights are incredibly busy, and the boss fights especially are designed so that a single mistake can become a slippery slope of punishment. i died fairly frequently, particularly from getting too big for my britches and taking on a reduction chain i just couldn't handle. thus, fights never felt thoughtless the whole way through, which i was frankly REALLY impressed by.

i would accredit each of these compliments (or a stronger version of them) to twewy (to the point where i'm strongly tempted to derail this whole thing into how much i fucking love twewy's gameplay), but to its credit, neo does take different ways to get there in a lot of cases. to be doubly fair, though, as i've previously stated, these different approaches feel like they needed to happen rather than resulting from a distinct and passionate vision. to be TRIPLY fair, though, what's here has so much polish and depth that there was clearly some kind of passion present. my mind made a strong connection to kingdom hearts; i am not a big kh fan, so that is either indicative of just how similar neo and kh are (that someone like me could point it out) or how ignorant i am to action rpgs (accusing neo of being similar when it's really not). i'm open to either option.

the hyper-customization also feels like a double-edged sword, in that there is virtually no difference in how each of the six party members play. making your party members distinct from a gameplay perspective is INCREDIBLY important, because it's such an effective tool of storytelling. for better or worse, how a character performs during gameplay will directly influence how a player will view that character holistically. if, either by pure luck or bad game design, a character underperforms, a player is inclined to view that character less fondly. while neo's method of little if any distinction seemingly circumvents this slight dice roll, it closes off a unique opportunity entirely and settles for something that feels a little bland. mind you, this doesn't change anything about what i liked about the game's customization and customization as a whole. i do believe, generally, that the more customization the better, but that can't be an excuse to homogenize the party members.

none of how the game handles levelling up and stats really helps this. yes, characters will have different tastes in terms of food (leading to potential bonuses on top of the stat increases that food already does), and some clothes will have secondary benefits exclusive to certain party members, but it's not nearly enough.

i'm tempted to say that the solution to this would be to find a better balance, and that is still true on a fundamental level, but i also don't think making party members distinct and customization are mutually exclusive, or even necessarily things that mitigate the capacity for the other. if you want to go as extreme as what neo attempts, then yes, a focus on customization will undermine uniqueness, but there's also ways to let them heighten the other. in twewy's case, the dynamism of neku's gameplay vs the static "gimmicks" of his partners spoke not only to the personalities of each character individually, but also of neku's relationship with those partners and with people as a whole. more contemporary and popular examples of this would be pokemon (especially nowadays with nature mints and streamlined ev training) and persona (especially 5 royal).

the latter of the examples i bring up is an interesting one to me: taking advantage of a protagonist who is a canonical blank-slate (not to say joker or any persona protag from 3 onward has no personality, just that they are wild cards) to let them fit whatever mold the player wants. it's a big indicator of what i mean when i say that customization and uniqueness can coexist, because in this case, they're two almost completely separate spheres that manage to function without overpowering the other. when they DO interact, such as with the intended evolution of the mc's personas or the customization allowed for non-mc party members, it only enhances what it touches.

i should stress, despite these critiques, that i think neo's gameplay is good. i had fun with it. there are aspects of it, such as its pin selection, that i found memorably impressive. but i want to stress why i stick so strongly by my thesis—that neo is derivative—even for its best aspects.

and on that note: the story.

let's get the big thing i've been alluding to out of the way: i ADORE neo's localization. i really, truly, sincerely think there wasn't a single time in the entire game where i felt some piece of dialogue was awkward, and that is not only a compliment for the localizers, but for the writers as well. don't get me wrong, i could sometimes notice that things were localized, but that realization never jarred me. rather, it made me that much more confident about what that piece of dialogue could tell me about the character saying it, the situation they're in, and/or their relationship(s) to whom they're talking to.

i won't act like it's absolutely perfect, of course. however, my complaints come from failures to achieve the goal of localization, rather than with the innate nature of the practice. for example, probably my biggest hang-up on it is that it undersells a lot of the sentiment when shiki and neku finally reunite, though the voice acting is partly responsible for that (likely moreso the voice direction rather than the actors themselves, but i can't say for sure).

