#i wanna take a ride on your discourse stick

[who-canceled-roger-rabbit]

A question for physically disabled Miyazaki fans, especially amputees

Thoughts on the character of Kushana in the Nausicaä anime?

I still have all my limbs, so don't take my opinion as speaking definitively for the amputee experience, whatever that might be. But I'd argue that she avoids a lot of the pitfalls that affect the depiction of disabled villains in other media.

For example—okay I have to watch the movie again, haven't seen it in years, but I don't remember her disability ever being played as a signifier of her evil, the way it is with Doctor Poison (facial disfigurement) or Voldemort (facial disfigurement, albinism) or Darth Vader (prostheses for all four limbs; artificial respirator, voicebox, corneas, etc.).

I think the only time her disability comes up in the story is this bit:

… which I guess could be interpreted as playing the disability as freakish, but on the other hand I appreciate the acknowledgement that disabled women can be sexual beings—hell, desirable sexual beings!—in the first place at all.

Also interesting is that she apparently wasn't disabled in the manga? I haven't read it, but I've heard it's rather divergent from the movie, which covers only the first volume of the manga and is thus an incomplete picture in the same way that the Neverending Story movie was.

[waxingrunes]

I’m seeing too much of this across all channels and I need to write a little something on my humble blog with my humble amount of followers, because how else am I going to get this off my chest.

Some of you need to remember that this whole world we created is pure, fiction. It’s based off fiction and we are building off fiction, forking off in different directions with characters we love.

The canon vs fanon debate is ongoing and quite honestly, mind numbingly pointless and you all consistently contradict and overlap one another with whatever discourse you’re riding that week. You lot wanna argue a point by saying, “these are my hc’s and I can do what I like with them stop taking everything so seriously teeheehehehe” then uno reverse that the next minute by screaming, “that would never happen *insert name* is this or is that” but fuck canon right? Fuck JKR? Or is it more, fuck the parts of canon I don’t like and I’ll take the parts I do so I can shove them down the throats of creators who represent these characters in an opposing light. The amount of posts I’ve seen floating around these sites that are people preaching to their audiences about how dumb they are (unless it’s meant to be satire, I’m not a brainless sensitive lump with no humour bone) for liking certain things, or enjoying certain things, or preferring certain aspects in a character is astounding. Take pause before jumping on your high horse over a fictional character and shaming people for moulding them into what they enjoy. Is this not the beauty of fiction, imagination; the ability to twist and turn over different traits and appearances within our palms and make them into our own little dress up dolls?

Here’s my two cents as a WOLFSTAR artist, not a Marauders— if I want to make Sirius into a teacup and Remus into a sea slug and have him curl up to sleep every night in his bowl, then I’ll do that with fine china detail. If I want to make Sirius someone who refuses to wear nothing but a specific shade of tangerine and Velcro strapped trainers, I will. One day I might throw Moony into a boxing ring and have him be a middleweight champion, stained by the blood of his opponent whilst his wolf is chomping at the bit to come out just before the full moon threatens to take centre stage. If I want to make Sirius 6ft tall and Remus 5ft1, I will. Why not draw an AU of them as the rocks from Everything, Everywhere All At Once? Maybe, they can be something as simple as a boy and a boy who look the way you want them to look, fuck the way you want them to fuck and fall in love and fight, and scream, and cry, and make up a million different ways.

Let’s get more specific as the seal’s broken. Why not make Remus plus sized and give him a beard or a dad’s bod at age 23. Or maybe because he’s lighter haired he doesn’t have dark hair like that and only has a smattering of it across the ugliest of his scars. Consider this— moony with softer hips but fuller sturdy shoulders. Or long, slender limbs with a deceptively hidden strength owing to his wolf, stronger than James though he doesn’t look it. Onto Sirius, try to tell me I’m not going to put him in thigh highs and fem the shit out of him whilst he holds a bat in one hand covered in the blood of someone who tried to disrespect his Moons. Alert the press when someone erases every single one of his tattoos only to replace them with hyperpigmentation. What about giving him a beater’s build and a long thick trail of naval hair that he likes to call his ‘seeker’s delight’. What about a hairless Sirius who has a soft life and likes to make herself pretty for her 6ft 4 boyfriend every weekend when he gets on the train to visit.

How about, I stick with my personal holy take on the boys and present you with a harmless middle ground where Moony is whatever the fuck I want him to be physically, emotionally, or characteristically but always a wet fucking cloth for Sirius. A grape, under a thumb, you could say. And a Sirius, who is too whatever I want him to be physically, emotionally, or characteristically but will always be Moony’s biggest cheerleader.

Stay with me whilst I offer you the brain stretching, risky, taboo thought for you to ponder on: stop trying to please people. Stop absorbing all these takes that pressure you into thinking you’ve got to include every fucking thing that shaves you down and boxes you into their squeaky clean little creator! Indulge in what you like. Make it public, make it known and make it as loud as you want. Feels good on this side of freedom.

Lastly, quick (none of this has been quick) circle back to myself being a Wolfstar artist, not a Marauders one. I will not be shamed into drawing the women in this fandom, I will not try to even out my art with equal parts women and men, in fear of being called misogynistic. I came here for Wolfstar and I stay for them; I get 95% of my muse from them and enjoy drawing these idiots nearly every single day when I can. I’ve a busy life, a job, the luxury of a family that love me and a couple friends I’d like to keep too. If and when I draw, it’s going to be what I want to draw and want to indulge in, not to check off your boxes of inclusion. I am not going to defend my choice of indulgence to you. I am not going to refute women or wlw ships and in fact, eat up stories or art where they’re prominent. Will I have muse or will to do a piece on them? Probably not. If I do, I will and if it’s not done to a standard deemed appropriate enough by the council, well shit I hope I get an honourable mention in one of your hate threads on Twitter.

