#at least on melvins side

[frenchgremlim1808]

The idea that some Milkyway have that if byler isn’t canon we would all just delete our blogs, like no😂. That’s scream iv’e never been in a fandom before. It’s true some people might but it doesn’t mean that we would all just stop existing. A ton of non cannon ship still have a very active fanbase. I would still ship byler even if they were not cannon. No guys if byler not cannon i’m gonna stay just to spite these people, i’m gonna stay a stranger things fan but very disappointed in the show and the duffers brother, it might taint my appreciation of the show in general even if the ending was exceptional. But still i’m gonna stay because i know that byler would have been the literal best ending for the show. I can live on byler not cannon. But there is one thing that will turn me into a comic book super villain is stancy  cannon. Oh i would prefer a thousand time the the older teens all single than that horrible mess incomprehensible ship being cannon. The duffer brother would become my sworn arch nemesis .

[mixedupmelody]

tough guy.

notes: someone needs to seriously make an effort to bruise these guys' ego a little. the t-birds in GENERAL need to come with a warning sign saying "Will Not Show Affection in Public".

contains: danny zuko x gender neutral reader , kenickie murdoch x female reader

characters: danny zuko, kenickie murdoch, t-birds and pink ladies (briefly mentioned)

warnings: swearing, suggestive themes and dialouge

. ☁️ .

꒰ danny. ꒱

“ 'S cool with me, baby. ” Danny holds a hand around your waist, taking care not to look into your eyes. God, he could stare at them for hours. He'd live a happy life if all he ever saw was those eyes. But he can't look at you. Not now. The T-Birds stare at him, almost as if they were waiting on their leader to slip up and say something cheesy. “ I'll see you after school, beautiful. ”

You press a quick kiss to his lips, before walking off to your next class. You knew his status meant something to him, and weren't trying to put him in an annoying spot with his friends. Danny's shoulders relax as you walk off, eyes trailing after you as if he could keep you next to him with his mind.

Danny is the leader of the T-Birds, so he's held to a somewhat higher standard than the rest of the guys. Out of all of them, he's suppossed to be the most macho, the most hard-headed, and the most gutsy member all into one. In between all the turf wars and fights at school, he's the face of their gang that let's everyone know he means business.

And then you came along. You managed to break through his tough exterior and unlock a sweeter, more sensitive side of him. He couldn't help but feel like a total melvin each time he dressed up nice to bring you flowers, or when he put his best efforts into not getting fresh with you when you invited him to your place to study after school.

To him, it's all worth it. Just seeing that smile on your face is enough to keep him going through the exhaustion he feels trying to keep his pure, romantic advancements under wraps.

꒰ kenickie. ꒱

Kenickie's hand reaches dangerously close to your ass as you sit with him at The Frosty Palace. As the T-Birds and Pink Ladies chat at their shared booth, Kenickie made sure to show off that he was a certified ladies man. And what better way to show that than messing around with his girl while they ate?

“ If these jokers keep this shitty conversation up, i'll just have to take ya' home for some real fun. ” You could tell he was practically working overtime tonight. With all those notes you left in his lunch, you were more than sure he was trying to make up the jokes he was subjected to. It's not that he really cared what the guys would think, they knew he would knock them out before they had the chance to flap their gums for too long, but it was a matter of dignity!

Kenickie Murdouch would rather die than let the guys think he's gone soft. He's a rockin', smooth talkin' rebel who's all bark. At least, until he started going steady with you. He feels all mixed up, wanting to treat you nice while also having to be on the look out for the other T-Birds.

God forbid you ever give him a tender kiss in front of his friends at school, or make him quiet a quick "i love you too" when you part ways in the halls. The guys will rip on him for as long as Kenickie will take it, making obnoxious kissing noises and jokingly threaten to take his second-in-command spot.

If they push him too far, he'll switch right back into greaser mode, and threaten to knock the living daylights out of them. They shut up quickly after that.

There's been at least one instance where you and Kenickie were on a date at The Frosty Palace, sharing a milkshake. As you two are talking, he laughs, slamming his hand on the table, and the milkshake splashes on the tip of his nose. When you go to clean his face for him, the other T-Birds barge in through those glass doors. It almost feels unreal how accurate their timing is. You hear a chorus of "oooo!"s as you clean his face, trying your best to calm your boyfriend down before he loses his cool.

You don't see his walls go down often, even when you're by yourselves. Give him time.

[diapydemon]

Classified: Punk Rock Little

Chapter 3

Read chapter 2 here

Name: Miles Miller

DOB: 06/01/2002

CIN: E25S6832

Citizen Lifestyle Assignment Sorting and Sectioning

(CLASS)

Result: Little

Miles tightened his grip around the letter to the point of almost tearing the parchment. Tears welled in his eyes as all the muscles in his body locked up with tension.

“Is that your CLASS result?” Lindsay looked up from her book across the room, “What does it say?”

“It– it… uhhh”

“What?”

Miles, tears welling in his eyes, had no idea what to say or what to do. He did the only reasonable thing he could think to do. He crumpled up the letter into his fist and bolted into his room, slamming and locking his door behind him.

“Miles,” Lindsay knocked on the door, “Come on out. It's just Dylan and I out here anyway.”

“LEAVE ME ALONE!” Miles shouted from the other side of the door.

“Oh stop being a baby,” Lindsay retorted.

“SHUT UP,” the distress was obvious in his voice.

“Did he…” Dylan stuttered with uncertainty from the hallway, “Is he… you know… a Little?”

“He’s certainly acting like one,” Lindsay rolled her eyes before fishing her phone out of her pocket.

“What are you doing?” Dylan asked.

“Calling Ryley,” Lindsay explained, “Miles is like a brother to me –albeit an annoying brother– but still. I’m not a Caregiver, but maybe Ryley can help him more than we can.”

“Lindsay?” Riley answered, “What’s up? Practice isn’t for a couple hours.”

“I know. Listen Ryley, Miles got his CLASS results back today and…”

“What’d he get?”

“We don’t know,” Lindsay sighed, “Well not officially anyway. He took the results and locked himself in his room, so I think it’s relatively safe to assume…”

“I’ll be right over. I have an Emergency Littles Kit I can bring too.”

“That’d be great. Thanks Ryley.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~PRL~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Miles paced back and forth in his room. He looked at Melvin, his watermelon-penguin stuffie with a vengeance. Melvin, who had been his closest friend for who knows how long, now felt like he had somehow betrayed him.

Miles looked at the haphazard piles of dirty clothes on the floor. His room was a mess. He was a mess.

His clothes! Miles started hyperventilating. The vast majority of his t-shirts had all manners of expletives and inappropriate slogans on them. No way he was getting to keep his old wardrobe.

Miles’s chest started thumping as he continued to hyperventilate. Clothes were the least of his worries. How could he be a rockstar if he was a Little? Hell, that might not even be his biggest concern. What if… what if his friends didn’t want to hangout with him anymore because he wasn’t punk rock enough for them? What if they sent him to an assignment center!?

“Miles?” He heard Ryley’s voice from the other side of the door, “Can you open up the door for me please?”

“N-no,” Miles managed to squeak out.

“Miles,” Ryley sighed like she was about to be forced to do something she didn’t want to do, “I’m going to count to three, alright? When I get to three, that door better be open. Then we're going to sort this all out together, okay?”

Miles didn’t have it in him to respond. Everything was too much. Tears finally fell from his eyes and began rolling down his cheeks.

“One,” Riley started counting.

Miles stood paralyzed with anxiety and fear. Sure, he was more than a little distraught about being a Little, but something about Ryley’s tone scared him in a newly compelling way.

“Two.”

Miles still couldn’t move. To his horror, his face wasn’t the only thing that was wet; he began to feel a wetness slowly spread over his crotch and began to soak his black jeans. Miles felt snot helplessly run down his nose as he ugly cried. MY LIFE IS OVER, he thought.

“Three~,” Ryley drew the last syllable out to give Miles a chance, and Miles wasn’t going to waste that chance.

For whatever reason, the prospect of Ryley’s count ending terrified him into action, and he dashed towards his door, momentarily forgetting about his messy appearance.

He unlocked the door and opened it to see Ryley’s face. She looked genuinely concerned for his well being, and he felt a pang of guilt for worrying her.

“Oh Miles,” Ryley wrapped her arms around him, “Shhh it’s okay. I’m here now. Shhh”

Ryley lovingly stroked his hair as Lindsay wordlessly watched, and Dylan left to give the pair their privacy.

Miles felt his shame and anxiety melt away in Ryley’s embrace. His full on face-flood was now reduced to a string of sniffles.

“Sweetie,” Ryley eyed Miles’s wet pants but neglected to say anything, “How about we run a bath for you and get you all cleaned up? Does that sound good?”

Miles nodded without saying a word. It was all he could manage without breaking down into tears again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~PRL~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“So you’re a Little,” Ryley used a cup to rinse shampoo out of Miles’s hair, “That’s a big adjustment, but I just wanted to let you know that you don’t have to do it alone. I’ll help you along the way as best I can, I promise.”

