#also the i hope it was guy gardner is funny to me. also such a parallel bc barry literally said that EXACT SAME THING when simon met the jl | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

mulders-too-large-shirt · 5 months ago

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s2 episode 23 thoughts

i am: confused. about everything i just watched. and i can’t tell if the problem is me missing something blatantly obvious, the episode being strange on purpose because it’s building up to something, or it just being an overall peculiar plotline. but i will attempt to elaborate on this later. for now, as always, we start at the top.

the first thing i wrote down was that i was so excited to watch tn’s ep!! i missed the last few days because i was busy and i was really hoping tonight would NOT involve any sort of disease which proved to be the case

“i want these nerds to deal with an art heist someday” <- this i wrote while the opening scene began in some random hotel… like yeah yeah yeah ghosts aliens etc. solve the gardner heist. OH MY the garnder heist hadn’t even happened by this time! well maybe if they had been at the scene it never would have happened.

in this hotel, we see a guy who looks scared knocking on the door looking for “Morris” and he says someone is dead!! guy next door is listening (and yeah, so fair, it sounded juicy as hell) but when the poor hotel neighbor stands up to listen he gets… sucked into ectoplasm?? he is no longer there. also, lights are flickering.

agents in the elevator, arriving to the scene. mulder looked really comfortable in there lmaooo that was a very funny visual.

they got information from this case from scully's "contact", and the contact is one of her students!!!!!! ahhh!! she looks so proud. this is funny because she was at the academy for like 3 months lmao but clearly she made a good impression in that brief amount of time!

“heard a lot about you” detective kelly says when scully introduces mulder and HAHAAAA he turns to scully and says “we’ll talk later”. about what. do share.

(very funny that somehow he came up "a lot" in the 3-ish months she was teaching people how to do autopsies. like girl how did you manage to bring him up consistently whilst opening cadavers. that is talent)

investigation time! (mulder sniffs a drink in the missing guy’s room) "mmm, scotch" he mumbles <- LMAOOOOO THIS MAN IS WEIRD AS HELL

they notice a big splotch burned into the ground, and as they are investigating the burn marks, scully says it “could be the residue of burnt human flesh” and yes!!!!! I love when she says weird and unsettling things!!!!

mulder seems enthused about this case and also that there is a young detective…… give them an intern i need to see what happens. that man seems to have an instinctive need to Mentor.

detective kelly asks him what he thinks happened. the answer? “spontaneous human combustion” yes ofc!!

SCULLY IS SO SWEET AWWW “you’re doing just fine :)” she is not going to let her student doubt herself!

scully kinda sounds like she thinks mulder is teasing the detective with such an outlandish claim but i think he’s just being himself honestly

re:human combustion “let’s just forget for the moment that there’s no scientific theory to support it” “okay :)” <- yeah i had to pause and laugh. so what!

WHAT is he doing when they get in the elevator... he is making such a strange face. does anyone have this. it was so funny. he was at once locked in and a million miles away.

okay. so this wasn't the first victim. now they are arriving at the place of an earlier victim. which is a house with all the lights off. peculiar.

“hey scully, can you spare a prophylactic?” (now yes i did have to google this word's definition!) here is my live reaction:

"like a glove? because google is also saying that this can also mean condom. okay she pulls out a glove from her pocket. okay that’s the good ending i think"

makes sense for the doctor to have lots of gloves in the pocket of her jacket. more sense than the other alternative. i was really confused for a few seconds but in the end we got there.

he uses the glove to switch the light bulb on and she says “darkness covers a multitude of sins” which is EXACTLY what i'm here for!!! please keep saying creepy stuff queen <3

enter the home... another splotch from the other victim!! who also worked in tobacco, like the hotel man!!! but he says half of richmond works in tobacco, and the first victim was a scientist, so maybe not…? but regardless this realization made me think of that post that is like “people smoke less and now we don’t get spontaneous human combustion” which is soooo funny to me. if i ever find that post again i Will reblog it. it is true, spontaneous human combustion is a lost art.

mulder is very excited to dig through the trash, which is very raccoon-coded. he finds a ticket to a train station, and suggests that perhaps someone based out of the train station is hunting people.

cut to our deeply scared looking man from earlier who seems to be able to vaporize people. WAIT... earlier it was his shadow that vaporized the other guy. and he’s hiding from light... things are adding up. no light equals no shadow equals no vaporization. sort of adding up, at least. because still, how does a shadow vaporize you?

now he was getting held at gunpoint by cops, both of whom stepped into his shadow and get zapped into splotches. this is a distressing situation, but also a silly one.

new mulder theory: if we have 3 victims, and they were all near the train station, we could cross reference the security camera footage from those 3 days and see if we can find the guy they've looking for. “that’s assuming that we’re looking for a guy”, says scully, which made me laugh because i had seen that blooper clip and giggled profusely

mystery man is spotted on the camera and jacket identified as working at the magnet place… same as the very first victim!

off to the magnet laboratory to get the scoop on this dr. banton fellow. we get a backstory reveal: he was involved in a terrible accident! he was investigating dark matter. oh man, you can’t be fucking with such things.

the scientist guy is babbling about particles and dark matter. and while i am trying to keep up, there are bigger thoughts taking up space in my mind. namely: scully you are soooooo pretty idgaf about the particle accelerator <3

we see the scene of the accident, where dr. banton's shadow was burned into the wall……. the energy slid through his body?? girl idk. his coworker said it was almost like he wanted it to happen. maybe you get so involved in dark matter theories that you just want to taste it for yourself. anyway, the shadow left by the zapping looks like the other splotches…..

train station time. going with the agents to the train station. boy i wish all of the US was supported by a rail system.

he points out that dr. banton was staring at the ground for a loooong time and he's trying to figure out why.

“nonsensical repetitive behavior is a common trait of mental illness” “you trying to tell me something?” YESSSS! i have seen this gif many times and now i understand its context.

(also yes mulder has got Something going on. he has been diagnosed in my headcanon with ocd... i am sure there has been plenty of discourse as to if that is the "correct" label for what is going on in his mind but it's my interpretation and i make the rules <3)

he's taking in the whole environment of the train station, and notices that the light is soft… diffused… no shadows… maybe dr.banton is looking for such an environment... BAM he rounds the corner!

aaaand he’s running but you cannot forget that mulder is a track star! you cannot outrun him! and sure enough, they got him. mulder picks up on what's going down and shoots the lights out so there are no shadows while they talk

now banton is in a facility with soft light smoking a cigarette. very 2013 aesthetic.

he's trying to explain his affliction: “my shadow isn’t mine… it’s like a black hole”

first thought: okay??? um. how and why. second thought: can we harness this for superhero purposes? fight crime by banishing the bad guys to the Void. that's an x-men adjacent power.

dr. banton says the government is after him and they are going to "suck his brain". he begs mulder to free him before this can occur, as if that is a normal predicament to try and escape from and as if mulder has any control over this situation.

the detective’s boss is pissed the FBI is there... like girl calm down does anyone really care? all this nonsense about jurisdiction and people getting frustrated when departments cross. man, if i was in a situation like this, i would be harnessing the power of teamwork, but they never seem to do that. the agents are dismissed, but mulder tells detective kelly that dr. banton needs to be in soft light.

okay, so despite my interjection of "girl who cares", clearly they care. and i'd like to wonder aloud about this exchange:

“I hope you know what you’re doing Scully, putting Detective Ryan’s ambition ahead of all good sense in this case”

“Ambition? She’s a woman trying to survive the boy’s club, Mulder. Believe me, I know how she feels”

because he’s like “we just handed over the a bomb to the Boy Scouts”

and he thinks this new detective is gonna get evaporated but also again they have no jurisdiction so like?? i wrote that i was lost and then i rewatched the scene and was still lost. he seems to be questioning scully's judgement on letting the detective take this case, which she was not in charge of assigning the detective to, and that they only agreed to help out on. so they help and then there is nothing more that can be done because it is Not Their Case. but it also seems to be less about the fact that he is concerned with the detective getting evaporated and more into fending off the alleged brain suckers.

i didn't really get it but i wrote "the girls are fightingggggg"

X AT THE STATION???

ohhhh mulder wants info, but X can’t help him because he exposed his identity to skinner and scully last time!!! “and you can trust them as you trust me”, says mulder, trying to get X to believe in the goodness of humanity

X brushes mulder off and says “promise you won’t contact me again unless absolutely necessary” <- damn power imbalance going crazy

then we se X at the psychiatric facility???? breaking dr. banton out??? is he gonna be part of the brain sucking squad? he's got 2 guys helping him out, but they step in the room and the men grabbing him got zapped out of existence. X lets dr. banton run and looks very confused about the zapping of his colleagues.

HUH? so is X doing this because he is trying to help mulder or is he really part of the government who wants to experiment on banton? by the end of the episode, it looks like he is, in fact, allied with the brain suckers... but to what extent?

OH! dr. banton got back to his old workplace and his friend the fellow magnet scientist. but the detective catches him there. and she forces him to step against the wall and his shadow gets on her and she. uh. falls screaming into a black hole? and then leaves a burn mark like all of the other cases? man what is going on.

so banton is going back into the chamber where he was previously zapped to try and unzap himself. but he gets in the chamber and his “friend” reveals he’s working for the government that wants to catch him!!!!

BUT SOMEONE SHOOTS THE DUDE WHO HAD LOCKED HIM IN THE ROOM. It was X?! WHAT is the motive here!!!

okay, agents on the scene. accelerator is up and getting ready to zap. ZAP! another shadow shows up. so unzap the zapped equals no more banton? girl where did he go.

mulder is MAD and he is at the place X met him last time. confrontation time! mulder is pissed X used him to get to banton and again X is once again flaunting the power imbalance between them. and because X tricked him, banton is dead and so is the detective!!! boy, that has got to be bad news for mulder who blames himself for everything

he says to X: “promise me this will be our last meeting. we’re finished” and why do I feel that this is a bad idea!!!

X says he didn’t kill banton, and walks away. and also that this is a dangerous time to go at it alone. WHAT DO YOU MEAN! first skinner's cryptic messages about the darkness that is coming, and now X?

NOOOO Scully at her student the detective's funeral... this is soooo evil.

mulder is there but he’s late. he’s in sunglasses and they’re funny. she says this feels wrong and it shouldn’t have happened, a student came to her for help and she gave it and now the student is dead. oh scully pls do not blame yourself. it feels like they were led on this track on purpose.

mulder was late because he was tied up with a missing person’s case; the other guy from the magnet lab went missing that same morning. so maybe it was other guy in the room that had been zapped and not banton?

X AT THE SCENE OF THE MAGNET LAB. watching the other guy run tests on banton??? a tear drops down his face. X is complicit in unethical human experimentation...

so, i’m confused on many levels. it seems like someone got the detective involved because she knew she would go to scully for help and get them roped into this case. but if that WAS what happened, you know that you buy one get one free with these 2, so why would you want to get scully involved if that meant mulder would also get involved, and mulder being the closest (arguably) to X would expose X’s involvement and whatever ulterior motive he is playing to? hasn’t scully suffered enough without being forced to wonder if her helping someone started a domino effect that resulted in death? and all of this is over a guy who zapped himself with black matter and his shadow burns people up. huh?

and how deep is X in with the government doing the evil stuff? is he just distracting mulder with various side quests to keep him from discovering the nefarious deeds they are up to? does X know cigarette guy?

i don’t like when they fight. i actually LOVE when they fight over things that make sense. but i was confused over the fight they had in this episode because he was mad that she was letting the detective… do her job? and he didn’t seem to think she could handle a guy that vaporizes people with his shadow, which i mean, fair enough, tough case for a newbie, but blaming that on scully really pissed me off because?? it’s not her fault??? they also were only involved unofficially so did he think somehow they were supposed to swoop in and rescue the dude to prevent all this from happening? and how do you even rescue a guy whose shadow vaporizes people?

either this makes no sense, i’m wildly misunderstanding something, or a plot is afoot. or all three really. pls feel free to enlighten me with what you thought on this episode and let me know if there is something i am interpreting entirely incorrectly. or not! it could be fun to try and put the pieces together myself. regardless, i am pleased we were reunited

#we did get some good banter this episode so that was good #normally i would add more in the notes but i'm very tired for some reason so i leave you with this!#pls enjoy #juni's x files liveblog #the x files #txf

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romancomicsblog · 9 months ago

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Where would I put Chris Pratt in the DCU?

