#was 10 you can make the superheroes the minority and work w it but this ain’t well managed on the politics except inter-sorcerer politics

[ziracona]

My hot take is jj k is worse Naruto w the serial numbers filed off, not better

[mcustorm]

In Defense of a Black Cyclops

In case my username didn’t make it clear, the single most anticipated visual project for me is the MCU’s interpretation of the X-Men, which hasn’t even been announced yet [officially]. And ladies and gents, I have found your Cyclops:

Good ol’ Alfred Enoch, who we all know from Harry Potter and How to Get Away With Murder. If you’re not familiar with HTGAWM, know that his character goes from the de facto leader of the ragtag (murderers) and most cherished protege of Viola Davis’ Professor X to taking more of a grimdark turn after his girlfriend’s death. Sound at least somewhat familiar?

Enoch also embodies the physicality of the character well, seeing as to how he’s “slim”, 6′4(!!), black, and notoriously lanky. Wait, one of these isn’t like the others.

In general I hate fancasting. Everyone generally picks from the same pool of about 30 actors (Peeps, neither Taron nor Daniel is a good Wolverine choice. Argue with your mother!), and most all of it is based on physicality, except when it absolutely should be (like say, choosing a ~5′10 dark-skinned black woman for Storm).

And I think there’s some malarkey afoot. I think there needs to be some serious consideration on part of fancasters and actual casting agents alike to rethink race when it comes to the [white] X-Men, especially since they’re the X-Men of all teams. So I’ll make the case for a black Cyclops: 

1. There is no quota on Black X-Men: There’s a bug in your ear that’s been whispering lies to you for years, it says something to the effect of “We need a black person on the team for diversity. How bout Storm?” And you’ve gotten complacent. Storm does not have to be the only black person on your X-Men roster.

2. The X-Men represent diversity: Iceman is gay, Cyclops and Prof. X are disabled (sorta), there are plenty of women, oh and everybody except Storm is white. Of the A-List X-Men, there is only *one* POC character. I’d argue that an MCU X-Men needs to champion diversity like never before.

3. The X-Men represent minority struggle while being mostly white: There’s a cognitive dissonance in the metaphor that has always been there, and for the most part, nobody cares. To appeal to the white readers of the 60′s, the X-Men were all initially white. That way, the message of the mutants could be related to the audience with a familiar face. We don’t need to approach the problem that way in 202?

4. Just because that’s the way it’s always been, doesn’t mean that’s the way it should be: The first line of defense. Sorry, that will never be a good justification for literally any idea. It’s time for some more critical thinking.

5. We don’t all want to be Bishop: So say you’re white and you have a kid who for his birthday having a costume party. You’ve bought some X-Men costumes and you want each kid to pick one. 9 white kids and one black kid show up to your house. As the kids deliberate who gets what costume, be it Cyke or Wolvie or whatever, you yell at everybody to “STOP!”, point to the one black kid and tell him “You’re gonna be Bishop. That’s it, end of story!” 

We don’t all want to be Bishop. The black child could have the best Cyclops interpretation within him, but you’ll never know if you don’t let him try. And that’s no different from the Black actors of Hollywood. There’s no reason why all of the black talent should *have* to compete for the role of Bishop or Storm, which I’ve discussed, while Joe Schmo can walk up and audition for literally anybody he wants.          

Jharrel Jerome is 23 and has an Emmy to his name. He needs to be in the MCU in some capacity, period. Stephan James is another. How bout Damson Idris. Ashton Sanders. But no, no, let’s fancast Dacre Montgomery or Ansel or Joe Keery again as [Human Torch, Wolverine, Iceman, Angel, I’ve literally seen it all.]

6. Nobody wants to see the B-team if it comes down to it. The next line of defense from your racebending naysayers after “That’s the way it’s always been!” is “Well, what about Psylocke, Bishop, Forge and Jubilee?” who are otherwise known as B-tier X-Men. The problem is, we’ve got limited time and limited spots.

So since the X-Men is all about wonky metaphors that make half sense, let me give you another: Let’s say somebody approaches you and says “Hey buddy, I got two free concert tickets for ya! You can either see Michael Jackson Sings the Blues, or you can go see Justin Timberlake. Free of charge!”

Now, are you used to MJ singing the blues? No! Do you have a problem with going to see Justin Timberlake? No, he’s fine on a Wednesday! He had that one little diddy we liked that one time. We’d love to see him eventually! But are you gonna say, “fuck that, I’m going to see MJ Sings the Blues” regardless? Hell yes, because that’s still Michael Jackson. He’s gonna give the same amazing performance he always does, it’s just gonna be the blues. And speaking of blues...

7. Black is not Blue, Brown is not Blue: Raise your hand if you’ve ever heard this one: “I don’t care if you’re black, white, purple, or green, I’m going to treat you all the same!” I will not say all have this intention, but some fancasters have noticed that the racial diversity is kinda low within the A-List X-Men, so they oh-so-generously give the following roles to a black or brown person: Iceman, Nightcrawler, Beast. 

Notice the pattern? It’s a microaggression, and it’s bullshit. What these fancasters are implicitly telling you is that, yes the actors will be black or brown, but when the action starts we can ignore that. They’ll be blue by then. In other words, you in fact do care if they’re purple or green. Nobody will cry foul if Dev Patel gets to play Nightcrawler (because that’s a common one I see), but should Anna Diop be Starfire or Michael B. Jordan be Human Torch, I bet there’d be backlash. Oh wait. If that’s you, please stop acting like you actually value diversity. You don’t want to see black or brown skin, period. Unless of course, it’s Storm (refer to point #1).

But wait, there’s more! When brown characters get whitewashed in these movies, it’s crickets! So eventually it’s revealed implicitly that proclaimers of point #4 only care about it one way.

8. Professor X should not be black if you’re not willing to change anyone else: The next line of defense is that some people say the professor should be black, if anybody HAS to be racebent. Something something MLK Jr., Civil Rights or some shit. Number one, I’m not reducing Professor X to being a magical negro for 9 white people (and Storm!) who for all intents and purposes get to have all the action. Number 2, the Professor X/MLK/Magneto/Malcolm X comparison is an oversimplifying disservice to ALL FOUR of those people. I hate that line whenever I see it, please watch a documentary my friends. 

9. The Candidates for Racebending: For me, the A-List X-Men are Cyclops, Jean Grey, Iceman, Angel, Beast, Wolverine, Storm, Gambit, Rogue, Colossus, Nightcrawler, and Kitty Pryde. Now, who should be exempt from the racebending? Storm, she’s our designated minority. Gambit, he’s Cajun and they’re white (generally speaking, that’s a fun bit of research). Wolverine, Colossus, and Nightcrawler, because their nationality/ethnicity was the whole point of the Giant-Size premise in the first place. Angel, because his character embodies a privileged white male. Beast and Iceman, I don’t care one way or another (Point #7).

That leaves Cyclops, Rogue, Jean Grey, and Kitty Pryde. Now Jean Grey is a redhead, and we all know that every time a redhead is racebent people sharpen their pitchforks (Mary Jane, Wally West, Iris West), so I will cede the ground on Jean if only so that my ginger friends can get their rep. Kitty Pryde is Jewish, but Jews of color exist. Rogue is from the South. And Cyclops is, well, just Cyclops. That makes those three characters good options for more diversity. But allow me to make the case for Cyclops, specifically.

10. It’s not just diversity for diversity’s sake: If you had to pick who the main character of the X-Men is supposed to be, most would say Cyclops. And so in a series that highlights racial discrimination in society, it makes sense that our main character be black. While changing Cyclops’ skin color should not change who he is as a character, it *should* recontextualize it. Now, as an eventual increasingly radical leader of the X-Men, Cyclops would evoke real life figures such as Colin Kaepernick or, shall I say, Martin Luther King, Jr.

Not that most X-Men fans and writers truly think about what it means to be black anyways. Storm’s minority status is almost always put through the lens of her being a mutant and not her being a black woman. In other words, you can’t argue that making a character black will fundamentally change his or her character when you haven’t even analyzed the racial context of the black character(s) you already have. Another concept that the MCU X-Men should tackle: intersectionality.

11. Representation matters: I have to say it: Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther hit different. And now he is tragically gone. At the end of the day, the MCU moving forward is down its most prominent black male superhero. Which has implications beyond just the movies themselves.

The women are in good hands. Shuri, Okoye, and Nakia are badasses in Wakanda, Valkyrie is ruling Asgard, Storm is almost assuredly on the way, RiRi Williams has already been cast, and Monica Rambeau is here and she’s not even at her most glorious yet. That doesn’t even include variable Δ, or the number of characters who can and will be racebent. And I’ll note again that to me, Gamora doesn’t count, because she’s green (#7 really pisses me off because it’s so blatant. I hate it). Of course from a behind the camera perspective we love black women getting work.

The men are a completely different story. Imma just go out and say it, I can’t stand Falcon and War Machine [in the MCU] because they’re not characters, they’re just two of a slew of MCU minority sidekicks who have essentially been at the beck and call of Captain America and Iron Man, respectively. You cannot tell Falcon’s story without mentioning Cap. The reverse is not true. There’s a whole essay that could be and have been written on “Minorities in the MCU, pre-Black Panther”. Remember, there’s a reason BP made so much noise in the first place.

So excluding those two we have, let’s see, M’Baku, Blade, and Fury who aren’t exactly the most superheroic superheroes, Eli Bradley is proooobably coming, I doubt Miles Morales is coming (because he’s just Peter Parker in the MCU), Luke Cage(?) Bishop(??), Sunspot(???), Blue Marvel(????). Not only are they not A-List, I would not put money on any of them being in the MCU any time soon.

Cyclops is thee Captain America of the X-Men. He’s the frontman. He’s the poster boy. He’s the “boy scout”, which in other words means he’s the hero, if there has to be one. It would mean a lot right now, and specifically *right now*, if he were to be black. The MCU needs it. It NEEDS it.

12. The X-Men is the Summers Story: I’ll even make the case that if just one character needs to racebent, then it should be Cyclops, because that of course implies that other related characters need to be black because half of the X-Men universe is in fact a part of the Summers family. 

So now Cable is black. Corsair is black. Havok is black. And one of the most central stories in the X-Men mythos, the Summers family drama, is now a black family drama set in space or the future or where the fuck ever. The concept is boundary pushing. When white families have drama in the media, it gets to be Game of Thrones or Star Wars, while when black families have drama in the media, it has to be black people arguing in a kitchen or living room about their various earthly traumas (I’m @’ing you, Mr. Perry). I mean, that’s all fine and good often times, but I want my black family drama in space, dammit.

And again, this is the X-Men, the series that’s all about *minorities* and their struggle, so again, why not?

Oh, and I’ll even throw out a Havok fancast for you: How bout Jharrel Jerome?

[morethanboomtschk]

Alan Oldham: The Art of Techno Futurism

Alan Oldham is just that – a forward thinking futurist and former radio jockey whose work has long fused the not-so-distant worlds of art and music. Creating illustrations under his own name and spinning under the moniker DJ T-1000, Oldham’s status as a sci-fi visionary has made him one of the most unique and important figures to come out of the Detroit techno movement. “Detroit techno, in my view, was originally about futurism,” he says. “Futuristic black music. Look no further than Juan Atkins for that. A lot of old sci-fi movies and TV shows portrayed a future that had no blacks in it. Detroit techno was a statement that black people would be around in the far future. You can also connect Sun Ra and Mothership Connection-era Parliament/Funkadelic to that aesthetic.”

In the tradition of Sun Ra’s Arkestral manuevers and P-Funk’s explorations of funk’s outer limits, Oldham brings forth elements of science fiction, cultural awareness, higher levels of consciousness and even mythology to forge a sensibility from a future state of existence – with nods to realism interwoven. He believes those talents are innate. “I'm a natural,” says Oldham. “I had an art class in high school, but that's about it. I've been drawing since I was born.” His style – sharp, angular, forward and revolutionary – reflects both the evolution of his craft and his consistency. “My style has matured a bit, especially with my move to paintings,” he says. “But essentially, it's the same as it's always been.”

Oldham began his artistic career as a comic book illustrator, writing for small companies such as Hot Comics, Amazing Comics, Renegade Press, Caliber Comics and a few others. “I started out like everybody else, trying to draw superheroes and trying to get in at Marvel or DC by aping their basic style,” he recalls. “I came up with my own rip-offs of characters, then a few originals of my own. But once I stopped trying to draw like other people, I was able to get in on the indie comics scene of the late ’80s. Anime and manga influences were coming in. It wasn’t so much the basic Marvel or DC styles anymore. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles famously came from that scene, so it was a gold mine back then. Anybody could do anything and it would sell. You could come out with a black and white comic and sell 50,000 copies. We did over 15,000 on Johnny Gambit #1.” - Johnny Gambit is an indie comic book Oldham created at Visual Noise, a studio he put together in the late ‘80s as a place to ink and letter the comic. The name was recently resurrected for an art show Oldham mounted at the Record Loft in Berlin, where he is currently based. Yet in 1986 in Detroit, Derrick May took notice of Johnny Gambit and Oldham’s advanced illustrative style – and he introduced Oldham to the developing techno sound stemming from the Motor City.

“When I went to Wayne State University years ago, there was a place on campus called Student Center,” Oldham remembers. “We all used to hang out there between classes. Some semesters I had long gaps between day and evening classes, so I was there a lot. I was drawing Johnny Gambit at the time and I would have my art supplies with me. Derrick May used to work at this video arcade right off campus on Woodward, and lived a block away from WSU, so I began to run into him. I had known Derrick since we were kids, by the way. Like 10-11 years old. Anyway, he was coming through Student Center when he saw me working on Johnny Gambit. He said he was starting this new label and he asked me to do the label art for it. He offered me $50 for both sides, so I did the designs. $50 was a lot of money in 1986. The record turned out to be ‘Nude Photo’ b/w ‘The Dance’ and it turned out to be very famous.”

It would become the first of dozens of album illustrations for the Detroit techno community. “Derrick had this buddy who needed a logo for his label called KMS,” says Oldham. “So he brought Kevin Saunderson down to Student Center one day, and I met him. I ended up doing the first KMS logo, the one that’s on ‘Truth of Self-Evidence,’ ‘Bounce Your Body to the Box,’ etc. And it just went on from there.” - Oldham was landing gig after gig. In 1987, one of those gigs brought him to a different world: radio. An intern at WDET (a Detroit Public Radio station) the summer prior, he was then offered his own show, which was aptly called “Fast Forward,” holding true to Oldham’s futuristic approach to life. “Fast Forward” had become Detroit’s first-ever all-electronic radio program and ran between 1987-1992. Oldham had a graveyard shift initially – 3 AM to 6 AM – but his audience was vast, as he played everything from classic favourites to burgeoning techno beats from colleagues and friends.

Some of the music given to him for his radio show was from Jeff Mills and Mike Banks, who had just formed Underground Resistance, and they recruited Oldham for yet another gig – this time in the area of public relations for the newfound collective. “Jeff Mills was another childhood friend,” Oldham describes. “Mills lived down the street from this kid I used to draw with. This kid’s dad had this high-rise at 1600 Lafayette that we used to gather at to play Monopoly every week and Jeff was in the group. Years later, Jeff had hooked up with Mike Banks to form UR. By this time, I had my radio show on WDET, and they used to feed me reel-to-reels and white labels to play on the air.

“By 1991, UR was getting stronger and they needed PR help. I minored in English and learned to write press releases in school, so I started doing that for UR for gas money. We were all crammed into Banks’ mom’s basement. Rob Hood was in the group, too, designing flyers, pasting up stuff. This was pre-Mac, of course.”

Oldham’s involvement with Underground Resistance led to his introduction to DJing. “When Jeff left UR in ’92 and they had an Australian Tour all lined up, Banks asked me to be the replacement tour DJ,” he says. “Everybody had code names in UR, so that's when DJ T-1000 was born. I went at it with gusto, ’cause it was my big break. And that was that.” - However, the development of DJ T-1000 also led to the temporary demise of Oldham’s comic illustrations. “Once I got into DJing and traveling every weekend and making music, doing comics took a back seat,” he says. “But with the slow demise of the music business as I once knew it, I’m back to the first love, making comics and art again.”

His travels and constant connections resulted in Oldham creating art for an impressive roster including Derrick May, Miss Djax, Ben Sims, Richie Hawtin, Astralwerks, Third Ear Recordings, Opilec Music, Steve Bug, Cisco Ferreira (The Advent), Delsin Records, AW Recordings and many others. “Because of my work for Djax-Up-Beats, robots have become a theme in my artwork,” Oldham says. “People know me for that, so I decided to continue the theme in my big canvases. Big booties, stiletto heels, spaceships and robots.” Oldham’s art garnered international attention through the DJs and labels, especially in Europe, where there was (and still is) a deep fascination with Detroit techno. “When I started emphasizing on doing gallery shows in Europe, the techno art got even more popular,” he says. Although he felt something special stirring out of the Detroit techno movement, Oldham knew his calling was overseas. “All that interest from Europe… for me, just the chance to get out of Detroit and see the world and make so many international friends was a very big thing, and still is,” he says.

Today, Oldham travels the world showcasing his art, as well as his music. He continues to spread the futuristic message of Detroit techno on an international level through his talents. “My number one goal with both my art and music is to impact my audience in a positive way,” he says. “No negativity, just mood and cool. I’ve got paintings hanging in people’s homes and studios, and my music in their iPods. I want to push my aesthetic out there and leave my mark.”

This article was published on the Red Bull Music Academy website in November 2014. Written by Ashley Zlatopolsky.

[pokefan531]

TimeTagger Review

First off, I want to share a link to a fanart of Bunnix.

https://www.deviantart.com/jenniferpistol309/art/Bunnix-798858388

(Only links given, just to give viewers to a person who made this amazing fanart!)

Written few days ago. I decide to put out my thoughts about the title above because I really found this episode to be very interesting!

I saw TimeTagger at Sunday recently, and I actually found this episode to be my favorite of the season, and we got another great superhero.

Spoilers Ahead!

TimeTagger

This episode bring us another superhero, Bunnix. Well, Alix's watch from Timebreaker is brought up again for an important plot. Bunnix got freed from the pillar, and later, it is revealed that she is an adult version of Alix. I do like how her adult self looks and acts, and Adult Alix is mature and brilliant. Bunnix helps Ladybug and Cat Noir to defeat TimeTagger, who also came from the future that Bunnix was supposed to be on. Seeing Bunnix in action is very interesting. It was choreographed pretty well on how the battle went. Bunnix is a really cool superhero. She is pretty reckless, and while she can fight on her own in many cases, she will realize that she would need a team if things didn't go out well. I like the fact that present Alix is really interested on her future life. In this episode, I think Bunnix is the strongest on the team. Well, knowing Alix's tomboyish nature, she would be strong and reckless. Wow, Adult Alix has grown taller.

