#ALSO also I will take suggestions on other characters who should have prosthetics
Note
I personally like Thunder's prosthetic. Explained it to my friend (who does use a mobility device, a cane and wheelchair, and listens to me rant and infodump about BB) and they agreed, it's important to know that not every person needs what someone wants to give them. It's another example of "bad ableist person does a thing that hurts a disabled person because they are bad and ableist".
Clear Sky got Jagged Peak killed and would have killed Sunlit Frost! He would absolutely force his disabled son to be "normal" and present it like a privilege. "I wouldn't do this for anyone else, it's special, why don't you want to be helped?"
Thunder Storm should toss it in Clear Sky's face. (I would say toss it into the river but we do not pollute waterways in this house)
Thank you for telling me this, and tell your friend I'm thanking them too! If they have anything else to add please forward what they have to say
Since BB!DOTC tackles some of the heaviest topics in the entire series because its canon equivalent is so dark, I think very carefully about what I do here and how I show it. I take feedback on its sensitive aspects very seriously. If I'm understanding the criticism properly, it's that I should avoid stigmatizing prosthetics by making sure Thunder Storm's not the only one with it-- which he's not! And I'll add even more.
I don't want to avoid something only because it's uncomfortable if the topic is important, and my portrayal is respectful. Ableism IS uncomfortable! There are some situations where a prosthetic is not wanted! I think the rejection of this particular one is both a good opportunity to show a type of ableism and ALSO is very fitting for the characters.
In BB!Clear Sky's mind, the villain, he's fixing an old mistake. He can't admit that he got Jagged Peak killed or take REAL accountability for it (though he will, occasionally, apologize insincerely), but deep in his bones, he knows what he did was cruel. He'll never tell anyone this because he doesn't really cognate it himself, but Thunder Storm NEEDS to take his gift.
If Thunder doesn't take it, it blows a hole in his newest story. You see, throwing Jagged Peak out was All That Could Have Been Done back then. It was a Tragedy and he simply Made A Hard Choice. He regrets it very much, But You Have To Understand.
But now? Now? Well, behold. Look at what he's accomplished since the tragic death of his little brother. His cats are well-fed, cared for, and stable enough to make such incredible advancements. If only Jagged Peak had been able to hold on longer, if only he could be here now, I could fix him.
Just like I can (MAKE YOU JUST LIKE ME) fix you.
"Everything I've ever done is for Jagged Peak. For Fluttering Wing. For you." Thunder Sky is SPECIAL, but if he rejects any gift, tries to turn down the "privileges" offered to him, in an instant that becomes ungratefulness and arrogance. He both forces him to be special, and then leverages it against him if it's rejected. "Spoiled brat, doesn't appreciate what I've worked so hard to give him."
It all goes back to him and his own guilt. He can NEVER be wrong. He can't accept his family doesn't have to be "normal" or reflect his own ability. He won't see himself as a bully, let alone a murderer. It was never about his son's comfort or finding out what Thunder Storm wants or needs, it was about his own ego.
...All that said I'm still taking feedback if there's anything else I should keep in mind, or if anyone has a counter point, especially if you also have experience here.
(In the interest of having a link trail for posterity, here's the critique/call for feedback this is in response to)
#ALSO also I will take suggestions on other characters who should have prosthetics#Sunlit makes sense and it will make a really nice character moment later for him to have one built#There's also an amputee in RiverClan few people talk about called Stonestream#I can give him one and bump him up into a bigger character. In BB he is the sibling of Willowshine#BB!DOTC#better bones au#Also just as a side note... I love writing BB!Skystar. My ire for the character comes from his redemption arc so I feel like I get to--#--write the character I WANTED to see#Same with Bramble in other BB arcs#cw ableism#tw ableism#ableism#They're fascinating in that they always have to see themselves as the victim or the hero#They believe every lie they tell.#If you ever catch them in a contradiction they will still try to find some way to turn it on you and YOUR lack of understanding.#Interestingly both of them are ableist. Sky's is just more obvious because he's LOUDLY bigoted.#But BB!Bramble is *notably* less close to Jay for a very sad and very subtle reason.#Jay just doesn't serve his ego like the others do until much later in his life.#unfortunately most bigotry is like that.#the type you have a hard time calling out because it's a deniable bias. the constant gaslighting of being part of a marginalized group#Maybe I need to address the criticism by adding a character with a prosthetic to THIS arc even earlier#Problem is that like... Thunder's small merc group is already full of disabled characters and their THING is forming in response to ableism#OH maybe I'll put someone in the Forest Cat group which is lead by Slash?#I need to finish that last book and then gather up all the cats for sorting into allegiances
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Captain Hook and Improving Disability Representation in Modern Media
Ask anyone on the street to name a canonically disabled character, and there are a few who immediately come to mind—Daredevil, Professor X, Bucky Barnes, Geordi La Forge, and both Anakin & Luke Skywalker just to name a few. Hook should also make that list but ironically, even though his very NAME suggests his disability, it’s easy to forget that he is, in fact, an amputee.
In part, I think this is because historically, it has been intentionally glossed over in many film and TV versions. He is almost never shown without the iron claw attached at the end of his arm, and even the subject isn’t spoken about much in film. For example, in Spielberg’s 1991 film, Hook, and in Fox’s Peter Pan and the Pirates (1990-1991) we see a few shots of Hook sleeping in his bed and yet still wearing his prosthetic. Likewise, no matter how many times Disney’s (1953) Hook gets his clothes shredded by the crocodile, we never see his injured arm fully laid bare. (In fact, in the few shots where his left shirt sleeve has been torn off, the hook seems to be almost physically unable to be separated from his body. The skin simply stops near the wrist and then we have the iron base of the claw with no sort of harness to actually keep it in place.) Even when Peter begins to tell the story of how he cut off Hook’s hand to the mermaids, he barely gets a few words in before the audience’s attention is purposefully redirected to the captain himself in all of his glorious villainy so we don’t get to thinking too much about the fact that the entire reason he has that hook to begin with is because our hero seriously injured him. We aren’t meant to think of Hook as much beyond the stereotypical “scary amputee villain” character because if we examine him too closely, we’ll start to humanize him and risk asking questions that the filmmakers aren’t prepared to answer. (How did the hand loss occur? Was it a fair fight? Who started it? How much should we sympathize with Hook? How much should we trust Peter?)
More recent visual media has, however, made some improvements in this area. In particular, I’d like to take a closer look at two very different (but equally important) portrayals of Hook that have occurred in the last few decades—Jason Isaacs’ Hook (from P.J. Hogan’s 2003 Peter Pan) and Disney’s more recent spin on the captain in Jake and the Neverland Pirates (2011-2016).
Isaacs’ Hook—arguably the most Barrie-like incarnation we’ve seen on film—is introduced to us in a way unlike any other. He’s not standing proud out on the deck barking orders at his crew or strolling through the forest in search of Pan’s hideout (though we certainly see those moments later). Instead, our first glimpse of the captain shows us who he is underneath all the silk and ceremony—a troubled man pained both mentally and physically by the loss of his hand.
Looking disheveled, he wakes from a dream about Pan and slowly raises the injured arm for the audience to see. It isn’t the nice, smooth stump one would expect to see if a surgeon had performed the operation. Instead, it looks as though the hand had been crudely cut away. The skin is uneven and scarred. And while we aren’t meant to pity Hook here—the man can clearly take care of himself—we are supposed to see his humanity and recognize that he has experienced trauma. Suddenly, he isn’t just a villain anymore—he’s a person who not only experienced immense physical pain when he lost his hand but continues to experience discomfort daily when he dons the leather harness that must be wrenched tightly into place to keep the claw secure during battle.
It’s a brief scene overall, lasting only a few minutes, but it adds a lot to his character and the story as a whole. His disability isn’t the main focus but it is openly and respectfully acknowledged. This version of Hook—intended for older children and adults—shows us the darker, more complicated parts of the Captain in a way that hits unsettlingly close to home. Suddenly, his intense responses to the crocodile (and ticking) seem less comical and more akin to the PTSD response one might expect from a soldier who lost a limb in wartime from an explosion hearing fireworks go off.
Another more recent take on Hook that does a good job of normalizing his status as an amputee character is Disney’s Jake and the Neverland Pirates series. While many adult Hook fans have complained about the series making the character too silly, I believe that for the intended audience (pre-school kids), it actually does a great job of showing that disability isn’t something to be feared or made fun of. Taking their target audience into consideration, Disney did a lot in the Jake series to tone down Hook’s scarier elements both in terms of his personality (more of a bully with self-esteem issues than a truly dangerous villain) and his physical appearance (He is visibly less angular with more rounded edges to everything from his facial structure to the claw itself). In an interview, Corey Burton even explained how he vocally changes up a few things between his “traditional” Disney Hook sound and the voice he uses for Hook in the show. He also mentions in one interview that some people were concerned that “a guy with a hook for a hand might be too scary” for little ones, but the series makes it seem so natural that it really doesn’t feel like a big deal. While in the original film, we only see Hook changing out the claw once (for a fancier golden hook), in the Jake series, it happens so frequently that there is literally an entire episode (“Captain Hook’s Hooks”) that is focused on all the different attachments he has and includes a fun song about them.
Although some of the “hooks” are rather outlandishly imaginative and altogether improbable if not impossible in real life, there are many that DO mimic actual modern prosthetic attachments (a hammer, for instance, or attachments that allow for recreational activities like sports or fishing). In fact, the captain’s set of hooks are made out to be so interesting and fun that Disney Jr. actually had an online game called, “Ready, Set, Hook,” where the player had to help Hook and Smee choose the right prosthetic attachment to complete a set of challenges. What’s more, they even released a set of toy “hooks” for children so they could pretend to be the one-handed captain himself!
Jake’s version of Hook may not be the intimidating character we have come to expect, but he’s a likable guy with a cool set of hooks who bridges the gap in explaining physical disability and prostheses to young children. In the show, Hook doesn’t feel “other” for missing a hand; rather, switching out prosthetic attachments are so much a part of who he is that nobody thinks twice about it.
Overall, Hook has come a long way in terms of disability representation on-screen, and I hope we continue to see more of it in future productions.
#captain hook disney#disney peter pan#disney#captain hook#disney villains#peter pan#james hook#captain james hook#jason isaacs hook#peter pan 2003#captain hook jason isaacs#Jason Isaacs#jake and the neverland pirates#disability#disability representation#amputee#amputee representation
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FlowerShop Stampede (Headcanons)
✿Welcome to Flowershop Stampede! ✿
Here, we offer the best quality in Floral. selections!
Weddings, Birthdays, Parties, Bouquets?
We cater to any event!
Come and Visit Today!
summary: trigun characters working in a flowershop,, what could go wrong?
characters: vash the stampede, nicolas d. wolfwood, meryl stryfe, milly thompson
warnings: none, meryl running wolfwood over, vash's horrible flower arranging skills, etc :P
category: headcannons
A/N: this was fun to imagine tbh hehehe,,, i'll be writing an extra bonus one shot stemming from these headcannons but first imma write the other things I have planned for right now! I was thinking about writing these up first and scheduling them ahead of time but what's the fun in that :,) i may not be the best writer but thank yall for reading my things,,, also i'm so tired from a recent trip so half-awake-half-asleep editing
Vash The Stampede
One of the first part-timers at Flowershop Stampede!
A bit of a run-down flowershop, but Vash is very encouraged to flip everything around with work ethic and effort! :)
Roberto literally just watches as the new-hire speaks to the roses in the morning,,,,he just lets him do his thing
and i'm gonna be honest with yall, Boss-man Roberto puts Vash as the main floral consultant
because who can resist that adorable face so kind?
"Do you really want just one batch? The chapel would be soo pretty if you added two more to fluff everything up :)" -insert doe eyes here-
yeah...give me 10.
also he's a bit of a people person sooooooo
literally has a natural green thumb, and the dude is majoring in botany
so theoretically he's the most practiced besides Roberto,,but he doesn't flaunt that around. he really just likes nature and this is encouraged by his adoptive mother Rem.
BUT he doesn't hesitate to kick anyone out if theres' a problem or disturbance or a threat
Will fight a customer with a stern smile on the wrong day.
One time, this rude ass man was yelling right into Milly's face because she dropped a bit of dirt on his shoes until Vash stepped in.
scary ass face bro what the hell,,, after a few tumbles and a broken pot, he kicked his ass out "peacefully".
cried a few tears after though.
"I hope he's alright... The cop gave me his number, what if I just check up on them.."
"Vash you had the right-"
"What if they died???! D:"
"They're not dead Vash.." sweatdrop
His brother Nai often looks down on his choice of profession and study. He thinks Vash should've studied more in International Relations or Humanities at most but botany? Seriously?
But since Vash's childhood was so...troubled. He just wanted to live in peace at this point, to breathe a little. He loves to help others but in his own way!
Doesn't hesitate to help people choose or decide on the right flowers,, he actually gives really good suggestions.
To everyone's surprise and utter disbelief, Vash is not good at making bouquets. At all.
Milly had asked Vash to make one for her when she went to quickly help Meryl unload plants from the truck and the girl came back to a very...bald.. bundle of roses.
"did i do it? :D"
everyone agreed that Vash doesn't really have a good eye at actually making the bouquets,, choosing the flowers yes! actually arranging them hell no.
bonus headcanon:
sometimes, Vash's prosthetic aches due to over-exertion. lifting heavy things around the shop, he forgets to take his breaks more often than he should, especially before the refitting appointment for his arm. so whenever it aches, Wolfwood takes his place and he goes in the back kitchen for a good 30 minute break.
when he gets home, he asks you to give him a shoulder massage and you gladly do.
you also nag at him for not taking his needed breaks to which he sweats a little and gives you a small smile.
he loves you for worrying about him though :,)
"babe plz take me back'
"vash i'm literally just gonna go get the IcyHot-"
"come back :,("
you cant help but give him a little peck on the lips before you go fixing his aches.
Nicolas D. Wolfwood
One of Flowershop Stampede's full-timers,, came in a bit after Vash started, roughly a good 6 months after.
No, he wasn't introduced to the job by anyone, he really just saw the Help Wanted poster in the trash and said "yup, this one right here."
also the man was broke aside for an odd job he doesn't like telling people for many reasons.
Now the man's here. Brown apron, gardening gloves, dirt on his cheeks and sunglasses laying on top of his head.
someone take a pic plz☝️
Alot of people including clients suspect he's a con-man but he just has the charm of a door-to-door salesman with the vibes of a con man.
bIGGG DIFFERENCE not really
a bit of a hard ass but has a good heart,, really good at convincing people to buy flowers.
Roberto doesn't like having him on consultations like Vash though since he goes off topic quite a bit stop rizzing up the fiance wolfwood her marriage is literally next week.
Has a specialty for making bouquets, specifically weddings and big events.
do you have a Quince going on? you want 5 big bouquets? Give Wolfwood a day he'll get them done by midnight tops.
Literally the two main bouquet arrangers in the shop are Wolfwood and Milly so they often call each other partner.
Old ladies absolutely love Wolfwood. He always tries to help them the best he can.
Carrying flower bundles, giving them suggestions on nice small bouquets nicely wrapped, they really love him and his little chest show boy button them up puT UR BADONKERS AWAY-WE ARE SELLING TULIPS
hates morning shifts with a passion, so he takes the night shifts often as Vash does who can't do mornings bc of class on certain days.
Overall, a tad bit aggressive yet charming worker! Takes pride in his work! in fighting too!
Meryl Stryfe
Flowershop Stampede's delivery driver! Also another full-timer besides Wolfwood.
If you spot her on the road with a big ass Ford F150 filled with crates and boxes filled with flowers and roses nooooo you didn't.
She mostly does the final parts of big orders, delivering and getting the sign-offs on orders!
Just delivered a big bunch of flowers for a bash?
"Sign right here for me and you're ready to go :)"
If you got a problem with her or one of the orders that were put in correctly or you don't wanna pay, she'll put Roberto on speaker for you 💖 or she'll curse you out AND THEN put him on speaker
best of both worlds.
Almost ran Wolfwood over as she was backing the truck up for bouquet pick-up.
He never let her live it down
"I don't know why you let her drive Roberto-"
"IT WAS JUST ONE TIME!"
no it wasn't
it was like the third but they don't have another driver.
also she's pretty good at getting flowers to their locations in record time to Roberto's dismay
the luck she has in not having gotten a ticket yet god damn. But she's still a pretty good driver! :D
Very good friends with Vash and Milly,, Whenever all three are on break, they go to the nearby coffee shop to get bread and coffee for everyone else working in the shop.
Milly accompanies her whenever theres' huge bouquets or arrangements to deliver so Meryl doesn't hurt herself.
And when she's not delivering anything, she helps the shop upfront by putting new plants out to display outside and inside the store!
Meryl appreciates everyone including the plants and works hard to show that she does!
Whip that car girl☝️ !!!!
Milly Thompson
Flowershop cashier and floral arranger! She actually works part-time due to her studies also.
She's a little oblivious but girl knows how to do her math real shit. Rings up the cash register in like a minute
"Next Customer! ^ - ^”
But she also does alot of the heavy duty shit around with Vash and Wolfwood.
Loading the truck, bringing in the crates filled with plants, strong millyyyy💪
Loves working there bc she's enamored with the stories customers and clients tell her and why they're buying flowers.
A proposal? Funeral? Someone just gave birth? Birthday?
People live very interesting lives and Milly finds it so fascinating to listen to them and how passionate they sound whenever they speak about their one and only(s).
Sometimes regulars who've known Milly well enough bring her pudding in exchange for a extra rose :) She's building up her little collection in the Kitchen fridge,
meryl is starting to get worried tbh
In Wolfwood's words, Milly is too considerate of a worker and he wants her to be more foots down but Milly politely declines his words of "wisdom"
Whenever Flowershop Stampede tables at any fairs or events, Milly likes to have fun gardening activities for the kids to come and enjoy!
Had her partner-crime Wolfwood convince Roberto to hold a Community and Kids Flower Bouquet Making class. Both Milly and Wolfwood leaded the event with pride.
And yes, all of Milly's family came and attended of course
Vash also did with Rem and a stubborn Nai who secretly enjoyed it
Wolfwood is now Uncle Wolf according to one of Milly's cousins.
milly: sooo uncle wolf what are the orders going out today?
wolfwood: milly i swear to god-
#trigun stampede#vash x reader#trigun stampede x reader#nicholas d wolfwood#trigun imagines#vash imagine#vash the stampede x reader#trigun headcanons#headcanons#vash the stampede#meryl imagine#wolfwood imagine#trigun stampede headcanons#im so tired my eyes hurt
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Fever Swamp II: And the Legend Continues...
Hey there, Edward Scissorhands. It's time to start our final Goosebumps comic story! You knew we weren't getting out of this without some goddamn werewolves. I don't think that's a spoiler, it's well-known that one out of every five Goosebumps works is a werewolf story. Another one in five is a Slappy story nowadays, but I digress. This one's also gonna run a bit longer, so settle in~
Here's the cover:
This is a fantastic cover to start off with right from the start. You get your protags all in a row. You get your antag right in the foreground. (This is also why I don't think the werewolf thing is a spoiler~) A nicely wooded forest, a bit of the pink sky still leaking in from our last story... But this time, I think it works to the cover's advantage, because it uses a less cartoony art style. Does that make sense? Probably not. Also really dig the character designs here. Cool girl in the middle, Quinn Morgendorffer on the right, big hair on the left. Good stuff~
So we open with our protagonist Blake (the middle gal, with the green top and prosthetic arm) playing some kind of fantasy MMO. You can tell whoever wrote this doesn't actually play multiplayer online games, because every player on the scoreboard is listed as just a single real-world first name. It's just "Lily", "Zac", "Marie", "Eden". Nobody's named anything like, say, Bonerlord420 or DarkfireTaimatsu. I also dunno if MMOs have leaderboards based on number of "challenges" completed, but Blake is only three positions away from the number 1 spot when her aunt calls her to dinner.
As usual, this story has started with Blake moving in, if only for the summer. She's not too bugged, because she's got Lore Hunter to play and online friends to talk to. This is suddenly the most relatable protagonist. Aunt Camila promises to introduce her to a girl down the street who also plays the same game, but Blake isn't super interested. Auntie won't let her stay inside all summer, though, because otherwise we wouldn't have a book. And that's when the bombshell drops: the place she's spending her summer? It's the town of Fever Swamp, just like the classic Goosebumps book.
Next morning, Camila takes Blake on a tour of the town, pointing out all two of the local establishments. They end up at the other girl's house, who turns out to be both the red-headed girl with braids on the cover and also Lily, the top player on the Lore Hunter leaderboards. Lily, in turn, recognises Blake (which is probably why real MMOs have usernames), and neither is intimidated by the other. So obviously they're going to become friends. And likewise, she has other friends to introduce Blake to, because we gotta introduce the cast as soon as we can.
