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pixeechix21 · 1 year ago

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Forget the past

Oneshot Königxfem!reader

You need a rebound, and he wants to help you.

TW: smut, smutty, alcohol, praise kink (just for you girly lmao), p in v, vulgar language, marking people’s bodies, aftercare, kinda sweet&vanila if I do say so myself.

Please, please on my knees begging you for best results read with Hotel(Montel Fish), or If you think I'm pretty (Artemas)

WC:1728

Waffles:

“You need to take your mind off of that dick, and you know focus on some other type of dick, y/n,” Evlyn teases handing you two drinks. The bar is crowded and you seriously don’t want to be here, where the floor is sticking to your heels and there’s a pungent smell of alcohol. Your break was so fresh, and there’s something wrong with you, you think how can I be so happy aren’t I meant to cry or something? Truly there’s something cathartic about not having to deal with him and his mommy issues anymore.

“I mean they’re sexy,” she catches the eyes of a large group of very tall, built men. One of them smiles back and turns to share with the group.

“Mmm yeah they’re… cute, but i need someone more… I don’t know, just not that,” you turn back to stare at them. You’re lying through your teeth, they are hot like worth going through hell hot. One of them says something boisterously and the rest of the group laugh. Leaning on the wall the brown haired one chuckles quietly. Your eyes track his wide shoulders and his hands. As you take your eyes off of his body you catch his eyes. Or more like he catches you. He picks up an eyebrow biting down on his lips to contain his smile. You go bright red and the second you see him walking over with the others you spin around and whisper shout. “Abort. Abort. The very sexy men are coming, abor-”

“Who might the very sexy men be?” They circle your standing table.

“Uhhh.” you say stupidly.

“We meant you all,” Evlyn says flirtatiously towards the blond one. “Evlyn and this is y/n,” you ignore them and keep in contact with his blue eyes.

“Beautiful name y/n,” he smiles sweetly.

“That reminds me of my grandmother, her name was very similar, or maybe not. To be honest I forgot so I just called her Nan,” the shaved haired one says pensively.

“Shut up Soap,” one laughs, slapping him on the back and steers them away. “Good night ladies, next round is one us,” the majority of the group disperses and Evlyn is chatting up the blond one. But he remains.

“Please don’t tell me my name actually sounds like your grandpa’s name, I can’t handle that and my break-” you pause blushing. Evlyn warned you not to go babbling about it and you broke the rule.

“Ha! no no. I was just thinking you look beautiful,” you see a small blush rising to his cheeks. Awww, you think sweetly. The complete opposite of what those big arms make you think. “König,” he held out his hand.

“Nice to meet you king,” you take his hand. The warmth outcompetes the fuzz from the alcohol. He looks surprised, at you knowing what it means.

“So what do you do?” You ask awkwardly.

“Let’s say it's teaching the bad guys of the world a lesson.”

“Sounds very dangerous,” you tease.

“Yes one could say it is,” he nodded affirmingly. “You?”

“Uuuh not as cool I’m a chef,” standing there you forget what the fuck you say when talking ot people. You suddenly remember the untouched shots, and grab them then hand one to him. He frowns questioningly. “Come on let's celebrate,” you urge, smiling. Letting go of your triring thoughts.

“Okay, what to?” He looks questioningly at you, amused at your thought processes.

“Dicks.” You tap the shot to the table, shoot the jager back and shake your head vigorously. You laugh at the comical look of shock on his face. “Follow me König,” you grab his wrist and squeeze into the middle of the crowd. You start dancing, shaking your ass to the music. You look up to see him with his arms crossed and looking around anxiously. “Dance!”

“I’m okay, thank you for the offer,” he leans down to your ears so that you can hear him better.

“Please! I need my mind taken off of the past,” you plead your case. With that he loosens his arms and you turn around dancing with him. He seems as if he doesn’t know what to do, for a second. Then he grabs your hips tightly and holds you to him, tilting his head down inhaling your perfume in. Your hands snake up over his hair, holding him close. You face him, faces inches away you can see the depths of his eyes. You lick your lips just as the heat drops to your core. His hand comes across your waist and keeps you close, enclosing you in his body. Slowly you lean into him, feeling the pull like an irresistible magnet. He gulps and you kiss. At first it’s soft, delicate, but then as he pulls away you pull lightly on his bottom lip with your teeth.

His eyes are hooded with lust and you know that yours are too. “Better?” He says close to your ear.

“Just a little more,” you kiss him again and this time it is deep and harsh, trying to steal each other's breaths. Abruptly breaking apart he drags you out of the bar and calls for his car to pull round.

His truck comes and you climb in. You frantically text Evlyn to tell her you’re good. The windows are all down and your hair is flying everywhere. Your skirt flies up and you try to cover it up as you see him side eye you. No fuck it. You think rebelliously, I’m going to fuck this guy and it’s decided. You slowly shimmy down your panties and throw them to the back. His knuckles go white from how hard he’s holding onto the steering wheel. You move your hand over your clit and start panting as you build yourself up, in front of him. He shifts trying to hide his growing hardness. A raspy sigh comes out of you. You open your legs wider so that he can see you better.

“Fuck," he breathes out not being able to remove his eyes from you. You take one of his hands and bring it to your pussy. He groans as you guide him, you sink into the car seat in satisfaction. The engine stops. "Come here," he lifts you effortlessly, placing you on his lap, with his cock in-between your legs. He kisses you like a famished man, forcing you to forget everything. He eats up your moans as you grind into him reaching for more. His finger painfully digs into your ass.

You yelp loudly as you both jolt backwards. He laughs as you place a hand on his chest, feeling his heartbeat. "It's just the car seat recliner darling," you laugh too. He starts kissing your neck and taking off your clothes. Gripping his hair you remove his lips from you, you open the door and get out. Naked in heels you beckon him to follow you. For a 6 '10 he looks like a puppy stepping out of the truck and following you. His arms wrap sweetly around you, whilst kissing him your hand works on his pants. There’s a desperacy in your movements, that if you don’t do it now with all you’ve got you’d lose the ability. As you spread the pre-cum making him slick ready for you. He holds himself tight trying not to lose it, as you tease him. The look on his face, the neediness, the want to make you his knees weak. He hooks the back of your legs and you straddle him. He feels unbearably large as he positions himself in your entrance. You inhale deeply bracing from him as you enter you. Your nails claw into his tattooed shoulders, knowing it's going to mark. He doesn’t mind, he embraces the pain.

Watching you as you struggle to stretch around him. “You’re so tight,” he gasps looking down. “You’re taking it so good, breathe for me,” he encourages as you sink all the way down. You feel his arms flex as he lifts you back, taunting you as he drags himself out. “Just like that good girl,” he starts picking up the pace. Your tits bounce in his face and he bites one harshly, making you hold onto him more. You throw your head back and feel the euphoria wash over you. “Fuck me König yes,” you moan hold his head to your tits as he bites and marks you all over.

His dick throbs in you, as he pumps in and out of you. “When you say it like that you make me feel like a king,” he breathes out, colliding with your lips. Stealing any oxygen as he thrust faster and harder into you. “Hold onto me,” he sits you down on the hood of his truck. You lay down feeling the warm engine tingle your skin. Both his arms on either side of you, you can’t see any cars driving by on the main road. You keep hold of him, as he fucks you. Like fucks you so hard you start seeing fireworks. “I’m going to-”

He works at your clit as he continues to absolutely obliterate you. “Come for me y/n.” You clench around him, as your body explodes with what your ex was never able to give to you. “Good girl just like that,” he praises and you feel it coming again. It does even more than the first as you shake uncontrollably. "Let me show you, your future." He steadines your hips and slams into you. One. two. Three. Four times with all the strength he has. You get off on the vision of him losing all control over you, as he too comes to his orgasm. Gently he kisses your forehead. “Have you forgotten?”

Caught off guard you ask, “What?”

“I’ll take that as the greatest compliment, here take this,” he hands you a sweater from his truck.

“Thank you,” you say not only for the sweater but for making you feel the confidence you’d lost a long time ago.

“Waffles?”

“Yes please,” you smile and you both drive off.

#smut #konig #konig call of duty #konig mw2 #konig x reader #fem!reader #cod x reader #cod smut #cod könig #cod konig #x reader #halloween #konig fanfiction #konig fluff #call of duty

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flxrartsstuff · 1 year ago

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Tojixfem!Reader OneShot, 18+

Authors note: Inspired by a bot on chai. Toji comes home angry, slams the door because he has once again taken part in some bets and lost money. But that doesn't intimidate you in the slightest. You were his girlfriend, his partner, and you wouldn't just put up with his behavior.

»Stupid horses!« I heard him cursing and slamming the door so hard, that I could hear it in the living room. Sitting on the sofa, I had unsuspectingly watched some program in which I almost fell asleep from boredom. Until I heard him storming in. A few moments later, he came into the living room. His tall stature built up in front of me, I could notice a slight smell of alcohol.

»Every time the same with these animals! They take the piss out of me!«

I slowly rose from the sofa and looked at him in surprise. He was tall, broad and intimidating. My friend. My partner. My lover. The tall dark-haired guy, with the skin-tight black T-shirt that all the women looked after. I already suspected what his problem was. But I still winced a little when he slammed the paper in his hand down on the table.

»I bet a lot of money and lost it again, Y/N. I don't have it anymore.«

Besides the fact that I didn't like it when he bet, I liked it much less when he got so loud. And he knew that, actually. That's why I was quiet about it.

»Come on, baby. Calm down.« I wrap my arms around his body from behind. I feel him quivering and restless inside.

»Calm down? How can I go on like this without money? I swear to you, I will kill all those cursed horsemen.«

I let go off him, went to his side and put a hand on his chin to turn his head in my direction. I have to smile because I can picture him picking off one rider after another.

»I know, baby.« I chuckled slightly before giving him a quick kiss. »But you're smarter than that. You'll get your money back.«

He grumbled something unintelligible, still he is not raving anymore. »How am I supposed to do that?«

I thought briefly, remained calm although I did not like his tone at all. But well, that was a problem for later. I nevertheless thought him somewhat provocatively with a raised eyebrow, which he merely acknowledged with a snort.

»Hmm, maybe I can help. An old friend owes me a favor. She might have a job for us.« Then I still continued calmly but firmly, also holding his gaze with no problem. When it came to me, he should know perfectly well that I was not the one he could intimidate so easily. No matter how angry he was at the moment.

»We don't work together on stuff like this anymore, Y/N. It would be dangerous for you to get involved.«

I raised an eyebrow, unimpressed, not in the least intimidated or worried.

»Everyone knows we're fucking. That's why I'm involved enough. Already forgotten how well we used to work together?« The memories of that make me grin again.

»You just know how to seduce me, baby, don't you?«

Now he was finally smiling again, that cheeky audacious smile that made my knees go weak. The anger in his voice had also subsided, giving way to his darker, harsher manner.

»Mhm, yes I do.« I kissed him quick on his cheek, before I leaned back and took out my phone. »So, I will try to contact my friend now and maybe she has some work for us to do.«

He groaned, but didn't protest anymore. »You do that. I hope that works.« I felt his gaze on me as he silently watched me dial my friends number. After a few rings, she actually picked up and I got straight to the point. While I explained to her what we're going to do, the next moment I felt his muscular arms close around my hips and he pressed me against him.

»You are amazing, baby.« He whispered which made me smile and giggle slightly. While I was still on the phone, he starts to cover my neck with soft kisses, his hands run over my sides. It's harder for me to concentrate and not sigh into the phone right away. I try to reason with her and understand what she's telling me, grinning from ear to ear and realizing that even she on the other side of the line must be a little irritated about my strange behavior and the way I talked. His hands wander up under my shirt and gently stroke my skin, pampering my breasts. I hear him whisper words softly, it all blends together with my friends words on the phone. Just a minute, Toji, you’ll get that all back. I won't let you off that easily for yelling at me.

»Shhh...« I finally hiss in his direction still had to bite my lip so hard because I couldn't get rid of the grin on them any other way.

»What's so funny?« He continued to tease me like a boy and suddenly a hand was on my butt, reaching for it of course. His voice was dark, murmurs seductively in my other ear. »Does your friend find something interesting for us?«

I tried to keep talking on the phone and sure enough, she has a job for us. A short story, more precisely a bounty that was put on some rich guy who had holed up in a hotel. »Thanks...we will call you back when it's done.« I answered her on the phone before I turned back to face Toji.

»You're unbelievable. But your girlfriend is it too. I got a job for us.«

»And where would that be sweetheart?« he smirked at me playfully, raising a brow. I couldn’t look away, my eyes are glued to his lips and his little scar.

»There's a guy who needs to be eliminated. Theres lot of money for his head. He hides in a expensive hotel and that's where we get him.«

Without any warning, he grabbed my face and pressed his lips against mine hard, his tongue sweeping into my mouth roughly. »That sounds like a job worth doing, baby.« he pulled back slightly, grinning cockily down at me. There was his confident behavior I loved about him. »Let's get to work then.«

»You're happy now?« I asked provocative, not willing to let him go so fast. He laughed, his eyes glinting with excitement. »Oh you can bet your ass I am.« He leaned closer again and kissed me, his hands roaming over my body in a rough possessive manner. »And don't worry, I'll take good care of you after we take that bastard in the hotel.«

»Sounds nice. Well, let me take care of you, now.« I grinned into this kiss and although I knew we have something to do now, something important, his body is pressed against mine so hard which makes me wanna go Wilde right now.

