#also the guy who goes 'hang in there! We need to get the power on' is Dempsey

[flowersandbirdsflyingfree]

Located on a radio in Shi No Numa, an audio was revealed of what went down in Wittenau Sanatorium. This is the last is heard of John Banana, Smokey and Gunner.

[verysadlesbian]

Now that I have sat with my thoughts for a couple of days, I want to talk about some things:

There are too many people trying to defend Caitlyn's actions, so I have to say: NOTHING, and I mean absolutely nothing, justifies fascism. "Oh but she's grieving and blahblahblah" you know who else was grieving?! The mother of the kid Jayce killed in season 1. You know who else?! Vi and Powder that saw enforcers murder their parents, just like many other children from Zaun. Caitlyn destroyed her mother's legacy in the police brutality™️ operation, you understand how fucked up this is? Her mother's recording is saying "the people from Zaun deserve to breathe," and she did it anyways. If you sympathise with Piltover, you're either part of the problem or naïve enough to fall for fascist propaganda.

Ekko is the only real one. Not a single slightly evil bone in his body. Everything he does, he does for his people, not in a persuit of power, or revenge. He's genuinely good, so much so that he's willing to hang out with not only Heimerdinger, but also Jayce just so he could protect his community. He deserves so much better and I'll be heartbroken when he finds out that Vi was involved in Caitlyn's operation.

I don't know how Vi can forgive Caitlyn after what happened. I know I wouldn't. It just goes to show that you cannot trust that privileged people are going to be different just cause they were nice to you. Viktor found that out in season 1 and Vi is finding this out now.

Do you guys think the black rose is gonna pretend to be Mel?! I don't play LOL, but it is to my understanding that the black rose can make clones, so it'd be obvious that they're gonna take Mel's identity

Saw some people on twitter and tiktok (of course they were there) denying that jayvik has heavy romantic undertones by stating "they're friends! They're like brothers! Why everything has to be gay now?" and EVERYTHING HAS TO BE GAY CAUSE I SAID SO, NOW SHUT UP! But seriously though, I understand that to cishet viewers, their relationship might seem strictly platonic, 'cause they lack the eye that we, queer people, have for these things. And that's okay. Not everyone needs to understand the nuances of a homoerotic friendship. But in the same breath, they're quick to say that "Viktor was thinking about Sky, so obviously he's straight" and that pissed me off, cause: 1 - have you looked at him?; 2 - He feels responsible for her death (cause he was)! He's thinking about her because he feels GUILTY! that man was not interested in Sky whatsoever; 3 - it's so heteronormative to think that a man and a woman can't be friends, they're so adamant in denying jayvik cause "they're friends!" but they do the same fucking thing!; and finally 4 - HAVE YOU LOOKED AT HIM???

The trio "Sevika, Jinx and Isha" is probably my favourite thing in Act 1, I just can't get enough of them.

[angelyuji]

SOME MOREEE YANDERE PINES TWINS THOUGHTS

stan pines thoughts and professor ford pines??? HOLD ON LET ME COOK

18+!!!!

tw // yandere themes, gaslighting, manipulation, power imbalance, pervy uncle lowkey, also lowkey bimboification, noncon (not explicit)

professor ford pines!!!!!!!! known to be the eccentric professor who goes on tangents about trans-dimensional physics and other science junk, but also superrr lenient grader like no possible way anyone could fail his class. you’re def teacher’s pet type and he’s definitely aiming to make you a TA. always getting you involved in weird experiments, but you’re always down cuz ur there to learn! ford invites you to his house, you guys hang out outside of class and research, you’ve met his brother!! like u knew it was getting weird, but at the same time…. you need a good rec letter. so one day you guys are in his office at his home, grading papers…

“(y/n).” ford calls your name, sternly. the lights were dim and quiet classical music played in the office. you hum and turn to him. before you know it, his chapped lips press against yours. you push him away, scared and surprised.

“professor, what the hell are you doing?” you try back away, but ford grabs your hand.

“i think you are one of the most brilliant minds i know and i want to be with you, (y/n).” ford stands, pulling you into a hug. you push back, stumbling away from him.

“no, i-i never thought that! i thought we were just friends!”

“but, i invited you to my home.” ford’s face saddens, “you met my family…”

“i never… i never realized…” you felt embarrassed for the old professor. you take a step back. you can’t see his face, but you watch his fists clench.

“i suppose that means you’re okay with losing your job, as well as any opportunities in this field.” his voice was low, words drenched in anger.

“no…. no, no, no, professor you can’t do this to me.” your heart feels like it was being ripped out of your chest.

“no, i can’t, but who will you tell? who will believe you? i am a respected scientist in our field, (y/n). think once more on your decision.” ford looks at you, a smug smirk laying on his face. you don’t respond, knowing that you had no other choice. you step back to him and he pulls you into a soft, loving kiss. his 5 o’clock shadow scratches your face. “now, please (y/n), call me ford.”

stan pines who had known your dad when he lived in texas and saw him again in gravity falls. stan pines who gets invited over to meet his friend’s family for dinner and sees you. a cute, little thing in their early 20s. stan’s instantlyyy enamored. you’re so cute and respectful, explaining how you’re living at home while you work and save money for a house, blushing when stan compliments you, serving him food first. you were acting like a perfect homemaker and stan was instantly obsessed. your dad’s gonna tell stan before he leaves that you’re all moving somewhere cheaper:

“yeah, pines, we’re moving some time soon. you know how it is with retirement and the market going down.” your dad sighs, wearily. stan nods, trying to listen to your voice in the house. “can’t move till (y/n) finds a job though. its gonna be tough on them especially with how hard it is to find jobs these days.” stan perks up at his words.

“y’know, (y/n) don’t have to quit…” your dad looks at the older man in confusion. “my grandkids have gone back to california, shermie’s grandkids technically, so my attic is open for them to stay in. they can stay at their job and you guys can move.” stan offers, fighting a giddy smile.

your dad clasps stan’s hands, “stan pines, you are the kindest man i know.”

stan for sure acts like a feeble old man around you to get you to take care of him. like cooking dinner, doing laundry, and more. he conditions you into acting like his stay at home partner. he starts making advances, subtle at first, to see what you would tolerate. soon he’s dictating what you wear and bending you over on the kitchen counter to make sure you stay full :) (dont get me started on somnophilia cuz i have thoughts on those but idk if u guys are ready for the things im gonna say)

here are those thoughts i was talking abt… :))))

[helenabuu32]

We had a little thunderstorm the other night so this hc idea popped up in my head!

Bucci squad with a stand user S/O or crush who’s afraid of thunderstorms

In this situation, s/o or crush does actually like light storms, but when they’re so strong that the power goes out and the house is shaking, it gives them a lot of anxiety

Bucciarati:

Doesn’t even hesitate for a second or care that he thought you liked storms. The moment he sees you in distress, he goes protect mode

He’ll wrap you up in the biggest, fluffiest blanket he can possibly find and sit beside you on the couch until the storm is over, he doesn’t care how long it takes or if he’s up all night

If it’s dark outside and the power goes out, he’ll light some candles to make you feel a bit better

He’ll keep asking every 5-10 minutes how you’re doing and if there’s anything else he can do to make you feel better. Need water? Snacks? Want him to read to you or play a board game with you? Just say the word, he’s on it.

