#tw: r*pe mention

[phantomoftheorpheum]

PLL: OS (Summer School) 2x07 thoughts

*Spoilers for 2x01-2x07 of Summer School + the trailer for the final 3 episodes.

Okay, this is it, y'all, the last chance to make any predictions! I suspect this is going to be very long.

Unfortunately I have a lot going on rn, so I'm pretty exhausted and I fear this will not be my best, but I'm going to do my best to push through the brain fog. If I struggle with expressing my thoughts, at least you'll know why.

I think, for the final analysis of the season (I will post something about 2x08, but it will probably be a much shorter post, since I don't anticipate doing much speculating [outside of loose threads]) I'm going to break things down by girl, but fully go through every character most closely linked to each girl, then move on to stuff that doesn't fit well in those categories. Okay, let's do this. I hope you're ready for overthinking. (P.S. there are weird breaks in the formatting because of tumblr's limits of how long a single block of text can be).

Faran

I'm starting with Faran because she is both my personal favorite, and because I think she may be the simplest to talk about. So while it does feel like Faran's gotten to grow this season, a lot of her story is really an internal journey for her character development, and I think a lot of it isn't super directly linked to the BR plot. Despite her character getting a lot of physically strenuous scenes, I think her confidence/emotional strength was what was really tested this season. So like I said, aside from being linked to the church through the characters outside of the girls that she interacts with the most, Faran doesn't feel super tied in to the BR motive. I've really enjoyed Faran this season (and relate to a lot of aspects of her personality), but her story does feel a bit peripheral to the main events of the season (which is fine, tying to deeply tie villain motivations back to each of the girls in this plot seems like a lot. It worked with their moms, but would be harder to do repeatedly). That being said, there are characters and plot lines attached specifically to her, so let's take a look at those.

Henry - I think he's irrelevant. He was mentioned one time this episode. I think this is just a character (or maybe more the relationship) they just wanted to cycle out. He's felt doomed (figuratively speaking) all season, and if he doesn't make any kind of appearance in 2x08, that doesn't feel like a loose thread. I've never hated or loved Henry (and I think that's a bit of the problem and the reason they've basically written him out), he's just kinda there. And now he's just kinda not there. If they have a third season, I could see him possibly making very minor appearances (depending on the availability of the actor), but it does just feel like the show is pretty done with him. Considering his connections to Kelly's church, it is possible he "sold the girls out" in some way, but that just feels unnecessarily complicated, tbqh. This is probably the last time I will talk about him at all, unless he pops up in an important way next episode.

Coach Rhodes & Stringbean - It feels like this storyline was here to close out Faran's arc of finding herself and feeling confident/comfortable in her strength, both physically and mentally. Obviously Coach Rhodes has Faran's number, and they still haven't explained the info showing up on SpookySpaghetti, but that always felt like a distraction anyway (Coach Rhodes, I mean). I'll be surprised if he has any kind of important role.

Greg - I guess it's time for me to really talk about Greg, because I've mentioned him and Faran/Greg a little over the course of the season, but mostly in passing. It now feels like it's time. Listen... Greg is (I think) in my mind benefitting massively from the fact that I didn't bother to rewatch season 1, because I don't think I have as many negative feelings about him as people who that season was fresh for. I barely remember him in season 1, so I've forgotten a lot of the stuff he said/did, so basically season 2 Greg exists in my mind by himself. BUT, please don't get me wrong, he is still annoying and problematic and I think they've rushed (and cut) key stuff they really needed for a good redemption arc for a character like him. And I do think he needs a redemption arc if they want to move forward with him as a protagonist, even a background one. In the scheme of the show, sure, Greg is probably not the literal worst (I don't think he's murdering anybody, anyway), but the show has also made him intentionally an example of toxic masculinity, misogyny, etc. etc. etc. and because the show has chosen to center a lot of these topics, then ignoring that Greg has spent the majority of his screen time as an embodiment of all those things, just having him say a few "Sorry, I'm better now," kind of lines just doesn't cut it, imo. I actually really respect the idea of taking an incredibly privileged, toxic, and even harmful character and deconstructing them, to show that it's hard and it's a process and that people can change, but it's not easy to unlearn all that stuff. It can be fascinating, and also a reminder that, as hard as it might be for us to like someone like Greg, the message that "once a shitty person, not always a shitty person," is ultimately, if executed thoughtfully, a positive. So yeah, I think that kind of storyline can be done well, but it takes time, which is something this show lacks in a lot of ways (lots of characters, lots of elements, very few episodes). Personally, I think they should have played the long game with Greg, if they really wanted to turn him into a protagonist and possible love interest. I don't know why they wouldn't, except maybe that he's going to be sacrificed to add to the body count of the finale and so they knew they didn't have time to do a developed arc with him.

Faran/Greg as a ship - If you told me I had to write a follow up to season 1 and make Greg a love interest for Faran, here's what I would have pitched- Use season 2 to show that he's questioning things and people around him (maybe we introduce his gay cousin [I know that was a Riverdale reference, but that could have been anyone] who's visiting for the summer and he's someone Greg already loves/respects who calls out his inappropriate comments and toxic masculinity). Show him listening and absorbing the thoughts/behavior of the people that he's now surrounded by (his cousin at home, Faran and Ash [and Shawn if he existed enough to be anything] at work), instead of his usual group of friends from school. Show him becoming unsatisfied and embarrassed with the way that he's been acting. Make him realize, now that he's starting to open his mind a bit, that he does really respect Faran, shown through interactions of them working together. Have them clash at the beginning of the season, but also have them talk and have friendlier moments, because they're stuck together at work and there's a lot of just sitting around, basically. Let us, the audience, watch him change, while Faran maybe doesn't see it that much, because the change is slow. If you have to have Faran/Greg "romance" in season 2, make it casual. Faran will have spent enough time with Greg by mid-season that she's friendly-ish with him, but after her breakup with Henry, she's just looking for a FWB kind of situation and, now that she's seen a slightly better side of him, she thinks Greg's kinda hot. She sees him shirtless all day, she finds that their bickering has evolved into less serious topics and now it's evolved into some sexual tension, she doesn't see him as a real romantic option, but he and Kelly are broken up (which I would have had happen earlier), so why not? Get them to a point by the end of season 2 where you've set up a "he's completely smitten with her, but she thinks it's just casual and it doesn't even occur to her they could be a real couple," dynamic for season 3. If you get a season 3, great. If you don't, that's okay, too. That way, you still get your ship in season 2 (and it's PLL, they tend to have to have their ships), but it doesn't feel entirely unsupported, and you can continue to have that relationship evolve into something deeper, OR you can have it fall apart easily, whichever direction you want to go if you get renewed because there's groundwork for either (scenario one, Faran develops feelings, scenario two, she doesn't and realizes he has and that ends things). So that would have been my pitch if you told me I have to try to make this ship work (would I have pitched this ship in the first place? no, I wouldn't have, but that won't stop me from trying to retroactively work out how it could have been handled), anyway.

