#damien polarity

[nebulanightsky]

Suddenly remembers their dark experiences with an alternate version of their counterpart

[freyfall]

something about toxic yaoi idk. i need to do more oc posting

[naffeclipse]

Take this scribble of orca man with his regular fish wife ft me filming for a heart touching documentary or something.

Idk why i was inspired to doodle this at 4am.

FISH LOVE ALSJDFLASFASDF

Don't worry, he's just playing :)

Thank you so much for sharing! ♥

[cobrakaisb]

"is that my shirt?"

summary: a collection of the various times you and luke get caught wearing each other’s clothes OR three times you denied wearing luke’s clothes and the one time he completely owned it.

word count: 1.6k

featuring: 3+1, aphrodite!reader, crop top luke & the headcanon that each cabin has cutsey chb themed shirts

one: luke’s gray zip-up

the dining pavilion is always the quietest in the morning. at least it normally is, but you overslept today. somehow you missed all your alarms, the ruckus of all your siblings waking up, and silena and drew’s fight over whether or not the other stole their makeup. so no one really blames you for walking into the pavilion well after the start of breakfast. 

“could you at least look a little more put together?” carmen, your sister who values tidiness in all aspects of her life, asks as you take one of the only open seats at the table. 

you look down at your outfit: high-top converse, denim shorts, a camp half-blood shirt, your camp necklace, and a gray zip-up to combat the unexpected chill of the morning. not too shabby, you thought, especially considering the fact that you even managed to tame your bedhead and put on some basic makeup. 

“i am put together. aren’t i?” you respond, reaching for the mug of hot coffee damien slides your way. 

“you look fine,” he assures, but his eyebrows furrow as he focuses on your sweatshirt. “is that new?” he continues.   

“what this?” you ask, pointing at the material. 

“yeah. i’ve never seen it on you before,” he continues. 

“don’t you know, damien, that it’s luke’s. he’s like always wearing it,” drew butts in. “they’re like a thing now, or whatever,” she continues, waving her hand as if swatting a fly. 

you huff at her annoyed tone, and the fact that you’ve been called out by your younger siblings. in an attempt to defend yourself you say, “it’s not luke’s. it’s mine.”

drew, damien, and carmen all open their mouths to object, but they don’t have the chance too because luke leans over from the end of the hermes table: “i’ve been looking for that sweatshirt everywhere, but you can keep it. it looks better on you anyways.”   

you feel your cheeks heat up, and luke has the audacity to send you a wink before turning back to his breakfast.

two: luke’s blue flannel pajama pants

friday night sleepovers were basically an aphrodite tradition at this point. what started out as a self-care night full of facemasks, manicures, and gossip sessions for the older campers quickly turned into an all-cabin sleepover complete with a movie, pillow fight, and fort. 

you’re sitting between peter and rosie, the ten-year-old twins from fairfield, connecticut. the two of them were polar opposites; rosie was talkative and outgoing, while peter preferred the quiet and keeping to himself. it was surprising to everyone when he sat next to you and watched intently as you painted his sister’s nails. 

rosie was yapping away, telling you all the details of her day. you were humming along, occasionally adding in an “oh yeah” or “really?” when needed, but for the most part, you were focused on not smudging her nails. peter was leaning against your side, fighting sleep as he listened to his sister. 

“i remember these pants,” he interrupted, fingers tracing the blue, white, and black pattern on your thigh. “luke was wearing them when i had that nightmare about fractions,” he finishes softly, a small bluish coating his pale cheeks. 

“was this the time one third was crushing you?” rosie asks, leaning forward to be closer to her brother. 

peter nods timidly and rosie springs into action, mumbling words of comfort. you, on the other hand, are completely rigid. your back is as stiff and as straight as a board as you look straight ahead, trying not to make eye contact with any of the siblings your age seated around you. carmen opens her mouth, a mischievous twinkle in her eye, but you snap your head in her direction. 

“don’t say a word,” you threaten. 

one look of your vicious glare has her miming zipping her lips. 

three: luke’s ac/dc shirt

this is the third time luke’s sifted through the stack of shirts in his dresser. it’s also the third time he’s come up empty handed. he huffs in frustration, running a tired hand down his face in annoyance. between the overflow of campers, keeping connor and travis in line, and now losing his favorite shirt, luke castellan is at his wit’s end. 

“has anyone seen my ac/dc shirt? y’know the one with the tour dates on the back?” he asks, looking around the cramped cabin. 

several people shrug. some of the younger kids start asking what ac/dc even is, and he does not have time to go into that right now. a few people offer to look through their stuff, saying maybe someone mixed up the wash, but the general consensus is that no one has seen the shirt. 

luke groans in annoyance. he’s starting his fourth attempt at finding the shirt when penelope, one of the younger unclaimed campers, tugs on his cargo pants. luke crouches down to her level, placing a comforting hand on her back while prompting her to talk to him. 

“i think i saw someone else wearing it,” she whispers, shyly twirling around the hem of her cotton dress with a butterfly pattern. 

“who?” luke asks, a little too loudly and abruptly. he clears his throat, taking a deep breath, before repeating much calmer, “who was wearing it, penelope?”

“that girl you like,” she answers, gently kicking the toe of his red converse with her bright pink twinkle toes. 

luke smiles softly at her, rubbing her back. “thanks pen. i knew i could count on you,” he answers. 

penelope giggles at his words, “but you didn’t even tell me to look for it!” 

“but you’re so smart you knew i’d need it,” he praises, ruffling her hair good-naturedly. 

once she runs off, luke leaves the cabin. he’s on a mission to find you, but most importantly, he’s on a mission to find his ac/dc shirt. after a series of questions, and some misguided directions, he finds you standing on the shore of the lake, surrounded by a variety of nymphs, demigods, and satyrs. 

you meet his gaze once he calls out to you, and watches as the color leaves your face. 

“how did you even get this?” he asks, taking some of the fabric between his thumb and forefinger once he’s within reach of you. 

you scoff at his words, “this is mine.” 

luke huffs, crossing his arms in annoyance. he watches as your eyes briefly flicker to his biceps before meeting his brown ones. 

“really? and since when do you buy your t-shirts two sizes too big?” he asks, smirking confidently. he’s got you now. 

