#hes bad at dumb stuff. miles's killings are SO DUMB.

[sipping-ambrosia-wine]

okay as someone who was spoiled for both glass onion and knives out... it took away precisely ZERO entertainment value. yes i knew how they ended and though i wouldve loved a blind watch i still really enjoyed them.

people keep whining about the glass onion ending (as though its not literally the entire point of the metaphor) but like... its not at all a cheap ending. once its out the rest of the movie doesnt feel like a waste of time. the snooping is fun! the shit flinging and dirt digging is juicy!! the shooting is hair-raising! helen's grief and rage for her sister is moving!!!

people are just mad and making review tantrums because either they fell for it, hook line and sinker, and tried so hard to find the center that they looked clean through it because it wasnt one they liked- or they pegged it from the start and dont actually like murder mysteries and the storytelling skill that it takes to utilize them so much as like. puzzles. logic games.

[bloodyshadow1]

A-Train is such an interesting character, because is season 1 he is clearly the bad guy. He is basically Hughie's arch enemy because he killed Robin and barely cared, it's not just enemy stuff because they're on different sides, it's personal for them. That caused Hughie to join the boys and created their feud, where the Boys blackmail Popclaw, A-Train kills her and blames Hughie for using her, A-Train goes to his house and threatens his dad, Hughiehas Kimiko break one of his legs, when A-train is healed up he goes after Hughie personally and has a heart attack after beating Starlight. Hughie however saves his life but they aren't even in A-Trains eyes, but they're both alive by the end. That's kind of the last time A-Train specifically is 'the bad guy' in the show because once season 2 rolls around, he has other problems than Hughie to deal with and so does Hughie. They don't like each other, but they're forced to ally up for their own advancement.

The things is, as the show goes on, we see how dark the world is and unfortunately, while Hughie hates him personally, A-Train is one of the better Supes, and even people in the main cast. It doesn't make him a good person by any means, but just by showing how terrible the rest of the world is, it changes the curve and puts him on the better side, despite his actions being very personal. As far as we know, his 3 big sins are killing Robin, killing Popclaw, and betraying Supersonic to Homelander so he killed him. There might be more but that's why I can remember. I'm not counting standing aside to let Deep and Newoir kill the homelander stans, or taking Bluehawk to the community meeting because while that was dumb and ended tragically he was trying to do some good with it. And don't get me wrong, he's done plenty of terrible things and threatened to do more, but wasn't able to follow up on it so it's hard to judge. I'm not downplaying what he's done, it's just that 3 people are a lot less compared to what other people have done. And yes, the implication is that Robin wasn't the first or last person A-Train killed like that, but it's hard when it's just the implication of something that happened off screen.

Everyone in the Boys has blood on their hands on both sides and it's hard to judge A-Train given how horrible the other characters are. Because the thing is, there's a difference between personal and actual when it comes to judging a person. You hate the person who bullied you in school more than someone who committed a mass shooting hundreds of miles away. It's not that you like the shooter more, it's just that while you condemn them, it's not personal, you don't hate them, you think they're horrible and but you stop thinking about it because it doesn't impact your life. Whereas even if you adulthood you might hate your childhood bully for what they did to you, you might never actually recover or get closure for it. That's what it's like Hughie/the viewer and A-train. Because Hughie is the audience surrogate and we see the shit that happens between him and A-Train, we're trained to hate him. However he's still only the middle of the pact in the Seven that we meet. Homelander is homelander, The deep is a serial rapist, Black Noir has killed a lot of people on missions and cleaning up after Homelander, but is also Edgars hitman until he's ousted. Then there's Translucent who I'd put on the same horrible level as A-Train, he's a pervert who sexually harrasses at least his teammates and went to silence Hughie, but we don't really see him (for lack of a better word) do anything else as horrible as the other 3, partially because he dies so quickly. Below A-Train's level are Maeve who is apathetic, but does still do hero stuff and is more broken than evil. And finally Starlight who genuinely wanted to do good in the Seven, but then realized what they actually were.

The thing is, even Starlight has blood on her hands. She murdered someone in season 2. It was to save Hughie's life and he drew a gun on her, but she still killed him. You can't even call it self defense because the only reason why he drew the gun on her was because he didn't want to get his car stolen, and even then a handgun wouldn't have hurt her anyway. He died so she could save Hughie. I don't think it makes her a monster, but it does mean she has blood on her hands that she kind of ignores for the rest of the series so far. The point isn't that she is a monster or just as bad, but she has done bad stuff to protect herself and the people she loves, or in the name of the greater good.

The rest of the boys are even worse because MM is probably the cleanest besides Hughie, he is still an accomplice to a lot of horrible stuff that they do for the sake of taking down Supes. Butcher, like Homelander is Butcher, he's willing to do horrible things to get what he wants, he has more restraint than his arch nemesis but he's still done a lot of horrible things to kill Homelander, murder included. Frenchie has done tons of horrible stuff when he was working for Nina, he is trying to make up for it or at least do good and be kind now, but it doesn't change he murdered innocent people because his boss told him to. Kimiko murdered a lot of people, most were bad, but she didn't do it because ti was the right thing to do, she did it for money and because they were bad so it made it okay. And let's not even get started on the stuff she did as a brainwashed child soldier of the Shining Light.

But it's okay that the Boys are doing bad things, because for the most part supes are worse. Every Supe that is mentioned is horrible unless they're a joke of fodder. Racists who kill black people because they're 'criminals,' or target migrant workers because they know they can get away with. Rapists who know vought will pay to cover up their crimes and keep their victims silent one way or another. the list goes on.

The point isn't that A-Train is innocent or not a bad guy, he's done both and has been sympathetic since season 1. then kind of became the butt monkey of the show that no one really respects by season 3, before getting his powers back. He is a complex character in a gray world. The more time goes on, the more messed up the curve is. He isn't a saint, but I think he's sympathetic and it does mean that it seems like currently he seems to be on the path to redemption, and I hope he is redeemed and survives switching sides.

[graceful-not]

Turnabout Big Top is unanimously the worst case in the entire series, but you know what REALLY pisses me off about it?

IT COULD HAVE BEEN GOOD.

Like- GOSH, it's just. IT HAD SO MUCH GODDAMN POTENTIAL AND THEY RUINED IT!!! I WANT TO RIP MY HAIR OUT LISTEN;

- Flamboyant famous slightly haughty magician that's secretly Southern Farm Boy? I LIKE THIS. IM MAD THEY DIDNT DO MORE WITH THIS, THIS WAS A GOOD CHARACTER QUIRK!! his stage name being Max Galactica and his actual name being Billy Bob Johns?? NOT THAT BAD!!

- Ventriloquist man who's personality is almost opposite of what his puppet's is, and who Interacts directly with it? I GENUINELY ENJOYED THE BEN-TRILO SCENES! THE DYNAMIC WAS FUN!! (also Ben being unable to function without his puppet what is going on with this man) HE WAS AN INTERESTING CHARACTER!!

- Acro?? Acro. Like. up to this point in the ace attorney series we haven't had a culprit like him, someone who did what they did and SUPREMELY regrets it and understands that it was horrible etc etc and doesn't try to defend their crimes whatsoever because they KNOW it was a horrible thing to do; I THINK ACRO IS INTERESTING!!

- HINTS OF MILES AND WHAT HAPPENED?? PHEONIX+FRANZISKA GRIEF?? tired asf gumshoe?? (we don't talk about his "dead body, stage left" line enough)

BUT THEN THEY TURNED AROUND AND

- The stupid fucking love triangle good god this is the worst part I'm going to vomit Regina is 16 AND IT. EUGHHH. I WILL NEVER FORGIVE THE WRITERS FOR THIS, SERIOUSLY, THEY HAD THESE INTERESTING CHARACTERS AND INSTEAD OF EXPANDING ON THEM they made them fucking predators I just. god.

- REGINA IS A FUCKING CHILD, WHO HAS NO KNOWLEDGE OF THE OUTSIDE WORLD, AND THE NARRATIVE IS TRYING TO FRAME ACRO KILLING HER AS.. SYMPATHETIC?????? (Imo I think it makes Acro's grief more fascinating, and exploring his mental state is super interesting, but I know a lot of people have qualms with this, which I understand. Like. WTF Acro???)

- the stupid goddamn solution to the case good lord it was so dumb. so.. so fucking CONSEQUENTIAL. like. GOD.

TLDR; I hate Big Top because it could have been a genuinely interesting case, but it was ruined for such SMALL reasons that really had no positive????? like. getting rid of the bad stuff and replacing them w/ other things (Max and Ben could still have a rivalry ffs especially considering how vindictive Trilo is) and like??? HHHH. sorry I just hate how dirty this case was done there's so much good shit but the bad shit is just so... bad..

