#i nitpick at the tiniest things in my writing

[kitausuret]

Flash Thompson post-KiB Guide

So, since April 2021, Flash Thompson has been back in action! Sort of. Intermittently. It was a long 1,043 days, but he finally came back to us in Venom (2018) #34. So, what's he been up to since busting his way out of the ground? Well... why don't you take a look for yourself?

(Venom (2018) #34 (Cates, Coello) ...okay, he was actually buried in NYC in Amazing Spider-Man #800, but I suppose we can't nitpick)

After his resurrection, he appeared briefly as Agent Anti-Venom in Venom #200, musing over the details of his resurrection...

...and that led directly into Extreme Carnage. The order for that event is as follows: Alpha, Scream, Phage, Lasher, Riot, Toxin, Agony, Omega. Extreme Carnage reunited Flash with Andi (as Scream, and then Silence) and essentially has Flash in full Symbiote Rights™ mode, unless you're Carnage. Because fuck that guy.

It's not my most favorite event in the world, but it's probably the best Flash content you'll get for him post-resurrection. It's pretty fun though, and worth a read.

After that, his next big appearance is in Savage Avengers (2022) #1-10. He's part of the main cast and team, so technically it's the most content we see for Flash since his resurrection, but it's a bit of a mixed bag. Pepose's Flash isn't awful, but he's nothing to write home about. The most interesting bits are the Anti-Venom Symbiote seemingly gaining some sapience, and Flash's short-lived romance with Tandy (Dagger).

Interestingly, the first issue of Savage implies that Flash has been in contact with Liz Allan again, presumably since the events of Extreme Carnage. Beyond that, we get to see the dragon form of Anti-Venom again, and he takes on a more classic appearance better resembling John Romita Jr.'s origin design for Anti-Venom back in New Ways to Die. It's not known if the Anti-Venom will maintain its seeming sense of self, but we can hope!

Beyond that has just been bits and pieces of content for him. He had a decent supporting part in Amazing Spider-Man #900, but he also didn't have any chemistry with anyone, so it probably ranks at the bottom of my list for post-resurrection appearances. It also doesn't determine whether or not Flash remembers about the identity reveal exactly 100 issues earlier so... (tosses hands up)

He also cameoed in Dark Web #1 at a memorial for Harry Osborn, lingering near Liz. Curiously, in Dark Web, Norman Osborn was just outside, but for whatever reason Flash didn't react whatsoever to his murderer being about thirty feet away, so, it is what it is.

Beyond the above it's all been little spot cameos and mentions of him. There was a little teeny tiny mention in Venom (2021) #11, as well as in the 2022 Venom/Spider-Man Free Comic Book Day issue (he's on Dylan's team, with those swords apparently ready to stab the shit out of Lee Price. at least I'm hoping).

He also got the world's tiniest but MOST IMPORTANT mention in Red Goblin #5 as long as you can overlook Stanley Osborn being white (head in hands) but the important thing here is UNCLE FLASH. I'm crying. He is Uncle Flash. Was it Uncle Flash calling? No. It was Cletus Kasady. But that's not the point!!!! He's Uncle Flash!!!!!!!!

The best we can honestly hope for at this point is that Flash appears in either the current Carnage event (Carnage Reigns) or in whatever they've got going on in Venom. I personally would like to see him rejoin the cast of Amazing Spider-Man, but maybe given the current writing staff he's better off away from that.

We do know for sure he's in Extreme Venomverse #3 (out 6/14) but it's not really Flash, it's a Flash from some other universe. Still, we will take our crumbs with gratitude because that's all we're getting right now.

I'll update this as more becomes available! Which will hopefully be a lot! Stay tuned, true believers!

(for @thrakaboom , as requested)

[fatuismooches]

SMOOCHES!! Hii sweetheart, I hope you’ve been doing well! ໒꒰ྀིᵔ ᵕ ᵔ ꒱ྀི১

I’m sorry if I’ve been a bit inactive with brainrots, school has been stressful and on top of it I’ve been struggling with my condition. Everything’s just been really heavy on me with how frequent I go to see doctors. And I may have a rare syndrome that may have affected why I grew so short (4’10). So yeah I’ve been re-reading a lot of your lovely fragile!reader works throughout the weeks.

But I keep thinking on just Zandik holding fragile!raeder while they ramble about their problems. It’s like their own safe haven, wheee you feel heard and protected by the only person who’s stuck by your side since childhood. :( I just wanna snuggle against his strong arms and fall asleep to the sound of his heart beat. Or just being comforted through examinations while Zandik checks to make sure your vitals aren’t deteriorating. But a little angsty thought: on one occurrence where Zandik is checking your vitals and he sees they haven’t improved but slowly decreased. Seeing that the medication you take is useless and he’ll need to batch something up quickly before you take notice or grow concerned. Also, fragile!reader going to Zandy for cuddles or inviting him into their room so they can cuddle. You put on a fake smile and brush it off as “wanting to be with your favorite boy”. But in reality you just really need comfort but don’t want to nag Zandik so frequently that you’ll just be a nuisance. Yeah just fragile!reader always feeling guilt </3 it’s how I’ve been for the past few days.

But I hope you have a much better week than I have had!! And I hope it’s okay to ask, but I remember you writing something about the Harbingers having a “meeting” to figure out who’s the mysterious veiled figure who is at times seen outside the lab with Dottore. I’m not sure if you ever finished it or forgot about it you don’t have to answer this I’m so sorry.

-from your dear boo boo bear 🎐 anon ୨୧

HI 🎐 ANON MY LOVE!!! <333 Please don't worry about me or brainrots! I just want you to take care of yourself. That sounds so so stressful I couldn't even begin to imagine. I hope you're managing to get rest between all of that :( I wish i could provide you with more than my words and virtual hugs, but I sincerely hope things get better for you. *hugs* And to answer your question, I'm still working on that fic, slowly but surely! It's probably going to take a while due to school and whatnot but it'll be finished eventually. I also ended up changing the title to Latin since all my Dottore fics have that theme but I also realized how bad online translators are for Latin so right now the tentative title is "Medicus potest amare? (responsum est quod sic)" That's probably way too long so it'll might get shortened. But yeah!! I hope you enjoy it when it comes out 🎐 anon ❤️

But yes! Many of the times Dottore can't really help with your problems, since they're probably related to your illness and whatnot, but what matters to you is how he listens without interrupting or nitpicking. Whether you're on his lap or cuddling together he holds you very tightly, he unconsciously holds you like that as if you would leave him. But you don't complain since you like the security of his arms. Though if it's something within his ability to do, whether it's simple or not, his clones will get it done for you. Just to make your life even the tiniest bit easier. Examinations are never fun but Zandik being the one who does them makes them a bit more comforting :( You probably dread them a lil bit since they're just a constant reminder of your sickness but Zandik and his clones do try their best to make it as stress-free as possible for you :) which is honestly a challenge for them at first considering what they usually do but dneuwidfd they'll do anything for you, yk?

