#i wish we got more comic accuracy

[natr0manova]

Some things about Comic!Natasha Romanoff I think often about

How Natasha thought for YEARS that she was a ballerina with the Bolshoi theatre only to find out it was all a lie

Her marriage / relationship with Nikolai (+ Rose)

How she went from "one in 28 Black Widow Agents" to "the last remaining Black Widow"

Black Widow: No Restraints Play (the whole comic. Everything about this comic is perfect.)

Sally Anne and Natasha's mother-daughter relationship

Rosie and Natasha

How people believed that Black Widow was only Cold War Propaganda and that she isn't real

The implication she might be a descendant of the House of Romanov

Her relationship w/ Bucky

Her relationship friendship w/ Marina

Her brothers (idc about the retcon) and basically her whole entire bio!family

"The Red Death" "The Slavic Shadow"

Her revenge when her sisters got murdered -> her psychopathic side, I need more of it, not less

There's more but those are the main points

[the--highlanders]

I hope you don't mind me asking but what are your favourite Jamie EU stories?

oh my god not at all, I never mind being asked about my favourite little guy <33

I'm gonna break this down by media type, but there's some parts of the eu like comics that I'm not super familiar with, so if anyone wants to add some of those on (or any other eu stories) then go ahead!!

putting this under a cut because it got LONG rip

big finish

the jigsaw war

jamie is trapped inside a puzzle, experiencing events out of order, and has to figure out how to escape. this is THE audio for me in terms of like. recognising that jamie isn't stupid just because he comes from the eighteenth century. he really gets to shine on his own rather than being relegated to 'dumb exposition prompter' (which I feel like some audios can be kinda guilty of.....) also the fact that two and jamie canonically have a strong enough connection to form a psychic link over long distances makes me chew through glass. this audio GETS it in a way some others just don't.

the glorious revolution

two, jamie, and zoe travel back to the time of the glorious revolution, the event that set the jacobite cause in motion, and jamie grapples with not being able to change the past. if you saw that audio snippet going around a couple days ago you'll have an idea of why I'm reccing this one. it has been a while since I've listened to it & I do really want to relisten and check it out for historical accuracy. but regardless it's another one that gives jamie some of the depth he deserves, this time in terms of emotional depth and his feelings about his backstory.

the selachian gambit

two, jamie, ben, and polly get caught in the middle of an alien bank heist. this one is pretty focused on ben, polly, and jamie as a trio - they're largely taking on the action while two keeps the detective work of the plot chugging along. jamie doesn't hugely stand out here in terms of the audio really adding something to his character, but it does show his dynamic with ben and polly pretty well. in particular there's some great scenes with him and ben working together, and I love their friendship a lot so that's always a good time.

honourable mentions: helicon prime (I do feel this one underutilises jamie a bit and undersells him in some weird ways, but if you're looking for two/jamie content you can't get much gayer than this. plus it's the origin of the whole 'jamie and kirsty get married' thing which I hate on principle & am obsessed with in practice), the phantom piper (it's got so much more potential than it gives imo but the tidbits that we get are so good. jamie's relationship with his grandparents.... his best friend taking a bullet for him and dying in his arms...... I just wish I could explain to the author that there's no such thing as a bedroom door in a blackhouse)

novels

the roundheads

two, jamie, ben, and polly travel back to the 1600s, and get largely split up by events unfolding around them. this is a pure historical and it delights in that. if you're after ben and polly content, the roundheads delivers on that too - but it really is some great early twojamie content. (whatever way you choose to read them - it's definitely a shippable book if you're into that). they spend the majority of the book together, both for plot reasons and just hanging out (they go to a frost fair!! two buys jamie treats and then makes himself a flower crown!!) and you get a great sense of jamie figuring two out early into his travels, and how he's far more interested in the doctor as a person than some other companions - he's the only one to show interest in susan when the doctor namedrops her, for instance. this is the best two-era book to me.

the wheel of ice

two, jamie, and zoe visit a space station built a little before zoe's time, and find that not everything is as it seems. again, this is a great one for zoe content as well as anything else, and for some very sweet moments with zoe and two. I don't necessarily feel this one always nails two and jamie's dynamic, but they don't spend a massive amount of time together here, so it's not too jarring. really I'm reccing this because of the scenes where jamie falls in with a bunch of teenagers from the space station, and finds himself kind of responsible for them. it's just nicely done and gives a good sense of jamie as a caretaker character and someone who feels a drive to be responsible for other people.

honourable mention: the episode novelisations (these are a lot of fun, especially if you have particular episodes you enjoy. they often add in extra details, background for side characters, or just little things from the episodes that were cut from the script. I really like them for adding a bit more depth and life to existing stories, and just little things that make you go 'yeah I'll add that to my belief system').

short stories

the time eater/across silent seas

two and jamie give a massive time-eating creature a funeral, and save a space whale from being turned into a weapon. both from the compilation destination prague. literally nobody gets me like the destination prague stories get me I'm not even kidding. these are THE eu two stories to me. both of these are arguably 6b, and they really work in that position - both in showing two and jamie with a very settled, devoted dynamic and in their themes and subject matter. the time eater is a story with no villain, and even the incidental threat of the dying creature causing havoc in time is secondary to the emotional keystone of jamie helping two accept death rather than running away. across silent seas has jamie nearly being aged to death and two absolutely losing it. they're both really about age and death and loss, which hits hard for 6b, with jamie's determination to stay with two forever and two's growing realisation that even if jamie doesn't choose to leave or survives their adventures, his lifespan is still going to be far shorter.

the age of ambition

two, jamie, and victoria land at the house of one of victoria's father's friends, only to find he has been trying to reanimate the dead. from the compilation life sciences. this is really a victoria story, probably the defining victoria story for me. it's got backstory, it's got gothic horror/victorian scientific ambition vibes in a similar way to evil of the daleks, it's got victoria character moments. but it's also a really crucial story for jamie, to me. as a character, I don't think jamie never quite forms into the brawny action man stereotype he was originally drafted as - and that's one of the things I love most about him. again he's too much of a caretaker, he's a piper rather than a soldier. he's rarely truly angry, even when he fights he never seems out to cause much actual harm, and you get the sense his protectiveness over his friends wars with this almost inability to do harm. the age of ambition GETS that and pushes it to the extreme, with jamie being unable to fire a killing shot to save his friends, to the point where victoria has to do it herself. it's such a compelling character moment for both of them and their dynamic.

on a pedestal

two, jamie, and victoria travel back to meet william wallace, who jamie idolises. from the compilation the quality of leadership. this is another one that really gets and hones in on a particular nuance of jamie's character - in this case, the strength and rigidity of his morals and sense of responsibility, and his dislike of people who fall short of that. he's faced with the fact that someone he admires was once careless, lax about taking responsibility for their actions even when other people are at risk, and just a bit childish. it shakes him, and he spends much of the story grappling with that. it's such a good look into the qualities that jamie admires versus the ones that he can't stand. but that's balanced out with some very sweet moments (the whole scene with two, jamie, and william wallace going fishing is very fun and again gives a nice little snapshot of two and jamie having this very settled, secure dynamic). AND jamie gets recognised as a basically supernaturally gifted piper which. love to see jamie actually getting to be a musician, love to see him piping without it being the butt of a 'bagpipes suck and everyone hates them' joke.

honourable mentions: that which went away (this is the 'jamie turns into a bear' story I'm always talking about. I do think it has some major issues in terms of weird primitivism, both in terms of the side characters and how it treats jamie, but also. jamie turns into a bear. and two begging him to come back to him is just *chefs kiss*), undercurrents (two vanishes from the tardis and another man mysteriously appears. jamie believes this newcomer has done something to harm two, and very nearly kills him for it. this is one of the few moments where jamie gets really, properly angry and is willing to actually cause harm and I LOVE to see him pushed past the breaking point of his usual moral code), the slave war (two, jamie, ben, and polly in the roman empire. also really good for ben and polly content, but there's some interesting stuff with jamie grappling with the idea of becoming involved in another rebellion, but ending up getting involved anyway)

[inthemytdl]

Game Day

Pairing: Zach MacLaren x Zoey Miller

Summary: Zach & Zoey play soccer!

They were halfway through their game day and Zoey had beaten Zach in almost everything. She had several chess wins under her belt and one win in paper football, which prior to today she didn’t know was even a thing. Her mind was still reeling from the wins when Zach suggested they juggle a soccer ball.

Zoey wasn’t sure what he meant by juggle. The only juggling she knew was by hand, preferably with something soft that wouldn’t hit her in the head. Again. But when Zach pulled a soccer ball down from the top shelf of a closet, she knew she was in for something entirely different.

“Oh... you meant juggle a ball?” Her voice was as shaky and dubious as she felt. “We shouldn’t… We could break something.”

“I’m seriously offended by how little you trust our soccer skills,” Zach said. “Just control the ball. It’ll be fine.” 

