#i could not. there was no payoff for this and i just abandoned this woman on the boardwalk for nothing | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

mamamittens · 4 months ago

Note

Hi! For the spooktober event; My OC Rena (intersex woman femme), goes with Massacre Soldier Killer (Serial Killer). Rena typically wears femme punk attire. She has fluffy short black hair with a permanent cowlick over her messy bangs and gold eyes, and a 'crooked' smile. There is a leftover bucket with dark and white chocolate. Rena gets a pink schnapps, and killer buys her a Black Jack and Sangrita. She shares her pink schnapps with him later and gets him a Hot Damn, Brain Damage, and Pineapple Upside Cake. They share a Gladiator.

Cut to the Chase (+18)

This ask is part of the Spooktober 2024 Event, for context!

Summary:

Rena always loved the quiet isolation of abandoned buildings. Her explorations cut woefully short when bodies start piling up in her city at the behest of her good friend, and gentle giant, Killer. But she… just can’t help herself to a little bit of mischief. So she plans one last exploration in secret, promising to knock it off until the killer is caught after this. And at first, everything is going great! The abandoned luxury apartment building as spooky and dreary as she expected it to be! But she’s not as alone as she first thought, and soon it’s a chase through a maze of identical, decaying rooms and amenities. Her life on the line as she seeks to make it out alive.

Soon, she finds something inside her awakening as the shadows stalk her with shocking intent. Will she succumb to the killer’s knife, or find a more rewarding payoff for her poor decisions?

(Serial killer!Killer/Rena(OC))

Warnings: Semi-public sex (abandoned building), rough sex, oral, dubious consent, serial killer SO, implied bargaining with sex (it's now low-key a murder kink ig??? But he's only mostly playing with her about it), threats, blood kink/play, and use of a knife during sex.

Word Count: 5,950

“—Police advise all residents in the city remain indoors after eight PM and in populated areas. They further advise that no one travels into the downtown area after that point where several abandoned buildings reside—several of which have been the crime scene of this gruesome serial killer, The Midnight Stalker.” The news reporter informed Rena in an empathetic but serious tone. Imploring all viewers to remember the crucial advice they were being given.

Rena huffed, groaning as she collapsed against her best friend, Killer—yes, really, his parents were… well, not legally parents anymore for a reason.

Killer was fucking built. An avid supporter of anger management through physical exercise and it showed. Biceps thicker than most part trees Rena had seen in her lifetime, few tended to get close to the blond man. But he wasn’t nearly as scary as he appeared, or his frequent stress relief implied. Killer, contrary to his name, was a quiet, somber sort of person. Quite shy, in fact.

Soft blond hair brushing down his shoulders with fluffy bangs covering his eyes. Lips constantly kept in a gentle frown because of how much he hated his smile and laugh. Despite this, Rena enjoyed making him happy. Seeing that rare quirk of his lips a victory in it’s own right. Anytime they were in public, it never happened though, which is why they usually watched tv together. She would hate for him to be uncomfortable because she happened to quip when he wasn’t expecting it.

One day, he’d smile wide with all teeth, just for her. Not even thinking about how much he hates it—just enjoying the moment.

Killer flicked her ear and she yelped, jumping. Turning to look at him sharply, black hair covering her eyes for a moment until she brushed it away to glare at him.

Despite his eyes being obscured, she could feel him staring. Blue meeting gold in an intense, silent communication.

“No.” Killer huffed and she jerked back.

“I wasn’t going to go out!” Rena denied hotly, face flush as she looked away with a pout.

“It’s too dangerous right now. Just… until they catch him, please stay at home after dark. Promise me.” Killer asked softly, his voice unusually tense. Rena glanced at him, running a hand through her hair and toying with her stubborn cowlick. It bounced back into a half curl the moment she let go.

“… Fine! Only because you asked!” Rena huffed, watching him relax as much as he was able to. Tense muscles softening, his head falling back as he sighed, his entire chest shifting with relief.

Seeing him so relieved at her promise made Rena feel… like an asshole.

Because Rena, contrary to her promise, absolutely intended to go out tonight.

And not to any club, either.

No.

In downtown, there was an abandoned luxury apartment building she’d been dying to get a look around. A far cry from her shitty apartment. She wanted to see how good she could have it—so sue her! Killer teased her about watching those renovation shows all the time. It was a coincidence that her hobby of urban exploration happened to take her to somewhere she could never live in a million years. Rena heard that the planned prices for those apartments were in the thousands!

So hell yeah, she wanted to see!

And unfortunately, Killer rarely joined her expeditions. Being too busy during the day to spend all night in some dusty, ruined building complex. Otherwise she would ask him. But it was already getting harder to coordinate movie night with his busy schedule.

So Rena would take this one to the chest—both for her own satisfaction and to have one last hurrah before actually following that promise.

Which lead her to here.

In the most abandoned section of downtown. Where the pavement was cracked along ever block and most of the street lights didn’t work anymore. Some flickering manically in a dying strobe effect until they eventually popped. Not even the homeless that usually lingered in the area were out. All hiding away from the serial killer that stalked the city for the past four months. Every week a body or three were reported. A truly staggering amount of people going missing and being found in pieces. Having clearly struggled, some dragging their bodies several feet until they were finished off.

The details were gruesome, and likely would fuel many podcasts for a very long time.

But Rena wasn’t worried too much.

The apartment complex was locked up tight.

It was only a contact that managed to find an in and let the urban exploration community know with heavy precaution. There may not be guards, the land itself in real estate limbo and likely to be torn down soon, but the half-finished nature promised structural issues at the very least. The upper floors visibly deteriorated from months of rain water seeping in through broken tiles.

Rena dressed comfortably, black cargo pants secured with a belt to keep the heavy pockets from ruining her dignity. Black, ripped sweater keeping the worst of the chill out as her leather gloves creaked. Hood up and a ventilation mask to keep her safe from any pollutants within the building, she creeped around dirty alleyways. Climbing over and through fencing until she reached the back half of the apartment complex.

No less than three fences keeping intruders out, Rena found her contact was correct. The gate appeared to be locked with a heavy chain and padlock, but the lock itself fell open with a light tug. The second fence had a section of wire clipped for a flimsy door. And the third? Unfinished itself with a section almost twenty feet away from the previous entrance.

It was a bit of a bitch to get through, but Rena was pleased when she found herself in the center of a dead garden. Dirt bags piled against raised beds of bricks and concrete. A massive, dry fountain cracked with an angel meant to pour water down several raised platforms. Her face serene but busted like a brick had nailed the upper half of her head. Dead shrubs shriveled in decorative walls up to her hips and ornate concrete benches lining the central pavilion. Scaffolding of what would have been hanging floral gardens left bare and, in some cases, collapsed.

But this was just one recreation area.

Of many.

Just how many, Rena was unsure. The project was kept pretty secret, likely only divulged to those belonging to several tax brackets above herself. But she knew there was an outdoor pool in the center of the building and an indoor one inside the gym. Assuming either finished before the owners were arrested for embezzling elsewhere.

Evidence of other explorers were rare. Not even a lot of tags littered the outer and inner walls of the building as she entered through an unlocked service door. She pulled out her flash light and clicked it on, sweeping the clear beam of light across the area.

The first floor was mainly lobby and reception. Some staffing areas like breakrooms, coat closets, and offices. No furniture, of course, just empty desks built into the space and counters. There was even a bare kitchen, purpose only clear by the broken tile flooring and deliberately built in gas pipes with a heavy door for a walk in freezer.

It was all so… off putting. Seeing a building so close to being ready for its purpose but stopped just short. The air smelled musty, even through her mask, and a thick layer of dust settled onto every surface and piled into corners. Some water stains littered parts of the ceiling and bare walls, indicating how far down the damage had come over the years. There was some carpet but it was molding and ripped in places, perhaps by a stray dog.

With no power, Rena was forced to use the stairs but didn’t find that particularly surprising. It happened often on her little misadventures, after all.

The stairwell was particularly derelict. Just gray concrete and darkness leading up and down. A window on every floor the only source of light, slipping through chewed up corners of plywood someone had placed over them a while ago. Dubious puddles littered the floor and stairs as she carefully made her way up a floor, certain this was for staff use rather than residents since, frankly, it looked like shit even unfinished. Luckily, no floor seemed to be locked from access inside the stairwell.

Rena removed a wedge from her pocket and propped the door open just in case it locked behind her.

The second floor was apparently dedicated to amenities. A section of bare rooms, some with prop spa equipment—perhaps for investor photo shoots as proof of concept. There was a shower section, with cozy, private shower rooms with their own electronic locks and numbers on them connected to what would have obviously been the gym. A single rack of dumbbells in the far corner abandoned, bizarrely enough, next to a wall of mirrors. The other far end of the room windows overlooking the pool.

The gym was large, taking up half of the floor plan, revealing the inner shape of the sky well to be a massive diamond. It was dark, naturally, her flashlight only revealing pieces of the pool area littered with debris. Mostly trash, as no trees could dump leaves in the deep end. If she wasn’t so interested in the actual apartments, Rena would have headed down there. But by all appearances, there wasn’t actually anything on the pool pad.

Huffing, Rena jogged back to the open stairwell and paused.

She’d left it wide open.

And it still was… but she could have sworn she propped it open at a wider angle. Not quite to the wall but a few inches away. Now it was open about two thirds of the way. Subtle but… not the same.

She glanced down at the dusty white floor and frowned, noting the scuffs in the dust indicating the wedge had been kicked into place. She tended to set the wedge down and force the door over the wedge enough to keep it in place herself.

A little unnerved, Rena removed the wedge and continued up to the next floor.

It was locked.

Huffing, she went up another floor.

Also locked.

There were twenty-eight floors and Rena had to go up to the twenty-fifth floor to find an unlocked door. It opened up to a hallway, a utility closet left open with wires hanging out of the access point in the ceiling. The hallway was bare, half painted and clearly about where they stopped during construction. Cans of dry paint left out beside an apartment door. Luckily, it was unlocked.

Now, the apartment building was built in a sort of oval shape. With an inner sky well of a diamond shape. Four sections, each with a pair of elevators and two stairways each—one for staff and one a fire exit. This section apparently overlooked the garden she’d come in through, her height revealing it was bordered by a miniature playground and a dry pond. Her view point a massive, window in the living room, white carpet still rolled up against the wall for installation.

The apartment was, naturally, massive. Clearly on the higher end of the building’s price range. Every room spacious with vaulted ceilings. Cabinets made of what appeared to be dark marble and intended to be highlighted with recessed lights. The bathrooms made her want to cry they were so nice. Polished porcelain and glass shower walls with the fanciest set up she’d ever fucking seen. The kind that needs a manual to operate for a few weeks and likely worked as a sauna judging by the crisp seal along the edges.

A total of three bedrooms and two baths, a laundry closet, a walk-in closet connected to the master bath, two regular but still larger than her closet-closets, kitchen, and balcony.

Weirdly, despite the state of the building, there wasn’t any trash or signs of life on this floor. It was the only one unlocked so far, and she’d seen a few tags in the lobby. So she wasn’t sure why there wasn’t any in here. Confused, she left the apartment and ventured further down the hallway. The doors were all locked. Still it didn’t baffle her as much, seeing as the paint cans were nearby the other one.

Why any were locked at this stage in construction was odd in itself though.

Circling around the building and returning to her wedged door, she froze.

It was open only a few inches, wedge leaving a small gap.

Rena swallowed hard, shivering suddenly in the stale air.

Quietly, she resolved to see if the upper floors were also locked and then quickly leaving before she found whoever was fucking with her wedge.

If she’d been able to see more than one apartment, she would have left that instant.

But she was breaking a promise so she was damned if she didn’t make it worth the betrayal.

Quietly, she retreated up the stairway to the next floor.

Locked.

Twenty-seven?

Locked.

Twenty—

Click.

Rena froze, eyes wide as she barely opened the door to the top floor.

It came from below her.

An access door clicking shut and echoing up the stairwell.

Heavy boots following up with deliberate slowness.

Heart racing, Rena made a gamble and slipped in, letting the door softly click behind her. Certain the other person heard, Rena raced down the hallway, circling the building, looking for a second stairway.

She found it next to the elevator, gold doors water stained and the stairwell door broken. Bent out of shape by the handle like a horse had tried to kick it in. Utterly jammed and not going anywhere.

…click.

Rena jumped, head snapping to look down the hallway. Heavy boots echoing on broken tile floors.

Desperately, Rena looked around, noticing the doorway to the next section was blocked by supplies. No way to quietly get through without alerting her stalker unless she grew several feet or risked leaping over.

Stalker.

Midnight Stalker.

Rena narrowly avoided gasping for air as she realized what was happening.

Gorey details of previous victims flooding her mind.

Grown men ripped open with their organs strewn out, each one stomped to on until the victim died. Women with their chests shredded, brutally cut into from the feet up. Faces mutilated. Tongues ripped out. Eyes stabbed clean through.

Her eyes met the door facing the elevator.

It was an apartment door.

Just barely open and clearly unlocked.

Aware she had a few moments left until she was seen, Rena slipped into the apartment and painstakingly locked the door as quietly as she could. Only with the doorknob though, the bolt still uninstalled and sitting on the floor. Carefully, she crept past the kitchen still being built, cabinetry bare bones along the wall and silhouetting the beginning of an island. The living room was massive but empty save the balcony window.

Guest bathroom? Completely empty.

Guest bedrooms? Also empty.

Rena didn’t bother checking the closets, realizing the floorplan was almost identical to the one below but simply bigger.

The master bedroom, however, was set up for a photoshoot. Airy, dusty bedding stained with mildew over a California king mattress. Dark wood for the bedroom suite furniture. Eyeing the wardrobe and the bed, Rena was forced to make a decision as the front door was kicked in.

BAM!

Rena turned off her flashlight and then she dove under the bed, dirty carpet unpleasantly gritty beneath her as she hid to the best of her ability. Holding her breath as the darkness pressed in all around her.

She could hear them walking through the apartment. Gritty glass and tile cracking beneath their boots as they confidently stalked around. Doors slamming open as they went.

Rena felt a cold chill drop down her spine as she realized she left the master bedroom door open. Hearing the stalker get closer.

Thump-thump.

And closer.

Thump-thump.

And then—

Thump.

They were standing at the foot of the bed. Rena barely able to hear steady breaths above her through the thin, showroom bedding that hung low to the floor.

Thump-thump.

Click—thump.

Click.

Thump-thump.

Creeeeeeak.

…

Rena held her breath as the stalker inspected one of the joined rooms. The closet or the bathroom, she wasn’t sure.

SLAM!

Rena jumped, nearly screaming but managing to silence her alarm.

She heard them leave, faster this time.

Thump-thump-thump-thump… thump—thump.

Click.

It was hard to hear the sound, her ears straining to register the noise.

She assumed it was the front door but couldn’t confirm with bootsteps in the hallway since the walls weren’t shitty thin like her own apartment.

Rena waited, counting down from one hundred.

She waited a little longer.

And then she slipped out from under the bed. Walking silently, arms outstretched as she sought the door, flashlight in one hand.

To her surprise, the door to the hallway was closed.

Carefully, she clicked on her flashlight and checked to make sure she hadn’t been turned around.

She stared at the light switch beside the door and cautiously opened it.

It was the bathroom door.

“O-Oh—ahah!” Rena laughed softly to herself, shaking her head. “I’m an idiot--!”

Rena turned around, beam of light sweeping across the room towards the far corner where a massive figure stood, knife catching the light in their hand. Screaming, she ran, this time correctly identifying the door out.

But she was too late.

A thick, bulging arm of steel wrapped around her throat, choking her with the crook of his elbow. Fabric bunched up around her chin as she gasped, dropping her flashlight, sending a beam of light spinning around the room. Knife stabbing into the door above her head, sinking deep into the wood. Arm lifting her up high against their chest as she frantically kicked and scratched.

