#asm my beloved

[multongsisig]

uhm sorry for the silly question but you said elias is your top3 and ohara 6 and i wanted to know the whole list ._.

Man, I meant to answer this as soon as I saw it but then it got away from me. I took this ask as an opportunity to yap, but even I was like oh this got too long so here's the list itself, and I'll leave the explanations if you're interested in that under the cut. This is ranked mainly by how much brainrot they give me.

Shuri

Richelieu

Elias

Jeremy

Nora

Ohara

Reihe Family (Alice, Hermann)

Ali

Theobald

Explanations:

1. Shuri I adore Shuri more than anyone else in the manhwa. Like do I even need to explain. She is such a strong multifaceted character, so full of love and kindness in spite of her heartbreakingly tragic history. I've seen people call her boring, but I really can't see it especially after the Jeremy trial in S1. This is a person who will sacrifice herself, completely forego her own happiness, for the sake of those she cares about. Yet this sacrificial tendency is also motivated by her fear of being abandoned, not simply from innate kindness. Characters like that I am always weak to and will always love.

2. Richelieu If you follow me I doubt this is surprising, he's so fun to me. He's a terrifying villain who's actually a real threat and challenge to the main characters. I like how his motivations are well established, so all his actions just make sense you. Religious villains aren't uncommon in rofan, but in my experience it's typically the [Good Church was secretly Evil mwahaha] trope you know? So I find him, a character with time given to actually expand on his POV, very refreshing, very alluring. Though, what initially drew me in was his being a narrative foil to Shuri, the parallels in the connection he perceives them to have with the "2nd life", the visual contrast constantly at play in their encounters to an almost genre bending degree… I go bonkers for shit like that between protagonists and antagonists. It's because of him that I picked up asm again in S2 and truly fell in love with the story. I'll keep it at that lest this gets too long.

3. Elias Elias… Elias my beloved problem child. He's kind of framed as being the more emotionally perceptive sibling, so the fact that most of his conflicts are internal ones bleeding out into bad decisions just makes me so 😩😩😩 His feelings of alienation and separation issues within his own family endears me to him, I'm very fond of black sheep characters He also hides all this with his friendly and comic relief demeanor which makes me love him more… the multiple arcs we had with Elias as a main figure solidified him to this position.

4. Jeremy Honestly the gap between him and Nora is so so small, but Jeremy makes me just a little bit more insane because of the tragic aspect of his character in his quiet love for Shuri that, thanks to their unfortunate circumstances, could never be, despite those very circumstances being what allowed him to grow such love for her. Aside from that, it's the usual obvious things people love about him, his protectiveness, sarcasm, kindness beneath the rbf, etc etc. It's always great to see him interact with other characters, especially Shuri or Nora.

5. Nora I don't have much to say that hasn't been said by others, he's a beloved and popular character for a reason. I grew to like him a lot more in S2, we got to see more sides of him and see how he's grown since S1, especially in his scenes with Jeremy and Shuri. Also, he's an artist so I feel a sense of kinship… the whole sketchbook thing and shuri painting was so real. His conflict with his family is also tragically compelling. That last chapters that had him in S2 hit me in the guttt.

6. Ohara Mentioned most of what I like about her in the last ask. Ohara's got problems and she's very dear to me for it!!

7. Reihe Family (Alice, Hermann) I really liked the glimpses we've had of them in the manhwa. I became fond of Hermann, the Neuschwanstein's uncle aka Elias look-alike, upon rereads because of the parallels with him and Elias, they're both the black sheep of their families 🥺 one day I'll finish that Alice & Hermann comic...

8. Ali My initial impression was just that he was a sweet boy, but then it showed he's quite the sharp cookie like his sister and I went ooooh! He navigated those political situations in S2 so cleverly. He's def going to be even more of a force to be reckoned with when he's older.

9. Theobald He's 9th on this list of favorite characters but I can't say I like him more than everyone not mentioned above. I enjoy his relationships is all. Like, anything with Richelieu is just great. There's also Shuri, Nora, Jeremy, Letran/Family of course- it's crazy how messy all his relationships are 😭

And thennn it's everyone else. Even if the character isn't on the list doesn't mean I don't like them or don't like reading about them. Personally, I find that every character in the story has something you can chew on!