The ball in question was old and dusty. And probably more flat than it should’ve been. Zach blew the dust away and dropped the ball to the floor before picking it up with his feet. The ball balanced on his toes as he passed it from one foot to another before kicking it to Zoey, who against her better wishes, flinched.

“I wasn’t ready!” she shouted.

“If you stay ready you won’t have to get ready.” Zach chased the ball and handed it to her. “Here. You start,” he said.

Zoey took a deep breath. She knew how soccer worked. She watched a few games with her dad the days before he and her mom split, but had never actually played before. The cocky part of her—the part that believed everything could be solved with numbers and algorithms—believed she would do well, if she ever got a chance. If she could deconstruct the architectural design of a building with geometry, surely she could kick a ball with her feet. How hard could it possibly be? 

She held the ball above her foot and let it drop to the ground, then she picked it up with her other foot like Zach did, hopping around on one leg until she built up enough courage to pass it to her other foot.

A smile stretched across her face as she caught the ball.

“Oh my god,” she said. “I did it!”

“Right, now pass it to me.” Zach stepped back, awaiting the ball.

Zoey nodded and launched it his way. Only she must’ve done something wrong because it curled to the side, flying past him and into a vase. She watched as Zach’s jaw dropped comically slow, and a wave of guilt shot through her as his blue eyes trailed the ceramic pieces now scattered on the wooden floor.

“I am so sorry!" She rushed to collect the pieces.

How much would the vase cost to replace? Tens? Hundreds? She wasn’t sure. But mostly she worried about Zach, who would now know for sure that she wasn’t a real soccer player. A real player would control the ball. Pass it with ease and accuracy. 

“Don’t worry about it,” Zach said, crouching down next to her. His amber scent engulfed her as his eyes met hers and any worry she had diminished. “Careful. You might cut yourself.”

She wished his warning came sooner when a speck of red emerged from a slit on her finger. A burning feeling accompanied the wound and she stuck the finger in her mouth to reduce it.

“I’ll get a bandaid,” Zach said.

Moments later he returned with a blue bandage to wrap her finger in. His eyes shifted away from her as he swept the remainder of the ceramic bits in a dust pan and she plopped down on the couch to watch.

“Sorry about that. I’m a little off my game today.” 

“You don’t have to be sorry,” Zach said. “It was my idea to play inside.” He joined her on the couch, laying his head down on her lap as if nothing had ever happened. “At least now we know who the better soccer player is.”

Zoey bopped him on his head, feeling unusably defensive of the soccer playing Zoey that wasn’t her. Would that Zoey have beaten him? 

They sat in comfortable silence as she ran a hand through his short hair.

“Wanna play battletoads?” Zach asked.

“Sure,” she said. And somehow she felt jealous of Zoey Wallace. The Zoey she never knew and could never be. Because if this was her life, then she was pretty damn lucky. “Let’s go play battletoads.”

———

a/n: this is my attempt at learning to write in 3rd person

[zanyzendraws]

JULY 22 2024 ZENLOG: First Time's the Charm!

Hihi everyone! Welcome to my first ZenLog! Er, first official one! If the layout's a bit rough, apologies! We'll learn as we go along.

This one's a bit of a doozy so here's a neatly color coded table of contents! Depending on what you wanna read, please look for the following colors as you scroll! (Unless you wish to read the whole thing -- in that case, be my guest!)

CONTENTS OF THE ZENLOG

PERSONAL UPDATES

PROJECTS

WHAT TO EXPECT

BEFORE I GO...

With that being said, click "keep reading" to read all of this!

PERSONAL UPDATES

So, unfortunately, I got sick. It's really funny because I didn't feel anything at first, so I didn't think of it.

Turns out that compared to the rest of my family members, I had the most swollen throat out of all of them. I didn't feel anything for a couple of days, so I luckily managed to get some stuff done.

Unfortunately, the symptoms somehow worsened despite taking the antibiotics and mouthwash-gargle thingy. It's hard for me to speak, and I get tired hella easily. Which is inconvenient.

As a result, I've been cooking significantly less, RIP.

I mean, I've managed to cook. Just not as much as I wish I did.

On another note, here are some pics of food that I've been eating...

Salivate!

PROJECTS

There have been multiple projects I've been working on left and right due to my brain being unable to focus on just one. These will be blunt lists of what I've accomplished (accomplishments are in pink).

Hanashima's Advanced Class

Ongoing interviews with discord mutuals and contacts are being conducted to ensure the accuracy of certain scenes. I'm aiming for approx. 15 at least to be included alongside findings from online research. 2/15 have been completed).

Working on character sheets regarding character writing to ensure consistency in the work and I've finalized names for characters I've previously struggled in naming.

Working on bits and pieces of the actual document where the full story is being written. A scene for later down the line has been completed.

[Unnamed WIP Psychological Horror]

Concepts have been written down so I know what I visually want, alongside some sketches of character designs being completed.

I have a rough idea of what I want and the routes I wish to take but I still need to work on an outline- other than that, I have a list of all important characters. More will be added later down the line but they will be minor at best, irrelevant otherwise.

[WIP audio project]

Lists of characters have been completed.

Three characters excluding the main cast (who I plan to redesign) have been drawn in my sketchbook (uncolored but I have a rough idea of what the color selections will be in my noggin).

MISC.

A short comic strip has been completed.

Another comic strip has been in the works; the inking process is completed, though it is yet to be colored and shaded.

Lineart for an animation asset has been completed.

Songs have been compiled and edited for a music-based video.

WHAT TO EXPECT

More updates on said comic scripts and Hanashima's Advanced Class.

Upcoming animation involving a character I've previously shared on this blog.

Playlist video based off of characters I've previously posted about on my channel.

I really wish to focus on Hanashima's Advanced Class so I'll do my best to further buckle down and write, and hopefully I'll message some more of my discord mutuals for the needed interviews (as this interview is for one of the first scenes in the series). Expect a word or page count regarding the writing I've done for the series next time, if not a list of how many scenes or 'episodes' i've written.

I'm reluctant to post about the psychological horror project that's been on my mind admittedly. I don't wish to give too much away (and at the moment, I have no way of coding it... or any coding knowledge).

BEFORE I GO...

I'm gonna do my best to update weekly while I'm on this gap semester, and even once I start going back to college/university/wherever I get my education!

And I'll be fully honest: I hype up these projects from excitement but the reality is that me making them is hella slow despite my attempts to be efficient. So it'll probably be a while before I release anything.

But I hope you guys will have some fun in reading these ZenLogs and will stick along for the journey! If you're not interested, that's okay too! Just enjoy your time on the internet and come back soon!

Take care! <333

-ZanyZenDraws (Zen)

[poppetsisters]

I'm gonna talk about the new Marvel CMF series.

These are some great figures, but with the new box designs they're going for, bag feeling is officially dead. Don't get me wrong, I understand and appreciate that it's for recycling and sustainability purposes, but this does make it so hardcore collectors have to go back to the dark ages and bring a scale into Walmart. That, or just break into the box and steal what they please. Me personally, I'm gonna check to see whether Bricklink starts price gouging because of this since the prices for CMFs on that site are reasonable so far.

Anyway here's what I think about the figs.

Goliath. Something I should make clear is that I'm not a fan of the MCU. However, since Marvel sets are 90% based on MCU titles, that means the only versions of characters I can get come from those movies. Case in point: Bill Foster. Though the suit looks nice and maintains a stylistic similarity to the MCU Antman costume, as a comics fan, it bears no resemblance to the comic costume and hence I won't be picking it up.

Storm. Oh she's perfect! We already got a decent Storm fig based on the Giant Sized suit, but without the crown thing sadly. But THIS! When people think of Storm, they think of this design, and it looks great! I'm for sure picking this one up!

Beast. Another great fig. I love that the alternate face includes glasses. Such a nerd! Interesting that they chose to make a new hair mold when the good ol' dracula hair would've been just fine. Not complaining of course, it's just interesting to me.

Kate Bishop. I'm not a Hawkeye enjoyer, which means I don't have much stake in Kate Bishop either. It's lucky (heh) that we have a figure of her, so I'm happy for the Kate Bishop fans, it's just not something I'm excited about.

Moon Knight. This was always gonna be a guaranteed buy from me. Of course I wish it was the comics design, but at this point I've grown used to settling for MCUification. Nah but this figure still rocks. Lots of detailed printing, a cool new moon piece, and a brand new hood mold that I hope LEGO makes in more colours soon.

Wolverine. This figure makes me upset that I bought that Wolverine mech only for them to improve on the design in every way. The boots, the arm hair, the everything is just the most perfect you could make a Wolverine figure, and the added sentinel head is a nice touch!

She-Hulk. As someone who bought that one Hulk set with Hulk, Red Hulk, She-Hulk, and She-Red Hulk all in their classic comic colours, this figure has no use to me. It's a faithful design that includes dual molding and nice prints nontheless. One way they could've outdone the original figure was perhaps use the Avatar arms and legs... actually nevermind, that would look kinda awkward.