I had theories about Alix's watch back in 2016, after seeing all 26 episodes and re-watching Timebreaker and the Pharaoh, I would believe her watch would be brought up again, involving with the superheroes. Her watch with a hologram was the only item that is magical, besides Kwamis and Miraculouses. Also in the Pharaoh, the museum has relations with Ladybug, knowing how old Ladybug is and how Tikki knows some things in the museum. Alix's father and brother are historians, so it would make sense that the watch could relate with the superhero mystery later on. It turned out to be true.

Although, I would say that Bunnix is my favorite superhero of Miraculous Ladybug, it is currently. Her design is cool, and everything about Bunnix in the episode was executed well, it might be the only or one of the very few episodes of grown up version of Alix as Bunnix. It seems like Alix got her miraculous on her own, and also helps Ladybug and Cat Noir and be on their team. What I did like about future Alix/Bunnix is how she's brilliant, strong, mature, and reckless. The future part seems long like 5-10 years, so we know a little about future Bunnix, and if present Alix becomes Bunnix, I expect it would happen near the end of the series. Or maybe after Season 3, I don't really know as of now. We would have to see how that turns out in later seasons. I honestly didn't expect Alix to be eventually a superhero, and I just didn't have any theories on the season 2-3 opening photos. So far, I did enjoy future Alix Kubdel/Bunnix very much. I would like to make an MMD model of them. Gotta find some time though.

Other things interesting are seeing future Chris and how Lila gets to babysit the kids at the end. I don't find that much of a problem, because her main talents are lies, as shown in Oni-Chan especially. She can make lies really good, and so it's no wonder how Lila decides to babysit. I wonder how Marinette feels about this... Although, I want to wait to see how Hawkmoth and Lila work out later in the series. Also, TimeTagger seems pretty powerful.

As much as I find TimeTagger episode very interesting, it has few issues. One would be Mr. Pigeons and Hawk Moth. He got akumatized 24 times, and Hawk Moth uses the same guy 24 times. It seems like Ramier isn't safe in Paris, and should find a good place for him to spend time with the pigeons. He got suggested by Cat Noir to find a different kind of animal to be obsessed with. Future Alix says there is Mr. Rat in the future, and it is most likely him, so there's no stopping him from getting akumatized many times. My other minor issue is how Cat Noir is kinda weak. Not as weak, but kinda falls a bit less helpful. Him suggesting Ramier to like a different kind of animal while staying in Paris isn't really a good advice, given his emotional issues. Also, he would be the blame to destroy Bunnix's watch. Still, he's still useful, just not as strong in this one. I can give those a pass.

My main curiosity since this episode is how the future superheroes and miraculouses are gonna be handled. As much as I like the story of Bunnix in this episode and understand the mysteries on the watch, I don't want more or all of Marinette and Adrien's classmates to become heroes, whether temporally or permanent. I didn't want the concept of being a hero in paris, mainly Ladybug and Cat Noir, to be less special or unique. I didn't want all of the classmates to be heroes since it would become too predictable and lowers the concept of being unique as a civilian. I get Alya and Chloe, and also Nino. I also get Alix because of the histories of the watch, but it would be better if other future heroes are outside of most of Marinette or Adrien's friends, or even families. It would likely suit better for newer characters later on. I wanted the future superheroes to have interesting story, and even origin, just like current six of them. We will have to wait and see how this is gonna be handled. I do enjoy seeing fan transformation of existing characters, it's just that I'm concerned of how future heroes will be introduced, and this curiosity isn't really directly on this episode. I get that some of you have different thoughts, and I understand.

Overall, I do like this episode so far, and I give it an 8/10. It's a really interesting episode, and Bunnix in the future is my big highlight. Mysteries of the watch and Bunnix's future got an interesting story. Lila and Hawkmoth's situations are really mysterious. And knowing how Ladybug and Cat Noir are still around seems interesting. I would say it's my favorite episode of the season so far. My actual favorite would be Evillustrator.

What I think about Alix? In the first season, she rarely talks. Only few episodes with few lines. Only Timebreaker, Alix gets enough lines and presentation. She seems okay. In the second season, she appears more often and shows that she's Marinette's friend, and friends with most classmates, and takes art class with Nathandel. Also, Alix is more developed since the second season. I plan to review Evillustrator and Lady Wifi, two of my other favorites. I do also plan to compare Adult Alix/Adult Bunnix with another character from a certain movie. My hint is a movie that got panned since it came out a year and a half ago, and a character had barely any purpose and not executed well.

As to advertise my video, I made my own Miraculous Ladybug MMD video (w/ Pokemon) back at Fall 2018:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4ghOaIVEsE

[shoheiakagi]

21 QUESTIONS

tagged by @beckyshtar, ty!

RULES: Answer 21 questions and then tag 21 people you want to get to know better.

i don’t actually know 21 people to tag so i’m just gonna tag the few people i talk to over here: @yumidarkheart,  @aka-no-o,  @cat-the-spade, @redloveashes, and @anewmourning

1. HEIGHT: somewhere between 5′3-5′4 (im short, i know)

2. ZODIAC: taurus

3. LAST MOVIE I SAW: a rewatch of mor and two prince of tennis movies

4. FAVORITE MUSICIAN: uhh ariana grande, i guess? i mean i dont like all of her songs and sometimes she annoys me but she really is talented. i also like bts even tho i haven’t listened to all of their songs (i’m basic, i know) OH AND GORILLAZ

5. FAVORITE AUTHOR: n/a

6. FAVORITE FANFICTION:  i don’t have a fave but:

i really like shouhei’s chapter in this one reader x character fic since this is how i envision my favorite part time thug to act when he’s trying to woo someone

this is a really lovely homra centric one shot that manages to give a good enough screentime to all members. also, the characterization here is really good

idk about you guys, but i love the idea of dark!homra, in which they’re just as bad, if not worse, than the gangs they target. even tho its not complete and it features a ship im not fond of, this fic is definitely my fave k fic. i love how detailed the characters (even the minor ones) were, how certain characters (eric) are actually pretty terrifying and sadistic, how the members pretty much lead a double life to keep their identities hidden, how even the least violent members (totsuka and anna) are just as dark, and how unlike canon, they’re def not a found family trope or a group of friends. the members only interact with each other during meetings and missions. really, if dark!homra (and saru/mi) is your jam, then read this fic!! it’s totally worth it.

another saru/mi one shot that features some drunk homra members. the humor and dialogues here are a+, and who wouldn’t want to read a fic where some dumbass homra members spend their saturday nights drunk af in their local mcdonalds?

a saru/mi fic thats set in an idol verse. im pretty sure unlike idol k, this fic is set up in an au where it’s similar to the kpop/jpop industry. so we have solo artists yata & fushimi plus boy groups consisting of homra & s4 abc boys + kamamoto. a really fun fic and i mentioned before how even tho hes not the main character here, this fic has the best characterization for shouhei imo.

7. FAVORITE MOVIE: i really enjoyed moonlight

8. FAVORITE ANIME: mm i don’t think i have any fave. i mean i guess prince of tennis would’ve qualified at one point but idrc about it anymore. if there was an anime just based on homra and ALL of its core members, then that def would be my fave

9. PLAY ANY INSTRUMENTS?:  nope

10. RANDOM FACT: i have three exams this tuesday but i haven’t studied yet even tho its sunday and i have work on monday im so screwed

11. LUCKY NUMBER: uhh 3? or maybe 5

12. DO YOU GET ASKS?:  sometimes. usually w/e i reblog an ask meme

13. FAVORITE FANDOM(S): don’t have any but i’ll admit that the k fandom is the only fandom i actually make shitposts, incorrect posts, and a few headcanons for along with edits

14. FAVORITE SONG:  don’t have one. if i really like a song, i have a bad habit of replaying it over and over again to the point where i get tired of the song

15. WHAT ARE YOU WEARING: pjs

16. HAIR COLOR: black

17. EYE COLOR: black

18. FAVORITE FOOD: you can never go wrong with a good burger

19. HOBBIES: daydreaming, listening to music, wasting time online

20. FAVORITE WEATHER: when its warm and sunny w/o being super hot (spring) or if its cloudy and slightly chilly (fall)

21. FAVORITE SUPERHERO(S): donna troy/wondergirl/troia, starfire, nightwing, wonder woman, batman, stephanie brown/spoiler/batgirl, etc. im pretty much a dc girl.

[allofthisnonsenseplease]

firesonic152 - 10/31/2017 superheroes??

SuspiciousPopsicle - 10/31/2017 Yus. -'u'- Who's got what sorts of powers? Do we wanna make Jack your standard super strength, super speed, flight, lego hair type? or something more tailored to his personality? also, if option A, should he have a secret power as well which he doesn't like using for some reason? and for Gabe, Reaper-esque powers? Or flip it to something that still reference that, but goes in a different direction?

firesonic152 - 10/31/2017 LEGO HAIR LMAO

SuspiciousPopsicle - 10/31/2017 or maybe even have him be more like Batman? Where he's got skills and gadgets, but isn't super human or enhanced? SUperman has fucking lego hair.

firesonic152 - 10/31/2017 ooo i like the batman-esque thing for gabe !!

SuspiciousPopsicle - 10/31/2017 you could pop it right off his head.

firesonic152 - 10/31/2017 LOL jack is just edgy captain america

SuspiciousPopsicle - 10/31/2017 oh, yeah, him too. like a lego man. i feel like it clicks into place too neat.

firesonic152 - 10/31/2017 XDDDDDD i want him to secretly be a mutant or something and yeah like you said earlier has some secret ability bc of it that he doesn't use

SuspiciousPopsicle - 10/31/2017 honest to god, my first thought as i'm sitting here considering what Jack's secret power ought to be was 'can give opponents instant boners' SO. setting that aside XD

firesonic152 - 10/31/2017 AHAHAHAHAHA

SuspiciousPopsicle - 10/31/2017 next thought was that he has some sort of mind control thing he can do--like, he can make an opponent so enamored of him that they'll follow any order he gives. but i kinda want his power to be integrated with the other things he can do

firesonic152 - 10/31/2017 ooooo i actually like the mind control thing... like he's really uncomfortable w leadership bc he doesn't like making people do things

SuspiciousPopsicle - 10/31/2017 yupyup

firesonic152 - 10/31/2017 which informs his whole loner schtick refuses to join any superhero organization

SuspiciousPopsicle - 10/31/2017 and he hates using it bc of ethical reasons, but he WILL if lives are at stake

firesonic152 - 10/31/2017 yeah QoQ but he always feels gross after

SuspiciousPopsicle - 10/31/2017 yup. and he tries so hard to avoid it so that he doesn't start to depend on it. plus, part of the reason he feels gross is bc it does give him sort of a power rush, and there is a slight temptation to use it to nudge events in his favor when he's just out, like, barhopping or whatever.

firesonic152 - 10/31/2017 yepppppp especially to get people in bed w him

SuspiciousPopsicle - 10/31/2017 exactly but that is All Sorts of Wrong and he knows it so he doesn't ever ever do it, and he hates himself for even thinking that it's a possibility. which, to be fair, it technically is. just a repugnant one. anyways, is this sort of a tiger & bunny thing where there's lots of heroes, and they have like, one special quirk, but sometimes someone with the proper tech can go be a hero too? and everybody just kinda thinks that Jack is one of the latter?

firesonic152 - 10/31/2017 yeah!! definitely and gabe actually is a batmany type

SuspiciousPopsicle - 10/31/2017 Angela developed the nanite swarm, and Gabe uses it for his hero stuff, and he's got, like, ninja/magician/illusionist tricks to make it seem like he's actually vanishing in a cloud of nanites & other junk. He's the opposite of Jack--a normal dude masquerading as a superpowered super hero

firesonic152 - 10/31/2017 gabe of course designs all the aesthetics himself LOL

SuspiciousPopsicle - 10/31/2017 ABSOLUTELY theater kid with a minor in special effects

firesonic152 - 10/31/2017 so gabe thinks jack is a lame version of him being a self made super

SuspiciousPopsicle - 10/31/2017 lol that's mean Gabe. He's trying. A for effort, Jack. are they rival heroes then? also, does Gabe work as a lone wolf to help disguise his lack of powers?

firesonic152 - 10/31/2017 yeah! so whenever they both end up at the same crime scene they get snippy w each other gabe's flashy dramatics grate on jack's nerves

SuspiciousPopsicle - 10/31/2017 XD jack firing off a round of something non-lethal into the disappating swarm of nanites after one of their fiercer arguments

firesonic152 - 10/31/2017 LOL gabe gets pissed bc it makes a rip in his cloak so is gabe like... mad rich and jack is more spiderman-y, way less resources but kinda smart enough to make it work

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 wealthy gabe. w a big mansion. lots of varied, classy, beautifully arranged places for the two of them to fuck. XD

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 >:3c they're both like. so angrily attracted to each other lol it's one of those gabe is determined to figure out jack's secret identity jack would rather not know anything about gabe. he doesn't want to get invested.

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 oh. =( jack's just there for the sex and violence? lol

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 yepp ooo we need to get into origin stories is gabe just... batman all the way dead parents when he was eight and shit except he likes guns

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 lol mmm... well, where does his money come from? inheritance? earned through his own efforts? lottery?

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 shady mafia parents?

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 XD that might be good, tho--using the mone they made in the illegal trade that eventually got them killed to combat crime paying the community back in his own way

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 yep !! what's jack's origin story something to do w mutant discrimination

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 he was spat out of a cornfield fully grown and hitchhiked to the big city

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 LMAOO or we could have him figure out his powers in some traumatic way as a child

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 what if his parents tried to send him to a camp to pray the abnormality away when his powers first presented and there was abuse and what not going on, so even after he went home, his relationship with his parents was strained. he didn't stay long, and they didn't look too hard for him when he ran away. He was fourteen or fifteen, and looked a little bit older than he was, but he was in over his head and had to use his power a few times just to get a meal or sometimes a job so that he wouldn't starve to death. he made his way slowly across the country, hitchhiking, mostly. anyone that wanted something more from him than he was comfortable giving as payment for the lift suddenly decided that what they really wanted was to pull over and let this wonderful boy out. Disgusted with himself, wondering if sucking cock wasn't actually a more honest way to get as far from where he'd been born as possible, Jack kept going out of sheer determination. Prolly did a few minor acts of heroism along the way, which gave him a taste for it.

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 AW GEEZ QOQ THAT'S UPSETTING AOJCNAECJN i love it lmao he wants to save people to redeem himself!! he never quite recovered from the feeling of self-disgust he got from his parents

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 ta-dah lol

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 lmao jack can tell from all of gabe's fancy gadgets and shit that he's rich as hell and is like super resentful assumes gabe's had a mad easy life and is just doing this for the thrill of it gabe meanwhile can tell jack is pretty angry and reclusive and is curious they always have fun banter in which gabe is overdramatic and jack is overly snarky

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 oooh, a mystery. let's poke it! :D

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 yep! jack accidentally slips up in his snark one day and comments on gabe's sexy ass like "what tf kind of money did you spend on those stupid pants that they cling to your ass like they're painted on" or something and gabe is like lmao you been looking? ;3

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 omg jack

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 jack's been spending a lot of time examining gabe's crotch lately wondering about that D

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 jaaaaaaaaaaaack

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 he's very curious about all gabe's gadgets and their alternate uses

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 jack pls you're supposed to be fighting crime

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 jack gets himself into trouble and gabe saves his ass. gabe insists afterward that jack have some kind of homing beacon in case he ever gets in trouble

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 well, that's sweet of him. Gabe, you big softie. Saying that since Jack doesn't have any powers, it's only right Gabe look after him a bit. He doesn't understand the flash of bitterness on Jack's face, and mistakes it for envy.

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 oh geez gabe you are pressing buttons you didn't even realize were there jack hates how much he wants to fuck gabe despite him being annoying as hell

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 lol they're both caught. XD stubborn fucks.

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 gabe keeps wanting to like mother jack and jack hates it lmao does jack like have a job irl to make money he's gotta

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 yeah. i think he'd need one lol what if he ends up as Gabe's chauffer or something?

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 LOL YES he gets fired from his previous job of something classically superhero like working for a newspaper and he somehow stumbles into becoming gabe's driver it definitely helps that gabe is wildly attracted to him for some unknown reason

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 XD oh, hey--what if something bad goes down while he's out driving with Gabe one day, and Gabe is all about rushing in to help save the day and Jack, not realizing who his boss is and being afraid that he's going to get himself killed, uses his power to make Gabe drive to safety while he stays to deal w the bad guys

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 AHHH and gabe doesn't know who jack is either once he gets to safety he's like WHAT THE FUCK I JUST LEFT MY DRIVER IN DANGER he quickly gets into costume but by the time he gets there, jack is gone that soldier 76 guy is standing over all the bad guys who are completely beaten to hell

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 Gabe is as serious as Jack's ever seen him when he comes dashing up demanding to know what happened to...Jack. XD

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 LOL jack is like what the fuck why does reaper care about. real me.

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 oh shit! XD i forgot he was all reaper-y! X''''D fuck, dude, i think i need to turn in. i am Not With It tonight.

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 awwwww

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 oh SHIT. yah. it's after 1. i DEFINITELY need to turn in.

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 hugs

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 ^^;;;;;;;;;;;;; hugshugs will ttyl <3<3<3

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 sleep well!!!

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 you too.  =) night night

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 so reaper shows up to the crime thing but 76 has already taken care of it. reaper anxiously asks after the collateral damage and 76 gruffly assures him there were no innocent victims

reaper doesn't bother sticking around for banter, he's worried about his (handsome) driver. he rushes back home and changes back into gabriel and calls jack up

jack has to dash into a random alleyway and take off his mask to answer his cell phone XD

gabriel is all worried and asking if jack's hurt, says it's okay if he doesn't want to come into work tomorrow, apologizes for just driving off he's not sure what came over him

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 omg and Gabe feels soooooooooo bad about it, honestly, and every word of apology is another stab of guilt for Jack

!! Gabe taking just a little advantage of the situation to use it as an excuse to offer to treat Jack to lunch. Jack starts to decline (bc of course he feels he shouldn't benefit in any way from what he did) but Gabe insists

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 ahhhhhh gabe treats him and jack is once again a little annoyed at gabe's sheer wealth. internally grumbles about these damn rich people

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 KISS KISS FALL IN LOVE

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 LOL YEP ahh they start talking and it's a little too east to banter jack has to keep reminding himself that gabe is his employer

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 meanwhile, Gabe sees him forgetting that and isn't about to throw out any reminders XD

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 hahahaha god gabe wants to sleep w him so bad LOL gabe has a crush on jack and jack has a crush on reaper

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 XD this feels like that ladybug show

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 YEP gabe tries to apologize again for leaving jack in danger and jack snaps at him to stop with that ahh accidentally "ordering" gabe to stop doing that. and gabe does.

