#like. it's hard to even like Clyde as a villain because he is just so incomprehensively incompetent in literally everything he does

[butwhatifidothis]

What gets me about GW defenders saying that "Claude siding with Edelgard shows how far he's willing to go to get what he wants, he'll use anyone to further his goals" is that, even if that were accurate to his character... that's not what he does in GW. At all.

Which one of Claude's goals are ever progressed once he sides with Edelgard? And how does siding with Edelgard, specifically, accomplish said goal?

Maybe... killing Rhea? But all of the reasons he says he wants her gone in this game are either completely unproven or blatantly incorrect - there's no proof of the Church forcing arranged marriages, Crests do not force obligations onto those that have them (which Claude himself literally proves), and the Church is helping Dimitri restore Duscur - a foreign nation - meaning they are actively willing to help fulfill Claude's main goal that he came to the officer's academy to achieve.

And... that's it! That is the only possible thing that even POTENTIALLY helps Claude's dreams, and taking a five-second look at it shows that it actually does nothing at all to help anything. But in the meantime? Claude weakens Faerghus through agitating Sreng and invading it himself, forcing Dimitri to fight a three front war; he actively helps Edelgard get herself out of a messy situation, even though not helping her and letting her die would have actually helped him and would have actually been him using her like people keep saying he's trying to do; he and Holst even admit that by the end of the war Edelgard is going to make a vassal state of Leicester after taking the lion's share of Faerghus' territory for themselves, which Leicester can't do anything about because of Adrestia's far stronger military. He is the one saying that! He is the one pointing out that that is going to happen! And yet he just keeps going anyway!

He is the one getting used. Very blatantly, and very extensively. Claude walked himself into a trap and lied to himself into thinking he's the one with the upper hand, which somehow managed to convince a large portion of the fanbase too. There's no gray morality here, there's no cunning being showcased, Claude is just an evil stupid tool

[runtwithwolves]

OH NO quirk ideas are my weaknesses HECK. Here goes!

Kenny - Undying, but he plays it off as luck/regeneration/anything but his actual power

Cartman - either quirkless and masking it, or possibly an animal hybrid, giving him his agility, keen senses, and sharp teeth/claws despite his bulky build

Butters - Technomancy, especially using electronics to channel electricity. He wears metal to augment his abilities, but shocks himself instead half the time

Clyde - Blood-fueled agility and strength. This could easily typecast him as a villain, but his friends convinced him that he didn't have to be a Dark Lord of anything

Scott - Exponential strength from sugar, with no real limits! Except he'll get extremely sick from consuming too much

Jimmy - Commanding/distracting voice; the better his songs and jokes, the more his opponents just can't help but listen. And no one expects the kid on crutches to zoom up and kick their ass while they're laughing

Craig - command over rodents, especially those from the cavy family. But he loves them too much, so he trained in martial arts instead. By martial arts, I mean he punches people as hard as he can

Tweak - Weather control, but such a vast power is hard to hand it's too much PRESSURE. His hair is in constant disarray from lightning and wind, and he's addicted caffeine to keep his energy up, otherwise he'll be a tired wreck. His gloves keep his powers in check

Tolkien - Plastics conversion/kinesis. Anything made of plastic can be used as a shield, projectiles, robot, armor, etc. He adores his quirk on a secondary level because he can help clean up any area he's in!

Wendy - Social manipulation. She has to be incredibly careful, but her input on any social group or platform can easily sway a group's opinion with barely any effort. She plays this off as hacking to keep people from digging too deep into a potentially hazardous quirk

Timmy - Extreme telekinesis. While he can move objects and even people with his mind, it comes with a heavy cost of a weakened body and very limited speech. He can read minds/project, but uses sign language more often so that he doesn't violate his friends' privacy

Bradley - Control over...carbohydrates? No one is really sure why he can convert any food into cereal and then use it to help his friends or pelt foes with tiny cereal pellets. Or why he picked such a weird flavor. He's a weird kid

Henrietta - Smoke manipulation. Any form of smoke that her breath touches follows her command, with sometimes deadly results. She isn't a villain, but the whole hero thing is so...lame. Like she would rather DIE

AAAA I LOVE THESE

I need to watch BNHA to understand the social stuff, I especially love wendys manipulation quirk and it's funny to imagine Kenny playing off him actually dying as "haha, don't worry! It missed all my vital organs! How lucky right?"

I'm also trying with the idea of Cartman having a genuinely good quirk but he's such a lazy asshole he never practices so he's out paced, OR hes a late bloomer with a shit quirk so everyone assumed he was quirkless

(Maybe he could have like wolverine claws or something to do with his bones ((cause he's always saying he's big boned lol)) Or something to do with getting away almost everything he does like a cherub face manipulation thing)

Also Henrietta smoke dragon what? Drawing that! Love these!

[itsclydebitches]

Clyde, I’m angry because they’re doing it again. They had the opportunity to make a complex situation and they’re making black and white again, Clyde. I’m not happy. I’m very angry, Clyde. The fact that Jaune isn’t allowed to lash out for a second when a village he was protecting was destroyed while Ruby can bitch and moan about a burden she placed on her shoulders really makes me fucking angry, Clyde. Duck this SHOW. Christ.

I feel you 🤣

I do understand the fans - RWDE included - who are fully anti-Jaune because yeah, in the grand scheme of things it's a problem that he is again allowed to hog the emotional spotlight when we've got a cast of four to develop. But within the non-meta context of the story and what we have to work with... hard agree. My problem with the focus of Ruby's meltdown isn't simply that she's complaining about something she actively took from others with horrific consequences (though that is a huge part of it), but that it's explicitly pitted against the death of Jaune's village. Yes, we can infer that Ruby is upset about a lot of things - like Penny - but that's not what's written in this scene. So what you end up with is:

Jaune: I'm lashing out because the family I've been protecting for years in my unimaginable isolation have all been killed and my supposed friends are calling me crazy and won't even acknowledge that this is a true loss

Ruby: I'm lashing out because my self-imposed leadership has gotten too hard for me to handle and my teammates haven't noticed that I'm crumbling under the authority I demanded others grant me

The middle part of that is the only part of Ruby's meltdown I agree with - yes, her teammates have been awful to her since landing in Ever After and I HATE that Yang's sisterhood/Weiss' partnership/Blake's supposed pride in Ruby have all but disappeared - but that's only a small part of her underlying complaint which is... that she got what she wanted? Ruby wanted to call the shots and now she's pissed that people expect her to call the shots. Like yeah, you can (and often should) write a character who regrets their choices, but if they don't acknowledge their agency in those choices (which Ruby veeeery much hasn't) they just come across as a selfish asshole. Which is also a great archetype! ... just maybe not in the supposedly innocent, pure soul meant to be a pretty simplistically good hero?

Then you toss in the fact that Ruby's meltdown is contrasted with Jaune's and things look so much worse. Ruby is regretting her own choices. Jaune is grieving countless deaths at the hands of an established villain and the narrative's uncomfortable suicide metaphor. These are not the same. These are not even CLOSE to comparable and the only way you can try to weigh them equally is if you a) toss in all Ruby's trauma which explicitly isn't brought up or b) buy into her idea that the Paper Pleasers are "make believe" and therefore their loss is of no emotional consequence. Sorry, but that doesn't work for me in a story that (originally) positioned Penny as a person despite not being human AND in an episode that JUST had the girls prioritizing the Paper Pleasers' perspective over Jaune's. The story can't criticize Jaune for not listening to the highly-articulate, autonomous beings and then also claim they're nothing but insignificant figments of his imagination. It's one or the other. If the Paper Pleasers are "human" enough to treat their desire to die with respect, than they're "human" enough for Jaune to grieve the hell out of when they're gone. Plus, I know a lot of people won't buy into this because we didn't see the relationship develop on screen, but Jaune spent years with these non-human people who act innocent and silly and a little bit "dumb" sometimes. That sounds a lot like Penny! If Ruby is subtexually lashing out because she's still grieving a non-human friend she had for a year and two-ish months... why would we expect Jaune's grief to be any less after loosing a whole village of those friends after years of living together? He's grieving countless Pennys all at the same time, after all that time being alone. This basically takes Ruby's situation and magnifies it by a hundred: what if you had LOTS of friends die and the world ACTUALLY forced you into being the hero (Jaune becoming the Rusted Knight) and instead of just being ignored for two days, you were without your friends and family for two decades?

Seriously, Jaune's situation is a lot like Ruby's situation just with trauma squared - right down to him being a leader - except he didn't bring much of this down on his own head. Having these two meltdowns in the same scene isn't just a problem because Jaune gets more emotional screentime, it's a problem because I can't take Ruby seriously compared to the insane horrors Jaune is enduring beside her.

[joker-daughter]

Some fun questions to light up the mood because lately it has been a little too shit lol (I know we have daily stage door appearances but as someone who can't see the show it frustrates me more than anything😅)

* dream project for Tom : genre / costars / director / time period / look (haircut and wardrobe)

* funniest moment

* fav picture

* if you had to recommend one project or one scene to someone who knows nothing about his acting, what would you choose ?

* random unpopular opinion

anon!!!

okay, here we go:

• dream project:

genre: I’d love a comedy/dramedy or a good psychological thriller (with him as an unhinged villain, almost joker (hehe) style) but a lowkey-heartfelt-contemporary-slice-of-life story (lol) would also be something that I’d be very excited about, it could be romance too because I know he can work that charisma of his but I’m a bit careful with this wish because I don’t want the notion to spread that he can “only excel” in roles that take advantage of his charm…and like I wanted him badly in the next Knives Out movie but yeah, let’s not talk about that…🤧

Essentially tho, I just need one project where he can work his cocky side à la Mike and Johnny

(also still waiting for someone to approach him about a Bonnie and Clyde biopic 👀)

costars: I’d love for him to do something with Will Smith again, Tom Hardy as well (preferably outside of Marvel 😵‍💫), Emma Stone, Keke Palmer (I have my own little buddy comedy idea/fantasy here that is gold imo) and since The Bear is around the corner, any of the leads from that would be amazing…I’m sure there’s more but my brain is blank now…

director: no clue honestly since even the “big” ones have hits or misses lately but I’d like to see him with someone that is established/more of a household name, even just out of sheer curiosity

time period: well the present time would be nice for a change 🤣 but if it has to be a period piece, 90s for sure, especially with his current look (I really have grown to like it, help)

look (haircut and wardrobe): again, something along the lines of what he has going on now as Romeo wouldn’t be bad lol but I’d also like a more preppy character design 👀 let the man be a diva on screen!

