#based off that scene from Big Hero 6

[littlecrittereli]

shitty drawpile doodle while i fist fight artblock in a dark alley

[ha-rinrin]

"Is there something wrong with my pants?"

Summary: Jinx's comes home after getting half of Zaun out of Stillwater with a doubt on her mind.

Pairing: Jinx x fem!reader

Wordcount: 1.4k

Authors note: I laughed so hard at this scene that I had to write something based on it. Also, guys, I'm absolutely refusing to accept the ending of episode 6 for my own mental health.

masterlist

The hideout is still, the quiet hum of the machinery and the flicker of a dim lamp your only company. You've been waiting for Jinx, trying not to imagine all the chaos she’s causing out there. You know she’s been working on something big, but you’re never quite sure exactly what until she shows up.

The door slams open, and in she bursts, her energy almost tangible as she steps into the room. Jinx is practically glowing, a grin stretched across her face that matches the wild sparkle in her eyes. Her clothes are messy, but she’s hardly bothered by it, her usual chaotic aura taking over.

“Guess who just pulled half of Zaun outta Stillwater?” she announces, her voice thick with excitement. She practically bounces in place, her fingers twitching like she’s about to explode with more energy.

You blink, surprised. “Wait—half of Zaun? You mean you—”

Jinx nods, cutting you off with a quick motion of her hands. “Yeah! I snuck in, all stealthy-like, dodged the enforcers, and got them out. No one even knew what hit ‘em! They’re gonna be talking about this for ages, trust me.” She leans in closer, her face lighting up with that grin that’s both wild and contagious. “I’m like their ghost, except, you know, way cooler.”

You can’t help but smile at her enthusiasm, though a small part of you wonders how she managed it without being caught. She’s reckless, but she’s also clever in her own strange way.

Her voice drops a little, a mix of excitement and something softer underneath it. “It felt good, y’know? Being the one who saves the day for once.” She rubs the back of her neck sheepishly, glancing at you like she’s half unsure if you’ll think it’s stupid.

You step forward, catching her eyes with a soft smile. “I’m proud of you, Jinx. You did something good today.”

Her eyes widen slightly, a little surprised at the words, before her usual grin returns, if a little softer now. "Well, I don’t always blow things up, y’know." She shrugs, still trying to play it off like it’s no big deal, but you can tell she’s pleased.

“Yeah, but you always make it exciting," you reply, stepping closer to her, your voice warm. "Only you could pull something like that off and get away with it."

Jinx laughs, her energy rising again, and she twirls around once more, feeling the high of her success. "Well, they won’t be calling me ‘crazy’ for much longer! They’ll be calling me a hero soon enough—just wait!"

You smile, watching her, knowing that her idea of ‘hero’ is always going to be a little different from the norm. But you wouldn’t have it any other way.

After the rush of adrenaline begins to fade, Jinx’s usual wild energy starts to settle, leaving behind a quieter, more tired version of her. She lets out a long breath, her grin softening as she moves to the couch, her steps a little less bouncy now.

“You know,” she says, her voice much softer than before, “sometimes, all that sneaky, saving-the-day stuff takes more out of me than I thought.”

She drops onto the couch with a sigh, sprawling out, but then pats the empty space next to her, glancing up at you with a mischievous smile. “C’mere. You’re not gonna leave me hanging after all that, are you?”

You raise an eyebrow but walk over anyway, sitting next to her. As soon as you do, Jinx pulls you down beside her, her arms wrapping around you like a vice, dragging you closer as she snuggles into your side.

“Perfect,” she mutters, resting her head against your shoulder with a contented sigh. Her usual wild energy has faded, replaced by something softer, something that only ever seems to appear when she’s with you. She lets out a small, satisfied hum, clearly enjoying the comfort of just being close to you after everything.

“You know, you’re the only one who doesn’t think I’m a total freak," she says after a few moments of quiet, her voice more vulnerable than she usually lets on. "You’re the only one who gets it… and me." She nuzzles into your side, her arms tightening around you slightly.

You smile softly, resting a hand on her back, your fingers gently tracing the familiar lines of her jacket. "You’re not a freak, Jinx. You're just... you. And that’s all I need."

She glances up at you, her eyes bright, but there’s something softer there now, something deeper than the usual spark of mischief. "Good," she mutters with a quiet chuckle. "’Cause I’m never gonna change." Her grip on you tightens a little, and she settles further into your side, clearly at peace now. “So, I’m gonna stay here and cuddle until the world falls apart again. You cool with that?”

You chuckle, feeling the warmth of her body next to yours, the chaos of her day finally falling away as she rests against you. “I’m more than cool with that.”

Jinx lets out another satisfied sigh, her eyes fluttering closed as she relaxes even more, completely at ease in your arms. And for once, everything feels calm—just the two of you, wrapped up in each other, in a world that’s spinning too fast for anyone else to catch

Jinx stays nestled against you for a while, the chaos of the day melting away in the quiet comfort between you. Her breathing has slowed, and she feels more relaxed than she has in hours. The soft hum of the hideout is the only sound, but then, out of nowhere, she shifts slightly in your arms, her mood taking a subtle dip.

You feel her tense, just for a second, and her voice comes out a little softer than usual. “Hey… um… do you think there’s something wrong with my pants?”

You blink, not sure if you heard her correctly. And then, you glance down at her—her eyes wide, her lips pressed together like she’s genuinely worried. It’s such a stark contrast to the wild, unpredictable energy she usually exudes. The sudden vulnerability in her face, combined with the seriousness of her tone, is almost too much.

And before you can stop yourself, you burst out laughing. It’s not mean-spirited, just genuine, surprised amusement. The ridiculousness of the question, paired with the look on her face, catches you off guard.

Jinx blinks at you, her eyes narrowing slightly in confusion as she watches you laugh. “What?” she asks, her voice a little defensive, though the corners of her mouth twitch in response to your laughter. "Is it really that funny?"

You try to catch your breath, still chuckling. “Jinx… you—" You wipe your eyes with your sleeve, grinning. “You’re worried about your pants? Look at you! You’re the last person who should care about that!”

She pouts for a moment, her arms still around you as she pulls herself a little closer, almost like she’s trying to hide. “It’s not funny, okay?” she mutters, her voice quieter now, though there’s still a hint of that pout on her lips. "That enforcer made me feel stupid... and I didn’t like it."

You stop laughing, realizing just how much it’s bothering her. You gently tilt her chin up to look at you, the playful tone fading as you meet her eyes. “I’m sorry, Jinx,” you say, your voice soft but sincere. “It’s just… you’re telling me this, and then I look at you, and I’m like— … Who cares what she thinks?”

She stares at you for a moment, the pout fading as she lets out a small breath. “Yeah, but still...” she trails off, still fiddling with the fabric of her pants.

You grin, brushing a hand through her hair as you pull her back into you. “You’re perfect, Jinx. Those pants? Totally you. No one else could pull them off like you do.”

her head resting against your chest as she lets out a soft sigh, the weight of her earlier worries starting to ease away. “You’re the best,” she murmurs, her voice barely audible. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

You smile, kissing the top of her head. “You’d probably blow something up, but I’d still be right here.”

And just like that, the tension fades. She’s back to her usual self—still a little quirky, but reassured and relaxed in your arms.