“T-thanks,” Miles nodded from within the bathtub. It was strange; he felt the cleanest he had felt in a long time with Ryley washing him, and parts of it were even enjoyable. But he still felt uncertain and scared. In this small moment, he was thankful for Ryley’s presence.

“All clean!” Ryley borderline sang.

“T-thanks.”

“You’re welcome, sweetie. You behaved so well for me, and I’m so proud! But there’s one more teensy thing I need your help with, okay?”

Miles didn’t know how to feel about the petnames and gentle praise he was receiving, but he eventually decided that –for at least tonight– he needed Ryley’s comforting presence and decided to let it slide.

“O-okay.”

“Great,” Ryley produced a small kit from the floor next to the bath and opened it to reveal four differently colored candies that were each shaped like lifesavers, “I need you to try each of these candies for me. One should taste the best, and I need to know which one that is. You can spit out the rest.”

Miles reached out into the kit and sampled the candies one by one. The first three ranged from horrible tasting to mediocre, but he didn’t quite enjoy any of them. Then he tried the purple. The purple tasted delicious. Before Miles knew it, he swallowed it.

“The purple one tasted the best,” Miles told Ryley.

“Ok, Thank you little one.”

Miles squinted in annoyance. Ryley really was pushing it with the pet names, but he didn’t want to push her away, so he didn’t say anything.

“R-ryley,” Miles stared at the porcelain floor of the bathtub, “Can I have another purple candy please?”

“Sorry cutie,” Ryley stroked a stray strand of hair behind Miles’s ear, “but I dont have another one. I also don’t think that’s a good idea anyway; those candies were to help us figure some stuff out about your new classification.”

“Oh… so what does liking purple mean?”

“Well for one, that means you're an L-2 Little. And it will help us know what to look for when we go to the Little Supply store tomorrow.”

“Oh…” Miles didn’t quite remember the specifics of what that meant, but he didn’t want to sound stupid in front of Ryley, so he kept his mouth shut. It wasn’t his fault he dropped out of college before they had a refresher on all the intricacies of the CLASS system.

“C’mon,” Ryley began to dry him off with a towel. Under other circumstances, Miles would’ve probably found this situation hot, but there were just too many new emotions to deal with.

“So I was thinking,” Ryley bent down to dry off his legs, “I could get you dressed and then you might want to come over to my place and have a sleepover?”

“A sleepover?”

“Yeah it’ll be fun!” Ryley beamed, “and that way I can keep an eye on you. Just in case.”

“Yeah okay.”

“Great!” Ryley dropped the towel and warped him in a tight hug. Miles hugged back with a tension that suggested that he never wanted to let her go.

“Okay, now I need to get you dressed, and I need you to be mature for me and not freak out, okay?”

Before Miles had the chance to respond, Ryley reached for the box that the candies came from and pulled out a fluffy white square. A diaper, Miles realized in horror.

“Ryley, no! You are NOT putting that on me!”

“Miles. Behave,” there was a certain sternness in Ryley’s voice that Miles wasn’t accustomed to.

“NO!” Miles shouted, “Ryley I can’t think of anything less punk rock than that!”

“Miles,” Ryley sighed, “Remember how you had an accident before bath time?”

“Wha– I didn’t–”

“Don’t.” Ryley’s eyebrows furrowed, “lie to me, Miles.”

“F-fine. But it was a one time thing, okay?”

“I’m sure it was, but it would make me feel better if you let me put this on you. After all, I can definitely think of one thing less punk rock than wearing a diaper: wetting your pants in front of everyone. Again.”

Miles clenched his fists and puffed out his cheeks in frustration. Ryley hated to admit it, but she thought he looked adorable.

“Fine.” Miles begrudgingly accepted, unable to find a flaw in her logic.

Ryley laid him down on top of the outfolded diaper, sprinkled his most sensitive areas with baby powder, and then taped the diaper over him. Miles felt like his fate was sealed with this diaper.

“Ahww you look cute with your thumb in your mouth like that,” Ryley cooed.

Miles quickly yanked his thumb out of his mouth, basically unconscious of it until Ryley commented.

“C’mon,” Ryley giggled, “Let’s go find you some clothes to wear.”

Ryley held Miles’s hand the entire way to his room. It took Ryley a good five minutes to find clothes that were “appropriate”, but she eventually settled on a basic Metallica t-shirt and blue jeans. Of course, Ryley helped Miles get dressed, but Miles was starting to feel too tired to really object to Ryley’s pampering. Turns out ugly crying like a toddler takes a lot out of you.

Ryley grabbed Miles’s hand and led him out into the living room where Lindsay and Dylan were talking.

“Hey Miles,” Dylan smiled at him, “how you feeling buddy?”

“Fine,” Miles grumbled.

“Great!” Lindsay interjected, “Now who’s ready to rock!? It’s almost time for practice.”

“Sorry guys,” Ryley sighed, “But Miles here has had a really big day, so I want to take him home and get him to bed at a reasonable hour.”

“I’m not even tired,” Miles yawned, “I can do this!”

“Miles you just yawned,” Dylan pointed out, “it’s okay if you need to get some rest.”

“Plus it’s already pretty late for you,” Ryley interjected.

“It’s only nine!” Miles whined.

“Miles, you need your sleep.”

“W-wait,” Miles’s head suddenly dropped, “H-how am I going to be a rockstar if I have a bedtime…”

“Ryley!” Miles grabbed desperately at the loose fabric of her blouse as he regarded her with glistening eyes, “I’M NOT GOING TO HAVE A BEDTIME, RIGHT!!?”

Ryley sighed, “I didn’t want to talk about this until tomorrow, but yes sweetie, you will need a bedtime, along with a whole lot of other changes to your lifestyle. But change isn’t always a bad thing Miles, I promise.”

Tears once again began rolling, but this time it was a slower roll.

“How is this not a bad thing?” Miles sniffled, “W-what am I gonna do?”

“Welp,” Lindsay tried to lighten the mood, “You could always make music for Kidz Bop.”

Miles looked up at her with clenched fists and glassy eyes, “Lindsay stop being such a… such a BITCH!!”

“MILES,” Ryley grabbed him by the ear and led him into the corner, “That language is unacceptable young man, do you hear me?”

“B-but Lindsay said–” Miles stammered.

“I know what Lindsay said,” Ryley briefly glared at Lindsay, “but that gives you no right to cuss at her. You will apologize to her, understand?”

“Y-yes ma’am.”

“Good. Now what do you have to say to Lindsay?”

Miles walked over to Lindsay with his eyes glued to the floor the entire time.

“Sorry Lindsay for calling you a–” Miles looked back to see Ryley’s stern face and decided not to repeat his previous mistake, “a bad word.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Lindsay says.

“And Lindsay,” Ryley’s ire had found a new target and her voice was prickly, “Don’t you ever –I mean EVER– make fun of Miles again. He’s had a long day, and he especially doesn’t need your antics right now.”

“O-okay,” It was Lindsay’s turn to memorize the carpet.

“Now do you have anything to say to Miles,” Ryley continued her reprimand.

“S-sorry Miles,” Lindsay muttered.

“Don’t worry about it,” Miles parroted.

“Good job guys!” Ryley’s icy tone had completely melted away into a cheery disposition that made Miles feel all warm inside. Miles silently swore he’d get emotional hypothermia from such a rapid change if that even existed…

“Now,” Ryley grabbed Miles’s hand, “We’re going to head home, and I’m going to get this little guy to bed.”

Miles passed out in the car before they even made it to Ryley’s.

[sketch-twentytwo]

This is Melvin Sneedly, Harold Hutchins, and George Beard. Melvin is the kid on the left with goggles and freckles. Harold is the one in the middle with the T-shirt and bad hair cut. George is the one on the, right with the tie and flat top. Remember that now.

That’s the boys!

Aside from Melvin’s loss of bowtie, I don’t see them changing their attire too much in this AU. Also I changed my mind, George and Melvin would be rivals but both boys would still be independent pains in Krupp’s side.

George’s resistance to authority is because the school system hinders creativity and student imagination. Melvin’s defiance to authority is because he thinks he knows better than the administration and believes they hinder him, specifically. Harold agrees with both sides to an extent, resulting in him being totally on board with both parties' elaborate plans, at least unless they quarrel.

I see Harold being the unifying front for each faction: Melvin would be his best friend from kindergarten and George would be an ally he spends time with whenever he gets detention (either that or George bumps into Harold and recruits him in secret to join his student cause against Krupp).

————

I think the Authority-Event Horizon for Melvin occurs after he makes friends with Harold. He’d bear witness to the harassment Harold suffers at the hands of the school as well as the administration’s lack of handling it. It’d break his belief that the faculty (and adults for that matter) know best, and feed into his desire to make things better with his intellect.

