#also this is literally one of eddies best hit gags

[rneadowlark]

Eddie Cantor, Lew Hearn, and Louis Sorin in a scene from the motion picture Glorifying the American Girl (1929).

[letterboxd]

Blurring the Line.

As a new Space Jam film beams down to Earth, Kambole Campbell argues that a commitment to silliness and a sincere love for the medium is what it takes to make a great live-action/animation hybrid.

The live-action and animation hybrid movie is something of a dicey prospect. It’s tricky to create believable interaction between what’s real and what’s drawn, puppeteered or rendered—and blending the live and the animated has so far resulted in wild swings in quality. It is a highly specific and technically demanding niche, one with only a select few major hits, though plenty of cult oddities. So what makes a good live-action/animation hybrid?

To borrow words from Hayao Miyazaki, “live action is becoming part of that whole soup called animation”. Characters distinct from the humans they interact with, but rendered as though they were real creatures (or ghosts), are everywhere lately; in Paddington, in Scooby Doo, in David Lowery’s (wonderful) update of Pete’s Dragon.

The original ‘Pete’s Dragon’ (1977) alongside the 2016 remake.

Lowery’s dragon is realized with highly realistic lighting and visual-effects work. By comparison, the cartoon-like characters in the 1977 Pete’s Dragon—along with other films listed in Louise’s handy compendium of Disney’s live-action animation—are far more exaggerated. That said, there’s still the occasional holdout for the classical version of these crossovers: this year’s Tom and Jerry replicating the look of 2D through 3D/CGI animation, specifically harkens back to the shorts of the 1940s and ’50s.

One type of live-action/animation hybrid focuses on seamless immersion, the other is interested in exploring the seams themselves. Elf (2003) uses the aberration of stop-motion animals to represent the eponymous character as a fish out of water. Ninjababy, a Letterboxd favorite from this year’s SXSW Festival, employs an animated doodle as a representation of the protagonist’s state of mind while she processes her unplanned pregnancy.

Meanwhile, every Muppets film ever literally tears at the seams until we’re in stitches, but, for the sake of simplicity, puppets are not invited to this particular party. What we are concerned with here is the overlap between hand-drawn animation and live-action scenes (with honorable mentions of equally valid stop-motion work), and the ways in which these hybrids have moved from whimsical confections to nod-and-wink blockbusters across a century of cinema.

Betty Boop and Koko the clown in a 1938 instalment of the Fleischer brothers’ ‘Out of the Inkwell’ series.

Early crossovers often involve animators playing with their characters, in scenarios such as the inventive Out of the Inkwell series of shorts from Rotoscope inventor Max Fleischer and his director brother Dave. Things get even more interactive mid-century, when Gene Kelly holds hands with Jerry Mouse in Anchors Aweigh.

The 1960s and ’70s deliver ever more delightful family fare involving human actors entering cartoon worlds, notably in the Robert Stevenson-directed Mary Poppins and Bedknobs and Broomsticks, and Chuck Jones’ puntastic The Phantom Tollbooth.

Jerry and Gene dance off their worries in ‘Anchors Aweigh’ (1945).

Mary Poppins is one of the highest-rated live-action/animation hybrids on Letterboxd for good reason. Its sense of control in how it engages with its animated creations makes it—still!—an incredibly engaging watch. It is simply far less evil than the singin’, dancin’ glorification of slavery in Disney’s Song of the South (1946), and far more engaging than Victory Through Air Power (1943), a war-propaganda film about the benefits of long-range bombing in the fight against Hitler. The studio’s The Reluctant Dragon (1941) also serves a propagandistic function, as a behind-the-scenes studio tour made when the studio’s animators were striking.

By comparison, Mary Poppins’ excursions into the painted world—replicated in Rob Marshall’s belated, underrated 2018 sequel, Mary Poppins Returns—are full of magical whimsicality. “Films have added the gimmick of making animation and live characters interact countless times, but paradoxically none as pristine-looking as this creation,” writes Edgar in this review. “This is a visual landmark, a watershed… the effect of making everything float magically, to the detail of when a drawing should appear in front or the back of [Dick] Van Dyke is a creation beyond my comprehension.” (For Van Dyke, who played dual roles as Bert and Mr Dawes Senior, the experience sparked a lifelong love of animation and visual effects.)

Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke and penguins, in ‘Mary Poppins’ (1964).

Generally speaking, and the Mary Poppins sequel aside, more contemporary efforts seek to subvert this feeling of harmony and control, instead embracing the chaos of two worlds colliding, the cartoons there to shock rather than sing. Henry Selick’s frequently nightmarish James and the Giant Peach (1996) leans into this crossover as something uncanny and macabre by combining live action with stop motion, as its young protagonist eats his way into another world, meeting mechanical sharks and man-eating rhinos. Sally Jane Black describes it as “riding the Burton-esque wave of mid-’90s mall goth trends and blending with the differently demonic Dahl story”.

Science-classroom staple Osmosis Jones (2001) finds that within the human body, the internal organs serve as cities full of drawn white-blood-cell cops. The late Stephen Hillenburg’s The Spongebob Squarepants Movie (2004) turns its real-life humans into living cartoons themselves, particularly in a bonkers sequence featuring David Hasselhoff basically turning into a speedboat.

David Hasselhoff picks up speed in ‘The Spongebob Squarepants Movie’ (2004).

The absurdity behind the collision of the drawn and the real is never better embodied than in another of our highest-rated live/animated hybrids. Released in 1988, Robert Zemeckis’ Who Framed Roger Rabbit shows off a deep understanding—narratively and aesthetically—of the material that it’s parodying, seeking out the impeccable craftsmanship of legends such as director of animation Richard Williams (1993’s The Thief and the Cobbler), and his close collaborator Roy Naisbitt. The forced perspectives of Naisbitt’s mind-bending layouts provide much of the rocket fuel driving the film’s madcap cartoon opening.

Distributed by Walt Disney Pictures, Roger Rabbit utilizes the Disney stable of characters as well as the Looney Tunes cast to harken back to America’s golden age of animation. It continues a familiar scenario where the ’toons themselves are autonomous actors (as also seen in Friz Freleng’s 1940 short You Ought to Be in Pictures, in which Daffy Duck convinces Porky Pig to try his acting luck in the big studios).

Daffy Duck plots his rise up the acting ranks in ‘You Ought to Be in Pictures’ (1940).

Through this conceit, Zemeckis is able to celebrate the craft of animation, while pastiching both Chinatown, the noir genre, and the mercenary nature of the film industry (“the best part is… they work for peanuts!” a studio exec says of the cast of Fantasia). As Eddie Valiant, Bob Hoskins’ skepticism and disdain towards “toons” is a giant parody of Disney’s more traditional approach to matching humans and drawings.

Adult audiences are catered for with plenty of euphemistic humor and in-jokes about the history of the medium. It’s both hilarious (“they… dropped a piano on him,” one character solemnly notes of his son) and just the beginning of Hollywood toying with feature-length stories in which people co-exist with cartoons, rather than dipping in and out of fantasy sequences. It’s not just about how the cartoons appear on the screen, but how the human world reacts to them, and Zemeckis gets a lot of mileage out of applying ’toon lunacy to our world.

Bob Hoskins in ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit?’ (1988).

The groundbreaking optical effects and compositing are excellent (and Hoskins’ amazing performance should also be credited for holding all of it together), but what makes Roger Rabbit such a hit is that sense of controlled chaos and a clever tonal weaving of violence and noirish seediness (“I’m not bad… I’m just drawn that way”) through the cartoony feel. And it is simply very, very funny.

It could be said that, with Roger Rabbit, Zemeckis unlocked the formula for how to modernize the live-action and animation hybrid, by leaning into a winking parody of what came before. It worked so perfectly well that it helped kickstart the ‘Disney renaissance' era of animation. Roger Rabbit has influenced every well-known live-action/animation hybrid produced since, proving that there is success and fun to be had by completely upending Mary Poppins-esque quirks. Even Disney’s delightful 2007 rom-com Enchanted makes comedy out of the idea of cartoons crossing that boundary.

When a cartoon character meets real-world obstacles.

Even when done well, though, hybrids are not an automatic hit. Sitting at a 2.8-star average, Joe Dante’s stealthily great Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003) is considered by the righteous to be the superior live-action/animated Looney Tunes hybrid, harkening back to the world of Chuck Jones and Frank Tashlin. SilentDawn states that the film deserves the nostalgic reverence reserved for Space Jam: “From gag to gag, set piece to set piece, Back in Action is utterly bonkers in its logic-free plotting and the constant manipulation of busy frames.”

With its Tinseltown parody, Back in Action pulls from the same bag of tricks as Roger Rabbit; here, the Looney Tunes characters are famous, self-entitled actors. Dante cranks the meta comedy up to eleven, opening the film with Matthew Lillard being accosted by Shaggy for his performance in the aforementioned Scooby Doo movie (and early on throwing in backhanded jokes about the practice of films like itself as one character yells, “I was brought in to leverage your synergy!”).

Daffy Duck with more non-stop banter in ‘Looney Tunes: Back in Action’ (2003).

Back in Action is even more technically complex than Roger Rabbit, seamlessly bringing Looney Tunes physics and visual language into the real world. Don’t forget that Dante had been here before, when he had Anthony banish Ethel into a cartoon-populated television show in his segment of Twilight Zone: The Movie. Another key to this seamlessness is star Brendan Fraser, at the height of his powers here as “Brendan Fraser’s stunt double”.

Like Hoskins before him, Fraser brings a wholehearted commitment to playing the fed-up straight man amidst cartoon zaniness. Fraser also brought that dedication to Henry Selick's Monkeybone (2001), a Roger Rabbit-inspired sex comedy that deploys a combo of stop-motion animation and live acting in a premise amusingly close to that of 1992’s Cool World (but more on that cult anomaly shortly). A commercial flop, Back in Action was the last cinematic outing for the Looney Tunes for some time.

Nowadays, when we think of live-action animation, it’s hard not to jump straight to an image of Michael Jordan’s arm stretching to do a half-court dunk to save the Looney Tunes from slavery. There’s not a lot that can be fully rationalized about the 1996 box-office smash, Space Jam. It is a bewildering cartoon advert for Michael Jordan’s baseball career, dreamed up off the back of his basketball retirement, while also mashing together different American icons. Never forget that the soundtrack—one that, according to Benjamin, “makes you have to throw ass”—includes a song with B-Real, Coolio, Method Man and LL Cool J.

Michael Jordan and teammates in ‘Space Jam’ (1996).

Space Jam is a film inherently born to sell something, predicated on the existing success of a Nike commercial rather than any obvious passion for experimentation. But its pure strangeness, a growing nostalgia for the nineties, and meticulous compositing work from visual-effects supervisor Ed Jones and the film’s animation team (a number of whom also worked on both Roger Rabbit and Back in Action), have all kept it in the cultural memory.

The films is backwards, writes Jesse, in that it wants to distance itself from the very cartoons it leverages: “This really almost feels like a follow-up to Looney Tunes: Back in Action, rather than a predecessor, because it feels like someone watched the later movie, decided these Looney Tunes characters were a problem, and asked someone to make sure they were as secondary as possible.” That attempt to place all the agency in Jordan’s hands was a point of contention for Chuck Jones, the legendary Warner Bros cartoonist. He hated the film, stating that Bugs would never ask for help and would have dealt with the aliens in seven minutes.

Space Jam has its moments, however. Guy proclaims “there is nothing that Deadpool as a character will ever have to offer that isn’t done infinitely better by a good Bugs Bunny bit”. For some, its problems are a bit more straightforward, for others it’s a matter of safety in sport. But the overriding sentiments surrounding the film point to a sort of morbid fascination with the brazenness of its concept.

Holli Would (voiced by Kim Basinger) and Frank Harris (Brad Pitt) blur the lines in ‘Cool World’ (1992).

Existing in the same demented… space… as Space Jam, Paramount Pictures bought the idea for Cool World from Ralph Bakshi as it sought to have its own Roger Rabbit. While Brad Pitt described it as “Roger Rabbit on acid” ahead of release, Cool World itself looks like a nightmare version of Toontown. The film was universally panned at the time, caught awkwardly between being far too adult for children but too lacking in any real substance for adults (there’s something of a connective thread between Jessica Rabbit, Lola Bunny and Holli Would).

Ralph Bakshi’s risqué and calamitously horny formal experiment builds on the animator’s fascination with the relationship between the medium and the human body. Of course, he would go from the immensely detailed rotoscoping of Fire and Ice (1983) to clashing hand-drawn characters with real ones, something he had already touched upon in the seventies with Heavy Traffic and Coonskin, whose animated characters were drawn into real locations. But no one besides Bakshi quite knew what to do with the perverse concept of Brad Pitt as a noir detective trying to stop Gabriel Byrne’s cartoonist from having sex with a character that he drew—an animated Kim Basinger.

Jack Deebs (Gabriel Byrne) attempts to cross over to Hollie Would in ‘Cool World’ (1992).

Cool World’s awkwardness can be attributed to stilted interactions between Byrne, Pitt and the animated world, as well as studio meddling. Producer Frank Mancuso Jr (who was on the film due to his father running Paramount) demanded that the film be reworked into something PG-rated, against Bakshi’s wishes (he envisioned an R-rated horror), and the script was rewritten in secret. It went badly, so much so that Bakshi eventually punched Mancuso Jr in the face.

While Cool World averages two stars on Letterboxd, there are some enthusiastic holdouts. There are the people impressed by the insanity of it all, those who just love them a horny toon, and then there is Andrew, a five-star Cool World fan: “On the surface, it’s a Lovecraftian horror with Betty Boop as the villain, featuring a more impressive cityscape than Blade Runner and Dick Tracy combined, and multidimensional effects that make In the Mouth of Madness look like trash. The true star, however, proves to be the condensed surplus of unrelated gags clogging the arteries of the screen—in every corner is some of the silliest cel animation that will likely ever be created.”

There are even those who enjoy its “clear response to Who Framed Roger Rabbit”, with David writing that “the film presents a similar concept through the lens of the darkly comic, perverted world of the underground cartoonists”, though also noting that without Bakshi’s original script, the film is “a series of half steps and never really commits like it could”. Cool World feels both completely deranged and strangely low-energy, caught between different ideas as to how best to mix the two mediums. But it did give us a David Bowie jam.

‘Space Jam: A New Legacy’ is in cinemas and on HBO Max now.

Craft is of course important, but generally speaking, maybe nowadays a commitment to silliness and a sincere love for the medium’s history is the thing that makes successful live-action/animation hybrids click. It’s an idea that doesn’t lend itself to being too cool, or even entirely palatable. The trick is to be as fully dotty as Mary Poppins, or steer into the gaucheness of the concept, à la Roger Rabbit and Looney Tunes: Back in Action.

It’s quite a tightrope to walk between good meta-comedy and a parade of references to intellectual property. The winningest strategy is to weave the characters into the tapestry of the plot and let the gags grow from there, rather than hoping their very inclusion is its own reward. Wait, you said what is coming out this week?

Related content

Rootfish Jones’s list of cartoons people are horny for

The 100 Sequences that Shaped Animation: the companion list to the Vulture story

Jose Moreno’s list of every animated film made from 1888 to the present

Follow Kambole on Letterboxd

[whorefrombabylon]

So I decided to finally let my inner streddie whore take over my hands and wrote this out. This I dedicate to my fellow streddie whore @blueeyedrichie, my streddie queen who turned me on to streddie @bimmyshrug, and my ardent  streddie supporter @losers-to-lovers. And @richieblows you said you wanted to see my writing so I hope you like this lol. 

Trigger warning for somnophilia

Stan remembers soft, exploratory touches. He has vague impressions of Richie’s hands sliding up his sides as his own hands gripped Eddie by the hips and pulled him close for a heated kiss. He knows they all tumbled down onto the bed at some point, and he remembers meeting Richie’s eyes as they bit twin hickeys onto either side of Eddie’s neck. There was another kiss, he’s sure, but he doesn’t know who he shared it with because he had allowed himself to fall back onto the bed, and then - then there’s now. 

Now being him blinking his eyes open to see Eddie looking down at him, and he wants to ask when exactly that happened, but he discovers he can’t, because there’s something in his mouth. In the next second, he realizes it’s Eddie’s cock, thrusting slowly in and out, and Eddie’s not just looking down at him, he’s panting and whining like fucking Stan’s sleeping mouth has been the best thing that ever happened to him. Stan moans without a second thought, and that’s when he notices that Eddie isn’t the only one availing himself of his pliant body. 

He’s not sure why he didn’t notice right away, because Richie’s cock isn’t small by any definition. As soon as the thought hits him, he feels himself clenching up, and Richie’s rough voice very eloquently says, “Fuck, that’s good.” His thumbs smooth over Stan’s hips, and his pace is like Eddie’s, slow and unhurried. Stan doesn’t know if it’s because they didn’t want him to wake up too easily or so that he can feel every single thing they’re doing to him. Possibly it’s both. He clenches at the sheets, and briefly thinks about reaching up to try to touch either one of them before ultimately deciding that this is nice and maybe he should just...let them keep going. He lets his eyes flutter closed again, basking in sensation.

Stan isn’t free to just feel for long though, because Richie is apparently a mind reader, and as soon as Stan thinks to relax, Richie grips his hips tighter and says, “Eddie, you know what to do.”

Eddie pouts, but slips his dick out of Stan’s mouth as he moves to stand up, and Stan makes a little noise that he’ll later deny is anything like a whimper. Eddie flashes a smile at him, devious but so so pretty, and then walks over to their desk, where he shuffles through one of the drawers for a bit. When he turns back to face them, he’s holding a camera.

Stan blames his slowness to catch up on the fact that he literally just woke up a few minutes ago, and that’s not even taking into account the way Richie’s even thrusts are making him feel wobbly, like - like fucking Jello. By the time he gets what’s going on, Eddie is already straddling his chest and fiddling with the settings on the camera. By then, it’s pretty much already too late to protest, though he still tries, squirming a little and then lifting his hands to try to take the camera for himself. But Eddie’s too quick, or maybe Stan’s just a little bit more into all this than he wants to admit. Richie lets out a throaty chuckle and ok yeah. Stan is pretty into this. 

He knows Richie knows this, which makes it doubly embarrassing when Richie says, “Remember dove, you can safeword any time you want.” Stan doesn’t need to see Richie’s face to know that there’s a smug smirk taking up half of it, and he hates (loves) that all he can do in response is let out a petulant hum. 

He has the vague thought that he should plot out some revenge on Richie, on both of them really, because Eddie is just as bad, but that’s when Eddie lifts the camera to his own face and brightly (teasingly, evilly) says, “Smile!”

He pouts instead, and Eddie quickly takes the picture before reaching down to stroke himself. It’s because my mouth is all swollen from his dick, Stan thinks hazily; it’s enough for him to blow a shaky kiss at Eddie, holding the pose so that another picture can be taken.

Stan lets himself go after that. He doesn’t pose, but he knows what his boyfriends like, so he plays it up a little. The shuddering sigh becomes his head thrown back so that his throat is exposed, his hands fisting the sheets turns into him throwing his arms up and out - like Jesus on the cross is the random connection he makes, and he's Jewish but it still feels so deliciously sacrilegious.

