#instead they tell fans that mike is still clueless

[neonponders]

Head canon time:

Okay okay okay okayokayokay so this post has super cute art, but the reblog comment on it aligned with something that’s been percolating in my brain for a ~while~ now:

Eleven as Steve’s sister.

Obviously neither Steve nor Eleven have any idea. From the time El escapes the lab, they don’t interact much. Even if they’re in the same room, they kind of bounce around each other, because...why else would they? Steve’s at least five years older and she’s still building her social skills/confidence, especially around men.

But then Steve gets his hair cut short, and the back likes to curl very similarly to how El’s did when hers was short. Their hair needs its own weight to pull it straight.

And it’s dark brown. Followed by clear brown eyes.

It’s not enough for anyone to connect the dots, of course, but then El’s “mother” dies. Her mind had been a flickering light for a long time, eventually her heart began to match. But when a heart stops, it stops.

Her sister calls Hopper, in case El wants to know, and they show up, at the very least, to attend the funeral and to help the sister go through dusty boxes. Maybe there’s a picture of El’s mother that she wants...

Instead they find surrogacy papers.

Old bank statements.

Apparently at the time of her involvement with government conspiracy, she had been very down on her luck. She made the mistake of doubling up on volunteering to be a surrogate mother, as well as whatever the hell the Hawkins Library did to her.

But the names on the papers are John and Eliza Harrington.

“Like...Steve?” El asks when he finally has gaped at the papers for too long.

Hopper inhales because he isn’t sure when he did that last and scratches his face. “Yeah...like Steve.”

He has mixed emotions: the empathetic devastation at losing a kid, but also the relief that this involves someone already in the know.

They go over to Steve’s house.

The guy answers the door with a slice of pizza in his hand, still chewing. “Hi, Hop. Ellie.”

She offers a small smile. “Steve.”

“Are your parents home, kid?”

He shook his head and swallowed. “Just left this morning. They have a time-share condo in Mexico.”

“You didn’t go with them?”

Steve scoffs while turning around back into the house. “My idea of a good time isn’t with my parents. What d’you need?”

“Well,” Hopper sighs, feeling too big in the foyer. Eleven stabs his hip with a finger and he begins the tedious process of unlacing his boots. “I need to go through your parents’ papers. You got an attic, a cellar, an office?”

Steve, bless him, looks genuinely clueless. “Uh. Yeah...are we in trouble for something?”

“Not in trouble, no. I just wanna cross reference something.”

Bless him twice, because he actually lets Hopper into his attic. His father’s office. Then his mother’s.

He finds it in his mother’s bedroom. It was just a shot in the dark to try the safe in the closet, but so many people actually keep their safes unlocked for easy access.

Hospital documents. Even ultrasound photos.

“Jane Elizabeth...Harrington?” Steve chirps over his shoulder.

He looks up at the chief, who’s rubbing his beard again. Their heads turn to Eleven sitting on Mrs. Harrington’s bed. “My name’s Jane.”

Those big brown eyes blink between her and Hopper. “How do you know that? I thought you came from a lab?”

Hopper intercepted, “She used her,” he gestured vaguely to his own head, “to find her mother. Or...the surrogate your parents paid for.”

“And where’s she?”

“Dead,” said Eleven.

Hopper reiterated, “She passed about two weeks ago. We found your parents’ names in her paperwork.”

“But - what happened? How does a baby just go missing? Better question: why don’t I have super powers?”

Hopper had already read the hospital’s apology and refund of the Harrington’s funds, insurance, the works. “I think that asshole...Brenner...claimed the baby for his work, early enough that it could be written off as a miscarriage. Whatever they did to El’s mother, whatever went on in that lab, landed her with her abilities. It’s nothing to covet, all right.”

Steve looked winded. He crossed his arms and let himself collapse against the wall. “So...what do we do?”

“Uh...” Hopper fanned his face with the ultrasound pictures. “There isn’t a lot we can do. Telling your parents would open up a lot of closed doors that we can’t really afford to open. Dr. Owens, being the swell guy he is, provided me paperwork that grants El as my kid.

“But.

“You already know each other. You already contributed to saving the world together. So...I think that’s up to the two of you.”

Both of them, for all they’d been through, just looked like kids. They were kids, even if Steve now stood in his twenties. And he stood off the wall, now, to approach his sister.

“Can I, uhm...can I hug you?”

El slid off the high bed, easily falling against his body for arms to wrap tightly around her. They stayed like that for a long moment, then Hopper joined them to rub between their shoulder blades.

“Oh god. You’re dating Mike Wheeler.” El hummed a curious sound and he elaborated, “Am I gonna have to pound on him if he pisses you off?”

“I wish you would,” Hopper confirmed.

Fast forward to Mike being extremely confused at his girlfriend suddenly spending a lot of time with Steve Harrington, of all people.

“Maybe she’s gotten a taste for older men?” Lucas teased, and got punched in the shoulder for it.

Max’s eyes rolled but she didn’t grace that with an answer.

Mike fumed, “She was supposed to be with me today! Then she called and said she had other plans - ”

Max chimed, “Are you sure you had plans? Or that you had a plan but she beat you to it?”

“It doesn’t matter! I see her walking around with Steve Harrington all the time and it’s weird!”

Will said for nobody in particular, “We’re not the ones to judge weird anymore.”

Lucas countered, “Or we’re the experts on weird. Speaking of, where the hell is Dustin?”

“With Steve,” Max grinned right at Mike, and stood up. “Speaking of, my ride’s probably here.”

“Where are you going?” Lucas asked.

“Over to Steve’s.”

The boys looked at each other and ran for their shoes. Sure enough, they left the Wheelers’ basement, circled around the house, and found the blue Camaro waiting in the cul-de-sac. 

“Woah woah woah, what the hell is this?” Billy said hoarsely. He peered over his sunglasses at the teenagers filing into his backseat.

Max shoved a bottle of water towards him. “You’re not drinking enough, again.”

“Don’t bitch at me. Tell your friends to scram.”

“Are you really going over to Steve’s?” Will began.

“What do you know about Steve hanging out with my girlfriend?” Mike joined.

“Steve’s got a pool, right?” Lucas directed at Max.

Billy revved his engine with a sharp right turn, throwing all of them to one side of the car. Max held her head from where it had hit the window. “Cool it, you shouldn’t even be driving in the first place.”

“My blood did not turn black for this bullshit.”

The kids in the back stared out of the windows like Loch Nora was a safari tour. At the sound of the Camaro’s engine, Steve trotted down the slope of the lawn in swimming trunks with a towel around his shoulders, waving them through the gate.

Will and Lucas sprinted after him. Mike followed at a skeptical pace while Max lingered for Billy’s sake. No one noticed that Billy wore pink and turquoise swimming trunks that fit more to Steve’s taste.

Mike sure as hell noticed the red and purple, woven friendship bracelets that El and Steve wore, though. The pale, skinny nerd just stared, dumbfounded between Hopper floating contently over the pool, El laughing in a one-piece covered in hibiscus flowers, and Steve sitting at the foot of Billy’s lounge chair.

Then Robin strolled through the gate with a stack of pizza and chicken wing boxes. “All right, we ready? What are you doing, dweeb? It’s a 101 degrees out. Get wet.”

And shoved Mike Wheeler right into the pool.

[justafandomfollower]

Thoughts on Stargirl S02E01

Season 2 is here! So, I watched the first episode last night and, while I don’t often do this for TV shows I watch, wanted to share/write up my thoughts about the episode. I mean, overall, I thought it was really good and I was grinning like a loon to see the familiar characters back onscreen. But, more than that, I had some thoughts on individual characters.

First, I really really liked the way they handled Courtney’s “overworking” as Stargirl. A lot of other shows would have the debate about how being Stargirl is dangerous and she’s just a teenager, etc., etc. But they hashed that out last season, and they’re not bringing it up again here, which should be the bare minimum but ends up just being refreshing. Pat never says she needs to put away the staff (except for that last bit where he grounds her, and even that’s temporary). Instead, he cautions her to find a balance between the superhero and non-superhero parts of her life, to pass her classes, get good grades, get some sleep, learn to take breaks every now and again, and think about her future.

I do think Courtney will ultimately be proven right about the threats that are out there (I mean, duh, we saw Cindy and Eclipso right there), but nothing Pat said was wrong, or telling her that there were no threats. So, yeah. Big fan of that part. As for Green Lantern’s daughter, while Courtney was her usual “act first, think later” self, I also kind of can’t blame her, because someone did sneak into their house and steal important JSA relics. There were faults on both sides here.

The rest of my thoughts I’ve thrown under a read-more because it’s long and rambling:

I’m pretty solid and happy with where the other three JSA kids are at the moment, but I figured I’d still break it down a little.

Yolanda: I like that she’s struggling with what she did, even months later. I like that she knows she can’t say anything at church, I like that she’s still able to talk about it with Courtney, and I like that Courtney was supportive without outright agreeing with or condemning her actions. It’s a tough thing for kids to talk about, and while an experienced adult like Pat might be able to understand it better, I like that Yolanda’s not completely bottling it up.

On that note, though, they said Cindy might have gotten crushed when the satellite came down, “like Brainwave”, so there’s a possibility here that nobody else knows what Yolanda did, which’ll be interesting to see play out, if that’s true.

Rick: Again, I like where he’s at. He’s more confident in who he is, a little more settled, but also still lost. He claims Tyler as his name again and knows he’s a hero, but he doesn’t know where he goes from here. I think that’s part of why he’s seeking out Grundy, because he’s still clinging to that part of his past because he doesn’t have any clue of what’s in his future.

He’s still very much an angry teenager new at being a superhero, ranting to that teacher about how he saved her, but knowing his character (and acknowledging how crappy that teacher was), I can’t entirely blame him for that. Was it a good move? No. Did it make sense? Absolutely.

