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blackbatcass · 7 months ago

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If it’s okay could you recommend comics for the flash fam? I really want to start reading them but I have no idea where to start 😅

YES I ABSOLUTELY CAN ANON!! reading flashfam comics can change your life for the better fr, unlike batman comics which usually change your life for the worse. Flash comics are honestly very simple to get into? for the most part you can just pick which era you want to start with, hop on that mainline ongoing and read from there.

this got kind of ridiculously long (i ramble about flash sorry)

i am not by any means a well-read silver age fan so I'll just skip right over those LMAO. if you want to read barry's run i assume you can just read flash v1 up until crisis. if you're interested in reading wally as kid flash he's featured in backups throughout a lot of v1 iirc!

unsurprisingly, my number one rec for the flashfam would be the flash volume 2 (1987). it's got pretty much everything you need. it introduced the speed force, basically created what we think of as the flashfamily, reintroduced & created beloved characters, and built up wally into the loser we know and love today<3 at its core it's the story of wally's journey from the very start of his career as the flash, learning how to fill barry's shoes and be a grown-up. it starts when he's this insane cringe 20 year old loser and ends with him as a full adult who's married with two kids LOL. it does soooo much work for wally as a character it's unreal.

but to keep it real flash v2 is......very long. like Incredibly long. it is 200+ issues and ran for over 20 years. so i can break it down into some smaller pieces & try to provide a roadmap so it's maybe a little less intimidating

the bad news is that the first guy to start out on the run fucking HATED wally for some reason lmfao and it shows. it's painful to read. the good news is he only stayed for the first 14 issues lol so honestly you can just skip those and start at #15 where william messner-loebs took over. now......the messner-loebs era is also not perfect and can be a bit of a slog. I love it in the fond 'wow wtf was all that' kind of way but it is definitely not a masterpiece. there are a lot of unmemorable, bland (occasionally batshit & ridiculous) arcs and he introduces a whole army of mostly forgettable side characters. credit where credit is due there is a lot of good stuff in there, he set up some stuff that is foundational to flash lore (like LINDA!! and hartley!) but it's not for everyone. if you want you can jump in at #31, where wally moves to keystone, or if you read some of it and it's not for you it's honestly fine to just skip to #62 where waid's run begins. #62-65 are a flashback retelling of wally's origin story (basically flash year one) and it's sooo good. essential wally reading.

the waid run is definitely the best section of the comic. it's classic it's iconic it builds the flashfamily it creates the speedforce it introduces bart allen. it's phenomenal. if you are interested in characters like bart, the garricks, johnny & jesse quick, and max mercury they are all integrated into the flashfam over this run. if nothing else i would recommend reading this part. oh and SPEAKING of bart allen, he gets introduced in issue #92! he hangs out in flash for a bit, zero hour happens, and pretty soon after his impulse series starts in 1995.

this is my #2 flashfam rec! if you have been in these tumblr circles at all then you've heard us rave about impulse 1995. it's simply Thee comic of all time. everyone on earth needs to read it im not kidding. it follows bart's life living with max mercury and his daughter helen, trying to adjust to normal life in the past. it's just. it's the best. it's 89 issues long, but honestly it goes by SUPER fast. i would recommend doing what i did and reading impulse and flash in parallel, just to get that organic experience & context. they cross over several times until impulse eventually ends.

ok back to flash v2. once geoff johns takes over..... i mean i won't say it ruins the comic and there is definitely stuff worth reading but i love waid infinitely better. it's really up to you. waid also comes back now and then to write a few chunks.

the flash series doesn't end until 2008. the next big thing after would be flash: rebirth, which. i am not a fan of for obvious reasons (get back in that coffin barry) but it's essential to understanding the plot so i have to include it lol.

i honest to god have no idea wtf was going on during flashpoint & new52. I will not pretend to understand that era. however if you are interested in the modern flashfam & the introduction of characters like ace west and avery ho, there are a couple good places to start! if you want to read williamson's run, you can start at the rebirth flash run (flash v5 #1). wally is eventually reintroduced (thank god) during this run.

if you want to start at the jeremy adams run (which features lots of members of the flashfamily) you can start at flash #768, which runs all the way to #800.

I would personally recommend the current flash ongoing written by si spurrier! it is kind of a lot and I'm in the minority in my love for it but it's interesting, thoughtful, has a role for pretty much every character, and has a lot of really cool cosmic horror elements. i will concede that it is VERY complicated and technical but you can tell spurrier has things to say and honestly it's so rare that a comic makes me think these days that i'm eating it up.

there were also two recent flashfam miniseries that just finished, speed force and jay garrick: the flash! i enjoyed both. they're short and fun.

aaaand that's my list! it is by no means comprehensive and it is very possible i got some things wrong so I apologize in advance. if you have any more questions I will be happy to try and answer them. I hope this was at least a little bit helpful and not even more confusing lol!

#ask #comic recs #flashfam #i'm so sorry for not being able to shut up about flash v2 its simply that good

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thornybubbles · 1 year ago

Text

Sick Love (Yandere Akira Otoishi x Reader)

**Note: Man, I struggled with this one. I just kept starting and stopping on it and getting increasingly frustrated. I kept finding plot holes and inconsistencies and it was driving me crazy trying to fix them all without completely changing what I was trying to convey. Well it’s done now and I really hope it’s good enough. I did this while taking a break from “Kinder Than Love” because I was struggling with that one too, but don’t worry, I’ll be resuming work on it just as soon as I post this!**

**Another picker wheel story prompt with a character I’ve not written for yet**

Prompt: Darling finds out about yandere's murder/s.

There was a time when the roar of the crowd was enough for Akira. Having all those people looking up at him with amazement, excitement, and awe reserved only for gods was all he needed. The way women looked at him with their eyes filled with tears and desperation as they reached out, aching to touch him, struggling to just be able to feel the fabric of his clothing or even just heat from his body as if that alone would grant them some kind of salvation…it used to be enough to keep him satisfied.

Not anymore.

Because THEY weren’t YOU.

After meeting you, getting to know you, falling for you…

Everything changed.

Everything felt empty and lifeless when you weren’t involved.

Even his beloved music sounded dull, generic, and lacked the edge it needed to make him the star he deserved to be.

But, he started writing songs inspired by his love for you and it launched him into a new popularity almost overnight. He put every ounce of his love and longing into his music and EVERYONE could feel it. At first he feared that the new sound would drive his old fans (what little he had at the time) away. But no. They loved it. Even the critics took notice and raved about how his songs hit harder, felt grittier and more intense than ever before. People were singing along at his performances. They never did that before. His dream of being the greatest rocker the world had ever seen was becoming a reality. And it was all thanks to you!

You had to be some kind of angel.

HIS ANGEL.

But it wasn’t until after he gained stardom that he realized how important you were to him. He would be nothing without you. You were the one to put him on the right path and you did it for no reason at all. You wanted no payment and asked for no favors. You did it simply because you cared about him. That’s when he realized he loved you and he could never, ever let you go. He couldn’t let things go back to the way they were without you. Even if he stayed famous, he wouldn’t be able to live without you. He loved you that much.

But there was one thing that he hated about his relationship with you, and that was the fact that he had to keep it a secret.

His manager kept going on and on about keeping up appearances. He told Akira that a lot of his fans would be very unhappy if they found out that he was in a relationship. For the sake of his career, he was forced to pretend to be single. Sure. Fine. He could handle that. It was safer for you anyway. Some of his groupies got a little… well… carried away sometimes. If they found out about you, they’d track you down and tear you apart. He couldn’t have that. So for your own safety, it was better that he kept you a secret.

So maybe pretending he was single was fine when he was in the limelight. He could always make up for it later when he was home and it was just the two of you.

But what he couldn’t handle…

What he absolutely couldn’t tolerate…

…was his manager telling him to break up with you.

----

“What do you mean I can’t get married?” Akira demanded, straining to keep his voice from dropping to a growl.

His manager puffed cigar smoke in his face.

“Just what I said, Otoishi. You can’t get married. A secret relationship is one thing, but a marriage is much harder to keep under wraps. The media will be all over it!”

“It’s not like we were gonna throw some big party or anything!” Akira protested. “It was just gonna be a private thing!”

His manager shook his head.

“It won’t matter. Someone will find out about it. Someone will talk. Trust me, I’ve been in this industry for a long time and I know how it goes.”

His manager leaned back in his office chair. He took another drag off his cigar before putting it out in the ashtray on his desk. He blew the smoke out and sighed.

“While we’re on the topic… I really need to talk to you about this relationship of yours.”

Akira’s eyes narrowed. What else could his manager possibly have to complain about? Wasn’t it bad enough that he was forbidding him from marrying you?

“I think you need to break up with your lover, Otoishi.”

Akira felt like he’d just been shot. He stood there and stared, dumbfounded at his manager.

“What… did you say?” he said, voice coming out in a stunned whisper.

