#cos of how his death got overshadowed so much

[unbotheredalwyn]

So obviously after the Joe breakup shit changed we had that ratty twatty and then suddenly travis. Like ratty twatty first of all made it seem like you know this person is like horrible yet you choose to be with him? Everyone called her (rightfully) out I feel like cause he is really a twat of a person and the whole ice spice collab to basically "save" Matty twattys image. I also felt like it was unfair of her fans to force her to break up with him I mean it's her life. And Joe during this time went through so much shit after the break up I remember he was papped and everyone made fun of how skinny he is and how horrible he looks (he had bags under his eyes on the photo) which is actually sad cause he lost his grandmother I think during that time and people were genuinely saying disgusting things and saying mother is looking so much better etc etc while Joe was having a downwards spiral. Again I understand no one knew his depression was that bad but fuck swifties can be more kind.

Exit ratty twatty enter travesty lord this man gives me the ick.

Swifties are blinded by their relationship but he is really not a good dude. I mean that video live of him pushing his coach and yelling? Videos online of him being openly racist, being a trump supporter (and also swifties are dumb they think bc he got vaccinated and bent the knee for black lives matter he is somehow Democrat?) honey trump is vaccinated as well. And just because he supported blm does not make him a good person. He was PAID to do all that performative shit.

I mean she has millions of fans, thousands of young girls thinking the blatant red flags of travesty is hot and shit. Tells me he can push her around too. (not to mention he supported his abusive friend that literally hit his wife.)

And it feels like she's forcing travesty tbh? Like girlie you wanted the art to be about you yet you let some man overshadow it. Because truly that's what's happening like swifties are more into him at this point and the relationship they made up in their head as Taylor.

This is where I got annoyed and took a step back. Each time they were seen Joe got thousands and thousands of hate just for what being introverted?

Then they attacked Emma (Joe's Co worker) for a cheating rumor THEY MADE UP and the shit they said were so genuinely disgusting she had to switch off her comments.

Then Ai audio dropped about Joe abusing Taylor and Ai videos circled making it seem like Joe is a cheater when he is NOT. fuck they even trended a sex scene with that Alison chick he worked with saying he said Alison (her real name) and not her character's name when he DID NOT. It was in the fucking series! This woman got slut shamed so bad she turned off comments too for literally WORKING with Joe. Swifties literally spread shit around that he cheated on Taylor with Emma and Alison when he didn't! And the fucking best of all Taylor was on the set while filming conversations with friends. She most likely saw it IN PERSON and they chose to say all this genuinely disgusting shit about Alison who I've learned is actually a pretty good person.

Here I got genuinely disgusted.

So okay again I understand that Taylor can't control all her fans but her silence while her cult mass harrases people?

Whats insane to me is Joe. Like the guy got so much hate because SHE CHOSE to lead fans on. When she announced ttpd everyone thought the title relates to Joe and Paul mescal

Joe got mass hate

Then the secret songs at eras being about cheating

Joe got death threats

ALL TO BE AN ALBUM ABOUT THE FUCKING SEWER RAT SHE CAN'T GET OVER?!

she literally took ALL the hate against Joe *knowing* she's releasing an album dissing her 6 weeks situationship is genuinely disgusting. I cannot fathom it.

And AND the only thing she could say about Joe is dude did not want to marry her bc he was severely depressed WHICH IS NOT HER PLACE TO TALK ABOUT HIS STRUGGLES?

like I am SORRY this man wants to d word next to her and she just didn't care and wanted to fuck Matty?

Her partner, that got her through her darkest times BTW, did not deserve this.

She let all this mass harrasment just happen to market ttpd. Like genuinely what the actual fuck. 2 innocent women Emma and Alison were attacked and called sluts for genuinely existing and breathing the same air as Joe. And the proof he did not cheat is in her OWN lyrics. (which swifties cannot seem to fucking read bc they'd rather attack Joe than admit this album is about a sewer nazi rat)

The hate Joe got made me cry. The disgusting things they said about him. Swifties literally threatening to bash his head in with a hammer or that he needs to hang himself and they'd enjoy seeing his body swinging from the roof.

Genuinely why would any person say this to anyone at any time?

And they made fun of depression like. What. The. Fuck. Just because Joe might not see it does not mean other people with crippling depression won't.

Oh and a side note she's still bringing up Kim on albums? Not just Kim Kim's CHILD?! leave the kid alone.

Genuinely feel like the most honest Taylor we got was during lover (a time which Joe helped her voice her political opinions and shit) and idk I just feel cheated on?

My whole life I've defended Taylor against everyone and I genuinely feel like she's showing her true colors now being with travesty and ratty and I cannot fathom how this is the same Taylor I'm seeing now as she was like a few years ago.

And it's not just Joe that got death threats BTW. When midnights came out and everyone gave honest reviews cause that evil Jack antonof little gay man ruined the production there were journalists literally getting so much death threats its insane.

Taylor gets (rightfully) called out and fans can't handle it.

She needs to address them ASAP. All these parasocial freaks. The people harrasing Joe. The people literally only seeing Taylor as a breeder for travestys children.

I can't genuinely I can't this is not how I want to feel about Taylor I mean I gave her my youth I looked up to her so much I feel so disappointed in the way she's acting yk?

Yes maybe she can't do jack shit about swifties but she can try.

And her staying quiet over Palestine? Her voice her one post about a ceasefire could change EVERYTHING.

idk at this point I can't stand to be around Taylor.

[leaderofthemafia]

#011

Dear Diary,

Young Dazai @thebandagedprodigy unexpectedly brought along young Chuuya @sacrificialsheepskull, the very boy who previously declared a desire to sever ties with Dazai... Naturally, I couldn't help but ponder what transpired that led to this reunion, though I refrained from probing further. It was reminiscent of that encounter with Chuuya in my own universe @the-real-chuuya, where he unleashed his corruption abilities. Back then I was worried. Thankfully, now I feel better equipped to handle such situations.

Zombie Dazai @gnawingonribs yearns to attend school but remains uncertain about what kind of education he seeks. His melancholic demeanour weighs heavily upon me. Despite my efforts, he seems lost in a sea of boredom and despondency. I’m at a loss for how to invigorate him. The changing scenery might help, but nothing appears to satisfy his restless spirit.

As if drawn by fate, I ventured into an unfamiliar universe, guided by @liam-and-co-ideas-universe. There, I encountered Aleandro Sinner, a mafia boss whose presence reminded me of my own. Our exchange traversed the realms of business and personal curiosity, and I found myself captivated by tales of his operations and his grand blimp. After I completed a task for him, he joyfully presented me with a bag of money - 100,000 to be exact. His enthusiasm infectious even amid his murky dealings. It was fascinating to realize that, regardless of the universe, power holds an enduring allure.

However, as I departed his world, I couldn't shake the feeling that our paths might intertwine again, perhaps fatefully so.

In my journey, I also learned from Alejandro that Liam @ask-liam-and-co holds a fondness for chocolate. Much like Fukuzawa @the-silver-wolf-in-the-dark, I set out to teach him how to skate on ice, and I was taken aback by his rapid progress. It was refreshing to witness his joy in learning, a contrast to the dark undercurrents surrounding my usual escapades.

Later, I received a threat from the Tokyo mafia @tokyo-kingdom. I was taken to Tokyo, where Angelina showed me the corpse of Miki @no-ones-sunshine. Before her journey, I advised her to tread carefully, only to learn now that she had tragically taken her own life. This news struck me with profound sorrow and anger. Angelina then escorted me back to Yokohama.

Further complicating matters, Angel @fuck-it-go-my-fyodor-rp-blog (a Fyodor from another universe) shared the news that Miki had returned from death. His resolve to rescue her ignited a flicker of hope within, yet I am apprehensive about Hirotsu @fallingcamelliapetals recognizing my desire to undertake yet another rescue mission independently. I fear his worry would overshadow my intent. I simply cannot bear to see him distressed. Yet Angel's urging weighs on me and I also want to rescue Miki.

On the other side I don’t want to hurt Hirotsu. It was enough that he got angry when I taught Fukuzawa to ice skate in public. I must admit that I had fun doing it. It was somehow nice to be close to Fukuzawa again. I guess there are some things I could never erase from my mind. On the other hand, I simply can’t compare Fukuzawa and Hirotsu. Hirotsu now knows sides of me that I didn't even realize I had. It feels so nice to be able to completely let go in his hands.

It's really incredibly difficult for me to put into words, but somehow Hirotsu touches something deep within my heart. There’s this vulnerable side of me that I’ve kept hidden and well-guarded for all these decades. In any case, it shows me how much I trust him. Damn, I love him so much… I would die for him…

[ashesandhackles]

HP Reread - Order of Phoenix (Part 2)

Chapter 13,14

"Ron was now so low in his seat that his nose was on his knees". when Hermione confronts Fred and George about them testing sweets on first years. Also, living with Weasleys made Hermione realise what is a below the belt threat for Fred and George: write to Molly. XD (also the reason Ron is reluctant to go against Fred and George, something he was willing to do last year in GOF with the whole blackmail scheme, is due to reminders of Percy as Ron now holds the Prefect badge.)

love that both Hermione and Ron had opportunities to not read the room XD Ron getting on Cho's case about being a Tornadoes supporter when its clear she wanted to talk to Harry, and Hermione with Luna after she expresses her support to Harry. And Hermione being like "No REGRATS" after Harry is all, "Do you mind not offending the only people who believe me?" XD

"And it looks like it's going to rain" "what's that got to do with homework?" "Nothing" Ron is training for Quidditch secretly <3 I like that his arc is trying to define himself on his own terms (esp after the falling out with Harry in GOF which was because he felt overshadowed) - and the fact he takes initiative to practise for Quidditch, to be on team, is a step in that direction.

Harry enters Umbridge's office, and immediately takes the scene as a battle of wills. An adult being horrendous/violent is not a surprise to him, so what counts as "winning" for him in this situation is to not show he is in pain, or to check the time for when he would be allowed to go, or ask or to even complain to Ron and Hermione about it. There is also a lot of shame surrounding abuse, and ideas of weakness in admitting something like that happened to you.

Ron and Harry having a moment - where Ron reveals he wants to try for Keeper, and Harry tells him about Umbridge. It is incredible that Ron, a peer, got Harry to open up about something that has shame surrounding it. Speaks to how safe Ron makes Harry feel.

Both Hermione and Ron egging him to go to Dumbledore at different time: it's clear these two co-parents have discussed him. Also Harry discussing Umbridge with Hermione is operating under the assumption that Ron told her - and he would be right. Trio dynamics <3

Harry refuses to "trouble" Dumbledore because he feels abandoned by him, so he thinks he would write to Sirius instead: his safe space. <3

Hermione inviting him to knit hats with her. She is so happy that she can make all sorts of patterns now.

"She's nearly as nice as your mum": the way Harry understands this about Sirius, and the way Sirius also immediately understands what Harry is saying about Umbridge enough to come to the fire later. <3 also "Please write back quickly":(

I really, really love how Harry and Cho is written right down to the time we get to scenes with second hand embarrassment. Harry's crush on her is so endearing, and I like that he is comforted that Cho did not hate him for being alive when Cedric is dead (it's a casual throwaway line to Harry's own survivor's guilt)

"he got off on a mere technicality""many people I have spoken to remained convinced of his guilt" - the way Percy needs to double down and convince himself that he is on the right track.

"Nearly everyone in the wizarding world thought Sirius a dangerous murderer and a great Voldemort supporter, and he had to live with that knowledge for 14 years" the way this book emphasises how much Harry deeply understands Sirius. And also, now Sirius isnt cleared before his death hits hard.

Sirius' association of Hermione's worry for him as her sounding like Molly shows that he understands that Molly comes from a place of concern too. Also best evidence of their dynamic is not as prickly as it is made out to be.

Love the implication that Remus is just cussing Umbridge out in presence of Sirius. The comfort Remus feels speaks volumes.

"the world isnt split into good people and Death Eaters": an important quote, and given where Sirius comes from, a good insight into how he thinks.

Hermione looked upset when Sirius makes a joke about Kreacher, and this is because Sirius was the only adult to truly back her about Winky. Sirius knows she is right, just like he knows Dumbledore is right, Hermione invoking Dumbledore's name (like Molly did in the beginning) to get him to listen - he interrupts and changes the subject, because of how bitter he feels with regard to Dumbledore (just like Harry) + how isolated he is in a childhood home.

Sirius has personal bitter feelings about Dumbledore, but his eyes are clear with regard to the Order and what Dumbledore wants there: he warns the trio to not draw attention to the fact that Hagrid isnt there.

@artemisiablack masculinity meta covered 'less like your dad' moment in depth. My addition is - I am interested in Harry's complete understanding of this - not once does he become mad at this. Since he spends the entire book lashing out, isolated, disbelieved, he has a unique understanding of Sirius' position and is unusually forgiving of him. Remus tries the "what your father would have done/ wanted" route in DH, and Harry has far less understanding of it there because he is projecting himself onto Teddy's position.