[lovethathookhausen730]

Red Liquid

Chapter 3: Special Occasion Gone Wrong

Warning: blood

Tags: @shawtys-things

Tyler's POV

After Dynamite was over I began to grab my stuff and head out to meet up with Darby, Dante, Darius, Anthony & Andretti as I sighed deeply and got lost into my thoughts

"another night, another hell week" I thought as I met up with the boys as Darby looked at me rolling his eyes at me as if I did anything wrong in his eyes

"took you long enough" Darby said as I growl lowly at him not wanting to deal with his petty ass bullshit he had to go through with Christian Cage, Luchasaurus and his supposed close friend Nick Wayne

"cut to the chase Darby what's the occasion about?" Dante asked as Darby looked at him and sighed softly

"well Tyler's dad wants us to go hunt for blood again and he wants one of us to keep training Andretti for the hunt" Darby explains as I knew this had something to do with my dad

I never actually told you guys about my father he's the ring leader of the demon world he's done a lot that I never experienced in my life nor experienced anything ever knowing my dad he's one of the demons you don't ever want to piss off

I looked at the others as I cleared my throat and looked at Darby "who's training Andretti?" I asked as Darby pointed at Darius as I nod in reply listening to Darby's commands

"Taz wants us to separate for this so Darius your training Andretti and you guys will hunt down animal blood, Dante your with me we'll be hunting down bad guys, Anthony and Tyler will be hunting down drug dealers" Darby said as I sighed deeply knowing for a fact that I was gonna end up hunting down drug dealers yet again at least I had Anthony for this occasion last time I hunt down drug dealers with Andretti he almost got us killed now you all see why I don't trust him

"fine by me I wanna get this done and over with so Anthony let's go" I said as I set my stuff in the car and started walking away from the group with Anthony as the others went there separate ways

About a half a mile with Anthony we made it too the alley way as I looked down upon the amount of drug dealers that I can sense there blood from a mile away as I felt my eyes turning red as Anthony watches my every move even my breathing was out of control

"hey man if anything happens to you tell me and I'll find something to calm you down with" Anthony said as I nod in reply as me and him separated from one side to the other as I began to seek my prey as I covered the drug dealers mouth and drags him into the dark alley way as I began to tear away at the drug dealers flesh with my hands and teeth as I began to drain him dry as I began to feel something different as I let go of him and felt my chest going in pain and felt my breathing kicking in as Anthony found me in the dark alley as he kneel down next to me

"shit Tyler hold on" Anthony said as he took out his pocket knife and sliced his wrist and brings it up to my lips "drink Tyler I'm not letting you die like this please" he begged as I take Anthony's wrist and began to drink his blood as I felt my body going numb from the pain knowing Anthony he'd save me for whatever happens to me as I let go of his wrist breathing heavily and shook the pain out of my mind

"fucking heroine addicts" I mutter slightly as me and Anthony stood up slowly hearing a loud chuckle behind us as I knew that laugh from anywhere as I turned around to see Yuta's face as I inhaled sharply

"what the fuck do you want Yuta you following me now?" I asked as Anthony tried to pull me away from the situation as I kept my eyes on Yuta

"nothing I was just seeing what you dumb fucks are up too seems to me you're hunting down drug dealers again" Yuta said as Anthony glared at Yuta as he turns to look at me

"we were just leaving right Tyler?" Anthony asked as I sighed deeply and looked at Anthony then back at Yuta

"yeah we were and Yuta" I said as Yuta chuckles slightly and looked at me "this shit isn't over between us I will come for you count your fucking days" I said as me and Anthony started walking away

"don't worry I'll get you soon Tyler by the way tell Darby's sister I said hi" Yuta said as I growl lowly and Anthony tries to calm me down

"don't let him get to you he's not worth it Tyler" Anthony said as I nod in reply and we kept walking away to meet up with others

Yuta will get his day and I'll make sure of it for now I need to find a way to keep Darby's sister safe and away from him Darby is not going to like this at all

[elkian]

What I'm getting from the "let Marcille be conservative" and Netflix erasing Sokka's misogyny discussions is actually a piece of pretty helpful character building device.

I have a hard time letting characters mess up - let alone make mistakes that impact the story as a whole - and I think I'm starting to grok why.

A lot of my characters' flaws fall into Anime Badass Flaws range, and that's not in itself a bad thing, *but*: what I've also done is planed smooth some smaller flaws to satisfy an audience I don't even actually have yet. Kill the cop in your brain etc.

My characters don't just need Angsty Brooding On The Rooftop flaws, they need Regular People Flaws. I'm talking shit that makes people go 😬 and suck air between their teeth, like Marcille's old-fashioned views and Sokka's sexism.

I'm actually gonna veer and talk about ATLA's character writing and how crucial it is to the story because I totally missed it until I started thinking about this very specific thing.

Sokka being sexist is crucial to the story. It's how he pisses off Katara until she accidentally frees Aang, bringing him back to the timestream and kickstarting the entire show! Speaking of kickstarting the entire show, Aang's avoidance tendencies are what put him on ice in the first place. The story would be wildly different if he hadn't run away, and he might not have run away if the elders he'd once depended upon had made their concerns more accessible to him, instead of trying to control his life and take away his most important guardian.

Sokka absorbing feminism and changing his ways is his first, and possibly biggest character arc in the show. Sokka being sexist impacts his actions at Kyoshi Island. I have to wonder - the Kyoshi Warriors seemed to enjoy a certain level of popularity on their isolated home island. Sokka crashing in and disrespecting them might have lead them to realize that the outside world didn't have the same veneration and views as they held. This might have lead to Suki and her gang heading out into the Earth Kingdom, which has impact in several later episodes, to say the least. Suki's presence is the reason Sokka and Toph survive the finale.

Every character in the show has little human flaws like that - not just Epic Anime Flaws, but stuff that makes them a little bit unlikeable, just like real people have. (And being unlikeable makes them more likeable because they feel more complex and real in turn.) Everyone's flaws affect the story in some way - Zuko's flaws motivate an enormous chunk of the plot and have substantial impact on the Gaang well before he joins up.

Iroh is so likeable that it's easy to forget that he spent months sieging a city and presumably letting hundreds of soldiers to die, only to pull out when his son died. He's wise and friendly to Zuko and the Gaang, but he has done some pretty selfish stuff that has affected the course of history (and that's not even getting into his casual sexism). He could have been written as totally flippant, or Angstlord Extrordinaire, but instead he's a complex and hurting old man who still has the time and energy to try and help the people in his life.

What I'm realizing is that to really drive a plot, and make characters feel alive, is they gotta be a little Problematic. I shaved off Ray's chivalry bc it was problematic, not thinking about how that means that trait causes Problems, or in other words, generates conflict that drives a story. If I want my characters to feel complex and alive, I think they need to suck a little bit! I think sometimes you gotta let your character be a True Believer in Astrology, or is rude to the waitstaff, or will walk 2 miles rather than pay for a cab, or what have you! They gotta be a little dumb and messed up! Sure, this character has no self-esteem, but how does that affect others? How does it make them uncomfortable and change their actions, and not just in a platonically perfect way to 'fix' him?

It's pretty interesting to chew over implications like that - I've read and absorbed "let your characters have flaws" over and over, but only recently come to realize that means they need to suck a little bit. They need to be kind of uncool. They need to have traits that would make you wrinkle your nose at if they were real people. Etc.

[k-kroomie]

Should've known better

Ship: Punkflower/ Hobie x Miles

Warning this contains; Death of a character, Gore, Blood, Claw marks, Miguel(mentioned), Angst no comfort, cussing, ect.

This is very sad. I do not apologize😋🤗

Hobie Brown was tired, he's been sent on more then 4 missions today by that ass Miguel and he also had to deal with some stuff on the way back to his flat kick up his feet and relax. What he couldn't wait on was for Miles to come over. The thought made him get home quicker so he could shower and at least clean up a few of the wounds he had gotten.

It was nothing he couldn't handle, some glass in his thigh, scratches and bruises on his legs, chest and shoulders, and a few cuts on his back. Nothing major. He'd worry about that once he got home.

Hobie swang in through his window, closing it behind him, leaving it cracked for Miles to come in once he got here. The first thing he noticed was a horrible smell coming from his kitchen. It was horrible, and it smelled like something was rotting. Hobie knows that some of his food is about a few days old, but he didn't think it smelled that bad.

Hobie pulled his mask off his head, his face scrunching up at the smell. He walked father into the flat scratching under his nose piercing. He walked past the kitchen table towards the bathroom only to stop in his tracks and turn towards his counter. There on the counter was a brown box, it was closed and it had an envelope propped up against it.

Something was off about the box, though it looked wet at the bottom, and it didn't look like it was closed all the way and what looked like a piece of curly brown hair(?) was stuck out in between the folds of the horribly tapped box.