It's no secret director and now head of the DCU James Gunn loves himself certain actors.

He continues to add additions to his DCU from past work, including Nathan Fillion as Green Lantern Guy Gardner and brother Sean Gunn as billionaire Maxwell Lord.

While these castings are both fun and exciting for the future of the DCU, since both of these castings, a realization came upon me. Jame Gunn will likely cast many of his friends into this universe. And while most are talented, accomplished actors, there is one man who has been looming over my soul...

Chris Pratt.

No do not get me wrong, he is a talented actor. From The Lego Movie to Guardians of the Galaxy, Pratt has a way of impressing me. Granted every now and then he is a Mario or an Owen Grady, but he continues to be a big star and be a draw for financial success. Which is kind of the problem.

I worry if Chris Pratt does join this universe, due to his stardom he likely will be given a major role. Granted I don't think Gunn would make him Batman, but could Peter Safran? Could larger execs?

He's a big white guy and a big draw. By that logic, he could play The Flash, Booster Gold, Green Lantern, or really anyone he chooses.

So in order to save those for actors who I can more properly see as those characters, I put together a few roles I think Chris Pratt can play in the DCU, some more fun, some more serious, some more longterm, and some for a fun one off, ending with the one I like most.

Let's start by going over a couple of things like:

What is Chris Pratt good at?

A lot actually.

Chris is very good at playing characters who are losers. From Star-Lord, Barley Lightfoot and Emmett, Chris voices or plays lovable underdogs really well.

Chris also loves playing army guys. It's clear from the Terminal List and Tomorrow War, he likes to be a soldier. Perhaps we find something military for the guy to do

The man can do funny, but has range. Particularly in James Gunn flicks, Star-Lord has some really emotional scenes that resonate every viewing. We don't have to go silly.

Other Stipulations

No matter who we pick, Chris Pratt will be compared to Star-Lord. It may be wise to stay away from characters like Star-Lord (so you won't be seeing Adam Strange, or Booster on this list).

Chris is also a draw right now, and a busy one at that. If he is entering the DCU, it may be smart to give him a vital role, but not one that needs to be in every movie. So we're probably not looking at Hal Jordan, but Kilowog isn't off the table.

Finally Star-Lord didn't wear his helmet at all last movie. So I'm guessing we'll want to pick a character where Chris can show his face.

5. Kite Man

We're starting off our list with a bit of a joke turned icon much like Pratt himself.

Kite Man is a C list villain who is often the butt of a joke and never taken extremely seriously. Chuck Brown uses Kites to commit crimes, and while he is an excellent glider, he's rarely ever a threat. He appeared in Batman the Brave and the Bold but is mostly known as a background character in the Harley Quinn Series.

While the character is usually around Gotham City, he could absolutely be put in any city in the DCU and make just as much sense. He could be fun as a one and done Batman villain, but even more fun as a recurring villain, kind of like Turk Barrett in the Netflix Marvel shows.

He's silly, pathetic, but likable, and leaves a lot of room for Pratt to make it his own. It feels like going back to his Andy Dwyer days, which could be fresh at this point.

While this is fun and I would love it, I don't know how overall useful this is of Pratts skills, or if him being so big takes away from the fun of Kite Man. It may be too small or too frequent for the mans schedule as well, but I thought it was worth a mention.

4. The Ventriloquist

If we wanted to tap Pratt's voice work and serious acting, The Ventriloquist is a character I've been hoping to see for quite awhile.

Arnold Wesker is a crime is a meek meager man who has a psychotic break and uses a puppet, nicknamed Scarface, to execute crimes and become a mob boss.

This is a a great duel role I think a comedian can strive in, and one that can push Pratt into another level as far as acting goes. It could put him in talks with actors like Paul Dano or Heath Ledger for the greatest Batman villain.

It also wouldn't be a role Pratt would have to do for long or frequently. He could be the start of the Batman trilogy and die in the first film.

My main concern is if he can pull off the meager nature of Arnold. I think an actor like Charlie Day, Ty Burrell or even Will Ferrell might put in a performance that get people talking about it much more.

Again I wouldn't be mad at it, it would definitely be a different and weird pick. But not my first choice for the character or Pratt.

3. Jor-El

I kind of love this one.

Jor-El is a role with big potential for a star. Being played by both Marlon Brando and Russell Crowe, it may require a modern day mega star. Is Pratt that mega star?

Utilizing Pratt here would be extremely different then how we've seen him before. He would be militaristic and more dramatic than we've seen him before. Plus he's big enough to believable be Superman's dad.

It may be smart to put Pratt in an older mentor role. But will he be too distracting as Jor-El? And is his voice as iconic as Brando or Crowe?

I think it's still a role I'd be happy to give to Pratt. But I have two more I think would be more fun for his set of skills.

2. Jay Garrick

He'd look pretty good in the tin hat.

Jay Garrick is the original Flash, a speedster who is often over 100 years old and a major mentor to Barry and Wally.

Now he may be very old but is often much more spry due to the speed force. And we can age up Pratt using VFX or just give him a little gray in the temples. Depends on how old you want to make him.

Having Pratt as the original Flash Jay Garrick would hint at a larger DC Universe, one with a Justice Society, and him play a role much different than Star-Lord.

As Jay, Pratt would be crucial to the universe but not as needed in the big team ups as Wally or Barry. If he did want a prequel, we can set one in WWII similar to the Justice Society movie.

As The Flash, Pratt can be funny, charming, but now wise and mentoring, which would be a good change of pace for Pratt. This would be a lock for me, if there wasn't a role I think he may nail even better.

1. Pat Dugan - STRIPE

A sidekick. A has been. A loser. Connected to a wider DC Universe. A Mentor. An inherently silly character. Very midwest.

Chris Pratt is Pat Dugan.

Originally the driver and sidekick for the Star-Spangled Kid who eventually became Star Man, Stripesy finds himself mentoring the younger new Justice Society after his step-daughter Courtney discovers Star Mans staff and becomes Stargirl.

Due to being useless in the past, he creates a make shift Mech suit known as STRIPE and uses it to fight evil with his step-daughter, who both form a special bond.

Pratt would be hitting many of the keynotes he's great at while playing a character extremely different from Star-Lord. Unlike Peter, Pat is very human, and relatable. He was not accepted as a hero during the Justice Society days, so he has something to prove, and feels tremendous guilt for what happed to his old team.

This would be a great role for Pratt. As secondary lead, he could appear in big team up movies, or stay out of the fight and be a mentor character only. He'd have a huge impact on the universe, be a window into the past, and play a role that is dramatic, funny, and gives us something new and different from what we've ever seen from Pratt.

I don't know if he should be, but if Chris Pratt is joining the DCU, he should be our STRIPE.

Thank you so much for reading! Please consider following, and check out my socials and other sites here! And let me know: Where would you put Chris Pratt in the DCU?

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burins · 1 year ago

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ok it's time for my JLI dump under the cut bc this is gonna get long. i love them. also i'm sorry if the panels upload weird tumblr is immediately chewing up the image quality as soon as i upload them. if anyone knows ways around that pls. let me know <3

starting off strong with #1

magneto was right.jpg.

i'm not doing little summaries for these like i did for some of my other comics reads bc i started reading them a week ago and would have to just reread all of them again to remember what happens.

on to #2!

nothing! like! 80s! costumes!

MAGNETO WAS RIGHT.JPG!

in all seriousness it's really interesting to read these both for fun and also as documents of their time... there's a lot of nuclear fear in this series! there's also a lot of reagan-era geopolitics. also reagan will in fact make an appearance himself, multiple times, so keep an eye out

on to #3

did batman watch star trek with dick. i must know.

tragically we've gotten into the part of my emails to myself where not all of the images are loading.

what did this say..... i'm going to try and reconstruct.

okay well great news i found at LEAST one of these. these guys are named alexei and dmitri. TRULY phenomenal as a time capsule here

a quick aside for #4 to just say maguire's faces are so so fun. i've had to read a lot of comic book struggle faces recently and it's great to see someone who can not only do nice to look at but also expressive and funny!

here's what i was saying booster my friend booster about. i love him. i also love sarcastic bruce

he DOES have a neat costume!!

he's trying so hard <3 sorry everyone i'm entering my booster gold stan era

i need to find more j'onn and bruce content immediately.

on to the first annual! this has some great j'onn content in it. i'm emo about him. i didn't grab any panels though except for this one

hi ted!

in #5 i am promised batman vs guy gardner showdown. i am soooo excited for guy to get got. they've made him a great heel.

it's just as cathartic as i'd hoped. also great dinah content here

also we learn that dr. fate lives in SALEM? i wonder if he has trouble with the halloween traffic.

i! love! 80s! comics!

i have caps through the full jli run but i'm calling it here bc i'm going to have to do some reconstruction for the next few issues and it ain't great for the arm, which i want to preserve for writing!

#jli #comics not even once #comics #dc comics

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sayuricorner · 3 years ago

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Miraculous Ladybug x Identity V: The Oletus manor diary of a ladybug: Chapter 6

Chapter 5

Prompt concept

Warning : English is not my first language so sorry if it’s confusing !

Warning 2 : This fanfic content salt if you don’t like don’t read !

Warning 3 : Reference to sexual assault.

Hey everyone! ^^ here's the new chapter of "The Oletus manor diary of a ladybug"! :D

I know it's was a long time since the last chapter and I'm really sorry about this, I had a bad writting block and was also busy with other writting works! ^^'

But I finally was able to finish this chapter so I hope you'll all like it! ^^

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23/04/2015, Oletus manor's living room security camera :

The camera show the survivors and the hunters at the table, talking about their temporary ̎ young housemate ̎.

Kreacher Pierson(Awkwardly) : Sssoooo... This is the kid who will stay at the manor during the rainy season ?

Freddy Riley(sighing frustrated) : For the hundredth time Pierson, YES, this is the girl, YES, she will stay here and YES her stay will last at least for two weeks until this god forsaken storm stop ! Good lord ! Would it kill you to spend at least a few minutes without asking the same question over and over again ?

Kreacher Pierson(defensive) : Whoa ! Hold your horses ̎ mister lawyer ̎, I was just curious and confused, as everyone else is probably, I mean, our ̎ host ̎ permitting someone from the outside world, who wasn't invited, to stay in the manor ? Come on ! Don't tell me you didn't find this strange ?

Vera Blair(ironic) : Right ! Because leaving this girl, sick, in a violent thunderstorm and risking to attract unwanted attention in the aftermath would have been the logical thing to do !

Kreacher Pierson(annoyed) : Ohoh ahah, very funny !

Mary(rolling her eyes) : As much I hate to admit it, Monsieur le Voleur does had a point it's quite unusual for our ̎ host ̎ to letting someone from the outside world who was not invited to participate to the games to stay in the manor and to know about how things are going here this easely !

Naib Subedar(nobbed, arms crossed) : Yeah, this is really out of character for him when you see all the amount of precautions he’s taken to make sure to keep the games, and everything else in the manor, a secret.

Lucky Guy(frowning) : I don't know, this guy is always so cryptic, who knows what's going on in his head right now!

Andrew Kreiss(calmly stutters) : B-But shouldn't we m-more wondering... w-what that girl was doing outside all alone?(slightly panics when the others looked at him) I-I mean this is strange right ? N-Normally a young girl of her age shouldn't wander by herself in a forest this far from the town...

Jack(thinking) : An interesting question M.Gravekeeper! But I am sure some of us could had a theory on the matter since some seem to had recognised they young lady, am I right Miss Doctor, M. Embalmer?(throw an amused look at Emily and Aesop)

Aesop Carl(nervous) : Well... I did remember having met her, one time in town, she had an accident because of a drunk driver who were driving when the lights were red and nearly run her over, thank god the driver stopped before he could run her over, but since his car struck her a bit and she was in shock because of the accident, I helped her to go to the hospital.

