#yeah them sure but also whomst?

[cyclesprefectpress]

hey hoo how's everybody doing. personally, not my best couple of months on record! and regrettably the first thing i drop when i get stressed is. text messages and social media accounts. which is ok but i've been delinquent on the online business management front and i feel i've been quiet here which i am sorry about because i do like talking about printing.

anyway i've got a bunch of WIP stuff piled up that I'm trying to get to! and some new projects i'd really like to finish this month. and i've also been doing a lot of long press feeds & many hours drawing on the light table and you know what this qualifies me to do. rate things on netflix (but ONLY if you aren't watching the screen):

dangerous lies: perfect non-watching watch experience. boy is it dumb but i always knew what was going on and also what was about to happen. the only thing i couldn't resist ogling was their fucking apartment which was SO big and tidily furnished when they're supposed to be barely making it financially. insane. 9/10

hypnotic: unfortunately this one is fun & good & doesn't waste your time with bad dialogue & i kept wanting to look up and pay attention to Kate Siegel's beautiful face which loses it points by this metric. 6/10

the boy next door: can you tell yet that i'm eternally searching for an erotic thriller that will stack up to Fatal Attraction. and failing. the problem is none of em have glenn close in em. this one sucks nuts 4/10

you get me: this is not what the erotic thriller is FOR. i want full adults torpedoing their own households and careers. teens making horny stupid decisions is just tuesday and the soundtrack is quite bad. 3/10

the nest: definitely not for not-watching. nobody is explaining themselves clearly for the audience or each other. it's also not at all scary, which was a surprise, but that's on me for having a one-note watching history and forgetting that dramas exist. 0/10, i sat down and watched it for real a day later and liked it quite a bit

deadly illusions: it's no Chloe but it is some very fun, greasy diner food of a movie. 8/10

the deliverance: hmmmmmmmm………………many people have more important opinions than me on this subject. i'll just say i was having a pretty nice time with some of the performances UNTIL i learned at the end that it was also about real people. so was the original Exorcist, distantly, and the distance sure does fucking help. 2/10

wild things: honestly a little hard to track what's happening without watching, because it's actually good & fun & there's like. real environmental details and mystery clues. good gravy it's crazy how hot Neve Campbell is all the time forever. 5/10, i was compelled to look up from my work table a lot

five star chef: completely bizarre conspicuous consumption experience. it's actually kind of nice not looking at the screen because i think the fullness of the view would make it way more uncomfortable. 7/10

selling sunset: unfortunately an extremely good non-watching show. now in a group i advocate for looking at the despicable houses together and tearing the decor to pieces, but as long as you're alone it is once again an improvement not to actually see the dollars and energy being dunked in the garbage and set on fire all over the curséd county of San Diego. glance up once every 10 minutes to see what they're wearing and you're gucci. 8/10

the perfect couple: a little challenging to follow at first if you're mostly identifying people by voices, but fun! nicole kidman is a delight; idk Eve Hewson from anything else but her character is made of uncooked spaghetti. as a person without Private Island Money i must protest for us, we're not generally this boring about it. 7/10

evil: netflix has been pestering me to watch this show for so long. they were right. it's bad & it scratches the monster of the week itch & the speed with which it simply, linguistically equates psychopath=literally possessed by demons is absolutely wild. i am currently stymied by the episode where they visit a monastery that's taken a vow of silence but someday i'll look up a summary and get past it. 6/10

culinary class wars (dubbed): i hadn't tried reality tv dubbing before and you know what, it's fine!! it does the job. there's absolutely no localization to make the jokes work in english or anything but that's a-ok. i really like the structure of this competition for some reason, and if the very annoying Class Warfare trappings make you uncomfortable like they did for me, be assured, they drop off pretty steeply after the first round and the actual participating chefs are perfectly respectful to each other. 10/10

[thechekhov]

Chekhov Reads Dungeon Meshi: CH46

D....dark Laios?

I mean, you DID consent!

The fact that ghosts can pass through walls and take other things with them... it kind of elicits another type of organism. Like, what can pass through cell walls? What other parts of the body can just yoink stuff from one place and bring it to another?

Congrats! It's all just been a dream!

I'm sorry what the SHIT?!?!?

Well, I-- .... yeah, I GUESS.

Though it looks more like one of those carousel horses.

I think this is probably still inside the dungeon. Very... DEEP. Inside the dungeon.

What? WHAT?! These things are like regular animals down here???

Oh, I--hm. I see.

Ordered by WHOMST?

Is this just an entire society of (humans??? ghosts?) that lives here in the dungeon deep? Is there still a king under the mountain? Are the rumors of the king dying not true at all?

........or are these people and descendants of adventurers who came in but were never able to leave? And the fact that Senshi points out that none of them are old.... are they ageing?

Laios, Senshi n--...... welp. There they go.

Bless this man and his absolutely non sexual obsession with monsters. But.

Izutsumi, who is a human-level intellect beastkin (though she's low on wisdom and patience....) is being very.... beast-ly and soft here. She's being magically compelled, presumably, to chill the fuck out.

Which means all these monsters are also under the same effect? Isn't that a little fucked up? They're basically under a permanent drugged effect.

Also. Hm. 'short lifespan' is....relative. Short lifespan compared to what? Immortality?

Orcs know this place exists....?

These people planting things for fun means they're absolutely trapped here like spirits.

Keeping up appearances for. Whom.

These poor people have no new incomers to talk to, huh.

Oh, I uh---- ................ hm. THat's not at all what I was imagining either.

Fashion is cyclical after all I guess....

Mmmmm. Mmmm-hmmmMMM.

WHEEEEZXE

Knowing I've finally hit these two absolutely iconic panels... amazing.

......I guess it can only do so much to make her docile...... she still doesn't like Laios.

Why does he look familiar...?

....so Derghal had a son. And a grandson. So then why is there a bid for the throne...?

Laios. Laios, is milking the minotaur the ONLY thing you did? Or was there more to it? Laios.

It's interesting. That bartender said he was 600 when he started his now-400 year old ale. So. That means they're 1000 years old.

That means that they're about as long lived as elves? Haven't gone mad yet. But that's still a long time.

That's kinda worse, yeah, but a loss of the self is a type of death, in a way...? So....

The most throwback of all time.

Actually, I feel like that's been there for a while, although it didn't always look EXACTLY like a lion's head. I feel like the little living armor he keeps in there made it that design? But how would it do that on purpose?

this is what it looked like some chapters back. Yeah, it's been sculpting into a lion's mane for a while now.... Ohohohoh playing the long game are we? 👀

Ah, it's not a wolf. How tragic for you, Laios. It'll never work out.

Also, damn, those wings sure be lookin like Falin's very non-dragon wings. What a wild coincidence. I'm sure that doesn't mean anything. :)

laughing hysterically. This poor guy can't get a break. He's been running from responsibility and inheritance for his entire life and it still catches up and trips him purposefully.

There is definitely a certain amount of tragedy there, yeah. These people aren't asking Laios for help because it's easier. They're legitimately stuck in a nightmare scenario. Unless you're someone who can get pleasure from other avenues, living all that time without the basic needs will drive a person mad. Elves live just as long, presumably, but they're still able to eat, I assume.

I'm honestly more surprised they're all as sane as they are.

.......King of Forgor.

[chuuyasfanboy]

No request with this one, just me being self indulgent because I'm an IDV addict again and I love Postman!!! Wrote this all while doing rank, congratulate me on multitasking

Paperboy x Reader

I'm an avid believer in all the skins having different personalities

So while default Victor is more reserved (NOT shy, The Prince is the shy one), I believe Paperboy is the most extroverted right behind Keyboard

He's a different kind of extroverted though

He's more focused on his blog than real life people, and so most of the conversing he does is through online forums and the like

DOES NOT mean he's afraid of in person convos!

His whole propaganda gang is trying to get people to STOP relying on tech, of course he doesn't mind talking to people irl

He's way more outwardly neurodivergent than the other variants, could probably rant FOREVER about product design, logos, hmtl and css, etc. He's really passionate about what he does

He's definitely lacking in friends though, despite all that

Other than his Call of the Abyss gang, he really doesn't get to talk to many people

It's pretty saddening, because after the fourth (read: ten-thousandth) rant about Have Fun, the only one who will listen is Luca, maybe sometimes Will

He really doesn't mind, but he does wish he could tell more people about it, people he liked

This is where YOU come in!!!

Someone new to the squad, someone who's interested in what he has to say!

Plus, even if you don't understand any of it, he has a cute puppy, isn't that enough to lure you in?

Speaking of Wick (whomst I will be referring to with all pronouns because I've been told that dog is every gender and I don't know what to believe anymore), he's the sweetest puppy ever!

When she's not ruining Jose's little dj gigs and radioshows, they're the most well behaved dog you will ever meet!

Play fetch with it, he will bring the ball back and give you puppy kisses while she's at it!

Victor LOVES seeing the two of you interact, it makes his heart explode with joy

Yes, he does talk to Wick like they're a real person. No, you cannot stop him. No, he does not use a baby voice, he is entirely serious about it.

Write him letters, he's never gotten one, none of his variants have except for maybe Prince.

He'll be SO SO SO HAPPY he'll love you forever

That's probably what kickstarted his little crush, actually, because he definitely fell first AND harder

You probably sent him an anonymous fan letter, just trying to make sure he knew people liked his blogs

He nearly CRIED running around showing everybody else, and you just laughed all joyfully at his excitement

He vowed he would find out who wrote it and write them back a thousand more word of appreciation

Imagine his joy when he found out (read: doxxed the letter for info) it was you!!

Yeah, he actually cried this time

Happy tears, I swear!

He promised you he would never ever forget it, and you KNOW he didn't, because he still brings it up years later as the happiest day of his life

Since the Call of the Abyss movement advanced and began making a motion, he'd received so many more fan letters, messages on his blog, and other things of that nature

But yours? Pinned up on his wall, FRAMED in gold

Takes every chance he gets to show it off, even if everybodys seen it before

Back to more general headcanons, Victor is completely nonverbal

He communicates through his lil mask thing, projecting words on it

He also uses it for more practical things

Like spreading more anti-Metropolis propaganda!

When he wants you to understand some niche thing he's into, he projects a video essay on to the screen, makes you watch it like a movie

Even with his eyes obscured and his words filtered, he's still extremely expressive, and its easy to tell what he's feeling

His face goes REEEEED when he's flustered or embarassed

And his lips are so so cute when he pouts

The only person he actually talks to is Wick, he does it in private, very few people get to see it

Even with you and the others, he's never spoken, only grunted or giggled or something small to acknowledge what you've said

When the plan to expose the Aurora finally closed in, and the final day was approaching, he excitedly ran around showing off his latest design

The first real print he'd made, he'd been banned from most shops and had to be careful entering them because of the guards, so he hadn't gotten the chance to bring them into reality

But finally, after Luca managed to get him a nice printer and a lifetime supply of ink, he did it

They were gorgeous- or- not the right word

They were effective.

He's really a genius in the graphic design department, slaving away hours over his laptop creating the perfect logos to draw in attention

He was incredibly excited that he finally got to spread it the way he's always wanted to

And he really hopes its as effective as he's been told

Hopes that it will encourage people to go find the sun once more

Back to the cute fuzzy romance!

