#we don't know a whole lot about him from the comics but i have decided he's chicago born and bred

[sabulana]

okay so i'm working on my simon fic right now and rewatching the show and i am having Thoughts because there are things that bug me about the sacrifice scene, okay? sorry if this doesn't make much sense in the end, i'm just rambling, and idk if anyone else has thought about this before but

i don't think that ritual should have worked

i just don't.

from what we see in that scene, there's no magic circle, none of the usual ritual tools i have come to expect from any of this kind of magic in the associated lore - sandman comics/series, hellblazer comics - or from my own reading about summoning stuff in general

not to mention, magic usually comes with intent. what i mean by that is that even if they didn't have the other stuff i would have thought was needed, just the book, they would have needed to genuinley intend to summon a demon.

but we know they didn't. they intended to scare the shit out of edwin in the worst prank ever. that's all. they wanted to scare edwin. the demon was never meant to actually come

also there is no way on earth that the actual chant to summon sa'al was a homophobic slur lmao there's have been some weird latin at the very least

so why did it work?

my guess is that someone (in my opinion, simon) was something of a magical prodigy, someone with way more power than they actually realised, and that's why the demon was able to be summoned. i also have no idea what rank sa'al is at - higher ranking demons = more powerful = more power required to summon them. sa'al showed up because one boy said he was summoning him, and his friends started chanting 'mary ann'' over and over. doesn't exactly scream powerful ritual imo, but it shouldn't have been enough to get sa'al's attnetion either, i think, unless someone with a lot of power or potential was there.

my thinking for it being simon is purely because he had the book, and it was stolen from his older brother, so there is perhaps a history of magic in the family. simon stole the book, read a few words and accidentally summons the demon. (side note: i wonder if simon's family figured out what truly happened after his disappearance, as the brother might well note the book is missing and if it turned up at the school... well. but they'd be all too happy to go along with the 'oh there are no answers, i guess it was an act of god' explanation the school put out because they wouldn't want the fact that they deal in magic or demons getting out)

and once the demon was summoned, they were all fucked because the ritual hadn't been done correctly. the magic circle is usually required for holding the demon until you're ready to banish it, and they hadn't bothered because honestly, they were just going to hold edwin down and scare the pants off him so why bother? not to mention cleaning it up after or facing getting caught and punished severely because i hardly think summoning a demon or pretending to fuck about with magic is going to go down well at a catholic school.

of course, sa'al could have just caught the part where there was a virgin sacrifice up for grabs and went to collect. i imagine that under normal circumstances (ie, a properly performed ritual) the sacrifice would be payment for services rendered, but because the ritual wasn't done properly, sa'al just scooped up a free sacrifice and the idiots who summoned him because he wasn't magically bound to do something for them.

but still. halfway through writing this i decided to have a quick flick through my own book on summoning spirits and there's a whole bunch of magical exercies that should be done before anyone should be able to summon anything, like a training regimen. assuming that could apply to the dbda lore, then simon shouldn't have been able to summon anything.

indeed, even in pretty much any other media where magic is a real thing, it requires training and i don't believe that simon has any training whatsoever

if he did, i doubt he'd be fucking around with magic. he also didn't expect the ritual to work.

but it did, and it got all of them condemned to hell, whether they deserved it or not. (i have more Thoughts on this matter too, but it's bedtime now, so that will have to wait for another day, if i remember lol)

[debtsunpaid]

frank north as a person is like both of the blues brothers packed into one, and he drives like them too.

[meglosthegreat]

I see a lot of posts on here talking about the Solas/Elgar'nan segment in Blood of Arlathan and how it's one of the best scenes in the game, and they'd be right, but I don't see enough people talking about how comically the whole thing is undercut by quite possibly the most poorly-conceived, terribly-implemented looney-tunes-ass sequence in gaming history that surrounds it.

Like you show up with your friends to this Venatori party, and you're like great, we're sneaking in! Time for disguises. How convenient that these Venatori guys all wear hoods, right? Should be a piece of cake if we're all, you know, wearing hoods that would helpfully hide our identities. But no. We all go waltzing in with our whole-ass faces exposed, you know, the group of guys that have been murdering Venatori left and right and who Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain have definitely all seen in person before. Oh, and don't worry about walking into this notoriously racist elf-sacrificing cult if you happen to be an elf! You're only here in disguise so that you can rescue a GROUP OF ELVES THEY'RE GOING TO SACRIFICE but it's ok because you're dressed as a mercenary and not a dalish so it's all good don't worry about it :) :)

Then you get into this fucking party and oh my fucking god it's like they decided to take all of the most comically over-the-top stereotypes of villainy and put them on display. Because why not! The Venatori are all sickos anyway so of course they'd be out here doing sicko things! There's some guys pulling a halla apart with blood magic! There's other guys using slaves as benches! They're all laughing and joking about how EVIL they are, hahaha, how cool is that? The fucking guy from D'Meta's Crossing is here if you don't let him die, because he's a fucked up evil sicko too! You're supposed to be shocked at this hideous display; recoil in horror, even!

And who do you bring with you to help get through this crowd of absolute lunatics? NEVE FUCKING GALLUS. You know, the person so well-known in Minrathous that a Dalish elf living in Arlathan KNEW HER BY REPUTATION. Yup, Neve Gallus with her INTENSELY RECOGNIZABLE PROSTHETIC just waltzes up to some guy and he just lets her in. Because being EVIL also makes you incapable of coherent thought, apparently.

And then. AND THEN. You walk across the bridge where Elgar'nan makes his thought-sounds at you, and YOUR ENTIRE FUCKING PARTY is already there, just hanging out nbd. Also not wearing hoods or any kind of disguises that couldn't instantly be seen through by a five-year-old with amnesia but ok, cool. Why did we bother walking through all those sickos then when we could've just taken the secret back entrance like the rest of them, idk.

But just when you think you've reached peak stupidity, it keeps going. You're now standing there, at the front of a crowd of about twelve people, approximately five feet away from Elgar'nan himself, inexplicably blending in, when the big guy puts the mind control whammy on everyone. Oh no, you think. We've been found out! Here's the part in the plan where things begin to go wrong! NO. Your mage friends SECRETLY PERFORM MAGICAL GESTURES to block the mind control, and then you LITERALLY FUCKING SIDLE OFF STAGE LEFT without ANYONE NOTICING. I should reiterate that at this point, you are still about FIVE FEET AWAY FROM ELGAR'NAN and his fucking ARCHDEMON.

And to conclude this absolute comedy of idiocy, as soon as you enter back into combat mode, you immediately ditch all of your disguises. And of course then, ONLY THEN, Elgar'nan notices you've been there. Cut to the end of the actual good sequence, this dramatic conversation performed by excellent voice actors and written miles better than most other things in this game, and you reach your final prize: about six guys trapped in a little cube. Cool, you tell yourself. This was definitely worth it. You take your fade-to-black teleporter back to the Lighthouse and they're never heard from again.

This was the quest that broke me. This was the moment that all hope for Veilguard finally snapped. I consider myself to be a very resilient person in the face of camp and goofy writing, but this was too much disbelief for my brain to suspend. The mental gymnastics necessary to make this whole sequence make any kind of sense were simply beyond me. Even Solas's dulcet tones could not salvage it for me after that.

[dinogoofymutated]

THAT POST ABOUT CLEANING IN THE FLOWY DRESS? THINKIN ABOUT HANK? HNNNGGG PLEASE I BEG OF YOU

NSFW!Beast/AFAB!reader. - NSFW HCs! I was already on it when I got this ask heehee. These hcs were originally suppost to be part of another NSFW request I got for him but I was thinking about this too hard and comepletely forgot the actual theme of the req! So I decided to save it for later and just post it under your ask lol Anyway I need him my god. I was writing this while picturing watxm Hank but I'm pretty sure it works for any version. TWS: MDNI!!! smut under the cut. PNV smut. Eating out/head. Cum descriptions. Reader written with Fem in mind and also wearing a dress is mentioned, but overall no pronouns used. Creampie. Getting caught after the fact but not during the deed.

