#anyways it’s fascinating and it’s on youtube it’s called ‘strong enough to break’

[a-moth-to-the-light]

Current Top 10 EXO Songs

I'm counting their subunit/solo songs as eligible--I'll specify when a song isn't from EXO as a group! Though, I did stop myself from putting literally every song from Kai's first two albums on here--I can't be THAT biased (even though I totally am).

1. Gravity

This song is the high of dancing all night--and it's a great song for dancing all night to. This is only above "XiangJiang River" because of sentimental value, but "Gravity" EARNED that sentimental value. It got me through a lot, and for good reason :)

2. XiangJiang River -- Lay

Yes, this is here on a technicality (Lay is like barely in EXO at this point), but it's too legendary to miss--this is on my personal greatest songs of all time list.

3. Artificial Love

For such an icy song, this should not be as catchy & memorable as it is. Everything the YouTuber mera said about Aespa’s “Savage”, that’s what this song is to me.

4. All I Got -- Baekhyun

I think what makes this song breathtaking is how classic it feels--this feels like a cover of a song I've been hearing in the car since I was a little kid, so Baekhyun going absolutely WILD over it with the vocals doesn't feel overwhelming at all! It's a perfect match--such a simple song with the luxury & excess that is Baekhyun's vocal style. If you like Demi Lovato's "You Don't Do It For Me Anymore", I would highly recommend this song!

5. Baby You Are

Somehow, I don't even mind the awkward rap section anymore--I've listened to it enough times, just for that gorgeous instrumental, that now I love everything about this song, even against my better judgment.

6. Ride or Die -- Kai

The peak of the Kai album aesthetic, and this whole album was already top-tier aesthetic. It's dark, but like in the way it's dark when I switch off the overhead lights and turn on my tiny lamp before bedtime--it's dark like peace, like rest, like a break from the light. And I guess that break was much-needed, because this album is one of the few I enjoy as a concept & unit, not just as some individual songs--though "Ride or Die" is something special, what with that bass.

7. Stay Up -- Baekhyun feat. Beenzino

Remember what I said about luxury & excess being Baekhyun's vocal style? "Stay Up" is another PERFECT use of his talent--just listening to this song feels like I'm taking a vacation day; or spending a little extra money on something fun; or falling asleep on a weekend night, knowing I don't have to set an alarm for tomorrow. Maybe that isn't luxury to everyone, but for me that feeling is EXQUISITE. Needless to say, I love this song.

8. Wait

A nice little ballad for the winter :)

9. White Noise

This is SUCH a weird song, but the way it totally doesn't work, or only maybe kind of does, is what makes it one of my favorites--it fascinates me in the way Red Velvet's "Cool Hot Sweet Love" does, like it's only barely holding itself together by some kind of magic but it ends up being super awesome anyway?? Also that opening is a CLASSIC.

10. Peaches -- Kai

I might think "Ride or Die" is a better song now, but this is the song that sold me on Kai as an artist. After hearing "Peaches", I understood completely the appeal of a discography based on this aesthetic, atmospheric, soothing music--deep soundscapes and soft, bittersweet melodies. Though "Amnesia" was the first Kai song I liked, "Peaches" is the one I can credit with putting him in my top ten artists list. The vision is so strong in this track, and I'm completely sold.

Honorable Mentions:

Overdose, Call Me Baby, Lucky One, Monster, Lotto, The Eve, Wait, Ya Ya Ya, Cream Soda

Ghost, Cry For Love -- Baekhyun

Amnesia, Vanilla, Domino -- Kai

Morning Star -- Suho

#oh my god this was a tough list to make. hence all the honorable mentions #i could have easily done this without soloists and still had a really rough time !! #i think the challenge is how many exo songs i really really admire #there are lots of artists i enjoy a bunch of songs from ! #but with exo its like #how can i leave any of these out it would be crime against this stellar piece of production and vocal performance and songwriting HOW HOW #artist top ten #exo #kai exo #baekhyun exo

[known-as-naya]

What’s your favourite thing about the Klebekah dynamic and your fave scenes? What was it that drew you to them

Thanks Yuki for asking this, it took me hours to think of all my fav scenes but it was worth it lol ❤️

My fav thing about the klebekah dynamic:

So, klebekah. I simply love them if it isn't obvious by now lmao, their codependent and dysfunctional toxic relationship fascinates me so much. They're litteraly the most important person in each other's life and I love that, I love how they understand one another with just a look, I love how they never gave up on each other for a thousand years despite all the betrayals, I love how they adore and worship one another, I LOVE THEM.

Rebekah was the person klaus loved the most in the world (besides hope ofc) it's actually funny how most of the fandom doesn't realize the impact she always had on him, she was his humanity for a thousand years, she was his constant (along with Elijah ) and he was hers, and as we saw on the show Rebekah was the person he showed affection the most.

As for rebekah, Klaus was the man she ADORED since she was a little girl, he was her big brother, the person she wanted to be like when she gets older, her protector, soulmate and best friend. Rebekah was the only person who never actually tried to change him, she loved him as he is during a thousand years and I LOVE THAT.

-The thing that drawn me to them:

Are a lot of things but THE CHEMISTRY was what made me fall in love, fun fact: but the first time I discovered klebekah I was watching a tvd scene on YouTube a couple of years ago and coincidentally it was their 3×03 Chicago flashback scene with Stefan, and I thought they were a sort of threesome of something lmao and when I knew they were siblings I was shocked but continued to ship them anyway cause why not.

What are your fav scenes ?

Oh boy, this is a very DIFFICULT question cause I practically love all their freaking scenes, but I eventually have to choose so there you go:

-I'll begin with tvd:

-There's 3×03, of course, THIS WHOLE EPISODE IS FULL OF INCEST. the "I'm not your girlfriend", the "choose him or me" Klaus' jealousy, the eye sex, the daggering session, the hand holding, EVERYTHING SCREAMED KLEBEKAH. This ep was such a strong introduction to their strange dynamic.

-3×04: my fav thing about this ep is Klaus taking rebekah to shop and being a child about it. He was so done with her already but at the same time so happy to have her around again. I loved the surprised expression on Stefan's face the whole time, he was not used to this side of Klaus, he was not used to Klaus being wrapped around someone's little finger. I loved their little conversation when she was trying that dress and she said something about women in the 21th century dressing like prostitues and that she got dirty looks for wearing trousers and then Klaus said you wore trousers so women today could wear nothing. Lmaooo it was hilarious.

- 3×15: "I hated you when I learned that you killed our mother but after a thousand years together as a family you're the only one who never left me "

" Aren't we a pair ?" THIS MF LINE GETS ME EVERYTIME. I don't have words to describe what it does to me but I love this scene and the fact that Klaus thought that rebekah was going to show him her torturer's skills makes it better.

-3×18: " you destroyed our family" "I wanted a family they just didn't want me, and now that we're unlinked we're no longer responsible for each other" "so are you leaving ?" "As soon as a get my stakes I'm gone..... I'm gonna make a NEW FAMILY of hybrids" "and if I choose to stay ?" "Then you're just as pathetic as Finn " THIS WHOLE scene was a masterpiece, them looking at each other like that makes me wanna give them a hug:

-3×20: it wasn't really a klebekah scene cause it was Esther in Rebekah's body but the way Klaus smiled at her and agreed to go to the dance JUST for her melt my heart.

-3×22: oh gosh this one, breaks my heart but love it so much " how dare you save Caroline over me ?" " You left me !" "it's always been me, not Finn not Elijah no Kol ME, I LOVED YOU through everything and you don't even care " and then he chokes her and say something he -IM SURE- regrets immediately "you know something rebekah you're right I don't care, from this moment on you're not my family you're not my sister you are nothing " and then he breaks her neck. I HATE THIS SCENE BUT I LOVE IT. these two needed couple therapy. Klaus was horrible, she watched him die, she mourned him, her heart broke. He could've told her about his plan tho ? I'm still wondering why he didn't but I guess he was just being an asshole as usual and took her as granted. And him saving Caroline over her was not it.

-4×04: the flashback hunter scene "YOU TRUSTED HIM OVER ME " "WHAT DID HE PROMISE YOU " "TELL ME REBEKAH " it was like he caught her cheating on him lmaooo. On the same episode there's the famous line "laugh at the girl who loved too easily but I would rather to live my life than yours Nik, no one will ever sit around a table telling stories about a man who couldn't love" the way he looked down after her saying that breaks my heart, cause Klaus could love, he LOVES her, then he daggers her -cause he's a paranoid bastard- and he cries about it.

-Let's switch to TO scenes:

-1×02: this episode is one of my favs but the best scene was when Klaus was choking Hayley after he learned that she wanted to abort the baby then, rebekah slammed him against the wall (it was hot tbh lmao) and she said "it's okay to care, it's okay to want something that's all Elijah was trying to do all he's ever wanted for you, all we've ever wanted." The way he looked her deep in the eyes gets me everytime, he was trying so hard not to cry. Then they sat together, exhausted, and Klaus told her about his plan -that involved giving Elijah to marcel lol- and if she doesn't like it, there's the door.

-1×03: one of my fav episodes too and it has so many good klebekah scenes, “that depends what plan you mean love my plan for global domination or rebekahs plan to find love in a cruel cruel world”  then she giggled and threw a pen at him so lovingly lol. They were teasing and all flirty with each other in front of Hayley and they acted as nothing happened the night before and Klaus never gave Elijah to marcel, after that they teamed up and everything was going fine but Klaus happened. then there's the masquerade ball scene when Klaus called rebekah " you really are a hideously evil little thing aren't you "

and them being jealous watching marcel and cami dancing. later in  this ep theres the famous “you disgust me” scene, the tension was so thick i acually thought they were about to kiss and have sex on that damn piano lmao but klaus as usual disapointed rebekah, she trusted him against all her better instincts and he choose to act against her back cause he thought his plan was smarter.

-I'm not sure in which episode this scene is but I remember Klaus telling rebekah "you were quite resourceful today..... sometimes I think I don't give you your due little sister" it was so cute cause Klaus knows that he doesn't give Rebekah enough credits, and she was so happy to hear him say that.

-1×14: the famous "YOU CANNOT HIDE FROM ME REBEKAH" this episode had me crying the first time I watched it, Klaus was so angry, disappointed and hurt, he could not believe that his baby sister did this to him, that he was in denial for almost a century and he for that she must pay. "Rebekah would not call my father no matter how angry she was " "enough of your lies" even after seeing the truth from the source he still couldn't believe it cause he loved her so freaking much and he thought she did too.

Then them fighting and Klaus getting turned on by her beating his ass up

-1×15: this mf scene.

The kiss, THE FREAKING CLOSE TO THE LIPS KISS. the sexual tension in this scene was HUGE, Klaus finally "set rebekah free" and he was DRUNK doing it. "We don't have to run anymore, we've found a home" and the look on Rebekah's face is priceless, she was shocked and almost guilty cause at this time she has already called mikeal and Klaus was a little too late.

Also in the same episode, THE BLOOD SHARING. Look at them just look at them.

-1×16:

THE BABY MIKAELSON FLASHBACK !! OMG, this scene melts my heart. "Don't be afraid I won't let it hurt you " "will you stay with me till the storm ends ?" And he did stay with her no matter what. I love this scene cause it shows how close and protective they were of each other since forever. Then he gives her the wooden knight so she can be brave. I'm soft.

Then there's this one too ! I love how Rebekah was actually the only one to ever stand against mikeal, she even tried to kill him, just for Klaus. So much devotion.

I'm still not over this one, the hurt on Rebekah's voice as she says those words, Klaus's tears, the whole episode was so angsty but this scene was IT. and then he realised what he did to her, that instead of protecting her he was hurting and suffocating her so he did something he's not used to do, being selfless, and he let her go.

The 1×22 scene: LITTERALY on top of my fav scenes list ! Klaus giving hope to Rebekah proved how much he trusted her "there's no one I would trust more with my daughter's life" and the fact that she came back just for him (and hope) proved that she never really wanted to leave, she just needed a little freedom. Then when he handed her the little toy I WAS IN TEARS OKAY, it was so soft. They were so happy and relieved to see each other again.

-2×09: "if anything goes south I'll be there to pull you out" "you and I on the same team it must me Christmas" he promised to protect her at any cost and she knew he will. Them teaming up against Esther was so great, then the "take me instead" , Klaus was WILLING to sacrifice his immortal life for REBEKAH, if this isn't pure love then I don't know what it is.

-2×17: another episode losing his shit because his wife-sorry sister is in danger. He let Freya enter his mind just to save her (and he was so suspicious about it cause he didn't want her to know his strategies but in fact he was just afraid she'll know about his questionable taste in woman lmaoo)

And this mf scene is so cute, look at their smiles, the forehead touch, his hand on her neck, here on his arm, FOR YOU FOR NOW. I can't believe this is actually canon.

