#like. literally only two over 8 arcs. isn’t that insane

[vic-does-battlecats]

Happy aro visibility day to Hollyleaf (she is clueless)

[officialtrashbin]

Ok ok ok ok ok wrap-up thoughts on the season now that the finale is out:

First of all, DEATHBIT DEATHBIT DEATHBIT

2) ok the subplot with Rogue and Magneto actually grew on me. Like, she’s rejected him ultimately but they still mattered to each other and they still do, it’s just not romantic from her side anymore. I can’t blame magneto for not getting over her rejection I’d never be able to take the psychic damage of losing Rogue

also yeah the age gap was a little weird but I’m living for the drama and the potential for their platonic friendship. I want to make a comment about how their stint is an example of unidentified trauma becoming trauma bonding but then I have to like…write it.

3) I actually think Roberto and Jubilee were super cute and have elected to give their storylines a pass. Like they’re just kids coming into adulthood and have found comfort in each other, that’s good enough for me for now. (Though I’d like to see more of comic-accurate Sunspot being adapted but I digress. It’s only been 1 season.)

Also I think Sunspot awkwardly hanging around the Xmen slowly coming to terms with his speedran adoption is the funniest basis for an arc and have no further comments. Might write a fic later on his Struggles.

4) KURT JOINING THE MOTHERFUCKIN SQUAD BABYYYY and literally just everything about him. Being so supportive of Rogue and holding her and encouraging Gambit and just 😭😭😭😭

5) PHOENIX JEAN PHOENIX JEAN I LOVED JEAN

6) cyclops was one of my least favs in the original, this show put so much respect back on his name. I actually adore him now—plus the scenes with him doting on his grown ass man child is hysterical. Need more of it. I need this guy telling people this Hulk Hogan of a unit is his lil boy.

If Nathan isn’t seen later at a baseball game with Scott in a Summer 01 jersey and the cyborg arm badly painted over I’m committing crimes.

7) I think Storm needed way more screen time. I know there were scenes with her written out due to budget issues (and also them skipping her goodbye to Gambit made me annoyed) but like. The fact that her centric arc was put across two episodes shared with other episodes was irritating.

7.5) In this same vein I missed Bishop, I got so attached!!!! but here’s to hoping he’s kicking ass again in s2!

8) the rate in which I fell in love with these characters all over again is insane. Like harder than the original show in a fraction of the time.

9) Rogue did nothing wrong. 😭

10) Magneto definitely wasn’t right, but it’s interesting to witness how they justified his view point with Genosha and Bastion, and the ripple effect it had on people who didn’t even agree with him in the first place.

11) Cherik lmfao they were SO gay. I’m all for affectionate besties and dudes being shown as having close platonic bonds but this was Very Affectionate Besties with Seductive Grin Bedroom Eyes Charles Every Two Sentences.

12) honestly want a version of this show though where Charles stayed gone. I actually like him! I just think not having him around to help guide everyone made things so much spicier. Magneto was StrugglingTM for Real

13) Gambit’s death was so good, but I definitely figured he’d be coming back somehow because there was no way they were offing him thinking Rogue didn’t choose him.

14) speaking of, I was mostly joking in my shitposts about Death Gambit cause I had my money on a possible Sentinel Gambit with Bastion’s introduction, but the moment they went to Egypt I started clawing up all my old shit posts.

15) ROGUE DID NOTHING WRONG (lots of wrong but you know what? I love her. She can commit wrongs again.)

16) Beast was so good but I also low key wish he had a bit more screen time. His bitterness after Genosha was short-lived, I wish it had been explored more, like Charles talking it out of him or something and reminding him about their goals or…something.

17) Bastion was awesome no notes, hope he comes back as a horseman for the flex

18) hot Magneto no notes

19) hot Apocalypse no notes

20) crop top Gambit no notes

21) “His name was Gambit! Remember it!” Rogue was so beast in this season, it was cathartic watching her beat the shit out of Bastion. Her and Sunspot honestly make for a cool combat duo and I want to see them interact more.

22) DEATH GAMBIT AAAAAAHHHHHG

23) ey yo hold up does this mean Leech and the Morlochs and the perished Genosha mutants are permanently dead??? 💀

24) Logan and Morph were definitely something this season and I adored it, I adored Morph especially. Like Morph really said I Love You even if it was as Jean, I take what I can get

26) Magneto ripping Wolverine’s skeleton out like homie wouldn’t try to kill him with a wooden chair if given the opportunity. If anything now Logan has 0 weaknesses and a personal vendetta he can act upon. Rest in pieces Erik.

27) A goddess, a gravely injured Canadian, and a metaphor for gender identity walk into a bar and all 3 say “ouch” (bad joke. You’re welcome. Don’t worry guys, Storm is there so their arc will be wrapped up in about 12 minutes. Sorry can you tell I’m still mildly salty about her lack of screen time)

28) Rogue launching Cap’s shield is 11/10. Do it again do it again (woulda been top tier humor if the end credits showed him still looking for it frantically as the asteroid got closer)

Mostly that’s all I got. I have various other thoughts including how fucking HYPE seeing my fav duo Cloak and Dagger made me, but these were the key personal takeaways.

[auromelt]

what do you think amazaki’s relationship would be like after the events of the movie (both platonically/romantically) and do you have headcanons? i’d love to hear them

sooooo excited to answer this!! i’m doing this on mobile so the formatting will probably be shit but my laptop is being serviced at the moment so well… and i’m really happy you differentiated platonic and romantic szam because i have different thoughts for both sides! i’m also gonna be using their first names because they feel like family to me today. anyways this post is long so…

generally i think they’re not getting any less toxic with each other lol. in the movie, kohei gave me the vibe of someone who’s been betrayed and used for his money by people he cared about or maybe considered his friends in the years he spent without ryo, which resulted in him becoming mistrustful of people and sealing himself away from creating bonds (which is preposterous to people like fujio because hello? this whole series is about forming bonds. get it together kohei!). so while kohei is doing his whole isolation from humanity bit, ryo enters as someone he used to know and used to know him. but that him is dead now, right? kohei isn’t the same as he was when they were 8 and ryo was his friend who shared promises and sodas with him. that kohei is sooooo dead. except he’s not. and ryo’s devotion and mental illness managed to wake that side of him back up from its slumber. this sets the scene for ryo being something like an exception to kohei, because ryo genuinely cares about him beyond his name and the depths of his pockets, he’s a person from a simpler time in kohei’s life, and despite everything kohei has said, he still harbours affection for that boy. and now ryo is crying like a baby on the floor in front of everyone they somewhat know after losing the goddamn fight and getting stabbed, and kohei isn’t even really angry. (did ryo ever get his hand stitched up btw? go to the hospital bruh)

now i have two ways this next part can go. let’s start with the idea that they actually do end up staying with each other and then my second idea that they don’t

onto present day, let’s talk about what i think about their relationship post movie, after crying on the floor like a baby, ryo makes up with kohei and they somewhat restore their friendship. but like i said earlier, ryo is an exception to his wah wah i hate people and friends are a waste of time schtick. plus he beat up or bribed almost everyone in the cast so nobody would even want to be his friend anyway? so basically ryo is his only friend and because of ryo’s nature, kohei is also his only friend, not because ryo can’t make other friends, i envision him as being quite popular actually with his strength and his awkward babygirlness that has charmed the masses, anyways its not because theres a shortage of people who want to be friends with ryo but rather there’s a shortage of people who ryo wants to be friends with (he’s got a list and it’s just kohei’s name on a sheet of paper). anyways, as i was saying ryo is literally all kohei has at this point, and stupid saboten but nobody wants to be friends w him, so hes probably really insecure and possessive over ryo. ryo could leave him at any moment (he wouldn’t. they’re for lifers in ryo’s head) and kohei can’t have that happening, not when ryo is basically the only person on earth who loves him and who he cares about at all. that’s his tether to his humanity. he needs ryo with him no matter what. and because ryo is mentally ill and has attachment issues, he indulges and fuels kohei’s possessiveness and allows it to grow and grow until their worlds literally just center each other.

like i’m sorry but i can’t see their relationship ever being healthy. this is batshit insane amagai kohei and devoted guard dog suzaki ryo we’re talking about.

in my second scenario, they split. kohei is actually kinda pissed about what ryo did in the final arc and drops his ass. he learns absolutely nothing in the fight. of course, this is kinda disputed by the final scene where he calls ryo his friend and they’re still clearly together. though in my head, as a suzaki ryo worshipper, i think it might actually be possible for him to break the chain and get out of his terrible situation. as much as i like my szam, they’re awful for each other and it’s far more detrimental to ryo than it is for kohei, they have an awful power imbalance and kohei didn’t treat ryo well. of course, kohei is mid without ryo’s aid, in a fight against a badly injured tsukasa he almost died real bad, so i doubt he’d let the only person who still ate from his hand after oya n the others cornered them in the gym go. ryo would probably be punished for losing and ryo, being ryo, would take it quietly and suffer for the rest of his life.

isn’t that depressing.

ANYWAYS with all that out of the way, let’s dive into my headcanons. i’ll start with the romantic ones because i love my doomed yaoi like that and then write a list of stuff that can be either romantic or platonic because i believe you can’t actually have a romantic relationship without a platonic one.

romantic szam (some 🔞)

kohei is a proud lover. everytime he speaks to someone about ryo he refers to him as my boyfriend, my lover, etc. ryo is wayyyy more reserved than that and barely talks to people, so you’ll have to glean how much he likes kohei from his body language

kohei is jealous as fuck their relationship is like the “you’re the most jealous man i know” “you know other men?” post (y’all watch cherry magic) his stomach starts hurting when ryo so much as looks at another person. ryo could beat a guy up and he’d be like “you should’ve touched him less while punching him.”

kohei says i love you first and ryo cries. ryo is too awkward to say it even though he’s basically been in love with kohei for a whole decade now. talk about slow burn. kohei gets embarrassed when ryo cries and leaves the room awkwardly.

power bottom kohei. what can i say. what can i say. what can i say. (ryo definitely cries during the first 5 times too)

ryo is dense as hell. kohei could be hinting at wanting to go somewhere on a date or do something together and ryo wouldn’t get it unless kohei is literally shouting it into his face. and secretly ryo likes the way kohei’s face gets all blushy and embarrassed when he’s yelling at him.

there is something wrong with them and nobody ever understands how they work or are together at all and kohei hates the doubt and judgement but ryo’s kinda just like eh… idgaf.

i mentioned earlier that i see kohei as pretty insecure, man. if he could leash ryo and keep him with him forever and ever he absolutely would. but unfortunately ryo has this thing called “a life” and he has to “live it” so they can’t always be togther. kohei is well aware that he’s treated ryo like crap and that ryo could very easily just find someone else and leave (no he couldn’t that boy stockholmed himself) and nooooo way. he spends all his time apart from ryo thinking about how ryo could be meting someone better than him rn. of course, ryo doesn’t want or care about anyone else.

okayyy when they start dating, oya definitely hears about it from jamuo and tsukasa’s kinda grossed out by it but at the same time it makes sense.

kohei’s family obviously disapproves of whatever they got going on but that’s a problem for future kohei

platonic szam (could be romantic)

they’re on first name basis, and outside his family, ryo is the only one who is allowed to call him kohei (and meeee :3)

i like to imagine kohei keeps an extra set of everything at his house for ryo’s usage. a towel, a toothbrush, a pillow, etc. only ryo can use these things, and only ryo stays over anyway. the amagai house is probably creepy as shit.

anything ryo wants, if it’s in kohei’s power, ryo will get. kohei doesn’t know how to be normal about showering his only friend with gifts and doing things for him. of course, ryo is a very simple guy and doesn’t actually ever ask for anything.

ryo likes tacky cheap items like ugly t-shirts and $1 socks and kohei obviously only wears branded shit bc he’s. well he’s kohei. but when they walk past a store selling those irritating matching friendship/couple shirts he drags ryo in and buys a set for them and then spends the whole trip back complaining about how itchy the material is and that he “can’t believe you convinced me to buy this ugly ass shit”

kohei tries really hard to make up for the shit he put ryo through even though ryo is absolutely nonchalant about it like “kocchan it doesn’t matter?” but kohei is like NO. I WILL MAKE IT UP TO YOU. and then he doesn’t and the cycle repeats

anyways thanks for reading if anyone even made it this far 🤠 resident amazaki shipper OUT.

[thememerman]

Can we just,.,.accept that both Crosshair and Hunter had their reasons for doing what they did?? And honestly neither of them really did anything wrong??

Hunter left Crosshair because he tried to kill them. He didn’t understand anything about the chip, he really thought Crosshair had just lost his mind. And as soon as he learned about it and how to fix it, we immediately jumped to episode 8 where Crosshair tried to incinerate them with a jet engine. He tried to communicate that the chip was affecting him, and Crosshair didn’t care. Hunter couldn’t even get himself or Omega out of that situation unharmed. He had no way to snag Crosshair from his squadron of stormtroopers out for murder. After Bracca, Hunter was focused on getting Omega back because she’s just a kid; she isn’t with the empire, she hasn’t been chasing them down and almost killing them. From Hunter’s POV, the possibility of getting Crosshair to come with them willingly or even at all is looking bleak and even though he knows it’s not Crosshair’s fault, he’s been so overwhelmed with trying to keep the people relying on him safe and right now he doesn’t think Crosshair is relying on him. And honestly, how were they even supposed to know where Crosshair was half the time? He wasn’t on Kamino 24/7 and the Batch isn’t exactly swimming in imperial informants. But that aside, of course he was thinking about Crosshair; Hunter is loyal to a fault and you can just see the emotional pain that flashes across his face whenever Crosshair is mentioned because that’s his little brother and he couldn’t save him and he feels like he failed. Hunter never was and I don’t think ever can be indifferent when it comes to the people he loves. Whether you like it or not, Hunter was trying his best to keep everyone safe and stop running suicide missions because the galaxy was changing and he was trying to change too. He did nothing wrong.

Now Crosshair.

To all of you calling him a Nazi and saying that the animators and writers intentionally lightened his skin just to make a racist show of dominance, stop it. He was referring to their genetic enhancements being superior. That’s it. He’s always hated regs because let’s be fair the regs were never exactly good to him either (AFTERMATH). Now let’s just take a look at how the chip works shall we!! We know from Rex and Wrecker that clones know what they’re doing while under control of the chip and they’re powerless to stop themselves. So we know in Aftermath that the chip was strengthened to an insane degree, and Crosshair could still see himself taking head shots on his brothers and trying to murder them and he couldn’t stop no matter how badly he wanted to. He was powerless. And then the Batch left; at this point he probably understands that his brothers had to go. They’d regroup. They’d know this wasn’t his fault and they’d come back.