So our third protagonist is Cara, our big-haired girl from the cover. She's out having a picnic at the moment, and she even has a Switch with her. She probably doesn't play Popular Fantasy MMO, at least. The pair of them decide now is the best time to educate Blake on the local gossips and rumours: monsters. The swamp is probably full of them. Heck, you can hear howling at night sometimes. Cara is not in the mood for monster hunting (though I think that one is on the Switch), but Blake isn't afraid of any ol' local rumours. Blah blah blah, "she should be"~
So that night, Blake prepares a backpack and sneaks out. Because of course at night, it's hardly exciting to look for monsters in the day when you can see them. Blake and Lily meet, mentioning Cara definitely isn't coming, and trudge into the swamp. Lily is determined to prove something lives out here, be it monsters or a mundane explanation like wolves. After a few pages and a jumpscare by a small groundhog or something, Blake starts to suggest they head back--only to be cut off by Lily screaming. She's screaming because she's shined her flashlight directly on a werewolf.
Here we go with another setup. The characters are pretty likeable, if a little cut from the same cloth. Like, so far the main difference between Blake and Lily is that Lily is number 1 on the leaderboards and Blake is number 3 (and also has a prosthetic arm). Heck, let’s talk about that. What’s good is that we barely have talk about it. It’s called attention to all of once, when she meets Lily, and Blake herself notes it doesn’t impair her gaming. We’ll have to see how it’s treated in the rest of the story, but it’s rare to see a character with a disability like that, especially in children’s media, so we’ll have to keep an eye on it. Anyways, even with this being a longer series (five issues instead of three this time) and having a longer time to devote to character stuff, you knew we were gonna get to the werewolves by the end of the issue. What did you think we came here for~?
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Are the ArchieSonic comics actually an 80's/90's syndicated cartoon? Episode 49: Hero becomes blind. Magoo jokes aplenty. Ableism ages episode horribly
Welcome back to my look at the ArchieSonic comic series, and how it shared a lot of the same story tropes as a typical ‘80s or ‘90s syndicated cartoon! Well friends, it’s happened again - today’s episode is another one that didn’t really happen in ArchieSonic:
Episode 49: Hero becomes blind. Magoo jokes aplenty. Ableism ages episode horribly
Well, there were instances when Sonic or others were very briefly “blinded” by environmental forces, like in the worst of all the Super Specials, Naugus Games.
Woof. Even by Ken Penders’ standards, that’s the laziest writing I think I’ve ever seen in this series. It was so bad that it (probably) resulted in the cancellation of the super specials, and Ian Flynn felt it necessary to go back and rewrite that battle for a Free Comic Book Day issue eleven years later.
There actually was a blind character that debuted in the reboot era of the comic, although it was never completely stated on page that this was the case. In Sonic #278 a new freedom fighter team called the Desert Raiders were introduced, based out of Shamar. While his fighting and tracking skills didn’t seem to be hindered at all, this page suggested that Trevor did have some issue with his vision.
Aleah Baker, who was part of the team who worked on the character designs for this group, confirmed that Trevor was indeed blind. In fact, apparently some of his earlier designs had the top half of his face obscured by his hair or eyebrows to cover up where his eyes were supposed to be. This was later replaced with pointy anime sunglasses, resulting in the version of the character that appeared in the comics. Very interesting, I can imagine that kind of a design in my head and I think it would work pretty well. I just want to give a big shoutout to Aleah and thank her for providing this information before I move on. You’re a champ, Aleah!
There were a lot of characters in the series who had prosthetic eyes, so let’s take a look at some of them.
The first one that came to my mind was Knuckles’ ancestor Tobor, who as a result of injuries he sustained when a freaking building fell on him found his vision had started to deteriorate, so he had his eyes replaced with cybernetic prosthetics. But following the surgery he seemed to have perfectly good eyesight again, and we never saw him struggling with his disability.
The first Dark Legion leader we were introduced to, Kragok, had a prosthetic eye for unspecified reasons.
Future Knuckles of the Mobius 25/30 Years Later timeline had a similar prosthetic eye, which he replaced his original eye with after he went mad with chaos power and Sonic tried to “help” him.
Whoopsy.
The Bride of Conquering Storm first debuted in the comic with two normal eyes, but after her clan joined the Eggman Empire they were forced to undergo the legionisation process as a display of loyalty. Interestingly, Conquering Storm chose to have her eyes replaced with cybernetic ones rather than have any of her limbs replaced. Perhaps her eyesight wasn’t 20/20, and she decided to take this opportunity to improve it?
But the one case that should be highlighted for this episode is that of Moritori Rex, who I guess also had cybernetic eyes?
When he first arrived on the floating island and fought against Tobor, he had these weird metal things on the sides of his eyes. I’m not really sure what they are, to be honest.
Later after he infiltrated the Brotherhood by impersonating Tobor he had a Cyclops visor which allowed him to shoot lasers and also see in the dark. However Spectre was able to turn this against him by turning out the lights and then lighting up a flare to blind Moritori.
It’s unclear if this permanently wrecked the usability of the visor or if Moritori just wanted to prevent himself from being attacked that way again, but the next time Moritori appeared - no longer in custody and back with the Dark Legion without explanation, I might add - he had discarded the visor and reverted back to his original design. So unlike most of the other people I’ve talked about today, Moritori Rex actually did get temporarily blinded. But he was a villain, not a hero.
So while we did get at least one instance of a character being blinded, I can’t think of any Magoo-style slapstick or jokes happening or any 90’s-era ableism that we’d cringe at today. On the contrary, all the characters with prosthetic eyes were treated to be just as capable as any other character, as was Trevor Burrow. So to finish up this episode I thought I’d look at a few characters who suffered with some other disabilities, not just those affecting their eyesight.
Of all the Freedom Fighters, Bunnie’s backstory was the one that probably changed the most after the reboot. In the original continuity Bunnie was first introduced when she was captured by Swatbots and tossed into a roboticiser.
Sonic had tried to intervene but was a little too slow, resulting in Bunnie’s arm and lower half of her body being transformed to metal. The reboot changed things up by having her get the robotic limbs at a very young age.
During Dr. Eggman’s initial attack on Mobotropolis Bunnie was severely injured, and the only way Uncle Chuck could save her life was by using his experimental roboticiser on her. This was quite the ordeal for young Bunnie, who had to undergo a lot of physical therapy to regain use of her limbs as well as having to deal with her own self-perception that she’d been turned into a monster. She was eventually able to come to terms with herself and become the kickass Freedom Fighter she is today. Having Bunnie’s robotic limbs be shown as a disability and her struggling with her self-image is something that was also briefly explored in the pre-reboot era, when her body started to reject her cybernetic parts and she was faced with the choice of probably dying or undergoing a hardware upgrade that would mean she would never be able to be deroboticised.
I have mixed feelings on this one - Antoine is an absolute champion for telling Bunnie he doesn’t care about how she looks on the outside, but I’m not sure about Bunnie feeling the need to seek validation regarding her appearance from a man, especially in a Super Special called “Girls Rule!” That said, the Bunnie story is probably the least offensive out of all of those in that book.
The character with the most prominent disability was probably Cassia the Pronghorn, who was introduced in the reboot era of the comic (specifically, Sonic #263) as co-leader (or Egg Boss) of her faction of the Egg Army with her sister Clove. Their backstory was that Cassia had contracted a potentially fatal disease, and out of desperation Clove had sought help from Dr. Eggman. Eggman agreed to help, but only on the condition that Cassia and Clove work for him from now on. They agreed and Cassia was treated, having her entire face replaced with cybernetic upgrades.
Clove was very protective of her sister and for the most part tried to keep her away from any potential danger - although she arguably did that with all of those under her command as well.
So in Sonic #277 when someone came lurking around the temple they had captured under Eggman’s orders, Clove went to check out the problem herself. Coming face to face with none other than Princess Sally, she tried to talk her down from starting unnecessary conflict. Meanwhile Cassia, against Clove’s wishes, went to check out a report of another potential intruder, and came face to face with Bunnie. This is where some of that ableism came into play, as both of them assumed the worst of each other and that they’d decided to get cybernetic upgrades mostly for butt-kicking purposes.
But after talking things out they discovered that they were more alike than they had thought, despite being on opposite sides.
Unfortunately after Bunnie escaped with the Chaos Emerald, Cassia’s disease got the upper hand over her and she had to get medical attention. This was when Clove discovered a terrible truth…
Clove decided to keep the truth from Cassia, unable to admit to her that they could never be free of the Eggman Empire. Unfortunately the comic was cancelled before that particular subplot could go anywhere, but on a guest episode of the Bumblekast Aleah Baker revealed that the truth would have eventually come out and that Cassia would have left in search of a cure, eventually finding it with either the Freedom Fighters or GUN. Clove would have believed that Cassia had died and lost all hope before eventually finding out her sister was still alive and well.
A lesser example was Antoine, who was injured during Perfect Chaos’ rampage on Station Square in Sonic #84. As a result the King removed from him from active service when the Freedom Fighters returned to Knothole in Sonic #88. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise for Antoine, who took the time off to go on a personal mission to recover his roboticised father from the Kingdom of Mercia, with Bunnie and Amy escorting him. They ended up meeting with Knuckles again during this mission and things got a bit…
…that.
Aaaaaand I suppose there’s one other disabled character I should mention, that being Sally’s father in the pre-reboot era of the comic, King Max. Ugh, this guy.
I already talked about his early struggles in the comic in the episode about macguffin chases, so we can skim over that. After being overthrown, exiled to a soundless dimension that induces madness, forced under duress to swear fealty to an an evil wizard, suffering memory loss, being rescued after 10 years only to start turning to crystal, then being possessed by the aforementioned evil wizard and forced against his will to start a civil war that the guy would finally catch a break after the Sword of Acorns cured him. Unfortunately it was not to be. After their Adventure (pardon the pun) in Station Square and facing not only Perfect Chaos but two different robotic Sonic dopplegangers, Sonic and the Freedom Fighters finally returned to Knothole in Sonic #88 only to bump right into Sally’s father, leading a crusade against Robotropolis to rescue the kidnapped Prince Elias. Sally secretly charged Sonic with keeping her father safe during the raid, but unfortunately Sonic got distracted by Uncle Chuck and Muttski, who were once again Eggman’s thralls at this time in the series.
The King’s sword seemed to restore their minds, but one of Eggman’s Shadowbots whisked them away before Sonic could do anything.
With Sonic distracted trying to get them back, he was unable to prevent the King from taking a major hit to the back of the head. This injury resulted in Max losing the use of his legs for several years in the comic, which would lead some people to underestimate him.
Whoops.
He did eventually start undergoing physical therapy, and by the time Sonic returned from his year in space, he was fully able again. That didn’t last very long either though, thanks to Patch, Antoine’s evil counterpart from Anti-Mobius.
After he tried to overthrow evil Sonic with a device designed to transport him to Mobius Prime, Evil Sonic decided to return the favour and exiled Patch there instead, doing a switcheroo with the original Antoine so that everyone would believe Patch was the real Antoine. Patch took this in his stride though, and worked his way up through the King’s army to be Max’s personal bodyguard.
Now that he had unrestricted access to the King, Patch went about poisoning him, but slowly so that he could avoid suspicion. The King’s health slowly declined until he eventually fell into a coma, at which point Sally was chosen as the new reigning monarch. As per Patch’s plan, Sally was forced into an arranged marriage with “Antoine,” which would have made Patch the new King. However before they could be crowned, Sally’s brother Elias was convinced by Sonic to exercise his right as first-born to take the crown himself.
Patch was outraged and attempted to assassinate Elias but was stopped by Sonic, who finally put the pieces together about what had happened and sent Patch packing back to the Anti-verse, bringing the true Antoine back home to a greatly relieved Bunnie. Elias used his first act as King to annul Sally’s marriage, and as for King Max, he was eventually roused from his coma thanks to one of the Chaos Emeralds.
Unfortunately he never did make a full recovery, and his mental state gradually started to deteriorate until he was reduced to an angry, muttering old man in a wheelchair.
Some would say he got what he deserved, but we should also consider everything that he had been through prior to losing his marbles. He certainly earned that title he was given in the Mobius Encyclopedia: "King Maximillian the Cursed."
…meh. Good riddance. 😛
Are there any other cases of blindness or other disabilities in ArchieSonic that I missed? Be sure to let me know in the comments! I’m going on holiday for a few weeks this weekend, so it’ll be awhile before my next post - possibly not until September. But when I return, my next post will be episode 50: a Major event that dramatically shakes up the status quo but then turns out to be a dream. See you then!
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BnHA Chapter 308: VIBE: CHECKED
Previously on BnHA: Lots and lots of Shindou idk what else to tell you.
Today on BnHA: Tired Nomad Deku rescues Shindou from Muscular, and us from Shindou. Muscular is all “OH BOY I SURE CAN’T WAIT TO FIGHT DEKU AGAIN AFTER HE TOTALLY KICKED MY ASS THE LAST TIME!! I’M SURE THIS TIME WILL GO DIFFERENTLY SEEING AS HE’S HAD ALMOST AN ENTIRE YEAR’S WORTH OF ADDITIONAL TRAINING, AND ALSO HAS SIX FOURQUIRKS NOW, IN ADDITION TO THE CONFIDENCE THAT COMES WITH HAVING EIGHT OTHER PEOPLE’S SOULS CHILLING OUT INSIDE HIM OFFERING MORAL SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGEMENT.” Deku is all, “[kicks Muscular’s ass effortlessly].” Muscular is all, “[gets his ass totally kicked].” I for one am very satisfied with this, and with respect to all, I would like to hereby declare this post a discourse-free zone. I’m just happy to see my son out here making good use of his FOURQUIRKS, and more importantly beating Muscular in less than seventeen pages so we can all go on with our lives lol.
damn Deku since when were you allowed to look this cool
from this perspective and with the smoke, cape, backpack, and mask more or less obscuring his actual profile, he looks less like a sixteen-year-old boy and more like a grownass man
OH SNAP
we got a glimpse of this in the cleaned-up scan of 307, but seeing both of his eyes looking so distinctively All Might-esque here is... whoa. I mean we know that his face still looks pretty normal underneath the mask and he doesn’t actually have the black sclera, but still, this is an awesome look. mini-Might
lol Muscular
you and me both. I mean no offense, but yeah
so Deku is just standing there silently
typical Deku. tight-lipped and expressionless. mum’s the word. quiet as a mouse. silent as a grave
okay no but seriously this is so weird and creepy though you guys. Deku please say something or else I’m just gonna mindlessly say whatever stupid things come into my head in an effort to make things less awkward
so Muscular is all “I should probably make a cool speech about revenge but Horikoshi couldn’t think of anything good so I’m just going to stand here clenching my fist real slowly”
“I’m not here to go on a monologue” he says, as he monologues about not monologuing
okay you guys I confess I have only read through/watched the Deku VS Muscular fight once because the arm-breaking is just way too uncomfortable for me to revisit. and so as a result, I have completely forgotten Whatever The Deal Is with Muscular’s eye lmao so let me go look it up real quick
okay so it’s a prosthetic, obviously, and he changes it out according to his mood. that part does sound familiar. I just can’t remember which eye is supposed to indicate which mood. don’t tell me I actually have to go back and reread this shit
lol I’m skimming through chapter 75 now and remembering/realizing that I hardly paid any attention to this the first time around because as soon as I found out the villains were after Kacchan my brain was like “TIME TO FOCUS ON THIS AND ONLY THIS NOW AND FOREVER” and yeah. ah memories
anyway so he started out with the flower-looking eye, and then later on he was all
which begs the question, how on earth could I have ever forgotten the most ridiculous panel I’ve ever read lmao
anyway, but so after all of that, I'm only just now realizing that this isn't one of his previous eye prosthetics in the current chapter; this is an ACTUAL FUCKING ROCK that he's just randomly shoved into his eye socket fkdsjlk
so basically (1) I did all of that painstaking research for nothing, five whole minutes of my life wasted THANKS A LOT, and (2) what, and I have never meant this more emphatically, THE FUCK
anyway so now he's leaping at the building that Deku is standing on top of. but he’s not aiming anywhere near Deku though, wtf
(ETA: HAHA YOU BROKE ALL YOUR MUSCLES YOU LOSER.)
...huh
lmao okay then. I hope those annoying citizens in the building next door are watching this go down and rethinking their life choices
dlkdkljk
just keep standing there pressed right up against the window, why don’t you. “WHAT’S GOING ON THIS SUPER CLOSE COLLAPSING BUILDING IS BLOCKING OUR VIEW.” well, folks, we’ve long since known there’s a critical shortage of hero and villain brain cells, but what we’re learning now is that civilian brain cells are also in short supply
OH THANK GOD DEKU IS FINALLY TALKING THAT WAS ACTUALLY UNSETTLING AS FUCK
SO HE’S STILL OUR GOOD, POLITE, WORRIED, CONSIDERATE DEKU UNDERNEATH THAT COOL AND MYSTERIOUS VENEER. for real, thank fuck, because I swear to god if he suddenly started acting like the Dekus in all of the vigilante AUs my interest in this series would have dropped something like 50% lol. just because he dropped out of school and ran away from home and is currently dressed like the physical manifestation of a Linkin Park playlist doesn’t mean he’s not still the WORLD’S BIGGEST DORK okay
I MEAN, THIS RIGHT HERE. THIS IS WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT. HE’S APOLOGIZING FOR THE DELAY
PLEASE FIND THE ATTACHED SHINDOU YOU REQUESTED. BEST REGARDS!!!
OH MY GOD WHY IS HE SUCH A BADASS
something about making bold, confident statements while obscured in smoke?? idk but damn it fucking works
ffjkkl
more importantly, should you tell him you actually need your copy of Shindou in excel format and not pdf?? on the one hand you don’t want to sound ungrateful, but on the other hand what are you even supposed to do with this
this chapter so far consists of like 50% smoke, but on the other hand Deku VS Kacchan 2 had a lot of cinematic smoke too so who am I to complain
OMG IS IT HIS ARMS
IDK DID YOU?! TELL ME YOUR SECRETS. PLEASE, AT SOME POINT THIS FIGHT HAS GOT TO ACTUALLY ADVANCE THE PLOT
OHHHHHHH
IT’S EN’S QUIRK!! OH MY GOD OKAY THAT’S ACTUALLY AWESOME
I CAN HEAR THE SOUND OF DISCOURSE RUMBLING IN THE BACKGROUND BUT I DON’T CARE LOL. WON’T CATCH ME EVER SAYING NO TO ANOTHER SIXQUIRK. GO AHEAD, BRING THEM ON, I WANT TO SEE THEM ALL but take it easy though Deku. don’t want to give yourself lung cancer or anything
also it’s good to see that in a very real sense he’s not fighting alone. the Vestiges really did mean it when they said they could appear more easily now. this is on a whole other level
so is this whole next page still En talking, or someone else? because whoever it is sure is chatty
okay, several things
pretty sure it is En, because he keeps saying “I suppose.” for someone who never said two words until one page ago, this guy sure never shuts up. we can’t all follow Muscular’s lead I suppose. oh my god now I’m doing it too
really like the suggestion of Deku using the SIXQUIRKS like tools in an arsenal, because that’s what he’s good at! it’s almost like he’s been training for this his entire life. “you value quirks too much” LOOK HE JUST THINKS THEY’RE COOL OKAY IS THAT A CRIME
where the fuck did all this rope come from
not gonna ask what the fuck that thing is sticking out from the back of his utility belt. Horikoshi will surely explain this
is that a fucking jetpack. I’m sorry Deku were six fucking quirks not enough for you. you can fucking float??? but JUST TO BE SAFE, LET’S STRAP A PAIR OF ROCKETS TO OUR SHOULDERS IDK
-- or wait, is this all supposed to be like a visual representation of En’s metaphor?? OH MY GOD AM I JUST STUPID LOL, DON’T ANSWER THAT. NEVER MIND. NEW LIST!!
rope = blackwhip
jetpack = float
radio = danger sense
and so I’m guessing that this ridiculously phallic thing is supposed to be a flare or something?? and that = the new quirk, smokescreen. well that was a fucking ride lmao we now return you to our regularly scheduled chapter
so now Deku is floating to his heart’s content and thinking that he’ll just sneak up on Muscular and vibe check his ass or whatever
WOOOOOOOO DANGER SENSE YESSSS I LOVE THIS FOR HIM
okay guys, I'm gonna press pause here for a sec to make a serious note, because I am loving the shit out of this, but tbh I'm having trouble enjoying it as much as I want to because I keep getting anxious thinking about the discourse. I know that a lot of the fandom has very strong opinions on Deku's character development one way or the other, and I want to respect that. but I also really have no spoons to debate this topic at all beyond what I’ve already weighed in on. so if it’s all the same to everyone, I plan on staying out of this discussion, at least this week
anyway! that said, YEAH BOI GET HIS ASS
VIBE: CHECKED. CURB: STOMPED. HOTEL: TRIVAGO
-- OF COURSE HE’S STILL FUCKING FINE LOL HE CRASHES INTO BUILDINGS FOR FUN IDK WHAT I WAS EXPECTING
dammit Muscular. how many fucking quirks does it take to beat you?! the annoying thing is that even with all of his cool new powers, Deku is still something of a mismatch against him. anyway r.i.p. to all these poor buildings
OOOOOHHHHH
you guys have no idea how intrigued I am at the prospect of watching Deku try to play both good cop and bad cop here lmao
anyway so Muscular says he doesn’t know, go figure
“I’m not here to make small talk or anything” he says as he small talks about not small talking
OH MY GOD DEKU
are you really gonna talk no jutsu all of these villains from now on?? that last battle really did have a profound impact on you, huh! interesting
you guys he’s really doing it omg
Deku this guy tried to murder a five-year-old literally just for fun. I mean more power to you, but holy shit you’re really gonna try to defeat Muscular with anger management therapy huh
I MEAN
WHO COULD HAVE SEEN THAT RESPONSE COMING dlkjslkjk
FUCK’S SAKE DEKU, I KNOW YOU MEAN WELL BUT THEY CAN’T ALL HAVE TRAGIC PASTS KIDDO
but. I have to admit, I do still like that he tried. probably knew just as well as we did what the end result was going to be, but still. he made the effort in good faith and I respect that
uh oh
why do I get the feeling Muscular just got a whole lot deader
oh my god oh my god he’s doing the “powering up” stance ffff don’t fucking tell me you can still use your fucking arms here, Deku
BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY WHAT’S THIS??
