#I have a lot more to say but this post is long enough

[gremlinmodetweeker]

König's Kids Headcanons

I think König, when he's there, would be a great dad. He's a bit of a gremlin, but this just makes him a better dad. He's also a bit of a menace at parent teacher meetings.

Anyways, have some silly headcanons

Art from This Post

König is a surprisingly good father (when he’s there). He’s strict, but also knows how to relax and let things slide. He will play-wrestle with his kids and make sure they have plenty of time to run around in nature and read books. He’s passionate about his kids’ hobbies and encourages them to learn and explore what they love.

He’s the type of dad to teach them how to fight but also play pretend games with them

He does not like having tea parties, but he will endure for his children. He will endure great hardship and pain for them, and if this includes sipping water from a plastic teacup while sitting on a tiny stool, so be it. He can endure. However, he draws the line at makeup. He can’t endure (nor can he sit still long enough)

When König is home from work, he drops his military titles at the door and focuses entirely on being an important part of their lives. The sad part is that you can see he’s actively trying to make up for time he’s lost. This is part of what leads to him retiring early to a local security job.

Without a steady father figure in their lives, his kids do grow up to struggle with certain things. However, all things considered, they turn out pretty well adjusted and healthy. Honestly, pretty solid people. They turn out to be the kind of people you feel like you can respect and appreciate.

But when they’re young his kids are little shits. They’re the type to break stuff for fun. They also will run and hide from you. At a certain point, you’ll have to resort to using child leashes because they will run away from you in public. So when they’re young, they’re terrors in your house. When they get older, they have their father’s streak of intelligence and are snarky assholes. They have brutal teenage years.

This is exacerbated by the fact that for the first ten years of his youngest kid’s life, he’s still in a PMC and going on military contracts, so the kids have large periods of time where they’re missing their father.

König realizes too late that he missed a lot of his kids’ development and chooses to retire to a more local security job to spend more time at home. It’s a big change in the household, but not an unwelcome one. His older kids struggle the most, but they do grow to form strong bonds with him because of his choice to stay home

König makes a good deal of money early on so he can go on to take a lower paying job later in life. His kids never have to worry about if they have money. They have to worry about whether or not their parents will say yes.

König is a pretty strict father. He’s a military man, a former colonel. He’s not going to be a horrible abusive father, but he will be a bit much sometimes. You might find yourself stepping in to defuse the tension sometimes.

Thankfully, König doesn’t yell at his kids (unless it’s something stupid and it’s pretty obviously a joke) or hit them. He’s actually pretty bad about disciplining his kids. You might have to take over in that department. Having been in the military for so long, König’s terrified of going overkill on his kids and doesn’t want to risk hurting them. He can dish it out, yes, but he’s extremely cautious when doing so.

He’s also quite fair. He does his best to treat his children equally. He’s surprisingly good. He focuses on encouraging their individual hobbies and finding their own personalities. They do grow up to be quite self-confident with their father’s teachings in their heads. They’re not arrogant, but they’re confident and assertive

They’re not popular in school, but not hated. They do pretty decently. Academics are a bit too easy for them, so König has to step in to teach them study habits and keep their passion for learning. Thankfully, his father was a professor, so he’s pretty good at this.

That said, König will sometimes be pretty silly when disciplining. Sometimes, you can hear his full colonel voice booming from outside about someone pulling some silly prank on him as he’s mowing the lawn. He’s not the type to pull pranks on his kids (but he’ll happily torment you) but he will play silly games with them. I think his kids learn that when he’s yelling, he’s not actually that angry, he’s just playing around. It still scares the shit out of your kids’ friends when he does it when they’re over

König has a tendency to scare children in public. He tries really hard to not make them nervous, but with the hood and the height and the tired look in his eyes? Nah he’s terrifying.

König’s kids grow up not being afraid of anyone because nobody’s as scary as their dad. This also means all the kids know that those kids have the scariest dad.

When your kids’ friends come over, they’re terrified of König. Unfortunately, he finds this slightly funny and takes advantage of this. You might have to step in and diffuse the tension to help those poor children realize that when König is yelling about things, he’s not actually mad. Maybe make cookies with him or something, it’ll help break the ice.

Your kids and their friends are all taken under König’s wings for protection. He’ll go up to bat for any of those kids. He genuinely cares so much about them. Having very select few friendships as a child himself, he’ll go out of his way to ensure his children have healthy social lives.

Sometimes the parents are unsettled by him. This is König’s unsettling form of social anxiety at play, so you’ll have to mediate between other parents and König to make sure they realize that no, he’s not an abusive monster, he just makes horrible jokes about his children. He has very dark humor but plays it straight, which is a horrible combination.

He has had a teacher call CPS on him before, but it was quickly resolved. However, most people are frightened by König when he steps into a room and it’s no different at parent-teacher interviews

He always blows teachers out of the water for how much he cares about his kids getting a quality education. He’s also quite receptive to their advice (if it’s good) and is willing to step in when needed. Teachers also typically find that he’s quite a fun parent volunteer to have on field trips (he is extremely popular)

Some of the more timid kids grow to like König because he tries to ensure all children are included when he’s around. He’s good at making sure everyone feels noticed.

Of course, as said, in the beginning everyone is terrified of the giant foreign soldier man. His kids have to teach their friends to not be afraid of their dad when he’s home.

Later on, this means in late high school his kids' friends consider him a DILF. He’s horrified. Flattered, but horrified. He has a serious talk with you about how to not be a DILF. He genuinely is so upset by the concept. His kids laugh at him all the time because he’s miserable about it.

Konig Dump

Konig Headcanons

[jaegeraether]

Sunsets and footballers (Part 91)

Alexia Putellas x Character (46)

Masterlist (other parts here)

((3.8k))

Due to popular demand, I'm going to post a chapter bi-weekly, every Thursday and Sunday night until we hit Part 100!

RIDLEY POV

The noises coming from Alexia were so much sexier than she could have ever imagined. That wet sound betraying how turned on she truly was, paired with the way she widened her legs and sunk down to take more. She wasn’t used to taking it, but it was never like that between them. There was just… them.

She swore again in Catalan as her head dropped backwards, her back arching and pushing out her excited tits as she came closer.

Fucking hell.

One of her hands was on Ridley’s chest, held there by her own, as her other was behind her and beneath the strap, rhythmically stroking over Ridley’s clit with every movement of the footballer’s hips.

She couldn’t help but reach up and grab one of those exquisite tits of hers, circling her nipple under the pad of her thumb.

“I… yam… close-argh. F…fuck.” God, Ridley loved it when she spoke English. It was such a rarity, but she knew it was just for her. That accent was a fucking obsession for her.

“Don’t stop, Lexi.” Ridley encouraged, meaning both. Don’t stop riding me. Don’t stop touching me.

Alexia’s head came back up, lowering and giving Ridley a good view of her hazel eyes darkening. She hadn’t said anything, but she loved it when she called her that.

“I’m yours.” She said, hard. She was right on the edge. Her movements became slightly slower and a lot harder as she practically started to drop herself onto the strap, her gloriously harsh wet sounds were music in Ridley’s ears. Fuck. Fuck. “I’m… yours. I love you, Ridley.”

She didn’t seem to care that Ridley hadn’t said it back, yet. They both knew where she stood. Admitting it had been a major emotional release for Alexia.

“Ridley… Ridley…” Again, that accent. She was whimpering her name, and Ridley was almost certain that she didn’t realise she was doing it aloud. She was too lost in their bodies.

At the sound of her name being whimpered by her of all people, Ridley felt herself rising to the same state that she was in.

“I’m coming….”

Alexia’s eyes flashed at the admission. Any form of fatigue disappeared then, and she drove reliably with the endurance of an athlete. Christ. Ridley could see it in her eyes. She wouldn’t stop until she’d come under her. She’d ride herself through orgasms if she had to.

“I’m not… going… anywhere…” she knew exactly the right thing to say. Exactly the reassurance she needed. Ridley groaned.

She knew her. Truly knew her, and here she still was.

Ridley uncontrollably let out a suppressed mix of a cry, a whimper, a moan. “Fuck. Fuck. FUCK.”

Looking at Alexia wasn’t helping. La Reina. That determined fucking look on her face. Her eyes. Her jaw. Her lips. Her bouncing tits. Fuck. Christ. There was nothing she could do but lay there and… “Take it like a good girl, Lee.”

Jesus. Christ.

It wasn’t meant to be controlling, but a reminder that there were both equals in the relationship. At her words alone, she’d never felt her body tense up so goddamned tight in her life. “Alexia…Lex…Lexi… fffuck!”

She shuddered as she came under Alexia’s long, talented fingers stroking across her clit; her orgasm dragged out by the feeling of Alexia going through the exact same thing on top of her.

She swore in Catalan and cried out in a higher pitch than usual which shot lightning down Ridley’s spine at the sound.

The come down was a mess of sweat, twitching muscles and gasping breath. They stayed like that for a little until Alexia eventually pushed herself off the toy and leant forward to kiss Ridley on the scar on her cheek.

“Yours…”

Another reassurance. She’d never get enough of that. So much so, that she felt herself starting to truly believe that Alexia wasn’t going anywhere.

Ridley had never been the possessive type of person until she’d met Alexia. And now, all she found herself thinking when she looked at her was: Mine.

“Hold it… hold it… a little bit more back pressure… that’s good… perfect… let it land itself… touching… keep holding…” Ridley eased her through the landing.

The plane slowed down quickly with the drag of the water below, though the water was calm and Alexia had full control.

Ridley barely needed to help or speak even as they taxied up to the jetty and shut down, tying it down. They weren’t going to stay long – just in need of some more fresh supplies.

She finished the last tie-down and stood, pulling her empty backpack over her shoulders, with Chiquito using it as a step ladder for his back paws, his front paws on her shoulder.

She turned to Alexia who was watching her and waiting patiently. She extended her hand and Ridley smiled, feeling new things that she’d never get used to. She took her hand and their fingers tangled, holding each other close as they walked up the jetty. She could certainly get used to this.

They were met by their usual taxi, though this time there were two people instead of one.

Ridley slipped into the back seat, followed by Alexia.

“Is this necessary?” She murmured.

“Extra caution, Commander.” The new soldier replied with a polite smile as he turned around to shake her hand. “After the incident.”

“I’m sorry for the loss of your friend.” She said empathetically and saw the grief in their faces. “How is the other?”

“He’s stable, thanks to you. We’re grateful.”

She could tell they were. Truly. They would never blame her, one of their own, for something like that. The nature of their business was dangerous, and they knew what they were getting into.

“Where to?”

“Just to the markets and back. Quick supply run.”

They drove for less than ten minutes before they arrived at the market. She saw Alexia looking around eagerly at the options, though also more aware of her surroundings since last time.

They parked up the cab, and the two men insisted on staying with them. New protocols, they’d said.

They wandered the markets, picking their fresh food and packing it up into their backpacks. They still had a lot of supplies from their trip a few days prior, and so they didn’t need much. Honestly, she’d just wanted to check the updates, but more importantly, she wanted to get Alexia into a piece of normality. Being la Reina, she was so used to being around people, which was a hard habit to break. It wasn’t hard to tell that she did love the solitude of the island, though. It seemed healing for her and Ridley could see that more with every passing day.

As Alexia spoke to a vendor about the fruits he had, Ridley slid the battery into her phone and turned it on.

The first thing that caught her eye was Blue’s message. It wasn’t urgent, so she skipped it for the update from Duce. They hadn’t found him yet. He was hiding, well, and she wanted to meet up to discuss their plan going forward. She looked to Alexia, thinking, and then smiled, replying.

She took a photo of Alexia before responding to a few work emails to advise them that she’d be gone a little longer. She’d managed to tie up everything she needed to on their flight from Spain and was confident in her team to keep it running for the next week or so. Beyond that – Ridley would most definitely need to be back and liaising with clients. Her company was all based around her and her connections, after all.

She returned to her message from Blue which was asking about Alexia attending an event and read through it. She also said she loved and missed her. Her little baby Blue. She could practically picture her sitting down, writing the message out and pouting when she didn’t get a reply. She knew she wouldn’t – but she would still have been a little disappointed, though she’d never admit it.

“You’re worse than paparazzi…” Alexia murmured, coming close and squeezing her free hand.

“I can’t help it. You’re beautiful.”

She smiled, and although she couldn’t see her eyes behind her sunglasses, she could see the crinkles at the corners. She loved that.

“Any news?”

“None on Bashir. Blue has a message for you, though.” She gave Alexia the phone and watched as she nodded.

“I can do that. We’ll be back, no?”

“We will.. we can fly into London instead of Barcelona.”

“Okay.”

Alexia typed out a message and pressed ‘send’ before she made a few more clicks and smiled. Ridley couldn't help but smile at that happy look on her face. She was taken off guard when Alexia raised the phone and snapped a photo of her looking at the footballer.

“Couldn’t help myself.” She smirked. “We’re even.”

Ridley rolled her eyes. “You’re lucky you’re cute, Lex.”

“Have I been downgraded from beautiful to cute, now?”

“Keep it up and you’ll be pretty, soon.”

Alexia stepped forward and took Ridley’s cheeks between her hand, squeezing gently. “I’m always going to be fucking beautiful to you.”

Ridley didn’t exactly have a response to that, because it was true, and they both knew it.

“Touché.” Alexia gave her a quick peck on the lips and stood back, her happiness practically glowing off her. “Anything else you want, Lex?”

“Something caught my eye over there, and there’s some pineapple calling my name.” She admitted, pointing a few stalls away.

Ridley nodded. “You go. I’ll be a few stalls this way.”

They parted, and one of each of the Pa Wai went with them. She made sure to keep her eye on Alexia almost the entirety of the time as Ridley cheekily strolled to the store that had caught her eye when they’d arrived. It was a well-hidden football stall with jerseys and all sorts of other merchandise for a wide selection of teams. She saw the Barca shirt on the wall with Alexia’s name on the back and smiled, though it wasn’t what she was after.