A deep, growling voice hissed into her ear.

“You. Promised!”

Rena froze, breath wheezing from her lungs as recognition trickled in.

The voice was muffled beneath a mask, but undeniably familiar.

“K-Killer?” Rena wheezed softly, almost pleadingly.

“I told you to stay home.” He hissed furiously, squeezing her tighter as she flailed uselessly. “Told you it wasn’t safe—why do you never listen to me when it matters, Rena?” he asked, voice deep and harsh, more furious than she’d ever heard him before.

She pat his arm fretfully, barely able to gasp for air, let alone beg for forgiveness.

After a moment, he relaxed and let her drop to the floor, still sputtering.

She gasped for air, choking with her eyes burning as she was pressed against the door.

“W-Why do you have a knife—why are you here?!” Rena sputtered, looking up at him. He was cast in faint light, the flashlight facing more to their left and bouncing off the wall. Blond hair pulled back in a ponytail and lower face covered in a blood-stained mask.

Killer sighed.

“C’mon, Reens, I know you’re not that stupid.” Killer huffed, shifting his shoulders under a thick leather jacket. Muscles bulging against the unforgiving restraints of leather.

“You’re… you’re the killer… The Midnight Stalker. B-But why? Y-You’re so…” Rena struggled to explain her feelings. Tears dripping down her face as her heart raced, looking up at the knife still embedded in the door.

“Sometimes, exercise isn’t enough.” Killer shrugged, like it made all the sense in the world. And to him, it must.

“… are you going to kill me now?” Rena asked in a small, frightened voice. “I-I… you asked me not to go out… and now that I know…” Rena swallowed hard.

The air was tense for several long moments. Killer slowly leaning in, arm pressed against the door with the casual confidence of a man who knew the only way out was a window over two dozen stories above ground level.

She couldn’t see his eyes, but she knew he was staring down at her. His hand, bare of any protection, cupped her cheek as he sighed.

“…I—”

“W-What’s frustrating you? I-I can help—I would have helped you if you asked me b-before this… You’re my best friend—” Rena’s voice died as his fingers, so massive against her small face, flexed against her scalp. “But you are.”

“Oh?” Killer growled, curling his hand into a fist in her hair. “Even after you know what I’ve done? The people I killed. How long they must have begged for mercy?” He hissed and Rena squirmed uncomfortably.

The details still fresh in her mind… Rena couldn’t deny it frightened her.

She felt so small against him. Her head barely to his chest. An edge of danger where once she felt total safety. It was jarring.

Dizzying.

Intoxicating.

“I-I…” Rena’s voice faltered as he grasped the knife and yanked it free. Holding her still with one hand while the tip of the knife dragged over her face. Digging across her cheek and leaving a thin, tingling line behind. Just shy of cutting her.

Killer’s breathing picked up as he rubbed the blunt edge down her neck, scraping her skin until it flicked seamlessly down the front of her hoodie. Cutting it down her chest with a crisp sound. With a thoughtless motion, Killer flipped the sides apart.

She gasped as the edge of the knife slipped against the swell of her breast, blood beading up in the aftermath.

“…I can convince you?” Rena panted, uncomfortably hot as Killer pulled the knife away and flicked it in his gasp, blade down. For a moment, she was afraid he would plunge it into her body, but instead Killer delicately slipped the blade between the cups of her bra and cut.

“Convince me?” Killer purred thoughtfully. “I’m not sure you’d be offering me that if you knew how often I imagined making you scream.”

It was only years of knowing Killer that gave Rena the impression he didn’t… strictly mean it in a bad way.

“I can still scream.” Rena offered and was rewarded with a stilted snort.

“Oh, I know I can make you scream.” He sighed, pressing the tip of his knife between the fabric and her shoulder. Slowly pushing it away as she allowed it to fall. A flick of his knife cutting another thin line along her collar bone. “So small, you know? It’s the worst. Wanting what I can’t have without breaking you.”

Rena’s breath came in quick pants, nipples beading under his scrutiny as he tilted his head. The cold, flat part of his knife tapping her breasts teasingly.

“What’s this? Aren’t you scared?” he asked curiously. Knife slipping around the curve of her breast as cutting a thin, hot line between them. Rena gasped sharply and tried to remain still. Certain he’d cut her much worse if she struggled.

“A-Absolutely but…”

“But?”

“You’re still my best friend.”

Killer snarled, knife lashing out into the wall as he pinned her against it.

She felt small and helpless.

And made her rub her thighs together to relieve the edge it inspired within her.

Rena squirmed, slipping down Killer’s chest.

“Do you really hate being called that, Killer?” Rena asked in a soft voice.

“It’s one of many reasons I’m so pent up.” Killer admitted, his voice tinged with confusion as she half kneeled between his thighs.

Rena kissed the harsh tent of his erection and tossed away her ruined sweatshirt and bra.

“Then I guess I just have to make it up to you?” Rena implied coyly, hands tapping at his thick belt.

Killer’s breathing was rapid and deep, chest heaving for air as his hips canted forward.

“Yeah. You should. Before I find a better use for that lying mouth.” Killer warned.

Not needing to be told twice, Rena slipped open his buckle and tugged down his pants. Forcing them over his thick thighs until his cock bounced free. She froze, certain that the light was just not clear enough.

He looked thick and massive. Cock straining to raise under its own weight as the tip caught the light in a wet smear.

Rena reached over and pulled the flashlight closer, propping it up to cast light onto the ceiling.

No.

Killer’s cock was just massive.

A heavy hand settled over her head and his other fisted his cock. Pumping it harshly.

“Scared, Reens?” Killer asked gruffly, concern barely hidden.

Rena nuzzled closer to his cock, allowing his knuckles to dig into her hair as she kissed the swollen balls. Whispering against the heated, curly hair.

“You’re so big, Killer. You’re going to choke me.” Rena’s voice was thick with excitement as his cock throbbed. Killer let her go and shoved down his pants all the way to his ankles.

“Yeah I will.” He grunted, grasping her face and pressing her lips to his leaking tip. Groaning as she licked the hot skin. Despite both of their interest, he allowed her to slowly take him into her lips. The thick tip heavy and dripping onto her tongue as she lapped at it. Sucking it further down her throat in slow motions until it weighed down her tongue and brushed the back. Certain she reached her limit, Rena started to pull away. “I. Will.”

Killer grasped her head and rammed his cock down her throat, groaning as she whined. Choking around his throbbing cock, throat swallowing around the obstruction as her nose buried into his curls. Killer let slip a chuckle and ground against her face. Fucking her face as she fell limp, relaxing to try and make it easier to take his cock down her throat. Letting him control her as she tried to just breathe, lightheaded and dizzy with arousal at the rough treatment her usually gentle-giant friend afforded her.

“N-Ngh, th-that’s it. T-Take my cock! B-Better than I imagined it would be—small throat so tight—good girl, baby.” Killer whined, cumming down her throat with a harsh moan. It spurted down her throat in a hot wave and filled her mouth until it spurted free from her lips. But he kept rocking and trembling against her face. Fucking her in desperate jerks. “P-Pretty convincing, Reens, ssssoooo fucking convincing! Show me! Show me why I-I should k-keep you alive!”

Rena whined, looking up at him through her lashes with tears in her eyes. She moaned loudly, watching as he jerked hard at the stimulation.

“Y-Yeah? A-And?” He demanded, balls hitting her chin with wet smacks.

Rena slipped open her belt and reached into her pants. Rubbing her soaked panties with a muffled moan. Circling her t-clit as her hips jerked sporadically with the growing heat.

“M-Mmm! C-Can hear your next argument—s-sounds promising, pretty girl. C-Can you take it, though? Can th-that tiny pussy take my cock?” Rena swallowed hard and moaned an affirmative, nuzzling into his cock. “Y-You think so? B-Better—that little throat can barely handle me as it is. H-Hurt, baby?”

It kind of did, actually. Rena’s throat burning with exertion as she suppressed her gag reflex. Her saliva struggled to lubricate his cock when he wouldn’t pull out. It turned her on, though, her fingers scissoring her cunt as he continued to fuck her messy face.

It felt good to struggle against him like this. Like he was taking what he wanted. And Rena, despite wanting it too, struggled to give it him. Requiring a firm hand to please him.

It shocked her a little when he suddenly pulled free with a harsh groan.

She sputtered, gasping for air, only for him to cum over her face as she jerked back in surprise. His fist slapping against his cock as he stroked out the last of it onto her open mouth. He grasped her face and squeezed, tilting her head to either side as he inspected her.

“Oh—look at that pretty face. Would be a waste to bust it in. You like that? Like me telling you what I almost did—have done before?” Killer asked breathlessly, the sound of her wet cunt clenching her fingers audible in the quiet room. “I saw you in the gym, you know. Didn’t recognize you at first. I planned on dragging you down the stairs and making you watch as I cut you open. Seeing how hard I am at the sound of your screams. M-Maybe I still will, pretty girl. Maybe I won’t—if I breed that wet pussy you keep playing with. Selfish. Always so selfish with your best toys.” Killer chuckled thoughtlessly.

“A-And waste this pretty cock only doing it once?” Rena asked now that she had caught her breath. “I could be your best toy. W-Want it, please, Killer—I’m so wet.” Rena squeezed her t-clit. Playing with the engorged button as she licked the cum on her lips.

“W-Would be a waste… But maybe I’m not convinced yet? Maybe I need to see if it’s as good as I dreamed to fuck that pussy raw until you scream.” Killer mused, dragging her up and shoving her around. Smacking her ass once before stripping her pants off, Rena kicking off her boots eagerly as Killer removed her belt all the way. “You’re mine, either way.” He sneered, pulling her wrists close over her lower back and tying them together with her belt.

He stepped back, lifting up her hips and dragging her with him. Rena struggled to arch up her spine to keep from folding over his arm as he pressed his cock against her cunt. Rubbing the thick, hot mass between her folds as she dripped profusely onto him.

“I-I… Killer… you know I can’t have kids…” Rena admitted softly.

Killer grunted, popping the thick tip into her pussy.

“…I know.” Killer adjusted his arm under her belly to hold her more firmly before slamming in deep. “Doesn’t mean I can’t breed you, Reens.” He laughed as she screamed, her pussy struggling around his cock. Her ass not even brushing his hips as he railed her cunt open. Trying to force his cock to hilt despite knowing how small she was.

“K-Killer! Killer! Ahn! AH! A-AH! O-Ooh—K-Kill—Killer—yes—H-Hurts s-soooo g-ood! So! Good~!” Rena wailed, her voice bouncing off the walls erratically as she cried out, fucked like a toy over Killer’s arm. Legs swaying with his aggressive thrusts as she struggled to remain horizontal. Pussy burning as his cock bullied her past her limits.

His free hand stroked down her spine thoughtfully for a moment before the cold edge of a knife pressed against her skin. He made a small cut and she moaned, jerking in his hold without thought, fire burning as he sliced across her arm.

The pain twisted her mind as it consumed her. A scream ripping from her throat as her spine snapped back, cumming onto his cock as he continued attempting to hilt inside her.

“L-Looks so cute covered in blood—d-don’t worry, it’s not deep. B-But I sure am. L-Look at that, almost halfway down my c-cock—good girl—good girl~” Killer panted, fucking her through her orgasm as she wailed, mind scrambling to comprehend half of his cock inside her. “G-Good reason to keep you, isn’t it? T-training you to take my whole cock like a good girl? Breeding you every night—how’s that sound? W-Want to save a few lives with that cute pussy?”

The suggestion of a future offering up her body to keep Killer from going out and murdering someone made her moan. Letting him take out all his frustrations on her body, his good girl.

“Y-Yeah—yeah—w-why waste your time with them when you c-could be breeding me, baby?” Rena asked breathlessly, thighs trembling as he buried his cock as deep as it would go. Straining her walls as she whined. “B-Breed me—breed me, Killer—wanna be yours! M-Make me—give me—w-want it~!” she babbled, head fuzzy with the impossible stretch of his cock.

Killer leaned down, chest plastered against her slick back as he reached down to where his cock bullied her pussy. Fingertips brushing over her swollen t-clit. Grinding harshly onto it with a deep groan as it made her cunt spasm around him.

“Now that’s a good argument.” Killer agreed, making her squirt onto his cock as he ground into her overstimulated cunt. Hot cum filling her stuffed pussy and spilling down her thighs as he grunted. Brushing down his face mask so he could kiss her shoulders and lick up her throat. “H-Hate wasting time—already wasted so much time trying not to breed this sweet cunt. W-Why hold back anymore when I could enjoy making my brave girl scream?”

Rena cried out, babbling agreement against the molded door as Killer started fucking her again. Keeping her lifted up to receive his cock—as much as she could take and a little bit more.

Rena’s moans bounced off her apartment walls as she clutched Killer’s leather jacket. Legs trembling as she lowered herself onto his cock. Still barely able to take any more of it than she did that first night, Killer was still just as eager to try. One arm thrown over the edge of the couch and the other brushing back his hair as he grinned without a single care. Too enthralled at the way her pussy struggled around him.

Knife gleaming in his outstretched arm.

“Ya sure you wanna try again tonight, Reens?” Killer asked with a smirk. “Been wanting to check out a new building.” He teased.

“U-Uhn—less you wanna fuck there too—no! W-Wanted this all week! C-Can’t wait anymore!” Rena whined, leather creaking between her fists as he stretched out her pussy.

The ‘Midnight Stalker’ hadn’t claimed a life in over a month.

Not since they’d made their relationship official, that is.

Sometimes he’d cheekily threaten to ‘go out’, but he barely needed to finish his sentence before Rena was bent over the nearest table.

They fucked other times, sure, but when he was in a mood… Well, there was a reason Rena was so eager to take his cock. Only a matter of time until he used the knife on her, gifting her little cuts here and there. And every inch of his cock her body could take until she wailed about it being too much. Her sadistic boyfriend not stopping until his bloodlust—and sexual desire—was sated.

She could lie and claim it was for those innocent lives he’d otherwise brutally murder but…

“That’s my eager little girl~” Killer teased, thrusting up into her suddenly to force out another wail. “So pretty on my cock. Struggling to take it all… maybe tomorrow instead. Don’t have work so I’m free… unless you are too?” Killer asked.

She nodded, bouncing on his cock harder, gasping for air between frantic moans.

“I-I am--!” Rena squeaked, falling onto his chest as he braced her ass with one hand. Thrusting up into her as he sighed in faux reluctance.

“Nothing for it. Guess I gotta breed you tomorrow too, baby.” Killer smiled, leaning down to kiss her. Tongues tangling together as they moaned, bodies trembling from pent up aggression.

If he never killed again—it would be a secondary benefit to the city. Mostly just because Rena couldn’t stand not having his pretty cock on a regular basis and Killer willing to indulge her. Only smiling when she’s crying on his cock—too fixated to care about his smile or laugh when her pussy demands every inch of his attention.