Okay, We all know that Logan has incredible stamina, and there's quite a few mutants that you would just expect that from anyway, but I'm 100% sure the one person that a good bit of people would NEVER expect to have insane stamina in bed is Hank. Like yeah he's nerdy, but dude straight up went to college on a SPORTS scholarship on top of his academic ones.

There is no fucking way this man has anything other than the most insane stamina. Dude is the perfect package of nerdy genius and athletic perfection. Can you imagine how long he could go on for in bed?? While you're sweaty and absolutely exhausted he's having the time of his life. Sure he's sweaty to but he's still. fucking. going?? It's like you'd been having sex for three minutes instead of four hours. He obviously gives you breaks and takes care of you, keeping you hydrated and such- but every time he begs you for "just one more". He's so gentle when he's gathering up your limp body and he's kissing your temples and forehead and massaging your tender spots, but he's a scientist at heart. He wants to know how far the two of you can really go, and he wants to know BAD.

I saw in a post somewhere on tumblr that he mentions that the one thing he doesn't have control of is his libido or something like that? It was from a comic snapshot so obviously this isn't even a hc it's fully cannon I don't make the rules.

THE FUCKING PHEROMONE THING!! For those of you who don't know, Hank was confirmed to have some minor Pheromone manipulation abilities. Like oh my god?? I definitely think that he will use it in sweet ways where he just wants some cuddles without asking you for them, but I feel like when he's hot and heated he just subtly does it without even knowing. Like he's super pent up one way and for some reason every time you greet him or pass him by you just start having more and more inappropriate thoughts about him. He'd feel so guilty if he catches himself doing it but at the end of the day, you don't really mind. Don't think too hard you beautiful big guy, can we just fuck already??

He will absolutely use his strength to hold you in any position possible. As long as you're both comfortable with it no position or hold is off the table for him. I don't think he'd be into BDSM or anything that has to do with hurting you, but I do think he's the type to read through the kamasutra and want to try all the positions to find the one you both enjoy the most.

He will fuck in the lab. He might do a whole "Oh my! Not in here, dear ;)" But most of the time he's instigating it! Sure he makes sure to lock the doors and everything but he's not shy when he has you splayed across his work tables, bent over you as he gently kisses and brushes his fangs over your skin. He likes how flustered it makes you.

He also cums A LOT. Like a lot a lot. He's most certainly got the heaviest balls you've ever seen, and they're not just for show. Every time he cums inside he causes you to practically overflow, and he's usually still cumming when he finally pulls out of you as well. He's a little embarrassed about it, and will clean you up very well because of that. He doesn't want you to deal with the sticky feeling of it drying on your skin, especially not if you have sensitive skin/texture issues. He is defiantly down to eat his one cum out of you though ;)

also, I think that he has a thing for long flowy dresses. I know there's a ton of dudes who say they like them bc of "easy access", and I know for a fact that Hank would find that sort of mindset disgusting. He just loves how beautiful and feminine you look in them, and also just happens to really enjoy the feeling of the fabric against his arms as he hitches up your skirt, his hands trailing up your thighs. As depraved as it might be, he also likes giving you head underneath your long skirts. He'd be apologising for being so ravenous and thanking you for letting him have you in such in intimate manner, all while giving you the most earth-shattering head. He's just so sweet about everything in the bedroom I swear.

    You swear you didn’t fully expect to be in this exact situation when you were getting dressed this morning. Sure, you knew exactly how much Hank loved to see you in sundresses and were definitely going for a certain reaction out of him, but you never would have expected to be pinned against the wall of his lab, his large hands cupping your ass and thighs as he holds you suspended whilst using the wall as leverage. His thick cock is pumping in and out of you at a quick, needy pace. He goes back and forth from biting his lips and letting his moans and groans ring out and echo in the cluttered space. You’d never done this position before, although you certainly knew that Hank had more than enough strength to pull it off. Still, you were sure that the image of him fucking you, hands beneath your long skirt as it bunches at your hips and drapes down below you, was certainly a sight to behold.

    “Ah- Please, let me know if this is uncomfortable in any way- nhg… I’m sure your anatomy is taking me quite… deeply, in this position.” Hank grunts, his thrusts deep and steadily paced in a manner in which he knows you like best. You smile at him, desperately trying to keep your eyes open as your hands clench and unclench on his shoulders every time his thrusts catch you Just right.

    “Is that what you’re calling it now? “Studying” my anatomy?” You muse. You wonder if he had noticed you catching on to the glances and stares he does when he thinks you’re not paying attention. You purposely poke your chest out as you mention it, and Hank huffs in amusement before he buries his face into your semi-exposed cleavage,  licking and sucking as he shifts your weight onto one hand as the other takes hold of your cheek. He puckers your lips, nipping at the top of your breast before he pries himself away, sending you a smug smile as he leans in teasingly close.

    “You know, I really think we could be using that quick tongue of yours for something a little more useful than backtalk.” Hank chuckles. He kisses you in a way that leaves you breathless, still holding you effortlessly even with a single hand as he keeps up his thrusts. His free hand drifts down to your clit as your walls begin to flutter and clench around him, a sign that he knows means you’re approaching your peak and fast. His kisses match the intensity of his hips as he closes in on his own pleasure. You cum barely a second before he does, his cum warming your insides as he cums, and cums and cums. He overflows your cunt quickly, and it drips down your legs when he pulls out. Hank makes sure to help you keep your balance when he sets you down, your legs shaking from your orgasm but also a bit numb from the position he had you in. He kisses you gently as you recover from your high, doing so over and over again all across your skin. The gentle touches make you giggle a bit. 

    “Had a feeling that we would end up like this today. Maybe I should wear dresses like this more often.” You hum. Hank chuckles deeply before drawing you into another sensual kiss, his hands stroking up and down your now-clothed body in a loving way.

    “I wouldn’t mind testing that theory.” He says when he separates from the kiss. You shake your head at him, laughing a bit more as you cup his face with love.

    “Of course you wouldn’t.” You say sweetly. Hank is smiling at you, his hands beginning to wander again right before the two of you hear a mortifying swish of the doors. Hank quickly tucks himself back inside his pants before the two of you instinctively turn to face the door where Logan is standing with a bit of a confused look on his face.

    “Logan! We were just-”

    “Hey, Logan! Nothing to see here!” Both of you are scrambling to fix the situation, utterly and spectacularly failing as Logan takes one sniff of the air and then smirks.

    “I’m all for a bit of risk, but at least lock the door, lovebirds.” Logan gives the two of you a sardonic wave before marching straight back out the door. Leaving both you and Hank more than a little mortified. As embarrassing as it was, you can’t help but begin to laugh, Hank joining you as you shake off the adrenaline of technically being caught red-handed.

    “Let’s go wash off before we have any other unexpected visitors,” Hank suggests. You agree wholeheartedly, your laughter picking up once again as he lifts you off the ground in a bridal hold to head to the showers.

[zarla-s]

We move forward, 'cause we can't go back...

It's the EIGHTH anniversary of Handplates, and the first one after I finished the comic back in July! I decided to dig up a very old wip that I never finished and finally do it. I've always loved WeMoveForward by The Midnight, and I think it applies not only to the comic itself but also this period after it... there's no way to go back to when I was doing it, only moving forward after it's done.

Even more appropriately, since I did this wip, these characters all moved forward even further... even as this sat in my files, they moved forward, in a sense. I don't know, the song gives me a sort of plaintive, longing, bittersweet feeling... it's hard to explain.

I had a very insistent voice in my head that always made me do a Handplates page over the years I was working on it, no matter what happened. I wasn't sure if that voice would ever stop, even when it's done, but it has! It's gotten quieter now, mostly only nagging me about other projects I should be working on (Defrag, the Ace Attorney/Frozen fic, web design, fic ideas, art ideas...) whenever I'm doing something, much like it did before I started the comic.

