#like I'm guilty of serious meta but like you know what
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Clyde's Thoughts On The Only Friends Mains After Episode 8:
This is entirely on vibes cause I miss when we were all just so excited to have Messy Gays: The Series.
Boston: Him drinking alone at the bar while sadly looking at pictures of him and Nick? Hilarious from a self proclaimed man with no feelings or attachments. Basically going "fuck it, why not?" when he realized Cheum's baby brother wants to smash? You can't blame a hoe for doing what hoes do. He very clearly doesn't want Top's dick anymore, making all his earlier actions even more insane because he was an entire circus trying to get a repeat performance, finally got it, got called a pathetic mistake the next day, and just said alright and moved on. Did he dress up like Tyler Durden, Peter Quill, or just a hot dude wearing a red leather jacket? The world may never know.
Nick: He really did bug Boston's car and just sat on that audio listening to it for his own humiliation and/or degradation and/or cuck kink. At no point did he have a plan for that audio except for his own personal use to cause a smad boner. Him and Boston really deserve each other cause they both make insanely stupid decisions for no reason except boyish whimsy (fucking your friend's man, outright antagonizing every single one of your friends and then being like “fine I’m a pariah”, illegal voyeurism, wanting your not man man to not hate you but telling his ex friend and new found enemy about where to find illegal filmed revenge porn of him). His new boss 100% wants to explore his body and he has no idea. I predict struggles in his future because of that when all he deserves are snuggles. And make no mistake, he deserves snuggles despite being a weird little voyeur. Is it illegal for a boy to have INTERESTS and HOBBIES? I didn't think so.
Sand: GET ON UP OUT OF THOSE TRENCHES BROTHER. As I've said for eight straight episodes, Jesus be some self esteem for Sand. Because GET OFF YOUR KNEES GIRL RISE UP OFF THAT GROUND. But bless him, he did try more in episode 8 than he's tried the previous seven. I'm not even upset that's only trying cause he thinks Ray loves Mew and he's sad about that and not because he thinks Ray sucks even a little bit. So I award him 50 points for finally telling Ray to fuck off, but still deduct 100 for almost getting himself arrested trying to save Ray from his own stupid self centered actions. I want him to lay on his bed and listen to New Rules on repeat until he internalizes it, lives, and breathes it. Because you know he's only calling cause he's drunk and alone. Sadly, he's a textbook "behind every bad bitch is an ain't shit man dragging her down while she’s Ariel screaming DADDY I LOVE HIM." He and Nick making a bestie pinky promise that they're both done with those flop boys, but then both still being at the party, tells us all they've both already lost. We’ve all been there and you hate to see it.
Top: I am standing before you all today as a noted Top Hater since episode one to tell you I really did mostly hate this young man solely cause he dresses like a 48 year old uncle. I'm a weak shallow individual and I've never claimed to be otherwise. But baby he put those polos AWAY in episode 8 and looked hella good. Him in that Top Gun flight suit? I am looking disrespectfully, carnally, and like a whore. I see why Boston was desperate to bounce on that dick again, I see why Mew's just dissociating with booze and coke. I see the vision. Call me Rapunzel because at last I see the light.
Mew: It's sad watching him be utterly devastated over Top and his polos because he got played, in a way, by a 22 year old wearing polo shirts buttoned up to the top and tucked into dress pants. I know that stings, because how could it not. But he's a drunken woo girl and I’ll always go up for any and all characters that get white girl wasted. I appreciate how much he just doesn't see it for his bestie Ray in any romantic or sexual way at all. I also appreciate how he's just not cut out for the slut life. There's nothing wrong with slutting it up, I was a prolific slut in my heyday, but there's also nothing wrong with not being cut out for it either. He needs to stop getting blackout drunk and doing lines and just meet Top's mom to tell her her son sucks.
Ray: He’s on my shit list right now and I make zero apologies. But he has beautiful big cow eyes. I just really need to see him fucking wrecked because Khao is, imo, by far the best actor on this show where I don't think anyone is bad. And as previously mentioned, I am a weak shallow individual and if you give me a cute short king with how now brown cow eyes crying at rock bottom? Well I'm gonna cuddle him to my bosom. So I have nothing good to say right now, but I hope to cuddle him to my bosom in episode 11.
I forgot how much fun this show is. I was too connected to tumblr, but now I'm letting the mess flow through me and I'm living. Thank you and god bless.
#only friends#only friends the series#like I'm guilty of serious meta but like you know what#this is a show I've been excited for because I love mess#so I'm like baby let's just get back to the mess#let's go#regular clyde
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Doctor Danny Chapter 8
Vlad managed to squeak out of the situation with a cash fine and Lex Luther was supposed to be under surveillance. Despite being "victims", experimenting or holding a citizen, albeit a meta, was still illegal.
Danny however was currently with the justice league. They had brought him to a hospital but there wasn't much they could do for him there after discovering Danny had strange abnormalities with his DNA and heartbeat.
Jason sat by Danny's unconscious body while everyone tried to figure out what to do with the situation.
"Why didn't you tell me your boyfriend was a meta human Jason?!" Bruce demanded.
Jason looked shocked at first which quickly turns to anger.
"Are you kidding me?! First of all, when did we have such a close relationship? Because lately we could only manage a small conversation. Secondly I didn't know myself" Jason bit back the anger billowing inside him.
"He's got unknown powers and now Lex Luther knows about him" Superman said with a serious tone.
"who was that other guy?" The flash asked.
"Vladimir Masters, billionaire former mayor of Amity Park" Bruce said.
Jason didn't look at any of them, his guilty gaze fell on Danny.
"He's, how can we even tell if he's going to be alright?" Jason said.
The room fell into silence.
"Have faith Jason, that's all you can do"
Jason clentched his fist.
"I don't think so, I'm going to find another way" Jason stood up.
He locked eyes with Superman, "dont let him out of your sight. He's a prestigious doctor. He's important-"
Jason walked out, "he's important, to me"
Superman sat in the vacant chair and tried his best to use his own powers to figure out Danny's condition. There wasn't much medical data on Danny to begin with so they weren't sure what we considered normal for him. More than once superman had been sure Danny's heart had stopped, yet he was still alive somehow.
Bruce had conflicted feelings about the good doctor. Jason trusted him, then again Jason was a murdering crime lord out for revenge.
He knew Jason and Doctor Daniel had a special relationship, after all, one doesn't usually cripple people for just a friend.
Joker had yet to recover.
Back in the bat cave Jason was taking full advantage of the access to the oicie records. It was harder than he thought it would be to get information on Danny because he wasn't born in Gotham but he eventually found a lead.
According to the hospital records paired with surveillance cameras outside the city, courtesy of Tim, Jason found that Danny had come from Illinois.
There was also that girl, Sam was it? Did she know his secret? She had to know something right?
Tim glanced over at Jason's screen.
"Oh that's the lead of that startup band Twisted Vines." Tim commented.
Jason's head snapped towards Tim so fast he almost counted it as a jump scare.
"Do you know where they'll be playing next?!"
Tim pulled out his phone.
"They have an app, let's see...seems like their doing a gig at Croscee's Pub tonight"
Jason stood up.
"I'm going to that and your coming with me"
Tim was grinning from ear to ear. So cool!
Later that night Jason and Tim in civilian outfits made their way to the bar. The band had already started playing judging by the muffled music pounding through the wall.
Jason opened the door and maneuvered through the crowd of people before resting in a corner.
Tim on the other hand has made his way to he front and was avidly cheering the band on.
Jason was growing slightly pissed off. Danny was counting on him and the best he could do was watch this stupid concert.
The music eventually ended and the crowd of people tried to swarm the band but security held them at bay.
Jason had other means, he snuck into their bus.
The band members were obviously shocked to see a stranger sitting in their tour bus.
"Jason??" Sam asked. They relaxed, if Sam knew this person than it was probably alright.
"What are you doing here?"
Jason stood up.
"It's Danny, we need your help. Danny's not waking up"
Sam motioned for then to go outside.
"He was attacked by Vlad Masters and Lex Luther"
Sam clentched her teeth, "Vlad"
When she noticed the look on Jason's face she explained, "Vlad wanted to get with Danny's mom and kill his dad. He also cloned Danny several times. One time he was successful."
Jason could feel the pits bubble up in his chest.
"I need to see him. That's the only way I can tell you"
"I brought a car"
Sam nodded, "give me a minute" she said before climbing back onto the bus.
Tim ran up to Jason, "did you talk to her yet? What did she say?" He asked.
"Alright, I'm good to go" she said slinging a couple of her bags over her shoulder.
Tim's mouth went wide open.
"So cool" he whispered.
The car ride there Jason went into more detail.
Bruce was a little surprised that the answers Jason had went to find were in the formation of some rock punk.
Sam was admiring the space when she caught sight of Danny. She dropped her bags and ran over.
"How long has it been?"
"A couple days."
"Do you know what they injected him with? What about the state he was in when you found him?"
"He was injected with a drug that I don't recognize in the system or otherwise" Bruce said handing her the tablet.
Sams expression darkened, "blood blossoms, fucking bastards"
"He was extremely agitated but Jason managed to calm him down just before he fainted"
Sam handed back the tablet.
"Blood Blossoms are extremely harmful to gh- to people like Danny"
"No matter what I need everyone in this room to swear an oath not to say anything about Danny's condition. I know someone who can help him but I need you all to ask as little questions as possible"
"Where do you have to go?"
"Illinois"
"Take the jet" Bruce said. Jason nodded.
"And here, this is the contact of a friend who can give you a log of Danny's normal condition and what to do if he takes a turn for the worst."
It was Tuckers contact. Jason and Sam left and Bruce got on the contact.
Tucker had become a software engineer for AmerTek Industries in Metropolis.
Flash said he would pick him up and left before anyone could object.
Tucker had been finishing up a report on a new robot the company was in the planning stages of creating, next thing Tucker knew he was in the arms of somebody going at incredibly fast speeds to somewhere.
"Oh" is all he said when they filled him in.
"Sams already on it huh" he sisd with a nervous smile.
"She always so on top of things"
"She told us we could find his medical information with you"
Tucker blinked, "oh yeah! We had to create an updated version. After the accident Danny couldn't get checked by normal doctors anymore. Thank ancients his parents were so oblivious-" Tucker stopped talking when he saw their faces.
"Did Sam not tell you about that? Maybe I've said too much. In any case if there's something you don't understand, let me know"
He handed over the digital file on Danny.
Not even two seconds later Bruce was grilling Tucker on what ectoplasm was and what machine caused this to happen.
There was also a detailed report on what devices the Fenton's had made and how they interacted with Danny.
"What's this page?" Tim asked scrolling onto the page filled with a list of all the ghosts Danny had fought and their abilities.
"I,uhm, well I don't think I should-"
Tucker shrank under Batmans judgmental stare.
"Sams going to skin me alive for this but, I suppose I should tell you everything"
The heroes listened, stunned at the words coming out of Tuckers mouth.
Not only had they not known about the mad "ghost hunting" scientists. They also had known about the portal to the infinite realms.
They were even more shocked when he told them Danny had been crowned king.
"He was a teenage superhero and we were his support team"
Tucker smiled, "nows he's still saving lives. Danny really is something else"
Bruce had went to eh next room to brood over his failure to see all of this whole Supes glumly accepted the fact that he couldn't have done anything without knowing.
"You guys don't need to be so down about it. Any transmissions Danny tried to get to you guys was most definitely being blocked by Vlad and his fancy equipment"
Clark shook his head.
"So Vlad and Danny have history" Flash said.
"Yeah, deep history. In fact. Vlad shares Danny's condition. They're both liminals"
Tucker scowled, "he's literally a villain. Danny's been dealing with this guy for years."
"I can't imagine being a fourteen year old hero"
A glum look passed over Tuckers face.
"We, haven't talked in a while. But I should've tried. I knew he was going through something rough. It was hard for him. Didn't help that he was bullied either. Danny too nice for his own good"
"For now, all we can do is monitor his condition. Have faith in your friend"
Tucker nodded. Danny would wake up. He was sure of it.