“um since i wanted this as a beach coverup. it’s not rocket science, luke,” you answer. 

luke licks his lip, annoyance flickering across his eyes. “name five songs then,” he demands. 

your mouth falls open. “why are you such a guy?” you ask, frustrated.

“if you love ac/dc so much that you’d buy one of their shirts, name some songs,” he continues, but his voice has turned teasing. 

he watches as your nostrils flare and you ball your hands into fists at your sides. it’s cute.

“fine!” you agree. “there’s thunderstruck, and highway to hell, and that one about sex.”

“which one about sex?” he asks, raising an eyebrow. “there’s multiple.” 

“all of them!” you shout. “there! that’s five.” 

luke rolls his eyes, but still wraps his arm around your shoulders, pulling you into him. “if you want my clothes, all you have to do is ask,” he whispers into your hairline before placing a soft kiss on your skin. 

one: your pink camp half-blood crop-top

“have you seen luke today?” silena asks, catching up with you as you walk from the strawberry fields towards the archery range. 

“no why?” you ask curiously. 

her smile tells you everything you need to know; it’s wide and luminous, but her pearly white teeth seem to twinkle with the knowledge she’s withholding from you. 

“oh. no reason,” she says, before trying to skip away from you. 

you grab her shoulder, pulling her back towards you. “silena, what did he do?” you ask. 

silena giggles this time. “it’s nothing really, just. gosh, your boyfriend is so handsome, did you know that?”

“yes i did,” you start, “but why are you smiling and giggling like that?” 

she laughs again, “i think you should check the volleyball courts.” 

you hate athletics, but you’ve never sprinted to the volleyball courts so godsdamn fast in your life. when you arrive, you’re not surprised to see the hermes boys and apollo boys playing a beach volleyball match. most of them are shirtless and sweaty (and the entertainment for about twenty other campers) but luke is on the only one with his shirt on. you don’t think much of it, until he jumps for the ball and you get a good look at the color; his shirt is light pink. it’s also very tight around his broad arms and shoulders, hugging the muscles nicely while also showing off his toned abdomen. 

you watch as he turns to high five some of his teammates after scoring a point. his brown eyes meet your intense gaze, and he smiles widely at you. he has the audacity to flex and shout, “like what you see, babe? i figured this color suited me.” 

you roll your eyes at his words, shaking your head side to side as you walk over to him. your fingers trace the collar of your his shirt, gently nudging against the clay beads of his camp half-blood necklace. luke visibly gulps, and you smirk as your gazes connect.

“i think you should keep this,” you whisper, trailing your finger down his chest. “it looks better on you than me,” you finish, stepping away from him.

[ejundo]

˗ ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗

loud outgoing m. reader x introverted cold quiet oc [damien z.]

warnings . + ♡

semi-public ? , hickeys [claiming?} , teasing , alcohol , drinking , drunk sex, hate sex blabla, pwop, slight bruise (just aggressive sex) , manhandling, .. spit for lube, not proofread , reader is implied to have a cock. bad grammar&purposely lowercase! ｡>﹏<｡

smut fem dni. ty!

it's... a mystery to how you and damien zicado ever became friends... the two of you had always had pointless arguments and were clearly polar opposites, everything about you guys. whether it would be the... style! or your personalities. it was different.

see.. you were extremely obnoxious and loud, in a somewhat comforting way. to the point it aggravated damien heavily, you and damien just couldn't stand each other at all. you. thinking of damien as a boring boy who had nothing interesting about him, of course you weren’t wrong. there was nothing intriguing about damien, yet that didn’t stop him from having a decent amount of friends, those same friends being your friends and that is how you met!

. ♡

"damien, you are seriously annoying the hell out of me!" the angry voice spat out your angry voice, you and damien zicado were in a heated argument their only friends who had invited them had went off .. somewhere in the loud club. it was honestly a surprise that the two could even hear each other bickering back and forth.

your face was scrunched up as your eyes squinted at damien giving him a weird look. he simply rolled his eyes at you "oh wow really? me? annoying? woah! get this y.n l.n im not you! " damien spat back. continuing to go off on each other, some people looking at you and him with concern.

damien furrowed his eyebrows the alcohol was fueling his anger as he looked at your figure with hate yet a hint of lust could be seen behind those eyes and it was clear that the two wanted each other so.. badly. well.. he wanted you so badly. the lust was evident and practically surrounded him. causing you to be as enchanted, that didn’t stop you from talking back to him.

though…

in a flash, you were suddenly grabbed by your wrist and held against the wall that damien was previously leaning on "you never know when to shut up. well let me just help you out yeah?" blinking rapidly you didn’t know what to feel other then shock. a whimper left your lips as both his hands held yours against the wall.

by the way damien was holding your wrist it was clear that it would leave a somewhat bruise. his grip tightened as damien pulled you in, lips connecting as damien leaned into it, to shocked to even process what was happening you just let it happen. confusion overwhelmed your body as you tried processing the situation. kissing a hot dude— or rather making out with a hot dude after some heated argument. both a loss and a win?

you had tried to calm down before realizing that he taking a deep breath through his nose and leaned into the session, tongue and all.

the grip on your wrist loosened and soon enough it turned into a more passionate and heated kiss, smiling in relief as you wrapped ur arms gently around his neck. damien opened his eyes and remembered that you and him were still in public

“mmm, as much as i want to show everybody how good i’m gonna treat you… we wouldn’t want to be seen as those types of people right baby?..” damien hummed as he caressed your waist. you could only nod a smile on your lips as you held onto damien for dear life…. this man was doing something to you.

. ♡

you heavily panted as you stared hatefully at damien throuh the mirror,all he was doing was prepping you with his finger and you were acting a mess..

“f..-ngh! fuck….” you gripped onto the bathroom sink as your legs shook uncontrollably. “damien….th…iss is extremely, unsanitary…..” you hissed, damien hummed as he patted your right ass cheek gently. He looked at you through the mirror making direct eye contact, a grin plastering on his face as he watched you become flustered at the contact.