“How much for the football?” She asked in Thai, gesturing to it.

The old woman sitting behind the table put her fingers up in answer and Ridley nodded, handing over the cash with extra as a significant tip. She picked up the ball and spun in on her finger. It was almost brand new, and in the white spaces were simple flowers hand-painted onto it, reminding her of the ones Alexia had drawn on her cast.

She was going to love it. She saw the approving look from her Thai military friend and grinned, hiding it behind her with her hand.

Chiquito purring in her ear; they wandered back over to where they’d last seen the Spaniard. She spotted the back of her first, the top of a pineapple sticking rather amusingly out of her backpack and couldn’t help but stare at her ass as she leant over a table, handing over money. When she realised what she’d bought, Ridley froze on the spot. Alexia turned and her eyes widened as if she’d been caught, which she had. She looked down at the well-loved acoustic guitar in her hand and then stepped forwards with confidence until she was in front of her.

“For you..” she said gently with a humble, almost shy Alexia smile.

Ridley almost cried at the gesture. It took her a moment to gather herself before she accepted it with a deep breath.

She cleared her throat of emotion. “For you..” she echoed, extending the football.

Alexia’s lips parted in surprise and then she chuckled. They both did, at the purity of the moment. They’d each had a moment for themselves and had both chosen to think about nothing but each other.

She took the ball in both hands, studying the flowers, and pressed it to her chest as if to hug it. As if she’d just been given the world.

Ridley couldn’t physically stop herself from taking a small step forward, cupping her cheek with her hand, and kissing her. It wasn’t long, yet tender and expressing what she needed it to. She pulled back, her thumb stroking her cheek.

“Thank you, Lex.”

Ridley ate the last piece of her pineapple and extended a piece of it towards an interested Chiquito. He pawed at it, before sniffing and then licking it. He made a face which amused her and recoiled at the tanginess of it. She chuckled and looked outside at Alexia. She was in all of her glorious nakedness, something that Ridley would never get used to, and kicking her football around. Chiquito padded his way outside to lay down in the cool shade of the sand and watch as she did so. She kept it up for an impressive amount of time until she grimaced and dropped it. Ridley watched as she froze for a second, keeping her weight off her bad knee, before sitting on her towel with the ball between her legs and lowering her head. Ridley’s heart dropped.

She washed the stickiness from her hands and without a second thought, she made her way outside. She settled down on the towel with Alexia between her legs. The Spaniard sighed and leant backwards into her as Ridley’s hand found her knee and massaged the tension out of it. Alexia didn’t say anything, which was a sign of how upset she was about it.

“Take it easy, Lex.” She murmured, her cheek resting against her own. “A few more days and you’ll be back strengthening it.”

“Don't remind me…” she said huskily and turned her head to put her forehead on Ridley’s jaw.

“You don't want to get back to training?”

“I don’t want to leave this paradise with you…”

Her mouth found her jaw and bit teasingly. Ridley felt her nipples harden against her bare back.

“Lexi…” she whispered as Alexia’s lips trailed to her ear, breathing gently into it. Christ.

Still massaging her knee, she felt her legs widen between her own.

“Distract me, Lee.” She requested gently in her ear, her breath teasing a shiver out of the Australian.

“Lex-”

“I don’t want to think about leaving this place… about not being with you like this…”

“I’ll be there, Lex.”

“Work will drive us apart a lot, and we both know it. We won’t be waking up next to each other like this every day.” She was right. “And I don’t want to think about anything beyond us here and now. So…” her legs widened again. “Distract me…”

Ridley let the fingers of her good hand trace from her knee down the inside of her thigh and to the soft flesh at the top. Just when Alexia would think she was going to touch her, she didn’t. Ridley’s fingertips of both hands stroked tantalisingly up the insides of her thighs and back down several times. Only when she could feel Alexia’s frustration did she stroke further up her body, over her hips, her waist, her lats. She stroked her lips from her shoulder across to her neck and to the artery she loved to see emerge. Nudging her chin up with her nose, Ridley’s mouth came down on her neck as her fingers made their way to her tits.

Alexia groaned, her own hands resting on Ridley’s thighs either side of her.

She sucked and swiped her tongue across her neck as she rolled her nipples between her thumbs and forefingers. She continued to do this, teasing her, giving her every piece of attention she wanted except the one she needed; until Alexia was bordering on begging.

She wouldn’t make her do that here, though. She needed to feel distracted. Empowered. Not submissive.

Ridley’s cast hand moved up to turn the footballers head to where she could kiss her, tasting those lips of hers between her own. As she did so, her other hand slid down to the wet mess she’d made. Fuck. She found her clit and began to give it attention, circling her fingers over the bundle of nerves. Alexia moaned, her tongue brushing against her own; her arm reaching back and fingers tangling in the hair at the back of Ridley’s neck. She loved it when she did that – gripping on for dear life. She did it often, too. It only encouraged Ridley.

She widened her legs, pushing her hips forward and almost rocking into her hand unknowingly. As Ridley worked her up, Alexia’s back arched against her, her mouth moving to find her ear and making sure Ridley heard every single gasp that slipped between her lips.

Her cast hand stroked downwards over her throat to one of her tits and gripped on, holding her against her while her hips began to move a little more freely. Alexia’s legs widened again, and she whimpered in her ear.

Ridley stopped her ministrations only momentarily to slide her fingers down, collecting her excitement and dragging it up over her clit as she started again, more enthusiastically and with more intention. She hooked her feet on the inside of her ankles and pulled her legs apart, making sure she couldn’t possibly close them at all while she fucked her.

Alexia’s body began twitched as she came close, like it always did. As if her body was trying to fight it. It was unusual for Alexia to be taking it, just like it had been for Ridley, but they’d both put all their trust in each other to allow themselves to be in the vulnerable positions they had been.

“Fuck..” she whimpered in her ear. “Argh.. Lee.. don’t stop… I’m close…”

She needed a little reassurance, and Ridley knew that. “I know, my girl. I’ve got you.”

Another whimper, this time in Catalan. Christ, she loved hearing her so desperate that the only language she could think in was her natural tongue.

“Fuck… fuck… argh… yes, Lee…yes!” Her pitch raised as she approached her orgasm, her body shaking at the build-up of tension.

The strength of the footballer’s legs trying to close was almost greater than Ridley’s but not quite. Only when she was coming, did she let her close her legs to hold the pressure of her hand there as her body locked up hard before her full body release as she came down.

Ridley relished the sound of her trying to regain her breath and only removed her hand when Alexia slightly parted her legs for her to do so.

“Enough distraction for you?”

“Th…thank you,” she chuckled in response. “I’ll want more later tonight.”

She kissed her on the cheek and admired that happily satisfied look on her face. Her post-orgasm state. It was one of her favourite things. “I think I can fit you into my schedule.”

They sat in silence a little longer, enjoying the feel of each other while the sun set in the distance. The sky lit up a bright orange as it fell behind the edge of the water; day turning to night in the most vibrant of ways. They stayed until it began to get cold.

“I want to show you something…” Ridley murmured. “I think tonight is the night...” She looked at the water, wondering about the time of year. “Let’s go get warm and eat dinner. We’ll come back when it’s dark.”

After their dinner, Ridley went outside to check and grinned at the sight. She went back in and held up one of her shirts she’d folded into a blind fold.

Alexia raised an eyebrow.

“Do you trust me?”

“Always.”

“Come here then.”

Alexia stepped forward curiously and closed her eyes while Ridley placed the blindfold on, tying it gently at the back of her head. She came back around to the front of her and touched her smiling sun sitting happily at the base of her throat.

“Nice necklace,” she complimented.

Alexia’s smile was freer and more herself with the blindfold on.

“It’ll look better dangling over you tonight.”

Ridley was lost for words for a second and saw the Spaniard’s smirk widen as she also realised the hesitation.

“Mmnhmn. Be good, la Reina. I want Alexia, right now.”

She took both of her hands and led her outside and onto the cool sand. She walked slowly, right to the shore where the water was calmly washing in and out with the movement of the ocean. She stopped Alexia in place and moved to her back, her fingers tangling in a hand she held behind her expectantly. Her lips brushed the back of her neck.

“This is one of the only places in the world where this happens…” she murmured. “Are you ready?”

“Show me..”

Ridley loosened the blindfold and pulled it off, tucking it into her back pocket.

Alexia inhaled sharply as she saw the blue bioluminescence of the beach. It was one of the most beautiful things to see, though she couldn’t take her eyes off her face as she looked in wonder. Her lips parting. Her expression easing and looking at the anomaly as if she were a child again. Wondrous Alexia. Her big hazel eyes. Those high cheekbones. That fallen blonde hair, trying to hide her from the world. Ridley tucked it behind her ear so she could see her better in the moonlight.

She couldn’t wait to show her the world she hadn’t seen beyond where football had taken her. To travel. To experience. To do all the little things she’d never had the chance to do. It was one of Ridley’s passions, to explore the world and everything it contained. Until this moment, she’d always believed she’d be doing it alone.

Alexia turned her head and caught her eye. “I can hear you thinking from here.”

“I’ll try to quieten it down.” She chuckled.

“No…I want to hear whatever it is.” She turned taking hold of her shirt in her hands and pulling her hips close. “I always want to know what you’re thinking.”

“Are you sure you can handle it?”

She expected her to roll her eyes, but she didn’t. Instead, she held her stare.

“You know I can. It’s one of the reasons you like me so much.”

She wasn’t wrong.

Ridley played with the blonde strands of Alexia’s fringe, thinking about how to word her feelings, rather than hiding from them.

Alexia was patient, slightly tugging her closer in encouragement.

“I was thinking that I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

[thewebcomicsreview]

As per the ask you got in may .What did tatsuya ishida say about the Holocaust ?Or draw ?im high right now

I can't really do a day-to-day on Sinfest even if I wanted to because it's increasingly just racist caricatures that'd get be banned for posting them, even to mock, but to quickly summarize where it's at since you asked politely and are in the right headspace to receive this information.

Tatsuya Ishida now worships Odin. Like, unironically he has a whole arc about how the Jews overthrew the Norse gods, who are the true gods, in order to impose monotheism on the world. I don't have as much knowledge on the inner workings of neo-nazis as I probably should be (there's a sentence for 2024, isn't it?), but they're super into all this Norse shit, which is why a lot of white supremacists like to use Norse symbols, like the Valknot, a set of three interlocking triangles.

That one, yeah.

(Not to be confused with the Triquetra that's' all over Jill's design in LoTH, which is also an old rune but mostly is just used as design shorthand for "Celtic" and hasn't been appropriated by Nazis because it doesn't have enough sharp angles for their sensibilities, but that is a Celtic cross in panel 3 up there to remind me there's a non-trivial chance I have to take LotH down one day over this. Sigh.)

Anyway, the year 2024 is burned as a witch, which stops time, which revives her as a Valkyrie because Odin is the true god and thus timeless. You may have noticed that doesn't make any fucking sense, but we are long since past the point where that matters. So, 2024 is fighting YHWH now.

No no, not the puppet guy that's been god this whole time! That's old Sinfest, which has no connection to modern Sinfest any more. God has been redesigned to be a racist stereotype stuck to a wall

I probably don't need to blur this but I'm not taking chances. Anyway this strip is important because it's Tatsuya Ishida explicitly calling for violence against Jewish people and saying it's justified because Jews are behind everything bad that has ever happened (earlier strips literally have the Happy Merchant appear and say that Jews are behind black people, communism, the gays, school shootings, and "assassinations". Basically everything Tats doesn't like is because of those wacky Jews, keeping themselves busy).

And one of YHWH's attacks is summoning "holocusts" and...yeah. Tats thinks the holocaust didn't happen, but that it should happen, and is at the point of saying so explicitly. We haven't seen a swastika yet, but we're at the point where it wouldn't even matter if we did. Tatsuya Ishida is a White Supremacist Neopagan worshiper of Odin who wants to kill all Jewish people. That's not an accusation I'm making, Tats says it himself.

[cazzyf1]

The other day on my tiktok I created a simple post about how James Hunt is more than just the Playboy persona that is associated with him. This flew over someone's head who commented about how he was a Playboy. I responded explaining the point of the video but instead they doubled down saying that James didn't care about F1 only about partying.

So today I went through some of my books and gathered a load of quotes to show the James Hunt that most people do not know about, the one outside of the Playboy perception. I've posted it on tiktok but figured I'll upload it here as well so the true James Hunt can reach more people and slowly we can dismantle the reputation 'Rush' gave him ❤️

TW: Depression, unhealthy coping mechanisms/addictions

When you think of James Hunt you think of the 'playboy'. The guy who partied, drank lots, took drugs and slept with lots of women. Its true he did that, and a lot but to dismiss him as just that is wrong. He was a good driver, a person who tried his best, a kind man who cared for human & animal rights.

The next few slides I've compiled quotes from a few books and website to show what kind of person he actually was and what he went through in life and that less people will dismiss him as just a Playboy.