#danny phantom#danny fenton#dc universe#batman#redhood#dpxdc#fanfiction#jason todd#phandom#TuckerFoley#sam manson#clark kent#Superman#Flash#frostbite#Ghosts
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Soul-Stitching: The Heir and the Guardian
Masterlist
Chapter 3: to remember and forget | AO3
CW: Panic attack, mentions of childhood trauma, mentions of death
If Marinette can put it in simple words, the Justice League's prison doesn't look like a prison at all.
The neatly-done bed, a queen size perhaps, leans against a large headboard. There's a desk positioned at one corner with a rolling chair tucked into it; at the center sits a sofa set on top of a comfy rug. In the other corner, a narrow door leads to the bathroom. The room is well lit, the palette is quite friendly, and the golden accents speak of lavishness.
She barely caught onto what the Justice League discussed with the Parisian Government, but suddenly she found herself escorted into the Watchtower. Into space. If he had not already known where she was taken, Adrien would've freaked out.
Speaking of Adrien, her biggest inconvenience is her lack of direct communication with the others. She trusts that her second-in-command will take care of things while she's gone but if they do get into non-guardian-permitted trips, it's not her problem if they incur more expenses.
She looks down on the special handcuffs they put on her. Apparently, they are supposed to suppress powers, whether of the meta kind or the magical kind, but as soon as the metal hits her skin, she realizes that the cuffs don't do anything to her. Next, she stares up at the two heroes ordered to escort her. They stare back at her.
“Um . . .” The shorter one breaks silence, rubbing the back of his head, “You're not actually a bad person, are you?”
Marinette blinks. “What do you mean?”
“Are you actually Hawkmoth?”
“What difference does that make?” She asks. “If I say no, will you let me go?”
“I—um, no we can't but why didn't you insist that you're innocent?” The masked man asks, “With the right evidence you could've won, but you weren't saying anything. How do you not care about being imprisoned?”
“I'm not the only one falsely convicted because of the flawed justice system, you know,” says Marinette with practiced nonchalance. “The judge said I'm guilty, so I'm guilty. Nothing I can do about that.”
“But this is a serious crime. Terrorizing Paris? Causing widespread trauma?” This time, the taller leather jacket-clad one interjects.
“How is this any different from the situation of the ones wrongfully accused? Does that mean I deserve freedom and they don't?” She tips her head towards the room. “Ironic, how you're imprisoning me, a supposed ‘world threat’, in a luxurious room. If you ask the people in Paris, they'd probably tell you I deserve a death penalty, so this is actually a light punishment.”
The two seem to have difficulty replying to her words, until the shorter one sighs and tells her, “Still, keep in mind that you still have a chance. The members of the JL are still half-and-half about what to do with you. Some of them want to keep you here under close watch while you're serving your sentence. The others are pretty convinced you didn't do anything—they're having a pretty heated debate right now.”
“What do you guys think?”
“I dunno, really. You're weird,” says the tall one.
“Cool. I'll take that as a compliment.”
“As a detective, I'm taught to consider every clue first before I act,” says the other. “For now, I still can't say for sure.”
“Okay, that's reasonable.” She gives a flitting smile. “Thanks for giving me the benefit of the doubt.”
She can tell they're feeling awkward based on their expressions and stances. She holds out a cuffed hand. “I'm Marinette, by the way. Nice meeting you both.”
Marinette nearly laughs at their astonishment. She's aware she's unexpectedly direct even though she's the criminal. The brightly-dressed man steps forward to shake her hand first. “I'm Superboy.”
And the other tentatively follows: “Nightwing.”
“Superboy. Nightwing.” She nods, finally stepping into the wide threshold of her room and activating the automatic barrier. “I like you both. Before you go, can I ask when I can eat?”
The two share a look before Nightwing replies. “Your meals will be delivered at set times. There's some kind of chute over there.”
“Thanks. See you around?”
---
Marinette easily falls into a rhythmic routine inside her ‘prison cell’. Though the bed is beyond comfortable, and the meals are filling, she finds that she has nothing to quell her boredom. So instead of walking around aimlessly, she decides to make use of the space to exercise. The other heroes don't seem bothered by this; in fact, in the first two days, rarely anyone stopped by her room. Later on, she wonders if she can request a sketchbook or two.
Finally, on the third day, she's taken out of her cell, bound into handcuffs again, and brought to what looks like an interrogation room. There is only one occupant—Superman—but the glass panel on one of the walls tells her otherwise.
She looks up and down at the hero, who gives a polite smile and motions for her to sit.
“I think you're already aware of the situation you're in?” Superman asks.
Marinette nods. If unfair treatment and injustice is her current situation then, yes, she is very well aware of that.
“I know there are things you cannot simply say in court.” His face is grim. “I was there the whole time. But you can tell me, and we'll see what we can do for you. It's safe here.”
Her eyes stray towards the glass panel, wordlessly saying, ‘Is this what you call safe?’
“Fine,” Superman sighs, “But can you at least elaborate on why you can't tell us. Is this a binding secret? Will you be harmed if you divulge anything or are there drastic consequences for it?”
“I'd say a little bit of all three.”
“Is there anything that will make you talk?”
She shakes her head. “By keeping silent on the matter, I'm not lying, but I'm not giving the full truth either. I can't tell you because this is what I think is the best course of action to protect you and many other people.”
“What do you mean?” he presses.
“You know about what happened to Paris, yes?”
“Hawkmoth and the akuma attacks . . .”
“Let's say Ladybug and Chat Noir decided to globally broadcast the existence of miraculi, magical jewels that can grant anyone immense power. What do you think will happen?”
“It will be chaos. Everyone would be fighting to get a miraculous for themselves.”
“A perfect example of why knowledge is dangerous.”
Superman looks like he's thinking it over; she can only predict that he's trying to guess what kind of knowledge she holds, and how far worse it is than the Paris situation.
“Fine,” he relents, “Can you at least tell us about Hawkmoth's reign?”
Marinette notes how he said Hawkmoth's reign, which leads her to inwardly ask if he's one of those who believes in her innocence.
“Why?”
“What?”
“Why do I owe you my trauma?” She makes her tone calm but her words impactful. “I've set my expectations for the Justice League, and now I can say that you've gone below it.”
“What are—”
“What gives you the right to persecute someone from Paris when you neglected our city when it mattered?” Her eyes narrow slightly. “Much less ask that someone for intel you can't be bothered to find yourself?”
It's already common knowledge for the Parisians: at one point, the young heroes had called on the JL for aid during Hawkmoth's time, but they were unanswered again and again. It’s just bemusing, how in the most urgent of times, they haven’t responded at all, but when a random girl is convicted of terrorism, suddenly they're all up in their feet.
The silence in the room is deafening, and Marinette can tell the onlookers outside are speechless as well.
Superman's voice is painted with deep regret. “I'm sorry. We’re trying to extend our help to the city, even if that doesn't make up for our mistake. We want to do that with you as well, but why do you want to be in prison?”
Partly, it's because she owes Paris that much. The city never found out who Hawkmoth was, so their anguish was directed at the heroes instead for keeping them in the dark. Then a year later, they find a girl fitting into the profile of their villain. If she's the convenient scapegoat they choose to blame, then so be it.
“I didn't go here on my own. You guys brought me here,” Marinette says pointedly.
“That's not what I meant.”
“You know I can't cooperate even if you try to convince me.” She looks at the window, even if she can only see her reflection. “I think it's best for you to spend your energy elsewhere.”
---
“That sign is flickering,” Adrien comments with a mouthful of burger in his mouth.
Eating double-decker burgers in a Batburger parking lot at nearly two in the morning certainly isn't their usual gig. But Adrien gathered from the reliable internet that the Batburgers are a must-try during a Gotham visit, so he decides to hunt for them. Kagami surreptitiously heard about his plans and wanted to tag along, as did Luka. Fei has to join to babysit them.
“Here, Gami, flip it upside down. The bun will absorb the sauce,” Luka suggests to the girl beside him, who has been attempting to bite down on her burger for a minute already.
“Seriously, we are being americanized,” quips Fei, who squeezes out some more ketchup on hers.
“Aw come on, it's a celebration for Adrien,” Luka says, “He did a good job in his defense attorney debut.”
The boy in question groans, pausing mid-bite to drop down his head on his free hand. “I did so badly! Even when I spent all night reading that textbook on French law and making my cute little badge. She was still proclaimed guilty!”
“We all know Marinette doesn't mind.” Fei picked up her soda from beside her to let Adrien have a sip. “You could've, you know, told her you'll be representing her. To get the trial running more smoothly.”
“I had it under control,” the blond insists, “It's just that they brought up the childhood issues card, which is a foul by the way, they basically breached her privacy. I'm still so mad about that!”
“If I could give my critique, I'd say you should've done a worse number on Rossi,” says Kagami.
“I couldn't. They would've kicked me out of that trial and disbarred me.”
“Adrien, you're not a real lawyer in the first place,” Luka reminds him.
“Whatever. That trial's done and we just have to think about what to do next.” Fei makes a face at the grease on her fingers and furiously rubs them into a napkin. “Marinette's aboard the Watchtower now, so we have to do our work down here—”
“Marinette's in the Watchtower?!”
“Yes, Adrien, the JL took her away, remember?”
“Do you think if I turn myself in for fraud, the JL will take me there too?”
“Adrien—”
“What if I say my father's the supervillain, do you think they'll take me? That earns me criminal points, right?”
Kagami delivers a light slap to his arm. “I thought we agreed that you would not joke about that.”
Adrien lets out a huff of defeat, focusing back on his burger. Just then a noise sounds out from above them—looking up, he sees that a vigilante has landed on top of the restaurant, partially cloaked by the night. The figure offers a friendly wave, which Fei snorts at.
“Did we do something?” Adrien whispers as he looks at his friends. “If this is about the camembert stash in our hotel room, I swear to kwamis, it's not me.”
“What does the infamous Red Robin want with us?” Fei yells up at the stranger.
“Oh good. You know me.” Red Robin drops down to a ledge, much closer so they can hear him.
“This is about Marinette, isn't it?” Luka guesses out loud.
The vigilante nods. “The Justice League is conducting its own investigation for her case. I was hoping to hear from you, since you four are her closest friends.”
“What's there to hear from us?” Adrien asks. “I already gave my statements to the court.”
“Before you ask us, we knew nothing about her involvement with the Butterfly miraculous before the whole thing blew up,” Fei supplies firmly.
Red Robin taps his fingers on his leg. Adrien wishes he can see him better, because he's pretty sure the Gothamite is buzzing with eagerness. Entertainment. “This isn't a formal interrogation so I call your bullshit. You're obviously lying.”
“Even if we are, you don't have the evidence for that claim.” Adrien licks the sauce that has gathered on his thumb. “The police already asked us. They got nothing from us.”
“But aren't you concerned that your friend just got thrown into jail?”
Ah. All the while, they've been munching on fast food in a deserted parking lot. Adrien can tell there's something wrong with that picture.
Kagami smiles wryly. “Marinette assured us she'll be fine before she was arrested. Unless the Justice League has turned inhumane and is currently torturing her?”
“No—no, of course not! A handful of the heroes want to prove her innocence, in fact. Don't you want to help out?”
“Even if we do want to fight for her freedom,” Fei replies, “Are you insinuating that we try to break her out of space prison?”
And Luka adds, “Marinette's very stubborn if you haven't seen yourself already. We can't help her if she doesn't want to be helped.”
“Any idea why she's like that?”
The four of them simultaneously shrug.
“So your lips are sealed like hers. Got it.” Red Robin sighs. “Why are you in Gotham?”
“Oh? Did tourists need clearance from the Bats before vacationing in Gotham?” Adrien quips, raising an eyebrow.
“No, I thought you'll be in Paris. Imagine my surprise tracking you down here.”
Fei crosses her arms. “Marinette's trial opened up fresh wounds in that city. Of course anyone would want to escape for a short while.”
“You're not from Paris.”
