#but. he’s managing. if anything he’s. decently optimistic

[shmorp-mcdurgen]

Finally got around to drawing Dave’s ref in the HSH au!

[llamagoddessofficial]

Hello hello! This is Relating to the prison au and the idea suddenly came to me but how would it differ if the mc was a a lot younger like an intern? I tried searching more if it was even allowed to be a med student intern in a prison but I dunno I just thought it was a neat idea, like if she appeared like an optimistic platonic younger sister more than a romantic interest? Aaaa sorry English isn't my first language I hope the idea got through ^^'

I want to congratulate you, anon... you're the first person in a long time to ask something related to prison au that has never been asked before!

Sans: Unfortunately, he'll be even worse. More manipulative, more possessive... more evil. With an older Mc he might see her as easy to manipulate, but he still absolutely views her as her own person- he'd do bad stuff but he (at least) would still respect her opinions and choices. When she's young, he does not respect her opinions and choices. She's just a kid who doesn't know better, someone who needs him to make the big decisions on her behalf.

The worst part is, once he attaches, he sees her like a little sister. It really fucks up his mind- all of those messy, dark, painful feelings about Papyrus, all that unresolved grief from losing one younger sibling... he doesn't care what happens to anyone. Or anything. So long as he doesn't lose any more family.

He's kind to her; oh-so-kind, a sweet and goofy older brother figure who makes terrible puns and chats to her for hours about her favourite videogames. But he's a terrifying empty creature, and he's absolutely going to use her youth and inexperience to his advantage, to make her trust him more than everyone else. Nothing is off the table.

Red: Red adores her. Much like Sans, he ends up in something of a 'big brother' role- the difference is that Red's connection with her is a lot healthier and gentler, with a decent amount of friendly 'fighting' (tossing harmless insults at each other). He turns into a different person around her; he minds his language somewhat, he manages his temper better, although he teases her his teasing never has any venom and he'll drop jokes that upset her. He was built to be a big brother, and he misses his Papyrus a lot- it feels good to have a bond like that with someone again.

(Speaking of Papyrus- he loves Mc too. He sees the effect she has on Red and he absolutely wants to encourage the positive growth. Also... he always wanted a younger sibling.)

Red makes jokes about giving her contraband or getting her in trouble, and her presence in his life has put her firmly on the inmate no-touch list. Red may be a criminal, and he may associate with people who have done terrible things... but he reserves the worst of the worst punishments for those who hurt kids, and his family. Let alone both.

She's been adopted by the mob.

Skull: Skull's intense feelings about Mc in the prison aus aren't really specifically romantic or platonic in the first place. It's his Soul crying out for love and connection after so long alone. They're just Skull Feelings- so a platonic Mc would see the same degree of insanity, desperation and clinginess from our darling cannibal as her older nurse counterpart.

But... I think he would be a bit better with her, overall. Mc being noticeably younger, in his eyes, makes her more 'fragile'- both emotionally and physically. That nagging thought of i need to be careful and responsible would centre him a little more, make him more aware, gentle and slow. In the same way he wouldn't want to frighten a small child, he doesn't want to frighten her; he moves like hes trying not to spook away a small animal. He'd be better at smiling.

... He would still get moments where he can't help himself. Moments where he snaps out of restraints and grabs her, moments where he attacks other staff for getting too close to her. But he tries.

[wandixx]

I'm not much for naming things but: Danny's associated with green and M'gann's a White Martian, so... Spearmint (like the green and white mint candies)? Just a thought.

Prompt: Magic removed Amity Park from the map. JL didn't notice, but in an Alderaan type moment (Star Wars ref. yay!) The martian on Watchtower monitoring duty heard the residents get silent unanimously.

Of course they need to be investigated! So M'gann gets her watch partner to take over and flies there, discovering an odd green rift of death energy doing a black hole effect and it sucks her in. Danny gets landed on/ flown into when she tumbles through the rift. She tried getting a message through to JL when she felt herself getting sucked in, but the message was not received due to ectoplasmic interference.

So Danny has to figure out how to get her AND Amity Park back home!

(Just a thought. I'm curious how you flesh it out if you do!)

This is such an interesting idea, and it definitely deserves much more story than I can write in single prompt, so this here is just a beginning and I will continue. I hope it's up to your expectations

Also, I really love the Spearmint idea

*****

M’gann understood the importance of monitor duty in Watchtower, she really did. She also understood why they were taught it while still in this gray area between fully dependent sidekicks and fully independent heroes, that was the main reason the Young Justice Team even existed.

It didn’t make it any less boring. Even when she had a decent duty partner. Don't get her wrong, Green Arrow was a much better option than Batman or Superman, it was just awkward. At least he seemed equally done with it and didn't scold her for jumping between satellite cameras just a bit too fast to actually ‘monitor’ anything.

And it was only twenty minutes into the two hour shift.

One of the sixty (or so) screens, the one directly in front of her, blinked to the view of the American Midwest. She was about to skip further, when a sudden movement caught her attention. She clicked a few keys to review the footage and asked, still unsure if her eyes weren't deceiving her.

“Did the entire city… just disappear?“

Green Arrow nodded, equally stunned.

“I'm going to check this out” she spluttered, already flying out of the room and doing her best to get Zeta to send her as close as possible. It was a bit tricky when she couldn't see the keyboard. She managed though, so before the adult hero even finished yelling that it was above her skill level, she was out.

From there, getting to the disappeared city was a piece of cake.

She stopped right in tracks when the thing came in view. M'gann had no idea how to describe it. It was a green and white and black storm but not, glass, see-through dome but not, deep space but also decidedly not. It made her want to run away but also come closer, almost like it was tugging at her. Like some pseudo, mental in nature, gravitation.

Oh, wait, no. It was an actual, physical force that after a quick test turned out to be inescapable for her.

Green Arrow, perhaps, maybe probably was kinda right. It was so high above her skill level that a balled napkin from this height would cause serious damage. Thank Batman for comms that she could use to call a backup!

The comms, that, of course, didn't work the one time she needed them.

She sent the message anyway, describing everything to the best of her ability, even though it was only a tip of the iceberg. Just in case, if the magical storm thing just made her comm one way communication only. It was highly unlikely, but who was she, if not an optimist.

She barely closed her mouth, when she was jerked sideways before the whole world became blurred.

She later would have a hard time telling anyone how it felt, to be inside the thing. She was basically powerless, thrown around randomly despite clearly keeping all of her abilities. She couldn't see, couldn't tell which way was up and down, couldn't change direction even a little bit. The rumble of the thing was so loud she couldn't hear her thoughts, throwing her brain so off the loop she forgot what her name was. She was crying probably, almost puking, her limbs hitting any and every part of her body.

At first, she didn't even realize she was out, so dazed from the ride. She didn't even see the flying boy until a while after she crashed into him, throwing them both off the sky. Neither of them caught them before they slammed into the ground. Somehow she ended up cushioning the boy's fall. M’gann couldn’t breathe for a moment. She kinda deserved it for ramming into him in the first place though.

By the time she could use her lungs and behave like a social creature again, the boy scrambled off her and just crouched, intensely staring, anxious and awestruck at the same time. She sat up and gave him once over herself.

He was around her physical age, but much skinnier than her or anybofnher teammates, build like a twig. He had fluffy, white, almost glowing hair, caucasian complexion, and wore a black and white jumpsuit with a tool belt. Big ‘P’ on his chest indicated he was someone from a hero/villain scene, and from general vibes she got, M’gann was leaning towards a hero. He was kinda cute. She coughed awkwardly when she realized how long they just sat in silence.

“Hi?”

Apparently it was enough to release an incoherent babbling from the boy.

“Hi, um… Miss Martian, ma'am? I'm Phantom. What are you doing here? Is the rest of your Team going to fall off the sky too? Justice League?”

“Not right now probably”

She was ignored. Phantom just kept panicking.

“Is this some of your villain's schemes? Are you alright? You crashed pretty hard, sorry I landed on top of you by the way, do you–?”

“I'm fine, don't worry I got worse”

“Sure…”

“Sorry I threw you off the sky”

“Not your fault, really, it's fi–”

“You asked what I'm doing here. I went on my own to investigate when I saw the city blink out of existence and got sucked in. I'm not sure if my report from site made it through, but they know where I went, so they'll soon come to help, don't worry”

Phantom did not stop worrying.

“Alright, cool, cool” he ran his hand through his hair, tugging at them “The Justice League knows you mysteriously disappeared along with an entire city. This is fine, totally fine, absolutely–”

“You're panicking”

“No shit Sherlock. Someone kidnapped my city again and I have no idea how to fix it because my usual tactic is ‘punch the cause of the problem into submission’ and this time I can't punch the storm. Now you're here so if something happens, I’ll have pissed of Justice League to worry about because, of course, it will be my fault. You could be overshadowed and I have no clue what's going on but I have to fix it as soon as–”

“Breathe Phantom“ she interrupted again, projecting what the Team called ‘calming vibes’. Since it didn't involve outright entering someone's brain and humans almost didn't react to it, it was an okay thing to do without asking even on non-villains. “Remember, I'm a hero, not a damsel in the distress you have to protect non stop”

“Of course, you're not. You're Miss Martian. You're amazing, but it doesn't give me any more of an idea on what's going on nor what to do with Justice League when they come, obviously furious because everyone in Amity and their mother will testify that it was somehow my fault, especially if–”

“Hey, hey, none of that. I know you're a good guy and they’ll too. I will vouch for you if for some reason they get misled”

Phantom looked her in the eyes as if he was trying to read her mind himself without even an ounce of psychic powers. She could tell if he used it.