back on the positives, i do find the english voice acting pretty good. miranda parkin as nagi is my personal highlight; her performance reminds me a LOT of erica lindbeck's futaba sakura, and you should absolutely look into her work on her youtube channel "ParkinArt" when you get the chance, because she is superbly talented. shoutouts also go to xander mobus as kubo (i struggle to think of a sleazier voice) and pretty much every returning va.

in general, i am pretty massively defensive of localization and localizers; whole lotta people who don't know shit spouting, well, shit. to be fair, i'm not much better, but at least i'm on the side of the people who do this shit for a living. and i'm also on the side which appreciates those people for the work they do, because i can't help but feel like it's really fuckin hard. you're not just translating the literal words, but finding ways to synthesize it to maintain the SPIRIT. This short video by "Jehtt" about the opening line of Sonic Adventure is an excellent example of what I'm talking about.

youtube

as for the content getting localized itself, final remix (and specifically a new day) made it clear that whatever sequel comes out, it's going to be some kind of direct continuation of what's been established, rather than a self-contained story in the same universe or something along those lines. personally, i would've preferred the latter if a twewy sequel HAD to exist, and to its credit, my favorite things about neo twewy's story tend to be the things which THEORETICALLY make it stand on its own. obviously, your enjoyment is enhanced if you play the first game, but there's enough in neo to make it possible for someone who doesn't to still understand it.

for example, new characters are fun, even if occasionally half-baked. i'll get the riff-raff out of the way: the shinjuku reapers felt like goofy personifications of gimmicks that served their purposes well enough, coco is a bit less annoying this time, tsumugi is hilariously half-baked after being hyped up as much as she was, hazuki... exists, and i struggled to see any of the other team leaders as more than an impetus for other characters (though i am DEEPLY grateful kanon isn't as bad as she could've been). speaking of which, how about those characters?

my favorites were nagi and fret; i see their concepts as a bit tropey, but executed well all the same. the ways their arcs intertwine were surprisingly compelling; nagi's dislike of fret wasn't just a weird gag, but an inevitability of fret's compulsion to put up a front and nagi's keen perception and hatred of "fake" people. once nagi learns why fret puts up this act as he makes an effort to move past that instinct, they start bonding almost immediately as she tells him more about her inner workings and that she'll take care not to be so judgmental thanks to his influence. the reveal that she got fret on elegant strategy after the events of the game made me smile way more than the game trying to get me to like rindo and shoka as a couple ever did.

on that note, i could take or leave rindo as a protagonist, and in general, my interest in the shinjuku reapers (especially shoka) waned as they became more significant. that's not BECAUSE of their significance, mind you, simply that they ended up disappointing me in one way or the other (with the possible exception of kaie who was just kind of a silly little guy). it comes back, yet again, to my thesis on this game failing to meaningfully iterate. i understand and agree that there's a lot of value in establishing parallels between characters, even if the plots of their stories are disconnected. i would go so far as to say it's ideal to make a sequel expand on the subtext of what's been established like that, as long as it and what's new bolster each other. in the case of rindo, i struggle to appreciate things about him that aren’t some extension of neku when he was a protagonist. i found his arc about making his own decisions sudden and a bit inexplicable, especially with how blatantly it was stated. felt like a case of saying a character was having a specific arc without actually giving them that arc.

as for shoka, i do like her more than rindo. in fact, it’s her relationship with him that made me lose interest; it felt like all the things that endeared me to her, like her relationships with the other shinjuku reapers and her brand of snark, got pushed to the side in favor of said relationship. it dominated everything else about her character in a way it felt like it just didn’t with rindo. granted, this could just be because he’s the protagonist, and her “snark” is a surface level reason to like her. however, i don’t find that first concession to be an adequate excuse, and it was precisely her personality that got me interested in the character to begin with, only for it to feel discarded (albeit probably not completely, i’m sure there’s a cute lil moment or two i’m forgetting). considering shoka’s love of gatto nero and shiki’s presence in the game, i imagine the parallels between the two have to be somewhat intentional, including with their relationships to their respective mc. like with rindo, these parallels make it hard for me to appreciate the character, but unlike rindo, shoka’s parallels seem to actively oust the things unique to her, as opposed to rindo’s leaving little opportunity for appreciable distinction to begin with. again, i ultimately prefer shoka, as tis better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all.

