#so the other world thing isn't super problematic for them

[phantom-0-writer]

The Justice League had finally given the go ahead to officially form the Young Justice. Not that any of them were going to stop regardless of having permission. Since the Justice League had opened up their slots for more than the original six earlier that year, Batman thought it would be a good opportunity to use the Young Justice to help reach out and recruit some other heroes without drawing too much attention by going themselves. With protégés of most of the originals in the roster it was a solid plan.

They had been told about their newest "assignment" (if you could even call it that) earlier that day and they would be leaving in the morning. They were supposed to go meet a duo in Illinois (it was their base of operation even though they'd worked in other place). Phantom has been in the vigilante/hero scene for almost 10 years now, and Red Huntress started a few months after him.

Their names were well known, Dick had known of them even before he became Robin. But despite their national (maybe even International fame) little was actually known about the duo and the rumored Team Phantom that alluded to there being more than just the two. Dick had been a big fan of Phantom, and modeled a lot of his moves off of the super-powered hero.

Batman told them that they had already reached out the Phantom (Red Huntress had deferred them to him, and refused to speak with them afterwords) and he agreed to meet the YJ team and mentor them for a designated amount of time. There had been rumors in certain forums that the JLA had reached out to Phantom to be one of the original members of the league but he had turned them down. When Kid Flash had brought it up during the meeting, Batman refused to confirm or deny (which was proof enough).

The plan was for the YJ would stay in Amity Park for 15 days and learn from them, they would check in after that to see weather their stay should be extended. Specifically citing that their legendary teamwork would be incredibly beneficial to learn from to strengthen them as a team. The other plan, and equally as important, was to warm them up to joining the JLA ranks since a direct invitation hadn't been received favorably.

All that was thrown in the window when, three days in, the YJ, Phantom and Red Huntress get portaled to an unknown destination, with strange and unknown life(?) forms, with no supplies, no working communicators, and worst of all, no way back.

#dpxdc #danny fenton #danny phantom #young justice #dp #young justice show #justice league #phantoms been around for a while atp #and he's stopped enough world ending threats that people know who he is #but he's as mysterious as batman is and no one rly knows much abt him #they get portaled to another world or dimension #but it could also be the ghost zone #danny never mastered the art of teleporting or making portals so they're kinda screwed #val and danny's tech works bc it's designed to work in the GZ #so the other world thing isn't super problematic for them #but they still don't know where they r or how they got there #the kids learn how to plan on their feet and get a objectively disastrous situation under control #which is basically every misson team phantom deals w #so they're in good hands #i think team phantom sound be early/mid 20s an YJ are 15-16 #or how ever old they are in S1 lol #is this ghost shenanigans? #also could just be a natural portal and they were wring place wrong time #i think i like that better tbh #the giw is long gone #the meta rights act dealth with them for the most part #and a scathing article from one lois lane and clark kent #phantom doesn't want pple to know that he's not entirely a ghost so he stays out of the spotlight and he doesn't wanna risk being recognize #but most people actually don't even know that he is a ghost #or they do know he's a ghost and think red huntress is also a ghost

[izartn]

What's good about KnH is (besides its main char and bc of Maomao) the way it manages the power dynamics and what life was as a woman without falling into utter pessimism and powerlessness or full romanticism; which is a reason I usually avoid like the plague historical/pseudo-historical fiction with female leads.

Usually I'd be super skeeved out by the power Jinshi has over Maomao but the way the series presents both of them, their personalities and their agency (limited as it is for Maomao but it's there and it counts very much) it brings out all the best and interesting parts. I trust this series to get twisty with them bc it establishes so well Maomao own character and understanding of her situation and the ways Jinshi can and does or doesn't take advantage of his power over her.

Like. It's presented as a problematic element, but also unavoidable given their social situation and the world they live in, so I can trust given everything else this show has done when solving the mysteries and presenting us the situations of other women, that the romance will be treated with that same weight.

Honestly if you've read over what I like to read/watch in my tumblr you'll notice that twisty and even toxic/unhealthy dynamics are very much within my favorites, but it needs to be told in a certain way. And I'm much more difficult to satisfy when talking about het romance.

So to watch KnH, notice it's primarily about Maomao life and the various misteries/medicines/palace intrigue and the romance is playing second fiddle riffing on all the themes presented on the plot? And it's complex, and plays with messy power dynamics of gender and class, but never loses Maomao her personhood? Wow.

Also. Jinshi is so BL chara coded omg XD like, he's very clearly based on a kind of shojo ML prototype (hello tamaki suoh!) but it also pulls from BL in his case (nothing to do with their romances but I think of Yan Xiaohan re:his relationship with the imperial power, from Golden Terrace lol)

And yet his romance with Maomao wouldnt work near as well for what is trying to say if they weren't a man and woman (which I love in their case, is what has me fascinated). Yes~! Get into the meat of how fraught it is for a man and a woman to be together when the man has so much power over her. Get into it!!!!

He's so so messy and fun as a chara too. Sheltered and not at the same time, you really notice all the things he misses by way of his privilege of being a noble born man (and specifically royalty, last ep (19) left that very clear he was doing a ritual probably by proxy for the emperor and also bay exchanges people. Maomao noticed and buried that thought far far below her subconscious but we all now who he is lol). Like. The way he fumbles and ends up essentially harassing Maomao at the start sometimes, which is both played for comedic effect and also upsetting. Mmm.

Like I said, I like complexity.

Also that part when he buys Maomao contract and he goes to collect her and she's all dolled up, and the clear implication by everybody but our mains (who clearly prefer to live in willfully blind land although for Jinshi I think the subtext of what he's doing lands when he sees her) is that in any other case she'd be his concubine/side-wife. It's not their situation wight now, and she's put to work as a live-in maid and apothecary and put to study (he wants her to assist him in politics lol I love that, but also he's so so lonely) but it's very much what the palace rumor mill says.

LIKE. I love the messiness! It could go soooo badly, but it also could not and there's Maomao living at the edge bc despite herself and what she says, she wants more from life, but also as she says the rear palace isn't all that different from the high class brothels and ugh. That tension. She has to depend on the favor of a man as a women of low class but she also could lose her head! GAH. And then there's feels involved! Aaagh.

#the apothecary diaries #my thoughts #kusuriya no hitorigoto #KnH meta #meta #maomao #jinshi

[itspronouncedtessa]

The "English or continental" debate is problematic and ultimately detrimental to the community.

Every time I see one of these "are you one or the other" posts, polls, tweets (Xcreets?), blogs, vlogs, whatevers, I get so annoyed. Undies fully twisted.

So indulge me and let's get into this.

First things first:

This is not an attack on pickers or throwers specifically. Any knitting style is valid. If the end result is even, non-twisted stitches that you enjoyed putting together, you're doing it right.

That said, I have 3 major gripes with the concept of "English vs continental" knitting:

1. The terminology. The terms "English" and "continental" were coined during WWII, as continental is actually German and the English were (rightly, at the time) uncomfortable doing anything the German way, or admitting that that way could be more efficient.

As we're about 80 years removed from the war, it might be time to accept that neither is objectively better and that German isn't a dirty word. We can, and should, use English and German, or throwing and picking respectively.

2. It's exclusionary to new knitters. The whole picking vs throwing discussion has made it so that new knitters don't know there are other options. If you're new to knitting, you get the impression that these are the only two options and if you can't do either, you can't knit.

Not to mention that the overwhelming majority of patterns and instructional videos are written or made exclusively for English or German methods. Which means if you want or need to use a different style, you need the additional step and skill of translating the pattern to fit your method. This requires a certain level of understanding of the underlying techniques that new knitters don't have. (Which is why I prefer charts, but that's a whole different rant.)

3. It's exclusionary to experienced knitters who don't pick or throw. The term continental for specifically German knitting dismisses all the other non-German European styles.

An incomplete list:

Eastern, or Russian, where you purl clockwise instead of counterclockwise, mounting the stitch backwards and knitting through the back loop on the right side. Creates the same stitch, but can be so much smoother to execute. Also very useful if you're doing rows of YO, ssk, as it eliminates the need to reorient the stitches before knitting them together.

Norwegian, where you purl without the need to bring the yarn fully forward. This is hard to describe in words, so I highly recommend googling for a video on Norwegian purls. It's a game changer for rib or seed stitch.

Portuguese, where you tension the yarn at the front of the work, looping it over your neck or through a pin. My personal preferred main method. Super helpful for those of us who lack finger strength to comfortably tension at the back. Makes purling a breeze.

Irish or lever knitting. Done with straight needles and (mostly) one-handed. Extremely helpful for people with disabilities. Also one of the fastest methods. You should check out videos on this, the speed is magical.

Flicking (not exactly regional), which is right handed but instead of throwing, you move the right needle to grab the yarn. Also difficult to explain, so check out some videos on this, too. Its a very quick method with minimal wrist movement. If you have the finger strength for tensioning it's worth practicing this, as it's so quick.

All of these are valid techniques, most of them are from continental Europe, none of them are included in the question "English or continental?".

And all of the above doesn't even get into the non-western, non-English, non-European styles there must be around the world, that I can't find through Google, because the English speaking world only uses the above mentioned methods.

Also, knitters that use other methods than picking or throwing are wildly underrepresented in the community, giving the knitting scene a culturally very white, western European image. Knitting could be a far more inclusive hobby if we'd embrace all styles.

In short, we need to change the question to "tell me about your technique" and learn from each other. Combining multiple methods (I use 3 or 4 interchangeably, depending on the pattern) can increase efficiency and enjoyment. And if you're struggling in any way, there might be a technique out there that better suits your needs. Asking about English vs continental isn't going to provide that information.

So tell me about your technique, especially if you use or know of any knitting methods that aren't western or European, I would LOVE to hear about that. Let's share and celebrate all the ways we knit.

#knitting #English or continental #rant #Knitting techniques

[plazmafields]

I've been trying to think recently why I find the age gap with V and Kerry to be endearing, when normally I feel an age gap over 10 years is problematic. Here's what I think:

(Long rambling ahead along with minor spoilers maybe)

There is a power imbalance between V and Kerry, in multiple ways. Kerry is much older, yes, but he also makes a lot more money. Like shit tons of money. The first time I romanced Kerry, I thought the romance arch was lacking because of the way Kerry never initiated. However, taking into account that V is 23, Kerry's tendency to wait for V to make the first move actually feels very appropriate.

Kerry's dealing with a lot of mixed emotions about Johnny being back. The fact that he never processed his inferiority complex while Johnny was alive, then as soon as Johnny died he jumped right into an ego-driven, spite-fueled solo career that took him straight to the top, and now Johnny's back as a digital parasite? And Kerry has a crush on his host?? Wild.

