#i mean if hes in thirteens costume obviously thirteen is in his

[angeledeggs]

Hii! I know it's nowhere near Halloween right now, but would you be alright with doing some headcanons about the M6 + the Courtiers during Halloween? :P

Yes! Halloween is my favorite holiday 🎃🍬🕷️

General headcannons about the Main 6 and The Courtiers during Halloween:

Asra💜:

Asra... Doesn't celebrate Halloween!

Not as if he dosent like Halloween or anything! Halloween is cool, it sounds awesome, he definitely hands out candy to the kids and stuff, but, like...

He's also muslim, though (because believe it or not queer Muslims exist) so he probably doesn't celebrate Halloween or do anything for it besides hand out candy to the kids because long story short, he can't stand the neighbors being better than him at the candy giving.

If Asra would happen to celebrate any holiday during October though, it would be Mawlid if the date happened to fall in October.

But if he had a partner, he would probably help them with their costume or get decorations for them since he wants them to be happy in celebrating Halloween.

Will probably watch bad Halloween movies just to laugh at them because it's so obviously fake.

Is bitter about how Julian has better Halloween decorations than they do, and will probably go on a rant. I mean, come on, first Julian has amazing Shabbat dinners, now he has to have amazing Halloween dinners, too? When will the madness END?!

Muriel💙:

Watches scary movies and ends up sleeping with the lights on throughout October. He suddenly remembers it's Halloween the day of and rushes to the store.

He dosent really do much to his house since it's pretty cob webby, but he hurriedly buys ice cream bars for the kids that might come.

It was a good idea in theory. Turns out, ice cream isn't a good idea when it melts in the bags of kids and Muriel has to meditate very hard to keep himself from crying.

He dosent really like costumes, but might reuse his masquerade costume if somebody really wants to go out in costumes with him.

He will most likely barely get a wink of sleep through October, just because he watches Horror movies even though it terrifies them.

Nadia💎:

Oh, she dosent do Halloween, either! She does Navaratri. It's basically a Hindu holiday to honor Durga, and she is more than happy to tell anyone about it.

Even though she doesn't celebrate Halloween though, she does enjoy to throw big palace Halloween parties since lots of Vesuvian citizens celebrate Halloween.

She makes sure to throw other parties for other holidays too, though.

Admittedly, she's not able to resist getting Halloween candy despite not celebrating the holiday, and ends up with a chamber full of lots of candy.

She also likes watching Halloween movies-- but only bad ones, because ones that are actually scary make her insomniac.

Julian🦠:

Halloween is his SHIT.

He might be Jewish, but it turned into a whole thing with Asra when he started making Halloween dinners for his friends, and now his goal the entire month of October is to throw as many good dinner parties as he can just to be the best.

(kosher dinner parties, of course.)

He's definitely festive and celebrates Halloween even though it isn't Jewish, and will most likely decorate his house overnight after drinking too much coffee.

Loves the Halloween sugar cookies at a bakery, and they're kosher, so he can actually eat them.

He's known for having the best candy on the block. He literally sorts them by bowl and greets the kids by going "Hey kiddos! What y'all need? Kosher? Halal? Non-Gmo? Non dairy? I got it all!"

Halloween turns into a competition for him and on midnight of November first he sleeps for thirteen hours straight and wakes up thinking it's already time for Hannukah.

Portia🧡:

This girl loves Halloween! She's Jewish, yeah, but she still loves Halloween!

She dosent really do decorations cause she leaves it to her brother. She can count on him to show up at Midnight with boxes of decorations and decorate her house for her.

She really likes watching Halloween vlogs, and binges them at night just for funsies.

She'll probably try to make Halloween themed Challah and then give up after five hours of trying.

Shes definitely a sucker for Halloween desserts, and will end up baking a storm every Halloween. So much so, she ends up handing cupcakes and slices of cake to the kids that come knocking at her door.

Lucio👑:

Halloween is his jam, of course!

He loves it, what's there not to love? Scary movies, good candy, awesome color scheme, it's all great!

He definitely will binge Halloween movies for weeks and will decorate with like, one paper bat. He thinks it's the most advanced thing ever. Thankfully, he hasn't seen Julian's Halloween setup. Or the dungeons.

He probably gets a new Halloween blanket each year, though. He has a collection and plans to add to it, anyway.

Goes to literally every Halloween party and much like Julian, takes a long nap the second November hits.

He always says the 'next Halloween he'll be more chill' but everyone knows he's gonna get so excited to slow down, anyway.

Valerius🍷:

Oh, no, is Halloween here already? No. No!! He'll have to board up the windows and haul up in the wine cellar!

No, seriously.

Valerius will literally lock all the doors and stay in the wine cellar the entire Halloween. He dosent want to see the kids because he is deathly afraid of his mansion getting egged from a few Halloweens ago where eggs were thrown at his beautiful house.

He literally is too afraid to go out of the wine cellar after Halloween but manages and probably is so relieved when he sees his house is fine that he downs an entire glass of water and then passes out on the couch.

Might watch a Halloween movie after that, though.

Vlastomil🐛:

He's waited all year to put his worms to use. And now he can.

He uses the worms to fertilize his garden and hands out vegetables to the kids.

His house will most likely get egged, and in the event, will definitely cry his eyes out in the front yard in his worm pajamas to the horror of onlookers.

The Praetor dosent know how to work a television (or as he calls it, horribly, a 'picture box'.) So he'll probably just read a book that he deems to be Halloween themed

Frankenstein, Probably. He's not that original, to be honest. Might dress up as Frankenstein when he hands out vegetables, though. But when he tried to dress up as Frankenstein by borrowing Valdemar's lab coat, he got the dirtiest look he's ever seen from the doctor.

He ends up dressing as a worm, instead...

Valdemar 🧠:

Oh. Ohohoho. Ohohoho. Finally. FINALLY. Halloween has fallen. Now Valdemar can go... CRAZY.

They will literally douse the dungeons in spiderwebs and cackle at night just for fun, and because they know it wakes everyone up.

If some poor children have the mistake of wandering into the dungeons as they trick or treat, Valdemar will most definitely be seen pacing on the ceiling in thought. Their neck bends 360 and they scare away any trick or treaters before they have the chance to offer them their 'healthy candy'.

Their healthy candy is simply toothpaste. In a jar. They love to see the looks of horror when they bring it out.

They'll probably leave the spiderwebs year round, to be honest. They like the look of them.

Volta🍰:

Bakes up a storm for all of the Halloween parties!

She definitely loves getting Halloween pastries, and will probably get a couple each week to stock up upon in her house.

Hates any kind of Halloween movie, she can't get through them without crying.

Hands out pastries in bags to kids who come trick or treating to herself.

She dosent like decorating, it's too much work, and she's too short to reach much of any good place to decorate, anyway.

She may end up leaving a take one bowl outside and sleeping through the whole thing.

Vulgora⚔️:

They don't really do much for Halloween, but probably hands out candy to kids.

And by candy, they just take whatever sword they don't mind giving away in their collection and gives it to a child. It will do them good to learn how to use a sword in battle.

Oh, don't be so worried! They bubble wrap the swords...

Sometimes.

Okay, okay, fine, all the time. But it would do the soft children nowadays some good to get an internal injury from a sword once or twice...

Nobody really comes to Vulgoras house for Halloween.

❀

[idontunderstandchemistry]

Indecent Proposal (An academic rivals to lovers fanfic) - Tim Drake x Latina!Fem!Reader.

Sinopsis: Being a scholarship student at Gotham's most expensive school is not easy, especially when your academic rival, your nemesis, who coincidentally is the owner's son, decides to make you a rather usual proposition.

Tropes: Academic rivals-to-lovers, contract/bet, he loved her all this time, everyone else sees it except them, opposites attract, etc.

A/N: Hi guys! I hope you had enjoyed the holidays! So, just to warn you guys, the uptades may become more sparse due to the return to school, but I will continue doing my best to update at least once a week :/ Also, I just wanted to say that I'm very gratefull for every interaction from you guys ❤️ They keep me motivated to keep writing and I simply love to know what you guys think about Indecent Proposal. It makes me feel like we're all on the same boat, I don't know how to explain it lol. Anyways, tysm for evething! (Also, this chapter's song is just because it has been playing in my head non stop because of TikTok. I WANNA BE SAAAAVED)

For those of you that want to read some chapters ahead, feel free to acess my AO3 account here.

Warnings: Alysanne lightly fantasysing with Daddy!Batman (but to be fair, let he who has never sinned cast the first stone,I know I'm not going to be the one.)

Wordcount: 1715.

Chapter thirteen

Chapter Fourteen: Pictures Don't Lie

When you arrived at the studio, Aly was already in their costume, making the last adjustments. You couldn’t help but smile. They looked fucking stunning.

— There she is! — Aly exclaimed as you sat on one of the armchairs, waiting — The it girl of the moment.

— It's good to see you too, Alysanne — You said, taking your shoes off. Fabio’s n°1 rule: never wear shoes while trying on your custom-made clothes — Where’s Fabio?

— I have no idea, I think he said something about grabbing some pins — Aly said, looking at themselves in the mirror — I personally think he meant I’m skinny. Your costume is in the change room, he asked for you to try it on so that he would be back in a minute.

You got inside the change room and saw the beautiful white dress. You could easily be mistaken by a minimalist bride in this dress. The silk was so soft and shiny… the draped bust would make your breasts look even more amazing. You wondered what Tim would think when he saw you in this dress. You giggled like a child, wondering how much this dress cost. Aly loved to pamper you.

— You’ve already hidden your lover’s face from me, don’t hide the dress too! — Aly exclaimed from the outside. You finished putting the dress on and after a good five minutes trying to strap the wings to yourself alone, you got out of the changing room and asked Aly to help you. They helped you and you got to the mirror step to see it better — If i were a woman, I would envy you so much.

You laughed at Aly’s comment.

— I’m serious! — They exclaimed — You’re the only person I know that can make a romantic costume look hot without shortening your skirt or lowering the neckline. 

— Thank you, Aly — You said — You’re also rocking. You look simply amazing. The jewellery pieces will compliment the look so much you definitely are going to get Paris Hilton’s blessing.

— Oh, I’m sure I will — They said, smiling — It would be very dumb of her not to choose me as her successor. I mean, I’m thin, I’m blonde and my tan comes straight from Aruba. 

— Good that you know — You said.

After you guys took some photos for Aly’s instagram, they started to question you.

— Why don’t we call your Dilf Playboy so that he can see how you look good? — They asked, seated on the armchair beside you. You laughed.

— He is our age, Aly — You tried to guide the conversation — And I can’t show him.

— Why not? Is there anything of yours he hasn't seen yet? No slutshaming obviously.

You laughed loudly.

— Yes, Aly. There are parts of me he hasn’t seen yet — You said — And he is a cheesy motherfucker. Would try to match costumes with me, and then everybody would know about our… thing.

— You can just call it a relationship, you know?

— We are not dating. It’s purely physical.

— Maybe for you and that cold heart of yours — Aly pointed, fidgeting with the hem of their gown. 

— I’m not cold hearted — You answered, a bit offended — I just… have more important things. And I don’t want to be in a relationship with him. Things are good the way they are. 

— You're really not telling me who your mysterious twink is?

— No, I’m not — You said — At least for now. Maybe after this thing between us end, we can talk shit about him. 

— “I’m not cold hearted”, she says — Aly said and rolled their eyes. 

You spent some time in silence, watching tv. And then the reality show got interrupted by the news with an interview with Batman.

— Turn the volume up! — Aly exclaimed, worried, since the images were near their father’s work. You did as they asked.