Jokes that he can zipper open a pocket for you guys to sit in to get away from the noise. If you say yes, he’s actually willing to do it.

If you’re really freaking out, he’ll sit close to you on one side and get Sticky Fingers to sit close on your other so you feel more protected

If you’re dating, he already knows about this fear and actually keeps track of when there’s supposed to be really bad storms. He’ll make sure to have your favourite snacks and drinks stocked up for the occasion, take you upstairs to his room and get under the covers with you and just hold you until the storm is over

Mista:

He’s confused at first because he thought you liked storms! When you explain that you do, but sometimes they get too loud for you, he’s really understanding.

He’ll bring Sex Pistols out to comfort you and tells you “wait there, I’ll be back soon!”

When he comes back to get you, he’ll grab your hand and lead you to the living room. He had just spent the last 10 minutes making a blanket fort filled with any battery powered light he could find and a stack of drinks and snacks

He’ll sit in there with you and talk about anything and everything to try to distract you through the storm. His stand will stay out so it feels like you’re all just hanging out and having a good time!

If you’re dating, like Bruno, he’ll prep if he knows there’s supposed to be a bad storm. He’ll set the fort up in his room with all those fairy lights you like and even set up a portable DVD player and just make a day of it. You guys hang out in the fort all day leading up to the storm, sometimes the Pistols come out for a bit too. Once the storm starts, he’ll put his stand away and just hold you and continue to talk you through the storm. You guys usually fall asleep in the fort.

Abbacchio:

Wtf he thought you loved storms??? You never shut up about how much you love the rain

Once you tell him it’s just when they’re super loud like this, he kinda gets it, but will still tease/make fun of you

When he sees that you’re actually in a lot of distress he’ll feel bad and throw a blanket around your shoulders and place his headphones over your ears. He’ll hand you his music player and let you choose some music you like and just sit on the opposite end of the couch to make sure you’re okay

If you’re dating, he won’t prep for storms, but he’ll wait them out and knows the second they start getting too loud for you. He’ll grab your hand and a bottle of water, take you upstairs to his room and just lay next to you/hold you while you listen to music with his headphones. He knows all your favourite bands and songs and actually put together a playlist specifically for this situation that is several hours long so you two can just lay next to each other and maybe even fall asleep

He bought a few battery powered lanterns after the first time the power went out during a storm and you screamed. So he keeps them around his room and turns them on for you as soon as that happens

Also keeps a stash of snacks in his room in his bedside table so if you get hungry or want anything he doesn’t have to leave you alone durning the storm

Narancia:

He’s also very confused because what the heck he thought you loved storms???

He doesn’t make fun of you, but he just doesn’t really understand. The moment he sees how upset it’s making you he tries his best to make you feel better!

He’ll start talking about anything he can think of to try and distract you. He’ll even start making up these elaborate fantasy stories!

If that doesn’t seem to be working, he’ll grab his boombox and a bunch of lights and just have a little rave with you in the living room to get your mind off the storm! Who can be scared when they’re dancing???

Narancia always has a HUGE stash of the best snacks and he’s happy to share them with you to make you feel better

If you’re dating, he’s a little oblivious and usually won’t notice a storm is getting too much for you until he sees you cowering under a blanket, but he will drop everything he’s doing to comfort you once that happens

He bought one of those cool starlight projectors and even found a music player with multiple headphone jacks so you guys can rock out to the same music and drown out the thunder while his arms are around you

Fugo:

He’s confused and doesn’t get it. Logically, there’s nothing to be afraid of. It’s just a storm and it can’t hurt you from inside the house, and he also recalls you saying you enjoyed storms.

When he sees how much you’re freaking out he kinda panics and doesn’t know what to do. But he still wants to help.

He’ll ask you straight up if there’s anything he can do to make you feel better. Want water? He’ll go get it. Need a snack? Just tell him what kind.

He won’t make up stories like Narancia, but if you ask him to just sit and talk you through it, he’ll get flustered and just start spitting out random facts. About animals, space, history…anything to distract you (and himself tbh).

If you’re dating, he’s taken note of the things that make you feel better during storms. He’ll charge his portable dvd player all day until the storm starts so you guys can watch documentaries and shows about all the different things that interest you. He also makes sure to go out and buy snacks and drinks that you like if he knows there’s gonna be a bad storm in the next few days

He bought you a weighted blanket and will drape it over you while he holds your hand snd waits for the strom to calm down

Giorno:

While he’s not afraid of storms anymore, he does understand. He remembers being so young and alone and having nobody to go to during bad thunderstorms. It was really scary.

He doesn’t care that you usually like storms, he can see why it would be different when it gets this intense

He’ll light some candles/turn a lantern on, give you a blanket and just sit with you. If you wanna talk, he’ll find things to talk about, but he doesn’t mind just being silent company if you prefer that.

If you like animals, he’ll turn a pillow into a dog/cat (whichever you prefer) so you have a snuggle buddy to calm you down.

Every once in a while he’ll ask how you’re doing and if you need him to get anything for you, he’s happy to do so.

If you guys are dating, he’ll bring you up to your room once the strom starts, even if it’s not too loud for you yet. He’ll use Gold Experience to turn something into your storm buddy and just lay with the two of you and stroke your hair to calm you down until the storm is either over or you fall asleep

Trish:

Confused at first but also gets it because she can be jumpy with severe storms as well!

Her fear is definitely not as strong as yours, so she does her best to try to help you through them

She’ll take you up to her room with some snacks and get out a stack of magazines for you guys to read. She has a lot of pillows and blankets and fairy lights so her room is really cozy!

Need a big stuffed animal to cuddle with? Trish has ya covered

If you guys are dating, she’ll put together a charcuterie board and some fresh fruit before heading up to her room and doing your usual storm routine

Once she started lightly singing to you and you told her she had a really pretty, soothing voice. So when the thunder gets really loud or you’re especially scared, she’ll wrap you in a hug and sing to you until you fall asleep or stop crying

She also likes to play with your hair or will even rub your shoulders/back to comfort you

Hope you guys liked these! I’m honestly this way with storms….I LOVE them and even don’t mind if they get a little loud, but if it’s constant, house-shaking booms or the power goes out when it’s already dark out, I can get pretty anxious!

My ask box is open so feel free to send me some hc ideas if you enjoyed!

[mattzerella-sticks]

Y'know what would be a good storyline coming out of Bruce taking on the mantle of Nightwing (briefly)?

If he enjoys it a little too much.

Nightwing is freedom. Nightwing is light. Nightwing is fighting bad guys while smiling laughing throwing out a funny quip.

Things he never gets to do as Batman.

So what if, after things have settled in Bludhaven and Absolute Power has come and gone, Bruce decides to make a short visit and help out again.

As Nightwing.