“I could be a bad guy,” he said seriously after a moment of silence.

“I know you're not”

“You don't know me”

“You spent almost all of our interaction agonizing over how to save your city. It's not typical bad guy behavior”

“I could be acting”

M’gann didn't even dignify it with her response other than an incredulous stare.

“ Alright, if I've been acting, I would be a lot cooler but still… I could be acting!”

“I'm a literal psychic, remember? I didn't read your thoughts, don't worry, I know it's invasive for humans. But I got a general overview of who you are, and your vibes matched pretty well with the vibes of good guys”

“Sure, of course, why not,” he muttered, taking a moment to reboot “Why is this my life now?”

M’gann decided it wasn't to her and well… Phantom wasn't wrong, she didn't know him, so however she'd try to answer it was pretty much hit or miss. But from what she'd seen of him, she was curious to learn more.

“Nevermind, let's get you a Specter Deflector before anyone tries to use you as a meatsuit” he said, catching her wrist to drag her somewhere.

She let him lead her. He still didn’t have any nefarious reasoning, and hey! Maybe she'll finish this adventure with a new teammate!

[Sure M’gann. Just a teammate. Don't worry, Danny won't be a panicked mess all of the time here]

[riacte]

hope you don't mind me asking, but how do you write/characterise ren?

Hi, thanks for the ask!

For me, Ren has a very distinct character voice, so usually I put in a few words from the Rendog language post and it does like 70% of the work if it's nothing too serious. Hit the dialogue with the Rendogification beam! I know there's a post of people Rendogifying DSMP quotes and it's hilarious. Add a "my dude" before/ after his dialogue and it'll usually work. And maybe pepper in some "get in line"s. Or "outrageous!", "geez", "freakin'".

For HC Ren / Ren in general, I put him as like... a friendly, enthusiastic, charismatic guy who's very supportive of his friends and he's always eager to help. He is kind and sees the best in everyone. He's also very dramatic and unashamed of his dramatic tendencies (singing out loud, posing, twirling). And of course he flirts. He flirts with everything. He's probably flirted with someone's houseplant. He wants everyone to get in line for him. He makes a lot of inappropriate jokes (check my #the rd difference tag) which is greeted with complete silence.

But underneath that, I think he's a guy who tends to look down on himself / self deprecating and he is soooooo self sacrificial. He's gonna be good at something then go "I've never been good at anything 🥺". And he is genuinely so eager to sacrifice himself at all times; he'll probably throw himself in front of his friends to save them. And I think Ren is terrified of being lonely which is why he's clingy. If you leave him to his devices for too long he'll literally burn / blow up his base (Last Life, HC 7). Ren is fantastic with words, he's optimistic and naturally good at bringing people together, but he's also just a doggy who wants company.

Ren is quite talkative and he can ramble about random topics forever. But he also occasionally asks questions to his friends so they can contribute to the conversation. And I think he's fantastic as a storyteller because not only is he a master at "yes, and", he also likes including his friends and subtly inviting them to roleplay with him.

Ren is highly sentimental and remembers a lot of memories. He's not afraid to go sappy and sincere and vulnerable, but then again there's his fear of being a burden. Ren has a tendency to trail after competent, snarky, and mildly intimidating people (insert Ren's greens: Doc, Iskall, Martyn, False, etc) and enjoys being lovingly bullied and lovingly used as a punching bag. He lovesssss being a pathetic lil guy. He loves acting sad and soggy. And he kinda loves being beheaded and beheading his friends.

Ultimately, I think Ren greatly values company and loyalty, and always desires a tightknit group of people to belong to, maybe to even lead (Knights of the Square Table, Dogwarts, etc). And he wants to be useful and not be a burden, leading to his self sacrificial tendencies. He is so eager to serve and offer his services to the rest of the server— in HC, he likes selling / providing food in the early days (HC 4 he made a farm, HC 9 Gigapies) and then proceeds to build infrastructure for everyone to enjoy (HC 6 Hermit Railway Network), or come up with detailed "game" systems (HC 5 Hermitron (?) and HC 9 Hermit Quests). In that way, despite his theatrics, Ren is quite practical and down to earth. Give the man something to manage and he'll be happy.

I don't read a lot of HC fics nowadays but I don't think I've seen like, really severe mischaracterisation of Ren. Probably because Ren RPs a lot so he can RP as a lot of characters which decreases OOC-ness, maybe? Ren's a bit pathetic but he's not a coward, he will literally die for his friends. And while Ren might be a bit of a "derp", he has decent strategies (sometimes) which is mostly him accumulating resources + building a secure fortress (evident in Life series).

For Life series Ren, it's similar but more... guarded and cautious. Still desires a tight knit group of allies (usually his top priority). Still loves gathering his resources and building his defenses. Is kind and forgiving to the point he's taken advantage of (this behaviour decreases in latter series). And he loves his allies with all of his life and would die for them.

Oops, this got long lol. Hope this was helpful! :D

[pikachu78109]

General Team Rainbow Rocket Headcanons

((I’ve been listening to some Team RR boss themes out of nostalgia and I have never written anything about the Pokémon villains (specifically Generation 1-6 respectively) and I figured I would shower my thoughts on these dudes))

Giovanni

Gonna start off with the one and only Giovanni. He’s a bit tricky to pinpoint, but as a Mafia inspired character, Giovanni works in the shadows. He doesn’t operate out in the open (I mean, obviously) and handles the more business side of things such as negotiations and elaborate planning. He doesn’t care about getting his hands dirty but don’t mistake him for being lazy or incapable of fighting.

As a villain, he’s the most put together. He’s a rational thinker and analyzes situations thoroughly. Not much of an optimist, but very opportunistic however it’s coupled with a hypothetical mindset. Giovanni never settles for one backup plan. He never bites off more than he can chew. He bides his time and attacks when the moment comes.

Obviously views himself highly and expects absolute respect. Has no tolerance for failure, like most other villains (except Archie) and punishes Grunts severely for any indiscretion.

Giovanni is aware of Maxie and Archie as they used to be part of Team Rocket in their early years. He has a low opinion of them, Archie especially for his goofy immaturity and lack of asserting his authority. Still, it does impress Giovanni that these two have managed to make a name for themselves as bosses.

Extremely patient. Giovanni can play the waiting game and he prefers it that way. He hates sloppiness and would rather surveillance his opponents before striking. He’s got eyes everywhere to ensure that no stone is left unturned.

Actually a decent father to Silver, but very much so a deadbeat. Not a lot of contact between the two. However, there were a few instances where they crossed paths but it’s usually brief and contains less pleasantries.

Maxie

Stereotypical nerd alert. Maxie is the epitome of the phrase “well, actually” and comes across as SUPER condescending. He thinks he’s doing people a favor by showering them with his logic and reasoning but really, at times, he’s speaking nonsense. He’s petty whenever Archie is around and does things that irk him, but between the two, Maxie does seem more mature albeit condescendingly. Hell, I’ll just say he’s condescending.

Long standing rivalry with Archie. It’s an amalgamation of being petty, competitive, and all round, goofy. On the outside, the other villains don’t take these two seriously. However, by himself, Maxie is actually calm and low key, so to an extent, he’s favored a bit more than Archie. Still, it doesn’t discredit the fact that this nerd has beef with a wannabe pirate over the expansion of landmass vs water.

Motive wise, the rest of the villains see Maxie and Archie’s motivations as idiotic. Biggest facepalm in motion.

Secretly admires Cyrus but at the same time developed a jealousy towards him. Maxie admires Cyrus’ technical abilities, his masterwork tinkering with machinery, and the like, but harbors resentment that he himself struggles with reaching that level of success and skill.

Archie

Loud, proud, and all round ruthless, this pirate has no qualms in throwing down. Very loose and probably the least threatening boss, Archie embraces the pirate life and shows no real strictness in his methods. He gives everything he has in battle and doesn’t have a serious persona like the other RR members, hence why nobody takes him seriously.

Again, he has beef with Maxie as mentioned prior. Archie thinks Maxie is too uptight about everything and needs to loosen up. Highly competitive (especially with Maxie) so Archie is willing to take on his counterpart any time or day.

Probably the friendliest villain in the Pokémon main line series. He’s approachable and has that chill uncle vibe.

He does the most reckless things out of the group. It doesn’t matter what it is. Archie will do some random things, no matter if he ends up getting hurt. He’s sturdy, he can handle anything.

Cyrus

Cyrus is a shut in, a recluse so to speak. He hates engaging with others and doesn’t like to be bothered. He only comes out of his room when he’s has to, but only related to Team RR business.

A quiet man. Rarely speaks but isn’t shy in throwing in his two cents. Can easily clap back an argument with a couple of sentences effortlessly (he’s good with his words) and uses vocabulary that makes Archie scratch his head.