The click of the photos being taken is the loudest sound in the room, until Richie grinds in deep and they let out twin moans. Eddie sets the camera down carefully and reaches up to pinch his own nipples, his voice coming out breathy when he asks, "Can I please keep fucking his mouth now?"

"Get some full body pics first, kitten. Then you can do whatever you want to our songbird here."

Stan flushes as Eddie perks up and scrambles off him, grabbing the camera as he goes. Richie takes the opportunity to pull Stan further into his lap, still taking his time with his thrusts even though Stan knows it must be killing him to not just take what he wants. But Richie can be patient when something he really wants is in play, and right now, it seems he wants more filthy pictures of Stan more than he wants to destroy him.

Still, it's not like Richie isn't getting a little taste of what's to come. Without Eddie to watch out for, Richie can manhandle Stan to his heart's content, moving him around not because Stan isn't in the position he wants, but simply because he can. Richie likes to show off like that.

Stan's back arches involuntarily when Richie deigns to brush a hand over his aching cock, and though he doesn't have the best self-esteem, Stan knows what he looks like right now. Knows that with the graceful arch of his body, paired with the precum pooling on his stomach under his dick, he looks good enough to be a model in an erotic magazine. Or - at least that’s what he assumes, given how much Richie likes to serenade him and Eddie with “Centerfold.” His assumption is proved correct when he hears the shutter of the camera go off multiple times, and he turns to look directly at Eddie right as he lets his body fall back onto the mattress, panting exaggeratedly. Eddie lowers the camera to glare at him, but the heat in his eyes just encourages Stan to wink at him. Eddie goes pinker than he already was and goes back to taking pictures, moving around the room to get different angles.

He feels Richie’s hands skate up to his torso, smoothing over it before gripping onto the sides tightly. Stan’s breath hitches. This is a favorite move of theirs, something just for Stan. Eddie’s hands are too small to get a good grip on either of them, and his torso is too ticklish and sensitive for him to be the one held down like that. Richie isn’t ticklish but he laughs anyway every single time Stan tries to get a hold on him, for reasons he refuses to speak of. Stan is the only one who likes the pressure he can feel on his ribs, the way it doesn’t really help with how hard or fast he gets fucked; it’s just a solid sort of touch, a way for Richie and his big hands to ground him and make him live in the moment. He undulates into Richie’s grasp, and hopes that Eddie caught every second of movement, so he - they - can flip through each frame later.

He thinks Richie might be thinking along the same lines, because he digs his fingers even harder into Stan’s skin before he gets ahold of his hips again and starts fucking him in earnest. Stan moans, tries to wrap his legs around Richie’s waist before giving it up as a lost cause when Richie grinds against him just right, enough to make his legs abandon movement so that his toes can curl instead.

A whiny cry of “Richieee” sounds out in the room. Stan would think it was his own voice, except at the moment his voice is too busy hiccuping out strange little punches of sound. That means it’s Eddie, and the thought of Eddie so impatient to join them again makes the punches of sound rise in volume.

“You were so good, kitten, so good at doing what you were told. You can fuck his face now, come on, baby. Do it before I change my mind.”

Eddie is kneeling over his face before Richie has even finished speaking, which has Richie laughing and then presumably swatting at Eddie’s ass, if the sound of a slap and Eddie’s moan are anything to go by. Stan doesn’t have time to be amused though, because Eddie is quick to slide his dick right back into his already open mouth. A groan falls from Eddie’s lips before he grabs the headboard, letting his hips jerk forward in quick bursts of movement that immediately have Stan gagging. Eddie doesn’t let up. Stan wouldn’t want him to.

None of them last long after that. Stan comes first, and he’d be more embarrassed about it if he didn’t also feel loose and fuzzy, like he’s floating somewhere just outside his body where he’s close to being overstimulated by how Richie and Eddie keep using him for their own pleasure, but doesn’t ever quite reach that edge. It’s nice. So nice that all he feels is a curious sense of release when Richie and Eddie come soon after. He instinctively swallows around where Eddie has pressed his dick as far down Stan’s throat as he can get it, and just as instinctively tries to hitch his hips up so as to get Richie in deeper. Stan thinks he might be kind of a cumslut. He’s no Eddie, to be fair, but still.

He feels them pull out and then flop on either side of him, both of them reaching for one of his hands and interlocking their fingers loosely. Stan smiles. This had taken Richie and Eddie a while to understand - his need for some space after being at their mercy. In the early days, they had often tried to cuddle with him instead, or come down from their orgasms by way of soft, lingering kisses anywhere they could reach. It had made Stan feel like his skin was crawling, and he had pushed them away time and time again, feeling guilty and relieved once he did so. In the same vein, whenever he was in charge, he never offered physical touches afterwards. Instead, he chose to let them quietly breathe while he got them glasses of water, not understanding why this made either of them start to cry in self imposed silence.

After an explosive argument where he had been sure they would break up with him and make him watch as their own relationship flourished, they had all managed to sit down and talk. It seemed a little obvious in hindsight that of course they all needed different forms of aftercare - Richie and Eddie preferred cuddling and kissing, though Eddie felt better when they took things a step further and pampered him to high heaven, while Richie got snappy if they even tried to spoil him. Something about how he didn't want to be maneuvered around after he had already been so obedient and good. As for Stan - he needed to feel like his skin cells could breathe, though he also needed some sort of anchor so that he didn't remain in that floaty headspace for longer than was advisable. Hence the handholding.

Stan knows he’s fully come back to himself when his utter relaxation begins to clash with the gross feeling of cum and sweat cooling on his body. He sighs, long but not loud, a quiet exhalation. He brings Richie and Eddie’s hands to his mouth, planting kisses on them before letting go and sitting up to stretch. His bones crack a little, and his muscles and his mouth feel sore. It’s a great feeling, especially with the lovestruck looks he can see from his boyfriends when he glances at them. He means to return the soft gazes, only to find that he’s already doing so. And well, he’d wonder at what point exactly his expression turned adoring, but he has a shower to take, and Eddie will probably join him midway through, tugging along a faux-reluctant Richie in with them. And maybe there will be shower blowjobs, because Eddie is ridiculously horny all the time and can easily get Stan and Richie into that state as well.

What’s not to adore about that?

[chiawrites]

can you do like maybe just maybe nsfw alphabet but with EDDIE BROCK k thnkx bysies!

!! Yes I can and I certainly have so here we go 

Pairing: Eddie Brock x Fem!Reader, generally gender neutral except for B 

Word count: 1691

Warnings: NSFW, DO NOT SCROLL IF YOU’RE IN A PUBLIC PLACE lmao 

Tags: anon and my little venomfuckers 

A- Aftercare

Considering that this man is literally a loveable mess, he’s sweet as FUCK when it comes to aftercare. He’ll make sure to clean you up, reluctantly hand over one of his sweaters, and spoon you till you both fall asleep. He likes being the little spoon, (although he will NEVER tell you that) but when he’s the big spoon he’s very protective. Usually spooning leads to second rounds if you’re the little spoon. Just think of the “how to spoon: dick hard on the butt, tiddy in my hand” video of Anakin Skywalker lmao 

B- Body Part 

Well, see, a bi man will be a bi man, and Eddie, loving women, will definitely love your breasts. He likes peppering kisses across them during and after sex, and leaving little suckle marks. He most certainly has an issue with leaving hickies everywhere boobs are concerned. That and your hands, your nails, and any other part of your body that you use to leave marks on him. He likes it when you drag your nails down his back and leave red streaks from pressing too hard, or when you dig your fingers into his hair while his lips graze your neck. 

C- Cum 

This man is definitely not clean. Depending on if you use birth control or not, he prefers being able to get messy with you than wear a condom. In all honesty, the thing that turns him on the most is probably seeing you dripping from his own seed. 

D- Dirty Secret 

Oh-hoho he would never be able to muster up the courage to tell you but this man loves it when you’re on top. Not just because he has a front row seat to your body on display, but he’s aroused by the idea of you being dominant. It’s always been a kink of his to be tied down, albeit he hasn’t experienced it often. Back when he was with Anne, they experimented drunkenly maybe once, but never after that. 

E- Experience 

He isn’t as experienced as you’d think. Obviously he’s had sex before, he’s not a damn virgin, but he’s not much of a fan of one-night stands; so he hasn’t gotten around enough to know all the tricks of the trade. That said, he enjoys learning what makes you tick, and what pleases you. 

F- Favourite Position 

Cowgirl or doggystyle, hands down. Eddie loves having you on top, obviously. Seeing your breasts bounce every time your bodies thrust together, oh lord it makes him harder. He also loves doggystyle because of how you crumple face first into the pillow and try to muffle your moans for the neighbours. His favourite part about doggystyle is the control he has of your hips, grasping them and leaving crescent dents where his nails dug into your flesh. He loves seeing your ass in the air, just for him. 

G- Goofy 

This man is a goof. That’s it. His best jokes are always told when he’s pounding you from behind, gripping you tight.  

No but on a more professional note- during foreplay, he loves to make you laugh. Seeing you enjoy yourself is the best part of sex, for him. He cannot stand uncomfortable and quiet nights of sex and nothing else. If theres no comical connection, it’s a turn off. 

H- Hair 

He’s not hairless like a siamese cat, but he prefers to trim himself at least once a week. Don’t ask him to shave down there, though, because even for you, he wouldn’t suffer being itchy and uncomfortable. 

I- Intimacy 

This guy is a hopeless romantic. Eddie will definitely tell you sappy stories about how much he loves you and what he would do for you. Sex isn’t purely sex just for pleasure for him, its a bond, and a sensual act that he uses to show how much he cares for you (and who exactly you belong to, but that’s on his top nights.) After sex, if you’re not immediately knocked out, he likes having long conversations with you on existentialism. He also loves the sound of your voice, and when you go on passionate rants about your interests. 

J- Jack Off 

There’s nothing I could write here that would even possibly be safe for work haha nice 

Ever since the two of you got together, he hasn’t had much need, nor opportunity to masturbate. When he does, it’s only because he’s pent-up and you’re gone. 

He prefers to watch you please yourself, if anything. The sight of you, probably thinking about messing around with him, getting off by yourself? God damn 

K- Kinks

It’s been mentioned before but Eddie is a sucker for being tied down, tied up, and just generally bound. Whether its you tying him down, or him tying you down, he’s game for it. The idea of being restrained and forced to watch, but not touch is what makes him tick. 

Another thing is size. He likes his partners smaller than him, so it’s easy to throw them over his shoulder and lift into different positions with ease. Eddie likes the idea of having to bend to reach your lips, or you having to go on your tips of your toes to press kisses to his neck. 

L- Location 

Eddie prefers the bedroom. He likes secluded places and comfortable surfaces to have sex on, namely his bed or yours. That said, he definitely is turned on by the risk of being caught if you two decide to have a quickie in a public place. 

M- Motivation 

The thing that gets him going is the anticipation of what’s to come. He likes teasing and being teased. He especially likes it when you send him pictures of you in lingerie. Not naked, but in undergarments, because it’s similar to the idea of unwrapping a gift. Eddie likes to use his imagination as motivation. Usually he starts thinking of various fantasies or past sexual encounters with you and he’s ready for another round. 

N- No 

Anything that has to do with abuse or non-consent role-play is an instant turn off. He refuses to hit you in any way, and dislikes the idea of gagging and/or blindfolding either of you. He likes to see your eyes and hear your whimpers anyways :-)

O- Oral 

Giving or receiving, he’s good either way. He prefers giving, though. The thought of your thighs wrapped around his head, hands grasping at his hair as your hips move against the movements of his mouth? God yes. 

Although he prefers being generous and considerate, Eddie won’t refuse head. 

P- Pace 

Eddie likes to start off slow, enjoying the way his thrusts feel inside you. But when you both start to get undone, there’s no limit to how much he’ll speed up. He isn’t often rough and quick, but when he is, it makes the climax all that more blissful. 

Q- Quickie 

He will do quickies if he or you are in a hurry, but he prefers the full time allowance. When you’re doing quickies, he prefers to pin you up on the wall of wherever you both are, and push into you from underneath. Your legs around his waist, pulling him in, prompt him to go faster. 

R- Risk 

Risk-taking is thrilling and sometimes exciting, but when it comes to extreme risk, like doing it in a public washroom or something of sorts, count him out. Since sex is an intimate act for him, the idea of other people spying and/or watching you two going at it for their own pleasure is a no-no. 

S- Stamina 

Eddie can last a long time before climaxing. That said, once he does, it’s unlikely he’ll go past two rounds. Sex can be anywhere between five minutes to thirty minutes, if the foreplay is good and lasts long enough. 

T- Toys 

The both of you don’t own many toys. He’s not exactly a fan, because he feels that genuine sex is better than silicon sex, but the few times he’d seen you getting off my yourself with a vibrator made him change his mind a little. Sometimes, when he’s going down on you, he’ll break out the vibrator along with his mouth and watch you go crazy for it. 

W- Wild Card 

He loves seeing you dressed up. Anything that’s tight around your ass, or that shows your cleavage will make it hard for him to keep his hands off you. 

When it comes to being dressed up in lingerie, he prefers black or red. Those colours are undeniably sexy, for some subconscious reason. Eddie adores seeing you in slightly see-through lace, and gets handsy when you start to strip for him. That man will not deny a good striptease. 

X- X-ray 

Let’s see inside his pants, shall we? 

Some would argue he’s the perfect size. 7 inches hard, thick enough to fill you up but not thick enough to hurt. 

If he really wanted to, he could potentially get Venom to give him a size upgrade :-D

Y- Yearning 

When Eddie really wants you, he’ll let you know. A hand on your thigh when you’re both eating out and you aren’t being innocent, a kiss to your jawline when you bring him meals at work and are dressed up and showing off while pretending like you’re in casual clothes, a long, passionate embrace when you leave in the mornings to go to your job- they’re all little signs that it’s going to get extremely heated later. 

Z- Zzz

It doesn’t take the two of you long to fall asleep after sex. Sometimes if he’s still hard and you’re still awake, he’ll pull your back into his chest and lazily fuck you from behind. Usually you both fall asleep spooning, but on some occasions you’ve found your front glued to Eddie thanks to his arms pinning you in place at your waist, your faces only inches apart. Sleeping alongside him is more often than not a tangle of limbs and skin on skin. He prefers sleeping naked, because the skin contact helps comfort him, but otherwise he sleeps in a pair of boxers and a loose tee-shirt. 

[just-kit-ink]

All the rest of WFRR characters loll

*deep breath*

//Okay let's do this! I'm only doing characters that were created for the movie/those that had the most screentime.

Part 1/2

Lt. Santino

1: sexuality headcanon: We never really see/hear about a significant other in the film but I'm going to headcanon that he's bisexual but closeted.

2: otp: ? Maybe he has a lover we don't know about who also works at the police station.

3: brotp: Him and Eddie Valiant of course!

4: notp: Him with Jessica or Dolores

5: first headcanon that pops into my head: That he's been a friend of Eddie's since his brother was still alive and on the force. That he doesn't have as much of a prejudice towards toons as his detective buddy does.

6: favorite line from this character: "Marvin Acme...the rabbit CACKED him last night!"

7: one way in which I relate to this character: He has to look away when Doom dips the shoe.

8: thing that gives me second hand embarrassment about this character: That he treats Eddie's drinking problem as an inconvinience instead of an addiction.

9: cinnamon roll or problematic fave?: Complete cinnamon roll, just a very professional one.

Marvin Acme

1: sexuality headcanon: He likes the laaaaddiies

2: otp: Don't know? I always assumed he was already married and if not that at least has a string of messy affairs/seperations with both human and toon women.

3: brotp: I'll bet he was at least on speaking terms with RK Maroon before his death.

4: notp: Him and Jessica Rabbit of any sort, even fake for the cameras.

5: first headcanon that pops into my head: He's pulled the disappearing ink trick with wealthier and scarier people. Some found it amusing, others earned him a black eye.

6: favorite line from this character: "Oh it's a Panic!"

7: one way in which I relate to this character: I love cartoons and I laugh a lot.

8: thing that gives me second hand embarrassment about this character: The fact that he keeps on pestering Eddie with his gags even after Eddie has made it clear that he's not in the mood. Also the Patty-Cake pictures, where he's making all those sounds but you can't see what's happening!

9: cinnamon roll or problematic fave?: A little bit of both. On one hand, he loves what he does and clearly has a respect for Toons but he also did business with Maroon which eventually lead to his death at the hands of Judge Doom.

Dolores

1: sexuality headcanon: Heterosexual and in love/going steady with Eddie Valiant

2: otp: Dolores and Eddie

3: brotp: Also her and Eddie as well as her and Roger but I quite like the idea of her being good friends with Jessica.

4: notp: Her and any of her patrons.

5: first headcanon that pops into my head: That she and Eddie love Catalina so much because it was where they met. Eddie, Teddy and their father were doing a circus show there and needed a volunteer from the audience. He pulled a bouquet out of thin air and gave it to her and then pretended to saw her in half - it was so romantic!

6: favorite line from this character: Too many! She's such a sass mouth! "Dabbling in watercolours, Eddie?" "Is that a rabbit in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?" and "Is he always this funny or only on days when he's wanted for murder?"

7: one way in which I relate to this character: That she works hard and is tired all the time.

8: thing that gives me second hand embarrassment about this character: The scene where she sees Eddie and Jessica together and Eddie's trousers have fallen down while Jessie is talking to him and it looks...bad. Doesn't help tt he bumps his head on her chest as he goes to pull them up.

9: cinnamon roll or problematic fave?: Cinnamon roll that you don't want to mess with!

Baby Herman

1: sexuality headcanon: He loves human women...and is possibly a little bit gay for some male toons. (But the idea of that is weird to me, because he's literally a baby it's like shipping Stewie Griffen with someone.)

2: otp: Him and his human girlfriend that you see in the movie. I think she's just credited as "Ms Herman."

3: brotp: Baby Herman and Roger Rabbit. Before Roger started being late to rehearsals and messing up his cues, they were best friends.

4: notp: Probably him and Jessica, although he is very envious of Roger.

5: first headcanon that pops into my head: He plays both male and female baby roles. That everything in his home is baby-themed, right down to the giant cot and mobile. If he needs anything, he calls his mistress via a baby monitor.

6: favorite line from this character: "The whole thing stinks like yesterday's diapers!" and "What da hell was wrong with that take?!"

7: one way in which I relate to this character: Looks pure but is actually a foul-mouth.

8: thing that gives me second hand embarrassment about this character: When he throws a tantrum because he dropped his cigar after Eddie pushed his pram down the hall...and when he darts underneath a woman's skirt...and the fact that he claims to have a "50 year old lust and a 3 year old dinky..." Wtf.

9: cinnamon roll or problematic fave?: Both. He's a baby who chain smokes and can wrap anyone around his little finger by offering to pay them.

Benny the Cab

1: sexuality headcanon: Well he's a car, so I don't think gender's an issue. If you're wheels are shined and you got a nice set of headlights, he doesn't mind.

