#like guys.... first of all. cowards the lot of ya

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

I've heard some rumors of people believing that HOWDY is actually the bad guy of the whole thing because he didn't "care" about Eddie's well being with the bowling balls, and that he's selling the neighbors inedible stuff. I'm just like.. LEAVE MY FELLA ALONE PEOPLE, HE'S JUST A SALESPERSON.

HA yeah i mean i know i made a joke about that the other day, but uh... no. i Highly doubt that has any merit. he really is just a salesman. and a bit of an asshole. it's part of his charm <3

[lovable-liar]

Fic idea in case you need a fic idea for a rainy day (only approach if you’re in the mood to write an entire fic and need an idea):

You and lunch club!schlatt break up after years of being in a semi-toxic relationship. Schlatt realizes how much he fucked up and how important you are to his life this after a week or two post-breakup and decides to try to get you back. This doesn’t work obviously… but the way he was so genuine, sincere, and vulnerable did make your already broken heart sting a lot and make you wanna almost get back with him right then and there (what can I say? he has a way with words 🤷) but you reject his advances nonetheless because the mistakes he made of neglect and drunkenness are too much to bare. So he promises you that he’ll become a better man and the person you deserve, you’re flattered but you obviously don’t believe him, but he promises you that he’ll change for the better.

And he does just that, even pulling a Mr. Darcy of writing all of his wrongs; he drinks less, he goes to therapy to manage his shit, he spends more time with his loved ones, he gets cats, etc. etc.

Meanwhile, you start dating again but almost every relationship post-schlatt don’t really feel right and you break up within a week. The ones who do don’t really go past a month due to problems on their side and eventually you give up on relationships all together, opting to just focus on you, your hobbies, your pets, and your friends.

Those same friends are what made you and schlatt meet for the first time in two-three years and boy seeing him again is like night and day.

He clearly has gotten more wiser (and handsomer) over the years and just he seems more calmer, more content with himself. You watch him as he interacts with his friends and coworkers alike and he is still just as (if not more) charming and funny as he was all those years ago. You couldn’t help but feel a familiar warm tingly feeling inside as his brown eyes stare softly at you, he’s clearly still in love with you.

You went outside and watched the stars ‘cause the party you were in was starting to get a lil’ crazy ngl, but as you felt the summer night wind blowing onto your skin and hair… you felt a hand on your shoulder.

You jump as you look behind you, only to see your ex behind.

“Hey doll.”

“h-hi…”

“Long time, no see.”

You notice as you two started conversing how his voice and accent has gotten deeper over the years, with the rumble and preciseness of his voice making you feel things inside *wink wink* ;)

That isn’t the only thing that changed ether, his larger frame and his features are reflected beautifully in the moonlight, his chops and stache highlighting his perfectly round face.

He chuckled.

“Like what ya see?”

You blush, clearly he still has an effect on you, and it’s only gotten stronger after seeing him and his changes.

But as he gets closer to you, you couldn’t help but move away from him cause at the end of the day, no matter how perfectly handsome he’s gotten, to you he’s still that same drunk coward that you’ve broken up with…

He backs off after seeing your tense response.

“Shit! ‘M sorry toots, ‘s shoulda asked before approaching you like that…”

“It’s fine…”

“No.”

“Wh… wha-“

“NO ITS NOT FUCKING ‘FINE’ TOOTS! I SHOULDA ASKED FOR YA FUCKIN’ BOUNDARIES BEFORE APPROACHING YOU LIKE THAT, ‘SPECIALLY AFTER BEING SUCH A SHIT BOYFRIEND T’ YOU!!”

This was the moment you saw that maybe… just maybe… he may’ve kept his promise from all those years ago…

And after awhile of you guys being emotional and vulnerable (and you guys making out at one point) you decide to try this whole relationship thing again.

But this time, you guys are taking things slow.

-🍰

@lvrj4mie

Listen to 'Abstract (Psychopomp)' by Hozier while reading.

"𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀"

Time had marched on, and the years witnessed the gradual unwinding of your life with Schlatt, bringing it to a bittersweet conclusion. The relationship had been a tumultuous journey, a roller coaster of emotions and experiences that had taken you both to highs and lows. It had been marked by moments of laughter and love, but also by the darker shades of neglect, intoxication, and emotional turmoil.

It wasn't an easy decision, but you found the courage to walk away from what had once been so familiar. Deep down, you knew it was the right choice, even though it meant saying goodbye to a significant part of your life. The weight of emotional turbulence, nights filled with drunken turmoil, and the ever-present sense of neglect had become too much for you to bear.

The relationship, once a source of companionship and affection, had turned into a source of distress and unease. You had outgrown the toxic patterns that had defined your connection with Schlatt, and the desire for a healthier, more stable life had led you to this pivotal moment. The decision to part ways was painful, but it was a step towards personal growth and the pursuit of happiness and well-being.

Schlatt, however, was not one to immediately recognize his shortcomings. It took him a week or two of partying and hookups post-breakup to realize just how much he had messed up, how important you were to his life. He decided to make amends and try to win you back, showing a level of vulnerability and sincerity that tugged at your already broken heart.

His genuine words and the deep remorse he expressed made you waver for a moment. He had a way with words, and it stung to see him so vulnerable, so willing to change for you. But the memories of the pain you'd endured throughout your previous relationship and the way his eyes remained on the floor during his apology (which was expressed with a voice not unlike that of a child's) were too fresh, and felt too artificial, you knew that trust needed to be rebuilt from the ground up.

Schlatt's earnest promise was one that stirred both flattery and caution in your heart. As he professed his desire to transform into a better man, one worthy of the person you deserved, you couldn't help but be touched by his sincerity. But you were wise enough to be cautious, not entirely convinced that change would come easy.

He was persistent in his efforts to win back your trust and affection, vowing to change for you. However, you knew that this kind of transformation wasn't something that could happen overnight. Schlatt's eagerness to mend his ways was admirable, but you recognized that it would be a journey filled with its own set of challenges and hurdles.

Your hesitation was grounded in the understanding that true change required time, patience, and dedication, and you knew that Schlatt's optimism might not fully grasp the depth of the commitment required. Nevertheless, you remained open to the possibility of growth and healing, cautiously watching as he began to take those first steps towards becoming a better man for your sake.

After several months of Schlatt's persistent inquiries, where he repeatedly asked if he had become good enough for you yet, you would respond with a simple, "What do you think?" It was an open-ended question that left him in the realm of uncertainty, and while he longed for a definitive answer, you were still grappling with your own reservations.

The back-and-forth exchange weighed heavily on both of you, leaving Schlatt's hopes in limbo and your heart in a state of indecision. It was a tug of war between the past and the uncertain future.

Eventually, after much contemplation and the realization that Schlatt's persistence wasn't enough to change the past, you made the difficult decision to block his number. It was an act of self-preservation, a step towards emotional healing, and a way to protect your boundaries and find the clarity you needed to move forward.

You ventured back into the dating world, hoping to discover the connection and happiness you once shared with Schlatt. However, it seemed that every relationship post-Schlatt left a void, as if the depth of connection you were searching for had been lost. Some relationships fizzled out within a week, failing to ignite the sparks of passion and understanding you sought. Others stumbled upon various issues, leading to their untimely demise after a mere month.

The accumulating frustration and disappointment began to overshadow the hope of finding something meaningful. In light of these experiences, you eventually decided to give up on relationships altogether. It was time to redirect your focus toward the aspects of life that brought you joy and fulfillment. You embraced your hobbies with a newfound intensity, dived deeper into your passions, and cherished the companionship of your pets.

Your friends continued to be pillars of support, and you treasured the bonds you had cultivated over the years. This chapter of your life was defined by personal growth, self-discovery, and the pursuit of a life filled with purpose and contentment. In the absence of romantic relationships, you found that you had everything you needed to flourish, with a future that held the promise of happiness on your own terms.

This chapter of your life was marked by personal growth, self-discovery, and the pursuit of a life that resonated with your own desires and aspirations. Without the turbulence and complications of romantic relationships, you found the space and freedom to focus on yourself, your needs, and your passions.

You delved deeper into your hobbies, dedicating time to your creative outlets, whether it was through painting, cooking, or any other creative endeavor that brought you joy and fulfillment. Your artistic pursuits became not only a form of self-expression but also a source of solace and purpose.

Your pets remained cherished companions, and you nurtured your relationships with them, finding comfort and unwavering companionship in their presence. Their loyalty and unconditional love were a source of solace during moments of solitude. And when they died, you knew that they had fulfilled their purpose of comforting you during a dark time and that the light at the end of the tunnel was getting ever closer. But that didn't mean it didn't hurt.

Your friends provided a solid foundation for you to lean on and a shoulder to cry on, and you reveled in the warmth and comfort of their company. They celebrated your achievements with you and provided a supportive network that enriched your life and helped you find a sense of belonging and purpose.

As you immersed yourself in these experiences, felt and recognized the pain that came along with being alive, and surrounded yourself with the people and activities that brought you joy, you discovered that you had everything you needed to flourish and lead a fulfilling life. The absence of romantic relationships did not diminish your happiness; instead, it allowed you to focus on creating a future that was defined by your own terms, where contentment and purpose were the guiding stars of your journey.

It was during a casual get-together with those very friends that you and Schlatt met again, two or three years after the breakup. Seeing him once more was like night and day. He had grown wiser and more handsome, radiating a newfound calm and contentment. Watching him interact with friends and coworkers, his charm and humor remained as strong, if not stronger, than before. He looked happier. You noted he also looked well-fed, it wasn't due to alcohol but actually healthy food.

He looked so happy, and you were happy. And you were happy for him. The depths of his brown eyes held a soft, lingering gaze that seemed to unravel the layers of time. In that intimate moment of catching his eye, it was undeniably clear that he was still in love with you, and the embers of affection that had once blazed so brightly still glowed warmly within him. His unspoken emotions resonated through his gaze, a testament to the depth of his feelings, which time had not diminished.

You stole a quiet moment outside, beneath the velvety expanse of the star-studded night sky. The gentle breeze of the summer night caressed your skin and tousled your hair, offering a serene backdrop to your contemplation.

As you gazed at the shimmering constellations above, a hand, light and tender, came to rest upon your shoulder, causing you to jump ever so slightly. The unexpected touch sent a jolt of surprise through your body. Slowly, you turned around to discover Schlatt standing there, his presence a sudden and unforeseen interruption to your solitary reverie.

"Hey, doll,"

You turned to face him, meeting his gaze with a mix of surprise and uncertainty. "Hi..."

"Long time, no see," he continued, a touch of nostalgia in his voice. His words held the weight of the years that had passed, a reminder of the time that had slipped away since your last encounter.

You couldn't help but notice the deepening timbre of his voice, a resonant cadence that had matured over the years. The rumble and precision of his words held a captivating allure, sending a subtle shiver down your spine, one you couldn't quite ignore.

A mischievous grin spread across Schlatt's face, mischief dancing in his eyes. "Like what ya see?" he teased, his tone laced with the familiarity of an old flame, and a subtle challenge, as if inviting you to explore the undeniable chemistry that still lingered between you.

As your cheeks grew hot, you couldn't help but acknowledge the profound effect Schlatt still had on you. The years had not diminished the magnetic pull he seemed to exert over your heart. His presence had only grown more potent with time, and your undeniable attraction to him remained an unspoken truth.