“... The source of the explosion is already being investigated by Red Robin and I, there are no fatal victims and everything will be alright”. Your mind vented. Red Robin. There has been a while since you heard about him. Good to know he is alive. Aly, with a very confused look, turned their head towards you with a devious grin.

— What? — You asked.

— I know why you don’t want to tell me who you’re secretly shagging — They said, leaning towards you. You arche done eyebrow, confused — You’re fucking Batman! — Aly exclaimed as they heard the dark knight voice on the TV. Oh fuck, it was scary how Tim could mimic it almost perfectly — Does he fuck you with the mask on? How big is it?

— What?! No! — You exclaimed, laughing — That man is clearly in his forties, Aly, he could be my father. I’ve told you, he is our age.

— Look, of all the people in this world, you’re the one I’ve least expected to try to gaslight me…

— I’m not, Aly, I swear on my mother’s name.

— I heard his voice, little Y/N. It's Batman!

— No, he’s not! He just is really good at imitating voices — You tried to explain, but Aly wasn’t easily convinced.

— Oh, so he didn’t tell you then — Aly said — I really am a great detective!

— Aly, he is a highschooler — You said, holding their hands  — If he was Batman, he would fail every fucking class, and as hard it is for me to admit, he is kinda smart. 

— I demand proof. 

— What do you want? To see his fucking driver’s licence? Birth certificate? His report card?

— A picture of him will do.

You sighed. There must be a way out of this. You went through your secret gallery, where you kept the pictures you’ve taken together while you engaged in physical activities (you honestly thought it was a bit risky, but you had nothing to lose if these pictures were stolen. Well, maybe your dignity, but at this point you were pretty convinced you’ve already lost it), but they all showed his face or his stomach scar, and Aly had a fucking great memory. They would know it was Tim the second they saw his scar.

— Give me a sec.

You went to the balcony and called for Tim.

— Missing me already? — He asked, his voice echoed. Where the fuck was he that had echo?

— Are you in a cave? — You couldn’t help but ask — Your voice is echoing.

— Oh, I'm in the manor’s gym — He answered.— How can I help you, darling?

— I need a picture of yours — You said, biting your lip nervously — A picture that shows you’re not an old man and that at the same time doesn't show any of your recognizable features. 

— That’s a very specific request. May I know why?

— Aly thinks you’re a sugar daddy — You admitted, after a sigh — They’re convinced you’re an old man and I want to prove them wrong. If I don’t, they’ll mock me for eternity.

— You really do hate the idea of having a sugar daddy, don’t you? No one has pampered you enough?I can change that… — He said and you could imagine the grin on his pretty face. Smart ass.

— That’s not the point, Playboy.

— I’ve got you, darling. Remember that picture of us in your bathroom mirror, the one you’re wrapped your legs around my waist?

— The one I asked you to delete? You’ve kept it. Obviously — You said, laughing. You would be mad at him for keeping that picture, but it saved you right now.

— Sorry, I didn’t plan on keeping it, but you look so fucking pretty there that I couldn’t help it.

— That’s okay. Just send it to me, please.

— Sent already, darling.

— Thank you, Playboy.

— You’re welcome, love. 

— Bye.

— Kiss you later.

You hung up and walked back into the room. Aly was on the mirror step again and Fabio was back with the pins.

You got in Tim’s chat and opened the photo.

He was right, it was a good photo, but you didn’t want him to have it because of the way you looked at him in it. Too intimate. He was standing with his back turned to your mirror, his wet hair kinda messy and some water droplets sliding on his bruised back. You were being held by him, your legs wrapped around his waist and his hands cupping your ass (gently squeezing, actually, but no one could tell it by the picture), one of your hands grabbing his shoulders, your red nail polish in contrast with his fair skin. You were the one holding the phone and, with your hair wet and slight back, you looked at his smile with flustered cheeks and a sweet smile. Too fucking intimate. 

At least, neither his face nor his scars known to the public were showing.

— If you ever say he is old again, Alysanne Taylor Lewis, I’m going to beat your ass — You started getting closer to them. Aly got the phone from your hand and you were not worried that they could get out of the photo and try to discover his identity. You trusted Aly.

— Damn, y/n, you are aggressive in bed — They said, zooming in on Tim's bruises — Nobody would bet on that by looking at your face… always the quiet ones…

— I didn’t do it — You laughed — He got in a fight with his brothers. 

— Romeo? — Fabio asked, looking at the photo too. Aly nodded — His back seems incredibly familiar. Weird. I know these measures from someone…

— Maybe you’ve tailored something for him — Aly said, giving your phone back to you — She calls him “Playboy”, so he is certainly on your client’s list.

Fabio looked at you.

— I have no idea, maybe he is — You said, looking at the picture again. Even though Tim was filthy rich, you couldn’t picture him wearing hand made suits. The boy literally showed up at your house wearing jeans and a Flash merch sweater.

— That look on your face — Aly said — Are you sure you’re not in love with him?

— Shut up, Alysanne. 

— Maybe Red Robin finally found his match in the competition for your heart. Who would say, a hero and a twink… I guess you don’t really have a type.

You didn’t answer, as you kept looking at your face on the picture before deleting it. 

You were not going to let him crawl his way into your heart. 

[thirddoctor]

There was so much going on that I’m not sure I can give an exhaustive review but here are some thoughts:

It was fun! It had a lot of energy and kept me invested the whole way through! Considering all the plot points it was juggling, I expected it to be way more of a mess, especially after what happened with Flux, so I was pleasantly surprised.

I thought Thirteen’s regeneration scene was sweet and very fitting for her character. In a version of the show where she’d had better writing throughout her run I’m sure it would’ve made me emotional.

Seeing Ace and Tegan was fun, plus the other companions at the end, especially Ian. William Russell has been long overdue for a return to the show, and I’m glad he finally got one, however small.

Also nice to see most of the surviving Doctors back. I went wild when Paul McGann showed up because I’d kinda only been expecting Peter, Colin, and Sylvester.

Jo Martin of course always kills it in the role and I wish we could’ve had her as a full time Doctor.

Not sure why Vinder was there but I like the character so I can’t object too much. I guess we can finally lay the “Vinder and Bel are the Doctor’s parents” theory to rest, thank goodness.

Also not sure why they brought Ashad back if they weren’t going to do anything interesting with him. He was a cool villain! Probably the best in the era! I wish they hadn’t killed him off so unceremoniously in S12. I don’t care about boring clone!Ashad who’s just acting as the Master’s henchman.

As for the Master himself, I’m not sure I can begin to articulate all my thoughts - some are positive, some are negative. His plan was very convoluted and I still don’t understand parts of it. Also I don’t think they say why he actually wants to steal the Doctor’s body (besides as a means of killing her and ruining her reputation). I can make some obvious assumptions (for example, he wants her potentially unlimited regenerations, he feels inferior to her because of the Timeless Child stuff and wants to be her, etc.) but I don’t think any of that is ever hinted at.

Seeing him in Jodie’s costume was fun though.

Maybe I’m simply a killjoy but I thought a lot of the references were cringe. idk I’ve just had my full of that kind of thing lately from all the major franchises so hearing the Master repeat the “I always dress for the occasion” line or make a Master’s Dalek Plan joke (that everyone including Big Finish had already made years ago) does nothing for me. Maybe I need more joy in my heart but I don’t care about the “blossomiest blossom.” It just feels like pandering.

Moving on to the companions, I’m sorry but Dan and Yaz’s exits were so funny. What... what was the point of Dan? He’s fun, I like him, but why was he here? He’s just some guy who’s just kind of there until he just kind of decides to go home. He never even got to be a plasterer. 😔

And Yaz leaves... because... the Doctor’s going to regenerate? That’s it? Like, after all this time, after showing how devoted she is to the Doctor, this is the reason she goes back home? Obviously Mandip Gill is leaving, but in universe it comes off as really weird. Companions have stuck around when the Doctor regenerates plenty of times. Clara and Rose do! Lots of Classic companions do! Is Yaz just that attached to Thirteen’s face?

Also they didn’t even reference Thasmin ahdjsdgh sorry guys

Literally how is anything about Yaz’s character resolved by this ending? Is she still a cop? What’s her relationship like with her family these days? Is she even still speaking to them regularly? Will she ever tell them the truth about her life? Does she finally feel confident in herself instead of having to rely on the Doctor? There’s just... nothing.

I wish my boy Ryan had shown up but Graham is always fun, it was good to see him.

Anyway I’m hyped for next year. I may not always see eye to eye with RTD, but the man definitely knows how to write. And Ncuti Gatwa looked great in the brief glimpse we got in the trailer!

8/10 overall. I think it was a decent sendoff for Thirteen!

[nikkiruncks]

Here’s a prompt for Leia— Asking her parents to go on her own with her friends for the first time on Halloween 🎃

(Idk just came up with that 😅)

October 31, 1993

"Pleeeeeeaaaaseee mommy." Leia pouted, hoping it would get her parents to let her go trick or treating alone. Ever since she was a baby, her mom or dad would take her trick or treating on Halloween. But now she wanted to just go with her friends.

Donna sighed, "Leia, you're only thirteen." Leia turned to Eric, "Dad." Eric cleared his throat, "You should listen to your mother." Leia rolled her eyes, "Oh please. You're obviously taking her side because you want to go out and show off your Luke Skywalker costume."

Eric stammered, "N-Now that is a complete s-stretch young lady." Donna and Leia just gave him a look. Donna sighed, "Okay Le-Le, you can go." Leia lit up, "Yay!"

"As long as you stay with your friends the whole time. And I mean, the whole time." Donna warned. Leia jumped into her arms, "Thanks mom. I love you." She kissed her cheek before heading to her room. Eric turned to Donna with a frown, "What the hell was that?" He was really looking forward to showing off his costume.

Donna sighed, "Eric, it's just one night. She'll be fine. Besides she always brings her phone." Eric shook her head, "But if her phone dies? Or worse, the forces of evil take her. They are real Donna. I'm telling you." Donna chuckled, "Come here, my nerdy husband." She pulled Eric into a hug, making the latter relax slowly.

They let go and just stared into each other's eyes with soft smiles on their faces. "Besides...we'll have the house all to ourselves. No one comes here anyways." Donna whispered. Eric grinned and kissed her, lifting his wife onto the table.

"Ew, get a room!" The couple heard and turned to see Leia in a Minnie Mouse costume, staring at them is disgust. Eric and Donna looked at each other and chuckled.

[talenlee]

CoX: Swivel

New Post has been published on PRESS.exe: CoX: Swivel

Time to time, I write up an explication of characters I’ve played in RPGs or made for my own purpose.  This is an exercise in character building and creative writing.

In all technicality, the man known once as Vice Swithin doesn’t exist. He never attended public school, never was recruited into the military at a young age, and was never court-martialed. Officially, he didn’t spend over a year in prison being constantly the subject of assault attempts due to his lean frame and youthful looks, being constantly upgraded in security due to his self-defense capability leading to injured inmates.

Such high-risk prisons were certainly not combed for inmates experiencing minimal deviance from a genetic mean to find strong candidates capable of surviving a protracted full-body implant and neuroconnective surgery. Medical records don’t exist for a process that wired him from heart to head, that upped his reaction time, accelerated his thought process and kept the young man wired on a personal basis alongside the firewalls and flamewars of wireless internet.

One life, redacted.

Vice, known just as Swivel to his friends and fellow agents, is a reasonably quiet young man. Despite his time in prison and the military, he’s an active communicator and seems to bear no particularly ill will towards either establishment. Just as much, he’s very withdrawn on the topic of why he was courtmartialled and incarcerated. Even those first dealing with him find that Swivel is friendly. He’s good-natured, relatively easygoing and when not in the grip of combat, quite well-mannered. While he has the marks of his upbringing – a number of minor surgical scars from military field implants and prison tattoos – Swivel does not go out of his way to conceal them. Perhaps futilely, he tries to act and dress as if he’s a totally normal citizen, drawing minimal attention to the signs of his extreme training and technological augmentation. In fact, the first thing that really strikes people is just what a nerd Swivel is.