"People are used to seeing Nightwing in Bludhaven. It makes more sense for there to be 2 Nightwings than for Batman to be here," Bruce argues. "Besides, this will only help you. Make it seem like Nightwing can be there at any moment."

And Dick relents. For now.

Barbara finds it strange (as does Dick) but he waves off her concerns with, "it's just an appearance here and there. Besides, I've never seen him so happy."

Except the odd appearance "here and there" starts to become a consistent thing. And it reaches an apex when Bruce diverts an emergency call from the Titans and makes an appearance in Nightwing's stead and hangs out with them afterwards (they are a little put off by the total 180 in Batman's personality but don't tell him to leave).

I think Dick stages intervention one telling Bruce he has to go back to Gotham and stop being Nightwing because Dick is Nightwing and Bruce is Batman.

"Maybe I don't want to be Batman?"

And the issue ends with Batman renouncing Batman. Saying that if Dick thinks there needs to be a Batman, he should take up the mantle. It wouldn't be the first time. Which leaves Dick speechless.

The next issue picks up in Gotham with Damian fighting crime, getting ganged up on, when Batman descends and helps him out. Except this Batman is Dick.

They debrief and we also get an update on what's been going on with Gotham in the weeks, perhaps months, of Bruce being in Bludhaven and how the rest of the Batfamily are picking up the slack in his absence. We also see Dick picking the Batfamily's brains about what to do about Bruce, if anything should be done about Bruce.

It takes a conversation with licensed medical professional Harley Quinn to give Dick insight into what's going on with Bruce ("trying to feel young again") and how to shock him out of it ("Bats is a stubborn guy. Even if all of you kids gathered around and said how this was affecting you, he'd say that you weren't seeing the bigger picture or whatever other excuse he can think of. What you need to do is goad him into giving up Nightwing and going back to being Batman.")

So Dick corners Bruce one day in Bludhaven and presents a challenge. Rooftop race across the city. First one to finish is Nightwing. The loser is Batman. Bruce, drunk off playing Nightwing, cocky, agrees.

Cue the night of the race Dick and Bruce, both dressed as Nightwing, stand on the rooftop with Barbara between them. She drops the flag and they're off.

It starts with Bruce in the lead, it's been a while since Dick has run these rooftops, but as the race progresses Dick slowly takes the lead as Bruce's stamina wanes.

It also doesn't help that Dick has been chatting the entire time. First nonsensically which Bruce tries to keep up with as well, but as it goes on it's deliberate strikes at the reasons why Bruce is clinging to Nightwing and, in his exhaustion, in his still existing in the 'Nightwing' persona, Bruce actually engages in the dialogue Dick creates between them and the rapport is strong.

Dick gets Bruce to admit how Dick is the kind of person he wants to be and that he thought it was Batman holding him back, and if he dropped Batman he could be the kind of person worthy of having the family he does now.

Dick tells him that it's because of who Bruce was that Dick is the man he is now, and that Bruce has the potential to be like Dick in those regards even while being Batman.

Then Dick brings up Alfred, at the exact moment they reach the statue of Alfred in Bludhaven. A statue Bruce has been avoiding since he arrived. A statue which Dick had been leading Bruce to in the guise of their 'race'. Dick has Bruce confront Alfred and what Alfred wanted for Bruce and how it's a) things he already has and b) he's never too late to change who Batman is and can be.

Bruce takes off the mask and thanks Dick for helping him out, and they hug as the race is over. Dick has won. He is Nightwing. Bruce will go back to being Batman.

However, the night before Bruce is set to return to Gotham, he and Dick are getting ready to patrol Bludhaven together one last time, as Batman and Nightwing, when suddenly another Nightwing appears. And another. And another.

The entire Batfamily drops in wearing their own Nightwing costumes. "What?" Damian says, "we heard that all we need to do to become Nightwing is win a race. Who wouldn't jump at the chance for something that easy." And the story ends with Nightwing looking to Bruce, saying "Fine. One more time." Cut to a full page panel of Dick Grayson leading a throng of Nightwings across the Bludhaven skies.

The Midlife Crisis event is over.

[the-tyler-as-in-skyler]

posting more svsss fanart this time half finished doodles of a lil au that’s been cooking in my brain for a few weeks

fox shen yuan aus have my heart and soul anyways he gains more tails the higher his cultivation is :33

plot points for this below the cut (also apologies for the terrible image quality she’s been through a lot (my google drive))

- shen yuan is a fox demon, he gets popped into a very young fox demon similar to how airplane gets dropped into baby shang qinghua (airplane is sqh in this au but that’s not plot relevant yet)

- little fox shen yuan, still getting the hang of his powers and creating a human form, runs into shen jiu in the woods, realizes this “random” teenager looks a lot like he did in real life, and unconsciously shifts to look like him

- shen yuan and shen jiu become kind of friends (in that shen jiu feels like he needs to protect shen yuan because he thinks he’s naive and also thinks it’s funny when he’s a bitch and shen yuan also thinks that shen jiu is funny when he’s a bitch and that he should probably keep this kid from dying or screwing himself up with his clearly demonic cultivation too bad)

- shen yuan eventually figures out how to look fully human (prior to him and sj going to cang qiong mountain)

- sy and sj become disciples on qing jing together! how does shen yuan cultivate? well sj is the only one who knows he’s a demon but they manage to swipe a fox demon cultivation manual from qing jing peak’s library for him

- when the qing generation ascends shen yuan leaves cang qiong to go be a wandering cultivator and write a bestiary

(at this point you may be asking, where is zhuzhi-lang? he’s in the doodles, why hasn’t he shown up yet? fear not, he is coming)

- while traveling shen yuan decide that the mortal realm is too boring and there are far too many papapa plants there so he travels to the demon realm to record more beasts

- at this point tianlang-jun is still the emperor of the demon realm, and, through shenanigans probably, shen yuan manages to save zhuhai-lang from a rather dangerous plant that mimics normal demonic plants and gets introduced to the emperor

- it does not take long for shen yuan to realize that this is luo binghe’s father and decide, hey, maybe he can help this guy and hopefully get both of luo binghe’s parents to survive so he can have a kind of normal life without the trauma (he is still masquerading as a human at this point and there’s quite a bit of controversy about the demonic emperor taking advice from a human cultivator, linguang-jun later mocks mobei-jun for ‘following in the late emperor’s footsteps’ when he takes shang qinghua as his primary advisor)

- this plan does not work, shen yuan is exposed to the cultivation world as a demon and a traitor and gets his ass tossed into the endless abyss so he can’t warn zzl and tlj about the plot against them

- (shen jiu goes to see him before he gets sent in: “why’d you do it?” “i… i wanted to try and let them (su xiyan and tianlang-jun) be happy together…”)

- sy is stuck in the abyss making himself a little house and strong arming the various horrors down there into liking him

- cut to shen jiu, now shen qingqiu, extremely bitter about the fact that the only person he considered a friend betraying him the cultivation world, and seeing baby binghe who looks just like the guy his friend got tossed into the the abyss for and figures out that this must have been what shen yuan was trying to protect