Grow up. I am the type of person who has a more or less rigid taste on these boys and what I, enjoy representing them like and you runts will run your throats hoarse before I turn an ear. I am not the type of person to see someone who doesn’t like what I prefer and start slamming my keyboard and slap them with a red card. I’ll move on but appreciate the take in silence. Some of you really, come across like you’re stomping your feet in a tantrum, some of you sound like you’ve never been told to shut the fuck up a day in your life and some of you, some of you, really think you’re a messiah.

Fuck your canons, fanons and righteous attitudes towards people who are quite literally, not real. You are not a deity of the Marauders, you are a fucking loser offline just like the rest of us.

[jonnnysuh]

Rating svt on who’d be the best wedding date

Requested by @holdinbacksecrets: my friend and i have been talking about weddings recently and added svt to the conversation. with your glorious rating svt posts in mind, i have a q for you nala: svt as wedding dates??? (maybe as an idea for a future rating svt or to at least share who you’d choose as a wedding date)

A/N: if you’re wondering, yes DK is my man of choice

Series Masterlist

— S COUPS 20/10 is adamant on getting the couple a really good wedding gift. Is still in disbelief that people his age are getting married. Exchanges Ring Pops and fake vows with you on the ride back home 😭😭

—JEONGHAN 6/10 brings a Tupperware bc he’s tryna score some dinner for tomorrow hello. Makes a bet with you for how long you think the couple will last.

—JOSHUA 10/10 will hold your shoes, your purse, your phone, your baby, literally whatever you have.  He’ll also put his blazer over your shoulders when you get cold brrr

—JUN 7/10 steals the bread rolls and puts them in his pocket. Finds himself hugging all of the grandparents for some reason,,, uses a different name to introduce himself to new people

—HOSHI 132/10 gets a lil drunk and wears his tie around his head. Clinks his fork against his glass ((and breaks it)) while trying to do an unsolicited speech. Has to be dragged away from the microphone by security. 2 seconds away from dance battling a kid

—WONWOO 7.5/10 shares pieces of his dinner with you. Designated purse holder,,, not even just yours but EVERYONE’S. Has been told that he is handsome by all the old people at least 10x

—WOOZI 7/10 sticks by you the entire night. Jokes that he’ll say “I object” when the officiant says “speak now or forever hold your peace”. Acts like he’s not emo when the couple says “I do”,,, he just has allergies !! Stop looking at him !!

—DK 1003738/10 fights the other girlies for a chance to catch the bouquet and SHOWS IT OFF TO YOU WHEN HE WINS 💐. Stomach is full of mini weenies. Gets HYPEEEE off the Cha Cha Slide

—MINGYU 7/10 will take your hand and lead you to the middle of the room to slow dance. Is always asking you to go to the photo booth bc he wants as many pics as he can get 🥺 Accidentally stained his shirt so he’s wearing an XXL from the lost and found

—THE8 10/10 is dressed better than the groom. Gets bored halfway through dinner and wants to sneak away with you to take a walk around the venue. Asks you to hide the centrepiece in your bag bc he thinks it’s pretty

—SEUNGKWAN 4.7/10 cries during the wedding vows and reception. Needs approximately 12 moments to compose himself. Can’t stop talking about how he wants to find true love some day. Is lowkey making a wedding Pinterest board the whole time

—VERNON 8.53/10 accidentally got seated at the kiddie table but he doesn’t mind bc they have chicken nuggets hehe. Engages in discourse about Pokémon with the children. Somehow becomes in charge of the DJ booth,,, loops the Macarena

—DINO 7/10 is at the front of the conga line. Almost didn’t wanna go to the wedding bc he had to watch the “how to tie a tie” video 25 times before figuring it out. Gets EXTREMELY drunk off the open bar,, lays in your lap and tells u how much better your wedding will be

[aria-chicken-flugget]

Disney World with The Brothers (+ Undateables)

HCs that no one asked for, i’m just self indulgent✨

Link to Undateables post

*Based on Disney World Orlando Resort*

The Brothers

Lucifer 🔥

The Mom TM

Has a fanny pack with all the tickets

Made a detailed itinerary of where each of you will go when, with whom and for how long

“Our scheduled break’s not for another 10 minutes”

Says he doesn’t need to go on the rides/ doesn’t enjoy it etc

Squealing inside at how much fun he’s actually having

“Wha - is Diavolo going on that train again?”

He literally wouldn’t even go to the parks if he didn’t enjoy it, wouldn’t see the point

“I’m busy enough as it is at home do you think I need this on top?”

This Sadist TM would force people on the rides they didn’t want to ride because It IS iN THe iTinERaRy

Would jam pack the days to get the full experience, wearing most out

But you request a rest day to which he’ll oblige

“Ugh why are we going here -“ “Because MC requested it, complain again and i’ll tear your ticket.”

Tears up when it’s the last night/ fireworks display

“MC, this was a rather fun idea. If you’d like to come again don’t hesitate to ask, i’ll take you.”

Mammon 💵

Goes against everything The Mom TM has worked in the itenerary, but is quickly stopped

Easily distracted and stops in the middle of walking to an attraction.

“Hey don’t stop in the sidewalk, genius.”