He stammers, he shuffles his feet, he adjusts his glasses and he clarifies points of science and history with pretty much no the poise and grace. Stealing glances at girls, keeping his head down, the whole manner completely belies his status as a former prisoner and military special operative. So why the geeky front? It’s not entirely clear. Swivel’s behaviour in prison and the military has all shown that when under pressure, he shifts into a much more lethal mode, dispenses with dialogue, and can often be heard broadcasting classical music as he fights. On the other hand, the nerdy behaviour? Much more likely to be the ‘default’ Swivel, with all of his self-esteem issues and inquisitive, exploratory nature unrestrained.

Somewhat obviously, as someone who’s connected to the internet through his head and uses a smartphone that is very obviously a complete plastic brick. This was once a pretty unique thing in his case but these days it’s reasonably common. His cyborg system is a lot more holistic than normal, and it’s the root of how he’s different to most.

mechanics

I don’t have mechanics for Swivel. Swivel was a character on City of Heroes live; pictures of him are reconstructed from an old set of costume files, made compatible with homecoming, pictures taken in a friend’s goof-around base. Swivel, back on live, was a claws/willpower scrapper, and when the time came to make things in the new game, I asked myself if I wanted to bring back Swivel, if Swivel’s story, his group, was something to revisit. And I didn’t, and that’s okay.

The bio above is from his Virtueverse page, an archive of my own writing from thirteen years ago. Some of it? Pretty cringe! But the dude is still imporant to me, and he has one particular detail that has endured…

history

Such as this, from his original character description:

P.R.E.S.S: The Programmed REflexive Synapse System has demonstrated that in order to accommodate the constant rate of human mental modes it requires a fundamental AI that can communicate on a functional level with a Human Operator with Special Training (referred henceforth as HOST). Due to the idea of a clean base-line system, a ‘clean boot’ as it were, we’ve attempted to find candidates for HOST applicants in fields that ensure minimal genetic deviation, prior biological enhancement or magical augmentation of the fundamental systems of the individual…

- Engineer's Summary

The PRESS is a second intelligence that cohabitates Swivel’s body. It oversees his actions, and while he’s not phased by its surveillance[5], it does choose to quip into conversations with observations. The PRESS has a distinct personality, and at times its bickering with Swivel is almost childish. On the other hand, PRESS’ operating parameters include keeping Swivel at his optimum performance. While Swivel’s mental mode is recognisable by PRESS, neither PRESS nor Swivel are completely aware of the others’ thought processes.

original description

I have no idea why I called the AI that lived in Swivel’s head ‘PRESS.’ I don’t know what it was that worked about that name for me, but it meant he had a bind in chat, for whenever I wanted to basically write a meanspirited shitty AI being an unhelpful contributor to a conversation, that prefaced his dialogue with PRESS.exe>.

When this blog was started, in 2013, Fox wanted me to engage with it. She wanted me to care about it. It needed to be a place for my voice, a thing that related to me, and therefore, had my ‘branding’ about it. I don’t know how long it’s been, but you might be surprised to realise that the idea that I have my own identity, my own way of being that is distinctive enough to matter, and that part of finding that has been Fox pointing out to me things that I made, things that stick in other people’s minds and things that express things the way I express them.

There’s a very serious turning point in my life about where she named my blog PRESS.exe and asked me ‘do you get it?’ and watched my reaction. When she did that, the game had been gone for a few months, and there was this… eerie ephemereality to them. All that work, all that creative energy, those ideas, those characters, and they just …. faded away.

I guess what I’m saying here, again, is that I love Fox so much.

Check it out on PRESS.exe to see it with images and links!

#CityOfHeroes

[cosmicseaslugs]

been thinking about that one smash panel on the right

[five-rivers]

Danger First

Chapter 7

@pocketramblr

.

"Hey, Midoriya?" asked Uraraka, after Aizawa passed out a costume revision assignment and feigned passing out.

"Yes?" said Midoriya, knowing that his eyes were preturnaturally wide and fine tremors were running through his body. He was a wreck.

"Are you okay? Why did you come to class with Mr. Aizawa?"

"And what's that you're holding onto?" asked Kaminari.

"Um," said Izuku. "I was sort of... abducted by the support department? But in a nice way... And they gave me this grappling hook."

"Wow, cool! I didn't know we could get stuff like that from the support department."

"You should really read the student handbook, Kaminari," said Iida, pushing up his glasses.

"But it's so long!"

Iida tsked and adjusted his glasses more vigorously. "You're a student! You should at least be familiar with what is expected of you! Speaking of which, Midoriya, do you know how to use that?"

As much as he could learn from a ten-minute crash-course. "... yes," said Izuku, but it was clear from Iida's face that he had hesitated too long.

"Midoriya! You shouldn't have something like that in the classroom without knowing how to use it!" Iida half stood up, and Izuku clutched the grappling hook closer to his chest.

"No! Mine!" Maybe he was too attached to something he'd only had for a little over an hour, but the support department hadn't been able to give him any smoke bombs or flash grenades due to 'new school regulations regarding explosives' and he'd gone through a lot this morning.

Distress washed over Iida's face, and Izuku wondered if he'd accidentally smacked into some old trauma.

"I wasn't going to take it!" he said, earnestly waving his hands. "I just wanted to make sure you knew where the safety-"

The door to the classroom slammed open. "Is that my little brother I hear?" asked a beaming man in a track suit. Without waiting for an answer, he bounded over to where Iida was sitting and clapped him on the back. "I have come to embarrass you horribly!"

From the expression on Iida's face, this venture was doomed to failure. "I thought you were joking when you said you'd see me today!" exclaimed Iida, beaming.

"Why... why would I joke about that?"

"You joke about a lot of things. Like knowing vigila-"

"Okay! Yes, haha, funny jokester, that's me! Now why don't you introduce me to your classmates?"

"Of course! I have been remiss in my duties as vice president." He stood and executed a ninety-degree bow. "Forgive me! This is my brother, Iida Tensei! Also known as the pro hero Ingenium!"

Izuku could almost see his classmates start to put together the puzzle pieces of Chibiida and extremely tall older brother. He was more concerned about whether or not it would be rude to ask Ingenium for his autograph... and to check his analysis page on Ingenium...

"That's me! And I'll be your special guest TA today! Now, where's Aizawa? You're supposed to have him for homeroom, right?"

As one, the class pointed to the giant yellow caterpillar in the corner of the room.

"Oh my gosh, Shouta, I thought you were joking-"

.

Ingenium was, to put it in a single word, cool. To put it in two words, he was unbelievably cool. So cool Izuku was almost able to forget the impending field-trip-related DOOM they were all facing.

But not quite.

So Izuku slogged through his classes, still thrilled to be there and waning to do his best, but unable to truly focus past the crushing weight of what might happen. His classmates and maybe-friends hovered at the periphery of his suffering, clearly wanting to help, but just as clearly unsure how, or what lines they could or couldn't cross, leading them to resort to painfully awkward normal small talk.

Until they sat down for lunch, that is, by which time Monoma and Iida had gotten into a conversational spiral about how amazing UA was, how awesome Ingenium was, and how UA was truly superior for being able to have pro-heroes like Ingenium come in as TAs on such short notice.

"Midoriya," said Uraraka, startling him out of his fourth or fifth 'Kacchan sweep.'

(It was still possible that his bad feeling was related to Kacchan hunting him down and blowing him up. He'd be mortified about making such a big deal over it if that was the case, but it would be preferable to, say, a terrorist attack.)

(Why did he keep coming back to terrorist attacks?)

"Are you... okay? You've just seemed really down today, and-"

"Invisible hug!" shouted Hagakure before grabbing Izuku and lifting him over her head.

There was a beat of whispering near-silence. Then Uraraka stood up, slamming both hands on the table and inadvertently making it float. "You have got to tell me your work out routine!"

Izuku agreed.

("Strawberry," someone whispered.)

.

"I generally say what's on my mind," said Asui as the Iidas had radically different reactions to the bus seating arrangement.

"Aha," said Izuku. The swaying of the bus plus the strain of probably-Danger-Sense was making him nauseous. "What is it, Asui?'

"Call me Tsuyu."

The first time a person his age let him call them by name since kindergarten, and he couldn't properly appreciate it. Figured.

"I was watching the videos of the battle trials I missed last night," Tsuyu continued, "and I realized, I don't think any of us know what your quirk is."

Izuku's first impulse was to lie or redirect the conversation. Years of quirklessness had left their mark. But on second consideration... was there really a reason to lie? He wasn't going to talk about One for All, obviously, but the rest of it was harmless and bound to come out eventually anyway.

"Well," said Izuku, adjusting the fit of his air filter self-consciously. "That's a good question, actually."

"If you're keeping it a secret, I won't press."

"No, no, that isn't it!" Yes, it was. "It's just that, um, it's really subtle? As in, so subtle I thought I was quirkless until recently. Haha."

"Oh, wow," said Kirishima, "that must have been hard. I mean, I got teased for having a boring quirk, I can't even imagine-"

"Your quirk isn't boring! It's more than enough to be a pro!"

"But what is your quirk?" asked Monoma.

"Um," said Izuku, "well, we're not entirely sure, but... We think it lets me sense things that are dangerous? But I've also got anxiety, so..."

Monoma was frowning, but before he could speak, one of Hagakure's gloves waved frantically in front of his face.

"Is that how you knew I was there?" she asked. "In the battle trial and the entrance exam?"

"Maybe? I think so?"

"You were kind of anxious this morning," said Uraraka, concerned. "Did something bad happen to you?"

"Not- not yet," said Izuku, weakly. "It- We still don't really know how it works, so it could just be the anxiety..." He trailed off. Everyone was kind of staring at him. He pressed back against his seat, wishing there was somewhere to hide.

"Well!" said Uraraka, suddenly pumped up. "We'll just have to keep an eye out! We're hero students, aren't we?"

There was a general cheer of consensus and Izuku managed a shaky smile. So, this was what it was like to have friends.

Eventually, Mr. Aizawa told them to calm down, but there was no heat in the scolding. Maybe, Izuku thought, past the ever-increasing buzzing in his head, today would be okay after all.

.

"Yeah," said Hikage, "there's really no chance of that."

.

The Unforeseen Simulation Joint was an incredible space!

Space Hero Thirteen was about a thousand times cooler in person than on TV!

All Might, in his golden age rescue-specialized costume, looked like he'd just stepped off the pages of a comic book!

But just like Tsuyu's name, Izuku didn't have the ability to appreciate it.

As the other students marveled over the USJ, Izuku watched the adults quietly talk to one another. It seemed to be something serious.

.

"Did you find anything else with the safety checks?" asked Shouta.

"A few of the areas had the difficulty set too high- apparently some of the third-years decided to get some practice in and their supervisor didn't reset everything. Other than that? Nothing." Thirteen shook their head. "No signs of structural failure, no security gaps. Everything seems, well, normal."

"Well," said All Might, "whatever happens, we're prepared!"

Aizawa seriously doubted they were prepared for anything, but the most obvious, most likely things? Yeah.

"What do you think, Ingenium?" he asked.

"Everything looks fine to me," said Tensei, shrugging. "But if it was something obvious, then it wouldn't be so much of a threat, right?"

"We're still not sure how Midoriya's quirk really works," said Shouta. "It could be a threat just to him." He sighed heavily.

Tensei smiled in a way that just about guaranteed Shouta would be teased about this later.