that just leaves the three elephants in the room/party: all of them are returning characters. two of them are characters you played as in twewy.

i do want to make it clear that even at my most territorial, i don't think i was ever completely against the idea of there being returning characters; if anything, my ideal twewy sequel would actually feature characters like joshua or hanekoma more prevalently than they were here. rather, much like most things, it comes down to how you implement them, and neo does so in a way that pretty blatantly relies on them. even that isn’t a necessarily a bad thing, but remember what i said about this story attempting to stand on its own?

what shocks me about their sheer prevalence is that very little of it feels necessary. i don’t get the feeling that any of the og gang were needed to make this story work on a thematic level (as happy as a lot of their scenes together made me), and in fact, as i alluded to with rindo and shoka, it actually seems to impede or dampen a lot of what the game is trying to go for. i see it as perhaps the single most blatant example of my thesis statement. neo plays with the concept of a self-contained story, but is unable to let go of what's already there, innovate enough on the franchise and original game’s core, and pull through with something standalone, because it seems generally unwilling to embrace change, and consequently, key aspects of creativity and what makes a good sequel. i understand if others don’t share this opinion, but to me, it really feels like neo only changes when it has to, and that reflects in the changes it makes as well as the ones it doesn't.

and on that note: the conclusion.

sorry this feels so disparate. i definitely wouldn't call neo a bad game, and in fact, i think given some time, i can comfortably call it good. plus, i can, after some difficulty and deliberation, say it and even final remix's existence only add to og twewy. impulsive territorialism be damned, it makes me happy to see stories and characters i love be added on to like this. the aspects i consider bad, even if they might be fundamental, are not enough for me to avoid embracing and appreciating the good. my silly little headcanons are not “threatened” by things like final remix, even if it felt like they would be in the moment. it is still possible to imagine all my favorite characters living happily ever after with each other, even that cunt with the mop for hair joshua, and if anything, certain scenes in neo only add to those delusions. i may have complained about them, and i do stand by those complaints, but i cannot deny how much i love them in isolation. i think the only thing that could've made me hate them is mischaracterization, but the only instance of that which stuck out to me (neku and shiki reuniting) seems to be a translation issue, and the real sentiment of the scene aligns far more strongly with my views of the characters.

that said, i'm still definitely disappointed by it all. neo's derivative spirit felt very pervasive to me the whole way through, and by the end, i felt a strong urge to replay twewy. that's not a necessarily bad instinct to have after playing a sequel, because it's the idea of "wanting more". it is, however, bad in this case, because it was a mix of that and the idea of "wanting better". i wanted to play something where these good ideas were new, or better yet, something where the new ideas were good. as it stands, i'm left the slightest bit hollow; just enough to be noteworthy, but i still feel like a dick for bringing it up.

i'm happy i played this game. i may very well play it again in the future. there's aspects of it i like to the point of loving. and yet, i hesitate to say i like it.

my feelings on this game continue to be jumbled, even after all this. still, writing a lot of it out definitely helped, and it was really fun to make! thank you oh so very much for reading; i hope you enjoyed it!

oh, and i would rather rip my dick off than play scramble slam again-

#ntwewy #neo twewy #neo the world ends with you #twewy #the world ends with you #might be forgetting smth #ah well maybe later #i don't wanna include character tags cuz i don't wanna be the fucker that interrupts someone's search for fanart of their fave

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lonelywretchjervistetch · 1 day ago

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My DC Cinematic Universe - Creature Commandos: Part I - Introduction

In every comic book fanatic...there are two wolves.

There's the first wolf, the purist wolf, who has read all the canon, loves the comic book lore as it stands (no matter how ridiculous it is), and can tell you the unnecessarily complex backstory of that one character that no fully same person knows the backstory of (the Hawks for DC nerds, and any member of the Summers-Grey family for Marvel, for example). But the second wolf, the fan wolf, actively shares those characters and stories they love with other people, and thinks about those characters with its own headcanons and opinions.