It's a little awkward to kiss him, considering he almost NEVER takes off his little mask

Sometimes he does, but he really wants to save it for when the sun rises on Metropolis, it's a big dream he has

You really have to tilt your head, but its very worth it

He's soft all around, hands, arms, lips

And also, he smells like lavender

Dont ask me how I know, but its canon, I was his perfume

He really likes flowers, even though he's only seen pictures

He thinks they're gorgeous, and he believes they'll smell even better in person, better than any scent a cheap perfume shop could provide (sorry Vera!)

While he may be hard to kiss, he loves hugs, the tighter the better

Even if he feels like he's being squeezed apart, the closeness makes him feel safe

He hopes sunlight feels that warm

Sometimes, he takes you out to the theatre to watch the Aurora

"To research," he'll tell you

But really, he's just a hypocrite

Even if she's false, she does have a beautiful voice

He would never deprive you of beautiful things

He figures two extra tickets can't do too much harm, right?

Take that unsure answer as you will.

[arvensimp]

YFSK Preview, pt. 4.1

I know i've been super duper quiet, but I promise there's a good reason. Please forgive me and accept this teaser for part 4.

“Hey! I dunno if you’ve been keeping track on your end, but Kiki is gonna be graduating from Blueberry, and I know it would mean the absolute world to him if you were able to attend the ceremony.” Carmine called, nearly out of the blue one day to inform you. Her brother had apparently been a part of a trial class that not only earned a high school diploma but also continued on for a few more years as part of a pilot Bachelor’s degree program in pokemon battling. From what you understood, it was basically like a feeder system to train new gym leaders and Elite Four hopefuls.

You look down at your ballooning tummy,

"Congratulations to him! When is it exactly though…?"

You wince and resist the urge to suck your teeth when Carmine gives you the date.

"Ahhh... I'm so sorry, I've got something at that time."

"For real? You can't just ask for time away from your league for even a weekend? This would REALLY mean the world to Kiki..."

"I'm sorry, but…I won't actually be allowed to fly by that point."

"Allowed? What kinda terrorism have you gotten into?"

You snort a laugh. "Pssh, nah. It's... It's medical actually. Here. Lemme, uh..." Without hanging up, you send over the most recent ultrasound photos. Your baby still kinda looks like a Munna in there, but she should get the point. Or, at least you assume she does when you hear the sound of crashing and fumbling on her end.

"You're having a BABY?????"

"Uh...haha, yeah. The due date is, like, a week after Kieran's graduation, so... I, y'know, can't fly. I'm really sorry. I'll be sure to send a gift though!"

"A BABY?"

"Yup. I can hardly believe it myself, most days."

"I didn't even know you were seeing anyone! Who is this guy? Why didn't you let your incredible Unovan friends suss him out for you?"

Another wince. "...About that. Yeah... He's not...um. In the picture."

"What? How? Why? Whomst would even dare? Do I need to kick some ass?"

"It's...." You still haven’t gotten used to talking about the subject. "It's a lot. Don't. ...Don't worry! Really! I have tons of support! It's fine. For real."

Carmine absolutely isn't buying it. "Mm. Fine. I guess I get why you can't make it to the graduation. Could we come visit afterwards though? Like I get you probably wouldn't want us there immediately after he graduates. But...maybe like a few months later? Give the thing a chance to develop an immune system?"

"I can't promise I'll be a great host, but... Well, it would be nice."

"Don't worry yourself none! I've changed diapers and stuff before if you end up needing a nap while we're around!"

-

So around the time Basil is 3 months old, the Kitakami pair head to Paldea.

Of course, Basil is having a rough time of it, screaming his little lungs out as they're knocking on the door, so you can only hope that you don’t look as frazzled as you feel when you welcome them in.

"Hey! Hello! Please, come in, come in. Make yourselves at home.” You give the pair a hug at the same time, barely able to register them beyond the fog of ‘TAKE CARE OF BASIL, TAKE CARE OF CRYING PROGENY, TAKE CARE OF BABY’ that alarms through your brain. “I'm really sorry, but I just need to feed Basil real fast. That should hopefully get him sleeping and happy again."

You usher them in and invite them to sit on the sofa, the TV is theirs, and you hide away in the bedroom to nurse. A few minutes later, Carmine gently knocks on the door and asks if she can be of any help. You joke through the wood that the dishes need doing when she presses past the feeble ‘it’s fine!’ that you offer.

"Kiki! Take care of the dishes, yeah?"

"On it!" You hear, softer.

"Okay, what else?" She continues.

"No! Just. Just relax, please."

"Nah, I'm gonna tidy up. Kay? You just keep feeding the chonklet there, and we can catch up when you're done."

You come back out to the room, and it's not Clean, but it's definitely more put together. You also hear the hum of the dishwasher from the kitchen.

"You guys...." You start tearing up, and both siblings immediately swoop in to hold you. Carmine strokes your hair, shushing you. Now that you’ve got your child content, you have a moment to comprehend your guests.

Kieran is. Bigger.

"I... I promise I'm not this pathetic! I can handle this. Plus, I... I have folks here who can help... It's just hard..." You snivel, sounding way more pathetic than you mean to sound.

"It's okay that it's hard..." Kieran finally pipes up and his voice is definitely deeper since you last heard him. Not a bass or something, but there's been a change there. "This is more or less the hardest thing in the world, right? And we all know you're the strongest person there is, so...ya know. It's okay. You...you can do this. And you can feel overwhelmed."

-

They end up staying for about a week or so, and on the night before they're due to fly back, Kieran pulls you aside while Carmine is grabbing takeaway for dinner. He's fidgeting with his hair a bit, tapping his foot, but he's doing his best to meet your eye.

"I'm staying." He declares.

"What? Like you're gonna look for a job here?"

"Yeah! I know I'm not as strong as you, but I'm certain I could get a job in your league or...or maybe even at your alma mater, maybe. I... I'd need to do a teaching cert in Paldea for that, probably, but..."

"Wow! So you liked it that much here? That's great, Kieran. I can help you learn the language if you want. I can also see if Nemona has any real estate connections. We'll try to find you a place when you're ready to get back, and hopefully by then you'll have a job, and you can get started wi--"

"No! I mean... I'm. I'm not going back to Kitakami." One of his hands grabs yours and the other rests gently on Basil, sleeping soundly in your arms. "He needs...a...a father figure, y'know? I..." Kieran swallows thickly. "I can do that. I'm... I'm a man now."

"Kieran..." You shift slightly, freeing a hand from your bundle while keeping him balanced in your arms. You trace a palm along the older boy--no, man's cheek, your callouses having grown softer in recent months. You can feel where he's begun to grow consistent stubble. Wow... He really did grow up.

"I... I'm not going to keep you from reaching your fullest potential out there. You're welcome, more than welcome, to come visit any time, but... You're not thinking clearly about this. About what you think you're signing up for."

"I AM though!" He raises his voice, showing some hints of the anger he holds onto. "I'm READY for this! God, why can't anyone TRUST me?!"

All the yelling wakes up Basil, who cries, startled. Kieran quickly scoops him up and out of your arms, attempting to soothe the baby.

"Aw, geez... I'm sorry, little guy... I didn't mean to make you upset... Shh, shh... It'll be okay..."

The momentary flare of anger you felt at having your son torn from your grip is placated as you watch Kieran hold him so tenderly. Your heart melts... You lose all affection you may have secretly held onto in your heart for Arven, that loser.

Kieran is here. Kieran is capable. Kieran... Kieran can do this.

"Okay..." You softly tell him once Basil has calmed, the single word hanging in the quiet between you for a moment.

"...Okay?" He parrots.

"You... You can stay. You... You'll be his father."

Then y'all DO IT.

THE END

april fools :)

[zhoudadudugongjin]

Red Cliff: Part Two!

Lmao Zhang Fei in the arrow game. Iconic.

Idk what Sun Xiaomei (Shangxiang i think they call her in this?) is doing pretending to be part of Cao Cao's army but she seems to be having fun getting her flirt on with this chap. It's cute. I can ship that.

The army is all diseased and Zhuge Liang is getting personally stuck in to help treat them, which is very sweet of him.

Liu Bei wants to back out of the alliance because all his soldiers are dying, but Zhuge Liang wants to stay behind with his new boyfriend.

You can say that again lmao. I get more more surrogate dad-son vibes from them in this adaptation. Probably because they made the age difference so stark, and also because this Zhou Yu is a classy catch.

awwww

Next we get to watch Zhou Yu prance around with his sword looking hot and disehevelled for a bit so I won't complain too much. Xiao Qiao laments that she wishes she could make a teapot full of rainbows and smiles and they all just drink it and be happy :(

Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang get up close and personal to talk about arrows

We get Zhou Yu's most Iconic moment!! Where he gets drunk with his old school friend and they sleep together :)) 10/10 for homoeroticism

Lu Su has a pet scarecrow friend 😭😭

Zhou Yu offers Zhuge Liang a blowjob

Cao Cao gets his moment of humanisation while he hangs out with the sick and injured and talks about how he misses his little boy who is always sick.

Shangxiang is back from her little holiday and gets Xiao Qiao to strip her in front of a whole load of men who all turn around awkwardly not knowing where to look. It turns out she has an entire map of Cao Cao's camp wrapped around her tiny waist. As you do.

I ship Xiao Qiao and Shangxiang by the way

Funny story, I kinda forgot that this was Sun Quan. Like I just forgot what he looked like. He had completely skipped my mind so when he came up and wrapped his cloak around her like this I was like "WHOMST?" and then I was like "oh shit yeah that's her gege"

Anyway. Then Xiao Qiao decides to fuck off to visit Cao Cao because she REALLY wants to make him tea. Odd plot point but.. I guess they wanted her to do something other than just stand around looking pretty and bolstering Zhou Yu's ego???

Liu Bei is waiting for his boy :(

Zhou Yu is sad his wife is gone so he has another sexy jamming session in the dark with Zhuge Liang and they look at each other like this:

While his wife finally gets to realise her dream of making tea for Cao Cao

Cao Cao's fleet burns and the Big Final Battle kicks off. Shangxiang's little friend she made in Wei dies in front of her which is kinda sad.

Then one thing I haven't mentioned is the unexpected yet wholesome friendship we get between Zhou Yu and Zhao Yun! Here they are, back to back, fighting off the baddies <3

They go and to rescue Xiao Qiao and end up facing off with Cao Cao. And Liu Bei + co are all there too and I'm sure it did not happen like that but eh whatever.

Zhao Yun probably didn't actually invent the pole vault either, but whatever

This shot of Zhou Yu is here just because it's hella cute

Anyway they all defeated Cao Cao through the power of friendship and tea or whatever and tell him to just go home instead of killing him the end

Epilogue:

Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang have one final romantic rendezvous in a field like this is pride and prejudice or something

(the real end)

[utilitycaster]

I HAVE VEILGUARDED. everything below the cut for spoiler reasons. I will also say to the anon I shut down earlier (again, me not you!) that I do intend to do a second run because I had a marvelous time, I would really love to do the Dock Town quests and explore Neve's other options (and romance her, frankly) and check out some of the other companion options (honestly I'd be open to almost all of them except for Lichdom. sorry I refuse to leave Manfred dead and I'm correct.) and maybe this time I'll actually solve the stupid wisp puzzles and get all the chests and uhhhhh maybe even play on Easy mode instead of Easier Than Easy mode (because lbr my equipment does not matter a ton because. story mode.)

because I am a good girl and did all the quests everyone lived. I also accidentally got the best ending, because Rook in this run is a romantic and optimistic person. This is funny to me because I am god's greatest hater and so I am ROLEPLAYING a character who is like yeah inquisitor go be with your boyfriend who looks like a stupid egg. I did have the Diet Essence Of Mythal but I've been informed the secret even better ending only hits if you know other past characters, which I don't, so whomst cares!