RR!Melvin mostly follows the rules, mostly because it's convenient, and he rarely results to tattling, as he doesn't see it as useful anymore. Admin doesn't help the students, therefore they cannot exhibit proper justice.

————

When Melvin and George butt heads it's because they view each other as wasted potential. George thinks Melvin could use his inventions to help students in a more useful manner, such as overthrowing the principle or whatever. Melvin thinks George's antics are stupid and a waste of time. Harold really wants his two friends to get along, but he's a bit to timid to pull anything like that off.

Don't you worry, though, I have plans for these three in this AU....

Coming soon!

[hawkinsunderground]

every time i start to feel like i'm deluding myself about byler happening, i give myself a reality check using the classic 'if they were all straight' scenario, and then i stop doubting. if everything remained the same--same relationships, same dynamics with friends--with the only difference in the show being that Will was a girl, it's almost painfully obvious. And because all a m/f couple has to do is be in the vicinity of each other to get shipped, byler probably would have been more popular even in the earlier seasons.

Mike spending an entire season right by his girl best friend's side, desperate to help and fighting to stay near her as she slowly gets possessed. Then at the end of it all he gives her a whole speech crying and saying that choosing to be friends with her was the best thing he's ever done? I guarantee you even with milkvan developing a bunch of people would have jumped on the byler train, and more others would be thinking that Mike and Willow or whatever would eventually get together later on, with warring opinions on who the better ship is.

Mike neglecting his girl best friend who is now hinted to have a crush on him in s3 while trying to get over being kidnapped and everything she went through? Spending all his time with Eleven even though byler had just been so close the season prior. There's no way at least some ppl wouldn't be thinking romance. The whole 'Mike's probably repressing his feelings and pushing Will away because he's scared' idea that a lot of bylers believe suddenly wouldn't be a reach anymore if it was a straight pairing.

Sectioning the two of them off to have their little cali romance all the while hinting at serious relationship troubles and conflicting character arcs for Mike and Eleven. Meanwhile the shrouded love confession from 'Willow', the obvious flirting. You can't look me in the eyes and tell me that people wouldn't be losing their shit during the entire apology scene if Will was a girl. The flirty smiles, the "I didn't say it." "You didn't have to.", the intimacy of his apology to 'Willow' in comparison to the apology from Mike to Lucas in s1. Along with all of the other scenes where Mike is clearly different with 'Willow' compared to the rest of his friends, he's always near her, etc.

Atp I feel like the general consensus would be that they're setting up a Melvin breakup and Byler endgame. Mike putting his hand on Willow's shoulder and promising they'll get through this together while literally showing Midleven crashing and burning in the same scene? In one of the final scenes? You're gonna tell me that people wouldn't be thinking along the lines of romance, with the love triangle pointing in byler's favor?

Mike's 'love' confession would come across as the lie that it was and a lot of people would probably be saying that Mike is not confronting his true feelings. They would be drawing the same comaprisons we are--that it didn't even work and the gates opened, that his (girl) best friend had to tell him and guide him to confess to Eleven, with them finally as close as they were around s2 again and Melvin not even really getting back together, with clear issues still present in the finale. The direction they are going to take things in s5 would become obvious without the straight goggles blinding people to some of the most obvious character and relationship arcs that have been done a million times.

The only difference would be the lack of struggle due to homophobia and would probably be more centered on Mike's inability to confront his feelings due to a fear of messing things up between himself and Will, along with losing el because he doesn't love her the way she wants him to, keeping to the core of his character in either scenario

You're gonna tell me that if people saw this and it was mike's girl best friend sitting next to him, they wouldn't be jumping at a romance arc between the two of them?

or his reaction to them being friends again, a smile and voice we've never seen used with any other character, noticably different?

the physical proximity, the fact that they seem equally flirtatious and affected by the other despite Will being the only one with confirmed feelings atp it's too obvious--if it were a girl sitting next to mike people would definitely be drawing some conclusions Anyway, byler endgame

[faafi]

do you have a favorite loonatics unleashed episode?

Yes, I do!

Of course, it's a common answer, but my personal favorite episode is The Family Business. This episode is my favorite since it explores such an interesting part of the canon (the relations within Rev's family & the relations between roadrunners and coyotes). And, of course, I love Rev! And Tech, too! But Rev needs all of the love!!!

Besides The Family Business, my two other personal favorites are The Menace of Mastermind and It Came from Outer Space. These two episodes are the strongest in terms of their pacing, and there is a lot of great interactions between most of the characters (I say most because Slam doesn't interact much; but then again, Slam barely talks with the other Loonatics in most episodes, so whatever).

It Came from Outer Space

Personally, It Came from Outer Space is one of the funniest episodes of the show. Or at the very least, it is one of the stronger episodes in terms of comedy. Each character is fun to watch. Additionally, I love the inclusion of the classic Looney Tunes reference and how this gag is tied into the plot (picture above). This joke is very tastefully done (at least in comparison to the references that were made in Loonatics on Ice).

As a side rant, I love Rev here. This scene (shown above) is brief, but there is a lot to dissect ("Say, remember what Lexi said about feeling like Helen of Troy? Maybe we could make her really feel that way!").

For earlier context, when Melvin threatens to the Loonatics that he will blow up Acmetropolis if he can't abduct Lexi, Lexi comments that she feels like Helen of Troy. After saying this, everyone is confused, including Tech and Rev. Rev even looks behind himself and softly shakes his head side to side (shown below).

In the next few scenes, Rev is nowhere to be seen.

Later on, Rev doesn't show up until everyone is seated at the circular mission table except for Lexi.

It is revealed that Lexi went onto Melvin's ship for the sake of saving the city. Then, Tech & Ace talk about getting her back. Tech establishes that Melvin's spacecraft is impenetrable. Here, Rev proposes that they infiltrate Melvin's ship via a Trojan Horse. Sure, this scene is brief, but it really speaks a lot on Rev's character.

I am going to incorporate this idea into a later fic, but I love the premise that Rev is a huge book junkie who will read up on any subject. In my head, I think that Rev read a lot about Helen of Troy and learned about the Trojan Horse. This would explain why Rev wasn't present in that section of the episode.

This would also explain why Rev was confused when he heard Helen of Troy earlier and then proposed the Trojan Horse idea later.

As an aside, this moment is one of the few times when Tech is genuinely confused about something, and it is SO funny (picture below).

The Menace of Mastermind

This episode is a really entertaining episode overall.

The Menace of Mastermind: I loved the premise of this episode (where Mastermind infiltrates the Loonatics HQ). In terms of characterization, Mastermind is one of the best Loonatics villains.

There are a lot of one-liners here, too ("What?! Now is exactly the time to panic!", "My brilliant inventions. What has that ghastly woman done to my babies?!", etc.).

Like I said, this episode is fun to watch.

I especially like this scene when the Loonatics realize that their spare weapons were modified by Mastermind. Here (in the image below), Tech's spare weapons were altered so that they would wrap around each person's hands. And so each character has to break the ropes around their hands.

Of course, each character has their own way of getting out of their restraints (brute force, laser vision, teleportation, etc.).

In this part, Rev aims the weapon in front of himself.

HE FIRES AND USES HIS SPEED TO GO IN FRONT OF THE PROJECTILE

AND THE PROJECTILE STRIKES HIS OWN WEAPON

AND HE IS NO LONGER STUCK TO THE WEAPON

LIKE WHAT

MY CHILD IS SO SMART <3

Also, this episode has one of the most underrated TechRev moments of all time. There is an earlier scene in the episode where the Loonatics are hiding inside of the vents from Mastermind. Rev, Lexi, and Slam go to shut off the EMP.

When Lexi asks about where the EMP is located, Tech says, "It's hidden right in plain sight, and comes with simple instructions."

Later on, Rev, Lexi, and Slam find the EMP. Lexi says, "Aww, Tech said they'd come with simple instructions. Simple my lucky foot."

Then, Rev says, "I got this. Step 1: Arm primary ignition sequence using standard alphanumeric code calculations. Step 2: Insert electron overdrive..."

I LOVE this scene. It is perfect. This scene shows not only shows Rev's intelligence, but it also shows how familiar Rev is with Tech's thinking. It shows how Tech and Rev are comfortable with each other, even when they are not physically together. It's great.

I also love this shot (shown below) when Rev casually looks away from the screen while he is still talking at the same quick speed. Meanwhile, Lexi is beyond confused. It's a comical riot.

Also, this is really subtle, but I adore this detail: the next scene with Rev & Lexi shows that Rev is the person who is holding the EMP device (shown below). It's funny to think that Lexi just handed Rev the device so that he could deal with it.

Overall, my favorite episode of this show is The Family Business, but I also really enjoyed The Menace of Mastermind & It Came from Outer Space, too.

edit: updated the pictures for The Menace of Mastermind with ones that were higher quality

[dib-thing-wannabe]

The Fine Line Has Been Burned

"Okay, I got the drone set up!" Melvin quickly ran outside and went to George's side.