Doesn’t take much for Cyrus to kill the mood. Hell, just his presence alone dies whatever mood everyone’s feeling down by an inch.

Probably one of the few villains that contemplates their actions (Maxie and Archie being in the same camp). He doesn’t regret his actions, but finds himself wondering if something else had occurred how would the outcome change? It’s clear that he gets on fine with your Rotom-Dex, so there is some soft side to this ice cold, stone faced man.

Aside from Ghetsis, the other RR bosses kind of show some level of genuine concern for Cyrus. Like, man, are you okay? Cyrus doesn’t get hounded mainly for the fact that there’s quite literally nothing to bully him for. He’s silent most of the time and, to put it simply, nihilistic (or depressed in some cases). He’s hard to relate to, but that doesn’t mean that the other RR bosses (except Ghetsis) don’t check up on him. Look, they may be evil bastards, but they don’t mess around when it comes to mental health (except Ghetsis; he can go fuck himself).

Ghetsis

A complete madman in the flesh. Ghetsis is an unstable man and let me say that no one approaches Ghetsis unless they have a death wish. The man’s only best friend is manipulation and that’s all he does. Fortunately, Giovanni is aware of this and uses simple yet effective intimidation tactics to unnerve Ghetsis.

Every Team RR Grunt fears Ghetsis. Enough said.

I completely support the theory about Ghetsis and his Hydreigon attacking him. It fits given that his Hydreigon knows the move Frustration (an attack that increases the more the Pokémon dislikes its Trainer) and has used said move on Ghetsis, causing near fatal injuries.

Linking with the prior point, Ghetsis’ right arm was torn off (by Hydreigon) and replaced with a prosthetic, same with his right eye. There are scars all over his torso and legs. He has some mobility issues but can get by okay without any assistance. He wears cloaks to cover every inch of his body to appear bigger, but in actuality, he’s quite scrawny.

Ghetsis tried, at one point, to manipulate each of the RR bosses. Almost worked on Archie (bc Archie is somewhat gullible) whereas Lysandre and Cyrus knew immediately what cyclops was putting down. Maxie kind of just didn’t care.

Inserts himself way. too. much. Ghetsis cannot stand being pushed aside and prefers to be the center of attention. Dramatic, yes, but I can only imagine that if the conversation doesn’t involve Ghetsis, he’ll make damn sure that it makes it back to him, revenant or not. He’s a narcissist trying to dominant, but Giovanni isn’t having it.

No one knows why Ghetsis appears and acts so cruelly. Some say he was just born to be evil while others pin a complex backstory. It’s been theorized that Ghetsis has an ancient linage; his ancestors ruling over Unova, the Abyssal Ruins being a towering fortress that, for the longest time, ruled with power and swath of knowledge and wisdom. Over time, the ruins sank to the bottom of the ocean, taking the last remnants of the Harmonia name with it, leaving behind Ghetsis to carry on that legacy many years later. Of course, Ghetsis perverts the family name by asserting his own sinister misdeeds, pushing his warped philosophy onto others, like N, with manipulation. The God complex he forms has consumed him to the point where he can barely distinguish reality apart from his own twisted fantasy.

Says some batshit insane things that no one can comprehend. Don’t bother arguing with him; he cannot be reasoned.

Lysandre

This man hides his insanity very well. He carries himself with confidence and pride, so you would never suspect this man having committed regional (or global) genocide.

Has a way with words, similar to Cyrus. He can talk his way out of situations with little to no effort as he’s both eloquent and charming.

Quite favorable with Giovanni and possibly with Cyrus.

Can never tell what he’s thinking. You don’t know if he’s joking or if he’s being serious. It’s a constant coin toss and he’ll keep you on your toes. He finds this trait about himself amusing while others, like Ghetsis and Archie, find it annoying.

Despite how insane and deeply twisted his actions are, Lysandre actually used to be a genuine human being. At some point in his early life, he tried to be giving and helping towards his community and all of Kalos, which did help improve the quality of life in the region. But, over time, the constant pressure of trying to solve every problem has left Lysandre empty and exhausted. He has kept trying to find an excuse to continue his good efforts, but every time it yielded the same results, the same cycle. People take advantage of kindness, people fight and bicker over generosity, and people demand more. Lysandre just… burnt out. He got tired and grew to resent humanity’s unwillingness to accept and appreciate what was being given to them, ruining the beauty of the world by perverting the generosity to match their own needs and desires. It disgusted Lysandre, hence why he chose the destructive path that he did. What other choice he did have?

Can be sincere at times. When he says something positive, he means it.

[whoblewboobear]

hiiii, I'm sending you a 📓 for that ask game

Eheheh thank you! Get ready for something so silly and dumb bc when I was writing part one of the period fic I got this idea for a fic that’s simply titled: Family Dinner.

So imagine Porter and Jace have agreed to give up the plan. They were kinda deep in it but it can’t be too hard to fix things and lay low. The only problem: how the hell do you reverse the effects of a shatter star? These idiots have no clue. That’s for them to figure out later. But first they need to tell the Rat Grinders the plan is off. So what do they do? Invite all of the Rat Grinders and their Parents into their homes for a big ol’ dinner party!!!!!!

Jace is very optimistic this will go well, he’s putting together the menu he’s SO EXCITED to host (but he is deathly nervous for the confrontation part of the evening) Jace doesn’t lift a finger to help Porter cook but he does tell him how handsome he looks and employs a mage hand or two to place something in the oven or to mix something if Porter asks nicely.

Jace does bail half way through to put on something really fancy and picks out something decent enough for Porter to wear. Porter manages to finish dinner on his own but it’s down to the wire when he hears the doorbell ring and of course the first to arrive are Kipperlilly and her parents. She’s low key freaking out messaging Porter like “Mr Cliffbreaker what the hell is going on 👀” and Porter just deflects and makes god awful conversation with her god awfully boring (but nice) parents until Jace taps him out to go get dressed.

By the time the rest of the kids and their parents get there, Jace and Porter gather them all at the table and are like “so before we eat, we have to come clean about something~” and pretty much lay out all the shit they did and go “But we promise to remove the crystals and they’ll also get extra credit for the dying part~” nobody says anything or moves and Jace is low key panicking bc this definitely feels like a moment where everyone in this room can and probably should kill them. And Porter is like 😬 bc technically this is all his fault.

Ruben raises his hand and asks if they’ll bring back Lucy too and that fully sets Kipperlilly off because what the fuck? What the actual fuck she did NOT work this hard just for it to go nowhere. And then she’s throwing food and family dinner just ends with Jace and Porter staring at their mess of a dining room and their nice clothes covered so much stuff.

Porter simply says, “I think that went well.” And Jace almost kills him.

[talas-first-lady]

Post the ranking of the male legends. Let the world burn. Let chaos reign. It's on brand for the show (please read this in a funny tone)

The official, correct ranking of male Legends from best to worst along with foolproof evidence which you can trust because I am a lesbian and I am not swayed by men of dubious attractiveness.

1: Gwyn Davies

Pros: Invented time travel so he could save the poet he spent his entire adult life pining for. Has some of the absolute best throwaway lines of S7 (with flawless delivery). Has literally never done anything wrong ever.

Cons: Not around for long enough, which was in no way his fault.

2: Ray Palmer

Pros: Delightful. Hilarious. Has great chemistry with every other character. Loves showtunes and Star Wars.

Cons: Spending billions of dollars to create a suit so you can be a superhero in a city that frankly has too many superheroes already is not a good look. Also he's way too intense in relationships.

3: Nate Heywood

Pros: He somehow manages to be the perfect combination of himbo and really smart. It shouldn't be possible. Also, I too am an overeducated nerd who is really into Tala and Maisie, so I relate to him.

Cons: He really sucks whenever he's in a relationship.

4: Jefferson Jackson

Pros: He's such a good guy through and through. He has been put through some deeply unfair things but still manages to always be a positive force. Deserves all the hugs.

Cons: His accent is ridiculous and I can't take him seriously because of that.

5: Mick Rory

Pros: Has any character on the show evolved as much as him? Probably not. He's a sweetheart. He writes romance novels. His relationships with other characters are always amazing.

Cons: We all had to watch him birth alien eggs through his nose and that can never been unseen. Way too attached to his shitty ex boyfriend.

6: Wally West

Wally is right in the middle because he is true neutral. Does he make the show better? Not really. Does he make the show worse? Not really.

Pros: Good karaoke choices.

Cons: It's really dumb that Death Totem Sara appeared to him as his ex (who he really wasn't with that long and who was very much still alive) instead of his mom (who was his only family for his entire childhood and fairly recently died).

7: Gary Green

Pros: Sweet, funny, endlessly relatable. He adds so much character to every scene he's in.

Cons: Does not understand boundaries at all. He's also very inconsistently written because obviously they didn't plan for him to be an alien from the beginning.

8: Behrad Tarazi

Pros: I enjoy the way his relationship with Zari has developed. And he's a great singer.

Cons: Weed is not a personality. They didn't bother to give him an actual personality until season 7, at which point I was already over him. I also don't like his fixation with Astra which was entirely about finding her pretty on Highcastle Abbey and has nothing to do with who she actually is.

9: Carter Hall

Pros: Had the good sense to die quickly before he could really annoy me.