Months pass. Crosshair doesn’t know about the solemn looks the Batch exchange when he’s mentioned. Crosshair doesn’t know that they can barely get food for themselves. Crosshair doesn’t know that Wrecker has flat out said he misses him. Crosshair doesn’t know how Tech said “it doesn’t appear he’ll be needing it” with a twinge of sadness in his voice while giving Omega his comm. Crosshair doesn’t know how much Hunter hates himself for leaving and that Hunter was always planning on going back to him someday because someday he’d have the perfect plan and he could save everyone this time. How could Crosshair know?

More time passes. Crosshair probably still has his chip on but he’s still in there, watching himself become more and more important to the Empire. No rescue attempts. Not one. How awful does he have to feel?? They went to get Echo out of Skako with no backup and they didn’t even know Echo and they can’t go back for him? And here’s the Empire, giving him power and some semblance of control. Things are changing fast and now he has nobody but himself to adjust with, and besides, he’s always had an egotistical side so maybe being a commander and putting the regs in their place isn’t so bad to him after all. He’s alone. He adapts or he dies, that’s the job and that’s all he has now.

Onto Bracca!! If Crosshair is telling the truth about getting his chip out, I firmly believe it had to have been after the events of Reunion. It wouldn’t make sense otherwise; “if I wanted you dead, you would be” sweetheart giving the order to have them incinerated and starting to walk away really seems like you wanted them dead and then going from ordering Omega to be executed to telling Hunter that if he cares about her he should let her go and be safe away from them??? You can’t tell me that Bracca!Crosshair wouldn’t have dragged Omega back into the training room and killed her right there just to keep them from choosing her over him. So let’s just assume for now that Crosshair wasn’t lied to and his chip is out (I’m still holding onto a scrap of hope to the contrary because A. there’s no scar B. HE’S STILL HOLDING HIS HEAD and C. my boy isn’t making any SENSE he just killed off a bunch of Imperial stormtroopers to convince the Batch to join his Empire that he cares so much about??) it had to have happened after Bracca I said what I said idc. If the chip is out, I’m sure his head is still an absolute foggy mess because lord only knows what cranking those chips up to full strength several times will do to you, but suddenly he’s realizing that he’s still angry with them. He’s still hurt. He’s still very much alone. Maybe they never cared about him at all.

And don’t get me started on any “if he did any of this willingly he is irredeemable” garbage. How many times did Kallus almost kill the Ghost crew?? I’m sorry, was it not Kallus who ordered the Lasat genocide?? Don’t take this the wrong way, I adore Kallus and his redemption arc was one of the most beautiful things about Rebels but the point is if he can do all of those horrible things for the Empire for years and is still allowed a redemption stemming from realizing everything he thought he was fighting for was a fiction, THEN SO IS CROSSHAIR. With that side note out of the way let’s think about how alone and betrayed Crosshair feels by the Batch and let’s realize that after they left Ryloth, after they left him again, what does he want?? He wants them. He doesn’t want to kill them, he doesn’t want them imprisoned and he doesn’t want to make them pay. He wants to fight side by side with them again, he wants his brothers back. And even though he’s so beyond hope that they still care about him, heck he literally said “don’t make the same mistake twice; don’t make me your enemy” he thinks they were enemies and he still cares about them so freaking much that he went through an entire elaborate scheme to get the whole Batch on Kamino and set up the stormtroopers’ deaths to prove his loyalty that they could have if they just gave him some of their loyalty too. “Loyalty means everything to the clones” is starting to get a really bitter taste innit??

The point of this longwinded rant my friends is to beg y’all to stop being so black and white about these two. They’re both human, they both have made mistakes and have regrets, they’re both trying their best to survive in a galaxy flipped upside down. Things played out how they had to and they’re both victims of the real villain of Star Wars, who has always been Palpatine. The fact that there is so much to unpack with these two characters shows how flipping amazing the writers are!! They’re so layered and complex it’s literally like they’re real!! So please. Stop hating on them so freaking loudly. They’re my boys and they both deserve a warm hug and a nap after the season they’ve had

[pumpkinspice-prouvaire]

(i have no idea what killing eve is but no less than 5 of my favorite people genuinely seemed moved to commit crimes over it?? what. happened???? what did they do to you all???)

ohohoho hope you're ready for a rant. I know very little about screenwriting but what I do know is that I am a n g r y. 

answer under the cut for major spoilers for the killing eve season 4 finale

the short answer is they buried their gays

the long answer is that they spent four seasons building up an incredible wlw relationship with two actors who have some of the best chemistry I have ever seen. In the last episode of the series, they finally gave us what they wanted and had Villanelle and Eve start a relationship, with one of the most tender first kisses I have ever seen (this scene makes me insane I only saw it for the first time last night but it has been on a constant loop in my brain ever since). They also managed to wrap up all their storylines, the big bad was kiled off, all the characters had their arcs completed, all good. 

And then, literally in the last thirty seconds of the episode, they bury their gays by killing off Villanelle

And I’m just like?????????????? What does this achieve????????? It doesn’t add anything??????? The story is finished, so it’s not going to have any impact on wrapping up anyone’s arcs, and doesn’t tie up any loose ends. It’s the last thirty seconds of the entire show, so there’s no time for any sort of character work, we’re not going to see how Eve copes without having Villanelle in her life anymore, or how losing the woman she loves after finally getting her will impact her and her future, because again, IT HAPPENED IN THE LAST THIRTY SECONDS. It tells us nothing, it adds nothing, it was so obviously done purely for shock value, and as well as being insulting to the audience, it speaks to a lack of confidence in your own writing, because do you think the episode isn’t good enough on its own without having this wild ‘twist’ at the end? 

What makes it worse is that it didn’t need a twist. Like, I cannot express enough that having Eve and Villanelle escape from the big bad and run away together, which is what was implied would happen, is exactly what I wanted from the ending. Like, having it right there and then having it taken away in the LAST THIRTY SECONDS FOR SHOCK VALUE, is just............A really shitty way to end my favourite tv show of all time. As my roommate said when we watched it, why are writers today so against giving anything a happy ending? There is absolutely nothing wrong with the final episode until the last 10 minutes, and when I rewatch it I will be turning off at the 30 minute mark. It’s insulting to the audience, it’s insulting to Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer (and from what I’ve heard they’ve made in subtly clear that they’re not happy with the ending), it’s insulting to all the writers who worked so hard to subtly build this relationship in the previous 3 series. 

TLDR it was an unnecessary sucky ending, thanks, I hate it.

this absolutely does not explain in any way what Killing Eve is lol, but even with all that said, I cannot recommend this show enough, it is my favourite tv show of all time and it’s an incredible watch. Just for the love of God when you get to series 4 episode 8 turn off at 35 minutes

[pineapple-lover-boy]

Cursed Child Could’ve Been Better and Here’s Why:

Part 1?

Hate the Cursed Child. The play is a good play on its own but it doesn’t match up with Harry Potter as much as it should’ve, we all know this. But I want to present some ideas on why Delphini COULD have been the coolest villain ever and how she could work (plus a few extra improvements over all):

Main point against her is that Voldy couldn’t have children cause he split his soul. How about this: he could have children, but they end up having a fractured soul as well. They are sickly beings.

With the live potion conception, or as I like to call it “Merope r@ping Tom Riddle”: because of the love potion conception Voldy couldn’t feel love. That could work for Delphi too except to a less degree because she was most likely made from consent (Bellatrix would obviously say HELL YES and she definitely couldn’t sneak one on Voldy). She could still not understand love but she can kind of feel platonic/familial love, again, still not being able to understand it which can cause her to become overwhelmed and set up some sympathetic and angsty scenes for her

Voldy would never do the do, ever: Maybe not, but let’s remember that this is just fanfiction from two guys that JK signed off on. I could see him having a kid on the rarest occasion though. Having children only builds his future empire and if he still hasn’t won the wizarding world by the time they can do decent magic he’s at least got himself a new recruit. Plus we know and he knows that he’s strong, his magic is strong. Bellatrix’s magic is strong. This guy is basically magical H1tler so he is probably down for some experimentation between two very powerful wizards. And having a baby while in the middle of a war isn’t that far off. Literally every person in Harry’s year was born during a year when Voldy was obviously winning. And to have a child during the war as a safe goat isn’t a bad idea for someone like Voldy. Yes he is prideful and thinks that no one can defeat him but it was only a few years after he came back. Harry still defeated him as a baby through powers unknown to him. He may think he’s the best but there had to be at least one seed of doubt in his mind.

“What about the story? It’s trash, and Delphi only makes it worse!” I hear you say. Well here are some improvements I’ve thought of:

1. No time turners. JK specifically destroyed them for plot hole reasons. Cursed Child is a plot hole in itself while using them

2. Have it center around Delphi rebuilding her fathers empire instead of trying to bring him back. If Delphi is anything like her father then she’s smart enough to know that time travel only complicates things

3. Because of the live thing I mentioned before, have Delphi have some feelings. Yes her father couldn’t live and her mother was crazy, go off of that. Have her find out how dysfunctional they both were and have her ask herself “if they were so insane and failed, is it really smart for me to be doing this?” Have her feel something towards Albus and Scorpius, a sisterly feeling towards them. Have them convince her in the end that what she’s doing is wrong and have her completely brake down. Make her a relatable human being that just wants to make her parents proud because that was the only reason for her to be brought to that Earth.

4. Make it a book. Listen, having it as a play is fine but having it as a book first I feel fleshes out that characters more and then when we really know them we could have a play. Most plays are based off of books or movies because they want to see the characters break down in song or have the conversations in front of them but if you want to make the Harry Potter fans happy than please make it a book first. It doesn’t even need to be a series.

5. Let Harry be a loving father. Seriously. How could they mess this up? He was an abused child by his only guardians after his parents died. There’s no way in hell he’s gonna say something bad and then not immediately take it back. It’s ok to make him have mistakes and misunderstandings as a parent, after all they’re probably still suffering tons of trauma after 19 years, but to not have him feel sorry right at that moment is an insult to Harry and what he went through.

6. Keep Draco’s redemption arc. It was actually good. Probably the best thing in the play.

7. Show how the world is crumbling under Delphi’s destruction. Don’t go to alternate realities to show it, cause we know that they haven’t happened yet and can be fixed. It creates more tension because how is this going to be fixed? They’ve probably just finished making everything alright in the wizarding world and now it all goes to shit again. Show the desperation in the characters. Their want to get things right again. Not just some “oh no this is terrible! We have to fix it!” Type of stuff. That’s why a book is the best format, you can show these tiny details.

8. Stop the queer baiting.

9. Show how the older characters are still suffering from their trauma, in different degrees, and how they deal with that while taking care of children. Show them trying not to have ptsd flashbacks or panic attacks in front of their children, show it actually happening.

10. Don’t have Rose be a total asshole. Have her be a bit wary around Scorpius but ultimately trusting him because she trusts her cousins decision. Have have be the new Golden trip but in their own ways. Mesh the original trios ways into their own: Albus has the brave leader (like Harry), Scorpius as the heart but has still got plenty of brain (mesh of Ron and hermione), and have Rose be another strong and brave leader while also being a bit of the heart too. (Which can cause some tension between her and Albus cause they both want to lead). Also mesh some of the other characters too. Scorpius can be like Neville, unsure of himself and how brave he can be but having a moment of confidence where he knows he’s capable. Have Albus be be as open minded and spirited as Luna, let him have moments where people look at him weird for some less than logical ideas but him not caring. Have Rose be as competitive and fiery as her aunt, Ginny, don’t make her be snobbish but let her have a temper that makes people say “wow!” instead of rolling their eyes in annoyance. However these characters are portrayed, let them be similar to the multitude of trios in the second generation, but different enough that they are their own people.

That’s all I have for now. Please tell me any other ideas or critiques, I know there is a lot more. I genuinely think that they could’ve had the character of Delphini and made it work but they just made her a Great Value version of her father who uses unconventional methods of getting him back. I honestly loved the character of Delphini when I first read the script and I still do, she just needs to be fleshed out more and have a better story. Also having her be sick as a part of being birthed from a guy that had barely any soul could be and interesting plot point too. Her being unsure coupled with the fact that it’s hard for her to even live normally could contribute to the fact that she can’t keep on fighting anymore. Anyways, thanks for reading this, I know it’s long. And please tell me your thoughts!

[mysterylover123]

Popularity Poll #7 Thoughts

1. Yes yes the next chapter is insane and apparently the plot twist was on top of another and yada yada whatever. My brain: WHO CARES ABOUT THE PLOT THERE ARE MORE BKDKS AND THE POPULARITY POLL.

2. I clearly have my priorities straight. Anyway:

3. THE GIRLS GOT SCREWED AGAIN?! Ochako and Momo are in the top 15 but otherwise. WTF. 

4. NO VILLAINS EITHER. Despite the last arc and the anime being about hte villains. NOT EVEN MY BOY TOUYA, who is pretty popular. What?

5. Shinsou isn’t exactly a surprise since he was in the anime season, so was Hawks and they’re both popular so I guess that makes sense. 

6. The 5 main boys of Class 1A are always there, though I was kinda hoping there might be an upset in the ranks and Shoto might leapfrog Deku again. Also I wonder why Kirishima’s still so high, since he’s been out of focus forever? 

7. Aizawa hasn’t done a lot this year though I mean I like him but why? I guss maybe he and Mic are here because the anime did the “Shirakumo” plot so we all got emotional over them?

8. The biggest surprise is that freaking Rody made it into the top ten. THE MOVIE CAME OUT LIKE ONE MONTH AGO HOW THE HECK?! Like seriously he’s been a character for all of four chapters being published in the manga and HE’S ALREADY MORE POPULAR THAN EVERY SINGLE GIRL?! 

9. OK enough complaining. Yes, everyone looks really attractive in their cosplays. I wonder if hte animals are supposed to have symbolic meaning? Kacchan’s got a wolf, Deku a sheep, is it like, the Year of the Something in the Chinese calendar? 

10. And of course the best for last: Deku and Kacchan in this shot look like they’ve got their arms around each other’s waists. Or like they’re checking out their future house together. Whatever they look married. They’re literally the only two characters on the poll who are standing together. I SWEAR THEY’RE MORE TOGETHER EVERY CHAPTER.

[nightwingmyboi]

Can I ask why you hate Batman and Robin Eternal? (it was my first DC comic ever, my dad bought it for me in one of his trips even though I didn’t know anything about the batfam or comics in general lmao). It’s been so long since the last time I read it I don’t even remember what it was about (I do remember enjoying it in that moment but it may have also been because it was a gift and the drawings were cool lol)

Aww, that’s very sweet. There are certainly bits of the comic that are enjoyable. I’m pretty sure that I’m actually in the minority when I say that I don’t care for it...but since you asked lol, there are several things about these comics that really rub me the wrong way. This is pretty negative (and way longer than I’d planned), so be warned. 

For starters, Dick Grayson was just...not treated well by his family members in these comics. It felt particularly brutal here specifically...I think because Dick would say very harmless things, and his family’s responses in return were so abrupt and unreasonably harsh. Like, Dick says that he’s glad to see Batgirl, and wonders what some kids are doing dressed as Robin...