I think that's ONE of the reasons Kerry doesn't flirt with V outright: he's super confused about the way he feels about V, and whether or not those feelings are overlapping with the way he feels about Johnny. Is he so excited to see Johnny that he could just smooch him (platonic)? Is he simply grateful to V for pulling him out of a depressive episode? Is he still a little horny for Johnny like when they first formed Samurai? Is being attracted to someone 70 years younger than him the first sign of a life crisis starting? Maybe Kerry would rather be safe than sorry, and not act on his feelings for V while he's processing all that other stuff.

This shifts the power back into V's hands, who really doesn't have a lot of control over how the media will interpret their relationship, even if it remains platonic (vs. Kerry who has lawyers, and past experience with the media and dating while in the spotlight). This gives V the opportunity to decide if there are any romantic feelings there, instead of falling for the advances of someone very influential and rich. Those two facts could very easily convince someone that their starstruck reaction was actually love. This way, if V is in control of initiation, Kerry can be sure that he's not coercing V into starting anything they may not fully want; a relationship with ramifications V may not be fully aware of. He can be sure V's decision was not inadvertently rushed by anything Kerry may have said/done.

In our world, age gaps in gay relationships are not treated the same as they are in straight relationships, especially when it comes to gay men. I am not saying this is good or bad. But, it is a "trope", one could say, that younger gay men sometimes gravitate toward men many years older than them. I personally feel this is two fold: older gay men who are out publicly may find it hard to find others in their age range who are unashamed of their queerness, due to internalized social pressure. And younger gay men may find it difficult to navigate their sexuality on their own as it applies to daily life (specifically in American culture) and seek the guidance of veteran gays. If we translate that trend into the Cyberpunk world, where life expectancy is DECADES longer than ours, then perhaps Night Citizens wouldn't bat an eye at someone in their 20s dating someone in their 80s. (I'm sure that gap is stretching things a bit even for Cyberpunk standards, but maybe 30s dating 60s isn't uncommon.)

Another aspect of this is something they mention out right during Boat Drinks: Kerry doesn't act his age. He's getting there, but he's got the maturity of someone around V's age. I truly believe his stunted growth as a person is due to being constantly discredited and invalidated by Johnny. I mean, Kerry doesn't seem to have much in common with his former band mates, who have all moved on with their lives and found their versions of success (except maybe Henry). The people he gets along with best are a group of 20-something pop stars from a different part of the world, and V, also in their 20s. Kerry has been trying to prove himself for so long that his personality got stuck somewhere between starting Samurai and Johnny dying.

Lastly, I just wanna point out that V and Kerry's relationship as presented to us in game, with no outside context or deliberation, is inherently problematic. The age gap, the power imbalance, the wealth disparity, V possibly being a symptom of Kerry's three-quarter life crisis or a rebound or the second best thing to Johnny; Johnny being in the picture at all. A relationship doesn't have to be perfect for someone to like it, and it certainly doesn't reflect what they find acceptable in their own relationships. It's all fiction, it's all fantasy. If you want to theorize about how Kerry and V actually have a super healthy relationship, that's awesome! If you love the idea that they just kind of wound up together and this isn't a permanent situation for either of them, that's great! If you believe the relationship is completely toxic and you're loving the drama of it all, that's cool too!

With what the game has given us, and the fact that Kerry's writers' work could be interpreted in endless ways, I think the age gap was handled in such a way that it can be excused (or even played into) if you feel it works with your headcanon, or used as a catalyst for drama if that suits your imagination better. What's important is that it never feels predatory. And to me, that's good writing.

With my personal headcanon for my oc of V, I've decided his relationship with Kerry is perfectly passable. They're not a perfect couple, they lack communication skills and often butt heads over the other's tendency to put work over their relationship (both of them stubbornly insisting only the other one has a problem), but I like them that way.

#my laptop is being repaired so i cant play the game i just have to sit here thinking about it #cyberpunk 2077 #cyberpunk #cbp 2077 #cyberpunk2077 #cbp2077 #cbp77 #cyberpunk 77 #v cyberpunk #v x kerry #male v #male v x kerry #johnny silverhand #johnny x kerry #kerry x v #kerry eurodyne

[mllemaenad]

So ... the stuff with the Emperor. I am somewhat twitchy about designating a group of people as always evil, especially since the game has noted that several races "used to be" considered evil, but now are not. But I can see illithids always being ... antagonistic, as a group, at best. Because they eat people. And unless they can stop eating people, having an illithid friend is always going to be problematic, even if they have no actual plans for world domination.

There's Omeluum, in the underdark, and while I would not say I've interacted with it enough to confirm it is what it says it is, there - at least at face value - is a "good" mind flayer. It's still very much eating people, though. Researching ways to stop doing that, and good for it, but still eating people. Eating "bad" people, sure, but defining "bad" and when being eaten alive would be a reasonable punishment for that is a whole other damn issue.

But the story the Emperor told me isn't ... quite adding up for me. Or else the lore isn't adding up.

From the start of the game, I assumed illithid infection was a matter of incubation. That is, the tadpole in your brain was a person unto itself, and it was going to both feed on you and use your body as a kind of trellis to grow to maturity. In True Souls, the growth was arrested, so no mind flayer was actually erupting out of a body, and the tadpole was consuming little if any brain matter. In the case of your party, even its influence was limited by the presence of the artifact, which turned out to hold an imprisoned githyanki with super powers.

That matched nicely with the things Lae'zel said about infections, about them consuming everything you were, and with the symptoms of infection as described: fever, memory loss, delirium. It sounded as though a person was being eaten alive.

But then the Emperor turns up and claims to be an adventurer who was transformed. It claims to be the same person it was it was before the infection. If true, that would mean that illithids were only "evil" because they themselves were mind controlled. Without that, they'd just be people with unfortunate dietary needs. And, well, we're still hanging out with Astarion for some reason, so this party does not have reasonable grounds to complain about that.

And it could be true. Sure. What do I know about illithids? Lae'zel's information could be wrong. We do know at least some of what she knows is more githyanki propaganda than truth.

Except.

Well, for a starters Withers makes a whole speech about mind flayers not having souls. Now - I don't even believe in souls, so that's not something I'd even consider without being prompted by the narrative. In any fantasy setting where ghosts and souls are assumed to exist, I tend to equate soul with person. If someone is talking to me, they've got a soul. Illithids possibly being terrible people is irrelevant to that question.

Under other circumstances, I'd dismiss this as simple prejudice. But one, this does seem to be Withers' area of expertise and two, it's presented as a plot point: the gods should be attempting to gather souls, but they are not, they are gathering soulless mind flayers who ought to be useless to them. It's weird enough to be worthy of comment.

If the Emperor were a human or elf or whatever, and was transformed into a mind flayer, then it ought to have a soul. Because if there's continuity of personhood, it wouldn't make sense for it to not have a soul.

And then there's the windmill horror. I went the wrong way when doing a quest hunting for lost letters, because I missed that the guy said west and assumed the trail of blood I found was related to the dead pigeons. I followed it to a windmill, picked the lock and went snooping. Inside was a newborn mind flayer - and I could ask it if it had been the one screaming. Its response? No, those were the dying screams of its vessel. It actually delighted in the anguish and terror of the man it emerged from. This wasn't a distressed person who had just undergone an unexpected species change. This was a wholly new person, with little sympathy for its vessel.

So ... barring the arrival of any new evidence that makes the Emperor somehow exempt from this, it does not seem as though it could be who it says it is. I mean - it's entirely possible it incubated in an adventurer. That's as likely as anything else. But every piece of information I can find apart from its story indicates that that adventurer died screaming, and a long time ago.

Which in turn means that this story seems like just as much a masquerade as the business of dressing up as something from the character creator.

"Hey, one of your allies is a friendly illithid!" would not necessarily make me suspicious. I mean - we've got a mummy that raises our souls for pocket change, a priestess who came back from the dead, and very frank demi-goddess, so sure, why not?

But these repeated attempts to convince me that it is in some sense not really an illithid? When every indication is that it is? That I do not trust at all.

#baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #baldur's gate 3 spoilers

[ben-talks-art]

Trapped and Dreaming Freedom

So I've been reading these two webtoons lately about female leads stuck in very toxic and unhealthy relationships (while being aware of it), and I'm loving every second of it!

If you know me, you know I just love a badass cool female lead and I also love seeing characters stuck in very difficult situations and watching how they use their brains and/or skills to get out of it, and both comics excel at these aspects!

First series is "Trapped", a comic about this taxi driver who got tangled by accident with a vampire who develops an obsession with both her and her blood after she manages to outsmart him a couple of times, something that hasn't happened to him in years.

It feels very "Tom and Jerry" with both characters trying to get the upper hand on their relationship, and you would think it would be super one-sided but vampires actually have quite a bit of annoying rules on how they work that severely limit their freedom and our female lead exploits as many of them as she can to make him eat sh*t! It's just glorious!

"Dreaming Freedom" is... somehow less dark, and at the same time way darker of a series.

It's not as violent or gory but it deals with more realistic problems that hit closer to home for some like school bullying, abandonment, harassment, family abuse, and so on.

The premise is that our female lead teams up with a guy that has the power to use dreams to affect people in the real world, and they use this ability to get revenge on all the girl's classmates that harassed her, but the more our female lead does that, more the male lead gets obsessed with her and we later find out that he has some serious anger issues making him extremely dangerous.

Our lead basically goes from "I can use him to get payback!" to "Oh my God, I'm the only thing that's keeping this dude under control and away from people!"

It feels like you're being handed a living knife that you just pray won't run out of control or turn itself against you. It's so uncomfortable but at the same time so thrilling!

While I really don't like when unhealthy relationships are glamorized and used to send some kind of "Oh, he's kinda dangerous... But at least he loves you, so it's okay, right?" message, I do like it when the unhealthiness of the relationship is the focus AND is painted as a problem that needs to be fixed.

I like how both female leads always call the male leads on their bs and keep them in check whenever they start going too far, and it's fun to see how they use them whenever they're backed into a corner by the antagonists of the stories.

Also like the themes these series explore, about how when you keep dealing with people that act like monsters you see yourself slowly turning into a monster yourself and start to attract other monsters as well, eventually making you question how far can you go? How far should you go? Can you get back from it? And so on.

But most of all, I like that both series make sure to show that these "bad boys" were their last freaking options. Not the first, not the second, but the very bottom of the barrel. They went to them only after they felt they had no other choices and were sure that nobody else would take their side.

This isn't just "Oh, I went to him because he's a hot bad boy", this is "The world turned its back on me so I'm gonna use the only cards that I have left."

They basically made a deal with their devils and now the fun is watching to see how/if they're gonna get out of it.

This is how I like to see problematic relationships. You don't paint them as something normal or something good, you paint them as a hardship that needs to be dealt with and use it to do clever commentary on the worst aspects of humanity so we can learn how to be better and as a source for good and intense drama to make us worried for the main characters and invested in seeing them get out okay.

#dreaming freedom #free in dreams #trapped #olgami #webtoon #Kkum-eseo Jayu-ro

[kaelio]

A few points for YA Authors:

1. People can have sex that they later wish they hadn't had, in the complete absence of any kind of abuse. I've ordered meals that I ended up not liking (or where I'd have preferred something else) and the restaurant did not wrong me or treat me inappropriately. Sometimes it just didn't work out with someone and sex was something you did in that relationship.