“that’s to bad?… if you want me so badly then you can deal with it.” damien pulled his fingers out a whine emerging from your lips at the sudden emptiness only to be silenced by damien’s fingers “be a good boy and clean ‘em. please.” he said quietly, you did as told damien watching you intently before focusing his self to your ass? or rather something else. you shook your head and continued sucking on the fingers.

you observed your appearance, obviously looking more disheveled compared to damien as half of your clothes were discarded except for your shirt… surprisingly… meanwhile damien was still fully dressed in his lazy clothing… despite going to a club he still wore baggy lazy clothing… no wonder you hate him.

rolling your eyes you opened your mouth to signal that you were done cleaning the fingers. he dragged them lazily out of your mouth and rested his other hand on your hip, now using his dominant hand. focused on the mirror u watched as damien pulled a condom out of his pocket raising an eyebrow. was he planning this or did he just want to get a fuck?

shaking the thought you let out a soft sigh until you hears damien spit, you looked back at him and watched as he lathered the spit “you bought a condom but not lube?” damien glanced over to you, he furrowed his eyebrows before focusing back on his own cock.

you were surprised he didn’t say anything back but shrugged it off. “if you want to stop, safe word is…. green. and if you cant speak, knock harshly on the sink 4 times, alright?” you nodded, and held the counter.

damien wasted no time in fucking you, he slammed in a gasp erupted from your mouth as you lifted your leg in surprised, “hng— fuck!—“ you held your mouth as damien went at an almost inhumane speed. well, thats how it seemed.

groans and grunts were coming from damien meanwhile loud whines and whimpers erupted from you, legs shaking and back arched as sweat trailed down your face and legs. taking a glance into the mirror damien looked like he was in a trance. removing your hand you replaced it with the sink gripping tightly and harshly, "mmhnn.. fuck!- damien..." whispering his name. He was holding your waist so tightly you were extra positive you were gonna get bruises.. seeing that a bruise was forming on your wrist from earlier... many minutes later, you were reaching ur climax "dami- hnhh.. im gonna cum......" you whimpered as you stared up at the mirror, you didn't expect to see damien staring right back, with a grunt he nodded, possibly saying that you could cum. not like you were gonna listen if he told you not too..

and so, you held the sink even tighter as your back arched a loud whine erupting as you reached your climax, the white goo shooting to the floor. damien followed behind as he stopped thrusting. though it was weird.. as you could feel the warmth of his cum seeping inside.

"i thought you wore a condom..." you managed to mutter, he pulled his cock out before glancing at the broken condom. "woops... i don't have anything and I hope you don't either.." you simply shook your head. "im not a hoe." damien rolled his eyes before his head snapped towards the noise, causing for you to look aswell.

it was his and your friend staring at the two of you. with pure shock on their faces..

"err.. awkward..?"

. ♡

this didn't take aslong as i thought it would? BUT i am glad that i finally posted something after like.. 4 weeks. maybe idfk..? but ATLAS! i am donee :3 i hoped you enjoyed meeting damien "zicardo" Z. !!!!!! meowmeow byeee [MY REQUEST ARE OPENN!! pls request i need more motivation.. and you guys are able to ask literally anything idm :D]

[smosh-fessions]

HARD AGREE THAT DAMIEN AND TOMMY IS A GREAT PAIRING! I love the two of them together!! I think Tommy, in general, doesn't get enough credit for being great no matter who you put him with. I also think Damien has a pretty strong sibling dynamic with Amanda in particular. It's very big sister that's very proud of her brother that was born second after her that took care of the other siblings with her. Not necessarily funny banter and bickering like Shayne, Angela, and Spencer, but like. Still siblings, you know?

There's a clip from the last EIOYI where Amanda is smiling with and laying her head on Damien's shoulder that's super sweet and to me encapsulates how clearly fond of one another they are. I love that clip and I keeo trying to find a gif of it to show my friends to further my Damanda are oldest siblings agenda. Idk I just think he hasn't been in videos lately and he's been so busy that people forget that he gets along pretty well with the cast and his sense of humor isn't for everybody. I miss him! I know he's a polarizing figure, but I like him!

Damien is also only really great with big physical touch from people he's close to last I could recall, so it says a lot about their relationship if he's comfortable with her doing so! Damien has such a special dynamic with everyone on the cast and I love seeing how different they all are.

[dontwinmarioparty]

So, since Smosh fans are targeting Damien, despite him being the only Smosh member who talked about Palestine, are they gonna have the same energy with people like Shayne, Courtney, Amanda, etc, who never ONCE spoke up about the Palestine situation? Are they gonna hold the rest of Smosh accountable for not using their platform to spread awareness like Damien did?

There's something very backwards about Damien taking the heat when he's the single person who's been remotely talking about Palestine while everyone just kinda didn't even try?

Linking this ask to this because it somewhat sums up my thoughts on the whole ordeal so far.

This whole fandom has a problem of bias with Smosh cast members and their overall silence on Palestine.

It’s easier to just antagonize/dogpile on Noah being in a video since he happened to be the loudest about it back in October, and make him the big Zionist villain of Smosh while most/all cast members have been radio silent on the issue at best.

I’m almost absolutely sure if we repeatedly pressured Smosh every video, every stream, they’d actively DO SOMETHING about it, or at the very least address it.

It’s far easier on us, the collective, to go “aw shucks Noah’s in this one, best skip it” than to boycott, and continue to pressure. I know we can, see the response to making sword AF audio only.

I’m almost just as sure that there has to be some Zionism going upwards of executive at Smosh and Pressalike, tangentially. They were quick as hell to be vocal about BLM in 2020, I can’t help but wonder why the silence now.

This is a self report too. We need to continue to boycott, protest, and rightfully call out creators with a platform when they say some sus shit.

But Twitter has a MASSIVE atmosphere of polarization, and almost never allows for any sort of walkback or nuance of an interaction/reaction to be brought into the conversation. The OP is valid for being upset about the joke and how Damien handled his apology. Damien is valid for wanting a break from social media after the backlash. It’s better than him continuing to argue with fans on the internet and doubling down.

Anyways yeah, free Palestine, fuck twitter, but also giving my regards to the OP and hoping that their family gets to a safe situation and that Israel can be launched into the sun.