2: otp: I'd pair him with a nice flower-glass Corvette.

3: brotp: Benny and Roger. He is Roger's car after all.

4: notp: Him and any human character.

5: first headcanon that pops into my head: That he also often appears in Roger Rabbit shorts, as the vehicle for a quick getaway during a chase, or comedic car wash scene.

6: favorite line from this character: "Sister, Mary Francis, what the hell happened in here?" and "I can't believe they locked me up for driving on the sidewalk!"

7: one way in which I relate to this character: Likes helping, makes sarcastic quips.

8: thing that gives me second hand embarrassment about this character: That he drives straight through the Dip and burns his tires and has to waddle over to Roger when he finds him which is like the equivalent of burning your feet with acid to him. Also, when he tells Roger to be careful using a real gun because "this ain't no cartoon ya know!" ...As he, a car, drives away in his own car.

9: cinnamon roll or problematic fave?: Cinnamon roll unless you're a fan of the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Smartass Weasel

1: sexuality headcanon: I'm going to go with pansexual. He only cares if you have status and are not human (though that doesn't mean he hasn't had a fling with one or two.)

2: otp: No love interest in the film. Although I'm kind of a sucker for a tough guy character falling for a really sweet and innocent character.

3: brotp: Him and the rest of the Toon Patrol. He does care for them and he only hits them for laughing because he knows they are suscepitable to dying from it. Also, I feel like he would have gotten along better with Eddie Valiant had he not fallen in with Judge Doom because they're both bitter and hate the industry.

4: notp: I would say him and Doom. Or any of his boys.

5: first headcanon that pops into my head: That he was drawn to be wicked but not a villain. He has multiple other items aside from his suit that are bright pink because he likes to dress flashy...and that the only people exempt from potential target by his patrol are children.

6: favorite line from this character: Honestly, every line of his is terrific. "Step outta line and we'll leave you and your laundry out to dry!" "Say Boss, what do we do with the wallflower?" and "Want us to disresemble the place?"

7: one way in which I relate to this character: Small but feisty.

8: thing that gives me second hand embarrassment about this character: That all his team members get cute little toon ghosts when they die but he just...dissolves in Dip.

9: cinnamon roll or problematic fave?: Problematic fave definetly! But even though he's mean, sneaky and carries a lot of weapons, he's also funny, charming and I can't help but feel a bit sorry for him because he was just tryig to please his boss. Weasels certainly are assigned villain roles in cartoons and maybe he was just fed up with it so he decided to become a real one.

Greasy Weasel

1: sexuality headcanon: Heterosexual, biromantic...and he's an utter sex-pest.

2: otp: He needs someone who can reign him and his desires in so he can actually focus on whatever he's doing.

3: brotp: Him and the rest of the Toon Patrol, especially Smartass. He admires his boss' attitude.

4: notp: Him and Jessica. Their encounter in the film is cringe-worthy to watch.

5: first headcanon that pops into my head: That he has a gentler, romantic side deep down but doesn't want to show it because he has too much bravado.

6: favorite line from this character: "I'll handle this one..." followed closely by a LOT of uncensored Spanish curse words!

7: one way in which I relate to this character: We both get crushes easily.

8: thing that gives me second hand embarrassment about this character: When he reaches down Jessica's dress. He's so confident until her hidden bear-trap clamps onto his hand. He probably replayed the first three seconds beforehand over and over in his head though.

9: cinnamon roll or problematic fave?: Problematic fav for sure! Perverted, knife-wielding henchman who reaches into someone's bosom in a canon Disney movie. Yet, he's still weirdly adorable. If he were human, I might say different.

Wheezy Weasel

1: sexuality headcanon: I'm just going to say it...I headcanon him as gay and asexual.

2: otp: Don't really see him with anyone unless they're another smoker, (or are willing to put up with smoke.)

3: brotp: Definetly him and Stupid! Look at the way they drill through the wall together and laugh at our hero's predicaments towards the end if the film! They're great pals, having a good time!

4: notp: Him and Greasy.

5: first headcanon that pops into my head: He enjoys Camel cigarettes the best. And he's the best card player in the group.

6: favorite line from this character: It's so funny because he doesn't have many lines in the movie so I'm just going to say his dialogue from the Cartoon Spin ride at Disneyland "But Boss, Benny knows ToonTown, like the back of his tread!" and his laugh.

7: one way that I relate to this character: Chill most days until I see or hear something funny then I lose it.

8: thing that gives me second hand embarrassment about this character: The fact that he tries to grab onto his ghost to try and pull it back into his body before it leaves.

9: cinnamon roll or problematic fave?: Problematic fav. Carries a tommy gun and is not afraid to use it, knows that smoking won't do him any harm since he's a toon and is good at following orders even if they're immoral.

Psycho Weasel

1: sexuality headcanon: N/A Psycho is like the family dog. A feral one...that was rescued from the streets.

2: otp: None. Unless you like snuggling, just mind the teeth.

3: brotp: Psycho and Stupid as well as him and Wheezy. Wheezy is like a parent looking after him and Stupid is like his sibling.

4: notp: Basically him with any other character.

5: first headcanon that pops into my head: He doesn't really use his barber-shop razor for anything nefarious, but he likes how threatening he looks with it. Also, when you scratch behind his ear, his leg does the scritch thing where he kicks behind it.

6: favorite line from this character: "Time to kill the raaaabbbit...hee hee!"

7: one way in which I relate to this character: We're both a bit mad. He's just toonier. And we laugh like maniacs.

8: thing that gives me second hand embarrassment about this character: When Eddie Valiant just straight up kicks him across across the bar when he tries to attack him.

9: cinnamon roll or problematic fave?: I'm going to say he's a problematic cinnamon roll. He has no problem doing wicked things but he's too small and cute to really be considered awful. At one point Eddie snatches Marvin Acme's will out of his hands and he looks like a kicked puppy. He bad but he baby.

Stupid Weasel

1: sexuality headcanon: A hopeless romantic for anyone, but too dumb to realise when someone's flirting with him.

2: otp: I like the idea of him and an equally dim character so they can both be ignorant and happy together.

3: brotp: Stupid and Psycho. They're just the children of the patrol.

4: notp: Him with his boys or human characters.

5: first headcanon that pops into my head: He once got into a heated argument with another weasel who had broken into their hideout until Smartass informed him he was looking at a mirror.

6: favorite line from this character: Again, he gets hardly any lines. "Boss! Look at the little birdies!"

7: one way in which I relate to this character: I have my moments where common sense just leaves me.

8: thing that gives me second hand embarrassment about this character: Him falling backwards into a row of humans at the bar when he is pushed by Eddie. They just...goes right down, like bowling pins or dominos.

9: cinnamon roll or problematic fave?: Despite being in the Toon Patrol he's a total cinnamon roll. I don't even think he knows what he's doing half the time and that's really sweet.

[leafyfiddle13]

RvB Season 17 Review

Red vs Blue: Singularity has ended, and with it, so has the arc that started with Season 15. So, what did I think? This is my first formal review, so forgive me if it's a little sloppy.

I'm going to look at this season from multiple angles:

How did it look and sound?

How did it treat its heroes?

How did it treat its villains?

How good was its story?

How well did it conclude the Shisno Paradox arc?

Sound and Visuals

First off, this season has a great soundtrack. Aside from the synth rhythms that have been a staple of this arc continuong to be really fun, the new songs by Trocadero are really amazing. Seriously, if you haven't heard Enemy and Blood Gulch Blue, go listen to them right now.

SFX are still good, not much to talk about there. The portally noises and Huggins zooming and such still sounds cool.

I want to take some time to talk about the visuals though. One thing that this arc has done particularly well (S16 and S17 especially), is aesthetic. The cosmic elements here are really unique to the series, and I love the look. From the majestic, mythological armor choices of the Cosmic Powers (Labyrinth this season in particular looks like a Spartan Cyclops and it's great), to the structures, like Chrovos' Prison, Starseeds, the Labyrinth, I just love their aesthetic. The black holes in the Labyrinth look truly terrifying, and the "big bang pre-bang" we see in episodes 6, 7, and 12 is also just breathtaking.

In terms of animation, I love this season. We didn't get a whole ton, but what we got was amazing. The highlights to me were Wash pulling a gun on Genkins, Genkins getting impaled (ANIMATION IN CE YEEEEET) Carolina v Carolina, and The very short Genkins v Labyrinth. I especially love the latter because of how Genkins' holographic body glithces and reverts to his true form a bit every time he gets hit. It just looks great. I also think the Carolina fight was the best fight scene in terms of choreography this entire arc! I think Donut vs O'Malley still wins in terms of sheer spectacle, but tjis fight was really well done. Kudos to the animation team!

Heroes

Singularity took a huge risk by making Donut, who up until this point was little more than a running gag, into its protagonist. And it worked amazingly! In just 12 short episodes, Jason took the development he and Joe started in S16 and brought Donut into the limelight as a fully fleshed out, three dimensional character. And it felt totally believeable! Dan Godwin did amd amazing job this year as Donut, and this season really gave him a chance to show off his talents.

The next most major character is Washington. Wash has been my favorite charavter since I first met him in Recovery One all those years ago. I loved his arc last season, and this arc really did well by him. Having this season to be like the fandom's goodbye to the badass, tough-as-nails Wash we know and allowing us to ease ourselves into the idea that he's going to need some help from now on was really great. And I love how he and Carolina had their reconciliation, it was all beautifully done. Hats off to Shannon and Jen, they did and incredible job this season.

As for the other Reds and Blues, they didn't get a whole lot to do, but most of them at least had a few good moments:

Caboose talking about grief and beating up Genkins/Church was an unexpectedly powerful scene.

Tucker's scene in episode 9 where he had his revelation about leadership was also awesome. I'm one of those people who wasn't the greatest fan of how his character was treated in season 16, and I think this scene not only "fixes" that, but it also turned it into a cool part of his arc.

Sarge's whole labyrinth experience was a really cool moment for his character and the arc he's sort of had in the backround the last few seasons (I wrote more about it in another post)

Grif had some great moments. After being the main man in S16, he's taking more of a backseat, but his development is still very much intact. He's fully onboard with the plan once he's woken up. His conversation with Huggins was great (although it does suck they never met again to have resolution), his talk with Kai in the finale was really emotional, and getting the Grif sibs backstory was a welcome touch. Geoff and Becca really nailed it in that episode.

Lopez and Simmons really had nothing to do this season, unfortunately, but oh well, and least Lopez is literally older than time now lol

Villains

So in Singularity, we start out with Chrovos as our main villain, with Genkins as their lackey. I must admit, while Lee Eddy gave a fun performance as Chrovos, I still prefer Ray Schilens' take on the character. Chrovos was not my favorite villain, but they were serviceable enough for the first half of the season, and they had some fun monologues.

Genkins, however, really surprised me. When he was revealed to be evil last season, I was kinda ambivalent. I didn't really care about him, and he seemed just a tad too ridiculous. This season, especially in the back half, really changed my mind. Jason leaned into the ridiculousness of Genkins and made him full on maniacally insane. And I loved it. His insane twitches and cackles were a delight to watch and hear. I loved it when he betrayed Chrovos, because he was the more present and charismatic threat anyway, and it was exactly the kind of thing the "god of tricks" would do. Ricco Fajardo did an amazing job, one of the best performances of the season.

Story

In terms of story, I think Singularity is a vast improvement of The Shisno Paradox. That season started strong, then felt like it treaded water for 10 episodes, then quickly rushed to a finish. Singularity, on the other hand, moves very quickly. A bit too quickly in some cases. The first half of the season is extremely tight. The very first episode sets up the plot, with the introduction of the Everwhen, and Chrovos explaining time travel. I loved this explanation, and wrote a whole post about it here. Suffice it to say, time travel really confused me in S16, but S17 made it make sense in my mind. Donut find Wash, Wash visiting the Freelancers, and the two of them waking the Reds and Blues, all felt natural and felt like no time was wasted without feeling rushed.

Episodes 7 and 8, 7 especially, however, start to get a bit dull. The majority of both episodes is just spent explaining time travel again to the reds and blues. Not much happens. Which is a real shame, because SO MUCH happens in the last three episodes that it feels like it could have benefitted from adding in another episode to more fully flesh out the Labyrinth and the ending.

However, I do love the ending. Everyone's Labyrinth scenarios (except Simmons', which was really lame) were really good and offered neat insight into their characters. And the final twist with Genkins becoming Chrovos after going back to the beginning of time was incredible. Over all, I really like the story this season.

As an arc ending

I think Singularity did a great job. The Shisno Paradox ended on quite a crazy cliffhanger, with so many loose story threads and gods and such high stakes that it felt impossible to wrap up in just one more season, let alone a 12-episode season. But Singularity took all of that and made it work by bringing it to a smaller, more personal level. Tons of gods? Singularity just focuses one two, Genkins and Chrovos. Time travel through all of time? Singularity just focuses on the timeline of the show. It all makes the sotry feel more personal amd grounded, even with all these cosmic events happening. Amd I think it wrapped up the story that started in S15 and ramped up in S16 extremely well!

Final Thoughts

Over all, I think that Season 17 is my favorite season since Season 13 (my personal favorite). It was a really strong season, and I can't wait to see what happens next. I do hope Jason Weight stays on to write, as he has done an incredible job this season and the episodes he worled on last season.

I give Red vs Blue: Singularity an 8.75/10!

[thebristolboard]

Best Comics of 2018

Here’s my contribution to The Comics Journal’s annual roundup. There’s lots of great lists. You should click over and read them all.

Berlin by Jason Lutes – a towering masterpiece 22-years in the making, Berlin is a high watermark for alternative literary comics and its completion feels like a significant milestone for the generation of post-Love and Rockets creators and fans who came of age in the ‘90s.

The Goat Getters by Eddie Campbell – Meticulously-researched and beautifully-designed, this is an important work of comics archaeology. Campbell sifts through the medium’s pre-history, focusing on “the missing link” between early sports cartooning and newspaper comic strips. He carefully traces this evolution, including detailed biographies of the major cartoonists (Swinnerton, Dorgan, Herriman, Fisher, Goldberg, etc.) and a lot of historical context. Not a light read, but definitely worth the effort.

The Troublemakers by Baron Yoshimoto, edited by Ryan Holmberg – If you aren’t following Ryan Holmberg’s work, you’re missing out on one of the best critic/historians in the game. Holmberg is an expert in alt-manga and his translation projects are always worth looking at. This year he edited or otherwise contributed to four collections with several different publishers. I still haven’t read Slum Wolf but of the other three (including Fukushima Devil Fish and Vérité 01), this was the standout, with six short stories from the ‘70s and ‘80s by Yoshimoto, a manga master I was previously unfamiliar with. Holmberg’s books also include insightful essays focused on the artist which adds to the appreciation and understanding of the works reproduced.

Frontier #17 by Lauren Weinstein – This memoir about pregnancy and childbirth is simply a beautiful comic, unflinchingly honest. Weinstein is not afraid to be naked on the page, both literally and figuratively, and never shies away from baring her soul. It’s definitely the best issue of Frontier to date and ranks high among Weinstein’s best works.

Hieronymus & Bosch by Paul Kirchner – From the creator of High Times’s “Dope Rider” and Heavy Metal’s “The Bus” strips, this latest book is a collection of silent comics set in Hell. Perfectly timed gags, often ending in the protagonist’s torment, are mixed with a healthy dose of dark humor. This is perhaps Kirchner’s best work. Plus it’s full color!

Blammo #10 and One Dirty Tree by Noah Van Sciver – Van Sciver’s work turned more personal this past year, revealing intimate details about his family life, relationships, and Mormon upbringing. At the same time, his storytelling, artwork, and especially his use of color have grown more confident and attractive. 

Mort Cinder by Héctor Germán Oesterheld and Alberto Breccia – Following Fantagraphics’ translation of Oesterheld and Solano López’s masterpiece, The Eternaut, a few years ago, this gorgeously reproduced translation of one of the greatest Argentinian comics ever is the first of several planned volumes in the Breccia Library. Breccia’s chiaroscuro brushwork is exquisite throughout as he dissects various historical eras from ancient Greece to World War I.

Coin-Op Comics Anthology by Peter and Maria Hoey – You don’t usually hear comics described as aerodynamic but this collection of short strips by the brother and sister duo is filled with sharp angles and sleek curves. The comics draw heavily on the siblings’ graphic design experience, giving the entire book a glossy magazine-like quality, but each strip is filled with clever film-inspired visual experiments.

Flem by Rebecca Rosen – An impressive debut graphic novel about assisted suicide and mother/daughter relationships. Rosen’s art has some similarities with Dash Shaw’s work, but her creative page layouts and expressive coloring portend great things to come. Definitely an artist to keep an eye on.

Ice Cream Man by W. Maxwell Prince and Martín Morazzo – One of my favorite Image books in a long time. Each issue of this series is a loosely-connected one-off tale of suburban horror. Martín Morazzo’s style is reminiscent of Frank Quitely and Prince’s scripts are sparse, thought-provoking gems.

Honorable mentions: Sabrina by Nick Drnaso, The Beef by David Hine and Shaky Kane, X-Men: Grand Design and Second Genesis by Ed Piskor, Black Panther by Ta-Nehisi Coates, Brian Stelfreeze, et al., All the Sad Songs by Summer Pierre, Tongues by Anders Nilsen, Ensemble by Maxime Gérin, Amnesia by Al Columbia, and The Nib #1, the first print edition of the popular web-comic.

Finally, because nobody should limit themselves to new stuff only, here’s the ten best older comics and related stuff I read in 2018:

The Ten Cent Plague: The Great Comic Book Scare and How It Changed America by David Hajdu – a fantastic and well-researched look back at the history of censorship and fetishism in early comics that led up to Wertham’s Seduction of the Innocent.

Hostage by Guy Delisle – Delisle’s best maybe ever, certainly since Pyongyang. This should have been on my best of list last year.

March Books 1-3 by John Lewis and Nate Powell – I read all three books to my 6th grade son this year and we were both blown away. John Lewis is a true American hero and I’m grateful that he chose to write his memoirs in graphic novel form.

Annie Sullivan and the Trials of Helen Keller by Joe Lambert – this was the third time I read this one and it’s still great; one of the most under-rated graphic novels in recent memory.

Sentences: The Life of MF Grimm by Percy Carey and Ron Wimberly – I had the pleasure of interviewing Ron on a panel at SPX this year and it was the perfect excuse to revisit this outstanding memoir about hip hop and gang culture.

Jar of Fools by Jason Lutes – I re-read this after finishing Berlin. It remains one of my all-time favorite graphic novels.

The Eternaut by F. Solano Lopez and Héctor Germán Oesterheld – I actually like this book better than Mort Cinder, but both are masterpieces. And Fantagraphics hit it out of the park on the design and slipcase packaging. Arsene Schrauwen by Olivier Schrauwen – I missed the boat on this book when it came out, but I’m really glad I went back and read it. Outstanding art with a creepy dreamlike story. I’m looking forward to checking out Parallel Lives soon.