As it is, I really don't get the Faran/Greg thing from a pacing/storytelling/character POV. I get the tropes that they're leaning into with this relationship. I get that there's limited time. I think I entirely get what the intent was. I just don't think they've done enough with Greg's character or his relationship with Faran to support where we are now with them. Mostly. I said last week that I thought it was good they cut the 2x06 kiss, because while I could see where they were trying to go with things, it just didn't feel like they'd managed to actually get those characters to a place where it makes sense, but now I kind of want to take that back because I think this felt even weirder? Like I don't know what was said in the 2x06 conversation that led to a kiss, or what other Faran/Greg content they might have cut from earlier in the season, but I just didn't feel like they'd had enough legitimately friendly interactions (yeah, Greg apologized to her that one time, but they've not really talked about anything of substance with each other, ever) for them to suddenly be legit hanging out and hooking up. When Greg said, "You know why," I thought to myself- Yeah, I do, but what if I didn't know about the cut kiss from 2x06 and/or I haven't been paying that much attention to the show, would I? That conversation makes a lot more sense with the context of that not being the first time they've kissed, but since that scene was cut, I guess it canonically is and hhdfjshfkjsdfs. Because romance is not central to the plot, and you have 5 main characters, this is the perfect opportunity to plan multi-season romantic arc that doesn't ruin anything if it's not resolved, and I just think they should have taken that. Y'all, I want to be very clear that my critiques of the show come from a place of fun for me. I like thinking about how things that I believe are particularly weak elements could have been different. If I weren't enjoying myself, I wouldn't be watching, and I definitely wouldn't be making posts like this. So when I say I think something is done poorly, that doesn't mean that I'm horribly upset or I don't like the show. I just like talking about what could be done better. The only time I am legitimately annoyed (and it's more frustration than anything) is when I feel like I just cannot understand what/why/how the creative decisions were made. I don't think Faran/Greg has been handled particularly well (too fast, too unsupported, not enough change on Greg's part, etc.), but I do think I understand what the intent/goal was, in this case, and so it doesn't bother me as much as it easily could.

Kelly

I'm giving Kelly her own section this time, and I think it makes sense for it to follow Faran's, since their plots are tied together this season.

Kelly's actions are quite interesting to me this episode. She seems to be genuinely investigating the Bloody Rose plot, and she seems genuinely suspicious of her mother. And also she could be dead now. (I do not think Kelly is dead, because if she is, then Faran didn't have to find her right away. I assume Faran will be able to save her, tying up the "Faran rescuing people from drowning," arc).

The question remains- is Kelly genuine? She does a lot of things in this episode that point to "she doesn't know what's going on," like calling Sandy's mom and asking where she is, questioning her mom about who she blames for Karen's death, locking her mom up and fleeing her house. All these things are consistent with actions a character would take if they don't know what's going on and are trying to find out.

My problem with this is... I think that there is a plan from the BR team (I'm calling it a team, because I think it's minimum 2 people and likely 3 or more) to frame someone (or someones) for the Bloody Rose attacks, so also all of those actions (along with a possibly faked attack intentionally witnessed by Faran) could be part of Kelly setting up her mother as a fall guy (so in this scenario, Kelly is playing out the "concerned friend & investigator" role by doing things like calling Sandy's parents to establish actions that would make her seem innocent). When you think about it, it would make sense. A lot of the BR stuff ties back to the church, which her mother has a major role in. Whoever BR is, they were able to convince people that their victims are still alive and not trigger a murder investigation or search parties. Whoever BR is, they are covering their tracks. Mrs. Beasley would be a great fall guy if Kelly were involved, and Mrs. Beasley is abusive towards Kelly, giving her motivation to frame her.

So, for that reason, I haven't cleared Kelly from my list. That being said, her behavior this episode does more likely point to her innocence, as it's a simpler explanation and allows her to stay in the show as a sometimes protagonist, sometimes antagonist. I also think this episode makes it pretty difficult to think Mrs. Beasley and Kelly are involved. If they were, a lot of their conversations don't make any sense.

However, if Kelly is involved, I can't help but wonder if her BR attack was staged (I mean, she may really be injured à la Billy and Stu) because she was tipped off about the girls beginning to close in a bit by Faran's conversation with her. She could also be pissed at Faran for her thing with Greg (though since the show seems to have cut a lot of that, it's probably not that important to the plot) if she somehow found out about that.

Mrs. Beasley is obviously incredibly suspicious at this point, but since PLL properties favor twist villains, she may very well be too suspicious. She blames the girls for what happened to Karen (and what warped thinking, that this happened to Karen because of the video is. Ma'am Karen's doom did not start with a video, it started when your husband r**ed Angela), which is certainly motive. She also specifically ties Karen's death to The Orpheum, which is another arrow pointing at Tabby's storyline. Anyway, obviously she's growing roses (but literally anybody could go cut some) and she's connected to the church and we know she's hurting Kelly, so... But those reveals are all pre-finale, and also all of those things would be a great way to frame her.

The timing of Kelly's attack is difficult to pinpoint. It looked like it was daylight when she locked Mrs. Beasley up, and Kelly is attacked after dark. It's not totally clear, but I think the only side characters with alibis during this particular attack are (actual Rose, Mouse's grandmother, Shawn, & Greg). Since I believe that there may be multiple people dressing up as Bloody Rose, this isn't really helpful. (Finally a BR attack where it seems like Shawn has an alibi, though).

Mouse

This is probably going to be a pretty short section, since Mouse doesn't have a ton going on, though there are some interesting implications in her story this episode.

So... how did Mouse get exposed on SpookySpaghetti? It still feels like there's someone with inside info on the girls (phone numbers, their redemption house info, now this), but as far as we know the only character who knows Mouse made the Angela video is Ash. Are we supposed to believe people just recognized her/her voice (which tbf, was not particularly disguised)? Or was the laptop she was brought a trap? (or even if it wasn't, could someone have remote access to Mouse's computers?) Is someone tracking her digital info, and possibly even watching her through her webcams? It's interesting because we've only seen this happen once, but Mouse accepted that video chat with Bloody Rose, so could the point of that have been for Rose to gain access to her computer? That's never come back around.

Speaking of Mouse's computer, we did meet her "computer teacher" this episode, and he is clearly a character who would be capable of all that, but it feels waaaay too late for an important introduction.

Ash - Again, I don't have a lot to say here. The fact that he knew about the Angela video does look not great for him, particularly with the leaked phone numbers, since he's someone who probably had all the new numbers at that point. The girls say they didn't give the numbers to anyone, but I think they mean new people, because they were all still talking to their boyfriends, so I assume they were excluding people they really trust. But... I just don't see how Ash fits in as a good villain for this season. He's been very background and the biggest part of his story is Pride vs Hell House, and that just feels really genuine. He's nowhere near the top of my predictions.

Mouse's Grandmother & Rose - I am glad that this plot point is going to get addressed to some degree, because I've been wondering why they had Rose jump off of a bridge. It would have been really easy to just have her be unwilling to speak to the girls or not coherent when they found her. Whether or not she actually is Rose Waters, and what her connection to stuff might be, does still feel like it needs to be resolved. I don't have much new to say about Mouse's grandmother. I suppose she might have known Rose back in the day, since her daughter obviously knew Angela.

Imogen

There are a few elements to Imogen's storyline this season that need to be addressed in the finale, the most obvious being if BR is pretending to be her mother and why.

I still think we're building to Imogen stabbing someone (quite probably Johnny), just not sure whether that's going to be a hallucination, a bad guy, accidentally a good guy, etc. I don't think the fact that she's had two meltdowns where she's grabbed knives and Johnny has talked her down from both of them is in any way an accident (rule of threes).

I'm still unsure why they introduced Rebecca, when it's had absolutely nothing to do with anything (I guess it's informed Imogen's mental state and kept her relationship with her mother at the surface). I just don't see how they tie it in with any sort of satisfaction because we've literally met this character one time.

In general, I'm honestly really not sure how Davie ties in to everything, unless she doesn't, really, but it's part of the storyline BR is crafting for a film or something.