But, as much as his changed appearance and charismatic demeanor tempted you, you couldn't simply dismiss the past. The shadows of the previous relationship still loomed large in your memory. Despite the transformation in his physicality and personality, you found it challenging to erase the image of the same drunkard who had once caused you pain. The scars of those memories ran deep, and they served as a poignant reminder of the reasons you had chosen to walk away.

Instinctively, your body tensed, and you took an involuntary step back as Schlatt's sudden approach caught you off guard. It was as if the echoes of your past relationship were still etched in your subconscious, prompting an automatic response of caution.

Schlatt, ever perceptive, noticed your discomfort immediately. His face softened, and his eyes conveyed a deep sense of understanding. "Shit! I'm sorry, toots," he admitted, his voice tinged with genuine remorse. "I should've asked before approaching you like that..."

His heartfelt apology hinted at the progress he had made in acknowledging his past behavior and recognizing the need for boundaries and respect. It was a moment of genuine reflection, a gesture that left you considering the possibility of a different future.

Your response was cautious, a hesitant, "It's fine," escaping your lips as you tried to manage the mix of emotions within you.

Schlatt, however, was unyielding in his apology. He shook his head, a firm resolve in his eyes. "No," he insisted, refusing to accept your concession.

Confusion took hold, and you stammered, searching for words, "Wha—"

"NO, IT'S NOT FUCKING 'FINE,' TOOTS!" Schlatt's voice carried the weight of years of regret and the raw emotions of his past actions. "I SHOULD HAVE ASKED IF YOU WERE COMFORTABLE WITH ME BEIN' CLOSE TO YOU AFTER ALL I'VE DONE TO YOU!"

His words were laced with an intensity that seemed to surge from deep within him, an outpouring of remorse, like an immensely heavy ball and chain that he had been dragging along all these years. The guttural emotion in his voice resonated with the profound sincerity of his feelings, and it was impossible to ignore the depth of his regret and the promise of change.

In that poignant moment, something in Schlatt's demeanor reached deep within you, sparking a glimmer of hope that he had indeed kept the promise he made years ago. The genuine remorse in his eyes and his readiness to make amends spoke volumes. It was a turning point, a moment of reckoning that held the potential for healing and forgiveness.

After a heartfelt and emotional conversation where both of you bared your souls and acknowledged the pain of the past, there was an unexpected, passionate moment when your lips met his as rain began pouring from the night sky. It was a raw and unscripted exchange of emotions, a rediscovery of the connection that had once drawn you together.

With your newfound understanding and the burning desire to rebuild the bridge that you had burned and road-blocked, you decided to give your relationship with Schlatt another chance. However, this time, you both agreed to take things slowly, savoring each moment and giving your hearts the time they needed to mend and reconnect.

As you observed Schlatt's transformation and maturation over the years, it became increasingly evident that he had become a changed man. His dedication to personal growth, his commitment to healing past wounds, and his maturing understanding of what it meant to be a better partner painted a promising future. With each step forward, you were willing to explore this new beginning, guided by caution, but also by the belief that love and change were possible. Together, you embarked on a journey to rebuild the trust and connection that had once seemed irretrievably lost.

And, deep in your heart, you knew this chapter would be your favorite.

[bubble-popping]

smth short and not-so-sweet. not usually an angst writer but i had an idea for a prompt from citrus' discord and figured I might as well share :) (it's a superhero/supervillain au btw)

"It's Nightmare now, don't cha know?"

"Don't give me that, Dream. Everyone might call ya a villain but I see it. Every buildin' you've burned has been completely vacant, every bank you've robbed has a history of fraud, every person you've hurt has hurt ya first. But ya can stop all that now. I get it, okay? I understand. It's my fault. What I said back then, I-"

"How dare you?" Dream looked back at him. Behind his mask, Techno imagined a look of absolute betrayal. "How fucking egotistical do you have to be?? You really think this is all because of some stupid crush I had years ago?"

"I hurt ya, Dream. The only person you should be taking your anger out on is me."

The ex-hero scoffed. "Even now, you're still the same self-righteous son of a bitch. I have nothing to say to you. None of this is about you." He turned to leave, but Techno closed the distance between them in a flash and grabbed his arm.

"Well I have somethin' to say to ya."

Dream whipped around to face him, tugging his arm like he wanted to pull away only to pause.

"I was wrong. I was a coward and I didn't mean a word of what I said. Dream, I love-"

"No!" The younger yanked himself free and shoved at Techno's chest, earning him a enough space to point an accusatory finger. "You don't get to do that! You don't get to change your mind and think that'll make everything okay! That's not fair!"

His voice wavered, stuttering. He was crying, Techno realized, again. And again, because of him.

"I didn't change my mind, Dream," he spoke calmly, hands raised in surrender. "I loved ya back then too."

The masked man shook his head, muttering a "stop" but Techno pressed on.

"I was a coward. I thought rejectin' ya would protect ya but now I see how wrong I was."

"Just stop, please."

"I've got a lot of enemies, Dream, and the thought of somethin' happenin' to ya because of me scared me, okay? Because I love ya and I didn't-"

"Stop!! Stop it, shut up!" Dream screamed, pressing his hands to his ears. "I don't care anymore! You had your chance. I already told you: this isn't about you. It's about me. I'm not a hero. I'm a villain now, so I'm gonna do whatever the hell I want and you. Can't. Stop me."

Before Techno could respond, the thud of someone landing next to them startled him and he reached for his sheathed sword. It was someone in a cloak like Dream's, and when they rose from a crouch Techno couldn't help but think he'd seen him before.

"This the guy you mentioned, Dream?" They asked, coming to stand beside the ex-hero.

After a moment of silence, Dream huffed, "Not anymore." Then, he turned on his heel and approached the edge of the roof. "C'mon, Punz. We're done here."

Punz? Why was that familiar?

"Dream, wait!" Punz stepped in front of him before he could get to him, the barrel of a pistol pointed at his forehead.

"You heard him. Don't be stupid," they warned and walked backwards to Dream, still aiming the gun.

"Goodbye, Techno," Dream murmured. He wrapped an arm around Punz's waist and they leapt from the roof together.

Techno ran to where they last stood, watching as Dream swung from building to building with his neon green strings until he disappeared from sight. He released a heavy sigh.

Something wet gathered on his eyelashes and slid down his cheek. Then, it started to rain.

[enemyoflactose]

I finished Battle City

So for my redemption arc, I have finished both Duelist Kingdom and Battle City.

I think I may have gotten worse.

I'll start by talking about voice acting and which one I prefer:

Bakurae: I like both Ted Lewis and Rica Matsumoto's performances. They both did amazing and I am so bi for their voices.

Marik: His goofy ass skeletor voice is not it. It's funny as hell, but he just sounds better in the sub.

Odion: I like both

Ishizu: I like both

Everyone else: could go either way

Characters:

Yugi didn't really do a lot at the start, and everything I want to say about him happens in his duel with Joey. Honestly, I don't like how in the anime he doesn't play much of a role.

Yami Yugi: this man... This man.

Téa: I love her. Honestly. She gave like zero friendship speeches this season and didn't really do much except help Yami find Ishizu.

Joey: I LOVE JOEY WHEELER.

Tristan: he's there. I don't like how he treats Serenity.

Serenity: I actually really like her. She's not the most realistic sister character, but I still like her.

Duke: my guy, leave the girl alone.

Marik: I can't take him seriously. I just can't. He sounds like Skeletor, his plans are stupid, he can barely duel, he's a coward, he dresses ugly, mother fucker uses Revival Jam, this happened

How am I supposed to take him seriously?! Also, his backstory didn't do anything for me. Like, yeah what he went through was awful, but it just feels like an excuse. It felt like Ishizu and Odion were trying to justify Marik's behavior and say he did nothing wrong and should be forgiven. (Also, I saw a post about how Joey should have showed Marik sympathy. They blocked me when I said that was stupid)

Ishizu: she's such a great character. Her love for her siblings feels real, she's a snarky dork, her duel with Kaiba is fantastic, and she's pretty.

Odion: Am I supposed to feel bad for him? Not because he was horrifically abused I do feel bad about that, but with the way he was treating Marik... My guy was an enabler. Of course Marik is still evil under your care, you haven't done anything to help him be good. He just rolls over and lets Marik do what he wants because he doesn't want to betray his oath or something.

Mai: literally so cool. I'll actually get to talking about her in a bit.

Kaiba: iconic.

Mokuba: he takes his duel commissioner job so seriously it's adorable. He just pops up out of nowhere to catch people cheating and then Kaiba comes along to scare the cheater when they don't listen to Mokuba.

Regular Bakura: B-baby boy???

Yami Bakura: I'd literally bend over for him. He can have all of my possessions. Anyway I feel like he went through some character assassination this season. He just doesn't seem like a threat, but I guess that's how abusers get ya because he stabs Regular Bakura.

Arkana: I've said it once and I'll say it again, I am a sap. I felt so bad for this guy. First his magic show goes wrong, then his face gets mangled, then his wife leaves him, then he gets indoctrinated into Marik's cult, then he almost dies by saw blade, then he actually dies.

Lumis and Umbra: these two are gay and dating.

Strings: there is nothing there.

Mako and Weevil are pretty much the same.

Espa Roba: he's a cheater.

Duels:

Bandit Keith vs Yugi Moto (Duel 1)

The first duel of the season introduces us to Marik. We learn that he wants the puzzle and has a magic rod that can mind control people.

This duel shows off that Yugi is not yet as good a duelist as Yami because this loser gets fucking cooked.

Yami Bakura shows up and breaks Keith free. This makes Marik a little annoyed.

Marik makes Keith break the puzzle.

Bakura comes in and helps Yugi fix it, but he puts a little piece of his soul in the puzzle because of reasons that are never explained.

Bakura leaves and Keith burns the building down.

Joey and Tristan save Keith and Yugi.

Yami Yugi vs Jonny Steps (Duel 2)

I am not talking about the duel you suckers. I'm talking about what happened before the duel!

Yami and Téa go on a date. During this date they go on wacky high jinks and Yami gets Light Force Sword.

After dueling Jonny Steps, they go to the museum and meet Ishizu. She tells them that Yami is actually an ancient Egyptian pharaoh and he needs to save the world by joining Kaiba's tournament and winning it. Also he needs three Egyptian God Cards.

Joey vs That one guy (duel 3)

Joey gets Exodiad and feels so bad that he doesn't go and visit his sister in the hospital.

He also lost his Red Eyes Black Dragon.

Tristan finds him on the beach and shows Yugi and Téa who he found (fuck you 4kids)

Kaiba vs the machine (duel 4)

OBELISK, FIST OF FATE!!!!!

Yami vs the one guy(duel 5)

Yami beats Exodia and wins back Joey's Red Eyes.

Joey declined it.

Joey vs Espa Roba (duel 6)

In this duel Joey faces an alleged psychic who had already defeated Rex Raptor.

Rex tries to help Joey for a little bit, but stops like half way through the duel.

During this duel, Espa is talking about the universe and how he can't lose and shit like that and Joey's just clowning on him.

Espa Roba has his brothers up on a building helping him win duels.

Joey figures this out.

Joey wins the duel.

Some guy in the audience says "Espa couldn't predict he'd be a loser", and I think that's funny.

Joey got a Jinzo!! The only good card he'll get this whole tournament.

Yami vs Arkana (duel 7)

Yami faces a magician who's all like "Aren't you SO sad that your precious Dark Magician is in the deck of another duelist???!"

