#just because they’re all definitely unhinged in a way that the writers didn’t want us to see becauss it’s a kids show

[purpleponder]

So….. the way I see Spade is probably really different and off to how the show wants me to interpret his character.

I think that’s how the show wants us to see Spade. Like, he tries to be a little evil prankster but…. he’s so tame. Compared to Joker, his pranks are a little pathetic tbh, he swapped Joker’s drink with dipping sauce when he was a kid, he bonked Joker over the head when him and Queen broke into D’s ship, and maybe there’s more, idk I haven’t watched the show in a while, but that’s basically it. He reads books half of the time as a kid and is generally well behaved compared to the little menace that is Joker, who might I add, THREW SPADE AND HIS BED OFF HIS SHIP TO GET BACK AT HIM WHEN HE WAS ASLEEP. (Seriously Silver Heart, get these kids therapy.)

But the way I hc Spade is that he’s just as bad as Joker. But in a quieter way. Like, I see him as the true depiction of Lawful Evil, while Joker is Chaotic Evil. Like, this man should not be released into society because while Joker will strap a knife to a roomba and name it Stabby, Spade will sit there and watch it happen, and he will watch you get cut by Stabby the Roomba. (And he might cheer it on as well just because he thinks it’s funny)

This is Spade, this is how Spade is in my head. I mean, what’s stopping us from thinking this is Spade? The man literally has a gun of all things as a weapon, I can imagine him laughing at cops who don’t know that all it does is freeze people, and I’m pretty sure he’s a theater kid. His parents were pretty negligent, he got abused by his step-brother and he grew up with Joker of all people, he’s gotta be unhinged in some way. No one can live, laugh, love through those conditions.

So yea, that’s Spade in my head. Also I must apologize for the art, that’s not my best work but it was just a doodle that took me a few minutes to make just for this. This was cross-posted from wattpad cuz that’s where all my fanfics reside and i haven’t gotten the time to try writing on AO3 yet.

[peakyswritings]

ALRIGHT ALRIGHT

First of all, I’m so relieved Jonathan didn’t cause a scene or anything about what’s going on between (Y/n) and Tommy, I was scared for a sec. But I just want to hit him, really. He fucks up and his sister should pay the price?? And the fact that he knows Cal will be violent makes it all way worse. But at the same time, I was so glad that he prevented a disaster by taking Cal away from the hallway, ultimately deciding to save his sister. I really have mixed feelings about out him!

As for Tommy and (Y/n), I love how their relationship is progressing. These two are so smitten with each other - and they can’t keep their hands off each other, can they? It was so funny how Tommy felt judged by her father’s portrait.

They think they’re sneaky, but truth is - no one has ever been this obvious. Even the horses in the stables know something’s going on between them.

I mean:

" A word..." your brother's eyes darted between you and the reflection in the glass cabinet behind.

Oops

As always, your scenes with the Shelby brothers are *chef’s kiss*😘🤌🏻 The part where John is licking the figurine to attach its head back on is poetry lmaoo. The whole scene was so chaotic it made me laugh so much. And Arthur just gave ‘eldest brother done with his little brother’s shit’ vibes. Speaking of the Shelbys, I LOVED their relationship with (Y/n), and how they immediately got along. She really surprised them in Small Heath, didn’t she? Also, I found so cute the fact that Tommy was worried because he wanted to make a good impression on her🥺 he’s just a boy at heart.

Oh and I’m taking advantage of this to say that you’re just an amazing writer: you’re perfectly able to represent Tommy both as an unhinged psycho and a lovesick boy, and both versions are so credible! It’s amazing, truly, I have no idea how you do it.

Going back to the story, ASHAHAGSHDJ they ✨did it✨. And trust me I was shitting my pants when Cal appeared. I was SWEATING. I was PRAYING. And thank God Jonathan decided to make himself useful, for once. I also loved how Frances covered her🥹 this woman is my own life. If she has 100 fans I’m one of them. If she has 1 fan it’s me. If she has 0 fans I’m dead.

Of course Cal couldn’t just keep his hands to himself instead of being a nosy (literally) little bitch *slaps his hands*

Brummie, this was another amazing chapter. This series of yours is definitely one of my favourites. I mean, every time you start something new it becomes one of my favourites. What can I say, your honour?

Loved this!

MASTERLIST PREVIOUS PART

Uptown Girl (Part Five)

Summary: You and Tommy find yourself at a turning point in your relationship. But are your growing feelings for each other already at risk of danger when you learn of your brothers' scheming ways? And what does fate have in store for you when, in the heat of the night, somebody unexpectedly turns up at your house?

Warnings: Language, angst, smut (18+ MDNI)

Word Count: 5488

Authors Note: £940 in 1924 was worth £48000 in today's value.

"Fucking hell" Tommy mumbled to himself as he came face to face with your fathers glaring eyes on the walls of Arrow House, following him as he made his way down to the foyer. The grand picture enough to cause a burning paranoia to appear on his cheeks, that your dear father knew of all the filthy thoughts he'd fantasised about his beloved daughter, to relieve himself of tension every night as he painted his stomach white.

Sorry, old man.You've gotta go, Tommy said to himself, passing your father's portrait and the many other suspicious eyes of your family's ancestors. The large gaudy picture of your brother holding a bloody stag's head in one hand, and a cigar in the other, on his top priority of junk destined to find itself used as firewood at Charlie's yard.

But this one, this can stay, his eyes creased with a smile as he came to a stop in front of your portrait. The brushed strokes of an unmistakable furrowed brow, captured in your likeness, causing a small throaty chuckle to leave his lips as the sound of your voice down in the foyer welcomingly entered his ears.

" Thank you, Frances" you replied, leaving her to her daily duties as you turned to see Tommy greeting you with a toying smirk as he stepped off the last slab of wood.

Shooting him a playful smile, you turned on your heel for the secrecy of the library. The sultry sight of your swaying hips beckoning him to follow you as he surveyed the area for any peering eyes before he was hot on your heels behind you.

" Sleep well, darling?" You felt his raspy voice on the back of your neck, puckering your skin with his heated breath. His fingers unable to resist from threading through the rippled fabric of your flowing dress. Itching to feel the curves of your hips in his hands.

" Very well. Yourself?" You flirtatiously span around, walking backwards to the door. When a passing maid with a neatly pilled stack of laundered clothes in her arms had you swiftly swatting his needy touch away from her overseeing eyes.

Not that the entire staff of Arrow House wasn't already aware of your daily make-out sessions behind closed doors. Their discretion and loyalty, something you would both undoubtedly be grateful for if you knew your heavy petting sessions had been noticed. For you were still engaged to another man. The bells of your wedding day ready to be chimed in less than a weeks time.

" No" he grumbled with frustration at another night spent alone in his bed as he waited for her to turn the corner before opening the door of the study behind you. Ushering you and your accompanying giggles into the privacy of the four walls.

" Oh" you smirked coyly as he walked you backwards into the empty room, firmly shutting the door behind him in tune with the loud clicking of the grandfather clock before his wanton lips, craving with need, locked onto yours.

Unable to keep your hands off each other ever since the night you had shared both a passionate kiss and an impromptu dance under the dimly lit patio of your engagement ball. You had also been unconsciously stringing out the next steps in your relationship to the point where every waking moment in the notorious gangsters' day was filled with Tom Cat feelings about you.

As Tommy's tongue dipped eagerly into your mouth, a strangled moan left his lips as your nails raked through the stubble of his buzzed hair.

" Fuck, sweetheart" he left your parted mouth to see your eyes firmly shut with pleasure at the feeling of his fingers ghosting under your dress, eagerly roaming over the straps of your garter.

Teasingly prolonging his touch from venturing any further, you playfully pushed his needy fingers away with a smirk. Only to yelp in pain when Tommy snapped one of the buckled straps against your thigh in frustration.

" Ow!" you pouted, swatting him across the chest as he smiled into your mouth, soothingly rubbing his thumb over the reddening mark.

"Stop being a tease, Y/N. Could kiss it better, if you like?" he smirked as he pulled himself away from your swollen lips to see your full lashes looking up at him through hooded eyes. If butter wouldn't melt, he thought to himself at the prim and proper girl with one leg hooked around his waist in front of him. If only they knew.

As the unbearable ache you felt for each other, fueled further with each love bite, each igniting touch, came to a head. The answer as to whether today was the day the sexual band of tension would finally snap, plagued both your thoughts as your tongues intertwined in wanton need.

" Sissy?" Sissy?" Your brother called your name as Tommy pecked eagerly along your neck. Perhaps not.

"Fuck off" Tommy mumbled between breaths as your eyes flew open, and your distracted sensibility caught up with your flustered thoughts as you attempted to push the strong frame of the man nestled between your legs, and his growing desire pressed against your pelvis off you.

" Tommy, Tommy st..." You whimpered in both desperation for him to cease his explorations and continue until you was a pleading mess.

"I want you..." Tommy moaned breathlessly into your mouth, his hips grinding against you. The sound of you whining his name only creating more feverish need in him to hear you say it with him buried deep inside you. No more, Mr Shelby.

Pushing him off, Tommy grunted in protest, adjusting himself as you patted down your crumpled dress with only seconds to spare before the door flew open, and your brother walked in. Fuck sake. Was it a family thing? He really needed to change the locks.

" Johnathan" you said with flustered cheeks as your fumbling fingers adjusted your dress, trailing over a swelling lump on your neck. Tommy, your eyes flew to the culprit with a proud smirk on his face as you brushed your hair over the red marks of passion he'd left on your neck.

"What do you want?" You cleared your throat, as Tommy's fingers slipped behind you, cupping his hand around your bum. His mischievous roaming touch strategically hidden behind the shield of the large sofa in front of you, but nonetheless swiftly swatted away by your hand. Did he want to get caught?

" A word..." your brother's eyes darted between you and the reflection in the glass cabinet behind. Tommy's intimate relationship with you, not as discretely hidden as you had thought.

Oh, dear god, he thought to himself, swallowing the lump of stress in his throat. If seeing your passionate embrace the other night wasn't enough confirmation of your budding relationship, then this surely was. "...quickly!"

" Right" you furrowed your brow with suspicion at your brother's fidgeting demeanor and pitched voice as you turned to leave.

"Excuse me, Tom...Mr Shelby" you quickly corrected your slip up of name as your eyes widened in embarrassment at Tommy's unrestrained chuckling. His amusement with your small mishap not making the ordeal any easier for you to brush off as you hurried from the room.

" What...what are you doing?Johnathan!" You huffed as he pulled you around the corner, away from any audible ears or peering eyes.

"We have a problem" he stood in front of you, holding your arms in place, bracing you for the mess he had gotten himself into.

" I owe £940 to a man in Camden" your brother blurted out in a rapid ascension of mumbling words. " And if I don't pay it back by Friday...oh dear god..." His lip quivered at the stark warning he'd been given by the burly bearded man of many professions.

"Spit it out, Johnathan!"

"He'll take my family jewels instead" he whimpered with a nervous chuckle of uncertainty.

" We don't have any family jewels" you rolled you eyes, irritated by the grand story you assumed was yet another plan of his to cash in for a trip to the casino tables.

" Not those kind of family jewels, sissy. These!" He looked down at his trousers with a tearful sigh of desperation. " My legacy..." He sniveled as he stared down at his most cherished and soon to be chopped off possession if he didn't find a solution to his money problems.

" I don't have time for this" you pushed past him when he frantically fumbled in his suit pocket. Passing you the losing casino slip with the sum of money he owed to the winning hand scribbled on it.

"You've been gambling again...?" you scoffed in disbelief at you idiot brother now pathetically whimpering in front of you. " After everything Johnathan! Daddy, our home. Why?!"

" It was a sure win. Two aces, two King's. No...nobody ever plays a royal flush"

" But they did, Johnathan! Somebody did!" You shouted, your brain scrambling to find a solution as you paced back and forward in front of him when your brother's fooling words caught up with you.

" Hang, on. How is this my problem too?" You span around to him gulping down the words he couldn't bring himself to say to his dearest sister. " Johnathan?" You said, trying to capture his averting eyes and the impending answer he was reluctant to give. "Johnathan?!"

" Cal promised to pay off my debts with the guarantee you would go through with the wedding. A brotherly gift from him to me, if you needed any...any gentle encouragement" he let the truth of his devious arrangement slip, cowering into himself in preparation for your thundering voice of anger.

" You made a deal with him in return that I walk down the aisle?!" Your face reddened in fury, your pointing finger coming close to finding its way into one of his blubbering eyes.

" You're already planning to walk down the aisle, sissy! Aren't you?" he rose his voice in retaliation, weary of your wavering finger still hovering dangerously close. "This wouldn't even be a topic of conversation if you..."

" If what?" You interrupted him, your glaring eyes enough of a warning to him to tread carefully with his next words.

" Oh come on, don't think I haven't noticed. You and Mr kingpin! You're acting like a hussy" He whispered the latter of his insults, as you mustered all the restraint you possibly could from having to plan another family members funeral.

" Johnathan" you shook his shoulders, avoiding the subject of Tommy and what your feelings for him even were." You're my brother, don't tell me you don't know how I feel about, Cal" your eyes filled with sadness as Jonathan's darted away with a strained sigh. A poor attempt at facing the truth about your and Cal's precarious relationship and the controlling nature of it he and your Grannie had witnessed since the death of your father. " Please don't" a tear trickled from your pleading eyes over the curves of your cheek. Desperate for him to acknowledge the violent fate that awaited you if the news of Arrow House didn't return in your favour, and you would be forced to marry in a few days' time.

" How many times will I have to pay for other people's mistakes, Johnathan? I've given so much of myself already" you rubbed your welling eyes, your skin crawling with the ghostly memory of Cal's fingers kneading your flesh.

" I'm afraid you won't have a choice but to give a little more, baby sister. For all our sakes" he slumped into the chair next to him, relenting to the situation and it's only solution.You.

" For your sake, you mean" your face bubbled with anger, tears streaming down to the marble floor into a puddle at his feet.

"I love you Johnathan, but...you're on your own" you crossed your arms, raising your head away from the second male member of your family that had sold you to secure their own livelihood.

" Wait what?" Your brother's head bolted up to see you walking away. "You... you can't do that! We're family!" his eyes widened with the realisation that you wasn't willing to help him out of his self-inflicted mess.

Babied and pampered. For the first time ever, Johnathan would have to face his own problems. Alone.

"He'll cut me up into tiny pieces, sissy. Sissy!" He shouted after you as you left the vicinity and his pleading calls.

"Shit! Shit, shit, bollocks, balls, bloody shit!" His voice rose with each frustrated profanity as he stomped his foot. " Shit" he added one for good measure as his body slid down the side of the wall, looking at his crotch in defeat." Goodbye old friend"

" Bored" John huffed, tossing a small Grecian statue from hand to hand as he sat on one of the velvet sofas of your living room.

" Why don't you go outside and play, John boy. Leave us adults in peace" Arthur motioned with his hand to the door, with his head lulled back in the large armchair he had shot gunned.

" Shut up, Arthur" he huffed, launching the ornament one last time, before the head snapped off and tumbled onto the plush carpeted floors.

" Pillock" Arthur rolled his eyes, as his younger brother scrambled on all fours in search for the missing head. Ceasing the opportunity to give his second-youngest brother, and inferior in the pecking order a satisfying, big brother kick in the bollocks from behind.

" You ok?" Tommy quietly questioned as he walked behind you, his hands taking the opportunity to subtly trace along the tops of your thighs as his brothers stayed distracted with their bickering.

" Fine" you closed the pages of the book in your hand, settling it on the back of the settee in front of you as you pushed your hair from the flushed heat rising on your neck at the feeling of his hands slowly roaming further up to their final, and most desired destination.

" Ex..excuse me" you cleared your throat tucking the novel against your stomach as you made a beeline for the opposite side of the room, leaving Tommy dumbfounded with a stroppy frown of discontent at your sudden coldness with him.

With no intention of letting another layer of tension settle over the already torturous one currently demanding all the free space in his mind. Tommy strode after you. All under the watchful stare of his eldest brother, whose eyes and ears had perked up at the sight of Tommy's moody pout.

Love sick puppy, Arthur thought to himself, grinning with amusement as he closed his eyes.

" Beer money, champagne taste. Ay, Tom? Arthur chuckled, earning him a sharp punch to the arm as Tommy walked past. " I'll let you 'av that one, baby brother" he smirked as he rested his head back on his comfy cushioned chair, opening one eye to see John licking the head of the figurine in an attempt to stick it back on its owners body. Fucking hell...

" You're gonna have to convince me better than that, sweetheart" he leaned against the wall, taking the book in your hand. His eyes scrolling over the last page you had read as you turned your head to the weathered window beside you. " What did your brother want, Y/N?" His concerned voice probed as he looked up to see you nervously biting your bottom lip.

