#i literally just get wicked high all the time and do nothing

[teatroll]

18+ NSFW content ahead, MDNI

GOING TO POUND TOWN WITH SUKUNA - HEADCANONS

Includes: fem!reader, degradation, choking, unprotected piv (wear condoms, you guys and ghouls) + a bit more typical sukuna shenanigans i think he'd do (headcanons, duh)

Note: genuinely have no clue how else to label it, just pure shameless smut (not proofread); @cafekitsune - banner

¤ Sukuna isn't the one to play games with. Because that's his quirk.

¤ That abomination of a man/curse will have you all riled up and begging in a nick of time.

¤ Pinning you against any surface possible, calling you names because you're such a whiny mess after a single knuckle of his thick digit within your tight cunt, it makes him cackle.

¤ He's a natural at making you look truly pathetic, i'll give him that.

¤ He savors your pleas like they're a nectar made only for him, King of Curses, to devour.

(*coughs* God complex-)

¤ He also wants you to watch what he's doing to you. So, by any means, he will knock you up by the mirror and he WILL make you watch, whether you like it or not.

¤ Pinning you against the sink in the restroom of some club you went to unwind at with your friends; with a veiny hand on your throat as he coos sweet nothings in your ear way to delicately for someone who's about to tear your clothes off to shreds.

¤ The man just knows how to present himself, i'll give him that ×2.

¤ If there was a foreplay it was rather short and unnecessary because your panties were soaking wet from the start. Plus, Sukuna doesn't like to waste precious time on something so meaningless to him. He just sees and claims it all, no fucks given.

¤ But, ultimately, ALL fucks given.

¤ Thrusts in one deep stroke, clasping a hand over your mouth.

¤ Don't get him wrong, he thrives on your cries, but he doesn't need any unwanted attention.

¤ Despite that he will still snarl degrading stuff like "Such a vocal bitch. You want others to come and check out this sight, hm? Maybe i should ask them to join as well, how about that?" after which he'll cackle once more, seeing you so obediently trying to silence yourself with his cock buried balls deep into you.

¤ "That's what i thought. Now stop whining and take it all in."

¤ That man is a pest, and he's proud of it.

¤ He's anything but gentle. Groping your curves with such force it'll surely leave bruises.

¤ Sukuna is not fucking, he's Fucking with a capital F. Mercilessly, rough, like he's genuinely trying to break you.

¤ One hand still on your throat; squeezing tightly, not enough to choke you, but enough to make you gulp for air with teary eyes.

¤ Gojo and his "Are you cryin'?" is all sunshine and flowers compared to Sukuna's "Are you cryin'?" with that malicious grin of his.

¤ Once again, that man fucking enjoys making a babbling mess out of you. Because that's what you are today, you're a cumslut, his cumslut. Once and for all.

¤ Never lets you finish first. Like, NEVER.

¤ 'S just not your privilege, honey. By his point of view, you basically sold your body to his possession. So he'll be the one to enjoy the ride to the fullest, with your pathetic whines accompanying wet slaps of skin on skin like a wicked lewd orchestra.

¤ Hits that sweet spot with each thrust, so you're on a timed schedule here before the bubble bursts.

¤ That torment doesn't stop for a second as he chases his high. Sukuna is literally a wild beast and he makes it known.

¤ One thing he does, though, is let go of your throat just to dig his nails into your waist and hips. Because if he didn't, he'd probably snap your damn neck. The sheer force of his grip on your flesh is ungodly.

¤ Cums with a grunt or huff. Not a growl, that he did during the process and right in your ear. While his mouth kept running, of course.

(To think about it, he isn't the talkative type usually. But, oh, dirty talk? When he knows how desperate you are? Sign him up, first row, best seat with couch cushions, please.)

¤ It's a grunt of pure bliss. Head thrown back, chest raising and falling rapidly, eyes rolling into oblivion as they close shut, the whole package.

¤ He'll never admit it even if you saw it in the reflection. Gaslighting is his middle name, i'll give him that ×3.

¤ Also bucks his hips into yours to fill you up to the brim. There's no debate here, if he said you're taking it, you are. Mewl all you want, his cock will kiss your cervix one more time, before he once again denies you of your release and slips it out.

¤ Will stare as his seed drips down your pussy and thighs. It's mesmerizing to him, okay? Especially when you're all trembling and sobbing, that gets him off for round two.

¤ Whenever he's feeling generous, he will make it more enjoyable for you. Though his lovebites still leave bloody markings all over you.

¤ Also, if he's VERY generous, he will finger you. We've all seen what those hands can do, there's no point in denying it'll be divine.

¤ But your clit will literally hurt afterwards. Come on, it's Sukuna, you know the drill.

¤ Praising ain't his cup of tea, but, alas, if he feels gracious enough, he'll give you such courtesy as well. In his typical Sukuna style, of course.

¤ "Gambare, gambare... Serving me so well today. Good girl."

¤ After which he'll slap your pussy for good measure making you squeak and shudder.

¤ Aftercare is not about him, but he'll give you some time to recover. Mostly because he doesn't want anyone but him to see you like this. It's only his treasure to preserve and relish.

¤ All you're getting is another hungry kiss to seal your cursed pact for good, bad and dirty.

"Now... how about we ditch this place and get back home? I'm still... starving."

¤ TOJI FUSHIGURO ¤ NANAMI KENTO ¤

[ghostboneswrites2]

Girl of Your Dreams || Pt.3

New account! @ghostbones was banned! Transferring all my work here slowly!

Summary: Daryl coaxes you up to the watchtower with him. He's much nicer this time :)))

18+ MDNI || WARNINGS: profanity, unprotected p-in-v, general smut, TWD typical zombie killing

        It took you literal hours to recover from the blatant torture he had inflicted upon you in that little loft. Talk about cruel and unusual punishment, you thought to yourself.

        You were both back home at the prison now, having not spoken a single word to each other since he left you sitting there on that bed, high and dry (or... wet?)

        You decided you couldn't sit on  your cot and stew about it anymore, you had to get up and do something. Problem was, it was late, and most people would be asleep by now, so you couldn't exactly do much work inside. You guessed that left you to find something to do outside. Had the gardens been weeded? How were the pigs doing? Maybe the fences were piling up with walkers. That sounded good, you'd go stab walkers through the fence. 

        You sat up, tying your freshly washed hair up behind you, and slipped your boots shoes on. You snuck outside, shutting the door behind you as gently as you could, before making your way over to the inner gate and tugging it open. You glanced up at the guard tower and held up your spear to show whoever it was that you were just working the fences. You guessed probably Glenn and Maggie, as that was usually where they slept when they wanted some privacy.

        You stabbed and prodded the clumsy corpses through the holes in the fence for maybe a half hour before he silently snuck up on you, leaning against the inner fence behind you, simply observing. He saw the way your legs flexed every time you shoved the sharpened wooden pole through a decaying skull, the way your loose ponytail slapped side to side, and most of all the aggression you used, no doubt trying to work off some frustration. 

        You were short of breath after so much work. You wiped the sweat from your forehead with your arm and set the spear against the fence. You went to turn around and take a break, but you jumped as you did so upon noticing Daryl standing there watching you.

        "Shit, man! What the hell?" You gasped, placing your hand over your startled heart.

        "Was on watch. Seen ya out here." He shrugged. "Y'okay? Seem a little frustrated." He smirked.  You shot him a cold glare.

        "Nuh-uh." You shook your head. "No. You take that evil mouth of yours and go somewhere else."

        "What's the matter? Talk to me." He was so nonchalant it made you want to hit him.

        "Oh, nothing." You waved him off. "In fact, I have never been better."

        A bluff, and a poor one at that. All this time you thought you had him, you had reveled in the fact that you could get a rise out of him, only to realize it was him who had you around his finger the whole time. He was a lion in the grass, just waiting for his moment to pounce. Well, you decided you wouldn't fall to his wicked games. He would not make a fool of you again.

        "That's good." He nodded. "Wanna come help me keep watch?"

        "Absolutely not." You crossed your arms.

        "Not even for..." He trailed off, digging in his pocket and holding up a little napkin. He unraveled it to expose your favorite snack, one that only he knew how to make. 

        "Deer jerky?" You whined.

        "Uhuh. Freshly smoked." He said, taking a bite out of one of the strips and chewing slowly, staring you dead in the eyes.

        "Why?" You scoffed. "You gonna tie to to a string and dangle it above my head? Pull it away every time I reach for it? Seems pretty fitting."

        Your tone was harsh and accusatory. It amused him, but he didn't let it show outwardly. He just kept his defense up, remaining as calm and calculated as ever.

        "Nah. Just thought I'd share. Got more up in the tower." He nodded his head to the guard tower.

        You chewed at your lip. You could smell the smoky meat from where you stood. It was tempting, too tempting, but something told you there was nothing but misery awaiting you in that tower. Sweat, delicious, pleasure filled misery. You faltered a little, clearly not convinced you didn't want to join him.

        He pressed on. "Found some candy, too. Out on our run today. Got it all stashed right up there."

        "What kind of candy?"

        He smirked again. It was too easy. He might as well have driven a white van with 'free candy' painted in big black letters on the side. 

        "Dunno. Some chocolate, jawbreakers..."He trailed off, pretending to try to recall the diversity of his sugary loot. He hadn't forgotten, though. In fact, it was all part of his elaborate scheme. He knew exactly what he had up there, one of them happening to be your favorite. "Oh. And those little rainbow strips with the sour sugar coated all over 'em."

        "The sour rainbows?" You uttered in disbelief. Damn it, he was good. You eyes narrowed. "How do I know you really have them up there?"

        "Have I ever lied to ya?"

        You considered his question. He had a point, and he also potentially had a feast of deer jerky and your favorite candy.

        Still, you couldn't make it easy for him. At least, not that easy.

        "Well, you still owe me an apology." You demanded. He scoffed, a laugh escaping his lips. Your chest felt gooey inside. He didn't laugh much. The most you got was a chuckle, a little huff of air.

         "For what?" He raised an eyebrow.

        "For.." You weren't actually sure. You just said whatever came to mind in the moment. "For being mean."

        "C'mon, now. Y'ain't that soft. Let's go. No tricks." He urged, walking backward toward the tower but still facing you.

        "No. Say you're sorry." You doubled down. You couldn't give in. He changed his direction, taking slow steps toward you now, until he was nearly touching you. Your throat got tight as your eyes looked up at his. He leaned down slowly his face growing near. Your eyes fluttered shut, leaning into what you expected to be a kiss. He stopped, though, when his lips just barely grazed over yours.

        "I'm sorry." He whispered. He stood back up straight and turned on his heal, strolling casually back to the tower. Bamboozled again.

        He didn't have to turn and look, he knew you'd follow him. 

        You sucked in a sharp breath and shoved the air out, groaning under your breath as you marched behind him. Up in the tower, he handed you another napkin full of jerky and a pack of sour rainbow strips, just as promised. You snatched them away and began to tear into the candy.