[stackthedeck]

one thing I love about how Spider-Man comics have aged is that the mantra of "with great power comes great responsibility" started as comforting last words from Uncle Ben that inspired Peter, a phrase that connected him to his loved ones and made him feel powerful to an absolute curse upon his life. He burdens himself with responsibility so he can ignore the guilt of living with this power and still failing even when he tries. In the early years, you could argue that Peter taking on the responsibility empowers him and makes him stronger, but now he's fucking crushed under it. Everything that goes wrong is his responsibility because he's got this power, never mind that no one could have stopped what happened. But he should have because those words are haunting him. And other heroes notice and actively warn each other and the next generation of heroes, not every battle is yours, don't be like Spider-Man because it will break you. I love it, it's tragic, and I think it needs to kill him

[batbaffle]

this has always been my favorite peter outfit

[oflgtfol]

ive been in a venom mood lately i keep telling myself maybe this is finally my sign to start reading comics again but then i just keep fucking falling asleep as soon as i get home

[hikari-writes]

·˚ ◌༘₊· ͟͞꒰➳ tags

ꕥ #⋆ the golden lion -written works

ꕥ #⋆ the light purple roses -rambles

�� #⋆ the fantasies -reblogs

ꕥ #⋆ the fairytales -self reblogs/icymi

ꕥ #⋆ the snow lotuses -answered asks

ꕥ #⋆ the one who longed for her -fun concept 

ꕥ #⋆ the iron widow -arts

ꕥ #⋆ the mothers’ tea time -queued posts

ꕥ #⋆ the von neuschwansteins ✧moot[emoji]✧ -mutuals

ꕥ #⋆ the von nurembergs ✧follower url✧ -follower asks

ꕥ #⋆ the streifes -anonymous asks

ꕥ #⋆ the ones who were trapped in solitude -selfships

ꕥ #⋆ shess house -games

ꕥ #⋆ the stepmother’s happiness -important

ꕥ #⋆ gatherings; insert fandom -masterlists

ꕥ #⋆ the gatherings; all star -main masterlist

[hawkogurl]

Okay so I’m a relatively new fan of Harold and trying to get into the fanbase but man these acronyms are A Lot….. seeing USM and MSM and SSM and JMD and WOSM……. my dude I am lost……. one crumb of guidance I beg you……….

So a lot of the time if it’s acronyms relating to the names of comics writers, I am not helpful. But here is what I can tell you

The live action universes that feature Harry are going to be referred to as the Raimiverse (the original trilogy with Tobey Maguire) and either TASM or the Webbverse, used interchangeably, to refer to The Amazing Spider-Man movies starring Andrew Garfield)

To my knowledge, whenever someone is referring to comics under the name The Amazing Spider Man, that’s going to be called ASM instead of TASM. TASM is for movies, ASM is for comics.

There are more animated series than I can count but the ones referred to most often in here are TSSM, The Spectacular Spider-Man featuring Josh Keaton and James Arnold Taylor as Peter and Harry, USM, Ultimate Spider-Man featuring Drake Bell and Matt Lanter as Peter and Harry respectively, and MSM or MSM 2017, Marvel’s Spider Man, featuring my beloved Robbie Daymond and Max Mittleman as Peter and Harry respectively.

Confusingly, MSM is also used to refer to the current insomniac game series, though they are often referred to with some variation of the word insomniac to differentiate them and keep the tags organized. However, if something is referring to MSM 2017 it’s almost always referring to the show and if it’s MSM2 or MSM2023 in my experience it’s almost always the game. Yes, this is confusing.

Just as confusing is the fact that despite SSM is used to refer to the spectacular spider man comics and separate them from the show similar to ASM, USM is the acronym used for both the show and the comics in most instances I’ve seen. So you’re just gonna have to use context clues. Most things referencing a comic are usually going to include issue numbers which helps.

Comics arcs that commonly have their own acronyms are OMD, aka One More Day, and TCW, aka The Child Within. Sometimes you’ll also see KLH to refer to Kravens Last Hunt but that’s not nearly as relevant to Harry so I wouldn’t worry too much about it.

There’s also TNAS, The New Animated Series which came out near the release of Spider-Man 2002 and is intended to continue it, but because it’s kind of terrible you’re not gonna see it often. The 90’s animated series is much better but has no acronym and will usually be specified as specifically the 90’s Animated Series.