James Hunt's first marriage was rocky because James was already very involved in his addictions and he knew he didn't love Susy because he felt that he wasn't capable of love. But he felt responsible for her and wanted to look after her. Here is his own opinion from his book ->

"It was really THE problem. I thought that marriage was what I wanted and needed to give me a nice stable and quiet home life, but in fact it wasn't and the key mistake was mine. I really wanted to go racing on my own, and it wasn't much fun for Susy to sit at home and wait for me all that time. It was also a terrible hassle for her to come racing because race meetings were probably the most relaxing time in my schedule. The rest of the time you tend to be leaping on aeroplanes once a day and that made it even worse because it's bad enough organizing one person to get on an aeroplane. Organizing two gets to be twice as much hassle. It got to the point where it was a problem for Susy to come travelling and a hell of a deal for her to stay at home. It was making life miserable in the extreme for her and since I felt responsible for her it was making me miserable too. So we had agreed to split up and then Richard Burton came along and solved all the problems. We had had an immensely successful marriage because I learnt an awful lot about myself and life and I think Susy did too. We all ended up happy, anyway, which is more than can be said for a lot of marriages" - p14 Against All Odds

Much is said about James Hunt and the ladies he kept company, and without knowing anything about James you might assume the worst, but here's some quotes about what he was actually like with the ladies ->

"I don't usually have sex before a race because I am very definitely concentrating -I find that it is the communication between two people that makes it worth- while, and before a race I am pretty uncommunicative. However, if say I have an hour or so to spare before dinner on the night before a race then I can enjoy the physical release. But I will only do it with someone who is fully understanding" - p15 Against All Odds

"He was always attentive to his partners needs. Indeed much of his satisfaction came from giving pleasure. The only problem, some of them confessed, was that his desire to please often out-stripped their needs" - p264 James Hunt: The Biography

"I was sure he was gay, because he never made a move on me for so long" - p278 Jane Birbeck, long time partner, James Hunt: The Biography

"He missed the actual skirmish - he was inside getting drinks at the bar - but had to be forcibly restrained from going after the policeman who hit his girlfriend" - p284 James Hunt: The Biography

James Hunt had many affairs in his time, because he had become an addict to many things including women (more on this later) He was aware of his and it plagued James that he couldn't control it ->

"One evening she returned to their London home to find James in tears. He was tormented by feelings of guilt caused by his lust for other women. He confessed the full extent of his unfaithfulness, that it was unfair to her and that for her sake they couldn't remain a couple. It wasn't that he was bored with her, but that his desire for other women was insatiable and uncontrollable. He held Jane in his arms and they both wept" - p320

One thing that helped James in his life time was his love for animals especially his pet dog Oscar. Here are some quotes about his love for animals and how far he would go to help protect them ->

"I think in a way Oscar was the child James never had at that stage. He was a remarkable dog, no question, but James thought a lot about animals and their requirements and was very concerned about their needs. He gave Oscar the very best treatment and also was keenly intrested in the welfare of other dogs. He would look at a dog, wonder if it's owner was treating it well and bringing it up properly and if the dog was getting everything out of life that it could" - p281

"Before he came to know James better, the journalist Nigel Roebuck was pleasantly surprised by an incident involvinged stray dog. It was late in the evening after a Grand Prix and tha teams were packing up to leave when James, while talking to Roebuck, saw the dog wandering around the paddock, shiver-ing and obviously very hungry. Roebuck, also sensitive to the needs of an animal in distress, went with James to several of the team motorhomes where they got food and fed the dog. But that wasn't the end of it as far as James was concerned. He insisted that they should take the dog up to the race control centre.

Roebuck: 'He took the dog in there and would not leave until he was sure it would be looked after. James actually made this official sign a piece of paper saying he would take care of the dog and see that it was housed and properly cared for. I was very impressed with this. James was probably one of only a handful of people on this entire planet who would even give that sort of thing a second thought." - p281

"He also thought the wild animals residing on his estate should be left alone. If vermin had to be controlled it should be done in the most humane way possible, and he strongly dissaproved of blood sports. The very thought of fox hunting he found horrible and he vowed not to allow it on his property" - p308

James was also incredibly caring towards the young people in his life such as his sons and his younger siblings. Here’s an extract from his first GF about James and his siblings ->

".. the way he expressed his concern for the emotional youngest members of his family:

He really enjoyed looking after them, and just seeing the way the behaved with his little brothers and sisters you knew was instinctive in him. He was always going to be a good father.

One evening he invited her home where he was babysitting Jo Jo, Dave and Tim. When James had tucked them in he left Ping to read them a bedtime story. When Ping came downstairs James asked her if she had helped them say their prayers. When I said no, James said: "Right. You've missed out hugely there. Come on, we'd better go and do it." So they did. His attitude was that he was taught to do that by his parents and it simply had to be done.'

But he also practised what he preached, and he believed in the power of prayer. In the troubled years to come James would pray to God for strength and help, and he eventually passed on the bedtime prayer ritual to his own two boys, to whom he became completely devoted.

During his time with Ping he had talked about having children, and she thinks fatherhood earlier in his life would have prevented James from sinking into his period of decadence.

I felt so sorry for him then because I knew underneath it wasn't the real James doing this. I think he was trying to make life happy, the wrong way. If he had settled down earlier, had a more normal home life with children of his own when he was younger, one could have seen a totally different James.' - p26

James Hunt cared for human rights especially taking a stand against the Apartheids in South Africa. The Apartheids in short was a system of racial segregation. In protest most sports were not going to South Africa but Formula One still was, and James Hunt made it clear his thoughts

->

“We were once covering the South African Grand Prix during the days of apartheid. All of a sudden, and for no particular reason, he launched into an attack on apartheid.

“It was nothing to do with the Grand Prix, nor would it do British-South African relations any good. Our producer pushed a piece of paper across saying: ‘Talk about the race!’

“And then James blurted out on air: ‘Thank God we’re not actually there!”

But simply calling out Apartheid on the air wasn’t enough for Hunt. He sought to have his race commentaries blocked from being broadcast in South Africa, but was unsuccessful.

When that didn’t work, he instead — and secretly — gave financial support from his income as a race broadcaster to groups struggling to end Apartheid in South Africa."

"His deeply compassionate and loving nature was something that, unfortunately, wasn't adequately conveyed to the public, who only ever heard about the sensational side of James Hunt" - p282 John Watson

As mentioned earlier James Hunt was an addict. His playboy lifestyle was his addictions and this is all rooted back to the fact that James Hunt had depression which grew stronger and stronger. He relied on his additions to get rid of his depression which meant he kept doing more and more. Here are some quotes about his struggle with it and eventually how he overcame it ->

"At home James became increasingly introverted, uncommunicative and reclusive. He gave up golf and spent more and more of his time in the aviary tending his budgies. While the parties continued he would often leave the guests to Sarah and closet himself in the aviary for hours on end.

It became obvious that James was very troubled, but only Sarah and his closest friends knew the full extent of the anguish and despair James suffered during his bouts with what he called his 'dippers'.

Black dog' was the term Winston Churchill used for the recurring 'depressions which afflicted him throughout his life. Bubbles Horsley thinks James was 'born with a "black dog" on his shoulder. His racing pushed the "dog" away far enough so that it was no longer visible. But underneath that wonderful joie de vivre, the laughter and enjoying life, he was given to black moods. He was fearful of them and maybe it was that fear that drove him on. Perhaps without it he would never have been World Champion.

'And I think after the initial "honeymoon" of retirement from racing the black dog came and sat on his shoulder and wouldnt go away. So he became more fearful and sought distraction in various ways, through sex and drink and drugs and rock and roll, as it were." - p323

"At home Sarah watched her husband's condition worsen and desperately sought to help him. She thought his depressiond might partly be due to a chemical imbalance that James was born with, a theory that James explored himself. Then, too, to keep his dippers at bay he consumed too much alcohol and marijuana, both of which can temporarily bring relief but over the long term on have depressive effects.

Like others, Sarah felt that another reason for his 'dippers' might have been because he cut off his emotions early in his life and never learned how to open up to people, or to need them. He was essentially a lonely man and his inability to form close relationships made him despair. His depressions further deadened his feelings, and when he was unable to respond emotionally to marriage and children he grew progressively more despondent.

Sarah: 'He was at war with himself. His depressions became Intolerable and towards the end he stopped trying to fight them coming on because he knew they would take over for two days or week. His face would go black and he would take to his bed and stay there, even on Christmas Day. He'd gone to bed two days beforehand and we had Christmas stockings for the boys. I said, Come on, Beast, the boys are waiting." And he said, "Beast, i can't do it." And he was crying" - p333

"When James felt a "dipper" coming on he would go on two- or three-day benders, mostly drinking vodka. He would just keep going and going, which was always a bit terrifying, and after these deep, dark blank days he would suffer real self-loathing. He could forget his trouble with drink, but it always came back.

For many years trying to get rid of his depression was his major concern, which is why he got the budgerigars. He thought it would be such a huge amount of effort that it would distract him and they became an obsession rather than a hobby. He would sit in the aviary for hours, but he would come back still in the grip of gloom. And for a long time he was so down it was very hard to even converse with him." - p326

"He tried different treatments acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine and looked into every possible theory. He went to different healers, therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, psychoanalysts, the lot, to try and find the root of his depression. And in the end he cracked it" - p337

"He began to become more diet-conscious and to eat healthy foods. He also consumed information, in books and magazines, on overcoming addictions, and sought more professional help.

He knew he should stop smoking cigarettes and reduce his marijuana consumption, and he told some friends he thought he might be an alcoholic. He worried that his need for women was another form of addiction and feared he might contract AIDS and infect someone else.

John Hogan: 'So he stopped it all. Straightened himself out by absolute willpower. The strength of character of the man enabled him to get out of it. He cut out the cigarettes, the dope and drugs. the booze and the womanising and his sense of priorities became more well-balanced.' - p338

As he started healing himself of his addictions he became serious about F1 again. He always cared for the sport, doing everything he could to race when he was younger and now though he was retired he still commentated and took part in other ways to stay close to the sport ->

"James became serious about strengthening his position in the media side of Formula 1 racing. He took on an internationally syndicated newspaper column and spent many hours gathering information for it. Working with a journalist he applied himself conscientiously to making sure that every word was written to his satisfaction" - p338

James started to heal his relationships as well, becoming an amazing parent to his two boys and finally meeting a woman who helped him feel loved and be able to love after so long of not being able to ->

"The boys were real handfuls to look after but he was awfully good with them and he really fathered and mothered them extremely well. He was always up early in the morning cooking their breakfast and then the four of us would go off salmon fishing. James would fish properly and I would fool around fishing with the youngsters. And then in the evening we used to settle down and he would tell them stories." - p343

A letter James sent to his girlfriend Helen:

"I went to the parents' 50th in a totally negative frame of mind, feeling very much an outsider and wanting the floor to swallow me up. As the day went on, although I remained 'out- side', I could see and feel lots of generous, undemanding love around me. Something changed for me there with my family. Everyone was exuding love and I saw the wonder of it and want to be part of it, but firstly with you.

I realise now that the feeling of not being loved as a child made me close up to any incoming love projected onto me. I do see that I cannot live on without love. You brought it home to me when you pointed out how well I'm doing with the boys. Well I have had to work at that and I've got better at it and I have to do it with you. You are the girl of my dreams. Without you I have no future. I want to make you happy and continue to do so until I die.

All my love for the love of my life,

James"

- p350

Finally James was happy. He was healed from his addictions, in a healthy relationship, had two lovely sons and a job he loved. And best of all he was able to be open with Helen ->

"James confessed to Helen that he was unable to be faithful to anyone in the past because sex was for him just another addiction and he needed women to get his highs. He disliked social gatherings and only had parties or went to them to pick up women. Helen was willing to forgive and forget what went on before, but told him she wouldn't tolerate it in their relationship and he agreed to be faithful to her." - p350

Helen went away on a girls holiday before her and James were going to start trying for children. James proposed to her over the phone on the holiday to which she said yes. But she would never see her finance because he passed away from a heart attack. Unfortunately the previous life he lead caught up to him.

Thank you for reading all of this and I hope you now know more about James Hunt than you already did! It's sad that James is best known now for his unhealthy coping mechanisms for his depression, especially with the film 'Rush' romanticising it. But even if just one person reads all of this it means one more person knows the truth of James Hunt and that makes it worth it ❤️

[flownwrong]

chaotic ckr c6d squee propaganda (?) post

This, started half a year ago for @ds30below, was initially a general c6d short reviews post but kinda skewed majorly towards CKR's repertoire and wasn't too review-y. So I gave up on making sense and on including the non-CKR works. I don't know who the audience for this is, because I never give basic details for people who don't know about this stuff but say too much for those who do. I giffed what I could and tried to avoid what I know a lot about but haven't actually seen. Here goes.

Frank's Cock (1993)

Not much to say. It's only 8 minutes, it's beautiful and you should see it if you haven't. I won't spoil the subject, but you can likely guess. Watch it, cry a little. Then go watch some more of Mike Hoolboom's stuff, the vimeo link above is from his channel.

Two X-Files episodes (1994 – 1995)

Well, I haven't actually seen X-files since I was about fifteen and watched the like two seasons, and I remember none of it. I rewatched the two early episodes CKR appears in and they were fun. I did not watch the, the movie or whatever where he's doing the evil gay thing. But really, this one is on the list so I can show you this self-indulgent gif of him being Very Long:

Double Happiness (1994)

You shouldn't watch this one for CKR. I mean, you absolutely should see him here, looking like he's barely out of his teens and playing up the insecure act and having devastating chemistry with devastatingly beautiful Sandra Oh, but this is not why it's great. And it's really, really great. It's touching and funny and sincere. If you wanna have some feels about complicated family relationships and identity and growing up (at any point in life), you'll find them here.

Curtis's Charm (1995)

Don't regret watching it, can't recommend. Not gonna lie, I was emotionally affected. But I usually am by things as in-your-face bleak as this. Mostly, it's trying very hard to be smarter than it is, I think.

However: CKR's One Wild Curl is everything to me (see above, on the right. It was, like, actually curly. I was rendered speechless). And like two seconds of Hugh Dillon made me do a double-take, lol. Incredibly weird knowing this was shot like half a year before HCL began shooting. Feels like it must've been a decade earlier.

Hard Core Logo (1996)

I could make three separate posts about this one, so of course I have no idea what to say.

This one, you should watch for CKR, actually, he's something, but so is every single other aspect of this film. I wouldn't change a thing about it. It hits you like a 16 wheeler. Perfectly cast, unimaginably beautiful, hysterical and melancholy and disgusting and compelling.

Related recs:

A wonderfully fun article/retrospective/interview for its 20th anniversary a while back.

You should also absolutely read Hard Core Roadshow if you enjoyed the film. It's a book documenting the whole thing from conception to release. It touched me for its own sake, not just a backstage glance, full of love for the craft and the people and carrying this tangible bittersweetness about the heightened and fleeting nature of this kind of work.