okay so basically he’s saying that whatever it was he sensed in Tomura, he doesn’t sense from Muscular. which, yeah, that sounds exactly right. good judge of character here lol
AHHHHAHAHA YESS
WHOOPS, GET FUCKED I GUESS
WOOOOHOOOOOOOO
lmao so apparently this is the belated result of Shindou’s attack from chapter 307?? I’ll be damned. good for you Shindou!! I always liked you buddy. please just take my word on that and don’t fact check that statement
okay lol the one tiny bit of discourse I will allow is that it’s bullshit that he just did that with his right arm. like, I’ll fully acknowledge that. that makes no fucking sense, and I demand an explanation from the Great Plot Hole Filler himself. he’s never let us down before when it comes to continuity so I’m trusting him not to suddenly start now
that said, we love to see a rematch against a boring guy settled quickly and decisively within the span of a single chapter. THANK YOU
I like that Deku implies that his power is being a smart nerd who battles villains using the power of ANALYTICS. he basically didn’t do anything except restrain Muscular and wait for Shindou’s attack to take effect while halfheartedly checking to see if he regretted any of that murder and stuff
(ETA: and almost forgot to mention, he made excellent use of all four of his active SIXQUIRKS. it’s like the chapter title said; this is basically him fighting all-out, and it’s a sight to see.)
also, as cool as the mask was, this just feels right. like, we had our fun, now let us see his face, yes good
anyway, I think this was a good start towards establishing What’s Up With Deku Right Now! so if it’s all the same to Horikoshi, I would next like to take some time to explore Why’s Up With Deku. that, and What’s Up With Everyone Else, Especially Kacchan. por favor
#bnha 308#midoriya izuku#muscular (bnha)#bnha#boku no hero academia#bnha spoilers#mha spoilers#bnha manga spoilers#makeste reads bnha
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the bad batch + what romance/rom com movies they watch with you
each of the bad batch x gn!reader
ok first and foremost i really truly believe to the pits of my soul that every single one of these fuckos loves romances and you cannot under any circumstances change my mind
ALSO it’s a gender neutral reader except kinda in echo’s theres like a very brief quote regarding breasts but like i still think even that is pretty gender neutral tbh
so anyway
Hunter: Pretty Woman
this is not the first time that i have publicly declared that i think hunter has a deep rooted connection to the movie pretty woman and it will not be the last
first of all this movie is incredibly soothing to hunters overwhelming savior complex
second of all hunter is literally richard gere (debonaire but emotionally distant gentleman that learns to love) and julia roberts (hooker with a heart of gold) at the same time
he was a little skeptical the first time you put it on but he instantly fell in love with it
the humor, the sensuality, the class divide, the glamour, the unconventional cinderella story of it all. it just really butters his bread
after the first time, when you suggest watching a movie and you pick this one he’ll act very aloof about it (“whatever you want cyar’ika, it doesn’t matter to me”) but secretly he’s really really happy bc it’s one of his favorites (you def know this and def pick it more often)
he absolutely hates the scene when stucky the lawyer hits vivian. like it doesn’t matter how many times he watches it he will fully turn his head away from the screen and say “I don’t like this part” and when it’s over he nuzzles a little closer into you and very tenderly kisses your forehead
he loves the soundtrack too. like he fully exposes how much he likes the movie when you catch him singing or humming “pretty woman” or “it must have been love” absently to himself (you kept it to yourself for a while but eventually you just had to tease him about it. he just smiled a little sheepishly and admitted he liked the songs before promptly changing the subject)
hunter also lowkey definitely wants to recreate the ending where richard gere shows up to her apartment in the white limo with you bc he thinks it’s such a sweet gesture and he wants to treat you like royalty
Crosshair: 10 Things I Hate About You
if there’s one thing about crosshair it’s that he’s a sucker for the enemies to lovers genre
maybe its just him projecting (spoiler alert it most certainly is) but he really enjoys watching the drama conflama of a miserable bastard be tricked into love
and really that’s the true essence of 10 Things I Hate About You
he will grumble and bitch and moan about not wanting to watch a ‘chick flick’ when you put it on, but 15 minutes in and he’s hooked
he has strong negative opinions on literally every single character except for kat and patrick
(crosshair really really wants to think he’s patrick but when it comes down to it he is katarina stratford in every single possible way)
he doesn’t say a word throughout the entire movie but you can tell when he’s annoyed at like bianca or cameron or joey bc he will openly scoff at them
will absolutely hum along in your ear during the “can’t take my eyes off you” scene and make out with you during the paintball scene
(seriously he wants to be patrick verona so bad)
when it’s over and you ask him what he thought he’ll roll his eyes and say “i guess it could have been worse” but his little smirk let’s you know he enjoyed it a lot more than he’s willing to admit
Tech: 50 Shades of Grey
ok hear me out on this one
tech is a huge movie talker. like subtitles are a non-negotiable if you wanna be able to take in any of the movies dialogue bc tech is most likely gonna make commentary over it the whole time
this makes him absolutely indescribably so much fun to watch bad/corny movies with
he will go off about EVERYTHING. the plot, the dialogue, the acting, the costuming, the music, the production quality. nothing and no one is safe. whether you just enjoy letting him talk at you or you join in on the roast, cheesy movies are a hoot between you two
and honey. 50 shades is one of THE cheesiest movies ever
you and tech will literally spend the entire duration of the movie tearing it to shreds
and the thing is tech is a very sarcastic, funny guy when he wants to be (and when it comes to you he definitely wants to be) so by the end of it he will have you in absolute stitches from laughing at the ridiculousness of both the movie and him
with any of the other batchers watching a movie like this either turns into a shy, slightly awkward experience (wrecker, echo) or an incorrigibly horny experience (crosshair, hunter)
but in this context tech literally has no shame or squeamishness about sexual things (why should he it’s a natural biological process?) so to yall the sex stuff is just another thing to roast
literally christian grey could be fully tying dakota johnson down and flogging her and tech will be like “in the last 3 minutes they have panned up to her nipples 4 times. this is criminally shoddy cinematography”
even tho he’s busy giving a detailed play by play critique, he never fails to keep some sort of physical contact with you (wrapping an arm around you and running his hand up and down your skin, playing with your fingers or your hair) so you know he’s enjoying spending this time with you despite his nasty words about the movie
also 1000% after you watch it tech will do extensive research on the ins and outs of bdsm and will have lots of hypotheses he wants to test out (as long as you’re willing and able ofc) ;)))
Wrecker: 13 Going On 30
of all the bad batch members, wrecker is the only one who unabashedly loves any movie that could be considered a chick flick
like he doesn’t even try to hide it or act like he’s too masculine for it. he loves romance and he’s proud of it
this man will have full marathons with you. rom coms, regular roms, tragic roms, hallmark roms, you name it and he’s game
his absolute favorite tho is 13 Going On 30
i feel like he has a huge soft spot for childhood best friends to lovers stories like he finds that type of lifelong partnership so endearing (and he loves to live vicariously through jenna since that type of romance was obviously never an option for him)
wrecker is also very childlike at heart and i think the idea of a 13 year old sweetheart trapped inside the body of a 30 year old cut throat magazine exec is so amusing to him (and maybe makes him feel just a little bit represented in the media)
he is definitely the type to completely engulf you in a cuddle for the entirety of the movie and he DEFINITELY cries into your shoulder at matty’s wedding when jenna is crying on the stoop with her dream house
he wants to try razzles so bad. like so bad. i think if he ever came across them somewhere he would barter at least one of his brothers for them
wrecker really just loves love and watching movies about it just reminds him of how lucky he is to have his own love story with you <3
Echo: The Princess Bride
i feel like it’s glaringly obvious why echo loves this movie
pirates. sword fighting. decades long revenge plots. the value of an honorable, loyal man. true love that never wavers even in the face of devastating tragedy and the darkest of hardships. clever but goofy humor.
echo considers this an action/adventure movie and NOT a romance movie (even tho it 100% totally is a romance movie) and requests to watch it very frequently
he can quote the whole thing. i’m seriously telling you echo loves the princess bride with his whole chest
even tho he refuses to admit it’s a love story above all else, he really does try to model himself in your relationship after wesley
like especially given what happened at the citadel and all the time you thought he was dead, the cinematic parellels are alive and present in y’alls relationship and he strives to be even half the man to you that wesley is to buttercup
literally in your day to day life he will sometimes respond to your requests with a smooth “as you wish ;)” (it doesn’t matter how many times he does it it still gives you butterflies)
when you watch the movie, he snuggles as close to you as possible and does his best to make youre comfy the whole time (he’s insecure about his prosthetics hurting you no matter how much you reassure him they don’t)
he just loves to be able to feel your heartbeat and your laugh when you giggle at the funny bits
every single time without fail at the part when buttercup is about to stab herself he leans down, ghosts his lips against the shell of your ear, and whispers the line in time with wesley: “there’s a shortage of perfect breasts in this world. it would be a pity to damage yours”
every single time without fail you wind up making out until he pulls away and tells you to watch the next part when wesley challenges humperdinck to a duel to the pain
echo just loves you to bits and wants you to know he’d endure a thousand fire swamps for you
Omega: Clueless
i have this really specific obsession with omega being a total girly girl and having very traditionally feminine interests as she keeps experiencing the universe and being exposed to a spectrum of gender expression beyond clone (masc and boring) and kaminoan (ugly)
so with that headcanon of her in mind, it’s vital to me that she sees clueless as soon as possible
clueless is an essential piece of media for a girl entering adolescence and i will die on this hill
it has literally everything you want and everything you need to develop into a well-rounded young woman
it’s so deliciously 90s and glamorama and valley girl humor and camp. its got meaningful female friendships and valuable life lessons and paul mf rudd
if there’s one thing you should encourage a burgeoning hetero teen girl to do, it’s to stick to dating guys like paul rudd in clueless. the earlier this message can be broadcast the better
the second you’re able to steal omega away from hunters watchful eyes (“hunter we’re just gonna watch finding nemo i swear!”) you show her this movie
at this point omega is not really a girly girl, but omega also has absolutely zero feminine influence in her life
the first time she sees clueless she is absolutely obsessed. like seriously she is so enamoured with the glitz and glam of cher horowitz
she asks you questions the entire time. she wants to know about EVERYTHING. the makeup, the clothes, the hair, the slang
(she definitely goes around saying stuff like “i’m totally bugging” for long enough afterwards that almost all of the boys have slipped up at least once with some ridiculous valley girl slang. you thought you were gonna die of laughter when you overheard tech say “as if!” to wrecker in the middle of an argument)
it just really introduces her to this whole world of femininity that she didn’t even know existed and she absolutely loves it
she makes you watch clueless with her seriously once a week at minimum. she begs you to style her hair like tai’s and you can’t help yourself when you happen to run across a little yellow plaid dress and buy it for her on sight
(hunter was gonna scold you for recklessly spending credits until he saw how omega almost cried from how happy she was for the gift)
honestly she enjoys the romance of it all and paul rudd is def her first celebrity crush but she enjoys more that you and her now have this special thing of hair and nails and pretty dresses
she loves how confident and beautiful and special you’re able to make her feel, and you love that you get to bring her that small sense of normalcy and happiness
#the bad batch#bad batch#tbb#the bad batch headcanons#tbb crosshair#tbb hunter#tbb wrecker#the bad batch x reader#tbb echo#tbb tech#tbb x reader#crosshair tbb#hunter tbb#tech tbb#wrecker tbb#echo tbb#omega tbb#tbb omega#hunter x reader#crosshair x reader#tech x reader#echo x reader#wrecker x reader
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Whumptober 2021
DAY 3: ‘STICKS AND STONES MAY BREAK MY BONES BUT...’ - ‘WHO DID THIS TO YOU?’
Characters: Padmé Amidala, Anakin Skywalker
Warnings: Implied abuse, scars, panic attack
Summary: Continuation of my AU where raised as a Sith Anakin saves Padmé from execution by the Separatists (first two fics here and here). Having managed to get a wounded Darth Vader medical attention at a remote facility on Polis Massa, Senator Padmé Amidala tries to figure out what their next move should be with the threat of her unlikely saviour’s Sith master looming over their heads.
***
The bright lights of the medcenter on Polis Massa were harsh and white, casting its sleeping patient in pale shades so stark that, if not for the tentative grip Padmé had on his hand, she might have mistaken him for a ghost. The Sith assassin Darth Vader, so feared amongst the Republic and the Separatists alike, looked so very young and fragile swaddled in blankets and bandages and surrounded by beeping machines. Cheekbones too sharp, eyes shadowed, and skin a waxy white, he looked far too ill and tired for a man who couldn't possibly be any older than twenty-one. His blond hair, drying in a halo of soft fluffy curls about his head and still smelling faintly of bacta from his time in the tank, made him look almost...innocent. Angelic even.
The rest of him told a very different story.
The flight from the Separatist world that had been intended as her grave to the remote medical facility on Polis Massa had practically torn her nerves—even hardy as they'd always been—to shreds. It had turned out that she had perhaps been a little too optimistic when she had suggested flying Vader's ship back to his location in the canyon she had been forced to leave him in. She had, however, found both a speeder bike and a med-droid inside to bring back to him. By the time they had reached him, he had barely been conscious, slumped in front of the rocky wall she had propped him up against with the promise she would be back soon, his face white and his lips bloodless. Between her and the droid, they had wasted no time in loading his limp form onto the bike, getting him back to the ship's little medbay and flying offworld, setting a course for Polis Massa. But through it all, she had been afraid. Afraid, as she spoke to him quietly all the way through hyperspace, trying to keep him awake when all he wanted to do was slip into sleep and the danger of never waking up again. Afraid that he would not make it to the medcenter. That he would die because he had risked his life to protect her.
She had been afraid even after they had landed on Polis Massa, and he was rushed away into surgery. She had been afraid right up until the point that the droids had come out to inform her that he was stable, and that they were putting him in bacta for a time to accelerate his healing. But her relief had not lasted for long. The droids had had a long list of other...concerns that their programming told them it was their duty to report.
Not least of which was the map of scars across his skin that she had been informed were most likely caused by injuries sustained through some form of electrocution. Some as new as to have been inflicted not more than a few weeks ago. Others years old.
Years old and he was barely even an adult.
Who did this to you?, she had thought, her eyes tracing the wicked patterns along his back and chest—along his shoulders and arm, running down to where the metal of his black and gold prosthetic met with flesh—as he hung suspended in the bacta tank. The freshest of them had already started to heal along with the wound in his shoulder, but the older ones had been carved into his skin long ago. He had looked too thin, too brittle—even though she knew well the wiry strength he possessed—amidst the eerie blue-green glow of the liquid. Was it your master? Sidious? Is that what the Sith do to their apprentices? Make them hurt, make them suffer, until they rule them absolutely by fear? But you defied him. You defied him to save me. Why risk that for my sake?
She couldn't help the niggling sensation in the back of her mind that there was something about all of this that she was missing, some crucial piece of information she had heard or seen but had managed to slip through her fingers. That she wasn't asking quite the right questions. But there was only one question that was rattling around in her head right at that moment, and all of the others would just have to wait.
Who was Sidious?
It was one of the several reasons that had stayed her hand from attempting to contact anybody in the Republic before her unlikely saviour had woken back up. She knew—definitely now—that the mysterious Darth Sidious was Vader's master. He had referred to him as such to her guard during her rescue, and even if he hadn't, the fact that the man hadn't at all questioned that the young Sith must have been carrying out Sidious' orders would have been clue enough. She also knew from that incident that the name was enough to induce terror even in his so-called allies. And she knew from the Jedi that he was suspected to have infiltrated the highest levels of the Republic's government, and had some sort of influence in the Senate. How powerful exactly that influence was, she didn't know—she hoped it wasn't insurmountable; she needed to believe it wasn't insurmountable, that the Sith hadn't corrupted everything she was fighting for, everything she had dedicated her life to—
But no matter how great or how slight it was, it was there. Which meant that, logically, Sidious must be a politician himself or—more likely—someone in a significant politician's circle. And that in turn meant that, no matter how desperately she wanted to, she couldn't fully guarantee Vader's safety in the Republic.
And so here she sat, by his bedside, his limp flesh hand held gently in her own, and her mind racing through possibilities as she waited for him to wake. If she were to bring him to the Republic, if she could persuade him to plead for asylum before the Senate or—no, the Jedi, there must be a way to keep him safe from Sidious. He must know who his master was—if he exchanged that information for protection, then they could root out the man and his associates before he had the chance to strike back at his apprentice, and surely that, along with his rescue of her, would count for something amongst them. Yes, the Senate took a dim view of Separatist operators, and the Jedi an even dimmer one of the Sith, but if he were to help them take down their greatest enemy in the Republic, that would have to be enough—
Her train of thought was cut off sharply as she felt a slight movement under her touch. Vader was waking up.
"Vader," Padmé called, watching as he shifted about on the bed, his brow scrunched up in a sleep-softened frown as he was dragged back in the waking world. "Vader."
The young Sith groaned quietly in protest at the sound of her voice. His hand slipped from her loose grasp and travelled up to his face to rub at his still closed eyes. It was an oddly endearing sight, seeing him do something as normal and as simple as struggle to wake himself up after a long sleep. But nothing about this was normal—or simple—and she would do well to remember that.
"Wha...?" Voice hoarse and faint, Vader trailed off as his eyes finally peeled open, taking in his surroundings with no small degree of confusion. "Where...?"
Padmé ruthlessly suppressed the urge to gasp. She'd forgotten, briefly, that his eyes were yellow—the only thing, save perhaps for the prosthetic that was currently resting across his stomach, that would have set him apart from any other twenty-something (if, indeed, he had even reached twenty yet) human man had she passed him on the street. The droids had been vaguely concerned about it, she remembered, but they hadn't found any medical reason behind it. Perhaps—she thought back to the Zabrak assassin that had killed Qui-Gon Jinn on Naboo—it was something to do with the Dark Side.
"We're on Polis Massa, remember?," she said once she had stamped down her instinctive reaction. She had told him where they were going back on the ship, assuring him over and over that it would be safe even though he had seemed too out of it to take anything much in beyond the sound of her voice. "I had to get you somewhere nearby that wasn't controlled by the Separatists. It's too remote to be of any interest to them."
Vader blinked at her, still not quite lucid enough to properly guard his expression. She could see the moment he registered exactly who it was that was sitting at her bedside, his eyes widening as his gaze settled on her face. Then, without warning, he shot bolt upright, swaying slightly at the sudden movement so that he was forced to catch himself with both his arms. He winced at the sudden tug on his tender shoulder.
"Don't get up."
Padmé's hand flew to his chest before she could think better of it, attempting to push him back down onto the bed. He let out a startled flinch at the contact, and for one horrid moment, she thought she had accidentally pressed on his healing injury. But her hand was on his sternum, not his shoulder—not brushing against flesh and skin still knitting back together. And yet he had recoiled as if she had burnt him. She drew her hand back sharply.
"I'm sorry" she whispered.
Vader turned away from her. A long pause, and then he nodded stiffly.
"You're not fully healed yet" she said, still apologetic. I'm not going to hurt you. I know someone has, but I promise you, I won't.
"I've had worse" Vader replied. He made no move to lie down, even though his left arm was shaking with the effort of propping himself up.
Yes, Padmé thought, trying to keep the corners of her mouth from turning downwards unhappily. I know you have. But I'm not letting you suffer on my watch.
She reached out to push him back down again, slowly this time. He tracked her movements like a wary loth wolf, an impression that was in no way diminished by the strange yellow of his eyes. This time, he didn't flinch under her touch, though he did hold himself uncomfortably stiff as he let her guide him back down to the pillows. His eyes darted briefly up to her face as she drew back before they flicked down to the IV in the crook of his arm. He frowned.
"The med-droids said that you needed it," Padmé said, in answer to the unspoken question on his face. "They were concerned about your weight."
Secretly, she thought it would have been both quicker and easier to list the things which they hadn't been concerned about. Her heart sank down to what felt like as yet unrecorded depths as she remembered the attending droid informing her that, not only was he currently underweight for a man of his height, but that he showed signs of malnutrition dating back to his formative years consistent with periods of starvation as a child and teenager. Vader, however, barely even reacted to the news that he had been deemed malnourished enough to be pumped full of nutrients intravenously. His attention had turned—fully this time—to their surroundings, suddenly agitated.
"How long have we been here?"
"A little over a day," Padmé replied. "They had to put you in a bacta tank."
