#not to be overly spoilery or anything but

[lunaremy]

guy thats going through hell and back in the present vs guy that went through hell and back in the past except guy 1's issue is "im so tired of protecting people please let me rest" and guy 2's issue was "i hate people so fucking much please let me kill people"

[iggy-hands]

Okay, I lied all those other times, but I am for real starting season 2 now

[theajaheira]

any pairing you want + flower, ocean, dessert

THANKS LOVE !! <33 this could be spoilery but nothing is set in stone so it might just be silly post-canon stuff. who knows.

Sea life suits Reverie. She is salt-soaked and windswept and a fucking nuisance at all times, which is how Astarion likes her best. It's always exorbitantly concerning when she's placidly allowing herself to be dragged round by the hand -- he likes it better when she wants to argue, or, best possible option, when she grabs the wheel of the ship mid-argument and nearly capsizes them both trying to prove that she's right about which way they're supposed to be going. He doesn't think he'd mind it overly if she had capsized them. This is a very stolen ship.

"Well, we're still standing," Reverie is saying, determined to return to arguing with Astarion, who is too charmed by their near-disaster and her terrible temper to really keep the thread of the argument. "I don't see what you have to complain about. I was on a ship for nearly a year--"

"It was just over six months," says Astarion. "And you were eleven. I hardly think you retained anything useful."

"How many ships have you been on, Skeleton Key?"

"Not important."

"How many?"

Astarion grabs Reverie by the waist and says, very seriously, "I am going to throw you overboard."

"You do that and you just know Mari won't be sending you any birthday cupcakes," starts Reverie. It takes her a moment of Astarion's disbelieving expression for her to realize, belatedly, "Ah, fuck. Vampire. Guess that's not much of a threat, then, is it?"

"How do you forget?!" says Astarion.

"I don't know," says Reverie. "Guess you're distracting?"

"You could at least try to sound a bit more convinced as to my preternaturally seductive powers of distraction, if only for my ego," sighs Astarion.

"Your ego needs nothing," says Reverie. "And you don't like any of the normal flirty shit, anyway. If I bought you a dozen roses, that wouldn't mean half as much as all the necromancy I got for you so's we could have a bunch of skeletons to be piratical with. Can't spell necromancy without romance," she says, grinning, then adds, "y," somewhat belatedly.

"I am going to throw you overboard, Evie," says Astarion. He squeezes Reverie's waist.

[shinelikethunder]

SPN Brain Rot Tasting Menu

this is not a viewing guide. (the only SPN viewing guide i'll sign off on is "bomb your way through the first 3 to 5 seasons in order, then decide whether you want to watch the direct-to-VHS sequel eras.") this is a "someone near you caught SPN brain rot and you're trying to decide whether to join them in hell" tasting menu, based on what piqued my personal interest when i was still on the fence about continuing with the show.

criteria: basically, "ideal episodes to catch by wandering through the room with no context while a roommate is watching SPN." so, skewed towards self-contained, less-spoilery, solid episodes that don't make me want to fistfight them in the denny's parking lot, but did made something in my subconscious sit up like it had been slapped.

okay, shine, what the fuck is this show's deal: 2x16 Roadkill. god's perfect little self-contained one-off ep. nothing spectacular, just a solidly-executed ghost story set on a lonely mountain highway. fairly representative of how SPN monster-of-the-week episodes roll, requires zero prior investment in the characters to be good, and i'm fond of it because this is basically the point where i buckled in and committed to watching the rest of the show. but also, quietly, almost covertly, a thesis statement for some of the core underpinnings of the whole thing.

shut up and give me the sickos-haha-yes.jpg: 1x06 Skin. what if you thought you were in an X-File but ended up getting erotically tortured by a shapeshifter in the guise of your codependent brother? what if you fuckers were so repressed that this was the only way the show could bring itself to air the dirty laundry of your sibling dynamics. what if the monster was all the parts of yourself you could never quite bury deep enough. what then, huh.

tell me more about the childhood trauma AND/OR c'mon gimme more sick shit: 1x18 Something Wicked. still obsessed with how fractally disturbing this episode is. there's a monster that preys on children at night in their beds and the only way to stop it is to catch it in the act. if SPN were a show with anything to say about morality it could eat itself alive chewing on the question of using children as predator bait, but it's not. it's a show about The Horrors + the shit that couldn't be buried deep enough + family as the first and most inescapable hell + the ways it intertwines damage with salvation. also there's lots of Winchester family flashback content in this one if you want to get invested in these assholes and their daddy issues.

under the cut: duos and trios of episodes on specific themes, including some spoilery ones

fine, get me invested in these assholes and their daddy issues (low-spoiler Lite Edition) AND/OR gimme those Americana aesthetics: 1x11 Scarecrow + 1x12 Faith + 1x16 Shadow. 1x11: SPN does "small town that sacrifices people to the harvest gods" and the brothers have their first big fight (guess who precipitates it). 1x12: SPN does "faith healer with some shit going on" and we get our first go-round with both Sam's belief in a higher power and Dean cheating Totally Certain Death No For Serious You Guys. 1x16: SPN starts in on the relentless pilfering of world mythology and the construction of its own demon lore, and we finally get to meet dad in person, which will exacerbate the mental illness of zero overly-enmeshed twenty-somethings.

(early SPN demon lore fucks incredibly hard, btw, and goes some creepy-ass Twin Peaks places towards the end of the season, which the show later doubles down on just when demonic possession is at risk of devolving into a plot device. this doesn't prevent it from devolving into a plot device, but it does retroactively justify some wild gothic-horror readings of s1.)

the I DON'T CARE ABOUT SPOILERS AND I'M FINE GOING IN WITHOUT CONTEXT menu

get me invested in these assholes and their daddy issues (spoiler-tastic speedrun): 2x08 Crossroad Blues (+ 2x11 Playthings) + 2x14 Born Under a Bad Sign. 2x08: a banger of an episode based on some classic "earthly success by selling your soul at a crossroads" folklore; gains twelve extra layers of crazymaking if you end up finishing the season. 2x11 (optional): a "haunted gothic mansion" monster of the week with some fun stuff between Extremely Normal Siblings. 2x14: more quality sickos-yes content a la 1x06 Skin, with a "woke up covered in someone else's blood with no memory of the past week" setup that goes even further off the rails from there.

i want to study Dean Winchester like a bug: 2x18 Hollywood Babylon + 2x19 Folsom Prison Blues + 3x10 Dream a Little Dream of Me. no comment. no fucking comment. don't look at me. we're not going to talk about it.

ok but tell me about the angel content: 2x13 Houses of the Holy + 4x01 Lazarus Rising. you HAVE to get down in the crunchy details of how SPN has been treating the entire concept of god and angels to get the full effect of 4x01, which is one of the show's banger episodes of all time. 2x13 is great, self-contained, and surprisingly low on spoilers, but 4x01 of course contains massive ones for season 3, my stealth favorite of all SPN seasons.

people keep talking about SPN's goofy and/or meta episodes, what's that about?: 3x11 Mystery Spot + 4x18 The Monster at the End of This Book. both casually spoilery. 3x11 is the beloved "yesterday was Tuesday, but today is Tuesday too" time loop episode where Sam watches Dean die approximately 8908234 times (and then shit gets dark). the arc-plotty parts of 4x18 require head-spinning amounts of context, but this is the one where the show exists in-universe as a series of trashy pulp novels by a guy named Chuck, and it flies impressively close to the sun of some kind of meta-storytelling singularity.

i am a masochist who loves fun side characters whom the show will end up mistreating horribly: 3x12 Jus in Bello. contains all three of my problematic(ally treated) faves: Bela Talbot, a shameless con artist and dealer in supernatural artifacts who's just enough of a Dean parallel to drive him batshit cuckoo-bananas insane with hatred for her; Victor Henriksen, the cocky ambitious FBI agent assigned to investigate the Winchesters' multi-state crime spree; and Ruby, a demon who shows up claiming to be a defector from hell and tries to befriend Sam. this is SUCH a well-constructed base-under-siege ep with SO many moving parts, forcing Henriksen and the Winchesters and eventually Ruby into a great reluctant team-up. it's also my big exception to "no recommending episodes that blow my socks off AND make me want to hunt the writers for sport." mostly because its Big Bullshit is an unnecessary sucker-punch inserted after the main plot wraps up, so i can just cross it out with my mental red pen and go "it's fine, they're lying, all my faves are alive and well and in witness protection." if you've made it this far, you need a warning shot anyway about what this show is going to do to you.

notable omissions that also rot my brain like a compost heap: the last 3 eps of s1 for being best viewed with a whole season's worth of intricate rituals as context; fully half of s4 for being incomprehensible without a ten-minute spoiler reel; 2x17, 3x06, and all the Gordon eps, among others, for being simultaneously incredible and enraging. (notable omissions that are important and have their moments but put me off watching the show for over a decade: the pilot and its 2-for-1 special on women in refrigerators.) do NOT @ me for leaving out other Core Brainrot Episodes. i laid out my criteria already.