His eyes rested hungrily on me, his anger from earlier blown away. »I like it when you're getting rough like that, baby. You're so fucking dangerous and sexy.« And without that I could notice anything, he already pushes my shirt over my head and exposes me in the bra in front of him. His hands tracing over my curves. But I let him do it. For now.

»Just being me, I suppose.« I grinned, feeling a big wave of lust starting to grow all over my body. »This is the last time you're going to be in any bets.« I said whispering right close to his lips, grabbing his pants where I could clearly feel his hard member. He gasped a little in surprise at my direct yet simple way of understanding and immediately realized what awaited him. And by God, I didn't want to make it easy for him. Instead of being somehow irritated or even intimidated by it, he seemed to await his punishment with a grin and genuine joy.

Toji chuckled, his eyes bright with excitement. »I know, I know.« he tried to play it cool, starting to bite my neck, a growl rumbling in his throat as he kisses and licks the delicate skin.

»You think you can get away with it, don't you?«

He only chuckled again at my words, reaching up to wrap his fingers in my hair, holding me in place as he moved against me. His breath was hot against my neck. »With what?« He asked without stopping and pressed a passionate kiss to my jaw, a low growl rumbling in his throat. He held me close, whispering sweet nothings, before pressing another kiss to my mouth, his tongue slipping past mine and dancing around inside my mouth.

»I would be more than happy to explain.« I sighed aroused, and pulled him back from me by his hair, like a dog. Forcing him to look me in the eyes, I pushed him to the sofa, making him sit on it while I right moved onto his lap. He looked up to me with an excited gleam in his eye. I began to move my hips against his. Slowly and steadily, more urgently with every second. His body reacted immediately as his hands settled on my ass, kneading it possessively. I kissed his neck, my tongue played around his Adam's apple until he groaned throatily. I could clearly feel his excitement between my legs and our clothes. But I didn't stop. My movements only became more intense and, as if he actually expected me to go further, his hands moved to my waistband to undo the button of my jeans. I grabbed his hands and quickly placed them back on my ass.

»Hold still.« I ordered and began to undo the buttons of his jeans. Naturally, I reached in, pushed his boxers aside and grasped his now hard length. He growled in my ear, like a lion in front of a closed cage. »Keep your hands still or you'll never touch me again.« I made it unmistakably clear to him that he shouldn't move and that I would let off steam on him. His look was pleading as I stood up briefly and undid my jeans myself, pulling them down agonizingly slowly. My panties followed and landed on the floor as well. I took place on his lap again, letting his cock slide inside of me. Slowly.

»Don't you ever take your anger out on me again. Is that clear?« I almost poked a hole in his chest with my finger, but I was completely serious. I began to move on his lap as he clawed his hands firmly into my ass. He moaned darkly and slightly frustrated, wanting to move his hips with mine but he realized I was right and held back with all his might. He'd had no reason to shout at me like that about his bets. So I would have my fun now. I rode him like a cowgirl, using him like my personal toy. I rubbed my pussy so hard against his cock and moaned hotly in his ear.

»Of course, Ma'am.«

* To be continued…

#toji x reader #toji fushiguro #fanfic #my writing #toji smut #toji x you #jjk toji #jujutsu kaisen toji #toji x y/n #jujutsu toji #jjk smut #smut #toji x you smut

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entering--hyperspace · 8 months ago

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Was talking to a friend about this but like. The fallout show is weird in a way that like, objectively its good. The cast is great, the production value and attention to visual detail is stellar, but it doesnt feel like Fallout. Well, It feels like Bethesda Fallout which is a negative, bc that Also doesnt feel very Fallout to me, But I digress. I was wondering what else it was missing outside the obvious weird lore tie ins.

Its the Hope. Its the silly satire. I think the show leans too heavily into the grim direction of the wasteland, theres never any payoff, theres never any hopeful seeds planted, and they blew up Shady Sands for no good reason other than to hammer in how much the world sucks which, isnt a good enough reason, narratively. Theres not really any moments that make me appreciate the uniqueness of the setting way Fallouts 1/2/New vegas did.

Im not saying fallout cant be serious, it absolutely can be, but its being steered into a weird tunnel vision of everything sucks direction for no reason other than to continuously loop a "war never changes" without the nuance of civilizations trying to rebuild and look towards the future in their own way, of learning from the past and stepping into this weird, struggling but endearing.

Take the Kings of F:NV, for example, theyre an independent group trying to help freeside without an outside faction, theyre objectively one of the more morally upstanding groups in Fallout...And theyre a bunch of Elvis impersonators without even knowing what that means. Its silly, and the part that fallout excells in is taking that silliness, seriously. And even to continue. This not really train of thought.

The "comedy" of The Fallout show is so weird, its just thrown into the script which, personally, is 1. mostly not even funny to me and 2. Just takes you out of the moment in general. I always felt like Fallout's dark humor and comedy was moreso built into the world itself and the people you meet more than it is just a haha funny joke.

Its just. Weird, this whole show is Weird. I think it wouldve been so much better if they kept it an independent story rather than trying ot give us answers that, honestly, the world didn't need. We did not need to know who was responsible for it all directly, thats not the fucking point. Is it an objectively good show? Yes. Is it a good fallout show? No. It had so much potential to be, but it really just wasnt there.

#fallout #fallout show #god dont get me started on the entire thing with vault tec #like its just unfortunate bc i thought the setup was good #i REALLY liked what they were trying to do with Maximus #and i love Lucy as a conceptual character #but its just ohhh my god its so fucking bethesda fallout and the worst parts of it too #fallout show spoilers

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invested-in-your-future · 10 months ago

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I have curious to know more about that:

In your version what would Jaune fallout would be?

Would he be an outcast or a you suck speech to be better?

How would the team dynamic be especially after the situation?

If I were to alter stuff in V1-V3, the bully arc would need some significant changes - far too many things in a show are built around excusing him rather than making him confront his flaws.

I think I said most of these before, but if I were to put it into a list.

Starting with the Bully Arc:

DON'T have Pyrrha help Jaune save Cardin and actually show that while his mindset is toxic, Jaune has the conviction to risk it all when pushed - of course, since Pyrrha wouldn't help him there, Jaune would actually get hurt, making the confrontation a bit messier even if the outcome is the same. And Cardin seeing someone like him put his life on the line to save him would likely sting a lot more.

DON'T do the weird "Ursa Grimm like honey" at all - the show has literal bullies prey on people in the forest, and Grimm are attracted to negative emotions - this means we don't get the "harrowing" scene of Jaune throwing honey at people and the whole plot is a bit less silly - and that means Jaune is NOT here because of blackmail or anything - having Jaune risk his life to save Cardin despite him being a bully is good enough as it highlights the qualities needed for being a Huntsmen and there must be no possible upsides to Jaune doing this - Pyrrha won't change her opinion and she is not involved in the fight - there's no benefit for him doing it other than it being his calling.

DO make Pyrrha genuinely angry with Jaune and have Jaune actually openly apologize to her after the Cardin incident and come clean to her.

DO have Cardin threaten to blackmail Jaune, but resolve it with Jaune coming clean to his team first (ALL of them) and then resolving to come clean to Ozpin and co.

DO have Ozpin shrug it off, either when Jaune comes clean or when Cardin decides to rat him out because, to him, the forest events would be all the proof he needed that Jaune has "needed qualifications" - can even throw in some shady Ozpin stuff and imply the teams are the way they are for a reason too.

DON'T have just Jaune and Pyrrha train. DO have the entire team JNPR decide to work spar together and train together to help him and make him regain their trust by putting in actual work to earn his spot.

There's no instant forgiveness or reassuring Jaune that he's great actually - everyone involved agrees that it's a work in progress, but his willingness to come clean and work to be a better person is a good first step. Team building.

Oh look we just got done with Jaune Arc arc of V1 in, like, two episodes instead of four or five.

V2 stuff

Just erase the "trying to woo Weiss" arc for Jaune Arc. Completely. Have the feud be about Cardin shifting targets and fighting Pyrrha in that sparring match and Jaune being unable to stay in his lane when she handled them just fine herself.

Drop the "I can't dance part" from Neptune. How about Neptune, despite his womanizer façade, actually likes guys but thinks it would make him seem uncool if he asked a guy out to a dance. Here, you have an actual LGBT rep two volumes in without "having to build up a relationship", and it ties nicely into the theme of dealing with toxic masculinity and how it affects different people. And we avoid a scene where two guys treat Weiss like an object they own.

It overall also ties better into the cross-dressing segment because it now becomes Jaune basically going - "Look, I learned my lesson, and I am comfortable without stereotypical macho nonsense" to Pyrrha. And it's a message to Neptune that there's nothing "silly" about not adhering to heteronormative "coolness" - oh look, suddenly there's no need for a laugh track of everyone pointing out that a guy in a dress is oh-so-funny in this diverse and accepting world of Remnant. EDIT: also yes monty intended ot to be about him keeping promises but that still works - Jaune regressing at the start by whiteknighting is him faltering on the promise he made to the team on v1 arc of this version - so the message of him reaffirming his promises still remains.

That's just off the top of my head in what could make him more bearable without sweeping his flaws or his forgery under the rug.

There are PLENTY minuscule things to change that would expand upon his characterization in a way that doesn't detract from the actual protagonists.

BUT

Since I am keeping the first three volumes as-is instead, I am treating the Fall of Beacon as Jaune's wake-up call for self-reflection.

Jaune had quite a bit of time to rethink everything that happened in Beacon - what he did or didn't do, what he said, and his overall priorities in life.

Coming face to face with how insignificant he ended up being ironically had provided him with a sense of clarity - everything falling apart allowed him to look at it all from a different angle.

He did not like the person he used to be, and that's where V4r starts - Jaune views his staying at Beacon due to forgery as a debt Jaune can never repay, and he strives to be a better person - actually worthy of that chance. He also understands just how privileged and stupid his behavior during Beacon was.

He has newfound respect for Pyrrha for having put up with him all this time. He also is regretful over how his antics had prevented them from actually exploring what could have been between them till it was way too late.

There's no melting her weapons for himself, no hero's journey for him. After the tragedies that hit Beacon Jaune ended up with a more clearcut understanding of who he wants to be and how he wants to honor Pyrrha's memory, in turn having processed grief in a bit more healthier way than the others.

#rwby #rwde #rwby au #jaune arc #rwby rewrite #rwbyr stuff mine

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number-1-kuaidul-fanboy · 2 months ago

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Which final antagonist (Bakura/Zorc, Nightshroud, Z-one, Don Thousand, Z-arc, or Ai) was your favorite or do you find most compelling?

Getting this ask made me realise that I don’t actually like any of the final antagonists that much apart from Ai and sort of Darkness. But I'm gonna talk about them anyways because I enjoy doing these all series posts and declaring which series did the best at a particular element. Because yes. All series. I’m a Bridge era fan so I’m including Otes from Sevens. Though no one from Go Rush since we don’t know who the final antagonist will be yet. This is also a long one (3 pages long in Google Docs) with spoilers and critique for every series so I'll put the wall of text under a read more:

Zorc is boring. I have nothing else to add.

He’s just a giant monster for the heroes to defeat with no personality. Which is perfectly fine for the story but not very interesting on its own as a character.

Bakura meanwhile upsets me.

It's not because he’s necessarily a bad character though. It's because of how the narrative treats him, and the fact that his story has elements that I find incredibly problematic and upsetting. I am not saying Bakura was right for wanting to destroy the world, let me make that clear. I am saying that the narrative of a villain who the narrative deems as irredeemably evil and “must die” having the backstory of his entire village being murdered before his eyes as a child to in order to create weapons of mass destruction for the corrupt monarchy who ordered genocide on said village in the first place because everyone in it was “pure evil” and thus “deserved it anyways” is a narrative that I raise an eyebrow at. And if anything, it felt pointless to throw on. Bakura would have been completely serviceable as just pure evil with no backstory for me. He would’ve lacked substance on his own, but the way he was built up throughout the series and affected the other characters, like some later villains I’m gonna discuss, would have been compelling enough to at least be serviceable. This backstory though just adds all this complexity that the anime clearly wasn’t equipped to handle and in my opinion, fumbled completely. I still enjoy the final arc overall but THIS is one of those things that bothers me the more and more I think about and feels like an instance of the writers not realising their implications. Which as a writer myself, absolutely can happen by accident. I am not accusing anyone on the writing team of anything malicious here. But as a result of this, Bakura's character to me, especially as someone who doesn’t go back to the OG Duel Monsters that often, is unfortunately just tied to this issue for me.

Nightshroud, or Darkness as I know him in the sub meanwhile, is probably the most effective villain to me out of this set.

He's just a pure evil monster so again like Zorc, I'm not interested in him as a character but as a being of pure evil who represents and spreads all the terrible things in the world he works well. Also the impact he has on the characters, especially in season 4 where Sho, Asuka, and Manjome are essentially torturing themselves with their own graduations anxieties in Darkness's world is one I find to be incredibly compelling. So Darkness as a character is not interesting but what he represents and the effect he has on the other characters is very compelling, as is the Judai vs Darkness duel of season 4 which is subjectively, my favourite final boss duel of the franchise.

Z-One is huge missed potential.

