#which is why we keep getting stuff like this and gladiator (which wants to be spartacus)

[bedlamsbard]

the 2010 film Centurion is deeply frustrating to me because it desperately wants to be about the Varian Disaster, every single beat in this movie would fit near-perfectly for the Varian Disaster, you could relocate this film temporally and geographically to Germania and not change literally anything except some of the names, and yet because Hollywood considers Britannia way sexier and more exotic than Germania it is set in Britain. this movie should be about the Varian Disaster! in every way but geographically including the drawback of the frontiers this movie is about the Varian Disaster! and yet. it is not about the Varian Disaster.

(the movie itself is fine. like, it's Agricola slander and Tacitus is rolling over in his grave, but my tolerance for historical inaccuracy is pretty high these days. don't go out of your way to watch it, but like, it's fine. if I had a nickel for every time Olga Kurylenko has played a Roman-hating British woman warrior I'd have two nickels, which is not a lot but it's weird it's happened twice etc.)

[toxicanonymity]

Brothel - Lincoln watch party

brothel master list

The brothel, aka real housecreeps, is a meta reality show about the Joels and other blorbos who live on the Toxic Compound. Normally everything is smooth sailing, but we mostly air the drama.

Slumber party edit by @iamasaddie 🥹. Next 2 my primitive edits. Guest appearances from Joels by @chloeangelic (father Joel) @gracieispunk (maintenance man) and @dark-scape (gladiator)

Saturday 9/16 - Jojo doesn't even live at the brothel but he picked me up on his motorcycle and took me to Starbucks, determined to help me finish Lincoln so he can move in. He keeps making comments about Lincoln like, "he's so careful." I nod and he adds, "chicks just wanna get dicked down, man." I look at him and he whispers, "sorry." But a minute later he's back at it. "when's the last time she had a nice, hard cock?" When I say, "Never," he asks, "NEVER?"

Friday 9/22 - Stepdad and Vampire stop by the writing room, which is a wreck, to ask if Lincoln is really doing this because if so, they're going to Costco to get stuff for their watch party. Cut to the interior of an SUV, Stepdad is driving and Vampire is in the passenger seat hanging onto the ceiling handle.

Vampire says, "Peaches is on her period, ya know."

Stepdad, "No shit. Why do you know that, man?"

Vampire gets self conscious, "It was in the last fic."

"You always read his fics?"

"Well, I read the warnings, then. . . Hey, what's on our shopping list?"

Stepdad takes a sharp turn and the camera angle goes crazy as a crew member slams into the back window. Stepdad asks the crew, "what kinda hijinks y'all think are goin' down in Costco, anyway?"

Stepdad and vampire realize they don't have a shopping list, so they call the Joel mansion. Thighs puts them on speaker. Slasher wants budweiser. Night Walks yells "TAKIS" in the background. Jojo wants cherry coke. Raider wants bison burgers and Trouble volunteers to grill. Stepdad asks if the "other guys" are coming back so they know how much to get.

Flashback to Stepdad's party in August

The doorbell rings and Night Walks answers it. It's a priest. Night Walks stares at him and says, "we're good, man" and closes the door. The doorbell rings again and Trouble answers it. It's a Joel in a toolbelt, talking to the priest.

Night Walks texts me to ask who are these guys? I say this is a big thing, all the Joels on tumblr are invited, plus all the blorbos on the Toxic Compound. It's @chloeangelic's Father Joel and @gracieispunk's Maintenance Man!Joel. Night Walks asks, "he's not, like, a prude priest is he?" And I respond LOL. Lincoln does a double take when he sees who walked in, and he gives them a what's up nod. I yell from off screen, "MY OFFICE IS BROKEN." Maintenance man sighs and adjusts his toolbelt. Raider tells him I'm joking and points to a chair for Maintenance Man to sit down. Someone else is at the door. It's a practically naked but battle-ready Joel. It's @dark-scape's Gladiator Joel, and he roars at the top of his lungs, "PARTY'S HERE."

The phone rings. It's a menacing, digitized voice. "room for a few more?" The line goes dead and seconds later, the door opens. It's Ghostface and behind him, a popcorn cart is being wheeled in. Production bumbles around trying to find the right place for the cart. The door is still open. Michael Myers walks in with Corey Cunningham. Slasher pops up out of his seat and Michael turns to walk the other direction. Instead, Slasher introduces himself to Corey who also wears a mechanic suit.

Everyone has a great time and cheers when Stepdad gets it in. They all slap him on the back and carry him around the room.

Back at Costco

On the phone, Trouble says no, just brothel Joels for Lincoln's party. The fic is too long, he's too unsettling, and we don't want to scare all of Tumblr away.

Stepdad is determined to make the Costco trip as boring as possible so production doesn't send a crew with them next time. They go around the store and Stepdad has an exaggeratedly straight face. Every time vampire gets excited about something, like the $1.50 hotdogs, Stepdad nudges him to remind him it's boring. Vampire straightens his face and nods.

—--

Watch Party

Later that night, the guys are huddled around watching. Vampire is on the edge of his seat, and even gets down on the floor to be closer. Then he sits back and tries to hide how aroused he is. Some of them cheer upon penetration but not as enthusiastically as with Stepdad. At the end, most of the guys give Lincoln a high five or fist bump, but a few of them clearly don't have their heart in it. Slasher is on Lincoln's side, "Hey what's wrong with you guys? been on his case for months and he finally did it"

"Just be straight with her, man," Raider says.

"I didn't lie to her," Lincoln claims.

Raider squints at him "Whatever, man. Glad your shit's over soon."

Vampire thinks it was the best episode all season. "Link, that was amazing," he tells him in all honesty. "Did ya get to keep the dress?"

"Yeah," Lincoln nods.

"And that was only day 2 or 3, right?"

Lincoln looks at Vamp blankly and asks, "day 3?"

Stepdad tries to come to vamp's rescue by saying "Day 3 of… this party," but Vamp doesn't catch on.

"No, I mean you've prob'ly got a couple more days," he gestures around his lower abdomen. Lincoln's nostrils flare and Vampire meekly adds, "if you're into it."

Lincoln asks, "are you tracking Peaches?"

Vampire looks at Stepdad, realizing his mistake. Everyone gets quiet. Lincoln repeats, "Are you tracking her period?"

The guys look at each other and shake their heads no, like Lincoln is out of line for the accusation. "No one's tracking your reader's period, Lincoln," Trouble scoffs.

They act like Lincoln is crazy for even thinking it.

------

Thank you for reading!

[hrodvitnon]

Ichi: Drop it.

Rodan: Aww- did I hit a sore spot? Big strong dragon can't stomach being under a little human?

Ichi whips around at him with a snarl on his maw.

Ichi: The fact that you can and willingly do should embarrass you! King Ghidorah does not bow for anyone- much less puny humans!

Rodan throws up a surrender, having clearly pushed Ichi a little too far on the pegging stuff. The 1/3rd Ghidorah grabs his beer from the table, glares at Godzilla, and storms out.

Rodan: Did- did I actually go a little too far there?

Godzilla: Nah, don't worry. He gets cagey like that whenever his ass gets brought into a discussion.

Vivienne: Jeez, is he seriously that insecure about it? Is getting dommed genuinely a hurtful experience for him?

Godzilla: 'Genuinely hurtful'? No, it's not like that- he lets me do it.

Rodan: Jeez of course he does. Just hates humans.

Godzilla: I've heard- whispers- of him exploring himself with others in the past, once I may have even stumbled upon a house party in Rome at the height of the Empire in which he took 6 different gladiators to bed.

Vivienne: Ok putting aside the Roman Empire bit as my brain is not equipped to unpack that information drop right now; you make it sound like he's- scared of intimacy?

Goji leans over his shoulder to check if Ichi was still gone before looking back at the two.

Godzilla: He once let slip during a- shockingly intimate moment we shared long ago that sex with me felt 'too good for him'. Honestly it kinda floored me a bit, I would've never expected a sentiment like that to come from him. In my- shocked state- I made a bad mistake, laughed it off and joked about it. It was an awful thing to do on my part and I couldn't think of anything else but the dumb male mindset of 'get back at my rival at any cost'. I didn't see him for at least a decade afterwards and he gets all shouty if I ever try to bring it up again. So- yeah, I suspect he may be a little frightened of opening up in that way; and when he tried it with me he didn't get good results.

Rodan: Wow.

Mothra: I knew guys could be assholes but jeez, dude.

Goji: Yes, yes- whatever you have to say is probably not worse than what I've said to myself afterwards.

Vivienne: Y'know, I saw the pegging thing as a way to one-up his assholeiness; but now I kinda just feel bad for him.

Mothra: Tell me you at least apologized.

Godzilla: I've tried. He just laughs it off and makes a joke at my expense. Which, honestly; yeah I deserve that.

Godzilla: ...

Godzilla: Oh, also he has two prostates so, like, anal feels like- double good on him. It's bad, pretty sure it's also mind-numbing as he used to just sorta shut off when I got deep enough and he wasn't used to my size yet. Drooling, whining, moaning mess his first few times under me.

Rodan & Mothra & Vivienne: ...

(holy jesus fucking shit this was supposed to be a shitpost about the Ghidorah pegging thing that somehow spiraled out of control into Ghidzilla anal angst??? hello??? i like this too much to delete it and start again so here do what you will with this)

(Y'know... Ichi may have left... but San and Ni are still there.)

Ni: Why not just set up a flashing neon sign of our collective gaping asshole while you're at it?

Rodan: I do notice you two are still here.

San: 'Cause it's illegal to leave your girlfriend's lap while cuddling!

Ni: And it's been long enough that I've more or less gotten over it. No hard feelings... except when your dick is going up my hole, ya fat-knotted bastard.

Vivienne: Well, I don't expect Ichi to come up goading me into proving you right, Rodan. And I certainly don't see myself getting into bed with Ni or San. Especially San.

Maia: Smart woman.

Ni: And why is that again?

Vivienne: Oh, I don't know, remember the time Ichi NEARLY ATE ME?

Ni: ...yeah, that'll do it. Not me though. Did San tell you that he and I wanted to keep you as a pet?

Vivienne, glaring: He mentioned that, yes.

Ni, waggling eyebrows: I expect one of us to wear a collar if you take me for a ride, little lady.

Mothra: In any case, now we know Ichi has his own hangups about intimacy and we shouldn't hold it against him. We're all mates here, some more than others, give or take, and this should be a time of togetherness. Goji, darling, I expect you to be a gentleman should Ichi approach you for a talk, and do try not to give him any lip.

Goji: I know, I know. Sometimes old habits die hard, but I'll do my best to be sweet.

Shimo: *quietly sits in her spot sipping tea*

[georgiapeach30513]

I think after R1 you’re not likely gonna see CE in blockbuster/franchise type of movies again.

I think he’s done with that. I think he’s going in the direction that he seems to have always wanted…smaller more niche roles but getting to pick and choose what he wants. With a bucket list movie here and there.

Of course, people are already expecting R1 to flop and they’re mad about it already but most of Hollywood is experiencing flops and multiple at a time. He is not and will not be the only to experience this and even if it’s a hard reality to face, he is still working and is still moving forward. As we all should.

I’m not necessarily expecting gladiator 2 to do that well either but that’s just my take. I loved the first one but don’t have much or any interest to see the second one and it’s mostly because I don’t care for either Paul or Pedro and much of this stuff feels like cash grabs to me even if people like these new and upcoming actors. I have no interest in wicked and no interest in Moana either. I think the future of marvel is def teetering on its last legs and as disappointing as that may be, it’s a lesson to learn for those in charge.