        "You're a lot of things, Dixon. But I guess you can't be called a liar." You sighed. He didn't say anything, just roamed around the perimeter of the balcony, pretending to watch for any threats. You continued, mostly just mumbling to yourself. "A tease, maybe. A cruel, heartless tease capable of great bodily torture.. but not a liar."

        His keen ear picked up every word. He chuckled silently to himself, shaking his head. It didn't take long for you to eat every last bit of the treats he had saved for you. When the instant gratification of your snack had washed away, you were left to wonder; "So, was that all you brought me up here for?"

        He leaned on the metal railing and looked you over, head to toe. Still wearing a baggy shirt you stole out of his bag forever ago and biker shorts. Your usual sleep attire.

        "Y'ever gon' give that shirt back?" He asked.

        "Nope." You boasted, popping the 'P' sound.

        "Mm." He nodded. "Like wearin' my shit?"

        "Yup." You nodded, repeating the same popped 'p'.

        "Got somethin' else for ya to wear." He revealed. He nodded over to a small plastic bag that you hadn't previously noticed. You eyed him curiously, stepping over to the bag and lifting it up. You peaked inside to see a sort of lacey silky fabric all bunched up at the bottom. You looked back at him, eyebrows raised. "Go on." He urged.

        You sighed and pulled the soft fabric out of the bag and held it up with both hands to get a good look. It was nothing crazy or overly lewd, just a simple short nightgown with lacey accents framing the cleavage. 

        "I'm supposed to wear this to bed in a prison full of kids?" You scoffed.

        "Nah. Jus' up here. With me." He said, just over a whisper. There it was, that familiar lump in your throat, heat in your cheeks, pounding in your chest.

        "N-now?" You asked. Your voice was already failing you, cracking a little.

        He loved it, though. You were a violent, volatile little firecracker. You had bigger balls than most of the men around there. But when it came to anything suggestive, suddenly you were a whimpering fool, barely capable of a full sentence.

        "Mhm." He nodded, treading toward you nd taking it from your hands so you could strip down and change into it. Your hands were uneasy as you slowly pulled your shirt off. You were braless, but somehow he didn't even look. You were nervous enough. He wanted you to be comfortable. He could save the lust for later.

        Next was your shorts that slid off with ease. You were wearing underwear, mostly because going without in tight spandex shorts was sure to be a mess.

        You went to grab the nightgown but he instead moved behind you and gently slid it over your head. You worked your arms through the corresponding straps, and he slid the rest of the dress down over your frame. He stepped around you, stopping in front of you, taking in the sight that was you in a sexy, silky dress. It wasn't that tight, but it still formed to your curves nicely.

        You just stood there, arms at your sides, second guessing everything about yourself. Even down to the very way you stood.

        "Alright," he nodded. He moved his hands up to the buttons of his shirt and undid them, one by one, slowly until his torso was exposed as he shook the shirt off of his arms.

        Your breath was caught in your throat with admiration. He was so.. defined. 

        He stepped close to you and ran his hands over your shoulders, down your back, and then up again until he reached your ponytail. He carefully slid the band out, letting your hair cascade around your face, framing it perfectly. He gently moved little strands and tufts around, until he thought you looked absolutely perfect.

        His hands found your neck and he leaned down, planting an actual kiss on your lips, then your jaw, then your neck. Your knees felt weak but you were determined to be strong.

        His lips trailed along your collar bone and over your upper cleavage, hands rested on the sides of your head to hold you steady.

        "C'mon." He told you, grabbing your hand and leading you over to a nest of blankets. He held your hand as you sat down, gently urging you to lay back, and you did, never taking your eyes off of him. He crawled over you and kissed you again, this time with rhythm and urgency. You couldn't help but to snake your arms and legs around him, fearful he might pull away again and leave you in need.

        He didn't, though. He kissed you gently but desperately, sliding his hands over every curve of your body. It was like your first time again, so nervous and excited for whatever new sensations awaited you. You could feel him getting hard as his body pressed into yours. You let out a little whimper when the pressure grew. That one little noise woke him up. It was like he wasn't even in control, just his hands and his body working with yours.

        He slid your dress up just above your waist and traced his fingers over your panties, feeling accomplished already. You were soaked. After that stunt he pulled earlier, you were begging to be touched. You longed for any kind of human contact. Hands rubbing your back, fingers through your hair. It had been so long. It had been a long time even before the turn. You hated every man that entered your space, and that girl who got all starry eyed at the slightest show of interest from a boy was long gone.

        But, here, now, all you wanted was his touch. He slid his fingers just under the hem of your underwear, dragging them sideways, giving you a chance to deny him if you didn't want it. An unnecessary gesture. You couldn't have denied him if you wanted to at this point. Your body was in control, not your brain.

        Without your protest he gripped the fabric of your panties and slid them down, sitting up quickly to pull them off. As soon as they were out of his way he was back on top of you, lips smushed against yours, sloppy and passionate. He traced his fingers over your slit, rubbing softly up and down. A sharp breath escaped you. He slipped a finger inside you, then two, curling them and massaging slowly. Small, breathy moans lulled out of you, music to his ears. He wanted to make sure you were ready for him. 

        You gripped at his arms and back, meagre attempts to pull him closer, deeper. When you seemed eager enough, he reached down and unbuckled his belt, then in jeans. He unzipped them and pulled himself out, stroking himself. He was rock hard. It was almost painful for him. He was throbbing for you just as much as you were for him, maybe even more.

        He wanted you from the moment he laid eyes on you, showing him your bare torso to prove you weren't bitten. He had it bad for you always, but it wasn't until today he acted on it. He didn't know why. Not why he never pursued you sooner, nor why today was the day. He was in a particularly bad mood earlier, thinking about his brother who he had lost not once, but twice. He was frustrated with his lack of luck in finding the Governor, and overall everything you said just pissed him off. There was no flutter in his stomach when you teased him, no urge to flirt back. He was angry, and he wanted to take it out on you. But, when you were looking up at him with his hand around your jaw, eyes full of shock and wonder, he realized how bad he really did want you. That didn't make him any less angry, though, so instead of enjoying you, he tortured you.

        He wasn't mad anymore, though. He was tired of waiting, tired of denying himself.

        He pressed his tip against you and you gasped a little, anticipation rising with every second. You looked up at his eyes to find them trained intently on your own. He didn't look mischievous like he did earlier in the loft, it was a soft, lustful look. Still there was uncertainty there, like he was waiting for you to stop him at any moment.

        Slowly he pushed, sliding the very tip in. Another gasp. He pushed a little further and you let out the tiniest moan. When he was finally sure it was okay with you, he slid the entirety of his length inside you. A loud, guttural moan pushed out of you. He sighed with pleasure as your gripped and throbbed around him. You were so wet and warm he began to fear he'd finish too soon. He eased  back down over you, breathing softly in your ear as he slid out slowly, and then back in, acclimating himself to the sensation. Every time he pushed in you moaned.

        Soon he was picking up the pace, and your hands roamed his shoulders and arms  as you panted and whimpered. His hand slid down between the two of you and a single finger circled over your clit rhythmically. Your hands froze in place on his arms, fingers curling, digging your nails into his flesh.

        You were already buzzing, just centimeters away from the edge, ready to dive off. You felt a mild sense of panic. This was the exact point he pulled away earlier, over and over and over. You were expecting it again, but he kept going, and sure enough you fell over that edge into blissful oblivion. You body shuddered and tensed up as you rode the wave, moaning louder as he pounded into you.

        You began to twitch with over stimulation, jerking your hips a little. He took the hint and pulled his hand away, determined to satisfy himself now that you were taken care of.

        You just held onto him, breathing heavy as he knocked little sounds out of  you, enjoying the relaxed feeling as your orgasm washed away. It didn't take long after that, with the convulsing muscles inside you gripping him. He sped up the pace for only a moment before he pulled out, hot cum shooting on your leg.

        You laid there motionless, catching your breath. He quickly used part of the blanket nest beneath you to wipe you down before he crashed beside you. He looked over at you and you returned the stare, before a laugh escaped you both. You covered your face with your hands.

         Now you knew. You knew he could be just as cruel as you were, or he could give you exactly what you wanted. It was all up to you and how you decided to treat him.

[perlelune]

I love literally everything you’ve ever written! Could we get an update on the reader in hunger? Maybe on the day of or after poor Henry’s execution

“I want you to see exactly what happens when you don’t do as I say,” Coriolanus whispers, warm breath fanning over your temple as his fingers painfully squeeze your chin, guaranteeing you don’t miss a second of your husband’s execution.

The noose is tied around Henry’s neck, a look of utter confusion and helplessness painting his features as he’s being dragged over the stage.

Adrenaline pumps through your veins, your pulse thrumming beneath the president’s palm.

The peacekeepers tug on the other side of the rope and a void opens under Henry’s feet.

It’s quick. Horrifyingly so. One second Henry’s quivering on the stage, claiming his innocence once more. And the next, he’s hanging lifelessly from the rope, his body limp as his feet dangle in the air.

A shaky breath slips from your mouth.

As you try to look away, Coriolanus’ grip on your face tightens. His body encases yours from behind, his other hand resting on the swell of your waist. He made sure you got the clearest view, on a balcony high above the crowd.

“Watch, dove,” Coriolanus urges softly. Your lips shudder, a hole ripping inside your heart as he forces you to gaze upon Henry’s corpse for long, tortuous minutes. His calm, low whisper against your ear raises goosebumps on your flesh. “I want this image burnt into your memory. So that each time you think of crossing me, deceiving me or leaving me…” His knuckles drag over your tear-stained cheek as he articulates, “You always remember dear, poor Henry.”

Following the execution, the crowd scatters and he nudges your reluctant frame inside the presidential car.

Your tearful gaze lifts to meet his face.

“Can I give him a proper burial at least?” you mumble, still in denial of what you just witnessed. Henry’s dead. Your husband is now a corpse lying on the ground.

You feel as if a sinkhole opened under your feet and swallowed you. None of this can be real.

Coriolanus’ icy stare strays from the tinted window to settle on you.

“Traitors do not deserve one.”

His frosty reply summons chills across your back.

“But he isn’t…Henry’s not a traitor.”

A wicked glint dances in his sea orbs.

“He was to the world, dove.”

“You’re a monster,” you hiss, all the hate you harbor for President Snow bleeding through your tone.

A lopsided smile blooms on his lips.

“Perhaps. But I’m alive, he’s not.” He bends over you, pushing his mouth against yours in a bruising, possessive kiss while holding your chin. “I can do this,” he mutters against your lips. Your breath catches when his other hand creeps under your skirt to tease your folds through your panties. Your appalled expression expands his smile.”…And this. He cannot.”

“Can I please go home?” you beseech.

Coriolanus snickers. “You’re not returning to this shabby place. In fact, I think all of it should burn.” You gasp. “There’s nothing of value there. The only valuable thing, I already have…right here. You will be staying with me, dove, in my house and in my bed.” His thumb sweeps over your parted lips. “Tonight and every other night.”

[abominable-space-they]

Agatha all Along theory

Spoilers through ep 5

Ok first we need the set up

In this magical retelling of The Wizard of Oz Jennifer is the tin man, bound to inaction, Lilia is thr cowardly lion always afraid of what might come to pass, and Alice is the scarecrow who thinks she has nothing to offer but does.