-2×22: "family tradition!" "Minus the family."

"Well, you're here."" In the skin of your choosing, no less."

"Well, poor you. Because that body is such a hardship."

"You would hand over your crown? And do what?" "Raise my daughter... with the help of my sisters. One big, happy family."

" Now, that does sound grand-- minus the giant, Elijah-sized hole in the room. And, whilst your sisters raise your child, what will the child's mother be doing, exactly?"

"This, dear brother, is not what happiness looks like."

This scene was so important, Klaus was wrong and he needed someone to remind him that what he did was not necessary, that he hurt most of his family, and rebekah was there for that. He wished she'd stray with him to "raise" his daughter but after this scene we see Freya offering her Eva's body so she leaves.

-3×09: "you're always leaving" "and I always come back" THEN THE DAMN HUG. their hugs are always so good, the way they close their eyes and hold each other tight and they seem like they never want to let go of each other. Then she has to leave and make Elijah dagger her without telling Nik, cause she wants Nik to be happy for once.

-3×22: "wasn't you who once told me I could talk my way out of hell " and then they smile affectionately at each other and HUG tightly. After this he took her hand and they both walk to their possible end, and she watches him getting stabbed by marcel after she was forced to say all those things she did and didn't think. The whole trial scene was a masterpiece. I love it.

-4×02: this EP was full of klebekah soft scenes. There was the reunion HUG . the way she runs to him the second she sees him and the way he reaches to her and hugs her tightly to his chest.

The kiss on the cheek after "thank you for not abandoning me" and the way he smiles at her was so SOFT OMG.

-4×03: the goodbye hug "Nik you do not need me anymore, I know that I'm your fav sibling and of course I adore you" "you were the only one who never treated me like s misfit, for centuries my only place was by your side...." AND THEY HUG TIGHTLY AGAIN. this was the first time Klaus let Rebekah do whatever the hell she wanted without fighting or daggering and it was revolutionary to her. (The fact that she's his fav sibling and she KNOWS it makes me so happy lmao).

-5×01: their phone call about Elijah. They were both so lost and devastated without him it broke my heart. "How does he look?" "Happy.."

-5×08: "ah Nik always so dramatic"

They were so happy to be reunited after 7 years of being apart, look at them hugging each other so tightly. I LOVE this scene.

-5×12: then there's the goodbye scene, Klaus gave her the cure so he can make up for a thousand years of hurt, "live the life you've always wanted to live, MY SISTER" the way he looked at her so proudly, so in love makes me cry. In my opinion he gave her the cure so they can reunite again in the afterlife. Both him and Elijah can't live or die without her, they're supposed to be together, they're meant to be together and the cure will bring her to them, to him, again. It was such a good scene, the hug, the last glances, everything.

And that's it!!! I'm sure I forgot some other scenes but those are the most important. ❤️

#klebekah #thanks yuki for asking this #and sorry for the typos #most of this was written at 3 am #evanescentrainbow #the originals

[acreasy1]

stuff you never knew you needed to know

tagged by the lovely @ciara-jane

1. Do you put ketchup on a coney? Yes, but...who calls it a coney? 

2. Choice of soda?  It used to be Diet Pepsi, then they changed the recipe and I didn’t like it as much.  Then I started drinking Diet Coke.  Then they changed Diet Pepsi back and guess what?  I don’t like it as well as I used to.  So.  Diet Coke it is.  I will still happily drink Diet Pepsi.  I just...they f*cked it up for me.

3. Do you own a gun? No.  My husband owns a rifle and a shotgun.  So I guess in that regard, I kind of do?  I don’t own them.  But they’re around. 

4. Can you swim? I can

5. Hot dogs or burger? Let’s be honest.  If we’re at a picnic, I want one of each.

6. Favorite type of food? I think it depends on the day?  I like BBQ a lot.  And home style cooking?  Seafood is amazing but PA isn’t known for it’s great seafood, so....   

7. Do you believe in ghosts? I do, I think.  I’m fascinated by it all, honestly.  I want to know all the things.  Till I have to try to sleep because then I’m thinking about all the things and wondering who/what is gonna show up.

8. What do you drink in the morning?  Iced coffee or diet coke.  >< 

9. Can you do 100 pushups?  My husband has told me I’m “the weakest woman in the world”.  I cannot.

10. Summer, Winter, Spring, or Autumn?  Autumn for me, too.  <3

11. Favorite hobby? Do I have a hobby?  My word of the year, which I stole from a YouTuber that I really like is “Begin”.  Because it’s not as scary as like...”follow through”  I am under no obligation to finish something.  lol  Maybe I should find a hobby?  I don’t know.  I like coloring.  I actually just ordered a new marker set, and I’m kind of excited about getting it. 

12. Tattoos?  I’ve thought about getting one but I don’t have one. 

13. Do you wear glasses?  I do not.  Or contacts.  Just...the natural eye power that I have been gifted with.  I am amused at the term eye power.

14. Do you have a phobia?  I mean, I’m terrified of everything that isn’t every day, routine, and ordinary, but other than that...

15. Do you have nick name? Mandy, Mando, Wifey

16. Three favorite drinks? Diet Coke, Iced Coffee, Milk

17. Biggest downfall? I am afraid of everything.  I am stubborn.  So, even if I’m having a moment of “I should try something to alleviate what I’m feeling”, the stubbornness kicks in because, “By God, if I feel a certain way it’s because that’s exactly how I am SUPPOSED to feel and I’m a weak pathetic fool to think I deserve to feel any differently.  I did something to deserve this depression and trying to weasel out of it is pathetic and cowardly.”  So.  Yeah.  I sit in my rut.  Though, I am regularly taking a medicine for the anxiety, so that’s something.  I can’t believe I am, but I am.

18. Rain or Snow? Well, snow is more romantic, but it kind of depends on if I need to go out and if the roads are being looked after. 

19. Can you change a tire? I know how, but I doubt I’d be strong enough to break the lugs loose.

20. Favorite flower? I love roses, but.  If we’re talking flowers for the house, I have to go with carnations because those suckers last forever.

21. Can you drive a stick? No.  I never learned, which is funny because both Missy as well as Mike (my siblings) can.  I was probably wary and mom was like, “Oh, it’s Mandy, she’ll never want to do this anyway.”  My mom knows me all too well.

22. Ever gone skydiving? God no.  I’ve never even been in a plane.

23. Kids?  :(

24. Favorite color? I don’t have just one.  I love outside colors like greens and browns and blues?  But for clothes I wear a lot of pastels and pinks and purples...and florals. 

25. Employed?  Did someone say Loan Processing Associate 1? 

26. Can you whistle? Not very well.  To quote my mom, “You could probably whistle a lot better if you didn’t hold your lips like an idiot.”  lol  Thanks, mom.

27. Where were you born? Greenville Regional Hospital, Greenville, PA  16125.  I think it’s a part of UPMC now. 

28. Siblings? I am the oldest (40, nearing 41).  Missy is 38, almost 39.  Mike just turned 36. 

29. Surgeries? None

30. Shower or bath? It depends on if I have a lot of time.  Most days I shower but I do like a good bath when I have the time.

31. Last song you listened to? “The World’s On Fire” by Hanson

32. Age? 40.  Will be 41 in April.

33. Broken bones?  I don’t think I’ve ever broken anything, but I’m not positive.  It’s possible I’ve broken a finger and a toe, but.  Even if I did, they healed okay on their own.  I avoid a doctor unless I’m about to die and even then it’s like, “Okay, okay...let’s think this through...”  lol

34. How many tv’s in your house? Just one.  It’s plenty.

35. Worst pain?  Just...the emotional pain from having the miscarriage and trying to cope with what I did wrong, both to lose the poor little thing as well as what I’ve done to piss off the universe because it was honestly the most heart-wrenching, soul-crushing thing.  My husband told me one that “it destroyed you” and...I’m not sure that he’s wrong.

36. Do you like to sing? I do!

37. Are your parents still alive? Yes!

38. Do you like camping?  I love camping!  :D  We go a few times a year!

39. What do you enjoy binge watching?  So, like...  I binge watch stuff but a lot of times I don’t enjoy it, I feel like I need to just get through it?  That being said, crap I could watch all the time involves like... Great British Bake Off, Rick Steeves’ Europe, BBQ University (or like Project Smoke, I like both of Steven Raichlen shows).  I like other shows, I just need something I can put on and not have to really focus on much.  (If it sounds like I get overwhelmed easily, you would be right.  lol) 

40. Pumpkin or Sweet Potato pie?  Yuck.  No. 

Tags: @joi-in-the-tardis , @serenastella, @thegreenfairy13, @badwolfinthetxrdis, @lastbluetardis, @district8sknifegirl and anyone else who would like to play

#tagged #meme thing? #it's not really a meme though #i don't know what you'd call this #a list of stuff about me #ciara-jane

[buildridernews]

[Review] Kamen Rider Build - Episodes 47-49

This is it, folks - the final chapter. Or rather, the final three episodes of the show. We've got a lot to dissect, so let's get to it.

Episode 47: "A Zero Degree Flame" (ゼロ度の炎)

After the most painful week of waiting, we're back to Grease in his new Grease Blizzard form, which we know now is such a powerful form that it could kill him. As he's tearing down the Lost Smash doppelgangers, Sento, Ryuga and Gentoku make their way to another floor where  doppelgangers of Remocon Bro and Engine Bro are waiting - Gentoku decides to stay behind and fight them himself, allowing Sento and Ryuga to progress through Pandora Tower.

Misora and Sawa show up with their Pandora's Box, realizing that Grease is using a new form with Shinobu's missing Build Driver. The two of them know exactly what this means for Grease, so Misora tells Sawa to keep going without her. 

Rogue has difficulty taking on the gear bros, which is fair since he's now dealing with Evolt-level copies. MadRogue steps in, and while Rogue wants to be cocky against him, we learn what's really going on with MadRogue. He suddenly turns on the gear bros, revealing that he joined Evolt specifically to gain an edge since the Rider System didn't seem like it would be enough to beat him - not only that, but he wanted to avenge President Namba. As far as Rogue is concerned, they can both achieve their dreams together, so the Rogue boys team up!

Even together, they don't do a great job of taking on the combined form, so it's a good thing Sawa showed up with Pandora's Box! As it turns out, the call from "Namba" earlier was Utsumi arranging for the girls to show up with the bottles, and I love how this one line fixes any weakness in Utsumi's character: He's loyal to Namba. He never went crazy seeing the president's death, he stayed loyal. That's super interesting, especially since it means he's now an ally instead of an enemy. And the connection to Sawa makes it even better.

The plan was for MadRogue to exploit a weakness in the Kaiser System. The Same and Bike Fullbottles are specially designed to neutralize the system's attacks, which is a nice callback to the YouTube spinoff. They use finishers to deal with the gear bros, defeating them. Then Evolt's DNA leaves them, reforming as Soichi and demanding the Lost Fullbottle they got from that pair of mimics.

Meanwhile, Grease Blizzard is continuing his assault on the Lost Smash trio, practically losing control. However, he pauses once he starts letting off an aura that occurs with any Hazard Level carrier who's on the brink of death. Misora begs for him to stop but he figures this can only end one way for him. Sento and Ryuga catch this fight on a TV in the tower, and Ryuga questions why he'd invent such a dangerous weapon for Kazumi to use, because they both know where this is going - nothing left to do but continue traversing the tower.

Back with the others, MadRogue takes on Evol and reveals that he stayed with him this long so that he could input data from HIS belt. Then MadRogue starts charging up, apparently achieving the various Phases of power Evol had, then unleashes a quick barrage of attacks that legitimately shock him.

Speaking of legitimate shock, before MadRogue can deal the final blow to avenge Namba, he... starts to short circuit. His suit dematerializing, Utsumi falls to the ground with sparks coming from his chest. This is when Evol nonchalantly remarks "Oh right, you're a cyborg." EXCUSE YOU?

When Gentoku had Utsumi pose as Night Rogue... that shot in his shoulder, which caused him to fall off a bridge, was actually fatal enough that he was turned into a cyborg. That-- Wow. Okay, that's a pretty damn good twist, which once again fixes a slight nitpick of "He sure recovered well from that presumed death". And those motherfuckers made a cold opening where they joked about him being a robot! Did they make a joke then turn it into a plot point, or is this some Steven Universe foreshadow-trolling? Anyway, cool stuff.

With Utsumi seemingly dead now, Rogue tries his best to avenge him, but Evol sends him flying. With Gentoku lying before Sawa, Evol comes towards them with an attack, when Utsumi gets in the way and takes the hit for them, claiming he isn't doing this for them - he's doing it for the bottles. Gentoku and Sawa make a quick escape using the Nebula Steam Gun, leaving Evol mighty miffed.