Literally bounces with excitement around the parks but blushes furiously when it’s pointed out by the brothers

“Oi quit that, I don’ know what ya talkin’ about”

Would sour real fast when having to queue, getting caught by The Mom when trying to cut the queue

“Why do we have to queue, huh? This better be worth it”

It is

Has the most expressive/funniest ride photographs

“Mammon that ride wasn’t that scary -“ “Who says i was scared, huh? I was making MC feel better about being scared...” Blush

Would push the other brothers out the way if they tried to sit with you on a ride

“But it’s my turn -“ “your turn my ass, that’s MY HUMAN”

Would sour when your attention is divided by the fireworks and him

Soon perks up when you ask to explore the park together and run around like kids at night

Is probably the most fun at this time as there’s not much queing when it gets late so he’ll grab your hand and take you everywhere

Levi 👾

Woooooooaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!!

“This is like FINAL BOSS level cool! It’s almost worth being outside.”

The Vlogger TM

Literally documents anything and everything. Even when Beel’s eating a snack- makes it sound like the coolest adventure which it is

“Why are we going to THAT attraction? It’s the literal worst on all the reviews online.”

Secretly LOVES the attraction, would turn into a tomato when called out, fiercly denies it

“Y-you wanna ride with me? Uhhh ok, i guess... no no wait!”

Gets you two matching Mickey ears, along with any and all the possible merch

“In TSL, Henry went to an amusement park with all the Prince’s brothers and they had the best time and it was all Henry’s plan to help them get along and it worked, making their journey more -“ *Belphie Snores*

Looks for hidden Mickeys with you after he bought the book on them, as recommended online

*starts vlog* “Day Three and MC and I are yet to find the elusive hidden Mickeys -“

Can only really last til early afternoon before the heat/ social interaction gets too much for him and he may need to go

Recovers lightning fast when he sees you having fun with his brothers without him whilst he was taking a break

Snatches your hand to take you elsewhere, where d’you wanna go? What d’yo wanna do? Name it and he’ll do it lol Envyyy

Everyone is grateful for his vlogging by the end of the holiday, as it meant you all got to watch it back fondly when it was over

Satan 📚

Unlike Mammon, he successfully escapes The Mom and the itinerary when he wants to

However if you wanted him to stick around, he’d blush, “Alright, just for a while.”

Has a subdued smile on his face, enjoying it much more than he anticipated he would

Smiles widley at the parades, mainly because your smile was so bright as you watched

If he saw you eyeing up a giant Disney Balloon he would buy it, ignoring any protestations

Would back up any discourse over the itinerary just to mess with The Mom

“Perhaps the itinerary is not as ‘well thought out’ as you’d anticipated.”

Would begrudgingly play along with your waiting games whilst queing, secretly loving your company

Would be the one with the maps, and wouldn’t give one to Lucifer lol

Though somewhat gimmicky in his opinion, he’d deeply enjoy the Around the World showcase

Would last longer than anyone expected and would want to see the parks at night

“MC would you like to join me?”

Whilst taking your hand to explore the park’s atmosphere at night

LOVES the Haunted Mansion ride and the way you cling to his sleeve when riding with him

Asmodeus 💋

“Don’t forget to put on sunscreen! Protect your skin 💕”

Whilst Lucifer has a practical, generic fanny pack - Asmo’s is psychedelic and glittery

Packs lip balm, antibacterial gel and a mini fan

Serves all the Best Looks TM each day and takes amazing photos of everyone, with everyone

“Oh no, honey. It’s gonna be hot today you’ll want to wear something lighter like cotton or linen.”

Would whine when he starts to get sweaty around the parks

Would peck your cheek when you suggest a bathroom break to freshen up

LOVES the around the world showcase. All the people, all the culture all the music and colours!

Unsurprisingly, isn’t a fan of rollercoasters as it messes up his hair

Would buy you the cutest souvenir and gets matching bracelets with a small, sophisticated silver Mickey charm on each

Would spend lunch with you, checking on you ensuring your keeping your water up etc and feed you

Also intrigued by the parks at night but would be more interested in getting a good night’s sleep for his skin

However if you asked/wanted time in the parks at night he’d find a secluded area to watch the fireworks with an arm around your waist

Beelzebub 🍔

Would give you piggy back rides when you get tired

“When’s lunch?” “We just got here, Beel...”

Would wrap you in a bear hug if you packed snacks for him

*munch* *munch* “Do you want that? - thanks!” *munch*

Would stop at all the food stalls. Every. Single. One - “ThIS iSn’T iN ThE iTiNeRaRY”

“Here MC, try this! This looks good too, do you want one?”

Would help carry people’s belongings

Wouldn’t notice you put Mickey ears on him until he looked at the photos later

Would notice you eyeing up a parade and when you kept quiet as not to disrupt the itinerary, would speak up

If it doesnt go your way, he’ll sneak away with you “Then we’ll go see it together.” Puppy eyed smile

“Beel we gotta get in the queue or we won’t make the line in time!” “Just a second -“ *munch* *munch*

Wouldn’t mind if you wanted to ride with others, but would eventually get sour if you weren’t with him at all

Would hold your hand around the parks with one hand and eat ice cream with the other

Would put you on his shoulders so you could see the fireworks better

He LOVES the fireworks and wonders what they’d taste like “Beel, no.” “:(“

“Someone’s having fun, i’m glad!”