[ochitea]

i love your ocs, i think my fav is lucia :) what is some of your fav parts about each of your ocs?🤔 i know its a lot to ask, but im curious for most of the primary folder.. 😅

o wow that is a very tall order bc there are 18 profiles in that folder (20 ocs in total bc prudence got multiple ocs), n half of em are hidden unless u got a toyhouse account. a lot of em dont even have up-to-date info T0TTT

but i did all of em in order so have fun reading all of this shit

lucy - this one is hard,, the fact that he's so unapologetically self-indulgent? a certified bastard n slut? w/ so much hidden angst bc of his past selves?? he's just so flexible. also tits.

alura - the fact that shes the polar opposite of lucy. she's just so endearing to me bc she has so much of myself, much like lucy. u go girl give us ur lack of confidence

hana - she just carries a lot of my anger n inner self, so she means a lot to me in that regard. also her story parallels farris's story n i find that interesting. havent gotten the chance to rlly explore it tho

lucia - she wants love but she doesnt know how to love- n she got another chance in life when she finds it hard to keep living. makes me feel for her T0T

scarlet rose - its fun to think abt her being so stupidly chaotic bc she's just too op. also i like to make her death be so mysterious heheh

farris - he's also stupidly op, tho its bc he is god's fav mortal. its honestly impressive how much shit he managed to pull off. hes also just fun to think abt along w/ the other angels bc he's such a lil shit

elemiah - tbh i like how sick n twisted his love for lord death is. it makes me sick in my stomach every time i think abt it (esp that one comic ugh)

weatta - smth abt her is weirdly adorable for some reason. is it her design? or is it bc she's such a sad n pathetic wet cat? she's also fun to think abt bc of how crazy n stupid she can be. fucker doesnt know what chill is

ina - she's just so tragic,,, she didnt even get to live her life, dying so young n all. makes my heart ache.

snow - tbh idk what to do w/ her so she got nothing, but she's literally my first oc. its hard not to be attached to her

ember - hana's bully who becomes her one n only true friend. i need to develop her man she doesnt even have a finished design T0TTT

sylvain - i like how surprisingly chaotic he can be, despite his cute outer demeanor. but he also tries his best to help others, even to those who may not be so friendly ahemaureliusahem

aurelius - both his parents died n he doesnt even know that- n he grew up to be a weapon but hes doing his best to live n learn to be human n auuughhhhhh T0TTT

yuki - hot vampire demon lady. red flags galore. also tits.

iris - i just rlly like her wholesomeness, esp in contrast w/ her aspiring to be a pole-dancer (usually seen as a provocative activity) n being attached to the biggest fuckign slut. plus her backstory n the fact that she's now living a better life? tis heartwarming -w- also trans

poor guy - he's just so nice to everyone despite his bad luck n looking like the big scary goatman. also heh its funny to think that he gets involved in so much angel/deity shit despite being a regular ass guy (bc aint no way u can avoid alura's shit when u got a huge crush on her)

ellipsis - tbh im still developing her uhhhhhhhhh i like how she's the most normal one in her group lol shes doing her best

nighty - he lost his whole ass family man. just bc ppl thought they were demons. n yet he's just so goofy despite it all. also being a werebeast gives him cool powers. if i just think abt him for once, he might be interesting to explore.

damien - his contrast of being so nice n silly, but is also the most distrustful one in the trio.

chiara - just the thought of her being so conflicted w/ herself. her regrets constantly eating away at her bc she could've saved her partners!! n yet ppl see her as this strong, dependable, n confident woman. sry chiara ur story doesnt get much better i wanna see u suffer

[drbat]

Damien Leone on Jonathan in Terrifier 3

 "Listen, these characters are unpredictable, and they're certainly not trustworthy, so I would take everything they say with a grain of salt. Also, you should never trust me as the writer-director."

…

"It's probably the biggest— I don't even know if it's polarizing, I would call it maybe the biggest critique people have," Leone says. Fans have taken to feverish discussion of the Jonathan question online since the film's Oct. 11 release. Leone reasons that "they desperately wanted more closure. They want to know. Some are just in straight denial. They're like, 'He can't possibly dead, they wouldn't kill him off camera, or whatnot."

Leone's message to those fans: "I would wait until the next installment to get confirmation on that aspect."

[nebulanightsky]

Nah he'll get executed in the end :>

[freyfall]

thinking about turning the apples into some type of flower because then I can make flower power jokes

anyways. I felt like doodling them

[riptideripley]

I wanted to know if you could do a Rhea Ripley x fem reader imagine, where R is like this blonde/or poc bombshell kinda of like Kelly Kelly. Most wrestlers look at her as a valet and like really ditzy, but she’s with the judgement day. Like she always wears pink and white, versus them wearing black and purple, but during a feud with another group they just insult her and Rhea tries to stick up for her. Then she proves herself in the ring by beating down her opponent, and they’re all like we never knew you could do that. Then it’s kinda Rhea taking her more seriously as a wrestler. Bonus if they’re already dating, and Rhea never really saw her as more than a valet and she just wants to prove herself. Thank You!!!!!

The Valet

summary:You were the valet for the Judgement day. With close studying of matches,you had a few tricks up your sleeve and finally got to showcase them

(story)wordcount:612

a/n:tried my best with this,sorry for the wait!

You were a new addition to the Judgement day,everyone saw you differently than the rest of the group. Your personality was completely different than the rest of the group and you were their Valet. You were also known as Rhea’s girlfriend,being with her for 2 years. Your attire was different,personality,everything. So often people saw you as a ditzy woman.

You were backstage sitting on Rhea’s lap before the promo with Damage Ctrl. You checked the time and got up to fix your outfit,along with a few final touches to your makeup. Rhea smiled,she loved your personality and just you in general. People wondered how you two were even a couple due to you having polar opposite wrestling personalities but outside of WWE she was just the same as you. “You ready princess?” she asked sticking her hand out. “Of course!” you responded and took her hand,walking to the gorilla alongside the rest of the Judgement day.

The music cued and you all walked out,Rhea with a microphone in her hand. “Now now Bayley. Don’t get beside yourself,I mean come on you really think you could beat me?” Rhea spoke as she got in the ring with the assistance of Dominik. You got in with her and stood next to her,clinging onto her arm like a baby while holding her title across your shoulder. Just when Rhea was about to speak,Dakota interrupted her. “Of course she can! As long as your silly dumb bitch doesn’t get involved.” she spoke,pointing at you. Rhea clenched her jaw looking down at you,making you look up at her. You gently dropped her title and stared at Dakota,her mocking how you skip with your hands behind your back when walking with the Judgement day.