" Johnathan? Oh, nothing" you darted to a from his squinting eyes. A piercing stare that was as unconvinced about your response as it was that you held any interest in the story you had been reading.

Snapping the book shut, Tommy let out a stifled huff of frustration, deciding not to press you any further on family matters that were not of his concern, further putting pressure on the confusing web of feelings you both found yourselves in. The same feelings and its current status, he wasn't sure he even knew your stance on. Were you his girl?

" Hey" he said, shielding you from his brothers as he moved to stand in front of you. " Are we ok, Y/N?" he voiced with apprehension as he held the curve of your chin in his fingers, gently turning your head to face him. Feeling like a school boy in the throes of a new love, treading carefully not to fuck it up. Shit. Was he fucking it up?

" Yes..." you blinked up at him, resting your hand over his thumb, soothingly brushing against your skin. "...We're ok" your eyes darted to and from the small smile of reassurance on the corner of his lips. Your own giddy glow of excitement, blushing your skin like a rosy-cheeked girl talking to her crush for the first time.

" Right. I'm bored" Arthur bolted up from his seat, the quietness away from the noise and clanger of Small Heath starting to scratch away at his brain.

" Y/N, love. I don't know how you ain't gone stark bloody mad in this place" he said, adjusting his belt before giving a snoring John a sharp slap to the back of his head to wake him up from the doze he'd drifted in to.

If only he knew how close to madness you had truly gotten.

" Come on kids, let's go 'av some fun, ay?"

" So, what d'you think?" Arthur queried, smoothing the stray whiskers of his moustache down, sat in front of you in the passenger seat of Tommy's Bentley as you peered out the window at the sights of Small Heath.

Shifting in his seat, Tommy pulled his eyes away from the road to your reflection in the rear-view mirror as he nervously cleared his throat.

Bloody Arthur, he thought to himself, waiting on your answer as he watched your eyes dart back and forth to the bustle on the streets where he had spent his childhood years. He wanted to impress you, take you out for a night someone of your elegance was deserving of. A trip down to the piss-covered backstreets of Small Heath was not what he had envisioned when Arthur had suggested showing you some real fun.

" It's...its wonderful, Arthur! Your eyes beamed with excitement, engrossed in a muddy brawl taking place outside the safe confines of the car. The entirety of the ride into Birmingham having been spent in awe at the lawless world the Shelby brothers had grown up in. A far cry from that of your own. It's residents free from the burden of high society's scrutinising judgment. Free from the restraints of conformity.

"Wonderful...ay?" Arthurs' cheeks ballooned with laughter, straining to hold in his amusement as John's sputtering giggles escaped his lips in small sniggers until neither of them could refrain themselves any longer and the car filled with a burst of laughter.

"Bloody hell! Miss posh pants here, thinks Small Heath's wonderful! John chuckled in disbelief as Tommy caught your eye in the small mirror as you shrunk into your seat, blushing at your eager display of excitement.

" Just different, eh love? " Tommy shot you a wink as he pulled up outside the Garrison, putting to ease any embarrassment you felt from his bellowing brothers.

" It's definitely something" Arthur sniffed, surveying the area for any trouble before jumping out.

"Come on then, princess. Out you pop" the eldest Shelby held the door open as John scooted out next to you into the sludge of Small Heath, turning back to see you looking down at the muddied ground, thick enough for your pristine shoes to fall ankle deep into.

With the curious viewing party of the three brothers, looking down at you with creased brows and folded arms. Waiting to see if you were too posh to plod through the muddied earth with them. You hovered your laced heels over the thick gunk as a winsome smile of mischievousness etched on the corners of your lips.

Take that you old witch, you thought to yourself as you stepped out to join them in the trenches. Gone were your rearing days when Frances would quickly usher you into the kitchen to wipe away the dirt from your knees before the back of your Governess's ruler found itself bruising them red.

" Boys, shall we?" you raised a brow with a satisfied smirk, turning to each of them and their growing smiles of approval as they watched the mud-splattered bottom half of your dress sweep along the ground as you entered the Garrison.

" She's good'un, Tom" Arthur winked to his brother, giving him a firm slap to his back before following behind you and John into the dimly lit tavern of hearty laughter and piano music.

A good'un, Tommy smiled to himself as the sound of your giggles and Arthur's booming voice shouting drink orders drifted past him as the doors of the Garrison swung shut.

Just when he thought he knew you, you'd reveal yet another layer to your tightly shielded self. Kept hidden by your strong will and sheer determination. A determination Tommy was now adamant on matching. Set on further unraveling until he reached the very bottom layer. Your heart.

Thomas Michael Shelby was smitten. Absolutely, completely head over heals smitten, with you.

"Dance with me, Tommy" you bounded merrily into the foyer of your shared home, high on the many glasses of fizz you had consumed throughout the night as Tommy twirled you around with his finger, his cigarette loosely hanging from the growing smile on his lips.

" I don't dance, love" he spun you towards him until you fell into his arms and was met with his cocky smirk, playfully beaming back at you.

" Well we both know that isn't true, don't we?" You hummed biting your bottom lip as you removed the cigarette from his mouth, letting it drop to the marble flooring. What had gotten into you?

Leaning in, Tommy pressed an urgent kiss to your waiting lips. The lingering taste of the only bottle of champagne the Garrison possessed deliciously igniting his taste buds with every stroke of his tongue.

Fuck. He was desperate for you. Your subtle touches on his thigh throughout the evening under the guise of the table shielding both of your roaming hands, making his tightening trousers only more torturous.

" Y/N" he sighed, rubbing his hand down his face in frustration as you began the trek up the long stairs of your home, having pulled away from his embrace.

" You're enjoying this" he pointed to you, his eyes drifting to your sultry display as your hands glided over the wooden railings. Convinced that this torment you had decided to inflict on him was still in retaliation over his claim to Arrow House.

" Whatever made you think that?" you removed your hair from the confines of the pins delicately holding it in place as you strutted up the stairs, when Tommy made a foolish remark in jest. One he would find himself regretting almost immediately after.

" One man not enough for you to play with, eh?"

" What?" You span around, eyes widening in disbelief.

Shit. How much whiskey had he drunk?

" Was just teasing, darling" he sighed, reaching for your hand. "Y/N, I..."

" You think I'm playing with you?!" You frowned, snapping your head back to him. Swiftly slapping his hand away as your chest heaved with upset. " You think I want...him" you avoided his name, the mere sound of it now inducing a nauseated heaviness to settle in your stomach, having forgotten the dire circumstance you found yourselves in for the entirety of the night.

" Then what do you want, eh?" Tommy questioned in frustration, turning you around on the stairs to face him. "What are we doing, Y/N?" He held you in place, reaching his own limit with the precarious situation you had both created.

" Why did you have to ruin it, Tommy?" you looked up at him, furious at the reminder of the restraints still attached to you. "I just want to forget" your eyes pooled with tears as Tommy's chest filled with guilt, his hand slowly coming up to brush the tears from your cheek. "Make me forget..." your eyes held his longing stare as your fingers hovered over the buttons of his pressed shirt, slowly pushing them through each hole. "...please?"

Within seconds, his lips were pressed against yours, your hands clawing at each other's clothes as you stumbled up the remaining stairs, leaving a trail of garments in your wake.

" Tom..." You moaned, your bodies heatedly pressed against each other as your back hit the wall of the dimly lit hallway. His hands reaching under the frills of your dress, pulling your garter and everything attached to it down your knees until it hit your ankles.

" Not here" he pulled his lips away as his eyes darted to the glaring stares of your family's portraits. Saving you from their judgment before you let what was left of your ladylike reserves go, and finished freeing him from the tight restraints of his trousers.

Pushing the door open, Tommy held you tightly against his body until you thudded into the nearest piece of furniture sturdy enough to take the earnest fuck he was intent on giving you.

" You sure you want this ?" Tommy's voice shuddered as he watched your hand stroke down his torso. His mouth agape with anticipation as you gingerly dipped your hand into his briefs, blushing at the feeling of his hardening cock throbbing in your hand.

"Fuck, enough teasing sweetheart. Tell me" He moaned, desperate to finally feel you sheathed around him.

"I want you, Tommy" your noses bumped together as his hand flew to the wall behind you, steadying himself against the feeling of you stroking his cock within your palm.

Words enough to unleash the desire he had let build for weeks, Tommy crashed his lips onto yours, bundling your dress up around your waist as you propped yourself on the edge of the dresser, releasing his straining erection when the gravelly sound of a car pulled up in front the house and the sound of the bell rang.

" Yes, one moment!" Frances called out from the landing stairs, frantically pulling yours and Tommy's abandoned clothes into the wash basket in her arms as you both stayed oblivious to your unexpected visitors.

Ever the loyal housekeeper, Frances had no intentions of putting the growing relationship she had witnessed flourish in the last week at risk. One she and everyone else who worked at Arrow House, hoped would save you from the man responsible for the battered skin she had tended to countless times.

" One moment" she said as she reached the bottom step, burying the most intimate of your undergarments to the bottom of the woven basket.

" Tommy, Tommy stop!" You grabbed his face, pulling it away from the hardening nipple his lips were softly sucking on. " Oh god..." your head flew to the closed door as the sound of your brother and Cal's voices could be heard calling you name from the foyer.

" Frances. My finance?" Cal demanded to know as he threw his suit jacket into the pile of clothing in her arms.

" Sleeping. Mr Astor" she said as Cal furrowed his brow, pulling his pocket watch from his buttoned waistcoat.

"Nonsense! " he brushed off her response as Frances's panicked eyes darted to Johnathan when your fiance began the climb up the long winding stairs.

" She's such a bore, Cal. Let her sleep and join me for a whiskey, dear friend" Johnathan hollered up at him, attempting to save you from him discovering your love affair with the gangster he loathed.

He was your brother after all, albeit an annoying, insufferable one. But a brother nonetheless. One who under it all, under all his mistakes and stupid decisions, cared deeply for his little sister.

" Shh..." Tommy silenced your worries, pressing his finger to your wetted lips as Cal marched across the hallway, feet away from you.

" Tommy, wait..." You panicked, when a stifled gasp left your throat as the head of his throbbing cock pushed through your silky folds in one slow thrust, stretching you until he was fully enclosed.

" I don't wait for anyone, love" he whispered into your ear, holding the nape of your neck as your head lulled back in pleasure.

Resting his cheek on yours, Tommy gently rocked himself into you. Pupils blown with lust as he looked up to see your eyes firmly shut, basking in the feeling of his hips snapping into you and the shooting surge of pleasure your warmth sent straight to his cock. Fuck. You felt incredible.

" Sweetpea?" You heard Cal's voice call you as both your eyes, hooded heavy with desire, lazily looked to the door keeping him from finding Tommy fucking you with abandon.

"You're mine, Y/N" he whispered into your ear as his pace quickened. His cock twitching with every tightening muscles of you clenching around him. " Mine" he growled with a breathy possession, licking his tongue against yours as a languid moan escaped your swollen lips.

" Y/N?" Cal furrowed his brow. The unmistakable creak of his foot shifting closer alerting Tommy enough to silence your moaning with a hand to your mouth.

Fuck. You were too much for him, he thought to himself, watching you with darkened eyes eagerly sucking his thumb between your lips.

You had never felt as liberated as you did in that very moment. Your sexual awakening freeing itself with every pistoning thrust of his length. You couldn't get enough. You couldn't get enough of him.

" Tommy. I'm, I'm gonna..." you mumbled incoherently into the crook of his neck as you clenched with a warming ache.

" Cum with me, darling. Cum all over my cock" he groaned, his thumb slick with your saliva flying down to the swollen bundle of nerves brushing against him with every stroke.

" Cal, there you are, old chap. Whiskey?" Johnathan patted his back, ushering him away from the door his hand was seconds from opening.

Mouths agape in a delirious surge of pleasure, you breathed heavily into each other's lips as you let go and Tommys hips came to a stuttering stop. Your faces reddening, twisting in a desperate attempt to suppress the moans of ecstasy you mutually felt.

"Fuck..." Tommy gasped for air, looking down between you as his cock pulsed the last of his warm cum into you.

"You ok?" He breathed heavily, resting his forehead against yours as he brushed a lock of hair from you cheek with a smile not only of blissful satisfaction, but of adoration growing on the corner of his lips.

" Did you mean it?" You caught your breath, searching his glistening stare for an answer as he closed his eyes and softly left peppered kisses across your face until leaving a languid kiss on your lips.

" That you're mine?" He opened them, cupping the side of your face in his hand as you shyly nodded your head. Nervous you had misunderstood him, or worse, that his comment was mistakenly made in the heat of the moment.

" Always"

" One whiskey coming right up" Johnathan breathed a sigh of relief as him and Cal stepped into the neutral territory of the foyer.

" Scottish or Irish ?"Johnathan asked, walking into the parlor as your fiance came to a stop.

" Scottish" he said through the cigar sitting between his teeth as he searched in his suit jacket for his lighter on top of the basket of clothing France's distracted list of duties had forgotten to tidy away when the shine of a gold cufflink loosely attached to a man's shirt captured his attention.

T.S, the engraved jewellery read. Undoubtedly belonging to thee Thomas Shelby, he scoffed, flicking them with a finger to test their value. Real gold. What did he do? Steal them, he smirked when another curious item of clothing peaking under the arm of the white fabric caught his eye.

Pulling the lace underwear from within the bundle of men's garments, Cal's eyes widened, his jaw clenching at the unmistakable item of clothing.

His face twisting in fury, he brought the pair of lingerie scrunched tightly in his fist to his reddening face, sharply breathing in the sweet scent as his darkening eyes, deepening with an impending rage for its owner who had betrayed him, darted up to the ceiling. His loving, whoring wife to be. You.

NEXT PART

Tag list: @weaponizedvirtue @un-interneted (unable to tag) @mama-ivy @kmc1989 @leighla3

@emotionalcadaver @mamawiggers1980 @sweetcheesecakesblog @cljordan-imperium @peakyswritings

@tiedyedghoulette @mostly-marvel-musings @classygirlything21 @dana-rmz

[bonvoyagenoona]

I am so glad you’re having a good time with dating (and dating apps)! I’m also 34 and can 2nd your statement about how painful dating can be. I have been single for a shockingly long time (like “a coworker literally gasped when I said it” length) and here is how it usually goes for me:

Dating app: hey, you and this guy matched!

Me: Oh cool! (sends a message that either continues what I liked from the profile or a cute hello message)

The guy: (either immediately unmatches or ghosts before a conversation can actually start)

🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃 why are people like this

We are twin flames, friend! Also been single for forever. I didn’t even really know if I wanted partnership. I still don’t know what I want. I used to think I needed to know everything before I jumped back into it. So it’s interesting stepping into this world of trying people on and seeing how they fit, knowing that my own form could change, too.

And hey, don’t get me wrong, it often doesn’t get any easier even after you do talk to them, meet them, and even get daily “photocards”! For all the giggles that I’m having, I’m also recognizing that because I’m learning that I actually am looking for something a little deeper, it takes work. People bring all sorts of stories along with them. They’re not all great. Some are suuuuuuper boring. My current stories definitely have a lot of sparkles, but it’s not ONLY sparkles, y’know? Because even that would be boring!

The thing that I think has changed for me this go-around on the apps and in the world is that I don’t care anymore about the outcome, if that makes sense? I don’t know if it works this way for everyone, but I’m recognizing that I can only really go moment to moment and enjoy whatever sparkles do come. 

My friends and family have been subject to very long talks about this lollll. I’m grateful for their perspectives. And it’s helping me to just have fun with it. To not make any self-worth or value judgments with it. If I get to go on a date or two, or have a great conversation, or even a life-changing experience, cool. If I don’t, then I’m not any worse off, and I’m still so happy and fulfilled with my life.

And if I get more horrible exchanges like these 😑:

Then at least I get a non-boring story out of it lol. In fact, a dear friend reminded me recently of one of my fave writers, Nora Ephron, and her approach to life: everything is copy.

(learn more about her here and here!)

If you know me and my fics, you know that that’s exactly what I do with my writing! In fact, keep an eye out for any fics I write from here on out. You’ll definitely get some details from this Unhinged era sprinkled in 🤣 

And thanks for reading this new kind of story along with me. Hopefully it’s bringing you some laughs!

[sam-t-a]

Okay. 

*Deep breath* 

I think I’m finally calm enough to put into words exactly why I hated the finale and why I wasn’t completely surprised that I hated it. 

(Heads-up: this is really long and pretty negative. If you disagree, I would of course appreciate your point of view and love to hear it, but just thought I’d let you know in case this is the kind of post you would like to avoid.)