[lochyratliffs]

Hey just curious about something, i really liked the brothers arc, but then at the end Saxon tells Lochlan that it’s ok to worship him but not “that” way. Are we not considering that as the end of the chapter from his side? Lochlan might have been interested for whatever reasons like teenage confusion, hero worship, sexual attraction, felt led on by Saxon. But it’s a big no from Saxon is what I felt. And then Saxon also asks to drop it, nail on the head. Saxon seems to keep Lochlan around to boost his ego since no one else admires him and that gets to fucked up levels. Still, that is possible. But there’s no attraction towards Lochlan, as per what Saxon said.

working on my lochlan magnum opus but i'm gonna answer this one real quick-- i have a response here for essentially this question, so you can read that, but i want to add here that saxon's words mean NOTHING.

saxon definitely does cling to lochlan in thailand as an ego boost and a pet project since he isn't allowed to work after their phones get taken-- he's clinging on to his "at-home" personality up to that point, still being strange and inappropriate with his brother in the way i detailed in that ask as well as using lochlan as a captive audience and grabbing his dick while he talks about horny women, but after their phones get taken away saxon turns from that into really, truly working to get lochlan laid. and with that comes a switch where saxon begins being handsy as hell and deeply strange with him:

(setting aside saxon's horrible word choice for now...)

saxon brings lochlan into the adult world ("young. fucking. come." "shut up and drink this. they don't care. it's fine. just take it."), then immediately going back to kids games with "follow the leader," just like he does so many times throughout the show, like tickling piper in their first scene and then talking about her genitals, talking about sex and then doing a funny walk while he tucks his dick between his legs before he smacks piper on the head, saxon is PREOCCUPIED with childish behaviour in adult contexts. i think a large part of his obsession with lochlan and piper's virginity and lochlan's youth in particular is a feeling of reliving his own, whether he regrets the way he lost it/how young he lost it or whether he regrets his choices from 18 to now, following blindly in timothy's footsteps, developing no real personality. his deranged childish/sexual act could be anxiety over getting older. maybe it's a desire to return to youth. maybe it's a fetish because he's seen too many "barely legal" porn shoots.

ANYWAY-- episode 6 is called denials. we open the episode with saxon remembering bits and pieces from the threesome, which you can see detailed here with analysis based on how he reacts to them, notably hitting his breaking point and throwing up when he realizes he got off while locking eyes with lochlan. he's definitely feeling violated, but there's a gradient to his reactions that we can observe-- and when you look at the shots, there's an argument to be made that those shots are following saxon's eyes and saxon's interest, since it's his memories from his point of view.

when saxon goes down to the beach and realizes chloe remembers the threesome, and worse, that chloe is going to drag all of it out in front of chelsea, he's LYING. we, the audience, already know he remembers enough of that night that he can't claim he blacked out completely. he says, "i don't remember that!" well after we see him remember the handjob, and he begins the conversation denying that it counts as a threesome because it was with his little brother.

subconsciously i think he does view lochlan as an extension of himself, which contributes to him being so floored that lochlan would reach out and touch him, but... that was a threesome. saxon made out with chloe (at least twice) after spending a whole night working to get her to fuck his brother. saxon stayed in the bedroom, took his shorts off at some point between lochlan kissing chloe and lochlan fucking chloe, and just kind of hung out watching his brother lose his virginity.

that conversation goes on, saxon trying out all the denials he rehearsed in his head all day, everything he's got to justify what happened, and the girls shoot down EVERYTHING until saxon has to leave before he starts crying. every single sentence saxon has said this entire conversation is a LIE, that he KNOWS IS A LIE, and then the conversation ends with him denying that hooking up with his brother/desiring his brother is "a thing, it's definitely not a thing!"

in the context of this whole discussion, where nothing saxon says is truthful, we know this is a lie.

title this "i don't think there's a drug in the world that could make me get with my brother." and put that bitch in the louvre!

all this to say that the gap between the truth vs. what saxon says is a canyon full of boundary-pushing sexual behaviour and teacher/student porn. you're correct that it IS a big no from saxon, but not necessarily because of a lack of desire. his identity is crumbling around him and he needs to cling to the pillars of his false personality, one of which is accepting lochlan's worship, now with a shiny new "NO-TOUCHING" sign added. unfortunately for him, that twink has had it!!!

[bookishdiplodocus]

A longread on writing comedy

This is what I do to research writing comedy:

What helped me most was analyzing a lot of jokes: "It's funny. Why is it funny? How does this joke work?" Usually it's something that subverses the expectations in a specific way or an unexpected collision of two things. (Like a pun is a collision of sound and meaning.) For my analysis, I wonder: "What is the expectation after the set-up? Why do I have this expectation? How does the pay-off subverse the expectation? Why does it still make sense in relation to the set-up?"

For example: I unleashed this kind of analysis on the movie George of the Jungle. It has a surprisingly high hit rate, I think around three jokes per minute in the first one third of the movie, and it still manages to get the story going and the characters introduced. I’ve mentioned this before, but I don’t think I gave examples, and you know I’m all about the teaching.

I found at least 17 types. Heads up, this is going to be a longread.

Type 1: Puns

Narrator: “When they finally beheld the mighty Ape Mountain…” [They see a mountain shaped like a gorilla head.] Narrator, cont’d: “… they reacted with awe.” All: “Aww.” Narrator: “I said ‘awe”. A-W-E.” All: “Ooh!” Narrator: “That’s better.”

Explanation:

The pun lies in the fact that “awe” and “aww” sound the same.

There is a visual type of comedy as well that we can’t effectively reproduce in writing: the mountain is shaped like a gorilla head.

BTW: the narrator defies genre expectations by interacting with the characters, and the characters defy genre expectations by being able to hear the narrator.

Type 2: Tone of voice

Narrator, about the main characters: “Scraped and boo-booed, they searched high and low.

Explanation:

“Boo-booed” is a children’s word, not the tone you would use for a hero. Compare “tummy” and “stomach”.

Type 3: Defying genre expectations

[The guide falls off a rope bridge into a deep chasm.] Narrator: “Don’t worry—nobody dies in this story. They just get really big boo-boos.”

Explanation:

The narrator is breaking the fourth wall.

Again: tone of voice with the “boo-boos”.

Contrast between the boo-boo and the injuries one usually suffers after falling into a deep chasm.

Type 4: Not defying genre expectations

[A lion appears from the bushes. A baby monkey makes a sound like “uh-oh”.] [The baby monkey does the Tarzan call and bangs its chest.] [The lion flees.] [The monkey giggles.] [The monkey gives George a thumbs up.] [From the bushes, the lion winks at George. George winks back.]

Explanation:

Expectation: the lion is a danger to the baby monkey and George will need to fight it to save the monkey.

Defying expectations: the monkey and the lion are in on the plan.

Not defying genre expectations: George of the Jungle is clearly based on Tarzan. George doesn’t refer to that fact, but the monkey does, by doing the Tarzan call and banging its chest.

Improbable: monkeys who giggle and give thumbs up.

Impossible: lions who wink.

Type 5: Contrast

Narrator: “Meanwhile, 43 vines away, George’s kingdom is being threatened by a terrifying intruder.” [We see the adorable Leslie Mann, who plays Ursula, smiling and talking to the camera.] Ursula: “Hi! It’s me again!”

Explanation:

Contrast between what the narrator says and what we see.

The narrator isn’t lying. He refers to Lyle and the poachers who will be introduced in this scene.

There’s also humor in the phrase “43 vines away”, because of the overt specificity and because a vine is not a measure of distance.

Type 6: Oblivious character

[Lyle takes a Polaroid picture of one of the guides.] Lyle: “Do you like it? Magic picture. Yet another gift from America. Here you go. You’re welcome.” [The guide replies in Swahili. There is no translation in the subtitles.] [All the guides laugh.] [The guide continues in Swahili. Only the last few words are in English: “35 mm.” The guide takes his own camera and snaps a picture of Lyle.] [All the guides and Ursula laugh.] Lyle, not amused: “Translation, please.” Other guide: “He says he likes your magic pictures, but he prefers the resolution of the Leica 35 mm transparencies.” [Everyone but Lyle laughs.] Other guide, cont'd: “He also says your lens is dirty, but he has the equipment to clean it for you.”

Explanation:

Lyle doesn’t understand Swahili, while the guides understand everything Lyle says to them in English.

The fact that Ursula, Lyle's fianceé, understands Swahili and laughs along with the guides, is adds contrast to his obliviousness.

Lyle is the butt of the joke. He humiliates the guides and now he’s humiliated on his own turf while the guides don’t stoop down to his level.

This joke is threefold: 1. The set-up: Lyle is the arrogant asshole who thinks he’ll show the locals about technological development. 2. The guide is not only not impressed, he knows Polaroid and has a camera of his own, and is knowledgeable. 3. And he demonstrates his superiority in a (more or less) polite way.