Hobie thought maybe it was one of his friends trying to scare him or play a joke. Hobie walked up to the box and grabbed the envelope, tearing it open and reading it outloud-

'Dear, HOBIE BROWN' well it must be his friends, they are the only ones who know his name and the land lord of course. But the thing that kind messed with his head is that he doesn't know anyone with this type of hand writing, 'You keep on disobeying me and next time I'll kill more then one of your little flings.' Hobie's eyes widened as he dropped the paper and ripped open the box.

The smell only had gotten worse as he ripped back the tap and opened the box. His eyes stared in complete shock and horror as two lifeless eyes stared back at him. Now Hobie's seen his fair share of horrific things, shit he uses his guitar to bash people heads in and knock them off people's body's. He wouldn't usually be this horrified by the sight of HIS BOYFRIENDS, head in the box all blooded and bruises. it looked like they shaved his eyebrows. One of his ears was cut off, and he had ever colored bruis on his face. The once alive, talking, laughing, smiling, BREATHING Miles. Was now a dead, lifeless head in a box on his counter in his apartment.

Hobie slide down leaning against the counter and now sitting on the floor with the box in his hands. He sat the box in between his legs and carefully picked up up his use to be boyfriends head. He didn't mind the blood but God he wished it was someone else's head he was pulling out the box. Someone else's boyfriend, Someone else's reason to smile, someone else's reason to laugh. Not his, He wishes it wasn't he's, Happiness. Wasn't His Boyfriend Wasn't His Miles.

He closed his eyes, tears falling from his face. Each tear creating a river of its own on his face. His flat was dead silent. Hobie cried as he held what once brought him so much joy, so much life. His Miles, the person who took the time and listened to why he viewed certain things that way instead of shoving him off. His Miles, the person who made dumb corny jokes and attempts to flirt with him. HIS MILES, the person who helped him with his wounds with tears in his eyes even when Hobie told him he was okay and that he would heal fast. HIS MILES WAS DEAD. GONE AND NEVER COMING BACK.

Hobie sat there crying on the floor for 2 almost 3 hours before he finally opened his eyes looking down in the eyes of Miles, they stared lifelessly back st him. Hobie ran his fingers through Miles hair. Pausing before re running his hands over the back of Miles head. Hobie slowly turned Miles head around now staring at the back of his head.

Hobie eyes widened as he looked at the marks off the back of Miles's head. It looked swollen like he had been hit, but then there were these claws marks four claw marks. Hobie feels like he's seen this before, these claw ma . . . . . rks.

He remembers these. These are the same marks that were on Jess legs that one time. That one time Miguel didn't inject himself, when he wasn't in his right state of mind and he attacked everyone. He saw these same shape marks on Jess 2 months ago now he's seeing the same marks on the back of his now dead boyfriends head.

To say Hobie was angry was an understatement. Hobie was fucking pissed, and when he got pissed Hobie got violent and when he got violent that means needed to beat somethings with his guitar or maybe this time, just this once he needed to be someone with his guitar. He knew just who. Hobie gently sat Miles head back in the box and got up off the ground.

Hobie shuffled back into his room, not bothering to even put his guitar over his shoulder. He opened a portal to HQ it was like he was on autopilot. He pulled his mask down on his face and walked into the portal, not caring about the blood on his hands and suit. One thing running through his head, HE WAS GOING TO KILL MIGUEL.

[laalaaisqueen]

Tinky Winky with his electric spear: I know you killed my friend with a rock Guardian.

Guardian, thinking: *play dumb*

Guardian: Who’s Guardian? 

Guardian, thinking: *Not that dumb!*

-

Tinky Winky: Welcome to Fucking Applebees, do you want apples or bees?

Guardian: Bees?

Tinky Winky: HE HAS SELECTED THE BEES!

Guardian: Wait-

*Po approaches, shaking a jar of bees menacingly*

-

Laa-Laa: My therapist started crying mid-session.

Dipsy: I think that means you win!

-

Laa-Laa: *gasps horrified and rips her wanted poster off a wall* Oh no….nononono, this is bad. This is very very bad. This is REALLY bad!

Laa-Laa: They just can’t get my antenna right! 

Tinky Winky: Does that really matter? 

Laa-Laa: Well that’s easy for you to say! *gestures to Tinky Winky’s wanted poster* You look amazing!

-

Finn: sapnu puaS.

Miles: What??

Richard: What language is that.

Finn: Turn your phone 180 degrees.

*Finn was removed from the groupchat*

-

Blinky: Do you know that we are made out of atoms? And atoms never touch each other. So in my defense, Papa. I did not punch Gary.

-

Guardian: Wait, you're gonna lie to people?

Lenny, mostly joking: It's not lying when you're in charge, Snowball. It's politics.

-

Blinky: I’m going out

Gary: Okay, don’t do anything I wouldn’t do

Blinky: Like what, get a boyfriend?

-

Miles: I’m telling you, if you want boys to respect you, you have to show them that you’re serious. Blow something up. Shoot someone. Nothing gets a guy’s attention like violence.

Laa-Laa:

-

Anne: Hey, do you know the password to Dutch’s computer?

Finn: Fuck you, Anne.

Anne: Hey!!

Finn: No, you misunderstood, the password is "fuckyouAnne".

Anne: Oh, no numbers? Not very safe.

-

Dutch: What's worse than a heartbreak?

Finn: Stepping on a fox’s tail and not being able to explain that you're sorry.

-

Dipsy: Yesterday, I overheard Baa saying "Are you sure this is a good idea?" and Duggle Dee replying "Trust me." I have never moved from one room to another so quickly in my entire life.

-

Lenny: *master chef* 

Cave: *knows a few recipes* 

Blinky: *can follow instructions on a box* 

Yeti: *made toast once* 

Arrow: *banned from the kitchen*

-

Lenny, pointing to the wall: What color is this?

Finn: Gray?

Dutch: Gray.

Lenny, turning to Richard: Now tell them what color you think it is.

Richard: Dark white.

-

Miles: Why is Richie making me do the dishes again? You haven’t washed them in a week, Lenny!

Lenny, currently has a broken arm: It’s because I’m Richard’s favorite.

Miles: I hate you.

-

Ping: My mom died when I was little so whenever someone jokes about fucking my dad I’ll pretend to be really sincere and say some shit like “Glad to see he’s moving on, my mom’s death hit him pretty hard.” Then watch them absolutely fumble trying to figure out a response to that statement.

Ping: Update, he got a new partner I can no longer make the joke.

-

Umby Pumby: Whoops

Mi-Mi: Whoops? Whoops? This is not a “whoops” situation. We are far past whoops. “Whoops” is a distant speck in the rear view mirror. We are solidly in “oh fuck” territory, and I expect you to act like it.

-

Daa-Daa: How do you tell someone that you wanna have sex with them in a polite way?

Ru-Ru: Excuse me Sir. Would you give me the honors of indulging in sexual activities with you?

Baa: What the fuck is wrong with you two?

-

Nin: Shh, here comes Po! 

Duggle Dee: Quick, Baa, start talking about boring nerd stuff! 

Baa: You know, nerd culture is mainstream now, so when you use the word “nerd” derogatorily, it means you’re the one that’s out of the zeitgeist. 

Duggle Dee: Yes, that’s perfect. Just like that.

-

Baa: I typed "bitch" into my GPS and guess what? I'm in your driveway. 

Mi-Mi, struggling to not laugh: 

Baa: Vroom vroom, come out already.

[gayphob1a]

I'm in Love with the Way You Always Come Around

Chapter relevant tags: implied/referenced drug use, past child abuse, mention of needles, smut, hurt/comfort, flagging, kink negotiation, dom/sub, underage drinking

Part 2 - Fall of '86

Eddie never really liked Hawkins. It was a small town whose residents had even smaller minds. With his long hair, leather jackets, and ‘satanic’ music, he was an easy target from day one. Not to mention the rumors that he was gay and speculation about why he moved there in the first place.

He heard all kinds of stories. Some people said Eddie was a runaway, just some troubled kid who didn’t want to deal with his parents' rules, so he left. Other people said he killed them both and came to Hawkins to outrun the cops. Maybe that was part of the reason the town was so willing to accept that he was a cult leader committing ritual murders. The truth was unfortunately a much different story. 

When he was only 11 years old, Wayne showed up to Eddie’s house unannounced. Eddie had heard vaguely of his dad’s brother, but they never got to meet until Wayne got a phone call from Eddie’s school to check up on the family. Turns out it was a damn good thing he was called, because when he entered the home it was immediately clear that this was not a safe environment for a kid. The place was a mess, an obstacle course of trash. Eddie’s mom was in the middle of it all, reclined in a La-Z-Boy, high off her ass, his dad long gone. Eddie had made sure to take the tourniquet off her arm and dispose of the used needle safely, and was quick to tell Wayne as much. That’s what really sealed the deal and had Wayne helping Eddie pack up all of his belongings.

