#esp bc he was expecting Jack

[slicklitsilos]

Will driving the rental on the morning of Hobbs when Hannibal drove to his hotel…

who’s rental do y’all think they took and did Will have to bitch at him to let him drive or did hannibal just gladly go along with being a passenger princess for the day 😗👀

[orphiicheartd]

There is untapped potential goal in Yuu going about managing Floyd like a dog trainer

[sourszt]

𝟕:𝟎𝟒 𝐚𝐦 | 𝐖𝐈𝐂𝐊𝐄𝐃 𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐒

𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 — murdoc (2016) x fem!reader

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 — nsfw, explicit, reader needs something, murdoc wants something in return, oral (fem!receiving) murdoc is an asshole, hair pulling, quickie (?), face fucking, panty stealing, murdoc uses readers panties, lowkey nose kink lol, clit sucking, tongue fucking, slight overstimulation

𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬 — NOT PROOFREAD! literally stayed up til 7am to finish this bc i refused to not finish it. i had this idea when i watched like the second episode he was in and i couldnt get it out. also i need more david dastmalchian esp jack delroy, murdoc, johnny, and james lewis moots pleasepleaseplease

you were pissed. that much was obvious when you stormed into the prison with a slim folder between your tense fingers and a scowl etched into your typically stoic features.

you had demanded the guards get him into the interrogation room before you got there and told them to keep away from the door for the next hour. though they weren’t allowed to do so, they refused to fall into your vicious crosshairs.

they did as they were told, and the second you swung open the door to the stuffy, metal room you were met with a smug grin and taunting stare.

neither of which wavered even when you slammed the manilla folder onto the table in front of him and used that same hand to backhand him right across his cheek. your fingers closed around the collar of his plain white shirt before he could fully process the strike and you forced his body back upright. his handcuffs rattled with the motion. the proximity should have scared him.

“you sold us out?” your voice bounced off of the walls like a gunshot had rung out. but murdoc didn’t flinch. instead, his smile steadily grew until he was laughing in your hands.

honestly, you should have expected this. the consequences of trusting a sociopathic assassin like him. known for lying about any and everything, completely indifferent about who he hurts and the amount of chaos he creates.

you made the stupid mistake of placing what should have been the satisfying wrap-up to a very important mission in his hands and ended up getting double crossed, and your coworker and good friend almost killed. in whatever time murdoc had between your meeting with him and what was supposed to be a surprise confrontation, he gave away every last detail to whoever knew of your connections with him.

luckily, the phoenix foundation had never known a loss thanks to macgyver. he narrowly managed to flip the score and gain the upper hand in a heavily disadvantaged fight, giving your team just enough room to make just a few arrests. the rest were able to escape.

but despite the half victory, you knew it wouldn’t happen every time. so you had to remind your little informant who he belonged to.

your hold tightened on his shirt, and finally his cuffed wrists rose as a meek defense. “oh, come on sweetheart. i’m flattered you thought so highly of me, but i’ve told you before. my service only goes to the higher bidder now.” his voice was calm and condescending. it pisses you off.

you held him still for several seconds, debating on painting his cheekbone purple before shoving him back into his chair. it was so forceful, you heard the thin legs grit and scrape against the ground. murdoc chuckled lowly. “you’re strong for such a small thing, aren’t you?”

your eyes shot daggers into his own, but you control yourself. the team would only fall into deeper shit if you pushed him into a non-verbal state. they were relying on you, even if they had no idea you had come back here.

“you’re going to tell me who these people are, and where they might’ve gone.” you instructed, voice low and sharp. murdoc’s eyebrows twitched upwards as you flipped the folder open and spread several papers onto the table.

he glanced down at them, eyes shifting left and right like he was tracking a moving dot. “need i remind you? again?” his empty brown eyes came back up to you. his smile returned. “why should i?”

right. payment. in truth, you had shown up completely empty handed, boldly praying that you could get him to comply and the answers would merely fall out of him. maybe a punch or two. but this was murdoc. he felt nothing.

your jaw tightened when you came up with nothing. he seemed to sense that before you could say it and he scoffed out a laugh. “oh, then i’m afraid you came all this way for nothing, sweetheart.”

that was the second time he’d called you that. it felt almost dehumanizing coming from him, especially paired with the not-so-subtle observation he stole of your figure. though, it seemed to strike something in him, and the corner of his lips lifted.

“you know, i might be willing to settle for a second place offer.” murdoc held your gaze with a newfound intensity, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly. dealing with many men in your profession, you knew that look all too well.

your stomach lurched. though you couldn’t tell if it was in a nauseating or interested way, seeing as your stomach suddenly tensed so badly it really could have been either. the man was attractive, there was no denying that. but still, you’d never pictured a situation like this with him before.

murdoc tsked at your shock. “i have needs.” he said matter-of-factly with a small shrug. his handcuffs clinked against his chair.

“i thought you had to be human for that.” you shot back.

every bone in your body told you to pack the file back up and leave him hanging. that was what your best judgment was screaming at you to do. not to entertain a maniac like him and put yourself at such a risk. but for some reason your feet were glued to the floor. you couldn’t move.

murdoc actually looked offended by your words, but the expression didn’t reach his eyes. “i can be as human as you need me to be. just say the word.” his voice dropped, suddenly teetering towards gravelly. “you need something, i want something. my prices really don’t get this low, you know.”

knowing murdoc, his idea of ‘needs’ was bound to put you in some compromising position. you shouldn’t. you really shouldn’t. but the way he was looking up at you with what could only be described as pleading eyes forced your refusal back down your throat.

then, his lips spread into a victorious grin. you noticed his sharp canine fangs for the first time. “good girl.” he breathed. he shifted to face you, reaching out to inch you closer to him with one hand. the distance between you two was already microscopic, but it got even thinner as he gently eased your legs in between his parted knees.

the chain that bound his wrists together granted him far too much leeway, you noticed when he planted his hands on either side of your waist.

your clammy palm pressed onto the table’s surface beside you to balance yourself, finding your guard was beginning to slip away. a heavy sigh escaped from your nostrils and your eyes squeezed shut while you took in your position.

you could back out now, you thought. there would be no shame in it. you’re only caught up in the moment now. he stunned you. that was all. you didn’t have to do this. you didn’t want to do this, you corrected, more loudly in your head this time.

murdoc’s fingers began to massage your hips over the skirt of your form fitting black dress, drawing you out of your meditative space. your eyes found his when they snapped open, and murdoc hummed.

“no need to worry, sweetheart. i know what i’m doing.” like that made you feel any better. he also knew what he was doing when he killed dozens of people.

you let a sigh slip past your lips when his hands traveled downward, inching towards the hem of your dress. “if i didn’t know any better, i’d say there were two guards behind that door. but there isn’t, is there?” he asked lowly and knowingly, shooting a glance over to the locked door you had come in from.

your response was reluctant. if you told him he was right, he could easily use his position to overpower you and get out. but if you let him believe the guards were there doing their job, would he stop? you looked down at him, then down where his hands were gently massaging your upper thighs.

“no, they’re not.” you replied truthfully.

“good.” murdoc quickly replied. he moved you so that you stood in front of the table. your expression shifted to one of curiosity. “you can be as loud as you’d like.”

your face flushed hot at his words. how he said them so casually and cockily despite being (almost) completely at your mercy.

his fingers hooked onto the bottom of your dress and pulled it up to your waist, sighing with admiration as he took in the sight of your black panties. you gasped at the abrupt exposure, wanting to pull the bunched up fabric back down your thighs. but the sudden sensation of murdoc’s fingers rubbing at the dampened crotch of your underwear caught you off guard and you let out a whine.