To me, it felt like every character on the show got betrayed in some way or another, but the main ones are Han Seo (devastatingly), Chayoung (obviously) and Han Seok (bear with me). 

Cha Young: 

She started out as a solid FL who annoyed some people for sure, but who had so much promise as someone unconventional and bold. The way her mother’s death affected her and caused a clear shift in her personality was a super interesting plot point that really never got explored. We have no idea how she came to sacrifice her morality in joining Wusang, just that she wanted to spite her father, which is a very superficial exploration. She gets cute idiosyncrasies in lieu of an actual character and an actual character arc. 

We also, halfway through the show, seem to forget that her father's death was the initial trigger. Cha young does not suggest bold ideas or intricate plans, she doesn’t fill the gaps Vincenzo is incapable of filling (because that would require that Vincenzo have flaws, and that’s not something the writers can abide), and she’s literally victimized in episode 19 and bedridden in episode 20, and that is IT. 

Someone who started out supposedly as Vincenzo’s equal just became another piece in his chess set, no matter how important a piece she may be. 

So her role as a badass avenger is trashed. That leaves her role as a love interest. Now, as Vincenzo’s love interest, she was supposed to get kidnapped in like episode 5 or 6 at the most if the villain has any brains whatsoever (Han Seok may or may not, more on that later). We need a reason for that not to happen too early. Cue villain is somehow in love with her for all of 15 minutes or so throughout a 20-episode series because a love triangle is inconceivable with the show’s current structure and for its purposes. 

So, she spends 15 or so episodes making the first move on Vincenzo, every time, putting herself out there, creating cute moments, getting nothing in return, and then he leaves. No confession, nothing much, he wasn’t even going to say goodbye or give her the choice of coming with him. 

I’m sure more chayenzo-oriented fans have already expressed all the necessary outrage over this, so I’ll move on to the part that I’ve personally been way more emotionally invested in from the get go: the Jang brothers. 

Han Seo: 

I was among the minority that  hated the “Vinny hyung” angle from the get-go and I’ve ranted about it in another post, so I won’t get into it here in-depth, but basically it was because I felt like Vincenzo hadn’t earned it, so to have the last words Han Seo hears be “You deserve to be my brother” or whatever the fuck he was on about PISSED ME OFF. It’s VINCENZO who doesn’t deserve to be Han Seo’s brother and hasn’t done a single thing to earn it. He was a good ally. The situation he allowed Han Seo to be a part of was beneficial to him, but Han Seo’s attachment to him was neither healthy nor heartwarming, and it certainly wasn’t returned on the level he offered it.

Vincenzo’s disregard of his death didn’t strike me as odd because I never saw enough indications that this was a two-way street and Han Seo’s safety and well-being came second so often that I didn’t get the impression Vincenzo was doing much to keep him alive. This is what I meant when I said the show was glorifying a torture survivor’s trauma responses. Han Seo himself, as a torture survivor, meant nothing to them. He was just there to create one more contrived comparison between Vincenzo and Han Seok. Instead of recovering from the trauma, it’s simply employed to someone else’s favor. He doesn’t go to prison for Han Seok, he takes a bullet for Vincenzo, and we’re supposed to see that as so much better.

All of that might (JUST MIGHT) not have ruined the show for me if he’d died better. 1) It was narratively pointless and totally avoidable, 2) they could’ve framed it as heroic, but instead Han Seok’s hand patting his head is pushing it down, so he can’t even get shot with his chin up and his back straight, Taec’s already taller, so the angle’s fucked and the whole cinematography screamed “kicking an injured puppy” and most certainly NOT “survivor finally stands up to his abuser”. The final nail in the proverbial and literal coffin is that he is mourned by no one. They’re FLIRTING not 3 MINUTES LATER, it felt so tone deaf and left such a bad taste. As I said, I didn’t expect significant mourning from Vincenzo (gotta say, I didn’t expect no mourning, that was a shocker), and Cha young and the tenants had no real interactions with him and no reason to mourn him, which left only one person who could. 

Which brings me to Han Seok. 

Han Seok started out as a solid villain, clear goals, clear skills that help him achieve his goals and basically make him a villain worth defeating, and a very complex relationship with both his own psychopathy and his brother. 

Let me get it out of the way: I do not believe Han Seok is capable of killing Han Seo because he had every reason and every opportunity to do so in previous episodes and couldn’t do it (I say couldn’t because a certain degree of reluctance is in itself inability). Han Seo’s danger far outweighed his material value the minute he shot Han Seok and then completely lost any value once he came out to the world as the chairman and it became clear that the prosecution would be going after him if anything happened, and not his brother. But time and again, he’s proven he’s all bark and no bite when it comes to Han Seo (killing-wise, specifically). 

The scene where he asks him to beat Vincenzo to death could be interpreted as him wanting to give Vincenzo the “painful death” he would have given him, but honestly, I think he was way past that point. He just wanted him dead in the “You crazy? we have to kill him before he kills us” sense. To that end, killing off a key ally of Vincenzo’s, who betrayed you and almost got you killed a bunch of times, should take priority, but Han Seok’s priority is reclaiming Han Seo by forcing him back onto his side. Now, much like his “love for Cha young”, Han Seok’s keenness on not killing his brother was essential to the writers so that Han Seo can justifiably make it this far and still be useful to Vincenzo (he can’t help if Han Seok completely excludes him from all events, plans and management processes, so Han Seok needs to want to keep him on his side enough not to do that even when it’s more prudent). 

All of this isn’t to say it’s unbelievable that he would kill Han Seo, but it’s DEFINITELY unbelievable that he would stay the same man after killing him. Someone here (I’m sorry, I don’t rememebr who) once said that Han Seo had become, over time, far more of a foil to his brother than Vincenzo was. To me, this means that Post-Han Seo Han Seok would be out of balance (tilted screen), unhinged in a way he never was before. The Han Seok we see shrugs and “oh, well”-s and moves on in a flash, not really any different from the villain he was four minutes and a whole brother earlier. 

This is very consistent with the way the show has been de-humanizing him from the start. I’m not saying this to defend Han Seok in any way, he’s a serial killer, an abuser and a total maniac. But you can be all those things and still a human being. In fact, you can ONLY be those things if you’re a human being. The show used its villain vs villain idea to justify a lot, but in the end, Vincenzo had to be a protagonist. He had to follow up every “I’m a villain” with a contrived “but at least I’m not (insert something worse)”. 

On the level of humans:

1) Vincenzo is supposedly different because he doesn’t hurt children or women (unless the women deserve it, and shooting a parent in front of their kid doesn’t count as hurting.) 

But we never see Han Seok hurting women or children either. In fact, if we proceed with the “chayoung is the myung hee of the good guys” comparison, he hasn’t hurt any women nearly as badly as Vincenzo did. 

2) Babel vs Mafia 

Babel’s corruption is compared a lot to the mafia, with Vincenzo commenting repeatedly that the people are WORSE than the mafia...which is bullshit. Babel is a set of companies that provide goods and services, but use illegal means to maximize their profit, so they hurt/kill people in the process because they want more money and care about money more than ethics. The Mafia is an inherently criminal organization that functions PURELY on the basis of its criminality. Every single dime Vincenzo spends is blood money. None of it is clean. And while we’re on the topic, I find the whole “taking Miri under his wing” thing pretty unreasonable too because he tried to have her killed you guys, I cannot believe we’re just glossing over that. He had everyone who worked on that vault killed, just random fucking construction workers. And he’s not sorry. And the show tells you he shouldn’t be. 

3) Repentance

Han Seok says outright he won’t atone, and while Vincenzo says no such thing out loud he just...doesn’t repent, I guess. He keeps the blood money, he goes back to being a full-time mafia dude doing mafia things. He leaves the same man he arrived. 

So, if on the level of harm inflicted upon humanity, Vincenzo and Han Seok are pretty much equal (and Vincenzo might actually be worse), then why should we root for Vincenzo? 

Well, my friend, that’s where the dehumanization comes in! 

I was initially very excited to see their portrayal of a psychopath because of the very interesting ways in which the informal moral code and official justice system surrounding a psychopath/sociopath/narcissist affect their behavior and their chances of not turning out rotten, and the show looked like it was looking at corruption in general. 

But as the show went on, the villain vs villain thing proved not to be enough, Vincenzo has to be better in some way (or if you’re as obsessed with him as the writers are, then ALL ways), so it became a villain vs monster narrative. Vincenzo isn’t ethical or fair or in any way interested in having a remotely positive impact on society, but at least he’s A HUMAN BEING unlike SOMEBODY. So, the characterization goes to shit, Han Seok becomes a cartoon card-board cut out of a villain and emphasis is put on how pointless his violence is, as opposed to how purposeful Vincenzo’s is. 

This is dangerous on multiple levels (and I promise this is the last point I’m making). 

1) For people in general, dehumanizing abusers/murderers/etc. makes us very liable to forget that you don’t have to be “a monster” to cause harm, and it makes people complacent in their belief that they are “not bad people” since they aren’t total monsters. The Banality of Evil is a thing, and in this series, it goes completely ignored. No one is inherently incapable of good or inherently undeserving of humanity. 

2) For victims of abuse in specific, it’s dangerous to portray abusers (including serial killer and non-serial killer ones) as entirely bad and unlovable, because it poses the dual risk of making victims less likely to acknowledge their abuse if it comes from someone who cares about or loves them on some level because the idea that someone cannot both love and hurt you is so stereotypical. Your abuser can genuinely want you in their lives and need you and, on some level, love you, and IT DOESN’T MATTER if that love doesn’t stop them from hurting you. 

On the other hand, portraying the victims of abuse as capable of flipping an off switch and hating the abuser with no hesitation or second thoughts to the point of unapologetically and cheerfully helping someone kill them and having no mixed feelings about it sends the message that if you CAN’T do that, then are you really abused? Are sure you’re not complicit in your own abuse? Do you even want to get rid of them? 

So this is basically why the way the show ended was so painfully disappointing for me. And the main reason it hit so hard was that it was initially so good and had so much promise. I really expected more.

[longitudinalwaveme]

Worst Flash Storylines and Plot Ideas of All Time

As you’ve probably ascertained from the general contents of this blog, the Flash is my favorite comic book series. I love the characters and most of the stories. However, just like any series that’s been around for eighty years (counting the Jay Garrick stuff), the Flash does, unfortunately, have some truly terrible stories and plot ideas. 

In terms of terrible plot ideas that didn’t completely ruin the surrounding stories: 

1. Barry Allen uses the Mirror Master’s mirrors to manipulate Iris into agreeing to start dating him again (Flash #109). Creepy, Barry. Just creepy. The story is great Silver Age fun otherwise. 

2. Iris West: meanest woman alive. Iris was, by and large, incredibly awful to Barry up until maybe about a year before their 1966 marriage. Almost every time she shows up in an early Silver Age issue, you will admire her daring and independence (this is good) and be bewildered as to why on Earth Barry would want to spend time with a woman who is constantly calling him slow, lazy, and ambition-less (this is not good). It doesn’t really affect any one issue too much, but when read in a conglomerate, she starts looking really awful. Although as bad as Early Silver Age Iris seems as a romantic interest, she’s got nothing on Silver Age Superman and Lois Lane, the most dysfunctional couple in the DCU. 

3. Wally West’s zero-effort code name and costume (Flash #110). It really could not be more obvious how little effort the writers were putting into creating this character. The duplicate origin is also pretty cheesy, but there are enough differences from Barry’s origin for it not to frustrate me. But the name “Kid Flash” and the fact that his first costume was literally identical to Barry’s just feel incredibly lazy. Barry and Wally do have an adorable dynamic in the issue, though, so it’s by no means all bad. 

4. Barry Allen waiting an entire year after his marriage to tell his wife that he’s really the Flash. Frustrating and unnecessary; especially since Joan Garrick had been in on her husband’s secret since the 1940s. 

5. Iris Allen is FROM THE FUTURE. I both love and hate this idea. It’s so perfectly comic-booky, but at the same time, it opened the floodgates for the Allen family being a confusing, time-displaced mess. 

6. The Trial of Barry Allen. This one’s weird. I like many of the individual issues in this arc, and I actually think the last two issues are really great as an ending for Barry Allen’s original run, but this storyline dragged on for waaaaaay too long. There’s a reason I call it the Arc that Never Ends. Also, the titular trial is actually the least interesting part of the entire storyline. His battles with the Rogues and Kadabra are far more interesting. 

7. Wally West’s borderline creepy, chauvinistic attitude towards women under Mike Baron (and, to a much lesser extent, William Messner-Loebs). There’s being a hormonal twenty-something, and then there’s going through girlfriends at the rate other people change their socks. Messner-Loebs mostly avoided this issue by making it clear that Wally was under intense psychological stress that was negatively impacting his behavior, but under Baron and in some of his JLE appearances, he comes across as a real creep around women. 

8. Kadabra overkill under Mark Waid: I like Kadabra, but when he’s the main villain in like four distinct arcs, it gets to be a bit much. It’s like modern Eobard. He is legitimately written well, though, so he doesn’t drag down any of the stories too much. 

9. Pointlessly Dead Rogues: Killing off the Rogues in Underworld Unleashed for no good reason (the rest of the story is great, especially the Trickster). 

10. Pointlessly Dead Rogues 2: Electric Boogaloo: The Golden Glider’s pointless death to build up a character who was himself killed two issues later. (The rest of the story is decent.) Also, the treatment of Lisa in general post-Crisis is frustrating, since she becomes considerably more unhinged than she was before. 

11. Any time Waid tried to write McCulloch, with the exception of Flash vol. 2 #105 (and even there, he seemed off). It’s like he forgot Evan wasn’t Sam. 

12. Apparently, the Top trying to blow up both Central City and half the world makes him a loser? Also, he suddenly hates Piper for no readily apparent reason. (At least the story had some good Piper and Wally bits.) 

13. BARRY ALLEN HAS A SECRET EVIL TWIN! DUN DUN DUN! (The rest of the story, where we get to meet a whole whack of interesting future Flashes, is actually pretty good, but whoo boy, the Malcolm reveal feels like it came straight out of a soap opera.) 

14. In order for Captain Cold to ANGST, the Golden Glider’s pointless death remained in place for over ten years. It did give us a really, really good Capt. Cold story, at least...but it’s still fridging. 

15. Rainbow Raider’s mean-spirited murder by Blacksmith. Poor Roy. 

16. Albert Desmond becomes Hannibal Lecter, only twenty times as rude, for a Gotham Central arc that would’ve been terrific without him as the main villain. 

17. Owen Mercer is an idiotic child murderer and gets killed by the Rogues. Why was this necessary? (The rest of Blackest Night: The Flash is pretty good.) 

18. Josh Jackam-Mardon’s murder. The murder of small children for shock value is pretty gross. Especially since nothing was ever really done with it. 

19. Barry’s PARENTS ARE DEEEEAAAAD! (Okay, it’s really just his mom, but still. This is a very frustrating retcon, since originally his parents were alive and well until after his own death.) 

20. Albert Desmond was Barry’s jerk coworker; which never impacted the plot or led to anything. As a result, it’s just another frustrating retcon. 

21. Sam Scudder murdered someone before becoming the Mirror Master. Yet another Johns retcon that never went anywhere and only serves to darken the Silver and Bronze Age stories after the fact. 

22. Flashpoint (a decent story) wiped out a whole bunch of characters I really liked from existence for several years. Evan McCulloch’s still not back. 

23. Giving the Rogues metahuman powers doesn’t suit them, on the whole. They work better without them. 

24. Roy’s second pointless, brutal death in (I think) Forever Evil. 

25. IT WAS MEEEEE, BARRY! After serving as the main villain for like six arcs in eight years, I’m glad that Eobard finally seems to be getting a rest. The level of bad things he was responsible for was getting ridiculous. 

26. Sam/Lisa. WHY? (The only time it even kind of worked was in Forever Evil.) 

In terms of entire storylines I didn’t like: 

1. The Flash: The Most Terribly Written Man Alive. Poor Bart is aged up with no adequate explanation, loses all the traits that made him a likeable character, fights some awful villains, and then is murdered by the badly OOC Rogues. Meanwhile, Inertia goes from an at least somewhat sympathetic villain to a complete psychopath with little explanation, a murder is retconned into one of Captain Cold’s reformed periods, the Pied Piper and the Trickster completely forget that they’re supposed to be reformed, Abra Kadabra inexplicably teams up with the Rogues despite generally being a solo operative, and all of the Rogues act like total morons, willingly following a teenage speedster for no adequately explained reason. UGH. 

