#i want you all to know this scene ABSOLUTELY DECIMATED ME

[weebsinstash]

Now don't get me wrong, I like how... calm and unbothered Alastor is, or at least tries to pass himself off as being

but like.... we know he's a drinker.... and we know certain details about him having an alcoholic abusive father who was cruel to his mother which heavily influenced his whole Dexter serial killer morality bs... and I can't help but think of a fic idea where Reader and Alastor are together and, suddenly without warning you break up with him BECAUSE YOU CHEATED ON HIM. you're like, legitimately heartbroken and missing him but you broke up for a good reason and, time passes and you dont see or hear from him, you're basically just going on with your life, and, MEANWHILE HE'S JUST SLOWLY DEVOLVING IN A PATHETIC LITTLE MEOW MEOW

His radio show comes on and he's SLURRING and people are aghast. Alastor is usually such a classy gentleman, so careful with his image??? Meanwhile he's in his radio station with several glasses of whiskey and staring at a wall lined with your photos while he's broadcasting, "ohhhh hEeeEy LiSteNers!! How-how are you all doing this.... 😡LOVELY😤 evening. Isnt..... isn't it... so nice to... spend time with loved ones when you need them? 🥴 WELL I WOULDNT KNOW HA HAH HA" *cue 30 straight uninterrupted seconds of unhinged laughing from a man clearly having an emotional crisis* "so on tonightsssshow I was-i wasszzz hoping to-to discussss-"

Like imagine tuning into his show after avoiding it because it broke your heart and it turns from him like, having an actual topic and planned structure of his show, to then, one day you overhear a broadcast and he's just occasionally slurring, saying really really vague shit about how "real men are supposed to be strong enough to protect and hold onto those they hold dear" and you can occasionally hear the THUNK of his whiskey glass hitting the table meaning he's already drunk but still drinking WHILE broadcasting and, oh honey you already sound so wasted you don't need more--

You guys don't understand. I want this man having a very PUBLIC very MESSY mental breakdown because he was CRAZY IN LOVE WITH YOU and you sat him down and told him you love him deeply but you need sex and you've cheated on him REPEATEDLY and EVEN THEN he was HARDCORE COPING, "w well as long as you promise it won't happen again-" "I cant and i won't. I love you but i cant repress this part of myself" LIKE YOU DECIMATE THIS MAN. Alastor's just beside himself because like, not without valid feelings but you're basically dumping him to fuck strangers. Like. I just. What if he literally had a ring box or was starting to realize he's demisexual on the ace spectrum and was starting to have Those Feelings for you and you're just. Breaking up with him, and all he hears is "sorry but having these disgusting men I don't even know hunch over on me grunting like disgusting animals and defiling me who is definitely way too good for them is way better than being with you my respectful funny classy charming totally-not-husband"

I want you to be walking down the streets of Hell and Vox suddenly comes on their equivalent of a jumbotron and he's visibly beside himself with excitement, "BREAKING NEWS, THE RADIO DEMON IS PISS DRUNK IN THE GUTTER LIKE A FUCKING LOSER, MORE NEWS ON THE SCENE" and it just snap cuts to him facedown in the street somewhere. Have you ever seen Intervention. You can have grown ass adults with successful careers and loving communities and when they find something that breaks them you'll be seeing shit like, children finding their mothers literally passed out in the yard because they were too drunk to get into the house or even WALK properly. So. You just. See him in this legitimately pathetic absolutely humiliating state and you can't help but feel that that's YOUR fault, meanwhile Vox is living his best fucking life, GOD FORBID VOX SEES YOU STANDING THERE CRYING ON THE SIDEWALK, he's then broadcasting your crying face all over Hell, "Hey Alastor even your EX is CRYING AT HOW PATHETIC YOU ARE, GUESS THAT'S WHY THEY LEFT YOU HUH" and like. The live feed of Alastor shows him just, struggling to even lift his head to look up to, wherever, and see your image there, looking absolutely devastated, looking at him with pity and heartbreak. oh, his sweet beloved, looking so distressed because you see him so weak...

Vox is just living it up mocking both of you but he's made several enormous mistakes by putting you on the air, especially looking like THAT, especially with Alastor in this mental state, and ESPECIALLY to mock you when you're already looking so broken. The feed cuts. All the TVs read "LOST SIGNAL" and nothing comes back on the news for the rest of the night. Less than a week later, the radios are on again, and Alastor sounds... completely back to normal? Chipper, even? And at first you're happy to hear he's all good and well, but, there's something about some of the things he's saying that are making you a little.... nervous?

"You know folks, it took me an EMBARRASSINGLY long while to realize that, a true traditional man puts the needs of others above himself, and especially the needs of his special somebody! One can't truly care for one's loved one properly if you're too boggled down with, FEELING SORRY for yourself right? How else are you going to... defend what's yours if you just lie down and take it?"

"So while I was off the air, good listeners, I was doing quite a bit of, spring cleaning, let's call it! Yes, I was... unfortunately very busy, having to wrangle up quite a few.... disgusting, insignificant, dirty, thieving PERVERTS!!!! ....but now that that's all good and done with, I'd certainly like to think these streets are a little more... respectable!"

"To end the broadcast tonight, a final word to all my fellow men out there. If you happen to discover that, for whatever reason, your beloved has run off with another? It was because you deserved it for being WEAK. You allowed another man to just, COME IN and... DESECRATE what is precious to you? Disgraceful. Pathetic. Ill-mannered. You cannot call yourself a worthy partner if you simply allow your beloved to waltz themselves into the mouth of danger, can you? So, a little piece of advice from your humble host here tonight: Take back what is yours. Take them back, do not let them go, and do not let anyone EVER soil your love ever again. ........Also hey! Don't forget that the annual Cannibal District Cook-Out is this coming weekend so be sure to--"

[notmedicine13]

My theory on madness combat 12

What I think the Auditor was trying to do is controlling Sanford. He's gotten weaker after fighting hank and Sanford, and when he accidentally absorbed Tricky, so he has to find another away, and this is where Sanford comes in

Evidence Nr. 1

After dealing with the Agents in 3:07, the Auditor's energy shows up and temporarily get's a hold of Sanford. At the top right we can see text Saying ANCHOR AND REPLACE SANFORD).Recruit Null. We also see other text at the bottom saying "infectionVector" and "LET ME IN"

Evidence Nr. 2

When the Auditor shows up to confront Sanford, he just walks towards him. Sure, spikes are showing up, they are not directly targeting him. He wants Sanford alive, he wants to torment him so that he snaps and gives in.

Evidence Nr. 3

At 4:37, the Auditor once again tries to take control of Sanford. We see even more text, with one of them saying "VIOLENCE SEEKING". More text shows up, with two of them being "product/KILLprimary" and "product/KILLMORE". There's also another line of text that says "give.product(gift)" and "give.product(weapon)", which shows that the Auditor wants Sanford to kill more.

Evidence Nr. 4

In the scene where Sanford is about to be ripped apart by the Half-Mags, there's flashing text that reads "KILL MORE". I believe that this is the Auditor telling him to kill the Half-Mags. After that, Sanford snaps and absolutely decimates the Half-Mags in a fit of rage. The Auditor even blocked off all the doors so that Sanford couldn't run away from him

But unfortunately for him, Doc managed to recover Sanford before the Auditor could take him, which is where my predictions for MC 13 will come in. I'm less positive that this would happen but I would like to get my thoughts out anyway.

Krinkels confirmed that MC 13 will be the finale of the series, and I think it's only fitting that there's gonna be a big fight where Deimos and Sanford have to fight Hank. After Sanford managed to escape, the Auditor was furious at Doc, so what I think is gonna happen, is that he'll try to control Hank to kill Doc for him. Sanford and Deimos will try to protect Doc, and they would have to do that by killing Hank. Because think about it, Nevada can't be safe if Hank remains alive. He killed the Boombox guy for no real reason, went after the Sheriff twice, tried to kill Tricky who was minding his own business being a DJ, blew up Jeb in Project Nexus because he was talking too much, and tried to Kill Sanford and Deimos in Project Nexus, something that he was hoping would happen.