“I was close enough to Marinette to understand what it was like. I'm from Shanghai, which Hawkmoth also targeted once, in case you haven't done your research.”
“You're having a getaway in Gotham, though. Why in Gotham?”
“Why does that matter?” Adrien rakes a hand through his hair. “If you're concerned about our safety here, don't be. We have experience beating up akumas while half-awake.”
“Actually we wanted to see what's so great about Gotham that Batman chose to neglect Paris all this time,” says Kagami casually.
That seems to have struck a nerve. “We didn't know—!”
“You ignored a city crying for help,” Fei says, “Sorry birdy, but this is a touchy subject if you ask all Parisians. They may have given Marinette to the JL, but everyone still holds a grudge. It's not just us.”
Later on, they finally chase off the talkative bird, but Adrien has grown quiet. While the burger did lift his mood a little, Red Robin's appearance has soured it again. He angrily sips on the last of Fei's drink (which he promises to replace at another time), leaning against one hand on the pavement.
“The nerve of them,” he mutters. “Now I don't want to stay in Gotham anymore. Let's go back to base.”
---
Damian's heart is practically leaping out of his chest. The incidents in Paris and the convicted girl are all the talk in the Wayne manor. At first, he had no mind of looking into it himself until he saw a picture of her.
Before he knows it, he's suited up, headed towards the Zeta tubes and the Watchtower, breathless but persistent. He knows that face from his dreams. He has memorized that girl in his memories. If there is a chance she's alive after all, he doesn't care how; he just needs to confirm it with his own eyes.
Finally he's there and he sees her sitting on the foot of the bed. Her blue eyes widen when they meet his, and she presses herself against the wall when he subconsciously opens up the barrier himself. That's when it dawns on Damian that it is her, it's Marie in the flesh, the girl he killed when he was a child. Overwhelmed with the tightness in his chest, he drops on the ground, trembling.
“Hey, are you okay? What's going on?”
He feels her presence nearby but her voice seems warped, like he's hearing her underwater. He tries to blink his eyes back into focus, only to be met with a hazy double vision. Hot tears run down the sides of his face; he doesn't notice the hands holding onto his arms.
“You—you . . .I don't—” he chokes out.
The voice is closer now. “Stay with me, okay? You're going to be okay. Come on, deep breaths.”
Damian cannot even control himself, which is such a foreign feeling. His body is wracked with sobs as he holds onto her tightly in the fear she'll disappear before him again. He can't form coherent words, nor stop the shaky cries from his throat. It's as if all the grief he's bottled up in his childhood is coming out all at once.
She slowly shushes him. “It's okay. I'm going to touch your back now, is that okay?”
He nods against her shoulder, hearing his heartbeat become less erratic. A small hand presses against his suit and rubs circles on it. He starts to savor the warmth—
“What are you doing?!”
He's suddenly separated from that warmth, but he can't register what's happening. He can hear loud yelling and footsteps rushing, and from the corner of his eye, he catches the movement of his father's cape. Damian whimpers, clutching his head.
“I don't know! He suddenly came in and—”
I needed to see her!
“You used magic on him!”
No, she didn’t harm me. I need to talk to her!
“No, I did not, he's having a panic attack—”
Stop, please—the words seem to dissolve on his lips.
“Stay away from my son!” Damian doesn't know how or when, but he's being carried away from the warmth, from her. His body struggles to break free, but he's forcefully held down. The tears come again, unstoppable as his whole body shakes.
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Fun Fact! The idea of Adrien being Marinette's defense lawyer came from a joke between him and Kagami. If you ask Luka, he'll say he had no part in it. They carefully kept the secret from Fei and Marinette until the day of the trial . . . for obvious reasons
Taglist: @noisydreamlandkoala
#tw child abuse#tw suicide#maribat fanfic#dc x mlb#mlb x dc#maribat#maribat fic#daminette#marinette dupain cheng x damian wayne#tw blood#ggomoz#maribat damian wayne#maribat marinette dupain cheng#SS:H&G#tw panic attack
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Elvis (2022), culture of celebrity, Greek heroism, idolatry, and dehumanization.
So this Christmas my Gramma got Baz Lurhmann's Elvis Presley biopic, aptly named Elvis, in her stocking. I watched it with her, and then I watched it again three days later, and then a third time a week after that. Since then it's pretty much been keeping me up at night. I felt like I had to get my thoughts down, even if this just lives in my drafts for all eternity. So here we go; I've never written a long-form meta like this, and I'm really just emptying out my brain at this point. (Long post).
1. Elvis as seen through the eyes of the man who killed him (or did he?)
The movie begins in Las Vegas in 1997, and we are immediately introduced to an old man who's just collapsed from a stroke. He's rushed to the hospital in an ambulance and in his stroke-induced, fever-dream narration he describes himself as Colonel Tom Parker, the man who gave the world Elvis Presley. This narration is interrupted by loud voices of accusation and glaring headlines flashing across the screen, which accuse him of abusing, manipulating, overworking, and ultimately causing the death of Elvis Presley. He sits up quickly in his hospital bed, looks out at the Las Vegas cityscape, and tells us not to believe what the newspapers say about him. He declares that he did not, in fact, kill Elvis, and begins to tell the story from his point of view.
Now the first time I watched this movie, I was overwhelmed and slightly put off by the off-kilter pacing, and having read some reviews, I can see that many other viewers were as well. The first half of this movie is frenetic, erratic, impossibly quick-paced, bright, colourful, and has little respect for chronological order. These are the frantic, confused, morphine-induced ramblings of an old man on his deathbed, allegedly trying to set the record straight concerning the serious allegations which have been plaguing him for decades.
Something happens in the middle of this movie, however. After the victorious emotional and career peak of Elvis's '68 Comeback, the tone of the movie takes a turn. The pace slows down, the colour scheme loses its lustre, and there begins a growing sense of unease and dread. Something terrible is coming. It's ominous. Even if the viewer knows nothing about Elvis Presley, the opening scenes of the movie have already told us that he dies at the end. The main character of the story is nearing his end, and the storyteller on his deathbed is also nearing his.
So Elvis dies, and we get to the end of Parker's tale of self-defence. The only problem is, while he's been telling the story, we've been watching the story, and it seems beyond obvious that the Colonel is exactly what the shouting voices accused him of being at the beginning of the movie: a liar, cheat, and conman, guilty of causing Elvis's death. His final statement is easy to throw away as just another lie, "I'll tell you what really killed my boy: it was love, the love he felt from you, his fans." We roll our eyes in disgust and hope that he dies soon.
But wait. What does he mean by that and could he possibly have a point?
2. Celebrity culture, idolatry, and dehumanization.
I love a good story that accomplishes more than one purpose and tells more than just one story. Elvis tells the story of Elvis Presley, sure, and Colonel Tom Parker, and American pop culture, and the history of American music. It also tells a story that's been played out in real life, film, and television many, many times. The story of the meteoric rise and cataclysmic downfall of a beloved celebrity, a cultural icon, a superstar. What causes the downfall? Well, Parker claims that the culprit is love, specifically, the love fans feel for the celebrities they idolize. I found this movie to be a compelling examination of the dangers of the most prevalent form of idolatry in our culture: celebrity worship.
Before watching this movie I thought I had a pretty fair idea of who Elvis Presley was. I grew up in North America after all, and watched television, and you know, existed. I grew up listening to his Christmas album. I grew up watching Full House, in which one of the main characters, Uncle Jesse, is Elvis Presley's biggest fan. Since I can remember I've always been able to identify pictures of Elvis, and his voice. I can sing along to many of his songs. Many years ago my Gramma acquired a box set of all of Elvis's movies; I've seen bits and pieces of quite a few. Because of the internet, I've learned many commonly circulated fun facts about him, things like, "He was actually blond," and, "He was a legit federal agent," and, "He loved peanut butter." White sparkly jumpsuit, slick coiffed black hair, sideburns, curled lip, funny voice = Elvis, of course.
He is one of the preeminent members of a class of celebrity all on its own: the cultural icon. I wonder if some people don't think about the fact that "icon" is a religious word. In the minds of most people, and in the view of pop culture, Elvis Presley is no longer a human being just like anyone else; he has been reduced to a costume, an easily recognized symbol. Of what? Depends on who you ask. A symbol of America, or good, or evil, or Hollywood, or rock 'n roll, or Las Vegas, or teenage rebellion, or wealth, or a sex symbol.
What happens when a human being becomes the object of another human being's worship? They become just that, an object. Forms of worship include adoration, attention, devotion, money, and sex. They are offered in the name of love, and are often received as love. Our unreliable narrator makes the probably-true comment that Elvis became addicted to the false love, to the point where real love could not compare. Worshipers then feel entitlement to receive certain things back. The idol's life becomes public property, an open book which must be available for a photo shoot at all times, no matter how invasive. Fans swarm the gate of his private home, climb trees to peer into his window, refuse to watch a movie in which he doesn't sing, and photographers must capture his grief after his mother's death, and his haircut and physical exam before entering the military. Both the worshipers and the idol are eaten up by the vicious, dehumanizing cycle, which bears the pretty name of love.
We are invited to consider: did the consumeristic, idolatrous culture, which has a tendency to see people as products to be bought, invite the meddling of wicked, opportunistic men like Colonel Parker? Or did the wicked men, who package people up and market them as products to be sold, engineer such a culture?
3. Greek Mythology, the American Dream, and Elvis Presley.
Typology and literary archetypes are my jam. I adore how movies can play with these concepts through imagery and music. One of my all-time favourite movies is A Knight's Tale (2001). A Knight's Tale is about a peasant who masquerades as a knight and achieves fame, wealth, glory, and love. The director wanted the story to resonate with modern audiences, so he decided to portray knights as the medieval equivalent of rock stars. The movie utilizes symbols, metaphors, costume clues, and a killer soundtrack of classic rock songs to reinforce the idea that we are watching not just a movie about a knight, but also a movie about a rock star. The audience is invited to make inferences and assumptions based on what we know about the rock star archetype.
Baz Luhrmann made a comment in a behind-the-scenes interview, that Elvis had a mythic, hard-to-wrap-our-minds-around life, one that conforms to both the ancient Greek heroic tragedy and the American Dream narrative. So naturally I am obsessed with this idea. Let's get into it.
i. Greek hero stories, glory, the classic character arc.
I'm not an expert in Greek mythology, but I'm no slouch either. The ancient world greatly valued this thing, which has many names in many different cultures. You can see it in Genesis, the concept of having a great name, and the power that comes with it. It's a not-quite-abstract but not-quite-actual, metaphysical substance. For the Greeks, we'll call it glory. Glory is gained by accomplishing heroic feats: killing monsters, fighting in wars, and going on quests. Glory comes with fame, reputation, power, respect, money, women, and often supernatural abilities which give the owner the ability to accomplish more heroic feats, thereby gaining more glory. It is the vocation of heroes to pursue glory. Along with the ability to pursue glory, comes the desire for more. The more you have, the more you want. In fact, it's almost addictive.
The other thing about glory: it's corruptive. The longer you have it, the more things you are willing to do to get more, and the more power you have to do those possibly morally dubious things.
Most Greek heroes were demigods. They were born with a little bit of glory already inside them. This compelled them to seek more glory, and since they were demigods, they had a leg up when it came to getting it; they already had some supernatural strength and a powerful parent. They did heroic feats, achieved glory, received the power, fame, and wealth that came with the glory, were compelled to seek after more, and so on and so forth. Most Greek heroes had one or a mixture of two fates. 1) They died. Either they were in a situation where they were prevented from seeking more glory, so they wasted away, or they were killed in the pursuit of glory by an enemy, monster, or possibly by another hero. 2) They became corrupted. This often happened in ironic, cruel-twist-of-fate ways. One of the villains they fought in their youth was an evil king who murdered his own children, so somehow they ended up becoming a king who murdered his own children, something like that. You know the story: "You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain," or the classic, "You've become the very thing you swore to destroy."
ii. The American Dream Narrative.