[moghedien]

(Also while I have you here I have to ask - what's the general fandom vibes around watching Wheel of Time without reading the books? I know fandoms can vary in that regard (Outlander fans are divided into Oldlanders and Newlanders and let me tell you, they make clear who is better) but the WoT gifsets look awesome and I am intrigued.)

So I'm gonna just point out that I have a lot of WoT blogs blocked because I found them annoying at some point in the past so maybe there's a bunch of wild ass stuff on here that I don't see.

BUT in general ON TUMBLR, book readers are chill and like seeing the responses from non-book readers. like there are criticisms of the show and all, but I see very few people just outright trashing it and I only ever really see people excited to see how show only fans are reacting to things.

However, you have to be very, very careful about spoilers. Not everyone will tag spoilers about the books (most who do use 'wot book spoilers' when talking about stuff from the books) and even some people who think they aren't being spoilery, will overly explain things they shouldn't be explaining to show onlys that have questions. Most people are good. Some people need to be told to chill. Some people will also comment on things assuming that everyone has read the books. It was more a problem last season than this season on here, so hopefully its not happening in general.

outside of tumblr, is a different story. I, someone who has read all of the books multiple times, refuse to look at the WoT fandoms on places like reddit and facebook because they're just a bad time in general. Twitter is just not my vibe so I stay off. Weirdly I see a lot of show only fans on youtube say that the fandom there is great and that they specifically love WoT because the book fans are so nice to them. But tumblr is where I find the WoT fandom the most chill and the most likeminded to me, and so that's where I stay.

I will say that if you do end up watching the show, do not google anything about any of the characters. If you have questions, its probably honestly better to just ask those questions on here and note you're a show only, or send an ask to me or someone else. Like its a meme that google will just immediatley spoil the biggest moments in the book by just searched characters' names.

All this to say that in general the vibes are good just be careful about spoilers lol

[kinetic-elaboration]

November 24: Bellarke, Strong/Weak

I break my block (at least partially) by writing a little ficlet at 3am. LOL RIP me.

Written for a prompt off my July Break Bingo card: strong, and its antonyms (weak, frail, powerless, small)

This is in the same universe as my Time Loop fic Make a Lot of Money and Feel Dead Inside. It's semi-spoilery for some stuff that's not yet published but not overly so. More like, it will make more sense later but nothing in here should be too surprising if you've read Ch1. And if you've read none of it, also fine, this is a prequel type thing.

Bellarke, Modern AU, ~1000 words, written in about 35 minutes

*

Sometimes Clarke asks him to tell her stories, too, and the stories are always about strength. Strength, and perseverance, and fortitude through adversity. He lays the details on thick: the hero’s prominent muscles, the heroine's steadfast and impregnable heart, the ease with which a man picks up a woman and holds her in his arms—every little crevice and thin, twining vein of detail he can find so they can wallow in it, live in it, the idea of a power so profound and so natural that it can never waver, never succumb to doubt.

As he winds out these threads, she stares up at him, lets her fingers play blindly against his arms, his own muscles, taut beneath his skin, and his own words sound like a distant rush in his ears as he looks down into her unblinking, crystalline blue eyes.

He's leaning too much into this habit lately: waiting for Octavia to fall asleep and then creeping out of his own house like a burglar, rolling his bike down the street by its handlebars until he gets to the corner, as if he were being quieter or less suspicious that way. Then he pedals his way to Clarke's house, feeling the night all around him soft and warm, and the rush of air he's created against his face and blowing back his hair. Most nights, the bugs are humming, buzzing loud and the night feels riotous by the time he gets to her place. Strands of hair are sticking to his face with sweat and he's breathing hard, like all this way he was running from something and his life depended on it. He lets the bike fall down in the yard by the big tree with the tire swing, its wheels still spinning, winces at the indecorous metallic sound it makes, and breathes in deep of growing spring humidity and wet and warmth as he tilts his head back and stares up at the dark windows of the house. There's no car in the driveway: Abby on the night shift again.

Clarke's window looks out over the back. When he sneaks around to the backyard, he sees her light still burning.

He never tells her when he's coming over because it would be admitting too much, and fuck he's sneaking out so often now she probably expects him every night—but she never tells him she's waiting up. After the first couple times, she stopped showing any surprise. And she never, not even the first time, has said anything about not wanting him to stay. The route up to her window is precarious and awkward, and she still has to pull him, torso first, through the narrow opening, sweaty and overgrown and with all his limbs stretching out in the wrong places, his muddy boots threatening her bedroom carpet, every time.

Being in Clarke Griffin's bedroom in the middle of the night always feels forbidden and profane and yet predetermined all at once, like he's breaking all the rules to be exactly where he needs to be. A contradiction that slots neatly into his ideas of himself. He's the unflagging strength that does the impossible, the rage-fueled need that just protects and protects and protects, and that's so deep-ingrained he's not sure how he would live without it, but he's the groveling, frail, powerless little boy, too, out of breath and ragged after running all night. This second deep-down part of him needs those stories like breathing, and he needs the sanctuary of Clarke's neat, rectangular bedroom, with the blue-painted walls, her twin four-poster bed in the corner of the room.

She's running her fingers through his hair and kissing his face like she's not seen him in years instead of hours, kisses that linger on his cheeks and his nose, little breaths that he hears against the shell of his ear. The kisses on his mouth linger longest. He wants to pick her up and press her against the wall.

Throw her on the bed. Prove he can.

He still hasn't learned to touch her in a way that doesn't feel like pawing.

He only hears the clock ticking again after, when he's squashed up against the wall trying not to roll over and onto her, crush her, catching his breath again. His whole body is buzzing like he can feel every single atom in him vibrating, reminding him he's big and strong now and it's too late to learn gentleness. Beyond Clarke's shoulder, he can see her bedside table: her alarm clock, a small notebook that might be her diary, a box of tissues that almost fell to the floor while they were fucking. Past that, the slatted door of her closet, the photograph of the Eiffel Tower like she's taunting him with all the places she'll someday go.

"Bellamy," she murmurs, his own name almost a question, maybe a sigh. He repositions himself so that his arm's around her and her head is on his chest. This is a position he could stay in too long if he's not careful, a warmth and comfort to it, to her weight on him, that's tempting as sin.

This is the worst time to be thinking about it. But he's thinking about it. Her window's still open and the high, rising buzz of the insects seeps in, and he can't stop turning over and over in his mind what else he's brought in with him, can't stop wondering if she sees him this way too.

Can't stop wondering what she's thinking, as he glances down, entranced by the heavy rise and fall of her chest.

"Tell me a story or something," she says.

He tries to laugh, only a huff. "Don't get too comfortable listening. I need to leave soon."

"Yeah, but not yet." She pokes him in the side, and he squirms away on instinct, then smiles because he really feels warm in this moment. He presses a kiss to the crown of her head. "Come on. A story where the good guys kick some ass. Defeat some monsters for me, Bellamy."

Defeat those monsters.

He takes a deep breath in, gathering up his thoughts, letting the story come to him.

Kill those monsters dead, he thinks, or die trying.