Takes on characters from previous games in brief. Obviously Harding is great. Solas gets his happy ending and that is FINE I guess. Generic Default Inquisitor Lavellan is like. again Rook is like "do what makes you happy but I am like DUMP HIM. which means that while Morrigan is very "I say things in a portentous voice that are extremely obvious" to me, her deep and abiding hater tendencies towards Solas do it for me. Obviously Varric is great as well. Dorian and Mae? Great (unsure if Mae is in previous games but anyway, love her). Not sure who else is a returning character but I think that covers the bulk of it.

This is very out of order but: because no one died other than of course Davrin in the Isle of the Gods, the pay respect for the dead scene is unintentionally really fucking funny to me, a person who has had to go into morgues for professional reasons. Literally like I walk into a morgue where I know zero people. I walk out. I pass Teia and Viago flirting aggressively as an archdemon ravages Minrathous. I continue.

The final conversations are really good; blighted Neve is of course horrifying but she gets better and her nailpolish, crucially, is not chipped. This is HILARIOUS to me. The final romance line with Bellara is lovely. The ending conversations are all really good but Taash's and Emmrich's were my favorite outside of Bellara's. My girlfriend and I are going to hang out with griffons and she's going to write so much fanfiction about us and it will be unhinged.

Hilarious and sexy of me to wear the appearance of the shadow dragons armor I got literally in like. Shadows of Minrathous or something. the entire fucking time. You can see it in the screenshots and I assure you it's only for the vibes (deep V neck and sick chest tats), I am actually in +8 Warden Champion full plate armor and wearing some wild-ass helm (I did not at any point hide the appearance of my shield. even when I was using the gaudiest gold one that looks like a shell from the lords of fortune. I eventually got a very sick-ass Mourn Watch shield). But it does feel really funny to like, pick Treviso, send Neve to the shadow realm, and wear this armor the full time. I literally didn't see Tarquin for like 2.5 acts.

Elger'nan's first form is weak to necrotic damage. I took Taash and Lucanis. I am fully statted out as a reaper. I have an AOE that does over a thousand necrotic damage. genuinely it was a comedy, I triggered the cut scene where Neve goes to the throne and wrests control so Solas can kill the archdemon almost immediately. Second battle was harder but also level 50 story mode so it was FINE.

I do think a Trick Solas ending would be fun; fighting him seems like it would just kind of suck but like. It's funny I actually really did feel grateful after Blood of Arlathan and then after he stuck me in the mind prison I was like FUCK THIS GUY FOR REAL even after he helped us through in the endgame and killed the archdemon.

Lords of Fortune continue to be hilarious to me. There's a codex that's very BY OUR POWERS COMBINED right before the final assault on Minrathous that I described thusly:

Then in the final scene before the narration the Lords are pulling people out of the wreckage. Imagine you're in a world-ending fight during an eclipse with wild-ass mood lighting and you are trapped under rubble as a horrifying blight tentacle monster rages above and then it all stops and THEN someone in a gold bikini helps you up.

In all seriousness the fact that the Mourn Watch and Lords of Fortune don't come up in the final narration does have me like. yeah whoever wrote their faction quests should have worked harder. I know the mourn watch is largely unscathed because there's no point blighting the undead but like, idk, I feel there could have been more venatori work there that tied into Zara's whole deal, and the Antaam or Wardens ties to Rivain could have been more thoroughly explored. Taash and Emmrich's companion questlines are fantastic but even playing Mourn Watch and loving the build and the vibe, I was like hmmmm this is underserved.

Second hater moment: loved the song over the credits but it felt jarring as hell to have a modern sound here. stick to the hans zimmer. this reminds me, I should listen to the soundtrack because as my Midst Mutuals can attest I am literally the worst at noticing themes. I know Harding's and Emmrich's because I really like them and like, I vaguely recall Lucanis's because it's got accordion elements but otherwise I'm like uhhhhh if it's not the main theme or the Solas theme I'm confused.

I also realized that hilariously, if you like Neve or Lucanis but are ok with romancing someone else (and I very much am) it's actually kind of great to fuck over their city because then you feel justified in taking them out on every single mission to try to up your bond level.

Finished with Lucanis, Harding, and Bellara fully level 10 and everyone else level 9 (including Davrin, RIP); I do wonder how you can get everyone to 10. I might have assigned some quests badly but also like, 9 ain't bad.

anyway feel free to ask questions; this was great and I'm so happy I did it.

[streamdotpng]

Enid bounces in place, waiting on Yoko and Wednesday to get to the park. Divina sits next her with much less animation, but Enid knows she's just as excited.

"I'm going on a date with three girls!" She holds up her index, middle and ring finger to Divina. "Three!"

Divina laughs softly, taking her hand and kissing it.

"You seem excited. And not because you're on a date with your girlfriends, but because you have three." She tugs Enid in close, kissing the top of her head. "Nice to know we're just trophies to you."

"Wha— no!" Enid pulls away and kisses the bridge of the siren's nose. "That's not true. I love you all for other reasons!"

"Hm. I definitely know one of us sees the other three as a trophy."

Enid nods, puffing her cheeks out.

"Wednesday." They say in unison.

"Yeah, she's absolutely proud of dating three unique outcasts. I'm pretty sure she rolled dice to choose between me and Bianca."

"Nah, you shoulda see when we first got together. I knew she loved me so much it hurt her —'cause she told me constantly— but, y'know, sometimes I'd see her gazing at you and Yoko for a 'lil too long to be considered a passing glance, you know?"

The siren kisses Enid's cheek, wrapping her arms around the werewolf.

"Good to know I'm so hot Wednesday couldn't keep her eyes focused on just you."

"Mm." Enid crosses her legs and rocks side to side, "I know she's loyal, and we did discuss maybe adding a person or two."

"Did you?" Divina sips her water bottle, "I can't imagine how awkward that must've been."

Enid bobs her head, smirking.

"It got extra awkward when I told her she could have you, and I only wanted Yoko." She points her hand at herself, smug and unaware.

"Just for that, I'm not warning you." She sips her water.

Enid scoffs, "warning me of wh—"

"RAH!" Enid jumps out of her skin, screaming.

She turns around, and Yoko is wheezing from her laughter, pointing at Enid with one hand and wiping her tears with the other.

"THANK YOU, DIVINA! I OWE YOU A DRINK!" Yoko cheers over her laughter, falling into a coughing fit.

"Oh," Enid starts, still catching her breath and cooling her face down from the embarrassment of having four different families turn to her. "You asshole!"

She runs at Yoko and tackles her, careful to not hit her head on the large rock next to her. They both go down giggling.

"You asshole! Scaring me —your beloved girlfriend, whomst is your favorite— in public?! Who gave you the right?!" She takes the front of Yoko's shirt in her hands and shakes her, unsteady in her actions because of her laughter.

"God gave me the right!" Yoko yells back, grinning. "Also: stop riding me, we're in public!"

Enid goes silent in shock, mouth opening and closing like a fish.

"YOKO!"

"Uh!" Divina taps Enid's shoulder frantically, looking behind them. "Calm down!"

"We are in public!" Enid looks up, following Divina's eyes, "she needs to be roughened u—" she stops talking as she sees a park attendant walking towards them with a heated glare.

Enid gulps, letting go of Yoko's shirt with one hand to wave at them.

"Hello!"

The attendant's glare harden. Enid can see Wednesday sliding a knife out of her sleeve in the corner of her eye.

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

"How did you three get us banned from a public park?!" Divina throws her hands up as Yoko ashamedly leads them to a karaoke place she found.

"I didn't even know you could get banned from a public park!" She walks behind Wednesday, glaring a hole into her.

"Why did you take out a knife?"

"When have you known me to not choose violence?"

Divina purses her lips into a thin, disappointed line.

"And what have we all said about doing that?"

Wednesday dips her head down, shamefully. Somewhat.

She turns to Yoko.

"Why did you say that?"

"Uh..." Yoko kicks a rock, refusing to look the siren in the eye. "I thought it was funny?" She grins uncertainly.

"So, you made a mockery of us?"

Yoko looks down again.

"Sorry."

"Hm."

The vampire turns to a little building, pushing open the door. Wednesday immediately almost teleports to a table, sitting down and ignoring the loud people.

Yoko goes to the counter, talking to the short person there and handing them her card.

Divina leans down to Enid's ear, a halting hand on the werewolf's hip.

"You're not off the hook either, Puppy. What you're you thinking, cursing and yelling in public while playing into the energy of our girlfriend who we all know is prone to saying dumb shit?"

Enid blushes, both embarrassment, and from the feeling of a bruise forming on her hip.

"I... thought it was funny?" She smiles nervously. Divina squeezes her hips tighter.

"Brat." She lets go after kissing her cheek, and walks over to Wednesday, leaving Enid to awkwardly shuffle over to Yoko.

Divina sits in the booth next to the smallest of her girlfriends, pulling the short woman into her side, laying her head over hers.

She kisses the top of her head.

"My girlfriends are absolutely insane. Especially you."

"You complain, and yet you've still not reported me to the police."

"You'd break out."

"You complain, and yet you've still not broken up with me."

Divina smacks the side of her head like she's a cat, then kisses the spot and wraps an arm around her shoulder.

"I could never break up with you. Almost entirely because I love you; partly because I've met your parents, and I think they'd start sending me dead fish in the mail if I broke your heart."

Wednesday places her hand over Divina's, leaning into her side.

"They wouldn't do that. If anyone understands love, it's them. Also, even if they tried, I'd kill them. You deserve to make your own choices."

"Huh, I think that's the first time I've ever heard you not advocate for violence."

Wednesday just hums in reply as Yoko and Enid chat animatedly with the person behind the counter.

"Those two are enjoying this outing, at least."

"Aw," Divina boops her nose and grins at the glare she gets, "you know you're enjoying yourself." She kisses the smaller woman's lips.

Wednesday's ears turn red; she looks to the side.

"Silence, Siren."

Divina dips her head down, nosing at the author's jaw.

"But you look so cute blushing red, Wednesday."

She shivers and pushes the siren's arm off her shoulder, scooting across the booth until she's on the other side. Divina sticks her tongue out, mumbling a "you know you love me, Shorty." As their girlfriends walk back.

"I think me 'n Yoks are gonna use the karaoke machine! Here," Enid places their drinks down, Divina and Wednesday's in front of them, hers and Yoko's next to those.

"Don't spill 'em!"

The two watch their girlfriends jump on stage, silently fearing for their song of choice.

Enid tosses Yoko a microphone, accidentally bonking her on the head.

"Sorry!" Is Enid's stage-whisper.

Yoko rubs the spot and gives a thumbs up, grimacing.

As the bass fills the air, they both knew they were right to worry.

Enid starts yelling:

"I SAID CERTIFIED FREAK—"

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

"How did you two get us banned from a karaoke place?" Wednesday asks, walking in front of Divina, the siren's hands resting on her shoulders.