Wahh the angsty thought is unfortunately a frequent reality for Dottore... </3 No matter how much he sees it, he can never truly get used to it, there's always a sharp twinge in his chest. Though he never tells you what he sees... he doesn't want you to take on extra burdens. And ughh,,, cuddles with baby Zandy ;(( honestly his childlike innocence and smile make you feel a bit better but tbh he's still a smart boy so he can probably tell when you're lying and genuinely feeling down! Zandy will still cuddle with you of course but he will probably tell Dottore that he noticed how sad you are, and soon enough the Harbinger will be in your room again. Reminding you that you are not a nuisance. That although his methods aren't conventional, he's your husband, and he's here to help and comfort you. That you two will be together until the very end of the world.

[jowiththeflow]

screaming crying throwing up, Entombed Chp 1 has me WRITHING with excitement and delicious agony. how??? did you get everyone's voices so perfect??? also thank u for introducing me to Suguru/Riko, the possibilities are endless and so is my need to imagine pretty teen boys deeply in love with and bettering themselves for a girl who doesn't notice at first.

Entombed has me by the throat 😅 If I even try to think about writing anything else it turns around and shakes me like, "Excuse you? I'm right here." And hhhhh I don’t know, I rework things a lot before I post. I don’t use beta readers very often either and didn’t use one for this (other than in the chucking scenes at people to verify they Vibe and not much else format), so I go over things a million times before I post to nitpick the tiniest interactions and try to keep them in character.

Suguru/Riko is cute. Now that you're thinking about it, I gently encourage rereading/rewatching the past Gojo arc/the Hidden Inventory Arc. They have their moments. Perfect template for pretty teen boys learning to—well, not really better themselves—but tochange themselves, for a girl that doesn’t really notice at first. Though I'm a lot more invested in giving Suguru happiness than canon was, so there will be some bettering here.

Thanks so much for the ask!! I could talk about Entombed all day to be honest

[fiercely-raging-writer]

5, 14 and 15?? have a good day/night!!

hey carmen!! thanks for the ask, hope you're doing good <33

5. what motivates you to write?

everything. okay, well, not everything, but also, everything. writing is constantly on my mind. i love writing, i love, love, it, it's one of my most favourite things to do and i think that love for writing and what anyone can do with just words and their hands is what motivates me to write. also i like watching people react to the shit i put characters through ksfjkshds

14. what is your least favourite part of writing?

hmm, the technicalities, maybe? like, i suck at research, and sometimes i have to research to get something right, or stuff like bothering with basic grammar and stuff. i just want to write. that's all i want to do. i also don't really like how my mind [ugh] makes me nitpick the tiniest details and Stops me from writing until i've got it figured out.

15. what got you into writing?

a classmate, actually!! + my boredom and inability to pay attention in class, lmao.

ask the writer!!

[riverdale-retread]

Riverdale S2 E20 (Spoiler Warnings!)

- Jughead and FP urgently discussing Serpent Business at the Diner sotto voce is my new kink. They’re so terse, so mas-cu-line, the conversation punctuated with FP punching surfaces and Jughead doing that put-upon-leader sighing he does so well.  But we know that one of them is a man who almost burst into tears because his son cut up a(n evil) woman, and the other one is the ultimate softboi. The dissonance is delectable.   I also enjoy how very carefully the Jones men groom themselves - FP with his excellent facial hair always perfect, Jughead always letting the exact right amount of hair escape his beanie. Bravo.

- Veronica explains a mob thing to Archie by saying,  “It’s very Borgia / Medici.” Does Archie know who they are, or is he having a Scarlett O’Hara moment of wondering if they’re a family in Centerville? ... I’m sorry. I keep harping on Archie is Stupid but actually, maybe, the fairer thing is to say Archie is Frustrating.  He’s  a quarterback (that takes brains), he overcomes a learning disability with the help of a classmate (this takes grit), he grasps the fundamentals (I think?) of music theory and song composition.  So OK, I will stop snarking at Archie (for now).  Oh and they live in a world where Jughead has seen and references the Shonda Rhimes show Scandal, so maybe they also have Showtime’s The Borgias.

- In any case, this was a sad Veronica episode for me, because she decides fully to go into Junior Mobster mode and lets go of the struggle to be a bigger, better person, that she was trying for in Season 1.  Bye bye, Mama V.

- Super Petty Protagonist Girl Nitpick: Why does Betty never share her umbrella with Jughead? This is the second walk to school when it’s raining that I’ve seen her not share her umbrella and Jughead is just getting rained on. The first time was post Bughead Consummation, that walk the morning after.  In that scene, though, she has a deathgrip on the umbrella because she’s reliving mopping blood off her floor alongside her mom, and when she realizes what Jughead is talking about (”I thought we had a really nice evening and then you hung up on me”), she shares the umbrella.  But in this episode, it’s raining and they’re walking to school after Jughead thinks the Chic Situation is dealt with, and she’s not sharing the umbrella.  Is it part of Jughead’s self conception somehow that he doesn’t need umbrellas?  But he wears a knit hat all the time, which probably shouldn’t get wet, and he’s so careful about his hair (you know he is), so why doesn’t he mind that it’s getting damp?  

- Bulldogs v Serpents actually culminates in a climax in this episode! Hey!  Also the neat bisecting of the frame, Archie on the left, Jughead on the right, to show that the Battle For the Protagonist Boy seat at Riverdale is now fully on!   And I was so excited!  This is still Advantage Jughead, including the part where Hiram + Dark Circle is too much for Jughead to handle and he has to beg for Archie to appear to help him out, because the frantic “please” that Jughead screams at him while looking terrified makes this all about Jughead’s feelings.  (And then Archie/Reggie shoot Fangs in the stomach, so you know, there’s nothing that Archie can’t get involved in without making things worse).