Hawkeye. I can already hear the AFOLs complaining about the lack of leg printing. Shout out to LEGO finally getting Jeremy Renner's hair right! Otherwise it's fine to me. I can get a better Hawkeye fig from that one avengers video game set.

Mr. Knight. This represents one of those magical MCU moments where the costume of the movies matches close enough to the comics to pass. Hence, I may have to get this one. The figure itself is very basic, but that's all I need sometimes. The fish bowl is a nice touch too.

Echo: I never heard of this character, but I know she's indigenous and is famously depicted with a white handprint on her face. For comics accuracy, this is unfortunate that the minifig leaves this out. For cultural sensitivity, it's complicated. Based on my 10 seconds of googling, a handprint is generally associated with success in hand to hand combat, which seems fine enough, but I also know a red handprint over the mouth has emerged as a symbolic representation for violence against indigenous women. I think this too fits Echo's backstory, but you have to remember this is Disney we're talking about, the same company that made Pocahontas. As a white woman, I'm not at all an authority when it comes to indigenous representation in media. I recommend you do your own research and listen to what indigenous voices have to say on the matter. For now though, the figure looks cool I guess.

Agatha Harkness. The figure looks good, but not gonna lie, I'm here for that Darkhold. It feels weird to buy a minifig SPECIFICALLY for a prop, but it's an important Marvel artifact so I don't want to miss it. Besides, I should probably get Agatha anyway. Who else is gonna babysit Franklin Richards?

Werewolf by Night. With Moon Knight and now Wolfy, I can combine them with Doctor Strange, Ghost Rider, Morbius, and Blade to make my own Midnight Sons roster. The bloodstone is a nice addition too, just makes me wish we also got Elsa. Ah well.

[kevin-day-is-bi]

Embarking on watching all the Batman movies pt 8: Superman vs. Batman: Dawn of Justice (2016):

I actually really liked this one.

In terms of plot, it’s structured very much like a comic book, and there are a lot of shorter plot points feeding into an overall plot. While I personally really loved it, it didn’t work as well as I think they hoped it would. It was also fairly long (I watched the extended version which was 3hrs), and while I didn’t get the feeling of “ugh they could’ve cut this out” that I usually do in long movies, it still dragged on in a couple places.

When it came to acting, everyone did a good job. Henry Cavill plays Superman a little more on the serious side, which is rarer to see so I enjoyed that. Ben Affleck does a really nice the-cowl-is-barely-off Bruce, and it was fun to see the detective side come through. Obviously Gal Gadot is perfect in every way. Amy Adams does a great job of showing Lois’s sincerity. The younger, slightly more psychotic Lex was really fun, and it makes the timeline make more sense with this being a Batman Year Two and Superman still being fairly new on scene.

The movie opens with Bruce comforting a newly orphaned child, and I super loved that, because I feel like that aspect is missing from all the live action Batman movies thus far. A lot of the scenes were set up in a way that made them look very comic book esque, and that was super fun. I think this was a much more effective Batman Year Two than Dark Knight for a couple reasons, mostly because we actually see him go to the brink of killing someone several times, and we get to see him decide to back away from that path. He looks scary when he’s Batman, he’s still mostly urban legend, and he’s pretty awkward in almost every non-Batman interaction we see him in.

This movie also bucks the trend which all of the others followed, and has an exactly equal main woman to main man ratio. We have Batman, Superman, Lois, Diana, Lex, and the Senator. It made me able to stop feeling like I was watching a male power play for a bit and therefore I enjoyed it a little more. Lois had agency and ultimately furthered the plot more than either Clark or Bruce, which I loved because in the comics, the big three (Clark, Bruce, and Diana) are almost solely used as symbols for most of the time (especially 90s-2010s) and their side characters drive much of the story.

My biggest overall issue is that we don’t have any of the Gotham Rogues. All the villains are Superman’s, which was definitely interesting, but I feel like with the time they were given, they could’ve fleshed out the Gotham aspect as well as the Metropolis one. However, I loved the hints we got to the Justice League (and I do like the Justice League movie), and I liked that we got hints of the Lex/Kryptonian cloning process. With that being hinted at, and Cyborg being created, it felt like it was being structured very similarly to how a Batman/Superman Year Two comic would be structured, with hints of the next generation happening very early on.

My two personal favourite parts of this were that A, all the women had agency (and there were multiple women!) and B, it felt like they put a lot of thought into the timeline and any repercussions of the changes they made. I didn’t at any point go “this doesn’t make any sense!”, or feel as though they had done something that made another future canon thing impossible.

In terms of personal enjoyment, I’m going to give this a 6.5/10. Just like Batman 1989, this type of comic isn’t usually my favourite to read, but the way they adapted it was mostly good. As always, I wish we had more Batman side characters, but it was absolutely a step in the right direction. I got chills when we heard the Wonder Woman theme, and I clapped when she saved Bruce.

In terms of comic accuracy, I’m gonna give this an 8/10. I literally cannot think of a single thing that they changed that they did not work to ensure it would still work in-universe, and the plot was accurate (sometimes to its detriment, as it didn’t always adapt to the screen well). I especially loved the allusions to Death of Superman towards the end.

[kristylime]

Spotlight on Part 2 of the Nandermo Chronicles...

He Led Me Straight Into the Breach... and All I Got Was This Amazing T-Shirt

After finishing "On the Precipice", I pondered... is that all there is? What happens next? Is it enough to just say that Guillermo and Nandor lived happily ever after? Did they really, though?

As I began to consider that very question, I decided they probably didn't... Not right away anyway. These boys have a lot of shit to work through. And it can't all be fixed overnight. Not even with effort and therapy. Some issues require time and perspective. Showing up every day and demonstrating how much you care.

As I thought about what the not too distant future looked like for our favorite idiots in love, I decided that it seemed plausible to me that the tables had turned... Nandor, who tends to LOVE what he loves would be deeply in love. And Guillermo would love him back, of course, but this new Guillermo would be more confident and have more of a life outside of Nandor than before.

With this in mind, I wrote the first sequel to "On the Precipice."

This part is unique from the others in the series in that the documentary crew is still around and filming. This was a cool device because it allows the author to have one character point blank ask another character, 'hey, what do you think about xyz?' Or 'explain this.' The caveat being that this does not suppose absolute truth or accuracy. But it did allow for a pretty comical bit with Colin Robinson.

This part also included the introduction of new familiars and the drama that goes along with that. One of whom @weakformemo wishes to die a thousand deaths... each of them more painful than the last.

It was also at this point that the song references started cropping up... "Waterfalls" by TLC. "Brian Wilson" by Barenaked Ladies. "Ballroom Blitz" by Sweet. These songs are included (along with many others) on my Nandermo playlist:

Summary:

Seven years after calling it a wrap on the filming of the Vampire Residence for the What We Do in the Shadows docuseries, the documentary crew returns at least in part due to news of Guillermo's prominent role in a fledgling political organization to fight for the rights of familiars and fairness in vampire-familiar relations. The crew quickly discovers that things at the Vampire Residence have changed considerably and not necessarily for the better. Not all the vampires are in residence and the ones that are appear to be struggling.

Excerpt:

“Oh, hey! Oh, it’s so nice to see you again! Most of you- and a new face,” Guillermo gushed, standing up and coming out from behind his desk to greet the crew that had been gone for 7 years. “Thanks, Jane.”

“Whatever,” Jane responded, leaving the crew with Guillermo.

Guillermo confidently stuck his hand out and shook hands with the new cameraman. No more shitty sweater. He was wearing an expensive wine-colored button up with onyx cuff links.

“So where did you guys leave off with us? What was happening? It’s so hard to keep track,” Guillermo gushed.

Please swing by AO3 and check it out. If you have not read "On the Precipice" (Part 1 of the Nandermo Chronicles) I would advise starting there before reading 'Breach.'

Thanks for your consideration!

[tangledmovielove]

Tangled: The Series – Or How to Turn the Most Loyal Disney Couple into an Absolute Mess

Rating: -100/10 ⭐️ (Would give it less if possible!)

Dear Disney, why did you feel the need to ruin the story of Rapunzel and Flynn? Tangled was perfect—a fairytale with romance, sacrifice, and two people who were willing to give up everything for each other after only a few days. And then came Tangled: The Series, which took this beautiful relationship, threw it in a blender, and added a heaping dose of modern relationship drama that nobody asked for. Flynn Rider, the charming, witty, smart hero, has become… well, let’s just say the “Flynn” in this series is hardly recognizable.

First off, Flynn’s character is now unrecognizably arrogant and foolish, constantly sidelined, and endlessly belittled by others, particularly Cassandra, while Rapunzel just stands by and says nothing! Remember the guy who sacrificed everything for Rapunzel? Well, now he’s basically the series’ comic relief who can’t catch a break. And Rapunzel, who seemed like she’d do anything to keep him safe, suddenly just… lets it happen. Worse, she’s even angry at Flynn if he so much as looks at Cassandra the wrong way. Where is the love, Disney?