Some bullshit happens, Dark Magician is sentient and saves Yami, Dark Magician Girl is summoned by Dark Magic Curtain, there's shadow blades, guillotine-chan is here, apparently there's no service in the tent.

Yami wins.

Arkana dies or something it was really unclear.

Joey vs Weevil Underwood (duel 8)

Joey got his deck and Duel Disk stolen by some mustache and had a card put In it.

Joey and Weevil duel ata fountain.

During this duel Weevil calls out to the Parasite Paracide card in Joey's deck and turns all of Joey's monsters into insect cards.

Weevil brings out Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth. Joey destroys it.

Weevil brings out his Insect Queen and talks about how much he wants to fuck it. Joey destroys the Insect Queen and wins it.

Joey gained the worst card of the season.

Yami and Kaiba vs some guys (duel 10)

Kaiba uses Lord of D and two Flute of Summoning Dragon to summon three dragons and then he summons Obelisk and then he wins the duel and takes some locator cards.

Joey Wheeler vs Mako (duel 11) ft. Marik falling for the Bakura sham.

Joey and Mako duel.

Joey is putting on the world's greatest show, and is told to stop because it's "embarrassing and taking to long"

Joey tries to use Parasite Paracide, but flip monsters haven't been invented yet.

MEANWHILE

Marik almost runs over Bakura.

BACK TO THE DUEL

Mako is telling a son story about his dad and how Legendary Fisherman is his dad and he loves his dad so he has to win the duel for his dad because he loves him ever so much.

MEANWHILE

Yami Bakura is talking mad shit and Marik's all like "This idiot has NO idea that to open the door to darkness he needs the Egyptian God Cards."

What if my guy was talking 'bout Kingdom Hearts?

BACK TO THE DUEL

Mako used a ritual card 🤮

Now Joey has to find the fisherman and attack.

Joey finds the fisherman and attacks. Mako gets sad. Loser deserved it tho for using rituals.

Joey uses some gambling cards and oh no

MEANWHILE

Bakura puts his scam into action and says he's a strong duelist (He's aight.)

Marik doesn't even fact check this and makes a deal with him.

The rod for a god card.

BACK TO THE DUEL

Joey uses Panther Warrior to wipe out the ritual card 🤮, and wins the duel.

Joey has gained Legendary Fisherman! Not as bad as the last card, but Joey you have a shitty deck how do you keep winning???

Seto and Yami vs Lumis and Umbra (duel 12)

THERE'S ANOTHER FUCKING RITUAL CARD!!!! AND IT'S NOT EVEN A GOOD ONE!

It's awful, it sucks, it's worthless, they should have just used level cards

This duel is not worth my time.

Yami and Seto win.

We interrupt this essay to talk about important stuff that happened out of duels:

Bakura got stabbed

Mokuba, Téa, and Joey got kidnapped

Tristan ran for an hour with a teenage girl on his back

Duke hit some guy with dice

Mai met Serenity

Joey got mind controlled

Téa girl mind controlled

Joey vs Yugi/Yami (duel 13)

I cried during this duel

Joey got mind controlled by Marik and is evil and dueling Yugi for the puzzle and they're also strapped to this anchor that's gonna drag them to the bottom of the ocean in an hour and oh my God this duel

Téa's life is also being threatened but she's a badass who doesn't care.

Kaiba can't help because then Téa will die.

Joey was given all these rare cards and is using them against Yugi.

Yugi is so scared to attack because he doesn't wanna hurt Joey.

Yugi is so fucking sweet I love him so much.

Yami is just in the corner like "you good Yugi?" And "Oh no!!! Joey!!" I love them so much

Yugi ends up giving the puzzle to Joey so he can fight Marik better, he summons R d eyes black dragon to get through to him, this shit is just barely working I HATE THIS DUEL

Marik is being a whiny little bitch ass loser because his mind control is failing

Joey breaks free after attacking Yugi then he uses the effect of some mirror card to attack himsefl

Joey and Yugi both plummet to the ocean, Yugi is saved by Joey and Joey is saved by serenity.

I LOVE JOEY WHEELER

Meanwhile at the hospital

Yami Bakura vs Bonz (duel 14)

This episode is so fucking good. The animation, the duel, BONZ IS HERE

This duel starts off with Yami Bakura already being kinda annoyed. He just got jumped so it makes sense.

He summons a headless knight and it gets destroyed.

He destroys Bonz's cards.

Bonz fuses Medusa and crawling dragon to get... An elephant?

Then Bonz activates that one card that makes you lose life points for every card sent to the graveyard. Yami Bakura responded by fucking cheating and just tossing his hand to the graveyard.

Then he summons Earl of Demise and Bonz puts him in a cage.

Then Yami Bakura uses ectoplasmer and wipes out Bonz's life points and sends him to hell the Shadow Realm.

Mai vs Jean Clawed Magnum (duel 19)

I am not talking about this duel other than

Joey x Mai supremacy

We love polarshipping

Stuff that happens before the finals

The gang is shocked at the idea of Regular Bakura dueling (rude)

Tristan can't flirt

The gang raid Joey's pantry

A bingo machine

Yami Bakura pretends to be Regular Bakura and messes with Joey by saying shit like "Cheerio" and "fellows"

Marik does stuff

Odion gets threatened a few times

Ishizu shows up late

Mai drinks censored wine

Yami Bakura vs Yami (duel 15)

This shit is so hype

It starts off with Yami Bakura being dog shit and summoning weak cards (it's for a plan), and Yami and the gang just ragging on him and insulting him.

Then Bakura summons Dark Necrofear, but he doesn't attack because he's scared that Yami's face down card is a trap (reasonable)

Dark Necrofear gets destroyed by a buffed Dark Magician Girl, but this was all part of the an because now Yami Bakura can use not only his Destiny Board (worst win strat ever), but he can also use Dark Sanctuary.

At this point in the duel, Yami Bakura is cooking. He is dominating.

He got out his Dark door, Yami can't attack more than once. He got his spirit redirecting attacks at Yami. He's cooking something delicious.

Then Yami special summons Dark Necrofear and now Yami Bakura can't use his strategy.

Unless he summons Jougen the Spiritualist!

Now the sanctuary is back and he can keep up with his shitty win strat.

Then Yami summons Slifer and he contemplates death.

Marik makes Odion walk over and go "I release Bakura from the spirit" and Bakura starts dying and at this point my shipping senses start going nuts.

This duel has become a love triangle between Regular Bakura, Yami Bakura, And Yami Yugi.

But that's not important.

Bakura doesn't like this strategy because it's for cowards and he's worried Yami will attack his host. (Reasonable. The Yami he knows probably would've)

Yami meanwhile doesn't wanna attack Regular Bakura because that's his friend.

No one has told this boy to just surrender.

Yami Bakura takes control of Regular Bakura again and tells Yami to attack him

Then Yugi tells Yami that he did that because he needs Bakura, not because he liked him. (This is untrue if I believe hard enough)

Regular Bakura is knocked out and the ring is gone.

Joey vs Odion (duel 16)

Joey is talking shit.

Odion keeps setting and passing

And oh what's this?? FLASHBACK

Odion was abandoned on the door step of Marik's and Ishizu's parents. He was raised by them but never truly accepted.

He wanted the tomb keeper initiation to become accepted, but he was adopted. So that didn't happen.

DUEL

Joey's losing

FLASHBACKS

Odion was Marik's best friend and watched their mother die immediately after Marik was born.

He vowed to protect Marik.

DUEL

Odion has trap monsters and Joey is surprised by this.

A massive scorpion monster thing is summoned and Joey says

"Are you really Marik?"

Then Marik has a temper tantrum and tells Odion to summon Ra. Odion summons Ra and fucking dies.

Then Joey dies.

FLASHBACK

Odion watched as Marik got his tomb keeper initiation and afterwards he did his own initiation.

DUEL

Odion tries to get up, but he doesn't.

MEANWHILE IN JOEY DREAMLAND

Joey is having a dream about his friends helping him get ready for a tournament and he can't get up.

DUEL

Joey gets up and wins the duel.

Marik is having a migraine and then becomes Yami Marik.

Mai vs Marik (duel whatever I don't wanna check)

Marik got a fashion upgrade and looks better!!

During this duel Kaiba is edging himself waiting for Ra to be summoned.

Marik makes the duel a shadow duel and starts to erase Mai's mind.

Mai loses one memory and almost gives up immediately.

Marik continues his mind games while Joey and the gang try to help Mai out.

Mai is having non of this.

Mai steals Ra

Marik is cooking

Mai summons Ra, but Marik broke a rule because Ra is written in a foreign language without a translation.

Mai loses because she can't summon Ra and Marik attacked her, Joey, and Yami.

Final duel, Kaiba vs Ishizu

Ishizu should have won

Kaiba and Ishizu keep milling each other's deck.

Ishizu has a plan though. She saw it in her visions

Kaiba defys those visions tho and instead of summoning Obelisk, he summons the Blue Eyes White Dragon and wipes out Ishizu.

I forgot to talk about the Yami vs Strings duel

Marik is a pussy so he uses some murderer to duel

During this duel Marik is using cards like Revival Jam and Jam Breeding Machine.

He uses them to summon Slifer.

Yami is trapped in a cage.

Yami uses Revival Jam against Marik and uses it to cause Marik to lose by DECK OUT.

DECK OUT

That's embarrassing.

So yeah, I think this journey of redemption is becoming a journey of derailment instead. Wish me luck and health.

[lillylvjy]

You’re the only (friend I need)

A/n/// JAMES FIC JAMES FIC JAMES FIC. Ok so yes ! This is all platonic! And I had fun writing this! I tried my best but also I have another coming tomorrow so! Stay tuned!

Warnings// swearing a lot, ylyl stream, James being James, James pushing reader, reader slapping James, pure chaos.

^^ look at smiley boy

James had asked you to come on his stream to do a classic “you laugh you lose” stream, and plus people missed your awesome presence and both of your guy’s banter. So of course you said yes.

As the stream began and James did his intro and yelled at the people in chat for calling him an old man, which you agreed with, videos started coming in. Knowing you, James tweeted out to send videos of people getting hurt or hurting themselves in the most stupidest way ever. Which you weren’t prepared for.

As the first couple videos came in, you barely even cracked a smile as you stared intensely at the screen.

“Will these get any good?!” You complained at James and the chat. All James did was smirk at you and leaned back in his chair as he watched the screen.

Immediately you regret saying that as a video of a kid falling face first onto the ground plays on the screen. You immediately go wide eyed and cover your mouth to stop from laughing as James just laughs at you.

“You regret that now you little fuck?!” James teases you as you glare at him and hit his shoulder.

“Yes I do and I feel bad because it was a fucking child!”

“Don’t, they deserved it.”

“James-“

As the stream went on, the harder it got to control the laughter bubbling up in your throat.

“I don’t know how long I’ll be able to hold it in. These videos are actually so fucking good.” You tell chat as James just smirks. As you look at him with the most confused look ever, you turn to look at chat to see them spamming

‘JAMES TWITTER’

‘HE SAID TOO’

‘HIS FAULT!’

“Fuck you dude!” You slap his shoulder as you stand up and look down at him as he cowards in the corner.

“Wait! I can explain!” James pleads as he looks up at you with the most horrified look.

“Fine. But make it quick.” You sat back down as you glanced at chat, then back at James.

“There really isn’t an explanation, I just wanted to fuck with you.” James laughs as you narrow your eyes at him.