2. Countdown to Infinite Crisis: Even though Piper and Trickster were probably the best part of Countdown, that isn’t saying much. Both of them are uncharacteristically stupid (especially James), and James is a grade-A jerk to Piper for no reason. Also, both of them continue to forget that they reformed, and then James gets brutally murdered and Piper almost loses his mind. Also, the other Rogues cameo, and continue to act like idiots. Countdown: it really does ruin everything it touches. 

Superboy Prime will kill you! He’ll kill you to DEATH! And after you read Countdown, you’ll wish he had killed you to death. 

3. The Identity Crisis Tie-In Retcon: So, you know all that awesome character development the Rogues have had over the years? Well, forget all that, because it was all just Roscoe brainwashing them! Which was something he could definitely do before this story! And why did he do this? Why, because Barry Allen, one of the most upstanding men in the DCU, brainwashed him! Also, apparently, the Top had a huge bodycount that we never heard about back in the Bronze Age, because we need even MORE grimdark retcons for our cheerful Silver/Bronze Age history! I like Geoff Johns’ work, I really do....but BOY HOWDY does he need to lay off on the retcons sometimes. 

4. Identity Crisis: With the exception of Owen’s introduction and the establishment of the relationship between him and Digger, this story was pretty awful all around. More specifically, as far as the Flash was concerned, it was responsible for Digger’s second pointless death. It also killed off poor Jack Drake and poor, mistreated Sue Dibney, who deserved MUCH better. And the Justice League, including Barry, are A-OK with brainwashing, apparently. Comics are fun! 

These last two stories are pretty recent, and they did have some parts I liked, but on the whole I felt they also belonged on the list. 

5. The Trickster finally returns! Hurrah! Except it turns out that he’s way more like the Joker now than he ever was before, and he mind-controls the city in a super-creepy way. A very disappointing return for the character, especially since it was set up really well. 

6. Forever Evil: Captain Cold becomes a murderous dictator with a stupid Santa Beard, all of the Rogues get horrible costumes, and Sam completes his mutation into Evan-in-all-but-name. There are some good characters bits in the story (even for Cold), but on the whole, I found the story to just be unlikeable and depressing and thought Cold was pretty out-of-character. Poor Commander Cold....

So, what are your least favorite Flash storylines and plot ideas? 

[captain-ross-poldark]

Poldark’s Aidan Turner on playing Leonardo da Vinci

Ed Potton

Friday 2 April 2021

Aidan Turner takes on the role of Renaissance polymath LeonardoJUSTIN SUTCLIFFE/EYEVIN

I’m trying to work out where Aidan Turner is Zooming from. Is it London, where he moved to in 2017 after his Ross Poldark became the drooled-over king of Sunday-night television? Dublin, where he grew up, trained as an actor and returned to spend the first lockdown with his parents? Or Rome, where he shot his new series, Leonardo, in which he plays a young Leonardo da Vinci?

“None of the above!” Turner says. “I’m in Toronto.” The enigmatic charm, feline eyes and gleaming locks that he deployed so mercilessly in Poldark, The Hobbit films and Being Human are all there. “My missus is working here,” he explains, and so is he. That’s the American actress Caitlin FitzGerald, his partner of three years, whom he met when they starred in the 2018 film The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Bigfoot. At first I assume the “missus” is laddish affectation but it turns out that it’s official: Turner and FitzGerald, both 37, got married in secret in Italy in August after filming finished on Leonardo. You can almost hear the sighs of disappointment ripple around the world.

Turner won’t say any more — he is famously guarded about his personal life — but he looks insanely happy in the couple’s rented apartment. FitzGerald — whose grandfather Desmond was a CIA agent and organised several plots to assassinate Fidel Castro — is shooting a series, Station Eleven, in Toronto while her husband works on another project that he’s not allowed to talk about. In their downtime they’ve been watching I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, an HBO documentary series about the Golden State Killer, and, on a lighter note, Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles. They share the apartment with Charlie, an ebullient Norfolk terrier that Turner has to eject from the room halfway through our interview when he starts yapping. “I’m surprised he behaved for so long,” he says.

Eight-part series Leonardo has been criticised for warping historyPA

Like many of his fellow thesps, Turner has been doing a great deal of lockdown painting. “We have a roof garden here and the light has been really good,” he says. “I probably shouldn’t be saying this because I don’t know if the landlord knows. It’s not messy work anyway!” Unlike some of his peers — I’m looking at you, Pierce Brosnan — he has yet to unleash his daubings on the world. How would he describe his style? “I struggle to say abstract, but I haven’t quite figured out what it is yet.” Did it help with playing Leonardo? “I don’t know. If you saw my paintings, you’d assume very much not,” Turner says. He has a studied line in self-effacement, honed after years of “sexiest man on TV” questions.

Leonardo premiered in Italy last month and was watched by seven million, many of them doubtless keen to see Turner brooding in a succession of smocks. The eight-part series has been criticised for warping history, having the artist accused of murder and featuring an apparently fictional muse, Caterina da Cremona, played by Matilda De Angelis from The Undoing. Luca Bernabei, the chief executive of Lux Vide who produced the series, defended it stoutly. “Matilda De Angelis’s character did exist. She was a model Leonardo asked to paint,” he said. “We have been really careful in our research. But this is not a documentary, we are not historians and this is not a university history lecture.”

And if the history pedants are spluttering, the art pedants should be happier — the series goes to considerable lengths to make the painting look authentic. Each episode is themed around a different masterpiece, from the portrait of Ginevra de’ Benci to The Last Supper to the Mona Lisa, and the candlelit cinematography is often sumptuous. Turner’s research included a private view of a Leonardo exhibition. “I spent some time alone with the actual paintings, which was brilliant,” he says. “They’re just like high-definition photographs. I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that a human had done this.”

Aidan Turner attended an artist’s boot camp before filming startedVITTORIA FENATI MORACE

The series opens in Florence in the 1460s, with Leonardo a pupil of Verrocchio, played by the veteran Italian actor Giancarlo Giannini. Before the shoot Turner and his co-stars went on an artists’ boot camp (brush camp?) supervised by professionals. He says the hardest part was learning to paint, as Leonardo did, with his left hand. He compares it to learning to ride a horse for Poldark, which he pretended he knew how to do before going on a crash course when he got the part.

Brushwork was the same, he says. “I realised I had to get good quite quickly and look like I knew what I was doing with my left hand, which is more difficult than you would think. It’s keeping it steady — you find it just moves around a lot. Leonardo was very slow and precise — I think I got it down. After a few weeks you start picking up the brush with your left hand, it becomes natural.”

Leonardo was a vegetarian, Turner tells me, “and apparently later in life opened some sort of vegetarian restaurant”. He was also gay, something that, despite reports, the series does not shy away from. Was this Turner’s first time kissing a man on screen? He laughs. “Of all the things I was expecting you to ask next, that wasn’t one of them! In a lot of ways it was just another love scene. The fact that the gender was different — that was never a thing. No, it felt right. It didn’t feel any different at all. But yeah, to answer your question, that was the first time, which I’d never really thought of until now.”

What did feel weird, he says, were the Covid protocols. “Suddenly people are wearing masks and shields and hazmat suits. We had a big sanitisation machine as we walked in that would spray us. You take off the mask when you shoot the scene and it’s a bit strange for a second. Then you realise it’s the first time you’ve seen your co-star’s face that day. It’s not conducive to a very creative environment, for sure. But we made it work and nobody got sick.”

With his wife, the American actress Caitlin FitzGeraldREX FEATURES

Turner spends a chunk of the first episode painting De Angelis, and both actors know what it’s like to be ogled. She has been asked endlessly about her naked locker-room sequence in The Undoing, just as he has been reminded of his shirtless scything scene in Poldark. Before that there was his lusted-after vampire in Being Human and his sexy dwarf in The Hobbit — branded a “dwilf” in some quarters — although that “definitely wasn’t the intention”, he says. “I think I just had less prosthetics on my face. My make-up call was 20 minutes and everyone else was sitting in the chair in the morning for three and a half hours. It wasn’t good to be around the other dwarfs in the mornings, that’s for sure.

“I get why people are interested,” he says of the ogling. “It’s just when it keeps coming up.”

We move on. According to a recent survey Cornwall has overtaken London as the most desirable place to live in Britain. Does he think Poldark played a part in that? He laughs. “Maybe we nudged a few people in the right direction. I think people forgot how beautiful that side of the world is. One of the first reviews of Poldark we read was like: ‘We can’t believe that this is our country, it looks like the south of France.’”

Could Poldark return, and would Turner be in it? If they stuck to the chronology of Winston Graham’s books they would have to leap ahead a few years. Maybe he could play an aged-up Ross Poldark in latex and fake paunch? “I don’t know if I’d be keen on the ageing-up thing,” he says. “It never really works. I don’t know whether they need to be too strict with that gap anyway. There’s the possibility someday, maybe. I enjoyed working with everybody on Poldark, from the writers right down to all the cast and crew. It really is like a family. So I’d be open to chat about it. But not for a while.”

Turner with Eleanor Tomlinson in PoldarkMIKE HOGAN

Before that he will appear as the apostle Andrew in The Last Planet, the forthcoming biblical epic from Terrence Malick, revered creator ofThe Thin Red Line and The Tree of Life. Well, he doesn’t know for sure if he will appear. Actors of the calibre of Rachel Weisz, Mickey Rourke and Jessica Chastain have seen their performances in Malick films vanish during editing.

“You want what’s best for the film. And if you don’t fit into it, you don’t fit into it,” Turner says in the tone of hair-shirt devotion that actors tend to use when talking about Malick. With a cast including Ben Kingsley and Mark Rylance as Satan, the movie is meant to tell the story of Jesus through a series of parables. Turner doesn’t really have a clue, though.

“You don’t necessarily know what you’re signing up to. You’re signing up to Terrence Malick,” he says. The director has “a great way of working. Everything is around ‘where is the sun’ at this particular time. That’s our natural light and it’s all we use. So things happen fast. There’s no trailers, hair, make-up, we’re just all together. You don’t know from day to day what you’ll be doing. It’s quite renegade stuff. That’s the way I always wanted to work.”

It’s closer to the immediacy of the theatre, which is where Turner started out. The son of an electrician, Pearse, and an accountant, Eileen, he represented Ireland at ballroom dancing before falling into acting. After studying at the Gaiety School of Acting in Dublin he acted in plays for five years and in 2018 he returned to the stage to rave reviews in Martin McDonagh’s The Lieutenant of Inishmore in the West End. Rave being the operative word — his performance was bracingly unhinged. “I can’t wait to get back to the theatre,” he says. “That’s what we’re looking at probably next.”

Turner’s character in The Lieutenant of Inishmore was an Irish freedom fighter, but he is reluctant to talk about the prospect of Irish reunification (“So I don’t get shot when I get home,” he told one interviewer). Culture is safer ground, and his native country is going through a purple patch with Sally Rooney in literature, Fontaines DC in music and the likes of McDonagh, Jessie Buckley and Denise Gough in drama. “It tends to happen in waves,” Turner says. “Coming out of drama school, Colin Farrell was such a big thing. When these actors really make it you can feel some of their light begin to shine on the industry back home.”

Like Farrell, Turner is an international star, although it has mainly been in period roles: Poldark, Leonardo, Andrew and his breakout turn as the 19th-century poet Dante Gabriel Rossetti in the 2009 series Desperate Romantics. It must be something about the hair.

That could be about to change, though. Toronto often stands in for New York, which suggests that his current mystery project has a contemporary setting. Does he yearn to act in jeans? “Yeah, you’re right,” he says with a laugh. “After Leonardo, I think tights and knee-length boots are out for a while.” Many would beg him to reconsider.

All episodes of Leonardo will be on Amazon from April 16

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/poldarks-aidan-turner-on-playing-leonardo-da-vinci-wnmqhxqxr

[ninjakittenarmy]

I’m really fucking tired of people automatically accusing people of hating redemption arcs and not realizing people can change because they complained about ONE redemption arc being ill conceived or poorly executed. Like yeah, people can change and grow to be better people, and being redeemed doesn’t mean others need to forgive them, but guess what? That doesn’t mean that the redemption arc was good! It doesn’t mean that the arc was satisfying or well suited to the show! If your villain crosses certain lines, then they’re going to be very hard to sympathize with when they have a face turn. That’s just how it is.

Take Steven Universe: I’ve been an avid fan of that show for years, I love it to death, and I will be the first person to tell you that anyone saying that it supports fascism is a fucking idiot. HOWEVER, I also think the Diamonds’ redemption arc was horrible. It basically required one to focus on the family drama and relationships of the diamonds at the expense of what made them actually EVIL.

Sure, perhaps they were always meant to be a depiction of toxic family relationships as viewed through a lens of cartoon heroes fighting cartoon villains, but the fact of the matter is that even if you want the whole conflict to be a metaphor/consequence of realistic family drama with much more wide reaching consequences-which can TOTALLY be done btw, that’s perfectly fine- you still need to set things up in a way that makes reconciliation believable and not a huge miscarriage of justice.

The Diamonds were HORRIBLE people who killed countless of their own subjects, turned dead revolutionaries into twisted monsters still suffering in immense pain in a bid to destroy humanity, and wiped out countless worlds (admittedly, the writers said that humans were the first sentient organic life they found), and yet because they had an epiphany about their home life, we’re just supposed to accept that and move on. It doesn’t work like that. Even if the whole conflict is a dramatization or metaphor for familial strife, you still need to pay attention to the literal events actually happening. I’m not going to disregard the actual war going on and the consequences thereof because we’re focusing on the personal feud at the center of it all and it happens to be resolvable. I admire their attempts to resolve some of these issues in Future, where Yellow is shown in the process resurrecting the subjects she murdered, but the arc itself was still very forced.

Steven Universe really is the perfect example for this discourse because it has one terrible redemption arc amidst a sea of good ones. Lapis and Peridot had great redemption arcs that dealt with their personal issues in ways that made us like them and sympathize with them. Peridot was easy because she was mainly comic relief, but it was still a very moving redemption when she was shown getting her first taste of freedom and growing to love the planet. Lapis, while somewhat divisive, was an even better one in my opinion. Sure, it took a while, and even towards the end, she still had major issues throughout, but her character was built in a way that made it so you WANTED her to come around, and even though she had major issues throughout, it was always clear to the audience that she was never a BAD person at heart, and she never went too far down the path of evil to be forgivable.

Spinel is probably the one of the best redemption arcs I’ve ever seen, definitely in my top 3. I’d even put her above Zuko in some respects, though mostly due to personal preference. That’s really impressive considering that not only did she try to blow up the planet, like the diamonds did, but she also came soon after the polarizing Diamond redemption arc I just cited as a bad example. Spinel was everything the Diamonds should have been. Menacing and clearly unhinged, irrational in her goals of vengeance, and extremely dangerous, willing to end the world for what is for all intents and purposes a personal dispute with a relative (a very serious one but nonetheless), yet somehow still sympathetic throughout.

Unlike the Diamonds, Spinel was a character the audience WANTED to see redeemed throughout the whole film, even through her actions were still pretty terrible. A part of this is that we see more of her personality and struggles in the film than we see of the Diamonds’ in the whole series. We learn to like her and sympathize with her plight. It helps that she’s extremely entertaining. The other part is the main crux of the issue at hand really, and that is: SPINEL NEVER KILLED ANYONE!

This is the main issue I have with this whole debate. People get accused of refusing to let people change or let characters have any flaws when all they do is hold people accountable for anything AT ALL. Yeah, if a character crosses certain lines, I won’t want them redeemed. Sure, what those lines are depends on the scale and scope of the work and how seriously these actions are treated/ what consequences they had, but they exist and some crimes simply aren’t forgivable.

It’s easy for me to forgive Spinel because her actions caused mostly temporary damage. No one died. The Diamonds killed tons of people, including humans defending their home from destruction. Liking one doesn’t mean I have to like the other. Forgiveness doesn’t come for everything. Yes, I know the victims don’t need to forgive the villains as part of a redemption arc, but you know who does? THE AUDIENCE. The audience is pissed at these people too, you need to win them over. Their forgiveness doesn’t come just because the author says it should.

“Oh, but some people are more forgiving than you.” Fine, let them like this stuff, but if every fucking show I watch redeems villains after making them seem like the worst people ever, I won’t like it and I WILL express my opinion on the matter. I’m sick of every villain NEEDING a redemption arc. So many works go for the forgiveness angle in the end with little to no buildup.

To be clear, I don’t hate redemption arcs. In fact, I love them. Some of my favorite characters are ones who underwent redemption arcs. My favorite character ever (Crona from Soul Eater, but you don’t necessarily need to be familiar with them for this) started out as a villain before becoming a hero. I actively prefer the anime version of the show they’re from because it gave them a happier ending. Catra from Spop is another fantastic example. Both of these characters hit many of the same notes as the positive examples I listed above. Those are just the two best examples I can think of for redemption arcs in my opinion, but there are certainly more.