- Oh and another one for Jughead is So Very Brave.  Being a human shield for a friend when a homicidal mob is calling for his blood. Wow.   And same kudos to Toni, who is the tiniest person ever, throwing her lot in.  I want Jopaz!  Give me Jopaz!  (And I guess Sweet Pea too, but I mean, how could Sweet Pea refuse if all 90 lbs of Toni is all in?)  The paternally tender touch that Jughead gives Fangs as Fangs tries not to cry -  This is the true Daddy moment, no?

- The Junior Divisions of the Southside Serpents are the most awesome squad ever.  Even I want to join at this point. I mean truly. What the heck did Jughead write in the novel that pissed them off so much? And how could he??

- Absolute delight at Reggie assuming that it was Sweet Pea that Midge would’ve gone for, to cheat on Moose with, because that’s who Reggie would also pick, out of all the Serpents.  Reggie, the second best looking boy in Riverdale, agrees with me that Sweet Pea is The Hottest, and Sweet Pea just accepts the attention as his right.

- Betty + Cheryl match up!  And Betty wears Blossom Red when she’s with Cheryl, because Cheryl > Betty, always. My queen. I love to see Cheryl, I like her nerves of steel, and of course she is up for all the things (going to the morgue, breaking into Hal’s hideout).  This stomach she has for the dark side of life is actually good set up for Serpent Cheryl later. (Surprised!)

- The thing is the choice that Betty makes to have Cheryl as her investigation buddy  really undermines the Betty Is Jughead’s True Home theory.  I  have already accused Betty of low-octane classism.  I think she’s been annoyed by and judgmental of Jughead being poor, and his father struggling (a felon who works a minimum wage job, compared to her college educated literati parents). She decides, in the way of one with Blossom blood, that something as shameful as your father being a serial killer must be kept in the family, which means leaving Jughead out.  By contrast,  Jughead fights to get Betty included in Serpent things whenever she deigns to be interested.  

Betty is Jughead’s family, but Jughead is not Betty’s, which echoes the fact that Archie is Jughead’s brother, but not the other way around.   Why are you doing this to me Betty? 

- I’m really shocked by how much I don’t remember.  All my memories of Riverdale are entirely peachy-warm Bughead bits - that is to say, Jughead Worshiping Betty moments, with the shoulder kisses, using his Earnestly Tender voice, and the smiling at or about her all the time.  Things I didn’t remember are:

a) Reggie starts to work for pay for Hiram in this episode, in Season 2b, as the Dark Circle.  This means they have a really, really long history, which explains their intimacy (between a groomer and his victim?) in S5 post time-jump.  Reggie never left Riverdale, even, so the sheer amount of time he’s spent with Hiram is huge and without the 7 year gap of no contact that the Main Four had.

b) Fangs hooked up with Midge!  Joaquin comes back from wherever it was he went!   People get really, really busy behind the scenes among the secondary and tertiary characters. Midge hooked up with Fangs, but was bf/gf with Moose,  who later hooks up with Kevin, who then gets semi-married to Fangs. I need a whiteboard. Do Fangs and Kevin ever talk about either Midge or Moose?  Also did Fangs and Joaquin ever get bored one night, adding more branches to this tumbleweed of relationships? 

c) Jughead somehow managed to get former Mayor, now Attorney McCoy to work pro bono for the Serpents, and McCoy simply accepts that Jughead, a child in her daughter’s class, is in loco parentis of Fangs, who is the same age as himself.  It would make really boring television, but I am very curious as to exactly how this conversation between Jughead and Attorney McCoy went down, given the fact that she treated him exactly like the child he would seem to her when she was mayor.

[mc-critical]

I've been thinking about Gulnihal and i know somebody already said this (i think it was you?) but its very telling how mc hurrem's first immoral action was against her and not mahi,ibrahim,etc. People really dont talk about it much. I also feel gulnihal was wasted she had much opportunity but then i kinda understand why because that would be an entire new can of worms. I saw a post say they should have made raziye mahi's daughter but also she could been made gulnihal's daughter it would have given hurrem a new maybe temporary antagonist instead of the isabella plot.

Hürrem's first immoral action being towards Gülnihal was said by Joanna in this awesome and detailed post. And it's totally true: in a parallel to Mahidevran beating/poisoning Hürrem, she herself did a very similar thing because her supposed best friend dared to go to SS's chamber. Okay, it's understandable why this is widely considered as a personal betrayal for Hürrem, even if we count the fact that she couldn't simply refuse to go there if she were called, but again, was burning her face truly necessary? Wasn't this a tad too far for a person you were friends with before then? Did this girl deserve such harsh "punishment"? Maybe ignore her, not trust her again even, but this? There is no way I can justify it. Besides, Gülnihal has the right to have an ambition for a higher place in the harem, just like Hürrem and all the other girls there. It is what's expected of everyone in this environment and Gülnihal doesn't deserve to be derided for it, especially not when that is her "biggest sin".

This action of Hürrem's certainly sets one thing straight - she's willing to commit to her life-long goal, no matter who or what stands in her way. She isn't against having friends or making alliances in the harem, and at one point she tries hard to earn everyone's trust, following Nigar's advice, but she wants these friends and alliances to commit as well, to be next to her at every step of the way. But when they do the littlest suspicious action, the tiniest mistake, she gets as cautious as ever towards them. I feel the motto of Hürrem's character is: "Pressure made me who I am." Her experiences in the harem have led to paranoia and constant fear that something bad would happen to her, so she's willing to do anything to lower them. If she considers that one friend of hers poses a threat of sorts, she would go against them. In short words, she went through trauma, but she learned almost effortlessly to inflict that exact same trauma on others.

I agree that Gülnihal deserved better from the show. She is so nice and sweet and after that arc of hers ended she became relegated to a more background role than a full-on supporting character. I would've loved to see more done with her and more conflict between her and Hürrem, more doubt on Gülnihal's part. I know that her being supportive and loyal to her friend is the point of her characterization and perhaps the writers didn't want to break the status-quo in that regard, but say, her not willing to forgive and deciding to leave on her own terms and have that explored and shown to us in its finest detail would be much more satisfying to me.