Chapter 15, 16

I love the newspaper article about Hogwarts High Inquisitor. It is quite clearly a govt puff piece with support of a quote of a corrupt parent, Lucius Malfoy. The only dissent in the article comes at the end by Griselda Marchbanks and Tiberius Odgen, and Marchbank's quote of critique is something the prophet tries to diminish by having an article on her links with "subversive goblin groups" on page 17.

Lmao at Hermione looking sideways to see Harry's grade on his moonstone essay and when she gets neither Harry nor Ron's essay grades, she tries to engage them in a conversation about OWL grades. Until finally, Ron cracks and says, "If you want to know what grades we got, ask" and she is all,"I dont- I didnt mean - Well if you want to tell me". Such a poor liar LOL.

Ok I adore this detail of Fred and George naming the grades for them, and Ron raises his hand in mock celebration when they say "P is for poor" XD such a teenage boy thing.

Hermione retreated last time and came back with a new strategy. She came back to Umbridge's class reading the whole book. XD Umbridge tries to whisper to her, but Hermione speaks in clear, carrying voice so the rest of the class can overhear. Hermione rattles her enough that Umbridge forgets to whisper and then docks off points when she realises that Hermione outmaneuvered her. And then, Harry gets involved, to Hermione's distress.

"Yeah, Quirrel was a great teacher. There was a minor drawback of Lord Voldemort sticking out the back of his head" LOL

"Dean Thomas, if you do that to the mouse again, I shall put you in detention": Dean whatttt

Harry loses his temper with Umbridge in Care of magical Creatures again, and both Ron and Hermione groan. Poor kids. This is a hard year for them.

Harry comes back with a very severe bleeding hand and he is relieved that Hermione is being sympathetic instead of critical (like she was at breakfast when McGonagall took points off).

"Harry saw with an ominous feeling that her face was alight with fervour SPEW usually inspired in her" this is so endearing.

I love the tiny shade of coolness in Hermione when she mentions that Harry beat her in DADA when they had a competent teacher. It bothers her gifted child-ness a bit, but she is okay because it was done in a fair setting.

How much do you want to bet Ron and Hermione discussed the idea of Harry being a teacher and kind of laid a conversation trap.

also, Harry having his survivor guilt induced rant about how much it could have just been him who died instead of Cedric: it reminds me of the conversation in Deathly Hallows where Harry tells Ron: "Stuff like that always sounds cooler than it really was. I've been trying to tell you that for years."

Hermione says Voldemort for the first time, and that calms Harry down. It tells him that she is taking what he said seriously.

love that Hermione waited two whole weeks to broach the topic with Harry again. And also introduced the idea of this being an idea for a larger group of people. She believes there is a larger group of people who would be interested in what Harry has to say and that it isn't fair to deprive of them of a chance to learn - and it feels like either she has been in conversation with these people and has been gauging the mood.

and she names Ron as part of her initial idea, and Ron looks at her all alarmed . here is the confirmation that the conversation they had was rehearsed. Ron joins the conversation and backs Hermione once he is sure Harry is receptive to the idea.

the barman looked "tall and thin" and "vaguely familiar" to Harry. Aberforth :D

the man in dirty grey bandages is the one who informs Umbridge about the meeting: he is referenced earlier in the book as the dude who blows up toilets XD

"A couple of people?" but this is a good demonstration of scale of Hermione's ideas and also her awareness that this would be something Umbridge would disprove of.

first meeting of Fred and Aberforth. Later in DH, he will talk of him with familiarity: "Aberforth is getting ratty.."

love that Hermione's initial go to was to use Harry's reputation to give her idea credibility and Harry disproves that line of speech with a ":sharp look" but her voice grows bolder and has more conviction when she talks about what Umbridge teaches them is rubbish. It's a nice moment of Hermione taking on a leadership role.

Zacharias Smith's interruption rattles the trio, and both Ron and Hermione try to redirect the conversation away from Harry. But Harry intervenes in this case.

While Hermione gets nervous again, Susan Bones interrupts and bolsters the conversation in Harry's favour. ("is it true you can produce a Patronus?") also, love the detail that Molly asked Ron not to spread it around XD

also twins leap to Harry's defense when Zacharias is rude again. XD i really love that the twins are so protective about him.

Ginny intervening in Hermione and Luna's spat with a "hem hem". Love that Weasley family has a set of people who can imitate people very well. Ron does it in DH too - he imitates Pettigrew XD

the cute detail of Cho fastening her catch in hopes of staying back, but Marietta was being too impatient, so she had to leave. Such a teenage move.

ok, I know OOTP is a bit of transient phase for Romione: but I love the body language detail of Hermione turning around and trodding on Ron's feet in a shop. It speaks to how close they are standing - and it feels like a test of boundaries (we see this later with Ron gifting Hermione perfume).

OOTP - Chapter 17, 18

the beech tree the trio sits near the lake is a regular, they sit here again post-Grawp chapters (and it is the same tree Marauders are sitting under in SWM chapter).

love that Ron thinks Hermione projects her virtues onto everyone else (which she does in some ways!), but Hermione clarifies that no one can tell Umbridge because she jinxed the parchment. Ruthless lol.

Harry is so worried about Hedwig that he nearly forgets that she had a letter for him:( also the tenderness in the Harry-Hedwig here: and how annoyed she is with him for letting Grubby-Plank take her, and how that makes Harry feel.

Snape's reaction to Umbridge when she mentions DADA post, obviously sore subject for him, because he believes Dumbledore would not hand him that position out of lack of trust. In HBP, he mentions that he believes Dumbledore believes it will cause a relapse in his old ways - but in HBP, the year Dumbledore gives Snape the task to kill him, he is effectively also handing over his complete trust by giving him that post. (ofc, the job is jinxed, so there are reasons why Dumbledore didnt do it before- but I am looking at this in terms of an emotional dynamic between the two. It also adds an interesting layer to Dumbledore, someone who would refuse all sorts of temptation due to his own youth and how he projects those fears onto Snape)

Crookshanks coming close to the fire to put his face close to Sirius <3 Hermione has to pull him back to stop him from singeing his whiskers.

Hermione takes Sirius' advice about Three Broomsticks being a place that would be harder to overhear- her meeting with Rita and Luna later in the story takes place in Three broomsticks. Despite her reservations about Sirius' judgement at this point in the story, it's an interesting look into how her mind works.

What is the Mundungus-Aberforth backstory? He was apparently banned from Hog's Head 20 years ago. Is it the same tight spot Dumbledore bailed him out of?

Molly's perceptiveness about Harry's relationship with Sirius comes into play in her message that she asks Sirius to pass on. In the beginning of the book, she challenges Sirius' guardianship ("who else has he got?"), and here she has retreated to "though she accepts she has no authority over either of them and begs them..".

Love that Sirius tells Ron to tell Molly that he has passed it all on, "because I don't think she trusts me to." Sirius wants her approval.

Ofc Hermione suspecting this to be the case is one more reason the book is Hermione vs Umbridge. I also think, and this chapter demonstrates, with Hermione being the one with DA plan, creating failsafes, asking to think up a name, she functions as the leader-behind-the scenes.

Also Hedwig sitting on Dobby's topmost bobble is the cutest image.

Hermione bringing up the fact that Dobby's plans aren't always safe - with regard to room of requirement. I wonder if she was doubling back on the DA after the initial Sirius enthusiasm, and the enormity of what they are doing scared her for a moment. Or it was a need to double check.

ooh, Ginny had come in with Dean and other Gryffindors. Given that Ginny dates Dean in the next book, it is a significant point to her social circle.

"That's a majority - motion passed": Hermione XD

Harry being so cute that he decides not to point out that Neville's first attempt at Disarming when Harry is facing away from him does not actually count XD

Lmao @ twins going after Zacharias Smith. They are clearly very annoyed at him making jibes at Harry (as they displayed last time at Hog's Head).

Ok, Dean's enthusiasm is really <3 I forget that Dean's respect for Harry is what drives Dean's moment in DH, where he puts weight behind Harry being the Chosen one in the conversation. This, combined with how excited Neville was about disarming Harry, shows how the Gryffindor boys view him.

Chapter 19, 20

Queen Parvati has produced such a good reductor curse that she reduces an entire table full of sneakscopes to dust.

Hermione "trying to look modest" when Terry Boot is all admiration that she can do a NEWT level charm. LOL.

Loved the conversation between Harry and Hermione: he tells her it reminds him of the Dark mark, and she admits that is where she got the idea from. It is something she got out of Harry's retelling of the most traumatic night of his life, and I like that she stores details like this and treats information as information.

"Hey Potty I hear Warrington's sworn to knock you off your broom on Saturday" "Warrington's aim is so pathetic I'd be more worried if he was aiming for the person next to me": XD

Hermione kisses Ron on the cheek when he looks lost and miserable, and it is like the kiss brings him back to himself <3 he touches the spot slightly. (also she has to stand on tiptoe to do it. Ron is tall)

Angelina does not wince when Montague tries to crush her fingers. Go Angelina!

Lee trying to drown out the words of the terrible "Weasley is our King" song by shouting his commentary. Lee Jordan is King!

Draco actually wrote the lyrics for Weasley is our king, and Pansy was conducting it from the stands lol. Says a lot about the character dynamics here.

Harry holding George back, while the combined efforts of Angelina, Katie and Alicia are needed to stop Fred leaping on Malfoy XD and then of course Harry releases George when Draco insults his mum.

Hogwarts really doesn't care about verbal bullying. An entire song to wind up the Gryffindor Keeper? Okay. Muggle duelling after extended provocation? Oh good lord not.

Hagrid is back and so begins hints of my least favourite plotline: Grawp.

Chapter 20, 21, 22

Hermione wearing her own knobbly elf hats. So cute. I love how it is a little thing she takes pride in.

Ron being his caretaking self and really pressing about how Hagrid has been attacked. XD

Hagrid irritably calling them nosy and interfering and then his beard twitches and Harry grins. Harry bargains his Dementor story for Hagrid's tale.

Trolls on Polish border and a disagreement with vampire in Minsk? Gimme this bar tale!

love how much the everlasting fire imagery comes with Dumbledore: he offers the giants (via Hagrid) : everlasting fire. (there is Fawkes, and there is the inferno he uses against the Inferi)

Maxime being super impressive by both roughing it (Hagrid being all "she is such a well dressed woman but..") and also saving Hagrid from giants by being fast with her wand.

Okay, Hagrid going misty-eyed at memories of Maxime being fiery at the thought of attacking Death Eaters, and Harry allowing him 30 secs of reminiscences before clearing his throat, lol.

Hermione asking about Hagrid's mother and being scared of broaching the topic, and Ron covering for her<3

Thestrals first make an appearance through gnarled yew trees - to emphasise their connection with death. Nott, Harry and Neville are the only ones who can see them.

Neville being upset that his answer might have made things worse for hagrid, but truthfully, this entire segment is an exercise of Umbridge enjoying wielding her power.

Ron being greatly amused by Hermione's skiing holiday, and Harry being envious that Ron would go to Burrow until Ron tells him he is invited. And Harry feels guilty at the thought of Sirius being alone at Grimmauld Place for Christmas, and considers persuading Mrs Weasley to invite him. :(

Angelina sending Harry burning reproachful looks cos she had to recreate the Gryffindor team. XD Also, Ginny is on team as Seeker!

The tension building between Harry and Cho: how he resists the urge to walk past her several time after she beams at him, and how he hangs back hoping to get a Merry Christmas from her.

Cho is dealing with so many confused feelings in this scene: the what if about Cedric, and seeing Harry react heavily to his mention, she feels upset that she burdened him with her feelings, she says, "I know it must be horrible for you… me mentioning Cedric, when you saw him die. I suppose you want to forget about it?" and when Harry doesnt answer, she expresses her admiration and attraction.

the other half of him wanted to take it to the grave, Imao, Harry so dramatic.

"oh, are you that bad at kissing?" "dunno. maybe I am." "of course you arent." "how do you know?" LOL. The trio in this scene.

"emotional range of a teaspoon" - its a funny line, but it also conveys Hermione's feelings for Ron and how much she wants to disavow them at the moment, because he is "the most insensitive wart she had the misfortune to meet". XD The scene is also set around Hermione writing an essay to Krum.

Harry agreeing mindlessly to Ron's "he's a grouchy git, isn't he?" "bit grouchy, yeah." Also LOL at role reversal. Hermione was the one who said that Krum looks grumpy, and Ron was like, "who cares what he looks like" lol.

Harry wishing Sirius's head appears in the fire so he can ask for advice on girls XD

Harry's ridiculous dream before the nightmare conveys feelings of competition that he feels with regard to Cho's feelings for Cedric , and there is also a sense that he wants to give back to Dobby because he came to the room to set up Christmas baubles with Dobby's head.

Mrs Norris spots them on the way to Dumbledore's office (McGonagall shoos her), but the cat informs Filch, Filch informs Umbridge.

I love the implication here that Dumbledore is conducting a meeting with portraits (many of whom are in important wizarding institutions in the country, which means he gets information from everywhere). The discussion falls silent and portraits pretend to sleep as soon as there is a knock on the door.