Agatha is Dorothy

It's heavily implied here that Teen is toto, though I think this is a misdirect.

Rio is the one she's known for ages, Rio protects her, Rio loves her, Rio is fearless, Rio gets her into shenanigans, Rio is pissed off at her mom & company who tried to hurt her, Rio literally licked her hand in the first episode

Rio is Toto

Now Wanda is definitely the wicked witch of the East, that makes Teen, Warlock, either the wicked witch of the West or Glenda the Good witch

And I'd argue for now, it's both. Teen is Glenda the Good Witch and Billy/Warlock is the wicked witch of the West secretly driving a lot of the action because of the death of his mother & family.

Ok so now episode five

This episode is poppy field incident in Wizard of Oz.

I had to go rewatch it, bc I haven't seen it since I was probably 8. So in that trial, The Wicked Witch of the West places a poppy field in their path, which would poison them with good feelings until they faded away.

Dorothy leads them into the field, it's beautiful, they're frolicking. Dorothy passes out, the tin man gets stuck again, the cowardly lion passes out out of fear, they all lay down in the poppies and almost drift away.

They realize something is wrong and scream for help, Glenda is super imposed over the screen casting magic to loosen the hold of the poppies enough that they can wake up and run away.

I think that the theories that this was all or partially a dream are gonna be right.

I also think Teen led them into that place and left the door open for the Salem seven (they're the flying monkeys after all) so he would have a way to coral them to this place

Maybe he originally wanted to punish Dorothy and leave her there, maybe he planned on siphoning his powers back while she was possessed by her mother or sleeping/high

Whatever it was, that didn't go as planned, he blames Agatha for fucking up his plan.

When Agatha says you're just like your mother it does inspire him, not to murder though, to wake them up.

My guess is the mud is a misdirect and he's using it to wake them up, because hell yeah he is just like his mother

But that means something different to him then Agatha. His mother bent the rules of space time to bring his father back to life. His mother went to any lengths to save the people she loved... Including becoming a villain in the eyes of some.

He asked Agatha to save Alice, she can't, he's furious because she was the one who caused all this in the first place, he couldn't be expected to know it would go like that.

Then she reminded him who he is, and even though she meant it meanly, like you're a hypocrite just like your mother, you're delusional just like your mother, you're willing to kill people to get what you want just like your mother, you call me the bad guy while being just like me just like your mother.

But it was still enough to remind him that there is no one better suited to breaking through some sort of pocket dimension unreality then the son of the Scarlet Witch.

So that's what he's doing, I don't think he's taking them off the road, I think he's pushing them down down down, back onto the road.

But really, also... Where is Rio?

Maybe Agatha is actually Rio, maybe the corpse of Alice is really Agatha, still sleeping in the poppies

Whatever it is specifically, none of this is exactly as it seems and I can't wait to see how it plays out

[whothecrappadoodlecares]

So it may just be me and my personal interpretation, but one thing that absolutely infuriates me is the "Cardan is a genius for his banishment plan and Jude did a dumb dumb by not returning" idea that some readers have.

Because that plan, as it was, would only work if, and only if, Jude was fae.

In fact, Jude even thinks about pardoning herself, and how that would not work (given the current situation as she knows it).

(I will illustrate my points with extracts of Queen of Nothing (QoN), and The Wicked King (TWK) of the Folk of the Air series by Holly Black)

recap: the plan was to exile Jude, and have her return via her pardoning herself a bit later when the coast was clear (lol unintentional sea pun) of the wrath of the Undersea disturbing negotiations.

"I exile Jude Duarte to the mortal world. Until and unless she is pardoned by the crown. (...) Meaning by the King of Faerie. Or it's queen. You could have returned anytime you wanted." (QoN chap 18)

Here is where the issue lies. Jude is High Queen of Elfhame, but has literally no way to prove it. She doesn't have the powers conferred to her as queen yet, she doesn't have the trust of the people, and she doesn't have the magical inability to lie that the fae have.

Now if Cardan had proclaimed her queen, she could, but he didn't. In fact, when he first exiles her, she proclaims that he can't do that on account of her being queen, which no one believes:

"But I am the Queen of Faerie," I shout, and for a moment, there is silence. Then everyone around me begins the laugh. (...) "Deny it, then," I yell. "Deny me!" He cannot, of course, so he does not. (TWK chap 30)

Which leads to Jude seeing through the plan and pushing it away because she could not trust Cardan to do what would be needed for it:

It occurs to me that maybe he made a mistake with that phrasing. Maybe I can pardon myself. But then I remember when I insisted I was the Queen of Faerie, and the guards laughed. Cardan didn't need to deny me. He only had to say nothing. And if I pardoned myself, he would only have to say nothing again. (QoN chap 6)

Meaning for her to actually pardon herself, she would have needed to illegally enter Faerie, not get caught, get into presence of Cadan so he could confirm the claim she is rightful queen, and then pardon herself publicly. Of course many of those steps are dangerous, and she has no reason trust Cardan.

If at any point she was caught in Faerie before being pardoned and confirmed queen by Cardan, well, it pretty much almost happens in the book.

"Clap her in chains," says Randalin. Never have I so wished there was a way for me to show I was telling the truth. But there isn't. No oath of mine carries any weight. (QoN chap 16)

The only thing that stops them from trying to arrest or kill her?

"Whatever do you mean?" Randalin says. "She's-" "She is my wife," Cardan says, his voice carrying over the crowd. "The rightful High Queen of Elfhame. And most definitely not in exile." (QoN chap 16)

Cardan even seems to be aware of it at one point (a couple hours before he names her queen in fact):

"Since you're mortal, Jude, I cannot hold you to your promises . But you can hold me to mine: I guarantee you safe passage. Come back to Elfhame with me and I will give you the means to end your exile." (QoN chap 13)

Okay, so the plan was flawed, but why make it then?

"Let me remind you that I didn't know you'd murdered my brother, the ambassador to the Undersea, until that very morning," he says. "My plans were made in haste. And perhaps I was a little annoyed. I thought it would pacify Queen Orlagh, at least until all promises were finalized in the treaty. By the time you guessed the answer, the negotiations would be over." (QoN chap 18)

So we get the entire picture: the entire thing was a hastily made plan with expected flaws (Cardan's lack of undertanding of the treatment of mortals and the consequences thereof on Jude's decisions), born from the miscommunication and lack of communication between them, that ultimately worked, only with a couple hiccups.

It makes sense to their characters, to where they are in their character growth, individually and as a couple, to their understanding of each other.

Jude, who has figured out, manipulated, and maneuvered entire coups to take the throne and subsequently took one of the highest political positions did not suddenly become an idiot ignorant of political maneuvering. And Cardan, who did not expect, want, or even took over the functions of the throne if he didn't absolutely have to, did not suddenly become a political genius.

Instead, Jude, who often works alone, trusts only herself, and consequently does not report everything to Cardan, accidentally put him in a difficult position, and Candan, who has yet to really work with Jude and take into account her limitations and differences, did not take them into consideration in the plan he had to come up with on the fly. And then the complete lack of communication (and trust) aggravated the problem.

Lo and behold, what happens after their reunion? They start working together, communicating better, and developing trust.

Character development stemming from an incident caused and aggravated from their flaws. Aka good storytelling.

I.e. when the political fantasy book with a sprinkle of romance in the background actually brings the romance to the foreground and starts working on the couple.

This is of course, my own interpretation at the end of the day.

[bookofmirth]

what do you think about ppl saying that the cauldron is corrupt means that maybe the elucien bond is indeed “fake” and that the trove trope links Azriel with Elain and that would be their plot

It's honestly funny that people are acting like they gained new information that somehow changes anything about mating bonds. All we really got in hofas is further confirmation that sjm is going to give everyone and their dog a mating bond, that it never goes away, and that mating bond = endgame. All of which we knew.

Setting aside the fact that that would supposedly be their plot - despite all of the actual world-threatening info they learned in hofas - let's talk about the cauldron.

We already knew that the Cauldron had been "corrupted". In acomaf, the Bone Carver tells Rhys and Feyre this:

“Long ago, before the High Fae, before man, there was a Cauldron … They say all the magic was contained inside it, that the world was born in it. But it fell into the wrong hands. And great and horrible things were done with it. Things were forged with it. Such wicked things that the Cauldron was eventually stolen back at great cost.

So this is not news. Why are they just now deciding that it means something?

Speaking of this reason, since Rhys knew in acomaf that the Cauldron was corrupted, and if every mating bond could be suspect because of that, then it stands to reason that none of them would be so hyped about mating bonds. Every character would be much more suspicious if they got one, and you know that Tamlin would be looking to delegitimize Feyre and Rhys's. But they aren't acting on that assumption, that the Cauldron is giving them something that is corrupt. If Rhys didn't know this info before talking to the Bone Carver, then he would have looked into it, knowing that Feyre was supposedly his mate. However, learning this info did nothing to keep Rhys from thinking that his bond was every bit as valid as he'd thought it was before. Feyre didn't warn either of her sisters, "hey, your bonds might be fake"??? If that information was supposed to be have implications for mating bonds, we haven't seen a single character act on that. For years in book time, and through a few mating bonds.

2. If the Cauldron were randomly making mating bonds, then we'd have to consider a few things, namely that it puts the validity of every single mating bond in acotar into question. Are we really going to go out here and say that chapter 54 of acomaf is meaningless? That Nesta and Cassian may as well cancel that mating ceremony because what's the point?

3. We don't know where mating bonds come from. Rhys, who knows more about the world besides anyone other than Amren, doesn't know where they come from. Rhys says maybe the Mother, maybe the Cauldron, but the fact is that the mating bond comes from SJM because she decides that when a couple is going to be endgame, she makes them mates.

4. If a person had used the cauldron to create a fake elucien mating bond, then... who? Why would they do that? They've been mates for 2+ years in book time and literally nothing has come of it? No one gives a fuck that Elain and Lucien are mates.

5. Mating bonds are from birth. It has been stated multiple times. It didn't happen because Elain went into the cauldron. It gets stronger when the sisters are Made and come across the wall, but it existed before that.

6. SJM has told us exactly what happens when a mating bond is rejected. In fact, from HOFAS, when Hunt was talking to Baxian about Danika:

“It was a potential minefield, to bring up his dead mate. To lose a mate was to lose half of your soul; to live without them was torture.”

From acomaf:

you were in love with another male, and had destroyed yourself to save him, and that … that I didn’t care. If you were going to die, I was going to die with you.

From acofas:

I still saw that moment, in my sleeping and waking dreams. How his face had looked, how his chest had not risen, how the bond between us had shredded into ribbons. I still felt it, that hollowness in my chest where the bond had been, where he had been. Even now, with that bond again flowing between us like a river of star-flecked night, the echo of its vanishing lingered. Drew me from sleep; drew me from a conversation, a painting, a meal.

7. She has also talked about mating bonds in the highest praise; here are some examples.

Mating bonds = endgame in sjm world. She creates them because she wants that couple to be together. It's really that simple.

