#because he was a little more passive in this one

[howlsofbloodhounds]

A little trope I kinda like and find interesting is when Killer is portrayed as a snitch. Like he catches news of others trying to escape or any plans to attempt to overthrow or betray Nightmare and he goes straight to the Boss to tell him.

Could be for any reason. Spite, because Killer was not invited to this little escape plan. Not wanting to be left alone with Nightmare again. Loyalty, orders.

(conditioned to obey these specific rules after the first time he allowed other variants of Horror, Murder, maybe Cross/XChara to attempt to get away out of curiosity.

To see if it was actually possible, only for these past escape attempts to fail spectacularly in one way or another. To further prove to Killer that escape is impossible. And Nightmare tells Killer to immediately inform him of any future inconveniences, punishing accordingly.)

And then eventually maybe Killer evolves from his passive observer, snitch role and instead attempts to teach new comers to just survive instead. Perhaps if just to see if it’s possible for any of these things to learn.

And he does it in like a, blunt, detached sarcastic manner. It’s not overtly kind or in a traditionally helpful way.

Stage 2 Killer, characterized by his apathy and curiosity, taking a pragmatic and sometimes harsh approach to "helping" the others (particularly Murder, who he is always tasked to watch) adjust to life under Nightmare's rule. I think he’d also like getting to exert control and have power over someone else’s fate, too.

His methods would be more about survival and compliance that kindness or empathy, reflecting his own acceptance of his role.

He’d provide Murder with blunt, no-nonsense advice about how to avoid Nightmare's wrath and stay out of trouble.

This could include tips on how to behave, what to avoid saying, and how to recognize Nightmare's moods—such as paying extra attention to the way Nightmare’s tentacles behave, and building a rapport with his tentacles. (Pets, praise, not resisting against them.)

“If you don’t want to get hurt, don’t look him in the eye when he’s angry. Trust me."

“Don’t talk back. It’s not worth it. Just nod and do what he says."

Demonstrating how to act in Nightmare's presence, showing the benefits of compliance and submission, even if he does so in a detached or sarcastic manner.

“See? Just like this. You play along, you survive. Simple."

To make Murder understand the seriousness of their situation, Killer might use fear, recounting personal experiences or exaggerating the consequences of defiance.

“You think you can escape? I’ve seen what happens to those who try. You don’t want to end up like them."

Killer would test limits to see how much Murder can take, helping him toughen up in the face of adversity. This can be seen as cruel, but in Killer’s mind, it’s a way to prepare Murder for the worst.

“You need to toughen up. If you can’t handle this, how will you handle him?"

Killer would encourage Murder to be practical and focus on survival rather than escape, emphasizing the futility of resistance.

"Escape is a pipe dream. Focus on surviving. That’s the only way you’ll make it."

To force Murder to adapt, Killer might expose his weaknesses, making him confront his fears and adapt to the harsh reality.

“You’re too soft. If you don’t toughen up, you’re dead weight."

Killer might create situations that mimic potential dangers or challenges, forcing Murder to adapt and learn how to handle them.

“Consider this a test run. If you can handle this, you can handle anything he throws at you."

But Killer could also quickly lose interest in whoever he’s trying to teach, seeing it as pointless and meaningless anyway, boring.

He likely won’t give any praise for doing what he sees as the bare minimum or just something he thinks someone should already know how to do.

He likely won’t show any actual sympathy, empathy, or concern; instead he’s more likely to just encourage whoever he’s trying to “help” to ignore and neglect their own needs.

Whereas someone like Cross in this teaching position might do the pupil’s other half of the work when eyes aren’t watching to allow the other to get much needed rest, Killer would likely tell them to stop complaining and keep going.

He might get so bored he purposely does or says something to provoke Nightmare into punishing him, in an attempt to feel something or have something to do, but scold anyone else for doing the same—giving reasoning such as it hinders the rest of the group.

Whereas someone such as Cross may attempt to take the blame for someone else’s mistakes and their punishment out of the good of his heart, Killer may only do it if it’s beneficial, helps keep control of the situation, and if the mistake was truly because of something Killer did or didn’t do properly to explain the task to the person.

Otherwise Killer would likely give advice on how to endure a punishment if it can’t be avoided, how to figure out why it’s happening (if there is a reason), and to learn from mistakes without repeating them.

It gets especially interesting when this is all just a part of Killer’s responsibilities as Nightmare’s Right Hand, to not only keep them all in line but to also keep them all healthy.

Because even if Killer does objectively kind things like giving food/drink, offering blankets/pillows, or showing how to treat various wounds, the others might be able to see his apathy underneath the joking, silly facade and understand it’s just another task to him.

[raayllum]

One thing I love about TDP's consistency of characterization is how aware they are of how to write any given character in any given scene in order to convey characterization

Arc 1 does a great job in this of course, but I think it really stands out to me in Arc 2 because we're catching up on context and seeing all the little details of how characters have changed

For example, one of my favourite details in S4 is Callum's struggle to say Viren's name in 4x01 and his refusal to say Rayla's, for reasons we're not quite sure of (we know he's uncomfy with his high mage title but Callum's never been a super formal guy) and then Rayla comes back, and he says both their names right away, and you're like Oh they're connected, they're stemming from an interrelated emotional wound, and it's a great detail and bit of characterization -- even like how his snappishness with Soren on the battlements of not knowing things sets up his frustration with the mirror the next episode and his heartbreak over not knowing what's happen(ing) to Rayla. A Callum who could just say either of their names does not give set up to being a Callum who refuses to talk to her when she first gets back, and it's one of the little ways of legwork TDP routinely uses to make things feel natural (if frustrating)