[autumnwoodsdreamer]

WiP Wednesday 18/09/24

Okay, so, I have some of the next chapter of Unsinkable written up, but I can’t quite get a segment out of it that isn’t spoilery… so how’s about another snippet from the-fic-about-what-Din-was-doing-during-Rebels-which-I’m-slowly-but-surely-writing?

The bartender droid raised its head in a creaking, jerking motion that gave the impression of a skeleton holding onto its last string of life. One eye was too bright, the other dim; it fixed both dead on Din.

Automatically, his hand ghosted to his blaster and he tilted his helmet, challenging it, warning it.

“Enough of that,” Ran muttered as he flicked out his arm and knocked Din’s cuirass with a knuckle. He redirected his attention with a jerk of his chin towards a booth table situated near the back.

It was the most advantageous spot in the cantina: right in the centre of things without being slapbang in the middle of traffic, good view of and access to the exits, and a decent proximity to the bar.

A man—a Devaronian with scarred, yellow-green skin, steady red eyes, and uneven horns—sat at the booth, one foot up on the seat, a muscular arm hanging casually off his knee while the other hand nursed a glass.

Din drew a tight breath, his shoulders setting harder than duracrete.

The man himself didn’t register as much of a threat. In general, Devaronians were hardy and strong; even on his best day, Din wouldn’t pick a fight with one. This Devaronian had a lean but muscular physic, perhaps versed in martial arts of some kind, and he carried a modified blaster, the grip tarnished by age and frequent use—he could fight, he had fought, and the fact he was here and breathing said he had come off the victor many, many times. But there was something of a friendliness to his countenance, a quiet amusement with life all around him, a confidence and a craftiness that didn’t see any point in sparking a brawl that wouldn’t gain him anything.

However, it was his entourage that had Din on edge.

Droids.

And not just any kind of droids.

Modified IG units—built for grunt work, they were like watered down loader droids, but what they sacrificed in brute strength they made up for in flexibility and the capability of speech and violence.

Upon noticing them, Din couldn’t help but think there was a disproportionate amount of droids milling about here. Besides the IG units and the bartenders, there were a few astromechs and protocol droids, as well as some heavily customized units Din couldn’t name.

The Devaronian and his droids fixed their sights on Ran and Din as they approached.

Ran stiffened.

For all his bluster and lazy unflappability, he had his scars—it was the very thing that made Din trust him.

While the droids retained their unnervingly vacant expressions, the Devaronian’s face broke into a pleasant smile.

“Ranzar Malk!” he greeted, and Din noted he wasn’t afraid to speak loud, nor was anyone here bothered by his volume—a man of some command and station, then; well-known, accepted, not overly feared. He opened his arms but didn’t stand or change position otherwise. “Good to see you in the flesh. And you’ve brought a friend!”

Ran came up to him at an easy pace and extended a hand to shake. “It’s just Ran. And this is Mando.”

“A Mandalorian,” the Devaronian said, a note of awed approval in his accented voice. Suddenly, a brow dipped and he canted his head as if puzzling something out. “Real or counterfeit?”

Ran planted a hand on Din’s back. “He’s the genuine article. One of the greatest warriors in the galaxy.”

Under the armour, Din bristled. He didn’t like this: standing here, being talked about like an object on display, his way of life mentioned like a feature, as if he were for sale.

One of the Devaronian’s ears flicked like something Ran said (or, perhaps, the way he said it) irritated him, but his expression showed only that he was impressed. “Is that so? Then you come with a high recommendation.” He waved a hand flippantly, fingers tipped with long, sharpened nails motioning to the empty booth seat in front of him.

[silverwhittlingknife]

Ohhh, what's "the Damian one with amnesia?"

Oh, this one is close to my heart but also kind of a mess and I'm not sure I'll ever actually write it; it's pretty much all "story idea" sdfsfsd It's a Damian + Tim bonding story with a bit of a Damian + Heretic subplot. I guess if I had to compare it to something I'd say it's got some loose similarities to "Tim bonds with Pit-mad!Jason" fanfic, except with Damian and crazy!Tim instead?

I've been sort of stalled on this one because ... I mean various reasons but in terms of "personal writing motivation" I think it's mostly a combination of 1) overly complicated plot, and 2) Dick's only a minor character sfdsfds I find Dick's POV fun to write and Tim and Damian's POVs a bit more difficult, and the story is basically all Tim and Damian, so it's kind of a story that I want to read more than I want to write, you know?

But I am nevertheless attached to it, ridiculous monstrosity that it is. There's amnesia!Tim and BAMF!Damian and curses and reluctant bonding and secret friendship and disguises and misunderstandings and temptation and lots and lots and lots of snowballing lies!

If I ever actually write it the rambling summary below the cut will be completely spoilery; you've been warned sfdsfdsf

OKAY SO there's a convoluted backstory of evil villain plots BUT basically there are TWO PARTS.

Here they are:

Part One: Damian + Amnesia!Tim

Due to [complicated backstory], Tim is basically under a curse where he's alternating between having amnesia and forgetting the past few years, and sometimes being triggered into becoming Evil!Tim who's trying to kill Robin

Damian is under strict orders to go nowhere near him while the Bats scramble to try to fix the Evil!Tim problem

... Damian naturally does not listen to these orders!! He is NOT A CHILD!!!! He is NOT AFRAID!!! He decides to go surveil Drake and then confront him because he's not going to cower in fear!!! He will fight and win!!!

Amnesia!Tim has agreed to be confined to his apartment although he doesn't consistently remember why (it's because nobody has figured out what triggers the appearance of Evil!Tim) and Tim is SO BORED

Tim catches an apparent civilian kid spying on him with binoculars and is immediately charmed

This child is Damian

After whacky shenanigans they bond

Damian makes up an impulsive lie about how he's Definitely Not A Superhero Yet and he's just a Very Innocent Naïve Child who aspires to be a superhero and uhhh that's why he was climbing around with binoculars, definitely

Tim likes him and is also so so bored and offers to train him

Damian does not actually need training bc he is actually already a superhero? BUT this would be a great surveillance opportunity because amnesia!Tim will just tell Damian his weaknesses instead of Damian having to deduce them

so he agrees to "be trained"

It ends up being a lot of fun because first of all Tim is super-impressed with how talented he is and thinks maybe Damian could join Young Justice and Tim could vouch for him, especially since in Tim's opinion Damian's already way more responsible than Superboy *eye roll* (Tim has been dialed back to an earlier age when his relationship with Conner is I Guess We're Friends But Also We Sure Do Annoy Each Other), and it's kinda fun and satisfying for Damian to hear all this praise

And second of all Tim's always been super-tight-lipped around Damian, not that Damian CARES, so THERE, and in order to learn anything about him Damian has had to do things like spend hours hacking into Tim's computer files (out of IDLE CURIOSITY and NOT because he cared) or learning to imitate his voice or spying on him, but now suddenly instead of being tight-lipped Tim is basically an open book? And so now Damian can hear all kinds of thinly-veiled stories that are clearly about Father and Grayson and Todd and Cain and Brown and the Teen Titans, and Tim doesn't realize that Damian actually knows all of these people and can decipher whatever nicknames Tim is giving them, so now suddenly Damian's getting to hear all kinds of relatively-uncensored gossip

And third of all, it turns out to be surprisingly fun playacting at being some nobody who isn't The Son Of Batman and doesn't have to live up to that legacy

And fourth and MOST IMPORTANTLY Damian learns partway through from Grayson that once they've fixed the curse Tim will FORGET EVERYTHING that happened while he was cursed

So this means that Damian is TOTALLY SAFE. He can confess vulnerabilities or be bad at things or admit to confusion and it won't matter because it doesn't count because amnesia!Tim won't remember when he goes back to normal and starts being Damian's insufferable nemesis again!!

And also no one else will ever know because amnesia!Tim has promised to keep their training secret!! And Damian has ofc told no one that he's sneaking into the apartment he's not supposed to be in!!