[polufabrikat-na-vilke]

Thoughts about Diavolo and Doppio

Introducion

All that ton of text exists because I didn't believe it was DID since my first time watching and reading Golden Wind. Literally from the first time seeing their actions and interactions, I thought it looked more like some sort of supernatural thing than that condition, to which I only found more confirmation as I watched. I still want to call the following examples thin, since there is a very high probability that Araki was simply going way too wild with all this mystical mysterious secrecy of the antagonist, and everything that I will give may turn out to be just the fattest wicked technique for exaggerating this, but I want to express my thoughts nonetheless. Plus, I think it might be a narrative trick after all, so I may turn out to be right in the end of the day.

Point

So, let's get it straight: the theory is that there's no DID in that story, Diavolo is not an alter-ego, but something else and probably not a human at all. And now to the specifics.

Let's start from afar: his (to make it easier to read, I'm talking about Diavolo in a generally accepted way) mother, in her words, became pregnant from an unknown man who died 2 years before his birth, and, moreover, she has been sitting in isolation from the outside world for 2 years, in a specifically women's prison without any men at all. AND, MOREOVER, the anime adaptation shows that the fetus develops in just a few hours (I’ll say a few more words about the validity of David's version later). Well, it’s impossible, well, it’s a huge nonsense, even if we consider from a seemingly scientific point of view of this universe, with which Araki tried to explain, for example, the change in physical parameters when switching egos. Here's mystical supernatural shit number 1.

Further. This particular point is relevant only for anime adaptation. Unfortunately, I haven’t found any data on how much Araki took part in its creation, I confess, but I have the right to assume that if it was approved by him and released the way we see it, it is quite a canon by which we can argue. It came out after the manga and this is quite possibly a more correct representation of events from the point of view of canon details. In the same scene, after birth, the baby's eye color momentarily changes from hazel to red, then back. This move, I want to note, is often used to show a character’s possession, usually with supernatural forces or the like. Yes, it is also used to refer to a "second personality" or some hidden nature of a character, but newborns do not have DID, it is a disorder that develops after severe repeating trauma. Mystical supernatural shit number 2.

We smoothly move on to the extreme turbidity and ambiguity of DID, and I’m not even going to talk about body changes when switching. So, DID develops, as, by the way, even in the original source is noted, as a result of a deep shock or trauma. A person dissociates from the traumatic experience, which, if severe and repetative to the point when their mind can't really survive it, results in violation of an identity integrity. It does not develop immediately and is noticeable to others, while commonly not being noticable to a person expiriensing it. And what do we see on this topic there? Nothing, only Doppio shows symptoms of dissociation, and only in situations where something threatens to expose the boss’s identity (or in other situations related to him, that’s the only way), which is strange, because I can’t even imagine such a trauma can be (i.e., it becomes a chicken-and-egg paradox: the trauma, in theory, should be related to the boss, to alter, but without the trauma there should be no boss, no alter). Other trauma is either not shown, which is a serious omission from the script, because this is no longer a mystery, but a hole, or it simply does not exist, because in the village, as far as can be seen, the attitude towards him was near normal, and his foster father is caring and loving, and has a trusting relationship with him (judging by the phrase casually thrown by the drivers from a flashback with his youth, where they warn him not to complain about an accident on the road to the priest, which seems to refer to the fact that this has already happened at least once before, and as if he would hardly have gone to him to complain if he did not trust him). Mystical supernatural shit number 3.

The same muddy and unclear story with his mother under the floor. Why is she there? For what is she there? How did she survive there? But who would know. In my opinion, it looks like some kind of some ritual-related bullshit, or at least a sacrifice to something, but I don’t undertake to make any special statements or comments here, I’m just noting and thinking. Mystical supernatural shit number 4.

Let's get to non-flashback events. POSSIBLY Diavolo is able to influence Doppio's consciousness (which does not happen in the opposite direction). This is indicated by the latter’s holy faith in the fact that he is talking to his boss on real work phones, well, that’s how he sees them, as well as the clouding and memory lapses that suddenly occur after the end of the call, which is strange, but still convenient for Diavolo, what a goddamn lucky coincidence, huh? I don't think alters are able to perform such tricks. Mystical supernatural shit number 5.

In the SCR arc, characters mutually switch bodies with closest persons. What's going on with Diavolo in that situation? He, like a self-respecting individual soul newly revealed to the audience (!), not like everyone else, not like a sucker, "attached" to someone else’s soul (it was kind of similar with Doppio before), and for time secretly sit happily in one body for two. And now, this is no longer a person suffering from DID (that is, a soul with, in our case, an ego split in two (that's PSYCHE thing)), but a whole separate being, moreover, also capable of ruling his soul as he pleases. Mystical supernatural shit number 6.

We will need some of the things from the previous point now. At the end of the arc of Ciocolatta and Secco, Diavolo not only immediately knows from somewhere that Bruno can only see souls, but he also, in order to make Doppio look like Trish for him, lends him a fucking piece of his (let me remind you, separate, like we have already found out) soul. A piece of his soul, God damn it! He (again) not only knows some unreal information about souls, he, as already said, is able to manipulate at least his own. Mystical supernatural shit number 7.

His eyes (iris and pupil), already extremely unique in themselves, are the eyes of his entity, but not his body. When he takes control of someone's body it is visible, when Bruno is in his body it is visible. Worth a mention. Mystical supernatural asshole number 8.

The last, probably the most interesting mystical, but not so supernatural screw-up lies in a small detail: when the souls of the characters in the final battle return back to their bodies, we are shown all of them, except for Diavolo's (well, more precisely they showed King Crimson as it, but this doesn't count (otherwise Diavolo is KC, lol)). Coincidence? I don't think so. More likely it was done on purpose, and this is not even attributed to the supposedly yet another creation of an aura of mysticism around his personality - at this point we seem to already know very well what he looks like... Or we don't, actually?

Conclusion

That's all, actually. The bottom line is the same: Diavolo is something supernatural, I don’t presume to say what he is exactly. This is probably all the fairly significant evidence (meaning those that are less than half conjecture) that I had. There were a lot of strange things in JoJo, inspired by some things from the real world, and then blown up to the point of "incredibility," but here they tried to tie it into some kind of pseudoscientific nonsense that I didn’t believe in. In any case, this is not the first "spirit" in this universe (it’s worth remembering Anubis), so this theory, I think, is more than valid.

So thank you for reading, it's open for discussion, since we'll never know the truth for sure (DID was the assumption of the characters of Vento Aureo, and they called it "assumption" themselves (I want to believe with all my soul Araki fooled everyone, being an unreliable narrator so Diavolo will be even more of an enigma)).

[theglasscat]

you are the only person whose opinion I want to hear about Wicked movie when you've seen it. signed, someone who just got out of the movie theater (I also have a lore question but will spoil nothing if you're not seeing it/haven't seen it)

I literally saw this as I was watching the end credits in the theater omg

I went in 90% blind. How do you go in blind when you've read the books and seen/listened the musical? Ignore all press releases, ads, and especially the Down the Yellow Brick Pod patreon group chat. I knew the beats and my low bar was at Oz The Great and Powerful, which is one bar below NBC's Emerald City. All I asked was that it understood the musical/book point and it's relation to other Oz media and it DELIVERED SO WELL. Sometimes in Oz media I go "so is this in my headcanon of Oz time or its own bubble universe" AND THIS ONE WAS IN MY HEADCANON.

The sets were superb, the costumes were superb, the dancing was superb I swear to god I dreamt about the Dancing Through Life choreography on the eve of my Saturn Return. I am not a singing expert and have historically inadvertently loved bad musical singing but I LIKED IT TOO.

My only complaint was how CG the monkey transformation sequence was for all its practical set pieces otherwise (I also know Maguire's monkey lore diverges from the Baum books but all Maguire/Baum divergence I accept long ago). Can you imagine if Henson Creature Shop was brought in just for one brutal stop mo/computer enhanced animatronic moment to add some Return to Oz/39 flying monkey terror? It would have been superb.

Oscar Diggs' characterization, called by name, was 10/10 just Jeff Goldblum as a charlatan pretending to be Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka. The poppy sleeping bit, the hard-core lore map, the desert's edge where any other musical heroine would be singing on an ocean cliff. This movie KNEW ITS OZ. "But the Munchkins aren't wearing blue" well one that's to connect this to the 39 film and because THIS IS AN INTEGRATED OZ THEY ARE MIXING COLORS AND SIGNIFICANTLY THERE ARE ONLY 5 COLOR SCHEMES THE ENSEMBLE ARE WEARING and also THAT SPECIFIC ENSEMBLE IS A DYING VILLAGE AT A HUB OF TEXTILE IMPORT AND EXPORT WHICH CHECKS OFF MY NEED FOR TEXTILE WORK TO BE PRESENT IN A FANTASY WORLD IN THE WHOLE FIRST SCENE

so yes I adored it, for a whole slew of other reasons I also felt seen by it a movie and it is so rare a movie I am seeing sees me back. This was one for the undiagnosed neurodivergent girls who had an affinity with Elphaba in the 2010s, this one was for the girls who wrote this comic the morning before, unknowing that Elphaba would find strength in accepting her emotional inner child at the film's climax:

This is a movie that saw me in this moment I'm at so I'm sooo biased.

Also this felt like a movie movie. My dad said "Did it feel like seeing Wizard of Oz for the first time?" and to be honest, yes? Wizard of Oz for the first time and also the world I have played in and lived in for 18 years now in high def color? I also was by myself in the second row to the screen, chair leaned way back to see everything, and absolutely overstimulated by feeling like I could walk right into my favorite fantasy world. I paid $13 to see a 2.5 hour musical and tbh? I got my money's worth.

What is your lore question???? I'd love to answer!!! Yes Boq SHOULD BE ALIVE TO GREET DOROTHY ON HER FIRST NIGHT IN MUNCHKINLAND but Maguire reflects this in the book and the stage musical mushes Boq and Nick Chopper together, but as two witches get mushed together to make Glinda in the 39 film it's sorta in character. Oz is not for the hard-core facts and continuity, it's about archetypes with similar traits and feelings.

[to-be-a-dreamer]

Talked about this in the Discord with Chandler a bit but I cannot get over how all six of the PCs in Neverafter are super involved with the main conflict, they all have high stakes in the outcome, and they all have a genuine reason or adversary that is forcing them to be on this adventure except for Pib.