And that said, the way she actually got out of the show is my biggest problem with her writing that unfortunately, goes beyond her, too. Her ultimate fate is perfectly serviceable in isolation - she got married to a guy and ultimately got out of the toxic harem, a much better ending than nearly the whole main cast! I don't even mind all that much that it happened off-screen during a time-skip and we learned about it in the simplest way possible only after it IN THEORY: but it fails so much IN PRACTICE because of the writers' lacking attempt to set it up beforehand with Gülşah's attempt on Gülnihal's life. Episode 23, as a whole, is filled with drama that is intended as a big deal, but solely turns out to be retroactively unnecessary: I would get it if Gülnihal's stabbing triggered them to marry her off, but it truly didn't when you think about it, because, in the context of the narrative, they could've done this particular exit with Gülnihal anyway! They could've freely pulled it off without that whole drama, since the time-skip is in the next season and is in no way tied up to the events of E23. And in the season finale she seemed to be recovering with absolutely no hints given that she would go somewhere else, let alone marry. This sounds like a nitpick, I know, but what empowers this problem even further is that all of Gülşah's doings in E23 themselves are brushed off almost entirely later. E23 is the climax of Mahidevran's mini-arc in S01 about her constant claims that she isn't a killer and refusal to take away Hurrem's life, which make her object Gülşah's desire to end everything for good. This particular thing has been built-up from as early as E16 and it would be normal for it to reach its culmination. And yet, when Gülşah goes fully against Mahidevran's orders and Mahidevran beats her to death, all of which seems to affect the whole castle and Mahidevran breaks down in denial of what she did, it's as if all this is forgotten, not 3-4 episodes later. Two scenes aside, Mahidevran still trusts her unreservedly and there're no long term consequences for the whole thing, which makes it all pointless filler as a result and I feel that extends to Gülnihal, as well. It's almost like the writers drew themselves into a corner about this situation and the following aftermath of Leo's death and since they couldn't focus on every important thing at once, there was no time for Gülnihal left and simply threw the easiest, most convenient solution they could. It still baffles me to this day.

Gülnihal being a temporary antagonist to Hürrem's isn't a bad idea at all and I would love to see that in the remainder of S01B, but honestly not during the episodes of the Isabella arc. {I would also discard this arc entirely, if I were writing the show (because it's just such a tonal mess), but I would instead focus on Hürrem finding more allies like Gül Aga in the harem and delve deeper into her traumatic reactions to Leo's death and spend more time building up what should've been built-up all that time we wasted on Isabella: Mahidevran falling out of love with Süleiman. That's one of my core problems with E55, because despite of the events before her going in Edirne, the only thing it did is make this whole thing a plot-twist (that, by the way, could render Mahidevran hypocritical in the context of the episode) when it really wasn't, but that's a post for another day and excuse me for the ranting.} I personally would also like Raziye to be Mahidevran's daughter, because of her "false second pregnancy" Gülşah spread the rumor of in S01, but then again, her relationship with Mustafa could lose a little of its screentime then and that screentime is precious, because they really had such a well-written and human relationship. And I'm judging this as an alternative we have from what ended up really happening with Raziye, which was the weakest link of S04 to me and honestly, anything would be better than that. I wouldn't mind if Gülnihal had a daughter and if that daughter were Raziye. Then we would see her dynamic with Hürrem in a new and interesting light and it would've spiced up the narrative a little for sure. Temporary rivalry between them and especially, one after what Hürrem did to her, would've been amazing, I won't lie.

[fridayfirefly]

Quarantine Chapter Two: Nightmares

Written for the Maribat April Angst Apocalypse

Quarantine Masterlist | AO3

[Monday October 19]

In her nightmares, the fight against Exterminator went differently. In her nightmares, Marinette never even got the chance to fight him, she only experienced the aftermath of the fight. In her nightmares, bodies littered the streets of Paris. Blood dripped down car windshields. Fires burned, spreading ash through the air. The streets were silent, void of any life whatsoever. Marinette passed by a whimpering dog, who sniffed the cold, dead hand of its owner. In her nightmares, Marinette couldn't fix the damage that Hawkmoth created.

During the real fight, it had been easy to tune the outside world out. Nothing mattered except beating Exterminator. Ladybug didn't have time to pay attention to the blood and the bodies. Once the battle was over, the Miraculous Cure took care of the aftermath. Paris went back to normal, and Marinette could put it all behind her.

In her nightmares, Marinette couldn't avoid the devastation. There was no fight, nothing else for her to focus on except the bloodshed.

Marinette didn't remember a lot about the real fight against Exterminator. Her mind tended to block out the memories of the worst akumas. What Marinette did know was that in the end, Exterminator was just a man. His name was Frank and he was a fifty-seven-year-old Parisian. He was an exterminator who had been employed by the city for thirty-five years until budget cuts had led to him being fired. When he learned that he was losing his job, his anger led to his akumatization.

The Exterminator was created with two goals in mind: exterminate the ungrateful people of France and acquire the Miraculous of Ladybug and Chat Noir. He used his first goal to achieve his second. He would kill anyone he laid his eyes on until Ladybug and Chat Noir willingly gave up their Miraculous to him. It took eight hours to defeat him. Almost half of a million people died in the fight, a quarter of the population of Paris. Their lives were all restored when Ladybug used her Miraculous Cure, but that didn't stop Ladybug's fear. Exterminator was the strongest akuma she and Chat Noir had ever fought before. What would happen when Hawkmoth finally made an akuma that they couldn't beat?

After the fight was won, Exterminator's name wasn't released to the press. His face was blurred out in newspapers, and Ladybug urged the people of France not to go searching for his identity. She told the people of France that he had suffered enough already, but her words were hollow and all of Paris knew it. Exterminator didn't suffer. Akuma victims never suffered. They had the luxury of not remembering anything after their possession. The people who died in the attack, they had to live with the memory of being killed. Ladybug and Chat Noir had to live with the memories of every death they couldn't prevent.

Marinette woke up sobbing, the night after The Wall went up. It was another nightmare, her fourth nightmare since Exterminator's attack. This one was worse, and even though the fact that Marinette knew that the nightmare was over, she still couldn't stop crying.