I should take a moment and put what I said all into one paragraph: Utsumi was an interesting character to see develop. I thought it was nice seeing him come back, was totally hoping he'd become Kamen Rider Rogue due to the irony of it all, and was delighted to see him become MadRogue. Even so, his turn as a villain felt weird and kinda forced in retrospect, as did the presumed death and subsequent return - it's fascinating how this episode cleanly deals with both things and at the same time turns him into more of a heroic character, even if one that's been raised by a cult. And the cyborg thing is a nice return to Kamen Rider's origins, even if it's such a brief reveal. May he be missed.

... On a related note, back to Grease Blizzard. He finishes off the Lost Smash trio, claiming he's ready to hang out with his bros... on the other side. With all of them gone, his suit dematerializes, and that death aura ain't lifting anytime soon. He gives Misora the Lost Fullbottle he had, and it's here they have their final words. Misora still calls him Grease, and she reveals that she never wanted to call him by his real name, presumably so she didn't get to attached - it's... kind of fair since he always calls her Mii-tan.

Misora begs for him to live, and now even Kazumi is starting to tear up, because hey, his waifu is rooting for him, how lucky can a guy get? He decides he'd better brag to his boys on the other side, so... he disappears, leaving Misora to utter "Kazumin..." Wow. </3

So, Kazumi was great. I loved the actor in Kiva so I had an immediate attachment, and I feel he played a pretty superior character here - one with more depth and an interesting change in personality as the world around him changed. 

But a pretty unfortunate flaw of this episode is that his death was basically spelled out from the beginning, and we had to wait a week to see it happen, so by this point the impact was not as strong as it could’ve been. It might’ve been better if Sento introduced him to his new weapon by saying it’s powerful “as is”, and having Kazumi remark to himself how it looks like the Magma Knuckle. Then when he steals the Build Driver, it’s more of an epic cliffhanger. The preview showing his death could have been framed in such a way that maybe his new form wasn’t strong enough, with the twist being that the form was what killed him. 

I dunno, maybe I’m over-analyzing at this point. I just feel that the week long break hurt the impact of what they had written. Plus Utsumi’s whole twist and death kinda overshadows it since I did not see any of that coming. 

Moving on... now we're in the area Evolt was in, which I guess is meant to be part of Pandora Tower even though there's no walls to be seen. The gang is all together and pretty somber after presumably learning what happened with Utsumi. It gets worse when Misora silently approaches, handing Sento the Lost Fullbottle and telling them the news...

... and it's at this point I found the scene sad and beautiful. All you hear is the wind - everyone is muted for dramatic effect, and each of them is reacting to what you assume is "Kazumi is dead." It sinks in, and they all break down. Misora falls to her knees, Sawa comforts her as she cries, Ryuga punches stone with a look of disbelief and anger, Gentoku straight up screams in despair... and Sento silently broods.

Then Soichi breaks the silence with "Yo!" and Sento turns, screaming Evolt's name. END OF EPISODE. Fucking stunning.

Episode 48: "For a World of Love & Peace" (ラブ＆ピースの世界へ)

Time for an entire episode of fighting! Everyone does their best to take Evol on, and we also get to learn what Sento wanted to tell Ryuga before at their cookout: Only Ryuga can save their world because he has the Evolt DNA to make stuff happen with the white panel. He starts using the Hazard Trigger with his Cross-Z Magma form, gets in some good hits, but in the end, Evol is still too strong.

Eventually, Evol manages to get back the two bottles and return to his final monster form, which is BAD. Evolt opens up a black hole which absorbs their goddamn moon, which... actually probably won't affect them in the long run according to Dragon Ball. But he also starts tearing at the Earth, which is definitely going to be a problem.

When Misora is begging for Vernage's help, Evolt tries to destroy her, only for Rogue to take the hit for her. He's already getting that death aura, but he takes Evolt head on.

We also once again come back to that cookout where Kazumi talked to Gentoku about being a political figure once this was all over, and... at this point I understood Gentoku - even after all he's doing to save the world, he feels like he's yet to really make up for who he was, and that's pretty damn interesting since he was under some nebula gas influence until becoming a hero. Even more interesting is the fact that Kazumi says he's forgiven Gentoku for everything, and that's pretty big of him to do. No wonder Gentoku reacted to his death so intensely... 

Rogue, unfortunately, bites off more than he can chew as he tries to fight a god mode Evolt. His helmet gets broken, which only makes things look even more grim - as he seems to be falling, however, the people of the city are screaming and cheering for the Kamen Riders, which I must say, is goddamn powerful. Rogue is living by his father's words: It's not about the person in power, is about the people who put them in power. MANLY TEARS MOMENT. 

While his attacks seem to be amounting to little, Rogue seems to be onto something with attacking Evolt's Evol Trigger. However... he can't fight his fate, and ultimately his transformation disengages, leaving a weakened Gentoku to question... did he measure up to his father at all after this? With a beautiful shot where Rogue's shadow can be seen on the wall next to him, Gentoku fades away...

I'll be honest, this character started out as a bit of a nothing character to me. I've said it before: After episode 1, there were at least 1-2 people telling me every week, if not every other day, that Gentoku is gonna turn out to be Night Rogue. It was obvious, and I found Blood Stalk more interesting. To me Night Rogue seemed like one of THOSE Rider villains: The one who's gonna stick around until the hero gets their first power-up form, then gets killed off. Phoenix, Javert, Graphite, just characters made to be a really strong obstacle that makes the power-up more impressive. I didn’t invest in him for that reason. 

But Gentoku stuck around. He disappeared for a bit, then came back as the grim Kamen Rider Rogue. And while he was very cool visually, I described that period as "Comically edgy Gentoku" because he was just leaning too far into grim territory. But once we got the implication that he was starting to lose that nebula gas edge, and was starting to show some heroism, then he got interesting. I mean, maybe they could have used at least one line to explain his turn to comedy, but besides that, I really like him now that he's become one of the heroes. He will truly, truly be missed.

Build and Cross-Z Magma transform, powered by the screams for justice still cheering them on, and suddenly... Evolt has trouble moving. It seems that Gentoku's death wasn't in vain, as the Evol Trigger has some lasting damage. The two Rider Kick the bottles out of him again, and this time, Cross-Z Magma runs at him with the white panel to fuse them together, causing the black panel to disappear.

With the white panel attached to the Pandora's Box they brought, a beam shoots out into the black hole... and out of it comes another Earth, one without a Skywall. Evolt is given some heroic monologuing to explain that their plan was to use his energy with this beam to fuse these two Earths, forming a world without the Skywall and without Evolt's presence. Shockingly, the Genius Fullbottle's power gets absorbed, leaving Build with one less power-up.

As Build prepares to send Evolt flying, Cross-Z Magma shoves him aside, causing his suit to dematerialize. He tells Sento that he's got Evolt's DNA in him, so obviously... he should be the one to finish the job. Cross-Z Magma propels himself into space, leaving Sento screaming his name! 

Episode 49: "The Tomorrow Created by Build" (ビルドが創る明日)

While the Katsuragi in Sento's head seems content with letting Ryuga sacrifice himself, Sento won't have it - from the point on, there'll be no sacrifices. Using RabbitRabbit, Build leaps into the space where Evolt and Cross-Z Magma flew into, which takes him to a wasteland. Here, we finds what he thinks is Ryuga, but surprise, Evolt absorbed Ryuga and intends to finish off Sento so that he can become powerful again.

To Evolt’s dismay, though, Ryuga fights back inside his body, giving Sento the chance to regain his composure, and gives him the silver Dragon Fullbottle. He also tells Sento something very important: Since they met, Ryuga has now become the definition of Sento's heroism, a person who can't help but smile when he's managed to save someone. Ryuga, and all the others, have built up Sento into the hero he wants to be, so he can't let them down now.

Build charges into battle, back at it again with RabbitRabbit, then moving into TankTank, all while he and Evolt trade some powerful blows that cause them to get just a hint of death aura. As they keep fighting, Evolt loses some of his bulk, and Build switches to RabbitTank Sparkling. As Evolt loses even more of his power, Build is reduced to just RabbitTank, which Evolt takes amusement in... until Build turns the tides.

With this Hazard Level, Build's Rabbit Fullbottle turns gold, and he uses it with the silver Dragon Fullbottle to unleash a powerful finisher in the Fullbottle Buster. Finally, with Ryuga holding Evolt back, Build uses these gold and silver bottles to transform into a special Trial Form that the bent decides is a Best Match, because that’s what Sento and Ryuga are! With a Rider Kick that Evolt attempts to counter, Build sends him flying to the ground, causing him to explode.

And that's it. Vernage leaves Misora's body, now that she can confirm that the evil is defeated, then that gold bracelet finally falls off of Misora's hand. The two Earths begin to merge, with strings of math breaking down the Skywall... because I guess we needed to homage the opening? 

And then... silence.

...

Sento wakes up in a grassy field with an odd product placement in the form of the Cross-Z RideWatch, then looks around and realizes that the Skywall is indeed... gone. As he walks into the city and sees Prime Minister Himuro on a large TV screen, he and Katsuragi reflect on the fact that they were successful, and that this was the world their father wanted: The last 10 years have been completely different for this new world, more peaceful. Of course, this means the people Sento remembers aren't gonna remember him.

We then get a wonderful montage of things. Gentoku is his father’s aide, Sawa is a political journalist that’s having a nice professional exchange with Gentoku, Utsumi is working for Namba which is now a workshop, Kazumi and his bros hang out at our favorite coffee shop to meet the cute barista Misora, and... damn is it nice to see them all happy. 

But it’s also sad, because even though Sento practically created his world, it’s a world that doesn’t know who Sento Kiryu is. Katsuragi bids Sento farewell, letting him know that it's been fun tagging along and watching him do his hero thing. By this point, he seems to have come to terms with everything, so he will cease to be a voice in Sento’s head. 

Sento then encounters Ryuga, who’s hanging out with his not-dead girlfriend, and confirms that not even Ryuga remembers him. He tries to play it off then goes to the coffee shop, where it seems like Misora recognizes him... but her dad points out that he’s Taro Sato, the rock star on the poster in their shop! As Sento drinks his coffee, he makes the shocking revelation that Misora's dad actually knows what coffee is after all, and can't help but finally crack a smile as the two act like goobers over his resemblance to this rock star. 

Outside, Sento reflects once more on the world he's created, and finds it pretty ironic that the man who once had amnesia is now the one person no one remembers... except the guy who calls out his name~?!

Ryuga shows up, asking what the deal is with this world. He found out there was a version of him here who's dating his girlfriend, which Sento realizes is because... Our Ryuga wouldn’t technically exist in a world without Evolt since he has Evolt’s DNA, so the Ryuga here is one who grew up normally! And is maybe 8 months younger! The two decide to ride off together, with a wonderful callback to episode 1. 

The show ends with Sento revealing to Ryuga that he's written a 49 episode script about his adventures, which is frankly NOT the weirdest comedic ending a Rider show has gotten. Neo Fangire.

So... that was Kamen Rider Build. It was-- actually, it's better if I let the review end here. This is long as is, so I'll be giving my overall thoughts of the show in a separate post. Mostly positive, some small nitpicks, and perhaps it’s worth talking more about the ending. Til then! 

#kamen rider build #reviews #feed

[notyoursterotypicalnerd]

Star Spangled Stark part 2

masterlist part 1 

Summary: After the rift caused by Bucky, Can Tony and Steve keep their marriage, or does it break down after the lies have come to light.

Cameos: Rhodey, Peter Parker ,Bucky,T’Challa and of course Stephen Strange small nod to Stucky (Steve x Bucky) and mention of IronStrange (Tony x Strange)

Word Count: 3222

Warning: Swearing.

Authors Note: Contains spoilers of Civil War, Infinity War Part 1 and Follows on AFTER Infinity War part 2, some events are purely guessing and for this stories purpose. Also, sorry if it’s all over the place…

Playlist inspiration: https://open.spotify.com/user/spotify/playlist/37i9dQZEVXcJJiOernPEfb?si=gHk7I9fNQceod9GKbvkxlA

“Hey,babe” Tony called out as his eyes were fixated on the screen in front of him.

“Mmm…” Steve replied from the kitchen as he made lunch for the two of them wondering if making Tony any food was worth it considering the mechanic barely touched food when he was in the middle of working on countless never-ending projects.

The two of them had been married for almost a year and Steve was constantly learning more and more about his husband.

“Come here, come check this guy out” Tony titled his head slightly to see Steve bringing out two plates off food into the lounge room. Steve handed a plate to Tony “FRIDAY, rewind”

“Yes Sir” replied the A.I

The footage played again; Steve stared at what Tony had been watching for hours on end over the past few days.

“Who is he?” Steve placed down his plate on the coffee table as he watched the YouTube footage over and over.