Another that stood out to me was Ezran in 4x04 with Opeli. One of Ezran's previous arcs from s1-s2 moving into s3 was him having to make more decisions and be more passive. However, s3 and s4 likewise shift that simplicity of "well Ezran should be more active" to Ezran constantly having to weigh things: pushing for no human kingdoms to go to war with Xadia, or doing what he can to spare his own (unfortunately unsuccessfully)? We see his hesitation in 4x04 as well with "But Katolis needs me" after Opeli -- who gave ignored counsel last episode, but is serving as a foil to Karim, so she has to give grace, she is ultimately supportive -- encourages him to leave. Because if it had been Ezran's own unique decision, he'd be acting like a more foolhardy little boy again, not like a king with his mind first and foremost on his people who takes them into account with every decision he makes (and his parallels to Rayla of "these people Need me" and accordingly putting some things either on or not on the backburner). Ezran having to be reassured and supported by the people around him conveys his youth, his sense of responsibility, and the fact that he's collaboratively decisive. Barrelling forward and just dropping things on Opeli's lap without her reassurance is not the kind of king he wants to be, and he shows that

It's also why I think everyone feels so consistent, because they're all reacting in line with previous things, previous scenes, issues, choices, etc. Not without evolution, but with a mindful and attentive eye to said evolution of how the characters change, their growing strengths, and their shifting weaknesses

[maximumqueer]

In lieu of the second season of OPLA starting production, I want to talk about my mixed feelings on the first season of it.

Because I got into the anime and manga through the live action. So I will always like it at least a little bit for introducing me to honestly my favorite piece of media ever. But now that I'm caught up with the anime and manga, and know the characters and story better, I find myself having more criticisms of it.

The overall narrative is rushed in a way that leads to important character moments being glossed over. Syrup Village in OPLA is a good example. Usopp does a lot less in the live action, most of his big emotional beats cut for what I can only assume were time constraints. Reducing Gin's role to a one time appearance, and the Don Krieg Pirates to a cameo also feels like a product of the limited runtime, and cheapens Sanji's reasoning joining the crew, as we never get that moment where Luffy witnesses him feeding a starving man, and decides then that Sanji will be is cook. Replacing it instead with Luffy seeing him fight and tasting his food. Which in my opinion kinda misses the point of why Luffy wanted him to join. And that was because of Sanji's kindness, which is not nearly as present in the live action.

OPLA also removes a lot of side characters from the islands the main cast visit, making the world feel smaller, and the stakes lower. Like, the reason I personally cared so much about Luffy and Co. helping out places like Orange Town, Syrup village, Cocoyashi Village, is the people that live there who we get to know (in the anime and manga). I feel far more invested actually knowing the names of several of the people and the village, and knowing that their lives will be better after the big bad is taken down. It's not just a fight for the sake of having a fight, but a fight to help out a group of people who need it.

These characters also end up trying to free themselves from the big bad. Them playing an active roll, and not just being used as hostages (like they were in the live action) is just so quintessential to One Piece in my opinion. Having characters native to the island already willing to stand up to the force controlling them, and Luffy's involvement being to aid them, and not just swoop in a save a group of passive bystanders who were simply waiting for a hero to save them, is subversive for shonen (hell just fantasy in general) and having the live action remove that just feels wrong, as characters having freedom and agency is a big overarching theme in One Piece that has been there since day one.

Then there is the characterization. Zoro is probably the most egregious change. Zoro (bur especially pre-ts Zoro) was far goofier than his live action counterpart. And I do think that that level of goofiness is essential to him as a character. Like, I cannot picture OPLA Zoro attempting to cut off his feet, fail, and then decide to strike a cool pose while he is slowly turning into a wax statue. I cannot picture that version of the character beefing with a bird while lost, when said bird is LITERALLY a compass. OPLA Zoro just feels like your stereotypical stoic cool guy, when he is very much not. He is a bit of a loser (affectionate) and to see him be treated like he isn't feels off. Nami and Sanji are closer to their anime/manga counterparts, but are still different.

OPLA Sanji is not pathetic enough. To use an analogy, OLPA Sanji would take off his coat to place it over a puddle so a pretty woman didn't have to get her shoes and feet wet. Anime/manga Sanji would hurl his body onto the ground, and have the woman use his back to prevent getting her shoes and feet wet. They said this change was to dial down the more pervy parts of his character, which is fair. But that aspect of his character only really starts up in a bad way in Thriller Bark. The part of the series that adapted was when Sanji was pretty much only presented as a hopeless romantic who worships the ground all women walk on and would do anything a woman asked of him.

Nami is similar to Zoro, in that she is just to serious. They both lack the whimsy their anime/manga counterparts have. And she just feels a bit more one dimensional in the live action because of it.

As for Luffy. Him referring to himself as a "good pirate" just feels all sorts of wrong. He has never shied away from that label, and never has had any issue with being lumped in with "bad" pirates in the anime/manga. He never was angry about being framed for crimes, but I get the feeling that OPLA Luffy would be more likely to be angry about that, because he is a "good" pirate. This Luffy doesn't not feel like he would go on a rant about not wanting to be viewed as a hero. They also made him nicer overall, and this sounds like a weird thing to complain about, but Luffy not holding his tongue and just telling people how he feels about them, positive or negative, is what makes him as a character work. Is what separates him from a typical run of the mill shonen protag. Him being a kind, but not nice and overall blunt in conversation is pretty integral to his character, and I can't help but feel that the writers and directors of the live action were afraid of keeping this character trait because it could make him unlikeable. (despite that fact that he as been #1 in literally every One Piece popularity poll)

And obviously this is not a critique on the actors, I think they did a phenomenal job portraying their respective characters. This is more about how the writers/directors/producers decided to adapt and change the characters.

I kind of suspected that when I watched the anime (a more one to one adaptation of the manga) as well as read the manga (the source material) that I would end up having more issues with the live action. I do still like it for what it is, and I'm planning on watching the second season when it comes out, I just wanted to share how my opinion on it changed after reading/watching and catching up with the anime and manga.

[bird-inacage]

Love Sea Episode 4: Where Things Have Gone Astray

It pains me to say it, but I found Episode 4 sloppy in it's execution, direction and writing overall. (I'd like to preface that regardless of how much I like fortpeat, or have enjoyed the series for the most part, I personally think it's important to be able to critique a show when it's flaws present themselves, and not to blindly excuse those issues because we want so badly to like it).