Cons: Manipulative towards Kendra. Actively detracted from the 100th episode.

10: Martin Stein

Pros: Victor Garber. A+ singing.

Cons: Drugged and kidnapped Jax in the pilot. Racist, sexist, deeply selfish. He started to improve slightly but it wasn't enough.

11: Rip Hunter

Pros: Saw the potential in Sara Lance.

Cons: Told Gideon he loved her and then TURNED HER INTO A TRAINING SIMULATOR FOR THREE YEARS. He also flew her into the sun and into an atomic bomb. Lied to all the original Legends. Lied to Ava.

12: Leonard Snart

Pros: Had the good sense to die quickly. Also, I do enjoy him on The Flash.

Cons: Cruel and abusive to Mick almost constantly. Talk about kicking someone while they're down. He's an asshole to everyone, but the way he speaks to Mick is unforgivable.

13: John Constantine

Pros: He's a useful foil for some of the more optimistic Legends. Decent bisexual representation. Never met a weird unidentified substance he didn't want to put in his mouth.

Cons: He forced Charlie to face thousands of years worth of trauma, got Behrad and Charlie's friends killed in the process, and put the entire world at risk. Why? To save Astra, who he immediately forgot about and left to struggle on her own (again). He sent Desmond to hell. He abandoned Nora when she was a kid. He altered Spooner's memories despite knowing that having her mind messed with is a major source of trauma for her. Put the entire world at risk again by teaming up with Bishop. Lied to and manipulated Zari and had the gall to call it love. Also, if both Ava and Mick don't like you, you are clearly highly suspicious.

[honest-moth-of-silver-grove]

Hi Hi! I saw that you were doing match ups, and I liked it!

Im roughly 5’2 and chubby. I have longish brown hair that’s like pin straight lmao. Im very quiet and shy around people whom I don’t necessarily know, but with people who I get comfortable to/mirror my energy, I can be energetic and a little chaotic, but if I get really comfortable with someone, Im fine with being quiet because I trust them. I like to say that I don’t care and that it doesn’t bother me, but I overthink alot. I always try and be nice to people and I really enjoy helping people, but Im not the best with taking care of my own self. I have ADHD and can’t really sit, and I also fall into depressive ruts easily and become pessimistic, but I still try and be there for people even if Im upset.

I think Ive done this right, and if I messed up anything/or if you’re stressed out, feel free to ignore. :)

A/N: Okay, for you- my Pin Straight Hair Nonnie-  because you didn’t specify a gender preference, I’ve given you both Male and Female answers. For you, I think either Gale (Male) or Shadowheart (Female) would best suit you!

Gale would be a great match for you! He’s kind and level-headed for the most part, but he also has a great desire for knowledge that often beats out his sense of self-preservation. He is a wizard, after all. So you’re being super energetic and a little chaotic at first wouldn’t put him off in the slightest! He thinks you’re fascinating! And he loves watching you ramble passionately or skip along as you explore Faerun together. 

Gale loves your hair, he’s a bit envious at times. His hair is wavy, so it’s heavily influenced by the weather. He’s impressed at how yours manages to stay perfectly straight even under high humidity. But if you don’t like it looking so straight, Gale offers to learn how to braid it for you so you can go to sleep with the braids in and take them out the next morning to reveal natural-looking waves. You know he’s got some tricks up his sleeve when it comes to hair care if his magnificent beard is anything to go by. Gale thinks you’re beautiful, even more beautiful than his former goddess, Mystra. Her looks pale in comparison to yours. Your curves, your height, your hair- it’s almost otherworldly to him. To him, you are magnificent, something even the cosmos should be jealous of. 

Gale understands it can be difficult to take care of oneself, especially when feeling down. After being infected with the orb, he wallowed in self-pity for a while before managing to pull himself out of it (with the help of Tara, of course). He will gladly do the same for you. No matter what low life brings, he will never stop caring for you. 

Even on your most pessimistic days, Gale will do his best to keep enough of an optimistic outlook for the two of you. 

Shadowheart would also be a great match for you! She’s more on the reserved side, but she has a decent enough rebellious streak that I believe she’d find your amped-up energy rather endearing. 

Shadowheart is more shy than the other companions (even after her memory is restored) so she understands you need more time to warm up to her. She doesn’t mind if you’re more introverted around her at first, or if you’re more energetic. She enjoys both sides of you, so long as she gets to spend time in your presence. (She actually has a very unique sense of humor, as exampled in the gif above lol.)

Shadowheart has no problem with your hair being straight. So long as you don’t mind how long it takes her to put her hair up in that braid of hers each morning lol. 

Nor does she mind that your focus tends to wander or become super concentrated at times. Gods knows how much grace you granted her when she knew nothing of her past. There is nothing your mind could cause that would give her reason to leave. 

Shadowhearet is very similar in that she puts up a front of indifference, to hide her true feelings, especially any pain or vulnerability. As a cleric, she’s always healing others but rarely thinks about what she needs to heal herself. She doesn’t neglect her needs per se, but there’s an element of guilt there. With Shadowheart’s past, she can have a hard time convincing herself she’s worthy of extraneous things- things like fun and laughter. But that’s where you come in. 

You remind Shadowheart how much she means to you, and she reminds you how much you mean to her. The two of you keep an eye out for signs the other is feeling down or pessimistic, waiting at the ready to cheer the other up. 

You make a great team. 

[unnursvanablog]

Doctor Who, series 14 / tv show review

This is a mostly spoiler free review of the new season of Doctor Who

The Doctor, despite being the title character of the series, is not really what the story is about. It's about the people he takes with him and how they grow and prosper, how their view of the world changes, and all the changes they go through on their journey through the universe, where even someone who is considered insignificant in their own life learns that they are indispensable as we all are. They are the emotional anchor of the show, the viewer's point of view, and Doctor Who has slowly lost sight of that over the years. Whether it's with the latter part of the Moffat era where the focus was on monsters and the Doctor as one of the most terrifying monsters in the universe or the Chibnall era, which had no sense of direction to his stories and could not write compelling characters so save his own life.

This new shiny version of Doctor Who seems to be trying to get back to the core of it, the characters and the adventure and the messiness of humanity, but it's happening very slowly. All the episodes have a very clear theme or message, which is very good. The episodes aren't as lost within their own narrative and know what they want to say, but things take quite a long time, and each episode doesn't work connected enough to form a single whole or like they are truly working together towards something. An emotional arc or a mystery.

The metaphors may often be a little on the nose, but Doctor Who has always tried to create stories for all ages to enjoy so that can be understandable. But each story makes you think, wonder about something, and each episode carries with it a long-lasting moment of thought and wonder after it’s over. And it's great to get that feeling back into the show.

Doctor Who, however, spends a lot of time on the mystery of Ruby Sunday, without saying much, and forgets Ruby as a person a little too often. She is cheerful and willing to do most things despite the danger, becoming a bit of a noble idiot at times, but the reason for all of her actions is never properly explored. Her relationship with her mother, or both of her mothers, is good but the show isn’t willing to dive too deeply into it. The mystery is almost hidden, so the story never does much more than scratch right under the surface of it.

The build-up and unraveling of the mystery surrounding Ruby is too slow, making Ruby miss some of her character moments because the storyline can't let her reveal anything too quickly. It hinders her emotional core as a character, which affects how the audience connects with her.

I don't feel like I really know Ruby. I think she's a decent character, but she's not really the emotional core for us in this series. She moves unnecessarily much with the plot and does not affect it enough except in two or so episodes. She's just there to talk to the Doctor, ready to put herself in danger for him, but that's sort of it. It is Ncuti instead who gets to bear the emotional core, but that may be because he has to sell us the role of the doctor, get us to know him and prove himself to the audience.

This Doctor, who is often recklessly optimistic, yet so frustrated with people who never seem to be able to do exactly the right thing in any situation, often refers to Ruby as his best friend, but the story doesn't necessarily make them bond enough for that to make sense. Unless the Doctor is just so dependent on those who travel with him, which has been a theme with so many Doctors, that he just talks about everyone as his best friend because he is so lonely and afraid of losing his empathy without them. Which is a good emotional core for a character and I think Ncuti really manages that well. There is sadness beneath the surface, and it shows in all his interactions.

The overall arc or mystery reveals itself to slowly, probably because the first half of the series is much weaker than the second. And it could be due to some restrictions from Disney who seem to want things to be colorful and fun, yet simple and easy. But also because we only get eight episodes to explore. There is some boldness going on with the increased diversity of characters, which annoys some, but even with the fresh air it brings to the series some of it seems a little too Disney-fied or maybe just stream-fied as it feels like it's trying to follow the 8 episode streaming formula.

The show manages to be the finest entertainment with these whimsical little journeys and Doctor Who is trying to get back on its feet - which takes such a long time, and yet it feels like the show is in a rush, because it has to cram so much stuff into 8 episodes. It's trying to push it's boundaries further and try to breathe fresh air into the story to get new audiences into the show. It is an eccentric yet sympathetic story, but despite the cool special effects and sets, the budget and the fun adventures and the likeable characters, I think the story lacks a bit of focus and depth at times.