And don’t even get me started on the marriage storyline. In the series, Rapunzel rejects marriage like it’s some kind of trap. She was ready to spend eternity in a tower for Flynn at the end of Tangled, but now, marriage is too much commitment? The message seems to be: “Marriage is a prison—even if you truly love someone.” And it’s not like she rejected him because they’d only known each other for a week—no, this is months later. It’s baffling. You’d think they’d be racing to get married after all the movie’s high-stakes sacrifices. And back then, marriage was the only way they could actually be together! In this setting, if you’re in love, you get married—end of story. But Disney’s got Flynn waiting around endlessly, while Rapunzel seems more interested in her “freedom.”

Then there’s the insulting double standard. Rapunzel’s allowed to keep secrets, take him for granted, even draw his face on a punching bag (for Cassandra’s benefit!) without a hint of remorse. She even goes back in time to change his personality just because he dares to disagree with her. If Flynn tried even half of this nonsense, he’d be roasted alive. And if the writers wanted a storyline about a couple who wouldn’t marry right away, why not go with Tiana and Naveen? Their relationship was playful and open-ended; they weren’t sacrificing their lives for each other on day one. Rapunzel and Flynn, though, were the opposite—they knew instantly that they’d found “the one,” and in their time period, you don’t put off marriage after finding that kind of love. If they’d almost died for each other, why would they not want to marry?

And what message are we sending to young viewers here? That a man’s opinions don’t matter in a relationship? That marriage is some horrible trap if you love someone? That one person (in this case, Flynn) should constantly give up his feelings and wishes for the other? Poor Flynn deserves someone who loves him, respects his opinions, and doesn’t see his proposal as a prison sentence. And why would any self-respecting guy put up with this? The Flynn Rider from the movie, with his rough edges and ego, would never stick around for this treatment. It’s painful to watch him go from confident to sidelined so fast.

And the historical accuracy? Nonexistent. Back then, people who loved each other and wanted to be together got married. That was just the norm. Imagine Cinderella or Aurora saying, “Thanks, Prince Charming, but I need my ‘me’ time.” And I’ll never understand why Disney chose this couple to give a “modern” relationship twist. Flynn and Rapunzel are willing to die for each other in the movie, yet in the series, marriage is too much?

Disney, how did we go from a couple so in love that they’d risk their lives, to a series where one character is manipulated and disrespected for laughs? A guy who went from orphaned outcast to world-class charmer doesn’t become a love-struck fool who’s okay with constant rejection, insults, and unrealistic compromises in a matter of months. And if you wanted modern drama, why pick a story set in the 1700s?

If you’re looking for healthy Disney couples, why not remember Tarzan and Jane, or Robin Hood and Maid Marian? Flynn and Rapunzel from the movie belong in that same category. Tangled was supposed to be about true love conquering all. Instead, we got a series that treats commitment as a burden and turns one of Disney’s best male characters into a watered-down shadow of himself. This show sends the wrong message and messes up a story that didn’t need more “modern lessons.” Flynn deserved better, Rapunzel deserved better, and frankly, so did we.

For all these reasons, I’ll never consider Tangled: The Series canon and will happily pretend it never existed so I can enjoy the movie. In fact, if I had to take it as canon, I almost wish Flynn had just stayed dead in the movie—it would’ve been tragic, but at least it would’ve preserved the dignity of his character and their love story.

[none-ofthisnonsense]

MY FAVOURITE EPISODE!!

The number of times Merlin just having fun has led to DRASTIC consequences...

I've never watched GOT, is it worth it? From what I've heard it's mostly a lot of politics and fighting and kingdoms, which is... not my thing.

YES. I LOVE HOW AREDIAN TALKS TO UTHER. THERE'S SO MUCH TO UNPACK THERE - how do they know each other? How does Aredian get away with treating Uther as his equal or even his inferior? I looooooove this interaction.

S2 Morgana has that unique status which I love - she's aware of her magic, but hasn't determined to use it against Uther yet. It's so!! SO much to explore and to unpack in this episode. That's why I love it.

Yes! And when you compare it to S1E3, which is a very similar episode and yet completely different, the contrast is really striking.

Merlin historical accuracy and costuming is.....whimsical at best.

I love Leon as a character, and I actually think it's a really interesting part of him - at this point, he doesn't trust Merlin as he will later on. Especially when considering the S3 finale. It's a fascinating buildup and change in his character, and I WISH we could've seen more of him. He's my blorbo <3 so fascinating (because he has good intentions, and in my mind chooses not to question his orders. For what reason? I don't know, and I love it.)

Oh, I'd never noticed that!

I find it fascinating how Merlin's views are shaped by those two. Because they're opposed to each other, and to some extent both (especially Kilgharrah) manipulate him and treat him as a puppet. Their use of their respective relationships with him is *chef's kiss*.

Merlin is...impulsive, to say the least, and it's definitely a flaw that has had many consequences, and that's also a vital part of his character and I love seeing other people talking about it.

Oh Uther and Gaius' relationship is The Thing of All Time. It has SO MANY LAYERS and I could probably write a meta about it or talk about it for hours, but I'm not going to at the moment because I am swamped by English essays every week. (Maybe later.)

Gwen and Merlin have the BEST friendship and I wish it was explored more. (Also, please Gwen get some other friends... The only people she has meaningful relationships are either family (Tom + Elyan), lovers (Lancelot + Arthur), Morgana, or Merlin...)

We love going a bit over the top. And the comic relief was much needed after that emotional battering.

Yes! That and the scene in S1E6 where he makes Gaius a Freeman of Camelot have SO MUCH to dissect.

In my opinion, this episode has the most parallels to S1E3 (obviously) and S1E6 and I would love to see more of your thoughts on it.

Merlin rewatch, 2x07 : "The Witchfinder"

Rewatched on the 21rst of March, 2024.

Poor Merlin just wanted to have fun and be himself in the woods and it started a witch hunt.

It's funny how so many "Game of thrones" actors were on "Merlin" first. Charles Dance is impressive. I like seeing him act with Anthony Head.

Incredible how the witchfinder talks to Uther "You've gotten too soft". Who talks to a king like that ?

Only a witchfinder can make Uther look not genocidal enough...

Poor Morgana is scared to death. She's so sure she'll be found out and burnt.

Everybody's reaction to Merlin being accused of sorcery is interesting. Morgana is very relieved, and shaken. Arthur and Gwen are confused and clearly don't believe it. Arthur particularly seems to think it's the stupidest thing he's ever heard.

My video player is buffering and I can see Arthur's full outfit and once again, I think this is not an outfit good enough for a prince. A Crown Prince. The fabrics should look better and more expensive.

Leon is so eager to be a good cop and find proof that Merlin is guilty...

Until that episode, Arthur has no idea that Gaius used to practice sorcery. "We must give him benefit of the doubt, surely". I like that Arthur is not that keen on witch hunting. He was eager to please his father at the beginning of the episode and search for the person who had played with the smoke, but who can say he would have been thorough in his search ?

What a shame Merlin only had Gaius and Kilgarrah to guide him... They were both not that good for him. He was so young.

"If you were to die, you would endanger the lives of all those who rely on you." Merlin would do well to remember this.

Argh Gaius you're accidentally putting Morgana in danger !

When Gaius "confesses", Arthur looks directly at Merlin to see how he's reacting. My Merthur heart !

I think it's so interesting to see how Uther reacts to Gaius being accused of sorcery, facing the possibility of torture, and hearing him confess. He wants to trust Gaius, and he doesn't wish him harm. "By the laws of Camelot, I must sentence you... to death". MUST ! That pause ! Uther doesn't want to do it ! He turns away to face his throne. I think Merlin is going to remember this later and he would probably know that Arthur wouldn't want to sentence him but he would feel like he has to do it because it's the law.

Arthur's eyes are not on Gaius as he's being taken away. They're still on Merlin. He's so attentive to Merlin. And then he physically drags him away from the room. "I'll deal with this". "Breaking the law" for Merlin. I love him <3

It's nice to see Gwen and Merlin being partners in crime and justice again !

Arthur asking to show Gaius some respect <3

Damn Gwen really knew what to say to Arthur... She didn't even play on his crush for her, she went right for the jugular, reminding him he let her father die on false accusations of sorcery, and "I thought you were a prince, so act like one" and "do the right thing".

The toad was a bit too much indeed.

That antefinal scene between Gaius and Uther was interesting. It's the first time I see Gaius standing up to Uther. I'm actually impressed that Uther apologised. He said "sorry". I didn't think it was in his temper.

[minthe-lover]

Episode 202 analysis

My two things that I'll cover is Morpheus, Kronos (everything that goes with that)

Morpheus

Now things I like first, I don't mind Morpheus design. It's great to see new body types and having a broad shoulder flat chested women is a good addition. That along with the depending on the panel the larger hands (though sometimes they are just.... a bit to big) and thicker eyebrows add to the body diversity. I just hope she doesn't end up with the same body type as the other female characters.