How I feel about Handplates finishing though is strange. At times it doesn't feel like it's over, even if I don't feel like I need to do another page. At other times I get sad thinking about it and I miss it, and other times I look back on it with amazement that I was able to do it. Sometimes I look back on it and think about what was happening in my life at that time, and sometimes when I look at it it's unreal and it's hard to believe I even did it, like someone else did the whole thing. It's like it's there but it's not, it's present but it isn't. It's a very strange feeling, it's hard to describe or pin down. I know it'll always be with me in some way, but it is strange to be able to focus so much attention on other things without that feeling of having to set aside a few days to do a page every two weeks... not bad or anything, but I'm not used to it still.

I don't know! When I read the comments on the last page a lot of them made me cry, especially those talking about how the comic had been their childhood, and now their childhood is over. It was sad to think that I had a part in something like that ending... but it ends for everyone, no matter what you do. We, you and me, everyone... we move forward, 'cause we can't go back. That line was so evocative for me that I even used it as a chapter title for the penultimate chapter on Comicfury.

I don't know, just nostalgic thoughts! I don't know if that's the right word for it... but thank you to all of you who read it and enjoyed it. Even now I hear from new people coming to it and reading through it again now that it's done. Even if it's finished, it's still new to people just finding it. It's still "living" in a sense. And thanks to those of you who stuck around even though it's done, I appreciate it. |D

(As a note, the Gaster ukagaka has a surprise if you boot him on the anniversary after seeing the brothers, if you haven't done that)

[index] [patreon]

[somerandomdudelmao]

CASS! YOUR BRAIN! IT'S SO... HUGE!!!!Okay, okay. So, to recap what you have confirmed to us-

The robot that we see is NOT controlled by Donnie's spirit. We see that Donnie is able to control it via headset, etc.

Also, the reason this "Plan B" did NOT work is because Casey got possessed by Don's Hamato spirit in a memory from the future on accident.

It was going to work. He was literally mid-crawl before Casey swooped in and tried to help him but ended up somehow bringing his spirit into the past and cloning him a new body with plot serum.

We don't know if this robot would have worked. We don't know if Donnie even had enough equipment to make a robot body like the one he made for Raph. Maybe it would have failed. Maybe everything would've been okay. I just don't know.

But that's the beauty of this series. You planned this since you first decided how Donnie was going to die. Yes, you've said that you're kind of as clueless as we are at times when it comes to "what's next." But the amount of detail you put into this is ASTOUNDING!

Even with your VERY FIRST COMIC, you used Don's failed experiment with Leo and turned it into another chapter where we found out that Donnie was trying to find a cure for Mikey's peepawed body!!!

The fact that Donnie not only didn't say anything before he died because you knew that it "wasn't the end for him," but he also had a plan B that he didn't tell anybody about hence the guilty faces, the reasurrences, and ignoring Leo's "we don't need to worry" talks. And he couldn't simply tell them that "everything was gonna be okay" because his plan possibly wouldn't even work!!!

AND THAT'S WHY HE HAD A BREAKDOWN WHEN HE LOOKED BACK AT ALL THE RECORDINGS OF THE RESISTANCE FAILING BECAUSE NOT ONLY IS HE WATCHING EVERYONE HE TRIED TO PROTECT WITH EVERYTHING HE HAD DIE BEFORE HIS EYES, BUT HE ALSO REALIZED THAT HE FAILED THEM AND LEFT THEM WITH NOTHING!!! HE FEELS SO USELESS AND GUILTY FOR SOMETHING HE HAD NO CONTROL OVER!!!!

Even since we first met Raph, we got Don's theory about how storing spirits into mechs worked. He probably used the rest of their most valuable resources to even BUILD that thing.

I don't know if when they all realize that Casey is actually the reason Mikey couldn't sense any of their spirits because he snatched them up and brought them to the past/different timeline that they're either gonna feel angry or like "Oh!....oh." You know?

It seems to me that they still don't know the answer to that question. With all of them back, I thought they would have by now, but I guess we'll see pretty soon.

A lot of things could happen in this chapter. Good things, bad things, it's quite a toss-up. Let's just hope this whole big misunderstanding comes to a big finish soon. Donnie deserves a comeback. Everyone deserves to have a breather where they can all just...talk. Cause' by GOD there is a lot to talk about. I know they had some downtime before Miwa showed up, but Donnie's still working. If Donnie doesn't finally open up to his family by the end of this, I'm bringing out the beach balls, I swear.

[kadisiyuswyrd]

my take on the whole illi mcmillin situation. all love.

citations & script below:

[edit: realized this was way better formatted on google docs, so added that as well. the script features sections that were cut for time. may release the "extended version" if people so desire]

The Yassification of "illi McMillin"

This cute little fella is named William McMillin, or illi for short. He worked as a prop designer on the music video for "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)" by My Chemical Romance. Last month, to coincide with their announcement to re-release of their second album, the band released a remastered version of the songs music video. The improved resolution allowed people to see many details that were heretofore illegible, like the fact that the name on Gerard’s failed science test was written "illi McMillin." 

The fandom was extremely normal about this and immediately adopted "illi" as the unofficial name of Gerard's character in the music video, and in a very tumblr ass move, decided to head canon illi as a trans woman. This renewed attention to the video sparked an ongoing wave of fanart, fanfiction, and fan discourse. Given MCR's storied history with the queer community and Gerard's established indifference to people using him for various…creative outlets the yassification of illi McMillin was not at all a surprising or even unwelcome development. I mean look at this great fanart!

That being said, there’s aspects of the fandom’s reaction to this that I find invasive and potentially harmful.

For one it feels kinda shitty that the real life illi McMillin has had his name used in this way. I know that’s an inevitable byproduct of being a person on the Internet, but there's something scary about the ways in which various aspects of ourselves can become a part of the public domain and get transformed in ways we cannot and do not sanction.

Secondly, it's hard to separate people's very passionate assertion that Gerard was definitely playing a trans woman in this video from the fandom's unhealthy obsession with Gerard's sexuality and gender identity, especially since his crossdressing during the reunion tour8. 

Gerard has talked openly about his relationship with gender, but has been consistently reluctant to explicitly categorize himself, which has caused confusion, anger, and a lot of assumptions to be made about how everyone's favorite emo babygirl identifies. Frankly, Gerard's gender identity is none of our business, and it's irrelevant to his status as a queer ally and extremely talented artist. We should respect people’s unwillingness to define themselves as much as we respect their decision to redefine themselves. To not do so, to unironically force a label on Gerard, even a queer one, is a conscious rejection of his own sentiments and agency. Maybe that's not always a bad thing, but it sure does give me the ick, sometimes.

The hububb around "illi" seems like yet another way in which people's desire to take ownership over Gerard's identity has manifested. A similar situation occurred with Gerard's Party Poison persona, with many holding the misconception that the character is canonically nonbinary even though this is not indicated in any of the songs, the comics, or Gerard's own statements. You can have whatever headcanon you want, just don't act as though they're official because all that does is lead to wild misinformation about the original work. Yes, the author is dead but don't parade their corpse like a marionette and act as though you can spout your own opinions through them. Corpses are people, too, you know. 

I don’t want to disparage people who have been having fun interpreting "illi" as transfemme because that’s really just a manifestation of their desire to see themselves in the art they love, and that's completely valid. In the current political climate, there's a much greater need for queer (and specifically trans) visibility in all spaces, but let's not turn that desire into a justification for ignoring or overwriting people's identities. 

I have a lot more to say about the ways in which queerness is forced to interact with heteronormative society in ways that are often reductive, but that is a conversation for another day. For now, my friends, have fun, be gay, be queer and be nice to each other.