Eddie loved Wayne more than words could describe. He was the parent Eddie always wanted, even if they saw each other infrequently due to their schedules. He just wished Wayne lived anywhere else. 

The only time Hawkins was tolerable was the fall. When the temperature started to drop, and Eddie’s heavy leather jacket made a little more sense, attention on him dropped as well. Not all of it, and never enough to actually feel normal, but it was just a little easier to exist. This fall was entirely different. For starters, he was in hiding from the town that wanted him dead. There was no weather cold enough to make him blend in now. Even worse, with the change in temperature came eerie noises. Things that he may have assumed to be wildlife earlier this year, but now he could point out the screech of a demobat from miles away. He could also point out the threatening clicking sound of a demogorgons growl after Steve heard the first one circling through the woods. They were only spared so far by sheer dumb luck. It was all very dramatic, very Eddie the banished… again.

That stupid ‘Eddie the banished’ joke. At the time he still believed there was hope in clearing his  name. At the time he had the energy to fight tooth and nail for revenge. At the time he hadn’t nearly bled out on freezing, slimy vines. Now none of those things were true and Eddie felt truly banished, like there was no future for him beyond prison or worse. 

Eddie was so tired. An exhaustion unlike any he’d ever experienced slowly, but surely sapped away every good thing he’d ever felt. He found one of the only ways to slow the process was Steve.

Steve somehow felt like a bright spot in Eddie’s comically dark life. They spent the entire summer holed up in the cabin together. At some point, some of Steve’s stuff ended up there. First his toothbrush, then a change of clothes, some books and tapes, until little by little he was basically moved in. Eddie asked Steve how his parents weren’t suspicious of where he was going, but apparently they were all too happy to have Steve out of the house. And Eddie felt bad that Steve’s parents were so shitty, but he couldn’t help but feel a little grateful that he could hold Steve as a sort of willing hostage in banishment with him. He definitely made it more fun.

Sure, they spent a lot of time getting to know each other, laughing and flirting and crying, letting the flutter of infatuation grow bigger and stronger. But they also spent their time on more physical activities. Unsurprisingly, Steve was incredible with his hands, and not just wielding that bat.

Eddie had experience. Like, a LOT of experience. Between ditching boring ass Hawkins for gay clubs in the city, and shows that inevitably caught the attention of someone in the crowd, Eddie had been given plenty of handjobs and blowjobs and what have you. Some were bad, some were good, some were downright incredible. But Steve? Steve made him see fucking stars. There was a certain type of way Steve started to act when he wanted to make Eddie feel good. Like he was hungry and Eddie was a five course meal. Like the only thing in the world was Eddie’s dick. But his absolute favorite was when Steve would get bossy. Not bossy in a bratty way that made him want to punish Steve like a cute little sub, bossy in a way he was much more familiar with.

Eddie never had any doubt that he was a switch. Both dom and sub roles brought him incredible pleasure, one just involved a little more trust on his end. Which is not to say that trust on both ends wasn’t important, but he always felt like it took a little more from him to enjoy subspace. He loved being a dom – it was one of the more rewarding activities in his old life, but never once did he imagine himself as such with Steve. Steve just had this energy, inviting and intense, that made Eddie’s knees weak. Even back before they knew each other and he was sure Steve was just staring to find some reason to kick his ass. Saving each other’s lives, bonding in the hospital, falling head over heels in love – they all just made that energy stronger.

There was one night Eddie played on loop in his mind, the first time Steve had let that side of him slip. Steve usually cooked dinner when he got home, but he had work and then gate patrol immediately after, so Eddie made his best attempt at a decent meal. They had much more food now that Steve was able to do some actual grocery shopping to stock the kitchen, but that didn’t mean Eddie was a particularly skilled cook. Still, Steve almost cried, he was so happy. Eddie even had a movie they’d been meaning to watch in the VCR, but he never even got to hit play.

As soon as they sat down, Steve’s hands were all over Eddie. They usually sat near each other in their spot on the couch, the stage for their first kiss, but this time Steve guided Eddie into his lap, the same exact position they were in that night. 

“Do you remember this?” Steve asked, running his hands up Eddie’s thighs. It sent a violent shiver down his spine and Steve laughed at his reaction. 

Now the thing about Eddie was that he always preferred a softer dom. He’d never felt a strong enough connection or trust with anyone to enjoy any form of degradation. But in that moment, that sharp breathy laugh from Steve, specifically aimed at him, made Eddie’s pants a little tighter. 

“Fuck, I- How could I forget? You’re not going to run out on me this time, are you?” Eddie had noticed a bit of a large problem growing in Steve’s jeans as well. 

“Not a chance, baby,” he answered, and pulled Eddie down into a kiss. 

That kiss was something else entirely. Steve didn’t hesitate to take control, slipping his tongue into Eddie’s mouth with ease. Eddie whimpered in shock and joy at his eagerness, and the noise only made Steve hungrier. The grip on Eddie’s hips got tighter, digging fingers into his bony sides, and then Steve was bucking his hips, looking for friction between their jeans.

“Get up.” Steve ordered, his voice dusky and Eddie didn’t have the willpower to disobey even if he wanted to. But he didn’t want to, he wanted to do everything Steve told him, wanted to be good for him, so he stood up and let Steve unbuckle his belt and push his jeans down.

When his bottoms were in a heap somewhere out of sight, bare as the day he was born from the waist down like fucking Pooh bear, Eddie sank down to his knees between Steve’s legs. He leaned his head on one of Steve’s thighs and stared up at him through hooded eyes. Steve really was a sight to behold. Legs spread to house Eddie, putting his bulge on display, his arms spread over the back of the couch exuding confidence and power, his gaze fixed on Eddie, so good and on his knees for him. Steve tried to drop a hand to undo his own jeans, but Eddie stopped him. He loved this part, relishing in the way he could take Steve apart with the zip of his jeans. With his head still cushioned by Steve’s thigh, he began undoing the button, then the zipper, but Eddie had always been scolded for playing with his food, a habit that wasn’t about to break now. His face drifted up to the opening in Steve’s pants to nose at his aching cock. He was leaking and the smell made Eddie’s head swim in pleasure. He gently mouthed over the wet spot to taste Steve, but a hand gently brushing over his hair stopped him.

“Fuck, you’re perfect. Just made to sit down there.” Eddie nodded frantically, the point of his nose digging into Steve’s confined shaft. And then Steve was guiding Eddie’s head up to look at him by the grip in his hair. “I have something else I want to try tonight, cutie.” Steve’s voice was saccharin sweet, and Eddie whined into the attention, into being called cute. He grabbed Steve’s waistband and started working his bottoms down. Eddie’s mouth dropped open at the sight of Steve’s cock bouncing up against his stomach, desperate to get his mouth all over the throbbing length. But Eddie is being good. He’s never seen Steve like this, and he wants to listen, to keep Steve in this headspace and ride it out to the end. 

continue reading on ao3 | part 1

[popculturebuffet]

So how we feeling about another Ms. Marvel getting shoved into a fridge? Like I know Kamala will probably be back by the end of the year just as a mutant with her MCU power set but this felt incredibly tasteless at least to me.

Seconded. I may have to read this run only because it keeps botching things too terribly at this point it's hard to ignore. Most of it's the paul and mj stuff, which is just pure conentrated uggghhh and a shining example of proving the point across the spider-verse is trying to make (no spoilers for those seeing this who haven't seen it but i'd be more than willing to elaborate if asked). But this is just.. gross. Kamala dosen't have a solo or even a mini currently, and from what i heard while she was in the book didn't get to do much. The IDEA of Ms Marvel working with Spider-Man.. is kinda brilliant, as she was a relatable teenage breakout like him, is close friends with Miles, and is a huge fan of peter's. It'd be an intresting dynamic. I wasn't opposed to adding her to the book when I heard about it as , if their not going to give her an ongoing, this isn't a terrible plcae But in hindsight.. she was just put in the book to die. Wells apparently hinted to hell and back MJ would die and either he backed out as he realized even that was too far , or simply did it ON PURPOSE to do a vince russo style swerve (bro). He put a character whose breakout status is in PART due to being the first big name, a-list pakastani heroine out there, one whose culture was a part of her while still having a lot to her, in his book TO KILL HER so a WHITE GUY could feel bad. How Wells coudln't remotely see how fucking awful this comes off is beyond me, but not suprising given the MJ Debacle. I haven't even read a lot of her books. I read her solo for a bit during and post civil war II and the first two arcs of it before that, and tried the saldin amed run (then gave it up due to a stupid amnesia thing I don't want to get into. But what I read was fresh and had one of the best supporting casts in a hero book in a while, all of whom took some very intresting and suprising turns. But i've read just enough of the character to both know her well and see this as bullshit. Marvel let her be killed off.. because they can't grasp that maybe low sales aren't always a characters fault.. but because the run just didn't grab people and maybe they need to do something new. I do think she'll be back as a mutant, which granted is during their darkest hour.. but as an x-men fan and with marvel kinda not giving a shit about inhumans anymore, i'd be delighted to see her join the krakoan side of things. But the way getting there is so so dumb it hurts. Also yeah, while its a common crticisim it is VERY weird no one she actually teamed up with reguarlly, especially miles who again is the OTHER SPIDER-MAN AND WOUL DHAVE EVERY REASON TO GET INVOLVED IN PETER'S SHIT.