I wish the overall mystery and all that was better structured, sharper, because the is a warmth and a heart there in the narrative – even if there are times, the humor is a little too silly for me but there were fart jokes in the first Davis Doctor Who era as well. Because when she show get's going it really is very good tv. But the unevenness and almost hesitation in the beginning makes the story lack an essence of suspense or danger for a bit. I had a good time, some of these episodes were great Whovian episodes and the series goes out with a bang and it's the most fun I have had in ages with Doctor Who, but my interest did not reach the same heights as in the old days.

[magmacannon]

9, 14, 17, 20, 29, 34 🫵 Roman

yipee!!!!

9. favorite food? least favorite? are they a picky eater? do they have any dietary restrictions?

Roman grew up Really Far North and his food preferences were shaped as such - though he loves a well-cooked or roasted green veggie, his favorite food is a red meat roast cooked in a stock+beer or ale for tenderness/flavor with alliums and tubers/carrots that are served with the meat and maybe a side of bread+butter (hearty stuff). Least favorite food that he's tried was a spiced tomato-heavy salad thing, least favorite food based on concept alone is the fermented bulette meat that his party member tried to make for them ala fermented shark meat.

Roman doesn't consider himself a picky eater - he'll try most things once or twice! - but he also is cursed with Weak Spice Tolerance that bars him from a good amount of food. Rolling a dice here for this last one but he's not allergic to anything BUT.... despite his love for milk, he's sitting as just above having lactose intolerance apparently.

14. are they any good with numbers?

Roman's solid at guessing distances and geometry through practice - you don't want to be a spellcaster, especially an evocation wizard, to have bad aim - and is pretty decent at keeping track of number patterns and budgeting income vs expenses. Higher level or theoretical math is hard for him to grasp but he tries his best!

17. how did they spend their summers/free time as a child?

As a YOUNG child Roman spent his free time either playing at an uncle's lumberyard/hobby farm outside of the walls of Tzeraz or would spend it traveling with his parents within the Northern Kingdom (mostly) while they performed. He has a few friends he'd invite to his house to play (super dramatic war games) besides that.

As he got older and began going to school for magic, his summers were taken up by classes while winter was the big break time where he'd be able to go home for a few months. When with his family and now less-close friends he'd show off what he was learning to anyone who would listen and watch him cast cantrips at snowmen (this annoyed his brother because he'd do it so often). He spent a lot more time daydreaming in his early teens than continuing running around.

20. if applicable, can they drive? if they have their own, what color is their vehicle? is the inside neat and tidy, or a mess?

IN Dorna, Roman's never seen a 'car' in person but he can decently manage to steer a carriage on a well-paved road if needed. He prefers to ride in the back and read/sleep though!

In a world where cars are common he has a minivan that's a little busted up but runs well. He's considering trying to get a Cool Wizard painted on the side. The inside smells decently clean if a little dusty and while the floor's clean, the dashboard compartment and the back have mild piles of stuff (papers/blankets and bags respectively). He travels with ice removal tools Constantly and maybe a portable air pump just in case.

29. are they associated with any particular element (air, earth, fire, water)?

This is ALWAYS a fun one to think of for Roman bc it's changed over time... he's been associated with light/fire for forever if I think about it, but initially I would have def said he was more of a Water Guy. His oldest 'custom' spell was earth-aligned and he casts spells in a very grounded way - I think he wants to be more 'earth' aligned than he actually is in-setting. I think he's probably most associated with fire through how he acts and the magic he casts out of those four options though he wants to be Anything Else atm.

34. how would your character describe themselves? it doesn’t have to line up with how they really are.

Roman would describe himself as a friendly, optimistic guy with a good bit of determination and practice seeing things through (sort of true, he's stubborn). He'd probably say he's 'pretty good' at his job, which is true in that he has a lot of technical skill BUT he lacks focus historically, meaning that he's just Okay at it in truth. He'd say he has a big heart with a lot of love in it, and that's entirely true <3 (he just also has a lot of opinions and some unforseen pettiness, too)

[chuluoyi]

Heyyyy Chu! I hope you are well.

Okay, I know I am late, but there's just been a lot going on in my life. A lot of things happened that I had control over, but I really sucked at managing everything. These past few days have been really hard, and your blog is one of the few things that helps me cope up with life. An escape, really. And I am really grateful for that. Anyway, I read 'All Hail The Empress' and speaking as someone who loves regency romance and Victorian/Royal stories, this read was totally worth it. One can sense the efforts you have put in this piece. The writing is so elegant. I am in love.❤️

One thing I always notice whenever I read different stories is the way one portrays human feelings and emotions (anger, jealousy, insecurity, pain, happiness, uncertainty, etc.). That is something that connects me to a story. And my, oh my, have you done an excellent job! I am so glad you came up with this idea. Loved it. The sexy scenes, Chu! you are sooooo good. I couldn't stop blushing. It was so intimate. I loved it.🥹❤️ The characters! You always capture Satoru's essence the way it should be done. You make it possible to fall in love with him even more every day. About Hanabi, I can not completely blame her for what happened. I definitely judge her for being a part of this in the first place, but then again, that is what makes her more human, and humans tend to make mistakes, unknowingly so. But I do feel sorry for her and her child because no…no one deserves that. I hope she gets her way with this. But again, tHe aUdACiTy!!! What does she mean "carry on your legacy"? The decent thing she could do is just apologize and never show her face again. And Naoya!!! Let's not talk about him. He is hopeless, and I hate him. Overall, it was amazing, Chu, and I loved it. Although the cliff hanger at the end…that was shocking!!! I remember I screamed,"NOOO!" Cannot wait for part 2. All the best. Lots of love.❤️

ady 🥹🩵 oh my god thank you so much for this review! and it’s okay to feel like that :’) i feel like my time management sucks so much lately and thank you for considering my blog an escape too✨ if it makes you feel better then i’m glad!!🫶🏻

i’m SOOO happy you love all hail the empress anjskwhwjs :’) it’s officially my most favorite piece i’ve written, since it’s unlike anything i’ve written before and i have hoped to interact more with readers to know what they are thinking and with this piece i finally have!🥹🥹

naoya and hanabi have stirred many questions, haven’t they🥹 but still HAHAH the way people give up on naoya makes me laugh each time😌 and apparently, hanabi really means it when she tells the empress that she’ll carry her legacy— she is just way too optimistic💁🏻‍♀️

sending lots of love to you!!!🩵 thank you for always dropping by with so many kind things🫶🏻✨

[lurkinglurkerwholurks]

Teenage Mutant Power Rangers

First posted: August 12, 2018

Focuses on: Bruce Wayne et al

Favorite bookmark: "wdym this isn't dc canon"

Tier: Decently middle of the road, higher up in overall metrics than I expected, for sure.

This is my "behind the scenes" series where I indulge myself horribly by annotating my fics. Link to the fic itself above. Thoughts below the cut.

The BatFam week prompt was "time travel." Not my favorite thing to deal with, but I had fun writing this one.

I love writing new-to-vigilantism baby Bruce. He's so horribly emotastic and optimistic all at the same time. He has no clue what he's doing but thinks he does. He's so twenty-something.

More than anything, though, Bruce regretted how rough the aftermath was going to be on Alfred. He knew the old butler saw him as a son, and no father should have to identify their child’s corpse.

Another fun thing about writing baby Bruce is lacing in the casual zingers. They don't hit him, but they hit readers dead on if you do them right. :3

Bruce’s head whipped around to stare into the masked face of a green-hooded figure.

Figuring out how to color code everyone was a nightmare. This family is over-reliant on red and black.

“What, kill me? Wrong-o, B. I’m not the one with mortality issues. You had a fifty-fifty shot and you whiffed.”

Love me some zingers.

The boy cut open the tear in Bruce’s suit, stabbed what felt like a local anesthetic into the meat of Bruce’s shoulder, and began inspecting his bullet wound. 

I believe at this time it was more common to assign Tim the medical role, so that's what I did here. Funny, the microtrends that surge in fandom.

He watched as a lithe, hooded figure with a swimmer’s build dropped next to the gang’s lieutenant, graceful and silent as a cat, and swept the legs out from under the brawler, who dropped like a stone. In quick succession, two more hooded fighters appeared out of the shadows as if they had been born from them, a broad-shouldered mountain of a man and a slender figure with suspiciously feminine hips. 

Trying to describe everyone when 1) their faces and identifying features are all covered and 2) Bruce has no idea who they are was, again, a nightmare.

For a while, Bruce thought there was only the four he had seen, but then he noticed the men that disappeared into the darker corners of the alley and never reemerged. Once, he managed to spot the pair of hands that reached out and pulled a man in, as fast and as deadly as a goblin shark’s jaws.

As a general rule, it's always best to make Cass the scariest, no matter what. Also, if you're reading this and haven't looked up videos of a goblin shark, do.

“Seriously, he’s what? Twenty-five? Bet he’s still got all his original teeth, too.” Bruce opened his mouth to snarl that of course he had all his original teeth, what kind of monster children were they and where were their parents, when a shadow split off from the rest and touched his shoulder.

Baby Bruce is so so so out of his depth and it's a delight.