Carries you over one shoulder and a sleeping Belphie over the other

“I - want to come here again... with you.” Blush

Belphegor 😴

Much like Satan, Belphie would deliberately go against the Itinerary with success, and would take you and Beel with him

Would make everyone late to the park by sleeping in

If you wanted everyone to stick together, you’d convince him with a promise to let him nap on your lap later

Would say he hates being there and would actually hate being there

For the most part... what coaxes him is seeing how happy you are, and Beel being happy too

“Belphie, look how cool this ride is! Wanna go?” ‘Begrudgingly’ agrees with a smirk

Would fall asleep at lunch and would have to be slapped shaken awake

Hell would freeze over before he admitted to it... but he started to have a good time

Starts to get more involved if you hold his hand and encourage him, a small smile on his lips

LOVES Tower of Terror and any boat ride - he can fall asleep on the boat rides

He HATES the water rides but having convinced Lucifer on one under false pretences, his expression makes it worth it lol

That one Joker TM that ‘pretends’ to be asleep in any rollercoaster attraction photograph

Some times he is actually asleep in those photos, but no one knows which ones are real or fake

Doesn’t mind queues because it gives him time to chill and nap

Falls asleep on your shoulder at the fireworks

I will do the Undateables in a follow up Post! Might edit this one but have them for now because I hope they make you smile! ✨

[love-killed-the-superstar]

To @kkmcshouty. Happy Secret Santa (@codesecretsanta)! I’m so sorry for the late gift, I just hope it was worth it! And I hope you had a great holiday!

Title: let’s grow up on our own terms

Summary: Odd is on a post-X.A.N.A high and he's dragging Ulrich along for the ride.

...

11:06 PM

Odd doesn't even wait for the rest of them to step out of the scanners before he's rushing to the elevator, pressing the button as many times as he can. Ulrich just barely manages to slip in behind him, but Yumi and Aelita are left stranded with protests of, “Odd, what the hell?!”

He doesn't care. He's grinning from ear to ear, and Ulrich shouldn't be okay with his spontaneous ditching, especially since he's apparently skipped Jeremie's floor altogether and is headed for the factory exit, but he can't bring himself to be mad. They were pretty badass tonight, after all.

“You're sure in a hurry,” he remarks as the elevator soars upwards. Odd flashes a grin at him.

“The night is young, Ulrich! How can we slow down right now?”

“Well, being considerate to our friends would be a start,” Ulrich points out.

“They can catch up!”

“Unlikely. Yumi has a history test tomorrow and Einstein and Aelita want to repair the overbike after what X.A.N.A did to it.”

“Oh, fuck the overbike!” Odd stops, glances at Ulrich apologetically. “Sorry. Too much?”

“A little. What's bugging you?”

“Nothing! I'm just – full of energy tonight! There's so much to do!”

“Uh huh...” Ulrich folds his arms as the elevator doors open. Odd immediately rushes out. “Well, whatever you have planned, I'm going to bed when I get back to Kadic.”

Odd stops mid-step to turn back, mouth hanging open in betrayal. “But Ulrich! My plans account for a plus one! And I already ditched everyone else! You're my only hope!”

Odd reaches into his bag and pulls out an innocent enough looking water bottle, rattling it a little. Ulrich stops.

“...Do I even want to know what that is?” he deadpans. The grin on Odd's face is infectious, as much as Ulrich hates to acknowledge it.

“Oh, just a little contraband,” Odd says, an air of innocence in his words. “Nothing we'll get arrested for, but we can't be going back to Kadic with it.”

“Alcohol? You know what Delmas will do if we're picked up for drinking, Odd?”

“I just said we won't! We're Lyoko Warriors, baby! Now come on, this schnapps is getting cold.”

“I can't believe this,” Ulrich groans, even though he can believe it, because if he were in this situation with anybody, of course it would be Odd. “Fine. We'll ditch the schnapps and go home.”

“If by ditching you mean drinking. I for one am shocked that you think I'm financially secure enough to throw good booze down the drain, Ulrich Dear.”

“Odd, I'm barely scraping by as it is with all the X.A.N.A attacks happening lately, if I get caught drinking... I mean, what if they don't let me graduate?!”

“Then I won't either. And then we'll be here another year, stuck together!”

Odd's grin isn't quite so infectious anymore, and Ulrich rolls his eyes.

“For once let's be realistic.”

Undeterred, as they leave the factory, Odd takes a swig and then offers the bottle to Ulrich.

“I'm done being realistic. I'm into Dadaism now.”

“I don't know, and I don't wanna know.”

As an afterthought, he takes the bottle and brings it to his lips. It's sweet and sickly and definitely what Odd would drink, now that he thinks about it.

“You are a terrible friend,” Ulrich mutters, grimacing as he hands back the bottle. “Peer pressuring me into drinking stuff that doesn't even taste good.”

“Was it really peer pressure?” Odd asks, an impish smile on his face. “Could have just left it all for me, you know.”

“Yeah, but then I'd be babysitting you. At least I get some enjoyment out of it this way.”

Rolling his eyes, Odd grabs his arm and pulls him along, running over the bridge.

…

9:55 PM

The attack was nothing new, and thankfully if - no, when - they defeated it, all the students of Kadic would remember was their phones being infected with a virus that got them addicted to a rhythm game. Nothing more than a standard X.A.N.A attack, something that would never stick in the mind.

Ulrich liked to tell himself these things when he was running to the scanner room with his heart in his mouth. The panic (Odd would prefer to call it 'the thrill’, but he was a dumbass and didn't know the meaning of anxiety) set his body ablaze as he stepped foot into the scanner, thrumming with urgency.

He felt himself be pulled apart, thrown back together in digital matter, and dropped down in the desert sector.