Johnny - He's continued to be super chill about all the stuff Imogen is throwing at him. Out of the three new love interests, he is the least developed, which I think makes him the least likely to have a big twist reveal (though I do have a theory that includes him, but we'll get to that later because there's a lot of other stuff I need to bring up first), but that shot of what appears to be Imogen dragging his body across the creamery floor is something. I've thought it is most likely a nightmare that she has (because if he was revealed as a villain and killed or injured, why would she need to move his body? Surely under those circumstances she'd just call 911, like do we think Imogen is going to hide a body this season???), but I also kind of expected it to be in tonight's episode. I think I also instinctively discredit it a bit because if it is real & what it looks like, that feels very spoilery and I would never put something key like that in a trailer, but also sometimes they really do put stuff in a trailer that you probably shouldn't. Since I have no new information on his character, this is about all I've got for you on this one.

Imogen/Johnny - Johnny has one point in his favor with me, and it's a small point, which is that he got the 2x06 Greg treatment this episode, AKA they gave him a shot were Imogen leaves and then he's all smiling and smitten. There's literally no one there to see it. But I only give that a tiny bit of weight because it could just be editing. The choice to linger on him in this moment feels weird if he's going to be evil, but weird choices happen sometimes. It also makes me very nervous that Imogen keeps talking about how safe she feels with Johnny. That seems like terrible foreshadowing. I just really want Imogen to not have to relive the trauma of dating people who have literally always had an ulterior motive.

Small note, but- "Stop analyzing me." Imogen, I love you, but do you know what a therapist is for?

Dr. Sullivan - Okay, this is still a big thing, even though we got some kind of explanation out of her in this episode. It's hard to know how honest she's being. Even without her vanishing and the rose petals appearing, her past with this situation didn't feel resolved. Archie murdering her son for revenge against Dr. Sullivan for simply not reporting his situation doesn't totally line up to me. Like I get that she should have done something, but he had apparently already escaped at that point, so... She's from Millwood. Did she know the girl's moms? Did she know Davie? We know she knew Rose. Also Imogen couldn't find anything about her son online. He has a gravestone, so it feels like he's real (though she could have scouted the cemetery and found a Sullivan and then used that person's first name in her explanation to Imogen), so that makes me question if Dr. Sullivan is Dr. Sullivan. I mean, I know that Dr. Sullivan is a character from the original and she is definitely actually Dr. Sullivan, but with all the theories around twins, could she actually be Dr. Sullivan's twin, impersonating her to gain access to the girls (would also explain why she was so willing to risk her license by recording the girls without their consent)? But that feels overly complicated, too.

Obviously Imogen has that dream where Dr. Sullivan is BR and impersonating her mother. But Imogen's story is so intertwined with motherhood, she clearly spends part of the season looking up to Dr. Sullivan as a kind of stand-in mother figure, and Dr. Sullivan and Davie do look a little alike. This is clearly unresolved, but I'm conflicted in where I think it's going. It could be more about Imogen's personal journey, and I would probably assume that if BR hadn't (probably, we didn't actually see it) been wearing a Davie mask.

Dr. Sullivan's flashback scenes were weird, like tv (or film) recreations, rather than legit flashbacks (another SpookySpaghetti film? Or possibly the movie BR might be making?) and what was with Archie's mask in the flashback??? That looked like a Christian monster mask, rather than the A mask we're used to seeing. That's another reason I wonder if the "flashback" might be a dramatized recreation for the film. And is that supposed to be Archie's "real" face?

I still haven't forgotten that someone pushed her down the stairs (according to her) and we've just avoided bringing that up again.

"Something about Rose compelled me," is a very interesting wording. It's also very "The power of Christ compels you!" feeling.

And then, obviously, she disappears and the rose petals are left behind. So presumably she's either been kidnapped by BR or she's in on it. I'm still very conflicted about this character.

Noa

Here we are again. That's it.

Okay, no, I'm actually going to talk about it. I'm not going to continue to go on about all the stuff leading up to this episode because I have discussed it in length in previous posts. Yes, I'm still frustrated with this storyline, and yes, that's still mostly because I cannot figure out what the show is trying to say/do here. Either Noa is getting set up for a big fall/surprise, or they genuinely didn't see how this arc was going to be received. It's one or the other.

While I can understand why Noa would feel so connected to Jen and why she might grow apart from Shawn and why this love triangle situation happened in the first place, what I struggle to understand (from a character perspective) is how she'll go from casually discussing the fact that she's been cheating on Shawn (those are her own words, it's not like she's in denial about her actions), then crying and seemingly genuinely feeling guilty, but then she'll turn around and think she's justified in smashing up his car because... he was angry at her and Jen for their affair?

Characters respond to things emotionally, and I do think Noa is someone who operates on her gut instincts, rather than spending a lot of time thinking things through, but what in holy hell was she thinking? Of course he's gonna be really pissed, Noa. You cheated on him (and it's not even addressed if he's aware this happened while she was in juvie, too), literally moved the person you're cheating with into your house under his nose, asked him for 2k to bail out the person you're cheating with, continued to instigate a sexual relationship with him instead of breaking things off, didn't actually do anything when the person you're cheating with literally robbed his own house (which he may also still not know), then dumped him without even being honest about why. But he's the bad guy because... he yelled at the person you were cheating with a put a hole in the wall? Wild. And like... listen, someone putting a hole in the wall in anger is a red flag to me (irl), but considering the circumstances and his lack of a history of violence, if we are supposed to think this in any way warrants Noa then smashing his car (which like... at least equally big red flag irl as punching a wall) then I don't get it.

So that brings me to the fact that I'm not convinced Shawn actually did damage the wall (he does not specifically deny this when confronted, but he's also a little distracted by the fact that his ex is smashing out his car windows). I mean, who the hell knows? We literally only have Jen's version of events and she's got a history of lying and twisting situations around to suit her ends. We also don't know what her reaction to being confronted by Shawn was. Her pattern in confrontation that we've witnessed is to get angry and accusatory with the person confronting her. She also basically taunted Shawn to his face with the comment about not getting much sleep, so why would I believe she didn't intentionally escalate that situation as well? She hardly seems like a character who would sit there and be all shaken up by it.

All that being said, if Jen is going to get majorly exposed as a villain, then this storyline will make a lot more sense to me. I'm frustrated with this storyline because I feel like I don't feel the emotions they imply we should with things like the cinematography, lighting, music, editing, etc. but if that is an intentionally contradictory choice, then that removes my frustrations. I mean, it's still a trope I don't particularly enjoy the journey of, but at least it will have been on purpose. And that's the thing I've been asking myself this season, is this on purpose? If it is, then great. It's not my kind of storyline, considering I really dislike love triangles, but they did what they wanted to do. If it's not, then someone missed the mark big time.

I'm going to discuss Jen further in a later section, so I'm not going to give her character too much attention here, but I do have one thing-

"Some lies are helpful," 👀 okay, Jen, are we gonna find out about yours? Is this going to be a "Well, yeah, I originally came here for nefarious purposes, but now I actually love you, so it's all good, right?" type of thing?

Shawn - If he's not a villain, then sorry bro, this has been a rough season for you.

Tabby

We've made it to Tabby! Our ultimate final Final Girl of season 2! At this point, it very much does seem like Tabby is at the absolute center of all this (which is why I am the most suspicious of characters directly tied to her) and that probably means some really not fun things in store for her in the finale.