- shen qingqiu is livid and takes it out on binghe

- yet another cut, we know what bingge’s childhood was like, and binghe’s gets dropped into the abyss (sqq thinks that it’s fitting he sends the beast to the same fate that trying to protect him doomed shen yuan to)

- binghe wanders the abyss, being miserable, for several years before he comes across… a house? the bamboo house from qing jing peak? is he hallucinating? but no, it’s not quite the same, it’s made with whatever freaky bamboo equivalent grows in the abyss and there’s a pen with a six-legged carnivorous horse around the side of it

- shen yuan built himself a version of the bamboo house because he really liked it and he helped build shen qingqiu’s bamboo house as a sort of present/congratulations for ascending to peak lord status and he wanted a comfortable place to relax where he’s less likely to be attacked by a beast

- binghe is very confused when he is enthusiastically greeted by a fox demon who looks like his scummy teacher but is rather quickly endeared and intrigued

- they bond, shen yuan helps binghe find xin mo and they get out of the abyss and into the demon realm together with shen yuan acting as an advisor for binghe similarly to how he did with tlj, with the condition that binghe helps him release tlj and zzl from their prison

- this is the main catalyst for them going to huan hua in this au (most people have forgotten what sy looks like or they were too young to remember his trial even happening, it wasn’t anything super public because publicity for the great sects is very important so they kept things very hush hush)

- shen yuan reunites with zhuzhi-lang and tianlang-jun! it takes them a while to figure out how to properly break them out but they do manage it!

- at some point in the demon realm shen yuan and shang qinghua run into each other and clock that the other person is a transmigrator pretty quickly (they both have a habit of muttering in chinglish during court and they hear each other and do the spider-man point meme)

- sqh and sy bond and binghe and mbj don’t exactly know if they should be jealous about it, they’re very close and seem to share some sort of strange dialect that only the two of them speak and spend a lot of time together?? (they’re arguing and maybe kissing a little bc… cumplane my loves)

- shen yuan eventually has the misfortune of running into liu qingge (who survives here because i love him and i think that sy would at least try to prevent his death because he found him endearing when they were disciples), while sy is delighted that his shidi is alive he’s less happy about having cheng luan pointed directly at his throat in a secluded alleyway when he was just trying to browse the market of a town he remembered being pleasant

- reuniting with lqg leads to reuniting with the rest of cang qiong (and getting yelled at for his incompetence by shen qingqiu before they make up)

- shen yuan has (just barely) convinced binghe that torture is not the answer to solving his trauma so shen qingqiu does not get water prisoned but they aren’t trusted alone in a room together for a good long time

- eventually this probably ends in shen yuan collecting a harem on accident (not that he’s very upset about it but still, he’s confused how he managed this)

- neither binghe nor shen qingqiu are particularly pleased about the harem thing but like… they love shen yuan and if it makes him happy they’ll put up with these other idiots (they totally don’t like some of the other harem members what are you talking about? there’s nothing going on there stop asking them about it)

[noneorother]

The grand unified theory of Good Omens S2 hangs on - you guessed it - a double meaning (and art). *Part 4*

Part 1 l Part 2 l Part 3 l Part 4 l Part 5 l The End?

This is major spoilers for season 3 territory. You have been warned. I'm also going to split this into parts because wow, I have so many ✨Clues✨! Friends, we have arrived at the prestige! Metatron come at me bro, catch these hands. Oh wait you can't, you always have your hands in your pockets...

People smarter than me have talked all about Aziraphale's magician outfits on this show, so I won't steal their thunder. Suffice it to say, The Metatron is wearing a weirdly dark coat and tie over his whole outfit. Which gives him a very only a white floating head look, but also keeps in the theme of ✨I am a magician✨. He's here to perform a trick!

I also won't talk a lot about him in the coffee shop because that's been done already. If we have learned anything from part 3, analyzing the coffee to death is what we are supposed to be doing, because He is distracting everyone with a benign object that we can inspect. So while he's waving this coffee around in the shop going "SEE I KNOW HOW EARTH WORKS" he's also doing something fascinating: Checking to see who recognizes him.

Weirdly, even though Aziraphael saw him in season one, and the angels all work with him, no one does right away. EXCEPT for Saraquiel and Crowley, who just saw his face not in person, but in a video tape of sorts up in heaven at Gabriel's trial by farce. And then something funny happens. Saraquiel is scared shitless and pretends to have 'forgotten' like Michael, but Crowley admits loud and proud that he does. Then Uriel gives THE BIGGEST SIDEYE I have ever seen on screen to Michael, as in "You don't recognize our boss? I am very afraid for what that means."

As far as I can understand, this is the reason the Metatron is here : "Are we in the version of events where I lose?" And the answer The Metatron gets after the question is : We are in the version of events where I have severely fucked with Michael, sort of fucked with the other angels, I have fucked with Aziraphale, and Crowley has seen me already in heaven. Now we're missing a lot of information as to WHY this specific answer is good for The Metatron, and how much Saraquiel knows, but it seems like he interprets this as an "I haven't lost yet, and I can still do my trick".

So now here we are, at the most important part of the episode, in my (and Aziraphale's) opinion. THE double meaning.

This line is insane. On the surface we have meaning 1) The Metatron is scolding over-zealous angels for meddling in this affair, and over reaching with their power, especially threatening to use the book of life on people. He's the good guy! But under the surface we have meaning 2) I HAVE THE BOOK OF LIFE and I have been using it on everybody in this room. If I don't get my way this time around, I will edit you guys again, and you will have done the right thing. And with that admission, Aziraphale severely twigs and becomes very afraid. From then on his voice shakes and he babbles, and he has trouble looking the Metatron in the eye. I'm willing to bet that this is the moment Aziraphale realizes what The Metatron just admitted: I am creating a version of reality as we speak where I change you and Crowley (and everyone else) so that you lose to me. A terrified Aziraphael goes off with The Metatron to have a chin wag. Now here's the trick.

We've already established that Maggie and Nina are here as stage assistants to The Metatron, so they need time to work on Crowley alone. If they talk to A/C together, like they would have without The Metatron's appearing in the scene before, better communication might have happened between them. He made Aziraphale disappear from the scene!

This does NOT look like the face of someone getting good news. We never heard what the details were besides inviting Crowley to the job promotion, so who knows what he threatened him with, but

This looks like the face of someone caught in a trap. So we are now seeing the prestige! We don't need that coffee anymore, that cup is GONE BABY. Aziraphale has been removed from the Nina/Maggie confession like a dove, and placed in The Metatron's dark coat pocket. Now he just needs to make our angel reappear in the scene the assistants have prepared for him and let him fail, thus completing the trick (uhg I hate it. So cruel).

I'm going to turn the final 15 into it's own post because this is already very long. Let's skip it for now, but we know our lovebirds get separated by heaven, and Aziraphale leaves. The Metatron breathes a huge sigh of relief in the elevator as he thinks his trick has worked, and he has won.

So it's finished now, and there's seemingly no way out. Aziraphale now knows what The Metatron meant when he communicated "I am creating a version of reality as we speak where I change you and Crowley and everything else so that you lose to me."