“that’s it,” murdoc groaned when your thighs instinctively parted wider for him. he traced up your wet folds through the thin fabric, stopping at your clit to circle it. your chest filled with a sharp gasp and you cried out, legs going near slack. “good girl.”

your hips bucked shamelessly into his fingers, desperately trying to match his steady rhythm. “shit, shit,” you gasped, fingers curling around the edge of the table. your head fell back between your shoulders, strained whines falling from your lips.

murdoc quickly stole your building-up orgasm when he took his hand away to slide your panties down your legs and plant himself onto his knees before you. he whisked the garment away but you didn’t entirely care. the sight of him made you blink, realizing what he was about to do.

this was what he meant by wanting something? honestly, you had expected him to bend you over the table or have you straddle him on the chair.

“go on.” he gently nods towards the table behind you. hesitantly, you pull your dress down to cover your ass before hoisting yourself up onto the edge. you wince at the cold that seeped through the thin fabric meant to protect you. the rest of it bunched up at your hips.

murdoc’s hand slipped behind your thigh, holding it in place, the chain lightly digging into your skin as he brought his other one up to rub at your inner thigh. you waited for him to tend to your aching cunt again, but it never came.

you looked down at him, growing irritated. “what do you need me to do?” he asked far too sweetly for your liking. you glowered at him, but he didn’t give in. “don’t forget, you’re the one who needs something.”

bastard. he was going to make you say it out loud. humiliate you for a little bit, even if he was painfully hard in his orange jumpsuit. he had patience like no other, so he would get his way.

you swallowed what was left of your pride and responded, “please, make me come.” your words held bite and lacked the lust that coursed through you. and although murdoc looked like he was going to make you answer correctly for a moment, he shrugged.

“since you asked so nicely.” he said sardonically before he planted his mouth onto your cunt. the response was immediate, a startled cry of his name falling from your lips and your thighs tensing around him.

his tongue delves into your cunt, working you slowly and skillfully. you press a shaky hand to your mouth to try to keep yourself relatively quiet, but it’s like he knows exactly how you touch yourself at home in bed. he’s hitting every spot, and the vibrations of each of his moans make your back arch.

“murdoc—” his name sounded so strange when you weren’t cursing it to hell and back. “—fuck, don’t stop,” your hips rolled against his mouth, the tip of his nose prodding at your clit. you risked it and carded a hand through his hair, taking a handful of dark locks and tugging. he moaned, louder this time, and his knuckles whitened as his grip tightened on your thigh.

you watched as his eyes fluttered shut, practically losing himself in your pussy. he shifted to sucking on and licking at your clit, reveling in the way your cries got higher and more frequent, and how your body writhed wildly against his face. then he’d move back to devouring you, messily and loudly.

your hold on his hair went icy and you pushed him deeper into your cunt, thighs spreading impossibly wider. murdoc whined at the assertion, peering up at you through hooded eyelids.

the sight was obscene, burning itself into your vision forever. the feeling would, too. you hadn’t received anything like this in years, especially not from your silicone and rubber replacements at home.

it’s then that you notice that he’s breathing too hard — or rather, moving far too much — and that he’s slowed down significantly. and that his hands have left both of your thighs and had gone back to his lap. one still loosely held your calf, you realized, but the other worked at his stiff cock. you couldn’t see it, only the rapid up-and-down of his fist.

it wasn’t because of his jumpsuit, which he had worked open at some point, but because also in his hand was your panties. it should’ve disgusted you. watching murdoc jerk himself off and using your panties to do it.

but instead your breathing went ragged and you moaned. “fuck, fuck, murdoc!” he groaned in response, his tongue delving into your pussy in slow, deep drags. he didn’t care that you’re fucking his face now, or that he can’t breathe. he was chasing his own high, fisting his dick with your panties and listening to your relentless cries.

you cursed and cried out as the coil tightened in your gut, feeling like your body was about to explode if he didn’t stop. you didn’t want him to. so you held his mouth against your cunt, hips jerking sporadically as you finally came on his tongue. you felt murdoc’s lips curve into a smirk against you, but you didn’t have the strength to care.

instead, you let him fuck you with his tongue through your blinding orgasm, gently rolling your hips in time with his languid thrusts. you tilted your head and peered down at him, watching him get himself off with your underwear.

you wished you’d worn a sexier pair, but the stirring in your stomach was still there. just knowing they were yours.

a weak moan slipped from you when the sensitivity started to catch up with you. murdoc kept going, still licking up your first orgasm. “holy shit, murdoc,” you slurred, a second orgasm quickly building.

your head fell back and your fingers ran through murdoc’s hair, tousling it even more. but he persisted now, shifting to messily work at your clit. the noises were obscene, and the shame was beginning to set in, but once you looked down and caught his gaze, it was gone.

his nose poked at your abdomen while he sucked on your sensitive nub, and spit and cum glistened around his mouth. you held the contact for only a moment before you came for a second time on his tongue, and telling from the trembling moan he let out right after, he did too.

he pulled away after a second, both of your heavy panting filled the room. you could barely hold yourself torso up, you couldn’t even imagine standing up yet. so you stayed propped against the edge of the table while murdoc cleaned himself as best as he could.

“you can keep them.” you mumbled before he could even try to give you your panties back. but the man only blinked at you.

“i know.”

the anger from before threatened to return. god, he was such an asshole.

“that wasn’t so hard, was it?” he asked with a smug smirk as he wiped your cum from his face with the back of his hand. the action made you gulp, and the way he was staring at you, still on the ground, forced you to your feet and to the other side of the table.

you had to put distance between you and him or you’d end up shoving his face right back between your legs again. and you would rather die than have murdoc know that you wanted him to tongue fuck you again.

“right, now, can you give me what i need?” you asked, hurrying to rearrange the shuffled papers on the table.

murdoc got back up into his chair, watching you compose yourself with amusement. “that depends, sweetheart.” he replied. “what do you need? names or another round?”

did this in one sitting ur welcome. god i love david dastmalchian. so much. also i might write a part 2 to this.

[theemporium]

ESP bc he seems so peaceful that you’d never expect him to fight🤭🤭🤭🤭 kinda like lando

also can we talk ab him getting into a bar fight for you🤭🤭🤭🤭

no because you put this in my head and i just had to write a wee blurb because i couldn't stop thinking about it🫠

.

“Pay up, Moosey.”

“This is exploitation.”

“It’s called a bet and you lost,” you corrected before flashing him an innocent grin. “I won fair and square, don’t be a sore loser.”

Luke rolled his eyes, grumbling something under his breath as he reached for his wallet in his back pocket. He made a point of exaggerating the sigh that left his lips as he slapped the twenty dollars in your palm.

Jack watched the interaction with interest. “What bet? Why was I not involved?”

“Luke and I made a bet before the game,” you said with a casual shrug as you leaned back into Jack’s embrace, his arm thrown over your shoulder. “Twenty bucks that you’d score the majority of the goals tonight.” 

“And she was right,” Luke muttered. 

“I have faith in my man,” you stated simply, turning to see Jack grinning wildly. 

“My favourite fan,” he murmured before he tilted your chin back so he could lean down to kiss you, his lips breaking out into a smile against yours.

“Oh gross!” 

After a string of difficult games and long roadies, the Devils were back in Jersey and had managed to win their first home game in a while. The boys were on a high, your boyfriend especially after scoring two of the three goals tonight, and you had all but been dragged out with the rest of the team to a nearby bar to celebrate. 

Not that you minded. You were on that high as well, seeing your boyfriend smile widely and easily for the first time in a long time after a game made you eager to celebrate as well. And the bar was local, only about a ten minute walk from Jack and Luke’s apartment which meant none of you had to worry about playing the designated driver.

You could just curl up beside your boyfriend, have a few drinks and celebrate what would hopefully be the start of a string of wins. 

“Let me out,” you murmured against your boyfriend’s lips. “I wanna go buy some outrageously fancy cocktail with Luke’s money to piss him off.”