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 oooh. so, what if there's, like, a time limit to his powers? 24 hours or so? during which, the infatuation reamins high and people will still do what he says. that way, Jack can accidentally order him to stop (and get a LOVELY little reminder that he's still in charge of gabe) without him being unable to control that power he hates so much.

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 AHH jack gets all freaked out and mumbles that he has to go

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 bc obvs, the "date" was only due to his powers

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 oh jaaack he hurries home and kicks a chair over

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 ;; Gabe gives it a couple days to let him have some space, and when things aren't unbearably awkward (somehow???) on the job and Jack doesn't quit, he asks him out to dinner. And Jack kinda shor circuits for a minute as he tries to remember if he mindfucked Gabe again and forgot about it.

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 QoQ jack can't deny though. he has a thing for reaper and... gabe kinda reminds him of that....

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 lol jack. listen to that intuition of yours.

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 XDD

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 Jack being a bit nervous when he shows up for this date, trying to get past it by making a joke & asking if this is just for fun, or if he ought to look for another job. Gabe actually looks distressed over the idea.

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 AWWW gabe gets kinda flustered and says no, no he really... wants to get to know jack better jack bluntly asks if he's looking to sleep together

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 Gabe chokes on the sip he was taking.

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 LOL THE ANSWER IS YES but instead he kinda splutters what?? jack shrugs and looks at him through his eyelashes

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 Gabe tries to be both cautious--bc Jack IS his employee--and suave, and fails at both.

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 awwww just kinda blurts out that jack is unfairly attractive and he'd really like to... know him better jack smirks which is REALLY UNFAIR and says "in the biblical sense, i assume"

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 XD WHO IS IN CHARGE HERE??

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 XDDDD

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 Gabe feels his control of the situation slipping away. he had planned this, had meant to charm Jack and put him at ease and invite him home after dinner for drinks and maybe something more, but Jack went and threw off his game and now he can't seem to catch up.

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 awwww w gabe ahhhh but then something superhero related happens

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 Jack internally cursing up a blue streak, Gabe seriously annoyed but also thankful in a way that he'll have a chance to try again on solid footing

lol what if one found out who the other was bc they got food poisoning which set in during the superheroing, and left them kinda fucked up the next day? what a lame way to expose your secret identity

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 XDDDDD i feel like i want gabe to be found out first bc he literally has a superhero lair.

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 lol Reaper doubling over and raising a hand to his face, being so freaked out by the thought that if he doesn't get away fast enough he's going ot puke in his mask. XD and 76 offers to help out of actual concern and is waved off as Reaper lets slip it was probably something he ate. Then the next day, Jack hears from Gabe that some food poisoning fucked him up.

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 LMAO jack puts together... rich... food poisoning... similar banter... the whole aesthetic... HOLY SHIT when he comes in to work he starts snooping and finds the lair

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 he'd be pissed if he wasn't really turned on his hot (potential) boyfriend is his arrogant rival

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 >:3c he's pretty psyched that the guy he wants to bone turns out to be the guy who wants to bone him soo why does he keep his own identity secret at this point bc he gotta

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 lol question! does Jack fine enough on his snooping to realize that Gabe doesn't actually have any powers?

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 oooooo yeah like finds all the gadgets and stuff

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 lol what if the nanites are semi intelligent, and he activates the swarm and they recognize him and sort of go into a harmless standby mode...and suddenly he's being followed around by Reaperbeans.

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 YESS they cling to his ankles and chirp adorably

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 he's not a registered user, so he can't give hem any commands, but they spend so long patched into Gabe that his interest in Jack imprinted on them XD

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 XDDDDD gabe realizes someone's broken into his lair and runs in w a pistol at the ready but finds jack surrounded by beans

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 Jack, with a cheeky wave: Hey, boss. Can I get a raise?

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 LOL

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 Jack now thinks he has a perfect excuse to get away from Gabe when stuff goes down--bc of course Gabe is gonna want Jack to go someplace safe--and Jack figures he can just drive a little ways away and put on his hero costume. That plan is thwarted the first time such a situation comes up. Gabe actually comes around to the driver's side door & when Jack rolls down the window, Gabe grabs him by the tie and pulls him in for a kiss, then winks and makes some crack about keep ing the meter running and they'll pick up when he gets back.

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 AHHHHH AHHHHHHHHH jack kinda gapes as gabe goes off to fight evil fuck. how bad of an idea is it to fight bad guys with a boner.

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 XD

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 .... not that it would be the first time lbr

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 he's SO FRUSTRATED bc he can't think straight enough to plan a good excuse for what to say if Gabe makes it back to the car before him, so he's STUCK

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 skcjnseckjn he decides it's..... probably fine if 76 doesn't show up this One Time....... gabe can take care of himself for one fight right? omg jack looking around at the tinted windows, then shamefully sinking lower in his seat and thinking about that kiss as he palms at his groin

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 XD sorry out of context, that seems slightly not the right reaction

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 XDDD

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 but i'd been thinking along the same lines--Jack getting himself even more worked up, so that when gabe comes back, he can't even comfortably drive elsewhere until they deal with his situation

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 YAY they clamber into the backseat and jack is for once REALLY glad gabe is rich bc the windows are impossible to see through from the outside

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 Jack telling Gabe between breathless kisses 'don't you ever fucking leave me like that again' and Gabe is touched, 'cause awww, jack was concerned for his safety! <3 but really Jack just doesn't wanna miss out on the ass-kicking sort of action, either. XD

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 XDDDDDD he gives gabe a frequently interrupted lecture on making an exit like that and how it's NOT FAIR don't DO that JESUS and gabe is just kinda laughing and murmuring "well if it's gonna get this kinda reaction...." omg jack has to wear a driver's uniform right like a nice dark suit

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 PLEASE

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 ahhhhhh gabe gets it all messy and disheveled

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 with the cap

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 YES

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 and white gloves or is it black gloves? prolly black driving gloves.

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 kajncsskjnc gabe gets him the absolute minimum undressed won't even let him take off the gloves jack is like YOU MADE ME WEAR THIS SHIT ON PURPOSE DIDN'T YOU. YOU LECHEROUS FUCK.

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 THE GLOVES STAY lol for some reason, i really like the aesthetic of built dudes in tight black tees and gloves.

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 me tooooo so does gabe apparently

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 he's got good taste in certain things, at least

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 XDD

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 pfft. Gabe makes Jack a custom uniform for the job. Something like this, but with nothing until about the third button. XD It's just a frame for his tits.

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 AHAHAHA YES jack is like ARE YOU KIDDING ME I CAN'T BE SEEN LIKE THIS and gabe is like you. you already put it on without me even asking

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 XD Jack's like, well, yeah, now follow me to that stupid cliche room you have with the fireplace and the bearskin rug

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 LOL gabe commenting casually one day that it's been awhile since he saw his rival 76

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 Jack freezes up briefly but obviously and hopes Gabe didn't notice.

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 ahaha gabe thinks it's jealousy or something >:3c hip checks jack and teases him about it

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 ooh...what if Jack, like, starts jokingly trash-talking 76 to kind of sound out Gabe's opinion of him? maybe even suggests that he's hiding a super power?

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 oooooooo

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 Gabe's wondering where that idea came from, and Jack tries to shrug it off with something like 'well, you hear stuff' and he suggests that, if that was the case, it would have to be something pretty bad for him to hide it. He isn't prepared for Gabe to defend 76 and argue that even if he does have a superpower, maybe he just doesn't know how to utilize it for crime fighting.

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 awwwwwww gabe's jokes that maybe it's something like the ability to make really yummy food or know how the plot of anything is going to end

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 XD Jack kinda basks in it and laughs along as Gabe makes up more and more ridiculous things bc he likes seeing Jack smile. Really, though, Jack is just enjoying these harmless hypotheticals. He's extra affectionate when they have sex later, kissing all along Gabe's jaw and neck, down his arms to his wrists where he turns Gabe's hand to kiss the inside of his wrist and the hollow of his palm. He goes slower than normal, enough that Gabe notices, and reaches out to cup Jack's face and ask him, with a hesitant smile and eyes that show he's trying not to think that something might be wrong, if Jack's okay. And Jack smiles for him, lips stretching wide and tight, eyes crinkling up and it's so strange how that expression almost makes him look like he's about to cry. But he just catches Gabe's hand and pulls it to his mouth for another soft kiss and murmurs into his palm that he's fine, everything is good.

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 QOQ AHHHHHHH I'M EMOTIONAL

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 <3

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 gabe keeps asking jack to move in with him but jack can't have that bc when he goes home is the only time he has to be 76 also he wouldn't be able to bring all his hero stuff with him to gabe's house and still expect to keep it secret

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 he can see that it hurts Gabe a bit every time he refuses, but he isn't ready to explain. the best he can do is just claim that he needs his space (Gabe's counter to that is that Jack can have a whole floor to himself if he wants), or joke weakly that at least this should prove he isn't after Gabe's money.

one night, as they're curled up and Gabe is dozing off, arms around Jack and lips against the top of his head, Jack asks quietly: '...what would you do if I had a superpower?'

Gabe stirrs and hugs him a bit tighter. 'somethin' you need t tell me, Jackie?'

He's so close to saying it. In that moment, with Gabe's warm arms holding him close, he feels safe. But the old fear comes back, and the knowledge that he's been lying by omission, and suddenly, this place he's found for himself seems terrifyingly fragile. 'Just a hypothetical,' he lies, pressing his face against Gabe's chest.

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 JAKXNASKJCNASC AHHHHHHH okay now what we need is reaper and 76 fighting a bad guy together and reaper is in danger and soldier has no choice but to use his power

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 He tries to make it as subtle as possible, substituting 'put down your weapon' or 'surrender' with taunts. something like 'looking for a challenge? come get me.' and then running off so that he can manage where Reaper won't see.

but it's still a REALLY strange thing for the bad guy to do, and gabe didn't miss the change in his demeanor.

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 dcjkasncbk gabe goes after him but 76 snaps at him to stay back and gabe finds himself just... doing it

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 he would do anything for 76. and once 76 is gone, and Gabe has a moment for his head to clear a bit, he realizes that he felt that way once before...with Jack.

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 KJSNCESCNJKAEKCHK

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 oh lord. what if, once Gabe knows about Jack's power, he starts to question how much of his feelings are real or if Jack's power caused him to feel that way.

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 NOOOO first he sets out on investigating if jack is 76

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 if he looks into Jack's past, one of the last things he'll find before Jack appeared in the city is gonna be the camp.

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 qoq

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 maybe Jack was among the last before it was shut down surrounded by scandal. there's a newspaper article where a parent of one of the kids who requested to remain anonymous claims that their child could control people's minds. they ask what they were supposed to do? how could anyone raise a child like that? Once Gabe's ready to confront Jack, he's also angry enough about being manipulated to lead with that. He tosses a copy of that article down in front of Jack with the anonymous quote highlighted, and just says: 'that's you, isn't it?'

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 OH GOD GABE THAT'S JUST GONNA TRIGGER JACK TO HELL AND BACK

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 okay. Jack TOOK CONTROL OF GABE'S MIND TWICE. Gabe isn't being particularly sensitive to Jack's feelings here, but I think he does have cause to be upset. XD

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 true XD but this will not be a fun time for jack's mental health he just kinda freezes and suddenly all the horrible memories from his childhood come rushing back

his face goes white and he nods distantly, staring at the picture of the camp in the newspaper

gabe doesn't know what to do at first. he'd expected jack to put up a fight. he'd thought he'd have to argue.

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 Jack shakily trying to speak in a voice that comes out as a whisper, insisting that he didn't use it, that he didn't use it unless he had no choice. He claps a hand over his mouth at one point, looking like he's about to be sick. Gabe is Concerned.

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 barely containing his anger, gabe asks jack why he never told him. jack shakes his head and retreats in on himself

gabe tries a different tactic. "you're... soldier 76, right?"

jack just keeps mumbling that he never used it, not unless he had to, he didn't mean to...

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 and at this point, Gabe is getting a bit scared, bc he's never seen Jack like this before.

He kneels and looks up into Jack's face, but whatever Jack's seeing, it isn't there in the room with him. Gabe's anger is shredded away as he thinks guiltily about the glossed-over mentions of abuse in the article about the camp. He hadn't looked any further into that, and he's starting to think that he compounded that initial mistake.

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 hhhhhhhh gabe moves to touch jack's face but jack slaps his hand away violently. he looks small and scared.

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 jeezus, what if they used to gag Jack so that he couldn't speak and use his power?

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 oh god DDD: what if his voice is all rough bc most of his childhood was spent silent

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 hey, that means we can knock a kink off his list for this one! :D

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 qoq yeah gabe keeps trying to get him to say something but jack's mouth can't seem to form words

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 first job is now to talk him down. after that will be time to rip him a new one. and possibly break up with him.

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 except as soon as jack snaps out of it, he beats gabe to it and shakily tells him he's leaving.

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 gabe, you've lost the upper hand once again. Gabe tells him oh no the fuck he isn't, he's going to stay there and explain himself and Gabe is gonna let him have it. Gabe actually physically gets between Jack and the door, and Jack is visibly shaking. Desperate, he tells Gabe that he can make him move, but Gabe calls his bluff. 'Do it, then. I'll call you to account for that, too.'

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 "you wanna break up, right?" jack says, trying to sound angry and intimidating but failing miserably. "then we're done. let me out. i'll never bother you again."

sure, that might end up being the end game for them, but gabe doesn't like how jack is rushing to get there

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 'I don't know yet if that's what I want. You fucked up, Jack. No getting around it. And don't think I'm not fucking pissed at you over it. But I'm still willing to hear your side before throwing you out.'

'I can save you the trouble.'

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 qOq

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 'If you're so dead set on leaving, then why am I still standing in your way?'

He watches Jack crumple, and has to keep a rein on his pity. Just because Jack isn't taking advantage right now doesn't mean he was right to in the past.

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 'Why, Jack?' He's a bit surprised that the question is the first thing that comes out, but Jack answers.

'He was going to kill you.'

'But once the immediate danger was past, you stopped me.'

He shrugs, looking like a man condemned. 'Once I'm using it, it's hard to focus the effects. It only lasts a day, and it begins to wear off when I'm not around.'

He isn't making excuses, and Gabe presses. 'What about the first time?'

'I didn't know you were Reaper. I didn't want you to get hurt.'

'Have there been any other times you've done it to me?'

'No. I swear.'

ughhh. i think i need to turn in.

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 QoQ I'M SO UPSET

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 it could prolly be worse. we can re-work this bit to make it worse tomorrow, if you want.

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 oh god. thanks XDDD this one is your fault btw

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 how tf is this MY fault???

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 you made it angsty lmao

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 i did no such thing. my thought for big plot point was to have one of the directors of the camp show up in town w more research and tech and a program promising to remove superpowers--sort of like a reverse SEP. and Jack recognizes the dude immediately and gets super aggressive and angry about him.

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 LOL well we can still do that

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 lol tomorrow. also, don't let me forget about Jack being tempted to use the serum or whatevs on himself

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 OH GOD hugs go to bed XD

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 hugs night night =u= <3

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 jack takes an offensive stance and says, "gabriel. i'm not going to order you. but i'm leaving and if that means i have to fight you, i will."

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! What if Jack, like, for serious leaves? Leaves Gabe's house, leaves the whole city. Goes on the move doing his 76 thing. Gabe had let him go thinking they could both take some time, then talk things out and figure out what it meant for them, but Jack just completely disappears on him.

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 omg QoQ he tries to visit Jack's house only to find someone else moved in there. Jack won't pick up the phone. He next hears about 76 being sighted across the country

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 Now the quandary is: use ridiculous wealth to chase down exboyfriend who can mind control him (but who Gabe really misses) or not?

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 Isn't that always the question XDD At first he's kinda pissed at Jack for just up and bolting but the more he lets it stew, the more he gets worried and lonely can Gabe get kidnapped or something and Jack comes back for him ??

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 lol one the local chapters of the gang 76 has been tormenting is all: 'hey, remember when Reaper & 76 used to hang around a lot? Let's grab Reaper & use him as bait.'

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 LOL ahh what if there's a group that like figured out 76's ability and wants to use it for themselves coughs// talon doomfist is v smart after all

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 lol

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 doomfist like straight up overpowers reaper and holds him hostage

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 jack's gonna be soooooooooo pissed

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 yeppp

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 he tried SO HARD

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 and doomfist like takes measures to make sure 76 can't use his power against them like special noise canceling ear plugs and pre-recorded messages and shit so yeah jack shows up kinda vaguely aware that this is 100% a trap but not really caring he puts up a fight and takes out all the grunts without too much trouble but doomfist is another story lmao and doomfist was kind enough to allow gabe to watch this entire thing. gabe is Dying.

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 of embarrasment for having been turned into the bait? did one of hte grunts hang a sign around his neck that read bait?

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 LMAO he's like beaten tf up and his pride is in shambles and now jack's fucking taking the bait like an idiot doomfist beats jack up and keeps taunting jack about how he's wasting his powers

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 .......... what if jack like after the blow up with gabe he can't get rid of his powers but someone could get rid of him

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 QOQ he just wants to make sure that gabe can get out and then...

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 so he just lets Doomfist do what he's doing and kick the crap out of him. lol what if one of the Reaperbeans followed him? And Jack figures it can get Gabe out while he creates a diversion (read: gets himself beaten to death)

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 qOq gabe hates seeing jack get the shit kicked out of him but he manages to escape with the help of the reap bean and figures now they can get out together but. jack doesn't follow.

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 in true dramatic fashion, is there a bomb somewhere, or are we skipping that cliche? XD

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 LOL like just as he gets out there's an explosion and he thinks jack is dead kind of cliche??

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 maybe even Jack brings the bomb and he's gonna take out Talon's leader (& himself, no biggie)

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 jkdnskcnxmvs HOW DOES JACK SURVIVE

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 the reaperbeans flock to his stupid ass. Gabe has to dig him out of the rubble and get him home.