One thing I do think will keep its legs and is the backbone of the industry is the horror and psychological thriller genre. Satirical films with dark humor. Terrifier 3 outperforming joker 2 by like triple times despite having the budget it has tells me even in the era of streaming and everything fatigue, the world still shows up when they can experience a good time and a good scare. Also, we’re all a bit cynical these days, which is why dark black comedy humor and satire are becoming more relatable to watch. People still want to have fun and be entertained, and that’s truly what matters in an industry that’s paid to make sure you get just that.

IMO, people will still show up and still tune in for a good show and an original take. Good storytelling still matters.

I think sacrifice is a very interesting movie now that the full synopsis was revealed, and just how much the character of Mike Tyler is going to go through it. Anya being as excited as she was about this film has me excited because I recently watched her in the menu and man, this girl is a talent. She chooses roles that are just like her - unique but unforgettable.

as for Chris, I think the role of Mike is actually perfect for him. Not for the sake of sounding cynical, but I think these recent past years of his life, has put him in a place where I think he can in some ways, relate to this character. Is it just me?

I agree. I think the only franchise we’re likely to see Chris in again will be MCU based.

And a Christmas movie was a bucket list item for him, plus he got a good paycheck. I think people are wanting him to have Sebastian’s career, and he never wanted to. He’s creating the career he wants. I actually am excited about Wicked, and Moana is my favorite modern movie, so I am actually excited for 2. But I do agree that these can go one of two ways. The difference with those three movies, again, are the built in fan bases. Moana 2 will be family friendly as well.

I think those movies have done well for several reasons. Tis the season for them, plus they don’t have those inflated budgets. It’s easier to make your money back with a smaller budget. Plus, people just want good films. I think we’re overwatered at times, and it’s overstimulating and we can’t watch them all.

Agreed. Storytelling is often lost to flashy CGI and action these days…

Anya is such a unique and talented force. She is almost otherworldly, and she’s investing more than just her talent to the movie. That says a lot to me. Anya truly understands her craft and talent. She seems to pick roles that really suit her. So that is an added excitement for me.

No, after reading the synopsis I did find his character quite interesting. Which I feel good acting takes pulling from your own personal life and experience to fully bring it to life. Making yourself vulnerable to the emotions that happen with them. Plus I can’t wait to see him have a meltdown on the freeway!

I think the issue we have now is that the industry has changed. Streaming is where it’s at and blockbusters don’t happen quite as often. I think Gladiator 2 will fare well. They do have a built in fan base, and that always helps. And movies like that are best viewed in the cinema.

[twoidiotwriters1]

The Curse of Oenone (Leo Valdez xFem!Oc)

A/N: Oh, the horrors of falling in love -Danny Words: 2,534 Series' Masterlist Previous Chapter // Next Chapter Listen to: 'Little Lion Man' -by Mumford & Sons

XXVI: Ah Shit, Here We Go Again

"We were..." I look at the boys towering over me, "training."

"Training?" Mike asks indignantly. "For what? Dying?"

"It's a long story," Nico rolls his eyes. "Harmless match, that's all."

"Harmless," Percy repeats, scowling. "Nico, you have a black eye. Ara's lip is busted and her leg is bleeding. What the Tartarus were you doing?"

Nico and I look at each other with the same surprised expression. I touch my lip and feel the blood, as well as the pain. Nico touches his eye and frowns. "Ouch," he mumbles.

"They wanted to know which was the strongest since they both believe they are the top gladiator of the twenty-first century," Connor explains.

"Why didn't you try to stop them?" Michael scolds him.

"Di Angelo cracked the ground beneath her feet and she threw a water bottle at his face and kicked him in the crotch!" Travis complains. "They move too fast."

"You two come with me." 

Mike guides us out of the arena with Lily quietly following close.

"Where are you taking us?"

"The infirmary is for campers who hurt themselves training properly, not for uncontrolled beasts who have fun breaking arms. I'm going to cure you two with other remedies, the ones that stink of compost."

"No one broke anything," Nico sulks.

I nod thoughtfully. "Can't be hard, though..."

"No more fights!" Lily and Mike shout in unison.

"Who won, then?" Connor asks Lily, quickly catching up to us.

We look at her, she looks back like she can't believe we're asking. "Nobody! None of them asked for a truce, Percy and Mike had to break the fight."

"One of us should've been better anyway."

"You're both equally stupid," she scolds us. "There was no winner. Period."

We get to the edge of the forest, Mike sits with us and smears our faces with a strange moss that stinks of stagnant water. 

Let me say, that stuff tastes as bad as it looks, so I refuse to put that in my mouth, I don't care if that means I'll end up having a scar.

Percy takes a look at us once we go back and asks in a frustrated tone: "You'll continue fighting until there's a winner, won't you?"

Nico and I look at each other with the same dark grin.

"Forget Kronos, they're going to die before they turn fourteen," Lily groans.

"I hope they gain some sense before that happens," Mike fixes my bandages with concern.

I don't care about the bruises and the scarring, they show I'm not afraid to throw a punch. Besides, if getting into fights means I'll have Mike's attention on me, I think I can live with it.

Ara gets yanked backward before a boulder hits her. 

"Get us out of here!" Nico yells at Leo, then he leans down. "That'd be the third time, by the way."

Ara pushes him aside. "I've saved your life more times than you can catch up to."

"Judging by how sloppy you are, I doubt it," he replies.

They've been trying to pass through this patch of sea for the last two days and each attempt ends with them having to retreat. Ara hasn't been this angry since the second time Percy went missing.

The girl curses in ancient Greek and tosses remains of rock off the deck, they land in the water with a pathetic splash. She walks up to the others, scowling and muttering swear words under her breath.

"Well, that was sucktastic," Leo groans, matching her mood. "Should I wake the others?"

"They need rest," Hazel says, though she looks tired too. "We'll have to figure out another way on our own."

"Huh... another way—do you see one?" Leo scowls at his monitor.

Ara's eyes stay on him as he speaks. She doesn't know if he's angry or guilty about the fortune cookie, could be both, but the boy's made a clear effort to keep her away so she can't use her empath touch on him, which is torture. 

Today he's wearing a stained work shirt and singed jeans, and his hair is covered in sweat and dirt yet Ara has the urge to reach up and kiss his stupid frown away. The longer he stays away, the more she wants to yell at him, hating that she can't focus on saving her friends because she's too busy yearning for a kiss.

"It's our fault," Hazel says at last. "Nico's and mine. The numina can sense us." 

"Yeah, I agree," Ara sulks. "It's Nico's fault."

The boy glares at her as he picks out splinters off his jacket. Ara suspects he knows she's just pushing his buttons because she has no other outlet.

"Earth spirits don't like children of the Underworld. That's true," he says ignoring her. "We get under their skin—literally. But I think the numina could sense this ship anyway. We're carrying the Athena Parthenos. That thing is like a magical beacon."

"So crossing the mountains is out," Leo sighs, examining the monitor again. "Thing is, they go a long way in either direction."

"We could go by sea," Hazel offers. "Sail around the southern tip of Italy."

"That's a long way. Plus, we don't have..." Nico glances at Ara pointedly. "Our sea expert, Percy."

The girl tightens her grasp on Almighty's grip. "Well, we obviously can't go this way any more than we can shadow travel the whole ship, so there's gotta be a way around it."

"What about continuing north?" Hazel continues. "There has to be a break in the mountains, or something."

Leo tinkers with the Archimedes sphere newly installed on the ship. Ara's fingers have been itching to touch it, but she doesn't know how it works, and since Leo is spending the least amount of time with her, asking her boyfriend for lessons is out of the question.

A hologram comes out when Leo presses a few buttons and proceeds to examine the map carefully. "I dunno. I don't see any good passes to the north. But I like that idea better than backtracking south. I'm done with Rome."

"Whatever we do," Nico continues, "we have to hurry. Every day that Annabeth and Percy are in Tartarus..."

"They'll be fine for the next three days," Ara states confidently.

"Because you say so?" Nico scoffs. "The universe doesn't bow to you, regardless of what you think."

Ara's blood boils instantly. "Do you know what my job was on the quests I went to?"

"Was it Lady-in-distress?" Nico taunts her. "Or bait? You liked to squirm a lot."

Ara steps closer. Hazel and Leo prepare to break a possible fight, this has happened way too many times in the two days Nico's been on the ship. "I was in charge of supplies. I know how much food Annabeth and Percy consume, the amount of nectar and ambrosia they need, and they know I'm good at my job. I would never let them starve during the first two days of a journey."

"The supplies you had in your stupid dino were for you, not them," Nico argues.

"They were better survivors than I ever was, dumbass, do you think I didn't take that into consideration?" She scowls. "They have enough for a whole week, perhaps more if they eat less than they should."

Hazel hurries to speak. "He's just worried, Ara. Please."

The girl sounds so stressed that Ara snaps out of her anger. She looks back at Hazel's imploring eyes and steps back, arms crossing over her chest as she avoids looking at Nico.

"Anyway," she continues in a gentler voice. "If we're going to change trajectory, we should bring the others. Jason can fly and check for us, Piper's dagger can help too, maybe."

"No," Hazel replies stubbornly. "We can figure this out. We just need some creative thinking. Another way to cross those mountains, or a way to hide ourselves from the numina."

"The only way to hide would be using the mist," Ara raises a brow. "But I've never been able to trick monsters with that."

"And like Ara said, if I was alone, I could shadow-travel. But that won't work for an entire ship. And honestly, I'm not sure I have the strength to even transport myself anymore," Nico says with frustration.

"I could maybe rig some kind of camouflage," Leo suggests, "like a smoke screen to hide us in the clouds."

"Arion," Hazel says suddenly.

"What?" Nico frowns.

Leo lets out a joyful exclamation as he points forward.  "It's her horse, man! You missed that whole part. We haven't seen him since Kansas!"

"He's back?" Ara squints, spotting the animal rushing towards them.

Hazel smiles. "We have to meet him—He's here to help."

"Yeah, okay." Leo tilts his head. "But, uh, we talked about not landing the ship on the ground anymore, remember? You know, with Gaea wanting to destroy us and all."

"Just get me close, and I'll use the rope ladder. I think Arion wants to tell me something." 

"Just don't go too far away," Ara pauses. "Though since it's Arion, I almost feel stupid asking that."

"Almost?" Nico responds sarcastically.

"Enough," Hazel scowls at them. "Leo, don't let them fight while I'm gone."

"What?" Leo waves his hands in front of him rejecting the idea. "No, no, no! These two drive me nuts! Not even Coach Hedge can stand their arguments, and he loves it when people fight!"

Ara frowns. "I'll go below decks, if that makes you feel less anxious, Hazel—you," she points at Nico. "Wait for your sister."

"Like you have to tell me," he mutters.

"And you..." Ara looks at Leo. He briefly looks into her eyes before turning to the control board. "Keep looking for alternative routes."

"On it, General," he mumbles, eyes fixed on the sphere's projection.

Lily stares at the Aphrodite figurine in her hand. I'd left it in my room, but I guess she found it when she went looking for her dagger. She's on border patrol, it seems, next to Thalia's tree. Connor Stoll is with her. 

"Hey," he nudges her arm. "Don't you need like a whole deck of cards to play with that?"

Lily puts the item in her pocket. "I'm not playing."

"What's on your mind?" Connor asks, then looks away wincing. "Never mind."

The girl stares ahead. "Do you think she's okay?"

"The last thing we heard was that she was slaying sea monsters," he grins. "I think she's having a ball."

Lily pulls out her dagger and plays with it. "But the Roman tropes are coming—and she's not here to send them away."

"Quests are more important, Lily," he tries to reason. "And it's her brother we're talking about. I mean, you have to remember he and Annabeth are her oldest friendships in camp—"

"I'm not talking about stupid friendships," she snaps. "She made an oath. That's what this is about."

Connor frowns. "To you?"