Instead of their reactions of last time, their girlfriends are barely able to walk, they're laughing so hard.

"So— sorry! But it was—" Enid actually collapses to the ground, falling to her hands and knees. She makes a wheezy laugh, tears darkening the concrete.

"Ho-holy fuck!"

Yoko drops to her knees, grabbing Enid's shoulder to steady herself.

She laughs too, so hard she starts snorting.

"I— damn!"

Divina starts laughing, giggles at first, then slowly building to loud, echoing laughter.

Wednesday stares at her girlfriends, all on the ground,, on two on their knees, one of them with her hands, and her other, other girlfriend has her hands on her knees to stabilize herself.

She smiles, watching the moment with a heat in her chest.

Their little moment is ruined when the sky darkens, and rail starts falling.

"Shit!" Enid yelps, crawling under a tree to avoid it. Yoko leaps after her.

"Why are you here too? Vampires can't get sick from the rain!"

"Girl, my foundation was 89 dollars! I'll eat garlic before I let it run!"

Enid nods, muttering a "good point."

Divina just stands there, closing her eyes like a dog in the sun. Wednesday stands with her, crossing her arms and looking at the siren.

"Are you liking the rain, Darling?" She asks as Divina does a little spin, wiggling in place like she's vibrating.

"Yes! We never get rain around here!"

"You look like a 7/11 hotdog with how you're spinnin'!" Yoko calls out, taking refuge with Enid under a dense tree.

"Don't call her a 7/11 hotdog, Tanaka." Wednesday takes a spray bottle from nowhere, and spritzes the vampire, nearly getting her in the face.

"AH! NO!" Yoko grabs Enid's shoulders, hiding behind her, using her like a shield. "You wouldn't shoot your favorite girlfriend!"

Wednesday pauses, finger still on the trigger, unable to shoot, trapped in a crossroads.

If she doesn't shoot, she admits to having a favorite.

If she does shoot, she shoots Enid, who is innocent.

Her hand shakes. Enid whimpers.

"Damn it." She lowers the bottle begrudgingly, glaring at the vampire. "Damn you, Tanaka."

"Ooo, last name. You're in troubleeeeee." Divina drawls lazily, doing a little dance in the rain. She likes it, at least.

Yoko sniffles at her words, "so rude."

Divina takes out her phone and takes a picture of the two, cowering under the branches and leaves like lost bear cubs.

Wednesday rolls her eyes and takes off her blazer, handing it to Yoko.

"Take my blazer, and stop being dramatic. You will be fine." She rubs the other woman's hands as she passes the blazer, internally beaming at the contact.

Yoko whines as she takes the clothing and lifts it over her head, pulling Enid in with her. She presses a rain-wet kiss to the werewolf's forehead.

The werewolf isn't taller than the other woman, so she sort of just waddles under the coat.

Wednesday takes Divina's hand; she begins leading the siren down the dirt path to their house, leaving their girlfriends to skedaddle like cartoon characters to get back to them.

"Hey!" Enid whines, dragging Yoko by the sleeve to catch up with their partners, getting soaked in the process. "You forgot something!"

"No, we didn't." Wednesday keeps walking. Divina laughs. Yoko and Enid start running into the forest after their girlfriends.

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

Enid towels off her head, bumping into the wall next to her.

"Yoko!" She calls out, still unable to see from the shaggy hair in her face. "Snookums, did you see my hairdryer?"

"Yours or mine?" Yoko yells back.

"Mine!" She can hear a bang. Most likely the vampire hitting a wall.

The door opens, and something taps Enid on the shoulder. She reaches blindly and takes the dryer, placing a hand on her hair and pushing it aside so she can safely plug it in, and not put it in the wall and kill herself.

"Thank you, Yoko!" She gets little 'mhm' in reply, turning on the hairdryer and moving her hair around.

She smiles because she can finally see again, the first time since Yoko lost Wednesday's blazer in a bush and Divina had to fish it out.

Enid cackled at her pun, much to Wednesday's disgust. Yoko laughed with her, even when her makeup ran.

"Move," Enid feels the other woman nudge her with a socked foot, shoving her deeper into the bathroom. "I gotta dry my hair too! I can't keep up my sexy vampire aesthetic if I look like a wet rat!"

Enid grumbles lowly, stepping aside so her girlfriend can enter the room with her.

"Coulda just asked, Yoks." She begins lowering the hairdryer down to the ends.

"But then I would've been able to poke you." Yoko grins. "And where's the fun in that?"

"Where's my fun?!" Enid points a finger at her love, heated glare aimed. "All I get is bruised rib!"

""A bruised rib"?" Yoko laughs, hair half dried. "I'm sure you'll get a bruised rib. And I'm sure the rib fairy will give you the turbo-suck as an apology."

"YOKO!" Enid screams, the sound ringing out on the walls. She stops her dryer.

"Shh!" The other woman presses a finger to her lips, trying to keep Enid quiet. "If those two hear us, Wednesday won't give us kisses! And Divina will say—"

"I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed." They say together.

"She's really good at putting her mother energy to use. And by 'use', I mean shaming us."

Yoko nods, turning her dryer off.

"I keep saying she'd make a great milf, but no one believes me!"

The werewolf sighs, turning the bathroom light off and leaving.

"It's not that we don't believe you, it's that, that is a really weird thing to say."

"So you admit I'm right!"

Enid pointedly ignores her, walking to the living room. She walks over to the couch, plopping herself down on the soft blankets and pillows.

"I'm tired," she whines, "I wanna sleep."

Yoko walks over and drops on her back, pushing the air from her lungs.

"Baby, I love you to death and back, but could you not?" Yoko giggles into her shoulder blades, kissing the spot there.

"But I wanna!" She snuggles deeper into Enid's sensitive muscles.

"Love you too." Enid wheezes.

The two lie there to a few moments— the werewolf being used as a pillow. The rain hits the windows outside.

"Yoky?"

"Yeah?"

"Where are our girlfriends?"

"Outside."

Enid hums, burying her face deeper in the couch. She's so close to falling asleep, even with Yoko's weight on her back. It's like a really comforting boulder.

"We should watch them. Make sure they don't hurt themselves." Yoko mumbles. Enid agrees, wrapping a blanket around her tired frame. She slips on her flip-flops, stepping onto the porch with her girlfriend.

The vampire sits on one of the chairs, Enid curls up in her lap.

"You tired, Pup?" Yoko asks against the top of her head, kissing the crown.

"Yes. I got all nice and tuckered out during our day out, then I got comfy on our soft-ass couch, with you acting like a weighted blanket, and now I'm out in the cold, rainy air." Enid whines. "I'm 'eepy as fuck."

"You 'eepy, Puppy?" She baby-talks, pressing rapid kisses to her cheek. "You wanna go 'eep?"

"Yes." She curls up tighter, seemingly trying to fuse into Yoko. "I am so fucking 'eepy. It's unfair how how goddamn 'eepy I am."

"Look." The taller woman whispers, nudging Enid. She cracks open her eyes, looking out at their land.

Divina and Wednesday are dancing, holding hands and moving together.

She watches them as Divina spins the shorter woman, three times in a row.

"Hey!" She calls out. "Divina! Do the thing!"

The siren's eyes widen, and she shakes her head quickly, waving her hands around.

"No, thank you!"

Wednesday turns slowly, like a possessed doll. "What 'thing', Darling?"

"Damn it, Enid!" She scolds, biting her lip. "She can't know about the thing!"

"The fish-based love of my life, tell what the 'thing' is right this second, or I will grill you to perfection."

Divina's face scrunches up in fear.

"Sorry."

She lifts her hands into claws and starts moving them side to side, whipping her neck back, getting rain in her face.

"No." Is all Wednesday says, walking back to their home.

"Wait!" Divina runs to her, intent on grabbing her girlfriend's arm.

"No." The smallest of the four keeps walking, ignoring the siren and all her worth. "You have hurt me most deeply, Fisher."

"Ooo," Yoko mocks, "last name. You're in troubleeeeee."

"Shuddup, Yoko! Wednesday, Shorty, I'm sorry!" She walks after her, right past Enid and Yoko. "I didn't mean it badly!"

The two still on the porch stand up, Enid wraps the blanket tighter around herself, and they step inside after the drenched two.

"I'm sorry!" Divina slips off her shoes as Wednesday does the same with her boots. "I just thought it was cute!"

"Enid, tell Fisher I am no longer speaking with her until my wounds heal. I am hurt so deeply, I may just pass on."

She walks over to her and Yoko, pressing quick kisses to their lips.

"'Vina, Wendy has decided she loves you more than life itself, and she'd gouge her eyes out before she let herself see you cry."

"Yoko, tell the other two that my heart belongs to you wholly."

Yoko laughs, tugging Enid down onto the couch with a soft grunt of effort.

"Sorry; busy!" She drapes a blanket over the werewolf, grinning as Enid falls asleep almost instantly.

She snuggles deeper into the quilt, melting into a puddle.

"Wednesday, I'm sorry, I swear I am! Please!" Divina walks after the author, both soaked and dripping water onto the hardwood floor. "I'll never do it again!"

"I left this house a taken woman, and reenter a single one. How tragic."

"Hey! I never did wrong by you!" Yoko stage-whispers, rubbing Enid's head where it lies in her lap.

"I left a taken-by-four-women woman, and reenter dating only one. How tragic." She corrects, stepping down the hall, Divina right behind her.

"Please! I promise, I'll never do it again!" The siren swears, hand over her heart. Wednesday steps into the bathroom, grabbing Yoko's hairdryer.

"I'll consider accepting your pleas, but for now, no kisses."

Divina's eyes get big, scared.

"What?" She whimpers.

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

Enid wakes up late. Very late. 'It's dark outside' late. She nudges the blanket off, half sitting up.

She looks around and sees Yoko and Wednesday on one of the couches, Wednesday sleeping on top of the taller woman.

She bleary-eyed looks to her side, seeing Divina writing on the coffee table.

"'Vina? What're you doin' up so late, Sweetheart?" She rasps, voice heavy with sleep.

The other woman's head snaps up so fast Enid hears a 'pop' in her neck. She twists her head side to side, popping the joints.

"I'm just writing down our grocery list."

Enid sleepily pats herself for her phone, taking it out of her pocket and opening it.

She's never been so thankful for automatic light sensing as the phone's brightness is dimmed, letting her read the time.

"W're you writin' our grocery list at two in the mornin'?" She slurs.

"I slept for a few hours, then couldn't fall back asleep. I didn't wanna wake any of you, so—" she gestures to the paper. "—list."

Enid nods, half asleep and ready to go back to sleep. She holds her hand out.

"Cuddle me?"

Divina huffs shortly then, scratching her pencil down a couple more times. She sets it down, pulling the paper close to herself before picking it up and setting it on the end table next to her.

"Better idea." She stands up and grabs the end of Enid's couch, pulling it in so it lines up with Yoko and Wednesday's couch.

The space is big enough that the three can sleep together, albeit cramped somewhat.

She walks over and scoops Enid into her arms, bridal carrying her to the conjoined sofas.

"This is how I'll carry you when we get married." She places her down gingerly.

"So confident I'll say yes." Enid presses into the corner, allowing Divina to slot in next to her, Yoko to her side.