Batman and Robin Eternal #4

And Batgirl bites his head off. Or, there were times where Dick would just be hanging out in the general vicinity, and people would just take shots at him out of the blue for seemingly no reason. 

Batman and Robin Eternal #3

It felt like he could barely breathe without someone criticizing him for it. At one point, Dick confesses that he’s feeling discouraged, and Damian’s response is to punch him in the face. 

Batman and Robin Eternal #22

Which is a pretty good summary of the family’s treatment of him in these comics to be honest. Just literally, lashing out at him for zero reason while he just takes it. 

One scene in particular that really frustrated me was this one: 

Batman and Robin Eternal #5

You know, that other time in this comic series where one of Dick’s family members punches him in the face while he, once again, takes the hit and does nothing to retaliate. Good times. 

For context...the big bad in these comics is a villain known as “Mother.” Her speciality is brainwashing. She placed several of her “children” in high-profile positions in order to enact her plans, even managing to infiltrate Spyral. In a message left for Dick, Batman specifically explains that “Anyone could be under her control, Dick. They could be people you know. People you love…they probably will be” (Batman and Robin Eternal #1). 

Unlike in Pre-52, Tim’s background is largely a mystery. He’s acting suspiciously. So, Dick takes it upon himself to investigate and ensure that Tim’s not one of Mother’s plants. 

On Tim’s side of things, he’s upset that Dick investigated behind his back and found out where he’d secretly had his parents living for their safety. Dick unintentionally brought danger to their doorstep (though, notably, no one was actually hurt). But Tim’s pissed, and punches Dick in the face. 

Not gonna lie, this was hard to take. I mean, even if Tim was in the right in this argument (which he lowkey isn’t in my eyes), that still does not make it ok for him to just punch Dick out of the blue when Dick is, as pictured above, just talking to him. 

And the hypocrisy that Tim is displaying here is stunning. How he had previously told Dick off for keeping secrets from the family by going undercover with Spyral, when he in fact had a whole secret family tucked away in a corner. How he tells Dick off now for invading people’s privacy, when just earlier in this very comic he had planted surveillance devices in Stephanie’s apartment without her consent. 

Batman and Robin Eternal #2

How Tim storms off and goes on a solo mission with Jason because Dick’s supposedly too personally invested and thus compromised, when he just got so emotionally unhinged that he lost his shit at Dick and punched him. Once again, may I just say, simply stunning. 

But does Tim ever face any consequences for this behavior? Oh, of course not! Instead, we get Jason joking about how great it is to punch Dick in the face when he is not even fighting back. 

Batman and Robin Eternal #7

And everyone collectively piling on to Dick and blaming him, even though he had legitimate concerns. Awesome. 

Batman and Robin Eternal #6

Batman and Robin Eternal #7

And Dick just continues to take it. Not once does he stand up for himself. It’s so hard to read him continually get shit on, I’m sorry. And it’s crazy how they treat him this way, and yet still ultimately look to him for encouragement and rely on him to save the day in the end? You hate to see it. 

I also didn’t like what they did with Cass. I know, I’m just full of complaints. But they really watered her down. With Pre52 Cass, you could actually describe facets of her personality. She was compassionate, had a very refreshing, sassy sense of humor, etc. She wasn’t just...mysterious action girl who has a dark past and cries occasionally. I mean, there were moments where I could see glimpses of personality (the time she visited the ballet being the main one), but on the whole she punched people when needed, and otherwise just stood there as people talked about and around her. Essentially a prop for the story. 

Batman and Robin Eternal #24

Another thing that makes me so uncomfortable (that I couldn’t pin down until I read this post here) is the fact that this comics version of events makes it so that Cass’ own backstory no longer has her as the focus; it’s not about her emotional struggles and journey. By having Cass kill Harper’s mother rather than a random man, it makes the story about Harper, and about Cass gaining Harper’s forgiveness. So...more using Cass as a prop...as an element of someone else’s story in what is supposed to be her origin! 

Honestly, I have no idea why Cass would want to stay with the Bat-family in these comics anyway...her previous mentorship with Barbara Gordon is nonexistent. She’s no longer Batgirl. The two people who were once her closest friends treat her horribly. 

Batman and Robin Eternal #3

Batman and Robin Eternal #4

As if she’s barely a person. Once again, sooooo hard to read this. Why. 

Yeah, I could go on forever nitpicking here. You probably got a sense of it already, but I absolutely despise how Tim is characterized here. Most of the time, he’s an ass. Jason also had pretty inconsistent characterization. And I really don’t like how the whole comic treats Robin like something Batman owns and is meant to benefit from, rather than as something Dick created. I don’t like how Cain was “redeemed” in the end, and that Cass took on the name Orphan instead of Black Bat or Batgirl. Once again, how is she connected to the Bat-family exactly? And I don’t like how Dick’s time as Robin is portrayed. 

The existence of this comic...drives me insane...

It’s also the worst time to be doing a “Does Batman treat his kids like child soldiers?” arc considering it is coming on the tail end of Spyral, aka that one thing that Dick did because Bruce beat the shit out of him and forced him to. 

Nightwing #30

Looking through Batman’s speech to Dick there...some of the things he says to Dick are so uncomfortably close to what Cain says to Cass. Really horrible parallel there. Why DC. 

I really don’t know why Dick was so certain that Bruce didn’t do something shady with Mother, as was implied throughout the comic, when Bruce had pulled the Spyral crap fairly recently. Idk why they didn’t play into that side of things. Like, the fact that this arc ends with Dick comforting Batman about them not being child soldiers: 

Batman and Robin Eternal #26

Instead of Batman stepping up to reaffirm to Dick that he was a good partner and a trusted ally when he spent the whole comic being insulted by his family and being told this stuff by his enemies (and flashback!Batman): 

Batman and Robin Eternal #8

Batman and Robin Eternal #12

Just sucks. I mean, Dick had just recently sacrificed everything (his family, his friends, his life, his identity, everything) to do as Batman wanted and go undercover, only to hear this over and over? To hear that none of it was enough? That he could never be enough? And Dick never gets reassurance that this isn’t true. This comic is just agonizing in so many ways. 

Obviously, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and I am not criticizing this to be a killjoy? Just venting. If you enjoy these comics, you are free to continue to do you. But I am never going to like them. And when I see people championing these books as the best the Bat-fam has to offer...oof is that hard to hear lmao! Surely we can do better than all this. 

[hotdadslade]

DC’s Failed Shared Continuity

This is a subject that I see touched on a lot but not really addressed, so I wanted to break it down.

DC’s core comics (That is, Batman, Superman, Justice League, etc, and not the elseworld style books like DCeased or White Knight) are generally understood to be happening in a shared continuity. That is, what happens in one book reflects in the other. The series cross over, because they take place in the same universe.

Only that isn’t true anymore.

There are a lot of plot holes that don’t really make sense, but that isn’t what I want to talk about. Instead, I want to talk about the fact that DC has absolutely no timeline, the absolute glut of events happening in and out of main books, and the fact that each DC comic is effectively its own universe, rather than shared between it.

I’m going to address the following examples, just to give people an idea of what’s going on and exactly what I mean when I talk about a shared continuity:

The fact that Alfred Pennyworth’s funeral happened before he died.

The fact that Bruce Wayne was in at least three places at once at the start of Perpetua’s invasion.

DC’s insane event schedule through 2019.

The lack of impact events are having with the readers, such as the fact that fact that the entire of South America went to war, China engaged in mass orgies, and the entire of Britain stared at the sky for days on end and almost no reader has heard about it.

City of Bane’s complete lack of impact in the larger DC universe

And last but not least: Why does this matter, and where does DC go from here?

Alfred’s Funeral is before his Death:

Alfred Pennyworth dies during City of Bane. We see his funeral in Pennyworth: R.I.P., where we see the family come together and share stories before immediately getting into a slap fight over it.

This unquestionably happens after City of Bane, because City of Bane is when Alfred died. Despite this, Ric is still around:

That little note in the bottom left makes it clear that this happens before Nightwing Annual #2.

The majority of Annual #2 is a flashback, but it specifically ends with the Court of Owls telling Cobb (that is, Talon) that Dick will soon be his, and telling him to move in. This happens in Nightwing 63, when Cobb shows up (aided by Apex Lex’s gift), and starts screwing with Dick’s life. I’ll skip over the most of it: what matters is that Talon brainwashing Dick Grayson appears the same night Perpetua’s symbol appears over the city (in Nightwing 66 and a number of other issues), Dick attacks the Nightwings, fights Condor Red, and then is freed from the mind control all in one night.

Which is great. Except this can’t happen after Alfred’s death, because the symbol of Perpetua (which appears everywhere at once) appears over Gotham during City of Bane (in Batman 81):

So we have one event happening simultaneously in Nightwing and Batman, only one happens before/during Alfred’s death, and the other supposedly happens well after.

Which leads us into...

Batman apparently can be everywhere at once

So up above we have Batman 81. Bruce is, at this point, in the city rushing to beat Bane when the symbol pops up.

Here’s the symbol popping up in Detective Comics (1014) while fighting the Freezes (the city, I’ll note, is normal Gotham at this point, not controlled by Bane):

Bruce is in Paris (in theory, after his coma) in Outsiders #6, and then arrives back in Gotham just in time for the symbol to appear in the sky in issue 7:

Even just while researching this, I realized that it happened in other issues too. The symbol appears in the sky in Batman/Superman issue 3 while Bruce is being attacked by the infected:

It also happens in Justice League, but I can’t be bothered to get pages.

This is all taking place in a shared universe, so the fact that there’s three or four different Bruce’s in three or four different books who are all doing completely different things in different areas is... baffling. DC has always played a bit fast and lose with Detective Comics and Batman, rarely defining which is happening first or what their exact order of events is, but this takes it a step beyond that.

It also leads into...

DC has how many events? and What happened to the infected?

2019 was a year. Specifically, it was the year of the Villain, but it really should have been year of the event, because DC had so many events happening almost concurrently that it was impossible to figure out what was going on when.

You had Heroes in Crisis running from late September 2018 to May 2019 (acknowledged in Batman, Flash, Green Arrow, Red Hood, and Titans, but largely inconsequential and rarely referenced again).

Year of the Villain itself spanned the whole year, with two dedicated series (YoTV and YoTV: Hell Arisen), a huge Justice League arc (14 issues!), literally dozens of tie in issues in main books, and 8 oneshots focusing on specific villains and their upgrades. 

This also tied into The Infected storline, where the Batman who Laughs infected six heroes and sent them out into the universe to torment people. This, too, got a number of oneshots and tie-in issues.

You had Event Leviathan, a six issue series which then got a spinoff and soon a sequel through the second half of 2019, which promised to ‘stretch across the DC universe and touch every character’, which has been, outside of Action Comics (which spun it off), a complete non-entity.

You also had Doomsday Clock, which launched all the way back in 2017 and only finished in late 2019. This was intended to ‘impact the entire DC universe’, with the idea that when the series ended, the rest of the continuity would catch up to it and you’d see the repercussions. It’s effectively been rendered non-canon, taking place outside the universe in a single line in Justice League.

So many things were happening, and they were all stressed as extremely important, but when the chips were down...

Most of them weren’t.

Half the Villain upgrades went away with the blink of an eye (Black Mask hasn’t shown up since his oneshot, and Riddler threw his retirement out in favor of being cRaZy in Batman). Heroes in Crisis had almost no affect. Event Leviathan is waiting on its sequel, having meant almost nothing despite the fact that an entire country was taken over. Doomsday Clock is now effectively out of canon.

Many of these (mostly YOTV itself) lead into the Death Metal event happening now, but that’s the thing: they only lead into that. There’s minimal acknowledgement of those events happening in other books. Even when huge things that should be impossible to ignore happen, they have minimal to no effect on the wider continuity. When is Death Metal happening, in continuity? No idea. What about the infected arc? What about Justice League?

Who knows? DC doesn’t seem to.

Which leads into the finale, the great big ‘are you kidding me’ moment:

Remember that time hundreds of thousands of people died, the whole of South America went to war, and China descended into mass orgies?

No?

Neither does anyone else.

In Wonder Woman issue 50 (and some issues around it), a series of dark gods emerge from (you guessed it) the dark multiverse. Each takes control over a single country, enacting their dark bidding. 

(Brief Suicide CW in the description below)

The goddess of war causes the entire of South America to literally go to war, invading and murdering each other. The mob god causes the whole of Britain to walk outside and stare up at the sky, not eating or drinking until they started to drop dead. A god of indulgence causes the entire of China to engage in bacchanalia, which is effectively a frenzied orgy of celebration and dancing. The nameless god has taken over Saint Petersburg, causing those within to commit mass-suicide impulsively.

And of course this has been happening world wide. Tens, if not hundreds of thousands are dead. We see shots of other places - mass murder in the streets of Hong Kong, for example.

We actually see other heroes in this. The whole arc actually starts with Supergirl fighting Diana, and then while she's briefly out of commission, the Justice League (Bruce, Arthur, Barry, J’onn, Victor, and Kendra) show up to help only to get absorbed by the big bad. That’s when the above panel happens, and then even more heroes get thrown at the problem.

In the end, Diana ‘wins’ - by sacrificing her brother Jason to the Dark Gods. The gods return the Justice League, and undo the damage they’ve caused on Earth. Those dead aren’t actually dead, for example. Time gets rewound... partially. We see the Justice League who only partially remember what happened, but the damage around the area is still there.

This should be, by any metric, a huge fucking deal. Literal gods appeared from the multiverse and fucked over huge chunks of the planet. Hundreds of thousands died and then were, in theory, un-killed. The heroes are aware of this, and have at least partial memories.

And yet it’s never acknowledged. 

This is supposed to be a huge event. The stakes literally could not be higher, and yet I’ve never seen this arc even acknowledged in any other book. This isn’t even a unique thing, either: all of New York (and most of the world) flooded in Doctor Fate and no one noticed outside that book.

So what about City of Bane?

But by far the most significant example of this is City of Bane itself. City of Bane was a huge event. Some of the top selling issues of 2019 were the City of Bane issues. It received numerous ads in other books, as well as major attention. It was the culmination of Tom King’s entire run, and lasted for more than half a year. It involved Gotham taken over by the titular Bane, ruling it with an iron fist and using mind-controlled villains as his own personal police force. It was a huge, game-changing event.

And outside of the pages of Batman (and Gotham City Monsters), it might as well not have happened. Any time it is acknowledged, it’s in the most awkward and confusing manner possible.

Batman and the Outsiders, Issue 6, Bruce is in Paris, Alfred gets a callout from Ra’s, and calls Bruce home: 

Bruce immediately gets on a plane and flies home, landing at the end of issue 7 when the Perpetua symbol goes up.

