#ex: a villains lament

[konakoro]

Whenever I have "video game" dreams, they're always gradual horde survival/"last as long as you can"-esque dreams and I absolutely hate it. I hate those kinds of games as is because they stress me out so much, but now I'm physically in a scenario where more zombies and monsters keep showing up to rip my face off and murder me horribly.

I just wanted to pull a heist on a concert, not get swarmed by zombies and feel my spine get ripped out...

[armed-with-a-waffle-iron]

Stephanie Brown ACTUALLY having the character arc that fanon pretends Jason Todd had (plus a defence of canon Jason)

What I'm really saying is that Stephanie Brown is underappreciated, Jason Todd is often misinterpreted, and, though it should go without saying, ignoring canon is poor media literacy. So let's actually analyse canon and get to the bottom of what the stories are trying to say and how they use their characters to tell this, as opposed to just which character should we stan.

I'm arguing that Stephanie Brown's story actually features a redemption arc that sees her transform from a violent, almost murderous teenager into the most unwaveringly hopeful of heroes and that Jason's story is about a villain who we're meant to empathise with to expose the cracks in the Batman's heroic facade; a Frankenstein's monster if you will. Here's a numbered list:

Part 1: Outgrowing Violence, Anger and Murder

A big part of Stephanie Brown's growth in canon is her learning not to kill or use excessive force. But it's not as simple as just killing is wrong, don't question it.

Let's begin with the narrative's relationship to violence, anger and murder. Why doesn't Batman kill? Because "[those] who [fight] with monsters might take care lest [they] thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you". If he kills, he's playing god, choosing who gets to live and die. No one deserves that kind of absolute power and absolute power also corrupts. Batman doesn't want to lose sight of himself or his cause. Deliberate murder is treated VERY negatively in the Batman mythos.

Enter Stephanie Brown.

Stephanie was a working class latchkey kid who grew up on the wrong side of the tracks. She had an abusive, criminal father, who was in and out of jail, and a mother struggling with addiction, who Steph became a carer for at just 15. Steph also became pregnant with the child of her horrible ex. At 16, she gave birth to that child and had to give her up for adoption. Steph is also a survivor.

The world was never kind to Steph and left this teenager with a hell of a lot of bitterness and rage which her vigilante career became an outlet for. You can tell by the way she fights since Steph fights DIRTY; she'll tug hair and spit in your eyes and strike below the belt and catch a kick to twist your ankle and dislodge your already broken nose. On the one hand; the narrative tells us Steph is resourceful. She's 5'5", 130 lb and has zero powers, but can always find an opening even when going up against Gotham's grizzliest. It's telling that quick thinking, savviness and spontaneity become her thing when she becomes Batgirl; Steph is the wild card. On the other hand, she was a real diamond in the rough and a complete loose canon. In her first arc, it's Batman who stops her from making the biggest mistake of her life; killing her dad. To deliberately kill; to play god, is to lose yourself, remember. Her first arc is about not being defined by who your parents are and about not giving up on yourself. Batman basically tells her, there's hope for you yet Stephanie Brown, by getting her to spare her dad. And she does. And so began her superhero career.

Nonetheless, it's never that simple. Steph is still a bitter, angry teenager, no matter how many jokes she cracks. It becomes a personal crusade when she, now Robin, discovers that The Penguin is using children as runners. It takes Cassandra Cain to stop her from inflicting anything she may regret.

The narrative wants to show us how cruel the world can be and that it isn't black and white, either. The story ends with an angry Stephanie lamenting "why". It's a "why" she is asking herself too. Why does she do what she does? And it informs us that she, and maybe us the reader too, still have a lot to learn. Murder's not the answer but what is?

Stephanie later saves Bruce by almost murdering serial killer Victor Zsasz. Bruce reprimands her and she cries, quite honestly, "I don't get it, I really don't", following on from where we left off in Batgirl. "There are always other options than to kill" asserts Bruce, forget not being on the same page, they're reading different books. The thesis of the story is what Bruce should have told Steph when she was an angry 15 year old about to murder her dad; "[those] who [fight] with monsters might take care lest [they] thereby become a monster". The world's cruel, Steph, but that doesn't mean you have to be too. "Are you firing me?" "No, I'm teaching you".

Over 2 years down the line, an around 19 year old Stephanie, establishing herself as the new, hoping-inspiring Batgirl, is now teaching a brash Damian Wayne what she's learned.

"To murder or not to murder" is just a plot device to the themes of overcoming your own anger at the world's cruelty to contribute good, coming to terms with shades of grey, not giving up on yourself and staying hopeful in the face of adversity and horror. These are Stephanie's arcs and as a consequence, she goes from would-be-murderer to Gotham's cheeriest caped crusader.

Part 2: Double Standards and Second Chances

Another huge part of Stephanie's story is her overcoming double standards and doubters, to earn her own second chances. Her resurrection and rise to the role of Batgirl were choices made to hammer home this theme; it's never too late to turn things around.

There's some juicy metatext to analyse here too. DC editorial's treatment of Stephanie during War Games was horrific and panned by both fans and writers. To reperate for these harms, Steph was retconned back to life and then made Batgirl during Batman: Reborn. Here's a quote by Batgirl (2009) author Bryan Q. Miller on what his run aimed to bring out of Steph:

The whole point of Stephanie's resurrection and take over of the Batgirl title was to give her a redemption arc.

In text, Stephanie was unfairly treated too, notwithstanding that she was brash and had a massive violent streak in her Spoiler and Robin days. Tim Drake constantly condescends her and tells her to give up vigilante life, even though she was ALWAYS a match for Tim according to Convergence: Batgirl. Cassandra Cain constantly underestimates Steph. Bruce Wayne tells his allies to cut off ties with Steph and then later fires her as Robin for DISOBEYING HIM as if that's not the first thing Dick Grayson ever did as Robin. Barbara Gordon tells Steph she has a death wish. Dick deems Steph too reckless (moments before he resurrects a zombie Batman). And Damian is an entitled brat who gives her a hard time for no reason. Everyone doubts Stephanie and it generally says more about the doubter than it does Stephanie.

Stephanie was never great with authority or criticism so she still went out there and earned her second chance. And it felt rewarding when her doubters came around too.

Stephanie was brought back from the dead to be redeemed and man did she take that chance!

Part 3: What is Jason Todd's Story Meant to Tell Us and My Defence of Canon Jason

Jason Todd returns from the dead as a ghost of Batman's past; he is the living embodiment of Batman's greatest mistake who couldn't stay buried and is back to haunt him. He's a character we are meant to empathise with but he's a villain nonetheless. He's not irredeemable but for the most part his story is not really about redemption. Succinctly, it revolves around the idea that "we are each our own devil, and we make this world our hell” to quote Oscar Wilde.

When we first meet the resurrected Jason, he's a cold-blooded murderer who's slinging guns and using The Joker's old moniker. These choices are made to emphasise that he went down the wrong path; he's breaking Batman's "don't play god" rule and his actions become eerily closer to those of the Clown Prince of Crime than Batman's. In fact Nightwing and Batman spend some quality time together in the next two issues because Nightwing is the foil to the Red Hood; he's what Bruce considers his greatest success. Remember that thing about "those who [fight] with monsters might take care lest [they] thereby become a monster"? Well Jason DID become a monster. And if he's the monster, then Bruce Wayne is Frankenstein.

We're not supposed to think "yes, kill the The Joker, Jason", we're supposed to think "good god, please Jason, it's not too late to turn your life around". Here's Dick and Jason being the exact opposite of each other, an issue apart.