"Well, I'm going to start my speech now!" said Thirteen giving the others a thumbs up. "Wish me luck!"

.

As soon as Thirteen finished their (surprisingly moving) speech, all of Izuku's attention zeroed in on the air next to the fountain. A swirl of dark mist appeared next to it.

Izuku felt like he couldn't breathe.

"Mr. Aizawa-!" But he was already looking in that direction, already watching the man made covered in emerge from the dark hole, followed by a veritable horde of villains.

And Izuku didn't use the term villain idly here. Several of the people he saw were on wanted lists.

Ironically, now that he was faced with real danger, the panicked siren in his head eased off slightly. Evidently, at least some of the strain had been fear of the unknown, and now the threat was very, very known in the worst way, that particular stressor was gone.

"There he is!" cried the man covered in hands. "All Might! The one we've all come for! Nomu! Get him!"

A large villain with an exposed brain who practically sang with danger charged All Might, who grabbed him by the wrist and flung him away, towards the landslide zone. "Ha! That's not much of a challenge! You'll have to do better than that, villains!"

"Maybe," said a villain made of the same mist as the portal that had brought the others. The large villain came charging out of the landslide zone, none the worse for wear. "Maybe not."

"You might be an elite player, but can you fight the boss and protect the noobs you're powerleveling?"

The other villains surged forwards.

This is when Mr. Aizawa and Ingenium jumped into the fray, and everything immediately got more chaotic. Izuku rapidly lost track of the multiple battles occurring around him - except, wow, Mr. Aizawa was really mowing through villains, wasn't he - that Nomu guy had to have a regeneration quirk, there was just no way - he'd have to write down that villain's monolog as soon as they got out, it might have clues - Izuku had no idea that Ingenium could fly and wow that gave him some ideas for Iida-

Speaking of Iida-

"This is no time for analysis! Hurry up and evacuate!"

Right.

"I won't allow that."

Yeah the misty villain definitely had some kind of teleportation quirk, which made this whole thing even more gutsy. Quirks like that were always monitored by the government. These guys must not care about their identities.

"Greetings," he said, a metal colar slipping into place around his neck. "We are the League of Villains. Forgive our audacity, but... today we've come to-"

A gust of air from All Might's fight pushed the mist villain back. But the move had left him partially unguarded, and Izuku watched helplessly as Nomu pounded a fist into his exposed side-

Nomu knew about All Might's injury.

Oh, no.

Izuku didn't have time to process that, however, as Kirishima and Monoma jumped forward, attacking the mist villain.

The feeling of danger spiked, and Izuku barely registered Monoma's bewildered expression.

"Only students... but the best of the best... yes he was right to say you'd be a threat." Darkness spread like an ink stain from the villain's body. Darkness... and portals.

Izuku slammed into Tsuyu and Kaminari, pushing them out of the way of forming portals. He wasn't able to do the same for himself.

"Begone," intoned the mist villain, his voice echoing all around Izuku. "Writhe in torment until you breathe your last."

The next thing Izuku knew, he was in clear light and falling. From at least two stories up, over the flood zone.

And then he stopped.

.

The ghosts whipped their heads around to stare at Nana. She was sitting on a stool, hiding her face in her hands, though whether it was out of embarrassment or fear for Izuku was unclear.

"Nana..." said Yoichi, softly.

"I know, I know, I'm sorry I saw him falling and pani-"

"What did you do that for!" exclaimed Banjo. "He was only fifteen, twenty meters up! Into water!"

"That's twice as high as Olympic divers go! And they screw up their bodies all the time if they hit wrong!" shot back Nana, other emotions abandoned in favor of rage.

"Uh, guys...?" said Yoichi, weakly.

"Who still watches the Olympics?" muttered En.

"If we had to give him a new quirk, it should have been a combat one!"

"You're just jealous that he has Float and not Blackwhip!"

"So what if I am?" demanded Banjo. "If he had Blackwhip, he wouldn't need that stupid grappling hook gun!"

"So, you admit Blackwhip is just a glorified grappling hook?"

"Better than a glorified- glorified-" He puffed out his cheeks. "I'm going to give him Blackwhip right now!"

"NO!" shouted the other ghosts.

"Banjo," said En, "what do you remember about people who All for One gave three quirks to?"

Banjo went pale.

"Oh, hell," said Banjo. "I'm sorry, I got carried away."

"You can say that again," grumbled Nana.

"But," continued Banjo, "doesn't this mean we can't give him the stockpile?"

They turned to Yoichi, who was far and away the expert on the stockpile quirk. He held up his hands and offered a sick, shaky smile. "We've already started the process of giving him stockpile access. There's... there's really no way to stop it."

Nana started swearing, and even Second and Third looked tense.

"But that's borrowing trouble! Maybe he'll be compatable?"

"With three quirks?"

"It's possible!" protested Yoichi. "I mean, he's- um, he's got One for All? Maybe it's more like All for One than we thought?"

"Disgusting."

"No."

"Absolutely not."

"Never say that again."

"But, again, that's a future problem, unlike the villain attack, which is a now problem."

"I see what you're saying," said En, "but we can't do anything about the villain attack, but we could theoretically do something about quirk troubles. Unless you'd rather watch helplessly while our latest-possibly-last holder is murdered?"

Yoichi sighed. "Okay, yeah, let's take a look."

.

Izuku's first thought was that Uraraka must have tagged him, but he had been way too far away from her for her to do that. Unless she had run at him when he dove for Tsuyu? Tsuyu had maybe sort of been between them...

But, no, this didn't feel like Uraraka's quirk. He'd only experienced it a couple of times, but it felt like falling. This felt more like floating on the surface of a pool.

This was, he realized as he drifted helplessly upwards and slightly sideways, Shimura Nana's quirk.

It would be really, really cool if the circumstances were different or if he had any control over the quirk whatsoever. As it was, he didn't appreciate the way he was getting progressively higher. Hitting the water at his previous height would have sucked, but he probably would have survived. Now? Not so much. So, if the quirk decided to stop as suddenly as it had started, he was doomed.

Beyond doomed.

He'd be dead.

Wait! The grappling hook!

He pulled it carefully out of its holster, making sure to wrap the loop around his wrist. He could get back to the ground with the grappling hook, anchor himself at a decent height and make use of this, or even attack, but if he dropped it...

Well. Doom and all that.

His best bet was the top of the downpour zone. It was the closest structure by far. He lined up his sights, fired, and watched as the hook fell several meters short.

That was less than ideal.

He rolled over and looked up. He wasn't that far from the ceiling-

Danger Sense screamed at him, and he was falling, just in time to miss getting hit by a jet of water from below. Izuku, naturally, started screaming as well and fired the grappling hook blindly. He rejoiced as a metallic thunk told him it had hit something and immediately hit the stop button, almost wrenching his shoulders out of their sockets. However, his joy quickly turned to horror as he realized he was now headed toward the hard, unforgiving side of the downpour zone at a dangerously high speed. He squeezed his eyes shut.

Float turned back on.

Izuku let out a somewhat pathetic whine in relief, and hit the retract button on the grappling hook gun, letting it pull him up to the roof.

From here, he had an acceptable view of the rest of the USJ. He shaded his eyes to look back at the main plaza and entrance. He could see Eraserhead and Ingenium fighting back to back in the central plaza. All Might and Nomu were tearing up trees in one of the forested areas, and near the entrance he could see Thirteen, Iida, Uraraka, Shouji, Sato, Sero, and Ashido facing down the mist villain. Hopefully, with those numbers, they'd be able to get past him.

Looking elsewhere, Izuku had to assume Todoroki was in the landslide zone, with the spiky ring of ice in the middle of it. He must be holding back. He could make out a fight happening in the mountain zone, but couldn't tell who was involved.

That was more than half the class unaccounted for, including Tsuyu and Kaminari, who he'd thought he'd pushed away from portals. They were probably in the other zones, but...

He took a deep breath. Focus. Where would he do the most good? Danger Sense couldn't tell him that right now, with all these bright threats all around him. He had to decide on his own.

The fight in the mountain area wasn't going well. The number of visible villains was only increasing.

Could Izuku get there? He bit his lip as he contemplated the distance, then jogged back to the opposite side of the downpour zone roof.

Then he ran.

Then he-

-jumped-

-off the roof.

Float activated at the top of the arc of his jump, and his momentum sent him tumbling forward towards the mountain zone. As he approached and began to slow (air resistance still being a thing, apparently), he was able to see Yaoyorozu and Jiro fighting for their lives. Yaoyorozu did not look good.

This wasn't a great way to be proven right about her quirk having drawbacks.

He aimed the grappling hook at one of the larger, closer villains, not really caring about how much damage it would do, and fired.

.

"Wow," said En. "Kid definitely has a bit of a ruthless streak."

"Imagine how much better he'd do with Blackwhip."

"He wouldn't have been able to get there in the first place without Float."

"Honestly," continued En, "I don't get why Second and Third don't like him. They never shut up about Nana and Eighth being too soft, after all."

"What? They said that stuff about me, too?"

"Yeah, I think they're just unsatsifiable at this point. It's annoying."

"I was much more violent and ruthless than Toshi, though."

"I know."

"Yoichi," said Hikage. "I'm not seeing any sign of additional stress on Ninth's body."

"That's because Izuku is the best."

"Or," said En, "it's because he's only had Nana's quirk for, like, five, ten minutes, tops."

"Or because he's the best. Just look at how he's helped his friends defeat all those villains!"

"Compelling argument," said Hikage.

.

"What- what now?" asked Yaoyorozu, holding herself up with one of her staffs. The mountain zone was littered with various weapons and shrapnel from Yaoyorozu's quirk use. This included a canon. Which was really cool, but seemed a bit over the top... and maybe not the most efficient thing to make, considering Yaoyorozu's limitations.

"I don't know," admitted Izuku. He'd been flung around the field as a makeshift flail/bola by the girls a few times, and was a little dizzy.

He looked back out at the battles still taking place in the plaza. "I think... Maybe we should go down, and make our way around the edge to the entrance. We could pick up Todoroki and see if there's anyone in the ruins zone who needs help-"

Then he saw the hand villain step forward, facing down Eraserhead as Ingenium was lured away in defense of Tsuyu and Kaminari, who had just run out of the wooded area, trailing villains. Danger flared in his mind's eye, and, for the second time in his life, his body moved by itself.

[nightwing-ing-it]

What Did Tim And Dick Think Of Each Other At First?

Tim:

Tim from the first moment he met Dick had been star struck by Dick. 

It was because Tim knew Dick’s acrobatics so well that he deduced that Dick had to be Robin and thus Bruce had to be Batman.  Tim really really looks up to Dick.

(Side Note: Tim may be smart but he’s also kind.  He’s aware Dick may not take it well when he tells him about how he saw Dick’s parents death and that he believes Bruce needs him as Robin but he’ll tell him anyways because that’s what he believes is right.  To me this is a very core principle of Tim Drake.  He understands the emotional side and empathizes but pushes towards the most logical side because he believes that it’ll be better for the greater good.  Tim is a ‘big picture’ thinker, a ‘10 steps ahead’ kind of person.)

This small interaction shows Tim doesn’t just idolize Dick, he does see him as a person, it’s just that in Tim’s head Bruce’s need for Robin supersedes Dick’s need for independence in Tim’s mind and he feels like it’s his obligation to make Dick see that too.

[Batman #441]

[Batman #442]

Of course in the end Tim becomes Robin.  Again, not because he wants to (I mean it’s not like he hates the idea) but more because it makes sense.  Bruce NEEDS Robin.  Dick will not be Robin.  Tim see’s it as his RESPONSIBILITY to be Robin.  Tim throughout the story though reveres Batman and Robin highly.