A common literary trope, the American Dream story is appealing and inspirational, at least at first glance. The structure is pretty simple: The hero is born poor, with nothing but some talent and/or charisma. Due to a mixture of savviness, charm, hard work, and luck, the hero rises to the top and achieves the Dream of money, renown, independence, and freedom. The deconstruction of the American Dream is just as common in fiction. There's a catch, things don't go according to plan, the illusion fails, your luck runs out, etc. There is both so much hope and optimism, and so much mistrust and jadedness surrounding the American Dream. Can it be real?
iii. Elvis Presley.
Elvis was born with a little bit of something. He was born with beauty, charm, and musical talent; a star quality. These qualities of his drove him to use them. Nothing huge at first, but he always had high aspirations; he believed he could go somewhere. The more heroic feats he accomplished (performing and recording music and making movies), the more glory (or fame) he got. The more glory he got, the more he sought; gradually it became addictive. Soon, the corruptive quality of the glory reared its head.
Imagine an arc; the glory propelled him to the top of that arc, along with everything else the glory promises: money, fame, recognition, love, women, power. Up to a point, the glory is a positive force, but once the hero reaches the top of that arc, it becomes a more sinister thing; it starts pushing him down the other side. It starts to corrupt not only the hero but the people around him. While on the upward climb, the glory is like a magic elixir that grants wishes, but on the descent, it becomes more like drinking poison. Elvis's drug addiction and eating disorder seem like an on-the-nose literary device to symbolize this, but no! It happened.
What about the American Dream? He's the poster boy! Born absolutely dirt poor, with nothing but some talent and a dream. With a fortuitous mixture of charisma, hard work, meeting the right people at the right time, and being in the right place at the right time, he rose to the top. He also managed to nab (or be nabbed by) a business-savvy manager with a carnival background. It could only be the American Dream because Elvis, his music, his career, and his fashion were all uniquely American; he couldn't have come from anywhere else in the world, at any other time in history. Rock 'n Roll, the US Army, Hollywood, and Las Vegas, are inseparable from America.
I saw a person saying that the message of Elvis is that the American Dream is unattainable, but I disagree. It is attainable, but that's not the whole story. The movie presents the American Dream more as a deal with the devil. You'll get everything you ever wanted! But then you'll have to pay the price. To gain the American Dream is to open yourself to the ravages of American consumerism and celebrity idol worship. It's to make yourself vulnerable to the vultures, while you fatten yourself on the riches they feed to you. I don't think the movie portrays Elvis as a completely duped, innocent victim. While he was sometimes force-fed the glory (or the pills), many times he swallowed them consciously, willingly, losing the people who were actually looking out for him and truly loved him to forces outside his control, or due to his own choices. He was not immune to the corruptive power of fame and glory; no one is. That's the tragedy.
Anyway, I don't know how to conclude, but this isn't a school assignment so who cares? Baz Luhrmann is a genius, wow what a good movie, I can't wait to watch it again, I didn't even say anything about the soundtrack or Austin Butler's awe-inspiring performance, I love you Austin Butler,* I wrote this instead of a book report for school, it was worth it, I don't even care if no one reads it, I had fun, now to get on with my life.
*edit: his work, that is, and I admire his devotion to his craft. My point is not that we can’t be fans of celebrities. I believe that ALL human beings are worthy of love and dignity, NO human beings are worthy of another human’s worship, and such an attitude is as damaging to the worshipped as it is to the worshiper, and that SOME human beings, by virtue of extraordinary talent, are worthy of additional respect and admiration. I respect and admire Elvis Presley, Baz Luhrmann, and Austin Butler for being talented artists. The English language being what it is, love is the word we often use to sum all that up, but seeing as I just wrote this whole thing, I thought I’d clarify ✌️
#my first meta#elvis presley#elvis 2022#baz luhrmann#baz luhrmann's elvis#analysis#movie analysis#thats the fastest 2400 words i've ever strung together in type format#long post#ok im posting it now#i think thats about all i had to say
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(still the same anon from all those Batman/Joker asks)
Be ready with those empty walls, pal, I'm on my way!! I've already thrown my suitcase in the car and filled up the gas-
You blew every expectation I had with that answer of yours and I don't know if I'll ever recover. I will absolutely respond to your answer but first I need to put my brain back together from being rearranged like a jigzaw puzzle. I'm definitely looking forward to reading that Jesus/side wound meta whenever you post it.
Until then I have a different question. I don't remember who said it but it was along these lines: "There are only three people in the world who find the Joker funny. Joker himself, sometimes Harley and lastly Bruce. And he feels so fucking guilty for it."
They pointed out how Batman does a lot of bad puns, same as the Joker, except he does it with a straight face and serious tone. For example: Bat-terry, Bat-bucket, Bat-arang, saying "hang in there Alfred" while Alfred is dangling off a metal beam. (Those are my rushed examples, not something the original poster brought up, so if they're unaccurate, that's my fault). Bruce will also just say the craziest shit and nobody is sure if he's serious or not. (Happens all the time)
I have a vague suspicion who it was but I'm not sure enough to @ them.
Joker and Batman's sense of humour and how they are somewhat opposed but still similar will drive me into an early grave I swear. Like that post that's still circulating somwhere that mentions how Bruce "lives and dies by the fact that nobody can ever tell when he's pulling their chain" and how Joker "craves to have his comedic genius acknowledged [but he's just not funny]".
I don't know about Joker wanting to be acknowledged as funny because I don't think he considers himself to be in the clown business. He definitely ranted about this to a captured Damian in a comic once. But he does make a lot of bad jokes. Maybe he doesn't think himself funny, either?
Any thoughts?
(Btw I'm not done pestering you yet, be ready to receive an ask about the Batman: I Am Suicide comic and about Martha and Thomas Wayne in the next few days. I still have to gather my thoughts though.)
(Can I just say that every single one of your answers has made my brain release a huge amount of serotonin? Or is that too much? Eh, whatever, it's the truth anyway. You've brightened my week considerably, thank you so much!!)
❤️❤️ hi friend, i adore receiving your asks and getting to exchange interpretations with you, and i can only hope that my superturbonexus unhinged answers have brought half as much joy to you as your questions have brought me 🥰
I kinda took my time with this ask (sorry!) because it's a rather big bite out of an intricate can of bat worms for me, can included. I also found and reread this particular post by @distort-opia , which put more a dozen more interesting worms in my metaphorical can— i'm not sure though if it was the post you were initially referring to.
So! The concept of jokes and generally being a funnyman is a subjective talk, and my personal preferences regarding where Joker and Batman place on the funnyman scale deviate considerably from what the general consensus in batman fandom seems to be (or the lot i have seen of it), so i guess i'll just take this opportunity to do personal talk, probably more than usual 😂 take it all with a grain of salt! (an ingradient that you'll find this answer contains a fair bit of actually—)
I dont think Joker is funny one bit, and i dont think he's particularly trying to be in the general sense of the word; to imply that he's "funny" both in-world and on a meta level would mean that being funny is his core motivation and the heart of his actions, that it's the foundational component, and to me it's not. A bit more a matter of personal taste on my part, but i actually feel lowkey irritated with Joker portrayals that lean too heavily on the "HE MAKES JOKES HE'S SO FUNNY!!!!!" act at the expect of every other significant characteristic he has, because like, funny is not who he is, it's just one of the 500 things he does. Sure he started as a fun character meant to bring in a dash of psychopathic delight to the early Batman works, but he has evolved to become so much more than that, which i like better than the more simplistic "he's a funny fun guy!!!!" characterizations. To me Joker is not funny, he is not supposed to be the way you pour salt on your dish but it's not supposed to taste salty, it's supposed to taste /right/. His jokes aren't the main dish, they're an added flavour meant to bring home a certain act: the performance. He's a showman, he's here to put on a good show, and that show doesn't have the end goal of being "fun", it has the goal of being iconoclastic and real and raw. But he can't exactly do raw, raw and sincere scares him, in a way he's a slave to his fear and tries to cage it and tame it and understand it the way Batman is scared of bats and everything they represent and he made them his very persona. Joker tries to be true and geniune and sincere but he can't, so he infuses his actions with jokes to soften the blow, shift the taste a bit. He also has the genius' disease; he wants to be seen through, interpreted, understood and reimagined, mirrored, and it's an itch only a certain fellow fucked up intellectual can scratch for him.
Batman deeply understands the value of a good performance and a viciously planned persona, he is a performer both as Bruce Wayne and as Batman after all. And he has the expertise to dissect and bring out all the nuance in Joker's performance, it's probably why he finds him funny. He understands the theatre piece, both when it's executed in a stellar fashion and when it falls flat on its face. noone else can bring this level of discernment to interpreting Joker like Batman does because what other villains do is actually less performance and more.... outright insanity. I think this is also the reason why Batman enjoys saying the most insane shit and making weird jokes at weird times and have everyone be confused by him, it's part of the performance. There are these little almost invisible acts that Batman and Joker catch of each other, that they want to catch of each other, "i'm shaking the persona a bit", like when an actor improvises a moment to keep the role fresh, but only the people in on the script catch it, to others it feels in accordance, not off enough to catch attention. It's one of their core points of connection and similarity actually, they both have their performances and they both wiggle in its frame, sometimes threatening to break through the confines.
#thank you for your questions as always ❤️#i also think that a more foundational part of Joker's performance is his incessant feelings of grief and anger;#both things Batman understands damn well and therefore can catch in their nuance#so basically Batman finds joker funny not in a “hoohoo haha'' way#but in a way ''fucking hell we're so godforsakenly alike after all'' way. as you mentioned#Batman#Batman meta#dc joker#joker meta#........#batjokes#batjokes meta#yeah i mean
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Thai BL Favorites List Tag Game
I was tagged by @feralmuskyscentedhoepran @casualavocados @waitmyturtles (look guys! I'm actually getting to a tag game relatively fast this time!)
Favourite bl:
Could it be anything but Bad Buddy? It's my first ever bl, it changed my life, I met some of my favourite people on here because of it and it just destroys me every single day just be existing. It got me with a flying kick in the chest and I have never let go since
Favourite pairing:
I joined at such a great time in bl and I've had an absolutely wonderful amazing 2 years with so many great pairings. But I love Ink with my whole entire heart and I love both of them and just their very existence as a pairing is Such a Big Deal in the industry as a whole that it can't be anything but
My girls!!!! I have nothing more to say
More underrated actor:
I think it's a toss up between Sing Harit and Aou Thanaboon. I'm excited every time Sing has any sort of role in any show I watch. He's brilliant and SO good. Just like with Neo, he's great at comic relief and effortlessly funny but also SO GOOD in a serious role. And Aou just showed up like a year ago and maybe I'm biased because I'm obsessed with Mes and I love him as Max but I just want to see more of him.
Favourite character:
Feral. Musky Scented. Hoe. Baby Boy. King of Repression. Menace. Dimples. Pran Parakul Siridechawat. I love him so much.
Favourite side character:
Wat "you are what you eat. what you take builds who you are" Wasuwat. Just making movies and looking out for his friends and being their voice of reason in the face of the impossible pressure on all of their shoulders.
Favourite scene:
The Eclipse ep 6 beach scene!
Not just because it's such a good scene but also because it's the reason @casualavocados and I finally started talking after months of lurking around each others' blogs. Julian ily never forget the big meta 💖💖
Favourite line:
I've already yelled with @dribs-and-drabbles and @dimplesandfierceeyes how absolutely insane "I'm tired of pretending to hate you while your face has taken over my heart" is.
But also, "I can't change the world but the world can't change me either"
It's such a powerful line delivered in the sunniest of settings. It's validating and empowering and comforting. It's as big a hug as Uncle Tong gives the boys when they say goodbye.
Most anticipated bl and why:
Only Friends and 23.5 Degrees. I don't think I need to explain
Healthiest relationship in a bl:
They snipe and snark at each other constantly but the only reason it works is because they know each other inside and out. They look out for each other, they fight but they figure it out, they talk about everything. They love each other not despite of their flaws but because of them (it's literally canon!). They make me want to tear my hair out with how much they love each other.