[littlefankingdom]

My brother made me watch Avatar 2: The Way of Water, so I'm going to make it everyone's problem

Avatar 2 is a good sequel in the sense that it has the same elements as the first one: gorgeous visuals but meh plot with some controversial stuffs in. Maybe you don't remember, but Avatar is this white savior story that came out 13 years ago, and now, because someone needed to make more money (pick whoever you want), we have a sequel and a third movie in the making. For now, we have these 3 hours of the artistic department, which I hope was well treated, busting their ass off to hide the flaws of a movie that could have been 2 hours.

Watch out, spoilers.

This is a movie about fatherhood, but more so about a bad father as Jake Sully was saying the same shit my abusive parents used to, and for a moment I had to ask myself if I was in a theater or back in the house I grew up in. Maybe the original dialogues are different (because I saw the French version), I don't believe so, but this man has four children and yet, doesn't know how to be a parent. No, man that sounds like Thor but it's because you are voiced by the same VA (Adrien Antoine) and not because you are Chris Hemsworth, you don't threaten to beat your children to make them stop joining a battle or not fighting their sister's bully. And the way he talked to his second son is just so awful, even if he brings trouble, that's not a good way to take care of the issue. The whole family dynamic is just wrong because they keep calling him "Chief" ("chef" in French), and he kept using this authority on his children and on his wife, so nobody can discuss his decisions. And it's even more annoying because women are portrayed as more "savage"/emotional and the men are more calm and prone to reason in this movie. Sexism in my 2022 movie? It's more likely than you think. The message being "a father has to protect the family", which is just not correct because, look at your wife my guys, she is also doing the same job. And she isn't saying to your children to befriend their bullies. Another guy is a father, I guess, Miles Quaritch. Him and Spider has a bond for no reason, just because he's a blue clone of his father. But Spider was raised by the Navi and hated his father at the beginning, and yet save the clone at the end because he... cares about him??? Why??? He has no reason to! The guy didn't raise him and have been terrorizing people for the short time he was with him. He threatened to kill so many innocent people in front of Spider, the boy has no reason to care for him at all! Unless it's stockholm syndrome.

Favorite character: Payakan rules, and everyone treats him like shit for wanting to revenge his mother. Y'all are literally doing the same shit for your siblings and children. Everyone else is being so dumb at least once.

This is a movie about racism, I guess. Neytiri refusing to treat Spider like one of them because he's human. Your husband also is, and your children are mixed, wtf? She was even going to kill him just because of who his father is, when they raised him, not the military! The boy must be so traumatized, having his friends' mother threatened to kill him for being related to a human. And the Navi also have racism because, why not? Mocking others for being different, calling them monsters, letting them to die in a dangerous area, and only accept them if they take the blame for you! No bullies are going to be your friends if you take the blame for them trying to kill you, don't be like Lo'ak, that was so dumb.

And finally, this is a movie about war and colonization. The military's goal is to kill Jack Sully because he is the chief of the resistance, so the colonization can continue. When Jack decides to leave with his family to protect them because he knows the military are after him, which is dumb because if they are looking for you, it would be better to put your children in someone else care so they aren't hurt if you are attacked, the military stops caring about the resistance and the colonization because they must kill Jack Sully, for some reason. If he's gone and not the chief of the resistance anymore, do he still matter in the conflict? No! There isn't any logic for the plot to happen! He isn't impacting the colons vs resistance anymore, why are they still focusing on him??? They can kill and destroy everything in the forest while he isn't there, he doesn't care anymore because he has children!

Least favorite character: Jake Sully. You are so bad at everything, white man, so bad. I cut contact with my parents for a reason, stay back.

Expiration date: 2009

~

This is only my opinion, pls to not try to start a debate

[realbigpodcastslut]

Not to vent on main, but holy *shit* I need to express the absolute bs that has been occurring and the reasons I haven't been super active.

Context: I've been out of school since nov since my mental health tanked (I have cptsd, ptsd, anxiety, depression, (suspected) autism, and adhd) plus health stuff has made everything worse.

(BIG TW SH) I had a really bad ptsd episode in Feb where I started shing again (after 5-6 years) and accidentally cut so deep I needed stitches. I'm clean again but I know this was a really dumb move, but my mom managed to trigger me.

After, my mom kicked me out (knowing it would make my ptsd worse), left me homeless on the coldest, worst night of the year, stole my identity for several things, hooked up cameras and microphones all over the house, and told me some really terrible things. She shared on Facebook a video of blood on the floor from my incident and told all her friends I was crazy. She has posted how I'm an addict for Ritalin (I have ADHD, haven't taken it in months due to my anxiety, and she literally stole my medication before to snort it). She's tried to ruin my life and control me. She's also stolen her friends' documents and identities.

So then I moved in with my alcoholic, gambing addict of a dad. He proceeded to punch me in the sternum, get violently drunk and tell me to kill myself, suicide baited me, swerved the car to scare me, drinks and drives constantly, gambled all the money for food and rent, told me I was the reason he would die or commit suicide, told me I was terrible and a burden, left me to walk home 30+ miles several times because he couldn't stop gambling, and more.

He also doesn't own his house and lives with his younger brother. After my hospitalization, my uncle proceeded to tell me I was a waste of space. He has yelled at me and told me to hang myself and no one in the family cares for me.

There's more. There's a lot more. But I think you all get the picture. I'm so tired. I needed to get this off my chest because I feel like I'm drowning even with my therapist. I'm also sort of scared that I might die from my father one of these days. If I go missing I either got out or... well let's not think about it.

I love you all and to the people that I interact with, you've made my time really special.

[expression-of-doubt]

prologue.mp3

Man, you look like you’ve had a hell of a night. You get any sleep?

Kinda. I went down this rabbit hole at like three in the morning – bad idea. Anyway, I’m here now, so might as well get done with it.

You spent the whole night reading some dumb shit on the internet?

Nah, it was about this woman. Real mean kinda bitch. Had a pretty rough life… or something like that.

Man, you really need to get laid. Less reading about them and more talking to them, alright?

...

Why are you wincing at me, man? You know I’m looking out for you! Besides, what’s so special about your girlfriend? She got a number?

Yeah, if you like women with a body count.

Shit, what kinda whores you be reading about, man? You looking for a woman with experience? There’s plenty of fish in the sea for you to be fishing upstream.

No, I meant like an actual body count.

I always knew you was into crazy. Though now I’m starting to get interested. What this crazy bitch do? How much time she doing?

Never caught her, apparently. I haven’t really gotten to the end of it, but she was out for revenge on some old guy, who really messed with her head. Ended up doing some fucked up shit and killed a couple dozen people to get to the fucker and get him to look her in the eyes.

Sounds like just about any woman I know. If she’s such a big deal, then how come I’ve never heard of any of this on TV?

Website said it was in one of them eastern bloc countries. No info coming in or out, ya know? Tight ship. Press kept quiet about the whole thing just so that they could save face. Ended up brushing the whole thing under the rug.

Hold on, hold on… some true-crime-ass bitch shows up and starts murdering people left, right, and centre, and all they do over there is tough it out with their tail between their legs? What kind of stupid, made up, conspiracy theories are you reading, man? Eastern bloc, my ass… Those fuckers would fuck her up and not think twice about it.

If you won’t take it from me, here, see for yourself: https://www.thebackgroundworld.net/cases/poison-ivy.html

Nah, man. I ain’t about to be getting no malware from no cyber cult or whatever you’re into. She’s all yours! Sounds just like your type too – crazy and 100% fictional.

You’re the one that asked. Suit yourself.

Man, shut up and show me where you hid the stuff. You did do what I asked you to, right?

Yeah, they’re in the back of the car under the spare tyre. Here’s the keys. There’s also one in the glovebox in case some shit happens on the way there.

Alright! Now we’re talkin’!

This better not come back to bite me in the ass.

Man, when we flip this shit, you ain’t gotta worry about nothing no more. You can buy yourself a bunker somewhere out there in the Midwest and fuck around with your psychopathic commie girlfriend as much as you like. Meanwhile, I’ll be living large down south with supermodels and that top shelf kinda booze you can only order when you have a pool with name tiled on the bottom of it.

Just get out of here before I change my mind.