I believe WOSM is simply referring to the World Of Spider-Man but I could be wrong. (Edit: I was wrong, it’s Web Of Spider-Man. Everyone say thanks @theopolis)

I know JMD is referring to a specific comics writer but I’m not even confident of the name of the top of my head. Because I’m not terribly proficient in the comics quite yet, I’m probably gonna ask @oliveroctavius and/or @theopolis who are far more familiar with them than I am for that and any other comics acronyms I’m missing and I hope they don’t mind the tag.

Hope this was helpful!

[amazing-spider-man-book-club]

The Amazing Spider-Man #6

Published: November 1963

Containing: "Face to Face with...The Lizard!"

Introducing: Curtis Connors/The Lizard, Martha Connors, Billy Connors

Synopsis: Peter is sent down to Florida to get some photos on a mysterious figure, The Lizard, who is terrorizing the everglades, but soon must discover a way to help this new villain become human again.

Read alongside us here:

https://readcomiconline.li/Comic/The-Amazing-Spider-Man-1963/Issue-6?id=4028

@frankendykes-monster: There's something so humorous to me about naming a villain "The Lizard" after already having one named "The Chameleon". The off-brand model even if they share nothing in common. I had to look up when it was discovered that dinosaurs are more closely related to birds than reptiles but no luck unlike last issue's forcing me to look up how spiders communicate.

The introduction of The Lizard rings like a horror film, the setting in Florida couldn't help but make me think of The Alligator People (1959). Virtually all the tropes like the monster staking a claim in hostile territory and scientific mishaps and an ancient castle ooze charm, it's only the near ending when The Lizard wants to create more reptilian humanoids that you're forcibly reminded that this is a supervillain we're dealing with.

I have to wonder if The Lizard was originally intended to be a one-and-done given the character never returns during Ditko's time on the title but Curt Conners does. Much like Mysterio returning to his first costume, it's something that's only established as an ongoing threat when John Romita takes over. I have to say the character's design is probably the first Ditko one that's something of an acquired taste, had he worn a purple coat and had black eyes with white pupils like on the cover, it would have been more cohesive and threatening, though I'm not a giant fan of more animalistic subsequent designs decades down the line. This issue's title page is another all-time favorite of mine for how much it reads as a three-dimensional space. Ditko occasionally goes all-out, though at the same time I feel like we see way more of Spider-Man sans webbing in this issue (whenever the character is far enough away from the camera that drawing them would be too much of a hassle. Blah.)

I have to wonder what people reading this for the first time have to make of Liz Allen and Betty Brant being Peter's love interests, because if it wasn't a full-time thing last issue, it certainly is now. Betty's appearances in the live-action Spider-Man films have more or less been cameos, is what I'm saying. Given Liz's newfound interest in Spider-Man I think it's quaint if disappointing that it isn't until Civil War, over 40 years after this, that she discovers it's Peter under the mask alongside the rest of the world. Womp womp.

Probably the most realistic thing about this issue is Jameson accidentally starting a tabloid frenzy wherein he demands Spider-Man go down to Florida to fight The Lizard. It's ridiculous but plausible enough that I could see people actually read papers and developing a strong opinion on the matter.

@duel1971 : This issue may be my favorite so far. The story takes Peter out of NYC and down to Florida on J Jonah Jameson’s dime to get pictures of the Lizard. This leads to Peter and Jameson being traveling partners, a concept I would happily read a full-length story about but which is only touched upon briefly here.

Curtis Connors has one of the most well-realized supervillain origins we’ve seen yet in ASM. The tragic nature of the character feels iconic: the loss of an arm motivates him to recklessly experiment on himself and leads to a complete physical transformation that renders him a threat to his beloved family and, as the issue draws on, civilization itself. (Or at least Florida.) In addition, lizards being a natural predator of spiders makes the Lizard’s ability to physically outmaneuver and outmatch Spider-Man feel ordained by nature.

Some parts of the story feel a little clunky – in particular, I’m not sure what a serum that turned a man into a lizard would do to actual lizards. The story doesn’t seem to have a firm idea either, but apparently it would be very bad. I appreciated the attempt to raise the stakes, but found Curtis’s alienation from and eventual reconciliation with his family to be much more compelling.