Most toxic relationship in a bl:
I've been very very lucky so far to have watched only great to average shows. I know they exist, but not for me they don't 🥰
Guilty pleasure series:
I don't think I really have any?? Largely because guilty pleasure is usually assigned to shows that are cheesy and/or pulpy shows that you don't like to admit to enjoying because you don't want to admit to watching them at all. I just enjoy enough objectively bad media (fast and furious franchise my beloved) to not really feel guilty over anything I like anymore.
Bonus! Most underrated series:
Agreeing with both @casualavocados and @waitmyturtles on Triage and He's Coming to Me. Both of them absolutely fantastic and DEFINITELY need more attention.
This was fun! I don't know who to tag that hasn't done this already! I guess I haven't seen one yet from @dimplesandfierceeyes @respectthepetty @lost-my-sanity1 @jemmo. If anyone else wants to do this, consider yourself tagged too!
#this wasn't supposed to be 90% about bad buddy#but like what did i expect would happen#bad buddy#the eclipse#only friends#23.5 degrees#inkpa#patpran#wat wasuwat#sing harit#aou thanaboon#triage#he's coming to me#feral musky scented hoe pran#tag game
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Hiiiii Soupster, saw the silly character thing : )
Bumblebee - 3, 12
Starscream - 2, 25
& 20 for both hehe xoxo
HIII YIPPEE THANK YOU!!!!! (double thank yous bc i get to obnoxiously destroy this post with so many words)
Bumblebee
3. Least favorite canon thing about this character?
oooh some people may not like this answer because yikes but i straight-up hate how muteness becomes his character trait. Prime is the most guilty of this, the Bumblebee movie takes second place. in Prime, he can still talk and most bots and even humans can understand him - so what's the point?? if you only have this as a clutch for a character and personality, then i'm sorry, but it comes off as shallow. he's supposed to look like a child soldier burdened by war, but it's not a personality: beyond that, he's sometimes a kid, sometimes arrogant, and sometimes badass. add "being mute" and "disabled", and it becomes really weird. why can't he use other methods of communicating? i don't know and it actually makes me frustrated
same thing with the Bumblebee movie. he doesn't have any personality except "cute", "childish" and "mute". it is a bit better because he expresses himself through his actions and body language rather than a language everyone knows, but at the end of the day his traits are very shallow. and i am very sad and bitter about this
12. What's a headcanon you have for this character?
hehe too many 🥰🥰 no not actually too many i'm rather bad at headcanons, so mostly for TFE
he's a "medic" to the Terrans, has first-aid training and helps them if they get hurt, but anything serious he's unable to treat
body dysmorphia, because look at him in ep 12 and tell me he doesn't have any opinion on JB's comment, i dare you
he wasn't sparked (forged??) during the war and he had some time to live on a normal Cybertron before it all went caput
and there aren't any particular ages in cybertronian biology to track of, so i can very hardly ever call him a child soldier, but he does fit the boxes so... shrugs (there's an overdue post from me which analyses the times he did show he was a "child" during war, but i ditched it in early stages because i would grasp at straws a lot and there isn't enough evidence. still a fun thought)
Starscream
2. Favorite canon thing about this character?
I LOVE THAT HE'S A SCIENTIST i can't help it. i always believe that every character has to have a hobby (i guess relatively racing counts for Bee since he does enjoy it), and in other continuities i don't see Starscream having anything to do other than to scheme and backstab, so i absolutely adore whenever in G1 (which is only two times i believe BUT STILL) he does science. it would make sense! he's smart! he has to do SOMETHING before the war starts. absolute chad
25. What was your first impression of this character? How about now?
OH MY GOD LMAO i didn't think of him much when i first watched Animated in, like, 2022, but then, when i came back into tf-watching, after TFE i went for a hunt on other tf-related media. Starscream didn't entice my interest much except in Prime and Animated, but then, silly me, i learned of the comics, specifically RID and TAAO. there was no coming back from that one LMAO i really liked him in the comics and for a long time i had felt like it was one of the only truest characterisations of him
besides the meta stuff, i used to think he was just evil and selfish and i didn't care much for him, but i've grown since then lmao and i have an eye out for anti-heroes and villains now (i did used to think it was black and white, tf changes people istg). now he's a blorbo i constantly pick at but surprisingly have never written a centered piece yet. i should. he's fun. i think i just don't like writing characters with depression (sorry)
20. Which other character is the ideal best friend for this character, the amount of screentime they share doesn't matter?
I MEAN. STARBEE RIGHT. YEAH? okay. (they're two halves of the same coin and Bumblebee always tries to peel back Starscream's layers while he's afraid of letting others know the real him and in turn Starscream lets Bumblebee be angry and snarky when he wasn't allowed to in the past DO YOU UNDERSTAND-)
but also i think Bumblebee's friendship with Hot Rod/Rodimus from any universe is really nice, i feel like they have this cute bond of being young and reckless sometimes. i wish idw didn't do them so dirty with their competitiveness or whatever thing they had. they really seemed to get along in Cyberverse. ALSO of COURSE his friendship/brotherhood with Breakdown in TFE, because they're so touchy and affectionate with each other it makes me wonder a lot about their past together and what exactly tore them apart considering they were so close. ghaaa the horrors of war!!!! its the oldest trick in the book and it gets me every time
for Starscream - absolutely Skyfire/Jetfire (i like the Skyfire name more and i don't know why). G1 is so big-brained with how they treated these two. if they are a couple - i absolutely adore it and i don't usually mind when they're paired together instead of starbee, because i can see it too. they have great chemistry (lmao that's a science joke) and i'd love to see more of them in other media. just get him away from Megatron plz
#god this took a LONG time to write lmao#at least my classes are good for something#thanks for asking ryan!!!! ily <3#asks
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Blood will out for WIP game?
[from this meme]
Thank you for asking about this one, because it's one I haven't really talked about on here and I'm very glad to have the excuse!
I wrote Lost in the Shadow of the Vampire, which is one of the most self-indulgent things I've ever posted: a piece of semi-meta semi-fan-fiction, where a (fictional) actress working on a (fictional) reboot-slash-sequel to 1987 cult classic The Lost Boys starts to suspect that one of her costars is actually becoming a vampire like the ones in the movie. It was a complete blast to write, and I had so much fun figuring out what the fictional reboot-slash-sequel would be about that I decided that I'd just go ahead and write it.
Since the premise is that this is a movie, a 2015-ish all-female reboot slash sequel ignoring all the other sequels, I tried to come up with a plot hook that would let me introduce new leads and change the time period, while honouring the vibe (without just ripping off the plot of the original) and calling back to the original, but also respecting which actors from the original would actually be likely to come back (and which actors from the original are still, uh. Alive). Also, I wanted a girl gang of vampires who have unfuckwithable style and vibes.
So. The premise of Blood Will Out is that, shortly after she turns eighteen, Kate Fischer, the biological daughter of Star and Michael Emerson, starts turning into a vampire. Since she was adopted as a baby and has had no contact with her bio family until very recently, she has absolutely no idea what's going on - but her sister Jamie does. And, because of what Jamie had thought was a very convincing blog-form webnovel and interactive ARG but is now looking like it's actually just the blog of an actual real-life vampire hunter, they have a line of communication to one Edgar Frog.
Unfortunately, this ends up raising more questions than answers. Was there something sinister behind the string of tragedies that struck Kate's birth family and left her orphaned? Was her becoming a half-vampire really biological destiny, or does someone have plans for her? And, once she finds herself drawn into the orbit of a trio of captivating vampires who're more than willing to accept her as one of their own, does she even want to go back to human? Will Jamie get her sister back, or lose her forever?
Does the world need another female-OC-centric TLB fic? Who knows? Who cares? I haven't written one yet, and I'm having fun. (Also, I have a big reveal in mind for the third act that I haven't seen anyone do before, and is positively evil. I'm excited about it.)
I've posted one small sample here, but here, have another:
“Where the hell were you.”
Kate closes her eyes for a second. Like she’s tired. Jamie knows better than to buy that. It’s past midnight. This is prime Kate active hours.
“I’m serious, Kate. I woke up – alone, in a strange city, in California, by the way – and you were just gone. No note, no text, your phone here on the desk -”
Kate sounds defensive, not meeting Jamie’s eyes. Good. She should feel guilty. “Don’t shit yourself. You fell asleep. I was bored. I took a little walk.”
“A little walk down to the Boardwalk, Kate?”
And now Kate doesn’t look like she feels guilty at all. Just kind of flatly angry. Jamie absolutely doesn’t feel a little silver wiggle of apprehension about that. “So what if it was?”
Jamie can’t find words. So instead, she settles for letting her face and her upturned hands do the asking for her. “So what if – Kate. Kate. We agreed. Neither of us goes down there alone. Do I need to remind you that you had to lock yourself in your room for nine solid hours because you accidentally saw a nosebleed? Do you know how many people -”
“Nobody died and I didn’t eat anybody,” Kate snaps, yanking out the chair by the little desk and dropping into it with her front pressed against its back and her legs splayed out to either side. She presses her chin into her hands on the top of the chair back, so the next words come out as a muffled grumble. “Not like you could’ve stopped me if you had been there, anyway.”
The silence that descends around and between them is abrupt and icy.
Kate shifts uncomfortably in the chair, looking everywhere but at Jamie. Like she knows she’s crossed a line. But she doesn’t seem any too ready to apologise for it. “I know you don’t like thinking about it, Jay. But it’s true. If I did go off the deep end -”
Jamie only realises she’s been frozen perfectly still in place when she tries to unclaw her hand from around the TV remote. “I wouldn’t let you. I won’t let you.”
“Jamie…” Kate’s eyes shutter, for a moment, before she finally looks Jamie in the eye again. “You could get hurt. I. Might hurt you.”
Jamie meets her gaze with one of her own, steady and, she hopes, fearless. “You won’t.”
Kate breaks first. She shuts her eyes, rolls her head back on her shoulders, and grips the chair back, leaning back as far as her arms’ reach will let her. “Ugh. Do you think Mom’s found our note yet?”
In answer, Jamie holds up her phone. Kate flops her head forward again so she can look under her mess of dark curls and see the notifications that fill up the screen. Can see that Jamie’s had fifty-eight missed calls and a hundred and two unread texts.
“I think she’s found it,” Jamie cracks.
Kate groans, long and deep and heartfelt, and lets her head flop backwards again.
She starts getting out her laptop as Jamie’s crawling back into bed. Jamie watches her face, the hard set of her stare, as she sets it up on the desk and boots it up. Now that Kate’s back, the wild anger – and the fear that had driven it – are starting to settle again. But there’s a slow, deep, sucking dread starting to take their place. The matter-of-fact coldness, the who-cares attitude earlier – that’s not Kate. At least, not the Kate Jamie knows. And the longer this goes on, the more often this new, cold version of Kate seems to slip to the surface.
But. Even this new, cold version of Kate still doesn’t want Jamie to get hurt.
That has to count for something.
“Kate?” Jamie says, pulling the covers up around her head so she’s looking at her sister through a tunnel of duvet.
Kate makes a wordless noise of acknowledgment without looking up from the laptop screen.
“You’re going to go back to the Boardwalk without me, aren’t you.”
That actually does get Kate to turn around. To look Jamie in the eye. “Jamie -”
Jamie doesn’t give her a chance to speak. She doesn’t really want to hear her sister talk about losing control again. But more than that, she just doesn’t want to have to hear Kate lie to her. She doesn’t want to know if Kate could do it with her eyes steady on Jamie’s and not a hint of guilt in her face or her voice. “Not tonight, okay? Just…don’t go back there again tonight.”
Kate rolls her bottom lip between her teeth, something in her stare softening.
“Not tonight,” she agrees. “Everything’s shut down by now, anyway. Now come on, Jay. It’s almost one AM. You’ve gotta be up early tomorrow if we’re gonna have any time before dawn makes me useless.”
“Your messed-up sleep schedule’s rubbing off on me,” Jamie grumbles good-naturedly, as she lets her head sink back into the pillow and her eyes drift shut. The bed’s never felt so warm, so soft. Despite her nap earlier, she really is tired.