She stabs the ground and glares at it. "Didn't even try to take me along..."

"Because there was no way that'd—"

"I know!" Lily stands up. "It's not about that either!" The girl huffs before continuing. She seizes the Aphrodite figurine again. "Do you remember... people used to like her from the get-go? She could make a crowd welcome her in with open arms. I know she has charmspeak, but there used to be something else—she made me believe there was hope out there for us. Now she..."

Lily hands Connor the figurine and sits down, gazing wistfully at the small statue.

"She was pure sunshine. You know what I mean."

Connor seems uncomfortable, he puts the figure in his pocket and gets up, then offers his hand to Lily. "C'mon, you have to join Grover and Rachel for the meeting with the Roman kids."

Lily groans, but she takes his hand anyway. I get to see their matching soul lights immediately after. "Do I have to?"

"We respond to you while Ara is gone," he smiles. "And we all know you've always been in charge of the diplomacy, anyway."

Ara opens her eyes at once, almost falling off her chair. She'd fallen asleep on the worktable while trying—and failing—to read.

"Hey, man, why are you hugging Nike?"

She turns and spots Jason and Leo, her boyfriend has been napping in one corner of the engine room hugging the statue in Athena's hand. Ara straightens her posture and rubs her eyes.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Leo pushes a tangled blanket off his lap. "We were just cuddling. Um, what's going on?"

"We made it through the mountains," Jason announces. "We're almost to Bologna. You should join us in the mess hall. Nico has new information."

"Oh, goody," Ara mutters, pushing the hair out of her face and closing her book. "Nico wants to talk..."

Jason frowns. "Can we get through a meeting without you two fighting?"

Ara thinks of what she saw in her dream, and her annoyance shifts into shame. "Fine, I'll sit away from him."

Once they're left alone, Leo and Ara speak simultaneously. "I had a bad dream."

Ara raises a brow. "That's why you were cuddling Nike?"

"Don't worry, she was a one-night thing," Leo approaches her worktable. "But please, tell me yours didn't have Janus again? That would make mine worse."

"What? No, it was a different type of dream," she replies, eyeing him intently. "What was yours?"

"It was a lady and she was like, offering me two different types of death," he shrugs, trying to remember. "Said something about a maze..."

Ara's stomach twists in dread. "No, that was not related to my dream, but it sounds bad. You don't want to find yourself in a maze ever, Leo. They suck."

"Geez, sunshine, stop trying to cheer me up," he sulks.

"Sorry," she tries again, Lily's words tormenting her. "Perhaps Nico has something useful for a change. And uh... is Hazel..?"

"She came back. I came here to let you know but it felt wrong to wake you, so I took a nap instead."

Despite everything, Ara smiles. "You took a nap where your girlfriend was... just at the opposite corner of the room?"

"Your bench isn't large enough for the two of us."

"Nothing to do with avoiding all physical contact with me, right?"

Leo's nose starts to steam. "Whaat? Baby, you know I can't live without you!" Ara crosses her arms and stares at him, so he caves. "Listen, can't blame a guy for feeling awkward, okay?"

"About what?"

"Your brother and oldest friend falling straight to hell because of what I did."

"It sounds terrible that way," she frowns. 

"When you bravely tried to lighten our burden by closing the Doors of Death alone but ended up getting your friends in trouble," he raises a brow, being heavily sarcastic. "Better?"

The girl sighs. "If it means anything... I would've been really sorry about not giving you a goodbye kiss."

Leo's voice contains a bit of amusement. "That's as close as you can get to an apology?"

"I won't say I'm glad it was my brother and Annabeth instead," she complains.

"That's not what I want to hear either."

"What do you want?" Ara leans closer, almost begging.

The boy holds her by the shoulders, playfully shaking her. "I don't want anything, Arae! Stop trying to fix it!"

"That's rich coming from you!" She huffs, pushing his hands away.

Leo smirks, cupping her face and kissing her forehead. "It is, isn't it? Come on, we shouldn't keep Nico waiting. That'll only give him more reasons to talk shit about you."

"He'll do it anyway," Ara mumbles, letting him guide her out of the engine room.

"I know, honey, I know," he replies in a mushy voice. "You are so strong for putting up with that."

"Shut up."

"My brave little angel..."

"I mean it!"

"The gods's strongest warrior—"

Ara tries to elbow him but Leo dodges her, escaping with a devilish laugh.

Next Chapter –>

Taglist.

@siriuslysirius1107 @ask-giggles1303 @asnyox-the-hoarder @im-planning-something-look @bandshirts-andbooks @coolninjapaper @thewaterlily @whenisthefall @1randomcomic @you-bloody-shank @sunflowergraves @owlalex44 @taylordaughter @typicalsolangelolover @writingmia @espressopatronum454 @slytherinnqueen @orbitingpolaris @obxstiles @ellipsisspelled @thepixiechicksh

[waitingformyfavoritesongs]

16 March 2023 Thursday 5:07 pmpdt

askalex.Stanford.

edu/Stanford-anesthesiaeducation-committee-meeting-minutes-may-8-2014/

heinous. I looked up Melissa cuen in 2020? She was a Mexican history major. I never saw 🪚 anesthesiologist stuff in 2020. She was a UCB grad 👩‍🎓. I’m not going to the hospital 🏥. I don’t want anyone’s help. Let incubus destroy me Bcz I try to get the truth in public. Acid anus pain. 5:12 pmpdt I found an email 📧 for her at Stanford in 2020 but I hesitated to email 📧 her. My phone (cramps period 5:13 pmpdt). Got locked 🔒 by my aunt. I had no choice but to reset & the info was not searchable when I tried again. 5:13 pmpdt I thought I saw her in a mountain 🏔 vista? Was it? Something commercial for a mountain 🏔 retreat? For addicts? 5:15 pmpdt

5:53 pmpdt I think it’s hypocritical? To say that someone is wicked evil 🦹‍♀️ b4 they prove to be & use it as an excuse to do wicked evil things to someone. 5:54 pmpdt which is what the incubus likes to do. 5:55 pmpdt & if he has the power to completely change someone against their biology 🧬 turn straight men gay then how do we know they’re being honest? 5:56 pmpdt

5:56 pmpdt if you do evil wicked things to someone, then should that prove that you are wicked then? You enjoy hurting people? Apathetic? Not empathetic? Then you aren’t a lover. You try to do what livers do infront if people but behind closed doors 🚪 you’re plotting murder. 5:58 pmpdt you’re a pretender. 5:59 pmpdt you like that the cards are in your favor but you aren’t looking authentically for a good person Bcz you don’t really know anybody especially incubus with his weird shifting personalities & power. 6 pmpdt I thought 💭 if a person is good mayb I don’t have to like them but mayb I can respect ✊ them. 6:01 pmpdt I can’t like everyone? If I liked everyone I would have difficulty making decisions of who to marry? Coexistence I thought 💭 was nice. 6:02 pmpdt being perpetually grumpy & annoyed 😑 doesn’t help me? A lot of times I had to pretend to be happy & not annoyed. When Q walked into my kitchen after I washed the floor I had to bite my tongue 👅 as chunks of dry dirt fell from the bottom of her gladiator sandals 🩴. Glad to be a terminator, Q? Is that what that means when you wear that? & when you wear dark colors & the pearly pendant (acid biting pain vag 6:05 pm pdt) that it’s a hint about whores being evil 🦹‍♀️? 6:05 pmpdt you want me to think that about myself? That’s why you photoshopped my head to look extra large? 6:06 pmpdt

8:37 pmpdt I don’t have any choice but to write ✍️ this here. No one cares to hear me out. 8:38 pmpdt on the phone ☎️ in 2001 I told “Brendan” that I wanted him to go so deep that our souls touch. That’s probably what I said word for word. 8:39 pmpdt I described the kind of love I wanted. What I desired. Anyone who is rational would know we didn’t talk enough or get to know each other enough to fall in love 😻. I liked the way he talked to me but it was bothersome that he jumped into sexting basically immediately. I think 🤔 I would have came closer to maybe 🤔 feeling that with Derek, but he was different on the phone ☎️ than what I thought 💭. 8:41 pmpdt after I stopped writing ✍️ at around 6:06? Or before that the incubus ate/dissolved most of my vag lips 👄. It’s missing.& he’s still torturing me like that I think 💭. 😖😭 throat pain. 8:44 pmpdt behati keeps saying deep love 💕 was it? I wonder 💭 where she got that from. Did he say it first & she kept repeating it? 8:45 pmpdt

8:47 pmpdt I think 🤔 talking to them both probably helped me realize how I should feel around a man 👨 I would want to marry. 8:48 pmpdt

8:48 8:49 pmpdt I will never be with a man 👨 now.

[calliecat93]

Okay, I know that the Spones content in Bread and Circuses has been talked about before, so I’m likely adding nothing new. But heck with it, I’m talking about it anyways cause it’s just too good not to!

The episode has Spock and McCoy somewhat saltier towards each other than usual. From the second the episode resumes after the opening credits, they’re snarking at each other almost immediately. It goes on for so long that we have the guest character outright ask Kirk if they’re enemies, and even he isn’t for sure. It’s almost like one of the writers anticipated the fact that some would legit think that the two genuinely hated each other, and decided to ask the question. For the most part, their banter is mutual and they’re clearly trying to rouse a reaction from the other.Even when at gunpoint, McCoy just HAS to snap at Spock for “[being] so blasted honest?’. Spock’s raised brow to me almost came across like ‘really doctor? must you be like this now?”. It’s got some amusing stuff, like the banter in the beginning and McCoy of all being being the one to suggest illogic regarding sun worshipers has Spock giving some utterly hilarious facial expressions. But still, the banter goes enough that event he audience has to ask: are these two truly enemies.

The rest of their scenes answer the question.

During the gladiator fight, McCoy’s still so pissed off that even fighting to the death won’t stop him from yelling at Spock when he asks if he needs help. Stress and you know… trying not to die is a factor, but still. But since McCoy’s a doctor, not a warrior he’s about to be killed… until Spock takes out his own opponent and nerve punches McCoy’s before he can be harmed. Doing this breaks the rules and Kirk chooses to take what would be their death sentence upon himself. Spock acted on pure instinct in that instant. Or even more bluntly, it was an emotional response. He interfered because he didn’t want McCoy to die, and he was the only one in a positon to save him. He even seems pretty started that he did so. But because of i, now Kirk is going to die in their places and neither he nor McCoy can do anything about it. He outright pulls at the cell bars, according to McCoy, fifteen times. Logically it’s pretty clear that it’s not working.

With this, McCoy’s now cooled down enough that he legitimately tries to thank Spock for saving him. It’s awkward, neither one are very good at having heart-to-hearts with each other. Spock pretty much acts like it’s the usual banter and kind of condescendingly before telling him to get to the point, which causes McCoy to just snap it out at him. Spock tries to go into the usual ‘I’m a logical Vulcan’ spiel, saying quote:

Spock: Oh, yes. You humans have that emotional need to express gratitude. You're welcome, I believe, is the correct response. However, Doctor, you must remember I am entirely motivated by logic. The loss of our ship's surgeon, whatever I think of his skill, would mean a reduction in the efficiency of the Enterprise and therefore-.

Which is what finally gets McCoy pissed off enough to directly confront him about it. Why? Because he knows that Spock’s spitballing here. He’s trying to deny his emotional responses, despite having demonstrated it at least twice with McCoy right there for both of them. Saving McCoy despite knowing the consequences of doing so was an emotional response. Trying to escape the cell due to Jim’s life being in danger despite all efforts failing is an emotional response. He tries to say it’s just due to professionalism, but at this point there’s been enough episodes that the audience knows that that’s not true. McCoy absolutely knows it. He knows how Spock tends to keep his emotions suppressed and deny that he even has them, even though he very clearly does. It is a factor that has continuously frustrated McCoy. He’d never force Spock to be outwardly emotional, Plato’s Stepchildren made that VERY clear. But when it DOES happen and Spock tries to act otherwise? And after having dealt with this for nearly two years now? Yeah, McCoy decides that he’s had it as he grabs Spock, turns him around so that they’re making clear eye-contact, and makes his opinion VERY clear.