Type 7: Slapstick

[George is swinging on the vines.] Narrator: “He is swift. He is strong. He is sure. He is smart.” [George hits a tree and falls.] Narrator, deadpan: “He is unconscious.”

Explanation:

Slapstick is another type of humor that barely translates to written fiction, when the actors behave silly, for example by falling over, hurting themselves, or others. It's often over the top. Laurel & Hardy is a well-known example of slapstick.

Type 8: Alliteration

Narrator: “The tired trekkers trudged on feverish footsies over perilous paths.”

Explanation:

If several words in each other’s vicinity start with the same letter, it’s called alliteration.

Note that "footsies" is another example of a contrast in tone of voice—it’s another children’s word.

Type 9: Improbable things

[George spins a lion over his head.] George: “George not even trying hard.”

Explanation:

While not impossible, spinning an actual lion over one’s head is improbable and thus goes against real-world expectations.

Type 10: Impossible things

[A gorilla called Ape enters George’s tree house and scares Ursula.] Ursula: “What does it want? What does it want?” Ape: [points at a big book] “It wants its Physician’s Desk Reference, if you don’t mind, unless you’d rather die of dengue fever, of course.” [Ursula faints again.]

Explanation:

Gorillas can’t talk, can’t read, and aren’t usually well-versed in curing tropical diseases.

Type 11: Breaking social norms

[Ursula is unconscious. George licks her face, clearly meaning well.]

Explanation:

In our society, it is not only considered impolite but also gross to lick the face of a stranger. The fact that George does this anyway, clearly not realizing he does something wrong, is a subversion of what we’d expect of social norms and behavior.

Type 12 and 13: Hyperbole and understatement

[Earlier, Ursula fainted when she saw Ape talk and do human things.] [Ape is reading when he sees Ursula look at him. He panics, throws the book away, starts grunting, and bangs his chest.] [Ursula faints again.] Ape: “Eh.”

Explanation:

Ursula fainting again is a hyperbole: a reaction that is stronger than expected.

Ape saying “Eh.” is an understatement: a reaction less strong than expected.

Type 14: Obvious repetitions

Ursula: “… And I didn’t want my fianc—Um, this guy I was with, to worry.” Narrator, a few moments later: “George and Ursula set out on a desperate search to find her fianc—Uh, that guy she was with.”

Type 15: Stating the obvious

[We see the guide’s hand, pointing at a really big footprint in the mud.] Narrator: “Meanwhile, back at the really big footprint in the mud, (...)”

Explanation:

Stating the obvious can be funny because the audience doesn’t expect you to do or say this because it is so very obvious.

Type 16: Adult humor

[George watches Ursula sleep.] George: “George having stirrings of special feelings right now.” Ape, drily: “I see.” George: “Good thing she same species, huh?”

Explanation:

Ape’s reply, “I see”, could be an innuendo, but it doesn’t come across as a joke (to me at least). Maybe it’s downplayed because it’s a children’s movie.

If this is an innuendo, it’s a play on words. “I see”, figuratively, for “I understand”, or literally for “Yes, I can tell from your erection.”

“Good thing she same species” because George shouldn’t have stirrings of special feelings for animals.

Type 17: Rhyme

[George is swinging on a vine.] George: “Look, like this!” Song: “He flies through the air with the greatest ease.” Song, cont’d: “Our daring young man on the flying trapeze.” [George hangs upside down from a vine.] George: “Look, no hands.” Song, cont’d: “His movements so grateful, all girls he could please.” Song, cont’d: “And with love he is swinging away…” [On the ground, gorillas frantically run back and forth with a safety net.] Song, cont’d: “He flies through the air with the greatest of ease.” Ursula: “George, watch out for that—” Song, cont’d while George yelps: “Our daring young man on the—” [Song stops abruptly.] [Thud] [George grunts.] Ursula: “… tree.”

Explanation:

When words end in the same sounds, we call it rhyme.

It’s physically impossible to hang from a vine with no hands.

The gorillas with the safety net imply that they expect George to fall.

Also, it’s improbable that gorillas would do this.

Slapstick: George hitting the tree.

Comedic timing: Ursula being just too late to warn George about the tree.

Song + Ursula: “Our daring young man on the—tree.” Because by then he is literally stuck to the tree.

Or throw everything at the audience, whatever.

[George has a pet elephant, Shep, who behaves like a happy doggy.] [Shep is chewing a humongous bone.] Narrator: “Later, they rested, while the tired tusker teethed on a… Wait a second, the dog bone is too much. Lose it.” [The dog bone disappears.] Narrator: “That’s better.” [Shep whines.]

Explanation:

Improbable: Pet elephant who behaves like a doggy.

Alliteration: “tired tusker teethed”

Fourth wall: the narrator comments on the story while it is going on, and edits it.

*** Here are some other funny situations from the movie. Try to analyze what’s going on. Usually you can spot several types.

Situation 1

Narrator: “Meanwhile, at a very big and expensive waterfall set, Ursula was amazed that she was lost in the wilderness with a jungle man.” Ursula: “And here I am, lost in the wilderness with a jungle man.”

Situation 2

Narrator: “The guides came dangerously close—” Narrator: “That is, dangerously close to shove a coconut up in Kyle’s—” Narrator: “Sleeping bag.”

Situation 3

Lyle: “I am the richest, handsomest, smartest guy here, so I get to go first!” [Lyle pushes past everyone, trips over a tree stump and lands face first in a steaming pile of elephant poop.] Lyle: “There’s an elephant here.” Guide, while looking straight into the camera: “Bad guy falls into poop. Classical element of physical comedy.” Guide, cont’d: “Now comes the element where we throw our heads back and laugh.” Guide, cont’d: “Ready?” Other guides, while also looking straight into the camera: “Ready!” [All the guides throw their heads back and laugh.] [Monkey laughs and points at Lyle.] [Off-screen, other animals make laughing sounds.] Lyle, spitting out poop: “Those are nowhere near properly digested.” Lyle, cont’d: “In case anyone is wondering, I’m okay.”

Situation 4

[Cliffhanger: it looks like Lyle has shot George from up close.] Narrator: “Whew! Okay kids, let’s settle down and review the important information. Lyle is a big doofus. Poor George was actually shot but can’t die because, let’s face it, he’s the hero. So, the naturally concerned and preternaturally wealthy Ursula Stanhope whisked George away on a private jet bound for the country of his birth—” [George has a tiny band-aid on his forehead.] Narrator, cont’d: “—where he’s gonna get the finest medical treatment available!” Ursula: “I’m gonna get you the finest medical treatment available.”

Situation 5

Narrator: “Well, Ursula […] could use a best friend now.” Best friend: “Hi!” Ursula: “He’s in the shower.” Best friend, distracted: “Not anymore.” George, naked: “Bad waterfall. First, water get hot—” [A sexy saxophone plays] George, cont’d: “Then George slips on this strange yellow rock.” [Perspective: the camera looks at the two women, seen from between George’s legs. They are clearly ogling his crotch.] [Ursula swoons.] George, noticing the friend: “Hi! George of jungle.” Friend, eager: “Charmed, I’m sure.” [Ursula hands George objects that barely cover his crotch. The camera switches back to a frontal view of George. The friend is still ogling George.] Best friend, mumbling appreciatively: “I see why they made him king of the jungle.” *** I hope this was helpful. Don’t hesitate to ask me any questions, and happy writing!

Follow me for more writing advice, or check out my other writing tips here. New topics to write advice about are also always appreciated.

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[germesthegenie]

Can a “😍😙😁” gal and a “💀👿🩸” gal really be besties? Sure seems like it so far.

Based on a scene from Ward 3.3

Recently finished Ward Arc 3! Thoughts below:

Been a while since my first post on Ward, a couple of thoughts:

Arc 2

I like the slower pace so far (we’ll see how long that lasts i suppose). Nice to get little moments like Victoria going to interviews and visiting the kids at the hospital.