Citations:

Music:

midnight burger joint - louie zong

bodega on the corner - louie zong

witch (unreleased) - my chemical romance

William "illi" McMillin:

1 - William McMillin (illiart). (May, 2025). "💛" Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/DJLJZyPN2vJ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== 

2 - @mychemicalprops. (April, 2025). the discovery of illi McMillin. tumblr. https://www.tumblr.com/mychemicalprops/780868882564022272/i-feel-like-i-should-let-you-all-know-that-william?source=share 

3 - @frankieroloml. (April, 2025). the discovery of illi McMillin pt.2. tumblr. https://www.tumblr.com/frankieroloml/781210724511989760/hi-ive-never-used-tumblr-before-but-i-made-an?source=share 

4 - My Chemical Romance. (February, 2010; Updated c. April 2025). My Chemical Romance - I'm Not Okay (I Promise) [Official Music Video - 4K Film Restored]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/dhZTNgAs4Fc 

5 - My Chemical Romance. My Chemical Romance - Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge (Deluxe Edition Unboxing). YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6NNwbFMEeU&ab_channel=MyChemicalRomance 

Relevant Gerard Tweets & Comments:

6 - Gerard Way. (April, 2016). "Some people are saying that my new identity reminds them of a fanfic. I'm ok with that. I made peace with fanfic long ago." Twitter / X. https://x.com/gerardway/status/725081637092872192 

7 - Gerard Way. (April, 2016). "Enjoy your fic. Write one about me in a human centipede with escape the fate. idgaf." https://x.com/gerardway/status/725081957730635776 

8 - James Factora. (October, 2022). Gerard Way in a Cheerleader Outfit Hoisting a Flamethrower Is an Immaculate Vibe | Them. Them. https://www.them.us/story/gerard-way-cheerleader-flamethrower-my-chemical-romance 

9 - Gerard Way. (2014). "Wow! I'm so glad that helped in figuring out your gender identity…" Reddit. https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/2i1840/comment/ckxxnb7/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button 

10 - Gerard Way. (April, 2015). "when people want to define your sexuality." https://x.com/gerardway/status/592480071216189441?lang=en 

Party Poison Non-Binary Misconception: 

11 - Tree the Silly. (August, 2024). "This person canonically uses they/them pronouns and is gender neutral. Just give up on enforcing your stupid unkind beliefs and let this page be accurate." Fandom.  https://danger-days.fandom.com/wiki/Party_Poison?commentId=4400000000000055229 

12 - LunarGateway. (February, 2022). "Party Poison is canonically gender neutral and uses they/them. Y'all need to update this page or someone else is gonna make a whole new one that isn't garbage lmao That is, if they haven't already, but I'm pretty sure they have." Fandom.

13 - Killjoy History Archive. (Retrieved May 2025). Common Misconceptions About Danger Days. tumblr. https://killjoyhistoryarchive.tumblr.com/misconceptions 

14 - Gerard Way. (April, 2015). "Been seeing people refer to the character 'Party Poison' as non-binary.I find this interesting- is this drawn from their gender expression?" https://x.com/gerardway/status/590960413006663681 

15 - Gerard Way. (April, 2015). "It seems to be people's interperetation [sic] of the character, not mine specifically. I'm just curious about it." https://x.com/gerardway/status/590960881132900352 

Posts Referenced / Included:

illi Trans Girl Fanart:

@fourbt. (April, 2025). Goings on About Town illi. tumblr. https://www.tumblr.com/fourbt/781074360951799808?source=share 

@cherry-fucking-venom. (April, 2025). the silly. tumblr. https://www.tumblr.com/cherry-fucking-venom/781356314447298560/doodled-the-silly?source=share 

@kiataika. (April, 2025). blood stained illi. tumblr. https://www.tumblr.com/kiataika/781167494343819264/shes-back?source=share 

@umberpinki. (April, 2025). coolest girl. tumblr. https://www.tumblr.com/umberpinki/780910754678325248/coolest-girl-a-loser-actually?source=share 

@brainfreeze27. (April, 2025). master of the wicket. tumblr. https://www.tumblr.com/brainfreeze27/781194531730227200/birdgee-fanart-birdgee-fanart-prints?source=share 

@mercining. (April, 2025). illi & frank. tumblr. https://www.tumblr.com/mercining/780929345939243008?source=share 

@cordspaghetti. (April, 2025). "sending illi & friends to the Big Dance…!!!"  https://www.tumblr.com/cordspaghetti/782285005341835264/sending-illi-friends-to-the-big-dance?source=share  

@the-ria. (May, 2025). miku, illi, & ray. tumblr. https://www.tumblr.com/the-ria/782451064330911744/i-cant-believe-that-it-took-us-20-years-and-a-4k?source=share 

illi-Related Gay Panic:

@raryrardshipper. (April, 2025). "I just found out that HER name is illi mcmillin SHES A TEENAGE GIRL." tumblr. https://www.tumblr.com/rayrardshipper/780740781905510400/i-just-found-out-that-her-name-is-illi-mcmillin?source=share 

@goremipsum. (April, 2025). "i love illi mcmillin. she's a girl. she's a boy…" https://www.tumblr.com/goremipsum/781076625616928768/i-love-illi-mcmillin-shes-a-girl-shes-a-boy?source=share 

@pissworm39. (April, 2025). "the mcr fandom is so funny to me. cuz what do you mean that in the span of 3 days we all just created an oc based off a 20 year old music video upon finding out the name of a singular character" tumblr. https://pissworm39.tumblr.com/post/780793042944819200/the-mcr-fandom-is-so-funny-to-me-cuz-what-do-you 

@lichencoatedboulder. (April, 2025). transfem / transmasc. tumblr. https://www.tumblr.com/lichencoatedboulder/781020931753689088/i-love-seeing-people-call-illi-mcmillin-both 

@br1ng-out-th3-old-gu1llot1ne. (April, 2025). "illi mcmillin is truly a unique character..." tumblr. https://www.tumblr.com/br1ng-out-th3-old-gu1llot1ne/781072607357386752/illi-mcmillin-is-truly-a-unique-character-a 

@zizzle2727. (May, 2025). genderbent. tumblr. https://www.tumblr.com/zizzle2727/782632885210447872/shoutout-to-illi-mcmillan-for-making-me-feel 

@corpsephrog. (April, 2025). R.I.P illi. tumblr. https://www.tumblr.com/corpsephrog/781124887322460160/rest-in-peace-illi-mcmillin-you-would-have-loved 

@lolomustdie. (April, 2025). feels illegal. tumblr. https://www.tumblr.com/demolition-widow/780757036239667200/it-actually-feels-illegal-to-call-illi-by-hehim 

@micmustdie. (April, 2025). the illi situation. Twitter / X. https://x.com/micmustdie/status/1912980682810515720 

@ashbeanss. (April, 2025). interpretation. tumblr. https://www.tumblr.com/ashbeanss/780751418452836352/is-this-the-right-time-to-say-that-i-think-illi-as?source=share 

[thespectralvision]

Happy 4 Years WandaVision, and to my Vision muse! I can't believe the Eternals became relevant in the MCU before White Vision has been shown again...and we're not counting the horrors I was forced to witness in What If Season 3. Have a healthy, whole, but maybe a little confused Vizh. I like to think this is within a few days of WandaVision, when he's still fresh from the Hex and not sure who exactly he is. I'm really proud of this one, and I've got some introspective artist BS below the cut.

4 years ago today WandaVision's last episode The Season Finale aired. I stayed up until 3 am my time watching it, very anxious after the White Vision reveal the week before and having a very limited knowledge of the Vision Quest comic run by John Byrne that introducted him.

I never expected him to become my muse. At the end of the episode all I could think about was that sad, confused robot man flying off and where he went? Why didn't he look for Wanda? Where did he go? I watched the episode again that night with some friends (and may have been rather inebrietaed) and the rest of the night was spent imagining where he went. That lead to me writing that Vision in text RP with friends, and a few months later I started writing my stories just to explore him more. By the time of the 1 year Anniversary of WandaVision I had gone further and pulled my old Wacom Intuos tablet out and brushed it off, deciding to try my hand at drawing a character I thought would be impossible (I was never good with mechs and machines when I tried to draw them younger.) The first attempts weren't the best but I can see their foundation in every painting I do now. It's become something of a tradition for me to do a specific painting each year for the anniversary of that, and I love putting them next to each other as a benchmark of my own progress.