So what was Jason's villainous return trying to say? For one, that people are the products of their circumstance, lest we forget Jason was once an eager and studious Robin who just wanted to be part of something greater when life, but specifically Bruce, sent him awry. This is also a story about Bruce which tells us says that our mistakes have consequences that don't stay buried, and that we will always be forced to reckon with our histories or it becomes everyone's problem. This next panel shows this best. All of Jason's killing and torture and fear-spreading and chaos does not come down to some "murder or not to murder" debate, it comes down to his relationship with Bruce. He is the monster that Frankenstein created who's back to haunt him and no one is safe.

Jason's initial Red Hood arcs were never supposed to pose the question "should Batman kill The Joker or not?". The answer is no and always has been. They are supposed to show us how Bruce's poor fatherhood of and partnership with Jason Todd led to all this horror. And Bruce can't turn back the clock, he has to reckon with the consequences of his actions in the present or more people will get hurt. It's significant that these first arcs don't end with Jason returning to the manor and seeking help surrounded by family.

We then see Jason and his issues with Bruce threaten the lives of others like when he beat Tim half to death twice, tried to blow up Mia Dearden and then tried to become a murderous, gun-touting Batman after Bruce's "death".

Once Dick Grayson becomes Batman, the narrative sheds a bit more light on how Bruce's Frankenstein created a monster in Jason; Bruce wanted Jason to be another Dick Grayson.

The red hair is a perfect metaphor. Jason is naturally red-haired and he is now balding because Bruce made him dye his hair black so he'd look like Dick as Robin. That sums it up for me. Bruce really created his own demon here and Dick, as the new Batman, is trying to make amends with the sins of the Batman's past. Jason's a great choice for a Dick Grayson villain because of their histories, considering Dick Grayson is the legacy Batman.

"I tried really hard to be what batman wanted me to be...which is you." Jason tells Dick.

That line is so painful and way more recognisable and relatable than anything fanon has produced.

"But this world...this dirty, twisted, cruel and ugly dungheap had...other plans for me."

Look no further, this is who Jason Todd is.

That's a powerful story if you ask me, and this is why I like Jason Todd as a character; a villain I pity deeply, who is portrayed as a product of their circumstances without diminishing their agency and who makes me see the cracks in the hero's facade because they are the monster our "hero" created. He's also a very nuanced foil to the ever-shining light that is Dick Grayson. The appeal to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein isn't that the monster murdered people. I also would never swap canon Jason out for, I dunno, Wayne Family Adventures Jason who's the amalgamation of 3 or 4 common fanon tropes. This is my two cents.

[java-lava]

My Favorite webnovels/Webtoons/Webcomic/Whatever;

The Remarried Empress

My Gently Raised Beast

I Became the Villain’s Stepmother

Born as the Second Daughter

My In-Laws are Obsessed with Me

The Tyrant Wants to be Good

Men of the Harem

The Matchmaking Baby Princess

Who Made Me a Princess

For my Derelict Favorite

I Thought My Time Was Up

I’m the Queen in This Life

Tricked into the Heroine’s Stepmother

Woes of a Male Lead

Baby Tyrant

Hello Baby

Go Away Romeo

Monster Duke’s Daughter

Divorcing My Tyrant Husband

From a Knight to a Lady

The Male Lead’s Girlfriend

When the Third Wheel Strikes Back

A Heart for the Emperor

My Husband Changes Every Night

Edit to add(I’m constantly updating this);

The Twins New Life

I Got Pregnant with the Tyrant’s child

I’ll Raise You Well in This Life, Your Majesty!

The Evil Princess Dreams of a Gingerbread House

I’m the Soldier’s EX-Girlfriend

I Adopted the Male Lead

Villains Are Destined to Die

The Crown Princess Scandal

Marry My Husband

Perfect Marriage Revenge

Boyfriend of the Dead

Refund High School

Siren’s Lament

Empire’s Cutest Little Hostage

A Tender Heart; The Story of How I Became A Duke’s Maid (dropped due to SPOILERS the child being the ml and his nanny being the fl)

I Hold the Tyrant’s Heart

Lout of the Count’s family

I Am the Villain

The Crown Princess Scandal

The Dragon King’s Bride

Please Kill My Husband

The Reason Why Raeliana Ended up at the Duke’s Mansion

Am I Your Daughter?

Taming the Marquess

Pricilla’s Marriage Proposal

Crowning my Feral Prince

Under the Oak Tree

Finding Camellia

I Raised a Black Dragon

Adeline’s Darkest Night

Wish Upon a Husband

My Husband, My Sister, and I

I’m Being Raised By Villians

Talented Baby Squirrel

The Greatest Estate Developer

The Little Princess and Her Monster Prince

Surviving as the Tyrant’s Daughter

Father I Don’t Want This Marriage

Ten Ways to Get Dumped by a Tyrant

I Will Live The Life of a Villainess

Vampire Husband

Cursed Princess Club

What the Evil Dragon Lives For

1HP Club

Days With You

Batman: Wayne Family Adventures

Love Me to Death

Suitor Armor

I’ll Be the Matriarch in This Life

How is This Hot Duke Just a Background Character

My Three Tyrant Brothers

You Are Obsessing Over the Wrong Person, Lord of the Tower!

Beware the Villainess!

It’s Not Your Baby!

Being Loved for the First Time

I Will Divorce the Female Lead’s Older Brother

Everyone’s Princess

Villainess Have More Fun.

A Wicked Tale of Cinderella’s Stepmom

A Stepmother’s Marchen

The Beloved Fake Saint

Daughter of the Archmage

How to Hide the Emperor’s Child

The Male Lead’s Little Lion Daughter

The Crow’s Prince

The Reason for the Twin Lady’s Disguise

Adopted by a Murderous Duke Family

If anyone wants a one-shot based on a character from any of these, let me know

If anyone know where I can continue reading these for free, pls let me know (I’m broke);

Empire’s Cutest Little Hostage

A Tender Heart; The Story of How I Became A Duke’s Maid (nvm. About this one, I’ve been told that the child IS the Ml)

I Hold the Tyrant’s Heart

Lout of the Count’s family (found on Tapas)

Crowning my Feral Prince

[triassictriserratops]

For the, like, five people who share in these two special interests: CRAZY EX GIRLFRIEND SONGS THAT ARE APPLICABLE TO THG-VERSE MY CONTRIBUTIONS You Stupid Bitch → Katniss to herself after meeting with Hijacked!Peeta after Annie and Finnick's wedding. It Was A Shit Show → Lucy Gray to Coriolanus Snow after All Of The Horrors. Oh My God I Think I Like You → Katniss on the beach with Peeta Let's Have Intercourse → Gale to Katniss when he's literally trying to make a move on her while simultaneously telling her all about his other sexual exploits. @dancing-on-tiptoes'S CONTRIBUTIONS I Go To The Zoo → Coriolanus visiting Lucy Gray. I Have Friends → Katniss realizing Madge was her friend. I'm The Villain In My Own Story → The realization that Snow SHOULD have had but refused to!!! What A Rush To Be A Bride → Katniss playing up the wedding planning to the adoring public. Research Me Obsessively → Katniss and Peeta waching the previous Victors' tapes before the Quarter Quell After Everything I've Done For You (That You Didn't Ask For) → Haymitch talking to Katniss about saving her from the Quell. Haymitch: After all the things I did for you!!!! Katniss: THAT I DIDN'T ASK FOR The Sexy Getting Ready Song → Capitol Makeovers Settle For Me → Gale. Just Gale. I'm In A Sexy French Depression → Katniss finding nap/dissociation spots in the bowels of District 13. Strip Away My Conscience → All those fic where Hijacked!Peeta FUCKS Fit Hot Guys Have Problems Too → PEETA BOB MELLARK Getting Bi → PEETA BISEXUAL MELLARK His Status Is... Preferred → Haymitch about Effie What U Missed While U Were Popular → Somehow this is Katniss picking Wiress and Beetee for allies. Etta Mae's Lament → MAKE PEETA SING THIS LIKE NATHANIEL DID. @vasilissadragomir'S CONTRIBUTION Period Sex → Post MJ when Katniss gets her cycle back.