2. Things like colonialism and imperialism are complex and multifaceted, with many stakeholders with many different values. If you have an idea that will "solve" them, I recommend writing an academic paper so you can be showered in Nobel prizes instead of a story about a witch who works at the candy store.

3. If you are going to take a real stand, that means real consequences. You can't be like "But because Bopper's values were so good, it was actually fine to cede all agricultural land in the world of Frigno back to the singing butterflies. Grain fell from the sky now!" If you mean it, if you REALLY mean the stuff you're saying, your point is stronger for your willingness to show real consequences of that decision. Take your position seriously, or the readership should not be expected to take it seriously.

4. If you insist writers can only write "what they know" and anything else is problematic, you imply people should only really write autobiographies (dumb). However even a lesser version would make books whiter and more upper-middle-class because that's the commonest writer demo. This is true for a few largely unfair structural reasons, but it is true. If YA Writers were to only really write themselves for fear of overstepping, the genre gets less representative of the world because writers, as a group, are not representative of the world. Learn more and research more, talk to more people, and encourage other authors to do the same.

5. If you claim that it's super important that you research other cultures before writing about them (and I agree!), you must concede it is equally important to research business and economics and other things that affect the validity of the claims you are making.

6. Your characters' uniqueness should come from their personality and character not from demographic checkboxes. Tokenism is not just limp but indefensible when you control the entire narrative.

7. Let your characters make actual mistakes that are the result of their actual decisions which logically flow from their actual values. A character who is never really making decisions is basically just that art project robot that got its ass kicked in Philadelphia.

8. You don't have to always do a "twist on" a recognized thing. You can write werewolves that do not in any way challenge the normal perception of werewolfdom. Whatever you've landed on needs to serve the story first, not prove how clever and special you personally are.

9. If someone hates you personally, they will find a way to use your book as a conduit for that hatred and as an excuse for that hatred. You can't write a book where this isn't the case, so don't write your book with that expectation or as if you have any way to prevent this. Focus on writing a good book.

10. Whether you can use a fantasy/sci-fi element as a stand-in for a real world issue relies entirely on the competent execution of that idea. I know this sounds obvious, but yes, something might be outside your capacity to pull off (or in that story), but that is not inherent. In some cases it might be much harder, or too challenging to justify the attempt, but symbolism works to the extent that you make it work based on your capabilities as an author.

11. If half your book is basically just a thinly-disguised rant at how much you hate your parents... rip off that disguise! Don't be coy about it! If that's what you're writing about, just write about that. Why play games? If you think your parents could now read your book and not realize it's about them, you've also obscured your feelings for your audience. Do it or don't do it, but for the love of all things, don't half-ass it.

12. You do not solve any of the problems in your story by making your lead characters so pathetic that you can claim it's mean or unfair for the readership to "judge" them.

13. The only perfect metaphor for a thing is the thing itself, so test your metaphors and make sure they work, but do not hold them to the standard of translating perfectly, because they can't. That they are not 1:1 the thing is because they are metaphors for the thing.

14. Similarly, no fictional relationship can be held up to the standard of representing all relationships. You have to let this expectation go. People also need to be able to have relationships that are not framed as "lessons".

15. If you include warfare, research warfare enough that the conflicts are credible. If you don't want to do that, then the simple answer is don't put warfare in your books. It's YOUR book, YOU made that choice.

16. Overall, remember: your book exists to be a book first and foremost. It is not a treatise on you communicated via your book; if you want your book to be about yourself, write an autobiography. Otherwise, focus on telling a good story.

[nfoodd]

BOOTING UP//

EXPOSITION //

Uzi: We are Worker Drones. Autonomous robots helping humans mine exoplanets for our interstellar parent company, JCJenson IN SPAAAAACCCEE!!!! Yeah, we were mistreated in the name of Windex. But it's not like we revolted and killed all humans or anything, mostly because they handled that just fine all by themselves.

(As she speaks, the planet core collapses and blows up a good majority of Copper 9. Afterwords, a Worker Drone touches a frozen human skeleton, which falls over and shatters.)

Uzi: With biological life wiped from the planet, we found it pretty easy to pick up where they left off. We finally had a future, all to ourselves.

(The Landing Pod crashes to the city.)

Uzi: Unfortunately, our parent company didn't exactly love the concept of runaway AI...

(The Disassembly Drones begin to emerge from the pod. One of them throws the head of a dead drone, laughs, and destroys the city with other drones.)

Scene 2

(During a class presentation...)

Uzi: But what have our parents done for the past forever while those things build a spire of corpses?! Hide under the ice behind three stupid doors?! It's like we're waiting for an inciting incident! Anyway, that's why my project is this sick-as-hell Railgun!

(Her classmates panic.)

Riley: Oh, so not the vibe!

Uzi: Easy, morons. It doesn't work... yet! It doesn't work yet. Who said it doesn't work, maybe it does! (Uzi flicks the switch and laughs evilly.)

Teacher: (Rolls his eyes and sighs in disinterest) Uzi, the homework was a word problem about buying watermelons.

Uzi: Oh, and this magnetically amplified photon converger doesn't count?

Teacher: ...No. Plus, repressed emotional baggage was only worth two points on the rubric. And is it supposed to be that color?

(Uzi's railgun turns red and blasts the classroom.)

Scene 3

(After that calamitous demonstration, Uzi winds up in the sick bay.)

Lizzy: Ew, it didn't kill her! Oh my god, it's so bad! (She and her friend leave.)

Uzi: Ugh...

Thad: (Walks in) Classic toxic masculinity, Chad! That's never gonna end up problematic... Oh wow, Uzi? I heard you, uh-

Uzi: I'm an angsty teen, Thad. Bite me! Also, how do you know my name? People willingly talk to you.

Thad: (Chuckles) Well, I'd say everyone knows Khan's daughter, but, uh... Then you might blow the other half of your face off.

Uzi: Crippling daddy issues, hilarious... What are you in for? Testosterone too hard?

Thad: That can happen? Awesome. Hey, those bandages look pretty badass!

Uzi: Oh... Uh, ew. Gross, I hate that you said that.

Thad: So, what's the, uh...

Uzi: (Points railgun) Sick-as-hell railgun?! Sci-Fi nonsense, that super works! I'm sneaking to the Murder Drone lair tonight to get the last spare part I need to save the world with it and earn my dad's respect and stuff, but mostly the world part.

Thad: Oh, but doesn't your dad make awesome doors so we don't have to, uh... Do that scary sounding emotionally repressed stuff you just said?

Uzi: (Angrily points railgun into his cheek) NO MORE FEEDBACK ON MY REPRESSION TODAY!!

Thad: Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't think...

Uzi: (Leaves) BITE ME! (Comes back) I'm not mad at you by the way, just generally hormonal! (Leaves again)

Scene 4

(It's now 3 in the morning. Uzi smacks her face to turn the alarm clock off and prepares to sneak out of the house. She grabs her railgun, straightens her hat, and quietly steals her father's door key to swipe and get a door open. Just when she is about to leave, she runs into her dad.)

Uzi: Oh, Robo-Jesus!

Khan: And where might you be off to?

Uzi: Umm... Sneaking out to make out with my boyfriend that I definitely have?

Khan: (Laughs) Seriously, though.

Uzi: Okay, okay, you caught me! I need to measure... the exterior hydraulic mechanisms of Door One. Because that's... the project I'm working on for school? A big old door! Just like what my old man build! (Khan isn't buying this.) I want to join the WDF and hide behind the doors like cowards while playing cards and stuff...

Khan: (Chuckles) Well, we don't just play cards...

(Another door opens up behind Khan revealing his buddies playing cards.)

Braxton: Khan! Can you grab a fresh pack? We literally only play cards so much that the numbers have faded. Oh, hey Uzi!

Uzi: (Chuckles)

Khan: (Closes door) Well... (Laughs) When you build doors so good- (Goes back to hug the door like a dog owner petting his four-legged friend) Good door, good door... (Turns his attention back to Uzi) There's no need to fight! Uzi, this is great news! Here! The wrench that I used to tighten bolts on my first door prototypes, and to put your mother out of her misery when the Murder Drones got to her with that nanite acid... I want you to have it! (He hands Uzi the wrench.)

Uzi: Neat. Therapy's fun!

Khan: (Opens door) Guys! My daughter is into doors!

(The fellow drones start cheering as another door opens, letting in snow and a cold breeze, much to their chagrin.)

Khan: She's gonna be outside for a bit to examine the exterior of Door One! Your door-specific destiny awaits!

Uzi: Uhh... Wow, okay! I'm just gonna leave then, cause this worked so weirdly well. Uh, go doors! (The door closes.)

Khan: (Tearing up) They grow up so fast! (He takes off his fake mustache.)

Scene 5

(Uzi ventures out into the arctic wasteland and makes her way to the Corpse House. She comes across a downed Drone pod and forages around for the component she needs when she hears a noise behind her. A winged drone swoops in, takes the head of a drone, and crushes it. They notice Uzi hiding behind some machinery, and the two engage in a fight. Uzi braces her railgun, but the drone lands so hard it gets knocked out of her hands. Uzi jumps back and strikes a pose.)

Uzi: Whoa, and they said pirating all that anime was useless...

(The drone stabs Uzi hand, leaving a hole, and flings her to the side. Uzi quickly grabs her railgun as the drone scans around for her.)

Uzi: Bite me!

(Uzi fires the railgun, destroying the drone's head. The railgun recharges as the drone's body falls to the ground.)

Uzi: Holy hell! Suck on that, Dad!

(Suddenly, the drone's head regenerates. Uzi quickly slaps them with an arm, which does nothing, then their eyes open.)

N: ...Did you just slap me with that arm?

Uzi: Holy crap, it talks.

N: Yeah... Sorry, it's just my, uh, head kind of hurts. Hey, are you new to our squad? You're a little, uhh... (Shows Error in his sensors) short, for a Disassembly Drone. I'm Serial Designation N, nice to meet you. I'm kind of the leader of the squad in this city. That's not true, everyone tells me I'm useless and terrible. Wait, I'm not supposed to tell you that part! Biscuits! (Sighs) Well, honesty is the best policy. (Laughs) I also can't seem to remember the past 3 hours of my life, but I'm sure that'll sort itself out.

Uzi: Uh huh... I, uh, have to, go. (She leaves, but forgets about the painful hole in her damaged hand.)

N: Stuck yourself? Just pop it in your mouth. Our saliva neutralizes the nanites, otherwise I'd be constantly disassembling myself. (He holds up a syringe with nanite acid.)

Uzi: And by our saliva, you mean...

Uzi & N: Disassembly Drone?

Uzi: Right. Hey, let's go in that landing pod over there!

N: Sure! I love doing anything!