Zion really gave one last middle finger to humanity and said “You know what? Automated random horrific death triggers.” Jokes aside, the broken trigger scene was haunting, might draw something based on it in the future.

The therapy group superhero team premise is interesting. Nice to have a band of characters who have mental or emotional weaknesses but have each other’s backs! Now let’s see who they’re up agaisnt- oh, Tattletale? Oh no.

Not too many thoughts on the arc’s interlude, a lot of nice worldbuilding which is always welcome.

Arc 3

Capture the Flag was a fun premise for a friendly fight, and it delivered pretty well in showing off everyone’s powers, strengths and weaknesses. Also nice to see Victoria filling a more mentor/coach role and getting to flex the experience she’s gained with her power in a more positive light. Have some drawing ideas once I figure out how exactly I want to depict stuff like her aura.

Liking the new team so far, though still need to wrap my head around some of the finer details of the powers. Definitely gives me Jojo vibes in how the powers are more complex in the sequel/s.

I realized quickly that Kenzie’s powerset is a lot like my character from my friend’s Worm campaign (which I might write more about later on). Also a surveillance/drone Tinker, though with more focus on multiple drones and material efficiency than Kenzie’s big boxes of large scale holograms and photo-distortion.

Seems the group all have their own little secrets and/or problems they need to work through. Please Vic don’t let any of them near Tattletale they would practically be a freebie for her to take down.

Ok, no Birdcage as I learned from last post. But is there, like, a dead Earth with a one way portal to toss Carol into? Is Sleeper still occupying Earth Zayin? Maybe we should send Carol there on a free vacation I hear it’s a lovely time in… whatever the effect of his power is.

Evil Robot Grocery… ok how do you even fight that. I guess it’s an S-class Threat for a reason but like what option is there other than quarantining and bombarding the entire area they’ve spread to? Do EMPs work? Put Ghost Bakuda to good use and make that Arc 6 Bomb to knock them all out?

Silly rodent themed hero. Close enough, welcome back Mouse Protector Ratcatcher. Also gonna toss her on the list of “characters I should draw some time.”

Amy Dallon finally speaks, and looks like she’s making friends! Friends that are all (at least former) supervillains! That are encouraging her down a darker path! I can only see good things happening here. A little surprised we get her this early from an Interlude rather than from a main chapter, though I suppose it does make sense to flesh her out more now rather than waiting until Victoria directly sees her again in whatever state she’s in by that point (probably a bad one).

That’s all the Ward thoughts I could think of at the moment. Will be reading more, next update hopefully won’t take 2 months again (but probably will)

[frie-ice]

These are some of the Disney films and characters I would like to see in future Twisted Wonderland events. Like the ones that gave us Rollo Flamme (who character is modelled after Claude Frollo) and Stitch (who was a guest character).

1. With Captain Hook being one of Disney's classic villains, I thought it would be cool if we got a Peter Pan event. One that would have the selected Night Raven students attend a pirate themed event, that is dedicated to the Hooked Pirate Captain and is hosted by the TWST character who is modelled after Hook himself. Since the Savanaclaw Trio were dressed as pirates for Halloween events, I could see Leona Kingscholar or Ruggie Bucchi wanting to take point on the school trip by serving as the group's captain. Unless the three Beastmen don't go to the event, and Azul Ashengrotto decides to be the captain. With him based on Ursula, why not throw in a bit of Uma.

2. If there was to be a science fair event, who better than Yzma's TWST counterpart to host it. Along with having Divus Crewel join the school's science club to it, just as Mozus Trein was in the Glorious Masquerade event.

3. With Twisted Wonderland having a few Halloween events wouldn't it be cool if Oogie Boogie appears as a guest character or have a reference cameo of him. Like having his face appear on the moon or have the students come across his shadow.

4. Who wouldn't want to see a TWST character be modelled after Hans? Might be interesting for a Frozen based event.

5. With the game made by Walt Disney Japan and Big Hero 6 has a few Japanese references in the film and TV series, it kind of feels right that Yokai gets a reference in the phone game. Like having his mask make a cameo appearance, or have his TWST counterpart visit the school for a robotic event. One that the Shroud Brothers might like to attend.

6. For some reason I could see Yuu, Grim and two or three students recreating the scene of Mushu asking Mulan what the plan is, while they were in the middle of running away from danger. Until they decide to light some fireworks as they rush to get off the roof. It would also be cool to see Mushu be a guest character like Stitch was, and to see Grim bash heads with our favourite (small) Disney dragon. (With Dragon!Maleficent being the top Disney dragon among the villain side of the Disney fandom.)

7. Just thought it would be cool to see our brave Night Raven students battle Chernabog.

8. Who wouldn't want to see a TWST character be modelled after Gothel? I could see Vil Schoenheit butting heads with Gothel's TWST counterpart on which villain is the most beautiful one, the Evil Queen or Mother Gothel? They are both known to be vain when it comes to personal appearance.

9. With there being a White Rabbit event, why not have one that is based off of Robin Hood? Maybe we could get a TWST beastman counterpart of either the Sheriff, Prince John or Robin.

10. Although the first anniversary had Deuce Spade, Trey Clover and the Shroud Brothers make a wish under the stars, thought it would be cute if Star were to make a guest event appearance. Like Stitch did in the beach event, Lost in the Book with Stitch.

Here is the original Characters/Films that should be in TWST meme template, for those who want to give it a try.

[baenyth]

Bethany's Bizarre Miraculous Reviews Episode 6-1: Climatiqueen

WE ARE SO FUCKING BACK, BABY!!! LET'S GO! NEW ARTSTYLE! NEW TECHNOLOGY! MARINETTE IS FUCKED! LET'S HOPE SOME SHITTY RELATIONSHIPS BREAK UP SOONER RATHER THAN LATER!

Alright, since we're starting off with her, let's just get this out of the way: they fucked up Rose's hair. I'm fine with everything else about her, her clothes, her makeup, I can look her in the eyes, etc. Her hairstyle went from Miki Kaoru with an ahoge to Ellen Degeneres. That is a downgrade. And apparently a future episode is making Evangelion theory stronger than ever! Why are we abandoning Eva's lesbian sister at the same time!?

And Chloe. Although I don't think that's actually her, but what's the point of making her a strong prominent social media figure after her Swan Song? Wasn't the whole point that she was destroyed? Ruined? Given a punishment straight from one of Miraculous' most infamous salt fics? Why is she suddenly on top again? The peoples of Paris literally celebrated her downfall! Was this damage control after how horribly her swan song was received? I hate shitty damage control like this. Either commit wholeheartedly on your terrible actions or do a complete undo and give her an actual redemption arc.

Oh the afro though? Swag.

Plagg wants to tell him so badly. Do it! Better you than Lilamoth!

Oh hey. Juleka's pretty high on his contacts. I wonder what that's about.

Damn bitch, you live like this?

And we've finally made it to the new title. I like how they took the complaints that people know Marinette's secret by giving her a new, absolutely horrendous secret.

Candace behavior

Depression

Adrien's complimenting dad's shitty-ass pancakes. This is what Marinette has wrought with her misinformation.

Tell it how it is, Nathalie.

With freedom comes depression. With schedules comes anxiety.

You know what? Based Gorilla.

Gina lore!

Like how Adrien is a passion for you, Marinette?

Is that Lila?

Surprise trashcan!

Man, Algae's cooking, not to mention akumatization prevention superstition!

On the subject of Algae, it irks me that they can design such a good goth/emo(?) character but janked up Juleka's hair. The undercut doesn't fit her. She's not that punk. She's mostly goth. Goth is about being weird and creepy while punk is about societal revolution. Mylene's more punk than Juleka. Give Mylene the undercut. If you want to show both of Juleka's eyes, give her the hairpin from Reflekdoll! I'm okay with everything else though, for the most part.

Wait, no. Manipulative behavior. I can see why people think she's Lila.

This is reminding me of the one fic by Buggachat. More specifically the scene where Adrien tries out all sorts of new things and immediately ditches them because he's not perfect on the first try. That was good.