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 skajdnakf jack is all fucked up and unconscious. gabe drags him home and jack is PISSED when he wakes up ((pissed at the fact that he did wake up mostly))

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 XD

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 gabe greets him with a "WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING." jack just glares at him and rolls over, unwilling to say anything to him

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 'It's what you thought, too, isn't it?' Jack grumbles. 'That a power like mine shouldn't exist? Couldn't agree more.' He curls tighter into a ball, unwelcoming of anger or concern.

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 gabe finally realizes that nobody could hate jack's power more than jack himself ? |D

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 AND KNOWING IS HALF THE BATTLE

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 it suddenly hits him that jack set the bomb he thought it was talon even though it didn't really make much sense

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 Gabe feels like someone just knocked the wind out of him. 'Jesus, Jack,' he breathes. He wants so badly to reach out, but this is they first time they've been together since Jack picked up and left town. He isn't sure what's allowed. Hesitantly, expecting Jack to lash out or bolt, he runs his fingers lightly down Jack's arm. When he gets no mor response than a shiver, he sets his palm against Jack's shoulder and strokes soothingly up and down.

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 qoq

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 knee jerk reaction was to finally have Jack break down into tears & Gabe climbs into bed behind him to hold him thorugh it. but. dunno if that really fits

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 i want him to accidentally tell gabe to back off with his Command Voice and then collapses even more in on himself

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 y u do this?

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 like as soon as he says it and gabe moves back, jack's like "NO no fuck no i didn't mean...."

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 if Jack can't control it, then it's going to be an on going problem, though. Like, what's gonna happen when they fuck? Gabe would do him a mischief if he couldn't keep from obeying Jack shouting out deeper-harder-faster

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 hhhhhhhhh now there's a thought * w *

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 oh my god

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 jack just losing it while gabe fucks him and all his pleading driving gabe insane, something thrilling about the fact that he'd obey anyway but he can't refuse asdjsjbvh

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 you are gonna do him a mischief Gabe goes so hard he snaps Jack's spine lol

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 jesussss i feel like half the problem though is that he just denies his powers altogether so he has no idea how to stop them either HE NEEDS TO FACE HIS FEARS AND ALL THAT

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 pls imagine gabe laughing so hard he can't breathe bc jack yells at his avatar in mario cart to go faster as if that will actually work

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 LMAO AHAHAH

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 anyways. Jack can't control his powers. Gabe has seen how much Jack hates his power, and he loves him and is going ot trust that Jack won't turn it against him on purpose, or continue using it once he has--but they DEFINITELY need to have a talk. ((haha remember the one we did where gabe was a useless demon and almost burned down his kitchen trying to make soup for jack and also he had no bowls to put the soup in?))

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 LMAO THAT ONE WAS FUN and yes they need to talk Okay so Jack and gabe need to talk about his powers and they're finally getting somewhere maybe and then the scientist guy shows up w ideas on how to get rid of someone's power

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 AND OFF JACK GOES!

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 He hates the concept but. In his case it really would make his life way easier. so he secretly makes an appointment with the guy

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 AND IT'S ONE OF THE ASSHOLES FROM THE CAMP

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 YEP oh god the guy like recognizes him too and is super polite and nice and being like "ah child I'm so glad we can finally help you" and shit and all those old feelings of wanting to be anyone but himself come bubbling up to the surface for Jack

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 ; ;

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 he keeps it together for the consultation but afterwards he starts thinking about his parents and falls apart a little

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 TT^TT goes out and gets drunk off his ass.

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 Hhhh Gabe gets a call from the bar to come pick him up

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 he keeps asking what set thi off, bc usually Jack can at least cut himself off and make it home (they live together now!!), but Jack refuses to say

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 HHHH Jack's primary defense mechanism in this one is to shut up. It's what he's used to.

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 you're killin me dude

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 qwq Gabe just wants Jack to talk to him about things. He doesn't know why Jack shuts down and won't say anything He understands Jack's whole self-loathing deal but this particular defense mechanism is such a break from how Jack usually is

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 so how does he get Jack to talk? Or does he hear about the supposed cure and seek out the guy offering it when he realizes that the name was one of the ones he came across while looking into Jack's past?

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 Maybe the guy calls the house to follow up on the consultation and gabe is like WTF

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 oooh. that one. so, are we playing this guy as honestly regretful of the way that camp was handled but still thinking powers are impure and best to be avoided/elliminated? or is he manipulative and a bit evil?

just curious about whether he would tell Gabe a little bit about what happened to Jack when he was younger.

Jack needs fukkin therapy, dude.

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 he does lmao I think this guy is evil/manipulative but genuinely believes he's doing right ya know

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 lays it on thick with 'Jack's case was severely mishandled when he was younger, but from our talk earlier, it was obvious that he's in the right mindset. We're here to work with him now, not silence him.'

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 GABE HAS SO MANY QUESTIONS Like "silence him?" What's with that specific wording...

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/03/2017 ugh that specific wording is proof that i'm no longer ay good with braining today. maybe he assumed that Gabe knew about what happened to Jack and he was trying to convince him that this is what Jack wants. i'mma go ahead and turn in night night <3<3<3

firesonic152 - 11/03/2017 Yeah exactly !! That wording tips Gabe off Ahhhhh good night <33

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/03/2017 :sparkling_heart:

firesonic152 - 11/03/2017 gggghh i was thinking again about jack like being forcibly silent as a kid and like. depending on how early it started he could have had so many developmental delays regarding speech skjfnesfkj

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/03/2017 something to check out when i've got a bit more time later today, sort of find a quick reference about how that might affect someone. in the maentime, him being so rude all the time (and preferring texts) might stem from odd speech patterns--if he's mean, people won't want to talk to him so much, and it just became a habit over the years.

firesonic152 - 11/03/2017 QoQ also just. general lack of good social skills ^^;; sometimes he just pronounces words wrong and tends to overreact to being corrected

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/03/2017 well, yeah. XD like, it just started out as being defensive over his speech, and got worse with time as being rude got him what he wanted: less expectations that he talk to people. aww...poor isolated Jack. ;;

firesonic152 - 11/03/2017 q-q hhh this is the shit I'm studying I'm excited about this LOL Not this specific kind of case obviously but I am taking a class on language disorders and shit

[shesjustyoursoulmate-blog]

May the Best Win (Chapter 5)

NOTE: The characters do not belong to us, except for Charlotte Agreste and Olivie Vereau. WARNING: Contains adult language, not suitable for young children. Enjoy

                   ————————————————————

Unforgettable

 Dupain-Cheng Pâtisserie, second floor, 9:35 am.

She finally did it. Marinette finished her bikini. It was really beautiful. It had a pink shade (just like her bedroom walls) with some black spots that gave them the perfect final touch.

Marinette grabbed her backpack, were she put her bikini, sunblock, two towels (one for her body and the other one for her hands), clothes that she could put on later, clothes that she could put on in case the clothes she was going to put on later got lost or wet, a sketching notebook, sandals,  and finally another towel.

—Marinette, MARINETTE! —said a little voice— You look pretty.

A black hair head with brown eyes and Asian features peeked. She was Bridgette Cheng, Marinette´s cousin, who came by because her parents were on a business trip that day,

—Mari, why can’t I go with youUu? —asked the girls.

—My dear cousin: first, this party is not for 10 year-old girls. And besides, you have to do your homework…

—But…but I don't want toOoO… — complained the minor.

—Ha ha, that´s not how the world works (even though we all would love it) you still have to do it.

—Can I at least pick you up? — the little girl asked.

— Nope, I come alone.

—Pleassee?

Bridgette put her best puppy eyes.

—Ohh, Brid, you are the personification of mischief. All right, all right.

—Yayy!! Thanks Mari —said Bridgette.

Marinette grabbed her backpack

—Bye, Mom! Bye dad! Bye Brid! Bye Tikki! — she said to her family and her reddish-haired dog, Tikki.

               -———————-———————-———————

Agreste Mansion, 9:50 am.

DING DONG!

It had already been 10 minutes since Marinette's departure and she had finally reached her destination.

—Bugaboo, what a pleasant surprise! — Adrien said teasing Marinette.

—Shut up Chaton.

BOOM!

— Who climbed up without my permission? — questioned Adrien to the staircase.

— He he he... — Olivie's face popped out from down the stairs, with a Ladybug doll in her hand.

—NO, NOT MY LADYBUG COLLECTION— he shouted and started to chase her.

Miraculous Ladybug was a very famous cartoon show throughout Paris. It tells the story of two children, Tikki and Plagg, who transformed into two superheroes, Ladybug and Chat Noir.

Both Marinette and Adrien were big fans of the show. That is why Marinette called her pet Tikki and Adrien (and Charlotte) had named their cat Plagg.

—Hehe, yeeah the boy loves that show— said a voice.

Marinette freaked out a little bit too much over the sudden interruption.

—Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you— Charlotte said, —It's just so entertaining to make fun of my brother.

Just then, Olivie came down the stairs with a poster of Miraculous in her hands, followed by Adrien.

When they were about to finish coming down the stairs, Olivie, out of nowhere (or at least Marinette thought so), took a bottle of water and poured it on the last step.

When Adrien stepped on it, he slipped and fell into Marinette’s arms, who was in front of him.

The two blushed.

Charlotte couldn't help but to put her pervert face.

Olivie was furious. Luka deserved Marinette! She couldn't keep watching it so she left.

—I'm sorry Marinette — Adrien said trying to recover his cool (and failing terribly)

—No ... problem … there…is… — were the only words Marinette could come out with. — I have to change…em.. Where is the bathroom?

—Ah, uh..

—Down the hall—said Charlotte interrupting Adrien.

—Thanks — said Marinette before she went to the bathroom to put her bikini.

—Hey brother I think you should go with her. —Charlotte said after Marinette left. —You lost your cool over there…veeryy casual.

—YOU...you shut up—he said to her.

 Pool of the Mansion, minutes later

 —Well, the water is cold- Marinette said, already in a bikini, touching the water with her foot. —Very cold. I guess I’ll wait.

—Don’t worry, —said Adrien. — It’s going to get better.

Suddenly, he picked her up with his arms.

—3 ... 2 ... 1 ... — Adrien said, — and, GO!

Afterwards, he threw her to the pool.

—Ahh…well, okay, it's not that cold anymore— Marinette said to Adrien from the pool.

The pool was full of people.

Adrien jumped and got in the pool.

—People! — He said going near her sister, who was wearing a green bikini— LET'S PLAY!

They started playing volleyball, basket, among others.

Adrien interacted with everyone, which was a pity for Marinette since she wanted to spend more time with him.

—Marinette, what's wrong? — Adrien said intrigued to see his face.

—Ah, em, welll ... I am hungry? —He told Adrien.

— Don´t worry—said Adrien. —I'll bring you a cupcake.

Adrien quickly left the swimming pool walking like the model he is with water dripping from his hair, just like a movie.

Marinette turned red.

His green eyes showed a new expression with each step, and his biceps and abdominals flexed under his shirt. It seemed like he was walking in slow motion.

Marinette sighed with the thought of touching his hair and…

Nope, NOPE. Not today brain. Well any day, He... he is just a friend…right? Why does that sound so weird to say…or well think? And why does…

—Marinette, I have your cupcake— said Adrien taking Marinette out of her dream— but you have to come out of the swimming pool if you want to eat it Bugaboo.

Marinette came out and Luka appeared with her towel.

—Marinette, here is your towel—he spoke.

— Ah! Thanks Luka! —Marinette replied.

—Marinette and Luka / Sitting under a tree / Peeling the turkey / AND KISSING! WEE ~~! –sang Olivie

Adrien glared at her.

Olivie showed him the middle finger.

Marinette ate her cupcake, oblivious to all of that.

Everyone was already getting bored with the pool. Luka had changed incredibly fast, and imitating Marinette, picked up a cupcake.

Looking at the pool, Adrien got an idea.

—Well, Marinette, I leave you. I have to exercise, —Adrien told Marinette walking towards the pool.

—Ah! — Marinette replied —W... well.

Adrien stopped. He stretched, showing himself in all splendor. His blond hair turned gold with sunlight. His eyes shone like two emeralds. Adrien stood on the edge of the pool, and, doing a dive, jumped. In the pool he began to swim slowly.

—My brother and his nonsense —Charlotte said, appearing next to her.

Marinette did not react.

— Heyyy! — A voice shouted.

— Em! — replied Charlotte.

Émilie Bourgeois and Charlotte Agreste hugged each other.

— Emilie! It's been years — Charlotte said. —How did it go in Quebec?

—Cool! — Émilie replied. —I got there the beautiful coat I'm wearing! Have you seen my sister?

— Ah! Your sister is at the table on the left eating ice cream with Alya and Nino.

— Oh okay. — said Emilie —How’s her bikini?

—It’s yellow with black stripes.

—Ooff! Well thank God, I didn’t want her to be hanging around with MY blue bikini. Well, Ciao.

—Ciao Em!

———————

Marinette had not paid attention to their talk.

She was busy with …other things

One of those MaNy things was Adrien swimming.

His eyes shone like two lanterns, green as a forest. His biceps flexed as he moved nimbly, gliding across the pool. Her hair looked like pure gold. Marinette wondered if that hair was as soft as it looked like and she wanted to touch it.

Wait, what?

Stop it, Marinette. Bad Marinette.

— Die, Bitch! —said a voice.

It was Olivie, on the edge of the pool.

She jumped down in front of Adrien Agreste, causing water to enter his nose, eyes and mouth.

                                 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Minutes before

Olvie was bored, she had no one to talk to. Lila, in her white bikini, had thrown herself on a beach chair because she wanted to tan.

So Olivie decided to practice her favorite hobby.

Annoy Adrien Agreste

And why not? Drown him a little.

                                 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Marinette and Charlotte laughed their asses out.

—Thanks, thank you—said Olivie making a bow. — I give shows every Saturday, and they don’t cost much, trust me.

Marinette and Charlotte laughed even more, yes that was possible.

—Vereau- said Adrien. — I’m NEVER going to forget about this.

He left the pool, tired, to change clothes.

—And, Marinette, —Charlotte said. —What do you think of my brother?

The images of Adrien in those black bath clothes filled Marinette's mind.

She turned red.

—Am, this ... I ... um ... huh? — Marinette stammered, red as cherry.

Charlotte just laughed.

———————

Inside the Agreste Mansion, shortly after

DING DONG!

The bell of the Agreste mansion rang.

Adrien went to open, since he had finished changing.

— Hello, Adrien Agreste! — said Bridgette Cheng. —I've come to pick up Marinette. Oh, can I have a cupcake? — Asked watching a table full of candy temptingly.

—Of course, and Marinette is near the pool— said Adrien, smiling.

Bridgette went to the table and picked up two cupcakes. She went looking for Marinette, when suddenly she collided with someone; making her drop her cupcake.

Luka.

Bridgette glared at him.

Luka glared at her too.

—Marinette, LET’S GO— said Bridgette when she found her.

—Yes, but quiet, little one— replied her cousin,

After saying goodbye to everyone, the two left.

———————

Parisian streets, 1 minute later

—Brid, umm, there is this question that just kinda popped out of my mind. So, what do you think of Luka and Adrien? — Marinette asked.

Bridgette, obviously, already knew the names of all Marinette’s classmates.

—Just follow your heart, Mari, —she answered. —But I would prefer to include Adrien as a new member of our family.

Marinette blushed.

[comic-watch]

Bruce Wayne and Terry McGinnis disagree over Matt McGinnis’ future as Robin – Matt wants to prove himself, but Terry firmly believes he isn’t ready. Meanwhile, Commissioner Barbara Gordon finds herself in the center of a hostage crisis when one of the Jokerz goes from being a run-of-the-mill trouble-maker to someone far deadlier!

Batman Beyond #20 – Target: Batman Part One Writer: Dan Jurgens Penciller: Marco Castiello Inker: Mark Morales Letterer: Travis Lanham Colorist: Wil Quintana Cover: Viktor Kalvachev Variant Cover: Shane Davis & Wil Quintana Group Editor: Marie Javins Editor: Rob Levin

What You Need to Know:  Matt McGinnis, Terry’s little brother, put on a Robin suit to save Terry from a new Payback, who blamed Terry for the death of his son, the first Payback. Dana Tan didn’t approve of Bruce’s using Matt in this way and wants Terry to quit being Batman. Melanie Walker, formerly Ten of the Royal Flush Gang, has returned to Terry’s life and is trying to prove that she’s turned over a new leaf by trying to aid Batman in his battles. Unbeknownst to her, Batman and Terry are the same person.

What You’ll Find Out: Jack Ryder is still giving the news in Neo-Gotham, with a co-host named Adalyn Stern. They start by talking about the arrest of Tommy Falcone, but the story is quickly derailed by some important breaking news. There’s an active shooter in progress at the GCPD headquarters.

Commissioner Barbara Gordon is on the scene, trying to get Scab to drop his weapon, otherwise, she’ll be forced to shoot him. Scab, one of the Jokerz who dresses as though he’s a distaff counterpart to Harley Quinn, has a hostage and is talking about how Batman is everywhere. Barbara wonders what he has to do with this – Batman isn’t even there.

At Stately Wayne Manor, Terry and Bruce discuss the fact that Terry thinks its a mistake to let Matt become Robin. Sure, Terry became Batman at a young age, but he was older than Matt at the time. Bruce points out that Terry took the suit w/out permission and went out on his own when he wasn’t prepared, but that Matt has Terry to help him, which is beneficial to him. Out behind the Manor, Matt is wearing part of a new Robin suit, using the wings to fly. Bruce tells him that Matt will be in the game, with or without Terry’s permission. It wasn’t Bruce’s call to make, but now Terry has to coach him.

Bruce sees a lot of potential in Matt. With their parents dead, Terry is Matt’s legal guardian, and he really wanted this cleared with him, but Bruce explains that Payback forced his hand.

Melanie visits, and she’s still unaware that Terry and Batman are the same person. Melanie wants to start over with their friendship, and she’s been working hard to show him that she’s changed. Yes, she did a little B&E recently when she swiped that photo of Terry, and old habits die hard, but she’s working on it.

Melanie asks why Terry lives there with Bruce when he’s not related to Bruce, and Terry explains that it goes back to his job in high school as Bruce’s assistant. He then tells her that he knows that’s not why she’s there and asks why. She tells him she wants to know why he never came after her after she left the Royal Flush Gang – after all, they’d had a nice thing going there, between them. Terry tells her it’s because of stuff, life, fear. Melanie tells him that she saw that he helped Batman and that she’s been trying to prove that she’s changed, by helping people.