(here, I feel compelled to include a quote from another c6d-related interview on Slings & Arrows, which I read after the book and went like man, it's really a universal experience isn't it.

Coyne: <...> But I also think, and this is my experience, what we were all experiencing, because we were all talking about our lives, our life in the arts — there’s something very melancholy about doing something you love, because it will never be good enough, it will always break your heart.

McKinney: Or it will be fleeting.

Coyne: It’ll be fleeting. You come together with people you feel passionately connected to and two weeks later they’re tearing down the sets.)

Quotes from the article and the book respectively include:

McDonald: So there was a kind of mutual dependency society with Hugh telling Callum, “Don’t worry, man, I got your back, I’ll tell you how high or low to wear your guitar, I’ll tell you how you should dress, I’ll tell you what you should drink…” and Callum was like, “I’ll tell you what hitting your mark is, I’ll tell you why they pull out fucking tape measures, I’ll tell you why you have to do it again, I’ll tell you about not overlapping dialogue..” and you know they clung to each other, like the other one was gonna fucking save them.

And:

A final gathering at the back of the tour bus with Bruce, Callum, Hugh, Bernie. We listen to the tape of HCL songs, all the way through, one last time. And we belt the words out. Bernie sings loudest, performing for Salerno's camera. Hugh and Callum sit back, looks of sadness. I get the sense that if they could do it, they'd chuck their lives and be Joe Dick and Billy Tallent forever. Callum leans to Bruce and says exactly what everyone else is thinking: "I don't want it to end."

There's much more to both texts than *gestures* the whatever those two had, but it certainly doesn't hurt.

And Xeriscape is the best HCL fic I've read. Granted, I read very few because it's not a source that creates in me a craving for fic. But this one perfectly matches the film's fucked up beauty with its language while also adding a quieter, more fraught layer of humanity that we only get glimpses of in canon and that perfectly fits John. 10/10, would recommend.

Anyway. Watch it. Read it. If you haven't. Otherwise, come scream with meeee! And go reblog my gifs or something. Idk.

Letters From Home (1996)

Mike Hoolboom strikes again, with another short. This goes into the "don't watch it for CKR, watch it because it's great" box. Yes, you will cry.

For Those Who Hunt The Wounded Down (1996)

Another bleak one! It sucked to watch, I mean, on purpose. There were a couple of very effective scenes. I really enjoyed the opening. They say the book is decent too, I haven't checked that out.

Actually, let's just switch back from coherent thought to undignified staring at his mouth with this one. What the fuck is that cigarette thing. I couldn't help myself.

Last Night (1998)

These gifs are not representative of the whole movie. There is more happening than CKR kissing or hugging people. He's also doing more than just kissing and hugging. It's all very... impressive.

Guess who's also here again? Sandra Oh! And say hi to Don McKellar, who is an absolute champion for writing/directing/starring. You'll be seeing more of him.

Another one for the "watch it for its own sake" box. Seriously, that late 90s indie stuff is banger after banger. It's so beautiful! Look at those colours! Look at those shots! It's very uneasy and charming and melanchioly and itself in the best way.

Twitch City (1998 – 2000)

Don McKellar is back to murder you with discomfort! Bruce McDonald lends a hand. Molly Parker is also here. And Daniel McIvor, who'd go on to direct, for example, Wilby Wonderful. It's a party. If you watched some stuff from above (or below) on this list, most faces and names will be familiar to you, tbh (another Hugh Dillon double-take happens).

If you liked Spaced, you'll love this. You might also love it because it commits to its weirdness with an admirable resolve and is genuinely hilarious. (Honestly, CKR's outfits alone warrant a watch.) The idiosyncrasy is definitely Don McKellar's doing 200%. It couldn't be more different from Last Night, but if you've seen one, you'll recognise the other.

Battlestar Galactica (2003 – 2009)

I don't think a person should be allowed to look this pretty in the sweaty-and-dying makeup in that light (this sentence probably looks very weird to those not under the CKR magic spell).

I don't know what to say about BSG because I really, really enjoyed early it initially, but by the middle of S2 it got... well, whatever that was. If you know you know, if you don't, still give it a go. You might get invested enough to suffer through it all, as I have been, slowly.

The unfortunate thing is that CKR got to be there mostly in the "what the fuck" years and not the "wow that's so cool" years. That, as you might be aware, is a pattern with him. But! When he was here, he was so genuinely, wonderfully creepy not in the typecast-baddy way, but in this slow, half-absent way, which really worked. You can also see him tortured a little, as a treat!! <3

Also, a wild John Pyper-Ferguson appears! If you're looking at him thinking you know him from somewhere but not immediately remembering, you'll figure it out, I believe in you. I was very happy to see him.

Wilby Wonderful (2004)

Another win for the put CKR in more good shit team!!! Guess who's here again? Sandra Oh! Also, Paul Gross. Don't watch it for him either though haha.

Another one for whoever wants to look at pushing against the weight of others' (or your own) expectations and growing into who you are or reconsidering who you are or finding meaningful connections with others even when you're kind of a mess and they are too.

Not nearly the first time CKR's gotten to play a queer character, but man, this one really is the heart of the in-universe community, and, through that, of the film. A rare chance to see him so far out of the prickly persona! He's just so solid and calm and there for others in this one and, and soft, ough. It's awesome.

By the way, if any of you have the commentary track or know someone who has, please drop me a line here or on discord (emotionalrisotto), I really wanna hear that.

Supernatural (2005)

I love Supernatural a lot. It was a formative experiences (albeit a very late one) and I owe a lot of my favourite stuff about fandom-ing to the buddies I met through it. I can't believe I'm telling you this (because who hasn't seen it, not because I'm reccing it), but you should really try it if you haven't. It's pretty rad.

I had no idea who this guy was when I saw that episode (the second ever one!), though. I simply cannot fathom what @nigeltde-fic felt when she first saw it. I think I personally got very lucky she didn't combust on the spot. It would've been unfortunate.

On a sillier note, CKR's character has weird tension with both Sam and Dean in this episode, which is par for the course. I personally think they should've... no, I shan't say it. You can probably imagine.

Californication (2008 – 2013)

I haven't actually seen it, lol (and I suspect I won't enjoy it, but I'm very curious and also CKR looks really really good).

The real reason for this one on the list is to share a fic rec. Really, it's a due South F/K fic featuring Lew Ashby. It's ridiculously hot and very satisfying in its romantic resolution, too (but then, I'm kind of big on selfcest. And consensual voyeurism. And pretend relationships when done like this. And sublimated yearning. Erm.)

Shattered (2010 – 2011)

I wish this never happened. I badly, badly wish this never happened. I can't turn back time, but I can warn those luckier than me: do not go there. Yes, even for this dude. You'll sleep better not knowing just what it is he was the EP on. And the only important part — the mascara — can be seen above (yes, the show does look that bad, it's not just the gifs).

Just kidding — I watched it, didn't I? You'll have fun hating it! Just prepare for industrial grade cringe, lower your expectations (No, lower. No, still lower than that. And just a bit more.) and you'll have a great time!

Star trek: Discovery (2024)

Or, as I call it, Star Trek: The Mediocre Show. Discovery S5 was... what it was, but it was a wonderful viewing experience — mostly thanks to the gang (@kittkatk and @feroxargentea especially!)

What a joy it is, to follow a show week by week, yelling and laughing and discussing the whole time. And giffing, too. I was very happy to contribute to the Disco fandom from my own little obsessive corner, and I was glad to see people adoring Rayner, haha.

He's a pretty neat character — very much a stereotype, yes, but with CKR's usual twist of odd vulnerability and weirdness. Also, I loved the ears. I miss the ears. The ears were great.

I even wrote a fic! Although it's not within my usual range to write for canons and universes I don't know well — and back then, I'd only seen S5 of Disco. It was a lot of suffering, and a lot of fun.

Closing thoughts

I'd really love the dude to get a better agent. And possibly better taste, but I realise that's a tougher ask. Seriously, it's been too long since he was in something majorly cool. I'm grateful to him, at least, for not making terrible music on the side. And I still have a lot of his back catalogue to get through, some of it even good, so there will be more insanity. Until then!

[chefwhatnot]

A Too-Close Analysis of the Double Exposure Treatments from Duskmourn (2/2)

We return to the Double Exposure cards from Duskmourn! This post will be going over all the cards I didn't talk about in the first part, which is all the legends that don't appear in the main story (not including Altanak, Norin, and Arabella since they're all at uncommon so none of them got Double Exposure printings). Now, because we don't know much about most of these characters, this part will include a lot more educated guesses. Quick shoutout to wotc for posting the "Legends of Duskmourn" article a little bit earlier than they usually do so I have a little bit more to go off of. Away we go!

(Oh, and if you missed Part 1, you can find it here)

Toby, Beastie Befriender-

A creepy Jack-in-the-Box looms behind Toby's profile. Could simply be that kids are afraid of clowns, or perhaps something more? A Jack-in-the-Box is startling, and even though Toby says he has his Beastie friends to protect him, that would not make him immune to a brief startle, would it?

The Mindskinner-

A hand. Who is its owner? Unclear, but the clawed motif on the gloves make it almost look like it belongs to a Razorkin. From the Legends article, the Mindskinner is the fear of Razorkin, and employs a much more gradual and insidious methodology compared to the rest of the nightmares in the House. Based on this double exposure, it seems that not even Razorkin are immune to being targeted by its cruel whims. Plus, the only way to drive off the Mindskinner is to have your glimmer nearby, meaning Razorkin, who've already given themselves in to maddening pain make for easy prey. It might have enough intelligence to find this delightfully ironic, to torture that which first gave it form.

Kona, Rescue Beastie-

Overlaid on Kona’s profile is a set of canine jaws, facing the same direction as her. Two interpretations: one, that the prey instincts that were within whatever animal later mutated into Kona are still active and alive, that she still fears being snatched up by the jaws of some greater creature and devoured. Or, alternatively: those are Kona’s teeth. Beasties are, at the end of the day, as monstrous as anything else in the House, their masks being their attempt to conceal that fact. A beastie knows that if a survivor sees its true face, they will immediately flee in terror. The biggest fear of a Beastie is that its monstrous nature will be revealed, that for all its efforts it will terrify and lose those it seeks to protect. Or worse, that it will be the one to take them away, slipping back into bestial instincts.

The Jolly Balloon Man-

I've spent so fucking long staring at this one trying to figure out what the fuck that even is and I honestly have nothing. A kinda fucked up looking balloon animal? Some kinda I got nothin’. I will say, though, that I think the JBM's rictus grin is a very good demonstration of the way Razorkin have fully fucked up senses of pain/pleasure and such. But yeah I don’t like this one. Pass.

Rip, Spawn Hunter-

A skeletal hand, reaching upwards towards Rip, who has her back turned towards the viewer. Rip used to be a member of the Doorblades, the group of survivors who dedicate themselves to fighting back and eliminating as many of the House’s monsters as possible. Which, we know from the planeswalkers guide, is a group with a very high fatality rate. Turn your attention now to the flavor text on Came Back Wrong and the Duskmourn printing of Pyroclasm. Rip has a practice of burning bodies of those who fell in the line of duty. The skeletal hand is that of one of her former comrades, whose body she had to burn and leave behind. It represents doubt, doubt that she’s doing the right thing by cutting off any chance of grim revival for those who’ve passed, doubt that the human toll of spawn hunting is worth it. No wonder she prefers to work alone.

The Swarmweaver-

Ahh! The Bees! Not the Bees!! A living scarecrow beehive, with a giant bee layered on top. Insects, crawling within its being, beneath its wooden skin and throughout its spindly form. The Swarmweaver is a wickerfolk: maybe in life they feared what they now wholly consist of? Not a huge amount to go off of here- is what I would say if the Legends article didn’t confirm that the Swarmweaver can indeed still feel the corpse bees crawling around beneath its wooden skin, that they are constantly in pain and the only way they have to relieve that is to send the bees to attack others. Do you think they’re still aware enough to feel regret, for sending the source if their pain towards others?

Victor, Valgavoth’s Seneschal-

In front of his face is a moth, symbolizing his total devotion to Valgavoth. In the flavor text for the Special Guests printing of Sacrifice, they describe a ritual where cultists allow their fears to be fully consumed by the house, allowing themselves to be reborn. Victor has apparently undergone this process dozens of times, no trace of his original self remaining. The chain of eye-marks on the moth’s wings connect to Victor’s glasses. His fears are now inseparable from Valgavoth’s being: in a way he has made himself part of the house.

Marvin, Murderous Mimic- Another hand! Now, originally I assumed that this was the hand of the Razorkin who used Marvin as an intimidation tactic and possessed him, but according to the Legends article, Marvin isn’t possessed at all, and merely “quickened” when the Razorkin grabbed him by coincidence. Which is… not what I expected from the Chucky analogue and makes it a lot harder for me to explain what the skeleton hand means. Cool. I do still think the hand might represent a lack of agency, a vague memory of being used as a puppet by whatever ventriloquist originally owned him. Beneath all of Marvin’s psychotic behaviors is the fear that he might still be no better than a puppet after all.