"Would you say no?"

Enid goes quiet, pouting and closing her eyes, crossing her arms.

"What about Wednesday and Yoks, then? Do they just walk?"

The siren grabs hold of Enid's arm, pulling her down. She places the smaller woman down between herself and Yoko, pressing into her side.

"Yoko would carry Wednesday. Purely to spite her."

Enid yawns and nods, stretching like a cat.

"Tha's fair." She noses at the other woman's jaw, kissing the skin there. "I la' you, 'Vina."

"I love you too, Enid." She presses herself closer still, melting against her,

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

"So..." Divina starts as she boils water for their morning drinks. "Am I forgiven for my transgressions?"

Wednesday scoffs against her back, arms around her waist. "No."

The siren runs a hand over the two on her stomach, patting them in signal to let go. Wednesday does.

She takes the hot water and pours some into Wednesday's mug, letting her do her own thing.

"I'm sure the dozen-or-so kisses you gave all three of us this morning weren't real, then?"

"You dreamed it. They never happened."

Divina giggles, and presses a kiss to the crown of the other woman's head.

"Sure."

She walks into the living room where Enid and Yoko are still waking up, holding each other and whining about it being too early.

She takes Enid by the hand, kissing it. "Morning, Pup." She grabs Yoko's face and kisses her, smiling against the sleepy vampire's lips.

"Morning, Yoko."

She can hear Enid pad into the kitchen, mumbling under her breath about energy levels and the sun being a bitch-ass motherfucker.

She wraps her arms around Yoko, who immediately wraps both her arms and legs around the taller woman.

"Spider-monkey." She teases, kissing her head.

"It's bright." She whines, pressing her head into Divina's chest.

"Uh-huh. And it's morning, Doll." She stands up and supports Yoko, carrying her back to the kitchen.

She sits down on a chair and holds the other woman still, admiring her other girlfriends.

Enid has her arms wrapped around Wednesday, much like the goth had done to Divina herself. The werewolf rests her chin on her shoulder, sniffing her. Enid's tail wags behind her.

Divina feels herself get misty-eyed, squeezing here eyes closed and breathing out deeply.

She opens her eyes again, and the scene is so domestic it hurts.

She should needs to get up, but Yoko's got her pinned to the chair.

She can handle being trapped for a few more minutes. Or, for however long Yoko decides she's going to be trapped.

-Writer Anon.

They're just... So cute

I love the feels mate, they shouldn't be working so well but they do

Good for them :-:::

[got-into-worm-by-mistake]

Agitation 3.1 Live Reactions

(This is me, writing reactions as I read, because why the fuck not. They're not complete, mature thoughts taken after I sit back and evaluate what I've read. Consider them as such)

Bank Job Arc LET'S GOOOOOO!

(I Think?)

There was something appealing about being out and about before the city had woken up. 

There are many things I'll never be able to relate to wrt Taylor, I'm sure, some already, but this

Yeah. this has to be on top of that list. Becoming a warlord villain of the city? Sure what the fuck I'm all for that.

Liking being out and about at an ungodly hour? Fuck that noise.

It was like Brockton Bay was a ghost town, in a good way.

Taylor? One question:

What The Fuck?

 In February, Sophia had goaded some boys into trying to catch me, I think the goal had been to duct tape me to a telephone pole. I had escaped, helped mostly by the fact that the boys hadn’t really cared enough to run after me,

Huh. So that actually happened. I figured the fic I read here they do catch her (and then she accidentally goes wild with the Swarm, etc) just had that written as Sophia doing an escalation she didn't do in canon.

Christ, that bitch is just... someone really needs to stab Sophia. A lot.

(Like, yes, I can grant it's... not great when the story has so few black people and one of them is Sophia and she's written like... that, but still. Sophia - fucked up and vile)

Three and a half months had burned away the body fat, leaving me very lean, and had given me the stamina to run at a steady jog without leaving me panting for breath.

Lucky bitch. Three and a half months of jogging wouldn't do that for me.

(Maybe if I actually committed to it like she has, but I'm lazy so :rofl: )

There were only a few people out and about, which made it easy to find Brian.

Wait, you were here looking for Brian? Maybe clue is in sooner, Taytay?

“I want,” I said, then I felt dumb for the awkward lapse into caveman speak.  I blamed the early hour of the day.  To try and save face, I added, “Thanks.”

:rofl:

 “Don’t coffees there cost, like, fifteen dollars a cup?” Brian chuckled a little, “We can afford it, Taylor.”

And? Still a waste of money I'm willing to bet.

Also, like whomst the fuck, in 2011, was selling $15 coffee to go? Is Wildbow mistaking US and Canadian Dollars? Even in canada that feels like a lot for coffee?

Did Leviathan make coffee more expensive or something?

These guys were raking in thousands of dollars on a given job, and they had given me two thousand dollars up front. 

Yeah but you don't stay rich by just casually dropping $15 on your morning coffee.

I extended my arm, clenched my fist and relaxed it to demonstrate, “Only hurts when I flex it.”  I didn’t tell him that it had been hurting badly enough to cost me some sleep last night.

Trying to seem tough in front of the guy you're into, or just used to pretending she doesn't hurt as much as she does? Or both?

“Makes sense,” I said, then I added, “I read her page on the wiki.” “So you’ve got the gist of it,”

An accurate wiki!? LE GASP!

I spotted a crab scuttling across the beach almost directly below us.  I reached out with my power and stopped it in its tracks.  Though I didn’t need to, I extended my finger and pointed at it, then waved my finger lazily as I made the crab follow where my my index finger was pointing.  Since Brian and I were both leaning over the railing, and there was practically nobody on the Boardwalk that wasn’t busy with work or getting their store opened for the day, I was pretty certain nobody else would figure out what I was doing. Brian saw the crab dancing in circles and figure eights and smiled.  Conspiratorially, he leaned closer to me and whispered, “You can control crabs, too?” I nodded, feeling just a bit of a thrill at how we were huddled like this, sharing secrets while the people around us were totally in the dark.  I told him, “I used to think I could control anything with an exoskeleton or shell.  But I can control earthworms too, among other things, and they don’t have shells.  I think all it takes is that they have to have very simple brains.”

But there have to be other animals that also have simple brains she can't control? Some birds and mammals can, no?

It's time to say it again: POWERS

ARE

BULLSHIT

(I suspect I'll be saying that a lot. :rofl:)

Of course, it could be her powers run on what she conceptually thinks are bugs or buglike? Like, if she could convince herself that squirrels are bugs, could she control them?

I shook my head, “I gotta get home and get ready for school.” “Ah, right,” Brian said, “I forget about stuff like that.” “You guys don’t go?” “I take courses online,” Brian said, “My folks think it’s so I can hold a job to pay for my apartment… which is kind of true.  Alec dropped out, Rachel never went, and Lisa already applied for and tested for her G.E.D.  Cheated using her power, but she has it.”

It is kind of remarkable that Taylor doesn't just... give up on school, from what I gather she keeps going sometimes even well into her Villain career. I doubt Winslow would really care enough to reach out to Taylor's dad if she just... stopped actually attending.

“Ah,” I said, my focus more or less dwelling on the idea that Brian had an apartment.  Not the fact that Grue the successful supervillain had an apartment – Lisa had mentioned that to me – but that Brian the teenager with parents and schoolwork to focus on did.  He kept changing my frame of reference for trying to figure him out.

Villains are human and complex!

“That’s to our place,” he told me, “And I mean that.  Ours as in yours too.  You’re free to come by any time, even if nobody is there.  Kick back and watch TV, eat our food, track mud on our floor, yell at the others for tracking mud on the floor, whatever.” “Thank you,” I said, surprising myself by actually meaning it.

Well fuck. Yeah.

Fuck.

All this poor girl wants is a place to belong. A place to be welcome.

I mean, not all she wants, really, I suppose, but a huge part.

That wasn’t to say I didn’t like Lisa, but just being around her made me feel like I had the Sword of Damocles hanging over my head.

Understandable.

Heading back home and preparing for school left me with a gradually increasing feeling of dread, like a weight sitting on my chest.  I’d been trying not to think of Emma’s taunting and my fleeing from the school with tears on my face.  I had spent an hour or two tossing and turning in bed, the event replaying over my head while the throbbing of my wrist jarred me awake every time I started to drift off.  Beyond that, I had been pretty successful in avoiding thinking about it.  Now that the prospect of going back was looming, though, it was impossible not to dwell on the subject as I headed home, got ready and caught the bus.

Taylor "Repress Repress Repress" Hebert!

I still had to face the consequences of missing two afternoons.

Do you?

This wasn’t the first time I’d needed to psych myself up to going to school.  Deceive myself into going and staying.  The worst days had been back in my first year at high school, when the wounds of Emma’s betrayal were still fresh and I wasn’t yet experienced enough to anticipate the variety of things they could come up with.  Back then, it had been terrifying, because I hadn’t yet known what to expect, didn’t know where, when or if they would draw the line. 

Ooof

Or, I thought, maybe I could just look forward to hanging out with Lisa, Alec and Brian.  Outside of the part where I nearly got mauled by Bitch’s dogs, it had been a nice night.

I mean, that's like saying "Apart from the part where she mindraped and then actually raped her sister, Amy Dallon does wonderful things in Worm"

Okay, not really, not even close, but still. That is a very big 'apart from' to just... set aside. :rofl:

 it had been a nice night.  Thai food, five of us lounging on two couches, watching an action movie on a huge entertainment system with surround sound.  I wasn’t forgetting what they were, but I rationalized that I had no reason to feel bad about spending time with them when we were – for all intents and purposes – just a group of teenagers hanging out.  Besides, it was for a good cause, if it meant they relaxed around me and maybe revealed secrets.  Right?

Capacity for self-rationalization, thy name is Taylor. :rofl:

Even though I knew, rationally, that I probably wasn’t on the list of their top five things to talk about and that they likely weren’t talking about me, I felt my heart sink.  

No, you probably are. I'm pretty sure you live rent free in both Taylor and Emma's heads and always will. A year and a half of targeting bullying, day in, day out.

Honestly, like, forget the immorality and awfulness of doing that, just... committing to that much bullying to one person that consistently - It just feels like it would be exhausting.

 One of the other girls noticed and chuckled, leaned closer to Sophia as Sophia whispered something in her ear, then they both laughed.  My cheeks flushed with humiliation.  

Like I said. Rent Free.

 For one and three-quarter school years, I had been putting up with this shit.  I’d been going against the current for a long time, and even though I was aware of the consequences I’d face if I kept missing school like this, it was so much easier to stop pushing so hard against the current and just step in the other direction. My hands jammed into my pockets, already feeling an ambivalent sort of relief, I caught the bus back to the docks.

Life advice from Skitter:

"Drop out of school, and become a supervillain kids!"

:rofl:

(But also, good on you Taylor. In this case, quitting school is the better choice. Fukitol and all that)

[jeetlebeetle]

I like both ship name RadioFemme, and Lilastar ✨

The cannibal sadistic demon x femme fatale is perfect! I also like Lilith x Vox- Lilivox.