This is kind of intoxicating and great because normally Damian is being Watched All The Time and very very aware that whatever he does other people will remember and suddenly he is FREE because this particular secret little friendship will stay secret FOREVER and only Damian will ever know about it

By this time he's gotten totally distracted from his "surveil evil!Tim" plan and actually he's over at Tim's place often enough that he's figured out how not to trigger the appearance of evil!Tim

(because Damian started out way less emotionally-invested than the rest of the Bats he's been a much more impartial observer of what's going on PLUS Tim thinks he's just a random kid and hasn't been trying to put up much of an I'm Fine front for him)

Meanwhile the Bats are all super-distracted from Damian by their worries about cursed!Tim so Damian is also kinda lonely which is leading to him getting more and more invested in this secret friendship

AND THEN at some point he finds about Heretic and in this AU Damian is the ONLY ONE who knows about Heretic and he's terrified that he's going to have to fight and maybe kill him and then what will the Bats think??? they will hate him!!! They Can Never Know

... but he HAS to do something because right now Heretic has only been aged up somewhat and he's still younger than Damian, so Damian might if he's very lucky be able to beat him and survive, but the League is planning to magically age Heretic up more and if Damian doesn't do something soon Heretic will be aged into an adult and Damian will have no chance at defeating him, so he has to do something soon...

... maybe amnesia!Tim can help?

Plot ensues; Damian takes amnesia!Tim along on a secret quest to kill Heretic; Damian almost kills Heretic and at first amnesia!Tim is difficult and he's gonna intervene but then he BACKS OFF and then Damian can't bring himself to actually go through with his plan and he saves Heretic's life at the last minute; Tim now tells Damian he let him make the choice because he KNEW HE'D MAKE THE RIGHT ONE; this moment actually fixes Tim's curse because uhhhh gobbledegook having to do with the curse and it's connected back with that old emotional memory that Tim had forgotten with Dick and the Lazarus Pits, so no sooner has Tim said this and started comforting Damian then he gets dizzy and passes out.

So then Damian has to rescue both amnesia!Tim and Heretic which of course he does, with the timely help of a certain Batdragon...

... and even though it scares him, Damian's planning on coming clean and confessing everything, and he knows that amnesia!Tim will back him up....

... and then Tim wakes up. And the curse is fixed. And he's back to "normal." And he doesn't remember anything.

... and he hates Damian again.

Part 2: Damian + Normal!Tim (+ Heretic)

So then the second half of the story was going to be joint Damian and Tim POVs. So on Damian's side he's absolutely determined to conceal his deep dark secret of *checks notes* having befriended amnesia!Tim and then overcome temptation and saved Heretic's life and also saved Tim's life and accidentally broken Tim's curse in the process. And he's made up a complicated fake story about being kidnapped by evil!Tim so that No One Will Know. And also secretly he's kind of miserable about having lost his friend, amnesia!Tim, who's now been replaced by the much more familiar normal!Tim who hates Damian and who Damian hates in return.

And meanwhile! Normal!Tim is certain that Damian's lying because he has very blurry memories that do not match up with the story that Damian is now telling plus his instincts are (correctly!) telling him that it's false, because for mysterious reasons he's finding Damian much easier to read than he used to, and he's intensely suspicious of Damian and certain that he must be concealing something Sinister, and he's trying to figure out what.

And meanwhile Heretic is in a coma and the Bats are trying to heal him and Damian is committed to doing the right thing and not sorry about saving him but also really worried because what if Heretic wakes up and says that Damian tried to kill him, or what if Normal!Tim figures it out, and what if then the Bats hate him forever

(which like. they would not. because this is actually a story about Damian being a hero! but Damian feels guilty about having even considered the initial plan and is mayyyybe not thinking things through very rationally here)

(and also the various things he's been lying about are kinda snowballing at this point)

Anyway meanwhile Tim is conducting extremely intrusive and potentially threatening investigations which might uncover all the lies and then he FINDS SECRET EVIDENCE in the form of Damian's camera with photos and videos plus a sketchbook and Damian is HORRIFIED and tries to FIGHT HIM TO STOP HIM FROM TAKING THESE THINGS and Tim doesn't know what's on the camera but he's so sure it's PROOF of whatever sinister things Damian has been gaslighting him about and whatever sinister things Damian was up to when Tim had amnesia --

-- and then Tim is victorious and gets hold of the camera and takes off with it and gets back to his apartment where he sits down and discovers the DAMNING EVIDENCE of uhhhh. selfies and things where amnesia!Tim and Damian were hanging out.

So Tim is now very very confused and although he still doesn't really understand what's going on it's sinking in that maybe Damian isn't up to anything sinister, just something that Tim... doesn't understand at all, and also now Tim has successfully seized this collection of stuff that turns out to be fairly personal and thus kind of a privacy violation, although also not a privacy violation because it involves Tim damn it, so Tim is very determinedly NOT feeling guilty about this because he has EVERY RIGHT to know what HE HIMSELF was doing that Damian has been lying about, but also it turns out that mostly what Damian's been lying about has been a lot of very wholesome bonding and also some fairly personal confessions that it's obvious he would not want actual!Tim to know, so Tim is NOT feeling guilty but also, okay, fine, he is feeling a little guilty despite himself, and also it is quickly becoming apparent from the little collection of stuff that Damian is... maybe okay? maybe secretly kind of a sweet vulnerable kid? actually? as opposed to Tim's Personal Infuriating Nemesis Child Sent To Torment Him? which is so weird given Tim's entire remembered experience of Damian up until now, and yet the evidence does seem pretty conclusive because he can't figure out what Damian's endgame could possibly be if it was a trick, which means it's not a trick, which means...

And meanwhile Damian is horrified and very upset because he has been FOUND OUT by normal!Tim who hates him, and who will figure out ALL the lies and figure out that Damian was planning to kill Heretic and then he'll tell it all to Father and frame it all in the worst possible light, so to get out in front of it Damian injures himself and goes to Father and tells him that Evil!Tim came back and attacked him and that Tim's very unstable --

And then Damian's BRACED when normal!Tim shows up and Father confronts him with the accusation of having snapped and attacked Damian, and Damian is DETERMINED to stick to his lie and he's not gonna confess NO MATTER WHAT and he's going to say that clearly Tim's memory is wrong again, and then... normal!Tim doesn't deny it. He admits to attacking Damian. Kinda brusquely, but he does. He says he's sorry.

... Tim admits to the thing that he didn't do?

And Tim kinda nods at Damian - now we're even.

Because on Tim's side... he's still not understanding a lot. But he's got the basic idea now. He's gotten that Damian's scared, and he gets that he went too far trying to get hold of the weird evidence. And so he gets that this lie is Damian's retaliation for the privacy violation, and you know what? Fair enough. Tim can lie to Batman too. And besides, this is very clearly something between Tim and Damian, and Tim doesn't really want Bruce involved either.

Now he wants to get Damian alone and find out... well, basically the same thing he's wanted since the beginning, he wants to know what the hell has been going on with him during the huge blank spot in his memory, and he still has the (correct!) instinct that Damian knows all kinds of things he's not telling...

... But now it's slowly dawning on him that Damian might be, like, a Person with Emotions and Vulnerabilities (still such a strange thought!!). Which is also what Damian's afraid of, because when your enemies realize you have emotions and vulnerabilities that's very bad!!! And ever since they met and became Nemeses, Damian has done his best to convince Tim that he has NO VULNERABILITIES WHATSOEVER!!! And now because of his weakness and carelessness with amnesia!Tim he's ruined it all!!! This is disastrous!!!

So when Tim confronts him, he does his level best to convince Tim that he has NO feelings and they were NOT friendly and the bonding was all Damian's convoluted Machiavellian plan, which is actually what Tim believed until he found the evidence, but now Tim has Seen Too Much and doesn't believe that it was just a scheme after all because instead it kinda looks like Damian was... lonely? Because he is a kid? Who was lonely? Kind of like Tim was lonely back in the day? And it's really frustrating to realize this because people (Dick and Bruce) have actually been insisting on Damian's various sympathetic qualities to Tim for ages but it never really felt real before because Tim never managed to see past Damian's façade before and now it just feels very thuddingly obvious?