The transition from island to Bangkok was a huge turning point in the story, and I'm disappointed to say it wasn't handled well. The episode felt very off-beat and clunky compared to the lovely moments we got last week. Most of the issues centre on inconsistencies in character trajectory that were set up by the end of Episode 3. So let's unpack what went wrong here.

Mut is brusquely given the cold shoulder

My biggest gripe is the treatment of Mut this episode and without good reason. Let's start by recognising that Mut has potentially left his entire way of life behind: his friends, his community, his livelihood - all on the possibility that Rak may come to love him. I don't think Mut's naively banking on this being forever, but the emphasis here is he's willing to give it all up. The lack of acknowledgement to this gesture was glaring. The boy is only 20 years old, may I stress. Rak knows the hardships that Mut has faced, which should make this sacrifice even more significant in my opinion. What little Mut has built from scratch, he's willing to leave behind. All for Rak.

Other than a few brief moments of Rak looking sheepish/guilty, he's very passive throughout. I was really hoping he'd display more initiative and maturity here as the older party (like he did at the end of Episode 3). Even more disappointingly, once they land in Bangkok, Rak has Mut trailing behind him and largely leaves him to his own devices. At points, Rak's attitude towards Mut feels borderline exploitative. Rak is the one who begged Mut to come with him, and now that he's there, he seems to be putting Mut on trial.

Mut's hospitality on the island was due to Rak being an outsider who was completely out of his comfort zone. Now they've essentially reversed the situation but somehow the default is still Mut making all the effort (and yes, I know he's getting paid, but the last 3 episodes have just attempted to establish that their relationship is beyond just monetary). We need to see some more active reciprocation from Rak that supports why he was so driven for Mut to stay with him.

We've also been shown that though Mut is incredibly patient, he's not a doormat. When Rak crosses a line, he does get angry. Mut ran away when his father offended his core values, so we know he's capable of putting his foot down. But Rak's treatment of him here roused no protest or questioning when it would be fully warranted. By the time they discuss the contract, it's a null confrontation as Mut has already conceded to Rak's demands by signing. I wish he stood up for himself more here.

Tongrak's change in demeanour

The Rak we see in Bangkok is how I would imagine his character to be at the beginning of the series. Slightly haughty and dismissive. But because our impression of Rak was intentionally reversed so early on - where we were shown his sensitivity and softness - to have him slip back into a standoffish persona gave me whiplash. Has Rak regressed to who he was prior to the island? Has his time with Mut not changed anything? We know it has, which is why this front feels performative. Why would Rak feel the need to play into this character when Mut's already seen who he is underneath? And what has triggered him to do so? His family haven't come into the picture yet. I don't think Rak really cares about Mook's judgement. So why?

I think it's a huge disservice to shrug this off with: 'oh it's because Rak has trauma', and that's why he's running hot and cold. Doing so only trivialises the magnitude of trauma as a 'convenient' excuse when the writing doesn't support itself well enough for a character's actions to feel convincingly well founded.

When I started Episode 4, I thought we'd missed a scene or were due a flashback that would signpost why Rak changed his mind. We're told it's because of his PA, but that doesn't hold up well because surely Rak would have factored that into the equation. There are plenty of ways they could have remedied this. They could have shown us that Rak was genuine in agreeing, but spirals over the enormity of such a decision afterwards, which leads him to back out. Or Rak agreed despite knowing full well he couldn't meet his promise, and only lied because he didn't want to hurt Mut's feelings. Or they could have included the phone call from his sister in this episode, which would indicate that Rak has bigger responsibilities outside of himself, which caused his decision to sway. But we didn't get anything to ground us to Rak's mindset this episode, so his mentality feels like a 180. It also makes his agreement to Mut feel flippant if all it took was for Mook to whine to change his mind.

I can accept Rak retreating emotionally out of pressure or worry, but it doesn't read that way. Instead, his actions and body language feel abruptly indifferent, oddly detached and cold. The contract just epitomises a clinical level of emotional distancing. Even when Mook voices her concerns, Rak looks exasperated. So this isn't presented to us as a reaction borne out of vulnerability. And because we don't see Rak mulling over any doubts about Mut or otherwise, his behaviour feels all the more sudden and incongruous.

Ultimately, Rak was the one who let Mut down. If Rak agreed to stay on the island because he truly cared about Mut, wouldn't he be feeling doubly guilty at present? Not only has he broken a promise, but Mut is making a huge compromise to pursue Rak. Yet, Rak's attitude seems to be: 'these are my terms, do you have a problem with that?' This challenging air feels out of place and counterintuitive to what they've set up so far. What has Mut done to deserve this? Why is Mut still the one accommodating and initiating, with seemingly no return?

When comedy is not your strong suit, do not lean into it

I have a real bone to pick with the 'humour' attempted in this episode. I know comedy is subjective, but these scenes are arguably the shows weakest moments. People underestimate just how hard it is to pull off comedy and to do it well. And the brand of humour they're going for comes across quite juvenile, slapstick or theatrical. Sadly it only magnifies Aya's acting as egregiously bad in this episode because Mook is leant on so heavily as comic relief.

Mook and Vi's presence as individuals and as a couple has also been very one-dimensional so far which doesn't help things. It's getting increasingly taxing to sit through their scenes when there's so little substance and depth there to root for. Trust me, I am trying to like them, but they're not making it easy.

At it's worst, filler offers us no further insight or advancement in either character or plot. Which inevitably makes you question why the run time is being wasted on excessively inconsequential material. That crime was being committed multiple times this episode.

This is not me writing off the series by any means. As I say in my introduction, I think it's extremely important as a viewer to retain the objectivity to recognise when there are speed bumps, dodgy choices or noticeable areas for improvement.

As I was writing this, I found myself going: 'I think I see what they were trying to go for here' and applying additional guess-work to fill in the gaps. But that's the issue. If the writing requires your viewer to do mental gymnastics to make it make sense, you've dropped the ball. I would heartily advocate for 'show, don't just tell'. But in this episode we neither get shown or told why our characters are acting like this, especially when it seems to contradict how we got here.