• funniest moment:

just straight up commenting “no” under a Ben 10 fan cast 😭 he was FED UP

• fav picture:

this is hard because I have a few…my profile pic and any pic from that photoshoot is a contender for sure, especially the one on the balcony but I think I have to go with this one because it was my favorite for a very long time (the one @stanleyl chose is a beloved classic too tho!)

the vibe is just IT in this

• if you had to recommend one project or one scene to someone who knows nothing about his acting, what would you choose ?

His scenes in TCR’s episode 6. An acting masterclass imo.

but project wise I can’t decide also I’d have to know the person’s preferences tbh

• random unpopular opinion:

I honestly don’t know right now, like my brain is fried atp skjskjsj but I think most of my opinions (public and private) could be considered unpopular 💀

thank you so much, anon, this was very fun 🫶

[hedgewyse]

Tag 9 people you want to get to know better Tagged by @dummerjan, @misspoetree, @letsabandonthisworld (I got around to it eventually!)

Three ships

I love power dynamics in ships, and people who absolutely should not be together. I love people who could destroy one another if they chose to. Whose family or society would be horrified they are together. Bonus points if they are definitely fucking each other up, but continue anyway.

Dongfang Qingcang/Shangque - Love between fairy and devil Ghostship

I love the idea that Shangque is this ancient, powerful dragon but is utterly devoted to Qingcang, knows all his habits, looks after his little mood swings, let's him feel like he's in control even though he probably knows rightly how to manipulate him if he wanted to. Qingcang is the definition of cringefail edgy villain who tries not to show that he's squishy in the middle but only for the right people.

VegasKim - Kinnporsche Ghostship

I really don't care at all about the cousins angle here. When you take a step back and think, our weirdness about that is rooted in concerns around genetic risks and that's uh, not really an issue with same-sex stuff, y'know? Anyway, no, the bit that does it for me is that both families would be outraged, and that they are both utterly tough and unhinged about the family business and absolutely could destroy one another. And they are definitely fucking up each other's lives, ambitions, and self-identity.

Gahan - The Devil Judge main co-stars

Kim Gaon and Kang Yohan are so clearly into each other. So much fascination with each other, how the others operates, what motivates them, the grudging respect. But also just really hot for it. The roaming eyes on both sides when shirts are off. The moments of softness Yohan allows to slip out, the moments of brokenness and anger that Gaon suffers Yohan to witness, how they betray each other but are inexorably drawn together again anyway. I love the moment Yohan risks discovery to save Gaon. I love the moment Gaon risks his life to go down with Yohan. I love both gradually realising the other will come to rescue them, no matter what the risk. I love the age gap. I love how different they are, and how they are two broken pieces which fit together perfectly nonetheless. It's messy and beautiful.

Honorable mentions: WangXian ults, obvs. But I can't put them in every single one of these so I'm trying to branch out.

First ever ship - BtVS: Sprusilla

The second I laid eyes on Drusilla and her graceful, syrupy brand of crazy I was in love, and Spike is such a cringefail dark little villain I was always going to fall for him. They are perfect together. I wish they'd had a spin off series Bonnie&Clyde-ing all over Europe.

Last song

I got this recc from a fanfic. Fucken love when people have fic songs! Set the vibe, queen, I wanna cosy up in your brain.

Last movie - Wandering Earth

Currently reading

Mastering Active Directory by Dishan Francis. Don't even ask, honestly.

But I pretty much read some kind of snuggly fanfic every night to get to sleep - I need my 'literal sleeping together' angst fix.

Currently watching

Just finished Physical: 100 (the women! 👀👀👀) and Moonlight Chicken (this was my first FourthGemini and I am SOLD, holy smokes).

Deciding now between The Glory, Interview with the Vampire (which I'm resuming at ep 5 after the friend I was watching with got distracted by his girl and I am tired of waiting), and I'll probably cave to My School President even though I hate school BLs because of the aforementioned FourthGemini. I'm also still in the middle of Taxi Driver and a rewatch of Magicians with a different friend.

Currently consuming

It's been a really hard month so I've gone back to comfort food; so sweet and sour chicken, pad thai, garlic ramen. And still burning toast every time I come home drunk, lol.

Currently craving

I dunno. Friends who actually want to dance as something more than just pulling at the club? Skinship? An occasional twink to spoil? A deeper conversation? Carrot cake?

Issue declined due to absence of required parameters

Pretty sure everyone has done it already, but just in case, tagging @hilema @negrowhat @dream-thief-forever-amen @cloudburst-ink @eyesof-kkomi @staytotheend @saturnskyline @hoe-for-jihyo @sinistergooseberries

[mysteriesofmilo]

#3: The Ticking Clock

It was really close between this one and Field of Screams. In fact I was splitting hairs for all of the top 4, but these two were especially close.

I love that this one brought back the Clyde Rickenbacker / C.I.D.D. / Victor Verliezer storyline. It kind of rehashed the same storyline as last time, with Bessie taking C.I.D.D.'s place, but that's OK because the episode was just that good.

Like Milo and Zack testing out what happens when Milo walks past parking meters. Just a fun random moment that shows

How close they are as friends

Milo's unique ability to turn his condition into entertainment

And Zack's level of newfound comfort in his own life (going along with that whole "New Year's Resolution" deal)

Zack's comment that "I hope Old Bessie isn't a person?" could be foreshadowing what I said above about the episode being similar to A Clockwork Origin, with Bessie being in C.I.D.D.'s place as a machine that Victor wants to destroy for his own nefarious purposes.

Clyde's line "Well we've been here for hours and it's still not working, so apparently we cannot." That just felt brilliant for some reason.

The song wasn't as good, but still a nice simple tune that functions more as background music to a hard work montage.

I love Milo's "mad" expression. Perfect for a cinnamon roll like himself to show frustration and narrowed eyes with Victor, but not really a raised voice -- in fact a lowered voice as he simmers in strong dislike.

And Doof did something good in this episode! I've talked about this before, but I think the main reason why Doof in MML didn't really fit is because his lack of persistence early on didn't work with Milo's incredible persistence. But I also think it's partly because Doof is a ham who fits better with the often nonsensical and inconsistent world of Phineas and Ferb, where anyone can do anything, than with the slightly more grounded story of Milo Murphy's Law, where people react to things normally (except for everyone who knows the Murphys, who react to their chaos like "It was Tuesday"). But in this episode Doof actually did something amazingly helpful to society by saving Danville from someone who was an even bigger villain than he ever dreamed of being.

This was a great episode that I really enjoyed!

(P.S. I meant to post this the week after the previous one, but I started on that post and didn't finish until today. I would delete and save for next Tuesday, but that would require a lot of copying and pasting and I just don't feel like doing that.)

[cool-island-songs]

Craig for ask gamee :3

Sorry this took so long but tumblr kept chewing it up in my drafts

Sexuality Headcanon:

Gay gay homosexual gay. Fem Craig? Staunch lesbian.

Those are my preferences in writing Craig, though I do also enjoy shoving him back in the closet because without yaoi magic, abrupt PCness, and the comfort of meth bf's twitchy hand in his, I can really see that being a longer struggle for Craig

Not-totally-gay slut Craig has a fairly long legacy some younger fans may not be aware of. This fandom is old and Creek only became canon in 2015 so it's like a form of culture shock for me to see artists getting yelled at for drawing Craig with girls. It's not like he was usually with girls, but there's this thing in the old yaoi tropes where the one who is presumed to top is less flamingly homosexual and more interested in sex generally. He was also frequently a menacing gay villain back in the day though lol

"I'm not just gay, I'm a catamite." - Craig Tucker, 2003

I do personally love reading his earlier aggression and posturing on the show as internalized homophobia. He's NOT gay! Don't say he's gay or he'll beat you up, completely un-homoerotically!!! This is a fun retconning thing though. The intentions of the showrunners earlier on likely were not that he is posturing extra hard due to being closeted. But authorial intent is not relevant to how I might want to thread the needle between older Craig characterizations on the show and more current ones

I'm a bit more fixed with Craig than others due to the presentation of his autism and generally see him demisexual, monogamous, traditional in a learned, rote sort of way. He's very favorite person-y with Tweek to me

Gender Headcanon:

I've only ever written him cis but I have enjoyed trans Craigs of all stripes (get it????), and I actually do have some t4t Creek planned!