“About time, Ulrich Dear,” crooned Odd, sweeping up on his overboard and narrowly dodging a laser beam from a megatank.

“Having fun getting whipped without me?” Ulrich shot back.

“Me? Whipped?” Odd seemed more than offended. “These guys just keep on coming! How can you expect me to defeat them on my own?”

“I'm virtualizing the overbike,” Jeremie said, a distant presence in the heat of things as Odd dodged yet another shot from the megatank, which vibrated a little as it geared up for a big blast.

“You've wrangled with worse,” Ulrich remarked, as the overbike formed beside him. “Don't be such a baby.”

“Fine! First to take it out wins!”

“Wins what?”

“Whatever you're feeling like I guess!”

…

11:29 PM

They pick their way through the industrial estate and find themselves in the park, talking about anything and everything as they take turns sipping from the bottle. Mostly about kicking X.A.N.A's virtual ass in their latest brawl.

“I love your overbike. Like, obviously the overboard is better-”

“Obviously-”

“But the overbike is still pretty damn cool! I mean, that stunt you pulled when you jumped off it at the ramp and let the overbike plow through all those megatanks-!”

“Well, yeah, cause they were gonna devirtualise you faster than a laser arrow otherwise-”

“Rude! I had it under control!”

The night sky is pretty clear for an area so light polluted, and Ulrich stares up at the few stars he can see as Odd flops onto a nearby park bench and sighs.

“It was a pretty close call, though.”

“Yeah, guess so.” Ulrich lets out a dry laugh. “I thought we'd be done with X.A.N.A by now, to be honest. How many times have we tried to shut the supercomputer down for good, now?”

“Three? Five? Who knows anymore.” Odd stares up at the sky too. “Even after all this time though, sometimes I still get bursts of giddiness like this. Like, we get one epic win and suddenly I remember we're doing this really cool thing and that I'm basically a superhero – not like that Chat Noir dumbass though, you know, we do the real hero work.”

“Isn't it kinda mean to call a twelve year old a dumbass?”

“Oh come on, he's not that young,” dismisses Odd. “Besides, any superhero that steals my loveable cat-boy gimmick is unforgivable.”

“No one even knows we exist,” Ulrich says flatly.

“Exactly! It's terrible! We're off risking our butts while X.A.N.A just can't get enough of us, and those kids in animal costumes are getting all the glory...”

“I don't like Chat Noir discourse even when you're sober, so no way are you roping me into it now.”

“Aw, fine.”

…

10:27 PM

“Come on, that was totally my victory.”

“Oh, you wish.”

“Ugh, I'm bored of this. Jeremie, when's Aelita showing up so we can put an end to this?” Odd complained.

“Yumi and Aelita are on their way,” Jeremie promised. “William ended up with the virus, apparently he attacked them and-”

“Is he following them?”

“Nah, no worries. They tied him up and stuffed him in one of the science labs. We can go back for him later.”

“I wish I could've seen that.”

“Maybe Yumi took a photo?”

“Nah, that would be humiliating. She doesn't do that. You, on the other hand…”

“Oh, I definitely would have. You know, for funsies.”

“Stop joking around!” Jeremie snapped. “There are four - no, five! Five megatanks heading your way, guys!”

“We can take them,” Ulrich said resolutely, cracking his knuckles.

“And you, Odd?”

“I was born ready, Einstein.”

“Show off,” Ulrich shot back good-naturedly. Odd reached over to shove him playfully, a perfect mask of their everyday boredom, before hopping back onto the overboard and speeding off towards the approaching army.

…

00:17 AM

“So you said Aelita and Jeremie are working on the overbike?”

“Yup. I mean, after what happened it makes sense. Think Jeremie said something about improving the defences on it, keep it in the game longer.”

“Wish they would do something cool, like giving me heat vision or something.” Odd laughs, but it feels forced. “Ah, you know, I think it's just an excuse so they can get all up close and personal. The factory is always so cold, after all...”

“Well, I'm sure they'll keep it innocent,” Ulrich sighs. “So you can stop speculating now.”

“Killjoy. You don't think they've done it in Jeremie's chair yet?”

Ulrich pulls a face. “Eugh. I got better things to do than think about my friends having sex, thank you.”

“What? Where's the fun in that? You're telling me you aren't curious at all?”

“Nope. It's their business, so knock it off.”

Ulrich's firm shutdown has Odd rolling his eyes, and he shoves his hands into his pockets and starts stomping off ahead, leaving him watching after Odd in equal parts confusion and exasperation. After a few seconds of staring dumbly as Odd's figure moves further and further away, he throws the now empty bottle to one side and starts after him.

“Odd, wait up!”

Karma intervenes, and Odd ends up tripping over a stone and falling flat on his face. Ulrich has to skid to avoid bumping into him altogether. When Odd keeps lying there, Ulrich prods him with his foot.

“Earth to Odd? You still alive?”

“I'm fine,” he spits, wincing as he spies a graze on his palm. “Just tripped.”

“Yeah, I'll say. You ate dirt.”

“Just shut the fuck up.”

Ulrich folds his arms, mood souring at Odd's tantrum.

“Why are you being so short with me?”

“Cause I just fucking tripped, Ulrich, remember?”

He pushes himself to his feet, brushing his clothes down as if the dirt stains from his fall were as easy to brush away as the odd pieces of gravel sticking to his shirt.

“Sure I do, it was slapstick and it just happened. Instead of getting pissy with me, can we just talk like two mature people about why you stormed off cause I didn't want to talk about Jeremie and Aelita's non-existent sex life?”