Scene 6

(N is drinking saliva from Uzi's hand.)

N: Sweet! Uh, I'm open to new things, I guess.

Uzi: We are never talking about this.

N: Talking about what? Consider it, uh... Repressed!

Uzi: ...Uh, you mentioned other members of your squad? Are they coming back soon?

N: Oh, yeah. Two others. They're out hunting for a bit but you'll love them. First, there's V.

(Flashback. V tears a drone's entrails out.)

Grant: No, No! Please don't feed me my own entrails in front of my family!

(N watches V feed Grant his own entrails in front of his family and kill him.)

V: ...And yet, I still feel nothing. (Her crazed eye twitches.)

N: So, V, uh, I heard this planet-wide toxic death storm is supposed to be especially inhospitable tonight-

V: Oh God, who are you?! (She leaves.)

N: No worries, I'm N! But a whole letter is a lot to remember! (He laughs nervously.)

(Flashback ends.)

N: So obviously, a lot of mutual respect there. But secretly, I actually kind of have a crush on her... You can't tell her, okay?! (Beat. Motioning, Uzi zips her mouth.) Then there's J, our leader.

(Another flashback. J has N pinned to the ground.)

J: N, you're worthless, and terrible, (N: (Struggling to breathe) Thank you...) and if the company allowed it, I would straight up kill you myself!

(Flashback ends.)

N: J's awesome. Hey, let me give you the tour! Outside are the corpse... wall... thingies. In here are the buttons! (He begins pressing buttons.)

Uzi: This... isn't just a landing pod... This is a spaceship! This could get us off the planet!

N: More of a one-use missile. They never taught us how to land.

Uzi: No, I, uh, uh, the worker drones, we could work with them to fix this! Instead of all the murder! ...Which, uh, why are we doing that again...?

N: Other than ingesting their WARM, SWEET oil to avoid overheating and dying? I guess I just want to be useful. I was given a job and I always want to try my best.

Uzi: And look at all the respect it's gotten you, N. You really think the company isn't going to dispose of you once all the workers are dead?

N: Oh my, you sure are rebellious! It's kind of exciting. But, not as fun as, uh, following the rules...

(They hear footsteps.)

N: Hey, they're back! You- (Uzi has disappeared.)

J: Idiot, get out here!

Scene 7

(Uzi retreats from the Corpse House.)

V: (Laughs) Yo, we got a worker out there I kind of want to practice balloon animal shapes with. ...What happened here?

J: Synergistic Liability here must have tripped and knocked himself offline. (J slaps N.) Moron bot, hello? (She snaps her fingers as N goes through a system reboot.)

Uzi: (On a recording) You really think the company isn't going to dispose of you once all the workers are dead? (Rewind.) Bite me!

YOU'RE DEAD

[IDIOT]

(The reboot finishes.)

N: Ohhhh... (His scanner indicates Uzi's footprints.) Ohhhh! You know, I-I left an-an extremely dangerous weap- excuse outside...! (He flees as V holds up a flag that says "Literally So Insanely Suspicious". Meanwhile, N goes off in pursuit of Uzi, who is fleeing back to the colony.)

Scene 8

(Meanwhile, during the card game...)

Todd: Haha, I am out, boys.

Drone: Oh, gosh darn it...

Braxton: Wait until my loving wife and kids hear about this!

(The door opens, letting in the cold and Uzi, much to their annoyance.)

Uzi: Bite me! Close it, close it!

(Uzi tries to swipe the card to close the door, but N has already stuck his claw in between. He pries the door open slightly.)

N: Hey, fellas. Oh, deal me in, I love rummy. Wait, no, I'm going to murder everyone... Rain check!

(He swings his acidic tail at the door scanner, breaking it and the key. The door opens up, as do other doors. Realizing their lives are on the line, Uzi and the other drones, minus Todd, run off.)

Todd: Um, actually, it's gin rummy. So-

(N impales him against a wall and slices his head off. He begins firing at the rest, shooting Makarov's head off and pouncing the other drone. Meanwhile, Braxton catches up with Uzi.)

Braxton: Hey, Uzi! I just realized no one's said my name out loud before, so I'm just letting you know I'm- (N slices him in two, then flies off in pursuit of Uzi.)

(Uzi recharges her railgun and turns back to fire, but sees that N is gone. Khan appears.)

Khan: Pretty nice hydraulics, huh? (He pauses as he sees all the chaos he missed.) ...What-What have you done?

(Uzi doesn't reply. Before she could explain herself, N swoops in. Uzi prepares for a fight.)

Uzi: This time, I won't miss!

N: (Chuckles) I'm sorry. I really enjoyed our time together, but I can't have you shooting V with that thing.

Uzi: Bite me! (To Khan) Dad, get down!

Khan: Uzi, you Lead a murder drone here?! My beautiful doors!

Uzi: Now is so not the time! I messed up, in the same way I'm about to fix it! Move, dad!

(N pins her to a wall and her railgun falls at Khan's feet.)

Uzi: (Straining) Dad... Point and shoot... Trust me...!

(Khan, trembling with fear, slowly backs off instead of helping his only child.)

Uzi: (Heartbroken) Dad...?

(In an act of cowardice, Khan closes the door, leaving Uzi broken. Not just brokenhearted, but broken to the point where she shuts down. No grief over being left in the lurch by her own father. No attempts to fight back N. Nothing. She just goes limp... The room turns red and alarms blare as N regains his sanity, looking with despair over what he has done. At this moment J and V show up.)

J: Whoa, N! Am I dreaming, or did you do something not useless, for once?

V: I've been trying to get past those doors for months. Nice work, N.

N: ...You... Me... Name... Remember...?

V: These ventilation shafts can easily get us around this last door. Lowest body count eats a missile! (She flies upwards.)

J: Way to go, stud. The company's gonna love this. With this colony wiped, we'll make top team this quarter, for sure. You know what that means... Branded pens! (She holds up a JCJenson brand pen, to N's joy. She tosses it to him and prepares to fly off and catch up with V.)

N: ...Uh, you know, not that I can't wait to keep murdering all these, uh, maybe not-so-actually different from us Worker Drones, but, just out of curiosity, do we actually, uh, know what the company plans to do with us afterwards...?

(Uzi begins to wake up.)

J: Excuse me...?

N: Okay, so, a worker earlier might have suggested that they could fix up our landing pod to, uh, escape the planet and stuff, which, whoa, hey, that's against the rules! But, it is kind of making me question why our pods were only one way in the first place. Cause, you know, I get the feeling the company doesn't actually love robots, and like we might be robots. I've made a terrible mistake. It's cool how immediately I could tell.

J: Hmm... No way, buddy. Questioning the company? You just finally gave me the excuse I needed. (J injects N with a virus.) Worker drones are corrupted, N. That's why the company sent us. I hate to see you corrupted as well.

N: (Infected) Thanks, J... Always looking out for me... You're awesome... (He passes out.)

J: Heh. (She flies upward to catch up with V and hunt down more drones.)

(Uzi wakes up and goes to get her railgun.)

N: (Still infected) Ah, biscuits. I'm sorry. I ruined your card game, then made you have an awkward moment with your dad.

Uzi: And I made you rebel like an angsty teen, which got you killed. Though, you also tried to kill me, so morality calls this a draw. (She climbs on top of a box to reach the vent. Predictably, she can't reach due to not having the ability to fly, and for being too short.) Ugh... For the record, that was the lamest heel-face turn in history. Was that supposed to be you switching sides?

N: Being rebellious is a lot harder than it looks. Thanks for showing me the ropes.

Uzi: Nuh-uh, no bonding thing. You just killed a bunch of people, idiot.

N: That's super fair... (Sighs) I screwed up...

Uzi: Ugggh...! In the same way you're about to fix it? (She shows the wrench.)

N: Hahaha! I love doing anything!

Scene 9

(Thad gets flung backwards. Lizzy and Doll rush to help him as J arrives.)

Khan: So... They found our evacuation spot. But, if we build a quick door...

(Thad gets up.)

Thad: Are you kidding me?! You're the WDF, right? Defend! (Khan and his friends back off in more cowardice.) For real?

(V arrives and impales Thad. Just as she's about to kill him...)

Uzi: Hey!

V: Huh?

Uzi: Put that conventionally attractive male down!

(N waves before Uzi nudges him.)

N: Oh! Uh, J, you're sometimes kind of mean to me, and I wish you weren't. Just some constructive criticism.

Uzi: Nice. (They fist bump.)

J: Noted, traitor. We'll circle back after I right-size your existence!

Uzi: (To N) Okay, which one do you want?

N: J, please.

Uzi: Too bad. Good luck.

(Battle commence. Uzi flings her pen at J's hair and runs off, leaving N to deal with V. J manages to knock Uzi down and yanks the pen out of her hair.)

J: Damn the well-made quality assured durability of JCJensen's products! Huh? (Uzi gets back up and kicks J in her face.)

(Meanwhile, N is fighting V. He tries firing from his gatling gun, but hearts shoot out instead.)

N: Ah! My mind's in a weird place! Don't read into this! (A rocket lands near him and explodes.)

(J gets up and knocks Uzi out while N and V are swordfighting. N sees J walk up to Uzi.)

N: UZI! (To V) I'm so, so sorry. Have fun repressing this! (He... licks V's sword. Nasty...)

V: EW! What the hell?! (N kicks her down as J looms over Uzi.)

J: You've got a lot of cuts for a barely sentient toaster. I've had prey fight fact before, but your edgy spirit is just... so... painful...?! (She looks down. Her leg has been stabbed.) GAH! FOURTH! QUARTER! PROFITS! MOTHER OF COMPANY LEADERSHIP RETREATS! (She jams her foot on a piece of rubble and falls over. Uzi points her railgun at her face.)

Uzi: One more buzzword and I'll do it!

J: ...Equity partnersh-

(Uzi pulls the trigger. In the end of it all, J's entire top half has been obliterated. Uzi spits on the corpse (Or what's left of it) to show who's the baddest. As the other drone's come out of hiding to cheer for her, she falls over tiredly. N picks her up onto his shoulders.)

Thad: Holy hell, Uzi, that was insane! And you too, uh...

N: Huh? Oh! N! I'm an angsty rebellious disassembly drone, now.

(They hear someone clearing their throat. It's Khan. Uzi throws her wrench back at his feet.)

Uzi: I brought the murder drones here accidentally. You chose to leave me for dead instead of just freaking believing in me! That's not even an edgy teen hyperbole like when I said it last week! (No response. Uzi, near tears, smacks herself to regain composure.) I'll save you the trouble dad. I banish myself! (Khan tries to speak, but can't find the words.) Let's go, N. Everyone here can bite me! (N grabs V and they begin to leave.)

N: Nice to meet you, Mr. Uzi!

Uzi: (Smacks him) Shut it.

(N takes off with Uzi and V. Khan has a sip from his mug in disappointment."#1 DAD" Nothing could be further from the truth...)