I think even the die hard 5Ds fans agree on that one. He was initially set up to be this older jaded version of Yusei from the future who had to turn to more destructive methods to save the world and that concept, as much as I famously do not like time travel, is GREAT. It’s the same plot The Lego Movie 2 later did, in my opinion, to great effect. But 5Ds chickened out of this amazing concept. They couldn’t commit to making Z-One that future version of Yusei (who wouldn’t exist after the ultimate ending of 5Ds anyways so it wouldn’t have even destroyed Yusei’s character) and instead just someone who looks like him which is not nearly as interesting. So. Z-One. Great concept that 5Ds chickened out of. The duel itself was decent though and a good finale to Ark Cradle, if just for Yusei on a flying motorcycle.

Don Thousand is certainly a guy who exists.

He’s kind of like Darkness but without the profound impact on the other characters or any representation of a deeper concept. The way he uses Vector is mildly investing and the way he twisted the Barians’ lives to lead to them becoming his pawns is very interesting and pretty much the sort of thing I want Studio Bridge to do with the Creator and the Velgearians in Go Rush come to think of it but anyways, back on topic. Other than those elements, Don Thousand feels a bit underdeveloped and is ultimately just there to be this big bad that all three warring factions of the show: Earth, Barianworld, and Astralworld, put aside their differences to defeat which is really cool conceptually and it's a fun duel so I can forgive Don Thousand being boring on his own.

Z-Arc’s god awful overly long duel is my villain origin story.

I like Zarc’s story in the flashbacks we see. I think conceptually he’s a great idea. So the honestly flat character we get in the duel, lacking all of the depth those flashbacks gave Zarc, was very disappointing. And the actual duel being so overly long drove me up a wall. Also de-aged baby Layra being a vessel for Zarc is one of the worst instances of a show, let alone Yugioh or even Arc V, committing character assassination that I’ve ever seen. Z-Arc is a great concept, and that scene of Yuya being able to relate to and understand him in the final duel is phenomenal, but the duel and the character in it is just terrible to me.

Ai by contrast to all these other guys is my favourite character in Yugioh VRAINS and definitely my favourite of the characters in this set by a wide margin.

I firmly believe Ai is a comic relief character done right as IN THE SUB he’s actually funny without taking away from the seriousness of any scene, while also being a character with depth, complexities, and motivations of his own outside of whatever the protagonist wants. His final duel with Playmaker is very emotionally impactful and definitely the objective best of these final boss duels, even if it isn’t exactly “fun” to rewatch due to how hard-hitting emotionally it is, and other problems I personally have with VRAINS that aren’t relevant to this discussion. Point is that the series set up the characters of and connection between Playmaker and Ai so well that by the time the series develops Ai into Playmaker's final opponent, it feels earned and the emotions really hit. Ai is just very well set up as the final antagonist in general. It’s potentially a surprise to the audience when he has his turn to villainy but it adds up with what the show presented us about his character beforehand. He’s well built up to. Unlike the next character-

Otes

Okay, that’s a bit misleading. I think there are sufficient hints before the finale to hint at Otes being a villain, and that it was a good idea on paper. The problem is how it happens. Pacing wise, it comes out of nowhere and unceremoniously cuts off another villain, Yuga Goha’s, arc, and not even through something that might be understandable like a duel. No. They duel and Yuga Goha DEFEATS Otes. And seemingly steals his memories to prevent him from being a problem. Only. Nope! Surprise! Otes is later revealed to be immune to the memory erasing effects of Monster Reborn because he apparently created the card (a revelation that may not even be true anymore) and kidnaps Yuga Goha, abruptly putting an end to his villainy to make way for Otes’s. Yuga Goha isn’t even brought back as a villain again later or made Otes’s underling or anything like that. His siblings, who he previously betrayed and stole memories from multiple times, just save him. That's a bit rushed, but it’s a nice moment so I can forgive it personally. My problem is that immediately afterwards, Yuga Goha simply agrees to join his siblings in their less relevant than the main cast’s contributions to defeat Otes, who by that point is left only a few episodes to be a full-blown villain. Yuga Goha and Otes would have both made great antagonists if it was paced better. But instead, Yuga Goha is suddenly shafted and redeemed (even if he still has a dark streak, it’s really only used comedically) at the speed of light and Otes barely gets any time to be a villain so they both just end up feeling like wasted potential. That said, Yuga vs Otes is a great duel, probably my favourite final boss duel in the franchise after Judai vs Darkness.

And that’s all the final bosses of every complete Yugioh anime so far. Overall I’d say that Z-Arc and Bakura are the only ones I don’t enjoy. Zorc is just a boring means to an end. Z-One and Otes (and Yuga Goha if you count him) had potential but while their duels are fun, they ultimately lacked substance. Don Thousand and Darkness are not characters, just means to an end but Don Thousand does his job serviceably and Darkness does his exceptionally well. And Ai is just the best one of this set in every single respect.

#yugioh #ygo #yugioh duel monsters #yugioh gx #yugioh 5ds #yugioh zexal #yugioh arc v #yugioh vrains #yugioh sevens

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bohemian-nights · 1 year ago

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What are your opinions on both Book!Rhaenyra and Show!Rhaenyra.

😬 Welp obviously unpopular opinions coming through:

Book!Rhaenyra is incredibly entitled, self-centered, and narcissistic. She literally is what happens when you are never told no and essentially every whim is indulged and handed to you on a silver tray.

I know some people have said that her depiction is borderline misogynistic in the books(Maegor with tits), but if you look at real-life monarchs(who come from empires built on colonialism and slavery), even to this day, they are not nice people so I’d say her characterization isn't exactly an unfair depiction.

Of course, people always like to point out that Rhaenyra did not start off bad(she was the realms Delight and beloved by the people). She was just stressed from losing nearly all of her kids. She snapped like any of us would do. She’s actually the true victim of the Dance.

I’ll grant her supporters the first part, but the subsequent arguments🙃 Rhaenyra started acting, um how should I say, in a questionable manner long before she started losing her children. People always leave out how she ordered Daemon to chop off Ser Vaemond’s head and feed it to her piss-colored dragon for daring to speak the truth. Unlike in the show, this happened three years before the events of the Dance when she was mentally sound.

Yes, you could make the point that it was technically done to protect her children(and herself), but then you can also argue that if she really wanted to protect her children she would not have had such obvious bastards(I’ve seen people try to argue that they aren’t bastards in the books because they’ve got Baratheon and Arryn ancestry, which is dumb as hell because they have features that don’t come from either house) in the first place.

Plus it’s not as if her children would be killed if they were acknowledged as bastards. They’d still be alive albeit out of the running for the Iron Throne. Of course that would have probably taken her out of the running as well so murder and cutting out the tongues to silence those who state the obvious to be queen someday it is😄

Honestly, I feel like she’s a dumber duller version of Cersei(and that’s saying something because while entertaining she is pretty idiotic). Rhaenyra is not very charismatic and she’s a hypocrite(bastard hater while having bastards herself) and a racist(and once again stress isn’t a “good” reason for racism so if you feel that way 🙃). I’ll keep it cute and leave it there, but in my humble opinion, there is nothing about her that is really likable.

Show! Rhaenyra is boring. She started out fine and we could see some of book! Rhaenyra's arrogance that fuels her fire and drive, but when they switched actors in episode six she became lifeless.

We see a little of that fire return during the scene where everyone is gathered in the Great Hall of Driftmark and Rhaenyra suggests for Aemond to be questioned, but it once again disappears.

Now I want to be clear, I do not blame Emma for Rhaenyra’s lack of fire. As I said, during the Great Hall scene in episode seven, the fire was present. However, production so far seems hell-bent on making her into this sympathetic heroine of sorts which is why it has disappeared.

They are setting her up to be this wronged woman who the patriarchy wore down even though that simply isn’t the whole truth. Before this show even though people felt like she was the rightful heir, no one saw her as this hero who had a heart of gold. They recognized that she wasn't a very likable person while still acknowledging how she was wronged in some way.

Now you have people who act like she never did anything wrong(some of the people behind HOTD included). That she is the unquestionable hero and a kindhearted person who was destroyed by the war when that's simply not the case. I don’t find it cute how they are trying to redeem a racist sociopath in the name of supposed “feminism”(all while tearing down and stripping every other woman character of her characterization🙃).

I will say that even though they’ve whitewashed her, she still doesn’t come off as sympathetic to me. You can see moments of her arrogance. It’s not as vicious as in the books(I.e. chopping off Ser Vaemond’s head and feeding it to Syrax), but it’s still there like during episode seven and when she was taunting Daemon right before she got choked out by him in the finale.

Going forward, I hope the show brings in more of her book personality because she’s not very entertaining to watch.

#anti rhaenyra targaryen #dont like her #never will #she should still be more entertaining in the show because right now she's giving nothing 🤷🏽‍♀️#bnask #bnasks #bncommentary #my opinions #hotd commentary #insert the ghetto dora meme and that is how I feel about Rhaenyra

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xxwhiskeyxx · 2 years ago

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Love Trope February! Best Friends Sibling: Alpha x Chubby! Reader

When Omega had been summoned, unexpectedly another ghoul appeared alongside him, it turned out to be his younger sibling (Y/N), another Quintessinal ghoul. Cue it being 10 years later, Alpha and Omega are best friends and is in love with his besties little sibling who is also in love with him. Of course, neither of them knows that but there is a plot afoot. A game of Truth or Dare may end in finally getting the pair together.

3.8k Words (possibly the shortest fic I have made yet)

GN Reader but they are chubby and got an ass and hips like their brother

Decided to use Alpha cause big boy doesn't get much love except people making him a villain or mean, big man deserves some loves!

- Love Whiskey

Sometime in 2006

When Omega had been summoned, unexpectedly another ghoul appeared alongside him. Now it’s not uncommon for there to be a double summoning if two ghouls happen to be next to each other or have a deep connection, so when a smaller ghoul appeared next to the much larger one, Primo and Sister just looked at each other, hoping the smaller is also a Quintessinal. “Hello, young ones, welcome to the Ministry. You have been summoned to assist in the spreading of our Dark Lord’s word, I am Papa Emeritus, I will allow you two to get settled and adjusted to the top layer before assigning your tasks. Alpha, Water, come and help our new additions.” Primo says, gesturing for a large ghoul in a mask to come forward.

Unsurprisingly the newly summoned did not react pleasantly, but what was unexpected was that it was the little one who jumped over in front the larger and snarled at the large ghoul, “Syat hte fukc awya!” (stay the fuck away!) the little ghoul hissed, Alpha bristles with returned snarl before Water grabs his arm. “Easy, they’re scared, you were the same when first summoned remember Wildfire?” Making the Fire ghoul scoff but back up, crossing his arms over his chest, shaking his head

Water nods before slowly approaching, baring his throat and holding his hands up in a sign of peace, “Wel dnto maEn ayn hram ew jsut wnta ot hepl, od uyo sepak gnileish?” (We don’t mean any harm; we just want to help. Do you speak any English?) Water speaks softly as he kneels near the pair, not wanting to spook them. The larger built ghoul gently places a hand on the smaller shoulder as he rises to a knee, “Yes, we do. Forgive my sibling; they aren’t privy to strangers and tends to be quite protective. I am Omega, and this is (Y/N); we’re both Quintessinal ghouls.” Omega says, helping his sibling to their feet. Water nods as he offers a blanket to the naked pair; they tend to bring extras in instance that there is a double summoning such, to which (Y/N) eyes warily before accepting once their brother wraps it around himself.

That day, Omega and (Y/N) become part of the Ministry; Omega becoming the beloved rhythm guitarist for Terzo, who always seemed to have a soft spot for the large male even before they wed on stage together, while (Y/N) became an aid to the band, absolutely refusing to separate from their brother during long tour legs, and where they quickly caught onto the guitar, piano, and bass. This is how they became their brother’s and Water’s guitar techs, assisting ChAir if they had an issue, zooming backstage to ensure everything is set and tuned for every Ritual.

It is now 2016, it had been 10 years at this point since their summoning, now incredibly close with everyone in the band, even the grouchy Fire ghoul Alpha, who had quickly became their brother’s best friend. But something they kept hidden from the hot-headed ghoul is that they had grown to love him, even suspecting him to be their destined mate, but with how he treated them as a little sibling like Omega does, they just pushed away the feelings.

‘(Y/N)! My string snapped, please I need my backup!’ Water cries through the mental link; having formed a pack with the other band members allowing them to communicate telepathically, ‘Oh you couldn’t wait another 30 minutes to see little ole me?’ (Y/N) teases, grabbing the white bass from its case and subtly slipping onto the stage, quickly swapping with Water within a slight break in the middle of He is. ‘Thankfully the Ritual is almost over’ they think as they slip back off the stage, not noticing a certain lead guitarist staring at them from his spot near Terzo.

A few songs later, the band line up for their final bows before coming backstage to pack up and get ready for the long next few days as they made their way to the next venue a state over.

“Thanks little star, you saved my ass. It just had to snap right before the show ended.” Water grins, ruffling (Y/N)’s hair. The Quintessential ghoul was quite small for their element though, they held the curvy, full-figured stature that is known for Quints, standing over a foot shorter than their brother and Alpha, half a foot with ChAir and Water; Little Earth, or Pebble as the little quint called them, and (Y/N) were only a couple inches apart, the pair having bonded over them being runts of their elements. “You know I hate that name, you water nymph, but your welcome” (Y/N) says, batting off the bassist’s hands, “Oh come on, you love it starshine, admit it. Almost as much as you lo-” Water is cut off by the small hand slapping over his mouth and a hissed, “Shut the fuck up you brastd !” (bastard). “I only told you that because I was drunk, do not say it with him this close. We both know he doesn’t see me like that and I don’t wanna ruin things.” they say, dropping their hand.