"Mhmm.. Good, good... now, I'm heading home. See you later.. or tomorrow, depending on when I wake up."

Melvin nodded his head in understanding before gently grabbing George's face and giving him a soft kiss on the lips, needing to stand on his tip toes as to reach George. George let out a soft hum as he softly kissed him back. If it weren't for the fact that he was extremely tired, George would have made this one kiss into ten.

"Remember to be safe, okay?"

"Mhm, I will..."

With that being said, George stepped off of Melvin's front porch and began making his way back home, the humming of the drone following behind him.

*Yawn* *Yawn* *Yaaawn*

Goddamn it.. it's only 1 pm! Why am I this tired?? Did I really sleep that badly last night?..

George's felt his eyes grow heavier and heavier, which in turn, despite it being very difficult for him at the moment, made him start speeding up.

Quickly, George made it back into his house without somehow tripping or passing out on the way. Upon seeing that George had successfully gone home, the drone turned around and started heading back towards Melvin's house, being done with it's duties.

George struggled to pull himself up the stairs, even with his super strength, battling with himself to keep his eyes opened for just a little while longer.

Fucking hell... it's never been this bad before.... why.. why is this...

George sluggishly dragged himself into his room, just barely keeping his eyes open. He did attempt to change into some clothes that were better for sleeping in, but ended up passing out on his bed only wearing white sweat pants.

Slowly, George opened his eyes as he looked up into a mostly clear sky, with the occasional clouds scattered across it. After a few moments of just admiring the blue sky, George lazily sat himself up and looked around to find himself in a field of flowers. The flowers consist of hyacinths, lavender, and begonias.

As George began becoming less dazed and more focused on his surroundings, he noticed the sound of water nearby. The sound was... Calming. Very, very calming. The sound was almost... Hypnotizing.

George stood up from where he once laid and began walking towards the sound of the water, his bare feet rubbing against the green grass beneath him. He followed the sound until finally reaching the source of it, a small lake. One small enough to see the other side of it, at the least. He walked closer to the edge of a dock as he looked down at the water before noticing movement.

It was a person. A person around his size, swimming peacefully in the water. Not wanting to potentially make the other person uncomfortable by staring, George sat down on the dock, dipping in only his feet into the water as he stared at the scenery around him. After a few minutes, the person popped their head out from under the water, staring up at George. George stared back, quickly getting engrossed by their bright orange eyes. If he was paying more attention to anything else about this person, he'd noticed that besides his eyes, the kid looked exactly like him..

The look alike pulled himself out of the water and onto the dock, now sitting beside George.

For what felt like 10 minutes to George, they stayed in silence, yet showed no signs of irritation, no signs of annoyance, or even confusion. The lack of tension in the air made George feel as if they have known each other since the dawn of time, needing no words to be exchanged between them.

George stared down at the water below him. Despite everything else looking to be natural and normal, the water had this black tint to it that it shouldn't have. Though still, it just.. felt so comforting. George reached down and gently grazed the waters surface with his fingertips. The waters just the right temperature for George, being nice and warm without it being boiling hot.

George looked back at the one with the orange eyes, as if asking if it was okay for him to leave the other alone again and go take a swim. They looked at George and gave him a simple nod of the head. Without a second thought afterwards, George hopped into the lake feet first, quickly getting fully submerged in the water..

The feeling... the feeling of it surrounding him... it was... safe. It was protective. It was.. calming. Not only that, but George quickly realized that he was actually able to breathe under this water, and it even has a slight taste of a strange yet pleasant mixture of orange and banana. George continued to swim below the water, feeling the most calm as he has ever been in quite some time.

Meanwhile, the bright orange eyes got up from the dock and began walking towards the field that George came from, as if he's curious about it as well..

The alarm clock on George's bedside started blaring at the clock hit 7:30 am. Quickly, the boy's fist meets the alarm, instantly breaking it and stopping the blaring. The boy lazily sat up on the bed, rubbing his eye with one hand as the other hand stabilized him. He began to open his eyes, his once amber color now instead having a bright, glowing orange in it's place.

He began looking around his surroundings, when he quickly became confused. He looked down at himself, before looking back around the room.

"... Where the fuck am I?.."

[ofsnarkandmagic]

@luposcainus [Cont. From]

Before he could say anything more or point out that how obvious it was that they'd head back to the palace, Caspian had grabbed his arm and pulled him up. Thankfully, at the last second, Melvin had adjusted his leg properly over the side. Yes, it was the first time he'd been on a horse. Oddly enough, he was fine with the new-found height. "Huh, first time I've been on one of these." A pause. At least Caspian was behind him. "Could ya hold onto me please?"

[exsqueezememacaroni]

«sorry anon 😭 I couldn't get to answer this before - I don't know where you stand on my mike answers post but like....let's forget about that and talk about Trevor Dunn also playing on that album??? I didn't know that?!?! I should listen to Not Your Girl again to see if I can pick him up a little more....

(I'm going through a time right now answering anon asks, but like...I kinda do want to talk about Trevor a bit more...lol....though ya, I know that poor guy has already had his day in the tumblr meat grinder....fuckn.....twice even!!!)»

It's okay, you must have had a rough days. I've read all your drama, and I don't know what to think about it yet. But anyway, I'd rather talk about Trevor's gay side than Mike's. Trevor's always seemed more gay to me. And I remember when he was on tour with Melvins 51/51(2012) Buzz was always telling everyone that Trevor was gay and making a lot of gay jokes about him. Maybe of course it has to do with Trevor being so funny and effeminate. But he wore a damn dress, he was called a porno princess and the lyrics he wrote for Mr. Bungle seem so gay to me. And Trey also said that Trevor's lyrics that he wrote when he was 16 sound like they were written by someone with a sexual disorders. And Danny Heifetz joked something about Trevor's queer voice in an interview. And I'm just falling over laughing. This guy is really cute and so funny. And he's so secretive. I remember when he was asked on his website about his sexual orientation and he said something like "none of your damn business".

Talk about a guy who is (maybe) a mystery to himself.

There is a part of my brain that is like: what makes lyrics gay? Care to expand on that?

I don't know where you fall on the Trevor's pronouns/gender conversation that was happening earlier this year, but I am inclined to say that all the "gay and queer" talk around Trevor is more a gender thing than a sexuality thing. Or at the very least, his own sexuality may be first tied up in his gender. I also wonder if he's secretive about it bc it would take the whole interview to explain it....

[tacomasterstudios]

CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS SEASON 5 PREDICITIONS

Based on patterns in the show, both across the seasons as a whole and the odd numbered seasons specifically. This is also just speculation and at this point it’s more likely that there won’t be a fifth season at all.

ROUGH PREDICTIONS

The season will be seven episodes long. Seasons one and two, with their 13 episodes each, make up a 26-episode block used for international syndication. With S3’s 13 episodes and S4’s six, and not counting the hour long specials or the interactive “episode”, the series will need seven more episodes to get another 26-episode block for 52 total episodes.

Since so many DreamWorks cartoons end at 52 episodes (Home, Trollhunters, Spirit, She-Ra, VeggieTales in the House), it is likely this will be the final season.

Following the cliffhanger at the end of season 4 (the space one), the gimmick of this season will be time travel. The first episode will follow up on said cliffhanger, showing us a thoroughly messed up future.

On this note, the futuristic version of Captain Underpants and the lump versions of George and Harold on his arms will play a role in at least the first episode, if not the entire season.

Either when the initial bad future is ended in episode 1 or when the future is for sure saved in the finale, future CU, like Melvinborg, will be erased from time and vanish into the ether.

There won’t be a proper “season villain” like the second and fourth seasons, but the present day versions of Krupp and Melvin will be recurring antagonists. In this case, they get suspicious of George and Harold’s sudden access to time travel and attempt to investigate.

In addition, Melvin once again is the usual cause of the episodic villains’ creations, and usually by accident. If it’s not Melvin, it’s the boys.

Krupp and the boys will have a moment where they get along in the final episode of the season.

Mr. Meaner will be an episodic villain. Again.

Episode Four will center around Erica, and will involve some feminist issue that Erica represents (such as representation in media in season one, mansplaining in season three). It will also be the worst episode of the season.

Alternatively, the issue touched upon will revolve around some other social justice aspect, like racism or trans rights or something. Oh dear…

Keeping the transition of Dayci Brookshire-voiced character focus from Jessica to Dressy, as well as the pattern of Dayci-voiced character episodes in general (2 Jessica in S1, 1 Jessica in S2, 1 Jessica and 1 Dressy in S3, 1 Dressy), Dressy will have roles in two episodes, one as an antagonist (but not as one of the episodic villains).

For the episode where Dressy is an antagonist, the main villain could be music themed, and attempt to force everyone into singing and dancing forever. Dressy would be on the villain’s side because while singing and dancing forever would be torment for everyone else, it would be positively heavenly for her.

There will be an episode dealing with Mr. Ree’s past, uncovering another mysterious secret.