I’ve even desired redemption arcs for characters we WEREN’T supposed to want one for. Chara from Undertale, Seryuu Ubiquitous from Akame Ga Kill, possibly Toga from MHA though I’m actually somewhat hopeful about her (if Endeavor can have one, she should too). All of these characters are ones I feel are compelling enough characters that I actually waved my usual threshold for crimes I can forgive. I still get why it didn’t happen, mind you, I’d just kind of like it.

So yeah, I love redemption arcs. When used well, they can result in some of the most interesting characters in the work. But that doesn’t mean my love for the trope is unconditional. Like any trope, it is a tool. It can be misused, and when it is, it’s fucking infuriating. Nothing is more rage inducing than a villain not facing consequences for their actions. A redemption arc that doesn’t work is literally just that presented as a good thing. Few things are as infuriating as a work have something infuriating happening and telling you to celebrate. It’s like someone punching your teeth out and demanding payment for the dental work.

[imbeccable-writes]

So I know we all want Yakko to go unhinged on Salazar, but how do you think he (and maybe Wakko too) would react if he found out Dot’s matrons weren’t so nice to her while she was in their care? :}

this got a little long lmao, so I'm gonna put it under a read more.

So here's the thing. with the way I'm writing dot, she probably wouldn't say anything about where she'd stayed. Like, she'd say it was in Burbank and maybe she'd joke about the food being horrid or something, but she wouldn't go into the details about just how horribly she was abused. She learned early on that if she was in any way an "inconvenience", then everyone she ever loved would abandon her and hate her, and even though she has evidence to the contrary (Marin being the prime example, but also the other kids), it's hard to unlearn internalized worthlessness.

And the thing is, Dot doesn't actually know if Yakko and Wakko love her. Of course WE know, being the writer and readers, but she hasn't seen them in years. She tells herself they love her because that's the only thing that's keeping her going, but there's a difference between saying and believing. Deep down, for a good part of her life, Dot wasn't sure they cared about her at all. And even once they're together again, she isn't sure if they love HER or the IDEA of her. And she's terrified of what would happen if the the latter were true.

All this to say, that it would take a lot to get it out of Dot anything that happened to her at the orphanage. Yakko and Wakko would be worried about her, because it seemed like she's sort of walking on eggshells (metaphorically) around them, but it's hard for them to bring stuff up either, because none of them really know how to interact with one another. It's been so long, and only one of them really remembers the Before Times, and even then it's still blurry. Maybe she's just like this. Maybe it's just nerves. Maybe it'll pass.

It doesn't, of course, because for those first few months to a year, she's just waiting for the other shoe to drop. I'm not quite sure what the catalyst would be when Dot finally tells them about what happened, but I do know Yakko would be filled with rage and Wakko would be genuinely surprised (bc in his experience all matrons are so nice and welcoming) and also angry (bc how dare they hurt his darling little sister so? he's gonna throw hands). And they'd probably both immediately start making plans to find and drive Leslie and Deb bat shit insane, and Dot would just be so... confused.

Because like, despite her better judgement, she finally let herself vent and cry about her horrible childhood, half of her tears due to the abuse and half of her tears due to the total and utter conviction that she was going to lose the last of her family after this because she couldn't keep herself happy enough, couldn't keep in the hurt and pain and tears... and then it just didn't happen. Yakko and Wakko had listened patiently, and had indeed grown more and more visibly angry and emotional the more she talked, but it wasn't directed at her. on the contrary, it was at the people who hurt her. They wanted to track those people down, wanted to make them pay for hurting her, and as much as she wanted that, she didn't understand.

Yakko would probably notice her flabbergasted expression and ask about it, and she'd tentatively ask, "You're not... mad?"

and he's like, "Uhhhhh, sister sib, I think you'll find I'm pretty darn pissed"

and she's like, "No I meant- I meant at me."

And Yakko would be stunned silent for a moment or two, having not expected that, before he'd blurt, "Of course not, no! Why would we be?"

"Because!" and she gestures in the space between the three of them like it held all the answers to her problems. "Because I broke! Because I- I let you know I was hurting, I let you see me crying. Why arent- Why aren't you mad at me?" And she's genuinely confused and it's making her tear up again - everything makes her tear up lately, she's just so sensitive, what's wrong with her -

"Dot," Wakko said suddenly, and she looked to him. "We aren't- it's not your fault that that happened to you."

Dot's breath caught in her throat.

"Yeah, it-" Yakko cut in, "It's all your guardians' fault. They were supposed to take care of you and they did a pretty horrible job of it." Dot couldn't stop trembling. "We're not mad at you. You did the one thing we wanted you to do, and that was to trust us with the stuff that hurts. We're here for you, always. We- We love you."

"So much," Wakko added, and it was the last straw.

Dot burst into tears again and launched herself at her brothers. They caught her and held her tightly between them, making sure she knew that they weren't going anywhere.

And as for Dot, well... she hurt, so so much, but for once her tears didn't feel horrible and painful. She cried and cried and cried, but it was in relief, in gratitude, because a weight had just lifted off of her shoulders, because they loved her. Her brothers loved her and herself alone, not some picturesque sister they barely remembered, but just her. They didn't pull away when her tears hit their fur - on the contrary, they seemed to hold her impossibly closer the more her tears fell.

And she couldn't seem to stop, either. Now that she knew it was okay, it seemed all the tears she'd held back over the years had come flooding back, pouring from the never ending stream of her eyes. But that was okay too. Yakko and Wakko weren't going anywhere, and for once, she let herself believe that.

They both let themselves cry a little too, over the horrible thing that'd been done to their sister. They listened to her cries and sobs, and wished with all their might that this hug could just... take it all away. All the hurt, all the pain... But of course that wasn't realistic.

There was something they could do, however.

Yakko and Wakko met eyes over Dot's head and saw a similar fire of fury and grief swimming in the other's. They were going to track down Dot's old guardians if it killed them, and would definitely change the rating of the main fic once they did.

Such violence should be kept to an Explicit rating.

-

OOP I ENDED UP WRITING A DRABBLE LMAO. my bad.

thanks for the ask though, gabby! I had fun with this

[desidarling123]

FATWS Episode 4: A Definitive* Rank Ordering of Most Interesting Character Arcs, from Yours Truly

(*And by definitive I mean completely subjective, but yanno.)

IF YOU HAVEN'T FIGURED IT OUT BY NOW: MAJOR SPOILERS FOR FATWS. SCROLL AWAY NOW IF YOU DON'T WANT EM.

Now let's get into it:

1. John Walker

Let me start by saying -- the near-universal John Walker hate from fandom has always been largely undeserved, and that's a hill I'll die on. It comes out of, I think, a visceral sort of need to slot him into an easily understood black-or-white binary when, truthfully, he is neither, and I think this episode was the BEST example of that. The sheer range he exhibits in such a short time -- a handful of character moments and action sequences in the larger fifty minute episode -- serve to humanize him in a way that's messy and intense and very, very real.

Because MAN. Whether you were already sympathetic to John's plight or not, the death of his partner, Lemar Hoskins, is viscerally disturbing. There's no other way to put it. FATWS has not shied away from some pretty crazy onscreen kills, but this one was arguably the worst in how brutally mundane it was. Lemar was in the wrong place at the wrong time -- a man fighting amongst a whole room of super soldiers. He never stood a chance -- and yet, he still jumped in harm's way to save his best friend, a man in whom he saw indisputable goodness, even when the man could not see it himself. There's an obvious Steve/Bucky parallel here, but with a much darker and more realistic twist -- not all of us, after all, can be lucky enough to receive super strength that could save our lives. Lemar was always a regular mortal -- and for that transgression, he pays the ultimate price.

And then. What happens after. Oh. My. God. I felt Walker's rage and hopelessness through the screen. The death of that Flag Smasher -- at the hands of Captain America, no less, a man he'd admitted to admiring as a child not ten minutes earlier -- was brilliantly executed.

With the final shot of the townspeople recording the brutal murder it becomes overwhelmingly clear -- we are witnessing the tragic fall of a man who was, for all his previous missteps, trying to be a hero. But John's moral compass just died a meaningless, horrible death -- and without him by his side, Walker has become a man unhinged.

2. Bucky Barnes and Ayo

I debated putting this one at number two because I'd argue there were some weird elements to the writing choices made (more on that in a sec), but, nevertheless. Bucky and Ayo get slot #2.

That flashback to Wakanda got me excited, but I didn't expect my heart to get shattered almost right away. Oh. My. God. His interactions with Ayo BROKE ME. There's so much nuance in a scene that’s incredibly well-acted by both Sebastian and Florence — you see both of them in a moment that is incredibly pivotal for the former’s character, and we see the latter reacting with sympathy, strength, and enormous grace. I had expected a scene like this to be with Shuri (given that we last saw her with Bucky in the post credits of Black Panther) but, given the context of what was being performed (a final test of the trigger words) having Ayo there made a lot of sense. She could take him down if need be — but as the scene so wonderfully shows, thankfully, she doesn’t have to. Instead, she’s there to let him know that for the first time in almost a century, he’s free again.

Now, let’s get into some of the unevenness. I had hoped, at the end of the last episode, that Bucky had at least informed the Dora Milaje of his liaison with Zemo — that, perhaps, it had been Bucky’s intent to hand him over all along. Alas, that was not the case — Bucky, it seems, had broken Zemo out with little thought to — or perhaps simply silent acceptance of — the consequences that would come with it.

This is the part, again, where the writing felt a bit weak. We know from the opening shots of the episode that Bucky cares enormously for Ayo — they’re not simply soldiers in arms, but they’ve shared a moment of immense vulnerability together. We ALSO know that he cares enormously for T’Challa, for Shuri, and for Wakanda as a country (see Infinity War, where he says “I love this place” in reference to his new home).

So that begs the question — why? Why did he betray them in that way, besides sheer desperation for a lead? And it’s not one, I’d argue, that we are given a satisfying answer to. Bucky has been reckless to an alarming degree in the last few episodes, but not informing Wakanda of his intention to liaise with the man who killed their king feels like a MAJOR tactical oversight. Is he willing to burn everything down to win this battle against the Flag Smashers? Are these his self destructive tendencies kicking in? OR, is he just truly so blinded by his emotions surrounding his past that he’s willing to throw away what could very well be his future? Only time will tell. But I hope he’ll do right by Ayo and Wakanda, as he clearly has a LOT to make up for.

3. Baron Helmut Zemo

God. I love Zemo’s psychotic, problematic ass. Say what you want, but the man is the most efficient of them all and he isn't a super soldier or an Avenger. Over and over, he shows that he's truly smarter than them and always has been.

He doesn't get personal. He doesn’t get distracted. He knows exactly what his goal is, and he executes on it. Mans didn’t hesitate to unload several bullets into Karli, and as soon as he figured out what the vials were, he destroyed all except one. Like I said, the most efficient person on the team. Has arguably done more to forward the cause against the Flag Smashers/continued existence of super soldiers than anyone else and it’s only been a few days. Between that, his god-awful dancing skills and him shooting the eugenicist scientist without so much as a blink of an eye, I think he's a man after my own heart. I’m almost sad to see him get what’s coming for him come next episode. (Because y’all, he did still kill King T’Chaka, and there’s no way the Dora leave here without taking him out on a silver platter and an apple stuffed in his mouth). But again, let’s see how that pans out.

4. Sam Wilson

WHAT are the writers doing to Sam, I swear to God? We didn't get too much introspection into where his head's at during this episode, and when we did the treatment felt uneven at best. I think, in trying to have him create a rapport with Karli, the writers have created some areas of commonality that didn’t always translate as they’d like. It was also weird to see Sam swinging from the well-earned cynicism of the previous two episodes to the sort of wide-eyed optimism Steve used to portray. Perhaps that was simply to try and show Karli an alternative, but as the episode showed, she clearly wasn't buying (though, in Sam’s defense, he came pretty close).

Something about Sam’s characterization in this episode didn’t really do it for me — I would argue episode one and two were both stronger in that regard. Nevertheless, I’m hopeful that they’ll correct it in the next one.

5. Karli Morgenthau

Her treatment is arguably the worst of them all. She is young, yeah, but she oscillates at an alarming rate between spouting class discourse that, by this episode, feels largely derivative (like someone scrolled on Twitter and put a bunch of keywords together in hopes of evoking an emotional audience response) and homicidal tendencies that show a brutal yet fundamentally messy underpinning. Unlike Zemo, she is still too easily confounded, and that will come to bite her in the ass sooner rather than later. (See: The Power Broker)

Perhaps I'm meant to be rooting for her on some degree but I really can't -- she's cruel and sloppy, which I cannot forgive.

Oh, and she killed Lemar Hoskins and threatened Sarah Wilson. Yikes.

Overall Episode Takeaway: A lot of shocking moments and great acting beats for everyone involved (arguably some of the best of the series thus far), but the weakness of the writing does crop up in parts. Whether they'll be corrected for going forward is to be determined...

UP NEXT: Meta pieces for Sam, Bucky, John, and Zemo all in the works!

[nicholasnelsons]

I really love your take on Buck in 5x11 and how he slips back into his 1.0 version.

But do you think that the reasons for his behaviour should have been pointed out more? If that is actually what the writers want to portray then I don’t think a casual viewer would catch up on that.

wait that’s actually really sweet that you liked my take skfnsjfjd who knew i could make sense sometimes !! but i was actually just talking to someone about this yesterday and how the average viewer doesn’t spend so much time analyzing things like we do and may not pick up certain things like us (such as buck going back on his old habits or even the fact that buck and taylor are in a nonfunctional relationship).

it’s probably hard for a casual viewer to remember what happened seasons ago or all the way back in season one, but i still think that the point remains the same in the fact that buck wants to be loved and feel love and embrace love and craves that kind of love. THAT is something that is not going to be lost on the casual viewer because it’s such a big part of who buck is, and once they remember that then i think the pieces will fall into place for them.

they definitely could have pointed it out more if they wanted to make it obvious, but that’s just not good storytelling imo. good storytelling takes time to unravel and makes you think and really makes you reflect upon the decisions that these characters are making, and THAT is what is happening here. at the end of the day, it’s the writers job to tell a story. and if they want to tell a good story then they have to consider every part of what these characters have been through and who they are, potentially ignoring what a casual viewer might think. because a casual viewer probably turned the episode off and said “wow that looks like some drama! can’t wait to see what happens next week!” but the intentions of the writers and what they were trying to create is not ignored by the people who love tv and love this show.

i also think that if the “reason” for his behavior was pointed out more, the entire scene would have lost meaning because that would have acted as if “oh buck wants to cheat on taylor so bad look at how many times we hint at it” when that most definitely is not the case. he did it on impulse, he did it in the moment, and we got to experience that with him and be just as shocked as he was. i don’t even know if buck knows the reason why he did it or if there even is a definite reason why he did it— but we do know that he’s not in a good place right now based upon his actions. i don’t know how they could have pointed it out in a way that would have been beneficial for the audience though without it just seeming too obvious yknow???

my family watches the show and are casual viewers, so i did ask them what they thought about the kiss after it happened to get that outside perspective from someone that isn’t unhinged skgnsnfnsjd lol so i DO have something to offer there. and basically my mom said, as a casual viewer, that “buck is obviously unhappy in his relationship and going through things too so i get why he did it even though i wish he didn’t.” and then i asked her if she remembered what buck was like in season one and she said “oh yeah he was a hoe, right???” SO. casual viewers—such as my mother— do see what they’re trying to do here more or less.

tl;dr idk man i am simply intrigued by evan buckley and want to poke around his brain

[lovelyamneris]

George + Jerry, “The art of not being an idiot is extremely challenging for me.”

I've been hoarding this ask in my inbox for God knows how long I'm so sorry anon. Then I wrote like three quarters of it and posted about that and was immediately hit with writer's block. Here's my attempt at trying to write more seinfeld content for you <3

[Ao3 Link] [Full Series]

It’s early on a Saturday and Monk’s diner bustles with its usual crowd of regulars. George and Jerry are sitting across from each other in a booth by the window; George with a strawberry pastry and hot coffee and Jerry working on his third consecutive double espresso.

Sun pours in and blankets their table with warm early morning light. It’s intimate; in the way that drinking coffee every day with your oldest friend is intimate once it's a routine.

“So do you think that’s funny?” Jerry is asking, doting over a notebook of incomprehensible scribbles, “Are people allowed to laugh at that sort of thing these days or would it be considered a mood killer?”

Jerry is pretty sure that the audience wouldn’t throw tomatoes at him like he’s in a bad Shakespearian play, but stranger things have happened.

George half shrugs, “I don’t know. How would I know?”

“Well, I assumed as a fellow human being you’d have an opinion.”