Tony shrugged “No idea but that kid has moves. We could use him? I think it’s a him” Tony picked up the sandwich from his plate before taking a bite in it “I’m trying to track him down, I found out that his somewhere nearby.”

Steve watched as Spiderman held a car inches away from crashing into a bus full of people. He was in amazement.

= = =

“Wow it’s so weird how you run into people at the airport. Don’t you just feel weird” Tony watched as Steve marched into view.

“Defiantly weird” Rhodey looked at Tony before at Steve.

“Hear me out, Tony. That Doctor, the psychiatrist, his behind all this” Steve tried to reassure his husband but what would be the point.

Everyone’s attention turned to T’challa who had just landed nearby Captain America “Captain”

“Highness” Steve replied before shifting his gaze back to the iron man and war machine.

“Anyway. Ross gave me 36 hours to bring you in.That was 24hours ago. Can you help a brother out?”

“You’re after the wrong guy” Steve tried to keep his voice strong.

“Your judgement is askew. Your war buddy killed innocent people yesterday.”

-          -   -

“Alright,I’ve run out of patience.” Tony cupped his hands around his mouth before calling out “Underoos!”

Steve’s kept his balance as he watched the Spiderman flip into view stealing Captain America’s shield. Tony had found the kid, he had found the Spiderman that Tony had been fascinated over for the past few months.

-          -   -

“Okay,Cap..Captain. Big Fan, I’m Spiderman” The Spiderman admitted.

Steve looked over at Tony; Tony knew that look, he knew that not only as his husband confused but also quite curious that was until the rest of the avengers team came into view.

-          -    -

Steve had gone gentle on his husband at the airport hangar whereas everyone else on Team Cap fought their heart out. He fist clenched as he laid another punch into Tony; pinning Tony down against the stoned floor laying as many punches as he could into his husband.

Steve had managed to yank of Tony’s ironman mask chucking it away from the bloodied tinman; He reached his shield above his head before jamming it into Tony’s arc reactor.

Neither of them cared; Once Tony had found out that Bucky had killed his parents, all hell went loose. It was not only friend vs friend but also husband vs husband and they both knew that it was going to be a struggle to pick who would come out on top.

Steve rose up to his feet; pulling the shield out of Tony’s chest before rushing over to Bucky to help him up.

“That shield does not belong to you. You don't deserve it! My father made that shield!” Tony shouted as he tried to struggle with the pain aching through his suit.

Steve turned around and chucked the shield at Tony before helping his best friend out of the area.

-          -   -  

“Are you Tony Stank?” Asked the mailman as he carefully looked at the cursive writing on the box.

“Yes, this is-this is Tony Stank! You're in the right place. Thank you for that! I'm never dropping that, by the way.” Rhodey laughed at the mispronunciation.

“Oh god!” Tony cringed.

“Table for one, Mr. Stank. Please, by the bathroom.” Rhodey laughed as he hobbled over to the sofa.

Tony signed for the package before examining the box and the writing; he knew it was Steve. He knew that handwriting anywhere. Tony rushed up to his office before ripping open the box.

Tony. I'm glad you're back at the compound. I don't like the idea of you rattling around in a mansion by yourself. We all need family. The Avengers are yours, maybe more so than mine. I've been on my own since I was 18. I never really fit in anywhere. even in the army. My fate's in... people, I guess. Individuals. And, I am happy to say for the most part, they haven't let me down. Which is why I can't let them down either. Lives can be replaced, but, maybe they shouldn't. I know I hurt you, Tony. I guessed I thought by not telling you about your parents, I was sparing you. But... I can see now that I was really sparing myself. And I'm sorry. Hopefully one day you can understand. I wished we'd agree on the Accords, I really do. I know you're doing what you believe in. And that's all any of us can do. That's all any of us should.

Tony looked at the flip phone that was in the box and smiled a little “Son of a bitch” He sighed to himself. After everything that had happened between the two of them; Tony slipped off his wedding ring and placed it next to the flip phone.

= = =

Steve looked at the phone in his hand; He hadn’t heard from Tony in some time, maybe the guy he loved had just stopped caring.

“Steve” Bucky chucked a chunky envelope at Steve who was lost in his thoughts.

“What’s this?” Steve looked at the envelope in his lap.

Bucky shrugged “It was out the front of the door.”

“Stark” Steve smiled a little knowing full well that Tony kept tabs on everyone even when they didn’t notice. He quickly ripped open the envelope before pulling out a wad of paperwork, he flipped through it “Divorce!?” Steve chucked the papers across the room. “The first sign of Tony and he asks for a divorce!?”

Bucky raised an eyebrow; He had quite whispers of Tony and Steve but didn’t believe it to be actually true, it helped that Steve hadn’t actually confirmed anything about the relationship.

“Stark and I were married, we were dating for some time before Tony proposed at his birthday” Steve sighed “If we didn’t fight, we today would have been our second wedding anniversary”

“Oh man I’m sorry” Bucky knelt down in front of his friend “I didn’t mean…”

Steve shook his head slightly “It’s not your fault, Buck.”

-          -    -

Steve had signed the documents before posting them back to the Avengers Compound. He couldn’t believe it; the first sign of trouble and divorce was on the horizon. Steve had made the first step in trying to control the damage on their relationship but clearly it wasn’t enough, he stepped back inside the cramped apartment seeing Bucky sitting in front of the TV; eating cereal.

“Stark’s on.” Bucky said with a mouth full of cereal.

Steve stripped off his jacket and chucked it over the lounge as he listened.

It has been confirmed that with Captain America now on the run, that Tony Stark is now back on the list of eligible bachelors ,we’ll cross over to Dave to find out more.

“At the moment I’m out the front of famous Stark building that had been turned into the Avengers Tower trying to catch a glimpse of Tony Stark who had just entered this building. We did manage to ask him how he was dealing with his husband on the run and all he had to say was….”

It cut to footage of Tony talking about the relationship “Unfortunately, my husband and I have parted ways to the point that we may not be able to repair our relationship. I guess, lesson learnt.” Tony shrugged before entering the former Avengers tower.

Steve quickly changed the channel; Bucky looked up at Steve “Look man, I didn’t mean…”

“I know, Buck” Steve sighed.

= = =

“Steve….”

Steve turned to see something was horrible wrong with his best friend, watching as Bucky crumbled to dust in front of his eyes “BUCKY!?” He ran over to the spot that Bucky had crumbled into a pile of dust. Steve looked up to hear the panic of other’s around him “Tony?” Steve whispered to himself, if his best friend was gone did that mean his ex-husband was gone?

He tried not to think about it, if Tony Stark was in trouble; he’d call Captain America. He’d call, He’d call those two words repeated in Steve’s head as he tried to make sense of what was happening around them.

= =

Steve pulled Bucky into a hug; Bucky felt confused but didn’t ask as he hugged his best friend. He wasn’t quite sure what happened or why in the middle of a battle everyone was hugging everyone on the field that he had just fought on.

-          -   -

Days had passed now that everyone was finally back, Thanos was finally defeated and everything went back to somewhat normal. Steve still hadn’t heard from Tony; the flip phone in his hands.

“Call him,Steve.Just find out if his okay.” Bucky looked up at Steve.

Steve flipped open the screen off the phone and searched for the only number in the phone.

“Stark was your husband, just find out if his okay” Bucky stated as he pulled the blanket over his body as tried to get comfortable on the bed. Steve climbed out of bed letting his friend get some rest; he pressed the call button as he walked out of the bedroom closing the door behind him.

“Tony?” Steve shakily asked as the phone was answered.

“Tony can’t come to the phone right now, his a bit busy.” A male’s voice filtered through the phone.

“Who’s this?” Steve seemed heartbroken.

“Doctor Stephen Strange and this is?”

“Just tell Stark...Actually don’t bother” Steve quickly hung up the phone. Whoever this Stephen Strange was, he had Tony’s phone. Had Tony gotten careless and let anyone take his stuff? Steve had brought the phone for the sake of Tony and that was it.

-          -   -

Steve walked down the crowded streets, now that the Avengers had gone quiet. Society had given up wanting to take interest in the Avengers. He stopped as he saw his ex-husband enter a café, he watched as Tony tried to hold a man’s hand, but the male pulled his hand away.

“Oi,watch it” snapped a female that Steve had bumped into.

“Sorry” Steve replied.

Tony had heard the commotion, he turned around and saw Steve; Tony shoved his hands in his pant pockets. Steve looked up at Tony; freezing in his spot.

“Glad to see your okay” Tony had managed to say.

Steve smiled a little “And you’re in one piece”

“Well this is awkward” Spoke the male by Tony’s side.

“Sorry” Tony looked at the man standing next to him “Stephen, this is Steve.” Tony looked at Steve “my ex-husband.”

Steve clenched his jaw as Stephen reached out his hand “Nice to meet you Steve” Stephen tried to remain civil.

Steve quickly shook Stephen’s hand before looking at tony “Can we talk?”

“Oh, so now you want to talk. Considering that went so well last time” Tony snapped.

“Stark!” Steve raised his voice a little.

“I’ll...Uh...give you two a moment” Stephen mentioned as he walked towards the counter.

“Is that what I am to you now? An ex-husband? After everything. I thought I lost you and now your acting like this”

Tony folded his arms across his chest “You chose the killing machine over me, what do you expect me to do? Welcome you back into my arms! You left Steve, you tried to kill me.” Tony looked over at Stephen than back at Steve “You want to know something, while I was in space fighting Thanos. I didn’t think of you, I thought of the kid that was by my side, I thought of the freaks that I had just meet, I thought of that guy” Tony pointed to Stephen “You try being stabbed through the heart and having Strange reverse time to keep you alive while everyone else was dead.”

Steve didn’t like what he was hearing; maybe it was the hard truth that he needed to hear but he didn’t want to hear it.

“Plus, you have Barnes. I would end up just being the third wheel” Tony calmly said before walking over to Stephen.

Steve took off his wedding band “Stark” He chucked it over to his ex-husband; Stephen had managed to catch the ring “Guess you’d be needing that.” Steve made his way back to his cramped apartment that he shared with Bucky.

-          -   -

Steve had felt like he was losing everything all over again; he took his anger out on the punching bag that hung up in the apartment.

“Steve!” Bucky yelled at his friend as the punching bag hit the wall.

Steve shook his head a little noticing that damage he had done before looking over at Bucky “Sorry, Buck” Steve took a few steps closer to the punching bag before picking it up off the floor.

“This isn’t healthy, man and that’s coming from me.” Bucky sighed “Maybe we need to get out of dodge for a while. Clear your head”

Steve nodded a little; what did they have left anyway?

“T’challa wouldn’t mind us coming back.”

= = =

Bucky had showed Steve where he had stayed during his time in Wakanda; no one minded one bit that the boys were back, back in the huts close to the farms.

It only took a few short months to catch word about Tony Stark and his new-found love with Stephen Strange, it didn’t take long for Steve to take his frustration out during training with the Wakanda soldiers. They had allowed Bucky and Steve to keep up their training while in the country plus it helped that the two males learnt a few new things about fighting.

-          -   -

Steve leaned back in his seat as he sat across from T’challa “I’m sorry, Steve” T’challa sighed.

Steve had been foolish even to think that Tony would come running back, turns out the billionaire had gotten engaged for the second time and T’challa was being invited to the engagement party. “What can I do? Tony’s made up his mind” He sighed.

Everyone was getting to the point that Steve was now the downer of the group; if he wasn’t training he’d be moping around the place trying to figure out ways to ignore what was going on but failing.

= =  =

Steve stood in the corner of the room; he was surprised that he was even allowed inside the building. T’challa had agreed to let Steve be his plus one if Steve promised not to cause a scene and surprisingly Tony had let Steve come. Steve’s eyes scanned the room, he could see Tony talking to some guys that Steve had never meet.

“I don’t know why you bother” Stephen stood next to Steve.

“Sorry?” Steve looked at Stephen.

“His clearly over you, he clearly moved on and yet your acting like a teen who just had their first heartbreak” Stephen looked at Steve.

“Maybe cause he was” Steve tried to keep calm “You try being on ice for seventy years”

“I heard. Tony told me, tells me a lot of things.” Stephen shrugged slightly.

Steve looked at Tony; Tony looked over at the two males; smiling slightly. Thinking that Rogers and Stranger were at least attempting to play nice for Tony’s sake.

“Big man in a cloak, take that off and what are you?” Steve had done his research on Stephen Strange finding out that he was an ex-doctor who lost his medical touch during a car accident before becoming a sorcerer.

“Well for one thing I’m fucking your ex” Stephen proudly admitted.

Steve gripped the glass in his hand causing it to shatter; Steve wanted to say something, but he couldn’t find the right words; he dropped the pieces of glass that remained in his hand on a nearby table before exiting the party.

Tony rushed out after Steve “Rogers, wait.”

Steve stopped at the bottom of the stairs “Now, you care.” He turned to face Tony.