His manager sighed.

“I know how it is, kid, believe me. You find someone and they’re the love of your life, you can’t live without them, they’re your world, your soulmate, yadda, yadda, freakin’ yadda..”

Akira could feel his body beginning to tremble with the strain of keeping Red Hot Chili Pepper in check. He was getting angrier the more his manager spoke.

“...but at the end of the day, your career should come first. Always. First of all, you can’t keep the relationship a secret forever. The only reason I haven’t said anything about it before now is because I figured you would’ve moved on to another lover by now. That’s how it usually goes anyway. In this business the groupies don’t care if you sleep around, just so long as they feel they’ve got a chance. You know what I mean? Second, tying yourself down to one lover is just a hassle. You’re young. You got plenty of time to worry about things like marriage once you’ve got your name out there. You’re already on your way to becoming a superstar, but there’s no reason to hold yourself back. Getting married? Not only will you turn your fans against you, but your spouse will start to get on your nerves. One minute you’re in domestic bliss, the next thing you know they’ll be wantin’ more jewelry or cars or whatever, then they’ll be on your ass about stayin’ out all night, or goin’ on tour and leaving them all by themselves…. It’ll turn to hell quicker than lightning. You’ll end up divorced, broke, and with no career to speak of. I’ve seen it happen a million times…”

Akira listened in silence. With every word, he lost more and more control on his Stand. Eventually, he let go and Red Hot Chili Pepper manifested, sitting cross-legged on his manager’s desk. Akira just looked on with wild eyes as his Stand reached out to touch the phone on the desk.

“It’s just plain bad for business. I’m tellin’ ya. You’re better off forgetting about all that romance and marriage stuff. You don’t wanna piss fame and glory down your leg, now do ya?”

The desk phone lit up and started ringing.

His manager huffed.

“Hang on a sec, gotta get this.”

His manager reached for the phone, picking it up and putting it to his ear.

“Yeah?” he said with a bored sigh.

Only static and shrill feedback could be heard on the other end.

His manager jerked the receiver away from his ear, squinting one eye closed in pain.

“The hell?” he grumbled. “Hey! Can’t hear ya! There's too much feedback! Who is this anyway?”

Sparks flew from the phone, arching upward and wrapping around the length of his manager’s arm. Bolts of electricity encircled his body and the man’s whole frame froze up in agony. He cried out in pain and terror. One hand was practically crushing the phone receiver while the other’s fingers dug into the leather of the arm of his chair. Moments later, the cries of agony died down and Akira’s manager slumped over in his chair. He’d been reduced to a smoking corpse. His wide eyes stared blankly, the expression on his face frozen in pain and fear, jaw tight with lips pulled away from his teeth in a tortured grimace. His hand was still clutching the phone to his ear. Ever so often the body would twitch and jerk, but all signs of life were long gone. The phone on his desk had been reduced to a pile of melted circuitry and plastic.

Akira plopped down in the chair across from his manager’s desk and began playing his beloved guitar. He really, really needed to calm down now. He plucked at the strings, belting out a laid back tune. It was soft and calm, not his usual style, but it reminded him of your soothing voice. He focused his thoughts on you, He imagined that the music was you telling him,

“It’s okay, baby. Everything’s alright. You did what you had to. He won’t be taking me away from you. It’s all over now…”

Eventually the murderous look on his face gave way to a dreamy, lovestruck expression. A slight blush spread across his face and he sighed, feeling much better.

He cast a glance at his manager’s still smoking carcass and resisted the urge to spit on him. Who did that fat fuck think he was, telling him that he had to break up with you? He squinted his eyes closed, taking a deep breath, and strumming another tune or two on his guitar. No point in working his anger up again. He was going to have to leave soon. Let someone find the body in the morning. There was no chance of it being linked back to him, as long as no other nosy Stand users like that Josuke asshole got involved, it would be fine. It would be deemed a freak accident due to faulty wiring or something. He could hire another manager… one who wouldn’t pry into his personal relationships… and everything would go back to normal.

To think that his manager wanted him to break up with you… It was madness! Akira would be lost without you! After getting out of jail, he had a hard time picking himself off the ground. Staying in Morioh was out of the question, so he left, hoping to start anew. It didn’t go as well as he planned. Getting a job was the really hard part. He couldn’t seem to find work other than gigs in sleazy bars and busking in the park.

No one listened.

No one heard his music. At the bars his audience was too drunk and rowdy to even look at who was performing for them. At the parks people would overlook him completely. If anyone paid any attention to him at all it was to offer him a polite smile before dropping a few measly pity coins into his jar, but no one stayed to listen. His confidence was starting to deflate and all his energy was draining.

By the time you found him, he was as low as he could be. You came across him slumped on a park bench one evening, staring with empty eyes into a beer bottle. You recognized him immediately and couldn’t stop yourself from approaching him.

“I don’t mean to bother you, but aren’t you Akira Otoishi?”

His head shot up as he looked at you, sobering up almost right away. He was stunned that not only had some pretty thing approached him, but actually recognized him.

“Uh… do… do I owe you money or something?” he asked.

You laughed and that was how it all started.

It wasn’t long after that, that you and Akira became an item and he fell for you in a way he never thought he’d fall for anyone. You became his muse and he began writing songs inspired by you and the rest is history. You saved him. With all his confidence and ego, he could fully admit that he would be nothing without you. You pulled him out of the depths of despair. You kept him from fading into obscurity.

And now some low life came along and wanted to separate you? First his fans, then his own manager!? UNFORGIVABLE!

Akira would have to be more careful. He would have to make sure that NOBODY knew about you. They would just try to make him leave you, make you leave him, or worse; actually take you away from him!. No way! Not if he had anything to say about it!

-----

You were living in a dream. You had to be, because the last four years just felt too perfect to be real. Everyday you thought about how lucky you were to have a guy like Akira Otoishi. You befriended the washed out rocker and helped him regain his lost gusto for music and living. You watched as he rose from nobody to superstar almost overnight. You never suspected that the loud, obnoxious, funny, energetic musician named Akira Otoishi would become the love of your life. But that’s what happened. Now you strolled down the halls of the music studio on your way to surprise him with some flowers. He loved it when his fans sent him stuff, but he always seemed to be more excited when those gifts came from you, a fact that melted your heart. You wanted to give this bouquet to him personally this time because you loved watching him turn into a blushing mess.

It was late at night and there weren’t many people in the building. With the exception of the receptionist and the janitor on the lower floor, it was practically deserted. Walking down the empty halls with no sounds but the hum and buzz of the fluorescent lights overhead was a bit unnerving, but it was worth it for your baby.

You nearly jumped out of your skin when an anguished scream echoed through the halls. The lights flickered crazily and you could feel your hair standing on end from the static in the air. Some kind of electrical malfunction? What was that scream just now? You tore down the corridor and headed for Akira’s room. He wasn’t there but you could hear music coming from the next room over. That was Akira’s manager’s office. You sprinted to the door and knocked on it loudly.

-----

Akira stopped playing when he heard your frantic knocks. He stared at the door in horror.

“Akira! Akira, are you in there? What was that scream just now? Are you alright?!” he heard you shout through the door.

Panic washed over him.

“I’m here, babe!” he answered, hoping the sound of his voice would calm you down. He got up from the chair and turned to the door just as it started to open. “Just give me a second and I’ll…. NO! DON’T OPEN THE DOOR!!”

Hearing the panic in his voice caused you to burst into the room.

“What happened? Are you o….k….”

The sight that greeted you there caused the words to catch in your throat.

Akira stepped to the side, trying to hide his manager’s corpse from you, but it was already far too late.

“Is he… dead?” you choked out, already knowing the answer.

“It was an accident!” Akira exclaimed. “Something is wrong with the wiring in the building, I guess.”

This was the worst possible outcome. You weren’t supposed to see this. You weren’t even supposed to be here right now!

“What are you doing here anyway? It’s not a good idea for you to hang around the studio, remember?” he said.

“We need to call someone! Paramedics or--”

He cut you off.

“Phone’s dead. Wiring issues.” he said in a clipped tone. He didn’t know how he was going to get out of this, but his mind was already coming up with a number of ideas.

“Then we’ll tell the receptionist downstairs. She was using her phone when I came in. So the phone line downstairs aren’t affected.” you offered, trying to stay cool and collected.

“No good.” Akira said quickly.

You gave him a look of confusion.

“Why not? Someone has to know what happened! We can’t just do nothing!” you cried.

“Yes we can.” Akira said darkly.

That static feeling in the air was coming back. You felt your skin prickle and it felt as if something brushed past you. You heard the sound of the door behind you closing shut and locking. You looked behind you at the closed door in growing dread. You turned back to your boyfriend. He was approaching you now, guitar hanging lazily from its strap as he reached out for you. You flinched and froze, not knowing what he was planning to do. You held back a shriek as he pulled the bouquet from your hands.