[caldella]

Post-Mastermind hot take/possible crack headcanon:

Long read, sorry.

Given Helluva Boss' way of taking scenes and using the same motif but flipped in a future episode, this will not be the last time Stolas uses a public song to protect Blitzø.

Blitzø is becoming famous now, and popular. Imps love him. He's made history. It's strongly implied that this situation is going to start a wave of imps/lower class Hellborn finally feeling like they can push back a bit against oppression. Stolas helped plant that seed but by making himself look horrible. At some point, this is likely going to take on a larger form and be more of an uprising.

The biggest problem for Blitzø in all this? He has Stolas.

Stolas, the exiled prince. Stolas, who just made himself into a condescending villain on Hell-wide TV. Stolas, who all of Hell hates, both upper- and lowerclass.

We know Stolas is going to struggle with being cut off from Via, probably being forcibly cut off by her directly in Sinmas. We know he's going to struggle to believe that Blitzø actually really loves him and isn't taking care of him as some obligation for being saved. Stolas is going to feel like a burden for so long, but there will eventually come a point where he understands that Blitzø really, genuinely loves him. There will also be a point where he better understands the biases and microaggressions he himself has been guilty of, too. He will see how much he did not understand before. And on the other side of all this, we know Blitzø will not abandon Stolas. He will be publically, openly vocal about how much he cares at some point. He's mouthy and protective by nature. This is his birb, he is so fucking proud to have him, and you can pry him from Blitzø's cold dead fingers if you want to touch him.

The public won't like that.

Blitzø can and probably canonically will risk losing everything all over again, this time by having Stolas by his side. This is the asshole ex-prince who insulted him on TV, declared that Blitzø had no autonomy and couldn't hope to. Why is Blitzø, the charistmatic imp leading this new independent mindset, refusing to dump the Goetia that used and insulted him? Stolas shouldn't be here. Where have Blitzø's morals gone? Has he fallen back into the royal-serving box he so strongly voiced an opinion against?

So...how to keep Blitzø from getting the crowd to turn against him?

Stolas sings again. But the narrative is flipped.

'Yes, as all of you in Hell are aware, I was a thoughtless asshole who viewed imps as nothings only capable of following orders. But this one, this man has changed my perspective. His boldness has served as such an inspiration that I, too, have been irrevocably changed. I have been so very blind! He was right from the start, and I will love and die for what he represents. And if the rest of Hell will listen to him as I have, then we all can make things better just as he's tried to do his entire life. Hellborn are not doomed to their fate - they can and should make their own!'

Stolas plays a role again, now as the remorseful villain who has seen the err of his ways. But the role is only half a lie. Blitzø has saved him, Blitzø has changed his perspective on Hell's hierarchy and Stolas' unintentional role in maintaining it. Not in the way the public thinks, but in a way the two of them understand together. And Blitzø has made him feel like he has chosen a life for himself, as clumsy and messy and painful as that has been.

Instead of saving Blitzø by minimizing his importance, Stolas saves Blitzø by openly amplifying it. He gets to declare his love for Blitzø, and Blitzø gets to be the hero who can convert even the highest of the high or the most irrevocable asshole to his cause.

So Stolas has a 3 act compilation of singing in public about Blitzø:

-All2U, where he mostly laments his not-relationship with Blitzø but it's perceived as him hating Blitzø and encourages the general hatred at the party

- Mastermind, where he pretends to be offended by Blitzø stealing his spotlight and insults him, shows fake disdain for him, but subtly encourages the lower Hellborn to support him

- A future song where he publically supports Blitzø with the intent of publically supporting him

Thank you for reading my crack headcanon. We will check back in the end of S3 or S4 to see how wrong I am.

[is-today-tomorrow-in-nz]

OMG that Rule of Wolves ending was a total Deus Ex Machina! Leigh Bardugo really destroyed ALL the magical system's balance so her favorite could become a God, Avatar, mindreader, emotion reader, and dragon (ironic because LB was a Dany anti for GoT) with no consequences! But Alina, with ONE power just trying to take down the Fold = GREED = STRIPPED OF ALL POWERS. It makes no sense, and causes migraines to think about how LB destroyed all the worldbuilding for poorly thought out wattpad ending.

Thank you! I was beyond frustrated too. Her magic system is like a mirage in a desert- it exists one moment and then vanishes the next minute. It does not help that she plays favouritism with her own characters. Zoya, Nikolai and the crows are clearly her golden children. Aleksander is her scapegoat child. For the sake of her golden children, she bends the plot and swathes them in plot armour. However she refuses to offer any sort of redemption or even decent plotlines for her least favourite ones.

Just the other day, I was lamenting about this in another post. Let me share my fav deus ex machina other than the ones mentioned in the original post.

1)SoC: Began well- foreign country, jurda, everything at stake, heist etc etc. After the disaster of the trilogy, I was excited to read something different. However, the climax just made me want to fling the book to a corner. So Jarl Brum knows the partial truth from Matthias, knows why the crows were there. But somehow they got away scott free. Like yes, Nina made some soldiers fall asleep, but doesn't Fjerda have a navy? Isn't Djerholm not a harbour? Do they not know the ship name? Do they not know how long the jurda effects last in Nina? And yet all Brum did was stomp like a villain at the end of scooby doo saying, "If it weren't for those meddling kids!" and did nothing. They literally attacked one of the most powerful country's capital, blew up a part of their palace, and stole a tank! Somehow destroying a bridge was all it needed to stop an army! And at the final standoff, the soldiers were just put to sleep not killed. even if Kaz was just a day ahead, the fierce Fjerdan navy should have caught up to them. 🤦🏽‍♀️🤦🏽‍♀️🤦🏽‍♀️🤦🏽‍♀️ But no... Nina attacked them with parem. Suddenly nothing can be done. It's like Fjerda is this formidable enemy when LB needs it to be and then become a bunch of helpless idiots when her favourite characters need to escape!

2)S&S: Ivan's death or literally any Grisha death on the Darkling side. They were very dangerous and battle experienced one moment but somehow were nothing compared to two sword weilding mercenaries. With convenient plot devices, the man who is literally the oldest and the most powerful Grisha in Ravka, was defeated and left at sea- no doubt hit by LB's idiot hammer. The man literally created THE FOLD for god's sake!!! And yet he and his army of well trained Grisha were defeated in a matter of minutes.

3)Nikolai: The whole Nikolai spiel was that he is the 'good' guy. He desperately wants the throne but instead of doing anything about it he was literally waiting for his big bro to get bored of it and throw it to him. That was the 'most clever fox's' brilliant strategy. Because that's what good boys do. Only evil, dark wizards create a coup.

And when the plot doesn't move forward, the easily-defeated-at-sea Darkling, is suddenly a raging powerful villain who conveniently kills Vasily and hands the good boy his throne.

I could go on and on. She butchered her own universe and is fixing them with cello tapes.

[bookwormbynight]

The idea behind this fanfic (Null Hypothesis) has fucking grabbed me by the balls guys this motherfucker set off my ryulawlight spiral.

Now, the author has gone in a very different direction than my mind went (more power to em, we're not all Light-obsessed freaks lmao). The main ship is Ryuk/L and Light is only technically involved by both character's shared histories with him which brought them together in the first place. Light has fucked off elsewhere to get comphet married to Misa as the author put it. Poor Light 😭😭 If where that's going interests you, please go check it out because the first chapter is well-written and seems like some pretty good set-up.