Given the theme of this season, it’s likely that George and Harold travel back in time to this event, and possibly attempt to change it.

At least one of the big five classic monsters (mummies, werewolves, Frankenstein’s monster, vampires, and ghosts) will be a theme for one of the villains. (Vampires and mummies were used in S1, ghosts were used in S3, this leaves werewolves and Frankenstein’s monster as the remaining two.)

One villain will be plant/vegetable themed (like Avocadwoe in S1 and Combotato in S2).

TWO villains will be based around classical mythology and/or legends (like the Homework Hydra and Claylossus in S1 and the Barflilisk and Melviathan in S3).

One villain will cause people to sleep or fall unconscious in some way (like DJ Drowsy Drawers in S1 or Blah Borelock in S3)

TWO villains will be robots or otherwise mechanical (like DJ Drowsy Drawers and the Homework Hydra in S1 and the Water Warmongers and Sugamechanger in S3)

Mr. Meaner and Harold’s relationship could possibly be explored after implying that Meaner and Harold’s mom were in a relationship in the Halloween special. Then again, six episodes, an interactive special and a Christmas special later, nothing. So I don’t know.

If they do touch on that, that episode could be the episode where Dressy plays a role but ISN’T the antagonist, since one of her mothers is Misty Meaner, Mr. Meaner’s sister, so if Mr. Meaner and Harold’s mom get married, Harold and Dressy would become cousins.

Gooch will finally get an episode where he plays a major role. Huzzah!

Other Sophie will finally get a break at the end of the season/series.

Much is the seasonal tradition at this point (the Egyptian kids in S1, the other school in S2, the rich doppelgangers in S3, and the Utopiquans in S4), one episode will feature duplicates of the kids.

Edith makes cameos throughout the season, but does not play a major role.

Heidi will not appear. Sorry.

The MISFARTS will appear in an episode, possibly the finale.

The finale will be only a single part, but plot points from the previous episode will continue into the finale.

Said finale will feature returning villains (like how Smartsy Fartsy returned in S1’s finale, and the Poopetrators were made up of returning villains in S3’s finale).

There will be no cliffhanger ending.

POSSIBLE EPISODE LIST (with a ton of less-than-founded assumptions and guesswork)

Episode 1 - The season premiere. Following up on the cliffhanger of season 4, this episode features the boys following the future Captain Underpants to the dystopian near-future in which he originates. At the end, he is erased from time due to the timeline being prevented, but he leaves the boys with one of the Time Toads. The main villain is a rogue AI of some kind, likely invented by Melvin.

Episode 2 - This is a musical episode, and another episode set mainly in the future, though a different one than last time. The boys find themselves in a future even more terrifying than the last- mainly because disco is back in fashion! The world is ruled by a monster named Funkenstein and his human enforcer Dressy, and the law of the land is you either sing and dance (preferably through disco), or you die. Funkenstein was actually created by Melvin back in the present, and Dressy quickly bonded with him. Dressy used Funkenstein to force everyone into her own song-and-dance filled utopia, while Funkenstein in turn manipulated Dressy into bringing disco back- permanently! George and Harold eventually manage to convince Dressy that singing and dancing is more fun if people are allowed to choose when to do it and in what manner, and the boys, Dressy, and Captain Underpants defeat Funkenstein with the power of rock and roll. Then George and Harold go back to the present to destroy Funkenstein before he’s created, making Melvin suspicious…

Episode 3 - The boys go back in time to Mr. Ree's past, uncovering yet another mysterious secret. The villain for this episode will be vegetable-based, with the ability to make people fall asleep.

Episode 4 - This is the long-awaited Gooch episode. This episode will also feature Erica in a major role, and the featured issue will be… (drumroll please) racism. Let’s set it in ancient Japan, mayyybe include a werewolf and move on because this episode is a trainwreck waiting to happen.

Episode 5 - This episode revolves around Harold’s mom and Mr. Meaner getting married. In some Melvin-related way, Mr. Meaner is transformed into the Meaner-taur and goes on a rampage, and it’s up to Harold (and to some extent his new cousin Dressy) to stop him. To tie it into the time travel motif, it’ll probably begin with a jaunt into the future where everything is a gym-class style dystopia. The end of the episode, after Mr. Meaner is back to normal, will feature the wedding.

Episode 6 - George and Harold go back to ancient Greece, and get in a tussle with the ancient gods! For some reason, they all like the students and teachers. At the end of the episode, the Time Toad begins to spark, then shift and change, much to our heroes’ horror.

Episode 7 - The season- and series- finale. Following up on the cliffhanger from the last episode, the Time Toad grows unstable from overuse, and comes to life! It also turns into a giant-ish monster, and summons all the monsters/villains from past episodes, even reformed villains (like Smartsy Fartsy and Laser Lightmare), villains that were turned back to normal (such as the Vimpire or Cloggernaut), multiple instances of the same person (Flabby Flabulous, Blah Borelock, and the Meanertaur as examples), and even villains who were erased from the timestream (like Funkenstein. the Space villains, and Melvinborg)! Fortunately, the future Captain Underpants, the Cosmicops, Grace Wain, the Littlites, and other temporal allies from previous episodes are also brought back! Now, it’s up to George, Harold, the MISFARTS, Mr. Ree, Sergeant Boxers, the returning allies, and even Melvin to stop the villains and deactivate the Time Toad! (During the battle, students and allies who were previously turned into, related to, or the basis of monsters fight the monster counterpart, Other Sophie quickly puts the Crocobats in their place, Erica saves Jessica from the Vimpire, Sergeant Boxers fights the Meaner-Monsters while protecting Harold, etc.) At the end, the Sophies finally get a break, and the boys befriend Melvin and even have a nice moment with Mr. Krupp, before destroying the Time Toad once and for all. Harold is ready to create another Captain Underpants comic, but George (noticing that every time they create a CU comic, the monster comes to life) suggests they make a Dog Man comic instead, foreshadowing the Dog Man movie.

[myhauntedsalem]

The Boogeyman of Baltimore 1951

The summer of 1951 was a weird time in the city of Baltimore. The city sweltered under a heat wave and only the wealthiest residents of the region could afford air conditioners at the time. And there were no air conditioners to be found in O’Donnell Heights, a housing project on the southwest side of the city. This was a place where steel mill and shipyard workers lived with their families. For those folks, though, the steamy heat was less of a worry than the specter that was stalking their streets.

At some point in July, a tall, thin figure, dressed all in black, began sprinting across the rooftops of O’Donnell Heights. It leaped on and off buildings, broke into houses, attacked people, enticed a young girl to crawl under a car and played music in the nearby graveyard. Groups of young men patrolled the streets, while others waited by their windows at night, keeping a sleepy watch for the “Phantom Prowler” that eluded his pursuers and vanished into the cemetery before he could be caught. By the end of the month, police were arresting people for disorderly conduct and carrying weapons, but the phantom had disappeared and was never seen again. What in the hell happened in O’Donnell Heights in the summer of 1951? To this day, no one knows.

O’Donnell Heights was only eight years old when the mysterious stranger began making his appearances. Built as a housing project for defense industry workers at Bethlehem Steel, Martin Aircraft and Edgewood Arsenal during World War II, it was never meant to be either durable or attractive. Tightly-spaced, two–story row houses went up on sixty-six acres of what used to be farmland, a brickyard that belonged to the Baltimore Brick Co. and part of St. Stanislaus Kostka Cemetery, one of several graveyards in the immediate area. The others included Evangelical Trinity Lutheran Congregational, Mount Carmel, St. Matthew’s and Oheb Shalom Congregation Cemetery, but the phantom would show an affinity for St. Stanislaus and often appeared nearby.

By the time that the local newspapers realized that something very strange was happening in the Heights, the panic was almost over. Most of the stories that remain today come from the back pages of the Baltimore Sun and Evening Sun, which printed a handful of articles between July 25 and July 27, when the sightings came to an end. Reporters approached it as a “tongue in cheek” story with cartoon illustrations. No one seemed to know when the events had started, but on July 24, Agnes Martin told a reporter that the phantom had been seen for “at least two or three weeks.”

The first definite date discovered by researcher Robert Damon Schneck was on July 19, although the figure had undoubtedly been seen a number of times prior to that. On this date, though, there was a full moon and nighttime temperatures were in the 70’s. It was around 1:00 a.m. when William Buskirk, 20, ran into the phantom. He reported, “I was walking along the 1100 block of Travers Way with several buddies when I saw him on a roof. He jumped off the roof and we chased him into the graveyard…” One of the other boys interviewed with Buskirk stated that, “he sure is an athlete. You should have seen him go over that fence – just like a cat.” The fence that surrounded the cemetery was six feet in height and trimmed with barbed wire around the top. According to the witnesses, the figure in black had leapt over it with ease.