“How do you know it's non-existent?” Odd mutters. “It's always the nerds who are into kinky shit.”

“God, will you just stop? I don't want to hear this!”

Odd shrugs, beginning to walk away, and Ulrich catches his arm.

“What is this really about? And why are you being so touchy about it all?”

“I don't know! I just wanted to have fun, and be spontaneous, and talk about all the stuff that I can only talk about with you, cause if sometimes I think about if things go wrong and somehow you end up, y'know, in the virtual sea and dead...”

Odd turns to him, and the look in his eyes is so... sad.

“It was a really close call tonight,” he says quietly.

…

10:55 PM

“And another two down!” Odd yelled victoriously as a laser arrow perfectly penetrated the bullseye on a nearby megatank, creating an explosion that knocked back the overboard with the force. “I'm taking back the lead, Ulrich!”

“Not so fast!” Ulrich swept by, katana out, and sliced through the third megatank's bullseye, skidding back around to Odd with a grin. “Now it's a tie.”

“Two more to go. We need a tiebreaker!”

“Be serious, please!” Jeremie interrupted, voice dripping with exasperation. “You're almost out of laser arrows, Odd!”

“Well, where the hell are Yumi and Aelita?” Odd snapped, soured by Jeremie's attitude. “X.A.N.A just keeps sending more of them!”

The fourth megatank, having crept up behind Ulrich during his gloating, fired at the both of them, sending them crashing back with a groan.

“You both just lost forty life points!” Jeremie fretted.

“Yup, I'll feel that one in my bones tomorrow,” joked Ulrich with a wince.

“Maybe Jim will let us sit out on track tomorrow if we tell him we got slammed by a megatank?”

“Wouldn't count on it, you know what that guy's like.”

“Four more incoming!”

“Einstein! We need Aelita!” snapped Ulrich, revving his engine in frustration.

“She's almost at the factory!” Jeremie promised.

“Come on, Ulrich,” Odd teased. “You aren't scared of these giant bowling balls?”

“Scared isn't the right word,” Ulrich growled. “I'm pissed off.”

With Odd “oooooh!!”-ing in the background, Ulrich began driving in circles around the megatanks approaching, confusing them as they helplessly swivelled, trying to keep track of his movements, as he began spinning faster, he spied something off to the side - a ramp.

He grinned. This was about to get badass.

…

01:04 AM

After reliving the events of the night and having come down from his tantrum, Odd's thoughts once again flit to the relationship dynamics of the group.

“Are you ever going to talk to Yumi about how you feel?”

Ulrich sighs.

“She already knows, Odd. I mean, it's always been obvious, hasn't it?”

Odd shrugs and slurs, “I guess.”

“You're too gone to have a conversation about feelings right now anyway.”

“Shut up. Everyone is off doing things now. You and Yumi, Jeremie and Aelita…”

“Is this why you were talking to me about them having sex?”

“Maybe…”

“Odd, it doesn't matter who's with who. We're all still us.”

“Not for much longer. This time next year you and Yumi will be eloping in Nice and Jeremie and Aelita will be off at university studying to be billionaire computer geeks and where will I be? Back in Florence? Bumming around here repeating the grade?”

“We'll still see each other,” Ulrich begins uncertainly, but Odd cuts him off.

“What'll happen if we can't ever shut down X.A.N.A, huh? Are you always going to be there or is it gonna be too much, interfering with your great new life? Am I even gonna be a part of your life anymore?” He scrubs at his eyes and spits, “I don't want to end up just being some guy in the yearbook. You're my best friend, Ulrich.”

“So stop being a dumbass,” Ulrich says sternly. “You're always gonna have some place in my life, Odd. Even if we're in different parts of the world or if we aren't able to defeat X.A.N.A, it's still gonna be you and me. Always.”

Odd wipes at his eyes.

…

10:56 PM

Letting the overbike plow into the megatanks, that was the easy part. But taking the fall, tumbling over the side of a cavern and landing precisely two inches from the surface of the digital sea?

He wasn't quite as in control as he thought.

He found himself just barely dangling, claws in his back.

“Odd, you just cost Ulrich five life points-”

“Oh, Fuck off! He's alive, isn't he?”

Ulrich yelped in pain as he was heaved upwards, thrown against a ledge that he quickly scrambled onto. Odd was the one who needed his assistance this time, gripping his hand tightly as he climbed up too.

The ground shook with seismic tremours, and the two of them felt themselves beginning to slip.

“EINSTEIN, WHERE IS AELITA?!”

“She'll be virtualized any moment now!” Jeremie promised, just barely keeping a level head in the chaos of it all. “You need to get out of there!”

“So send us my fucking overbike!” snarled Ulrich.

“I can't, it got too damaged against those megatanks!”

“Then send us the overboard! The overwing! Anything!” begged Odd. “Fuck me, Einstein, we're almost touching it!”

“I'm sending the overboard right now!” promised Jeremie, voice rising in panic. “Please hang on! Aelita is on her way to the tower!”

Odd clung onto Ulrich and shut his eyes tightly.

…

01:33 AM

Sometime later, after Odd has finished crying on Ulrich's shoulder and they're only growing colder as the night goes on, the topic of next week's costume party seeps into their disjointed conversation.

“What do you mean your cosplay never arrived?!”

“I mean, it was supposed to show up two weeks ago and it didn't,” Ulrich explains, as simply as he can to an intoxicated Odd. “I mean, the joke's on me for trusting the dodgy cosplay website you recommended, right?”