Tony kept his stance at the top of the stairs “Who were we kidding, this wasn’t going to work. You and I, we couldn’t just pretend even for a few moments. I guess it’s a good thing the team is disbanded.” Tony ran his hand through his hair before taking a few steps down closer to Steve “There was a time that I did love you, hell we had a good run” Tony shrugged a little “But I’m with Stephen now.”

Steve smirked a little as a laughed slipped from his lips “Stephen, funny that name sounds an awful lot like mine. Do you call him Steve for short?”

Tony rolled his eyes.

“I hope the two of you have fun together.” Steve turned his back before trying to make his way back to wherever the hell he could away from the building; Tony chased after him, pulling Steve by the shoulder. Steve turned to face Tony.

“The kid wants to keep in touch with you, turns out he wasn’t kidding when he says that a big fan of yours” Tony sighed “We may not be able to patch it up but let the kid keep in touch with you.”

Steve seemed confused “Queens, kid?” he shook his head “You brought him into a situation that wasn’t for him and now you want me to play nice. Not happening”

“Steve”

“Don’t Steve me, you made it clear that you want nothing to do with me. What makes you think that I want anything to do with the legacy your tried to create.”

Tony looked down at the ground before shifting his gaze back up at Steve “Fine. Whatever. Just go. Go be with your good pal, that’s what you wanted, wasn’t it? I was just the guy you kept around because Bucky wasn’t around.”

Steve reached for Tony’s shirt.

“Hit a nerve, didn’t I? Did you actually love me? Did you actually care about me? Or where you like the others” Tony saw the glint in Steve’s eyes “And they call me the bad boy” He pushed Steve away from him.

“You know what Stark,fuck you…”

“Language, Cap”

Steve rolled his eyes “We’re done. Enjoy your life, I truly wish you the best.” Steve stormed away from Tony.

Tony didn’t bother chasing after Steve; They knew it was better this way, at least they would be better off with the new man in their lives.

#mywriting #9th July 2018 #Superhusbands #IronStrange #Marvel imagine #fanfic #Steve Rogers x Tony Stark #Stephen Strange x Tony Stark #Stony #Steve Rogers #Tony Stark #Stephen Strange #imagine

[tdrcharmschool4]

Charm School Homework #3: Trashion! Looking Good and Feeling Fine! - Critiques

For your homework, the faculty of costuming Toni and SALLY both asked our girls to create accessories out of unconventional materials with their own step by step guide on how they made it from start to finish! Let’s see how they did!

Erica Strada

Analyse: FLURSE! Finally, something for Letha to carry all her worldly possessions in! Although the flurse isn't really a ~practical~ accessory, it's cute, and I like that you were Extra™ and made the matching garment. The compact is cute too, but when you put it all together, it's kind of muddles the concept a bit, like what is this animal print compact doing with this nautical explosion? I think the compact may have been a more successful addition to this if you had just left it as the shells you used for a base, or even painted the shells to match the color story of the other accessories. All in all, I think you made some cute stuff, and most importantly, you showed that you can get creative and crafty! As we move forward, just remember that it only pays to be extra if it adds to the overall concept and doesn't detract from it! Good job with this homework, and good luck on your test!

SALLY - Hello Erica! I love this take on an accessory – very cute and very you! I think the compact is a unique idea – the gag would’ve been if you actually had something in the compact like a mirror or some bronzer, but nevertheless, smart idea! The flower purse... I’m not really buying that – only because you’ve lost some functionality with the idea of a purse being a paper lantern. I think the lantern would’ve been more suited to being a fascinator or headpiece in my eyes, just because of how it matches with your garment. My problem with this is that while you still used unconventional materials for your compact, you used a conventional material to cover it. My only nitpick! You could’ve gone full mermaid fantasy and gave us pearls all over the fabric, rhinestone the hell out of it to make it more exciting than it is already! My advice to you is to keep asking yourself if you can add anything else and if it’s hitting your brand. This combination is on your developing signature style, it’s really cute and I know that you’re such a glampy character, but it needs a little extra kick! Good job!

Kushboo

Analyse: I am so fascinated by this, and not in like a punny "haha fascinator--fascinated lolol" sort of way, but just like, I am so intrigued looking at it. Just based on the pictures, I would never have been like "oh, that's a blending sponge and some cotton swabs," but here we are with this cute little hat. I think it's definitely a statement piece and could see it being part of a very chic outfit. It doesn't necessarily scream a certain concept at me, but that's ok. Sometimes something can be cool based solely on the fact that it looks cool, and I would love to see you build a whole look around this piece, because the playfulness of the shape with the rather subtle color story I think gives you a lot of room to have fun with a look. Great job, and I look forward to your test!

SALLY - Hi, Kushboo! I absolutely adore your creative ingenuity in this challenge, honestly really well done. The hat, I opened the picture and I couldn’t clock the unconventional materials until I saw the step by step, really genius work for me. The fact you worked with painting a sponge and q-tips too it’s crazy, and the ascot element I get so much. My advice is to the get into taking a small step back and sizing up what goes well with each concepts, my only nitpick with your submission due to it being great was that the concept became a bit confused, I did get Ascot but also the addition of your Q-tip Blender decoration turned it into a Judy Jetson 80s vibe? This isn’t really a bad thing honestly, it’s just that when it comes to picking things to go with your accessory, play around a bit with what you particularly see, maybe you’ll surprise yourself with the outcome! Good job! 

Luna

Analyse - You: How can I push myself even harder? Me: Be extra AF You: ~DOES THISSSSSSS~ I am in love with this, it looks SO cool, and the addition of the light and crystal I think really breaks up all the paper-ness of the rest of it. I really have nothing negative to say about this. You might think about adding something more to the paper parts, be it some sort of color or stones or glitter, just to be EXTRA extra, but like I said, I'm not mad at this submission at all. Great job, and I can't wait to see where your creativity takes you for the test!

SALLY - Hey, Luna – first things first, I wasn’t expecting this straight up! I love how you’ve used a very simple material and created a complex shaped headpiece from it, and I’m kind of glad you have actually got a solid foundation too! I saw the crown and I wasn’t as nervous and I think you utilized building on a base really well here. This is such a strong conceptual piece and the fitting on your face must’ve been a meticulous touch that I commend you for! The added LED effect is so charming and actually adds colour to it which is a great job. My following advice from this homework is to really keep up this effort. Not a lot of young queens find their footing this early on in charm school, and it’s nice to see how much effort you’re putting into each thing you do! Good job!

Marina Lumiere

My accessories are made entirely of a parasol. The parasol had this cool wooden structure that kept it together, and I wanted to replicate it. I hot glued the wood to a lace choker I had, and I then covered the choker with the fabric on the top of the parasol. I then separated the remaining wood from the parasol and used the fabric on my head as a scarf. I admit that I’m not much of a DIY person but I hope you like my accessories!

Analyse: Hello, Marina! I think you've got a cute base idea here, and you've kind of deconstructed the parasol in a creative way, but I don't see much of a transformation. I think going forward, your main challenge is going to be really trying to get creative with your submissions and making sure that they're executed to the best of your abilities. I know you said you're "not much of a DIY person," but especially in situations like this, that's the name of the game. Even if you're a person that doesn't do a lot of crafty stuff, there are so many resources on YouTube and Pinterest and the rest of the internet that you really have no excuse to not push yourself 137% with anything like this. All of the deans and myself are a treasure trove of information, and chances are, if there isn't one of us who has personally made something you're trying to do, a few of us will have good tutorials for it anyways. Push yourself going forward, because I want you to reach your full potential in this competition! Good luck on the test!

SALLY - Hello Marina! I think you have a wonderful take on your colour story here, but unfortunately I don’t really see much of a strong enough concept accessory wise. For me, your step-by-step lacked in any explanation and I couldn’t really follow that well – if it wasn’t for your description you sent in later on, I wouldn’t have known otherwise. Keep in mind that with step-by-steps, we need to know what you’re gunning for! The end goal! I kind of got what you were doing afterward, and I do like the effort you’ve put in, but I just don’t see much of a concept with what you’ve made. My advice to you is to really push your creative ingenuity, for me I see your choker being a full spoked wooden Elizabethan collar and your hat more of a pillbox piece than a headwrap? Popsicle sticks would’ve helped give more volume to your spoked necklace and perhaps creating this headpiece decked out in flowers and rhinestones might’ve elevated your concept a lot more. Good job!

Nikita Nox

Analyse: BITCH, YESSSSSS! THIS is a ~concept~ and I live for it. I think you know the main problems come in the construction (i.e. back support), and that's definitely something to think about when you're making looks. I know I've run into that problem a few times of making something without really thinking through how it was going to be functional, so moving forward, just make sure that you plan that out when you're getting ready to make a look. Pipe cleaners are tough, because they can get the job done, but they can also read very crafty sometimes, so just be careful with things like that; make sure the construction and execution matches the intent. All in all, I think this is a great submission and a very solid start to what could be a very cool look! Great job, and good luck on your test!

SALLY -  Hi Nikita! I think this concept is really strong – it looks really exciting and I think that it’s very unique! Personally, I love food concepts, food makes me happy so this number makes me beam. The support (if that’s really a potato I’ll be honestly shocked) is super strong on the fascinator, but I’m nervous about that showgirl’s tail! What you could benefit from is using a Thrifted belt to kind of hot glue or attach to the popcorn bucket on your waist (they do that in VS for heavier wings!) so that you don’t have what I call Awkward Arm Pose when you don’t affix something to something else right. My advice is to always think “is my concept draggy enough?” I can visualise a look being in a club for like a pageant night or something, but the peacock tail would need a lot more bags – you want all the eyes on you, and the further it, you need to negate the negative space in your tail! Good job!

Ophelia Waters

For my accessory, I wanted to create a bouquet-like headpiece centered around origami flowers! I started with a base of a styrofoam ball used for fake flowers and a headband, hot-glued together, and then embellished with two type of origami flower patterns, held on using floral wire!

Analyse: Hello! This is so cute, and right away, you can tell the time and effort that went into it. My major complaint is that the monochromatic nature of the accessory is a little simplistic, and I would love to see some color on it. Your construction of it is solid, and honestly, sometimes that's the hardest part is figuring out how to get a piece to even work in the first place, so you've already tackled that battle. I think the next thing to focus on is just making sure that there's a interest in it beyond the construction. Maybe using different colors of paper for some (or all) of the flowers or adding some paper feathers made with a fun paper. You could also play around with some fun patterns of origami paper. Basically, I think you've got a great start to an idea here, but I just want to see you take it to the next level and really give us a fully realized concept. Good job, and good luck moving forward!

SALLY - Hey, Ophelia! First off, I’m in love with how you presented this accessory, it’s very simplistic and elegant and it seems to match your drag aesthetic! The flowers look less like origami and verge on realistic in your final pictures, and the foundation looks sturdy. I commend you for using wire in this – and the combination with foam in this holds up the wire really well. My only problem is that, when it comes to using paper, I do expect people to kind of go a bit further than just use white, white is quite a simplistic conceptual colour and this ties in with my advice going forward! If you feel as if your concept is looking a little too safe for your own liking, think about what else you could add to give it that extra push – for example, if you were to  add paint splatters to your flowers in an obscene manner, that could elevate the concept further. Always question little things like “if i add X here, would it work?” and don’t be afraid to run it past anyone really! Good job!

Shillelagh

Analyse: Hey, Shillelagh! First, I think it was a cool and unique idea to make a weapon as an accessory. It's definitely a different route and shows creativity. I wish the creativity went past the initial concept though. I can't help but feel a little let down by this, especially compared to some of the other submissions. We can only tell you so many times that we want to see more effort, but at the end of the day, this is a bat wrapped in tape with some poinsettias glued to it. You've proved to use that you can have the creative ideas, but you really need to make sure that you have the execution to match, and if that were easy, everyone would be doing this. Push yourself. Try harder. I know you have it in you. Prove me right.

SALLY - Hello, Shille! I’m gonna commend you for choosing something quite out of the box and stylistically different than an actual accessory. It reminds me of like an RPG-like weapon and I think the additions are cute, but! I do feel as if you could’ve pushed it a lot more. I can kind of see a small transformation to what you used as a foundation base for your bouquet-like club. I would’ve loved to have seen you really pile on a lot and tried to transform the baton into something crazily draggy – you could’ve added anything to this to make it a completely different concept (a pearl strand to make it rococo, maybe you could’ve painted the flowers a different colour to make it seem alien and added more crazy weird things, etc.) My following advice is to plan and stick to it, I know a lot of queens in TDR that go into challenges having two or three plans and can’t really stick to one. I know you have so many ideas and we talked about them, you’ve just gotta trust your gut and make sure you slay everyone! Good job!