Anyway the rest is mostly vibes but basically even though Tim still has kinda mixed feelings because he has all his more negative memories of Damian back, he's also had this glimpse at the possibility of a more positive relationship, which he's maybe realizing he might like to have? And maybe he could have it, because he apparently managed it somehow even when his memory was Swiss cheese and also he was sometimes randomly going evil? And also he's feeling super-lonely right now because he has a huge memory gap but he knows Evil!Tim did all kinds of awful things which he feels really guilty about so he's avoiding all his actual friends?

So now Tim tentatively proposes to Damian that maybe they could spend some time together again, and Damian's a little wary because it could be a trap - because this is nemesis!Tim not friend!Tim!!! - but he misses amnesia!Tim so he agrees. So now they're hanging out in secret again, except for real this time and now as themselves instead of amnesia!Tim and disguised!Damian, and they're jointly lying to Bruce about it because thanks to that impulsive lie Bruce is worried that Evil!Tim might come back and has Absolutely Banned Damian from spending any time with him again.

And so then they're Bonding and Tim takes Damian to Blüdhaven to train-surf because Tim has exactly (1) model of how older brothers interact with younger brothers, so that's what he's imitating - and it will probably not surprise you that this is the part I'm most personally attached to and the only part I actually managed to write a bit for sdfsdfds. And Damian has never actually done this weird activity before because Dick didn't do it with him because actually Damian has already trained in pitch darkness, so the whole concept of the blindfolds is pointless for him because the purpose was to get Tim to stop relying on his vision so much, and Damian doesn't rely too much on his vision. So this isn't actually a training exercise that makes much sense for Damian. But Tim is trying and Damian is also trying so they try it together and they end up bonding anyway, because you can't really screw up risking your lives on a train together.

Then we move into the part of the fic that is fuzziest but also full of my favorite ~Vibes~ where Tim and Damian are bonding and lying to Bruce but also they have to lie to Dick too, because Dick believes everything that Bruce believes, and so Tim is having various complicated feelings about lying to Dick and also not getting along super-well with Dick because of all the, you know, lying, plus Dick was one of the people who had to fight evil!Tim so Dick's kinda instinctively wary now because having Tim back feels too good to be true, plus Dick feels guilty for the various things he had to do to subdue evil!Tim, and Tim feels guilty for whatever awful things he did when he was evil!Tim, plus even though he knows it's irrational Tim is secretly kinda mad at Dick and Bruce for believing the lie about the attack, even though it is a lie he is participating in, but look, emotions are complicated. So things between Dick and Tim in the present-day are pretty strained, but simultaneously Tim is revisiting all his best memories with Dick when he was younger because he's trying to figure out ways to bond with Damian.

So Tim is kinda low-key grappling with the problem of I Guess I'm An Older Brother Now, I Don't Feel Old Enough Or Qualified For This And It Alarms Me, much like Dick had to grapple with it back in the day, and simultaneously Damian is also trying to figure out how Older Brother-ing works because Heretic is? maybe? kind of like Damian's younger brother? So Tim is low-key ending up in Dick's position of the Dick-and-Tim relationship, where you're at an exceptional personal low point and estranged from everyone you care about and this very irritating thirteen-year-old keeps hanging around being all up in your business and then somehow you end up hanging out with him and sorta kinda mentoring him a little even though the prospect of being any kind of mentor is deeply alarming because obviously you can't be a mentor, you are not a mentor, you're not even a real adult and your own personal life is a total mess and nobody should listen to you ever, and meanwhile Damian is low-key ending up in Tim's position of the Tim-and-Damian relationship, or rather he's worried he will, because he's got this horrifying younger brother Heretic who will surely try to kill or undermine him as soon as he gets out of the coma, because that's what he's been trained to do, and what if the Bats like Heretic better??? Or what if they decide that Heretic needs Robin more and they won't let Damian be Robin anymore??? And what will happen to Damian then??? And Dick and Bruce are both very worried about Heretic, who's apparently Bruce's second biological son and even younger than Damian and in a coma (and as far as Damian's concerned that's all they know because he hasn't told them anything else, although Dick and Bruce have actually guessed a bit more than Damian realizes), and Damian knows he shouldn't be jealous or paranoid or threatened but actually he is feeling all of those emotions and dreading what might happen when Heretic wakes up and he doesn't want to share his family with Heretic and he doesn't actually want Heretic to be here at all.

BUT ANYWAY it all works out and they gradually all figure out each other's various secrets and Various Emotional Confessions ensue and ultimately Tim and Damian bond, and Dick and Tim get past the strains and get close again, and Tim is able to listen to Damian's anxieties about Heretic and offer some hard-won insights from the older-and-wiser position of Younger Brothers Who Were Trained To Kill You: Admittedly It's Unpleasant At First But At Least One Of Them Is Really Worth It Actually, and then eventually the HAPPY ENDING was going to be Heretic waking up from the coma braced for battle and Damian offering him the Robin costume.

Anyway. I think that's how it would go if I ever actually wrote it. Any and all of the plot ideas are free to a good home if anyone else wants them sdfsfdsfds

[misc-obeyme]

SO. I finally finally finished season four so I’m all caught up with the main story. I wanted to get through it before Nightbringer came out and I have done it.

I would like to begin by saying that I am in love with Thirteen. She's perfection.

I wasn’t sure about Raphael at first but he grew on me by the end. His enjoyment of Solomon’s cooking is concerning, but at least someone likes it??

I actively disliked Mephistopheles at first but he also grew on me by the end. Now I’d say I'm willing to give him a chance and I find him intriguing.

I still don’t feel like I know these characters well enough to write for them though. 😮‍💨 I need more content!

I have some OPINIONS but they’re spoilery so I’m gonna put them under the cut in case anybody wants to read them.

WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON WITH SIMEON I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW.

I mean, I already knew that he was human now so it’s not like I was surprised or anything. Even if I hadn’t encountered this truth by spending too much time in the fandom, it’s pretty easy to guess.

But I’m annoyed because it MAKES NO SENSE.

I really enjoyed season three and I loved the angels running the cafe, all of that was great. And I get that this happened because Simeon was already a human by that point, but there could have easily been a different reason for it.

This game isn’t exactly known for being consistent or even making sense most of the time, but this whole Simeon is a human thing feels even more haphazard than the usual stuff.

First, what even is the angel’s blessing? How does not having access to it make Simeon straight up human instead of just an angel without powers? Is he mortal now? Is he gonna start aging like a human would?

Second, Simeon saved MC and/or Lucifer’s life (depending on your choice iirc) by taking the Ring of Light. MC’s powers were so great that it was causing actual harm in the world that would only get worse. The Ring of Light fixed that without anyone having to die. Isn’t that more important than the fact that Simeon took it without permission? Is the Celestial Realm so weird about rules that they can’t see past them when it’s necessary?

I’m not exactly fond of the Celestial Realm in general. I know the brothers always seem to be like we miss it and oh yes what a lovely place and blah blah, but it sounds bonkers. They're stuck up, overly strict, and too fond of punishments that don’t fit the crime. I much prefer the Devildom where that sort of thing only really manifests as a leftover in Lucifer, at least in my opinion. (I mean, the punishment for skipping class at RAD is detention and while writing lines is pretty old school, Simeon's line was "I may smile all the time, but I'm scary when I'm angry! ♡" So you know.)

Third, Lucifer said that Simeon couldn’t go back to the Celestial Realm now. So does this mean they not only took away the angel’s blessing, but also straight up kicked him out? Or is it more like you just physically can’t get there without the blessing?

Fourth, Lucifer also suggests that Raphael is there to watch over Simeon. I find the motivations here questionable. If Raphael volunteered to be an exchange student for the express purpose of looking out for Simeon, that would make sense. Raphael seems to be genuinely fond of Simeon. So if the motivation was his own and he just wants to look out for his friend, that checks out. And it makes me like him more. But if it was more like the Celestial Realm (Michael??) being like, hey Raphael can you go watch that guy for us? Then I find it concerning.

I thought all of this might make some sense if Simeon is meant to fall completely at some point and become a demon, but no. That still makes no sense. Lucifer and his brothers fell after a major war, it wasn't like they gradually started going down or anything. And there is no mention of any other angels falling and becoming demons, so I don't know if it's even happened again.