“But this is a disaster!” Odd rests his head against Ulrich's shoulder, groaning. “How are we supposed to do our group costume idea now?!”

“Hey, we could always do the scooby doo gang.”

“Unacceptable! It's Lyoko Warriors group cosplay or nothing!”

Odd huffs loudly, and Ulrich suddenly remembers something crucial.

“Hey. Hey, Odd.”

“What?”

Ulrich snorts loudly.

“William… is still tied up… somewhere in the science block. As we speak.”

Odd stares at him for a second, before bursting into peals of laughter.

“WHAT?! HE'S STILL THERE?!”

“Unless Einstein's got to him by now!”

“Bwahahahaha!!”

Odd collapses against Ulrich again, heaving with laughter, and Ulrich can't seem to suppress his own bubbling giggles. The idea is just so, so fucking funny. Especially after a bottle of schnapps.

…

11:01 PM

In a heartbeat, it was all over.

The overboard was taking off, out of the cavern - Aelita was inside the tower, CODE: LYOKO, she wrote, the damage was undoing itself -

Ulrich slipped.

He cried out hurtled downwards, grabbing at the overboard as Odd almost lost balance, sitting down after him, down towards death and clinging onto him with claws fully in. Ulrich, suspended just inches from the void by the claws in his back, stared directly into the depths of the digital sea and felt raw dread, so close to him his nose just barely missed brushing against the surface. Odd lurched up, dragging the board and Ulrich up with him, feeling panic and fear in every bone.

Ulrich, on the other hand, was just grateful to be alive.

“It's about fucking time, Princess,” wheezed Ulrich as the overboard came to a halt, a few feet above where Aelita and Yumi stood.

“Sorry for the hold up. Are you guys okay?”

“Oh, you know,” he said easily as Odd finally released his hold. “Just exhausted from another classic Odd-And-Ulrich adventure.”

…

01:59 AM

It’s too fucking cold and the alcohol has settled in their stomachs. Ulrich sticks out a hand and pulls Odd to his feet.

“Can we go back to the dorms now?” he asks tiredly.

“I guess,” sighs Odd dramatically. “I bet Kiwi is missing me by now.”

“I’m sure he is.”

“He’s such a good boy. My little diggity dog.”

“You said it.”

“...You hate my drunk blabbering, don’t you?”

“Honestly? I don’t think we drank nearly enough to be as pissed as we are, and you have no room to be drunk blabbering to me.”

“What a sour grape.”

They head back to Kadic shivering, the cold having caught up with them now that the schnapps has worn off a little. They definitely won’t be thanking themselves tomorrow when they have to sit through a lecture from Mrs Hertz with slight hangovers and sleep deprivation. Still, it’s the end of another classic Odd-And-Ulrich adventure, and it was naive of Ulrich to believe that they’d get off without some kind of consequence.

“You know I’m pretty much invincible, right?” he asks suddenly, surprising Odd enough to halt him in his tracks.

“What?”

“I’m not going anywhere.” Ulrich glances back at Odd, meeting confused eyes. “I promise. It’ll take a lot more than an everyday X.A.N.A attack to take me out.”

With a cautious nod, Odd hurries to catch up with him.

“I know that. But, it’s times like these when I remember it’s real. It’s really happening, you could have really died, and I - I just want you to be more careful.”

“This is so candid and I love it.”

“I’m serious, shithead.”

“And I’m serious, Oddball. I’m a death-defying, indestructible digital superhero,” Ulrich retorts with a grin and a gun show completely obscured by his jacket. “A death-defying, indestructible digital superhero who’s going to be just fine.”

Odd raises his eyebrows.

“Could have fooled me, with all of that emotional vulnerability,” he teases, falling into step beside him.

“I’m a guy in touch with his emotions and there’s nothing wrong with that,” Ulrich says decidedly. “Maybe my old man would have a different opinion on that, but he’s not here so FUCK YOU.”

He spits out the words and Odd joins in.

“Fuck your old man! Being honest with your emotions rocks. Wearing my heart on my sleeve is what makes me such a heartbreaker in the first place.”

Ulrich rolls his eyes.

“Maybe, but if you had a bit more tact maybe you’d be able to hold down a girlfriend finally.”

“Eh, I’m done with girls for the time being,” Odd says with a nonchalant shrug. Ulrich raises his eyebrows.

“Oh, so it’s guys’ hearts you’re breaking now?”

“Ha, I wouldn’t rule it out. But I think I’m actually more into the idea of being with you guys for as long as I can now. And I’m gonna miss all this when it’s over.” “It won’t be over.”

“That's sweet. But I'm not stupid. Eventually we'll end up drifting apart.”

“Not til we're like… old and senile though, right?”

Odd grins and gives Ulrich another playful shove as they head back under the cloak of darkness to continue this conversation in the dorms.

[who-canceled-roger-rabbit]

What do you get when you cross a mentally ill stoner with a society that

Is starting to perceive her as a woman

Promotes a whole set of cultural messages about how women aren't safe out in public

Encourages people to put out scary decorations (that often move and make noise) for the evening when she decided, showing a distinct lack of foresight, to go out in the snow wearing heels and carrying a heavy laptop in her backpack

I'll tell you what you get! YOU GET THE ANXIETY YOU FUCKING BARGAINED FOR!