Now, unlike the metaphorical inner wolves of normal people, these wolves are fed by external media. And when a comic book fan looks at a character or story they live, especially when its adapted, their wolves feast. The purist wolf feeds on accurately adapted characters, faithful to the page and to what they love to see. Meanwhile, the fan wolf just wants to see the adaptation, regardless of the changes, and loves to talk about it with other people who see it. Now, ideally, every comic book nerd has wolves that they feed in equal measure with books and media, especially if that media adapts comics well.

So, how are my wolves doing?

...Jesus Christ, when did the fan wolf learn how to walk on two legs? And use weaponry? And develop thumbs? And learn Spanish? And speak with the voice of acclaimed character actor Wagnar Moura? Well, shit, he's feeding pretty well as of late. Makes sense, there are a lot of adaptations nowadays, and comic books and associated media are considered mainstream! That means the purist wolf must be

Ah. It's dead.

Well, goddamn it, what the hell? Comic book purists have never really fed well, but it's not like they've been completely starved. As somebody who considers myself pretty flexible in my tolerance of character and story changes between media (different media means different narrative need and format), I often like the changes in adaptations. Plus, there have been plenty of changes that are at least faithful to the original spirit of the characters.

In Marvel, for example, every version of Spider-Man that we've seen in film has at least been faithful to the spirit of the character. Sure, Tobey's version wasn't very funny and created natural webbing, Garfield's version was arguably too cool for school and never said the whole responsibility thing, and Holland's version is way too reliant on other superheroes in his films, but ALL of them are still solid version of the webhead, in my opinion. Plus, hell, Into and Across the Spider-Verse are both more than enough fuel for a comic book purist, even with Shameik Moore's stupid-ass Tweets as of late.

And that's not even counting the Playstation Spider-Man, who's goddamn fantastic (BOTH of them in BOTH games), some of the animated Spider-Men (looking at you, *Spectacular Spider-Man*, unsurprisingly), and even fan-made versions of the character that have made the circulations as of late. Hell, adaptations have been doing better than the FUCKING COMIC BOOKS as of late when it comes to Spider-Man. But, OK, enough about Marvel. Not why I'm here. Just...bear with me, I'll get to the point.

DC has had plenty of faithful adaptations over the years, if not actual straight adaptations that also work all right. Young Justice, of course, is the most recently lauded animated adaptation, while older shows like Batman: The Brave and the Bold, the various shows of the DC Animated Universe (AKA the DCAU or Timmverse), and even more recent fare such as Harley Quinn shows at least an appreciation and familiarity with source material. That last one, admittedly, is a stretch, but Harley Quinn has genuinely surprised me with its attention to faithfulness, and its willingness to be more creative and funny with its alternate versions of classic characters. It was better in earlier seasons, though, just to be clear. But even then...passable.

There's also the animated film adaptations, which haven't been as good as they were in the late 200s and early 2010s, but still have some solid entries. The Crisis on Infinite Earths adaptations weren't perfect, but had their...sparse moments. The Long Halloween was actually quite a good adaptation of the difficult-to-adapt source material, as was Teen Titans: The Judas Contract (even if the TV series did it a little better, although much less accurate). Wonder Woman: Bloodlines is a recent adaptation that's actually VERY good, especially to those who love WW rogues. And if you haven't seen some of the older films, like Justice League: Doom, Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, Justice League: The New Frontier, Batman: Under the Red Hood, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Batman: Year One, The Death of Superman and Reign of the Supermen, Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, Superman/Batman: Apocalypse, Superman vs. the Elite, All-Star Superman, and Superman: Red Son...uh, yeah, please do, they're all excellent.

But, OK, with all of those adaptations, some as recent as last year, why is the purist feeling so deprived? Well...because the bad FAR outweighs the good, especially as of late. Just talking about DC (because Marvel is a bag of angry, screaming Flerkens), the movies have only given us THREE decent adaptations in the last 5 years: the underrated Blue Beetle, which is a quite accurate iteration of the character; Matt Reeves' The Batman, and the associated The Penguin (which was so afraid of comic books that they changed the main character's name to be "more grounded"), and The Suicide Squad, which is...a fitting film to bring up. Oh, and Birds of Prey doesn't count because it fucked over A LOT of characters, especially Cassandra Cain. Just sayin'.