BUT! ARE YOU READY FOR THIS SHIT? BECAUSE IT HIT ME LIKE LIQUID JET FUEL. And I think it hits Aziraphale right here, (when he makes the creepy face after being hit with a beam of light i.e. realization)

That means that in the original version of events before all the edits, Crowley & Aziraphale won.

------

If you've gotten this far, thanks so much for reading. I'd love to hear what you thought, or even reblog it with your ✨Clues✨! Want to read more about the timey wimey business that we're gonna see in season 3, and why all this changes the final 15? Well I have *part 5* coming in just a bit. Parts 5 and The End are here! Part 1 l Part 2 l Part 3 l Part 4 l Part 5 l The End?

[fangirlingpuggle]

Another Xiaolin Showdown AU/Fic prompt idea with a Jack and Omi alignment swap. With Heylin Omi and Xiaolin Jack.

Omi who when left on temple steps is instead found by Chase who was keeping an eye on the temple and just goes up and sees this baby instantly imprints and is just 'My kid now' and Omi is raised by Chase and is a Heylin warrior but is also still Omi and still like he is normally just a little more vicious.

Omi who grew up with not only a father but all the fallen warriors dotting on him. Tiny Omi being carried around by scruff of shirt by the jungle cats or riding around on them. Chase doing evil threatening monologue only to pause turn to the side to look at Omi's painting and praise him and then instantly turn back ready to kill the person.

Chase isn't trying any world domination stuff because he is waiting for Omi to be old enough to join in, it's going to be family bonding he wants Omi to be involved and doesn't want him to grow up in his shadow he wants his son to have his own legacy and the they can take over the world together.

When the Shen gong Wu activate Chase isn't going to get involved by decides it'd be good for Omi knowing he can easily defeat any Xiaolin warriors and really Omi wants to and Chase can't say no, besides it's just child's play and games for him. The most he does is show up at showdowns to watch like the proud dad he is.

Jack is the dragon of metal and joins temple at same time as Kimiko, Raimundo and Clay. He's pretty sure his parents didn't know what they were agreeing to and just though it was a camp they were sending him to or they did know and this is punishment for blowing up the basement... again.

He also arrives with a puzzle box that he opens...accidentally and sets Wuya free. She isn't happy to be surrounded in a Xiaolin temple and ends up just going between others on heylin side like Katnappe. She tries to talk to Omi but it's very clear neither he or Chase will help her get her body back and aren't instead in world domination yet.

(She does end up sulking around the temple a lot, Dojo tried chasing her out with a broom didn't really work and she can't actually steal any Wu so they mostly just leave her be... she grumbles about Dashi a lot and whenever Fung is talking about an old legend of him she bursts in like 'THAT IS NOT HOW IT HAPPENED, WHAT IDIOT WROTE THIS?' and tells them how it actually happened... all the konks are very sure that there was something between the 2... they try asking Dojo but he can't remember.... he thinks if it is true he may have repressed it)

Jack's still like himself a coward and a lot of it is him and Dojo hiding behind Clay, and also still makes inventions more of a way to distract Omi at this point because he definitely outmatches them.

Eventually Wuya does get her body back and Jack manages to build portal for time travel, he goes back in time portal is destroyed before others can join. Him meeting Dashi is him fanboying about how Dashi made the Wu... he also asks him about Wuya and gets the full story.

He manages to travel back less from freezing himself and more from him and Dashi messing with Xialoin magic... he also sees some guy who looks a lot like Omi's dad just before he leaves.

The whole defeating Wuya is a lot less dramatic battle and a lot more her talking to Dashi... the puzzle box this time is less to trap her more the ghost and her talking... it's awkward the dragons are just there looking at each other unsure if they should leave or not.

(While all the Wuya's world domination attempt is happening Chase and Omi are just watching sipping smoothies

Omi: Should we stop her yet dad?

Chase:No little one she'll end up messing it up herself before we need to step in)

After that Wuya is just hanging around temple powers sealed but still human, she's more neutral party as she's not trying to destroy them... she does start eventually... purely out of spite.

Chase starts showing up more to showdowns now watching Omi more and him and her start snipping... they're literally like the parents arguing about their kids at a sport match. Wuya is not letting him win and starts training the monks dragging them along 'You WILL be strong enough to beat Chase's brat and your going to be so strong your all going to show Dashi up so when I see him again I can rub his face in it'

A lot of showdowns end up with Chase and Wuya fighting each other while Omi and the dragons are in the middle of a showdown that normally pauses because Omi starts cheering his dad on... and the dragons are cheering Wuya. The dragons do try holding her back at times but a lot of the time they're just holding her purse as she goes to try and beat Chase up.

[mino491]

omg the whole scene where Chook goes to visit Ca$h in jail is SO,,, like Chook forgiving C$h after literally getting a bunch of other eshays that Chook presumably likes (seeing as he hangs around with them so often) and almost getting Chook himself locked up is so crazy. I wanna learn more about their history because Chook goes so far as calling Ca$h family even after all he did and that is so interesting because it must mean that they have been through a lot of shit together. It's also kinda implied that Chook feels protective of Ca$h (even if his 'protectiveness' may really be the need to have power over him cough cough) from what we see in the boat scene and others.

Like imagine being Ca$h, this guy who you've known basically your whole life and have looked up to in some ways starts showing his worst side and you're forced to realise how fucked you're whole relationship has been. On top of that, most of the people around you don't understand how difficult it is to lose such a big part of your childhood (even if it was a really shitty part looking back) and then lose the protection you had while being 'Chooks kid' to try and move on and be free of who people though you should be. I get why the other characters would think dropping Chook and the other eshays would be a piece of cake because they don't really know anything about Ca$h's life with them but as a viewer, it's so sad to see Ca$h struggle and not even be able to talk to anyone about it without looking like he was fine with everything Chook and the others did.

Honestly, I could go on about Ca$h and Chook for so long and maybe I will later but I'll end my rambling here.

[quantomeno]

Further discussion on the theme of 'fallible gods' in Bionicle

I want to preface this by saying it is ironic that the fandom so heavily idolises Greg Farshtey and hangs off his every word when the story is literally about how those in control of a universe can make dumb decisions.

With that aside...

Bionicle has a few core themes and the story does an excellent job of keeping them at the forefront despite the constant changes of genre and tone. Today we will talk about how Bionicle explores the idea that those in positions of power (or who have great abilities) are as human as anyone and thus just as liable to err. The following follows on from discussions in this post and also the video linked in that post, but I'll probably repeat a lot of that stuff anyway so you don't need to read/watch all that.

Bionicle begins with a world of myths and legends. The audience is positioned to identify with the Matoran and be amazed by the strength of the Toa and the wisdom of the Turaga, yet as time goes on it is revealed the Toa are actually quite childish and the Turaga have been lying to them. Then we see Metru Nui: a world of technological wonder lead by the wise yet firm leader Turaga Dume. Turaga Dume who approved of the Vahki. Turaga Dume who gets impersonated by the big evil guy and no one really notices. We meet Toa who have betrayed their cause, we meet Toa who lose, we meet Toa who were once Matoran who then became the Turaga we revered on Mata Nui.