Here's what my brain did: saw this in the summary (which hasn't been changed with the author's redrafting as far as I can tell? mayhaps I'm misinterpreting) and went O_O

Guys. If you fucking combined this premise?? With the timeline of my Yotsuba arc headcanons (compiled in Looking For Heaven, Found the Devil In Me)?? And that one post I made where I lamented the fact that that L didn't just fucking burn the notebook?? Hhhhhhhh I'm so mad this fic only exists in my head I would like to read it so much 😭😭

L gets a confession or some shit, finds the other notebook, sends Light off, and burns both death notes, but not before Ryuk is like "oh shit notebook ownership" and comes down to earth JUST in time to watch him do it, which surprises him enough that he drops his own death note on accident and now he's trapped because L snatches it up. L owns his notebook. So he can't kill him and he's stuck following this motherfucker around. In the meantime, Light's memories are permanently destroyed (unless?)

L and Light are sort-of exes but also sort of not bc their relationship was never official, Light breaks it off IMMEDIATELY with Misa because he now has literally zero reason in his head that he should possibly stay with her (I'm sure that would cause fallout too more plot Misa gets a character arc?? Villain arc to redemption and self-acceptance arc?? God I want that for her let her be evil and then let her realize boys are overrated and she's kickass all by herself). L's like 👉👈 well I'm staying in Japan for now 🥺 if u want to have sex again 🥺🥺 and maybe we could go on a real date 🥺🥺? For mixed reasons - a good chunk is just that he would like to and another driving factor as opposed to just letting it go is he and Ryuk are NOT getting along and he is AWARE of how Ryuk feels about Light. Ryuk would be screaming and might (probably will) cause invisible shinigami shenanigans. Light would kinda (really) like to take L up on his offer but their relationship is also hindered by his own trauma that L fucking caused and also he's Very Concerned because Light ALREADY had suspicions that he might be Kira against all of his hopes BEFORE they found the notebook and all of a sudden the case is just resolved and he's totally off the hook and he can tell Something Happened but L just keeps insisting "no no, no Kira here don't worry Light you are not Kira :)". It would be setting off so many alarm bells for him. All of these plot threads weave together and resolve themselves in a satisfying way that I can't discover by reading for myself because it doesn't fucking exist. I need sleep and help.

Edit: Y'all the original author is on Tumblr! @main-exam

[pod-together]

Filk Broken Telephone 2024

We highly recommend listening to these by starting with the first work in each chain and going in order!

Chain 1

campaign don’t start til I Walk in [A filk about D&D] (Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game)) written by Dr_Fumbles_McStupid, performed by crackfics_georg Summary: A filk about fantasy tabletop roleplaying set to Ke$ha's tik tok written for Filk broken telephone 2024

[Filk] I wanna wreck the realm (Tortall - Tamora Pierce) written and performed by ChaosKiro Summary: What if Roger, instead of just monologuing at Alanna at the end had broken into song? Set to the tune of So what by P!nk, because he is kinda acting like a vindictive ex about it.

Rise a Corpse Army [Filk] (魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù, 陈情令 | The Untamed (TV)) written and performed by esbielle Summary: After the second siege of the burial mounds, while gathered in Lotus Pier, the sect leaders realize what Jin Guangyao was truly like. They turn to Wei Wuxian hoping he's now on their side. And Wei Wuxian has something to say. A filk set to "Love Song" by Sara Bareilles.

[Filk] Say Goodbye (七爷 | Qi Ye - priest) written and performed by minnabird Summary: Scatter all my memories Like petals floating in the breeze I'll say goodbye This road I walk will take me out of sight (Jing Beiyuan puts away his love for Helian Yi, to the tune of Nina Gordon's "Tonight and the Rest of My Life")

[Filk] This Time (คาธ | The Eclipse (TV 2022)) written and performed by Wereflamingo Summary: Akk marvels at how Aye refused to give up on him in spite of everything he's done. A filk based on No! by Bukahara (which is an excellent anti-fascist anthem, so if you don't know it, please listen to it too!)

Chain 2

Please note, the second work in this chain has lyrics but no audio, which we've noted right below the summary. When the audio is added to this works, we'll take the note off! You can wait to listen to that chain, or you can read the lyrics for that one and listen to the rest.

[Filk] Costume Party! (Original Work) written and performed by legonerd Summary: A re-imagining of Hell is Forever from Hazbin Hotel.

fun house [filk] (The Magnus Archives (Podcast), Original Work) written and performed by fan_ficcer Summary: looking twice before you leap in faith is wasting time naught left below to catch us but traps of their design we are nothing more than pawns that are meant to be used your choices were made for you before you even tried to move lyrics only—audio not yet added

Sounds of [REDACTED] (No Fandom) written by wilfriede0815, performed by wilfriede0815 and carboncopies

[filk] A Herding Dog's Lament (If We Were Villains - M.L. Rio) written and performed by ShakespeareStoleMyURL Summary:"Judge me, you gods! Wrong I mine enemies? And if not so, how should I wrong a brother?" - William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar or, James grappling with everything that happened during everyone's time at Dellecher, in a thought spiral and accusing an imaginary Oliver in his mind.

Your World (The Murderbot Diaries - Martha Wells) written and performed by bluegeekEM Summary: Murderbot grapples with the conflicts and realizations that come with the events of All Systems Red.

Chain 3

Answer Me [lyrics and audio] (Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan) written and performed by farkenshnoffingottom Summary: Nico's POV from after he leaves camp to the end of Battle of the Labyrinth, set to Oingo Boingo's "Dead Man's Party"

You’ll stay with me? (Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling) written and performed by mangotart_reads Summary: Music: “there is a light that never goes out” by The Smiths Context: (major spoiler alert) Harry has to die by Voldemort’s hands to destroy Voldemort’s horcrux inside himself. They’re in the forest while the “battle of hogwarts” is happening at the castle. But before that, he summons his dead loved ones with the resurrection stone. His mother Lily, his father James, his parents’ friend Remus and his Godfather Sirius. They’re younger and happier than Harry has ever seen them. “He was not really fetching them: they were fetching him”. Lily’s death and, therefore, act of love protected Harry so far, but now his selfless death will protect everyone else with his love.

[Pod_together Broken Telephone Filk 2024] I'm Tired (Original Work) written and performed by Mangacat Summary: Hey, villains get depressed too, you know? To the tune of "I'm Tired" by Labyrinth feat. Zendaya - from the soundtrack of "Euphoria"

Rule the World (Original Work) written and performed by Ceewelsh

Everything I Wanted [Filk] (Original Work, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog) written and performed by ssleif Summary: Filk for when you got what you wanted.

Chain 4

[filk] you ate my soul already (The Locked Tomb Series | Gideon the Ninth Series - Tamsyn Muir) written and performed by olive2read Summary: stuck in a hidden pocket of Harrow's mind, Gideon urges Harrow to unpack her shit embrace her lyctorhood

[Filk] Sacrifice (陈情令 | The Untamed (TV), 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù) written by irrationalpie, performed by irrationalpie Summary: What do I do with this poisonous gift? Finally knowing the cause of our rift You've got my head spinning, no winning, how did I miss this? Jiang Cheng reacts to the golden core reveal.

Try (Original Work, Fandom - Fandom, 陈情令 | The Untamed (TV)) written and performed by mahons_ondine Summary: Love can make you do crazy, impossible things. Like give up a life of crime. Or come back from the dead. A loosely Wei Wuxian coded song about getting what you didn't know you wanted.

[Filk] Meant to be Yours (Our Flag Means Death (TV)) written and performed by horchatapods

[Filk] On the Rise (Our Flag Means Death (TV)) written and performed by nonplussed Summary: Post-canon, Ed is haunted by Izzy's ghost (or perhaps just a dark figment of his imagination)

The Inn of Three (Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling) written and performed by SerenaEW Summary: My Filk Broken Telephone submission for pod-together 2024, based on Schubert's Das Wirtshaus from his Winterreise.