In terms of TV series, well...Young Justice returned, but kinda fell off in the process for a lot of fans. The CW series, with the exception of the excellent Superman and Lois, are...something for another post. And there is Peacemaker, which is...again, fitting to bring up, but also incredibly complicated, and not beholden to accuracy for various reasons. And anything else...doesn't really rate discussion. Yeah, it hasn't been amazing for DC fans, while Marvel fans were eating pretty well in the last decade-and-a-half. So, imagine our delight and joy upon hearing that the DC cinematic universe would be remade by a bonafide comic book fan who was unafraid of the source material: James Gunn.

With Guardians of the Galaxy, Gunn had already proven he was able to swing and swing BIG when it came to comic book characters, having successfully adapted the titular Guardians, and Ego the Living Planet, of all characters. Yes, he severely fucked up Ronan the Accuser and Adam Warlock (like...REALLY badly), and also kinda Drax, but he also adapted Mantis successfully. FUCKING MANTIS. At the very least, he showed that he was willing to go for it. And then, after the firing-and-rehiring from Disney and being brought onto DC as a result, he made The Suicide Squad.

Understand what a miracle this film is, OK? Gunn makes GotG, it's a massive success, and Warner Bros. and DC notices that. So, they make their own GotG with blackjack and hookers in the form of David Ayers' Suicide Squad, which is TERRIBLE, and seen for the rip-off it was. Then, Gunn's old tweets pop up and he gets fired by Disney, and JUST before he gets rehired, WB swoops in and snags Gunn to revitalize the film series that ripped off HIS film series IN THE FIRST PLACE. AND IT FUCKING WORKS. Not only does Gunn make a GOOD Suicide Squad movie that people actually LIKE, but he also adapts King Shark, Starro the Conqueror, and fucking POLKA-DOT MAN!!! And he gets Jon Cena to play Peacemaker, WHICH LAUNCHES ITS OWN FRANCHISE BY ITSELF!!! And with that, Gunn gets brought on to run the DC cinematic universe as their own Kevin Fiege. FUCKING POLKA DOT MAN??? It's incredible!

...Right?

Like I said, Gunn's The Suicide Squad seems like a miracle. Excellent performance, a lot of cool characters to introduce from the DC Universe, and a crazy-ass showdown that does DC Comics some justice. But, uh...hold on a second. The wolf is still starving over here. Because this film cleverly seems like a miracle. In reality, while Gunn made a fun film to watch, he also severely fucked over comic book nerds in a myriad of different ways with this film, because he set a dangerous precedent, while also continuing an irritating trend that he'd previously helped to promote. That trend? In-name only characters, AKA references for the sake of references.

...Fan-service. Gunn is a master of good-looking fan service.

Look, creative license is great, honestly. It's also incredibly necessary. But Gunn has found a way to put in superficial references that draw in comic book nerds, or the comic-book knowledgeable, while also not really even caring about the source material. Sometimes, it doesn't matter. Polka-Dot Man, AKA Abner Krill, is essentially a joke character that Gunn took and made into an actual character. No comic book nerd gives a SHIT that Polka-Dot Man was a Batman villain from the '60s who committed dot-based crimes, using various special devices and gadgets that he turned into dots that he wore. He's essentially a blank-slate of a character, and Gunn took that and changed it completely, but also made the character memorable and interesting (as did actor David Dastmalchian, of course).

In fact, Gunn did the exact same thing with a whole slew of bit characters in the beginning of the movie. Lemme give you a shortlist of the comic book characters that appear in The Suicide Squad, outside of the main cast of character.

Javelin*,Savant*, Blackguard*, Mongal*, Captain Boomerang*, Weasel**, Thinker*, Kaleidoscope**, Double Down**, Calendar Man**, Ratcatcher*, Starro the Conqueror**, and technically Arm-Fall-Off...Man*. Holy shit, that's a lot of characters! What's that you ask? What do the asterisks mean? Ah, right, sorry, I should explain. Characters with two asterisks have little more than a single brief appearance, just for a quick joke or a "hey look, they're here" appearance. And the single asterisks? Those characters die.