[aenhanse]

something i find interesting, having watched atsv and read dark tomorrow pretty much back to back, is how the two stories approach the concept of a miguel that is past a certain breaking point.

in dark tomorrow he basically gets his spider-man no more moment after losing his brother and fiancee. the events leave him resenting the superhero side of his life, questioning if it was ever worth it if it cost him the people he loves and throwing that side away completely for years. though he can't really help wanting to help others once he started doing so as s-man so instead he loses himself in trying to get alchemax to become a force for good, a way to help everyone in need. and it's all just miguel trying to ignore the guilt and trauma that festered for like five years as he continues to just exist as a shell of a spider-man he was

and then atsv has kinda an opposite of this in a way that after losing his 'daughter' he throws away the miguel side of himself spending every hour of every day as a shell of the spider-man he shouldn't be. we obviously don't have details of his backstory in the movie so i'm just reaching here to comics for help, but if its anything like what happens in the 1992 run, and i'd love nothing more for it to be so, i find it fascinating how he shifts into a version of himself that resembles what he fought against way more than what he's learned and was pushed to become the more time he was spider-man. it's almost like he reverted in a way and was pushed just enough to the side to become that ever watching presence that enforces its rules over what it deems an anomaly. he tries to convince himself it's for the greater good, refuses the thought that he might be in the wrong, because at his core miguel still wants to help people but i don't think he realizes yet just how much he's lost himself there.

both stories have him lose his way but in a completely different matter while still making sense for him to end up either way. and it's what i love seeing when writers push characters over that ledge, a familiarity with just enough there to let you know there's something off, something that tells you they wouldn't act that way in other circumstances but because they were put there it becomes a believable exploration of a character reaching their breaking point (asm back in black my most beloved example of this done well). and then there is a question of how to bring them back from that brink

both versions of miguel still have lyla, a semblance of that life before everything went to shit persisting. but she's not enough and what is needed there is a fresh perspective and the mig from the book gets that in form of anya, reminding him what being a hero means and giving him that little bit of hope that there is something more than even more tragedy waiting around the corner. and i can only guess that atsv miguel might get that harsh reminder from miles, then i'll have two nickels

[samasmith23]

The Retconning of Aunt May's death from Amazing Spider-Man #400... aka, screw John Byrne!

Wanna know something else we can criticize John Byrne for aside from his general creepiness and bigotry? He undid Aunt May’s death in the beautifully written Amazing Spider-Man (1963) #400, "The Gift," aka one of the best stories to come out of the entire infamous Clone Saga era.

Like... when Linkara reviewed the Web of Death storyline, one particular complaint he brought up was how all of the all the beautiful & emotional moments between Peter Parker and comatose Aunt May were severely undermined in hindsight due to the later retcon that this wasn't actually May Parker, but instead an highly-skilled actress whom Norman Osborn replaced Aunt May with after her stroke and made resemble Peter's aunt through cloning technology.

And the person who was responsible for this controversial retcon? None other than John Byrne!

Byrne apparently refused to even initiate his divisive 1999 Chapter One and The Next Chapter reboots of the Spider-Man titles unless he was allowed to utilize Aunt May as a member of Peter's supporting cast. Consequently, this meant completely retconning Aunt May's lovely and tragic send-off by J.M. DeMatteis & Mark Bagley in ASM #400, even though that issue was highly regarded and celebrated by even the most hardened detractors of The Clone Saga era as a whole.

And you know what made the retconning of Aunt May's death even more stupid? It directly contradicted Norman Osborn's own recounting of The Clone Saga from his perspective in The Osborn Journal one-shot after he was revealed to be the true mastermind behind the whole saga. Writer & editor Glenn Greenberg specifically made sure to include these passages from Norman's private journals:

-"And as luck would have it, the clone -- Reilly -- learned of May Parker's stroke and returned to New York to be near her during her final days. This saved me the trouble of concocting some elaborate scheme to lure him back to the city."

-"Then the old woman finally died, delivering a major emotional blow to Parker and his wife. My only regret is that I was NOT the cause."