Spreading misinformation

Adrien sounds so depressed. Holy hell.

Damn, Lilamoth is surreal and sinister.

And the transformation is so nasty-looking too!

I will say though, they fixed Ondine. She looks so good and has clothes that aren't a swimsuit!

The design is a major glow-up, plus the powers are one of the funniest applications of mind control I've seen!

Big fan of platonic Ladynoir banter

The train lmao

Such a polite villain!

Also I have to say, I love the noises Climatiqueen's powers make. Good noises.

Damn, Markov's been shrunk. Reduced.

Ah, new summoning animation. Was the whole summoning thing based off of the Alliance Rings?

Also Pegasus now has infinite portals? Isn't this supposed to be episode 1? I can understand if you're doing an in medias res thing like in season 1 but didn't everyone gain infinite powers in episode 11 from what I've heard?

That Cataclysm animation was so peak! The animation is great now!

A-Aurora Borealis!?

Oh hey! Double Rainbow! I remember that meme!

So are those, like, the other heroes?

And now "why are you running!?" A lot of coincidental meme references?

And there she is. The girl. Adrien's finding passion.

Alright, first episode. I'm guessing they're waiting until later for the introduction like in season 1? Also Adrien seems codependent on Marinette. That ain't healthy. Doesn't he have other friends? I guess he's befriending Sublime,

As for the two new gimmicks for these reviews, the Axes of Funk and the Bingo Chart, nothing of importance really happened, so all I have is the free space:

Meanwhile for the axes of funk Climatiqueen was drippy as hell and although the social media thing didn't really fit into the weather theming, it was at least funky. Definite top right.

[winchestergirl2]

Mays Reading Recs 2025

To show some love and appreciation to all the amazing writers here on tumblr, who take the time to give us all these incredible stories (for free), allowing us to escape into these worlds. Here are all the fantastic fics I've read this month. 💖

Many of these fics and blogs are 18+ only, and NSFW please heed the author's individual fic warnings and requests regarding no minors. I am not responsible for your media consumption.

Reading Recs Masterlist

Multi Fandom

Dean Winchester, Bucky Barnes

3AM @justagirlinafandomworld

Supernatural

Sam Winchester

Untitled Sam fic @supernaturalfreewill

Talking to the Moon @spidersoulss

Authors Summary: You sneak out of the bunker to stargaze, and Sam finds you. 

Dean Winchester

Something Real @zepskies

Authors Summary: Now that you and Dean are officially engaged, you take some much needed time off together for a family vacation. But even with the wedding set for next year, the two of you are still at odds when it comes to one key part of your future together…

Serendipity @zepskies

Authors Summary: Now that you and Dean are married, you begin to live out the next phase of your dream. However, reality has to check in some time.

Tell Me About... @impala-dreamer

Authors Summary: Tell me about riding Dean late at night in the bunker, please.

'Mr Right Now' @supernotnatural2005

Authors Summary: Entirely based on this lil clip right here 👆🏻😂, however, this will be from the reader’s POV in the beginning and perhaps a lil' insight into Dean’s funny walk 👀🤣

Ride the Storm @rizlowwritessortof

Authors Summary: This is just an excuse for smutty smut with Dean in a thunderstorm, because storms just send me to that headspace. Bringing all of you to smut jail with me. Hope you enjoy the ride! 😏😉

One Night, Again @princessmisery666

Authors Summary: It was a memorable one-night stand. A second chance encounter offers an opportunity for more.

Dark Angel

Alec McDowell

Unspoken Focus @radioactivatedspider

Authors Summary: Yn watches Alec intently. He notices and asks what she's looking at. She answers, but her response only deepens the curiosity.

Forgotten Birthday @chevroletdean

Authors Summary: Alec is new to the concept of birthdays, considering he doesn’t even really have one himself. When his s/o is sulky all day, he’s confused, until their friends throw them a surprise party and he realizes he’s messed up big time.

MCU

Bucky Barnes

You Said What? @ilovolderman

Authors Summary: You accidentally call Bucky Babe during a mission briefing in front of the whole team.

Big Sky

Beau Arlen

Hope In Broken Places Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 @jessjad

Authors Summary: Moving to and living in Montana had once been a necessary thing for Beau. But three years later now he loved it. His daughter by his side, some new friends he had made. Only problem was that Beau, an alpha in his mid-fourties, starts to feel the effects of not being mated. Will he become feral or is fate on his side one last time?

Over the Bridge @zepskies

Authors Summary: Your car is teetering on the edge of a rickety bridge. When Sheriff Beau Arlen arrives at the scene to help you, he realizes that for the first time in his life, he can hear his soulmate’s thoughts.

Connection @zepskies

Authors Summary: Beau saved you from your car nearly going over a rickety bridge, discovering he was your soulmate in the process. Now, the two of you enjoy a milestone date at the county fair.

The Boys

Soldier Boy

No One's The New Me @alwaysthebiggerbear

Authors Summary: Soldier Boy is the OG Supe. You goad him into proving it and get more than you bargained for...or did you?

Ten Inch Hero

Boaz Priestly

Him? @teamackles96

Authors Summary: A persistent customer won’t take no for an answer

Opposites Attract, Apparently. @radioactivatedspider

Authors Summary; Sweet, girly yn dating punk Priestly leaves everyone stunned-but love doesn't always follow the rules.

[mooshofish]

And this is…….

The live slug reaction to the big fucking episode 1 of Link Click/Shiguang daili ren Bridon/Yingdu Arc!!!!!

Rules and Powers

The theory of transferring your power upon death from (first brought upon with Qiao Ling) seems to hold truth withy the beautiful symbolism of the “ball being thrown into Lu Guang’s court” so to speak, also continuing the notion of trusting another (entrusting LG with Cheng Xiaoshi’s power). It is followed up by a far more direct demonstration as the gold color from CX’s eyes go into LG’s.

Additionally, the 12 hr rule is not specific to CX’s power but rather to LG’s first power of seeing into photos. Like entering a photo by himself, the risk comes from the absence of LG’s guidance.

SOMETHING IMPORTANT I NOTICED

Vein came into the studio to attack the two (or maybe just LG) because of LG messing with the past. It was followed by CX giving him his power and then the scene we know from the season 2 finale. The thing is: if this is supposedly the first time that he died, what did Lu Guang do with the past to piss the villains off?

Artistic Choices

Way to flex the budget in the first scene holy shit, they didn’t hold back with the basketball scene in season 1 and they aren’t holding back now!

I really appreciate the extra echo added to the characters who are far away. It adds a little extra finish that shows how much thought is put into every detail.

The fly during the dinner scenes may be a reference to Shen Miaomiao being sort of a fly buzzing around, as if she is sort of ignored in the conversations with her mother and family.

Just Notes

LG constantly checking the time constantly

CX BEING JEALOUS I CANTTTT

QL is a hero to women everywhere

CX keeps unintentionally calling men beautiful this is great

We got Lu Guang canonically kinning someone before GTA 6

LG HAS AN ENTIRE NOTEBOOK DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY. How many times has he done this… maybe I was wrong and it wasn’t the first time….

Didn’t expect to see yet another realistic family dynamic that really tugs at my heart with SM… I feel really bad for her

“Royal Academy of Bridon” it was like a gunshot went off the way all the hairs on my body stood at attention

Qiao Ling slap count: 2

Prediction: Vivan is an evil motherfucker and someone’s about to die.

Zhou Xun is not a smart fella

Xia Fei magazine jumpscare

Prediction 2: Based on the outfit CX is wearing and also the PV, he’s gonna end up running screaming out a back door from some crazy shit

CX does something fucking dumb counter: 1

I can’t believe they are effectively trial running their powers right now……….

Oh! This is hashtag scary now!

THEY SAID FUCK WORD YAYYYYYY IM SO HAPPY

I SCREAMED. I YELLED. VIVIAN. OH MY GOSH

So you’re telling me that if the express delivery didn’t lose Lu Guang’s clothes, Cheng Xiaoshi wouldn’t have found the Bridon photo and then……….