"but in essence divided?" + the imagery of two serpents coiling and undulating in air. This is a reference to Voldemort's torn soul in Harry, but also the twin imagery between Harry and Voldemort is strong here.

also the comical whimsy of the portraits is there throughout the scene - them pretending to sleep but raising their eyelids enough to watch Harry, them yelling at Phineas to wake up, and finally, the witch with a wand that looked like a birch rod XD

love that Harry as a protector is embedded in Ginny's mind. She asks him directly what is going on, instead of the adults in the room. Harry reinforces this association by stepping directly in front of her in the climax chapters when Bellatrix threatens her.

ah the implication of Sirius being in his day clothes, and the whiff of a stale drink about him :(

Ron gives Harry a fleeting look(but does not challenge it) when Harry changes the story to as if he is watching the vision from sidelines, later on in the same chapter, he admits to seeing it through snake's eyes for Sirius and also admits to wanting to attack Dumbledore. Sirius gets the detail that Harry wanted to attack Dumbledore first.

Oh Sirius. :( It's such struggle for him to remain calm in a scene when Fred, understandably upset, hits at something below the belt. Sirius, who is a man of action, who ties his worth to doing hates being in this position. But once they sit down, he tries hard to be a host - giving them Butterbeer, suggesting they go to bed…

Ginny being curled like a cat and her eyes reflecting the firelight is such a sensual image.

"Harry and Sirius looked at each other often, intruders upon family grief… waiting… waiting". Again, the emphasis on how Harry views Sirius.

Sirius cooking for the Weasleys, Sirius saying "the more the merrier" and Molly beaming at him, and them cooking together <3

"well, he doesn't tell me anything any more" - not only does Harry confess the details of the vision, he also allows himself to tack on this resentful sentence of Dumbledore keeping him in the dark.

This is a bit of a moment for Sirius where he wants to assure Harry things are alright before admitting that the vision is worrying him - its one of the few moments in the series that Sirius is not entirely honest with Harry. So he goes to Dumbledore about this next to figure out wtf is going on - which is what arranges the Occlumency lessons.

LOL, the entrance to St. Mungos is a bit creepy, with dummy beckoning you closer with its jointed finger for entering.

Dilys (the headmistress) counting the Weasleys as though to report to Dumbledore who is visiting.

An old man with a hearing trumpet is here to see Broderick Bode.

Mrs Weasley panicking there is a werewolf in public ward, and Mr. Weasley assuring the man that Remus finds his condition easy to manage. Remus really never lets it show, unless he is bitching about Umbridge to Sirius. XD

Poor harry spends the entire chapter thinking that Weasleys had something "accusatory" in how they looked at him (a reflection of his own feelings of guilt), and he keeps being proven wrong: Molly hugs him and thanks him for saving Arthur's life, and Fred and George offer him extendable ears saying Harry has the right to listen in on their father. It makes the end of the chapter, where they are most likely worried about him and scared for him, all the more sad because Harry is going to think they are afraid of him

Chapter 23, 24

Harry's paranoia driving him to a point where he thinks he needs to go to privet Drive to keep other people safe.

Like Sirius, as angry as Harry gets at Dumbledore, he instantly obeys his instruction. And again like Sirius in his depressive episode, Harry also retreats to the room with Buckbeak, and refuses to eat.

hermione asking Harry not to tell Ron that skiing is not really her thing cos he kept laughing too much XD

Hermione and Ginny tag-teaming Harry out of his mood, leading to the "I forgot" "Lucky you" moment. And Ginny gives Harry the knowledge that gives him immediate comfort. Ron joins at the tail end of the conversation, where he senses Harry has started calming down. (He had previously looked down in response to Harry's angry glare)

Sirius singing "God Rest Ye Merry Hippogriffs" and his delight at having the house full, "especially at having Harry back":(

Sirius and Remus sending presents that shows both of their tacitly approving DA. Lovely shade to Remus' characterisation. Also how sweet of Tonks to send in a small model of the Firebolt.

Remus comforting Molly about Percy and the implication later that Sirius and Molly are cooking together again - Molly "sounding like she had a bad head cold" and Sirius bringing in turkey.

"The perfume is really unusual Ron" - Ron spotting that Hermione is indeed, a girl. What an awkwardly cute romantic-but-is-it gesture.

Kreacher's den - that is the boiler room where he sleeps - really makes me side-eye the stupid house elf plot that says Walburga and Regulus were "kind" to Kreacher. Sure Jan.

Christmas is the time where there is an uptick of patients who have come in cos of a family argument XD

Remus going to the forlon werewolf in the ward. :(

the Healer who ran after Ron through six portraits to offer remedy for spattergroit XD this will come in handy in Deathly Hallows.

Hermione sounding "slightly breathless" at the sight of Lockhart. Her crush remains XD

Neville saving the wrapper he got from his mum.

Harry being suspicious of Kreacher's behavior is why he is the lead detective of a mystery novel character. XD

Sirius is that character whose presence is just so powerful that his mood infects everyone: whether he is cheerful during the beginning of the holiday, or when he is depressed near the end of the holiday ("oozing under doorways like noxious gas"). Intense boy.

Harry egging on his castle which was tussling with Ron's pawn, lmaoo. "Squash him, squash him, he is only a pawn you idiot." I will say that the "Lucky you" scene and further on put Ginny among the trio. She is sitting with Hermione and Crookshanks, watching Harry and Ron play chess.

Snape and Sirius scene: this is an incredibly fun scene with two characters who are quite a match for each other's verbal sparring, and it also lays out their priorities. Sirius' priority is Harry, and he undercuts the power Snape is trying to establish in the scene by claiming ownership of both the house ("it's my house, you see") and Harry (I'm his godfather"). Snape's priority is Dumbledore's orders + the Order (and he rubs the fact that he is doing an important role to hit undercut Sirius' power in return).

The history between these two also muddies the scene with other complicated things. The moment Sirius stands up to emphasise that Harry shouldnt be bullied, Snape's, ever the hypervigilant against his former bullies, goes to his wand in his pocket. (we see a version of this in SWM, where James calls to him, and "Snape reacted as though he was expecting an attack").

They both throw emasculating insults at each other: Snape goads him about hiding in his mother's house, while Sirius calls him Lucius' lapdog. So essentially, what these two men are saying in the scene is - Sirius: "Stop tormenting Harry" and Snape is saying (especially with the jab about how Lucius knew it was Sirius): "You are putting the Order at risk". Poor Harry stuck at forcing these two grown men apart, standing immobile between them, hand outstretched. XD

Sirius forcing himself to be cheerful around people, and Harry noticing his face fell back into a brooding expression when the focus isnt on him:(

Ugh, Harry just not wanting to leave Sirius behind and the way his chest is constricting at thought of parting. And Sirius giving him a way to contact him, and then giving him a one armed hug. These two loved each other so much:(

The adults fell silent when Harry came in for breakfast, and Tonks was nervous about staying too long in the square (she even threatens Stan for simply saying Harry's name loudly). I wonder what is happening here? Are they being watched/followed? I would have loved to know more behind the scenes Order stuff. Interesting how Tonks takes the lead in this two man job, and how she splits them up, tips Stan to move them along etc etc. More glimpses of her Auror! self.

Harry saying Voldemort's name unnerves Snape, and he almost rubs the arm where his mark is. It shows that Snape is indeed, scared of Voldemort. (also Harry asking the right questions - "why can I see from snake's mind if its Voldemort's thought I am sharing?" smart cookie. It's because Nagini is a Horcrux.)

"well for the first attempt that was not as poor as it could have been" is Snape almost unwillingly complimenting Harry lol, and then he offers feedback in his typical bad teacher way: "remain focused, you wasted too much time and energy shouting. You are handing me memories you fear"

After Harry sees his mother and father in mirror, and Cedric's death once again: Snape looks "paler than usual, and angrier". I dont think he expected to encounter Lily again.

"fools who wear their heart proudly on their sleeves, who cannot control their emotions, who wallow in sad memories and allow themselves to be provoked easily - weak people in other words - stand no chance against his powers". Snape is talking about himself, especially teenage Snape who joined the Death Eaters. We see a glimpse of teenage Snape later on, lying on grass and throwing swear words at James even without his wand, throwing a slur at his best friend because he is humiliated - "easily provoked, who cannot control his emotions". This is such an interesting chapter because Snape is talking about himself and there is recognition of who Harry is, away from his projection of "James' son". Snape's lip curl when asking about Ripper the dog, and Harry thinks Snape is mocking him (but interestingly, he never uses it to mock Harry - now or in the future, because it disturbs his James projection on him), but these words show that Snape is recognising himself in him. He hates it and will disassociate from the realisation until near the end of the series. Which gives weight to the "look at me" moment. He is asking Harry to really see him, and asking to be seen in return ("look at me")

Harry asking whats in the department of mysteries, unnerving Snape. Because it holds the prophecy Snape had overheard, but it also tells Snape that this is something that is haunting Harry for months (as he will later tell Dumbledore). Harry and Snape stepping on emotional landmines around each other - it makes for very interesting scenes, but good god, this is such a bad idea.

Hermione looking at Fred and george's Invisibility Hats and puzzling out how they work, and compliments how cleverly they used the charm.

Hermione asking Ron to check up on Harry since he looked ill all evening. <3 these two co-parents.

[raaorqtpbpdy]

Death by Exposure

Written for the Phic Phight Prompts: At first Danny had been worried sick that Wes had figured out that he was Phantom, but when no one believed him it had sort of become funny. Still, after the anti-ecto act, and the GIW, and his own parents very public very violently vitriolic screeds against ghosts, Danny had to wonder what he'd ever done to Wes that the guy would risk exposing Danny to all that. (from @hpwotters-blog, or at least I think that's you're tumblr.), Wes Weston wakes up to find an injured Phantom on the fire escape. (from @half-deadmagicperson), With how much time he spends on basketball and his delusional conspiracy theories, no one would ever suspect that Wes Weston has another secret hobby… (from @kadziduo), And Wes has been spending more and more time around Fenton and Co. lately - hey! he’s only trying to get some much-needed evidence against them, not trying to get all buddy-buddy with them. And anyway, they’re an entirely annoying bunch, so he wholeheartedly blames them for the fact that he’s currently being monologued at by the ghost holding him hostage. (from @a-closet-emo)

Chapter 5: Exposed

AO3 Link

[Warnings death mentions and kidnapping]

Much to both boys' surprise, Wes and Danny bonded during the remaining days of spring break. Even after Danny was fully healed and could go home, they hung out together. Wes even helped him in a ghost fight once or twice. When Sam and Tucker got back from their respective trips, they were dumbfounded.

"Danny, this is definitely just another ploy to gather evidence that you're Phantom," Sam pointed out. "I know you're not the brightest bulb, but even you have to see that."

"First of all, rude. And second of all, I showed up on his fire escape, bleeding out, and he patched me up," Danny told her. He'd already told her twice before. "I really don't think he's all that eager to expose me anymore. For now, at least."

"And how long is that gonna last?" Tucker asked. "How do you know he'll still feel that way tomorrow? Or next week?"

"I rarely ever say this, but Tucker's right," Sam said, crossing her arms. "Your parents and the Guys in White have created a propaganda machine that's constantly pumping out new anti-ghost sentiments. Wes may have resisted so far, but for how much longer?"

"Will you two just trust me?" Danny pleaded. "Ever since he figured out I'm Phantom, Wes has learned a lot more about ghosts than your average Amity Parker. He knows as well as we do that the Guys in White are lying about ghosts being non-sentient. And you're right, he still wants people to know I'm Phantom, but you were also right a couple months ago when you said he didn't want me to get hurt. Do you remember that?" 

"We do trust you, Danny," Tucker said. "We just don't understand why you'd trust Wes, unless you're like, being overshadowed, or you lost your mind or something."

"Is that it?" Sam asked. "Have you gone completely insane? Next thing you're gonna tell us is that you've started thinking of Vlad as a father figure."

"Ew," Danny cringed. "It's nothing like that. I just think maybe we misjudged Wes a little bit."

"I'll believe it when I see it," Sam scoffed.

"Great, 'cause he's having lunch with us on Monday, when school starts back up again."

"WHAT?"

Sam and Tucker were none too pleased when Wes joined them in the cafeteria, just like Danny had said he would. But he didn't go on his usual tangent about Danny's secret identity, and, "How am I the only one seeing this? Wake up!" Even when Danny openly mentioned something that happened while fighting ghosts as Phantom, Wes kept it confined to their table.

He did ask a lot of questions about ghosts, though, and every time Danny answered them, Sam and Tucker would give him a look like he'd just sold Fenton Works for a handful of beans.

"What are you doing?" Sam hissed in his ear. "He's going to use this information to expose you!"

"Eventually, maybe, but relax," Danny muttered back. "He's changing his tack, okay? He wants to prove ghosts are sentient first and get the anti-ecto acts repealed."

"Oh, sure, that's a totally attainable goal for a high school student." She rolled her eyes. "Do you really believe he's going to do that?"

"I don't know, but he seems to," Danny told her with a shrug.

"I know you guys are talking about me," Wes said. "If you won't say it to my face, don't say it at all. Put up or shut up."

"Sam says she has no faith in you," Danny told him, and she gasped and punched him in the shoulder. "Ow!"

"That's fair," Wes said. "She's gonna eat those words, though."

"I'd like to see you make me!" she sneered.