[oohaena]

happy opening! genevieve (s/h, 21+) here, writing for han haena. (way) more about her under the cut, but i do also have a little profile & background for her if you're not reading all that. i’m available on ims and discord, so just drop a little heart if you’re interested in plotting!

the importance of financial independence is hammered into haena from a young age- soy sauce over eggs and rice, while a really fucking good meal, gets pretty stale when it's all that's in the pantry a week before mama han gets paid. the meagre cheques her father sends quarterly bounce more often than not, and her mom likes to lament that her marriage to him was the biggest mistake she made in her life.

marriage and education are just about the only viable ways out of the working class. with the way her mom talks about her ex, haena decides to work towards the latter. it's at yonsei business school she meets kim hyunwoo, who loves her drive until he realises he'll always be below her career in her list of priorities when she misses their wedding cake tasting for a meeting. he spirals, realises he feels unloved by her, has a quarter life crisis, and moves out of their shared apartment on a thursday afternoon.

he's not the focus of the story, so back to haena, who sells all his crap on karrot the next week. unfortunately, that's still not enough to cover all the cancellation expenses AND her current rent. coincidentally, she finds a flyer advertising an apartment for rent nestled between her windshield wipers. she views it her next day off and moves in the next weekend.

tldr: the brunette career-focused hallmark movie villain, but also living like the do you think a depressed person could make this meme.

has been here 2 months and is already considering breaking her lease early and moving out, because what is up with these vivid ass dreams omg. she wakes up mad as hell at her ex and goes and posts a hate comment on his yoga facebook page. forget kendrick, SHE is the biggest hater. she's chalking it up to the stress of ending such a long relationship + her being considered for a promotion at her job, but the deja vu will start soon...

works odd hours, because her boss dgaf when/how long she works as long as her projects get done. sometimes she's in the office 8am-12am, and sometimes she's at home working 3pm-2am. she codes and shit... don't ask me what she actually does. idk either. she loves her job, but it's also really challenging to go on as normal when her personal life is in shambles. does come off a bit deranged when you interact with her, but she's just an intense person.

her mom still doesn't know her engagement's off, because haena can't quite bear to break the news that her precious daughter's not living the life she's always wanted haena to live.

and honestly, haena's kinda putting it off because telling her mom makes it feel real. it's not that she's in denial--- if her ex came back to her, she'd probably have to go to jail for aggravated assault--- but that she hates that she couldn't have her cake and eat it too. it's just that it's all she hears: how women have to give up their careers for marriage. by getting engaged, she thought she'd beat the odds; unfortunately she doesn't even make it down the aisle.

do not get married just because it seems like the natural conclusion to a long-term relationship. what a lesson to learn the hard way, but haena's always liked her challenges.

power T. does her best to relate, but she's also a triple aquarius, so you should also know not to approach her for anything feelings-related unless you'd like to be smacked in the face with a verbal hammer.

possible meetings: haena's moving furniture @ 3am. your muse knocks on her door, because have some decency? she claims the feng shui here's awful and they get to talking about these weird dreams they're having / your muse runs into haena accosting mr 'excuse me SIRR!!!!!' and badgering him about carbon monoxide alarms, because there is something real weird happening to her / she's passed out, face-down unmoving in the lobby after a work dinner and your muse thinks she's dead

sorry i yapped so much, but anyway. if you're up for your muses to be the other charas in her Big Hallmark Movie Sequel where she gets her redemption arc after being Transformed by People, please hit the like! i'm big on chem & brainstorming, so i'd like to see what we can come up with, instead of set dynamics :^)

[a-tale-of-legends]

i actually liked drayton up until he started being mean to a clearly and visibly emotionally-distressed kieran. honestly when he pulled that "ex-champion" quip i fully expected that to be a full on reveal that drayton was the real villain all along

[Indigo Disk Spoilers Below!!!]

Honestly I never expected him to be a villain cause what Drayton acts like towards Kieran is one of those teenagers. The ones who claim to be your friend and probably seems pretty chill but ultimately twist their words so they are passively aggressively insulting you. Someone can probably describe what I mean better but that's what I thought Drayton is. There's a part of me that wonders of Drayton kinda bullied Kieran in the past. Not blatantly but like. "softly"????? God I do not have the words to describe what I'm thinking I seriously apologize here. But I was expecting him to be revealed to be an even greater ass than he was kinda showing himself to be. Hm not being a bigger asshole honestly isn't surprising, but like. I dunno the way he acts and treats others ( PARTICULARLY KIERAN) rubs me the wrong way.

That being said, and this might come as a shocker, I don't hate him. I think he's pretty chill and kinda cool. I just see what he's doing and just. Don't like it at all. He's still a teen ( I think ) and hopefully he can check himself in the future, but as he is now, I say he's a very interesting character. Him being Drayden's grandchild, being related to Iris, who was an actual champion, and in general coming from a prestigious family, you can pretty easily connect some dots and come to a conclusion as to why Drayton acts the way he does. Of course, it's never an excuse, but it's very interesting for someone like me, who just thinks about these things for characters regularly.

All in all....yeah. Drayton is an ass lol. After everything was said and done Drayton laments in how him and Kieran still aren't on the best of terms and it's like " GEE I WONDER WHY DRAYTON. I WONDER WHHHHHHY".

[jollyinteractive]

DashingDon Recs

Scales- Author: @scales-cyoa. Short demo. MC is part of a relatively new and misunderstood dragon-hybrid race. You and your family live in a remote village. Story starts with intense fighting in the village. Seems to be abandoned.

Red Herring- Author: Nix. Fairly short demo. MC is an ordinary human in a world of super humans. One villain is targeting you specifically for your relationship with their greatest rival. You don't know the hero, but somehow, they know you. Can't tell if it's abandoned.

Panic Spring- Author: Ange (no link found). Short demo. MC is born to a family of powerful witches, from both sides. In this world, there is a bitter history of hatred between witches and fairies. You must contend with extremely high expectations. World/ familial relationship building. Seems to be abandoned.

Dark as Night- Author: @cereuscross. Short demo. MC is a half-witch and half-demon. When a werewolf pack experiences several disappearances, at the hands of a coven of witches, they approach you to help track down their missing pack-mates. Seems to be abandoned.

EX: A Villian's Lament- Author: @ex-a-villains-lament. Mid-size demo. MC is a former villain who joined the heroes to take down an even bigger threat, and they're learning to live with their decision. Most of the text is backstory and world building. Tumblr page claims hiatus but hasn't been updated since 2022.

[deathb8dy]

THOUGHTS ON QUALIA AUTOMATA, TUMBLR EDITION

ORIGINAL POST I MADE WAS PUT ON REDDIT FIRST FROM DISCORD, I'LL JUST COPY AND PASTE WHAT I SAID AS IT'S EASIER. WITH EDITS OFC.

This point on holds spoilers in relation to the newest song 'Lamentations'. Please do not read unless you have seen the song OR are fine with it. Also this all will be copied and pasted from discord with edits to include examples (at least for the lyrics and such.)

If you have any comments or criticisms to make, please do so.

spoilers begin below here.

Even in the initial impression, the song about Fayrouz is the MOST human out of the three. In RBB, it's very mechanical and erratic in wording (no rhyming scheme at all but it still made sense for a song). In EWN it's still mechanical but has some humanity to it if that makes sense.

But both songs of the machines you can tell something is off.

Example in lyrics:

Tamari uses more nonsensical and complicated words as if to compensate for a lack of understanding. These words also tend to not make sense with each other either.