[sokuly419]

**Anything mentioned in this post related to season 2 is strictly my own speculation unless it was in the official trailers and teasers. I know there were some leaks. I’ve heard some but I won’t be repeating any of of the things I personally heard about.**

Since we’re 6 days away from Arcane’s return, I think everyone needs to be aware of some things. There are going to be a ton of Cait haters for whatever reason. Both Vi and Cait are going to be painted as the “bad guy”. It’s already happening. And it’s really not fair to either of them.

This is not meant to be an anti-Jinx post, but just something to think about.

Cait is, as far as we know, the only one of those three not directly responsible for someone’s death. She could have killed Sevika but didn’t. We know she’s an excellent shot. Cait spared her, even if she was moments from killing Vi. She shows compassion constantly, and to a fault at times.

Vi has both killed and severely hurt plenty of people. When she went to save Vander, fighting with Jayce (who also killed people), and knocking that big ass sign down on Silco’s shimmer goons just to name a few instances.

Jinx, as we should all know, has killed a lot of people. Two were her friends that were practically family, an accident. Then several Enforcers during Progress Day. More Enforcers at the bridge scene when Marcus is killed. Yeah, yeah, ACAB and all that. But that doesn’t mean she should be free of the murders. Neither should Vi. But what about Jinx’s mental state? That is a factor, yes. But not a complete excuse seeing as she shows little to no remorse, even seeming to enjoy it.

Again, not anti-Jinx post. I like her character but she’s not my favorite. She’s complex. She’s interesting. She’s chaotic. I love it. Unfortunately, I’ve been seeing A LOT of Jinx followers that are just brushing it off and painting her as some “hero” figure. Not all are like that, of course, but I’ve seen a lot personally and it’s just… frustrating that they’re almost ignoring what Jinx has done. Again, this is not every Jinx fan. I know some of y’all are cool about it.

Cait gets a lot of hate because 1) she comes from money and 2) cop. I’m sure there’s other reasons but those are the main two I see. But what’s not coming up in Jinx fan-circles is that Cait definitely changed once she saw what was actually happening in Zaun. She even called her own mother out about the government that doesn’t give a shit. Cait herself is traumatized directly related to Jinx. Again, Enforcers being killed in front of her AND Jinx kidnapping her from her fucking shower. She didn’t even have time to get dressed. I imagine Jinx made her get dressed at gunpoint but that’s my own theory. And now, if Cassandra is dead (likely based on trailers), Cait has every single right to want revenge. Jinx killer her colleagues, violated her privacy, and then (presumably) killed her mother. Cait has her own trauma break because of it and wants revenge.

Yes, Jinx is 100% traumatized and that plays a huge part in her character. But Cait and Vi are also traumatized as fuck. They all handle it in different ways.

I think in season 2 we’re going to see Cait likely killing people and showing us how good of a shot she really is. We already know Vi is going to have a moment where she breaks too, but turns to pit fighting and alcohol. Jinx… feels like a wildcard again. Especially once Noxus gets involved.

Not a single person in Arcane is completely “good” or “bad”. I can’t speak much on the other characters in depth like Cait, Vi, and Jinx since I’m not nearly as invested in them.

If you made it this far and are thinking of dropping spoilers to get me to hate Cait, I’ve heard more than I wanted to already. And I’m still going to defend her from the unbridled hate she’s probably going to get again. She’s grieving. She has trauma. She’s allowed to be pissed the fuck off and want revenge. She’s not the bad guy. No one is (except maybe Noxus???). And no one is the good guy.

So let’s all just get along and enjoy the damn show.

For the record, Cait isn’t my favorite either. She’s a close second. It’s gotta be Vi for me. Sorry, not sorry.

Edit: any spoilers from the leaks that are put in the comments will be deleted as soon as I see them. Immediately and without hesitation. Things may have been ruined for you, but don’t ruin it for others. I’ve seen and heard about some of the leaks. I don’t need to be told about what some individuals do.

Keep that shit to yourself. Not everyone wants the spoilers.

[natsuki-bakery]

⁎˚ ఎ DMC Agere HC's ໒ ˚⁎

can you do Nico Goldstein (DMC) regressor headcsnnons? (Like 5-6 range)

•Nico loves customizing everything, and that doesn’t stop when she’s in little space. She has a big collection of shiny, glittery stickers, especially ones with flames, lightning bolts, or skulls, which she uses to decorate everything from her sketchbooks to her tools. She’ll even add some to Nero’s things when he’s not looking, claiming it's to "give 'em some character !"

•She’ll pretend to "fix" or "upgrade" her own toys, sometimes making sound effects as she goes, like little "vroom vroom" or "zap zap" noises. It keeps her hands busy and makes her feel like she’s building something great, even if it’s all just pretend

•Nico loves cartoons that are high-energy and full of action. Shows with wild characters, silly jokes, or exaggerated fight scenes make her laugh until her sides hurt. She’s especially drawn to cartoons with cool vehicles or robots — and will often get overly excited, explaining how she’d make the machines even "cooler".Sometimes, she’ll act out scenes, which usually involves lots of exaggerated sound effects

•Nico gets a kick out of painting her nails when she’s in little space, especially in flashy colors like neon green or metallic blue. She’s also not above throwing glitter on top, making her hands look like they belong to a rockstar. She might even convince Nero to let her paint his nails, too, if she can catch him in a good mood

•Little Nico adores toy cars, especially ones that look like mini motorcycles or have cool decals. She’ll zoom them around on the floor or the workbench, pretending she’s racing or making up stories about daring escapes. If she has someone to play with, like Nero or even Lady, she’ll set up mini "races" insisting on elaborate rules and sound effects!

•Nico’s sense of humor doesn’t go away in her little space — if anything, it becomes more playful. She loves setting up harmless pranks around her workshop, like putting rubber bugs in Nero’s toolbox or hiding silly notes for him to find. Her pranks are never mean-spirited; she just loves getting a laugh and hearing Nero’s exasperated reactions

•Nico uses empty bottles to create "potions" usually filled with safe things like colored water or juice, then gives them dramatic names like "Mega Power Juice" or "Turbo Speed Fuel". She’ll drink them with great fanfare and even serve them to anyone nearby, claiming they’ll give superpowers or make you "ten times cooler, guaranteed"

•Nico enjoys building cozy hideouts using blankets, chairs, and any spare fabric she can find. Once she has her little fort set up, she fills it with her favorite toys, snacks, and a flashlight. Her forts often end up being decorated with stickers or drawings, and she’ll proudly show them off to anyone who’s willing to check out her "top-secret hideout"

•Even while regressed, Nico’s mind is buzzing with ideas, and she’ll sometimes pretend to design gadgets to help her "superhero friends" She’ll draw up blueprints for mini weapons or "super cool" enhancements, complete with wild, imaginative details. If Nero’s around, she’ll assign him the role of hero and explain how her inventions are going to make him "unstoppable"

•She’ll make up tales of wild adventures, usually involving characters based on her friends and herself, with lots of explosions, races, and daring escapes. Her stories are funny, a little chaotic, and filled with Nico’s spunky spirit, making it a fun way for her to wind down and feel safe

•A bit of a kitchen experimenter, Nico loves creating strange snack concoctions when she’s feeling small, mixing candies, sodas, or cereals in ways that make no sense. She’ll mix cola with gummy bears or dunk cookies in weird sauces just to see what happens, which she finds hilarious. Sometimes, she’ll offer Nero a "taste test" just to see his reaction

If you're in the basic criteria , are DSMP fans, vivziep0p fans , h0tel/h3lluva b0ss fans, Owl h0use fans, St4r butterfly fans, Ghibli fans, ddlg/abdl blogs, nsfw/k!nk blogs, anti-agere blogs, or anti Christians/Christianity blogs : just dont interact !

[shadowuserannie]

Writing game!

because welp. Also because these actually help me to get into it.

Anyway this is just based off the tons of writing//ask games out there! so rules as follows;

pick at least 2 of your current writing projects, maximum capped off at 13. These numbers only exist because it's 13/2/2025 my time.

pick at least five characters from these projects. This has no cap/limit.