Vader hissed through his teeth, his mechno hand untangling from its grip on the sheets to the fast-healing wound on his shoulder.
"They didn't need to do that," he muttered. "A few patches would have been enough—"
"Vader!," Padmé cried incredulously, before she could stop herself. Really, she shouldn't have been surprised, given how baffled he'd been by her own clumsy field care—concerned about her ruining her cloak of all things rather than the heavily bleeding blaster wound that had caused him to collapse to the ground in front of her. She got the impression—more so than ever now that she had seen his scars—that he was not at all used to receiving or accepting care, but if he wouldn't treat his injuries with the proper gravity they warranted, then she was more than happy to do so in his place. "You had a hole through your shoulder. You were barely conscious when we landed. A few patches would not have been enough—"
"We can't stay here," Vader interrupted her, cutting across what was fast becoming—not that she would have admitted it out loud—an impassioned tirade. His breathing, she noticed suddenly, was starting to speed up. "He-he'll have heard— He'll know what I've done—"
"Ssh, ssh," Padmé murmured, her need to make him understand subsumed by worry in the face of his burgeoning panic. She didn't need to ask who this "he" was. His master. Sidious, the man whom she was sure must be responsible for both the pattern of scars on his skin and his unfamiliarity with any sort of simple kindness alike. She wanted to reach out to comfort him, but she didn't know how he would react to her touch. "We're safe. Nobody knows we're here. I promise you we're safe—"
Vader shook his head, his eyes closed tight shut. Both his hands had moved to clutch tightly at the blankets about his chest, the knuckles of his flesh hand white with tension. His entire frame shook as his breaths came sharp and fast. Too fast.
"He'll know—," he gasped out. "He'll find us. He always—"
"He won't find us," Padmé soothed, trying to keep her voice as calm and as gentle as possible. She hoped—oh by the Force, she hoped—that time would not make her a liar. "We're safe here. Please, Vader, I need you to breathe."
The young man's breaths were coming in short, sharp bursts, laboured and painful. He shook his head again, though in response to what exactly, she didn't know. She needed to get through to him, calm him, ease him out of the panic that had caught him in its durasteel grip. But how? With anyone else, she might have taken their hand, tried to get them to breathe with her, but Vader was clearly not accustomed to touch not meant to hurt. What if it just made it worse for him—?
Another sharp gasp was enough to cut through her reservations like a knife. She had to do something. She couldn't just sit here dithering in indecision while he suffered.
"It's alright," she murmured. The tips of her fingers brushed ever so lightly against the back of his hand, enough to alert him to her intentions without—she hoped—adding to his distress. "It's alright, Vader. We're safe. You're safe. I won't hurt you."
When he didn't recoil from her touch, she began to drag her thumb slowly back and forth across his white knuckles, trying to give him something to focus on, to ground him in something other than his fear. After a few long moments, she felt the tiniest bit of tension leave his rigid form as, painstakingly, eyes still closed tight shut, his breathing began to slow.
"That's it," Padmé sighed in relief. "In and out."
Finally, his breathing evened out and he flopped down onto the mattress in exhaustion, his entire form shaking faintly from the adrenaline that had been coursing through his system not moments before. His yellow eyes opened slowly, and for a moment, Padmé could read naked distress on his too-young face. Then his gaze flickered down to where her hand was still resting over his, and his expression shuttered, like a pair of heavy blast doors slamming shut behind his eyes. Jaw clenched, he turned his head away.
"Nobody knows we're here," Padmé repeated, now that he was calm enough to properly take in what she was saying to him. "I made sure the droids would keep it off the record, and I haven't made contact with anyone in the Republic yet."
Her heart hurt seeing him retreat into himself, even though—or perhaps because—she understood it. He'd been vulnerable. He felt vulnerable. Ever since he had been wounded protecting her, he had been relying on her goodwill not to take advantage of that vulnerability. And now, he was surely steeling himself for consequences that she suspected he had been taught, over the years, to instinctively expect.
But despite that, he hadn't yet withdrawn his hand from hers.
"Why?," he said hoarsely, his brows drawn together in a deep furrow. He sounded drained, his tone flat, too tired even for confusion. "You fulfilled your promise to me when you brought us here safely. You could be back in the Republic by now."
Padmé's thoughts flashed back to the canyon they had fled into to escape their Separatist pursuers, of his collapse and her attempts at aid. Of him asking her something much the same as he bled out on the ground in front of her. Why not just run? Why not just leave him and save herself? This question didn't quite offend her like those had—after all, leaving a wounded man in safe hands with medical care was not quite the same as abandoning him in the dust to die. But she was still sure it wouldn't have been right. She owed him her life, and she hadn't been about to repay him by leaving him to wake up alone with nobody but droids for company and the knowledge that he had nowhere to go now that he had betrayed both the Separatists and his thrice-cursed master.
And besides, with everything she had seen since her rescue from her cell, she suspected there was far more to him than just what his reputation across the Galaxy painted him to be. The young man underneath that terrifying mask deserved at least the option of a second chance.
"I wasn't going to make that decision without consulting you first," she said. "We're in this together now. We need to figure out what we're going to do together."
And I'll repeat that to you for as long as you need to hear it.
"Do?" Vader asked.
His voice had flattened out even further, so fatigued, so resigned. As if he had given in before he had even begun. So soft and quiet compared to the deep boom of his mask's vocoder, she could barely comprehend that he was the same man that had struck such terror into her captors, that had fought so ferociously through pain and blood loss and overwhelming odds to get her to safety.
But even if he'd been drained of all his own fire, she had more than enough for the both of them.
"Separatist space isn't safe for you now. For either of us." Her lips drew together in a thin, determined line. "And I'm not leaving you until I know that you're somewhere safe out of their reach. Out of Sidious' reach."
Vader's flinch at the name was an answer to all her unspoken questions. He shrank in on himself, and suddenly, for a man who was over six feet in height, he looked very small. Without warning, Padmé was struck by just how true her words were. That she would do it if he refused to come back to the Republic with her. Would stay with him no matter what, no matter how far from home it took her, because she wanted to give him the same protection he had given her.
"Then I guess you'll have to get used to being glued to my side, because there's nowhere in the Galaxy that's beyond my master's reach," he said. She thought he might have intended the words to come out harsh and sharp, but the tremor in his voice betrayed him. "He's more powerful than you can possibly imagine, and he's not the kind to forgive and forget. I've betrayed him and he'll stop at nothing to hunt me down. Stay with me and you'll have an even bigger target on your head than he's already put there."
I'm not going to leave you alone, Padmé wanted to scream, feeling frustrated tears threatening to well up in her eyes despite her efforts to remain calm. Why can't you understand that? I'm not afraid. I won't abandon you. Not when you're in danger because of me.
"If there's nowhere in the Galaxy that's out of his reach," she retorted, not sharply, but pointedly, "then going back to the Republic won't be any safer for me than staying with you."
Vader's jaw clenched tight at her words, but he said nothing. His throat bobbed up and down as he swallowed thickly. Padmé fought back a sigh, pushing away the last remainders of her frustration as best she could. Gently, she tightened her grip on his hand, still resting beneath her own, in what she hoped was a reassuring pressure.
"Who is he, Vader?," she whispered, finally giving voice to the question that had been plaguing her ever since she had seen his scars, ever since he had heard him speak his name on the Separatist base. "Who is he, if he's that powerful?"
Who is this man that can make someone as strong as you afraid?
"Senator." Vader's lips twisted into a bitter smile, and in it she could sense the echoes of a terrible truth that she could not yet see. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
#whumptober2021#no.3#who did this you?#fandom#fic#implied abuse#scars#panic attack#star wars#star wars fic#star wars au#anakin skywalker#darth vader#padme amidala#anidala#anakin x padme#padme x anakin#vaderdala#sith anakin#raised as a sith anakin#suitless vader#loyalty#mine#my fic#sfw
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This made my day seeing your requests open!!
I’d like to please request some hot dominat Clyde action. We all know he’s a softy, but we all also know he’s capable of being a big and scary if he needs to. Thoughts on Clyde protecting you from something and then still being riled up with you after, in all the best ways? :)
Hiya anon! I was happy to write this for you. Fun story, what Clyde does (re: the beer bottle) in this story is actually something a bar tender did when defending me from a creep back in my college bar hopping days lol. I WISH it was Clyde who had done it. I would have loved to thank him. 😉
Out of Trouble
Clyde Logan x Reader
Word Count: 2,730
Warnings: NSFW, PIV sex, possessiveness, dirty talk
You reassess the situation you find yourself in – by no means an unfamiliar one, but definitely out of the norm these days and wholly unpleasant all the same. The man currently harassing you at the bar is clearly not a local. First of all, you don’t recognize the handsy son-of-a-bitch. And secondly, everyone in town knew that you were Clyde’s girl.
You two had only recently made things official, but in a way, hadn’t you always been Clyde’s girl? Your best friendship had always been tinged with a sweetness that surpassed the roles of mere pals. Sure there was flirting, how could you resist with the way a properly timed tease or suggestive comment could make Clyde blush and stammer as if on command? But even more prevalent, and more obvious to the patiently waiting members of the town, was the ownership you both had of one another. People knew better than to hassle either of you, verbally, hypothetically, or otherwise, in the presence of the other. You had Clyde’s back and he had yours, each of you displaying a possessiveness that made others smirk and roll their eyes while hiding their jealousy. You had what they did not, and now that the two of you were finally dating, envy was a common emotion amongst regular Duck Tape patrons.
Something this creep clearly was not privy to it would seem as he reached out to caress your forearm, an action which you flinch to avoid.
“Come on, baby. Let me buy you a fucking drink,” he was saying at this point. He was getting more forceful and though you had previously been courteous in your refusals, you realize that it might be time to fight back. He swayed on his barstool before continuing. “Stop being such a bitch. What could one drink hurt?”
“Every bone in yer fuckin’ body,” comes a low, deep growl that makes both you and the creep look up to the swinging door behind the bar. Your heart swells with relief and other, undefinable emotions as Clyde stalks up, his massive body an intimidating figure as it looms over the other, weasel-y man, threatening even with the bar between them.
“W-what’s your problem?” the creep practically squeaks before clearing his throat and jumping up, trying to draw himself up to his full height, which just comes across as laughable. Of course, next to Clyde, any height would be laughable.
“My problem is yer comin’ onto m’girl. That’s my problem.” His tone is deadly quiet. That’s your Clyde, soft spoken, even as his flesh hand clenches and murder simmers behind his eyes.
“Look, she was sitting here all alone. In my book that makes a bitch fair game - ” the creep begins, but he doesn’t get much farther with his misogynistic diatribe because Clyde reaches over, grabbing a nearby customer’s almost empty beer. Grasping the bottle around the neck, Clyde smashes the bottle down against the edge of the bar. The barrel shatters with a loud crash that silences the din of the room and causes the neck of every patron to whip around for the source of the sound. Clyde stands before the creep brandishing the remaining shards of the beer bottle like a shiv.
“Here’s what yer gonna do,” Clyde says calmly, the violence of his actions not succeeding in raising the volume of his voice. “Yer gonna apologize t’ the lil lady fer troublin’ her, understand?”
The creep stares at Clyde, wide-eyed and panicked before nodding and turning to you hastily.
“I’m sorry! I don’t know what I was thinking, sorry –”
“Good,” Clyde says, cutting the guy off so that he can no longer address you. You eye Clyde as he waves the shattered bottle menacingly. He’s never looked bigger. Never looked darker. Never looked hotter. When he speaks again his voice is even lower, if that’s possible. “Now yer gonna get the fuck outta my bar.”
The creep is gone in a matter of seconds, running out the front door so fast you almost imagine his skeleton being left on the bar stool in his wake like some frightened cartoon character. Before you can look back up at Clyde, his large hand is encircling your wrist and yanking you toward to door to the back of the bar. You let yourself be pulled, barely registering how the conversation kicks back in, customers already basking in the aftermath of Clyde’s rare emotional outburst.
Once the door to Clyde’s office is safely shut behind you, Clyde pushed you to sit down on his couch while he paces back and forth in front of you. You’re bewildered by this response, unsure if you should say something so you remain silent, watching him. After a moment Clyde yanks a hand through his hair forcefully. You swallow and decide to finally speak up.
“Are you okay, Clyde?”
“I’m NOT fuckin’ okay,” Clyde replies and you’re shocked at the way his voice raises with his words. You’re suddenly worried he’s gotten the wrong idea and you’re quick to fold your arms defensively across your chest, your own voice rising.
“Hey, if you’re mad at me you should know it’s not like I encouraged that asshole.”
Clyde is quick to round on you, looking panicked.
“I didn’t say ya did. I know ya wouldn’t…ya’d never…” Clyde trails off into a growl and resumes his pacing, flesh hand clenching and unclenching.
“It’s over, Clyde,” you soothe now, switching tactics and lowering your own defenses. He’s clearly distressed and you’re not sure how to calm him. “He’s not the first and probably won’t be the last guy to bother me.”
“That’s what’s killin’ me, darlin’. What if I hadn’t walked out? What if ya were alone an’ this happened?”
“I can take care of myself, you know.”
“I know ya can,” Clyde says, voice more characteristically quiet now but frustration no less palpable as he waves his prosthetic arm distractedly. “I dunno what’s gotten intuh me. I saw him touch ya an’…an’…” Clyde reaches out and swipes across a table, throwing everything to the ground. His chest heaves with his outburst. Yours is rising and falling rapidly now, too, but for you its stemming from the realization that this man. This sweet, beautiful man is losing his cool over his desire to protect you. To defend you. You’re a modern woman. As you’d just told him, you can take care of yourself and you are very proud of that fact. But something about the dark look in his eye and the way his muscles shift tensely beneath his shirt and the way he stomps before you makes you feel like you want to disappear in his arms and never resurface.
“You’re a good man, Clyde,” you say softly. He shakes his head and gives a humorless laugh.
“Not tonight, I’m not, darlin’. Not with these thoughts. I haven’t felt this way since…”
“Overseas?” you ask. He nods, trying to take a deep breath but releasing an even angrier exhale.
“I’m sorry, darlin’. I can’t seem to calm down. I’m just so fuckin’ mad.”
You watch your big bear, usually so gentle, wrestle with his emotions before you. Immediately you have an idea, standing up and moving to him. Using one hand to peel open his fist and interlace your fingers. He grips you too tight but you just bite your lip. Your other hand slides over his bicep and shoulder, kneading into the tense muscles there as you press your face into his chest. His prosthetic arm winds around your waist, pulling you into his body naturally. This does nothing to slow his breathing, which picks up more speed. Feeling you against his body is reminding him of how small you are. How vulnerable. He feels another surge of rage and desperation course through his veins.
“I don’t know why I’m feelin’ this way,” he mumbles but you reach up and grab his face to force him to look at you.
“Feel whatever way you feel,” you reassure him. You lift up on your tiptoes to give him a kiss, but the force with which he responds steals your breath. His arms wind around your body and crush you to him as his tongue ruthlessly explores your mouth, as if searching for solace can only be done in the space where you are most conjoined. The aggression is dizzying and his fingers are bruising on your frame but you love it. Used to light touches, soft caresses, you feel a hunger burn beneath your skin, as if your every muscle is rejoicing at the deeper pressure, the deeper friction.
When Clyde finally pulls away you are winded and dazed, now breathing just as heavily. His eyes look no less wild but now there is a tinge of concern.
“M’sorry, darlin’. We should stop, ‘m too worked up. Can’t be sweet to ya the way ya like.” His words are husky and rushed but you’re just as rushed to shush him. You’re already working at his belt and pulling him back to the couch.
“I like you in whatever way you’ll have me, baby,” you mumbled against his flesh, kissing down his throat as you pull him down to the cushions. “Take it out on me.”
“What if I’m too rough with ya?” Clyde asks, but his hands are already ripping your shirt over your head and his mouth latches onto your throat, your collar bone, your breast through your bra.
“I want you to be rough with me, Clyde. I’ve wanted you to be rough with me since the moment you walked out and gave that asshole what-for.” You’re pressed down, back against the couch now, with your legs tight around the wide barrel of Clyde’s body.
“Did ya like that, darlin’? Yer Big Bear defending ya?” He’s no longer hesitant in his movements and no longer trying to stop himself. Instead he takes a handful of your ass, pulling your pelvis up off the couch so that your clothed pussy presses fully into his erect and waiting cock. You moan, both at the sensation and at him calling himself Big Bear for the first time. You’d only been dating for a few weeks and things were still new, including shyness around pet names. You’d called him Big Bear the night before in the teasing lead up to some love making and he’d only flushed and stammered in response, busying himself by burying his face between your thighs.
But right now he’s gazing down at your face with an air of intensity and you feel saliva pool in your mouth and wet slick your quivering heat.
“I liked my Big Bear defending me. So strong and big.” You say the last word as you close your hand around his enormous cock through his unzipped jeans. Clyde bucks into your hand and hums from where he’s suckling at the underside of one of your breasts, curved down into you despite your differences in height.
“Nobody else can have ya,” he grumbles before hoisting you higher on the couch so he can position his cock at your entrance. You gasp at the feeling of his member sliding between your folds, getting covered in your waiting slick.
“Nobody. Only you, Big Bear.” Before you can say anything else Clyde has speared into you in one swift motion and taken up an unforgiving pace. There was the aggression he’d been worried about and boy was it rough. You cling to him for dear life as he fucks you into the couch cushions. Your eyes roll to the back of your head and your jaw goes slack.
It hurts – he’s much too big to be going this hard this fast – but his grip on you is so tight it melts your aching muscles. The desperation of his thrusts make you hiccup through your inhales and you feel surrounded. Crushed. Filled. All in the best way possible. You love the darling Clyde who coaxes your orgasms with caresses and honeyed words and languid strokes. But this Clyde – this is your Big Bear. His eyes drink in your bouncing breasts as he’s not able to clutch them with the way he has to support his own weight with his good arm. Your back arches deeper from the effects of a particularly deep thrust, bringing your chest up to press against his and he groans.
“This body. No wonder people’re comin’ on to ya, darlin’. This body’s too perfect,” he practically growls, burying his face into your throat. “Maybe I should just keep ya here on my cock. Stay inside ya. Keep me warm and keep ya outta trouble.”
You moan loudly as his dirty words are accentuated by a change in angle that lets him pound into a particularly sweet spot. Your walls pulse around him.
“Oh god. Oh Clyde.”
“Back to callin’ me Clyde already? Am I not bein’ rough enough for ya?” Clyde asks, biting down into the sensitive flesh of your throat. You cry out, hips gyrating against him, legs and walls clamping down around him with an unconscious need to keep him buried deep inside you.
“F-fuck, oh fuck me, Big Bear. I can take it!” you practically whine.
“Yes ya can. So good, takin’ yer Big Bear.” His trusts begin to bottom out harsher, faster. The pressure and the speed have pulled your muscles as taut as they can go and you know you’re seconds from snapping. It was all so sudden. You’re both so worked up, not only from the experience out in the bar, but from the headiness of being this way with one another for the first time. He may be the one pounding into you, but you’re giving as good as you’re getting, rolling your hips up to meet each thrust. Pulling him down into you and raking your fingernails up and down his back.
It’s desperate and needy and possessive – equally so. He is yours and you are his and ownership never tasted so sweet.
Just as you’re about the cum, Clyde seems to sense it and shoves your legs up by the back of the knee, ensuring his next few thrusts rub up against the spot inside you that makes your eyes cross and makes your moans turn into desperate whimpers. You have the vague thought that this proves how well Clyde has come to know your body, what a great student he is of your orgasm, just as said orgasm crashes over you.
You know for sure that the Duck Tape customers heard you. Your belief in your audience becomes even stronger when Clyde lets out a delicious moan as he cums, too, painting your insides with spend made just for you. You’re sweaty and it’s only 7 pm on a Tuesday. Clyde’s going to have to go back to tending bar and you’re going to have to slink out, so clearly ravaged and thoroughly fucked to the likely amusement of a roomful of people who’d been rooting for your coupling. You chuckle to yourself, as Clyde drops the weight of his whole body on you, crushing you. Those people outside definitely got a chance just now to hear your coupling firsthand.
“That…was amazing.” It comes out breathless, as though you’ve just run a marathon. And because you have the mass of a large man pressing you into the couch. When Clyde finally lifts his head from its resting place at your neck he looks sheepish and embarrassed and pleased and winded.
“’M sorry if I was too much for ya, darlin’. Once ya started touchin’ me I couldn’t think straight.”
You silence him with a kiss, grabbing his face to make it deep. When you pull away your smile is ear to ear.
“If you make me feel like that, baby, there’s absolutely nothing to apologize for.”
Clyde moves to pull out of you, his cum now seeping out around his softening cock, but you tighten your legs around him suddenly.
“What happened to staying inside me, mister?” you tease.
Clyde stands abruptly, pulling you up with him still seated in your dripping cunt. Your gasp and scramble to hold onto him. He takes a few playful steps towards the door and you swat at him.
“No, I think yer right, darlin’. What better way tuh make cocktails than with my lil cockwarmer?”