And from then on, the revelations only get bigger: the universe's spirit is a robot whose neglect for its inhabitants led to its own demise. The being that caused the fall of the robot is not the mystic entity of darkness, but just an overly dramatic bit of smoke in a suit of armour who has an aggrandised ego. We see Matoran go to save Toa and become heroes while also making their own mistakes, being plagued by internal demons and making difficult sacrifices.

Then we see Mata Nui as a 'human': he takes on the form of those who created him, the Glatorian (I just realised I said the Great Beings were Agori but they're Glatorian. I forget they're different species). And he learns to be 'human'.

And then we learn that the reason for the whole robot universe's existence is because the Great Beings neglected their own duties and made the robot as a way to save their planet.

All this is pretty straightforward though; I'm just setting the groundwork. Because I think there's one final level to this which rarely (if ever) gets discussed, and I alluded to it a bit in that preface: us.

See, I like to think that the Great Beings were, in some respects, meant to represent the child playing with their toys. Bionicle is a story about creation (and destruction) and so much of the story is tied to the physical sets. If the makers of the Matoran Universe are the Great Beings, then doesn't that mean the child playing with the Bionicles is, in a sense, acting out their role in the story? They are the ones who build the Toa and the Matoran and the Turaga, who give life to their stories by telling them with the toys.

The other side the idea that anyone can be a hero is that heroes are just like everyone else. We are all fallible and even those with great power make mistakes. However, it is when you believe yourself to be better than others that you make the greatest errors. You eschew unity since you believe you can go win alone, you forgo your duty because you consider it beneath you and you believe you deserve a more glorious destiny. The Great Beings are just 'some guys' because we are just 'some guys'. The Matoran are just 'some guys'. So are Terry and Mata Nui. Everyone in life (real life) is just 'some guy' (I should say some person but guy sounds funnier and it evokes the everydayness of things). No one in power or authority is inherently deserving of that role; they must work towards it and show their worth. While they may have talents that make them better in some way, they are subject to the same foibles as anyone.

No life is more special than another, for all life contributes to something greater, every act can bring so much goodness if only you can see it. We are the Great Beings, we have the potential and the skill and the knowledge to achieve so much, but only if we can understand the value of the littlest thing, because we are fundamentally no different from the least of us. Toa should not forget they were once Matoran, just as Great Beings should not forget they are Glatorian.

Let's end with a fitting quote from Ihu:

You are mistaken, Nuju. All of life is a journey, and the journey is not about how high you climb or how far you walk. It is about what you learn on the way, and how you choose to use that knowledge. Use it to help others, and the glory of Mata Nui will live inside you. Use it only for yourself, and though you may walk among us, you will have no more spirit than a block of protodermis.

[prodbyton]

okay so i am very much still on the perv train,, like it's so bad for me. so, let's talk about perv!Shotaro. this is stemming from that ig post where he is showing off his abs and my eyes were literally bulging out of my head bc who gave him the right. anyways, back to the task at hand✋🏾 perv!Shotaro is actually scary good at hiding it. you didn't suspect a thing when you started dating. he was so sweet and always a gentleman. he always opened the door for you to get a clear view of your ass, let you walk upstairs before him to get panty shots under the way in too short a skirt he convinced you to wear, and always held you close to whisper dirty things in your ear.

i think that Shotaro's perviness is more on the side of a corruption kink. not in the way that he expects you to be pure and innocent, but his sole mission is to make you think about sex as much as he does. Shotaro loves to make the most innocent things sexual. you could be riding the bus together and he'd whisper to you "would you blow me in the back of the bus if i asked?" or maybe Shotaro's driving down a bumpy road and turns to you with a bright smile and say "your tits look so pretty bouncing like that." or maybe you're taking a stroll in the park late at night and he'd hug you from behind and say "we should fuck behind that tree and see how quiet you can be." you stumble over your words in an attempt to respond before he laughs at your shock exclaiming that he was kidding.

Perv!Shotaro is also good at hiding from his friends and yours. movie night with his friends means the two of you are attached at the hip which always leads to you in his lap. if his friends start to make sexual jokes, he'll gives them a gentle reminder that a lady is present. he only engages in the most tame PDA around them (little pecks, soft kisses on the cheek/forehead, hand holding, holding you on his lap, etc.). he's even more tame around your friends. Shotaro will limit affection to just cheek kisses and hand-holding. it was so jarring for your friends to see a guy so gentle and innocent-looking that they questioned you about if you two have even had sex yet. you gave them a shy "yes", but little did they know Shotaro had fucked you within an inch of your life right before he dropped you off to hang out with them.

(i used every ounce of brain power to write this. i just had to spread the good word of perv!Shotaro 🙇🏾‍♀️)

-🎀 (possibly the world's biggest perv!RIIZE truther?? 🤨)

u heard it here first u guys… 🎀 anon is the mayor of perv riize nation

thinking about shotaro who gets you so dependent on him after a while where you become more even more perverted than him, always wanting him to fuck you, palming him through his pants at a dinner with your friends and he just teases you for being so nasty and needing him in a public space. teases you when he’s playing video games and you sit on his lap, grinding yourself on his thigh and chasing your release while he’s not paying you any mind, then when his game is over he’s just like “needy girl couldn’t wait until i was done so i could help her, i guess you don’t need any help now” and you just start crying and begging him to fuck you and you’re touching him before he could even respond to you :3

but in public he’s the sweetest boyfriend ever and no one would ever know what goes on behind closed doors cuz the cutest ones are the biggest freaks… if only they knew!

[thebreakfastgenie]

https://www.tumblr.com/thebreakfastgenie/766051466520690688/thats-exactly-what-im-hoping-for-too-im-voting

I think a deep flaw in the online left is that they're basically comparing the current far left with a far right wing that's made every effort to entrench themselves for decades by comparison.

They keep mentally thinking that both sides are equal in power, and thus the thing that will clearly help them succeed is the moral purity of their cause.

Except that's not the case at all. Because the reality is that the far right has done far more work to make their hate normalized than the far left has ever done for their beliefs and entrench themselves into actual positions of power, both due to a combination of cruelty being easier, and simply doing far more work by comparison.

The far right has spent years sticking their ilk amongst the populace, from the highest ranking positions to the lowliest high ranking positions possible in order to indoctrinate as many people as possible to their cause.

The far left by contrast has done diddly squat. They're the arrogant punk kid who waltzes in expecting to kick ass and take names and be lauded and praised for it simply because of who they are, while ignoring that either everyone is a neutral bystander who doesn't like grandstanders with more bark than bite, or an ally of the guy they're coming in to sock the face of.

And that's bitten them in the ass time and time again, because while the big evil guy is unpopular, he's also entrenched and just needs to win once to smack the upstart down.

But unlike actual main characters, the far left is so convinced of their righteous superiority that rather than wising up and building a real base of power and catching the far right off guard for a knockout blow, they just keep on throwing themselves over and over again with the same idea expecting different results.