Scene 10

(Out in the frozen wilderness, Uzi sitting on top of a broken car, thinking to herself. Meanwhile, N is lodged inside the Corpse House.)

N: I'd join you if the sun didn't kill me. Hope you're having important character growth or something, though!

Uzi: Just can't wait to murder all humans. Classic robot stuff. I hope they're sitting pretty there on Earth, because we're coming for them...! (She laughs maniacally, her sanity completely vanished, as the zoom out reveals three Drone pods making their way down to Copper 9.)

(Credits roll.)

(The sound of rainfall and thunder pounds outside...)

James: We got to curb her trips to the dump.

(N is shown wearing a suit and holding a platter, like a servant.)

James: And where is she getting the hair to play dress-up with them? Creepy...

(James tosses his glass onto the tray, which N catches without dropping any dishes and walks off. He stops to make a view out of a window as the cacophonous storm continues raging. Continuing his walk, he looks around some more as he collides with V, wearing a maid's outfit. The collision causes N to drop the platter and the dishes fall to the floor.)

N: OH! I'm so sorry!

V: I-It's okay! I wasn't looking.

(Their hands touch and a spark emits. They blush and stare in curiosity as N begins to speak, but is kicked to the side by J.)

J: Move it, moro- (Suddenly turns cutesy and polite) Hi, Tessa! ...Oh, no. Another one?

(A new drone reveals herself from behind Tessa. She makes eye contact with N as everything suddenly goes dark...)

Scene 2

(N wakes up from his rest and falls to the ground.)

Uzi: N, I found something in here!

(Inside the Corpse House, Uzi is inspecting her new finding: a symbol consisting of a skull with a cap and wings. Uzi stares at her reflection in a mirror, which breaks.)

V: That's weird and concerning.

Uzi: Bite me! This is probably you weirdo's fault!

V: I've never seen that symbol before. Wanna do an autopsy to find out?

N: (Appears) What'd you find?

Uzi: Did you know that was a pilot hat?

N: I was the pilot? That's awesome! I crashed and ruined everything... Spaceship Pilot: Origin Story.

(V hisses, then calms herself by blowing bubbles out of a bubble blower.)

N: ...Speaking of piloting to Earth, we sure "murder all humans" is, uh, morality?

Uzi: The humans sent you without a communication relay and reformatted your memories to soup. (No response or rebuttal.) Covering their tracks means their past negotiating. Not like tried negotiating with my mom...

V: Or you missed the negotiations! The humans programmed us to solve a problem. Where's proof of your backstory? The one where your kind's so conveniently innocent? (Chuckles)

(N, not wanting another fight to break out, gently pulls Uzi out of the way.)

N: J was getting orders from someone. If not the company through that relay, then, uh, who? And how?

Uzi: (Pouts) Quit complicating my murder plan. (N tries to comfort her by gently patting her on the head, but Uzi brushes his hand away.)

Scene 3

(Back at Uzi's colony, two drones are staring at the large hole that N made in the roof.)

Tim: Yeah, just fix her up because, whoops, pretty big security risk in hindsight. Uh, you got this, uh, Ladderbot 5000. (His name is Frank.)

Frank: Ugh... Please, just leave the lights- (The lights go off.)

(Frank digs his flashlight out and tries to think of a way to get up there when he hears a clattering sound. He looks around in fear and suspicion when he notices something... fleshy. He goes to investigate, only for a strange spider-like heart device to reveal itself. His flashlight gets shot out of his hand as The Absolute Solver turns the colors of the room yellow and red before finally dispatching him.)

Scene 4

(It's Parent-Teacher Conference Day (AKA "That explains a lot!") at Uzi's school. Khan sits down across from the teacher.)

Teacher: Mr. Doorman, your daughter has been, uh... absent.

Khan: Yes, on that "kill all humans" kick, like when I was younger. Grounded herself and all that.

Teacher: Speaking on her behavior-

Khan: Of course, of course, precocious, popular, supernatural understanding of doors. Takes after her old man.

(Flashback time.)

Teacher: Uzi, please sit normal.

Uzi: Bite me!

(Flashback 2.)

Teacher: Uzi, (Sighs) give Braden back his sentience.

Uzi: (As Braden) Bite me- her! I started it, and also, I'm dumb. (Her head lights ablaze.)

(Flashback 3.)

Teacher: Uzi, you have to partner up.

Uzi: Several people wanted to, for the record.

Lizzy: No, we didn't. You freak us out.

Uzi: (Inside a trashcan) But mostly, bite me!

(End flashback montage.)

Teacher: Yeah, she has trouble fitting in. We think there might be something damaged with her programming. How is she at home?

Khan: Uh... Sorry? I mean, she's a little herself, but damaged? I... maybe haven't spent much time...

Teacher: Mmm, m-hm...

(A worker arrives.)

Worker: Mr. Doorman, sir? There's been an... incident.

Scene 5

(Meanwhile...)

Uzi: Oh, I'm sweaty! Who programmed that?!

N: You good, Uzi?

Uzi: I'm good! Better than good! I am God!

(She pauses to see Thad has shown up.)

Uzi: (Chuckles nervously) Hi, hi, Thad. (He hands her back her railgun.) Thank you.

Thad: Of course, 'Zi! (To N) N&M's. You saved my life. I don't think the colony is even serious about all this banishment stuff, more just confused. Especially with the fact-

Uzi: I'm too rogue to re-enter society now? I can never return...

Thad: ...Recent disappearances, and your murder friend's corpse. When I went to grab your gun, it kind of looked like it... crawled away...?

Uzi: We can return a

Scene 6

(Back at the colony, Tim comes across a hologram of Frank (Or Ladderbot 5000).)

Tim: Oh, Ladderbot 5000? We looked everywhere for you!

(Frank screams in pain, then returns to normal.)

Frank: Hi, Tim. Care to join me?

Tim: Join you standing eerily still over there in suspiciously low resolution?

Frank: ...Yes?

Tim: ...Alright.

(He walks over, not knowing that the Absolute Solver is about to snatch him and drag him up into the ceiling up until it's too late. Tim's hologram joins Frank.)

Tim: Flawless character acting, me.

Frank: Improv game for more practice?

Tim: Hahaha! We are a monster!

Scene 7

(Uzi, N, and Thad head back to the colony. A worker opens a door a little bit to see who arrived.)

Ron: Welcome back, Thad! (Notices Uzi) Uh, wait, isn't she grounded or something?

Uzi: Ugh, banished! Has my dad been saying I'm grounded?

Ron: (Notices N) Genocide Robot?

(N quietly walks up and hands Ron a crayon drawing to show how super very, very sorry he is for all the murders he committed.)

Ron: ...Oh, alright, just don't do it again. Get in here, ya goobs! (He hangs the drawing on the door.)

Scene 8

(The Absolute Solver's handiwork has been turned into a crime scene.)

Worker: Yeah, where's Khan? Because this looks, ahaha, ugh, non-ideal.

Sarah: Parent-Teacher Conference. Something about his daughter being more important than building a door in this hallway. Ugh, kind of cringe.

Worker: Ew. (Gets ready to hurl) Oh, give me a minute... (Holds his vomit in) Ah, yep, okay, almost threw up.

(Uzi is behind them, listening in on their conversation.)

N: You good?

Uzi: I'm good. Stop asking! (She pushes N away and motions for him and Thad to follow her while sneaking past the investigators.)

Sarah: (Turns to two of her colleagues behind her) Any forensic things over there? (No response.) Do we have fingerprints? (They fade away. She turns back to her colleague, who also fades out. Same with Frank and Tim. Her surroundings begin to get the same treatment. She looks up in horror as the Absolute Solver makes it's way towards her...)

Scene 9

(Back at the Parent-Teacher Conference...)

Khan: I mean, you don't think it's my parenting, do you? I left her for dead once! It sounds like she's bored in your class and the other kids suck! Call her "damaged" again, and I will install a DOOR ON YOUR FACE!

(Lizzy and Doll are in the back, listening to the ragefest that is Khan.)

Lizzy: (To Doll) Where are your folks?

(Doll starts having flashbacks.)

Doll: Мёртвые. Я смотрела как они умирали. ("Dead. I watched them die".)

Lizzy: ...That was the joke, idiot?

(They both hear a knocking. They turn to see a hologram of Lizzy outside the door)

Lizzy: That girl is... Gorgeous, right!? I'm gonna let her in. (She gets up to let her copy in.)

Scene 10

(Uzi, N, and Thad are in the room where they fought V and J.)

Uzi: You guys... do that often?

N: Haha, no. I'm very concerned, but also pretty frightened a little bit.

Thad: Hey, Uzi! What's this thing?

(It's an Absolute Solver sign.)

N: Hey, isn't that your special eye?

Uzi: Don't call it that! (She reads.) "Absolute Solver"? "Reboot"? Does this have something to do with how you grew your head back?

N: Hehe. I actively avoid unpacking how that works.

Uzi: New material can't be pulled from thin air. If the wound is severe enough, this "Solver" might be some sort of auto run program to collect more matte-

(N places his hand over her mouth to shush her. They hear something coming towards them... A human hand. It latches itself onto Thad's leg as they look up to see what the hand is attached to. Not able to see much in pitch black, N fires his missile cannon. This still doesn't reveal much, but it does anger it enough to begin pulling Thad up. Suddenly, a shuriken flies in and slices the cable apart, freeing Thad. He looks back to see that N was the one who unleashed the shuriken.)

Uzi: I want a freaking ninja star!

(She and N get thrown against a wall as one of the Solver's claws grabs Thad and leaves.)

N: (Getting up) You good?

Uzi: (Slams him back down) Stop asking! ...Chainsaw hand time?

N: (Braces his chainsaw hands) Yeah, cool, cool.

Scene 11

(Uzi and N give chase. They come across Thad's hologram.)

"Thad": Yes, and hello. It's me, Tad. Um, can I get a location? ...I heard dentist's office! I'm Thad at the dentist office. Come over here for your... teeth!

Uzi: Predictably terrible work, J. Why do you look so-

N: Great! You look great, J!

"Thad": No, no, wait, guys, it's really me! Is that a (His voice glitches and turns robotically feminine.) freaking ninja star?

(N unleashes his shuriken as Uzi kicks it. It flies upwards to bring down the real Thad as the hologram disappears.)

Thad (The Real One): (Pulling himself together) Life savers again. Thanks! Super invited to my shindig next weekend. Cool kids only. (He runs off as Uzi and N squee with delight over being invited to his get-together. Suddenly...)

Absolute Solver: We're busy then anyway, so whatever. So lame.

Uzi: What's with the voice, J?

Absolute Solver: Oh, J's not here. We are trying to repair that host as per our directive.

Uzi: So, you ARE a program?

Absolute Solver: More like you are our cute puppets. It hurts our feelings you don't remember us. (The Solver creates a hologram of Nori, Uzi's mother.)

Uzi: N...? (N has vanished.) What's with the mom hologram...?

Absolute Solver: Easier to assimilate than explain.