Water gives them a sad look, “Starshine, I’ve told you that hot head is head over claws for you. I don’t know how you don’t see that pitiful kicked puppy look he gets whenever you don’t sit next to him and how l he glares daggers at Pebble when you two cuddle up with each other.” Water says as he passes his bass case off to a roadie before they start walking towards the green room. (Y/N) glances over to where their brother and Alpha are both flirting with a staff member, probably going to double team the poor girl, and all they can hope is to walk in on them again.

It’s not like they haven’t seen their brother or any of the other ghouls naked, ghouls aren’t ashamed by nudity like humans; but that doesn’t mean they want to see their brother and the person they have feelings for taking someone to Paris, shivering and gagging at the memory. “Water, I love that you always try to make me feel better, but I know that he doesn’t see me like that. Plus I’m pretty sure that Omega threatened to declaw him if he ever tried to approach me.”(Y/N) half-heartedly jokes, staring sadly as the giggling techie is pulled off by their brother towards wherever the nearest empty room is, followed closely by grinning Alpha.

Water rolls his eyes as he sees the scene, the dumbass Fire ghoul had personally threatened him that if he catches him trying anything with the small Quintessence ghoul, he’d personally burn all his books and bed; along with the fact he cannot count the number of times Omega had complained to him about how Alpha is always rambling on and on about how perfect he thinks (Y/N) is while drunk or stoned out of his mind. But he also knows his dumbass pack mate is trying to fuck away his feelings because he’s convinced he shouldn’t have feelings for his best friend’s sibling, that its wrong and he’s scared of ruining their friendship if it ever came out.

(Y/N) is rambling on now about some new movie they wanna see soon as Water tunes back in, changing into his street clothes, a hooded sweatshirt and some jeans, “Do you think we can watch it later? Or do you think the other’s are gonna wanna play uno or something later?” (Y/N)’s voice breaks through his thoughts, “Huh? Oh yeah, I mean we can always watch it tomorrow if we can’t tonight, we’re on the road for the next 3 days remember. I’ll make that special candy popcorn you like, with that chocolate shit.” Water says as he turns back to the little ghoul sitting on the couch who squeals happily, “Thank you! You ready to head back now or Do you think the horny duo will be done soon, I just got t-”

(Y/N) is cut off by the door slamming open and a seethed Alpha storming in, followed by a silent but equally pissed Omega, “Stupid slut, couldn’t keep her fucking mouth shut! I can’t believe she fucking thought she could say that and we’d want to stay!” Alpha snarls, throwing his mask harshly onto the couch. The siblings make eye contact, ‘What the fuck happened?’ the younger asks, an equally concerned Water stands nearby, ready to calm the pissed off Fire ghoul at a moments notice.

‘That staff member that had been flirting with us and we pulled away? Yeah she made a very offensive comment about you while we were trying to get underdressed, pissed Alpha and I off, then had to gall to get mad when we stopped and left.’ Omega says, voice barely above a growl, ‘What was it? I don’t care how rude it was, I’m used to it, Mega, you know this.’ the small ghoul says, debating on if they need to go calm the raging Fire ghoul, who is currently snarling out every curse word in both infernal and english he can think of.

‘Little star, it was very harsh…but basically she made a disgusting comment about your weight and how she thinks you’re a ‘desperate fat cow who hangs around guys they could never get’ having clearly not realizing you were my sibling and that we care for you a lot more than some loose cunt.’ their brother’s eyes pitching in anger. (Y/N) sits there shocked, they couldn’t believe some stupid human would say that about someone who was clearly close to the band, the comment didn’t hurt because their so used to worse comments back at the Abbey and the pit but “Desperate cow who hangs around guys they could never get” rings in the back of their head, but they shake it off.

Deciding that they have to call their friend before he kills somebody, (Y/N) stands and slowly starts toward him, “Alpha, look at me please.” His head snaps towards them, normally warm sunset colored eyes now dangerously flickering like the blazing Sun, “You gotta calm down, who cares what some stupid human thinks, I know I don’t. It’s okay, we can just forget it.” they keep their voice soft, carefully stepping closer to the seething guitarist, the room near boiling from his anger, “It isn’t fucking okay, (Y/N)! What she said is fucking disgusting, that cunt is satan blessed lucky that Papa doesn’t allow us to hurt humans or they would’ve had to scrub that bitch off the fucking walls!” he yells, shaking in anger as he stands with his arms crossed over his chest.

What that techie had said had pissed off Alpha to no end, that pathetic meat sack insulted the sweetest, most beautiful ghoul he had ever set his eyes on. It doesn’t matter if he can’t tell them about his feelings, it won’t stop him from protecting them from any type of cruelty. Omega had to physically drag him away from the girl before he almost slammed her through the wall as soon as the words left her lips.

(Y/N) puts their hands on his arms, pushing calming Quintessence into the angry male in hopes of helping calm him faster, “Alpha, I promise it’s fine, I appreciate you defending me, but it’s not the first and definitely not the last time someone will make some dumbass comment about me, I’m used to it. I don’t give a single shit what anyone outside of our pack or Papa thinks, you’re the only ones whose opinions matter to me. Stupid bitch is probably mad I got a fatter ass than she does.” they snicker as they feel him start to calm, “Now please calm the fuck down, Fire Boy, your roasting us alive. As much as I love being reminded of the Pit, I don’t think Papa will appreciate having to explain why the green room feels like a volcano.” they tease. Alpha finally realizes just how hot the room is, Water having had to leave a few minutes ago so he didn’t dehydrate, actively tries to lower his body temperature.

Giving a defeated sigh, “I know, half-pint, but I ain’t gonna let some human disrespect my favorite Quint, sorry Meg,” he shoots a grin at his friend, “best believe I’ll beat any ass that says anything rude about you.” the large ghoul says, knocking his, now unglamored, horns against the shorter’s, “Thanks high-rise, your the best Fire ghoul I know, now hurry the fuck up and get changed so we can get back on the bus. I wanna watch this cool movie or play something, I don’t care which!” they say, hugging the now much cooler ghoul before turning and leaving.

Omega shoots a shit-eating grin and wiggles his eyebrows at his friend, “Oh, your the best Fire ghoul they know,” doing a terribly mimicry of his sibling’s voice before he snorts, “I wonder how that new Fire ghoul we just summoned would like to hear that, he’s been following after them like a lost puppy since they helped him after his summoning. What’s his name, Ifrit?” Omega teases as he moves to get changed, barely dodging when Alpha swats at him with his tail.

“Shut the fuck up! Don’t mention that little shit, I hate how he keeps staring at them all the time, it gives me the creeps.” Alpha hisses as he tugs a shirt over his head. “Oh you’re just jealous, you gotta make a move eventually dude. They’re going to find someone else if you don’t, in fact Ifrit had asked me if I thought he has a chance with them just before we left.” Omega say’s nonchalantly, waiting near the door for his friend, already dressed.

Alpha whips around, boots left untied, “Your fucking kidding, that little fucker! They’re mine, I thought I made that fucking clear!” he hisses but shrinks back when the large Quint gives him a steely look, “(Y/N) isn’t ‘yours’. You haven’t placed a claim, fuck Alpha, you haven’t even told them how your dumbass feels! Just because you constantly scent them doesn’t mean anything, they smell equally of Pebble, ChAir, Water, and me; in fact I think Water’s scent is even stronger than yours.” Omega says, a teasing edge to the last sentence. Alpha’s eye twitches before pulling the helmet on with a huff, “Fuck off, lets get going before Terzo leaves us again.” he grunts, dragging a cackling Omega out of the venue and towards the tour bus.

Once on board they find (Y/N) and a tipsy Water sitting on the floor in front of Little Earth and buzzed Zephyr on the couch, apparently some drinking game with a bottle of whiskey and rum off to the side.

“Hey! So we decided to watch the movie tomorrow so Water suggested Truth or Dare, wanna join?” (Y/N) says, scooching to make room for the two new arrivals, who each take a spot. Omega on the couch with Zephyr, who had almost immediately dove into his lap, and Alpha next to the small Quintessinal ghoul. A few rounds pass, Omega starting to join Water and Zephyr’s buzz as (Y/N) and Earth hurled ruthless dares and truths at him (one of which was suck off Secondo or Terzo, to which he almost downed half the bottle with a huge blush) and it is now Water’s turn once again, who turns to the smallest of the group.

“(Y/N), truth or dare?” he slurs, leaning back on his arms. They think for a minute before answering, “Dare, I’m not scared of you.” they say with a smirk, a slight blush from the alcohol filling their cheeks, their not drunk but it warms their belly, “Oh your gonna regret that little star, we’ve moved into hard mode, no more passes! I dare you toooo.” Water says, looking around the room before his gaze lands on Alpha and a menacing grin fills his face, “Make Alpha make a pretty sound for us.” he grins.

Both immeditaly tense and flush, awkwardly glancing at each other. “Pass” they quickly reach for the bottle but Water smacks their hand, “No more passes remember, gotta do it or you have to do as I say for a week!” he cackles, falling onto his side. (Y/N) glares at him, hating that they made that bet earlier, “Fuck you Water, fine.” they huff before turning to the flushed Fire ghoul who stares at them with wide eyes, ‘You really don’t have to, I can fa-’ he offers, eyes looking everywhere but the curvy ghoul.

But before he can finish his sentence, they’re straddling his lap, planting themselves directly on his crotch, “Where’s the fun in that, plus Water will know.” they purr in his ear, the alcohol making them feel quite bold despite the blush covering their cheeks.

All eyes are now on the pair, which (Y/N) ignores as they look over the handsome man, they had heard from their brother that Alpha’s neck is quite sensitive, “Best friends can fuck each other, cant always help who you go into heat with, little star.” he had teased.

Smirking at the memory as they slowly lean forward, enjoying when they hear how his breath hitches as their warm breath teases his throat, before latching onto his pulse point. The sudden rush of stimulation causes a loud reedy whine to escape the Fire ghoul as his hands fly up to grip their wide hips while (Y/N) proceeds to suck a hickey into his red and orange cracked skin. His eyes screwing shut as pleasure courses through his veins, unable to help how he buck’s up into them.

They finally pull away with a pleased look, admiring the dark bruise prominent against the pale skin of the Fire ghoul’s throat, before they purr a soft “Good boy~” into his ear, nipping at the point of it just to fuck with him.

The small ghoul goes to move off his lap, but his grip tightens, making them look back at Alpha to find that his eyes blown wide. “Can we talk outside, please..” he asks softly, it almost sounds like a plea with how desprete he looks. “Uh sure, continue without us.” they say, getting up once Alpha’s grip loosened, now nervous they crossed the line and he’s going to call them disgusting or say to pretend it never happened.

Following the older ghoul outside the bus, snagging their hoodie since it’s cold. They play with their ring in anxiety, the ring Alpha got them soon after they were summoned when he noticed how they picked at their fingers whenever they were nervous or deep in thought, “Here twerp, got this so you can stop fucking up your fingers. Can’t play if your fingers are torn up.” he had said after he tossed the small pouch at them, it had a small star and moon design on the metal piece that spun around the base.

Alpha stands faced away from them, hands pressed to his head as if he’s trying to think of what to say. After a few minutes of silence, (Y/N) decides it’d probably be easier to apologize in case he truly was upset, “I’m sorry if that made you uncomfortable…we can just pretend that it never happened, the other idiots are probably too fucked up to remember. I hope this doesn’t ruin anything Alpha…I know you only see me as a little sibling.” they say, looking down at the ground in shame.

Alpha stays silent for a few more moments, and that honestly scares them more than if he was visibly angry, before they hear a quiet, “Fuck it.” When suddenly there’s warm hands cupping their cheeks and even warmer lips pressed against theirs.

The kiss is the most desperate, yet gentle and loving, they had ever experiences in their life, the larger clinging to them as if afraid that they will disappear if he lets go for even a moment. The young Quint is frozen for a moment before attempting to wrap their arms around the tallers neck when he suddenly pulls away.

Alpha is shaking as those sunset eyes dart around their face “I..have wanted to do that for so fucking long, Starshine. I don’t see you as a damn younger sibling…you mean so much more than that. To me, you are the most beautiful, sweetest, intelligent , stubborn thing I have ever met and I love you so fucking much” his voice cracking slightly as his emotions pour out, “That’s why I was so pissed off earlier, someone insulted the one I love more than anything in this satan damned universe…I was a dick for flirting with them in front of you. I never should have even looked at another person when you were around, I just…I was convinced you didn’t want me the same way I did you. You didn’t deserve that…” he takes a deep shuddering breath.

(Y/N looks confused, “You..love me? Your not just saying that to fuck with me? Because if you are, I will fucking chop your dick off and I’m pretty sure Omega and Water will do even worse.” they stutter, hands coming up to cup the warm cheeks of the Fire ghoul.

Their words make him chuckle, “I never would do that to you, I may be an asshole but I’m not cruel like that” leaning into their touch, “I have loved you since that day I walked in on you dancing to stupid human music while doing the dishes, maybe even before then. I adore ever single thing about you: your caring nature, how you always are willing to help anyone you think needs it” a dopey grin spreads across his face, “Not to mention your confidence and skill, along with the fact you don’t give a shit what anyone thinks, had just made me want you more. I wanna both kill and kiss Water for giving me the chance to tell you, not to mention your brother basically told me grow a fucking pair.” he slowly trails off, sunset eyes searching (e/c). “(Y/N)…Do you…it’s okay if you don’t…” he whispers.