Yeah... I think there's a combination of not understanding how asymmetrical it is and an attitude of "it's not fair!" Like, no it's not, so it goes though. We've watched the far right become so deeply entrenched they've taken over the mainstream conservative party. The right played the long game on the courts and the left was complacent about that for way too long. It's also a huge thing in local elections. The right has paid way more attention to school boards and other positions like sheriff that are elected in many places, even up to state legislatures. Far right candidates winning these elections really helped entrench the far right in addition to the material effects they've had on people's lives.

I think part of the problem is just that electorate is a lot more conservative than the left is willing to admit. There isn't a hidden groundswell of support for the far left. You have to do the work the hard way and a lot of leftists aren't willing to. You know that Contrapoints quote about wanting to "endlessly critique power?" She was right on with that. I think there are elements within the left that romanticize the perpetual struggle. One might say

He refuses to bend, he refuses to crawl And he's always at home with his back to the wall And he's proud of his scars and the battles he's lost And he struggles and bleeds as he hangs on his cross

On the other hand, a lot of voters like the far right and want them to win. They may not like them for rational policy reasons, because a lot of voters don't vote for those reasons (I know, it's maddening, but so it goes) but they like them.

One of the reasons I tend to align myself with liberals rather than leftists is liberals get stuff done. I've seen tangible progress from liberals within my lifetime. There are so many structural advantages favoring the right that it's a huge fight to keep them out of power. We can turn the tide but we have to do the work.

I don't know how much sense I made I'm a little groggy.

[worldfullofash]

i would love love love some fluffy romantic headcanons for Penelope Garcia 💜💜 :)

There definitely needs to be more Garcia content on this app! Thank you for your request and here you go <3

Penelope Garcia as your girlfriend

She is THE Office siren

Yet she knows how to include color in her fits, which i looovee

And damn being her lover is a whole rollercoaster

In a good way of course

Let’s talk about being her significant other

She has so much love to give and yet no one to give it to

Until you came along

Don’t get me wrong she showers the bau with love, but she still longs for something more

We all know she is an enthusiastic person

Therefore, she is not one to shy away from flirty banter. When you return the same energy… she is an unstoppable force of love

That means she isn’t ashamed to bury you with her affection

I mean- She’s probably already planning your wedding

In addition to this, she is a great planner. Your birthday party’s are the ones that everyone in the bureau looks forward to

Get her trinkets please

Like that’s the way to get into her heart

She’ll appreciate every little thing. She puts them in her office and takes them with her when she has to consult on a case. As a reminder of you everywhere she goes

Even if you are a profiler and literally a few feet away from her-

She just misses you all the time

Heart-shaped rocks, little notes with doodles and pictures of cats. Everything little thing counts.^^

Speaking of cats, she is definitely a cat person

I’m pretty sure she buys cat food just to feed the stray cats in het neighbourhood

You may have to warn her about the risks.. the illnesses and all that. However, it is endearing to see her care so much about animals most people usually ignore

I definitely think she can crochet. Which means she makes most of her gifts for you herself

Imagine her exited face when you open the colourful packaging to be met with a cardigan or a scarf in your favourite colours

She knows your style so well^^

Happy you = happy Penelope

Btw she also crochets hats and sweaters for the stray cats I mentioned earlier. They never want to wear them, but it’s the thought that counts

She stims a lot. Especially when she feels comfortable enough with you. She starts singing out of nowhere, rubs her hands together and even shrieks to transfer her energy. Later on she also uses your jewellery/clothes to fidget with

She rambles a lot when stressed so you have to remind her to breathe

I really like to see her with a quiet person who loves to hear her talk: the rambler x listener trope

She wears her emotions on her face

This means that you don’t even have to be a profiler to know what mood she’s in. Since she’s so cheerful all the time it is evident when she’s feeling down.

Fortunately, it is very easy for you to make her smile again

She makes her love known by giving gifts

But her actual love language is words of affirmation. She needs to know that she belongs and matters. Especially considering her past

If you don’t like Spencer she’ll won’t like you. Period.

You guys will be a powerful trio btw

If you work for the bau, you always hang out in her office. It’s your own little girlscave

Like Hotch has to force you out so you will focus on your paperwork

You guys share colognes/perfumes and beauty products

All in all, I need her, i want her and i need her to want me

[zukosdualdao]

another reason i dislike the way this conflict is written is because it opened the floodgates for certain parts of the fandom to really mischaracterize others—namely, sokka and zuko.

some of it is light-hearted and, i think, not ill-intentioned. jokes about them being more okay with killing abound in the fandom, though, and while there’s a kernel of truth to them, i think they often ignore context.

and of course, there are people i feel speaking in much worse faith, criticizing them both for “bullying aang” over it and insisting they’re morally wrong to suggest aang needs to kill ozai.

but once again: context. they are harsh because the situation demands it. neither of them know another way (and by the way, neither does aang or the audience at this point) to defeat ozai, and if they don’t defeat ozai, the earth kingdom will be destroyed and the world will collapse.

people talk about zuko and sokka like they’re bloodthirsty killers, just, a-okay with killing no matter what the situation, but they’re not.

sokka is a pragmatist. he has never been a killing for killing’s sake guy. when he wanted to leave zuko to die back in the siege of the north, sure, he hated him, but that’s not why he wanted to leave him. zuko kept chasing them. it would simply be less dangerous and make their lives easier to leave him behind. sokka killed combustion man because he wouldn’t back down even when the guy who hired him was trying to get him to stop, so there was very clearly no reasoning with the guy, and they would have died if they hadn’t stopped him. likewise, sokka kills the soldiers who are approaching him and toph as they hang from the airship in order to protect himself an to protect toph. he kills in situations where he and his friends would have died if he didn’t. and it’s frankly uncomfortable that the rhetoric here is the main dark-skinned boy in the cast is unnecessarily violent when that’s never been his MO.

for his part, the narrative actually goes out of its way to show zuko is not someone who has the stomach for killing, whatever he tries to tell himself when he’s still a villain. as early as episode three, he can’t even being himself to burn zhao at all during their agni kai, let alone kill him. similarly, after attacking zhao in the siege of the north, he chooses to offer his hand. in his fight in zuko alone, most of what’s doing is fighting defensively, and even when he gets back up in a flurry of flame at the end, he doesn’t strike to kill gow, only incapacitating him. even hiring combustion man, while absolutely wrong of him to do, shows him not having the stomach to go through with it himself. and despite having every reason to hate ozai, when ozai tries to kill him in the day of black sun, zuko doesn’t strike to kill him as he redirects the lightning, instead aiming below him because he believed it’s not his place to kill ozai and because he’s learned not to be goaded into violence, which is powerful in itself. him advocating for aang to kill ozai is because he doesn’t see another way out (and, as established, how could he?) not because he’s out for blood in general. it’s complicated, of course, given his history of abuse with ozai, but that’s why zuko is so determined, because he’s finally realized who his father is and how much harm he’ll do if he’s not stopped.

as frustrated as i am by the fandom rhetoric around zuko and sokka when it comes to this, though, at least they get to express their misgivings and perspectives.

interestingly, i’ve not often seen katara get quite the same treatment—not that i want her to, but it’s interesting because katara tries to express her concerns, and aang and the narrative don’t really let her.

she says, “aang, we do understand, it’s just—“ but gets cut-off before we can hear her perspective at all. if i had to guess, though, it would have been something like “it’s just that we have to stop ozai no matter what”, which is, in essence, what zuko and sokka are also saying.

but katara doesn’t get to. at once, the creators makes sure she isn’t allowed to verbally disagree with aang (despite showing she wants to) here in a way that has a lasting impact on how people remember her own perspective in this conflict, while also making sure she gets interrupted, yelled at, and blamed for not having an answer aang also doesn’t have. it’s just… it’s very frustrating.