Jack snorted as he slid out the booth, holding your hand to help you out. “You want me to come with?”

“I’ll be fine,” you assured him before you pushed your way through the crowd, making your way towards the bar at the other end of the establishment. 

And it should have been fine. You managed to find a free spot at the bar to lean against the counter, your fingers aimlessly tapping the wood as you placed your order and patiently waited for your drink to be made. But it was busy and the place was a little crowded, and you found yourself being pushed by a few other patrons who were just walking past, and bumping into a man standing beside you.

“Sorry,” you said with a sheepish smile as you tried to move away, back into the spot you were standing in moments ago. 

“Don’t worry about it, sweetheart,” the man smiled back. He was older than you, maybe by a decade or so. And he looked friendly until his arm wound itself around your waist. “You don’t have to move away soon.”

“Uh,” you let out a nervous laugh as you tried to wiggle yourself out of his grasp. “No, I’m fine over here. Please move your arm.”

“Don’t be like that,” the man laughed as his arm tightened around you, and a wave of panic hit you.

“I-I have a boyfriend,” you told him firmly, still trying to push his hand off you.

“Yeah, a sweet thing like you oughta be locked up,” he said like he didn’t really believe you, like he was playing along with some joke you didn’t get.

Your chest tightened in panic, a cold shiver running down your spine when you realised this man wasn’t just going to let you go. Your eyes darted around for a bartender but they were all busy before you glanced over to the booth the team were sitting at, hoping to catch a glimpse of your boyfriend. 

But he was no longer sat at the booth, because not even a few seconds later he was pushing through the crowd and making a beeline towards where you stood with the man.

“Let go of her,” Jack said, his voice oddly calm as he approached.

“She’s fine where she is, kid,” the older man laughed, almost mockingly.

“I’m gonna give you one more chance,” Jack stated simply. “Let her go.”

The man scoffed, lifting his chin. “Or what? What’s a pretty boy like you gonna do?” 

You barely had a chance to catch yourself when Jack ripped the man’s arm off you, causing you to stumble a few steps towards the bar. By the time you caught your footing and turned around, Jack had already punched the man until he was hunched over, clutching his bloody nose. 

He shoved the man until he lifted his head before he swung again, and you swore you could hear a crack despite the music and chatter sounding through the bar. 

Your lips parted in shock as Jack swung the third and final punch and knocked the guy out before he could even think about swinging back. You looked at your boyfriend—your sweet boyfriend who didn’t even fight on the ice when he was egged on and chirped at by other players—who was now looking at the man like he was almost disappointed that he went down without much of a fight. Bartenders and security were flocking around the scene, words muttered about first aid kits and ambulances and all sorts, but Jack didn’t even say a word as he turned to look for you. 

His face instantly softened the second he saw you and he was rushing over before security could even try to stop him. His hands softly cupped your face, his thumbs brushing over the apple of your cheeks as he gave you a once over.

“Are you okay?” he asked in a gentle voice, a crease forming between his brows. “Did he hurt you at all? Do you need—”

“I’m fine, Jack,” you murmured as you wound your arms around his waist, nuzzling yourself against his chest. “Thank you.”

“Always,” Jack whispered as his arms tightened around you, pulling you into a tight hug. “Do you wanna go or stay?”

“You guys won,” you mumbled into his chest. “You should celebrate with the boys.”

“The boys aren’t my priority right now. You are.” Jack said as he pulled back enough to look down at you. “Say the word and we can head back to the flat and just chill for the rest of the night.”

Your lips twitched upwards. “It’s fine, Jack.”

“Nope, you’ve used my actual name twice in the last three minutes which means you’re upset,” Jack concluded before leaning down to press a peck to your forehead. “Let’s say bye to the boys and head out.”

“Jack—”

“I don’t wanna stay anyways,” he said with a shrug. “I’d rather spend a night in with you anyways.”

Your eyes narrowed. “And you’re not just saying that?”

“I promise, baby,” he murmured softly. “As much as I love fighting for your honour, I’d rather go home and watch Cars.”

You laughed softly. “Cars marathon?” 

“You read my mind,” Jack grinned. “Plus, I think I need ice for my knuckles. That dude had a hard face.”

This time you snorted, and the sound made his grin widen. You gently lifted his hands to your lips, pressing a soft kiss to his knuckles before you looked up at him with a smile.

“Thank you for being my knight in shining armour,” you mused with a teasing grin.

“Anytime, princess,” he retorted with a matching smile.

.

[read-write-thrive]

I have been craving some regency romance and somehow theres only 2 fics that even come up under dbda regency on ao3 so here’s some thoughts (that may become a fic in the distant future but I don’t have the brain for it right this second)

I’m a bitch for historical accuracy so cw for that right out of the gate this will not be as neat and tidy as a certain popular book series/other Netflix show

Let’s go character by character shall we

Edwin to start

Theoretically that is a posh white boy with more book smarts than ppl skills but nothing too damning on that front so he’s an easy transplant

HOWEVER

If you take the gay thing into account

(And I could and have written multiple essays on the nuances of queerness in historical contexts)

THEN things can get interesting

Edwin’s demonic sacrifice at an all boys school at the hands of a jealous popular boy becomes a bit more metaphorical

In my head theres some awakening between the schoolboys but good ol internalised homophobia fucks everything up

Could have Sa’al even be an authority figure within the school if you want to get even more traumatic with it

Regardless Edwin’s stay in hell translates to a societal fall from grace / disownment / what have you

Would give some room to mess with class and societal norms at the time

And while I love the idea of Edwin participating in the tail end of the Molly house culture

(Especially gnc Edwin,,,,,,, thoughts are being thunk)

That does rob our story of any classic balls and dance scenes and such

That’ll be our first fork in the road I think: is Edwin still in the upper echelon at the time the story begins ?

If yes, cue Darcy’s theme. If not, Edwin should get to be an early drag queen

(Side note but if thinking later than regency I’d love to write a payneland as Fanny&Stella moment, could even have some ghostcrow or ghostcat,,,, again much to think about)

Take a shot for our first “they could be a sex worker” point

There will be more

I think I’ll leave Edwin there

Now for the rest of the main four let me repeat that I’m sticking with history a bit here

Bc imo race has to play a major factor in their backstories/characterizations

So if we move onto Charles next

White dad and Indian mum wouldn’t be completely unheard of esp putting his dad in a military context

(And lbr military snd abusers go hand in hand)

It’s a little early in the colonisation of India for his dad to have taken his mum as his wife officially and brought her back to the UK

But it would definitely have been possible

With this in mind Charles becomes a bit variable in terms of class status

His dad could be high ranking military or even a successful merchant which would grant Charles some inheritance and a bit of a boost

But Charles would never have been allowed at the same school as Edwin in this kind of thing

Could also put Rowland sr further down the chain of command and as such keep Charles low on the ladder

Regardless, Charles probably would’ve been expected to follow in his father’s footsteps in terms of profession and overall societal role

However once again we can translate death trauma to life trauma

Maybe his peers did make an attempt on his life that left him disabled in some fashion

Maybe his dickhead father would’ve gone further and end up injuring and/or disowning Charles as well

And while Charles ending up in a poorhouse is definitely possible

I am once again proposing sex work

(He’s too pretty for manual labour and I could see him being handy with pickpocketing while he’s at it)

(This also ties back to a Fanny&Stella-inspired AU but in a more Jack Dublin way ykwim)

But yeah shot #2 for pretty boy Charles

Moving onto Crystal

Arguably she has the most variation in backstory available of the bunch

Is she American? Is she legitimate? How rich is she/are her parents? Are her parents still an interracial couple? How far back are her African ancestors? Is she meant to inherit? Does she have siblings? Exactly how rich are her parents? How did they get that money? Etc etc etc

So many possibilities to work with

If you want her to run in the same circles as not-fallen Edwin you kinda have to put her as an illegitimate kid of someone without enough money to recognise her anyway yk

Two Black parents just wouldn’t have that kind of capital/status at the time

Putting her in that kind of position (aka precarious and v difficult socially) does lead to some interesting questions as to who she can interact with, when, what she’s expected to do with her life, etc

Lavender marriage Edwin and Crystal could be fun now that I’m thinking abt it….she’s rich enough that Edwin’s family has to go with it and Crystal actually gets some social currency…….