Yes!!!!! I feel like it would be a fun dynamic too!! Alastor being a shorter (by comparison) somewhat skrunkly gentleman that relishes in messing with people and being kinda cruel and cannibalism matched up with a Tall Glass of Water absolute Power House classy dame like Lilith! I would imagine him playing Jazz Tunes on his piano and her Singing her Songs along with them— a true musical duo to be sure! :-D

ive never imagined those two together before! in my humble opinion i feel like Vox would be too similar to Adam for Lilith; due to his Incel Vibes. also hes kinda pathetic in a Wet Paper Bag Highly Insecure Way and she was with Pre-Depression Lucifer; whomst is the epitome of confidence and "yeah i fucked ur wife and id do it again L+Ratio+Skill Issue+ur mom"

[thegeminisage]

STAR TREK UPDATE TIME! once again, i am behind. four-episode update 💀monday we watched ds9's "visionary" and voy's "emanations," and last night we caught voy's "prime factors" and "state of flux" which was a banger of a fucking evening tbqh.

visionary (ds9):

HEADLINE: ONCE AGAIN, O'BRIEN SUFFERS! he's become so dear to me that i get really distressed when this happens, but also a little excited, because his reputation for suffering is like the only thing i knew about him even when he was just an extra in the tng pilot, and i like knowing what's up

actually, he did a lot of swooning this episode, which was really fun. very damsel of him.

side bar kira gets so quiet when they're dealing with people she doesn't like. it's almost like sisko told her "fi you can't say something nice don't say anything at all" and so she shuts it to avoid undermining him (whom she likes and respects) in front of people like romulans or cardassians, whomst noses she would be happy to break.

i DO like that she got to get mad later, though. ESPECIALLY mad when they insinuated that odo had feelings for her. odo agreeing that this was absolutely ridiculous totally made my night. liar liar <3

back to the a-plot, obrien and julian having moved onto darts after wringing every last bit of joy out of racketball that they possibly could...this is so funny. julian is literally going through his wifeless year right there with him. he is such a good bro

which made it so distressing when obrien saw him in the future and was like BRO HOW COULD YOU LET ME DIE

julian's response of "i did everything i could to keep you alive for an hour" was very casual but i can just imagine him sweating bullets, deeply distressed. i'm sure it was a very long hour for him. i wish they had played it with a little more gravitas!

obrien seeing his own dead body TWICE was creepy. what's more horrific, OUR obrien basically kind of died. like, future obrien is a slightly different version of him. the obrien we've known since tng is dead and he never got to say goodbye to his family. like green shirt and black shirt john. i think i spent fifteen minutes of the next episode (which was about death, hilariously) going "OBRIEN JUST DIED? HE JUST DIED??" he even said he felt like it wasn't his life...........

monday was literally existential dread night. we brought up the mood after this with...

emanations (voy):

this episode was a pretty thoughtful look at te nature of death and what happens if you fuck up a culture whose belief in the afterlife is unshakable by shaking it up. that said, absolutely none of this is up my alley. GOOD for harry kim though. or um bad for him depending where you fall on that

i liked chakotay's story at the beginning about accidentally desecrating someone's grave. i was afraid they were having him be ultracautious about the dead bodies because they were being racist like oh he's aware because native americans are so Spiritual but he literally just picked up a rock once and felt bad about it. could happen to anyone. bullet tentatively dodged.

i have been referring to harry kim as chekov with brain cells but i think in this episode he lost the brain cell for a little while. he very much violated the prime directive with every word. dude, don't tell them you came from the asteroid with the dead bodies!

that said, i am no less fond of him - it was very compassionate to offer that guy a way out and VERY brave to get back into the death pod wearing the death shroud

it is crazy also that this place was in a whole other fucking dimension. this could easily have been a planet.

janeway & co waking that alien lady up and her finding out the afterlife is not real and that she still has to die anyway was really horrible and fucked up. like, they didn't even need to do that to get harry back. he got it on his own. they just tortured her for nothing <3

janeway at the end like i wanna give you time to reflect on what happened harry kim :) and harry kim is like yeah i should do that :) and theyre like yeah the afterlife might be real after all bc of the energy around this planet :) not my ass. there's not even a therapist on board. i would be back to work as QUICK as possible. who wants to reflect on getting into the death pod!!!

prime factors (voy):

HOLY SHIT.

here is the thing. if you let it, this episode will FUCKING take you places

wait wait let me go back and remark on some little details before i get into it. firstly, tom paris needs to stop trying to get harry laid. he'll cheat on his gf if and when hes ready and considering the extenuating circumstances we can't get mad at him bc for all he knows his gf thinks hes dead and has begin moving on too

also, smart of them to bring seska in for this episode when next episode she. you know. bc she's had such small parts so far that otherwise i'd be wondering who tf this even is. and she is HERE to cause problems on purpose! she's such a bad fucking influence i was absolutely aghast. more on this in the next episode but it's a wonderful way to show the maquis guys, who, lest we forget, FUCKING HATE STARFLEET, didn't all automatically hop on the starfleet bandwagon just because they're all stuck out here together.

i think janeway could have pulled a captain kirk in this episode ie fucked and sucked her way to victory. i mean, i'm glad she didn't have to bc that guy was SO skeezy, but she COULD have and it wouldn't have felt the way deanna's victimization in tng felt, it would have felt like kirk's close encounters in tos.

harry kim discovering the transport technology by accident when he's about to finally cheat onm his gf with some hot alien lady...poor harry. he has the worst luck recently.

and of course now we get to the big thing. the tech. the Big ethical dilemma. i LOVE that they quoted the prime directive here - like yes, of course it sucks for the aliens! it's also true what harry said that it still does more good than harm, but there has to be nuance involved...i still think it's stupid to let an entire culture die rather than save them, etc

you know, and i was sitting there like. falling out with this episode, is the thing. i was sitting there going jesus christ why is everyone being so STUPID why are they disobeying orders why aren't they thinking straight. especially after the huge plot twist of tuvok being the one willing to take one for the team, so to speak, and do the illegal dealings so he could save janeway's morality (WHICH: HELLO??? WHY DO THAT IF NOT FOR THAT FORBIDDEN EMOTION: FRIENDSHIP). like just wait to test the damn thing! tuvok is on his way to janeway RIGHT NOW!

but they're desperate. they're desperate and scared shitless and of COURSE it is making them stupid. they almost KILLED EVERYONE because they weren't being smart because THEY WANTED TO GO HOME. like, the scene in janeway's office at the end totally saved all of this for me. you can see on b'elanna's face so clearly she is facing her sins in the cold light of day and having the SAME THOUGHT PROCSS which is "how could i have possibly been so FUCKING stupid"

oh my god. i rewatched it twice. JANEWAY. did we know kate mulgrew could ACT? she was so emotional but still holding it together because SHE IS THE CAPTAIN. her whispered "dismissed" at b'elanna after she GAVE B'ELANNA A CHANCE. i would have sunk right through the floor. and her speech to tuvok!!! "you can use logic to justify anything that is its power and its flaw" LIKE HOLY SHIT GIRL. SAY IT, OUT LOUD!

sorry ik hes married but i also know hes gotta do pon farr eventually he and janeway could get it. like they could literally get it just as buds like one time. "we have forged this relationship over years and i depend on it" SHE LITERALLY DOES DEPEND ON IT! like, that was easily, EASILY the finest acting we have seen in this series so far. that scene CRACKLED. it was incredible. it took an episode i was losing faith in and flipped it around to one of my favorites. 10/10

state of flux (voy):

this one wasn't as good as the previous one but it was still pretty fucking good.

the mystery was really entertaining in this one and kept me guessing until the end. i kept going "no it's too EASY if it's seska" and then seska would trick me and everyone else into thinking she had plausible reasons for x suspicious fact and i would go SEE she's just complex! but she got me. and in hindsight it's SO obvious, and especially compared to lt carey who was a dick at first but fell in line and is working on his redemption arc or whatever. it wouldn't make sense narratively to send him back

chakotay refusing to take even ONE MORE BITE of that soup he wanted so bad after he realized seska essentially stole it. punishing himself ALONG WITH everyone else for the infraction. seska is such a good way to illustrate the tensions between starfleet and the maquis, even out here, and chakotay is in SUCH a rough position, having to both protect his own people AND keep them in line AND protect them BY keeping them in line. he and janeway both want the crew to be completely integrated but it's just not that easyyyy i love the complexity of it all

i feel like i recognized the filming locations in this one...yeah, all caves look alike but it looks so much like that valley outside the holo-city from ds9 and the save reminded me of that tng ep where picard and crusher got mind-linked

janeway was a sucker to let those kazon get that close. like of COURSE they kill the guy after the entire ship bled to save his life. but she's a well-meaning sucker. classic starfleet move

i also love chakotay's little crisis at the end. like, bro, am i that easy to trick? he is trying so hard and everything continues to fall apart around him!!! he hates cardassians and he was fucking one! dude is living in a nightmare scenario.

i hope we see seska again - they wrote her out when she just now got interesting. problems on purpose.

crack headcanon for a second there was maybe she was that woman they thought kira was in that one cardassian kira episode. that would have been way more interesting than her being cardassian on purpose, actually

TONIGHT: ds9's "distant voices" and "through the looking glass."

[johnsbleu]

hii someone asked for me for visuals of each character in hmh and tbh some people i know what they look like in my head but can't find an actor/actress that they look like but i do with some people, so here u go lmao

obviously who i picture might not be who you picture and that's totally fine! it's just who i picture in my head! if you picture someone else, let me know! i'd love to hear!

oh and also these are grown people because im a grown ass woman. i'm not gonna be like yeah i totally see sabrina carpenter as reader bc like she's 23 or something lmao i mean if you picture her, then that's cool but i don't lol anyway grown people here!

one more thing: if these people are problematic or something, do not hold it against me. i don't know half these people it's just who i picture lmao the only people i keep up with are keanu and jessica rothe.

all pics are under the cut!

ps. the last one is super controversial :/

for tess is jessica rothe. i've had her in my mind since day one of writing hmh. just everything about her is tess.

her dressed as madonna???? very tess!

jimmy is obviously the guy who plays him in the movie and that's thomas sadoski (fun fact: he's married to amanda seyfried IRL)

even though she's rarely in hmh right now i totally see sonoya mizuno as april (specially her from crazy rich asians) she has that perfect studious and cutesy look i see when i think of april (remember she's the one who researched the ~mysterious~ coin reader found in the beginning of hmh lmao)

(another fun fact her and jessica rothe were in la la land together and i didn't know that until like a year after i started writing hmh)

she's not in hmh much right now but when i think of jen, i think of arielle kebble, specially her with a bob like this. i think she's adorable! i don't know anything about her but i think she's in 911 right now??? idk i know she was in john tucker must die lmao

i see paul reiser and olivia colman (with an american accent lmao) as reader's parents. he's in stranger things and every time he says "kiddo" im like that's reader's dad!

and remember annoying matt? yeah he looks like this in my head. idk anything about this guy but i wanna punch his face lmao when i started writing matt, i knew i needed a guy who didn't look like he was 22 or something. i needed a guy who looked older and that would make john feel threatened because he's not a kid, he's a grown adult.

aurelio is obviously john leguizamo!

as for amanda, aurelio's wife, (whomst i LOVE dearly in hmh) i can't think of who i would pick to play her but i see amanda being pretty short, maybe like 5'0 and being a mid sized girly with shoulder length blonde hair.

grace is a super cutesy ginger and tony is...idk just a white kid? lmao some people i don't really think about what they look like. the people that we spend the most time with in hmh have faces to their names though for sure.

and as for reader, i picture...............no one. she doesn't have a face, which is really weird. i think being the person who writes hmh it's hard for me to picture her. i picture myself sometimes because it makes it easier to describe certain scenarios (i just picture myself doing them and write it lmao) but even then i still don't look like myself (my imagination is very nice to me and it makes me very hot when i do picture myself lmao)

reader has this ability to go from cute girl next door to being super sexy and hot and i can't think of an actress (in my opinion) who really encapsulates that. all i know for reader is that she's about 5'0 tall (only comes up to john's shoulder) and she has brown hair. and clearly because of the 'peach' nickname, she has a very nice ass. probably nice boobs too because i mean who doesn't want nice boobs lmao

i remember scrolling through pinterest one day for pics for ig edits and i came across the cutest little girl and something clicked and i immediately went..."that's ronan." obviously she's going to look different than how you all picture her (and she's still a baby right now) but to me in my mind, this is totally ronan when she's like two

bleu is the most handsomest boy, of course! here he is with chad at a showing of john wick chapter two. his name irl is bubba/burton. they ended up just calling him bubba because keanu couldn't remember the name burton. also keanu hung out with him on set of jw2 to build their bond 😭 look at his fucking pathetic little face he's so cute i love him!!!!!!!!!!!