TL;DR The Auditor was tormenting Sanford so that he'd snap and be a puppet for him, but that failed so he's using Hank to kill Doc which will lead to his death

lemme know what you guys think, do you guys agree or disagree, or think that something was happening

[badass-queer-couples-battle]

Sword gays showdown, round 2 of bracket one

Propaganda:

For Zoro:

Literally training to be the greatest swordsman in the world. Has a special three swords technique (one blade in each hand plus one with the handle held in his teeth). I haven't read the manga or watched the anime but the live action adaptation gives me extremely gay vibes and based on the fandom things I've seen I'm not the only one

bro uses three swords. has one in his mouth. dont ask how the HELL he manages that. one day he will be the worlds greatest swordsman....after he beats the current greatest for both the titles of greatest swordsman and fruitiest swordsman. he's dramatic as FUUUCK like bro what the hell. has homoerotic fights with the local twink like everyday. directionally challenged, can and will get lost in a paper bag, doesnt know left from right...he probably cant read, too. hes too silly ngl

First of all, im in like episode 250 and so far he hasnt been shown attracted to any woman at all during the whole show so far, not even when one changed clothes in the same room as him and this is anime so you know there were other characters with bloody noses and shit. With that out of the way he wields three swords at once [two in his hands, one is his goddamn mouth dude. Its cool af trust me.] When he was little he made a promise to his best friend that he'd be the best swordsman in the world. Later she died in a tragic accident and left her sword which he still uses today. He also carries a cursed sword but he overpowers the curse with a combination of skill and sheer luck. He got stuck in a chimney. While his crewmates sail their ship he takes naps. He learned how to cut through metal by fighting a guy who could turn his body into metal blades. That's metal. He refuses to fight this liberal marine officer because she looks like his childhood best friend and its just understandably really awkward for him. He's autistic. He's a he/him bisexual lesbian. He's a gay man. He's ace/aro. He's whatever you want him to be babey!!

he has 3 swords, wields one in his mouth sometimes, his dream is to be the greatest swordsman in the world

three swords and big aroace-spec gay vibes

He not only has a sword he has *three* swords. He's absolutely gay there's no way to see this man as straight. Also one time he licked his sword for no reason and that was really funny to me so I had to mention it

Look, this man thinks about three things: Swords, His Captain, and Booze. He’s on a quest to be the worlds greatest swordsman. The Live action has a scene where he declares his undying, unwavering loyalty to his captain WHILE reaffirming his promise to be the worlds greatest swordsman. At this point His dream and his Captain are so intertwined it’s crazy. Man is so sword-y he’s got three of them. When one of his swords broke he carried its empty scabbard until he was able to give it a SWORD FUNERAL. He hears a sword is cursed and takes that as a challenge. He will literally tell his swords off for “bad behavior” when they “act up” due to being straight up cursed. He tests one by throwing it in the air and sticking his arm out to see if it is so blood thirsty and ill tempered that it will cut him. Even though he’s literally the first mate if you ask him what his role is he’s going to answer Swordsman.

He's dedicated his life to two things: becoming the greatest swordsman in the world and his captain, Luffy. 

He mastered the three sword style. Its his style. It would've been more swords but he could only fit one sword in each hand and one in his mouth. He wants to be the world's greatest swordsman, a deal he made with his childhood best frenemy (before she died falling down the stairs). He thought he was All That at the start and was almost completely decimated by the actual Worlds Greatest Swordsman. Now, after two years forced training with that guy, he's probably in the top tier no-doubt, and honestly could already be the best but we just don't know for sure yet. Also, did I mention: he's got the whole demon/devil imagery going on at times. And he has absolutely no sense of direction! plus is a total softie when it comes to Chopper and all the children who somehow gravitate towards him. And he loves naps!

One of the guy's main goals in life is to be the best sword fighter and he fights with three swords which I think is telling enough of his skill.

For Sayaka Miki:

my favourite scene is the one where Sayaka turns off all her pain receptors to battle the shadow witch, uncaring of the damage dealt to her body, because what is a body but a decaying vessel you must eventually abandon anyway? that was very depression of her <3 Also there’s that one time (in the rebellion movie) where Sayaka stabs herself on her own sword to release the witch that dwells within her. and then she immediately gets up to fight back to back with her girlfriend. that moment lives rent free in my head. Sayaka is so depression and I love her for it:)

SHES SO GAY ITS NOT EVEN FUNNY SHE FLIRTS W THE MAIN CHARACTER HER NARRATIVE FOIL IS ANOTHER GIRL W TBE OPPOSITE COLOR SCHEME THEYRE RED BLUE LESBIAN MOMENT YOU WANNA KNOW WHAT ELSE ??? SHE COMES TO THIS FALSE REALITY LITERALLY JUST TO SEE HER GIRLFRIEND ALIVE THEY LIVE TOGETHER AND THERES A WHOLE OUTRO SEQUENCE JUST W THE TWO OF THEM SHE STUDIED THE GAY BLADE I STG also she uses a sword 🗡️ love u sayaka

[kandisheek]

FIC REC WEEK 21 – ULTIMATES

A Hundred Times, Once by FestiveFerret, SirSapling

Pairing: Steve/Tony Rating: E Words: 24,761 Tags: Time Loop, Internalized Homophobia, Falling in Love

Summary: The shrill tone of his SHIELD beeper pulls Steve out of sleep and into battle. He fights robots, he fights Tony's shameless advances, he fights the exhaustion that threatens to take over him, drown him. And then the next morning, he wakes and does it again. Exactly the same. And again. And again. And again.

Reasons why I love it: Poor Steve, oh my god. I really love how the focus of the fic – in a reflection of Steve's mindset – goes from being about the Ultimates and their battles to Steve's fixation on Tony specifically. The way their relationship builds feels so raw and almost painful before it gets easier, and I love every second of it. Plus, the smut is incredible. If you haven't read this one yet, you definitely should!

Every Chance We'll Have by magicasen

Pairing: Steve/Tony Rating: M Words: 16,835 Tags: Secret Marriage, Hospitals, Established Relationship

Summary: A mission gone south leaves a city block decimated and Iron Man hospitalized, but what makes top headlines is the fact that Captain America has a secret lover. To the man himself, it's a living nightmare. His husband is in a coma, his entire world is falling apart around him, and Steve has to to confront realities he never wanted to.

Reasons why I love it: Yeees, give me all the feels! I love the flashbacks of how Steve and Tony got together, and all the scenes that touch on the topic of Tony's cancer are incredibly heartbreaking. That conversation with Gail towards the end especially hit home with me. This fic is wonderful, and you should definitely read it!

Under God by isozyme

Pairing: Steve/Tony Rating: E Words: 40,185 Tags: Angst with a Happy Ending, Internalized Homophobia, Dom/Sub

Summary: “Captain America represents the values of our country. The recent allegations about his sexuality are specious and designed to smear an American icon. Captain Rogers regularly attends the Church of Saint Agnes and invites the citizens of New York to attend worship with him this Sunday, April 14th. God bless America.” -- Nobody was ever going to know. Steve would be a good husband, a good father, and he’d never give in to sin and touch another man. But Steve makes two mistakes, one after the other: he leaves two words out of the Pledge of Allegiance, and he doesn’t notice a camera flash among the strobe lights of a dark club, because he’s dancing with his clumsy hands on Tony’s hips.

Reasons why I love it: Steve just completely breaks my heart in this one. The man-out-of-time feels are strong, and I absolutely love his inner struggles with not just his sexuality but his fragile masculinity. And oh my god, poor Tony, he really deserves better than this. I'm so glad Steve figures that out too at some point, because the heartbreak is almost unbearable, it's so good. isozyme writes some of the best Steve vs the Modern World fics, and this one is no exception. Go and read it if you haven't, it's amazing!

[cerastes]

How do you rate the gacha booty shooter?

NIKKE sure is a game! It's the funnest mixed bag I've played lately. As a side game, it's been pretty good, because it's good at what it does good, and not terrible at its weak points, leaving you with a pretty "Ok :)" feeling overall.

So what's up with Nikke? Yeah, let's have a talk about that so I can explain a bit by what I mean with "fun mixed bag".

Nikke's setting is the same old tired, you've seen it a million times: Once day, humanity was almost decimated by a mysterious enemy that came out of nowhere... We call it... The Enemy! They were simply too strong, so humanity had to deploy its strongest weapons: Anime Girls. And you are the lucky Authority Figure that commands the Anime Girls to defeat The Enemy! But... The Enemy and Anime Girls have more in common than it seems...!?