Speaking of that teacher, she was not a good one. Can I understand her wariness about the bad boy of the school suddenly getting every answer right? Sure. But, 1) it’s been months, so surely there’s been some gradual improvement, 2) that’s not the way to do it; talk to him about it, sure, but don’t refuse to accept his explanations, and 3) refusing to accept his name change is a jerk move that a figure of authority shouldn’t be making. I could wave away the first one from TV-time-skipping-magic, but not the other two. I don’t really think we’ll see this character again (but maybe in summer school), but she’s more of a vessel to show us 1) how Rick’s changed and 2) how the way others see him hasn’t, so, I suppose, in that regard, she did her job.

Beth: It’s neat that the goggles still seem to be (mostly) working, but it’s the AI that’s not functioning. Not the route I’d thought they’d go, but it’s really interesting because it gives Beth a chance to expand her skill set, or at least expand it to the viewer, and give her a role as a coder/computer scientist. It also doesn’t cheapen the “death” of the AI that happened last season.

Also, like the others (Rick at school with the teachers, Courtney and Yolanda having a discussion in the middle of main street, even Pat with STRIPE), she’s not great at hiding her activities. They’re just goggles, maybe, and she could explain them away fairly easy, but I don’t like the way she just leaves them out around the house. I’m okay with it for now because 1) she’s a teenager, still learning, and they are pretty innocuous, 2) some of it’s probably just TV “requirements”, like not wanting to cut from scene to scene or whatever (idk, I’m not in the TV business), and 3) her parents seem pretty clueless.

And speaking of her parents, man did I not like them even more this season. Every time I saw them on screen my mind went straight to: “good people, terrible parents”. Did they ever even want a kid, or did they just like the idea of having a kid to fit into their “perfect lives” until even that wasn’t enough to keep them together? They’re barely aware of what Beth does on a day to day basis, she still seems to be the one doing all the cooking, and they forget to tell her they’re coming home late? Bad parenting, and selfish parenting at that.

Overall, my mood about Beth this episode can be summed up like this: Do I like Beth struggling? No. Does it open up possibilities for what could be a really intriguing character arc? Yeah.

My biggest complaint about our JSA is that there weren’t really any scenes of them together, but that’s more of the time constraints of having so many characters we needed to get concrete information on regarding where they stand. They had that nice patrol scene in the beginning to let us know they’re all still solid friends, so I’m happy enough with that for now.

Other thoughts:

Barbara wasn’t really in it much (no mention of her job, though the newspaper article did say something about The American Dream going through changes after the death of its leader or something like that), but I can sympathize with her wanting a vacation and not getting one. It’ll be interesting to see how okay she is with Courtney as Stargirl as things get more dangerous.

Mike, likewise, wasn’t much present, but it’s clear he’s still struggling to be a part of things. Pat wasn’t wrong, when he said that the discipline, etc. from having a job was important, but it still feels like he’s brushing Mike aside and not letting him be involved, so I can see some more resentment brewing this season. Better than last season, but c’mon Pat. Mike just wants to help. Still, hopefully we’ll get a better idea of where Mike stands in future episodes.

Artemis. Really interesting the way she brushed aside her parents being in jail as them being wrongly convicted. I’ve seen Young Justice, so I’m looking forward to seeing if they turn her into a villain or hero here.

Zeek. (Is that how he spelled it? It looked like that on his hat.) I’m, probably unnecessarily, wary of how interested he was in working with Pat at the show (does he know something?) but for now I’m mostly just mildly amused at his “I don’t care what you do on your time, but hey, do you think that robot could use a flamethrower?”. Also. Pat. C’mon man. You’ve been in this business for decades. Hide your robot better. (Though, I’ll admit, he was only resigned when he realized Zeek had found it, so... Did he have an excuse ready? Did he just not read Zeek as a threat? I’m probably reading too much into this, but it’ll again be interesting to see where it goes.)

Cameron’s back, seemingly unaware of everything, and it looks like his murderous grandparents are taking care of him. Not great, but, eh, we’ll see what happens.

Sylvester is still tracking down Pat. I’m a little bit glad the landlord either didn’t give him, or didn’t have, Pat’s information from that end scene last season. I’m also interested to see if Maggie (Mike’s Mom, if my understanding of comics I haven’t read is correct) sticks around. Sylvester seems supremely unworried and in a mostly good mood, despite his desire to track down Pat, so I really want to know what’s up with him. I’ve seen some fan theories of time travel and him being a displaced Starman, which could be interesting, but I have no idea if they’re accurate. He certainly seems to be the real deal, at least with all the right memories.

Cindy and Eclipso. That opening scene was creepy, and made me question if I’d turned on the right show, and the connection with the McNider family is really interesting. Did not like the way she had Mike’s picture, but from a writing POV I really liked it. I don’t want Mike to go villain, but I mostly trust the writers to see how this plays out.

Other thoughts: The town seems to have moved on from the mind control/satellite-dish-from-the-football-field thing, so I’m guessing there weren’t too many causalities. New principal makes sense, and I like that they didn’t need to shove it in our face to remind us what happened to the old one (plus that scene where Courtney bumps into her kid; nice and simple and shows a little of how he’s coping). I appreciate that Henry hasn’t been forgotten. No glimpse of Yolanda’s home life yet, or Rick’s uncle. No idea how Rick managed to change his name, but the threat he was hiding from is more or less gone, so it makes sense.

I may have forgotten something here or there, but anyone who’s made it this far deserves a cookie, so, thanks for reading! I’m always up for discussion if anyone wants to add on or debate any of my points.

[babytortie]

band-aid kisses

band-aid kisses ❘ eddie kaspbrak x reader.

summary: in which the reader gets frustrated with eddie’s obliviousness and attempts one last time with a big gesture that he wouldn’t misinterpret.

warnings: some fluff, slightly heated scene and teasing. <3

contains: eddie kaspbrak being a smug brat.

* all characters ( including reader ) of the loser's club are seniors and 18 in this one-shot.

~ 2.6k words.

it started with subtle winks, innocent kisses on his cheeks, and letting your fingertips linger on his skin. you even went as far to leaning more than usual into him. i mean come on. a wink? the tips of your fingers leaving feather like touches to his shoulders and arms? sitting so closely that he scooted over to give you room, only for you to practically glue yourself on him? this boy is freaking clueless.

or so you thought. the day eddie noticed the change in your friendship was the day you were at his home and the two of you laid across his bed. it was another hot summer day and the fan on his ceiling was spinning around to keep the room a cool temperature. ever since the summer of it, he’s been more carefree, like for instance, letting his hair grow out longer to the point where styling it was no use.

most days he let his brunette hair blow-dry and then the curls were all sprung out in different angles as a result. a certain strand was sticking up bothering you. this caused you to scoot across the bed to him so you could flatten it to the side. you may have ‘accidently’ let your palm sit a second too long on his cheek. sure, eddie didn’t have a problem with you being touchy. besides richie, you were the closest to him within the loser’s group.

even hypochondria and the fear of germs couldn’t stop the constant liking he had when you were close in distance. when the two of you were younger, even before it, you liked to kiss his cheek on occasion as what was supposed to be a simple gesture. later on, when you left though, the other boys, richie, stan, and bill always picked on him jokingly about you.

the amount of teasing only grew when beverly, mike and ben joined the group. when eddie wasn’t around that day, the other’s, especially richie and beverly, would tease you as well. this cycle always came back around to ben trying to have your back claiming it was one of a kind ‘love’. ben meant well but unfortunately that suggestive assumption didn’t help at all. if anything, the opinions that ben gave who figured was helpful, only winded up the additional club members and the comments worsened.

the asthmatic teen could tell something was different in the air now between you and him. then it clicked that day when he glanced over at your makeup less face. despite the fact you were lounging around in sweats and a messy bun, you were perfect to him. you were best person ever to eddie kaspbrak. 

your best friend realized that you like him and he definitely likes you. it was just the fact he was so nervous to act on those instinctive feelings and didn’t want it to ruin everything if he was wrong. besides the couple of times, you put yourself out there, you were just as clueless. but when you had an over-thinking shower you couldn’t help but notice the confusion. 

eddie knew you so well, yet, it was odd that he hadn’t come up with any conclusions. the freckled boy continuously acted as if the actions you constantly made weren’t totally out of character.

a time more recently, the eight of you were on the way to a party and piled up in the back seats of bill’s van. something his mom graciously bought him so the losers could be safer when going out. this was because a month before that, you and the group drove down the main road and just about halfway there, bill was almost pulled over by henry’s father.

during that time, beverly was perched on ben’s lap and you were dangerously squished up to eddie's side. all of the losers, excluding eddie, had said later that night that you and kaspbrak were a bit to close in the car for just friends. which was sort of true but it was purposely picked by the others for you and eddie to share a single chair that was on the smaller side.

while lounging on half of eddie’s right leg and with your back was to his side, you moved your hip around purposely. only giggling softly when he let out a small groan at you taking awfully long to change positions and get comfortable again. though the smug brunette didn’t even acknowledge you with anything else. he knew exactly what you were doing but just continued on with the conversation he was having. talking about nonsense with stan, the blonde curly haired boy that was sitting in the passenger seat diagonal from the two of you.

rolling your eyes at eddie’s ignorance, you turned to look at richie who was sitting right across you and eddie, giving him a sad and defeated pout. the trashmouth teen had the audacity to watch it play out and carried on chuckling to himself quietly. richie turned to take a glimpse behind the row and you looked to see that beverly was sharing a smirk in agreement with him for the current situation. little shits.

when kaspbrak still wasn’t looking, tozier skillfully puckered his lips and pointed at him. you cursed and swatted his hand away before the asthmatic could notice. eddie noticed the two of you play fighting and pursed his lips. “why are you bullying y/n/n now, rich?” you glared at richie, as if to say “don’t you dare”, and he sighed. probably in annoyance that it was no fun he couldn’t open his loud trashmouth. “just y/n being y/n. what do you think about that eds?” he smirked.