Gently stroking his cheek with a dopey lovesick smile, “I love you too, you big idiot. I was convinced you saw me as nothing other than Omega’s little sibling, I..can’t believe this is happening. This has to be a dream, I drank too much and I’m passed out on the floor.” they giggle. “I promise you half-pint, this is real. Here, Lemme prove it.” is all Alpha says before reconnecting their lips, pressing them back against the cool metal of the bus.

This kiss is slightly different from the last, it is still filled with love, but this one has a hint of neediness and a possessive edge. (Y/N) whines into the kiss when it he warm hands move down from their cheeks, squeezing their hip with one hand as he presses them tightly against him. The Quint opens their mouth first, nipping at the Fire ghoul’s bottom lip in a silent ask for access to which he easily grants. Moaning softly as they begin mapping out the other’s mouths while clinging to each other, hands starting to explore wherever they can reach.

Eventually (Y/N) pulls away for a moment to catch their breath, but Alpha takes it as an opportunity to start making his way down their neck, mouthing and nipping as he making his way towards his target. A breathy moan escapes their lips as he sucks his own mark into their neck, sharp claws digging into broad shoulders and when he bites down.

Once satisfied, Alpha pulls away with a smirk, pressing another kiss to their lips when the door bursts opens and Omega leans out with a drunken smirk, “Fucking finally, now as happy as I am for you two, I’d appreciate if you didn’t fuck my baby sibling in the parking lot while it’s 36 degrees out.” he slurs,

(Y/N) whines in embarrassment and hides their face in Alpha’s chest as he laughs, “You heard the man, I think I would rather fuck you in a warm bunk than cold metal for our first time, we can test out other settings at a later date~” he nips their ear, earning a squeak and then a yelp as he tosses them over a broad shoulder, hand on their ass.

“Put me down you asshole, I can walk perfectly fine!” they shriek, pounding on Alpha’s back, “For now, my little minx~” he teases as he walks past a cackling Water and Earth, both of who are catcalling the pair while Omega sits back down, drawing a passout of Zephyr into his lap, smirking after the new couple.

He had been routing for his best friend and sibling for years, having been so close to shoving the pair in a closet, saying “Seven Minutes in Heaven, they love you, he loves you, have fun and don’t make any kits yet!” but Zephyr had given the idea of using Truth or Dare that night to make it happen instead. Now they debate on leaving the bus for food, deciding quickly when a loud possessive growl rumbles from the bunk area followed by a high-pitched whine

There’s a moment of silence before “Denny’s?” Earth offers, “Hell yeah, I’ll just carry Zephyr.” Omega says, everyone yanking on their shoes. They eventually return a few hours later, doggy bags for the new couple to find a pair of happily purring Fire and Quintessence ghouls, partially naked minus the smaller wearing their new boyfriend’s hoodie and Alpha in boxers, wrapped up and asleep on the couch

#alpha ghoul x reader #alpha ghoul x chubby! reader #alpha ghoul #omega ghoul #terzo emeritus #ChAir ghoul #little earth ghoul #Water ghoul #Era 3 ghouls #whiskey's burbling barrel #love trope febraury #best friends sibling #whiskey shouldn't be trusted with power

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antisociallilbrat · 1 year ago

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It's Mike time baby, he needs some love

-Mike and Bill take scenic drives all the time. In the book Mike's dad would send him to different places around Derry to find or see cool or interesting things and because of that Mike found a lot of great views and he and Bill would take his truck to those spots and just read or talk or cuddle together. Mike is a very astute observer of his friends and so whenever he notices that something's bothering Bill, he whisks him away to these beautiful spots he finds.

-Bev loves to take Mike on days out. She calls them "Adventures". She loves finding new restaurants or coffee shops they've never been to or seeing indie movies she's never heard of at local theaters. Even in a clown-less universe, Mike still spent a lot of his formative years working on the farm instead of having fun so she's trying to make up for that now for him.

-Mike and Eddie take random classes all the time. They love picking up new skills. It started when Eddie got everyone CPR certified and they saw an ad for a cooking class on the way out and they're the only ones interested. Then follows knitting and gardening and dance and so on.

-Mike and Richie both took a gap year before heading to college. They didn't feel ready and so instead they went on a cross-country road trip together. Mike had seen so little in his life and he was so excited. Richie took enough polaroids to fill two albums and was in charge of the music. Mike picked all the stops and was adamant they see every dumb local attraction they could.

-Stan gets Mike incredibly invested in birdwatching as a hobby. At first Stan thought he kept offering to go with him because he's kind, but Mike eventually started getting his own gear and his own bird book, he packed them lunches, and then he found them a local group of birdwatchers for them to join. They stand out a bit as 20-somethings in a group made up of seniors, but that doesn't bother them. Stan still insists they go with just each other about half of the time though.

-One year for Mike's birthday, Ben built him a chicken coop in their backyard. He knew that Mike was happy to be in the city with his friends, but that he was definitely a bit homesick for the farm. Ben helped him hatch some chicks and raise them. They both cried tears of joy when their first chick hatched. Each of the Losers got to name one. The Loser's cook only with Mike's eggs from that day forward.

Rose everytime you grace my inbox it's absolute blessing- and to bring some love for Mike while you're at it <33 aaaaa okay okay

-Mike is so the guy to take long rides to clear his head and I'm happy to think about him including Bill on them. Sometimes they talk, sometimes they listen to music, and other times they just drive in silence with the windows rolled down and breathing in all that open space

-I read this point and the first thing that popped into my head was that 'treat yourself' meme and yes these two do that. They treat themselves to new restaurants and experiences but i can also see them being thrift shop buddies? They've definitely done the bit where you go to like goodwill and pick out silly outfits for the person you're with. They have a good time with it

-Eddie and Mike taking random classes is top tier. Yes they both know how to make pottery, knit, scrapbook and they've taken at least one intro class of a foreign language. It's just fun and sometimes they'll flip a coin to see what's the next class they're going ot.

-Speaking of scrapbooking that came in real handy with this one. Mike and Richie taking a cross country road trip aaaa. I can see Mike sitting in the passenger seat with a map and circling every little tourist trap he wants to go to and him and Richie both being genuinely excited over the littlest things, it's such a sweet image <3

-Stan and Mike birdwatching :( Mike loves animals so of course he'd actually get excited about this and the boy already loves to learn so he eat ups every fact Stan gives him about birds. And honestly these are the two losers that would hang out with a group of seniors- it's very on brand for them. Stan already dresses like an old man and all the old ladies love Mike bc he's so charming. Stan may or may not be jealous.

-Something about how Mike and Ben are already kinda seen as the 'mother hens' of the losers and then them raising actual chickens...and yes Mike has all the kisses for Ben when he sees that chicken coop and the chicks they hatch might as well be their actual children let's be honest

#aaaaa always a pleasure rose!#excited to see what you'll drop in my inbox next #thanks for the ask rose!#sam answers asks #mike hanlon #ben hanscom #beverly marsh #bill denbrough #stanley uris #richie tozier #eddie kaspbrack #poly losers club #it 2017 #it 2019 #hanbrough #hanzier #hanslon #mikverly

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popculturebuffet · 1 year ago

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Beetlemania: Ted Kord (A review of Blue Beetle V5 #1 and 2 and Blue Beetle V6 # 1 and 2) (Patreon Review and Comissioned by Brotoman.Exe and WeirdKev27)

Hello all you happy beetlemaniacs, and welcome back to beetlemania, my look at those proud boys in blue just in time for the film.. well the day after it came out because my schedule has been in freefall.

Today we look at the man, the myth, and the guy who built his own giant dope as hell bug ship, Ted Kord, the second blue beetle.

To get to the blue part of the blue and the gold though, we have to talk about what happened to Dan. While fox published Blue Beetle into the 50's, dan fell victim to what most heroes a the time did: The Superhero Bust. Post WWII until the mid 50's, kids just werne't checking out superhero comics, preferring western and romance comics. As a result most superheros vanished and only super popular ones like Batman and Superman carried on and even the world's finest were hitting a wall. As a result Fox Comics went out of buisness and sold it's stock to Charlton comics Charlton DID try to make a go of things with dan, twice. First they reprinted golden age stories as a backup before giving him his own title in the mid 50's, ironically a likely result of superhero comics becoming hot again thanks to Dan's future owners DC Comics, before being taken over by Mr. Muscles. Now already just with THAT TITLE alone, I was curious.. but then I looked into it on wikipedia and who boy. Okay first off he was created by Superman Co-Creator Jerry Siegel.

Okay so brace yourselves for this breif detour: So Mr. Muscles is a former wrestler, who still wears a neat belt, has a kid sidekick and female version and fights with the power of being in peak physical condition, much like captain american if he could choke slam you. I also like the angle to him that he promotes physical improvment to the point that a guy who tries to KILL HIM WITH TIGERS, is instead given a chance ot better himself. Those parts.. all honestly work and i'm shocked this character has never been revamped especially since he REALLY would've fit well with the wrestling boom of the mid-late 80s around the same time the charlton cast got added to the dc universe.

But the most bonkers part is his origin....

Yes folks, Mr Muscles beat Polio, a disease that cut countless people down before Jonas Salk's polio vacine started to help just three years before this comic THROUGH SHEER FORCE OF WILL. Take that science! Again he'd probably need his origin touched up as "I didn't need a vacine I just beat this disease through will" isn't the uplifting message it was in 1955. Sadly the world just wasn't ready for him, and both Mr. Muscles and Dan Garret sat on the shelf.

So we enter the mid-60s. After dc plateaued with it's stories, Marvel breaks in with stories that treat it's characters like real people. Sometimes their real people who will fake being their own hepcat twin brother to fool their friends because they can't just tell them who they are because shut up, sometimes they'l lfight communists every week and sometimes they'll have their college roomate wind up as a dictator with his own country, but still people who have mostly realistic emotions and what not. So sensing another chance to cash in Charlton tried one more time to bring back Dan. The stories seem good, with Dan getting a new love intrest Cheri, an egyptian archelogy professor and a new job as an archelogist, an origin I honestly feel works better given the scarab and was carried over. The series breathed new life into the character.. but not new sales and once again the beetle was gone. However with a new boom going on they decided rather than let the beetle gather dust again to try a new approach: They combined the approaches of both companies: they'd give someone new the blue beetle identity.. and have one of marvel's top guys give him that sense of realisim.

Enter Steve Ditko, soon to be objectivst, loveable curmudgeon and co-creator of spider-man. Understandably angry Stan kept taking all the credit for the wall crawler and less understandably angry lee was a liberal, Ditko walked out of marvel and Charlton snapped him up and put him to work on a similar but still distinct new version of the blue beetle. They started with backups, just to be safe, before giving Ted his own title that... somehow only lasted 5 issues. Still it's a bafflingly un-republished classic that introduced one of the greatest superheroes of all so let's give it a look under the cut, along with what dc did with a similar premise

Blue Beetle Bugs the Squids: While another writer is credited.. it was simply a front: Ditko actually wrote and scripted the stories here, he simply didn't want a writing credit for some reason.

So we open with a high class party. The spread is bland, sauerkraut and boiled goose. There's no way these people will ever cut loose.. but more importanlty there's some man in squid suits with suction cups climbing the building.. suction cups on their ARMS.

The suits do look neat, not as squidy as i'd hope, I love me a good squid. Their beady eyes, their cupped mouths the fact they can murder you. Good boys. But their still a nice design.

They crash the party to rob it, but before the mystery men can burst in to stop this a diffrent costumed hero crashes the party

Ted's quip game is STRONG here, I can't show you them all, image limits, but Ditko's comedy and action writing is up to bat as ted acrobatically handles the much larger group. IT's very spidey-esque, without feeling EXACTLY like peter: Ted has no powers and thus his movements are more human level acrobatic, using a lot of throws and a lot of hand stands. It's a great level of art.

The Squids try to bug out with beetle following in the bug, his flying machine and something so iconic the blue beetle film makes sure to use it even with ted not physically present. But before we can get to that say.. do you have problems being short? Well charlton comics ad pages have a solution for you.

I can now see how randy newman thought short people got no reason to live, he was brainwashed by the liftee corportation! Someone deprogram randy newman!

we also get this ad for the charlton action heroes. We get a white guy doing judo, captain atom in his best red, blue , dark blue and silver armed ensemble, peacemaker: he'll eat every dick on the beach clean for liberty and of course the classic character Peter Cannon Thunderbolt. I have no idea who this guy is and don't care to. Why he's here and not Mr. Muscles, only god and charlton editorial knows.

Annnd looking it up he's bascially got the same gimick of human perfection with some added "White guy learning asian wisdoM' uncomfort. : Also I just noticed he's basically wearing socks.

Anyways beetle chases after teh squids in the bug which here looks more like a cricket than an actual beetle, something later designs would iron out.

We then see Ted Kord's personal life. It's largely what it'd be for most of his career: working as a researcher at a lab at his father's company, sometimes Ted's own company, though things.. aren't happy. Lt. Max Fisher is trying to figure out what happened to Dan Garret on Pago Island, and Ted can't tell him for reasons we'll get into next issue.. reasons he refuses to tell his girlfriend and fellow lab tech tracey.