(EX; ‘Invite Suicidation, Transfer Enumeration’ is a great example. Suicidation is obviously about yk. But fun fact, it’s not even a word! And Enumeration is “the action of mentioning a number of things one by one.” Compared to the rest of the song of RBB, it does NOT make sense at all.)

Mariyam has more simple terms used and a rhyming scheme but still reverts to what Tamari does... And also references some really obscure stuff (Such as a french women's asylum!) that no one who would go looking would understand.

(EX; The lyric I mentioned is “Fleeting words in pen, I tell the story of Salpêtrière” with the last word in reference to ‘an institution founded in Paris in 1656 as an asylum for the infirm, aged, and insane. At one time, it contained nearly 10,000 people, and treatment was proverbially brutal.’ Which… is ironic since Mariyam is meant to be a therapist)

Example in art:

Tamari is FULL of references and barely anything that's actually their own design. While cool as hell, Tamari is basically what an AI does... Generate images/prompts based on wording and such. Which is likely why Tamari is so ... erratic!

Mariyam on the other hand does have more original art but most of it is ALL black and white until the end with Tamari. And even then, it's not complicated art with a lot of details unless with Tamari and even then... She still fails to have something to be put to human

And music wise:

Both songs are VERY metallic noise-wise with choir like sounds within the instrumentals. Both beginning and end. Tamari specifically has the "jumpscare scream" while Mariyam has just more "clock/chime" motifs. It's all still mechanical without any sort of "organic" tones if that makes sense

FAYROUZ ON THE OTHER HAND. Despite being the "villain" of the story is the most human.

Lyrics - She uses the most simple BUT effective words that aren't overly complicated/nonsensical (Tamari) or aren't as impactful as they should be (Mariyam)

PV - Unlike the two, I just noticed it's just a static one image pv as well as it's fully colored. Tamari and Mariyam had movements in their pvs, like they are trying to move to humanity but also how AI is always constantly shifting.

Music - THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE. It has some mechanical elements (like the 'siren' like sounds in the beginning and end) BUT IT HAS MORE ORGANIC SOUNDS UNLIKE THE GRITTY GEAR LIKE SOUNDS YOU HEAR IN RBB AND EWN

Fayrouz also admits to being at fault but pushes on to do better (at her work, mess up on words but ykyk). Which is ironic isn't it? Her creations are more "human" than she is. Which lyrically also- Fayrouz references more mechanical functions while Tamari and Mariyam reference more humane functions.

EX:

Tamari - My stomach turned at the thought of the stars / And my heart pounded louder than the ones I had before

Mariyam - Though you’ll never die, you’ve found that / All eyes are staring at your hands

Fayrouz - Restarting, rebooting null programs / Running, debugging their brains /Forging and sorting successes

AND FINALLY. Tuning wise, Fayrouz sounds more human (if it's intentional or not) but still has the lyrics that are guilt based BUT focused fully on being like a human machine. If you are raised up to be a "machine".... how can you even know otherwise? Tamari and Mariyam are learning to have humanity, Fayrouz lost hers due to the loss of her husband and control over what she had (aka the siblings)

(out of context but it’s related to how different the first two songs are to the newest.)

It makes you think it'll be the same as the two but it's not because Fayrouz is meant to have humanity. She's human after all no?

ANYWAYS.

Basically:

Paradoxical shit of the Robots being more human than their creator who’s losing her humanity with the losses she’s had.

BONUS: Forgot to mention since I made this BEFORE Mors made the tweet out. The title of the series supports what I said heavily.

Qualia, according to wikipedia, "... are defined as individual instances of subjective, conscious experience."

While automata means (according to google) "... a moving mechanical device made in imitation of a human being." but also "...used in similes and comparisons to refer to a person who seems to act in a mechanical or unemotional way."

[radix-outpost]

I’ve been thinking on and off about Castlevania, particularly Legends (the last original GameBoy installment that was infamously removed from the canon timeline). If I ever do some serious fan-timeline stuff, I’m seriously considering using Legends as the beginning of the main one, and plonking Lament of Innocence into a splinter timeline.

LoI is, mechanically, a fine game--but story-wise? It feels like one of those works where key points were to be set up in a companion novel, except no such novel exists. Leon’s emotional arc works, but everything else is disjointed (ex. the presentation of Joachim Armster vs. his actual significance to the plot, Mathias Cronqvist turning out to be the ultimate villain and Dracula ascendant whom we never see outside of the opening) and it introduces a number of elements which should’ve had huge implications for the entire series that were promptly forgotten about. Like, say, the fact that Sara Trantoul sacrificed herself to become the Vampire Killer and has technically fought alongside every Belmont and in-law since.

Legends, by contrast, is nice and simple and doesn’t drive me up the wall. Plus, the implication that Sonia and Alucard had a child arguably works better with the assertion made later on in the series that Dracula's own power is the only thing that can defeat him (if not permanently, at least for extended periods of time)--I prefer the irony and dramatic potential over “so the Whip’s Memory took the form of Richter and not the woman whose soul is entwined with the damn thing?”

IIRC, the only elements of LoI with any real bearing on future games are the Crimson and Ebony Stones, and it wouldn’t be hard to work those into a timeline which dumps LoI and keeps Legends.The man who would become Dracula finds the Ebony Stone, slowly loses his moral compass, tricks the holder of the Crimson Stone into disposing of themself, villain origin complete. Perhaps he started off as a Belmont-like holy warrior seeking to avenge the slaughter of his village at the hands of a vampire lord; his turn to despair and preexisting flaws drive him to embrace the dark power of the Ebony Stone and set him down a path more horrific than anyone could’ve imagined.

(...which is probably just Gabriel Belmont, thinking about it. :U Having not played the Lords of Shadow games, I’d like to take a very different approach.)

Of course, a splinter timeline that begins with LoI could be fun, too, provided you’re willing to pick up the slack storytelling-wise (sure woulda been nice to see Leon and Mathias interact as friends before everything goes to shit, grumble curse mutter...). It wouldn’t be too hard to magic Joachim back into relevance, either: Mathias resurrects him to act as one of his generals, which may or may not end with Joachim breaking free and harassing Leon on his own terms.

[dossantosspirit]