"I'd like to see that, too," Tucker piped up cheerfully. "It's always fun to watch Sam eat her words. Those words better be vegan, am I right?"

Danny laughed before saying, "actually, I think words are technically an animal product, since they come from humans. Guess Sam may have to go off her diet." The two of them busted up while Sam scowled, and Wes looked confused for a moment before chuckling awkwardly, just so he wouldn't be left out.

Wes continued to spend more time with the three of them. He could often be found taking notes on things they said about ghosts for his new conspiracy theory about the G.I.W. covering up the fact that ghosts are sentient in order to enact the legal genocide of an intelligent species.

"What are you doing hanging out with that loser so often?" Dash asked derisively as he caught the ball Wes sent his way and passed it to Josh. Wes had just told him that he was meeting Danny and his friends once basketball practice was over. Dash faked a gag for dramatic effect.

"Lay off, dude, I'm gathering evidence," Wes said. The whole school still thought Wes was obsessed with his 'Fenton is Phantom' theory, and he didn't have enough evidence to start spreading his new theory yet, so he used that as his cover. It was harder than he thought to prove that ghosts were genuinely sentient when the commonly held belief was that they were pretending to be sentient, for God only knew what reason. "If I spend time around them, they'll eventually slip up and give me everything I need."

"Dude, you're off your nut if you're still trying to prove your stupid theory," Dash said with a snort. "He's not Phantom. Just admit you're crushing on him and stop making excuses."

"I am not crushing on Danny Fenton!" Wes snapped, insulted by the insinuation, one that was made far too often for Wes' liking. "Fenton's a complete dumbass, a liar, and an asshole. I'm gay, not stupid. I would never be attracted to someone like that."

"Uh-huh, sure." Dash clearly didn't believe it. Wes just sighed and stopped arguing, knowing it would be useless if he did. Nobody ever believed anything Wes said, so that was hardly new. It was annoying though. 

When basketball practice ended, he headed to Fenton's house. Sam, Danny, and Tucker were all going to teach Wes how to play Doomed, which promised to be an... interesting experience.

Wes had never really played any video games before. He'd tried out a few at an arcade once, years ago. Kyle got to pick where they had their party on odd numbered years, so they went to one for their eleventh birthday. Wes hadn't lasted more than five minutes on any of the games there, and it ranked among the worst birthday parties he'd ever had for the pure frustration. He got back at Kyle for their twelfth though, when Wes got to choose the place and they had their birthday party at a bird sanctuary.

He knocked on the door when he arrived, and Danny answered it and immediately ushered Wes up to his room before his parents could intercept and trap Wes in a one-sided conversation about ghosts. Well, actually, with Wes there might've been some audience participation.

After an hour, Wes had made a character and approximately nine thousand derisive comments about video games, but he hadn't even managed to beat the first level. The other three were extremely amused.

"I told you I'm not good at video games," he reminded them, having to shout to be heard over their uproarious laughter as he repeatedly ran his character into a wall... again. "I told you all, like, a dozen times, but you insisted!" Even Sam had, which had surprised Wes, because she didn't seem like the gamer type. "I don't have the finger reflexes and shit."

"You spend all day behind a camera!" Tucker pointed out, panting with laughter. "How do you not have finger reflexes?"

"It's different reflexes!" 

"You know what, Wes, maybe you should stick to bird watching," Danny said, patting his shoulder with fake sympathy.

"I didn't want to play in the first pla—"

"Bird watching?!" Tucker shouted, interrupting him. "You're shitting me right now."

"No, I saw his bird watching journal," Danny said. "It's intensely nerdy." Wes shot to his feet to chew him out for exposing his shameful secret, but whatever he said, it couldn't be heard over Sam's witch-like cackle.

In the end, Wes couldn't help getting dragged in, and started laughing himself. Even as he said, "Fuck you guys," he was smiling.

They took a break from gaming when Danny's parents left to check out a ghostly disturbance that Tucker had called in a fake tip about. The four of them headed downstairs to the lab to give Wes a tour.

"If he's going to hang out with us, he needs to at least know how the ghost portal works," Danny insisted, though Sam and Tucker grumbled complaints the whole way down the stairs. "Let me show you." Danny gave him a demonstration of how he returned ghosts from the thermos into the Ghost Zone, and how to know when the portal was just closed, and when it was actually sealed.

"This is pretty cool, actually," Wes said. He'd heard about the portal, of course, the Doctors Fenton could hardly shut up about it, but looking at it was a different story, "seeing another dimension."

Danny snorted. "Careful, Wes," he warned lightly. "That's the same thing I said, right before I died in it." Wes stopped cold.

"You what?"

"Oh... I guess I forgot that for all your yelling, you don't actually know how I became half ghost, do you?" Danny's smiled turned pained. "Yeah. The portal didn't work at first, and Sam and Tucker convinced me to check out the inside. It uh... kinda turned on while I was in there and...." Danny trailed off for a moment, swallowing and furrowing his eyebrows, as though he was remembering something deeply unpleasant. "Well, short version is it kinda killed me, kinda didn't, and that's why I am the way that I am."

"Just so you know, Wes," Sam said darkly, "It's super rude to ask a ghost how they died."

"It's okay, Sam," Danny told her, pulling himself together. "I'm the one who brought it up."

Wes refrained from making a biting comment about how he wasn't the one who'd goaded Danny to his death to begin with. It seemed like it would be in poor taste, given the setting and present company. Danny clearly didn't like thinking about it. Instead, Wes pointed out a huge object against one wall, covered in a tarp, and asked what it was. 

Danny jumped on the subject change and tore the tarp away to reveal the Specter Speeder, and told Wes all about how it worked. "Maybe some other time, we'll take you with us on one of our trips into the Ghost Zone," Danny offered.

"Really? That would be awesome!"

Sam and Tucker groaned. They still weren't fully on board with Wes spending more time around them, and it wasn't like Wes wanted to get all buddy-buddy with them either. If anyone brought it up, he'd tell them the same thing he told Dash. He was gathering evidence against them, nothing more. They were all annoying, anyway.

Wes left when it was starting to get dark out. All told, despite monumentally sucking at Doomed, he'd gathered a lot of good information on ghosts and ectology when he was in the lab, and he could definitely use it to support his theory. As soon as he stepped off the front porch, something grabbed him out of nowhere, and he was flying away.

"What the?!" Wes struggled, but it was no use. He looked up to see his kidnapper, the ghost of some kind of medieval nobleman or something, wearing fine purple and black robes and a bitter expression on his blue face. "Fan-fucking-tastic." Wes pouted and crossed his arms. Of course something like this would happen. This is what he got for befriending Danny Fenton. 

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[egg-emperor]

Hey there! Lurker on your blog. I have to say I agree with your takes. I don't know where people get the idea that Eggman is becoming good. That's never going to change. We wouldn't even have a main villain otherwise! It's much more interesting to see Sage go down a path of villainy and imitating her father like most young kids do with their parents. I love those artworks of them being evil together. It'd be so fun if we got a game where Sage dresses to match her dad more and even attempts to laugh like he does!

It's good to know I'm not alone. 💜 I feel like I'm in this little spot with a very small number of people that don't agree with all loudest sides of the debates right now because I don't believe it's even happening to complain about in the first place. Eggman definitely isn't ever going to become a good guy. I don't know what the fandom is talking about, he's so far morally gray and is still very much evil.

He's the main villain of the series and always will be, he's one of the most iconic ever and they're not gonna make him a good guy and lose that status and replace him with some random guy lol. Sega JP emphasized how he's a bad guy and cool villain the day the update dropped through Sonic channel. All official stuff is still describing and showing him to be very much so.

Since accepting and analyzing Frontiers Eggman much deeper down to every line of dialogue, I realized it's just brought forward a bunch of even more evidence I can use and emphasizes how much of an evil bastard and bad person he in cool new ways that encourage deeper thought. It's been very cool and fun to me to dive in deep as someone insanely fixated on analyzing him XD

And it's also still surface level with the way he was still constantly plotting, scheming, wished he could use what he's learned about the ancients and the end to his advantage, showed low empathy multiple times, laughed at Sonic's death, and made it very clear how much he hates working with Sonic and co. And on top of all that, his dynamic with Sage is based on his narcissism and egotism.

This also didn't change at all in The Final Horizon, it also showed it in even more cool ways and it's great. Sure the fandom created their own vastly different fanon version of Eggman and his dynamic with Sage and talk like it's canon and let it overshadow all the real cool and interesting things about it, but the official media is unaffected. Eggman is the same character I know and love as ever there.

When I shut out what the loudest parts of fandom are telling me to think and feel, I genuinely like what I see and analyze Eggman's characterization to be. I see what they were going for even without Flynn's later writer commentary. And I'm really happy I genuinely like it, I feel happy, content, and at peace with how he's being portrayed and it's relieved me of so much stress and worry.

He's not going anywhere, he's the same diabolical narcissistic egotistical bastard that I adore and find so funny and entertaining! And the new stuff taking him in interesting new directions that emphasize the character he already is and not changing it but further strengthening and solidifying it instead, makes me so happy and appreciate and understand it in even more ways.

That's my funny horrible special guy and I love him so much 🥰

And Sage is still very much not a good person either, knowing all about how terrible Eggman is and still remaining loyal and loving. That combined with his narcissism and ego - the reasons he praises and takes pride in her for the first place - is a delightfully dangerous combination. Just think about how his massive ego and evil could be even further boosted and enabled by her!

And the influence Eggman can have on Sage will also be very fun in return. She's compliant with his orders and knows exactly who he is, what he wants, what he's capable of, and how terrible he is and sticks by him. I'd love to see more of villainous Sage and how Eggman's influence can affect her that way, like seeing even more of the pre Sonic influence Sage will be very fun.

Final Horizon gave us a nice example of how she supports him conquering the world and I'd love to see more of her attitude and feelings on it and what she's willing to do to play her part in it. I also really enjoy art that gets it right and shows Eggman and Sage being evil and reveling in it together. I'm excited to see more because their canon dynamic is fun and has potential to be excitingly chaotic!

Sage trying to mimic aspects of Eggman like behaviors, quirks, and maybe fashion would be pretty funny. I think he'd allow it to an extent, as he'll enjoy how it shows her admiration for him, helps remind people Eggman is her father more which it's easier for him to take pride, and he'll just be very pleased to influence someone in an evil way... so long as it doesn't steal any of his spotlight! XD

[thevindicativevordan]

What do you think about these rumors about Scott Snyder launching some sort of ''Ultimate DC''? And also, if you were tasked with such a job, what would you do?

Alright so for those of you not obsessing over DC rumors, Bleeding Cool claims that the word going around NYCC was that Scott Snyder has signed on to curate an "Ultimate DC" line of books. Quoting them:

Whatever this DC Ultimate Universe-style publishing line is, it is expected to be bigger and more comprehensive than Marvel's Ultimate line was – or will be. And it will also encapsulate a lot of classic DC Comics continuity, reshaped and refigured for the modern day, and emphasising creative freedom. Earlier attempts to mirror the Ultimate Universe with the Earth One graphic novel didn't go entirely as planned. But this… whatever it is… is meant to be very different.

Do I think there's merit to these rumors? Surprisingly yes. Now I have two other things to add to what BC shared: First off, I think Scott Snyder seeded the base for this at the end of Death Metal.

Remember "Earth Alpha", the Elseworld introduced at the end of Death Metal? Set up as the replacement for Earth 0 as the center of the Multiverse? It had a twin, Earth Omega, which became Darkseid's prison and was followed up on in Infinite Frontier. Earth Alpha however was seemingly forgotten and never touched on again. Apparently Williamson was asked about that and all he could say is that it was another creator's story to tell. Given Williamson is the one who brought back the Parallax Hal from Convergence when everyone else had forgotten the guy, he's not one to just ignore huge loose ends like there being another Earth which is at the center of the Multiverse. Snyder probably left this as a backdoor for him to do his "Ultimate DC" line if he ever came back, which is why Williamson never brought it up.

Second, someone on reddit shared that they had talked to Snyder around the time Death Metal was wrapping up, the two of them went to the same LCS, and he shared that Snyder told him he was pitching this. Seems Snyder was talking about his plans for Superman under this initiative, which that person thought sounded cool. Rando making unverifiable claims for attention? Maybe, but Snyder has always been bad at keeping secrets. I stopped reading his interviews because he would spoil entire lines of dialogue word for word. Doesn't feel at all unbelievable that he would share something like this.

I bet Snyder pitched a "Alpha Universe" starring the classic heroes while Didio did 5G with the main guys. We know Snyder was not on board with the 5G plans, to the point he asked Morrison to help him stage an "intervention". This likely was envisioned by him as an alternative: Didio could do his radical reboot, while Snyder and co reimagined the classic heroes on a new Earth. Understandable why Didio would reject that - if all your big names are working on the classic heroes, who would want to read the 5G guys? Who would read Luke/Jace Fox Batman while there's a new Bruce Wayne ongoing? Much like Earth One got rendered pointless via the New 52, 5G would have been overshadowed by the "Alpha DC".