In issue eight, taking place immediately after, we are lead to believe that the entire City of Bane arc happened in between Bruce flying home from Paris and arriving in time to help:

This is far from the only example. City of Bane tends to be acknowledged exclusively in terms of ‘this issue takes place before City of Bane’ editor notes. The only real thing that gets acknowledged is Alfred’s absence: Detective Comics skips over City of Bane entirely (The YOTV issues taking place before, and then going straight to ‘after), Red Hood and the Outlaws ignores it, and Batgirls acknowledgement is effectively skipping City of Bane itself to go right back to talking about ‘cleaning up the city’ with a one line mention of ‘what Bane did to Gotham’. Plenty of other books either don’t mention it at all, or the mention is so minor I completely missed it.

So why does this matter?

Early on in my time in this fandom, I noted that the more a fan is into DC comics (not the fandom, but specifically the comics), the more they’d hate the comics themselves. This extends beyond what most people on tumblr would consider the ‘fandom space’ - I’m talking reddit, league of comic geeks, comic review sites, etc. The fact is that DC has created a scenario where the more you read their work, the worse it gets. Any individual comic from the examples above reads just fine on its own, but when you read multiple comics you start getting confused about why nothing makes sense. There’s no order to things, no continuity. Things are said in one issue and ignored in the next. Major events are trumpeted as changing the status quo but don’t change a thing. DC is actively pushing away their most dedicated readers, the ones who are going out and buying 5+ issues a week.

So what comes next?

The original reason this all came up was the news that DC’s upper editorial staff had been hit with major layoffs. While nothing yet has been confirmed (this happened only three days ago), the general rumors is that DC is going to be majorly cutting back the number of titles. With Death Metal almost certainly heralding a continuity reboot ala Flashpoint, now is the perfect time for DC to figure out what it’s doing with its continuity, and realistically, they have two options.

Option One: Forsake Shared Continuity.

I’m sure a lot of people would hate this idea, because shared continuity is such an intrinsic part of DC’s history, but looking realistically at sales numbers, there’s some major appeal. There’s far less work to it (important with the loss of their editors), and this isn’t to say all the books will be separate, just that they won’t all be inherently linked. Maybe they keep TEC and JL in the same canon. Maybe Nightwing, Batman, and Batgirl share too. The point is, though, that the fact that Gotham is burning to the ground will no longer reflect on Clark, who is apparently just out of earshot with his thumb up his ass doing nothing.

There’s precedent for this as well. Injustice, DCeased, Criminal Sanity, and White Knight are all stories in their own world that are selling (or have sold) extremely well. DC’s top fifteen issues sold for January to March of this year include seven issues of Batman, one issue of Wonder Woman, one issue of Flash, and then two issues of Unkillables, the Robin 80th oneshot, Strange Adventures (its own continuity), and an issue of Batman: Curse of the White Knight. If you go farther down, it’s more of the same - you have to go through every issue of Curse of the White Knight released, as well as Criminal Sanity, to get to Batman/Superman, Detective Comics, Justice League, and Superman.

I’m not sure this is the best choice, but I can’t imagine it’s not an appealing choice just the same.

Option Two: Fix Shared Continuity.

Without question, DC’s going to be (at least temporarily) paring down the number of books they have, and there’s never been a better time for figuring out what’s going on with their continuity. Less books means less to organize. A reboot and one very determined editor could help establish a baseline to work from, but that would require DC to focus on it as a priority.

I’m sure this is the choice most people will lean for, but it’s definitely the more intensive option, and we can only hope DC decides it’s worth it.

[the-family-fortune]

Earlier today Cali asked me quite possibly the worst thing you CAN ask me

And boy howdy did I have some thoughts. 

idk if ive mentioned it here before or not but I have a lot of feelings about the idea of redemption in psy2. I LIKE the idea that no one is beyond redemption, that people can be good and that we are all, at our core, just hurting. and those are the themes that psychonauts plays with. mental illnesses that are seen as "scary" like the inmates (though the inmates themselves are rarely presented as scary, with maybe the exception of Edgar because he's just. huge.) - bipolar mood swings with inexplicable rage, Edgar's anger issues and sheer strength combined into an intimidating figure, and the stigma of multiple personalities like how Fred acts meek one second and then on the warpath the next when he "switches". All of these oooh scary mental illnesses are literally just people grappling with trauma. Edgar's OCD and the trauma from high school, Fred's... weird genetic memory issues, and Gloria's inner critic and the death of her mother. These things are like, Normal People Problems (sorry fred idk what the fuck is up with u buddy ur on another level all together) and really contextualize the inmates' mental illness in a way that emphasizes the main theme of empathy. 

I intentionally leave Boyd out of this because while the root of his mental illness is schizoaffective paranoia, his ROLE as the Milkman and in fact his entire mindscape is the product of Oleander's hypnosis.

So like, I VIBE WITH THAT, its a really really interesting take on the conversation about mental illness and how these things do not make people inherently bad or scary!!

But I feel like, BASED ON WHAT WE KNOW RIGHT NOW, that the Galochios - or, at the very least, Zalto on his own - fall into a different kind of category.

The Galochios from the start are jealous people. They're jealous of the Aquato's fame and think that they deserve more recognition which in and of itself isn't a bad thing per se - wanting to feel appreciated and recognized and seen is just a basic human desire, I think. But jealousy isnt a mental illness. Jealousy is a natural human emotion that we, as rational and empathetic people, must make the conscious choice to deal with in healthy ways. The Galochios don't, and they let that consume them from the start - where they allow themselves to hate the Aquatos for their fame, where they allow themselves to ostracize Marona, where they drive her out of the family and where they attempt to drag her back, it's not the product of mental illness destroying relationships like someone in Edgar's position might experience, but pure pride and jealousy directed towards the Aquato family.

And like from there its just all downhill

And I could argue that from this point things compound to create a mental landscape that maybe isnt the picture of health in the Galochios, because grief can really, really fuck you up, and regardless of how they acted, losing a daughter or a sister when Marona died, could not have been easy.

But I cannot read "the Galochios crowded around the tank to gleefully watch Lazarus's decapitation" and be like "aw they're just hurting 8(" because mental illness is not synonymous with undue cruelty.

Like the Galochios at every turn are presented with A Choice and by god they're determined to make the wrong one. Whether or not this is motivated by grief or jealousy or whatever doesnt matter, because even when you are mentally ill it is still the bare minimum to not gleefully watch someone you dont like get decapitated, u know?

That is, I think, them consumed by jealousy and hate and seeing nothing wrong with it because it benefits them and hurts people they dont like. Thats. that's not mental illness that's just being an asshole

So while I absoLUTEly vibe with Psychonaut's theme of empathy and compassion and understanding that mental illness isnt bad or scary, and that we're all struggling with something, I think that narrative has two sides to it, and the same way that "we're all struggling with something" lends to the idea that we need to extend compassion to others, the Galochios being so stubbornly cruel as to be irredeemable in the narrative of psychonauts two lends to the equally important theme of "but you can not sacrifice yourself for people who do not WANT help"

Because of the nature of the things the Galochios have done (and perhaps, are still doing, as we move into the secrets behind the RoR and Psy2 narrative) I think that it would take a LOT. A LOT. for the writing to pass off a Galochio redemption in a meaningful and complete way, because of the nature of the choices they make. From what I know about them right now, these are not the actions of people who are... hallucinating grandeur or some greater purpose who believe in some hidden agenda like Boyd. From what I can gather and what we already know about the Galochio backstory, this is just the kind of people they are. 

 Now, taking into account Zalto specifically, I can without a doubt see him having some major psychological damage. Like I said earlier, grief can really, really fuck you up, and Zalto experienced more grief than reasonable, all at once, with the tank accident. He was already not the most stable person. ("But Daisy!" I hear you cry, "Augustus lost his entire family in a year and didn't snap like that!" True but look me in the eye and tell me you think he's coped with it in a healthy manner. Augustus experienced unreasonable amounts of grief and as a result his ten year old thinks he wants him dead.)

So if that turns out to be the case, and we see a level where we actually do deal with that grief in a healthy way (which imo would be very interesting to see the trauma of grief treated the same as mental illness - even though we all experience grief at some point, sooooome of us dont quite take it as well as others, whoops!) we could see the baseline path to a Zalto redemption.

But really it all boils down to responsibility for their actions and how they handle their trauma and the fact that eight Aquatos were murdered does not automatically become sympathetic because Zalto was dealing with grief. I personally, would be really interested to see the Galochios as villains end the game as villains and for that stubbornness and unwillingness to accept empathy or help be shown as their downfall, because irl its incredibly unhealthy and self-destructive to refuse help or refuse to SEEK help when you very clearly know that something is hurting you, and that you are in turn hurting others.

I also REALLY don't want them to be given the Oleander treatment.

As much as I love Oleander, I feel like a lot about his character was mismanaged, and he was turned into comedic relief in RoR.

like. A lot of my thoughts on the psy2 narrative as a whole relies heavily on the li-po document of course but the story that we were given IN psy1 vs the story that we are told in the document are so STARKLY different.

"Oleander wants to take over the world because he's angry at tall people from that time from that time his dad killed his bunny, which traumatized him" is NOT the same as "Oleander spent his formative years FIRMLY BELIEVING that his father saw him as a burden because he was small, thought he was nothing better than pig slop, and witnessed the death of an animal that he had a psychic connection to, after which he spent his entire life attempting to make his father proud only to be rejected by every branch of the military. By the time he was finally a Psychonaut and felt he would be able to make his father proud despite his stature, both of his parents died horribly in a meat grinder accident while he was away training." 

 NOT THE SAME HOLY SHIT.

Oleander had so much POTENTIAL but he was kinda shoehorned into a very two-dimensional role. Idk if it was because of budget or time or what, because the production of psy1 was very..... not great. But its absolutely a SHAME to see such a heartbreaking backstory reduced to "short and angry about it"

And it absolutely cheapens his redemption, too.

The fact that Oleander's story was so heavily pruned COMBINED with the fact that - while it's hinted at in game, its honestly INSANELY difficult to put two and two together imo because of how its presented, Ford outright tells us that Oleander's assignment to whispering Rock was the cause of his mental break (the camp sits on a motherload of psitanium. It makes psychics more psychics, and unstable people more unstable.")

that's never once brought into the resolution of Oleander's character arch and the processing of his trauma and how the psychonauts directly contributed to his deteriorating mental state that led him to try and take over the world because they so deeply misunderstand psitanium but decided to build a kids summer camp training facility on top of it

thats like... early experimentation with nuclear materials before we understood the dangers of radiation. Not to stay topical or anything, but its a clearly dangerous substance that the Psychonauts treat very blase.

But to get back on track there, I really hope that if the Galochios DO receive a redemption arc in psy2, which seems likely given the overarching theme of the games themselves even extending to Loboto of all people... I hope they don't butcher it like they did with Oleander's. Given that they've had five years and a LOT more experience with this genre and its storytelling conventions (plus the fact that they're just excellent storytellers to begin with) I have a cautious optimism that whatever happens with the Galochios it will at least be a satisfying conclusion. (For comparison, Oleander's butchered redemption is still kinda held together by the satisfying conclusion of the game, in which Raz actually becomes a Psychonaut so that isnt to say that psy1 didnt have a satisfying conclusion) 

and at this point im sure you're regretting telling me to talk as much as i want because if there's one thing you ought to know about me by now its that i never shut up about the Galochios and honestly I've had a lot of thoughts about them and the themes of Psychonauts and the general structure of storytelling in the Psychonauts games overall.

As for the Galochio family themselves, I'm fascinated to see exactly who survived and what the power structure of the remaining Galochios is. If Zalto makes the final cut, I want VERY badly to know how he treats his family and if his anger has kinda pervaded what was probably a long time ago a relatively tight knit family. I want to see the individuals involved in this, how far they're each willing to go and where that lies in relation to Zalto. Like everyone has their moral limits, and if Zalto is utterly consumed by his goal to either obliterate the Aquatos or resurrect his family (shudder) his tolerance for atrocities may be much higher than that of his family members, which would automatically sow dissonance within the family when one by one people start deciding this is too much, this is too far, we cant keep doing this.

[steveharrington]

what do you think are the problems with how the kids are written in s3?

okay to preface this some of these problems arent really Problems they’re like. nitpicks. and a lot of them are just a matter of opinion based on my perception of the kids so im not trying to like trash this season skdfjsdlkfj 

max: i had the most beef with max’s storyline bc i think its the most like. egregious flaw of the season. im Not talking about her being teamed up with el, i thought that was actually great and one of the best parts of the season. im talking specifically about her dynamic with billy. after watching him try to beat up lucas and then actually beat up steve only like 8 months before the season you’d think, realistically, she’d be cautious around billy. in season two she was obviously scared of him, like in the car when he grabbed her arm and she was visibly terrified, so it makes absolutely no sense that in season three she’d be willing to sneak into his room and make all these justifications as to why he’s just a normal teenage boy. ive seen people be like “she was just in denial, she didn’t think he’d really kill anyone!” and like........yeah maybe? but she did watch him almost kill steve. their relationship is just so much more casual and like....friendly? compared to season two which like severely sucks because it sorta just erases any trauma max would have relating to her brother being violent and aggressive and prone to just attacking her friends. it was all part of this weird backpedal the duffers did to convince us that billy actually isnt That Bad and therefore deserves a redemption arc. as someone who really related to max in season two because of that sibling dynamic, it sucks. 

mike: i think they took the whole “mike is a brooding asshole” thing way too far this season, and they have no real justification for it. in season one, mike is a fucking sweetheart. he’s selfless to the point of literally jumping off a cliff for dustin. he has a line where he’s specifically like “you’re All my best friends and i dont prioritize any one of you over anyone else.” in season two, he’s obviously moody and irritable, but that’s because he’s Insanely Traumatized. he formed a really close bond with el and then watched her fucking disappear into who knows where, he doesn’t know if she’s alive or dead, he’s terrified for will, it makes sense in season two why he would be so perpetually angry at the world and everyone around him. in season three, though, mike is in a pretty good spot. will is fine, el is fine And he gets to see her, his literal biggest problem at the start of the season is that he’s scared of hopper and his middle school relationship is in turmoil. it makes No Sense that he’d completely brush off will and then basically be like “fuck you gayboy” when will brings this up. like since when!!! does mike have such little regard for his friends!! it serves no purpose other than drama and it destroys basically his core character trait

will: obviously he was just like completely sidelined this season. i think it’s good that he has a storyline about feeling alienated from his friends as they grow up and he tries to cling to his childhood and the things that feel normal to him. my only complaint is that they gave him like, one episode to explore that storyline. also i really don’t think will would have so much outright contempt for el. like i get what they’re going for, i get that it’s part of his conflicting feelings about his own sexuality and his dynamic with mike and stuff, but el isn’t just a random girl to will. there should have been a little more nuance there imo

el: honestly don’t have that many problems with el’s storyline this season. i Loved the idea of her exploring an identity that isn’t just what other people think of her or expect of her, loved her hanging out with max, i even liked her investigating the billy thing UNTIL they just used her as a prop to make us feel sad for billy. but overall i think she had a really good story in season 3

lucas: again. severely underutilized. lucas is kinda just becoming comic relief which really bugs me because he was amazing in season one when he actually got to have a story arch that wasn’t just like. having a crush on a girl. i do appreciate that lucas had like 50 moments of heroism. idk if that was like, an accident, because they never really explicitly discuss it, but there were multiple moments in season 3 where lucas basically saved everyone’s ass. would’ve liked to see more of him and erica because she’s, yknow, his little sister and they barely interact the whole season. 

dustin: ok ok ok OK OK dustin is complicated this season because they kinda did a complete 180 with him halfway through the season. i was Really vibing with dustin for the first like, five episodes. dustin has always been written as kind of a lonely child, even within his group of friends, and so i think it’s natural that he have a season away from them. the sweetest thing about steve and dustin’s relationship is that dustin has always felt to some degree like an outsider in his own group (in season one he’s already come to terms with the fact that mike likes will and lucas more than him) and so it’s doubly sweet that he befriends this “cool” “badass” older kid who’s actually super lame and he can be lame with. and for the first half of season three, they really cashed in on that bond. dustin and steve wrote to each other while he was at camp, they have a secret handshake, he Literally says the words “you die, i die” like it’s an intense bond that’s only natural from someone like dustin who is so intensely loyal to his friends and finally has someone who he can consider to be His Own. but then the moment steve and robin get taken by the russians it’s suddenly like a switch is flipped and dustin is just. annoyed and exasperated???? he’s not really in a hurry to get help, he’s not that concerned when steve is like laying on the floor with his face absolutely smashed to hell, he’s MAD at steve when he tells him that he accidentally gave up his name UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF DRUGS like it’s insane. the scoops troop storyline as a whole has this really weird, kinda disturbing, comedic tone and i think this just falls under that. they ultimately decided that dustin being an exasperated keeper of two stoned teenagers would be way funnier than dustin being genuinely concerned that his favorite person just got his shit absolutely wrecked. also, the suzy thing was weird. 