Rhea was about to speak when you suddenly kicked Dakota in her stomach making her drop instantly. You threw several blows at Bayley and Iyo,knocking them off as you grabbed Dakota. You wrapped your hand around her throat and lifted her up,choke slamming her into the mat. Rhea stood there in shock along with Damien,Finn and Dominik cheered you on along with the crowd. You drop kicked and head butted Bayley,grabbing Iyo’s hand and twisting it slowly before throwing her out of the ring. You then dragged Dakota into the center of the mat,climbing to the top rope and doing a moonsault. You then got up smiling and did a cute finger wave towards Dakota(similar to Rhea),jumping onto Rhea’s back. Dominik grabs Rhea’s title as he helps you two out of the ring,Finn and Damien following.

“That was amazing!” Dom spoke once backstage,making you smile. “Never knew you had that in you (your name)..think we need to schedule you a match with Dakota soon” Damien said,getting a hum of agreement from Rhea. “Not unless I get some training first” you told him making Rhea’s eyes widen a little. “You did all of that..with no training?” “Mhm! I just pay very close attention to your matches along with others” you responded and planted a kiss to her cheek. She smiled and gave you a soft kiss,dragging you to Vince’s office. “Vince,I have a request. Can we start getting her into training along with matches? I mean you saw how she was tonight” she asked politely glancing at Triple H in the corner. They exchanged a look of agreement and nodded,accepting her request.

From that day forward,you wrestled alongside Rhea. She began taking you more seriously in wrestling and you were the new tag team champions.

[emodrstan]

Laurel's death in Arrow Season 4, Episode 18 ("Eleven-Fifty-Nine") is often cited by fans and critics as a pivotal moment that shifted the show’s trajectory, contributing to its eventual decline and conclusion after Season 8. While it’s an oversimplification to say it single-handedly "sealed the show’s fate," her killing off sparked a cascade of issues—narrative, character, and fanbase-related—that the series struggled to recover from. Here’s why it had such a lasting impact:

Undermining a Core Character: Laurel, as the Black Canary, was a foundational part of the Green Arrow mythos in the comics, where she’s not just a love interest but a badass hero in her own right. Arrow spent three seasons building her up—albeit unevenly—from a grieving lawyer to a vigilante, only to kill her off just as she was hitting her stride. This felt like a betrayal of her arc, especially since her death served more as a plot device to fuel Oliver Queen’s man-pain than as a meaningful culmination of her journey.

Fan Backlash and the "Olicity" Divide: Laurel’s death inflamed an already polarized fanbase. Many viewers loved her as Oliver’s original love interest and the canonical Black Canary, while others championed Felicity Smoak and the "Olicity" pairing. Killing Laurel was seen as the show doubling down on Olicity, alienating a chunk of its audience who felt the writers were pandering to a vocal subset rather than honoring the source material. The backlash was loud, with #NoLaurelNoArrow trending on social media at the time, signaling a fracture that never fully healed.

Narrative Fallout: Her death left a void in the Team Arrow dynamic that the show struggled to fill. Introducing Dinah Drake as a new Black Canary in Season 5 felt like a retcon to appease fans, but it lacked the emotional weight of Laurel’s tenure. Meanwhile, the promise in Laurel’s grave—"I’ll become something else"—teased a resurrection or twist that didn’t pay off until the Earth-2 Laurel (Black Siren) was awkwardly integrated later. These moves made the storytelling feel reactive and disjointed, eroding confidence in the writers’ long-term vision.

Season 4’s Broader Problems: Laurel’s death didn’t happen in a vacuum. Season 4 is widely regarded as Arrow’s worst, with a convoluted magic-based Damien Darhk plot, uneven pacing, and a lack of stakes that made her demise feel cheap rather than impactful. Killing a major character in an already shitty season amplified the perception that the show had lost its way, a stigma it carried into later years.

Long-Term Decline: While Arrow limped on for four more seasons, Laurel’s death marked a turning point where it shifted from a gritty, character-driven drama to a more soap opera-esque ensemble show. Ratings dropped from an average of 2.67 million viewers in Season 4 to 1.76 million by Season 5 (per Nielsen data), and though it stabilized later, the creative spark of the early seasons never fully returned. Her absence underscored how much the show relied on its original cast’s chemistry.

That said, the show didn’t end solely because of Laurel’s death—CW renewals often hinge on network deals, and Arrow wrapped up partly due to Stephen Amell’s desire to move on after Season 7 and Emily Bett Rickards leaving, with Season 8 being a shortened farewell. But her killing off was a catalyst: it damaged fan trust, muddled the narrative, and signaled a creative drift that made the eventual 2020 finale feel less like a triumph and more like a mercy. Eight seasons is still a solid run, but for many, Laurel’s exit was when Arrow stopped being must-watch TV.

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from Smithsonian Magazine:

Our planet has not passed its latest health check-up. A new assessment of Earth’s life-support systems shows that six out of nine of these crucial processes have crossed their “planetary boundary.” These boundaries are not tipping points—it’s possible to recover from passing them—but they are thresholds signifying we’ve entered higher-risk territory.

On another worrying note, scientists found the planet is close to breaching a seventh planetary boundary: ocean acidification.

In its first edition, a report from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) used years of data and assessments to evaluate the nine planetary boundaries. These life-support systems make Earth resilient and stable. Alarmingly, six of those boundaries have already been crossed, as a similar assessment last year also concluded. The new report adds to that finding, suggesting these six metrics are now moving further into the “red zone,” or what the researchers consider a high-risk zone.

“The overall diagnostic is that the patient, Planet Earth, is in critical condition,” says Johan Rockström, PIK director and pioneer of the Planetary Boundaries Framework, in a statement.

Boundaries that have already been exceeded have to do with climate change, freshwater availability, biodiversity, land use, nutrient pollution (such as phosphorus and nitrogen) and the introduction of synthetic chemicals and plastics to the environment.

Ocean acidification is one of the systems that has not yet crossed its planetary boundary, along with ozone depletion and aerosols in the atmosphere. But while ocean acidification is still in the “green zone,” the new report finds it’s trending in the wrong direction. Scientists now say this metric is on the brink and may cross out of the safe zone in the next few years.

Earth’s oceans absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, providing a valuable carbon sink as humans burn fossil fuels. But this process also makes the oceans more acidic, which can disturb the formation of shells and coral skeletons and affect fish life cycles, per the report.