Tho god the societal prejudice she’d have to deal with in pretty much all of these options would be brutal fs

Lastly for this post: Niko my beloved

Shes probably the hardest to work with considering Japan’s isolationist policies and yk distance from the UK

I assume there had to have been exceptions to this but go do it hard to find discussion of any (I’m also working with a single braincell rn so bear with me)

I really don’t know how to resolve her as a historical mystery beyond like her relatives having left Japan either centuries earlier or secretly smuggled themselves/her out like two seconds ago

All interesting but idk enough to speak on them much unfortunately

See again the point on prejudice: not to say the boys would have a walk in the park but the girls would be treated awfully 110%

on that cheery note I’m going to try and sleep love you all hope you enjoyed feel free to riff on this hugs kisses

[sencrose]

binged squid game s2 all day so here are some thoughts (spoilers ahead)

overall a lot better than i was expecting for a season 2. esp bc i feel like s1 ended at a fine point and there was no need for a second season. this was still fun though

obligatory holy shit gong yoo deepthroating the gun uhhhhhhhhh HELLO!!!!!!!!!! it’s so funny seeing him in this role being so insane bc the first thing i think of when i see his name is goblin LMFAO

i was betting on either geumja or yongsik dying in the carousel game like. i was so fucking stressed especially when they got separated. having the two of them in the game actually is so bad for my heart lmfao. idk how next season is gonna pan out but if either of them die before the other i will sob my eyes out for sure

on the above point, i definitely thought they were going to make the last number one instead of two to really cull the numbers but i guess they don’t wanna be that depressing (yet)

definitely gasped when mf crypto bro scammer pushed youngmi out of the room and she died. i actually cannot stand him LMAO. not only that but he gets a girl pregnant, ghosts her, scams her, and tries to weasel his way back into her life for her money? yeah die. when junhee told him to fuck off me and my bf were cheering her on lmao

공기 LETS FUCKING GO!!!! i was struggling so hard to try and explain it to my bf before realizing it’s just jacks with extra steps lmfao. i played it a lot growing up so it was cool to see 8) didn’t know about the stereotype of it being a “women’s game” though LOL

ngl. top’s character was so cringe (i also think he’s a little too old to be playing what feels like a zoomer coded character) but i did giggle when he said “fucking 시발롬아 bitch” like bro. you are sooooooo not serious about anything. (also noticed him doing the bang bang bang choreo on the carousel lmao nice easter egg)

boat captain park being in on it made me so sad but like… it makes sense, esp. with the booby traps and how he just happened to be the one to find junho’s unconscious body

i don’t think 246 (amusement park sketch artist) is dead, i’m assuming he got a non-lethal shot by noeul bc she didn’t want anyone else to kill him/felt guilty

honestly surprised the frontman let the uprising get so far but hey i guess it means he got an easy excuse to be “killed off” until the big reveal mayhaps? anyways gihun you’ve gotta stop trusting player 001s

hyunju has death flags all over her and i hope they give her a proper death and nothing off screen bc i will riot. rlly loved seeing her take charge during the revolt but damn she really should’ve went for the magazines instead of daeho. like. i was cringing when he said he was gonna go for it bc i could not see it going well

[anzynai]

spoilers for book 7!!! (cater’s dream + a bit of the savanaclaw dream mentions)

i was so hyped for cater’s dream bc they show so many hints of him not being as happy-go-lucky and cheerful as he acts, through his card stories and stuff, so i was super excited bc a dream that makes him the most happy??? thats gotta be SOMETHING yk??

but i think they made it more “funny” than anythjng which i mean i wasnt expected them to make him all like,, completely different but like.. dreams are known to be something that kinda reveals things about yourself that you didnt even realize in a lot of cases, and i was hoping that cater’s would be like that, but it wasnt😭😭 dont get me weong i liked the dream a lot cuz it was silly. cater ATE SO HARD IN THAT OUTFIT (if he keeps tbe hat on) and dj riddle?? HOUSEWARDEN CATER???

but like, it leaves a lot of unabswered questions that probably wont even be answered. even he says himself he’s happy with how heartslabyul is so WHY did he have that dream??? like if he doesnt want to be housewarden, why was he? there’s gotta be more to it but disbey hates us so they wont say anything. (esp since they didnt even confirm whether the housewarden cater theory was true or not🙄🙄) BUT GOSHSHHHHH THIS WAS THE PERFECT CHANCE FOR US TO SEE WHAT CATER WAS REALLY LIKE a little bit more but they didnt😔😔

i think iys bc the characters who didnt overblot dont have dreams rhat go “in depth” for lack of better word kinda like how the overblotters did but MANNNNNNNNAHABAJANAKANn maybe if im lucky, we will find out why cater had that dream but im not counting on it. eitherway, i liked the dream a lot bc it was silly but i was hoping for more

on another note, they did confirm that azul did in fact make a deal with leona in book 2. it was implied but it wasnt completely certain, but thats funny. also this wasnt in catwrs dream obviously, but it was in jacks where idia kept teasing azul and making fun of them and it was funny asf.

translations by gasmask01 on youtube!! BUT AHHHHH AZUL IS SO CUTIE PATOOTIE HERE. i love his silly noises and also later when azul asks ortho how to turn off the tablet, theyre so funny they shpuld kiss

anyway, 1 and a half people might read this but i need to share these thoughts. i love twst i fear, cnat wait for riddle’s dream!!!

[nyxrev]

Neo Disciplinary Agents

*chills*

She got jacked arms under her suit, no doubt…crazy spider-leg hair, she has full control over every thread of organization members… what were they prior? Ex-mercenary? They emit prison guard… or executioner vibes…

You simply don't fxck around. You will not find out, you will simply be gone, gone like a speck of dust.

Let's talk about neo org structure, (ex?)-criminals, cult leaders, big-shot bourgeoisie… 99% guaranteed to each have their own purposes, grand delusion of world conquest, & their nefarious deeds:

Loot, tax evasion, human experiment & underground market etc.

Such an exemplary bunch, what could possibly go wrong?

Allow me to tell you a story:

Once, X worked at an establishment* with decent pay but manager bullied them so they left for another sect. across the block, who promised them better pay & fair treatment. Except when they arrived, to their dismay, other staff were jealous saboteurs, back-stabbers, rumour mills who did all they could to drag others under no matter how low they stoop.It was even implicitly encouraged.Boss did not want X bc of age, manager later also did not want X bc of “ability” despite prior promises, but they do not get dirt on their own hands, so they “borrow other's knife to k!ll” so to speak,which is why some staff turn on X as if they get paid… they do, though reward may not be money.

X decided to quit when they found out just how shady they operated:

identity fraud & faked marriage for immigration, debt entrapment, money laundry, tax evasion, exploit staff by tip confiscation, gambles are on the tables & obligatory, prostitute to the top, join cult for promotion

Their method:

financial & social entrapment, back scenes manipulation,subtle coercion

At the end X went back to prior org …at least they had rigid management who know how to run an operation on the table… all hands visible.

Sound familiar?

… … …

Not to dismiss the benefit of doubt but when you fill your ranks & esp. the executive echelon with egoistic characters of dubious backgrounds & even more obscured intentions… what would you expect happen?