We already know (from the trailer) that she's going to fall down the steps at Christian's house. She's also MIA from the riot at the Orpheum scenes (Riot At The Orpheum sounds like a PATD cover band or something, lol), so I think she's getting a lot of solo screen time in the finale.

This may not matter, but I wanted to note it here that Wes calls the owner of the movie theater "Mrs. Orpheum," which stuck out strangely to me. "The Orpheum" is a super common theatre name, so I have to assume this is a nickname (and not her actual name) Wes is using to refer to their boss, so then... considering how much is centered around Tabby this season, who actually owns the theater? And could they be behind the LLC that turned Imogen's house into Redemption House? Clearly whoever owns this place has a ridiculous amount of money, considering they're running a 35 mm capable theater that appears to have practically no customers.

Wes - So. Yeah. How likely do we think it is that Wes is dead now? Or at least kidnapped? His storyline is clearly completely unresolved (masks in his apartment, mysteriously missing for days, no BR attack alibis, his relationship with the film festival stuff, etc.) and he pretty much either has to be evil or is being framed. Him suddenly moving away (I mean, I don't think he's gone, but he did clearly tell Tabby he was leaving, so it's not like that was entirely fabricated) makes me wonder (assuming he's not BR) if he's been threatened to do so somehow. I also have no idea how Tabby is not suspicious of him. He's been acting weird, you have no idea where he is most of the time, you know he's a total asshole, and you found masks at his place and evidence he was using SpookySpaghetti, but he's not on your BR suspect list??? He's ridiculously suspicious! So suspicious, in fact, that it makes me slightly less suspicious of him. But the fact that no one has brought him up as a suspect circles me back around to being super suspicious of him again. While I'm considering some other options heading into the finale, if he were behind BR (though it has to be more than one person, imo) I wouldn't be shocked. He certainly has potential motive (I mean, if you're a terrible, terrible human being, which he is) with his film storyline and his "things are so hard for straight white men these days," mentality. I just don't love this theory as much as I did before the show started pointing at him so hard.

Mrs. Langsberry - I don't think I need to talk much about this. If she is part of the BR plot, we all know why. She has also been confirmed as a member of Kelly's church, so she does have links there, and it seems like someone on the BR team must be directly involved with the church.

Christian - I didn't want to be so suspicious of him, but we're here now. Also, Tabby, I love you, but someone is dressing up in special effects makeup and masks, both a horror mask and a hyper realistic one (we think) and your response is, "I'll ask Christian if he knows anybody," with absolutely no suspicion of him?? Like, WHAT??? And then you spent the night at his house??? I absolutely could not sleep in a house I knew had all those terrifying masks in the basement, particularly if someone was dressing up in masks and trying to kill me and friends?? I also think we spend a lot of time with Christian this season (without learning much about his past or him having his own separate arc), which makes sense if Tabby's the center of the story, but also if Tabby is the center of the story, then the villains are more likely to be directly connected to her. I also wondered why Tabby didn't question Christian suggesting they leave town together (don't you think some parents might have some opinions on this?), and because I am very suspicious of anyone the girls are not suspicious of, it made me think, "Are you trying to set up a situation where people won't think to miss her right away?" Like with Sandy or Pastor Malachi.

When Tabby asked Christian if he would help her make her movie, I thought, if he is part of the BR plot, and if that plot does involve making a movie, wouldn't it be absolutely wild if he responded to this with, "Already done." (like saying it in a friendly, 'of course' kind of way, but then meaning it literally). I feel like that's the exact kind of fun/silly thing this show would do. And if he's not involved, what a missed opportunity to creep your audience out and make them spiral (but I'm doing that anyway, so) about his character.

I want to be super fair, since I just wondered how Tabby is not suspicious of Christian and how she felt comfortable staying at his house (also where are anyone's parents? Like at least with Noa we understand why there's no parental supervision, but everyone else just stays over at their SOs place anyway?? this is one of those things I just have to not think too hard about because I don't think there is a good explanation), all of that applies to Imogen with Johnny and Noa with Jen, as well.

While horror has always been referenced in this show, it really does feel like horror films are making a huge appearance in different ways, and it just feels fitting for this to be Tabby-centric.

Speculation & More

With the "trio of villains" imagery on the poster (that has literally predicted the first 4 tests, so seems very relevant), I can't help but wonder if it could be as simple as all 3 of the new love interests. Johnny, Christian, Jen, all in it together. They're all new in town and we haven't met any of their family, so they're all pretty mysterious. I have at least one big thing about each of them that bothers me.

With Johnny it's simply those shots from the trailer (well, plus my incredibly far fetched theories about set decor and his line about his dad, but I wouldn't call either of those things compelling evidence), which make it seem like he may die in the finale (or at least be incapacitated), and since it seems to be Imogen that is possibly trying to cover that up, that doesn't bode well for his innocence. I can't think of anything that's been mentioned about him that would indicate motive, so I would have to assume that he's related to someone (like Chip) and has a revenge motive. But the shots from the trailer could still all be a dream.

With Jen it's the contradictory ways they've portrayed her storyline with Noa, and the fact that we know that we cannot assume she's being honest. It's not been specifically brought up a lot, but she could easily have a financial motive to be involved. Her stealing has been a consistent part of her character, and she says this is because she and her mom need the money. I don't know whether or not to believe that, but regardless of why she needs/wants money, it seems pretty clear she is a character who could be tied to the events of the season for financial gain (or it started that way and she regrets it, but is in too deep). It's also possible production just didn't realize how unpopular this love triangle would be (but it's hard to imagine, when they were emphasizing how loving/trusting Shawn is all season, like it feels very intentional, but then sometimes it doesn't) and the contradictory tone is not intentional.

With Christian it's his special abilities (horror makeup), the fact that he fits well into the "someone is making a movie" theory, and that he's directly tied to Tabby this season. His motive would presumably be film related (though there could be a personal element as well, since we know basically nothing about his past). But he could be a red herring or a fall guy.

Anyway, my problem with these three as a trio of villains is that it doesn't obviously connect back to the church in any way that I can think of, and I think it needs to. I guess all three of them could be supporting villains with someone else as "Rose," or maybe only one or two of them are involved.

Another consideration is that any of the love interests could be secondary antagonists, not in on the BR plot (or aided it without realizing how serious it was) and they will have a separate villain reveal (like Chip last season).

I certainly haven't forgotten about the online faction of the BR cult, particularly since it looks like they're rioting next episode (The Reckoning?), but how specifically they tie in, I don't feel confident in predicting. If the film theory is true, then I suppose their purpose could be to provide a "grand finale" for the film. I mean, it's kind of hard to get extras when your film is also an actual murder project, so brainwashing people into creating a big action sequence for you is the next best thing, I guess.

Dr. Sullivan's past just really feels like it also needs to come back around and be resolved, and I keep forgetting about the fact that she vanishes in this episode because I'm thinking about so many other things.

I'm bothered that I don't feel confident about where they're going with the Davie stuff.

I am putting a certain amount of faith in the show that they heard the criticisms of season 1 and the villain reveals will be characters we've spent a lot more time with. They have seemed to take other feedback (like the Ezra thing) and apply it to season 2, so I'm hoping this is the case for this, as well.

Anyway, I think this is all I've got right now. If you're still reading, thanks for sticking with me! I know this was a long one. I probably didn't need a whole "if they had to have Faran & Greg as a couple, here's how I would have done it," section, but Faran is my favorite and I've criticized Noa & Jen loads this season, so I gotta be fair and call it like I see it. If I think of anything else, I'll do a part 2, because this post is clearly long enough.