Dick:

We often forget (even I forget) that Tim didn’t just show up at Wayne Manor he went to Dick first and Dick brought Tim to the Manor.  And look at that incredulous smile Dick has as he introduces this very smart twelve- No THIRTEEN year old kid to Alfred. 

He was baffled and amused at first but after Tim tells his tale Dick takes Tim a lot more seriously, even listens to him about how Bruce needs him, and decides to show Tim the Batcave.

[Batman #411]

It was because Dick showed Tim the Batcave that Tim had access to the Robin costume.  It was because Alfred drove him to the fight he was able to help.  Later Dick and Alfred both advocate highly for Tim to become Robin and Dick can’t stop smiling almost the whole time.

[Batman #442]

Dick was loving that Tim wasn’t afraid to tell Bruce what he thought.  By this point Dick very obviously approved of Tim and had a lot of respect for Tim.

[jade-parcels]

Theater guy dottore has brightened up my day and has lessened my pain even though he's still usually a jerk. Theater brings out the good in people.

I realize this ask is months old!!! sorryyy I was hoarding it in my drafts akdjalsjsosk

In a non-teyvat au setting where Dottore is still kinda wack but not as bad as usual…Just the community dentist (who is still a little on the strange side) who works on his town’s theatre productions…

Dottore is your typical French bastard. He’s serious about the arts and doesn’t like when they’re disrespected. When he was younger, through middle school all the way into college, he took to the stage in his town’s spring and fall productions. In the spring, there would be a play while in the fall, they’d do a musical so everyone could have a chance to shine

Dottore was often cast in lead parts. He has a beautiful singing voice and he can dance very well! He almost always played villains just because he was so damn convincing!! Nowadays he helps run auditions and kinda acts as a co-director with the theatre’s owner

He’s still kinda a jerk. He’s the one who makes threats when needed ‘Jeez Louise, you call that a performance? I didn’t see an ounce of spirit in there! Are you playing a cardboard cutout of Beetlejuice? Or are you playing Beetlejuice? Pull yourself together or I’ll cancel the whole show! Because obviously it doesn’t mean that much to you!’ Chill out-

However…he is nice to younger kids. He’s harder on the highschool/college age kids only because he knows their potential. He’s more gentle with the middle schoolers since they’re still kinda figuring out who they are. He once cast a young boy as a lead in a play and found the boy crying in the dressing room all alone. So in true Dottore fashion, he sat with him and offered him some advice ‘Don’t listen to those other kids. I’ve seen how dedicated you are to this role. Don’t let them spoil this for you just because they’re idiotic brats!’ Did that make the kid feel better? I mean…maybe?? Was he weirded out? Yes…

Dottore is a lil theatre nerd at heart. He’ll get really into discussions about certain plays- he’ll have everyone sit in a circle on the stage and talk about his favorite casting choices for a role or ask everyone what their favorite play is only to judge them for their answer lmao ‘Romeo and Juliet??? Oh please- what, are you twelve???’ ‘Yeah! I turn thirteen next Wednesday!’ Omfg

This asshole of a man will lose sleep worrying about these kiddos for sure. Are the costumes gonna be done for tech week?? Will Tanya’s mom bring snacks for everyone tomorrow? Are the kids struggling at school? What if something goes wrong on opening night? He’s literally stressing out so hard rn. But then he wakes up in the morning and performs a root canal and rips peoples teeth out so he’s fine

He’s a lot less of a jerk when he’s got his theatre group together. And now that he’s an adult, he does shows in the city next door to his tiny town. He’s not one to be emotional but when he spotted his theatre owner friend and the kids from his group in the crowd at one of his shows…he almost shed a tear. Almost.

He coaches the kids on being more independent and confident. He loves seeing the timid kids who are just there to work on the set bloom into confident members of the group who may even audition for a role in the future :’)

He does all of this and still insists he doesn’t want kids cause they’re gross. He’s such an ass fr

[1ddotdhq]

🍿Fri 9 Oct ‘20🃏

Hahahahahahahaha hahahahahahaha hahahaha. Okay. Am I done? I think I’m done. So, um. What kind of day has it been, guys? 

Let’s start with the...less unusual, and then really get into it. Harry’s team has sent his for your consideration Grammy packet to the music academy, Back To You was certified Platinum in the United States (!!! it’s what she deserves!!), Niall first posted to let us know he was going out and about with his bike, and then, sure enough, was seen out and about in London today with his $7.5K cherry red bike and Navy Blue bike shorts (note: he wasn’t riding his bike - he was walking it), Zayn and Gigi had their first date night ft. pasta [!] at the farm house since the birth of their daughter, and someone from the GBBO baked a Harry Styles cake, but the flavor is still unknown. Niall also took to twitter to tell everyone that the last four years of the Trump presidency feels like an episode of punk’d. 

That’s a GREAT segue into what the rest of the day felt like for me! First, someone noticed that Louis’ (official) website had been changed: the Walls CD was now listed as having 13 tracks instead of 12. Was this? A deluxe version? A new song? A website editor’s mistake? And then, if that wasn’t confusing enough, Louis registered a new song that was co-written with Jamie Hart and credited Noel Gallagher (the exact same people credited on Walls, the song). The song registered was called “Today Show” and that immediately got people wondering if THIS could be the secret 13th song on the album! Alas, it is not. Apparently, it is the registration of the performance of Walls, the song, from the Today Show, which explains the writing credits. It does not explain the secret 13th song, but at this point, the easiest explanation is that a graphic designer made a typo. 

Louis had no comment on the potential new songs, but he DID show up in Liam’s live! Oh my God. Liam’s live. Okay, well. The first thing we should talk about is that he has called his Halloween show his biggest yet, and he has not yet decided on a costume (pls be Harry Potter) but he was open to suggestions: Leroy the Choreographer was a popular one, as was Harry Styles (“which era of Styles, though?”), and even old school Liam himself. We got a reprise of parts of Watermelon Sugar and the “a door”/Adore discourse and even a bit of a live reaction to the song itself, and a confirmation that Liam and Tom are gonna do a duet (“I slithered in” jkfdhfkjda !!!!!). 

Okay, then. That’s about it for the sort of weird news, now let's get into the REALLY ODD things. It started normally enough, with the chat asking Liam what his favorite country was, and he said that his favorite trip was getting to go to Africa with Ant Middleton (the British reality TV adventurer), which he called “eye opening”. He said that the TV special they did together was them talking about their lives, and went on to say, “it was good, it was good, I slept on the floor with loads of animals. It was like being in One Direction!” and cackled (I did too!). “Sorry,” he said, “I HAD TO!”. Uh, no, you didn’t, said Louis, who popped on to tell him to “watch your mouth”. “AYYYY,” said Liam, “Louis’ watching...I bet [he] won’t come on, because [he’s] camera shy!” Dicho y hecho, Louis was like No <3 and DID NOT send a request to join the live. “He makes me feel WARM,” said Liam about Louis. YEAH CUZ  HE’S THE SUN HAVEN’T YOU HEARD???? 

Was it for Lilo?? NO! OF COURSE NOT! In a second live, Liam, about thirteen minutes in, said, “Oh! Hang on! We *really* have to talk about something!”, and started talking about how “the other day” he took Maya (who had been in the fandom before dating him) to see a movie she had been wanting to watch - “After We Collide”. He described the film as “not the sort he’d watch” and “RAUNCHY as hell”, and then! He found out - AFTER (hehe) watching the movie - that the characters were based on One Direction (*giggles loudly* “which I mean was just the FUNNIEST THING EVER”). AND IF THAT WASN’T ENOUGH, Maya then made him watch the FIRST film in the series (“which I kind of sat through”). About the whole thing, he said, “it was...an interesting viewing perspective”. 

Liam liked that his character (Landon, apparently) was a caring half brother who wanted the best for everyone, however, he said, “I feel like, sometimes, I’m a little bit the main guy [YIKES]...Who was obviously based on Mr. Styles”. He then said, with a completely straight face, “I feel like we always have a bit of Hardin Scott in us - that sounds weird”. He said that he really went down the rabbit hole with this one (oof), and realized that Landon’s physical description was “a young David Beckam”, and then he started giggling again. He did manage to stop laughing long enough to 1.) call fanfiction and fan creation “so cool” 2.) confirm that he’s now in it for the long haul and will be watching the third installment of the series and 3.) to tell Louis to watch it! “If Louis is [still] watching,” he said, starting to laugh again, “PLEASE just go and check that out for me. Just please dedicate an hour of your life, and just. Just have a little watch”. Liam’s chaotic energy? UNMATCHED! Honestly, I also want to hear Louis’ thoughts on this movie - I have a feeling they aren’t going to be as diplomatic as Liam’s were.

[werewolfashton]

one shot: what happened to just messing around?

happy birthday to my love nik @valiantnerdtm! you said you wanted a soft drabble about calum in his bunny costume so here we go,, i hope it's at least a little bit like you wanted it to be. thanks to my beloved @pixiegrl and peyton for being wonderful and being kind about this work when i was really not lmao i lowkey hate this but i still hope you like it nik

pairing: ot4

words: 754

warnings: none except for teasing/light bullying but like. yk. with love.

ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/36315496

Calum looks ridiculous. Michael loves him with all his heart but not even boundless love is enough to let him ignore that Calum looks ridiculous. The problem is that, despite looking ridiculous, Calum also looks awfully cute. No one should be allowed to be adorable and pretty as hell while wearing a bunny costume of all things. However, it still demands for him to be teased about it.

It’s not even like he’s chosen to wear this, it was picked out by someone on their team, but it simply is too good of an opportunity for Ashton and Michael. They have to use the opportunity of them being late for changing to bully Calum as much as possible, before they inevitably end up looking way worse.

“You look insane.”

“You look like you’re from 2014 when onesies were having their high time.”

“You look like you’re still living at home and don’t know how to do laundry.”

“Well, that part’s true.”

“It was one time, Michael, and it’s still not my fault you put a white shirt in the black laundry basket.” Michael’s surprised it took this comment for Calum to speak up.

“My shirt still got ruined because of you. Anyway, I don’t think the adult in the bunny onesie has a lot of ground to stand on.”

“That doesn’t even-”

“No, no, he’s right, Cal. Since you look like a thirteen year old, you really have no room to talk about adult things.”

“You really look absolutely insane.”

“You look so cute.” Trust Luke to ruin the mood.

Michael hadn’t heard the door to the dressing room open but Luke clearly just got in and immediately decided to state the obvious instead of indulging the mean tendencies of Ashton and Michael. He’s already pushing past them to throw himself into Calum’s lap.

“This is so cute, can you keep it? It looks really comfy.” Luke is inspecting the costume while grinning at Calum. Calum’s arms have settled around Luke’s waist, keeping both of them secure on the definitely too small chair in front of the make-up table.

“This is why you’re my favourite.” The statement is almost dripping with smugness.

Ashton just scoffs while watching on as Luke starts softly kissing Calum with such a lovesick look that it betrays the dismissive sound immediately.

Michael can’t blame him; Calum and Luke look ridiculously cute together. Calum’s eyes shine when he smiles up at Luke who’s now started playing with the long ears attached to the costume, all delighted giggles that make Michael yearn to be the source of them.

That and the urge to get some kisses from Calum also are enough to make Michael walk over to them and sneak his arms around Calum’s chest.

He starts pressing kisses against Calum’s jaw, which in turn makes Calum’s giggles join Luke’s, who is still making himself laugh by playing with Calum’s bunny ears.

“Now you all look insane. The overgrown child and his two idiot boyfriends who indulged his habits of wearing onesies.”

“You do realise you’re our boyfriend too, yeah?” Michael let’s up from his mission to kiss every part of Calum he can reach to remind Ashton. “What does that say about you then?”