Marinette stumbled out of bed and grabbed her laptop off her desk. The harsh light of the laptop screen burned her eyes, but Marinette simply blinked the pain away. She quickly typed out and sent a message.

[4:04 AM] Marinette: Are you awake right now?

Damian: I'm awake. Is something wrong?

Marinette met Damian back when she was in collège and he was in middle school, when they were assigned to be each other's penpal. They weren't friends at first. Neither of them wanted to be penpals in the first place. Marinette was barely proficient in writing in English, and Damian found the concept of penpals to be immature and unnecessary to his education. However, their friendship grew over their year of writing letters to each other. Marinette's English improved enough that she felt comfortable expressing herself through her letters and Damian grew fond of Marinette's optimistic take on life. The penpal program ended, but Marinette and Damian continued to stay in touch over email, and eventually through video chatting and texting. Now, having been friends with Damian for almost six years, Marinette could confidently say that Damian was one of her favorite people in the world.

Marinette: I had a nightmare and I don't want to be alone. I just need someone to talk to.

Damian: Do you want to video chat?

Marinette: Sure.

Marinette's laptop screen lit up with Damian's video chat request notification. In the top corner of her laptop screen, Marinette's own face was shown to her. There was no sugarcoating it - Marinette looked terrible. Her hair was a frizzy mess, her eyes were red and puffy, and there were tear-tracks of mascara running down her cheeks because she forgot to take her makeup off before bed.

Then, Damian's face appeared. Marinette knew intellectually that Damian was attractive. His hair was dark and shiny, long enough to run your hands through but not so long that it looked shaggy. His eyes were onyx green and reminded Marinette of marble. His tan skin was flawless, not a blemish marred his perfect face. He was, without a doubt, the most attractive boy that Marinette had ever met. In her disheveled state, Marinette couldn't help but compare herself to Damian's perfectly put together appearance. It only served to make her more upset. Marinette wasn't usually the type to obsess over her appearance, but around Damian, she couldn't help but nitpick over the tiniest things. Even though she knew that he would care about her no matter what she looked like, she still worried about the way she looked, the way she talked, the way she dressed. Marinette always assumed that her crush on Damian would fade, just like her crush on Adrien, but it never went away. It lingered in the background of every interaction she had with him, a twinge of admiration and adoration that she felt every time she saw him.

"Are you okay?" asked Damian, his concern evident in the worried look on his face. "You've never complained about nightmares before."

"It's no big deal." Marinette tried to brush off his concern. She was beginning to feel embarrassed that she called him over something as trivial as a nightmare. "Sorry that I look like a mess right now." Marinette gestured to her face. "I've had a rough night."

"You don't have to apologize, Marinette. I think you look fine."

Marinette gave him a tired glare. "I definitely don't look fine, but you can keep lying to me if you want to."

Damian somehow managed to look even more concerned, which made Marinette feel even worse for snapping at him. He was trying to be a nice person. He offered to help her through her nightmares, and instead of thanking him, she managed to screw everything up. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to take all of my anger out on you. I should've waited until tomorrow morning to text you."

"You don't have to apologize for being upset. Why don't you tell me what's wrong? It might make you feel better."

"I'm sure you've seen what's happening in Paris on the news. It's worrying me. The entire city is on edge and the authorities don't plan on taking down The Wall and ending the Quarantine until Hawkmoth is caught, which could potentially take years. I saw on the news that Ladybug and Chat Noir tried to negotiate with the new Paris Council, but they weren't able to do anything to help. Paris is my home, and I'm scared that something terrible is going to happen to it."

"Don't worry, Marinette. Things will get better with time. I'm sure that the Quarantine will end soon. There's no way they would leave it up for years."

"You promise?" Marinette hated herself for the vulnerability in her voice. Ladybug was supposed to be the stoic defender of Paris, not a scared little girl, begging for comfort from a boy thousands of miles away and thousands of miles out of her league.

"I promise."

Marinette gave Damian a weak smile. "Thanks for talking to me. I should go to bed. I still have school tomorrow morning."

"Goodnight, Marinette."

"Goodnight, Damian."

Marinette ended the video chat and turned off her laptop. She stumbled to the bathroom to take off her makeup. The mascara came off with a simple makeup wipe, but the bags under her eyes were much more persistent. "I look like a raccoon," Marinette sighed, staring at her reflection in the mirror.

"Go back to bed, Marinette. You'll feel better after a few more hours of sleep," Tikki advised.

"I'll just have another nightmare. What use are three extra hours of sleep if I feel worse when I wake up?"

"You need those three extra hours of sleep to keep your strength up. I don't know what tomorrow will bring. You need to be prepared for anything."

"Okay." Marinette didn't have enough energy to argue with Tikki. She stumbled back to bed, already anticipated the pain that would haunt her dreams.

Marinette had nightmares. The worst part was that when she woke up, the nightmare was never over.

Taglist: @april-angst-apocalypse @justarandomtumblerblog @thestressmademedoit @ii-fox-demon @amayakans @bluefyoto94 @silvia7272 @rebecarojas07 @the-fair-maiden-of-fandom @justafanwarrior @mystery-5-5 @abrx2002 @queenmj10

[dcarevu]

Batman TAS: Joker’s Favor

“She can't open the door and push it in all by herself! THINK!”

Batman the Animated Series. Teaching the dangers of road rage since 1992!

Episode: 22 Robin: No Writer: Paul Dini Director: Boyd Kirkland Animator: Dong Yang Airdate: September 11, 1992 Grade: B

Char’s main reaction to seeing this episode for the first time was, “My girl!!” She loves Harley (and Poison Ivy). For me too, it’s nice to finally introduce Harley Quinn to the DC Animated Universe. Of course, back when this episode initially aired, it was also her introduction to the world of comic books in general. Written to be a one-off henchwoman to the Joker, wow, who would have seen the massive Harley Quinn storm coming. I was working at Party City when Suicide Squad came out, and by far the most popular costume we sold to young girls and women alike was Harley Quinn. People who know nothing about Batman are at least a little familiar with her. Sometimes even more familiar with her than the Dark Knight himself. And good lord, have fun trying to buy a copy of Batman Adventures #12 for a decent price. Even reprints can cost you around 100 bucks. You know how annoying that is for someone who just wants to own a physical copy of the damn thing to read?