“Comedy is subjective.” George says waving him off, “Just improvise or something.”

“Surprisingly harder than you think.”

The last time Jerry tried to improvise on stage the only person in the audience laughing was Elaine. And technically she was laughing more at his expense than she was at the joke. Cue the metaphorical tomato throwing. Jerry stares at his notepad and pouts. Why is it so difficult to figure out if his joke is funny or not? Kramer laughed, but perhaps that’s a bad sign.

A moment passes and when he looks back up from his notepad George is about five shades paler. Jerry recognizes the look immediately. It’s the ghostly expression of a man doomed to come face to face with the consequences of his own actions. Never a good sign for George.

“What’s wrong?” Jerry asks. Despite the courtesy of asking the question, he doesn’t seem too concerned by George’s sudden change in demeanor. He’s used to George’s sudden waves of panic. It’s like his default.

“Does that look like Lindsay to you?” George’s voice cracks.

“Psycho sadist Lindsay?” Jerry looks around the diner theatrically, “The one who thinks you got wacked by the mob? Where?”

“In our booth by the door.”

From where they’re sitting, Jerry can only see the side of her head, but it’s definitely Lindsay. She seems a lot happier than he remembers. Back when she was with George, she always had the face of someone who’s just accidently bitten into a lemon. Kramer even called her lemon face once, which was an awful moment for everyone involved.

“That’s her alright.” Jerry confirms, “What do you think she’s doing here?”

“I have absolutely no idea!” George shrinks down in the booth to hide from her, “She knows I get the diner in the breakup. It’s part of our pre-breakup agreement!”

“Ah, the pre-breakup agreement. The prenup of the dating world.” Jerry nods understandingly, “While I’d usually agree with you on that, I think faking your own death gives her a loophole.”

“I died while we were together!” George counters, whisper yelling. He looks awfully frazzled and generally insane, “She’s basically my widow. How does she think you feel having to see my widow at your favorite diner? It’s outrageous!”

Jerry considers this. Ever since the infamous incident with the fancy plates, he’s instinctively crossed to the other side of the street when he’s seen her in public. He’s not sure he’d be able to hold it together if she asked him about his best friend and said best friend’s terrible fate at the hands of the mob. Cracking a grin would probably not be an acceptable response.

And George is technically right. If he was actually dead, Jerry wouldn’t want to see Lindsay at the diner. It would undoubtedly cause a chain of events starting with him thinking about George and moping around about it (Jerry’s not sure he’s capable of moping, but he’s too afraid to find out) and ending with him being all sad and ruining his comedy routine. How are you supposed to be funny when you’re busy thinking about your dead friend?

Jerry relents, “Well, I can’t argue with that logic.”

“What do I do?” George panics, shrinking further down in the booth, “She’s going to kill me, Jerry!”

“I think you’re overreacting. So what if psycho Lindsay sees you? It’s the nineties. Is a dead man not allowed to have a strawberry pastry without persecution?”

George deflates, “You’re not taking this seriously. Lindsay is going to kill me and you’re making your little jokes about it. Great. Thanks a lot.”

“Hey, it’s not like you didn’t bring this on yourself. Even Elaine said she knew this would come back to haunt you eventually. It’s about time you face the music.”

George doesn’t think that sounds appealing at all. He’s gone his whole life avoiding the music. Why should he face it now! In fact, only people who have given up in life subject themselves to the music. If you’re still alive and breathing then it’s your God given right to avoid the music.

“How does Elaine know about the fancy plates?”

“Kramer told her.”

“How did Kramer know?!”

“I told Kramer.”

And of course. Of course, everyone in filled in and up to date on George’s suffering. He shoots Jerry a scathing look and Jerry returns it with a lopsided teasing grin.

Jerry glances down at his empty cup of espresso and frowns. The whole lemon faced Lindsay debacle has distracted him from what’s most important. Caffeine. He’s sure that the waitress is avoiding him because George is causing a scene. Or maybe Jerry is being cut off like he’s a drunk at a bar. Are they allowed to cut you off from caffeine? Is there an unspoken caffeine limit that only waitresses and baristas know about? He decides to investigate further.

Just as he's about to signal for the waitress, Jerry makes eye contact with Lindsay. Her face drops and suddenly she has that lemon faced expression about her again. Uh oh. Lindsay says something to her friend and gets up from her seat, making her way across the diner and towards them.

Jerry gives an enthusiastic wave, the type of wave that you’d give an old friend you’re seeing for the first time in a while. After all, Lindsay was always friendly to him. And she was one of George's most humor-inclined girlfriends! Maybe she'd be able to tell him if the joke was funny or not.

George stares at him in horror, “What? What’s happening?”

“Buck up, buddy, looks like she’s coming over.”

George makes a face like he’s been hit by a bus, but he defeatedly slides back up in his seat. Suddenly Lindsay is beside their booth, arms crossed.

“So, I’m guessing this is a Weekend at Bernie’s situation?” She asks. Jerry appreciates her humor. She seems pretty chill for someone who just found out that her boyfriend has risen from the dead.

“Good guess.” Jerry says conversationally, “Actually, George was getting too cramped in his coffin. He doesn’t do well in small spaces and decided to call the whole death thing off. Good idea if you ask me, the whole funeral thing is always a bit too theatric in my opinion. Like we get it. You're dead. Move on."

“Real classy.” Lindsay shoots back, but Jerry can tell that she liked the joke, “By the way George, I knew it wasn’t real when I called your parents to offer my condolences and your dad laughed at me. Anything to say about that?”

George shrugs, the gig is up as they say, “Admittedly, the art of not being an idiot is extremely challenging for me.”

Lindsay rolls her eyes, "You know what, I don't care." She heads back over to her friend and doesn't look back.

“Huh. She took that pretty well.” Jerry says when Lindsay is out of ear shot, “The way you talk about her I assumed her reaction would’ve been far more deranged.”

“Trust me,” George says seriously, “If you weren’t here she would’ve unhinged her jaw and swallowed me whole like a snake.”

“Too bad. I would’ve liked to see that.”

Finally, the waitress comes back over and Jerry orders another espresso. He considers his joke again.

“Should I ask Lindsay if she thinks the joke’s funny?” Jerry asks seriously. Lindsay is still sitting across the diner with her friend, “I need a woman’s perspective.”

George shrugs, “Jerry, I’m telling you right now, just improvise. Or do the lifeguard bit again. It’s your best.”

[sam-t-a]

Disclaimer: this is just my personal opinion and I'm totally open to hearing other people's.

I was really looking forward to today's episode, but all in all, I'm kind of underwhelmed, ngl.

There were some really cute chayenzo scenes that I thoroughly enjoyed and the tenants getting to shine was quite lovely.

But the trend of Chayoung not getting what she deserves continues and now there's just one episode left to fix that. I was hoping she would kick-ass in the courtroom, but literally all she did was introduce Vincenzo as the witness and let him take it from there. The much needed conversation about the impact all of this had on her and where she stood ended up being "it was difficult, but I knew it was the right thing to do" and that's it, and it's not given the same treatment as when they first discussed whether Vincenzo has killed people before (lighting, context, dialogue, etc.).

Then she was stereotypically kidnapped to be used against him. I was particularly miffed at the "Don't you know how much I love you, it makes me human" thing, because no. That's such a lazy way to justify why Chayoung wasn't kidnapped sooner when this would clearly have been the more strategic thing to do. I swear, Han Seok is sometimes written so so well (the office scene) and Ok Taecyeon is definitely more than living up to the role, but other times it feels like he is whatever the writers want him to be in this specific moment. Way more a device than a person. Plus, he was taken down so thoroughly as a "spoiled brat and nothing more" and Vincenzo is such a ridiculously over-powered protagonist that the end scene just... didn't make sense to me. It felt like there were so many things he could have done other than what he ended up doing.

A lot of people are also saying Vincenzo didn't really abandon Han Seo because he turned around when he heard the gunshot, and I can see where they're coming form but why did he need to turn around in the first place?

Cha-young wasn't hurt or wounded, he could've just told her to run or pushed her down or something and then went to help the man with the bullet in his shoulder fight off his clearly unhinged brother. It would even have been the better thing to do strategically speaking. The door is so far away and Han Seo is injured fighting an armed Han Seok, but they were still walking out the door.

Turning around when you hear a gunshot from behind is what anyone would do for self preservation purposes regardless of who else is in the room. You can't not turn around.

But what if there hadn't been a gunshot? Would he not have turned around then?

Again, I have no problem with Vincenzo having one (1) priority and that priority being Chayoung. He's entitled to that. It just doesn't fit with the "Vinny-hyung" narrative.

I really love the show and all of its characters (and I definitely love you guys and really don't want to rain on your parade), but the way such a powerful episode went about wrapping things up in such a way felt really unsatisfying.

[longitudinalwaveme]

Flash Villains: Who’s The Most Evil?

Like all heroes, the Flash’s villains vary widely in terms of threat level, motivation, and level of malice. Unlike most heroes, Flash is relatively unique insofar as most of his villains aren’t especially malicious. However, that doesn’t mean that all of them are sympathetic. 

The most malicious Flash villains, to my mind, are probably Eobard Thawne (aka Professor Zoom the Reverse-Flash), Gorilla Grodd, Cicada, and Murmur. Eobard is a predatory stalker and has caused more personal harm to Barry than anyone else, Grodd is a sadist who wants world domination, Cicada led a cult that murdered hundreds, and Murmur is a creepy serial killer. None of them have ever displayed any signs of remorse or real humanity (and yes, I recognize the inherent meaninglessness of saying a gorilla has no humanity; I couldn’t think of another term.) 

Blacksmith, Abra Kadabra, and Girder the rusty rapist are also pretty high on the list. Kadabra is frighteningly unhinged and has very little regard for human life. Blacksmith organized a plot to take over the entire city and arranged for such things as framing Hartley for his parents’ murder and convincing Jay and Joan that Joan was dying of cancer. She also pointlessly killed Rainbow Raider, who posed zero threat to her. And Girder is...well...a rapist. Besides being angry and creepy around women, he has no other noticeable personality traits, so he’s pretty easy to hate. I guess Plunder would also fall around here, though he had so little page time that I have a hard time getting a good read on his personality. 

Beyond this point, things start getting complicated. While Grodd, Eobard, and Kadabra are almost always portrayed as malicious and dangerous, and Blacksmith, Girder, Murmur, Cicada, and Plunder were really only ever written by one person (at least in major roles), how malicious the other villains are varies widely between writers. 

That being said, Hunter Zolomon (Zoom) and Thaddeus Thawne (Inertia) would probably fall just below Plunder on the list. Zoom is hard to rank, because while his actions are often heinous, he seems to be legitimately mentally ill; to the point where I think he’s one of the very few supervillains who could successfully use the insanity defense in real life. He honestly believes that what he’s doing is helping Wally....but his actions are still incredibly disturbing. It’s also worth noting that he’s much less evil under Geoff Johns than he was when he finally made his reappearance during the relatively recent War of the Flash arc. His level of actual malice was so much higher there, in fact, that at points he seemed like a different character entirely. Inertia, while a serious threat, was portrayed somewhat sympathetically in his appearances in the Impulse comic, but was subsequently portrayed as an Eobard-level psychopath in the Flash: The Most Terribly Written Man Alive and nearly all subsequent stories (his most recent major appearance, written by Joshua Williamson, is an exception). Because of this inconsistency, I can’t move him any higher or lower on the list. 

Of the Rogues proper, the most malicious ones are, in no particular order, the Top, Captain Boomerang, Sr., Mirror Master II, and the Golden Glider. The Top is unique insofar as he was basically always portrayed as one of the most dangerous Rogues. In his first appearance, he tried to blow up half the world (though he seemed more than a little uncharacteristically unhinged in that story, so it’s possible that he wasn’t all there during that escapade), he tried to blow up the city when he died, he possessed the body of Barry’s father, he tried to take over the country by becoming president, he tried to kill the mayor to take over the city (though he was definitely mentally ill during this story), and he generally caused havoc during the Rogue War. He’s by far the most conventionally ambitious of the group. 

Evan McCulloch, the second Mirror Master, is not especially malicious when written by his creator, Grant Morrison (he refuses to kill women and children, readily works with the Justice League when Batman promises to donate money to his old orphanage, and seems to bear no dislike for Wally or any other hero). However, when other people write him, he’s usually one of the most malicious Rogues. During Mark Waid’s run, he was depicted as an abusive stalker; during Geoff Johns’ run, he racked up an enormous body count and was responsible for the death of Piper’s parents. Why this is, I have no idea, but it’s still enough to put him fairly high on the list. 

Captain Boomerang, Sr.’s level of malice jumped noticeably after Crisis on Infinite Earths. Pre-Crisis, he actually came across as one of the least malicious of the bunch, but when John Ostrander started using him on Suicide Squad, he became a disgusting, racist, sexist, foulmouthed, selfish, cowardly, abrasive, treacherous, boorish disaster of a human being...and he’s been that way ever since. 

Golden Glider is bizarre, as she’s one of the very few villains whose level of malice actually seemed to decrease over time without them actually outright reforming. In her Bronze Age appearances, she was absolutely terrifying; targeting Barry’s wife and parents and pursuing revenge with a level of single-minded determination that would make Batman impressed. (Barry even canonically compared her to Batman during this period!) While she was more sympathetic than, say, Eobard, by virtue of the fact that she genuinely loved and grieved for Roscoe, she was still incredibly malicious. After Barry’s death, the writers seemed unsure of what to do with her. I enjoyed her semi-reformed period under Messner-Loebs, but after that things just fell apart until her eventualy pointless death. Geoff Johns portrayed her as more of a victim than anything, and since Flashpoint, she’s actually seemed to be one of the least malicious Rogues. It’s very odd. 

Weather Wizard would probably be next. He’s had a few acts of humanity and a few more acts of unusual malice, but on the whole, he’s generally somewhere in the middle of the Rogues in terms of level of malice. He also doesn’t seem to vary too much between writers. 

Axel Walker, the second Trickster, was very malicious during the early period of Geoff Johns’ run (tying bombs to homeless people-yikes!), but gradually became more sympathetic over time as he started to realize he was in over his head. Post-Flashpoint, he’s been one of the least malicious of the bunch, probably since he’s just a kid. It’s still strange to compare his appearances under Johns to his post-Flashpoint appearances, though, since they’re noticeably different. 

The first Mirror Master, Sam Scudder, probably falls near or below Axel. Since most of his major appearances were pre-Crisis, he’s really never succeeded in doing anything particularly heinous, and when compared to, say, Roscoe or Bronze Age Golden Glider, he’s usually not planning anything nearly as damaging. 

Captain Cold is one of the least malicious Rogues; he’s the one to enforce their codes and generally seems to avoid causing harm to people if he can help it. He can definitely be hypocritical, and he’s shockingly brutal at times, but on the whole he’s one of the most restrained and moral members of the group. Heat Wave is probably one the same level as Cold. For a long time, he was one of, if not the, least malicious Rogues, but since the pyromania retcon, he’s gradually become more and more unhinged and violent. Furthermore, even though Captain Cold and Heat Wave are traditionally among the least malicious of the Flash’s villains, for some reason they both seem to have become much worse since Flashpoint happened, with Captain Cold becoming much more of a brutal ganglord than he was pre-Flashpoint and Heat Wave’s remorse over his pyromania seeming to all but disappear at times. 

Fallout probably falls about here. He’s more of a passive danger than an active one, and he doesn’t seem to mean anyone harm. 

The first Trickster, James Jesse, is usually comparatively harmless, even reforming and managing to do an impressive amount of good during the 1990s. He even saved the world from Neron! That being said, when he finally reappeared after a decade-long disappearance, he suddenly became much more like his TV self than the traditional comic book version of James Jesse, to the the point where it almost felt like he’d been replaced by the Joker. I wasn’t really a fan of the arc where he came back. While I was glad to see him brought back from limbo, I didn’t really want to see him brought back as a psychopath who brainwashes the entire city. 

Peek-a-Boo only turned to crime to try to save her father and legitimately didn’t seem to mean any harm to anyone. 

Finally, the Pied Piper has been the most reformed, and therefore least malicious, of the group since the late 1980s. Since his reformation, he’s done almost as much to help the Twin Cities as the Flashes. However, it’s interesting that his reformation was immediately preceded by the period at which he was the most malicious: the never-ending Trial of Barry Allen arc. During that arc, he actually attempted to hypnotize the mayor into committing suicide! However, since then, the Piper has been pretty solidly on the side of the angels (his stupid appearances in the Flash: The Most Badly Written Man Alive notwithstanding). 