Emily Dyer(frowning) : I made a check up on her and, thank god, she didn't have any kind of injuries ! However I was shocked to learn that this poor girl end up in this accident because her whole class, the teacher included, left her behind when they were supposed to go to the museum.When her teacher come to pick her up she had the guts to scold her, when it was HER fault for leaving her behind in the first place, for, I quote, ̎ Having being irresponsible and bring problems to her and the class ̎ ! Absolutely revolting !

Emma Gardner(nobbing) : Oh yeah ! I remember you were ranting about it for hours when you came back after your shift !

Joseph Desaulniers(lift his head) : By any chance, is this class from France ?

Emily Dyer:(nob her head)

Joseph Desaulniers : Ah ! Then they're without any doubt the class who came to the museum that day ! Since it was the anniversary of the town, the museum was quite busy with giving tours during the week and I remember that day Monsieur Lapadula and I were supposed to give a tour to a class from France and I remember they were... How do I put this politely ?

Burke Lapadula(interjecting grunchy) : A bunch of rude, noisy, bratty and messy worms !

Joseph Desaulniers(Carefully):It's... A way to describe them, oui...

Burke Lapadula(Snorting) : A perfect description of them you mean Desaulniers ! Those brats were nothing but nuisances and without any manners ! First they made a scene at the front desk because they didn't had the security codes to get the tickets, then the teacher left and came back moments later with the student who actually had the codes and her ̎ classmates ̎ ganged up on her about having ̎ stole Lali's codes ̎ or whatever this girl's name was !

And when, finally, Desaulniers and I were able to begin the tour, only a few of them were actually paying attention ! Most of them were busy listening the fibs of that Lali girl, during the whole tour she was always butting in to tell rubbish nonsense like she was the secret descendant of one of Eurydice's founding fathers or how her too many great uncle/aunt/grandfather or whatever actually helped the creator of this machinery to create it or the other one or how one girl who was on one of the photos was a very distant family member of her and blablabla... URHG ! Disrespectful little twerps !

Martha Behamfil(Confused): They were making a mess and no one did a thing ? And their teacher ? I know from what Emily told us she doesn't seem to be the teacher of the year but surely she would at least try to get her students to behave ?

Joseph Desaulniers(Hesitant) : Well...

Burke Lapadula(Angry) : Absolutely nothing ! She just stood there and looked at them like nothing was happening and constantly smiling like an idiot ! I wouldn't even be surprised if this kid's situation was because of this so called teacher's incompetence !

Burke Lapadula kept on ranting with all the other hunters and survivors looking at him.

Demi Bourbon(Snorting) : Honestly I'm not surprised ! I saw this class at the café where I work at once and they tried to leave and make me believe that the classmate they left at one table will pay their bill, but I wasn't born yesterday ! I saw them multiple times during the time they were at their table and the classmate in question was away from them at another table and not once they went to talk to her so I guessed they were trying to trick me into letting them leave without paying, so I kept them from leaving until they paid. They tried to change my mind, make me pity them, threaten me but I didn't budge and they finally gave in when I gave them the ultimatum to either pay their bill or I was calling the police on them !

Kevin Ayuso(clear his throat) : Not that those ̎ work gossips ̎ aren't entertaining but that doesn't answer the main question here : what's about this little lady for the manor's owner to permit someone from the outside world to know how things are going here ?

Everyone is silent not knowing what to answer.

Hastur(silently laughing) : Oh she's way more than meets the eye than you believe...

The rest turn their attention to Hastur, looking at the eldritch being, some uncertain, others wary.

Hastur(cryptic) : This is something I would rather let you find out yourself, but what I can tell you is this girl is connected to big forces ! But I am sure a few of you did notice it !(Give a quick look to Eli Clark and Patricia Dorval) But like I said this isn't up to me to tell ! However if our ̎ host ̎ is taking this much precautions for the girl's safety to the point of even taking the risk to tell her about the manor's ways that mean he is also aware of the powerful forces in relation with this girl and of the possible consequences if anything should happen to her !

Unknown female voice : A good deduction lord Hastur !

The Hunters and the Survivors turn to see Miss Nightingale enter the room.

Miss Nightingale(formal) : Like Lord Hastur said, this girl is connected to big forces which are important for this world's balance and so her safety is really important ! If anything tragic happened to her, the consequences may be disastrous ! That why the owner instructed me to insure her comfort and safety during her stay and to instruct you, particuliary for some of you, to be on your best behavior and to not let your ̎ shenanigans ̎ bother our guest !

Edgar Valden(grumbling and murmuring):Tss really ? Does he take us for children ?

Miss Nightingale(hear him, seriously) :I wouldn't take this situation lightly M. Valden ! The owner takes this girl's safety very seriously, messing with the forces connected to the girl aren't a laughing matter, others had tried in the past and deeply paid the price !

Wu Chang:(silently nob in agreement the others didn't notice it)

Luchino Diruse(skeptical) : How ̎ deeply ̎ are we talking ?

Miss Nightingale(listing) : The dinosaur’s extinction...

Luchino Diruse(stunned) : … Uh...

Miss Nightingale : Atlantis's destruction...

Kurt Frank(shocked) : Atlantis is real ?!

Miss Nightingale : Correction : ̎ was real ̎ (keep listing) the Plague...

Ann(her dark pitch eyes wide in shock) : … What ?

Miss Nightingale : The Tower of Pisa being toppled...

Edgar Valden(surprised) : You mean the tower wasn't toppled because of the swampy grounds ?

Miss Nightingale : The Hundred Years' War.

The survivors and some of the hunters(in shock) : …

Miss Nightingale(formal) : And this is just a few, the list is quite long ! Do you understand the situation now or should I continue ?

Naib Subebar(hold up his hands) : We get it, we get it ! The kid and whatever power with her is off limits !

Miss Nightingale(smile) : Good ! Now as I was saying, during her stay Miss Dupain-Cheng will need to rest a lot to recover a bit until we are able to send her to the hospital ! For that she will need for her recovery a lot of peace and quiet!That’s why the owner expects from all of you to not disturb our guest with your shenanigans and I'm insisting on that for some of you particularly.

The hunters and survivors, at this remark, turn their heads toward Smiley Face, Jack, Servais Le Roy and Kreacher Pierson with a narrowed look, the first three ignoring them.

Kreacher Pierson(Noticing the looks on him) : What ? Why are you looking at me like that ? I can understand the warning for ̎ Clown face ̎, who's unpredictable, ̎ No face ̎, who's a freak and Le Roy, who's ready to do anything to be ̎ the greatest magician ever know ̎, but me ? Why would I try to mess with the kid ?

Michiko(Sipping from her tea cup) : Well, for starter your title isn't ̎ Thief ̎ for nothing !

Kreacher Pierson(Slightly offended) : Oi !

William Ellis(with a jaded look) : Your shady treatment toward those kids at this orphanage of yours in the past, which makes the guarantee of the young lass's safety questionable if you ever interact with her !

Kreacher Pierson(Turning toward William) : I didn't-

Freddy Riley(Crossing his arms) : You're overly untrustworthy !

Kreacher Pierson(Offended) : Oh ! Look who's talking !

Emily Dyer(Frowning) : You also had this bad habit to take advantage of others at their weakest moments ! Just like you tried to do to Emma times ago !

Emma Woods:(Nob in agreement)

Leo Beck(groans in agreement) : Huurrrrrr....

Kreacher Pierson(Exasperated) : OH COME ON THAT WAS LITERALLY CENTURIES AGO ! WE ALL AGREED WHAT I HAVE DONE WAS TRASH, I COUNTLESSLY APOLOGIZED TO WOODS FOR WHAT HAPPENED AND EVEN KEEP MY DISTANCES FROM HER WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT FROM ME ? AND SERIOUSLY ? YOU THINK I WOULD TRY TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE KID ̎ THAT WAY ̎ ? I MAY HAVE DONE A BUNCH OF QUESTIONABLE THINGS IN THE PAST BUT I WOULD NEVER GO TO ̎ THAT ̎ LEVEL ! I MEAN DID YOU SEE HER ? SHE'S WHAT ? 16 ?

Miss Nightingale(stoic) : Actually from my talk with Miss Dupain-Cheng I learned she was 14 and would be 15 very soon...

Kreacher Pierson(Over-dramatic) : SEE ? SHE'S EVEN YOUNGER ! SO ALL OF YOU MARK MY WORD WHEN I SAY THAT I, KREACHER PIERSON, MAY BE A THIEF, A CON ARTIST OR A DECIEVER BUT NEVER EVER IN MY LIFE HAD, OR EVER WILL, STOOD TO ̎ THAT ̎ LEVEL OF TRASH !

Everyone else is rolling their eyes at Kreacher's over-dramatic reaction.

Miss Nightingale(Still stoic) : Well, now this was made clear, I will have to excuse myself as I had a lot of duties to attend, good day to all of you !

Miss Nightingale took her leave and the survivors and hunters silently look at her, exciting the room.

Luca Balsa(joking) : Welp... That was something !

Norton Campbell(sigh) : Tell me about it... In the end we just got more questions than answers about that girl outside of the fact she is connected to ̎ powerful forces ̎ which are apparently very dangerous in the wrong hands !

Jose Baden(Shrug) : Well... I guess this will be up to the little miss to tell us if she decided to do it at one point !

Tracy Reznik(Confused) : Uh guys ? Sorry to interrupt you but... Where is Bonbon going like that ?

Burke Lapadula(grumbling) : It's name is Guard 26 not Bonbon and...(He notices that the robot is indeed leaving quickly) What the- ? Guard 26 ! Where are you going ? Get back there ! Oi ! Get your metallic butt here right now ! Are you even listening to me, you me you pile of dolts ? GUARD 26!(Burke go after the robot and leave the room)

Most of the survivors and hunters took it as their cue and also left the room, outside of a few of them.

Oletus manor's first floor security camera :

The camera shows Robbie about to take the stairs to the second floor but is busted by Michiko who appears in the camera's vision.

Michiko : Robbie ? What are you doing ?

Robbie(Freeze) : Uh... Nothing ?

Michiko(Sigh) : You were trying to sneak in to see Dupain-Cheng-san were you ?

Robbie(Hesitant) : Uuuuuhhh...

Michiko(Softly) : Listen, she needs to rest for now ! You can go see and get to know her another time okay ?

Robbie(Sigh) : Okayyyyy....

Michiko(Smile) : Good ! Now come with me ! How about we go to your bedroom and I read you the story you want ?

Robbie happily nobbed and took Michiko's hand and both left the floor.

Oletus manor's second floor security camera :

The camera show Burke arguing with his robot, Guard 26 ̎ Bonbon ̎, who was guarding Marinette's bedroom's door with no intention of leaving.

Burke Lapadula(Angry) : What the hell are you doing ? I didn't even give you the order to go to the brat's room, so what are you even doing posted in front of her door ?

Bonbon : Presence of a vulnerable person in the manor declared, so Bonbon's protection code was activated.

Burke Lapadula(Angry) :Protection co- I didn't even give you the order to activate this protocole ! I'm your creator and any protocol or any action from you should be activated on MY order ! So desist your protection protocol and come with me now !

Bonbon : Apologies, but Bonbon's protection protocol can't be desist !

Burke Lapadula(Getting impatient) :... Guard 26, desist protection protocol and follow me right. Now !

Bonbon : Apologies, but Bonbon's protection protocol can't be desist !

Burke Lapadula(Frustrated) : Oh for heck sake ! DESIST THIS FREAKING PROTECTION PROTOCOL !

Bonbon : Apologies, but Bonbon's protection protocol can't be desist !

Burke keeps going on trying to get his robot obey him with the robot not budging.

Oletus manor's third floor security camera :

The camera shows Emily and Emma talking in the floor corridor, Emily seems still upset about the possible reason for Marinette's state.

Emma talks to Emily for a while, comforting her about how everything will be okay, that Marinette will be fine, especially with a doctor like Emily to take care of her.

Emily, moved by Emma's words, shares a hug with her for a few minutes before the two leave holding each other's hand.