EDIT:

This literally doesn't matter, but I forgot to mention it & didn't want to make a whole new post about it, but I just now noticed Christian's movie on his name tag is Attack the Block, which is a absolutely ridiculous, underrated film, imo.

CLARIFICATION: I called all of the 3 new love interests "new in town," but I'm not sure that's really accurate. Christian is new in town, Jen (I think) lives elsewhere but reasonably near by because she mentions having to come to Millwood for summer school and clearly does not usually attend their school, and Johnny we really don't know. I didn't get the impression that he's recently moved like Christian, but we don't know where his house is, and none of the girls seemed familiar with him (and Millwood seems pretty small) and he mentions Rosewood when he's asking that girl out, so I kinda assumed he might be more from the Rosewood area. Anyway, "new in town" might only technically apply to Christian, but the point that all their pasts are pretty unknown still stands.

[spookcataloger]

The Computer Literacy Teacher (2013)

Fictional story with heavy subjects handled surprisingly maturely, but still content warning for r@pe mention and shock value.

[valyrra]

Hi! Anon 🐈‍⬛ here, I need some advice, I'm going insane. I live in an opressive family, they behave like I'm not a person and they love to shut me up all the time when I have to say anything and even then they don't listen to what I have to say. They say that's because I don't have a job... (They love mentioning I'm jobless even though they KNOW about my state of mind)

I'm extremely depressed and scared to meet other people because of negative experiences. They conditioned me to stay silent and listen, but after years of silence I got sick of it and got more argumentative. For example: father (who is so obsessed with eating healthy that he made it everyone's problem) today made so much drama because we drank a sweet drink. He told us that it's deadly and told mother that she is the worst mother and started insulting her. It is not the first time he's doing this, he and her (sometimes) make us feel bad about eating something ("You will get cancer from it", "It's deadly", "You're going to get even more fat"), essentially shaming us for eating the food. We are not rich, we can't afford the "healthy" food and we live in a country that has food standards, we can't die from eating food or drinking a drink.

It was a lime flavoured powder that dissolves in water that you drink. It was a looooooooong time since we drank anything like that. He was very agressive about it and I'm on my second day of period so guess what happened. I got angry and told him what his problem is (we have been eating tasteless food for years because of his "Salt is death" (his words), he's obsessed with nutrients, TikTok recipes, and shoving his opinion on food and politics down everyone's throat) and mother and brother started shouting at me (brother insulted me as well) while he ate his lunch at peace. It's a constant cycle that never stops, he starts drama and threatening abuse, I intervene sick of his behaviour, they insult me, shut me up and it is peaceful until this cycle begins again for YEARS...

It was always like that, but since COVID it's getting worse and worse (there were times I almost k*lled myself from the stress), I have nobody to talk to...

He also almost k*illed us because of toilet paper on brother's 18th birthday, I had a horrible mental breakdown and was laughing and crying the whole time. My mental heath is so horrible that when I'm having a breakdown I start laughing (unfortunately like Joaquin Phoenix's Joker). Therapists are not that trustworthy because the one I had told mother about our sessions (what I said in them) and I stopped trusting them. People are snitches around me ready to tell any secret I have to other people. My trust has been broken so many times...

I'm telling you this because we are moots and you've been so kind to me even though we don't communicate much, however, you liking some of my posts and replying to my comments make my day.

I'm afraid to speak about this publicly (from my account).

I'm very very very very sorry for trauma dumping and grammar mistakes, I don't know what to do anymore, maybe I'm beyond saving, it has been going on for years, I'm tired...

Thank you for listening and if you ever need anything, I'll be there for you. I wish you all the best.

Anon 🐈‍⬛.

ok, first of all sorry that I am replying this so late. i'm glad that we are moots and somehow i help your state. don't be sorry for trauma dumping secondly, man, my mental health is like pretty fucked so i'm not sure what kind of advice you want from someone like me…. I'm like legit…….. not sure what can i propose to you besides what helped me to stay alive I've been abusive myself and I still am sometimes. it's kind of hard for me to talk about jobs and ED specifically, but like im not sure what age are you and what country are you in - i would certainly advice you to contact a specialist, even a local hospital (non commercial idk how it works anywhere outside of Russia). and probably its better to not tell anyone + tell the specialist that you'd rather keep this between you two. I've changed like 6-7 psychiatrists. some were bad, some were better. you just need to learn to trust. not all of them are bad Good prescribed meds can stabilize your brain in order not to fall into negative stuff. + somehow keep your nerveous system safer. which IMO is so important? like…. people usually don't realise how many health issues come from stress. from free stuff - sometimes guided meditations help me to relax and prevent incoming anxiety attacks like I think you should bit by bit build your own strength and overcome your fears. there's no one in the world who will make you do this shit, unfortunately. we live in a world where it's not always rainbows and sunshine, but you've been strong enough to live to this moment. i believe you can achieve your independence from your family. my first job was as a waitress and dude I've barely talked with anyone besides customers. only if it was necessary, all because i had like large anxiety and other stuff. it was hard as fuck, I've had drunk shitty customers who touched me and tried to kiss me, i've had a bartender who raised his voice at me like for smallest inconveniences. i had a cook who kept telling me he's going to r* me with his assistant because he was just dissatisfied with my performance lol. but like…… I've also made a great friends and built some social confidence. push yourself, no one will push you… to be independent is kind of a…. solution if you don't trust anyone. I hope you will find your peace.

[twinge-of-cosmicangst]

The irony of Tom saying to Greg that every single Scandinavian descended from the same rapist, then chastising him and telling him to show some respect when Greg mentions Norwegian wood and sleeping around, almost like it’s not Greg’s disrespect that he disproves but instead the idea of Greg sleeping with other people.

[puissantveil]

I didn't get to post this before my plane left in the morning or when I was in phone reception hell this afternoon, but lemme say my piece:

Everyone who sent r*pe threats and anon hate and otherwise treated Dina cruelly is a piece of shit and should absolutely be ashamed of themselves in the unlikely event that they possess the capacity for it.

Dina was super nice and really fun to talk to, and her opinion hurt nobody, regardless of whether or not the story does turn out to be a bag of dicks. You could have been drinking iced tea, or looking at anime boobs, or petting your dog, or doing any other enjoyable thing, yet you chose to attack someone who did nothing to deserve it.

I bet your mom's real proud of you.

[sweetistmariexoxo]

Me and who? 🤭

[thevaudevilledemon]

[massiveladycat]

WARNING: MENTION OF SA AND R*PE PLEASE DO NOT GO ANY FURTHER IF THIS MAY TRIGGER YOU i need people to talk more about "hold them down". it's so messed up and the implications are so scary and oh my gooddd. just listen to it.

my interpretation; we all heard the tiny violin bit at 'share her spoils.' violins are Penelope's instrument and, if you listen closely, you can imagine it's her screaming, and to antinous that's 'music to his ears.' this entire song made me recoil. you can hear the intent in his voice, how he's straight-up honest about wanting to sexually assault penelope because no one can stop him. telemachus can't stop him, and penelope can't, and odysseus is at sea, assumed dead holy hell the duality of jorge. he can make upbeat, happy songs like 'open arms,' he can make upbeat songs with horrifying lyrics such as 'love in paradise,' and he can make songs like this anyways feel free to add your own interpretation but any antinous defender's will not be tolerated

[tooningin]

”Ghostfuckers” (God what a stupid title) review

It’s definitely not an awful episode (Barring that one ableist scene of a disabled man), and Stolitz BS is thankfully kept to a minimum, but it’s kind of a mixed bag

For what is was, the Ghost hunting stuff in the first half of the episode was pretty enjoyable, and Rolando was a fun one off villain.