Now though, I could see something like this happening. It's a chance to do the New 52 right, the mainline continuity is all fucked up, DC needs an easy way in for new fans. Gunn is about to reboot DC in theaters, perfect time to roll out a new onboarding for casuals that everyone hopes are going to check out Superman: Legacy. And just like how Gunn is going to start his new universe with Superman, I bet Snyder is going to be writing the "Alpha Superman" book. Towards the end of his tenure at DC, he was on something of a Superman kick: Supes and Lex both had very key roles in Last Knight on Earth, Lex was obviously a big part of his JL run, he gave Supes a lot of cool moments in Death Metal, etc. I think he finally clicked with the character and had an idea for what to do with him. Might be he is finally coming back to do his shot. I noticed he was taking lots of pics with other DC creators at NYCC this year: King, Taylor, Aaron, Kaminski, Williamson. Perhaps those were the guys he was talking to about this line? Hope he brings in some new blood, confident he will since in the past he either directly brought in creators like Tynion, or mentored those who eventually found their way to DC like Rosenberg and PKJ.

TL:DR I do believe this is happening, I think it will be called Alpha DC, I think Snyder will be writing the Alpha Superman book, and I expect we will get an announcement at SDCC 2024 if I'm right.

As for what I would do, part of why the original Ultimate Marvel line succeeded was that they kept the line small. Four books at most: USM, Ultimates, UXM, and UF4 with the occasional mini here or there. Hickman's new line seems set to maintain that number. BC claims that this will be much larger in scope, which frankly I think is a mistake. Copy the number of Ultimate Marvel books at 4, and here's the lineup I would do:

Alpha Superman - Do the basic concept of the New 52 Superman as envisioned by Morrison again. Clark Kent is just starting out in his career, around six months in. He's wearing an outfit with a Fleschier style symbol, it can be either the t-shirt and jeans or a proper suit, I don't care. He can't even fly yet merely leap, he's working at the Daily Star not the Planet, he's roommates with Jimmy Olsen, and he's not dating Lois yet. Do not pair Clark with Lois or with Diana, do something else. I'd pair him with Leslie Williams, they both co-host a podcast for the Daily Star and are dating, with the relationship going south after Leslie becomes Livewire. Since they're alive on Earth 0, kill the Kents here. Pa is likely going to be dead in Superman: Legacy anyway. First year should focus on Superman fighting Ultra-Humanite, Intergang, Toyman, and Bloodsport. Brainiac and Lobo show up for Year 2. Scott Snyder writing and Miguel Mendonca on art.

Alpha Batman - Don't envy anyone trying to launch yet another Batman reboot, but I guess the appeal of this could be seeing Bruce actually start off alone, recruit Dick Grayson for Robin, and get to grow from there? It's Batman there's nothing new left to do with him, but a gritty realistic Batman book could compliment the over the top nature of the main Bat book. Get Christopher Priest to write and Ivan Reis to draw.

The Alpha Authority - The big twist of this universe under me is that Superman does inaugurate the age of superheroes - but not the age of superhumans. Those have been around for a while, but metahumans are forced to serve their governments as WMDs. A new kind of war has covered the globe - the Super War. Everyone is racing to create the most powerful metahuman, and the Authority serve as America's metahuman defense under the umbrella of Stormwatch. Their current mission: retrieving the Century Baby Jenny Quantum, reincarnation of Jenny Sparks, who has just manifested her powers in Singapore, before rival nations can acquire her. Si Spurrier writing, Jorge Jimenez on art.

Alpha Shadowpact - Our magic team composed of Zatanna, Swamp Thing, Constantine, Dr. Fate (Khalid), Deadman, Detective Chimp, and Etrigan. Khalid is the new guy and point of view character for the audience. He just recently finished training with his grandfather Kent Nelson, and has inherited the mantle. For ages magic has slumbered, but the birth of Tim Hunter has changed all that. The Books of Magic have manifested and every magician and sorcerer across the world is seeking them out, for they hold secrets of magic long forgotten, as well as the way to unlock new magical sources of power. And of course Tim himself has drawn the attention of everyone, for he is fated to be magic's brightest hero or it's darkest villain. PKJ writing and Rafa Sandoval on art.

In this new world, Superman and Batman are the first of a new kind of breed: superheroes. Outlaws with powers or tech who refuse to bow to governments. Ultimately I would have the World's Finest first team-up come about to bring down the Authority and Stormwatch, which threatens to turn the Super War hot as now America no longer has it's metahuman protectors. A new team must form to replace the Authortiy - a Justice League Alpha. The Authority book would last for about three years, and then give way to the Justice League book. I could see a Wonder Woman book happening later if the sales are good, but everyone else would just get minis. You would have to read JLA to get updates on Aquaman, GL, The Flash, Vixen, and Martian Manhunter. Is that would Snyder is going to do? Probably not. I expect he will have all seven of the Leaguers get books, but I hope he holds off on a JL book for a while. Build the universe up first, then do the big team up.

[nathanwintcrs]

"Things change. And friends leave. Life doesn’t stop for anybody."

FULL NAME: Nathan Winters NICKNAME: Nate AGE: 37 DATE OF BIRTH: April 20th PLACE OF BIRTH: Greywood, CO GENDER IDENTIFICATION: Cis man, he/him SPECIES: Faerie NEIGHBORHOOD: Downtown OCCUPATION: High school chemistry teacher FACE CLAIM: Dan Stevens

WANTED CONNECTIONS | INSPIRATION | HEADCANONS

headcanons

With so many siblings, Nathan had a natural affinity for taking care of the younger kids. He's always been willing to drop everything to help the others out as much as possible.

Nathan is used to competition and he's learned to keep a cool head in complicated and heated situations.

biography

trigger warnings; car accident, death mention, miscarriage

From day one, Nathan grew up in his twin's shadow. He was always more reserved than his over the top twin; any successes Nathan achieved was constantly overshadowed by Mikael making an even bigger name for himself. If Nathan got a B on an exam, Mikael got an A. If Nate scored a goal on the soccer field, Mikael scored two. No matter what avenue, the twins were in constant competition with one another and Nate rarely seemed able to better his twin. In his youth it was frustrating, watching Mikael get all the attention. But as he grew older he stopped worrying about what Mik was doing and instead focused on himself and what he wanted.

It was almost a relief, the year that Mikael skipped a grade forward. At first it was embarrassing, thinking he wasn't good enough to follow suit, but the separation did wonders on establishing who he was on his own. Without the constant comparisons to his brother, Nate was better able to recognize his own successes. He realized he had a passion for science and technology, for learning and understanding how things worked.

This discovery lead to his decision to continue exploring those avenues, studying computer science and education when he entered college outside of Greywood. He had a knack for taking care of his younger siblings as he grew up, so it seemed almost natural that he'd step into a role of taking care of children down the line.

He met someone his junior year of college, a woman who was also working on a degree to teach sciences. They hit it off right from the start, dating within weeks of their first interaction. The following year they were expecting a child and planning a wedding.

A stupid decision ultimately lead to their downfall. He had been out partying, celebrating the approaching end of the semester and upcoming graduation. Nathan and his fiancée had carpooled to the party and was planning to ride home with the same group. The driver insisted that they were perfectly fine to drive and Nate could only assume they were being honest. They climbed into the car and took off late into the night - and not long after an ambulance was racing down the pavement towards the accident scene.

Two close friends died that night. Nathan managed to escape with an overnight stay in the hospital, a broken leg, and a concussion, and as a result of the trauma and stress over the incident, his fiancée lost their baby. It was a devastating blow to the couple, but Nathan tried his best to pick up the pieces and start again. His fiancée, on the other hand, seemed to be shutting him out and pushing away. A few weeks after the incident he woke to find her gone without so much as a note.

He returned to Greywood shortly after graduation with his tail between his legs, so to speak. Being around his family again was a comfort that he didn't know he needed, and he settled back down to start over once again in the familiarity of home. He got a job teaching chemistry at the local high school and has kept his head down and heart closed off, attempting to let the broken pieces left behind heal up before opening up to someone again.

What power did he attain when settling in Greywood? Nathan obtained the power of seeing into the past. This ability manifests in visions within his dreams, and is amplified when his twin, Mikael, is close.

[tiger-moran]

Why is that goddamned ‘RIP the 2976 American people that lost their lives on 9/11′ post STILL circulating. No 2976 American people did not lose their lives in the 9/11 attacks, 2,605 American citizens lost their lives, the rest were from all over the world; in terms of deaths of citizens many countries were affected by it. 67 of them were british which is more people than were killed during the 7/7 bombings actually in Britain a few years later. I hate how these other people from all over the world still keep getting erased and forgotten about even when people are trying to make a point about the other people elsewhere wrongfully killed as an indirect result of those attacks, and how so many americans still act like it only matters because americans died and fuck everyone else I guess.

(and I’m still angry years on about how an american person (someone who was not directly impacted by the attacks) said to me, when I said no I’m not reblogging anything about the attacks on the anniversary because people just kept endlessly reblogging fucking gifs and pictures of the burning towers and people jumping to their deaths every fucking time the anniversary came around like these were just some clips from a popular film or a TV show or something and not images of real people dying horribly, essentially that ‘well you’re british so it didn’t really impact on you’. No, fuck off, this was not just some ‘american tragedy’, this was a thing that affected countless people all over the world; it was broadcast live for hours and hours into no doubt billions of homes all over the world; people from all over the world worked in the area; people from all over the world were in the area for other reasons like being on holiday there. Even if we weren’t there and weren’t directly affected by it, so many of us all over the world watched it all happening live on television and experienced so much shock and grief for what happened. And I did know two people, two english people, who were there on holiday heading towards the WTC that morning; had the timing been different by even half an hour or so they very likely would have died there. These were not people I knew well but the idea that two people I associated with came so close to just being snuffed out like all those others still plays on my mind now years and years later. Also acting like even if no british citizens were directly impacted by it, as if just because something happens in a different country we can’t feel empathy and compassion for them then? WTF?)

[octogoblinfam]

Random lesbian rants about all Octogoblin scenes in NWH instead of sleeping. Enjoy.

Okay, okay, okay. I have to start with the Green Goblin's first appearance. He throws the pumpkin bomb—he laughs maniacally—and he flies in through the smoke. Immediately, without skipping a beat, Doc Ock speaks: “Osborn?”

Now, the context is very important to this line; it was never made public that Norman Osborn is the Green Goblin, was it? Otto couldn't have possibly known. Not to mention, his Norman Osborn had been long dead. He had no reason whatsoever to make such a connection. It made no logical sense. He saw the Green Goblin, and he thought of his dead friend who he hadn't seen in years?

The idea that he in fact didn't know Norman was the Green Goblin is backed up by the conversation he has with Peter and Co. later. “It can't be him,” He suggests, because why would it be him? Otto doesn't know the Goblin's identity and Norman is dead, so? Otto has no reason to believe his initial instinct was correct.

But why did he think of Norman when he had no reason to associate him with the Goblin at all? Plot-holes aside, there's only one way he could have thought to call out the name Osborn. That iconic laugh. Yes, the only thing Otto could have possibly heard that would bring Norman in his mind is the laugh.

And is there anything more tender than that, really? He hears that laugh and immediately thinks of Norman. He has no reason to. Norman is dead. It could be anyone with a similar voice. If my best friend, for one, had died years ago, and I heard a laugh similar to theirs, I would stare to that direction, but not call out their name as if the slightest possibility they are alive exists.

Otto went to Norman's funeral. He has no reason to doubt Norman is dead. Yet, for that split second—He does. That laugh is so familiar to him that he immediately recognises it. Kinda sus ngl.

[yes, flint also knows norman is the green goblin, but one can assume he simply figured it out because everyone else had at that time.]

“Norman Osborn—Brilliant scientist, military research. But he was greedy. Misguided.” “what happened to h—” “WE TIRE OF YOUR QUESTIONS, BOY.”

Well, there's a lot to unpack here.

Someone's very bitter. It's popular fanon, mainly because of the ps4 game, to assume there was some awful falling out between the two of them. It's obviously the case, I don't think there's any doubt about that. He calls him greedy and misguided, probably because he “sacrificed” his relationships for Oscorp. Maybe his relationship with Harry? Otto isn't the biggest fan of Harry currently, (but he's still probably salty about Norman's parenting skills because Otto himself has some awful daddy issues in the comics, I believe)—He couldn't be calling him misguided because of the Goblin serum— because, again, that wasn't made public. So he's definitely getting very personal when he states this. Norman definitely sacrificed *their* relationship and buried it deep to achieve his success. "Greedy, misguided." And, well, he probably got pretty unethical. There's one way to get filthy rich when you don't have a rich background. And we know how the ps4 game went

But despite that, despite him being greedy, misguided, unethical—for Otto, under the control of the actuators, to call another person “brilliant” like that, then he must truly believe it to his core. I feel like that's important. There's a lot of respect and admiration even under the bitterness—so much so that the anger caused by the voices cannot completely overshadow it.

He also really doesn't want to talk about what happened to Norman, obviously. He dodges the question angrily. Visibly, it hurts him to talk about what occurred. Whether that means what went on between them, or Norman's death. [which he talks about anyways, so probably not—] Like, it seems he is highly overwhelmed emotionally when he speaks of Norman. And I think that's very interesting.