~*~
Tagging some lovely friends (please let me know if you would like to be tagged or untagged in the future!): @noocturnalchild @thedivinemissn @insufferablelust @historyandfandoms50 @lostinthedrive @thewilddingleberries @edencherries @mariesackler @safarigirlsp @direnightshade @sacklerscumrag @paper-n-ashes @clydesfavoritegirl @wayward-rose @hopeamarsu @thegreenmatt @barbers-glimmerin-darlin @finn-ray-nal-beads @fizzywoohoo @maybe-your-left @aliveandlonely @han-not-solo @morby @emeraldsiren20 @maryforyou @aloneandsleepless @jynzandtonic @renmaulxo @millenialcatlady @leather-flannel-liquor @soggywhore
#anon#request#Clyde Logan x reader#Clyde Logan x you#Clyde Logan/reader#Clyde Logan/you#Clyde Logan smut#clyde logan fanfiction#Logan Lucky fanfiction#Logan Lucky smut#Out of Trouble#smut#writing#roanniom
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Metals and Heavenly Bodies: Why There Is So Much Metal in RWBY
So, why is RWBY so metal?
RWBY uses metallic symbolism to explore the alchemical process (the refinement of metal into gold via the creation of the philosopher’s stone). Alchemy has seven metals that are ordered in terms of refinement: three base metals, one that is the most refined of base metals, and three refined metals. RWBY has been associating each metal with certain characters. It’s also been giving these characters their ultimate focus in the precise order of refinement.
Metals in alchemy are also associated with heavenly bodies, or planets (well, plus the sun and moon, because we’re dealing with ancient astronomy here). The planets, of course, are named after Roman gods, so they too can be associated with the metals, and RWBY directly correlates them.
NB: It’s very valid to critique tropes and subtext. This isn’t intended to invalidate any criticism but rather to offer a symbolic reading of the metal motif.
So, let’s dive in.
Base Metals:
Lead-Saturn
Associated characters: Qrow Branwen, Ruby Rose, Mercury Black
While I can’t think of any specific reference to lead in RWBY, there are a ton of references to the mythical Saturn.
Saturn's father (Uranus) was a piece of work who hated Saturn’s mother and so took his son (and other children) and imprisoned them in a cave so that they could never see the sunlight. Saturn’s mother eventually persuaded Saturn to take a sickle and castrate his father. He then wasn’t a particularly great dad himself, becoming more like his father than not.
In alchemy in particular, we have images of Saturn with a prosthetic leg (see: above). This is where Mercury begins his arc. He’s abused by his father, who steals his semblance and refuses to allow Mercury to be his own person (effectively rendering him a prisoner). So, Mercury kills him, and then is taken in by Cinder and Emerald to be an assassin for them, an assassin just like his father. You can see the parallels.
Saturn’s sickle is also often drawn as a scythe, which Death holds in the above image. A scythe is of course the weapon used by Ruby and by Qrow--specifically, Qrow is the person Ruby imitates and admires. But we know (and Ruby now does to) that Qrow is a flawed human himself; Ruby is better of becoming her own person rather than continuing to stay like her father-figure in Qrow (her own dad is great, but that doesn’t mean Qrow isn’t also a dad figure to her!)
Qrow, of course, is self-destructive, believing his semblance is to bring bad luck wherever he goes. His name is “crow,” the bird symbolizing the first (black) stage of death and rotting in alchemy. His own upbringing can also be compared to Saturn’s.
But, you see, Saturn isn’t actually a sign of doom and death. It is one of the symbols of the prima materia, the lead to be transformed into gold by the end of the alchemical process. It shows where the characters can grow, and indeed all three of them are along their path towards growing.
Tin-Jupiter
Associated character(s): James Ironwood (maybe Weiss Schnee)
Well, I’m actually going to talk more about Ironwood and his arc in the next section. But in Ozpin’s circle, in which characters are based on The Wizard of Oz (a blatantly alchemical story), we have Qrow as the scarecrow, Lionheart as the Cowardly Lion, and Ironwood as the tin man. Jupiter is also associated with the Sublimation stage in the process of alchemy, which is where we are now.
In case we didn’t get the allusion, RWBY has helpfully placed artwork of tin men on the walls in the background of Weiss’s room this season.
I’m aware that this screenshot isn’t from this season but it gets the point across. I also feel tin might well have an association with Weiss and where she was at in her arc after the fall of Beacon.
Additionally, Jupiter is actually Saturn’s son in mythology, and is saved from being eaten by his father (look Saturn really wasn’t awesome). He returns to force his father to regurgitate his siblings, and Jupiter and his rescued siblings (yes they were still alive; it’s mythology) fight to dethrone their father. They succeed with the use of lightning, among other things. Saturn was then imprisoned in tartarus. You can see the parallels.
Do note that the glowing sun above the head of the tin man on Weiss’s wall, showing Weiss is destined to become refined like gold. The golden sun is in sharp contrast to Ironwood’s allusion to the Dark Sun, but there’s a lot more to say about Ironwood in the Iron section.
Iron-Mars
Associated characters: James Ironwood, Marcus Black, Mercury Black
First, let’s continue with Ironwood. I’ve noted before that iron is associated with war:
Iron in particular is ruled by Mars, the god of war, meaning it is associated with violence. It’s not a coincidence that pretty much from the second Ironwood is introduced, the concept of war comes up, and his entire character has gone on to be the embodiment of the military and violence.
In addition to seeing himself as a sort of be-all-end-all Jupiter figure, Ironwood of course is always expecting war. His arc is one of reverse alchemy, which is a thing. It means that instead of becoming refined, he’s corroding from Iron to Tin. I don’t see good things for him.
Mars in mythology also becomes obsessed with Venus, which... you’ll have to read the next section for that ;)
Marcus Black, of course, is an assassin, hence it makes sense that his name literally means “dedicated to Mars.” Mercury (our Mercury) becomes more like him in taking over his role as an assassin. He’s so broken from his father’s abuse that he refuses to become his own person and just falls into his father’s role. It’s tragic.
So is Mercury’s arc reverse alchemy? No, I don’t think so. There’s more (of course) later on, but if we look at the stages of his development, we see he has moved from Lead to Iron. It’s progress. His leg is a focus for the early arcs of the story (he uses it, along with Emerald’s semblance, to trick everyone into turning against Yang), and only later did we learn his history with his father. Even if the events of course did not happen in succession, the story revealed the allusions one after each other. He’s also made progress in that he’s clearly emotionally attached to Emerald even if he pretends otherwise. Also... (see below)
The Most Perfectable Base Metal:
Copper-Venus
Associated character: Penny Polendina
As I also mentioned previously, Penny’s name references copper (a “copper penny”). The Summa Perfectionis, a thirteenth century alchemical text, calls copper “the most perfectable of base metals.”
Venus in alchemical imagery is almost always wearing (or surrounded by, since she’s also often, well, not wearing anything) green.
Green is in alchemy the color of the prima materia, the raw, immature material that will eventually be refined into gold, because green is of course symbolic of the earth, fertility, growth, etc.
As I wrote previously, in mythology Mars had a thing for Venus. I’m certainly not suggesting Ironwood has a thing for Penny in a romantic/sexual sense, but he does seek to control her, and like the Mars of myth, his pursuit of Penny/Venus leads to his humiliation (the Mars of myth gets caught in a trap--no literally a net--by Venus’s angry husband).
In contrast to Ironwood, Penny, who is originally made entirely of metal, becomes human, while Ironwood becomes more metal--not necessarily literally, but in his spirit. He’s lost his humanity, or rather, gave it away, while Penny found hers. It makes sense to me that a story with spiritual alchemy at its core (which focuses in the Jungian sense on individuation/self-actualization, or fully coming into an understanding of the self) would have Penny literally transform into what she has always been: a final product, a real girl, the philosopher’s stone.
Refined Metals:
Now these are going to be a bit more predictive. The allusions are clearly there, but how exactly those will play out I don’t know because if we look at these metals as steps in the process, we’re not quite there yet.
Mercury-Mercury
Associated character(s): Mercury Black, (maybe Emerald Sustrai)
I think the name says it all.
Kidding. Mercury as a metal is also known as argentvive or quicksilver. It, along with sulphur, form the basis of the alchemical process. They must be united to achieve the Philosopher’s Stone (it’s one of the reasons I am wondering if we’re going to get an important, Mercury-related event in a place named for sulphur or its other name, brimstone, in Vacuo; all the places we know of in Vacuo are named after types of stones including several that are sulfuric in nature). Mercury himself unites the two principles of the work, sun and moon (for who those are, read below). Mercury is the metal from which all other metals come from--he’s way more important to this story than we’ve seen yet. Most likely, he will eventually turn on Salem as well, and in a pivotal moment.
As a god, Mercurius is the author of alchemy. He’s the mythical author of the Emerald Tablet (which Emerald’s name alludes to; I actually don’t personally think Emerald alludes very much to Aladdin. Instead, I think her allusion is the Emerald Tablet and her Egyptian design is based on Thoth, Mercury’s Egyptian counterpart). Mercury is the spirit that gives life.
Lyndy Abraham notes that Mercury is “both destructive and creative” (oh look at the relics of Atlas and Vacuo) and that “the elusive, duplicitous Mercurius who consorts with the devil is at the same time a redeeming psychopomp” (”psychopomp” means spiritual guide) “The fact that he can freely participate in both light and dark worlds without taint makes Mercurius the perfect mediating bridge.” Jung calls Mercury “a symbol uniting all the opposites.” So yeah, Mercury should have a redemption arc that will probably be pivotal in the story.
If we follow the self-actualization endgame of spiritual alchemy, with true life and wisdom as the metaphorical philosopher’s stone here, I think it’s likely Mercury becomes more himself--going from being Lead to Iron (as he’s clearly spiraling right now, but also has a connection to Emerald) to Mercury. I would also suspect he’d get his semblance back to establish that he’s his “own person” (a major recurring theme of RWBY), and while, like with Yang and her arm, I don’t think he’ll get new legs, I think it’s pretty likely his semblance will enable him to fly (since mythical Mercury, you know, flies).
Silver-Moon
Associated character(s): Ruby Rose (also Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, Oscar Pine, Jaune Arc, and Summer Rose).
The most important character here is Ruby, obviously. She’s our MC and titular character! But Weiss, Jaune, Blake, Summer, and Oscar are all addressed here. But I think it’s obvious that Ruby’s defining trait is her silver eyes. They got her noticed by Ozpin and sent to Beacon early, they’re the reason Salem is targeting her, they’re what could destroy her (turning into a Grimm) or save the world (what’s going to happen). Silver is noted to be “pure” which is what other characters constantly comment Ruby is.
Gold-Sun
Associated character(s): Oscar Pine (also Sun Wukong, Yang Xiao Long, Tai Xiao Long, Ruby Rose, Pyrrha Nikos, and maybe Jaune Arc)
The most important/obvious character here is Oscar. Oscar’s first name is a shade of gold and a type of fish that is most often brown or gold. He’s facing a similar dilemma to Ruby: the threat of merging forever with Ozpin (which clearly won’t happen; he needs to be his own person, as Ruby said).
Both Ruby’s and Oscar’s individualizations are somehow instrumental to defeating Salem.
#rwby#rwby meta#rwby vol 8#oscar pine#mercury black#emerald sustrai#rwby theory#alchemy#james ironwood#weiss schnee#penny polendina#qrow branwen#ruby rose#ozpin#rwby volume eight
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Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Michael Guerin/Alex Manes
Characters: Alex Manes, Michael Guerin
Additional Tags: Canon Disabled Character, Dogs
Summary:
Alex's face softens. "I know you're careful. Sorry, it's just hard not to worry. But back again to my initial question. Do you know what today is?”
"I don't know, Alex. It's February 13th, so I didn't forget Valentine's Day or something. We ruled out the thing at Isobel's, and it's still Saturday. No matter how much I'm wrecking my brain, I can't think of anything else. Please tell me I didn't forget anything important."
"No, you didn't, no worries. I'll put you out of your misery. What do you think about taking a short trip across town?"
This is my contribution for day 3 of @malex-cupid. 3.3K of fluffy Malex.
Dialogue prompt: “Do you know what today is?”
-------------
“Do you know what today is?”
Michael pretends to think about the answer before he says "Saturday."
Alex rolls his eyes. "Smartass."
Michael smirks. "Takes one to know one."
Alex smirks back. "I'm badass," he says.
Michael laughs. "True."
"Come on, Michael, try again. What day is today?"
Michael groans. "It's that stupid thing Isobel roped us into attending, isn't it? I thought it was next weekend."
"That one is next weekend. Which reminds me, we have to get our suits from the cleaners." Alex pulls a face. He hates wearing formal attire, especially ties. But Isobel would have their heads if they didn't dress up for her fancy party.
"We'll get through it together, and any chance we get, we'll hide in one of Isobel's guest rooms, and I'll suck you off." Michael waggles his eyebrows suggestively. He looks ridiculous, but it makes Alex laugh.
"If she catches us, we won't live to see another day," he points out.
"Well, I'll have to be fast then. It's unfortunate that she also can pick locks with her brain these days."
"You're not going to suck me off in two minutes, if anything I'll claim that my stump's hurting and we can go home early, where we'll take our sweet time sucking each other off."
Michael looks worried. "Has your stump given you any trouble lately? Should I take a look at the prothesis?"
Alex smiles. "No, Michael. It fits perfectly, and for some reason it even adjusts to the occasional swelling? I have no idea how you engineered it, but it almost feels as if the prosthetic becomes a part of me when I put it on. It's incredible, and it has given me that much more quality of life." He leans closer and kisses Michael, soft and sweet. Michael beams.
"I'm so glad. The material is so cool, I'm glad that I decided to give it a try, and now that I no longer need to rebuild a working console, I want to find out what other useful things I can build using it."
"As long as you are careful and—," Alex starts.
"Yes, I know," Michael interrupts him. "No worries, I've been paranoid about hiding who and what I am my entire conscious life on this planet. I won't risk it now just to brag about an invention that includes alien tech."
Alex's face softens. "I know you're careful. Sorry, it's just hard not to worry. But back again to my initial question. Do you know what today is?”
"I don't know, Alex. It's February 13th, so I didn't forget Valentine's Day or something. We ruled out the thing at Isobel's, and it's still Saturday. No matter how much I'm wrecking my brain, I can't think of anything else. Please tell me I didn't forget anything important."
"No, you didn't, no worries. I'll put you out of your misery. What do you think about taking a short trip across town?"
Michael nods. "Sure, I have no other plans for today. Can we drive past the Crashdown to pick up some coffee?"
Alex looks at his watch. "If we call from the car and ask whether Javier could bring our order to the curb, we can do that. But we have to leave now. We have an appointment at eleven."
Michael pulls Alex up from the couch. "Okay, let's go. I'm really curious what you're up to!"
They call the Crashdown from the car and Arturo himself stands at the curb to hand them coffee and a box with heart shaped cookies through the window. Michael tips him generously, and then they're on their way again.
When they pull up outside of a red building fifteen minutes later, Michael's eyes widen.
"Alex, this is the animal shelter. What are we doing here?"
Alex turns around in his seat to face Michael. "Well, I thought we could go inside and look at all the rescue dogs in there, and if we like one, and the dog likes us, that we should take them home for a trial run. What do you think?"
Michael's eyes are wet. "Alex. This is—perfect. So much better than some kitschy Valentine's gift. Don't get me wrong, any gift from you would be amazing, but a dog, Alex. A dog! We've talked about this so often. Why now?"
Alex's smile softens. "Because we talked about it so often. It's pretty obvious how much you want a dog, and honestly, I want one, too. My therapist has talked about a therapy dog in the past, but I think a dog that's ours is even better. It can either stay with me while you're working, or come with you to the junkyard when I'm meeting clients. And if push comes to shove, we have a large yard where the dog can stay on its own for a couple of hours."
Michael flings himself across the car's middle console and pulls Alex into a fierce hug. "Thank you, Alex. Best pre-Valentine's gift ever."
Alex smiles into Michael's shoulder. "Come, let's go inside, I have a feeling we'll meet a very special someone in there today."
They enter the shelter, and a young woman shows them the way to the large backyard behind the building. Three different agility courses are set up, and there's a pool where three dogs are playing with an old football, splashing in and out of the water.
"This is what heaven must look like," Michael says, and the awe in his voice tells Alex that coming here was an excellent decision. He's counting at least twenty different dogs of various sizes, and they all seem happy and excited. He turns to the young woman.
"So, how are we going to do this, Janet. Are we supposed to sit down and wait until a dog approaches, or should we throw a ball or something?"
Janet points at a bench that's set up under a large tree. "If you want to take a seat, I'll get a basket with some toys for you to use and play with the dogs." She leaves, and Michael leads Alex over to the bench where they sit down.
Most of the dogs have stopped playing and running around, they are looking at Alex and Michael instead. Michael takes Alex's hand. "I'm nervous."
Alex squeezes his hand. "I don't think they are dangerous, relax, Michael," he soothes.
Michael laughs. "Not what I mean. I'm nervous because I know one of them's going to be ours, and I want to make a good impression."
Five dogs are brave enough to come closer, their tails wagging. Michael holds his hand out for them, and once the brave dogs are close enough, they start sniffing and licking Michael's fingers. After that it's just one large furry puppy pile with Alex and Michael in the middle, and more dogs joining. They pet as many dogs as they can reach, always careful to read the body language of each of them. But they are all very friendly and excited to meet them.
Janet returns, a large basket filled with various toys in her arms. Some of the dogs start barking happily, apparently, they know what the basket means. Janet sets it down in front of the two men. "Many of our dogs love to play fetch, you can also go over to the agility courses and see what each of the dogs can do."
Michael picks up the basket. "Thanks, Janet, I think I'll go over and play with the dogs. Do you want to come with me, Alex?"
"I'm actually good right here for another moment, thanks. Maybe I'll come over to you later."
Michael smiles at Alex and gives him a kiss. "Okay, love you."
Michael squeezes Michael's arm. "Love you, too. Have fun!"
Michael walks over to one of the agility courses, basket in hand. And like he's the Pied Piper, most of the dogs follow him, yipping excitedly.
Janet turns to Alex. "I'll leave you to it. If you have any questions, I'll be inside."
"Thank you, Janet, I appreciate it." She turns around and walks back to the house, and Alex focuses his full attention on Michael. He's started to throw balls in different directions (no doubt giving some of them a little extra spin with his telekinesis, but there's no one around, so Alex relaxes and enjoys watching Michael having the time of his life).
There's one dog in particular, that seems to have the largest heart eyes around Michael. It doesn't run after any balls Michael's throwing, instead he picks up a plushie from the basked and carefully places it in Michael's outstretched hand. Michael pats the dog's head and tells him what a good boy he is. Alex smiles.
The dog is gorgeous, a little taller than a German Shepard, dark fur and a tail that's wagging a million miles a minute. Alex can picture himself and Michael with the dog in front of the fire. Not a lapdog exactly, but he doesn't mind.
A minute later, the dog leaves Michael's side and while Michael's busy getting acquainted with some of the other dogs, Alex's eyes follow the black dog. He walks over to a sunny spot near the pool, where smaller dog's curled up in the grass, seemingly uninterested in playing with Michael.
Going by the fur marking's, Alex thinks it could be a beagle. He smiles, remembering Mimi's "prophecy". The black dog noses at the beagle's ears and licks them, then he nudges the dog as if to say, "come with me".
It takes another few nudges before the dog gets up (and yes, it's definitely a beagle, an older one by the looks of it), and follows its black brother over to Michael.
When Michael notices the duo, he stops throwing balls and kneels down. "Oh, do you want me to meet your friend? Hello sweetheart." He scratches the beagle behind the ears and the dog almost goes cross-eyed with pleasure. The black dog wiggles closer and buries his nose in Michael's half-open shirt.
Michael looks over to Alex, and Alex smiles. "Guess we're not just picking up one dog, huh?"
"Would that be okay? They seem to be friends, and I couldn't stand to leave one behind, especially since this little lady seems to be a bit older. Do you think we can handle two dogs?"
Alex gets up from the bench and walks over, and the moment he reaches Michael, they look up at him and start nosing at his feet and legs. When they are finished sniffing at him, they look at him with huge puppy eyes.
"Oh, you two, this isn't fair." He kneels down carefully, holding on to Michael's shoulder for balance. The moment he feels stable, he has his arm full of two dogs, one large black one, and a smaller beagle.
They lick his face and almost barrel him over in their excitement, if it wasn't for Michael's steadying hand (and a smidge of telekinesis) at his back. "Thanks," he manages to get out between increasingly wet and enthusiastic doggy kisses.
Michael chuckles. "Guess these two have made their decision. Now it's up to us. Can we, and do we want to adopt two dogs? I know we've talked about a dog, and this morning I didn't even know we'd get one. And now there are these two. What do you think?"
Alex smiles. "You know, we have a big house, an even bigger garden, I don't see why we shouldn't adopt both. They insist on a two week trial anyway, so why don't we take these two sweethearts home with us and see how it goes?"
Michael manages to place a smacking kiss on Alex's cheek without them tumbling over, then he helps Alex stand up. The two dogs stay close to them and follow them back to the house.
They find Janet at the reception desk. She looks up when she hears them approach.
"Oh, that went quick. Did you meet a dog you like?"
Alex realizes that she can't see the two dogs at their feet from her position. "Actually, we met two dogs."