A few moments later, the camera shows Naib, Eli and Aesop having a talk in the corridor.

Naib Subebar(Arms crossed) : Hey Clark, about what Nightingale told about those ̎ powerful forces ̎, you think you can told some things about it ? I mean you're into this magic stuff right ? So you probably ̎ feel ̎ something right ?

Eli Clark(Nobbed) : Well yes I felt something unusual radiating from this young girl ! But before you ask, no I didn't feel anything which could be ̎ dangerous ̎ for us, those forces seem to be powerful but not evil ! Whatever it is, I don't think it's something which will deliberately hurt us !

Naib Subebar(Nobbing) : I see...

Aesop(Nervously) : Now we clear up this matter, I must go ! I have ̎ important things ̎ to do ahah...

Naib Subebar(Smirking) : And I suppose those ̎ important things ̎ have obviously nothing to do with a certain french photographer ?

Aesop(Very nervous and blushing) : I... I... I REALLY MUST GO, GOOD DAY TO YOU TWO !

Aesop leaves the corridor embarrassed.

Eli Clark(Smirking to Naib) : You know, you're one to talk on that subject, after all isn't there a thing going on between you and mister Jack ?

Naib Subedar(Sputtering and blushing) : Wh-... How-... When-... ABSOLUTELY NOT !!!

Oletus manor's first floor camera :

Other survivors and hunters go through the floor's corridors, some going to their bedroom and others to another part of the manor.

Oletus manor's living room security camera :

The hunters and the survivors had left the living room outside of the Dream Witch, and by extension Follower, and Hastur were having a discussion.

Dream Witch(Humming) : So it's seem ̎ they ̎ get a new guardian ! I must say this is surprising to ̎ see ̎ one of ̎ them ̎ after so long !

Hastur(Nobbing) : Indeed, I don't know about you, but I think things will get very interesting during those two weeks !

Both turn to the camera, the Dream Witch is smirking and Hastur is chuckling.

Hastur : Don't you agree mister the Owner ?

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

TAG LIST :( a reblog will get you a place in the tag list! ^^)

@diana-berry , @doll246 , @miraculous-ninja , @knightoflightaskblo , @mentini02 , @michaelshadow7779

#ml salt #identity v #miraculous ladybug #ml salt fic #ml fanfic #survivors #hunters #idv survivor #idv hunter #marinette dupain cheng #class salt #bustier salt #caline bustier salt #marinette deserves better

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slowly-writing · 4 years ago

Text

Hometown

Jennifer Jareau x Reader

Word count: 2.1K

Requested by anon: hey! Can you do a JJ x reader where the BAU works a case where the reader has to go to her hometown and it brings up some difficult things for her but JJ helps her through it?

Warnings: mentions of canon typical violence and a crappy family

“Three women have been found dead in their homes in the last week. Each time the unsub has left an elaborate harddrive at the scene. The locals have been unable to get into them and have requested our help,” Hotch starts the briefing. Everyone looks down at the case files in front of them. You’re all saddened at the brutality of the crimes, but your sharp intake of breath draws all eyes to you.

“You good, y/l/n? It’s bad, but it’s nothing we haven’t seen before,” Morgan says and you shake your head.

“I’m fine,” you snap, and that only confuses them further.

“Obviously you’re not. What’s going on?” Penelope asks and you grit your teeth.

“I said I’m fine Garcia. Just drop it!” There’s a moment of tense silence as everyone tries to process the situation before Hotch continues the briefing. As everyone looks back to the screen JJ grabs your hand under the table. She knows what’s going on, she saw it in the file too. You’re going back to your hometown, and it’s not going to be a nice reunion.

Hotch dismisses the briefing not long after and you dash from the room. Everyone looks to JJ, waiting for her to explain your behavior.

“Spill,” Morgan says and her jaw drops.

“Spill what? I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she tries to blow it off and is met with several simultaneous eye rolls.

“Spill what’s got your girl all riled up. She’s never snapped like that before. Especially not at me,” Garcia states, crossing her arms and pouting slightly and JJ sighs.

“I know, and I know she’s gonna be beating herself up for it. Just, please be gentle,” she knows how upset you’re gonna be with yourself for taking your frustrations out on your team, and she hopes they won’t hold it against you.

“We’re gonna forgive her. We just wanna know what’s going on,” Rossi tells her.

“The case is in her hometown. She’s got some…not so great memories there. I don’t think she’s quite ready to relive them just yet,” the team all nods in understanding. “But it’s coming one way or the other. Come on, I’m sure she’s halfway to the tarmac by now.”

xxxxx

You had your hands shoved in your pockets as you walked into the precinct. You didn’t want anyone to see how tightly your fists were clenched. You shuffled in behind the rest of the BAU. You hadn’t talked to them yet, but they seemed to have an unspoken agreement to form a barrier between you and the locals, but there was only so much they could do.

“Well if it isn’t little Y/n Gardner, what brings you back to our humble town?” You flinch as the cop throws an arm around your shoulder and ruffles your hair. The rest of the team sends you confused looks for the second, and probably not the last, time of the day.

“I’m here for work, Charlie,” you shrug the man off and straighten your hair.

“Always working, aren’t you? Curious, wanting to solve all the mysteries. That curiosity of yours has caused you some problems in the past. Don’t you think it’s time you let up?” The rest of the team senses the anger in his voice and Hotch steps in.

“Regardless of the past, we have a job to do. Could you lead us to where we can set up?” He asks firmly and Charlie smirks.

“Chief Gardener is probably around here somewhere. He could show you,” he’s looking around and you cut him off.

“I know where the conference room is. We’ll get there on our own,” you say, walking toward the room on the other side of the precinct. You open the door, ushering the team inside with a grimace, “we can set up in here.”

The team is full of questions, but they’re also profilers. They know you’re in no mood to open up to them right now, so they shove the curiosity to the back of their minds and focus on the case.

xxxxx

“Alright, let’s deliver the profile,” Hotch announced to the team. It took everything in you to hold back your groan. Over the last few days you’ve been able to avoid direct contact with local law enforcement. They all had their eyes on you constantly, either sending looks of pity or hate to the girl who divided the town. Mainly you stayed in the conference room. Reid taught you how to build a geographical profile, and you helped Penelope with the computer where you could. You even managed to not be seen by the chief yet, but this briefing would put you right in his line of sight.

You stood up silently and went into the bullpen as Hotch asked the nearest officer to gather everyone. Your plan was to stand in the back and be quiet, but as you saw the man across the room look at you, you realized that wouldn’t be happening.

“The man we’re looking for is-“ Hotch is cut off.

“I wanna hear it from y/n,” the chief says and you clench your jaw.

“Now isn’t the time Jacob. Just shut up and let Agent Hotchner tell you who we’re looking for. The sooner we catch him the sooner I’ll be out of here and you won’t have to worry about me,” you say as calmly as you can.

“And let you ruin another innocent man’s life? I’m not gonna sit by and watch you do to somebody else what you did to dad,” he says, pushing himself off the wall he’s been leaning on and taking a few steps towards you and you snap.

“Dad was a lot of things, but innocent wasn’t one of them,” you can feel yourself losing your cool as you close the gap between the two of you. “He hurt a lot of people, Jake.”

“Oh and you’re quite the reliable source. His bastard daughter. What was it? Daddy didn’t give you enough attention? You had to find another way to get all eyes on you, huh?” he spits out. You’re about to throw a punch, but luckily you’re surrounded by a group of profilers who know you better than anyone. As you go to pull your arm back Derek wraps his arms around your waist, lifting you up and quite literally removing you from the situation. When he sets you down a few feet away JJ’s face is in front of yours, her hands on your shoulders.

“Calm down, everything’s alright,” she whispers as you avoid eye contact, brushing her arms off of you.

“I’m fine,” you say for the hundredth time this week and take off, going outside to get some air. You make your way to the back alley, furiously rubbing at your face and trying to stop the tears you can feel building up. JJ is the first one outside and you don’t fight her this time as she pulls you into her arms. You bury your face in her shoulder as the tears start to fall. You’re exhausted from trying to keep it all in, both physically and emotionally, and soon you’re sobbing so hard you’re starting to hyperventilate.

“Hey, look at me, right at me. Just focus on my voice,” JJ says as she pulls away and takes your hand, placing it on her chest. “Just follow my breathing love, you’re okay.”

After a few minutes you’re able to get breathing back in check, and you latch onto JJ again. You hear the door open and your whole body goes rigid, not ready to face Jacob yet.

“Hey, it’s just us. We wanted to check on you,” Spencer’s voice is barely above a whisper, as if talking to a spooked animal.

“I’m okay,” you mumble, pulling away from JJ and wiping the tears away in embarrassment. You still keep a tight grip on her hand, but your gaze is on the floor.

“You don’t have to hide from us. We all get it,” Penelope says and you smile a bit.

“I guess you want an explanation,” you say with a self deprecating laugh, hating that you’ve ended up in this situation.

“Only if you’re ready,” Hotch gives you an out, but you don’t take it.

“No, I want you all to know. It’s just kind of a long story.”

“We’ve got all the time in the world, babygirl.” You roll your eyes at Derek’s nickname before speaking again.

“That was my brother in there. He’s a few years older than me. Our dad cheated on his mom with mine when he was six and they had me. My mom died when I was four and I went to go live with my dad. None of them particularly liked me. Ever since I moved in there had been problems between my dad and Jacob’s mom. She pretended I didn’t exist and my dad…well I wished he did. He beat up on me pretty bad, but he was the chief of police, so everyone turned a blind eye. When I was nine I found out my dad was involved in some pretty shady stuff. Drug dealing, embezzlement, you name it he was probably doing it,” you explain and Penelope speaks up.

“How does a nine year old figure that out?” She asks and you look away again. JJ squeezes your hand drawing your eyes to her as she puts the pieces together. You can see the question in her eyes and you just nod, you can do this.

“I uh…I found his stash. I saw some powder in this little bag in his room and I thought it was candy, like a pixie stick or something. So I hid it in my pocket when he wasn’t looking. I was at the station after school, sitting in the conference room actually, when I went to eat it. I poured some on my tongue, the second I tasted it I spit it out. I came running into the bullpen yelling ‘Dad why does your candy taste funny?’ and waving the bag around. He panicked, started screaming at me, calling me every name in the book right there in front of the whole precinct. Half the guys still work here…I still don’t know if it’s the cocaine that I ingested or the fear of having him lose it, probably a bit of both, but I passed out. They had to rush me to the hospital. The one here doesn’t have a pediatric unit so they had to take me to the county one. When an ambulance came in with a little kid and half a dozen cop cars following it, the doctors had some questions. It launched a whole investigation. There was a whole ring here in town and a lot of people went down. It’s not like I was trying to break it apart, I was nine. I wasn’t investigating it. It was an accident but I sure got blamed. I had to testify at his trial. I knew the way he treated me was’t right, but I didn’t realize I was digging his grave a bit deeper with every word I said until a few years ago. Last I heard he was doing fifteen to twenty years. He should be up for parole soon,” you realize, and you start to spiral, staring off into space and wondering what will happen when he gets out. JJ calling your name pulls you back into reality.

“Huh? Oh yeah, I ended up living with an aunt after all that. I went by my mom’s last name, legally changed it when I turned eighteen. I kept my head down and worked my ass off. I graduated high school at 16 and never looked back. If I had I might know how the hell Jacob was able to get a job in this precinct, let alone run it,” you finish and before anyone can speak Penelope has practically tackled you into a hug.

“Did you know any of this?” Rossi’s question is directed at JJ and she lets out a sigh.

“I knew she had a bad experience with drugs as a kid. She freaks out whenever I leave a bottle of tylenol where Henry can see it, that makes sense now. I knew it was because of her father. And I knew she wasn’t on speaking terms with any of her family,” JJ lists off and you feel your eyes starting to water once again.

“It’s not something I talk about. I’m sorry, I should’ve told you.” JJ shakes her head, cupping your cheek in her hand.

“I’m not mad. It was your story to tell me when you were ready,” she places a kiss on your forehead and you feel like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders.