Already on first encounter somebody expressed vehement protest. Truly smart opposition don't show their fangs until it's too late for you. Ex-criminals who look ready to pick a fight anytime? You rly think they would change for good? Mayyybe… but words are cheap talk, watch what they do. Cult leaders… never good news. Immediate boost of followers for your organization? Sure. Long-term goals? Hmm… Well, what can the bourgeoisie do? Anything they want & their money can buy. Easy funds? For now. You think they will just fund you for free? It's a world of Give & Take, & who knows better how to seize* than an elite capitalist. An iconic idol can't be bad, we get loyal popularity!Except she's wired to the organization's server, which seems convenient,for communication? Or maybe… mind control? She already experiences “glitches”…seems like a cyborg power boost clearly has draw -backs.How long can the power boost of borg op. last? What happens when it's worn out? We all know hardware needs maintenance & upgrades. About the disciplinary agents? Also borgs …But they look uncanny, like they'd be unfazed under any circumstances, like they know…things.Idk about the ex-mercenary part… they thoroughly creep me out.

Hey at least the young leader seems honest & competent? Keyword: young* Can we expect a circus of hooligans to obey a 16 yr-old boy? …How much control does he actually have over them? I don't doubt his competency, I doubt the members' extent of will for cooperation.

(no no I'm just paranoid~) oh but…

For example,

Suiryu is obligated to work for neo now to pay for the suit he damaged, debt entrapment at work.

[pumpkinstrawbrew]

𝕐𝕠𝕦'𝕝𝕝 𝕓𝕖 𝕒 𝕗𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕜

𝔸𝕟𝕕 𝕀'𝕝𝕝 𝕜𝕖𝕖𝕡 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕡𝕒𝕟𝕪… ⋭

…

(so, where to begin? i guess from the simple fact, that i wanted to do smth fun with this clean-cut parallel. at first, i wanted to make some quick edits, but then, i decided what the heck. i might just re-draw it! *or sort of re-draw it anyways*

the shippy stuff is shippy, but really it was hard not to be all like *insert dicaprio pointing meme* when i was reading the venom comic, and flash just pulled a batman on me. beat jack up, n’ then instead of killing him, like he wanted to, he spared him. took him in his arms all gently-like n’ carried his sorry ass into the dawn. like man, it just hit the cords within me! i was all like oohhh, it's like in one of my most fav scarecrow issues! i wasn't expecting this from the comic, even less so from flash, who always had a bit of bipolar resolute, when it came to jack. 'he wanna kill him, he wanna kill him not'. that sort of thing. yet, this moment kind of shown, that he prob will always find a reason to talk himself out of putting him down.

that's aside, another part of why i love those stories, is that both issues felt personal. both, jon n’ jack had personal grudges, both batman and flash were struggling with personal darkness within them. both overcame it, n' literally had to beat up their personal walking-talking nightmare *flash even refers to jack as that later on*. like, it was pretty great, honestly. all that emotional baggage, uncanny kinships with their own twisted mirror, which resulted in them actually feeling sympathy for scarecrow n' jack. giving them a small speech, that they couldn’t hear *bc unconscious*, sort of implying that maybe ‘they’re not beyond help’. it's almost bitter-sweet. even if most people would argue, that both jon n’ jack are way-way too far gone at that point. even if 'solution' sounds too unrealistic to be true. still, if someone like batman believes in you, then maybe, just maybe there is a chance. n’ if someone like flash spares your life, even though, he’s nothing like bruce *he actually killed people before*, then perhaps, there is smth beyond projection, which made him do it. 

all 4 characters are very different, n’ thb the context in everyone’s motivations n’ struggles are very different too, but i love how bruce n’ flash came to the same conclusion. took the same route with their respective twinky ghoul. showing mercy is noble, n’ it’s pretty sweet tbh. one of my fav tropes in fiction is when the hero/protagonist shows kindness/empathy toward their villain *who in most cases doesn’t ‘deserve it*. that whole cop out thing about 'evil should be punished by death' in fiction really takes away the romantism n' bendiness of fiction as whole tbh. esp with heroes. they supposed to be able to do 'impossible', including 'forgive the unforgiving'. this is why i prob will always advocate for the ‘no kill’ rule for super-heroes. i mean, it makes you have moments like those. smth that is actually emotional n’ also shows the cracks in heroes themselves, bc usually they can only truly relate to their rogues, someone who is usually designed to be a warped up reflection of hero’s own weaknesses, struggles or traumas. n’ while i always see jack o’lantern as spiderman’s villain *he’s one of oldies, a classic villain after all*, i suppose, that this version of jack was tailored for flash’s venom specifically, n’ i *unexpectedly* i loved it. daddy's issues run deep in this one for both of them. meanwhile, bruce be out there lecturing jon's school bullies, after he nearly killed them. what a man lol.

now, the comic panels themselves. just for better visualisation.

i didn’t include the first bit in my lil art thingy above, but i love how not only the venom mirrors batman in actions, but also how they’re even facing opposite sides, playing around with nearly opposite color pallets in each fight too. caters to the mood, but also it just looks nice side by side tbh. the blue/black/grey for batman, and orange/dark brown/yellow for venom. a dark knight / soldier n' maskless halloween villain. this prob the only point, where they connect narratively n' thematically, but it's a major one.

anyho', i didn't had a hardcore goal to re-draw those scenes to a t, just make it recognizable for the most part. but it was fun! also gave me an execuse to stare at those comic panels some more.

as for the song, it popped out inside my head kinda randomly. but it fits them, i think. even the tune itself adds to it. somewhat sad n’ slow. but the meaning of it, not fully hopeless. at least, they will always have someone there for them. after all, guys like jon n’ jack will always come back, seeking ‘their hero’, hungry for punishment or other things. n’ for someone as crippled as bruce or flash, it might not be the worst thing, really. usually, the hero is stuck in the same miserable 'unchanging', unwinnable situation as their villains are. be it outside forces, fate or sickness, that keeps them bond. it's still better to try and make the best of it, right?)

[libras-interactives]

Since you asked for questions relating to your ocs

What colors do your ocs think they look good in, and what hues they actually do?

Alternatively,

How do they wake up in the morning

And a question for you! Have they always had the same traits or did you edit them over time

You didnt mention a character so Ill do the main four: Jack, Marius, Lottie and Eveline :3 cut bc its longish! the migraine has passed but ill still answer questions hoho

Jack has no idea what colors he "looks good in" (if you asked, he'd probably say none) ... if one could dress him up, he looks great in blacks, deep reds and probably darker earth tones! Marius looks excellent in creams, browns and pastels; he knows it, so he wears it. Eveline has the same coloring as him, and wears similar colors at Flynn's behest, but jewel tones look best on her. Dark greens and blues really bring out her eyes. Lottie loves different shades of green, and has always worn them; she looks good in them but I think dark reds or deep pinks would look nice too?

Marius wakes up on the floor, usually. Or tangled up. He moves around so much its a wonder he hasn't smacked his head. Once his face is washed, he's up and raring to go. Coffee and a cigarette helps. Jack wakes up slow. He has to unfurl himself, pop like three dozen bones, blink painfully at the light, hide under the covers, eventually get dragged out of bed (or off the floor). Eveline probably didn't sleep much, but she takes a long time to get out of bed. She lies there, debating if its worth it. Eventually she slides out from the covers, straightens her floor-length silk nightgown and sloooowly pads to the bathroom. Lottie depends - how much did she drink, and is she waking up before 10am? If she's exhausted and hungover, expect hissing and claws when you wake her up. Before 10 she's basically a zombie, sleepily going through her morning routine. She's got more energy if she's up by noon.