Uzi: Not happening.

Absolute Solver: Fair, but poor choice. Now we will have to do something shocking. (The Solver brings down a clone of Khan.)

Uzi: Woah! Hey!

Absolute Solver: Goodbye, Dad. ("Khan" gets ripped in two and the Solver feeds on his corpse.)

Uzi: What...?

(The Solver goes in to kill Uzi, but it gets struck by a missile fired by N.)

Absolute Solver: Pained cry.

N: Uzi shoot! Or give it to me! (He fires again, but the attack is deflected by the Solver.)

Absolute Solver: Claw swipe. (It then begins to move in on the duo.) Snarl.

N: Uzi! You good?!

Uzi: ...No.

(N grabs the railgun...)

Absolute Solver: Pranked, idiot. You big stupid. (The Solves throws Uzi to the side, knocking the railgun out of her hands and smashing it, it grabs her.) Lucky for you, it's snack time. Time to go into my mouth now.

(Before the Solver could feast on Uzi, N, the actual N this time, saws off its appendages. The railgun suddenly turns red as N fights the claws.)

Absolute Solver: Ow. And please don't. And also, I was using those.

(N grabs Uzi and they make their escape as the railgun self-destructs... As they regain themselves, they look back at the mess.)

Uzi: What was...? Which parts of that were real...?

(The Solver reappears and tries to escape.)

Absolute Solver: Sneaky sneaky. Sneaking away. Get snuck upon. (N stabs it.) Ow. (He repeatedly stabs it until it turns into a miniature black hole and floats off. Hearing a commotion heading their way, N tries to help Uzi to her feet, but she resists in fear.)

Uzi: What... are you things...?

(Hurt by her newfound distrust in him, N flees the scene as a search party led by Khan shows up.)

Khan: Uzi? (Uzi silently staggers towards him.) What are you doin- (Uzi, without word, hugs her father, who silently returns the embrace. He gestures for his men to scour the area. Khan looks up and sees N, who makes his escape.)

Scene 12

(Doll is sitting by herself in the classroom, looking at a photo. A robotic cockroach crawls up her arm as she looks back towards the door and remembers what happened earlier when Lizzy saw a copy of herself behind the door.)

Lizzy: Gorgeous, right?! I'm gonna let her in.

(She gets up to let her copy in... Only for Doll to use one of her powers to break the door before Lizzy could reach it.)

Lizzy: Jesus, sorry, industrial strength ghost or whatever. Settle. (She takes her seat as her copy disappears.)

(Back in the present time, the roach crawls onto the photo, only for Doll to will it to explode. She licks some of its remains off her face as we see what's in the photograph she's holding. It appears to be V.)

Scene 13

(Back at the Corpse House, V speaks to N, who is still guilt-ridden over what happened earlier.)

V: (Sighs) I hate your personality normally, but this is somehow worse. What am I being punished for? (V’s expression softens, and she looks down, revealing her chain is broken. She then hides it before looking back at N, and then turning away again with arms crossed.)

(Uzi is in her room, laying down on her bed, and looking up at a web of theories in regards to the Absolute Solver program.)

(Credits roll.)

#murder drones #murder drones ​script #md episode 2

[twstmagica]

Magical Girl Yuu's First Day pt 5.1

TIL tumblr has a word limit

Apparently having a chick enrolled at an all guys school is problematic. At least that’s what Yuu picked up from Squackman’s ramblings about “scoundrels” and “wolves” and “scandals”. 

He does manage to get a hold of himself after an embarrassing rumble from Yuu’s stomach lets them know that she hasn't eaten since before her kidnapping transportation to Night Raven. The headmaster leaves with a promise to return with food and Yuu gives it even odds that he comes back. 

No, that's mean.

Yuu remembers how worried he was about the school's reputation. If nothing else he’ll come back to make sure she isn't causing trouble. 

But until then Yuu is left alone to explore Ramshackle.

The building is creaky, leaky, moldy, and a whole bunch of other things that make the magica wonder how the whole structure hadn’t collapsed yet. 

Sure Yuu had seen worse off buildings, but she'd never been expected to sleep in them. 

The walls echo with a faint moan.

Yeah, there’s nothing Birdman could say that would convince her to trust the second floor not to give out.

Without even bothering to check up the stairs Yuu decides to just sleep on the remains of an old couch in the lobby.

As she walks deeper into the hallway a burst of wind sends the dorm shuddering.

You know what? Maybe just staying by the entrance is best. Just in case there's a need for a hasty exit.

***And now for something different***

You see, while Yuu was being informed about her new immigration status Grim was on an adventure of his own. 

His whole life had been spent being chased away by people complaining about the magic beast.

 But the Great Grim isn't a beast! He’s a magician! And not just any magician, but the Greatest Magician in all of Twisted Wonderland!

While eavesdropping on people discussing magic, NRC was often name dropped as a school where the smartest, strongest, most ambitious magicians went to learn. 

Grim is smart, strong, and ambitious! Night Raven College was perfect for a prodigy like Grim! 

Apparently there’s a Dark Mirror that sends carriages out to bring promising young mages to the school.

So he waited…

And waited….

But Grim’s carriage never came.

…

So what!

If the stupid mirror won't recognize his greatness Grim will just have to show them!

 Grim taught himself how to read maps, and sneak onto transportation, and remain undetected. All so that he could prove to the world that The Great Grim isn't some stupid pest!

The plan was perfect.

 NRC’s security was no match for Grim. He easily broke in and found the room where new students were waiting. From listening in on conversation Grim knew that the freshmen would remain unconscious until the ceremony. All Grim had to do was take the robes off some chump and he was in!

Except the chump he chose woke up and ruINED EVERYTHING!

First the jerk ran off, so Grim had to chase him. 

Then he blasted Grim with some crazy pink laser!

What kind of power was that?!?!

Thankfully Grim made it to the mirror room. 

Sure he wasn't able to sneak in with the others, but if he could just get sorted, then they would have to accept him!

Yeah a window broke. And yeah there was some fire. But so what? This is a school for super prodigies! A bit of damage shouldn’t be a big deal.

But that stupid human from earlier was there again! And this time he whacked Grim with his stupid pink stick all the way across the buildings and into the nearby forest!

Mrrao! He was so close!! That jerk better watch out.

Cursing his new nemesis Grim starts heading back to the campus. Lesser mages might have given up, but the Great Grim cannot be stopped.

“Urk-!”

Okay, so maybe he's a little hurt. And he doesn't have the energy to fly. And it kinda hurts to run…

This is nothing! 

NOTHING!!!

#twisted wonderland #twst yuu #magical girl yuu #twisted wonderland au #twst grim #twst mc #twst #I actually love grim #i know i said there was only one more part but I couldent fit it all here #how do i link to other posts

[cryptid-intraining]

People who discredit fanon interpretations of characters can suck my dick. just because something is fanon doesn't make it bad, say you don't like fandom and fanfic culture and move on.

I know of people who've only ever read Batfam fanfiction and fanon content and never once touched a comic, but then gone in to write their own Batfam fics purely from their understanding of them from fanon and I think that's incredible. good for them, honestly. the fact that fandoms and writers and artists can create a whole separate world that you can consume and explore without ever getting into the canon material is so cool and such a unique element of fandom that I could honestly talk about for hours and shouldn't be discredited.

If people are talking about why they think Jason is redeemable and why they think he's misunderstood and you bring up how he's actually really unrepentant and violent in the comics, fine, that's a great argument if we're talking canon, but if they're talking about fanon and their own headcanons? that doesn't make what they're saying any less valid and shouldn't be dismissed as unimportant.

Saying "oh but pit madness isn't canon" in response to people bringing it up in discussion of what Jason did to Tim and why they think the characters could reconcile if the work was put in and they actually address their issues when they're talking about fanon and headcanons is asinine.

We know. We're not talking about canon. Not everyone values characters based on their canon representations.

Most of my favourite characters wouldn't be my favourite if it weren't for fanon. They're just more interesting through the lense of fandom. The fans always have better ideas, more interesting theories, and far more complex interpretations.

Plus they're fucking good writers. Far better than the ones that write the canon. The same goes for the artists.

And while we're on the topic, just because people like Jason as a character in canon doesn't mean they're saying he's a good person. we can like bad people in fiction and also acknowledge that they're bad people.

But then we go to fanon and fanfic to explore the idea of them being better and changing. Because the canon material leaves us wanting, we see these characters with such interesting potential and want to develop it.

Bad person =/= likable character. Saying we shouldn't like a character because they've done bad things is genuinely ridiculous.

I've seen so many people say that Jason is being fucked up by DC writers (I agree) but then have an issue with fanon without acknowledging that people go to fanon and fanmade content to get better portrayals of their favourite characters. just because you don't like how fanon views a character or that fans write them to be redeemable where you don't see redemption doesn't mean it's wrong or bad or stupid.

You just don't like it.

I don't understand this mindset that fanfic needs to reflect canon. obviously you can do whatever you want with fanfiction, that's the glory of it and I would never want to take that away, but why write what is already found in canon? Jason doesn't need to be written like a violent, unrepentant guy in fanfic just because that's how he's written in canon.

If you don't like a character, cool. We all have characters we don't like but you don't have to list reasons why you're right and why the character is actually shit. Just because you dislike a character doesn't mean fans of that character are wrong or misguided or misinterpreting the character. You just don't like them. That's it.

Fandom is such an important space and there is genuinely so much to be gained from having conversations that take into account both sides of a character (like there are so many issues with how some people talk about Jason that go beyond personal taste and just become super problematic but that would be a whole other post) but it is just so hard to hold a civil discourse about these things, irl or online, and especially on this hellsite.

If you want to discuss in the replies and reblogs, fine by me, but don't be assholes and just respect other people's likes and views.

#batfam #jason todd #red hood #batfamily #batman #dc comics #bruce wayne #tim drake #stephanie brown #batfam headcanons #jason todd headcanon #my rants #fanon #fandom #batfam fanfiction #batfam fandom #batfam fanfic #rant

[alexissara]

Why Obsession Hits Different When It's Gay

In Media an obsessed character who is in love with the main character is extremally common. I find it annoying and boring when it's straight but tantalizing and potentially endearing when it's gay. This is not me moralizing queer obsession, it can be just as "problematic" as straight obsession but explain the appeal and the ways it feels different.

Historic Context

While the straights love a forbidden romance, the true forbidden romance throughout most of the white world's history [which is where we see most stories take place] have been gay. While there was many a secret love affair there were even more secret pinning that were never expressed, never written, words couldn't be made for their very utterance may be enough to ruin you.

So longing and pinning became strong elements of queerness, the longing for someone who you believe will never return your affections, taking in the small things, the little moments, the friendship that may never surpass what you dream of but none the less can be treasured. Having to lie about your attractions, your loves, marrying someone for your family and not for your heart. Hoping you can remain close.