[hellzyeahthewebwieldingavenger]

Top 10 Recommended Carnage Stories (pre-Absolute Carnage)

In honour of Absolute Carnage’s beginning I present you with the best Carnage stories if you want to get into and have fun with the character.

My picks here are intentionally excluding anything from Donny Cates’ era partially because his work isn’t finished yet and partially because my hope is this list will act as a primer for people who want to test the waters with Carnage and see if Cates’ current work is worth their time.

This list isn’t ranked at all and nor is it a list of stories that are essential to understanding Carnage’s broad chronology. Like if you read these on their own there will be gaps that will make you wonder how we got from A to B.

Rather this list is intended to give you a general idea of who Carnage is, the types of stories he has or can be used in and what are among the best stories from the character’s POV.

1.       Carnage Origin (ASM #344-345, 359-363)

There are some writing issues with this arc in relation to the F4’s use in the story. However if you put that aside and just focus strictly upon Carnage himself, in many ways this first Carnage story gives you everything you need to know about the character.

We learn most of Cletus Kasady’s backstory, where his symbiote came from, his general philosophy towards life and the dramatic hook he presents as an antagonist.

That is to say what is someone was an unrepentant psychopath...and then  got superpowers. Specifically the same powers as Spider-Man’s then most physically intimidating and scariest enemy...but taken up to 11.

Are there deep psychological layers to Carnage?

Absolutely not.

But that is very much the point.

He’s chaos and death wrapped in black and blood and complete with Freddy Krueger humour and a taste for Metalhead anarchy.

The art is simply stunning, the action is top notch, Carnage’s various abilities and ferocity is expertly sold to readers and just to hammer the seriousness of the situation home, Spidey needs backup from his most dangerous enemy to even hope to bring down Kasady.

So whilst unfortunately not perfect, it is a perfect introduction to the character.

Honourable Mention: Maximum Carnage

I do not recommend you read this if you are new to Carnage, Spider-Man or comics in general. Maximum Carnage is enjoyable to certain fans but for most is something of an endurance test.

However it must be mentioned as it is undoubtedly Carnage’s most famous story. It doesn’t really give us anything new for his character beyond introducing his on and off again girlfriend Shriek and his ‘kids’ Doppelganger, Carrion, Demogoblin, etc. These characters intermittently show up in Carnage’s lore.

The whole story is a series of repetitive action set pieces...for 14 issues!

If you aren’t brave enough to check this out then perhaps consider reading synopses of it or watching recap videos online (RNS does a good one), just so you know the broadstrokes of the story as it is relevant to future Carnage history and Absolute Carnage is it’s spiritual successor.

2.       The Mortal Past (ASM Annual 1994)

Arguably the best written Carnage story within the pages of Spider-Man.

The art is very reminiscent of Mark Bagley, co-creator of Carnage, so visually Carnage looks and ‘moves’ in character.

However the general story, whilst not redeeming Carnage at all, does give us a little more about his past and explores his philosophy from a different angle.

What helps this story is that while it is a Carnage story, the emotional weight of the story is carried by his former childhood friend, allowing for Carnage to neither sell out on his core concept of being a simple killing machine, but also giving the readers something to connect to beyond Spidey and Carnage fighting.

3.       Carnage: Mind Bomb #1

Many Carnage fanatics argue this obscure one shot is Carnage’s ‘Killing Joke’. In a sense they are right as this story is the deepest exploration of who Kasady is and why he is the way he is.

We learn little about his past (beyond a few more early warning signs from his childhood) but this is Warren Ellis’ point. The story is oddly meta as it presents us with a psychiatrist who is looking to unravel the layers of Kasady’s mind, only to learn there really aren’t any.

He is simple. That is the point. He simply sees society and life as a joke, a big lie and that savagery lies beneath the surface. He illustrates this by driving his doctor utterly mad.

This story works because though it takes place in a superhero universe and features a super villain, there is no hero here. There are barely any good guys to speak of.

Rather this issue is in effect a horror comic, the first time Carnage was ever used in this way. This is reflected in the art work, which is definitely R-rated and depicts Carnage very differently. He’s essentially solid red and leaner, more skeletal even.

A good way to look at this story is as “What if Freddy Krueger or Jason Voorhees sat down and explained to you why they kill people’

Gory and not for the faint of heart, but this issue is the best story you will ever read that spells out for you who Carnage is and why, from his POV, he does what he does.

4.       Web of Carnage (Sen #3, ASM #410, No Adj #67, Spec #233)

Carnage appeared a few times in the Clone Saga but this is his best outing. In general this is one of the more fun and enjoyable Clone Saga/Ben Reilly stories. But as a Carnage story it’s unique as it focuses much more upon the symbiote than Kasady.

The premise is simple yet effective. The Carnage symbiote bonds to Spider-Man/Ben Reilly and he must resist it’s attempts to control him or tempt him to violence, which includes urging him to murder Peter Parker!

The meat of the story is in parts 3-4 when we see Ben’s internal struggle against the symbiote. Visually, the art is not consistent because of different artists, but they are all decent-great and the design for Spider-Carnage is so iconic it was adopted for the finale of the Spider-Man 1994 cartoon series.

A simple yet fun story!

5.       Carnage: It’s a Wonderful Life #1

I recommend this tentatively.

This is because it technically speaking covers much the same ground as Mind Bomb but isn’t as good. I suppose if you read this first you wouldn’t get that impression.

Nevertheless, It’s a Wonderful Life is an even longer and more literal look inside Carnage’s head. Psychedelic, twisted, macabre and full of dark humour the story just about pulls off it’s horror premise. It feels like something out of a 1990s Dark Horse comic.

The one thing that this issue has over Mind Bomb is that it makes an astute observation about Carnage’s core philosophy I don’t dare spoil.

Honourable Mention: Venom vs. Carnage #1-4

This story is in general pretty fun but doesn’t give you much of anything new for Carnage beyond him teaming up with Venom and the introduction of his spwan Toxin, who is a pretty cool character in his own right.

More significantly it was the first major time Clayton Crain drew symbiotes and he’d go on to have one of the most memorable visual takes on them ever.

6.       Family Feud  (Carnage #1-5, by Zeb Wells)

I’m not fond of most of Wells work and have issues with this era for Spider-Man. But when looked at as a Carnage story first and foremost, this series marks an important point in the character’s history.

At the time Venom had transitioned into a more heroic figure meaning Carnage, much as he was back when he was created, was pushed as the face of evil symbiotes within the Marvel universe. To that end he began to have a string of his own mini-series just like Venom had in the 1990s.

In many ways this mini-series is playing cleanup, returning the Carnage symbiote and Kasady to Earth after their presumed death in New Avengers #1. The series however also seeks to build a foundation from which future stories can be told and to that end reintroduces Shriek and Doppelganger too, sets up Carnage’s daughter Scorn.

It does all this pretty effectively to my recollection and has great art by Crain to sell everything.

7.       Carnage U.S.A. #1-5

Zeb Wells in this story tells a story that could have been an event crossover but mercifully was not.

He and Crain return to deliver arguably the most ambitious Carnage story up until then, involving him infecting a whole town with his symbiote.

This again feels very much like a Dark Horse horror comic at times but still contains superhero elements and tones a plenty, finding a decent balance between the two.

Wells continues to world build by reintroducing many of the other Venom spawns (Carnage’s ‘siblings’) and uses them to great effect along with Agent Venom Flash Thompson who meets Carnage for the first time in this story.

Carnage himself is just very on point with his twisted plan and machinations, with this tale being among his more memorable villainous feats.

8.       Deadpool vs. Carnage #1-4

Have you ever seen a Road Runner cartoon? Have you ever seen parodies of Road Runner cartoons by late night animated shows where they use dark humour to make the antics more bloody and violent?

That is essentially what this mini-series is. It’s two wisecracking, red and black clad over the top characters going at it in wacky and violent shenanigans.

However there is also poignantly some stuff in the story that even makes Carnage question his life philosophy in one of the most oddly clever takedowns of his character ever.

9.       AXIS: Carnage #1-3

This story has it’s issues, in particular with who it’s villain is, but that’s more a problem for Spidey and Venom history.

As for Carnage himself this story comes recommended for it’s sheer novelty.

It’s Carnage...but as a...good guy?

The premise of the AXIS event was that certain heroes and villains were ‘inverted’ so that they went from good to bad and vice versa.

The wrinkle in this though is that Kasady is still Kasady. He’s still violent, insane, wisecracking and has a warped sense of morality, it’s just that now he finally has  a sense of morality. He is sincerely trying to do good he’s just not all that aware his methods are somewhat counterproductive and extreme.

10.   The One That Got Away, World Tour, What Dwells Beneath, (Carnage #1-16 by Gerry Conway)

Mind Bomb and It’s a Wonderful life were the first Carnage comics to embrace the use of the character for horror, but Conway’s Carnage picked the ball and ran with it.

Conway said he was in essence doing Tomb of Dracula with Carnage and it shows.

The series revolves around Carnage but the real main characters are the anti-Carnage taskforce assembled to put him down, giving us grounded relatable characters to connect to whilst we follow Carnage’s slaughter. There is a surprising swerve in the story where the story goes from a simple slasher movie style horror into full on Lovecraftian style horror which propels the consequent arcs of the series. The ending is rather rushed and weak I must admit, but the ride getting there is arguably the best crafted Carnage story ever.

[danwhobrowses]

Valentines 2020: A Celebration of My Ships

So it’s valentine’s day again, and...yeah it’s not too great when you’re single is it? Considering that I’ve already gone through a tub of ice cream...

But, it doesn’t mean I’m a cynic, quite the opposite. Most of my fandoms involves a ship in some shape or form, hell I shipped before I even knew what shipping was, so I’m gonna talk about some of them...the ones that still make me happy and didn’t crash and burn in heartbreaking and frankly insulting fashion (looking at you Homestuck ¬_¬), gotta mention that these are not all the ships I ship, they’re just some of the ones I’m quite consistently high on

New Entries So with new fandoms come new ships...as is the usual formula anyway, though my pattern of watching things is usually with some delay, I only watched Rurouni Kenshin and started My Hero Academia in 2019, I still hold off on Attack on Titan and My Hero Season 4 because if I get in, I get IN. So these fandoms may not be new, but they are new to me Steven Universe is very new to me, I’ve been aware of how good it is and their concepts like Fusion. I like it, particularly Lapis Lazuli I really relate to her, but ship wise the two I really like are the obvious ones; Steven x Connie and Ruby x Sapphire (Garnet)

Garnet is badass and chill at the same time, but when she unfuses we see the stuff that makes me smile, the pda between Ruby and Sapphire is adorable, the little pecks and whatnot softens me up like no man’s business. Steven and Connie also have the mushy dynamic with both of them deeply into each other but still being strong individuals. The love for each other is equally platonic as it is romantic as they gel together, both being strong willed in different ways. The laughter probably gets me the most with both of them, the genuine laughter is so sweet and so realistic it’s hard not to love. My Hero Academia seems to be our next wave of shonen anime and for good reason, it does high notes so well and the cast of characters are vibrant and exciting. I haven’t hit Season 4 yet since I’m waiting till it’s all done to binge so I may be a little behind on some stuff (sadly it’s hard to avoid spoilers, I know about Infinity and Unbreakable). While I do like Deku x Uraraka, Tetsutetsu x Kendo and Eraserjoke but the two that I find most enjoyable are Todomomo and Kamijirou

(artist nonoko135 btw, bit tough to find a single image with both ships) Fairly popular ships in their own right, Todomomo doesn’t get many hints but they are sweet, naive rich kids with their own confidence issues, it also feels like they look out for each other especially after the final exam they did together. With Kamijirou though it’s probably one I favour if I had to choose between the two, simply because it’s a dynamic I really like; she busts on him so hard to mask her enjoyment of his company and he takes it because he feels at ease around her, the best part is when Kaminari goes 0 volts, he makes her laugh and that’s kinda big for Jirou given how self-conscious and stoic she can be. Rurouni Kenshin was always on my list, I have often heard about the Swordsman with a blade that cuts no-one. The anime is a bit up and down, after Shishio it’s just filler, but as documented in my Redemption Arc post it is at its core a great story of redemption for the main character, and the driving force for Kenshin’s redemption is his love for Kaoru

While Sano and Megumi have a unique dynamic hinted to be romantic at times, nothing can really beat Kenshin and Kaoru, she literally became Kenshin’s conscience, a representation of his hope to be a good man away from the shadow of Battousai the Manslayer. It may be your traditional romance of the two wanting to be by each other’s side in danger but it works so well given the kind of danger Kenshin is often in. Kaoru still strives to protect herself and aid Kenshin in a way that doesn’t make her continuously wonder about being a burden and Kenshin does everything in his power to keep Kaoru from pain, physical and emotional, even if it meant leaving to keep her safe. The main part of what makes this lovely is the fact that not only did Kaoru’s influence make Kenshin value his own life once more but after continual torment in his past she still saw him as the person he wanted to be, and welcomed in a new home, a new family he was able to live a life he never imagined he could deserve. The Regulars Our Regulars are the ships I still consistently ship, they’re not very old but they’re still pretty great and they still stand the test of time. Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has quite a few ships over its 6 (coming up 7) season lifespan, being the longest surviving MCU tv series and one of the most consistently great shows MCU offered - especially Season 4, some of the best TV was on Season 4. But while Philinda is close, Mack and Yoyo or even Piper and Davis (don’t, I don’t care if you believe she’s a lesbian with the hots for May these are my ships) there is one one ship in Shield you can all rally behind, Fitzsimmons

Even when canon it is a consistent emotional rollercoaster. One of those ships where the writers know you love it and decide to put you through as much pain and emotional torment as humanely possible. But you endure it, because these two smart kids are worth it. They have sweet moments, badass moments, emotional moments and even though they get brought apart time and time again, they still find each other, the universe cannot stop them - and it better end happily for them come next season. Overwatch was a phenomenon when it came out a few years ago, Blizzard may have caused it to have some heavily bad rep but I still look forward to its sequel coming out. Given its large roster and most of the characters’ sexuality and relationship status up in the air, it leaves a lot of room for shipping. I do still love Anahardt, Mercy76 kinda falling due to 76 being gay but I like Gency too, my rarepairs include McPharah and Symmzo but my favourite is actually Meihem.