And yeah, OK, it's a "Suicide Squad" movie, death is part of the equation. But look at some of those characters again. Mongal? She's an extraterrestrial conqueror, and the daughter of a major Superman and Green Lantern villain. Definitely could be used better than dying LIKE A PUNK. And why is that character even in Task Force X? Starro the Conqueror? I mean, maybe they pull something off and bring him back for a later film, but that's a WORLD-ENDING THREAT, and a fucking JUSTICE LEAGUE villain! And...wait a second, did Gunn kill CAPTAIN FUCKING BOOMERANG???

One of the most iconic members of EVERY comic book iteration of the Suicide Squad (and therefore a survivor), one of the most iconic members of Flash's Rogues, and one of the only semi-decent things about Ayers' Suicide Squad? You gave Weasel, fucking Weasel, a post-credit scene where he survives the beach massacre, and Boomer is just fucking SHAFTED??? For what can only be assumed is a shitty SHOCK-DEATH? WHAT THE HELL KIND OF DECISION IS THAT???

Look...I actually like The Suicide Squad, I swear. It's a fun film, it is a Suicide Squad movie, and it does a good job with character development and the story of the team. Bloodsport and Peacemaker are great rivals and fun-as-hell characters, Margot Robbie gets a chance to actually shine as Harley Quinn, Ratcatcher and King Shark are great, and the fact that Flag and Polka-Dot Man die is actually genuinely affecting. Plus, shit, they made Starro the Conqueror FUCKING TERRIFYING, especially because he's a big dumpy STARFISH!!! I do like it! But...man, these are some controversial fucking choices, and I've never liked them.

And the big problem now? Gunn is running the DCU.

And again, I don't think that's inherently a bad thing, but...man, it has me worried. Hell, look at Peacemaker. While it was a great showcase for its eponymous character (and Jon Cena is stellar in the role), it introduces two characters that get kinda screwed, while also giving a kind of nothing-burger of a villain. I mean, I love Vigilante in the show, but Adrian was a fucking judge in the comics, not a complete sociopathic moron. Funny, yeah, but not the character. And Judomaster? Damn, did that character get completely shafted. Another in-name-only character, even though he's not a character I've ever been super-devoted to.

My problem is this: if Gunn approaches all of his projects, and the DCU at large, the same way he approached The Suicide Squad and Guardians of the Galaxy, this isn't gonna work. And that's not just in terms of how the characters are written or treated, it's his practices of pumping characters into his films, only to dump them and ruining them for the future of the universe as a whole. I mean, hell, he even did it to Marvel. Ronan the Accuser, Ego, and the High Evolutionary are gone from the MCU, despite being characters of enormous potential. But hey, is this a rational fear, or am I worrying for no reason? Well...cue the trumpets.

Earlier today, I finished watching Gunn's Creature Commandos, having kept up with it throughout the season. And understand, when this film was announced, I was super excited about it! I love the Creature Commandos in concept, and they've had a few incarnations throughout the years. It's a fascinatingly fun idea, and I was looking forward to seeing how the characters were adapted. I had my questions and concerns, especially about the roster, but I was intrigued. And what we got was...well, second after I finished it, I wrote this post. And that has sponsored what you're currently reading. So, uh...I have some notes.

Yeah, this is one of those rare occasions where something has made me SO irrationally frustrated, so very and incredibly irritated, I had to write a goddamn essay series about it. And yeah, this is only the first one of these. Can't help it. I'm kinda pissed off. Because Gunn wasted this team, ruined a fair number of characters for the DCU going forward, eradicated a pile of possibilities, and STILL GOT A SEASON 2 APPROVED FOR THIS SHOW. God, I'm worried. And I gotta tell somebody about it.

So, to the...I dunno, 1 to 5 people who actually read this essay, inclduing those whom I know personally (you know who you are, how ya doin'), thanks for reading and, if you're interested, stay tuned. A lot of unnecessary nerd-whining to come, believe you me. And more than a few headcanons, because I'm giving this the same treatment as my Superman essays. So, yeah, buckle in. It's gonna be a ride.

Part One: Introduction and Adaptation Part Two: The Original Creature Commandos

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