Very into fem Craig. Excited to write her being so regular about Tweek's twiddies <3 In short, give me all the Craig genders

A ship I have with said character:

Well... I guess I like Creek a little bit 👉👈

I like exploring other dynamics but I'm always going to conceive of Creek as a unique bond. They get something from one another they can't get anywhere else, even when I'm putting them in horrible circumstances. That's what I'm here for, babeyyy

A BROTP I have with said character:

Honestly love thinking about Craig/Tolkien, Craig/Jimmy, Craig/Clyde (though I think I see that last one quite differently from most, or at least I'm most interested in the SoT vibe with dumdum traitor Clyde and amoral opportunist Craig). Really love writing platonic Crenny but I generally see Kenny as gravitating to other people so when I write these two as closer friends, it's usually based on particular circumstances. Craig/Bebe reluctant gossip hoes is also very funny to me

A NOTP I have with said character:

Yeah, I don't really NOTP anymore. There is a version out there of any ship I might find compelling. Being so Creek brainrotted, I don't spend a lot of time thinking about other Craig ships in any endgame capacity but I'm always curious to see the different ways people view Craig. I've noticed his characterization tends to vary depending on who he's with. One example is his socioeconomic status. I've noticed his family potentially being worse off than most others is stressed in Crenny fics, socioeconomic status tends not to play a huge role in Cryde or Creek fics, and he is often more ambitious and upwardly mobile in Cryle fics. As my friend @phantomchill put it: "he's absorbing their financial status. autism masking has gone too far!" This is not a negative or positive thing, there isn't one correct way, but he feels very malleable as the love interest guy

I'm very much a Tweek-relater first and foremost and early on in my time in fandom came up with the very novel theory (lol) that people tend to project onto one guy in their OTP more and thus multiship that guy, while the other guy isn't allowed to have other boyfriends. I have since moved beyond this theory for myself at least, because I relate to Craig quite a bit too and I think sometimes people have other boyfriends and that's pretty normal and okay. Striving for realism in my homosexual erotic cartoon porn writings

A random headcanon:

Honestly don't even consider autistic Craig to be a headcanon at this point. I think they're doing it on purpose now. His special interests are ancient animes and space. His favorite person is Tweek. He is also canonically very hairy

This is very specific but I like headcanoning Craig as Mediterranean. Peruvian Craig is cute of course and honestly I don't care where he's from as long as he's hairy, tan, and big nosed. Big nose/big eyebrows Craig 🛐 Are these just my aesthetic preferences? No. I have Matt Stone tied up under my bed and he says it's canon uwu

General Opinion over said character:

I want to beat him up

Also a bit bored by Craig discourses (bad boy VS. dork??? Leather jacket and cigarettes as a personality IS a dork I'm so sorry to burst your bubble) so some new proposals:

Craig actually doesn't like TOS. He doesn't really get it (too campy). TNG is his favorite. I'm talking about Space Trek u fake ass nerds

Craig weeb loser dub v sub opinions???

Red Racer is just Speed Racer. Sorry it's not a great discourse it's just how i feel

Craig STEM smart vs. Craig not naturally proficient in any subject

This is crazy but what if his penis was just regular. No okay that one is too far. I- *is shot dead*

[pastelwitchling]

I don’t know how long this post will be. I made the mistake of watching Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince yesterday, and as a result ended up crying for over seven, eight hours? Because I went straight from Dumbledore’s death to the idea of seeing my Alex again, and ended up watching the episode, and going to sleep afterwards, completely numb. On that cheery note, here are my thoughts on 4x11.

I’m going to disappoint you guys, and say that I once again skipped all scenes outside of the liminal space. I cannot tell you how little I care about Clyde, Shivani, and Liz. Why, oh why, wasn’t Rosa the main character? I genuinely have come to love her so much and find her care and growing wisdom refreshing and so heartwarming to see.

Alas, we have Liz. Here’s the thing. I know I haven’t been this hard on Liz since season 2, but that’s because I can’t stand the stupid decisions anymore. I will fight (not really, I’m a pacifist, but I will debate) anyone who tries to blame Max and pin him as the bad guy for Liz’s decisions. If Liz had always been a selfless, giving person, I still wouldn’t blame Max for her addiction now, but I would understand why she felt the need to go down this route. That, however, is not who she’s always been. She’s gone behind Max’s back how many times now? Put him and his siblings in danger how many times now? And all for what? The science, scientific breakthroughs, blah blah blah. I’m so sick of people finding reasons to pin the blame on Max, for mocking him for being “the savior” when it’s like, guys. He didn’t give himself that title. He’s had to live as his siblings’ protector his entire life, and yeah he didn’t always go about it the right way, but he tries. Maybe I just relate to him too much, maybe I just understand the weight of that responsibility the way so many others don’t seem to. I don’t know. I just think he’s a good guy who loves so much and only gets noticed for his mistakes.

Also, @ineedahugesticktobeatyou mentioned this in their thought post, which is where I got the idea and why I tag them now, but... why is the turquoise metaphor Max and Liz’s thing? I mean, Michael was the one that worked on the turquoise the most, Michael was the one who considered what the turquoise’s power meant or what it could do. I’m not going to harp on this too much since I don’t even remember how they found the stones in the first place, but when I think of the turquoise, I think of malex.

I don’t know who was in charge of the season 3 plotline, but can we bring that person back please? It feels like so many people have reverted back to childish, selfish decisions and teen drama plots. The only kybel I caught was the moment Kyle asked Isobel at the beginning if they could forget what had happened, and Isobel lied and said that was what she wanted, too. That’s literally a scene from The Mortal Instruments, and Clary and Jace were no older than seventeen then. I mean?

Okay. Now about Malex. Listen. I mentioned this in a previous ask post, but I’m kind of going through the episodes at the moment kind of... numb? I can’t scream about the engagement and get all giddy and excited like everyone else because I’m just in countdown mode right now. For that reason, I think I’m not overcome with joy enough to overlook certain things as some others might be able to. If we’d had another season (I refuse to cry at eight in the morning), I’d just be happy and excited and eager for another season with them as a married couple, though I don’t think they would’ve gotten married if there was another season. But my point is that I really think I would be all positive and so happy that I could let the details go. As it stands, I cannot. I’ll only start with a few things that I wished had happened, and then I’ll get into the stuff I loved.

So here I go with my nitpicks. I wish we never got that stupid line about M*ria. I’m so sick of everything turning around just to praise her when she is the fucking villain of this story and has been since season one, so don’t start with me. I wish we’d had Michael kiss Alex more when he found him, kiss him harder, cling to him, laugh into the crook of his neck. The stills proved that they had more of a reaction that was--surprise surprise--cut. I wish Michael had hugged his shoulders and clung to his back, I wish he could’ve maybe cried at seeing him, I wish we could’ve had him kissing whatever of Alex he could reach, even as they just stood there. And for the finale, and this is kind of a big one, I wish the proposal had come from Michael.

Since the beginning, we’ve had a show of Alex loving Michael more than Michael loving Alex. I know that’s not true just because of the way Vlamis talks about Guerin and his love for Alex, but in terms of the show, it’s always Alex making the big gestures. It’s always Alex willing to risk whatever it took to protect Michael. Let’s be honest with ourselves here, Alex could not have been talked into not working on the Lockhart Machine and removing his father’s influence by anyone but Michael, and yet they have Michael talked multiple times into not jumping into the sinkhole after finding out Alex was there. I just wish that for something like this, it had come from Michael. I at least hope for a malex handprint scene next episode. Not the last episode, next episode. And I would like them back in Roswell by the end of the next episode, too, please.

As for the things I loved, that’s easy. Malex. Seeing Alex again, having him back in Michael’s arms where he belongs. I loved his competence, how impressed and proud (and turned on) Michael looked when he found out what Alex had done, Alex’s cute smile that said, Yeah, I’m smart, I know, but I just missed you and I’m so happy to see you.

I loved their time together under that blanket, the way Alex rested his head on Michael’s shoulder, Michael putting their foreheads together, Michael’s reaction to his proposal, the way he kissed him in the bed of that truck. (But we better get as graphic a smut scene as the CW allows with those two in the next two episodes, or may the gods help me....) I loved Alex reassuring Michael that he just wanted them to stay together no matter where they were, I loved Michael preferring to stay with Alex instead of going to look for alien fruit, I loved the proposal (regardless), and I’m not going to say I’m a malex oracle for some of those lines that came straight out of my most recent fanfic, but I will say that I’ve always loved Apollo and this makes sense.

Alex. I just loved having Alex back. I fear the numbness that follows these episodes for me because I feel like it means I’m not properly processing the coming end, and I worry for the moment it all hits me, but my friend reassures me that I just cried myself out yesterday before the episode ever aired. So. I’m clinging to that. I also only mention it because I want you guys to really understand that a) if I’m slow to post or sound uncaring when I respond to messages or comments, it’s because of this. It’s because I’m genuinely not doing okay and I don’t know how to handle not having Alex anymore. (I refuse to cry at 8:30 in the morning.) And b) I don’t want you guys to think that I’m wallowing in the parts I dislike of the episodes or that I don’t love every malex second we get. I live for those moments. I’m just not able to fully feel happiness right now, so I can pick up on the nitpicks where I didn’t really in season 3 because I knew another season was coming. That, and season 3 was genuinely better because we had Alex and malex longer.

If I’m ever grateful to the CW for anything, it’s Supernatural, and taking care of Tyler when he needed it. He’s my priority so as long as I know he got the rest he needed, I really don’t have much else to say. Until next episode, and here’s hoping for a malex handprint.

[cas-backwards-tie]

Congratulations!!! You deserve all the followers! 💗

Do you think Mills or Flip rocks the middle part better?

Do you prefer bearded SNL Kylo or shaved Kylo?

Do you go for long haired villains like Jacques or short haired good guys like Ronnie lol?

Do you like nerdy like Gucci or rugged like Flip?

Speaking of long hair, do you think Jacques or Clyde does it better?

Would you rather he be super hot in a movie but play the villain and die, or look meh and be the good guy and live?

Thank you so much, Shannon! 🥹🫂 Have I earned the right to call you, Shan? Idk if that’s a nickname you like to go by or not but I thought I’d try it ❤️ and omg you went all out! Ahhh 😄🥰

Admittedly, I instinctively went to Millie Bobby Brown when I first read that and was confused until I saw the gif and remembered about how 65 is coming out soon! 🙌🏻🎉 Oof, bringing the hard questions I see. 🤔 I’m gonna have to go with Flip, simply because it’s a little more styled and has a little bit of wave to it 💕 it somehow feels more natural, as opposed to some of the clips from 65 look like they tried to straighten it a bit and I don’t know, that’s just my take! Wbu?