Ashton Irwin pouting is a sight to behold.

“I think you still look very handsome, Cal,” Luke says before kissing Calum again and standing up.

He moves over to Ashton, towering over him in his heeled boots, and then gently cradles Ashton’s face in his hands.

“You’re obviously very handsome too, grumpy.” Luke kisses Ashton’s nose for emphasis. “But now you need to get over yourself and tell Calum that he’s cute.”

It would be easy for anyone to see how hard Ashton has to work to not let his smile show now.

Luke moves to mirror how Michael’s holding Calum, standing behind Ashton and wrapping his arms around the other’s torso.

“Go on.” He presses a quick kiss on Ashton’s cheek.

“I guess.” The sigh Ashton let out before could win him some acting awards. “You look kinda cute, Cal.”

“Thank you for coming to your senses.” Calum sounds so very smug it’s almost worth teasing him again, but then he’s holding onto Michael’s arms around him just a tiny bit too tightly to risk losing the feeling of it.

(When the costume appears in their house, Ashton has a breakdown and Michael starts investigating who stole it from the set. And if Michael stole the costume himself no one ever needs to know that.)

[twistedtummies2]

Two Weeks in the TARDIS - The Final Countdown

Welcome to the end of Two Weeks in the TARDIS! For the past thirteen days, I have talked about each of the title characters from Doctor Who: the Doctor, and all their regenerations. Now, on the final and fourteenth day, we get to the moment you’ve all been waiting for. The time has come to discuss all Thirteen Doctors, from my least favorite to my most favorite!

Now, to those who came in late, just a quick reminder: I am ONLY counting the thirteen “prime” Doctors here: no War Doctors, Fugitive Doctors, Peter Cushing Doctors, Valeyards, Dream Lords, or anything else of the like shall be found here. Also, the descriptions here shall be rather brief: I just spent a whole two weeks talking about each Doctor in detail, so if you want to know more about what makes each one great, look back on these past two weeks! With that in mind...which Doctors make the top or bottom of the cut? Let’s round them all up...

13. Colin Baker, as the Sixth Doctor.

I need to reiterate what I’ve said several times now: I like ALL of the Doctors. All of them. Colin Baker making the bottom of the list is NOT his fault: in terms of his Doctor, himself, he’s a wonderful one! I love his blustery, more showmanlike personality, and the sort of dangerous edge he gives to the character. I’ll even defend that abomination of an outfit, which at least fit the idea of the character in its own way, and which I’ve warmed up to more over time. However, the issue with Colin Baker is simply that the writing and direction of his tenure really didn’t do him any favors: I didn’t buy his relationships with his companions a lot of the time, and there was this sort of slapdash quality to his two seasons I simply cannot forgive. He, himself, however, was absolutely brilliant...had the same effort he put into his Doctor been put into EVERY other aspect of the show at the time, he could easily have been higher.

12. Paul McGann, as the Eighth Doctor.

As I’ve said several times throughout the past thirteen days, I am ONLY counting the TV series continuity for this event. This is the main reason McGann gets such low placement: while Colin Baker had a relatively short tenure, at least he had two full seasons of serials to make his mark. McGann only has one TV movie and a short “mini-sode” to work with onscreen. The latter is interesting but the brevity means there’s not THAT much to work with, and the former is a must-see, but also flawed; it’s “okay,” in my opinion and many others’, overall. As a result, McGann just doesn’t stick as strongly for me as the other Doctors above him. However, I think the work he has is better than most of Baker’s, he’s definitely easier on the eyes, and there’s a surprising amount of character development within this very brief timespan, which I think is to be commended; thus, he wins out over poor old C.B.

11. William Hartnell, as the First Doctor.

As the very first person to play the Doctor - the one who started it all - obviously Hartnell gets a lot of credit. The replacement actors who have handled him since his death - Richard Hurndall and David Bradley, most chiefly - have also done a really grand job. However, I find him more fascinating to watch to see how this character and this franchise started out than anything else. This isn’t to say he’s not a great character, he’s just not usually what I think of when I think of The Doctor. As a result, while I do like him, I don’t think I can rank him particularly highly.

10. Jodie Whittaker, as the Thirteenth Doctor.

Number Thirteen’s run is not completed yet, and what we’ve gotten so far has been rather hit-and-miss, not to mention she has my least favorite costume of any Doctor (even when compared to Colin Baker’s garish getup). However, I think the actual CHARACTER is a worthy incarnation. She’s a great contrast to the previous Doctors of the modern era, and I love the dynamic between herself and her companions. I do still like her...just not enough to rank any higher than tenth place.

9. Peter Davison, as the Fifth Doctor.

While I do like Davison’s portrayal overall, I think it’s the legacy this Doctor has had that helps boost him up, above all else. Davison has been highly influential on the New Who era, and for good reason. He’s not as daffy as the other Doctors, but I think he’s very likable and fun in his own way; there’s a wonderful charm to him and he actually acts as something of an anchor in many of his stories. He’s sweet but also authoritative, and has his own odd quirks here and there. I also really like the idea of an older man in a young man’s body that Davison started. He’s a fun Doctor, without being as bonkers as most of the rest, and his costume is one of my favorites.

8. Peter Capaldi, as the Twelfth Doctor.

I actually feel REALLY bad for placing Capaldi so low, and it’s hard for me to even say WHY I rank him so low here. I do love his Doctor, and I love the way things are integrated to make him sort of a combination of classic ideals and modern tropes. I especially love his stories featuring Missy/The Master, and his era is generally full of some of my favorite moments in Who history. Ultimately though...I guess, very frankly, I just like other Doctors more. Maybe it’s because I have more nostalgia for them, or I’ve just watched their stuff more often in some cases, I don’t truly know. Again, I love all the Doctors, so don’t take Capaldi’s low placement as a sign that he is in any way bad. He’s a brilliant actor who plays a brilliant Doctor, and I will fight anybody who says otherwise…it’s just that I guess I have a fondness for others overall.

7. Jon Pertwee, as the Third Doctor.

Much as I felt bad for placing Capaldi so low, I actually feel a bit odd placing Pertwee so high, since his era made a lot of changes to the typical format. Despite that, he still feels VERY much like the Doctor. It probably helps he has had the second longest tenure in the role of any Doctor, and while the actual character has been less influential than some others, the era he was in, to this day, continues to have an effect on the more modern revival. Plus, he was the first Doctor to face The Master! And many of the best Master stories are his! And his is the era of The Brigadier! To me, those are all major pluses in his book!

6. Patrick Troughton, as the Second Doctor.

Alongside Davison, this is arguably the single most influential Doctor of them all: virtually every Doctor since has, to a greater or lesser degree, followed in Troughton’s footsteps. Nearly every Doctor uses the Second’s Columbo-style technique of clowning around to hide his inner steel; being incredibly funny and off-the-wall, but also able to have a real bite and even a sense of something sinister at times. It’s the humor, though, that I find most appealing; the Second Doctor is just a bundle of fun.

5. David Tennant, as the Tenth Doctor.

One of the most iconic and popular Doctors; most would likely place him much higher, but I am not most. I really do enjoy the sense of both whimsical, “geeky” fun Tennant brings to the part, mixed with a real sense of danger as the Doctor’s own ego spirals out of control throughout the seasons. But I often feel that, for every piece of praise I can offer, there’s always a caveat, in terms of his stories and even his companions. He’s a brilliant Doctor, and very few people dislike him in general...but over time, I have seen more of his era’s flaws, and I think that’s why I can’t place him any higher.

4. Tom Baker, as the Fourth Doctor.

Alongside Tennant, arguably the most iconic Doctor; he is without question, certainly, the most iconic of the Classic era. As the longest-lasting person in the part, Tom Baker definitely deserves a lot of love and attention, and I truly think he’s one of the greatest versions. There’s so little disconnect between the actor and the character they feel almost identical, and this is very much to the portrayal’s advantage. I also feel he has fewer misses than hits in his long run, and I love the energy and mercurial sense of eccentricity he has through most of his time in the show.

3. Matt Smith, as the Eleventh Doctor.

I love this particularly daffy-yet-dangerous take on the Doctor; arguably, I would say, the most alien of the bunch. There are precious few episodes in his era I completely dislike, and he’s the Doctor with the honor of being the MC of My All-Time Favorite Doctor Who episode, which definitely stands in his favor in a large way. I know most people probably prefer his predecessor or Tom Baker, but again, I’m not most people.

2. Christopher Eccleston, as the Ninth Doctor.

Like I said before, in the words of a friend of mine, “You never forget your first Doctor.” Eccleston’s time in the series - much like C.B.’s - was short and somewhat scattershot. However, anytime I see him, I find myself returning to my childhood and falling in love with this strange man in black, who flies around in a big blue box, all over again. I think he’s a much better interpretation than many recognize or recall, and while Smith has my favorite episode under his belt, Eccleston happens to have my SECOND favorite under his own. Most would probably place SEVERAL other Doctors above the Ninth, but for me, he remains the Gold Standard to which I hold all other interpretations.

1. Sylvester McCoy, as the Seventh Doctor.

When other people think of the words “Doctor Who,” chances are they think of Tom Baker, David Tennant, or Matt Smith. I always think of Sylvester McCoy. Alongside Tennant and Baker, this Doctor feels like there is the least disconnect between his actor and the part itself, and McCoy’s vaudevillian puppet master - a Doctor who can be Buster Keaton one moment and a dangerous mastermind the next - is really the kind of personality I gravitate towards most. I love his costume, I love his umbrella, and while the previous two Doctors have my top two favorite episodes to their credit, McCoy is the MC of almost a third of my Top 15 favorites overall. I may be in a minority saying it, but there’s no doubt that Sylvester McCoy’s Seventh Doctor is my personal favorite of the lot.

Thank you all for joining me! Now, of course, Doctor Who is far from over. Jodie Whittaker’s final episodes are imminent, but it doesn’t seem like this will be the end of the series. Who will play the Doctor next, and how will they stack up against so many others who have handled the part? Only time (and space) can tell. Until then, I leave you with a quote from my favorite Doctor… “There are worlds out there where the sky is burning; where the seas sleep, and the rivers dream. People made of smoke, and cities made of song. Somewhere there’s danger. Somewhere there’s injustice. Somewhere else the tea’s getting cold! Come on, Ace, we’ve got work to do!”

[nellie-elizabeth]

Doctor Who: Legend of the Sea Devils (2022 Easter Special)

I wanted to feel more connected to this episode than I ended up feeling! I apologize for the brevity of my thoughts.

Cons:

In terms of the main plot, the Sea Devils themselves, the pirates and their various backstories, I found myself wanting more than what I got. We spent a lot of time with people without ever really learning about them or connecting with their characters.

I also got annoyed that Dan was separated from the Doctor and Yaz yet again. I swear they have a vendetta against letting Dan and Thirteen do any bonding, but whatever.

I was waiting for the theme, but other than "you shouldn't drown the whole world because you'll kill people", I wasn't really understanding what this story was meant to make me understand.

Pros:

A good episode of Doctor Who should be cheeky and cheesy and low budget and who-gives-a-fuck, and there was some of that energy here for me. I liked the air bubble at the bottom of the ocean, I liked the fun masks for the Sea Devils, the pirate costumes, especially Dan looking like an idiot... what a precious little dumb dumb. That was great fun.

Dan calling his almost-girlfriend there at the end was very sweet! I like the simplicity of Dan as a character. I don't mean simple as in uninteresting, more just he's a nice supportive guy who's enjoying his adventures but also worries about what else he might be missing out on.