“i think y/n/n is perfect just the way she is.” he replied with a small smile, putting his arm around your side so you didn’t fall over into richie when bill made a turn. what the asthmatic teen didn’t catch with his hand wrapped around your side was your heart. it was beating hardly against him and you were so sure it would fall out from your chest soon. your whole body was softening at his compliment and beverly looked at you with a look that said, “you have to tell him soon”.

now it was another saturday night and the group was once again hanging out. this time at beverly’s aunt’s house. unfortunately, you were still having problems, especially at the fact you weren’t even sitting next to your favorite boy. after one and a half movies in, they voted who would go and get the group drinks. eddie was the ‘lucky’ one picked and you had enough of trying to get his attention so you offered to come with. 

knowing that you and the brunette asthmatic silently pinned over each other, the other’s quietly “ooo-ed” when he was out of range from hearing. richie apparently wanted to test your will to live when he cupped his mouth and whisper yelled on your way out of the living room. “get it y/n/n!” you flipped him the bird and somewhat regretted your choices from earlier. you expressed to tozier on the phone about how tired you were of eddie not picking up on your low-key moves.

of course, richie being a trashmouth who was never serious about anything cackled into the phone. “enough is enough. tell him tonight or else i’m going to sonia’s later on and what we’ll be doing will scare him away right to your house.” when your anxiety spiked at his somewhat recommendation, you asked for some advice on how to navigate that conversation. sadly, all of richie’s ideas were terrible and even though you didn’t admit it, he knew this as well. so, there was only one thing left to do and he dialed up beverly into the phone call. 

she tried to be helpful and it inspired you with a brilliant idea for tonight. trashmouth listened in since he was too nosey for his own good to hang up and occasionally beeped into the conversation with a quip or smartass comment. the redhead and you wanted to slap the crap out of him and he snickered when beverly told him that.

breathing a deep breath in through your nose and out, you prepared yourself for what you hoped was about to be a good outcome. you made your way into the doorway of bill’s kitchen and the plan immediately flew out of the window when you froze. it was supposed to be something simple since you had it all planned out two hours prior. sadly, now it was all instantly screwed up when you caught sight of eddie’s back.

his hand was reaching up into the cabinet for cups and what was meant to be an innocent act was anything but that. at least not at least in your dirty mind. the asthmatic’s shirt was ridding up and his golden skin was showing. he had mother-back-freaking-dimples. back dimples. if it didn’t come back one day and kill you then surly this sight would.

of course, that was the moment eddie turned around and caught you staring. “see something you like?” he mumbled with flushed cheeks. you shrugged in response, not quite knowing how to reply. instead, you walked further into the kitchen and leaned up against one of the counters a feet few away from him. 

when you passed by the wheezing kaspbrak, you put your hand out and subtly brushed your hand against the fanny pack strap that rested against his hip bone. yes, even three years later he still wore them. you had to beg him to continue wearing them when he questioned the fanny packs again a few months after it. he shivered when you walked by and didn’t complain, letting your fingers casually touch him. 

even with fabric over his skin, there was something about your small touches that made him want to melt. little did you know eddie has always watched you. whether if it was in class and you unknowingly teased him by twirled a pencil around your pointer and middle fingers, or, even something as simple to putting your hair up on a warm summer day. he always wondered how they would feel gliding through his long curly strands.

”i’ll get out the iced tea and lemonade pitchers if you pour?” you voiced but already opened the fridge by the time you got to the end of your question. you were careful not to touch his hand when he grabbed the pitcher from you and poured one cup of lemonade each for you, beverly, mike, and ben. 

you raised your brow when he kept sneaking glances at you from pouting at the fact you avoided touching his hand. you put your hands on the edge of the kitchen counter, resting them and your body against it in a casual stance. it was as if you were in control now and unbothered, brushing off the fact he was openly watching you. pushing your hips up onto the counter you tried to sit down gracefully. your ankles bopping against the cabinets as you watched him. 

his arms flexed a little when he grabbed the other glasses. he focused intently so he wouldn’t make a fool of himself by spilling one of the drinks. without realizing he was doing it, his tongue kept flicking out to lick his bottom lip. he put down the filled lemonade cups and went to grab the iced tea but lost his balance in between and almost fell over his other shoe clumsily.

the asthmatic reached out to the side to grab something to catch his fall but ended up grabbing your thigh instead accidentally. you gasped at the feeling when eddie squeezed it but his hand shot away instantly. his eyes darted to the source that steadied him and he panicked. “shoot, sorry y/n!”

a small giggle fell past your lips before you could stop it from happening and it caused him to laugh too nervously. everything started going according to plan and now was the perfect time to introduce your grand gesture. your lips turned upwards into a smirk when you grabbed his shirt so he couldn’t move. “it’s okay eds, but i may need a band-aid.”

his breath stuttered and eddie swallowed nervously glancing down at your hand that was tightly clutching his shirt. he looked back into your eyes again and moved his hand to over the fanny pack. “i didn’t mean to hurt you! did i scratch you? i’m sorry!”

you frowned a little and bit your bottom lip, jutting it out, you shrugged and hoped your voice didn’t waver. "no i'm okay. i just..." trailing off. you sighed and looked down at his stained red lips from the popsicle earlier, then back into his brown eyes again. you hoped he would remain open-minded and bared your soul to him. you relaxed your hold on his shirt and let go. 

instead, pointing at your lips and suggesting in a sweet, innocent tone. "i think i need a band-aid here.” eddie eyes widened at your request and he swallowed nervously. before he did anything in response, kaspbrak looked behind the two of you to make sure nobody was eavesdropping at the kitchen entrance and once that was confirmed, he made his move. 

he grabbed your hips again more roughly this time and pulled you closer to him. "if you insist." eddie uttered in a raspy tone before connecting his lips with yours. he swallowed your surprised gasp and melted into him. the asthmatic’s grip on your waist tightened a fraction when your hands went to grip the back of his neck. eddie finally got his wish when your fingers started tangling through his brunette hair.

it felt so nice that he moaned lightly into your mouth. nothing measured up to the effect you had on him. you took the opportunity then to slip your tongue in and taste him. eddie's instantly found yours and his teeth clashed with yours for dominance. it was sloppy and anything but under control so you decided what the hell? and scooted right into him. 

you were lined up perfectly to rub your front against his. his mouth caught your loud moan when you felt his erection. the others were only a room away and it was a turn-on that any minute they could catch the two of you.

eddie reached under your shirt slowly to make sure you were okay with it and when your hips were at the point of gyrating and feeling up his length, he took that as a reassurance. his caressing of your soft skin caused you to shiver and he smirked into your lips. you let out another small moan when he moved up further and he was throbbing at the noises of you coming undone for him.

he broke the kiss regretfully but knew he'd have to take this somewhere else if you wanted to enjoy yourselves. you watched him fix his shorts and cleared your throat. "thanks for fixing me up dr. k. you know, i've been giving you subtle hints for forever now." you smiled at him in relief that he finally knew and fixed the buttons on your shirt.

"of course, i knew y/n/n. i didn't realize you were pining over me this much." he smirked and pecked your cheek. he moved to grab the iced teas for him and stan, as well as, the cans of coke for bill and richie but you got to him first. 

you gasped and slapped his shoulder at the accusation. knowing by what just happened, he was also feeling the same way. "excuse me!" he rubbed his arm and grabbed the glasses, laughing at you when he noticed your cheeks had reddened.

rolled your eyes and grabbing the other drinks, you kissed him once more before walking back into the living room with smiles on your faces. the other’s looked at you and eddie and realized what happened with how close eddie was walking with you. richie noticed the silence and the glances at the two of you now actually glued together. with a smug grin he asked, "so y/n/n, i assume eds finally realized you were panting over him like i do with his mom?"

© babytortie on tumblr + wattpad.

[el-borealis]

So, I figure since it’s been a whole year now I finally feel emotionally stable enough to break down my feelings of Stranger Things season 3. I had a lot of conflicting emotions and unpopular opinions and I was too keyed up to want to get into heavy discourse about it then, but I’m less attached now, so here we go. (ps - this is totally out of order and bears no meaning other than the fact that I’m bored today and wanna chat about all my thoughts I’ve held to myself over the year 🙃)

First, I was actually not at all bothered by the Mileven storyline. Well, not entirely true - but I’ll get to that in a minute. I thought the cluelessness and the clumsy way the teens handled romance and love was really on point for their age. They treated dating and friendship in the way I treated it all in 8th grade, to be honest, and while my Mileven heart wanted them to magically transcend that, I think it was the more realistic and honest way to tell a story about six 14-15 year olds.

I also really appreciated that by allowing for age-appropriate missteps they also offered opportunities for age-appropriate growth. The Mike and El of future seasons should be more mature in how they treat each other, and I think it was valid and important to show that messy growth in a multi-season coming of age story.

Now, here’s what I didn’t like: pretty much any scene dealing with Jim Hopper. That’s a person who didn’t need to be written so immaturely. I’ll forever be annoyed by the weak cop out of how they used his uninspired intimidation set up the Mileven break up, despite the fact that I was fine with the storyline that materialized from it. At the end of season 2 we were led to believe that Hopper had had a season arc of growth and learning, but then it was all 💩 at the top of season 3. Instead, we were handed a charicature of toxic masculinity instead of a developed character in Hopper. His actions throughout the season felt regressive, hollow and toxic, made all the more aggravating and honestly shocking because it was played for laughs. I left highly unimpressed, kind of insulted, and very cagey about trusting the writers in future seasons because of the terrible character regression they did to Hopper. No, I did not swoon when Joyce agreed to a date. No, I was not sad when he ‘died’. And No, I did not cry at the letter. None of it was earned. They’re gonna have to work realllllllly hard in season 4 to gain my interest around his character and I’m still highly annoyed about it.

Next, I know that they took attention from my faves, but I thought the Scoops Troop storyline was the most fun and fresh of the season. Watching it again recently, I objectively find it the most engaging of the entwining storylines.