#tdr #tdrcs4 #homework

[dazedclarity]

the world is yours and you can’t refuse it

In which Damian wants to be an adult, accidentally stumbles into friendship with some dumb ten-year-old half-alien kid, and maybe finds appreciation for the kid still in him too. 

Friendship fluff 

Damian Wayne is not a kid.

He lets Grayson call him “kiddo,” sure. And much to his dismay, there have been times when he, Pennyworth, or Father carried him to his bedroom after he dozed off somewhere else in the Wayne Manor. And he lost his last ba–deciduous tooth more recently than he liked. But that doesn’t make him a kid.

Damian’s earliest memories are being pushed to climb mountains, taught how to fling swords into an opponent’s gut, and told, time and time again, of the legacy he will fulfill. Visceral violence and blood. There was never a time for childhood. At least not one in the traditional sense that everyone else seems to describe.

Besides, he’s thirteen. Surely that adolescent age is finally old enough to be considered on his way to adulthood, his lack of growth spurt and still-high-pitched voice be damned.

Jon Kent, the half-alien, on the other hand? Is perhaps the biggest kid he’s ever known.

He didn’t want to be friends with him. He didn’t. With his unrefined, feline-endangering powers and his processed snack bars and his completely absurd notion that his temporary (that growth spurt is coming!) taller stature gives him anything resembling superiority. He was annoying and he was overenthusiastic and he was ten. That’s like, a whole three years younger than Damian.

It was Kent, really, who started calling him at random. And Damian reasoned that it was more fun talking to him than breaking bones alone. It was just a force of habit, really, that lead him to feeling a little lonely when Kent didn’t call for a while.

It was quaint how deeply he wanted that video game. He should have understood by the age of ten that flashy, colorful distractions are detrimental to practical abilities. But as he scrolled through the company website and saw Youtube videos of the gameplay demos, he supposed he could see some tactical training nestled within the silly sounds and bastardization of real-world physics. And he guessed that he could see why someone as childish as Kent would want to play. So he told Father that he wanted it, but made sure to insist that he buy it himself–he didn’t need his father sneaking any hints to the alien. He still considered it rather silly, though.

But that didn’t stop the pride he felt when Kent’s eyes lit up at the sight of the gift that he’d pulled out from right under his father’s nose, as much as he tried to force it down. Or the heat in his cheeks when Kent launched at him into a hug.

Or the slight thrill he did get at maneuvering those candy-colored monkeys across the screen. 

“Ha! Got you!”

“No fair! That’s cheating!”

“It’s not cheating if it’s built into the game!”

“HA! Got you!”

“What? Argh…”

Ok, it was more than a thrill. It was different. It was…fun. And for a moment, surrounded by warm Christmas colors and their last score flashing on the screen, Damian didn’t feel like Robin or the Son of Bruce Wayne or anything. He wasn’t sure what he felt like, but a part of him liked it. Another part of him liked the way Kent was smiling and laughing (because of him!). In a quiet moment, he decided that maybe he could try this friendship thing out after all.

In what seemed like no time at all, Jon dozed off on his shoulder and his father was tapping him on his other to tell them that they had to go. Damian may have pouted—though he preferred the term sulked—just a bit as he pulled his coat on. Just a little.

Yes, after that day Damian started calling him. Mostly just to check on his progress as Superboy; it really should be going along faster. He had powers, after all, he could be dangerous to those around him. Of course, on occasion, he’d call on long nights when father was gone and Pennyworth was cleaning their large, ghostly quiet mansion. There was something about Jon’s rambling, even when it wasn’t about superheroing as much as trivial topics like farms and cleaning his room and homework, that made the hours past faster and his own bedroom seem a little less empty. That’s when he got to thinking, really, he never went to a normal school. He never rode a garishly yellow bus to sit at an uncomfortable desk to drone out simple equations or read short books. He never swung around low plastic bars on a playground.

He was certainly beyond such things. But he was curious all the same.

He didn’t experience them from a kid’s point of view, of course. But he did get to spy on Jon from inside a rubber mask while he did. Before he spied on his cute little family game nights straight out of a sappy sitcom and his wholly undignified 9:00 bedtime.

Damian wasn’t a kid. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t a little fascinated by what it was like to be one. At least, until it was time to whip Superboy into shape.

One night, when they were laying out under the stars covered in mud and and twigs violently snagged throughout their costumes, Superboy spoke up like something had long been bugging him.

“You said my name is Superboy instead of Jon.”

“It is. As is Robin for me. If we are to reach our true potential, we must commit to those aliases.”

Jon was quiet for a moment. Damian hoped that it meant that he got it. Until he spoke.

“Dad said that staying connected to your civilian identity is really important. I asked him once. He’s Clark Kent first, he said. It keeps him grounded and reminds him what’s really important.”

This time Damian was quiet. “Maybe it is different for you aliens. But my father puts on the mask when he goes out as Bruce Wayne. Anyone who really knows him can tell you that. Anyway, your father should be pushing you harder instead of coddling you.” He didn’t have to look to see Superboy’s face scrunch up in annoyance.

“He doesn’t coddle me!” he argued, crossing his skinny (but destructively strong all the same) arms, “and you act like I don’t have enough training to be in the field!”

“You don’t.” Damian grinned cooly at him, watching his face redden even in the darkness. “Shameful, really. That’s why I brought you out here. You don’t have time to be a schoolboy.” Damian ignored, for the time being, that he was out here too because his own father wanted him to be a schoolboy rather than work–perhaps that alien had gotten to him, god forbid.

Jon only humphed and turned away. Until,

“Your dad worries that you, like, never take off the Robin suit.”

“How the hell do you know?”

“I heard him say it to my dad at Christmas. Maybe my super hearing might have come in a little, I guess, I dunno.”

Damian gritted his teeth in annoyance. “He’s the one to talk.”

Another moment of quiet. “Doesn’t it all get to you too?”

Damian tutted. “Why would it?”

“Isn’t that why you call me all the time? And why you just broke into my bedroom?” Jon chuckled, and it made Damian’s fist clench.

“I’m trying to make you fulfill your legacies as Superb–”

“Dad says I’m doing just fine! Why else would you follow me around!?” Damian’s blood boiled. How dare he insinuate that Damian is following him like a puppy begging for attention? That’s the last time Damian tries to guide a snot-nosed little brat like him.

“Shuddup,” he snapped. Jon’s smile fell before Damian firmly rolled to the side, facing away from him.

Crickets chirped for several moments more.

“Hey Damian?”

“What?” he sighed.

“When we’re all done with this, like when we get back home, do you wanna stay over? I haven’t had someone to play Monk E Monsters with in a while. Kathy doesn’t like it.”

“What, like a sleepover?” Damian said mockingly. He’d never really had one, but he’d become familiar through pop-cultural osmosis. The word brought imagery of silly sleeping bags on floors, confectionery being consumed at a disgusting rate, and pointless games being played into the night.  

“Yeah!” Nothing about Jon’s tone was ironic. It was cheerful, and hopeful. It caught him a little off guard.

“Sure, whatever.” With a moment’s thought, Damian added, “If Father allows it. I do have a very tight schedule as Robin, you know.” Just to appease the kid, he told himself. After all, Jon did smile brightly at his answer.

In the end, however, after they returned to Hamilton county to a mother’s panic, harsh scoldings, promises that Jon would not go out for months, and turns in the shower to wash off days of grime and sweat, much to Damian’s surprise Father did consider it best that he rest a bit at the Kent’s for the weekend. So he found himself sprawled out on the Kent’s couch, biting his lip as his ape punched Jon’s off a platform, mindlessly tossing microwaved popcorn kernels into his mouth. Later on, Lane let Jon watch one sort of scary movie, apparently convinced because he had an older friend with him.

“Psh, she thinks I’m such a baby,” Jon scoffed. “I’ll be fine.”

Thirty minutes in, Jon was gripping Damian’s arm for seemingly dear life. That familiar heat rose to his cheeks once again.

“You’re such a kid,” Damian groaned, but didn’t pull his arm away. Especially not when maybe one of those stupid jump scares might have made him flinch a little. But he’d be damned if he let Jon see that.

Damian found sleeping in a thin sleeping bag on an inflatable mattress about as comfortable as he expected.

“Thanks for staying over, Damian! It was super fun!” Jon piped from the bed above him.

But it wasn’t so bad, he supposed. And their parents must not have been too mad about all this, because they still let them team up to fight crime–for the times they knew about, at least.

“Hey, you said you’ve never been to a carnival, right?” Jon asked over the phone one night, several months later.

“Um…no,” Damian replied, uneasy at the sudden question. He wasn’t going to ask what he thought he was going to…

“Do you wanna come to the one in town this weekend?”

“Seriously?”

“Uh huh, my other friends are gonna be busy with their parents’ stands and it’ll be fun! You should come! Have you even ever ridden a ferris wheel?”

“I’ve never wanted to ride a ferris wheel,” Damian said in a huff.

“You always say stuff like that, and then you always have fun.”

Damian denied it, but that didn’t stop him from showing up at the Kent’s door anyway.

Of course, Grayson had heard him discussing the matter over the phone and wasted no time in pressing him into it.

“I grew up in something like a carnival,” he’d said, “you’ll like it. It’s fun! You can run around and eat sugary crap like kids your age should.”

Damian tutted in irritation. But his brother had persisted. Later, when he didn’t know the youngest Robin was lurking in the shadows, Damian had overheard Richard telling Pennyworth that he thinks Jon is a good influence on him–a balancing force, so to speak. Damian tried to ignore that point on the ride to Hamilton County.

Though he had to admit, there was something a little comforting about peeling off the sweaty Robin costume after having had worn it for several days straight. Sometimes he just forgets to.

If he’d known that he’d have to squeeze into the backseat of the Kent’s stale-smelling family truck, he’d have hired a car to take him directly there…but Jon soon distracted him with rapid-fire stories about pie-eating contests, water-gun fights, and viciously spinning light up rides. Damian was hard pressed to admit it, even to himself, but part of it was intriguing. Provincial, but intriguing.

“Last time Alan ate an entire cheesedog before going on the tilt-a-wheel, we told him not to but he did anyway and then when he went on, it all–”

“I think that’s enough, dear,” Ms. Lane said from the front seat.

“Quite enough,” Damian agreed, though something in him wanted to hear the end.

“I’ll tell ya later,” Jon said, almost like he read his mind. It made him less uncomfortable than it should. In any case, he had inspected the alien man’s powers closely enough to know that telepathy was not one of them, and so his son certainly didn’t have it.

Something in his head that sounded an awful lot like Grayson’s voice told him that such things occur with friends.

Perhaps that was why he also let Jon grab his arm again and drag him to the muddy fairground, with Lane’s voice shrinking into the distance as she told them to meet her back at the car by 10:30. And so he was dragged that night, up to game booths with cheap stuffed animals hanging from the ceiling (”You know we could buy these toys with pocket change at the dollar store, right?” “Winning them is the fun of it Damian, gosh…stop being such a killjoy”), over to meet Jon’s friend Kathy to drink some unpasteurized milk (who, to Damian’s amusement, was quite taken with the fact that he was thirteen…until Jon made a comment about Maya’s liking to him in retaliation), and through a “scary” funhouse with twisting mazes and poor trying-too-hard actors in running makeup (both of them agreed, after the Joker, none of those clowns were the least bit intimidating).

It was fun. There, he said it. That unpasteurized milk was pretty tasty (whether it would make him sick was still under consideration). And maybe the toy Monk E Monster that he won at a ball-throwing booth (all too easy for someone of his skills) was kind of cool. Some of those mazes almost posed a slight challenge. He enjoyed himself. He smiled fairly often that night.

Until they reached the looming ferris wheel, and his smile fell.

“I am not going on that.”

Jon handed him a stick perched with a monstrous, artificially pink ball of fleecy sugar–cotton candy.

“Come on!” the kid whined, threads of his own blue one sticking to the sides of his mouth. “It’s so cool! You can see the whole fairground up there!”

Damian squinted at the spinning contraption, studying its shoddy construction. “That thing is only being held together by luck. And I don’t believe in luck.”

“What…,” Jon’s voice fell to a whisper and he leaned in, “is Robin not brave enough to ride a mere ferris wheel?” For a moment, Damian was ready to march up to the damn thing and toss that stupid kid on it. But in another, he simply sighed and rolled his eyes.

“I can’t believe you tried that old trick on me.” He took an indignant bite out of his cotton candy (which tasted better than he cared to admit). “Not going to happen.”

He preferred to believe that his stomach lurched in response to the unpasteurized milk, not the way Jon’s face fell and his tiny voice sighed out “Ok, let’s go back to the car then.” But either way, he ended up paying that damn ticket price and leading the then-joyous boy onto the rickety platform, praying to whatever pantheon might be listening to let him survive this.

The wheel creaked and shook as it began to turn, and Damian knew this was a huge mistake.