Now I can't speak to the myth accuracy so if someone wishes to share their thoughts on that go ahead. Now I don't mind the elements to the story cause it is a really interesting character that could be done well... but there is the problem. I don't think it'll be done well, cause so many interesting characters plot lines have been dropped half way through.

Also like.. hey Persephone.. if you have such unresolved issues with your mother.. why didn't you go resolve them in the ten years you had to do so.

Kronos

So.. yeah I hate this plotline for a multiped of reasons. I do think the comics do a good job showing how Kronos is evil but the whole fertility aspect of it is just.... super feminist/s.

Kronos being a weird flirty hades lookablike just doesn't add to this, and while I am not the biggest fan of the romance in this comic the fact that there is just... so much time without the supposed main focus it makes me annoyed. especially since Persephone is so focused on hades when logically there is alot more important shit to be worrying about.

Now about hades, he isn't really present in this episode besides the last panel which is probably kronos pretending to be hades to try and use Persephone's magic womb powers. Though I got caught at this line which is a problem through out the comic.

It's something that.. mainly personally pisses me off, where this comic treats hade, Persephone, and occasionally Hera trauma is seen as the worst, and they 'suffer more then everyone else'. Hades has the most scars, and the most trauma from kronos and thus he is the most vulnerable.

It is something that is shown alot throughout the story, mostly comparing how little zeus suffer compared to hades. It's just an effect to make hades seem like more of a sad boy, but it dismisses everyone else. Like we only know how Krono's effects Hera and hades, we don't even see how Demeter is effected by this, the main characters mother is effected by this.

Think how much better the search for hades would have felt if Persephone was taking care of a suffering Demeter, then Cerberuses comes and Persephone decides "hey.. we can't do much to help Demeter with the resources in the mortal realm but since there is clearly a way to get into the underworld, maybe if I sneak in I can get help from hades for my mother."

That way Persephone doesn't come off as not giving a shit about her mother, while still having a reason to be desperately searching for hades. Like alot of the problems in the story can use small fixes like that to improve it... and then large scale fixes to fix the overarching problems.

[natr0manova]

Natasha in 2004

[visionaxry]

TOP 10 TV SHOWS I WATCHED IN 2020

1. Dear White People

This show goes on the top tier of my favorite shows ever. It’s been around since 2017 (after the eponymous movie of 2014) but only this year I finally got the chance to watch it. Truly one of the best written shows I’ve ever seen, with such compelling characters and story. While I love to watch series with hard hitting social topics, it’s usually very emotionally exhausting for me. However, DWP manages to balance the gravity of its plot with a bright outlook. Besides, I always love to see different characters’ perspectives so the format of DWP is extremely engaging.

2. Grand Army

Grand Army is not your typical teen drama. It’s very raw and real. Five protagonists pull you into the story, and whether you hate them or love them, they don’t let you go. All characters feel like actual people you could know in real life. The show talks about racism, terrorism, sexual assault, white feminism, poverty, homophobia, bullying and more. I also love the way the show uses phones and social media, which you rarely get to see in teen shows. It doesn’t feel glossy or over dramatic. It does get graphic and dark, but it makes you care about the fate of its characters. Here, we also get to see five different perspectives. That and the rawness reminded me of SKAM, although GA is way less cheerful. It could also be compared to Euphoria with it’s portrayal of real issues, but I feel like GA hits the spot much better (and has more diversity).

Finding out that the creator is racist, upon finishing the binge, left me shocked and quite conflicted. I hope they will change the showrunner for season 2 (if it gets renewed). 

3. The Great 

I’m not much of a period drama fan but this one’s no typical historical shows. It plays around historical figures, but you shouldn’t take that too seriously, just like the show itself. It’s a great (haha get it) fun to watch. The combination of comedy with the actual life or death peril creates a unique experience. Each episode the tables turn, you feel both, betrayed and enticed. Not to mention, Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult’s chemistry and performances are phenomenal. Overall, it feels like a strawberry blew up in your mouth (take it however you want).

4. Dickinson

Dickinson is similar to The Great in a sense of historical accuracy. And I’m grateful for it, because seeing the 19th century nobility twerking at a party was something that brought me an immense amount of joy. Of course, you get to see Emily Dickinson’s poetic and original inner world, which is handled quite creatively.

5. The Queen’s Gambit

This is just a very well written, portrayed and produced story. Even if you feel like it wouldn’t be your cup of tea (I mean a period piece about chess? Come on), chances are once you put the show, you won’t be able to stop. It’s a limited series with a star struck cast which pretty much reads like a prolonged film. It’s also pretty suitable to watch with your family, if usually you struggle to find a common interest.

6. Julie and the Phantoms

This show certainly exceeded everyone’s expectations. It may seem like a typical kids show, but it’s smart, deep and entertaining. The music is incredible and it’s impossible not to fall in love with characters. Also, here’s the proof that your show doesn’t need to have graphic scenes and oversexualized underaged characters to be good. 

7. Saved By the Bell: the reboot

So I didn’t watch the original show, but the reboot caught my attention mostly because of Josie Totah, and because the vibe of the show just felt like something I would like. And I was absolutely right. Perhaps it’s not everyone’s cup of tea (and what is?) but to me it’s hilarious. A sort of heart-warming witty little show with gen z humor and interesting diverse characters. Definitely my new comfort show. And Lexi’s my queen.  

8. Outer Banks

Released during self-isolation it became a way for the viewers to live vicariously through the risky outdoor adventures. Perhaps, that’s why it’s such a hit and a bit overrated. Don’t get me wrong, I really liked (why do you think it’s on this list). It’s not an outstanding show, might be cheesy and raise some questions (like how can they all be teenagers looking like that?) but it’s entertaining and engaging, and sometimes that’s all you need.

9. I am not okay with this

Let’s take a moment of silence for this amazing show being cancelled. Do you like Teotfw or Stranger Things, or better yet both? This show’s for you! It’s unique, dynamic, feels like you’re reading a comic book. Has a certain mystery to it and its own distinct voice. It also feels retro and nostalgic, even though it’s set in modern day.

10. Love, Victor [SPOILERS]

There’s a lot of things I wish I could change about the show to make it better: For starters, more representation. I mean you’re making a show, not exclusively, but primarily for the lgbtq+ community and you only have two main gay characters? What’s that about? There are so many possibilities to make other characters not straight. E.g. Mia and Lake could be couple goals, Pilar being bi, Andrew – definite bi energy. Secondly, the cheating trope is so exhausting and overdone in gay storylines. It doesn’t add drama, it just makes the couple and the characters hard to root for. Also, making the love interest so obvious was so underwhelming after everything we went through in Love, Simon. I was kind of hoping for a surprise love interest until the end.

Regardless of all that, no matter how far from teenage reality this show is, it was cute. And even though I rooted for the secondary characters way more than the main one, I’m still excited to see what they come up with for S2.

[i-did]

hi mlm here. so i want to write andreil smut but im a virgin so i have no idea what exactly sex is like. but i do not want to write it for the.... straight women gaze. what are some things that are accurate to write about. this is prolly super nsfw but i dont know who to ask.

Okay so this response took me literally months, and I'm sorry about that. I honestly was so excited when I got this question. I don't know why I put off responding?? But here I go: 

CW for discussion of NSFW, STD’s, and a lil homophobia

I bet a lot of people who write smut are virgins tbh, that's not to insult anyone or anything, but like writing is a non physical way to explore sex and fantasies by yourself, so you’re definitely not alone lol.

So you're MLM and want to write smut, (and others who want to get my opinions on writing non-fetishistic smut).

Porn is porn and can have unrealistic circumstances to fulfill said fantasy, such as anything from people messing around in locker rooms to tentacles.

To get a general sense of what is common in MLM sexuality, (rather than the typical feminine gaze that is seen in smut) looking at gay porn and gay porn categories is good insight. 

Bear culture, muscle culture, leather culture, etc. 

These are obviously still porn and unrealistic, however being attracted to sweat, jockstraps, and muscles is very common outside of porn. 

Bear culture is a body-positive movement that started because of the gay community's fat-phobia, age-phobia, and overall shittyness about body hair. 

Leather culture is also really big, it started because of the belief that gay men couldn’t be dominant or “masculine”, even in bed. So in America, leather culture was a way a lot of MLM embraced themselves. 

Going to pride, you will see many men wearing those leather harnesses, it doesn't indicate a preference of topping or bottoming necessarily, they're just something mlm wear and has grown quite popular in the culture, I've known some men to say it feels like a security blanket for them. 

And I think it’s very important to understand these cultures or at least be aware of them on a base level if you’re going to write gay porn. 

Also looking at erotic MLM art made by men, there is Tom of Finland, who was very historically significant, and is the most famous erotic gay artist. There is gay literature, one that openly talks about sex quite frankly is the book “We Both Laughed In Pleasure: The Selected Diaries of Lou Sullivan” which is a series of diary excerpts from a real gay trans man where you follow his life up until he died during the aids epidemic. He talks about sex with partners and discovering himself as well as what being a gay man means to him. He has a real love for sex in a way that is very unashamed and interesting to read about. We know that he wrote the latter half of his diaries with the plan of compiling them and publishing them but he passed away and people in his life carried out this wish for him. He is considered a significant part of gay and transgender history because of this, and his diaries are in LGBT museums. 