Yup, Greenberg wanted to make sure that DeMatteis' brilliant work from ASM #400 wouldn't be undone by having Norman himself state in his private journals that May's death was strictly due to natural causes instead of another part of his behind-the-scene's manipulations. Which makes sense considering that the entire issue was dedicated to Peter & Aunt May's final days together as she revealed to her nephew that she had always known he was Spider-Man and was deeply proud of him before passing away in her bed right besides Peter, Mary Jane & Aunt Anna, with Peter's final words to his surrogate mother-figure being him quoting his favorite childhood novel Peter Pan to her, telling Aunt May:

"Let go. Fly. 'Second to the right... and straight on until morning.'"

Its honestly one of the most simultaneously heartbreaking & beautiful scenes that I've personally ever read in a comic. The silent panels of Ben Reilly crying to himself on the roof of the house, unable to be by his Aunt's side during her final moments since he's only a clone of her nephew, especially tug at my heartstrings (poor Benjy)! And its an issue that resonates with me even more deeply today than back when I initially read it a few years ago, since I now know what it feels like to lose a dearly beloved relative, with both my paternal grandmother (Nana) and maternal grandfather (Paps) having since passed away.

But then John Byrne decided in his infinite wisdom to screw it all up, ignoring all of that emotional weight and feelings of down-to-Earth loss by not only revealing that the Aunt May Peter watched die was actually just a random actress whom Norman Osborn "genetically modified via the Jackal’s cloning technology" (which again… makes ZERO sense), but that Osborn apparently now lied in his own personal diaries or something?

So yeah, the resurrection of Aunt May by John Byrne during the Spider-Man: The Gathering of Five/The Final Chapter arcs is easily one of the most insulting retcons that I've ever encountered since it spits in the face of one of the most beautifully written single-issues that I've personally ever read (both because of how it personally resonates with me as someone who's lost two grandparents, and because is J.M. DeMatteis is among my Top 5 favorite comic book writers).

But trust me, this is the LEAST of John Byrne's problems, which fellow comic creator Ramon Villalobos made an excellent thread discussing in detail if you want further information:

[measuringbliss]

Spider-Man Read-Through 046: Night Fever (SSM 22-24)

MASTERPOST

In this post:

Hell yeah!

SSM #22 starts with Moon Knight failing to protect an informant and discovering that the Maggia may soon discover his secret identity.

Cue Peter Parker drawn by Mike Zeke.

He does the Monthly Aunt-May-in-Hospital mention (interconnectedness, woohoo!) and the bell rings. Betty's here! Remember how she left Ned, and Peter got kinda dumped by MJ? Well, they're off to the movies now!

Turns out Betty's already seen every big movie with Ned in Paris, so they go to a Chaplin festival.

Oh, I hate those faces. They look nothing like Peter and Betty have looked these past ~200 issues (not counting Team-Up). Why such harsh lines? They're in their 20-somethings!

By now, Flash and Sha-Shan are called regulars by the yellow box, which pleases me quite a bit. They seem to be doing just fine. Another regular is White Tiger, my beloved, who's angsting about the girl who won't date him because he's a super-hero. Yeah, we don't want another Gwen Stacy now, do we?

Anyway, thugs attack a coffee shop where Moon Knight (in his civilian identity) and Spidey cross paths, and we get a fun battle.

I love that kind of thing.

Of course, MK and SM have to fight, because talking isn't a free action in this world. And suddenly, someone storms in...

Literally. So we've got presumably French Moon Knight (and/or his acolyte, I don't know the lore and the way this is presented in this issues is confusing) and a French villain too. Yay, France?

On *another website*, readers are just as annoyed as me that Spidey keeps fighting potential allies before trying to talk to them. He makes the same mistake again and again!

In the letters, there's a very salty message I can't help but agree with.

Recent issues have been better about it at least, but it's telling that the "not enough Peter Parker" complaint has been held again and again. I do love White Tiger, and found Razorback fun enough.

Thankfully, for #23, Mike Esposito is back.

For what's worth, I like Cyclone for no other reason that I love his design. So I'm happy to see him!

Cyclone helpfully informs us that it's been a year since his first appearance in ASM #143 and #144! That's neat to know. He also kills someone on-page.

That's actually kind of surprising to see, and it does up the stakes. Anyway, he leaves, thinking he also killed the two heroes, and the latter finally talk. Spidey ends up going to Moon Knight's base.

Seems like our friend has been doing some work.