Also, Nancy and Jonathan had some amazing scenes in this season that I want to point out. Episode 4? SUCH good writing. The fight in the car when she was hurt by sexism and he was hurt of classism? Followed by Nancy’s talk with Karen about saying fuck the man and doing it anyway? These scenes held, in my opinion, the best writing in the season. (Honestly, episode 4 held the best writing overall, as well).

Finally, I wasn’t really negatively affected by the resolution of the Byers + El moving away. The tension of distance at that age will serve as a great underpinning for keeping the energy alive for the final season or two. Speaking from a Mileven perspective, so often when a couple gets together in a show their energy fizzles. It’s that tension between them that makes us root for them. And distance? That will serve as a way for each of them to grow on their own which I suspect will ultimately bring them together for real when they’re both a little bit more mature and actually have an idea of what to do with their feelings for each other. Separating them at the end of season 3 made me feel pretty confident that they’re endgame. Gotta keep that tension built so the resolution doesn’t come too early.

Also, I loathe to admit it, but upon a recent rewatch I have to admit that I think what they did with Billy this season was pretty cool, from a supernatural and acting perspective. Still not a fan of their attempt to redeem him through his own history of abuse, but Dacre played the hell out of Billy this season and the mindflayer part of it was really well done.

Plus, and I’ve said this before - I don’t take the end as a redemption for Billy. I take it as a growing of El’s power. You guys, she was ‘powerless’ to stop him for the first time in her life. How terrifying must that have been to have no power to turn to in that moment? But did she stop? No! She used WORDS as power! Little El who could hardly talk in season 1 harnessed WORDS as power and saved herself and everyone she loved with just words and communication. 😭 The growth in that!

Okay, if you read this random hodge podge stream of consciousness then you’re very sweet. Chat with me in my asks if you’ve got any replies!

[hawkinsschoolcounselor]

Eleven and her curious lack of development

Eleven. El. Jane Ives. Jane Hopper. El Byers. Call her what you will, but El is seen by many as being the main character of Stranger Things. I personally disagree, and I find her character to be too largely unexplored to be compelling, so far at least. It’s a shame, because there is a lot of potential there. We have this young girl who spent her entire life in a lab until she was around 12 years old. She was raised to be a weapon: dangerous and obedient. Then she found friends.

After Season 1, and a bit into Season 2, I thought they were going to develop her character well. She was clueless about the larger world. She didn’t understand social norms, she acted on impulse, she lashed out at authority, and she responded to social interaction with either hesitation or outright fear. Essentially, she showed signs of Reactive Attachment Disorder as a result of her upbringing. She also showed signs of trauma in regards to Brenner specifically, but we haven’t had an opportunity to explore that yet. Somehow, though, she’s able to understand romance?

El’s first introduction to the idea of romantic relationships was in Season 1. She naturally didn’t understand. She lacked the necessary social development. Everything she knows is based off of what Mike tried to explain, and she had a hard time following. This is all also happening during a traumatic time for both of them. El in particular would have a hard time making sense of all the emotions she’s feeling, and Mike probably wouldn’t do too much better. They build an extremely close bond in only a week’s time. She more or less imprinted on him when he took her in after finding her in the woods. She’d do anything to get his approval.  Let’s be honest here. El likes Mike romantically because he’s basically leading her into thinking she does. He’s not really doing it on purpose, but that’s irrelevant. To El, it’s just another fact or rule, and she doesn’t question it. 

At the end of Season 2, and throughout Season 3, El’s problems largely disappear. Everything is Mike, Mike, Mike. It’s not very unusual. Mike represents safety to her. The problem is, they missed every opportunity to expand her character. Any personal or social growth she had after moving in with Hopper ceased. She actually seems possessive and obsessed with Mike. We get hints of that early in Season 2 where we see her watching Mike, and again when she knocks Max off her skateboard because Mike actually smiled at her. Then she rudely ignores Max when the girl tries to introduce herself. Again, nothing terribly unusual for a kid in her situation, but it’s not something to be seen as healthy and moving past it should be part of her character growth. It may have been intentional. Hopper’s not exactly a therapist, counselor, or teacher, and he’s way out of practice as a parent.

Season 3 shows that El is largely limited in socialization to Mike visiting her. She’s still not allowed out in public, and she’s not shown interacting with any of her other friends. She seems more than happy to leave her friends to go make out with Mike. She hasn’t grown in the 7 months or so since the Snow Ball. This would be ok if her arc this season was about growing past that. It looks like she might. She goes and spends time with Max, for what seems like the first time, and they become friends. Max urges her to “try things on” to find out what she likes, and this should be a jarring line. El literally admits she has no idea how to tell if she likes something. She’s never considered anything beyond what she was told, be it by Brenner, Mike, Hopper, or, now, Max. Taking Max’s advice, she dumps Mike, and she seems pretty happy afterwards.

This is where what could have been good gets ruined. This should have been about her starting to learn that what other people think is good for her isn’t necessarily what is good for her. Instead, what we get is a clumsy and awkward arc that results in her clinging to Mike again. In fact, nothing really seemed to change in their relationship at all. Mike awkwardly tried to get her back. Despite the time they’ve supposedly spent together, they can’t even have a normal conversation. El holds her ground, but then the danger hits and Mike shows his usual bravery as he tries to help her. She becomes dependent on him for safety and comfort again. Then three months later we get the awkward kiss and “I love you” that is so off that it seems like they hadn’t been a couple in the three months since the mall incident. Now she’s saying I love you right before she leaves. She’s clinging right back to Mike because that’s how she feels safe and secure.

In a Season where we could have finally seen El interact with other characters and grow, we get none of that. She has almost nothing with Hopper except the awkward attempts to curb their making out, no interactions with Joyce, none with Will, none with Dustin or Lucas. She’s in the room with them, and there is eye contact, but no real interactions. Was this done intentionally to set up something next season, or are we supposed to accept that this is her character? This socially and emotionally deprived child is somehow mature enough to develop a healthy romantic relationship? I have a lot of trouble believing that the Duffers and their writing team consider this good character development in and of itself.

I risk angering a lot of fans, particularly young teens, but Mike and El are bad for each other, at least as a couple. Their relationship is obsessive and possessive in nature, resulting in the deterioration of their other relationships. It’s a sort of an extreme example of infatuations that are typical of that age. They can be intense, but lack any emotional depth and eventually fail. El’s growth could still be salvaged though. She’s now moving away from Mike. She’s going to have to learn to live without him, and that could provide an avenue for her to realize that she hasn’t loved him so much as needed him. 

My apologies to the fans, but Mileven is toxic. It’s bad for both characters, at least as it stands now. Season 3 actually showed them both better after the breakup. They treated each other as a security blanket when together. It’s “I love you because I need you” rather than “I need you because I love you.” It’s not impossible for them to grow into something healthier, but Season 3 did not suggest such a story arc. We’ll have to wait and see what Season 4 has in store, but I hope it allows El to move towards becoming a fully actualized young lady, rather than being reliant on Mike, especially now that she lacks powers.

[calpalirwin]

According to Plan

A/N: So they got back together to break up again?! What could possibly happen next, Galcal?! I’m glad you asked!

And away, and away we go!

~~~

Chapter 13

Madison

~~~

I sat on the bed, looking at my door after he disappeared behind it. I wanted to cry, but for some reason I couldn’t. It hadn’t been a bad break up. My heart hurt, but I somehow felt okay. This summer had been hard on me, and I only imagined it had been harder on Ashton. We didn’t have to hurt anymore. We could both go on with our lives, knowing that our paths would cross again one day. And when they did, hopefully time would have made us wiser, and the love we shared would still be there.

With an urge to do something, anything at all, I made myself go for a walk. I ended up at a tattoo parlor, and half on a whim, half on a long hidden desire, I walked out with a tattoo: a small music note under each ear.

A few weeks later, I sat in the hospital room, waiting for them to take me to surgery. “Madison, we can’t do the surgery,” the doctor announced, “Did you know you were pregnant? Do you want to discuss your options?”

I shook my head, fighting off the shock. A pregnancy my first year of college wasn’t part of my plan. A pregnancy with Ashton nearly 600 miles away, clueless and us not together anymore definitely wasn’t part of my plan. But, I couldn’t help but be amused at the mess of it all. Ashton had left, and now a piece of him had come back to me. There was no way I was letting him go twice. No, I shook my head, I know what I’m gonna do.

My parents and Mike stopped by about a week later on their way to get Mike settled at Syracuse. When I told them, they were furious.

“Pregnant?! Mads, how did this happen? You had protection, didn’t you?” my mother asked me.

Yes, I had protection. It didn’t work, I guess, I told her. I left out the part that I had run out and hadn’t had the time to get a refill.

“Is is Ashton’s?” my father asked.

Yes.

“Does he know?” Mike asked.

Not yet.

“What about your Cochlear implant surgery?” they all asked.

I rescheduled it for after I have the baby.

They all sighed. “When are you due?” my mother finally asked.

Late May, early June.

“Okay, that can work. We can work with that.”

Thanks. I’ll need a lot of help. I lifted my hair off my neck to fan myself. Even with the air conditioning, it was still hot.

“Is that a tattoo?” Mike asked, peering at my ears.

I hurriedly dropped my hair. Yes...

My parents shared a look and ultimately decided not to say anything more, believing that I could make the right choices for myself.

Mike finally broke the silence. “Mads, he’s got to know.”

I know. But, c’mon Mike, you know what he’ll do if he finds out.

Mike sighed knowing just as well as I did what Ashton would do if he knew. “Yeah, he’ll be on the next flight to Yale.”

Exactly. And I can’t let him give up on Duke. That was his dream long before I came along, and I won’t be the reason he doesn’t go.

“So, you’re just not gonna tell him? Jeez, Mads, I talk to the guy all the time.”

Mike, promise me you won’t tell him. He’ll find out eventually, just after Duke.

He sighed again. “Okay, I won’t tell him. Fuck, that’s funny though, isn’t it? Like in a super fucked up way?”