“Why yes Mr. Sumner, would you like more champagne? Certainly, Mr. Sumner, I’ll go fetch it now!” Phahahaha!

That car better come back in once piece when you get back – it was my dad’s. It’s a lease.

You worry too much, man. I’mma head out. Beat the traffic. Better take a good look at me while you can, cuz next time you see me, I’ll be looking like a million bucks!

Yeah, I bet.

...

He just left. Headed north – north-west. We got all of that on tape, right?

You bet. We’re waiting for him a couple of miles down. Good work.

[the-firebird69]

Subaru Impreza WRX [Friends of FTD] Is Sashidhar? and he is not the character yet when he's doing this. This was years ago. and then he selected it. to have a son. drive the new car. Then to try him grab him. using it. And. This is the donor car. It goes fast, but not fast enough. Their body is fiberglass. and it's front wheel drive. When you put it on there, the new vehicle. from factory 5. using their kit in their parts. and their tires and rims. Which always come with it. By the way. And for good reason. Nobody gets the right tires. They all mess it up You would be surprised. How awful it is. And they learned it after a few times. This record comes with a standard. this cigar. it comes with a standard 2.0 liter Subaru engine and it's slightly hyped up. not enough to make a damn difference. No, it is. It goes pretty good. And it is pretty fast. and is cold. worker is in the past new seat. And her son thought he looked kind of like a Mac. And he did. It found out that the max word shadowing them and have them look like and sound like a mac. They thought that was good, and then they thought it was very bad. The new vehicle goes. 250 miles an hour. They have some heavy stuff in it The new doors are kind of heavy. The seats are heavy. Bump the design. part of the design is not aerodynamic. and they don't push out the rear tires. We're gonna change that. when we make this want to put this up. to show with the donor car is and they made them up until I think 2018. and Hera and they know about it. And they said it's too heavy and it's not and our son change the motor. This hit is too heavy. It's not. And BJA has a reason for getting this car to work. And for hating them, for discontinuing. on Australia. but he kind of thanks them. He's blaming the Mac proper and he's sitting there doing it. Saying that his grandnephew doesn't know anything about what it's doing. Tommy Allen, heard it. from him and said the cars work great. What's the matter with you? A dumb and deaf to Get out of his office. and not to come back. and he had ordered it. Discontinued. And Tommy Allen restarted the line. last month. and got information. It binds out. Trump is full of **** and all the people are humans. on the battlefield. They're human. The ones you take it over die pretty quick. and he just sits there and says it to his grandnephew all day long. When they all started fighting it. and it's working. He's a real tube sock. And he's useless. No. We mentioned this a lot. It's because we want him out. Well, our people to work on it, and everyone else. is a living nightmare and a liar.. This stuff is very hot. And the proof is the Subaru plant. There are a lot of people. who were Killed trying to get there. Tons and tons of dead trumps. Huge numbers. recently. massive massive amount. of amounts of death. of his people. and his some sort of bag. and everybody kind of hates him We despise him. and we don't want him here. now. we're going to start closing the news on this guy. and we're going to make sure that. he doesn't make it. Then we're going to stuff him. into a box. It says do not open under pentally of death. And we need it, too. People are not to revive those **** **** **** And if they're found doing it, there will be a formal inquiry. And we mean it too. And we've done it before, because people can't figure out why someone would do that. And they won't say it. Oh, it's to encourage you. hours not to do it. And to seek out their people and eliminate them. And We don't really do it much, but if we have to, we will now. We're saying a lot of stuff here but this is about the cars. and we need them. And we are going around. hearing what these imbecile trumps are saying. about the cars. And they're saying it's their car company. You can't just up and take it over and you can't move in on it. I am saying it quite a bit. I'm saying we can And we're doing it. And what do you care? You're idiots. So of course they have to respond. And yeah, they're idiots. And they're saying we need money and stuff. This is one of the things we're relying on. in a lot of lives. and dumb things is what they're saying. So they've discontinued all of their kick cars. They're mothballing. supercar facilities. and they are basically doing nothing. except trying to hit people. overtly is massively rude. They have a lot of dumb stuff to say. And at this time. they are. losing their people. And they are not gonna make it. We're going after them with a vengeance. But I think this is a great idea. Trump will try and take it over. And. The Pseudo Empire will have to stop him. And BJ, a thinks it's a good game. It's not bad. I'm truly necessary too. No, we're getting ready. to begin. creating that area. Other areas like it are gonna start showing up. These are our cities. and they're not at their cities. We're controlling the situation, but people are going to come in and build things and There's not gonna be fighting there. And they don't mind it that much. And they need things. Trump is a dead man. He's lost five cities. in the Eastern Hemisphere. They're defunct and empty. The window. The windows are all shattered. The building will serve falling apart. It's been two months. with it. With about 10% of the population now. those people have left or died. Another 10 cities in the Eastern Hemisphere are in tatters with five to 10. percent of their original population. And these are both new sets are very large for them. That's the designation. So is really left with 10 cities in the pretty crappy. 5 of them are at 30 to 40%. original population and 5. are at 50 to 70%. and falling people. are no longer going there. No, they still do. They're trying to start them up again. And there's intense fighting. and they've been fighting the Mac proper. But for some reason they don't get why. No, they know their ships below. and below their cities. It's their ships. So they're not panicked because they think they'll be last It's disgusting and their credence and their slime. But that's what they are all of them. In the Western Hemisphere 55. very large out of 30. And these are Trump's cities are. going to fall now there at 10% in the crap and pretty soon they'll be at zero There's not much of a value in there, and things get ripped out all day and day, except for the steel and it's really not that much of it. but we'll probably take it all out instead of create a place for bugs and other disgusting things. We're going to move on. several people here in take them down. One of them is definitely John Remelard. and it's for sitting outside and saying all sorts of **** to his truck. We want him out now. We're not children like he is. We're killers And this guy's been killed a lot. And we're gonna continue to do so. And we're prescribing how many times he'll die tonight. as well as his son. And people see him dying and they're getting them. On top of all this going on there are a few things to make note of. But yeah, he's losing power and another. five of his very large cities out of 30. So that would be at about 20% and falling. fast on the other 20. 10 of them are at about 30% and falling and 10 more are at 40 to 60 percent. They're doing very badly.. And this guy is a lunatic. And he arranged to have some gambling commercial saying he won when we're mentioning it So that's just the news. If you can't handle it, let us know. I mean really so we're gonna print

Thor Freya

Olympus

Zues Hera

[mostlyihyperfixate]

I finished "Trials and Tribulations" Saturday! Now I'm gonna ramble about my thoughts! (Although I'm sure I won't be saying anything groundbreaking since I am, yet again, about twenty years late to a fandom OTL)

My friend in Scotland really hyped up Godot to me. She finished the trilogy a little ahead of me, and she messaged me saying, "Godot's the best prosecutor." And while I certainly think Godot has a great design he…definitely didn't become my favorite prosecutor. Of the three main ones, he's actually last. I don't hate him or anything, but…

Look, I think Acro had a more sympathetic motivation. I'm not gonna plunk down and call Godot a raging misogynist or anything like that. He definitely said some really uncalled for stuff to Franziska, and he definitely comes from the "male = protector" school of ideology. And that doesn't necessarily make for a bad character. I think he ultimately really respected and liked Mia (I know it wasn't explicitly stated, but I got the feeling he was re-interviewing Dahlia because he was determined to catch her out knowing how much that trial rattled and upset Mia), but he came it from entirely the wrong way, or acted on his feelings the wrong way I think.

And even that doesn't make him uninteresting. I think in the end, I just felt like there were too many contrived moving parts in his case! Like, too many oddly specific things had to happen to line him up as the murderer to begin with. He had to wake up from his coma, become a prosecutor, overhear Morgan making her plans, find the secret note, rope in Iris and Amy (and it bothers me that it was just that easy for him to find her…didn't Gumshoe or someone say that not even the police knew where she'd run off to? Only apparently the police DID know where she ran off to???), and then have the "plan" fall apart in this very specific way, all in a very short amount of time.

So in the end, I didn't even feel like he was that great a strategist or villain or anything. He was just a guy with a "Star Trek" visor who happened to be there because he wasn't as smart as he thought he was. And his reason for not talking to Phoenix just seemed like, once again, "Because Thou Must."

But I did like his dumb coffee metaphors. "That old man...is my drop of milk!" is maybe my favorite line the game. And I did like that once Phoenix proved a point, Godot would usually just be like, "Okay. That didn't work. New investigation segment!" And his interactions with Ron were pretty great.

I wouldn't mind seeing more of him. I think there's stuff there to explore. But ultimately, he's the bottom of my list for prosecutors (so far).