And that’s all folks! I hope you enjoyed this writing exercise and all my philosophical wankery about this silly card game. I’m literally in the middle of my prerelease event so I gotta go now. Also plz read my magic the gathering fanfiction i have a lot of it and crave comments

[fantaatix]

a stolitz post? in the year of our lord??

warning this is genuinely a long ass post

okay so sometime last month i was watching 3bskyen’s JLMW reaction (really tells you how long i’ve actually been cooking this post), and he was talking about color theory or something but what caught my attention was that he was paused on THIS frame:

he said something about the red/blue contrast throughout the music video; red being symbolic of blitz (the moon) and blue being symbolic of stolas (the ocean (?)) and it got me thinking, i wonder what the gold might symbolize? because this definitely isn’t the first time we’ve seen the color gold in reference to stolitz. first think back to truth seekers, there’s gold in quite a few places

golden rails, golden feathers, golden shackles; this is why i say gold and not yellow. at first i thought it might be symbolic of the power imbalance, but that’d be too easy.

quite the selection of objects, isn’t it? rails imply safety but can also be restricting, the feathers seem harmless but then turn into shackles…possibly reminiscent of the nature the book deal and the role it actually played in blitz’s mind about his relationship with stolas.

but there’s one more thing i left out; the golden dust

...okay...don't laugh...

first time i saw this scene in truth seekers i was immediately reminded of shrek ever after

AND I’M NOT COMPARING BLITZ TO RUMPELSTILTSKIN, i’m not trying to imply they stole from shrek ever after, THAT'D be a stretch. if anything blitz is better compared to shrek himself, but i'm not gonna write about that because i Don't Want To

but if i’m remembering correctly, that movie revolved around the theme of taking good things for granted, like your partner and your friends, which aligns pretty well with how blitz’s bad trip ends:

“i believe your subconscious is trying to tell you that you simply cannot fathom proper intimacy, but also craves it as well. it’s rather unfortunate, sir, considering it’s often how you treat those who stand by you, such as myself. are you worried i may have enough of it one day, as well?”

"you cannot fathom proper intimacy."

blitz doesn’t know how to be close to other people–i don’t think he understands the relationship he has with any of the people in his life.

we still don’t truly know blitz’s full belief on love and we can only deduce it from his actions; he says monogamy is boring but then goes on to stalk his monogamous employees, on their anniversary no less, bringing along his own singular date...

he focuses on the sex in his relationships because that’s what he’s good at; he finds sex less complicated than romance... and then struggles to get his asmodean crystal to open a portal because he can’t get it off.

he has this recurring pattern where the title of “best friend�� eventually turns into something else, often unrequited...

“...my first ever friend!”

he didn't expect stolas' intimate attraction to him. stolas made the connection and it succeeded in making blitz feel guilty about stealing the book; that was why he stayed the night. blitz isn't used to not being rejected, even though he has a record of relationships that stopped once the Evil Four Letter Word came up. when he goes into a relationship, blitz has learned to not expect it to evolve past sex. love has negative connotations to him.

the worst part is we don’t know for certain WHY any of this is, or if it can even be chalked down to a singular thing

yeah, his mom died in a fire blitz caused, his best friend/crush lost his limbs in a fire blitz caused, he’s been treated as property since a young age; you can makes all kinds of correlations between these events and how they might have affected him later in life but as it stands now, we have no concrete answers other than the conclusion that blitz hates himself and has commitment issues.

but back onto that “taking things for granted” tidbit–subconsciously, he knows relationships can be good, but he feels he has to give up a lot of freedom in order to maintain one of his own.

also note how blitz is desperately crawling up the staircase, feathers kind of just hitting him haphazardly as he does so, as opposed to trip!moxxie who takes a few steps up after picking up a feather of his own volition. he knows moxxie’s relationship is more stable than any relationship he’s ever had, and yet:

“stop fucking talking, all of you!”

cue the gold dust.

now, i'm not saying the book deal was a good thing. in fact, it kind of reinforced the power imbalance between blitz and stolas. i'm saying that from blitz's perspective, it was a safeguard. any feelings he might have had for stolas before could be dismissed, and he does exactly that one episode prior;

"it's a transactional fucking, you see..."

what i think he does take for granted is the advice “moxxie” gives to him, his attempts to reach out in a meaningful manner, kind of like stolas’ attempts to reach out. he ignores them both; he’s too deep into his own denial.

also, STAIRCASES IN THIS FUCKING SHOW.

why do these fruity little men think so low of themselves and so highly of others??

i guess that's a bit of a rhetorical question, we all know the answer, but. wait. hold on a sec

ohhhh.

OOOHHHH, that's what this post was gonna be about!

i fucking GOT all of you, you thought i could go a post without talking about him you're WRONG and should feel SILLY.

so this was the OTHER thing i realised when watching 3bskyen's JLMW reaction: it follows the same theme as moxxie's bad trip!

JLMW vs. moxxie's bad trip

in helluva boss, we're used to seeing staircases being symbolic of a difference in power or importance, or a staircase to heaven, or a highly anticipated event going wrong *cough cough ozzie's cough full moon cough cough*

however, i think in the context of moxxie’s bad trip and JLMW, it can also be attributed to emotional distance. like stolas, moxxie's also looking for an emotional intimacy/understanding between him and blitz (he spends his whole trip actively trying to get on the same level as him for crying out loud).

this could also fit into blitz's bad trip; he's trying to get on the same level as stolas, but feels like even if he ever did, he'd still be inherently worthless. a "play thing".

he doesn’t know why anyone would want him for anything else, but he’s clearly not all about the hierarchy.

they need to get on the same level as each other emotionally; they need to break the power dynamic, and thats why the book deal had to go.

the difference in the symbolism is that while blitz has a straight and narrow path to trip!stolas, moxxie’s path to trip!blitz is this winding, unguarded staircase. he almost falls off.

now, compared to both of those, stolas’ path is a fucking stroll. albeit an emotionally damaging stroll, but it takes less physical strength.

conclusion; stairs are symbolic of a difference in power, but gold is symbolic of something else.

and there is a power dynamic between moxxie and blitz. it's not like stolas and blitz's dynamic, it's an artificial imbalance; blitz is the boss, moxxie is the employee. and moxxie has his own inferiority complex, which i think plays a role in it too.

the imbalance between stolas and blitz is kind of, unfortunately, inherited. but it's not impossible to manage. of course, stolas doesn't care about where blitz is on the hierarchy, he doesn't care about the hierarchy period. but it's still there. blitz cares because it affects him.

"you will be technically under his jurisdiction, but..."

this was problem one. stolas unintentionally demonstrating his power over blitz. "surprise, i technically made you someone else's property! please love me!" i'm exaggerating but this is definitely not the kind of thing you spring on your partner; they needed to talk about this beforehand, but according to stolas:

"no need for an arrangement, it can just be him and me!"

sigh. the many different ways this night could've gone

this is enough to trigger blitz's fight or flight. he wants to be with stolas, but he doesn't want the freedom to choose to be with him, which is problem two:

because blitz's belief of love is so inherently fucked up,

what are the chances that the very thing stolas gave to blitz to reaffirm his free will was just interpreted as another shackle?

blitz doesn't do commitment; stolas doesn't say "i love you", he doesn't need to. if you love something, you let it go, and if it comes back then it's yours--which happens in the very next episode.

blitz is the first person to mention love.

but if they want to love each other, they have to be equals, which was why the book deal had to go. they can't hold each other to these super high standards because that'd just set themselves up for disappointment. they have to be on the same level.

tldr: they're two sides of the same coin. literally!

color theory for dummies, a brief intermission

fun fact: i actually didn’t learn color theory in an art class, but in a textiles class. we love american education. but anyways, i’m gonna ask you to draw your attention specifically to the complementary colors.

we start the chorus of JLMW in a purpley sort of place, which then shifts into gold, and then into the red/blue contrast.

except red and blue aren’t complete opposites, they’re both primary colors.

if they wanted complete opposites, they could’ve used red and green, or blue and orange, which are admittedly uglier combinations but the point is that stolitz aren’t complete opposites.

however, purple and yellow, or gold, ARE complete opposites; they’re complementary colors. if purple is implied to be symbolic of stolitz together, then could gold imply stolitz apart?

well…no. i think that’s the wrong angle. if they wanted that contrast, they could have left the gold out entirely, because red and blue separate is stolitz apart.

so how are we supposed to deduce what the gold is actually symbolic of? because no, i don’t actually think it’s an extended shrek 4 reference. that kind of exclusively pertains to blitz’s trip.

listening to the lyrics in the gold part;

This unspoken contract

A deed we forged for mutual gain

If that's all this was when you're not here

What is this rooted pain?

I don't care that you're of lower station

Or primed to sate my dark temptations

Why can't you understand? Let me explain

And I'm terrified as I cry

To make these feelings true

What's left for me and my broken heart

If I cannot have you?

a direct mention of the book deal…and another mention of the power imbalance…so i realize am starting to sound insane, but please hear me out.

i think the main theme of helluva boss IS learning to love in spite of damages and traumas and insecurities–not ignoring either of those, but learning to work around them or possibly heal those parts of yourself so you can love someone else effectively. learning from mistakes.

so what if the gold is symbolic of the simple desire of a mutual understanding? or a meaningful connection with someone else?

tying it all back together somehow

both moxxie and stolas want to connect with blitz (in different ways), but for stolas, that means severing possibly the only thing connecting them thus far (the book). for moxxie, that means climbing the staircase and possibly being pushed even further away.

moxxie also has this high opinion of blitz despite all his obvious (and not so obvious) flaws. i think it's partially because of his own inferiority complex, but to him, blitz is the phantom--his scar becomes the mask he hides behind. he knows blitz puts on this loud, crude personality to hide his cracks and keep others away, and has a scarily accurate portrayal of him in his mind.

moxxie wants to be on the same level as blitz, and he knows it's possible to get there, because he's a damaged character himself and he gets it. he's just yet to take the actual first step.

stolas, even in his own imagination, doesn't think it's possible to be emotionally intimate until the deal is broken. he could reach for blitz, but blitz wouldn't reach back. he's not looking. not to mention the literal celestial view he has of blitz in his head.

while stolas can see blitz's damage, he can't fully comprehend it yet, partially because blitz won't give him the chance and partially because stolas isn't damaged in the same way he is. they both had deadbeat dads, but they adapted in different ways.

that's just the way trauma works, you adapt to deal with it, and then have to unadapt those unhealthy coping mechanisms once you're finally safe. it just takes a while for people to realize they're actually safe, and these fruitcakes are no exception.

conclusion? uhh, i don't know, i guess i don't really have one. just. enough with the discourse about these bitches i guess??? just give them each some time, change takes more than two seasons.

i guess i could compare the way the songs are set up but this was supposed to be out like two days ago and it's already 11:45 so. maybe some other time, maybe in a post about moxxie's Interesting taste in musicals

was unfortunately unable to finish the mox vs. fizz masterpost this month but we'll see sometime in the coming months, maybe sometime after the next helluva short comes out. been a bit too busy with school and other social things to have time writing these long asf posts about my skrimblos

okay goodnight o/

[pasc4lfuzz]

me vuelves loco

pairing: javier peña x f!reader a/n: i've tried writing before, but every time i've tried and even posted, i've deleted it after less than a week because i didn't like what i'd written. I don't know if I'll regret this one-shot after a while and end up deleting it, but I hope you like it. ENGLISH IS NOT MY FIRST LANGUAGE!!!! summary: During the DEA New Year's party in colombia javi can't take his eyes off you. rating: MATURE! MDNI warnings: flirting, heavy make out, alcohool, remembering sex (i think this would be the right term lol) word count: 3.5k dividers by @/saradika-graphics

December 31st and you and the DEA still haven't caught Pablo Escobar, and so goes another year of hard work, always getting close to the goal but never quite finishing. As always, on New Year's Eve, the DEA throws a party for its employees. Last year you didn't feel like going, you preferred to stay at home, you, a bottle of wine, a plate of pasta alfredo and the TV on. 

You were immersed in your own thoughts for a long time as you sipped your wine, reminiscing about everything you did last year, especially your mistakes, how many times you and your partners were close to catching the head of the cartel and something went wrong, taking you back to the beginning. But that didn't even come close to occupying your mind during the night, definitely not, in your head there was only Javier Peña, that man with the broad shoulders and slutty waist, the way his thight jeans hugged his legs and ass, the cheesy grin he did when he hears the sound of your heels through the office. But surely one of your biggest mistakes - or the one you try to convince yourself was a mistake - was having sex with Javier. You didn't want to be another notch on his belt, but (un)fortunately you ended up giving in, but how could you not? 

That night you were going over some files with Javi in his apartment, glasses of whiskey on the coffee table, some papers lying on the sofa and on the floor, Javis eyes every few minutes on you, admiring you, flirting with you until you couldn't stand it. Suddenly you remember Javier's lips where in yours kissing you hungrily, his tongue searching for yours while their hands stroked from your waist to your ass and their hands tugged at your hair. You remember everything down to the smallest detail, the way he kissed your whole body, the feeling of his tongue flicking your clit, he tasting your pussy like a starving man. The weight of his body on top of yours and how your inner walls hugged his cock in every thrust, his groans and whispers praising you were echoing in your mind, and you realize, you've got it bad for Javier Fucking Peña.

So this year you've decided to go to the party, maybe you'll meet someone important there, get more contacts to help with Escobar's case. Work, work, work, that's all there was to your life lately, stressing you to the limit many times, you saw things and situations you'd never forget, but in the end you told yourself the same thing, in the end I'll have helped a lot of people, and that's all you wanted. As well as thinking that going to the party will help you at work, a week earlier Connie Murphy was at your apartment, your partner Steve's wife met you by chance in the building that the DEA had made available to the agents when you were coming home from work with Steve and Javi, and since then you've become friends. 1 week ago, the night Connie came to your apartment to have dinner and talk, she mentioned the party and said she was going with Steve and asked you if you were going.

"I don't know Con, I was thinking of going but... it's not really my scene" You say sighing and throwing your head back on the sofa, wiping your hands across your face "Maybe there I'll be able to talk more to some people from the Embassy and-" You're interrupted by Connie waving her hands and starting to talk.

"No, no, no, that's enough work talk and work thinking" Connie puts her hand on his shoulder, making him look at her "You work too much, you put all your time and effort into the DEA, I understand that it's supposed to end all this madness once and for all, but I think it's best if you give it a rest, you know." 

Her gaze gradually calms you down, your shoulders relax and your posture is no longer rigid from all the stress you've been going through lately.

"Think of this party as an escape from your problems, there won't be any narcs there for you to worry about, and I'll be there too," Connie says winking in your direction, eliciting a huffy laugh that shakes your head.

"Yeah, I'll go, at least I don't have to drink my own wine" You shrug letting out a sly smile.