Lottie is pretty much the same; she's @juniperss OC - though under my writing she's probably gotten more,,, wild? Tho Dana just encourages it LOL. Marius was initially closer in age to Eveline and more mature and self-destructive; he could still probably turn out like that, esp if his friends aren't around. Jack changed a ton. He was originally a completely different minor character and Larochka's employer (she's p much the same, just a diff job and a decade younger.) I think, if he was isolated and went further into a life of crime, Jack could turn more into his first draft self - running a sketchy place, violent, and aware of how unnerving he looks and using it to discomfort people. First draft Eveline is the same physically, but more cold and stuck up, and not nearly as much trauma. She's since become far more compassionate and depressed, and has a lot more going on in her backstory. Callgirl!MC is kind of her "leftovers", and without the snobbery. Eveline and Marius weren't initially related, changed that bc they looked so similar and I like family dynamics. That ended up opening a lot of doors to their story.

[thelastspeecher]

Having a really terrible time rn so I'm here to distract myself with thinking about your stormchaser au because my job training today had us do 3 separate "severe weather" information and response trainings.

Anyways I've been thinking a lot about the implications and consequences of a head injury severe enough to give amnesia and I think this was a plot point and not supposed to be like something backed up by giving Ford medically accurate symptoms and disabilities but that's what happens when you're a disabled gravity falls fan in the medical field.

So a severe traumatic brain injury on that level is gonna have some things that are what you'd expect (vision changes, delayed reactions and confusion, issues with decision making and starting tasks and all that fun executive function stuff long term as well...) but also a common symptom, especially if there's damage to the right hemisphere in general, is impulsiveness as well as personality and mood changes just being a thing.

And I imagine for a while after he wakes up and is treated and even after he's released from the hospital and staying with Jack that's really tough - because I imagine at checkups they're gonna ask repeatedly if there's been any significant changes to his mood, functioning, abilities, and "Bill" and Jack have no clue at all. They have no idea who he was and if it's different.

So when Stan and Ford reunite I imagine it's a relief in you can tell me who I was kind of way but also hard bc Stan definitely sees that Ford's changed. Significantly. But is it because of time? Is it because of new influences? Is it because he didn't know who he was so he became someone different? Or is it a fucking symptom?

I got ahead of myself this ask was supposed to be about imagine "Bill" and Jack going to the grocery store soon after Bill gets out of the hospital and is convinced yes he actually should stay with Jack for the time being and they have a grocery list but Ford/Bill is putting pretty much everything in the cart because he's having a really hard time with impulse control and 20 bananas is not excessive we could need them what if I wake up feeling like eating 20 bananas and Jacks like. This man's a mess. Compels me though

Aaaaaaaaaa Anon I loved getting this monster beast of an ask, esp because I myself have also been Going Through It this week.

What you were saying about the personality change and the doctors asking if "Bill's" personality changed after the accident and neither Jack nor "Bill" knowing how to answer it, that's something that I've actually addressed in a different AU. Because I am a hoarder of AUs and I have one where STAN lost his memory in an accident and that's something that was brought up in stuff I wrote for it because I am a Scientist and I do my Research.

Anyways

Idk if I've addressed the personality change thing much in Storm Chasers AU (which, btw very glad that my little AU is on your mind, it makes me happy people are thinking about and enjoying my stuff), but I have set that up! At least in my head. The biggest thing: "Bill" is remarkably chill. Like, he's just an easygoing kinda go with the flow type of guy for the most part. He's very sweet and gentle and just sort of accepts things and takes life slowly. The taking life slowly is partially due to, as you pointed out, some function being lost from the traumatic brain injury, but it's also partially due to said TBI causing a personality change.

Some aspects of the Original Ford do pop up every now and then. He still gets all Researcher Excited about things, particularly the weird and magical things of Gravity Falls. But he has a different perspective than canon Ford. He treats the magical creatures with more respect and viewing them almost as peers. Once he's calmed down from his initial reaction of "omg omg OMG!" Even with his respect for them, many of the magical creatures don't really like Ford, just bc he goes overboard excited with them so much.

Another thing that sticks around, sorta burned into Ford's DNA at this point, is his, ah, "difficult" relationship with his father. When "Bill" and Jack adopt their first son (the Shapeshifter, whom they name Forrest), "Bill" is constantly fretting about whether he'll be a good father or not. He's paranoid and scared and confused and Jack has never seen this side of him. Jack eventually gets "Bill" to calm down by promising that he'll help keep "Bill" in line and let him know if he does anything wrong. And then he says that he won't need to step in at all bc he knows his partner.

(And then a few times Filbrick's parenting shows up and Jack does need to step in.)

Uhhhhhh I got sidetracked just like you lol.

I agree "Bill" has some impulse control issues. Arguably, canon Ford has those already (as does Stan, in some ways, worse than Ford), and those just get dialed up to eleven for "Bill". "Bill" constantly trying to throw things into the shopping cart is just a sign of what is to come. Luckily, Jack has the patient of a saint. Jack also finds "Bill" incredibly attractive, which definitely helps with his tolerance for the odd behaviors lol.

[technofinch]

what’s your favorite situation to put characters in? au or otherwise. esp for mulligan bc i am just entranced by how that guy’s mind works

my FAV situation to put characters in is always the worst case scenario <3 looking at a character's morals & ideals and just. Making them do the opposite of that. It's my bread and butter tbh.

For nico especially, before she turned, I had a whole elaborate au that lives exclusively in my mind (& notes app) of her choosing to trade her life for her friend's freedom (they've been captured by a vampire or something dw about it) with the expectation that she would be killed. Instead, of course, the vampires keep her, making a mockery of her pride and using her skills as a hunter to their own ends :p It's uh. Pretty dark. But also a fun thought experiment. Everyone needs a little whump in their life <3

For mulligan my favorite scenario is imagining different ways his court martial could go >:3c but that's one we might actually see in play, though possibly with a happier ending than I'm imagining bc our gm is not nearly as mean to my characters as I am. In my mind he gets sentenced to hard labor, assigned to a dogcatcher (alien hunting) squad, and has a Very Bad time lmao.

For the sake of levity, though, I will touch briefly on the oft-mentioned cowboy polycule AU, where everything works out much better for everyone. That one has the crew living together on a ranch, with Jack & Mulligan as cowboys, Miranda as a horse therapist, Karina as a vet, and Reese and Reed doing... whatever it is they do in that au lmao. It's not particularly fleshed out, but the important part is that mulligan is dating both jack and miranda (and they amiably tolerate each other) and it's very wholesome (in comparison to canon at least)

[sh1mmer-add1ct]

mwahahahaha i love your ocs. giggle. OK 1, 3, 21 AND 22 FOR VIOLET, RILEY, MIA, N KAI 🤭🤭!!!!!

GAY ASS!!

1.Do they sleep with a stuffed animal? If they have multiple, who’s the favorite?

Riley: Yes tf. (she regularly beats the shit out of them) 192792927392847 of them. NO space on her bed. There's barley space for her 💀 her faves are the ones she got from Jack and Leo (even if she doesn't have them anymore)

Kai: YES BAAHAHHEJR but he's embarrassed and only has a few. They're like. Those ones from hot topic w skeletons n shi. Idk what u expected from him.

Violet: Naur. She got her girlfriend :3 tiddy > stuffed animals. She thinks they're cute though

Mia: No bc she's too embarrassed, plus she got her man so

3. Ask them to describe their love interest

Kai+Violet essentially the same shit, “ethereal, beautiful, etc etc” yk. Except Kai can’t spell or pronounce ANY of the fucking words 😭😭 Kai don’t let anyone else say that kina shit if he don’t know them though, shit is not flying.

MIAS GONNA CALL HIM A FUCKING LOSER 😭😭 but like “he’s such a loser <3..you say that shit and I’ll fucking kill you though, perra.” N then “he’s so cute, even though HE doesn’t think so”

Girl…don’t ask Riley cause you ain’t leaving. THIS LIT APPLIES TO ANY OF HER POOKIES SHE WILL NOT SHUT RHE FUCK UP BAHHAHAWNKENE (she’s insane.)