Hazel Jenkins claimed that the phantom grabbed her some time the same week. She saw it twice at close-range and may have been attacked when the figure tried to break into the Jenkins home (the article isn’t clear) but her brother, Randolph, saw it soon after. He told a reporter, “I saw him two nights after he tried to break into our house… He was just beginning to climb up on the roof of the Community Building. We chased him all the way to Graveyard Hell.”

The phantom next visited the family of Melvin Hensler, breaking into their house on July 20, but stealing nothing. After this unnerving experience, the family went to stay with Mr. Hensler’s brother, but Mrs. Hensler returned to the house the next day and found “a potato bag left on the ironing board,” which she was convinced belonged to the intruder. Mr. Hensler was so exhausted from staying awake that his eyes ached and he had started talking in his sleep.

Storms on July 23 lowered the temperatures, but had no effect on the phantom. In fact, on July 24, he was especially active. Newspapers reported, “At 11:30 p.m. officers Robert Clark and Edward Powell were called to the O’Donnell Heights area where they were greeted by some 200 people who said that had seen the oft-reported ‘phantom.’ Clark said that they pointed to the rooftops and someone yelled: ‘The phantom’s there!’” The police drove around and arrested a twenty-year-old sailor carrying a hammer. He was fined $5.

A reporter from the Sun found thirty of forty people waiting around the back stoop of a house on Gusryan Street, waiting for the sun to come up. One of them, Charles Pittinger, had armed himself with a shotgun. He interviewed several of them, who passed along rumors and told of their own experiences. Some of them claimed the phantom lived in the graveyard and a woman who lived on Wellsbach Way, adjacent to St. Stanislaus, suggested that the phantom was doing more than jumping fences and breaking into houses: “One night I heard someone playing the organ in that chapel up there. It was about 1 o’clock.”

The phantom was also reportedly seen beckoning to Esther Martin from underneath an automobile, saying, “Come here, little girl.”

The consensus of the crowd was that the phantom easily leaped from two-story buildings, flew over fences and was a general nuisance in the neighborhood. A man named George Cook admitted having mixed feelings about what was happening. He did not deny the reports of the phantom, just the possibility that something extraordinary was involved. In the end, he blamed the media. “It’s ridiculous to believe that a man can jump from a height and not leave a mark on the ground. Yet this character does it all the time. It’s my idea that when this thing is cleared up… it’ll turn out to be one of these young hoodlums who has got the idea from the movies or the so-called funny papers, and is trying to act it out. This sort of thing appeals to detective story readers who are mainly looking for excitement.”

Meanwhile, the police were busy ignoring the phantom and rounding up the “usual suspects.” On the morning of July 25, they arrested four boys on disorderly conduct charges at an unidentified cemetery. Around 10:00 p.m. that same night, officers arrested three boys on an embankment near the cemetery. Their six companions, all on the lookout for the phantom, fled the scene. An hour later, the police responded to a call from a resident who heard footsteps on his roof, but nothing was found. At some point the next day, Mrs. Mildred Gaines heard the sound of someone trying to break into her house and ran outside barefoot screaming, “It’s the phantom!” It was actually the police breaking down the door to serve a search warrant on the premises. Mrs. Gaines and four male companions were arrested on bookmaking charges.

By this time, the newspaper coverage – which had started off with reporters as baffled as the residents of O’Donnell Heights – turned humorous. The stories poked fun at the sightings, reported pranks by neighbors pretending to be the phantom, and carried a story about a phantom sighting on a rooftop that turned out to be a ventilation pipe. On July 27, the Evening Sun announced there were no more reports and that, “Police think it might be a teenager.” The phantom was gone, but the heat was back, with high humidity and temperatures in the middle 90’s. Like most bizarre “flaps” of this type, there was no satisfying resolution to the panic created by the Phantom of O’Donnell Heights. An unofficial version claimed that residents finally chased it into the cemetery, where the phantom jumped into a crypt and vanished for good.

No one can say who, or what, this figure may have been, although based on the sheer number of sightings, something weird was happening in the neighborhood. Descriptions of the phantom were fairly consistent, considering that that the encounters were brief, took place in the dark, and he was usually moving at a good clip. William Buskirk said, “He was a tall thin man dressed all in black. It looked like he had a cape around him.” The only one who mentioned the phantom’s face was witness Myrtle Ellen, who said it was horrible. She also agreed about the dark costume. The newspapers described the phantom as “black robed,” suggesting long, loose-flowing clothes. Mrs. Melvin Hensler, discoverer of the discarded potato sack, saw the phantom three times and said that during one sighting, it looked as though he had a hump on his back.

Theories abound about the “Horror of the Heights.” Sociologists have described the events in O’Donnell Heights as an example of an “imaginary community threat,” suggesting that the 900 families living there experienced some type of mass hysteria, whipped up by rumors and the media. It’s true that misconceptions undoubtedly played a part in the events, but they don’t explain the relatively straightforward experiences described by William Buskirk and other witnesses. The police never denied that people were seeing something but, like George Cook, thought it would turn out to be a “young hoodlum.” But if it was, he was never caught, exposed or confessed.

It’s also hard to accept that the newspapers played a part in creating any hysteria. The two local papers ran only six articles on the phantom, two of them mere fillers, and they were printed as the sensation was coming to an end. The only one that might be called “sensationalistic” ran on July 25 and included the experiences of a number of witnesses. However, it ended on a sober note: “The question of the prowler of O’Donnell Heights continued to be not one of the phantoms, but of people reacting to (and possibly creating) the unknown with their imaginations.”

Some have taken the phantom’s affinity for St. Stanislaus as evidence that it was an actual ghost. Part of O’Donnell Heights was built on land that once belonged to the cemetery, which contains a great many unmarked graves from the influenza epidemic of 1918. Also, bodies were exhumed and reinterred when Boston Street was extended in the 1930s, but it’s hard to see how this would stir up a spirit in July 1951.

There has also been the suggestion that the phantom was some sort of mysterious entity like the “Mothman” of West Virginia or the “Mad Gasser of Mattoon,” which plagued a small town in Illinois in 1944.

Whatever it was, it remains a mystery and one that – like far too many others – will simply never be solved.

[weepingclergy]

"OH! Wait a second, kiddo... I know you??" The question mark was poignant, and ever the tell-tale sign that the spiders in his head were working over time. His face, his prominent pout, his Grima-forsaken ironic slouch. (Maribelle was the last person in the world to have a bad posture, so Henry had always found it HILARIOUS.) "I do! Yeah! It's..." He snapped his fingers twice, like striking a match. "Brady! Or do you go by some other name now?" Cynthia hadn't given him a rundown about Maribelle's kid at all, so for all he knew, Brady went by Brandon Salamander or something now, right?

"Man oh man— glad you're not dead in the water, nya ha ha! Didn't know I'd end up bumping into a whole lot of you kids here, but I guess flocks of a feather end up together, ahaha~" He tilted his entire body to one side, trying to peek for the kid's signature instrument of choice. Then the other, just for funsies. Did he still play? Was it just Henry, or was this kid even older now??

"You still play, don'tcha? The crows and flowers always liked when you did."

finally his sickness subsides and brady can drag his arse out of the infirmary tent. it's embarrassing enough that he had to forego the traditional interview because of his weak stomach, but he totally ralphed at least 4 times on the way from the interview hall to the medtent. he wants to whack his skull against a wall. if ANYONE calls him 'barfy' or something similar, he's going to beat the shit out of them.

as he swaggers from one place to the next, flashing sneers wherever he walks, brady keeps eyes out for any suspicious figures. however, he's so caught up in his search that when someone addresses him from behind, he almost throws up again from surprise.

" AHH! WHAT T-- " cough. slouch. leer. " oh. it's you. yeah, it's me. an' i didn't change my name none, either---the hell gave you that idea?"

henry always was a bit of a nutcase in brady's eyes. never not talking death or crows or murder or what have you; risen were scary, but the way this guy pulled them apart like string cheese was scarier. oh, gods, the imagery's making him feel sick again. he shakes his head and tries to keep his stink eye strong.

though, something that white-haired melvin says alerts him. " you kids? " he grunts, turning his head lightly to the side. " wait, you mean i ain't the only one of us here? where're the others? you know somethin' i don't, grampa? "

he tries to get close, maybe intimidate some info out of henry, but his next question pops brady's bravado like a tent in a windstorm. he sags, flicks his eyes to the side bashfully. he didn't think the guy would be genuine like that.

" 'course i still play. why the hell wouldn't i? my violin case s' still on the boat. "

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios Adventures

Remy stared in her brother's direction, trying to make him do something fun by sheer force of will. All Adam did all day was mope and read, and sharing a room with him was beginning to grate on her nerves.

Adam moved, and Remy had a brief moment of hope where she though he might do something interesting. She was immediately let down however, when he simply grabbed a school book and started to read. Remy had thought sharing a room with him briefly as a kid had been rough, but she was wrong. Her younger twin brother had the exciting life of a shriveled up old warlock whose main excitement in life was the daily crossword puzzle. Clearly Theo had been a large part of Adam's adventurous side and if he didn't come back to make her brother fun again, she had the feeling that Adam would forever be as dull as he was now.