"Two?" Janet stands up and looks down. "Oh, I see. These are Buffy and Lando. They met here and it was love at first sight. They are pretty much inseparable, and since she's basically a senior dog, we'd rather not separate them, I'm sorry."
Alex shakes his head. "There's no need to separate them, we'd like to take both home with us for the trial period. You know, they picked us, and now it's our turn to pick them, and see whether we're a good match."
Janet's smile gets excited. "That's wonderful to hear. They've been here for a while, and the fact that we don't want to separate them has prevented their adoption so far. If you'd like to take them for a short walk, I need about twenty minutes to get all the papers ready. Leashes are over there by the door."
They return from their walk half an hour later, relaxed and smiling. Neither dog's wearing a leash anymore. When Michael notices Janet's look, he says, "She wouldn't leave our side, and he wouldn't leave hers, there really was no point in keeping the leashes on."
Janet nods and hands them a clipboard with several sheets of paper, yellow post-its marking the spaces where they need to sign. Alex grabs the clipboard and takes a seat at a nearby table, while Michael looks at the wall opposite of the reception, where several dozens of photos are pinned to a large cork board. Happy new pet owners with their adopted pets. He can't wait to add their photo to the wall.
Once all the papers are signed, Janet gets two large bags from a nearby storage room and hands them to Michael. "The bags contain bowls, leashes, and dog beds. We don't expect you to buy everything before it isn't clear that you'll adopt the dogs."
Michael nods. "Do they have favorite toys or blankets we should take with us?"
"No, they usually play with the toys we provide. I can put a few tennis balls into one of the bags if you want," Janet offers.
Alex shakes his head. "That won't be necessary. I—uhm, I actually may have bought some toys. And a box of tennis balls." His smile is a little sheepish, but Michael isn't having any of it. "You are brilliant, and I love you." He smacks a kiss on Alex's cheek.
"Alright, you've got my number, in case there are any issues, please don't hesitate to call. If everything goes according to plan, I'll see you in three days for the first mandatory visit."
They smile at her, bid their goodbyes, and when leave, their two new canine family members follow them unprompted.
"I have a really good feeling about this," Alex says once they are back in the car, both dogs comfortably snuggled up on the back seat.
"Me too," Michael admits. "You've made me a very happy man today, Alex. Truly the best pre-Valentine's gift ever." Alex laughs. "It's not just a gift for you, Michael, I'm also a very happy man today. I'm very excited that we're taking this next step." He looks back at the two sleeping dogs. "It already feels like they're part of the family."
On their way home, they stop at the pet store, and pay an obscene amount of money for dog food, bowls, leashes, harnesses, the most comfortable supersized dog bed (suspecting the dogs would rather share then sleep in two separate beds), and way too many toys. They don't care that this is only a trial, they know that Buffy and Lando are meant to stay with them.
When they get home and set everything up, the dogs immediately curl up in the large dog bed together, completely ignoring the two separate beds they put up to give them a choice.
"We already know them so well," Michael says proudly, clinking his glass with Alex's. There's a fire burning in the fireplace, and they're sharing a bottle of red wine that goes well with the pizza they've ordered.
The dogs are snoring, and Alex's and Michael's hearts are full.
Michael goes on a quick walk with the dogs while Alex gets ready for bed. They're trying to keep the dogs out of their bedroom, but it's not happening. Lando drags in the dog bed in before they can close the door, and while they'll have to set boundaries eventually (because there are things they'd like to do in their bedroom without an audience), they won't start tonight.
They place the dog bed at the foot of their bed, and the dogs curl up together. "Uhm, we'll get to that eventually, I guess," Michael says, but then he lets himself being pulled into Alex's arms and they fall asleep within minutes.
It's a quiet night, and when they wake up in the morning, the dogs are already up to drink water in the kitchen. Alex and Michael exchange lazy kisses, until Michael wiggles out of Alex's embrace. "I'll take them out for a couple of minutes, that should do until we can go for a real walk after breakfast."
Alex gets up to pee, then makes a beeline for the kitchen to make coffee before he returns to their bedroom. He snuggles up under the covers, when he hears the front door open and shut, which means that Michael's back.
The dogs enter the bedroom first, and Lando walks up to Alex's side of the bed. He gets up on his hind legs and puts his front paws on the bedframe, like he's extra careful not to step on the mattress.
"Good morning, handsome. You are such a good boy, Lando," Alex croons and pats Lando's head. When he sees something gleam in the sunlight filtering through the blinds, he reaches for Lando's collar. There's a ring attached to it. A ring with an iridescent piece of an alien spaceship console embedded.
Alex blinks back tears and tries to remove the ring from Lando's collar, when Michael drops on one knee next to the bed. His eyes look a bit wet, too.
"Alex Manes. You're not only the man of my dreams, you're the man of my life. We've been through so much, and I love you more than should be humanly – or alien-ly – possible. Would you do me the honor of marrying me?"
Alex can't stop the tears from falling now, but he nods and reaches for Michael. They kiss and hug, and Michael helps Alex to remove the ring from Lando's collar. When Michael puts the ring on Alex's finger, it fits like a glove.
"Michael, the ring is extraordinary, thank you so much. I can't wait to marry you." They kiss again, but before Michael can get up from the floor, Alex pulls a thin silver chain out from under his pajama top he only put on a few minutes ago when he was in the bathroom. There's a ring attached to it. He opens the clasp and lets the ring fall into his open hand. Then he shows it to Michael.
"Adopting a dog with you was only meant to be a first step, I'd been meaning to propose to you on Valentine's Day, though. I just love you so much, more than anything or anyone, and I want to share my life with you. Forever. Marry me?"
"Yes!" Michael's reply is short, but he barely waits for Alex to put the ring on his finger (it also fits perfectly), before he gets up and lets himself being pulled into Alex's outstretched arms. They laugh and kiss and tumble all over the bed, and Buffy and Lando start barking. Soon enough they manage to jump on the bed and join the celebration.
When Alex and Michael adopt Buffy and Lando officially two weeks later, they do so as Mr. and Mr. Guerin-Manes, their wedding rings clearly visible in their we've-adopted-a-dog celebratory photo.
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I posted 2,592 times in 2021
46 posts created (2%)
2546 posts reblogged (98%)
For every post I created, I reblogged 55.3 posts.
I added 211 tags in 2021
#cass's fic recs - 55 posts
#cass's series recs - 41 posts
#cass’s thot recs - 31 posts
#cass’s fic recs - 23 posts
#cass’s inner monologue - 22 posts
#fic rec - 11 posts
#cass’s reference - 10 posts
#star wars - 7 posts
#arc trooper fives - 6 posts
#from where we stand - 5 posts
Longest Tag: 122 characters
#i see something really funny on pinterest i will hunt down the original blog post on tumblr in order to loke and reblog it
My Top Posts in 2021
#5
I need to make you aware that whenever I come onto your blog and read your header I read it in the 'did someone say draco malfoy' voice from a very potter musical
I’m very sorry but I am not one with the Harry Potter. I truly do not understand what this means😂 and I’m very sorry.
can you send a link to a clip so I can understand it? I’m sorry if it sounds rude but bro I do not understand 😂
11 notes • Posted 2021-10-11 05:24:03 GMT
#4
Hey have a juicy lil tidbit of a section of word vomit that is currently clogging my brain
Slight(?) or Straight up NSFW below the cut
Regardless 18+ only
Warnings: Heavily suggested sexual themes, language. (please let me know if I need to add anything else—this is my first time posting my writing and I don’t really know the ins and outs of it all)
Also ignore the grammar—its a screen shot of a google doc, sue me. I didn’t feel like copying and pasting
Tagging who I think would like (possibly?) @clonecyare @truechaoticneutral @writingbylee
16 notes • Posted 2021-10-12 08:05:09 GMT
#3
Something I’ve noticed in fics
Boba Fett and calling you “little one”
I’m here for it
17 notes • Posted 2021-09-14 07:29:44 GMT
#2
I Need to Feel
Pairing: Fives x fem OC!medic (Brynn - nicknamed “Tiny” cause she SHORT)
This is also in first person POV—not entirely sure how that will play in, but I figured I should let y’all know💕
Rating: E 18+ ONLY
Warnings: mention of alcohol abuse, trauma, OC has a prosthetic forearm/hand, smut, inappropriate use of ARC Trooper pauldrons i.e. oral (f recieving), unprotected P in V sex (wrap it up y’all), if I missed anything please let me know.
Word Count: 1.3K😳
Background Info: Ok so this happens within a MUCH larger work so a little bit of background: This takes place shortly after the Battle of Lola Sayu, aka The Citadel. The explosion that took Echo is also how Bryn lost her hand. Brynn is trying to cope with the “death” of Echo, and Fives is there for her.
Feedback is always welcome! 😁
“Shut your damn mouth Fives,” I hiss into the ARC trooper’s mouth, “Stop talking and just fuck me.”
“Brynn…” he responds, breaking away from my desperate hold, “Brynn, you aren’t in your right mind.”
“You have my consent and I’m sober for the first time in days. Just,” I take a deep breath, “let me feel something other than pain.”
After Lola Sayu, if you were to ask any other member of Torrent, I spiraled. Echo is my first real loss after the clusterfuck that was our defense of Rishi Station. In the end, it was only Echo, Fives, and I. I had no one else, I survived with no one else. So why not seek out a quick distraction with the final person I have closest to me?
“Please, just one more time for my piece of mind,” Fives grabs my wandering hands from his armor. I am brutally reminded that I can only feel from one of them, my cybernetic fritzing once again as I get any sort of worked up. This Maker-forsaken thing will piss me off to no end.
“Fives, you are all I have left. Beginning to end, I’ve had you by my side,” My eyes cant downwards, tears beginning to brim over my eyes, as I force the words in a single, desperate breath, “I may not be a whole, complete version of myself, but I need to know that I can still feel something other than pain and loss. Do your favorite medic a favor.”
Driven by desperation, I lock eyes with the ARC trooper in front of me as I push him further into my desk in the medbay. Grasping the back of his neck and bringing him down to meet my lips, I manage to maneuver him to the edge of the desk before further driving my weight into the fully kitted ARC. Fives collapses against the durasteel frame and I follow him down, moving to straddle his thighs without breaking my desperate kiss. Feeling the codpiece on his armor catch the seam of my blacks, I stifle a moan before knocking the contents of my desk—my datapad and a few other bits of flimsi, onto the floor.
“Gods, Fives please,” I practically beg. The ARC trooper grasps the back of my thighs before flipping us over.
“You want what you want mesh’la,” Fives gives a lopsided grin, “Just promise you won't fall in love with me,” he finishes with a quick wink.
Deft fingers move to the band of my blacks, grasping them before pulling them down over my knees. After my pants hit the floor, Fives makes quick work ridding me of my blacks entirely, leaving me in only my chest binder and my comfortable, regulation underwear.
“It could be sexier, I know,” I tell him hastily, “But this isn’t supposed to be sexy. Now fuck me within an inch of my life.”
Fives replies with only a grin before he places my thighs over his pauldrons, pressing his face into my aching core.
“Stars, darlin—you always smell so sweet. I know you taste even better.” Fives barely pulls my underwear off my legs before latching his lips over my clit, roughly tracing his tongue over the bud.
“Fuck, Fives!” I shout as I throw my head back against my desk. I thread my fingers into his curls, moaning at the feeling of his tongue over my folds.
Fives pulls his lips from my center, sucking so hard an audible pop sounds as he looks me in the eye.
“Don’t act surprised Tiny, you created this.” Fives shoots me another smirk before setting off to remove his armor pieces. I stare at the meticulous routine set before me, marveling at him as inch after inch of tanned skin is exposed to my wandering eyes. I stand back up to the ARC trooper, forcing him to look down at my wide eyes.
“You’re Force-damned right I did. And will never regret it.” I whisper at him before placing my palms on his chest. Curling my fingers, I lightly drag my nails down his torso as I lower myself onto my knees before him. I feel him shiver under my touch when my hands reach his hip bones.
“Ah ah ah, mesh’la. Tonight is about you,” he stops me from raising his hard cock to my lips. Bringing me back up to my feet, the ARC trooper drags my body closer to his bare chest. I feel Fives’ calloused hands down my arms, reaching to my side to release the concealed zipper of my binder. The fabric drops from my body and Fives continues to inch his warm hands further down my body.
Rough hands find the soft flesh on the back of my thighs and Fives whispers in my ear, “Jump, sweet thing,” he nips at my neck as he moves to press me against the chilly durasteel wall.
When my legs wrap around his narrow hips, I feel him, achingly hard against my center. Smooth thrusts bring the head of Fives’ cock against my swollen clit before catching at the opening of my soaked core.
“Just like Rishi, sweetheart,” breathless words ghost over my ear, “Take me like I know you can.”
With one slow thrust, Fives buries himself in me. He chokes on his moan and my eyes roll into the back of my head. The familiar stretch of his cock does more than my fingers have in weeks. The tension rises low in my belly, consuming my body in a few deep thrusts. I have a fleeting moment of thanks that I am not on my feet, because I would surely be unable to support myself. Digging my nails into the meat of the ARC trooper’s shoulders, I throw my head back towards the wall.
“Look at me sweet girl,” Fives brings one hand up to caress my jaw, angling my head towards his sweet honey eyes, “Fuck Brynn, you’re doin’ so good for me.” His hand leaves my face to snake between our hot bodies.
“Maker Fives!” I keen as his free hand makes contact, rolling my clit between his calloused fingers, “Fives, I want to feel cum you inside me.” The tension begins to crest, my walls clenching around Fives’ deliberate thrusts.
“I can feel you. Cum for me, sweet thing.” With his words I feel my pussy clench down on his rigid cock, milking the ARC trooper for everything he’s got. My head rolls back again as Fives continues to thrust into my spent cunt. His grunts send shivers down my neck and he thrusts one final time, deep into me. His hot release fills me— I lock onto the feeling and abandon everything else.
Against the wall of the medbay office, Fives rests his forehead on my shoulder,
“Maker, I always knew you’d be the one to forever make a mess on my cock.”
I reply breathlessly, “I taught you everything you fucking know. Back on Rishi you’d just be cumming in your blacks. I taught you—never forget that. “
Fives laughs at my admission, “Was that distraction enough?” Bringing my cybernetic hand to his lips, he lays gentle kisses against the metal,
“Fives, you have no fucking idea.”
“You know I got more where that came from.” He smirks while raising his eyebrows suggestively.
My head finally feels clear as Fives pulls himself out of me, the pain of loss no longer at the forefront of my mind. I maneuver him towards the cot against the back wall,
“Stay with me tonight?” I ask, “Please?” When I fall onto the stiff cot, I turn to see Fives bringing over our undergarments.
“I’m all for sleeping naked with you, but we probably shouldn’t scar Lyra so soon in her tenure with the 501st.” He pulls up his grey boxer-briefs over his hips and I stifle a giggle as I put my binder and underwear back on.
“Thank you for reminding me that I can still feel the good emotions, Fives,” I say, laying down on Fives’ chest.
I only hear a mumble of Mando’a before succumbing to the sweet pressure of sleep.
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Tagging who I think would enjoy ❤️
@rowansparrow @djarrex @truechaoticneutral @writingbylee
33 notes • Posted 2021-11-24 07:28:17 GMT
#1
THE SPEED AT WHICH MY CELL PHONE FLEW ACROSS MY BED ROOM WHEN I SAW THIS
@djarrex sweet lord I feel like i have transcended this plane of existence
Your Post Order 66 Rex series is one of my two GO TO fics—the other being By Any Other Name by the glorious @rowansparrow (if you haven’t read it I HIGHLY RECOMMEND)
but oh my god
thank you🥺 this made my GOD DAMN DAY
33 notes • Posted 2021-09-09 23:23:45 GMT
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Hi! First off, I'd like to say your blog has been an amazing resource and thank you for all the feedback you've given people. I'm writing a sci-fi/fantasy story and one of the protagonists is blind due to having no eyes. They are not human and the "no eyes" thing is not considered normal for their species. Their parents are well-meaning but horribly ableist to the point of funding a corrupt research facility in exchange for a possible "cure". I wanted to use this because I think it helps illustrate an aspect of their people's culture that needs to change as well as the desperation, misguided as it may be, to "help" a loved one, which is a theme that comes up later. However, looking at it again, I'm not sure how appropriate that is, given how damaging real life ableism is and how I am not disabled myself. I was also wondering what your thoughts are related to the kind of blind jokes where the joke has more to do with someone else forgetting the blind character can't see, like in Avatar
Blind Character With No Eyes, a Bit of Info on Prosthetic Eyes, Ableist Parents Who Want a Cure, and Possible Blind Jokes
Hi anon! Thanks for your question. I have helped someone with a similar question before, so I’ll use some of the same resources and if you need more help, feel free to ask.
I’m not sure how I feel about the no eyes thing. Personally I would prefer to see prosthetic eyes used in media more. If this character was born with no eyes, it might be okay, but generally the loss of eyes can affect the bone structure of the face. So, with that in mind, I assume this would also be a risk of being born with no eyes. Depending on the type of creature this character is, you might be able to deal with this if you account for it in the narrative. At the very least, they might have a ‘comforter’ put in to support the structure of their face.
Since this character is not human, it is up to you. If you go the prosthetic eyes route, you can make it more relatable for blind readers, especially because prosthetic eyes are uncommon in sci-fi creatures. I don’t have a prosthetic eye myself, but here is an FAQ about the process of getting a prosthetic eye. These fake eyes do cost a lot, but if the character’s parents fund a research facility, I don’t think it would be a problem. Joy Ross also has videos of her prosthetic eyes on YouTube. Her channel was suggested to me by a follower I helped with some prosthetic eye research.
As always, I suggest having at least one other blind character at minimum.
If you decide to continue with the no eyes thing, I would advise researching animals born with no eyes and seeing what happened with them. You might be able to research humans as well, but I don’t know how human-like your character is. You can also research how to write changes in bone structure due to a lack of eyes. If you don’t, the lack of changes should be explained somehow in the story. If you go this route, I would suggest adding more blind characters aside from the main character. My suggestion is at least two other blind characters with different kinds of blindness, but if you can add more, that would help.
As for the cure part, I like the focus on ableism and the ableism in wanting a cure for their blind child. I think it is a nice contrast to the prevalent cure narrative. It could also possibly help readers see how common and upsetting this can be, how wanting a cure when your child doesn’t tells them they aren’t accepted as they are and that their bodily autonomy is not respected as it should be. I will say that this is a very sensitive subject in real life and will require not only nuance, but also a few sensitivity readers. @sensitivityreaders should be useful.
This type of parenting is surprisingly common even if it takes different forms. It can be unwanted religious healing, discouraging blind kids from using a cane or reading Braille, assuming the child wants to be cured, limiting what the child is allowed to attempt, and surgeries. I have experience with many of these myself from different areas of my life, although not as much from my parents.
The sensitive part comes in with how you portray the parents. They should be relatable, but still portrayed as in the wrong. Because even loving their child does not mean they cannot be ableist, especially because their society, like ours, wouldn’t tell them they are wrong. The cure narrative is so prevalent that non-disabled people think it’s okay because they would want a cure for their disability if they had one. The reality is that, unless it causes them pain, many people with physical disabilities do not wish for a cure. A cure may even be impossible or painful for them and hoping for one might decrease their chances of getting aids they need or managing their disability or condition in a way that works best for them.
For example, would the parents discourage the character from using a cane while they wait for this cure? And is there even a cure for such a condition? There certainly isn’t one in real life.
As for if you should continue with the parental ableism plot, I’m not sure. Part of me thinks you could pull it off if you have a lot of sensitivity readers (with as many blind readers as possible). I also think having a few blind characters with supportive, accepting parents would be helpful. I also feel like it might be one of those stories I really like it if it is portrayed well. It isn’t that I think non-blind people shouldn’t write such a thing, but this is also one of those times where I don’t know what the wider community thinks either. And this could go badly if not handled well.
However, we also don’t see this type of story as often, with the cure being portrayed as obviously bad. With parents who are otherwise loving being portrayed as ableist because they want to cure their child. Something that is normally portrayed as a good thing by writers who don’t know what they’re doing.
I would suggest avoiding parents being otherwise abusive, forcing or coercing the character into surgeries, and otherwise taking away any of their bodily autonomy. This has real life consequences and I know I don’t want to read about it from the point of view of someone who has never experienced it. I also don’t want to see the character face unnecessarily physical altercations or violence or medical trauma.
I personally would feel better if this was just an emotional or mental thing. I don’t want to see the character get hurt or be forced into anything. It sounds like you aren’t planning on anything like that, but I wanted to share all my thoughts just in case they are helpful to you or anyone who is reading. I would also feel better if, after publishing this and being paid, you were able to donate a bit of your author rates to organizations for blind people in your country. Assuming you are going that route. If not, you could simply share some helpful links along with your story, both resources and educational links for people who aren’t disabled.
If you decide to write this plot, I’m going to say it should be fine for me personally as long as you also have sensitivity readers and have other blind characters (more than one extra) who has non-ableist parents.
In terms of the extra blind characters, here is my thinking so you have it all together. You need:
-at least 1 other blind character at minimum to avoid tokenism, if you don’t have 1 already.
-if you go with the no eyes thing, at least 2 other blind characters who have eyes.
-if you go with the prosthetic eyes, at least 1 other blind character.