McCoy: Do you know why you're not afraid to die, Spock? You're more afraid of living. Each day you stay alive is just one more day you might slip and let your human half peek out. That's it, isn't it? Insecurity. Why, you wouldn't know what to do with a genuine, warm, decent feeling.

Which… he’s not entirely wrong. Even during this, Spock turns away from him like he doesn’t want to talk about it. But McCoy’s right. Spock’s been at war with his Vulcan and human halves for his entire life. He chose to suppress the human half, and it peaking out does concern him. He isn’t able to settle two sides, hence why he’s always insistent about being a logical, unfeelign Vulcan. Now we all know that Vulcans DO feel things. Very strongly in fact, hence why they suppress it to begin with. But I do think it’s safe to say that Spock is afraid of expressing or even talking about his emotions. Whenever he does, he needs to get his grip back on the Vulcan side as quickly as possible. Even though he knows that McCoy knows otherwise. McCoy is pretty damn good at picking up on Spock’s emotional state and Spock knows it. And I think to at least an extent, he knows that McCoy’s correct. McCoy might be being too harsh admittedly, but the point is there. Spock is afraid of letting his human half slip out and the constant struggle of keeping it in check.

I think this is what makes their relationship so important. McCoy’s really the only person who can provoke Spock like this. Sure Kirk can normally reach out to Spock, but he’s not as likely to directly confront Spock and be blunt about it the same way that McCoy can. Spock’s also really the only person who’s ever been able to provoke McCoy and get him think past his own perspective the way that he does. It’s vitriolic in many ways. Like I said, it’s hard for them to really be civil with each other most of the time. Even here when McCoy did try to start off as civil when he tried thanking Spock, it ultimately devolved into another argument. Even McCoy expressed that he isn’t sure why it’s always like this when he says “ I know we've had our disagreements. Maybe they're jokes. I don't know.” But I do think that the episode demonstrates the answer to the queation of if they’re enemies. The short answer is no. The long answer is that they have a very complicated relationship that on a surface level, comes across as hatred. It gets to the point where even they aren’t fully sure. But the truth is they do care about each other greatly. They understand each other a great deal. They’re the only ones who can reach out to the other. The way that they show it is unorthodox sure, but it’s how it works for them.

And even when they are particularly heated, it always ends with them coming down from it and finding a point of unity. In this case, there is absolutely one thing that they can agree on.

Spock: Really, Doctor?

McCoy: I know. I'm worried about Jim, too.

While their concern for Jim is true, I think McCoy brought used that more as a way to bring them both back down after the exchange. Jim and his well-being is very much the one thing that they can agree on. I serves as a calming down point for them n this particular instant. After this while they don’t have anymore direct interactions, they seem to be on good terms and even enter the Bridge together at the end. They still have their heated moments in later episodes such as The Paradise Syndrome and The Tholian Web. But I think that for those who really do think that Spock and McCoy hate each other, I’d say watch this episode again and give their interactios a closer look. Especially the prison scene. Because it shows that for all their banter, for all their differences, there is a strong connection that is very much uniquely them.

[artsy-hobbitses]

What do ya think about the Lambo twins?

First impression

WONDER TWIN BASTARD GREMLIN POWERS ACTIVATE

Impression now

IDW WHY DID YOU DO THAT TO THE BOYS. AND WHY WON'T OTHER TF PROPERTIES INCLUDE SUNNY? JUSTICE FOR SUNNY 2K21.

Favorite moment

Is it weird to say... I don't have one? I'm only very vague acquainted with the original show, and IDW didn't really do a great job with their brother dynamics imho so I'm actually generally left with fan interpretations of them, which I wholly enjoy and contribute to. This is one of the times where I genuinely know fucking 0% about their good canon stuff but I fucking live for everything outside of it.

Idea for a story

Sunstreaker comes back with Bob after self-exile over what happened to Mirage, saves Sideswipe's life and makes it clear that the world can see him as a devil if it wants to, but as long as Sideswipe will still have him as a brother, then that's enough for him to believe that there's still a path ahead for him to be a better man.

Unpopular opinion

IDEK what's unpopular with these boys???

Favorite relationship

Him and his brother of course (non-twincest you foul beasts), its one of the few 'familial' relationships we have in the series and I genuinely wish it was played up more. I WANT MORE BROS. I kind of envision Sunny as a more violent and amoral Edward Elric (also notably the better fighter) and Sideswipe as a more confident/brash/cocky Alphonse Elric, both who will punch open Doors of Truth for the other and that's how I'll play them!

Favorite headcanon

They keep tabs on their wins in sparring matches against each other. It goes into the hundreds, with Sunny winning nearly of them. A lot of people wonder why Sideswipe even bothers at times, Sunny's actually fought in underground cage fights for money (this is also why he felt a strong kinship towards Gladiator Megatron initially) and clearly outmatches him in hand-to-hand combat (this is partly why Sideswipe picks up the blade), but Sunny says that's what he likes about Sideswipe: His baby brother (they're twins, but he was birthed/came online 'first') is too tenacious, thick, or both, to know when to give up, and he's learning with every loss. Also, Sideswipe gets Noogie'd for every loss (NoooOOO HE JUST DID HIS HAIR TWO HOURS AGO, MA DAI!!!)

[chysgoda]

Marketing

Fun with @scrollsfromarebornrealm featuring Augustine Seymour

Art’imis tapped the edge of the folder in her hand on the corner of the table as she walked up to where Augustine was sitting at The Last Stand. “And how is Ul’dah’s favorite Ishgardian pretty boy this evening?”

The Ishgardian paladin jerked just a bit startled by the sharp sound. He frowned for just a breath at the Raen woman before giving her a warm smile, “I could ask the same of Ishgard’s favorite Ul’dahn export.”

Art’imis laughed, an easy sound that rolled out of her throat and sounded like it should come from someone much larger. “Only in some areas, there’s a few clergy who would dearly like to see me banned for how I handle being a champion in the tribunal.”

“If they worked with Aymeric on Justice reform they wouldn’t need to keep suffering that embarrassment would they?” Augustine smirked. He waved a waitress over to take their orders. “It is good to see you somewhere that we aren’t shouting behind shields.” 

Art’imis slid the folder she’d brought across the table to Augustine and then braced a hand on the back of her bench. “X’rhun found those while attempting to bring order to my desk at home.” 

Curious, and with a bit of trepidation Augustine opened the folder. His face flushed red when he saw the prints that had been used as the base for posters in the coliseum. And a few that had not made the cut. “Fury save me, I thought these had all been lost.”

“Now don’t be like that. Once you relaxed there are some excellent shots in there.” 

Art’imis laughed as the younger man thumbed through the photos getting progressively redder. “You remembered what we talked about that second morning in Costa del Sol?”

Augustine set the photos down and gave a fond half smile, “I remember contract negotiations beforehand and how you drug me over the coals getting me comfortable with haggling.”

Art’imis snorted and glanced down at the photos remembering the morning herself…

“Augustine are you actually willing to get out of your comfort zone and commit to this or am I going to bill you for dragging me out here for no reason?” Art’imis huffed as she sat on the down on the beach next to where the Ishgardian was standing. 

Augustine looked down at his hands and then at the rising sun. “I just don’t get how this is supposed to help my performance in the ring.”

Art’imis sighed, absently she picked up a handful of sand and let it fall through her fingers before absently repeating the process. “Why are you looking for the prize money from blood sands fights?”

“Pardon?” Augustine blinked and looked down to the mismatched gold and silver eyes that met his. 

“You're Ishgardian, so what is it? Getting together a sister’s dowry? Paying off a debt to some soft handed noble? Or trying to get back into someone’s good graces?” Art’s tone was matter of fact and she snorted at the startled look. “Your not the first one to come down from on high to fight in the sands. Everyone has a reason for coming down to the sands.”

“Something like that.” Augustine looked away again. Something about how blunt the other gladiator was made him want to squirm with more discomfort than his embarrassment. 

“Any road you're here to make gil, and possibly a name for yourself in the bargain. The sands isn’t soldiering, or adventuring, or trial by combat. Think like that and you aren’t going to get what you’re after. We’re entertainers, circus acts, skill in ring might keep butts in seats but it doesn’t get them there in the first place.” Art’imis looked back to the sea herself. “Stuff like this, posters and appearances and stories, gets people excited, gets them to buy tickets. Which means you get more off the gate. And well there’s no rush quite like a couple thousand people chanting your name to get the blood pumping… or knock another fighter off their game. It’s your choice how you want to go about things, but if you’re not committed I’m going back to the main complex and getting myself a liquid breakfast.”

Augustine pressed his lips into a thin line. He took a long breath in through his nose. It was just another kind of duel, if he kept telling himself that maybe he could get through this. “Let’s get this done.”

Art’imis gave him the grin he’d seen on the sands, all teeth and cheeks. She jumped to her feet and brushed sand off her pants, “To work then! We do this right, we'll have ladies throwing their smalls at you on the sands.”

“WHAT?!”

“Fury be good, I didn’t think you were serious about lady’s smalls at the time.” Augustine shook his head and took a long pull on his drink. 

Art’imis flashed that familiar grin that was all teeth and cheeks. “Franz the Fabulous was so damn jealous, it was great”

Augustine chuckled as he handed the folder back to his friend. The thick card folding over the photos made the time since then feel heavier. They’d both changed since than, new scars, new hopes, the crows feet that were just beginning to show at the corners of Art’imis’s eyes. He’d become the confident knight he’d dreamed of, and she no longer had the sense of barely contained madness that had dogged her steps when he had first met her. The waitress brought their meals and they settled into gossip and catching up. 

Art stretched when she stood up many hours later, “best get going so the staff can get cleaned up and go home.”

Augustine stood himself. He paused thinking of something, “Art has Mathye seen these?”

“See you around Seymour,” Art’imis grinned, once again all teeth and cheeks. As she walked off she waved the folder in a lazy goodbye. 

Augustine felt blood drain from his face, “Art’imis wait?!”

[aimmyarrowshigh]

Hi, Aim! 😊 I'm not sure if you've seen the finale of She-Hulk yet, but I'd love to ask about your thoughts and feelings about it if you have, because, man, do I have mixed feelings about it and I'd love to hear what you have to say about it.

Ooh... wow. Marvel literally admitted that they have no idea how to write women's stories, didn't they. Like, "we SO don't know how to write women's stories that we're going to do a weird meta thing about not knowing how to write women's stories and hope that you think it's charming." Like, "we're going to get out of having to write an actual finale because we always flub those AND we're going to get out of writing a woman's story" in one fell swoop. Whoo. Wow. That was a choice.

Also the meta level of the MCU existing within a universe where the characters are real casts like, Hydra, in a REALLY weird space. And like, Steve. Like, are we supposed to go back and rewatch all of the MCU movies through a lens of them being reality shows that the characters know they're being filmed for but have no control over their actions within?? Is Tony dying in Endgame the equivalent of an in-universe snuff film?? Did a film crew sit there and watch Bucky get tortured and young Natasha and Yelena get human trafficked and do nothing?? THIS IS A WEIRD MOVE, MARVEL. IT'S A WEIRD MOVE THAT WAS NOT THOUGHT OUT.