"A book? Why are you doing schoolwork? It's after hours and you could be doing anything! Literally, anything. Why don't you watch a movie or whatever you think is fun? Teenagers have fun, boring ass adults do schoolwork after class. You're only young once, Adam and you're blowing it."

"I don't know, it's hard to say what's fun these days. Theo liked watching movies with me. The really scary ones so he'd have to hold me when we watched them. Everything I could do, I did it with him first. Reading about magic might be the only way I can see him again. If I want to, that is."

"That's it! I can't take any more of this. You stay here and die of old age, while you figure out if you still love your boyfriend. I'm going to have fun. At least one of us should."

Remy cast a quick spell to freshen her makeup and hair, daring her brother to say something. Anything.

"Where are you going? You know you're not supposed to leave the school grounds," Adam cautioned. "Dad will be pissed if he finds out."

"No, he won't. He'll never catch me and if he ever did, I could just blame your constant moping making me insane. Seriously, if you went downstairs to even have a game of chess with a stranger, Dad would probably throw a party of his own."

"He would not," Adam grumbled defensively. "I'm not that bad."

"Yeah, you are," Remy confirmed, looking at her phone. "Don't worry, I have some fun planned for you despite your aversion to anything interesting. You can't just stay in here mourning Theo forever."

"Oh god, what have you done now, Remy?" Adam groaned. "I don't need your idea of fun. That usually leads to hangovers and possible academic suspension."

"You'll see," she teased, putting on a revealing dress in an instant and rechecking her hair. "I got your boy crush's phone number, why don't you try entering it on your new phone? Oh wait, I already did while you stared at the wall all day."

"Boy crush?" Adam repeated. "I don't have any crush, you're being deluded again."

"I've seen the way that you look at Josh from Crystal Cove," Remy laughed. "Oh, Josh, help me find this rare crystal. Josh, do you want to help me study? My boyfriend just can't answer questions like you can. Let's have little crystal babies together."

Remy made an obnoxious kissing noise and Adam whipped a pillow at her.

"That's not true!" he shouted. "Josh and I are just friends. He's dating someone from Arkhelios!"

"Just like you, see this is working out," Remy replied. "You have so much in common. I told him that you wanted to spend some alone time to talk about rocks and he was into it. Dad might not have told you, but he called the coven nearly every day after you got hurt. He likes you."

"Remy! You didn't!"

Adam's mind reeled as he thought of the damage Remy had done. Josh was an attractive, powerful warlock who Adam looked up to. He was a couple years older than Adam and currently had a boyfriend in college, Melvin Jr Hydes. Josh and Melvin always seemed so happy together, just like he and Theo used to be and the thought of Josh thinking that Adam wouldn't respect that relationship was horrible.

It wasn't like Remy was too off base though, if Adam was honest with himself. Josh was the great-nephew of the king of Strangetown and was named after Master Toyonaga, someone he had always longed to have as a teacher. In an alternate world, Adam would learn under Master Toyonaga and continue to pursue crystal magic as a major. The fact that Josh would also be there was just a bonus.

Josh didn't make Adam feel like he did when he was with Theo, but Adam could still feel his heart race when Josh helped him with a project. The fact that Remy had picked up on this fact was dangerous. If she knew about his silly crush, how obvious was it to everyone else? Did Josh know? Did Theo?

"Hey, Adam. I was just wondering if you wanted to do something together? Your sister said you might want to hang out?"

Adam's heart froze in his chest when he saw Simon Toyonaga appear in their doorway, looking optimistic. From the way his sister was beaming, Adam assumed that this visit was also her idea. Had she invited every member of the Toyonaga family in their age group to cheer him up?

"Remy!" Adam hissed, unsure if he was more angry or terrified by his sister's meddling. How on earth was she doing all of this?

"Oh, hi, Simon," Remy said sweetly. "Good timing. I was just going out and Adam could use some company. His boyfriend is still missing and he's feeling so hurt by him. Maybe you could cheer him up."

"Yeah, I can try," Simon said eagerly. "What do you want to do?"

Behind Simon's back, Remy was making obscene gestures with her hands, giving her brother suggestions for what they could do in her absence.

"Remy! Uh, yeah, I guess we could go for a walk or something," Adam said politely. It wasn't Simon's fault that Remy was out of control.

Simon was cute, and even Adam could figure out that Simon had a crush on him. Theo had always acted like he was oblivious to this fact if he did know. Unlike his father, there weren't several family stories about Theo going mad with jealousy and taking his anger out on people who simply looked at his partner. Roman was always the parent who made Adam nervous when he was at Theo's house because he was so predictably unpredictable. There was no way that Adam could picture Theo dumping Simon into a section of the Void because Adam thought he was attractive. No matter how Theo eventually returned to him, Adam knew that Simon would be safe if Remy tried to convince Theo that something had happened while he was gone.

But i thought that he would never hurt me. Maybe the Theo I thought I knew never really existed.

"It's nice out here," Simon commented.

After forcing Remy to go to her party or whatever she had planned so that she'd leave him alone, Adam and Simon had walked in near silence down to the outdoor balconies. Simon watched Adam in case he wobbled or needed assistance, but it wasn't needed. The majority of his physical wounds had healed, though Adam supposed that people couldn't have known that if they never saw him out in public.

"I never really come out here at night," Simon continued awkwardly. "It's peaceful."

"Theo and I always sat out here. You can see a lot of cool birds and there's a pretty good view of some of the royal residences."

"So, uh, do you know when Theo will be back in school?" Simon asked carefully. "Is he coming back? I've heard a lot of conflicting things."

"He'll be back," Adam promised. "Evren might burn down the school if he doesn't. All the adults talk in hushed whispers when Theo's mentioned, so I'd imagine that something is happening. Maybe he'll come back early."

"So you are still dating him? Remy made it sound like-"

"Remy doesn't know what she's talking about," Adam said quickly. "I don't know how I'll feel when I see him again, but I owe it to him to not break up with him while he's not here to know that we're done. Remy means well, but sometimes she goes too far."

"That's admirable," Simon replied. "Theo's lucky to have you...that is if you decide to stay together. Relationships aren't easy."

"No, they're not," Adam agreed. "I learned that the hard way."

"So what are you up to lately?" Simon asked, redirecting their conversation away from the topic of Theo. "You miss a lot of class, are you having trouble keeping up? I can always try to help, though my grades have never been as good as yours. Do you have any hobbies?"

Adam paused, trying to think of a response.

"No, not really. I haven't been doing much of anything lately. It's too hard to focus on anything but Theo...and everything that happened."

"You like crystals, though, don't you?" Simon pressed. "You made Theo that ring he's always showing off and I remember your year-end project from last year. It was the prototype for a new wand, right? Did you ever get that to work?"

Adam frowned, unsure of the answer to that question.

"I don't know, I dropped it after I could use the Maricourt wand," he replied. "To be honest, I've kinda forgotten about it. My dad gets upset if I don't show off the Maricourt wand in class."

"Well, what would you rather wield? I like my trusty carved wand personally. I don't think I'll ever use the Maricourt wand after I can summon it. It's bulky and too much of a hassle."

"Yeah, I've never really thought about it," Adam said. "It's just what my dad told me to do. It's tradition. It's how you prove yourself to the coven." He paused. "Now that you mention it, the Maricourt wand is bulky and hard to maneuver. I smacked myself in the head a few times when i first tried to cast a proper spell with it."

"You worry too much about what adults think," Simon declared, staring up at the night sky. "Forget about Theo for now and focus on yourself. I mean, that's what he's doing, isn't he? He's finding out who he is and how to be that person going forward and you're just crying about him. I'm not trying to be mean, Adam, but you should use this time to grow in your own power. Try something new. Take a risk."

Adam thought carefully about this advice. Sure, Remy and his father had told him basically the same thing, but it felt different coming from an outsider to their family. Maybe he really was missing a silver lining with Theo's absence. When Theo came back, did he really want to see his boyfriend miserable and barely leaving his dorm room? Adam's body and magical skill had been transformed and he wasn't even experimenting with his abilities or how they could interact with the power of crystals. Why did he use the Maricourt wand in class when he could barely feel the difference in magical power when he used it? His magic had always felt amplified when channeled through a crystal prism. Whenever he searched for his limited connection to Theo, a crystal wand always made him easier to find. His feelings for Theo always seemed to be perfectly in tune with a crystal, vibrating together with perfect clarity.

"You're right," Adam said slowly, a powerful thought beginning to crystalize in his mind. "No one is going to bring Theo back here or let me talk to him. If I want to get closure, I need to find Theo myself."

"I'm not sure that was my point exactly," Simon replied. "You should find out about yourself and then when you're ready-"

"I can feel him faintly. If I could get a wand that would amplify that, I might be able to talk to him. I could take charge of this situation and fix all of this."