“Oh shit, I hope not,” Kate says, sounding worried. And then, warmly, “G’night, Jamie. Get some sleep.”
Jamie drifts off to the sound of her sister’s fingers tick-tick-ticking over the laptop’s keys.
#chatter#the lost boys#i've been intentionally not tagging it as that up until now because. well. the relationship. she is somewhat tangential#but well. standing in my truth here.#this is mary's fic tag#blood will out
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Oc? 👀
YOU FOOL, YOU ACTIVATED MY TRAP CARD !!! NOW ALL OF THE TUMBLR WILL KNOW I HAVE NO ARTISTIC TALENT!!!!!!!
On the serious note, thank you. Now, i can
1. Lok, a guy with amnesia
Appearance
I do not have a full ref of him because i cant draw coherent pictures as a reference.
Heres his colored floating head and a bunch of sketches i did in class with a pen and was still motivated to draw
And a silly little stickman rendition in that style i use in comics sometimes
Personality
Surprisingly good leader
A little cocky at times, but does know how to gain leverage against strong opponents
Does, in fact, like fighting. Weapon of preference is a sword, although he's also proficient in any object that can be used as weapon
Relies a lot on his reflexes though, sometimes maybe too much, which is a byproduct of the fact that his body knows more than he ever will.
Moderately caring person, although cannot pass by someone in distress without feeling a little guilty
Would die to save friend. Had died to save a friend. The world died for him to save a friend.
His teeth are not for show. Do not threaten what is his.
Story
His story is just as incoherent as are my attempts to give him full ref, only thing time it's intentional.
The premise is such: he wakes up in a world he only particularly recognises (but it feels Extremely off) with little memory of who he is, what he's supposed to do or go. The story itself is a journey to uncover his previous life, find his forgotten friends while gaining new ones, and discover the secrets of the world he inhabits!
What actually happens to him (as the story goes) is that he has a panic attack shortly after waking up, - because he doesn't even remember his own name! - fights a Big and Deadly Bird™ with his bare hands, face-plants in a mud puddle, has another panic attack after seeing his face in a river, kills some monsters with his teeth, dies, tears more monsters with the tools he scrapped from nothing and dies again. Yes, in that exact order. And it's not even the end of his first week here.
He's... Going through it
As of his ✨ mysterious backstory ✨.... It's incomplete :p
And by incomplete i mean that i have some bare bones structure of it, but its still mostly just... In the air. Because i love him as a blank slate that Knows something he Possibly Shouldn't (like craftsmanship, weapon usage, farming, ect.) that are so integrated in his muscle memory that it's literally so freaky actually. Man freak
Meta stuff
His appearance and general plot of his journey is actually based on a minecraft youtuber and his modded-mc-with-plot series that i watched at the time of creation. However, unlike the guy that won't allow his character to have any magnitude of personality and reflection of the inflicted trauma all his shenanigans surely caused, i'm rerouting the story Completely south of what actually happened there.
Although it is still happening minecraft, yes. Live with that.
Also, i classify my ocs in my head as siblings, from oldest (created earlier) to youngest (created later), and Lok is the fifth and the youngest in the family.
2. Enais "Ena" Crovn, girl that can survive Armageddon
Appearance
Imagine a generic long haired girl oc of a 11 years old that thought foxes and wings were cool, and you have basically Ena imagined fully
As you can tell.... This one is from 2017? Ish??
These ones are obviously new-er, although they are still entirely incomplete
I do not have Any new references of her except these rough sketches, and she needs Tremendous redesign because Generic Girl White Dress no longer fits, although not much have really changed with her design through the years
Design pending.
Personality
Honestly one of the least traumatised people out there. She's just living her life man.
She's just Just Some Guy.
Positive person, sometimes soft-spoken. Thinking if Fluttershy had to deliver mail instead of caring for animals, although, obviously, not to that extreme
Good with kids
Can fight but really, REALLY would rather just deliver mail, thank you very much
Loves flying
Story
Entirely unknown. Little me had at least 2 different stories for this gal, one of which was that she's an undertale-esque monster that just happened to look deceptively human and works as a mailman for the entire underground, the other being that she was a Freak Experiment of her insane scientist mother that sew wings and fox ears on her and gave her trauma
Surprisingly, the mailman (mailwoman?) one was the first one i actually came up with myself (while the Trauma route was influenced by a lot of gore mlp edits yt recommended me a lot around that time) and even there she was still cool and, by design, in genocide run would still fight the player somewhere in snowdin. So i think i will go with that one
Meta stuff
She IS actually second least traumatised oc i have. As per my ocs family tree, she's also the oldest - in fact, the very first to ever be made, so her knowledge of children comes from wrangling some ptsd and hyperactivity havers in the lot
There's actually third, secret backstory she has, which includes utdr multiverses we all know about. Although she still delivers mail there, she's actually the very same person who sends the asks to askboxes for character to receive through the entire multiverse, and she Is quite strong - because some universes are WILD and very much deadly and it was a necessity to learn to protect herself; which means she can survive anything under any circumstances.
Little me was based af for coming up with this
It is only two for now because i had not expected for it to take So Much Fucking Time to type out this little bits. Ugh
I need to make a list
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Weird media guilt cycle : Why I stopped watching, reading and writing about OF
So I used to be pretty active on here about a certain show (ahem ahem) while it was airing, but I started falling behind on new episodes airing and I started feeling ... Guilty ?
Like, my reasons for taking a break were real but not that deep :
despite being really fun to watch, it brought back memories of a pretty chaotic time in my life and made it tricky for me to handle some of my emotions regarding basically all the characters
I was just visiting my partner in Canada and wasn't prioritising watching this show.
But nevertheless, I fell an episode behind, which was normal. Then two. And then three. And at this point there was so many meta posts to engage with, so many things I was tagged in, so much I wanted to read, I didn't know where to start, and I didn't want to get spoiled. And I felt weirdly guilty for not being able to engage, maybe because this was my first time being involved in any kind of Tumblr community.
I felt bad not to reply and contribute to the discourse around the show ; I wanted to avoid spoilers and was so behind so I couldn't read anything and could barely go on Tumblr for a bit, because it was also reminding me I was Behind™. See how other feelings about my life were starting to get into it.
I felt like by the time I would come around to watch, everything meaningful would have been said, and like I had to be the first to comment on something for it to be valuable, and like I was not as dedicated as everyone else. Like I wasn't being productive enough, original enough... About watching one damn show.
I loved watching it ! And watching it with a community, analysing it with everyone, reading all the great posts, was so fun ! But suddenly it caused me dread.
Because coincidentally, many other things in my life that I liked stopped being fun around the same time. Other life stuff made me sink. And this show kinda became emblematic of the pause it felt like my life was taking, of me not being able to follow through, of me feeling directionless. Of me feeling like I had to focus on productive things to be worth of existing, like I was existing in an in between where I wasn't accomplishing enough. And I couldn't watch shows at all for the most part, much less shows about characters feeling lost in their lives.
Ridiculous? Yes. Very real for anxiety-ridden me? Also yes.
I was talking with my therapist the other day though, and we noted that I'm lacking creative outlets since my little depression-y phase a month ago. And that in a way, reading and writing meta about that show was filling a need for creative stuff in my life, since I no longer do YouTube/Tiktok like I also used to.
So ! After a month of being harsh with myself, I'm trying to reintroduce little joys, little moments of creation. And it's silly that writing meta about a show might be part of that, but I guess it was a form of self expression, and in my current phase I need any alley of self expression I can get.
All of this to say... I'm going to start watching that show again !
I'm going to catch up on all the amazing posts people have written about it. I'm going to write silly or serious posts about it. I'm going to try and have fun with it.
Is there any big lesson ? Probably not, or only that we truly have interesting relationships with pieces of media and online communities way beyond what they're actually about.
Also please tell me, has anyone else done this ? I feel very weird.
Anyway if I suddenly start live shitposting you know why !
#only friends the series#this was a rant no one cares about#but i still feel guilty and it's so weird#so i wanted to share#wasn't initially planning on sharing which shows this was about but obviously it's#only friends#ofts meta#my love#also i guess i should tag this for#anxiety and depression
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Today in: My genshin ships~
Why do I ship my ships *pats herself in the back*
Navia / Clorinde: They are the obligatory lesbians of the region, but in my opinion these two have the best chemistry of the other wlw pairings. I love the sweet angst between them, and I'm only halfway through the Fontaine story. Also their opposite aesthetics only made me love them even more. I need the Clorinde banner NOW, I'll build a team just for her.
Thoma / Ayato: I'm a sucker for the master/servant dynamic, and while Thoma has that with Ayaka as well, we 100% know she has a crush on Lumine/Aether. I loved the beginning of the Ayato quest where they are just chilling, Thoma also takes care of Ayato in any way his master needs and that is very cute and hot.
Xiao / Venti: The grumpy/cheerful trope always gets to me. Also Venti seems to care A LOT for Xiao, giving him the vision, cleaning his karmic debt, saving his life, and this boy isn't even from Mondstat which makes it even cuter. One point for the opposites trope that I keep on loving.
Xiao / Zhongli: I'm a sucker for them. The way Xiao still respects Morax as this divine being and Zhongli saving Xiao in his chasm moments of need... Wow *cries*. Their dynamic of this all powerful but benevolent and caring being and the sad and serious small warrior is great. Also their designs are from my favorites of the whole game. Sadly Xiao is not very compatible with the teams I'm building right now and if I pull for him just because I like his design he will end up benched and I don't want that :c
Xiao / Aether:
Amber / Eula:
Ei / Yae Miko:
Aether / Noelle: Listen, I'm not on the Traveler/harem boat, but since he (I picked Aether) interacts with practically everyone in the game, in my opinion he has pretty good dynamic with some characters and Noelle is definitely one of them, their hangout event is adorable, she looks forward to be like him and they basically end up in a date, the roses ending is super cute. She's like my wife in the serenitea, and she's even in my abyss team, what can I say...
Aether / Childe: They are so chaotic, I like that. Childe's obsession with fighting him ended up in a very weird friendship. Also his mission with Teucer and all the stuff with his family made me develop a soft spot for him. ALSO, boy you cannot give your vision to him and expect me not to feel a thing, please. This one is not in my top ten, but I still like it a lot. My love for them is Pnkcrow's fault and if you recognize that name, you know what I'm talking about, you're as guilty as I am.
Aether / Layla: Their Hangout has been my #1 favorite so far, it's the epitome of cuteness, the date at the forest melted my heart, he is very supportive of her conditions and doesn't treat her any differently because of it. I adore Layla and her alter mentioning she doesn't have any friends surprised me, she is so sweet. Definitely top 5 favorite characters and my first C6, I love her. I need them to hug and to stay together forever, bye.
Tighnari / Cyno: They are the Sumeru husbands. I love chaos, don't get me wrong, but sometimes I love shipping something safe and beautiful, where my soul can rest~ They are made for each other, also I love the daughter-Collei dynamic is beautiful. I love me some family environment ❤️✨. Bless the Peaches/Nari cover, yes that one. Meta is temporary, ships are forever, so Main DPS Cyno, sub DPS Tighnari we go. Definitely in my top 10. Btw my team's 'nari keeps on stealing Childe's bow and I like that~
Razor / Bennet: This one started for me in the event where we were making the wine from Razor's parents (I'll never forget that event, it has been my favorite so far, I cried and everything lol). That moment where Bennett sympathizes with Razor's situation and explains to him his own, while promising they will be there for him was a direct hit to my heart. I can definitely see them going on adventures together. Also, I don't know, but when characters work together in a team, I end up liking their ship even more (?
Wriothesley / Neuvillette: These two are living rent-free in my head right now. My love for them is surreal. They have everything, they are cute and safe, also slightly angsty if they need to, opposites that complement each other, their aesthetics also opposites that complement, they are perfect, they even have a daughter (I don't care Sigewinne is older than Wriothesley and a menace to society, I love her and she's so Wriolette-daughter coded). Also I have a very soft spot for dragons, so here we are. I despise with my heart and soul not being able to use them in an abyss team, they both are on fields and it wouldn't work as good as I'd like them to. Very high in the list, definitely in the top 3.