“Aw! Are these for me?” he said, burying his face into the blossoms and taking in their smell. His eyes were closed and he was smiling blissfully, a blush across his cheeks. Normally seeing Akira acting so smitten over your gifts would have you looking on with adoration, but your eyes kept flicking back and forth between your seemingly oblivious boyfriend and the corpse of his manager.

“Akira…” you said, gulping down your growing terror. “Why are you acting so weird? Your manager’s dead! Don’t you… don’t you care?!”

“He deserved it.” Akira said, looking up from the bouquet to stare you right in the eyes.

He decided that there really wasn’t much point in keeping you in the dark any longer. You may as well know everything. That’s the way it was with couples, right? They share their darkest secrets with each other all the time!

You stared up at him in shock.

“...what?” you said after finally finding your voice again.

“He told me that we shouldn’t get married. Then he told me that I should just break up with you altogether. Can you imagine, babe? He wanted me to just abandon you! You, my little muse! So I did what I had to.”

Your little dream was falling apart around you. All this time you’d been so smug about bagging a hot, up and coming rocker guy… all this time that you swooned over him and let yourself be swept up in a romance that happened much too fast to be normal…. It was crumbling into dust. You knew that Akira had a lot of secrets. You knew that he’d been in prison before you met him. But this was too much. Fearful tears pricked at your eyes and Akira noticed.

“Don’t cry, sweet thing! You don’t have to worry! I won’t let anybody come between us!” he cooed and wiped your eyes with his thumb. You were frozen to the spot and unable to pull away no matter how much you wanted to.

“You killed him.” you stated.

“I did.” he said with a grin that made your skin crawl.

“How?”

You glanced at the body again. You could tell that the poor man had been electrocuted but how Akira managed to do something like that was beyond you.

“That’s a little tougher to explain,” he said mysteriously. “Maybe it’s best if I give you a demonstration.”

That staticy feeling in the air increased and the lights in the room started doing strange things. They flickered, brightened, dimmed, and shut off completely only to come back on moments later. The digital clock on the wall cycled through the hours at rapid speed and the damaged phone sparked worryingly. You watched the scene wordlessly, unable to process what you were witnessing.

Suddenly a pair of arms grabbed a hold of you. You looked all around you in a frenzy of terror but you couldn’t see anything. You were being held by something that was totally invisible! Your skin prickled at the feeling of its hold and you could feel your hair standing on end. You started to scream when an invisible hand clamped over your mouth. You struggled, but whatever held you was far stronger than you. You looked at Akira with wide, fear-filled eyes. He just stared back at you with his usual loving expression. The expression looked so wrong on him now.

“That there is Red Hot Chili Pepper. He’s my Stand. I wish I could’ve given you a proper introduction, but under the circumstances, that’ll have to wait. You don’t have to be scared of him, though. He won’t hurt you unless I want him to. If I had another Stand arrow I could give you a Stand and you’d be able to see him. But I’d never risk it. The arrow would kill you if your will’s not strong enough. Not that I don’t think you’re strong willed or anything, but I’d never take a chance with my baby’s life like that. ”

What… the… hell… was he rambling about?

All this talk of Stands, and arrows, and chili peppers….

You didn’t know if he was going insane or if you were.

All that you knew is the man you called your boyfriend had murdered his manager, somehow he was controlling the electricity in the room, and you were being held captive by something he called a Stand. The thing, whatever it actually was, nuzzled into the back of your neck and you found yourself once again on the verge of tears.

Akria, ever vigilant when it came to you, noticed your watery eyes yet again.

“Hey! None of that!” he said, walking over and wiping the tears from your eyes once more.

“Water and electricity don’t mix, you know!”

He offered you a sickly sweet smile and you felt the bile rise in your throat.

He glanced back at his manager’s body and sighed.

“No one’s gonna look at this and see it as anything other than a freak accident. Even if Josuke and Jotaro were to find out about this and relate me to it, they can’t do shit to me now. I’m way out of their jurisdiction. We’ll just leave the body here. The receptionist and the janitor are the only people that knew that I was in here with him so I guess I’ll have to kill them, too. Probably best if we don’t leave the building in the usual way, so we’ll just go through the electrical system.” he muttered, talking more to himself than to you.

No, he was definitely the crazy one here.

How had he been hiding this side of himself from you all this time?

He prattled on for another minute or two before kneeling down next to you.

“Babe, you’re shaking,” he said, noting your trembling form. “You’re… you’re not scared are you?”

You didn’t respond. You couldn’t respond with the invisible hand over your mouth. All you could do was give him a desperate look, pleading with your eyes for him to let you go.

He didn’t.

Instead he wrapped his arms around you, holding you close to his chest while the invisible thing snuggled you from behind.

“You know I’d never hurt you, don’t you?” he asked, straightening up to look at you.

You moaned pathetically into the invisible hand over your mouth. You wanted to cry, but didn’t dare.

“I’ll come back to take care of those other two later, but first, I gotta take you somewhere where no one will find you.”

Your eyes widened and your face went ghastly pale. You looked up at him but he just gave you a stern stare down.

“Don’t look at me like that,” he said. “I gotta do it, baby! They’ll take you away from me if I don’t hide you from them! Now hang on, this will be kinda scary at first, but you’ll get used to it.”

You didn’t have a clue as to what he was talking about, but you didn’t have much time to think about it as you were promptly blinded by a bright yellow light. You squeezed your eyes closed, hoping to block the blinding light from your vision. It dimmed a moment later and you slowly opened your eyes. You were glowing, and so was Akira! All around you was snapping, popping, sizzling electricity and yet somehow it didn’t seem to harm you at all. As Akira held onto you, you could feel the both of you being pulled towards something. You looked around Akira to see that you both were being pulled into a wall socket. You let out a muffled scream as you were pulled into the socket and forced to travel through the building’s electrical wiring. You didn’t know how such a thing was possible, but you did know one thing:

Your little dream of dating a famous rocker had become a nightmare that you would never wake up from.

#jjba #jojo's bizarre adventure #yandere jojo #reader insert #jojo no kimyou na bouken #yandere jojo's bizarre adventure #yandere jjba #yandere jjba x reader #jojo x reader #jojos bizarre adventure #akira otoishi #yandere akira otoishi #akira otoishi x reader #jojo #jojo no kimyō na bōken #jojo part 4 #diamond is unbreakable #jjba part 4 #yandere akira otoishi x reader

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akajustmerry · 5 months ago

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hi merry! I just finished the newsreader and I'm not ok 😭 couple things I just wanted to ask you, do you think gerry really was the one to reach out to donna? I feel that if he did he wouldn't have come to the studios with such an expectation that he'd get any help from dale for such a betrayal. I also feel that even if he did do maybe he was just desperate enough to something so low but I don't wasn't to view him that way either 😣 my other thing is, do you think that helen was physically cheating on dale (just her going to Charlie is enough to count as infidelity but I digress). I have a complicated relationship with helen and it just wrongs me the wrong way that she'd be so bothered by kissing Tim but her actions are fine

helloooooo!!!! I'm so happy you watched The Newsreader, my beloved 😁

okay so many thoughts here. I'll just go in order:

I do think Gerry reached out to Donna but I think it was in a very low moment. I feel like he did it and probably immediately regretted it and can't take it back. If the newsreader is about anything, its a show about people having to constantly make career defining decisions even when they're at their lowest, and then having to live with the consequences of whatever decision they make. I think Gerry was angry and frightened and saw Dale as somewhat hypocritical in that moment and so he lashed out. I don't think what Dale did by throwing Gerry under the bus us was good either, but for gay and bi men, at that time especially, institutionalised homophobia made it nearly impossible for solidarity to be a thing in the workplace without jeopardising your life. The homophobia around them just forces dale and Gerry to make horrific decisions that hurt each other and it's so fucking sad!!!

Ah Helen. Helen is one of the most beautifully complicated characters in the world I adore her even in the moments where she drives me nuts. But no I don't think she was physically cheating on Dale when she was having those late night one on one chats with Charlie. I don't think she did anything with him until after she and Dale broke things off. Some people call what she was doing "emotional cheating" I guess. But I personally think Helen is a very forward person and understands that her position at news at six is so precarious because of the ableism and sexism she's experienced and Charlie was an opportunity for someone to get to know her without knowing her history. and I can totally understand why for Helen especially with her feeling insecure about dale why that's so appealing to have a man in power get to know her for who she is on her terms. I didn't like her thing with Charlie either but I understand it and that's the best thing about Helen and all the chars in this show is that even when you hate what they're doing you understand why they're doing it because the writing is so good.