For the first time in months, the tightness in Adam's chest began to ease. Why was he sitting around waiting for someone else to bring Theo back to him? He had all the tools he needed to try to fix this. He was so preoccupied with all the changes that had happened to him, that he'd forgotten all the things that had stayed the same. He was connected to Theo magically, which not only gave him a clue to find Theo, but also borrowed some of Theo's insane power for himself. He was a Maricourt and a Darktide and he could do whatever he put his mind to.

"You're right, Simon!" Adam exclaimed, feeling hope trickle back into his heart for the first time in months. "I know just who to help me find Theo."

"Please don't tell your sister that this was my idea," Simon whimpered. As much as he liked Adam, he was rightfully frightened of Remy, Bronwen and Elowen. If they thought that he had influenced their brother into something rash and dangerous, Simon was doomed.

Adam summoned one of his practice wands for dueling class and immediately waved it in a basic summoning spell. Using a practice wand dulled the spell's power so that the target wouldn't be summoned against their will. They could choose to ignore the summons if it was inconvenient for them. The last thing Adam wanted was to summon his guest if he was getting ready for bed.

"Adam? So are you are alive! I was starting to have my doubts."

A glowing figure emerged from nothingness before the two boys' eyes. Adam beamed seeing his visitor, consciously trying not to look too excited.

"Josh! Remy mentioned that you were looking to talk with me," Adam said, brushing his hair slightly so less of his scar was visible. "Simon and I were just talking, and I may have a project for us. I need to talk to Theo and there's no traditional way of finding him. From what my dad says, he's in a place we can't even summon him. His dad already tried and it's like wherever he is has some kind of shielding. I can barely feel my connection to him, but with the right crystal, I might be able to enhance it. So I was thinking-"

"Slow down, Adam, I haven't seen you in months and you're talking a mile a minute about a crystal? How are you? What happened? Your dad gave me your new phone number and you've been ghosting me. I texted you. Are you doing any better?"

Adam froze, the weight of his memories steamrolling over the limited confidence he'd felt.

"I'm fine," he said shortly. "I can walk like normal now, and I've gone back to regular classes. I'm fine."

Josh nodded, realizing that he'd pushed too hard in his excitement to hear from his friend. If he wanted to help Adam, he would have to slow things down.

"I'm glad to hear that. You can catch me up to date while we're working on this project of yours."

Adam's face brightened once more. As long as he didn't have to think about what had happened, he could maybe start to see a path forward.

"I need a new wand," he explained. "I was hoping that you or Master Toyonaga could help me make that wand I was working on before. If I can get the right wand, I might be able to talk to Theo. All I need is some help."

"And I can help you," Josh replied. "I made my own wand last year. Just about everyone in the coven has at least one wand that they've made themselves. It's surprisingly easy with the right crystals."

"I knew I could count on you."

Adam beamed with a new excitement now that he had a tangible plan in front of him. Finally, something in his life that he could control. Josh was going to help him find Theo and then things would finally change. He'd know just how he felt about both his boyfriend and his future once he could make a stronger wand.

"Well, I think we could start with coffee first before we jump right into magic," Josh laughed. "I get that you don't want to talk about certain things, but it's been forever since we hung out. Crystals resonate stronger when you are honest about your feelings and intentions, so let me help focus your magic. Does the coffee machine in the kitchen still work or did Travis break it again?"

"Travis broke the coffee machine?" Adam repeated. "I don't think he did, but-"

"It was about a month ago," Simon said. "He was testing whether he could brew coffee with the attributes of a potion he was working on. The kitchen was a disaster and the new machine only came in last week. There were a lot of pissed off people in the mornings."

"Really? I don't remember that."

"Because you haven't been outside your bedroom in ages," Josh replied. "The world kept turning despite Theo being gone. This is what I'm saying, let's get you back into society and when you're back, your magic will take care of itself. You know crystals are stronger when they're surrounded by others in tune with you."

"Yeah, I know. That makes sense." Adam paused, trying to summon the courage to move forward when the past was still so overwhelming. Crystals did need clarity and focus and if he wanted to find Theo and find himself again, Josh's suggestion made sense.

"Okay, one cup of coffee. But that's it."

[capsrecedinghairline]

Battle of the Super Sons: a bad summary by me

spoilers, obv

- why do we always gotta watch Krypton explode? This is the equivalent of the Waynes getting shot.

- kinda weird last words to your infant son but uh okay

- Lois explains journalism

- I know he’s animated but how do Clark’s legs support his torso. He’s shaped like a ravioli on stilts

- wow i wonder if that ant stuff will come in later with the starros

- I can’t think of a single reason they would’ve hidden Clark’s powers from the kid for so long?

- Y’all left green arrow in charge of the watchtower? Does batman know about this?

- that bully looks like he’s going to a bear/otter club in Miami on a Tuesday

- Jon lit the farm on fire but I got my period in the pool at summer camp so who had puberty worse

- I thought we weren’t saying the “American way” thing anymore

- Jon upon seeing Gotham: “bitch u live like this”

- Between the two of them batman and superman have at least 30 abs

- whose got damn white baby is that

- That is a SLAVIC baby

- I wanna feel bad for Damian but I feel like he makes baristas cry

- BATCOW

- BAT BUCKET

- Side note, the writing is literally so bad. There are more holes than plot. I wish I hadn’t started this.

- I am once again forced to watch Batman beat his child, but at least he’s mind-controlled this time

- What’s Melvin’s tragic backstory?

- “We need to lay low,” says the preteen flying the bat plane in the middle of the afternoon

- Where’s Harley Quinn with a javelin when you need her

- Bad Guy Monologue

- Green Arrow fails at a basic assignment, again

- Bad Guy Monologue but he’s the president

- LOIS ARE YOU FR

- GIRLBOSS

- Bats and Supes have just been chilling back there, I guess

- The boys mug Batman and steal his jewlery

- Dami, your dad’s gonna have to pay for that

- The power of friendship

- Bruce attempts a hug

- Haha sports joke

- Melvin is absolutely gonna have lasting neurological damage from that

- Still can’t fly

[dib-thing-wannabe]

Another gift

As George approaches Melvin's door, book in hand, the door opened swiftly and quickly before he was able to knock.

"Hi!"

"Woah! Melvin, you scared me! I wasn't expecting you to be at the door!"

"I know, I know, hurt leg and all, but it's hard to wait for something that you really want, especially when it's special. I still can't believe that you made a complete copy of the book just for me!"

"Look, it's the least I can do for you. And I'm sorry about your leg, I knew one of us should have went with you."

"It's fine, it was most likely gonna happen anyway, and besides, I still have a crutch right here incase it gets difficult to walk."

There was a short silence as George gives him the book, and when Melvin set the book on the side table, he suddenly had an idea.

"Wait, how did you make a separate copy anyway? I thought you didn't have a printer?"

"Oh, I don't, I just used the machine I built to make another one-"

"Wait. Hold on, the machine you what?"

"Oh, the one I built!"

"By hand? All by yourself? Including the blueprints?"

"Yes, yes, and yes!"

".... What does it do?"

"Oh, basically as long as the given object isn't over three feet tall or three feet wide, it can make practically anything."

There was silence, before Melvin suddenly pounced onto George.

"SHOW ME SHOW ME SHOW ME SHOW ME-"

"WOAH! MELVIN, CAREFUL! YOU'RE GONNA HURT YOURSELF AGAIN!!"

"I don't care about that at the moment, what I do care about is seeing that machine!"

Melvin tries standing on his feet again, but it's clear that he is struggling.

"Okay, okay, you are hurt, you can wait until tomorrow to see it!"

"Nooooo!! I wanna see it, pleeeeeeease!"

George thought about it for a moment before answering.

"Fine."

"Yes!"

"But on one condition."

"Hm?"

Suddenly, George grabbed Melvin and placed him on his back.

"You will not be walking! I will carry you wherever you need to go until you feel better, deal?"

Melvin was so shocked and flustered, he could only nod his head yes.

[ofsnarkandmagic]

[Cont. From] @luckhissoul

At first, he can't figure out why the other man is laughing, yet then again, this wasn't the first time he was blunt. Or literal, much like his twin, which was unusual to say the least. Yet his first response was to shrug nonchalantly. Perhaps he still had a lot to learn, or he just wasn't the same kind of pirate; Melvin full well knew this for a fact. He wasn't obsessed with riches after all and gave his twin everything for her lighthouse and shop. How she split that between the two was her business.

"I'll be certain to keep that in mind, mate." Now, whether he would in fact remember this was up for debate. Still, this didn't mean that Melvin wouldn't still try all the same. At least when it came to dealing with love pirates, so that he'd live to see another day. His mouth was going to get him in trouble enough as it was, he didn't need help in that department. Though there were some things he could get away with and depended all on who was on the other side of his remarks. "Well, at least that's decent of 'im. That broke nice guy can have his good points too. Riches aren't everythin'."