#one piece smut #spooktober 2024 #killer one piece #tw: murder #tw: dubcon

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milfbrainrot · 4 hours ago

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jackie dies and haunts the whole show literally and emotionally and literally again

laura lee dies heroically after turning lottie into a religious prophet whose spiritualty underlines everything that happens later on

nat dies in a way that was honestly stupid but only written because her actress wanted out. she got a post-death sequence like jackie. laura lee even shows up in lottie's near-death-experience sequence actually. and nat's death fucks up misty in a way that we are continuing to see the effects of.

meanwhile!!!!!

crystal literally existed so misty could have someone to talk to and then feel guilty about killing. she was so inconsequential beyond that the fandom thought she was a hallucination and still would think that if mari hadn't talked to her for half a second one time.

javi died in a freak accident in a way that let a white character live. actually everyone only got to live because of cannibalizing him for the most part. his death was appreciated and there was ceremony about it. he's still remembered by travis clearly. everyone dies in this show so i don't mind that this was given actual weight. but in addition to everything else surrounding characters of color... i still don't feel fantastic about it because.....

travis died in his own freak accident to further the plot forward without us ever even really meeting him as an adult. he died to further nat's story along, kind of like how javi did. i don't think we'll ever actually find out if what happened was true or not now that lottie's gone. and we certainly won't get much payoff to it with nat gone. "tell nat she was right" lol okay about what? guess we'll never know bc everyone adjacent to him also died so this was for nothing.

now lottie's dead lmfao. granted we have to learn more about it all but if both melanie and simone are pissed about it i'm guessing it doesn't make much sense and they're right about the wasted potential. to me it comes off like the writers didn't know how to handle her mental illnesses (akin to going "tai doesn't have DID haha" handwavey bs so they don't have to put in the effort to portray an actual disorder with care in balance with the genre) and didn't care enough to figure it out like they would've if she was a white 90s darling icon. she died so the other characters, namely misty (who... another character of color also died for the development of...) can have stuff to do now in figuring it out. and if melissa IS the new survivor, kinda fucked up to kill her off to make space for a white girl.

now it seems like ben, disabled gay man of color, is going to die next ep and i get why. there is at least some decent symbolism around the death of civilization, i suppose like javi was the death of innocence. but wow this feels like a pattern!

maybe if tai's wife and son weren't afterthoughts i'd feel less weird about all this. i get why their son has to be off-screen for actor age reasons but like. tai abandoning them for her white ex gf is choice. tai abandoning politics is choice.

i've also been following simone's career for like 7 years now and i've seen so many cases of her getting amazing roles that she deserved SO much only for her character to get discarded in a way i'm not sure would happen if she were a white woman.

idk man i don't think the writers are intending for it to come off this way, and i'm white so maybe my perspective is imperfect here idfk, but this is so goddamn tiring lmfao.

i guess i just hope that the theories about some people being left behind in the wilderness are true because idk how many survivors they can even really have at this point. i do think i saw mari in the rescue footage from last season, assuming that can be at all trusted, and there was a possible leak about akilah as an adult. who knows, maybe ben also survived out there somewhere!

it is too early to make a final judgement on the whole entire show but SO FAR it is not looking good loll.

#yj tag #i'm not invested much anymore but sadly i'm still invested enough to keep up with it #if they do get a 4 season plan im expecting something to push me out of it mid season 4 #im rly trying to only watch for the sake of fanfic with friends honestly #the other 99% of the fandom makes me regret ever starting this show

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magistralucis · 2 years ago

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Had my worst confrontation with The Pigs so far, especially awful because I didn’t even intend to stumble upon this. I didn’t choose any hostile options, I was alone (I think having Kim around makes this encounter worse and longer), and I passed the check for the gun just fine... but because I hadn’t talked to the Hardie Boys yet, literally hadn’t approached them at all, my detective had no idea what to do with her afterwards. All his mangled brain could come up with was this:

Sure, Lieutenant ‘I-will-instantly-pull-a-gun-at-a-mentally-ill-old-woman’ Kitsuragi totally would. 🙄 But in his absence, I’m shattered that HDB can’t act on any other option, despite being able to conceptualize one. Logic says it right there: the locals will take care of her. It’s the right answer. In terms of video game logic, this is exactly the sort of thing that'd be a positive modifier for the Hardie Boys talk. Even if you never approached them before, it feels like it’d forward your case if you ask their help, since you have the interests of the vulnerable members of their community in mind. Even if the Hardie Boys aren’t an option, Lilienne is a short distance away, isn’t she? Couldn’t HDB ask the Washerwoman, any other local in Martinaise? If he gives anyone a heads-up, he will have delivered a minimal duty of care.

But no. None of that happens, because this scene isn’t a brownie points exercise, and HDB isn’t a reasonable authority figure. He’s deeply unwell, like The Pigs. He’s been abandoned, like The Pigs. He’s in horrible pain, clinging to the vestiges of a cop identity like her, in the desperate hopes of something real and present to hold onto. This is a man who can barely face his own reflection. Seeing The Pigs, a near doppelganger of what he is and may become, is clearly too much for him to handle. HDB can react with compassion, or he can react with threats and violence, and both threads persist through the very end of the encounter with her.

Mutually exclusive options, but both present, and both possible. They are equally valid indicators of the person HDB is, and since he’s capable of the threat at all, it’s not looking good. And this is his double he’s saying this to. We know HDB hates himself to the point of self-destruction, and didn’t/doesn’t think he can improve (’I don’t want to get better, I want to get worse’): the fact that he can think up the pieces that might help her, yet his posterior neocortex shuts him down before he can put them together, implies to me that HDB is actively refusing to believe he can help The Pigs. He’s afraid to believe. He’s beyond help, after all. Everyone told him so.

He thinks it’s true, too, so the same must go for her, yes?

It’s. It’s just. How fucking broken is HDB that he knows what must be done, but simply cannot connect himself to the idea that he ought to do it. How are we meant to bear that his immediate thought upon seeing this poor woman - this horrific, devastated mirror of himself - is that Kim will know what to do, but he does not, because he convinced himself he’s utterly helpless. ‘Cause obviously, Kim’s stabilizing him, right? Surely Kim can do the same for The Pigs, and since RAC sure as fuck doesn’t know what to do about himself, he might as well just give up if Kim’s not around. So without Kim and without the Hardie Boys, HDB will simply walk away, and never bring up this incident again. It fucking breaks my heart it can’t end any other way. There are no adjectives for this level of self-loathing.

And you know, I bet he’d have reacted similarly had he been with any other RCM officer - Jean, others in Precinct 41, whatever - because he fundamentally doesn’t exist in a system that has compassion for people like this. Note that it is Esprit de Corps, your cop sense, which pipes up first to assert that you can’t help her. ‘’’Protect’’’ and serve my fucking arse

And no, Kim doesn’t know what to do in this situation either, according to FAYDE. Unlike HDB he doesn’t even come up with the right answer, only nightmare fuel, as regular cops with regular thoughts do

oh god. oh god, kim

#disco elysium #disco elysium meta #disco elysium spoilers #harry du bois #kim kitsuragi #the pigs (disco elysium)#magistralucis plays disco elysium #long post #ask for tags #this is a harrowing scene with no good paths and this post is definitely not about the better of those paths #the reason i hadn't talked to the hardie boys yet at this point was because i was testing to see if i could do the shivers check #without having progressed with the investigation at all #i could not. there was no payoff for this and i just abandoned this woman on the boardwalk for nothing #this post is pretty damning i get that but i was just so taken aback i had to scribble it out. no pulled punches in disco elysium no sir

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batmanisagatewaydrug · 3 years ago

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top 5 ouat moments? i've only seen a few eps but everything i've heard about the show is wild so i'm curious

jesus christ let's go

first and foremost I would be absolutely refuckingmiss if I didn't talk about Emma and stupid fucking eyeliner Captain Hook absolutely sucking face in the goddamn cursed jungles of Neverland while an absolutely demonic Peter Pan was skittering around abducting children. absolutely insane payoff to that sexual tension. this woman's annoying 12 (???) year old has been abducted by his own shit-eating immortal great-grandfather and she has this absolute mess of a wet one-handed man dragging himself after her in 700 pounds of leather rambling about how he's in love with her because they have the same abandonment issues... and he was right. she truly said fuck it I will climb this particular leather-bound tree don't mind if I do. this might as well happen. most desperate make out ever aired on a network that doesn't allow kissing with tongue. goth kings do not despair there is a jock gf out there for you and if you go on enough stupid little adventures together she WILL want to peg you.

do you guys remember when Belle went off on an adventure by herself for a episode and she had the absolute KICKIEST little leather booty shorts outfit you ever did see? god. a fashion icon. and then she met this flamboyant CGI Lumiere which absolutely no goddamn sense because he wasn't even, like, IN the Beast's castle because the Beast was just Rumplestiltskin and he had a completely different deal but OUAT was only kept alive through the goodwill of terminally unhinged Disney adults so they had to pepper in little movie references no matter how misplaced and inexplicable they were? okay good now that we've layed the groundwork for that one let's talk about this:

when Elsa and the cast of Frozen showed up as major supporting characters for an entire arc in goddamn live action LESS THAN A YEAR after the movie came out. hello??? HELLO??? unhinged. also very funny how the show played exactly as fast and loose with Frozen as they did with all the older Disney fare up to and including introducing Elsa's Evil Ice Aunt Who No One Ever Mentioned Even Though She Has The Same Goddamn Powers Don't Worry About It.

okay sorry I've sat on this long enough but we simply MUST discuss that a not insignificant chunk of Rumpelstiltskin's backstory is that his wife left him for Captain Hook. and then however many decades later (like every fairy tale character in this show was 500 years old because of *magic* and no one talked about it) Captain Hook came back and. god you guys are not going to believe this. he came back, still the exact same age, and he cucked Rumplestiltskin's son (WHOMST HE ALSO MET AS A CHILD) with tremendous success. please see point #1 again. if you need a reminder. this is so funny and I will genuinely never get over it. this show is nothing but convoluted connections between public domain characters but that is by FAR the most insane. Henry better watch his fucking back when he grows up because this patrilineal is evidently cursed with Getting Cucked By Captain Hook Disease. "Makenzie that's crazy what are the odds it would happen a third time" WHAT ARE THE ODDS IT WOULD HAPPEN TWICE. of all the women you could have fallen gobsmackingly stupid in love with. it was your stepson's baby mama. idiot.

the final season finally coughing up some canon gay rep in its death throes but instead of getting a really popular existing ship like Mulan/Sleeping Beauty together or canonizing a beloved Disney character common headcanoned as queer like the aforementioned Elsa they decided to get Little Red Riding Hood together with never-before-seen Dorothy Wizardofoz in a 5 second scene that was disrespectful to Mulan, Aurora, the audience, and Dorothy's book gf Ozma.

and I'm like barely even scratching the surface here. OUAT is insane. a pre-MCU-fame Sebastian Stan is there for a few episodes. Star Wars is canon. there's an alternate universe based on classic horror instead of fairy tales and everything is black and white there. Christian Gray is a pretty significant character in season 1. Rapunzel showed up like three different times and was a a completely different character each time. Maleficent and Zorro had sex. Emma Stone wishes her Cruella had a SLIVER of what Victoria Smurfit was bringing to the role.

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breadknight-likes-things · 3 years ago

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Bread's Game Journal 03/01/22: What Garners An Emotional Response In Horizon Forbidden West, Stays In Vegas.

*Mid Game Spoilers for Horizon Forbidden West* Horizon Zero Dawn is a game I had a complicated path to enjoyment in. Mostly just in that, for whatever reason, it took me like four separate tries to get into the game, with each start and stop increasingly more random in ways that never really made sense. Happily, I haven't had that problem with Horizon Forbidden West. Something about this game has clicked fairly quickly, and I'm finding a ton to appreciate every time I play it. I wanted to write, tonight, about one part of the game in particular, the ruins of Las Vegas, and the surprising emotional payoff it brought with it. Horizon is good at mining meaning and pathos out of things that, we as the players, understand mean little or nothing. Most locations in the game world aren't even ever referred to by their actual past names, even if it's clear to the player what those names are, but interestingly, Vegas is spelled out to the player from the start. The basic plot of the section is simple, Aloy needs the Poseidon Program, which has entrenched itself in some kind of dome underneath the ruins of Las Vegas, and there's a team of salvagers already there when you arrive, this is of course, where things get interesting. The salvagers aren't rough and tumble types looking for riches, they're looking for "Embers". It isn't immediately clear what an ember is, but the first real thing you learn is that the leader of this group has a deep emotional attachment to them, and you fully buy into his need to get them out of the watery grave they find themselves in. In the kind of ironic twist these types of stories love, it turns out "Embers" are little more than cheap holograms used to advertise casinos. Importantly though, that doesn't change anything. There's no reveal that crushes the salvagers spirt, he's fascinated by these things in an incredibly genuine way. He speaks of seeing a hologram of a buxom woman directing him towards a buffet as a child, and describes it as high art that changed his life without even a drip of ironic humor. The best part is that the voice over performance is so well done, and so well directed, that you really do believe everything he says. And it's not just the salvagers either, throughout the quest you find brief but enlightening data points filling in a little bit of the backstory of this zone in fantastic ways. The story makes it clear that, long before the world died, Vegas was abandoned. Unable to sustain itself in the middle of a climate change ravaged desert, everyone left, which devastated one man who truly loved the city. Without getting too much into the details of the story, the important thing is, that when Vegas was truly lost, that man made the decision to simply leave Vegas "On", so to speak. Even knowing that it was all hacky lights and tricks, he believed in Las Vegas. In simply leaving all the machinery on in standby mode, he hoped that someday it would mean something to someone else again. He was right, of course, as I said before, Morlund, the salvager thinks of Las Vegas a paradise of wonder on this earth, and he's keeping the dream of this long ago mogul alive. All of this is really a long way of saying: Horizon Forbidden west specializes in finding pathos and genuine emotion in areas that could otherwise be filled with cheap jokes and other played out tropes. It can spend an entire main story quest set in the now underwater ruins of Las Vegas hammering home how important this shackle of ruins is to two people in this world, and it never feels out of place. Those two characters have such a genuine love, that you might find yourself like me in the big payoff at the end. Tearing up a bit because someone, somewhere, just made the choice to leave the lights on, and influenced more than they could have possibly known.

#horizon zero dawn #video games #ps4 #bread's game journal #game journal #video game #vegas #las vegas #ps5 #horizon forbidden west #aloy #aloy horizon #hzd #hfw

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ceph-the-ghost-writer · 3 years ago

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✨OC Awards✨

There was an open tag for this by @athenswrites, so I'll pass out some awards to the Dysthanasia characters. (Vess, Ankaris, Fior, and the rest of the strangers/mind worms from Beyond & Between don't get any--it'll just encourage their behavior.)

Original post and list of questions here. [x]

Best Supporting Side Character: Cpl. Christina Yi

She didn't sign up to have her worldview blown to pieces or be branded a traitor by the Coven. But when they happen she doesn't abandon what she feels is right just to save her own ass.

Whiniest Bitch: Sgt. Areli Zamora

She's the type who wanted a badge and gun to feel bigger than other people. Without those...eh, well, she's still pretty dangerous actually.

Most Unhealthy Ways to Deal with Trauma: Renato Faria Dimas

Parents drowned on a rescue attempt at sea? *becomes vampiric enforcer for a secret society* Cognitive dissonance over what the Coven really does? *cues toxic relationship with first girlfriend* Oh, attacked and tortured an innocent human? *drags said human into plot to overthrow Coven leadership and recklessly flirts with him along the way*

Lost a Parent the Youngest: Isaac Soto

His mom died when he was two in one of the epidemics that are still prone to rip through the Central States. He'll thank you to wear a mask and shove your anti-vaccine conspiracy bullshit.

OC Magazine's Sexiest Character Alive: Ben Zebrowski

The first researcher to report on an unregistered bloodborn named Benjamin Zebrowski in 1934 was eventually pulled off the case. He was reprimanded and cited as having "lost academic objectivity" (i.e. had sexy adventures) and being "morally corrupted" (caught The Gay). After the Coven had to write up the next two men put on the assignment for the same reasons, they resorted to drastic measures: they sent in a woman researcher (gasp). Not just any woman, but one they described as "a spinster", "homely", and "frigid" (yikes). Ben disagreed with those views and proved bisexuality was a thing at the same time. Researchers have been banned from approaching him since 1953. (Spoiler: Some still do anyway.)

Best Fight Sequence: Renato and Melusine

Won't happen until after "Phagophobia", but...Renato fights a mermaid. It's everything his nightmares are made of.

Outstanding Plot Fucker-Upper: Sgt. Alan Curry

Mistakes are made. No spoilers.