My main issue with this epsiode is how it handles its emotional beats.

The transition from funny ghostbuster shenanigans to Millie snapping at Blitz and the delving into of their insecurities was really jarring and out of nowhere. Other than being kind of annoyed, Millie didn’t seem too upset about joining him.

While I’m happy Millie finally has some actually substantial backstory, it suffers from a lack of proper buildup. The stuff she mentions about how she’s always felt like the only things she’s good for is violence, was never implied or hinted towards in prior episodes. That’s the main thing that had prevented most of the attempts at giving more depth unsuccessful. Instead of working with what has already been established and tying it to all that, the show just pulls out a random backstory out of a hat, hastily slaps onto Millie, and calls it character development.

”But I should’ve respected you like you do for me”

HONEY BLITZ THREATENED TO R*PE YOUR HUSBAND

Speaking of Blitz… aside from a genuinely heartbreaking moment with Blitz seeing a vision of his mom burning in the fire, the epsiode basically just rehashes what we learnt in Truth Seekers, with demon hallucinations going on about how Blitz hurts people and ruins everything and blah blah blah. It suffers the same issue of being super on the nose, but at least the “Truth Seekers” hallucination had amazing animation and music. It’s been 2 seasons. We know Blitz hates himself and of all the people he’s hurt. Can there be some damn growth now?!

Overall, while there are some great ideas and moments, the half-bakedness holds it back from being good

5/10.

[phantomoftheorpheum]

PLL: OS (Summer School) Finale Predictions

*Spoilers for 2x01-2x07, the final 3 episodes trailer, AND SOME ONLINE BTS AND CONCEPT ART

Okay, I wanted to post my 2x08 predictions early enough in the week that I could hear your thoughts as well. So here they are-

I believe Bloody Rose is a team of minimum 3 people. My best guess is 1 mother who has lost a child (Mrs. Lansgberry, Mrs. Beasley, Dr. Sullivan), 1 film obsessed character (Wes, Christian, not actually dead Chip [though I have some reservations about that last one which I'll talk about in a minute]), 1 additional love interest (Jen, Johnny, Christian, etc.)

I've been saying most of the season that I think the BR team members may have different end goals. I believe someone is attempting to make a movie, but I also believe someone else (in this case, one of the mothers who has lost a child) fully believes their own lore and has a motivation related to their child. As for the love interests, depending on which one is on the team, I believe it would be for different reasons. If it's Christian, I think it's movie related. If it's Jen, I believe it's financially motivated. And if it's Johnny, then I think he must be related to or former friends with Chip (or possibly someone else, but Chip makes the most sense) because I don't believe we've been given any other possible motivation for him.

I think the "mother" of the BR team is attempting to resurrect her dead child. I have to shout out mr.-walkingrainbow for this one, I highly recommend going back and read this ask, because this has completely informed this part of my theory (I would tag you, but I'm about to talk about some concept art that was released in a minute, and since this is extra spoilery, I didn't want to spoil you if you don't want to know), which is based in the use of Christian imagery and the focus on resurrection. To me, this makes the most sense for it to be Mrs. Langsberry attempting to resurrect Chip, because of Tabby being the final, final girl. She has more connection to this storyline if it is Chip-centric. However, some of my lingering questions point more to Dr. Sullivan attempting to resurrect Sebastian.

I believe the BR team is setting up a fall guy for their plot. Or, more accurately, I believe whichever member of the team is making a movie is setting up a fall guy (they may intend for the other members of the team to die). At this point, it feels the most likely that if there is a fall guy, that person is Wes, but it could also be Christian or even Mrs. Beasley.

Characters most likely to die, even if they aren't villains, imo - Johnny, Greg, Shawn, and Henry. Johnny because of the shots from the trailer (though I think this is less likely since I believe an officially affiliated account posted this screen-cap, drawing attention to it, and that feels like a huge spoiler. This has me leaning towards "this is either an Imogen hallucination/nightmare, or he is wounded but not killed"). Greg because it feels like they could be setting him up to die for Faran (however, the fact that we know he's had scenes cut earlier in the season makes me feel less confident about this, since you would think if they were going to kill him off, they'd do their best to make us really care about that first), Shawn because at this point I find myself asking why they even bothered to bring him back for this season, and this could be used as a consequence for Noa's actions, particularly if Jen is a bad guy, and finally Henry because, again, why is he even here? He's had a fall from grace this season so I could see him being killed off to add to the finale body count.

Imogen will stab someone. This may happen in a nightmare or hallucination, or it may be real, but I think this is a "rule of threes" thing and she is stabbing someone in 2x08.

If a dead character is going to be revealed as alive, I think it will be Chip. I'm not convinced that we are getting a "surprise, they're alive!" reveal at all, but if there is one, it makes the most sense for this to be Chip, imo. Chip is connected to Tabby, who is the final, final girl. He is obsessed with horror movies. His mother is a member of the cult. He is the father (biologically only, it feels gross to call this man a father) of Imogen's baby. He died off screen. The actor was brought back for flashbacks and that nightmare scene with Wes, but despite 2x01 opening with all of Archie's kills, we still don't see Chip's death. And he had a great motivation to fake his death, as he was going to be forced to either stand trial or take a plea deal in his r*pe case, which the girls specifically mention not getting the closure of that in 2x01.

OKAY SERIOUSLY SOME SPOILERS FROM ONLINE, NOT THE SHOW OR THE TRAILER, PLEASE STOP READING IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE ANYTHING. ---- However, I think it's more likely Chip is the dead child whose mother is attempting to resurrect him. This feeling comes from some a combo of the concept art (which I think is real because it matches the BTS footage that has been released, though I don't know where the concept art was originally posted or by whom) of the season and the promotional poster. It's been pointed out to me that there appears to be some sort of body underneath the roses that Tabby is kneeling in front of in the promotional poster. In the concept art for 2x08 that is floating around, we see what is presumably Tabby's test location, which is the altar of Kelly's church. On one side, there is a body lying on a bed of roses. There's been some speculation that this is one of Rose's other victims, but... why only one? She's killed at least 4 people that we know of, so why place only one of these on the altar alongside the throne? (The only one I could make an argument for is Pastor Malachi, since he was the pastor of this church). The bed of roses feels like a veneration of this character, which I can't imagine BR doing with any of her victims. I believe this is a loved one, probably her child.

I believe the purpose of the online BR cult and "The Reckoning" is to create big finale action sequences for the film. If someone is making a real life horror movie, you can't exactly advertise that you're looking for extras.

Some Unresolved Stuff That Really Bothers Me

There are a few things that bother me with my own predictions, elements of the story that I don't have a strong explanation for, unless Dr. Sullivan turns out to be the "mother" in my theory. I do want to mention them here, in case any of you have any ideas.

Who/What does the snake in Imogen's poster represent? All of the posters have reflected quite literally the "tests" the girls are going through, except for the snake in Imogen's. The rest of her poster accurately represents her test, so why is there a snake? It seems that this would either be representative of "The Serpent" from the Garden of Eden, possibly whispering to/influencing Imogen. If so, the character that fits this the best would be Dr. Sullivan. Or possibly the snake represents temptation, which could be Johnny. I also noticed that Imogen wears a snake ring in the scene where she threatens to cut off Rebecca's fingers.