When he says, “it can't be him” before confirming Norman is dead, he sounds annoyed, if not disappointed. That's also because Alfred's line delivery is pure gold just like Willem's later.

The first reunion scene. “Octavius...?” “Osborn...?”

Man everything about this is fruity.

Norman sees Otto from the behind. He literally just sees his back. Otto's hair is literally a whole shade darker than in Spiderman 2. Norman literally just recognised him from his BACK despite the four freaking mechanical arms. Same energy as Otto recognising him from just the laugh. Like. Ya'll haven't seen each other in a while. YOU RECOGNISED HIM FROM HIS BACK WHICH EVIDENTLY LOOKS PRETTY DIFFERENT—?

The whole interaction is very funny when it comes to undertones tbh. Otto is just. So pissed that Norman is back from the dead. And Norman is just confused. He delivers a very dry chuckle when he says “You're insane-”

All this proves that they haven't seen each other in a while(—even for Norman it's been a while—), they aren't ready to be back on first-name basis yet, but they're familiar enough with each other to communicate the way they do.

“Octavius knows what I can do—”

WH—YEAH I'M SURE HE DOES LMAO. That line delivery was just. Excellent. He immediately refers to Otto. He is acknowledging him and is hoping to be acknowledged back. He wants to stir the conversation towards him and Otto processing each other's presence. Not to mention all of the undertones of that comment. Like. He really didn't need to say that. I think, as a matter of fact, everyone knows you're a scientist. Max and Curt know a different Osborn from a different universe but an Osborn nonetheless—Max literally mentioned working for Oscorp and you've definitely met your version of Curt Connors, since Otto knows him. You could even assume this is the Curt that you know—who knows you and what you can do—from a different point in time. Flint also knows what you can do. And I don't think anyone is in any position to doubt your word. The only reason to refer to Otto is because you want to. praise kink much.

When Peter is talking about curing them, and them going back to normal, and potentially going home alive and getting better—They glance at each other.

Their first instinct is to look at each other. Could it be because, they wish, or hope, or are simply picturing the possibility of going back together—? getting cured and living on together?

Generally, in fact, they often stare/glance at each other for no reason at all when they get the opportunity. It's sweet.

“Says the reckless fool that turned himself into a monster”

Lmao Otto you did the exact same thing but with extra steps calm the fuck down.

Norman is very hurt by the comment though. It seems the Goblin's fight ot flight is kicking in. Dafoe's eyes are glistening. And YET, just MOMENTS later,

“Otto...” “Yes, Norman... It's me...”

NORMAN IS SO IN AWE. HE'S. I'M.

Even Aunt May is getting a vibe from them. The tone of their voices. The first-name basis. The way they're looking at each other. Everything is top tear fruit and there's no possible argument against that.

Not to mention, even after Peter jumps between them, they just KEEP staring at each other. Especially Norman. He just doesn't stop. At all.

Now we can assume the Goblin switched in after this point, when working on the other cures. But the whole tender eye contact during the “How does it feel, Norman, you're about to be whole again, no more darker half, just you-” segment is just JDAJDSJKDNND. The smiles, the, genuine care in Otto's voice. Like all between them has been forgiven and forgotten throughout this whole fuss. It's beautiful, even if the Goblin is the one answering “Just me.” instead of Norman, which makes it pretty sad.

One might argue that the Goblin is fighting Norman for control, because of the teeth, so the smile is Norman's but the voice is the Goblin's. I really like this idea. It keeps the tenderness while adding an element of angst.

"NORMAN'S ON SABBATICAL, HONEY—”

No because Otto had realised something was wrong with Norman before the spider-sense figured it out. He was looking at him suspiciously before Peter. He knew that something was off.

And then the panicked little “Norman—” when his suspicions were confirmed— And the pet names the Goblin starts using immediately.

Honey is one thing, “Quiet, Lapdog” is another, especially when Otto does in fact instantly go quiet.

Those are all the glaringly fruity scenes in NWH I think. Honorary mention to Alfred Molina calling Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin suit “very sexy” in that one interview. Goodnight.

[randomhuman45]

Dannymay 2022- Day 8 Stained Glass

It was junior year people started noticing. Senior year is when they started asking questions. Junior year people would raise an eyebrow and shake it off. But senior year people started talking, Danny could hear the whispering around him as he passed through the halls.

"Is he never gonna hit his growth spurt?"

"Why is he still that small?"

"I swear I never even seen him with acne, he still has his baby face."

"The kid hasn't grown at all, are his parents doing something to him?"

"He still looks like his freshman school picture."

Danny hadn't aged a day since the accident. Vlad didn't age either once the sores went down and the ectoplasm settled into his DNA. Danny hadn't seen his half ghost cousin in a while but she didn't look like she had aged either last time he saw her. Half ghosts don't age. It was a fact he couldn't change.

When he graduated, he had to make a decision. Let people know the truth, or fake his own death. It would be a little extreme to fake his own death, especially considering the fact that he already kinda died, half died at least. But what other choice did he have, people were already questioning his lack of aging, how long until someone called him out on it? How was someone who looked like they were still 14 get a job, live a normal mundane life? The fact was he couldn't.

Danni traveled and never stayed too long in one place without being invisible or passing as a tourist. Danny couldn't do that.

Vlad was old and rich enough to pass it off as good looks and skincare routine. The fact that the accident turned his human hair gray was the best thing going for him. Danny didn't have that.

So after graduation, he faked his own death. He attended the funnel of course, dressed in an expensive black suit Vlad had got him once as a Christmas gift, saying how "every young lad needed a suit for special occasions," or something like that. He couldn't remember fully since he was preoccupied with the long glances and flirting Vlad was giving his mother at the time.

He tied his tie the way his father taught him and as an invisible Phantom flew up to the church window made of stained glass watched his parents cry and tell stories about how much they loved him. He felt bad of course, but he had no other choice. He just let their sorrows bleed through the stained glass window as they mourned their son.

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

His mother was the first to crack. She threw herself into her ghost work like never before. She couldn't handle the loss of her son and soon enough she worked herself to death. She had refused to leave the lab, not for food, not for sleep, not for sunlight, nothing. Jack tried cooking and bringing down food and water for her, he even put in some vitamin D in her sandwiches to help. Maddie never ate more than a bite and never drank more than a sip. Jazz tried explaining to her how eating and getting some rest would overall improve her work and studies, but it went in one ear and out the other.

It was only 3 months later Danny had to overshadow his mother to make her eat, drink, get sunlight and sleep. Jack had no idea and thought maybe his Jazzy pants had finally gotten through to his wife, even if everything in his body screamed that wasn't it. Jazz wanted to scold Danny, but she couldn't bring herself to do it knowing it was keeping their mother alive.

Maddie caught on though. She know something was wrong. She made sure to wear the spector deflector from then on and it only took 3 months after for Danny to put that same suit on and stare through the stained glass window in guilt. He pressed his forehead to the glass and cried whispering to the stained glass how it was all his fault his mother had died. The glass never responded, Danny didn't know if he was expecting it to or not anyways.

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

Jack was heart broken over the loss of his son and the loss of his wife made him realize how easy it was to loose the ones closest to him. He had lost his best friend in college, he knew Vlad stayed away on purpose, he knew his friend was distant, he may not be the best when it came to calculations and shooting and books, but he knew people. He thought if he could be extra friendly, extra happy, and remind his friend if how it used to be that he could come around. He never did.

He knew he hadn't been there for Danny as much as he could. But he tried, he read so many father son bonding books and tried talking with his son, going fishing, sharing his lastest inventions with the boy. But his son still left, was gone forever and he wished there was more he could have done.

Maddie was the absolute love of his life, a fierce fire burning bright as ever just ready to take on the world and fight ghost with him, side-by-side. After their son passed he didn't know how to help. He tried convincing her to vacations with them and Jazz, bribing her with freshly made meals he spend days learning how to make, asking Jazz to help when he had gone through every checklist in every book on grief he could find at the library.

When she started eating again it was different, she didn't talk, she moved so differently. Every book he read said that if she did these things it would slow, robotic, distant, different, but this wasn't the right kind of different. Jazz seemed put off by it too, but what was he supposed to say, what was he supposed to do? He couldn't ask Jazz about it, she looked off put by just watching it, he couldn't imagine how she would react if he brought it up in conversation. He couldn't ask Maddie about it either, he couldn't compromise the growth she was making.

Maybe he should have asked, maybe he should have done something to keep things that way because it wasn't too long before she went back to her old ways of never leaving the lab and only barely eating. She now wore the spector deflector, he didn't know if that was why things had gone backwards in the progress, but if it really was a ghost making her sleep and eat for once. He can't say he was angry at the ghost for trying to help. At this point he would accept the help from any ghost at any cost if it meant they would help his wife.

He found Maddie laying across the floor with a broken beaker beside her hand. He knew it would only be a matter of time before he found her like that, but it didn't make the break in his heart hurt any less.

All he had left was his daughter. His Jazzy pants. He used every book he had on this to be the best father he could to her. He helped her with her studies, he made sure she ate and they talked everyday. Talked about how her day was, what was going on at university, about her friends, about how a boy in her class invited her to coffee. He made a joke about making sure this one was gonna treat her right or there would be consequences but she agreed that if they're relationship brought itself to a boyfriend/girlfriend level she would introduce them. Jack lived for his little girl and when he did pass it was only after a long life with the feeling that he did his daughter right on his mind before his heart gave out.

As colorful light from the stained glass window shined onto Jack's casket, Jazz knew Danny was on the other side. Danny floated there invisible and intangible so the light could shine through as he shared the best memories of his father with the glass. If the light shone brighter after each heartfelt story, then maybe it really did answer Danny afterall.

[againstboredom]

My favorite Bleach arc.

@rayereil, asked what my favorite arc was.

It’s the first. I love the cop-buddy formula, the fact that Ichigo is a flowed hero, that  banter and cooperation between Ichigo and Rukia works so well.

I love how bigger mysteries are established like Rukia remembering Kaien, and HM.

I love to see how Rukia, a death-god-samurai, has values, norms and an understanding of honor different than our own.

 She is both relatable enough and alien enough to be interesting.

I love how she never had a childhood in the Rukongai and now she compensates with Ichigo and his,( later their) friends.

I love how Orihime, whom was set up as a classic damsel fights Sora for Tatsuki. Even if she couldn’t do much about him, she TRIED.

Which is why I don’t like HM Orihime, is not that she doesn’t win, is that she doesn’t even try.

That powerless girl, that attacked Acidwire, had the potential to become a hero, and when she saved Tatsuki, she became one.

I love how she’s drawn with big boobs, but still proportional with her body, and not like the hentai parody of herself that she later became.

I love how the large supporting cast did not overshadow Ichigo and Rukia.

I love how Ichigo sometimes acts just so age-appropriate. I love his interracial friendship with Chad and how he and Tatsuki are good enough friends that they visit each other’s homes.

 Keep in mind, that until high-school Tatsuki won every sparring match they had, so he wasn’t ashamed to be bff with a girl that could, and was, kicking his but.

The power scaling made sense, without you having to be an engineering student or use flow charts.

And the setting. The world seemed impossibly large. Then we have the same damned houses and same little claustrophobic streets of the Seratei, over and over and over again. How did Death Gods Central manage to look LESS impressive than the world of the leaving?

Then we have the dragged out, bleak, annoying and repetitive nature of most of the terrain and fights in HM.

 Although incredibly large, both SS and HM seem claustrophobic most of the time.

We got Uryu trying to save Rukia, one of my favorite moments in all of Bleach, although he knew he can’t compete with a captain.

His and Ichigo frenemy with a dash of ho yay, was perfectly established. Later we got spammed with Renji, which usurps by turn and sometimes all at once , Uryu, Chad, Tatsuki, Keigo, Mizuiro, and by the end the co-protag herself. I wouldn’t be surprised if for the anime Kubo changes the ending and makes Renji the protag and turns all the other main characters, including Ichigo, into his harem.

The legendary bond between a shinigami and a boy.

The fact that they didn’t split the main cast all the time.

The promise of Bleach was that it would be urban fantasy with occasional glimpses into a larger universe.

The promise of Bleach was that Ichigo and Rukia would be a team.

The promise of Bleach was that all Ichigo’s friends would be badasses.

That’s what the promise of the first arc, and then the later arc mostly failed to deliver.

[julianxhunter]

✦ DJ COTRONA, MALE, HE/HIM ✦ JULIAN HUNTER the THIRTY-SEVEN year old has been in Hidehill for THIRTY YEARS and was a ACQUAINTANCE to Ronnie Nilsson, the most recent shadow of Hidehill. Whispers on the  streets are that the NEW OWNER OF THE PLAYPEN who lives in HARTLEY AVENUE are said to be VENTURESOME and MEDDLESOME but I guess we’ll find out for ourselves. 

TW: drugs, gambling

ABOUT

Georgia born to a single mother who claimed she couldn’t be too sure on who his father could be, it was a lie but one Julian never bothered to pick at because the sad eyes she looked at him with said enough and the lack of a father didn’t do much for him when he had so many others looking after him regardless. His mother was a stripper and some of her co-workers were seen more as family who helped raise him while they shared the roof over their heads which never changed from Georgia to Tennessee. At least when they landed in Hidehill they had their own place in Hadley Park. 