What do you mean?

“You guys break up, so you can live your life without each other, and you end up pregnant with his kid.”

I don’t mind, I told him, and I didn’t.

I debated back and forth all week after my parents and Mike left about whether or not I should tell Ashton. As the father, he had a right to know, a right to be involved. But, he had left me so we could have our college experiences without being preoccupied about what the other one was doing. And I knew Ashton, if he knew I was pregnant and keeping it, he would be on the next flight, and then he would never go to Duke.

I finally found the courage to type out a message to him. 

It’s Madison. I have news that I think you should hear, but I want to tell you face to face. So, if you’re ever in Yale... Um, hope all is well. Bye.

I debated whether or not I should tell him I loved him. I decided against it and hit send. Then, I stared at my phone for hours.

I found comfort in a routine of going to classes and work, saving every penny I could spare. The days were easy to get through, the nights were harder. 

When everything got to be too much, I would dig out his Duke sweater and look at my old pictures of him. 

When soccer started up, I would watch his games alone in my apartment. The real treat was when he would play at Yale or Syracuse because I would sit in the stands, all those feelings washing over me in waves. I fought against every urge to see him after those games. He was so close, and it would be so easy to go to him. He always looked so happy with that smile that I spent so many moments getting lost in. As much as I wanted him by my side, I felt more sure of my choice to keep him in the dark each time I saw that smile. He was happy at Duke, just like he was supposed to be.

My parents and Mike were in the room in early June when I gave birth to a beautiful boy with gold-flecked eyes I’d only seen on one other face, and curly blonde hair. “What are you gonna name him, Mads?” they asked as we all stared at the bundle in my arms.

Jude Thomas Irwin, I told them, deciding to name him Ashton’s last name instead of my own.

“Giving him his dad’s last name, huh?” Mike said.

I nodded.

Two days later I underwent my Cochlear implant surgery. 

“Hey, can you hear us?” Mike asked, after I woke up.

“Wait, say that again?”

“You can hear me?!” I could hear his voice half choked in the effort to talk.

“Your voice sounds so much different than it did when we were kids,” I told him, grinning. 

Then, we were all crying. It had worked. I could hear again. Now, if only I could find my way back to Ashton.

My parents and Mike stayed with Jude and me that summer in my suddenly cramped, one-bedroom apartment, both to help me with Jude and help me recover from my surgery.

In August, Mike went back to Syracuse and my parents flew back home, promising me that one of them would be up every weekend to help with Jude. 

Alone for the first time in 2 months, I dialed Ashton’s number, both desperate to hear what his voice sounded like, and needing to reach out again now that our son had been born. I didn’t know what I’d say if he answered- what words could fix the damage we had both done- so I breathed a sigh of relief when I got his voicemail. “Hey, this is Ash. Leave a message.” his recorded voice told me, and I had to hang up to cry. I tried to memorize his voice and I plugged it into all of my memories of him, which only made me cry harder. God, I missed him.

When school started a week later, I was eager to get back in the classroom, but worried about leaving Jude alone in daycare. I had made sure to get a schedule that allowed me to be with Jude most of the day, but I hadn’t left him alone with anyone who wasn’t family since he was born.

After the first few weeks, my nerves settled. Jude and I thrived in our routine of classes, work, daycare, and home. I also took up learning how to drive and bought myself a car because I 1.) really wanted to get around on my own and 2.) could finally hear so nothing was stopping me. On Fridays, one of my parents, sometimes both, would fly out to spend the weekend with us. Sometimes we’d go out to Syracuse to watch Mike play soccer, other times we’d settle for watching them on the television in my living room. 

I continued to watch every Duke game in my spare time, whether on television, or at Syracuse and Yale. I would sit there, with Jude on my lap, pointing everything out to him. I wanted Jude to know who Ashton was, even if it was from across a field, through a television screen, or through pictures. I was content with the life I was living, even if I spent most nights crying myself to sleep.

I graduated the following May, Jude on my hip and Ashton on my mind. Scared to go to Duke to live in that apartment Ashton had once promised me, I stayed at Yale to pursue a Master’s. I wasn’t scared that the offer was no longer on the table nearly as much as I was that he had found someone else. Or worse, he took one look at me with Jude, who had grown to look so much like his dad, and got mad at me for not telling him and dropped out to take care of us.

I graduated with my Master’s in a year and a half, Jude clutching my hand. I still wasn’t ready to go home yet, though, opting to stay at my job and continue to save every penny.

When Mike’s graduation crept closer, I started to look for a job and place back home in Woodcreek. I took Jude to Mike’s graduation, and the next day, I took him home to Woodcreek and to Ashton.

Mike and my parents helped me move into my new 3-bedroom house. Jude was getting too big to share a room with me, and I wanted him to have a yard to play in. Plus, it was a cute little starter home. The rent was a little steeper than I would have hoped, but I had saved plenty of money just for that purpose. Mike even offered to stay with me to help out while he and Crystal figured out their next steps, and I graciously took him up on the offer.

I started my new job and by the time the weekend rolled around, I had almost forgotten about why I had come back in the first place. “Got any plans today?” Mike asked, sleepy-eyed from the couch, Jude in his lap, as I came in from my morning run.

“Nope,” I said, going to the kitchen to get breakfast started.

“Mads, you’ve been home a week. Don’t you think it’s time?”

I sighed. “What if he doesn’t want us?” The fear was out of my mouth before I had time to digest it myself. I had been so worried about him leaving Duke, that I hadn’t even thought about the other possibility: that he would want nothing to do with me or his son because of the secret I had kept.

“That’ll be his loss, then.”

“Really?”

He shrugged. “You’ve done this single parent thing for nearly 3 years. You did while going to fuckin Yale, and still graduated early. Twice. And you got your hearing back. Yeah, his loss. Big time.”

I sighed again, shaking my head. “Did you have plans for today?”

“Nothing I can’t change.”

“Fine. Watch him?”

“Will you leave sooner if I say yes?”

An hour later, I was in Mike’s truck- “He’ll flip the second he sees the car seat in yours. Plus, I might need it,” Mike told me- driving around. I wasn’t really sure where to go, so I just drove. 

I passed by the church, that would be full this time tomorrow for Sunday service. I drove by the ice cream shop where we had our first date. I drove by the school and his parents’ house. Everywhere I went, I searched for his truck. The last place I went was the diner. I didn’t see his truck there either, but I decided to go inside anyways. It seemed as good a place to wait as anywhere else.

I welcomed the wave of nostalgia that hit me as I walked in and sat at the old booth. Not sure what else to do, I ordered a milkshake and some fries, and I waited, glancing up at the door every now and then.

[triyune]

Review: Joker/Harley: Criminal Sanity #1 + #2

Recently, or less recently by now, DC has decided to grant their older readers a little bit of more violence and psychological depth by releasing comics under their Black Label.

I greatly appreciate that effort since I really miss at least that depth in many comics.

Here, I am going to discuss the comics criminal sanity #1 and criminal sanity #2 in terms of storyline, art and even a bit of personal stuff, but who cares, I get no money for doin this!

 SPOILER alert

Joker/Harley: Criminal Sanity "written by #1 New York Times and internationally bestselling author Kami Garcia", art by Mico Suayan and Mike Mayhew

Storyline I am starting to wonder how Kami Garcia managed to get on top of New York like that. When I bought Criminal Sanity 1 I was looking forward to a comic explanation of what is commonly perceived as sanity in respect of criminals. And hey, it did. It explains that with reference to real life killers like Ted Bundy or Ed Gein etc. It is like a comic where they decided to show us what would have happened if Harleen Quinzel had adopted another course and used her skills to help the police find killers. I can’t say that I like her vibe, but that is a personal thing. I understand that she’s displaying that arrogance because she feels hurt, not only because her girlfriend had been killed by the Joker, so we assume, and that this police department full of snug macho men is not a happy place for a woman, but well. I can’t say what it is but something’s not right with her. Maybe it is also because she’s often drawn with the same expression and she feels a bit one-dimensional to me. Anyway, as for the killings, I appreciate DC’s (new) Black Label since that way, the writers and artists are allowed to give the stories and images more depth and intensity. I would have been disappointed to see those corpses just beaten to death or anything crude of the like. It is obvious that they have done some research and want to present that in the comic. They are just about to create a certain image of the killer and the reader is clueless as for the definite meaning of those symbols. Of course we are clueless because we aren’t killers, are we. Would we put arms on a clock to express that someone’s running out of time? We wouldn’t. And so we have no clue. After reading the first volume I was hoping to see it going into detail, hoping for the hunt to pick up pace. Instead, the second volume turns out to become a trip into the past. No doubt it is a Comic Noir and quite enjoyable to see the style changing from black/white to colours, but sometimes, the change from John’s to Harleen’s POV is a bit confusing since it doesn’t 'connect'. The first change, for example, deals with the explanation of how John got those concussions, dislocated shoulder etc. and we are taken back to the past to see daddy beating his son and doing his brute thing. Next, we see Harleen going out for a drink and next we see the Joker-to-be entering a drinking hole. I fail to see any connection there and I guess it was just done to push on with his story. And don’t tell me that the alcohol is supposed to be the link, please. I just don’t want to believe that -__- Anyway, Harleen leaves the liquor store, meets her bro and we are taken to reminiscences of how cruel mother tortured poor Harleen. I’m led to think that we should see from that that Harleen’s had a tough childhood as well and that she did not turn into an artsy killer. So, what’s the difference between her and him, we should ask at reading these pages, right? Oh dear. However, then, I was really disappointed. We see Harl diving into the files again: Back to the past with young John-Joker roaming high school and dealing with further emotional abuse in his own way. Maybe I’m one of the few but it destroyed a lot of the atmosphere when I saw the Smartphones there. Laugh at me but I was born at a time when phones didn’t even exist in a portable way and I got introduced to the Joker in the 80’s when Tim Burton let Nicholson smile his way through a lost city. I am not used to seeing the Joker together with Smartphones. Again, I understand that they wanted to make the reader identify with the victim John and that is way easier when that figure uses the same shit everyone does these days so we got a Smartphone to feel closer to the figures. Awesome trope. Failed to achieve that effect with me, though. After we have finally been taught that eventually, high school John started fighting back but that he still didn’t stand a chance against his dad we go back to Harl’s POV again just to see how she’s watching a TV ad about a ring. We see that ad now again in the background of the killer’s basement, meaning that this is just happening at the same time now. And while Harl is talking to a suspect we see the killer going on a hunt for his next victim which he captures effortlessly. "I could tell you that this isn’t going to hurt...but that would be a lie." From a social media pranking kiddo to a sadistic and conceited killer. A bit insipid. When I started with the second volume I realized that Mick’s son, John, was going to be the Joker. I didn’t expect that since I didn’t think that it was just going to be another Joker origins story. It’s got a more fundamental psychological background than many of the mainstream comics, but after all it’s just the same dull violent-father-suffering-son and son-turning-violent-at-that cheese. I’m tired of reading Joker origins, even more so after the movie with Phoenix, but with that comic, it is just an attempt to explain his origins from a psychological point of view. Justified, but...we all know, don’t we. Least, we can imagine. I hope that I’ll be proven wrong and that John is not going to be the Joker in the end. That’s not possible? Oh, I do think them capable of twisting the story a hundred times around again so that John, or this milk face with the smeared make-up is not going to be who we know as ‘Joker’. Art Very refreshing. I have to admit that I do not own anything else but Joker comics so my visual horizon might be a bit limited in terms of various DC artists, but this one stands out, to me at least. The coloured bits are almost hyperreal and that is what makes it so scary. Their expressions are even a bit exaggerated which adds to that feeling of things getting out of control. A great deal of the atmosphere of that comic is due to its colours. The black and white style changes, sometimes paler, sometimes richer in contrast and simpler, which can be a bit irritating too. Here, colours are sparsely used to highlight things. After all, it’s just a matter of taste. All in all, it is meant to be on the dark side, art- and story-wise and it reminds me a bit of The Crow when the great teen villain is marching past super badass drunkards with his shredded bondage leather coat and heavy goth boots. It's a new take on the figure of the Joker. The question whether we need that or not is left with you. Bottom line