“You motherfucking bitch. Why am I friends with you?”

“Because you love me!” James said as he did his little… thing… as his voice pitched up a couple octaves.

“Not anymore. I just got full on second hand embarrassment and cried after that.” You looked at him with the most disgusted face ever. You looked over at the chat as you smiled at all the comments.

“Y/n. I feel like you forget that you are my best friend. You are automatically supposed to deal with the second hand embarrassment.” James laughed as you pursed your lips, not having an argument for that.

“I should have left you on that swing set alone that day at school.”

“Oh fuck you. I was cute.”

“No. No. You were just lonely.” You said as you tried not to laugh at James’s hurt expression.

“Guys cancel Y/n! I can’t handle this abuse for much longer!” James overdramatized as he gets on his knees and pleads.

As you laugh at james, you look over at chat and see them all defending you.

‘THEY HAVE A POINT’

‘YOU DO LOOK LONELY JAMES’

‘WAIT?? HOW LONG HAVE YOU KNOWN EACH OTHER??’

“20 beautiful years that I’ve known this man.” You said as you pat James’s head.

“See. You wouldn’t have stayed this long if you didn’t love me.”

“Yeah yeah. I love ya’, blah blah blah-“

“Chat. Chat, clip that. Chat. They just said they loved me.” James whispers into his mic as you roll your eyes and hit him in the back of his head.

“And this is what makes me not love you.”

“What if I said I loved you too…. Would you just throw all of our history away? Would you throw my heart away?! I can’t believe you! You’re just giving up now?! I see how it is. Fine. I’m not getting you dinner after this.” James fake cried as he gave his “speech” to you.

“Why did that sound like you just broke up with me?! Chat. Me and James are strictly platonic. Mr has a girl! But also-“ you slap him in the head again. “You are getting me dinner for being so mean to me.”

“I’m mean-“

“Shush. We’ll discuss this after the stream.” You push your finger onto James’s lip to shut him up as he side eyes the camera, looking at it for some sort of ‘SOS’.

He pulls your hand from his mouth. “Fine. Fine.” James turns to look at you. “Hey. But truly I love you. In the most platonic way there is.”

“No shit Sherlock. And yeah. I love you too. In the most platonic way possible.” You said mimicking his words.

“Oh shut up-“ James said as he pushed you over, resulting in you falling out of your chair, for everyone to see.

“You motherfu-“

Stream disconnected.

taglist: @deadphantomsociety @jadeissues @aimi-chann @z0vamp @art3m1s-adelia @gaytoadwithapopsicle @sixofshadowandbone @maarriiii @romancingdaffodils @mcr-pr-fob @ezzylikesdabee @swevenne @bird-shack

[justatalkingface]

I have to say, I've always been a fan of the idea of Kirishima being Izuku's best friend, rather than Bakugo's. I just think the two work off each other as the "extrovert trying to get his introverted friend to come out of his shell more" better than his and Bakugo's "I can fix him" one.

Plus, both have experience dealing with bullies and trying to defend the helpless from said bullies. Hell, Kirishima would commend Izuku for sticking it out all the way through, whereas he needed Mina's help with his. I really think Kirishima would be a great motivator for Izuku to get stronger and to voice his opinions more. If Izuku was having an especially bad day, I see Kirishima being the type to say,

"Hey man, don't put yourself down like that. You're one of the strongest, manliest guys I know. Even up there with All Might and Crimson Riot. Come on, lets head to the gym to get your mind off things. I'll spot ya."

Kirishima would provide so much positivity and motivation to improve, that I feel Izuku would only come out better with him as his main homie. Not to mention it would give Kirishima even more screentime, which I would love.

Though admittedly, my love of Kirishima is also why I hate that Hori paired him with Bakugo. My man deserves a better homie than that asshat.

...You know, when you look at Kirishima as, like, a character that someone put in a story, rather than as a person, there's something weird about him. You know what it is? Kirishima is basiclly Izuku. He's Izuku if he had a 'mediocre' Quirk; a bit of a coward at the start of his story, with self doubt, but he still genuinely wants to help people, and forces himself to grow and push farther when he decides to apply to UA. And when you strip to the bare bone themes like that, it's Izuku's story, without Bakugou and the Quirklessness there making his life miserable.

And, with that in mind, and that one comment Hori (apparently) made, that Izuku was supposed to be sad that Bakugou took Kirishima's hand... it feels like Kirishima was made, or at least given development, for Bakugou. Like, Kirishima and Bakugou is the friend dynamic of Bakugou with Izuku that so many people want them to have, what fanfic stories are written for, what people in story apparently (god knows why) seem to think they have, and when you look it that way it's... interesting. It's a very interesting choice to me.

Like, Hori apparently (I can't cite any of this Hori shit) regrets how far Bakugou went in the first chapter; it makes me wonder if, like, Kirishima is his wish fulfillment in that sense? Like, he's imagining a version of the manga where Bakugou came in with a lot less baggage, and that dynamic is him doing that sort of friendship without actually changing the story?

On the other hand, though, I'd have to be blind to that dynamic seems to exist to soften up Bakugou's image, to show that he's not all that bad, without really making him improve actively.

Regardless, no matter how you look at it, in a meta, 'why does this character exist' kind of way, Kirishima literally seems to be in the manga only for Bakugou's sake. I mean, his friendship (or 'friendship' maybe) with Bakugou, isn't helping him beyond giving him more screen time. And your right, it's a shame, because he and Izuku would get along really well.

Part of it, of course, is that they exist in a similar kind of positive wavelength, both being really wholesome people. Kirishima is really outgoing, and it seems natural that he would try to reach out to Izuku, who canonly is almost pathetically grateful for even the tiniest smidge of even vaguely positive interactions, especially at the start, much less someone just flat out being nice to him. Meanwhile, Izuku is naturally supportive, and would be great for Kirishima in turn, supporting him on his low confidence moments and encouraging him to be more confident about his Quirk and his own abilities.

Overall, it's a firm foundation for a good, wholesome friendship, one that would easily continue to continue on even when both of them eventually grow past their own doubts, and something that'd be nice to see, but by the time Kirishima got any characterization, he was already set up for Bakugou, and of course we could dilute that dynamic with him doing something else.

[hustlemeanokay]

The Ghoul v. Lucy v. Maximus Fallout *TV* Fandom Discord

I put "Fallout TV Fandom" discord because well... I've been in the FO fandom for years now and this whole implied racism thing is something new, at least from what I've seen and I've seen a lot in the fandom. This is something that honestly hasn't had a place. Because, there are Ghouls for starters, Synths second, and Zealots galore third in the games. Also, also - the games are set up for the players to assume that the Chinese (the "Red Menace") are this world's punching bag. So, this whole... people shipping Lucy with the Ghoul automatically equals racism thing? Yeah, I don't buy it.

Before I go any further, I want to put a disclaimer here - I'm a huge supporter of shipping all the ships. If you ship Lucy x Max, yaaas honey, get it. If you ship the Ghoul x Lucy, right onnnn, wooo! If you ship the Ghoul x Max?! Rock on, you do you, dude! Poly ship? The more the merrier! Seriously, ship all the ships. Now... as I was saying....

I don't buy it... for one big reason and this is it:

Fallout fandom ❤s Ghouls. For years now, Ghouls with attitude or tragic backstories immediately catch the attention of the fandom and are automatically slotted into the "THIS DUDE WINS" category.

[and this got really long so more below the cut so I don't clog up the dashboard]

The moment "the Ghoul" showed up with his cowboy get up and snarky attitude, smirk, and badass strut? Poor Max didn't have a snowball's chance in hell. And it had nothing to do with Max. Nothing at all. He could be this awesome character, he could be anything and everything and it wouldn't matter. Because a smartass Ghoul with a tragic backstory and a secret heart of gold? Forget-a-bout-it. Hook line and sinker for the FO fandom.

Personally? Team Coop all the way. And I'll tell ya why. I personally cannot stand the Brotherhood of Steel. And Max is just as in it as Danse ever was, or any of the other initiates. He is in it. And I get why. I totally get it. Also, he's a coward. He knows how to manipulate people, good intentioned or not. And he uses it. But he uses it in this kind of... sneaky way. He had lots of golden opportunities to tell Lucy the truth about who he was, including when they first spoke. She would have been none the wiser on what happened to his Knight (because fuck that guy, Titus was an asshole). But he chose to keep lying. For no reason other than it made him feel important. Lying to protect someone, their feelings or literally. Lying to preserve a secret that isn't yours, etc. Yeah, shitty a little but yeah, okay. But lying to literally make yourself better? When there's no need for that shit? Na.

Now, I know the arguments in the for column for Max. I get it. I do. He's a product of his environment, as are we all. But, he's kind of a loser. In that, he gets this big bad suit of power armor because to him that represents being a hero. And he thinks he's going to like go out and stop crime with it. Sure, a little juvenile but whatevs, that's completely fine. But, he almost immediately starts showing off for a pretty girl - which admittedly, probably not something he's seen a lot of (and Lucy's no better here with her big ol' anime eyes flashing hearts at him). But the point is... there are people around and Max is just laying waste to that place just as bad as the Ghoul is, with zero regard for collateral damage. Granted, no one got hurt, but that's not the point. The point is, if he was about the whole "knight" thing? He's completely missing the mark. Yes, I believe the BoS is corrupt ten ways to Sunday but that doesn't mean Max does. He's supposed to believe in things like honor and what it means to be a knight etc. The things he's been taught on top of the whole "seek out old world tech". Now, Max is funny - I will give him that. He's hilarious but at the same time - kind of one note. And again, product of his environment. But when he comes up on Lucy and her Dad, as it's been pointed out before, he doesn't even stop to see what's going on. He just frees Henry and doesn't even think. But that's the core of who he is. He acts first, thinks later. A lot of people are like that. Lucy is like that when she first leaves the vault. Both her and Max have been sheltered, in different ways but still sheltered. Difference between them is that Lucy is adapting and growing, learning.

So, you take this naïve, kinda boring Brotherhood of Steel sorta-Knight and pitch him against the Ghoul. Two hundred year old druggie who is like this strange combo of all of the fandom's most beloved Ghouls to date. There was no contest. To see this man who's been twisted by everything this world has thrown at him, who has sunk behind a role so far that it's not even an act anymore just to protect himself from all of it take on the Wasteland with now a dog and Lucy with him. Mister travels alone now not traveling alone? Of course people are gonna eat that shit up.

Now, personally, I think a future society, especially an apocalyptical one like Fallout, it would basically have nothing but tan people, where everyone is just a mix of everything because when you're facing down something like a fifteen foot tall fucking chameleon with razors for claws (deathclaw) - suddenly, race doesn't seem like that much of a fucking issue.

BUT I digress, a lot - point is... I think if it was Cooper Howard vs. Maximus? Max would win overall. But... the Ghoul vs. Maximus? There was no way Max ever had a shot. (With regards to shipping).

Also, also... on a final note.

[bigupsdog]

Intro dialog for every Guilty Gear character day 3: Johnny

Sol: Your bounty is high enough to pay for my trip to the moon three times over.

Johnny: You ain't the first person to try to claim that bounty, you ain't gonna be the last.

Ky: You were also orphaned by the Crusades?

Johnny: That bloody war took many a good man's life.

May: When are you going to let me pilot the May Ship again?

Johnny: The last time I let ya drive her ya nearly crashed into Illyria Castle.