Replace "The Enemy" with "Rapture", "Anime Girl" with "Nikke", Authority Figure with... Technically "Commander" but more on this in a bit, and you've got Nikke. In other words, the game's setting and premise are just a few word swaps away from being Punishing Gray Raven, Snowbreak, and a bunch of other properties. But here's the thing: Whereas Punishing Gray Raven tells you its story with all the charm and pizzazz of a Wikipedia article, and Snowbreak... Uh, stands there staring at a wall Blair Witch style because nothing ever fucking happens in Snowbreak, Nikke actually has good moment to moment flow. Allow me to elaborate.

Read More break here because I wrote a lot more than I intended:

Nikke has probably the dumbest premise to open with: The Nikkes are basically superpowered cyborg girls (war machines with human brains) that look like supermodels on purpose because they were created, in the game's own words, "with the ideal form in mind". That's all a wordy way of saying they are super hot girls with very powerful guns and superhuman physical capabilities. The dumb part is that Nikkes are treated like absolute shit in-universe by humans. You're telling me humanity is making cyborgs -- not even full on robots or AI, these are straight up people getting turned into weapons -- that are hot as fuck and have tits bigger than my head and asses that could crush cars under their sheer heft and then decided to hate them and treat them like shit, and also these cyborgs are the ones actually keeping humanity alive? Well yeah we need a reason for the Main Character (you!) to be Special and bond with them, so your thing is that You Don't Treat Nikkes Like Shit. In fact, you care for them.

Now, this is all absolutely fucking stupid, but then, the game sort of... Realizes how stupid it is? And some may say "this was always the plan" but to me personally it feels like they kinda realized how god damn stupid this all was as a premise, and they started veering the car mid-trip because for a while this all feels REALLY sincere, not in a foreshadowing way, but then you have some developments such as "no yeah, Commanders are a dime a dozen, are brainwashed into seeing Nikkes as walking garbage and that they'll be heroes, risk their lives for pennies and are extremely expendable", and there's also what I consider a really good and consistent thing the game has done: Nikkes were always a desperate last minute rushed product as a concept, so the safety measures in place so that they don't rebel against humans were never perfect.

This is what I mean by the moment to moment being good: The plot is absolutely whatever, the setting is something you've seen a million times, but the actual scene by scene, beat by beat, is fun. On the micro level, the game knows how to be entertaining and interesting, and when they expand these micro nuggets of gold to a macro level of writing, it's when they end up with their best bits of narrative and world building. I want to use two examples about the whole safety measures thing: Crow and Rose.

Crow is a Nikke that hates humans and is part of a squad of known dangerous elements that Missilis, the most irresponsible of the Big Three companies, is responsible for. This squad is Exotic, and Exotic works with you (your squad is named Counters) on this one mid-game chapter. The thing is, they never really intended to work with you, and Crow wanted you dead because Crow wants to spark a Human Vs Nikke conflict in the Ark (humanity's last big home), because you might quell the hostility between both sides. But, Nikkes can't intentionally kill humans (accidents happen and a Nikke may be ordered to subdue a human, but they are hardwired to not be able to shoot at them or kill them). So, how does Crow go about it when she betrays you? She has her squadmate Jackal plant a steel plate on the ground, and then shoots the plate in a way that the bullet ricochets and hits you. NIMPH, what's used to, among many other things, make sure Nikkes can't turn on humans, was so, so easily circumvented, and this is consistent with what we've been told about the Ark and Nikke in universe development in general: It's sloppy, it's lazy, it's not good. Rose, the other example, is a Nikke from a flashback story around a hundred of years before the start of the game. Rose was a prototype Nikke that was geared for melee combat instead of ranged combat, as all Nikkes are, and she was one of ten such units. Basically, Rose realized that their human Commander was intentionally trying to get them killed until one remained, which would be deemed the success of the line in Darwinian fashion. Rose got so immensely, justifiably angry at this that she plotted to kill the Commander. How can she do this, though, with the NIMPH that prevents her from doing so? Well, Rose was an actual swordmaster, and what she did was wear a blindfold, convince herself that what she was slicing was not a human, but a Rapture, and then she easily killed the shit out of him, unimpeded by her system. The NIMPH, end of the day, is sloppily made, highly dependent on the mental state of the Nikke, and easily circumvented. This is a very important plot point throughout the story, and the way they show this in multiple ways is really good.

Another thing I like is how the game goes about the player's title. It's technically "Commander" but the truth is, most every single Nikke calls you a different way relative to your relationship with them or their impression of you. Rapi and Anis some of the few that call you Commander, because they are in fact your subordinates, but Rapi says "Shikikan" while Anis says "Shikikan-sama" in a sarcastic way initially and after a while in an affectionately playful way, Neon calls you "Master" (Shishou) because she likes the way you use firepower, Liter calls you "Greenhorn" because you are, well, that in her eyes, Moran calls you "Partner" (Ototou, "little brother" in Japanese) because she's the head of a crime syndicate and she considers you as a cool person under her protection, the sports inclined ones call you "Coach", the school themed ones "Teacher", Viper, the flirty one, "Honey" or "Darling" depending on the scene, and so on, the old timey Scarlet calls you "My Lord", the religious Rapunzel uses "Believer", and the coarse, rough around the edges Snow White just uses "You" (Omae). It's a great touch that I like when it's done.

So, basically, you have a charming combination of a setting that's been overdone infinite times with plot beats that vary between legitimately good (the NIMPH and its logistics) and legitimately bad (Whatever the fuck Chapter 18 was, to name one case), and moment to moment that's really charming and entertaining.

The gameplay is honestly extremely unbalanced, and the sheer disparity in strength between units of the same rarity makes you wonder if they have anyone in the team that actually cares about balance, but honestly, putting the issues of balance aside? It's fun to point at stuff and shoot a million bullets and rockets, and they even get pretty creative with the fights sometimes in terms of enemy types and how they use them against you, so gameplay balance is awful, gameplay itself is suprisingly good for how simple it is.

I know people are going to be like "Dreamer, You Didn't Even Rate The Asses" so okay here:

First of all, the ergonomically perfect ass of the VIXEN that lured me into the game in a moment of weakness, Scarlet:

And next up, the Clothed But Massive Ass of Snow White

In fact, I appreciate the variety, because if it was just bare cheeks and panty shots, it'd be kinda whatever to me, but bodysuit ass and clothed but noticeably huge ass? Fresh, to be honest.

Also notable is that progress in entirely gated by passive production of resources and daily stuff because there's no stamina system. Bold!

But yeah feel free to ask more specific questions, but this is pretty much how I've felt about it.

[i-heart-hxh]

Do you think Kurapika will die by the end of the series? I’ve seen lots of people saying he will, and that togashi said he will, but i don’t think i’m sold.

largely i just think it would be a poor ending to his character. i don’t think him dying and the Kurta being lost forever would be a very satisfying ending. (although, i trust togashi to make any direction he ends up going in very good.)

i especially don’t think it will happen any time soon at the current point in the story. there’s just far too many loose ends that haven’t been tied up. i sincerely doubt he would die while the troupe is still active or the eyes are still out there.

I think what’s most likely to happen is that we get a technical death, similar to what happened to gon, where he “dies” but is brought back to life due to some dark continent fuckery and possibly some of leorio’s medical knowledge. bonus points if we get a classic scene of dead love ones encouraging him to keep living, lol

as a follow up to my last anon (about kurapika): i think it would be unnecessarily sad to make kurapika die permanently. maybe it would make sense, character wise, as he is totally driving himself into the ground at the moment. but i have a hard time envisioning a way that end could be a satisfying one. it would mark the absolute decimation of the kurta. permanently lost to time, with absolutely no hope of any kind of revival. kurapika is currently the only person with a deep knowledge of the kurta culture and traditions, and the only person who could pass that knowledge on. or even pass on the scarlet eyes. it kind of reminds me of the air nomads from avatar. but it would be like, if aang died in the process of fighting ozai and no other air benders were born after that

Hi anon! It's funny you sent this, I actually was just thinking about making another post about my guesses on Kurapika's fate about an hour before I received this. Good timing! I actually did a poll on this topic a while back and then added some of my thoughts after it finished. However, my thoughts and guesses have solidified quite a bit since then.