And though the teen hadn’t catalogued Bruce’s busted knee, they were able to catch Bruce when he took a step and crumpled. A chorus of knowing groans rose. “Your knee? C’mon, B, you should’ve said,” the teen—Red? he had a green hood, that didn’t make sense—said. “He’s Batman-ing,” the blonde said. “Totally Batman-ing,” the tall man—Hood? or were they all Hood?—agreed. Bruce blinked as the man tucked his chin into his neck and growled, “I’m invincible. I bleed justice. My bones are made of truth and the American way.” “Don’t be ridiculous, Hood,” sniffed the boy. “That sounds more like Su—” “Ah, ah, ah!” the slender man interrupted as the shadow clapped its hands over the boy’s mouth. “Ixnay on the Ooper-say. You know the rules. Wibbly-wobbly, butterfly wings, et cetera, and we’ve screwed up enough.”

I delight myself, retroactively. They know exactly how he is and love him in spite of it, but no way will they pass up a chance to rag him for it. Also, yes, their names are stupid. But also, I think I was inspired by Loki mocking Captain America here, and I'm not ashamed of that. But also Lion King with the pig latin.

But when the others merely stood and looked at him, he sighed, and suddenly Bruce was lifted off his feet into a bridal carry. Bruce sucked in a sharp breath as the move jostled his ribs, then settled. The hold was surprisingly comfortable, and, in his addled state, made him feel fancy.

Pinkies up.

I hope everyone enjoyed each kid's final words to Bruce, because they were all very deliberate. Did you catch them? But also please note that I figured out Damian's first and wrote everyone else's just to get to that one.

They're rainbow color-coded ninja fighters and it's the late 80s, early 90s. Of course Bruce's closest frame of reference is the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers (with a side of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.)

[st-louis]

how do you feel about the moves Brière has made and the future of the flyers?

prior to the marc staal signing, i would have said cautiously optimistic/positive about everything. after the marc staal signing, i'm a lot more neutral. :| other than that particular thing i've been pretty happy about what he's done (getting rid of players i didn't like and thought weren't contributing anything and had huge cap hits and trying to get at least something back for them).

i was happy with their draft—thrilled with michkov, bonk is cute even if he might've been picked a little high and definitely fills an organizational need, a little eyes emoji about the two goalies considering our current goalie depth.*

the marc staal thing did signal to me that this is overall more of the same (both with the flyers and with the league in general). in that it doesn't matter whether the player is a bigot, they will sign him anyway if they think he can help the team. which is depressing, but also not surprising. i was hoping they would have been different. they weren't. so it goes. :|

about the future of the flyers. i'm feeling more optimistic now than i was before, but still measured. the mess that chuck fletcher left us in is, well, a mess. the prospect cupboards were kinda bare and one good draft isn't going to fix that, even if all of them hit. the defense is horrific and i don't see that getting better any time soon. the cap situation is...not great. some of those longterm contracts. whew. WHEW. not in a good way. i don't know whether some of the players we need to have bounceback years are going to have bounceback years (coots with his back injuries, cam missing all of last year, sanny with a rough year in general). i'm not thrilled that it seems tortorella is here for the long haul. i think he's good at getting a mediocre team to play better than their talent level but the message gets lost after a few years and i don't think he's the ideal coach for a young team, which the flyers will still be soon. and i'm also not thrilled that he seems to have some sway in who they acquire because a typical "torts" player is not always the type of player i want. but then again, marty was a torts player, so who knows.

i guess this is all to say that so far danny b and keith jones have proven much more competent than chuck fletcher. they're willing to cut ties when they need to instead of falling into the sunk cost fallacy. that's all good stuff. i've been happy with their drafting in a small sample size anyway, so that's promising for the future (can i tell you how long it's been that if there was a big prospect with a pretty decent hockey iq and absolutely horrific skating, like HORRIBLE skating, i almost always knew the flyers would take him.)

right before chuck fletcher got fired, i was thinking about how long it would take to fix the mess. and i was thinking 5-10 years at least, depending on how whoever came in to clean it up handled it. it seems like management is shooting for a 3-year ish rebuild, or around the time michkov might come over. i guess whether that happens remains to be seen. a lot more likely than it was. they've proven to be pretty creative when it comes to trades and clearing cap, so i'm going to just hope for the best.

* there's also the caveat that the hockey canada report is probably getting released soon and we don't know what's going on with that...so anything i have to say about goalie depth is said with not knowing whether carter hart will be on the team long term.

[lovejustforaday]

2023 Year End List - #2

Ooh Rap I Ya - George Clanton

Main genres: Baggy, Chillwave

A decent sampling of: Trip Hop, Dream Pop, Synth Pop, Vaporwave, Breakbeat

Okay okay so yeah I'm very late to the whole George Clanton thing. Look you guyz, vaporwave and its adjacent scenes have never really been my cup of tea due to the general over-saturation of super amateur "vibes" artists with no songwriting chops. The gratuitous Japanese has also always reeked of pretentiousness to me. But there's almost always at least one diamond in the rough.

And I know that Clanton is really more regarded as a chillwave artist, and I know that there's a meaningful distinction between these genres, especially since the term 'chillwave' is at least a year or two older. But I guess in my own mind I just kinda put him in with the former, so he wasn't particularly high on my list of things to check out.

That is, until I saw those peculiar genre tags on his latest record and the general praise it got on my favourite insufferable hipster website rateyourmusic.com (sue me bitch). Baggy and chillwave together? Now THAT was something I had to hear.

And it just so happened to turn out that his stuff blew me away completely. Even upon my first listen, this LP had basically already skyrocketed to the number 2 spot on my year end list and managed to hold on for the rest of the year.

Every note off of Ooh Rap I Ya is drenched in a multicoloured neon slush that tastes like pure fifth gen console nostalgia (yes that's the only thing I can recall about the 90s tyvm). A portal to a dimension floating in a solution of sheer serotonin, with groovy baggy rhythms and gooey, acid-y synths. Layers upon layers of unabashed awesomeness condensed into thirty eight minutes that feel like hours of non-stop raving that still somehow ends all too soon.

There's been way more than enough homages in the 21st century paying tribute to 80s synth pop and its related genres. I'm glad that someone out there finally decided that the early 90s British baggy scene and its related "Madchester" club culture deserved a work of similar celebratory fondness. Not that I'm honestly too well-versed in it myself, though hearing this certainly makes me feel like taking that genre deep dive next year.

But like all good throwback revivalism, this record doesn't just rehash the era that it's paying tribute to. There's a lot of contemporary production techniques and ideas being applied here, and it's all filtered through a very post-internet 2.0 chillwave online aesthetics lens. And while sonically it feels incredibly optimistic, the lyrics have definitely been injected with some of the generational existentialism of its time.

Moreover, this basically just kicks ass more than 98% of anything else released this year. The songwriting is tight, the riffs are infectious to no end, the sound design is simply godlike, and Clanton's trippy pretty boy vocal styling blends seamlessly into this genre. It's just some good fucking timeless music that happens to be heavily influenced by a very time-and-place sound.

"Justify Your Life" has a very particular vibe, as though it was written from that headspace you get when it's 2:00 am and you should be tired, but instead your mind is hyper awake and you're up just kinda reflecting on everything over the last six months. The whole thing rides on the wave of a breezy looped guitar feedback sample, taking little plunges into deep plasmatic psychedelics during the chorus. Very chill and daydreamy, but also a little agitated and melancholy.

The torrential, churning feel-good chaos of "Punching Down" is almost enough to make me feel sick. So sugary and whimsical, you'd be totally forgiven if you missed George's lyrics dissing on the subject of the song, who might just probably be himself. The combination of rubbery arcade synths and a blown out drum machine pattern absolutely buries this song in a totally orgasmic collage. Someone shook the soda can and let it spray all over the damn place. Makes my brain go all fuzzy.

"I Been Young" is a quarter life crisis anthem that's musically somewhere halfway between INXS and Chapterhouse. Very boy band meets neo-psychedelia. The lyrics are poignant in a way I think all of us are destined to feel at some point. But there's also a kind of bittersweet, triumphant silver lining at play here, as in "yeah, life is pretty fucked, but look how far you've come!". Clanton does the great big beautiful chorus thing in a way that I've heard very few artists really manage to pull off so cool and effortlessly. Those colossal piano chords are purely divine. No other song this year comes quite so close to the sentimental, end-credits energy that this song manages to emanate from its very core. Insanely potent, and plainly one of the greatest songs of the decade so far.

"You Hold The Key And I Found It" has me swimming downwards in slow motion. This is for the point of the night at the rave for when you're beyond blasted, and you're kind of just absorbing your surroundings, with every second being its own little eternity. More vaporwave than anything else off the record, but this is a brilliant example of the genre's potential when the songs have the right amount of pulse to them.

"Ooh Rap I Ya" glows like little flourescent fishies swimming in an aquarium. Little bit of a new jack swing meets trip hop vibe on the beat here which makes it extra comfy and danceable. Those "ooh rap I ya"s during the bridge that give the album its title are just so sexy and snappy; I believe I've caught myself singing it at random at least a dozen times in the last month alone.