(Also isn't the blood LITERALLY supersoldier serum, Jen? Like that's what Bruce was trying to make when he Hulked?? It's all supersoldier serum. Green Goblin, Hulk, Abomination, it's all supersoldier serum. It's the literal lifeblood of the Marvel Universe. That's why supersoldier serum stories keep showing up??)

I liked Jen/Matt at the cookout at the end. Marvel does like ending their shows with cookouts, apparently.

And I DO like that they didn't go a "the stealing the blood was the real villainy" route and did go the "the act of trespass into her life was the real villainy" thing instead because it's true, but the way they played it is just going to make the real Intelligencias/Reddits/Chans of the world even more pissed off about women and women's stories (and about the direction of Phase 4/5/6).

I liked Nikki and Pug being such good and genuine friends to Jen, because we don't get to see very many Marvel characters have friends. Pretty much just Scott, and his Wombats aren't going to be in Ant-Man 3 and I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT :(

Kevin Feige self-inserting as an omnipotent, all-powerful brain was... a lot. May I direct you to my most recent guest spot on @idontgettechnology's podcast "I Ship It," which was titled "We Have To Talk About Kevin"? Because I think it's time we talked about Kevin. The man thinks he's FRIDAY.

Also I hope we DO see Jen on the big screen because I love Tatiana Maslany and I have so little interest in a Planet Hulk storyline that doesn't involve Gladiators!Steve/Bucky that it's hard for me to put it into words. Like, Bruce is... fine. But I have no attachment to Bruce. He's the Avenger I always forget about. And no Hulkling for Billy??? What is the POINT?

UNLESS it's a hint that they're doing a BATTLEWORLD storyline, hence Jane being alive in Valhalla and we're going to get a BATTLEWORLD: Thors series, which might be fun because more Natalie Portman and also a noir crime story vibe, but also, I'm very tired.

Just mush Jen in with Scott, Cassie, Hope, Shang-Chi, Katy, and Eddie Brock and do a West Coast Avengers thing. Give them A Villain that they need to stop, and then have them stop That Villain. Matt can come, too. But the nested plotlines within plotlines that never end up coming to fruition are too much. There's too much stuff! Too many things!!!

I JUST WANT TO KNOW WHEN STEVE IS COMING BACK FROM THE MOON AND I WANT WANDA TO BE ALIVE, I'M A SIMPLE WOMAN! I want simple things from my Marvel consumption! I want my blorbos and plotlines that make sense! And I want Steve and Bucky to kiss on the mouth!

Also, but Tatiana's legs tho

[sepublic]

Barrel’s Warhammer!

           YYYYOOOOOO SASHA!!!!

           She really is the epitome, the pinnacle, of gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss! I love Sasha, she’s such an utter mess, morally ambiguous and then downright terrible in so many ways, and genuinely unhinged in just as many! She’s a freaking riot and SUCH an amazing character, y’all!

           In general, I adore how Toads are handled in this show! Yeah, they’re big and brutish and used as thugs… But the show still clearly portrays them as people, and some of them are terrible like Bog, but others are just trying to live their lives, like Percy and Braddock! And how they’re all clearly working with this ascribed role as Andrias’ enforcers and iron fist across Amphibia, how they’re encouraged to be cruel brutes… But they’re still people and they’re still oppressed, which is why Grime is leading his rebellion! Good for him, good for THEM!

           Also… GRIMMITY?!?! Beatrix?! Grime LORE! I like how Beatrix and Grime have blind eyes on opposite sides, and Sasha roasting Bufo by naturally connecting his name to Buffoon, WONDERFUL! Aldo’s also a legendary, killer design, he reminds me of VLD Zarkon, old and decrepit and fanged and clearly has seen a LOT of stuff, a real warrior of his time… Honestly, getting a look into the Toads and THEIR complicated role in this story, as the ‘bad guys’ but not really, there’s more to them; It’s such a fit to Sasha’s character, and I LOVE how she’s such an utter brute for someone who normally seems accustomed to using honey over vinegar to attract flies (to feed her Toads)! She’s nuts, she’s great.

           I love the explanation for the eye symbol, I love Sasha really getting to appreciate Percy and Braddock, and for a moment I thought she really was learning her lesson… When she gave them an out, I thought maybe she took what happened with Anne to heart, but now…! Maybe this is what she’s always done; Made empty promises. God, I love this little arc for her character, how she wants to be a good friend, but she keeps valuing power and control over all else…

           AND HER RAGE! HER JEALOUSY! At Anne and Marcy being with each other, leaving her out, Sasha’s mind jumping to all of the worst conclusions, and how THAT anger is what unlocks her gem power, not heroism or anything else! Sasha’s such a complex and messed-up character but you can’t help but root for her, she really IS a Problematic Fave! God, with how she’s going to meet Anne in a volcano, and the whole “Sasha is Anakin and Anne is Obi-Wan” just WRITES itself, with Sasha angrily accusing Anne of turning Marcy against her, Anne retorting that Sasha did that herself, etc.!

           God Sasha’s such a complicated mess and ball of unresolved emotions and contradictions, denial that’s insisting everything’s fine when it’s really not… She’s a manipulator who prefers to be hands-off, yet is also somehow the raw brute with unthinking, unyielding strength! She’s utterly terrifying, no wonder all of the Toads are in awe of her ferocity and power!

           Also, I like how Barrel’s Warhammer was included; At first I wondered WHY the Narwhal Worm would guard the weapon used by the Toad who fought it, but as we can clearly see… Barrel must’ve conked it out BADLY with his Warhammer, knocking it out, and the hammer has been stuck since! And once more, the hammer has been slammed into the worm… And in general, I love seeing the Toads just ROOT around Sasha and Grime, I love seeing villainous characters get to go feral and unhinged as you root for them, as THEY rise up and fight against all odds as the underdogs!

           Percy and Braddock and the gag with the kawaii poses was great, but it’s also sad to see them go! They’re definitely a wake-up call for Sasha and I like it, I wonder if you could parallel them, one-by-one, to Anne and Marcy respectively? Perhaps Anne and Marcy were initially not taken seriously by Sasha at first, but ultimately she DID grow to care for them and not just as ��tools’, who knows? With Anne and Percy and Braddock, I think Sasha’s going to have to reconsider things… And GRIME, how he just sort of accepts that, yeah, you gotta lose people to achieve a goal! I could see him being a bad influence to Sasha, unintentionally- Like her, he means well, they’re really great parallels to one another!

           Like, Sasha and Grime are both brutes, power-hungry, and wanting control, but Sasha prefers subtlety and manipulation, appeals to both her and others’ emotions, while Grime prefers to be raw and unthinking strength, he’s a seasoned veteran from combat, while Sasha is likely a rich kid, young and learning… They’re such a dynamic duo with a lot to teach one another! Maybe Grime sees himself in Sasha; Himself when HE was a kid… Maybe when he was a gladiator, he had friends but left them behind to be promoted to Captain? I wonder if Beatrix has anything to say on this, too…

           Could Beatrix provide insight to Grimmity? Did Grime leave her behind in a sense…? Does SASHA have a sibling, and that leads to her weird power complex, as another parallel to Grime! Either way it’s sweet, I adore the dynamic of two horrible people who are good friends and bad, enabling influences to each other… Being problematic faves, you can’t help but cringe at their mistakes but also cheer as they win as underdogs and turn the tables on their enemies! I like how Sasha is still supportive of Grime and vice-versa, Grime’s guiding this kid, but Sasha’s fully supporting Grime as the de-facto leader and backing him up, not trying to seize control!

           I think it really parallels Anne, how she just wanted to get back home… But somewhere along the way, she realizes how much she loves and enjoys this, and values her friend! And maybe it could lead to Sasha not wanting to head back home after all, especially if there’s nothing there for her; Which could play into her keeping all of her gem powers as she opposes Andrias openly, while Anne has some of her power because again, she’s more neutral, and then Marcy has none because she’s fully bought into the Newt King’s schtick!

           Also, it’s funny that Sasha is no doubt feeling betrayed, like her trust has been jeopardized by Anne and Marcy, considering she did the same to Anne in Reunion! Lying to her about what she intended to do with the Frogs… It’s wonderfully hypocritical and this kid does NOT want self-awareness, she’ll toy with it for a bit, but then immediately backpedal! Get better and well Sasha, for everyone’s sake… The confrontation and paranoia as she loses her friends and only has Grime, who means well but isn’t so great himself, is also nice!

           Honestly, there’s even a parallel to the idea of Sasha meaning well, only to be ruined by her own toxicity… And Grime wanting a better life for Toads in his revolution, but still allowing a hierarchy to exist by the end of the day, instead of abolishing it for all! They both have good ideas and initiative, but it’s ruined by Sasha and Grime not backing down on certain things and not listening to others, being SO sure they’re right… Very compelling stuff. Now I’m starting to wonder if Sasha will be open to Anne about her suspicions, if they WILL get along for the Third Temple…

           …Or if she’ll try to manipulate and fool her again, thinking that SHE’s been betrayed herself! And maybe Sasha will realize her faults in the battle of Newtopia, only for it to be too late, Anne has been too betrayed, Sasha has only herself (and, well, Andrias) to blame! In the meantime, as Sasha no doubt embraces her role as a rebel, but also unknowingly as a hero against Andrias and his master… I can see her tapping more into her gem powers and actually using them as part of her rage, hence the shots we see from the Third Temple! She’s going to be terrifying, y’all, and even more of a match for Yunnan at this point… And Anne, poor Anne’s going to be caught between TWO toxic friends!

           Both mean well, but both have other bad points… And it just means Anne’s gonna have to forge her own path, make her own decisions and group and faction, be her own person and take initiative once more! But it’s also gonna be lonely and could contribute to more trust issues along the way… And maybe she’ll think she can only trust herself, only do things on her own, and how this might pair badly with her selfless martyr-complex. We’ll have to wait and see, though… We’ll have to wait and see.

[lifetimeshipper]

Love For A Millennia

Chapter 11

---------------

Wheeljack vented out a sigh as he sat between Bulkhead and Seaspray. It hasn't even been an hour and I miss her.

"You alright, buddy?" Seaspray asks him.

"I guess. Hey, barkeep, can I get some High-Grade Energon?"

"Are you feeling down because you had to leave the one femme you fell in love with?" Seaspray asked as the bartender gave Wheeljack some High-Grade Energon.

"A little," Wheeljack countered as he took a sip of the High-Grade Energon. "But I'm seeing her tonight."

"You sneaky devil, good for you!"

"This the femme you came in with before?" The bartender asked as he started cleaning a glass.

"Yes. Why?"

"I thought she was betrothed to some mech... What was his name again?"

"Megatronus and she is, by force by her father."

"Isn't Megatronus the famous gladiator?" Bulkhead asked.

"Yep, the one and only," Wheeljack responded before looking to the bartender. "How did you find out when the only ones who knew about it were the house servants and me?"

"I guess he's been talking about it to somebot and they're talking about it around here," the bartender replies as he holds up his servos in defense.

"Huh. She doesn't even want to mate with him but she has to because it's her father's wish."

"So she'd rather follow her father's wishes than be happy?" Seaspray asked.

"She said she made a vow after her mother died to stick with her father and always obey him and his wishes no matter what they are. Believe me, she did retaliate against the idea but she agreed to do it for her father."

"So if she's betrothed to Megatronus and you'll be seeing her later... Wouldn't that be cheating?" Seaspray asked as he tried to keep up.

"Yeah, I suppose so."

"Technically it's not cheating since she's not mates with the mech yet," the bartender added.

"He has a point," Bulkhead stated.

"Yeah, and either way I'm gonna see her."

"Just be careful, you don't want any enemies on the High Council, or make an enemy of Megatronus," the bartender warned.

"I will be, but I'm not worried about them."

"So where and when are you meeting her?" Bulkhead asked.