Best Monologue: Cassius Mergus

I haven't even written one for him yet, but I already know the award goes to this bastard.

Most Tragic On Screen/Off Screen Death: Jacob Hawthorne

It's a long ways off. Suffice to say, he's among the first awful sacrifices his big sister Isabel makes to gain power.

Best Kiss: Isaac and Renato

Also a ways off. But the path to get there is what makes the payoff satisfying, I think.

Most Sympathetic Villain: Oleander "Ollie" Blume

She was a trans girl rescued from an apocalyptic cult and adopted by Mergus. Mergus, who wound up using the loyalty and gratitude she felt to twist her into a pawn when she grew up. So she's bound to have a few Issues™.

Best Costume Design: Dorian St-Ange

They could be in the middle of a desert at noon, treading water at sea, or standing on the surface of the sun and they'd be bundled up and looking cute in a coat or jacket like the nonbinary icon they are.

Best Playlist: Kinslayer

Emotions are their bread and butter. If you want to be caught crying in the club or run straight into a wall because a song's so good, they've got you covered.

Luckiest Goldfish Ever: Tesoro

They started life as a mere carnival goldfish. A prize to be given to whoever could toss three rings on a bottle. They could have wound up perishing in the clutches of someone uncaring or too young to be responsible for them, flushed down a toilet in an ignoble send off. Instead, they were won by a trans vampire enforcer for his trans vampire enforcer girlfriend. True, the couple got into a shouting match at home and broke up that night. Custody of the new fish went to Renato by default. He bought a fancy aquarium and the whole nine yards purely to spite Ollie. And wound up falling in love instead.

Now, Tes lives in a 125 gallon tank, complete with guppies and a pleco for friends, live water plants, a mini castle, and is guarded by a spectral force who communicates through sticky notes. A true finny fairytale.

Zero obligation tags @thecyrulik @whumpy-writings @whumpsday @the-blind-one-speaks @arigalefantasynovels and anyone else who wants to do this and share their answers with me. :D

#tag game #character info

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shania-twain · 4 years ago

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What’s your top 5 favorite Rollisi moments?

I apologize, as this ask was sent days ago and I'm just now getting around to it because ya know, life, and because I took my sweet time thinking over these scenes.

It's a long one, under the cut!

1. The Scene (the kiss). This kiss has everything. It’s unexpected yet long overdue. It’s tender, it’s loving. There’s swaying. There’s standing on tip toes to reach Tol and there’s bending down to reach Smol. There’s water, city lights, a romantic atmosphere. There's tears (barely) but it's an excuse to touch faces! There's cheek caressing, there's longing, lingering stares, there's hesitance in transitioning from best friends to lovers. Light banter, nervous laughter. THE UNFINISHED SPEECH. I know I'm all over the place with this but SO ARE MY FEELINGS. So much has led up to this moment and I must say, the payoff was excellent. Perfect first kiss.

2. The Fight. Dare I name the one fight they got in that caused them to be labeled “toxic” by haters? I do dare. Why, one may ask? *shakes out piece of paper* Though they are fueled by their lack of sleep and unsaid feelings for each other at the time, there’s still some bite to Amanda’s bark on her part. She’s clearly upset over him leaving her, feels abandoned. Perhaps this is a feeling she’s used to from her own family trauma, but Carisi leaving the precinct particularly hurt not only because she has strong feelings for him at this point, but because he was the only one that ever was there for her in a way no one else was. I think she came to rely on him more than she may have even realized and that all spilled out in that small fight in the squad room. And he was so taken aback, obviously thought she was happy for him but of course she’s going to tell him she is because she doesn’t want to hurt him. The fight is so natural, happens unexpectedly but develops organically. The main reason it’s my number two? Giddish and Scanavino’s best acting, imo. And I’ve only seen the actual scene about three times because it makes me semi uncomfortable. It’s uncomfortable watching people argue. It was so intimate and clearly turned personal, it almost feels wrong to be watching them go at it (in a bad way. Heh). But I think that’s a testament to the acting! A+++ scene! I dream of writing a fight scene as well as this one!

3. The Hospital. Truly, this episode was packed with Rollisi moments from start to finish. I love every moment we get with them individually (hand grab, anyone? Or when he makes her LAUGH at such an emotional moment in the hospital. I could go on about this scene in detail but I’ll stop). My favorite moment of the episode is actually the last scene of them. After Rollins gets rid of her father's (ex) wife, she’s so proud of herself for doing what she feels is right and that reflects in her face when she smiles at Carisi. It’s so simple and subtle, but there’s so much love in that look. Kelli is a master at giving these loving looks and perfect expressions. It’s also a wonderful contrast to how she used to look at Carisi in the beginning - from season 16, when she thought he was a bit of a goof. Now she looks at him like he hung the got damn moon. We don't get to see Carisi's face here, but I imagine he's looking quite amused at her, maybe even charmed by her a little bit. I'm also obsessed with the way Amanda's eyelashes flutter down when he moves closer to her. Flirting over Amanda's bedridden father? The ✨romance!✨ Swoon!

4. The Elevator. This used to be number one for me, until we got the goodness in season 22. There’s something very special about this hug. It’s not even a hug, really. It’s clinging, desperate, need that one particular person and only this person kind of thing. It’s, of course, devastating that Rollins had to go through the whole thing with Bucci and possibly leaving her children without a mother, but like I said, something special about the way this led to letting the audience see who she really trusts as she let’s herself fall apart and into Carisi’s arms. Sure, she trusts her squad, but she also wants them to know she’s ok at all times. Even tells her own therapist this once or twice. She even *begins* to tell Carisi she’s fine, her usual response when asked if she’s alright, but then the second he says her name, it’s like a switch is flicked and she’s sobbing into him. DON’T THINK I FORGOT ABOUT SCANAVINO. He’s always there when she needs it. He’s patient with her, kind, takes her into him with absolutely no hesitation. This scene happens episodes after their fight in the squad room. It’s clear there is no more lingering tension between them in the elevator scene. It’s the way he says “I got you” not once but TWICE, as if he needs her to hear it. Needs to make sure she understands that he’s there not just in the moment, but he’s got her always. No matter what happens between them or with their jobs — and this comes back around in his wedding speech, as well. 🤧 But also, fave part of that scene? When he holds her tighter, leans his head against hers many times, and then closes his eyes. Cannot stand to hear her sobs, or see her in any kind of pain. Oh, my heart. My heaaaaaaart.

5. Rain check. Lots of great acting here. Is anyone surprised? No, but there’s a bit of a range of emotions in this particular scene and it’s acted so beautifully, I could write a whole paper. I’ll try and keep it brief (ha, yeah right). I don’t think Amanda would ever have a problem getting a man anytime anywhere, but I do think it was a big deal for her to ask this man out. I think maybe her intentions at the time may have been less than trying for a relationship, but she was open to trying something with him. I also think it was a big deal because it felt very planned. The outfit felt planned, the way she made him laugh, the hair toss an attempt to flirt. Though she also had this vulnerability about her that only exists with him. She’s putting herself out there, she’s saying that she’s willing to try and I think that is a big step for her, even if she was only open to a FWB situation (that totally 100% wouldn’t have worked bc *feelings*). Carisi, however, rejects her. You can see in his face that he’s so reluctant to do this but he does. Obviously, he’s had feelings for the woman for so long but is protecting himself. Almost like he knows she may think she’s ready to try something with him, but he also knew it wasn’t their time yet. Also, after he tells her he can’t, the immediate disappointment Amanda has? Heart-wrenching, tbh. She looks so upset and gets off from sitting on the edge of his desk so fast. Like. BABYYYYY.

Honorable Mentions: Threats! I’m kind of cheating here, but there’s nothing like an OTP that will kill for the other. I’m -of course- talking about Carisi’s “if Rollins gets shot over this, I’m gonna take ALL of them out.” And also Amanda’s message to Mesner: “if you go after Counselor Carisi or anyone in my family again, it will be your last day on earth. I’ll kill you myself.” Ooh, there’s something so secks see about being violently protective over your significant other. I don’t condone it irl, but let me have the ✨drama✨on tv.

Thank you for this question! I had fun going over some great scenes!

#ask #anonymous

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jadelotusflower · 4 years ago

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It’s Cold in that Fridge: The Case of Nakari Kelen

Since The Case of Mara Jade has been doing the rounds again, I’ve finally gone back to this post that has been sitting in my drafts for literally years. So let’s honour this absolute badass who deserved better:

Once upon a time, the Star Wars universe was but six films (and a tv series) in the story of the Skywalker family. But beyond George Lucas’ story was an absolute boatload of books, comics, games, and other materials that made up the Expanded Universe. When Disney purchased Lucasfilm and the rights to the Star Wars saga, everything in this universe was decanonised and deemed “Legends” - some aspects of this universe were retained or re-purposed, others sit in Disney’s figurative vault and will likely never see the light of day (and seeing how the ST turned out, maybe that’s for the best).

But this transition between Legends canon and Disney canon was not so simple, because the nature of publishing meant that there were novels approved during the time of Legends canon that would be released in the time of Disney canon. In particular, there had been the planned trilogy “Empire and Rebellion”, set between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, with each novel from the perspective of one of The Big Three.

Razor’s Edge (Leia) and Honor Among Thieves (Han) were released prior to the Great Canon Split of 2014. But while the Luke-centric novel had been planned, it was not due to be released until well after the Split. So Heir to the Jedi (so called as an homage to the Legends progenitor Heir to the Empire) became one of the first books of the Disney canon.

What does this background have to do with Nakari Kelen? Perhaps nothing, but I do wonder how the writing process was affected by the shift from Legends to Disney - was the novel a relic of the old EU with any reference the LFL storygroup didn’t like excised during editing, or was it a trendsetter for the new EU, a Sign of Things to Come?

The most salient point being, of course, that Nakari Kelen - like so many love interests before her - was not allowed to go along her merry way at the conclusion of the novel, but was shoved into the fridge.

If there was one constant of the Legends EU, it was that Luke Skywalker’s love interests couldn’t catch a break. Mara Jade naturally lasted the longest relationship-wise, with almost twenty years of marriage to Luke before some bright spark decided she had to go (as per the aforementioned case study). But before Mara there was Jem, Shira Brie, and Gaeriel Captison (who came close to escaping the curse), and in the Legacy of the Force series they brought back sole survivors Akanah and Callista, only to kill them off for good too (and rather brutally, if I may add).

So perhaps when Kevin Hearne began writing HttJ within the confines of the Legends continuity, he was merely sticking to the status quo, or perhaps once subsumed by Disney they needed to make sure Luke's slate was clean (so to speak). And I can’t put all the blame on Hearne since I don’t know whether it was his idea, or LFL mandated - but regardless it was a poor decision.

The root cause of fridging, imo, is limited imagination. How best to cause your male protagonist pain if not kill off someone they love, or at least have strong feelings for? The answer is of course, easily. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

The Luke Skywalker of HttJ is fresh from his victory in ANH, a lieutenant in the Rebellion: young, not dumb, and full of...

Nakari Kalen is an absolute Queen a civilian volunteer and crack-shot sniper who loans her ship Desert Jewel to the Alliance. Luke is immediately attracted to her, they bond over a mutual love of fast ships and leaving behind desert home planets, and engage in the inexpert flirting of two nineteen year olds while also risking their lives several times over.

I want to make it clear: I actually really like this book. It's a breezy read, almost serialised as The Early Adventures of Luke Skywalker, and is ofttimes genuinely funny. And credit where it’s due to Hearne, many of of the supporting roles in the novel are female. Other than Nakari, there's Soonta, the Rodian who gives Luke her uncle’s lightsaber, Sakhet the Kupohan spy, and the Givin cryptographer/math genius Drusil Bephorin. In a genre where male characters are often the default for these kind of roles, it was nice to see, but makes the regressive fridging of Nakari even more egregious.

Luke and Nakari make a good team fighting brain-sucking monsters and Imperials, but more importantly they have fun together - she encourages him to work on his Force skills, and he successfully moves objects with his mind for the first time (leading to Nakari adorably dub him "a little noddle scooter"). It's a very sweet, if brief, relationship, and a respite from the danger of the mission. They spend the night together (leaving the reader to decide exactly what happened behind closed doors), and share a kiss before splitting up to try and escape bounty hunters. No prizes for guessing what happens to Nakari immediately after she received the Skywalker Kiss of Death.

I assume there were two motivating factors for why Hearne and/or LFL couldn't let Nakari live:

1. If she survived, fans would wonder why she doesn't appear in ESB/subsequent material.

I recall this bandied about on forums back at the time of the book's release, and to that I say - so what? Fans are always going to wonder, and try to paper over the gaps in canon, to make up their own headcanons to explain any any perceived inconsistencies. It's certainly no reason to kill someone off.

It is in fact possible for two young people to have a romance that just fizzles, or doesn’t work out for whatever reason - it should not require great maneuvering or explanation. If Nakari doesn’t show up in the next book in the timeline, what about it? The reader is smart enough to assume she and Luke broke up, decided to just remain friends, whatever. But it seems that the only way for a female character to exit stage left is for her to die, which is bullshit.

And actually, there's no reason why she couldn't have shown up again. ESB and RoTJ cover a month and a few days, respectively, of Luke's life - just because there was no mention of Nakari doesn't mean she didn't exist at that time, whether or not she and Luke were an item. She could have made an appearance in a subsequent novel, or Rebels, or the comics - she could have become a recurring character, showing up when the Rebellion needed her, or - heaven forbid - even have her own comic/book/show! Her existence in Star Wars canon didn't need to begin and end with Luke Skywalker, merely to service his plotline and backstory and abandoning the richness of her own.

No, the only reason Nakari had to die was to facilitate this:

It was a blow to the gut, realizing what that sudden absence meant. I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, but I had felt Nakari's life snuffed out through the Force, and into that void where she had shone anger rushed in - anger, and a cold sense of raw power and invincibility...I took a step to join in the hunt but stopped, breathing heavily, unaccountably sweating even though I felt so cold inside and the power of the Force roiled within me... I shook with emotion and power, and none of it felt the way the Force had before...I saw what kind of space it was , a black hole that would always be hungry no matter how much I fed it. I might never feel warm again if I didn't get myself under control.

Luke feels the dark side and is tempted by the boost of power it offers him, but immediately identifies it as dangerous and unnatural. I can understand why Hearne wanted to include this - it is a book of firsts after all: Luke's first solo mission, his first time using telekenisis, and ending with story with his first experience of the dark side makes sense. But it wasn't necessary, which leads to:

2. How to push Luke to touch the dark side without killing someone he has romantic feelings for?

Also, obviously, shite of the bull (or nerf, if you prefer). Even if this brush with the dark side was absolutely necessary for the novel's climax, there's any number of ways it could be achieved. At this point, Luke is fresh from losing important people in his life - Owen and Beru, Ben, and Biggs - lumping another death on top of that a narrative trick for Luke to react not only to losing Nakari, but the others as well. But it's cheap, the first card in the deck, and why not show a bit of imagination? Luke is young and inexperienced enough at this point that any number of things could be the catalyst - the whole book he's struggling with his growing powers, why not try and reach too far in the firefight with the bounty hunters, his anger and frustration with himself in not doing enough trigger the dark side temptation? It would work thematically and doesn't involve a fridging that ultimately has very little payoff.

Because Nakari is killed less than ten pages from the end of the book - afterwards Luke grieves, but ultimately chooses to honour her memory and be grateful for what he learned with her, recommitting to becoming a Jedi. It's all very surface level, and once again a female character's death facilitates a male character's development. Was it so imperative that Luke lost someone he cared about as part of this story? Sure, this was a time of galactic civil war, and it's far from unrealistic that these stories have a high body count, but who to make collateral damage remains an authorial choice, and in this case Nakari Kelen was (a) a female character of color, (b) a love interest of the protagonist - not just of this book, but the entire Original Trilogy.