[phantom-curve]

find the strength, find the melody pt. 7

lmfao I love how I posted an update 2 days ago like “this fic will have sporadic posts! idk when they’re coming!” and then I spent the last two days writing this. when that insomnia inspiration hits ya gotta just go with it!

this chapter went in a completely different direction than I had planned on soooo yeah...honestly not sure where this is gonna end up! the characters from my OC novel that I’m loosely basing this story around didn’t have a connection before they ran into each other so when Julie gave me this I almost cut it because I genuinely wasn’t sure where it was going. I think I’ve almost figured it out and I’m pretty sure I know how this will end. and now we all get to laugh at me together because it’s definitely gonna be more than 3-4 chapters. it might even be more than 6. Luke’s POV will have roughly the same amount of chapters I think, possibly longer because boy oh boy does he have A LOT to say (most of it about Julie). fair warning: this one has an awkward cut off because of the way I need to set up the next chapter. sorry about that.

and now something I probably should be embarrassed to admit: I don’t remember writing the part where I managed to sneak an “I’ve Got The Music” reference in so now we know for sure this show has infiltrated my brain. it’s fine, I’m fine, at least I WILL BE WHEN WE GET A S2!!!! KENNY!!!! SAVE ME HERE!!! MAKE MY UNHINGED OBSESSIONS WORTH IT!!!!!

taglist: @blue-hat-girl, @lwhoscribbles, @bluefyoto94, @5sosmukefan, @moonlightxnder, @leahthewonder​, @kat-maybe-not​, @lukewearingbeanies, @imastrugglingartist​​

It was no small miracle that Julie made it through the afternoon without Ray asking for details about her supposed ‘plan’ to play with the Sunset Curve boys. She didn’t think she would have been able to pull off spinning a story quite as well as Luke had earlier. She had expected at least a small amount of interrogating about when she had started playing again, but apparently the news that she was playing at all, let alone with other people in front of an audience, was enough for Ray to ignore all of the other plot holes involved in this scheme. He seemed to have almost forgotten the meeting with Principal Lessa entirely, humming on the drive home, kissing her forehead and turning her loose to freak out alone in her room while he sat down to work on his computer in the dining room. Julie took full advantage of the time alone to restlessly pace her room and send Flynn a 911 text. Her bestie’s contact photo lit up the phone screen 30 seconds later.

“Okay, I’m hiding in the basement girl’s bathroom, so you’ve got exactly 5 minutes before I get too grossed out to stay here.”

Julie’s chest loosened at the sound of Flynn’s comforting voice. There wasn’t anyone else in the world that loved her the way Flynn did. It was reassuring and made it easy for Julie to let loose.

“Lessa told Dad about the music program and then You-Know-Who ambushed us outside of her office and basically forced me to agree to perform with them.”

“Voldemort was at Los Feliz?!”

Flynn’s gasp was overflowing with sarcasm.

“Flynn!” Julie whined. “Be serious! Luke showed up out of nowhere again! And he did the thing again! The charming his way into getting what he wants thing! And now I have to play with his freaking band! What the hell am I supposed to do?”

There was silence for a moment. When Flynn spoke again her voice was softer, more serious.

“You don’t have to play with them, Jules. You can tell them no, and they’ll have no choice but to respect that. The only person who can make you do anything is you. But...I kinda think you might want to play with them.”

“What?! No!”

Julie’s exclamation was a second late. Flynn didn’t say anything. She didn’t need to. Julie sighed.

“Okay fine. There’s something about Luke that makes me want to play again. Are you happy? He gave mom’s song back to me when I thought it was lost forever. He’s the only person who’s heard me perform it, and he...no one else has ever made me feel that good about my music before.”

Julie thanked her lucky stars Flynn wasn’t in the room to see her blush. There was a long moment of contemplative silence on the other end of the line. When she spoke again, there was that extra note of take-no-shit in Flynn’s voice that made Julie sit up and really listen.

“I think you should give it a chance. Who knows, maybe this is some sort of sign from your mom. You said it was a miracle he would have even found that song in the first place. You said it felt like she was there with you when you were playing. Maybe she made sure it would find its way back to you when you were ready for it.”

Julie didn’t say anything, just worried her bottom lip with her teeth. Her heart beat a little faster in her chest. It had felt a little too perfect to be just a coincidence. The way Luke kept appearing in her life at the exact moments she needed him someone or something to help her keep moving forward. Flynn sighed.

“Look, I’m not saying it is your mom. But I’m not saying there’s not some kind of greater power out there that keeps pushing the two of you together. I think you should give it a chance. If nothing else, you can get back in the music program and we can bring Double Trouble to life in time for our Junior Showcase!”

Julie couldn’t help laughing. Her eyes felt misty, love for her best friend welling up in her heart.

“I never agreed to that name you know. But thanks, Flynn. I’ll think about it.”

“Good. Now. I gotta get the fuck out of this grimy ass bathroom. Love you, bye!”

Flynn waited for her to return the sentiment before hanging up.  Julie flopped back on her bed, letting her breath out in a loud whoosh as she hit the comforter. A glance at her phone told her she only had a couple hours until Luke and the other boys would be out of school and on their way to her house. She tried her best to ignore the way that thought made her stomach roll with a type of nervousness she would rather not name. It was easier to blame it on nerves over playing with new people rather than nerves over playing with Luke. Except...now that she actually thought about it, she had played with Luke before. Her head spun, eyes fluttering shut as she remembered the one music class she had shared with Luke last year.

She had only been a freshman, stuck in a lowly Introduction to Composition class. It was supposed to be for new songwriters. Julie had a little more experience than the rest of the class, after all she’d been kind of composing with her mom for a few years now, so when it had been time to write a duet for their final big project she had gotten paired up with the classmate whose skill level most matched hers. It was supposed to be a way for them to challenge each other and grow as writers instead of one person doing most of the work. Julie had been paired with Luke.

He’d been a grumbly sophomore, held back for failing his last semester of Intro to Comp the year before. He had been stuck there only for the second semester, forced to double up between their class and his second year Composition class. Julie hadn’t been all that excited about partnering with him. He hadn’t really seemed to care about the class at all, and even though Julie also sometimes felt like it was holding her back a little bit, she never once voiced that thought. It was a privileged mindset, and Julie was well aware that she had an advantage over her classmates since her mother was a professional songwriter. Luke, on the other hand, had made it well known that he felt like he was wasting his time just waiting to get through the semester so he could move up to the Advanced Composition class that he felt he truly belonged in. Julie could usually do no more than roll her eyes in those moments.

It was true that Luke was talented. His guitar playing was impressive, his lyrics were heartfelt and sometimes even downright poetic. Julie just didn’t think anyone deserved specific things in life because they happened to be naturally talented at something. Their songwriting experience had been...interesting to say the least. And short. It had ended abruptly when Julie’s mother had died 5 days later. In the end, they’d only worked together for two 40-minute class periods before she had been lost in the fog of grief that consumed her in the weeks following the loss of her mom.

Julie shot up in bed, eyes wide. She didn’t even fully remember what had happened with the half-finished song they had been working on. Errant notes echoed in her head, like a song that had only existed in dreams until now. She absently wondered if Luke had held onto that as well. It was no wonder she had kept that particular memory suppressed all this time. That time in her life had been particularly painful. Luke had been gentle with her though. Almost all traces of his typical arrogance gone in the two short class periods they’d had to work together. He had kept things light, steering their songwriting in the direction of a rock ballad more than a true duet. Julie hadn’t minded. She had been floating through classes by then anyway, on edge every second she was away from her mom’s bedside. It had been easier to work on something that didn’t have as many sappy emotions attached to it.

She groaned, burying her face in her hands. No wonder Luke had been so sweet with her. He must have had a front row seat to her breakdown throughout the last year. She hadn’t even realized it. Had never before seen the way he watched her from a distance, checked in on her during class. She should have. Now that she was thinking about it, trying to identify every instance, she could name a million. How had she missed it for so long? How had he gone so long without saying anything? The Luke she remembered was terrible at keeping his mouth shut. He had always been ready to speak his mind, never afraid to start a discourse. It didn’t track that he had been holding himself back. Unless...it was more about her musical ability than anything else. She remembered now; Luke had been thrilled to partner with her for the duet. He had made some remark about how her sound was the perfect complement to his. Maybe he only cared about the ways they would mesh as songwriters. She could only hope that’s what his words had meant.

She felt more secure in her footing as a musician when it came to dealing with Luke than she ever had as a simple teenaged girl. If it was just about the music she could compartmentalize better, keep herself from getting too emotionally invested. Music had always been a safe zone, neutral. She breathed in and out deeply, remembering the technique Dr. Turner had taught her to slow her breathing and recenter her mind. She could do this. It was just about the music. They would play a song together, Julie would get back into the music program, and life would move forward much in the way it had before. Except Julie would actually participate in class this time. She had the music back in her soul, she wasn’t ever going to let it go again. On her next exhale, she heard the doorbell ring. Showtime. Julie zipped down the stairs, ripping open the door before her dad had a chance to get more than three feet away from his computer. Luke, Alex and Reggie all stumbled back a step as she tumbled outside, pulling the front door shut behind her. The three teenaged boys shared a look.

“Studio. Now.”

Julie raced down the path to her mom’s studio before they could react, not even waiting to see if they followed her. If they were smart, if they truly wanted to do this, they would. She hauled the garage doors open, only turning around when she had the piano at her back. The wood felt warm and solid, almost like she had her mom as a support behind her instead of an instrument. The boys appeared seconds later, Luke leading the way. He stopped a couple feet inside of the studio, studying her with wide open earnest eyes. She let out a deep breath. Reggie spoke up before she could get a word out.

“Woah, Julie, this studio is so cool! It’s like a tiny home! A musical tiny home in a botanical garden!!”

His green eyes were wide, expression awed as he spun to take in the space that Julie and her mom had spent countless hours turning into theirs.

“How did you get chairs on the ceiling?! Are you, like, a witch and a siren?!! Man, you and your mom must have made some serious magic in here.”

Luke’s arm shot out faster than lightening to backhand Reggie’s bicep. Reggie cringed away, a soft owww! just barely audible over the loud sigh Alex let out as he buried his face in his hands. Reggie shrugged, looking back and forth between his bandmates before giving Julie a confused yet apologetic glance. What had he said wrong this time? The giggle that bubbled out of her was as unexpected as it was welcomed. Warmth blazed in her heart, memories of the time she had spent in here with her mom washing over her with a kind of hazy bliss she hadn’t ever experienced before. She gazed at Reggie, letting that same feeling of motherly love from the night before fill her up. It was all she could do not to react to Luke’s jaw dropping when she gave Reggie a soft smile.

“We did. We made so much magic in here.”

The words were gentle and filled with a kind of genuine love that overshadowed all other feelings of awkward nervousness. Alex and Luke relaxed instantly, Reggie’s face losing all traces of uncertainty as he beamed at her with a smile so large it almost looked painful. Julie couldn’t help but let herself return it, just a little bit. The silence that settled between them was more comfortable, the tense moment from earlier broken. Julie studied the boys in front of her. She hadn’t ever thought of them as friends per se. They knew each other, would say hi if they encountered one another outside the walls of the high school, but at the same time, they didn’t actually know each other. Julie’s little run in with Luke the night before had made that painfully obvious. She wasn’t really sure what to make of them.

“Are you guys actually serious about this whole Showcase scheme? Did Luke even tell you about his dumb plan?”

“Hey! That plan is genius. Even your dad agreed. He seems pretty cool.”

Julie couldn’t help the fond way she rolled her eyes. Alex was quick to reassure her that they did, in fact, know about the plan.

“Not that I actually think it’s a particularly well thought out plan.” He stated with a lingering glare at Luke’s back.

The planner in question did his best to ignore the skeptical look on Julie’s face.

“Julie, you really don’t deserve to be out of the music program.” Reggie’s voice was soft and sincere. “You have the voice of an angel. If we can help convinced Ms. Harrison and Principal Lessa to give you your spot back it will be so worth it. And even if we don’t, it’ll be worth the looks on their faces when we rock the pants off that crowd!”

Julie laughed in spite of herself, slightly reassured even as she chewed nervously on her lip. Luke took a few bouncy steps forward, pulling her attention to him completely. His eyes locked on hers and she was sure she was drowning, throat tightening at the look he was giving her.

“You got this. I wouldn’t have come up with this idea if I didn’t believe it 100%.”

Honestly, that was what scared her the most about it.

“We don’t even have anything prepared.”

Her voice was barely a whisper, unsteady and wavering. Luke took a few more steps towards her, Reggie and Alex ghosting along silently a few feet behind him. Julie didn’t even notice, so laser focused on the brunette boy in the cut-up tank top in front of her. She watched his muscles flex as he reached into his back pocket, flicking out a piece of folded up paper in a move scarily reminiscent of when he had given her mom’s song back to her. He bit his lip, head ducking a little to be closer to hers as he unfolded the worn sheets of scrappy notebook paper. She let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding, focusing on the messy handwriting in front of her.

“I thought you would say that.”

The smile on his face was so soft and sweet it should have been illegal.

“It’s called ‘Bright’. It’s a Sunset Curve song that we never performed because it’s missing something. Look,” his bare shoulder brushed hers as he shifted to point at the notes, warmth seeping through the thin material of her t-shirt, “it’s perfect for your range. I was thinking, if we add a little bit of piano here and here,” fire blazed a path up her arm as his fingers traced along the opening notes and chorus, forearm flexing against her own, bare skin brushing in teasing licks, “it’ll be perfect.”

Julie forced herself to focus on what he was saying, eyes roving across the paper. She hummed a little under her breath, hearing what he described in her head. His eyes lit up when he saw her get it, feet springing up and down as he dipped even closer towards her and started to sing.

We will rise, through the night

You and I

We will fight to shine together

Bright forever

His voice vibrated in her chest, the sound filling her with an emotion she couldn’t fully identify. Alex and Reggie bobbed along behind him, Reggie’s fingers plucking out the baseline on an invisible guitar while Alex nodded along to an unseen beat. Julie could envision the way the song would sound with a complete band, could practically see herself fitting seamlessly into the mix with her piano and vocals. She couldn’t help the smile that curved her lips as she joined in, reading the lyrics off of the page.

And rise through the night,

You and I

We will fight to shine together

“Go up high.”

Luke cut in, fingers twirling towards the ceiling. Julie automatically made the adjustment in notes to harmonize her voice with his for the last line, holding the final syllable for a beat longer than him.

Bright forever

“Yes!”

Luke’s arm pumped up and down, bicep flexing and distracting Julie momentarily. She dropped her head shyly, trying to hide her blush. When her cheeks cooled a moment later she looked back up at the boy in front of her. His eyes were glowing, smile stretched a mile wide as he stared at her. Unconditional belief in her was practically oozing from his pores. She felt her face soften as their eyes locked, giving him her own sweet smile that was meant just for the two of them. She thanked him with a gentle murmur, heart melting as he simply bit his lower lip and nodded.

A throat cleared in the background, and Julie was snapped out of their private bubble by the sound. Her entire face felt engulfed in flames as she looked over Luke’s shoulder to see Alex and Reggie still standing a few paces behind him. Reggie’s face was bright, his sunshine temperament back in full force. Alex was a little more guarded, but he was giving her an encouraging smile and there was cautious optimism swimming in his sage green eyes as he fiddled with one of his drumsticks. She inhaled deeply and let her breath out in one smooth exhale. The same sort of peacefulness from the night before settled over her.

“Okay. Okay, so we’re doing this.”

Luke’s whoop was so loud both her and Alex jumped. Reggie raced forward with a cheer to sling one arm around Luke’s shoulders and the other around Julie’s, pulling them so close to his chest that their noses nearly touched. Julie saw the blush staining Luke’s cheeks and felt her own warm to match. Alex coughed again.

“Reg, c’mon. Let it settle for just a sec before you go all human octopus on the poor girl.”

“Oh, right! Sorry, Jules!!”

Reggie released both of them quickly. Julie flicked her gaze between the three boys, enjoying the glimpses at their band dynamic. Alex’s words had sounded a bit exasperated, but there was a fondness running through them as well. He gave a half-hearted roll of his eyes at Reggie’s abrupt movements and reached his own long arm out to pull the dark-haired boy close.

“Help me unload the van? I still don’t trust our little Lukey boy with my kit.”

“Hey! That was one time!”

Luke sounded downright offended. The dark look Alex leveled at him in response had Julie choking back a laugh with a badly disguised cough. Clearly once of whatever he did was enough. Luke pouted, arms flexing as they crossed over his chest.

“You put your foot through my bass drum, and you think that isn’t reason enough not to trust you with it ever again?”

Luke sputtered, eyes flicking to Julie and back to Alex as his ears reddened.

“I told you I didn’t see it!”

“It’s the biggest part of the kit, dumbass. Literally the hardest thing to miss.”