Jean / Diluc: I have SUPER MIXED FEELINGS for these two. I wasn't expecting to like them this much but Jean is so sweet and down to earth in contrast to Mr. I'm Mondstat's Batman here. Another point for the opposites trope, but I feel they complement each other so well. In the fics and comics the author's depiction of the pair is amazing, is a very solid ship, I could say it is from the best ones from Mondstat.
Lumine / Dainsleif: I can't get enough of the Princess x Knight headcanons of them both. That alone was strong enough to make me love this ship with my heart and soul. Also my undying love for Dain doesn't help the case.
Itto / Gorou: Ok, hear me out. Itto is canonically in love with Gorou. He loves Miss Hina, and we all know who she actually is. Also they are nade for each other team-wise, Itto DPS and Gorou Support are Geo top tier. I have this headcanon that makes me adore them and is Gorou being in the Inazuma-Watatsumi conflict and of course he's the general, but there in the battlefield arrives the general's boyfriend, this massive Oni with the power to get rid of half of Sara's army, ready to aid his cute doggo general~
Itto / Sara: With them it was like a cupid arrow went through my heart. It was such a crush moment with this pairing. They are the embodiment of "I like a woman who can kick my ass". I know it's a cliché nowadays but the black cat/golden retriever energy here is big. The headcanon of them initially being childhood friends melts my heart. I love their designs and together gets even better, the diligent and elegant Tengu and the imposing and chaotic Oni *chef's kiss*. Also I don't know why but I feel they would be super cute and safe together, this is like my comfort ship. Again, another one for the list and they have a spot in the top 3.
Itto / Ayato:
Yunjin / Shenhe:
Diluc / Kaeya: I WILL DIE ON THIS HILL OK? This was my first Genshin ship and it holds a very special place in my heart. They belong to the chaos-incarnated team and to the opposites teams, so very good points there. Sadly I don't like Kaeya's skin that much to purchase it so they can be both classy in the team. Right now they are not that high up in the list since they have gone a little outdated but still, very solid ship.
Dehya / Candace:
Childe / Zhongli:
Xinqiu / Chongyun:
Kaveh / Alhaitham:
Ninguang / Beidou:
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anon if you're still here
please tell me who you are.
i swear on my life i will keep it to myself. i just need to be able to prove you're not the person who claimed to be you.
i understand and somewhat relate to what you said about wanting to be taken seriously. I want to be on your side here, I really want you to not be that person, I really don't want to have been tricked by them the whole time. and I really want to prove them innocent, because their mistake of pretending to be you (for what i presume was just a funny bit) seems to have caused a rift in some friendships and I feel guilty about it because they wouldn't have been involved if it weren't for me.
please anon just give me something, i want to fix everything, i want things to go back to normal. i promise i'll take your real identity to my grave unless you encourage me to share it. if you are a regular in the community like you claim, you'll know i'm an honest and genuine person and will stand by my word.
and i will not (and have never) judge(d) you for your feelings. trust me, at times in my life i've been far more down bad for far worse people, and people were understanding towards me then, so you deserve the same kindness.
please just be honest, no lies, no shenanigans, no shitposting, no jokes, just the best explanation you can give. all i will share with them is the fact that i'll have new evidence about who the anon is and why, but not actually that information itself. we will all greatly appreciate knowing we haven't been meta-punk'd, and if you are serious about your feelings, you'll indirectly get your message through to him without exposing yourself. and we can hopefully put this whole thing to rest.
however, if you actually are that person you say you aren't but who says they're you, after all we've talked about how much it hurts to be told lies within lies and flip-flopping about whether it's true or not.... i will never trust you again. <3
#if you don't know what this is about then it's not about you don't worry#directed at anon#for anonymous#directed at someone#offsite drama
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#trigunbookclub | Vol 1 | 05-06
Click here for an archive of all my #trigunbookclub posts
Damn right they are!!!
(Love that he sees Milly as the "smart" one here -- not to dunk on Milly though, 'cause she's actually extremely perceptive underneath her happy-go-lucky demeanor! )
Commentary under the cut!
[Art & Story by Yasuhiro Nightow. Translation by Trigun Ultimate Overhaul.]
[Disclaimer: I have consumed much meta content & had many conversations about Trigun on Tumblr and Discord since earlier in 2023. Lots of my commentary will be a result of cooperative analysis, so thank you to all who share their thoughts!]
[Warning: While I will mostly avoid manga spoilers, some of my commentary will involve discussion of future topics. I am also assuming readers have seen the 98 anime and/or Trigun Stampede and are at least somewhat familiar with some of the major story beats.]
At the beginning here we see Vash obtaining an absurd amount of food for Kaite, who Vash has keenly noticed is hungry but won't admit it. (What a sweetie.)
Vash goes on to try to comfort the kid by pointing out it's probably too dark outside for a raid, and also by musing that humanity's arrival on this planet might have been a good thing, after all. Kaite immediately turns the tables back on Vash in another shining example of the perceptive capabilities of the seemingly innocent:
Kaite was born into hardship, into the struggle of humanity to survive on a planet that was never meant to sustain them. I suppose the people from the early days after the big fall might have spoken with more optimism, lived with hope that they might build a happy life on this new planet. By the time Kaite's generation rolls around, they know full well how rough this life is, with no hope of things getting any better.
Vash subsequently collapses to the floor and passes out, having taken a drink from a cup that the kid had apparently laced with some kind of drug.
~ Plantussy count: 5 ~
Introducing the leader of the Bad Lad Gang: Brilliant Dynamites Neon. (God, these names...)
I actually kind of love BDN's character design. He's a neon cowboy who is somehow both intimidating and completely extra.
We see that Kaite is part of some nefarious plan of BDN's, which is about to get underway. Oh, look! They're attacking the sand steamer!
Poor Milly and Meryl, who had been asleep in their narrow bunks, awake to the commotion and slam their heads into the bed panels. (The thought of trying to sleep in those things makes me feel so claustrophobic.)
The Bad Lads show no mercy as they gun down those in their way. This group of bandits, led by BDN, are here to claim whatever valuables they can find, particularly from the wealthy passengers aboard.
The scene cuts to Vash in a dream state (Also, Vash is now laying on the bed??? Did Kaite, like, move him?? All by himself??? I'm picturing this small kid going through the trouble of moving this tall dorito of a man from the floor to the bed, which he absolutely did not need to do. Maybe Kaite felt guilty for double-crossing him. Maybe it was a small thank you for feeding him. Maybe a bit of both.)
Vash hears singing, then he sees her: Rem. Though we don't yet get a lot of information about this woman or her relationship to Vash, it is immediately clear that she is very, very important to him.
(Also Vash has his real left arm in this dream T_T)
Rem is so foundational to the way Vash views the world and the way he chooses to live his life. She is his foundation. How often does he dream of her like this?
Vash immediately starts opening up to her, talking about his reality as if it were some bad dream. In this short scene, we see that Vash looks to Rem for guidance. He looks to her to supply him with meaning, with motivation.
Rem laughs and teases him for being so serious, even in a dream. She then delivers her iconic "blank ticket" line:
Again, this is Vash's foundation. This idea that your fate is not predetermined, that you always, always have a choice. Vash makes a choice every single day to live the way he does.
The whole "blank ticket" thing comes up a lot in the manga, and even came up in s1 of Stampede!
The dream shatters, and Vash shouts her name before waking and rolling off the bed with tears in his eyes.
(omg I love his dopey face after he gets wedged in between the bed and the wall)
Fortunately, this prevents him from being discovered by a member of the Bad Lads who poked into the room. Vash snaps back to reality as he realizes something is amiss.
The scene shifts, and we see BDN frustrated by the lack of money and valuables he's been able to lift off the wealthy passengers--that is, until he learns that most of the valuables on board are locked away in a safe, the combination to which no one on the ship knows (as an added security measure for, y'know, bandit raids like this.) He then orders the conductors to ramp up to top speed and head toward a cliff, intending to crash the entire sand steamer in order to break open the vault. Obviously an insane plan that would result in the death of everyone aboard.
Chapter 6 opens with the sand steamer's protective escort, whose vehicles have been damaged by the bandits, leaving them stranded. They note that the sand steamer is no longer in sight, and they can hear the sound of it accelerating.
Cut to the control room of the steamer. One of the conductors attempts to pull the brake, and BDN shoots him through the head. Kaite is brought to the control room, BDN asks him how to steer the steamer, and the kid reveals an unexpectedly detailed knowledge of the ship's engineering.
The plan was originally just to loot the ship then dip out, but when Kaite finds out that the new plan is to crash the ship, he begs BDN not to do it. (Didn't your mom ever tell you not to trust the leader of a criminal gang, kid?)
Kaite begins to argue, but BDN ain't havin' none of it. BDN starts beating the crap out of him, but Kaite stubbornly continues to argue and beg. He finally reveals that this is his dad's ship. Then we get this amazing, visceral imagery of BDN's gun clattering against Kaite's chattering teeth. It's seriously SO good. I can just hear that panel.
BDN is definitely about to put a bullet in this kid's skull (we just saw him do the same thing to the conductor, so we know he's not fuckin' around) but our boy Vash arrives just in time to save Kaite's life. He appears outside the front window and shatters it. It looks to me like he fired three shots into the empty conductor's chair:
look at him swingin' in, he monkey
Through a series of insane stunts, Vash manages to extract Kaite from danger.
One thing that stands out to me here: In their escape, Vash and Kaite are clambering along the outside of the sand steamer. In a panic they realize the ship is definitely about to clip a rock outcrop on their side.
You know what this reminds me of? The scene in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (an excellent movie, btw) where Indy is stuck on the outside of a military tank and about to crash into some rocks.
I feel like this has gotta be intentional. Nightow was obviously a fan of westerns, cowboys, etc. and I can definitely see him being a fan of Indiana Jones. This particular film came out in 1989, which would have given Nightow plenty of lead time to incorporate an homage into his series, which didn't start publication until 1995.
Anyway,
Milly and Meryl are lurking in the shadows like little gremlins, BDN threatens the last remaining conductor to comply by holding a teary female passenger at gunpoint, and we cut back to Vash and Kaite making their way back inside the sand steamer. Vash is so fucking done with Kaite and the Bad Lads and all of it.
We get a little more info re: Kaite's dad, that he was a workaholic and presumably not the most present and participatory father. Yet Kaite obviously harbors more than resentment -- he loved and respected his father.
(I just love this panel)
Vash announces that they're going to put a stop to this and doesn't give Kaite a choice in the matter of helping out. Kaite then pulls out a detailed blueprint of the sand steamer (named 'Flourish') which he freaking copied by hand from the original (which his father designed) right down to the handwritten notes in the margins. This kid...had mad respect for his father's work. It's so wonderful and sad all at once. Brilliant engineering, in exchange for a man being a present father to his son. A brief flashback shows there was no lack of love; Kaite merely wanted more of his father's time. But at the same time, Kaite understood, deep down.
Then Kaite breaks down and starts crying, expressing regret for selling out his father's work, just for some cash. (um and also a bunch of people are about to die?) ........but Vash puts a stop to this.
Basically, "GET IT TOGETHER, KID!!!" We can still do something about this, do not despair, it ain't over 'till it's over, etc.
Oh, Vash.......💖 Spreading hope wherever he goes...
And finally,
~ Plantussy count: 7 ~
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Is anyone else amazed that Hawks was only "undercover" with the Leauge for 6 months at the most.
Not only that, one and a half of those 6 months were spent just trying to gain enough trust to infiltrate.
I know it seems like much longer since Hawks made his Manga debut 2 years ago. But he had such a short amount of time on this mission. Hawks was introduced in the manga with his role being the "double agent". We literally have not seen Hawks outside of his "spy" role. Even when he is interacting with other characters outside of the Leauge, his "mission" is still happening in the background.