Let's hope next episode is only onwards and upwards.

[caustinen]

for the Hollywood AU,

How would it go down if someone was flirting (trying to) with Gale, I’m imagining at some sort of gala or event. Knowing how weird/creepy some people in Hollywood can be, I’d imagine John is very protective. But I wonder how he’d react, especially when he knows people are watching, and he has to keep is PR face up

Hi anon!! Thank you for this lovely idea, I love jealous/protective Bucky so much and can definitely imagine a lot of hc’s in this universe for them as well 😍 Slight nsfw under the cut!!

hollywood au! jealous bucky <3

You are very right, it’s easy to imagine quite upsetting things from behind the scenes if Hollywood, and I’ll try to keep it lighthearted enough to enjoy 😅 I’d think Bucky would be more stressed than he’d let on at their first few events together, exactly like you said because he has to keep his pr-image in mind but also he knows what kind of people the industry has in powerful places and Gale is absolutely gorgeous and can easily attract attention. He’s constantly holding his hand and tugging him after him when he wants to steer clear of certain people, and while Gale tries to tell him he can handle himself, that he has been to these events before for work he secretly likes it that Bucky is so particular about him feeling safe. Bucky also knows very well Gale is fine by himself and knows how to handle it probably even more professionally than he would he doesn’t want him to be uncomfortable for even a little bit.

They are on the top of the entertainement news for months so naturally they get a lot of attention at events and galas too. Bucky doesn’t miss the wandering eyes and too long handshakes and laughing a bit too loudlys that Gale receives but he doesn’t mind per ce; Gale is always nervous/shy before coming, so it’s nice to have kind faces around him. That being said, he will always have a hand on the small of his back or the back of his chair, and he’s made an art of playing footsie under table cloths no matter where Gale is seated compared to him — they’ve talked about it and he knows that Gale doesn’t find it controlling but comforting to know he’s around as he has to learn to present himself in this new way. Bucky would get super passive aggressive with anyone getting too flirty 😂

One time they’re at a charity gala and somehow Bucky has convinced Gale to dance with him. It’s a slowdance so they’re basically just swinging side to side slowly in what is almost a hug more than proper dance posture. Gale is relaxing into it after a while, almost enjoying himself even, when John nods his head towards the back of the ballroom. Gale looks up at him, confused.

”Have you noticed you’ve been getting particularly many glances today? Espescially from that guy over there?” Gale makes a sound indicating he’s completely lost on what Bucky’s talking about, and the older chuckles and turns them around so he can subtly point out the man who is, indeed, looking their way until Gale turns to look to him.

”… Okay?” Gale is still confused. Bucky rolls his eyes — Gale still doesn’t realize how insanely hot he is effortlessly, and the reactions he gets from people around him. ”He want’s you so bad,” he says conversationally, gaining an eye roll from his partner. But John can feel a familiar burn in his guts, can admit he’s feeling just a bit jealous because of how openly the man is ogling a man who is very publically known to be his fiancé. ”Hm. He wants to take you home and get you out of this sexy little thing.”

Before Gale can give him his worst case of unimpressed expression (he’s wearing a light gray three piece suit that makes him look EXPENSIVE but Gale doesn’t understand how much so) Bucky keeps going (he’s half hard from jealousy and being able to be this close to Buck in public after all these years); ”Too bad he doesn’t get to.” The song has a sped-up bridge and Bucky manages to take Gale by surprise and spin him around, making him grunt but also giggle dispite himself. When he pulls him close again he goes straight back to whispering in his ear, hands dropping to his ass after making sure the dancefloor is so filled with people they won’t see him do so. ”He’s gonna go home horny and alone while I’ll have you sitting on my face and moaning my name so loud we get another notice from the neighbours.”

Gale’s shocked exhale against his neck feels like a reward. ”John.” ”Yeah, just like that.” John can tell from his face he’d be smacked right about now if they weren’t in polite society. Gale looks around them to see if anyone has heard but no one pays them attention right now. He’s the one whoe leans closer to John’s ear this time. ”Was this just your clever plan of getting me to dance with you for another song? Knowing I can’t walk back to the table like this?” Bucky smirks down to him showing his teeth and while Gale pulls his hands up from his ass to more approrpiately up his waist, he presses a slight kiss to his lips too. ”I think you sent your message, caveman. Get your mind our of the gutter and have patience for one hour more or so, then we can go.”

Bucky might come off possessive but really he’s just a simp and the simplest words from Gale are his law; besides, he knows he’s going home with him, so he’s the luckiest man alive.

[i’m so out of habit with writing i hope you liked it anyway!!]

[mazzystar24]

Let’s discuss how much Bobby said to Eddie when talking about Shannon “how did you make that happen?” And eddie responds “i didn’t”. Are we to believe Eddie, didn’t make the first move? Just like Ana and Marisol; he HAD to be forced/told into it? We know that got together at 14 and pregnant at 18. Were they together the whole time? How stable was their relationship before finding out she was pregnant?

See this is why an Eddie begins again episode is a psychological need as part of his queer arc

Like there is such an interesting thing abt the Shannon and Eddie dynamic where you have to distinct what parts are the truth of it and what parts are the glossed over romanticised in her death version

Also the comp het element of Eddie is just sooooo blatant and like interesting because it’s one of those where it’s not a leap or even a really buried and hard to dissect thing that’s like sprinkled every now and then, instead it’s like a consistent “hidden” piece woven into all of Eddie’s narratives, you know what I mean?