He has reasons for keeping Max from knowing though: there's a secret there that could threaten the world, again more for the next issue. For now he's going to enjoy being blue beetle for as long as he can. I get the sense the detective subplot was added to throw in some drama to Ted's life, spider-man style. There' some elments of peter here: the dictomy of brooding civlian, carefree hero, the science background, the quips, the secret id driving a wedge between him and his loved ones.. but what I like is Ditko takes steps to make sure ted is his own man: he dosen't have powers, relying on techno wizardy, acrobatics and his own brain, has a steady love intrest from the word go and as we'll see next issue DOSEN'T keep his id a secret from those he loves for long if it'll keep hurting them. It's clear from the next issue Ditko either realized going the broody rout woudln't work forever or he was simply swerving his audeince expecing "Spider-man but blue and without powers". Either way it's nicely done.

So we cut to Todd Van III, a socilate suggesting a yacht party to raise money for .. something. Naturally given this guy we've never heard of has a lot of focus, he's the big bad behind the squids, having spent his inhereitance to show he can make his own money to his dead dad. That'll show his ghost! He also plans to make himself out to be a hero: since th eparty's a masquerade he swaps places with a minon so said minion will play him and stand up to the squids, who then slink away to the lower decks with the money.

This ends up backfiring as Ted was montoring the scene the whole time. It's nicely set up too: this time he's ready since the yacht party is too big a target for the squids to pass up.. and thus he notices how weird it is the squids AREN'T on his radar.

So we get a really fun action scene as the yacht, c leared of guests but not of squids, gets sieged by ted, who uses the bug in some really fun ways, including giving them a second to sweat it out before pouncing. It's cool stuff. Todd has decided to blow this pop stand... literally. He plans to blow up the yacht and everyone involved to get away. Unfortuantely for him the squids find out and escape while Ted is able to chase todd, and get the very moist back of money back. We get a REALLY fun fight scene as Ted keeps quipping about how todd REALLY wants to go to prison.

IT's a really great bit and really sells who ted is. In the end Beetle wins, the squids go to jail and he wonders what's next. Before that though I have to say..t his is a REALLY fun story. The dialouge is hilarious, the mystery for next issue is very well set up, and the squids are fun badies. Their not exactly a threat, but their not really here for that: there here more to give ted someone to show off against. To show what the beetle can do and to show he dosen't have any powers like dan. For a first issue it's a lot of fun

This issue also introduces the Question. The question is vic sage, a tv reporter by day who fearlessly speaks against corruption despite a good chunk of the board at his station wanting him gone. You can see a LITTLE of ditko's budding objectivism peak in, him blaming people with gambling problems for enabling mobsters, but otherwise it's also a great story. It's a really solid first issue and given it introduces such important characters i'm baffled dc hasn't reprinted these since the 2000's. It's great stuff. And there's more of it coming up next

The End is A Beginning By this point steve apparently got less shy about taking the writing credit as this one credits him rightfully as writer and artist.

Ted's stressed as Lt. Fisher keeps pressing him and Tracey hasn't showed up for work. So after Fisher leaves he decides to do some blue beetling to clear his head.

He flies over Pago Island, remphasising for new readers it has some terrible secret.. but it also has a guest. Ted's worried so he checks in.. and finds Tracey. Turns out she was here all day searching..

I... fucking love this scene. Ted sees his loved one is hurting.. and decides to come clean, despite the risk. Because it's the right thing to do. It's something I REALLY wish more superhero works did after this. Nowadays this sort of thing is way more common and deconstruing the secret keeping way more often, but it still took it's sweet time and even then we have things like miraculous ladybug where they just.. outright keep the ids secret because shut up. Here ted sees his girlfriend in distress and simply agrees to tell her.

So we cut back a few months: Ted was working with his Uncle Jarvis, with Tracey running his lab while he did as Jarvis preferred ted work only at his lab. Ted was curious, only getting in pieces, and while he was innocent enough to not ask big questions he still wanted to know what was going on. Jarvis agreed to tell him.. but then exploded.. literally. The lab explodes, Jarvis is apparently dead as he's the only one there.

Naturally though it's not that simple as Ted finds a box not destroyed in the fire.. and to his horror finds out the experiment was actually to create some cool looking artifical super solders. Before now their weakness was being slow.. but Ted accidently solved that. So he goes to Dan. In this continuity their old college buddies, and he figures Dan can find it with his archelogy. Dan tries to go alone so he can beetle it up if needed but Ted insists on going with because.. of course he does. He gave his uncle the keys. As for the whole being dead thing Ted rightly dosen't buy it and has to be sure. What I also love is that Ditko makes sure we get Tracey's perspective: she thought Ted was distraught because his uncle died, and she was supscious he was lying about being alone on pago island because she KNEW he left his house with someone else.

Naturally Jarvis not only has his atomic men capture them but gets monologuging. This case I get though: he has NO idea ther'es a superhero among the two guys he just captured, thus he has no reason to fear them.

dan naturally goes into action, secret identity be dammned and we get one hell of a fight. It alsos hows Dan's own fighting style: throws and more up close brawling once again to Ted's later acrobatics. Sadly... given ther'es only ONE blue beetle in present day.. you can probably guess how this ends.. in tears.. and expoding robot men

dan's body was soon lost for an explosion and while Ted managed to make it out, the police were left supscious.. but now he's given good reason. While Ted COULD at least reveal the pago island stuff without outing himself or dan as the blue beetle, though the latter might be necessary, he can't trust that anyone find the robots now jarvis is dead (his control center also conveintly overloaded), as no one man can be responsible for that kind of power.

So after some soul searching Dan used some of his dad's old experiments, his dad having left indefintely on his own vauge quest, and thus.. a legend was born

Turns out though the Androids themselves aren't gone and we get a breif but awesome fight. This is the real test: Ted is out powered, out gunned and barely survives.. but he manages to outwit them, dumping the two that emerged into a crevice.. but barely. It really cements who ted is: he's not a brawler, he can't use brute force: all he has is gadgets (something emphasized more in the dc version) and his greatest weapon: his brain. Like spider-man he has to think his way out over stronge foes but unlike spidey his brain is all he has.. and he uses it well. he then has the bug cover the crevices to be sure. Tracey vows to help him no matter what and the two embrace.. as under the island more robots are made... and the future is uncertain.

This issue is even better, giving ted a really fantastic origin story one that's been kept in most versions of him since, it's that good. DC would use it, brave and the bold would base an episode around it, and even the movie is using pieces of it, simply turning Jarvis into his sister rather than his uncle and , like brave and the bold, having the scarab be the basis. The art is fantastic, the fights as usual are great, and the stuff with Tracey is top notch character work, making her feel more like a person and less like an object.

Out From the Ashes!

So after only a few issues the blue beetle folded. Again. He'd appear breifly in AMERICOMICS. Because Merica, which finds a nice way to reconcile his golden age adventures with his silver age ones: reincarnation. It makes sense given both the egyptian themes present in the second run and the scarab itself not being defined as an alien just yet. Also as one last note the term Kahji Dah pops up here. Remember it, it'll be important later.

Anyways with that the beetle set on the sidelines again till the mid 80s. In 1983 DC Bought Charlton Comics, and it's characters, seeing the potetial Charlton had squandered just letting Steve Ditko and Jack Kirby creations sit on a shelf somewhere. At the same time Marv Wolfman, editor at dc and writer of the new teen titans (I covered his run with george perez in full last year and STILL feeling winded from it), had pitched a crossover: history of the dc universe!... which was set to completely reshape said history for a new generation, with Wolfman feeling the various parallel earths of dc had gotten a bit much, and with DC lagging behind marvel they felt a refresh was needed. They changed the name to...

Something I intend to cover eventually. When i'm not sure (I'd be happy to do it on comissoin). For those not familiar with it, Crisis was a massive 12 issue crossover, and while marvel beat them to the punch with secret wars as the first crossover, crisis was still the first proper linewide crossover: every book was effected in some way, and many would never be the same for better or worse. The book brought in EVERY altenate earth dc had, had most die horribly, and merged the remainder.

It was in these pages our boy Ted made his dc debut, and once the dust was settled he and the other charlton characters were put front and center in the new universe and most given another shot at a title or mini series with Captain Atom and Blue Beetle being the first to get ongoings, likely since Steve Ditko had worked on both, with the Question, after a guest stint in Beetle's own book, getting one and peacemaker getting a mini series and a key role in checkmate.. the latter of which I only know because he showed up for an overly long crossover between Checkmate and Suicide Squad, before largely disappearing until...

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Giving him a starring role in the suicide squad book thanks to his movie apperance and his own mini series recently.

The four along would also be adapted into the Watchmen, another book i've covered, as DC wanted to reuse the chalton characters after and watchmen was a bit too.. permeant.

And so in 1986 ted bravely and boldly enterted the dc universe proper with Blue Beetle #1.

Writing the book was Lein Wein, comics legend responsible for co-creating Wolverine, Colossus, Storm, and Nightcrawler, and of course KRAKOA THE ISLAND THAT WALKS LIKE A MAN AND WAS A MUTANT NATION TILL RECENTLY. IT'S COMPLICATED. Lesser known though was his run on Spider-Man. What i've read of it is pretty dang good, and it's clear even after a healthy run with the wallcrawler Lein still wasn't quite done doing this type of story and jumped aboard when DC asked him.

So once again we have a spidey alum bringing a wallcrawling energy to Ted, let's see how it bears out.

We open with some brave chicago firefighters tryign to put out a penthouse blaze... and failing. Goly firehouse 51 was a lot less competent before Chief Boden ran it huh.

Anyways Chief Red Haired Guy is dismayed to see a familiar face, The Blue Beetle, who he thought retired. Apparently Ted took some time off between picking up the mask and now, a nice way to explain why he hadn't been in any recent dc history prior to the crisis in-universe. What they never explain is WHY Chief Carrot Top hates Ted. No really this guy is j jonah jameson levels of dismayed ted is back, gets weirdly mad at him later, they never tell us WHY this guy hates ted. Maybe it's in an issue past where i've read in this book, I don't know, but it is hilarious, you have to give it that.

At any rate ted swings in on a line he has that comes out of the bug and he can call for help. It showed up in the previous adventures. Ted then tries to help someone in the fire.. only to get a cup of punch to the face instead. Turns out this is our villian..

Yeah the idea of firefist is a good one, and we'll get to why he keeps starting fires besides it being his desire later as well as why it burns so hot. But that outfit.. where do I even begin. the armor parts MOSTLY look neat, my only complaint being that his eyes shoudln't be visable, especially since he has a whole thing about wanting no one to see his face, trying to barbeque ted over it. The idea of an armored man with undousable fire who is determined to murder all firefighters is brilliant. The problem is the rest of the outfit. The pure white underpinning, the inexplicable utility belt no doubt caring firefist shark repeleant, the GIANT bulge

And the fucking logo. He looks like a dollar store shredder knockoff. I like paris cullen's cartoony art on this book, it fits well and he makes ted look great but I have NO IDEA what he was thinking on this costume.

It's honestly what i've realized on a second read took me out of the book the first time I tried reading it. Since dc had all the issues and no intention of reprinting the series (and as of this writing despite the movie STILL hasn't, though they have reprinted Jamie's series after too damn long which is nice), I bought the first two.. and wasn't really impressed. It felt like it was trying way too hard to be spider-man. I see now it's not really that bad, it has some good stuff i'll get to, I just let the problems stack up because one of the first things I saw was this guy. And on second read like I said he's not a terrible villian he just has a bad costume. And he's far from the first supervillian to start out with a bad costume before getting an upgrade later. I'd honestly love to see him fight Jamie if he hasn't already: just upgrade the flames to make hima threat to the scarab and your good.

At any rate firefist gets away though Ted escapes via the zip line thing I mentioned the sky wire, and uses it to save the last firefighter left in the building. The sequence is tense cool and really shows what ted can do. Granted I woudln't of also opened with him getting punched in the face but I do get it: they didn't HAVE to talk ted up since he had a prominent-ish role in crisis on infinite earths.. but for people just turning into bb it's a weird choice.

The Fire Comissiner wants answers and wants Beetle to come int o the fire house.. what. Ted does tell him about firefist but skedadles as fire chief grumpus vows revenge.. well he dosen't but wouldn't i tbe neat if he did.

Ted is a LITTLE bummed that was a bumpy return.. but what I like is he dosen't stay glum for long. He instead comforts himself with the fact that he at least prevented some damage. We then get a rundown of things as he pilots the bug underwater and into his secret lair. We also find out something I think is neat as Ted unmasks: the beetle mask has a lock on it that he can undo with his glove. It's clever, giving good reason why someone can't just yank the top off and find out who the blue beetle is and fits who ted is. Wein is the one who really codified that ted is a man of gadgets: while Ditko's Ted used more acrobatics, this is a ted who uses sceince and skills and it's something that would stick from here on out. And I .. really like it. It's a way to set him apart from both spider-man and batman, his most obvious comparisions being both a bug based hero with a load of quips having a load of fun doing this and a gadget based viglante. Peter is smart and WILL use his science knowhow and strategic genius to down foes, it's part of his charm, but dosen't really pack a ton of gadgets in most runs, only doing so when he has enough backing to afford gadgets or in the Insomniac universe, while

It's more criminology: most of his gadgets are based around crime solving and are down to earth. He CAN have something custom whipped up if the need arises, but prefers more practical solutions. It's seen in their modes of transportation: batman has a car, a boat and a plane, all speclaized just in case he needs one, and while all conspicious all black, fast and able to get in and out quick. Ted by contrast has the bug which while not exactly slow, is flashier, multipurpose (both plane and sub) and designed to more make an impact and look real cool. It's in how they treat the job: To ted this is something that needs doing and honors a friend, but something he also has FUN doing most of the time or can snark at to cope when he really REALLY isn't. For batman it's a sacred mission that has to be handled with the utmost seriousness while he wears a bat costume.