With the lifestyle his mother partook in and seemed to have no desire in giving up, maybe he grew up a little quicker and eventually more independently than his peers but in Julian’s eyes what she had done for him was always enough. Even when things were rough for them financially or when she deep dived into the world of drugs, he never saw her as a bad person just unprepared for motherhood. 

School was pretty easy for him to get through when it came to his grades but it was typically overshadowed by the trouble he constantly got himself into, blame boredom. From a young age Julian liked making money. When he was little it came in reward to chores, little jobs within the town; walking dogs, mowing lawns etc. The older he got, the more he wanted and the riskier he got of how he got that money. In reality, being introduced to the world of gambling was a safer option in regards to some of the other things he had done at that age. 

He definitely shouldn’t have been allowed at the table but the company he had while gambling weren’t exactly saints and they figured it was easy money to take home for themselves. Unfortunately for them, Julian learned quick and when he really began emptying their pockets they stopped letting him in which only left him to go elsewhere to throw his money around. Eventually that became his main source of income, in poker specifically, especially when he could actually enter tournaments it only took one big win to hold him over for a while till the money ran low and he did it again. 

The unofficial half job he did as a bouncer at the playpen practically fell into his lap. Being that he grew up around that kind of environment, he didn’t have much tolerance for the customers that overstepped their boundaries nor was he afraid to make it known. Eventually with time and his friendship to Cristal it became official position with more and with the years of that friendship she had entrusted him with the place if anything ever happened, something he thought would never matter until it did. With her death, the keys were handed over to him and all he could do was make sure the transition went smoothly. 

DETAILS + WC

For tournaments he would often fly out to different places and if it was a real big win, he’d fuck off for a month or two without much of a mention as to where. 

He thought because he didn’t grow up with much, the drive to have money went hand in hand with wanting to live more lavishly but he was wrong. His home in Hartley Avenue would often stay empty until WC took his offer to use it since he hardly ever stays there.

Same goes for the trailer he kept in Hadley Park although he feels more at home there, since he scarcely used it after getting his house in Hartley and made no plans to part with it, he let WC stay in it.

[lovesanmotion]

yandere!ateez 99 & 00 liner reacts: seeing s/o kill for the first time

💌. This is: requested | 98 liner reaction here 

TW: blood and gore 

Yunho: 

The thought originally came when Yunho let you borrow his playstation controller while playing an rpg game. Situated in the living room, he made himself comfortable besides you on the couch and watched how you strategized and kill your enemies through the screen. And then the thought came into him, what if you kill with him? Slowly his mind drifted into the new found thought and kept pondering about it besides you. 

“Are you okay, love? I said I finished the game and look!” You smiled as you pointed at the screen with the words YOU WON. He smiled and placed a kiss on your cheek before turning off the controller and helping you cook dinner. 

When the following week came, Yunho was on his way home from the groceries when someone he knew particularly bumped into him. 

“Watch where you’re going man. Jesus.” He sneered at Yunho before going back to whoever he was talking to on the phone. That particularly person isn’t just a random stranger, it was your ex boyfriend who dumped you for a random girl he met online. Yunho stopped on his tracks, pondering in his thoughts before putting the paper bags inside the car and walking over to some place else. 

“Y/N look what I have for you!” you went over to where you heard Yunho was and it lead you to the living room, in the middle of the room is a man tied onto a chair with a sack covering his head. 

A smile still plastered on his lips as he hands you a metal baseball bat. You blinked twice before taking it in your hands. You were using the same kind of bat while playing Yunho’s game. He was sensing your hesitation before he went behind you and whispered in your ear. 

“This is your ex boyfriend. He bumped into me the other day, wouldn’t it be nice to take your revenge?” And with that, a thousand of horrible memories came flooding into your head. There are good memories with your ex, however, they were overshadowed by the bad ones. Gripping your hold on the base, you swinged the bat and continously swung it over his head. Hearing a few bones cracking and watching as the white sack turn into bright red. You wouldn’t stop not until Yunho wrapped his arms around you from behind and took the bat away from you. 

“That’s enough, darling. You did so well today. Done beautifully.” Sensing his smile, he wrapped his arms around your waist, burying his face on the crook of your neck and hearing the thud of the metal bat onto the floor. 

Yeosang: 

“Do you love me, Y/N?” 

His voice ran chills down your spine. In front of you is the love of your life, staring deeply into your eyes while a third party whose hands and ankles are binded, hid behind Yeosang’s back and body on the floor. And this was no ordinary person who’s binded and laying pathetically on Yeosang’s basement. It was your old college dormmate, now all botched up, who tried to take Yeosang from you. 

“If you love me” Yeosang says, taking your hands in his before placing a small pointed metal with a wooden handle into your hands. An ice pick. “you would kill for me.” He ends his sentence before moving away, his eyes never removing from you. Yeosand’s smart and you knew why he chose this weapon. Once stabbed, the victim doesn’t die immediately, rather, the stab wounds would turn into injuries forming blood clots until slowly the victim slips into their death. Making the victim look like they died from blood clotting, internal bleeding or aneurysm. 

You slowly kneeled down besides her head, watching as her eyes gloss with tears. 

“Please Y/N. Were friends” she chokes out before breaking into a sob. You softly cooed at her, brushing a few hairstrands away from her face. 

“This will be quick” raising your right hand and then stabbing the ice pick onto her forehead, burying the metal surface deeply into her skull, twisting the weapon and then swiftly pulling it out of her. 

Yeosang’s giggles broke the silence of the room as he takes the ice pick from your hand, placing it on top of the table before wrapping his arms around you. 

“I knew you love me too, Y/N!” He chirps. Seeing him happy made your feelings swell and warm your insides, you raised your arms and slowly wrapped them around his nape, hugging him back. 

San: 

You and San are not in the best of terms as of the moment. You had raised your voice at him and disobeyed him, causing him to leave the shared home, only to return home with a random girl he picked up from the streets and started to have sex with her in the living room. You took your earphones and mp3 player from your desk, playing a random song just to block the girl’s annoying autotuned moaning from your ears. You couldn’t care less if San was dicking her down, you knew you were bound to die in this place before you could even see San in a different light. 

And everything was going fine until your bedroom swung open and a shirtless San barged into your room, grabbing your forearm and then dragging you into the room next to yours. 

“Let go of me you manwhore!” You tried yanking your arm away from his grip only to fail. You were expecting to see a naked woman on his bed, whoever it turned out to be the opposite. The woman, still fully clothed, has her arms and ankles tied onto the bed posts. You were confused, you looked at San for an answer. 

“Do you think I’m a manwhore when I dedicate my whole life to you?” He says, walking closer to you, eyes staring straight into your dark brown orbs. “Kill her, if you hate her presence bothers you so much.” He says before taking a hold on your shoulders and spinning you around. The woman shook her head, pleading for her life. But all you did is grab onto the pillow and watch her suffocate while struggling. When she was no longer struggling, you immediately let go of the cushions, your back bumping into San’s hard rock chest. 

“That’s my baby.” He whispers softly, hugging you from behind and placing his chin on top of your shoulder. 

Mingi: 

He doesn’t see the point of you still working in your corporate office when all your boss does is humiliate you in front of your co workers. For all he knows, your boss should keep his mouth shut or else he’d kill him. Kill. The word rang into his mind. What if you, the love of his life, kill your boss? It sounded like a good plan. Better even. That night, he stepped out into the night and kidnapped your boss who is easy enough to locate. 

Your self esteem went lower and lower as your boss would continue to humiliate you inside the office. But when you heard that he didn’t come to work today, you were wondering where the devil is he. It wasn’t until you clocked out at 6pm and went straight home. 

“Hi Y/N!” Mingi smiles, waving his hand happily but with your boss all tied up into a chair. Your eyes widened in surprise making you drop your handbag. 

“I can’t let this fat fuck run his mouth and talk shit about my baby. So I did the honors for you.” How could he still smile in a situation like this? He kidnapped your boss and he’s happy about it? 

“And so, to end my baby’s pain, she gets to do this. One time big time only.” He hands you a jagdkommando knife. 

Your breath hitched. “H-how do you have this?” you asked, your voice coming out merely a whisper. Mingi takes a step closer to you, cupping your eyes as he looks into your eyes brimming with tears. “Don’t ask questions like that now, jagi. What matters here is that once we, well you, kill him, all the money he has will be wired into my account and you wouldn’t have to work for that damned office anymore. Don’t you want that?” He leans down and places a kiss on your forehead. 

You turned to face your boss whose wailing around his seat, his pants dampening with his pee. Raising your hand, you brought the knife down on his neck. Hearing that squelching sound before taking the knife out, raising your hand and bringing it to his stomach and pulling it out. Your work clothes stained with his blood, watching your boss bleed out through the large holes you’ve created on his skin with the knife. 

“Don’t hurt yourself now.” He whispers, taking the knife away from your hand. “How was your day today, jagi? Let me run you a hot bath before we have dinner.” He says, taking you upstairs. 

Wooyoung: 

He got a little carried away torturing a guy who confessed to you the other day for liking you. He was having his own little fun by purposefully making him trip on his own feet and stab his legs, dodging him whenever he would lunge at him and then hit his head on the wall. That was what he was doing until you came home. 

“Hear that, idiot? She’s home.” He says, leaving the basement with a mood shift. Happily skipping to the living room to greet you. “Darlinggg~” he flings his arms around you. 

“What’s got you so hyper right now?” You chuckle softly, turning to face him. Instead of replying, he took a hold of your hand and lead you the basement. To your surprise, you see a man whose lying on the floor, pants bloodied and covered in sweat. 

“It’s your turn to get into the fun!” He smiles handing you a russian roulette with only one bullet inside. “I already had my turn with him and I reserved for you the grand finale.” He says, hugging you tightly in his arms. “Think of this as his final dying act. When he dies, the curtains will close and the people will praise you.” He places a big kiss on your cheek. 

You weren’t skilled like Wooyoung, but you hoped that this bullet would go into his head. You took a deep breath and pulled the trigged. And as you wished, the bullet pierced through the skin of his forehead and into his skull. 

Wooyoung clapped and stood up from his seat like a standing ovation. He walks up to you and takes your hand in his. 

“What a natural.” 

Jongho: 

Staring at you is something that Jongho will never get tired of doing. Even when you get embarrassed, Jongho will never keep his eyes off you. If his eyes were his stomach, they would feel so full just by looking at you. Only he can stare at you how he wants to. No one else except him. Not until his next door neighbor accidentally discovered you when you opened the door. 

He was furious at you and at his neighbor and dragged both of you into his basement. Before he left, you pleaded not to let him leave you alone. Seeing the tears in your eyes were his ultimate weakness, he hated the feeling that it was him who made you cry. But you broke a rule, and it is only fitting that you receive a punishment. 

“Wait here” he says, ascending up the stairs and going somewhere. When he came back, he has a 7 needle gauge in his hand. 

“You broke a rule, darling. You shouldn’t have answered the door. If you want me to forgive you, stab his eyes.” He says, your breath hitched. Never once did you imagine yourself killing someone. Let alone be an order from a person. When you sat closer to his neighbor, you quickly pierced the needle into his eye. Letting out a blood curdling scream, your heart raced. Swiftly taking the needle out, the man lets out a cry before screaming again as you did the same into his left eye. 

When he was no longer moving, it was your turn to cry. Tossing the needle away as you brought your knees close to your chest, sobbing. Jongho’s footsteps could be heard behind you, slowly he lifted you up and carried you bridal style. 

“It’s over now, sweetheart. I’m not mad at you anymore.” 

[nibeul]

Please I want to know more about your clones 🤔🤔

I am so late to responding to this but GLADLY!! I love gushing about them though I have so many (like 50 I think) so I will try to stick to my main group ahh :)

Cross (he/him): Cross was my first clone OC ever, so he holds a very special place in my heart even if I do not draw him often enough. He’s a commander (CC-0044) and was present on Geonosis, though later returned to Kamino to help Alpha with the CC training program.

He got his scar in 21BBY and it’s actually not from the battlefield (none of his scars are actually from the battlefield). The scar comes from being whipped by a lightsaber hilt, which sounds funny out of context, but it wasn’t an accident.

He’s batchmates with @katanrocksketches ‘s OC Asch! The two were pretty close when they were in training, and Cross got his name before leaving Kamino. It was given to him because of his kind of uhhh, “cross nature” or disposition pfft. He softens up a bit between 22BBY-20BBY though the walls go up again after that :’)

Coming off Kamino, he was a stickler for rules and was not a big fan of clones tattooing themselves/dying their hair and whatnot (he didn’t even like having a name at first though his batchmates used it enough that it begrudgingly stuck). After meeting Sunny though, he lets him do one tattoo and ends up getting his number underneath his left eye. It is like, staying to how he believes they should be while also accepting that it’s ok to be individual.

Cross’s favorite color is red because for him, red represents Ando (my Padawan OC) and they are very close (NOT IN A ROMANTIC WAY. He sees Ando as his little brother or kih’vod to protect).