Meanwhile: we see a glipse of Hector's family, Holly's about to call him, MJ tries to call Peter but he doesn't answer and she goes to the disco with "Marty" (a proto-Paul?), and Betty also can't get a hold of Ned.

It's funny how in ASM, the Peter/Betty pair was recently quite outrageous, but then in SSM they dialed it back quite a bit. Just like the quick MJ appearance in a recent SSM issue, it seems like the writers are in conflict.

Anyway, SM and MK find a Maggia meeting and fight everyone.

What the heck.

Aside from (probably) Big M, everyone is taken care of.

As for #24...

Now, THIS is fun!

First page. We got the Monthly Aunt-May-in-Hospital mention, phew!

This issue starts with Peter being forced to fight thugs in a train. It's quite original, since he has to wait for a tunnel to obscure everything and use his powers.

Later...

So there's a lot to unpack here. First off, Mrs Muggins is much more friendly than in the past issues. Secondly, Peter mentions his "not so obvious" sex appeal and I have to laugh because COME ON. I don't know if it's a writer trying to rewrite history, or just Peter being clueless, but regardless, come oooooon...

This is also the first time in ages we see Harry, so that's also great. And Sha-Shan's part of the group, neat! By the way, where's Randy?

...Where IS Randy? For a few issues, a while back, it seemed like he was part of the group, but now? Who knows! Holly's here though. Without Hector, but still. But then... where's Gloria?!

Aaaah, they keep changing the cAAaaAaAaast!!!

Anyway, Peter says the place they're going to is fancy and he doesn't have a tuxedo, but Harry took care of that. Of course he'd know the measurements of his boyfriend!

Oh, they came out alright. I missed seeing the cast interact with each other, that's cool!

Elsewhere, the Maggia steals a big magnet or what not, but it's for the next SSM batch and I kind of don't care.

So this is kind of a disaster, but those interactions are delicious. See, when they try, Spider-Man can be really fun! Especially when Peter is dashing like that.

The Hypno-Hustler and his backup singers arrive on scene and hypnotize everybody, except for Peter, who quickly changes and beats him.

Anyway, in the reader's letters, someone is just as clueless as Peter:

"OUR Peter? Who really was never even very handsome?" who ARE you, Al Shroeder III?

I feel validated!

In the next SSM batch: more cloning! Can't wait.

[cricketnationrise]

CRICKET MY BELOVED you are a delight and a wonder and, like cee, I'm so grateful that you volunteered to come hang out in my docs and yell at me about fics.

So FIRST, what is your favorite show you've worked at the theater?

And second, give me a controversial hockey opinion lol.

💜💜💜💜 Back at you, especially with my penchant for incorrect emdashes lollll

I’m cheating and giving you a bunch of favorites and you can’t stop me.

My favorite show in college was Sweeney Todd because the set was really cool and I had a lot of fun as one of the three ASMs on that production.

My favorite show to run in high school was Fiddler on the Roof. the backstage crew was FANTASTIC, the set was bonkers, and my backstage track included me and one of my best friends cramming ourselves underneath Fruma Sara’s platform and spinning her around the stage around gravestones and actors as ghosts during the nightmare scene. Just a lot of problem solving every night we performed and all the best things about making live theatre run smoothly.

Favorite show to run at my current job was Othello. It was the first time I was acting as run crew lead AND felt confident in my job. Plus the set was gorgeous.

My controversial hockey opinion is only so controversial because I’m a Capitals fan. We have a long-standing division rivalry with the Pittsburgh Penguins to the point where there’s real animosity between some subsets of fans. I actually think the Pens are fine and instead hate the Boston Bruins and esp a majority of their loudest online fans.