I don't know to what extent (if any) race had to play in the decision. I'm sure there was a segment of the fandom absolutely livid that Luke Skywalker kissed (and maybe had sex with) a black woman. Was her death LFL hedging its bets, or demonstrative of the general lack of attention/respect they show their characters of colour?

In any case this was a chance to stand out from the old EU and it's fridge full of Luke's dead girlfriends, but instead they chose to introduce and kill off Nakari for the sole purpose of Luke's manpain and character development, and that's gross.

And then there's this:

A grisly yet reliable fact about custom bounty hunter ships is that you can always count on them to have body bags stashed somewhere for the easy transport of their kills. They often have built-in refrigerated storage, too.

NAKARI IS KILLED AND LITERALLY STORED IN THE FUCKING FRIDGE I COULDN'T BELIEVE WHAT I WAS READING.

I really hope this was unintentional on Hearne's part, because yikes. He was halfway there, this book was full of interesting female characters who had agency - Drusil in particular was a delight with her super math and inability to understand human interaction. Nakari was full of life and fun - capable but relatable, showing a different side of the Rebellion and those that suffered under the Empire's rule. Fridging her in her first appearance is considerably more vile, because it reduces her to a footnote of Luke's story, a plot device to Help Him Grow, rather than a springboard to tell more of her own story.

Because Nakari was a compelling character ripe for spinoff potential. I would absolutely have read or watched her continued adventures, juggling missions for her father's Biolabs company and trying to aid the Rebellion, shooting her slug rifle and cracking wise, maybe even finding a way to amplify her mother's song Vader's Many Prosthetic Parts to really stick it to the Empire, or try and free the political prisoners on Kessel.

The old EU was made great by allies and enemies of Our Heroes showing up again to help or hinder them, and/or branching out into their own material. We fell in love with them, and followed their stories even as they diverged from the main saga, eager to read more about their lives.

Nakari Kelen never got that chance. In many ways, she exemplified what Disney Star Wars was to become: an exercise in wasted potential.

#star wars #star wars meta #heir to the jedi #nakari kelen #luke skywalker #fridging #it's cold in that fridge #star wars expanded universe #nucanon

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snusbandxknifewife · 4 years ago

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How We Got Here/Where We’re Going

Hello yes hi! I am proud to introduce my gift for the lovely and amazing Tess, @clockworkgraystairs ! This started out as a wedding fic, but I couldn’t get it to work right until I was giving @wanderingpages her regularly scheduled Mayari update and saw her asynchronous pregnancy au and was like “!!!!!Holy shit that’s it.” So, without much further ado, I present the beginning of “How We Got Here/Where We’re Going”, an all human, modern au where Cardan and Jude have been a thing since college, ended up getting pregnant and having a daughter and marrying in their late 20s. Now it’s their honeymoon and they’re looking backwards at their past and forward towards their future.

~~~~~~~

Outside, fluffy grey clouds hung over a soft blanket of snow, masking any sound that might’ve accompanied the rising of the sun. Her bed was soft, her sheets warm, her room quiet. Jude couldn’t quite figure out what woke her up. Then, as she stretched out, her fingers hungrily searching as she fought sleep, she realized what it was: Cardan was missing.

Sitting up, her eyes bleary and drool dried on her cheek, she pouted. When she remembered that she didn’t have a stitch of clothing on—and that, plus a snowy log cabin, makes for freezing nips—she grumbled and burrowed back into the comforter.

Oh to have been a fly on the wall in the little cabin bedroom as Jude Greenbriar tumbled around in her nest of blankets, dragging them with her to grab underwear and pajamas and socks and fighting to avoid any cold air as she dressed. Cussing and tripping as she went, Jude scowled into nothing and cursed her fiancé—

Wait. Husband. It’s husband now.

—she cursed her husband for abandoning her to the elements and taking his space heater of a body with him when he went.

Jude wrapped herself up in her ball of bedding and went out the door, now awake enough to listen for movement in the small cabin. A pot clanged from the downstairs kitchen and her husband yelped and she smirked.

That’s what you get, loser.

As Jude walked down the stairs, she couldn’t miss the chaos of the living room. Most of their suitcases were still packed up and set by the fireplace, their skis and snow jackets barely made it in the door, and their wedding clothes were strewn haphazardly across the sofa. She was honestly impressed that they’d made it inside the house.

Just as she made it to the bottom of the stairs and headed towards the sofa to run her hand over her wedding dress, she heard something that made her stop.

“—And how should I know? Honestly Nic I’m not even sure how to bring it up to her,” Cardan sighed from within the kitchen, bustling around like he was making breakfast. “I think it might be good for us. Still, with how everything went when we had Faye, I don’t want to pressure her.”

She couldn’t help but frown in concern as her mind flitted back through everything she could remember about their first daughter and her pregnancy. From the confusion of her missed period to the worry as they waited on the test to the way Cardan’s eyes had lit up when the Ob/Gyn told them they were having a little girl.

What on earth would Nicasia be talking to him about?

Jude tried to tell herself that it was obvious, Nicasia was only days away from popping, and her pregnancy had been a bit of a nightmare. Maybe she was just nervous? But, then again, why ask Cardan about giving birth? Jude had been the one who carried Faye and, far more importantly, Nicasia’s own wife, Taryn, had already had a child herself.

Completely ignoring the fact that calling a man away from his wife on his honeymoon was probably in poor taste, but she digressed.

She kept herself as still as possible, angling her head so she could hear better.

“Yes, I know that, Nic,” he let out a little frustrated laugh, and Jude could just picture the way he would be pinching the bridge of his nose. “But Faye will be starting school soon and that’ll be a circus in it of itself, never mind adding on the stress that this would.”

He went quiet again and Jude crept back towards the stairs, hoping he wouldn’t walk through the kitchen door and catch her spying.

“I know you and Taryn want the little man to have a friend, but you remember how tough it was for Jude our first go round.”

Oh.

Jude’s hand flew to her belly and she had to jump to catch the falling blankets before they made a sound and alerted her new husband.

So she wasn’t the only one who was getting suggestions about expanding the family.

It made sense, everyone had been talking to Jude about the idea as the wedding had gotten closer. Oriana had been completely starry eyed ever since Taryn’s firstborn, Rosemary, had graced them with her presence. In fact, their stepmother had barely batted an eyelash at Jude’s worries when she’d fallen pregnant during college, she was far too excited at the idea of another grand baby. Madoc had gotten past the shock and the disdain for Cardan enough to be hounding them for a grandson. Taryn thought having cousins the same age made for perfect best friends. It was a mess.

Sure, Nicasia being pregnant had bought them a little respite, but she could go into labor literally any minute, so there went that.

Jude rolled her eyes and began loudly making her way down the stairs again, giving her husband fair warning this time as she walked through the living room and towards the kitchen.

“Hold on, here she comes,” he whispered, low enough that he likely thought she couldn’t hear. Then, she hit the kitchen door with her mobile blanket fort and he spun around with a: “hey Hot Mama!”

“Stop calling me that, you dork,” she made a face, instantly regretting her decision not to sneak up and scare him.

He’s stood there by the stove, wearing nothing but his low-slung flannel pajama pants and grinning at her like an idiot as he leaned back against the counter. She refused to let her sneer fall, only growing more annoyed at how he could walk around half naked in such a freezing house.

“Huh?” He must’ve forgotten he was talking to Nicasia because he seemed surprised when she began speaking on the other end of the phone. “Oh, yeah, Jude’s finally awake. Y’know I kept her up last night, heyo.”

Jude let out a disgusted groan and he just started to laugh, giving her an exaggerated wink and thrusting his hips forward in a way that absolutely did not put butterflies in her stomach, thank you very much.

He tilted his head, listening to Nicasia for a moment before finally giving up. “Here I’ll put her on speaker.”

“Hey Nic!” Jude smiled, finally dropping her pretenses and walking over to give Cardan a big, blankety hug and morning kiss. “How did Faye do last night?”

“She was great! Didn’t get up until about seven this morning. Of course the little man already had me up, fuckin’ kid always sitting on my bladder,” Nicasia griped through the phone and Jude snorted. “I don’t know how you and Taryn both did this it sucks.”

“Yeah, but the payoff is really cute,” she shrugged, leaning her head against Cardan’s collarbone. “Especially when they have your nose or your eyes or they start saying how much they love their Mommy.”

“Is Rosemary ready for baby?” Cardan asked as he wrapped his arm around his blanket bundle of a wife.

“You know how she gets, she’s super attached to her moms. Well have to see once Taryn and I actually bring him home.”

“I’m sure she’ll be a great big sister, she’s always been wonderful to Faye,” Jude offered, smiling as her husband pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “She was very sweet when Faye was a baby.”

“She was three then. Seven-year-olds have much bigger personalities.” Nicasia sounded exhausted, more exhausted than a normal pregnant person would be and Jude worried at her lip.

While they hadn’t always been the closest, she and Nicasia had grown into a really solid friendship ever since the other woman had begun dating Jude’s sister, and she didn’t like to see her struggling. Nic had been a huge help in Jude’s own life and relationship, she’d been an amazing friend to Cardan, she didn’t deserve anything but the best, happiest transition to a family of four.

“Well she takes after her mother.”

“What’s that supposed to mean, Jackass?” Nicasia laughed at Cardan, her voice sounding like the tension broke a little.

Jude opened her mouth to give some word of advice or make some statement about how sure she was that it would be ok, but got cut off by the sound of commotion on the other end of the phone.

“What? Oh, yes Faerie-Faye it’s Mommy and Daddy,” Nic said, sounding far away from the phone. “Of course you can darling, here you go.”

Jude’s heart swelled and tears unexpectedly pricked at the back of her eyes as their daughter fumbled with the phone. She felt guilty, having forgotten for a moment that they were on their honeymoon without Faye. It was their first trip alone since her birth, and they’d both been on pins and needles when they’d said goodbye to her at the reception hall last night.

“Mommy?” Faye’s voice, tiny and soft like the twinkling of a wind chime, came through the phone. “Hello?”

“Hey little elf! How are you? Mommy misses you so much,” she gushed, reaching out and taking the phone from her husband in a mindless attempt to feel physically closer to her daughter. “Have you been good for Aunty Taryn and Aunt Nicky?”

Jude listened attentively as her four-year-old prattled on about everything she’d done since she left the reception hall with her aunts and cousin last night. To hear her tell it, Faye had had a great time. While it made her happy, Jude also found herself a little sad at the idea that her baby girl was doing so well without mom.

“And Daddy, Aunt Nicky let me touch her tummy when baby cousin kicked!”

“Were you gentle, Princess?” Cardan asked. He always called their daughter Princess, had since the first moment he’d held her in his arms. “Remember what we’ve said about soft hands.”

“Yes Daddy I used soft hands and nice words!”

“That’s my girl,” he said, that proud grin he always got whenever Faye listened to them plastering itself across his face.

The phone fell away and they heard some distant talking before their daughter was back on.

“Ok Mommy and Daddy, Rosemary is awake and we’re playing Rome. I love you, bye-bye!”

And she was gone before either of them could say another word, likely dropping her Aunt’s phone on the floor, if history could serve as a teacher. Jude tried not to let it hurt too much, she knew how seriously Faye took Rome—her word for the pretend gladiator-style tournaments her and her cousin put on. On any other day she’d be slightly smug at how well her kid swung a sword, but today she was away from her daughter and it really sucked.

“Sorry about that, I’ll make sure she stays on longer tonight,” Nicasia promised before either of them said anything. “But you know gladiator is a serious time in our house.”

“Oh to be sure. My wife is raising a little killer.”

“Looks like it runs in the family,” she laughed back. “Listen I’ll let you to go do gross honeymoon shit. Love you both, I’ll let you know if baby boy makes an early appearance.”

“Love you too, tell Faye we love her,” Cardan said, taking his phone back when she ended the call.

And, just that quickly, the little cabin in the snow-laden forest was silent again. Jude in her mountain of covers looked up at her new husband, her pout from earlier back as she tried not to cry.

“Awe, don’t do that to me Mama Bear; you know she misses you,” he frowned, pulling her close and kissing her temple.

“She’s my baby Cardan,” Jude whined, her voice muffled against his chest. “When did Rome become more important than Mommy?”

He scoffed, gathering her and her extra padding and setting the whole pile atop the kitchen island. “Rome is not more important than Mommy, you know that.”

“Rome sure sounded more important than Mommy.”

He turned his back with a roll of his eyes, reaching for the coffee that he must’ve been brewing before she woke up. She stopped her pouting long enough to take in the sight: Cardan’s messy black hair, his low-slung pants, the blatantly obvious fingernail marks carved up his back from last night. It was certainly a sight for sore eyes; it’s not every day you can wake up to something like that when you’ve got a toddler in tow.

“When you’re done ogling, would you like a cup?” He looked over his shoulder quickly, catching her in the act. His eyes twinkled so bright and full of mischief she didn’t even feel bad about being caught, she just smirked at him as she nodded.

Jude looked outside and saw that the heavy grey clouds had given up the fight and large, fluffy snowflakes were falling, bathing the world in yet another layer of snow.

“I hope Nic doesn’t go into labor early, we may be stuck here if the snow doesn’t stop,” she observed, suddenly quiet as she took the cup from his outstretched hand and brought it to her face, soaking in the warmth.

Cardan followed her gaze as he leaned back against his own counter, sipping from her Mrs mug that Liliver had gotten her as a joke. He looked pleasantly tired, not wired like he’d been after an all nighter in college or exhausted the way he was when Faye’d had a bad night as an infant. He looked like he was fit to curl up in bed with a book and be lazy all day, content with his place in the world.

It was a good look on him.

“She told me earlier that her doctor said she was only at 1.5 centimeters, she should make it to her due date.”

“I didn’t.”

“Well you were full of surprises with Faye’s pregnancy,” he mock-glared at her and she chuckled into her drink, remembering the look on his face when she’d told him her water had broken in her final.

Then his words hit her and her smile fell as she remembered what she’d overheard him saying to Nicasia. Cardan, well tuned in to her body language after so many years, noticed instantly.

“What?”

What good is spying if you narc on yourself?

She sighed and stared into her mug, trying to figure out the words as he watched her, worried something was wrong. Then, finally, “I overheard you talking with Nic about my pregnancy with Faye.”

“How much did you hear?”

“Just the end, you talking about how tough it was, how you didn’t want to pressure me,” she admitted, continuing before he could respond. “I don’t want you to think you’re pressuring me I know we’ve talked about it and I—“

“Woah, woah, woah, calm it down Hot Mama let me explain,” he cut her off, taking her cup from her hands and setting it down in the counter so he could hold her. “That conversation wasn’t about the pregnancy, just the timing.”

“What?”

He sighed, his jaw working like it always does when he’s a little frustrated. “Nic called right after I got a text from my brother. I should’ve talked to you first but the timing just worked out weird.”

“From Balekin?” She crinkled her nose in a frown that she knew he found adorable. “What could he possibly want? He knows he literally missed our wedding, right? The wedding that was yesterday.”

She cursed herself internally as she saw his little wince. She shouldn’t have said it so harshly, it just pissed her off that the man who raised her husband would refuse to be there when they got married.

“No, from Dain,” Cardan said, stopping her thoughts right in their track. “It’s about the company. Rhyia is apparently sick of being CFO, wants a peace of the trust fund baby action like me.”

She couldn’t help but grind her teeth at that, remembering that glorious fight all those years ago at his family’s mansion when he’d announced their pregnancy.

“So what do you have to do with it?”

“Dain wants to keep it in the family,” he chewed at his bottom lip. “Remembers I was in for business and you were in for finance. Thinks we could make a go of it together.”

“Oh so now you’re family,” she laughed angrily, her blood already boiling again after four years of avoiding the subject. “You weren’t family when you were a defenseless kid and you weren’t family when we were pregnant and fucking panicking but now he needs something—“

She broke off with a huff, flexing her fists and aching for her punching bag back home in their basement. It really wouldn’t do getting this riled up, it hadn’t helped them before and it wouldn’t help them now.

“Cool it, Supervillain, I see that look in your eyes,” he chuckled, forcing his hands under the blankets so he could grab her by the hips.

“I’m not a supervillain,” she grumbled.

“You’re my supervillain,” he cooed back, leaning forward to press soft little butterfly kisses to her jawline. “My sexy little supervillain Hot Mama.”

“I hate you.”

“You love me.”

She decided not to answer as he continued kissing down the line of her throat, his breath hot over her pulse and his lips soft against her chapped skin.

Jude couldn’t help the way she tilted her chin up, the little grin that graced her face as her eyes fluttered closed. She missed moments like these, times when they could be overly affectionate without having to worry about the baby seeing and yelling about how gross it was.

He pulled away and her eyes shot back open, ready to complain until she saw the look on his face. He was troubled, almost apprehensive.

“I was honestly thinking about agreeing,” he admitted before she could ask what was wrong.

Her brain short circuited for a moment, too distracted by his kisses to remember what they had been talking about. When she finally connected the dots, she frowned. “But you bought out of the company years ago, babe. Why go back to the headache?”

“A higher paying job,” he sighed, stepping away to run his hands through his messy hair and lean against the counter again. “I don’t like the idea of charging your sister more for my help, but I still want to make sure we have a secure future.”

“Baby, I know our finances. We are fine.” She took a sip of her coffee. “Even without my paycheck.”

“Still, I’d rather be safe. Plus Faye will be going to school next year and I’ll have all that extra time on my hands,” he looked away from her, chewing at the inside of his lip as he watched the snow fall. “We’d be able to really change how we live if we took this job. A better house, vacations, secure college fund for the kids.”

Jude studied Cardan, her eyes roving over his midnight black curls, down his ears—which used to be stretched—across the tattoo of her and Faye’s birthdates at his wrist, and she smiled. He’d changed so much since they first met, given up a lot of his more daring, self-destructive ways to provide for her and their family. He’d stepped up when she needed him to, he’d stepped up in a way that no man in his family ever did for him. She was proud.

“I thought kids is what you’d been discussing with Nic.”

His eyes shot back to her, but his head didn’t turn. She was quiet, almost nervous as she said it. They’d talked about maybe one day having more kids, mentioned it the same way one might say they wanted to hike the Appalachian trail some day.

But it had been so scary with Faye, so hard figuring out how to become parents, how to maintain their relationship and build a home, all while they were just barely adults. The pregnancy had been tough and full of shock, the family had been kind of a mess on both sides. It was just a disaster from the word go.

Still, Jude remembered how Cardan looked when he first saw that positive pregnancy test all those years ago. She remembered how he used to love waking up at night to feed the baby, called it his special Daddy-Daughter Time. She saw the way he still held one of Faye’s sonograms in his wallet every time she took her birth control.

“Did you now?” Cardan barely sounded like he was breathing.

She nodded. “I heard Nicasia giving you the same guilt trip Taryn gives me about cousins.”

“They do seem to think that baby boy should have a friend.” His face didn’t give anything away. He was, for the first time in years, so carefully blank around her.

“What do you think?”

The air, still frigid enough to keep Jude wrapped up in her nest, seemed charged with electricity as Cardan finally turned his head back to face his wife. If she’d gazed upon him with an untrained eye, she would’ve thought he looked like the picture of cruelty, an evil sneer pulling at his lips as he studied her through lidded eyes.

But Jude’s gaze wasn’t untrained, she knew her husband. And, so, she knew that the man in front of her was absolutely terrified as he said: “I think there might be some merit to the idea.”

He took a long sip of his coffee to hide his smile as Jude worried at her deformed ring finger.

“You?”

Well, here goes nothing

“I was thinking about stopping my birth control,” she quietly said, trying not to let her heart leap at the slight quirk of his brows. “Maybe not actively trying but, y’know, also not actively preventing.”

As soon as the words were out, she felt kind of panicked. Up until that point, everything they’d done—moving in after they got pregnant, getting engaged, marrying—had felt kind of inevitable. But having a second baby wasn’t necessarily a foregone conclusion. Talking about it felt nerve-wracking, like they were actually moving to make their family a reality.

“You want a kid with me?” Cardan sounded kind of awed, his jaw a little slack as he watched her.

“I have a kid with you, babe.”

“No,” he held a hand up. “No it was different with Faye. She wasn’t planned, she just happened and we figured out how to make it work.”

He set his drink down and once again crossed the distance between them, digging in to her cocoon as he pressed his forehead to hers.

“Don’t get me wrong, I love Faye with all my heart, she’s the best thing that’s happened to me,” he continued. “But the idea that you’d be more than ok with, that you’d literally want a child with me—“

“Does it shock you?”

He let out a small laugh, shaking his head as if to clear it before gazing up at her with love in his eyes. “Yes, Jude Greenbriar. Yes it does.”

“Well it shouldn’t,” she snorted. “I carried a little you once before and she turned out pretty damn cute.”

“I think I’m going to need to hear you actually say it.”

She laughed, her head thrown back as the sound filled the kitchen. She wrapped her arms around Cardan and kissed his temple, holding him close and thanking the gods that they’d made it to that point.

“You need to hear me say what?” Jude teased, her grin contagious as Cardan looked up at her.

“Jude, my darling my dear, my sexy little Hot Mama,” he started, dutifully ignoring how she dramatically protested at the nickname, “I need to hear you say that you want to have my child.”

Jude leaned forward, taking in the soft, earthy scent of him with a mischievous smile.

“Cardan, my love my sweet, my amazing sexy husband,” she imitated him, tilting her head to drag her teeth across his jaw.

He leaned back, giving her the room to slide off the kitchen counter and into his arms. The blankets fell off her shoulders, exposing her to the cool air as she pressed herself against him, already feeling just how desperately he wanted her.

She let her hands wander the expanse of his chest, her fingers ghosting over his skin until she could reach around to the nail marks on his back. With a smile, she traced them, remembering how he’d earned those scrapes when he spread her legs open on the floor last night after they’d given up on making it to the couch.

Cardan grabbed her by the hip, sliding one of his knees between her thighs and locking his eyes with hers as he waited with bated breath for her to finish.

Jude, not one to deny herself a good time, let the strap of her pajama shirt fall off her shoulder as she bit her bottom lip, leaned forward, and whispered--

“Put a baby in me.”