While this is going on, Dana is on her way to the Manor. Terry hasn’t returned any of her calls, and they need to talk. She doesn’t like this whole Batman business, but she loves him, and she’s sure that he loves her, so hopefully, she can convince him to stop being Batman. Except, of course, she walks in on Terry and Melanie kissing in the woods and silently walks away, tears in her eyes.

Matt actually interrupts their time together, though, because Bruce needs Terry right away. He tells Mel they’ll talk later when he’s done with whatever Bruce needs. In the Batcave, he finds out that Scab is back, and that he’s unhinged, which isn’t like his usual self, since he’s a trouble-maker, but not a murderer. He’s taken out cops, civilians, and other Jokerz.

Terry starts to suit up, but Matt arrives with the prototype Robin suit, ready to charge into action with him. Terry tells him that he’s not ready, but both Bruce and Matt oppose him, Bruce warning him that if Terry continues to deny Matt the chance to be Robin, then he’ll strike out on his own, implying that things won’t end well if he does that. Terry has to be the big brother and teach his brother how to be a superhero.

Matt is a bright, exuberant Robin, and Terry tells him to stay behind him and follow orders, a directive that Bruce echoes.

Inside the GCPD precinct, Scab is losing it, believing that his hostage works for the Bat. Barbara tries to convince him that he’s hallucinating, but Scab is having none of it. Batman and Robin arrive on the scene then, with Batman going after Scab while Robin goes to make sure that Commissioner Gordon is okay. She’s surprised at Robin’s appearance there. Robin offers to get Barbara to safety, but Barbara tells him that she can take care of herself.

Seeing Batman there exacerbates Scab’s condition, and he reaches into a bag and pulls out a gun, firing everywhere. Batman is able to deflect the bullets and take Scab down. Angry at Robin for not being able to get everyone to safety, he tells him that he’s done as Robin.

Adalyn Stern returns home, glad that Batman took care of Scab, even though she hasn’t been a Batman fan since she was a kid. Unfortunately for her, waiting for her in her apartment is a fearsome visage of Batman, promising her a one-way trip to hell.

What Just Happened?: With the exception of Dick Grayson first becoming Robin in 1940, no one has ever had an easy time of slipping on that particular cape or mask, and the same holds true for Matt McGinnis, who fans have always surmised would eventually don the mantle of Robin. Matt proves to be just as exuberant as his fore-Robins – bright, eager to help, joyous. Jurgens is clearly setting up a struggle between Matt and Terry, and hopefully, his foreshadowing about Matt striking out on his own doesn’t lead to dire consequences.

The Melanie-Terry-Dana triangle is one that was never quite explored in the animated series, given Melanie’s few appearances, and while her appearance here works to further divide Terry and Dana, one hopes that Melanie will be put to more use than that. She’s a fascinating, conflicted, complex character when written correctly, and she should be given that chance to come into her own and complete her redemption arc. Her reward shouldn’t be Terry or Batman, but she also shouldn’t just be the girl from the wrong side of the tracks who derails a relationship. Though, to be fair, Dana has been cast in a thankless role of late, and so it’s difficult not to root for Terry and Melanie, who are better matched in many ways.

While it’s not clear who the Bat-monster targeting the people of Gotham City might be, there are a couple of options for whom it would make sense. The first villain to come to mind is the Scarecrow or someone who has found the Scarecrow’s fear gas to manipulate people and cause them to hallucinate an evil Batman. There’s also Spellbinder, who of late has been one of Terry’s villains. With hypnosis and mind control abilities, it wouldn’t be far-fetched to think that he’s behind this mess.

Dan Jurgens has set up some classic plots here – people disapproving of Bruce Wayne bringing children into his crusade, the fear that Terry has about his brother becoming Robin, the triangle between Terry, Melanie, and Dana. They’re not groundbreaking stories by any means – which ones are these days? – but they are solid, and it’ll be interesting to see where this takes the characters as they move forward. One hopes that Matt becomes a solid, capable Robin, and it would be great to see Melanie given some development and forward momentum that allows her to stand side-by-side with Batman as the hero she so clearly wants to be. Terry’s condemnation of Matt as Robin at the end of the issue feels as though it comes a little too suddenly, but at the same time, it’s clear that Terry wants Matt off the field as soon as possible, and this was likely his idea of the best, quickest way to do it – and that’s sure to backfire spectacularly.

Marco Castiello’s art is solid, classic comic book art, easy to follow, and appropriately emotive. His take on Barbara Gordon seems a little younger than other versions of the Batman Beyond incarnation of the character, but it works. His take on Matt as Robin is excellent – Matt’s enthusiasm really leaps off the page. If there’s one complaint, it’s only a minor one in that Melanie Walker’s always had something of a specific hairstyle, and that seems swapped out here for a far more basic style, which detracts from the personality that her hair used to give her, as well as the visual cue that told the reader that the character on panel is Melanie. Granted, she’s also trying to change as a person, and what is a hairstyle change but not expository for a direction that a character wants to go in?

Rating: 7/10 Final Thoughts: This incarnation of the Batman Beyond book is heading into a better place than it was when it started out – there are long-term plot threads being added, and the conflict between the characters are well-written. If you’re looking for a classic superhero adventure story that doesn’t wrap itself up in meta-textual narrative or isn’t some complicated event but is still a fun, fulfilling read, this book is definitely recommended.

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Bruce and Terry disagree over Matt McGinnis' future as Robin. Meanwhile, one of the Jokerz goes from being a run-of-the-mill trouble-maker to someone far deadlier!  Bruce Wayne and Terry McGinnis disagree over Matt McGinnis' future as Robin – Matt wants to prove himself, but Terry firmly believes he isn't ready.

[droneseco]

Anycubic Vyper Auto-Leveling 3D Printer Review: Solid Performance for Beginners and Experienced Users Alike

Anycubic Vyper

8.00 / 10

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The Anycubic Vyper is an exceptional 3D printer for both beginners and advanced makers. Though calibration and quality control issues may frustrate some users, the prints are impressive once everything is dialed in. 

Key Features

16-point auto-leveling

TMC2209 silent stepper driver

4.3-inch touch screen

Heated print bed

32-bit motherboard including Cortex M3 main control chip

Spring steel magnetic platform

Double-gear extrusion system

High-precision double screw design

Specifications

Brand: Anycubic

Build Volume: 245 (L) mm x 245 (W) mm x 260 (H) mm

Printing Accuracy: 0.1 mm

Connectivity: USB, SD-card

Heated Build Plate: Yes

Feed Type: Bowden tube via dual gear extruder

Dimensions: 508mm × 457mm × 516mm

Weight: ~10 kg

Dual-Color Printing: No

Pros

Large print area for sizable prints

Easy assembly

Common-sense interface

Low noise

Auto-leveling is great for novice users

Textured surface resists fingerprints

Included Cura profiles

Wide variety of filament choices

Beautiful prints when dialed-in

Cons

Auto-leveling didn't work on first try

Settings require tweaking to get good prints

Difficult to achieve consistency in models

Magnets installed incorrectly in tool drawer

Hot end components seem inaccessible on our demo model

Buy This Product

Anycubic Vyper other

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  When you first see what you can do with 3D printing, it’s hard to keep your imagination from running wild. Your head fills with possibilities, and you start to convince yourself that it wouldn’t take that long to make a full-sized Iron Man costume. But to make those superhero dreams come true, you’ll need a 3D printer.

Anycubic is a company that has been making 3D printers since 2015. Some reviewers have even called the company’s i3 Mega the best 3D printer under $300. But in the world of 3D printing, you have to evolve, or you get left behind.

For Anycubic, this evolution comes in the form of its new Vyper 3D FDM Printer. But is this printer truly an evolution, or is it a step back? Let’s find out.

Build Quality and Design

Like its namesake, the Vyper is a sleek and relatively silent creature with some killer surprises. The most prominent of which are the new self-leveling and heated bed features. At its core, the Vyper is an FDM 3D extrusion printer built to compete with printers like the Creality CR-6 and the Elegoo Neptune 2. Normally, the Vyper retails for $359, but Anycubic is currently offering an early-bird discount to the first 3000 buyers.

These types of budget-level hobbyist printers are ideal for folks getting started in 3D printing. That said, the Vyper will also work well for more experienced users.

Based on testing, we found it a competent unit once we dialed in all of the settings. We’ll discuss settings in just a moment, but first, let’s talk about some other features.

The Vyper offers a 245 x 245 x 260 mm print area with a removable magnetic build surface. This large-sized surface means that you can print large parts and multiple parts without issues. In addition, the textured build plate is said to be scratch-resistant and is flexible for easy removal of completed prints.

The bed on the unit is also heated. If you’re new to 3D printers, a heated bed helps keep the extruded plastic warm. This warmth allows for better print adhesion of the first layer and better overall print quality. The Vyper also includes a color screen and an easy-to-use software interface.

Related: Everything You Need to Know About 3D Printing

Hot End, Sensors, and Electronics

The Vyper is equipped with an all-metal, volcano-style hot end with what looks like a full aluminum heatsink. Additionally, there are dual cooling fans built into the hot end’s cover that help mitigate heat. Anycubic’s unique double-gear extruder feeds filament into a Bowden tube and down to the .4mm brass nozzle. The Vyper also includes a filament runout sensor.

Underneath the hood of the Vyper is a 32-bit Cortex M3 architecture high-performance main control chip capable of handling resolutions down to .1 mm. As for noise level, to minimize this snake’s hiss, Anycubic has included an integrated TMC2209 silent-stepper driver. Overall, this means the stepper motors are almost silent.

What’s Included in the Box?

Inside the box for the Vyper, you’ll get:

The Vyper base and frame

The display screen

A filament holder

4 x M4 x 45 screws with washers

3 x M5 x 14 screws

A data cable

The power cord

A section of test filament

A replacement nozzle

An SD card and USB SD card reader

An After-Sale service card

A tool kit which includes: a scraper, hex-head wrenches, box-end wrenches, a pair of snips, and a nozzle cleaning tool

The assembly instructions and tips sheet

Assembling the Anycubic Vyper

The Vyper goes together quickly. Four hex-head screws attach the base to the Z-axis frame, which includes the gantry. Three additional bolts connect the screen to the base. Unfortunately, in our demo, one of these bolts was missing, so we only used two. Once you’ve installed these seven bolts, you’ve completed most of the assembly.

After assembling the frame and the screen, you’ll need to plug in the stepper motors and other sensors. But the data cable routes these connections close to each endpoint which makes connecting everything foolproof. Additionally, Anycubic used zip-ties to secure some of the components during shipping, so you’ll also need to remove these. After that, you’ll set the proper voltage coming from your wall outlet, plug the Vyper in, and switch on the unit. It’s that easy.

Leveling and Calibrating the Vyper

As for leveling, one of the most significant selling points that Anycubic boasts is the auto-leveling of this unit. So naturally, leveling the print bed was the next step.

Essentially, you’ll tap the Prepare tile on the LCD screen and then on Leveling > Auto Leveling. Once you start the process, the hot end tracks 16 points on the print bed. This process takes about three minutes, and after leveling, you shouldn’t have to make any Z-axis adjustments.

Unfortunately, this is where hit some teething problems. Once the auto-leveling was complete, we started to print the test file, but the nozzle screeched and gouged the print bed. This was surprising because the auto-leveling showed it had correctly completed, so we adjusted the Z-axis slightly and tried to perform the leveling a second time.

This time, the hot end touched down at the lower-left corner of the print bed, then moved to the lower right corner, touched down, and then beeped three times. From there, the unit’s screen froze.

We were concerned that the scraping of the bed had caused some issues with the nozzle, so we removed the cover for the hot end to check the assembly. Sure enough, when the unit scraped, the metal strain gauge holding the hot end had shifted. We adjusted the strain gauge until the hot end was perfectly level, put everything back together, and restarted the auto-leveling process. This time, everything worked.

For someone without any mechanical experience, this issue may have resulted in a sizable amount of frustration. However, for us, it was only a minor inconvenience that offered some additional insight into how Anycubic constructed the Vyper. That said, it’s important to approach the leveling process cautiously. Don’t walk away from the printer during its first print, and don’t trust the leveling to be perfect without a possible Z-axis adjustment.

You load filament on this unit via the extruder and Bowden tube. Like setup, this was an easy process. You get the hot end up to temperature and feed the filament into the dual-gear extruder. Press a few buttons on the touchscreen, and wait until you see filament oozing out of the nozzle.

Slicer and Onboard User Interface

For the slicer, we used Cura as Anycubic included it with the Vyper’s setup materials. There were also three material-specific Cura profiles on the SD card that came with the printer: one for PLA, ABS, and TPU. The owner’s manual also claims that the Vyper also can print PETG and wood.

You control the printer via a 4.3-inch touch screen that is just a bit smaller than an iPhone. This interface isn’t exactly full color—it’s more of a monochromatic blue. The menus are easy to understand, and everything is nested in a logical order. But, the one area of the interface that was confusing was the lack of nested folder access.

Anycubic included two folders on the SD card, but neither was accessible from the touchscreen interface. If you tapped on the folders in the interface, then nothing happened on the screen.

This limitation means that if you’re using an SD card to print g-code files, you’ll need to have them in the card’s root directory. While this isn’t a massive issue if you’re only printing one or two files, if you want to keep lots of files accessible, you’ll have to ensure you have another system of organization. Folders don’t seem to work.

One of the best features of the included interface is the ability to change settings on the fly. So, for example, if you realize your nozzle is just a bit too high or your temps are too low, you can adjust these items while the print is still going. During testing, this feature saved a couple of prints.

Related: How to 3D Print for First Timers and Beginners

Printing Quality on the Anycubic Vyper

As far as the slicer settings, the included Cura default PLA profile did a decent job of getting passable prints, though there was a bit of banding, and corners weren’t the sharpest. Like many other testers, we used the popular Benchy and calibration cat models available on Thingiverse to dial in the settings. We did find that, like most 3D printers, slower prints resulted in much higher quality. The default printing speed for the Vyper is 80mm/s, which may be a bit too fast, in our opinion.

With the Benchy, hull banding was minimal, though we did get a bit of over extrusion and stringing in a couple of places. We solved this by upping the extruder retraction rate and increasing the retraction speed. And also set the printer profile to print walls before infill, which helped.

There were a few gaps with the default profile settings when bridging, but nothing too extreme. Toying around a bit with infill percentages and print resolutions didn't seem to yield consistent quality results even when using the same model and settings. Some prints came out fantastic, and some had to be stopped because they weren’t going to complete correctly.

If you think that optimization is fun, and it’s interesting to dial in the settings to try and eke out as much quality as possible, then you'll appreciate this quality. But if you don’t like tinkering, you’ll need to consider calibration when looking at the Vyper.

What Do We Love About the Anycubic Vyper 3D Printer?

The novice-friendly setup and interface are two notable features here. While leveling didn’t go right immediately, everything functioned great once we worked the kinks out. We've managed to get through almost an entire roll of filament during testing, with around an 80% success rate.

Additionally, from opening the box to printing your first test print takes less than a half-hour, and if you’ve put together and set up these types of printers before, it may go even faster.

The heated bed and flexible spring-steel build plate are also exceptional on the Vyper. These features make removing projects easy, and the textured surface didn’t seem to pick up any fingerprints.

Noise on the unit measured at around 59 dB while fans were at 100%. Of course, turning the fans down would cut that noise out a bit. But, while the fans may be the noisiest part of the unit, once you leave the room, you can barely hear the Vyper. It's also nice to see a wide variety of filament choices that you can use for this printer.

Finally, once you get the settings dialed in, you can achieve fantastic prints with minimal effort. It's shocking some of the prints you can create without the need for babysitting.

What Could Anycubic Improve?

Because the auto-leveling is the main selling point of the Vyper, it was a bit disappointing for this process to go so wonky at the beginning of our testing. Given that this is a demo unit, we always assume that quality will represent the pinnacle of the specific design. So to have this unit gouge the scratch-resistant plate out of the box makes us a little cautious.

Another thing that was concerning with the Vyper was the lack of accessibility to the hot end components. Customization and 3D printing are almost synonymous, and many makers want easy access to parts like the heater block and thermistor.

For the Vyper, the hot end components were tethered in place by the data cable connection. Even after removing the bolts for the cover, some flexible adhesive had to be picked out of the electrical connector. Without doing so, the data cable would not release, which prevented the removal of the cover.

While this might not be an issue for some, for us, accessing the hot end to diagnose the leveling issue was the difference between a working unit and a non-working unit.

In our opinion, preventing access to the physical elements of a commonly customized component doesn't make much sense. And what if a thermistor dies or a nozzle breaks inside the heating block?

We also had a slight issue with the tool drawer. Two rear magnets hold this drawer in place, and it’s a good storage place for having tools close at hand. But for some reason, on our demo unit, the drawer would not close completely. Instead, it stuck out about a half-inch. After some testing, we found the magnets on the drawer installed opposite of their intended polarity.

So, we used a small screwdriver to remove these magnets from the drawer, then reversed them. Then, the drawer snapped shut. The orientation of these magnets is a minor detail, but again, it reinforces the assumption that quality control might not have been great during factory assembly.

Finally, dialing in this machine was done over several days through trial and error. With Anycubic’s included printer profiles and recommended software, one expects the unit to be almost plug-and-play. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case here.

Can You Repair the Vyper?

Except for the mainboard and the connector mentioned above on the hot end, all of the components of this printer are easily swappable. None of the motors or switches are concealed. Likewise, the nozzle, extruder, Bowden tube, belts, and plate bearings are all on display if something goes wrong. So yes, knowledgeable 3D printer mechanics can fix things if something happens outside of the 1-year warranty period.

Brave souls could attempt removing the hot end, but you may void the warranty if you open the Vyper up. So, do so at your own risk.

Our Verdict: Should You Buy The Anycubic Vyper 3D Printer?

Yes, but with a few caveats. For a first printer, this unit, like its namesake, might provoke fear unless you’re careful. Be prepared to do some calibration, and don’t expect that you’ll be able to take the unit out of the box as a first-timer and have everything run perfectly. To us, Anycubic designed this printer for those who are comfortable with tuning. That’s not to say that this printer is terrible. It’s terrific, but newbies might not appreciate the steep learning curve here.

On the other hand, once you have adjusted everything the way you like it, the Vyper can generate some genuinely magical prints with a high level of detail. To us, the Vyper would be an excellent fit for a second printer or for someone who would like to add it to an existing farm.

For us, the Vyper is a fine 3D printer with a few kinks that users need to account for. Additionally, Anycubic could improve quality control. Granted, these issues aren’t bad enough missteps to warrant a poor rating. On the whole, the Vyper is a superb printer that might have been perfect if a little more attention was paid to the details.