As of today, 3/5/2025, we don't know where Vision is in the MCU. We've had no hints. Marvel gave us What If Season 3, only to just use him as a mindless drone again and force me to watch his body taken apart and used as a skin suit for Riri Williams. I know Vision is a robot, and a lot of Marvel fans and writers don't really view him as human, but if they had turned Loki's body into magic Jotun armor the fandom would have rioted I'm sure). I haven't watched anything after that, it was too difficult for me to get through. I get asked frequently by friends and strangers if I'm excited for the Vision Quest show. I'm not. I'm dreading it. When asked why, I can only answer 'Because I've written over a million words and done over 500 paintings trying to tell my own version of that story.' That's the biggest if most petty reason, but it's not like the MCU has been a great steward of Vision's character in the past few years. They seem to think that just killing him over and over is the best use of the Android Avenger which implies they see no real potential in him. Every announcement about the show seems to be about characters returning other than Vision, and it leaves me wondering how much this show will really explore VISION and how much is just a bridge to fill the gaps and introduce more characters to the MCU, and bring back faves that will certainly overshadow Vizh in the eyes of fans. I hope I'm wrong but when it comes to comfort characters I have to prepare for the worst. I've been let down everytime I haven't. Working Theory and the little corner of the multiverse I've been playing in has been my passion project since that night 4 years ago. It's how I cope with the horrors that are happening in the world. I just come home from my job and sit down and imagine I have Jac Shaeffer's job...or Andy Park's, or Kevin Fiege's and I read through old comics as I develop my ideas. I hope to one day turn this into a comic, or the dream was to maybe somehow manifest becoming a showrunner for a Vision project at Marvel one day. It's a stupid wish, but every time I see news about what the MCU is actually doing to Vision it feels like I've failed. That's my own burden to work through and I am doing my best, but in the meantime I want to share with my lovely friends and followers a little more of my story, even if I have to do it frame by frame. Take care my friends, the world is scary right now and self care is important. I've not been posting a whole lot for that reason, but I hope you enjoy this portrait of Vizh. I have a lot of sketches I may dump in the next few days as well, as I've been trying to cement some style ideas and move into the next phase of this project.

[crypt1dcorv1dae]

Do we think Johnny is an example of a common story with bullies where, they're bullied or abused or made to feel small, weak, insignificant, so they then go out and make others feel that way so THEY get to feel strong, powerful, important...

Bc the way his dad talks to him and treats him (insulting him, threatening to kick him out at 12 years old bc he thinks he's stealing a beer (he wasn't) not bothering keeping food in the house and not really caring if Johnny is safe or where he is, leaving him to fend for himself past dark just because he got detention) is definitely verbally abusive and neglectful at LEAST... I do think that Johnny (like Ed said) is mostly a bully for the reaction and the approval of his friends (who have different but similar enough situations to be in the same boat) but... The reaction is the whole thing. You're made to feel small and insignificant and worthless, so you want to feel big and powerful and important, and the only way you've been TAUGHT BY EXAMPLE to do that is to do the same thing, more or less, that was done to you to others. It's how the cycle of abuse WORKS and bullying is just one of many forms of abuse out there...

Honestly, I think if someone said to Johnny "hey by being a bully you're acting a lot like your old man" he would stop immediately. Because I know, I KNOW, in my heart that the thing he wants LEAST is to be ANYTHING like that guy.

I know because I've BEEN THERE. My dad is... Similar, not exactly the same, I know he does love me and shit and doesn't like actively berate me like he does to... most people who mildly inconvenience him, (really HES a bit of a bully, you should see him deal with customer service workers...) he did threaten to throw me out once but he was drunk and didn't even remember the next day, so... Idk if he meant it or not. But. Similar enough. To the point where as soon as I saw Johnny's dad and his behavior I was like oh god it's MY dad but small and red ... Shivers....

BUT ENOUGH ABOUT ME. POINT IS. JOHNNY DOESNT WANNA BE LIKE HIS DAD. I KNOW HE DOESNT. BUT HES ALSO YOUNG AND A LIL STUPID AND DOESNT RECOGNIZE THE PATTERNS IN HIS BEHAVIOR AS BASICALLY DOING THE SAME THING AS HIS DAD BUT WITH A DIFFERENT METHOD. I don't think his dad like hits him or anything (I feel like that would be a bit dark for the tone of the comic, but it does get dark in other ways sometimes so... Idk) so I think his "rough em up for their pocket change" bullying method isn't necessarily learned from his dad, but the METHOD isn't really the point... The point is making someone feel small so you feel bigger.

And tbh I really don't think Johnny is like... INHERENTLY a bully, he's not a BAD kid, nobody is purely bad at all, he's a kind, protective, supportive and loving friend to anyone he decides is One Of His... We know that from THE TEXT. His little "gang" is theost important thing to him, his friends are what he cares about most, and they always are there for him and support him when he needs it to. That's his family.

I think... Honestly... Realizing his behavior is stemming from his dad's, and maybe broadening who he considers "one of his", just a lil change of perspective, is all he would need to go from the school bully to like... A fierce protector. With great power and all that. I think he's already on his way there tbh!!

And I know it's .. complicated, cus forge has his own agenda and plans, but I feel like forge will be overall helpful with that development as well. Forge isn't a bully. He fights with a purpose. His whole deal is SEEKING a purpose to fight right now... And I think Johnny is kind of in a similar boat. He's on his way to realizing maybe being a bully isn't all that great, actually, but he's a FIGHTER, always has been, he needs a reason to fight.

Idk. Idk if this makes any sense, I'm just rambling and spewing my thoughts everywhere like some kinda thought barf, as I usually do with thoughts and words, but I just... Idk. I just really really love Johnny and love to overthink about him. And to do amateur psychoanalysis on him and his behavior with whatever bits and pieces of lore we get for him. As everyone seems to do with him (looking at you, Max and Ed)

[thankskenpenders]

As I'm sure many of you are already aware, Did You Know Gaming (who have been doing some really great investigative work lately) recently put out a video on canceled Sonic games. The whole thing's worth a watch, but I have to bring it up here specifically because they talk about the plans for Sonic Chronicles 2 with a LOT of new info directly from the lead designer.

The section on how the story of Sonic Chronicles 2 would have went starts at 9:45. It's very interesting! He outlines the whole plot, including the fact that they were going to end with ANOTHER obvious plot hook for a sequel in the hopes that they or some other studio could keep the Sonic Chronicles series going indefinitely. Sonic Team even claimed they were interested in using Chronicles characters like Shade in other games. It's crazy to imagine a timeline where this might have become a pillar of the franchise.

I refuse to mourn the loss of the sequel, though, because y'all saw me stream the original. It was miserable. And with the original game selling and reviewing decently well, they would have had little reason to go back to the drawing board and overhaul that game's bizarrely hateful design.

Of course, DYKG also had to talk about the reason why the game was canceled. I was dreading this because of how often people tend to get the basic facts of the Penders cases wrong or downplay the obvious Archie Knuckles inspiration in Chronicles. But no, they did their homework! And they got the details right in part because, well... they asked Penders for comment directly. And he sent them back a MASSIVE wall of text about the whole ordeal, including some fascinating details that I don't believe I've heard before!

You can go to 15:19 in the video and scrub through to read the many, MANY screencaps of their emails from Ken, but here are the most interesting and/or hilarious tidbits to me:

#1: Perjury!

As we already knew, Ken claimed that the incomplete, photocopied contract Archie presented in court was a forgery, and that he had never signed a work for hire contract.

The judge obviously knew that one side had to be lying here, and thus was more than willing to present the case to a jury to let them decide the truth... and send whoever was deemed the liar to jail for perjury. (The judge apparently looked Ken directly in the eye when he said this, which... well, make of that what you will.)

Archie's lawyers knew that they didn't have a completely airtight case and obviously did not want to go to jail. So they decided to settle instead of going to trial in front of a jury.

(I will reiterate that Archie's arguments not working out is overall a GOOD thing, because we really do not want to set a legal precedent where corporations can "lose" a contract for a creator, make up a story about what was on the contract, and then have that hold up in court. They gotta get that shit in writing. And they didn't. They fucked up!)

#2: Sega was threatening to revoke the Sonic license!