As ocean acidification approaches the boundary, scientists are particularly concerned about certain regions, like the Arctic and Southern oceans. These areas are vital for carbon and global nutrient cycles, “which support marine productivity, biodiversity and global fisheries,” the report says.

“Looking at the current evolution, I’d say it’s really, really difficult to prevent that [boundary] crossing,” says Levke Caesar, a climate physicist at PIK and an author of the report, to Mongabay’s Sean Mowbray.

Other recent studies indicate the current conditions are already affecting some marine organisms, Caesar said in a press briefing, per the Guardian’s Damien Gayle. As a result, it might be necessary to re-evaluate “which levels can actually be called safe,” she added.

Levels of acidification are different across the world’s oceans. Colder waters, like those in the polar regions, may become more acidic more quickly, because they absorb more carbon dioxide. For some scientists, this suggests that perhaps the boundary has already been breached.

[my-ass-is-where]

Ask for Current DA and Mark! How's your life now? Do you miss fam? What helpfull advice would you give your younger self?

Mark is bench-pressing Lucy, the polar bear pretending to be a dog, while The DA knits next to him. They put down their project to sign to you.

"We've found a good work-life balance with running The Hunters, helping with the magic influx in Ohio, and taking time for ourselves. It's... pretty peaceful, other than-" They gesture at their neck to reference the issue of The Slivers.

"It makes us forget to call home a lot." The DA rubs their bite scars, looking somewhat sadly at their knitting project, before signing again. "Sometimes weeks can go by before something gets through for us to remember to call."

"Mom and my friends help make sure we don't forget entirely," Mark says without a hint of strain to his voice, the benchpressing of Lucy more because it entertains her than because he's gaining anything from it. "Sometimes we feel like taking a trip back, but uh... not to visit them, so... we don't."

"It's safer to write off wanting to head back as The Manor trying to get us." The DA looks at their phone. "Maybe we should just invite everyone else over here."

There's some silence, and then your final question comes through.

"Get put of The Hunters," Mark says.

"Don't join The Hunters," The DA signs.

"Walk away from the tall business-goth guy randomly trying to befriend you," Mark says.

"Talk Damien into not going to a party with his occultist ex-brother-in-law."

"I thought they didn't get divorced."

"Running away from a demon house counts as being an ex."

[lizzybeth1986]

Nadia Park: The Moral Epicenter of "Perfect Match"

Nadia has, in some ways, been a polarizing figure amongst Perfect Match stans ever since the series debuted back in 2018. A lot of us loved her spunk, spark, humour and optimism, but there were just as many who found her "annoying", looked down on her for "ditching the group" in Book 2, and dubbed her love for Steve as a " crazy obsession". Of course, there is very little that is accurate about such descriptions and there would be very little chance some in the fandom would view her this way if she were a white woman - and besides, such views entirely miss the point on why Perfect Match needed a character like Nadia.

Nadia starts out as the only member of the MC's (canonically large) family that we see, and the Park cousins often see themselves as a unit, who do most things together and look out for each other.

Her attempts to find true love through Eros, and her recommendation of their services to the MC, is what kickstarts the story, and the series itself ends with the cousins reflecting together on their experiences. She is also an artist, and seeing her beau Steve describe her work as "indescribable" is our first indicator of the Matches' most obvious flaw: that they can't interpret meaning from, or attribute emotion to, the abstract.

But over and above all else - Nadia is the eternal optimist. While in the abstract, her thoughts may seem quite morbid, at heart she is someone who believes the best of the people she meets and tends to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. This is in stark contrast to Damien, who is known for his extreme skepticism.

There are different ways Nadia's optimism is viewed throughout the story. By Damien, by the MC, by the people around her - both those who love her and those who grow to love her. Sometimes as an optimism so extreme as to be borderline ridiculous, sometimes as naïveté. But the value of the perspective she brings can only be understood when you look at the theme that is so central to the series.

What Does It Mean To Be A Person?

Simply put, Perfect Match is first and foremost about personhood, identity, and what it means to be human. It starts out with the possible premise of whether androids are human enough. Both the characters in the book as well as many readers in the fandom initially viewed the Matches as inferior to the "actual human beings" in the series, when it was running. But PM managed to turn such an idea on its head. Even now, the narrative has a deft way of making us ask questions about what personhood and senitence could mean.

Shortly after the MC discovers the truth about Hayden (PM1 Ch10), Sloane says the following about the idea of Hayden being "a machine": We are all machines...Your nervous system works on electrical impulses, and your emotions are regulated by chemicals in your brain. It's just that you're a machine of blood and bone, and s/he's a machine of metal and plastic.

More specifically, the core theme of PM is about how personhood doesn't emerge merely from being creatures of blood, bone and brain; how there is a lot more nuance to the concept of humanity than just that, or just emotions, or just free will. It asks us to explore what being human means to us, what it means to have a soul of one's own. It questions the logic of feeling superior to any sentient being who isn't built exactly like us.

Hayden Young - the MC's Perfect Match - is the character that embodies this core idea, with their questions, their conflicts, and their desire to know more about themselves and their world. The fact that they evolve far beyond their programming challenges the simplistic notion that they are not "person enough", that they can be more easily controlled than humans. Their true beginning as a character begins from the moment they ask "How do you open your mouth and tell someone you don't feel real?" and keeps evolving from that point.

Other Matches show elements of this internal conflict too, though not to the extent Hayden does; Steve chooses to embrace the identity Eros has given him rather than challenge it, Dames' personality stops him from attacking the MC even when Cecile overrides his programming. Harley's mission takes a backseat when they fall in love with Cecile, who is ironically the more inhuman person in that dynamic.

Keegan has their own doubts about Rowan and Cecile, and attempts to find out - through their discussion with the MC - whether the outside world is really worth trusting. All the Matches are programmed a certain way, to achieve certain goals. Yet, each of these Matches find their own ways to exercise their independence.

How does the human end of this fare? That is a question that has varying answers throughout the book, across different characters.

Thematically, Rowan and Cecile perhaps inhabit the bottom-most tier of this hierarchy. They are the villains of the series, and their defeat is the high point of the story. Their villainy manifests in two ways: first, in the way they treat the Matches, their "children" (using and abusing them, discarding them whenever convenient, gaslighting the ones who have only them to turn to, violating every possible boundary to get what they want), and second, in the way they treat other human beings.