Anycubic Vyper Auto-Leveling 3D Printer Review: Solid Performance for Beginners and Experienced Users Alike published first on http://droneseco.tumblr.com/

[dailyironfamily]

day 10 - role reversal

Day ten of the November Fic Challenge is role reversal! And I thought what better opportunity to write something for Earth-57289, that ‘verse that only exists in one panel. But what a good panel it is.

Pepper/Rhodey established with future Pepper/Tony/Rhodey. (Minor content warning for reference to alcoholism, but no drinking occurs in the fic.)

Tony will forever be grateful to Dr. James Rhodes. When Stark Industries had collapsed and Tony was in dire straights, Rhodes had picked him up and offered him everything he needed to get his life together. Rhodes didn’t care that his recklessness and alcoholism had tanked an entire company. Rhodes thought he was smart and driven and worth something, and gave him a second chance. So yeah, Tony admires him just for that, and that alone would be enough to satisfy any normal person.

But not Tony. No, Tony had to go and develop a crush on his boss.

It seems completely obvious from an objective standpoint―Rhodes is passionate, considerate, clever, handsome, the list goes on and on. Who wouldn’t like someone like that?

Unfortunately, Rhodes’s girlfriend is likely in total agreement with him.

She’s no slouch either, and Tony finds it hard to be jealous. Pepper Potts is a famous attorney who specializes in superhero cases, does a ton of charity work, and still finds time to help at Rhodes Labs International. Tony watches her and Rhodes when she comes into the office; the two make quite a pair, and Tony contents himself with just watching. He knows he doesn’t compare, and even if he could, he wouldn’t want to wreck a long-running relationship just to satisfy his own dumb crush.

Which is when everything gets shaken up in the weirdest way possible.

“You wanted to see me, Dr. Rhodes?” Tony asks as he enters the robotics lab, the room strangely empty save for him and Rhodes and...Ms. Potts?

“I’ve told you before, Tony, Jim is fine.” Rhodes―Jim―smiles at him.

Flustered, Tony answers, “Of course, Dr. Jim. Uh, Jim. Just Jim.”

“Pepper was asking me about the project you’re working on,” Jim goes on, thankfully ignoring his embarrassing babbling. “How far along would you say you are?”

“The exoskeleton? We’re in the final testing phase already.” He turns to direct his question to Pepper herself. “Why do you ask?”

Pepper doesn’t even hesitate as she answers. “I’m looking to put someone in that suit as my bodyguard.” That by itself is enough of a shock, but apparently he hasn’t heard anything yet, because she continues,

“I’d like it to be you.”

“W-what?”

“Jim speaks very highly of you,” Pepper says. “You’re the lead on the project and know the most about it. The Iron Man is your brainchild.”

He flushes slightly at the name. It had started as a stupid placeholder at the beginning of the project and had never been changed―the thing wasn’t even made of iron. But coming out of her mouth it sounds almost regal.

“What do you need a bodyguard in a military grade exoskeleton for?” he asks, bewildered.

“It’s confidential. Let’s just say I’ve taken some high profile cases lately and the risks are higher than usual.”

Tony frowns, wondering what kind of danger she’s in that she’d resort to asking him to pilot an experimental armor. Supervillain attack level of danger? Could he even handle something like that?

“Pepper asked my recommendations for pilots,” Jim tells him. “After me, which she isn’t keen on for some reason, I think you would be best.”

He should stop and think about this. He’s the last person anyone should be asking to be a bodyguard, especially one flying around in a big metal suit. He’s proven himself a liability. Unstable. He’s just an engineer. Nothing special.

He says yes.

They keep his identity a secret, which was one of Tony’s stipulations when he agreed to help. The last thing Pepper and Rhodes Labs need is the news getting out that ex-CEO Tony Stark is the one piloting the Iron Man. (He’d suggested renaming it before the announcement, but Pepper had insisted Iron Man remain. Tony supposes it does have a nice ring to it.)

For the most part, it’s just a lot of standing around looking intimidating, which is pretty easy. He only shows up for high profile events or important court cases, though sometimes Pepper coaxes him into coming along to a party or charity event. He has her phone number now, and same with Rhodes’s, which is weird but a little exciting. He could text Jim if he wanted to, but he never does. It seems too forward.

Then Jim texts him first.

You busy tonight?

Tony stares at the message, unsure how to answer. Should he play it casual? Or is this some work thing? Finally, he just texts back,

Not really. What’s up?

Jim’s answer is almost instantaneous.

Pepper’s trying her hand at cooking at home for once. Come over?

Tony’s never been to Jim’s house in a non-professional capacity before. He answers just as quickly,

Sure. Time?

Jim texts him the details, and then Tony spends the rest of the afternoon agonizing over what this means. They’re probably just being friendly. After all, he sees Jim at work almost every day, and Pepper he sees at least once a week, either as Iron Man or when she visits the lab. Maybe they want to try some team bonding thing.

Jim’s house is fancy, inside and out. There’s a lot of art that Tony discovered was mostly Pepper’s doing, but Jim has a guitar collection that he and Tony had spent a whole afternoon messing around with one time he visited. Tony’s pretty sure that was the best afternoon of his life so far.

Tonight he’s just nervous, dressed up in his nicest suit and carrying a bottle of wine and bouquet of flowers as he shows up at their door. Overkill? Probably. But better than arriving empty-handed. Jim greets him at the door, takes the wine from him, but he makes Tony hand the flowers to Pepper himself, leading him into the kitchen where she’s putting the finishing touches on dinner.

“Oh, they’re lovely, Tony,” she says, sniffing at them while Jim gets a vase and fills it with water. Tony’s glad he splurged on an expensive bouquet. “Have a seat, dinner will be ready in a few minutes.”

The kitchen table’s already set, so he sits down and watches Pepper and Jim gather the last of the dinner supplies, turning off stove tops and ovens and bringing over platters and bowls. Tony tries to get up to help, but Pepper pushes him back into his chair.

“Everything looks amazing, Ms. Potts. Pepper,” he corrects quickly, because both of them prefer him using their first names in private.

“I’ll confess, Jim helped a lot. But thank you,” she says, smiling. She picks up the bottle of wine he’d brought with him, holding it out to pour. “Wine?”

“Tony doesn’t drink,” Jim says, and Pepper and Tony both look at him in surprise.

“Oh, I’m sorry. We’ll just save this for later,” she says, getting up and putting it on the counter instead. Tony’s still slightly stunned Jim had remembered, and that they’d forgo drinking with dinner just for him.

Pepper’s already changing the subject when she returns, encouraging them to start plating the food, and she asks Tony what he’s working on at work. It’s...nice. Normal. Tony keeps waiting for the other shoe to drop (what if they’re just being nice because they’re firing him as Iron Man? What if Pepper found out about his crush on her boyfriend?) but it never comes. They have a completely casual dinner and by the time Jim pulls out a chocolate torte for dessert, Tony has to admit that nothing bad is going to happen. He really is just this lucky.

When the meal comes to an end, Tony doesn’t want to go. He’s got no excuse to linger, but he clings to what he can while Pepper and Jim continue to chat over empty dessert plates. It’s not until Pepper sees that it’s already ten thirty p.m. that they stop, Pepper apologizing for holding him here so long.

“It’s no problem at all, seriously,” he tells them, standing up, and he tries to take the dishes to the sink, but Jim won’t let him, grabbing them all himself. He waits until Jim’s done before he adds,

“Thank you for the meal. And the company. I really appreciate it.”

Pepper and Jim both smile at him, and Tony feels something hot clench in his stomach.

“It was our pleasure, really,” Pepper replies, walking with him to the door. Jim trails behind them, hands in his pockets as he ambles along. “We’ll have to do this again sometime.”

The hot clench in Tony’s stomach flip flops at the thought of getting to do this again, and against his better judgment he says, “I’d love that.”

The next time he sees Pepper it’s a disaster. She’s inspecting an abandoned warehouse involved in a negligence lawsuit she’s currently working on; Iron Man tags along, not expecting any danger. Afterwards, he’s not entirely sure what happened, but he still blames himself for not paying close enough attention.

An explosion rocks through the building before either of them know what’s happening. The suit pinpoints the origin of the explosion, somewhere in the basement, strong enough to shake the entire building on its foundations. He dives for Pepper as the ceiling starts to collapse, and she shrieks as he wraps his arms around her and immediately gets gets knocked on the back of the helmet by a giant chunk of concrete.

He stumbles, dazed, Pepper still half in his arms. Her eyes are wide and she’s yelling something, but he can’t make it out, it sounds like she’s a mile away. Shit, something wrong with the suit? Whatever the problem is, it can wait. He needs to get Pepper out of here before the rest of the building collapses.

Scooping her up in his arms, he kicks on the boot repulsors and aims for the hole in the ceiling, dodging pieces of debris. By the time he lands a safe distance away and sets her down, the warehouse is on fire, the ground underneath it collapsing.

“Call 911,” he says, but he’s not sure she even heard him before he passes out.

He wakes to the sound of beeping hospital monitors, and his head is killing him. Something rustles to his right, and he blinks, trying to focus.

“Potts. Pepper Potts. Is she okay?” he rasps out, needing to know.

“She’s fine,” someone answers, but he thinks that’s her own voice.

Forcing his eyes open the rest of the way, he turns his head to look, and sure enough, Pepper’s sitting in a chair at his bedside, looking worried. Jim stands beside her, a hand resting against her back.

“Welcome back, man,” Jim says, trying for a smile, but it’s strained.

“What happened?” he asks. The warehouse...there’s no way that explosion was an accident.

“It was a bomb,” Jim says, confirming his suspicions. “There’s some suspects, but we can talk about that later. How are you feeling?”

“Like I got hit in the head,” Tony says dryly. “We’ve got to go over the specs of that helmet again.”

“Later,” Jim says again, and Pepper reaches for Tony’s hand, lying limp on the bed. She squeezes gently, voice sincere as she says,

“Thank you.”

“Not gonna lie, I’d thought you needing a bodyguard was kind of bullshit,” Tony mumbles, but he manages to squeeze her hand in return. “But clearly I was wrong.”

“Thank goodness for that.” She doesn’t let go of his hand, and Tony glances up at Jim, but he doesn’t seem to even notice.

“Still, I understand if you want to replace me,” he continues, glancing back down at their clasped hands. “Get someone who’s properly trained.”

“What?” Pepper looks shocked at the idea, and Jim shakes his head. “You saved me, Tony. You were amazing.”

“I got hit on the head and fainted. Not exactly heroic.”

Jim leans in, puts a gentle hand on Tony’s shoulder. Tony’s breath catches in his throat. “You’re both alive because of you. That sounds heroic to me.”

“There is one thing we wanted to ask, before you continued as Iron Man,” Pepper adds. “If you want to continue.”

“I do,” Tony says without hesitation. Despite what happened, he can’t imagine not being the one to be there for them, watching over them. He just can’t believe they’ll still have him after this.

Jim finally draws his hand back from Tony’s shoulder, and Pepper takes it in her other hand, the one not holding on to Tony’s. “Have dinner with us. As a date.”

Time stops for a moment, Tony’s pretty sure. That or he’s gone back into shock from his head injury.

Jim seems to take his silence as a bad sign, because he quickly says, “It’s inappropriate, isn’t it? I told you, Pepper, we’re both technically his boss, it’s weird.”

Tony scrambles to interrupt, not wanting Jim to think that’s true at all. “No, no! Uh, you just surprised me, is all. Um.” He glances between them, tempted to ask if this is some sort of test or trick. “Seriously?”

Pepper nods. “Very seriously.”

“And if you say no you can still be Iron Man,” Jim hurries to assure him, “so don’t think your answer determines whether you’ve still got a job or not―”

“I’d love to go to dinner,” Tony interrupts again, surprised yet slightly endeared. He’s never seen cool, calm Dr. Rhodes so flustered before. He kind of likes it. “A date dinner. And to keep being Iron Man. If you’ll have me.”

“We’d be happy to have you,” Pepper says, all smiles, and squeezes his hand even tighter. Tony smiles back, and Jim laughs, a pleasant, hearty sound that makes Tony feel like everything’s going to be okay.

Like Tony said before. He’d forever be grateful to Dr. James Rhodes, and Pepper Potts, for giving him a chance.

[hellafa]

*wears a shirt that says “ask me abt my mtmte superhero au”*

its kinda like bnha/xmen-y? ppl w/ superpowers were originally ostracised but then like the decepticons (which was led by megatron who was super strong) fought for equality n stuff theyre branded as a gang now but what they did orginally led to ppl w powers becoming accepted, n now there are vigilantes and stuff. op and ultra magnus work in the police force, op having superquick reflexes and um just being minimus in power armour. like reinhardt

rodimus has pyrokinesis and calls himself “fireball”. hes got a move similar to the thing he can do in mtmte but that drains him a lot. has to wear fireproof clothing after being arrested n bailed out by his uncle magnus one too many times. making all the fire builds up smoke in his body n when he releases it it looks like hes vaping

drift (”samurai”) can see n talk to dead ppl and lives w/ wing’s ghost. ppl find him a bit sketchy cause he used to be a part of a gang and the sixth sense thing is kinda creepy (he sometimes just talks into thin air. its a bit weird) but he and rodimus met and hit it off like a house on fire

cyclonus cant die. like thats it have you SEEN her in mtmte she never dies its ridiculous. doesnt have a superhero name cause she doesnt care. tailgate was dead (in stasis dead?) for like a while but she can absorb energy so cyc and whirl fight abv her she absorbed it and came back to life. she keeps absorbin energy but she still needs to eat and ppl r like “what you doing w/ it??” but then its kinda similar to what happens in comic, where it gets released and she gets super strong

skids can copy other peoples powers for up to 5 minutes, swerve can negate powers when being used actively (its how everyone can shut up and sit at his bar), ratchet has that weird surgeons touch thing from trauma centre,whirl can fly and is a p good shot (he got messed up by the govt. via empurata type tihng) chromedome can alter memories and rewind has technomancy

percys like. super fucking smart. thats his superpower. brainstorm has a minor timetravel ability (10 seconds) but uses technology to augment it and keeps it a secret. nautica can figure out how to fix any mechanics almost instantly, getaway can pick any lock

rung is just a normal guy whos also a therapist for a bunch of messed up ppl w/ superpowers

[somanysoundtracks]

The US Air Force IS NOT the co-star or “real star” or w/e of “Captain Marvel”

It’s not like... the villain, either. Minor antagonist at times, maybe. Well... Ish. And it’s more generally the US government and institutional sexism and gender stereotypes. It’s not really clear what part of the government Carol worked for. You can definitely imply it, but we don’t get US Air Force stickers plastered over everything or filled into dialogue. It’s name-dropped... I think once? The entire film? (negatively, I might add) Carol only ever deals with two people who were potentially superior officers, and one of those, given the plot, shies even farther away from the “The Air Force is my home/amazing” thing.

I’m just really confused by all these posts about how it’s an Air Force recruitment ad? Because it isn’t? I can understand the complaints given the trailers, because the Air Force is definitely far more present in the trailers and ads. Carol’s story does involve her love of flying, like in the comics, and she does fly planes. But that is not the central focus of the story (in the sense that she’s not wistfully hoping to jump into some new plane every five seconds), nor is there some underlying message of “If you join the Air Force, you TOO can fly/become a superhero”. Or some nationalistic “do this for your country” or even “do this for your planet” message. In fact, it’s implied that if you do that, very likely bad things will happen to you and the people you care about? In the comics, Carol spends a lot of time around planes, fixing planes, racing, talking with pilots, etc. That’s... I mean that’s part of the movie, but there’s a lot more focus on figuring out her past, dealing with people (rather than planes) and plots (that do not directly involve planes). Like air and space travel is always important to the plot. But honestly if you’d said Carol worked for NASA, the movie probably wouldn’t be that different.

There’s also no message about how being in the Air Force made Carol like.... a stronger or better person or like “you join because you want to help people” or something. Carol loves flying, but the movie kind of changes that into... Carol wants to see the stars/the skyline? Honestly if you forget that the Air Force is a thing, the movie almost makes it sound like Carol wanted to be an astronaut. Or she’s an adrenaline junkie who enjoys it most when she’s flying or racing someone.

This is a story about Carol, first and foremost, and the People around her, and her journey to become a superhero (well, more of a superhero). And also about institutions, after a fashion, and assumptions we make about the institutions we’re a part of.

Like I went in fully expecting one of the many, many recruitment ads I see on TV for the US military, in the form of a movie, with some superhero trimmings. That is not what I got. I actually had to remind myself during the movie that the Air Force is a thing. That’s how not an Air Force recruitment ad this movie is.

Now you COULD argue that it’s very subtle marketing, which is actually BETTER than stamping ads and adding in dialogue and whatnot and centering the plot on it and all that. But even arguing that the marketing is really just SUBTLE requires a LOT of editorializing, and that “subtle” marketing is rather... muddled, at best, and actually quite negative about the Air Force, or at least the US Government. Sticking it under a spoilers cut to wrestle with it.

So one theme of the film (although not really a central one; this is a theme of Past Carol that Present Carol never really overtly follows up on; Present Carol is more demonstrably an adrenaline junkie) is that Carol loves flying, and an underlying message, if you squint, is that the Air Force was somehow her only option to do that.

Now there’s nothing in the film that says that the Air Force was Carol’s only option for flying. Maria states that the Air Force wasn’t letting women pilot combat jets, so she and Carol piloted Dr. Larson’s experimental planes in test flights as their only option. As a note, this is the only time I remember the Air Force being name dropped. Fury might say it once earlier in the film, but he also might have just said “the military” or “the government”. So if you look at this whole, singular scene, which is the only solid evidence for “the Air Force was Carol’s only option to fly”, 1) the Air Force is stated, in dialogue, negatively, because it wasn’t letting female pilots fly - both characters in the scene are female pilots who weren’t flying, thus, they are the ‘antagonist’ of the current scene, 2) Maria and Carol actually took an alternative - Larson’s planes - because the Air Force wouldn’t let them fly in combat. So actually the Air Force wasn’t Carol’s only option to fly. They wouldn’t even let her do it. It’s unclear where exactly Project Pegasus fits in the US military structure; whether it’s part of the Air Force or just a secret project organization in the military. 3) Dr. Larson is an alien, so actually it wasn’t even the US Government who was giving Carol the option to fly. It was an alien. 4) Perhaps most importantly, while speaking, Maria states that the US military (potentially name dropping the Air Force again I can’t remember, or at least implicitly calling it the ‘they’ in this conversation bit), covered up Carol’s death like it never happened, again painting the US military/government/Air Force as the bad guy.