But back to Shannon and Eddie as you said like we know the whole getting together young and the pregnant young pieces and we also know that at some point they RECONNNECTED so there was a period where they were friends or knew eachother then not then reconnected and then got together then got pregnant

See but then it gets more complex because we have Eddie saying things about how they were magic together when we saw a really different marriage dynamic and then you have him say that the church is the biggest reason they got married in a convo about his catholic guilt, you have him say he positive things about being married to her but you know as the audience that he spent most that time separated or fighting, and even when he says that he liked being married to her it comes off more as a liking to be married rather than liking the marriage or the person you’re with

And even when he was daydreaming that post sex scene nothing about it is inherently sexual or about them in fact the whole conversation is about how he is choosing to let her back into Christopher’s life and “giving him his mom back for Christmas” like people use that scene as a “straight Eddie defence” saying it’s him fantasising about sex with his ex but I’m sat there like brother in Christ watch the actual scene how is this sexy talk or anything other than proof that in Eddie’s sick little brain (affectionate) Shannon and therefore Kim can complete this idea of what he needs for his son

Also controversial opinion that I THINK I mentioned before but I’m really not a fan of Shannon, like the way she spoke about Chris and his CP will never not rub me the wrong way (to put it lightly) and her leaving with zero contact imo makes me low-key hate her and I hate the comparison ppl try to make for when Eddie “left” and this kinda links in with the next part

I think that the show keeps doing too much retcon/romanticisation of Shannon’s character in relation to not only Eddie but Chris too, but they can sorta mend that in a really perfect way by having some sort of onscreen perhaps in therapy acknowledgement from Eddie that he does in fact romanticise her and their relationship since her death while diving into why he does that and what their relationship ACTUALLY was like

Like what’s really interesting to me also connecting to the comp het element is that Eddie as a character is not passive, but when you get into his LI relationships there is this like compliance and like conformity to them

Like by his own words he didn’t pursue Shannon, he also married her largely cos of the church and despite having really ott romantic ideas for chimney’s proposal suggesting that he does have a side of that, he actually admits his proposal was pretty much well guess we have to get married now, when talking about Ana he canonically was following Chris’ heart not his, said something about “gonna have to stick it out” when talking abt her, then we have marisol and that mess and have lines like the catholic guilt, him not being that sad about potentially breaking up with her, him not having said anything to indicate to bobby he wanted to move in with her, etc, etc and we have Kim and that mess which honestly is its own category outside of the LI list

But yeah like totally agree with you like the shannon/eddie thing is in desperate need of a real unraveling in the show out loud preferably in therapy with Frank because that man needs to pull his weight fr 🤩

I have a degree in yappology fr

[disastersareajoy]

The Shower Incident

Stu x Billy x FEM!Reader

Tags: Sex toy, masturbation, voyeurism for a sec, dirty stuff happens in the shower obviously, dirty talk, degradation, praise, lots of kissing, marking, handjob, edging, begging, slight dacryphilia, mention of denial, mention of being tied up, mention of oral (fem receiving, and giving to a toy), mention of double penetration, mention of anal (fem and male receiving), open end, Sub!Reader, Dom!Billy, implied Switch!Stu but mostly Sub!Stu

Hiya babes!

I had this idea and it wouldn't leave me alone the entire day so I wrote it down and if I do say so myself: This shit is pretty hot.

I'm super glad my first public fic is with these two idiots because I love them to the moon and back and cannot get enough of them. I hope you enjoy this wild ride - I know I did. I wrote this in like an hour and then proofread it four times total, but English isn't my first language so if you see any mistakes feel free to (politely) let me know and I will fix it. Same as any tags I missed. Of course, non mistake related comments are also very welcomed. I hope you thouroughly enjoy this product of my brain rot! Let me know what ya think.

Stu and Billy had been away for a few days and you were needy. Wanting to be bent over and fucked hard and rough, four hands gripping at your body and manipulating you into whatever position they desire. They were supposed to come back in the evening so you wanted to take a shower before then.

That's when the idea struck.

You practically stumbled over your own feet to get to the closet and pull out the box of toys the three of you had accumulated over time.

You picked out your favorite dildo and quickly made your way to the bathroom. With the help of the suction cup the toy stuck to the shower wall. After cleaning yourself in record speed you bent over and pushed back onto the dildo. It filled you slowly and stretched you perfectly. Your wetness made the intrusion easy but the thickness of the toy still made you pause, and forced you to take a couple of deep breaths. Although it wasn't long before you were fucking yourself back onto it and completely loosing your mind in the process. Moaning their names and begging into the empty room.

At the same time Billy and Stu were on their way up to your shared apartment. The two of them decided to surprise you by coming home a couple hours early so you could eat dinner together and cuddle up in front of the TV.

When they came through the front door and weren't immediately met with your smiling face, kissing and hugging them in greeting, they were a bit perplexed.

That was until they heard the shower running.

And then they heard a litany of moans, accompanied by a loud slapping sound of skin against tile. They shared a look and ventured closer to the bathroom door which you had left open a crack in your hurry to fuck yourself.

The sight they find absolutely takes their breath away. The shower is on and water is hitting your back as you're bent over nothing, supporting yourself with your hands against the wall as you continuously slam your ass back onto the dildo stuck to the tile wall. They can see the toy glistening with your wetness and someone lets out a groan. You don't hear it and keep moving your hips with a clearly desperate and already fucked out sway to it.

They're both stuck in their spot, staring at the divine sight that is you. The way your body moves to get the perfect angle of the dildo, your thighs trembling with exertion and your hand aimlessly sliding against the wet wall, trying desperately to hold onto something. The way your pussy stretches to accommodate for the thickness of what they recognize as your favorite dildo. The one that you love sucking on when they both have you filled. Or that you love for them to fuck you with when they're getting your ass ready and you already need your pussy filled.

The dildo that's been in all of your holes to help pleasure, tease, edge and make you cum. They can't get enough of watching you throw yourself onto the dildo, making such loud and obscene noises.

What finally gets them to snap out of the trance your body has put them in is your next moan.

“Billy, please.” You interrupt yourself with another desperate whine. “Fuck, please fuck me harder. I need you so bad. Oh my god, Stu.” You elongate the end of Stu's name with a loud moan that's closer to a sob if anything. With the way your hips tilted, Billy suspects you found the perfect angle to hit that special spot inside you. Next to him, Stu breathes out a small moan and looks at Billy with a plea in his eyes.