Like, Rosamund started out looking for her true love, her literal only goal in life up until that point and now she's involved with a huge plot to bring awareness to everyone in the Neverafter, and she's the key to every side, not just her own, turning the tides in their favor. Mother Goose is the only person with the ability to end the Times of Shadows, but he has to work with the rest of the party to learn how to use this ability if he wants to save everyone he cares about. Pinnochio literally doesn't have a choice; he has been cursed, his father is being held captive, he's being manipulated by the Stepmother to do her bidding, and he has absolutely no way out of this. Even his afterlife has been stolen from him and he's being forced to keep going, no matter how much he doesn't want to. Ylfa may seem like she doesn't have very high stakes and, other than Pib, she has the most physical freedom to leave if she wants to. However, emotionally, she is absolutely trapped in this adventure. The only parental figure she has is on the quest, she doesn't really have anyone else that cares about her, these five idiots absolutely need protection, and every sign in her life is pointing her back to these five other people on this journey. She could leave, yes, but she won't, because she doesn't have anywhere else to go. Gerard, like Rosamund, joined up with the group because he felt like they could help him find his true love, Elody, and that once that goal was accomplished everything would be okay again. NOW he's being used as a pawn for the fairies who are trying to convince him that the only way to get his Happily Ever After back is to do what they say and prevent the "awakening" of the people of the Neverafter. He's made an agreement with a fairy now, he's not getting out of this adventure.

NOW PIB PUSS IN BOOTS OVER HERE. He's just a guy. He's just a funky little trickster spirit who doesn't have to be here. He was with Pinnochio to get some money to help him back onto his feet paws, but he could have easily left with the rest of the caravan. There's no wicked stepmother forcing his hand, no evil fairy using him as a pawn, no giant goose haunting his dreams. He could have stayed in the forest with Rabbit to let Fox take the next turn and nothing would happened to him. He could have turned tail (ha) and ran away with Alphonse to save his own skin and just found a new story to screw up. He could have stayed in the teapot carriage with time stopped for the rest of his life and literally no outside forces would have cared enough to stop him. He's just a cat. He can do what he wants. He's just a trickster spirit whose only purpose is to fuck shit up. It's hilarious and I love it.

Personally, I can't wait to watch how Zac and Brennan tell the story of a random cat with no personal stakes in this fight finding a purpose in companionship, learning to care about other people, and being willing to sacrifice his own comfort and happiness to help his friends. I can't wait to watch this little shit who only exists to play tricks and cause chaos learning to trust and love and protect. We've already seen that Cat is more empathetic and caring of the humans in his stories than Fox, and I think we're gonna watch Pib slowly begin to grow attached to the rest of the party. I think he is going to spend this next life, the life he promised he would use to play even greater tricks, bonding with people he should be fooling and using his cunning to protect them instead. I can't wait for Pib to look his archetype, his destiny, dead in the eye and say "no".

I can't wait for Pib to have stakes in the fight because his family has stakes in the fight.

[zerguette]

*comes in and sits down politely on your floor* Would you be able to share with us anything about Jhostin and your mafia faction? Maybe even a couple of things about your Toppat OCs? I am very curious about this band of people you've got hehe, their designs are just amazing!

Okey dokie okie dokie okie dokie -explodes-

-sits politely - sit and prepare yourself for the rant

but first (and i apologize if some stuff is hard to understand, english is not the best thing with me so I STRUGGLE to explain my ideas in this language ough)

this thing is very loooong so yeah

To get to Jhostin lore, I'll start with the mafia guys. Lightpathers are an asian-american mafia, they also go by The SL(Sen-dero-Lumi-noso, i feel like addibg lines i don't want to trigger Tumblr's anger), which is a reference a te-rro-rist group that had a big impact in my country (Perú), which i would recommend reading about a bit! As It IS a just a reference to this group, this mafia is not a harsh as how this disgusting people were. They just are kind of a small confederance of guys that got high enough to want to set a new order in the world. Not entirely but thats how i joke about them.

The SL has a different distribution of power, there are actually 7 leaders, (Joaquín is not one! But is like the right hand of Arcturus and the one who calculates almost everything), and have been hidden years, the main head of 'Deleting the CCC and making this timeline ours and taming chaos and oh god im SO high' is Yuang Yang. AND!! A way to distinguish a SL member, is by something really special, they either wear a golden ring with a star of four points or an earring of the same star! (in case of one of the leaders, she wears earrings of many pearls but its because she wanted not to copy others)

(But after being traumatized dying and dying and nobody remembering past timelines, he ends using the CCC arsenal against the same last universe he's living on, because at the end, he is also a complete believer that stronger ones survive, and to erradicate CCC, there must be more sacrificing that he at first intended. CCC can't do nothing, because murdering people who doesnt cause chaos, is not actually something they can fix, but they are put at edge, because Yuang forces the CCC to see, the worst outcome of their actions [or what he considers the worst but it still works out]

i hc some sticks do only exist in certain timelines, this is why, Yuang has never existed in a succesful timeline. And also it's like universe is a big pc, where you have many back-ups but no way to restore these, as same as some sticks can only exist/live in certain timelines, is at same some sticks can not longer exist after their mother timeline is wiped off, and, mother timeline is and can't be considered an ending for these sticks, because it is stated they'll always live in this one (right? they will always live on this one, right?).

Yuang Yang, 70yo asian stick, he's an anomaly, because he's been able to keep his memories through the timelines and reached a conclusion (which i talked with Saisk before in a ramble), this is his final timeline and so of the other leaders. He founded the SL on all the past timelines we visit with Henry in the games, but he never succeded ar all (cuz he happened to just exist with the other leaders and The SL ONLY in the ones we fail, which are A LOT.) -> So what is an anomaly, is how I call Henry, and the sticks who are able to understand the time and reality (CCC are just built different), or have different powers (which is what rises chaos levels). Yuang has died and lived so many times to realize he's literally on the last rectangle of life, given being an anomaly gets you one simple symptomp -> The Weird Dreams, dreaming about stuff where you have options, places and things you can create. The reality here can be a bit Wicked and hard to understand, ;_;. But dreams are the symptomp of having more control(chaos) than you should have. This after Yuang spent his entire (last)youth investigating and getting to certain conclusions.

Yuang is a key character in my au, because he's the main reason why everything happens. He did admired how Henry, an anomaly like he, like Alexandrovna, like Carlo, Like Arcturus and other leaders, was able to control his power so completely (the fact Henry connects two timelines in FtC, given you have either calling Gov or Toppats but arent you in other timeline already?, he is able to manipulate reality at his own will), but he didnt like that even if everything goes on, for some reason Henry does always follow what he wants. Yuang is a character that has been and has been always there, never actually lived an Ending, which he knows exists, but he happens to die! For some reason something happens! For some reason each time you fail the Game it's like the world disssppears and the screams and the chaos! And you wake up again, breathing rapidly, but Yuang has always woken up from this nightmare in his youth (20yo), Henry events happens when he's like 70 years, so you get it. He had time, and he realized the CCC was always there (and has always been there) as the one entity that controls everything, because "You all not know how easy are we to wipe off! How easy is it for them to press a buttom and get rid of us! Because of some stupid inestability."

Yuang hates and despises CCC for this Main reason, and has always questioned the reasons and actions of Henry (he only admires the power), he has never talked to him, but he keeps wondering if Henry is aware that everytime he fails and starts again, he doesnt know The destruction this causes. He does wonder, hes just a guy who ended making a big high to heavens idea. And his plan is just getting rid of the CCC and 'doing correctly' what Henry couldnt. Saving this timeline, saving his comrades, saving this people.

Oksana Alexandrovna Karenina, 51 years old russian stick, even if old she has aged like wine. A powerful woman, who covers her scars because showing theses is like showing weakness, she is straight but supportive. And has been given mind control powers (in this one, the variant that kills, like she literally can stare at you and force you to shut down because you happened to annoy her) and here is where you won't longer like Yuang, Alexandrovna powers were helpful! She actually wanted to travel as a biologist, and got to be able to talk with animals thelepathically, she was a very happy woman until a strange man appeared in her journeys, and she was kind of brainwashed, Yuang would totally sometimes sent heists and this involves killing, Alexandrovna disliked the whole idea of killing another one, it was, terrifying for her. She loved life, and Yuang just, with his great way of talking and brainwashing with words, no need of power, told her she didnt have to wash her hands in blood, she could easily, you know, kill them by breaking their mind, and yeah, the young woman didnt want to, but Yuang would push and push this idea until she just did it, and ended going down into the hole. She then became a narcissist woman who can't acept her own errors, and deep inside her heart, she still just wants to be out in the nature and talk with animals, deep inside her cold heart, she never wanted this. But she also realized this was her last timeline, she can't afford thinking about the mass destruction, she might have ended killing innocents, but no, she's not into causing a huge massacre. And she has a crush on Carlo, since so time ago, since they met…sighs…pain.

So, leaders do have the dreams about selecting options and stuff, but not actually go and do it, its a dream they live, we call it dream bc is them living in this timeline, until it is shut off and they face utter destruction. Yuang has no power to make things, he knows he can see options, he can see diferent paths, but never actually get to do it, in fact, its like ghost pain, its like the leaders know they can select, but for some reason it feels this power and options are very away from them, which in comparison to Henry, he does have the abillity to choose. And has the abillity to everything.

Yuang's power is actually hiding himself or cloaking, in a way, he can temporarily erase his own presence during certain period and make other sticks do not see or remember he was/is there. But when time is over, he is there again and the other sticks are left confused, because ''Boss, weren't you here before?'', But more than that, Yuang is gifted with having the abillity of remembering his past lives, where he knows he always dies because either toppats become so powerful or for some reason everything glitches out and damn . (Also to understand how it feels getting erased and how it feels timelines died, i suggest reading Robot Dreams from Isaac Asimov! its a good book! good stories! but there is one specially which can get you to get the feeling of it) Back to powers and stuff. we got the other guys who are not yet developed completely, Yuang got most of the lore by now, but it'll write down everything about them.

Carlo Horner Hershell, 54 yo american liutenant, general, sargeant, okey idk, hes same rank as Galeforce, but most everyone got used to call him Lt Carlo/Horner. He was enlisted in the forces by his father, he has always been so tall for others, out of his prom he was the tallest (210cm). Thing here is, Yuang studied and was a professor temporarily in America, but lived his childhood and teenhood in Asia, so he met young Carlo, because this last one asked to be allowed to get studies on a normal university at the same time he studied in the forces and served them (like doing double career, double university), this was permitted (also he is same age as Galeforce and both met and were besties, mhm, besties, roomates, omg they were roomates). Carlo's power is more like his body is the one of a predator? He has a pretty much normal power, just his senses are highened, at first he was only able to distinguish smells, but oh, hey Galeforce i just had one my professors of physics replaced by this weird one, he smells like ciggarretes. Yet for some reason Carlo was so invested in what Yuang taught, his classes were few, he was always travelling, always here and there, so having a lecture by him, was something special, and boy he did have lot of students, yet Yuang always was interested in Carlo, eventually they shared more than just lectures. Again, Yuang is a mastermind of brainwashing and so did Harlo got brainwashed, he still was the same easy-going idiot, who loved doing pranks, but weirdly enough as years went by his sense were more highened than normal, he got called "Bloody Horner", because even for being such a happy guy, he is very strict with his actions and orders, and hes also much of a fist fighter, he doesnt thinks twice when it comes about his enemy. He is more gay than any honor, having a crush (what a story) with Galeforce but then just ending like besties, Carlo is an old man (he dyes his hair to look young, let him be) and yeah, he loves men (im still debating but he screams gayness in all his spirit) and keeps feeling bad when Alexandrovna does the obvious enamoured gaze at him, because he somehow feels its so aching to be never able to correspond that love. He works in the north part of America! but time to time gets transfered back to be with his ol pal Galeforce. I often see him teaching Rupert or the Bukowski twins when he has the opportunity, he likes to test their abillities. He uses a ring of the star! and has a tongue piercing.