Addressing her reaction to dale and Tim in a different point because I feel like it's not really about cheating even if it seems that way. Put it this way, I think if Tim was a woman and Dale told Helen that he kissed this woman in the spur of the moment but nothing really happened, Helen would probably be surprised maybe annoyed but she wouldn't think much of it for very long because Dale is not a cheater. Helen's reaction is not about the kiss itself. she's not worried about infidelity (sure maybe a bit), she's pressed because of homophobia. She's just spent months investigating AIDS and now her boyfriend who she loves is telling her that he likes men and it's the 1980s. For someone in her position at that time, even someone as intelligent and caring as she is, that would be terrifying and confusing to hear. Add to that, that Dale is trying to communicate to her that he's bisexual without having the language for that, and that he still wants to be with her, it's a lot for someone to process. I think her reaction is very human. But I don't really think it's about the "cheating" (I personally wouldn't consider dale and Tim's kiss cheating but that's just me), I think her reaction rooted in fear and homophobia and confusion, but what I love about that confession scene with Dale is how much love is in that room. She loves him so much she doesn't want to lose him and he loves her so much he doesn't want to hurt her. Like. Is her reaction a perfect reaction? No. But it's a very real one to me and I don't think when she reacted she was thinking about cheating!

Anyways, thank you for asking me about The Newsreader I'll go to sleep v happy now. Have a lovely weekend 🥰

#anon #the newsreader

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lol-jackles · 1 year ago

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What do you think of Rachel Zegler and her badmouthing Snow White every chance she gets? It seems like she doesn't even like the character but it doesn't seem smart to bash such an iconic and beloved character, who's a Disney princess no less! She's been going viral on tiktok for this reason. The beginning of this clip has made it's way into so many tiktoks all saying they hate this girl and that she doesn't deserve Snow White (I kinda agree tbh). Conversely, it did make the actress from The Little Mermaid trend positive because if nothing else, she at least loved playing Ariel.

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8N8YXQP/

Hold on while I work through the mental equation where Gal Gadot would be jealous of Rachel Zegler's ~superior beauty. *The Evil Queen is beautiful in her own right. It is the opinion of the mirror that causes all the drama.* There it is.

Okay, first, having seen West Side Story and Shazam, fury of the gods, Rachel does a good job convincingly playing sweet and kind characters on screen, which makes her ideal for Snow White. Now with that said, Disney either dropped the ball on providing Rachel media training, or she's saying exactly what Disney want her to say, thinking it will appeal to feminists Zoomers.

Whether or not these are Disney's talking points, let's review (link):

"She's not going to be saved by the prince"

Um, well, okay, let's give them that in the original Grimm she was not saved by the prince.

"She's dreaming about becoming a leader"

As the commentator said, she can have both true love and a career since male superheroes do it all the time. But I would argue that in the original film, Snow White was already a leader: she survived childhood abuse and assassination attempt, ran into the forest to save herself, then ran her own household as a teenager, and never gave up believing that she deserved love and care regardless of how people treated her in the past. Above all, Snow White was a tale about resilience and never giving up on the life you desire regardless of your current circumstances.

Then the commentator point out that it makes sense for Snow White to dream about true love because she doesn't remember what it was like to be loved after her biological parents died and she was mistreated by her stepmom and forced to work as a scullery maid for years. The prince was the first person to show her affection and kindness.

I've seen Rachel disparage the OG Snow White as outdated since it's from 1937. I wished I could explain to Rachel (or her Disney handler) that in 1937, many Americans had been through WWI and the Great Depression and Americans needed a message of hope and a reminder to stay positive and carry on despite hardships. Snow White embodied this resilience, her strength is underappreciated. I mean, come on, despite the shocker of a day Snow White had with the assassination attempt and all, when she found the house, she was deeply moved by the thought that seven little children with no mother lived there, so she cleans their house to surprise them. She’s always thinking of others. And despite the horrible situation she’s in she remains kind and optimistic, and quietly holds tight to her dream.

Disney did such a great job with the first live action remake of Cinderella in 2015 that I don't understand why it was down hill from there. They kept the same character traits as the 1950s version, being kind, never giving up hope, and then improving on that. It's message about "having courage and be kind" is a very good one because it's easy to become hardened and bitter when people treat you badly, but it takes a very strong person to be kind even after all that.

#Snow White #Rachel Zegler

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idlyfretting · 2 years ago

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Dialogue Tag!

Prompt: share a section of dialogue that we like from our own work! It can be funny, sad, ridiculous, mysterious, plot-centric or just characters shooting the breeze…anything! And it can be from a WIP or a posted fic! It can be short or long! Let’s celebrate our beloveds having a chat.

Tagged by @steddierthings (Thank you! <3)

This is from he was turned to steel. I'm a big fan of writing arguments (clearly) but this was significantly more antagonistic than anything I'd done before. This was also the most dialogue I'd written where most of the conversations had more than two people. I guess it should have been obvious, but keeping track of what everyone is saying, what they actually mean when they're saying it, and also what they're leaving out (or being cut off from continuing) is pretty difficult.

But anyway, here's Steve being a snarky, blood-soaked teenager who hasn't slept in three days.

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

“You are going to leave.” Steve stepped forward again, forcing Hawthorne back. “If you don’t, if you make me drag you out of here, it’ll be in pieces.”

Hawthorne shot him a disbelieving look. “Is that a threat?”

“No one would care enough to do anything about it. Your father hates you, would sell you out in a second if it meant advancing his political career. Your mother’s been doped up on oxy since you were in high school. Kelly is only going to marry you because of the family money, which isn’t even yours because like hell would the mayor leave you in his will. He restricted access to the family accounts as soon as you got back, right? And you’ve been living off your mom’s credit cards?” Steve took another step, forcing the other man back again. “You are nothing. To me, to everyone here, to everyone you know. I’ve already spent too much energy on you tonight, more than you’re worth. So you’re going to walk out of here, get in your truck, and go the fuck home. Otherwise, your fiancé will have to find a new dumbass to start cheating on.”

Robin’s mouth dropped open, and she saw Jonathan’s and his long-haired friend’s do the same. She heard Will choke back a quiet laugh behind her. Joyce’s eyes were wide and her lips were pressed together tightly, like she was trying to control her expression. Hopper looked uncomfortable, and made to step forward again. Nancy held him back.

Hawthorne was furious. He opened his mouth a few times, but nothing came out. Robin didn’t think the shakiness she saw in him was all anger. One of his buddies tugged on his arm, motioning toward the door. He glanced once at Steve before looking away quickly, nearly flinching.

“Come on, man. They’re not worth it.”

“He can’t just fucking say that shit to me, and think he can get away–”

“I know, but come on.” He gave Hawthorne another yank, leaning close to whisper in his ear. Robin couldn’t hear what he said, but Steve clearly could.

He laughed mockingly, tossing his head back in a loud guffaw. “You can kiss that baseball scholarship goodbye if I see your face in here again, James. Bit hard to pitch with an inverted elbow.”

It was quiet again for a few seconds before Murray piped up. “That’s called hyperextension.” Joyce elbowed him hard in the gut.

Steve didn’t turn. He kept his eyes fixed on James. “I didn’t mean hyperextended. I meant inverted.”

#stranger things fanfic #dialogue snippet #dialogue tag #fanfic #steve harrington

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lizziefox · 2 months ago

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Mystery Kids as the Hashira from Demon Slayer!

I was brainstorming about different ideas and I thought of this and how fun the scenarios could be. So I might do it once I get a better grasp on the story of Demon Slayer as well as the characters. I know each character’s backstories but I’d rather know more about the world building before I write an au or crossover.

Anyways, on to the topic of why exactly you clicked on this post;

Gyomei (The Stone Hashira):

Now this one is a tough one to start with. There’s not very many characters from my AU of Mystery Kids that are like him. But if you guys have any ideas or suggestions let me know!

(I do love Gyomei however which is why I hate leaving him without a counterpart.)

Tengen (The Sound Hashira):

This one is difficult too but a lot easier than Gyomei. I’d nominate Eddie Munson first lacking any better options then I’d consider Steve Harrington or literally any other remotely flirty character.

Regardless, I’m open to suggestions for him as well!

Kyojuro (The Flame Hashira):

Rengoku is a force of nature. He gets put through the wringer and he just keeps on going. I love him for that and even more after Mugen Train. He’s eternally optimistic and you don’t see that a lot in any characters really. Which is why his spot as the Flame Hashira in my opinion would be given to none other than Enid Sinclair.

She’s very similar to him in her ideals and how she sees the world. She’s also an incredible fighter when she needs to be and when it matters most.

Sanemi (The Wind Hashira):

I know Sanemi gets a lot of flack for being extremely violently over the top towards Nezuko in the beginning and towards everyone else. But I honestly understand why he is the way he is. He lost people that were important to him and he’s in a profession fighting the very things that took those people away.

I think his widespread dislike among the fandom is why I’d give a more beloved character his spot. So his spot would go to Wednesday Addams.

Giyu (The Water Hashira):

I adore Giyu! He has a character trope you often see portrayed in differing types of media. He blames himself for tragic things out of his control. Which is why there are so many good options for him! I considered Dipper Pines, Bill Denbrough, or Mike Wheeler.