2001 Nights by Yukinobu Hoshino – I love this hard sci-fi manga series so much, I wrote an appreciation for The Comics Journal about it.

Fantastic Four Visionaries: John Byrne vol. 3-6 – I collected these off the stands back in the ‘80s and am amazed how well they hold up. I think this is Byrne’s best work for Marvel, even surpassing his X-Men run (and let’s also not forget Namor).

[sxftrxchxe]

harmony-rt

AN-this is actually the backstory i have in mind like 90 percent of the time sksksks. please enjoy <3

SONG: none

WARNINGS: hints of past abuse. pregnancy?

FANDOM: it 2017

WORDS: 3420

SUMMARY: its just a pregnancy fluff fic

yn-your name

ln-last name

ec-eye color

hc-hair color

hl-hair length

AGED UP TO AROUND TWENTY TWO

The young girl skipped down the road happily avoiding the cracks and humming while her parents walked behind, heads on shoulder and hand in hand. They were always like that, a perfect example of a stereotypical family that only exists in movies. But for yn ln that was her reality since she was born.

"So you aren't nervous? Like even in the slightest?" She shook her head and stumbled as she almost stood on a particularly small crack, her small pastel pink bag nearly falling off.

"Nope you and Daddy said I was going to the the princess of the playground. Isn't that why I'm wearing this ugly ice cream dress? Cos princesses wear horrible stuff?" Her mother laughed and smiled lovingly at her daughter. yn's small pink cat bag hit her back with every hop and skip creating a rhythm she was determined to keep. Her dad gasped and she looked up to see the cream and blue building of Derry's kindergarten in front of her.

Other kids were hugging their parents and running through the blue gate and happily greeting friends. One small boy clung to his mothers and cried begging her to stay. yn giggled at how stupid he was being as her mom fixed her hair and muttered something under her breath. After a slightly aggressive tug and a sigh, she turned around to smile at her favourite people in the world.

"Good luck Sweetie. We love you okay?" Her mom leaned down and pulled her in for a hug. She hugged her back and giggled as her dad pulled a face from behind.

"And at twelve me and your father will be waiting here at the gate okay?" She nodded and pulled away to hug her dad's leg. He laughed and pat her back as his eyes wandered to someone driving by in a car. Another sob from behind her caused her to turn back around and skip into the playground leaving her parents to walk back home with their arms around each other's shoulders and tears falling down their faces.

The boy who had previously clung to his mams leg was now sitting just inside the gate with a pout on his face and tears in his eyes. yn gave him a small wave before her focus turned to three girls playing hopscotch while one sat by and watched. She looked a bit bored and caught yn watching her. She waved at her happily and yn almost skipped over to play until a happy scream came from the other side of the playground. Boys were chasing after girls while they screamed and laughed. Others were clinging to a climbing frame and pulling faces at each other as kids slid up and down a slide nearby. yn nearly exploded with excitement as she saw two empty swings near to the slide for her to sit on and make friends. She gave the bored ginger a last wave before turning to run to the other side.

Unfortunately, she turned right into someone else and fell to the ground landing on her knee and crying out in pain. The boy by the gate gasped loudly and gagged as he noticed the small trickle of blood coming out of her knee. Her eyes began to fill with tears before someone hand was stuck in her view and she looked up.

"I'm sorry I thought I was late cos I can't tell time and I guess I didn't see you oops. Are you okay? Your leg is red and disgusting now." The voice came from the person who she ran into which turned out to be a scrawny young boy with big brown eyes and dark messy hair. He was wearing an oversized blue button up lazily thrown over a cream t shirt, the same color as yn's shoes. She took his hand and he pulled her up almost dropping her to the floor again when she sneezed.

"Sorry, I'm allergic to grass. My mom calls it hay fever but I don't. And I guess a little blood never hurt anyone." yn flashed the boy a toothy grin which he returned. The boy at the gate gagged again and yn heard the girls from hopscotch teasing him before the girl who was watching them told them to be quiet.

"What's your name?"

"Oh, I'm yn ln. What's yours?" He shook her hand he was already holding which confused yn so much she stopped smiling.

"I'm Richie. Richie Tozier." She smiled again and let go of his hand and wiped her own on her ice cream patterned dress just in case he had the cooties her dad told her about.

"Chee Toaster?" He laughed and shook his head causing his curls to bounce. She shook her head back and crossed her arms. He looked pleasantly surprised when she replied in her cute childish voice.

"No, I'm calling you Chee. Now, do you want to swing on the swings?" He nodded and the slightly aggressive way they met was forgotten as they linked arms and ran across the playground. The swing set was in the shade behind an oak tree beside the slide but no one was on the slide anymore. Still, they kept running until they landed by the swing set and quickly hopped on kicking their legs to go higher and higher. They easily making friends like most five-year-olds do.

SEVENTEEN YEARS LATER

yn Tozier found out she was pregnant at twenty two. Married, happy and long forgotten were the horrors of her past meaning she was overjoyed.

In fact her only problem was how to tell her husband in the most flamboyant way. After all the Toziers weren't known to do things normally. Richie proposed on their graduation day in front of the whole school whilst everyone sobbed after all.

So on March 7th 1998, her husbands twenty second birthday, she decided to execute her plan that was boiling in her head for months.

First she called up her long time best friend and practically sister Beverly Marsh and told her the news. After much squealing between the two, yn explained her plan and Beverly agreed saying they had to do it.

Three squealed phone calls and two where she sobbed with Bill and Eddie the plan was ready. All she had to do now was wait. Which in itself was hard since her bump was beginning to show. Richie asked why she was no longer wearing her favorite skirts or t shirts in favor for her oversized sweaters and tracksuit bottoms receiving panicked and random responses most of the time.

"Hey nn? Why aren't you wearing your skirts anymore? It's literally thirty two degrees out?"

"I'm allergic to the material."

"You're allergic...to the material?"

"Yup. But only for a few months ha ha oops okay bye I have to go to work."

Richie was getting suspicious. She was dodging many question instead giving him food and taking more private calls than any kindergarten teacher should ever take. One time he found her crying on the floor surrounded by tissues saying something like "am I just like her?" When Richie asked who she had quickly stood up and wiped her eyes saying she had to go to work even though it was eleven pm at night. yn was never the best at lying. So on the night before his birthday he sat her down on the couch and asked the question burning at the back of his head for weeks.

"Are you cheating on me?" When yn's eyes widened and she didn't answer instead staring back with saucer eyes and a mouth wide open Richie presumed his assumptions were correct. He sighed and stood up running his hands through his forever messy hair. Lori started to stutter trying to think of an excuse but none came to mind.

"You know what? It's fine, I'm fine. I knew this would happen since you're so much better than me anyway I just thought seventeen years would have meant something you know?"

"Rich it's no-"

"No! No! It's fine just let me finish I mean kindergarten wow has it actually been seventeen years? How haven't you changed?"

"Chee look at m-"

"No yn you look at m-"

"I'm Pregnant!" yn yelled standing up off their small couch and clamping her hand over her mouth like she just said the worst thing ever. Richie stopped and looked at the girl who had tried to wear one of her old skirts and t shirts to try and throw him off. If he squinted in the light he could just about make about the small bump growing on her stomach.

yn felt her eyes begin to tear up at Richie's shocked expression. Maybe she was wrong maybe he didn't want kids and just wanted the Hollywood life he was working on. Maybe he would leave her alone with their child to bring them up like her own mom. Maybe she was right about her assumptions that she was just like her.

However after twenty seconds of silence Richie scooped the girl up bridal style and spun her around the room screaming. yn began to giggle and cling on to his T-shirt so she wouldn't fall. Tears spilled down her cheeks as she did so glad her husband wasn't actually kissed and more just shocked.

He eventually put her down after a cute peck on the lips you usually wouldn't see from Richie who was ever the passionate. Once yn had two feet planted firmly to the ground he dashed to ring his closest friend Stan and tell him the news. yn didn't bother telling him she already told everyone instead happy she could take the skirt uncomfortable rubbing against her growing stomach that contained a child. Her child. Their child.

Seven Months Later

Beverly wiped the sweat off her brow with a wet towel her boyfriend Ben had brought along. Ben was tapping the uncomfortable hospital waiting room seats and glancing at the hall for the nurse every so often. Eddie sat on her other side muttering about the dangers of pregnancy whilst also sneaking hopeful glances down the bleached corridor. Bill was across from him leaning forward with his hands over his mouth and leg bouncing. If anyone he had been most excited and Beverly hoped they would be just as excited once the baby came. Stan was rubbing Bills back and checking his watch, having to leave in two hours. yn had already been in labor for six hours so he had a pretty good chance but there was still that twinge of worry telling him he'd miss everything. Mike was on Bills left staring straightforward and breathing heavily. No one had spoken a word in a half an hour, tired and impatient.

Suddenly there was a yell of excitement from down the hallways, causing them all to sit up. Richie busted out the room yn was in with a nurse yelling at him saying he had to wait a minute before he said anything. Beverly stood up, now aware of her eye filling with tears as he ran towards their group making other patients jolt awake.

"It's a girl! I gave birth to a girl! That was some work lemme tell you, my hand is so sore!" No one bothered to correct Richie instead yelling and pulling each other into celebratory hugs. He looked a mix of exhausted and the happiest Beverly had ever seen him as he threw his arms around a sobbing Bill.

"What's her name?" Eddie asked once the group calmed down just enough for them to hear each other clearly. Richie's eyes widened and he ran back to the room where the nurse was still yelling. Beverly would have face palmed at the fact he forgot to name his own daughter if it wasn't for the fact he had his own daughter. She was an aunt! Sort of not really but still!!!

Ben pulled her in for a hug and she was made aware of the many tears on both her boyfriends and best friends faces. She wiped at her own before smiling at her best friends and pushing her copper curls back. They pulled each other into a group hug until there was another whoop from down the hall that caused them all to pull apart and grip on each other's shoulders.

"Harmony-Rose middle name Georgia! And last name motherfucking Tozier! Get your asses down here!"

"Sir no we can't allow that right now-"

"Come On!"

"Sir you're wife needs rest-"

"Bring The Bitches Down! They Need To Meet The Newest Loser!"

The nurse gave an exasperated sigh before mumbling an okay. The door opened slowly as if saying they could come in. After more excited yells and tears that received both looks of admiration and eye rolls from the other patients they ran down the hall, Stan nearly running into a tray of needles and screaming in agony instead of pride.

Bill got in first before Beverly squeezed past Eddie. She nearly cried again once she saw her best friend sitting up in the hospital bed her hair messed up and eyes tired holding a small bundle of blankets. Richie was sitting in a chair beside her leaning onto the bed so he could both see his daughter and hold his wife's hand.

yn smiled tiredly at the six surrounding her bed before turning the bundle towards them so they could see their new shared child. The little girl blinked back at them with big ec eyes like her mom and slight black hair like her dad. Beverly felt Ben and Bill both squeeze her hand only one letting out a small sob as Harmony Rose was handed towards him.

"Here Billy your new niece and goddaughter. I hope you like her middle name it's for the both of us." Bill nodded and took the baby in his arms once the nurse showed him how to. He sat on the bed and waved down at his goddaughter with wet eyes slightly shaking as yn apologized to the other five boys about him being godfather. Richie said he considered them all top daddies before receiving a tired slap from his wife.

Beverly had handed the baby next learning she was the godmother and aunt of the now sleeping baby in her arms. yn rubbed her back as she rocked her slightly promising she would be the coolest aunt ever.

Ben was next explaining how he already bought tons of clothes for both gender and had them in the trunk of his car telling Beverly to remind them to get them before they left.

Then it was Eddie who happily took the girl and rocked her. He decided she was both the cleanest and dirtiest thing he ever held before getting a snicker from both mother and father and complaints for calling her thing from the others.

Mike begged to be next and sat down beside yn, talking to the other girl who's eyes were now opening again. He told her how he would have her both the most polite and ripped girl in her kindergarten receiving a quiet whoop from the group afraid to do their usual loud chanting in case she cried.

Stan was last and he cried again once the girl wrapped her hand around his finger and cooed which made the whole group gasp never having heard such an innocent noise before. Once he had wiped his eyes and apologized to Harmony Rose for the bad manners he went to hand her back to yn only to find both her and Richie asleep. Hands intertwined of course. They usually were. They both looked completely exhausted and so happy no one wanted to wake them up.

So instead with permission from the nurse Ben lay the girl in the cot provided by the hospital and Eddie rocked her to sleep saying he was good at that. Apparently he was because after only three minutes of rocking and whispered hushes Harmony-Rose was out cold.

The six remaining awake losers sat on the floor legs crossed and smiles on their faces. Heads were leaning in heads and hands were on hands. Beverly and Ben even had their linked crossed a slight promise to have their own kids when they were ready whenever that was. The nurse came back in to send them all out but took pity on the happy kids

"You know she's going to be moved to a room shared with three other new mothers tomorrow. I don't know how all seven of you will fit in at the same time." She spoke in a hushed voice taking blankets from the floor to send to the washing room. No one moved and Beverly spoke.

"Seven? Nah there's eight of us." She smiled at the yn who looked ten years older in front of her. Still she had the same smile on her face that she always had and her gown was covered in stickers showing Beverly she had matured, not changed. Richie even looked older, bags under his eyes that usually looked so young. Her eyes slid over to the cot containing her new goddaughter and she smiled wider. "Nine. There's nine of us."

"Nine. You all seem so close so it will be hard to split up to see yn and Harmony-Rose." Beverly finally noticed her friends all sleeping around her the only one mildly awake being Mike who was also blinking asleep. She shook her head before leaning onto Eddie muttering slightly in his sleep beside her.

"We'll figure something out. Always do."

5 years later....

yn held onto her daughters hand as she skipped down the road between her two parents humming. She had a small galaxy bag on her back that hit off her back with every jump reminding yn of herself. Unlike her however thick curls held back with only a small purple clip bounced around her face and tickled her nose. In fact aside from her piercing ec eyes and thumb biting the girl was one hundred percent Richies. From her hair to loud personality tendency to make a mess and annoy Eddie. Even the faces she pulled sometimes reminded yn of her husband.

"Here we are Rosie. Are you ready?" Harmony Rose let go of both of her parents hands and shrugged before turning to run in the gate. If yn didnt gently take her wrist and pull her back she would have left without a second glance. Richie smiled at his favorite people as yn scooped the girl into her arms and went over the rules.

"And no running into annoying boys okay? And if you do run away. Nothing good ever comes from it." Harmony Rose nodded wiggling to get out of her moms glance. Richie scoffed and threw his arm around his wife's waist.

"No if you run into a quiet girl run away. Don't ask her name it's a trap." yn elbowed Richie and gently let Harmony-Rose back down. She blinked back at her parents elbowing each other like kids before sighing and skipping through the gate. She waved back at her parents and took a quick scan of the area eyes lighting up at the sight of an empty swing set.

A young girl clung to her moms leg and cried as her mom tried to calmly get her off. A small group of girls skipped together one looking slightly more bored than the others. A group of boys and girls ran each other in a extreme version of tag. A young boy with blonde parted hair was sent to the ground as Harmony-Rose turned and ran into him. yn smiled as Harmony-Rose helped him up, a small smile on her face.

"Weird isn't it?" She asked once the initial weirdness wore off. Richie shrugged and pulled her closer not taking his eyes off his daughter running off to the swing with the boy in her hand.

"Nah I think it would be weirder if she didn't get a soppy love story." yn smiled and put her hand up to touch her husbands arm. She drew circles on it softly a feeling of peace washing over her.

"Let's hope her life is less chaotic and more soppy then." Richie nodded and the trees behind them rustled sending a gust of wind to blow yn's ice cream patterned dress around her legs. Her cream shoes on her feet seemed to remind her of something she couldn't quite place the hair clip holding her hl hc hair back also seeming rather reminiscent.

"So we're bringing him over for dinner?"'

"Oh yeah. And Mike just texted me saying him and Stan will drop by later so he's already meeting two of her uncles." yn's fingers curled up against the blue button up Richie decided to wear that day and she smiled.

"Perfect."

[regrettablewritings]

Genre Blindness, aka The Brocky Horror Picture Show (Slight Eddie Brock x Reader)

A/N: Well, this is all I’m contributing to Halloween. Have at a “scary”(ly-written) fic. Have at it, kiddies. Also, kudos to K for making a punny name for this even though she knows it and everything about it (including myself) is trash!

Everyone likes to imagine themselves as the hero of their own story, a figure in the movie that was their life. The problem for you was that at this point, you had no idea to which genre your own life belonged. The easy route would’ve been to claim it was an indie, but where was the fun in that? But considering how you’d decided to start life a new in San Francisco, it was leaning somewhere along the inspirational biopic spectrum. Your apartment sure as hell supported that theory: Small, your own personal and lease-friendly touches attempting to cover up its slipshod glory, located in a part of town that, ahem, didn’t have a Whole Foods so to speak.

Clearly, you told yourself often, I am in the rough beginnings phase. You weren’t entirely sure how much of this you actually believed, but it was better to believe that something amazing was waiting just around the corner than to completely digest your life’s current situation.

The irony here being that your life, for just a moment, was about to look less like an inspirational biopic and more like a movie about being careful or at least more specific about what one wishes for.

When you hoped for something big to be around the corner, you’d meant like winning the lottery or acquiring your dream job or catching the eye of a dazzling celebrity. Or at least find the perfect pair of jeans that were both comfy and made your ass look great. What you hadn’t hoped for (or even really been in the same realm of even considering) was that something big would literally drop right by your apartment window – coincidentally in a back corner of your building.

You hadn’t noticed that anything had fallen passed your window. Not at first. You were far too busy blowing your store-bought microwavable cupcake cool, after all. But what you couldn’t ignore were the sounds that soon followed the thing’s fast descent: The loud thud of something hitting the pavement below; the bang of disturbed trashcans; the cacophony of garbage being crushed or toppled over. To be honest, you were so used to that sort of racket coming from that alleyway (never mind that it still caused you to jolt up with a vibrant, “Whatthefuck?!”) that you would’ve been more than happy to just leave it be and carry on with your lackluster night. After all, if you stopped yourself every time you heard crackheads getting into screaming matches or cats hissing at one another or party girls puking into that alley, you’d never have enough life left over to enjoy what little you had.

You glanced at the clock: a quarter to three in the morning. Most nearby clubs were probably beginning to close up shop at around this time, it was probably just somebody drunk on overpriced drinks stumbling about.

However, it was the groan that caused you to reconsider. Of all the disputes you’d overheard coming from the backway below, you’d never heard such a miserable sound of pain come rippling up the walls the way this particular one did. Normally you would’ve kept the window shut but with your busted A/C unit, you had to regrettably resort to using the rank but free air of the outside. It was bad enough you could smell suspicious things; it was no intention of yours to also hear suspicious things. But . . . Then again, maybe you didn’t hear it. Suppose you imagined it?

As if on cue, you heard a small avalanche of glass bottles and hefty garbage bags collapse. Its end was accompanied by a small whimper. It wasn’t as loud as the groan you thought maybe hadn’t happened, but it was definitely real. And still definitely human. Crap.