MOST CONTROVERSIAL ONE OF ALL: JOHN WICK.

you guys might disagree with me but i totally see keanu reeves as john wick. like everything about him is so perfect for john. like his hair, his beard, his intense but soft brown eyes. he's the perfect person for john ;) he has the ability to play super dangerous and scary but also can be very gentle and soft. idk maybe it's just me though??? 🤭

anyways that's just a few people! that was fun lmao

[arodrwho]

dw liveblog

oh theyre just going for susan rightaway huh

oh i like this kid

i do wish there was less emphasis on rubys bio mum but i'm okay with it bc at least she never calls carla anything her but her mum

i saw somebody say they werent expecting THAT villain to come back but they didnt say which villain so i'm like ????? whomst. ive heard the master and the rani and folks from the eu as theories all season long so i'm assuming not them? so.. whomst

eyyyyyy go carla!

ohhhh mrs flood! hey whats up. who are you, also

oh that's fucking rude. i hate you actually

"he waits no more" so thatll be the one who waits, then. ist the eu guy after all?

"well, not quite, not yet" oh my god the theory was RIGHT? holy shit. love that

so what are we thinking, chameleon arch?

>:(((( let carla in! --yeah!!

god i love when the dr's a time tech snob

oh good. carla should be here for this. no don't take carla away, i want here to be there

god ruby is an infant. 2004 is so recent

tides and hollows... i love that

oh thats dramatic

i'm still mad that carlas sidelined. i get that this about ruby and not her mum, but like. it is also about her mum

oh, i love ruby's mum. she did get to be a big part of it

carrionite? carrionite pose?

no make him go back this seems like a really bad idea. no dont go by the tardis

but now wheres the guy

okay well why did she literally vanish but the rest of the vision is still there. thats weird. did she actually vanish in that first episode and not just walk out of sight?

i said he shouldnt have moved!!!!

how do you know its name? why'd you say The Beast in caps? hello??? someone talk to carla?????

the Beast like. from that one episode? with rose?

the fuck?

yeah the one who waits okay sure. but can we go back to what carla said???

holy shit. whys he stone

yeah man why'd you let him walk around? that doesnt make any sense!! just decide this guy is expendable???? like. u do that sometimes. but not usually to ur allies

whats grizzling. like i can pick it up from context but

he's not having a temper tantrum or a sulk mel, don't be rude

ooooooh that's interesting. i thought he was asking abt dreams bc chameleon arch. i mean i guess it could still be a weird chameleon arch thing but im not sure why she wouldve spent time as an ambulance yknow

that was an extremely rude way to talk to ur mum. how about an i'm sorry, but i can't? jeez.

?????? i think shes allowed to question, kate. but sure

harbinger....

sutekh.... i don't remember you? if tis an old enemy returned, i dont think i watched or read or listened to whatever he was in. assuming a classic or eu thing of some kind

[kitnita]

Talk Hockey To Me

(tag game)

tagged by @eliooliver83 @oetter & @txstars!! mwah thank you!!!

1. The thing that got you hooked on hockey

i am a lifelong member of the 'being insane about sports' club in that i still have a poster of my baseball team's 2005 roster hanging over my bed & used to get SO pissed in middle school when boys in my class had incorrect college basketball opinions. but hockey was just? never on my radar?? due to the south texas of it all. then i went to college for broadcast in new york state & made friends with some guys majoring in sports broadcast and was like wait ....... there's a sport they talk about that i can't talk about (i loved knowing more about sports than boys so this was a serious blow) (football doesnt count i decided when i was a kid that i didn't care about football therefore its not real) & a friend of mine with whom i watched the world series was like no i've got you i can get you into hockey. i realize now she just wanted an excuse to proselytize about the new york islanders.

but anyway yeah!! i stuck with being fond of them because of her & then added the stars because as a Texan i had to root for them & also tyler seguin hooked me. i was a casual fan until there were absolutely No Sports in 2020 & i accidentally stumbled upon hockeyblr just in time to get hyper mega insane about hockey before the bubble playoffs.

2. Your first ever fandom friend

like any normal well adjusted person i feel weird calling someone my friend even if we're friendly because what if they don't actually like me (again this is normal & well adjusted behavior) that said tanya txstars was the first hashtag mutual i had in starsblr whomst i feel like i talked to via the tags!!

3. The jersey you would most like to own

wait have i ever mentioned that i own a mooterus jersey. it was like eighty dollars off depop because its a) womens cut & b) a size small which means that while it does technically fit, my tits stop it from looking like, you know, a jersey should look on the human body. so i'd love one that i can wear without feeling ridiculous!! through logan stankoven all things are possible!!! i'm generally a jersey thrifter so i do love the $16 tyler jersey i found but im sure one day ill bite the bullet and buy a non-secondhand otter jersey.

4. YOUR player (you only get ONE so choose wisely)

unfortunately goalies are inherently endearing & then on top of that he's also insane in the most confounding way possible so jake oettinger is My Guy whether he likes it or not

5. A pairing that deserves more fic

as someone who has written just over half of the robotter fic out there in the world: please put more robotter fic out there in the world. also i think robo & otter both deserve to fuck otter's goalie partner. also also it's not technically a pairing but i think we as a people need to embrace delly's clear & evident love for throuples and start sticking him in other peoples relationships. it's what he would want <3

6. Your favourite on-ice moment

jason robertson laying flat on his back on the ice after finishing his first career hat trick lives in my head rent free btw. if you even care. it just plays on a fucking loop up there. also the the dellymiro delly's first goal celly. also also that time those flames fans tried to actually curse jake midgame. like on the one hand what the fuck but on the other hand i actually admire that kind of dedication yk

THEN

link someone else's art/fic/etc that you love & think everyone should check out

i'm still foaming at the mouth over @txstars's rule 63 robotter fic!! also i think it's clear what robo ship i've dedicated myself to but everyone in the roboroope trenches is soooo impressive to me. i see the vision. @winningmachine's stats guy robo fic is a foundational text. thank you @starscelly for also giffing insane random things during games. there's so many other fun people in starsblr specifically & hockeyblr generally but see above re: being normal and well adjusted so You Know Who You Are & also I Love Your Work

AND

link something you made & are proud of & want people to see

my magnum opus ............ the robotter primer. linking anything else feels weird BUT please enjoy my unhinged labor of love. i saw someone mentioned it to that gay hockey tournament blog but didnt want to link it?? please link it places. put how unhinged i was/am about them on blast.

tagging @coffeehound91 @moregraceful @hintzy!!! & also idk who has and hasn't been tagged so if you see this & would like to do it please do & feel free to tag me as the person who tagged you because i am a certified nosy bitch & love seeing other people talk about themselves <3

[measuringbliss]

Spider-Man Read-Through 056: The Frightful Four!!! (SSM 41-43)

MASTERPOST

The last time, Peter became a lizard for a while. Fun stuff!

In this issue, mysterious enemies try to seem menacing and utterly fail, homophobia, as well as special guests and the best villain ever!

Are you shocked, are you impressed, are you terrified yet? *snickers*

After using his powers to give his late paper to Professor Slater, Spider-Man interrupts Meteor Man at a microwave exhibition (...). We met this antagonist previously in Team Up, which shows you exactly how important he is. Bill Foster, whomst I know from Ant-Man and the Wasp (the movie) but who apparently has a different position, is giving a lecture nearby, but gets the opportunity to lend him a hand as Giant-Man.

The art actually has a lot of trouble trying to convey how big exactly Giant Man is supposed to be. There's perspective, and then there's whatever is going on here.

Meteor Man gets away, they track him down, and Giant-Man casually drops in his internal monologue that's he's dying of radioactive poisoning. Wow. Um. Alright.

They fight, Meteor Man gets to grow bigger, but...

Oh, between twelve and thirty feet? How audacious. How incredible. Show us, dude.

Okay, this is better! Actually a nice page.

That... was an issue alright.

Issue #42 has a neat cover!

Peter is trapped in traffic and ends up swinging to his class boat ride thingy.

I love this, because half the time I barely register that Marcy Kane and Debra Whitman are different characters. Digital issues (hey, have you seen these clean screenshots? Much better!)!

My opinions on each character: Philip is alright, I need him to have more of a personality. Marcy sucks, been there, done that (although I just read a spoiler about her and what the fuck, I'm curious to see how THAT plays out). Steve is hot and adorable. No opinion on Sloan and Debra.

I'm glad to see Peter's social life though. I still feel like these characters aren't anywhere as solid as the previous cast was, but I think jumping between both magazines really doesn't help either.

I missed you, hon.

No but seriously, I'd be interested to reread SSM only focusing on it, I think it's probably a stronger experience.

Marcy Kane immediately aggros Pete, but Connors interrupts them. Meanwhile, the Frightful Four aren't far away! We've got the Sandman, the Wizard, Electro and the Trapster (who even is that? :p).

They do a bit of mischief, and I'm pretty sure that cop is homophobic. "PARTNERS?", he says (lmao).

On the boat, Peter wonders whether he has a crush on Marcy (nooo) when Debra arrives.

Some depth? Wow.

Anyway, before Peter settles on whether he wants a relationship with our desperate lady, the Human Torch cockblocks him.

Why is this so funny?

She feels guilty about Peter getting away, and...

New, rare poses!

Hell yeah. Sorry for the amount of screenshots but I really enjoy looking at these!

It wasn't the Human Torch, however, only our Frightful Four! The Wizard created a suit imitating the Torch and gives it to Electro.

Our hero doesn't get fooled for long, and a fight quickly breaks.

A hilarious moment is Spidey trying to figure out who's attacking him. The Sinister Six? No, the Frightful Four after replacing Madam Medusa with Electro? No, it's actually the Frightful Four after replacing the Brute with Electro! What a mess hahahaha

In his own words, Spidey's fighting a "foursome". *snickers again*

The fight goes badly for Spidey, until... Electro interrupts everybody because now, he wants to know who's under the mask.

They sure are a bunch of idiots.