This is a funny question because lately I have noticed the guys I’ve been making moves on recently have been more bearded than not, but I actually prefer clean-shaven Kylo 🥹 Maybe it’s because of his chin, or the way it slightly elongates his face and extenuates his scar, or makes him look younger, or even simply because the goatee/mustache combo isn’t always my fave… but clean-shaven for sure ❤️

This next question is tripping me up because I feel like Kylo would be considered long-haired and 😫😭👏🏻 he’s my favorite- my boy, my honey- the one I relate to most. Another villain that I could think of, because admittedly I still never finished The Last Duel… is Jafar, and he’s a catch too (look-wise at least), but in my own life I’d say I tend to go for more short-haired good guys like Ronnie!

This one is also hard (albeit I also had to look up the definition of rugged simply bc I wanted to know what it is rather than go by what I vaguely know it as/the vibe) cause I could go both ways, again. I feel the boys I’ve tended to like throughout life have mostly fallen under the nerdy category (granted I also have yet to see House of Gucci 😭 don’t kill me 🙈), but I’m never opposed to a rugged man. I live and love for rugged men, tbh.

Mm… I don’t know if it’s because I feel like Clyde’s style suits him in a more natural-looking way, because Jacques has really beautiful hair as well- and it could also be length, perhaps, but I think I’d go with Clyde 🥹

I mean… 👀🤧😵‍💫🙊😭🙈 could we not just say (TROS?) Anyhow, I would probably just say super hot villain simply because I think he does an interesting job as the villain and is super compelling to watch. Either way I’d be happy, because in my eyes he always looks ‘super hot’, but good guys are overrated imo. When it comes to acting, at least.

Thank you so so much for asking all these wonderful questions, Shannon! I hope you’re having an amazing start to the year and are doing well ❤️ I’d love to catch up sometime soon! I appreciate your support and friendship, always.

Send Me Two Things and I’ll Pick One

[roll-da-credits]

HC: Villains Realizing They've Fallen In Love

Characters: Dabi, Shigaraki, Toga

A/n: I really like writing these Realizing They've Fallen In Love scenarios, and I really like writing for Shigaraki and Toga, plus a friend of mine really wants me to write Dabi more so HERE IT IS!!! Hope you all enjoy it!

🖤❤️🖤

Tomura Shigaraki

Shigaraki doesn't understand feelings, he just doesn't, he has the mental understanding of a child when it comes to feelings. Though his intelligence rivals most in the league, he's far the densest one when it comes to love

So he doesn't notice, he thinks the weird feeling in his chest was his urge to kill you, and so one night after meticulous planning, he attempted to hurt you. But the moment you looked back at him and smiled, not realizing his malicious intent, he couldn't bring himself to do it.

And because of this, he became even more confused, if it wasn't the thirst for murder and blood, then what feeling was blooming in his chest?

He would grow extremely obsessive, he didn't know why obviously, but he would. Anytime he'd see anyone getting too close to you he'd threaten them or straight-up murder them if it was a stranger.

Thankfully because you were less dense than him you got him to talk with you and discuss what it was he was feeling. You explained affection, intimacy, love, you explained with detail and hoped he understood.

Of course, he didn't, but for some odd reason, it felt incredible to be able to name what it was that was annoying him. Soon enough, if you're patient and slowly introduce this touch starved mummy looking man, he'd understand and slowly accept it

But it would be far from healthy, he would have an obsession over you, somewhat like you were his dealer and this 'love' feeling in his chest was the drug

Dabi

Dabi out of anyone here would actually understand what he was feeling, but he has trouble accepting it. He doesn't want to accept that he has feelings, he wants to be a monster, he wants to ruin Endeavor's reputation and he can't do that if he falls in love

So he tries to convince himself that its lust, that the feeling he experienced was simply lusting for your body, lusting for the fact that you were hard to get

But he would soon get the annoying realization after fucking you that the feeling did not go away, this is when he'd finally accept that he was in love with you

Even when he does realize it, he understands that he doesn't deserve you, so he pushes you away, it doesn't matter if you're a villain, a criminal, or a serial killer, in his mind, you don't deserve someone as fucked up as he is

Just like Shigaraki, you have to be patient with him, but unlike Shigaraki you're the one who has to do most of the work.

One way to get him to love you and finally accept the love you give back is to make him want to be selfish, ignore that he's pushing you away, and keep giving him your affection, then he would be too selfish to care about if you're too good for him or not

Also, this is ridiculously unhealthy as well, Dabi and you would be Bonnie and Clyde esque

Himiko Toga

Toga's not as dense as Shigaraki but she isn't as understanding as Dabi either. She knows the feeling of love, and she quickly identifies it.

This is because whenever she sees you she couldn't help but stare at you, she had the biggest urge to taste your blood as well, and she wasn't afraid to speak her mind so she would've confessed rather quickly

What she didn't expect was how different it felt whenever she was with you. She expected the feeling of love and thirst for your blood to leave after a couple weeks, at maximum a month, once she got in a relationship with you since that's what always happened

But every time she looked at you, it was as if she looked at you for the first time ever, her eyes light up and there's a giddy feeling in her chest

Much like a child in love, Toga would be vocal about it, she'd tell the whole world about this confusing yet addicting feeling in her heart if she could.

Unlike Shigaraki and Dabi you don't have to do much once Toga realizes she's head over heels with you

She might not realize how truly in love she is with you until you leave or almost die, but that doesn't mean her actions don't weigh as much.

She obsesses over you, dotes over you, boasts about you, close to everything in her life is now circled over you. If you were to ever leave, it would truly be like someone ripping Toga apart.

Yes Toga does give me Harley Yandere vibes

[liunaticfringe]

(via Lucy Liu's Independent Woman - Interview Magazine)

There have been many great sidekick pairings in the history of modern literature. Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer, Phileas Fogg and Jean Passepartout, Winnie-the-Pooh and Piglet…the list goes on. Yet, it seems there has never been a delightfully tumultuous relationship that comes close to echoing the one embodied by rogue detective Sherlock Holmes and his faithful friend and assistant Dr. John Watson. Written in the form of short stories by Arthur Conan Doyle between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the opium-den loving Holmes would terrorize London with his intellectual, astute, and stubborn prowess, with Dr. Watson providing medical expertise and chronicling their entertaining exploits along the way.

Doyle’s works have now long been entered into the public domain, with many film and television adaptions cropping up every few years. Still, when CBS announced in 2012 that it would be turning Doyle’s works into an hour-long crime-drama series titled Elementary, it elicited an unusually high response—this was mostly due to the news that a woman would, in fact, be portraying Watson. Her name would be Joan, not John. And she’s now a fallen from grace surgeon-turned-sober companion and private detective, forfeiting her “Dr.” title in the process. The woman chosen to take on this exciting, contemporary role of Joan Watson was none other than seasoned actress Lucy Liu.

Liu, who’s best known for her roles as a fierce and ill-mannered lawyer in Ally McBeal, an ass-kicking “angel” in the rebooted Charlie’s Angels, and an equally ass-kicking bad girl in the Kill Bill series, certainly provides the yin to the yang of Jonny Lee Miller’s gritty portrayal of Holmes. Elementary chronicles the duo’s relationship as they consult for the NYPD on various criminal cases while living in a shared brownstone in Brooklyn Heights. Initially starting off in Season One as a substance-free friend to the fresh-out-of-rehab Holmes with a keen interest in solving crimes, Watson quickly transformed into a sharp and observant right-hand woman who now clearly has the aptitude to work on her own. And it appears she’ll be doing just that—the end of Season Two left viewers witnessing Watson’s decision to move out of the brownstone and start a new career as a solo private detective, seemingly fed-up with Holmes’ erratic behavior.

The warm and delightful Liu recently called up Interview from her home in New York City to discuss Elementary’s upcoming third season.

DEVON IVIE: Were you on set today?

LUCY LIU: I was running around like a maniac, yeah. It’s beautiful today, it started getting a little bit cooler again. But of course I’ve been bitten by the two mosquitos that are still alive in New York City.

IVIE: I know you were recently at New York Comic Con. How was it?

LIU: It was amazing. It’s such a spectator place. Not only do you get super fans, but you also get people who are curious and inventive and imaginative. It’s fun.

IVIE: Did you run into any cosplayers dressed as Joan Watson?

LIU: Oh, no, I don’t know about that. That’s funny! We did a panel with a huge audience so I couldn’t really see if anyone was wearing anything specific, but it’s an excuse for kids and adults to get dressed up and just be crazy. You know you’ve made it when you have super-fans out there.

IVIE: When you first read the scripts for Elementary, what was it that attracted you to the role of Joan?

LIU: I liked the fact that it was going to be about [Joan and Sherlock’s] relationship and their friendship, and bringing that into modern times. And I thought it was wonderful to change up the gender.

IVIE: Did you immerse yourself in Arthur Conan Doyle’s work as preparation at all?

LIU: I did, I did! I started reading the short stories. I never read them before so it was a really great excuse to read them. I can’t believe it was written so long ago, because it’s so current. The characters are so colorful, which is why I think there are so many incarnations of Watson and Holmes.

IVIE: Do you have a favorite story? I love “A Scandal in Bohemia.”

LIU: There were some pretty amazing stories. The one that stood out to me, which was a Watson story that I got to know him a little more through, was “The Hound of the Baskervilles.” He really is on his own in that. Of course it turns out that Holmes has been there all along, but it’s interesting looking into his interior.

IVIE: Yeah, the entirety of “The Hound of the Baskervilles” is narrated just by Watson. And his diary and letters, too.

LIU: Yeah, I think it’s really cool. We started incorporating that into the show, too, the letters and journals.

IVIE: Has this detective genre always appealed to you? Did you grow up watching or reading detective whodunits?

LIU: I remember more of the old school Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys sort of thing. I also grew up with the Scooby-Doo mysteries. Remember when the villain would go, “I would’ve gotten away with it if it weren’t for you rascal-y kids!” Those were the kind of the things I immersed myself in. I have to say that my mother has always been a huge fan of Columbo and Murder, She Wrote, so this show was her dream come true. I don’t think she totally understood what was going on with Ally McBeal. [laughs]

IVIE: I’ve enjoyed witnessing Joan’s evolution throughout the course of the show, starting off as a sober companion and eventually ending up as a trusty sidekick and confidant to Sherlock. What can we expect from Joan in Season Three?