Reading gay poetry, looking at gay art, erotic, romantic, grungy, whatever, and you will find and see how they portray things differently than when it’s not portrayed by gay men usually. I mean there is a clear difference between yaoi and bara and that's the audience and authors. Some yaoi are made by MLM, (well technically their called gei comi, or gay comics in Japanese)

“Also known as ‘gei comi’ or ‘men's love,’ bara comics are by men, for men. There is a yaoi equivalent to this, and it is called ‘gachi muchi’-- it is written by women, for women.” – myanimelist.net (lol)

 but more than 90% aren't. I haven't ever heard of a non-MLM bara artist, but I'm sure there's at least one. 

Of course, I've seen things depicting MLM just together pretty realistically that didn't feel like it was written by someone who definitely wasn't MLM, but these scenes tend to be more writing in the general sense of art in the general sense rather than porn, which has a huge gap in characteristics between stuff usually written by MLM vs when it's written by women. (sorry about the binary language here)

I know some people don't like any realism in their porn, but I personally really like small details such as prep being mentioned, foreplay, even acknowledgment of the existence of condoms even if they choose to go without.

Especially as an MLM who lives in America currently, the ever-present acknowledgment and stigmatism of AIDS is around us. We think about it, even when we don't want to. An entire generation of MLM, trans people, and a lot of POC were wiped out. Not necessarily a PWP detail, but including discussion of prep, PrEP (the anti HIV medication) and/or getting tested, even for diseases besides HIV, is a small detail that I think is nice. MLM often have to have a moment when opening up a conversation about sex where HIV is mentioned, our dating apps and hook up apps have sections where you put positive, negative, non-transmissible/undetectable, or prefer not to say. The books take place in 2006 so PrEP didn't exist yet, but also the aids pandemic was happening when they were being born and as young kids, so it wasn't that long ago in society's mind. It's still illegal for many trans people and MLM to donate blood despite that the blood is screened for diseases after donation. 

Also, some realism I like is when a character isn't getting their ass ate first in the morning. Like, for me that's a huge turn-off because I think “holy fuck hygiene.” specifically with anal play I just really think even casually mentioning “washing up” or basic prep, or if you want more accuracy/details mention time between last meals or “x only ate a salad, so he would be fine”. It's like a joke in the gay community to eat chili fries or some shit on a date to indicate that either there will be no anal, or if there is you’re not going to be the one to do it, because you just fuckin ate those fries to say so. 

A cock just going in without prep and no condom is going to A) hurt very bad the body does not do that naturally and can cause injury B) get shit dick.

An also not sexy detail that is common for sex is just laying down a towel so you don’t have to wash sheets. Lube on hands? Wipe off on the towel that you’re on rn. Laying down a towel is pretty normal especially for anal. But this is if you’re going for a much more playing for accuracy sex scene. 

Honestly just writing fingering and prep and stuff like that in my opinion goes a long way and also gives the audience more to read. 

Also, sex is way more than peen in hole. Get creative, frottage, mutual masturbation, docking? Idk like thigh fucking, fucking buttcheeks but not hole, handies, blowies, anal oral, Neil doesn’t have to be the only one who gets his ass ate and things don’t have to follow formulas, in fact, they’re better when they don’t. 

Sex comes in many forms, and like I’ve definitely been with someone and he took off his shirt and I was like what, because he was skinny and clean-shaven and I didn’t expect him to have nearly as much chest hair as he did. I bet honestly Neil has a massive bush, like fuckin, massive. 

Andrew and Neil don’t have to like everything the same amount, Neil could be like “I wanna lick your armpit” and gets really off on it, Andrew is neutral but likes that Neil likes it and agrees even if it does nothing for him physically. Honestly, Neil having a sweat kink imo is pretty fitting lol. 

Try not to categorize the characters into “the bottom” and “the top”, or “the man” and “the woman”

This is something I see a lot and pay attention to how “the bottom” tends to adopt traits that are seen in straight porn that are over-exaggerated. I’m not saying it's inherently wrong to write someone as slim, but we know Neil isn't delicate, but I personally wouldn't categorize him as slim. He's a college-level athlete and is definitely muscular and defined, he has some bulk at least, he isn’t model lean for sure imo. You also often see PWP where the bottom makes a bunch of noise and the top makes none, or the top grunts and the bottom mewls, these are things I personally feel gives the bottom the role of a woman in porn. I don’t think Andreil have rough sex necessarily, but I do think when Neil does make noise, it would be because it was practically punched out of him by the feeling, and would sound more like a gasp than a kitten or whatever. There's nothing wrong with writing them both grunting, both of their voices being lower. Someone bottoming doesn’t suddenly magically not have secondary sex characteristics and stubble and body hair or a deep voice or however, they’re like everywhere else. 

When I read an over-emphasis on Neil’s slim waist and swaying hips and ass I’m like,,, okay someone please mention Andrew looking at Neil’s dick or bulge or shoulders. As an MLM, what do you find hot about men? I like stomachs and arms and shoulders, jawlines, collarbones, asses yes but like in a different way than how I like women’s asses (I’m bi lol) they are smaller and I like them muscled and squared almost. I look at veins on hands and noses and shoulders and backs, I look at a lot and I honestly don't have a type. But yeah so think about what you like, why you like it, what you might want. Or look at what others like, and why and how they want and like it.

what would Neil like, how would he feel about it? And Andrew. I kinda feel like Andrew is low-key masc 4 masc but that's just me lmaoo. Anyways, good luck writing. 

[mutant34]

I'm going to start writing storys for batman and other heros (and villians), I've got ideas. I'd like to mention I'm one of those comic fans who like unusual storys and pairings, I'm not the kinda person who has to have everything the same everytime (don't complain about comic accuracy when watching a movie because I like new details and takes on things),each story (Fandome, Comics, DCEU) is someones interpretation of characters and their story and so we tend to disagree or dislike a story because we have are own interpretation, but I kinda like most storys, even the "Batman and Robin" movie weird right. I also like weird unusual underrated misunderstood villians like riddler, killer moth, the eraser, toy man and a few others (I'll make a list of my favorite villians and heros later). I have the weird unpopular opinion. If you comment or ask questions charicters from the story respond and myself (saw it another blog thought it would be cool) ,ask anything you want they can be even between charicters from different stories if you do wish (I call them storyverses). When you ask question specifi which story or stories. The villians will also start chats and speak on different topics. call me M34 for short and yes I know that's gun that wasn't purposeful enjoy the storys can't wait to share more.

Batgirl: WAIT! I've got a few questions about the first story, you know the one about me and you know who.

Riddler: I'm not voldmort you know! And I also have a few questions.

M34: guys do you think this could wait.

Riddler: no it can't, first off.....

Batgirl: hold up I was here first.

Riddler: Funny part is you think I give a shit. I have seniority.

Batgirl: what gives you seniority exactly.

Riddler: first off my IQ is higher then yours second I was created about 20 years or so before you by the legendary Bill Finger, you know the rightful creator of batman.

Batgirl: You aregent little... wait what rightful creator where did you get that from.

Riddler: Bill told me so.

Batgirl: really now and why would he tell you this and no one else.

Riddler: You could say I was one of his favorites.

Batgirl: doubtful but ok let's get back to are questions.

Riddler: yeah, M34 you gonna awnser are questions.

M34: Later in privet, let's not spoil anymore then we already have hmm. While you wait for me to wrap up try not to kill each other, Save it for the story.

Batgirl: fine

Riddler: can't make any promises.

Batgirl: why you little

M34: GUYS!

Riddler: but she's the most childish, self righteous, aregent hero there is.

Batgirl: yeah but your all of those things except hero.

Riddler: yeah I'm not a hero, I'm an anti hero and it doesn't matter if I'm any of those things your a hero your supposed to be better then that.

Batgirl: WOW JUST WOW! you little...

Riddler: Could you stop saying "you little" I'm taller then you by a whole 2 1/2 feet, shorty.

Batgirl: ...

M34: GUYS SHUT UP NOW! I'm gonna rap this up, then you can ask your questions and then you can argue as much as you want.

Riddler and Batgirl: FINE

Sorry about that guys, I guess you got a sneak peak at my first story and it's charicters. Well see you guys later. I'm gonna have to settle those two down, wish me luck.

I feel at this point I don't have to say it but I'm gonna say it anyway these aren't my characters they belong to DC Comics.

(If they keep driving me crazy I'm gonna send them back to DC)

[toaheadcanons]

General reaction time! Again, this will contain HEAVY SPOILERS FOR TALES OF ARCADIA AND RISE OF THE TITANS. SKIP THIS IF IT GOT THROUGH YOUR FILTER.

So, let's begin. Firstly, as beautifully visually executed as the movie was, I think we all could tell the full original team wasn't working on this part of the TOA project. Setting that aside for a moment though. Trust me on this.