Their plan is to impersonate Spidey and eliminate the Fantastic Four. Uh-huh, sure. And the story continues in FF #218!

This is a really cool first page.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA ALRIGHT

The Human Torch acts extremely gay with "Spider-Man" in this scene. He gets knocked out. The Thing and the security system are also quickly neutralized, but as our villains enter the building, Sue wakes up... she finds her brother, but is quickly attacked and subsequently, knocked out. And just when Mr. Fantastic gets unconscious as well, Spidey arrives!

The ensuing fight is fun, and at last, all's well.

Anyway, SSM #43!

OH THIS IS GORGEOUS. THE SHADING ON PETER'S SHIRT. I LOVE IT. His face, not so much... Anyway, Steve and Peter being bros, hell yeah!

So bandits have broken into ESU and use Debra as a hostage. They get their stuff and get away, but not without Peter throwing a gadget of his at their car.

Handsome.

His spider-tracer leads him to a twink.

And what an ugly twink. Especially compared to this highly stylish Belladonna, what the heck, I love her.

I think I've been spoiled something on Roderick Kingsley, but we'll see how it goes.

Anyways, Belladonna wants to steal Roderick's ideas, apparently. Spidey decides to intervene. The villains get away, and Roderick's annoyed that Spidey ruined his apartment with the fight. However, our hero surmises that Belladonna wanted chemicals for her special gas.

The next day, at the Daily Globe, Sandy Jones is quickly charmed by Peter and she explains that Roderick is rumored to steal his designs. Plus, he has a show that night! Peter easily gets the assignment, and goes to his lab to work on countering Bella's gas.

I love that second panel, it's a very strong one.

Debra's here, she bought what was on Peter's list. He's so happy he asks her on a date, to which she obviously agrees. I would too, girl.

Turns out what Peter was searching for was vinegar. He worries about reactivating his ulcer, which is a nice callback to a storyline from like, ASM 80 something. That's cool!

This feels like a Pretty Little Liars storyline, I love it. Seriously, I love this issue! Also, Peter very pretty.

Anyway, Spidey stops the bandits, but Belladonna gets away!

Oh, I really went from bored at very excited throughout this post, wow! Hell yeah.

[alfiely-art]

FINISHED ACT 3!!! Technically finished last night but I'm scheduling this for the morning

Act 1 reaction here

Act 2 reaction here

Notes I wrote while reading:

“I hope your father keeps you well fed” OH THATS WHY THERE WAS ALL THOSE BAKED GOODS OHHHH

Anyway. How thr fuck did Nanna know this. Did she hoo hoo in life as she does in death

OMG JADE

Is that an onion on ur shirt farmstink

Squeal like a piglet and fertilize some plants

OMG SHE DID IT I LOVE U JADE

Huh. Her room is. Just her friends interests. And their parents interests. Other than the furry I know that's all her. I know

Guns!!! Yayaya!!!!!! Doesn't Jake like guns too

Oh girl. Yoare so otherkin

She's really otherkin my goodness

PROBLEM SL- oh. Sooth

HEY THAT CUE BALL IS PART OF DOC SCRATCH AINT IT. THATS THE THING. THE TH HAL EQUIUS GAMZEE CALIBORN STUFF.

I do wonder what the magic 8 ball is for. If Jade has a bad feeling about it

Slur count: 4

Huh. Okay she has like… VR??

Slur count: 5 but I think Dave can reclaim this one

DAVE FURSONA YOOOO

What are you talking about tho

Omg they're fucking killing the felts…

Dave oh my god you're losing so bad. But yay bro!!! Yay cal!!! I'm so sorry Dave

john you're getting your ass whooped

Oh hello… Is ur name Sentry. Are you buddies with Vagabond

Oh. He's got mummies in his house

What is that thing

Who thr fuck is this. Who is CG

I'm assuming a troll ??? But whomst…

Slur count: 6

THE CAT

oooo what're you up to sentry…

IM GONNA PISS MYSELF I FELT SO BAD FOR DAVE AND THEN THE. I WARNED YOU BRO!!!!

HOLY SHIT JOHN IS GOING CRAZY

Aww yay he's having fun I think

Woah that place sure is purple!!!!

FUCK YEAH GET THEM DAD

???? Who is this clown watching them

Oh your name Isn't sentry. Hi peregrine medication!!!

Autocorrect that's not their name

PM I love you. I love mail

Yo wait PM you know Jade??? What

WHAT THE

IT EXPLODED

Omg rose horse… I know there's a animation of her with the horses. Like the arquiussprite one.

The fuck is in the teapot

AWWWWWWW THATS SO CUTE

Is that a picture of Jade in godtier. They Know….

HELP she napping

Oh. he's dead. Girl…

PM IS ALIVE!!!!!

Awwww baby rose….

Meow

Da fuck

Dad is… boring…? Lies

Jack's fourth wall : ( it was stolen…

IS THIS BETTY CROCKER!!!!

Put the hat on Jack. Put it on

Womp womp

FRUIT GUSHERS YAAAAAA

Awwww he looks so cute in the suit

THE HEINOUS BATTERWITCH

Boy you're so extra

BAHAHAHAH HE JIST WANTED TO DETCH THE BULLET… WHY ARE YOU DANCING W YOUR DEAD GUY…

Oop she napping

OH MY GOD SOMEONE GET ROSE OUT OF THERE

ROBOT?!?!?!?!

Dreambot…

So wait did she already Godtier…

Her room is lesbjan colors I think

Slur count: 7

Twelve… there's twelve Trolls I'm pretty sure

Gamzee Equius Nepeta Karkat Vriska Aradia. Uhh. Tavros. Eridan. Sollux. Uhh… the fish girl… uhhh….

Hi Vodka Mutini

How does John feel about Dave's bro kicking his ass btw. Very casual way of saying it

Oh John : (

VAGABOND IS BACK FUCK YEAH

Gasp… the blue box…

REALSTIC GUN!!! Hi renagade… like the dance

So John's the guy who likes clowns… not his dad…

His dad is so sweet though. he just wants to take care of his son. What has john repressed

OH PROSPIT IVE HEARD THAT!!!

This place sure is yellow

Omg WV has company :3

WV AND PM SHALL MEET!!!!

Take the shot /ref

JOHN!!!! He is also yellow !!!!

Ohhhh he's looking swaggy… Teal is a good color for him

Slur count: 8

WRINKLEFUCKER

NOOOOO DAVE… LIL CAL… THE KATANA… POOR BABY….

Giving him a forehead smooch

OH MY GODD THE JADE SILHOUETTE…

I like this like. “Fuck you timeline let's jump around” type of way thr story is being

Poor Cal….

GA… who are you

“Spread your wings” LIKE WHEN HE BECOMES A BIRD

Hi Dave I love you. I have no idea who you flirted with but you did such a good job you're such a good troll

YAYAY RENAGADE

Yo that box has Jade's dead relative on there…

PM is a girl?? the more u know

BAHAH AR'S A JUDGE… they're making a whole town… mayor, mail carrier, and judge…

INCONCEIVABLE

Butterfly : D

BABY JADE!!!

WHOP

HEY WAIT JACK DONT KILL HIM!!! I LOVE JOHN'S DAD!!!!

Oh my god I love them

That was a cool animation!!!! I have no idea what was going on. But hey I know that song…. Sburbian Jungle…

That sure is a fucked up planet WHAT HOW IS THAT THE END OF ACT 3

Okay so. Does this mean I'm. Halfway done with homestuck. This feels so short. Are the other acts longer

[atopvisenyashill]

in a world where somehow in the end Stannis is King and Shireen is alive. Since we’re in fantasy land already, you think he would have betrothed Shireen to Devan Seaworth? Or to Edric Baratheon (he’s have to legitimize him to be sure but) ??

Largely depends on if he can have more kids. If melisandre can’t pull a visenya here for him, shireen is crown princess and she can’t be married to a bastard or a boy once step up from being a peasant. in a fantasy world where stannis wins the war, you can bet he’s done some severe pride swallowing and made a marriage match for shireen to win over an ally, but of course this does have the eventual benefit, when he can’t have another kid, of potentially setting shireen up with someone powerful to back her claim. davos is amazing but absolutely not. if he has SEVERAL more kids, maybe shireen marries devan but the thing is, this is the royal family, shireen is the oldest child, and even littlefinger was considered too low born for sansa, and he’s a bit more higher class than davos! so long as she remains the only or one of the only heirs to the throne, she Has to marry very high up.

WHOMST she marries likely depends on how stannis gets his throne. like, the obvious thing to do here from the jump is to contact ned or robb here his damn self and see if they want a shireen marriage. the north may not be heavily populated, but they have a loud voice and they tend to come as a block more than the other regions, so you’re gonna get a Lot of allies at once. he could have done the same with doran - again, not a Huge population but a loud voice & one with an axe to grind against both stannis’ main opps (the lannisters and tyrells).

tbh the martells are probably a better option because neither ned nor robb was ever gonna side with the lannisters, so if he makes it clear he’s on their side BEFORE robb is crowned, and also shares what he knows again BEFORE robb is crowned, i think it’s likely he can save shireen for trystane, and if he’s risking the possibility of his daughter inheriting after him, i Do think having someone whose family likely owns several tomes detailing the history of how nymeria forced the andals to accept rhoynar customs, she Might be a lil better off. altho of course you’d run into the “what are we dornish or something” attitude from the other westerosi, so you win some you lose some there. bran would make a great consort too of course, it’s just that like,,, you don’t NEED to bribe ned lmao & robb probably wouldn’t need to be bribed either (catelyn might insist tho tbf!!) but doran definitely would need some sort of guarantee here.

even if you did a scenario where say the series up until now happens but stannis changes the tide of the war and claims winterfell, then the riverlands, then King’s Landing and holds it through the long night, so davos has been his closest advisor this whole time…..shireen still needs a powerful family to support her if he can’t have kids. if he only has one (1) son and she inherits Storm’s End, i can see the daven just bc a lot of people are dead lmao, but i do think it’s more likely shireen & her inheritance is dangled in front of a potential ally during the war. IF she’s still single by the end of the war, AND he has like minimum TWO SONS,,,,,,,, yeah idk lmao i mean the spicers were just merchants and the westerlings are considered too low class now for marrying them, imagine a FORMER PIRATE from FLEA BOTTOM.

if you’re asking “would stannis go for it” i mean yeah, i can see stannis like robert getting romantically fixated on the idea of joining his bloodline with his besties and marrying their kids, absolutely. and davos would be deeply honored. but would it cause a big scandal? absolutely.

As for Edric…..hes robert’s son lmao Stannis is not legitimizing Edric because it puts HIMSELF in question AND shireen in question because a son of robert’s would come before a brother, let alone a NIECE. if stannis died & shireen lived i think it would make sense for them to pull an aly/baela under some circumstances, but so long as stannis is alive and still fighting for the throne, i’m not sure what he gains giving edric the ability to call himself a baratheon. if he was RENLY’S (lol, lmao) i could see it, as a way of just like getting ahead of any succession dispute by tying the two heirs together (bc i’m Sure some people would peddle the castle raised bastard boy over a sickly true born girl) but Robert’s son??? just feels too dangerous unless he WANTS to make edric his heir, and is legitimizing him by tying him to shireen. but, i just don’t know why stannis would want that lmao he doesn’t even LIKE robert aksjd.