-at least 2 other blind characters with accepting, supportive parents who aren’t ableist
That is the minimum. I always encourage as many blind characters as you would like to include.
Back to the parents plot. I wish I could give you a straight answer. Unfortunately I’m not sure myself. I would like to open this to any blind or otherwise disabled people who would like to share their thoughts on a non-disabled person writing a plot such as this. Should they write this or should it be more ownvoices? What might help you feel better about this if they decided to do it?
As for the jokes, I would proceed with caution. I thought they worked well in Avatar, but that was a specific situation and in real life those kinds of jokes can sometimes be cruel. To be fair, the characters always made it a point to apologize to Toph in the show. In real life, some of the jokes or reprimands I get are about how I should see something because it is right in front of my face. This can be embarrassing for me.
Can it be done well? Yes. Do I want to see everyone attempt it? No.
I wouldn’t mind if the blind character made some jokes themselves, but I would keep these to a minimum.
However, if you would really like to include a joke or two, you can always run them by a few sensitivity readers and see how they read. Some jokes might do well in specific situations and some might not. Jokes are pretty easy to edit in and out, so, as you write, I suggest making note of the joke and running it by sensitivity readers.
Here’s a post on blind jokes. It can be one of those things where if it works, it works. If it doesn’t, it can stand out in a bad way and even seem cruel or uninformed if it isn’t called out as such. I don’t know if this will help, but here is another post I made, although this is about strangers who haven’t met blind people or have and still don’t know much about them, but make jokes anyway.
So, to wrap this up, I’ll leave you with this. Some of the information here isn’t as concrete as you may have liked. I can’t give you an answer for some of it. But if you are open to listening, that will show. Having a lot of different blind characters can help with almost any trope with a few exceptions, and getting multiple sensitivity readers will also help.
Good luck on planning your project!
-BlindBeta
#blind#ableism#the cure trope#the cure narrative#blind jokes#prosthetic eyes#blind characters eye conditions#blind characters ; eyes#writeblr community#writing blind characters#blind sensitivity reader
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I just finished watching Demon Slayer and now I’m at a loss for what to watch next. Suggestions?
Demon Slayer is one of my favorite anime of 2019, and after watching it all I wanted was more. So until the movie comes out this year and hopefully another season here are some recommendations. Hope this helps!
Banana Fish (10/10): Banana Fish tells the story of Eiji who has traveled to NYC from Japan to take photos. In NYC he meets Ash Lynx the head of the local gang. They form an unlikely friendship and Ash learns about companionship and friendship. Besides being packed with action, this anime also is centered around learning about the mysterious Banana Fish and understanding the truth. Drama, Mystery, Violence, Crime, Suspense, Psychological, Drugs, Gangs
Erased (9/10): This murder mystery story also has supernatural elements. After Satoru’s loved ones end up in danger at the hands of a serial killer he finds himself transported into the past. Back to when he was in elementary school. Now to save his loved ones in the future he must stop Kayo, his fellow classmate, from being murdered. Armed only with his adult reasoning skills Satoru must find the killer and bring them to justice. Psychological, Supernatural, Time Travel, Suspense, Drama
Death Note (10/10): Light finds himself in possession of a shinigami, a God of Death’s, notebook. With this Death Note, Light can kill anyone as long as he knows what they look like and has their name. It starts as Light condemning criminals and starts to grow until he is known to the media as Kira. In order to defeat Kira, a detective known only as L steps into the picture. Light needs to learn L’s real name so he can kill him before L learns that Light is really Kira. This is a psychological battle of wits that tests the resolves of everyone involved and asks the question ‘who has the right to play god’. Thriller, Violence, Action, Mystery
Death Parade (9/10): Decim runs the bar that all people must go to after they die. This anime questions the morals of mankind and tests the strengths of people’s will. After completing a random game the bar participants are sentenced with either reincarnation or oblivion. I recommend this anime because I see similarities to how Nezuko is a demon, but fights for her human half. Mystery, Psychological
Dororo (2019) (10/10): Lord Daigo is a greedy samurai lord that wants his land to prosper and is willing to make a deal with the 12 demon lords. To gain the power, Daigo’s son is cursed to be born with no limbs, no nose, no eyes, no ears, and no skin. However, the child still lives. The child is cast away from Daigo and Daigo’s land starts to prosper. However, 16 years have passed and now the child, Hyakkimaru, has come to take back his body from the demons. He’s armed with state of the art prosthetics and great battle skills. Hyakkimaru is joined by a young Dororo who helps him regain his humanity. In both series the characters are victims of demon’s actions and must regain their humanity. Historical, Supernatural, Demons, Adventure, Action
Beyond the Boundary (9/10): Both of these anime show us that the ‘bad guy’ isn’t always the bad guy. For Demon Slayer, we are made to believe that demons are blood thirsty and evil. However, Nezuko shows us that they can retain their humanity and through strength of will can overcome demon tendencies. For Beyond the Boundary, the spirit world warriors believe that the youmu are the source of all evil. However, when Mirai a spirit warrior meets Akihito who is half human half youmu she can’t kill him because he’s immortal. This fact doesn’t stop Mirai from trying to kill Akihito every chance she can. Since they spend so much time together she slowly starts to realize that he isn’t as terrible as all the stories about youmu had made her believe. Action, Supernatural, Mystery
Sankarea (8/10): If the element of Demon Slayer that you really liked was the fact that Nezuko came back from the dead as a supernatural being you might like Sankarea. In Sankarea, Rea was just a normal high school girl until she returns from the dead as a zombie thanks to Chihiro who was trying to resurrect this dead cat. Now Rea needs to learn how to live again, and hopes to get revenge on the person that killed her. Romance, Supernatural, Zombie
Attack on Titan (9/10): Maybe you like the action and blood from Demon Slayer. If so then Attack on Titan might be the next best show for you. Attack on Titan centers around Eren who watches his mother get eaten by a titan after they break through the wall. Eren goes through training to get stronger and fights alongside his two friends Armin and Mikasa. Armin is smart by timid while Mikasa is silent and deadly. This anime is filled with heart racing action, the mystery behind the beings known as titans, and character casualties (if you’re into that lol) Action, Violence, Gore, Supernatural, Thriller
Dusk Maiden of Amnesia (9/10): For the past 60 years a ghost as been haunting the school where she mysteriously died. The ghost, Yuuko, doesn’t remember how she met her end and enlists the help of the Paranormal Investigations Club for help. Teiichi can actually see ghosts and he wants to help Yuuko learn the truth. As they work together to learn the truth they learn that perhaps the thing people should fear is not ghosts, but other humans Mystery, Romance, Thriller
Tokyo Ghoul (9/10): Ken Kaneki lives a normal life until one day he is lured into a trap by a ghoul named Rize. Her plan was to eat him, but her plans backfire and result in her death and Kaneki becoming a ghoul. Now he must learn how to control his hunger for human flesh and not lose his humanity. Meanwhile, the ghoul community is hunting him since he’s Rize’s successor Thriller, Action, Supernatural, Psychological, Mystery
#demon slayer#anime#anime recommendation#banana fish#Death Note#Death Parade#erased#dororo#sankarea#beyond the boundary#attack on titan#shingeki no kyojin#tokyo ghoul#Dusk Maiden of Amnesia#ask box#recommendations
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Review: SAC_2045
(~3,700 words, 15 minutes)
This post will contain some minor spoilers for SAC_2045.
Summary: You may have thought SAC_2045 was a poor entry in the Ghost in the Shell franchise - actually, it's just intended for younger audiences.
Previously: Standalone Complex 202045:1-4 (superseded)
-☆☆☆-
And what did you think of the remaining episodes of GitS:SAC_2045?
[ @irradiate-space ]
Standalone Complex
There's a certain indescribable feeling associated with Ghost in the Shell: Standalone Complex as a work, an artistic touch related to the director associated with it, independent of other considerations. SAC_2045 has it, which isn't too surprising since Kenji Kamiyama is back.
SAC_2045 is Standalone Complex. For a brief moment, while watching it, I inhabited my pre-2016 personality and outlook. I can't tell you how much that means to me. Since the arrival of streaming I've tended to bingewatch series, but on the first run-through I decided not to bingewatch this one.
If you approach this show as season 4 of Standalone Complex (Solid State Society being season 3), it's underwhelming. Now, viewing it again, it's become obvious that a conventional season 4 of Standalone Complex was never the intent of SAC_2045 to begin with.
For those of you who have delayed until now, the English dub has been uploaded - it released without one due to the pandemic. They bring back a number of the voice actors from the excellent Standalone Complex dub, though having already watched it with subtitles, I didn't feel the need to confirm the dub's quality.
Sustainable War
To properly describe a new theory of war is the same thing as to invent it. While the idea of war as a for-profit industry has been kicked around for some time, it's generally assumed that this is a kind of parasitic relationship on the part of the war-making industry.
As time goes on, warfare becomes more abstract (partly because warfare happens where it can happen), much like society itself is becoming more abstract as information moves more quickly and humanity gains access to more energy.[1] In SAC_2045, "Sustainable War" is part of the context of the world and its current issues, but we aren't really told how it works - if it's similar to contemporary information warfare and a blurring of the lines between state and non-state actors, it's bound to be quite confusing.
I believe my earlier assessment of "Sustainable War" is correct. The key feature of sustainable war, the reason they say it's safe if you leave it to the experts, is likely that it involves AIs constantly forecasting against each other and moving units around with few direct confrontations. The goal would be to lock in a victory without having to fire a shot, except for small skirmishes that don't escalate to major incidents (due to the AI forecasting).
The presence of armed separatist movements even in Japan may also indicate that the ruling institutional bodies are engaged in a kind of Post-International Politics,[2] which treats all international relations as fundamentally existing between subnational entities - however, I believe that later information suggests this wasn't their original intent.
What makes it "sustainable"? Since if done correctly, very little is actually physically destroyed, the cost is less than conventional warfare, and thus the war can continue indefinitely. Why does it threaten humanity with destruction? Because there's an awful lot of military hardware waiting for someone to actually pull the trigger.
Season 1: Ep. 2
So what is the intent of the series' creators? I think they may be telling us through this dialogue between Togusa and Section Chief Daisuke Aramaki in episode 2.
Aramaki: Seems time has toughened you up.
Togusa: Is that supposed to be a compliment?
Aramaki: It is if you want it to be.
Togusa: Then thanks for the kind words. “I made the right decision by choosing this line of work over my marriage.” That’s what you’re saying?
Aramaki: Perhaps.
[...]
Togusa: They're bringing back Section 9?
[...]
Aramaki: But my takeaway from the proposal is this: The PM's reason for the urgent reforming of Section 9 takes priority over his personal motives. I believe his true objective is meeting the Americans' demands for the dispatch of special resources.
Togusa: So it's as the Liberals feared? An American-born Prime Minister would be no more than an American puppet?
Aramaki: I've yet to meet him in person, so I can't really say. But this is an opportunity to have the Major and the rest of you undertake a major operation for me once more.
Togusa: What sort of op?
Aramaki: Over the past few years, I have searched for an answer on how to deal with a society in turmoil. I'd like you people to lay the groundwork that will help the next generation find that answer.
Togusa: I don't know what a man in my position can contribute, but I'll humbly offer whatever assistance I can.
Those of us who cried, Kamiyama, tell us the future once more! based on Standalone Complex's prophetic analysis of a memetic crime wave were bound to be disappointed. SAC_2045 is less rooted in the near future than in the now - cyberbullying, endless war amidst historic prosperity, employment suppressed by automation, savings eaten up by the complex machinations of finance, and a breakdown of national borders? That's today.
Those of us who hoped for a Ghost in the Shell: Unicorn, a psychically overpowering work that synthesizes the full body of Ghost in the Shell into a single coherent form to elevate us to a higher level of understanding, should have tempered our expectations. To reach each new philosophical level is more difficult than the last - to achieve that with Ghost in the Shell of all things would have required a multidisciplinary genius near the limits of current understanding.
Kenji Kamiyama is just an anime director. And anyhow, Gundam Unicorn was a book before it was an animated series. And who among us even knew we'd have to write a book before 2015? Ghost in the Shell was well-understood enough, so I instead wrote 25,000 words worth of hypothetical country and became a blogger, like the infamous Scott Alexander.[3]
If we approach SAC_2045 from the lens that it's a humbler work designed for younger audiences, however, some of the creative decisions make more sense.
Purin
Just how old is Purin, the MIT grad who joins the team later on? If I had to guess, that's '23歳' on that profile she provides, and Ishikawa notes that she 'skipped a few grades' on her way to a PhD. But she acts like someone a lot younger. She's enthusiastic and we're assured she's intelligent, but seems to be lacking social training. For example, she makes the mistake of assembling an era-accurate music player for Batou combined with a playlist after consulting the Tachikomas to find out what he listens to. There are two ways to take this.
The first is that she's intended as a relateable character for someone who would make this class of mistake. It's the sort of mistake I might have made at age 13-14, meaning that the show would probably be aimed at someone that age or lower. Overly enthusiastic, doesn't understand romantic relationships, impulsive, poor reading of boundaries / poor modelling of others outside of certain domains, impulsive in a way that causes social screw-ups? Yeah that could certainly apply to an ADHD kid of about that age.
And all of a sudden the tone of the first five episodes with the gun-fighting, the literal Agent Smith, the decision to place the focus in America, and even the mystery of the series being much simpler than Standalone Complex 2nd Gig's plot regarding Asian refugees in Japan make a lot more sense. This is Ghost in the Shell for kids!
Wow, I didn't think that could be done!
...is what I should say, except that around the time I acquired the ability to futurist shitpost, and I used that ability to predict that it would.
Purin II
The second reading is that the youth of the future are fucked up. She probably has some tricked out modifications, both cybernetic and genetic. Now usually you would tell someone to try to become a well-rounded human being. But...
The global economy has crashed. Batou mistakes her for a robot - creatures that look like pretty young women are a dime a dozen. In the dating market, she would be competing with full sensory immersion VR pornography on the one hand, and at the upper end of society where cybernetics are more widely available, likely women with a similar appearance but decades more experience and professional standing.
Note that in the original Standalone Complex, the team take down an 80-year-old Russian spy with the full prosthetic body of a 20-year-old. Full cyborgs aren't common then, nor are they in SAC_2045 (though cyberbrains are ubiquitous), but if the economy recovers that may change, and the sector she's trying to get in to (full-time salaried government rather than marginal private employment it would seem) is going to be very tough to enter either way.
So Purin may have to be over-optimized even to just appear on the screen. In fact, she says,
"Just so I could work at Section 9, I moved most of my sentimental memories to external storage."
Youch! It's no wonder she's socially maladjusted. Just how much of her social learning (in particular key events necessary to rebuild logical inferences on the boundaries of behavior on the fly) has she locked away?
Purin III
But you know who Purin looks like? Notorious internet personality, Gamer Girl Bath Water seller, and IRL video game character Belle Delphine.[4]
Or rather, it's the other way around - 2D animation compresses real detail into suggestive abstraction, letting your mind fill in the rest. Going from those impossible 2D shapes to 3 dimensions creates strange results, like training your machine learning algorithm on the salient features of a cat's face, applying it to human shape, and putting pink hair on the result. Belle Delphine adopts that otherworldly kind of appearance as part of her act.
Technically, this a stylistic choice. Within the framework of SAC_2045, this is what "a 23-year-old female" looks like.
Purin is in fact so non-threatening that her big red coat obscures her figure. I'm gonna go with younger audience. Now if only I could remember what pronoun she uses.[5/☆]
Motoko
With a full prosthetic body, outward signs of human-like aging are almost an artistic expression, much like in a world with cheap tissue engineering, visible scars are a choice.
When she was first introduced in the original Ghost in the Shell manga, we don't know how old Motoko Kusanagi is. It was once said that her name is analogous to "Jane Excalibur," which in English would be an obvious alias. In the first movie (from 1995), she's cool, almost cold and robotic.
In the original Standalone Complex, Motoko has a more mature personality than in the manga, but she has a clearly adult look by the standards of anime. Seriously, check out this fantastic character design (combat suit), although admittedly the better-known "leather jacket and bathing suit" design is more ridiculous, fashion-wise.[6] (Fortunately, she gets pants in her much more stylish second season outfit.)
ARISE starts off with a young Motoko Kusanagi in a chaotic post-war period before the Section 9 we know was assembled. This shows in her character design, but it really shows in her personality. This was actually why I had joked about an even earlier Ghost in the Shell.
There is a sense in which the 2017 live-action movie's Motoko is even younger. Scarlett Johansson is a killer cyborg with amnesia. She doesn't even have one day of formal combat training.
Motoko 2045
Ilya Kuvshinov designed SAC_2045's Motoko Kusanagi.
Yes, that Ilya Kuvshinov. You could be forgiven for thinking this is a teenager that hardboiled assassins Saitou and Ishikawa in the background have been hired to bodyguard.
Despite this, Atsuko Tanaka has resumed her role as Motoko's voice actress. Standalone Complex's Motoko looked 25 and felt mid-30s. SAC_2045's Motoko looks 16 and has the voice and attitude of 40.
This may make more sense than you might think.
Through Whose Eyes?
Throughout much of Ghost in the Shell as a franchise, Togusa, the only non-cyborg on the team, who is pulled from a police department instead of a military background, tends to be character used to help the people of our time relate to the future. He's the guy that doesn't know the things we also don't know, so in explaining concepts to Togusa they're explained to the audience.
In SAC_2045, most of the team are off doing cool cyborg things in America. Aramaki (whose in-world function is to create the bureaucratic environment within which Section 9 operates) tasks Togusa with finding them. The original Standalone Complex first aired in 2003. It's been 17 years since it was created - a similar situation to finding someone that reached adulthood who was born after 9/11. And during this time, Togusa's life has changed - the family man is now separated from his wife. And the world has changed - Togusa is now working for a private security firm. Togusa's role in the first five episodes isn't to guide the new viewers.
His purpose is to guide or stand-in for the old viewers.
The New Viewers
"Do you still hold a grudge against the Major and the others for leaving you behind?"
For the original viewers, SAC_2045 is your world, too. Togusa is there. Togusa is you.
The new viewers are Purin. Enthusiastic and smart but awkward and not confident in their skills. How could they measure up to these much more talented and experienced characters? (Also consider who is going to watch any sort of Ghost in the Shell - it's probably going to be a moderately bright and introverted kid, who is the kind of person that may be more comfortable socializing with people outside of their age band.)
But Motoko is visually separated from the rest of Section 9. Batou, Saitou, Ishikawa, Boma... they all have a much more adult look in keeping with their appearance in previous versions of Ghost in the Shell. What gives?
Batou is sort of a cool adult male figure - this is actually a pretty natural use of the character and his sense of humor as previously established in other Ghost in the Shell properties. We especially see this come through in 「PIE IN THE SKY - First Bank Robbery」 episode, with the old folks and the 21st century bank robbery.
Motoko's difference in appearance is because she's acting as a bridge between the two. The new viewer (as represented by Purin) is supposed to grow into being like Motoko as they gain confidence and experience. (The characters aren't each limited to a single role, of course.)
But SAC_2045 is still a work that's shared between two groups, similar to how the excellent Into the Spiderverse features both the teenage Miles Morales and an older Peter Parker that has lost his way, with the loss of the vibrant young adult Peter Parker being what starts the plot going.
The Last Quarter
With this framework, the rest of the work should express its nature as targeted at a younger audience itself. Watch the last few episodes through this lens and you'll see how much sense it makes. One takes place at a school. Even the bizarre 3D style that resembles recent video games makes more sense. If we take Togusa's earlier conversation with Aramaki as a discussion of SAC_2045 itself, later on there's even a sort of acknowledgement that Ghost in the Shell is a difficult work for someone of a young age.
So with that context in mind, does it work?
Standalone Complex
If I remember correctly, years ago, when I was perhaps 15 or 16, I was watching a tiny CRT television some time after midnight, and I saw the thirteenth episode of the original Standalone Complex - NOT EQUAL. It was like nothing I had ever seen before. I was immediately taken by it. And, from what I remember, I immediately understood it.
It was as though it were made just for me.[7]
To me, Ghost in the Shell is like a textbook. I thought that as a creator who has reached a place where I am able to be involved in that kind of work, I'm in a position where I have to convey its contents to a younger audience. Well, I knew it would be a lot of work, but I figured it would be my way of giving back to Ghost in the Shell. I thought that I needed to accept the baton and offer Ghost in the Shell to a young audience, to the same degree that Ghost in the Shell raised me to be who I am.
- Tow Ubukata, in a 2015 interview, regarding ARISE
For many people, Ghost in the Shell is a profound influence. I felt that it lifted me to a new level of understanding.
SAC_2045
But what about SAC_2045?
I can't view Ghost in the Shell with new eyes. When I first saw it, I wasn't the kind of person that casually memes futuristic ethical dilemmas as a means of practicing politics.
Compared to the anime I watched back when I was 13, would I have watched SAC_2045? Yes. Is it more philosophically and politically sophisticated? Yes. Would I have found it memorable? I think so.
Would a 13-year these days watch it? That's difficult to assess. I bet someone who does data science for Netflix could tell us, if they wanted. I'm sure Kenji Kamiyama and Shinji Aramaki are considering the same thing.
