#that the adult characters look distinct next to the teens

[starrysharks]

savor-edesign thoughts

#zeno's art #ocs #reassassination #dr savory #the reason i have to redesign him is because reassass' style has become more refined and diverse in face shape/size #that the adult characters look distinct next to the teens #but savory still looks like a teen in the style #and he js supposed to be 32 years old so i guess thats not good #really i just gotta stretch out his face a bit #also i have some oc sheets done and ready tp post but i want to finish them all first.... #or fuck it ill post it now actually

[lambsouvlaki]

For the Hell of it - Robin

Characters: jason todd x fem!oc

Rating and warnings: G, no warnings.

Word count: 1,626

Summary: A peaceful evening is interrupted by a visitor through time.

Masterlist

------

They were lounging together in Jason’s apartment, Downton Abbey played in the background while they both focused on their own things. 

She was sitting up on the couch, half heartedly reading a new fantasy book. Jason was lying with his head on her lap, on leg swinging over the end while he blithely poked through the GCPD’s servers. A half empty board of snacks sat on the coffee table next to two wine glasses. 

She carded her fingers through his curls, scratching lightly at his scalp. He occasionally moved his head against her hand seeking out scratches in different spots like an overly large cat. She wasn’t sure if he knew he was doing it but she sure as hell wasn’t going to call it out. 

Her eyes were puzzling through a sentence with too many invented fantasy words, when something in the air shifted. She looked up. Jason arched his neck to look around. Her ears popped.

Then Jason was suddenly gone and the head on her lap was significantly smaller. 

She blinked down at a kid in a domino mask. He wore a bright red tunic, a yellow cape bunched up on the couch, bare legs and bright green knee pads and little pixie boots. 

He looked about as startled as her.

On the TV Maggie Smith gasped in dignified shock.

He pulled away all at once, backflipping off the coffee table. He landed in a cautious stance in the middle of the room. She half stood, holding up wary hands. 

“Jay?” she asked, tentative. 

“I’m Robin! Who are you?”

“I’m Andy. Where did you come from, Robin?”

He looked around, taking in their surroundings with no overt reaction. She studied him. His face was round with baby fat, but that was about the only fat he had on him. He had familiar curls on his head, sans a white streak at the front. 

“I was fighting a magic guy,” he said. He pursed his lips. “He didn’t really know what he was doing. Lots of purple light flying everywhere.” 

“Did you get hit? Is that why you swapped places with Jason? Oh.” She dropped her hands. “That wizard’s day just took a very bad turn.”

“Jason?” he asked, carefully casual. 

“Black curly hair, blue eyes, about twice your size. Turns twenty four in a week.”

“Huh.”

He looked at her. She looked at him. 

“Do you want me to tell you the year?” she offered. 

“Na, I got it, thanks.”

“What happens now? Is there… protocol for this?” 

He opened his mouth, then closed it again with a snap. “Excuse me, miss,” he said, and then trotted off to an empty corner for the illusion of privacy, yellow cape flapping behind him. 

What a polite young man, she thought, failing to mentally connect him to Jason in any way. She paused the episode and sank back onto the couch. 

Jason had never actually told her he used to be Robin. She suspected, but not enough to ask. It was one of those things about him that everyone seemingly knew and never talked about. She knew he’d died at some point in his teens, and then stopped being dead, carving his life into a distinct before and after. 

Seeing the ‘before’ was surreal and heartbreaking. 

He was calling someone, and who that was wasn’t a great mystery. His grin was bright and infectious, and utterly foreign to her. His nose was crooked but it had broken in a different place than adult Jason. Weird. 

How did this weedy little sprout turn into her absolute unit of a man? Jason was a verified motherfucker extraordinaire. 

She watched while Robin described his situation and location to Batman, then recounted everything she had said, word for word. 

Well, damn. Batman was probably going to come here then to collect his wayward Robin. 

She had never met Bruce and had really been hoping to keep her winning streak going. He was probably fine as a person, but she didn’t want to turn this sweet little boy over to someone she didn’t know. Going by the earnest smile, he had the utmost faith in him. She couldn’t imagine a Jason who had ever been quick to trust people. 

He finished his call and drifted back near her. 

“So. You know who I am, but I don’t know who you are.”

“We haven’t met yet.” 

“Yeah I figured that.” He looked at her with shrewd eyes. “Are you my– his–” Despite his brashness, his ears turned pink and he looked down at his feet. 

“No,” she said gently, ignoring her own cheeks feeling warm. “We’re not… not anything. He and I are just friends.”

He cocked his head. “Riiiight.”

She was suddenly overly aware of the borrowed hoodie she wore, her short shorts and bare feet. This was clearly a man’s apartment, and it was almost eleven at night. It wasn’t the most platonic looking situation. 

But she recognised the careful assessment he was giving her, even through the mask. He might be fun sized but he was already sharp as a tack.

“Actually, I don’t think I’m supposed to tell you anything,” she said.

“Why not?”

“Something something, preserving the timeline. If you know what’s going to happen it might not happen anymore.”

“Oh yeah.” He puffed out his chest. “No need to worry. Batman and Robin will take care of it.”

“I’ll leave it in your capable hands then.” She picked up her book again. She wasn’t really reading, but she made a valiant effort to move her eyes along the lines. 

Robin looked around. 