It seems Hawks made contact with Dabi right before the Hero Billboard chart, this is when he starts trying to infiltrate. His interaction with Dabi in the warehouse begins immediately after Endeavors fight with High-End:
During this time, Dabi is testing out a High-End Nomu for doctor Ujiko. Which means by the time Endeavor fights High-End, the My Villain Academia arc is already happening. Hawks is assumed to be one of the "members" Dabi is trying to recruit:
The Leauge has already made contact with doctor Ujiko, and the Doctor sends Dabi to test his High-End Nomu out on Endeavor (even though Dabi didn't know it would be Endeavor) while the rest of the Leauge battle Machia. At the time, Dabi still doesn't trust Hawks at all and he keeps the hero at arms length. While Dabi and Hawks are sharing ominous phone calls, the Leauge is hauling ass and it take's Shigiraki a month and a half to finally beat Machia. (The MLA is "defeated" too):
After a month and a half of phone calls (while the Leauge gets their asses handed to them by Machia in the background) Hawks is finally allowed into the Leauge when the battle of Dekia City is finally over. Dabi let's him in because Hawks "kills" Best Jeanist.
But there's a problem. By the time Hawks is let in, The Leagues numbers have drastically increased. They have an army at their side, multiple High-End nomu, and are now called the MLA:
Hawks blames himself, saying that he was "too late". That so many civilians would be alive now if he had been faster. He couldn't round up the Leauge when they were a small group, and now they have an army. A powerful one:
He's in too deep now. And you can see the stress on his face. I bet he never expected to be part of an army. He was simply tasked to round up the Leauge members while they were a small group, but the MLA was completely unexpected. Still, he decides to improvise and do the best he can with the shitty cards he's been dealt. It's not like he has another option at this point.
So he slips a coded message to Endeavor ASAP. Basically saying "yo, in four months shits about to go down. Ttyl I'll keep you posted lol". He can't tell the guy in person now, because to make things harder, he has camera's on his wings. (and even though he's being watched by camera's, he also gets followed by guards at the mansion):
After Hawks relays the massge, he stroles around the mansion with his bodyguard and heads towards the cafeteria. With a little eavesdropping (courtesy of his feathers) he also finds out that the Leauges plan is to "Destroy Everything" in four months:
After he relays the massage to Endeavor, he listens to the Leauges plans of destruction as his thoughts run a thousand M.P.H.
Because now "capture the Leauge" has turned into "Holy shit I now only have 4 months to take down a full fledged terrorist organization/army from the inside-out by myself while I'm being monitored 24/7 with absolutely no privacy & also a full time job as a hero + a public image to maintain. And I can only contact my fellow pro's about this mission through code because if the villains find out I'm a double agent I could be killed and Japan could be destroyed. Also some heros have even joined the MLA so who on my own side can I trust? Only a select specific few for now I guess."
If you thought things couldn't get worse your wrong.
Because around 2 months before the raid Hawks' heart (that wants to be free & has a genuine desire to help people) takes shit a bit too far when it makes him get attached to a certain powerful villain.
Hawks quckily finds out that Twice is easily the second most powerful villain in the Leauge after Shigiraki. He's an S ranked villain and he'll kick your ass with the power of friendship anyday. He's a great guy, but him and the Leauge are still planning on doing horrible things within the next 2 months. Twice is going along with it because he wants to stick by his friends, which y'know, is a cool motive. But considering that fact that the people Hawks is trying to protect ALSO have friends, and family's, this makes shit difficult and sends Hawks on some major guilt trips. (I would show all the panels of Hawks sadly smiling as Twice calls him a "good guy", but alas- Tumblr has informed me that I've reached my 10 image per post limit)
And tbh who wouldn't feel bad about suddenly getting attached to such a golden retriever of a man and then realizing you'll have to double-cross him at some point! I'm not surprised Hawks would feel this way, especially considering the fact that he never wanted to take on this mission in the first place.
Hawks is very much a people person, and he HATES lying even when he has no other option. This is a man who got "shivers up his spine" when he had to put on a serious face while handing Endeavor a book with coded messages inside. He literally felt icky and thought "this is low even for me" just because he had to use a deadly expression so that Endeavor would get the gist.
And when the Commission made their "proposal" about this mission, Hawks' first reaction was to call them out on their B.S. for asking him to put civilian lives at risk. He even admitted that he was feeling bad about sending Tokoyami away while talking to Deku, Shoto, and Bakugo. Hawks felt guilty about not being able to spend more time with his student, but considering that things with the MLA were starting to get riskier, and that Hawks literally handed Endeavor a book with a coded message inside about an uprising 2 seconds later, I can see why he wouldn't want to risk Tokoyami being around him. The fact that the camera's on Hawks' wings caught his interactions with Endeavor & the students also makes the creep‐factor worse. The MLA saw everything AND talked about it in a meeting later. Continuing to train with Tokoyami would put him at risk.
I love the complexity of Hawks' character, he's incredibly intelligent, logical, and intuitive. But at the same time throughout this entire mission his heart is constantly battling with his mind. Even when he knows he has to grit his teeth and do something shifty, his heart never fails to put up a fight with his logistics. Honestly it's been a pattern for a while that Hawks' sympathy always "Trips him up" in some way, so idk why I didn't see it coming around to bite him in the ass later.
(Tbh it's hard for me to see Hawks as a this super "Morally Gray" person that the fandom likes to paint him as because of a mission that he only spent 6 months on. I personally, kinda see Hawks as a "good person" who works for a "morally gray" agency. But that's a whole different meta)
Basically, Hawks getting attached to Twice wasn't a surprise. But considering how powerful Twice was, along with his role in the League's destructive plans (He was a lieutenant in one of the MLA's "Units") the discourse going on in Hawks' mind makes sense. By this point Hawks has already figured out all of the MLA's "Units" along with the three "bosses" that support the lieutenants of those "Units". It's noted that those "bosses" are extremely powerful and can match the strength of the heros as well. It took Hawks an entire month just to figure out all of the "Units" members. (I would show the panels explaining all of this but I'm at my photo limit)
All of these members were tasked to follow their lieutenants and bosses, and the plan was to attack all of Japans major cities at the same time. Once the cities were destroyed and chaos had set in, Redestro and feel good inc. Would distribute support items to the remaining citizens in the name of "self-defense". It would create a country full of discourse and destruction where Redestro and Feel good inc. Would rule from the shadows. But Shigiraki would be the main leader. He would become "king" and sit upon a "throne of rubble". (At least this was the MLA's plan, Shigiraki himself just kinda wants to destroy everything. But I suppose this would make things easier for him to do that.)
needless to say, the stakes have been upped excessively. But it took Hawks an entire month to gather this info.
This post is honestly just me marveling at what an M.V.P Hawks is
My guy literally only had 4 months to take down an entire terrorist organization for the inside-out. AND he was being monitored during that entire time. He figured out the MLA's intentions within the first month of being there. And it took him another full month to go into detail and figure out all the members, bosses, and lieutenants, for each of their "Units". Hawks even went as far as to immerse himself in the MLA's ideology, and he had in-depth discussions with the MLA's members. HELL HE EVEN FAKED HIS CO-WORKERS DEATH JUST TO GET IN.
AND HE PRETTY MUCH IMPROVISED ALL OF THIS SHIT!!! The original plan was to capture the Leauge when they were a small group! But by the time Hawks managed to infiltrate, The Leauge already had an army! They were a full-blown organization! And Hawks just kinda rolled with it??? He just kinda bullshitted his way through??
Like, "okay I'm now apart of an army I guess. The Leauge is now an entire organization and they're planning on destroying Japan in March. Let's see how this goes. I'll just have to make this work"???
LIKE HOW THE FUCK IS HE NOT DEAD! WHAT A FUCKING MADLAD
#bnha#mha#my hero academia#boku no hero academia#hawks#keigo takami#takami keigo#bnha hawks#hawks mha#mha hawks#hawks bnha#bnha spoilers#bnha meta#hawks meta#pro hero hawks#mha spoilers#bnha manga spoilers#mha manga spoilers#bnha spoiler#mha spoiler
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So the Gang has done a lot of things, and they don't really know shame, do they?
However, someone wants them to commit an actual murder, and to motivate them, they threaten them with their most shameful secret.
What secret would each of the gang members kill for?
This can be as silly or serious as you're inclined.
omg I'm so bad at sunny meta so I'm going to be dumb and silly <3 this is a fun ask though
Dennis: well it's canon that maureen paid him basically to let her lick him right? and he definitely enjoyed that right. I think sometimes he walks around his apartment and catches himself meowing just casually to himself. and then realizes what he's done and has to sit down and have a good long think about what's happening to him.
Mac: he has, at times, heard Dennis meowing. Dennis has asked if Mac heard anything weird. Mac has denied it. however, Mac did accidentally slip it into a confession once. if that priest ever had reason to blackmail Mac you bet he would do anything to hide the fact that He Knows.
Dee: high school Maureen was sweet enough to hang out with the aluminum monster from time to time (it didn't hurt that she had a crush on the monsters brother and the two were loaded). the girls would do each other's makeup and, sometimes, would be silly and eyeliner pen cat whiskers would ensue. Dee feels guilty for possibly encouraging this catgirl behavior from a young age.
Frank: being an excellent business man and a horrible father, Frank had contacted Maureen and said that she could probably humiliate Dennis by trading licks for debt write-offs. frank of course likes this idea, because frank cuts dennis' paychecks, and he can cook the books enough that Maureen's alimony deductions go straight into his pocket.
Charlie: charlie has been known to hide in Dennis and Mac's apartment and meow to fuck with Dennis, who thinks he's the one subconsciously doing it.
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I do not understand how everyone is so happy.
(Sorry in advance for my broken english)
Because for them, The "Meta Era" (wtf is this nonsensical name) removed Sonic "heart & soul", that everything in the 2000 era was "good" bc muh dark, mature & ambition, that apparently only the current era has cheesy/cringy lines despite previous era being guilty of these too and how IDW Sonic is the last "good writing" etc...
TL DR : They are biased.
(Sorry for the lil rant, I loss my excitement for Frontiers after learning that flynn is the writer & read the synopsis)
Yeah, I know. I've read many "the important thing is that the Pontaff era has ended" comments.
Look, I get it. The 2010s games were very light in plot and characterization, and the humor was subpar. When Forces tried to be more serious (note that it wasn't actually written by Pontaff though), it was hard to take seriously. I understand that fans wanted thing to go back.
But this ain't it chief lol. I trust Pontaff with Sonic and Eggman much more than I trust Flynn. Their Eggman is phenomenal, for one - how could people get tired of him being the main antagonist?? He's clever, he's resourceful, he's funny, he's determined, I started loving him since Colors and I never stopped since then. Their Sonic... sure, it wasn't perfect, in Colors he was a bit of a cocky dudebro, and in Generations and Forces he didn't have much characterization, but fuck you I'll always defend his portrayal in Lost World. He failed, not because of a dumb reason like "lol imma pretend metal sonic can be redeemed", but because of his genuine, long established flaw of acting before thinking! He felt guilty about it! He was angry and aggressive against the Zeti for kidnapping Tails! He was miserable that his one mistake lead to the apparent dead of Eggman and all his friends!
Lost World Sonic, written by Pontaff, is a much better Sonic than this idiot written by Ian Flynn:
Also, newflash: I'm a huge Adventure/Dark Age fan, but not everything that happened between 1998 and 2008 was great guys. Eggman being a dumbass who always tried to bite more than he could chew was one of the things that I was happy that it was abandoned in the 2000s.
This is what happens when dumb memes like the one about villains in the Adventure era being cool monsters instead of "just" Eggman get spread. We really going back to when the main antagonist since 1991 wasn't enough. Okay.
... I really hope this is another "the Sonic movie will suck because Gremlin Sonic" situation. I do. I wish I could be as hyped as y'all.
#sonic the hedgehog#i ain't tagging it as the main game#out of respect for the people who are positive about this situation#but yeah i've been feeling alienated since this morning
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