Axl: Out of curiosity what's the craziest thing you've ever stolen?

Johnny: Alright, now I wont say which, but one of the Kings of Illyria’s crown is a fake, if you know what i'm saying.

Chipp: Come on, you're wearing all black and you wield a katana, just take the full plunge and become a ninja.

Johnny: Sorry buddy, but if I became a ninja, I would just be too cool for the world to handle.

Potemkin: I'm here to retrieve stolen property from Zepp.

Johnny: What are you talking about? I haven't taken anythin from you guys… recently.

Faust: How’s… May’s… Condition???

Johnny: She’s doing a lot better thanks to you, Doc.

Milia: I work for the government now, so I have to take you in.

Johnny: I’m sure ya asked for this job personally, to see good old Johnny.

Zato: This is nothing personal, I'm just doing my job.

Johnny: And when I cut ya down, it also won't be anythin personal.

Ram: I'm confused, I thought pirates were supposed to be in the ocean, not the sky.

Johnny: Ya don't have to have such strict definitions for everythin sometimes a spade is just a spade.

Leo: A lawbreaker stands before me, and I will be the mighty judge, jury and executioner.

Johnny: I’m startin to think this ain’t no jury of my peers.

Nago: Your swordsmanship, it reminds me of samurai from ages past.

Johnny: You lookin to relive some of your glory days? Because I'm more than willin to help.

Gio: Look I have my orders to take you in, but I still owe you one, so even if I win I'll just say you gave me the slip.

Johnny: Ah that's sweet, looks like it ain't a dog eat dog world after all.

Anji: Steal from the rich, give to the poor, you’re a real Ishikawa Goemon.

Johnny: First time I heard that one, normally I get Robin Hood.

I-No: Don't even try it lover boy, I'm way out of your league.

Johnny: Damn, and I had a great witch related pick up line and everything.

Goldlewis: Outlaws like you give us cowboys a bad name.

Johnny: Nah, lawmen like you ruin the real spirit of the cowboy.

Jack-O: Is that a cowboy costume? Shouldn't you have a gun not a sword?

Johnny: It ain't no costume, I'm the bona-fide real thing.

HC: Ah the showdown, the best part of any western movie.

Johnny: In a quick draw it all comes down to who's faster, unfortunately for you.

Baiken: Put that sword down, you ain't no damn samurai.

Johnny: Cowboy, pirate, samurai, what can I say I have a lot of feathers in my cap.

Testament: I hear you've adopted many an orphaned child from the Crusades.

Johnny: I'd like to think your old man Kliff woulda been proud of me.

Bridget: Your bounty is HOW MUCH!!!

Johnny: Run along now lass, bounty hutin ain't nothin you want to involve yourself with.

Sin: Hey man, your ship looked so cool while I was riding next to it on a dragon!

Johnny: You did what now?

Delilah: Your ship was nice… um, thanks for letting me ride in it.

Johnny: Ah much alleged, good old Johnny's always willin to lend a helpin hand.

Asuka R#: I am not the real “That Man” I am simply a clone.

Johnny: So the coward made a fake to hide from his past, I see how it is.

Asuka R Kreutz: I am deeply sorry for all the pain my past actions have caused.

Johnny: Ah ain't that sweet, ya apologized, to one person who you helped make an orphan, what about all the rest?

Elphelt: Is that a noble outlaw, coming to steal this fair maiden's heart?

Johnny: Normally I'm the one who uses the cheesy pick up line, feels weird, the shoe being on the other foot.

ABA: Your ship is a whale, yet you didn't paint it blue, what is wrong with you?

Johnny: I didn't paint the May Ship, she was just born that way.

[cheemscakecat]

Missing in Action 3

Chapter 3: New Guy

The search for Spy continues, and the team discovers something very odd.

Contains angst, but not as much as the last chapters .

Sniper talked to Scout the next morning at breakfast. He had that numbness about him. The kind where you try not to care. He could tell Jeremy was miserable, but he also knew that Spy wasn’t being malicious.

In New Zealand, Spy watched Mundy’s biological father explain how he killed off the nation with his stupidity, ask him for money, and leave him to drown at the bottom of the ocean. And then, he got gunned down by Team Classic thinking his so-called dad was coming back. Yeah, it didn’t much surprise him that Spy’d pretended to be Tom Jones. He wanted to save Scout the disappointment of knowing his least favorite teammate was his father.

He was grateful that Spy didn’t name who knew the truth. Though, if Jeremy had put two and two together, he wasn’t lashing out. He’d heard about New Zealand. Sniper could tell he was trying not to talk about Spy around him.

“We’re gonna go on another search. Me and Engineer this time.” “Hmm.” Scout chewed his cereal with a dull look in his eyes. That was a bad sign. “You got good eyes pal. But I don’t think you’re gonna find him… He’s left us to go retire, I bet.” Mundy cut into his steak, gave himself time to choose the right words. “Maybe not, mate. We helped Pauling take ovah. Some people might not like that.” Scout blinked, not getting what he was tryin to say, so he continued.

”Spy isn’t the type to leave a trail when he disappears. He’dah taken his books and things if he was gonna leave for good.” Jeremy seemed to stop and think about that, which meant he was wording it right. He’d never been real great with words. Scout set down his spoon.

“I dunno. Ya think somethin happened?” “Well, those Teufort fools locked ya both up for 6 months. We checked theah the first time we searched.” Scout frowned and sighed. “Yeah, but I went there to get my stuff, and they were playing nice. Plus the road to Harvest Base is the other way, so he shouldn’t’a seen any of those goons.” That was true. But the lead-poisoned idiots in Teufort were occasionally smart enough to catch someone off guard. Just like they’d done to catch Scout and Spy in the first place. How long’d they know Jeremy was a mercenary, playin harmless until their trap was set?

It was worth a look, even if the chances were slim.

“Yer right. But there’s other mercenaries and bosses out theah that might wanna get Pauling n us. And truth be told, we don’t know a whole lot about Spy outside work. Like if he’s got old enemies.”

Didn’t know his name. His address. His real face. Honest to God, they had no idea how to track Spy right now. They knew he was on another RED team before he was moved to Fortress, and anyone who didn’t know his relation to Scout knew now. That, and he had a lady friend wearin blue. Civilian though, not enemy team. Them being seen together was the whole reason why Spy’s bedroom and other private spaces were hidden somewheah at each base. And none’a them had been told how to get in.

Spy might have left a clue somewheah in his rooms, but as long as they didn’t have access, those clues may as well not exist.

“Mmm. I’m hopin that’s not it. Pauling’s gotta be careful out there, too. But Spy’s a coward, Sniper. He runs away from problems like me. And he might just be the type to leave good stuff layin around to rot, with all that money he’s got. I still think he deserted.” It didn’t work. Jeremy still didn’t want to think that Spy could be kidnapped or dead. And calling himself a problem was no good either.

Mundy wished he was better at talking things out. He didn’t like to talk much if he could avoid it, so times like this were hard. Hopefully, someone else’d figure out how to reason with Scout.

————————-

Engineer drove the van. Normally Sniper would want to drive, but they needed his eyes focused on the land. There were old rock formations in the desert, and a whole lotta caves. Heck, Pauling hid her stash of corpses in one of them. If Spy somehow wasn’t kidnapped or dead, he’d be out heah. And if not, they might get a good clue.

Spy had a fancy red sports car. Bright red. If they were lucky, the kidnappers mighta stashed it in a cave on the way to Harvest. But it was expensive, and they were more likely to keep it for themselves or pawn it off. Mundy hoped he knew they were lookin. He’d been colder to everyone since that teleporter incident with the bread, n sometimes it was impossible to read him.

They’d got around halfway to Harvest when he asked Dell to stop the van. He’d spotted something. The cactuses. Someone’s been cutting into them for watah. And they were the kind where you could do it without gettin sick. They pulled up, him carrying his rifle and Dell carrying a building kit. Sniper examined the cactuses. They shore looked well cut, like Spy woulda done.

He followed the pattern of least to most cut up and looked for the nearest cave. Holding up a hand, Mundy called into the cave with his best “lost American tourist” voice while Dell set up a sentry gun. If it was some varmit kidnapper from BLU or an outside group, they’d be gunned down. And if it was Spy, he’d be unharmed.

Somewheah deep inside the cave, the black silhouette of a person poked their head out. “*****! Is that a gun?!” The guy sounded… kinda like Spy. But some voices tended to run together after fighting so many BLU mercs. “Come on out, Mate. We’re lookin for somebody. A friend. Ya seen a RED spy?” The shadowy figure eventually stuck out his non-dominant hand, which wasn’t gunned into mincemeat; then hugged the wall of the cave and inched closer. After what felt like forever, he stepped out into the light.

Mundy blinked in surprise.

“Bloody Hell…”

—————-

Sniper and Engineer came back early from their trip, claimin they found something. Well, someone. But it wasn’t Spy. At least not theirs.

We found a RED whippersnapper in the caves.” Dell explained. “Nother spy, but he’s way too young to be ours.” “Yeh can come out now, mate.” Sniper was calling someone from deeper inside his van. Scout watched closely. All of the team did.

Someone -around Jeremy’s age maybe- stepped out of the van and adjusted his eyes to the light. He was the same height as Spy, but wearin very different clothes. He had a dark grey dress shirt rolled up to the elbows, with red buttons. He wore near black leather gloves with real vis-able red stitch lines. His pants were a darker red and his shoes matched his gloves. But most importantly, he wore no mask. They could actually see his face.

New Spy had long, near black hair that made Soldier mutter some crap about hippies. He had the same nose as their old spy, as far as anyone could tell. No one had ever seen him maskless. Scout couldn’t help but like this new guy. He didn’t have that ugly 5-o’clock shadow or stuck up look in his eyes. And he got the feelin he was a lot more fun. Most spies on RED and BLU stayed all covered up in the desert heat; suits, trench-coats, sweaters. Not to mention those ugly, smelly masks!

Everyone took in the new guy’s looks without commentin. Jeremy sure didn’t know what to say. The stranger awkwardly shuffled his weight from his toes to his heels like he didn’t know either. Heavy lumbered forward and they all decided to watch n follow his lead. To an outsider, Heavy was a scary brute; fat, but the muscular kind’a fat where he could clobber you in one punch. He was also the tallest on the team.

“So.” He said in his usual gruff voice. “You have found new spy?” Engineer and Sniper nodded at him. But he looked like he was still thinking it over. “Did you check him for disguise? Is not BLU sneaking in?” Sniper shuffled and pushed his hat up, so Heavy could see his face better. “The sentry gun didn’t get him, and we poked him since then. We think he’s telling the truth.” Heavy turned back towards the new guy, who was looking more shy than scared.

“Vhy vere you in desert alone? Vhere is your team?” The spy frowned. “I was getting relocated to a new team. I’d been on Team Malum, and was on my way to Team Frigidus.” The new guy was also French! But his accent was way thicker than that stuck up deadbeat. It was kinda hard to understand him, so Scout put more effort into listening. Heavy looked at Engineer.

“I recognize this Frigidus name. But who is Malum Team?” Engie shrugged and looked at the others. “Any of y’all heard’ a Team Malum?”

Everyone stayed still, shook their head, or shrugged. Jeremy didn’t know all the other RED team names in the United States, much less the rest’a the world. He didn’t know how Pauling was gonna manage them all, plus BLU. Had to be exhaustin. The new guy did not E-lab-or-ate. Hold on, was he.. biting his lip? “Hmm. How vere you to get to Frigidus Team?” Heavy asked.