As we knew, Sega wanted nothing to do with the comic copyright lawsuit. To them, it was Archie's job as licensee to deal with their freelancers. (Y'all watch Succession? You know how Logan loves lackeys who will eat shit for him without him having to even hear about the problem? Yeah.) And, in fact, according to Ken, Sega gave Archie an ultimatum: if they wanted their license to make Sonic comics renewed, they were gonna have to deal with Ken on their own, and cover all the costs.

Yeah, uh, this kinda makes me think that Sega being pissed about the ongoing Scott Fulop copyright case in 2016 may have been a bigger factor in Archie Sonic's cancellation than I previously thought. There was a lot going on at the time that could have contributed, but, y'know.

Anyway, Archie sued Ken for "damaging their business" largely because Sega was threatening to take away the Sonic IP. But because Archie couldn't ask Sega for help and they couldn't produce an original contract, they had to settle.

There's another detail I find funny here, though. Ken WANTED Sega to get involved in the comic copyright case, thinking that Sega would strongarm Archie into paying him the millions of dollars he wanted for "using his work without permission" so that they could be done with it. I mean, sure. I guess Sega wouldn't have cared about Archie's finances, but still. I'm not so sure that would've worked out for him.

#3: Shade!

Yes, Penders still claims he legally owns Shade, and under advice from his lawyer still intends to put out an NFT of her to put his claim to the test. Yes, it's incredible that he still hasn't put out the damn NFT. It only needs to be one image, which he already drew! The market has collapsed!

Anyway, building an argument off the legal concept of estoppel, he says that if Sega continues to not do anything about his claims that he owns Shade then, in the eyes of the court, they'll be forfeiting their claims to Shade altogether. But they aren't going to do anything because they never wanted any part in the copyright battles in the first place, and to them Chronicles is a long dead asset not worth fighting over. Why bother trying to use Shade again and giving Ken a reason to take them back to court when they can just move on? It's not like this franchise is short on characters. And so Ken can say that Shade and Julie-Su are literally the same character, and if he owns Julie-Su then therefore he also owns Shade.

Our copyright system is, indeed, a nightmare. Chronicles should have been halfway to the public domain by now.

#4: Sega's oversight on the Archie comics!

Ken says that in his first year on the series Sega only requested some dialogue changes here and there through the editor. They never requested huge script changes, and also never spoke to Ken directly. After that first year, they stopped asking for dialogue changes altogether, and Ken "had a free hand to do pretty much whatever he wanted." Yeah, no surprise there.

He does, however, say that Archie's original deal with Sega stated that they weren't allowed to create ANY new Sonic characters without informing Sega. They would've needed to make a contract every single time to get Sega's approval and make it absolutely crystal clear that Sega owned the whole cast. And then Archie just... didn't do that! And didn't tell any of the freelance creatives not to come up with new characters! Had Archie followed this rule, the trajectory of the comics would have been completely different, but there also never would've been a copyright battle in the first place.

What a shitshow. Truly.

[loopy777]

do you think mai ever felt replaceable or insecure about her position in zuko's life? i would think she would since he is royalty and a lot of suitors would be vying for his attention. but it's not like that at all. he dumped her in a letter but she's the one who re-started the relationship after that. if anything zuko is surprised and hopeful that she would want him back. i was surprised by that. though on the plus side, i think it could be taken for proof of how obvious Zuko's love for her must be. the comics actually showed it by having him pursue her so. it's refreshing to see a female character not constantly questioning her worth and feeling unwanted. even after all the conflict maiko has this isn't one of them. funny how atla surprises you, zuko might be the royal one but mai seems to be more of a catch 😆

Part of the problem with trying to figure this out is that no one vies for Zuko's attention. In fact, we mostly see people trying to avoid it. XD The big exception, of course, are his fangirls in 'The Beach' and 'Nightmares & Daydreams,' but I really do have to wonder if any of them have ever actually spent time with him. Zuko is a very anti-social dude.

So to answer the question, I don't think Mai is insecure at all because she knows Zuko too well. He doesn't socialize, he doesn't play nice with people, and he doesn't make friends except against his will. They've literally known each other their whole lives, and Mai strikes me as quite observant. I've always thought that it's quite telling that Zuko has to hang out with little his sister's friends, and even picked one of them as the love of his life. It's like he met some people when he was four and decided that's enough for him forever. XD

And as we've seen, Zuko is very loyal to the people he loves. He wanted to return home to Ozai after the whole face-burning incident! He kicked Iroh to the curb a few times and in every case later begged for him back. Once Zuko likes you, you're in his life to stay. Even when he dumped Mai via the letter, it was for her sake, and he did not act like he was looking to replace her at all (despite Toph's best efforts), even if we got frustratingly little insight into how he was feeling about the whole thing.

The closest we've seen to Zuko eyeing another girl is the date with Jin, where for most of it he was actively hostile to being involved, and the second it started working and he got a kiss, he ran away from Jin forever. I think it's very telling that in the Nickelodeon Magazine comic which featured the return of Jin, Mai's only reaction is active delight she has something to tease Zuko over to the point of laughing out loud and skipping through the streets. Based on that, it's possible she has never experienced a moment of jealousy in her life and thinks it's something made up for fiction.

So yeah, I think Mai is quite secure that she could have Zuko whenever she wants, and sometimes in the post-finale era she even wishes he would figure out that the world contains more women than just her and his relatives. It is indeed a lovely turnaround from what we usually see in romantic fiction, but I've always felt that this is where AtLA shines- doing fairly standard overall story arcs but really shining with innovative smaller details and good execution.

[catpocalyptic-world]

For most of my life I'd been an "I obsess about stuff on my own" kind of person and only recently I've decided to explore fandom communities, be it on Tumblr, Ao3 or any other places.

And probably, that's the reason why it had never occurred to me before, how many discussions and arguments there are about "the right version of <insert a character name here> in the canon". 🤔

The said discussions can be connected with any kind of fandom and any character, but the ones that caught my eye are definitely Loki-related.

One reason for this is that - obviously - I search for specific content, so I end up seeing lots of posts related to the topic. The other reason, however, is - I guess - more connected with the fact that there really are different interpretations of that character: in various films, in the series, in comics. And probably none of them can be "everyone's cup of tea". 🤷

There are people for whom the only right version of Loki in MCU is the one up to "Thor: Dark World" - and everything that was done afterwards is absolutely worthless.

There are people for whom everything up to "Dark World" is a total waste of time and only "Thor: Ragnarok" and the series have the right vibe.

There are people who generally don't like Loki in MCU and stick to the comics alone.

There are people who like the films but hate the series.

There are people who love both the films and the series.

There are probably also people who don't like any of the films but enjoy the series.

Oh, let's not forget about those who might generally hate what Marvel did to mythological Loki, both in the comics and in MCU. 😉

*

Yeah, we sometimes get really emotional when it comes to our favourite characters. Because these stories, which we're being told here, for some of us might be much more than just sheer entertainment.

They're our modern myths and legends. They are a kind of conscious or subconscious work on our own issues. They are a way to project some parts of ourselfs onto these characters, to familiarase oneself with some fears, needs and desires, to discover new things about oneself.

(That's totally not your way of thinking? Okay. But it's definitely mine and I know I'm not the only one.)

*

Loki is someone with whom it might get even more complicated, because this character - based on mythological Trickster - is a really powerful symbol, additionally enhanced by all Marvel's ideas for him. And - boy! - they did give him a lot of traits and issues many of us can relate to, this way or another. 🫣

So a (possibly quite obvious) thing that occurred to me is that probably... your "right" Loki is the Loki you need. You. Specifically. For this or that reason. Because you need this character to be that way.

I'll even risk another theory: maybe the fact that we can see so many different characterisations of Loki throughout the canon is the reflection of "what kind of Loki the authors of the particular film or comic needed for themselves". 🤔 (Dunno, maybe there were other reasons as well, not arguing about that.)