“Alright, let’s go catch this son of a bitch so we can get the hell out of here,” you say and the team agrees, heading back into the building with a renewed desire to close this case.

tag list: @rvgrsbrns @rororo06 @prizmix-and-friends @worlds-in-words @5aftermidnight @im-salt-but-not-salty @riotmaximoff @xxxtwilightaxelxxx

Criminal minds tag list: @reidingandwriting

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headoverjojo · 5 years ago

Note

Hello! Can you write a scenario/headcanons (whichever you prefer!) about Melone, Formaggio and a gn la squadra member/reader enjoying an evening together gossiping and stuff? Might be shippy or totally platonic! (I love your blog! 🥺🥺)(Also these two separately ofc!)

Hi there, darling!! Awww thank you for you kind words :,) And sure thing!! Here we go :3 I hope you’ll like it!!

Mini-scenarios: Formaggio and Melone enjoy an evening with their friend

(Under the cut for length!)

Melone

You sighed, rubbing the back of your neck, and plopped on the couch, near Melone. The man turned his head to watch you, with an amused smile that widened when you showed him a couple of face masks and a glamorous purple nail polish. Oh, how you knew him well…

“It’s Sunday, Mel. Time for our beauty time!” you cheerfully said, while your friend was already studying the nails of your right hand. He sighed, picking up a nail file and starting to adjust your nails, relaxing at the sound of your quiet hums. How much he loved those moments… little oasis of peace in the chaos that was an assassin’s life.

“So? How was Florence?” you smiled, relaxing on the couch and letting Melone do his magic on your nails. He was extremely methodic, as almost as Prosciutto, and he always managed to fix your nails like no one else, after a mission. And well, you were good with hair. If he always had a glamorous haircut it was thanks to you.

“Wonderful. Don’t tell Risotto, but I managed to accomplish the mission in like, two days, and I’ve spent the rest of the week going around as tourist. It was sooooo nice to spend the Boss’ money there… well, he already has too much money, don’t you think? Better take from him what we can and enjoy them.” Melone snorted, giggling, and took your left hand, to carefully fix your nails. Oh, stealing money from the bastard that enjoyed to underpay all of his various squads would always be his favourite hobby ever…

“I won’t say a word, don’t worry, dear. And so… what did you visit in Florence?” you smirked, amused by his casual tone. He was almost like a child, when he knew you were gone somewhere…

He always loved when you brought him a little souvenir. His only eye always shone in delight when he could finally unwrap your present and, no matter what it was, he was always enthusiast about it. His fridge’s door was, by now, full of colorful magnets and you always joked saying that it seems more like the a housewife’s fridge than an assassin’s. There wasn’t a better compliment for him.

He liked when people, and you in particular, told him he seemed a normal person.

“I’ve ruined my shoes walking around… and trying to find the perfect souvenir.” fast as a snake, you pulled from your pocket a small package that made Melone squeak in joy and delight. He took it, quickly unwrapping it, and you smiled, happy, when you saw his eyes shining in joy when he took the colorful -and, yes, a bit kitsch, but he liked them like this- magnet in his hands. You giggled, when he hugged you, and you patted his back, amused and content. He really didn’t need a lot to be the happiest guy around… and you loved to see your friend smile like that. He didn’t do it enough.

“Guess I should buy you a new pair of shoes, to repay you of the efforts, don’t you think?” you huffed a laugh, while picking up a circlet and freeing his face from his lavender bangs. He stayed still, humming contently, while you were gently spreading the face mask on his face, careful to cover every good centimeter of it.

“Oh, you know I wouldn’t say no to a gift, Mel.” his lips twitched, but he managed not to grin, not to ruin the face mask just put on. When you finished, he took again your hands, to put the nail polish on.

“And here? How has it been?” you asked, watching with marvel how Melone was putting the nail polish on. Perfect to the last millimeter. No surprise that even Gelato and Sorbetto, who always showed an enviable manicure, were almost jealous of your perfectly painted nails!

“Oh, as usual. But I missed you!” he pouted, and you huffed a laugh, resisting the temptation to pinch his cheek. How could he, the sweetest and kitschest person you have ever know, be a top-tier assassin? He really had two faces… as everyone else, in your squad. No one, watching Risotto’s intimidating figure, would have ever imagined he was the most tender gardner in the world. No one would have ever imagined, not after seeing them at work, at least, that Sorbetto and Gelato were the sappiest and cheesiest couple around. For the rest of Passione, they were just their cold blooded assassins.

Well, for you they were your family, especially Melone. Your sweet, fashionista and curious friend…

“And I’ve missed you too!” he smiled, content, finishing to put the nail polish on your right hand and switching to your left one. You sighed, relaxed, resting your back on the couch arm, closing your eyes. Yes…

It was nice to be home again.

*******

Formaggio

“Ohi, Y/N! Do you have plans for tonight?” you huffed, when Formaggio rested his arm on your head, and lifted your eyes from the magazine you were reading, to fix them on your partner-in-crime’s smug face.

“Maybe.” you giggled, when he loudly complained, and, right when he was about to beg, you finally gave in. It was always funny to tease him like this!

“So, what are your plans for tonight, Formaggio? CSI and beer at your place?” he grinned, raising a positive thumb up at your words. It was almost a ritual of yours: every Friday night was your CSI night. You both loved to watch it, sometimes just to laugh at the absurd murders, sometimes to even take inspiration from them. Formaggio liked to be theatrical, as much as Risotto allowed him to be. And you could understand him: with a stand so versatile as Little Feet, you too would have gone creative!

“Bring the snacks, this time the beer is on me. At eight and half, hm?” you nodded, smiling, amused, and then he finally freed your head, going to the entrance door. After shouting a bye to everyone -aside Ghiaccio, as they had fought again. Sometimes you thought of them more as children than as grown ass murderers-, he was out.

“Uh-uh, at Formaggio’s again, Y/N? Do you have something to tell us?” you scoffed at Melone’s teasings, and closed the magazine, after putting in it a piece of paper, not to lose the point where you’d stopped.

“Yes, that you’re a bunch of assholes. See ya tomorrow, guys.” you waved a little your hand, exiting the hideout and taking the magazine with you. So, snacks… on your way to Formaggio’s place, you stopped at a little discount to buy some snacks, a mix of yours and his favourite ones, and then you finally went straight to his flat. You knocked a couple of times, and, when Formaggio came to open, one of his cats jumped from his shoulders to yours, meowing and purring and rubbing his little muzzle on your hair. You giggled, amused, coming in, while Formaggio was apologizing and trying to get the cat back, only to be hissed at, to his enormous dismay.

“You little ungrateful flea-bag!” you pouted, picking the cat from your shoulders and holding it on your chest, gently scratching it behind his ears, earning more purrs and soft meowls that turned into hisses every time Formaggio came near.

“Don’t be so mean to Signor Spock!” you scolded him, giving him the bag with the snacks and keeping cuddling the cat, while going to the couch. You plopped down, playing with Signor Spock, giggling when you heard Formaggio grumbling and huffing, while he was preparing a couple of bowls full of snacks, and a couple of deliciously cold beers, of course. You turned on the TV, zapping from channel to channel until you finally found the right one. Now it was just a matter of waiting…

“So? Do you want to tell me why you and Ghiaccio fought?” his grumbles became louder as he approached the couch, putting a couple of bowls on the small coffee table and handing you a beer. You hummed, enjoying the cold surface of the glass bottle and, when he too finally sat down, you clicked your bottle with his, in a simple toast, and took a sip. So refreshing…

“Cat got your tongue, ‘Maggio?” you turned around, only to find him pouting and… slightly red on his cheeks. What the hell? What did Ghiaccio say to him?!

“Bullshits, like always. Nothing to worry about.” he grumbled, almost shoving on you lap a bowl. Signor Spock hissed again, before hopping down and trotting on his favourite spot: on the wardrobe, from where he could perfectly ambush his owner. You tilted your head, looking at your friend and his grumpy face, before sighing. He was as stubborn as a horse, when he wanted to…

“Alright, alright, keep your secrets, then. But you know I’m always here for you, right?” you said, after putting your beer on the coffee table. You took his face in your hands, looking at him right in the eye, serious. He was surprised and again slightly red on the cheeks; you were so near…

However, he started to frown and pout when he noticed how your hands were slowly pressing more and more his cheeks, and he openly grumbled when you mouthed cioppi-cioppi, laughing.

“Oh, c’mon!” he complained, but it was impossible to miss the grin that was forcing its way on his lips. Your smile widened, when you saw it. Ah, it was a win!

“Oh, it’s starting! But don’t you think we’re done, hm?” he rolled his eyes, but hummed a yes, immensely enjoying your head on his shoulder. Maybe Ghiaccio’s teasings were so annoying because they were true…

However, it was something for another time. Now it was time to watch CSI with a beer, some good snack, and especially you, his best friend…

Or maybe something more?

#jjba #vento aureo #la squadra di esecuzione #formaggio #melone #squadra!friend #neutral friend #mini scenari #scenario #sfw #anon ask

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green-spear-of-causality · 4 years ago

Note

You got any shippy headcanons? Not any specific ship, just any ship or ships you feel like rambling about!

...Do you know what you have done? The power I now hold -

Ship Headcanons (FGO)

YARIYUMI, YUMIYARI, WHICHEVER WHATEVER

I LOVE THEM

Fsn Cú and EMIYA just? Compliment each other so well??

(Plus I'm pretty sure one of the writers said that they were compliments on purpose so - )

When they both get summoned to Chaldea, they just take one look at each other and go "are you serious??"

Proto Cú is the mediator between the two of them in the beginning, since he's friends with EMIYA and he's a part of the Cú Squad

Fsn Cú and EMIYA only start to interact more after EMIYA finds out Fsn Cú is the one challenging his place in the kitchen baking at night (@oddnub @sequel-to I'm tagging you both for this because we are now the Baking Cú Squad). He had confronted him about it, and once he got him to admit it he...just gives him tips and leaves?

And Fsn Cú is like what???

So, he (begrudgingly) listens to his advice and starts baking with fervor. It's still at odd hours of the night, but that's how he prefers it to be and wait who is that walking down the halls -

"I figured you'd be here."

"Archer." Fsn Cú says, thankful that Proto Cú had already gone to his room so he couldn't witness this trainwreck of a conversation

"Do you mind if I assist you?"

That's...not what he was expecting. Fsn Cú would've teased him a bit more if he wasn't currently doing a job meant for two or more people.

He nods. "Yeah, thanks."

EMIYA washes up, looking over his shoulder as he mixes the batter, keeping an eye on the oven timer. "What are you making?"

"Russian Teacakes." Fsn Cú explains. "Master told me that it's a tradition they have with their family, and since it's summertime I'll let them cool in the fridge."

EMIYA hums his approval, putting on his black apron. The sight is doing things to Fsn Cú's heart it really shouldn't be doing, so he turns away.

"May I add a suggestion?"

"Well, I plan to be here all night. Shoot."

"Strawberry milkshakes with the berries we picked from the garden."

Fsn Cú's eyes widen. "It's a good idea, but isn't Master allergic?"

EMIYA gives a deep, world-weary sigh. "They are adamant that they have some. They mentioned it to me in passing, but they won't tell me why."

Fsn Cú snorts. "That sounds just like them."

And so, the next half hour is filled with a comfortable silence. It hits Fsn Cú at how domestic this is, and does his face feel a little warmer?

He flicks some batter at EMIYA. "Keep up those frowns and you'll end up looking like an old man in no time."

EMIYA raises a brow, wiping the batter off his face. There's a strange gleam in his eyes as he replies, "It seems you've forgotten which one of us is the elder here, Cú Chulainn."

Fsn Cú opens his mouth to retort, but something hits his chest and cheek. He wipes it off, dumbfounded.

It's batter.

A grin forms on his face. "Oh, it's on!"

And that's how Robin and Proto Cú found them, laughing at the mess they made while three trays of Russian Teacakes sit untouched on the counter.

Speaking of Robin and Proto Cú...