And I don't like Iris. I'm mature enough to be aware that part of the reason I don't like Iris is that she's "in the way" of the main appeal of this game for me, which is, of course, Phoenix and Miles' relationship. I am also mature enough to know that said relationship isn't canon and isn't likely to be made canon, and that's not the fault of Iris. But I still have complicated feelings about her in the narrative. I don't think she's an awful, evil, vile person, and if I were to ever write something, I would make sure I wouldn't go all "Die For Our Ship." But I don't think she's the angel I'm supposed to walk away think she is either. I mean, at the very least, she knew that Dahlia had poisoned a man to the point of being in a coma, right? Iris knew that Dahlia needed that necklace back. Iris knew Dahlia was willing to kill Phoenix to get it back, so presumably she knew why. And I know she didn't participate in the ransom/hostage thing, but she knew about it. And yet for years, she just kept all that a secret. And then I feel kinda squicky thinking about those eight months where she pretended to be her sister. I guess we're supposed to take it as Phoenix having actually had a relationship with Iris, so it's not all that bad, and I know the narrative isn't suggesting that about Iris at all. I just feel weird about it.

It was kind of nice not having Lotta in this game. She's my least favorite character. Like, Larry might be annoying, but at least the game acknowledges that he sucks a lot of the time, and he has helped Phoenix out of tight spots before. Lotta just shows up and spouts perjury for a while, and then apparently she's still a close friend because she felt a little sorry about falsely accusing someone of murder until the next time a murder happens?

Other than that, though, I really can't say there are characters are dislike. I love Maya. She and Phoenix are my brotp for sure. And Pearls is such a cutie! And Ema…precious Ema. I see people complaining about Ema being annoying a lot, and she is, and I kinda think that's why I love her so much. I, too, was once a 16 year old with a special interest, with everyone telling me to pipe down because no one else cares about said special interest why can't you just be normal?? So I'm just like, you go girl. You talk about science. My special interest was "Naruto," so at least Ema is doing something useful with hers.

That being said, I still really loved Bridge to the Turnabout! I feel like the game hit full soap opera at that point, and I had a blast! I especially loved getting to play as Miles for a little bit, but my favorite part was definitely Phoenix looking for clues with Franziska. I never disliked Franziska, but that bumped her up above Godot for sure. I got the feeling she's just not used to having friends or how to behave in social settings, so Phoenix is her friend now, and I think she's even fond of Gumshoe. She just doesn't know how to express it. It was fun!

It didn't, however, replace Turnabout Goodbyes as my favorite case. I just think Turnabout Goodbyes was better woven throughout the first game, even though Bridge to the Turnabout had more game time dedicated to it previously, what with Mia's cases and all, if that makes sense. Maybe it's just my Wrightworth goggles talking. I'll admit that.

I wanna read angsty fic about Miles growing up with von Karma, though. I have this dumb (and I'm sure already done-to-death) idea about a soulmate fic (and I don't even WRITE soulmate fic) where Phoenix is pretty sure that whatever soulmate rules are in place in this universe mean that Miles is soulmate. But obviously they loose touch. And von Karma is NOT about it (whether it be soulmates in general or just two men being soulmates), so by the time they meet up again, Miles is like, "Nope. You're mistaken, and you're stupid," and he tries his best to hide the truth. Cue the angst!

Anyway, back to "Trials and Tribulations."

(This is really long. No one is going to read this.)

I thought there was something to like about every case. I loved seeing stupid, lovestruck, young Phoenix eating evidence. I enjoyed playing as Mia. Luke Atmey annoyed the tar out of me during the Stolen Turnabout, but in retrospect he was a GREAT culprit. And Ron and Desiree were so cute! I kept expecting her to turn out to be the culprit of either case, even if the murder was just to save her husband from being blackmailed. But nope! In the end, they were just pure wholesomeness. Mia's second trial was really interesting. Baby Miles was such a brat! And I LOVED seeing that he had more von Karma mannerisms in the past (cue the plot bunnies…I wanna read a fic about Miles first starting out and actually working with von Karma). And then even though I said Bridge to the Turnabout was soapy, I meant that complimentarily. Every time I worked out a plot twist, I gasped. So many twists and turns.

I am honestly sad to be done with the original trilogy. I'm glad the Game Grumps played "Justice for All" this year, and I'm glad I decided I wanted to try them out for myself. They turned out to be one of those "changed my brain chemistry" things. I joked with my best friend, "You know when I get into something, it becomes my personality for the next five years. Gay lawyers are my personality for the next five years!" My last hyperfixation was "The Avengers (2012)," and I haven't been interested in the MCU since "Endgame" disappointed me. My friend even said I seem happier since I've found a new "thing." I don't know what says about me as a person…probably not anything very good.

But you can only experience a new favorite thing for the first time once, and it's over.

I have purchased the Apollo Justice trilogy, and I'm hyped to start it! I want to love Apollo and Klavier and Athena and Trucy. (I already got a Trucy cosplay ready to go for the local con this year because I wanted to go as an "Ace Attorney" character and she's so cute.) But I'm also really nervous! I love Phoenix, and knowing he becomes a sad manipulative hobo (even if I don't know the story surrounding that) makes me sad! I'm not ready to say goodbye to these characters yet.

And so I'm putting it off by watching the anime. Maybe this weekend I'll start the first Apollo Justice case? I do want to catch up so I can start reading fan fiction without spoiling myself, and I'd like to actually know about Trucy as a character when I go to the con dressed as her.

(I also really, really want to somehow get a "Wright Anything Office" or whatever it is sign to hang on my office door at the courthouse…especially since they don't make Funko pops for Ace Attorney that I can just line up on shelf across from said door.)

Goodbye, "Ace Attorney: Phoenix Wright" trilogy! Thank you for changing my brain chemistry!

[charnelhouse]

Rick is amazing ofc, and Steve Rogers has had my heart forEVER, and I was so excited to see you write for him. I just pretend that the last few minutes of Endgame never happened, and you can’t convince me otherwise.

Also, Bucky/Steve/Reader in the future? 👀👀👀

A/N: Bucky x F!Reader x Steve. WHAT IS THIS IDK. smut. dp. weird ass dna stuff (it's not incest i promise). shades of what could be dub-con but like aren't. idk READ it if you dare.

They’re three sides of the same coin.

No...wait.

It’s like they should be pieces of a whole. Disparate halves.

A prism, then? A pyramid?

I guess.

That’s not it either.

I failed geometry. Sue me.

***

Sometimes she feels like she’s part of them. She doesn’t get it. She knows them. She’s known them for a couple years. Teammates. Friends. Close encounters of the third kind. The fourth? Who even knows. But - she knows them.

Bucky’s going through a bad spell. His therapy is off. His mind is frazzled and his ice-chip eyes keep going far away whenever they’re on mission - whenever he kills someone.

She wakes up terrified - wakes up one night gasping for breath. She’s drowning in her bed - the ceiling is falling - falling until it might smear her to the carpet. She runs out of her room and up the stairs of the tower and finds Bucky on the roof. He’s got his booted feet dangling off - his hair slightly pulled back. Wisps of near brown-black blowing in the wind - across his beautiful face.

“Bucky,” you say and he does a double-take.

“What are you doing up here?”

“I had a dream,” you shrug because it’s the truth. “I was drowning - I felt - I felt something about you - I felt you -” and then she starts muttering to herself - feeling weird and dumb and like she doesn’t know her own body.

When she finally glances up at him, he looks incredibly alarmed. He gracefully swings his legs over the side - the blue mass of the sparkling city at his back as he strides toward her. He grips her lightly by the shoulders - hunches over so he can meet her eyes. “Hey,” he says. “I wasn’t gonna jump.”

“I felt you,” she repeats helplessly because it’s really fucking alien. She knew it in her bones - go up the stairs - find him - find him find him.

He frowns. “Let’s go back inside. It’s freezing.”

She’s all bare arms and cotton shorts. She doesn’t feel the cold until he points it out.

Then it hurts.

***

He must tell Steve because Rogers begins to look at her with this stupid anxious expression.

Are you alright?

I’m fine.

But then it happens with him.

***

They’re on a mission in some nameless jungle in some nameless village in another world - another continent - it could be another planet for all she cares -

Steve is missing and he’s hurt - it’s all they can gather before the coms burn out.

How do these fucking break? Sam barks and it burns through her - pinches her temples - twists her gut. These are Stark tech - this is - what the fuck?

Bucky is frantic - searching - running.

She feels that twist start to turn - start to crawl up her spine like a lover’s fingertips. North.

She wordlessly moves forward and Sam and Bucky and Nat trip after her. They’re trying to talk - - trying to grab at her, but she yanks her arms away - lit up with her own magic.

“I know where he is,” she declares.

They walk a mile and find him shivering and pale - shot through three times. His blonde crown turned dark and soaked beneath waxy wet leaves. They stare at her like she’s grown another head. Maybe - she has.

It’s not like she knows what’s wrong with her.