LIU: When you see them in the third season, you see some friction between the two characters. Joan is now on her own, she has her own detective agency, has a boyfriend, and has been without Sherlock for eight months. She’s got her own apartment, she’s settled, and he shows back up. I think she’s a little bit hurt by what happened and how their relationship and partnership ended, which was basically his decision and his choice, and he left it all in one little note for her. I think she felt that their relationship was much deeper than that, and that he was dismissive in the way that he handled that.

IVIE: How would you define the relationship between Joan and Sherlock?

LIU: I think that it’s a really positive and good relationship, overall. They really have a good chemistry together, work really hard together, and understand each other. They acknowledge each other and respect each other, which is a really important way to have a friendship. And they can learn from each other, you know? She’s very curious about him and I think he sees that she’s a very smart person—that’s vital for him in having respect for someone, having them be intelligent and thinking for themselves.

IVIE: Do you see any of Joan in yourself?

LIU: I do to a certain degree. She’s a lot more measured and patient, for sure. She’s a very curious person, which I think I am, and I think she isn’t afraid of change. She was a doctor, and then became a sober companion, and then jumped off and became a detective. I think sometimes it’s good to make big leaps.

IVIE: You’ve probably been asked this question many times, but do you think a romance between Joan and Sherlock could ever fittingly happen?

LIU: It’s a question that’s often asked and I think it’s really up to the executives. Rob Doherty, the creator [of Elementary] really feels incredibly strongly about keeping their relationship platonic. He has already taken great strides to keep the relationship as clean as possible according to the literature, but he has also changed so much of it by changing the gender of Watson. To have them have a romantic involvement would turn the whole thing upside-down in a way that might really jump the line. [Doherty] felt really strongly about it and I think that’s the one thing he really wants to stay true to.

IVIE: I totally agree. Even on the BBC’s Sherlock, there are campaigns to get Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock and Martin Freeman’s Watson to become romantically involved. It’s like, enough already, no!

LIU: No way, that’s so weird! People do have that level of friendship oftentimes, but it doesn’t mean it’s physical. I think that everyone just assumes because there’s chemistry the next thing should be happening. I would vote “no” for a romance. I think for sure the creator would vote no on that, too.

IVIE: I’ve talked to both women and men who watch Elementary, and they all consistently mention how well dressed and fashionable Joan is. Do you collaborate with the wardrobe department on styling decisions at all?

LIU: That’s awesome. Yes, I collaborate with Rebecca [Hofherr], who’s the costume designer, who’s wonderful. She’s very easy to work with. One thing we try to maintain about Joan and her style is that she’s a bit wrinkled, you know what I mean? Sometimes it looks like things are really put together, but we always want to make sure things aren’t too tight and are comfortable, kind of like she throws things together. We don’t want it to seem so business-y, so we go away from suits. Chic, but not corporate. Also just to make her seem like her outfits aren’t so put-together all the time. But I’m glad that people really seem to like it, it’s a relief! We don’t splurge a lot on the show, we try to do cheaper things, like things Joan would wear a lot. She wears the same white jacket and shoes frequently.

IVIE: Will we be seeing more of the infamous Clyde the Turtle in the upcoming season?

LIU: Clyde will indeed be in it again. We have to share custody of Clyde.

IVIE: Is it true that Clyde is actually two tortoises? Pulling a Mary Kate and Ashley in Full House on us?

LIU: Yes. It’s just like having twins on a show. Just in case one is crying and screaming and passed out or something.

IVIE: You made your directorial debut for an episode of Elementary last season [“Paint It Black”]. Do you have plans to direct an episode again soon?

LIU: That was so exciting. I’ll be directing another episode again very shortly in December, so you’ll be seeing it in a month and a half.

IVIE: Where did your interest in directing come from?

LIU: I guess I was curious about it. Having been in this business for a while, you kind of see and get a glimpse of everything doing film and television. I think it seemed like a natural progression to go into directing, and I hope to explore more of it, because it’s very exciting and a really good way to collide all the things that you’ve known and experienced in the business and put them all into one.

IVIE: Is there an ideal guest star that you’d like to see on the show in the upcoming season?

LIU: I would love to see Mycroft come back. I really think there was a wonderful tension for Mycroft and Sherlock as well as the triangle that occurred when Joan became involved with him. There’s something very deep about that relationship, and I also think that Rhys Ifans is a fantastic actor. He commands the screen, but off-screen he’s incredibly lovely. A real treat to have on the show.

IVIE: I remember the first few episodes that I saw Rhys in, I was like, where have I seen this guy before? So I looked at his Wikipedia page and it became obvious: he was the crazy guy from Notting Hill!

LIU: Yes, the roommate! So good! Everything he does, he just kills it, no matter the role.

IVIE: And it’s always good to have some MI6 action on the show, which Mycroft provided. Some international flair.

LIU: [laughs] International flair, exactly, some added spice. Just throw some spy stuff in there to throw people off their game. You just don’t expect it, you know? It came out of nowhere.

IVIE: That whole three-episode arc at the end of the second season…

LIU: That was awesome. I was lucky enough to direct one of those episodes, which is more narrative in tone. It’s more fun in some ways, too.

IVIE: You’ve done a range of acting work for both television and film. Do you now find yourself preferring one to the other?

LIU: I love both of them equally. The lack of predictability with television is something that’s constantly changing what your perception of who you think your character is. Suddenly I have a father that’s schizophrenic, or I discovered something else, or I have a relationship with Mycroft. The things that pop up and change the game for you and always keep you on your toes. The wonderful thing about film is that you have something that has a beginning, middle, and end, and you have a concrete amount of time to shoot it. And the process of that can be longer, like editing and advertising and testing the movie, so it’s very different. Television you just continue going, no matter what’s happening outside of your world. You get lost in that vortex a little bit.

IVIE: It’s interesting that America is now embracing the “mini-series” format that has already been so heavily utilized overseas, where there are a set amount of short episodes, and that’s it. In a way, it’s kind of like a cinematic experience.

LIU: I like that, too. It allows you to have a freedom of creativity and at the same time you don’t feel like you have to be contracted to something for that long; you’re really working on a piece of art. And then you’re done and you move on, or it comes back, like Downton Abbey. You don’t know. Those things become little masterpieces. The thing about television is that you see a range of actors now that you may not have seen five years ago even, 10 years ago absolutely not, and I think now there’s no wrong about doing television. There’s no definitive category for what kind of department you fall into anymore.

IVIE: What’s a fun, secret fact about your costar Jonny Lee Miller?

LIU: A fun fact about Jonny Lee Miller is that he oftentimes does handstands on a wall before he does a take, sometimes with pushups, to get blood to his brain and get him geared up for a long monologue that he may have. He stays there, hangs a little bit, and then turns around and does the scene. Most of the time in the brownstone more than anywhere else. He’s in full costume and everything. That’s trivia!

IVIE: I wish I could do wall-handstands by myself.

LIU: Oh my god, I need someone to push my legs up and then hold me there. I’m a cheat!

ELEMENTARY PREMIERES THURSDAY, OCTOBER 30 ON CBS.

[jenivi7]

writing tag game!

Thank you @clyde-side and @bdeblueyes for the tag!!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

22 plus a small handful on ff.net that I still intend to move over to AO3.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

30,445!  I’m surprised it’s that much considering how short most of those stories are. (And it’s a little deceptive since it doesn’t include the 80k monstrosity that is Ryou and the Thief. That one’s probably going to stay on ff.net though.)

3. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Those Things He Keeps for Himself (Total agreement. Personally I think this is the best thing I’ve written so far.)

Human (Was at #1 until very recently! I attribute this entirely to the story being on @shinayashipper’s Rivalshipping Rec List. Thank you Red! <3 )

Black (From when I wandered into Homestuck fanfic for a brief time! I’m still stupid proud of this one though.)

Ghosts, Goths and Other Anxieties (original short story) (I swear I’ll get back to posting the big bang version soon)

Finality (This one’s so old but I guess people still like their tendershipping! I mean, same~)

4. Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

I do try to respond to everything! I so appreciate when other authors respond to me and do my best to return that good good energy. Also I genuinely like chatting with people (especially about something I wrote lol) even if I get overwhelmed sometimes and can be slow ^^; 

5. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

This is a tough one cause when I start a story, it’s usually with the goal of giving the characters a happy end but it’s probably Coffee and Cigarettes. It was for a pairings competition where the random pairing was Mana/TK Bakura and I gave them a weird little break in the middle of canon where they both know what’s about to happen and it just came out sad.  NO WAIT I’M WRONG. Lol I just gave my story list another look and it’s definitely Crazy for You! That was an insane asylum AU that’s ABOUT everything going straight to shit.

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

Oh goodness, almost all of them! I love a happy ending. Like, the story doesn’t have to be all fluff, it can have an impossible looking problem or be about two people who just don’t go well together but I love a good, satisfying resolution. Most recent happy ending is No Betting, just a bit of adorable, domestic, peachshipping fluff. Favorite happy end is probably A Million Missed Chances, Mai/Valon. I feel like Mai is a challenging character to give a happy ending to. She’s just stubborn like that <3

7. Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you’ve written?

So, I haven’t written a crossover yet by myself but @miss-moberg and I will often throw around ideas for ones where we will use YGO characters or parts of the world building or magic system to fix things we don’t like in other canons. Right now we have a RP that’s a BNHA/YGO crossover where… oh, spoilers for BNHA: instead of going crazy and faking his own death, Toya grabs both his brothers and just fucking leaves. They run away to Domino, get picked up by Ryou and Akeifa (TK Bakura) and it quickly becomes the found family story I didn’t know I needed. We do some wild things blending the two canons. Domino is this little pocket where shadow magic keeps the hero and villain nonsense out and the citizens are pretty ok with it. Yugi and Atem are the city’s guardians. Ryou and Akeifa are not allowed to use shadow magic though they have access to it. I think Ryou and Yugi had proper quirks that they sacrificed to the shadows at some point, each for something different thing that they wanted or needed. Oh! We have quirks being derived from shadow magic at some point in the distant past and the shadows are always happy to take a quirk back to fulfill a wish or desire. They’re tricky though and usually corrupting. Very classic fairytale where it’s a thing you don’t want to make a deal with. Seto is quirkless and basically runs the city behind the scenes. He can’t deny the existence of heroes and villains but still refuses to believe in magic. This always gives Atem a headache when they have to coordinate to protect the city. Which is often.