Spy frowned real hard, like he was thinking. Maybe he was a liar, worried cause they didn’t know Malum. “I was riding in.. in a hell-something. I do not remember the name.” “Hell-E-cop-ter?” Scout asked. The Spy’s eyes lit up and he snap-pointed in excitement. “Yes! Zhey called it helicopter.” He paused, the excitement dulling down quick. “I was ze only mercenary being moved, so zhey wanted smaller transport.”

“So you hadn’t been’n’a helicopter b’fore? Demoman asked. “No. I have ridden airplanes though! Helicopter is noisier and shakes often…” Heavy and Demoman were lookin at each other like they were discussin it all. “How did you go from helicopter to desert land?” Spy shrugged. “Something bright hit us. Like a lightening bolt. One minute I was in my chair, and then I woke up alone in ze desert.” “And ya didn’t see any wreckage? No pieces of the helicopter?” Engineer asked. “Well, I am not certain. On one of ze… ze high parts of the desert, I could see a shine. But it was too high, so I could not see for sure.”

A bunch’a people looked at each other and had a real long con-verse- A-tion with their eyes. Scout was disappointed that he wasn’t speaking their language. Heavy leaned back and nodded once. “The Administrator is very busy now. It vill take time to look up Frigidus and send you there.” Medic jabbed Jeremy in the back, which just confused him. Then he jerked his head towards the spy, tellin him to get over there. “Our team Spy is missing. Ve do not know yet vhat vill happen, but his room is free. Scout? Take stranger to Smoking Room.”

[louisisalarrie]

i've been reading your posts about industry topics and the current h & b*n situation (and the az*offs) and i just can't comprehend how someone can sell their voice and values and morals for money? to continue their career? it just seems so money-hungry to me yk? and weak-minded, i don't want to sound rude because i don't know everything about the whole situation but yeah. i get having a dream, wanting to fulfil that dream and once one has it its hard to let go but how can one just turn off one's consciousness, ignore it all? for money, fame, a dream? my biggest dream is to be a model, i got castings and offers but i'd rather not achieve that dream if that means supporting a system that glorifies anorexia, is fatphobic etcetc, i was 17 back then. it was so easy to choose my morals. idk i'm rambling sorry for that, i just had this in my head. also when he does say political stuff etcetc why is he also supporting people like w*nstok az*offs etc? you cant be an ally and concurrently support antis yk... i mean yk ok i'll. stop rambling sorry for my english, not my first language :/

Don’t apologise for rambling, and certainly not your English!!! It’s fantastic, and thank you for sending this in!!

I think the modelling industry has been exposed for its problematic issues to the wider public a lot earlier on than the music industry has. Sure, both industries are very messy, but it’s a lot easier to point out “oh the modelling industry is fatphobic/encourages eating disorders” than “the music industry is corrupt and artists are forced to be closeted and overworked to the point of taking adrenaline shots before shows and barely ever actually seeing any of their own money the whole time” for the general public, because a lot of them just don’t have the awareness of how bad the music industry truly is, unless they’ve done research, been in this fandom (or one similar), or have come across info on social media about it, which is happening more and more these days. The technology to now communicate to massive groups of people and expose people/industries/artists and everything is an excellent tool to encourage change. The modelling industry has certainly seen a shift, and the music industry is slowly moving a bit as well. It’s just… an absolute mess though.

At the end of the day, they were kids who auditioned for a singing show because their mums encouraged them to, and they had no idea what was gonna happen if they did “make it”. Shooting to fame from the X Factor where you already get a huge amount of PR from being on TV, as opposed to working your way up slowly and seeing how it works, and understanding what you want, and choosing labels/managers etc. to work with who you know for a fact aren’t gonna do what Coward did, is just vastly different. I didn’t understand so much about the industry until I was already in it. And those kids were locked in with contracts, groomed, and thrown into the spotlight. And now they’re men. And we know they are good guys. But… it’s not as simple as just dropping everything to stand up for what you believe in, ya know?

I mean, obviously all the great stuff that they love about their job they want to keep, but they’re also tied up to a million contracts. So it’s actually a really long legal process to cut ties with it all without going entirely bankrupt/sued/having your whole career ruined. It’s very yikes but they’re already in the thick of it, and at the top of it. So yeah. Even just speaking up could mean a breach of contract. It is very disappointing he’s not at the very least cut off W*nston though.

Both industries are profiting at the expense of young hopefuls, both industries have produced incredibly inspiring and fantastic people, and both industries have burnt people out to nothing. It’s extremely frustrating to watch.

[homicidal-slvt]

"Close Bonds"

-

Part 1 - Part 3

-

Alec 'Everest' Amanzi x F!Reader x Aiden 'Vortex' Dunbar

Rookie|Y/N

-

Warnings: Unrealistic, Fluff, OCs x Reader, Love Triangle, Bullying, Transphobia (Vortex is Trans)

-

You found yourself spending most of your time with Vortex and Everest, only occasionally interacting with the others that were around.

You quickly found that they were best friends, consistently sparring together, eating together and generally just hanging around one another. Today you were seated between them at the table, listening to Vortex ramble about a 'cool spot' he found.

"You have to come and see it!"

Everest hummed contentedly and shook his head.

"Last time I went to see something with you I had to hike for an hour through the woods. I'll pass."

"It's a great view though! You'll come with me later, right?"

It caught you by surprise when his gaze shifted to you instead, bright smile and pretty green eyes twinkling with hope. It made it really hard to say no... Maybe it'd be good to have a little adventure anyways.

"Fine but it better not be too far."

"It won't be and it'll be worth it! I promise!"

He sounded so chipper and sincere- shuffling slightly and Everest chuckled a bit.

"You two have fun. Don't go dragging her around though."

This lead to a bit of laughter from you as well, eyes flicking up to meet Everest's. So calm and gentle to the point it's easy to get lost in them, it's like his warmth could absorb you.

They were so different- one was a powerful whirlwind of energy that drags you out of your shell and bleeds into you with pure life. The other soothes you and allows your mind and everything to simply be at ease.

"Would you like to know how we first met?"

Everest offered a story- one of back when he first was introduced to Vortex.

"It was actually back when we were in highschool. After highschool we were separated for years and then as luck would have it- we both ended up here."

"Small world!"

Vortex chimed in.

-

Splash

Soda coated Everest's torso entirely and he stood there, sticky and dripping while the bullies simply laughed at him.

"The big freak won't even defend himself. What a coward."

His silence was loud- the laughter deafening as he took a step back and tried to simply walk away. Only for one of them to block his path.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Before Everest could respond the bully grabbed the back of his head and grunted in pain, a rock had been thrown at him.

"Fuck off chicken shit."

There stood a drastically short curly haired ginger who was quite filled with rage.

This of course did not set well and that's when the yelling between all of them started.

"You'll never be a guy- you realize that, right?!? You're a fucking freak-"

Before he could finish his sentence he was harshly flung to the ground, Everest standing over him now planting his boot firmly on his chest.

"Enough."

-

For some reason that story explains a lot about their dynamic. Smiling warmly at the two you finished eating and stood up.

"Got stuff to do... I'll see ya around."

"See ya."

"Bye!"

••

Slumping forward with a groan- you've been stressing over everything that needs to be done for hours. It was taking it's toll on your well being.

A soft knock forced you out of your head, dragging your body up from the chair to go answer it.

"Who is it?"

"It's me."

Opening the door slowly you peered up to see Everest, standing there with a mug of coffee in his hand... He got that specifically for you?

"May I come in?"

"Yeah... Of course."

He stepped in and set the mug down for you, eyes drifting to your face and taking in how exhausted you looked.

"You've been at this awhile. Take a break."

"I can't-"

"If you don't you'll burn yourself out. It's okay... Get some rest."

His tone wasn't rough like how most would regard you, yet still it was clear and unmoving. He wasn't going to let this go- he needed you to be alright.

He had noticed that you were over working yourself, taken note of all the little changes in your behavior.

And he's not just going to stand by while you burn your candle at both ends.

"Okay..."

-

{Hope y'all love them as much as I do. You guys are in a love triangle with best friends oops. LMAO}

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{@sofasoap @deadbranch @a-world-with0ut-dr34ms @a-small-writer-in-a-big-world @scar-crossedlvrs @blingblong55 }

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{More Content}

[taggedmemes]

SENTENCE MEME ⟶ OXVENTURE PRESENTS: DEADLANDS / ch4 always feel free to tweak the sentence to fit your muse.

'they've got the power to kick a man apart, i heard.'

'have you thought about maybe trying to befriend a little one first?'

'so powerful. those thighs.'

'straight to the gates of hell!'

'i mean, that is the colour of horses eyes.'

'i feel just peachy, ma'am.'

'it was said that she was a serial killer.'

'it was said that she favoured poison.'

'the coward's way. i see.'

'she had a series of jobs and people kept dying in mysterious circumstances.'

'she's wanted for killing forty people.'

'i'm sorry i can't be of more help.'

'i'll be exclusively drinking alcohol to counteract the effects of any poison.'

'i'll just have two fingers of whiskey to settle my stomach.'

'every time i see a horse i avert my eyes just in case it steals my soul.'

'what's with all those boarded-up houses?'

'people've been disappearing as well; it's the strangest thing.'

'best we can do for them is nail them up in their homes.'

'there's no kind of a life for a lot of people here.'

'they say they can cure the incurable up at this place.'

'this wouldn't happen to coincide with the plague, would it?'

'i try and stay indoors at night because of what they say.'

'sounds like you've got a problem on your hands.'

'screw your job, idiot!'

'now i'm gonna have to sweep my own damn floor.'

'heard about that, did ya?'

'some of these folks... they vanish, never come back.'

'i tried draining blood. i tried putting in different blood. i tried tinctures. i tried a syrup made from opium and cocaine.'

'seems there's one medicine for the likes of us and one medicine for the likes of them.'

'it's a real shame what's happened to this town. it used to be a nice place to live, and now it's all horror.'

'that kid drinks too much whiskey.'

'i've got a new plan: we go up. we say we've got money.'

'it's the only haunted-ass building in the place, but okay.'

'he looks like a partially inflated balloon.'

'i just have it in case anyone needs it.'

'we do not speak of this to anyone.'

'there's some sort of fancy mechanical thing going on here.'

'i'm so ill i can't remember my name!'

'did you see my fancy shoes?'

'did i tell you how wealthy i am?'

'this feels like hospital propaganda.'

'do you have any cocaine?'

'perhaps some cocaine would make you feel better?'

'well, it was exhausting being fancy anyway.'

'nothing in life is free.'

'you're the weird guy!'

'everyone thinks you're super weird.'

'there's something very odd about his face.'

'it's very loud and very close.'

'i can't believe i touched that with my fist.'

'that was lucky. i could have contracted a chronic disease there.'

'my powerful immune system took care of that one.'

'there's no telling some people.'

'i don't like it! it's stressing me out.'

'he's not a good doctor he's a bad doctor! a very bad doctor!'

'you know, i don't even think he's a real doctor.'

'i think my only option really is to keep shooting at this guy.'

'where the hell were you hiding that?!'

'there's blood everywhere. pouring out of him.'

'bet you'd rather be next to a horse right now.'

'we're in!'