And the most important thing? Well, in my opinion, there are two:

Never ever feel bad because you like more this or that version of a particular character. Or because you like all of them. Or because you don't like any of them, so you create your own one in your fantasies/stories. ☺️

Never ever make other people feel bad because they like a different version of the character than you do. Apart from being hurtful and insensitive, this kind of behaviour is also totally absurd. Would you really ridicule someone because they drink cappuccino, while you prefer black coffee? (And if the answer is "yes" - daaaamn, you've got a whole lotta things to unpack here. 😜)

*

Yep, that's all folks. 😁

Thank you for coming to my "random rambling about pseudo-philosophical sh*t that nobody needs or everyone is already aware of" kind of talk. 🤣 (My inner critic says hello to ya all. 😆)

Enjoy your day. 😘

[kit04kat]

Ranking the batfamily most to least likely to become a supervillian. (Plus all my ramblings about why I put who where [disclaimer, i have not read the comics due to me not having that kind of money]) I started thinking about this while reading a fanfiction where Dick, Jason and Tim were taken in by villians instead of Batman and it got me thinking. Anyways, let's get to the rankings.

1: Tim Drake. Starting off strong with our resident boy-genius with stalker tendencies. This may shock some of you, but I look at this human disaster and see a plethora of supervillian potential. You take away this man's adult supervision and the world may never be the same. What was happening with the league of assassins? And the fact that he tried to clone his best friend out of grief? Also I feel like we all skimmed over the fake uncle shenanigans too quickly. I once saw someone say something like Tim's moral code is copy-pasted off a house rules sticky note on the fridge and I agree.

2: Jason Todd. Seriously, we all saw this coming. Now, you might ask me, "but Kat, why is Jason at number 2? Didn't Red Hood already do the villian thing?" And to that I say, Ha! I am ranking them on supervillianiousness(???) Jason had his whole revenge plot and crime lord thing in Gotham but after that was done, he kinda settled out a little bit. So no, I don't think Jason has ever been a supervillian, just a villian, and after that he was more like an antihero/vigilante. That being said, I don't think he is incapable of being a supervillian, which is why he is number 2.

3: Stephanie Brown. Ok, I'm gonna be honest, I was really wavering on the order of the people in the middle. Also, I'm not gonna claim to know a whole lot about the adventures Steph has been through. That being said, I feel like she is just a tad bit more unhinged than the rest of the people in the middle, and therefore more likely to go insane. And if she had the proper motivation, she could totally be a badass supervillian. (Kind of reminds me of Jason in that way)

4: Damian Wayne. Alright, here's the thing. A lot of Damian's character development has been about him overcoming his heritage and learning that the things he learned with the league of assassins were bad. That being said, I don't think he will ever leave behind those ideologies as thoroughly as Cass and Bruce did. I think he sees the world in a lot more shades of grey than they ever will, and because of that, I've decided to put him forth on our list.

5: Barbara Gordon. I'm putting Oracle right smack dab in the middle. Not because I couldn't figure out where to put her, but because that's where she belongs. Listen, do I think she would ever become a supervillian? No, not really. However, if for some reason she had to become a supervillian, she'd be able to do it. If she ever turned to the dark side, it would be completely thought out. Calculated. And my girl doesn't do anything half-assed.

6: Duke Thomas. Now, Imma be honest, I don't know a whole lot about Duke, and I didn't really know where the best place to put his would be on this lineup. I put him in 6th cause I don't think he'd turn into a supervillian but he's more likely than the last three. He probably deserves to go further up the list, but oh well.

7: Bruce Wayne. I know some people will probably say he should be further up the list, but here is my reasoning. Batman's whole kinda thing is that he's always toeing the line. He's doesn't kill because he knows he wouldn't be able to stop. He is Darkness, Vengeance, the night, all that stuff. (It's why Batman needs a Robin) If he broke, he'd be broken. I don't think he'd be able to come back from that (I also disagree with myself a bit, cause there's no way his kill count is 0. I mean, he's been beating people up at night instead of therapy for decades) Anyways, that being said, man is stubborn and has been doing this vigilante stuff for a longggg time. I simply don't think he's gonna turn.

8: Dick Grayson. We are getting towards the bottom of the list here, to the people I think are least likely to become a supervillian. Dick has been through so much. With Renegade, Red X, Spiral, whatever was up with Ric, he took up the cowel and became Batman when Bruce was gone (which is something he never wanted to do), he's had so many of his friends die, family die, and that's not even all! He's been through a lot, but he's also the light to batman's dark. He's been through all that and still chooses to be good. There's no way he's ever becoming a supervillian (even if it is a very interesting plot in fanfiction)

9: Cassandra Cain. Last but certainly not least, Cass. I personally think she is the least likely to become a supervillian. She was raised as a weapon and taught to kill, but she has completely overcome that. She won't kill at all, much like Bruce, but she's also more emotionally sound. Her morals are strict, and she doesn't have to fight with herself to keep them. I love her so much, truly one of the best of us.

I'm gonna put Alfred as a honorable mention. He doesn't get to go on the list cause honestly, if he ever became a villian, it's over. He's have the world in his clutches before the week is over. Gotta respect him for having the patience of a saint.

This was so long! Anyways, feel free to add to this or tell me how you would rank them differently!!

[fae-morrigan]

hi! could you elaborate on the "jon beefs w batman" thing?? id love to read it, but i don't know much about comics so i wouldn't know where to look :(

IM SO GLAD YOU ASKED ABOUT THIS BECAUSE ITS LITERALLY THE FUNNIEST THING IN THE WORLD TO ME.

So, the series that introduces this is largely Son Of Kal El. It's Jon's big 18 issue solo book, its super fun, there are gay people, there is dismantling a colonialist government. More specifically the Beef Inciting Incident begins issue 10, takes up most of issue 11.

So, Jon's dating Jay Nakamura. Cool guy, refugee from Gamorra (place that is colonized that theyre trying to fix), independent journalist known as The Truth. He works closely with this group named the Revolutionaries.

Super cool, right? Jon's having a golden time.

Then, Lois pisses off Lex (long story but its equally hilarious), bad enough they're worried about the family's safety. So, Batman shows up to whisk them to the safe house.... but Jay's not allowed to come.

Jon's pretty miffed about this, and then Batman decides to be Batman and drops THIS bombshell:

We get his reasoning the next chapter: Jay's buddies, the Revolutionaries? Yeah, well, lets say they believe in DIRECT action. They've killed a lot of people (Pssst, you can read more about it in Suicide Squad: Bad Blood, which is one of my favorite books).

Jon does not buy what Bruce is selling. He argues with Batman about it, DESPITE NOT KNOWING WHETHER OR NOT BATMAN IS WRONG, because the idea of BRUCE telling him who and who not to make out with is SO EXISTENTIALLY INFURIATING that he just. Straight up runs off.

Now, this gets resolved pretty quickly. Pa tells Bruce to knock it off because he's not exactly better in love, in a great scene that is one of my favorites from the book. Jon talks to Nightwing, then talks to Jay, and Jay is like, "yeah. They are kind of violent extremists, but they were also the only people who helped me when I was fleeing systematic medical torture and ethnic cleansing, so." We don't really get Jon's thoughts on this, but he ACTIVELY works with them in the finale with the stipulation they don't kill anyone, so we can kind of assume that even if he's not down with them murdering people, he's DOWN down with their Liberation politics. Which is neat!

... But Jon holds a grudge against Batman. Big time. Like, seriously. We really see it up close in Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent, where he's just... Dude. This isn't even YOUR batman.

^ Like, I think we all know he's referencing what happened with Jay here. Its VERY on the nose.

Even Injustice!Bruce is like "Dude, I literally just met you".