I just don’t get where they’re going with this. Is MC supposed to help Simeon get his power back somehow? Because while I would like that to happen, it’s annoying that it had to happen in the first place. Especially since Simeon DID THE RIGHT THING.

I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO KNOW WHAT IS UP WITH THE REAPERS.

Thirteen is obviously still living in her cave, which is fine and all, but is she like one of many? It sounds like she is. And apparently they don't belong to any one realm, so are there reapers living in all the three worlds? Do they have some kind of leader? How many candles do each of them keep in their own caves? Like there are a lot of humans so there must be a pretty decent amount of reapers needed to keep track of all the deaths and what not. The existence of the brothers' candles also implies that they can in fact die, especially since that was the whole reason for going to the cave to begin with. But I'm confused about how that even happens. Like do demons just live a really really long time, but then at some point they age rapidly and fade away? Or is it more like at some point they just meet with a terrible accident or something?

I think the big issue for me personally with all of this is that I want EXPLANATIONS but this is not really an explanation sort of game. The focus really is on MC's relationships with the brothers and others, not really about how the Devildom/Celestial Realm/magic works.

But because I have so many questions, I have a tendency to want to fill in the missing information for myself. I could absolutely answer all these questions in fic form in a way that makes sense to me personally, you know? Do I have the time to do that, no not really, but do I very much want to? YES.

We'll see, maybe I'll do some more long form stories exploring some of this stuff. But I'll probably wait until after Nightbringer because with any luck they'll give us some answers! At the very least, they seem to be about to give us some Barbatos and Solomon backstory which is another thing that I HAVE MANY QUESTIONS ABOUT.

And don't even get me started on the whole student council joining nonsense, what even was all that about? A dark crevasse, really?

All I really want is for Barbatos to say he loves MC in the main story. Is that too much to ask?! You can leave all my other stuff unanswered if I can just have that. (Though it'd be really funny if that actually has happened and I just forgot about it. I wouldn't be surprised haha. But I can't remember him ever saying that or anything close to it in the main story.)

I just love him so much and I really thought he was going to say something about his feelings at the end, especially when you choose to say I love you to him, but he didn't. Even if you choose the other option, he doesn't. I want to both shake him and smother him with kisses.

Okay, okay, rant over. Clearly the brain rot is all consuming. I didn't even realize I had quite this much to say and I could keep going. Now I'm also greatly concerned for my own sanity.

But it's okay, it's about to get worse because I'm ready for Nightbringer! I can't believe it's coming out so soon! But there's no doubt in my mind that it's going to increase my obsession.

If you read this whole post, you are truly a lovely person and I appreciate you. Also if there are inaccuracies in what I've said because I forgot something or misinterpreted something, please let me know!

[rocky-the-rockstar]

1. 3. 5. 8. 11. 17. 19. 20. 21. 23. Gingerstorm NOW

JESUS SO MANY THANK YOU :0

1. What memory would he rather just forget

I can't tell you that because it hasn't happened yet :)

3. Fatal flaw and is he aware of it

Feels some emotions so intensely that they become irrational, and others almost not at all. For example he has a hard time feeling and expressing empathy and remorse for strangers or acquaintances and by extension has trouble forming close bonds (his whole life not just during the apocalypse). But he experiences anger, jealousy, and pride to such an extent that they cloud his judgement. He also by default is so self loathing and insecure that any sense of pride ego or accomplishment is addicting. This can cause him to pretend to be overly confident to a point where he comes off as a dick or just full on put himself in danger by being overly cocky for the sake of adrenaline.

He's????? Somewhat aware of this. I believe denial may be the word 💀

5. How far is he willing to go to get what he wants

Mehhhhhhhhhh this could potentially be spoilery?!?!????? And it really depends on the specific situation. He has low empathy and a wacked up sense of morals but he's generally a good person. Things like theft and lying to strangers are on the table no question even before the apocalypse but it would take soooo much to get him to do anything drastic. However its easy to get under his skin and manipulate him due to how intensely he feels negative emotions and praise, and its probably easy to break down and brainwash him *cough cough* but you didn't hear that from me :3

8. Would he ostensibly be able to get away with murder

I really don't think so 😭 first of all I'm not convinced he COULD kill a person, but like if he WERE to kill some non-infected person?? You know how Raskolnikov would get so anxious when he heard discussion of the murder that he got physically ill and would pass out?? And would get so scared of being caught that he would just impulsively confess?? Yeah. That's this bitch. Painfully obvious, which is extra funny cuz he isn't even a bad liar by any means, he's just dumb and guilty. Bonus points tho if no one suspects him despite it all for some reason, just because I think that's hilarious.

11. Weapon of choice, has he actually used it

His taser is his favorite but it's not all that effective against zombies, it's mostly for non fatal defense against other survivors or animals, so he doesn't use it all that much. His other two weapons are a crossbow and a crowbar, he uses both a lot obviously.

17. What's the worst thing he's been put through story wise

You silly goose that would be spoilers

19. How does he act when enraged

Ok well Gingerstorm is Anger Issues Central for starters. He's very quick to anger and an explosive type, throws and hits things, yells a lot. If really angry he'd probably just go outside and smash things till he feels better. Afterwards he's very "lmao ok so anyways-" He would never ever physically take his anger out on Greenstripe or the cats, Greenstripe would have to do something that crossed a huge line to Gingerstorm personally in order for him to hit him and even then I don't think he could. However there have been times where he slipped up and yelled at him, which he immediately apologizes profusely for, but even that is a rare occasion. While he's not good at controlling his anger in general, he's pretty good at not taking it out on those he loves.

20. Does he have a tendency to get jealous and if so how does it manifest

UH YEAH. How it manifests depends on the type of jealousy. When it comes to something like thinking someone he's close with likes someone else better than him, he's irrationally easy to set off. Like the slightest shift in vibe has him rethinking his entire worth to that person. This he feels the most intensely but tends to bottle up and and just kinda self loath in silence. He may get more clingy and affectionate or completely shut himself out for the sake of "not bothering" the other person since they "don't want him", it's kinda a 50/50 shot as to which he'll do. Either way he's just being dumb and it doesn't take much at all to reassure him, a little bit of affection and a few kind words and he's like "oh lol I was just being dramatic, anyways"

Now jealousy as in like "this person has something that I want" he doesn't usually care that much, like he's jealous but not enough to do anything about it.

If he's jealous of a specific person because like? He sees them as the embodiment of what he wishes he was, or he feels like they're replacing him (wether this be in a relationship or just like "hey that's MY thing you're stealing my vibe") he'll hate their guts. Probably irrationally, but he'll be the most petty mf.

21. Does he have any illnesses or disorders and how does he handle them (TW for mental illness talk and brief mention of suicide)

Chronic joint pain 😔 it's manageable most days but there's days where he can barely do anything. He pushes himself to the limits all the time but there are days where he may need help walking, and he feels stupid for so and apologizes a lot to whoever is helping him (literally who would it be other than Greenstripe 😭) he also denies to rest a lot but Greenstripe would probably force him once he starts going "ow ow fuck ow" every five seconds.

Mental - bro for sure ADHD, aspd, depression, anxiety, suicide ideation, symptoms of psychosis, and dissociation/derealization issues. He may also have bpd but there's no psychiatrists in the apocalypse who knows [shrug] just know he displays most of the symptoms. A lot of it is caused or amplified by the apocalypse, but he wasn't exactly ok beforehand either

He has a generally "fuck it we ball" mindset about most of it and will even deny that he's not ok. Again, it's the apocalypse???? Yeah he's gonna be kinda fucked up???? He finds it manageable, but when things DO get really bad they may result in some weak half hearted attempt to take himself out but he feels too much guilt towards the idea of leaving his friend and cats behind in a literal apocalypse to commit to it. He just lets himself get busted up a bit and then goes home like nothing happened.