“Go.”

With the okay given, Stu bursts through the door and is on you in no time. He grabs your face in both hands and barely sees your eyes open in surprise before he has his mouth pressed to yours. Desperately making out with you while making sure you're still fucking yourself onto the dildo. He mumbles out praises between kisses, not able to stop himself from telling you how good you look.

"You look delicious. Fucking yourself so desperately, moaning our names like we're here with you. You that pent up, baby? It's been three days and you're so needy you start fucking yourself how you want us to fuck you, huh?”

“But it's not the same, is it?”

Now Billy joins in as well. He already stripped out of his clothes, completely naked and palming at his erection while Stu kneels halfway under the spray of water, drenching his clothes. You mewl a negative, not trusting yourself with words. Afraid that if you pull away from Stu and open your mouth the only thing coming out would be pleas and their names.

“No. Even though our good little slut is filled to the brim by a toy and is fucking herself just as fast as we do, she still can't quite get it right. Can you, doll?”

You make a non-committal noise and place your hands on Stu's shoulders, thankful to have something to hold on to. Billy is unsatisfied with your wordless answer and grabs Stu by his hair, pulling his head back to expose his long neck, stopping you from hiding in his kisses. Stu whines long and loud before staring back at you, desperation clear in his eyes.

“Please baby, answer him.”

“Aww. Would you look at that? At least one whore here remembers his manners.”

Billy leans down to press hungry kisses onto Stu's mouth. Both of them moaning into each other's mouth, making you want even more. You mewl and whine at the display in front of you. Billy pulls away from Stu's mouth with a grin that he then turns on you.

“You better start using your words. Or he's gonna get all the attention and you can watch without touching yourself. And cumming will be completely off the table.” With that he attaches his mouth to Stu's neck, kissing up and down, sucking marks into the soft skin and biting. Which makes Stu let out the most beautiful array of whines and moans you've ever heard.

“Please,” you manage to breathe out.

“Please, what?” Billy still has his face in Stu's neck while answering, not letting his mouth detach for long. You whine and can't help yourself from slowing down your movements to gather your thoughts long enough to form a sentence.

“Please, Billy. Please fuck me. Both of you. I need you so bad, please ” Billy pulls away from Stu and grabs your jaw hard with his hand, turning your face in his direction. He gets close to you and smirks. “There she is. That's the good little whore we've been waiting to fuck for three days.” He doesn't let you answer before attaching his lips to yours and making you moan into his mouth. He lets go of your jaw and grabs your shoulders instead, shoving you back onto the dildo, hard. You moaned into his mouth as he forces you to start fucking yourself again. Distantly, you hear Stu whine as he kneels in front of you and waits for his turn to be kissed again.

Once you have a steady rhythm going again, Billy pulls away. He looks at you with a grin and you could tell he has something planned.

“Now, I asked you a question. And you didn't answer. Instead, you made out with this little attention whore next to me.” A moan from Stu. “But I want you to answer my question. I will not repeat it, and neither will Stu. You're gonna have to use your big girl brain and remember what I asked you. And you're not gonna stop fucking yourself on that dildo. If you slow down you don't get to cum. If you stop you get to watch, tied up and gagged as I fuck Stu into the mattress.” A whine from Stu. “But if you keep going and answer me correctly,” his grin widens and he leans back slightly. “Then you get exactly what you want.”

You moan, frustrated that you don't immediately remember what he asked you. While you're desperately trying to remember the question and not slow down your hips, Billy starts helping Stu get his wet clothes off. He also shuts off the water which leaves your skin cooling down rapidly, goosebumps appearing on your skin and sending shivers down your spine.

Once he has all of Stu's clothes off, he kneels behind him and starts palming his dick. Slowly but firmly taking it in hand and stroking him up and down. Stu lets his head fall back onto Billy's shoulder and moans unabashedly at how good he feels. How good Billy is making him feel. The sight makes your concentration waver. Your mind is completely empty, safe for the two beautiful men in front of you. The way their hair sticks to their foreheads, Billy looking at you with hunger in his eyes and that feral edge. Stu squeezes his eyes shut as he softly starts thrusting into Billy's hand. Usually that would have earned him a slap to the thighs and a warning, but right now all Billy wanted was to tease you.

He takes pity on you as Stu grows closer and closer, holding onto Billy and you with one hand each.

“I'll give you a little hint, darling. How does the dildo feel?” Suddenly his words sprang back into your mind.

“Even though our good little slut is filled to the brim by a toy and is fucking herself just as fast as we do, she still can't quite get it right. Can you, doll?”

You immediately scramble for an answer.

“Fuck, Billy.”

“Good start.”

You whine once more as your hips desperately try to keep up the pace Billy had set for you.

“I can't get it right,” you sob in frustration as your wetness drips down your legs. With the shower turned off you can be sure it was the juices of your pussy that are making such obscene noises and dripping slowly down your thighs.

Billy gives Stu's sensitive tip extra attention, making the tall man writhe in his place on Billy's lap. He moans as a blush spreads down his chest. “That's right doll, you can't. But why? And you better hurry because if Stu cums before you answer, you're watching.” He chuckles at your frustrated groan and speeds up his hand on Stu's cock.

“I- oh my fuckin God. I can't get it right because-” Stu moans loud and desperate, getting closer each second. “Because it's not hard enough.” Billy hums long, considering your answer. “Yes. But why?” You groan again, this time louder and with more annoyance behind it. “Careful,” Billy spoke low and with warning.

With one last whine you focus all your concentration on your words and close your eyes. “I can't get it right because you fuck me so much harder and I can't fake that. I need your hands on my hips as you pull me into every thrust and I need you to speak to me, to call me names and to tell me I'm doing good. I need you to pound into me like I'm your personal toy and I can't fake that with a dildo, please. Please fuck me like I need you to. I'm begging you Billy, please.”