Against the best of your nerves, the guilt of possibly letting a genuinely injured person suffer any more than what was necessary overruled you. You crept towards your window, nudging the sill open just enough for you to humor poking your head out of it.

“Hello?” you called down in a loud whisper. You squinted at the shadows. Aside from the familiar forms of garbage cans and the dumpster and the litter you could just imagine was already there, nothing. That is, until one of those garbage bags appeared to move. Your breath stilled in your throat, eyes widening for a brief moment before narrowing once more with double intensity. The lack of proper lighting made it difficult to officially determine it, but there was little doubt about it: There was a person down there.

“Hellooo? Is anybody down there?” you called out a bit louder. Nothing. Your heart began to thud with worry. You inhaled (both with worry and with the intention of shouting) before releasing a far louder, “HELL –”

“SHUT THE FUCK UP!!” bellowed some bastard elsewhere. The sudden yelling caused you to tense up and button up. Curiously (and concerningly), still no response from below. There were two possibilities to this: Either this person, like you, was not from the area and therefore lacked the devil-may-care attitude required for snapping back at the aggressor; or they had just proved your growing dread that they might’ve been unconscious.

Shit. Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit. You wobbled from foot to foot, eyes flickering about as your thoughts rushed. What should you do? Should you call 911? That would be the most sensible thing, honestly.

But . . . given that there wasn’t a Starbucks for an approximate twenty blocks from here – any help you called for likely wasn’t going to come immediately. Maybe you should just hope that they recover quickly and go about your business? You hated to admit to it, but the temptation was there.

After all, you shakily tried to reason, I’ve never really rushed in with all the other things that happened in that alley. This was true. But then again, the others never really had the double whammy of a person being in so much pain that they possibly blacked out. Or were on the brink of death. The shudder that thought caused forced you to shake your head. You were overthinking this. You had to have been; nobody else was making a fuss about this, were they? Probably because they’d already called the cops –

Oh, wait, you remembered bitterly, no Starbucks or Whole Foods or some shit. Plus, the screaming you’d received for calling out your own window did little to convince you of others’ sense of empathy. An expression of worry twisted your features as you forced yourself to go to the kitchen and retrieve a fork for your awaiting snack. Maybe if you took the actual steps to carry on with your previously planned night, you’d calm down some and things would take care themselves?

But could the person that you swore was in the alleyway do the same you wondered.

Clearly the cynicism of this corner of San Fran had not strangled you enough. You wished that it had.

You were currently seeing your life as veering more towards the horror genre. You concluded this with immense dread based on the following: You were creeping outside in the dark to investigate a strange noise on your own; you wanted to believe that you were perhaps defying it to some extent by arming yourself but alas: A skillet did not carry the same amount of threat as, say, a good cutting knife did. Which you didn’t have anyway. So yeah: You were being that bitch™.

You slowly waved your phone’s flashlight about the ground. So far, all you had been picking up were the usual suspects of grime and garbage and for that you were somewhat grateful. Maybe, if you hoped hard enough, the person would have retroactively recovered and buggered off before you’d gotten down. That would sure alleviate a whole lot of pressure weighing down on your nerves. But as the light encased the unmistakable figure of a shoe – still attached to a leg, no less – you knew no amount of hoping was going to relieve you. And as you traveled the light further along the body, taking in its current state, you were losing hope by the gallon.

You gasped shrilly as your eyes began to compute exactly what was wrong with the man: He was dead. He had to have been. From what little skin you could see (he was dressed in a rather blood-stained hoodie and even more unfortunate jeans), most of him appeared to be battered purple and blue. Some of his fingers had definitely been broken as evidenced by the unnatural angles they bended at. But, most horrifying of all, was the bone sticking out of him: Shins were not supposed to fucking do that. In fact, even the near absolute coverage of his clothing couldn’t hide from you just how mangled his body appeared to be in some places.

“Oh, God,” you gagged, jerking your head away from the scene. This was worse than a horror movie; this was real life. This shit was getting too out of hand, you’d finally decided. It didn’t matter if it would take them a while to get out here: You were calling the police right fucking now. This was a mob hit. This was a mob hit, and you fucking contaminated the crime scene with your mere presence. It was best to just make the call, give as much information as you could, and hole yourself up in your apartment until the memory of this faded from your mind – which would probably be never at this point.

You tried to make quick work of getting to the dialer of your phone (a difficult thing to do with sweaty, shaking fingers) but it was in the process of that that you heard something unlike the distant sirens and dogs barking of the late night hour: A sort of . . . whistling? No, no, a hissing. You forced yourself to glance back at the body. There was your answer: A nostril, struggling to inhale in spite of the nose’s battered state.

A wave of relief washed through you as you concluded that the figure before you, in spite of the odds, was alive. That made the situation somewhat better, but frankly only by the smallest of increments. You hovered the flashlight of your phone over the stranger’s face. It was frankly not too much better than the rest of his body with blood streaking across the flesh and purple beginning to set into it. But in spite of the cuts and bruises marring his face, he looked vaguely familiar to you. You weren’t entirely sure if those lips of his were naturally poofy or if they had just been smacked around a bit, but you could’ve sworn you’d seen lips like them somewhere on a particular.

You grimaced; that was enough of that. Time to make that call and leg it. With fingers still trembling, you returned your focus back to turning your phone screen back on.

Crack.

You froze, your breath stilling. Normally, you would have been very willing to link another noise in the alleyway with the trash that adorned it. However, this was a very specific sound. In fact, you could’ve sworn it sounded like . . . bone?

You weren’t sure of the demon that compelled you to do so, but you dared to glance at the body once more. Your gut dropped and your heart beat a painfully cold palpitation.

Hadn’t his left shoulder appeared more broken than that?

Sn-ap. This time, you saw it: The shoulder, in an almost jerking but completely unnatural movement, snapped into a more normal-looking position. In fact, if you weren’t so ensorcelled for all the wrong reasons, you might have considered it good as new.

CRACK. The loudness of the noise caused you to jump, your eyes flickering to where you believed the source of it to be. You watched in horror as the bone protruding from the man’s leg began to inch inward, crick after crack until it finally placed itself back into its rightful home. In fact, it took you a moment to realize that as it was rehousing itself, the rest of the broken limbs and features were correcting themselves as well. You barely registered the cacophony of bones snapping and flesh squealching, either because your heart was drumming a fearful beat inside your head or because your brain just forbade it to spare you. Either way, after the longest minute of your life, the body that lay before you wasn’t quite the same one you’d just found.

It was back to what you assumed was normal for it: A regular guy with no broken limbs or busted lips. Of course, there was still some blood here and there but that was the last thing you were concerned about. Though frankly, with the blizzard of thoughts whipping about your head, it was hard to decide what you should be concerned about: The body, the fact that it was just busted beyond belief mere seconds ago, the fact that it magically (albeit grotesquely) fixed itself, if you should just call the goddamn police and get the hell of out here.

Then his eyes snapped open. With that, your thoughts collected themselves in a single file line of concerns, that eye-opening thing being at the very front of it.

A loud, wet gasp flew from his lips, creating a gurgling noise in the cramped space of the alley. He jolted his body upright so fast, it was a miracle he hadn’t broken his neck in the process. The sudden movement, the sudden noise – it was all too much.

The corridor rang with a glorious pang, followed by an unceremonious plop of the man’s body returning back to the dirty concrete. He was out cold once again, though it was probably for the better: Had he been awake, he definitely would’ve been complaining about his re-broken nose.

You shuddered; the fact that “re-broken” was the proper word definitely wasn’t doing anything for your mental state. You were in the middle of debating whether or not this was even still a matter for the police (twenty Starbucksless blocks for one, the fact that you might be dealing with a demonic possession for another), when you heard it again: That sickening crack of bone, though you knew without even looking that it was his nose. Your eyes screwed themselves shut, your body flinching along with every snip and snap of the cartilage repairing itself. Even when it all went quiet, you didn’t look. Frankly, you were at a loss of what to even do at this point; the entire scenario was way more than what you’d bargained for, and there was no public protocol. At least with finding a busted body, there was some inkling of what to do. But this? You weren’t even sure what you were dealing with, much less with how to deal with it!

“Impressive.”

For the umpteenth time in the last half hour, you jolted. The fear that spiked through you had been more than enough to pop your eyes back open against your personal wishes. Normally, hearing another person’s voice in such a bizarre situation could’ve been a godsend. But this voice . . . It wasn’t human. It was deep, but also unnerving. It was carried in a rattling, almost metallic way that made its threatening cadence all the more evident. It was your fear instinct that forced you to turn towards it and source it. But even with a face to match the voice to, you still weren’t certain as to what you were seeing.

The first thing that came to mind was goop. The second was oil or ink. But the third was, “HOLY SHIT TEETH TEETH FUCKING NEEDLE TEETH WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT THING?!?” And as tempted as you were to say any of that, you found yourself unable to so much as emit a whimper of horror. As you stared into the large, milky eyes of the many-toothed, oily goop thing that was protruding from the man’s arm, you found yourself rightfully out of words. If this evening didn’t kill you, you had a feeling that whatever the hell this thing was would. And its creepy grin did nothing to convince you otherwise.

“That’s some swing you’ve got,” it complimented. You did not appreciate it. “But as outstanding as it is . . .” It narrowed its eyes and widened its grin menacingly, “I would greatly appreciate it if you did not use it to damage my property. It was my general understanding that vandalism is a bit of a big deal for your humans. Consider this my warning.”

Okay, yeah, no the fear was too much. You raised the skillet at an angle. The thing’s eyes widened.

“I SWEAR TO GOD, IF YOU HIT ME WITH THAT – You know what? Go ahead: I dare you. Hit me with that thing again and I will eat you.” It capitalized on that threated by giving its rows of jagged teeth a lick. Normally you might’ve wondered if such an action would be painful given the nature of its mouth, but the foulness of its tongue made you immediately discard that query. Besides, as curious as you were, you didn’t want to know what sort of deity this thing was swearing to.

You lowered the pan albeit to a shield-like position, though a part of you recognized the idiocy of it. Nightmarish ooze or no, a shield does not a kitchen skillet make. Nevertheless, the goop demon seemed pleased enough.

“Good,” it hissed. “I will admit that while I am not enthused that such a small human managed to take us down using only cooking ware, it is at least more amusing than accepting that we got our ass handed to us by a guy with a stun gun and a dog whistle.”

There were many things about that sentence to unpack but specifically, there was one that was just enough to suspend your disbelief.

“‘U-us?’” you whispered. The creature nodded in one slow, oozing gesture.

“Yes,” it confirmed. “He and I.” You regarded the man from which the glob was sourcing.

“We are . . . one, I suppose you could say,” the creature explained. Your eyes drifted back upward to meet with the whites of its own. Your breath shuttered about your throat. You dared to continue.

“Who . . . Who are you?”

You never thought the thing’s smile could grow any further. But as its oily face drew back to reveal even more pointed teeth, you were proven wrong. You didn’t feel as nervous, though. It was almost as if you were beginning to forget how to be in all your curiosity.

“Us?” it smiled, eyes narrowing once more with delight.

“We . . .” It raised up with pride, “are Venom.”

Venom. So the thing had a name. At least that question was answered. Unfortunately, the satisfaction of that didn’t appear in your features so much as they remained as neutral as they could for the moment. From the look of bemusement beginning to leak into Venom’s oily countenance, you gathered that this wasn’t the effect he had been looking for from you.

“It’s a lot more effective when we speak in unison,” Venom glowered, nodding his “head” toward his unconscious partner. You sights once again flickered to the poor bastard and you winced.

“Oooohhh,” you groaned quietly. “S-sorry?” You almost wanted to smack yourself with the frying pan for that. Why the hell were you apologizing? To validate this thing’s stolen thunder? Hell no!

“Apology not accepted,” Venom muttered. You could practically hear the pout in his tone, a fact which almost disturbed you. It was then that you heard a low groan emit from the man. At this, Venom turned himself entirely towards his human.

“Seems he’s coming around. Finally.” Venom swiveled back to you. “Do not hit us again. I can still eat you, even when he’s awake.” With that threat, he began to slink back into the body. For a moment, it was like ink was seeping into the human’s sweatshirt. But it disappeared just as quickly, signifying that Venom had, like the bones before him, returned back from whence he came. It was as if thick ink had splattered across the man’s clothing before disappearing all together.

Ordinarily you would have transfixed on that sort of thing but after everything else that had come before it (and in a span of about ten minutes at most), it was practically matter-of-fact by comparison. Therefore, you weren’t startled this time when the man woke up once more, sharply inhaling as though the air were finally being allowed back into his lungs. His eyes bulged against greying lids, flickering everywhere they could before landing on you. And then the skillet you were still holding. You could practically see the moment he remembered what you’d done.

It hurt Eddie’s lungs to breathe; apparently V hadn’t gotten around to fixing minor internal discomfort. Still, that didn’t stop him from taking a sharp intake of air as he felt himself being shot back into the realm of consciousness. But as a stinging sensation resonated within him, he regretted it. The only thing he could do in that moment of shock was wait it out; he did his usual method of taking in his surroundings, trying to recollect what all had happened when –

Aw, fuck, he cursed inside. There was another person present. He was beginning to wonder how much you had seen when his eyes happened to register that you were holding something: A skillet. Immediately, the memories of moments before began to flood back into the forefront of his mind. He woke up, you jolted, bang, he was back in the blackness.

It was therefore understandable for him to assume the worst and act on instinct – by scrambling upright and trying (and failing) to move away from you. Even with healed limbs, his body was sore but it didn’t stop him from raising an arm in defense.

“Whoawhoawhoa –” he slurred, blanking out your objections against his assumptions.

“Calm down,” he suddenly heard resonating inside his skull. “She won’t try anything. I made sure of that.”

What, what? It was enough to make Eddie pause. The hell did that mean!?

Brows furrowed, he lowered his arm. “Did . . . Are you okay?” he asked

Your face wrinkled incredulously. “E-excuse me?!” you demanded. “Am I okay!? What the hell about you?!”

“Well, I just thought –”

“You show up in a goddamn alleyway, looking like a Halloween horror show prop, you fucking heal, get panged, you have a – a thing, and you ask me if I’m o-fucking-kay?!” you screeched. With every addition to your list you made, the man grimaced. Though at that last part, that seemed to change: Less cringing, more realization.

“Wait . . . You –”

“KEEP IT FUCKING DOWN OUT THERE, FUCK!!” The sudden roaring from seven stories up the apartment building silenced the both of you. It was punctuated by a window slamming shut. The two of you remained silent, the only noise left being the distant sounds of the city and your labored breaths. You sat there, staring at one another, both clearly wanting to speak but being uncertain of what exactly to say amongst the array of possibilities. But for Eddie, there was at least one that he desperately needed to know before anything else.

“So, you uh . . . You saw him?” he asked.

“She just said she did,” Venom stated bluntly.

“Yes,” you confirmed in a low mutter. Eddie nodded, casting his eyes to the side. To alleviate the growing awkwardness, he raised a hand to the back of his head and scratched at an itch that wasn’t even there.

“Ah,” he offered plainly. He pursed his lips. “So, uh . . . What exactly did he do . . . Y’know, to keep you from bashing my brains out again?”

“. . . He said he’d eat me.”

“Still might,” Eddie heard. In spite of this, he forced an unconvincing smile of assurance.

“No, he won’t. He’s just bluffing,” Eddie insisted.

“Yes, I could.”

“We have a deal going on where we only . . .” He searched for the right word. Considering all the crap he’d put you through, no matter how unintentional, there was just nothing soft enough to lighten the blow. “We only deal with bad people, let’s just put it that way.”

That honestly wasn’t the most reassuring thing, but you had no choice but to take it. Still, your morbid curiosity wasn’t about to let it rest.

“Is it a . . . a demon?” You weren’t expecting a sensible answer, much less an honest one. But you needed something to grasp on to. Something to confirm, once and for all, that this wasn’t a shared hallucination of some kind.

The brunet shook his head.

“Nah,” he stated. “More like a paras –” He paused. He said, “An alien.” The beat he’d created for himself gave you all the reason to doubt his claim. However, in the lighted projected from your phone, you could see those eyes of his. Through all the exhaustion they held, there was honesty present in them. They told you, pleaded with you to trust his words.

And you did.

And that was when it hit you: the sudden realization of where you knew that face from. You almost wanted to sock yourself in the face for not recognizing him before – after all, how many men had lips like those?

“Holy shit,” you said mindlessly. “You’re Eddie Brock, aren’t you?”

Eddie tensed. Should he lie? He could totally lie, right? He’d been working on his career-destroying bluntness over the last few months, surely he could at least bend the truth a little into a direction that didn’t convince you he was Eddie Brock, take-down investigative journalist.

“. . . Nnnnnnooooooo?” He slurred. Fuck. He began to wonder if he had enough money to bribe you into silence.

“We could always eat her,” Venom offered. Immediately, Eddie was broken out of one panicked thought process into another.

“No!” he hissed to himself. “We are not going to eat her!” (Your eyes widened as your grip on your nearly forgotten cooking ware tightened.)

“Fine!” Venom scowled. His voice then returned, though with a hint of suggestion. “Maybe we could . . . ‘eat’ her in that other way, then. The non-sustenance-gaining but still plenty satisfying way –”

“NO!” Eddie snapped. He could practically feel the symbiote within shrugging.

“It’s a good method of keeping silence in my opinion. Won’t know unless we try.”

“Please. Just shut the fuck up,” Eddie hissed through clenched teeth.

“I, I promise I won’t tell,” you stammered insistently. You raised the pan back up as a mock shield, both to pathetically attempt protection but also to hide bits of your worrying appearance. “It’s just . . . Well, you’re some guy my college roommate got me into; she used to stream your stuff all the time, I used to watch your crap for essays and – Shit, no, I don’t mean crap, I mean –”

“Nah, nah, some of that was crap. You ever see the one about the rats at Cawthon Pizza Kitchen?”

You grinned wearily. “Only every time I consider ordering pizza.”

A beat of silence followed. Well, on your end it was silent. For Eddie, he could hear his alien parasite snickering.

“Ask her if she saw the outtake where you thought a rat scurried across your foot and you screamed like a pussy!”

Okay, enough was enough. Without warning, Eddie began to shove himself up off the dirty ground. You followed suit.

“Okay, not to cut this short or anything – it’s been a blast, almost literally, but, uh . . .” He fruitlessly brushed off his clothes. He paused, as if cut short.

“No,” he said sternly. After another moment of him not speaking, he repeated himself. “I said ‘no.’” You began to worry your lip. Considering what had been said previously whenever Eddie did this, you had every reason to feel concern.

“You’re not . . . gonna eat me, are you?” you wondered. Immediately Eddie switched his attention back to you.

“Nonono,” he raised his hands in defense. “Not you, you have our word, it’s just –” He bit a corner of his full lip. “Okay, the long and the short is that we’re kind of ridiculously hungry right now, and the bastard’s saying you owe us.”

“Oh!” You pursed your lips. “That’s, um . . .”