I agree with you--I actually think Kurapika is likely to pull through, albeit potentially after a death and then revival or some other drastic near-death situation similar to what happened to Gon. I agree that it's hard to imagine a fulfilling ending where Kurapika doesn't survive (though I have faith in whatever Togashi may have planned, even if it goes completely against my guesses). I have some thoughts to add on why this is my guess as well.

First off, the way Leorio's character is set up. Putting him in the same place as Kurapika while he's training as a doctor, knowing that his largest character motivation is not to lose any more friends... It would be awfully cruel for Togashi to have Leorio go through Kurapika's death in light of that. His role as a doctor needs to be tested and come to fruition, and his character arc needs to come full circle as someone who deeply wants to prevent his friends from dying.

Secondly, the themes of the series. I've talked about this a lot in discussions of Gon and Killua's relationship, but some primary themes of the series are second chances and the transformative power of love and human connection. When thinking about the series through that lens, having Kurapika not pull through after all (and having Leorio lose him), does not feel like it's in line with those themes. Kurapika needs a second chance to connect with the world of the living and find meaning in those around him.

I also suspect that Kurapika's storyline is going to come down to a choice between two things: Life and death, but not just his own. Here's why:

Kurapika, obsessed with getting revenge for the Kurta clan and gathering the body parts of his murdered family and friends, is currently guarding a baby. I think he will be put in a situation where he has to make a choice between Woble's life, and getting his revenge and gathering the body parts of his loved ones. He already had to make a similar choice once, in Yorknew. He had Chrollo in his grasp, he could have killed him, but ultimately he had to choose between doing this and Gon and Killua's lives--and he chose Gon and Killua's lives. He isolated himself from his friends as a result of this, trying to force himself to stay on his path of revenge without letting anyone get in his way (including, perhaps most importantly, himself), but now he's in a position again where it seems likely his plans will go off track when he has to choose between a living child and his people, who are already long dead.

(I also suspect he might find out the Phantom Troupe wasn't responsible--or at least wasn't entirely responsible--for the Kurta massacre and his ultimate antagonist will be Tserriednich, but that's a bit of a digression that I can talk about in more depth another time.)

I think ultimately this is how his character is set up: Will he choose to focus only on what he's lost and those who are already dead and on causing more death (including ultimately his own), or will he decide to protect and focus on those around him who are still living and on finding reasons to live himself (likely in Leorio, Gon, and Killua, among others)? It's true that, if he continues to live, he can bring the memories of the Kurta into the future with him, to honor those he lost, rather than living only for revenge that I'm sure his loved ones wouldn't even want him to burn down his life for. It's a bleak ending for him if he doesn't survive, and the Kurta would simply fade into history forever with him, like you were saying.

So, it's possible he will "die" or very nearly die in a fight against Tserriednich, in order to protect Woble, and then Leorio will have to find some way to get him to pull through--possibly using his training, possibly using something in the Dark Continent, maybe both. It would satisfy both of their character arcs to a certain degree and make sense with the trajectories they're on.

As usual, however, Togashi is unpredictable and he could have something entirely different up his sleeve, or even be misdirecting the audience on what he's trying to do. Only time will tell! But in the meantime, I agree with you that Kurapika's probably going to make it, even with the dire circumstances he's currently in.

[giurochedadomani]

I'm doing the last work assignment before Christmas, so have a sketch of a plot and let's hope I can do this next week during holidays:

I need some young mishanks in which a Spicy Dream absolutely throws Mihawk out of his loop because having Shanks parrying him two centimeters away from his face suddenly evokes certain kind of feelings, not to say anything about what Mihawk feels that time during the duel in which he ends up tumbling to the floor, Shanks' new blade to his throath and-- nope. nopenopenope.

And it seems that Shanks knows it! (he doesn't) And takes advantage of it! (he does). Mihawk's like 25% sure that he's reading his mind, and he definitely doesn't want to think about how Shanks would react if he knew that Mihawk's mind has been playing little scenes from that Spicy Dream all the afternoon they've been together.

This is all an excuse to have Mihawk being the most morose drinker that night at the red force (in part because he's getting really in his head, in part because if he hypothetically wanted to make the Spicy Dream a reality, he's definitely NOT making the first move, and why can't just Shanks magically know without Mihawk having to undergo the horrible ordeal of telling him about it?)

Maybe being kind of very uncharacteristically affectionate with Shanks? Like, at this point he's half lying on top of him because Shanks moved Mihawk's legs a little to let people use the stairs of the ship in which they're sat and Mihawk kind of? left his legs on Shanks' lap? He's been idly running his fingers over Mihawk's hand for the past hour, but every time he tries to take his hand away Mihawk sounds a bit displeased, a takes his hand, and puts it in the same position. Don't get me wrong, Shanks is 110% okay with the situation, feels the kind of bliss when a little feral kitty decides to nap on your lap, but he's also lowkey freaking out because this is so very uncharacteristic of Mihawk? And he's a very, very, very reserved dude. Shanks' 25% sure that Mihawk is going to decimate the red force if someone even vaguely mentions that he looks cute or that he's trying to hoard Shanks' attention.

This probably ends with Shanks taking Mihawk to his cabin, and Mihawk being absolutely gutted because WHEN has Shanks had to take one of his crew members out of a party? Mihawk must have been really making a scene (he wasn't). Which develops into something about: how rude of you to inflict me with feelings, Shanks (horny feelings! and other feelings he can't quite parse!! It's been one hell of a ride for him since he had that dream, okay? bear with him a little)

[arendaes]

I FINISHED IT

Thoughts below cut because of spoilers. I'll get this over with first though - I didn't hate it, in fact right now it's sitting at a solid 7/10. Warning that this got long because as I said...I got a lot to say.

Biggest takeaway is it gets MUCH better in the last act of game. The writing in the beginning was rough but I definitely thought it was worth sticking it out for.

The main plot is...not great. It suffers from the same thing Inquisition did, which is that two out of our three main villains are just mid. Mid writing, mid combat, mid designs (ok Ghilan'nain was decent but Elgar'nan? Bleh.) It made the stakes easy to forget and not care about. I do like how one plotline was handled, though, which I'll get to in a minute (you know who it is.)

The companions took a moment to grow on me, but they did grow on me. By the end I did really care about all of them. Davrin, Emmrich, and Neve are probably my top three, but due to certain choices I made in the endgame, both Harding and Bellara are up there too.

Like I said the last act was the best - the conclusion of all the companions' personal quests were satisfying (to varying degrees), and certain choices in the endgame gutted me in the best possible way.

Which brings me to Solas - maybe hot take, but I thoroughly enjoyed him as a villain. Scenes with him were definitely some of the high points of the game, and that ending.

"I am a fool...who has finally met his match" I am rattling at the bars of my cage. This is absolutely what I was hoping for.

Leading us to Rook. I loved Chiara, she felt alive in a way my Inquisitors never really have. Are there a few things I'm headcanoning differently? Yes. But overall she's only beaten by my Warden for favorite Dragon Age PC.

The factions were a mixed bag. I loved the Mourn Watch, especially as a Mourn Watch Rook. The Grey Wardens were also amazing - I loved all the content with them. The Shadow Dragons were also cool; I'm always down for freedom fighters, and I loved seeing Dorian and Maevaris. Veil Jumpers and Lords of Fortune didn't leave much of an impression on me, and I share a lot of other people's grievances about the Crows.

Now, what they did to Dragon Age's lore is where my opinion sours a bit. To me, it definitely feels like a soft reset for the setting - they've wrapped up all these loose ends in the worst possible way they could have. Having everything relate back to the Evanuris was a mistake, imo, and things like the Blight and the Titans, as well Andrastism (which took a MAJOR backseat in this game omg) should've remained their own thing. To say nothing of them deciding to have southern Thedas decimated by the Blight off-screen. Right now I'm wondering what else there is for these games to even be about now, and that post-credits scene did not exactly spark hope.

One thing that deserves its own bullet point - Bioware continues to absolutely fumble the Qunari. At this point I don't know if they even know how to write them without being cartoonishly problematic about it. Whoever thought the Antaam were a good idea - especially those designs - need to be hit over the head. Proverbially, of course.