All that being said he's much easier to keep happy and healthy than he is to actually spiral since he finds a lot of joy in the simplest pleasures, he just has this underlying "dawg I hate myself and am scared all the time" mentality that came free with the zombies. He's also a clown around so that I can avoid reality kinda guy

23. What emotion is the hardest for him to process. How about express

Process - grief, sadness, loneliness, helplessness, pain in general

Express - sadness, helplessness, frustration, love (in a coherent way, he's very affectionate and babbles "I love you"s a lot but is a mess if he tries to put it in words beyond that), overall VERY bad at putting his emotions into words and intentionally acts like a loud fool to avoid them

[cloverthirteen]

unsorted (and spoilery) mario movie thoughts under the cut since I saw it today

first to get it out of the way: critics apparently complained about the plot being too simple and straightforward, none of the characters changed that much, too much stuff being thrown at you and too many references...it's a mario movie. this is basically what the plots of the games are. if anything these things helped the movie by making feel more like the games!

for my personal issues: first half of the film goes at an absolute breakneck pace and luigi doesn't get to do nearly enough. mario and luigi also spend way too much time apart :(

otherwise, though, THIS MOVIE IS AMAZING. it was clearly made by fans and caters directly to fans, the amount of easter eggs and references is enormous.

THE MUSIC. nearly all of it is BEAUTIFUL orchestral versions of songs from the series and it's everywhere and in the most unexpected places. underground theme in the sewers, bowser's castle theme as his fortress is approaching, super mario 3 athletic theme (I think?) when mario gets the tanooki suit, mario kart menu music in the kart garage, LUIGI'S MANSION MELODY WHEN LUIGI FIRST ENTERS BOWSER'S KINGDOM? I am kissing all of the orchestra members and composers DIRECTLY on the mouth for their work. and if we're talking about music...

DK RAP BABY!!!!! the crowd loves that guy! they even name-drop diddy kong during the scene!

there are also a few pop songs in the movie, though take on me during the introduction to the jungle kingdom is the only one that felt really out of place

the bros' path to their first job being a recreation of world 1-1 complete with a castle-like building at the end...that scene was totally there to show off but it's very neat

MARIO AND LUIGI ARE BEST BROS...mario gets to protect luigi from insults and luigi gets to say that any princess with good taste would be into mario...their relationship is the BEST and I'm so sad we didn't get to see them directly interacting more...

somehow I wasn't expecting bowser's plan being to marry peach since it was left out of the trailers...but it's hilarious seeing bowser plan it all out and they even got bowser's and peach's wedding outfits from odyssey, so it was perfect

I was a bit worried that they would lean too hard on peach being a do-anything Girlboss™ but while she's tough she's clearly got her kind side too! protecting her people is her biggest concern and it's even exploited by bowser!

bowser gets to sing a love song for peach with bisexual lighting and everything. you can tell jack black was having the time of his life

speaking of the voice cast, they all did really well! I didn't have many doubts as a whole but even chris pratt was great as mario. didn't think I'd ever write that sentence but it's true

kamek was such a proud dad to bowser despite his limited screentime. love it

I'm not sure why spike was part of the initial advertised voice cast because he's barely in the movie lol

out of all the powerups I expected to return, I was not expecting the mini mushroom and ice flower, but they were incorporated very well!

other things I didn't really expect: mario and dk having a rivalry that builds into a friendship was cute. also they straight up get swallowed by the mario 64 eel

princess peach backstory?????? at least in the movie canon she isn't from the mushroom kingdom and just arrived via warp pipe from...somewhere as a baby. also using the baby versions of peach and the bros for flashbacks is incredibly cheesy but also cute in its own way

there were surprisingly few cringeworthy or self aware jokes and no awkward overly long gags, which must be some kind of first for illumination based on what I remember

the animation was spectacular as expected. rainbow road looks fucking gorgeous and the character animation was fun to watch

no really romantic moments between mario and peach unfortunately, though we did get a lot of very nice interactions between the two overall so I hope they build on their relationship in a potential sequel

so yeah...it's good and very fun. go see it if you haven't already!!

[irregularbillcipher]

For the ask thing— 9

a lot of my favorite interactions are very spoilery, so i'll stick to stuff that's already been published!

anyway you might expect me to say something between bill and andy, or gus and clem, but one of my favorite exchanges is actually this little section with chuck and andy

There was no school the next day, and Chuck wished he were a little more surprised when he opened the door to find someone already on the stoop, bouncing excitedly and chewing on a pen. Well, he assumed it was bouncing, but it could have just as easily have been heavy shivering. He had his gloves and his scarf, but it didn’t really look anyone had made sure he was bundled particularly well. “… Come in, Andrew, you’ll get frostbite out here,” he said tiredly, ushering him in. “I can’t believe your parents would let you wait here in this weather…" “They like when I’m out of — I’m out of the house,” he said, pen still in mouth. “They don’t care what I do as long as I— they don’t care what I do, really.” Chuck humphed at that, and instead of following up, just said, “You know that Mr. Sebald probably isn’t going to be in very early, I’m sure he has things to do—” “Gus,” Andy said absentmindedly, still gnawing. “He asked us to call him Gus.” “I know he did,” the old man said gently, “But I still don’t think it’s a good idea for us all to get too overly familiar with a Polygon. Especially you kids.” Andy bit down on his pen very hard at that, cracking it. He looked extremely downcast, and didn’t even seem to notice the ink dribbling down his face. “But he wants us to call him Gus.” “I’m not saying we shouldn’t call him what he likes when he’s in the shop I just… I don’t want this attitude towards Polygons to become a habit for you or William.” Chuck grabbed a cheap fabric scrap, wiping the boy’s chin. “I don’t want either of you to say something to the wrong person and get in trouble.” “… Okay.” The man sighed. “You can still get your stories from him if he’s alright with it, you don’t have to ignore him, just… be careful, alright?” he tossed the scrap into a basket under the counter. “And try to make sure William stays out of trouble, too?” “I always do.” “I know you do,” the man smiled, deciding not to mention the times the boy had acted more as a co-conspirator than a protector. “… Now, did you get breakfast?” A piece of toast and a cup of black coffee later, along with some muttering under Chuck’s breath that sounded very much like can’t even manage to feed their kid some toast, Bill unlocked the door, grabbing his work apron from the hook. He'd already started some rant about something or other, before noticing Andy on the counter. “The hell are you doing here already?” “Hey,” Andy waved, wiping crumbs from the corner of his mouth. “Didn’t wanna miss Gus.” “… That’s my mug.” “You can use a different mug,” Chuck said. “We don’t have sugar, but we have some coffee and toast if you need it.” “We got butter?” “In the back, with the bread,” Chuck said, waving vaguely towards the door behind him. “Put the top back on the dish when you’re done.” “… Do you always get Bill breakfast?” “Just started, and something after class,” Chuck said. “He’s louder when he’s hungry.” “Oh.” “And you’re sharper when you’re not hungry,” the man yawned, opening a paper and sitting down. “We usually have bread and coffee. Shop opens at eight weekdays, you should still have time to get to school most mornings. Don’t expect anything more.” He didn’t elaborate on the offer, but Andy smiled. “…Thanks.” “Mmm,” the old man waved him off. 

i just... like writing chuck in general, and he's certainly much, much closer to bill than with andy, but there's something about him and andy that sort of get to me

like, with clem and bill... they're his employees. it makes sense that he cares about them-- he spends a lot more time with them and, especially in bill's case, feels a sense of responsibility for their well-being. bill is his apprentice, and someone he has definitely realized has a bad homelife because while it hasn't been shown onscreen, he has actually met bill's parents and Didn't Like The Looks Of Them, and has heard bill rant and mutter about some things that have set his dad/grandpa senses off in the worst way

meanwhile, clem has a good dad but absolutely no resources, and he knows how much money he's helping her bring in and feels bad that it often just isn't enough. she's his business partner, so he of course wants to do everything he can to support her, and he's also just that type of old guy who feels pretty protective of younger women, and he feels this sort of responsibility to make sure she's doing alright. (there's a reason he always has this softer tone with her, and calls her "ms. playfair" and "dear" a lot. it's absolutely 100% well meaning, but there's a little sexism at play there)

andy, though, is basically a glorified loiterer. he's not someone chuck has any sort of social responsibility towards, really, other then the general "adults should, ethically, be making sure kids are in safe siutations" social responsibility all grown-ups have towards kids... but even then, in flatland, that social responsibility really doesn't extend to the kids chuck has decided to care about, because they've all been written off as disposable in some way. and andy, unlike bill and clem, is not someone that chuck has, by way of hiring, decided to take any quantifiable or contractual responsibility for