You prepare yourself to hear Billy ask you for another, better answer, but it didn't come. Instead you hear Stu's sob and whine as he is denied his orgasm. No doubt having been right on the edge. When you open your eyes again, Stu looks back at you with tired, teary eyes and his mouth hanging open. Billy on the other hand looks absolutely feral. His eyes have a certain glint in it that tells you that you are in for a ride.

He reaches out to touch your cheek and strokes his thumb over your skin. “That's a good girl. And just in time too.” He softly pushes Stu to sit on the shower floor and keeps a leg behind his back to help him stay upright while he pulls on your shoulders to stop you from continuing to fuck yourself on your dildo. “Now, you have 5 minutes to help Stu get up and get both of your asses to the bedroom. I want you on the bed, legs spread and ready with Stu right between them. He gets to make you extra worked up with his mouth as a bit of revenge for his edge.” At that, Stu hums satisfied and lets out a chuckle.

“I'm gonna watch him edge you however often he sees fit, and then we're both going to fuck you. Nice and hard.” Billy grabs your jaw and pulls you in for a quick kiss before staring at you an inch away from your face. “Because I know that's what our little whore craves. Isn't it?” You nod eagerly and correct yourself with a quick “Yes sir,” before Billy can say anything.

As soon as Billy lets go of your jaw and nods his head towards the bathroom door, you're scrambling to help Stu on his feet, your own knees still wobbly.

Billy watches as the two of you slowly make your way to the bedroom with shaky legs, sees how wet your thighs are and how there's still more dripping out of your glistening pussy. He watches Stu grab your ass, squeezing the flesh beneath his finger in a way that is sure to be a promise of all the teasing that's to come. He truly can't wait to see Stu ruin you with his mouth before they fuck you until you can't remember your own name.

God, he loves the both of you so much.

---

Please don't repost or reupload this fic anywhere else. It's mine and I'd love to keep it that way.

[columboscreens]

[askblueandviolet]

hey ever considered if. MAYBE the mayor likes you. that’s why they stick around????💀

MASTER POST

Asks Start 💜

Previous 💜

Next 💜

[lupins-hehim-pussy]

I wanna know ur Fontaine msq criticisms 👁️👁️👂I’m all ears

I'm not sure if you wanted me to talk about this secretly or publicly but! Here I go!

The TLDR: Fontaine MSQ aestheticised prison, poverty, child abuse, the justice system/court and didn't properly address any of it.

More:

Focalors/Furina has way too much of a sympathetic angle for a dictator who's lets people drown with her inaction.

Neuvillette feels Bad for sentencing some people to death/prison, but that's it. He's one of the most powerful people in Fontaine. If he felt like there are systemic injustices, I.E sending an abused Child to prison, he should be the first person to DO something about it, not just cry and be sad so the audience can be like aw, that's complex character writing isn't it? No it's not! And guilt doesn't absolve you!!!!!!! (These are stuff we deal with in OTCOJ read my fic now /j)

Meropide has children in it, both Sentenced there (Wriothesley) and BORN THERE (Lanoire), and this is just a quirk of the place. Not only that, Meropide accepts prisoners of all genders and crimes. There are abusers and abuse victims in one place. Do you know how bad that is? How much potential for crimes to happen in a place like that— oh wait, Meropide isn't under Fontaine's jurisdiction. If you are assaulted as an inmate it literally means nothing to the court.

Wriothesley had no qualifications when he took over. Depending on how long he lived on the streets, how old he was when he killed his parents, how old he was when he was first taken in by the orphanage, etc, the man might never have more than 4–5 years of formal education. Sigewinne probably had to teach him how to write reports. And do Meropide's spreadsheets. Edit because I forgot to elaborate on this one: This isn't a point brought up anywhere, which is bad, because when poverty and incarceration robs you of a proper education (and the rights to vote in many places too, too, by the way), it reduces your prospects for jobs, reduces many people's ability to get a home etc etc. Wriothesley was just, narratively, Given his position.

Meropide is an industrialized prison, and they portray this as a good thing. Prisoners are paid in coupons for their labour, and this is also portrayed as a good thing.

The One-Meal-A-Day reform was something Paimon gushed about being so great of a perk, that people might want to go to jail for food (could be interesting and reflective of systemic poverty if MHY had brains, but they don't, so I was just Pissed because essentially all Paimon wanted to say was "Prison isn't so bad, but still don't go to prison guys! Prison labour is really hard!"). By the way, in most real-world prisons they are obligated to feed you three meals a day. Because that's how much food a human needs. MHY went with one meal just so they can say "if you want to eat more, you have to work." And then the welfare meal is a goddamn gacha. So imagine you're a starving child who's too weak to work in the fucking robot assembly line, and you wander up for your first meal in 24 hours, only to luck in with a shit one. I'd kill myself.

They wrote Wriothesley, who's a victim of the system, into a guy who's say shit like "I'm the Duke I can do whatever I want" for a cool moment where he choke-slams an inmate (I know he was a bad guy. But also, in copaganda when cops are violent/disregarding protocols, they are always only portrayed to do that against bad guys, so what does our critical thinking tells us about this one?) They wrote Wriothesley, who was an inmate of a prison so bad, so notorious that it is the literal boogeyman of Fontaine, that has a legal (???) fighting pit, with an administrator who abuses his position to be unreasonable, to willingly stay in the place and become an Administrator who would choke-slam an inmate while saying a cool line about how he has the power to do whatever he wants. They wrote him, the guy who had to be fed on the streets by melusines, to think one-meal-a-day was a good enough reform (while he spends god-knows how much on his boat). This wasn't a victim-turns-into-abuser narrative either, they want all this to be seen as positive character growth.

And then, the final kicker is, they gloss over his entire abuse. You can only read about these shit in his profile, which most people don't because they don't Have Him or doesn't care to unlock it/read it online, and they jammed his entire backstory into a flaccid info-dump at the end of his character story quest. This man isn't Allowed to feel abused and neglected and show any reaction to it within the narrative of Fontaine itself, because if they actually Gave Weight to what happened to him, they'd have to confront THE FUCKING JUSTICE SYSTEM they had NO PLANS on criticising. I don't think they ever explicitly said the fucking Crime-Theatre nonsense was Bad either.