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

A couple criticisms but no outright hate I don’t think. Or if I have it was so long ago I don’t remember. I was on ff.net at the worst times too and somehow all the hate just passed me by.

9. Do you write smut? If so what kind?

I love smut so much but I rarely write it. For stories I just usually end up with one or two erotic sentences. RPs are the exceptions to that though and are where all the good stuff happens. >.>

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Nope. Haven’t had one stolen, haven’t had one taken down. I’ve stayed small enough to fly under the radar for both things luckily enough!

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I wish! Man that would be amazing <3

12. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes! Ryou and the Thief is a cleaned up version of @miss-moberg and my very first RP. (And the only RP of ours to ever hit an actual ending.)

13. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

Puzzle with Gemshipping very close behind though I ship many, many things.

14. What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Phoenix. It was one of my very first fanfics started almost 15 years ago and while I’d love to finish everything, that one’s just not going to happen. It’s been too long and I’ve grown way too much as a writer to go back to it now.

15. What are your writing strengths?

I think it’s dialogue. And maybe the ability to be amusing. Not funny-funny but like, lightly humorous when setting scenes or winding up to something.

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

RUN ON SENTENCES. Sometimes they get away from me a bit XD

17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

Haaaa, actually when I first started writing fanfic I would throw in Japanese phrases and honorifics and looking back, it’s pretty cringe. BUT I can appreciate it as it was originally intended: learning and practicing a new language. If it makes sense for the character or situation though it’s really cute, like in Allargando by Slaycinder where Atem uses Arabic endearments for Seto. (Have I gushed about that fic on my blog yet? It’s so good.) Ancient Egyptian is the exception to everything I just said. I absolutely LOVE when someone takes a stab at putting ancient Egyptian in their fic. I go a little feral for it and it was the hardest but the most fulfilling thing about writing Ryou and the Thief was doing all the research write actual AE dialogue for Akeifa early in the fic.

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Yu-Gi-Oh. I’ve done a handful of things for other fandoms but Ygo is the one I keep coming back to and definitely the one I’ve written the vast majority for.

19. What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

Oh no this is hard! They’re all my babies and I love them! Probably my favorites have been listed in previous questions already. Ryou and the Thief because of the sheer amount of work that went into it and the fact that we ran the boys through a whole ass adventure, Coffee and Cigarettes because it’s such a fun, quirky little thing with a great atmosphere and Those Things He Keeps For Himself because I feel like I was able to really capture the idea in my head effectively and there’s some great imagery in it.

TAGGING:  Oh my god this took me so long to finally sit down and complete that probably everyone I would tag has done it already!  So not tagging anyone this time but please do it if it seems fun!

[maxwell-grant]

You are your top 5 Shadow agents

I don’t talk about the Agents as much as I should, even though I constantly try to stress their importance, because I’m working on essays for them individually. To be honest, I think about the Agents practically every day to the point I have a hard time separating my headcanons from the actual canon material, but I have to stay true to it, and the lack of material regarding them means that the only way I can truly talk about their characterization is by diving deep into the novels and taking notes, which I don’t have much time to do, and then finding the right books or moments to talk about, which is even more difficult. 

This by no means constitutes my big thinkpiece on them, but it’s a start, and ultimately narrowing it down was a lot harder than I expected. This order is by no means final, if you asked me this question next week or next month I’d probably have a different answer, but it’s the 5 that I find myself thinking on the most. 

Honorable mentions: Jericho Druke and Myra Reldon, who are incredibly awesome characters conceptually and who have great moments each, and whom I definitely think deserve big turns on the spotlight if the Agents ever get put on the spotlight again, but are held back by issues with their presentation and lack of prominence. Margo Lane, whom only just narrowly missed the cut because, as much as I like her and think she gets an underseved bad rep and definitely has great things going for her, I sadly have to concede isn’t as consistently great or well-written as she should be. Clyde Burke, whom I definitely like a lot based on what I’ve read and consider an integral part of the line-up, but haven’t read enough of the novels he’s in to really solidify him as one of my favorites just yet. And Slade Farrow, who is a bit too complicated to talk about superficially.

Allright, so here they are

Number 5: Burbank

As the center of all communications within The Shadow’s network and the only character in the series who is even more mysterious and elusive than The Shadow himself, Burbank is fascinating and the kind of character who simultaneously seems to be both begging for an in-depth exploration and yet who also should be dead last on the list of mysteries about the series we want spoiled, because nobody wants the mystery ruined. He’s a bit of cipher personality-wise compared to the other agents, but he kind of has to be, and I think it helps to illustrate the many forms the agents of The Shadow can and should take, that one of them is this total mystery whom we know nothing about and yet is so vital to the whole thing. And it’s interesting also because, for all the many variations we’ve had on The Shadow’s life and thoughts and feelings and etc over the years, Burbank has stayed more or less the same. Whatever variations he’s had in design aside, Burbank just is. 

The pulps did often have moments where we would get to see moments that told us a little more about Burbank, gestures he did, capabilities he had and didn’t have, little details Gibson would sprinkle in to keep people fascinated. Several scenes with Burbank are almost presented like you’re watching a movie, in the way Gibson keeps describing his face being mysteriously blocked from view by objects or lighting, like not even in your mind you are supposed to know what he is. And it’s all the more fascinating because, unlike The Shadow, as far as we know, Burbank is just some guy who’s good with tech, who was only recruited in the 2nd story but apparently knows The Shadow from before it, and whom The Shadow entrusted with virtually every secret necessary to keep his operations running. 

It’s kind of a sign as to how utterly neglected the agents are that, to this day, few writers who’ve ever touched The Shadow has ever come close to giving us any sort of explanation or backstory or anything on Burbank, and I refuse to believe these people had that much self-control. Of course I have my own ideas for Burbank, but even I would hesitate to put them on a story, because Burbank epitomizes that double-edged sword that comes with a solid narrative mystery. Burbank just is, and hopefully he will stay that way. 

Number 4: Dr Roy Tam

Mention of Dr. Tam meant much to Sayre. He was acquainted with Roy Tam, the Chinese physician. He knew that Tam was a power in Chinatown; one who worked for good

Unrolling a map, Tam showed the entire Manhattan area, studded with tiny dots in districts quite remote from Chinatown.

"These represent my outposts," he said soberly. "They are places, owned by Chinese - restaurants, laundries, curio shops, other places of business. In each of these places, I have a friend."

The Shadow understood. Dr. Tam was the motivating factor among the Chinese who adapted themselves to American ways. His mission was to create good will among races, to put an end to prejudice and superstition.

A newer and more sober spirit had replaced the old and dangerous festivities. Feuds in Chinatown were a thing of the forgotten past. Dr. Tam and his associates had done much to bring about the present sentiment; but there were persons - even among that group - who felt regret at the passing of old traditions.

Dr Tam is a remarkably layered character for one that only appears in about ten stories, and he’s one of the agents I’m most eager to discuss in-depth. He’s another one of those agents that Gibson introduced by tricking you into seeing him as a villain, as a Yellow Peril cliche, until he is revealed to be in fact a good man. Not just good, Roy Tam is presented as a powerful, influential and cunning Chinese man with a lot of assistants secretly working for him, and who is consistently presented as a progressive, pacifistic, benevolent civic leader and ally, even friend, of The Shadow. 

Tam is very much westernized and the stories paint that mostly as a good thing, and this is one of the areas that I think could very much result in an interesting story that looks at the ramifications of his role, because of course not everyone is going to agree with his viewpoints, of course him being an advocate against superstition and tradition isn’t necessarily a good thing (and it’s not how Yat Soon, The Shadow’s other major Chinese ally, works, which puts the two at odds), and of course it’s a complicated situation, but the fact that Tam invites this kind of debate at all I think is something very interesting

Largely because of the movie, Dr Tam is one of the few agents of The Shadow who’s managed to sustain appearences in modern stories, and none of them have ever really went with his original angle as a powerful civic leader. Instead he’s been largely painted as either a scientist, like in the movie, a general practitioner, and a psychiatrist, and his age has been all over the board. 

I prefer him in his original form but I also very much like the idea of Roy Tam being, like the Chinese supervillains he was created to be a subversion of, an incredible genius who’s got skills in all fields that can fit under the “Dr” part of his job and is also an incredibly capable leader able to unify splintered communities under a cause of unity and cooperation, someone who absolutely could be the adventuring genius so many other pulp heroes are, except he dedicates himself wholesale to his community and the fight against prejudice and the betterment of lives, even if he’s misguided or wrong at some of the causes he takes up. I really think this character could partake in really great stories if ever brought back.

Number 3: Cliff Marsland

(Fan-art by @cryptixcreations)

Cliff may have actually been the first agent I really fell in love with based on concept alone, even before I read the stories he was a part of and started loving all of the others. He’s one of the few agents who has prior history with The Shadow and we get ever so tantalizing hints at his background that we ultimately never get to learn about in full. He’s the resident tough guy and underworld contact of The Shadow, which in any other series might have made him the biggest badass and a loner action hero who’s too cool for things like thinking and relying on others for help. But here, trying to be that only gets Cliff into trouble, and circumstances gradually morph him into the series equivalent of a Team Dad. 