Like, seriously. Not even his Batman. Just batman-shaped. And he's catching CONSTANT strays from Jon. Its a whole thing. Before that moment, Jon and Bruce were actually quite chill: Jon even made him tea during the SOKE annual! Up until that point, Bruce was kind of just "damian's scary dad". Ever since That Exact Moment where Bruce was like, 'your boyfriend is a terrorist,' Jon has been like:

[pinkcowzz]

finally watching daredevil born again, and i have. THOUGHTS.

everything feels SO intentional. like, i was really concerned for this show cause the first three seasons hold such a special place in my heart but it seems like this show was handled with such care.

there will be spoilers for episode 1 below the cut, so. proceed with caution. (i'll be making a separate post for ep. 2 later because this got way out of hand)

so, to start off with the opening credits. i was. SO impressed. the og credits like genuinely they are some of my favorite credits to have been done. and the new ones, using some of the same symbols but having them be concrete and broken to literally rebuild matt is SO neat.

admittedly, i am not a marvel comic reader, have not touched more than maybe 6 in my whole life. so- please don't take what i have to say about characterization too seriously. that being said!

i have no idea how to feel about foggy dying. i have heard that in the comics, it's karen that bullseye kills. i think narratively it does make more sense for foggy to be the one to die. he was the glue within their group, he was the one who always saw more within matt, who believed in him to make the right choices.

my biggest thoughts on foggy's death is that, AHHH it's about the suit. it's always about the suit. foggy is the person who brought matt the suit, back during the arc with elektra and the hand and everything. and he regretted it. a lot. that much we knew. and then to open this new season with foggy clearly and deliberately keeping matt from the suit. ("look im sorry, maybe i didn't wanna give you an excuse")

then, matt chooses to use the suit to 'solve' his issue. and his consequence? he loses foggy. and immediately he loses his morals, pushing ben off the roof. did he know that wouldn't kill dex? we don't know! but he did it. it's, poetic in a way. foggy was the one person that was grounding matt.

it's also just, a really interesting path to take for matt's character. like, the entirety of season two was matt trying to decide who he was. in one direction was the suit, and elektra and the adrenaline of it all. on the other was foggy and working within the system. matt saw both as a way to help, he saw both as a means to fix hell's kitchen. in the end, he lost elektra and chose to walk away from foggy. but then the series opens with the line

"i like to think that i have- we have evolved"

this means something, at least to me. we are seeing matt once again questioning who is he, why he is making the choices he has been making. is it worth it?

then cut to one year later, and we see that matt is still caring foggy with him- literally. he carries the program from his funeral, what i can only assume is daily. kept on his kitchen counter along with his other daily essentials. a reminder of his failings, of what he has lost.

moving onto karen, i really hate her running off to san fran but i can't say i don't understand it. she ran after her brother died, it's CLEAR that something went down between her & matt after foggy died, she felt unsupported and left alone again so she left. but for her to come back and ONLY talk to matt about the suit, whewwww baby. that's some heavy shit to dig through.

she had always understood the 'devil of hell's kitchen'. until she knew who he was and realized he had lied to her. they have such a messy relationship. idk, her giving matt the horn from his costume but refusing to allow them to actually talk, to actually heal, it's fucked up. she's, in a very round about way, telling him that she only feels he's useful in the suit. that this other person, (daredevil) the one who drove them apart years ago, is the only thing they have in common now.

and then. vanessa and wilson. what the FUCK is going on between them. i think the most important piece of information that we got about them, is the painting that is shown right before vanessa is reintroduced. it's titled "ivan the terrible and his son". for those who aren't familiar, the scene it is depicting is of ivan holding his son right after he murdered him. the motive has been argued, either a political disagreement or perhaps because of ivan's son's wife passing by in her robe (a disrespect at the time).

to me? this is saying that fisk is going to kill vanessa at some point this season. i think it will either be motivated by her making business moves that he disagrees with or perhaps because she has essentially made A CUCK OUT OF HIM HELLOO?????? (no im not not over that, it fits their dynamics so well but is just. so wild)

i also just want to compliment on how it has introduced so many new characters, without making it feel crowded or annoying. i miss the old supporting cast that was present, but this show has managed to make me not hate the new one. mcduffie's relationship with matt seems to be one with lots of history and care. cherry is already in on the secret and seems to not be afraid to use it to his advantage.

even the doctor that matt is dating, heather seems to have genuine chemistry with matt.

onto the next! the scene with matt and fisk is. i could watch it a hundred times and not tire of it. starting the scene with fisk telling matt "im not going to spar with you" to then have one of the BEST verbal spars i've EVER seen is so fun. i truly love the writers of this show, it's so clear to me that they really love these characters and wanted to do right by them. (i also completely forgot about fisk being in hawkeye until this scene, whoops)

the irony of "fisk will fix it" and maga is not lost on me, it's a bit exhausting but, i can understand the statement they were wanting to make with it.

there was an interview with charlie cox and vincent d'onofrio where they both comment how matt can't exist without fisk, and the same vice versa. they serve as such fun foils of each other. they want to catch the other tripping up. they want to be the one to bring the other down. they don't want to prove the other right. GOD it's fun.

last thing, i really like the score. okay! well this got way out of hand, but i just needed to get these worms out of my brain or else they would eat it whole so.

[radiance1]

I’ve been thinking about this a lot and basically Danny is Beelzebub from Hellva boss with his own casino performs and the entrance defies reality and all his ghost rouges come in and go as they please and some humans and or mortals stumble in and think it’s just some place where metas party their fucking asses off which wouldn’t be that bad if this wasn’t FUCKING GOTHAM. Danny doesn’t know how they got in Gotham but they just want to party but unfortunately for him the bats hear a rumor some meta trafficking ring has been planning a big raid on a certain casino that’s new ish and they have to stop it so they go in disguise and they get to witness Danny and his rouges beat the every loving snot out of some traffickers

maybe Danny is a clone, maybes he’s reincarnated, maybe he lost a bet, maybe he moved to Gotham for fun, maybe he got tossed across the universe into Gotham

who knows certainly not Danny

Hmm.

I have zero clue if I want Danny to look somewhat like Beelzebub or not, but we won't be dwelling on that right now.

How Danny got to Gotham? I got zero blood clue, but he's there and is about to party.

Maybe this could even be set after TUE bad ending, where the explosion wasn't reversed, and he parties to forget the pain and just focus on the good vibes. Maybe stops using his human form, using his ghost form more and it subtly changing without him noticing into a different form or something due to his habits.

Maybe that some of his ghost form's new features leak over to his human form.

Anyways.

Maybe the casino isn't even in Gotham, like physically. Instead, it's the doors leading into the casino that're in Gotham City, and stepping through him just yoinks them into Danny's Dimension and into his casino.

So, Danny's casino is located smack dab in his own dimension, but somehow the doors pop up in Gotham for whatever reason and a few residents stumble through and see Danny and his rogues (who didn't want to kick a pup while he's down and indulges him) partying up to the high heavens and the lowest hells.

You could even say that, like Beelzebub, Danny is eating up all of the good vibes that comes from other people while partying. How and why does Danny own a casino?

Vlad.

Vlad is indulging him because they both lost something that day, and then Danny was placed into his care, and they were both two disturbed to really continue their entire good vs evil thing and they kinda just, chilled out with each other. Danny asks for a casino one day on a whim, Vlad indulges him, then Danny starts partying up to get away from his own grief while Vlad buries himself in work to avoid his.

So, when the meta trafficking ring tries to capture everyone at the casino and the bats are there to stop them. Every rogue there silently agree to beat them up because one, they have dignity as ghosts and can't just let themselves be captured by humans.

Two, this is the playground of Danny and one of the few things people unanimously agree to never fight in (one of the others is the Christmas truce).

Three, this place is also owned by Vlad Masters. If the man is anything like how he was before the whole kicked pup thing (everyone thinks this applies to both Danny and Vlad) then they don't really want to tick him off and they're basically doing these humans a favor anyways.

Anything they could do to them physically; Vlad could do worse to them in the human world.

The batfamily sees this, and decides that nobody here actually needs their help and can take care of themselves. But also, given the track record of metas becoming rogues in this city, they can't just leave it alone either.

They would make a file about them at the most for the case they decide to run rampant through the city. But they'll leave them alone for the most part.

(Danny doesn't know who or what Batman is, as he doesn't exist in their dimension, yes even the comics don't exist. Neither does the batfamily know Danny Phantom, because he doesn't exist in their universe either.)