Now if you're asked about a project, you can either write out a excerpt of at least 300 words, or explain some minor details/plotline. For all those people itching to get asked about some colour choice in a side foreshadowing scene that turns out to be chekov's gun.

If you're asked about a character, the excerpt/plotline has to be about/centered on them specifically.

All your projects should have at least name and fandom listed. Any extra details is up to you!

That's all! Let the viole-cough game begin!

in a flurry of pink petals (Lego Monkie Kid)

we could hide away in daylight (Big Hero 6, Wayne Family Adventures)

Demigod Mercenary (Teenage Mercenary, Trials of Apollo/Riordanverse)

Miraculous: Tales of Sophie Foster and Fitz Vacker(Miraculous Ladybug, Keeper of the Lost Cities)

even if it seems like it leads to glory (Green Lantern: Legacy)

The Immortal Twins (Heaven Official's Blessing)

Eyes of an Oni (LEGO Ninjago/LEGO Ninjago Movie, Power Sphera Universe/Boboiboy Galaxy)

The Elementals (Boboiboy Galaxy)

Kitsune, Protege of Maskmana(DCU, Boboiboy Galaxy/PSU)

Miraculous: Into The Miracu-Verse (Miraculous Ladybug)

grabbing a red pen (my destiny is in my hands)(Keeper of the Lost Cities

Characters;

Luka Couffaine/Lucki (Into The Miracu-Verse)

Dex Dizznee/Techno (grabbing a red pen) Fitz Vacker/Mentalis (grabbing a red pen)

Aiden Dawn/032 (Demigod Mercenary)

Nezha (in a flurry of pink petals)

Hiro Hamada/Indigo/Iris (we could hide away in daylight)

Fang K'tenna/Kitsune (every project with a hint of purple)

tagging: @cer-rata @crippling-pages @ohmygoly @thelasttaleofthepari @telugu-girl-13 @solangelo-taylors-version @samaniala @recordmcqueen and anyone else who wants to join!

[fictionalcreator]

…okay i was convinced to read The Greatest Estate Developer and i have THOUGHTS and FEELINGS about it!! Only it’s 6 am and I haven’t slept in like 2 days because Gotta Read Story so not all of them are coherent

First and foremost (not really but for the bit) ORV has already established that the optimal throuple is a Weird Man, his aggressive but protective boyfriend, and an equally Weird Lady. We have Javier and Queen Alicia, both of whom have a deep trust and even respect for our resident Weird Man. Javier has been by his side constantly, watching him change and grow, has seen past his facades, pledging to lay down his life for him, and even learned to take a page from his book. Alicia intuitively understands him better than anyone else, is eager to see him thriving, owes him her life several times over, and is totally DTF. We are set. Also Relatively Normal Lady Siluria is there in the background (but she could be much more)

Also, Javier learned to do a Lloyd!! I’m so proud of my boy! And even as he’s doing it, he’s doing it with a base of absolute sincerity. Truly taking after his Lord in every way, from how they villainously spared people’s lives, extracted compensation from the wealthy, and improved people’s living conditions…in the end, even while acting villainous, all Javier really did was…ask the Heavens to not undo all their hard work and help save the life of his closest friend. He just did it without groveling and owing them a favor.

The same way that, in the end, Lloyd ended up saving a lot of people, even setting them on a better course in life, all while saying “this doesn’t make me a hero, because I only did it for selfish reasons.” Aaaand those reasons are (checks notes) living a life of peace, comfort, and happiness, surrounded by his thriving loved ones in a beautiful city that he personally helped to flourish. He didn’t even imagine fucking off to travel the world or anything! In his wildest fantasies he’s still managing a few things here and there! Javier was right, he has a poor man’s vision of being rich.

Honey…you talk big about aspiring to be a “rich bum” but you don’t even realize how quaint of a dream that really is…work until you save up enough for retirement is. Like. Normal. That’s just a normal thing to do. So what if you want to retire early? You don’t need to work ‘til you’re dead. You’re a nobleman in a feudal society. Not to mention, by this point (ch 167 of the webcomic) you’re put yourself through enough that you more than deserve it. Literally no one (except the Queen and perhaps Javier) would raise a single complaint about it. They’d just give you their well-wishes, saying “makes sense. He’s already done 100 years of work within 10. Lord Lloyd has done enough for us already. We’ll handle things from here.” (Though, at this point, I feel like Javier would appreciate the idea of Lloyd not facing any more life-threatening dangers, he would also be suspicious that Lloyd would end up getting himself into trouble anyway)

It’s just…god…self-sacrificing protagonists who convince themselves that they’re a fundamentally bad person for Wanting Things and handling their affairs in underhanded ways really get to me, especially when their first instinct is to be underhanded precisely because they were burned when they tried to be upright before.

And then the scene with the Jewel of Truth oooohhhhjjjkkh

He received a vision of doom from one of endings, heard from the legendary Dragon King (who apparently knows more about the world then anyone could have guessed) that this things would have his answer, LITERALLY went to Hell and back just to obtain the pieces to BUILD the damn thing, has to fight a whole-ass Angel just to finish it, and when, at long last, it’s completed, what does it say??

“Either you or your best friend have to die. No other way.”

God. It might as well have said “kys lmao”. I can see why he went into shock. All that, and he wasn’t even looking to be done and over with it, he was just looking for a way forward, something he could actually do, anything! And that bastard hunk of rock said “the way forward does not exist.” Just. God. Makes me kind of angry just thinking about it. The fact that THAT was the result of ALL of that effort. The moment Javier hears what that damn rock said it is going to be smashed to smithereens.

‘Cause he’ll make the connection. You know he will. He’s smart enough for that. He’ll hear what the damn rock said and go “ah. So Master Lloyd was preparing to resign himself to death.” And after he smashes the rock he is going to be ROYALLY pissed that Suho would even THINK about harming himself.

And then they’re probably gonna have to stop Javier from making good on his promise to lay down his life for that guy…ugh…they care about each other…

I saw that look of panic when Lloyd thought Javier had vanished for a split second, and we just saw how Javier will take matters (even outside of fights) into his own hands if it means protecting Lloyd. They just…they’re the only ones they can show their true faces to. Javier can be both sharp-tongued and sincere, Lloyd can be both scheming and sincere…heck, not even Queen Alicia has had the chance to see Lloyd actually cry. They care so much…

…to be honest I wanna see one of the “bad endings” be Javier (and Alicia) absolutely fucking shit up because someone killed Lloyd…like…do you know how much you mean to them???

(At least it looks like he’s starting to understand)

Ooohhh I have so many Thoughts and Feelings…

[physalian]

So you want to turn your one-off book into a series…

As a writer who decided only after publishing book 1 of a trilogy, to then make it a 4 book saga, here are my thoughts on series planning, or at least the insomnia-driven process I went through to reach this decision:

Firstly—I prefer to write multi-book stories with the structure like Lord of the Rings over something like Harry Potter. As in, it’s one long story with various hurdles to overcome split into multiple books, instead of each book being much more self-contained, with a reliable time skip, like years of schooling.

With that in mind, the very first thought I have is this: What are the new threats going to be? I don’t think about my heroes or any subplots or new characters. Priority one is my antagonistic forces: Do I have enough to each carry their own book?

A hero is only as compelling as their conflict, after all.

In my sci-fi WIP, I had 6 main characters and five books planned, and I based it off the structure of the OG Teen Titans cartoon—Everybody gets their own season and while not every episode is about them, the main threat is theirs first, with the rest of the team backing them up. The threat was always a twofer, both an external threat and an internal conflict that they had to overcome in their book. For example I had a character who “lead” book 2, and the external threat was Bad Guys from a different team member’s war, dragging her home into it. The internal threat was her “suffer in silence” tendency and extreme self-reliance, which becomes too much for her to handle when her powerhouse teammate is out of commission physically and unable to help her emotionally.