Four out of five groovy bloodstained razor blades.

I’m going to buy the rest of the books till the end, of course. Easy to make money with die-hard Joker fans like me, no matter how superficial, exaggerated or dull a comic is. Cheers Cheerio.

[wooleeza]

C3AFA SG2017 B-Pro Meet and Greet Session

Alright, I have to apologise for the delay here. RL caught up with me and I got distracted by other awesome Kakki-related situations… *cough* photobook *cough* but in case anyone is still interested, here’s my account of the Meet and Greet experience. (This is woefully lacking in details compared to my account of the Stage Q&A, no thanks to my procrastination… time is indeed a merciless memory-eating monster!) Still, long post ahead, for those who are still interested in reading this account.

I headed to the Meet and Greet venue along with Wenchie and Yolanda to join the queue to enter the room. I was truly amazed by the zeal of some of the fellow fans, who were decked out in cosplay (someone was dressed as Cup Noodle King Noctis!) or wielded merchandise from both Kakki’s and Tosshi’s past live shows. In comparison, yours truly only brought a handmade gift for Kakki, which I was allowed to place in a collection basket (we were not allowed to personally hand the gifts to the artistes.) After the verification was complete, we were ushered into the meeting room – there must have been at least 70 people or so, and we were all standing as close to the stage as we could. Thankfully, someone in the audience requested for us all to be seated on the floor, so that we could all get a good view of our beloved seiyuus. Thank you to that brave soul who spoke up for all of us! (C3AFA – please keep the comfort of the fans in mind too! >.<)

We all waited with bated breaths as the MC introduced herself (I honestly don’t remember her name) and asked if we were all ok if the entire M&G were to be conducted in Japanese. More than half the room went ‘Yes’, and I was among the few moaning “Nooooo!”, so she agreed to translate what she could in summary. I heard from some other attendees that her translations were pretty accurate, but I had hoped for more translations to be honest because I only understood less than 10% of what was actually said! She reminded us of the ground rules that no photography or recordings of any sort were allowed, which we all pretty amiably agreed to. Anyway, we were all waiting anxiously for Kakki’s and Tosshi’s arrival.

Kakki entered the room first, and frankly my mind went blank at the sheer beauty of the man up close. How could any man be that pretty!? He smiled and waved at us before taking his seat on the mini stage.  Then Tosshi arrived… or rather sneaked his head around the doorway and lingered there. (So cute!) The fans screamed louder so that he would enter the room, after which he walked in and joined Kakki onstage.

The MC told us to cheer loudly to welcome them both (which we were already doing), and then for inexplicable reasons launched into telling us the history of B-Project. I know it’s meant to promote the show, but really, this segment could have been covered during the stage event or presented in a more enjoyable manner. (Take note, C3AFA!) Sensing the mood drop in the room, Kakki decided that it was his turn to play up the tension at this point, so he flopped facedown onto the table, where the cordless mike was placed, claiming that he was too tired to hold up the mike now as it was post-lunch. Tosshi told us to cheer louder to wake him up, but Kakki said that it wouldn’t work – the cheering would be a lullaby to him. He demanded for a glass of beer instead. Then, he made a big show of taking out a bottle of eye drops from his pocket and squeezing the tears into his eyes. At this point, he realised that there was no tissue nearby. Tosshi decided to play up the tension even more by ripping off a small section of paper from a sketchpad on the table, and pushed it into Kakki’s face! Amid the fans’ laughter, the MC requested for a tissue packet to be passed to him, and fans were beginning to take out tissues from their bags, (bad move, MC!) until another member of the staff placed a packet on the table for Kakki. (Honestly, I wonder what would have happened had I lobbed my tissue packet at Kakki. XD Anyway, I decided to maintain respectable behaviour!)

The MC continued the history segment, but her mike began to sputter in volume so she had to switch over to one attached to the lectern at the side of the stage. Tosshi and Kakki got hold of her cordless mike and took turns testing it by vocalising “Aaaaaaa~” into it loudly. They declared rather raucously that there was nothing wrong with the mike, so the MC tried using it again and tested it by blowing right into the mike. Tosshi and Kakki visibly cringed at this treatment of the microphone, much to our collective amusement.

After that tedious history segment was done, the session became more free form. Tosshi again commented that everyone in the room actually understood exactly what the MC had been saying (in English) except for him. He expressed feeling bad that the session had to be conducted in Japanese on his account, but everyone assured him that it was all “daijoubu!” The MC then asked them about their recording experiences, and Tosshi shared that they are all familiar with one another and the characters by the time they record the songs, so it’s usually very smooth. However, there was one occasion where he was distracted because of a long nose hair (hanage) he had. After that revelation, the word “hanage” became a running joke throughout the rest of the M&G.

Next, the seiyuus were to compete against each other in a drawing contest. If the answers were wrong, or if the drawing was not good, then that person would be the loser for that round. They were to answer questions about Singapore and sketch their answers out, while the fans were not allowed to shout the answers out but could give them hints through gestures. When asked for their pre-battle words, Kakki said that he would show us his own unique style, while Tosshi claimed that he would produce works of art. The first question was “Singapore is also known as the ________ City.” which meant that they were required to draw a lion, but both of them thought that they were to draw the Merlion instead. As they began their artwork, some fans said that there was no time limit stated and that there should be a time limit, which the MC eventually acceded to. The seiyuus were given a time limit of 30 seconds and some fans began to count the seconds down. Kakki seemed somewhat annoyed by this and said, “Hey, you guys are really noisy!” in a good-natured tone. Tosshi then took up his mike and blasted, “Uruseiii!” which caused the fans to cheer even louder. The countdown continued regardless. When the time was up, they revealed their answers and both of them actually drew really good Merlions! Kakki isn’t known to be good at art, but that Merlion was a pretty good representation. Tosshi’s artwork was indeed impressive. However, the answers were wrong, since they only had to draw a lion! At this point, Tosshi quickly flipped his sketchpad over (to the page he had partially torn off to wipe Kakki’s face with) and began sketching a lion in record time. It was a great sketch too! To everyone’s amusement, he had also added nose hairs to his creation.

The next question was “Singapore has a famous dish known as Hainanese __________ rice.” which required them to draw a chicken. It was really funny to see all the fans suddenly begin flapping their arms, so the seiyuus got the hint immediately. As they were concentrating on their drawing, the MC suddenly made an announcement in English that someone had been caught taking photos and recording the segment, and said that this person had to immediately delete the information from her smartphone. Everyone tensed up the moment this happened, and Kakki’s expression turned very grave. He picked up his mike and personally reminded us that photos and recording was not allowed, and the mood visibly dropped in the room. We were fairly quiet after that, so the MC tried to lighten things up by commenting on the sketches they were making. She said that the drawings were indeed unique to the style of both Kakki and Tosshi. At this point, some fans shouted out “Hanage!” which finally lightened the mood again, and Tosshi obligingly added nose hairs to the chicken he was drawing. When both of them had finished drawing, Tosshi revealed his chicken, which was all kinds of impressive, even with the nose hairs added! The man truly has an artist’s eye. Then laughter erupted through the room when it was Kakki’s turn to reveal his chicken, which was… recognisable. *facepalm* I truly have no other words to describe its appearance! It was a rather tragically hilarious representation of the fowl in question.