The atmosphere in the main hall where most people were meeting is buzzing with energy and excitement. The vast space is adorned with shimmering decorations, exuding a bit sense of luxury, besides this was a DEA party, some colombian politicians were there making presence. Soft, warm lights bathe the room in a flattering glow, casting a sophisticated aura over the gathering. Lively conversations fill the air, complemented by the soft tones of a electric guitar, bass and a woman singing beautifully playing in the background. You're wearing a pearly white satin dress that goes all the way down to your heels, your make-up is simple but your lips are a deep red.

You pass some of your coworkers doing a fast small talk in pursuit of your goal of getting to the bar counter. There are at least 3 people in charge of making the drinks and preparing the drinks that are ordered, you give a friendly smile to the man who approaches you on the other side of the counter asking if you would like anything. You quickly look at the drinks menu and order a Cosmopolitan. 

This isn't one of the best scenarios you could imagine yourself in, you barely enjoy going out for a happy hour after long hours at work, let alone a New Year's Eve party with almost everyone you've worked with. You blame Connie, who, by the way, you haven't seen until now, while your eyes slowly wander around the room watching the others chatting and smiling. One of your favorite pastimes is:

observing.

Many times have you found yourself late at night when you couldn't sleep at your window, feeling the soft caress of a refreshing breeze that carries a subtle hint of the surrounding nature. The gentle touch of the air eases the sticky, humid air that normally hangs heavily in the Colombian nights, providing a respite from the tropical heat that characterizes this part of the world. Colombia wasn't a city that never sleeps like New York or a night city like Los Angeles, but there was a bit of movement at night, and you love watching people pass by and guessing where they're going, who they're meeting or how their day went. And now it's no different.

You're immersed in your thoughts, your attention going from person to person analyzing their features and posture, some with fake smiles just to please the rest around them, others very excited about the turn of the year with a fresh start, and a good number of the people you work with exhausted, just wanting this drug war to end.

Your trance is interrupted when you hear a familiar voice in your ear.

You knew that voice very well.

A voice that sends your heart racing and your spine tingling with anticipation.

It's Javier, his voice velvety, sultry, and more than enough to send shivers down your spine, awakening a deep sense of longing that you find both thrilling.

“Hermosa, I didn't expect to see you here” 

You turn your head to the right and see Javier Penan, leaning slightly with his right arm on the counter, with that smirk in his face that drives you crazy- NO!

You hate it.

“Peña.” You give him a slight nod and pick up your Cosmopolitan, which should have been sitting there for at least two minutes while you paid attention to your surroundings. 

You feel Javier's gaze travel slowly from the top of your head to the tips of your toes, as if he were taking in every aspect of you. His eyes travel with an almost tangible intensity, like a physical caress on your features. You can practically feel the way his gaze follows the outline of your hair, pauses to appreciate the shape of your face and then moves down, lingering on the curves and lines of your body. The way he looks at you is almost hypnotic, as if he's trying to memorize every inch of you.

“You look stunning,” he says, and you feel your heart skip a beat as his eyes meet yours once again. Those warm, brown puppy dog eyes that you had thought could see right through your soul.

You feel exposed, laid bare under his gaze, like a book open for inspection. There's a spark of mischief in his eyes, as though he's enjoying the effect he's having on you, and he leans in a bit closer, a hint of a smirk playing at the corners of his lips.

“You don't look so bad yourself,” I reply, quickly looking him up and down. The suit he's wearing hugs his body perfectly, emphasizing the broadness of his shoulders, and making it hard not to appreciate the way it shows off his physique. I can see the strength in his frame, the way his shoulders bunch up as he rolls them back, and the way the fabric stretches over the muscles of his arms. My eyes dart back up to his face, where his mouth curves into a small, wry smile, the look in his eyes almost smug.

“Like what you see?” Javier winks at you and you take a big sip of your drink, breaking eye contact.

“you wish” I roll my eyes placing the drink down ”have you seen Connie?”

“Hm yeah she’s actually with Steve talking with Noonan” He points to his partner and his wife talking with the ambassador.

“Excuse me Peña.” You say walking away from him, you can feel his eyes glued in your ass, watching the way your hips sway as you walk through the room.

As the night wore on,you were engaged in a conversation with Connie and started to question your decision to listen to her.

"Connie, I think I'm leaving now," you said, finishing the last sip of your drink as your eyes scanned the room.

She gasped, clearly not believing what you were saying. "No, no, no! We discussed this already. If you leave, you'll be all alone on New Year's," she exclaimed.

You nodded, replying, "That's exactly what I had planned, just like last year."

“No, come on stay for me, soon Steve is gonna start getting sleepy and i would get bored” Connie waits for your response.

You close your eyes taking a deep breath before answering a simple “Fine” and Connie smiles at you.

“I’ll get you another Cosmopolitan” Connie leaves towards the bar to get you the drink she promised.

As you patiently wait for your friend and your drink, you couldn't help but take another look around the room. This time, you noticed something you hadn't before - a nearly closed door. Intrigued, you couldn't resist exploring further, walking towards the door and gently pushing it open.

Behind the door, you found yourself in a cozy little library, filled with books and the faint scent of old paper. As you walked along the shelves, your eyes scanned over various titles until something caught your attention - your favorite book.

There it was, standing out among the others, and your heart skipped a beat out of excitement. You eagerly pulled it out from the shelf and held it in your hands, feeling a sense of comfort and nostalgia wash over you.

“That’s a good one.” A voice behind you echoes through your mind, of course it's Javier.

You turn around looking at him trying to hide your emotions from the guy that little by little was stealing your heart, and that scared you. You shouldn't feel that way about him, you know very well that Javier Peña doesn't do relationships.

“Didn’t know you read.” You say sarcastically putting the book back in its place.

“Oh please, I know I'm not the most intelligent man but sometimes I read.” He says while slowly walking towards you, it’s like your body is calling him.

"Anyways, it's a classic, of course it's good," you say with a hint of excitement. Without realizing it, you start to passionately ramble about the book, your words flowing effortlessly as you speak.

"I mean, just the way the author captures the essence of the characters' development throughout the story, the way the plot unfolds, the way the conflict is resolved - it's all so brilliantly done. And don't even get me started on the writing style!" As you finally finish your passionate ramble about the book, you suddenly notice Javier's gaze fixed on you, almost as if it was burning through your skin.

"Why did you stop?" he asked, taking a few steps closer, his eyes never leaving yours.

“I…” You can’t trust your own words at this point, afraid you’ll say something that will fell wrong.

A shiver ran down your spine as Javier spoke in a low, sultry tone, his words sending a warm sensation coursing through your body.

"I don't think you realize this," he continued, his voice dropping even lower, "but you literally become ten times sexier when you talk about books."

“Stop right there Peña” You put your index finger in his chest “I know where you tryna get from this, and im not ending up in your bed” 

“Hermosa” Your heart skipped a beat as Javier pulled you closer, your bodies now touching, his whiskey breath hot against your face. "Believe me," he murmured, his voice dropping to an even huskier tone, "I'm not just trying to get you in my bed. You might not believe this, but I really like you."

A wave of heat washed over you as you looked up into his eyes, wondering if there was more to  his words than just a line. And he was right, you didn’t believe him at all.

“Doesn’t seem like it” You murmur

Javier's gaze deepened as he looked into your eyes, his voice still carrying that sultry undertone. "I like the way you prefer tea over coffee," he began, the words coming out slowly and intentionally, "and how you always drink your jasmine tea in our office. The smell of it wafts through the room, constantly reminding me of you. And your laughter, it sounds like a 5-year-old's - innocent and carefree. But it brings a smile to my face every single time I hear it."

As you giggled and shyly looked away listening to him list the things he liked in you, Javier's smirk widened, his fingers gently catching your chin and turning your face back to him.

"Yes, that's the laugh," he repeated, a hint of amusement in his voice, "the one I was talking about. It's infectious, you know."

Your eyes get lost in his, it’s almost like you can see and learn everything about him just by looking at his brown chocolate eyes. Javier's lips left a trail of gentle pecks on your cheeks, while his words echoed in your ears, sending a surge of heat through your body.

"I like it when you let your hair down," he murmured, "but I also like it when you tie it. I like it when you speak in Spanish," another kiss on your other cheek, "and most of all, I love the way you talk about the things you love."

As his lips hovered millimeters away from yours, leaving you yearning for more, you couldn't resist any longer.

The moment your lips met, an explosion of sensation took over. It was a hungry and passionate kiss, filled with months of built up tension and desire. Your grip on Javier's neck tightened as you pulled him closer, your bodies pressing against each other. His hands found their way to your hips, holding you tight as the kiss deepened. Tongues danced in a greedy, desperate dance, exploring each other's mouths as if trying to devour one another.

It was like an explosion of feelings all together, you felt like your heart could jump out of your chest at any minute. 

Sure you’ve already shared a few kisses with him, but it was always with a second intention, just like that one night you never forget. But this is different, the kiss was slow and deliberate, every movement filled with emotion and desire. Your lips moved in tandem with each other, exploring every inch of the other's mouth. A soft moan escaped your lips as Javier's tongue traced along your lower lip, seeking entrance. You granted it willingly, allowing him to plunge deeper into the recesses of your mouth. The kiss was hungry, but it was also tender, a perfect blend of love and excitement.

You feel your back against one of the bookcases as Javier kisses you more and more. Your hands pull his hair and massage his broad shoulders.

As you pulled your head back, gasping for air, Javier instinctively tried to chase your lips, unwilling to break the connection. He opened his eyes and couldn't help but let out a low growl at the sight of you biting your bottom lip, your eyes still closed in the aftermath of the passionate kiss.

As you opened your eyes and caught sight of his smile, something in your heart flipped, and you knew you were in too deep. "I believe you," you whispered, holding his face gently in your hands, your thumbs gently caressing his jaw.

"But if you really want this," you continued, your voice firm yet tinged with a hint of vulnerability, "you have to try not to mess things up. I'm willing to give you a chance, but I need you to promise me you'll be careful with my heart."

Javier's smile widened even further as you spoke, his heart swelling with a mixture of relief and affection. He leaned into your touch, savoring the feel of your thumbs caressing his jaw, and he nodded in agreement.

"Don't worry, hermosa," he murmured, his voice softer and more genuine than you had ever heard it before. "I won't mess this up, I promise. I'm all in."

Without missing a beat, your lips crashed into each other once more, the passion and intensity of the moment taking over. The world around you faded away as you both become lost in the kiss, the hunger for each other growing stronger with each passing second.

As the kiss deepened, you found yourself pressed up against the shelf, Javier's body pinning you against it as his hands roamed over your body, touching every inch of exposed skin. His lips moved from your mouth to your neck, leaving a trail of hot, hungry kisses along the sensitive flesh. Your bodies instinctively moved closer, creating a delicious friction that sent waves of desire coursing through you. The kiss grew more intense, full of passion and need, as your hands became tangled in his hair, pulling him impossibly closer.

As your fingers tangled in his hair and he continued to kiss and bite at your neck, an unexpected moan escaped your lips. You tried to bite your lip to hold it back, but the sensation of his lips against your skin was too overwhelming to contain. This only fueled Javier's desire, and he let out a low growl in response, one hand on your hips and the other one on you inner thigh pulling your right leg up to his waist.

A shiver ran down your spine as Javier's breath tickled your ear, his hot whispered words sending a thrill of pleasure through your body. "I forgot one thing," he murmured, his teeth gently biting down on your sensitive earlobe. "I love when you moan for me."

His body was still pressed against you, pinning you to the wall, and you could feel the effect your moan had on him, the tension and desire in the air palpable.

Just as Javier's lips were about to descend onto yours once more, the sound of an unwelcome voice called your name, breaking the spell. You both froze as the door handle turned, the wood moving just a fraction before it swung open.

Connie stood in the doorway, her eyes widening in surprise as she took in the scene before her.

"What are you doing - oh my god," she gasped, quickly shutting the door again.

Javier takes a few steps back running his hand through his hair as you smoothed your dress. “Connie?” you ask behind the door and open it seeing her holding your drink. “I… I took a little longer to grab your drink and then i was gonna hand it to you but you weren’t there anymore so i looked for you and-” She spoke nervously trying to process the moment she had just seen. “Ok hm thanks for it by the way” you grab the drink from her hands taking a sip before looking quickly at Javier.

“It’s almost midnight by the way” Connie says leaving the library.

You felt a pair of warm, strong hands gently gripping your waist from behind. Javier's hot breath sent a shiver down your spine as he leaned in close, his lips ghosting over the sensitive flesh of your neck.

"Come on, I want another reason to kiss you," he murmured, his voice low and seductive.

[somewhereincairparavel]

Ok, but like I feel like I've never dove in how Jason was probably the youngest in the legion. Probably for a very, very long time. And imagine how it felt to watch as kids played in new Rome, and eventually joined you. And you could never join them as they played in new rome. Imagine all of the kids you know are older than you, and you can't make friends. Imagine having to lead quests of people way older than you that resent you for it because of your parentage. Imagine how happy he was when people his age finally started joining, and I wishing he could he them? Imagine basically being raised by a bunch of teenagers, many of whom dislike you? Would love to hear ur thoughts

honestly, i imagine all of the older members of the legion whispering behind Jason's back about how easy he has it in camp jupiter bc of his dad, about how he isnt "qualified" enough to lead missions, and how he has everything "handed" to him. i feel like he had a LOT to prove and only when his missions started getting successful, people actually accept that he is capable, but even then envious members of the cohort would say that he got lucky or only succeeded bc of jupiter's blessings or smth. could you imagine a baby jason going to the older members of the legion for advice and they just coolly shrug him off? i feel like in a realistic standpoint, they arent outright mean to him bc they are terrified of jupiter's anger but they arent friendly either.