Obviously the Yaz and the Doctor stuff has to go here! I saw some people being all mad that they didn't have some big romantic moment but... they kind of did? I mean, they admitted to having feelings for each other! You don't have to have a kiss for characters to be canonically queer and attracted to each other. I feel like this was one of the best moments in the show's history for explaining the inherent dichotomy and tragedy of Doctor Who's entire premise. We've had some romances on the show over the years, but the Doctor must always go on without their love interest at some point or other. It's the whole premise of the show. Rose is with an alternate version of the Doctor, River Song got to live out her life but the Doctor had to say goodbye to her... there is no happily ever after when you can regenerate and keep starting your life over and over again, with those memories haunting you of past loves.

And Thirteen is honestly one of the more jaded of the modern Doctors; she has a really hard time letting people in. She hides behind her quirky, flighty, whimsical outer shell and here's a moment where she's able to be honest with Yaz, and her honesty is: I like you but I can't let it become more than that, because I'm afraid of the pain.

It's sad, yes, but it's also beautiful and I found the scene really moving! I hope maybe Yaz and the Doctor can share one moment of connection before Yaz leaves the show, although of course I'd love to see her carry over into the next regeneration... Yaz is one of the best companions this show has ever had, I feel like there's so much more they could do with her from here!

So that's my super short review, I'm sorry I didn't get more into the weeds on this one. A perfectly serviceable episode, it just didn't totally grab me.

7.5/10

[styleiswild]

Interview with Beastie Boys for Machina magazine, 07/1998

By: Rafał Bryndal

Translation: Anna Bak ( @styleiswild )

 -------------

Introduction: The party called Beastie Boys in Lisbon went on for two days. On the first day we (the journalists) were invited to the magical “Kremlin” club to listen to the new album [Hello Nasty]. I don’t think I have to explain how I felt knowing that I was possibly one of the first Polish people to listen to that phenomenal record. On the second day each of us got to meet the band in Hotel Ritz during the so-called “round-table.” It’s like a private conversation with the artists. It looks a bit like a coffee party at your aunt’s. (…) The whole meeting was just as absurd, in a positive way. The answers they gave us were often ironic, as one could expect.

R.B.: Don’t you think that being Beastie Boys is way cooler than being any other band in the world?

MCA: Unfortunately, we haven’t tried being a different band yet. So I can’t really answer your question.

Mike D: To be honest, there’s something to it. Maybe because we have so much fun working together. It’s not always fun, of course. We do work from time to time, but only sometimes.

R.B.: It seems like you work on your albums for fun and pleasure exclusively?

Mike D: I think it’s because we don’t release them that often.

Ad-Rock: Yes… Yes, you must be right, man.

Ad-Rock: Yes… Yes, you must be right, man.

MCA: Hey, we’d released Ill Communication after a two year break.

R.B.: Yeah, but this one took you four years.

MCA: Yeah, we had to level it out. It takes us three years most of the time.

R.B.: You grew up together. Are you always on such good terms with one another?

MCA: Sometimes there’ll be tripartite fights. Not sure you’ve ever seen what it looks like when three people fight each other. Each of them against the other two. That happens sometimes. Rarely, though. To be honest, we don’t really argue much.

R.B.: Your new album seems a bit like a departure from The In Sound from Way Out!

Mike D: Hello Nasty is a collection of a dozen or so songs, each of them stylistically different. That’s why you can’t really compare it to our previous releases. I guess, though, that at least two of the songs would’ve worked well as instrumentals on the previous album.

R.B.: How do you deal with the new technologies in music?

Mike D: Technology is present in all genres today and you can’t run from that. Music evolves largely thanks to the new technology. Especially hip hop music. We do it like the true rappers do, which means we start with a drum machine, then we put it on a loop, and then we use digital delay system. That’s one of the newest inventions. Technology is unpredictable, because people – who are its creators – have no clue about what the artists can do with it.

R.B.: Is it true what they say on the internet? That this album is the first one of the three that you’ve recorded lately?

MCA: You’ve really heard about that?

Mike D: Gosh, you can’t keep anything secret today.

Ad-Rock: Three? To be honest, we’ve got many more albums recorded.

Mike D: The last one of the three is a country album. The genre is so popular that you can’t really keep such a record a secret anymore. Especially when you’re in Manhattan and you walk around in a cowboy fit, it’s suspicious as hell. Because there aren’t many cowboys in Manhattan. People see a guy in a cowboy fit and assume that he has to be working on a country album.

R.B.: Is it really so important for your clothes to fit the style of your music?

MCA: You identify with your music more when you dress up. People often cheat, they wear clothes that don’t fit the music they play.

R.B.: So what kind of clothes did you guys wear when working on Hello Nasty?

MCA: I wore a bat girl costume.

Ad-Rock: I dressed up as a scared woman.

Mike D: I’d wear a bathing suit, because I wanted to go swimming all the time.

Ad-Rock: We couldn’t really find what we were looking for at first. We tried on a range of fits and finally found those that went well with our music.

R.B.: You’ve been popular with skateboarders. It’s a group of people who wear unique clothes and listen to a lot of your music, as it seems. Do you identify with this subculture?

MCA: I don’t think it’s just that one subculture. There are a few more we’d like to identify with.

Mike D: For me it’s long gone. Skateboarding isn’t much of an extreme or exclusive kind of sports discipline anymore. It’s become very popular.

R.B.: You’ve worked with Lee “Scratch” Perry on the new album. Can you tell me what kind of benefits did that bring you?

Mike D: It’s hard to say, but we’ve always been pretty impressed with his work on dub music. He’s also inspired Mario Caldato, our studio engineer. For me, Lee is an artist of science, a living fucking legend.

R.B.: Do you think that you can inspire young musicians?

MCA: Sure, but that’s a normal thing, right? If music is evolving as a part of culture, then everything and everyone inspires that process. We’re happy that we can be a part of that culture to some degree.

R.B.: A lot of white kids have gotten into rap music thanks to “Rhymin’ & Stealin’.” At least that’s what happened to me…

MCA: As a white kid… Right, it’s hard to be a black kid in Finland.

Mike D: We discovered hip hop when we were thirteen or fourteen. We’d go and see Public Enemy and bands like that. We were totally enchanted. It’s not that weird that kids who listen to us want to do the same thing.

R.B.: Some people say that you don’t like it when other artists sample your music. Some say that you’re more liberal, though.

MCA: It all depends on how the sample is used. If it’s creative, then we’re here for it. But if they go and copy our own ideas, and the whole track revolves around that idea, then we’re obviously pissed off.

R.B.: Are you as satisfied with making music as you’re with your magazine and your record label?

MCA: It’s all really about creating something new, publishing the mag, recording albums or playing gigs… We’re really into humanitarian work, too. Sure, the music is the most important thing of all. Nobody knows where it comes from, it’s hard to define the process of making music. It comes from subconsciousness.

R.B.: I’ve heard that you were to make a movie based on your “Sabotage” video?

Mike D: Unfortunately, that’s not true.

MCA: It doesn’t change the fact that we’re planning to make a movie…

R.B.: About what?

MCA: You can actually watch it in the cinema already, because Spice Girls had stolen our screenplay and made it their own.

R.B.: In the 80s there were a lot of humanitarian aids, like benefit concerts during which quite a lot of money got lost for a very simple reason. Those actions were organized on such a grand scale that it was nearly impossible to control the funds. Aren’t you scared that the same thing can happen to your organization?

MCA: Free Tibet is there to help people find out about the issue and educate them on it. The money that we get helps us organize the Tibetan Freedom Concerts. It’s not like those other actions from the past that were strictly about collecting funds.

R.B.: Do you believe that the bands you invite to play consider the gigs something more than simply another type of self-promotion?

MCA: I feel that most of those artists are really moved by the issue we’re trying to bring to people’s attention.

R.B.: You’re fighting for free Tibet, while recently it’s been 50 years since the State of Israel was formed. And Palestinians are fighting for their rights to be respected. Why have you taken on Tibet and not Palestine?

MCA: Tibetans’ fight is based on the idea of non-violence. It’s a peaceful fight. The contrast between the brutality of the Chinese government and that quiet fight of Tibetans does make an impression, and that’s why we’re popularizing the ideas behind the Tibetan struggle. We believe that the non-violent, peaceful act is the only logical way of dealing with the issue.

R.B.: Even if the peaceful fight ends up leading to the extinction of Tibetan culture?

MCA: The same thing will happen if Tibetans decide to use violence as a means to gain their freedom.

R.B.: Is it true that your music is banned in Hong Kong?

MCA: That’s right. We can’t play there. Our albums can’t be sold on their market. All of the bands playing for Milarepa are banned from performing in China.

R.B.: You’ve met Dalai Lama on several occasions. Does he like your music?

MCA: Dalai Lama doesn’t listen to pop music at all. Lots of bands give him their CDs. He takes them because he doesn’t want them to feel bad, but he won’t give them a listen.

Ad-Rock: That’s why he stores so many demos at home.

R.B. What is Dalai Lama like?

MCA: He’s fantastic. He’s a great role model, representing all of the values people associate with Tibetan culture, with Buddhism. He’s got great charisma. He oozes calmness that comes from the respect he has for everyone.

R.B. What’s his opinion on Tibetan Freedom Concert?

MCA: He thinks it’s an excellent way of spreading his word. For him, the concert is a kind of holiday.

R.B.: As far as I know, you have a slightly different view on the future of Tibet. He wants to negotiate with the Chinese government about Tibet’s legal right to autonomy in China, while you fight for total freedom for Tibet as a sovereign country. Is that true?

MCA: It’s related to his view on the type of fight. He’s so scared of any form of violence that he’s ready to negotiate with the Chinese government. He’s choosing the lesser of two evils, that’s what he’s doing. We’re in a completely different situation, though. As American citizens, we want to speak with our government about freedom for Tibet. We believe that Tibetans should be free and we want to encourage the government to take action to help Tibetans gain autonomy.

R.B.: The “Sabotage” music video was unique and quite shocking. Are your new clips going to be equally as original?

Ad-Rock: It’s gonna be some good shit.

MCA: We had lots of fun working on it. The “Sabotage” video had a lot to do with the song, though. Our new clips won’t have anything to do with the songs. They can be treated as independent short features. We plan to make a couple more totally different clips.

R.B.: You’ve been a band for so long that you must be best friends and not only, let’s say, collaborators. Can you please describe one another?

Mike D: Adam Horovitz is, to use basketball terminology, the play maker. He shows us how we’re supposed to play because he’s the one in charge of the balls. Sometimes he can’t score from a distance, though. Adam Yauch, on the other hand, is a very unusual power forward. His style is completely devoid of aggression, unlike Karl Malone’s. Or Charles Barkley’s. He can dull his opponent’s vigilance with his slow moves and get all the points.

Ad-Rock: Mike is an idiot and a thief. Yauch is a liar. I’m as cool as James Bond.

Mike D: Some people might say that we’re CSC. Crazy Sexy Cool. And that’s what we wanna be.

R.B.: Can you explain your record cover? You’re in a tin and you look like sardines.

Mike D: Doesn’t it sound pretty? “Sardine tin”? It’s almost like a big surprise. You open the tin and it turns out that people’s lives are similar to the life of sardines.

MCA: Maybe this album was recorded by sardines and you’re now talking to them? Who does know?  

[thattimdrakeguy]

Why, uh, do ppl hate Tim so much? I just fell down a hole of anti tim and I can’t find a..valid reason for the hate besides that fact tht hes rich and white?

From my experience it’s one of those things where Tim has antagonistic relationships with other Bat-Family members like Damian, Jason, and even partially Steph. So they just crap on Tim, because it’ll make their favs look better.

Like that’s genuinely been the main reason I see, and they use the fact he’s rich and white to make it seem like it’s a social justice thing, even though in the end it really isn’t.