He was one of the agents who we got to see develop as a character. As he appears more frequently past his introduction, he grows from a headstrong, careless jackass, mostly interested in the action parts of the job, who “resigned himself to an adventurous career with violent death as its inevitable termination”, into one of the most reliable and capable agents, taking the lead during action scenes but otherwise fully defering leadership to Harry, and being the agent most likely to partake in gunfights and rescue The Shadow out of trouble, joining in missions like infiltrating circuses or high-society clubs and forming very strong friendships with Harry, Clyde & Hawkeye, who almost kills a man with his bare hands when he thinks Harry’s been killed. He’s the hardass, square-jawed ex-con who plays the reputation of a brutal killer, and is in reality a great friend, ally and husband (Arline has sadly only been mentioned in three stories), on top of being an invaluable fighter and secret agent.

Cliff could have easily been the protagonist of a long-running series all his own and that’s one of my favorite aspects of The Shadow’s agents. They are people with agency, goals and dreams and relationships and lives beyond the roles they play, they all have strengths and weaknesses and faults and positives that bring them much closer to us than The Shadow could ever be, with no end to the variety of roles they can take, and Cliff in particular is a character I’m very attached to. 

I do hope that he eventually found peace in a quiet life with Arline once his business with The Shadow was over.

Number 2: Harry Vincent

The Shadow as a franchise has been vastly worse off as a result of Harry Vincent being completely sidelined and mischaracterized in virtually every adaptation since, and the sheer love that Shadow fans hold for Harry purely may be the closest thing to a true universal opinion in the fandom. 

Harry is a lot of things: the audience surrogate, the protagonist of much of the early stories, the leader of the agents in field duty, the dude in distress who gets kidnapped far more than even Margo, a hopeless romantic, an action hero, the one who gets sent to recruit agents because all The Shadow has to do is send Harry on an assignment and wait for him to come back with a new friend. He is a competent, resourceful, strong, extremely kind ball of sunshine who's got the potential for greatness, even if he can't see it. 

And for this post I’m going to highlight this: Harry is, on top of all that, the ultimate embodiment of what The Shadow strives to protect, help and uplift. He is the living proof that The Shadow's mission has a good, positive effect in the world, long after criminals are brought to justice and plots are failed and victims are rescued, purely by the fact that he’s alive and helping others who were once like him. Someone who, despite having so much to offer, could have easily been swept away by the world’s callousness and cruelty, if The Shadow wasn’t there to rescue him and uplift him.

I liked The Shadow pretty much at first sight after seeing the character’s design and listening to episodes of the radio show, and my appreciation for the character grew after reading The Shadow’s Shadow, but it wasn’t until I encountered @oldschoolcrimefighters and her brilliantly informative writings on The Shadow and Harry that I not only fell in love with the series, but decided to do everything in my power to try and get other people to love it too and see the potential it has. I think a lot more people should at least be aware of why Harry matters. 

Number 1: Moe Shrevnitz

I was honestly a bit surprised when I rounded up all of the agents to make this list and Shrevy here ended up in Number One, but in hindsight, it may have been obvious all along. 

My reasonings as to why Shrevy is my favorite agent do get a bit too personal, especially because of something that happened to me as I was writing this post, so I’m putting it on a separate post here. 

[ppg-artss]

Y’all, hear me out💀: Brick and Brat.

Ik a lot of y’all are gonna be like ‘Brick probably wouldn’t like her because of how she acts and bc she lives up to her name, and brick will become annoyed or angry fast.’

No.

Brick couldn’t care less about the way she acts because Brat isn’t a bitch- at least not to him💀.

She’s mostly laid back, like he is. Level headed, like he is. Likes to plot and move in silence, before making a grand reveal that all the evil shit that’s been happening to one of her enemies, was her? Oh, Brick is proud. He also likes to be present when it happens.

He also understands the girl will do anything and everything to get what she wants. Sometimes, he doesn’t like the extent she’ll go to just to have something she wants, but like the brat she is, she’ll go against him.

Sometimes, she’ll transport to his dimension just to see him because she misses her partner in crime.

“I don’t like how quiet this city is,” she pouts, arching a brow as she looks around the boring city.

“Well, it is Townsville,” Brick mutters, glaring at other pedestrians he passed. “Stupid Powerpuffs always runnin’ around, and savin’ the day. Not much to do, B,” he explains.

The girl beside him lets out a low laugh. Brick stops walking. His eyes slightly widens. He knows that laugh.

An unconscious smirk plays on his lips, as his friend swivels around to face him.

“Oh, and what? You’re afraid of some puny little girls with superpowers? Who are you, Brick?” She looks at him with an unpleased face. But he knows she’s just teasing him.

“Come on, Brat, it’s not-”

“Who are you, Brick?” She repreats, pronouncing the ‘k’ in his name sharply.

She moved closer to him, all in his personal space, but no matter how hard she tried to intimidate him, it wouldn’t work because of how short she was. So she started to float, until she towered over him.

Brick looked off to the side with an uninterested gaze, and came across a gas station, but was forced to look back at her when she roughly grabbed his collar.

“Who. Are. You?” Her words low and dangerous.

“A Rowdyruff Boy.”

“Not any Rowdyruff Boy. The leader,” her dark blue irises shined with mischief. “The brain, and one of the brawns.”

“One of the most villainous badasses in this town. In the world. To exist,” she smiled.

Brick listened to her words with intent as she went on.

“A God, a bad boy, an evil mastermind, a fucking legend. A menace to society.”

He let out a chuckle, lowering his head. He shook it with a smile on his face. He looked back up at her.

“And you’re meaning to tell me, you’re scared of three little do- gooders?”

“I’m not afraid of nobody.”

“Nobody?”

“Nu uh,” he whispered, his words low.

“That’s my boy. Now, let’s make some fucking noise,” she smirked, blasting the building that stood next to them, listening to it crumble. And the screams people let out. Even the footsteps those poor useless humans tried to use in order to get away from them.

Her eyes never left his, as the building went down.

“Partners in crime, right?” She asked, her voice innocent, but he knew she was full of shit.

His eyes turned blood red, heating up his heat vision. “Partners in crime, B.”

I WENT OVERBOARD WITH THAT. SORRY😭‼️.

They will forever give me Bonnie and Clyde vibes😩.

[renatogpadilla]

FFVI as a D&D Campaign:

OK, so I've been watching "Critical Role" (Campaign 1, Episode 31, no spoilers!) a LOT lately and it got me thinking how FFVI (arguably the BEST "Final Fantasy" game out there) is essentialy that. The biggest moments could be atributted to CRAZY rolls! I can see each of the characters being played by one of the people at the table! * Marisha as Terra Branford: Would be phenomenal. Her mentality is kinda in-line with Keyleth's. The "Kill Their Own Emotions" moment in the boat shakes the table as a whole. And when it's time to run an orphanage and protect her kids from Humbaba, the emotion in her voice destroys everyone in the Party. The "Mama?" moment becomes the most fan-arted moment for her character until the final fight. Her Trance ability is agreed to be the coolest looking skill at the table. To say nothing of the way she'd react to the whole Slave Crown bussiness!

Matt: "She killed 50 imperial soldiers in a few minutes." Marisha, and the whole table: *S H A K I N G*

* Taliesin as Locke Cole: "Treasure Hunter!" every single time somebody calls him a thief or a rogue. The "Rachel" story would be absolutely heartbreaking with Taliesin's expressions. The solo-sneak through the town while meeting Celes would be one of the highlights of the Campaign... That and his frienship with Terra would only be accentuated by Taliesin's and Marisha's irl friendship. Not to mention him puking on the ship would serve as some comedic timing straight out of "Critical Role"! Also, "That bow looks good on you" LAUNCHES the ship to heights undreamt of.

* Sam as Edgar Figaro: I mean, COME ON! IT WRITES ITSELF! Besides, it would be enjoyable to see him use his -Artificer- Machinist abilities as creatively as he does! Can you IMAGINE him rolling high enough one day and then he just creates the Noiseblaster? And with that he pulls out the microphone every time he uses it and proceeds to shout some thing Scanlan would be proud of... Not to mention his friendship with Sabin would be amazing if played by Sam! "The little shrimp has become a mighty Lobster!" You can HEAR Sam Riegel's voice come out of that! And the two headed coin? Now THAT's a Scanlan! This without mentioning the violations of the Geneva Convention that the Bioblaster would certainly entail...

* Laura as Celes Chere: I mean, OBVIOUSLY. Meeting Locke in the dungeon? The apparent betrayal? THE OPERA HOUSE?! "I'm a former General, not some... Opera floozy!" TELL ME you don't hear Laura Bailey saying that! And then she rolls a Natural 20 on performance and EVERYONE looses their shit! Her Runic ability is the target of MANY close saves. Also, the way Locke and Celes' interactions happen, she'd be perfect opposite Taliesin. The chat on the bridge in Albrook? HEARTSTOPPING. The attempted suicide? You KNOW Matt would call the sesion there!

* Travis as Sabin Figaro: This one was obvious. Monk/Barb that gets mistaken for a bear, and acts like an absolute teddy bear around Terra? Yes. Gods above, YES. "You think a tiny thing like the end of the world was going to be enough to keep me down?" You heard Grog too, right? The moments would be worth MILLIONS. The Opera house and Travis going "Why is everyone singing?" and then getting more and more into it! Him holding up the house for Celes! "MISTER THOU"... But best of all, and probably the single most famous Sabin moment EVER, The Phantom Train:

Matt: The train tracks suddenly lurch to the side. Even after this long and hard-fought battle it seems *chukles* it seems this train isn't letting you get away with your lives. That brings us to you, Travis! Travis, on his 5000 IQ shit: I grapple the train.

Entire Table: ARE YOU FUCKING NUTS?!?!

Matt: No way in hell are you gonna- You know what? Roll for it. *Picks up dice for the Train* Taliesin: He's dead. He's so fucking dea-

Travis: NATURAL 20.

Entire Table: *Silent disbelief, everyone looks at Matt*.

Matt: *Also in disbelief* ...Rolled a 1.

Entire Table: *Inintelligeble gasping and hyperventilating*

Travis: I'm going to use my last Blitz as Meteor Strike and suplex the Train!

Matt: *Looking at the sheet, knowing damn well what's about to happen* Go ahead and roll for damage...