~~~~~~~~

A/N: Ok so a few things, one the tumblr app wouldn’t let me copy and paste all the story on mobile so I had to retype some online so I’m sorry if the format fucked up. Also I have a bunch of ideas for these kids so if you want to see any more of this AU, feel free to send in requests! Happy holidays @clockworkgraystairs , I hope you enjoy cute Parent!Jurdan doing cute adult shit!

Tag list: @cardan-greenbriar-tcp @hizqueen4life @slightlyrebelliouswriter23 @thewickedkings @aelin-queen-of-terrasen @cheekycheekycheeks @queen-of-glass @b00kworm @doingmyrainbow @jurdanhell @thesirenwashere @illyrianwitchling @courtofjurdan @clockworkgraystairs @st00pid231 @booksandlewks @fateandluminary @addies-invisible-life If you want to be added, just let me know!

#jurdan #cardan greenbriar #jude duarte #tfota #tfota fanfic #tyrannosaurus lex writes #au #how we got here where we're going #hwghwwg #modern au #jurdannet secret snusband #secret snusband

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jinxquickfoot · 4 years ago

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TFATWS Script Notes

Ok, so while I genuinely enjoyed so much of TFATWS, I have...thoughts. And as a few people have asked me about said thoughts, and said thoughts have been living rent free in my head since the show ended, I’ve made this stupidly long post. (For context, my day job is as a script reader and editor, so here are my TFATWS script notes for anyone kind enough/crazy enough to read them.) And...here we go.

1) More World-Building

This is a common compliant I’ve seen about the show, and it’s a fair one. While we hear a lot about people being displaced after the Blip and the problems that’s causing, we never really get to see it. Firstly, this is such a wasted opportunity to finally show us some of more of the post-Blip chaos, which is a super interesting world that they didn’t really dive into. Secondly, we would identify more with Karli if we saw what and who she was fighting for instead of just being told about it. You could also add in the woman who dies who was so apparently important to Karli and her community but doesn’t get any screen time while she’s alive, which means we feel very distant from Karli with this loss, when we could feel closer to her. This feels like Karli’s Yinsen or Erskine and we didn’t even get to meet her.

While it was nice that we got an entire first episode dedicated to setting up Sam and Bucky’s arc, that did not need an entire episode of screen time - they don’t even interact until episode 2. Make the opening exposition more succinct, and leave room to set up, if not Karli, then at least the world and the stakes that she’s fighting for.

2) Reveal Sharon is The Power Broker in Episode 3

I know a lot of people didn’t like Sharon as the Power Broker at all, so bear with me, because I like the idea behind this at least - that Sharon has become so jaded after the events of Civil War that she’s turned to crime and has given up on the idea of heroes. As Sam is currently trying to figure out his own ideology and what the shield means to him throughout the series, and he’s already got Zemo pushing his thoughts on him, this would be another challenge for Sam to overcome. Maybe that’s what they were going for, but it’s ruined when they don’t reveal why Sharon is doing what she’s doing and instead save it up for a cheap twist in Episode 6. Most of us picked that Sharon was the Power Broker anyway and it had very little effect on the plot to the point where she felt tacked on as a poorly done set-up for Season 2.

So bring it out that info in Episode 3. It would have been a better twist in that episode, and would have made Sam even more unsure of the right path seeing a former ally as now a potential antagonist. You could also have Sam trying and failing to bring Sharon around by promising her a pardon, which she turns down, making him even more unsure of himself. And then, instead of her feeling tacked on in the last episode, she can come through and help them save the day, revealing that Sam did get through to her after all, the way he always does - empathy and understanding.

3) Wrap up John Walker in episode 5

Walker in the sixth episode was just…weird. They clearly set up him as an added obstacle for Sam and Bucky and then he was their…ally? After killing a man and clearly going for a kill on Sam when they were fighting over the shield? And as cool as that shield construction teaser was, it didn’t pay off, and John Walker did not deserve a redemption arc. So cut the shield scene, and cut Walker out of the final sequence, which would leave more room for Sam and Bucky to actually team up in that final battle. For a show that’s meant to be about their relationship, there was a very little payoff of showing them working together in the final takedown of the Flag-Smashers. Then bring in Madame Hydra and US Agent in a post credits scene for a Season 2 set-up.

4) Bring in Torres as the new Falcon in Episode 6

That’s it, that’s the note. This show definitely suffers from trying to set up too much for later seasons or other Marvel properties. If you’re going to set up Torres as the new Falcon in Episode 5, give it to us in Episode 6. Don’t devalue the show we’re watching for the sake of future content.

5) Have the Flagsmashers turn against Karli

This was such an obvious route that they seemed to be going for, so it kind of amazed me that they didn’t do it. Karli starts off as a Robin Hood-style figure who turns villain, and it’s so clear her followers are starting to doubt her - and her followers should be doubting her. One of their number died, Karli’s threatening to kill hostages, it’s so clear they’re no longer the good guys. So have them back down and abandon her when she goes too far, which leads us into -

6) Have Karli sacrifice herself

Zemo shouldn’t have been proven right. Because he was partially right, and Karli was partially right, and this show should have been about Sam trying to work out the balance between them and figure out what he thought was right, which is what the entire Captain America corner of Marvel has been about. Instead of having Karli go totally evil in her final seconds and trying to kill Sam, give her the clarity that no one is going to listen to her except if she becomes a symbol. Because people listen to and follow symbols - that’s been a major theme in this show already - and that becomes easier to do if they’re dead. Look at Steve Rogers. Her friend even refers to her as the next Captain America - the seed for this has long been planted.

Karli wants to do good but also recognises the harm she causes. Sam tries to talk her down (I’m imagining he’s put down the shield at this point to talk to her, so they can talk as human beings and not symbols), but at the crucial point she raises her gun with the apparent intent to shoot Sam, causing her to get shot instead. Her death still inspires Sam’s speech and gets her cause won, but it feels more earned and tragic because now it really is a sacrifice - one that maybe didn’t need to be made if she and others like her were listened to in the first place. It also comes with the interesting idea that both Karli and Steve have now sacrificed themselves to win a war, while Sam is still living which, as a certain Washington put it: “Dying is easy young man; living is harder.” Sam choosing to live and fight as Captain America despite knowing the hardships that come with separates him from both Steve and Karli, setting him up to be a new kind of Cap.

I’m so attached to this idea that I have three ideas for who could end up killing her

a) Have it be Sharon

In this version, Sharon embodies a more grey area that Sam would struggle with, and killing a young girl to save a friend would definitely fall into said grey area. Also, Sharon still gets her pardon, but for “eliminating the dangerous terrorist Karli Morgenthau” which…you get it.

b) Have it be Torres

So we’ve established Torres is there as the new Falcon, and all he sees is Sam about to die and takes the shot, only to realize what he’s done when it’s too late. This would add to the price of Karli’s death and be something for Torres to wrestle with in later seasons. Bonus points for one of Karli’s last acts being forgiving Torres.

c) Have it be a faceless law enforcer

This one is the most on the nose, but there’s something in the idea of the government thinking Sam still needs ‘backup’ when really they just make things worse, and Karli letting herself get killed by the system in order to improve it. These are just my opinions - doesn’t mean I’m right all or that all of these would work! But I do think it’s fair to say that the show mostly worked, but it wasn’t a home run, and this is just my script editor brain yelling at me about how they might have got there. (P.S. If this is interesting to anyone except me I have a Iron Man 3 and Age of Ultron one ready to go)

#tfatws spoilers #tfatws #the falcon and the winter solider spoilers #the falcon and the winter soldier #sam wilson #bucky barnes #captain america #winter soldier #writer things

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serpenteve · 4 years ago

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Are you still taking hotcakes? I'm literally still so mad at the TV show for swapping Alina's action of dooming the skiff at the end of Book 1 with her dooming her cartography crew at the beginning of season 1. Because there's no payoff! She hardly even mentions it again and then later tries to blame Aleksander for "her friends" dying in the Fold as though she didn't 100% cause them needing to go through. Like I get that ultimately LB in the books tried to walk back Alina's use of the cut on the skiff's main sail by having people still make it out alive and ~she didn't directly kill anyone~ but it still was undoubtedly morally grey and deliberate. The show could have done better with it in the same way they had given her more agency overall in Ep 5. By having Darkles kill the political visitors there (even if we did get the hilarious "I'm going to need to make that speech again" line) instead of it being Alina's fault, the show took away that grey edge to her and I'm >:c

They most likely were forced to change it because the crows were on the skiff and needed some other way to get them out of the Fold.

That said, I hate the way this moment is treated in the later books! Alina doing the Cut on the skiff is the most badass moment arguably of the entire trilogy imo. Especially with the Darkling asking her if this is her idea mercy and her replying back "It's the mercy you taught me" 🙌🏽 Just *chef's kiss* perfection

At that point in the story I was like "Okay, so I guess Darklina is a doomed ship unless Alina develops a collar kink idk but at least she's slowly grown a spine and learned to embrace her powers and kick ass..............right?????"

But then it's like her entire character development just resets at the start of S&S. She's back to living like a mouse, deliberately suppressing her powers and making herself weak, back to being nothing but "Mal's girlfriend" and wants nothing more than to run away and abandon Ravka to its fate. The only time she starts to go through that positive character arc again is when she takes the second amplifier and we all know how Bardugo feels about powerful woman 😒 😒 😒

#viv answers

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steven-falls · 4 years ago

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The Strengths of serialization: A Disenchantment analysis

Note: this is a script for a video I’m making. There are some generalised statements in this script, that will be accompanied with visuals in the final video to help specify what I am referring to.