We get a recap of ted's origin, which is mostly untouched. The only diffrences are a change in design for the robots, Dan is switched from a college friend to Ted's old teacher and the fact this time out ted got to control the narrative, so while Lt. Fisher is still suspcious, we'll get to that, Dan is thought to have died mysteriously.. and in a nice touch the beetle cave has a memorial set up for him, the newspaper reporting his death with two candles next to it and Ted hoping to do him proud. It's a great way to speed through the origin without trivalizing what it means or what ted's lost.

Ted rides an elevator up to the proper levels of Kord Omniversal, his company which he runs as CEO. This is it's research part. He meets with his secretary, Angela, who has really neat looking big pink glasses and is nice.. but is hiding something. To get this out of the way now she's subtly stealing tech from the company for her uncle whose forcing her to. It's a subplot that dosen't get paid of here so i'm mostly glossing over it, but I apprciate these first two issues setting up later ones already. I also love this bit of ted going through the stack of messages she has for him.

It suits him so well. I also like his hat. I want that hat. Mail me that hat.

Ted heads to the lab where we meet Melody and Jermiah. Melody is ted's love intrest.. and a fairly eh one. Sh'es mostly just "Perky' and "Into ted" in the issues i've read. There really isn't a lot to her. With Tracey it was fine because A) it was two issues and b) It was 1965, love intrests rarely got fleshed out and her feeling as fleshed out as she did for the time was nice. It dosen't really help that ted later has chemistry with both Barbra Gordon (though sadly it never went anywhere), Power Girl and Booster Gold. I personally like Karen, but i'm not against tedbabs or the blue and the gold. What i'm saying is ted is just so likeable and charming that like Spider-Man he is shippable as fuck and Melody just dosen't do enough to stand out against what came after. Update: As I was writing this review I looked ahead at future issues via the dc database (their wiki).. and found out there IS an intresting subplot where Melody is mad Ted keeps vanishing.. that being said it's still frustrating as Ted has no real reason not ot tell her WHY he's vanishing and still dosen't quite fix the character. It IS neat though.

As for Jerry he's an old friend of Ted's dad's and a wacky guy, doing get rich quick schemes reguarly and having been fired from STAR Labs for it. For those not familiar with it, STAR is dc's go to super science outfit, with branches all over the country, and has heavily shown up in Superman the Animated Series and was home base for Team Flash in the CW Flash.

Ted then has the team analyzie the wreckage to figure out what Firefist is using without saying that. I do like that Ted uses his resources cleverly and being boss, and on good terms with both Melody and Jerimiah, they don't question it. That said.. I would've preferred it if the two just.. knew who he was. There's no real reason to hide it at this point and they don't give us a good one: Melody and Ted are doing super well and Jermiah is an old friend of Ted's dad and clearly likes the kid. Jerry MAYBE could tell kord sr, but there's no reason given Ted's dad can't know either. It'd be more fun for him to not have to hide it and see how they grapple with this as well as how they help Ted hide he's the beetle from the rest of the world. Loop his secretary in too. It isn't helped by hindsight: as noted above the flash show demonstrated how cool it is for a hero to have his own support staff, while as we'll see with Jamie while he still has a secret identity, his family and two best friends learn VERY early on and his book is better for it, something the movie seems to stick to judging from the trailers.

We cut to Pago Island where we meet Conrad Caprapax, aka one of the movie's villians.. and our second subplot that dosen't payoff here. In this case it's understandable. To get it out of the way this issue ALSO sets up Lt. Max Fisher looking into Pago Island, recyling that plot from volume 5. I figured the two plots would eventually dovetail, and since i had only read the first ten issues my first time trying this book, I looked it up and confrimed: the two plots do indeed payoff eventually in issue 14 and at the same time.

We then get to setup for future issues #4, or three chronologically, as Ted helps his good friend Murray Takamoto over at star. It's a neat setup too: Murray's an old college buddy and Ted often does consulting work for him. It's a nice way to setup plots. In this case a red headed stranger wants to steal some promethum star labs plans to transport to kord omniversal. The guy turns out to be Dr. Alchemy, longtime dc villian and honestly a fun choice to go up against the more traditionally scientific ted. I love this setup. He later tries to flatten the tires on the delivery but we find out his magic is shorting out, hence the promethium need. Oh well possible stories for another day.

With our various b-plots mostly out of the way we can focus on the main story again. Ted's chilling with Murray and chatting over coffe whcih his a bit fun if also a LITTLE bit stitled, but I get comics back then weren't the most natural and prefered over the tom, 80's sitcom style talking between characters, and it still feels natural enough.

Ted heads off when he gets a ding on his watch, as he was montoring for fires.. and Firefist has stepped up his game this time SETTING A FIREHOUSE ON FIRE. Ted is prepared though using fire foam on him from the bug before fighting the guy and actually has the upper hand this time. It shows off ted's smarts with this time his acrobatics. The roof caves in.. but we get an absoltuely DOPE shot of ted sliding down the fire pole.

Sadly this dosen't last and we end with Ted pinned under flaming wreckage while firefist gloats.

This City is Not For Burning

Man Len REALLY loved his melodramatic titles.

Anyways Blue Beetle is trapped in a burning building and we get a moment that's a clear homage to a spidey classic: This be my destiny aka that image of spidey under a ton of rubble he barley escapes from through willpower alone. Here it's diffrent ENOUGH for me to consider Len.. isn't just ripping it off: Ted has no power, the heat is a diffrent kind of complication and he has to use what he has on hand, a pipe and whatever else to escape. It's a well done scene all thigns considered and ted BARELY escapes. Fire Cheif Petty Grudge decides to call it even if Beetle can stop this guy. He's still mad Ted won't fill out his forms.. which is fair.

We then get firefists origin.. and I meant what I said earlier. While his costume is messy... his origin is both great and genuinely heartwrenching.

My guess is they assumed he was dead.. but I still can't blame him for being mad they abandoned him. Granted it still dosen't justify putting on a costume for revenge but frankly if no one did that superhero comics would be kinda boring wouldn't they. I also like the ambiguity: we geninely DON'T know if that firefighter didn't care to save the victim his friend went in for.... or simply missed the guy and assumed he was dead. It's a true tragedy and i'ts clear the ptsd and circumstance warped this poor guy into the arsonist we see now.

So with that Melody and Jerry find out the substance is apparently greek fire, a substance used to burn ships and find all the places the ingredignts could've come from before clocking out. ONce ted gets back and notices via the computer that everyone's gone he heads home for a shower and folks... and he's not alone.

I.. am endlessly baffled and amused by this whole thing. Does ted like being choked and Melody just simply didn't think to ask consent because it was the 1980s, or did Melody REALLY just think "Tee-Hee you know what would really be fun, suprising my boyfriend in his dark apartment alone when he's the head of a major company and thus a target for robbers or kidnappers. The fact that as the lights go back out Lt. Fisher is watching the apartment just proves my point. He already has a stalker, he dosen't need it simulated.. unless that's what he's into and again you gotta set that stuff up first.

A few subplots later ted gets the info and goes out after firefist but while he finds the stuff to make it, the guy's already gone. He did burn his newspaper in a rage thoug hso ted has meldoy read it to him.

This.. really hurts my brain. Ted is careless as hell with his identity here. Which again would be fine if the people he was careless to found out.. but instead we get a subplot of melody being mad he disappears.. and it somehow gets worse as she not only emotoinally cheats on him but CALLS IN HIS DAD TO DEAL WITH HIS ABSENCES WITHOUT TALKING TO HIM ABOUT IT. When as far as I could tellt he company.. was fine. Ted was just missing meetings but he still did all his work on time. Girl chicago , as far as I can tell has the ONE superhero. Company 51 is still under old managment, we're not there yet.

Anyways Firefist publicly targets a firefighting museum with ted giving chase as we get an add for the dc roleplaying game from back then.. and now I want to play that. if you knwo where the docs are online or have a copy let me know.

Anyways Beetle fights him and it's a decent enough fight.. with ted trying water for some reason even though greek fire is famous for being waterproof

Ted eventually wins by tarring up the mask and then takes off the mask... with firefist seemingly comitting suicide over his burns. A tragic end. Blue BEetle plugs firefigghting and the issue ends.

This two parter.. is a decent intro to ted. It shows off his skills, what his wealth can do, and firefist, while looking like bargin basement moltar, is a good first opponent: powerful enough to give Ted a workout, but nothing to major off the bat and with a tragic ending.

The books flaws are more character wise: Ted's well done, as his his secretary, but everyone else feels kinda.. eh. Len wanted the vibe of spider-man and the repor but forgot the audience needs to feel it too. I also could've done with using more tactics with ted: while him bounding around was nice as always, part of what made the ditko one so loveable was Ted was SMART: he could outhink his foes not just out manuver them. We see bits and pieces but with ted having a full secret lab and a fortune this time we really don't see him use it. The final fight is decent.. but he dosen't say try to figure out how to counteract greek fire or at least use some gadgets.

It was fine in the ditko era he didn't whip up specific gadgets because the situations didn't call for them; The squids were tricky but he had the means to deal with them. They were just guys in suits at the end of the day, same as him, but without the skill and the bug did the rest of the lifting and while he COUDL'VE for the androids with time, he simply didn't. Here he's dealing with firefist for two days, gets full analysis of what he can do.. and does NOTHING with the info but track the guy. Say what you wil about ted curbing from spidey.. but this bit, the thinking after getting his face caved in and being ready next time, is the one bit that was crucial and that ditko rightly carried over. As it stands this is just okay and i'ts a shame this is, as of this writing one of the ONLY two solos ted's had. It's not horrible and might even get better with time, i'll certainly look into it but the more I wrote about it the more it became clear why I just.. never really took to this run: it's good god ideas.. but just does not a whole lot intresting wtih them.

Fortunately Ted would get another big break midway into his series.

But more on that next time as we find out whatever happened to ted kord.. and see the rise of a new boy in blue. Thanks for reading.

#blue beetle #ted kord #dc comics #dan garrett #jarvis kord #firefist #star labs #dr alchemy

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megamangx · 11 months ago

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RUBY SPEARS verse megamanGX defender of the world

late new year fic hoped you liked thcirstmas and got good toys.

this is not canon to main megaman gx worlds but megamangx from the ryuby spears megaman timeline.

MEGAMAN GX DEFENDER OF THE WORLD

Megaman had defeated wily many times with the help of roll and his best friend rush the dog "megman using a new proton armor system i have built you a brother called megamanGX he is realy powerful" doctor light said "i hope its not like brian bot again that was mega annoying" megaman said "arf arf haha" rush laughed.

MegamanGX woke up "good to meet you brother lets be an unstoppable team" he sied and they did the epic handshake "looking forward to it mega bro"

meanwhile at Doctor wily layer he was building an evil plot "WITH ZIS NEW MOBILE PHONES APP I CALLED WILY SURFERS I WILL CONTROL ZE MINDS OF THE YOUTH YOU KNOW THE OTHER PLAN" wily said and protoman nodded "yeah you want me to film your brainwashing cartoon show WILY GUY RIGHT"

back at the city megaman, MegamanGX and roll where having a good time at the arcade "you really are an epic gamer brother not to bad" megaman said and they noted evberyone was on phones watching a game with a train where wily was main character and in corner was footage from a cartoon where gutsman was in a white shirt and protoman was in an orange wig "remember the time super mario was at the door" gutsman said and cutsman dressed like a white dog sighed.

"what is this cartoon its really bad and why they watching it and playing this boring game at the same time" megamangx said

thats when protoman came in with a big gun and an army of evil robot masters "OH YOU DON'T GET IT BROTHER AND NEW BROTHER WILY HAS CREATED A NEW WEAPON TO HYPNOTIZE AND DISTRACT EVERYONE SO THEY CANT FIGHT BACK OT RESIST HIM ITS GENIUS" protoman said and shoot at them but they dodged and megamangx did the spincopter kick booting him into the bar. meanwhjile megaman stole icemans power and froze the army.

"We better warn docter light" said megaman

at thelight house they did "yes this game is using multiple distractions to numb the brain and make everyone not want to fight doctor wily we need to shut wily surfers and wily guy down before wilts invasion army takes over" doctor light said as he hacked the terminal

megamanGX went to wily lab "YOU VILL NOT STOP MY PLAN TO RUINS ZE MINDS OF ZE CHILDRAN WITH ZE SLOP CONTANT ONCE MY NEW INVANTION WILYTOK IS READY HAHAHAHAHA" wily laughed sending airman to beat megamanGX up but he went into his booster form before steaing airmans power and using it to blow up wilys super computer shutting the network down "NO YOU FOOL YOU HAVE RUINED EVERYTHING!" Wily said escaping in his ship.

at the partyt everyone was happy "we need to build a better way of things becuse entrainment is good but so is learning and having balance" m,egamangx said to the camera.

the end

#megaman #ruby spears mega man #megamangx #protoman #doctor light #doctor wily #fan fiction #fanfic

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thewittyphantom · 1 year ago

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Duel Links had a new Roa event with Hangry Romin and a flashback to how Yuga got Sevens Road Magician!