Travis: *Rolls for damage*

Matt: *Braces for impact* How do you wanna do this?

Entire Table and the Internet: *EXPLODES*

The Fanart keeps coming, even YEARS after the Campaign is done...

* Liam as Setzer Gabbiani: Since he's LITERALY "Mister Steal Your Girl", I think Liam would be PERFECT. Just imagine him getting set up as this suave and smooth rougue who wanted to kidnap a beautiful singer and then gets Laura instead! (Which isn't entirely wrong...) IMAGINE his expresions and his dissapearing under the table laughing as the others barely climb aboard The Blackjack. THE ENTIRE PARTY giving him shit for a low roll on a Wisdom Check (the double-headed coin) and him segwaying that into joining the party, only to find out that he actually knew all along... Priceless. The total and undistilled heartbreak as his ship falls apart, him trying to reach out for Terra and everyone falling on different places. And then meeting Celes a year later and doing the whole Daryll story... Liam would be the one to steal the audience every time he takes the spotlight! Though he would be a little like Percy in the sense that he doesn't get much to do until his arc happens.

"Money, Money, Money!" every time he throws coins to attack, the loaded dice (in character, not at the table?) and the card throws would make him so stylish in a D&D setting I'll be surprised if somebody hasn't done it already.

* Ashley as Relm Arrowny: She takes forever to join because of her constantly being away for filming, but once she's here? HOO BOY, does the fun keep coming! Her paintings coming alive and helping them fight? Her giving Sam shit for Edgar's love life? "Fuddy-Duddy!" becoming A Thing? All of those moments would be hilarious... But probably her most notorious moment comes when they find her a year later, serving a posessed brush, telling her to paint, paint, paint under the Magic House... "Keep painting until I'm complete..." The party snaps her out of it before she finishes the greatest painting she's ever done, her Magnum Opus, and then the painting coming alive prematurely in order to force her to finish... To give her form. And then the Lakshmi boss fight happens... Matt: And with the last of her strength gone, the banshee-like apparition dissipates into mist, and before any of you can react, Relm's magic brush begins to glow, like it had when you first came in here. The glow slowly creeps off the hairs and darts! Off towards the mistified form of it's mistress, enveloping itself into a thicc layer on top of the mist, swirling around... and around and around.

Ashley: Oh god, now what?

Matt: The colors dissipate, and Lakshmi unleashes a terrible wail! *DM monster noises* As it is now joined with this colorful cloud... And it compresses, smaller and smaller... And more solid until it's not mist anymore.

Marisha: *Gets it* ¡WAIT A MINUTE!

Travis: *Exited* ¡OH SHIT, HOLD ON!

Matt: The fog dissipates... And the calm returns to Relm's senses. Ashley you are now holding an innert, ordinary paint brush. However! Floating in the air, you see a crystal with a small glowing core, the particular essence of Life embeded in the middle, Terra you *points at Marisha* feel this and recognize it instantly, as it falls to the ground, and bounces a couple times... A brand new shard of Magicite.

Party: *FERAL LOOTING*

"Lakshmi" becomes the most PAINFUL fanart to make, and it's ALWAYS the one that's valued the most among the fandom.

The rest of the Party (Strago, Umaro, Mog, Cyan, Gau and GoGo) can be the guests that come over every once in a while (I particualrly see Wil Wheaton as Strago Magus, Mary McGlynn as GoGo and Will Friedle as Clyde "Shadow" Arrowny) with Shadow coming and going with the excuse that "His contract is up" (and let's face it, after surviving/witnessing the Phantom Train? My contract would be up too...) and coming back whenever his schedule/the plot allows. Eventually, everyone comes together for one last session and the battle with God Kefka. Setting their affairs in order, the reveal of who Shadow really is during a lone chat with Strago shakes the Critters to their core. Everything makes sense! Why Interceptor went straight to Relm when they met... Why his nightmares kept showing a village of magic users, yet they never mention Shadow in Thamasa! The group is RATTLED and wether or not he survives at the end becomes a HEATED argument between everyone at the table. Only Strago knows the truth...

The sendoff on The Falcon with everyone saying goodbye and seeing what the World will bring next is regarded as one of the most emotional scenes in "Critical Role" history... But the most completely DESTRUCTIVE force in this entire cast is Matt Mercer as Kefka Palazzo:

The personality... the narrative... The absolute slime in his voice when he poisons Doma. When he kills Leo and brings forth the Light of Judgement. Matt definitely has his moments playing Ultros. He's fun! And Emperor Ghestal was more of a political "Darth Sidious" villain. But Kefka? OH, LORD. NOBODY was ready for Kefka. "Enjoy the barbicue!" gets memed to no end, while also sending a horrible shiver down people's spine whenever somebody brings it up. Truly, the villain to end all villains. I can see it happen so vividly... If anybody wants to talk about this more, PLEASE hit me up! This just feels too good! Until off course the party moves on to their next Campaign in the setting for "Final Fantasy 5" but that's a whole OTHER can of worms!

[writingbykrystal]

Crash! The sound of something falling came from inside the house, followed by someone loudly swearing, and others laughing. Leah smiled as she got out of her car. Just as she was about to open the door, she had a better idea. Making sure the bottle of cheap wine that she had brought was safe, she closed her eyes, invisioned the inside of Jack's living room, and vanished.

Unfortunately, Leah miscalculated and ended up sitting directly in the middle of Jack's table, knocking over the newly built Jenga tower. Everyone stared at her for a second, until Izzy burst into laughter. "Guess that means Leah loses."

Smiling sheepishly, Leah hopped off the table and passed the wine into Izzy's waiting hands.

Jack's boyfriend Thomas, who happened to be the one that just rebuilt the tower, sighed, "I am not picking that back up again."

The door opened and Izzy's twin sister Jessica walked in. "Don't worry, Tommy, my dude, I gotcha." With a wave of her hands, the Jenga tower rebuilt itself.

Still laughing, Leah said, "Thanks, Jessie, but no telekinesis while we're actually playing, cheaters get no alcohol."

Jessie cackled and shook out her long, black hair. "Y'all are no fun. Izzy, gimme the booze."

Jessie looked around the table. "Who are we missing, just Adam?"

"Yeah. For a speedster, it's insane how he always manages to be late," Thomas said.

At that moment, the door banged open, and Adam rushed in, hair out of place, and holding another bottle of cheap wine along with some vodka. "Sorry I'm late, I forgot the alcohol. Nobody reminded me."

Jack sniggered. "That's because it's Leah's turn to bring the booze."

Confused, Adam looked at the bottle that was still in Jessie's hands. "Oh. Well, more for me then."

Before they picked teams, everyone decided to play Drinking Jenga. Whoever knocks over the tower, has to take a shot. Jack knocked it over twice, and Izzy three times. By that time, Izzy has just about lost her motor skills.

"Ok, new game," Thomas declared, after Izzy knocked it over for a forth time. "Sorry," she giggled.

They decided to split into teams for charades. "Ok, since Jack is a wimp and doesn't wanna do guys vs girls, let's pick out of a hat."

"It's not fair, the girls always win," Jack protested.

"Not true. You guys won, um, well. I'm sure you've won something," said Leah.

"We have not," said Thomas. "Anyways, let's have me and Jessie be team captains. I call going first."

After they all were divided up, Jessie's team, the Kool Kidz, consisting of her, Jack and Adam, were up first for charades. Jessie poorly mimed out an action.

"Skiing!" guessed Jack.

"Writing an email!" shouted Adam.

"Eating cotton candy!"

"Being a mime!"

"Getting robbed!"

Beep, beep beep. The time was up.

Exasperated, Jessie yelled, "Driving a car, how hard was that!"

During the next few rounds, Thomas's team, the Superstars absolutely destroyed the Kool Kidz, with the end score being 8 to 2.

All tired, and a little drunk, they all decided to sit in the living room and hang out.

Izzy, seated on the floor beside Leah, was talking about Clyde, Jack, Jessie and Leah's new annoying co-worker. "Ok, so I was doing a hold up with Hornet the other day, and Clyde, comes in all suited up and ready to go, and I was ready to honestly just let him have it, y'know, having an off day, and I skipped lunch, and all, and guess what the jerk does. Guess."

Jack's eyes grew big, and he started to chuckle. "He didn't. Tell me he didn't."

Full on chortling now, Izzy gasped out, "Yes. He did. He started monologuing at me. Full blown, 'You'll never get away with this, Ember, good always wins, blah blah blah.' And I was already having a day, and I didn't wanna deal with his shit, so I just punched him. Decked him right in the jaw, and walked away, right in the middle of his stupid hero speech. God, I hate newbies."

Gasping for air, Leah said, "Isabelle, you didn't!"

"I did, he was so bloody annoying, he even did a hero landing on the way in. I heard his knees crack!" The whole gang was now laughing so hard, nobody could get another word out. Jessie snorted so hard, she accidentally knocked over the Jenga tower across the room with her telekinesis, and Thomas shifted into a frog, and couldn't turn back until everyone stopped sniggering.

Finally, exhausted, all the heroes and villains calmed down.

"Well, lads, I think it's time for us to go," said Jessie, still wiping tears of laughter from her eyes. "Me and Leah have an early shift tomorrow, and I already feel like I'm gonna have a hangover."

Adam stood up and stretched. "I gotta go too, Hornet has got me on henchman duty all this week."

Izzy wrinkled her nose. "Gross. I hate henchman duty. Good luck bro."

Thomas laughed, "Same. I had it last week, and Hornet had me be a gorilla the whole time. I hate being a gorilla, they stink."

The four guests slowly exited Jack and Thomas's house. Adam, the only sober one because of his fast metabolism, was the one who had to drop the drunk girls off at their houses. As they were leaving, Izzy yelled over her shoulder, "See y'all at work, let's do this at my place next week!" She promptly ran into Leah, who then tripped over her own feet.

Sighing, Adam loaded all the drunk girls into Leah's car, and drove them home.