2017
How does it stack up compared to the rest of the franchise?
For most enthusiasts it's going to be one of the weaker entries, though it certainly does a better job explaining itself than ARISE.
Compare it to 2017's live action movie, however, and I think we'll find it isn't the weakest. The reason is that the writers of Ghost in the Shell (2017) decided to tell a story about bodily consent in which becoming a cyborg is a form of trauma. On some level this may have been a reasonable decision, but they didn't commit to the concept sufficiently fully to execute it well enough to carry the movie - and simultaneously, they dumbed down parts of the regular Ghost in the Shell material for American audiences. As a result the movie flopped both financially and artistically - except for the visuals.
In fact, I wrote a sequence of posts (1, 2, 3, 4) on how to rewrite the live action movie as an actual Ghost in the Shell property. I feel no need to do so for SAC_2045 - and I can't even think of what changes would need to be made.
I look forward to the second season.
-☆☆☆-
[1] It's short, but that's a concept in this post. "Advanced by Left-Wing theorists, Ninth Generation warfare sees all acts as existing on a spectrum of political violence. Most acts of ninth generation warfare consist of extreme pranks."
[2] If we accept the idea of "Fifth-Generation Warfare" as motivated by a desire to prevent the enemy from using their conventional military assets, then a corresponding theory of international politics would involve preventing enemy factions within foreign governments from taking control of those governments' institutions - effectively treating all countries as in continuous level of conflict analogous to a soft civil war.
[3] There is a kind of technique to this, but in my case I substituted ADHD for raw IQ and conscientiousness, which is part of why my posts are so much shorter than, for instance, Moldbug's. In any case, technically, Scott's blog posts on the matter amount to roughly a mere 11,600 words, and the book of the black forest amounts to approximately 26,000 words (which I'm told is entertaining reading), but I'm sure if we go looking we can find an additional 15,000 words worth of worldbuilding from a man known for writing 16,000 word blog posts.
[4] Would it be more of a legal liability to sell regular water with GGBW branding, or actual GGBW that could prove to be a potential health hazard?
[5/☆] There's some future strand lurking beneath the surface here that I can't quite put into words; a culturally divergent moe meltdown where an appearance this ridiculous becomes normalized among some sub-population. To quote the Funko Pop Hatred post,
There are questions about the anatomy of anime people and their internal organs, and particularly about what sort of impact-dampening alien meta-material their softer bits are made out of, but at least homo sapiens gokuensis looks like it’s a branch off a similar starting hominid! Whatever transhuman engineering company was responsible for manufacturing the creatures in the typical harem anime has some weird ideas about human beings, but we’re clearly in their ancient lineage somewhere.
Under Late Safetyism, everyone is a declawed catgirl.
Anyhow, I don't want to alarm you, but I can't guarantee that this won't be the future somewhere. Both Purin and Belle Delphine resemble Xiaoice, "The AI Girlfriend Seducing China's Lonely Men." (2020)
[6] Motoko's ridiculous outfits are a major flex on the non-cyborgs, who aren't indifferent to ambient temperature and whose natural bodies may have unflattering features. Similarly wild fashions can exist in places like Second Life, a 3D digital platform with mostly user-uploaded content. Presumably they're also a flex on every Japanese salaryman who still has to dress like a normal guy.
[7] "It's as though it were made just for me" is also how I feel about the original game Mirror's Edge. Its follow-up, Catalyst, is also a personal favorite of mine.
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Everything Wrong With The Umbrella Academy. Episode 8, I Heard a Rumor.
This episode is particularly brutal. Warnings include child abuse, domestic abuse, suicide, rape, gore, and manipulation. Keep yourself safe.
We Only See Each Other at Weddings and Funerals
Run Boy Run
Extra Ordinary
Man on the Moon
Number Five
The Day That Wasn’t
The Day That Was
Disclaimer: This is all in good fun! I wanted to do a really nitpicky re-watch of the series and found some really cool and interesting things I didn’t notice before. This is meant to have a Cinema Sins-esque tone. However, I did take off a lot more sins than Cinema Sins would have because I do genuinely like the series and the people that made it possible. So all of the good things got one sin off and all the bad things got one sin added. This is a really long post, so grab some popcorn. If there’s anything that I missed, feel free to add it!
I would also like to add that normally you wouldn’t watch a show this way. I am purposefully looking for mistakes, easter eggs, and other things that we’re not supposed to notice. I am watching not with the goal of entertainment, but for analysis. So most of the things that I sin, I am seeing for the first time.
Also, no I can’t do better. I am in no way qualified to give this level of criticism about anything. I am not taking this seriously. At all.
I Heard a Rumor
Stormy Weather by Etta James. I adore this song. When I first watched the show I was so happy when this song came on.-1
I am also taking a sin off for the Emmy Raver-Lampman version -1
It looks like Allison genuinely adores her daughter. And Claire’s bedroom? I would want to have that room now and I am at least ten years older than her. -1
Speaking of, how old is Claire? Sin until we have answers. +1
The animations for the story of The Umbrella Academy defeating the robbers at the museum. -2
“While your Uncle Klaus got a little distracted.” What did Klaus do on missions again? +1
Allison carefully censors the mission so she is still telling the truth but doesn’t actually say that Diego used knives or that Ben used the horror to (presumably, we don’t know how much control Ben had) kill four people. Good job. See Reggie, this is how you don’t traumatise your kid with violence. -1
“Their leader.” Looks suspiciously like a villain from the comics. -1
“I wanna hear the one about the Eiffel tower.” Me too, Claire. Especially since the magazine clips we see suggest Five was there this time. -1
Mind control. ON A CHILD. This is what bothers me the most about Allison as a character and I am glad that she is moving past it. However, in no universe can I let this go. Depending on how Allison used it, Claire’s emotional control could be fucked for life. +40
Patrick behaves like a rational human being and doesn’t blow up at Allison for this in front of their child. He also divorces her in order to keep said child safe. Good. -1
“I heard a rumor you love me.” Who did she say this to? It doesn’t matter who, it’s still disturbing, but oh dear God who did she say this to? I think this is the second most fucked up thing we hear Allison say after the rumoring Claire scene. +10
Allison is going 120 kmh, or 75 mph, in the rain. If you have ever driven a car in the rain then you know exactly why I am sinning this. For those who don’t know, google hydroplaning. Allison could have died here very, very easily. +3
Title screen on a billboard! I forgot how cool the episode 8 title screen was. -1
Allison doesn’t bring her proof with her when going to confront Vanya, who has been shown to be irrational when it comes to Leonard. +1
Bird jumpscare. +1
“They want me to come back tomorrow be fitted for a prosthetic eye”. Leonard places emphasis on the words “prosthetic eye” to remind the viewers that Leonard is bad news. Good acting choice. -1
Leonard’s clothes look freshly bloody when the blood should be several hours old and therefore a more rusty brown color than a bright red. I think. I don’t know if that’s how it works with such large amounts of blood. +1
Luther’s bed is now magically big enough to fit both him and the rave girl. +1
Luther’s reaction to the rave girl. Rewatch this scene to get such a laugh at Luther’s face. -1
How out of it was Luther vs the rave girl? Consent issues on both sides. +3
Luther treated the rave girl to some wine? Or cranberry juice? How thoughtful. -1
I really, really hope they were safe though. There is no evidence to imply they were safe. (If you don’t know what I’m talking about then you’re too young to be watching TUA). +1
Klaus is such a little shit. “Wakey wakey! Eggs and bakey!” while ringing the bell. Peak sibling culture is doing this sort of thing while knowing that the other sibling is NOT going to appreciate it. Also, Klaus deserves his revenge after last night. -1
The little wave the rave girl gives Klaus. -1
Go back and watch this scene. Holy shit this is so underrated. This is the funniest thing ever. -1
“He popped his cherry! Now you’re gonna have to marry her” -4
Klaus doesn’t remember his first time. Consent issues. +3
“No dilly-dallying, alright?” I love Klaus. -1
Klaus makes french press coffee for Luther and Ben. Klaus is a good brother. -1
I would kill to see Ben’s reaction to Luther and the rave girl. +1
Five snatches Luther’s coffee and not Ben’s, ya know, the guy who can’t drink the coffee. And is invisible. Five is a dick to Luther or Five wanted to be a little shit to Luther after having to hear him and the rave girl. Either way, +1
He steals the coffee and he complains about it. +1
Ben! -1
“This is a bad idea” no shit. +1
The awkward pauses where Ben is presumably speaking don’t make sense here. +1
The camera trickery used to make Luther look like a giant compared to Five. -1
Five knows where the aspirin is “top shelf next to the crackers” because he was also hungover. I think. I can’t remember if FIve stopped back at the house, but presumably he and Luther had to go there to get the car. -1
Luther still isn’t getting up to get the aspirin even though he can listen just fine while getting it. +1
Ben adding to the dramatic tension of the scene in a uniquely humorous way that only this show can pull off. -2
Luther doesn’t believe Klaus about Reggie’s suicide. What reason would Klaus have to lie about this, Luther? +1
Five believes him right away. -1
Convenient Pogo backing up Klaus is convenient. +1
This has nothing to do with this very dramatic and important scene, but the mismatched chairs, while cute, don’t appear in any other scene. +1
Five calls Reggie a “sick bastard” under his breath. That’s one way to describe him. -1
Pogo kept this secret for a long time. Not telling the kids was a strange choice and I’m not sure why Pogo made it. On one hand, he would be respecting the wishes of his creator and friend but on the other he would be helping these people come to terms with their father’s death. Pogo’s character motivations are strange and I don’t understand them. +1
Luther said it best, “there’s always choice.” +1
Random thought I had, where was Harold’s grandmother when he was being abused and then going to jail because he killed his abuser? +1
Leonard says some nice things in this scene. If we didn’t know how manipulative he was I would give him credit for this line. +1
Agnes looks adorable out of the Griddy’s uniform. Costume/hair people, you did good. -1
Agnes keeps saying things like “we aren’t in a rush” and talking about seeing three years worth of stops to remind us that there is no time. Hazel looks heartbroken by it. -1
Allison abandons her vehicle. Do not take driving advice from The Umbrella Academy, ever! +1
Allison sees a random scarf from several cars away and immediately connects it with Vanya. Does she also have super sight? +1
The first time we see Allison get recognized by a random stranger for her acting is eight episodes in. +1
Cheddar (the cop Allison is talking to) is so enamored by Allison that he stops doing his job correctly. +1
“Jackpine cove” who named these towns? +1
Allison and Five have the same little shrug when they finish telling terrible lies. -1
Allison is a terrible liar. +1
Diego is still in jail. They’re talking about transferring him upstate. This is really bad news. +1
“Did she use that word? Contentious?” The definitions of contentious all say the word argument. Beeman says that Diego and Patch had an argumentative relationship. This matters to Diego. Why? +1
This conversation was written by someone who doesn’t understand the connotation of the word contentious. +1
Beeman encourages Diego to escape and go on the run. Are all the cops incompitent on this show? You have Patch, who hasn’t pinned Diego for obstruction of justice despite the show implying that Diego has touched evidence he wasn’t supposed to many times, Cheddar, who is so distracted by Allison freakin’ Hargreeves that he forgets that taking her along to a murder case is unethical at best, and Beeman who straight up encourages Diego to escape from jail. That last one is definitely illegal. +10
The parallel between Five and Leonard reading something they aren’t supposed to have in the bathroom. Both the apocalypse file and the journal are red, too. This means something but I don’t have the analysis skills to really go into it. If anyone wants to take a crack at it, go ahead. Sin removed because I know this is smart even if I can’t figure out why.-1
Vanya’s training implies that Reggie has been training these kids hard since they were at least four years old. +7
Current Sin Count: 73
Reggie doesn’t praise Vanya for breaking the glass, he just demands that she does it again. Say it with me now, Reggie is a dick. +1
Leonard straight up uses the word extraordinary. Sigh. +1
The description for how Vanya’s powers work (concentrate on a constant sound until that’s all you can hear and then use an emotional connection to target) is surprisingly good. This is the best description of somebody’s powers we’ve ever gotten in this show. -1
Klaus is attempting to get the yarn on the needle and failing miserably. This is one of the simpler, if tedious, things we do in knitting. Therefore, it is completely understandable how a beginner can’t make heads or tails of it. -1
Five is still injured. The old man walk gives it away. +1
Five treats Klaus like a second in command. I want more of this duo. -1
“So how’d the crazy bastard actually know to kill himself a week before the end of the world?” We would all like to know the answer to that question. Five would be excellent at cinema sins. +1
“Don’t answer, that was purely rhetorical.” Nice cop out, show. +1
Reggie used The Apocalypse to make his kids do the dishes. Checks out. +1
Five and Klaus bond over hating doing the dishes and the person making them do the dishes. Sibling culture. -1
“Where have you been?” “Jail. Long story.” The looks on Klaus and Five’s faces! -2
Vanya breaks the monocle. Good job, kid. However, if you know the comics then you know why I am mildly concerned about this. -1
“That will conclude your training for the time being.” Meaning the next 25 years. Reggie, you suck. +1
Now Vanya’s powers are a bit more vague and imply that she has super hearing. +1
Leonard’s training routine actually includes some praise, which is a step up from Reggie. However, a step up from Reggie is still someplace in hell, so it’s still a sin. +1
It’s also a sin because it’s uncontrolled and Vanya is afraid of it, yet Leonard keeps pushing her. +1
Leonard uses the kind of language Reggie would use to describe Vanya’s powers. Checks out because he read Reggie’s book and is using his ideas to train Vanya. +1
Helen Cho’s missing person poster reminds the viewer that Leonard is bad news. +1
Vanya plays for the St. Pluvium Chamber Orchestra. First of all, no they have a conductor. +1
Second of all, “Pluvium” means of or relating to rain. The Umbrella Academy fights against the leader of the rain orchestra in episode 10. Who came up with that pun? That is absolutely hilarious. -1
Based on a post by @seven-valid-libras I think Griddy’s is across the street from this bar? I am not 100% sure. If it is then that’s a sin off because Agnes definitely has a bunch of drunk people coming in for doughnuts every now and then. I lowkey want to write this fic. -1
“Maybe they’ll brood each other to death” Is this a reference to the fact that Luther and Diego were both too emo for umbrellas in episode 1? -1
I feel so bad for Luther right now. Reggie really fucked with his head. +1
After hearing that Vanya’s boyfriend is a convicted murderer, Luther is more concerned for Allison than he is for Vanya. +1
Diego’s face when Luther says “you should have led with that!” [the fact that Allison went after a convicted murderer alone] -1
Luther is right. Diego should have led with that. +1
Luther breaks the door in his rush to get out of the bar. Checks out. -1
Mary J. Blige. -1
The shop is closing because Agnes is leaving? Who owns Griddy’s? +1
And if the shop is closing, then why leave doughnuts on the shelf? Are they gifts for the other waitresses who are now out of a job? +1
Agnes keeps a flamingo (presumably, scented) candle in a bakery. +1
Cha Cha was way too close to that explosion to not get some scratches at the very least. +1
Sergeant Cheddar is letting Allison stay in the room while he interrogates Mr. Luntz (the man that survived Vanya’s powers). +1
What kind of person allows themselves to be hired by some guy in order to beat him up in front of his girlfriend? Who does that? Are there people like that who exist in real life? +1
Allison doesn’t get pissed off when Luntz says that they started to hurt the girl (Vanya) too. +1
Sgt. Cheddar finally gets pissed off with Allison after she starts leading Luntz. This took way too long. +1
“What I really need to do is practice,” said every musician ever. Including me. As I’m typing this I’m putting off practicing. Vanya is calling me out. I deserve it. +1
Also, Vanya just got first chair and so far she still hasn’t learned the solo the day before the concert. That is such a mood. -1
The cracks in Leonard’s personality are finally starting to show. If Harold was smart he would let Vanya do this without attempting to manipulate her into more practice. +1
Vanya left her violin propped up in the middle of a sofa. That is a broken violin waiting to happen. +1
Where is her rosin? Don’t tell me she reuses the same rosin and doesn’t clean her instrument. Please. +2
Leonard doesn’t tell Vanya where he will be going. He just sort of leaves without a note. This would be fine if this universe had cell phones, but it doesn’t. Leonard is a dick. +1
Agnes would like to spend her (Hazel tells her it’s hypothetical but we know it’s not) last two days on Earth with Hazel. That is so sweet. But also, they met less than a week ago. +1
This is the turning point that makes Hazel an active character that wants to stop the apocalypse. Finally some character motivation that makes sense! Whoop! -1
They Call Me a Fool by Damon is another one of my favorites from the soundtrack. What can I say, I’m a sucker for jazz. -1
There is a parallel between Five leaving Vanya’s apartment and Leonard leaving her at the cabin. Her brother (whom I assume she loves) and the man she is infatuated with both leave her at some point without warning. The people who Vanya loves keep leaving her. +2
Vanya puts her violin down on a chair and lets the bow fall. Bows are expensive. +1
“I made a secret place just for you. None of your siblings get to play there.” Of course Reggie is framing it this way. He’s scared of her. +1
The further away from Pogo the camera is, the less real he looks. +1
Reggie and Pogo locked Vanya in this cage. +1
Vanya’s violin bow fell down but in the next shot it’s propped on the chair. +1
Sgt. Cheddar tells Allison to stay put but has no way to verify that she actually will. Also, if he’s such a fan then shouldn’t he know that she used to be a superhero? +1
Allison kept her proof about Leonard/Harold in the car again. +1
“I love you. And I wanna be here for you as your sister.” -1
“I love him.” Vanya you met him less than a week ago. +2
If there was ever a wrong time to bring up the fact that you took Vanya’s powers away and left her with a horribly low self esteem due to the poorly worded “I heard a rumor that you think you’re just ordinary”, it would be now! Now is the wrong time to bring this up! +10
Reggie used Allison to make Vanya powerless. Reggie is a dick. An absolute bastard. A complete scumbag. Etc. +20
Reggie has also been drugging Vanya since she was FOUR YEARS OLD. +50
Insert Reggie insults here. Feel free to come up with your own in the tags. Fuck this guy repeatedly with a rusty chainsaw. +20
Vanya is not in the right state of mind to understand that Reggie is the one that made Allison rumor her. +1
The final fight between Allison and Vanya is heartbreaking. Emmy Raver-Lampman and Ellen Page are excellent actresses. -5
Vanya’s skin keeps getting paler and paler. Foreshadowing. -1
This is the only time Allison attempts to use her powers in the show. To save her life. I would say that it is pretty justified. -1
Violin bows are not sharp enough to cut human flesh. Is this another part of Vanya’s power? +1
Gore warning! This is super fucked. Not gonna lie, I gag a little every time I see this.+4
Vanya is freaking out and then Leonard walks in. Vanya’s mental state is completely out the window at this point. +4
Leonard manhandles Vanya into letting her sister die (as far as they know) on the floor of the cabin. +10
Allison has definitely lost enough blood to kill her, yet she survives this. +1
Leonard went out to kill Luntz. +10
Nobody in the car (Five driving, Klaus shotgun, Luther and Diego in the back) is wearing a seatbelt. +1
Also, of these four people, Five is the most qualified to drive right now? Diego is sitting right there! And we saw Klaus drive the ice cream truck! Luther would have some trouble driving because he’s so large. But really?? +2
“Can you go any faster?” “Ask me again and I’ll burn you with the cigarette lighter.” The comic relief doesn’t really land here because the scene before was so dramatic and the music is still playing. To change the mood, the song would also have to change. +2
Independently, that is a pretty funny Grandpa Five line. -1
Including Ben in the scene where they find Allison bleeding out on the floor is a subtle reminder to the audience that if Allison was dead, Klaus would be able to see her ghost. The lack of a ghost means she is still alive. +1
Also, this scene has all the original members of The Umbrella Academy in it. Look how far they’ve come from the bank robbery. +6
No one is checking for a pulse right now. They’re just assuming that Allison is dead. +10
Overall Review:
It goes without saying that this episode is fucking brutal. When I first watched it I had to stop and go do something else for a while because of the rumor reveal and the throat thing. That was really, really concerning. Props to Emmy Raver-Lampman. She fucking killed it this episode. If anyone was wondering if she was a good actress (ya know because of all the “come look at this” lines she kept getting) then this episode made it very clear that she can act and she does it very, very well.
So, Vanya’s sanity is out the window, Allison is down for the count, and no one cares about the apocalypse right now. That last one is understandable because of Allison’s situation, but damn it really isn’t looking good for the Hargreeves siblings.
Also, I want to talk about something. This is the last episode in which Allison and Vanya are both capable of speech. And in the eight hours we have known these two women, they have had multiple conversations. All of them have been about a man. Their brothers, their father, Patrick, or Leonard/Harold. Seriously, the two women in this show that are main characters never have a conversation that isn’t about a man. There is no excuse. With the fridging and this, you have to wonder if the writers on this show hate women or something? I don’t normally add sins post analysis, but I think I will make an exception for this one. +100
Total: 283
Sentence: Serious gore.
#The Umbrella Academy#all in good fun#luther hargreeves#diego hargreeves#allison hargreeves#klaus hargreeves#five hargreeves#ben hargreeves#vanya hargreeves#leonard peabody#harold jenkins#show warnings apply#this episode is brutal
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