Obviously, Tosshi won the quiz round, so Kakki had to do a forfeit of saying mushy words to us. We all held our collective breath as he said something along the lines of “You are mine. I won’t hand you over to anyone.” Ahhh that voice!! My Japanese isn’t good enough to understand those words the moment he uttered them, but dammit I was dying from just hearing that soft tone live. We all cried out in sheer bliss after hearing that. The MC cheekily asked if we wanted to hear more from him, but before the clamour rose any higher, quick-thinking Kakki said that he believed we all wanted to hear Tosshi instead. ((Frankly, I came just to hear you, Kakki!)) His hand forced, Tosshi obliged the crowd (after shouting “Uruseiii!” again) with a line that went something like a tsundere “If anyone hurts you, I will kill them.” Yes, he sounded really badass and possessive! After the mushy lines were said, Tosshi was presented with a jar of Ya Kun Kaya spread (coconut jam), our local pride and joy, as his prize. They were both adorably clueless about what it was until the MC told them about it, after which Tosshi proudly waved the gift in his hands.

We had been told prior to the meet and greet that pre-signed gifts would be given out to selected participants, but had no idea how the process would be like. At this point, the MC revealed that 4 people out of all those present would get the gifts, which were small boards bearing Kakki and Tosshi’s autographs. The clause was that we had to win against them in a rock-paper-scissors contest. We were all quite confused as the MC explained the rules but we eventually understood how to play. All participants were to stand. Kakki was to go first, and anyone who managed to beat him (not tie or lose!) would remain standing while the rest had to sit down. Tosshi would go next, and the same rule would apply until only 4 participants remained standing. I managed to beat Kakki (rock vs. scissors), but not Tosshi (scissors vs. rock). T_T After Tosshi’s round, there were a fewer than 10 left standing, so the contestants had to defeat one another until only 4 were left. At one point, there were just 5 players left and I honestly felt bad for the last girl who came so close and yet so far! The boards were given out to the winners and I managed to take a picture of one of the boards when I exited the room later. Those lucky girls! Good on you for winning those boards!

After the high of the jankenpon, the MC announced that it was time for Kakki and Tosshi to say goodbye, to which all of us let out distressed noises. Nonetheless, it was indeed time to bid farewell. Tosshi said his thank yous first, saying that he had not expected to travel to Singapore to promote the anime at all, and he now wants to learn English from Kakki. Kakki said that they really depended on fans outside of Japan to spread the word about B-Project, so he asked us to continue our support and to help them promote the anime as well. Then the MC said that as a parting gift, the seiyuus would personally hand us merchandise as we fans exited the room, which we were all really happy about. Both Kakki and Tosshi left their seats on stage and headed over to the table by the exit, where they would say their thank yous individually to each fan. We were told to line up in an orderly manner and instructed to “please do not to touch the artistes!” Wenchie and I both laughed at that, because we had talked about an imaginary scenario earlier where we would have a mock fight, and push each other in such a way that I would fall on Kakki’s lap while I shoved her at Tosshi, and that if she fainted I would instruct Tosshi to give her mouth-to-mouth. Oh well, there went our devious plan out the proverbial window! We decided to hang around in the room as long as we were allowed, so I basically gawped at Kakki the whole time while he distributed the merchandise, looked into each fan’s eyes and said very sincerely, “Thank you very much.” He’s just that beautiful up close. When it was my turn, I was honestly tongue-tied, but eventually managed to stumble out, “I’ll see you at Kirafes!” and his expression turned incredulous for a second (coz getting tickets for that is war every year!) and I certainly hope he wasn’t turned off by that bold statement! (What can I say, Kakki? I’ve only been obsessing over you for this entire time! T_T) Then I had to look away to receive my gift from Tosshi as well, and my farewell to him was a lot less awkward. He said “Thank you” to me, and according to Wenchie, he also said “Bye bye” to her, which made her really happy. Then we had to leave the room, but I lingered near the doorway to keep staring at Kakki until the staff told us that we had to move away, after which they closed the door.

The B-pro merchandise that we were given comprised a colourful tote bag (I honestly don’t know the anime well enough to recognise the symbols on it), a file, 2 character badges and 2 phone accessories. I managed to get a Momotarou phone accessory among them. <3  Someone traded one of the character badges with me, but the ones I now have are pretty cute. I’d kill for a Momotarou one though!

Final thoughts:

Kakki and Tosshi were really gracious and infused the entire stage and M&G experience with lots of smiles and humour. Kakki is smaller in person than I thought he would be, but I guess they all look much larger on TV. I’ve probably said this ad nauseum by now, but he’s really, really beautiful. I simply couldn’t stop staring the whole time. His voice is so magnetic too – it was magic hearing it in person. I’m almost glad he can’t draw well, because it just proves that he’s human after all! XD Tosshi is really cute – a pint-sized gentleman with an unexpectedly big voice, and I am really impressed at how multitalented he is.

This has been mentioned before by xpeppermin, but I feel it must be reiterated here – fellow fans, please treat your idols with the respect they deserve. It really wasn’t pleasant to see Kakki and Tosshi bothered by the revelation that they were being recorded, and that their photos were being taken when the rules explicitly stated that no photography and recording was allowed. I understand your ‘hunger’, but you’re doing so at the expense of everyone else, which is really selfish behaviour.  Kakki didn’t have to remind us personally, but the fact that he did showed the degree of his annoyance. That tone brooked no disobedience. Also, from what I understand, Tosshi is an extremely private person, so such experiences must be very traumatic for him. He didn’t even understand what had been happening until Kakki spoke up. Also, as I’m not active on Twitter, I was not aware until later that some fans even stalked Kakki at the airport and during his outing at the USS. This is really beyond even what is considered unacceptable. They’re human too – please respect their need for privacy. After all, I really really hope that they will both come to Singapore again. Let’s keep the fan meets wholly pleasant for them so that they would want to come again, which is what everyone wants, isn’t it? Do not hurt the chances of this happening by behaving so self-centredly. Please put yourself in the place of the idols, and do not do anything that you wouldn’t like done to yourself.

For what it’s worth, I really enjoyed my overall experience. I arrived with no expectations, having had no prior experience of any such events, and left with awesome memories to last me till the next time. While I do wish that there had been more time for idol-fan interaction (e.g. getting them to answer written fan questions, or perhaps a group photo with all of us present), I was more than satisfied with what I got. Just like in the song “I Could Not Ask For More” (Sara Evans):

I could not ask for more than this time together I could not ask for more than this time with you And every prayer has been answered Every dream I've had's come true Yeah, right here in this moment Is right where I'm meant to be Here with you here with me

Thank you, Kakki and Tosshi, for coming all the way to Singapore from Tokyo, to spend these few hours with us here in Singapore. Kakki, I’ll never forget the few seconds where our eyes met and we held each other’s gazes as you very sincerely said, “Thank you very much.” Those few moments across the whole of eternity belonged solely to us. In that moment, I encountered the most present you. Truly, I could not ask for more. I only wish I could have said in return, “Thank you for sharing the best of you with me.”

[sammygiddings]

This isn't really a headcannon or AU, but I was wondering if the UD kids all did a secret santa thing; what pairings do you think would yield the funniest/lamest/sweetest results?

To be true to actual secret Santa’s, I actually put the names of the kids into a generator and randomly had secret santa’s assigned to the kids.

Emily is Josh’s secret santa

Emily would get josh one of those collectors addition movie sets. Josh is such a movie guy and those have special features not found on the regular DVD and they normally come in a set. One of those normally goes for about 50 to 60 bucks, and since Emily is such a rich kid, she wouldn’t care. Josh of course, loved it, and dedicated a whole night to just watching the movies in the set all in one sitting.

Matt is Emily’s secret santa

Matt would try to fucking hard to get the perfect gift for Emily. Like, for her, I has to be better then good, it has to be perfect. Of course If Emily wants something, she normally just buys it, and all the perfect gifts Matt finds are WAY out of his price range, so instead, with the help of Jess and Ashley, Matt makes Emily a scrap book with each friend having a whole page dedicated to pictures of them, and significant moments, such as prom and graduation having their own page. Emily played it cool when she got it, but it is one of the most precious gift she’s ever received.

Mike is Chris’s secret santa

Mike is a crap gift giver. Like he’s great at romance and such, but when he’s getting a nonromantic gift, he’s clueless. Mike just ended up asking Josh what to get Chris and he ended up buying a shirt with a meme Chris thought was hilarious on it. Mike didn’t understand it in the slightest, but Chris liked it enough.

Ashley is Hannah’s secret santa

Ashley is not the closest with Hannah, and so she really wasn’t sure what to get her. Following the rules, she didn’t tell anyone she had hannah, even though she could have used to the help, and ended up just trying to hang out with Hannah as much as she could to figure out what she liked. It turned out Hannah liked painting and Ashley got her a pretty water paint set with a set of brushes. It was a little proxy for Ashley, but Hannah was so shocked she got her such a great gift that it was worth it.

Josh is Jess’s secret santa

Josh, the self proclaimed master of gifts, just ended up telling Jess that he was her secret Santa and just asked for a link to what she wanted cause he knew she’d want a dress and he wasn’t sure which she’d like. He’s of course chose a $200 one, and josh, not even bothering to look at the price, bought it. Jess loved and and faked being surprised easily

Jess is Mike’s secret santa

Jess knew EXACTLY what would make Mike’s Christmas. So technically, his gift was woman’s lingerie, but officially, his gift was her in it, and a whole night of love making. Mike told her it the the best Christmas ever.

Chris is Matt’s secret santa

Chris and Matt aren’t particularly close, but Chris knows enough about him to get a kick ass gift. He got Matt a jersey of his favorite football team, but put his high school number and his last name on the back. Matt was so excited, he put it on right after he unwrapped it.

Beth is Sam’s secret santa

Beth’s known Sam for so long that getting her wasn’t even a challenge. She bought Sam the hiking gear she’s had her eye on for a while, and was actually saving up for. So Beth got her the perfect gift and Sam still had all money she put aside for it.

Sam is Ashley’s secret santa

Sam got Ashley, and even though she knew Ashley well, she wasn’t sure exactly what to get her. She asked Chris, but everything he listed was WAY out of both of their possible price range, so Sam played it safe and got her a Barnes and Nobel gift card so she could get the books she wanted. Ashley was excited because she had her eye on this one book for a while.