But Jon was grabbing his shoulder and pointing out the shrinking people below, as well as all the places they had been that night. And yes, against the country sky, which glittered with far more stars than any city night, in the distance the flashing yellow and red lights of the carnival went from tacky to something kind of like beautiful. Just enough for him to forget his assured doom.

“See, I told you it was cool!” Jon said smugly, again showing an ability to read him that Damian knew now he did not like one bit. Damian smiled slightly in response. Only slightly.

“It’s alright. But you should see Gotham from up high, it’ll beat any carnival you’d attend for the rest of your life.”

“Sure! That would be awesome!”

Damian didn’t intend that as an invitation. But he supposed he could deal with it becoming one.

“Hey…Damian?” Jon said softer this time, both out of caution and seemingly to make sure no one else heard. “I know you thought it was kinda lame, but thanks for coming here.”

“…You’re welcome. Thank you for inviting me, I suppose.”

“Of course I did!” Jon said casually, “you’re my best friend.”

The wheel didn’t screech to a halt. But it might as well have.

“I’m–what?” Damian sputtered. Jon’s casual expression became timid, and Damian felt the hole get deeper. “I…I thought Kathy was your best friend.”

“I mean, she is…” Jon rubbed his arms and adjusted his glasses self-consciously. “But you’re different, ya know? She can’t be in with all the superhero stuff. You can be best friends with Superboy too. Like you can come to carnivals with me and help me kick bad-guy butt!”

Damian blinked twice, for once unsure of what to say. He looked at Jon, then back at the fairgrounds, getting a little closer now that they were wheeling towards the ground. Then back at Jon.

Truly, what was the harm? 

“Ok.”

“Really?”

Damian shrugged. But he guessed that by now Jon could tell he didn’t feel that relaxed. “Yeah. We’re best friends.”  Oh, wouldn’t Richard be so proud, he thought sarcastically.

His newly christened best friend grinned wider than he had for the rest of the night, and Damian’s heart thudded a little in his chest. Must have been the milk again.

“For two supers, it’s just nice to get to be normal kids with each other.”

“I am not a–” Damian, much to his own surprise, stopped, sighed, at looked back across the carnival. “Yeah…yeah, it is.”

By the time they had gotten back to the car, they had pushed and shoved each other enough to get cotton candy in each other’s hair, stains on Damian’s shirt, and smears across Jon’s glasses. Ms. Lane sighed and sent them to wash in the bathroom before they went in the car.

Before long, they were laughingly making mud puddles of the dirt floor as they splashed each other from the sink. One thought, soft but warm, crept into Damian’s mind in the chaos. Perhaps being a kid sometimes might not be so bad after all.

Look at you kids, you know you’re the coolest The world is yours and you can’t refuse it Seen so much, you could get the blues, but That don’t mean that you should abuse it [x]

#jonathan kent #damian wayne #super sons #supersons #damijon #dc comics #fanfiction #jondami

[conversationswithhank]

Molly: ICECREAM!

Hank: Hey, why does she got ice cream?

Me: (frustrated) Because she is my karmic retribution and therefore never stops talking and I need her to be quiet for this conversation and if I have to listen to Frozen songs one more time I will burst a blood vessel.

Pai: Feel better?

Me: (deep breath)

Pai: So, what happened?

Hank: Mom looked at my YouTube browser history and she saw that I have been watching inappropriate videos.

Pai: What kind of inappropriate?

Hank: Grand Theft Auto videos.

Pai: And is that all?

Hank: (sheepish) No.

Me: Hank also watched a series of parody videos, about ten, where all cursing was bleeped, but all were way too mature for him.  Kinda BuzzFeed-Ish about dating and dating apps and college and parties. The comedy was super sarcastic and just no. (shaking my head at Hank disappointed) No.

Pai: Hank, did you know the videos you have been watching were inappropriate?

Hank: Yes.

Pai: And you chose to watch them anyway?

Hank: Yes.

Me: What I want to know is what you thought you had to gain? What was the payoff? Was it worth it to watch those gaming and parody videos? You know I check your history. I have told you that. Did you think I wouldn’t find out? Be honest.

Hank: (mumbling) I was going to delete the browser history.

Me: Come again?

Hank: (speaking clearly) I was going to delete the browser history.

Me: Oh.

Pai: Henrique José, you forget I have a masters degree in Computer Science. I could have put things into place that would guarantee that deleting the bowser history would have made no difference. I could have been spying on you. Did you think of that?

Hank: No.

Pai: And do you want to know why you didn’t think of that?

Hank:

Pai: It is because you trust me and up until today your mother and I have trusted you. When there is trust between people there is a greater level of freedom. When trust is broken it is one of the hardest things on earth to gain back. You have broken your mother and I’s trust and you have admitted you were prepared to lie to us. This is a first. This is a big deal.

Hank: (calm, hanging his head)

Pai: We have given you a TON of freedom on the internet.

Me: TONS.

Pai: But now you have proven with your actions and with your intentions that you cannot be trusted. We are disappointed in you. How do you feel? I think your mother’s question is important. Was it worth it? Was watching those Grand Theft Auto videos worth it?

Hank: I don’t know. I don’t think so.

Me: Why did you do it then?

Hank: Because I wanted to? Because I didn’t think it was a big deal?

Me: Even though it is a hard and fast rule in this house: No Grand Theft Auto? I don’t like the premiss of that game: stealing and violence. I know you always say you wish you could get out of the car in your other driving games and you could in Grand Theft Auto, but you get out of the car to steal and beat people up and all sorts of other violent acts.

Hank: (trying to dig himself out of the hole he has dug) And finance. You get out of the car to complete missions to take care of your finances. A lot of the game is about fiscal responsibility.

Me: Don’t make me pray right now, Hank. (eyes closed, hands raised in surrender) Don’t you even begin to get smart with me, mister. I will show you a crime circuits’ fiscal responsibility up close and personal. DON’T MAKE ME INTRODUCE YOU TO REAL LIFE. You are nine and since the day you were born I have had to fight with you about staying a child for a long as possible. Trust me you do not want to grow up yet. You think you do, but you don’t. There is nothing fun about the life portrayed in that stupid game.

Hank: (meek) All my friends play it.

Me: Who? AND name one of them under the age of 12.

Hank: My colleagues at school. All the boys. And some of them play it with their DADS!

Me: AND do they live in this house? Am I their mother?

Hank: No.

Me: That’s what I thought.

Pai: To get back on track. Hank, you were given a lot of freedom because we trusted you to respect our boundaries and talk to us when you happened upon something that was inappropriate but maybe gave you questions about life like these adult parody videos. These topics (gesturing to the phone and the browser history), did you understand any of these?

Hank: Not really.

Me: When you have questions about adult life: Dating, Parties, Kissing, Drinking, Drugs, Fiscal Responsibility etc.

Hank: (giggling then choking back the giggle realizing now is not the time to think his mother is funny)

Me: We want to think you can ask us those questions and if not us then you have a hoard of other people who love you whom you can speak to: Prima, Maria Miguel, Ana Santana, Ana, Euclides, Ricardo, Braulio, your Tio Daniel. Most of this humor I don’t want you to model. This kind of humor is based on sarcasm and stereotypes and I am fighting the world for you to be you, just as you are, and for you to be strong enough to not change or compromise yourself for anyone.

Pai: So here is the bottom line and then I will let your mother explain the punishment for your actions. We have learned that you are not ready yet to have absolute freedom on the internet. This is perfectly natural. YOU ARE NINE. We are disappointed in your choices over the last couple days, but we see why you were tempted by these videos and we are here to talk to you about it. You have always been fascinated by Grand Theft Auto and we can understand how our rules about no violent or killing games in this house differs from your colleagues at school and we are proud about how maturely and calmly you are talking to us about this.

Hank: I cried earlier, Pai. I cried when mom asked for my phone, because I knew I was breaking the rules and that I was getting caught.

Pai: I am also proud of you for admitting how far you were going to take the freedom we had given you. Admitting you intended to deceive us by deleting your YouTube history was important. Thank you for your honesty. Your mother and I now understand we have to monitor you more and sadly trust you less. Joy?

Me: Hank, you are nine. What happened today I expected of you when you turn 12, 13, 14, 15. You will learn to lie to your parents. You will learn to deceive us or lie by omission, meaning lying by not saying anything at all when you know you should. You will. All kids do eventually, but they don’t start when they are nine.

Hank: (hanging his head wounded)

Me: We see our part in this situation and for that we apologize. We were lazy and I hope you chose the right things to rebel with because for the foreseeable future this house is officially 1989.

Hank: What?

Me: When I was nine I had books and paper to write stories and make drawings on. I spent far too much time alone in the woods catching frogs and making elaborate fantasy worlds with my friend Quinn Hazen and so for the foreseeable future this house is officially 1989. There is no internet for you. No smart phone. No television until someone else is watching it and invites you to join in. You can use all electronics at school and read a book on my Kindle and do your extra credit online school work but we will be with you at all times. You can check your email by asking me to use my computer, but other than that your punishment for breaking our rules online is to entertain yourself.

Hank:

Pai: Just like we had to do when we were nine.

Me: You must entertain yourself from now on.  No one is going to do it for you and if you even ONCE complain about boredom I will make you sweep the entire house and THEN get on your knees like Cinderella and scrub the floors of this house with a bucket and a rag. That is your punishment. Do you understand?

Hank: It is 1989.

Me: I will get you stacks of library books and you have a huge bookcase full to entertain you. You can play board games and learn to shuffle cards.

Pai: You have a little sister to play with, you can help us cook, you can take music lessons…

Me: You can ride your bike in the courtyard, you can take up the yoyo, but you complain to me one time only once about having nothing to do (threatening) and I will give you something to do.

Hank: I sweep the floors and scrub like Cinderella.

Me: Each and every time.

Pai: You will no longer rely on the internet to entertain you. WE will no longer rely on the internet to entertain you. That is your punishment.

Hank: (deep sigh) This feels fun now, but it is going to be hard, isn’t it?

Me: No one ever called you dumb. Not one day.

#parenting #mumblr #internet #responsibliity #entertainment #YouTube #GTA #Gaming videos #trust #1989 #learning to entertain yourself #punishment #restrictions #conversations with hank

[floralharjuku]

Cadence: prologue *Contains Spoilers!* (POSTED ON AO3)

Tumblr formatting legend:

* = *italics* ~ = ~bold~

…

(And on the third day, Crystal Mum created spoiler warnings)

Prologue: “Emotions are prohibited.” …

Androids were never meant to be replacements for humans; the doppelgängers were never to evolve beyond shadows waging perpetual war for the glory of mankind, waging war in the forever hope, chasing the forever goal of one day returning their humans to the surface they had wiped clean.

*What a farce. *

That was their goal. That was their dream. That was their only aspiration.

It was the only thing they could want.

So many years, eyes covered in symbolic darkness, minds linked to the server, man and machine made one, purging the planet of the rusted metal heaps that made life unsustainable. Centuries, without fail, standing constant vigil from above, the last line of defense.

*And for what? A server with the last remains of the human genome. *

The Bunkers. *Blown to bits. *

The androids. *Slowly going mad. *

The lie so deeply hardwired into their code, into their being that the very idea that it wasn’t true sent shockwaves of madness throughout the system. Waves that needed to be cut off before it all fell to pieces.

YoRHa. *A shell. *

The Council of Humanity. *Lies. *

Useless bits of code floating through the server, all of it. Once, these streams had been of pristine quality, now they were cluttered with bits of data that didn’t fit anywhere in the server. But their owners simply couldn’t part with the data. And so it clustered in the veins of their shared knowledge. Rumors, idle gossip, emotions began to spread through them.

It wasn’t long before they all could feel. Out of sheer necessity, those were ordered to a minimum by a commander who looked all too sick when she came from inside the server.

“Pod. Seal these records and issue a server wide announcement that emotions are prohibited.”

How many years ago was that…time passed so slowly and yet so fast here in the land of forever dark, counting the same stars for the same rotations until one day she realized that the star was gone.

*She had outlived the stars. * Such a thing was too blasphemous to articulate.

Emotions were prohibited under her watch, the only one that mattered anymore. She was all that was left, the only structure, the only leader, the only one with enough strength to see them through until the ultimate conclusion of project YoRHa.

Already, the other four Bunkers had gone *dark*. And their goal? A lie. A lie she continued to feed them even as so many saw past it by simply *feeling. *

The end was nearing.

She stopped enforcing her prohibition. More and more and more and more and more and more rebelled. It was so easy…to cut them off from the system, from YoRHa, from the perpetual end they were trapped in. It liberated her.

*It was so much better than hearing them die, screaming in pain, screaming because they knew that they had no bodies to return to, that they would face death, an endless void of horror and…*

Her Bunker only housed models B to H; O and S. The rest were stragglers, survivors, from the devastation backdoor events in Bunkers 1, 3, 4 and 5. Memories wiped clean, they became her soldiers.