OH! I don't think the Inquisitor was necessary either. We don't need to see our previous character each game. If there's another Dragon Age game, please let Rook stay home. They deserve to retire after this.

When it comes to things like combat and puzzles, I'm definitely not the person to look to for complex critique. I enjoyed them, but I also acknowledge that those mechanics did seem simple and repetitive. I'll definitely take turn-based, tactical combat any day of the week, but I had fun with what it was.

Speaking of mechanics, I do want to call out a couple smaller things I think the game did well. I liked the wardrobe and transmog system - though, as always, the clothes and armors could've used improvement. I also loved that it was so easy to respec and try out new builds. And the inventory system! Absolutely loved that I don't have to shift through a bunch of junk to find things my OC and companions could use - having items set to Rook or a particular companion and finding upgrades to them is definitely a great way to handle it.

The levels were big and beautiful, but I kept getting turned around, and the map markers ranged from "generally helpful" to "how the hell do I get over there?"

I enjoyed the art style, personally, I don't have any real gripes with it.

Anyways, like I said, overall I give it a 7 out of 10. Sure, once the "just finished the game" high wears off I might lower it to a 6/10, but I don't see it going lower. There was ultimately more I enjoyed then didn't. And now I'll be daydreaming about Chiara and Davrin living happily ever after, going on adventures with their griffon son.

[itsclydebitches]

Obviously Nina and Maggie are meant to parallel Crowley and Aziraphale. I don't even need to argue that because Nina outright says it: Crowley is the "hard-bitten one" (like her) and Aziraphale is the "soft one" (like Maggie) who are facing similar relationship stumbling blocks. Just to hammer it home, they're both queer couples with Nina calling Maggie "angel" as a pet name.

I'll come back to that parallel in just a moment. First, I've seen some great meta regarding their justified anger at being paired up for celestial "amusement" and how that reflects the lack of agency humans have in Heaven and Hell's endless attempts to start Armageddon; something that Aziraphale, specifically, may be able to change. (Which, you know, highlights the nuance of this decision. Can he totally fix the broken system from within like he believes? No. Can he, like Gabriel, keep the hosts of Heaven from decimating Earth in the immediate future? Quite possibly.) Nina and Maggie are absolutely right and have every reason to be angry, however, they are missing the context that Crowley and Aziraphale didn't try to pair them up for the hell of it—though it's perfectly understandable why it would come across that way. How are they supposed to learn and understand the intricacies of this plot, especially when Crowley is literally shooing them out the door and telling them to forget everything? Regardless, the audience knows the full story and thus we can see how their subplot mirrors Aziraphale's love for Crowley, beyond the obvious, textual parallel.

Because why is he pairing them up? To keep Crowley safe. Himself too, but the dual nature of that motivation—what helps you automatically helps me and vice versa because we're in this together—just highlights how Aziraphale is approaching the "us" here. He pulled Crowley into the Gabriel debacle because he a) recognized that helping him was the right thing to do and b) knew he needed his partner to succeed. Sure, we could blame Aizraphale for setting it all in motion, but even without knowing that hiding Gabriel was helping to stave off the next Armageddon, Crowley recognizes that Aizraphale was right to help someone, even a someone who told his best friend to shut up and die already. He has a whole (hilarious) apology dance about it. So they're doing this together, as they should. They commit to hiding Gabriel together. They cast the miracle together. They tell lies to their bosses together. All of which ultimately leads to the subterfuge of, "That celestial energy? Just helping two humans fall in love! Oh shit, now we've actually got to accomplish that..." They mess around in Nina and Maggie's lives to try and keep their own loved one safe. Their love is a direct byproduct of Aizraphale and Crowley's.

Of course, they still have every right to be angry about that manipulation, regardless of the fact that it's leading to something they both want and is for the "greater good." However, I think it's crucial that we didn't get a scene that said, "You were wrong to mess around in our lives! ... but we're so glad you did because we're totally in love now and everything's perfect 😊." Maggie and Nina aren't together at the end of the season. They, like Crowley and Aziraphale, care for one another deeply but aren't yet in a place to make that love explicitly romantic. Here, we get a bit of a reversal where the Crowley equivalent—Nina—is the one who needs time and the Aziraphale equivalent—Maggie—is the most verbally devoted, prepared to wait for however long it takes, kinda like how Crowley has waited 6,000+ years.

Nina: I can't start seeing Maggie! When I'm ready, I hope she'll be there, but there isn't any guarantee. Maggie: There is. Nina: You're not helping, angel.

Both Nina and Aziraphale are, at their core, grappling with abuse. For Nina it's the abuse of a romantic partner. For Aziraphale it's the abuse of an institution. The difference is that Nina has gotten out, notably by having her partner dump her. We see throughout the season that Nina cannot let her go, despite knowing that they're bad for each other and despite others telling her as much. She's too deep in the relationship and shows no signs of getting out on her own, even when an objectively better option (Maggie) is right there, begging her to take that step. Nina needed to get dumped in order to achieve that growth. Aziraphale, in VERY sharp contrast, is roped back in by his abusers. Whereas Nina is granted harsh freedom in the form of a key under the mat, Aizraphale is coaxed further into the relationship he likewise isn't prepared to leave, offered what appears on the surface to be a way to fix everything he cares for. Do we think that if Nina's partner had instead texted something optimistic, complimentary, and full of the promise of change that Nina would have listened to her Crowley equivalent here (Maggie) and confidently cut her off? I don't. I think she would have gone straight back to what's familiar, convincing herself that this time will be different. Because that's how abuse works.

From the audience's perspective, Nina and Maggie's conversation is a warning to Crowley, though one he's not yet equipped to understand (as evidence by him doing the opposite of all their advice with Aziraphale). They say, "You powerful beings manipulate us too casually" and Crowley doesn't get how desperate Aziraphale is to fix that as archangel. They say, "I needed to be forcibly freed from my abuser before I could even consider someone I truly love" and Crowley doesn't see how Aziraphale is not just still under his own abuser's thumb, but is getting pulled further in. They say, "Even now that I've seen how much better things can be I'm not ready. It doesn't matter if I love her. It doesn't matter if I'm free. I need time to recover before I can move on to the next step" and Crowley doesn't get that at all, instead kissing Aziraphale rather than continuing to wait like Maggie. That kiss was hard for me to watch because it's abundantly clear how uncomfortable Aziraphale is. He doesn't kiss back. His hands are spasming rather than holding Crowley close. "I forgive you." That's not because he doesn't love Crowley, it's because he's not ready. Nina would have reacted the same way if Maggie had kissed her in the immediate aftermath of escaping her abuse and Aziraphale isn't in the aftermath of his. He's deeper than he's been since the start of the show.

The more I think about it, the more clear it is to me how their relationship and that final conversation was a blueprint for what was about to come. They're in a much better place than Crowley and Aziraphale are. Nina is free of her abuser. No one needed to explain that they had romantic feelings for one another. Crowley, meanwhile, "doesn't understand" until seconds before Aziraphale walks back through the door. No one is trying to keep them apart with the fate of the universe hanging in the background. Yet despite all this, Nina still says, "I'm in no way ready" and Maggie responds, "I understand. I'll wait."

Crowley couldn't wait anymore. Which is understandable and, tragically, is actually part of the solution. One of the things they need to do is talk about what they're "really feeling," so he does that. But unlike Nina, Aizraphale is still in his own abusive relationship and unlike Maggie, Crowley takes the truth too far, kissing him before he was equipped to accept that. Of course the season had to end the way it did. It's not just in character for them both, it validates the OTHER characters functioning as their parallels.

[pseudowho]

Hi! I've never actually sent one of these before, I'm not a huge Tumblr user (definitely a lurker... I love to read, never post), but it feels fitting that the first time I ever say anything on this site that it's to you. I'm a huge fan and I've been following for a while. I've written for years (a very different format, try written roleplay) and you were the inspiration I needed to start writing independently, and I've been having a blast with it! I feel like I've finally started doing what I've wanted to do this whole time, and never realized it's what I should've been doing all along. JJK is also my poison of choice :) So thank you for the accidental epiphany! Lovely work as always and I adore you so so much from the shadows! My question: WHAT witchcraft have you employed to come up with some of the words and phrases you write with? Was there a ritual to unlock my third-eye that I forgot to do? Light some candles, maybe? I feel like I use a lot of the same words and descriptors over and over again, and it makes my writing feel so flat! The thesaurus is my best friend but that only makes so much of a difference I feel, do you use one too? Because I keep finding myself looking back at my writing during the editing passes and going: "man, I just don't know many words! Or at least not any interesting ones." Your writing is just so rich and colorful, and I would love just a smidge of your sparkle <3 Long winded request for writing advice! Hope you're doing well! <3

Hi!