Let me know who you think would be the best option!

Mitsuri (The Love Hashira):

I think a lot of people misinterpret Mitsuri. Most viewers’ first impressions of her are that she’s boy crazy. Which is a common occurance with Mabel Pines as well (even though Mabel actually is for the majority of the story). Despite this, I think she’d be perfect for the role given her character development.

And also, the aesthetics totally match up.

Muichiro (The Mist Hashira):

First off, he’s my favorite so I’m going to gush about him as much as I can without sobbing. Before he gets to know Tanjiro, he’s disconnected from himself and his past. But as he and Tanjiro learn from one another, his memories are reintroduced to him and he slowly becomes himself again. I understand both perspectives in this arc which is why I’d give Norman Babcock this position.

They not only share an MBTI type but also similar demeanors and ideals. They’re both very kind hearted, seemingly harsh on the outside and enjoy being around certain people rather than large groups. It’s a perfect fit!

Obanai (The Snake Hashira):

(MARRY ME OBANAI) Who said that? Anywho, this man is scary but secretly gentle. He’s been through way too much for one person to handle. Despite this, he is still motivated to pursue his career and interest in Mitsuri. While he is scary, I think he should be given a less scary character to take his place. This would be either Klaus Baudelaire or Stanley Uris.

Those options are really funny in hindsight because I also fell for those two. But they are very similar. They often close themselves off and try to solve problems on their own which often gets them into trouble. So I think either of them would be a good fit as the Snake Hashira.

Shinobu (The Insect Hashira):

(Everybody make some noise for the one, the only-SHINOBU KOCHO!!! Aka my second favorite!!) Now, as a Laika kid by nature and by heart I’d have to give her spot to Coraline. Nobody truly matches the position quite like she does. She doesn’t let anyone define her worth let alone manipulate her.

And while most people believe Shinobu to be quite smart, she was much of an airhead before the events of the series and Coraline isn’t entirely bright either. Neither of them are stupid by any means but I believe it’s a common phase in people who grow stronger in intelligence and bravery over time.

I hope you enjoyed my ramblings on this very niche AU I came up with on the fly. Let me know your thoughts in the comments! Much love and many blessings,

BloomingSkeletons

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rhythmantics · 1 year ago

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Oh! God I can’t believe it never hit me to ask this til now lol but what do you think Xander and Karen’s relationship looked like? How do you think they got together?

warnings for the fact that xander is a horrible scumbag and a mentally ill, child-abused wretch. so. usual warnings for that apply.

so a couple things to note; the first is that karen is literally xander's employee - he's the lab's associate director, she's just a low-rank gene sequencer. Second thing to note is that although he's 29 and she's 34, according to the prima guide, xander was originally conceived of as being 35, so I think karen was intended to be younger than him (even if only by a year).

Either way, she's pretty demonstrably weak-willed (betrays alex after a beating, and is persuaded by xander to risk her life to steal something from the lab for him). I don't think she's a bad person; in fact, i think she is a very nice, normal person (like let's be totally real, which one of us would be able to stand up to BW), which makes her ultimate fate at Alex's hands both a huge tragedy and a major reminder that neither Alex nor Xander are good people. I do NOT think it's right to blame Dana's involvement at Xander's behest on him - they are equals in that partnership, more or less - but I DO think some of the blame for Karen's death falls on Xander's shoulders. And Alex's.

In short, Xander takes advantage of her. Given his history with his mother (Ms. "worse than foster care" Mercer), and his suite of Emotional Issues besides, I have a very hard time imagining him in a relationship of equals. And they aren't equal - she's not as smart as him, literally his employee, and implied to be more naïve and trusting. He absolutely seduced her, and there's no way he's not letting the implicit threat of her career hang over her.

They definitely don't live together. We know they have their own separate places, but it's likely Xander had 0 intention of ever living with her, because the entire living room space in his apartment is his office. Given that the Point of Karen's character is that she's SUPER NORMAL, any future where they wind up serious together is one where she'd desire, you know, an actual living room. An entertainment center. You can probably already imagine about how well that would go over with Xander, who's spent his whole life compromising, and sees his new job/income/lifestyle as freedom.

That said, there is no overt abuse in their relationship. Xander has an Image, he has Standards, he hates his mother so much that he strives to be her opposite as much as possible. He would never raise a hand to Karen, but you don't need to be violent to exert control on a partner. I imagine he uses more subtle tactics. The fact that he's so beloved around his office that people would take his word over hers. The fact that he can and will use his horrific backstory to guilt-trip and justify any poor behavior toward her. The fact that he's clever enough and a good enough actor to - quite literally - gaslight. So on.

I think Karen actually thought she was very close to him, very intimate. He'd have framed his usage of his backstory as "opening up," or vulnerability, even though he's very cognizantly using it to make her feel like she was special, was fixing him. He'd put off talks of marriage or cohabitation with excuses of "not being ready" and "needing more time to learn how to trust people" while cognizant that he was never planning to let her move in, never. In many ways, he's the perfect partner, never forgetting a birthday or anniversary, always taking her out to nice places and getting her the things she wants/saying what she wants to hear, while ensuring he always has a leash on her and an exit strategy planned.

And the thing about Xander I find kind of fascinating is that he's motivated by contradictory forces. Xander is NOT a ~dark and twisted cycle path~ with no empathy or capacity to care for others; rather, he's someone with Severe PTSD who was literally in a survival situation for basically his entire life, with no trustworthy caregivers and practically 0 emotional nurturing.

It's not that he only sees her as a sex object - rather, Xander has a deep, deep craving for love and intimacy, and then screws himself over in that regard, because he doesn't feel "safe" if he isn't in total control, and he feels compelled to abandon other people before they can hurt him by abandoning him.

All relationships to him - even for his sister, who is "the only person he can trust" according to his prima bio (karen doesnt even make that list lol) - are functionally over before they begin. He expects the worst out of people - that they are liars, betrayers, cheaters, abandoners, insensitive, ignorant, and cruel - and then deliberately pushes the people around him to prove him right. Then he burns bridges, holds grudges, resents people. In Karen's case, he'll do things like deliberately not mention his birthday, because he's testing to see if she'll even care to remember (and if she doesn't, well, look at how cruel and insensitive she is, he was right to think that about her). If she does remember, he'll judge her on the quality of the gift she gets him compared to what he gets her (he's constantly psychoanalyzing and compiling mental dossiers on the people around him in case he needs to retaliate, which has the side effect of making him a REALLY GOOD GIFT-GIVER). And if it doesn't measure up (and it won't, because he doesn't actually open up to people, so how are they supposed to know what he wants), then that's "proof" that she's a dumb little sheeple, who doesn't care about anyone but herself, etc. etc.

But the core of this kind of resentment and hypercriticality is fundamentally that he craves acknowledgement, affection, validation, and emotional nurturing, things that he was deprived of growing up. The fact that he's so manipulative actually contributes to his despair; he hates that people fall for it, that (in his eyes) "they only see what they WANT to see," that he can ruin lives and destroy careers just by putting on a fake smile or pantomiming being hurt. It drives him crazy that he can get away with it.

At his core, Xander hates himself. Ten years of foster care and ten more years of child abuse have completely fucked up his internal self-image; he fundamentally conceives of himself as a worthless piece of trash that can easily be discarded as soon as anyone sees "the truth" (like he was in foster care), and/or as a weak, pathetic, inherently unlovable target and victim (as he was living with his mother). That's why he has to constantly self-aggrandize, say things like "I'm always right," train his body, avoid drugs and alcohol, put others down - he's constantly teetering on the edge of despair, a wounded animal still actively bleeding from welts that won't heal, in a world that has taught him that other people will hurt him. It's also why he goes Beast Mode on even minor perceived threats to his intellect or competence - what other people might see as a harmless jab, he perceives as a mortal threat. And given the fragility of his emotional state, it very well might be!

So what he gets out of Karen isn't pure physical gratification (although there is that). It's oddly contradictory, but to him, Karen is a symbol of "making it" - she's a hot young blonde with a PhD and a stable job, whom he can easily control (and is thus "safe"), who is madly in love with him. On the other hand, it's all fake, she doesn't actually care about him, just the fake persona he adopts toward her, NOBODY will ever actually care about him, EVERYONE sucks and he HATES THEM ALL. It's practically a form of self-harm.

So I don't think he's ever outwardly done anything to harm Karen. In fact, I think Karen thought she had, like, the PERFECT boyfriend, if only he was more open to the idea of moving in and getting married (but it's okay, she's fixing him). But I do think it was always 🤏 this close to BECOMING toxic and horrible, and Karen never had any clue.