The man waved it off. “Don’t worry about it. Just point me in the direction of the nearest convenience store or whatever and we’ll be gone like the wind outta your hair.” He added a smile to the end of his sentence. You were happy to return it – at first. But the way he flinched as it spread caught your eye. You once again took notice of the small scratches and blemishes that still marked up his face, even after Venom’s apparent handy work. It was silly, but you couldn’t help the feelings they instilled in you. Sure, you hadn’t been the one to put them (well, most of them) there, but that didn’t negate the fact that you had smacked him hard enough to break a bone.

“No,” you found yourself interjecting. If you weren’t possessed by enough guilt to be steadfast on the matter, you would have appeared just as confused as Eddie did upon your interruption. You went on, “I mean, I don’t have much on me but, like . . . I got one of those cheap microwavable cupcakes. You can have it, if you want, I mean. I feel like I owe you for clocking you.”

“Oooohhh. Eddie, I like her,” purred Venom.

You didn’t hear that, of course, but Eddie sure did. And something inside him was a bit concerned that that was his cause for quirking a grin at you, rather than the thought of actually eating something.

Epilogue:

For whatever reason, the gravity of the situation didn’t entirely hit you at its full depth until long after the two of you trekked up the stairs to your abode. Nor did it occur when Eddie (or perhaps it was Venom, given the ferocity with which he ate) attacked the consolation cupcake. It actually hit you after Eddie’s departure (though not before him expressing his thanks and a lighthearted if awkward inclusion of “maybe seeing you around”).

You had just taken an alien-possessed Eddie Brock into your apartment and fed him a cupcake to make up for the fact that you’d broken his nose with the skillet you used to cook your eggs. It was the sort of strangeness only heard about in stories from the web or on the silver screen. Granted, most stories and movies would have chided at you for wandering outside at night and then bringing somebody you didn’t even know back to your place. The fact that he was also a host to a carnivorous, insatiable ink thing stood only to worsen the effect.

But as you finally lay down in the wee hours of the morning, there was nothing you could do about it. What was done was done. Things would never be quite the same after this night. The story had changed lanes, the script revised to reflect something less like the boring biopic you’d initially imagined, and deep down knew you were probably never going to get back so long as Eddie and Venom existed in your life. Though as you fell asleep, you deliriously decided it wasn’t something you minded.

In hindsight, you would see this as the rough beginnings phase of the odd couple story your life actually wound up being.

[lilragekitten]

Listen: It’s 2:30am and I am bored af at work so here, learn about me. 

tagged by: @mommalosthermind (ILY)

rules: answer twenty (20) questions and tag twenty (20) people you want to know better.

nickname(s): JennerJen, Eddy, that quaking noise donald duck makes? (Ken calls me that)

height: 5′5″ maybe? I am Smol. and round. 

orientation: Bi and ready to cry. 

favorite fruit: Hmmm, I like strawberries a lot. And Watermelon, except I had Bad watermelon this summer so I’m kinda Off it right now. Asian Pears are good, and Golden Delicious apples. 

favorite season: Season One of new doctor who with Nine. Oh not that kinda season? Fall. I love how the colors change, how it’s not swelteringly hot, and I love sweater weather. Also, Halloween. (Can I also cry how I had literally Two Weeks of Autumn this year before we got snow?? I am sad)

favorite flower: Calla lilies. I think they’re so pretty. and Blue Moon roses. I’m not really a flower person. 

favorite scent: food? Homemade bread baking, fresh apple pie, citrus. The smell of the ocean (which, this perfume I find hits pretty damn well, also this hand/body cream.)

favorite color: Black, purples, reds, greens, blues, Usually darker tones.

favorite animal: Cats. Cat are amazing, they’re so weird and adorable and huge ass jerks. I love northern breed dogs too, the big floofs. 

coffee, tea, or hot chocolate: hot cocoa, though I’ll more than likely be found drinking cranberry juice. 

average hours of sleep: HA. Um... welp, I work graveyard shifts so I’m supposed to sleep during the day. so I can go anywhere from 3-18 hours. seriously. There is no .. pattern... there is no logic here. I pass out and sometimes I wake up when I’m supposed to, sometimes I wake up bc my cats are assholes. 

cat person or dog person: I think at this point we’re safe to say cats. I’ve always had cats growing up, Usually at least one, but usually two. I’m at 5 right now. I’d love to have a dog some day, but right now with my schedule the way it is, it wouldn’t be fair to it. 

favorite fictional characters: ....I think... I’ll go through chronologically? How I remember it and if I still think fondly of them now? Captain Jean-Luc Picard. Xena. Peter Parker/Spiderman, Trunks from DBZ, Jared from the Pretender, Buffy Summers, Faith, Spike, Spencer Reid, Derek Morgan, Tony Stark, Sherlock Holmes (BBC for first two seasons), GOTG, Toothless,eevee,  Megamind, Fuck I give up... 

number of blankets you sleep with: Two soft minky and one electric for my feets. 

dream trip: I’ve always wanted to go to Japan and just... flutter. I’d like to see both coasts here at some point (Canada). Visit all my american friends <3 Iceland, Phuket, New Zealand, I don’t really have a dream place anymore, just want to escape for a while. 

blog created: uhhh?? 2013? 2014? Apparently August 2014. 

number of followers: It says 410... and I’m usually pretty good at cleaning out bots, but I shall purge soon, just in case. Hi how are you people? Do you enjoy disappointment? Thank you for being here :) 

random fact: I shall give you Several:

One time when my ex was trying to be romantic, he took me for a walk to a lookout. It was all outdoorsy and wooded (yuck) but Suddenly, a Lynx jogged out from the trees like, 25 feet in front of us. I am ... Not Smart but it was a giant Fluff RighT TheRe... I can not be blamed. I lunged for it going “KITTY” (I was 28/29 at the time fyi) He (the ex) grabbed me going NO and the cat just stared at us,... looking back probably sizing us up lol oops, and then took off. I still get shit for that. 

I love cooking with peppers and onions, but I can’t eat them, it’s a texture thing. I will gag as soon as I feel one. Red peppers also make me sick. I am a very picky eater, but I’m trying to be better. I don’t eat pork or beef, but love chicken. 

I’m very shy, I’m a lot better now but when I was a kid up until high school, I wouldn’t talk to strangers, and I pretty much didn’t have any friends. When I did go to high school, I ended up leaving behind my best friend who was a year younger than me. She had been dating someone older than her (she was 12 going on 13 and he was like 16/17) but he broke up with her that summer to be with someone else who was also just entering HS. So she told me that I should find this person and fight them. Now... some of you know me, some IRL, some from a few years of talking behind this screen, and Y’all Know.. that ain’t me. Except I sometimes I really want ppl to like me?? So my first week of school was Hell, the few people I was friends with weren’t in ANY of my classes, I didn’t know anyone and then, one day, I hear this girl talking from the back of my science class about her Bf, who happens to have same name as my friends (who I haven’t spoken to since graduating at this point :( ) so I... smol bean I am, in my... kinda preppyish clothing go stand next to this girl with bleached blonde and black hair, wearing a marilyn manson tshirt, and black raver pants and I say “Are you Blank?” and she looks at me and laughs a bit and says ‘Yeah” eyebrow raised and like Whatchu want. so I say “ Are you the bitch that stole BF boyfriend?” And she CRACKS UP. And anyways, that’s the story of how I met my best friend, and got folded into this scary little clique of people and how no one messed with me for my entire high school career. She’s still my friend 20 years later, but another girl in that group (there was four of us) is now my best friend and I love her so much. 

The Tagged Ones:  @thecronescottage @maythefirthbewithyou @laglemon @fail-boat @stopmarkus @puresaltking @waywardfangir1 

[wroteasongabouther]

fratboy!harry - part 5

so i think this is my favourite part thus far, yay angst and jealousy!! also thanks again and again for all the love i’m getting is truly inspiring me to write more so keep it coming lol.. as per usual, my ask box is open for blurb ideas, questions, etc.

fratboy!harry tag >> story page

“How is it that last weekend I literally dragged you into a frat party and now this weekend you’re taking me to another one?” Jessica questions while looking into the full length mirror in your room. She was stuck between the body suit she had or the one you offered her. Only difference between the two were that one laced up in front and one didn’t - tough decision right?

“James helped me out, thought the least I could do was come to this party for him,” you state as you did up your necklace.

“So some guy helped you with some assignment and you’re gunna suck him off after some he gives you booze?”

“Jessica! No!” you shout at your outrageous best friend. Jess really was something else.

“Just saying, that’s probably his plan,” she shrugs and plays with her curly hair.

“James is nice,” you state.

“Sure,” she rolls her eyes and tosses you the body suit she decided against obviously. “Let’s go, I need liquor and boys a-sap,”

Weekend number two being back at ASU and you were walking across a stupidly green front lawn to yet another large frat house. This was a trend you really didn’t want to get into, you thought while seeing some guys shoving a bottle of rum into someone else’s hands - and then he chugged it. You nearly gagged while following Jess into the foyer. 

“Y/N,” you turn at the sound of James’s voice. He was sitting on the stairs, a few guys along side him, and had that toothy grin on his face. 

“Was he waiting for you?” Jess whispers as James stands up. 

You lean towards her, “that’s kinda weird right?” Jess nods in reply as James joins the two of you. “James, this is my friend Jessica,” you introduce them. 

“Hey,” James nods to her before his eyes fall back to you. Well, that was kinda rude. You smile, a fake one, as you notice how glossy his eyes are. 

“Hi,” you say. 

“Yo! James!” One of the guys whom was sitting at the stairs gets up and grabs ahold of his shoulders roughly, “let’s go play some pong man, gotta show all these losers who’s king of this place!” 

“Are you like apart of this frat of something?” You question, eyebrows furrowed and arms crossed while trying to figure out James. 

He smirks, “oh yeah, Zeta Psi!” He yells and gets a roar from around the house in return. “Come, you can watch me beat some ass in pong,” James says while leading the way to the living room where all the furniture was pushed to the sides and some tables were set up in the middle of the room. 

“I thought you said he was nice,” Jess mutters under her breath. 

“He was,” you say but end up rolling your eyes as James starts yelling like a wild frat boy he actually was. 

And that’s how you ended up at yet another shitty frat party with a bottle of shitty beer in hand while sitting watching James play beer pong. He would turn around and wink at you from time to time. And each time you’d raise the bottle you hadn’t drank one sip of and give him a tight smile. This was definitely a side of James you weren’t a fan of, that was for sure. You turn to Jess, who was distracted by some guy, of course, before looking down at your phone. 

You had a text from Thomas, who was swamped with homework, and a few different snaps too. One from Thomas as well, a picture of all his work out captioned ‘love spending my friday nights like this’. The next was from an old friend, Alex, his was a video of some party back home. You smiled, snapping him back with the caption ‘miss you’. And finally, one was from Harry.

You tap his name and see a picture of you sitting on the couch. Shaking your head, you look up to where the photo must’ve been taken but don’t find Harry. He was such a creep, you thought with a smile on your lips. 

It only took one more wink from James and your first sip of beer to realize how much you hated sitting in the living room. You sigh and wait till James is busy before turning to Jessica.

“I’m going to go find a better drink than this beer,” you say to Jessica before standing up and walking out of the room. It took you a few minutes, but after some shoving you got to the kitchen.

You hadn’t stopped thinking about the fact Harry was at this frat party too. You wanted to bump into him. Maybe even just text or snap him to tell him to meet you, but you over thought it fast and ended up just opening the fridge. Taking a lesson from Jessica, of course, and looking for something other than beer to drink. Unfortunately you don’t find anything but beer.

“Did you need a drink?” A unfamiliar face asks as you close the fridge. Some random guy is holding a red solo cup out for you.

“Thanks,” you mutter and take the drink. You did it to be polite, smiling at the guy before setting down the beer you had.

“What’s your name?” He asks. And here you are again, holding back an eye roll as another guy tries to hit on you.

“Hey,” Harry walks up from behind you and grabs the red cup from your hands so roughly nearly half of it spills to the floor beneath you. You have to move your sneakers quickly so they don’t get soaked. Looking at Harry you see he’s glaring at the boy who just gave you the drink. “Leave the party, and if I see you at another, I won’t be as nice,” he barks and has the poor guy shaking before he runs off. 

“Hey,” you say slowly as Harry turns his back to you and pours out the cup. 

“Didn’t take you as a dumb one, little bird,” Harry states, his voice still bitter. 

“What?” You question, eyebrows pulled together. 

He turns back around and throws the cup on the counter beside him, “you were really gunna take that random drink from a random guy and drink it, yeh?” 

“No,” you shot back. 

“Then why’d yeh take it?” 

“Cause I was being polite, I was going to do the same thing you just did once he left me alone,” you explain with narrowed eyes at Harry, you cross your arms too for good measure. Did he really think you were that stupid?

Harry doesn’t respond to you, instead he too crosses his arms and leans back against the counter. He shuffles his feet out in front of him, his shoes knocking into yours. You drop your arms back to yours sides and push your hair to one side, fixing it while Harry’s eyes follow your movement. There goes the butterflies in your stomach yet again from those green eyes on you. 

“Thought you didn’t come to this parties?” Harry questions, his voice is soft again thankfully. 

“I was invited,” you shrug. 

“Still need a drink?” Harry asks, looking around the kitchen - you follow his gaze and recognize Eddy from across the room. You don’t have to reply, Harry already has Eddy walking over with Brandon and Quinn in tow. 

“Hey, missy, good to see ya again,” Eddy says as he walks up to you with a gorgeous smile on his face. 

“You too,” you smile. 

Eddy takes off his backpack and hands it to Harry, who reaches in and takes out a bottle of vodka and sprite as well as his own red solo cup too. Guess he was a vet at these types of parties after all. You flow into conversation with Eddy as Harry makes yours drink. Once the drink is in your hand and you have a good long sip, you thank Harry in a soft voice only he can hear. 

 He nods, his hand reaching up and brushing your lower back just barely. It’s like your body is on fire and you have chills all at once with his hand on your body. You have to recollect yourself and inhale deeply before taking another sip of your drink. 

“Y/N, you should’ve seen it,” Eddy begins to hollow out laughter before he can even tell you his story, “Harry just about ate shit one our way up the lawn, slipped right on the grass,” 

“Oh my god,” you have to cover your mouth to not laugh loudly, imagining Harry being clumsy was a funny thought that’s for sure. 

“Good thing he’s not like that out on the field,” Brandon says. 

“The field?” You question. 

“Football,” Harry states, his eyes solely on you even though his friends are right there too. You can’t handle his stare, your body was still burning from the brief touching it seemed. 

“Does he mean soccer or football?” You ask the boys, your voice is a hush tone that you’re well aware Harry can hear. You’ve proven right as he bumps you with his hip, causing you to chuckle as he pouts at you. At this time Harry refills your cup too, making your second drink a bit more hefty on the vodka.

“M’right here, ya know,” he says.

“Yeah, I know,” you mimic his British accent, which earns you some laughs from his friends too. “It’s called soccer here, H,” you add with a smug look. 

Harry just shakes his head a little and smiles before lifting his beer to his lips. You watch him, the smug look still on your face. Harry’s eyes don’t leave you and there’s that tension all over again. But then, all that tension is ruined as someone else joins the small group of you in the kitchen. You turn and see James standing there, he takes his time to give all three of the guys a threatening look before he looks at you and grins.

“You disappeared on me,” James states. 

“Yeah,” you nod, “I needed another drink and ran into some friends,” you say while gesturing around at Harry and his friends. 

James looks at Harry, who got even closer to you within the time here in the kitchen. “Harry, good of you to show up buddy,” James says. You know there’s something you’re missing from the sarcasm dripping from James’s words - Harry definitely wasn’t his buddy with the glare he got in return.

You swallow the lump in your throat as James’s eyes fall back onto you. It’s perfect timing really, unbelievable actually - cause then another someone new walks into the kitchen with her heels clicking against the tile flooring. You hear Eddy curse under his breath and Quinn chuckles as you turn and look to see who was causing all this. You didn’t need to ask as you saw her, blazing red hair and tight clothes as if she was going to a club. She was looking straight at Harry too.

You stand straight, ignoring the tenseness of Harry beside you as Lindsey stops just beside James. She smirks at Harry, “told you I’d make it,” she says before stepping forward - not caring she nearly steps on you - and wraps her arms around Harry’s neck. It’s all slow motion again as she leans forward and plants a kiss to his cheek, causing your heart to ache with the simple gesture.

“Hey, Linds,” Harry mutters. And that was enough of that. You look away and see James is staring at you, his eyebrows pulled together tight. 

“Want to go for a walk?” James asks you, and with her in the corner of you eyes and her hands all over Harry - you nod quickly and step forward to James.

You don’t have to look back to know Harry’s smugness is gone. But he had Lindsey here, he invited her, and he had her wrapped around him now. You look up briefly at Eddy and see he’s giving you a half smile, nodding once before you walk past him. Just as you make it towards the back patio doors, Jessica comes up and grabs ahold of your elbow. 

“Where are you going?” She questions, her voice low as James stops and watches you. 

“For a walk,” you shrug. 

“What’s wrong?” She knows you too well. 

You nod your head towards the kitchen and she looks over. The moment she finds the problem, her face twists up. You don’t want to see what Lindsey and Harry were like. You didn’t want to think about the fact he had some girl. He had you thinking maybe he liked you or something, but he was a frat boy after all - typically they were all whores, right?

“I’ve got it,” Jess smirks and before you can say something she’s walking off into the kitchen. You watch her stop up beside Eddy and say something, Lindsey glares at her instantly. 

“You guys aren’t dating, are you?” James asks, you look over and see he’s looking at Harry. You glance back just as Harry’s arm wraps around Lindsey - his hand tight on her hip. You felt sick. 

“No,” you answer and turn back to James. He grins, holding out his hand for you to take and you do while stepping into the backyard.

James is nice then, when it’s just the two of you. He shows the quiet sweet grinning side of him you knew from class. It’s only ruined when he’s frat brothers would see him, scream their stupid frat name and get drunk James riled up again. You’d slouch in your seat and watch him interact with his friends, acting like you’re not even there - and in that moment you go back to thinking of that bitch redhead and her hands on Harry.

“Did you want to head back in?” James asks, his buddies were obviously waiting on him to get back to the party, “you can be on my flip cup team,” he adds with a smile. 

“Uh, no I’m alright actually,” you say. 

“Oh,” James pauses and gives his friends a look before they walk back into the house without him. He takes a few seconds to collect himself it seems, straightening out his shirt and moving just slightly closer to you. Once his eyes find yours again, you can see the meaning behind them. “You’re quite beautiful, you know that, Y/N?” James tries sweet talking you, and it doesn’t work one bit. 

You give him a smile though, “thanks, James,” you say. 

He leans in and you knew this moment was coming. Holding your breath, you try and think it through but then his lips are on yours. Tasting like shit beer and fireball whiskey. It was just a stupid kiss at a stupid frat party, it didn’t mean a thing to you. You kept thinking such thing as James kissed you, his hand finding the back of your head as he tries to deepen the kiss. Only as his tongue sweeps out on your lips, you pull back from him.