(Tagging @loki-zen here)

[who-canceled-roger-rabbit]

Jewish representation in children's movies about wizards

[who-canceled-roger-rabbit]

Bob Fosse did an uncountable service against antisemitism in making the unethical lawyer in Chicago IRISH

[who-canceled-roger-rabbit]

It is with heavy heart that I say that this fucker is at it again. As talented as the man is, I already would've wanted to strangle him if I met him IRL (what with palling around with Weinstein and getting Uma Thurman injured) and now I want to strangle him even harder. Okay this is from the weeks initially following the 7 October attack, but I wouldn't be surprised if he visited again or plans to.

[who-canceled-roger-rabbit]

So I saw Hadestown over the weekend and "Epic III" has one of the most spot-on descriptions of toxic masculinity I've ever seen:

And what has become of the heart of that man

Now that the man is king?

What has become of the heart of that man

Now that he has everything?

The more he has, the more he holds

The greater the weight of the world on his shoulders

See how he labors beneath that load

Afraid to look up, and afraid to let go

So he keeps his head low, he keeps his back bending

He's grown so afraid that he'll lose what he owns

But what he doesn't know is that what he's defending

Is already gone

[who-canceled-roger-rabbit]

Tim Burton's comments about how Black people don't suit his artistic vision make even less sense because, if you're looking for gothic, um have you SEEN Geoffrey Holder in Live and Let Die? Yeah I'm aware of that movie's own problems with racism, I'm just saying that there's no reason for a cast of gothic characters to be a total cracker barrel like in Burton's movies.

[who-canceled-roger-rabbit]

Given that Roald Dahl adapted the screenplay for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and given some of Dahl's, uh, Opinions that would later surface, does the Child Catcher's visual design seem a bit more sus to anyone else? I mean they literally made actor Robert Helpmann's nose bigger for the role, come on here people.

* From the wildly different book by Ian Fleming, who was apparently friends with Dahl because they worked together in British military intelligence during WW2

[who-canceled-roger-rabbit]

MEN 👏 GIVE 👏 EACH 👏 OTHER 👏 MORE 👏 PLATONIC 👏 FOOT 👏 MASSAGES 👏 2K24

[who-canceled-roger-rabbit]

Hot take

(Tagging @balioc here)

If the Barbie movie was intended to promote feminism to mass audiences, a better media property to release a new interpretation of—especially to get men on board by illustrating to them the shit women have gone through—would be Sweeney Todd, specifically a genderbent production set in an alternate matriarchal version of Victorian London.

In particular, y'know that one song that a lot of productions leave out for being too disturbing, which is kinda saying something given the play's overall tone? Judge Turpin's reprise of "Johanna"? Leave that in (changed to Johannes?) and you're set.

… Okay, I'll admit to fantasizing about being in a female Turpin's custody, which is partly where the idea for this came from. But Spiders Raven, who turned out to not even be a man in the first place & has over 10,000 fucked-up noncon fantasies each day, is an outlier adn should not have been counted.

[who-canceled-roger-rabbit]

It possibly says something about me that I'm not that visually or sexually attracted to most cis men (except occasionally when high, apparently?) but I feel more comfortable writing male characters as sexy in terms of appearance (physical appearance, clothes or lack thereof, "breasted boobily"-style verbal garnishment) than I do with women. Particularly with cis men; I definitely like to describe trans men as sexy, but I'd feel weird putting them in the sort of vulnerable, objectifying situations and descriptions that I like to put cis male characters in.

Don't get me wrong, I'm plenty horny for the women, but with the exception of height* I think of that more in terms of their words and demeanor and behavior, and in ways that are more in line with what the median WLW on Tumblr would swoon over (women with traditionally masculine attire and/or behavior and a commanding presence). I write some of my female characters as that archetype, but I like to include even more women who aren't my personal ideal; same goes for transmasc and NB characters.

But with cis men, other than characters who specifically have to be elderly or children for the story to make sense, the only ones I'm particularly interested in writing are either handsome in a himbo way or "cute" and "pretty" in an artsy and/or academic way. The roles I tend to picture them in are "love interest to protagonist" and "protagonist himself, but in a Watson way to a female character's Holmes." At moments that are intended to be sexy for male readers, it's in the way that a romance novel is meant to be sexy for women: the eroticism of feeling beautiful and attracting someone powerful who sweeps you off your feet and physically protects you. Again, this has more to do with the actions of the audience insert's love interest.

My more obvious motives are a mix of "see how it feels" aimed at cishet men (in the sense of both the petty "taste of your own medicine" and the less ironic "look what you've been missing out on all your life"), and [insert "sickos" meme from the Onion] for any audience member who's into men. The obvious reason for why I don't depict characters other than cis men this way is that I grew up hearing from women how much it sucks to be sexualized by default whether you enjoy it or not; as someone new to this whole woman thing, I still can't shake the residual worry that sexualizing someone who's not a cis man would be punching down or at least sideways. But the paradoxical benefit of being less viscerally attracted to cis men is that I have an easier time making male characters sexy without getting carried away to the point of absurdity, as it's coming from a more detached perspective that incorporates more purposeful thought.

* I'm a weird inversion of the more common height preferences. I don't particularly care one way or the other for any particular height range in men, but while I am attracted to women shorter than, or the same height, as me, it's a major fucking plus if a woman is visibly taller.

[who-canceled-roger-rabbit]

My latest (lighthearted) take on radical feminism is that if a certain bestselling British children's author really was the radical feminist that she's tried to rebrand herself as, the SPEW arc would've resolved with consciousness-raising groups for house-elves instead of just "hey y'know what, maybe they really do enjoy their lot in life as obedient domestic servants by birth, and if their master is bad then they just need a good master"