but he still brings him in from the cold, noting that his only real protection is a scarf that he helped pay for a chapter before. he still gently reminds him not to get too friendly with someone who might have power over him, as a vulnerable kid, even if gus is genuinely a sweetie. hewipes his chin off like a tired dad when andy gets ink on his face, tries to remind him to stay out of trouble, and to keep bill out of trouble too, gives him some food, and makes sure to let him know there's always going to be a warm place and a meal around for him at the shop if he needs it

later in this same chapter, he even pulls clem aside and asks her if bill and kryptos have ever talked about their parents, because what he observed today with andy, and the stuff he observed before to even make him start setting aside breakfast for bill, just... has him worried. flatland society as a whole would not expect him to worry about these two kids, and especially not andy since andy isn't even "useful" to him in the way that bill is useful as an apprentice/employee, but he can't help being a dad

idk, there are other parts in the fic that show chuck really cares about the people in his shop-- andy's birthday being a good example-- but being nice to a kid on his birthday and firmly asserting your store as a safe place for him to be warm and fed if he ever needs it are different types of kindnesses, and i really like showing chuck looking out for the kids in his shop in a more quiet way, especially the kid who doesn't even work for him

[gildedmuse]

Despite all appearances otherwise, I'm still (like barely) alive. I'm actually all caught up with the anime right now and there is just so much I've been needing to scream into the electronic void talk about. (I've even got screenshots/gifs for most of it, it's just a matter of finding a time when work doesn't drain every inch of my health by the end of day.)

But I didn't stop by to complain! No, I just wanted to share a minor clip from one of the more recent episodes. Nothing big or spoilery or anything, promise. It's just this small, otherwise unimportant, entirely missable scene....

You know, the one with Zoro being so unbelievably sexy that I haven't once stopped thinking about it in DAYS.

Just look at him! That smirk! (Are they sure Enma is the sharpest blade because that smile could cut right through a Mihawk's cold, haki infused heart.) Actually, you don't even have to look at him, that voice alone is easily more powerful than Gears 1 through 3 (and hey, I won't claim it could take on the god-like powers of Gear 4, we don't really have enough material to judge. Oh, here's an idea! Let's put them both in front of Law, see which one destroys him faster. I don't care if Gear 4 is Buggy-Bunny-But-The-Rock, The Rock still has to wind up his punches. But that look directed right at you? The devastation is likely immediate and irreversible.)

Like, the way he starts out almost defeated, the gravity and soberness in that initial "No" as he turns to face this seemingly unbeatable force. He's put the weight of Luffy's dream and the promise he's made to his captain on winning this battle, and taken along with how serious and direct he's been with Franky so far it helps create an expectation we're going to see that determined, unemotional, unbending Zoro from Thriller Bark or his battle with Kaido. He'll probably say something somehow very self centered while appearing selfless with that grave steeliness he gets when he's resolved against all odds like, "No, I have to do this alone" or "No, what good am I as a swordsman if I can't do this for my crew and our captain?" or if he wanted to go with the typical overly dramatic swordsman tone: "No, Luffy is trusting me - to defeat this man, and make him king of the pirates!" And we'd all swoon because even though Luffy's default introduction/greeting/phrase to yell out regardless of the circumstances is, "My name is Luffy D Monkey and I'm going to be the king of the pirates!" when it's someone else saying it, fans get all emotional. Especially if it's one of the core characters who has a reputation as being more mature or is typically more reserved and private or is, I don't know, someone who tends not to waste his breath correcting stupid people who are being stupid because what does Zoro he care what these nobodies think, Zoro he knows with unshakeable certainty that what Luffy says is true and has enough confidence in both his captain and his own abilities that other's opinions aren't worth addressing.

And even though Zoro turning all seriousness and focused marks some amazing moments in battles, the way that at the last second he is staring straight ahead at this natural disaster level foe and that smile just cuts across his face, completely slicing through that more serious mask Zoro sometimes wears to reveal that bloodlust and pure unadulterated love of the challenge is so absolutely gorgeous and perfect and satisfying.

Like, yeah, of course I love when Zoro gets all Business-Only, For-My-Crew-Name-And-Captain and just doesn't back down or lose focus because he understands this is something he has to do and only he can take on this fight. It fills me with so many, many emotions all of which Zoro is doggedly ignoring because it's all about The Fight but in my heart I know it's because he feels so much for his friends that he's decided that this is his role on the crew to act as both attack and guard dog and take/deal the hits they can't. Beautiful.

But man, oh, man, can anything beat when Zoro goes full "fucking brat who thought learning to hold a katana between his teeth and stumbling his way through a handful of forgettable bounties meant that when the worldwide champion, a warlord, a man so unmatched he's become bored of the very art he master just happened to be passing by he immediately thought to himself, yeah, I'm MORE than ready to kick this asshole off his throne. Hell, just last week I was stabbed and nearly killed by some shitty clown but look how that turned out. I can take on anyone, this bastard included. For fuck's sake he's only got one sword. Fucking amateur."? And whose sole reaction to having his chest sliced in half was, "yo, captain, if you've got a fucking problem with me being fucking UNSTOPPABLE speak up while you can because after this, it's all kicking ass all the time."?

Like, man, you are one cocky little idiot. Never change.

And he didn't.

[celestialcass]

Thank you!! Hopefully this ask isn’t too spoilery: Raph’s my comfort guy but I’m anxious he only seems like the bully/tough kid in MM and will be in the background compared to Mikey and Leo. Does he have any sweet scenes at all? Anything that makes him stand out from the others? Thank you!! 🥹

No worries! I'll try to answer without spoiling anything big.

There are a lot of 'anger management' and 'you need therapy' jokes in regards to Raph, as it's stated he 'dreams about fighting every night' but he's not a bully and he is only violent towards the bad guys. He has a running joke of wanting to leave when a non-fighting situation is happening, which does make him stand out a bit. He has a sweet scene of trying to comfort/distract his brothers during a stressful situation, and he is never overly rude (beyond playful brotherly razzing). He does join in on some silly singing and goofy moments, as well as being attentive to save his brothers from danger multiple times in fights, which is endearing.

I still absolutely prefer Rise! Raph, as he's a gentle giant with an even bigger heart, while MM! Raph doesn't look much different from his brothers and acts similarly to them too. All the turtles are 15 in MM! and you are correct in assuming Leo and Mikey get more focus, but none of the turtles get much individual character development (I would actually say Splinter and April go through bigger character growth lmao). It definitely feels like most of the character building will be done in the 2 season show in between movies.

I hope this answers your questions!

[strangeswift]

out of curiosity, when you finish and post m*levenvision, how do you plan on tagging it on ao3? since it’s technically mike/el, but not in support of the two..?

Hi anon!

I have thought about this too and I have literally no idea. If anyone has any input on that I'd love to hear it lmao.

What I may have to do is just not tag a pairing at all, just tag the characters. Because obviously I don't want it to show up for people that are searching for M*leven fics. Even though it is a M*leven fic technically but like you said not in favor of them.

Because it's very niche I don't know how many people on AO3 would be interested anyway, other than obviously people from tumblr who have heard me explain the concept and are interested. So I'm not overly concerned about people being able to find it by tag search on AO3 honestly. I'm not banking on a fic like this getting big, I'm kind of writing it for myself and you guys. Cuz I feel like most people are boring and want to read romance centric fics only, which this is not.

I'm gonna have to come up with a summary or tags that sort of explains the concept without being too spoilery, so that people understand what they're getting into. Not that it's super crazy or anything but like... it kind of is especially if you're going in blind.

But all of that being said, for the people that are interested in the concept, it's gonna slay the house boots down. So. You guys just have to all read it. 👉👈

[matcha-gh0st]

Just a heads up (talking to the stuffed animals on my desk) I do wanna draw something inspired by the leaked Plankton movie, not overly spoilery or anything but I'm going to tag it #spoilers and #plankton movie in case anyone is waiting until the official release