Cross actually does not know a lot of Mando’a because of his belief that they should not try to be seen as individuals. He distanced himself from anything that he considered “individualization”, and Mando’a was included in that. Sunny teaches him a little bit later down the line, and Ando also teaches him and Ten (another clone OC of mine) some Togruti, too

Part of Cross’s strict disposition comes from being subject to Priest’s death circles on more than one occasion (I might retcon that to Adral—a mando OC of mine—because I hate KT Ugh).

By the end of the war, he carries a lot of guilt. He loses a lot of the people he’s closest to because of his actions/orders, and he uh. Doesn’t live past O66 :’) he does get a very quick.. redemption.. arc.. kinda..

Sunny (he/him): Sunny was my second clone OC made around the same time as Cross, and he also holds a very special place in my heart :) I really love clone medics, there is just something about them that makes my brain go brrrr. I also think the irony of his name is great

Sunny’s name was originally Sers, but after writing him for a few weeks, I changed it because I thought Sunny fit better. His name was given to him by his batchmate, Aran, and while he vehemently protested against it, the name ended up sticking. He won’t admit that he actually likes it (though the tattoo and painting of his armor say otherwise anyway)

Sunny is the CMO of the 409th Corps (my OC military group basically). He’s a Lieutenant (or at a rank around there, definitely a CO at the least) and he does not back down. Ever. Even the people who outrank him will fall into line if he tells them to, Jedi included. He is not afraid to pull rank as a Medic, and his resting bitch face can be very scary

On the same line of thought as the rbf, he is basically perpetually scowling. He does not look approachable at all

Sunny loses the entirety of his batch on Geonosis, including Aran who he holds onto while he is dying. The Jedi leading Sunny’s company was.. not accustomed to war and failed to adapt when it was needed. Because of this, Sunny doesn’t necessarily harbor a dislike of Jedi, though he does not really trust many of them in leading positions. He also does not like that there are kids being put in the role of commander, he does see many Padawan deaths (he later comforts a dying Padawan that he was close to, I think I wrote part of that scene for myself and it was kinda upsetting oof) —> he gets his tattoo/paints his armor in order to honor his dead batchmates

Throughout the war, Sunny gets seriously injured only once after going down in an LAAT (where he nearly ends up dying too). Boost finds him, though he’s kinda accepted that he’s not gonna make it (I mean he does but it doesn’t look like he will for a bit). After Flip (younger clone OC) dies, he doesn’t really care if he kicks the bucket either :’)

Sunny is the only one out of my main gang to make it past O66. His chip doesn’t work at all, though he has to fight through his brothers (aha, the only ones who are still alive that he is close with) in order to save a Jedi youngling that was in the medbay at the time. After that, he goes on the run with the kid (clone dad clone dad) and offers his services as a doctor in the outer rim in order to keep them afloat

Boost (he/him) (she/her) [either or, there is no real preference]: Boost has gone through a lot of changes design wise. He started out as Dax, but then Dax became another OC, then she was Boost, though she had kinda short hair that was pushed back by a headband, then his hair was buzzed, and now we are finally at long hair Boost. Idk how to describe, but she is very shaped I think

Boost for his nickname from bear hugging his batchmates and lifting them off the ground when doing so. Also from fucking around in training where he threw another one of his batchmates in order to get from one ledge to another. All around just a name with silly origins that she liked and decided to keep

Boost and Sol are batchmates!

Boost is very tactically intelligent. She’s good at thinking on her feet, sees the bigger picture before focusing on details, good problem solver, etc. He is an ARC after all, there is good reason for his status and rank as a Lieutenant. That being said, he can also be very very stupid in the sense that off the battlefield, he’s oblivious. He does enjoy being the jokester of the group, and he sometimes plays up his dumbassery for jest, though yeah, a lot of people assume that he is not smart because of his demeanor which is very wrong

Boost is terrible. Terrible at braiding her hair. Sol is the best at braiding it, though she would never admit that even if everyone knows it. He started growing his hair out once they were off Kamino and hasn’t stopped since despite the fact that is technically not within regulations. Cross turns a blind eye and Ko (Jedi General) could not care less for inconsequential regulations like that

Boost is really good with kids, but good in the way a uhh.. chaotic uncle/auntie is. He’s a lot of fun to be around with, and being around kids makes him even more rambunctious than usual. He can be what is considered “childish”, pulling pranks and everything but like, he is very emotionally mature and knows when to be serious. Again, a lot of people kinda just boil her down to “dumb” which is really wrong, though it doesn’t bug him a lot.

Boost has a big sweet tooth!! He loves getting sweets when they’re on Coruscant, which they actually tend to visit frequently enough because of Ko’s status as a Sentinel (and also because Ko benefits what the Republic sees as the “propaganda machine” as a prominent General with a good track record).

Boost is romantically involved with @buttsalsa ‘s civilian OC Esta. I reblogged some art of them the other day, they are very cute :D

Boost doesn’t make it to Order 66 :’) I actually wrote out his death and cried after going back to read it LMAO It was rough

Sol (he/him): Sol was made as a package deal with Boost, and I feel bad because I think he gets overshadowed a lot but he is kinda like the rock for the group. When he dies, things really start to crumble but uh!! That is a sad thought for another time. Anyways, like I said, he is basically the rock and also a voice of reason for Boost’s shenanigans

Sol got his nickname after reading through some flimsi that their trainer had given him. He didn’t know if it had any meaning, but he liked the way it sounded and immediately began using it. Boost quickly picked up on it and the rest of their batch was very supportive

Sol loves reading. He specifically likes reading history, and Ando slips him what he can (fun fact, when Sol dies, Boost returns to their bunk to find a couple of holobooks that Ando had left and breaks down aha.. pain). Whenever he doesn’t feel like keeping Boost from causing trouble, he just sits in a quiet corner and reads his books while everything erupts in chaos around him

Sol’s favorite beverage is tea which Ko introduced him to. He has a few boxes he keeps with him when he can, and he shares them with Boost sometimes though he has to add a lot of sugar/honey in order to do that. If he could drink tea all the time, he could. On the flipside, he absolutely loathes coffee and doesn’t understand how Sunny can drink multiple cups on a day

Sol is kinda like the person that everyone is friends with even if they don’t realize it. He’s like.. the perfect emotional pillar, kinda the therapist friend in a group that desperately needs therapy. He’s more of a listener than a talker which is why it’s easy to overlook him, but he insists that he doesn’t mind much. That being said, it’s only once he’s gone that people start to realize just how much he did (aside from Boost who already thought the world of him)

Sol is also an ARC trooper, having gone through the training program together with Boost. He doesn’t have the same tactical knowledge that Boost does, but he’s good at mediating, long range combat, and also working through plans (he’s pretty meticulous). He and Boost balance each other out well, since he is like the “slow and steady” one out of them.

Sol is the first to go out of the main four (second out of my bigger group of six). He and his entire platoon are wiped out in a massacre as a result of false intel.. man :’)

Anyways, thank you for enabling to ramble about my ocs ToT I honestly just needed to infodump shdjf

[mercurialimage]

here are my sbr rankings. some explainations under the cut. major sbr spoilers of course so tread carefully here

gyro is SUCH A GREAT JOBRO he is like bucciarati levels good for me (who imo is like one of the best jobros. if u disagree die mad ab it). i was afraid and at the beginning thought gyro would end up overshadowing johnny but to me it looks like they had this symbiotic relationship where both of them learned something from each other. johnny is also not a bad jojo for me, i was scared i wouldn't like him but i enjoyed how he eventually grew into his own. i also think his personality is fun!

blackmore and ringo are my favorite minor antags - the blackmore arc, his design and stand were badass imo. and during the mandom arc i was thinking to myself 'what the fuck is ringo's problem' until we got to his backstory, where i felt really sorry and that just made me like him. i also enjoy mandom as a stand a lot. wekapipo is also one of my favorites for a similar way, and was hoping he wouldn't die. magenta is at the loved them tier only because i felt really bad about his death. oyecomova is also really badass design wise and is in the loved them tier. everyone else in the loved them tier is self explainatory (diego and hot pants especially, loved them in the love train arc)

for indifferent/no opinion, i would've put diego's mom to maybe an inbetween ranking but inevitably wasn't too much of a major character, although i felt for her a lot especially how she tried to give diego the best she could. the parallels between sbr verse dio and og verse dio (shitty dad and a good mom) are real. boom boom family would've also gone higher because i liked their stands but ultimately i did not care about them too much. di-s-co could've gone higher mostly because i found him going like 'my stand is chocolate disco. thats about it' really funny but not much about it

for the disappointing one i am really sorry to any mountain tim likers. i love his design + stand and he was really badass in the arcs he was in but hes a grown ass man liking lucy and its just... eugh yeah. you'll say i have steven on loved them, but he never really showed any romantic interest for lucy - and in fact refused to (in lucy's backstory flashback, how he said 'don't say that' after lucy said 'i would like to marry for real (paraphrasing or something like that)'. the rest i don't think i should explain

for the final ranking, shitty dads lol. i will preface this by saying i believe valentine is a very good villain - his stand ability is completely terrifying and so is he (and i like to think of an au where johnny accepted his offer (supposing he would keep his promise not to harm him) to bring another gyro from another universe, like how would it pan out with the holy corpse? etc), but everything else about him made me uncomfortable. sorry

[pynkhues]

Random question, but I remember reading an ask of yours a while back about how you would recast good girls and thinking it was so much fun!! So, if there was a modern-day Friends (or a modern-day version of any of your favorite sitcoms/shows), how would you make it different? Would you make any changes to the main ch, who would you cast? Etc etc ♡

Ah! Thank you, anon! I genuinely love doing recasts, so I'm delighted you liked that one, and am thrilled you sent another!

Friends is actually such a tricky one, because it was such a perfect little catalyst in terms of its cast and its characters and their chemistry, and I think we've seen over the years how hard that is to replicate (because lord knows networks have tried). But! I love the challenge, soooo lets start with the cast:

Okay, yes, I loved her in both Bridgerton and Sex Education, but to me Simone Ashley is really an actress who's still growing, much in the same way Courtney Cox was in Friends. In so many ways, I can't imagine a greater role to grow in than Monica, who's equal parts funny and dramatic, protagonist and antagonist, romantic lead and narrative foil. She's a character who's always moving, and I just feel like Simone could play that so well.

Full disclaimer: I haven't seen How I Met Your Father yet, but I've always thought Suraj was an actor who should've had a better career. From Life of Pi to Homeland to Happy Death Day 2U, he's got both the range and the charisma. Ross isn't an easy role to play, and I feel like he could bring out the best sides of him. Plus seeing him play Simone's brother would be a delight, and I feel he'd just be an incredible romantic lead toooo....

I mean, come on, this feels like a no-brainer, right? I can't imagine an TV actress currently working who could better embody Rachel's charm and confidence and throughline vulnerability than Victoria, and I feel like her arc of runaway bride to successful and independent woman would just be one she'd embody so well.

I always feel like Darren sells the comedy in Never Have I Ever better than the dramatic sequences, and his himbo-with-a-heart-of-gold stylings just feels totally perfect for Joey.

In sooo many ways, I feel like Cheyenne in Superstore is an AU version of Phoebe, haha, but they're different enough too that I feel like the role of Phoebe would be something Nichole could really pivot to something fresh, modern and exciting. Plus she's so cute and I love her.

Chandler was genuinely the hardest one for me to cast. There are definitely older actors who fit the bill (Adam Scott being the one who immediately leapt to mind), but no one who fit that mid-to-late-twenties range that would be needed for a re-cast.

After a lot of thought, I landed on Shameik, which the more I think about, the more I love. Chandler's not really an easy role to play - he's got this not-quite-warmth-not-quite-coldness to him that's defined by an acerbic sense of humour and a genuine loyalty to those around him, a boyishness that's somehow contradicted by being the only one with a 'real adult' job at the start of the series, to moving from quippy sidekick to true romantic lead. It's not an easy role to balance, but Shameik's done all that and more across his career. To see him do it in the one role - and to do it opposite Simone and Suraj in particular - feels dreamy as all hell.

-

As for changes, yeah! There are a few. The biggest change I'd make to the show would be scrapping the plotline with Rachel's pregnancy. I don't think the show needed it, and the fact that it resulted in her staying in New York at the end of the show's run was, I think, a real betrayal of her character.

And this might be a controversial opinion too, but I think it was a bit of a betrayal of Ross' too. I forever wish the show had gone deeper in exploring Ross co-parenting Ben with Carol, and the fact that Ben was really overshadowed in later seasons for Emma really bummed me out.

In that sense, I think if I was to reframe the series, I'd definitely be making Carol and her new partner, Susan, and Ben much more prominent characters, and have Ross and Carol co-parenting being a bigger part of Ross' overall arc. (Also, okay, hear me out - Kiersey Clemons and Tati Gabrielle as Carol and Susan respectively)

The show wasn't Great with sexuality in general, but it kind of had these built-in avenues to explore it in much more exciting and authentic ways than it did, and Carol definitely offered that, but so did Chandler's father, who I'd love to write in in a bigger way, and I think it genuinely makes sense that both Joey, Phoebe and Rachel at least be bi.

Otherwise, I'm not sure! What do you think?