I was SHOCKED at the animation quality this time around. TOA has almost always had pristine graphics, and a movie budget took things to a while new level. Well done, TOA animation team!! 🥰🥰🥰

The MagiScience Camelot. Can I live there? Also, do they live there?? It's sort of unclear, did everyone just decide after the end of Wizards to form their own little bubble or???

I'm curious as to whether the time loop could result in a sort of 'duplication glitch' for the Amulet. I'm putting my speculative stuff in yet another post, because WOW that ending gave my lil' brain a lot to work with

There were so many fantastic scenes intermixed with the not-so-great points. The Best Man scene. That whole sequence in which there's some Blaaarghy hinting sandwiched into the scene between the couples comforting each other. I just 🥺 I know there are a few dull points here, but that whole ten minute span is just so on point. I really wish that accuracy to the characterizations carried all the way through.

I really, REALLY need to know how much time passed between Wizards and ROTT. Really really. Like I know the kids were 15-16 at the start of season 1, and 16-17 by the end of season two, but from there time becomes quite nebulous. I'm speaking in age specifically for our human characters here, as we still have no idea about how the Akiridion, Wizard-Immortal and Trollish life cycles actually work. Like I get that now they're later teens to early adults in age, but considering some of the err, plot choices, I think it's important to know?

I'd love a series, a comic, hell a set of shorts even, where Steve gets some main character time. I really wasn't a fan of him being sidelined the whole time. Give me my Creepslayerz please, Mr. Netflix.

I've started to look at this less like a movie and more like Predacons Rising, a made-for-TV movie/special finale episode. Except, knowing DreamWorks, we also may be seeing the beginnig iteration of another "[name here] of Berk" style of different series, set in different points in time. ESPECIALLY with that ending.

Speaking of, I know a lot of folks were quite upset with the end. I was too for a while, but those braincells just keep on bouncing around, and I have an inkling that however they decide to show us the potential/alternate timeliness, we'll see them somehow.

I'm actually quite excited about the idea of Trollhunter!Toby. From the beginning, I always thought he'd turn out to unknowingly be half-Troll or a changeling or something. Boy has a natural inclination for stones and crystals, the teeth issues, his stature and body-shape, hell, he seems at home in the scenes in Trollmarket throughout the series.

Please, Mr. Netflix, show us what his armor looks like? 👉👈🥺

Okay, picking back up on this not being the original creative team. There were some significant missed opportunities here, not only to draw on previous character development [Steve is a knight, Toby could have used his hammer instead of the glowing sticky-magic, etc.] but also to draw on ideas from The Book that would have gone REALLY well here! Lol and here I was hoping for the "what counts as a bridge" scene. 🤡

For those who don't know, Trollhunters in its original form is a book that reads much like a movie. It features a much different Jim, a much different many characters in fact. There were actually a few references I did catch! If you haven't had a chance to read it and you'd like a palate cleanser, READ IT. Oh it's so good I so wish more people read the book-

Aaaaanyway, back to the topic. The reason I'm looking at this more like a special than a movie is because is feels like it should have been a special. Or a miniseries even, like Wizards. This was a bit much to pack into a <2h timeframe.

BUT, I also feel like they could have waited to spring a plot like this on us until they had a concrete "next steps" plan. If they had, say, separated the beginning of the loop from the film, and used it as the beginning of a Trollhunter!Toby [Insert media type here] teaser/trailer, I have a feeling I'd be more happy with it. Also, why replace Anton's voicework for the audition speech? That I am truly upset with. The loop itself is actually quite intriguing, though.

All in all, I'm honestly pretty satisfied with the film. It was brutal, don't get me wrong, and for future reference I'd like to know how much it cost Netflix to get it a Y7 rating. That said, the parts that were done well were done VERY well. Im interested to see, when the series crops back up, what the true plan is moving forward, but until then my name is my bond. I make TOA headcanons, and that's exactly what I'm going to do. Thank you all for getting on this roller coaster, it was one hell of a ride and I hope we get to do it again soon 😁

[aro-of-artemis]

Will They Won't They

number two! this one is inspired by Jeremy Shada’s banger by the same name. it can be found here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28626231 Julie and Luke have been dancing around each other but will they finally admit their feelings?

AKA 3 times they won't and 1 time they will. ----

(1)

The California-bright sun hangs high in the sky, casting its brilliant rays on the milling group of teenagers below. If one were to look at these teenagers - four in all - they would notice nothing amiss, each one leaving hazy shadows on the boardwalk. Their bodies seem to be moved about by the sea breeze, constantly colliding in joyful embraces with one another as they sing snatches of songs to one another.

Julie drops back from the boys a little bit, watching with a soft, almost painfully fond smile on her face. She closes her eyes a moment, lifting her face to catch the warmth of the sun.

"Hey, Julie." Luke had fallen back too, noticing her pause. The other two continue on, Reggie spinning Alex in a little twirl beneath his raised arm and Alex reciprocating with a broad grin. "You all good?"

When Julie opens her eyes, she is met with a small curling smile.

"Yeah, Luke. I'm good," she says, her smile growing toothy. "Just … appreciating my environment." She wouldn't of course mention that Luke was a key part of that environment that she was appreciating but the slightly mischievous look on Luke's face told her that he had an inkling.

"Good," Luke says, tucking his hands into his pockets and scuffing his shoes on the ground as he begins to slowly walk again. Julie joins him, matching his strides.

They walk together quietly, smiling and laughing at the other boys' antics up ahead. Julie's chest feels so incredibly warm, buoyed by contentment, making her feel as though she is merely floating. As they walk, Julie gently bumps her shoulder into Luke's and he reciprocates, causing his hands to drop from his pockets and start swinging gently by his side. Julie can feel his fingers next to hers, like an electric current. His presence next to her is so warm. Like the hearth of a fire. Comforting and homey but brimming with energy so close to being set loose.

She feels their fingers brush. Once, twice, three times. Until their pinkie fingers hook together. She feels as though the whole world is contained within that one point of contact. The Big Bang and the inevitable heat death of the universe pinned in one spot.

Neither of them look at each other or otherwise acknowledge their linked hands swinging between them but Julie can't help the broad grin forcefully tugging on the corners of her mouth.

After a while - Julie's not sure she could pinpoint the amount of time passed with any kind of accuracy - she tangles the rest of their fingers together, brushing her thumb along the back of his hand. She hears him take a sharp breath in and her own heart stutters in her chest. She can now feel the soft contours of his palm, the hard-won calluses on his fingertips now rubbing gently across her knuckles. She is filled by a sudden wish to study his hands as if they are precious artefacts detailing each moment of his life. However, that line of thinking is promptly cut off.

In their exuberance, Alex and Reggie had gotten quite far ahead. They double back, re-joining Julie and Luke, unknowingly interrupting something that felt indescribably intimate. Julie couldn't be mad at them though.

They had yet to stop singing - currently doing their best rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody possible with two voices. When Alex tugs on her free hand to pull her into some vague, chest-clutching choreography to emphasise his very serious position as just a poor boy, nobody loves me, she sings back in her best operatics, he's just a poor boy from a poor family. Reggie chimes in to add that they should spare him his life from this monstrosity.

They all dissolve into delirious giggles, hanging off one another. But Julie's hand still burns with all the energy of the Big Bang and all the potential contained within.

(2)

Julie's fingers flit along the keys of the music room piano, plucking out the notes to a song. The song, really. The one she had dreamt up in dance class. The one that wouldn't leave her head or her heart. She begins to hum along, adding lyrics as her voice rises in intensity.

By the last chorus, she is belting with the force of all the pent-up emotions pushing their corners into her ribcage. She pulls back, softening for the final lines, ending on a breathy reiteration of the words perfect harmony.

Julie lurches to her feet, whirling around when the ringing quiet is interrupted by a voice. Luke's voice.

"That was beautiful, Julie." He says her name in that way of his, softening the j, tongue curling around the l as if it's a precious thing. He's leaning against the door frame, hands bracketing his own biceps looking at her with an impossibly tender smile. Julie can feel her face heating up, her eyes widening to comic proportions.

"Luke!" she chokes out past the invisible hand that seems to be strangling her. "What are you doing here?"

Luke shrugs his shoulders, dropping his hands to his pockets and meandering towards her.

"Ah, y'know," he glances at her a little sheepishly, "Got a little bored at home." Julie feels her chest warm a couple degrees at him calling her home his home but she pushes that down, raising her eyebrow slightly instead and folding her arms.

"Is that so?" she challenges. "And what kind of entertainment do you think I could provide you?”

Luke shrugs again. He's still shuffling his feet. This boy can never stay still.

A moment of silence stretches long between them until Luke clears his throat, scratching the back of his head.

"So, what was that song you were working on?"

"Oh!" Julie feels her eyes widen again and her face feels like a hot stove, "That? Pfft nothing. It's nothing. Just- ah - just a song. Don't worry about it."