They celebrate the pain of other people (Khaan, Damien, the guard Hayden hurts at the SF HQ) when it suits their aims (The Siren Project, mapping the human soul).

Rowan and Cecile are the direct antithesis to the idea that humans could be "superior". They are proof that a person could physically be a "human" yet completely lack humanity.

You also have characters like Damien and Alana. People who are human, people who do possess some compassion and empathy, yet allow their cynicism to justify words and acts of casual cruelty, and engage in dehumanizing the Matches. They prefer to save their empathy only for those they like.

Damien calls Hayden "nuts and bolts, computer for a brain" in a dialogue option (PM1 Ch10), and insists on throwing Hayden and Sloane back into the clutches of Eros, even though they have literally just saved the group. Alana herself actually betrays the entire group to Eros with little to no remorse, and is shown often speaking of the Matches in dehumanizing terms.

(last two screenshots are from the Jazmine Cadena YouTube channel, and only show up if you didn't save Steve in Book 1)

While some may claim that Damien and Alana's suspicions and behaviour are understandable, and the narrative itself doesn't exactly require them to apologise for their behaviour...the harm that their language and beliefs generate lasts beyond those stray moments. For instance, Hayden themselves later confirms how much they dread being viewed as an object and the level of discrimination they will face, once they reveal who they are at Winona's talk show:

Eventually, Damien and Alana are required to change their mind to an extent at least. Once they're deeply involved in exposing Eros, there are less occurances of them using dehumanizing language. They are required to at least work with both people and androids whose views differ from theirs, and tone down the hostility, to achieve their goals.

Damien's story starts with him being a man who is forever suspicious and warning his friends about the relationships they choose to be in. As the story progresses, he learns to open up more, trust his allies more, and eventually even attempts to gently talk Keegan out of killing Cecile just to save them. While he never apologizes to Hayden and Sloane - the people he had harmed - for his earlier behaviour, he still manages to look out for them.

Alana's story begins with her desire to not be tied down yet still have some sort of home base to return to, as well as deep-seated insecurities about her own worth as a partner and friend. While it isn't fully known how much she changes with regards to her attitude towards the Matches, she does take a step back in her jibes and insults, co-operating with the ones who are clear allies, and following the law when it comes to Sirens like Harley.

Sloane and Khaan navigate their relationships with the Matches very differently, having played significant roles in creating and shaping them. Sloane, in particular, believes in the rights of the Matches, and is one of their most passionate defenders. She literally quits her job and betrays her company to save Hayden, and is disgusted by Eros' abusive practices towards the Matches. Khaan is fascinated with the growth the Matches have shown since he'd left Eros five years ago, and tries his best to ensure that Rowan and Cecile cannot make assassins out of them.

However, even with all these good intentions, even Sloane and Khaan cannot fully escape some of their own deep-seated biases as human beings. In PM2 Ch 6, Sloane and Khaan speak of Hayden's many skills as if they're a science project, and when the MC adopts UWU, Sloane repeatedly compares Hayden to them. Both times, Hayden voices their discomfort, which is goes mostly ignored.

After an entire day of grappling with different issues - including Sloane and Khaan leaning into technical-speak when talking about them - Hayden calls them out on the damaging impact of their words:

As with Damien and Alana, Khaan and Sloane aren't exactly required to apologize for this either, or even view the way they speak of Hayden as a problem. But the group as a whole doesn't repeat this behaviour again, especially once the battle with Eros is really on and they learn more and more about the other Matches. Eventually, as CEOs, the two can demand for the investors to stall the Match program and replace it with a rehabilitation program for the remaining Matches. When the MC shows an interest in rehabilitating Harley, Sloane confesses that she, too, finds that the best option. If we do not win Keegan's trust, it is Sloane and Khaan's plans to help the Matches, that makes them reach out.

The MC

Where does the MC fit in all this? That depends on the player. The MC begins by viewing Hayden and Sloane with suspicion (PM1 Ch 10), and rightfully so. Both they and Nadia were the ones directly affected - as clients who were duped and later targeted by the company (who - at this point - Sloane represents).

No matter which choices one goes for when they first question Sloane, the MC begins by viewing Hayden as a con artist who betrayed them. Once Sloane explains Hayden's plight to them, the MC has the option of either viewing them with empathy and compassion (like Sloane does), or with a distinct lack of either (as Damien and later Alana do). They can also choose to either trust Sloane, or demand she earn back the trust she'd lost.

As the series progresses, the MC becomes friendlier and nicer to the two by default, and advocates for the group to rescue Hayden at the Arctic HQ. By Book 2, whether we have saved Steve or not, the MC cares about both Hayden and Steve as an integral part of their group, by default.

Dames does mention, in PM2 Ch1, that the MC's response to learning his identity was different from everyone else's. "You sat next to me and asked me if I was okay [...] you didnt treat me like...whatever I am". By default, the MC is respected and trusted in the group for their compassion by default.

With the appearance of Keegan in PM2 Ch12, the MC is truly faced with the question of how they view the Matches in general. Not just the ones they are friends with/in love with - but the ones they have seen only in passing, the ones they have never met...the ones they have never built any sort of relationship with. The narrative treats this scene as a turning point for the MC - their response to Keegan dictates whether Keegan's flawed worldview (fed by Eros) will change. It dictates how they will act in the series finale - leaving Cecile to the authorities rather than killing her themself all boils down to whether they trust the MC enough to accept their sound advice.

Emphasizing the rights of every Match allows Keegan to learn to trust the outside world; admitting the MC only gives a damn about the Matches they know personally only confirms Keegan's biases. Even if you're a player who is vehemently anti-robot and would like to refer to the "Match" characters in the story as objects...the narrative itself encourages you to think otherwise, or to at least pretend to do so to save your own skin. It is, eventually, the MC who is credited with encouraging certain Matches (like Dames and Keegan) to trust more human beings and hope for a better future.

But How is Nadia the Moral Center of This Book?

So far, we've spoken about the different approaches the other characters (esp the LIs) take to the question of the Matches. We have the skepticism of Damien, Alana's prejudices, and the tendency to be careless with one's language in Khaan and Sloane. In the middle of all this, the MC is allowed to choose which view they align with more (unless it's Rowan and Cecile's). So where does Nadia fit in here?