They just let him sit in a corner. i feel like at some point, even when people his age start coming in, he still wouldnt feel loved, because they all would think jason is too scary or intimidating and would avoid him out of fear, also bc he doesnt understand their jokes bc he was brought up too serious. so he would be an outcast. he would be an outcast but not necessarily in a bad way, but like "he's too good for us" type of way which actually hurts jason way more. like when he comes in they all would give him a small bow or something and it gets on his NERVES.

overall i feel like there is too much jealousy surrounding him for him to have any comfortable conversation with people, especially because he is their "leader" even if he was a praetor very late, people still subconsciously saw him as one, even the old praetors consulted him before they came to a decision.

i feel like the moment people even remotely saw him as a human with feelings is when he joined the least reputed legion simply to popularize it. i feel like that was HIS moment where ppl were like "yep this guy is actually a living person with empathy!" but it reverted back to ppl seeing him as an unapproachable artifact

which is why im so upset that frank and hazel didnt have a closer relationship with him, i mean we did see jason and frank talking together on the deck of argo 2 after jason transferred his praetorship to frank, probably filling him in his position, but i wish their relationship ascended beyond just a mentor and his apprentice. because that concept with jason's character gets so old. literally everyone saw him as an advisor and leader that they could learn from, but who really saw something beyond that about him? only leo, nico, reyna, piper and percy tbh.

and in the end, reyna had a subtle fallout with him so they didnt talk, piper broke up with him so they were awkward and tense, leo "died" and never saw him again, the last time nico saw jason was probably during the strawberry field scene when nico told him he's staying at camp, and jason got too busy with his temple project to see anyone else. he was working to keep his promise till the very end, just like a true roman. honestly thanks to you i might actually expand on this in a separate post and tag you in it :)

[the-grubdog]

Heritage Theory is Canon

I rise back from the dead (read: college kicking my ass) to say that MY THEORY WAS JUST CONFIRMED CANON. Look at the Japanese website:

Image transcript: The ruins and treasures of this planet, although different in size, are somehow similar to those we know, and sometimes even feel nostalgic. According to "The Shepard Complete History" written by the successive rescue team captains, the ancestors of the Kagiya [Giya] planet came from a "beautiful blue planet". If that was the planet PNF-404, we may have returned to our mother planet after a long time.

I WAS LITERALLY WORKING ON AN UPDATED VERSION OF MY THEORY POST WHEN THIS WAS POSTED.

I WAS RIGHT YA'LL.

I don't think I'll upload that updated version of the post, as it is (a) mostly unfinished and (b) kinda pointless now! Just know that evidence also comes from (all in Pikmin 4/related material):

Other parts of this same site

Olimar's notes on the Buddy Display, Heroic Shield, and Memory Fragment (Center Right)

A conversation you can have with Olimar post-final boss fight

Olimar's notes on the final boss

The Shepherd Family history

Also I want to share some more lore this site brings up. Because it also gives us some juicy Wraith Lore(tm) and some possible explanations for why some ships crash and others don't.

ALSO ALSO: This is all machine translated. If anyone has a human translated version, or is interested in making one, PLEASE let me know so I can reference it instead!

Image transcript: Consideration 1, small size, it doesn't have the engine power to escape the planet. Consideration 2, entering at a high speed, like a shooting star, it crashed into the planet at high speed.

Basically, the S.S. Beagle is small and entered at a high enough speed to escape the planet's grasp.

Image transcript: Unlike the space-time of the universe we know, it is believed that each time the stranded person observes the planet, it transitions to a different phase. The changes are so great that it's as if the planet itself has a will of its own.

This comes after a long description of how the planet changes every game. Just for further context.

Image transcript (with an error fixed for readability): Pikmin are always found near those lost in distress. They are friendly and devoted partners who cooperate with us to achieve our goals. However, isn't this a little too convenient? If the Pikmin are calling for a good leader to ensure the survival of their species and are preventing us from returning, it would be better to think that we are the ones being used. It falls into this category.

I don't think pikmin are evil, FAR from it... but they are still animals, animals that act to survive. You know? If pikmin ARE crashing the ships, then it's no more evil then how bulborbs eat pikmin to survive. Those are my two cents anyways.

Image transcript: According to Olimar, while inside the Amenyudo's [Plasm Wraith's] body, he dreamed of "giant humans similar to ourselves living with Pikmin and lots of other creatures." In addition, the roller-shaped stones of the Amebouzu [Water Wraith] have been found to contain minerals found in meteorites, which may suggest that they may be involved in the crash of the Dolphin. Perhaps they are dreaming of living with humans again and are causing the spaceship to crash?

WRAITH LORE. Also, note the translation of "human". There's a word on the site that the characters use to refer to themselves collectively, which the machine translator translates as "human". Based on me looking the word up on Jisho, an English-Japanese dictionary, this appears to be correct. However, as I don't know Japanese yet, I'll also clarify that "people" might also be a valid translation.

Anyways. Humans once lived with these weird creatures, wraiths and pikmin included. The wraiths missed us. Please ignore how they're also homicidal towards the starfolk.

Image transcript: One theory is that the planet meets the definition of a living organism, meaning that it is somehow beckoning us to it, and that everything we experience here is being orchestrated.

Planet is alive.

I have no idea how else to end this off.

But the planet is alive.

And it wants us back.

[ghoulfuckersincorporated]

If I have to deal with brain rot about this absolutely awful man, so do y'all! Really looking forward to playing Dead Money so I can torture you with more.

Dean Domino (Fallout: New Vegas, Dead Money DLC) NSFW Headcanons

Is the King of Swing good in bed? Complicated question; he's too selfish to say that he is with any confidence. It depends on the day, frankly. He was a massive slut back in his prime, and he's perfectly well acquainted with how to show you a good time when the two of you are in bed together. Whether or not he cares enough in that moment to bother to make you cum is an entirely different matter. There are days he wants to show off, wants to hear you tell him how good he is, but there are also plenty of days where he'll happily use your body to jerk himself off and won't think for a second about your pleasure beyond what it'll do for him. On days like that, he wants you wet/stretched enough to take him, but that's all he cares about.

I've discussed this with folks a bit in replies on other posts, but I think it's very worth elaborating on: he would be so fun to dominate. He'd be the world's most petulant, bratty sub, and so confident that you wouldn't be able to break him, that he'll stay cool and in control of the situation, no problem. However, he's sorely mistaken. Dean Domino is a brat who was made to be broken. Tie his ass up and beat him a bit. Edge him until he literally cries. He insists he won't beg; prove him wrong. It's the sweetest sight you've ever taken in. I've never met a single character who needs to have his cock slapped like a million times more than him. And honestly, I think if you gave him the full routine and then treated him completely neutrally over the proceeding few days, as if nothing had even happened, he'd beg then, too, desperate to experience what you made him feel again...though not without a lot of petulant bitching first. How dare you act like you can drag him around by his prick, just because you absolutely can if you do it right...?!

Any ongoing relationship with Dean is going to be a constant power struggle. As insecure as he obviously is, he's forever rearing to "put you in your place" in a litany of ways; talking down to you, insulting you flippantly, all the nonsense you see from him when you interact with him in-game. If you don't push back at him (or show him where his place is, per the previous point), he will absolutely walk all over you, including sexually. Maybe that's what you're into. He doesn't really care all that much as long as he's getting whatever he wants out of you.

Biter. Always has been. Used to get a kick outta fucking actors and actresses and just covering them in bite marks and bruises that would be incredibly difficult to cover with makeup, because he likes attention and he's possessive, even of toys he doesn't particularly want to play with anymore.

Almost never takes off those goddamn sunglasses (because, in my mind, he thinks they make him harder to read...plus, he has super light-colored eyes, and once he's traveling the desert, he's constantly blinded by the sun), but one of the rare times you can guarantee he'll remove them is when you're giving him head. He wants to be able to see every detail of you worshiping him with your lips and tongue.

Obviously he's big into degradation, which is clear in the way he speaks to you, about you and others. He can, however, be persuaded to be rather sweet (though still entirely self-aggrandizing) when he's in a good mood. He'll tell you how gorgeous you look...on his cock. What a pretty voice you have...why don't you sing for him some more so he can hear how good he makes you feel? Every compliment also has to basically be a positive comment to himself, as well.

Leg and ass man. He makes some comments about Vera that hint at this, but he's not usually quite so tactful about it. Will openly grope you in public, both to embarrass you a bit and because he doesn't care enough to hold back when he feels like touching you.

Really enjoys a giving you a good cum facial. He finds it just the right mix of disgusting, dominating, and possessive. If he can find a way to force you to keep his cum on your face, he will. Even better if someone else sees you that way.

[puckpocketed]

hi!!! i saw ur post abt sam dickinson when he got drafted and then a few abt jacob fowler and as a newly indoctrinated sharks fan, i was like oh!!! so i just wanted to stick my head in and say hi!

hhii.....i just want to say we do NOT do refunds around here . no takebacks. any psychological damage suffered is something you consented to on the waiver. ok? ok. welcome <3

i must stress i am new here and stumbling around blind in the dark . this blog is not your sharks blog source. i think ill just link my favourite sharks blogs - in no particular order!!! (there are also blogs not mentioned here because they're some of these peoples mains/alts, i honestly just didnt wanna make this 2000 words long, so sorry if i missed u, i am thinking of u fondly!!)

@neonfretra <- ok i said no order but im lying about this one . my beloved colleague in sharks academia. we are half reblogs of each other during lbs so . deepest apologies for that. come to puckpocketed and see neonfretra2: the sqeakuel. neonfretra makes very cool art (said like a completely regular person with all my hinges attached !) <3

@oensible <- they are equal first in my heart my other beloved colleague and literally the very first sharks lb'er i ever interacted with. made the space silly and warm and ough <3 not super active atm but very very occasionally drops banger art + gifs + shows up in lbs and i cherish every SECOND !

@pacific-coast-hockey <- u will learn very quickly that being a sharks fan means also having brain worms about the sj barracuda. unavoidable disease SORRY!!! we love our silly ahl team. this is your cuda source!

@18minutemajor <- wall to wall bangers . art. art. beer league stories if u like those. more cuda content. like i cannot stress to u enough about the cuda part of Sharkudablr . also posts sheng pengs deranged editorials sometimes <3

@matthewmaticallyeliminated <- sharks media poster. + sometimes photos u wont find on other socials !! really, really good at screencapping games. 10/10 great taste in caps, bangers all the time.

@tofumilanesa <- skating blog, sometimes scholarship, and sharks shitposter. been here a long time. wekky source (to ME) . every time we talk im scared ill embarrass myself <3

@knitpurlgoal <- sharksposting!! also textile arts. also been around a lot longer than me :) honestly everyones been around longer LMAO !!sometimes sends me pager alerts like im due for surgery when theres big news.

[lynnscove]

Heyyo, I was wondering how would cruel!Dabi react to a reader that self harms to cope

Like, the type that would frantically try and find something the rake across their skin until its raw and bleeding. And they genuinely tweak out if they can't find anything that they consider to be sharp or long enough, or it doesn't glide through their flesh the way they want

Definitely no speaking from experience (；・ε・ ), anywho you don't have to if this makes you uncomfortable but thank you if you do *MWAH*

HI!! (Tw for everything in this post btw)

Okay soooo I briefly mentioned that he'd be a little prick about it and burn them while telling them he's "helping" BUTT what if it was more extreme??

Depending on how deep/big the cuts are, you KNOWWWW he's fucking them. He's feral about wound fucking, literally. If he can't fit his dick in he'll use his fingers. If he can't use his fingers he'll use his tongue. He's a sadist on a level that even I would consider too far!!

A part of his character which I haven't talked about yet (or if I have, I forgot) is that he's lowk a cannibal, and would be VERY happy if you let him lick, suck, or rip your flesh. (God bless his kind soul.)

He'd grow his nails out long n cut them into points to help you out!! (His nails are basically claws. He'd start an EXTENSIVE nail routine after finding out about your lil habit, cause he doesn't want his nails to break while he cuts u up!!)

He'd slip knives into couch cushions and desk drawers, so even if you're not directly looking for something, you'll find it!

He doesn't often think about how harmful his actions, orr your actions are. He just thinks it's sexy.

He'd find your preferences, if you like something that slides through skin like a warm knife through soft butter, you best believe he's... Not giving you that! Serated knives only. dull knives only. Rusty knives only.

On the other hand, if you prefer those kinds of things because they do more damage, he'll totally find you something that'll only go a few centimeters deep to deprive you of satisfaction.

He likes to watch, whether it's in person or through a video, he just wants to see it. you'll end up with countless infections because he keeps cumming on your open wounds.

If you have any squishy bits at ALL (I mean, ANY. Your tits, ass, cheeks, sides, thighs, ANYTHING WORKS.) he'll tie you down and cut em up, I mean like STAB you, and drag the knife around inside your skin.

There's not a lot else to say💔 he really likes wound fucking and there's nooo way he's gonna try and help you out, it's too hot! He cums the hardest when it's on your cuts!

[nonbinarykai]

Why I don’t think the ninja are going anytime soon.

Spoilers for dragons rising obviously

Listen I’ve seen a lot of concerns and rumors going around that ninjago is going to get rid of its main cast. And while I’d understand out of context why people would believe this. I want to list out all my possible reasons for why this WONT happen

This is a bit of a long post so, buckle up

It doesn’t line up with the ending of crystallized

Think about it. Don’t you think it would be a little weird if lego basically forced the writers to make the ending of crystallized return everything to the status quo, only to immediately throw that all away?

Yes I’m aware that the current view of lego as a company is not that great atm. Mostly in due to those fake leaks that basically portrayed lego as the big bad villain behind crystallized poor writing.

But I promise you, lego is not that bad. Sure there has definitely been some conflict between the writers and lego in the past. But if you look through what Tommy said in his post leaving q&a’s, it seems like most of the poor writing decisions were made by the writers themselves.

And example of this: changing oni Lloyd from having a big significance to only having 20 seconds of screentime. We kinda assumed that this was due to lego. However, Tommy claims that the reason oni Lloyd was on a thrown in his set, was because the set was based off of that early draft of the script. Which mean that lego must have been okay with it enough to make a set out of it. Which means it’s more likely oni Lloyd was a result of the writers choices.