I sort of rant for the rest of the post going in more detail, and mentioning things I’ve been shown, and why I think a lot of it is dumb, but basically it’s just people being petty and insecure, and being unable to handle things in any other way than childishly.

For some Jason fans I’ve seen them talk about how much they hate Tim because they replaced the poor kid with a rich kid, but I’m really freaking poor myself. Obviously I’m not homeless, but there was a time in my life where I slept on the floor, and later on after I did have a bed my bed room had a hole in the floor. But, they’re just looking too deep into stuff just to find a problem anywhere they can.

I’ve also seen some say Tim bullied his way into being Robin after the poor kid died. When 1) that isn’t even an accurate description of what happened and 2) they’re obviously just trying to word it the worst way possible, because they’re pretty freaking childish.

Damian fans try to make Tim and his fans out to be racist cause Tim doesn’t like Damian, when that’s actually because Damian got so close to killing Tim I’m pretty sure Tim actually did nearly die from bleeding out. I think also because Tim once said “what about his biology” when referring to Damian, when Tim wasn’t referring to his race, he was referring to how he’s related to criminals and Damian literally had his biology messed with to make him a fierce warrior and a good body for Ra’s.

Steph fans also try to make Tim and his fans out to be sexist. But their reasoning is really weak, because it’s literally just boiled down to Tim being mean to Steph sometimes, but it’s not like that’s cause of her gender for that to make sense. It’s because in context she is an untrained citizens constantly putting herself and potentially others in-danger without any training to feel safe with her constantly being out there. Plus she flirted with him so much to the point it made him uncomfortable and fit the literal definition of sexual harassment.

And they always do that thing where they gotta make their favs sound better, and Tim sound worse. Which admittedly Tim fans do the same thing, but I’m not really here to pick a side. I’m just here pointing out how freaking annoying fandoms can be, because ultimately I don’t really care what fandom does it. At the moment though I can confidently say, that other fandoms are doing it a lot more than Tim ones lately, because I’m in the Tim tags at least twice a day most days and I’ve barely seen it lately.

It’s kind of a thing to project a lot of stuff on the Tim fandom for the same faux-social-justice kind of jargon they try to do. When you see it from a view like mine, where I’m not on any side of any fandom, even if I am a Tim fan (cause I never really been into deep fandom stuff), it just comes off as hypocritical frankly.

(If you want to hear some dumb things some Tim fans do to even it up, they make him the most frail, emo, emotionally unstable kid ever sometimes. They can focus way too much on making him sympathetic (but even then, literally every fandom does that, but the Tim fandom always does it in a very notable depressing way). They also focus so much on coffee and practically act like he’s all pilled up on anti-depressants he just acts weird that it just seems obsessive and very out of character.)

Like as some examples they’ll bring up how Tim doesn’t trust Damian and put him on a list of potential threats. But Damian literally nearly caused Tim’s death, nearly caused it again in the same story, and at the end it’s shown that Damian isn’t on there because Tim considers him a villain, it’s because he has potential to be dangerous. Wonder Woman and Red Tornado are also on the same list.

To me, I just look at that story as ridiculous, because Damian isn’t dumb, and Tim literally spoke against contingency plan stuff before. Damian’s going to need more than to be on a vague list as a potential threat, especially when he’s visibly on the hero side of it. Damian’s not that thinned skin. He’s got a temper, and obviously really doesn’t like Tim, but even when he felt Tim was insulting him or being patronizing to him before he didn’t try to kill him then immediately. He tried to kill him because he thought that’s what he was supposed to do to earn his place beside his father.

The story’s just dumb in-general.

And then they pull out the New 52 story where Tim is just being a dick to Damian for no good reason, but it’s the same kind of thing. Tim was never that much of a dick without being provoked. The only time I think Tim started a fight was in Red Robin where he was on pills that messed with his mental state, and again had everyone out of character regardless. Because 1) Dick wouldn’t just give away Robin from Tim, because he knows better than that. 2) Damian acts like he’s happy his dad is dead and just acts like a generic child and not even like Damian. And 3) I legitimately can’t see Tim just hitting a kid, even Damian, unless a fight already breaks out.

For Steph fans they point out how Tim is passive aggressive to her, constantly doesn’t want her to be Spoiler, and yada yada. Probably because her Batgirl run portrayed that as being mentally scarring to Steph. Even though one of the panels they chose of Tim being upset and not wanting her to be Spoiler, was after Steph caused Tim to be disfigured and on the pills that messed with his mental state to begin with. Which inadvertedly just makes her look self-centered and narcissistic. But again, I don’t even consider that in-character, because 1) I don’t buy that Steph would listen to Batman especially when it puts Tim in danger, because she never gave a crap about what Batman said till they needed to villainize her before she died. 2) Steph can be arrogant and self-centered, she has it in her, but she wouldn’t ever be that self-centered, to the point she just looks narcissistic. 3) I’m pretty sure at the actual time it happened, Steph is shown being aware she messed up. 4) Steph never cared what others thought. She trespassed on other people’s property to party. She’s a very confident person the majority of the time. Batman tells her to knock it off, she might as well flip him the bird because she just finds him more annoying than anything else. It’s literally in her origin that she doesn’t even like Batman.

There’s also the context for in the 90s when Tim first started doing it. Steph was portrayed as a reckless citizen that could potentially get herself and others into harm because she didn’t know what she was doing, and didn’t have the highest morals. That’s not anything any of the bats would encourage. If Tim was extra passive aggressive, he’s a literal thirteen to fifteen year old boy during that time, no duh he’s going to be immature. That still isn’t a sexism thing. Steph may had saved him twice, but that wasn’t portrayed even in-story as a sign she can handle it like a pro. It was always portrayed as “thank goodness she was with Tim at that time, and knew where he was to save him”. Not to say she was completely unskilled, because I’m not taking that far, but just speaking in generalizations.

She was originally added into Robin to be a very specific foil to Tim, and be a general pain in his side. That was their dynamic. If that makes it seem weird that they eventually had them date then I agree.

And at the same time for both of their characters they also ignore what the character they’re trying to defend has done, because Damian literally nearly killed Tim. They act like Tim should just get over it, because Damian was a kid in a cult, but that explains why Damian did it, it doesn’t excuse it. When something like that happens the person who was nearly killed is probably going to be traumatized (rather or not Tim was can be argued, I’m not saying he was or wasn’t), and not ever trust the person. Like that is the natural and most accurate response for it.

It’s just villainizing for the sake of being petty.

With Steph they ignore the fact she essentially sexually harassed Tim all the time and straight up emotionally abused him for an arc. Which her fans hate to hear, but that is stuff that happened. It was written by her creator. I don’t really care if Tim took her costume away or kissed her first, because I’m aware, and I know the contexts, and it doesn’t take away from what she’s done, because that’s not how that works. They also ignore she caused Tim to be disfigured by saying she was just doing what Batman said. But at that point she was also an adult, and would know better.

Like Steph can be reckless, that’s part of her character, but she isn’t an idiot.

In the end, from what all I’ve seen, it’s literally just fandom pettiness. There’s a lot of fans out there that act childish, treat people like idiots, blatantly lie about things, or exaggerate stuff.

It’s all very dumb, but I find it hard to take serious, because if they can’t acknowledge what their own favs have actually done, it just comes across like they genuinely don’t like the character and can’t admit it. They prefer to stay in their candy land so they gaslit others instead.

For me it’s as easy as paying attention to the story, seeing the contexts, and a lot of the time it’s not even a thing that’s in-character for any of the characters involved, or at least the very least not nearly as serious as they treat it.

Especially for around the past 15 or more years or so. By then the care in making everything is crafted and makes sense went down the drain so it’s often that a story doesn’t even make sense to begin with.

They think fandom is about making everyone else look bad apparently, or at least they sure act like it.

Like it’s comics. I think the fandom in-general that gets so worked up over stuff needs to relax, deattach yourself to look at it from the grander view, and calm down over it. Because things aren’t always what they seem. People try to convince themselves of so much stuff, or bully others for so much stuff, and it’s all so petty and unhealthy.

My personal philosophy in the fandom to avoid any toxic behavior is to just keep it real. I don’t lie to myself, I give everything the same standard, I definitely don’t bully or gaslit anyone, I don’t treat my favorite like they’re a real dang person either, and I look at it all like how it is, fiction.

It’s the reason why I get upset at writing and not fictional characters. I don’t ultimately care when a character does a bad thing, unless it’s out of character. To me the only thing I get upset with is the writing, because it’s the only thing that’s real.

Don’t be obsessed, and keep the peace essentially.

[sagemoderocklee]

⭐ for the part in thirteen strokes where lee was dancing with the sunan women? i feel like a lot of them have a soft spot for lee now but what would you say? (god i hope i'm doing this meme right)

you are absolutely doing this right! I don’t think there’s really any way to do this wrong, but i love this question! that was such a fun scene to write, and I really can’t wait to do some more stuff with Suna’s dance culture and the costumes the women wear! especially for dancing!

i definitely think Lee earned quite a lot of respect from Suna’s people, showing off his skills like that. I always imagine that all things physical are just really easy for Lee after so many years of training his body, and I also imagine that he does dance to train as well, so he has good rhythm. I think Lee’s sort of already known--at least in this fic--among Suna as a close friend of the Kazekage. 

originally, his reputation was sort of like ‘that oddball foreigner’, but he’s spent enough time in the village and has been seen with Gaara enough that people know who he is and that he’s got Gaara’s respect. Gaara also does speak highly of Lee, so like you wouldn’t find anyone who’d ever say a word against Lee to begin with because that would basically be like saying Gaara has bad taste in friends or doesn’t know what he’s talking about when it comes the skills of other shinobi.

Lee definitely sticks out, and I think usually when he arrives in Suna, he’s going to get a decently warm welcome, but he’s definitely never in Suna for super long, so he’s never really had opportunity to form a relationship with the village, its people, or its culture outside of the sand sibs, and that sort of reputation as an ‘oddball foreigner’ is definitely still something that hangs around him at this celebration

Seeing Lee in Suna for this particular festival means that all the people who know of Lee, now get the chance to get to know Lee a bit, and he is a bit of a curiosity within Suna given his friendship to Gaara. Like he’s not Naruto, so what makes him so special? Like obviously people do know about the Chuunin exams vaguely, but if they weren’t there they don’t really know. They have just kind of garnered Lee’s importance to Gaara from his presence and the things Gaara says about Lee (which isn’t like a whole lot per say, but what he does say obviously has a lot of weight). So Lee definitely already has the attention of Suna’s people and their respect, but they don’t really know him beyond “the Kazekage’s odd foreign friend”.

The dance scene really solidified to the people who are immediately in the vicinity (and ofc rumor will spread), that Lee is someone worthwhile. He’s never seen these dances before, but he barely needs to be told how it goes before he’s dancing like the rest of them and even better than some. he’s strong and fast and graceful, and all the single women love a good dancer, so he ends up in the unlikely position of being the most popular man among the ladies for probably the first time in his life. And he’s just so nice and he might be a lil weird looking, but it’s sort of charming, and he really becomes the talk of the town during after that. like word spreads pretty quickly while he’s dancing that ‘the kazekage’s weird friend is dancing like Sunajin’ and ‘oh he’s such a wonderful dancer, and so strong’ and ‘he’s actually kind of charming’ which is why he ends up with so many dance partners lol

after that i think lee becomes less a curiosity with the general respect of the people, and more an awe-inspiring figure like ‘oh this is why the kazekage is his friend’ and he definitely becomes someone all those dance partners want to seek out in the hopes of getting to know him better and maybe win him over.

thank you so much for the ask! i hope that was a satisfactory answer! <3