I could go on, but this is already so long. But yeah, I hope this gave you an idea.

[sssusuki]

In the story, Who Made me a Princess, Ijekiel Alpheus has his potential as a great character diminished by the way he was not only handled by the author, but those around him and the story. He is someone who has complicated relations with his family, who have only ever seen him as another tool in the family to achieve greatness and therefore uses his intelligence to bury himself in books to drown out that loneliness. Even if his father loved him, and says it later on in the story, it is never actively shown— and if anything, it is assumed that his father abandoned him after his mother died. He had his future decided the moment he was born and he had no control over his own life and that is why he fell so fast for Athanasia. Despite all his high walls and barriers, because she was something unachievable and, like her name, impossible for his father and himself to imagine. If he was given the chance to develop as a character rather than being a secondary love interest, they could've shown his complexities and— if anything, his quite gray morality. As he has shown that he will harm himself and others to get to his own satisfactory conclusion (as specifically shown in his standoff against Athanasius) as well as his more rivalry and forbidden relationship with Athanasia. In this essay I will

[summertimemusician]

Honestly the one thing that really frustrates me about Hyrule Warriors is how they cut Linkle being Link's sister, because otherwise it would have recontextualized Warriors entirely as a character.

This is mainly just headcanon territory, but something always bugged me about him being a knight in training from the get go, mainly because it's usually never any Link's first choice with First, Sky and Wild being the main exceptions (Gaepora took him in, and Gaepora runs the knights academy, makes sense he'd want to join then plus he'd probably want to protect Sun, plus Skylofts knights function differently than Hyrule knights, they don't have the same hierarchy and Skyloft is pretty peaceful before SS truly picks up so again, makes sense he wouldn't have troubles joining, we don't know First's reasons besides him seeing evil on the horizon and deciding if no one's was gonna do anything about it he might as well do it himself, and Wild was basically recruited at a young age for pulling the Master Sword while presumably young, he was never given a choice), we see it with Four, he's a blacksmiths apprentice under his grandfather and we see in his manga him practically baring his teeth at his father he won't become a knight and he doesn't pick up the sword unless really necessary, we see that with Time, he was raised as a Kokiri, he dreamt of adventure already from the drawings we see in his room, but he could always just become an adventurer if he wanted to though of course we see that change with the Hero's Shade, I'll come back to that, Wind? Was content living in Outset with Aryll before Ganon decided to fuck around and found out really hard, Legend was also a blacksmiths apprentice and adventurer and he only takes up knight training in the manga because Sir Raven inspired him, like even if he didn't want to be a knight the training would still serve him well (and lo and behold the advice pays off given all the shenanigans mostly caused by divine beings Legend gets saddled with), Hyrule obviously leaves in a very hostile world so he wouldn't even have ANY time to think about knight training, he's self taught because he'd literally die if he wasn't given monsters need his blood to ressurect Ganon so it's honestly a unique case of technically self defense, either he learned to hunt or he'd remain hunted, Twilight is the same case as Wind's, Ganondorf fucked around and found out with the wrong older sibling's people plus the protagonists heavily implied love interest(s) and got shafted into next week, him and Dusk don't have a personal connection besides Midna for him to stick around much and we see him go back to Ordon, so no knighthood there, so why was Warriors different? What motivated him?

I think Linkle being his younger sister would have been the answer.

Long post ahead, continue under your own risk

I know lots of people characterize Warriors as being of a noble line and joined the knights at the urging of his father, but let's not forget most Links are orphans so thinking Wars is an exception is a pipe dream. So that's out, however, in medieval times knights actually get plenty of benefits since they work mostly for lords, ladies and the local crown, being a knight is synonymous with being a noble or at least having a decent life at the cost of serving someone else and the Hyrulean knights don't really have any requisites before joining (though we do see long lines of knights exist, which some Links are descended from without their knowledge, so it's not farfetched to think that a good chunk of the knights of Hyrule qualify as members of noble houses loyal to the Hyrulean crown, would also explain their why they're ineffective a lot of the time too, if most of them grew noble and Hyrulean isn't war seeking {most of the time} then they wouldn't have any real experience), it would be a good way for Warriors to support himself as he climbs up the ranks, and most importantly, someone else, because he'd need to make that money to feed Linkle if she's his younger sister because most Links who take on elder sibling roles are at their best when trying to protect their younger siblings (Wind with Aryll, Twilight with Collin, to an extent Legend and Gulley, all Links are at their best when fighting/protecting someone else), Linkle could grown up without restrictions and he could support them both, making them work harder than other knights because he's already at a disadvantage.

Making it so he's in the perfect place at the right time to get noticed by Artemis before the War of Ages, and give him a reason to go against orders and fight rather than standby like other traineés, being discovered as the Hero in the process.

And as a result since Mask is in the war too, he gets inspired by Warriors (who as an older brother would definitely just snatch him, Wind, Tetra and heck even the Skull Kid under his wing because no way is he letting children younger than even his own little sister fight alone) and eventually becomes a knight too after presumably stopping his search for Navi or using his knight status to search more effectively, which gives us the Time we see in LU who eventually become the Hero's Shade, which trains Twilight. Because he looked up to Warriors while younger.

I just think it's a huge missed opportunity with a lot of room for angst/hurt comfort/drama, and also opportunities for Warriors, Legend and Wild to bond over not really liking the knights because they've all not likely been treated well by his fellow knights while young even though he himself is one, and that Warriors would absolutely be one of the first to throw hands if he heard another soldier talk badly about any of the Links, in this essay I will-

[dreamerlynx]

.

[lynxgirlpaws]

[fatespalm]

solemn vow to never be complacent or meek around things i feel strongly about again — to at least start the conversation even if i don’t have the words to talk back exactly to a poisonous idea — in kind, to pick up the thread if someone else does the same — tired of letting evil shit unfold —

[lamentablesbian]

moving out (take 2) tomorrow 💃💃💃 let’s go!