(@oddnub I blame you for getting me into this ship, and yep I tagged you twice)

These two are so obviously in love that it physically hurts

Robin wants go play some cards? Proto Cú is there, along with Billy the Kid as they talk smack to each other

Proto Cú goes hunting by himself? Robin's in the trees, keeping an eye on him

(Proto Cú has no idea he's there. He just thinks that his Luck is turning around, that or some deity is watching out for him)

Robin gets teased about it by Fsn Cú

"Robin, are you alright?" Proto Cú asks him as they sit down for lunch one time.

Robin raises a brow at him, stopping mid-chew. "Uh, yeah? Why?"

Proto Cú gestures to him. "You look like you fought a bear. And lost."

Robin chokes, Fsn Cú laughing loudly across from him because he knows.

(Yes, he did indeed fight a demonic bear that was slowly circling around Proto Cú's location during his latest hunt for boars. He won, but just barely; the thing had steel plating all over despite it being a bear, so his arrows couldn't make quick work of it)

Proto Cú frets as he slams his hand into his back, thoroughly dislodging the piece of meat that was stuck in his throat. Fsn Cú is cackling, damn him, and now Cascú is chuckling because he knows too.

"Just fell out of bed weird this morning." Robin says weakly, taking a swig of water. "Didn't bother to brush up."

"Ohhh, gotcha." Proto Cú nods, and now Cascú is wheezing as Fsn Cú lays dead on the floor. "Oi, what's so funny guys?"

"Oh nothing, nothing."

Alter Cú grunts, leveling Fsn Cú and Cascú with a stare. "Don't. If they want to be idiots, let them be idiots."

Seriously, these two are so inseparable they have inside jokes

You like the idea of Baker Fsn Cú? Get ready for Gardner Robin

He doesn't tend to the vegetables, no. He grows flowers because he knows flowers make Master happy

(He also lets the child Servants make flower crowns and, on occasion, makes bouquets if he gets a request for them)

Atalanta and Achilles come every so often to help him, although Achilles is there usually because Atalanta is

Merlin just, chills there?? And sometimes gives tips to Robin???

"Hey Robin, what happened to Sapph?"

It's a nickname for Sapphire, the blue bird that's always perched on his shoulder. The two are never separated - until now, apparently.

The Archer doesn't look up from his work, watering the hyacinths. It's quiet but peaceful, which is exactly his kind of environment. "She's with Proto." He mentions offhandedly.

He misses Merlin's smirk, but the smug tone in his voice is enough to tip him off. "She doesn't like anybody except for you. Strange for her to not be by your side."

Yes, Robin can read between the lines. Sometimes, though, he wishes that he couldn't.

Now is one of those times.

"You know what? Mage of Flowers? Shut up."

Merlin laughs at his grumbling, thankfully not saying more on the matter.

Asterios comes to help him tend to the garden and Robin never turns him down

Seeing the gentle giant cup a bud in his large hands, taking care not to crush it as he pats it into the earth with a smile as he whispers "I hope...you grow into the beautiful flower that you are" is so pure that Robin's respect for him skyrockets in .01 seconds

Asterios usually gives the flowers he grows himself to Euryale, who never fails to accept them with a soft look in her eyes

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steve0discusses · 4 years ago

Text

Yugioh Ep 28: Valon Joins the Dead People Gang

So lately it’s been really freakin hot.

Like crazy freakin hot. I haven’t done anything productive because youknow--I live in a Covid hotspot and I’ve been quarantined for what feels like is 6 years, and then to continue the 10 plagues across America, now it’s just really freakin hot.

I was trying to go the hell to sleep when I heard this WIND outside my window at 2 AM. Just...WIND. It was like 5000 degrees outside, and then it started thundering, and then the lightning started hitting and I was like...wtf 2020, please calm down!

So I decided to check Twitter at 3 AM really fast just to make sure this wasn’t a freakin dream. Aaaaaaand Northern California had a Fire tornado warning.

3 words I never thought I’d see in conjunction. Fire tornado Warning.

and it hella dropped in Tahoe, y’all, it was freakin nuts. Meanwhile, Death Valley--the place where Yugi hella biffed it and died, if you don’t remember--hit 130 F (54.4 C, for the metric lovers in the back) so...it’s been a time for every part of California, and now we have some good ol fashioned rolling blackouts accompanied by 27 wildfires (yes, 27 fires) who have turned the sky into a yellow pea soup.

So because of the rolling blackouts (one of our power transformers exploded because of either the lightning or overuse, I dunno) at any point...my power might go out. Because of this, I didn’t feel like booting up Photoshop and so instead I’ll just...work on this.

...something about the Fire Tornado, the yellow shadow realm outside my window, and crazy lightning over San Fransisco reminded me that it’s been a HOT MINUTE since I’ve posted so lets get back to Yugioh. Somehow they knew that the doorway to hell was my back yard and you know what? They’re right. Completely believable and I wish someone would close the damn door.

Tristan read my mind that it’s been such a hot minute since I’ve checked in, that he mansplained a very quick summary of what the hell is currently happening to Tea Gardner.

A brave man, Tristan Taylor. A brave man to risk getting into a fight with Tea, who is the only Goliath on this show that exists without also being a paper card.

Which is when Pharaoh had some news.

I guess without Duke around, Pharaoh had to be the new Killjoy

(read more under the cut)

I exaggerate a little for the caps, but it’s kind of interesting that when Joey is usually on his own, it’s Yugi who’s certain that Joey is about to die and Pharaoh is the one that has to calm little Yugi down. But, when Yugi’s not there, I guess Pharaoh is just already in a Mood.

Mai is really weird this episode! I wish this season had gone into more detail about the extent of the Orichalcos’s mind control. Because Mai could very well be under it’s spell...or not...maybe it has no spell and they’re just falling for it like a placebo?

It’s not like the Orichalcos was ever put on anyone who was “good.” like if it were possessing someone nice like...

....

....(let me think about this, I’ll think of someone on this show who is a true lawful good.)

....

.................Dark Magician Girl, then I’d actually know if this Orichalcos actually IS different from how these characters actually are. But Mai was introduced in this series as a villain, and she’s always been around to bust balls, so it’s like...what part is Mai and what part is not?

Apparently a part that only shows up when Valon dies.

PS Valon turns a very quick 180 right before he died. I honestly thought I had skipped an episode or something because bro mentioned something about...Valon burning down a church or something...but I think that was a spicy headcanon where he mixed up this show with another anime.

I think. If I skipped an episode, y’all would tell me, right? I didn’t skip an episode?

I did skip the card games, however, so something about getting punched like 1000 times in the dick by Joey Wheeler taught Valon how to be human again, and the death that followed the 1000 dick punches inspired Mai to remember that Valon exists and that she Loves Him.

(just flat on his face)

I just...

I am going to give Yugioh this one. They have had so little in terms of relationships--I will give this to them. Good Job Yugioh, you did it. You had a relationship on your show. Sure, it was one where she...never seemed to like the guy at all, but hey--they actually did embrace...a corpse. Good on you, Yugioh.

Again, I have a really difficult time not cracking up about this very tragic moment a little bit because (and I have said this before about relationships on Yugioh), but I have never seen a TV show treat a straight relationship this way. I have never seen Straight Baiting before in my life and it is...WILD.

Also because Valon and Mai have both murdered I want to say hundreds of people at this point, it’s hard to feel too bad about them, although they are drawn as a very cute couple in how their outfits match. They got the finger less gloves, the belts hanging off their collar, the sleeveless outfit that is both too much clothes and too little clothes at the same time.

And like...I really like the idea behind Valon/Mai. I still think that was a good idea to build off of, I just wish that there was more of a sign from Mai that she had any idea that Valon existed prior to this. Because Valon had Orichalcos too, but he was fully able to love her--so what was happening on her end that prevented this? Was it just the amount that she hated Joey was so much more than her love for Valon? Was Valon actually more jealous of her hate of Wheeler and misinterpreted it as love?

Anyway it’s a billion degrees and I don’t have air conditioning so...I think we’ll have more time to think about this next episode. Maybe it’ll occur to me two weeks after this heat wave ends exactly what I am trying to grasp at when it comes to these two, but for now all I can say is...well it was nice.

Ah RIP Valon/tine (or at least I assume that’s the ship name). You lasted almost a whole season. You almost became a thing. I guess well find out if there’s redemption after he eventually gets resurrected.

And on this show we redeem resurrected people kind of a lot, so that seems reasonable. Sure it was a couple hundred people that he murdered but like...we redeemed Marik.

And then she goes back to wigging out like immediately. The flipping and the flopping of Mai Valentine in this episode is a lot.

And immediately after he says something along the lines of this, he follows with...doing this:

Joey! Valon just died so you wouldn’t have to duel Mai Valentine! He’s dead, Joey! Maybe try talking???

The thing about this show is that cards can both heal you and also destroy you, and the line between the two is just...rolling a dice and hoping you come out healed. Yugi played cards against Yami so that Yami could free himself from his guilt and move on--Valon was healed of Orichalcos control because Joey beat him at cards--Seto was “cured” of his more evil side because Yami mind wiped him in a card game--card magic is weird.

At the same time, Cards can take your soul in just So Many Ways--kind of one of the downsides. But, in a very round about way, maybe cards are kind of like therapy in this world. Maybe they don’t have therapy, and all these kids playing card games with eachother is metaphorical to how they all need eachother in order to push eachother to actually go through the steps of-

Ah, who am I kidding? They just really needed to have Mai lose at cards so they could write her off the show.

I do appreciate that the show never tells you that someone’s actions in the past mean they must rot for eternity. This show will never cancel anyone and say “burn that bridge, let’s go” but I feel like murder is...the line where you can just walk away?

But youknow if that were true of Joey wheeler he’d have no friends left.

During this time, The Yugioh crew was inexplicably lost while, for once in his entire life, Seto was going the correct direction.

Unfortunately, the lure to throw cards at thing was too much for him to go the right direction for very long. It is kind of funny to note that he is the smartest boy in Domino--so he knows you can drive through a hologram--but he just didn’t want to know if they were real or not, so he...didn’t.

Like I think that says a lot about Seto, and I’m sure the show-runners didn’t think about this at all, but he could have tested his theory right now. He could have just seen if these were real in order to know if he was crazy or not...but he’d rather be insane, than be involved with magic.

Anyways, Mai drops that Orichalcos.

Reminder that San Francisco is only 7-12 miles from one end to the other depending on what part of the peninsula you’re on.

But then again, they’re reading a map in Roman characters and these kids are school dropouts who only speak Japanese and maybe Spanish. Maybe they’re actually doing really, really well considering the language barrier?

Anyway that’s all for now I’m gonna go pass out and hopefully when I wake up it’ll be next week when it is no longer hot. If you just got here, this is a link to read these caps from the beginning!

https://steve0discusses.tumblr.com/tagged/yugioh/chrono

#yugion #ygo #photo recap #episode recap #yami muto #tea gardner #joey wheeler #tristan taylor #Valon #Mai Valentine #So much punching #Seto Kaiba shows up for 5 seconds #Mokuba too I guess #S4 #Episode 28

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imagine-fight-write · 4 years ago

Text

RANDOM - Banana Fish Review, Vol. 1, Part Four

(This was one of my fav gifs looking for gifs of Shorter.)

*There will be pictures/gifs included tomorrow, because this is already late & loading them is taking forever, for some reason.

Haha, no, I actually prettied it up 1/5/21. Yes, I’m glorious.

No I’m actually Dio DIO in this situation, who am I kidding.

(This transition from Caesar to Dio fascinates me, by the way.) (The GIF.)

The JOJO reference is because I’ve finally finished Diamond is Unbreakable! It was fun! I enjoyed it a lot! Ready for the next part!

But back to Banana Fish.

Hope you enjoy this!

So my plans failed again. Who is surprised? (Not me.)

I apologize profusely for the gaping void of Banana Fish-ness left since last I posted.

No really. I now have an alarm set for every Wednesday.

Let’s see how this goes. News Update: Maybe next time.

Also, my internet is still blitzy & rotten, otherwise I would’ve posted this yesterday (the 15th).

Now on to the in-depth, delighted gushing - er, review, of Banana Fish!