***

“You’re them,” Nat tells her - all gentle, but still blunt. “That’s what’s in you - them.”

“Pardon?”

“Their blood,” she clarifies like it explains anything. Nat tosses a heavy binder of files into her lap. “They put it in you - well - they put a lot of things in you. Totally not above board, but when was SHIELD ever right?”

With you - she wants to say - when they plucked you from the barren red room.

“Oh,” she murmurs instead. Her abilities aren’t clean - her strength is unnatural - her brain is too fast for her. She can read a room and its exits, but sometimes she can’t see straight. “That’s interesting.”

She doesn’t know what else to say.

It makes sense. SHIELD had a few vials of Steve’s blood. Hydra had Bucky’s. SHIELD and Hydra are one and the same.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t believe you.”

***

“So does that make us related?” Bucky asks. He’s teasing her. He’s in one of his better moods.

“No,” she scowls. “I just have your blood.”

“Like a vampire,” Sam observes. “It’s like if she drank you, Barnes.”

“Thanks for the visual,” Bucky snaps, but when he looks at her - his eyes are all black and bold - unrelenting - slightly hungry. She can feel him now. She can feel him all the time. She doesn’t know how it woke up or when it did. She’s known them for years.

Maybe - she hit her head? Clicked a button. Fell and jostled all that old blood.

Steve steps into the room and he smiles at her. He sits beside her on the couch - his body unnaturally warm - emanating heat. He’s like a stretch of summer - Fourth of July.

He brushes up against her - his pink mouth soft and giving. Too plush for that sharp face. “How are you?”

“Fine,” she replies even if it’s not true. She’s a lot of things, but certainly not fine.

He touches her with something. A thought. A tangled memory jutting against the winding mess of her own. Are you sure? Are you fine? Do you want to go somewhere else?

She bites her lip and sinks deeper into the cushions.

Like draws to like. She’s inside him. He’s inside her.

Bucky cocks his head as his gaze rakes up her body. Toes to knees to the top of her head.

It’s weird.

***

It’s really because she almost dies. Kind of.

She gets a nasty wound - a knife in her gut and if it weren’t for all that soldier-blood in her veins, she’d probably be dead.

It’s no big deal. Nat drags her back to the jet. Wanda sort of stitches it together with carmine magic. Girls get things done, after all. The stupid slogan on an Avenger promotional image that glimmered on greeting cards and hung in Times Square (ew).

She doesn’t really think anything of it until she steps off the jet.

Steve and Bucky are there. White-faced. Panicked.

Steve launches himself at her - grips her around the shoulders - stares her down. “I felt it,” he mutters. “I felt you get hurt.”

She blinks at him. Weird.

***

It changes. There’s an attraction. Perhaps - they had always felt it, but now it’s cranked up to a hundred. Now - it’s consuming.

It’s sex in the most feral form of it. She gets fucked between them. She sits on Steve’s cock with Bucky at her back - his metal fingers parting the lips of her cunt so he can twist her clit. It’s Bucky pushing into her ass and her hands in Steve’s hair and she feels herself when she comes. She feels the way she clenches around them - chokes them with her own sex.

Like calls to like. We’re the same.

Is that all it is?

No - no - I’ve always felt it - wanted it - wanted you.

She’s not so sure.

***

They tell her stories about Brooklyn and the war. They tell her because it’s like they need to include her. Bucky and Steve are brothers in their own sense - closer than just friends and suddenly she’s in the mix.

She’s like a body part - a bone - their ribs and they want her to know everything.

They kiss her and paw at her - palming the swell of her tits and the peak of her nipple as one of them slips between her legs and fastens their mouth to her cunt and sucks.

“Where’d you learn that?” she gasps - bucking into their face - chafing the rugged line of their jaw - their brown-black beard - their ruddy cheekbones. She sinks a hand into Bucky’s hair and yanks it until it’s all messy at his shoulders.

“Cum on my tongue and I’ll tell you, sweetheart,” one of them promises with a wink.

***

She touches her files, reads her name and her age and her weight for her operation. Marked in time. 1979.

She doesn't know what SHIELD did to her head. A brain scramble. A puzzle box. Pieces. She doesn't remember the seventies or the eighties or even the nineties.

She must not grow old anymore. She didn’t realize.

Bucky wraps his arms around her waist - hooking his chin over her shoulder. Steve is there - a presence - smelling like cloves and soap. Always there. Her two enormous shadows.

They’re in her now. They’re in her lungs and her liver and her thumping heart.

“It’s not the blood?” she asks - fear stretching her voice - making it thin as cobwebs. She needs to be reassured. She needs to understand.

“No,” Bucky mutters - sincere as he can be with his mouth at her throat - skimming her jaw. His touch everywhere at once. “It was just a reason to finally try.”

[rchardgrayson]

This isn't like a dig at the anon who said the Ric arc was worse than Taylor or anything but I'd just like to expand a tiny bit,

There are some absolute balls-to-the-walls nuts things in the Ric arc that are, imo, mostly bad. (Spoilers ahead if you have not read) but whilst Dick/Ric is adamtly refusing to go back to his previous life (and you definitely sympathise with him) there's a bunch of cops (plus one firefighter I think?) who all put on Nightwing suits and try to fight crime and Ric sorta helps them out/joins them so they don't get themselves killed which I'm not even a huge fan of but there's character motivation and conflict going on there that is interesting. I really like Bea, who's introduced as a civilian love interest which surprised me because I really did not like Shawn when I first read her (though maybe I'd like her more if I did a reread) because she's a genuinely kind and interesting character with goals and motivations. There's also wild shit involving the court of owls which underpins the whole amnesia thing in general (they like stole his memories and kept them bla bla) which was a bit bleh - could've been done better and then the Joker thing which was unspeakable sjhdjdjjdjd but like all in all when I read it through a second time I was like okay? I can pick out the good from bad y'know?

Then it gets worse (imo) when Dick gets his memories back, he literally says he still likes/loves Bea and wants to see it work and then literally next issue that plan is instantly changed and he tells Bea the feelings didn't remain and she gets dropped from existence. It's such an obvious shift that was done to make way for Taylors run because Taylor very clearly wanted nothing to do with her. Another obvious shift is how, post-memory return, Dick initially says he's not ready to be Nightwing again yet and then next second Bruce has forced his hand and he is. This is all to bring it in line with where Taylor wants the comic to go but it's done so quickly I feel like I've got whiplash.

Queue Taylor and his run instantly feels so disconnected with where it was before. I understand each writer wants to bring something new and may struggle picking up from whatever place the previous writer left off but it feels so disjointed that it's jarring. And not in a good way. There's less 'wild' shit that goes on in Taylors run which should be a good thing right? Except...it more feels like there's no wild stuff because there's just...nothing happening at all sjhdjdjjd. Melinda Zucco being his secret sister is so dumb because imo she's already a compelling character as a daughter of Zucco who's mayor and seemingly under Blockbusters thumb but actually good...like there's plenty of conflict there without the dumb 'actually John Grayson is her dad' shit...like watch her be forgotten by not only Taylor but by DC in general.

And speaking of Taylor and forgetting things, there's so little movement in each issue that I, as a reader, have forgotten what the current plot even is. All I remember is the dumb billionaire plotline which is just one of Taylors liberal faux-progressive takes that reads 'actually good billionaires are fine'🙄. I'm aware he's not the one who brought Dick back to Blüdhaven or reintroduced Blockbuster but Taylors writing reads like Chuck Dixon + Devin Grayson fanfic. He's that meme from into the spiderverse where Miles looks up at Peter B like his teacher. He said himself he's inspired by Devin's era but his stuff doesn't just read as inspiration...it's literally copy+paste and idek how they're gonna work around preboot being declared canon again with Blockbuster alive and right there if they're even gonna address it at all.

Listen, Taylor is no Morrison, or Miller, he's not so wildly bad in those ways which is why he's largely slipping away with it but his writing is mediocre, lackluster and reads like he copied Chuck Dixon's homework in class. His portrayal of Babs is just downright offensive (and the art too) which he does have some control over unlike how some people claim he's powerless because the team on the Batgirls book have literally spoken about how they've fought for the meagre representation that they have. His d/ckb@bs writing is a disservice to both their characters and with each issue it becomes increasingly clear that he doesn't even want to portray Dick (the literal main character) as a capable character whatsoever and just continuously has everyone else fix his problems for him while he writes him like an unassuming idiot (I can sure see the Devin influence here jshdhdh)

So yeah, years down the line, Taylors Nightwing run probably isn't going to jump out compared to some others as the worst (so far any way) but it for sure isn't because it's good but because it's lazy. Also it's made a lot worse by problems in his other comics (being totally ignorant concerning school shootings in his superman run) and how he sucks his own cock on twitter and expects everyone to praise him like he just wrote the most progressive™️ thing yet