I can only assume that Suicide Squad was the major catapult for the hype surrounding the character. I don’t remember seeing her around nearly as much before. Although I’m sure the Arkham series helped a little bit too. And I won’t lie to you, I’m a little salty about it. Oh, believe me, it’s definitely petty “nerd rage”. Or maybe you could call it the “hipster effect”. What annoys us about liking something for so long, and then, much later, finding out that it suddenly blows up with admiration? It’s stupid, this should make us happy, right? But yes, to let the cat out of the bag, I really do love Harley Quinn’s character. At least, the DCAU version of her. I’ve never seen Suicide Squad, I’ve never read any of her comics outside of the DCAU tie-ins, and I’ve never seen any episodes of other Batman cartoons with her in it. Doesn’t particularly interest me (not that I’m directly opposed). But I know that in the DCAU she’s really interesting, she’s a lot of fun, and some of the best moments of the entire series involve her heavily. The Laughing Fish, from what I remember, is up there among my favorite episodes. And how about the flashback in ROTJ? That’s one of the best Batman stories ever told, period. She’s not my favorite villain by any means, but the show would definitely be missing something without her. Speaking of her roles in the DCAU, maybe that’s where that “hipster effect” comes from. Maybe we get salty when people are oblivious toward a character’s…or a band’s…or a show’s…or whatever’s…early days. Yeah, that’s gotta be it, right? When Pokémon Go was new, I saw people complaining because these kids hadn’t played the original Red and Blue versions. And no one would ever really get annoyed if an old album by Blink-182 suddenly spiked in sales. No, it’s only when someone discovers new stuff and isn’t familiar with anything before that. I’m not saying this behavior is rational, and I hate it whenever I feel this way (for the record, I defended those kids just getting into Pokémon through Pokémon Go who were being shit on by “gen-wunners”). But it’s a possible explanation. Maybe we feel that people are missing out or not putting in the effort to fully appreciate/respect a thing and why it is the way it is.

Even though Harley Quinn was an amazing addition to the series, she didn’t exactly start out that way. Ignoring her popularity, she doesn’t particularly stand out in this episode, at least, not to me. But she must have back then. Fans liked her so much, she started appearing in the Batman Adventures comics! But I won’t start complaining about Batman Adventures #12 again. At least, not yet… Of course, where this is the first Harley episode, it figures as such that Paul Dini is the writer. This episode shows us again that he knows how to write a great story to be taken seriously, but also knows how to inject a lot of fun into it. That seems to be what separates Dini from some of the other best writers. A lot of the most serious episodes are really damn serious, with virtually no fun to be had. But Dini throws in some cheeky bits. Harley, for example. Or Batman coming down with a cold in Heart of Ice. It’s certainly welcome, but honestly, I prefer episodes like Two-Face a little bit more. And that’s why I’ve settled on a B for this episode. Yeah, I know. Everyone raises this episode up on a pedestal and says how much of a classic it is. I won’t argue with y’all. It’s an important episode, and it is entertaining. But it’s not as entertaining as a lot of other episodes to me. I like it. I don’t love it. Sue me. Char actually felt the same way, so I’m not alone there. She loved the Joker, as usual, and loved seeing “her gurl” Harley, but as far as the actual episode goes, she only liked it. Strangely enough, I have virtually no complaints. For the most part it’s pretty flawless, unless I really want to nitpick at stupid shit (like when Joker points out Charlie’s hair-loss when he has the same amount of hair as earlier). Probably the only thing that actually made me scratch my head was during the scene where Charlie threatens Joker with one of his own bombs. Why did Charlie know it wouldn’t explode, but the Joker himself didn’t? The only thing I can really think of is that Batman was in on the joke, and rewired the thing. But that doesn’t sit too well with me either. Oh, and also the scenes involving the fight amongst the recreated temple was a little hokey, and didn’t match a lot of the flow. It was too random-seeming, plus the idea that all of these death traps would remain active is ludicrous. We do get the Joker at some of his best, though, and we even hear Batman laugh in-costume (a first for this series). If there’s one thing Batman shouldn’t do often, it’s use the bat-laugh. And the writers knew when to use it well. Just wait till Mad Love. As long as they don’t have Batman sing… I will now turn my head toward my Justice League Unlimited set and stare at it with a dead smile for a few seconds.

And what about the crime prince of clown himself? I think we get the most insight into his mind out of all the Joker episodes so far in this one. The first two Joker appearances were just sorta goofy romps that you would expect, and the next one (Be a Clown) was an episode of lesser entertainment value. Here, we take the best elements of the Be a Clown Joker and fuse it with the Joker we got more from the other episodes to create what I would consider to be the definitive DCAU Joker. Let’s go over it. Y’know those maniacs who chase you down the street just because you made the tiniest mistake while driving (sometimes it might even be more their fault than yours)? Well imagine if when they caught up to you, you saw that they were a psychotic, killing clown. That’s fun… After this happens to Charlie Collins, the Joker threatens to kill him, but ends up sparing him so that over the next two years, he can have a fun time of basically tracking, stalking, and keeping up with this man. I like this because, on one hand, it seems so silly that he’d want to do this simply because of a traffic incident. Like, doesn’t he have better things to do with this time? But also, the Joker knows that every day, Charlie lives in fear that the Joker will find and contact him. It’s the manipulative aspect that we saw in Be a Clown coming out. The Joker takes pleasure in ruining lives. We also have the whacky side of the Joker seen in The Last Laugh with how ridiculous the concept is. Going back to the hair-loss comment mention earlier in passing, I actually think it would have been really clever to start him out with a full head of hair, but then show him super bald later on, showing that the stress of it all had really taken a toll on him, despite his seemingly great life.