My other “controversial” hockey opinions are that women players should be paid just as much and get just as much tv coverage. Also they should let women’s hockey do checking they deserve it and I deserve to see it

(Also also we should probably start writing that hockey au at some point next year)

[septembermonologues]

🦉Positivity owl reporting for duty! This was sent by a friend who wants you to smile as much as your posts make them smile. Please list five things that make you unique, four things you are super passionate about and why, OR three of your favorite memories. Feel free to send the owl to those who you feel deserve to smile🦉

🥹🥹🥹🥹

mmmmm 4 things im super passionate about and why

im going to be so long winded lol

1) loving my friends and doing it loudly and without embarrassment. i had really really really shitty experiences with "friends" in middle and high school and still can't totally wrap my mind around how lucky i am to be surrounded by the people i get to call my friends now. i owe them all everything, from my oldest friend (a decade in 2026!!!!) who made me believe in soulmates, to the two friends i met around the same time who i don't keep in touch with as well as i should but who dont fault me for it, to my friend who pushed me to get help for myself and looked out for me when i struggled the most with my dad and who im convinced i spent my life with in another life, to my friend who's become family and her husband who welcomed me immediately, to my beloved tumblr mutual who i get to text all day everyday and hasn't gotten sick of me yet, to my little trio at school who saw someone awkward and trying to find their feet and all but held them at gun point to hangout and who were sad that i was graduating before them when i expected to just get in and out and just finish my degree mostly intact. how fucking lucky am i? how blessed am i? and i want to return it all and more if i can.

2) making sure any of my activism and want for a better world comes from a place of love for other people. i just don't know what the point of any of this is if you're not working for change because you care about others and their circumstances. we owe each other everything.

3) this maybe out of place because it's work related but as a stage manager i want to be firm about having safety tools for my entire team- my cast, my fellow sms, my production designers, my crews. i think a lot of things are just "part of the job" and get swept under the rug to keep a show moving but thats how the wheels come off the bus. and safety to me, at least to start, comes in the form of silly ice breaker questions every night not only to encourage actors to get in the habit of signing in but also to get everyone talking and engaged in conversations over a joke or an unserious but very important hot take and to bridge the gap that is the sm table so they feel like they can come to me with an issue, to making sure a safety captain is set up as early as possible in the rehearsal process, to having an anonymous debrief form that goes straight to someone (an intimacy director ideally) who knows the cast but isn't in the room every day so they have somewhere to go if they dont feel comfortable coming to me, the director, or the safety captain, to making sure everyone actually takes their 5s and 10s and gets out of the rehearsal room at least once, to making sure my asms are doing all or most of their work while we're clocked in and not adding work for ourselves outside of designated times unless absolutely necessary.

4) finding ways to take care of yourself ESPECIALLY if they feel small or silly. i spent so much time stuck in a constant state of feeling shitty and i regret it so much and don't want to see anyone else do the same if it can be helped. i started doing basic skincare in 2021 because it just felt nice (i still dont know how much any of it actually does anything) and when my therapist pointed out that thats perfectly valid self care it all felt so much more accessible to me. so i do a silly little face mask when i feel like i need something easy to refresh and get my nails done even if acrylics seem out of character for me because it's nice to go sit in a salon and pick a new design to change things up and have too many different flavors and formulas of chapstick because i like to have options and listen to my boy bands and watch my vampire show and my way too long rpg shows and keep at least a loose routine because it helps keep me moving. you dont have to change your whole life all at once. it can be trying a new flavor of coffee or going out for a fast casual meal and bevvie or buying a new candle fragrance. and, again, it might seem small and stupid but its so important- you have to start somewhere and it all adds up.

[manjjiros]

"And when I leave from here, that clip will be graciously erased, alongside any other trace of me being here. Your beloved Mikey won't know a thing."

His rival's name stains his tongue black. Tetta hates it; hates that despite being in front of you, your prime priority is still that miniature fuck who can't regulate his emotions better than an infant. It's irritating, but he'll make do.

He'll erase away that man's name from your mouth soon enough. Just takes a little patience, is all.

Tetta cocks his head to the side. "So eager to get rid of me today, little one. What's the rush? I'm only around to say hello to my favorite ASM."

Truthfully, Tetta was here to get under your skin. It was delicious, watching your face contort into disgust and annoyance. Especially because your eyes never told the same story. Always confused, ever allured, almost painted over in lust.

Tetta couldn't wait for the day you begged for him.

The taller man grins salaciously. His cock throbs thick in his trousers but Tetta makes no move to acknowledge it despite the growing weight against his leg. Instead, he gives you a once over, dragging greedy eyes over every slope, curve, and dip he's allowed to see.

"And here I thought you'd be happy to see me."

-Tetta.

“I’m never happy to see you. You always cause me issues and get me in trouble with management.”