You look down at your lap, toying with your hands. “Look, James, I’m just not like that girl who you just make out with at some party,” you state and look back up to see him utterly confused. Guess the frat boy had never been declined on a make out session before.

“Oh,” he says.

“I’m going to go, thanks for inviting me though,” you wave while standing up.

“Uh, yeah, you’re welcome,” 

You walk back into the house and look for Jessica immediately. Glancing at your phone, you are about to call her when you hear her instead. Looking up, you see she’s sitting in the kitchen area with Eddy and Harry too. You bite the inside of your cheek as you look at Harry. Lindsey was nowhere to be seen, but you had a feeling she wouldn’t far from Harry for too long.

“Can we go?” You whisper to Jessica while grabbing her arm and pulling her away from Eddy. 

“What happened? Are you okay?” She asks, your lips curl up at her worried tone. Then you glance over her shoulder and see Harry glaring.

“Why are you so mad?” you ask, not even wanting to talk to him since he clearly had his eyes for Lindsey since she showed up but you couldn’t help it. Harry rolls his eyes at you - he really had the nerve. You narrow you eyes at him. “What is it?” You pester him for an answer.

“Just didn’t take you as that kinda girl, little bird,” Harry bites out each word. 

“You’re not my boyfriend, Harry, you don’t get to be angry at me for kissing another guy,” you’re blurting out before you can think twice about it. Harry narrows his eyes back at you. 

“Well aware I’m not your boyfriend, just thought you had better standards,” Harry says - his voice wasn’t as soft and friendly as it was before. It hurt you.

“Oh shut up like you can say shit about standards! Go text Lindsey or whatever her fucking name is, sure she’ll warm your bed tonight,” you shout and before you can embarrass yourself some more Jessica is grabbing your arm and walking you to the door. 

As the warm air hits you, so do your emotions. Jessica is soothing you, rubbing your arm while she works on getting you two a ride back to campus. You blabber on about how shit the night was and how shit James was and how shit Harry was - everything was just shit. Jessica tries to keep your spirits up, but then you stop walking about a block away from the house and pout as tears threaten to fall. What had just happened and when did you get so freaking drunk?

“I fucked up, Jess,” you cried. 

“It’ll be okay, babe, I promise,” she says while wrapping her arms around you. 

[eenefangirlanalysis]

The Camera pans to an outside shot of the gag factory and moves through the [Lemon Brooke?] forest. The whole while Ed is laughing in the background at Edd’s gullibility.

Or is this the same forest the Eds roamed around in Boo Haw Haw? That cliffside in the last frame looks like the location where Ed destroyed Kevin’s bike. The map that Eddy’s Brother mailed Eddy had the boys go all around the neighborhood in a circle. 

What if they were in another town? Kids don’t have a sense of direction. Bro took advantage of that. Bro has put countless stories through Eddy’s head making him have a paranoid perception of the world. Eddy always stays in one place. Everyone does.

I was also wondering if this is the same location where The Good, the Bad and the Ed took place but obviously not as there are no train tracks. I think the kids must have been near the cul-de-sac. Still, the kids are practically outside Peach Creak. There could be railroad near by.

Ed continues to laugh about Edd’s mishap as he runs all around.

Eddy however is not amused. This time he won’t play along with Ed. The fun is over. Edd is missing. He’s probably soar for the prank. And Eddy knows he went too far.

Eddy does have self control. He wants to play more knowing he’s running out of time. It’s suggested that all the kids are in their teens now. As they’re a year older Eddy begins relating more to people’s feelings.

They’re still wearing their fake weaponry on their heads. I like to think that they had a quick laugh, realized Edd was missing... do you think they thought his disappearance once a joke for a moment? I remember in the episode Ed in a Bush Eddy actually believe Edd was playing a joke on them when Rolf captured him. 

Eddy could be angry for two reasons. 1. He played a joke that went too far and now Edd is missing, or 2. He’s irritated that Edd may be getting back on them. Eddy dislikes when people prank him. When Jimmy flicked his nose in Ed in a Half-Shell Eddy makes it very clear that nobody can do it to him. 

Still, this theory may not even fly through Eddy’s mind. That’s not who Edd’s person is... anymore. Eddy would expect Edd to prank him more in the early seasons when he acted like a kid. Edd’s growing up too fast irritates Eddy, but he learned to adjust to it. Since he’s lived with ‘adult Edd’ for so long he finds it unusual when he’ll actually act like kid. He thought that side of him was gone.

As Eddy throws his fake meat chopper away we hear the sound of a man getting hit with the weapon.

That’s not the sound that distracts Ed and Eddy, but rather Edd yelling for someone to help him off in the distance.

No literally, if you listen in the background very carefully when Eddy throws that meat cleaver away you will hear a man groan. It may have been just for a gag but it’s pretty dark.

OHMYGOD! THEORY: WHAT IF THERE WAS SOMEONE IN THE FACTORY WHO WAS WATCHING THE EDS AND THEN FOLLOWED THEM OUT AND EDDY KILLED HIM BACK ACCIDENT??!

Ed and Eddy run all around the forest trying to find where Edd could be.

They also play a round of the ‘who, what, where’ game as Ed takes advantage of cartoon physics.

Hearing Edd’s voice once more throws the tree into the air where it lands on Eddy.

This cliffside is starting to look more like the area they were wandering around in Boo Haw Haw.

Eddy chases after Ed infuriated that he threw a tree on him and won’t cooperate.

Does Ed feel over stimulated to anyone? Or hyper?

We never know what or if Ed’s disability is but I notice that there are times where he gets too hyper. He’ll laugh too even when there is nothing to be laughing about.

What makes his friendship with Eddy more heartwarming is that he’s always been patient with Ed. He’ll always give him a chance. Sure, he’ll have his times where he doesn’t handle the situation in the best way, but Eddy will always have Ed’s back no matter what.

Eddy snatches Ed only to fall over the cliffside.

Ed still continues to mock Edd by acting as if he’s a bird.

Poor Eddy has been reduced to a pile of gum.

“Idiot.”

Eddy does not have time to play around and he wishes Ed would realize that. With Edd missing he’s the leader. If he has his mind set to find his brother then they need to focus and find their missing Edd. 

This is the longest the Eds have been together alone. Without anyone else around it’s a chance to get to reconnect and see one another in more vulnerable lights. 

That’s something they didn’t have the opportunity to have in the cul-de-sac as the kids were always messing up their plans or turning them against one another. Being out in the open they have to rely on one another. They have no idea where they are. So they need to face obstacles together.

[book-o-scams]

Either 1. Do an analysis on the scene from A Fistful of Ed where Eddy sticks up for Edd. Starting from after Kevin leaves the scene to the end when the Ed's are sharing hotdogs. Or, if you don't wish to do an analysis (But, still think about doing an analysis) you can answer this question. What is your favorite thing about Eddy sticking up for Edd in a Fistful of Ed? *Look at the post on my page if you have any questions.

I love this scene SO MUCH!  I’m gonna do this under the cut, I don’t have time to comment on everything right now so I’ll add a few more comments after I get dinner.

These screenshots are from a folder I made forever ago labeled “Raw Eddy” because I LOVE the way Eddy’s rage from over the entire series finally boils over (pretty literally, the animators rev up his boiling outline to an extreme twitch before he erupts) and all that frustration turns out to be the group’s secret weapon against their biggest enemy at that time.

Ed clutching his heart is a thing that I keep noticing in the final stretch of the series and it does a good job repositioning Ed’s seemingly unhelpful nature to Ed just being too easily frightened by antagonists.  As Nazz clarifies in the movie, the Eds are all cowards and that’s a big reason they just accept defeat so often.

“HEY!!!”

I wonder if this is a reference to that angry point-up that Eddy did in ‘An Ed in the Bush’, which everyone took as this show’s version of the middle finger:

I really don’t have much to say about this scene after all the gushing I’ve done over the years.  I just appreciate how much you can read EVERYONE’s thoughts via their expressions as they process this scene.

Like, it interests me A LOT that May is now the one reacting the MOST like a Kanker in this moment, because it makes a good deal of sense since Lee and Marie are more interchangeably interested in Edd AND Eddy, but it really doesn’t come up much.  This may be the scene where I like Marie the most, too, because despite seeming like the hyper sister, Marie seems the least able to mask her fear when an Ed snaps.  Lee shows an interesting new shade here too, though, genuinely surprised but interested in seeing a respectable side of Eddy.

Tattoo this Eddy on my face

(sidebar: please do not break into my home and tattoo my face)

This Eddy too, GOD he’s drawn so well this whole damn episode.  Look at the arch of his mouth and how it’s already causing his eyes to bug out before the big eyeball gag.

And here’s that big eyeball gag!

Wow I never noticed that May needed to GRIP the ground to stay there.

Also note that only May manages to see every stage of this face.

ALL of those drawings just to say “HE’S HAD ENOUGH ALREADY!” Eddy is that scary, that animated, that completely outraged AND in-character, yet he isn’t even being mean!!  Everything he said in season 4 about being done with everything about the show (or his life, your call) finally gets put in action.  Edd acknowledges this afterward as a defiance of “a cliche show ending” and it’s hard not to feel the catharsis in the art, that after every trauma Eddy went through, he’s at least earned the right to get away with one big “FUCK YOU“ to the show itself, and yet it still manages to contain character growth, coming from a place of caring for his friends, that he manages to verbally express without being mushy.  This is a complete and utter triumph, and a testament to the show’s art style to boot!  PERFECT CAPPER TO THE PRE-FISTFUL WORLD.

It’s also just such a relief to think of how brief a time that was, that the Eds were pursued by the Kankers, if we are to believe the show follows one year June-October + winter specials + next summer movie.  Yet it’s also a little sad to think how quickly the Kankers changed the Eds’ personalities, when flashbacks suggest the characters had been more or less in a pleasant season 1 stasis for several years.

They are all visibly shaken.

“BEAT IT”

Marie surrenders and her eye darts between the scene’s current dominant figures.

Lee obeys, May ollies out, and Edd is pleased..

Then confused...

It takes a moment for this moment to sink in for Edd. Marie exits peacefully as well. Lee awkwardly hobbles away on her giant cast, reminding us what the Eds have gotten away with this week.

The surprise that this is really happening hits Edd.

This pout confounds me.. I think it’s meant to convey that Edd is really feeling the weight of this moment, but it reads a little more like he’s upset the Kankers are leaving, which is not how he acts for the rest of the scene.

I LOVE Marie looking back at them.  There’s a weird knowing feeling that this will lead to Marie dancing with Eddy instead of Edd in the episodes after this.

Finally, the focal point returns to just the Eds.

Edd immediately rejects any confusion that pout may have caused and blows a quick raspberry at the Kankers.

Ed gives Eddy the first round of compliments, and it feels good.  I don’t think it really matters the order in which he receives gratitude, but it does feel appropriate to have Ed be impressed first, since Ed has pretty much failed to acknowledge Eddy this whole story and also should realize by now that he can stop the Kankers from attacking his friends.  Imagine if this scene had followed the arc the story up until that point and portrayed Ed as the hero instead of Eddy?  It could have been fitting and sort of cute, maybe it would have turned Eddy a little nicer by witnessing it.. But with the hype created by The Best Day Edder marathon and the pressure created by the public acknowledgement that this would be the finale to a really infamously anti-Eds season, it feels so much more appropriate to separate this moment a bit and give Eddy a chance to show his softer side after being sidelining himself all day.

Cute

CUTE

Edd starts telling Eddy how touched he is by this act.

Eddy lowers his guard.

Eddy is MORE alarmed than Ed when Edd struggles to get up.

Eddy doing the most “this is as much concern as I think men are allowed to show” pose and expression...

Eddy raises his guard right back up.

But it’s okay, because Edd and Ed manage to exude cuteness from every frame for the rest of this thing, despite looking horribly injured.  In a weird way, I also really enjoy this episode beating the tar out of Ed and Edd and several kids, while Eddy just gets stepped on the gentlest way he’s ever been stepped on.

Edd puts a hand on his heart and praises Eddy’s “camaraderie,” the hardest word in the world for me to spell.

This pose...

hONESTLY THEY ARE SPOILING US

there’s even a wiener in his mouth

droop

Eddy trying to act like a tough guy still, does his best Popeye squint and tells Edd to “eat and shut up,“ but also gives Edd a friendly nudge on the chest and then eases into this oddly “exposed” expression.

P.S. this Edd is so cute too, haha

Ed asks for one and it makes Eddy get frilly for a second.

Eddy briefly seems to actually care about granting Ed’s wish.  This is also a cute Edd.

I HATE HOW EDD TURNS EDDY’S SKIN TONE FOR LIKE TWO FRAMES. Eddy’s face is humorously not-mean while he clearly know what he’s about to do.

Eddy wiseguys the sweetness out of the moment, but Ed’s still pleased.

Edd complains, however, and once again Eddy seems unhappy that he’s made things unsatisfying again.  This scene does a really good job summarizing Eddy’s struggle with being rightfully depressed but continuously misfiring it at his friends and regretting it.

Ta-Dah!  Eddy does his trick again and even does a silly gesture to lighten the mood.

Eddy looks a little embarrassed as he fetches his own hammerspace hotdog.  Edd graciously thanks him.  Ed’s circular chewing is very cute.

I wish there was a line, something less corny than “this is better than jawbreakers,” but still SOME way of internally comparing this scene to the Eds eating jawbreakers at the end of episode 1.  The general feeling I get from this ending, as an ending to the series, is that it doesn’t matter what they get at the end, as long as they enjoy something together.

As they all enjoy their dinner in such animated detail, Eddy double-checks that they’re all happy. Awww, he still wants to vocalize how much he’s trying to care.

Ed and Edd pose even cuter to express their joy and Eddy sighs “good,“ still clearly uncomfortable reveling after such a fit, but still relieved to have won something and been well-fed.

As the iris in/out closes on our redeemed little troll-man, he blurts out a little “jeez,” a similar undercutting beat to the previous series finale, with old man Eddy interrupting his friends’ laughter to complain about still wanting to be a kid.  However, as he continues chewing with the littlest bit of a grin, this episode manages to make it feel like false whining, Eddy needing to maintain his hardened cynical personality yet actually feeling satisfied for once.  I was so happy for him, and I’m so glad all the episodes afterward give him little victories as well.

[theconservativebrief]

The first 30 seconds of the trailer for Insatiable, a new comedy series coming to Netflix on August 10, introduces the story of a chubby high schooler grappling with bullies, unrequited crushes, and the FOMO that comes from nights spent on the couch eating ice cream.

It’s all a fairly standard setup for what looks to be a show about modern teens — perhaps even one that, like Bo Burnham’s Eighth Grade, is benefitted by the fact that its lead looks more like an average high schooler than the glamorous 20-something stars of shows like Riverdale.

But then the trailer takes a turn. Patty, our main character, gets punched in the face, has her jaw wired shut for months, and thereby loses so much weight that by the time she goes back to school in the fall, she’s a bonafide (thin) hottie. It’s with this newfound power that she can apparently get her revenge on the kids who’d excluded her in the past.

[embedded content]

Because no one has officially reviewed the show yet, the trailer is all that we have to determine what the rest of Insatiable will look like and what themes it will deal with. But based on that one minute and 30 seconds, the reaction has been … not great.

Critics on Twitter and elsewhere have called the premise of the show fatphobic, triggering to people with eating disorders, and a regressive lens through which to view fat people’s stories. The Good Place star Jameela Jamil, who has advocated for body autonomy in the past, tweeted about how there’s a problem with implying that the only way to “win” in life is to diet:

Kids who bully are just miserable, badly raised arseholes. It is not, and should not ever be YOUR problem that they have a problem with you. You don’t have to conform. You don’t have to placate. Revenge isn’t a good use of your time and energy. And starving yourself is

— Jameela Jamil (@jameelajamil) July 20, 2018

Writer Roxane Gay also noted the trailer’s flawed logic that fat women can’t stand up for themselves and must undergo physical trauma to become their best, skinny selves:

Ahhh yes, a fat girl could never stand up for herself while fat and of course she has to be assaulted and have her mouth wired shut before she becomes her best self, her skinny self. Good to know!

— roxane gay (@rgay) July 22, 2018

There’s now even a Change.org petition that, as of publication, has garnered more than 145,000 signatures to stop Netflix from airing the show, on the grounds that releasing it will be damaging to young girls’ self-esteem and cause or trigger eating disorders.

One day after the trailer premiered, on July 20, Insatiable’s writer and producer Lauren Gussis defended the show against critics, writing that the inspiration was based on her own experience with an eating disorder as a teenager, and that comedy is a means of dealing with our vulnerabilities.

Star Debby Ryan, a former Disney Channel actress, took to Instagram to defend the show, writing that it was a satirical look at “how difficult and scary it can be to go to move through the world in a body,” and assured viewers that the humor is “not in the fat-shaming.” Alyssa Milano, who also appears in the trailer, said in a 30-minute Twitter video that she “totally gets” the backlash to the trailer, but hopes people will wait to see the full show before judging it.

This, above all, is what the creators and stars are attempting to communicate. But for people who are so accustomed to seeing their stories told onscreen via the same harmful tropes, the Insatiable trailer could be seen as just another exhausting example of the negative ways TV and movies portray fat people.

To understand why the Insatiable trailer hit such a nerve, you have to look at pop culture’s terrible track record of telling fat people’s stories.

On July 23, artist and writer Kiva Bay asked his Twitter followers to name the fat-hating moment in media that has stuck with them, starting with the scene in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets when Aunt Marge inflates to such great proportions that she literally floats away.

Responses ranged from Bridget Jones being consistently described as fat (in the books, she weighs 130 pounds) to pretty much the entire premise of Pixar’s Wall-E, which depicts a futuristic dystopia in which everyone isn’t just overweight, but share the negative characteristics associated with being overweight: that they are lazy and stupid, and that all they care about is passively consuming whatever’s in front of them.

The problem persists even in media that’s often held up as progressive — many people in the thread called out Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Parks & Recreation’s recurring fat jokes, while others brought up the inherent fatphobia of shows like Gilmore Girls and 30 Rock in which objectively thin main characters have an obsession with unhealthy food.

A 2009 Jezebel piece described the “skinny glutton” phenomenon as “a sure indicator to the audience that these women are Single, Quirky and, (because they’re thin, only gently) Sad” because casting an actually fat actor in the role would, the thinking goes, be too pathetic.

The Insatiable trailer also reprises an especially troubling Hollywood practice: the fat suit. When a character actually is meant to be fat, instead of casting a bigger actor in the role, often a thin actor will wear a fat suit.

We tend to see them used in flashbacks to a time when a now-thin character was fat, like Monica in Friends, Schmidt in New Girl, or Ryan Reynolds in Just Friends. The “humor” comes not only from seeing actors wearing a silly costume, like Eddie Murphy in Norbit or The Nutty Professor, but also from the ability to crack jokes at a past character’s fatness with the knowledge that the present character is laughing now, too.