ENNS doesn’t have an ensemble cast and was not meant to. In this style, if it’s one long story, I’d need three major incidents in books 1-3 that all led up to a final conflict in book 4, all building off each other. I needed essentially two whole “Helms Deeps” for books 2 and 3. Not just in terms of story but literal conflict, as I write high fantasy and not having a big climactic battle for a whole book would flop. But now I need two of them, and I struggle with action scenes.

And without spoiling myself, I have them vaguely defined. For me, at least, so long as I have my little compass pointing toward my “North” of “this is the thing that every major scene should be dealing with in some capacity” it doesn’t matter what path I take to get there, I’ll figure it out. Heavily outlining only ever leaves me with plenty of outline but no book.

For me, once I have my main threat, I then have my main theme. Example for ENNS being that book 1’s main theme/question was “What makes a monster?”

Have yet to narrow it down and split the original 3 themes now into 4, but one I intend on exploring is “Can vampires change?”

Doing this, having your big picture at least in a foggy idea, helps with cohesion across multiple books, and within the same story. If you keep your theme in the back of your mind and relate as many character arcs and mini conflicts back to it as possible, it’ll really start to look like you know what you’re doing.

Otherwise you end up with a bunch of loose ends and dangling plot threads that get abandoned, or characters that feel out of place as their arc has nothing to do with the rest of the story, it’s just here because they had to do something to participate.

So if you want to see now book 1 of 4, check out Eternal Night of the Northern Sky on Amazon.

[classicanalyzer]

What If Season 3 - What If... What If? Thoughts

"It's beautiful." Uatu

"No, it just is. You are a Watcher now. You make no judgments. Only observations." The Eminence

"Then what is the point of just watching?" Uatu

"Well, only with time can a Watcher begin to understand that for themselves. If I am certain of one thing, is that your conclusion will not disappoint." The Eminence

"Thank you. I will never fail you." Uatu

The finale certainly was the finale of all time. While it isn't devoid of any good moments, it is a disappointing end to the series (for now provided the show gets revived). However, every episode before the two-part finale has been consistently amazing.

I really love Uatu and the Emmience's student and mentor dynamic in the opening, and you understand why Uatu wants to show Uatu how he views the Multiverse after three seasons of watching. It's great to see a main antagonist reformed rather than be killed like the previous two seasons (Strange Supreme did reform but he did die).

I really do like how Uatu saved a lot of people off-screen, even ones who don't have a massive role in their universes. It showcases his growth throughout the show.

Infinity Ultron finally fulfilling Tony's dream for him is pretty heartwarming, even if it took the death of everyone in his universe for him to have that epiphany. The way the Emminence easily dispatched him showcases how the Order of the Watchers is on a completely different scale of power compared to Uatu, who needed the form the Guardians of the Multiverse to stand against Infinity Ultron.

This finale is mainly just one big fight. There are a lot of Kirby dots which is visually noice and the fight is at least visually done.

Seeing Doctor Strange Supreme help out the heroes is a really good capper to his story by showing how he is the universe he restored now.

Every time the Executioner speaks, I can't help but be reminded of Ardyn's voice.

I had forgotten that Uatu was always referred to as the Watcher until he redeclared his name.

It's a big disappointment that Captain Carter died since I was actually excited to see more of her universe. I really wanted to see what her universe's Civil War would've been like, even if it was a glimpse. This also applies to Kahhori, Byrdie, and Storm's universes. Also, I really hope they don't become Watchers forever since I do want to see more of their universes. I'm also not comfortable with the idea that at least Carter just abandoned her universe to go around the Multiverse.

Honestly, I wished the whole episode leaned more into the trial aspect than just being another fight. I don't really have a lot to talk about because of how much of it was just one big fight scene. My thoughts on Episode 7 are a bit more negative since the follow-up didn't really satisfy the questions I have from the last episode. The end credits showed us a lot of episode concepts I wished we could've seen, but alas the show had to end just when it was really getting amazing.

Laura Karpman and Nora Kroll-Rosenbaum really nailed the music in this show. I hope Laura's score in Brave New World lives up to Henry Jackman's scores, and I really hope she reprises Sam's theme from Jackson's score.

Overall, Season 3's episodes have been mostly pretty strong, similar to S2, except for the two-part finale. My favorite episode is definitely Episode 6, and my least favorite episode is Episode 8. I'll miss this show, and I really hope it gets revived in the future. I also hope the Marvel Zombies show is better than the episode it was based on.

"With some mysteries, sometimes the only answer is another question. You see... Time. Space. Reality. It's more than a linear path. It's a prism of endless possibility, where a single choice can branch off into infinite realities, creating new phenomena beyond what you could possibly imagine. I am Uatu. I see all these vast new realities. Open your eyes, dare to face the unknown and ponder the question... 'What If?'" Uatu

[kakerutori]

I keep getting asked what I’d like to see / theories for s5, so I’m listing them here!

(In blurb form because I have too many lol)

MORE. WILLEL. OR. DEATH. I’d particularly love some parallels from s1, maybe Will talking to El in the void or something? Because

Will has powers!! I’d love to see him have some kind of time/energy/electrical/celestial powers to mirror his Will the Wise persona

JOPPER WEDDING OR DEATH ALSO THIS IS A NON NEGOTIABLE DUFFERS

Robin being a BAMF and impressing Vickie or vice versa (I’m currently more sold on Robin being the BAMF because if switched that’s just Ronance. Which also. Ronance endgame please and thank you???)

Stonathan endgame or at least bonding. Can you tell that the CGI snippets made me insane

Flickergate duh

Pocketgate!!! And specifically Mike confessing to Will, Will thinking it’s too good to be true, then Mike pulling out the letter to prove it in dear desperation

Based on the “6 little nuggets” anecdote, I think Steve might unfortunately be toast because he has his dream with The Party, y’know

There will be a dragon of some sort based on Will’s painting? Maybe like Vecna, the Mind Flayer, and the demogorgons will combine into one big ugly creature to defeat? Dramatic but I have no idea

The spores might also be more lethal and infect people? Or maybe cause widespread hallucinations? They were everywhere in that finale and that cannot be healthy. Yes I know that Hopper and Dustin didn’t suffer any side effects of them in s2 but Vecna’s still alive so I think maybe they could become a new force

I believe in the Kas theory! But not for Eddie. I’m between Kas being Will, El, or Mike

I hope that Nancy doesn’t end up with anyone or it’s implied that she, Steve, and Jonathan, are happy being single for that time until they completely understand themselves and what they want

Vecna appearing in nightmares!! I’d love to see the subconscious come into play and it would serve to flesh out our main cast even more than they already are (especially Mike Wheeler and his internal gay crisis)

Jonathan, Mike, Lucas, Erica, and Murray in the Upside Down please!! They have never been that’s why, and no, I don’t count the tunnels in s2 because they didn’t flip upside down to enter those so I don’t think it was quite the Upside Down

Full and integrated Hopper-Byers family scene at the end of the season. Like them playing Monopoly or something or just existing together in the same house. Being happy. Please dear God.

Will coming out to his mom or Jonathan or Dustin or Lucas or anyone, really

EVERYBODY WANT TO RULE THE WORLD BY TEARS FOR FEARS preferably in the ending scene but anywhere would suffice and I’m not saying this just because I love this song but the lyrics literally fit so well I don’t think I’ll recover if his song isn’t in s5

A gate may exist at the library - it’s in the center of the earthquake and it’s where Will was taken in s1. I think Henry may want to destroy it because it contains so much information

I’d love a s2 parallel where Lucas talks to his dad again. Maybe about Max, maybe about all the stress, something. More sweet parent moments

Based off of the Byler fights in episodes 3 (s3) and 2 (s4), I think maybe they’ll fight again in s5e1?

And then resolve by s5e5

Wherein Heros (Bowie’s og version) will play when Mike and Will kiss

I just really really want Dustin being the lord of the demodogs. Like d’Art returns and recognizes Dustin and they help to fight against Vecna like fighting fire with fire it’d be so epic you see the vision right?

I’d love to see a return of Kali!! Either as a friend or villain recruited/controlled by Vecna it’d be pretty cool either way

Max lives. Period