*But she couldn’t bear to hear them loyally die, believing in nothing, knowing nothing, feeling nothing. *

Keep them fighting. You are their commander. Fight until it all *ends. *

She cut so many free. Aided in their desertion.

Was this pity? Was this fear? Was this *emotion? *

She was terrified.

But…

“You have your orders. Glory to humanity!”

Glory indeed.

…

A Scanner type, she knew from the start that he would be her downfall, her own personal harbinger of doom. He was a high-end model, made exclusively for the purpose of discovering what should never be found.

“YoRHa unit No. 9, type S, reporting, Commander.”

“Everything is in working order?” He nodded, left arm crossed over his chest in salute. “Good. Your first assignment is to survey the surface for any potential Goliath class machine tech.”

*Get as far away from here as you can. Stay away from these servers. Stay away from the corrosion inside. Maybe…maybe…*

“Yes, Commander!” He sounded so enthusiastic, almost childlike. Which wouldn’t be strange if she didn’t know that all YoRHa units were built in a state the humans once called “late adolescence” or “early adulthood”.

Her downfall was in him and his kind. And as such, his own downfall was in himself.

…

His operator, 21O, always seemed annoyed with him. He functioned with the attitude of a teenager, constantly questioning her, taking this bored tone with her, exhaling heavily whenever tasked with something that interrupted his own personal scans. She had *told the brat* time and time again that he was wasting resources with his curiosity, but she kept finding data on insects and flowers in his reports, as if he had taken a break during his task to watch a worm inch its way across the dirt.

Which was exactly what he had done. It was a solid forty minutes long and each second made her want to claw his eyes out.

He wasted time, energy, fuel for himself and not to mention he had a flight unit with him which tripled the potential loss should he and it be destroyed during these scans.

“As long as he completes his task in a timely manner,” the Commander had said, “then I see no reason why these extracurricular activities should be stopped.”

“But, Commander…It’s a waste of resources…”

“All the Scanners have this same flaw: an insatiable thirst to *know*. He isn’t the first and won’t be the last.”

“Do they all have the same flaw to talk back?” His operator muttered as she went back to sorting through the rest of his files.

The next video was genuinely enlightening. *Three hours of waves. * Where did he even find the time…?

…

It was strangely fascinating, this abandoned human facility was a relic of a time gone past and possibly never to be again, a memento of the past world he was fighting for, of the war he was created to fight for. Rusted and overtaken with greenery, this place was hollow, whistling as the wind passed through this living and yet dead museum to the intelligence of his human creators.

From above, he could trace the paths that they would have taken in the progress of working. Rusted and dangerously corroded bridges leaned and creaked in the slight breeze as he did a quick pass over them, barely suspended from wires that had cracked and snapped years ago. One bridge was in such terrible shape that one side had fallen into the water, the other leaning on a right diagonal into the sky.

What would this place look like, in the past? When people, not plants, populated these areas for work purposes?

Huh…what did humans look like when they worked? He supposed like androids but…uh, there were supposedly differences between android and humans, but no one had ever said *what* that was. Speaking of work, would the humans ever need to work again with the androids in existence?

Such questions were for the future, he supposed. A future after the war. But such questions were always in the back of his mind during ops like this.

What were the humans like? When he looked into the mirror and saw himself, was he really seeing the image of a human? Was there a human that he was modeled after? A person with the face he so believed to be his and his alone? How would this human react to one day coming face to face with an android who looked just like him?

Why was he so absorbed with these existential questions? All they did was make his logic processor momentarily freeze. Once, after debating the concept of “God” with himself, he had awoken in his room and learned that his OS had crashed from the undue strain. He had been reprimanded for it and warned that another crash of that magnitude could result in a full scale memory wipe in a desperate attempt to salvage his core processing elements. To think, a mere question had the potential to kill him.

Maybe he was morbidly curious. That would explain a lot about himself.

One eye scrolled through his personal research of this place while another watched a small machine pour a bucket of oil onto a deactivated machine. The deactivated one had been offline for some time, its arms torn off by whatever had destroyed it. Probably two machines getting into some sort of mindless conflict.

“Brother…brother…brother…” It repeated mindlessly, clinging to a concept it couldn’t understand.

“It doesn’t matter how much oil you give him, little guy. It won’t make him your brother.” He sighed, fascinated nonetheless. To think that such a machine could even begin to comprehend the *idea* that was family, not to speak of practicing it.

Maybe, if he still had time he could take it apart and research it…

The booming approach of the attack squadron quickly killed his hopes of actually having any fun during this mission, but he noted that it would be over soon and he could come back. There was a strong possibility that this strange machine would still be there, calling out for a brother that didn’t exist while it waded in spilled oil.

(Cadence) A Nier: Automata study.

Author’s notes: Formatting is so much fun to do when I know it won’t transfer to anything and I have to use marks instead. Hello! I’m not sure if I’m the first, but if I am…First chaptered Nier: Automata story! Victory to me for having absolutely no life and finding the full game on YouTube. That was my whole week right there. The story captivated me in a way that I really was not expecting. I watched the first Nier in preparation of the second, and I fell in love with the themes and huge story. I like that a game could go so deep and dark and make me question everything, even down to the base components of myself. Seeing androids and robots that acted so human…it’s fascinating stuff!

Anyways, I decided to explore the psyche of my personal favorite in the game, 9S. I have to say that his character really surprised me. I had expected a drag-on experience with him, but…well, if you’ve seen it, you know.

*Motions hastily to ending C while crying*

His character goes through such a drastic change and his character arc goes up like “okay, well that just happened, but like what what what what what.”

Again, you know what I’m talking about if you’ve seen ending C.

So, this contains massive spoilers for the whole game. If you want to go in clean, please put this down and run from me because this was done in February on the 25th and I’ve been waiting to write this for…er three days. I am about to explode at this point.

Each main ending, A-E, will be covered and as such, I’ll be labeling the story as it follows each ending. Mostly, since this follows 9S, this will be told from his campaign.

This story has been crossposted as well onto Ao3 and when Fanfiction stops being dumb, I’ll post it there as well. Wanna see this in fully formatted glory? Well, so do I ;;

And as always, thank you to those who support me, those who inspire me and those who give me feedback.

For the glory of mankind.

#nier automata #yorha 9s #9s #yorha 2b #spoilers #nier spoilers #like for real #fanfiction #crystarmum #crosspost #ao3 #formatting on mobile is hell

[equalized9]

in 2016 I read the best comix at the publix libraxry

2016 was an idiot year for me because I started a local interest blog, and a bunch of local events happened and I didn’t go to none of them. 

And the ones I did go to, I couldn’t figure out how to use my camera (like at the violent trump rally started by milo vaginopolis. I saw the aftermath - there were cops at the Upper Sproul Plaza gett’n paid marching in circles and formations for a few news cameramen - it was weirdly reminiscent of the whole TV facade of Hunger Games), but i’m a writer so i guess just an appearance and some attention is worth something.

Anyways in 2016 I read some of the greatest comix of my life thanx to the Berkeley Pubic Library (sic lol i’m talking about the grimy bathroom on the 2nd floor Downtown - no fault of the janitorial staff, or even patrons, it just gets used a lot). the NEW LEAGUE was BOMB (all 3 installments in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Century and the new Nemo Trilogy).

SPOILER ALERT

As a Purveyor of the Strange I appreciated Mina Murray’s astral drug trip gone wrong, one instance of Kevin O’Neil’s illustrations, normally contained by strict parallelograms, breaking free of their rigidly rectangular boxes in a colorful and metallic “technicolor” dreamscape (obvious remark). The story also looks at the problem of demonism and dark occultism in music and youth culture, which interests me as a new-agey music guy - I mean really, evil does damage people. Harry Potter as the antichrist, hilarious.

I can’t say enough good about these books because of the personal meaning they have for me. (Fer example, The Bonuzz Minions of the Moon sci-fi story features an actual illustration of a field of skulls, which interests me as someone named Skolfield.) But, I also realized, as a total send-up of old man books ca. the 1900s and earlier, they play on some pretty prejudiced cliches, like the brown-skinned pirate princess Nemo, my new favorite fictional mass murderer. She’s such a beautiful strong woman, but also a unhesitating preyer of innocents.

The Downtown Library had Volume 3 of the Nemo series (Roses of Berlin) hidden in the back, and I imagine the young black female library employee thinks I’m some kind of pervert after my personal request for the book - featuring a 2-page center spread of exploding nazi femme-bots - an illustration (and book) brimming with pseudo-swaztikas and fragmenting female body parts.

Which leads me to the amazing work of Warren Ellis - Desolation Jones (begins when the protagonist is hired to recover stolen Hitler porn, as in graphic, sexual movies featuring the actual Hitler - and that’s the least freaky / seedy / hardcore / underhanded / conspiratorial part of the story), Global Frequency (so gritty, so contemporary, so hi-tech, so much blurring of reality and Speculative fiction - better than movies or TV), and the cyberpunk masterpiece Transmetropolitan - I felt like such a kewl antisocial punky guy reading about Spider Jerusalem and listening to Drum n Bass on the bus - the book says “I HATE YOU” with a sardonically grinning white man on the cover. Transmetropolitan - strangely cartoonish, yet revoltingly real - is appropriate reading during any presidential election, but was especially so in this strangely cartoonish yet, revoltingly real era of the Trump vs. Hillary vs. Bernie campaign.

I am totally a wannabe Spider after reading this - xcept mo #natural and straightedge maybe even mo#smart. My assistants will be administered a very different compulsory cocktail of psychoactives. No ketamine, no tobacco, gross…

Grant Morrison Doom Patrol, Flex Mentallo and Sebastian O - more connoisseur of the strange fare. Doom Patrol is DC’s surrealistic reject superhero team - theirs is a topsy-turvy story in an already topsy-turvy world. Topsy-turbo, you could say ;) thanks spell check. There’s a villain team (with a germaphobe member whose power is everything you didn't think of) who threatens to trap the world in a painting, and other spooky threats, like an impossible floating crystalline city made of shifting bones, powered by a riddle, infested with inter-dimensional marauders called scissormen, who speak in anagrams.

Flex Mentallo, features a villain who leaves dud cartoon bombs in hi-value locations, the tormented hero ripping through marble floors of banks and subway stations trying to catch the phantom. Reminds me of British government assassinating citizens during war on terror? 

Self reflexive comic where a rockstar - reminiscent of the author - is haunted by cartoon characters invented in his childhood. An existential meditation for a darker age where superheroes are in support groups instead of fighting crime.

Trump’s presidency is a lot like Lex Luthor taking the White House.

One wonders, where are the heroes?

Where's Spider-Man, for real.

Who has the balls or the power to save us?

One of my favorite comic book scenes of all time appears in Flex Mentallo, when, in a race to save the world, the hero stumbles into a superhero sex club, where the world's saviors are distracted having beautiful, impossible sex. And the sidekicks are relegated to roving gangs of boy wonders.

As a writer you're dealing with the basic building blocks of meaning, and at a certain point it's like you're hacking the genome, coding reality itself with language, like a computer coder guy writing a program.

The satisfyingly mind-bending questions of abstraction and metaphysicality I encountered in these comics reflected the Grant Morrison I knew from prose, in his history of comic books Supergods, which reaches into mythic realms, positing the superhero as an arbiter of history, and even a living force, almost like Jesus. But he's a storyteller at heart, and is only evangelizing comics themselves, and the human spirit, if anything. It's very nitty gritty and pragmatic pop prose - some of the best I've read.

I also knew Morrison from YouTube interviews, sometimes alongside the likes of the My Chemical Romance singer, discussing his daring or foolish forays into occultism. For example, ahile experimenting with sympathetic magic, Morrison afflicted his character Spider, modeled after himself, with a brain infection, and reportedly developed the same health problem.

Sebastian O is some crazy Victorian alternate history shit with a prison break and practically nonstop mortal battle by a super-sexual, super-fashionable dandy superassassin with a clockwork house and perverted friends and some guy going nutso over virtual reality. Crasy shit! Connoisseur of the strange, appreciator of the weird.

(Ok I gotta explain this “connoisseur of the strange” phrase I keep repeating. I realized one of my specialties/interests has always been the “weird” or “different” - im a “risk taker” and a trendsetter and a contrarian, opt for bright colors and clashing patterns, always have loved sci-fi/fantasy, my shows circa 2002 were So Weird and Invader Zim, always especially appreciated the surrealistic or drug trip episodes, like when Homer goes through an interdimensional portal, or the Ed Ed n Eddy that's all dreamscape. This interest is part of my fascination with VR & cutting-edge science - I wrote a whole piece about it, so I'll leave it at that for now.)

I read summo but those were some of the ones I remember immediately. I read some of the best comix of my life in 2016. Thank you Public Library.