To understand this, we must go back to the role Rowan and Cecile have to play in the story. As mentioned earlier, they are the villains that the group is meant to ultimately defeat. There is nothing particularly redeemable about them, even in playthroughs where the MC can turn on the charm and flirt with Cecile. Both of them are arrogant, power-hungry, and consistently look down on both Matches and other humans alike.

They also completely, and consistently, lack empathy. No matter who is harmed in the wake of their deranged experiments. We are shown, time and again, a Rowan and Cecile whose victims are left bleeding, hurt, and traumatized - and never given even basic medical attention (eg. Cecile celebrates the advancement of the Siren Project when a Match breaks Khaan's arm, and again when Hayden hurts the human Eros guard at the SF HQ... instead of actually calling for a medic to treat them). In fact, the more pain they inflict, the happier Rowan and Cecile feel.

You cannot find a more direct contrast to this mindset than Nadia's. Not only is she someone with an inherently nurturant personality, someone who protects the people she loves - she is also incredibly empathetic. Very often in the story (especially Book 1) we find her constantly regulating the group's emotional responses. When they seem morose and pessimistic, she demands for them to enjoy the moment. (Some good examples of these are the screenshots below and when she forces everyone out of their "sulky pity party" post the humiliation on Winona's show):

But when the group tries (unconvincingly) to maintain a sense of calm in an abnormal situation, Nadia is emphatic on being honest about the gravity of what's happening:

She also has a keen sense of intuition. When Steve goes missing, with a harsh note indicating that he is leaving her, Nadia is insistent that the real situation can't be as simple. She even formulates an "evidence board" to convince the MC and Damien that they should investigate his disappearance further:

The most obvious conclusion the Park cousins can draw, is that Steve wasn't who Nadia thought he was and had unceremoniously dumped her. But it is Nadia who takes the initiative to look back further on the experiences she has had so far with him, and understand that something doesn't quite add up. It is her insistence that gets Damien and the MC to search further and find Gary, that makes Eros have to recall the model, that eventually gives Steve and Nadia a second chance as a couple (either at Arctic HQ if you save him, or in Tokyo if you don't). The fandom often called this Nadia's "weird obsession", but a desire to not want to give up on others is a trait entirely unique to her and isn't just restricted to Steve.

Nadia is also unapologetic about how she feels or how deep those feelings go - nor does she take half-measures when it comes to protecting Steve. Especially once Eros demands for Hayden and Steve to be given to them (or, in the story where one doesn't save Steve at the Arctic HQ - where the group manages to take Steve with them in Tokyo), she looks out for Steve and makes more efforts to understand his needs. Her brief departure from the group (after funding most of their travel and staying expenses) is both an attempt to return to her job and to allow Steve the space to embrace the identity that Eros gave him. She ensures that he isn't too deeply involved in the fighting and investigating that the rest of the group does. She also understands that while the group can still operate pretty well without her, Steve still needs her support more, to rebuild his own life.

Both Nadia and Steve bear scars from what Eros did to them in Book 1, and - depending on when Steve is saved from Eros - seek to navigate their relationship differently from how they did in the beginning. You will notice that in PM1 (esp Chs 3-5), their relationship progresses at a rate that alarms everyone (including Eros, who note that it is going "ahead of timeline"). By Ch 3 they have moved in together, and by Cedar Rest, Nadia drops heavy hints about being interested in marriage.

Nadia learns and grows from this experience. Once she reunites with Steve, she doesn't take initiative herself to pop the question, instead allowing Steve to determine the pace he is more comfortable with for their relationship. If he was part of the group at the end of PM1, the relationship proceeds at a much more relaxed pace in the second book, culminating in a wedding proposal from him in the finale (he also seems hopeful about the prospect mid-book, responding to a speculation that they may get married in PM2 Ch 7 with "never say never"). If not, they have to rebuild that relationship from scratch.

In a lot of ways, the experience of losing Steve and then understanding who he truly is, makes her not only protective of him but also determined not to repeat what could be past mistakes ("rushing" the relationship, asking questions for which Steve may not necessarily have the answers).

At no point in the story does Nadia ever judge Steve, either before she knows the truth or after Sloane confesses. She senses deeper issues when he leaves, and is reluctant to hate on him as a person even after she confronts Gary. Once she discovers the truth from Sloane, she wastes no time in viewing him as a victim of this situation (which he is!).

On its own, this is great. But what perhaps makes Nadia unique from the other (esp human) characters, is that her empathy isn't restricted to those she is directly attached to, and she doesn't wait to have a deeper connection with Match before wholeheartedly supporting their rights and defending them.

The MC can choose to say similar things and act in a similar manner. But if the player has them respond otherwise, it is Nadia who consistently argues for treating the Matches like the sentient beings...for the persons...that they are. It is Nadia who consistently believes they are worthy of respect and deserve their rights. Anf It is Nadia who is, by default, the most powerful counterpoint to the twisted beliefs of Rowan and Cecile.

Even before Sloane can properly explain Hayden's predicament to a suspicious MC, it is Nadia who realizes that Hayden (and by extension Steve) is innocent. It is Nadia who stands up for Hayden against Damien and Alana, and agrees first to support them. Among the entire group, she is the one who most consistently calls out her friends when they dehumanize and objectify a Match. Even Steve, the Match she loves, is expected to understand this and lend his support to fellow Matches. If he does seem to falter in doing so, she doesn't hesitate to remind him.

This is an approach that most of the group, and most of the "good" characters in the story, follow by the end of the book - but it is clearly Nadia who follows it first, and exemplifies this respect and sensitivity for all sentient beings best.

If Rowan and Cecile are utterly devoid of empathy and humanity, Nadia is the one who is full to the brim with it.

The MC can be credited with changing their minds if they insist that every Match deserves the same respect, the same rights as any human being. But it is Nadia who - in every way, and in almost every scene she is a part of - truly embodies this principle.

At a very important turning point in PM2, Keegan can ask the MC why they care so much about the Matches, why they put themselves at risk for them. The narrative indicates to us that our response changes the way Keegan (who later becomes a powerful union leader for the surviving Matches in the series finale) views not only us but humans as a race. And if the MC treats them with respect and compassion, it allows them to break out of Eros' brainwashing and gaslighting and accept a newer perspective on the world.

--

Tagging @nadiaparkappreciationweek and @sazanes for NPAD!