TL;DR: Xander has many Big Feelings and most of them are hatred

#prototype 2009

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crownedinmarigolds · 2 years ago

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The Stakebait Coterie! Khloe and her boys are out there saving the Atlanta Waterbloods or get Final Death'd trying! (I'll type it all beneath the cut because I know.. my handwriting)

The main characters of the Poisoned Peach - ATL by Night chronicle my beloved is running for me! Khloe is my character, and the boys are my unbeatably dope team.

Name: Khloe Mariah Osbourne

Born: 05/04/1993, Embraced: 2022 by a Ventrue, came out Thinblood, Physical Age: 29

Height: 5'5", Hair: Dark Brown, Eyes: Hazel, Gender: Miss (She/Her), Nationality: American

Likes: Coffee, True Crime, Tabletop RPGs, Being a Minx, Staying Busy

Dislikes: Disappointing Others, Being Unprepared, Not knowing what's up, Her body, Tiktok-Style Ads

A little history: Khloe grew up the only child of very normal people who nastily divorced when she graduated high school. An avid reader and over-thinker, Khloe has immersed herself in many fantasy worlds and strategy games to the point where she seems to think of everything. A people pleaser who has a lot of good acquaintances yet no friends, the lack of companionship was hard-felt when COVID rolled around and kept everyone inside. Had a few partners, though none lasted. One night after visiting her mother, she found herself on a backroad all alone, save for the oncoming headlights that may be straying in her lane. (Where the Poisoned Peach begins!)

Name: Kyle Johnson

Born: 2/3/1994, Embraced: 2020, Sire unknown, but came out Thinblood, Physical Age: 26

Height: 5’10", Hair: N/A, Eyes: Sexy-Boy Brown, Gender: More man than your man (He/Him), Nationality: American

Likes: Feeling needed and helping others, Parties, Drinking cocktails with stupid names, Reasonable reactions.

Dislikes: Being late, people that CAN help and just don't, the MINIONS, Improperly labelled content warnings.

History: His mom was a nurse, her mom was a nurse, and so on. His sisters didn’t want to carry on the tradition, so he decided to go into the medical field himself as an EMT. The stress of the job brought on early balding, but he thrived both on the clock and in the club. One night, he drank a few too many and he woke up in a dumpster the next night, completely clueless. The sunlight began to hurt, nothing sat right in his stomach. Everything was the same yet all so different, better and worse. He spiraled, confused and depressed, until the Dusk Angel found him and helped him come to terms with his new existence. Now Kyle proudly helps the Thinblood Revolution as a kind face to help ease the new blood in, just as he had been.

Name: Randolph "Ralph" Gaylord King III

Born: 10/09/1996, Embraced: 2021 by a Nosferatu, came out Thinblood, Physical Age: 25

Height: 6'5" (Even pre-Embrace, him just big), Hair: Brown (Has to shave the remnants every evening, used to be long and thick and in a man-bun), Eyes: Yellow-Orange (Brown pre-Embrace), Gender: BOI (He/Him), Nationality: American

Likes: Guns, Bad Jokes, Strategy Games, Annoying Christian, Being a right menace

Dislikes: Himself :(, Whiny people, Beer, Signs with sayings meant to be taken serious.

Some Background: Born in St. Louis Missouri, Ralph had a pretty standard lower middle class upbringing. He followed his father and older brother and joined the army when he turned 18 right out of high school. Years of prep and hard work paid off as he went through candidate courses, eventually making it into Special Forces. His career was short-lived however after losing his right foot on his first deployment. Depression and dead-end jobs seemed to be his future until as a joke he started posting thirst-traps on social media, but it got real when his follower count spiked and sponsors started making offers. He was thrown into the life of an Insta-Thot - specifically Fitness Inspo - ultimately landing him in a party in Atlanta, Georgia, where his soon to be sire, Bill - a jealous and spiteful Nosferatu - lurked. Ralph was alone as he stumbled to his hotel room, and Bill could contain his hate no longer. To him, Ralph deserved to be as ugly on the outside as Bill thought he had to be on the inside. Little did Bill know, he messed with the wrong guy.

(Not written due to lack of room, we clearly don't play favorites here...) Eventually found in the sewers by the Dusk Angel, Ralph now serves in the Thinblood revolution, using every skill he's acquired in order to get revenge against the Fullbloods.

Name: Christian Ottavio

Born: 01/16/1989, Embraced: 2017, Gangrel sire but came out Thinblood, Physical Age: A rough 28

Height: 6'1", Hair: Dark Brown, Eyes: Brown, Gender: The MAN (He/Him), Nationality: American

Likes: Beer, Relaxing nights spent inside, Napping, His truck

Dislikes: His family, Wearing tight jeans, Bro-Country music, Fullbloods

A bit of background: Born and bred in Georgia into a rich family with ideals he couldn't wrap his head around. Went into the workforce at a young age in an effort to escape them and be on his own. He's had to sleep in his truck many a night, but eventually got everything together enough to get a roof over his head. That was until some uppity lick decided to draft him into the army of the damned during the Atlanta Sabbat civil war. He was one of many forced to fight during the schism, and one of the few to come out "alive." Before his sire could take him behind the proverbial tool shed, Christian was saved by the Dusk Angel, and now is a proud Thinblood freedom fighter.

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sciderman · 1 year ago

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EXTENDS MY HANDS.... DO YOU HAVE ANY CABLE COMIC RECS........ deadpool can be there too i guess

hilarious... hilarious... with all the cable comics i've been reading lately you'd THINK i'd have recs but honestly i don't. i've been reading all the cable comics i can get my hands on but his comics are really boring or confusing and i'm so sorry. it's no wonder they're always in the bargain bin. i'm so so so so so so sorry nathan summers. i still buy the comics because you look stupid hunky in them. and i'm a simple girl with simple needs.

nathan: [time-travel dialogue that makes no fucking sense to me] me, twirling my hair and kicking my feet: hahaha noo cable don't expo-dump me you're so hooot hahahaha...

i think the x-force stuff and the new mutants stuff might be more interesting - i think maybe cable works better as leader of a team (his usual role) or paired up with a foil (aka deadpool) vs solo, he's just not interesting enough to carry anything on his own (sorry)

that being said, my rec list will probably have a significant deadpool bias, because deadpool happens to often be the spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down, as it were - i think the thing that makes nate work is when other characters Point Out how ridiculous he is. and wade wilson kind of built an entire career off of that.

i think when nate's played straight (ha) he's just not my bag - i think he needs to play off of characters that reveal just how silly he is. especially since stakes are often so high with nate - time-stream space-time-continuum sort of stuff - it asks a lot of you. so you need someone there to keep things kind of silly. i always prefer lower-stake stuff, personally - otherwise, the thing needs levity from somewhere.

his most recent series was cute (bable my beloved) - written by duggan (who is Not my favourite deadpool writer, and also wrote uncanny avengers - general consensus is that duggan doesn't really Get Cable, but his stuff is still very readable.) (deadpool is there, also.)

on the topic - uncanny avengers (2015) - i kind of don't like the way nate is written here - very stoic, unfeeling, very hyper-macho. but he looks really sexy (even with his receding hairline.)

speaking of this particular artist that draws nate so sexily - deadpool vs x-force. beeeeeeyoing. i think it might be one of my favourite books with nate in. for entirely shallow reasons.

daddy? sorry. daddy? sorry. d

i've read the cable (2008) series and it was - kind of an infuriating experience, admittedly. the writing is confusing, and the art is actually insanely infuriating to me. like i wanted to scream while reading this series. it's sensory overload. a lot of cable comics feel like that for me, actually. i found this entire book in the bargain bin for like, £2 and STILL didn't buy it because i hated reading it so much.

that being said:

daddy? s

god. his head is so tiny. whatthefuck.

i think my favourite cable stuff i've read is probably niceiza's stuff (again. fuck.) and i think it's for the same reason why i like his deadpool stuff the most too - everywhere else I see nate he's this rugged tough guy who's kind of intentionally one-dimensional and hardcore - but when i read niceiza's nate he's kind of stupid sometimes. he's stupid and his worldview is kind of perplexing and ridiculous, and we're kind of perpetually infuriated by him but kind of feel for him because we have a real sense that he's trying so hard. it's not just cool-guy i have a massive gun check out my massive gun i don't have time for emotions i have a time-stream to fix sort of stuff - nate gets a weird kind of vulnerability in niceiza's stuff, and he's constantly, literally de-powered. niceiza loves de-powering him. and i love to see a nathan summers de-powered. he's so sexy when he's pathetic. i love pathetic men. and niceiza just so happens to have a knack for writing the most pathetic men i've ever seen.

so cable & deadpool (2004) and deadpool & cable: split second, obviously. do i even need to say it.

i'd love it if anyone had any recs for what people feel is the definitive cable - like, cable fans, if you could point at a book and say "THIS IS IT. THIS IS NATHAN SUMMERS AS HE WAS INTENDED." i'd love to read it, i'd love to read it. i know there's definitely comics i can point to for deadpool when it comes to that - but i think everyone takes something different from these characters - and a character like nate, i've seen so so so many different interpretations of him in fanon that always get me curious.