Alex’s voice was as unimpressed as it was dismissive. Luke threw his hands in the air as the other boys headed out of the studio, laughing amongst themselves. It was clear this was a regular argument between the two, no heat or anger left in it, only a loving sort of tease. Like the way Carlos still brought up that time she accidentally gave him a concussion double-bouncing him off of their neighbor’s trampoline when he wanted something from her. Or the way her Tía would still laugh as she remembered the time her mom had almost gotten them both arrested for a bar fight on her 21st birthday, Ray affectionately filling in the parts that she tried to leave out. Warmth bloomed in her chest. This wasn’t just a band, wasn’t just a ragtag trio of friends. These guys were brothers. This was a family. And they were letting her into that intimate circle.

The thought was both humbling and nerve-wracking. This Showcase was a big deal. It wasn’t just some school assignment. This could impact their future as a band career-wise. They were all trusting her with this, fully believing in her, or at least, fully believing in Luke’s faith in her abilities. She wasn’t sure anyone had ever believed in her like that. Not anyone that hadn’t known her since she was in diapers. Her head swam, knees feeling a bit weak. She stumbled her way over to the couch, collapsing onto it with a barely audible huff. Luke was in front of her instantly, crouched down so they were face to face. His hands twitched in his lap, but he didn’t reach for her.

“Hey. Julie. Breathe.”

She sucked in a breath, zeroing in on nothing more than his face. After a few seconds she realized he was breathing in and out slowly, just loud enough for her to hear over the jumble of thoughts running amok in her brain. She matched her own inhales and exhales to his, the room slowly coming back into focus as her head cleared. He gave her one of those soft smiles she was starting to think of as hers.

“We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. But I wouldn’t have stopped you in school if I didn’t think you were gonna rock it. I heard you last night. I listened to you for years before last night.”

His chin dropped in embarrassment for just a second before he pulled his gaze back up to hers. Julie felt like she was on the edge of a cliff. Not for the first time she wished she knew how long this version of Luke had been lurking under the surface. It took everything in her not to let herself step off that ledge and fall.

“Music is in your soul. It’s a part of you. Not everyone is like that, but you are. Your life without music...”

He tapered off like the thought was physically painful to him, eyebrows furrowing in a slight wince.

“Living without music would be like living in a world without stars: dark and empty and uninspired. You deserve galaxies, Julie. You deserve the chance to shine exactly like the star you are, and the world deserves the chance to hear you. Please, just...have a little faith?”

She saw it then. As he gazed at her with those bottomless ocean eyes, with that special smile on his lips and sincerity bleeding through every word, she knew. Luke was like her. Luke got it. In a way that no one else except her mom ever had. That’s what this was. They were kindred spirits, two sides of the same coin. And that feeling? The wind rushing through her hair and stealing her breath away while her limbs all turned to jelly feeling? That was definitely her falling head over heels off of the cliff and into Luke Patterson completely.

“Okay.”

She breathed out, and his answering smile set off the butterflies she thought had finally left her stomach. He stood up and held a hand out to her, easily pulling her to her feet in one smooth movement.

“You know,” his smile turned rueful, “eventually you’re gonna have to answer one of my questions with something other than ‘okay’. That’s a pretty passive word, and I’m not really a passive type of person. I wanna start hearing some ‘hell yeah’s and ‘awesome’s pretty soon.”

Julie rolled her eyes, moving away from Luke to set up her keyboard. He gave her a bouncy little shrug of his shoulders, and she let the levity of his joke wash over her, releasing the last bit of nerves. She could do this. Luke believed in her. Her mom believed in her. Hell, Alex and Reggie believed in her and she barely even knew them. She could do this, just like her mom had said.

Noise from the other boys making their way up the driveway had her rushing to pull both doors to the studio open so they could haul in Alex’s drum kit. The three of them left together to grab amps and guitars, Julie finishing the rest of the set up in the garage. Before she had time to overthink things or freak out again, they were all settled into their spots and Alex was counting down for their first run through. Fingers against the keys, Julie breathed out, opened her mouth, and began to play.

[possiamo-andare]

No More Divisions - Chapter Five: When's It Gonna Get Easier?

JJ x Original Character

MASTERLIST

I'd like to thank everyone for the likes and words of encouragement so far. I'm not the most talented writer and this is my first time ever writing anything (let alone publishing it) and it blows me away the messages I'm getting say they love it. I'd like to dedicate this chapter to @outerbankswriting who is literally the person who should be following. Their work unbelievable and they deserve all the love <3

~

There is so much to do today and no time to do it. You ever heard if the saying Rome wasn't built in a day? Well, the Romans got one thing right; you can't do everything in one day, there's just no time.

By the time we pick up Pope and get to the garage where JJ's dad's boat is, it's almost noon. I can already guess that by the time we stock up all of the essentials we brought along, attach it to Kiara's car and drive it back to the dock, it'll basically be 3pm. We all recognize how every minute counts and none of us waste time by joking around. We get straight to work.

Kiara and I transfer all of the food from the bins to storage containers inside the boat, where all of the food can be refrigerated. This takes quite a while since most of the food is in cans or packaging and there's only so many storage containers on the boat so we find ourselves rearranging the food many times so it all can fit properly.

JJ and Pope fill up the boat with gas and store the rest someone on the deck, hoping the amount of gas Pope got was enough. It's not like he had time to go back and get more since his dad was literally right behind him.

After most of the work is done, besides cleaning the deck and making sure all of the controls are in shape for riding, we take a break. Kiara brings out the extra food that wouldn't fit in the container and it's just enough for lunch. I know we're on a time limit but I have to eat or else I'll faint.

As we prepare our sandwiches, JJ starts telling this stupid story that is grossly inappropriate. We all are laughing anyways because it's JJ and he just has a way of telling stories. Once he gets to the punchline we're all laughing hysterically at him because, of course, it's stupid but it completely something I see JJ saying. I look over to Pope, expecting him to be shaking his head in disapproval but laughing at the same time, but he isn't. In fact, I don't think he's heard JJ's joke at all. Pope is staring at his feet as he sits cross legged on the floor, eating his sandwich. He looks like he's in a trance and I'm a little concerned.

"Pope, you okay?" I ask, the laughter dying down and all of our eyes shifting to Pope.

"Do you think he'll disown me?" Pope asked, his voice almost cold. He continued to look down at the floor and didn't dare look at any of us.

"What?" JJ scoffed, scooting closer to Pope and putting his arm around him. "Your dad loves you more than anything. Sure, he's pissed off now but he'll get over it."

JJ looks to me and I smile at him. I would have never guessed for JJ to be the sentimental, mushy type of guy but he definitely is.

"I mean, you're probably gonna be grounded until you're 30." JJ smirks, looking back to Pope who is now smiling.

I'm smiling too. I'm smiling so hard my cheeks hurt. I look to Kiara and she does the same. We're both thinking the same thing; what a privilege it is to be JJ's friend.

We soon get back to work, moping the deck and cleaning up the rooms below deck, which are filled with cobwebs. This boat must be old and I'd be surprised if there wasn't something wrong with the engine. Once I'm done my part, I check on Kiara who is still mopping. I ask her if she needs any help and she tells me she doesn't but I should go check on Pope and JJ since they're the ones checking out the engine.

When I get there, they're arguing. These guys are so confusing. Thirty minutes ago they were best pals and now they're arguing about the engine.

"Girls, girls," I sarcastically say as I walk up to them. "What seems to be the problem?"

JJ rolls his eyes at me and Pope smirks.

"Nothing, I just don't think this boat will last twenty minutes in the water and JJ believes in a higher power that says it will." Pope answers, glaring at JJ for a moment before looking back at me.

I look to JJ, my face clearly very judgemental. "Not to shame, but higher power?"

JJ rolls his eyes. "I know it sounds dumb but it seriously works. When I used to use this beauty, I used to almost always run out of gas but somehow every time there would just enough to get me home."

I smile, not wanting to make fun of him but still not believing him. I look to Pope. "Got a better idea than the one we have?"

Pope sighs and shakes his head. "Nah."

I smirk. "Then it's settled, we're using JJ's demonic boat -"

"Hey! Not demonic, just a higher power!"

"- to help John B. If anything happens, we'll blame it on JJ."

Pope snickers and raises his hand to me so I can give him a high five. "You're my favourite."

"Is it make fun of JJ day?" JJ shouts, a little exasperated from what's unfolding in front of him.

"Nah, it's beat the shit out of JJ day?" A voice from behind me says.

I pivot around quickly, seeing the face I hate for a second time today. It's Rafe, and this time he's brought someone different. I don't recognize him. He's a short guy with longish brown hair. He's pretty muscular and is probably around Rafe's age. I thought I knew all of Rafe's friends but I guess he got this one after we broke up.

"Rafe..." I spit, angrily taking a step forward to him. "What are you doing?" Why does this guy always show up at the wrong times? Oh right, I remind myself, it's because I'm a witness to his murder.

His friend walks over to JJ and Pope, who are now on high alert. Do they know him too? Why am I always the last one to know stuff?

"I'm coming to bring you back." He says, forcefully grabbing onto my wrist.

I look behind me and see JJ being held back by Rafe's friend. He's pushing and shoving the guy to get to me. He's trying his best and it's not working until Pope steps in and helps. He leaps onto the guy's back and starts punching. This lets JJ free and he's quickly racing towards me.

"Get away from her." JJ says, grabbing my wrist and pulling it out of Rafe's grip fast.

Rafe snorts. "Get the fuck outta my way stupid."

JJ laughs bitterly. "What are you gonna do? Beat me with your money?"

Before it was JJ standing in between Rafe and I but now it's the opposite. I'm trying to squeeze my way through Rafe and JJ so I can get between them but they won't let me.

"No. I'm gonna beat you worse than your old pop." Rafe spits back.

I can tell this has hit a nerve because JJ is taken aback for a second. I can't believe Rafe has gone there myself.

"Rafe, you -" I'm about to tell him off but I don't get a chance because JJ lunges towards Rafe, his fist coming in contact with Rafe's face.

All this yelling gets Kiara's attention and she's off the boat and kicking the guy Pope is fighting faster than I've ever seen a human move. She's punching and kicking the guy and although it's not doing much damage, it is distracting him enough for Pope to get the jump on him.

I look back to Rafe and JJ and see them fighting still. One person swings and someone dodges it and then the next. I hate physical fighting so much so I put a stop to it the only way I could; I jump onto Rafe's back and put my hands over his eyes so he can't see.

"What the hell?!" He yells, trying to grab my hands and pull them off his eyes.

JJ gets a few punches to the stomach before Rafe can successfully get my hands off his eyes. Once I get off Rafe, he hunches over and looks like he might get sick. I want to yell at him and say things I'll regret but I don't get a chance to because JJ is rushing towards me, making sure I'm okay.

"Are you hurt?" He asks, cupping my face in his hands.

I shake my head, tears forming in the corners of my eyes. "I just wanna leave now." It's been too long of a day and I need to leave. I can't stand being in the same place as Rafe.

JJ nods and leans forward, kissing my forehead. I look up at him and our noses are touching. I feel the strong urge to kiss him again and -

CLANG!

There's a loud bang behind us and we look to the right to see Kiara pulling Pope away from Rafe's friend whose face is so bloody now that he's almost unrecognizable. JJ and I were so caught up in each other, we forgot the look out for our friends.

We rush over to Kiara and Pope, who are arguing about how Pope should've stopped a long time ago. I hug Kiara to try and calm her down while JJ checks the guys pulse. When he gives us a thumbs up, we all breathe a sigh of relief.

"Why'd you do that for?" Kiara yells at Pope, still holding onto me.

Pope rolls his eyes at her. "He stole from us and tried to beat us up right now. He's a fucking drug dealer!"

I gasp. That's how Rafe knows him; this guy is Rafe's drug dealer. Now I want my turn with this guy.

"So you almost kill him?!" Kiara screams back, holding onto me for dear life. I don't think she can take this insanity any longer. Even Pope is breaking. I can see it in his behavior. I haven't known Pope for long or as well as his other friends, but I can see he's slowly becoming another person entirely. Almost unhinged.

Pope rolls his eyes and storms off, getting into Kiara's car. Kiara looks at me and cries, exasperated from the events that have unfolded.

I let her get into the car as well and close the door. Kiara seems very out of it right now and to be honest so am I. I'm just trying to survive and roll with the punches and figure out how I feel later.

Before I get into the car, I look to Rafe who is still groaning and holding his stomach. I feel a small amount of pity for him. Rafe is living proof that being rich doesn't mean you're exempt from bad shit happening to you.

With one last glance I get into the driver's seat beside JJ and I pull out of the garage. It's the last step of our plan and its 2pm. I hope we get there before John B. and Sarah so we have time to get the boat in the water. Hopefully there won't be any more set backs.

As I drive, I glance to JJ who seems to be lost into thought. His brows are scrunched together and he's been looking out the window for five minutes now.

"You okay?" I ask, taking one of my hands off the steering wheel to grab his hand.

JJ looks at our hands intertwined and then looks at me. "Do you know when life's gonna get easier?"

I frown. "Hopefully soon."

And, to be honest, I was never sure if life was ever gonna get easier after this.

[magioftheseas]

What do you like about Danganronpa Zero? I like it too, just curious about your answer.

Matsuda. And Ryouko.

In all seriousness I do really like the structure of it and how it’s something that makes a lot more sense and it’s super enriching on a second read a la Madoka. The dual protagonists are fascinating in how they’re written as characters.

Like Ryouko is super ditzy and fixated on Matsuda. And unlike other examples in dgrp where this is super urgh-inducing to have a girl’s character revolve around Dude (y’know ur Nanamiiz, ur Chisas, ur Makiiz), Ryouko’s interesting in how much of a Tragedy her situation actually is. Like yeah, that’s comparable to Peko, but y’know Ryouko really has no power in her situation and her dependence on Matsuda is super fucked up. The scene where she begs Matsuda to let her just forget about him after he gaslights her, which she completely forgets about and brushes off when Matsuda himself is clearly disturbed enough by it to try and apologize is such a striking moment honestly. Like Ryouko’s a really tragic character whose mental condition ISN’T used as something to find scary as it is an aspect she has to work with that people, including those she loves, are keen to take advantage of. She’s the only mentally ill character in dgrp that like...isn’t actually villainous in any way, and the reveal adds a hilarious but also incredibly cruel twist of irony to this.

Matsuda, on the other hand...well for starters, he’s the only intelligent one. But his personality is completely different. He’s not remotely normal or average, but even with Kaede as a comparison, he’s openly cruel and dubious in his actions. Even when you understand his motivations, he’s very complicated. He’s not a heroic character, even from Ryouko’s perspective because we see he’s willing to do some really fucked up shit (both to her and for her). He’s a codependent wreck, which is more in line with dr protags after Naegi, but he doesn’t rely on the other person emotionally because he’s insecure...but more because he needs that person as an excuse to keep going. It’s not just different for the mold, it’s incredibly messy. It’s even more sad because we see that Matsuda *is* capable of getting along with others. When he interacts with Murasame, he clearly wants to help and reassure him, but then... But then...

What a fascinating and fucked up guy! I love him a lot!

As for the other characters, I do like the purposes they serve even if I don’t like them as people. Kamishiro is perverted comic relief but he’s like, actually fucking unhinged due to a severe complex courtesy of his “talent” which makes him a super interesting presence. Madarai...is hilarious. Dr0 does have Kodaka’s shitty sense of humor, but honestly I do like some of the jokes and the ridiculousness of it here since they’re not concentrated to one character nor are there any mascots. Pretty much everyone’s meant to be taken seriously to an extent, but they’re still allowed to go batshit and have fun going batshit.

And again, the characterization that only becomes clear when you know the twist is really good. I especially like Ryouko’s reaction to Naegi which is amazing when you know the truth about her. Unfortunately Mukuro’s characterization is garbage, but y’know, no work is perfect. At least we still have IF. Which Kodaka didn’t write pffffft.

For what it is, dr0 really does do things differently and excitingly. Kodaka may be fucking garbage at writing anime, but he’s got a lot of potential as a light novel writer...light novelist? Idk. The guy definitely has talent despite his stupid shit, and dr0 has some of the most interesting characters in the franchise. Hell, Matsuda might just be his best written character ever. It’s very good! The mystery is fun even when you’re just piecing it together on a second reading, and the characters are so fantastic! Junko flings a bunch of desks off a building at Kirigiri! What’s not to love?

...besides Mukuro’s writing, puh puh.

I would DIE for Matsuda Yasuke. But make no mistake, Ryouko is my precious bby girl too. She deserves so much more focus in fanwork than she gets. Gah. I have a first person wip focused on her that I really need to finish. I’m part of the problem.