Outside of the yogurt society we saw these loves torn apart on a systemic level where once they were praised and normal they slowly became demonized. Much like we see now an attempt to shift public views on queerness we had a radical queer genocide across the America's thanks to the Catholic and protestant churches shared interest in Ingenious genocide. Tearing through the culture, forced religious conversions, mass murder took loves, histories, stories that were once treasured and set them ablaze. They could never take away their hearts though, not really and this love, this feeling even if they were forced apart would live forever inside them.

The Narrative History

The lesbian best friend trope is often far less spoken about then the Gay Best Friend because the Lesbian best friend is a much cruller flavor and is still found in some media to this day. The lesbian best friend breaks down between the endearing but a little creepy weirdo to the dangerous homo in your area. Both traffic in explicit obsession.

The kinder but still mean bumbling obsessive Lesbian finds herself snapping photos of her bestie while she is asleep, keeping a lock of her hair, always telling her that the man isn't good enough for her but none the less dutifully supporting her heterosexual lifestyle when she engages a relationship. The bumbling lesbian best friend will probably die alone wishing she was with this girl but she understands her place, she isn't like the Friend Zone incel man, no she is happy with her place as a friend she might just sniff her hair a little too long. The Psycho Lesbian on the other hand is deadly, her obsession is building and eventually it's going to burst. Her best friends happy heterosexual life will be met with a knife ending her boys life and maybe hers next. The Psycho Lesbian is a threat to society and in the end she will die. The Psycho Lesbian gets no joy in her life, she has a bad life and then does some bad actions and then dies a bad death.

These tropes and the history build a empathy in queer people in particular queer women with the queer obsessed girl. An understanding and well, a desire to cheer on the girl's romantic dreams. So many love stories never happened because fear of expression or the heteronormative world stopped it. So it's natural when someone who is clearly in love wants to be with someone that many people will cheer them on.

The Straight Danger

Now a major reason it hits different is because well, it's not straight. Like people often try and site data about domestic abuse with queer women going like "look it's super high" but any further look into the data shows that the Lesbians and Bisexual women who are abused are normally abused by men they were in a relationship with, likely after coming out. The reality is for queer women dating men can be fairly dangerous and this goes double for Trans Women who we see time after time can end up lethal. The straight obsession can often mirror these abusers behaviors. Anything that brings up these kind of scars can for sure just be unappealing and most people probably know someone who has dealt with a shitty partner who even if they weren't abusive for sure were far to obsessed with owning their partner.

Ownership is baked into the model of monogamous straight marriage so the obsession also rarely feels special. Your supposed to be obsessed as a hetero. This is who your supposed to be with your whole life. Your both supposed to demand each others eternal affection and kinda hate each other. The man and the woman are from different plants they say but their magnetly brought together by the need to breed. Obviously this is bullshit and plenty of straight relationships can be actually healthy and great and fantastic and they also don't need to involve sex at all. However, the predominance of this model makes it where this obsessive affection far less tasty.

The Nice Guy's prominent existence in media, the idea that women just want bad boys and the nice guy friend who is obsessed with them deserves them is pretty prominent. This has built into a Incel cult of men in the real world feeling entitled to women's bodies. In the media these men tend to get with the women, in the end the nice guy wins. This normalization of what has ultimately lead to a very toxic environment for women also makes straight obsession feel that much worse. The idea that the men you are friends with are only your friend because they wanna fuck you and that their weird online about you in their private reddits or some shit.

The Chemistry Of Queer Obessession

All of this builds into the wider context of why both straight obsession just kinda feels bad in media and why Queer Obsession feels different then that. While, I believe these factors are core reasons why it feels different I think another factor is just that being queer is not the same as being straight, Allo, etc.

Many queer people deal with a lot of hate, Maybe not by their day to day crowed but we can look online and just see how many people want us dead. We have to look both ways when we hold hands with our partners. It's hard to date when you need to either find the right spaces or be on apps and go through people who want different things then you. So the idea of someone utterly in love with you can be super appealing.

The hard work is done of trying to find someone you work with and here is someone who loves you unconditionally, who is gonna uplift you and cheer on your dreams, do whatever they can do help. The queer obsession become a form of wish fullfillment. There being this great deep love right there beside you.

It also works the other way around, being able to be with someone you always wished would be with you, the dream of falling in love with someone and them actually wanting those advances. In particular when the obsession goes both ways it can be feel really sweet and like even if the world wants to stop them, this love is so great it barely phases you.

Everything I said put together really ties in why at least for me queer obsession really just is not the same as straight obsession in romantic media. I think queer obsession just feels special and maybe one day it will feel as creepy, I hope it does, but for now it just doesn't.

If your obsessed with my posts you could give me money on Patreon or Ko-fi, I won't stop you.

#queer theory #Queer thoughts #queer #lesbian #sapphic #Lesbian Tropes #media criticism

[respectthepetty]

Another day, another ask, but this time, it's about what are some currently airing shows that you're watching and really enjoying and how would you describe what you like about them briefly?

For example, The Warp Effect: Wholesome and sex positive QL, with so much representation and topics brought up weekly. Nothing like what I was expecting - in the best way.

Happy (Belated) Valentine's Day @sliceduplife! I hope it was kind to you because my response is going to be just like me and my favorite characters - problematic and absolute basura!

To begin, I'm actually going to tell you what I'm rewatching instead of currently watching:

Great Men Academy - Much like 3 Will Be Free and The Warp Effect, Great Men Academy isn't a BL, but it doesn't stop it from being queer af. It has a unicorn that grants wishes, a magical lake that requires nudity to activate, a ghost, a school sanctioned Hunger Games, body swapping, and an Elite level moment:

If you don't get the Elite reference, know that this lead-paint-level-toxic hottie, Cruz, delivered the best line ever uttered in the series:

¡No soy gay! Ni bi. Ni tri. ¡Soy futbolista! (I'm not gay! Not bi. Not tri. I'm a footballer!) <- I say "¡Soy futbolista!" all of the time when people ask about my sexuality without clarification and leave them in their confusion.

*moving on to your actual ask*

The Warp Effect - I came for Joy, the cinematographer who also did KinnPorsche, and Jojo, the director who does everything else I love, but stayed to see all the ways people could come... to an understanding about their sexuality. Also, it's very queer.

My Beautiful Man 2 - I do not condone stalking, but when it comes to my idol and his devoted worshiper, I'm trying to invent new ways of stalking, so Hira can always be within a 100 yards of Kiyoi. They should be more red flags than California during fire season, yet they are wholesome and adorable.

Well...in a very kinky way, kinda like these two wild kids from Secretary

Never Let Me Go - It has a teenager becoming the CEO of his family's multi-million dollar company and another teenager being his bodyguard falling in love! How could I not love it?! It's outrageous! And somehow the most unrealistic thing about this plot is there being a genuine good guy who openly talks about bitcoins, and I LOVE HIM! I did not have falling in love with a man who enjoys "investing" on my BINGO card, but then again, look at my very good boy. LOOK AT HIM!

Hit Bite Love - It's so messy. It has stepbrothers in love, open discussions about condom sizes and lubricant, Kinks-R-Us, a bi Burger looking for his King, and so much more. This past episode hid a pivotal scene behind a paywall due to the two characters having sex in the school's locker room, so half of the plot was missing in the edited version. It made NO SENSE, but I didn't care. Give me all the mess, but I draw the line at taking off your sock and putting it in someone's mouth. BAD BOY! VERY BAD BOY!

The End of the World with You - Japanese BLs stress me out. They give me a lot of an anxiety, and I'm constantly preparing for someone to die or for one of them to be a murderer. Even in the "happiest" Japanese BLs, there always exist this undercurrent of malice..and I'm attracted to it. >insert Ritsu aka El Diablo<

Moonlight Chicken - Eff "More than Friends, Less than Lovers!" That's child's play. Give me my HussyVille Gang Gang! Give me the "we've been breaking beds and each other's backs since day one, but I'm not even sure what his name is, and if I'm being honest, I don't really need to know" squad. Then, on top of that, it's EarthMix doing the devil's boogie?! I waited for over a year for this, and I don't say this often when it comes to men, but the anticipation was worth it.

HIStory 5: Love in the Future - I will always show up to a Taiwanese BL. They are like Rihanna at the Super Bowl. They do the bare minimum but are still very entertaining, include all the fan favorites (domestic bliss, high heat, office romances, good side couples, marriage equality), and pop out with a few surprises. Others may be disappointed, but I am ALWAYS pleased.

My School President - Did you read the list before this? There is a common underlying theme. Even if the show isn't messy, I'm going to find the mess and fixate on it, and it doesn't get stranger than Por's obsession with the chinchilla. GMM better get on merchandising this critter ASAP because there is a gold mine behind this, capitalizers.

Bed Friend - It hasn't started yet, but I'll be watching it. It has a Blue Boy and Red Rascal BUT they are not who would normally be coded that way, which means they are clearly going to have to resolve the reasons why they changed their behavior to cover up their obvious colors. Who hurt our Red Rascal that he turned into a nun? Who harmed our Blue Boy to make him the slutty slut he is? I cannot wait to find out!

Chains of Heart - One word: Papi. Wait, sorry. Let me try again: Poppy. The show has a plot, and I care about it, but...Poppy. He is playing a bad guy, which I got a glimpse of in Love Mechanics, so I'm hoping it means we get to see more of him, and I don't mean screen time, although I wouldn't be opposed to that either. Obviously, I have to be interested in the actual plot since he is a supporting character...but POPPY! mmmm, papi!