Well, then, the Joker has Charlie fly over to Gotham just to open a door for Harley. Yeah. Open a door. I friggin’ love this twist. He’s like an Alice In Wonderland character, having seemingly no rhyme or reason for anything, but you know it all somehow makes sense in his twisted head. We know this because of what he manages to pull off, and how dangerous he is. If he truly knew nothing, he wouldn’t escape Arkham time and time again or get away with nearly as much as he does. And then finally at the end, we have some moments of scary Joker-rage paired with the Joker actually yelling to Batman for help. It’s such a sudden mood change, and you have to question whether or not the Joker’s anger was real. If it is, that makes it scarier. He’s like a meth-addict. We also see the Joker shove Harley Quinn to the side so that he can get to the phone, a very early look at the abusive relationship that we don’t see in full until later down the line. Like I said earlier, Harley was supposed to be a one-off, so this likely wasn’t Dini’s intent to display, but in hindsight, it’s got a much different light casted on it. It shows how much care was put into these stories, making everything match up, even if it wasn’t the initial plan.

This opening shot looked pretty stilted, reminding us that it’s essentially a cell being moved to the right.

Our main character, Charlie Collins. I wanna know what kind of fashion statement that haircut is. The “vertical rat tail”?

That moment of realization. Great job of capturing that immediate regret. It’s like he was brought back to reality, but sent into the Twilight Zone all at the same time.

The Joker knows how scary he is.

This shot was kinda funky with how bright some of the Joker’s features were. 

The Joker appears rather large when in comparison to the character who is supposed to be in front of him. This happens at least one other time in the episode. It adds to his threatening aura here, though.

“Oh please, don’t insult me.” the Joke retorts when Charlie assumes that he’s being robbed of money. 

Been missing these guys! Haven’t seen enough of them!

Jim: “If anyone should be getting a testimonial it’s you!” Batman: “I’m just the nightshift. You deal with this mess 24 hours a day. That’s what those people want to honor.” The most endearing friendship on the show. He even then proceeds to ask Batman where he can rent a tux. 

The Joker playing darts backwards. Throwing them at the commissioner. 

Harley Quinn’s first appearance ever! Bruce Timm did an excellent job with her design. Also, another instance of Joker looking rather large. Apparently perspective isn’t Dong Yang’s strong suit.

And then the Joker proceeds to do a perfect backflip. Damn, he’s limber!

Me too, dude. Also the Joker was throwing darts right above this guy’s head.

Somehow a better license picture than any I’ve ever gotten. Also we have confirmation that, in the DCAU at least, Gotham City is in New York.

“Leave the sideburns.”

An unsettling shot as they circle around Don’s (Charlie’s) block, threatening his family.

“Any way I could sneak out with you?” Me too, dude. Lines like this add so much character that gimmicks or statements about them could never reach.

“Sir, I believe you may be needed inside.”

Bullock hitting on Harley. How does he look like even more of a sleaze when spiffed up for an event?

Montoya’s look of pleasure when Bullock gets whacked in the shin by Harley’s baton. Also, them cheekbones. 

“...okayyy, we’ll tough it out here.”

Joker’s sudden mood-swings combined with his delivery from Mark Hamill are obvious callbacks to the Blue Meanies in Yellow Submarine.

Charlie, about to shove a bomb up Joker’s ass. “Batman! Batmaaaaan!” Actually, y’know what this reminds me of?

This great moment.

Joker, relieved to see Batman. “<gasp> How long have you been there?” We also get, “You’re no fun anymore, Charlie.” If there’s one thing Joker can’t stand, it’s getting upstaged when it comes to the crazy.

A solid episode for sure, but for those of you who only know about Harley from her more recent shenanigans (and you don’t have a genuine interest in watching a Batman cartoon), check out The Laughing Fish instead. And for those of you following along with me for the long haul, join us next time! …Crikey!

Char’s grade: B

Next time: Vendetta Full episode list here!

[xanams]

ask meme: rant about sokai!!!

im puttin this under a readmore bc it took up more space than i expected

this also aint gonna be ship hate (even tho i rant about a few nitpicks about the writing and the fandom) so if thats what was intended by the ask then uhhhhhh you have it all wronggggggg

(hopefully not the case tho!)

sokai is an extremely sweet and wholesome ship, especially in kh1, i love them!!!! i miss kh1 kairi’s sass so much and fan interpretations of their relationship that maintain that sass absolutely give me lIFE, THATS THE GOOD SHIT RIGHT THERE 👌👌👌👌

give me this super messy island girl who isnt afraid of a lil mud, who lazes around but knows when to get shit done and teases her bf over it constantly, who knows exactly how to tease him and get the funniest reactions

give me the girl who stubbornly refuses to be left behind, no matter how inconvenient others see it bc damn it, shes gonna get shit done, shes way stronger than others seem to think she is

but also soft!!!! kind!!!! supportive and gentle when she needs to be, frustrated when others look down on themselves. she’d probably let sora cry on her shoulder, encourage him, remind him that its okay to be sad and that letting it out is the most healthy thing he could do

which is seriously what he needs rn, and i cant think of anyone better for that than kairi (rikus shit enough at doing this for himself as is lmao, save him)

also, i love how similar they are in height. sora’s the tiniest bit taller than her and im really hoping that she’s grown even more in kh3, lET THEM BE THE SAME HEIGHT NOMURA

OR EVEN BETTER, LET HER BE TALLER!!!! TINY BF! TINY BF! artists who make sora super tall in comparison are cOWARDS

it makes me really, really sad that nomura threw her under the bus after kh2, and that she seems to have lost so much of her attitude (in terms of fashion, 0.2 kairi definitely gave me those excellent kh1 kairi vibes in personality 👌👌👌👌)... ddd and coded provided the absolute best sora/riku content and i love them for it, but thats the thing - it’s just made it hard to find sokai actually happening in 3 plausible from an in-universe context. 

idm if they take the sokai route, it could be incredibly cute and i 100% support the ship, but... kh3 isnt enough to develop that. tease it, sure, but if it’s made fully canon and they share a paopu (in a non platonic way and without also sharing as a trio with riku) then im sorry but... thats not satisfying. it needs to be dragged out, developed over a few games, let them bond together and fight together more... thats what sora/riku have rn that sokai don’t. i wanna see them bond for a few more games, pls nomura... kairi deserves this, and she also deserves her own non-sora story arc. then we can have the blessed sokai we deserve.

its also kinda hard for me to enjoy the fan content for them after that horrific fandom drama that went down a few months ago... i saw a lot of shitty ppl pop up defending that situation and it gave me a lot of trust issues >.

but anyway yes, while i dont like a lot of fanon sokai, sokai from an in-canon perspective is ultimate cuteness and they deserve all of the good things, especially kairi hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

[leopah]

NAF: Afterword

Since the epilogue of my fic gets posted today, it’s finally time to post the afterword I wrote when I first finished it.