So, Netflix just dropped part 3 of disenchantment, and with the new batch of episodes came a slew of worldbuilding, lore, characterization, laughs, adventures, and Elfo abuse. But, instead of giving an overview of everything that happened in the season (or part) I want to focus on one specific aspect of part 3 and compare this to parts 1 and 2 and that is, the serialisation of Disenchantment.

In television shows, there are two main formats a show can take: A serialized format and an episodic format. A serialized format has continuing storylines that span over the course of the entire season. Think of pretty much every drama show. By contrast, an episodic TV show presents each episode as a self contained story. Meaning you could jump in at any point in the series without needing much prior knowledge to understand what’s happening. This is the format that most animated sitcoms, such as Disenchantment’s contemporaries, The Simpsons and Futurama, went for.

Disenchantment was an interesting case as it seemed to be going for a mix of both serialization and self contained episodes throughout its first two parts, which made up season 1. The first few and last few episodes of both parts 1 and 2 had a serialized format, where the cliffhanger ending of one episode would lead directly into the opening of the next. For example part 2’s opening episode ‘The disenchantress’ ends with Bean walking down a staircase to hell, which is picked straight back up on again in the next episode, aptly titled ‘Staircase to hell’. It’s required that an audience member watches these two episodes in order, otherwise they would be confused by the opening of the latter.

But then the middle episodes of parts 1 and 2 were stand alone episodic adventures, that didn’t always directly tie into each other. For instance, the heist plot of ‘the Dreamland job’ has little to nothing to do with Derrik’s character journey in the following episode, ‘Love’s Slimy Embrace’. So not much would be lost on an audience member who watched these two episodes out of order. The main throughline between them is Lucie buying and owning the bar. But that’s a rather minor element of ‘Love's Slimby embrace’, it’s not like you need an explanation of why Lucie owns the bar to understand what’s happening in that episode.

Where Part 3 really differs from the previous two parts, is that it sticks to a more serilized format for most of its run. Pretty much every episode develops on something meaningful established in prior episodes. For instance, In the first episode of part 3 it’s revealed that Pendegast has been murdered, so the third episode ‘Beanie get your gun’ is spent investigating what happened to him. They find out it’s the priestess, and chase her down in the next episode, which naturally leads into the steam land sega covered in episodes 4 and 5, and then the boat trip back to Dreamland in episode 6. Even when an episode doesn’t end in a cliffhanger, the events that occurred in the previous episode will still be playing on the character’s mind in the next, keeping a constant narrative flow throughout part 3.

Now, I do not believe that serialized Television is inherently better than episodic Television. There are shows that owe their success to their episodic format.

But I think in Disenchantment’s case, serialization fits the tone and scope it’s going for.

Disenchantment is basically a mystery show, Part 3 opens with several overarching mysteries that are investigated over the course of the season, and Bean literally plays detective in two episodes.

Part 2 also presented several mysteries in its opening episodes, like Bean’s heritage and the secret treasure the elfs are looking for. But this became a frustration I had with part 2, as it felt like it was presenting the audience with several tantalising mysteries, but then avoided expanding on them, in favour of more non sequitur adventures. Take the episode ‘the lonely heart is a hunter’ for example. That episode has a subplot about Bean investigating some old runes that are hinted to have a connection to her mother. But this basically leads nowhere as Bean gets scared and gives up on investigating them. We don’t find out anything about them for the rest of part 2, halting that story in its tracks. What the episode chooses to develop instead is the relationship between Zogg and a bear woman named Ursula, a character who has only appeared in this single episode to date. I do actually enjoy this plot line, I think it’s funny and gives Zogg some decent character development. But when the episode prioritises a somewhat frivolous love affair over expanding on the mysteries it’s already set up, it can be frustrating to sit through, because I’m just waiting for them to get back to that mystery.

There are still some instances in part 3 where they bring up an unresolved mystery or plot line but don’t follow up on it straight away. Like it should annoy me that they mention Leaveos quest early in the season, only for it to not develop any further until the last episode.

But it doesn’t, because there’s a narrative excuse for the other character’s to abandon Leaveo and his plot line. They have the more pressing issue of Dagmar to deal with in that moment, and after that I’m so swept up in the murder and betrayl stuff that I don’t mind them leaving Leavo’s plot thread for a little longer.

Another result of part 3 taking a more serialised approach is that it makes meaningful changes to the Disenchantments status quo

After part 1 ended with several series altering cliffhangers, that seemed like it was taking the show in a radically different direction, I was disappointed by how in part 2 everything reverted back to normal by the end of episode 3. Sure, there were a few status quo changes, but for the most part, part 2 still followed Bean, Elfo and Lucie’s shenanigans around Dreamland, not that fundamentally different from part 1.

But this isn’t a criticism I can level at part 3. For one thing there are no episodes of Bean just goofing around drinking, she’s always trying to get somewhere, figure something out, or face some threat to the kingdom. The constant rising urgency prevents the show from feeling as if it’s in some stagnant status quo.

The only time I was in fear of Disenchantment resetting to a status quo was at the beginning of episode 3, ‘Beanie get your gun’, when Derrik reinstates power to Zogg, the towns people don’t care about Bean supposedly being a witch, and Zogg’s forgotten about Odvals and the priestess’s coup attempt

The characters even comment on how weird the situation is.

With Bean and Zogg being reinstated it almost seemed like the whole coup subplot had been entirely pointless, especially as the opening of the episode hinted that Pendergast might not actually have been killed.

But the episode’s ending underlines the lasting impact this coup had, by confirming Pendergast’s death and having the priestess become a fugitive from the kingdom, basically writing out two major supporting characters.

On the subject, Pendergast’s death is the first one in Disenchantment that I was genuinely shocked by. Just because of the show’s willingness to kill off a recurring character without going back on it. They have done similar deaths before, like when Jerry was killed. But Jerry was divorced enough from the main cast and the setting of Dreamland that his absence didn’t feel as noticeable. It’s not like his death bared any repercussions on how Dreamland functioned as a kingdom for example. But Pendergast’s death does, you’re reminded of his absence any time you watch a scene with Zogg losing his mind, or see turbish and Mertz without their commander. Even if Pendergast is somehow brought back later, his death was still felt throughout the whole of this season.

Part 3 of Disenchantment managed to capture my intrigue, by taking its story and characters to interesting new places. My hope for part 4 is that everything part 3 built toward gets a decent payoff. By the end of part 3 most of the plotlines have still been left open ended, with even more opening up and others being teased at. In one case it looks like they might be rehashing an older plotline.

My fear for part 4 is that all these storylines are going to trip over each other. That part four has to juggle so many different plotlines that it’s not going to be able to devote enough time to each of them, making their resolutions feel rushed and underdeveloped.

I think its on part 4 to intertwine all these plot threads, so everything comes together to form one satisfying conclusion. Unless they’re planning on continuing the show after part 4, in which case I hope part 4 is a more streamlined and focused version of part 3.

Speaking of satisfying conclusions… I couldn’t think of one for this video! So let’s end off by discussing three times Disenchantment part 3 referenced 3 other Matt Greoning cartoons.

Starting with the most obvious, the ‘Trip to the moon’ rollercoaster seen in the episode ‘Freak out’ is a reference to the second Futurama episode ‘’The series has landed’, where the planet express crew visit a theme park on the moon. In particular the rollercoaster’s moon face bares resemblance to the mascot crater face. Look, it even has part of the rollercoaster going through its eye, just like how craterface always has a beer bottle shoved through their eye. Which itself is a reference to a silent film from 1920 called ‘A Trip to the moon’. Wait actually maybe the rollercoaster is just supposed to be a reference to that.

Seconally, the joke about the kings servants Vip and Vap living in unlawful cohabitation is a reference to the characters Arkbah and Jeff, who are a gay couple from Matt Groening’s comic, Life in Hell. They also share similar character designs.

And finally, I don’t think this was intentional, but Elfo skating on Dagmars oily back reminded me of Bart Simpson skateboarding. Now try and get that image out of your mind! Good night everybody.

#just posting this to prove this script exists #I’ll post a link to the video on this blog when it’s done #But my YouTube channel is Mac Monkeyhat if you want to look me up in the mean time!#disenchantment

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yurimother · 5 years ago

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LGBTQ Manga Review - If I Could Reach You Vol. 3

The first volume established the wretched characters and their terrible emotional pain. The second built the world and gave them a purpose. Now, the stunning third book in tMnR’s If I Could Reach You finally sets the poignant and powerful story moving with full force.

The story begins with the immediate aftermath of Volume 2, when Kaoru saw her husband Reiichi with another woman and fell. She wakes up in the hospital with a broken ankle and some memory loss, including her recollection of Reiichi’s infidelity. Uta rushes to the hospital to assist the recovery of the sister-in-law she secretly loves. The rest of the volume follows the two girls as they grow closer together at home while Reiichi is away.

If I Could Reach You 3 is translated by Kevin Steinbach, who takes on the awesome responsibility of matching Diana Taylor’s work in the first two books. Fortunately, and no doubt, thanks in large part to returning editor Jennifer Skarupa, the high-quality presentation remains, and the change is seamless. Steinbach also includes some thorough translation notes to explain the intricacies of Japanese culture western readers may be unfamiliar with, such as local Christmas and New Year’s traditions. While earlier volumes did not necessitate such annotations, the contents of this one is perhaps a bit more oriented to Japan than others, making the notes a welcome addition.

Unlike the previous volumes, which focus heavily on Uta, this one balances its time and narrative perspective between Uta and Kaoru. While the relationship between the women is the driving force of the manga, Volume 3 also explores Kaoru and Reiichi’s marriage. While Kaoru cannot recall the exact details of her accident, she suspects that something was amiss, and begins to doubt their marriage and withdraw from Reiichi. In an incredibly misguided attempt to get closer with Kaoru, Reiichi grabs her wrist and exclaims his love and attempts to get intimate with her. The manga moves to a different scene briefly, leaving the reader to momentarily believe that he assaults or is about to assault her.

Thankfully, when the narrative returns to them, Kaoru tells him that she does not feel up to it, and he backs off. It is an admittedly cheap trick, but it does help further the growth of the wedge between them. With this incident and his cheating, it appears that tMnR is going full out in making him the villain, which is regrettable, as he is far more of an enjoyable character and obstacle when morally grey. At first glance, it appeared that he was going to try and make amends for his mistakes. Unfortunately, that wish is completely shattered a few chapters into Volume 3 after the aforementioned regrettable sequence.

Because of Reiichi’s actions, Kaoru pulls away and begins moving closer to Uta. Their emotional and literal proximity is as joyous as it is torturous for the younger girl. This dichotomy is communicated brilliantly in both story and artwork. In one moment, Uta holds a crying Kaoru, but her hand hovers slightly above her, unwilling to close the distance between them. In perhaps the best pages of the manga, Uta stares into a mirror showing a hollow smiling version of her before picking up a necklace Kaoru gave to her. This extremely complex moment highlights how close the two are becoming and how haunted Uta is by that reality.

The artwork in the rest of the volume is equally masterful, helping guide the readers to and fro as it rocks their feelings and emotions on a sea uncertain and regret. The haunted sequence previously described is soon matched by one featuring the two women smiling and enjoying each other’s company while vacationing. However, a single panel of Kaoru’s wedding ring expertly instills unease in the reader, keeping them guarded during the otherwise happy moment.

Details, such as the environment and objects, beautifully adorn the pages, filling the space around characters while never drawing attention away from them. These intricacies are abandoned deliberately in only incredibly consequential scenes, such as a faceless Uta dramatically extracting herself from Kaoru’s embrace. The depictions of such actions more than anything else sap the energy and stability of the reader, leaving them as tormented as the characters.

Kaoru’s fragileness and underlying trauma, hitherto only briefly hinted at, and Uta’s guilt over her forbidden love and come to a head while the girls vacation together, and the two finally admit, at least partially, the secrets they have kept. This confrontation is not an overblown sensational showdown. There are no sweeping declarations of love, or monologues shouted over tears but a quiet, somber, and slightly sad conversation, the results of which are hinted at in the final chapter as Uta prepares to take drastic steps and Kaoru realizes just how much she did not see. The ending to the volume, which showcases such a quiet yet devastating pain, is sure to lead to huge payoffs in upcoming chapters.

The author does not explicitly detail Uta’s thoughts, but it is clear that her fear and guilt have finally overwhelmed her, and she is looking to take drastic actions to escape them. These emotions are relatable for many queer people. Uta begins to pull away and take steps to avoid confronting her love, just as many of us feel compelled to suppress and avoid the reality of our identities. Seeing her battle and apparently give in to similar inclinations, although for arguably different reasons, lends If I Could Reach You an extraordinary resonating power with LGBT readers.

If I Could Reach You 3 is the best volume from the series yet. Its excellent combination of phenomenal and restrained storytelling, intentional artwork, and flawless execution thrust readers into the vortex of scarring emotional strife and soul-crushing turmoil experienced by the characters. Perhaps the only blunder is the slight mismanagement of Reiichi, but this error pales in comparison to the brilliance of the enthralling and biting narrative. tMnR’s careful and slow approach, peeling back layers of Uta and Kaoru’s disturbed and wounded psyches, is nothing short of masterful. Volume 3 establishes If I Could Reach You as a triumph and a paragon of Yuri drama.

Ratings: Story – 9 Characters – 9 Art – 10 LGBTQ – 6 Sexual Content – 3 Final – 9

Purchase If I Could Reach You digitally and physical: https://amzn.to/2FTpYRh

Review copy provided by Kodansha Comics

Find out more at https://kodanshacomics com/volume/if-i-could-reach-you-3/

#yuri #lgbt #manga #reviews #if I could reach you #lgbtq #lgbtq+#queer #gay #lesbian #f/f #wlw #angst #drama #girls love #gl

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roxannarambles · 4 years ago

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Firewatch Review: Where There’s Smoke

This is a repost on a new blog. The original post was on Mar 4, 2016.

Contains major, major spoilers including endgame. Do not read if you haven’t played!

When I first started into this game I thought it was a horrifically depressing introduction. It opens telling a tale of a man and a woman who fall in love and it’s a lovely story and then the woman falls ill from a rare hereditary disease and slowly gets worse and loses her career and the man loses the wife he knew and struggles to care for her and it’s fucking awful. Then the game opens with the man– you– taking up a summer job in a park near Yellowstone. He’s done this to get away and have some time to think about his life.

He works in a watchtower. Lone rangers station in these towers to watch the horizon for signs of fire. He has little to do but keep an eye out and sit alone in his station up there. His only company is his supervisor, in the nearest watchtower over, whom he speaks to via walkie-talkie. (these are the days before cell phones) Her name’s Delilah.

All I was really told about this game is that it involved exploration and was story-centric. And that’s an accurate description. And while it starts off with a rather depressing backstory, the main part of the game is not all bleak and bleary. It is a story about the interaction between Henry and Delilah. There is a mystery plot involved in the game as well; the game starts off with small park dramas and tasks to ease into things, then develops a mystery, which eventually gets rather intense. But entwined with this mystery story, always central and foremost, is the character-driven plot of these two.

The voice acting is fantastic, and the writing is excellent, so it carries well. Dialogue writing is certainly not everyone’s strength, but the writers here did a very good job. The two characters have excellent chemistry; it flows naturally and is very enjoyable. The quips and interactions are fed in small bits steadily throughout the game as you explore, providing an enjoyable regular stream of interactions. It’s a satisfying blend of exploration and conversation.

The game is atmospheric and beautiful to look at, and that’s not something to dismiss either. Those factors really do add something special to a game.