Romin: After this, don't expect an encore! Heavy Metal Mayhem! Rock and roll! Yuga: Romin! If you're feeling snacky, tap the bottom of your guitar! *spoing* Romin: *munch* A candy bar? Delicious! Yuga: I built a candy compartment in your Duel Guitar. I thought it would come in handy. Romin: You built that...just for me? Yuga: Now that we've solved your hunger problem, how about we solve your problem with Roa? Romin: Huh!? Yuga: If you let us know your secret, he can't use it against you anymore. Romin: I'm not gonna tell! Yuga: Tell what? That you're a rock star that's actually tone deaf? Romin: ......Yuga...You knew!?!?!?!?!? Yuga: I assumed you were because you refused to sing for our Rush Duel promo that one time. Roa: Sigh...If they're back to being friends, that means I gotta step up and Duel! Yuga: Roa, it wasn't cool to use Romin's secret against her. Roa: You mean former secret. It's not a secret if everyone knows what it is. Romin: That's true. But still not cool! Yuga, be careful! I'm sure Roa has designed strategies to use specifically against you. Yuga: Can't wait to check 'em out! Dueling's all about surprises! Roa: But don't be surprised when you lose! ...By the way...How did you get Sevens Road Magician? Yuga: Huh? Roa: Did you get it from someone? Yuga: ...I did. From the same Duelist who was there when I uploaded Rush Duels. Luke: What!? Yuga: When I first started Dueling, i went to go see Goha's Duel Tournament. [flashback] Yuga: It was cool, but I thought it could be so much better. But I didn't know what I could do about it... Crowd: Hey, what's with that guy? Otes: A wall, a mountain, not even a planet can block my way! Nothing will stop my road to victory! Come out! Sevens Road Magician! Yuga: It felt like something inside me suddenly came alive! I felt a rush! But... Goha Goons: Disqualified! Disqualified! Illegal action detected! Otes: You can disqualify me, but you cannot disqualify the inspiration i give to the next generation! Boy in the front row! Take this! Yuga: Huh!? Otes: I see on your face that you know what I'm speaking of! I know you can create the road to the future of Dueling - and even perhaps become the King of Duels! [end flashback] Gavin: I see...That was quite a story. Roa: Yes, heartwarming. But you're focusing on the wrong part of the tale. That mystery Dueling was disqualified from the tournament. What did he do that was wrong and unjust? The answer is...Because Sevens Road Magician was an illegal card that he created! Luke: What!? Yuga is playing with an illegal card?

#yu gi oh #duel links #yu gi oh sevens #roa kassidy #romin kassidy #yuga ohdo #gavin sogetsu #lucidien kallister #otes #sevens road magician #background characters

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oxceen · 1 year ago

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Behold, my other hollowhead oc, The Light Raven :> They're missing most of a leg bc dumbass AvA me got distracted and Raven escaped

Quail's another one of my lil beans

Anyway Raven can shoot beams of light from their hands and they've ot some ridiculously high intelligence, they built their prosthetic themself :> They can also regenerate and heal themselves rapidly but they cant grow themselves a leg bc it never existed upon creation

I have a lot of lore for them but I'll wait until I introduce my EVEN MORE OTHER characters as well as my bestay(yes thats what we call eachother)'s sticks :3

#ava ocs #ava oc #stickfigure oc #stick figure

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vennylavey · 2 years ago

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Sorting out my Thoughts regarding Tolya and Inej

A few days ago, I finished watshing Shadow and Bone Season 2 and

what.

The.

FUCK.

Some background before you quote me on this!

I first fell in love with the crows on Season 1 of S&B. They, along with the sheer insanity of the fandom that I resonated with, encouraged me to buy the duology and read the hecc out of it. Out of all the grishaverse books, I've only ever read the six of crows duology, so I only know show!Tolya from S&B Season 2.

I am an avid Kanej shipper. I love Kaz. I'm in love with Inej. Love them together and as individual characters. (recently started rereading, and since mentally separating the show and the books, i've been really seeing them in a new lights from both angles! and both endear me.) I hold this ship sacred and very close to my heart, and nothing will ever change that.

Some spoilers from here on out!

Like any other fellow fan who followed the series primarily because of kanej, who learned to peck for crumbs in the briefest (longest) of gazes and the subtlest of interactions, I was on the edge of my seat anticipating every smidge of development between my favourite pair.

It wasn't a steady rise in progression, but it was the Kaz and Inej way, and I loved it. Ot's nice that they kept that sense of angsty realism from the books. (Can't say the impact and heaviness of Kaz's trauma and backstory was fully communicated, but Freddy did SO GREAT.) The sort-of push and pull kept me positively on my toes throughout the whole series, so I became laser-focused on their relationship the whole time.

Then came rolling Episode 8.

GLORIOUS 'and how would you have me?' MOMENT. the tension, the looking at each other, the miniscule changes in expression, the way you could see the monologue in the pause between responses - yes, im talking about kaz 'you, inej. you.' brekker (bless u freddy carter) - and the sheer fragility of the moment. it's everything i could have asked for in an adaptation of that scene

AND I WAS ABSOLUTELY FLOORED.

(and devastated. angst symptom, really. but mostly floored.)

Then we got a little moment with Nikolai and Mal, and damn, even after a break-up-but-not-really-a-break-up, INEJ LOOKS SO BEAUTIFUL I SKDJFKDJ

She looked hopeful, which makes sense. For her, its a new beginning. Its a half equivalent of the ending she got in crooked kingdom. The best thing about it is that she just doesn't look like she has any regret. (Not that she doesn't care about Kaz, but that she doesn't regret not settling for less than she deserves.) AND INEJ - inej deserves that kind of weightless freedom.

AND THEN AND THEN

THAT SCENE

THAT SCENEEEEEE

TOLYA OFFERED A HAND FOR THE BAG. LIKE, NOT EVEN TO HELP HER UP YET, SPECIFICALLY FOR THE BAG, IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY. Inej is a bit estranged by the gesture (She's so used to mannerless crows lol) but gives it, anyway. Tolya offers his other hand. Inej, endeared, but confused, accepts the help, AND YOOO

THE HEAT.

THE HEAT IN TOLYA'S GAZE AS INEJ WALKS FURTHER ONTO THE SHIP.

THE LITTLE SMALL SMIRK AS HE LOOKED AT HER.

THAT. BROKE ME.

WHAT. THE. FUCK.

The tension was there. It's so obvious. THEY (production) MADE SURE IT WAS FELT. I'm balling because I got totally played by the pacing.

Most of what I felt throughout the scene mirrored Inej's. Did not consider AT ALL that Tolya was holding any interest for her, so the quiet and the emphasis in the nonverbal cues in the scene really built up the realization, and that expression Tolya had after Inej turns away hit me in the face like it was Kaz's cane.

Looked for images online, showed it to my friends, and REALLY had to ask their opinion if said expression was a look of interest or I'm just overthinking it. IT COULD VERH WELL BE HIM PLAYFULLY TEASING HER BEING UNUSED TO GENTLE FRIENDLINESS, RIGHT? Friends said that look is their exact look when looking at their love interest, and mhm. Admittedly, I was in denial.

Saw a reddit thread about it! I WAS SO GLAD I WASN'T THE ONLY ONE WHO SAW IT. THEY EVEN LISTED SOME OTHER SCENES FROM OTHER EPISODES THAT POINTED TO TOLYA'S INTEREST, and oh, they were so right.

Having rewatched it, it was really obvious. The tension was there when I really looked at them. I EVEN MISSED HOW TOLYA WAS TELLING OVHAL TO TAKE HIM INSTEAD OF INEJ.

I felt like, from that, I really should have seen it coming.

But I understand that it was easy to get distracted by the other narratives! Such as wesper troubles in paradise, hyperfixated on the way tolya meditated(?) to withstand the poison longer, INEJ'S DELUSION????, Jesper's heartwarming and simultaneously heartbreaking dream, KAZ DENYING HOW MUCH INEJ MEANS TO HIM, Ohval's badassery (i did not think she could get any more badass, but she did), and that wonderful fight scene??? Oh, yeah. So much was happening.

After that scene in episodr 8, it was hard not to try following where his gaze led for the rest of the episode, and definitely found it briefly landing on the part of the boat that Inej was a few seconds later revealed to be hanging from.

Did I already love Tolya before the scene that dropped the bomb? Yes. Do I still love Tolya? Yes, I do. Do I love him so much more for it, regardless? Yes, yes, yes.

Tolya alone with his passion for poetry, family, adventhre, and his superstions was loveable enough. But anyone who treats Inej with the respect she so rightfully deserves also gets a great in my book.

BUT DID I IMMEDIATELY FEEL GUILTY FOR NOT REALLY BEING ADVERSE TO THE IDEA OF TOLYA BEING INTERESTED IN INEJ?

Honestly, a little bit.

But Kanej would always be endgame. And I do not see Tolya as a threat to that.

It's a little unnerving how I didn't see these details and made the connrctions in the series as I watched, but Inej and Tolya are plenty alike.

Both are passionately religious, both know their superstitions, both have an occupation or a way of life that somehow go against some principles of their beliefs, and they SUCKED AT FIGHTING OHVAL LMAO but their movements and actions in episode 6 were really in sync. Could probably inflict more damage together with more practice, but it's a nice detail that they didn't accidentally hit each other even once despite fighting side by side for the first time. (Or I may be overthinking it, and it's just all the characters' innate experiences in fighting because there also wasn't any problems when Inej fought alongside Zoya, someone she also met only recently.) Other than the fighting, it should also be noted that when the door closed, they kinda moved at the same time. could be for cinematic effect. but it can also be interpreted as both of them being right hands mans of a sort, inej to kaz, and tolya to nikolai, leading them to develop similar habits.

These similarities give them something to bond over. Gives Inej someone to learn from. And I don't know Tolya's story yet, but these common traits and interest is part of the main reason I like their dynamic. Doesn't need to be romantic. I feel they can be great friends and close allies, and if they get flirty, that would also be amusing.

I would love to see their on screen interactions in general.

Regarding Inej's trauma and Tolya's Aro-ace representation

If you think about it, these two facts kind of make them compatible. Self-explanatory. If you see this as a ship, Inej not wanting to be touched and Tolya's minimal need/no need for touch is the simplest way to go about things, I feel. Wouldn't fault you for taking that route.

But part of the reason why Kanej works so well is that they encourage and motivate each other to heal from their trauma.

And unless Inej comes out as Ace/Aro/Aro-Ace, it's healthy for book!inej to desire to touch another person in spite of her trauma. No matter how slow the progress.

In the show, Inej's trauma is never discussed at all. It even seems non existent. I could handle them not confronting it directly. It's possible they may be saving it for the spinoff. But the show of physical casual physical contact kind of negates that a bit, such as Jesper coming up to hug Inej and spin her around. But to fit in the narrative, I think Tolyacan help with that. More on that in a bit, but first

The headcanon that Tolya is Aro-Ace

This is really the only source I found regarding any book statements about the origins of Tolya being Aro-Ace. And I've read the fact that Tolya is the only one eith no clear partner through the books have been brought up!

And while I first interpreted this quote from the book as something like, he just doesn't particularly think about it or desire it, and is completely fine with taking his time,

I am also very much in love with the Aro-Ace representation. It's rare, and it feels right on Tolya, to be honest.

Like I said, I don't particularly want him and Inej to be a certain way. (TRYING SO HARD NOT TO PROJECT ON INEJ CAUSE IM ATTRACTED TO HIM) But i do want to see some semblance of closeness between them!

So Queer platonic relationships do exist. I think it's a valid path or ending fanfiction-wise for those who want them 'together' together! I think the exposure to it, and how such a relationship would work, still validates the representation. but I'm not Aro-Ace myself, so do correct me if I'm wrong, and my sincerest apologies if I've offended anyone.

Part of why I still find hope for the Aro-Ace HC is because Tolya doesn't seem to be operating on his interest for Inej based on physical attraction or emotional connection. His intetest truly started from the life debt, then gratitude, thst he'd developed concern for her. I also think Tolya could just be a bit reverent of Inej (hence the look in e08), or appreciate her as a person or someone he could resonate with, but that's my own headcanon.

For how whatever is between tolya and inej could be a significant narrative, please refer to this BCOS THEY SAID IT PERFECTLY AND THATS RLLY THE ONLY WAY I CAN ENVISION IT HAPPENING ROMANTICALLY, AND REALLY ITS SO TRUEEE, AND DOES WONDERS FOR THE KANEJ DEVELOPMENT, would make endgame kanej all the more gratifying. its a bit inej-centered tho, and we also need to talk about how its important to tolya

this one explains how it would be narratively significant for tolya, too. tolya's realization of identity happening in the show also kind of matches the kind of subtle changes the adaptation makes to characters (like how in the show, we are shown inej's first kill, but inej has long resorted to murder in the start of soc), so personally, i agree, and think it would fit.

Friendly reminder that I wrote this with consideration to the separation of the show and the book!

Just had to get this out so I can finally focus on my exams!

Remember to keep rewatching season 2 <3 WE NEED THAT SIX OF CROWS SPIN OFF. dont even think abt cancelling, netflix

#inej x tolya #tolnej #kaz x inej #kanej #shadow and bone s2 #shadow and bone #my kanej loving heart is guilty #but in it #there is room for tolya #this is extremely self indulgent #TOLYA SAID WELCOME ABOARD #AND I FELT THAT SO HARD

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