Arcturus Gutierrez, or more like ''Sargento Arturito'', he got his face burnt when a granade was thrown at him, hes 67yo, and loves drinking a shot of whiskey before starting a mission. Hes born in Mexico and loves his homeland, but ended joining the forces because he was kind of interested in meeting the superstar soldier who can't be beaten (aka, Carlo), he then ended travelling mostly to America because of this. He never got too much into the countries conflicts, in fact, he just happened to meet Yuang when he was on a normal airplane, there was this man who started talking with him and about how hard is being a professor and also an "investigator". As the other leaders, brainwash because i would add more text to this answer than i intend to. Hes like an old man, looks older than Yuang and sometimes uses a staff to be able to stand or walk. He also uses not an earring or ring, instead his uniform belt has a star form in the center. He's your old man, would make you a coffee and give you some tacos, why not. He and Joaquín are besties, where he just treats Joaquín as his own child (given he happened to have no wife no kids, just loneliness), and well his entire division are his small children. He babysits young soldiers like a good grandpa. He's the leader who is most neutral towars Yuang's fucked up ideas,,

The other leaders are still on the way of being designed! But you can tell where there are going to be :D, Alexandrovna dictates the plans of Europe, Carlo, the ones of America and Arcturus the ones of Latinoamerica, while Yuang the ones of Asia, but he also leads hidden heists around the world. He took as much advantage of the toppats being the spot of the eye for some many years, like damn, he got all the time he needed in this last timeline. Everything takes place in the ending of Triple Threat au wah. A bit after. who knows. who knows.

And from the side of Alexandrovna, the SL have a deep connection with the Wall :) (the first idea was actually making the Wall a new mafia like Toppats but i didnt like much the idea, i prefered them being a connection to a more bigger mafia/clan)

Oh And Joaquín!, hes a lovely boy! :D, he's very good at managing number and stuff, of course each leader has their respective rhm (the army of rhms), Joaquín is Arcturus' right hand, hes a communications guy and liason among all the leaders, more like the top right hand in the mafia/clan. Don't trust his smile, he'll absolutely blast a bomb without knowing, hes a bit silly. Hes always present in the leader's meeting, and the only right hand that takes participations on the plans, the others are not allowed to join the meetings.

Okie dokie we go with the other right hand, that is Soveigna!, believe or not, shes prob one of the most important character for this au, she is another anomaly with powers similar to Alexandrovna (there is a reason why she is her right hand), she ended blind at young age and lived mostly on darkness until she was found and she was given biotechnological eyes, she is muted selectively but she does speaks if needed. She's very strange, very quiet, always looking around, she has the weird dreams but can't remember them completely, its more like she wakes up and has memories of weird stuff that has been affecting her integrity, she never uses her powers only if she needs aid, she's like a beacon. (I like to think about powers a lot, but yeah Yuang did totally go into looking only for anomalies to join him, like toppats, toppats united cant be defeated!) Soveigna and Jhostin are very much togueter, being sent on spy missions togueter, she pilots and knows how to do her job perfectly. When the chaos started (thanks Yuang you crazy ass) she ended stuck in America, trying to escape with Jhostin they ended leaving the place but Soveigna received the order of flying away, and she never breaks an order. Jhostin didnt want to leave the entire country because what about the otehr guys! Their clan! What is happening? and he won't get an answer.

Jhostin is a silly boy!!! I love him so muchhhh ough, he lost his parents thanks to the SL, he never knew about this, he was 8 years old and ended orphan inside a house, alone, Dmitri and Grigori were sent to said house to raise this kid by orders from above. Jhostin was born in europe in such a cold place,his parents lived in the village that was the nearest to the Wall, at first he didnt like Dmitri and Grigori and tbh, these two were not good at raising a child. They were mostly, confused and stressed out and instead made Jhostin train and train until he becomes such a good soldier because they didnt know how to deal with a kid. Even though, they have never failed to look after his health or his studies, so yeah, they tried but it never justifies how shit they were and they have acepted Jhostin will never forgive them because making a child learn how to use a knife, is something unforgiving. Anyways, during Jhostin adolescence he met who is called His Brother, Dear Zar, they never got along, they just hated each other and tahts the story. Jhostin has a tendency of hissing and hes very close minded about opening to others, Dmitri and Grigori never mentioned about the SL, lets say they did care a little bit, but ironically Jhostin leaves and ends joining The Sl, the ones who killed his parents. He might look very serious and dangerous, he is! but he is good, and always prefers him being the one who ends with blood on his hands than others, because somehow he looks at beginners, everyone of the clan as smaller siblings and he has always had this older brotherly personality. He is a spy because hes so hard to spot, his movements are so wise, not making a simple noise, like a snake that doesnt hiss, like a tiguer ready to get his prey, and his machete is his bestie, he also has learnt muay thai and boxing, he's master when it comes to these two fighting arts. He takes care of Soveigna like if she is his very own sister, he adores her and always listens to her when she wants to say something, she is one of his motivations to continue, and the why he is always sure all missions are successful, she has taken the best out of him.

and yeah the other right hands are also being designed, because i tend to put much effort into their descriptions, maybe too much.

Either way, you've asked about the Jhostin, I shall give you Jhostin, I know you love him, He Appreaciates The Love.

Jhostin is 167cm tall, kinda small for a man, his eyes are big and evil, dangerous, his scars were a gift from Zar and from past missions were he failed to protect himself correctly. He has more scars on his torso and so, his favorite dessert is the strawberry cake, and he loves wearing skirts. His hair is very short given he feels this can interfere with his vision, he also doesnt like hair…and well, hes pretty much involved with Spike (Saisk' oc) because damn i love their dynamic. Jhostin has been raised with russian and asian language! That's why his english sometimes, sounds a bit weird (same with Soveigna and Zar), he has a tendency to sketch sometimes but is rarely seen, loves rock bands and yeah he's been everywhere i think. Inside the toppats, the gov, and later in the CCC. Hes also good at dancing (ballet!).

uhhhhhhhhhh and well about my toppats ocs, I have Orion and Alán, Orion is the younger brother of Zar. Who happened to go missing years before he was born, Orion is…the sweetest guy you'll ever meet, he's literally an angel, and has always tried to find options that don't lead to violence, he adores his brother even if they never met, loves his family, loves all the coworkers he's had. Still, he had the objective of finding his brother, he is pretty much good at using computers so hacking and learning about more mafias than just the Toppats was easy for him, he enlisted himself on the forces but when he knew being there wouldnt actually help him with getting to learn about this brother, he just step away from the gov, because he was stuck and making zero progress. Instead he joined the toppats, literally went over there, and presented himself, of course, he is an angel but he does mean things too, ended giving info the gov so he could be acepted, he's part of the communications team, so yeah he did meet Burt, but never shared a word. Orion is very neutral about everything, he just wants his brother back because one part of his family is lost, he's not happy about that. But when chaos starts he's left there with the toppats, and instead knows his brother is alive somewhere so he decides to protect the toppats for the great chaos.

Alán is bolivian, he learned english after travelling to Perú in his youth and spending years there, he finished his studies here and then decided to continue living, until he saw toppats and how they steal and boy he loves stealing so he instantly had to find a way to join them. His hair is afro, and hes literally a thin toppat kind of short, but always tries to smile even if his 24/7 face makes him look like hes º^º

and ough thanks for asking! i hope you enjoyed the ramble cuz i ramble hella lot,,,,,

[cheese-ducks]

TWRP ORIGINS

Chapter 6: Adapting to Connection

Main master list

Previous Chapter Next chapter

Warnings: (mild swearing)

"Greetings, nerds. I trust no one has tried to kill anyone in my absence." Sung shot a glare at Meouch as he entered the room. 

"You can fuck all the way off your damn high horse, ya piece of shit." Meouch shot back. 

"Enrichment for those who want it, then." Said Sung as he set a large bag on the floor. 

"It has come to my attention that I haven't been the most attentive heroic leader,"

"Ya fuckin' think?" Meouch murmured. 

"So I brought various Earth items that I just thought were cool." 

"There is nothing in that fucking bag that could change my mind about you, cone boy." 

Sung held one of the items pinched between his thumb and index finger and tossed it to where Meouch was sitting. "Just know I'm doing my best despite your attitude, Commander." 

The sealed red bag of meat landed on the table and nearly hit Meouch in the chest. 

"Now we're talking!" He wildly tore into the bag and ate the contents, much to Phobos and Sung's disgust. "Even though I still think you're a stuck up, self righteous idiot with fucking oxygen for brains." 

Sung turned to Phobos. "And for you my lord, I've brought something for you to study." 

Was that a backhanded gag or a genuine attempt at being thoughtful? Phobos couldn't tell, but nevertheless he accepted the gift. It was a small glass container filled with a dark green wax-like substance. As he picked up the gift he noticed the pleasant smell coming from the substance. It was strangely comforting. 

"You haven't even seen the best part." Sung added. He grabbed Meouch's lighter and lit the wick of the candle. "Not only does the pleasant smell get stronger once it's ignited, it also just looks nice." 

Phobos simply stared in awe. He wasn't used to fire, it couldn't even happen on his home planet. Some of the old ships he saw in research books used a fuel conversion process that utilized fire, but all of the ships he'd ever piloted were advanced beyond that. He was extremely concerned the first time he saw Meouch smoking. There's absolutely no reason anyone should be inhaling fire like that, but it made him look cooler somehow. He decided not to question it, especially after Meouch growled at him for staring. Phobos grabbed his notebook and wrote Thank you as he walked into the control room. Sung was sitting at his small workbench, writing his own notes with his helmet off, but he managed to see the note out of the corner of his eye. 

"No problem, friend." Sung replied sincerely. 

As Phobos went to his room to stare at the candle Sung debated giving Havve Hogan his enrichment item. Sung was still disappointed in him due to the sneaking out incident. He'd been trying to fix the robot's irrational craving for violence in a variety of ways, some working better than others. Drumming was the only consistent fix. Sung couldn't necessarily blame him though, it was literally in his code. He was created for nothing but to kill. He felt like the antithesis to Sung's cause, yet Havve stayed and Sung let him stay. Were they friends? Neither of them truly understood the concept but they did get along well. They liked each other's company, they knew a lot about each other's lives, was that all it took?  If Sung wanted them to be friends, he would probably need to stop trying to save Havve from his violent tendencies. Friends don't try to control each other like that, that's just mean. He took a deep sigh and got Havve's item. 

Sung set a mini fridge on the ground in front of his friend. "I want you to destroy this." 

Havve's eyes lit up their intense red. He grabbed the box and began ripping it apart, crushing the pieces in his metallic hands. Jack had mentioned that the small metal box in the corner of his room, that was supposed to be capable of storing food, had broken about a year prior and he kept forgetting to dispose of it. He figured there was no harm in taking it for this, even if Havve was now breaking it beyond repair. Sung could sense he was overjoyed at the carnage. Being a robot, Havve didn't feel emotions in the way Sung could read but he could emote in other ways. 