Woodrow folded their arms over their chest, tucking the tablet close to their side and shifting their weight between their feet almost anxiously. The ASM took full advantage of his resting bitch face, sucking his teeth. Their eyes, however, often gave them away — clouded and dazed, always on the verge of feeding into the heat that flooded their stomach whenever he entered the premises smelling of high quality cologne and leather.

He almost regretted dressing in such skimpy attire, having wished he opted for a pantsuit instead of the revealing low-cut dress and thigh-high stockings, pink lip gloss to match.

They shifted again, rubbing their thighs together, simply hoping he wouldn’t really pay attention to their fidgeting.

“I have to get back to my cards table, I’m about to get off of my break. Are you going to spend money here or not? I don’t want to be dealing with you today.”

[moontours]

remember when

[umbreix]

A Single Moment - Chapter 32

Kyoko and Sayaka are suddenly faced with a witch, forcing them to put their competition to the side. Meanwhile, outside forces look on and continue their opening moves.

[tempural]

Unconditional.

564 words.   A short story about a father’s hatred, and a son’s eternal love.

“We were always real pals -- till a few years ago!  Then he started to -- change!  I know he’s been having tough sledding in business -- but why take it out on me?”  - ASM #39

“I had to bring him up alone... and I tried my best..!  I was a good father... I was!  I did my best to be a real pal to my son!  But, it wasn’t easy... Harry didn’t have anything to complain about!  The more money I made, the more presents I bought him!  I wanted everyone to see what a great father he had!”  - ASM #40, juxtaposed against a montage of Norman neglecting Harry 😅

Norman had Harry at 27, when he was still poor.  A bit late for his era of men, but at least he had a child.  His wife died during childbirth.  No doubt the child’s first act of murder influenced Norman’s feelings.

Harry grew up poor.  He wasn’t born with a silver spoon in his mouth.  But he didn’t know he was poor at his young age, especially with Norman working up the business ladder and doing his best to hide his low class from everyone, including himself and Harry.  

---

Single father Norman genuinely loved and took care of baby Harry.  He became obsessed with making money so his child could survive, thrive, have a better life than he had.  No expense was spared on Harry, especially because he was such a sickly and weak child.  Harry was clingy, needy, not by choice, but because he literally would not be living without his dad doting on his every bloody cough and doctor’s exams.

Norman’s obsession with the act of making money took over his original goal of caring for Harry.  Surely Harry would be ecstatic with a Rolls Royce for his 18th birthday, even if Norman was away on a trip to Europe that month.  Any other kid would be happy.   Norman would have loved having expensive gifts as a poor kid.  Harry shouldn’t complain, worthless spoiled stupid child.  He doesn’t deserve any of these gifts when Norman’s been spending so much money on his classes and Harry shows nothing but a C+ effort.

Harry grew out of the worst of his childhood illnesses, but remained thin and weak.  Physically, he was gaunt and bony.  He looked exactly like his father, if his father loss all his muscle mass and got his nose punched in.  Emotionally, he was still clingy and needy.  Perhaps not so much because he needed his father to administer his medications, but for all the love that his father lost for him as Harry got older.  And mentally, he inherited all of his father’s schizophrenia, bipolar, BPD, depression, and the cycle of abuse from grandpapa Osborn.

--

Norman looks at Harry and sees a mirror image of himself, distorted to accentuate all his own worst features.  Weak, feminine, awful crying child.  He grew to loathe this child because he loathed himself.  Norman managed to fight through his illnesses and abuse to become a made man.  Why couldn’t Harry?

--

Now Norman is old and sickly.  All the chemicals he worked with at Oscorp have gotten into his nervous system.  His legs don’t work so good now.  His schizophrenia and bipolar have gotten worse.  He needs to visit a doctor often for transfusions and medication and so on.  

He needs Harry to take care of him.  Just as Norman once took care of young Harry.

It’s too bad he didn’t give Harry the love he needed when Harry was a angsty teenager.  Now Harry has all the power over Oscorp and Norman Osborn.  Harry can do anything he wants to his beloved father.  He loves his father so much, even after everything.  And his father can’t do anything as his son pushes him through the empty house.  Norman can’t escape what he’s done to Harry.  The cycle of abuse continues, father to son, son to father.

You better watch what Harry puts in your meds, Mr. Osborn.  That boy ain’t right.