"We're meeting tonight but where I don't know."

"You probably should have told her something. Do you have her comm number?" The bartender asked.

"Now may be a good time to give her a call, it's nearly sundown," Bulkhead stated.

"Alright. But where should I meet her?"

"Somewhere so no one will see you and start rumors would be a good place."

They all tried to think of a place for them to go. "Isn't there this old building that no one uses anymore?" Seaspray asked as he took a sip of his High-Grade Energon.

"Yeah, I think it used to be a warehouse, a manufacturer of sorts," Wheeljack responds.

"Why not take her there? No one is using it and it's the last place any bot would look."

"Good idea," Wheeljack says as he leaves to call Arcee to tell her.

"He left his High-Grade Energon," Seaspray said as Wheeljack walked out.

"So?"

"I guess I'll take it then," Seaspray chuckled as he drank the rest of Wheeljack's High-Grade Energon.

"He has other stuff on his processor at the moment."

"And a good mech like Wheeljack shouldn't leave his girl with another bot," Seaspray argued in a slurred voice.

"Well, he has no choice."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Arcee practiced her battle techniques once she made sure she was alone. She missed Wheeljack's company. Hopefully, he'll call soon. Just then she heard a ping which meant someone was calling, hoping it was Wheeljack she quickly answered.

:: Hey, babe. ::

:: Hey, Wheeljack, I was wondering when you were gonna call. ::

:: I was trying to think of where we should go. ::

:: Thought of a place? ::

:: Yep, there's this old warehouse that no one uses anymore. I thought we could go there. ::

:: Sounds good. ::

:: OK, what time do you want to meet? ::

:: In an hour? ::

:: Sounds good. ::

:: Great, just give me the coordinates to the place and we'll be set. ::

Sending her the coordinates, Wheeljack headed home to get ready. Arcee went to get ready herself and an hour later she headed out to meet him.

Wheeljack was the first to arrive, "I hope I'm not too early," he muttered to himself.

Not long after, Arcee arrived, "Hey, been here long?" She greeted.

"No, I just got here," he smiled as he looked her over. "You look really nice."

"Thanks, so do you."

"Thanks. Is there anything that you want to do?"

"Just hang out really."

"Good thing I brought some Energon for us," he smiled as he led her inside.

She just giggled as she followed him in, "Good thing."

"How's your dad doing?"

"Working and being all about business as usual."

"Shouldn't he be spending some time with you, or at least try?"

"He doesn't think he should, to him, work is still more important."

"Aww, maybe Daddy Wheeljack can be with you," Wheeljack replied with a small smirk as he pulled her into a hug.

She just smirked back as she leaned against him, "Daddy Wheeljack better be," she teased. Placing a digit under her chin, he gently kissed her lips. She placed a servo on his cheek as she kissed him back.

I love her so much.

Primus I love this mech.

Wrapping his arms around her he pressed their bodies closer. Arcee wrapped her arms around his neck as she deepened the kiss. Gently guiding her to the floor he settled her on top of him, enjoying the blissful moment. Arcee's servo started traveling over his chest to his stomach.

Suddenly she was flipped over and found him on top of her. His servos traveled along her body as he licked her lower lip. She opens her mouth a little more and he slides his glossa inside to caress hers.

After a moment, Arcee pulls back breaking the kiss, "Wheeljack, please be gentle it's my first time," she says as she tries to get air flowing through her vents.

"It's my first time as well," he admitted as he looked into her optics.

Arcee smiled, "Glad to know I'm your first."

Wheeljack returned her smile and pressed his forehelm against hers, "I am too."

She smiles at him and kisses him again.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Bulkhead! Earth to Bulkhead!" Miko shouts out trying to get the big guy's attention.

"Huh? What?" Bulkhead shook his helm.

"Dude, you just stopped talking and spaced out."

"Oh, sorry. Where was I?"

"Wheeljack and Arcee are in the abandoned warehouse making out."

"Ahh, right. Making out," Bulkhead muttered as he tried to think to a point where it was safe for the children to hear.

"I get it. Kids you don't want to hear about what happened next," Ratchet stated after noticing Bulkhead's nervousness.

"Why not?" Raf asked as he pushed his glasses back into place.

"Yeah, why not?" Miko asked.

"Oh..." Jack said as he caught on.

"I know, why don't you kids go get some snacks," Bulkhead suggested.

"Sure thing!" Miko said as she hopped off Bulkhead's shoulder. She ran to get some snacks and returned, "Alright, now continue."

"Uhh... It soon came time for the two to part ways..."

XXXXXXXXXX

As the two tried to leave Wheeljack kept pulling Arcee back to give her another kiss, he didn't want her to go.

Arcee giggled, "Wheeljack, I need to get back before Dad finds me gone and sends out a search party."

"I'm sorry, but I don't want you to go. I wish you could stay with me." He smiled as he nuzzled her cheek.

"I wish that too, more than anything in the universe."

Holding her servo he gave her one last kiss, "Let me know when you get home," he whispered as he turned to leave.

"I will," she said as she turned to leave as well.

Feeling her fingers leaving his servo made his spark feel like it was breaking. With a heavy sigh, he transformed and headed home. I'll see you when I can, babe.

Arcee headed home as well. Hopefully, it won't be long before our next meeting. She kept thinking about what they had done, how she had felt. It felt like nothing could ruin her night.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 1

Next Chapter

[lidoshka]

I follow you on Deviant Art and I discovered my favorite Voltron fanfictions thanks to your fanarts. How did you find them? I loved, among the others, "Where the light doesn’t reach", "Eternal Night", Discordiansamba's ones and "Desideratum": do you have more suggestions? We could do an exchange of fanfiction reviews if you want. I like long, well-written stories with Keith as a main character, space worldbuilding and deep emotions. With the Galra Keith trope also.

 You started reading Voltron fics because of me? Really?! That’s really cool!

ヾ|*ﾟ∀ﾟ*|ﾉ

Ahh! Yeah, I totally agree, we need more fanfic recs… in the last few months I’ve been doing art for other fandoms, so I haven’t checked new fics, but I do have some I like here so I’ll start!

Now, I don’t think any of these fics is longer than Eternal Night, but they are still cool, I also added some info of what I remember from each fic:

cobbled glass by ShirosRedKnight (SweetFanfics) One of the first things Keith learns about himself is that he is different. AU where Keith was always part of the Blades of Marmora and the Paladin's of Voltron come looking for the Red Paladin.

[Keith is galra but looks human] [can’t remember any pairing]

It's A New Start Series by Darkscales In which Keith, raised Galra and forcibly drafted into Zarkon's army, escapes from the Empire and proceeds to steal (then subsequently become adopted by) the Red Lion.

[Keith is very galra] [can’t remember any pairing]

 your sharp and glorious thorn by arahir

To end the war they inherited, Keith marries the King he lead an army against

[Sheith] [mostly Keith POV] [Keith being galra but still human-looking]

 Collision Course by winterysomnium Keith gets adopted by the Galra empire rebellion, basically.

[Keith being galra but still human-looking]

 Secret of the Blood by exclamation AU version of season 2. When Keith and Shiro were thrown from the wormhole, they crashed by the Blade of Marmora headquarters and were captured. When the Blade reveal the secret of Keith's heritage, Keith must decide if he can trust these people... and if he can trust himself.

[Keith angst] [can’t remember any pairing] [Keith is galra but looks human]

 The Blade of Memory by exclamation (ß same author as previous one!) Kan has no memory of his life before he was found injured and adrift by the Blade of Marmora. When he comes across a slave that seems to be the same species as him, he decides to rescue him. But saving Matt broke a number of the Blade's rules and helping Matt further would mean going against Kolivan's orders.

[Keith angst…ish] [can’t remember any pairing] [Keith is galra but looks human]

 hound by story_monger (is there any rec list that doesn’t include this one?? XD) Keith has a lot of practice being alone; you might almost say he's good at it. When he finds himself seriously injured and stranded on an unknown planet, he knows he's not alone there

[Keith angst] [can’t remember any pairing] [Keith POV] [beign galra is not part of plot]

 baby, you're a dark star by Thesis When the Lions are separated from the castle, hurled out of the wormhole into distant corners of space, Pidge still finds Allura within an hour. Then Shiro, alone, injured, delirious, asking if they've found Keith yet. They force him into the healing pods and get back to searching. They find Lance, they find Hunk. But they don't find Keith for sixteen months. And now that they have, Shiro is starting to think - maybe he didn't want to be found.

[Sheith] [Keith is galra but looks human]

 Insomnia by GriffinRose They reunite after the Wormhole Incident all in one piece. Mostly. But some scars can't be seen. Keith can't sleep, no matter how hard he tries.

[mostly Keith POV] [being galra is not part of plot…or was it?]

 nothing can breathe in space by idrilka The truth is: what Keith wants or doesn’t want won’t bring Shiro back. The truth is: nothing can breathe in space. (Or: the story of how Keith and Shiro come together, come apart, and come together again.)

[Sheith] [Keith angst] [being galra is not part of plot…or was it?]

 The Heat Was Hot and the Ground Was Dry by justheretobreakthings A glimpse into Keith's year living in a shack in the desert.

[Keith POV] [Keith angst…ish] [has a Spotify list on the last chapter] [can’t remember any pairing]

 Small Heart, Made of Steel by inkfishie The fight with Zarkon, the battle with the Galra fleet, the crash; It came back in small measures. Keith finds himself stranded and alone.

[mostly Keith POV] [Keith angst] [survival stuff] [being galra is not part of plot]

 For Everything a Reason by flyingisland

In Keith's life, the only true absolute was that everyone would always leave in the end.

[Sheith] [very Keith angst] [Keith POV]

 these old bones by achievingelysium

He’s always been fascinated with dinosaurs. Keith isn’t entirely sure why—maybe it’s because their footprints are still here, even after so long. Maybe he’s hearing the echoes of history calling for him. Maybe, just maybe, it’s because he sees himself in those old bones. A Keith character study told in three parts.

[Keith angst…ish] [can’t remember any pairing] [being galra is not part of plot..or was it???]

 The Long Way Back by fio As a gladiator, and now Champion, Shiro has given up hope of ever returning to Earth. But when his captors deliver his 'prize'—an omega, a descendant of both Galran and Altean blood used by the Galra to breed with the strongest aliens they capture—he's offered a chance to escape. There's just one catch: Shiro has to get him pregnant to do it. [Sheith] [it’s 40k words] [smut but I can’t remember in which chapter] [Keith is very galra]

 The Faeries' Midwife by zjofierose the line between dream and nightmare, between asleep and awake, has always been a hazy one for Keith. Voltron makes it all that much worse.

[short] [Keith angst] [can’t remember any pairing]

 Sands and Stars by Neyasochi Keith’s no stranger to shit going sideways, but mistakenly assaulting and robbing a crown prince is definitely the peak misfortune of his considerable criminal career. Suddenly in the custody of the royal guard and slated for a swift and unceremonious execution, he figures his short life is over. Imminently. But then Prince Takashi offers him an alternative.

Part 1 of the Bond and Blade Series

[Sheith] [slow, slow burn] [mostly Keith POV] [Keith is galra but looks human] [It’s medieval!au-ish babe!]

 familiar voices and careful hands by bobtheacorn Keith hesitates, then lifts a hand to pat Hunk's arm. It's awkward returning the comforting gesture, but it seems to help Hunk calm down so Keith is glad that he does it. He keeps reaping the rewards of reaching out to the people he cares about, even if small things are the only ones he can manage right now, and he can't help feeling grateful.

[can’t remember any pairing] [team bonding] [keith angst…ish]

 i never meant (i only wanted) by ADyingFlower It's a lot farther to Arizona from Washington D.C. than he thought it would be. The sun beats down on his scalp and dark clothes as he travels the roads of national highways, occasionally trying to hitchhike when he could. Not often, though. His soles burn into his feet, but he doesn’t dare stop.