#sci speaks #sci talks comics

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birlwrites · 1 year ago

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somthing that annoys me SO MUCH about a lot of Regulus fics (other than how many of them are jegulus. seriously so many of their plots look so interesting but i just can't read jegulus it Reallly doesn't do it for me) is how in almost every single one, Regulus has no friends. not a single one. and the authors always just sort of add him on to the end of the marauders and call it done. SO, I just wanted to say that I appreciate it a lot that in ttdl (and career goals) you gave Regulus FRIENDS!! I like that you've given the Slytherins personalities beyond "Evil" and "Bully," even the ones that are Bullies and will be Evil! (Regulus' camaraderie with the quidditch team my BELOVED. the group celebration after the winning game in ttdl? that heart stopping moment in career goals: tyrant when Megan fell off her broom and Regulus was so worried? His protective thoughts about her ex. 'my second year'? Geoff being Dad? Theophania? (her matching hair ribbons with Megan and Emma was soo cute (nothing to do with Regulus but jsyk I really liked that detail)) Travers (i can't remember his first name but i appreciate him anyways) I totally just got sidetracked but <3<3<3 REGULUS HAS FRIENDS!!)

ok SAME. regulus is another character, like james and lily, who is very easy to reduce down to like. 1-2 canon moments and a couple of character traits, and i think a lot of the 'regulus doesn't have his own friends' fics are also the ones that tend to infantilize regulus and/or just make him someone who exists to Be Saved (by either james or sirius, usually)

which!! i cannot stress enough!! is easy to write. there's a reason these fics are all over the place. if regulus doesn't have his own friends, then you don't need to figure out who they are or what their personalities are like or how they impact him and his relationships with the marauders (who tend to be the focal point of the story). simple casts of characters make things simple. that's valid as a writing choice.

however. GIVE THE BOY SOME GODDAMN FRIENDS. i s2g it's like canon lily. she just has the convenient muggle sister (bad relationship), snape (bad relationship, also he's in love with her which reinforces lily as Romantic Interest™ instead of a person), james (canonically, they apparently seem to be on bad terms until lily finally gives in and starts dating him, which, yuck), and harry (so lily can die for him!!)

(more ranting and the joys of regulus with friends under the cut)

whereas regulus, in contrast, tends to have walburga (bad relationship), sirius (estrangement), MAYBE narcissa (who is usually older than him by enough that she's already graduated from hogwarts), and james (JEGULUS)

there is absolutely no way that the entire house of slytherin was a complete monolith of asshole death eaters And Then Regulus, and personally i find it very dull as a narrative choice - even if it's a house full of asshole death eaters, regulus has been living with these people since the age of eleven. he's on a sports team. he has friends.

but i think frequently the reason he doesn't is because that makes it easy for him to be a damsel in distress who gets saved, insert jegulus, and when regulus gets swooped out of that Horrible Nasty Dungeon Full Of Slytherins, it doesn't leave any inconvenient loose ends, because he doesn't have any personal connections. the marauders (primarily sirius and james) never have to learn how to interact with regulus's friends. they can comfortably continue to be super anti-slytherin because regulus isn't 'like the rest of them,' so he's not REEEEEALLY a slytherin :)

(and regulus not being friends with any of the Asshole Death Eaters also conveniently makes him a very Pure character who has only ever been a victim and doesn't introduce any complex or nuanced moral questions to the narrative)

in general i just really hate when regulus is treated as an appendage of one of the marauders, and it happens all the time. that was a big driving force behind writing ttdl in the first place. i'm tired of regulus getting saved sjflsghjsgjkdhkjsf and i'm tired of him just being characterized however is convenient to the marauders

and i do STRONGLY BELIEVE that regulus had friends. maybe he wasn't ✨super popular✨ like ✨sirius and james✨ but like?? that's not a requirement to have friends???

and the slytherin quidditch team is a SLYTHERIN. TEAM. they are going to be both aggressively competitive (regarding the other teams) and AGGRESSIVELY TEAM-ORIENTED (because that's how you fucking wIN). ambition does not mean 'everyone for themself' (we don't have time to get into That canon theme) and IF SOMEONE DOESN'T PLAY WELL WITH OTHERS, THEY ARE HURTING SLYTHERIN'S CHANCES AT WINNING. IT IS A TEAM SPORT.

and like!! they have early morning practices together!! they eat breakfast together because Nobody Else Is Awake!! they work together and they respond viciously if one of them gets hurt and they have BONDED. regulus thinks of himself as being a little bit isolated from the rest of the team but that is the result of HIS OWN ISSUES WITH SELF WORTH and *REGARDLESS* OF THAT, HE STILL IS PERFECTLY AWARE THAT THEY'RE ALL FRIENDS

plus regulus is so much more fun with friends. he needs an outlet for all that drama. he wrote an incredibly elegant 'fuck you' note in a fake locket that he bothered to stash in the basin - LIKE???? HE COULD HAVE JUST TAKEN THE REAL LOCKET AND BLOWN UP THE CAVE???????

and i love regulus being best friends with barty because barty is similarly dramatic and they make the best team. especially when it comes to taking down people they hate. i LOVE the idea of them meeting in first year and both of them immediately going 'ok. mine now' and they are just choosing each other relentlessly from the beginning - and i ESPECIALLY love it because of the difference in their backgrounds, which makes them complete opposites on the surface but the same underneath (which i am a huge fan of as a character dynamic in general alghksgjhkjsdkf, you can see it all over the place in ttdl)

anyway im a huge proponent of 'give regulus his own life instead of just putting him in convenient stasis until the marauders show up.' even if you DO intend to have him sort of merge with the marauders and end up in a relationship with james, it'll be so much more interesting if regulus has his own history and social circle that the marauders have to reckon with, and it puts him on much more equal footing in that relationship, instead of just having it be 'savior/saved'

#i mean when you think about it sirius only really had the three close friends canonically #admittedly they were a lil codependent but Still #hashtag regulus was more popular than sirius at school it's just that nobody ever told harry that #dark lord wip #should i make an inbox tag #im laughing over the notion of regulus being the regina george of hogwarts The Whole Time #and just. nobody ever mentioned it because it ~wasn't relevant to harry's journey~

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thestarlightforge · 10 months ago

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“A Practical Career”

3/10/24

******

[ID: A screenshot of "Nobody Really Cares" by Baby Queen, a song playing in the Apple Music app. The timestamp is 0:06, for the lyric, "Who would you be if there was nobody watching? How many parts of your identity are you squashing down, just to toe the societal line?" The song is starred as it's been played many times.]

I’m gonna write that sequel. Even if it is fanfiction, just for us.

I’m gonna write the plays I want to write. Even if it takes them years to get produced.

I’m gonna tap out in FinalDraft all the screenplays I feel like. For characters who are known and unknown, already beloved and yet to be so.

I’m gonna create, whether the masses enjoy it or just a few of my friends, because their laughter is my favorite thing anyway.

I’m gonna start living like the artist I am. Not a kid trying everything to please their family and an ableist world, not a person bound to a career they hate who’s struggling to get by. I will make it; I will survive; I always have. But I will be an artist in the meantime. It’s not my “side gig,” my “escape,” my “I’m just doing this until the dream is over and I’m kicked out or forced to give it up” anymore. It’s my life. I’m free. I did it. We might only live once. And it’s time to trust myself, with whatever time I have. ❤️

#Fiona’s Art Journal #short story #prose poetry #artist #writer #playwright #director #dramaturg #dramaturgy #theatre #theater #musical theatre #writing #mental health #growth #recovery

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shadowshrike · 2 years ago

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Why I enjoy the yips arc

Disclaimer: This essay is exactly what it says on the tin. If you hate the yips arc or get upset when people don't love Sawamura from the beginning, you will likely want to skip over this post.

For me, the infamous 'yips arc' sold Sawamura. To be honest, I don't tend to like MCs in anime. Especially shonen anime. They don't resonate with my personal experiences regarding competition, failure, and growth.

When I started Daiya, I didn't appreciate the loud-mouthed "hard worker" zero-to-hero sunshine teenage MC that was dead set on causing me as much second-hand embarrassment as possible. I only continued my journey with the story for two reasons: the rest of the team was more grounded, and the plot tended to not reward Sawamura's early egotistical or out-of-touch behaviors with instant success.

It was only when I hit the yips arc that I wanted to root for Sawamura to the end from the bottom of my heart. He was no longer just comic relief or a guy who would suddenly obtain convenient new skills to make sure he stayed relevant in typical MC fashion. While he had the yips, Sawamura proved himself to be a true competitor capable of meaningful fear. One who doesn't steamroll everything when it really counts because he's a prodigy protagonist with a can-do attitude that everybody loves. Yes, Sawamura remained a hardworking prodigy of sorts throughout Daiya, but he more explicitly needed the help of his team and deep self-reflection to reach his potential and move forward during the yips.