At the time I write this, May 3rd, 2017, I have just completed NAF! I know you guys won’t see the final chapter until early August, but I have to write out my gratitude while I’m still overflowing with emotions.

So, top of my list, huge thank you to my beta Madi, who was cool enough to read over my chapters before I posted and hang out with me on Discord. Even though you were too busy to help me out during the final arc, I couldn’t have done this without you, seriously. You’ve taught me a lot about adverbs and other things, and I’ll do my best to keep those in mind as I move forward.

Next off, thanks to the Skype squad, aka the hell chat, all 25+ of you in your chaotic glory. You guys stuck with me through the whole thing from the initial planning all through my work on it, and being able to talk with you guys and throw random lines at you out of context really did help when I was having a hard time. I doubt I ever would have had the courage to even start this thing without you guys, either. Your support means the world.

On that note, thank you to Scarf and Gio especially, for your words of encouragement when I lost my confidence (which happened a lot), as well as for jumping in as my betas when Madi was unable to. I really don’t think I would have been able to finish this huge project without your support. I’ve never finished a long-form story before, and I honestly wasn’t sure if I’d make it until I did. I love you both, and by the time you read this, the three of us should have met at Anime Expo if all goes well on our respective ends. <3 (Update: we did and it was wonderful)

Thank you to all my readers! When I started I wasn’t sure if anyone would read this, but every comment and kudos I got made me smile. Whether you were here from the beginning or just read recently, I value you all so much.

Will I write another Noragami fic? Mm, it’s hard to say. I have some ideas in the works, but we’ll see they come to fruition in a meaningful way. Also, I spent a good 8-9 months married to my story while I wrote it, meaning I worked on nothing besides it and the drabbles. I really want to work on original stuff as a priority, but we’ll see how it goes. I’ll leave you guys with an optimistic “Maybe!” (which is probably a yes since I’m trash).

And of course I still have the drabbles to work on at this time. Remember, if you want more material pertaining to this fic, check those out! They’re a light version of what you see in the main story, and it’s basically where I shoved all the fluffy/shippy stuff so it didn’t mess with the main flow of the story. I know I love my cliffhangers.

I first got the idea for this in August 2016. It seems like it was just yesterday, but what happened was I woke up one day while on vacation and thought, what if Yato severed Hiyori’s cord during the hospital arc and made her his shinki? Before I knew it, most of the first chapter had fallen into place and I knew I had to write this thing. I turned over the idea in my head for a few more weeks with planning, concept sketching, jotting things down on my phone while I was away from my computer, and wondering if I was ready to be committed. I started actually writing in early September, and worked on it pretty regularly until now, in May. I took a month-long break after writing each arc, but those were unplanned and just how my schedule with school and everything ended up working out.

When I first started planning the story arcs, I thought this fic would end up pretty long (IF I finished it, was the nagging thought at the back of my mind). I thought around 50k would be the total word count, in the beginning. But once the story arcs started taking their own shape, my outlines for my chapters got more complex, and the chapters themselves grew longer, my new estimate was about 75k, and I still thought that was overshooting. I ended up going about to 80k with 27 chapters and an epilogue, plus the drabbles, which finished at 25k, so ending up with 100k, a 400-page novel equivalent on my first serious attempt at writing? Not bad, if I do say so myself. Especially considering I didn’t write creatively for six whole years before this. I will always credit this fic as the sole reason my writer’s block (which I thought was insurmountable) got crushed for good.

The writing was really rough around the edges at first, seeing as I was out of practice and out of my depth. That being said, I hope you guys can see the writing changing and improving through the chapters as much as I can. I’m such a perfectionist with myself that even the tiniest mistake makes me lose my footing, but I really tried to make each chapter the best it could be for all of you with all my constant editing and nitpicking.

Ahah I’m so emotional right now. I just can’t believe it’s really finished. I never feel like the work is done because of the sheer amount of time I spent editing every single chapter until they satisfied my needs, up until the final week, but the story itself is done and it feels kind of surreal. Especially since I was always working so far ahead of what was being posted, now that the two have caught up it still doesn’t feel real.

But that rambling aside, thank you guys for making this journey with me. Again, thank you. You haven’t seen the last of me, I guarantee it.

[lettersfromanasianamerican]

Body Image

Dear Mom,

Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve wanted to be just like you. I wanted to talk like you, dress like you, be as patient and understanding as you. You were more than my role model growing up, you were my idol. I thought that everything you did was perfect, from the way you carried yourself in public to how you would remember the tiniest details about what I wanted for my birthday and for Christmas. You are so detail-oriented that you are able to remember the smallest, seemingly insignificant parts of a person’s personality.... and appearance. 

You are the most amazing mom I could ask for. You showered us with love and attention, supported us in many of the things we’ve pursued in life. But as I’ve grown older, I’ve come to learn that no one is perfect. We are all flawed. Mom, I’m writing to say that one of your flaws is your obsession with body image. 

From small comments telling me that I shouldn’t eat this or that because I’ve recently gained weight to calling me light-hearted nicknames like “rice ball” or “fluffy bun”, you somehow always manage to turn the topic of a simple conversation into a discussion of someone’s physical appearance. If you’re not criticizing my physical traits, you’re nitpicking someone else’s- a family member, a friend, a co-worker, an acquaintance, a stranger. 

I understand that you grew up in a society that focused heavily on body image. You were told growing up that if a woman was not attractive, she would not be able to find a good job as those were reserved for pretty girls. Posters advertising the benefits of plastic surgery and facial reconstruction littered the street of your neighborhood, encouraging young and old to better their lives by changing their outer appearance.

So, I understand mom. I understand why you are obsessed with body image. There is a reason that so many countries in Asia are known for being centers of plastic surgery. Asian culture is so focused on the physical attributes, promoting pale white skin and stick-thin bodies. But mom, it would be much healthier for all of us if you encouraged healthiness and exercise compared to the unhealthy onslaught of diet after diet. Together we can slowly change your perception of body image and come to see that we shouldn’t strive for physical appearances, but for health and happiness. 

Love, 

Your Daughter