Top 100 songs of 2021

100. Yola – ‘Starlight’ 99. Cory Hanson – ‘Angeles’ 98. Lake Street Dive – ‘Hypotheticals’ 97. Durand Jones & The Indications – ‘Witchoo’ 96. King Gizzard & The Wizard Lizard – ‘Shanghai’ 95. Sleigh Bells – ‘Locust Laced’ 94. Doss – ‘Strawberry’93. Kings of Convenience – ‘Fever’ 92. Joy Crookes – ‘When You Were Mine’ 91. AJ Tracey – ‘West Ten’ (ft. Mabel) 90. Rhye – ‘Come In Closer’ 89. Half Waif- ‘Party’s Over’ 88. Julia Stone – ‘We All Have’ (ft. Matt Berninger) 87. Shame – ‘Alphabet’ 86. Nao – ‘Antidote’ (ft. Adekunle Gold) 85. Kanye West – ‘Off The Grid’ 84. Self Esteem – ‘You Forever’ 83. Brandi Carlile – ‘Right On Time’ 82. Claud – ‘In Or In-Between’ 81. Bicep – ‘Atlas’ 80. Easy Life – ‘Daydreams’ 79. Justin Bieber – ‘Peaches’ (ft. Daniel Caeser & Giveon) 78. Jane Weaver – ‘Solarised’ 77. James Blake – ‘Coming Back’ (ft. SZA) 76. Squid – ‘Narrator’ 75. Django Django – ‘Glowing In The Dark’ 74. Adult Mom – ‘Berlin’ 73. Valerie June – ‘Why The Bright Stars Glow’ 72. Biffy Clyro – ‘A Hunger In Your Haunt’ 71. Nas – ‘Death Row East’ 70. Elbow – ‘What Am I Without You’ 69. Laura Mvula – ‘Safe Passage’ 68. Iron Maiden – ‘The Writing On The Wall’ 67. Ghetts – ‘10000 Tears’ (ft. Ed Sheeran) 66. Sufjan Stevens & Angelo De Augustine – ‘Back To OZ’ 65. Amyl and The Sniffers – ‘Maggot’ 64. Faye Webster – ‘Better Distractions’ 63. You Me At Six – ‘Beautiful Way’ 62. Mannequin Pussy – ‘Control’ 61. Dave – ‘Clash’ (ft. Stormzy) 60. The Killers – ‘Quiet Town’ 59. St. Vincent – ‘The Melting Of The Sun’ 58. Tinashe – ‘Bouncin’57. Still Corners – ‘White Sands’ 56. Willow – ‘Transparent Soul’ (ft. Travis Barker) 55. Deafheaven – ‘Lament For Wasps’ 54. Vince Staples – ‘Are You With That?’ 53. Dawn Richard – ‘Bussifame’ 52. Floating Points – ‘Movement 1’ (with Pharoah Sanders & London Symphony Orchestra) 51. serpentwithfeet – ‘Sailor’s Superstition’ 50. girl in red – ‘Serotonin’ 49. Jungle – ‘Keep Moving’ 48. Lorde – ‘Solar Power’ 47. Poppy – ‘Bloom’ 46. Kacey Musgraves – ‘Justified’ 45. Goat Girl – ‘Sad Cowboy’ 44. CHVRCHES – ‘Asking For A Friend’ 43. Illuminati Hotties – ‘MMMOOOAAAAAYAYA’ 42. Summer Walker – ‘Ex For A Reason’ (ft. JT & City Girls) 41. Helado Negro – ‘Hometown Dream’ 40. For Those I Love – ‘I Have A Love’ 39. Clairo – ‘Amoeba’ 38. Ray BLK – ‘Games’ (ft. Giggs) 37. IDLES – ‘The Beachland Ballroom’ 36. BROCKHAMPTON – ‘Buzzcut’ (ft. Danny Brown) 35. Lana Del Rey – ‘White Dress’ 34. Arlo Parks – ‘Caroline’ 33. Self Esteem – ‘Prioritise Pleasure’ 32. Genesis Owusu – ‘Don’t Need You’ 31. Remi Wolf – ‘Sexy Villain’ 30. Low – ‘Days Like These’ 29. Doja Cat – ‘Kiss Me More’ (ft. SZA) 28. Pom Pom Squad – ‘Head Cheerleader’ 27. Wolf Alice – ‘How Can I Make It Ok?’ 26. The War On Drugs – ‘I Don’t Live Here Anymore’ 25. Adele – ‘Easy On Me’ 24. Julien Baker – ‘Hardline’ 23. Little Simz – ‘I Love You, I Hate You’ 22. Olivia Rodrigo – ‘Good 4 You’ 21. Mitski – ‘The Only Heartbreaker’ 20. Lucy Dacus – ‘Thumbs’ 19. The Weather Station – ‘Atlantic’ 18. Jazmine Sullivan – ‘Pick Up Your Feelings’ 17. Cassandra Jenkins – ‘Hard Drive’ 16. Wet Leg – Wet Dream 15. Dry Cleaning – ‘Scratchcard Lanyard’ 14. Billie Eilish – ‘Happier Than Ever’ 13. Silk Sonic – ‘Leave The Door Open’ 12. Turnstile – ‘Blackout’ 11. Nilüfer Yanya -Stabilise 10. Wolf Alice – ‘Smile’ 9. Tyler. The Creator – ‘Wusyaname’ 8. Snail Mail – ‘Valentine’ 7. Sharon Van Etten & Angel Olsen – ‘Like I Used To’ 6. Lil Nas X – ‘Montero (Call Me By Your Name)’ 5. Muna – ‘Silk Chiffon’ (ft. Phoebe Bridgers) 4. Caroline Polachek – ‘Bunny Is A Rider’ 3. Japanese Breakfast – ‘Be Sweet’ 2. Self Esteem – ‘I Do This All The Time’  1. Little Simz – ‘Introvert’

>>> Playlist on Spotify <<<

[bisluthq]

i feel like what happened is v straightforward, she and joe fell out of love and broke up, it probably happened over the course of a few months since ending something that longterm is complicated. then she got together with an old flame turned recent friend who she still liked and who liked her back, maybe there was overlap but we can’t know for sure and obviously they weren’t a right match for each other so it also ended. none of them are probably ever going to be friends but everyone involved has moved on, no one is throwing calvin-esque fits or lamenting to GQ reporters, we’re not mind readers obv and can’t say what anyone is feeling but as far as anyone call tell, everyone involved is fine. i think people want taylor to either be crying in her coffee cup or be some like deceptive love goddess who plays men like a fiddle when that’s just not reality. same with her exes, they want them all to be super villains or sad lovestruck guys weeping over their lost love despite all of them being either handsome, famous, rich or generally desirable in their own right.

100%

[ninjastormhawkkat]

Matthew’s eyes narrowed angrily at Corbin. “I'm sure you are very much aware of a more serious issue right now so your own problems are just going to have to wait.” Matthew exclaimed. Corbin just shrugged. “Oh yeah, the disappearance of your son-in-law and his brother-in-law. Oh that is so terrible my condolences.” Corbin spoke in a bored, sarcastic tone. He ignored the aghast and enraged looks cast towards his direction. “I’m sure you can track down the person responsible anytime if you put your collective brain cells together. What’s important right now is you helping me break my curse.” Corbin retorted. Patricia let out a snort. “Wait a second, you are cursed? Oh I would love to shake the hands of the person that did that.” Patricia remarked with a smug grin. Corbin rolled his eyes. “Well sorry to say that person’s body rotted away a long time ago.” Corbin snapped back. “Besides, Matty and I still have our deal. He helps me to break my curse and I help his kids and descendants learn about their abilities and powers.” This caused everyone except Constance, Gene, and Carl to look at Matthew with shock and confusion. “Pops what is he talking about?” Victor asked, becoming agitated with ironically being in the dark for once. Matthew’s face fell as he gazed at his kids and everyone else around him. Carl walked towards Matthew with a solemn but somewhat comforting look. Matthew figured Carl had called them here especially with Corbin showing up. He didn’t blame him for doing it. Matthew wanted to wait until the crisis involving Alan and Alex was solved but unfortunately Corbin sped things up. Carl took Matthew’s hand and gave it a firm, but loving squeeze, showing support for his husband. Matthew smiled back at him. He then let out a deep sigh before turning to the others. “The truth is, some time ago I encountered Corbin. We made a deal where he would tell me about my powers and origin so that I would be able to help Becky be able to understand and control her powers, something I wasn’t provided with growing up. The same thing for my unborn grandchild if they developed my powers as well. In exchange, I would help Corbin break his curse. Corbin is a demon trapped in human form by a witch centuries ago. The only way to break the curse according to Corbin is to help him experience genuine love. Otherwise he is trapped in human form and cannot be killed nor age which is why he looks the way he does. The reason I wanted Corbin’s knowledge about my powers is because he is my biological father.” After Matthew finished explaining everyone but Constance and Gene’s eyes widened with shock and a few jaws dropped. Emily was the first to recover from the shock. “Excuse me for a second, that jerk over there is our grandfather!” Emily nearly shouted. The smug smile on Corbin’s face grew wider. “Oh yes indeed sweetheart. I especially like your work and what happened to the ex who cheated on you.” Emily’s head snapped and turned to Corbin with a gaping look and a bewildered expression. Corbin raised his hands in mock surrender. “Oh your dads didn’t tell me about it. I just have my ways of learning about you kids. A former villain, a mayor with ties to the mafia, and an assassin! Wow I couldn’t be any more proud of you if I could.” Corbin remarked in an exaggerated tone. Carl and Matthew along with their kids glared at Corbin’s false compliments. The glares were interrupted by a loud smack. Heads turned to see Patricia who had just facepalmed herself hard on her forehead. The woman let out a groan and let her hand drop before speaking. “I am such an idiot. I should have seen the signs. It was obvious that someone like Corbin could be a demon!’ Patricia lamented. “Was it because of the guy’s jerk personality?” Archie asked. “That and the fact that he is a lawyer as well.” Patricia replied with deadpan sass. Her eyes widened as another thought of realization crossed her mind which caused her to let out another groan. “Oh and don’t get me started on you four. The signs were clearly there."