Hannah is Beth’s secret santa

Hannah got her and Beth matching necklaces that were customized with their initials engraved in it and a picture of the two of them in it. Beth isn’t a jewelry fan, but since hannah got it for her, she loves it and wears it more then any other necklace she has.

[cwdcshows]

Batwoman - S1 E3 - Down Down Down

So Kate would like her sister Beth back - sure, I get it, but come on, any remotely reasonable person would know that the odds of that happening virtually nill.  To start with, even if she were a well adjusted person, which obviously she's not, picking up where they left off after 15 years would difficult.  Not impossible, mind you; they'd show that often enough on Unsolved Mysteries when estranged family members or adopted children would get reunited with biological family and new bonds would be made - at least for sure at first and while the cameras were running.

But those are under ideal circumstances, which these are not.  Beth is not Beth anymore, she's clearly seen some shit; and more than that, she's evidently become a murderous psychopath and arguably unhinged from reality.  She's not the little girl you knew, Kate; and for that matter, neither are you.  Again, it's been 15 years.  I can't remember if they said how old they were when the accident happened, I think maybe 11 or 12, 13 tops; so just as a numbers perspective they've been out of each other's lives long than they've been in them; and even if each has continually been in the other's thoughts the last 15 years, that's a long time apart, especially for that period of life and development, that neither of them bears much resemblance of whatever memory they have of one another, to say nothing of how much they may have idealized or even maybe twisted and vilified that memory.  Kate says this as if Beth disappeared a few months ago and that she knows a more recent version of her sister this woman could conceivably return to - imagine your own sibling wanting to have the same relationship you had at 12.  I'm pretty far removed from 12 at this point, a couple of times over, and the relationship with my siblings is not the same as it was then; and I wouldn't want it to be.  I get that Kate might lament missing out on the interim developments, but especially in the case of Alice/Beth, that 15 year span in between has arguably more significance than your run of the mill estranged family member; because it's resulted in a person who has not only been traumatized, ostensibly, but who themselves have become a dangerous person.  One who is responsible for actions that can't just be ignored for the sake or family reunion. To much the same end, I can't help but wonder what's taken Beth so long to come back and enact whatever it is she's doing in Gotham or why she's doing it.  15 years is a long fucking time to be this crazy and hell bent, before she seeks satisfaction.  It's conceivable she was locked up for a period of time or something, but it seems like the only reason they made it that long was so that it could be a long enough time for Beth to be unrecognizable and her identity be in doubt.  It arguably would have made more sense to make her disappearance a more recent thing - maybe 3 years and present the possibility that it somehow coincided with Batman's disappearance; and then have her hide her face for some reason, maybe because she became disfigured or something.  At least then she'd have a clearer bond with an adult Kate. The way they framed the TV ad with Tommy, I honestly thought it was meant to be another security firm, similar to the Crows; and it was mainly later when someone mentions have having contract with the Crows that I had to go back to see that the ad was for real estate or whatever. Still, in hindsight I'm slightly disappointed, because having someone like Tommy and knowing who he is from the comics, the idea of him being in charge of a rival security firm and in the business keeping people safe would be, objectively, a terrible thing, but from the creative, dramatic perspective, loaded with all kinds of now missed possibilities. Jesus, Tommy, we get it, you have an incredibly small penis and are desperate to overcompensate.  I can't tell which of us cares less, me or Kate....It's probably a draw. So many things to unpack with this break-in at the Wayne-Tech vault. First, and I guess they've referenced this before - Luke actually has contact with Bruce, or at least that's the implication with Luke saying he'd better inform Bruce.  So unless Luke is just covering and making it seem like he's actually in regular contact with Bruce, but is in fact just as clueless where he is as the rest of the world, Bruce himself is not missing, he just up and left Gotham - which is dumb and out of character, generally speaking.   Second, who is running Wayne Enterprises?  The building Kate broke into in the first episode was boarded up and seemingly abandoned; and there was no clear indication what the company overall was up to, but ever since she initially made her way into the building, now she comes and goes from Bruce's office - presumably mostly because of the access to the cave - yet there doesn't seem to be any implication that she's take on any sort of role within the Wayne Enterprises company; right?  So who's even in charge? The last one I guess would be just a general observation that they're taking a long fucking time to origin story here.  It's episode 3 and haven't even caught Kate up to where she was last year during the cross-over.  Instead they're dicking around with this whole mistaken identity with Batman for way too long; though I won't be surprise if by the end of this episode they decide to have Kate declare her independence from "Batman" by adding the final touches that make it clear she's not the same person.  But they should have gotten there already, mainly because of the fact that they've already established as a fully established and active vigilante/hero in her own right a year ago and they're backtracking, which makes little sense. Wait, why the fuck would Bruce have Wayne-Tech develop a gun of any kind?  Don't give me that shit that "he had it developed in case the suit ever fell into the wrong hands." Fuck you.  Settings the apparent literal magic woven into this special material the suit is made of that can cause a bullet to bounce off it; yet was simply enough for Luke to alter to fit Kate; surely there must be a world of alternate options for safe-guarding this sort of tech before Bruce fucking Wayne of all people commissioned a gun that could best this miracle armor - especially rather than fast track R&D of the material the suit was made of to make it cost effective enough to make it available to law enforcement and anyone else who might benefit from such incredible protection.  I mean, surely just by virtue of being bulletproof doesn't in itself make you the end all, be all of unstoppable threats, right?  Because by this logic it seems that Bruce equated the effectiveness of the suit as somehow more dangerous than the weapon he had designed to undermine the effectiveness of the suit. Oh, okay, "If Bruce built that rail gun, he built something that could stop it" - talk about your fucking rabbit holes.  So Bruce developed the armor for the Batsuit, which he then in turned developed the gun to take out the Batsuit should the need arise, but now we're supposing that he then must have developed something to stop the rail gun.  So would he have wanted to work on something that could take out the thing that can stop the rail gun? What about a thing to stop the thing that stops the rail gun? I often like to say for most shows "the lie is better" - as in, whatever pretense or lie a character tells, often that would have been the better truth or reality for the story to work with; and in this case, the "lie" that the rail gun had a gps tracker hidden it arguably should be true.  Don't get me wrong, it's a good bluff; and it might a dubious idea should that rail gun inexplicably become commercially available, but definitely while it's in the R&D stage and especially being so dangerous, it should not have been left to chance and some steps of tracking it should it be stolen should have been taken. Oh, man, I hope the elevator with the wait staff in it make it out alright. No, I'm serious, out of all the characters they've introduced, the only ones I could actually give a shit about are the ones they never bothered actually saying two words, yet they seem more sympathetic virtually anyone else whose life is presently in peril. I know they've stuck close to Tommy's backstory, yet somehow they've managed to make him a pathetic, whiny bitch instead of psycho he should be.  Mind you, I was never much a fan of Hush, so maybe there's no good way to do that character the way he's written in the comics. Well fuck.  I swear to God I wrote that part about the wait staff long before I got to the part where Tommy actually killed the wait staff... Now I don't care what happens.  I mean, I don't want Tommy to win, but I don't give a shit if the other characters plummet to their deaths.  Not now they've killed Charles, Mike and Michael B.  That's right, they have names. Charles was a dancer, studied at Julliard.  Michael's going to have a baby with his long time girlfriend, but he didn't know yet; she was going to tell him when he got home.  Mike didn't have much in particular going on, he was just living day by day, trying to figure out life.... Damn you Tommy!!  Damn you all to hell..... Like, Kate's step-sister Mary's alright; she's cute, but I can't decide if she's pulling a Bruce Wayne and only pretending to be a party girl to cover for her being a secret street doctor; or if she legitimately is trying to lead both kinds of lives.  Other than the that, I don't give a shit if he pushes the button. Wait, are any of those people in the elevator that crashed alive?  How?  They made it a huge point how high up they had to go to get to the party and none of them were on the elevator very long before Tommy stopped them; it's not like it only crashed one or two floors; they achieved free fall.  Presumably that should have hit with a force no one survives, I would think. At least the hair looks better than in Elseworlds. I mean, if you can just get the upper hand on the fucker and take him out, is it really "stalling" versus just getting the job done without needing to neutralize the rail gun?  Obviously it's a good advantage to have, but if you can just as easily engage Tommy without neutralizing it, it's kind of moot.  Sure, there's risk, but it's like you're 100% bulletproof even without the rail gun; you still have a vital part of your head exposed, so there's arguably a degree of risk with any engagement and doesn't seem that different. But I bet in spit of this, Tommy's going to last long enough to get his hands on that special gun one last time, but right before he can pull the trigger, the light turns green and the weapon is neutralized. Oh, gee, I wonder if Kate will need to use the double-ended grappling hook she learned about conveniently earlier in the episode....Nah..... Hmm....so the suit can cause a bullet from the best commercially available handgun bounce off it; should Kate even be able to feel Tommy standing on her hand?  Or, I guess, should it hurt?  How would that work? The save by Beth might be more meaningful if she hadn't killed a guy earlier in the episode; or showed any kind of signs that she should be rehabilitated and that this was a positive step forward.  Instead it seems more like a plot convenience; and a pointless one, because what does it achieve?  Are we supposed to see hope for her now? Wait, "she could have found one of Beth's recitals online"? From 15 years ago?   Probably not.  I had to look to be sure, and Youtube wasn't created until 2005; and I know there were no doubt precursors to Youtube, but I honestly can't think of any; at least none of any prominence and certain none that I can think to find now to look up some video that might have been put up back before 2004.  Streaming video was rare back then; at least as much as I recall it. Yet another reason they shouldn't have set the "accident" so long ago. Augh, I remember catching the tail end of this episode when watching a Supergirl episode a few weeks back; and seeing the whole "what should we call her?" exchange; and it's just as stupid now as it was then that any of the characters are struggling that hard to come up with "Batwoman".  I mean, seriously, "Batchick"? Fuck you.