God, this is so flattering. I've said it once, and I'll say it again: I love when creativity sparks more creativity. It's catching, and beautiful, and I'm so pleased that whatever I do has helped you like this. It's amazing to hear. And I'm pleased you're enjoying yourself and feeling fulfilled, which is the most important thing.

I don't mind being watched from the shadows, so pleased feel free to stay on Anon. It doesn't bother me. Thank you for reading my work for so long.

Honestly, with words, I find them to have colour. I feel like I can make a sentence or a paragraph run with any colour I want, depending on the pace or tone, or language. For the most part, if I look at a piece of my writing and it doesn't stand out as a fucking rainbow, I feel like I've failed.

I don't really think about the words I put down, I go by a feeling. I read a lot (though it's slowed down in recent years with how busy I am), so perhaps that?

I've spoken previously about viewing my stories like movie scenes before I write them. I still very much do this. It helps to capture the vibe of a written scene and makes it three dimensional instead of flat.

I play a lot of word and number games in my head when I'm performing mental tasks. Like...six degrees of separation word games, by choosing two very different words and trying to see how many adjacent words it takes to connect them. Also, trying to make patterns with sets of words in a verbal reasoning kind of way.

I do complex addition and division of numbers in my head, seeing how many decimal points I can divide something down to. I play 'common denominators' a lot, and have recently found some number patterns that I hadn't noticed before, which has been satisfying.

That sounds mental. I'm sorry. My brain is so much sometimes.

I wish I knew what to tell you. I'm very much a maximalist, and I think my writing carries a sort of maximalism too. I like it to be absolutely full, bursting and blooming. I love to read it back to myself and feel the richness on the page. It delights me.

Read more, perhaps?

Always here to give frankly unhelpful and useless advice, lovingly yours,

-- Haitch xxx

[idkaguyorsomething]

A Shitty Recap of An Unearthly Child

For convoluted legal reasons, the very first episode of Doctor Who, An Unearthly Child, is unavailable for the public to screen (they cover the details here: https://www.ign.com/articles/why-the-first-four-doctor-who-episodes-ever-made-wont-be-on-bbc-iplayer ). So I’ll be recapping it with some screenshots here!

[Image ID: The words ���An Unearthly Child” superimposed over an image of a 1960s police box]

We open with a scene of a police officer walking through the mist, opening the gates to the Foreman Junkyard and passing by a Perfectly Average Police Box.

Cut to Coal Hill High School, where the bell has rung to signal the end of the day and we see our leads, BARBARA the history teacher and IAN the chemistry teacher.

[Image ID: a man and a woman talking in a high school chemistry classroom. There is a chalkboard in the background]

BARBARA: We need to talk about Susan.

IAN: Susan?

BARBARA: You know, the fucking weirdo.

IAN: I do know, though when you put it like that-

BARBARA: Look, her grades are really high but her homework is shit, and when I went to go see where her home address is I ended up in a random junkyard.

IAN: Well, that could’ve been a typo in the school system.

BARBARA: Maybe, but when I went to go ask her about talking to her grandfather, she said that it would be absolutely impossible. For her only living relative, don’t you think that sounds a little-

IAN: Don’t!

BARBARA: Sus?

IAN: *sighs* Well, there’s probably some perfectly reasonable explanation for it.

BARBARA: I promised to go lend her a book, want to help me get to the bottom of it?

IAN: Sure.

Cut to SUSAN in another classroom, stimming!

[Image ID: Susan standing in the foreground, holding a radio with one hand and drumming her fingers on her wrist with the other. Barbara and Ian are in the background]

BARBARA: I have that book about the French Revolution you wanted, Susan.

SUSAN: Oh, thanks! I’ll return it tomorrow.

BARBARA: You can return it when you’ve finished it.

SUSAN: I will have finished it by tomorrow :3

IAN: Nice Beatles tunes you’re listening to there.

SUSAN: Wow, I didn’t think you were young enough to know about the Beatles.

IAN: Listen, student of mine, I was just about to give Barbara a ride home, and I’ve got extra room in my car if you want a lift.

SUSAN: Umm, you know what, I think I’d rather walk home in the dark. That has spookier vibes. Yeah.

BARBARA and IAN exit the room. We hold on SUSAN, who starts flipping through her book.

[Image ID: Susan flipping through a book] SUSAN: The fuck is this bullshit?

Cut back to BARBARA and IAN IAN: Well, that settles it. Something is definitely off about that situation. We should stake out her home address and see what’s up with that.

BARBARA: Now you’re talking!

[Image ID: BARBARA and IAN standing in a classroom, looking at each other lovingly]

Cut to BARBARA and IAN in IAN’S CAR, parked outside the Foreman Junkyard eating Taco Bell.

[Image ID: the blurriest photo ever of Ian and Barbara sitting in the front of Ian’s car]

BARBARA: Did you know Susan doesn’t know how English currency works?

Flashback to the classroom, where all of Susan’s classmates are laughing at her.

[Image ID: Susan standing in the classroom, looking very upset]

SUSAN: Shit, you mean you haven’t converted to the decimal system yet? Now I’ll have to learn what sixpence and a shilling is!

[Image ID: Barbara and Ian sitting in Ian’s car again, with Ian looking slightly annoyed] IAN: You know people from other countries exist, right?

BARBARA: Don’t chicken out on me, this whole operation was your idea.

IAN: I think you’re just really curious about this whole situation and that there’s a simple explanation for it all.

BARBARA: Her homework lately’s been shit! It’s the right thing to do!

IAN: Barbara, we’re staking out a junkyard in my car eating Taco Bell. There’s been shittier homework. Bad social skills, good schoolwork, and reading books in improbably short periods of time, you know what that sounds like to me? Autism.

BARBARA: It’s the 1960s, you’re not supposed to know that exists yet.

Then they notice Susan stepping into the junkyard and get out to follow her.

[Image ID: BARBARA and IAN standing in front of a police box, placing their hands on it]

IAN: A police box? In a junkyard? Who’s going to have an emergency in here?

BARBARA: Forget that, where’d Susan go?

Just then, the DOCTOR steps into the screen!

[Image ID: the First Doctor standing in a junkyard]

DOCTOR: Rassilon’s toenails, the only thing this planet has is weed and racism!

IAN: Hey you, have you seen a young woman wandering around here?

DOCTOR: No, I can’t say I have. And who are you again?

BARBARA: We’re Susan’s high school teachers. We’re here to check on her because we suspect that she might be hiding her grandfather’s corpse around here while the rats eat her homework.

DOCTOR: Uh huh… perhaps you have the wrong junkyard.

Suddenly they hear Susan’s voice coming from inside the police box!

SUSAN: Grandfather, you left the bong on the stack of scrap metal again!

BARBARA: Susan!

DOCTOR: Shit.

IAN: Are you her grandfather? Is she being locked inside that box? What the hell? Susan, try to dial the police from inside there!

[Image ID: the Doctor looking at Ian smugly in the foreground while Barbara looks on in the background] DOCTOR: I think the two of you are just hearing things. You know how it is with junkyards and their junkyard echolocation. Common knowledge. This is just an ordinary, empty box.

IAN: If it’s just an ordinary box, then you wouldn’t mind stepping aside so we can look inside, would you?

DOCTOR: Oh, fuck off already!

IAN: Not in a million years. Susan, we’re coming for you!

The two of them tussle while BARBARA runs around them and opens the door to the police box.

[Image ID: some blurry shit that looks like an old man throwing hands with a guy in his 30s if you squint]

Barbara steps into the police box, and all three of them end up on the inside!

[Image ID: Barbara, Ian, the Doctor, and Susan all standing around the interior of the police box]

SUSAN: Grandfather, did you grab the bo- oh.

BARBARA: O_O

IAN: How is it bigger on the inside? That defies the laws of physics?