@dualnaturedscientist

Heart of chaos

A year had passed since the B.E.A.W Labs organization had fallen. Since all the events had taken place. Becky being taken along with Bob. The poor girl being experimented on by a cruel scientist who had no love for anyone but himself. Matthew had broken out of the facility with her, Carl and Steven. Gene's true identity being revealed along with losing his Dr.Two-Brains persona. Shocking revelations unfolded. Betrayals and redemption. Things had calmed down significantly since but that didn't mean life had been dull. It certainly wasn't for Fair City. Especially with the villains, heroes and its eccentric inhabitants livening up the city. Becky had been making a wonderful recovery. Though she still wasn't at her full recovery Becky was still making so much more progress than the year prior. Gene still had identity issues, dealing with the loss of Squeaky. Though he didn't go through it alone. The still mad scientist had his family and friends help him through everything. Matthew and Carl took up residency within the city. A house that wasn't too far from their sons. Life in this place was definitely lively and peaceful in comparison to the hellish place many innocent souls were imprisoned in. Matthew was less exhausted than before. Relaxing within the living room in his son's house, watching whatever was put on the television. Matthew felt his eyes beginning to droop. Sleepiness hitting him out of nowhere. He simply allowed himself to doze off, not fighting it. Knowing that he was safe there. It wasn't until he felt weight on him that Matthew opened his eyes. Usually a dog or cat would be the cause for this but Matthew met many eyes. Fluffy had snuck into the house yet again. A small warm smile spread across his facial features, patting the spider on its head. Fluffy leaned into Matthew's hand, making soft happy noises. It was funnily cute to him. Though he understood as to why Gene was so afraid of him. Even Carl was squeamish around the giant spider. “Aw, who's a good boy? You are! You're a good boy!” Matthew couldn't help but baby talk the arachnid. He looked up, wriggling his chelicerae in response. As to say ‘Me! I'm a good boy!’ He chuckled at that, giving Fluffy gentle scritches. It was like a huge puppy in a spider's body. Though the peacefulness was interrupted by a sudden shout. “NO! WHY IS IT HERE AGAIN?!” Gene was in the doorway of the living room. Looking quite terrified at the huge arachnid. Fluffy instantly moved around on Matthew's lap to look at Gene. Excitedly jumping off of the supervillain's lap in favor of his son. He bolted right for the mad scientist, causing him to yelp loudly and make a run for it. “SOMEONE KEEP THAT ABOMINATION AWAY FROM ME!” Matthew gave a small laugh. “Can't help but feel abit rejected there.” Archie, who was quiet until then, responded. “I know that feeling.” This caused Matthew to jump up startled. “Don't do that! I'm old. Also I could accidentally blast you.” Archie blinked in confusion. “You didn't notice me? I came in with Fluffy. He got loose and snuck into the house. I just came to bring him back before he got to Gene. Too late for that now.” Archie frowned. “I can't help but be jealous at how much Fluffy loves him. Though Gene is terrified of him. That spider just won't listen to me when it comes to his favorite person.” He shook his head disapprovingly. “You want me to help you?” Matthew was being genuine with his question. He didn't want his son dying of fright from the giant arachnid. “That would be greatly appreciated. I have to take him back home. He can't avoid taking his medication this time.” Matthew got up, stretching first before doing anything else. This earned him a strange look from Archie. “What? I said I'm old. If I don't stretch I'll pull a muscle.” The hero shrugged. “Let's go get him soon. I have to look after Charlotte as well.” Archie always had the brightest smile when Charlotte was brought up. Either by him, Sunshine or anyone else. It was sweet. “Alright, alright.” They were completely unaware of an enemy observing them. Waiting.

Miss Power growled in frustration at the display she was witnessing through a window to the Boxleitner or rather the Woods household. A display she thought was very disgusting. How badly the alien conqueror wanted to charge right in their and obliterate everyone in her sights. She couldn't do her usual tactics and tricks right now, not after what she learned after coming back. She was still ticked off after that little alien brat Wordgirl and her parents dupe and tricked her into leaving the planet in defeat. There was no way she could go back to her planet and face her people with such a shameful stain to her otherwise brilliant record. Fueled by revenge and hatred, Miss Power spent her time preparing, training, and waiting so she could exact her revenge against those who wronged her, against the little hybrid girl and her freak of a family that humiliated her. Sadly when Miss Power and her loyal sidekick Colonel Gigglecheeks did decide to return, they were not prepared for the recent changes that had happeend in their absence. Miss Power did not care much for this Darius person or B.E.A.W labs, she had seen those like them a dime a dozen before on other worlds. The alien wished she could have congratulated the person who tortured and dehumanized Wordgirl and her sidekick. If it was up to her, Professor Ross Moran would receive high honors among her people for his actions. She did give her condolences at his unmarked gravestone. While the recent trauma Wordgirl and her sidekick have suffered gave Miss Power an opportunistic advantage, the alien conquerer unfortunately could not risk using it especially with her grandfather around. Miss Power was amazed at hearing about the past and recent exploits of Maddrix the Malicious. She was shocked that someone so bloodthirsty and powerful was the father of that scientist who used to have a mouse brain attached to his skull as well as a weird cheese obsession. To her disappointment, Miss Power could clearly see the man was too human and had regretted his actions in the past. Actions that would have made him highly respected among her people despite him being human. Still Miss Power wasn't going to risk striking back while that old coot was still alive. Age did not always equate to weakness according to what she had been taught. Even though he was old, Maddrix was clearly still powerful. It was likely that her and Gigglecheeks would wind up dead by the man's hands before they could claim revenge and victory. A chittering sound snapped Miss Power out of her musings. She turned her head to see her sidekick give her a concerned look. He chittered again and asked 'So what are we going to do?' Miss Power smiled and scratched her sidekick's head which he enjoyed. "Don't worry Colonel Gigglecheeks. We'll get our revenge soon. We just need to learn more about Mr. Malicious and what weaknesses he might have so we can use it to defeat him." Miss Power cooed. She then took her sidekick and flew off without anyone being the wiser. Miss Power was brash and bold and could be tricked sometimes, but she was no fool. The alien conqueror learned long ago that the best way to win your battles was to be prepared and know your enemy more than they know themselves. Carl sighed with relief and slight exhaustion as he sat down in a comfy chair. He had just finished sweeping the floor of his and Matthew's home. Now all he had to do was sit and relax until his husband got home. Carl wanted to try a nice 'mom and pop' owned restaurant that one of Gene's friends, Chuck, had recommended to the man. Carl had been itching to get out and do something more and more recently. If he had to be honest, he was getting bored. In the past, Carl had his job and work as a scientist to keep him occupied along with spending time with his husband and kids. Unfortunately after his 20 year imprisonment, Carl couldn't step in another official science lab ever again without a severe anxiety and panic attack @dualnaturedscientist