Brief tangent, but later in the film, Monica watches Carol fly off into the sky. The camera does a close up on Monica’s wistful face, looking up into the sky, watching the trailing flames of Carol fade into the distance. It’s a very wistful moment you can easily imagine in other movies, TV shows, video games, even ads, etc., promoting going into space or, potentially, joining the Air Force so you can fly. So yes, I can see how people can look at the film and say, the marketing is there for people to join the Air Force, it’s just subtle.

But see how much editorializing I just did? On top of that, the only scene where we get any indication that the Air Force was Carol’s only option to fly, the Air Force is negatively remarked on at least twice, in what is one of the most emotionally charged scenes in the film. And we’re actually implicitly told that the Air Force isn’t Carol’s only option for flight, because the Air Force wasn’t letting her, and more importantly, the US Government wasn’t even the one giving her the chance. Sure, the US Government was funding Project Pegasus and by extension, Dr. Lawson’s research and her planes, but it’s implied that if not for Dr. Lawson - another woman involved with the US Government/military, amidst a dearth of women in authority/military positions (note, the only two women in government positions that we’re shown who aren’t Maria, Dr. Larson, or Carol, are one and possibly two unnamed SHIELD agents, one of whom has no dialogue) - Carol and Maria wouldn’t have had that chance. You can imply that, as is typical in a lot of similar stories, they’d have just flown some other test planes, like Carol did in the comics. But you have to imply it. And editorialize it. So basically, if not for an alien, Carol and Maria might never have been able to actually fly planes. Not the Air Force. Not the US Government.

There is a photo of a US spy plane in one scene. Carol is looking at a photo of another plane, and the spy plane photo is next to it. While the other photos on the wall are blurred a bit, the US spy plane photo is rather emphasized and shares about 1/3 of the screen with Carol and the photo of importance. It’s an odd choice. It’s also one of the only overt Air Force marketing things in the film. And other than it simply being there, there’s nothing else about the photo that says JOIN UP WITH THE AIR FORCE TODAY! It’s actually almost a reminder of HEY, REMEMBER HOW MUCH SHIT OUR SPY PLANES HAVE GOTTEN INTO OVER THE YEARS? YEAH, SO DO WE? So you can editorialize about it being stuck on the wall and emphasized how it is, but that editorializing can be negative just as much as it can be positive.

Another big theme of the film is how putting too much blind faith into institutions can be very dangerous. Whether that’s religion or the government or the military or the police force. The Kree AI is seemingly a god and a Big Brother government system that creeps you out from the very first scene you meet it. You literally have to be wired up to talk with it while it invades your mind to speak with you. Later we learn that Ronan the Accuser (younger Ronan, before the first “Guardians” movie) is working for the Kree government, which sends up other warning signs. Hey, remember this dude? He’s a major antagonist in another movie. But he works for the Good Guy Government right now! You know. Bombing... planets...

When Fury and Coulson show up at the Blockbuster to investigate, for maybe... a 10-minute stretch of a scene, it’s unclear whether they’re SHIELD or FBI (or posing as FBI), because it kind of looks like a bunch of cops with a pair of FBI agents, and I think Fury even flashes an FBI badge to Carol when he introduces himself. They then partake in a chase scene against Carol. So, in the movie, as is the case in many vigilante stories, the police and potentially the FBI are the baddies. And even though HYDRA isn’t brought up, the way the Skrulls mess with SHIELD casts the SHIELD agents we see (save for Coulson and Fury) as the bad guys. When Carol and Fury go to Project Pegasus, they are stonewalled and detained for no apparent reason, but possibly because there’s something to hide. This is the last new government agency we encounter in the film. So basically, story-wise, every government agency, for whatever reason, is opposed to the protagonist of the story. That’s not exactly a glowing endorsement joining a government agency, like the Air Force. Even though Carol spends the film with Fury, a government agent (of SHIELD), she’s with him specifically because he’s going against orders and not taking her in or attacking her. They’re both renegades, and that bonds them together.

At the end of the film, when Fury has seemingly been promoted, we don’t embrace government institutions again. There’s no evidence that what Fury did got him a promotion, or specifically why (I assumed his boss was grateful that Fury got rid of the shapeshifter who was impersonating him). After all, what exactly did he do? Potentially help stop aliens bombing the planet, I guess? By defying dozens of directives? Fury is taking over an organization to change things up, specifically by setting up the beginnings of the Avengers Initiative. There’s actually no evidence he was even promoted. It’s implied that he and Coulson are partners when they’re first introduced, but Coulson is clearly his subordinate at the end of the film. So the ending of the film could either be Fury moving up in the world or just going back to business as usual.

In short, in the film, government institutions are creepy at best, unhelpful and even antagonizing and downright evil at worst, and there’s no point where the heroes of the story do anything but say “we’re going to tear down what’s in place and build it up better”, which is no glowing endorsement of such institutions. It’s not an Air Force marketing ad.

[honeybadgerradio]

Failure to Launch - Men's mental health w/Tom and Paul

Join Alison, Paul Elam and Tom Golden as we look at some letters sent to us by our listeners discussing men's mental health.

  Letters from the show:

Ryan H. writes:

  Hello, badgers. I'm a 23 year old white man, and I have had a solitary mind since I was young. That is to say, I have had to rely on myself to try to craft the man who I was to become, who I wanted to become. Anyone who knows me now, and any who could find that little nugget in my younger brain that was to be a template of what I thought I might become, would find several (thousand) flaws between the two images. 

  This isn't a sob story, and I don't mean to make it out to be. I grew up without a father for much of my life. I met my stepfather when I was ten, but at that point, I was already well on my way to a downward spiral of ineptitude and disappointment in myself. I love my stepfather, he's a good man and a good father, and I don't blame him at all for how I've ended up, but throughout my life, I have never had a positive, male role model.

  What I have done, is I have begun to cast a mold as I am still sculpting it, and the results have been disastrous; though I am intelligent, I have flunked out of community college no less than twice. Though I am more outgoing and witty than most, I find myself with a small handful of friends (only three, really) one of whom is like a brother to me, and is facing charges of continuous sexual abuse of a minor. I have only had one girlfriend in my life, and I barely knew what to do, and I ended up being the 'nice guy' boyfriend, and I bailed before I could make a mistake.

  I say all of this because it's the antithesis of who and what I WANTED to be. And still want. Today, at work, while listening to old songs that I enjoyed, I rediscovered Meatloaf, and the persona he uses within his songs (specifically Bat out of Hell and Paradise by the Dashboard Lights.) Listening to these songs now has inspired me, once again, to try to chip away through the wall of apathy that separates me from health and happiness, using the IDEA of a man in order to try to fix the mold and recast myself.

  I've already gone on far, far too long, and I appreciate you taking the time to read this email. I very much enjoy HBR, and I appreciate what you all do as a service to society, and as an empathetic support for men all over the world. You'll always have a friend and fan in me.

  I wish you the best, and merry Christma-Hanah-Quanza-ka.

    Jesse V writes:

      Hi Honey Badgers. Big fan of the show. I'm looking for some advice.

  I'm a 22 year old male with ADHD/PI and Anxiety. I'm the middle child in a family of 10 kids, where I grew up in a chaotic, unorganized household on welfare with an eccentric, spacey, but well-meaning mom and a paranoid, controlling, and emotionally neglectful father. I've always had a problem focusing my thoughts so school was always an issue for me. That, and the stigma of my family's mental health led to me being shy and socially awkward around other people. For the most part I'll be polite to people as a formality, but I'm generally distrustful of the intentions of people I don't know. I eventually warm up to people if I like them enough, but whenever I talk to them I feel like I'm attention seeking and emotionally needy.

  I also angst about my mental capabilities because I don't feel like I'm good at anything in particular, and I lack any ambition or motivation. I have some hobbies/interests like superheroes, comic books, and video games, but I'm not skilled at any of those and I feel I'm sorely lacking in creativity.

  I was wondering if there was any advice on better developing my interpersonal skills and/or finding my niche in life.

  Thanks in advance!

  Sincerely,

Jesse

  P.S. Any of you guys or gals see Deadpool yet? It's a good movie

    Joseph A. writes:

  Hey, Honey Badgers,

  My name is Joseph and I am a nursing student from Indiana. I came across your videos last year and have been following what you do and what you advocate for. I wanted to tell you a bit about myself and to thank you for all that you do.

  I graduated with a BS in Psychology back in 2014 with hopes of being a school counselor, hopes that were dashed by the lack of programs and the lack of accessibility into the field. Family, friends, and a girlfriend (at the time) urged me to pursue a degree in nursing where I could practice compassionate care for others all while growing and expanding myself as a person. I will soon finish my current program, a fast-track degree for a BSN and will be a licensed nurse come August. Through my time studying psychology and even more so in nursing, I am overshadowed by the voices and opinions of women, most of which identify as feminist (many of whom are radical feminists). I have been told that I should not work in fields that interest me, particularly in postpartum care, where I would be able to interact with mothers and babies alike. I plan to work in psych nursing, where I can act as an advocate for men and women alike.

  Over the years, I identified as a feminist. As an impressionable young adult from a small Indiana town, going to a large university and interacting with others who held these beliefs made me particularly vulnerable to the rhetoric that they use. I've sat idly by and listened to girlfriends discuss their issues, from birth control to safety at parties or walking home alone. I have been compassionate towards those ideas and have supported them. That being said, I have always regarded myself as an egalitarian. Until recently, I never looked into the rights of men.

  Over a year ago, I struggled with alcoholism and depression. At one point, I drank anywhere from 12 to 24 beers in a day up to four times a week. I was also taking Prozac on top of the alcohol, contributing to many nights where I would drink myself into oblivion and pushed myself further and further down a path that would end up with being arrested or killed. During this time, I thought about killing myself on multiple occasions but could never bring myself to a mindset where I could consider suicide as a viable option, despite having the means to do so. About 8 months ago, I quit drinking. Four months ago, I stopped taking my antidepressants. Currently, I struggle from time to time but watching your videos has helped me realize that I am not alone.

  One day during my drunken endeavors, I stumbled across videos of Sargon of Akkad criticizing the Young Turks, media that I consumed daily. From Sargon, I found Karen's videos. From Karen, I found HBR. If I am remembering right, it was a video of Dr Randomercam and Alison covering some Laci Greene video that really drew me in. I enjoy that you use humor and sarcasm while tackling topics that can be very distressing at times, especially those concerning sexual violence towards men or the disparity of equality in the family courts system. I watch many of your live streams when I have time and while I love Karen's work, Doc and Alison are still my favorite Badgers. 

  Without your videos, it is likely that I would have ended up as I phrased earlier getting arrested or killed because of alcohol. My mental health has improved significantly and every day I wake up and think about what I can do to ensure that no one that I come across in my future profession will feel like I did and will know, men and women alike, that there are people out there that support them and advocate for their rights. I would love to contribute however I can; I do not currently donate to your Patreon, but I plan to once I have been established in my field and have money that I can do with as I please. While I do not agree with everything that you talk about, I do feel that the advocacy that you do and the materials you produce help people like myself who struggled with their own identity and what they believe is right. I consider myself a MRA but am very outspoken about it in my field. I hope that in my career I will be able to advocate for others in a way that you all have advocated for me. Particularly in psych nursing, where I have worked in clinicals and absolutely loved, there is a massive population of individuals who do not have proper advocates and do not feel supported. Many patients would tell me that the people who work with them do not care about the population with which they work. I hope to bring some kind of change to that system and truly support others. 

  I apologize if this email seems fractured or unorganized, I had four final exams yesterday. I am not the best student and much of the time I struggle with my studies. Anyway, I would like to thank you all once again and hope you continue to make your videos. There is much love from myself and people like me here in Indiana. Take care, I'll see you all on your next live stream!

  Regards,

  Joseph A.

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Check out the latest Honeybadgers episode.

[mmjjbbaannkkss]

2019 December 9-14 Half-week Notes, Vitamin-B

“Let reality be reality.” - Lao Tzu

Finally started B-complex after waking up too early, made me sleep again. I only took niacin during workouts and with fatty foods, but B-comp is for all food types. It’s a vitamin that vegans might be lacking, research implies in mornings B absorbs better, explaining why an empty stomach mid-workout started flushing niacin into circulation. Pre workout powders and drinks for years, like most ppl, but even then not in high levels, and B-comp has a safer level. 

Niacin opens capillaries, causing itching as some even burst, causing heat and metabolism also, but even before my new health-focused life, there were intense moments, hiking or fighting, work or play, leaving mature muscle with more vascular density, vessel amount, and fewer capillary requirements. So wouldn’t itch/flush as much, and larger still, and BMI higher means no capillaries in the fat, so only flushing around the thin skin. 

B vitamins assist energy for cellular or hormonal purposes. Consult a doctor, I’m no doctor. This is my personal diet, grains and greens, work and whey, meat and mattress, that’s my grind. I’m also assuming soy sauce phytoestrogens break down quicker than meat’s estrogen, allegedly block meat-estrogen in the process, and supplies in theory a ‘pre-digested’ protein/amino source. The lower sodium version is literally called “liquid aminos,” and with B my energy is good. 

Don’t eat fiber b4 a workout, it needs water just to digest, and then sits waterlogged until it does, protein bars are high fiber. B might, metabolize sugar faster than you can use it in a session, turning fuel into adipose fat. Implying, meat might make donuts MORE dangerous -- and yet gamer fuel has B plus SUGAR, 30 grams of sugar is heavy like a donut. 

Stomach digests junk food with natural enzymes, not vitamins/minerals, fats and meats burn slower overnight, waking less hungry, unhealthy fat in the blood has to be removed thru filter organs or used as energy, B-something helps with fat-to-energy and is naturally occurring in meats, match that-B to the meat with the highest level, and it calculates artificially leaner, and you might be energized by morning. Or, eat less and less-of unhealthy fats so your blood is purer. 

Superhero blood, not bacon-wrapped donut blood. B is NEVER an alternative to real food, but in a zombie apocalypse, the soy sauce aisle will be empty and you can watch the landscape. 

Do if you do. Don't if you don't.

Week 1 (mixed: heavy-slow, lite-slow) Gauge weight/ability, practice strong reps, try resting between each rep if too heavy. 

2019 Dec 09 Monday

Truck engine won’t fire-up, if only spark plugs, cabling, is a minor issue aside from costs, keeping me from the gym today. The little truck, aka the pickup, battery dead, prolly bad rear brakes, maybe bad transmission. Will likely be w/o gym whole week. 

Already carbed up for workout tho, so to balance, am going to eat eggs and one tortilla, with liquid aminos. Using the breakfast carbs as biotic thermo-catalyst-conducive energy to metabolize the protein (into aminos), and later take a B-supp to improve fat catabolic ‘uptake’ to clean the blood for tomorrow, whichever should happen. And tea/whey. 

Not feeling inspired to do a calisthenic chest day in the bedroom, tomorrow will do taiji, defs walk probz to the bank, talk to the neighborhood mechanic about estimates, and start saving up some poor people money. It’s like regular money, it just hasn’t sprouted yet. 

Likely, the home workout program will develop, replace the laziness, nbd; and should start posting my / ‘the poor people diet’ b/c a clean body and strong mind can do anything. If the inmates can have Instagram broadcasts on burner phones, I can add a menu. 

Moving XVIII-1 to next week, might take a stroll. #Feels If both trucks are fucked, so am I, and mom’s lavish diet will consist of anything I can buy at neighborhood general store and drive-share. // Might anotate something on the walk. Anchor? 

2019 Dec 10 Tuesday

Breakfast, salsa black beans and rice, lunch, ½ tea/whey, dinner, 6 eggs w liq aminos on wheat-ish tortilla, meal4 ½ tea/whey and niacin 500, meal 5?

Lazy day, rearranged room, have a desk at the window, conceptual free top space, put strange files into portfolio, shoes into tiny shoe armoir (bedstand?), and have all shelves emptied, then have a change-of-clothes bag, which should really be in the car. Truck blogs say sparkplug changes are circling $200, which is doable. Weird time to be between gigs holidays w/o backstory. Do the job, check with mgmt, do more, go home, do wtfe. Be early, leave when told. Have 2x20lb plastic sand jugs, maybe some shrugs/rows. 

Not overly heavy weight, quality reps, flex, arms perpendicular to ground (elbows back), pre-fatigue (warm-ups for each exercise), underhand (supine) triceps pulldown prevents leaning when working on triceps,  https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a30170272/the-rock-biceps-triceps-workout/ 

5x5 program, do the exercises, add weight per week if you could do lift last week’s, every six weeks deload, https://www.boxrox.com/how-to-build-muscle-and-strength-the-5-x-5-program-gain/

8 core exercises for abs/obliques, L-sit, frong-crunch, bycycle crunch, running man situp (alt hand oppo leg), rev crunch pulse (lock legs, push heels up), russian twist (it was the borscht), plank, t-cross situp (lay out, v up, left hand right foot) https://www.boxrox.com/8-sit-up-abs-exercises-to-build-a-6-pack-and-strong-obliques-cf/

I want to do cable punches more. 

2 dudes vs the FBI fitness test, 20 pullups @ pace, 30 pushups or more @ pace, 38 situps (1min), 300m sprint (41sec=Ace), 1.5 mile run (9min=Ace) https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a30183134/fbi-fitness-test-bodybuilders-buff-dudes/

2019 Dec 11 Wednesday

Give yourself permission to not be a perfectionist, if it doesn't go well that's okay. Don’t be busy, be productive. Tow truck towed truck, without me, witf. 

2019 Dec 12 Thursday

Truck will be ready today/tomorrow. Battery jumper arrived. Might gym, might not. Will have another carb-up next, and if no gym, whey for the night. Body replaces cells. Everybody goes thru it, and rebuilds. Muscles break down, and then we repair. If you’re not losing your mind, crazy, everyone once in a while, then nothing is changing. This could be comfort. We all have insecurities, we need to be honest about them so that we can better ourselves. It’s time to stretch-out, warm-up, work-on. 

Truck is fixed, let’s go to the gym. 

#4xviii Lite Push tot/lb x ct heavyweight/slow/r3*8(1s/r)

Treadmill 10 >> Shldr Press 507090 >> Cable lat-rear raise 5,5,1010 >> Chest press 8090110130150 >> Pec deck 8s*709090110110 >> Incl smith 100*3 >> Arnld press 3*r8/25 3035404550 >> Cable x-over 15202530 >> Supine tric pldwn 202030 >> Tric pldwn 304050 >> Pullover/down 304050 >> Triceps press 30507090/110130150170190/210/230(240lbs) >> /Abs/Treadmill /

Need more lateral delt practice; posture bad, need stretching; much hurt, very pain, a lot good.