[lonelywretchjervistetch]

My DC Cinematic Universe: Superman (Part I)

Prologue

This post...I am scared to finally make this post. Because lemme tell ya, it's been a LONG time coming, this post. But OK, here we go, finally. With a new DC cinematic universe on the horizon under James Gunn and Peter Safran's purview, we know have a golden opportunity to actually make a series of movies based on DC Comics properties that are...y'know, actually good. And while literally nobody is ever going to read this, I really, REALLY needed to get this out somewhere. And so, Tumblr is the chosen platform to hear my feverish ramblings. Without further adieu...

Chapter One: Superman is My Favorite

I love Superman. Of all the DC comics heroes, Superman will always be my favorite. Some of you may not get this at all, because Superman is always seen as boring, too black-and-white, and having no problems. But the issue with Superman isn't his character; it's his portrayals. Superman is, perhaps, the most misunderstood character in DC Comics.

Now, I'm not denying that Superman, on first glance, is a little boring. He's got seemingly limitless power, he has a loving relationship, he doesn't seem to have any major problems in his life, and his story is...well, it's old. Really old. There doesn't seem to be much there. But the right stories use Superman as the way he should be used: a lawful good champion of hope who overcomes his problems to try and do what he thinks to be the right thing.

Look, the main thing that people forget about Superman is that he's essentially human, in every way but biologically. Superman is the costume that Clark Kent wears. And Clark Kent should always come first. He's a guy raised on a farm is the middle-of-nowhere Kansas, and he's moved to the big city to be a part of something bigger than himself. And Superman? Superman is just his way of doing the right thing in the best way he can do it. No more, no less.

See, almost every incarnation of Superman makes him unnaturally wise, unearthly good, and a bastion of peace and the ultimate right. That's fucking bullshit. Clark is Clark. He has desires like all of us do. He has fears, he was worries and anxieties, and he makes mistakes. He has opinions you don't agree with, and he has problems of his own he has to deal with. He's experienced heartbreak from a crush who rejected him. He's been bullied and picked on. He's into something that literally nobody else around him is into, but he tries to get people into it regardless just so he has somebody to talk to. Clark Kent is essentially human, trying to do what he thinks is the right thing, like everybody else is in this world. And everybody seems to goddamn forget that, just because of where he comes from, and what he can do. They see the powers above the person.

You know that speech by David Carradine in Kill Bill Vol. 2?

Superman didn’t become Superman. Superman was born Superman. When Superman wakes up in the morning, he’s Superman. His alter ego is Clark Kent. His outfit with the big red S, that’s the blanket he was wrapped in as a baby when the Kents found him. Those are his clothes. What Kent wears; the glasses, the business suit… that’s the costume. That’s the costume Superman wears to blend in with us. Clark Kent is how Superman views us, and what are the characteristics of Clark Kent? He’s weak, he’s unsure of himself, he’s a coward. Clark Kent is Superman’s critique on the whole human race.

Frankly, it is amazing how incorrect that is, and it feels like this is what a lot of people think of Superman. Superman is not Batman. See, Bruce Wayne died the night his parents did, and is no more than the mask that Batman wears to seem normal, and so slightly honor the memory of the Waynes. Clark Kent, on the other hand, uses Superman as the mask to wear so that he can help people, and so that he can do some good. Superman is Clark's way to enact the motto of another hero. You know...

Superman is the ultimate symbol of Clark Kent's responsibility. And while that's a very morally ideal way to look at the world and one's place in it, it's still how Clark sees things. He is Clark Kent first, Superman second. And Clark Kent believes that Superman is the best way for him to do some good, and to inspire that desire to do good in others if he can.

But, of course, living in a grayscale world as we do, that idealism can have some serious flaws when faced up against reality. In fact, this is likely why Superman is seen as naive and Gary Stu-ish to many people, in and out of universe. But again, Clark grew up as a human. He lived in the real world, with real stressors, morals, and consequences for one's actions. He is fully goddamn aware that existence exists in an entire rainbow of morality. But he believes in what he believes in, and his stubbornness to let go of his belief in people's ability to be better is what makes him Superman. It doesn't make him better than anyone, and he doesn't believe he's better than anyone. It just makes him hopeful for the good in people.

And I think I love Superman so much because of that belief. He is optimism made flesh, in a world where pessimism too often reigns. And no matter what he does, he can't hide that behind a cape and suit. Anybody who meets Clark in person would agree that he's one of the most positive people they know. Maybe to a fault sometimes, but still positive regardless. And that is something we've been missing in DC Comics films in general: positivity and light. For God's sakes, not everything has to be gritty and grimdark. Lighten up, for Chrissakes!

It could be argued, and argued well, that the last good Superman film was Richard Donner's 1978 classic Superman: The Movie, as well as Richard Lester's superior sequel, Superman II. Both movies, well dated as fuck, are still modern masterpieces, and should be recognized as such. We truly did believe a man could fly, only to watch him crash-land over and OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN since.

More importantly, Reeves' Superman is compassionate and strong simultaneously, able to light up the screen with a wink and a smile, but also provide faith that things will be OK. However...he's a little too perfect in some ways, and that's mostly just because he's from a VERY different time period. The Metropolis of the Donner-Lester films is a place where crime lives, but also a place that's far more black-and-white than it is grey. And it is true that Superman flourishes in a black-and-white world, where good is good and bad is bad. However...is that particularly interesting? Not really. As I said, he comes from a different time.

Bryan Singer's Superman Returns brings back this Superman, now played by Brandon Routh. And while this Metropolis is also very morally black-and-white in some ways, it also takes in some of the grayscale of our modern media. And this turns out to be a huge problem, because Superman comes off as...well, a combination of boringly superior and somehow also a deadbeat dad? Which is so crazy in terms of contradiction, honestly. There may be something interesting in there, but it's not a great move on Singer's part. Plus, he adds another tick to the James Marsden cuck counter, because dude is typecast into that role somehow.

And then...and then...

I rewatched Snyder's Man of Steel for this, and understand...I also saw this movie twice in theaters when it came out. And lemme tell ya, it's only gotten worse in my eyes since that point. I realize that this is a divisive movie if there ever was one, but I'm very comfortable on the hatred side of that fence. Why? Where do I start?

First things first, I live Henry Cavill, to be completely clear. I think, even in this slog of a movie, he has his moments. In the ending scenes, when he's talking to the general, and when he shows up at the Daily Planet, he really does feel like Superman to me, at least a little bit. The problem lies in everything that happens before. THis film is the epitome of treating Superman as the superpowered alien before treating him as the Kansas farmboy. God, let's see if I can hold it together long enough to talk about this coherently.

Cavill's Superman is just Jesus without the beard. He's set up to be this perfect paragon of good and right, despite doing some of the most heinous things that Superman's ever done on screen. The actions that Clark takes in this movie are so un-Superman-like, I can barely stand it. And I'm not talking about the killing Zod thing, because that wasn't his fault. No, he does so much more shit Superman wouldn't do, from the beginning.

Remember that scene with the bully in the bar, and how Superman takes his truck and destroys it utterly? Yeah, um, he just almost certainly destroyed that man's livelihood, all because he got upset? Clark has a MUCH thicker skin than that, literally and figuratively, so he'd swallow any bruised pride and just move on. Because not only is that an example of using his powers irresponsibly, but it's also just genuinely wrong. Maybe that was Snyder's way of showing that Clark is flawed, but it doesn't read that way. That isn't just a character flaw, it's a violent and destructive temper. Plus, that action was taken for the audience's sake, not Clark's. We saw our hero getting bullied, and now Zack Snyder shows up the karmic retribution for those actions. But it's so out of character for Clark, that it immediately took me out of this interpretation of the character. And that's a mild example.

The TV series Justice League Unlimited, whose version of Superman is fantastic and should be appreciated FAR more than it is by most people, has a pretty famous quote and scene.

 I feel like I live in a world made of cardboard, always taking constant care not to break something, to break someone. Never allowing myself to lose control even for a moment, or someone could die.

Superman knows exactly how powerful he is. Because power and responsibility are tied together, he is and always has been aware that his prime responsibility is to protect others from his own power. As all people on this planet do, he must take responsibility for his own actions, especially when his actions should be very dangerous. And to a certain extent, Cavill's Superman knows this. After all, he turns himself into the military, so he's aware of this idea to a certain degree. So why...why on God's green fucking Earth...does he do this?

This stupid...STUPID...IDIOT...destroys Metropolis.

And NO! No, this is NOT all Zod's fault! Clark should know better. For somebody who's wary enough of his surroundings to control his own immense strength on a 24-hour basis, how does he not think about the COST OF HUMAN LIVES he's about to allow by letting Zod remain within the city? He's obviously focused on you, so GET HIM THE FUCK OUT OF THERE. And actually...come to think of it, HE ALSO DESTROYS SMALLVILLE! During his fight with Faora and Non! He actively throws and tackles people through buildings, buildings with people that he knows! Superman would not be this thoughtless and irresponsible. In other words, Bruce was right.

Oh, and the whole "killing Zod" thing? Yeah, that's not Clark's fault. It's also no Zod's fault. It's the fault of these people.

JUST RUN YOU IDIOTS, YOU HAVE SO MUCH SPACE AND TIME

Seriously, they just stand there! I would've immediately taken off through any open space I could find! And they just stand there and wait to get lasered while Cavill screams for the 10,000th time in this movie? YOU MADE SUPERMAN KILL ZOD, DUMDUMS.

Anyway. Yeah, this is not Superman. Plus, the Jesus allegory is so overtired, guys, come on. He's extremely powerful, we get it, that doesn't make him a literal god. Doing that completely removes any form of humanity from him, and that's super-damaging to the character. If you write him that way to exacerbate his alien, holier-than-thou nature, it just detaches him from our perspective, and makes us care less about the character. Poorly written, and poorly plotted. It's immensely frustrating.

Now that said, there are some excellent live-action versions of Superman. Tyler Hoechlin is perhaps the most balanced version of the character, allowing us to know him as a human, while also appreciating that he's a man of great power, and one who's aware of what that power means for himself and those around him.

Tom Welling, for what it's worth, is also a very good Clark Kent...but not a great Superman. To be fair, that's a consequence of the CW itself, which only Hoechlin's Superman has really broken away from in the end. Smallville's Superman also suffered from not being able or willing to fully lean into Clark being Superman, which led to some odd choices throughout the series. On the contrary, Dean Cain, despite being an inveterate douche-nozzle, did a good job playing Clark Kent and Superman, but definitely leant more into the Superman-as-Kent angle most of the time.

But you want a really, really good Superman? Well...

Animation has been very good to Superman, especially the incarnation seen in the official DC Animated Universe, as played by Tim Daly in Superman: The Animated Series and George Newbern in Justice League and Justice League Unlimited. The former is allowed to flex his muscle as both Kent and Kal, and does brilliantly in the role. Newbern's Superman is usually seen in costume, but is also very down-to-Earth as the flying superhero, to the extent that you can see Clark Kent coming through the red, yellow-and-blue.

Personally, I like Daly's version just a little bit more. He doesn't think he's better than anybody else or always right, but he always does his best to what he thinks is right. He makes mistakes, and his personal life is a goddamn shambles, but he's still trying his best. And that's all I ask of Superman: he should always be trying to do his best, and we should know that. He's not automatically perfect. And he's trying to navigate his idealistic, optimistic values in a multichromatic and complicated world which should be so disappointing so often.