Now I know, Mei’s only voice lines towards Junkrat are cold, they have differing views in terms of omnics and...due process of the law. But there’s a lot they do have in common; both are quite intelligent engineers having made their weapons by hand, both endured trauma and both love their puns. But even the stuff that make them different can compliment one another. You don’t have to like it, but I do, I enjoy the dynamic of Jamison being so head over heels that he embarrasses himself to try and get Mei’s attention, while Mei softens to the fact that his very nature is warped by his lawless upbringing and that deep down he is an exciting and in his own way sweet guy.  Back to anime, because what else do I do with my day, getting into One Piece was always going to be a long effort, keeping tabs on the Manga does make it easier and I’ve been able to catch up quickly. Ships are shaky territory with One Piece because Oda does make a point of not having romance happen a lot, not to existing living characters at least. But I still have the ones I like; Shanks x Makino, Sabo x Koala, Franky x Robin, Sanji x Pudding, Rebecca x Koby, the list goes on, but my favourite has to be Zoro x Tashigi

May not be up there with the ‘big ships’ of One Piece but I do enjoy them the most. Individually the two are characters I have deep interest in; Zoro is well Roronoa Fucking Zoro, santoryu swordsman extraordinaire, master of nothing happening and will cut you 8 ways to Sunday, but Tashigi is a character I like because she also tries, unlike Zoro she isn’t blessed with 2 years training with Mihawk and she’s at constant arms with this self doubt that as a Woman she won’t be as strong (and probably whoever of influence to her made her believe such a thing), people may get on her back for never winning a fight but she fights strong people without a second thought. But back to the pairing, they have an interesting dynamic; two very similar people on different sides of the law, I don’t think Tashigi continues to chase him simply because he refused to cut her in their fight and I don’t think it’s just her former resemblance to Kuina that gets Zoro so riled up about her, I mean Zoro is usually so chill to side characters to the point where he’s ready to throw down but with Tashigi, it’s different, they bicker but he also came to her aid. I still continue to hope that Tashigi shows in Wano for more Zoro interaction, and to prove herself to fans and to Zoro that she is strong and capable. One of my favourite anime of all time is Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, a combination of laughter, tears and deep philosophical character journeys in a 20th century world with the alchemy fantasy element drawn from actual legit alchemical sources. It just hits all the right notes for me, and ships hit right too; I love most of the ships from EdWin, AlMay and LingFan, but like Fitzsimmons there is one ship that stands above even the main characters, Royai.

Mustang and Hawkeye right from the bat have that connection that needs no dancing around, they care for each other but they work together. Like the rest of the ships they banter, argue but always have each other’s backs, to the point that they go into an insane rage at even the threat of the other being hurt. I don’t think anyone can not ship these two, that’s how strong their chemistry is, even if they can’t officially label it as a relationship because of their jobs it’s that line in the sand that everyone knows it, because it’s impossible to ignore. The Old Guard So we get to the oldest ships in my catalogue, the fact that they could stand the test of time is for a long time what shaped me as a shipper. I still ship these to this day so I ship them pretty hardcore Comics is probably the hardest place to ship something, because different writers will try different pairings at the drop of a hat. Even consistent pairings like Spiderman and Mary Jane, Batman and Catwoman, Beat Boy and Raven, Superman and Lois and more can end up being split in favour of Cindy Moon (I do love Silk), Wonder Woman and others. But I can’t ignore the fact that I’ve always loved Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon

I may’ve liked Teen Titans, but I was never on Team Starfire, it’s fine if you are but to me I have always been in with Dick and Babs. Not only do they have excellent banter but they gel well on and off of crime fighting, no matter how many times DC break them apart (like seriously, how many times do you have to try Bruce and Barbara until you realise that it creeps people out?) they always find each other again someway down the line, they are one of DC’s best couples and while they may never get a definitive ending because of the nature of comics, I still love that there’s a relationship of two strong individuals who can stand as equals and continue to keep their charm and wit after years of being together. When I was young, decades ago as it pains me to type, Digimon was the prime competitor against Pokémon’s tidal wave. Its anime had an awesome opening, more characters with some deeper themes and a quicker pacing. While many could quickly connect to Tai or Matt for their leaderlike attitude or Joe and Izzy for their intelligence or Mimi and Sora for their determination, I gravitated towards TK, a child who had room to grow and the greatest of potential, so when the Dark Masters came in we saw one of my oldest ships take form, Takari

TK and Kari’s pairing was popular that it managed to carry on into Adventure 02 and we got plenty of lovely moments in TRI (though they shorthanded both by having Ophanimon quickly fused and Seraphimon - one of the strongest Digimon - digivolve as backup in a Sora episode). 02′s epilogue is of course a sore spot we can hope Kizuna retcons because these two have been through thick and thin and their bond is clear. Even as they reach their late teens and TK has become master of hats and joined Matt’s band, they still hang out, banter and tease but they still are comfortable to hold each other’s hand and be vulnerable with one another too. Digimon may’ve been a contender, but Pokémon was still the clear winner, even to this day it is one of the most popular franchises in the world. The anime may be an up and down slope (current series seems a tad boring, 10 episodes before Ash caught a Pokémon, plus I don’t like that Ash won in Alola and now thinks he doesn’t have to try) but you can never take away the nostalgia, or the ships. I’ve shipped many in Pokémon in various media; Mallow x Lillie and Jessie x James in the anime, Ruby x Sapphire in the Manga, Looker x Anabel in the games (with Emma being their adoptive daughter dammit Looker you could’ve taken her with) among others and from Pokémon comes the oldest ship I’ve ever shipped, Pokéshipping

Before I even knew what Shipping was I shipped this, Misty may also be mostly the reason for my attraction to redheads but that’s neither here nor there. People may not like it, may prefer some of the softer spoken female (or male) companions Ash has had or feel they’ve grown out of it, but not me. I loved Misty’s feistiness and determination but also the fact that she could reign Ash in (sometimes) to make him think things through, as much as Misty was a companion to Ash she was a rival, a teacher and a supporter of his goal, but she also had her own goals which she fought for as well. They may bicker but they have also had tender moments as well and even with Misty’s return in the excellent Sun and Moon episodes they had their chemistry is palpable. To me, Ash and Misty were kindred spirits and the feeling has never changed since. So with another year of Valentine’s Day going the way it usually does, I’d like a moment to thank these ships, and all my other ships I didn’t have the space to mention, for being something that brings out happiness and a soft joy deep within my being, and for all the fanartists and fanfic writers that bring that love to life Happy Valentine’s Day

[kyrieanne]

In which I try to convince another person to watch Parks and Rec

In a recent hangout, @elizabethminkel, @imaginarycircus, and I were trying to convince @flourish​ to watch Parks and Recreation. I made the argument that if they like Star Trek: Voyager they will like Parks & Rec. So Flourish agreed that if I made a post laying out my Parks & Rec is Star Trek Voyager in sitcom form argument, they would move it up on their watch list.

So Flourish, here you go...

KA’S GENERAL ADVICE TO STARTING PARKS & REC

Start with Season 2. You can go back and watch Season 1 later. It’s only 6 episodes and they were still getting the tone for Amy Poehler’s character just right. Starting in Season 2, all of Leslie Knope’s co-workers know she is good at her job no matter how out there they (for good reason) think she is.

Pawnee is a character. Kind of like how the Simpsons have all these secondary and tertiary characters that rotate through — so does Pawnee and the town as a character becomes a damn delight in watching the show. Treat yo’ self to this article on the fabulous murals in Pawnee City Hall. (For the record, my favorite Pawnee citizen is this man: 

It’s more serialized than you expect a sitcom to be. You won’t be confused by the story no matter what episode you watch, but the real gold of Parks is watching it as serialized television with real arcs. Assume you’ll want to keep watching once you start.

MEET THE CREW

JANEWAY | Leslie Knope - Leslie Knope is the sitcom version of a young Janeway — kick ass, smart, hardworking, and ambitious. The Leslie you see in Season 7 is probably closer to the Janeway you see when Voyager begins.  Both of these stories center on a woman leading, one at the beginning of her career and the other at the pinnacle of it (cause obviously Voyager made Janeway a damn legend). What they have in common all along the way is a literal crew. Janeway is in the wild, Wild West, without the bureaucracy of Star Fleet, and Leslie Knope is navigating the endless bureaucracy of local government. Both are rule followers until the rules fail to make sense; then they are willing to do anything to care for the people under their charge.

CHAKOTAY | Chris Traeger - They’re both in charge of things. They both principled characters who know what they believe. Often, they are both foils for other characters and they always come through.

TUVOK | Donna Meagle - Both bosses. Both totally who they are and if you don’t like it then that’s a you problem.

TOM PARIS | Tom Haverford - Obsessed with pop culture. Flirts. Got something to prove. Their stories veer in different directions, but they start in a similar place.

B’ELANNA TORRES | April Ludgate - Each woman is unique, but they were both young and savvy. Torres struggles with the two halves of who she is (Klingon/Human) and April, over the course of the series, struggles with apathy vs. earnestness. Like how Janeway gives Torres a shot as Chief Engineer, Leslie Knope will never give up on April and the show rewards the viewer with a great female-female mentorship.

DOCTOR | Ron Swanson - Iconic grumps who find people extremely irritating. The Doctor is a bit more naive than Ron, but both evolve into more than they could have ever imagined. The Doctor, like Ron, gets all the best one liners.

SEVEN |  Ben Wyatt - He’s a ‘numbers robot’ and she’s Borg. Both begin their character arcs a little traumatized by their pasts and without real human relationships. Overtime, they become emotive, hopeful people who show they care by taking action often at a deep personal expense. (see what Ben Wyatt does in “The Trial of Leslie Knope”)

HARRY KIM | Ann Perkins - A really damn good friend and person, both of them. Both have terrible luck in romantic relationships for most of their respective series.

NEELIX | Andy Dwyer - Andy is funnier than Neelix and Neelix is smarter than Andy, but both have a tendency to drop a piece of wisdom when you least expect it.

JOE CAREY | Jerry Gergich - He’s there! He’s got a family! No one can quite remember his name.

KES | Mark Brendanawicz - Kes goes out as a alien beam of light; Mark will have a similar-ish fate. 

SESKA | Tammy 2 - You will love Tammy 2. She is a sex-positive Seska — over everyone’s shit and completely insane.

THE BORG QUEEN | Eagleton - Pawnee’s rival town full of suburban automatons.

KA’S VERY SPECIFIC PITCH TO FLOURISH

First off, there’s that meme - “Be the Leslie Knope of whatever you do.” Janeway is the Leslie Knope of Star Fleet Captain. Trust me on this.

Second, I know you aren’t super into comedies, though you love Brooklyn Nine Nine and The Good Place. But hear me out…

Voyager is a sci-fi drama that is often the red-head step child of the Star Trek franchise because it isn’t dark and political like Deep Space Nine, philosophical like The Next Generation, etc. It had all the hallmarks of Star Trek — adventure, drama, an ethos of hope — etc, but it was also FUN.

Parks is a comedy — I won’t pretend it’s got the angst of a drama, but it is a comedy of IDEAS, a hallmark for any Mike Schur show. Where as The Good Place was about philosophy, Parks is about community. Voyager is about getting home; Parks and Rec is about making the place you call home better. Like Voyager, it takes people who owe nothing to each other and forms a community. Nothing will make you feel FEELINGS like the end of “End of the World” (Season 4, Episode 6) or the end of “The Trial of Leslie Knope” (Season 4, Episode 9), episodes where characters reach dramatic, but quiet life changing moments where they see the world differently than they did before. They change. I think that’s probably what I’m trying to say — Parks and Rec characters change and grow with as much narrative arch as any drama.

Watching that is a damn delight.

KA’S FAVORITE EPISODES BY SEASON

Season 1

“Rock Show” (Episode 6)

Season 2

“Hunting Trip” (Episode 10)

’94 Meetings” (Episode 21)

“Telethon” (Episode 22)

Season 3

“Flu Season” (Episode 2)

“Harvest Festival” (Episode 7)

“April & Andy’s Fancy Party” (Episode 9)

“Road Trip” (Episode 13)

“The Fight” (Episode 14)

Season 4

“The Treaty” (Episode 7)

“Smallest Park” (Episode 8)

“Win, Lose, or Draw” (Episode 22)

Season 5

“Halloween Surprise” (Episode 5)

“Leslie and Ben” (Episode 14)

Season 6

“The Cones of Dunshire” (Episode 9)

“Moving Up” (Episode 21 & 22)

Season 7

“Leslie and Ron” (Episode 4)

“One Last Ride” (Episode 12 & 13)

[twokinkybeans]

Jar Of Dirt Chapter 9: Cinnamon Orange [Starker Fanfiction NFSW/18+]

Kink/Sexual Warnings: Daddy Kink, Praise Kink, Thigh Rubbing, Sauna Sex, Teasing, Only Peter gets off Other Warnings: Tony's having emotional struggles

All Chapters: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 10 ... Masterpost (More to come!)

---

Chapter 9: Cinnamon Orange “What’s this?” Tony says accusingly as he holds up the Swissy in front of Peter’s face. The boy is sitting on the couch with his legs crossed, studying for the midterm he has in two hours. After that, Tony said he would take Peter on a fun little trip abroad, refusing to say where exactly. Peter had packed his bags earlier this morning, and now they’re here. “Well, since we’re going on a mystery vacation, I figured that’d spice things up?” He looks up at the billionaire innocently. He knows damn well what he’s done. Tony sucks at his teeth and shakes his head with a scoff. “No. No, we’re not bringing the Swissy, we’re not bringing the jar. We’re gonna relax for a week, okay?” Peter frowns. “Having sex doesn’t relax you?” Tony groans loudly and puts the Swissy on the coffee table, sitting down next to it. “Pete, we discussed this. I’m scared. Okay? I want to be a hundred percent sure you’re not going to lose yourself like that again before I even try anything.” Peter pulls in his legs and looks away. “It’s been three weeks, Mr. Stark. I’m fine again! Been swinging through New York and helping old ladies cross the street just like I always did. I’m back!” “Well, I’m not.” Tony stands up again, taking the Swissy with him. “No sex, Pete. Not yet.”