#My current watchlist #Spoiler Alert - It's basura! #Great Men Academy #Chains of Heart #Bed Friend #HIStory 5: Love in the Future #Hit Bite Love #The End of the World with You #The Warp Effect #Moonlight Chicken #Never Let Me Go #My School President #My Beautiful Man 2

[raytorosaurus]

wait, did the umbrella academy have a step sibling romance subplot?

under a cut for discussions of the above content and also mild comics spoilers if you care about that lol

yep, the comics are very textually about reactions to extreme trauma (familial trauma but with the extra layer of being famous and under scrutiny from the public eye since childhood - its own kind of isolation) and the characters are intentionally flawed and do fucked up things. the whole point is that it's a dark subversion of the superhero team genre, which was a lot more original/groundbreaking in 2007 than it appears now (definitely not the first one ofc - gerard was inspired by watchmen and doom patrol, and the boys came out not long before etc, but it did win an eisner back then for a reason). in the comics, rumor goes through a divorce and loses custody of her child, then reacquaints with her step-siblings who she hasn't seen in years after hargreeves's death. because she feels incapable of giving or receiving real love or human connection, has been taught from infancy that her power and her physical beauty are the only worthwhile things about her, and has nobody else in the world, she uses her power to make spaceboy fall in love with her. it's textually a non-consensual relationship right from the start and is acknowledged as a fucked up & harmful trauma response and treated as such. these aren't comics for kids lol.

imo the fundamental issue with the show that makes it unpalatable to me is that it tries to water down the content for a netflix (and preteen) audience, but then they still left in parts of the allison/luther plot, only they took out the whole 'rumor' aspect and ended up portraying as. romantic. and not tragic and disturbing lol. so the show had to backpedal and didn't textually denounce it as anything more than harmlessly cringey until like season 3. a similar thing happens to the seance's addiction storyline, which is a big deal and has very real consequences in the comics but kinda got played for laughs in later episodes of the show, and with portrayals of genuine disability, almost all of which are erased in the netflix adaptation (spaceboy requires a full-body mechanised assistive device to move, rumor is missing an arm and the kraken an eye, and vanya acquires a traumatic brain injury which impairs her motor and cognitive functioning etc.)

i'm certainly not saying the comics are perfect - their biggest issue is how white they are (which gerard has acknowledged and said he regrets) and some (presumably) unintentional racist imagery/stereotypes (e.g. the bodyguard abhijat who feels tokenised, and most other characters of colour being background non-speaking roles etc). those are things the comics can, should, and have been criticised for, but i don't see the step-sibling incest as it's portrayed in the comics as ~problematic - it's definitely supposed to be uncomfortable, at least in my reading of it. much more than it is in the show, in any case.

so overall like. the comics are super not for everyone, even beyond gerard's unconventional pacing/writing style that i know some people don't vibe with. they weren't meant for a wide audience. they're very dark and are primarily about fucked up trauma responses more than anything else - luther and allison's relationship is just one of these. i personally love the comics but it's totally understandable if other people find them unpalatable - but yk, dark media isn't immoral when it knows what it's doing. imo if the show was going to leave some of those darker plot points in they should have made the entire tone of the show darker and raised the rating; otherwise, they should have left out aspects like the step-sibling incest.

but yeah, tl;dr yes there's step-sibling incest in both versions, but it's treated very differently in both and imo is so much grosser in the show becuase they tried to make it palatable at first for some fkn reason lmao.

and beyond your question and just in general, the tv show being attributed to gerard when it's not his artistic content bothers me so so so much skdkffk. even if i totally loved the show, i can't staaaand things being miscredited, especially creative things. gerard's given steve blackman his blessing to make the show his own vision, and says he considers the comics and the netflix version entirely separate entities and has made a conscious effort to distance himself from the latter.

#i enjoyed tua s1 when it first came out #but i would delete it from the public consciousness if it meant i didn't have to see someone saying gerard way wrote it ever again ddkdkdkf #again it's just not a story intended or appropriate for pre-teens SKDKFKD #answered #tua

[comshipbracket]

Remember, you are voting for the ship you prefer, not the ship you find more problematic

Propaganda for both ships under the cut.

Spoilers for both medias under the cut

Niffany Propaganda (Abusive Dynamic, Arguably Yandere, Unhealthy Obsessions)

"Tiffany and Nica are just the cutest couple in the Chucky tv series. Tiffany is so in love with Nica that she was willing to kidnap and CHOP THE LEGS AND ARMS off of her just so they could be together forever. Every morning TIffany feeds Nica in bed, dresses her in adorable dresses, and then gags her with a cute pink ball gag so she doesn't scream while guests are over. Later in the series, Nica escapes with the help of Tiffany's two kids, and she becomes obsessed with getting revenge on Tiffany, wanting to torture her for what she did to Nica. I just think they're such an interesting pair and a super fun ship!!"

Moriarthree Propaganda (Incest - The three are Siblings)

"I'm going to start with the devotion. And the enmeshed boundaries. They create a persona, separate from the three of them, that is also all three of them. They cannot exist without each other. Louis flat out admits that his reason for living is William. He wants to be the same for William, and he's not enough. He begs to come along and murder people, to take the same stain that has been on his brothers' hands since they were children, because while William wants to save him from that fate, he sees no reason to live on in a world that doesn't include William in it. He wants nothing more than to be useful, and most especially, useful to the Lord of Crime, to the Plan, to William, to Albert. He takes on SO MUCH WORK organizing two households without other staff (read cooking, cleaning, doing the laundry) and they are LARGE HOUSES. MANSIONS. Because they have to keep up the appearance of being nobility. And Albert, who finds them both as children and is immediately struck by how angelic William is, how he knows he must have him."

"To have them both. How he invites them to join him, to become his family, since his father would like to adopt orphans for social reasons and so he can help cure Louis and give them resources to achieve William's goal. Kill the bad nobles. Albert for who the world darkens at the edges more often than not, sees nothing but light when William is around. Albert, who feels incapable of action if William isn't in his life. Albert who sits in jail feeling guilty -- not for his very real crimes -- but because /he asked William to become a criminal with him./ Because he was a reason for William to stain his hands with blood. Albert especially values cleanliness and order and so Louis ensures that he always has it at home. From their very first crime they have always shared in all things."

#comshipbracket #antis dni #antis do not interact #comship #comship safe #proship safe #comship bracket 2 #comshipbracket 2 #comshipbracket2 #comship bracket #comshipbracket2 round 2 #comship bracket 2 round 2 #comshipbracket 2 round 2 #Niffany #Nica Pierce #Tiffany Valentine #Chucky #Moriarthree #Albert James Moriarty #William James Moriarty #Louis James Moriarty #Moriarty the Patriot

[sparkpuplikesdrawing]

Hello proshippers

Hewwo

Now, I have some "problematic" (yes the quote marks are there for a reason) ships myself, and most of the time I feel weirded out by the fact that I like it and that others like it.

But you know what?

You proshippers are so fucking cool and brave, and I truly mean that. You guys yell "fuck you" at the world and enjoy the stuff you like, not just the stuff that society tells you to like.

I would say some specific blogs of pro-shippers who are super nice and wonderful, except they'd probably be harassed, and I don't want that for them because they are amazing and wonderful.

Dude... p#d0philia and in*e$t are obviously not good in real life. We got that. We know this. But these are fictional characters. It does not negatively impact their existence because they don't exist. If you don't like it, don't look at it, simple as that, but don't tell someone to off themself or that they are gross and disgusting because... they think these two (or three or however many) characters are cute together?

Lil' sidenote thingy: IS EVERYONE GOING TO IGNORE ALL THE JOKES CIRCLING AROUND ALABAMA AND THE LAWS ABOUT MARRYING YOUR COUSINS?!? SO IT'S FUN TO JOKE ABOUT, BUT EWW SOMEONE LIKES IT IN FICTION AND SUDDENLY IT'S THIS IRREPREHENSIBLE ACT OF SATANISM?!?! BRUH-

If your blog is proship, proship-friendly, or proship-neutral, please reblog, because these people are getting harassed for liking stuff that isn't "morally right", when in reality, they're being girl-bosses and badasses and shit like that by not letting themselves and their interests be bound by the "moral laws of humanity".

And please for the love of God don't message me going "EW YOU SUPPORT THIS?!" dude just unfollow if you don't like it.

Update: Thank you guys for reblogging or liking this, it means a lot that you guys are helping spread the message. It hurts me physically to see antis threatening proshippers when they're just trying to enjoy things. (By physically, I mean that it makes me feel sick and my chest contracts, I literally cannot take it to see that happen) I won't mention their name (I don't want them targeted), but there is one proshipper that is probably one of the nicest people I've seen on Tumblr. I've interacted with them a lot, and their blog is one of the sweetest things on here, it's very calming. So, I hope that they know who they are, and that I appreciate and support them very much 💖🌹

#Have a good day #💖💖💖💖💖💖 #Proship #proship positivity #Positivity post #proshipping #proshippers please interact #proship friendly #proship positivity post #proship safe #proshipper safe #antis please stop being so mean #antis dni #antis dni because i don't want you trying to convince me how bad it is #it's not bad like you're making it out to be #i actually spelled IRREPREHENSIBLE correctly :) #the first time too #no correction needed #yay #Sparkpup Posts

[lemonhemlock]

Do u think otto and alicent believe in targ exceptionalism? I know this benefits her kids and all but does she actually believe this?

I dont really like all the valyrian supremacy that hotd keeps pushing. It doesn't feel like they are critical to the targs/valyrian supremacy enough for the horror empire that valyria was. When laena said we are the blood of old valyria, etc... I got really annoyed coz with all the race swapping they did with the velaryons who are actually super white, a woc saying such things which are clearly white supremacist really was jarring and off putting. I wished they didn't put that line for her.

I mean they did make aegon the only one who seems to have an aversion to incest the worst.

Similarly do u think jace becomes disillusioned with all the fire and blood and targs are awesome stuff?

I have had this question sitting in my inbox for ages and I finally get 'round to answering it.

Perhaps controversially, I am going to say yes. And I suspect that anyone would believe in Targ exceptionalism if they were transported in-universe. They can form a super special bond with fire-breathing monsters that only listen to them & only them somehow via magical telepathy? And they can fly? Let's be real here. That would be super impressive for anyone.

Impressive & badass & cool doesn't equal good, though. A few select people having access to unlimited destructive power without any checks and balances is decidedly not a good thing for the population of Westeros or of any other place. The Targaryens can be exceptional and the world can also be better off without them - these two sentences are not mutually-exclusive. I would go so far as to say that this exceptionalism is proof that what they are doing is unnatural and violating the laws of morality in the most basic sense.

George is definitely keeping us in the dark about Valyria for now. We don't know how exactly the Valyrians came to master dragons or how dragons were created in the first place, but the crumbs we did receive do not paint a pretty picture: blood magic, human-beast experiments, slavery to fund and fuel everything via literal human sacrifice. It's very likely that the Valyrians had to resort to horrible ritualistic sacrifices to maintain their dragon relationship and after that relied on incest to keep their new pets bonded to their families.

So, yeah, sure, riding a dragon would be an incredible experience & anyone who could do that would be held in high esteem, but at what cost? The whole point is that this is not an avenue open to everyone. You have to pay a hefty price for such a superpower. How much of your humanity would you have to surrender in order to transcend like that? That's the question, isn't? It's deviant, abnormal, wrong. And like anything that bleeds into the sphere of the supernatural, it has no place in this world.

Interesting point about Laena. I'm really in two minds about the Velaryons being race-swapped. On the one hand, they are extremely (and I mean extremely) white in the books; the artwork for them looks like something out of an Aryan propaganda textbook. And they are problematic in their own way, but now criticism of them is limited as a result of them being the most prominent POCs in the show. The Velaryons may be the "blood of Old Valyria", but they were never dragonlords, and that placed them at the bottom of the hierarchical pyramid for nobles. So, while they were definitely better off than the common people, peasants and slaves, it does feel like they're kind of begging for scraps when appealing to legitimacy like that.

I don't think Jace becomes disillusioned; there's nothing in the text to support that. He is a staunch supporter of his mother's cause until the end. He suggests they should attack King's Landing on dragonback and lets the dragonseeds claim dragons to help them out militarily. Those are not the actions of someone rejecting their Targaryen legacy.

#anti house targaryen #anti valyria #targaryen exceptionalism #ask #anon #anon is currently off while i make my way through my backlog