But the question now, for me at least, is this: What would I do with a Superman film? Like, if I had full license to write and make my own Superman movie, how exactly would I do it? Here's the thing, this is a question that comes in several parts for me, so I'm gonna break this up into multiple posts. Plus, it's obviously just theoretical. Gunn isn't going to make an origin movie again, and he's already planning on putting Henry Cavill back as Superman, so this is all academ-

...Well, HOLY FUCKING SHIT.

Index: Superman

Part I: Why I Love Superman

Part II: On Lois Lane

Part III: The Kents

Part IV: The 'Rents

Part V: The...Frendts?

Part VI: Lex Luthor

Part VII: The Real Villains

Part VIII: Superman's Rogues Gallery

Part IX: The Story - Act One

Part X: The Story (Acts Two and Three)

Part XI: The Story - Climax

Part XII: Epilogue (Part One)

Part XIII: Epilogue (Part Two)

[maximumcheese]

Dance of the White Tiger - A Snow Flurry at Dawn 3

Subaru: ...? Hey, hey. The truck’s not moving. Looks like it stopped.

That means they should be unloading. As soon as the doors open, let’s scram!

Tsukasa: Yes. I hope we will be able to get away properly…

Koga: Don’t be so timid if ya ain’t even out there yet. You’re a man, you gotta have some guts.

Tsukasa: Th-That’s right. Yes, we’ll definitely get away with it!

Subaru: Yeah, yeah, that’s the spirit! I hope the three of us will be able to make it out alive…​​☆

Rinne: ……

HiMERU: “—Hello?”

Rinne: Oh, it finally went through. He~y, Merumeru, where you at? Did you go to the wrong meeting place?

I'm sure you're sayin’ the usual, “HiMERU is perfect,” but you're already suffering from New Year's blues, huh? Gyahaha ☆

Why don’t you pick up the phone right away? Poor little Rinne-kun cries when he’s ignored~

HiMERU: “Is that all you have to say? Well then…”

Rinne: W-Wait up. I ain’t done talkin’, I’ve barely started!

I went to the meeting place but you weren’t there? The hell’s goin’ on?

HiMERU: “Nothing is going to happen, so nothing will happen. It is because HiMERU never accepted Amagi's unilateral request for cooperation.”

“For everyone, the beginning of the year is busy. You lack common sense to say, ‘Come tomorrow’ just the day before.”

Rinne: What’s that now? Merumeru already knows I’m a guy who lacks common sense ♪

HiMERU: “That is not something you should boast about. Anyhow, HiMERU firmly refuses. Well, that shall be all—”

Rinne: Hey, I’m not finished with you!

Bring it on. If that’s how he’s gonna be, I'm gonna call 'em till he talks.

Hey, Merumeru—

(...Answering machine, huh? That guy’s not gonna pick up at any cost, is he!?)

(Niki and Kohaku-chan both dumped me, too, a crushing defeat. What the hell, every last one of them.)

(I've got an idea on how to deal with this on my own, but I dunno exactly what, huh...)

…Ah, you got out of the truck. Thanks for the drive earlier, you really saved me there.

Yeah, yeah. I called the friend I was talking ‘bout earlier, and guess what, he really dumped me.

He said he couldn't make it because he had something to do. Everyone’s so bad at socializing, god~

Hmm? “It was probably because you called him last minute,” you say? Gyahaha, you saw right through me.

Well, whatever. I've been busy with a lot of things I'm not used to doin’.

…Ahhh, that’s right. Whatever the case is, we can't start without unloadin’ first. We'll figure out what to do after we hand over the stuff you asked for.

I'll do the unlocking and unloading, and you do the roll call.

Well then, let’s…Open sesame~♪

Subaru: —Now! Gami-san, Cathy~!

Koga: Yeah!

Rinne: W-What the hell!?

Tsukasa: Ugh. Due to being in a dark place so long, the outside is so dazzling—

Uwah!

Rinne: Hey there… You okay, Ousama-kun?

Tsukasa: Y-Yes. Thank you very much for catching me. It was thanks to you that I did not fall out from the back of the truck.

Um, how long are you going to hold me for? I'd be happy if you could put me down on the ground.

Rinne: …What kinda feeble person’d listen to that? You’re a real important hostage, ain’tcha?

Tsukasa: Hostage…?

Koga: Akehoshi, stop him! That bastard grabbed him!

Subaru: Cathy!? Rinne-senpai, let Cathy go!

Rinne: No fuckin’ way! If you want ‘im back in one piece, you better do what I say!

Subaru: Huhhh~, taking hostages, what a coward~

Rinne: Gyahaha ​​☆ I don't wanna hear from the guys who’ve been lurkin’ around here without permission!

Hey, I'm not trying to make you feel bad. I just wantcha’ to lend a hand, that’s all.

If you cooperate with me, I'll letcha off the hook for being in the cargo hold, and we'll send you back to Seisou Hall in one piece.

For poor Ousama-kun’s sake, you'd better follow directions, right? Akehoshi-p. a. i. s. e. n ☆

Tsukasa: No, please do not give in, and escape! As long as my senpai are safe, I, Tsukasa Suou, will be happy if I even have the opportunity to leave here!

Rinne: Can’t believe you’re putin’ on airs and actin’ so pretentious now. You're really a knight after my own heart, aren't you? Coochie-coochie-coo~♪

Tsukasa: Pfft, p-please don’t tickle my armpit. Fufufu, hahahahaah!

Koga: Hey, he looks like he’s gonna torture him. Whadda we do, Akehoshi, take ‘im back by force?

Subaru: …No. I'd like to hear what he wants us to do. It's true that we got on the back of the truck without permission.

Rinne: Yeah, yeah, it’s best if you just quietly obey. After all, we have a splendid hostage here! Gyahaha ☆

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[cambrian-creature]

I fucking dare you to infodump Inception lore I dare you, do it coward

🫵👁️👁️

Be me: (loves hearing my friends infodump about things they care about)

You've opened a can of multi-layered worms, my friend.

I'm gonna talk about the Hallway Scene. Have I told you about the Hallway Scene? It's on the second level, in the hotel, and they've missed the first drop. The first drop was supposed to be when the van one layer up went off the bridge, but they didn't time it right so now they're in freefall and that means there's just no fucking gravity on the second layer.

None.

Shit's floating everywhere, people are floating everywhere, my guy Arthur's floating everywhere while in the middle of a fight.

But here's the thing about that: this movie is live action and it's fucking 2010. They can't CGI this and make it look good. And they can't have bad CGI cause it's a big-budget slick sci-fi action movie and ya boi Chris is not gonna settle for shitty CGI. So what do they do? They build three fucking identical hallways. There's the main set, another that's on its side like a big tube, and a third that fucking SPINS. And you're gonna say "well Cam, that's not revolutionary, they did that for Space Odyssey in like the early 60s" well did they make a guy float in the 60s? I don't know I haven't seen Space Odyssey. I don't think they did though.

Anyway. On top of that, there's also a room that spins, which is way harder to deal with cause it's so much bigger and there's way more space to just fucking fall.

So with their three spatially fucked sets, they're ready to film. They call up Joseph Gordon Levit's go-to stuntman and- SIKE! There's no stuntman. It's all him. They just fucking put JGL through the spin cycle and he made it look SO COOL. And weak-ass Leonardo DiCaprio had a stunt double for his role of "pretend to be asleep and get floated around on some wires" lmao. Imagine asking for a stunt double for that after hearing the guy playing your sidekick did THAT. I would simply die. And if you're wondering why I'm not mocking Elliot Page for the same shit, it's because I like him and I do not like dicaprio.

Anyway. You asked me about lore and I am so sorry for going off about the technical bits it's just like my favorite practical effect ever and I take every opportunity to talk about it.

In terms of lore, I never see anyone talk about this but I'm obsessed with how much they change the world? Like obviously there's the scene where Ariadne bends Paris in half like a sandwich and then makes a bridge out of mirrors, and it's immediately shown why you Shouldn't Fucking Do That (see: stab wound), but later we see Eames bend reality so casually all the time.

He changes his own appearance several times, and at one point pulls a grenade launcher out of absolutely nowhere like goddamn Bugs Bunny. And it's fascinating to me as a character detail.

Now that I'm thinking about it, Cobb, Arthur, and Eames all ensure control over their very tricky environments in such interesting ways. Like Cobb tries to control his wife, mentally bringing her back from the dead, trapping her as a shade in his memory. This backfires spectacularly, becoming the main conflict of the movie.

More subtly, we see Arthur's need for control in his appearance (they're thieves in an abandoned warehouse, he doesn't need to wear a waistcoat and keep his hair perfectly jelled all the damn time) and his fondness for paradoxes like the infinite staircase. He needs to have the upper hand on his opponent at all times Just In Case.

Eames, by comparison, seems way more chill, generally a "go with the flow" kinda guy, but I feel like he relies on his tricks a lot. He casually manipulates people, gives himself an extra weapon, probably cheats at poker. I think he's just as messed up as the rest of them.

So putting aside Cobb's severe everything, I wanna look at Arthur and Eames. We learn very little about any of the characters aside from Cobb, but what little we do learn can be built on to form vague yet cohesive backstories.

Arthur is ex-military. My evidence being some of his speech patterns, his knowledge of dreamshare tech as a military tool, his experience with it that implies he's been at it for a long time (it hasn't existed for very long), and his apparent need for organization and order.

In contrast, Eames is a con artist. We first see him playing poker in a dingy bar, his whole job is to lie and manipulate people, and he keeps a sloppy, unprofessional appearance that's probably really good for making people underestimate him.

Both are highly skilled, very experienced, and shown to be good at improvising when shit goes down. Honestly, I think they make Cobb look like an absolute fool most of the time. He's like the guy from Teen Titans who doesn't have any powers and just says "Teen Titans go!" instead of doing shit. I don't like him very much in case you haven't noticed. Cobb, that is. I'm pretty neutral about Robin.

Anyway. Good Movie.

[i-only-came-here-for-my-fandoms]

Going off anon for this because you know what, I'm not a coward, also you know who I am anyways so like. A. (I also don't want anyone stealing my OCs if I'm on anon anyways, even though I doubt that would happen. Better safe than sorry though :3)

I'll start off with the group of fuckers I'm focusing on rn (Yeah, we have a lot of OCs. Been working on these mfs since, I wanna say, 2017? I lost track tbh, but they've all been around for a hot minute)

So, like, since I have no idea where to start, I'll list off the fellas and you can tell me which one you want me to ramble about first:

Blitz Green, War General (and war criminal. Morals are out the window for this guy), he/they, old man, used to be a heavy smoker and his voice gives that away very clearly

Skye Green, Blitz's daughter, helps him out with some tasks, very stern and relatively bitchy, she/they, about 19 years old

Minty Blanc, fr*nch (kind of. This is an entirely fantacy world, France doesn't actually exist, but she's the OC equivalent of French), owns a cafe that doubles as her house, milf /hj, she/her, 37 years old

Sasha Sobaka, hellhound boi, certified dumbass and Blitz's bodyguard/guard dog, he/him, he doesn't have a canon age, that's up to interpretation of the reader

Alaina Way, totally not inspired by an MCR song, no not at all /s, obsessed with explosives and is well known in the rest of the army for this, Blitz is very fond of her, she/her, 32 years old

SORRY THIS TOOK A WHILE LMAO -Leviathan/🦈

It’s fine don’t worry, sometimes I take a lot of time answering an ask that… shouldn’t’ve taken that long lol. But all of these sound really interesting! You can start rambling about them in order if ya want!