Peter’s frustrated. Obviously. After a few days of numbness, everything went back to normal, but Tony can’t help himself. He’s scared he’ll break the boy like he did before and he doesn’t want Peter to experience it ever again. It doesn’t matter how many times Peter said it was the best sex he’s ever had. It frightened Tony. And the guilt was still there. He knows Peter gets himself off in the shower every night now. He can literally hear it, the boy isn’t exactly quiet. And Tony’s pretty sure the cheeky bastard is not holding back his moans to entice Tony to join him in the shower and fuck him hard. Like they both want to. But Tony can’t. He just can’t.

Tony has spent many hours in the gym, lifting weights, running laps, taking the coldest showers. But fuck, he can’t stop being hard for Peter. He won’t allow himself to get off. He’s saving himself for when he’s ready again, but both his mind and his body are working together to eat at his willpower. Not to mention Peter’s working very hard for it too. Leaning over counters, sticking out his butt just a little more than necessary. When they watch a film together, Peter constantly “accidentally” lets his hands roam a little too low. Heck, Tony even caught the boy pretending to be asleep while being the big spoon, rubbing himself against Tony’s ass. But he’s got this. He’s going to get through this. All he needs is for his subconscious to stop being scared and then both he and Peter can experience all the pleasure they want. Tony wishes with all his heart that his feelings are set straight soon. Not just so that Peter can get what he wants. No. He wants to rail his little slut.

-

Peter’s mouth hasn’t shut since they’ve arrived at the exclusive Italian spa. He’s in awe of the place and can’t help but stare open-mouthed at the stunning design. It’s in the middle of nowhere, on an otherwise deserted island, and only the richest moneybags can afford the luxury of this place. Tony is one of those rich moneybags. Peter feels like a commoner in the VIP lounge of the most exclusive club he can think of. In essence, he kind of is. And it makes him only slightly uncomfortable. The place is beyond imagination. A gigantic building, no- a temple, with marble and chandeliers and fountains and lush greenery everywhere. The island is covered in smaller temples, each containing their own baths, saunas and treatment rooms. Massive Corinthian pillars hold up the structures and the marble floors are broken up by the most intricate, symmetrical mosaics. The gardens are never ending, filled with statues, and from what Peter could gather, the number of guests that are there can’t be more than thirty. This place is really only for the richest people. Everything about it screams abundant luxury. And everything is delicate. Expensive.  

Peter’s worn sneakers tap the floor awkwardly as he waits for Tony to finish up at the front desk. Peter tends to forget how much Tony is in his element in these kinds of situations. He’s rich. He knows it. He flaunts it. Tony knows exactly how all of this works and Peter can’t help but admit that, fuck. He’s hot like this. Sunglasses, mysteriously hiding his eyes as he nonchalantly leans on the counter, using his large, rough hands to enunciate the words he speaks. Peter’s not even listening anymore. He’s just hearing Tony’s deep, low voice as he arranges all kinds of massages and- Peter caught Tony’s words and his interest peaks. A private sauna? Peter presses his lips on top of each other and shifts, hoping no one notices his hard-on. A private sauna… Peter smiles mischievously at his feet, conjuring up his evil plan.

That evening, Tony smiles at Peter on the other side of the fancy dinner table. The boy looks absolutely adorable in the tux. It’s the same one he wore at Tony’s party three weeks ago. The same bow tie to go along with it. “So, how did the exam go? I completely forgot to ask.” “Oh, I think I did okay!” Peter starts. “I mean, I wasn’t exactly sure about the question where we had to estimate how much energy would be deposited into the Earth if it is hit by a one-tonne meteor traveling on an orbit around the Sun with a semi-major axis of 20.0A.U, but I tried and I think I nailed all the other questions!” “Was it moving in the same or opposite direction as the Earth’s orbit?” “Opposite.” Tony quickly grabs his phone to calculate the answer. “Alright, so if this... is the velocity, then it should be… 2.59 ×10^12 Joules?” Peter’s face lights up and Tony can’t help but smile along with that contagious little grin. “That was my answer! I nailed the test!” Peter exclaims happily, sitting back in his chair smirking. He realizes that there are people looking at them, so Peter giggles and tones his voice down a bit. “If I’m correct about the other questions too, then… I got a perfect score.”

Tony puts his phone away again and raises his crystal wine glass high in the air, looking at Peter. “To the smartest man I know.” “That’s you,” Peter laughs, his eyebrow raised. “No, Peter. You. I’m smart, but I’m only keeping up with you because I’ve had all these years to study. If you go on like this, you’ll be a thousand times smarter than I’ve ever been. You’re so intelligent it’s almost scary.” Peter feels his cheeks flush and he lowers his gaze to his glass of wine, raising it as well, clinking it against Tony’s. He knows he’s smart. Hearing it come from Tony’s mouth adds a different layer to it though. He can’t imagine ever knowing more than him. But then, Tony usually knows stuff like this.

Being in a fancy restaurant once again reminds Peter of the last time they were at one. He’s already having a hard time keeping to his new self-made rule. No teasing Tony until the sauna. It’ll be hard. Very hard. But waiting these three little days are going to be worth all of it. Besides, he gets to enjoy all these massages and whatever Tony booked for them. It’s not like he’ll be bored. Not teasing Tony has proved to him just how much he actually teases his boyfriend throughout the day, and he has to consciously stop himself from doing so. No jokes about tiramisu. Sadly.

-

Peter’s brushing his teeth in the bathroom closest to their bed - yes, the hotel room has more than one bathroom - while Tony gets comfortable in the large king bed. They’ve had two full days of extreme relaxation and Peter’s pretty sure he can’t feel half his muscles anymore. In a good way, this time. He walks out of the bathroom, toothbrush hanging from his mouth as he pulls up his cotton pajama pants. Tony’s scrolling through his phone, the lower half of his body covered by the thin sheets. His chest is bare. Toned. His arc reactor glows dimly. Peter loves the little faces Tony pulls when he’s reading, but Tony soon looks up, raising an eyebrow, silently wondering why Peter’s looking at him. “So, what are we doing tomorrow?” Peter asks innocently as he takes the toothbrush out of his mouth. He knows what they’re doing tomorrow. Oh, he knows. “Not much, to be honest.” Tony puts his phone on the nightstand and crosses his arms. “I was hoping we could have a nice sleep in, dive into one of those mint baths and then head to the private sauna.” “Oh, yeah, the sauna! Forgot about that.” He didn’t. “What time was that again?” “The appointment’s at four. We got loads of time.” “Cool!” Hot. Peter rushes back to the bathroom to hide his excitement. He needs his dick to calm the fuck down. Only one more day of no touching. No teasing. No nothing. Tony must have noticed his behavior. There’s no other way. He hasn’t commented on it, though. Which makes Peter slightly worried whether or not Tony will agree with Peter’s plan.

When he feels like his cock has softened up enough, he puts away his toothbrush and takes a breath before walking back into the bedroom. The size of it is insane. It’s not just a bedroom. It’s a whole apartment. Multiple rooms, sitting areas. Four bathrooms, excluding the two extra baths that are in the living spaces. There’s a gigantic, solid mahogany dinner table that could fit at least fifteen people. No idea why they would need it, but it’s awesome nonetheless. Peter flops onto the bed face down, limbs spread outward, making Tony laugh. “I wish I could still do that,” he jokes. “Tones, you’re not that old, you should try it.” Peter turns and curls up into himself, staring at Tony from his side of the bed. He’s a safe distance away from the other man. No chance to lose composure. “The masseurs are gonna have a tough time tomorrow if I did that, Pete, I’m good where I am, thank you.” “Such a superhero,” Peter quips, tugging at the sheets. He sits up straight again and looks around the room for the umpteenth time. The frescos on the wall are intricate and the sheer detail of the woodworks on the bed posts could keep someone entertained for hours. “Just look at this place, mister Stark!” “I have. More often than you’d think.” Tony cocks an eyebrow. “I’ve been here with my parents, so I’ve seen every corner of this island.”

Peter turns his head to look at Tony, who’s suddenly evading Peter’s stare. “That… Must’ve been a while back,” Peter says quietly. Tony takes a breath and nods. “Yeah, I know. I’m old.” “No, I didn’t-” “I know what you meant, kid.” He sucks at his teeth and sighs before opening his arms to Peter. “Come cuddle, please? Bedtime.” Tony’s great at avoiding topics he doesn’t want to talk about. They’ve discussed Tony’s parents often enough for Peter to know the whole story and as Tony respects Peter doesn’t like to talk about his own parents, Peter opts to do the same.

There’s a new issue at hand, however. Cuddling. Peter sucks at cuddling. Well, right now, at least. Why? Because he loves cuddling. And being as touch starved for Tony as he is, this is gonna get really hard really soon. And with this, he means he. Peter complies, though, not liking the sad, nostalgic look on Tony’s face. He shuffles closer and gets under the sheets, next to Tony. Like a key finding its lock, they embrace each other. Peter rests his head on Tony’s chest after they scoot down further under the blankets and he closes his eyes, breathing softly and listening to Tony’s gentle heartbeat. It’s weird, but Peter loves feeling the glow of Tony’s arc reactor on his face.

One of Tony’s hands rests on Peter’s head, his thumb rubbing slow circles in the boy’s hair. His other arm is curled around Peter’s waist and… Shit. Peter wriggles slightly in an attempt to push the lower half of his body away from Tony, who’s trying to tangle their legs together. The slight awkward situation causes Tony to laugh softly. “Where’d your legs go?” He chuckles. Peter sticks them out the bed on the other side, his wheel of excuses turning fast. “Feet are hot. Not nice. Out of bed,” he says quickly. Tony scoffs a single laugh and pulls the boy’s upper body closer. “Alright then.” Peter knows Tony knows he’s lying, but he’s grateful the man doesn’t ask any questions. Both of them could probably hold a contest for who has the bluest balls right now. Neither want the physical contact to lead to anything more than cuddling and he wants to give Tony a chance at the space he’s been asking for, so this is an odd compromise. It feels silly. Probably looks silly too, Peter thinks. But hey, tomorrow’s the big day.

-

Tony groans content as he and Peter set foot in the hot sauna. The heat immediately attacking them both inside and out. Peter has been in a sauna with Tony a few times before, as Tony has one at home, but the ones in this spa have all kinds of herbal infusions to stimulate the senses. Upon Peter’s request, the spa arranged for some dried oranges and cinnamon to give the sauna a sweet and spicy feel. Ha. Spicy. Tony sits down at the lowest level first, aiming to work his way up. Peter immediately goes to level two, to sit behind Tony. Drops of sweat are already forming on their skin and when he sees Tony relax, he goes in. He leans forward, pressing his hands on Tony’s back. He slowly works his way up, squeezing the skin and massaging gently. He smirks when Tony lets out a stifled moan as Peter reaches his neck. He rubs gentle shapes onto the man’s skin, before pushing his hands even further up, into Tony’s slight curls. Tony’s head nearly falls back under the attention, so completely relaxed he seems unaware of Peter’s wicked scheme. The boy massages Tony’s scalp and leans even further forward, until his mouth is right next to Tony’s ear. “S’hot in here, isn’t it, Mr. Stark?” he mumbles. The man lets out a low hum in response. A hum that goes straight to Peter’s dick. “Wanna come up to level two?” Tony huffs, not really wanting to move under the boy’s attention, but he nods and gets up, stepping up the bench to sit next to Peter.

They sit there for a little bit. The strong scent of the orange and cinnamon filling their lungs as they become damp with their own sweat. Tony has his eyes closed, smiling, knowing his boyfriend is right next to him. He’s been so sweet to Tony, giving him the time and space to get his mind cleared up from all the overstimulation stuff. Maybe he’ll finally give Peter what he wants tonight, Tony decides. The boy’s been too good for him. However, what Tony hadn’t noticed, was Peter standing up from his seat, turning himself so he’s right in front of Tony. The man has his legs slightly spread and his eyes open wide when he suddenly feels Peter sitting down on top of his left leg. “Hello, there,” Tony quips, clearing his throat. Peter leans in to press a wet kiss on the corner of Tony’s mouth. The man doesn’t move. “Hi, daddy,” he whispers, his eyes fluttering. “I thought we discussed this, Pete.” Tony cocks an eyebrow, but doesn’t move Peter off of him, like he did all the other times Peter tried. Peter smiles innocently, taking it as an invitation to start moving. Slowly, he grinds himself into Tony’s leg. He’s already achingly hard after not doing anything for three days. Tony simply leans back, letting the boy do his work. The kid’s jacked himself off for weeks now. It’s not like getting off on Tony’s thigh will get him that deep into subspace again. Especially since Tony won’t actually be touching him. Peter’s just getting himself off.

This is fine.

Tony’s mouth turns dry when Peter starts whimpering. His hips roll effortlessly over Tony’s sweaty thigh. The older man is almost embarrassed at how fast his dick turns hard, watching his good boy trying to find his release. Tony shouldn’t enable this. But fuck. He wants to. “Peter, please, you’re not making this any easier for me,” Tony breathes out as he fights his urges to touch himself. Or Peter. Or both. Peter leans in, sucking on the skin just below Tony’s ear. “I don’t want you to hold back, daddy, I want to make this…” His hand creeps to Tony’s shaft, cupping it for a second before moving up to flick one of Tony’s nipples. “...hard, for you.” The boy continues to rub himself on Tony and he leans back to show himself off as he starts playing with his own nipples, using his sweat to glide over the buds. “Besides,” he moans. “If you won’t touch me... “ His hips move fast and his pants are quick. “I’m just gonna touch you.”

Tony swallows. He’s pretty sure he’ll come untouched if Peter really decides to get off right then and there, in a technically public but for now private sauna. Peter moans obscenely as his hands roam over his own body, touching all the places that make his cock throb. “Aren’t I pretty for you, daddy?” He sighs with his eyes closed. His mouth hangs open and his rolls speed up even further. Tony can’t help but moan himself and he closes his eyes in the hopes of blocking out what’s happening. Peter notices and smirks as he stops holding back altogether, moaning and whimpering loudly with every roll of his hips. “I know you’re so hard, daddy, I can see it, I can feel your cock throbbing from here, I can feel it, daddy-”

Shit.

How did Tony never realize that? Peter can feel the wind outside high rises, he feels when Tony stands behind him, simply through a shift of air. He can feel Tony’s cock without touching it. The realization hits Tony with a wave of pleasure and he squeezes his eyes shut. He can’t hold back anymore. He knew Peter was planning something, why else would he be so physically distant the past few days? Tony didn’t know it would lead to semi-public sex in a cinnamon-orange sauna on a deserted island in Italy, but he’s done complaining. Peter gets his wish. Tony’s groan turns into a pained chuckle. “You planned this, didn't you?" He growls as he opens his eyes to watch his slut ride his thigh, desperately searching for release. "Made me miss you so bad that I would have no choice but to throw you on your stomach in this sauna and fuck you deep and hard?" "Y-yes, daddy, want you to fuck me so badly," Peter gasps, realizing Tony finally gave in. "Well, too bad now, boy... I'm not going to touch you. Not unless you come rubbing your cock on me. Go on then, keep grinding, show daddy your cum, get off on my thigh like the desperate little slut you are."