And here’s the thing. I fell in love. It was such a compelling story. And the characters felt so real. I found myself deeply engrossed in the mystery and unable to stop. I found myself deeply emotionally invested in the characters and I truly cared about them. They were relatable human beings. And I loved Delilah. She was the light in the dark. The beacon in the middle of the loneliness. My lighthouse; my watchtower. Quippy, caring, flawed, human. I shared my troubles with her, and she listened.

Early on in the game, one of the conversation responses caused Henry to say something that annoyed Delilah and kinda offend her a little. I had accidentally overheard a phone conversation she was having (she left her walkie-talkie button depressed) and it sounded like kinda maybe she had been talking about me? So I asked her, were you talking about me? She was confused and surprised at the accusation and no, it had just been a conversation about work, and besides, was that really any of my business?

So the good mood killed, she stepped out for a while and I couldn’t talk to her anymore on the walkie-talkie. ‘Cause she was annoyed and didn’t feel like talking. And the thing is– I felt so bad. Like, I really felt sorry and wanted to apologize and felt I’d been a bad person for accusing her of that, and I wanted her to like me. And I didn’t want to be left alone. It was hauntingly quiet, unlike the rest of the game, when Delilah wasn’t there for company. I think this plot point was especially effective because it was in the middle of what had been at that point the deepest conversation we’d had so far, and we had been really bonding and sharing. But now I’d screwed it up.

Eventually Delilah forgave us for our rude question. And I cannot tell you how much of a relief it was. Heck, I thought I’d lost my chance and it would never be brought up again and I’d never have a chance to apologize, but she brought it up later. (She actually apologized for being so snappish over it, and said she knew what it was like to get too lost in your own head out there and start imagining things.) I felt so much better knowing we were cool again. It was that delicate part of a budding new friendship, you know, and I didn’t wanna mess it up. I really commend the game for including the callbacks to previous conversations. It enhanced the feeling of history between us and internal consistency throughout the story.

There have been many people online complaining about the way the game ultimately ended. In my humble opinion, those people are missing the point of the game. Indeed, with games like these, that have a somewhat open-ended conclusion (and there’s plenty of stories that fall into that category), how you interpret the ending and its meaning says a lot about the person who played the game. The whole point of an open-ended conclusion is for a person to think and draw conclusions, after all, but many people seem to fail to realize this.

One game that comes to mind is ‘Presentable Liberty,’ a game that you spend in a prison cell for the vast majority of the time, reading letters that are delivered to you. It had a very open-ended and nebulous ending. But that game made so many people think, and I think Firewatch makes you think a lot too.

I won’t lie, of course; I do somewhat understand where the critics are coming from. In some ways the ending did feel anti-climactic to me. It felt like it was possibly building up to something and that payoff never came. Yet … that experience in and of itself was fascinating to me.

Let me explain in detail. First of all, I reached the conclusion of the mystery plot. Plenty of people bitched about this online as well, but I loved the way it concluded. The plot was suggesting a very exciting but rather typical video-game story where a government conspiracy was uncovered that was studying human subjects (perhaps a psychological study of the effects of isolation in people), and Henry and Delilah were the subjects in these nefarious privacy-violating experiments. However, this “plot twist” of a secret government study ended up being a false twist. Instead, the story ended up in a less typical direction. As it turned out, the group of mysterious people behind all the spooky hijinks wasn’t that at all … it was one man. One lonely, desperate man living as a hermit with a tragic, awful secret he was hiding about an accident during his job as a fire watch. It was our fears and paranoia that had conjured up this imaginary, yet very real-feeling plot of conspiracy and subterfuge.

And I loved that. I loved that it was something driven by a simple lone man who was guilty and afraid. I loved that was the explanation, that it was something so prosaic rather than fantastic and fanciful. Like the best horror stories are about man as being the worst monster instead of werewolves and vampires, this showed the best mysteries were about human loneliness and desperation and guilt rather than complex conspiracies or extraordinary mojo. Indeed, you felt bad for the man who had been unintentionally tormenting us this whole time.*

After this conclusion to the mystery plot, hot on its heels– literally, because you were being chased by the spreading wildfire– was the conclusion of the Henry/Delilah plot. I was rushing out of there to rendezvous with a rescue helicopter so I could escape my post before fire consumed everything. They landed near Delilah’s watchtower, before I had made it to the rendezvous point– I’d been busy tracking down the ending to the mystery. She told me the helicopters would make another pass for when I got there, but … she might just leave now since the current copter was there.

“Wait for me,” I said into our walkie-talkie. I wanted to leave with her. Together. She was very reluctant when I begged this of her. But she finally relented that ok, ok, she’ll wait. I hollered I was on my way. I rushed as fast as I could.

I finally reached the spot– it was Delilah’s watch tower. The point in the distance I had always gazed upon but never had been to until now. But something didn’t feel right as Delilah was oddly silent on the walkie.

I entered the empty watch tower. I saw a small sign, “Pork Pond” attached to her wall and smiled faintly. I *knew* she had that sign. I put on the radio headset and called.

Delilah answered, in a tone that made it clear she knew I wouldn’t exactly be pleased to be listening to her voice over the radio waves yet again instead of seeing her standing there. She asked me not to be mad.

“I’m not mad, I’m just …”

“Disappointed?”

And yes. I was. That was it exactly.

It hurt. I genuinely felt sad and hurt that Delilah had left without me. It felt like she abandoned me. She stammered about having not want to meet me in the shadow of that poor dead child I had just learned about, but … it still hurt. After all we’d been through the least she could have done was waited. And you’ve no idea how much I had wanted to finally meet Delilah in person, dang.

But I pondered it after, and it made a lot of sense, her actions. She had been afraid to meet me in person, I think. It would have made the whole thing even more real, you know? If it was just over the walkies, fine. But … in person would have made it too real. Delilah was afraid of getting attached. Not just because she had had her heart broken by her long-term boyfriend and was afraid of getting close again to someone, but probably for more practical reasons too. Henry was still married, for Pete’s sake, and in a very complex situation with his sick wife. Any smart girl would want to avoid getting involved with a guy who’s still married. So her early departure and lukewarm response to me asking for her to come with me back to Boulder, well, it made sense.

As much as it had hurt for her to not wait, I understood and forgave her for it. In a way, I suppose, it may have made it easier for us both not to face the anguish of a relationship not working if we never saw each other in person to begin with. But … fuck. Had it been me, I would have wanted to see her in person anyway. I would have asked her to wait. At least for a goddamn hug.**

We spoke on the radio as I waited for the helicopter to swing back around to pick me up. We talked about our future plans. We both didn’t know what they would be. Delilah thought I should go back to my wife and do my best to make things right. Somehow.

And it ended once we were pulled into the helicopter.

People online whine that this ending was a 'cop out,’ not a real conclusion. I don’t believe that. I think the entire point was that feeling of uncertainty about the future and that missed chance at getting together with Delilah. Life is uncertain so often. We don’t know how to fix things, what to do, and what things mean. It’s our search for meaning that is so valuable. This game was a reflection of life experiences many can relate to. Not necessarily all the details– a wife that fell ill with premature dementia– but the general themes? Absolutely. This story is about people struggling to cope with loneliness, seeking to connect with others, struggling to deal with hardships in life, seeking purpose and meaning, seeking direction. And it does not provide solid answers at the very end, but that’s OK. It doesn’t have to. It’s OK if the players can provide some of the answers. Sometimes asking the questions is as valuable as providing the answers in a story.

And yeah, sometimes the guy doesn’t ‘get the girl.’ Sometimes relationships don’t work out. (Especially if the guy is still married and needs to deal with some shit before either staying with his wife or breaking up and pursuing something else.) That doesn’t mean our connection with Delilah that summer didn’t have meaning or purpose or value, just that … such things don’t always have a future as a long-term relationship.

I earnestly believe the ending to this game was fine as-is. I might even say it was a perfect ending. Although I admit I desperately wanted to meet Delilah at the very end***, I’m pretty sure my sense of diappointment and feeling of sorrow at not seeing her were kind of exactly the point of the story. All in all, it ended on a tone that was sad and nebulous, but not deeply depressing. There was still a sense of hope about things, and I think that’s important.

(Amusingly, much later I learned there is an option at the very end to NOT enter the rescue helicopter. It leaves without you if you wait long enough, implying suicide of your character Henry. Much darker option than the one I describe above. But again, in stories like these, it depends on player’s reactions, input, and interpretations too, and fortunately most do not have quite that bleak of an interpretation of the tale– and quite that bleak of a choice.)

So many of us sit alone in our own watchtowers, isolated, searching for any meaningful human connection we can come across. I think the themes of connection and isolation were masterfully explored in this game. You really fuckin’ felt it, you know?

And to me, it’s noble. That human beings stand in this intense loneliness but continue that search, and they sometimes find somebody. It may not always end well, but that doesn’t mean you should stop the search and that you won’t find another. Or even rekindle old flames.

Either way, you shouldn’t stop searching the horizon.

————–

Footnotes:

* That’s not to say the dude wasn’t guiltless in his actions. I think it was rather awful of him to just leave his poor kid’s body down in that hole instead of facing up to what had happened, going home, letting people and loved ones know what went on, etc. Also pretty stupid of the guy to pressure his son into doing that dangerous rock-climbing when the kid didn’t have the skills. But, ya know, you felt bad for him too.

** I should note, I have no idea if Henry should break up with his wife Julia (& tried things out with Delilah) or not. I had no opinion on it because who knows? Choices like that are friggin’ complex. Seriously.

*** And yes, I realize the game never had a model for her character anyway, so from a technical standpoint it would have been impossible, but it’s best to use in-story explanations for events, not technical explanations.

#firewatch #game reviews #mystuff #spoilers

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alter-chara · 5 years ago

Text

Review of Joker 2019 by someone with Psychosis

Joker 2019 is a critically acclaimed movie that came out in late 2019, however, I have some problems with how Psychosis was portrayed in the movie. So what was good? What was bad?

The Good-

The movie is strikingly Beautiful. There are several parallels to earlier points, and it gets straight up poster worthy near the end.

It does properly show Anxiety and Depression, and not in a negative light.

Medication is, at first at least, not portrayed as a "fix it all".

It also properly shows how underfunded and mishandled mental health facilities can be.

Also Arthur (The Joker), gets hit by cars three times during the movie. The first one was supposed to be sad, but the other two just felt relieving after all the shit he's pulled.

Now onto the Bad.

First, the Story

From a story perspective, It is never clear if you are supposed to like Arthur or not. Whether you are supposed to agree with him or not. There's not even a specific "His ideas are right but his execution is flawed." Instead, the movie tends to flip flop between him being unlikeable, scary, and wrong, to a victim, sympathetic, and even right. There is no clear logic about how you're supposed to feel about him, and it comes across as a lazy attempt to write a morally grey character.

Secondly, Framing.

Horror Music is often played during the moments where Arthur's psychosis is discussed. This is most noticeable in an early scene where Arthur sees his Therapist, and his Journal is brought up. He doesn't show it right away, and he starts laughing and bouncing his leg. This is clearly setting up the scene to be viewed as a frightening moment for the audience, and the payoff...? Arthur shows his journal and it has a joke about him being suicidal.

Horror music is also played during a clear psychotic break where he starts to have the hallucination/delusion, and his handwriting is messy and erratic.

Horror Music, for the last time, is played during the moment that the delusion is revealed, and Arthur has broken into his "love interest's" house. It is left vague if he killed her or not.

At best, this is a misstep in trying to make him sympathetic by using ill fitting music, or, at worst, this is a clear attempt to make these moments frightening, by use of sound design.

Thirdly, Inaccurate Symptoms.

There is *one* good delusion scene , and it is at the beginning. Arthur has a delusion about him being noticed and of importance to the talk show host of a show he enjoys. It is clear that this is a fantasy, and the delusion is of being important to this host.

The rest of the delusions? Painful to watch in their execution. Mainly the one about his love interest. The hallucinations are way too clear and human. They speak like a person, they interact like a person, and there isn't any difference between them and the actual person until the end. This is likely done to prevent people from seeing the twist until the end, however, this would have worked better if they made it clear these were fantasies, and not actually happening. Instead they go the Hallucination route, where she is a Hallucination the whole time. This makes less sense, and is inaccurate to how hallucinations actually work.

Another inaccuracy to these delusions is that they are not distressing. They do not cause Arthur any mental stress, and, if anything, they are shown to be GOOD as long as they last. Delusions are scary as hell to the person experiencing them, but it is instead shown as scary to everyone around them. There is even a scene where the hallucination encourages Arthur's homicidal behavior. Can you get any more stereotypical?

Fourth, Psychosis is used to mean Abusive

His mother is mentally ill with Delusional Psychosis and Narcissistic Personality Disorder. (Slight aside, NPD is a highly stigmatized disorder of it's own, and is often blamed for abuse. In most cases, people with NPD are abuse victims, and are often actually at risk of being manipulated, which makes this worse.) She adopts Arthur, who was abandoned, and, due to her delusions, is unable to prevent her son from being abused. It is important to stress here, she is, at the same time, being physically abused by the same person.

And the movie says?

It's her fault.

First off, if this happened, CPS should have taken Arthur away from BOTH parents, and put him in foster care again.

Secondly, Arthur does not come to this conclusion himself. It is laid out, in hospitalization forms, that it is her fault. And the movie, does not argue against it. It's supposed to be another nail in Arthur's coffin. Another person who hurt him, and another awful person in the world. In the movie's world, Arthur is not made out to be in the wrong for this, and neither is the hospital, or the police, or the news papers that cover the story as "Woman lets her son be abused".

Yes, neglect, and failure to protect a child is abuse, however, it is wrong to paint a mentally ill abuse victim, as completely responsible. There is no similar consequences for the main abuser, who perpetrated all these crimes against Arthur and his Mom. We do not hear his name, we are not told if he is alive or dead, and we do not even hear if he has been arrested.

Fifth, Mental Illness as demonized, and as a prop.

In the hospital scene where Arthur gets his mom's paperwork, there is a patient writhing, strapped to a bed. The situation is not at all portrayed as wrong, just the patient, who is specifically put there in order to cause unease in the audience.

When Arthur kills his former colleague, he tells him that he is off his meds and he feels great. And then he kills him. This perpetuates the stereotype that Mentally Ill people off their medication, are dangerous. We'll just ignore the horrible side effects Anti-Psychotics have (Especially in the time frame, 1980s, that this is shown in), and just say "Medication good, Unmedicated People Dangerous"

Arthur is also shown as being just seconds away from "snapping" and killing people at any moment. I should not have to explain why showing your mentally ill character like this is a bad thing.

The Psychotic Breaks are always shown as Freeing to Arthur, and dangerous to everyone else. Once again. Not how it works.

There is also the "What do you get when you cross a mentally ill loner with a society that doesn't care" scene, where the punchline is that he shoots the talk show host and says "You get what you fucking deserve"

While this could be an attempt at saying that Mentally Ill people not being taken care of leads to undesirable outcomes, it just ends up coming across as "If we don't treat the mentally ill, they will become violent and kill people"

Then there the whole idea that none of this would have happened if Arthur wasn't given a gun.

Thank you for the blatant scapegoating of Mentally Ill people for murders. We are more likely to be victims than the general populace, and no more likely to commit crimes.

Lastly.

They used a pedophile's music for their most iconic scene, the dance down the stairway that Arthur is often seen walking up in his lowest moments. Even if the Pedophile was not paid royalties for his work in the movie, people who were fans of this scene will seek his music out, and possibly buy it without knowing.

Don't use a pedophile's music in your movie.

In Conclusion

Joker sets out to be a movie about Mental Illness while doing the absolute bare Minimum to actually portray it accurately. Much of this could have been cleared up by research and talking to people affected by the disorder. It fails both as an attempt to make a morally grey character, and in being an accurate portrayal of the mentally ill.

3 out of 100 stars, one star for each time Arthur got hit by a car.

#Joker #Joker 2019 #Joker Movie #The Joker Movie #Review #Psychosis #Schizophrenia #Movie review

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