*Also, this is part 4, and 4 is a special number for me. Because of this guy:

And I can spell his name correctly!!! (It’s Ulquiorra, from Bleach, my 1st anime fan gushing love.)

Yes, I’m strange. Moving on.

So, brief recap, since I’m not sure anyone has read Part 3, given how terrifyingly long it is. If you missed it, here’s the link:

https://imagine-fight-write.tumblr.com/post/632014616404344832/random-banana-fish-review-vol-1-part-3-my

Please love & like it & repost to the rest of the Web. I worked tremendously hard on it.

Yes it’s long, but oh, it was delightful! There was snark! Delicious food! Wine! Fabulous mustaches! Mysteries! I gushed so much!

(And snarled at the wonton waste of good breakfast food, which I will not forget & always condemn.)

*I mean, I know people who will throw up if they have breakfast in the morning. But it’s important to eat so you have energy to do things & feel good.

And Dino took a perfectly beautiful breakfast & essentially wasted it for no good reason. I was so mad.

We meet Dino Golzine, a.k.a., Ash’s worst nemesis /enemy (note, I can’t spell nemesis) and major reason for why his life sucks.

(Although society doesn’t help either. Though the police try. They really do. Except what’s his face who’s complete scum & thoughtless, but we won’t meet him til Vol. 2. Plus I don’t think he has a name?)

But yes, Dino Golzine. All around awful person, and not safe around children (or anyone, really.) He’s low-key in this scene, mostly using verbal assaults (to great effect) but just you wait. There’s a reason he’s a mob boss.

Ash snarks, to great effect, but he’s no match. Dino has all the cards and all the dice (cards & dice being metaphors for power, & how he involves awful, painful memories of Ash’s past & tries to manipulate & order him around. Brrr.)

But Ash rallies, and ultimately refuses returning to be Dino’s heir / toy.

We meet Shorter! Huzzah!

(End of recap.)

It’s clear right away Shorter & Ash are old friends. They exchange quips about Marvin. We learn Marvin holds a mean grudge, so savvy readers can guess it’ll come to play later (it does.)

Shorter’s last line is strange.

“Just don’t put me in the position of having to kill you.”

Which is kinda out of the blue. I don’t know what to make of it. It doesn’t spoil or fore-shadow anything (unless in a very confused, round-about way) because that never happens later. So I’m confused.

Ash laughs it off and goes zooming off on his motor-bike / motorcycle (not sure which).

Note, from this short scene we already learn Shorter has his own sources of information - he knows Ash went to Dino’s, fast enough to be there before their conversation ended (unless he was just lucky to be there already - why was he there?). He already knows about Ash’s talk with Marvin, with enough detail to warn Ash about Marvin’s temper & that Marvin likes him, which is a bad combination.

Shorter is smart & cares about his friends, warning Ash about Marvin.

Aren’t friends great?

Especially after meeting such a dominating if soft spoken monster like Dino?

The answer is yes.

Next, we get this hilariously great shot of Ash running up the steps to his dingy apartment (pg. 47.)

It’s reminiscent for me of a scene in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Part 1, when Jonathan & Dino have their epic fight in the Joestar mansion.

There’s a part where Jonathan does this epic flip up to a second floor via sword (it’s epic) & it ends with this a few-seconds-longer-than it-needs-to-be shot of his butt. You can’t miss it. I’m usually oblivious to such things & I noticed it. I laugh every single time.

Anyway, back to Banana Fish.

(The atmosphere of grunginess (it’s not a word, I meant dirty, ugly, rough) & spartan furniture is great. Just look at those walls. I adore it.

(But would never want to live there.) Ash is clearly not rich & after Dino’s rich mansion, this is a stark contrast.

Also, there are no pictures or posters on the walls (which are festooned with dirt and cracks instead.) In fact, there’s almost nothing in terms of personal effects at all.

This baffles me. I mean yes, I assume they’re all dirt poor, living in a gang & working for the mafia on the side isn’t something you do for the luxuries. But surely they’d have something.

Or maybe it has something to do with Japanese decorating aesthetics? Meaning, Japanese appear to be more spartan than Americans in terms of decor (see the book, In Praise of Shadows, for example.)

* I can’t spell aesthetics. Why do I even use that word?

The apartment just looks extremely bare compared to others I’ve seen in movies depicting this era. Is what I’m saying.

Look at those bare walls. (It hurts me.)

Thoughts? Comments on how Japanese, Americans, and Europeans differ in basic decorating styles? Comment below!

Also remember as always, Banana Fish is both set & was written in the 1980’s, well before the “modern” style we have now.

Unless - wait. There is something very important to Ash which he’s clearly hiding in the apartment he goes to, which I assume only Skip & select members know about.

So maybe this isn’t actually Ash’s main base, where he sleeps & hangs out?

Yes, that must be it.

If you’re confused, I’ll explain once we get done with this section.

Moving on.

We meet Skip!!!! (Pg.47)

Black characters (and Latino) are still, alas, extremely rare in manga, anime, & other media, so all the cheers for including Skip so early & as such an important character.

Because Skip is very important. For multiple reasons. More on that later. Also note, 1 of the gang members Ash busts earlier is also black.

Again, the dialogue is great here between Ash & Skip, establishing Ash’s trust in him. Which is no small thing.

Skip is like Shorter, (agh, both their names start with S) sweet, but also has a nose for news.

Arthur’s going to get it, hah!

There’s yet another reference to it being early.

Though there’s no specific time mentioned . . . Nope, not since Ash found the poor, dying banana fish dude.

Does Ash usually sleep in? Is he a night owl? He was wandering around at 1 in the morning last night, after all.

*Yes, technically it was early morning, but it was still dark, so bite me.

But then, he was also suspicious & keeping tabs on his 2 gang members. So, who knows.

But I’m going to guess he’s a night owl.

Ash sits on the bed, and after Skip mentions everything is good, “him, too”.

Ash gives his 1st real, genuine smile. Gentle, relieved, no hard edges. Just pure happiness & relief. It’s sweet.

(Also, I just realized the “him, too” is supposed to be a surprise / shock for the reader & I spoiled it earlier. I do apologize.)

Skip offers to get coffee but Ash declines, deciding to nap, which reminds me:

Actually, drinking coffee before you take a nap can, for some people, actually make you sleep better.

Also, short cat naps (15-30mins) can boost your energy and mood.

Naps are good for you!

I almost wondered if the comics Skip had on the table might’ve been manga, but remembered it was the 1980’s and, far as I know, manga wasn’t big the U.S. yet. Alas!

Which is funny if you think about this being in a manga.

Skip goes to leave. Ash puts his hand in his pocket and gets this intense, almost fierce expression on his face (middle panel, pg. 48).

I was absolutely baffled by this reaction for a long time, but finally figured it out. Ash’s reaction is supposed to be baffling, because what he realizes right here will be revealed in the next few pages.

Skip, concerned, asks what’s up, but Ash brushes him off and sends him off to buy coffee. (After which I sincerely hope he takes a nap, because he needs one, he’s been up all night.) Sleep is good for you!

Skip is able to buy coffee with a single coin. A single coin.

(Sorry, I couldn’t resist.)

All my tears, and curses on inflation and overpriced coffee! And Starbucks!

Anyway, we learn Arthur’s going to get it (and Skip is the best spy ever) and the scene cuts to:

Our favorite person (not) Dino Golzine, tending his orchids.

I like this. It’s a rather unique hobby for a villian. I assume to give him a refined, elegant, and exact air.

He’s interrupted by Angie & his fabulous mustache (snickers) and this delightfully comic scientist person (who might be important later? The face sameness makes it difficult to judge, & I’m too lazy to consult my other volumes, which are not close by.)

But his entrance is priceless (pg. 50). I mean seriously, please go find it if you haven’t already. It’s dramatic, with a big WHAM! & he looks so cartoonish.

I love it.

Dino tells him, essentially, “don’t disturb my orchids” and me being an non-gardner person, I wonder: is it actually true loud noises can disturb flowers?

Comment below!

Anyway, Dino quickly establishes yes, he did send Ash’s gang members to kill the poor banana fish guy who started this whole mystery, and yes, it was important.

There’s a great panel (pg. 51) of scientist dude, drawn much less comedic, the whole panel black except for a white aura around him sweating and clearly in distress.

He whispers, “It - it’s gone.”

Dino snaps to attention with a leonine look, exactly like a cat who has just spotted another cat. It’s easily my favorite picture of Dino so far, very striking.

The dialogue is brilliant and snappy, short and direct.

“What is gone? . . . You’re positive? . . . Just a small amount.”

And we get the grand reveal:

Ash, taking out a bullet shaped capsule (was the shape intentional by Yoshida?). A capsule he’d clearly taken from the dying banana fish guy. There’s a great panel on the bottom of pg. 52 of Ash’s questioning expression and a ?

He unscrews the capsule and pulls out a tiny vial.

Thinks of the address the dying banana fish guy gave him.

Ash goes into the next room, where we see the silhouette of someone sitting with a plaid blanket draped across their knees.

He expresses his first real look of vulnerability, and gives a wonderful line:

“Go see . . . Banana fish . . . He said it and died. And you say it and you might as well be dead. Who did this to you? Griff . . . Please tell me, big brother.”

Everything clicks together (almost.)

Griff /Griffin is the soldier shown way back in the very beginning. The one who left for a few minutes and came back insane and shot up his squad.

Who’s now a human vegetable.

Banana fish is clearly responsible. Somehow.

And Dino is mixed in with it (of course). Pieces are coming together, but questions still remain.

Until next time!

#random #banana fish #banana fish review #manga #ash lynx #skip #banana fish shorter #friendship #xena warrior princess #JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

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otagen · 4 years ago

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ok this is totally random but i came across your piper changeling art from november and saw the comment about it being an au and i would be so happy to learn more about that? if you want to share

first of all THANK YOU! i love drawing trickster and im so glad you like him.

second of all: I’D LOVE TO TALK ABOUT MY AU. warning: this is such a long and silly explanation. it’s really long-winded and. needs a lot of explanations but luckily i’m happy to go off about it. there really is no name for the AU, but i have been calling that “changeling” hartley... “Fartley”. short for Fake Hartley. altho his actual name is Hartley Star (which i’ll get to). the lyrics are just in reference to a fan song i really like that i thought fit

the rest is going under a read more because it got extremely long: (there will be a TLDR version

so, this au takes place in a dc roleplay server with my friends (we post funny logs here @dcordchat ) and we have different AUs that we just name different earth. one particular earth we have is Earth-223, which is actually an expansion on a canon storyline! the “future flash” storyline (flash 2011 starting at issue #30) that really isn’t well written but a bit part of our server is that we take a lot of ideas and characters that dont get a lot of love (or some who do) and give them a lot more personality and thought. you don’t have to read that arc to know about hartley because the basics are: It’s 20 years in the future, and barry is going through it. he starts time traveling to fix all the mistakes he couldn’t. he’s lost hope. most of the rogues are dead.

a loooot of things have gone to shit, and a lot of people were lost. including hartley rathaway. i don’t remember if hartley dying was canon to this arc (because i didn’t finish it because it really is... hard to get through.) but that’s fine because this is where things start to deviate. hartley is mysteriously killed. his husband, david singh, has not been coping and has secretly taken up vigilante-ism on the side, going by the name Orpheus. (music motif... homage of a myth/fairy tale like the pied piper- of the guy who loses his wife.)

barry obviously isn’t coping well at all either. the rogues are almost like his family, if not completely, at least hartley and he were really close friends. so...