Peter sucks in a hot breath, Tony’s words shooting through him like a missile. He increases the speed of his movement, his moans becoming more and more desperate. “Can- Can I hold you?” Peter asks suddenly. Tony’s taken aback by the innocent question, but realizes how touch starved the boy is. They haven’t done anything like this for weeks and shit, the boy has been holding back for three days now. Tony would love to remain the composed dom in this, but it would be too cruel to deny Peter this now. “Yeah, kid, wrap your arms around me, use me, baby.” Peter immediately envelopes Tony, not even kissing him, just pressing the man against his chest. They’re both sweating, panting messes, heating each other up even further.

“Daddy’s got you.” Peter whimpers, angling himself a bit differently to get more friction. He gasps, digging his fingers into Tony’s sweaty skin. “M-Missed this,” the boy chokes out. Tony groans at Peter’s nails clawing into his skin as he realizes that fuck, yes, he’s missed this as well. “Missed you too, sweetness. Oh, you’ve been such a good boy for daddy, haven’t you?” “Y-yeah!” “My sweet boy, so hot, you should see yourself, baby,” Tony growls. He can feel how Peter’s rhythm is slowly falling apart, how he’s just rutting down, chasing his high. “I-I need you, daddy, need to cum, I can’t hold it off one more day.” “You can, honey, you can come all over me. Show me how much you want this, I want to see you fall apart.” Tony’s struggling. He wants to just flip them over, wrap his fingers around that pretty little cock and watch how the moans would increase with every flick of his wrist. He wants to push Peter down on his knees, fuck, fuck. “You’re fucking with my head, baby-” he growls, “-do you feel how hard I am baby, you already thinking about tonight, when we’re in bed together? I’m gonna fuck you, sweetie, I promise. Gonna give you what you’ve been waiting for.”

Tony wants it so bad, he can’t help himself. He reaches for Peter’s pretty ass, gripping it tightly and helping the boy set a solid rhythm again, taking over. Peter surrenders to his guidance within seconds and it has Tony gasping. The hot, cinnamon orange air stings his lungs in the best possible way. “Peter, you close baby?” “Y-Yes, Tony, so c-close! Don’t let go of me, please, please.” “Never again, I promise.” “I’m gonna hold that a- Oh fuck, daddy, I can’t- ” Peter closes his eyes, falling into Tony’s chest as he cries out in pleasure. Tony groans as he feels how Peter comes all over his thigh, his entire body shaking within Tony’s safe embrace. Tony stares at him, his pupils blown wide.

Peter’s perfect. His hips riding him through his orgasm, his cock twitching against Tony’s skin. Peter’s eyes are still closed, brows furrowed together. The boy leans down, panting heavily as his forehead rests against Tony’s arc reactor. “Yes, that’s it , aren’t you my pretty, sweet, little boy, Peter?” Tony feels his eyes sting with tears. Peter looks so fragile, so sweet and angelic against the soft, shiny, blue light. “I-I am…” Peter whispers. “Yes, you are. You’re so good for me, being a little brat to help me overcome my fears.” Tony kisses the top of Peter’s hair, and the boy then looks up at him, a playful sparkle in his eye. “I’m only obedient if it’s in my best interest,” Peter says, gauging Tony’s reaction. When he sees Tony’s eyes light up at the joke he giggles. “You sneaky little thing.” “Hmmm, don’t pretend you didn’t like it.” “Never.”

Tony cuddles Peter for as long as he can still manage to take the heat of the sauna. Whispering sweet praise into his ear, how much he loves him, how grateful he is for Peter trying his best to give him space. How he’s going to ruin him tonight. Because fuck he will. Peter’s not escaping that one. He’s drying himself off with a big fluffy towel after taking the cold shower that Peter talked him into. Yes, he knows he’s supposed to take the cold shower but he usually just sits outside the sauna for a bit. He couldn’t ignore the hopeful, playful look on his boyfriend’s face, however. Peter laughed out loud at all the faces Tony pulled when the freezing stream of water hit his skin. He barely lasted three seconds before jumping away from it and wrapping the towel around his shoulders.

“Pete, come on out, you’ll get ice burns.” “It’s not that cold, Tony.” “Yes, it is. Come here, I want to wrap you in this fluffy thing,” Tony says, referring to Peter’s towel, “-then carry you to our room for cuddles. And food. And more sex.” Peter chuckles and turns the shower off, running his way into Tony’s arms. Tony gasps when Peter’s icy-cold body wraps around him. “Peter!” “It’s for your own good!” “Honey, please, a heart attack isn’t good for my health,” he laughs, trying to push the boy off him. Only to realize how much he missed this as well. Not having sex, meant not being as close. As playful. As goofy. He smiles. He’s past that now. “Hush it, I can hear your heartbeat. You’re doing just fine.”

Tony snorts, lifting Peter’s chin up and kissing him slowly. Their soft lips melting together. The older man closes his eyes, trailing his fingers across Peter’s cheeks as he keeps on kissing him. His lips slightly parting, Peter taking the invitation and their tongues meeting in the middle. It’s so warm and gentle that it has Tony’s heartbeat speed up. Peter sighs against his lips, his hands walking up towards Tony’s shoulder blades to hold him tight. They just stay like that for a while, making out soft and gently, their bodies locked into their embrace.

--- More: Chapter 10 Masterpost

[thesuitelifeofjughead]

Riverdale Rewatch Review - Season One

Hey guys! So, as everyone knows, there’s like, this big thing happening in the world right now causing everyone to have to stay inside and a lot of people have way more free time on their hands than they know what to do with. I am one of those people. After I finish my schoolwork I find that barely even half a day has passed. What do I fill that time with? Animal Crossing. But also, watching Netflix. 

I’ve wanted to rewatch Riverdale for the longest time, and I figure that now is the best time to do it. 

So, the way this will work, I’ll give my overall thoughts and review of the season, my favorite episodes, and then I’m going to give you a play-by-play of my thoughts while rewatching each episode under the break. So, without further ado:

Overall Review

Looking at the bigger picture of everything I know Riverdale has come to be, I think the statement stands true that Season One is one of their strongest season, if not their actual strongest (Season Four has been climbing up there for me in fav seasons). 

Watching it all together, the drama seemed evenly paced, and everyone seemed to get the same amount of screen time, including characters we barely see anymore like Kevin and Reggie. There are some interesting shots, and I found myself jammin to some of the songs they had the characters sing as well as the background music. 

It was clear that they had a plan, and they knew where they were going. Hints of relationships happened WAY before they became official, and it seemed like everyone was on the same page, which is difficult to say for later seasons (which I will also be making reviews on shortly). 

For only having 13 episodes, Riverdale did an excellent job in it’s first season hooking everyone in to the drama and the mystery, including me. I believe it was after the second or third episode when this blog was created, and I’ve been here ever since. This season is responsible for why a lot of fans stuck around, and for why a lot of fans left. 

Overall, I would say it had amazing storytelling, character development, cinematic techniques, and everything else you could think of. My final rating would be a 10/10. Even if you don’t like later seasons, you can’t deny this one was really good, and had a lot of classic Riverdale moments -insert gif of Jughead saying “I’m a weirdo” here bc I tried to find it but couldn’t-. 

My personal favorite episodes: Episode 6, Episode 10, Episode 13

Rewatch Thoughts

Episode 1: 

It’s so clear right from the start that Veronica likes Archie oh my god

I love Betty Cooper dance parties and I want more of them

Wow I hate Alice from the very beginning

Fred Andrews was the best parent on Riverdale from the very beginning. Period.

Maybe the show is more consistent than I thought. Archie was dumb since season one episode one for lying to his dad. 

Veronica was so supportive of Betty and Archie we stan a supportive friend

Oh my god did we all collectively forget that Archie dated a freaking TEACHER?!

JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS MY HEART I love and miss them 

Jughead was such a broody lil boy wasn’t he oh my gosh Betty really did change him for the better didn’t she

“Whatever happened with Betty, just talk to her. It’ll go a long way” We stan a king who wants open communication from the beginning yas Jughead

Episode Rating: 8/10

Episode 2: 

God, the teacher is so manipulative

Oh god i’m gonna have to relive the dark Betty arc aren’t I

This rewatch is just gonna further my love for Jughead. He was the smartest one since day one

WAIT i completely forgot they changed Reggie’s actor oh my goodness

Episode Rating: 5/10

Episode 3: 

there was a mention of Greendale in the VERY FIRST SEASON 

The only good thing Penelope Blossom ever did was punch Alice Cooper and that’s that on that

I love the early journalism relationship between Betty and Jughead

Episode Rating: 7/10

Episode 4:

Ya’ll I miss jughead narrating at the beginning and end of every episode

THE TWILIGHT DRIVE IN. I MADE SO MANY FANFICTIONS SET THERE AWH

Jug was so upset over the drive in my HEART. Jughead had a JOB. Am I the only one who forgot that? 

He called her Betts and she called him Juggy their already in a relationship let’s face it. 

“It’s like my home” AWH JUG IT WAS HIS HOME MY HEART

Ya’ll remember how INSANE the reveal of Jughead’s dad was?

Episode Rating: 10/10

Episode 5:

Why would he have to run away from mommy and daddy? BECAUSE DADDY DID IT JUG YOURE SO SMART

Everyone was so SHADY in season one 

THE FREAKING SNAKE IN THE BOX

This was the episode with Jughead’s stupid cute smile in his stupid cute hat and stupid cute tux my heart

Remember when Fred and Hermione had that thing? Yeah me neither I hate it

Episode Rating: 8/10

Episode 6:

Wow makes sense that Polly joined a cult, she’s so fragile from everything that’s happened to her 

I love the early music in this show

Betty straight up asks Hal if he killed Jason Blossom. OMG Alice goes “You think he has the stomach or that?” UHM hate to break it to ya but your dad is,,, oof

ITS THE HEY JULIET EPISODE AWH

WAIT THAT MEANS

The little “also” and his voice cracks I’m

FIRST BUGHEAD KISS FIRST BUGHEAD KISS

“In the middle of our moment” ICONIC

Episode Rating: 10/10

Episode 7:

the episode in which we find out Jughead is living in the school

“Don’t tell Betty” they’re already so in love I swear

Jughead walking Betty home is literally the softest thing

The farm was a part of the plot from SEASON ONE oh my god

Episode Rating: 7/10

Episode 8:

I’m p sure this is just a filler episode

Oh wait it’s the reveal to Archie and Fred that FP is a serpent

WAIT ITS THE BABY SHOWER SCENE

“It’s totally on my bucket list” we don’t deserve Jughead

the LOOKS Archie got when he walked into that baby shower

Can you believe how normal it became to be a part of the serpents? And in the beginning it was such a big deal? Like Arch, hate to break it to you, you become an honorary serpent one day

Episode Rating: 7/10

Episode 9:

Riverdale season one really be hitting different. It’s so,, innocent lol, and that’s sayin something 

The Blossoms are a cult all their own I’m just sayin

“That was a joke, you hobo” ICONIC

Otherwise known as the episode where Alice throws a rock at a window

The parents really do be acting like teenagers tho

ALSO known as the episode where Veronica rips of her pearls

YOOO remember when Cheryl kissed Archie? That was a moment

Episode Rating: 9/10

Episode 10:

oh my god this is the birthday episode isn’t it

OH NO

lmao Ronnie was Tik Tok dancing before it was cool huh

The movie part of the party was so pure awh

oh god the creepy birthday song

i hate it

I HATE ITTTT

Cheryl arrives to mess shit UP

We love that Bughead took this as a learning experience and Jughead has never had a birthday party since

“In CaSe YoU HaVeN’t NoTiCEd, I’m WeiRd. I’m A weiRDo. I DoN’t FiT iN aNd I DoN’t WaNnA FiT in. HAvE YoU eVeR SeeN mE WiThOuT ThiS HaT oN? THAT’S WEIRD.”

Jughead was so opposed to letting her in my heart

Just let her love you Jug

Dilton’s actor also changed and we just,, let it slide? oof my guys

THE PUNCH. he DEFENDS his WOMAN

the first sign of FP bein a good dad, telling Jughead not to run away from Betty. We stan a father who’s basically responsible for Bughead.

The reveal that Alice lived on the south side was also in this episode. 

THE FIRST TIME JUG TOOK OFF HIS BEANIE

their first heart to heart ya’ll I love them

This is the softest scene point blank period

When I said I hated it before? Yeah I lied I love this episode

The episode where Archie and Ronnie also officially got togther kinda?? Wow so much happened this episode

Episode Rating: 10/10

Episode 11:

Hail our fair RIVERDALLEEEE

YOOO you remember when FP literally was an accomplice to MURDER and then they let him become sheriff? Man, what a time

Ya’ll why did they hurt Jughead so much in the first season my heart

Yo THIS is why they have such good communication in later seasons

he’s being FRAMED

Episode Rating: 7/10

Episode 12:

oh my goodness the tollbooth scene 

OW

The second time his beanie is off

he looks so SAD ouch

He just stood there and TOOK Cheryl’s punches someone save my poor boy

THE REVEAL THAT THE BLOSSOMS AND COOPERS ARE RELATED AH

They watched the videooooo

Episode Rating: 9/10

Episode 13:

The camera work around this table is really interesting. It’s literally circling them at the lunch table. SPEAKING OF LUNCH TABLES, why haven’t we seen them eating lunch at school for like two seasons lol 

“I’m with Jughead now”

God Penelope Blossom is so melodramatic

Can i just say thank GOD Fred never sold Andrew’s Construction

Oh my god the locker scene. The way he cups her cheek and takes her away

Jughead going to South Side High without telling anyone I’m

Cheryl on the ice

Remember when KJ literally broke his arm bc of the dedication to this scene

BURN THE HOUSE TO THE GROUND

the I love you scene my hEART

His beanie is off and the way he says I love you I”M CRYING

Oh god this song

I made so many fanfictions about this freaking scene with the jacket I’m

We all thought it was so BAD to be a serpent and yet they all literally become one over the next two seasons I’m. the fandom had NO IDEA

“Juggy”

The looks they give each other I’m laughing

Cheryl starring into the FLAMES

OH MY GOD WAIT THIS CLIFFHANGER IS SO MUCH MORE SAD NOW NOOOOO. This didn’t age well I’m.

HE SHOOK HIS HEAD HE WAS PROTECTING ARCHIE

But also,, Black Hood Intro? Oof.

Episode Rating: 10/10

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If you got this far, thank you for reading my rambles! Season Two rewatch is up next!