The sluggish closer "For You, I Will" is insane. This. Song. Is. Massive. I can't get over how utterly consuming it sounds, like impenetrable walls being erected towards the sky that obscure the nature of reality. This one simply must be heard on headphones to get the full experience. George Clanton employed the help of Hatchie 💖 to do the backing vocals on this, which I personally thought was a really cute addition seeing as how her 2022 record Giving The World Away was basically the only other prominent LP of the last few years (or decades, more likely) to pay a lot of homage to the 90s baggy sound.

For as consistently brilliant as the album sounds to my ears, I do admit I have one gripe with this record that I just couldn't look past to give it a 10.

The gripe is that "F.U.M.L." to me is just a weaker, simpler take on "I Been Young". I guess the whole ultra-teenage upbeat pop punk "let's chant gleefully about being edgy and depressed" has never really been my thing either (Looking at you Wheatus, grrrrr), no matter how many layers of nostalgia or even irony you try to bury it under. Maybe an uncharitable take, it's still a pretty decent song and production-wise it's excellent, but I have basically no fondness for it when compared to anything else on the LP.

But anyhow, shut the fuck up already Bradley cuz this record is goddamn amazing. Ooh Rap I Ya has very quickly become one of my favourites of the decade - heavily grounded in the psychedelic baggy sounds it derives from, while managing to be so incredibly forward thinking in its maximalist production and songwriting. George Clanton just landed himself at the top of my list of artists to be on the look out for new releases in the next few coming years.

9/10

Highlights: "I Been Young", "Punching Down", "For You, I Will", "You Hold The Key And I Found It", "Ooh Rap I Ya", "Justify Your Life", "Everything I Want"

[box-dwelling]

This may be the autism speaking but I genuinely think that a really useful skill in not being an open minded and tolerant person is learning to acknowledge that you are not going to know or understand everything about the people you interact with, are friends with or even love.

Like people are complicated. The world is complicated and you are never going to be able to empathize or be knowledgeable about every experience. And I mean that with empathy being literally being able to directly put yourself in their shoes and know how it feels.

And the instinct that we have to kind of has two outcomes, either your instinct is reactionary and because the experience is unknown to you and therefore it scares you or you presume the other person must be wrong. Or you decide you have to know and pester them about the experience in a way that they probably aren't comfortable with or tire of easily.

But if you just accepted, hey I don't get this. This isn't something I have knowledge or experience of and then just take that as a fact you can just be normal with them. And then that's actually a way better gateway to learn about the experience because either it will just come up as you talk or they'll tell you stuff at a point where they feel comfortable. Now it's absolutely you'll put your foot in your mouth and slip up but then you're already in a better mental position to deal with that because you aren't going to blame yourself or insist the other person is wrong. You already have accepted that this is something you don't know about and can better take mistakes as an opportunity to learn.

It's like to take this at its absolute most basic uncontroversial, I'll give this example. If my dad gets in a conversation where he doesn't know someone's name he absolutely freaks and he has to end the conversation as soon as possible because he's terrified that hes going to mess up and then only tried to talk to them again when he remembers. But I have managed to have multiple friendships with people irl who's name I never learned or learned very late into the relationship because the reality is that you don't actually need to know it that much about someone to get on with them. You don't have to understand the complete workings of who they are. Youd be surprised how little you actually do need.

And this kind of goes the same for other aspects of peoples identity. You just have to kind of yes and it. Like ok, you know more about your experience and who you are than I do. You always will. I can learn from you but I don't need to know. Anything I do learn is cool but I don't need any more information than the stuff you want to give me. Don't try and logic it out or generalize, just take everything they have said as fact and leave it at that.

Then with the reactionary sentiment, that's got lots of other problems for obvious reasons but let's devils advocate here and take the presumption that it's correct. X person has X identity and they are either wrong or its harming them in some way. You aren't going to talk them out of that. Especially when you have no knowledge yourself. They will have heard it before. A lot of time they will have thought it before. You can't change that. So it's best to just accept it and if you're right let them figure it out themselves.

There is kind of this semi deserved backlash to liberal tolerance. Like the kind of "I tolerate queer people and I tolerate Nazis" approach is obviously harmful. But I don't think we should throw the baby out with the bath water either. Because expecting that you must immediately be able to understand, empathize with, know and properly advocate for every marginalised experience is naively optimistic at best and completely impossible at worst. Tolerance is a good first step but you have to recognise it is the first and be prepared to learn more. But being at that step shouldn't prevent you from being decent and normal to the people in your life who do have that experience in the meantime. They aren't there to teach you, but if you're patient you might learn something.

[fangirlwriting-stories]

Protector

Chapter One

Chapter Four:

Ignoring the food stealing, which was a necessity, Virgil tried not to do too many things that would be risky.  Janus and Roman were both still too antagonistic to try and talk to, and Logan was too… stiff.  The safest option for now seemed to be continuing his attempts to befriend Patton.  He, at least, seemed willing to make a return effort.  And if he won over the optimistic fool they all seemed to love, that would be a pretty decent start.

So he got in a habit of helping Patton make meals.  Getting up so early in the morning wasn’t exactly fun, but Patton seemed to really enjoy it, and Virgil… well, there were worse things to be doing, he supposed.

This morning, he managed to drag himself out of bed after only hitting the snooze four times instead of five, so when he walked out of his room Patton wasn’t cooking yet.  Instead, he was carrying a huge basket of clothes into a room.

“Uh, Pat?” Virgil asked, and Patton turned in slight surprise.  “What are you doing?”

“Laundry,” Patton said.  “It’s my week to do it.  Oh, did you have any clothes you wanted washed?”

Virgil blinked.  “Laundry?”  He walked over towards Patton and peered into the room he was heading towards.  Inside, there were two large cube-shaped containers with a bunch of buttons and dials on them.  Virgil blinked at them for a long moment.

“Uh, kiddo?” Patton asked in confusion.  “Are you okay?”

“You— you don’t— wash your clothes in your bathtub?” Virgil asked, his face heating up even as he asked the question.

“What?” Patton asked, sounding even more confused.

Back home, washing clothes was an all day affair.  Virgil filled the bathtub with water and soap, soaked the one outfit he owned in there, and sat in his room wrapped in a blanket all day.�� He only needed a single outfit, and it’s not like it was safe to go to the laundry room.  He’d never even seen the weird cube machines before.

“Kiddo,” Patton said, seeming to have picked up on his ignorance.  “Do you… not clean your clothes in a washer and dryer?”

Virgil looked away, his face burning.  “We don’t have one,” he lied.

“You don’t have one?” Patton asked in alarm.  “Why not?”

“I don’t know,” Virgil said.  “We just kinda… soaked stuff in soap and water and let it air dry.”  He threw his hood up and pulled the strings tighter so Patton couldn’t see his face.  “Felt kinda stupid to have more than one outfit to have to do that with.”

“Wait, are you saying the only clothes you own are the ones you’re wearing right now?” Patton asked, sounding even more concerned.

Virgil pulled the strings tighter.  “Maybe,” he mumbled.  Maybe he could go back to his room and die under his covers so he’d never have to address the consequences of this conversation.  “Why would we need more than one outfit anyway, we all wear the same thing all the time.”

“We… we have several identical outfits designated for filming,” Patton said.  “But that doesn’t mean we don’t have other clothes.  We want to relax sometimes, after all, and we all have a onsie for movie night.”

Virgil pulled the strings even tighter, to a point where it was getting a little difficult to breathe.  “Oh.”

“Hey, kiddo,” Patton said, and Virgil heard the sound of footsteps moving forward.  “It’s okay.  You absolutely do not have to be ashamed of anything.  Washing clothes with soap and water is exactly what these machines do.  It’s not any worse to do it in the bathtub, it probably just takes longer.  But if you didn’t have any other options, that’s perfectly fine.  It’s just a little different to what I’m used to.”

Virgil loosened his hood slightly to find Patton smiling warmly.  The tight ball of shame in his chest slowly began to loosen too.

“It really is okay, kiddo,” Patton said.  “I can just show you how these work if you’d like.  And just to make things easier, I can ask Roman to make you some new clothes.”

“No,” Virgil snapped instantly.  The idea of telling Roman something like this brought all the shame rushing back, but this time it came out in anger instead.  “It’s not— I don’t want him to know,” Virgil said, crossing his arms and glaring away.  “It’s not like he’d care anyway.”

“Oh kiddo, I know Roman can be kind of rude, but he’s not cruel.  If you ask him for help, he’ll help you.”

Virgil barely managed to keep from scoffing out loud.  As if Roman would care about Virgil’s lack of outfits.  He probably wanted the villain of the bunch to be walking around in old rotting rags.

“I don’t want Roman to know,” Virgil insisted.  He wasn’t sure how much good it would do in regards to convincing Patton not to tell him, but he was going to make his feelings known regardless.

But to his surprise, Patton just nodded.  “Okay,” he said.  “That’s okay.  Just know that if you change your mind, that’s okay too.  And if it’s a day when you need to wash your clothes, you can borrow some of mine.”

Virgil didn’t know what to say to that.  He wouldn’t be borrowing Patton’s cutesy clothes, that was for sure.  But for some reason the offer felt… not terrible?  He hadn’t expected Patton to actually be willing to do something like that.  He’d always known Patton was the most trusting of the core sides, but he hadn’t expected him to be that trusting.  Eating his food or showing him how to cook was one thing, but if he gave him his clothes, how did he know Virgil would give them back?  Why would he trust Virgil with something like that?