Luke quirks the corner of his mouth and looks up at her through his lashes, seeing through her terrible cover-up. "Can you play it for me again? Maybe we can work on it together."

Julie feels her mouth drop open as she desperately tries to formulate a response that gets her out of baring her soul to her crush and his boy band hair and his pink lips and those expressive fucking eyebrows that she wants to kiss just to see how they would move and she-

"It's okay if you don't wanna," Luke says, looking a little dejected but clearly sees her distress.

"No - well - I - fuck - I -," Julie forces herself to stop. Take a breath.

Luke laughed at her, loud and bright. "Julie Molina! Did you just cuss?"

Julie scowls at him, the slight irritation of being made fun of by Luke allowing her to catch her breath. "Yes," she said tersely. "I cuss!"

"Sorry, sorry," he says, still chuckling, hands up in a mock defensive gesture, "It's just that I've never heard you swear before."

Julie huffs. "I contain multitudes." She sits back down at the piano, straight-backed. But then she softens. Looking back at him, she pats next to herself on the piano stool in tacit invitation. "Do you wanna hear it or not?"

Luke scrambles over to her, settling his incandescent warmth next to her. She can feel energy radiating off his skin, causing her heart to flutter into her windpipe. Julie clears her throat, pushing it back to its rightful position, takes a deep breath and starts playing.

As she plays, she can feel each spot where their bodies touch. (The front of his leg to the back of her calf, his shoulder brushing against hers as she breaths in and out, their hips where they meet on the piano stool). She can feel as Luke leans progressively closer and closer until there's barely any breathing room between them. She feels the vibration of his chest as he begins to join in singing the lyrics. The press of his chest to her shoulder blade. The wild beating of his heart.

When the song draws to an end once more, she only needs to turn her head just slightly to be breathing the same air as him. She looks quickly between his shining eyes and his lips that are hanging open as if he'd forgotten to close them. When she glances back into his eyes, she notices him having a similar struggle. The air feels thick between them, the weight of the unsaid and the sung hanging like a veil over their heads, wrapping them within their own private world.

And then the sharp trill of the period bell rings, jolting them apart, flustered and uncertain.

"I - I've got to get to class."

"I better get back to the boys."

They say these things at the same time, both feeling the disappointment of their broken moment.

"Yeah. Yeah, okay," Luke says, eyes still catching on hers like they can't bear to look anywhere else. "I'll, um, see you at home." And with that he poofs out.

(3)

The end of the movie playing on Julie's laptop gives way to the scroll of credits, softly illuminating the pile of tangled limbs on the pull-out couch. Reggie's head lays cushioned on the softness of Alex's stomach, rising and falling with each breath. Julie's legs are tangled with Reggie's, her head on Luke's chest, forming a V between Luke and Alex.

Alex and Reggie are snoring softly as the credit music quietens. Julie can feel the gentle breeze of Luke's breath shifting her curls ever so slightly. She twists slightly to look at him, careful not to disturb Reggie's legs. When she looks up at him, she is startled to find his warm eyes fixed on her face, brimming with something she couldn't put a name to.

"Did you enjoy the movie?" she asks softly.

Luke huffs out a somewhat rueful chuckle, as if sharing a private joke with himself. "Yeah, it was good." (If one were to ask Luke, he’d say he could barely remember the movie. He’d been distracted).

Julie gives him a bemused look but doesn't push. She can feel him playing with the ends of her hair, tugging on the curls and watching with fascination as they spring back. The slight tugging sensation causes a shiver to reach cool fingers down the whole length of her spine. And Luke clearly notices because his (soft, pink) mouth pulls into a mischievous grin. God, she is so gone on this boy.

"You cold?" he asks, clearly knowing the answer but unable to prevent himself from teasing her.

Julie bumps his chest lightly with the flat of her hand, intending to scold him but instead finding she doesn't want to move it from where it landed. She sucks in a sharp breath when she looks up into his eyes, feeling her pounding heartbeat in the tips of her ears, the pads of her fingers, the flesh of her lips.

She still scowls at him slightly, even as her hand traces along the slight dip and rise of his chest, warm through the thin fabric of his irritatingly (amazingly, fantastically) sleeveless shirt. "Shut up," she finally says, unable to come up with an adequate response.

Luke scoffs a little but the curl of his lip is affectionate. He jerks his chin slightly at the other boys. "I guess it's time for bed."

"I guess so," Julie returns, nestling in closer to the softness of his chest instead of getting up and taking herself to her room. She couldn't imagine being anywhere but here, encompassed by an overwhelming feeling of safety and warmth and love for her boys.

"G'night, Julie," Luke says, his voice low and a little rough around the edges.

"Night, Luke," Julie says, his name delicate and precious in her mouth.

And then. Then. He darts forward (a mere few inches) to place on peck on the end of her nose.

Julie's mouth doesn’t have to go very far to tug into a broad grin, eyebrows pulling together slightly as she looks up at Luke's reddening face. She replaces her head on his chest, right over his heart, feeling how it races against her cheek. She feels his muscles relax slightly as she does so and his hand returns to playing gently with her hair. She falls to sleep with a smile on her face.

(+1)

Luke can't sleep. It's not unusual, exactly. He's often plagued by memories or filled up with ideas, making him feel as though he'll jitter right out of his skin if he doesn't keep moving in one way or another. He prefers the latter, obviously, even if Reggie and Alex make fun of him for practically vibrating when he sings sometimes. He just can't help it.

At the moment, he is filled to the brim with snatches of songs, some his and some not. Carlos had been showing him some of those TikToks the young boy was so fond of. There was one particular song that had gotten stuck in his head, causing him to borrow Carlos' laptop to listen to the full thing.

"Oh, she's a she's a lady and I am just a boy," he mumbles under his breath as he wanders (twirls) around the kitchen looking for a snack (he can do that now, much to his delight). "She's a she's a lady and I am just a line without a - oh baby I am a wreck when I'm without you-"

He cuts himself off abruptly as he catches sight of Julie out of the corner of his eye, mid-twirl between the fridge and the pantry.

She stands in the doorway, amused expression set over folded arms. Her hair is tied back in a ponytail and she is swamped in a warm-looking jumper that Luke is 95% sure belongs to Alex.

"Julie!" he says, mouth hanging open.

"Luke!" she responds teasingly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you - I'll keep it down."

Julie shakes her head and moves towards him. "No, it's fine. I couldn't sleep. I came down to get a drink but -" she gestures vaguely at the space in which Luke had been dancing.

"Oh," Luke breathes, a little embarrassed.

"Yeah," Julie says and there's a long moment of silence that feels anything but empty as they look at one another.

Julie finally breaks it. "I like that song you were singing. Line Without a Hook, right? It's a good song."

Luke smiles at her, bright eyed. "Yeah? You know it?"

Julie nods and starts singing the chorus. "Oh, baby I am a wreck when I'm without you."

Luke joins in, "I need you here to stay, I broke all of my bones that day I found you."

He grabs her hand and pulls her into a little dance as they sing, moving with the rhythm of the song.

When they reach the bridge, they stop moving, standing chest to chest in the middle of the kitchen. Julie voice halts in her throat as she stares up into Luke's hazel blue eyes.

He sings softly once again, his voice mostly breath, "She's a she's a lady and I am just a boy, She's a she's a lady and I am just a line without a -"

He trails off, sucked into the burbling warmth of her eyes, right hand coming up to trace the gentle curve of her cheekbone, her jaw. His thumb brushes along the tail of her eyebrow, fingers curling behind her ear. He can feel both their chests heaving, not with exertion but with some unnameable something. He feels as though if he were to speak right now, everything building up inside him would come tumbling violently out. He shouldn't, he can't, he won't --

She will. She does. She presses her lips to his, her lips soft and slightly chapped, stealing every bit of breath from his lungs. He presses back, his left hand coming up to cup the other side of her face, impossibly gentle. Her hands rise to bracket the back of his neck, fingers digging into the gentle waves at the nape of his neck.

He feels euphoric. Every part of skin is alive and buzzing, trying to gather as much sensation as physically possible. Julie presses back harder, deepening the kiss for a moment and Luke feels a new thrill shoot through him.

When she pulls back to breathe, she rests her forehead against his, their panting breaths mingling between them. Luke can feel a smile curling at the edges of his mouth and Julie can't bear to look away from it.

"Hi," he says, his voice husky.

"Hi," she says, and it sounds like an entirely new word in her kiss-roughened voice. A word that belongs only to them.

Luke leans down, burying his face in the crook of her neck, still breathing heavily, causing goose bumps to raise on Julie's skin where it skates across.

"You're amazing." His words sound a whole lot like a confession. Julie's hands continue to comb through the short hair at that tickles the back of his neck.

"Luke," she says. He lifts his head to meet her intense gaze. "I --" she drops her eyes for a moment but looks up again, a fire seemingly lit behind them. "I love you."

He can't help the smile that splits his face in two, looking for all the world like the sun had taken residence upon his face.

"Julie," his tongue curling around each syllable, "I love you, too."