[Image ID: the Doctor holding up one hand as he lectures Susan. Ian watches them in the foreground] DOCTOR: You’d better get used to it, because you’re my prisoners now. Susan, I told you something like this would happen if you tried to attend high school. Now we’ll have to get a litter box or something for them. I think Koschei left some collars and a leash somewhere around here last time he visited…

IAN: You can’t keep us prisoners in here, that’s inhumane! Besides, someone else is going to stumble onto this box eventually.

DOCTOR: Well then, it’s a good thing that neither I nor Susan are human, then? And I’ll just have to pilot the box elsewhere.

IAN: Pilot a box? But physics-

SUSAN: No, it’s true. Grandfather and I are both Time Lords from the planet Gallifrey, although those names won’t be established for another couple of seasons. The box is actually a time traveling ship called the TARDIS, which is an acronym that I came up with that’ll give a headache to anyone trying to understand the lore. We’re exiles, actually.

[Image ID: Barbara looking at Susan sweetly but sternly]

BARBARA: Susan, sweetheart, have you ever heard of brainwashing?

SUSAN: You’re inside the ship! How do you want proof more definitive than that?

IAN: That’s it, I’m out of here.

Both Barbara and Ian attempt to leave the ship, but find themselves being held back.

[Image ID: Barbara and Ian try to open the doors of the TARDIS but are unable to. Their faces are in distress]

BARBARA: Damn, that old bastard must’ve locked the doors somehow.

DOCTOR: Did you not hear the part where I said you’re my prisoners now?

IAN: I saw him pushing one of those buttons on the console!

DOCTOR: You’ll never find out which button that was! It takes decades to learn the controls to the TARDIS. Even I haven’t learned them all yet!

SUSAN: You threw away the instruction manual, grandfather.

Ian rushes at the control panel and presses a button, but the Doctor presses another button and he gets fucking tasered.

[Image ID: Susan watches as Ian gets electrocuted]

DOCTOR: Bad human! Down!

SUSAN: Grandfather, no!

DOCTOR: Let’s get out of here, we’ve stayed in one place too long already. They wouldn’t let me join the Coal Hill PTA, anyways.

SUSAN: I won’t let you!

The Doctor starts operating the controls to the TARDIS, but Susan jumps at him from behind and knocks him off balance.

[Image ID: a couple of smudges that look like Susan and the Doctor tussling behind the TARDIS console]

SUSAN: They have the Beatles and free love and people my own age here!

DOCTOR: My child, you’re several decades older than every other human at that high school.

SUSAN: I don���t care, you can’t tell me what to do anymore!

They knock over several levers and press multiple buttons in the process, and a few seconds later, the wheezing noise of the TARDIS taking off is heard. Everyone inexplicably passes out, and we fade to black. Then, the TARDIS reappears in an ancient landscape, where we see a strange face looking upon it…

TO BE CONTINUED

[badass-queer-couples-battle]

Sword gays showdown, final round of bracket one

Propaganda:

For Zoro:

Literally training to be the greatest swordsman in the world. Has a special three swords technique (one blade in each hand plus one with the handle held in his teeth). I haven't read the manga or watched the anime but the live action adaptation gives me extremely gay vibes and based on the fandom things I've seen I'm not the only one

bro uses three swords. has one in his mouth. dont ask how the HELL he manages that. one day he will be the worlds greatest swordsman....after he beats the current greatest for both the titles of greatest swordsman and fruitiest swordsman. he's dramatic as FUUUCK like bro what the hell. has homoerotic fights with the local twink like everyday. directionally challenged, can and will get lost in a paper bag, doesnt know left from right...he probably cant read, too. hes too silly ngl

First of all, im in like episode 250 and so far he hasnt been shown attracted to any woman at all during the whole show so far, not even when one changed clothes in the same room as him and this is anime so you know there were other characters with bloody noses and shit. With that out of the way he wields three swords at once [two in his hands, one is his goddamn mouth dude. Its cool af trust me.] When he was little he made a promise to his best friend that he'd be the best swordsman in the world. Later she died in a tragic accident and left her sword which he still uses today. He also carries a cursed sword but he overpowers the curse with a combination of skill and sheer luck. He got stuck in a chimney. While his crewmates sail their ship he takes naps. He learned how to cut through metal by fighting a guy who could turn his body into metal blades. That's metal. He refuses to fight this liberal marine officer because she looks like his childhood best friend and its just understandably really awkward for him. He's autistic. He's a he/him bisexual lesbian. He's a gay man. He's ace/aro. He's whatever you want him to be babey!!

he has 3 swords, wields one in his mouth sometimes, his dream is to be the greatest swordsman in the world

three swords and big aroace-spec gay vibes

He not only has a sword he has *three* swords. He's absolutely gay there's no way to see this man as straight. Also one time he licked his sword for no reason and that was really funny to me so I had to mention it

Look, this man thinks about three things: Swords, His Captain, and Booze. He’s on a quest to be the worlds greatest swordsman. The Live action has a scene where he declares his undying, unwavering loyalty to his captain WHILE reaffirming his promise to be the worlds greatest swordsman. At this point His dream and his Captain are so intertwined it’s crazy. Man is so sword-y he’s got three of them. When one of his swords broke he carried its empty scabbard until he was able to give it a SWORD FUNERAL. He hears a sword is cursed and takes that as a challenge. He will literally tell his swords off for “bad behavior” when they “act up” due to being straight up cursed. He tests one by throwing it in the air and sticking his arm out to see if it is so blood thirsty and ill tempered that it will cut him. Even though he’s literally the first mate if you ask him what his role is he’s going to answer Swordsman.

He's dedicated his life to two things: becoming the greatest swordsman in the world and his captain, Luffy. 

He mastered the three sword style. Its his style. It would've been more swords but he could only fit one sword in each hand and one in his mouth. He wants to be the world's greatest swordsman, a deal he made with his childhood best frenemy (before she died falling down the stairs). He thought he was All That at the start and was almost completely decimated by the actual Worlds Greatest Swordsman. Now, after two years forced training with that guy, he's probably in the top tier no-doubt, and honestly could already be the best but we just don't know for sure yet. Also, did I mention: he's got the whole demon/devil imagery going on at times. And he has absolutely no sense of direction! plus is a total softie when it comes to Chopper and all the children who somehow gravitate towards him. And he loves naps!

One of the guy's main goals in life is to be the best sword fighter and he fights with three swords which I think is telling enough of his skill.

For Xena:

It is HER! The OG woman with a blade! 

Her show was so iconic that any lesbian over the age of 30 knows her IMMEDIATELY because this show probably helped her have her awakening. Fandom foremothers and fathers rise up and get your gal a title.

An all around badass, bisexual woman, comfortable with many different bladed weapons. Her show was so much better than Hercules people forget his exists.

Xena is one of the OGs: once a baddie who turned good, she's a warrior who uses swords, daggers, and her trusty chakram to defeat evil and defend the innocent, while traveling with her kickass girlfriend Gabrielle. 

She has many skills

[sokkastyles]

ATLA LIVE ACTION EP8 THOUGHTS:

I enjoyed seeing the gaang participate in the battle, but where are the NWT forces?

I'm not sure why the decision was made to change the dialogue in the goodbye scene with Zuko and Iroh. I doubt viewers new to the story even remember who Lu Ten was. There's also no particular reason for Zuko to say this here other than that we should have him say something sentimental. It's also just that Zuko at this point in the show, even though we know he loves Iroh, isn't really ready to be that emotionally open, and should not be. That was part of the point in the original scene when Iroh is emotional and Zuko shies away from it. You can still feel the love between the characters but the tragedy is in how Zuko isn't ready to accept it yet, and that mirrors how he's choosing to chase Aang, and by extension his father's love, doing what is basically a suicide mission.

All the waterbending women standing together during the battle is what was missing from the original. Emphasizing that this is not just about Katara but everyone.

And Yue being a waterbender and fighting emphasizes that too. Nice touch.

"Yes, Master Katara!"

What Zhao says implies that only the Northern waterbenders draw power from the moon?

We could have learned about the healing Oasis without the uneccesary violence to Momo.

I was worried that the glimpses in the trailer of the spirit oasis looked less natural, but my fears are put to rest here.

Loved the zutara spirit oasis fight.