Maybe he was just stupider than Virgil thought.  Learning how to use those machines didn’t sound like such a bad idea, though.

“I’ll think about it,” Virgil said.  “But uh, yeah.  How do those things work?”

“I’ll show you,” Patton said, and with that, they both headed into the room with his basket of clothes.

…

The machines weren’t terribly hard to figure out, Virgil was pretty sure all he’d need was a couple times of reminding himself before he knew how to do it on his own.  And, while he didn’t want to tell Roman anything about his clothing situation, that didn’t mean there wasn’t another side who could help him out in that regard.

So when he’d stolen Remus’ lunch for the day, a plate of leftover spaghetti and a cup of water, he headed down with the plan of getting some more outfits for the both of them.

“I bring food,” Virgil said, and Remus instantly hopped up from where he was paddleballing on his bed.

“Virgey!”

Virgil had just enough time to set the plate and glass down on Remus’ desk before he was wrapped in a crushing hug.

“Missed you too,” Virgil mumbled, burying his head in Remus’ shoulder.

“Not as much as I did,” Remus said.  “It’s so boring without you here, Virgey.”

“Well, you could always tell me to come home and I wouldn’t hesitate for a second,” Virgil said.

“Ha, no.  Not what I meant.  You did bring me food though, right?”

“On the desk,” Virgil said, stepping back and nodding over at it.

“Oh sick, you got me blood?” Remus asked, moving quickly over as soon as he spotted the plate.

“It’s spaghetti, dummy,” Virgil said, rolling his eyes fondly.  “It’s red sauce.”

“Boooo,” Remus said in between shoveling bites into his mouth.  While he was finishing the plate, Virgil moved and sat down on his bed, trying to figure out the best way to bring up what he was thinking.

“So, hey,” he said finally.  “I might need your help with something small.”

Remus glanced over at him.  He’d grabbed the straw from the cup of water and was now using it to eat the spaghetti.  “Course, what’s up?”

“Uh… okay,” Virgil said, moving past the straw.  “So the core sides apparently clean their clothes in these machines that are in the laundry room, and Patton seems to think it’s weird that I only have one outfit.  So I was thinking we could both make a couple more outfits for each of us and I can wash them.  I’ll bring yours back here and keep mine over there, and that way you won’t seem weird to them when I finally convince them to bring you over there.”

Remus, to his surprise, set the plate down and went quiet.  Virgil tipped his head in concern.  “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t… I don’t want to do that, Virgil,” Remus said.

“Oh, I… I’m sorry,” Virgil said, a little confused.

“No, I mean… yeah, of course I’ll make you some new stuff, but I don’t want you to have to think about and figure out how to wash mine.”

“What— Remus, it’s not a big deal,” Virgil said, standing up as his gaze moved right back to concern.  “I’d be washing mine anyway.”

“You already have to bring me food all the time,” Remus said.  “I don’t like being dependent on you for everything.  I can wash my outfit just fine by myself.”

“Hey, I’m choosing to bring you food,” Virgil said, crossing his arms.  “Because I want to keep you safe.  This is the same kind of thing.”

“No, this is a luxury,” Remus said, crossing his arms back.  “The system I have right now works fine, I’m not going to make you do extra stuff just to make things easier on me.”

“Re, I want to make things easier on you,” Virgil said.  “And to be honest, I’m not thrilled about the idea of bringing you food on a wash day and having to see you stark naked.”

“I’ll cover myself up with a blanket like we always do,” Remus said.  “I don’t… I don’t want more outfits.”

“Remus,” Virgil said.  “I already have so many luxuries it’s ridiculous.  Do you know the kinds of things I get up there?  Multiple meals a day, towels to shower with, free reign throughout the commons.  Let me do at least one nice thing for you.”

Remus was quiet for a long moment.

“Okay,” he said finally.  “But only if it’s not extra trouble.”

“It’s not,” Virgil said, though he wasn’t actually sure yet.  “I’ll have to wash my clothes anyway.”

“Okay,” Remus said, though he still looked a little unsure.  “I’ll make some stuff for both of us tomorrow.  What kind of stuff do you want?”

Virgil blinked.  “Uh, yeah, I’ve totally thought about that.”

Remus snorted, and at least he looked a little more like himself.  “Don’t worry about it,” Remus said.  “I’ll come up with something.”

“Okay,” Virgil said, smiling at him.  He moved to sit back on Remus’ bed again as Remus grabbed the spaghetti plate and joined him.

“So other than boring, how have things been down here?” Virgil asked.

“Nope,” Remus said, shaking his head.  “That’s it.  It’s just indescribably dull.  You are my only source of entertainment, Virgil.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Virgil said, giving Remus a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.  “I’d hang out more, but I’m trying to make four idiots like me.”

Remus huffed and set the empty plate down, then leaned against Virgil’s side.  “How’s that going?”

“It’s going,” Virgil muttered.  “I mean, Patton likes me.  But that’s not really an accomplishment.  Logan’s indifferent and Janus and Roman still despise everything about me.”

Remus blew a raspberry and flopped down on the bed.

“I think they’re suspicious,” Virgil said, leaning back on the bed next to Remus.  “I’m just… really bad at finding a middle ground between ‘piss them off’ and ‘act like we’re best friends.’  So I’m going with the second one.  And they’re not buying it.  Probably because it’s fake.”

It was Remus’ turn to pat Virgil sympathetically on the shoulder.  “It’s all good Virge,” he said.  “I told you I knew this wasn’t going to move fast.”

“Yeah,” Virgil sighed, curling up against Remus’ side.  “I just worry.”

“You?  Worrying?  Since when?” Remus joked, wrapping his arms around Virgil.  Virgil couldn’t really find it in him to laugh.

“Can I stay here?” he murmured instead.  “I need a nap.”

“Mm-hmm,” Remus said, poofing a blanket into existence that he draped over them.

Virgil wrapped his arms around Remus and pulled him to his chest as he shut his eyes.

…

Virgil had expected someone to say something about his growing closeness with Patton, but he had expected it to be Logan being curious or Janus being suspicious.  He hadn’t expected it to be Roman, and he hadn’t expected him to be so angry.

Virgil, not that he would ever admit it out loud, had come to enjoy cooking with Patton in the morning.  He was still way too peppy for that early in the morning, and way too optimistic for ever, but if Virgil looked past that, he could see that Patton genuinely enjoyed caring for others.  It made him happy when the others complimented his cooking, and it made him happy that Virgil wanted to do it with him.  (Or at least he thought Virgil did.  Obviously Virgil was lying.)

This morning, Virgil had decided he was in a secure enough position to try and make some kind of move forward.  He’d learned recently that Patton liked cats, so along with some help from Remus, he’d made a small cat plushie that was holding a stack of pancakes and wearing a chef hat.  And if he was thinking about the way that Patton would smile if he actually liked it, that was just him getting into character.  He had to sell this, after all.

He was planning on just walking into the kitchen and dropping it on the counter next to Patton, because the idea of doing anything else made him slightly nauseous, but that plan was ruined when he walked around the corner and saw Roman with his back to him.

Virgil shoved the plushie behind his back and tensed, but before he could sink out Roman turned and narrowed his eyes.

“Hey Roman,” Virgil said, trying to play it cool and ignore both the slight irritation and the nerves that spiked in his chest.  “What are you doing up so early?”

“I don’t like what you’re doing with Patton,” Roman said, and Virgil tried to take a deep breath.

“Making breakfast?” he asked.  “I thought they were turning out alright.”

“I’m not talking about breakfast,” Roman snapped.  “I’m talking about you trying to manipulate him into thinking you actually want to be friends.”

“I’m not manipulating anything,” Virgil said, tightening his grip on the evidence of intended emotional manipulation he was holding behind his back.  He didn’t like being snapped at.

“Yeah, right,” Roman said, crossing his arms.  “Look, I’m only gonna tell you once.  Stay away from Padre or I’m going to Janus.”

You’re gonna tattle on me? Virgil bit back.  Don’t piss him off, don’t piss him off, don’t piss him off—

“I’m sorry Roman,” he managed.  “I wasn’t trying to make anyone uncomfortable.  But I promise I’m not trying to hurt Patton.”

“And what’s a promise from you worth?” Roman snapped.  “Just stay away from him or you’ll regret it.”

Virgil expected him to sink out, but instead he sat down at the kitchen table and glared up at him, which kind of left Virgil out of options.

So, after a minute, he sank out instead, and went back to his room.  He growled in frustration and hurled the cat plushie across the room.  But not even a second later he regretted doing that, and went to pick up the plushie.  Thankfully, it was unharmed.

Virgil, after a moment of pondering, headed over to his closet and set the plushie on his top shelf.

Well, that ruined that plan.  Thanks a lot, Roman.

Virgil took a deep breath.  Okay, so maybe Patton wasn’t an option for a little bit.  He’d just have to move on to something else.  Definitely not Roman, if the conversation in the kitchen was any indication.  And it still felt too soon to try anything with Janus.

Virgil bit his lip, turning to face his door.  Logan it is.

...

Chapter Five