This felt good, doing things for other people. To be more specific doing nice things for other people that he actually knew and saw often. There was an impersonality to his usual good deeds. The people he saved rarely knew his name, let alone enough to insult him as in depth as Meouch did. Personal connection was never on his radar, until he met Havve, and since then it's been an incredibly interesting journey. Finding out how friendship worked was fascinating to him. Jack would definitely be a crucial resource in figuring out personal connection, after all humans are social creatures. All four of them had been alone most of their journeys, but they didn't feel alone on this journey of rock and roll. 

[mariana-oconnor]

Charles Augustus Milverton pt 1

This one I remember. In multiple incarnations. I don't know why, but this guy sticks with me more than Moriarty in a lot of ways. ACD did a great job of making me absolutely disgusted with him. And I'm just going to start at the top and say Fuck Him. He's the worst.

...but now the principal person concerned is beyond the reach of human law, and with due suppression the story may be told in such fashion as to injure no one.

Watson for once waiting until people are dead to drag all their sordid secrets into the light. How kind of him.

Can't help but feeling with some things people probably wouldn't want them revealed even after death, especially considering the nature of this story, but sure.

We had been out for one of our evening rambles, Holmes and I, and had returned about six o'clock on a cold, frosty winter's evening.

They regularly have long night-time walks together. And before you say it isn't night-time, it gets dark in winter in the UK at 4pm in December, so yes they absolutely walking in the dark. I won't say starlight, because this is Victorian London and the chances of seeing the sky are close to zero, but lamplit, at least.

“Who is he?” I asked. “The worst man in London,” Holmes answered

Ah, so that's why I have it so reinforced in my brain that he is the actual worst. Because he is literally introduced as the Actual Worst.

"Do you feel a creeping, shrinking sensation, Watson, when you stand before the serpents in the Zoo and see the slithery, gliding, venomous creatures, with their deadly eyes and wicked, flattened faces? Well, that's how Milverton impresses me. I've had to do with fifty murderers in my career, but the worst of them never gave me the repulsion which I have for this fellow."

Tonight the part of Charles Augustus Milverton will be played by:

But seriously, though. The emphasis that is put on how much Holmes loathes this person. Moriarty, he respected, even appreciated as an opponent, but Milverton makes his skin crawl.

This does seem like snake slander, though. What did the snakes do to deserve this?

"The fellow is a genius in his way, and would have made his mark in some more savoury trade. His method is as follows: He allows it to be known that he is prepared to pay very high sums for letters which compromise people of wealth or position. He receives these wares not only from treacherous valets or maids, but frequently from genteel ruffians who have gained the confidence and affection of trusting women."

Capitalism meet blackmail. Blackmail meet capitalism. I'm sure you're going to get along just great.

“She is to be married in a fortnight to the Earl of Dovercourt. This fiend has several imprudent letters—imprudent, Watson, nothing worse—which were written to an impecunious young squire in the country."

Could go on for a year about the utter bullshit of 'reputation' and 'honour' for women in this era and before. The way he says 'imprudent, nothing worse' indicates to me that she's just sent some slightly romantic letters. I'm guessing that there's nothing really racy about them, and even if they were. Why does anyone even care? It's all so much fucking nonsense. And if you get rid of the stigma and societal judgement attached to such things (which literally hurt no one) then people like Milverton wouldn't be able to do anything to the women. Yes, Milverton is a dickbag of astounding proportions, but he couldn't exist without society itself ensuring his continued survival with its bullshit purity culture and hypocrisy.

Attaching shame to non-harmful actions only hurts innocent people and allows horrible people to flourish. Fuck that bullshit.

/rant

Charles Augustus Milverton was a man of fifty, with a large, intellectual head, a round, plump, hairless face, a perpetual frozen smile, and two keen grey eyes, which gleamed brightly from behind broad, golden-rimmed glasses.

Of course he has a big head. He's been described as a genius, therefore his head must be large 😂.

“My dear sir, it is painful for me to discuss it; but if the money is not paid on the 14th there certainly will be no marriage on the 18th.” His insufferable smile was more complacent than ever.

Oh so painful for him to discuss.

“They are sprightly—very sprightly,” Milverton answered. “The lady was a charming correspondent. But I can assure you that the Earl of Dovercourt would fail to appreciate them."

WTF does 'sprightly' mean? Maybe I was wrong, maybe she was writing erotica to the squire. Honestly, if her husband judges her for it, then he's also a dick. Ugh ugh ugh. This man is such a prick. I hate him.

“There you make a mistake, Mr. Holmes. An exposure would profit me indirectly to a considerable extent. I have eight or ten similar cases maturing. If it was circulated among them that I had made a severe example of the Lady Eva I should find all of them much more open to reason. You see my point?”

Ah, marketing...

"I assure you that I am armed to the teeth, and I am perfectly prepared to use my weapons, knowing that the law will support me."

Here he presupposes that a) he would win and b) Holmes wouldn't be able to hide his body and cover up his death effectively. That seems a little shortsighted of him.

But yes, we leave with Holmes seemingly foiled for now, and disguised for a bit of... perhaps burglary? We know from the last story how much he enjoys burglary.

[bluelolblue]

Labyrinth

Okiee, I'm posting this here bc why not.

A changed version of John chasing Santino in the mirror place (Reflection of the soul? I think it's called like that lmao).

The title name was inspired by the song Labyrinth by Miracle Musical, I even put some lyrics (although changed a little to fit with the text and dialog) bc I think this song represents what happens here perfectly.

I tried to write this in more of a psychological way. It was my first time writing something like this, with lyrics and psychological style. So sorry if it looks weird, I tried to do something.

I hope it's good enough, I really just did this for fun :)

Relationship: Santino D'Antonio/John Wick

It wasn't supposed to be this way, really. He was just supposed to have his celebration of joining the High Table.

Literally becoming the Camorra prince.

But John wouldn't let him have it. Not after what he did to him.

Walls keep spinning and his path keeps turning.

Patience thinning and his calves keep burning.

Running away from the boogeyman was actually more difficult than it had seemed. Full of his pride, Santino thought he would escape easily.

But he was lost alone in the labyrinth of mirrors. Alone. Almost alone. With the boogeyman chasing him.

Running in circles.

He feels like he's never getting out.

'I'm trapped.' He thought to himself.

The mirrors, everything looked the same.

Trying to escape from this thing that he fears.

But all the stairwells lead straight to hell.

Until something went wrong. He's not sure how John found him, but he was caught like a prey animal.

That is what John's good at.

Hunting.

But not animals.

He can see the beast getting closer.

John grabbed him by his throat and slammed him into a mirror. Good thing the mirror didn't shatter and cut them both.

This time no one was there to save him. No Ares, no one. It was just him and the beast choking him, squeezing hard on his throat.

Everything seems clear like the end is near.

He's dying to get out.

In the glass labyrinth, he's the mouse.

His breaths were coming in sharp gasps, trying to get some air. However, the more he tried, the more John pressed harder. Gripping onto John's hand wasn't helping either. He was just making it worse for himself.

Was he really going to die by John Wick hands? It had seemed exciting to fantasize about it, but experiencing it felt like nothing he had imagined.

Everything seemed to get dark when John let go of him and he collapsed onto his knees. Holding his throat as he coughed and gasped for air.

Why. Why didn't he kill him?

He even had a gun. Why didn't he shoot him?

But instead started choking him and now let him go?

He can feel the fatigue but he's dying to shine.

While Santino was busy trying to catch his breath and not pass out, John crouched in front of him and pulled Santino's chin up so he makes eye contact with him.

"Good boy." John told him and smiled.

It made Santino feel even more sick. He was so confused, yet he could feel himself slightly blushing. Oh the praises-

What the hell?

John must've noticed how Santino was looking puzzled, so he chuckled before speaking, "Wasn't this exciting, Santino? Isn't this what you wanted?" He teased him, tracing his thumb near Santino's lips.

"Y-you can't be serious.." Santino breathed out weakly. Eye to eye with him, like this. So vulnerable, exhausted. "I can." John replied. "I thought you wanted this." He stood up, admiring the way Santino didn't even try to fight back anymore.

Not that he could. Not like this. Santino had to look up at him, seeing how John sighed in pleasure from this sight.

Knelt in front the boogeyman, lo spettro, looking up innocently.

"Yeah, you liked it. Look at you..." John murmured softly, smirking at him, going through his hair with his fingers. Santino shivered a little.

Fuck. He really...liked it.

"John...don't do this.." Santino muttered, but continued to look at him. "Hm?" John hummed playfully. "Let me go.." Santino said quietly, trying to stand up only for John to grab him by his throat again.

But gently.

Santino whimpered. Dammit, John is playing with his prey.

The whimper. The sign of weakness and vulnerability. John loves that. Especially in Santino D'Antonio. A crime lord, the Camorra prince.

"Good boy. That's what I wanted to hear. I'm going to need to hear a lot more." John purred, smirking at him.

Blushing. Oh fuck- he was so fucking flustered and...turned on at the same time. Under John's hand. Being called a good boy.

'I don't want to fail.'

But all the stairwells lead straight to hell.

Maybe he finally reached the point of no return.

It's just a game he plays.

Here in this labyrinth,

He's trapped.

[sublimesublemon]

wicked thoughts, under cut for brevity:

oh no. there is exposition text at the beginning. this ain't a good start, y'all. this is a very very bad start

okay okay this is winning me over, it does just look so joyful in oz, during the overture

why the change from "atrocious" to "uncanny"? seems unnecessary, and i don't think it gets across the anger and hatred as much - "uncanny" is weird, "atrocious" is bad

a burning efigy in the middle of the this cutesy little colourful village

the flash-forwards of their friendship........ guys why are you DOING this??? your audience isn't stupid!!! even if they didn't already know the story of wicked going into the theatre, i think the subtle "glinda the good witch is singing about how wonderful it is that the wicked witch of the west is dead, but has a pained look on her face" acting is an intriguing hook to get them curious about the story to come!!!!! "is it true you were her friend?" "yes... well, i did know her... (*flashes of glinda and elphaba touching hands*) our paths did cross..." is NOTHING. cut that shit out, wicked 2024! (of course, it's a 2-hour 40-minute movie that is the first act of a 2-hour 45-minute musical, so i imagine there will be lots of time for throwing in exposition dumps and whatnot (i swear i'm not trying to go into this with a judgement already. i love wicked so much, and i want to love this movie so much))

i do admit it's nice that the dialogue has a little space to breathe. i've never really minded, but on reflection the stage production is very... rapid

i really do love the environments. like, the sets and costumes and shit in the background - it really is such a fantastical world, cartoonish and childlike and bright