Now, there are a lot of people in the fandom who hate the yips arc. I completely understand not wanting to see your favorite character suffer. Especially when 'tough love' communication styles don't feel like love to you. It's also unpleasant to watch many beloved characters struggle to cope after a loss, all while a new villain (at the time) is introduced in Ochiai. But for me, who was not a Sawamura enjoyer until after this arc, I appreciated it. It became a core thread in the tapestry of Seido's team coming together during the aftermath of a foundation-shattering defeat.

A bit about the yips

For those unfamiliar with the real-life condition, the yips are a notoriously difficult thing to treat. There is no cure, just things to try or avoid. Even the help of the best psychological experts at top levels of play can fail to salvage a professional's game after years of treatment.

Many high school athletes have had their careers ended before they began by the yips, forcing them out of their sport entirely. Others recover with minimal help or after a short slump. The scariest part is that you don't know which camp you're going to be in, recovery or permanent breakdown, and you can switch between them at any point.

Although the prognosis for someone who develops the yips is uncertain at best, I've gone through and seen friends go through stages similar to what's shown in Sawamura's journey. I'd argue Daiya touches on these as realistically as it tackles the other disappointing realities of playing a sport. That is to say - it mimics the real deal with a touch of dramatic flair.

Now, I'm no expert on the yips or sports psychology, but I've simplified the 'stages' of the condition I have experienced or witnessed to exemplify why this arc resonated so well with me.

Stage 1 - What's happening?

Failure following a high-stress moment makes the yips seem like normal performance anxiety. It may take a while to realize what's happened if it only appears in specific situations. You try to shake off the bad memory with your normal coping strategies.

Performance anxiety is a constant companion in competition. Nerves after a bad performance, in particular, are expected. Sometimes you luck out and recover immediately. Other times you have to go back to basics or shake things up to reset, especially if your nerves only hit during performance situations and not practice.

You may attempt to ignore it in hopes it will go away like normal. When your usual attempts to get back in the groove all fail is when panic sets in.

We see this most clearly when Sawamura starts falling apart for the first time while throwing inside. It's a story shown through Miyuki more than Sawamura, strangely, since Miyuki's many responsibilities include helping his pitchers regulate their emotions.

As a catcher, Miyuki has a wide bag of tricks to get pitchers going after a slump. Although his caustic tactics are infamous, that isn't the only way he treats them during a game, nor does he treat every pitcher the same, especially after this arc. With Sawamura, Miyuki's go-to is riling him up. Sawamura loves to rise to a challenge. He pitches his best when someone's pushing him or he has something to prove.

But when Sawamura fails repeatedly to respond in his normal way to his calls inside, Miyuki realizes this may not be some normal fluke of bad control. We see Miyuki's darkened expression before he decides what brave face he's going to put on to get Sawamura back on track. He tries other tactics - joking to take the tension out of the situation and redirect anger to him, and eventually trying to directly reassure Sawamura - both of which don't fix the situation and lead us into the next stage.

Stage 2 - I've got the yips, but don't pity me

You realize that the muscle memory is "gone". Something you used to be able to do without thinking about it now forces your brain to focus on every step. You struggle with failure, fear of not getting it back, and the sympathy of others.

When you're a highly competitive person in a competitive environment, being told that your sub-par performance is okay is an awful feeling. It feels like a person is sugarcoating the obvious truth to spare your feelings. What should be a gentle attempt to cheer you up from friends or teammates can become confirmation that they never believed in you in the first place, especially when you usually have a relationship based around friendly trash-talk.

In the worst cases, you may feel like they expected you to fail when you thought you could succeed. They pity you as the 'poor, broken player'. And the last thing you want to do when someone treats you inappropriately softly is validate that you need to be coddled.

This piggybacks off of the previous stage and can serve as a mental block throughout the entire treatment process. What stood out to me in the story was how we mostly saw yips through the other characters. Sawamura didn't really ask for help. In fact, he was unusually agreeable to everyone because he desperately wanted to prove that he could live up to their expectations without those expectations being lowered.

You may recall this is the same player who said, "their kindness hurts". Sawamura thrives in the high-drive teenage sports environment where friends talk shit to each other because they believe in one another. When that stops, it hurts.

Sawamura doesn't want sympathy. He doesn't want understanding or pity because he knows the way he played was indefensible. All he wants is to perform again.

Stage 3 - Step away

Take a break from the affected activity to reset the brain.

This is to avoid cementing unwanted mental patterns. As they say, practice makes permanent. The break may be self-imposed or made mandatory by an authority figure. If you're part of an active team, it can include a demotion or temporary removal. That status change is demoralizing but necessary after the nature of your condition is clear, not only for the success of the team but for you to have less pressure on you while you change tracks.

This is also typically when your mentors start developing a plan to help you recover, or when they adopt a 'wait and see' approach before intervening further.

Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a sports psychologist at Seido. It isn't surprising, but it does mean we don't see that as a potential aid here. Instead, the treatment comes in a way many might consider 'old-fashioned' but is a reality for most people.

Taking an approach such as saying, "go run," without a full explanation of why the break might help or what the long-term treatment plan might be isn't something I'd personally recommend. However, it fits with what we've seen in the strictly hierarchical world of HS baseball at Seido. The coach very rarely or never explains himself to his players, and as readers, we often only find out what he's trying to do through analytical characters like Miyuki, who piece it together themselves.

This is also common, if not desirable according to some cultures, in competitive environments. The coach is in charge - you trust their judgment and assume there is a plan, whether or not you understand it.

This phase is also where we see Sawamura's other established teachers deciding what to do. Chris tells Kanemaru to wait and see, and that he thinks Sawamura will recover on his own.

Miyuki, on the other hand, waffles between not being able to spend time on Sawamura due to his own personal challenges as captain and responsibilities to his struggling team, and wanting to make sure Sawamura overcomes the yips. It's unclear if his motivation is due to guilt, friendship, practicality, or some combination of the three, but in the end, he decides he has to take a proactive approach.

Stage 4 - Everything and the kitchen sink

If the condition persists, try new approaches to replace the lost technique.

This might include learning a new skill so you don't have to do what the yips are affecting, moving to a totally different environment or league, trying a new position, or pursuing any number of therapies. Typically, the old technique is not being used at this point except to test progress. Sometimes this phase will allow a player to ignore their condition by cutting out the problem behavior entirely, thus letting them return to their previous position without recovering from the yips.

There are two main examples of this I can think of that we see during the yips arc. The most controversial is the advice by Ochiai to completely change Sawamura's delivery so he can remain useful to the team. Although this was quickly overturned because of the reason Ochiai suggested it - not actually to help Sawamura's recovery because he was already pitching again at that point but to make him 'useful' - a pitcher changing his delivery to overcome the yips is surprisingly not without historical precedent as an idea. Daniel Bard tried a huge number of things, including temporarily becoming a sidearm pitcher, to recover from the yips.

Ultimately, Miyuki, Chris, and Katoaka settle on the skill replacement idea by teaching him the out-low. It's unclear if the original idea came from Miyuki or Katoaka, though the implication is this was Miyuki's plan, and Chris agreed with it when approached, reversing his previous stance that Sawamura could recover on his own.

Regardless, all three seem hopeful that this new set of pitches can get Sawamura back in the lineup and help him recover mentally. Even with that hope in mind, they know he may or may not ever be able to pitch inside again. That isn't the point of teaching the out-low, though it would (and does) make him more dangerous if he can regain his original pitches. The point is to catalyze a return of Sawamura's confidence for his own sake and that of the team.

It also serves as a foundation for an important mental skill. Relaxing. As goofy as it looks, it works well for Sawamura and makes an enormous difference in his pitching.

Stage 5 (hopefully) - Oh hey, it's back!

With a lot of repetition, experimentation, and a healthy dose of luck, you spontaneously regain what you lost.

If you're one of the lucky ones, your mental block may disappear as suddenly and quickly as it appeared. Something 'clicks' and you're able to perform as you used to. The recovery isn't always permanent, unfortunately, and even if it is, you'll need to practice on your good days to make the consistency stick after so long away.

Ultimately, Sawamura is able to recover after persevering through several games. It was both a joy to see and unsurprising, considering the nature of the story. In Sawamura's case, he ends up stronger for having gone through the yips. Not only mentally, after having his often naively optimistic nature challenged, but physically with a wider pitching repertoire.

One thing I want to make clear before I finish

Although dealing with the yips does require incredible mental strength due to its frustrating and demoralizing nature, recovering or not recovering doesn't prove your superior or inferior character as a person. No person, technique, attitude, or therapy has been shown to reliably reverse the yips once they've occurred. All you can do is work hard, experiment, and hope it pays off. Thankfully for Sawamura, it did, and it allowed us to see him mature significantly as a person and a pitcher.

#daiya no ace #ace of the diamond #essay

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