#5xviii Slow/lite Pull  /lbs

Treadmill warmup 11 >> High Row 3x6r /25303550658095 >> Lat Pulldown 3x 6 /45607590 >> 15 of those >> Chin Up neutral 3x 6 /666- >> Smith shrug 3*6/100100100100 >> Low Row 3x 8 /25303550658095100 >> Pec Deck 3x 8 /100*3 forearms >> EZ Curl 3x 10 /supine 20*4 >> ½ Prchr 3x 10 /15*3,30*3 >> ½ hammer 3x 10 /152025 >> Rev-row 4x 10 /40506070- >> ½ lat? 40,55,70 >> Treadmill cooldown /null

Left elbow lat pulldown not far back enough in single sided, need to do all ½; outer lower pecs still sore from yesterday’s tricep press, sit in a chair, push the arms down, sorta like dips; /rest/ lats were tight, from laying around in a bad posture, and hadn’t used foam roller, but doing the ½ pulls brought the back triangle farther down, trained weak spot, made waking up better, laying on concrete should straighten posture, with some stretching, and might improve hunch while opening obliques. 

#6xviii Lite Legs  3x8r/lbs

Treadmill 10 >> Side Bends 3*8r/35*3 >> Body Squat 20,40,60(smith) >> ½ Horiz Press (½ rep) me+10*3 >> Horiz Leg Press 103050 >> L/R Leg Ext 10*3~ >> L/R Leg Curl 30*3~ >> Heel Raise 305070- >> Leg Curl LR 888 >> Push Crunch 405060 >> Lift Crunch /null >> Treadmill cooldown /stairs high knee 15 >> Treadmill cooldown 

Workout; regards of leg extension, could use volume/reps, but partly not lifting hard, not to hurt, but am not pissing myself off, eventually unrealized mad goals where volume sets no adversity, is distance training do; don't skip leg day for a month; indirect object is absurd; front lats little raw; 

I mine is patience. 

[asksansweredpdf]

These are actually solid questions

1. First thing you wash in the shower? my hair

2. Are you more of a coffee or alcohol drinker? i can’t stand coffee. and alcohol might as well be my blood at this point

3. Would you kiss the last person you kissed again? haha noooo. he was nice but i felt literally nothing. was like kissing a brick wall or something. tbh i never feel much when i kiss boys

4. Do you plan outfits? YES. i’m a drama queen and a diva and flamboyant and i need to look good always. i have my graduation in 2 days and i still haven’t planned what to wear and it’s bothering me

5. How are you feeling RIGHT now? tbh pretty numb. like not happy and not sad. just. .... chillin

6. Whats the closest thing to you thats red? my track pants

7. What would you do if you opened your door and saw a dead body? well with the mood im in now, i probably wouldn’t react. but the logical side of my brain would kick in and i’d phone it in to the police. 

8. Tell me about the last dream you remember having? it’s still that one about the creepy old dude touching me in the car. 

9. Three of your current feelings? -introspective -apathetic

-wistful

10. What are you craving right now? tbh i would very much love to hug my stuffed pink harold. but he’s downstairs and i just don’t have the energy to walk haha

11. Turn ons? not rly in the mood to answer these

12. Turn offs?

13. What comes to mind when I say cabbage? this vine

14. When was the last time you cried? Why? idk like over a month ago. i had to work a thursday night shift which is always super stressful. and that day my sister just started beating the shit out of me so the anxiety was like double

15. If you could be a superhero, who would you want to be? ironman. any day. or spiderman because it’d be fun to just swing around the city listening to music peacefully

16. Did the one person who hurt you most in your life apologize? nope. she doesn’t even know that i know about half the shit she did. never ever apologised about the stuff she knows i know about. no acknowledgement. no apology. just pretends it never happened

17. Do you bite into your ice cream or just lick it? lick it 

18. Favorite movie ever? idk i like frozen and pride and prejudice and the hunger games

19. Do you like yourself? i like myself, but i can’t seem to justify why. i don’t really have an identity. i don’t know what i’m like. and so it’s hard to like myself when i don’t know what i like about my self, or why i do. but i enjoy being myself.

20. Have you ever met a celebrity? i met stan walker once? he’s a minor celebrity in australlia

21. Could you handle being in the military? part of me would thrive in the structure and forced exercise and socialisation. another part of me would completely crumble because like i have anxiety

22. What are you listening to right now? i don’t give a ... - missio

23. How many countries have you visited? india, america, canada, australia. so 4 i guess

24. Are your parents strict? you betcha

25. Would you go sky diving? sure yeah. i’m afraid of heights so the adrenaline would be wild

26. Would you go out to eat with George W. Bush? nah. i dont give a shit about him. maybe i’d go if he paid for the food.

27. Whats on your mind right now? literally nothing. mostly thinking about endgame. i’m also thinking about taking my mum’s anti anxiety meds since she doesn’t use them and i have anxiety. but i don’t want to take them without professional advice. but also, i am a professional advice. and like what could happen? i’d get mentally ill?

28. Is there anything you want to say to someone? nah i dont really feel like talking atm. i guess i’d ask if they wanted to go for a smoke. i would love a cig rn

29. Have you ever been in a castle? no but i would love to!!

30. Do you rent movies often? not really, i just watch stan/netflix

31. Whats your zodiac sign? cancer sun, leo moon, libra rising

32. When was the last time you had sex? i haven’t had sex

33. Name five facts about yourself. i honestly don’t think i know enough about myself to do this but let’s give it a go -i have short hair -i love music more than literally anything -i turn 21 this year and i have no idea what to do for it -i’m thinking of getting a motorbike soon -i’ve never broken a bone

34. Ever had a near death experience? If so, what happened? nope

35. Do you believe in karma or predestiny? i used to. and i absolutely would love to believe in all that stuff. but not to sound angsty or whatever, i’ve had so many shitty things happen to me that it’s hard for me to believe that it’s all part of some big plan or that there is any justice in the world. i think people just do shit and that’s it

36. Brown or white eggs? ive never had white eggs so..... brown?

37. Do you own something from Hot Topic? nah we dont have it in australia

38. Ever been on a train? yeah man i love trains

39. Ever been in love? not mutually, no

40. If you were paid 1 million dollars to spend the night in a supposed haunted house, would you do it? it’s a million bucks. absolutely. one night of terror to never have to worry about anything ever again. i’m a witch too so as much as i’d be scared, it’d be fine.

41. If you could trade places with any person living or dead, who would you trade places with? someone rich and famous. maybe harry styles or freddie mercury. i’m sure they didn’t have it easy, but it’s certainly easier than things have/ever will be for me you know?

42. If you could shorten your life expectancy by 10 years to become more attractive, would you do it? absolutely

43. Whom do you admire and why? i tend not to admire irl people. but i do admire tony stark a lot (GOD this is so lame ksajrsjkfs). i admire his charisma, his confidence, his humour, his good looks, his intelligence, his eyes. he embodies everything i feel like i can never be. but everything i’ll always want to be.  i admire freddie mercury. for his work drive and ethic. for his confidence and stage presence, his ability and talent in singing, songwriting, musical instruments. his flamboyancy, his sense of humour. again, these are all qualities i would love to have.

44. What was your favorite bedtime story as a child? oh i never really got read bedtime stories

45. You’re walking down the street, you come across a burning building. A woman says her baby is trapped inside, what would you do? internally, i’d be like “that sucks for you” and walk away. but i can’t be a dick, so i’d assess the extent of the fire and see if there was a way to save the baby. i’d try if so, if not idk what i’d do. panic and call 000?

46. If you could choose the future profession of your son or daughter, would you? nah man. gotta let kids live their lives 

47. What was your best experience on drugs or alcohol? alcohol: the night i just moved out of home 2 weeks ago. my roommate invited a friend over, and we all had fun and played never have i ever and i flirted with this really cute guy and had so much fun. i hadn’t really had any experiences like that before because i was - anyway. it was nice to feel like a normal 19 year old just for a second weed: either the time i was drunk and high at our housewarming party and went to the park and felt like i was on a fucking rollercoaster, or the time i got super cooked after work and had a shower which felt amazing and then went back to my room and listened to beautiful people beautiful problems. i didn’t hallucinate per se, but i closed my eyes and could like see the lyrics “blue is the colour of the planet from the view above”. it was like i was in outer space and could see the earth and i was so relaxed and it was so magical mdma: my halloween party! there were so many people and no one knew i was high and we had a mad dance party and i met some of our neighbours and i just had so much fun talking to everyone and Living. 

48. What was your worst experience on drugs or alcohol? alcohol: being around boring people when drunk is boring. especially because when i’m drinking i really want to have a good and fun time.  weed: ahh i have anxiety so i used to get a few panic attacks when i was smoking mdma: eugh it was my friends 21st at the time and we took mdma and i thought it wasnt kicking in because all we did was sit in bed and talk. literally so boring. im so mad that i wasted my first time like that

50. As your walking down the street you find a suitcase full of money sitting next to a parked car, would you take it? nah, i’d probably hand it in to the police. actually, i dont trust the police so i’d probably google what to do with it. but probably police because i cant have stolen money or give it to someone else. 

51. If you found that a close friend has AIDS, would you still hang out with them? not hanging out with someone because of that has literally never even crossed my mind

52. In front of you are 10 pistols, 5 of which are loaded. If you survive you’d receive 100 million dollars. Would you be willing to place 1 to your head and pull the trigger? nah. i’m actually going places now days

53. How old were you when you lost your virginity? tba

54. Do you believe in ghosts, werewolves or vampires? nope

55. If you could live forever, would you want to? yeah probably. i’d like to give it a trial run though. i’m very anxious, so being lonely and immortal might make it worse. but at the same time, being immortal might make it easier to not give a shit and to be less anxious

56. Which fictional movie character most resembles who you are? honestly i feel like jane villanueva or peter parker

57. If you could go back in time, which time period would you visit? i would love to be a victorian bitch with a bomb ass dress and waist

58. If they were to televise a live execution, would you watch it? probably not. unless it was someone i really hated, i wouldnt give a shit

59. If you could be the president of the USA, would you be willing to do it? i mean i wouldn’t be the best person for the job, but i also wouldn’t be the worst. if i could have time to properly study politics then yeah i’d consider. 

60. If you could choose the sex of your unborn child, would you want to? i’d probably want a girl but i dont really see any reason to not have a boy

61. Would you rather live longer or be wealthy? be wealthyyyyyy

[halloweendailynews]

There are fewer names in the Halloween industry more iconic than Ben Cooper, the costume brand first launched eight decades ago by the brothers Ben and Nat Cooper, who broke new ground in their innovative use of licensed pop culture icons from the likes of Disney and Star Wars. They helped define what Halloween is in America for multiple generations who proudly wore their plastic masks and vinyl smocks, and now Ben Cooper is back.

In Part 1 of our extended chat with Nat Cooper’s son Ira Cooper and author Jon James Miller, we discussed the rise of Ben Cooper Incorporated, becoming the biggest Halloween market shareholder by the late ‘70s after successfully bridging the gap from theatrical costuming to everyday dress up made affordable enough for everyday people. They paved the way for the pop culture-influenced cosplay culture of today.

The Cooper brothers were also pioneers in licensing some the earliest Disney properties, being among the first in the world to give kids a likeness of Mickey Mouse or Cinderella that they could find at their local drug store. By the 1980s, they were the Kings of Halloween, but the country was changing, as the pop culture icons they helped make famous were now becoming more readily available through all kinds of new products, and grownups began to celebrate the holiday more than ever.

In this third and final installment of our interview, the story resumes a quarter-century after Ben Cooper Costumes went bankrupt and was ultimately sold in 1991.

Celebrating its 80th anniversary this year, the name and the brand are looking to make a comeback, for all kinds of vintage-cool new items that honor Ben and Nat in their rightful place in Halloween history.

Read on for Part 3 of our interview with Ira Cooper and Jon James Miller!

Ben Cooper ‘Star Wars’ costumes ad.

Read Part 1: The Rise of Ben Cooper

Read Part 2: The Reign of Ben Cooper

Part 3: The Return of Ben Cooper

HDN – If they were here now, what do you think Ben and Nat Cooper would think of Halloween and costuming and just how the industry is today? Do you think they would feel a little pride or ownership over that, or do you think they would be more weirded out by it?

IRA – There would be no ego around it at all. They were very practical people who did not lord their position over anybody. They did one interview, with People Magazine, and never did another with anybody.

Nat kept himself out of the limelight. He worked 10 years on (signing) Sesame Street, and you could barely get him to take credit for getting the license. The head of licensing for Sesame Street took me aside after dinner at The Plaza in New York and he said, ‘Your father is the most tenacious businessman I’ve ever met.’ That’s a tremendous statement to make.

They were just so private that way. They didn’t decorate their houses with anything. I think Dad had a couple of Disney (film animation) cells at home, but nothing major. He had absolutely nothing that indicated Halloween. If there was art on the wall, it was art from other people.

Although they talked about it and they lived the business, they didn’t identify with it in that way. So I think they would just think it’s crazy where it went.

Nat always said that people are missing the low end of the market. There is always going to be X-number of millions of dollars in low priced items for people who cannot afford this other stuff. I think they would notice that still is not being served. The retailers don’t want to devote the space.

Lady Vampire mask by Ben Cooper.

JON – I think they’d be more flattered about cosplay.

IRA – They’d be mesmerized by it.

JON – I think in as much as they pioneered play suits for everyday wear, that was done in the ‘50s, so that was way ahead of anybody else as far as the cosplay lifestyle today where people can dress up every day.

IRA – I don’t think they foresaw adults running around identifying with superheroes. And that’s the essence that I get from cosplay, that it’s this psychological identity with it.

JON – I think the brothers Cooper would take a little satisfaction in the fact that Halloween is an $8.6 billion industry.  And it’s inflation-proof on top of that.

IRA – And it always was. Even in the worst recession years, Halloween did not lack growth. You could always measure how good the Halloween was going to be at the end of the season by looking at the candy sales in the beginning. If candy and party goods were good, they knew people were going to be buying those costumes eventually. Some years were very late sales and we’d see the stuff moving off the shelves in the last seven days, and other years it moved off in the last 15 days of what was initially only a 30-day selling period. Now the selling period is 60 days or more.

Rubber Dracula mask by Ben Cooper.

HDN – So after the ‘90s the Ben Cooper brand was dormant for 25 years. What can you tell me about the re-launch and what’s going on now?

IRA – I’ll leave that one with Jon.

JON – I always loved Ben Cooper growing up. And I kind of forgot about it for a decade or two. Then, I’m a writer too and I was doing some research, and one of my editors said, ‘Why don’t you do something about Halloween?’ It kind of went off in my head that I hadn’t heard about Ben Cooper for a long time. And then I realized there really isn’t anything online about them.

So I set about trying to find a Cooper. That took me months and months. I still consider it a minor miracle that the Cooper I did find was Ira. He’s the nicest guy on the planet. He took mercy on me and kind of told me the family story.

That’s really one of the unsung heroes of this whole story; how a Jewish immigrant family got their start and realized the American dream by taking over Halloween.

They are exceedingly modest, the Coopers are, especially Ira. What I bring to it is that I can see how people would be really interested in this story. It’s never been told before.

Short of making Halloween costumes again, which I don’t see in Ben Cooper’s near future, what I do see is doing collectibles and telling that story, because it’s really a pop culture phenomenon in and of itself.

They lived off pop culture for 50 years, and then they became it, because of their stature in the Halloween industry.

So Ira and I really hit it off, and we’re working on a book about Ben Cooper, the official history.

HDN – Oh, cool. That’s going to be great.

Ben Cooper ‘Star Wars’ 40th anniversary shirt.

JON – We’re very slowly rolling out a couple collectibles at BenCooperCostumes.com, starting with a 40th anniversary Star Wars t-shirt (pictured above), and we’ve got a couple of other things that are in the pipeline.

What I love about Ben Cooper is they kind of touched on everything in their time in the limelight. So you have super awesome Disney, Marvel, DC, Star Wars, basically any pop culture icon you can think of had its own costume back in the day. But what I love about the costumes especially is they actually are kind of folk art.

You can still buy a costume fairly cheaply online, and it brings you right back when you open that box and see that mask right in front of the costume. You’re teleported right back to your childhood. That kind of nostalgia is hard to come by these days.

And a lot of the costumes I buy, because I’m a collector too, they’re in really good condition. Some of them are haggered and ripped and stuff, but some of them are like they just came off the line at the Cooper factory. It’s largely luck to get one in that kind of condition, but I think Ben Cooper costumes are the only collectible that it’s cool if it’s got chocolate all over it when you get it, because somebody loved it.  

HDN – When is the book coming out?

JON – We’re estimating it’s going to be out in time for (San Diego) Comic-Con next year. So we’ll launch it, and then that obviously leads into the Halloween 2018 market. We’re hopeful that the book itself is going to be a bit of a collectible. We’d like to capture as many Ben Cooper Halloween costume images as possible.

HDN – That sounds so cool. I’m sure it will be a collectible in its own right. So costumes are not part of the plan right now?

IRA – I think we’re going to tell the story of Ben Cooper, but I don’t think it’s going to be an emerging area for youngsters. I think there’s a certain level of contemporary young adults who recognize that the art is nostalgic, and recognize the vibrancy of it, and we’re going to see some classic Ben Cooper images on some fashion items and home décor. These are things we have in the works.

But right now it’s time to tell the story, and give Ben and Nat their due.  

Following that initial release of the Star Wars 40th anniversary Ben Cooper t-shirt earlier this year, the new Ben Cooper has also since unveiled a number of other retro flavored items, including collectible pins, apparel, and additional shirts. You can find out more about these and upcoming releases at the official Ben Cooper Facebook page and on Instagram. Ben Cooper is also the subject of a great new exhibit showing from Sept. 9 through Halloween at the Mystic Museum in Burbank, CA, featuring never-before-seen prototypes, archive photos, original art, masks, and more.

If you have stories or photos of you and your Ben Cooper costumes, be sure to share in the comments below!

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Ben Cooper Vampire Bat lapel pin from Vixen by Micheline Pitt.

Ben Cooper monster mask swing skirt from Vixen by Micheline Pitt.

For more Halloween news, follow @HalloweenDaily.

[Interview] Ben Cooper Costumes Relaunched by Original Family (Part 3)! @BenCooperCo #BenCooper There are fewer names in the Halloween industry more iconic than Ben Cooper, the costume brand first launched eight decades ago by the brothers Ben and Nat Cooper, who broke new ground in their innovative use of licensed pop culture icons from the likes of Disney and…