However, there was one change that we know lego Forced the writers to include. And that’s reintroducing Nya and bringing her back. This was CONFIRMED by Tommy to be the case.

So then, isn’t it extremely weird that after lego forced the writers to bring Nya back, Their suddenly asking/okay with her leaving again?

And sure you can argue “oh but it looks like Lloyd is training Arin and Sora!” And sure that might explain why they can’t get rid of Lloyd.

But Nya and Kai have only had brief appearances. And as some people would suggest, means they don’t have that much of a role to play.

So couldn’t have nya stayed gone? What’s the point of putting so much effort into killing nya then brining her back when it would have been easier to just, leave her dead.

That is unless, lego does want to keep the original ninja around for the new series!

Same goes for things like garm and harumis redemption arc (atleast I hope that’s what it is). Lloyd still not having control of his oni powers, the ninja losing their own powers, the new ninja, etc. There’s to many loose ends that haven’t been properly tied up, in fact their just beginning.

In fact, if dragons rising really is supposed to retire the ninja. Then why not just make crystallized an actual finale?

A lot of the criticisms for crystallized was that it just returned the status quo. Why would they do that if crystallized was meant to be the last time we see atleast some of the ninja? Wouldn’t it be more impactful to show how the ninja move on from being ninja?

It contradicts the quest for lost powers entirely.

Seriously, why would the book even need to exist? The whole point of the book is to show the ninja getting their powers back (and in the case of kai) becoming ninja again. Why would that be necessary to show at all if the ninja are going to be out the door anyway? In fact, leaving it at just the ninja losing their powers in crystallized would be a great reason for why they would retire. The book kinda contradicts that.

Obviously, if there powers weren’t important in the next series then their wouldn’t need to be a book. The next series takes place after a time skip and deals with the realms merging together. That is ALOT of new information crammed into like 10 22 minute episodes. It would make sense to make a book explaining how the ninja got their powers back so that the show doesn’t need to explain for us and just get right into the mix.

If they think it significant enough to have to explain why the ninja have their powers back, then I think it’s safe to say that the ninja themselves are significant to this new series.

The book also took steps to try to canonize things like Kailor, implying that those things also needed to be explained before the series came out so that the series doesn’t have to waste time on it. So we might be seeing plot threads relating to the ninja as well.

What about the side characters?

Not only would it be insulting to just, get rid of the main characters that people have loved for over 10 years. But it would be borderline cruel to have the side characters not to have ANY send off.

The side characters are directly tied to the ninja. They don’t have any relation to Sora and Arin. So if the ninja go, there’s a likely chance the side characters go as well.

But the side characters haven’t gotten any send off, not from crystallized, not from the books, nothing.

Would the writers really be bold enough to get rid of all the side characters without giving them a proper send off? I don’t think they would.

Doc has shown alot of love for the fandom and the show. And we know some of the new writers actually like exploring the side characters.

Plus it would really piss of the fans, I’d imagine that lego is smart enough to not do that.

The marketing implies otherwise

Yes I am fully aware that marketing is often misleading and doesn’t always fully represent the series. But I think it’s important to dissect what we do know and how lego chooses to market the new season.

First and For-most: Arin and Sora aren’t really that involved in the sets. Or Atleast not compared to the ninja. The ninja have multiple sets with their names on it. While Arin and Sora seem to just have two, one for each. Also in the leaked Lloyd mech, Arin has a noticeably smaller mech. Implying that he’s not as important as Lloyd.

If the show is trying to have a fully fresh start, it’s a bit weird to have the sets convey the opposite of that is it not?

For those that don’t already know, dragons rising is the name of the whole series. Unfortunately, we’re no longer getting season titles anymore.

So it’s important to note: on all the dragon rising merch we see right now, the ninja are the front and center and the new characters are in the back.

So why in the world would lego promote the ninja as the front of the whole SERIES, only to have them show up in one season and then leave. That doesn’t make much sense.

And while most people brushed off the dreamzzz teasers; I want to mention something that I think is extremely important.

Lego is using the ninja for advertising.

That might not sound weird at first, but really think about it.

Lego is not only ACKNOWLEDGING that yes, the ninja are extremely recognizable and important, but also directly using them confidently to promote other series.

So lego is not only recognizing that the ninja are marketable, their doing so with the confidence that it can be used to boost their new series.

It would be an extremely big risk then, to get rid of that marketability in favor of new characters. Especially right after the friends reboot and before their introducing a new series. Ninjago has kinda always been the “safe show” for lego when their other projects were just picking up. Currently lego is taking a big change in its new themes, they’d obviously want something to relay on.

Next gen does not mean we’re losing the old gen.

I’ve seen a lot of people get concerned that since the Netflix series said that Sora and Arin are next gen. That the ninja are going to leave.

But, next gen does not necessarily mean that the ninja are leaving.

For example, lord and Garmadon are multiple generations before the ninja. Yet they’ve been with the ninja for almost the entire series.

Lloyd is significantly younger then the other ninja. Yet he didn’t replace any of them when he joined. He just became apart of the team.

I think that’s going to happen to Sora and Arin. I think that we’re going to start seeing the ninja have to take up a mentor position and how that changes the team dynamic.

And this isn’t really new, it happened with Lloyd, Nelson, Jake, and plenty of other kid characters. We’ve also gotten plots about wu dying and Lloyd becoming a master since s4.

I THINK what is most likely to happen is that wu and maybe Misako dies. And Lloyd has to step up and run the monastery. This way, the amount of people on the main cast stays the same, so it won’t get to crowded. But the dynamic changes enough to be new.

It doesn’t seem to match Doc’s direction for the series

There’s a reason why I call doc the “anti Tommy”, and that’s because he shows so much respect towards the show and the community.

The ninja aren’t just characters we love and enjoy. Their also characters that he loves and enjoys!

Doc has been on the series for awhile now. He’s probably grown attached to these characters even more then us. I find it hard to imagine he would let that go. Especially now that he has a chance to find a way to make the ninja new and interesting!

Look at these posts, does this really seem like something a person who’s not planning on expanding on the ninja would reblog.

The show is changing but that doesn’t mean it’s losing what made it great.

Yes, I won’t lie. The show is indeed going through a massive change right now. We’re going to get a new ninjago, both in terms of the show itself and the setting.

Doc does want to take the series in a new direction, that’s why he’s introducing these new characters.

But that doesn’t mean we’re getting a fresh new slate.

After all what’s the point if we could get a new direction with the ninja themselves?

The ninja have been the same for 10 years, some characters get lucky and are able to have arcs that impact their character, others (like Kai) are not.

The sad truth is that, the show can’t stay one way forever. Crystallized kinda proved that. Crystallized gave us what we wanted. It gave us the characters, it gave us the villains, it gave us the call backs and the Easter eggs. But when it came out, we still hated it. Why? Because the show was to scared to change. It was scared to keep Nya dead, it was scared to keep Lloyd and oni, it was scared to stray away from llorumi and say it was bad, it was scared to address the ice emperor. It was scared to address Kai’s feelings about his sister dying.

Crystallized stood there and told us that “no matter what happens to the ninja, things will stay the same” and we HATED it for it.

WE, AS A FANDOM, have been basically begging the writers to do something new with the characters, to take the series in a new direction. I feel as though it’s a bit cowardly to back out of that now that things are being changed. If we want the show to be better, we have to first acknowledge it has to change.

And you know what? If the new series sucks. Then it sucks! It’s not like simply changing the setting of the show will change the writing flaws in it.

But we’ve already spent years following this show even though most of us agree its poorly written. Why don't we just stick it out another month or two and give dragon rising a chance, even if there's a very small possibility the ninja might not be in it

who knows, maybe we'll find something we like.

[scourge-sympathiser]

SCOURGE SUNDAY 010/???

classic

[thunderboltfire]

I have a lot of complicated feelings when it comes to what Neflix has done with the Witcher, but my probably least favourite is the line of argumentation that originated during shitstorms related to the first and second season that I was unlucky to witness.

It boils down to "Netflix's reinterpretation and vision is valid, because the Witcher books are not written to be slavic. The overwhelming Slavic aestetic is CDPR's interpretation, and the setting in the original books is universally European, as there are references to Arthurian mythos and celtic languages" And I'm not sure where this argument originated and whether it's parroting Sapkowski's own words or a common stance of people who haven't considered the underlying themes of the books series. Because while it's true that there are a lot of western european influences in the Witcher, it's still Central/Eastern European to the bone, and at its core, the lack of understanding of this topic is what makes the Netflix series inauthentic in my eyes.

The slavicness of the Witcher goes deeper than the aestetics, mannerisms, vodka and sour cucumbers. Deeper than Zoltan wrapping his sword with leopard pelt, like he was a hussar. Deeper than the Redanian queen Hedvig and her white eagle on the red field.

What Witcher is actually about? It's a story about destiny, sure. It's a sword-and-sorcery style, antiheroic deconstruction of a fairy tale, too, and it's a weird mix of many culture's influences.

But it's also a story about mundane evil and mundane good. If You think about most dark, gritty problems the world of Witcher faces, it's xenophobia and discrimination, insularism and superstition. Deep-seated fear of the unknown, the powerlessness of common people in the face of danger, war, poverty and hunger. It's what makes people spit over their left shoulder when they see a witcher, it's what makes them distrust their neighbor, clinging to anything they deem safe and known. It's their misfortune and pent-up anger that make them seek scapegoats and be mindlessly, mundanely cruel to the ones weaker than themselves.

There are of course evil wizards, complicated conspiracies and crowned heads, yes. But much of the destruction and depravity is rooted in everyday mundane cycle of violence and misery. The worst monsters in the series are not those killed with a silver sword, but with steel. it's hard to explain but it's the same sort of motiveless, mundane evil that still persist in our poorer regions, born out of generations-long poverty and misery. The behaviour of peasants in Witcher, and the distrust towards authority including kings and monarchs didn't come from nowhere.

On the other hand, among those same, desperately poor people, there is always someone who will share their meal with a traveller, who will risk their safety pulling a wounded stranger off the road into safety. Inconditional kindness among inconditional hate. Most of Geralt's friends try to be decent people in the horrible world. This sort of contrasting mentalities in the recently war-ridden world is intimately familiar to Eastern and Cetral Europe.

But it doesn't end here. Nilfgaard is also a uniquely Central/Eastern European threat. It's a combination of the Third Reich in its aestetics and its sense of superiority and the Stalinist USSR with its personality cult, vast territory and huge army, and as such it's instantly recognisable by anybody whose country was unlucky enough to be caught in-between those two forces. Nilfgaard implements total war and looks upon the northerners with contempt, conscripts the conquered people forcibly, denying them the right of their own identity. It may seem familiar and relevant to many opressed people, but it's in its essence the processing of the trauma of the WW2 and subsequent occupation.

My favourite case are the nonhumans, because their treatment is in a sense a reminder of our worst traits and the worst sins in our history - the regional antisemitism and/or xenophobia, violence, local pogroms. But at the very same time, the dilemma of Scoia'Tael, their impossible choice between maintaining their identity, a small semblance of freedom and their survival, them hiding in the forests, even the fact that they are generally deemed bandits, it all touches the very traumatic parts of specifically Polish history, such as January Uprising, Warsaw Uprising, Ghetto Uprising, the underground resistance in WW2 and the subsequent complicated problem of the Cursed Soldiers all at once. They are the 'other' to the general population, but their underlying struggle is also intimately known to us.

The slavic monsters are an aestetic choice, yes, but I think they are also a reflection of our local, private sins. These are our own, insular boogeymen, fears made flesh. They reproduce due to horrors of the war or they are an unprovoked misfortune that descends from nowhere and whose appearance amplifies the local injustices.

I'm not talking about many, many tiny references that exist in the books, these are just the most blatant examples that come to mind. Anyway, the thing is, whether Sapkowski has intended it or not, Witcher is slavic and it's Polish because it contains social commentary. Many aspects of its worldbuilding reflect our traumas and our national sins. It's not exclusively Polish in its influences and philosophical motifs of course, but it's obvious it doesn't exist in a vacuum.

And it seems to me that the inherently Eastern European aspects of Witcher are what was immediately rewritten in the series. It seems to me that the subtler underlying conflicts were reshaped to be centered around servitude, class and gender disparity, and Nilfgaard is more of a fanatic terrorist state than an imposing, totalitarian empire. A lot of complexity seems to be abandoned in lieu of usual high-fantasy wordbuilding. It's especially weird to me because it was completely unnecessary. The Witcher books didn't need to be adjusted to speak about relevant problems - they already did it! The problem of acceptance and discrimination is a very prevalent theme throughout the story! They are many strong female characters too, and they are well written. Honestly I don't know if I should find it insulting towards their viewers that they thought it won't be understood as it was and has to be somehow reshaped to fit the american perpective, because the current problems are very much discussed in there and Sapkowski is not subtle in showing that genocide and discrimination is evil. Heck, anyone who has read the ending knows how tragic it makes the whole story.

It also seems quite disrespectful, because they've basically taken a well-established piece of our domestic literature and popular culture and decided that the social commentary in it is not relevant. It is as if all it referenced was just not important enough and they decided to use it as an opportunity to talk about the problems they consider important. And don't get me wrong, I'm not forcing anyone to write about Central European problems and traumas, I'm just confused that they've taken the piece of art already containing such a perspective on the popular and relevant problem and they just... disregarded it, because it wasn't their exact perspective on said problem.

And I think this homogenisation, maybe even from a certain point of view you could say it's worldview sanitisation is a problem, because it's really ironic, isn't it? To talk about inclusivity in a story which among other problems is about being different, and in the same time to get rid of motifs, themes and references because they are foreign? Because if something presents a different perspective it suddenly is less desirable?

There was a lot of talking about the showrunners travelling to Poland to understand the Witcher's slavic spirit and how to convey it. I don't think they really meant it beyond the most superficial, paper-thin facade.