IN COMES... MONDAE STAR!

if you’re new, mondae (aka Nightmare is my oc!) mondae use to be a canon character that i’ve twisted so far into aus of aus that she’s now my oc and is probably indistinguishable from her canon counterpart (they... don’t even look alike at all, unless you have been following me for a long time.)

anyway. mondae is sort of... barry’s roommate in that shitty future world that barry lives in. along with parallax, bart and thaddeus, Lee Allen, Marco Mardon, Josh Jackham, and an array of different animals including raccoons and a polar bear. Mondae is a sort of whimsical dream entity, almost like a diety in fact! but not quite, because she was made fairly recently. what she does is that she eats nightmares and makes dreams... and... can create dreams in the real world. as long as you can imagine it and dream it, mondae can pull that out of the dream realm and make it a reality! she often does this with animals or little gifts or things that are as big as a house.

however, she can also make... people! the first person she made was Lee Allen,, who is the brainchild of the kid that barry never had but always dreamed of having with Leonard Snart before he died(shameless shipping but... we can do whatever we want). this kid never existed before, they are entirely made out of all the wishes and dreams that barry had, and were given fake memories. Lee was made because barry is Mondae’s best friend and she wanted to do something for him! even though she didn’t think it through. despite the problems they had and the troubles adjusting, barry did eventually welcome lee as a father... and grew happier and regained much of the hope he lost before.

now. Mondae takes a look at Orpheus, who is still struggling to cope with the death of his husband. so Mondae figures... “why don’t i do what I did for Barry? I could just MAKE a new hartley.”

i’m sure you see what happens from here.

mondae takes all the dreams and memories that everyone’s ever had of Hartley Rathaway and makes a new Hartley! the problem is, the real Hartley is dead and she doesn’t have access to all of his memories. but hartley remembers all these things and vague memories... he doesn’t remember the experience, his point of view is like. having the Supercut version of his life in his head. he has all the basics but not the details. the important things but not the things in between. everything that mondae didn’t cover in there, she sort of... winged it!

especially with hartley’s powers. mondae is made out of magic. hartley’s powers, the superhearing and the musical hypnotism... those both have scientific explanations. but mondae doesn’t get the science behind it, so this new hartley has powers that are mondae’s INTERPRETATION of his powers. meaning he can sing and play music that can perform miracles and control people like magic, and he can talk to animals like a Disney princess. this “fake hartley” aka Hartley Star (she sees him as a son!) is a living breathing fairy tale character. just like the real pied piper!

barry allen was horrified. more than him... ORPHEUS was horrified. his dead husband came back from the dead, except it’s not actually his husband. he still hasn’t finished grieving the first time, and the fact that this hartley is like his but it JUST different enough to... be noticeable... it’s too painful to witness.

hartley star is devastated and as you can imagine... has a lot of identity issues. thus: the piece of art i first drew with all his different iterations.

feeling dejected and hopeless, hartley star decides to live on his own. or at least tries to. he ends up running off to prime earth. when prime flash catches wind of this, he and a bunch of other characters try to bring him in. then... joe gardner comes in and saves him! and now they’re roommates... they bond over being clones!

hartley star is now just trying to deal with being a fake and having all these weird feelings about identity. eventually, they will make a name for themself! and their future vigilante name will be “symphony”... possible designs for that i haven’t posted yet:

TLDR: 20 years in a horrible future, hartley and many other rogues are dead... a new hartley is made out of HOPES AND DREAMS by a dream diety, but only has half his memories; which makes it hard for his old friends and husband to accept him. he has a lot of self-esteem and identity issues... but he is trying his best!

sorry this got so long but... i’m very happy to share it.

#hartley star #hartley rathaway #nightmare #symphony #Anonymous

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superman86to99 · 4 years ago

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Superman #83 (November 1993)

Funeral for a Friend: uh, that one Green Lantern supporting character who died when Coast City got blown up (Joe? Gary?). In this issue DC’s superheroes pay tribute to the tragedy of Coast City while also deciding what the hell to do with the giant engine that’s now in its place. Weird early ‘90s Hawkman! Dr. Fate with boobs! Already-slightly-psychotic Hal Jordan! EVERYONE IS HERE.

(Nice one, Guy.)

Meanwhile, Lex Luthor Jr. is also sneaking around Engine City, supposedly to prevent it from falling into the ocean and killing some of Aquaman’s friends, but in reality he just wants to look into the Cyborg Superman’s computer to see if he can find a recipe for making kryptonite. As the heroes argue about what to do with Engine City (Hal says drop it into the water, screw the fish), some leftover Warworld aliens start attacking them, like the holdout Japanese soldiers who never found out WWII was over.

The attack precipitates the city’s fall into the water and the heroes have to think fast to prevent a fish holocaust. Their solution is for all the Green Lantern-related characters (Hal Jordan, Guy Gardner, Alan Scott, Alan’s daughter Jade) to “detoxify” the debris with their powers before it falls into the ocean. And it works! These guys should totally open a carpet cleaning business.

As for Lex Jr., he does find the recipe for kryptonite inside the crumbling city, but just as he’s about to write it down (he wasn’t carrying any floppy disks, apparently), Supergirl yanks him out of there to prevent him from burning alive. What an unsupportive girlfriend. Anyway, Superman then takes some of the debris and builds a giant memorial for Coast City’s 6,999,999 anonymous lost souls, and Gary. Sweet Gary. You will be missed.

Creator-Watch:

If the art looks different that’s because this is the first issue inked by Joe Rubinstein, ending Brett Breeding’s classic two and a half year run as Dan Jurgens’ main inker (so classic that it feels a lot longer than that). Breeding will be back for Superman/Doomsday: Hunter/Prey and other stuff, though. As for Rubinstein, Don says: “At the time, I had trouble with the transition, being soused to Brett Breeding’s finishes over Jurgens’ pencils, but looking at it now, the art looks great. It doesn’t look as smooth or blocky as Breeding’s finishes, but Rubinstein’s hatchier style serves Jurgens pretty well, even if it takes some getting used to.”

Plotline-Watch:

At the start of the issue, Superman goes to pick up Batman to take him to Coast City, only to find him wearing a different costume, acting differently, and sounding like a different guy. That’s because that’s not really Bruce Wayne in the suit anymore, but the replacement he got after Bane broke his back. That’s right: freakin’ Psi-Phon and Dreadnaught.

Superman gives a speech about how superheroes must work together to prevent another tragedy like Coast City from happening, but when Guy asks him if that means he’s going back to the Justice League, he’s like “uh, not yet.” Wisely, he’s gonna wait for Grant Morrison to get there first.

Hal Jordan’s characterization in this issue is interesting. In Green Lantern #47 (which came out the same month), he’s bummed about Coast City but still hopeful and serene, while here he’s already going Parallax on us. Wonder if Dan Jurgens knew more about what DC was planning for Hal than the other comic’s writer.

There’s a cute scene where Superman is flying by Kansas on his way to Coast City and quickly drops some flowers for Ma Kent. (That, or Flash picked this moment to hit on a random older woman.)

Former TV exec/crime boss Morgan Edge has released an autobiography where he trashes the Daily Planet’s Cat Grant for using her sexiness (and, you know, sex) to get dirt on him and send him to jail. He also accuses Cat of being a crappy mother to her son Adam. He kind of has a point there, because what kind of mom would let her kid play with an Atari in the early ‘90s?! The SNES and the Genesis were already out!

Believe it or not, Morgan Edge’s pervy dad in that screenshot above isn’t the creepiest thing in that scene. Don: “Very spooky how the guy dangling outside of Cat’s apartment goes without mention. An ominous foreshadow of one of the very few missteps of Jurgens’ run.”

But the most ominous part of the issue is at the end, when Clark Kent accepts Jimmy Olsen’s offer to become roomies, since Clark lost his apartment on account of being dead and all. Don wants you to know that “Jimmy is still in that towel by the way” in the scene below. I hope.

Patreon-Watch:

Shout out to our patrons Aaron, Murray Qualie, Chris “Ace” Hendrix, britneyspearsatemyshorts, Patrick D. Ryall, and a warm welcome to Samuel Doran! Last month our patrons got to read an article about Superman’s bizarre first Elseworlds appearance ever, the Kamandi: At Earth’s End miniseries, and got a veeeeeery early look at this post you’re reading right now (since Don finished his part way before I did mine). Right now I’m preparing this month’s Patreon-only article, which involves Superman wearing pointy ears and Luthor wearing make up. Find out more at https://www.patreon.com/superman86to99

Oh, and in case you missed it, we’ve been posting Don’s new commentary for older issues on the Patreon as free posts (click above and scroll down to see them). EVEN MORE from Don after the jump!

Art-Watch (by @donsparrow):

Another classic issue, and such a nice wrap-up to the "Death and Return" storyline (as well as being a much-needed check-In on the DC Universe at large). We start with the cover, and it’s a very good one, letting the reader know right away that it’s a big team-up issue. (It also is a real showcase for 90s costume design, and how weird the JLA lineup was at this point).

The opening splash is a neat image of a rarely seen pairing, Superman and Commissioner Gordon. Jurgens draws James Gordon a little heavier and more Pa-Kent like than I’m used to seeing him, but it’s still neat to see him interacting with Superman. A page later, we get another rare pairing—the returned Superman with the imposter Batman, Jean-Paul Valley. The tension in the interaction between “AzBats” and Superman comes across well in their exchange, as does Superman’s doubts about who he was really speaking to.

It’s a dreamy looking Superman crossing the country from Metropolis to Coast City, and I daresay that they’re trying to channel Dean Cain a little as he approaches Kansas.

The best panel of the issue though is the two page spread of all the heroes gathering at the wreckage of Coast City, and there’s so much to love here. The body language, and facial expressions speak volumes about each of the characters: Superman looking swashbuckling and upbeat, Green Lantern brooding like a man barely holding on, Green Arrow all attitude and shadow. Just a great spread.

Another cool image is Aquaman showing up late, and emerging very royally in protection of his ocean (undercut masterfully by a legitimately funny couple of lines from Guy Gardner). Page 14’s Hal Jordan is a great drawing, and this whole storyline seems like a table setter for the "Emerald Twilight" story coming up.

The sequence of a firelit Luthor at the computer is a good look at his madness, but it does beg the question of just how little Supergirl seems to take in. He was JUST talking aloud about Kryptonite, and she emerges seeming not to hear. The image of Supergirl flying Lex away as he struggles against her psychic grab is a good one, even if her uniform is depicted as a little clingier than I imagine it to really be.

Superman floating above his obelisk with his arm in front of his face like Dracula is a cool look, even if it is a little dramatic.

Lastly, the image of Clark turning up the stereo is a good one, even if his hair length is wildly shorter here than in Coast City (and I usually dislike it when they mention real world bands, as it comes off trying too hard to be hip).

STRAY OBSERVATIONS:

I have to love how meta it is to have Superman outright saying that Batman is dressing more “threatening” these days, on page 2. I guess he couldn’t come right out and say “you have an extreme new look, and it’s totally badass! Batman the next generation!”

Last we saw of Supergirl she was storming out of the party on Lex’s Zeppelin after Lex II was getting all horned up at the sight of Lois Lane, but it appears here they’ve mostly patched things up as they fly to Coast City.

More meta-stuff: Jimmy clunkily complimenting Lois on her new hair by saying she “oughta be on TV or something!”. This whole exchange is very expository, really, “Clark must be pretty mad… though he’s busy worrying about where he’s going to bunk…” Anything else to get in there, Jimmy?

The harshness some of the heroes have for Lex Junior seems a little out of place, especially since he’s still known to most of the heroes as an ally from "Panic in the Sky", and the "Doomsday" storyline. Superman’s comment was borderline, but where is all this anger Flash is showing coming from?

Being as familiar as we are with these writers, there are certain phrases or ideas that a certain writer will go to way, way too often. Byrne had a number of stories where Superman would “ionize” something with his heat vision, and it occurred to me that maybe he just liked that word. I would submit that Dan Jurgens likes the word “atomize”. It was used by the Cyborg Superman when talking about Doomsday, and is used a bunch just in this issue.

I find it hilarious that Hawkman appears so prominently in this issue, but doesn’t get any lines. This issue is an interesting time capsule—I had almost forgotten about the de-aged Starheart powered Alan Scott era.

Speaking of lines, they don’t give Captain Marvel much to do in this issue, but I always like seeing him, even if his only contribution is the odd “Holy Moley!”

Colouring error on page 12, where Hal’s ring has a red centre (maybe the colourist had Alan Scott’s red and green look on the brain?)

A raging Hal standing by Green Arrow is a sad foreshadowing of their confrontation to come in Zero Hour.

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