[Keith POV] [Keith angst] [being galra is not part of plot…or was it???]

+

Well, that’s my fav ones about Keith... I didn’t add any WIPS nor any of Discordiansambas’ cause you know those ones already, but just like you I also like long stories with lots of worldbuilding, angsty stories... I love stories where they explore what being a galra hybrid means to Keith!

[neonthecrazy]

ok, so we may or may not get a teaser for persona 6 this year, it's been a hot minute since any persona stuff has come out, and if they announce another P5 spinoff it could easily come with a P6 teaser attached. regardless of if anything is announced for P6 it will be bare minimum... I want to say 2-5 years till it's relleased in Japan. that being said im going to aimlessly rattle of things I would like to see in persona 6 knowing that none of my followers/mutuals care about the random ass jrpg I just started rebloging stuff about one day (btw hey mutuals I know I don't talk a lot but know i love all of you <3). so let us began the hyperfixiation rant:

give us a female protagonist

retro-gameboy menu aestetic, like in P5 you whip out your phone to fast travel and look at texts, except your MC pulls out a brand safe Nintendo DS to look at character stats and manage healing items

punk rock soundtrack, maybe just my personal biases, but persona 3 had a soundtrack filled with industreal sythrock (I think that's what you call it) that made you feel like you where in a cyberpunk-esk strange destorted world, reflecting the ambiance, P4 had this happy popy soundtrack that hoped to brighten your day and help you stand tall no matter how foggy the situation gets, and P5s smooth jazz and contemporary helping to give the game a calming atmosphere and this deep meloncally and nostalgia for better days, falling in line with the game being about making the world a better place through vigilante acts, if P6 is going to be green themed, like P5 red or P4 yellow, then themes of growth and understanding of one's self may come at the cost of breaking free of oppressive things keeping you down, hence punk rock.

make party members more special, let's take ann from P5 for example, she is the resident mage archetype of the group and does fire magic, by the end of her progression she has conncentrate (2.5 times damage to your next spell) blazing hell (severe fire damage to all enemys) and fire amp/boost (passives that give 25% and 50% fire damage increase respectively), my issue here is: I can make a persona that does way better then that in an afternoon, and then some, with no elemental weakness, ann ain't special. BUT, consider insta-kill abilitys for a moment, they only come in bless and curse elements, they can be very dangerous and quickly end fights, so when Atlus wants an enemy to be tough, they make them null to bless and curse. what if ann had FIRE elemental instakills? they would cost a lot of sp and would only get about a mediam chance of working to balance out, but ann would become essential in finishing fights quick when normal insta-kills are nulled. And with no way to get that kind of ability for yourself, you have to lean on your party more, if they gave something like this to all the party members, it could get really interesting.

normally if your MC dies, it's game over, why is it like that? can it not be like that anymore? thanks.

now that I think about it when you loose a fight can we get a big goofy GAME OVER pop up on the screan?

I want this games talking animal mascot to be a bird, no I will not elaboate

can we have gay romance options? in persona 5 we can romance an alcoholic reporter we meet on the street, but not our best friend with which we kill God with and find ourselves inseparably attatched to, in persona 3 you could romance a middle schooler but not someone of the same gender. WHY

a change to the one more system, let us get a one more from healing. make it so that when you heal a party member from bellow half health to full you get a one more, as I feel that healing is always the only thing a party member can do on there turn, as opposed to attacking and baton passing and doing massive damage to an enemy, healing disrupts the flow, as does debufing enemys, maybe they can have a confidont perk that makes it so that you get a one more from debufing a previous undebufed target?

technicals are cool and all, but P6 should pump the breaks after royal gave you technical levels, it's a time sink i don't think was needed, set the chance of a technical to knock down at a static 50%,

for baton pass I would keep the levels of it, but change the way to rank it up because the the darts minigame was cool twice then it was all over

more then just two combats tracks, maybe slight remixes of them for different dungeons/palaces

P4 let you go back to old dungeons to grind, P5 had momentos for in between palaces, it got kinda annoying how easily you could plow through them, maybe you get, like, a gladiator Arena where the game throughs progesivly harder miniboses at you, with a jose like vender to pay for more exp rewards, and it will cap the difficulty intermittently so you arnt over leveled before the next Palace even opens up

give the MC more agency in the story, in P5 your response doesn't really matter, often having the same reply no matter what you say and only really controlling how quickly you rank with a character.

have other characters ignowedge our romance options, even if its unvoiced lines, I romance makoto and was waiting for sae to say something at the very least offhand about it, and got nothing

can we nix the fusion alarm? I founditmore annoying then anything else, a just want to fuse my persona I peace

[five-miles-over]

Joaquin Phoenix Characters - Sleepover Headcanons

Hi everyone! Hope you’re all doing well - staying healthy, safe and sane. This is just a fun little listicle about what some of our favorite characters would be like during a sleepover - what they’d like to eat, what they’d like to do, etc. The characters in this listicle are: 

• Arthur Fleck/Joker (”Joker”), Merrill Hess (”Signs”), Doug Holt (”Inventing the Abbotts”), Max California (”8 mm”), Jimmy Emmett (”To Die For”)  Johnny Cash (”Walk the Line”), Doc Sportello (”Inherent Vice”), Abbé de Coulmier (”Quills”), and Emperor Commodus (”Gladiator)

This is just a fun listicle, not designed to offend anyone. As always, please feel free to leave comments and/or constructive criticism below. Thank you, and without any further ado, please enjoy!

Arthur Fleck

• Favorite Snack: Frosted sugar cookies, snickerdoodles, just cookies in general (and don’t forget a glass of milk)

• Really likes doing arts and crafts (making necklaces, charm bracelets, slime, frames, you name it, he’s in)

• Very polite guest, will always say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’

• Enjoys watching “The Wizard of Oz” (and we cannot skip any songs)

• Surprisingly very good at charades

With the other characters: Arthur would be very happy to make friendship bracelets with Abbé, and indulge in a harmless pillow fight with Merrill.

Joker

• Favorite Snack: Popcorn, lightly salted

• Usually the first one to start a game of “Truth or Dare”

• Also, loves to take every challenge to the next level (Prank call someone? Nah, he’ll say to prank call the police, which btw you should never, ever do.)

• Gently needs to be told to put away his weapons.

• Seriously, do not teach him or invite him for a round of Russian Roulette

With the other characters: He could probably teach a very eager Commodus how to fire a gun, so...watch out? 

Also, he’d be having some pretty intense conversations with Max, Doc, and Jimmy about the kind of things they’ve all seen women able to do.

Merrill Hess

• Favorite Snack: S’mores and M&M’s

• Enjoys board games as well as outdoor activities (baseball, catching fireflies, tag)

• His favorite game to play at sleepovers though, is pictionary

• Tells a few too many stories about aliens

• Likes pillow fights

• Enjoys watching “Toy Story” and any of the “Indiana Jones” movies (because of the adventure)

With the other characters: When he’s not playing catch with Doug outside, he might be having a pillow fight with Arthur or watching whatever just happens to be playing. Also, his stories about extra-terrestrial beings may be the reason Arthur will need some more milk to fall asleep.

Doug Holt

• Favorite Snack: Ice Cream Sandwiches

• Usually is a very nice guest - he’ll bring over some store-bought snacks (chips/crisps, pretzels, onion rings) if not some meatloaf from home

• Actually has some great stories from his childhood about him and his brother

With the other characters: He would definitely make Johnny Cash laugh with his story about drawing fake sideburns to look like Elvis Presley. Also, don’t be surprised to find those two having a wrestling match or fist-fighting just for fun.

Max California

• Favorite Snacks: Beer and Pretzels

• Brings his own six pack of beer, the latest Playboy, Playgirl (every dirty magazine he has in stock), a few toys, and even some pornographic movies 

• He is the life of the party - he gets everyone laughing and whistling raucously

•  Brace yourself for some vulgar jokes and unrestrained swearing

With other characters: One time he brought a tattoo gun and gave Jimmy a tattoo of a skull and crossbones on the kid’s bicep. 

Much to the Abbé’s chagrin, Max is more than happy to read some of the stuff he brings to the party out loud.

Jimmy Emmett

• Favorite Snacks: Cheese Puffs and Candy Bars

• Kind of sloppy, and makes a mess when he eats

• The lightweight of the bunch- he gets buzzed after two glasses of wine. 

• He’s still great because he’ll laugh at almost any joke you tell him

• Also, Jimmy gives good hugs when he’s drunk or stoned (no one knows why)

With the other characters: Laughing over something weird while smoking pot with Doc. 

He’s also quite hooked on the magazines Max brings over, studying the photographs of women quite intensely.

Johnny Cash

• Favorite Snack: Not really a snack (more of a meal), but chili and cornbread

• Wouldn’t be a fan of karaoke, but definitely enjoys watching other people perform

With the other characters: Trying to be mature, Johnny would prefer to talk about Jesus with Abbé, or just watch the others try their hand at singing.

If all else bores him, he might just sweet-talk Commodus into saying, “They tell me your son squealed like a girl when they nailed him to the cross, and that your wife moaned like a whore when they ravaged her again and again.”

Doc Sportello

• Favorite Snack: Fruit (he seems to be someone who likes healthy, all-natural food)

• Brings his own stash of pot and paper for rolling joints

• LIVES for the karaoke -he’ll sing anything without any fear

With the other characters: Honestly, he’ll be lighting up a smoke and just having a great time in general. Will he sleep? Yeah, he will, but he’ll also enjoy hanging out with the other guys.

Abbé de Coulmier

• Favorite snack: Chamomile tea (because it’s calming) with biscuits

• The first to fall asleep at a sleepover (”Early to bed, and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”)

• If your prankster friend is around, Abbé might also be the first to wake up with an ink mustache

• Might insist on leading a group prayer before everyone “sleeps”

• Would enjoy watching either “The Ten Commandments” or a sweet, vintage film like “Roman Holiday” or “Sabrina”

With the other characters: After an obligatory drink with the host, the Abbé would enjoy speaking about the Lord with Johnny Cash. And of course, he would keep his rosary handy for when Max comes with...lewd party favors.

Emperor Commodus

• Favorite snacks: Charcuterie boards (cured meats, various pungent cheeses, olives) and Gelato

• Usually enjoys hosting sleepovers more than being invited to sleepovers

(mainly because it’s safer for him and he gets to be in charge of everything)

• Still, he is a very good host.

• Unlike the others, he’s surprisingly okay with hot oil massages, cooling facials, and even manicures 

• Wine tasting while gazing at the stars

• When it comes to Truth or Dare, he’ll choose some of the most extravagant dares to prove he’s not afraid of anything (even though he really doesn’t want to do any of them)

• Very, very very fussy about cleanliness - he does not like the idea of his silk sheets being stained with orange cheese dust or melted chocolate (looking at you, Jimmy...), or his tidy rooms smelling of pot

With the other characters: He once tried to host a private gladiatorial show for his guests...let’s just say there’s a reason lions are not supposed to be inside the palace. Other than that incident, him and the Abbé were actually able to have a nice few moments together for once, bonding over experiences with wine.

His favorite guest to invite is Max. Seeing as how the Abbé will not bring any of the Marquis’s books, Max is the one bringing the most entertainment and comedy.

[slugtranslation-hypmic]

important question that's been bugging me for a while. since hypmic plays in a female powered society.. does that make everything like..our world but reverse? so that guys are more often oppressed and girls are more likely to be predators, taking what happened to hifumi (like men are more likely to us) and stuff like that? (or like if we imagine everything genderbent and apply our society to that) sorry I hope this is not too triggering. love your work!