GOD cynthia erivo can fuckin BELT it. this might be telling on myself a little bit, but i was so focused on how stunning i knew ariana grande was gonna be as galinda (i was right, ofc, btw) that i didn't even consider that this newest elphaba might possibly hold a candle to idina menzel (high praise)

get the fuck out of here with ANOTHER FLASHFORWARD????? of something bad happening in oz???????? god trust your fucking audience

oh my god this fiyero is here to FUCK (and i agree with every person at the school also wanting to reciprocate)

the reality of oz such that sometimes people just break into song and/or dance, and that any given group of people can potentially just join in a dance number, choreography and all, without batting an eye - that this is just how the world works is a wonderful way of demonstrating how oz is just simply a different land than our own. much like barbie 2023

i mentioned before that i liked letting things breathe in this movie - elphaba's and galinda's scene where they dance at the oz dust ballroom has literally made me tear up, something i don't think the stage production did, and the ost hasn't

this movie is so gay. we love it

in the promos when i saw oz displayed as an actually green city, i was a little upset bc i've always been especially tickled by the fact that the emerald city isn't made of emeralds. everyone just wears emerald-colored glasses. i think that's a very pointed and sinisterly funny commentary on self-delusion of the goodness of a blatantly shitty government. furthermore, the green glasses were an explicit part of the show. they sold em with the posters. i still have a pair from when i saw the production in high school. i'm very disappointed that they didn't find some way to use them. they would have fit right into this movie. sigh

i do love oz as this exaggerated retrofuturistic steampunk land. that sort of thing was always implied in the book and musical but it's so cool to just see all the gears and cranks and steam and shit

i do like the cameos. i do not like that it's a new song that's basically another iteration of the expo dump at the start. hate it.

jeff goldblum is fucking inspired casting. cold take, but not wrong. love it

okay okay okay we're here at the end of part one, the climax of the show... please don't let me down, "defying gravity" from wicked 2024...

i can't believe they turned a 6-minute song into the last half hour of the movie. i can't believe i was fine with it. it could have been so cheesy, so flat, so pretend. it was...

good. this movie was good. still shouldn't have been 2 movies. i loved this adaptation so much.

[iwonderwh0]

Watching John Wick for the first time and commenting in real time because I'm watching alone.

Spoiler: I HATED it. Below I just bitch about how much it sucks.

Oh, Green Goblin!

What a cute dog, I hope nothing bad will happen to her (unfortunately I know it will)

Is it even safe for dogs to eat cereal with milk?

(speaking Russian) <- man those people speak with such a horrendous accent I wouldn't even recognise this language if it wasn't for subtitles.

Stop speaking "russian" it's so bad! It's not even just accent, it's grammatically so terrible it doesn't make any sense 😭

It always buggs me when some multi-million budget movie inserts some characters that speak languages other than english and do such a shit job at making it actually be the language they're trying to use. Like come on, is it so hard to find one person who speaks the language you want to use to ensure that it actually sounds accurate? I wonder if it is as bad with movies where side characters speak Chinese/Japanese or is it just European/Slavic languages that get this treatment.

Man, this is painfully bad. I mean, if a character speaking foreign language has this amount of active presence on screen why would you as a producer/director allow it to be this bad, it sounds like simlish. It's goofy.

I can't watch it seriously hearing them speaking.

I too get an urge to kill while cleaning up the floor.

Those subtitles are wrong, it's not what he said. He made some incomprehensible nonsense of noises.

I feel like I'm having a stroke hearing them.

I love multilingual movies, but this is not it. If it's so hard to find someone speaking Russian, make them speak some other language that you can actually show accurately.

Of course they drink vodka what else.

Fuck off, this is lazy.

"Baba Yaga" my ass, do you even know what it means? It's a folklore creature of what essentially is an old woman. Not just a boogie man. It's kind of a weird nickname to have as a man.

Fuck, even when they speak actual words they make inaccurate subtitles. THAT'S NOT WHAT HE SAID. This song isn't even about "Baba Yaga" you fools

This is what happens when people go for vibes of foreign countries instead of actually doing any kind of research.

I can't watch any kind of media in peace, dbh brain rot will find me anywhere.

Maybe it's because I'm now holding a prejudice, but even outside of this absolutely terrible job at making character portray Russian, this looks like a parody of a blockbuster rather than a blockbuster in itself

They're singing a fucking lullaby in a pool party 😭😭😭 just normal russian-villain behaviour

I'm sorry I just didn't expect it to suck this bad

Okay, that action sequence isn't that bad.

Maybe this movie would be better if they would just fight without ever attempting to talk out loud. Just grunting and moaning.

I'm not a medic but I suspect it's just as infuriating for them to watch this movie as it is for someone who understands Russian or at the really least knows what it sounds like.

You're telling me, a sniper with a fixed target missed? I'm starting to suspect that maybe it's not that John Wick is invincible but just the people who are after him are all incompetent morons.

"You were always a pussy" <- that was so unnecessary and goofy.

How the hell is this movie rated as high as it is, it's "The Room" of action movies, I swear. So bad to the point of almost going a full circle and becoming good.

Even as an action movie it's not that good either.

Other than Keanu Reeves there are literally no interesting nor likeable characters on screen. Everyone else are unremarkable and bland. Except for Marcus.

Maybe I'm missing something. Maybe I should be looking at it like a comedy, a parody. Because it really isn't good in itself.

THIS REALLY IS A COMEDY, isn't it?

I mean a dude literally got a headshot with a "wasted" gta sound effect.

Well, it was bad. It's a meme, but it's not really a good movie. Or I just don't think it is.

Surprisingly, "comedy" isn't listed among genres.

A BLADE RUNNER REFERENCE WHAT

[raspberry-vinaigrette]

cracks open my mountain dew. sighs. hello chat. note that this pulls from personal experience and is not a judgement being passed on all christians -- it's just my personal anecdotal evidence from me and my friends.

my long and weird ass rant on why jack kennedy is a really interesting parallel to trauma resulting from christianity

SO. first and foremost a major facet of jack's character is that he's chained to this duty. this responsibility for something that he ultimately had very little if any control over. yeah in hindsight he could've watched over dee better and came back for her sooner, but hindsight is 20/20, and the promise that jack makes isn't even about dee in specific. it's about every single child hurt by fazbender's! jack is taking on the responsibility of someone else's sins and burdening himself with repenting for all of it. he outright calls it his last chance at redemption when he approaches the arcade machine in his workshop in dsaf3. to him, this is repentence for his misdeeds, but in actuality he had SO little culpability in anything before he died.

this parallels experiences in shitty christian groups quite a bit. effectively you are told that you alone are responsible for the sins of the entire human race and no matter what you do you will always be inherently flawed, but if you give yourself up to a religion and just conform to all these rules to prove yourself and never let yourself stray (lest you have to repent again), then you can be good again. you just have to promise. fittingly, jack is outright told when making the promise that it's gonna suck! it's going to suck so, so bad, and be painful, and he's going to constantly be seen as grotesque, but he still has to keep going. he has to save everyone. and he gets nothing from this besides the comfort he won't be guilty anymore.

and this comes into one of my main points! both religious trauma and jack's existance with the promise come with a sense of guilt basically built into your core. you feel shame for a lot of normal human desires and wants because you're not "supposed" to feel them, and the fact you do is "proof" that you're wicked and evil. this can lead to paranoia and a general sense of dread when it comes to just living your everyday life which i think can be seen in jack's behavior about the promise. he's constantly working towards the promise, and whenever he doesn't have work in some fashion, he literally just sits in bed -- in the marionn-ending when you skip work, jack comments that he plans just to sleep for 16 hours. he doesn't actually do this but he does very little the entire day so it's not unlikely he spent most of the day in bed regardless. plus, well... we know how devoted good ending jack is to fulfilling the promise, and hell -- he even feels responsible for saving people who aren't related to the promise, such as dave, peter, and steven!

there's a couple other major things, too. another thing with those who were really fucked up by the church is that they can sometimes go the complete opposite direction and basically do anything and everything that the church would hate to feel some sense of control. that then loops back into the guilt once the (literal or metaphorical) "high" is over with the need to compensate and rid themself of this sin. this causes a cycle of "do something 'sinful'" -> "feel immense guilt and shame and a need to repent" -> "do something equally self-destructive to compensate" -> spiral and repeat

i think a parallel can be drawn there with jack's actions, in particularly the evil routes. in defiance to the root intention of the promise, whether or not he plans on fulfilling it still, he chooses to kill with dave and shut down fazbender's that way. this is all fun and games and vegas is a great time, but especially near the end of dsaf2, we see jack is heavily haunted by his own actions and how he died and the circumstances of the promise, which eventually leads to him (depending on dialogue) literally asking blackjack to turn back time all to "repent" again. plus, in the 35 year gap between dsaf2 and dsaf3, judging by some various dialogue choices (the main ones coming to mind are during his neutral end rant, during a couple talks with the phoneys at the starts of the restaurant segments, and one where he mentions being shitfaced while working on the springlock suit training tapes), jack has become actively an alcoholic (+ a smoker, somewhat optionally) and living off of frozen dinners. as you can probably tell, he's pretty actively self-destructive, and in the soapy ending v3 he even brushes off an insane reaction to cocaine and inevitably being killed with "i always come back."

he doesn't care what happens to him. maybe, in a way, it feels like repentence. divine justice.

and looping back to the feeling of no control or a need for help making decisions, well... we see how easily jack slips into dave's plans and how he takes to henry's influence. jack is headstrong and stubborn when he wants to be, oftentimes when affirming things that feed into his self-loathing and isolation (i'll touch on that in a bit), but he falters very easily under pressure if he thinks it will bring him some kind of closure and safety and catharsis, be it closing down fazbender's, saving the kids, or something more. it's likely why henry can egg jack into killing dave in dsaf3's legacy route. the promise's guidelines dictate jack's actions just as much as a god might in religion.

last but not least, that self-loathing thing! a lack of self-worth in a big thing in religious trauma, since you're often told your worth is defined by how well you can fall into this mold that is, typically, impossibly and unrealistically perfect. when you fall short, you are told you are the thing that is inherently flawed, not the standard, and so you come to believe there is just something fundamentally wrong with YOU. jack also clearly has a super decreased sense of self-worth and confidence in his own identity for a similar reasoning! his entire sense of being depends on fitting the mold of this promise, and if he fails it or completes it -- whichever comes first -- he loses any reason to live. probably why in the evil endings, he hogs the drugs and alcohol. don't have to remember how little of a purpose you have if you're having such an adrenaline rush, eh? plus, dave is kind of the first person to not expect anything good out of jack and see jack as a person. even peter admits that jack is a monster and uses his scars as reasoning in the pure evil route, not just jack's terrible actions, while dave embraces this and doesn't seem to look down on jack. dave is only ever frightened by jack when jack acts wrong. acts like henry. it's interesting but that's another rant.

the point is that jack defines his own worth by how he completes this promise, and very clearly proclaims that he thinks of himself as a husk and a meatsack. his own soul calls him an abomination just pretending to be jack. for all jack has heart, for all that jack clearly cares and tries so, so hard, he fundamentally doesn't think he's worth anything beyond this obligation, and even when he does meet the bar... it's just what's expected for him to reach redemption. just like how someone with religious trauma believes that ripping themself apart is just what needs to be done to repent.

god is watching.