22. What would it take for them to break up with someone? What would be the last straw?

Kai: he’s only ever had one boyfriend, so he doesn’t really know, but like. It’d be some transphobic shit. He’s a cannibal so like, there’s really not much that’s going to bother him

Riley: it took a LOT for her to be done w Jordan..so..honestly, you’d have to do something FUCKED up. She’s so clingy and honestly unstable/used to abuse n shit that she’d rather deal with it than break up. W Jordan it was the consistent cheating and abuse, like, he didn’t love her, at all. He was in it because he loved how dependent she was on him, that she didn’t leave because of his bullshit, until it got to be too much. So it’d be like that :3

Mia: Touching her without consent. Accidental or not. Absolutely not. Like, holding hands, hugging, kissing, shit like that’s fine. If it’s accidental you got abt .5 seconds to try to apologize. Or seriously calling her a whore/slut/anything like that BECAUSE of what happened. WORLD STAR‼️‼️ YOURE FUCKIN DEAD (either way you’re dead tbh…)

Violet: has also only had one actual relationship, so she doesn’t really know, but it’d be like, cheating, though she wouldn’t react so violently (probably.)

22. Do they like being called pet names? Do they call other people pet names? What’s their go-to?

news flash they all fuckijg LOVE being called pet names

Kai: HE WILL ACTUVALLY IMPLODE IF HE GETS CALLED A PET NAME (ESPECIALLY SHIT LIKE PRETTY BOY OR HANDSOME GOOD GOD) he’s not really huge on calling other people pet names other than if it’s romantic, to him, they’re separate from nicknames. He’s not really good at English (help that poor little gay boy he’s Japanese and dyslexic) so he prefers saying them in Japanese. AINT no one know what he saying but it’s usually along the lines of: cutie, pretty boy, and bunny :3

Riley: shocker!! Didn’t get called pet names before, so. Yeah. She fuckig loves them, esp from pookies <3 SHES DEPRIVED‼️‼️‼️ Also not big on using them unless they’re romantically, she’s basic 💔, shit like babe, baby, cutie, darling, honey, or some like. Animal/flower that reminds her of her bookie :3

Violet: 🤯🤯 shocker she’s also fucking deprived, but she only likes them from women. Bc. Lesbian. She actively does. Not. Like being called pet names or nicknames by men. Usually using shit like her gf (picking up on mannerisms) but also beautiful, love/lovely.

Mia: does not like them from anyone besides her pookie, trauma shit lmao. She doesn’t care if people call her nicknames, but pet names are pookie only shi. LOVESSS to say shit in Spanish, mostly Mi Amor/Mi vida <3 she think she romantic asf abt it (she is.)

[femmefaggot]

torchwood audio dramas are a bit complicated cause like. theres tbe monthly range which is just standalone stories with different characters set in different points in time. usually one or two characters from the show + some 1-episode characters....... often the show characters are from the team but theres also been audios on bilis or yvonne and theres been audios only with new characters

then theres s5-6-7 which are. the continuation of the show. so jack, gwen, and the new team characters

and theres special releases which are boxsets about different things. theres a series about torchwood one (which is my fave because it has ianto before the Horrors of the battle of canary wharf and i love some ianto backstory), there's one set in the 1950s,....

i haven't listened to everything because there is A Lot so i mostly focus on the ianto ones but ill catch up on everything eventually probably

soemthing really interesting about orr is that their shape-shifting abilities are basically all about being what the people around them want them to be. at first it was just who the people are attracted to but over time its become a lot wider than that, like in an episode i listened to today the city ran out of clean water so obviously EVERYONE wanted water and orr literally became a watrr supply. and it was very bad for them. but yeah since theyre supposed to become what other people want they kinda struggle to like, be themselves instead of following other people's expectations its so interesting.......... i liked seeing them with javk because jack is always trying really hard not to take advantage of their powers even unconsciously while the others don't always pay attention to that. unfortunately jack might nevrr come back to anything doctor who related ever again because john barrowman is a weirdo 😔 but its okay theres loads of other characters. tbh i think part of the reason ianto is back in s7 is because they need characters from the original team to keep people interested lol, theres gwen but with the rampant misogyny of fandom a lot of people hate her. but no one hates ianto because hes perfect (though if he were a woman he would probably have gotten loads of backlash like gwen did lol)

h2g2 sounds cool i never got into it but i might one day. i <3 sci-fi

NOTHING LIKE GOOD 2 SAY BUT LISTENING AND NODDING SO MUCH this all sounds rly cool ^^ i miss dw and tw sometimes but gahh rewatching is hard IDK like i think it was so formative that my brain is being tricked in2 thinking it rmembers more than it does LOL

the implications of smth shifting in2 what is wanted most is soooo cool thoi i lov that did they explore thjings like that?? io feel tw was always a bit more ummm not serious mb bc ESP 9 era dw was like introspective but umm its like diffrent IDK but it seems like it dhandle it interestingly

[doctorhuh]

hiya! first, love the podcast and both of your senses of humor. second, i recently got to the part in your magician's apprentice ep where you suggest the clara/jane austen kissing comment was "something for the fellas," which seems like a continuation of the other times you two have been (not unjustifiably) critical of a lot of the portrayal of queer chars on DW, and i wanted to offer an alternate perspective - not in a "you're wrong and i'm mad at you" way, just in a "here's a perspective to think about if you'd like to" way. also, i'm not expecting a response (in fact, i think i'd find one embarrassing bc of how long this is) or for y'all to change, just tossing this out there

for context, i got into doctor who as a middle schooler at the beginning of my realizing-i-was-bi-and-nonbinary-in-a-homophobic-household journey. and as a result, jack harkness was Important to me. in fact, i think there's a poll that went around tumblr a month ago where 12% of this site's userbase said doctor who was the first place they saw an earnest depiction of a queer char. jack does plays into bi stereotypes, but he still has depth and likability, and i think that's more important than deciding he doesn't fuck, esp in 2005. plus, he and torchwood were created by rtd who is himself gay, so i'm willing to cut him some slack

i agree that the vastra/jenny "actually, she's my WIFE" exchange is mostly moffat looking for praise, but that scene was also Important to me as a closeted kid who could only fantasize about being so open about my sexuality. and last year, i /did/ get a little thrill when i was getting a haircut and the hairdresser (who /did/ give off homophobic vibes) asked me after my Person left, "are you two sisters?" and i could say no

regarding clara, my view of moffat's misogyny in writing DW has always been "he /is/ aware that a lot of the audience is women and kids and when he thinks to, he does write to those ppl, he's just also infected with the views-women-as-lesser parasite and doesn't make enough conscious choices to battle it." if you'd asked me if clara's bisexuality was /for/ any particular audience segment, i'd say i'd never thought about that before, but if it was for anyone, it was probably for the queer girls. i esp feel that way bc she's followed by bill (and yaz, though that wasn't moffat's doing). i also like that clara said that in front of her class! it's nice to see a teacher char be open about her bisexuality bc of how social reactionaries often rush to "think of the children!" and criticizing schools and teachers as their first line of offense. plus, gay teachers were my rocks in high school, and i loved hearing about their lives bc it made my own future feel more solid

in sum, if the metric for a portrayal of a queer char is "was this scene written thoughtfully and to make queer audience members seem seen?" what might seem cringey and forced to one queer person could feel very affirming to another. i think due to DW's intended younger audience, things fall into the affirming bin more often than expected, and i think they're also /intended/ to be affirming more often than expected. i'd be as annoyed as hell by all these scenes if i saw them for the first time today, but i remain glad they exist for the good they did for kids back then and (who knows?) maybe still today

have a good night!