This is a delicate question. I am going to put my answer below a cut. Topics included: sexual predators, misogyny, assault, kidnapping, the mistreatment of male sexual assault victims

I don’t think that I’m necessarily the best person to answer this or examine this. I’m not educated enough in this particular topic. However, I have tried to give it as much thought and respect as I can.

The Question of Female Predators

This is a very complex topic. Female predators are already not uncommon in the world we live in, so I guess the question of whether there would be more or less female predators depends on what factors contribute to people becoming a predator.

I could be entirely wrong about this, but I think one factor that causes a lot of fear of being preyed upon is the size difference between most AMAB people and AFAB people. Obviously, there are millions of exceptions to this rule, but AMAB people generally tend to be taller, more muscular, and broader than AFAB people. The majority of AMAB people are also men (whereas the majority of AFAB people are women), so on average, an altercation between an untrained man and an untrained woman is not likely to end in the woman’s favor. This isn’t going to change in the world of Hypnosis Mic.

It’s the societal factors that would change. The Center for Hope and Safety says, “A sexual offender generally believes he is better than other people and so does not have to follow the rules that ordinary people do.” This is a stance the Party of Words elevates. The Party constantly practices “othering” and promotes themselves as an elite group. Only they are allowed to enter a certain area. Only they are allowed to write the name of their ward in kanji, whereas every other location must use the foreign-looking katakana. ARB events frequently feature Party members shoving characters around from place to place with no explanation, as questions are not allowed. Only the Party can know what’s going on. Using this as a guideline, I think it’s very possible for predators already within the Party to use this as an excuse for being a predator. “Men are worthless, so I can abuse them.”

You could argue that the Party is founded on the principles of safety for women and non-violence, but the Party is also very hypocritical. Its promises of safety are only for the party itself; it puts on painful gladiator battles to turn a profit and purposefully cause infighting to keep the Party safe. Ramuda even suggests (and I have no reason to disbelieve him) in TDD 12 that they have a stockpile of weapons as well. The Party doesn’t care for anything but itself and staying in power.

So yes, predators within the Party are probably more likely to abuse their power, but would the shift towards a female-dominated society create more female predators? That’s a much harder question to answer. I am not remotely equipped to speak on what causes someone to become a predator. I do, however, think that societal norms can enable predators or foster mindsets of fright against certain groups.

In the world that we live in, it is very possible for men in certain areas to sexually assault or otherwise mistreat a woman and be applauded by their communities. Think of online communities such as “The Red Pill” or “Men Going Their Own Way”. Such communities believe that women deserve this mistreatment, and while these are very extreme examples, this same mindset permeates a lot of global societies. Even on a small scale, a lot of men tend to make casual sexist comments because we were raised with the notion of this being socially appropriate. And there’s the issue - it’s inappropriate, but it’ll continue to be socially appropriate as long as we don’t continue to challenge ourselves, challenge our friends, and raise our children with better standards of accountability and respect. These social changes do not happen in the blink of an eye, and I highly doubt that a single three years with the Party of Words in power would change that.

Similarly, a lot of girls in our societies are taught (both consciously and subconsciously) to defer to their male peers or even to fear men in positions of power. Once again, unlearning this and teaching future generations more positive standards does not happen overnight. I doubt that most women in the Hypmic universe are able to make radical shifts of thinking and acting over the course of three years. Furthermore, I doubt that many men are really taking the Party’s misandristic words to heart. None of the main characters seem particularly bothered by Ichijiku calling them barbarous fools on the regular; it’s an annoyance, sure, but that’s it. We’d have to see the Party in power for a much longer time to witness any large societal changes.

Additionally, the world inside Chuuouku and the world without are quite different. While Chuuouku boasts state-of-the-art architecture and technology, the rest of Japan gets by like normal, if perhaps in a bit shabbier fashion than to be expected for this futuristic world. Men and women seem to still fit into stereotypical gender roles in much the same way that they do today. Doppo’s bosses are all men; the majority of doctors we see are men, and the nurses tend to be women. While some of Jirou’s female classmates seem to be especially assertive, male and female students get along in the same way as we would expect to see in our world. Women are still kidnapped and trafficked by primarily male yakuza. The former military looks to be exclusively made up of men. Progress moves slowly, so I think we can assume that the Japan outside of Chuuouku is approximately our modern Japan.

One of the major issues in examining this topic is that we see so little female-male interaction in regards to sex or romance. Ramuda and Hifumi are the only characters (that I can think of off the top of my head) who have any on-screen sexually/romantically charged interactions with women, but probably because this is a series largely marketed towards women, these interactions never go beyond light, impersonal flirting. To really take a look at how predators and assault may be featured in the Hypmic universe, we would need a much larger sample size. That being said, I’d still like to examine two case studies: Nemu and Hifumi.

Nemu

The two driving forces of Nemu’s character are her rejection of violence and her desire to have personal strength. The first of these is probably rooted in her childhood, from living with an abusive father, witnessing his violent murder, and witnessing the subsequent suicide of her mother. Samatoki doesn’t appear to have any resources for dealing with his own processing of these events, and he turns to violence and emotional outbursts as a way to channel his feelings. This violence continues to wear on Nemu, but she can still withstand it under normal circumstances up until the moment she is kidnapped.

Nemu cites her kidnapping as an example of her weakness, when in reality, it is an exhibition of anything but weakness. She remains calm throughout the entire ordeal, comforts Jirou and Saburou and keeps them hopeful, throws her shoe at Genchou, and offers him to cut her fingers off if that means the others will be spared. Nemu isn’t weak – she is a hero. She is a seventeen year old girl who lost both parents at a young age and has witnessed horrifically traumatic situations, yet she keeps her head during a hostage situation and acts with courage in order to keep everyone else safe.

Nemu calls herself weak not because she thinks she’s weak for anything she did during the situation, but because the situation happened to her in the first place. She is victim blaming herself for violent assault. This isn’t a logical position, but it’s a very understandable position for someone with her background. Unfortunately, Samatoki doesn’t have the knowledge or resources in order to help her process her trauma safely, and his own coping mechanisms only set her off further.

Nemu isn’t mentally weak, but she is very emotionally vulnerable. Even without the Party’s hypnosis, an offer from the Party would be too tantalizing to ignore. They can promise her a world in which suddenly she has the power over everyone else and where violence is not practiced. An offer like this is impossible for her to ignore. Even though the Party are the ones putting her in jeopardy again, they implicitly promise her that she can never be hurt again. For a young, brave, powerful girl holding in so much pain, that promise is everything she’s ever wanted.

As mentioned before, the Party doesn’t care about stopping violence. In fact, it encourages infighting among its civilians. If Nemu were not in an emotionally vulnerable position, she could see that and reject the Party’s offer, but that’s exactly why the Party targets her and not any of her peers. Imagine how many other young girls in similar situations fall prey to the same trap. These girls need healing and positive environments, but they are fed propaganda instead.

Hifumi

I don’t talk about this much because it’s a very uncomfortable subject for me, but the way Hifumi is depicted is a real tragedy.

We don’t know the details of what this particular girl did to Hifumi, but we do know that it continues to impact him over ten years later. We know that Hifumi developed his coping strategy on his own, seemingly without professional help, and that without it, he can’t begin to live even an approximation of a normal life. The illustrations of him encountering a woman show him hiding, cowering with his neck covered, or crying. He looks to be in genuine fear of losing his life. Consider being this afraid of half of the population and how frequently he must encounter women in his daily life: on the street, in the grocery store, on public transportation. Without the jacket, Hifumi’s life is a nightmare.

And yet the canon source material frames it as a joke. The humurous background music in ARB and Hifumi’s exaggerated gestures in the manga show that his fear and discomfort is a punchline. This would definitely not be a funny gag with the genders reversed (a woman sobbing in fear and running away every time she sees a man), so it is a travesty that this is the stance the authors continue to take.

The world we live in is, generally speaking, not kind to its male assault victims. Misogynistic attitudes create an environment in which it is shameful for men to admit that they were assaulted, especially by women. It should not be a punchline when one human being hurts another, and it is wrong and sexist beyond all belief to perpetuate the idea that women can’t be cruel, violent, and manipulative just as much as anyone else can.

I would like to hope that Hifumi’s case isn’t indicative of all Hypmic universe male assault victims, but I don’t think that’s the case. Hifumi definitely has access to mental health resources, considering that his roommate does, but there is no evidence that Hifumi has ever come forward to ask for help about this issue. This is probably a combination of Hifumi’s internal shame and an unsupportive environment. While Doppo does help Hifumi navigate daily life around women, Doppo’s facial expressions suggest he considers the matter a nuisance. He threatens to take away or withhold the suit when Hifumi’s coping method annoys him, and otherwise doesn’t seem to take Hifumi’s distress seriously. Jakurai appears to be more supportive, but he doesn’t ever offer additional help or resources to Hifumi beyond what Hifumi already has. In fact, the majority of Jakurai’s interest in the subject seems to be around examining Hifumi like a case rather than as a person needing assistance.

It’s also probably a result of the faux macho attitudes that are rampant within the Hypmic universe. Hypmic men are bound by a multitude of ridiculous expectations that I always feel like an idiot translating. “Men don’t cry.” “Men don’t get stuck feeling disappointed.” Absolute nonsense. Men can and will do anything, just like any other group of people. It’s far more productive to encourage men to be their best selves, respectful and helpful to themselves and everyone else, than to feed into this sort of behavior which implies the hideously false “men can’t be assaulted”.

This all results in Hifumi living a double life and only being able to remove his façade in the safety of his own apartment or with his two friends. That’s a miserable existence, and while Hifumi appears to be cheerful enough, it’s sickening to see that this is supposed to be comedic.

The Question of Male Oppression

The Party of Words does institute laws to oppress men, but this oppression is fairly ridiculous. Yotsutsuji says that men are taxed at a higher rate than women and that men aren’t allowed into certain areas (such as Chuuouku, I presume). Despite these challenges, the majority of Hypmic universe men seem to lead pretty normal lives. As mentioned above, the professional fields still appear to be dominated by men, and male-on-female violence doesn’t seem much different from how it is in our contemporary world. These laws aren’t making a significant change in male lives, so they must be made to impact women. Yet these are token impacts only, as they don’t in any way actually make the lives for non-Chuuouku women any better. By making this an “us against them” deal, the Party is able to make more women sympathetic to their cause and cause more infighting (thus distracting people from “us against the Party”) without actually having to make positive changes for anyone.

These laws also aren’t the reason why rebel groups exist. Consider the motivations each character gives in TDD 11. Ichirou mentions a lack of central law and regulations making it difficult to keep loved ones safe. The infighting that the Party promotes via its rap battles allows for power-hungry individuals like Mozuku to take over whole areas and instate whatever rules they want, no matter the cost to the citizens. Samatoki is frustrated by being directed to fight when he can’t see a good cause; similarly, Ramuda is concerned about the effects of the fighting on the neighborhoods they pass through. Even with non-lethal weapons, a country in constant conflict is not one in which its citizens can prosper. Jakurai is concerned about inequalities between Chuuouku and the rest of the country. He mentions in FP/M 15 (which we’ll have up in a few days for you to see for yourself) that he’ll use the prize money from winning the DRB to provide medical care for locations that the Party can’t or won’t supply with aid. Later in the chapter, he drives away from the spectacular, futuristic city of Chuuouku back into a Tokyo marked with graffiti and squalor. Even the male citizens don’t care about how they’re treated as compared to their female counterparts; they care that everyone is suffering together under the Party’s poor governing.

The Party has never sought to oppress men and elevate women. The Party’s goal is to elevate itself and oppress everyone else. The gender inequality is as much of a diversionary tactic as the Division Rap Battle.