Zhao realizing that the koi fish are the spirits feels very "old man yells at cloud." Obnoxious man yells at fish.

"Even Ozai wouldn't want that." Are you really sure? The Phoenix King would disagree.

WHY IS THIS SCENE SO STATIC? Iroh and Zhao are supposed to be in a dire struggle but they just stand there talking to each other. In the original, Iroh takes a fighting stance as he delivers the great line about unleashing tenfold on Zhao if he tries to harm the spirit. Here he just stands and shouts, despite how much easier it is for live action to actually have their characters MOVE.

Is it just me or does the show keep contradicting itself on what Zhao's plan is? Previously he said he didn't want to kill all the waterbenders and now he's saying he does. Which, let's be real, the FN absolutely does want to do. Sozin was willing to kill airbenders just to stop the Avatar. And the logical extension is that they would then have to decimate every other nation until nothing was left.

"Do you understand what that's like?" "Yes, I do."

I have to admit, the battle is pretty impressive. The waterbenders losing their bending is a nice touch.

Missing the Zuko/Aang moments and have mixed feelings about Aang purposefully choosing to meld with the Ocean Spirit but the themes of sacrifice are good and am kind of interested to see where this takes the story.

Zuko/Zhao fight good

"It was all a game." Yeah. And Azula identifying the blue spirit as Zuko, which I kinda predicted! But I still maintain she should have recognized the mask, not the sword. This show has shown its willingness to acknowledge the Search's existence, so it should have been the mask that represents their mother that Azula identified.

Did Iroh just kill Zhao?!?

Love the iceberg imagery with Aang imprisoned in the ocean spirit with Katara calling out to him to come back. And here's the "we are your family" speech. Aang sacrificing himself because he feels like he doesn't belong and Katara wanting him to be part of her world. This is good stuff. I just don't really feel why Katara needs Aang here. Even though I don't like KA, at least I get a sense in the original that they are important to each other. That's missing here. I feel like if I hadn't watched the original I would not get it at all.

"My daughter always made her own choices." Look. OG Yue sacrifices herself because that is what she has done her whole life, a girl who lives for her duty. This Yue sacrifices herself because she chooses to, as a spiritual leader of her tribe who rejected an offer of marriage and made her own choices. It feels much less like fridging this way.

The taking of Omashu is great. Awkward that Ozai is explaining it in exposition to the Fire Sage like he wouldn't already know.

I still don't buy that Ozai would be like "well, let's see if Zuko survives." He would want to keep tabs on what Zuko is doing. Especially now. In the original, Iroh's outright treason was a big plot point. The same thing happens here but Ozai just has nothing to say about it? Iroh fights against the Fire Nation, Zuko is legally made a traitor, they vanish under mysterious circumstances, and Ozai is just like "lol that's chill let's see what happens." Even his reasoning, that if Zuko is strong he'll survive, doesn't make much sense. A Zuko who is left to survive is likely to come back stronger and less loyal. Ozai says the things he does are to make Zuko stronger but Ozai really does not want him to be strong, because that means there's a risk that he might develop independence.

Also this contradicts what Zhao said about how Ozai never wanted Zuko to succeed. So what is Ozai's game? I hear we've been renewed so maybe we'll find out, but honestly I don't think the writing on this show is consistent enough to get my hopes up.

[quixoticall]

I really don't mean this in a rude or pushy way but I need MORE. That ending absolutely decimated me

Literally not rude at all! I appreciate the feedback about the end… idk if you could tell but I was heavily inspired by Laurie’s proposal scene at in Little Women but I was really struggling with hopefully not making it too over the top.

I am still working on the next chapter BUT if you want to send asks/prompts for little baby in-universe blurbs let me know!! My inbox is open!!

[void-star]

Damian/Mark from The Bright Sessions! I'm curious because I ship both Joan and Mark with Damian, there's such flavor in both relationships, the power dynamics!!!

I'm absolutely loving being the Damiark bitch, ahaha. I answered another ask for it but I'm gonna talk about it again because it's my life LOL

But first of all you have no idea how much I laughed cause I also have a love for the idea of Mark being in an uncomfortable situation where he has to see Sam, his ex-gf, get with his sister. Now I'm imagining what if he has some other extra fucked up complicated ex swap with his sister? LMAO

1. I latched onto both of their characters pretty hard, and I thought they had some of the best scenes together because they really fucking had it out with each other. But it was complicated, right?

2. Top moments for me is the way Damien asks if the AM ever got invasive with Mark, the entire exchange of "please dont leave. I dont feel right. Please dont leave" and "god... dont worry, I'm not gonna leave you," and the way they sound like they're both crying when Mark tells Damien to leave town.

3. Struggling with this one cause I don't really know what many popular opinions are. I'm in my little corner with my little Damien stans.

So idk if this counts, but Damien is def a sub in almost all circumstances to me. That boy wants to relinquish control and come out okay on the other end. Craves it. He wants to be chosen and used and be done unto, and for it to not decimate or destroy him.

And, conversely, I think Mark is very much looking for control... and Damien is actually an easy and available person for him to do that to, which is why he does it even in canon. It feels justified.

[icy-watch]

THE ANGER ON WUKONG'S FACE YOU DONE GOOFED UP NOW MAQUACK "you! you ruin everything!" get your ShadowPeach notebook out Icy, because I'm so eyeing this line bc?? it sounds PERSONAL, it sounds like Macky has ruined something in the past. it sounds like Macky, as a person, is prone to ruining everything he touches. otherwise Wukong would have said "you ruined everything" to refer to just this instance. kinda sus eh? its an extremely funny line tho, bc we know full well who Macaque was like in the past and you're going to be baffled to see how he became what he is now. I mean, ig the trope of "dying and came back wrong" could apply here. that, and maybe there's more missing scenes to fill in but until then? funny af Mr. "I have a 2 thousand page book talking about my mischief." As a sidenote: I apologize for the person I will become when baby Macky is on screen. I cannot be normal, I need to squish that furry face. anyways- Hehe THAT IS SUCH A GOOD DEER IN HEADLIGHTS LOOK honestly makes you wonder what in the heck Macaque was thinking picking a fight with Wukong in the first episode. He knows his goose is COOKED if Wukong ever gets genuinely ticked off at him. einstein's two facts of the universe were something like: human stupidity is infinite and that Macky will forever get his fluffy butt kicked and absolutely swept. he cannot help this. he's just a complete loser. / aff but YOO can we talk about how ASDFGHJKL that scene of Wukong CRASHING INTO THE PILLARS and literally YANKING MACKY OUT OF HIS OWN SHADOW was??? so freaking funny, like bro tries to get the hell out of dodge and he's just grabbed like a squeaky toy around the neck. "I didn't do this!" "Well you weren't not involved!" ohohooooo. aw man. and look at that paralyzed expression as Wukong rears his fist back seriously wtf was Macaque on trying to fight him when he gets so triggered like this. my heart is cracking and dropping into the sewers as he squeezes his eyes shut and turns away and LOOK ICY he turns so his blind side gets hit WAS THAT INSTINCT??? DID HE DO THAT BEFORE THE STAFF TOOK OUT HIS EYE OR WAS IT BC IF WUKONG HURTS HIM AGAIN HE COULD STILL HAVE THE OTHER EYE BE OKAY HELLO????? also big oof at the way Macaque is shaking is his grip, holding onto Wukong's arm, maybe to lessen the pressure around his neck?? is he feeling choked?? and then he gets dropped like a furry ragdoll. (It will happen again.) So yeah. Even with everything? he's :0 listening to Wukong's plan (is that a bruise on his right cheek at 6:05? eh.) anyways. who wants to see if Macaque's wildly off key reactions to being freshly traumatized continue next episode? (they will and that one is especially yum yum.) "She's completely out of control. If there's a time to go, it's now." *writes that down for later* all part of the theories Icy 😭 keep forgetting there's so much S1-3 context I can't explain yet. "Mei is my best friend, I'd never abandon her when she needs me." CUE WUKONG LOOKING BACK AT MK/MACKY?? "We're heroes, it's what we do!" And wuh hoo, there we go. absolutely decimated Macky's world view up until this point. THE HERO AND THE WARRIOR WERE LIKE THE SUN AND THE MOON- *gets dragged off stage*

I actually made note of those!