Hiya! Thank you for the thoughtful message! I will say I do totally get what you're saying. In fact, I remember being a closeted queer teen in the 2010s and I felt the exact same way. I thought it was super cool to see a bisexual character on TV, and I remember when the 11th Doctor would have throwaway lines about, yknow, romances with other men or whatever I thought that was pretty cool too. I loved Jack back in the day! It's certainly not my place to tell a person that they're not valid for appreciating representation! I think any kid who saw something relatable or inclusive in DW is a big win. I do still feel like looking back and watching it as an adult with more context; we can get a sense that it could've been better! A lot of it reflected attitudes towards LGBTQ+ people from 10-20 years ago, that I think we've largely moved past. I feel like there's nothing inherently wrong *or* invalidating about pointing that kinda stuff out. With regards to Moffat specifically, I get frustrated with Moffat because I think we're all in agreement that we can do better than him to write representation, yeah? Moffat is very "tell don't show" about his characters' queerness in a way that I find personally frustrating. If Clara is bisexual, that's awesome!! I'd love for Moffat to have shown us this instead of just an offhand line about it. His track record is just really bad (anyone who has seen Sherlock can attest to this lol). That's why we are always kind of feeling like his inclusion of LGBTQ+ representation comes across in bad faith (i.e. queerbaiting, using queerness as setup/punchline, or just kinda trying to score points from the progressive viewers).

I'd add that I do think there's been some great LGBTQ+ representation on DW in the past and present. I can't be the only one who loved to see Donna being the parent of a happy, thriving nonbinary trans person. That brought me a lot of joy to see on my screen in a time that is SO fucking hostile for trans people (transfeminine people in the UK in particular have it really bad). More of that please, Rusty. Lastly, I should say our show puts us at a disadvantage by design in terms of good faith criticism, because we're literally not watching the show in a way that makes sense. So a lot of stuff we're saying is basically watching the show completely devoid of context and we're just trying to have a bit of fun and share our thoughts; I do think we've ate dirt on this 1000 times over it's part of the fun when our listeners get mad because we were just Completely Wrong. Like what the hell happens in the Zygon Inversion?? Or Heaven Sent?? We don't know but everyone is mad because we didn't have that context. I really disliked Clara and got at totally different read on her, now I'm much more cool with her as a character. If there's stuff we're missing that's kind of part of the fun. At the end of the day we're just two goobers with microphones trying to have a bit of fun and you're ten billion percent allowed to disagree with everything we say about DW. Also not to like, shill, or anything but if you ever want to discuss this stuff with us directly, our discord link is in every episode. You can join the chorus of listeners who get mad at us every week jkjk. Thank you for the thoughtful ask! I hope that clears up at least my own feelings on it a little bit. -Jordan

[pumpkinstrawbrew]

favorite jack o/ lantern? or no specific preference?

i don’t think, that i’m strong enough to pick just one tbh. but if i had to really narrow it down, i’d say i have two favorite jack o’ lanterns! i will exclude macendale from here, since well, jason is jason. i love him as jack, i love him as hobgoblin. i like him as a demogoblin. he can have whatever form, really. i love him as king loser in the comicverse an’ as a dangerous, ambitious sociopath in TAS. 

but as for my fav jacks, it’ll be these two.

*i find it funny how those panels are literally mirror one another* 

the classic boi, daniel. the mad jack. an’ more modern take on jack from agent venom's comics. they both really stand out, when you compare them to their predecessors or those who came after. 

i kinda disappointed with how the whole mad jack arc was resolved, but it was to be expected. once the writer changes, you instantly notice the difference. it happened with modern jack as well. the way his character was treated after rick remender’s ran is just … not the same to put it mildly. but overall, i love the emotional bone of their main arcs.

i love how daniel is supposed to be mysterio’s student an’ that he essentially tries to fit into the role of the villain, despite how it was shown that he at times struggled to play the part. i love the journey of jack o’ lantern, who trains himself to become ruthless, rather than him being like that from the get-go for once. it provides an interesting contrast to steven, who is just well, an asshole. he doesn’t care who he has to hurt to get what he wants. he just likes money. or to macendale, who can’t help the way he is, despite how it’s smth that causes him a certain amount of grief. an' then, enters danial.

his motivation is of a different nature. he doesn’t do things for money. nor is he a sociopath per say. his loss an’ personal offense is what drives him. which was a good fuel to peter’s own backstory. after all, uncle ben’s death is what made peter feel like he has to become a hero. on other hand, mysterio’s death is what made daniel to put on the mad jack costume. in a way, it’s interesting that daniel is actually genuinely remorseful, that he an’ spidey cannot be on the same side. in the beginning of his mad jack era, he was still more daniel, than jack. which is smth that slowly changes later on. an’ i love that bit too. it’s always interesting to see how the villain's mental state slowly worsens an’ they get more an’ more unhinged. the mystery around who jack actually was, remained pretty intriguing too. 'till certain point he almost felt like a spector of some sort, rather than a man. *beck's cousin was there too, but as far as i understand, she wore jack's costume only one time an' it was toward the very end. as her usual methods of operating things seem to imply, she's more of a mastermind who works in the shadows. rather than going out there an' doing dirty work*

anyways, i genuinely think, that if they kept daniel as mad jack permanently an’ kept adding things to his arc an’ character, he could have joined the row of spidey’s main rogues. esp bc while jacks tend to jump all over marvel’s properties as side villain, they work best, when their enemy is arachnid folk of some kind. be it spidey or agent venom. not only visually, it matches better, but also their gadgets an' style of fighting works best, when they have a hero, who can chase them in the air.

i also think that daniel has the most goated classic jack design too. a mask that moves an’ changes expressions. clawed, long fingers. that is some good stuff! when i first saw him, i was like ooohh, so cool. wow. the way he was written an’ the way, he interacted with spidey was also very pleasant, so naturally, it put him on top of my retro, classic jacks list. 

in comparison to this 'staning from first sight', the crime master’s jack was the sort of character, i wasn’t expecting to love at all. when i went into reading agent venom *specifically rick remender ran*, i was pretty much expecting to not like what they did with jack there. but it was pretty much sold to me, as jack being one of the main villains of the series, so i was at the very least willing to give it a try. an’ i was surprised with what i’ve got. esp since this jack was literally crafted specifically to fit flash vs them just taking jack o’ lantern’s persona an’ not being creative with it at all *which i assumed they would do* an’ i also was surprised at how dark everything that surrounds that jack was. starting from the sheer fact, that he’s not a mercenary, but essentially a serial killer an’ ending up with his backstory. 

while i saw people complaining that it wasn’t as gritty as jack teased it to be … once you give it a bit of thought, it actually is hella gritty in nature. a mentally ill child gets kidnapped an’ groomed by a psychopath, who later on uses jack’s brainwashed loyalty to him as a handy tool. it’s bluntly obvious, that the crime master doesn’t truly care about him at all. an’ since jack is pretty much an unreliable narrator, it’s unclear how much he leaves out an’ what the true nature of his an’ crime master’s relationships is. i kinda like how remender left a lot of space for hcs an’ speculations about certain details of jack’s upbringing. an’ it makes sense why jack not only downplayed the severity of his past, but also why he told the story in the way he did. i think, partly he doesn’t view it as messed up, bc the crime master told him, that keeping him hostage was needed for them to form a bond. an’ i also think, that jack wanted flash to see him as cool, an’ edgy an’ merciless killer or smth childish like that, rather than view him as a person, who doesn’t know any better.

i won’t get into tangles about that, bc it would become more of flash/jack thing, rather than me talking about jack only. but i love the striking difference in how different he is compared to daniel, an’ how their emotions while complex, also manifest differently. an’ where daniel is a proper adult, who picks his path with knowledge of what it means. jack was literally forcefully put into his position, since he was a kid. he still could have turned out the way he is, if he didn’t met crime master, but he also could have not. an’ it’s smth that won’t ever be known.

anyhow, thank you for asking me about jacks! i love those lil guys. i feel like they an’ in general, all of spidey’s goblinoids aren’t appreciated enough in fanon spaces.