Few uses of fat suits, however, are more controversial than the 2001 film Shallow Hal, in which Jack Black plays a man who has to be hypnotized to find Gwyneth Paltrow in a fat suit sexy enough to be his girlfriend. Not only is the entire premise pretty gross, but, as a Telegraph piece noted after comparisons were drawn to the recent Amy Schumer film I Feel Pretty, the movie consistently uses fat bodies as punchlines:

“The camera linger[s] over every dimple and crease on the physical form of Ivy Snitzer, Paltrow’s body double, and contrasting the sight of Paltrow in revealing booty-shorts with a large woman spilling out of her clothes. Jokes are endlessly made about her appetite, while every chair Rosemary sits on appears perilously close to collapsing (it’s a sight-gag that is repeated twice on-screen, along with a deleted scene involving a caved-in bed).”

That contrast — the visual of the character wearing a fat suit versus the character without it — can have the effect of implying that fatness, when constantly compared to the superior thinness, is grotesque and deserves to be laughed at.

That’s the history Insatiable is drawing on when it puts Debby Ryan in a fat suit, regardless of intention.

And there is yet another pattern that Insatiable seems to fall into: the idea that weight loss is the road to happiness. Friends’ Monica and New Girl’s Schmidt are both characters who don’t accomplish their goals until they lose weight. The entire wellness industry is based around this false promise — that losing weight is the key to getting whatever you’ve always wanted, whether that’s love, money, or revenge. (See: Khloe Kardashian’s extremely on-the-nose reality series, Revenge Body.)

In an essay for Medium titled “To the writers of Insatiable,” fat activist and writer Your Fat Friend wrote about the problem with this narrative, pointing out that not only do 97 percent of dieters gain back what little weight they lose (or more), but that weight loss is often the only narrative that fat people get to have.

She continues:

I have never seen a fat life like mine on screen. I have not seen fat people recklessly, happily in love, as I have been. I have not seen thin partners struggle to accept their own attraction to fat people. I have not seen fat people getting promoted, getting fired, working hard, succeeding. I have only seen fat people fail. Anything else, I have learned, is reserved for the penitent thin.

In short, fat characters are defined entirely by their fatness, and only get to become multi-dimensional once they lose the weight. It’s a trope that the Insatiable trailer even touches on in a meta way: When Patty returns to school, newly thin, she muses, “Now I could be the former fatty who turned into a brain, or an athlete, or a princess,” as if these character traits can’t apply to fat people because their main identifier is already “fat.” Until we see the show, it isn’t clear where this strain of self-awareness’s endpoint lies, or how far the series will take its meta-understanding of fat tropes, but it could be a promising sign.

So yes, the Insatiable trailer, as of right now, is still just a trailer; there’s still a whole show to come and be watched and discussed, starting on August 10. But many viewers are worried that the groundwork seems to be laid for a series about the same stories of fat people we’ve seen thousands of times over.

And though its stars and creators promise the show is an empathetic look at the pressures modern teenagers face surrounding body image, well, don’t we already sort of … know them? Above all, what’s necessary is an empathetic look at fat people in general: one that ideally doesn’t involve weight loss — and certainly no fat suit.

Original Source -> Why 150,000 people are calling for Netflix to cancel the teen comedy Insatiable before it debuts

via The Conservative Brief

[survivoremathia]

Ep. 8 - "I'm Fully Ready to Amass an Army" - Matthew

http://survivoremathia.tumblr.com/post/158417598191/announcement

http://survivoremathia.tumblr.com/post/158440201536/merge-tribe-name-and-buff-announcement

http://survivoremathia.tumblr.com/post/158440315206/reward-2-survivor-auction

RYAN PALMER

So my wonderful alliance, The Fam, is not something I plan on being a part of for very much longer rn. The Jay vote was handled completely wrong. I mean....I'm not upset it was him...but the way we did it....no. First of all I was told we were voting Jay not asked. In fact...Trevor just stated "I'm voting for Jay." What the fuck. That's not how alliances work. And then we didn't tell Isaac or David. And during this Trevor told me that Scott was voting for Isaac but clearly Owen knew he was getting that vote. I'm over it. I talked and apologized to David and Isaac about it last night and basically threw Trevor under the bus to them. Then we merged! And I told Matt about everything. He seems to really like J.D. and Ali so I am fine with working with them if comes to it. Matt really is my #1 ally at this point so I hope things work out. I am sure Trevor/Owen/Lydia will be pissed at me but this is just a game so it's not personal....I just don't like they way Trevor is playing rn.

LOGAN

Okay so full rundown of merge! I think I'm in a bad position right now, but I really want to have a F2 with Duncan. I think between my sunshiney personality and duncan being duncan we could probably get there? Maybe? Idk. Still scared of trevor, but maybe people will see me as less of a threat now that the other bangladesh peeps are gone. RIP rob and eddie, you are missed. 

DUNCAN

Oh my god they killed Jay! That's literally so sad :'( Jay mom wasn't lying when she said this was going to be an intense season. It's already been filled with tears, but now that we've merged, here comes the blood. I don't think I'm on the top of anyone's hit lists, but I'm not in a safe spot  rn so I could  be an easy peasy merge boot. But just happy to be here at the end of the day. Making merge every Athena game? nNut!! Now I have to get through 10/11 more votes....................party! I know Samuel trusts me bc I have him that idol and spit shined his ass the last tribal. Logan and I are kind of at a weird place. We trust each other more than other people but we need to find a fucking home or else we're gonna be get our torches snuffed back to back. As for merging with the other tribe? I'm so relieved to be back with Owen. Like thank the fucking lord there's someone who I can trust again bc all these players are dangerous as get out. I'm a lamb in a pack of wolves. The gag is I'm a wolf in a lamb costume. What I need to do is just law low for a couple rounds while not taking any power position and just strengthen bonds with my tribe mates. Idc who the vote is as long as I can make sure the vote isn't for me and I'm not next on the to go list. I want to do a f3 with Owen and Trevor bc they'll always be a threat as a duo before me, Owen had my back, and I can't get Owen to ever vote out Trevor so why not just work with him? Right? Ummm other things to say? I'm so glad I got the merge tribe name! Oizys! The goddess of misery and anxiety! Everything I've been feeling since this game has begun :-) although it's been stressful I've had a good time bc of how intense this season is. And if I win it, it will be definitely earned. Getting to the end in monuriki was kind of like a cake walk I'm not gonna lie. Getting to the end in motu? Emotionally draining? But with idol help it was manageable to get to the end. This time? Nothing could have prepared me for this. Like, this is so much more intense. It's not only a new ballpark, it's an entirely new game altogether. With merge happening the game has been reset and we'll see if I can play slither or sheep my way into some group. 

TREVOR

https://youtu.be/EwI-sf7ATD0

DAVID

Im here to step it up! I hate all of my alliance for making me not vote with them but also i have no one else I care about so i HAVE to stick with them those BITCHES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Anyways MERGE ITS HERE I DID IT MOM. I still dont have Scott added so theres that

MATTHEW

Merge time! So, a 13 person merge with a 5-4-4 original tribe split is hot as hell and I'm proud of us as a cast for being so messy that we've kept the numbers super even. With the swaps and drama that's been going down, it's really difficult to judge at this point where exactly the lines are going to be drawn for the rest of this game. Numbers wise, people who have had bad blood previously are going to have to kiss and make up just to survive which is GLORIOUS for me, especially because I'm already working on becoming BFFs with Logan again after we found ourselves on opposite sides during the first NuOthrys vote. Duncan still seems to be difficult, however, because we don't even talk but I already hear he's doing things that are contrary to what I want to happen in this game and it's just a whole lotta yikes. As of right now, there's one person that sticks out like a sore thumb as a huge target, and that's my old pal Trevor. I absolutely adore Trevor, we were really close a long time ago and I still view him as an absolute sweetheart and great person, but he apparently hasn't been doing himself any favors in this game. Obviously, he has some major connections; a boyfriend for starters, and a BFF in Lydia. Even though that's only a small three, it's the same sort of fear I had about the Bangladesh trio. When you have a group of people who are so close, they basically function as one vote, which is really hella scary down the line because if you needed to flip someone it's not happening. I don't think it would be absolutely necessary to split them up this early, but Trevor has gone to the labyrinth like every single round. I know he knows about the coveted Door #9, which I've had my eye on since literally round 2 of this game, and it really scares me that he could have a whole lot of advantages that I don't know about. Another thing is that I've been able to meet back up with Ryan, my original closest ally on the starting tribes. According to him, Trevor lead the Jay blindside and left a lot of people uncomfortable. Apparently, he's also been making alliances left and right with basically everybody. I don't doubt this at all, especially because Trevor told me the night we merged that he wanted to bring Sam and I into his majority. That's awesome because it keeps his target off of me and sorta lets me know what he's planning, but it also sketches me out that he's playing so hard. I definitely think he will be able to shoot himself in the foot eventually, but I kinda view Trevor as an easy target that I can use to build trust with other people. When you make a big move, it really bonds people together, which is why I always trusted in The Hydra alliance of myself/Sam/JD/Ali. If we make another big move by dethroning Trevor, I can continue to solidify bonds with a much larger group of people. Anyway, the auction throws even MORE items into the game, because it's not like we already have an ENTIRE ROOM IN THE LABYRINTH where anyone can willy nilly pick up unlimited extra votes at any time right? I've been perusing my options here, but I've been tempted this entire time to bid on what Trevor is bidding on to prevent him from going to the labyrinth. I don't think this is the smartest idea for me because it exposes my hand very early and also would prevent me from going to the labyrinth and getting my hands on whatever is behind Door #9. My best course of action is just to be vigilant when results are posted and beat Trevor to the punch. The current plan of action is to weaken Trevor in any way possible and go in for the kill. I'm fully ready to amass an army to take him down that I can hopefully ride out for a few rounds. I'm definitely going to be putting myself out there, but with Trevor is gone, these people are going to need a shield. And I'm just going to be the shield that they can trust for a while.

OWEN

Lmao so there's a SECRET SECRET on this tribe behind the ninth torch door and I have a big feeling that everyone knows about it. So it's literally become a race to the labyrinth. I've already taken two major L's tonight with the auction items I got being useless and/or disadvantageous SO!!!! Hopefully I can get to that damn door first. [9:00:07 PM] Jay Berghuis (Emathia Host): The labyrinth is now open and I am getting off the train. [9:00:09 PM] Owen: Can I go to the labyrinth pls It literally took me two seconds so fingers crosst huh! Update: Fuck my life. I hate my luck in this game. I'm sixth. Anyways.... This merge of 13? W H E W. Once again, this game has been some kind of amalgamation of seriously weird relationships. There's Trevor, Ryan, and Lydia which is probably my closest like "collective" alliance here. But then there's Matt and David who are other tie-ins to Ryan since the four of us had an alliance too. But then there's Sam, who I want to work with, but I can tell he trusts Trevor more than me, which makes sense since they started together. AND THEN DUNCAN SOMEHOW HAS TO FIT INTO ALL OF THIS because at the beginning of the game I swore allegiance to him, but he has never fit into the other plans or groups I've made?? And then there are the newbies, Ali and JD. I really wanted to start this game with newbies on my side. I REALLY wanted to get to play with new people. And I really do like Ali. But Ali/JD are already doing what Sam says I'm pretty sure, and like.... They want to work with Trevor which probably includes me but as a fifth or sixth? Idk. And then there's like Logan/Isaac/Scott who I think are probably the most on the outs. It's strange because the pairing of Sam/Trevor has attachments to Ali/JD/Duncan and Lydia/Ryan/myself, with Matt falling somewhere in there too. It's a huge shit show orgy of alliances and I don't like it because it's not fun. I don't know why but I'm really not having fun. I know too many people in this game and not in a good way. I don't feel like I can truly do what I want because I have to keep in mind a balancing act with so many other relationships. I don't want to screw Trevor, I don't want to screw Duncan. I don't know. The whole Sam and Trevor thing makes it harder too. And I'd like to think I have Duncan as a number one, I probably do, but I can't be sure whether Duncan will think I'm lying or not. So what I need to do for a bit is just, let things be as they are. There are still 13 people in this game. I've proved in the past that I'm willing to make a move, I'm willing to flip a script, I'm willing to go against a majority. I've done it all. But like... This is a true Greek God-like family where the family tree gets all fucked up cause people can't keep their penises in their pants!!!!!!!!!!!! So I'll let the Gods eat each other's heads, fuck each others wives, swallow each other's children, do all that shit, and at the end of the day hopefully I'll be here in a few rounds to look at all of the pieces left and pick up the ones I want. Until then, my short-term goals are miniscule: don't get voted out, and keep Duncan safe. I literally have no luck in this game. I can't rely on an idol or any other power. I get the same damn message FOUR TIMES in a row. And two seconds wasn't fast enough to get anything else out of it. So :) Let them use their powers on each other and maybe they'll forget about me when they think about all the other people doing shit! Whew!

-

I cannot believe the shit Ali tells me???? Like Trevor and I are talking and Trevor's telling me all this stuff that Ali said about the labyrinth and everything and like sadfkhfjd Ali literally told me all this too and we've been talking for less than 24 hours. It's like... Good because information, bad because everyone else gets the same info?? But now he's trapped in the labyrinth so I guess he can't spill all the tea anymore!!!! oOPS! And JD.... JD. I love this girl because she doesn't quite understand.... And I want to be friends with her too I'm cryin fksjddhfsjd these newbies are something else huh!

LOGAN

SO. THANK YOU MATT FUCKING SUMMERS. Matt comes to me before labyrinth opened and he goes "So there's this locked door that opens post-merge that both Trevor and I know about." And I FUCKING WENT IN THE DOOR CUZ I GOT FIRST PICK. AND GUESS WHO HAS AN EXTRA VOTE?

http://survivoremathia.tumblr.com/post/158455510956/immunity-challenge

JD

Sooooo, I've really not good with auctions. I mean, that really isn't a surprise i guess. But all well. My alliance got some stuff and that's what matters... Partly Because it can still benefit me and partly because now i know what a lot of people got/ what it does

-

I feel... Much bad. Like i feel so stupid for questioning Trevor. This is way your not supposed to talk to anyone outside the game about the game. I shouldn't question him really because him really because i feel like him and Lydia both want to take me or and or Ali to the final. 'i helped carry a newbie with me, while protecting myself' they'll have another thing coming though if that's their plan. 

-

Omg ALI!! I'll come for you! We'll find out..... After tribal though~ it sucks because i cant communicate with my closet partner. So i just hope he's okay with what I do for tribal... Even though it's all basically the same as we've been playing.

http://survivoremathia.tumblr.com/post/158512844281/announcement

ALI

https://youtu.be/Odf-Lk8GHIo

-

Can I just apologise for chewing gum in my last video confessional? It sounds super distracting and annoying- sowwy! :)

TREVOR

https://youtu.be/HaJC-MgoVqU

[eenefangirlanalysis]

The Ed’s crash land into a desert like area.

The electric poles are only seen for a few seconds and they’re enough to be a blink and you miss it moment. Many fans believe that the Ed’s have gone far away from the cul-de-sac. Somehow they don’t. It’s implied they’re right outside Peach Creek. The locations the Ed’s come to look vaguely familiar, such as the gag factory and the waterfall which we will come to later. 

Eddy adjusts the crooked mirror. The car is already damaged enough so I don’t know what fixing the mirror with do. Then again he may be fixing the mirror to see if anyone is following them.

Eddy is still fearful that one day he’s going to meet up with Bro. He needs everything to be in order. Just like Edd who goes out of his way to do all sorts of chores or activities just to see if his parents will notice him. 

Edd and Eddy have a lot more in common then one thinks. They’re repressing the trauma from their pasts and masking their true fears in front of a confident face. 

This was the second commercial break. Again it returns to a completely silent scene with the Ed’s trying to figure out if they’re safe. The danger is finally over and they’re given time to breathe for the first time. It also allows the audience to relax since we have been following the Ed’s on their journey. 

Edd still hasn’t set his guard down. I never noticed that until now.

I have brought up this point a few times where the kids don’t see the Ed’s like how the audience does. All they see is an annoying trio who always swindles them. The audience knows the reason behind this. And we know more about the Ed’s home lives then the kids do.  The kids have no idea where the Ed’s are coming from. They never even think about this until witnessing Eddy’s brother’s behavior.  I wonder if they actually want to get to know the Ed’s now. 

The kids have never taken the time to get to know one another’s home lives either. Kevin and Nazz have a different relationship among the kids. I would say the same for Sarah and Jimmy but they’re still young. They may have their difficulties within their families. Sarah and Jimmy  choose to live in the present and play then waste their times over worrying.

Have the Ed’s talked about their families to one another? That is a tough question because they’ve never been all that close until the movie. They spy the multiple clues one one another’s families such as how Ed’s parents ignore him. The things Ed says are enough of a clue. 

And Edd’s parents. Ed and Eddy have to know something is up with all those sticky notes looming around. The way Edd’s parents treat him bothers Eddy. Edd longs for attention and appreciation. He is hurting inside because he was never forgiven from an event that scarred his life. 

Eddy has the best home life out of the three of them. You may argue with me on my opinion seeing how Bro abused him, but think about Eddy’s parents. They actually care about him and give Eddy the love he deserves. 

Eddy’s parents also block out communication between Eddy and Bro not wanting him to find out his brother’s true personality. They don’t know how to break it to Eddy that Bro was an abuser who never loved him. That is tough for any parents to come out and say to their youngest child who is confused about the topic of abuse. 

Whether they did the right thing or not is up to you. Eddy still has the best parents. 

They’re safe. 

“HA! WE LOST ‘EM!”

Eddy has no idea what the term personal space means.

This is the best screenshot ever.

Edd is skeptical on whether or not they’re safe. Edd is right. The Ed’s have never had their luck. As I have said their bad luck and bad endings only make them stronger. They can learn from their mistakes and make things better. They’re always on their toes ready for everything. Sometimes.

Eddy is too confident. They’re out in some part of the world that’s unrecognizable to him.

“From here on out. It’d nothing but smooth sailing.”

BAM!!!

Eddy goes careening out from his seat.

ANYONE WHO READS THIS: ALWAYS WEAR YOUR SEAT BELT!

And after being totally useless for the Ed’s the car explodes.

You need to watch this scene very closely. 

1. For the amazing animation

2. For some crazy blink and you miss them moments.

Remember how Eddy gets stuck in the car door and Ed gets trapped in a pipe?

Wasn’t that cool!

The animators for the this show were amazing. I can’t imagine how challenging it is to draw miniature characters along with other action happening. Edd is even seen still hooked into his seat belt and bouncing around from the chaotic explosion.

Ed emerges from the muffler only to spot something unusual.

Running over he rolls up the ‘Eddy window’

All these characters love to take advantage of cartoon physics.

And then Eddy shatters to the ground.

Eddy collects himself, literally, and looks all around.

“Way to go, Lummux!’

“THE ONLY ROCK FOR MILES AND YOU HAD TO HIT IT!”

Love this line. Okay, I love every line.

This desert setting reminds me of Courage the Cowardly Dog. The family lived in ‘NoWhere’ as I think it was called. I wonder if those shows had a connection.