What is the connection to Rose Waters, Angela, and Archie? While Chip and his mother would have the most relevance to Tabby specifically, I struggle to see how any of this would connect to the Waters plot. It that seems out of the remaining characters, Dr. Sullivan in the mother with the most connection here.

Who pushed Dr. Sullivan down the stairs? Another unresolved Dr. Sullivan plot point. It feels weird that they've completely dropped this.

The Bloody Rose poster - In the concept art, we see a poster with Bloody Rose and a golden figure (a mother?) above her. I'm far too tired to try to understand what this is referencing.

So, that's it for now. I think I got most of my big predictions out of the way. As always, shoot me an ask if you have any thoughts/theories that you'd like to share!

[autistictojisuzuharafan11]

Viv has a straight up fetish for r@pe and s@, she does not care about victims/survivors, stop trying to defend her

[sweetistmariexoxo]

Stop asking where I’m from, just send me a big cock and 🌽

[allovesthings]

I'm just gonna say it, I'm not that optimistic about James Gunn's the brave and the bold and maybe that's just because I love Dick.. He said he was inspired by Morrison's run as Batman with Damian as Robin but the main appeal of that specific era, as in Morrison with Damian as Robin was that it was a DickBats story. it wasn't Bruce under the cowl, it was Dick and the dynamic duo was reversed.

Morrison did write Bruce as Batman but not with Damian. Tim was still his Robin and then Bruce "died" was sent back in time.

So I'm worried. It feels like we are giving the storyline of another character to Bruce and I don't necessarily like that ? Because Bruce has so many more stories to take from, stories with Damian as Robin.

Unless they are doing Batman Inc ? I hope not either.... I kinda hate the entire concept.

Also Morrison retconned Talia to be a rapist and that just doesn't sit right with me. Let's hope he doesn't take that part of the story.

[buddiebeginz]

Aaron's family comparing him to Gordon 😒

[allzelemonz]

Wrong Color: Bruce Wayne X Clark Kent

Summertime Prompt: Day 5, "Doppelgangers/Evil Twins" Pairing Type: M/M Rating: E/Sex, violence, dead dove Warnings: Doppelgangers, rape/noncon, dead dove, painful sex, bloody sex, alien anatomy, anal sex, mention of character death, mention of necrophilia, mention of breeding, Background Relationships: Dick Grayson/Superboys, Jason Todd/Bizzaro, Tim Drake/Conner Kent, Damian Wayne/Jon Kent Summary: A peaceful night in Gotham is interrupted by imposters from another Earth. Each is strikingly similar to their Super counterparts, but everything is the wrong color. The Bats are attacked by evil and twisted versions of their partners with no mercy or remorse.

It’s a quiet night in Gotham for once. The patrols are handled by Stephanie, Cass, and Duke. Barbara is on coms from her couch, favoring it over the usual Oracle set up for lax patrols like this. Bruce is kind of relaxed for once. Alfred convinced him to get the boys together for a movie and aside from the occasional bickering, it’s going well. Jason’s fallen asleep, his head tilted back over the sofa and soft snores escaping him. Dick is stretched out over a couch, pillows and blankets cuddled to his chest like he’s little Robin again. Tim is clutching a cup of coffee with his legs kicked over the arm of his chair. Damian is laid out on a floor pallet as he shines a batarang and listens to the movie passively. And Bruce, he couldn't be more content. Maybe a night off to hang out with his kids every couple of weeks isn’t such a bad idea.

Then there’s something on his chest, that’s what he notices first. The heavy pressure like a brick hitting him square on. Then it’s the wind as it surrounds him and makes him shiver. In a blink, the den is gone and he’s face to face with Clark. They’re outside, it’s cold without a sweater, and Clark’s eyes aren’t blue.

“Clark?” Bruce says, breathy from being shoved and flown away. His hand reaches up to touch Clark’s face, but he’s stopped by a vice grip that would break his wrist if not for the watch on it taking most of the pressure. He winces. “Baby, what’s going on?”

Clark’s eyes flick over Bruce’s body and they are very much not right. Clark’s eyes are a perfect blue, a blue Bruce made sure to have his ties made in. Bruce knows his partner’s eyes like he knows the streets of Gotham or the compartments of his utility belt, these are not Clark’s eyes. They’re gray. Gray and harsh, wholly not a farm boy’s.

“Baby?” Clark mutters, smirking. “How did a subpar man like you get yourself into the bed of a Kryptonian?”

Bruce knows he has Kryptonite fixed under his watch. Dick called him paranoid for it, but when he started dating Clark he knew he didn’t want to take any chances. He trusts Clark, he loves Clark, but things happen. Things like this.

“Who are you?” Bruce asks evenly, his mind figuring a way to get the lead compartment open.

Clark clicks his tongue, his eyes now meeting Bruce’s. “Kal-El, of course. A much better version of your pathetic Clark.”

“What makes you better?”

The imposter has lines when he smiles where Clark would have dimples. “My planet lives.”

“You’re from another Earth.”

“Smart little thing, aren’t you?” He chuckles. “I can see why he finds you entertaining.”

“Father.”

The men look over to find a young man that looks quite like Jon, but Bruce knows it’s not. In the boy’s hand is Damina’s jacket collar, Damian on his knees and unconscious. For one, if Jon did ever hurt Damian he would be cradling him and holding back tears. And, again, the most obvious thing is the eyes. Jon, bright and happy all throughout his little years with dazzling blue eyes just like his fathers that would rival Ace’s pouting talents. This boy has those lifeless gray eyes.

“What?” Clark snaps, finally releasing Bruce’s wrist.

Bruce steps back, not reaching for the Kryptonite right away. It would be expected and he doesn’t have nearly enough to subdue two Kryptonians. He needs to wait for Jon to leave, take care of Clark, and slip away to the cave for his larger stash.

“We’ve found the information you requested.”

“Go on.” Clark crosses his arms and Bruce finds it much less endearing than when his Clark does it.

Jon tosses Damian to the ground and it makes Bruce wince, every inch of his instincts wanting to go to his son and make sure he’s okay. But he stays still, watching his opponents carefully and letting the Batman part of his brain work.

“Our counterparts seem to be in relationships with each member of this human family respectfully.” Jon gestured to the unconscious Damian. “I apparently with this pathetic child, Kon with scrawny one, B with the meathead, and you with… that.” He gestures vaguely to Bruce.

Clark tilts his head. “They have an additional, I saw.”

Jon rolls his eyes. “Apparently Richard Grayson still breathes here.”

“Interesting.” Clark smiles. “Why don’t you boys let out some steam? These inferiors must be able to handle our counterparts, so they should have no problem accommodating us.”

Jon smiles in a way that would make the Joker shiver and Bruce, for the first time, has a flicker of fear from the boy. “Thank you, father.”

Clark nods, waving him off. “Ah, and make sure to use Grayson. He was good on our Earth, I imagine he’s just as good here.”

With a sickly grin, Jon grips Damian’s collar and flies off. Bruce watches Clark carefully, waiting for the signs of beginning superspeed as he slowly unlocks the compartment in his watch. As Clark turns, Bruce holds up the Kryptonite.

“Oh, baby.” Clark mocks. “Wrong color.”

Bruce can hardly blink before Clark is on him. No, not just on him, Clark is in him. In a heartbeat, the imposter has Bruce on the ground with his clothes ripped from his body and his substantial Kryptonian dick shoved so deep into Bruce that it pulses against his heart. Of course Bruce has taken Clark fully before, he’s felt the massive length  stretched open his ass and reaching all the way to his throat. But Clark always prepares him, always makes sure Bruce has taken the durability medicine just in case, always fingers him open and kisses him a million times with adorably sweet words and those beautiful eyes. Having his entire digestive system fucked and fixed tightly around Clark’s dick has always been pleasurable, never like this.