[yellowocaballero]

One of the many things that I've been doing instead of writing are these damn manwha binges and Villain To Kill is literally so funny. The comic premise is straightforward action, think Tokyo Ghoul meets Solo Leveling - local Genetically Superpowered Superhero Cop working for corrupt Hero Organization gets #betrayed and #murdered and is reincarnated into the body of a Genetically Superpowered Villain Teenager so now he has to join up with all the other villain superpower people to get justice.

It's so 5/10. Cassian is extremely OP and the story isn't well-written enough to pull that off well. The worldbuilding is so incredibly nonsensical and weak that it falls apart if you think about it for more than five minutes (tried to write fic for it and failed because I would have had to rework the entire world - which, I could have, but that's a lot of effort for Villain to Kill). The plot is mostly any OP action hero plot where guy gets increasingly powerful by fighting increasingly powerful guys. Cassian himself has almost nothing going on internally, to the point of elegance. And it is somehow the gayest manwha I've ever read.

It's the fucking character designs. And like its narrative but it's the fucking 100/10 character designs. The entire cast's design and characters slam. There's not that much depth but we don't care. You know if we don't like somebody if they look vaguely straight, and you know that we like somebody if they look like they were set to tumble dry in the queerness washing machine. The (great!) women are high femme or hard butch. The corrupt institution assassinated a man Cassian loved and framed & murdered him, at which point he was adopted by a rag-tag bunch of flamboyant homosexuals deemed unacceptable and undesired by society who all teamed up and decided to villainize society in exclusively funny ways and spend most of their time gossiping or hacking the Pentagon. An AFAB character dresses as a man and goes by he/him pronouns half the time for no good reason. Cassian is physiologically incapable of thinking about anything but violence so the heartwarming found family scenario's going over his head, but his Painfully Het Hero Foil Indoctrinated Into Homophobia caught the found family ball and now he's dancing in their gay bars and dressing in drag. There's only a few characters who are explicitly gay but this is gayer than that.

I talked a while back about how important a decent supporting cast is to a good story, and this is yet again good proof. Looking at this, I think I'd go further and say - it's an action manwha, we're reading it for a reason, we don't need character-driven story arcs or really complex characters. I think it's just charisma. A story can go really far on characters with charisma.

TV Shows that are carried on the lead actor (Columbo I love you) - it's because the actor has charisma. You watch it to see the actor hang out being himself. That's way way harder to do in fiction, but I think that "a complex character" isn't necessarily a "charismatic character". I'd rather have a cast of only charismatic characters rather than only complex ones. A story of any genre needs a strong cast of charismatic characters. They can be deep or they can just be chaotic lesbians. Charisma invests the reader in the story and the characters. It's simple but it's really powerful. And it is fucking hilarious how sometimes all you need to do on that front is "Rupaul this shit".

I can't genuinely recommend Villain to Kill and this is not a recommendation. But random stuff always interests me like this, and I really had no idea that I would read 120ch of a manwha bc the designs fuck so hard. Also, like, this is queerest manwha I've ever read. Somehow. Fucking somehow.

[chaifootsteps]

I think there's an argument to be made in favor of showing the reality of what Angel deals with on the day to day, both on the gear he wears and the SA he faces from Val.

but these kinds of scenes can very easily be exploitative; used for cheap shock value & end up fetishizing that abuse by presenting it as titillating. it's long happened to female characters where the violence becomes an excuse to show them brutalized or with their clothes ripped off and given how often Angel is sexualized it can just as easily happen to him.

Addict managed to communicate a whole history of sexual abuse committed by Valentino with just a forced kiss and a hard cut to Angel having a breakdown in his room. The scene focused on Angel's emotional distress rather than the act itself, so it avoided objectifying him further and was still effective

this is part of a wider pattern already established by Helluva Boss, where abuse is treated in the least sensitive, most sledgehammer blunt and cartoony way possible.

going by HB, abusers are:

always obvious and easy to spot,

they're complete monsters devoid of any life or interests of their own,

they have no inner lives whatsoever because they only exist to hurt the victim (Stella stays around the house despite not liking Stolas, Crimson wants to force Moxxie into a gay marriage despite being homophobic - to the guy who put his son in prison in the first place!!) - they're inconsistent and unknowable,

they abuse their victim openly in front of others everyone goes along with and tacitly approves of it (Stella's friends happily laugh at her jokes disparaging a demon prince who could kill them all despite knowing he's in earshot)

they cannot be easily stopped even when they have far less power, either in magic or social standing, than the person they're abusing (Stolas and Stella, again)

they hang around long past when they should despite the cast having ample reason to proactively do something to stop them (everyone leaves Crimson alive despite killing all his minions, Stolas knows Stella has ordered a hit on him but probably still lets Octavia spend weekends with her??)

they are fundamentally Bad People. None of the 'good' characters can every be called out for being abusive, what they do is funny - because they are fundamentally Good People. It doesn't matter how many traits Stolas and Stella have in common, he is Good and she is Bad. It also doesn't matter that Stolas sexually coerced someone for a season and a half, neglected his daughter and abused his servants, and barely feels bad about his own infidelity. He is Good so anything he does can be excused. Same with Loona - beating people is bad, but it's OK for her to give her dad a black eye and beat his head in with a picture frame, because she's one of the Good Guys. Same with Blitzo demeaning Moxxie constantly in the workplace - it's funny when he calls Moxxie fat, it's abuse when Mammon does it to Fizz

Abusers are fundamentally Other from Us, and we never need to examine our own behaviors as long as we know we are fundamentally Good.

like how is any of this making the world a better place? or advancing the understanding of abuse? it's an embarassingly dated and in places actively harmful depiction of what abuse is or isn't (I don't even want to get into the bad takes I've seen surrounding Stol/tz and what coercion is or isn't, but you can probably add that to the list too)

if the Angel scenes are as brutal as they sound then the rating should be an 18. I don't entirely blame Viv for that, I know sometimes ratings boards have a weird habit of treating works that have LGBT content as somehow 'more adult' than movies with straight up rape and SA scenes in them (though HH is both, so idk how literal bondage gear didn't up the rating), but I hope against hope there's some kind of trigger warning for this somewhere, and it isn't just dropped on the viewer's lap in order to shock them further with the world's bluntest and most graphic animated scene of SA it can

This. All of this, every word.