He’s never hurt Bruce.

“I can see why he likes you.” The false Clark mutters in Bruce’s ear. “You take it like a good bitch.”

Bruce tries to think about the last time he heard Clark use that word. Never. Clark has never said that word as far as Bruce knows.

“I just want to make sure you know.” Clark mutters, his lips brushing against Bruce’s ear. “My boys are doing the same thing to your boys.”

Bruce winces, a growl ripping through his throat despite himself. Again, he knows it’s not new. He knows his boys are active with their respective partners, hell he just had the talk with Damian. But he also knows that the Kents are good kids, even Bizzaro is a gentle giant. He knows his boys are treated right. But with these Kents, Bruce wants to claw his way out of this and save them.

Clark starts to move then. His hips piston right away, fully splitting Bruce in half as he rocks in and out. “You know, Richard Grayson is dead on my Earth.” Clark grips Bruce’s hips and Bruce lets his head drop to the ground. “Do you want to know how he died?”

If Bruce was an idiot, he’d answer. But he knows better. He’s been taunted before, he knows that playing any additional part of this sick fantasy is the worst thing to do. Instead he just tries to focus on anything but the feeling of that hard steel dick plunging into his body and the blood it draws out.

“See…” Clark groans, changing his angle and successfully fucking up into Bruce’s throat. “My son thought he was pretty. And I thought he was pretty. It didn’t take much time until the whole family wanted to fuck that perfect ass of his. Poor little bird’s heart gave out.” He snickers. “We still fucked him of course.”

Bruce has never felt more rage than he has in this moment, but the mix of choking on the giant dick in his throat and his own blood takes all of his focus. His intestines are stretched out, his organs rearranged, normally a pleasant feeling with Clark and the medication to help, but right now Bruce didn’t even feel this much pain when Bane broke his back.

Clark’s lips press to his neck, his thrusts becoming shallow and fast. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure my seed stays in you for days, Bruce.” He licks a stripe up to his ear. “You know, on my Earth Kryptonians conquered everything. We fuck as we please and men like you get bitched early on. I could take you back, make you mine and make you give me a million kids.”

“Fuck… you…” Bruce chokes out, his heart starting to skip in an alarming way.

Clark chuckles in his ear. “Maybe if you get too loose, but just for a little break.”

Bruce squeezes his eyes shut, feeling his body starting to give out. He hopes the boys don’t feel this bad, maybe they die quicker, maybe they escaped. Then, in a split second, Bruce feels empty. He can breathe again and everything hurts so intensely. He can’t get his senses to work, his eyes are blurry and his ears pound so loudly it’s like he’s back in the Penguin’s overpopulated zoo.

“Bruce?” Clark, his mind supplies. Soft and worried and the cutest amount of south-midwest Kansas twang. Clark’s hands are gentle as he picks Bruce off the ground, cradling his body and kissing his head. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart, I’m so, so sorry.”

Bruce blinks his eyes open and steady enough to see that blue. That perfect blue looking down at him with tears everywhere. He wants to say something, but Clark’s name dies in his throat.

“Shh, it’s okay.” Clark soothes through his tears. “Zatanna’s coming, she’ll heal you, you’re gonna be okay.”

Bruce takes ragged breaths, a little smile coming onto his face. He knows Clark’s saying that to convince himself more than Bruce. He also knows that if anyone can fix this, it’s Zatanna. Anything is better than the Lazarus Pit.

Clark holds Bruce as he slips into sleep just before Zatanna arrives. With a teary-eyed but focused Clark, she heals Bruce first. Her incantations put halos over him and Clark almost sobs as he watches with his x-ray vision as Bruce’s intestines realign. Diana arrives purely to hold his hand, the only one he might not crush with his emotions like this. She tells him that the doppelgangers have been subdued and that other healers are working with Bruce’s boys. When Zatanna leaves the three of them just sit there for a while, Bruce asleep but healthy and Clark and Diana simply watching him.

“I almost lost him.” Clark mutters after a while, his hand brushing over Bruce’s hair. “I didn’t get here soon enough.”

“They caught us by surprise, ambushed the strongest first.” Diana says softly.

“Why him?” Clark sobs. “What makes them the strongest?”

Diana presses her lips into a line, remembering why Bruce is the one she would consider the most dangerous. “Bruce is Bruce.” She looks down at her friend. “Not only has he trained his children to be vigilant, he is one of the most prepared people I have ever seen. He could take the world if he had the motivation and time.”

Clark smiles softly. “I love him.”

“I know.” Diana says. “I love him too, you’re my dearest friends… I’ll ensure the men that attacked our family see justice.”

Clark sighs. “How… how could I ever be that man?”

“You’re not. That isn’t a man, it’s a monster.” Diana says firmly. She rests a hand over Clark’s on Bruce’s chest and dips her head to meet his eyes. “You should take him to his room. Check on the boys.”

Clark nods softly, his voice breaking. “Okay.”

Diana flies off to join the Green Lanterns who guard the doppelgangers and Clark, as gentle as he ever has been, carries Bruce into the manor. He passes Raven, still healing Dick as he lays sprawled on the floor in a pool of blood. Then Jason who is cuddled into Bizzaro’s chest like his life depends on staying there. Then Tim, passed out in his room down the hall with Conner pacing at his bedside. And finally Damian, held by Jon in the corner of the study where no one but Clark’s powered eyes could see.

Clark tries to put on a brave face for the trusted members of the League that fill the halls. Only the Kents and the inner council know what really happened, most have just been told it was just an attack. In Bruce’s room, Clark lays his partner down as carefully as he would a baby bat. When he stands, straightening his back and looking down at Bruce’s perfect face, he sobs again. He wants to make everything okay, he wants to go back and fix it. He has half a mind to find Barry and make him do just that, but he knows messing with time would only make things worse. So he settles for sitting beside Bruce’s bed and watching every last detail of his face as he sleeps.

[donkeybro]

What the actual fuck is going on

(Hey, I’m not in the best fucking mood right now so I’m gonna make this nice, short and sweet.)

(There’s an anon going around pretending to be @/minusgangtime and @/brooke2valley, sending irl self harm photos, saying racial fucking slurs like the hard r, n word!! “Reporting” people for the dumbest shit and telling my friends that they deserve to be fucking raped!! There also encouraging suicide, are trans phobic and are threatening to find out where people fucking live!!!)

(IM NOT EVEN FUCKING EXAGGERATING, HERES THE PROOF!!:

(ALSO!!! APPARENTLY THEYRE DOING THIS SHIT FOR A FUCKING FACE REVEAL!!!)

(IM DONE!! IM ACTUALLY FUCKING DONE WITH THIS ABSOLUTELY BULLSHIT!! GET A FUCKING LIFE YOU BITCH MADE COWARD OF AN ANON!! GO OUTSIDE AND LEARN SOME FUCKING DECENCY INSTEAD OF LURKING IN YOUR MOTHERS BASEMENT LIKE THE FUCKING WASTE OF SPACE YOU ARE!!!)

(GET OUT OF ME AND MY FRIENDS LIVES FOR GOOD YOU INHUMANE, MAIDENLESS, TRANSPHOBIC, BASEMENT DWELLING, DISGRACE OF WHATEVER FAMILY YOUR APART OF!!!)