“Stop it,” she said. 

“Stop what?”

“Hunting for clues.”

He snorted. “I don’t exactly have to go hunting. What’s with the wall of guns and swords?”

Oh yeah. That. She shrugged. 

“Ask me again in a decade.”

“So it is my apartment.” 

“Don’t touch. He’s very intense about security and I don’t know if your biometrics will line up.”

He looked baffled. 

“Why wouldn’t they?” 

She stared at the words on the page. She shouldn’t have said that. 

“Robin?” a quiet voice called from a dark corner. 

She jumped and stood up.  

“B!” The kid dashed across the room. 

The shadows coalesced into a man, who stepped forwards and wrapped his cape around Robin in an expansive hug. Batman bowed his head. 

She looked away. She tried to tune out Robin’s quiet muttering to his dad. She felt like an intruder just being in the same room. 

Batman rallied himself, and they turned to the door. Of course, Bats never said goodbye, they just stopped being present. 

Batman halted before disappearing though, and looked back at her. 

“Andrea.” 

“Batman.”

“Good luck on your exam next week.” 

She did not roll her eyes. It was a near thing.

“How long do these things usually take to resolve?” she asked.

He looked at Robin with a pain so profound he could not grasp its enormity. Robin looked a little uncomfortable under his stare. Batman didn’t say anything.

The two of them left. 

She stood alone in the apartment. She looked around, feeling the size of the place for the first time. She stooped to collect the leftover food and empty plates. Jason would want the food saved, so she wrapped it up and put it in the fridge. 

What a precocious little rascal he used to be, she thought, in the silence. No wonder Bruce was so heartbroken. 

She stood alone in the empty kitchen. 

She wanted her Jason back. 

Feeling selfish and ashamed of it, she returned to the couch and sat with her feet pulled up beneath her. She turned the show back on but wasn’t really watching it. Maybe she should turn the heating off. It felt silly to heat the whole place just for her. 

Less than a minute later, the door swung open. 

Full Size Jason strolled in, with a bent piece of rebar casually resting on one shoulder. 

“Hey sweetheart,” he said, tossing the rebar onto his weapons table.

“You’re back!”

“Yup, switched back in the elevator.” He was in the same loose t-shirt and sweatpants as before, and they weren’t even blood splattered. 

“What happened on the other side?” 

“Beat up a wizard.” He collapsed onto the couch next to her and picked up her half-drunk glass of rosé. He took a sip and put his boot up on the edge of the coffee table. “Real amateur production. I shouldn’t know how to use your magical artefact better than you. How was the kid?”

“Very sweet,” she said, relaxing. “Bit of a snitch.”

“Yeah?”

“Immediately called Batman and reported every word I said.”

He scoffed. “Yeah he would.” He looked morosely into the glass. “How did Batman take it?” 

“...He was devastated.”

He frowned at the wine.  “He didn’t say a word when we swapped back.” 

She frowned at the screen. 

“I’m glad to have my Jason back,” she said. She wasn’t brave enough to look at him. 

He was watching her though. 

“Yours, hm?” 

“Yeah.” 

He hummed. They settled down again, both looking at the screen. Neither was really watching. 

“How was young Batman?” she dared to ask. 

He sighed quietly. “Younger than I remembered. Worried about his Robin.”

They watched in silence. What could she say to that? Some things couldn’t be fixed, and platitudes were just bandaids on scars. 

That little kid smiled so brightly, and it was a fucking tragedy. But it wasn’t hers. 

He put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her in against him. 

She relaxed into his side, and he stretched out some more. She snuck an arm around his waist, he nuzzled the side of her head, and neither commented on the desperately tight grasp he held her with. 

Next>>

#Jason needs more people in his life who are happy he came back to life #jason todd #red hood #jason todd x oc #red hood x oc #jason todd x fem!reader #jason todd x reader #for the hell of it #my fanfic #dc #fluff #angst #hurt/comfort #Robin!Jason

[salora-rainriver]

the lily orchard thing is weird because the primary callout for her that i've seen comes from a youtube channel with absolutely no sense of proportion, putting "wrote a shock fic years ago" and "featured as a character in feral furry porn" right next to "actually groomed minors" as though these are all equally bad and worthy of scorn. it makes me realize that even when we're right that someone is a bad person, we can still fall into transphobic ways of framing it

Okay full disclosure: i don’t know what youtube vid you’re talking about. I did watch A Videos on Orchard.

So first off I get the point about proportionality, theres absolutely a difference between writing stockholm and that whole stint where she encouraged a teen and an adult to “breed”, and I do agree that any callout should make the difference in severity clear,

But im not sure that, in this case, someone failing to make that distinction clear is A Transphobia. And that’s because… I’m not convinced Stockholm was intended to be a shock fic. I can definitely see where one may draw such a conclusion, I just personally feel otherwise, I feel like Stockholm is itself morally wrong. I feel the same way about it that I feel about “lolicon” art, and asking me to not mark the fic as a slight against Orchard feels odd to me, because I would be uncomfortable with Butch Hartman writing material like that. I would want to know that he wrote this, feels no remorse for writing it, intends to make media for children while having written that.

People draw their personal lines in the sand in different places, particularly when it comes to fictional depictions of That Shit. Someone’s Lolita (a harsh and uncomfortable work thats clearly not glorifying the act once you sit down and engage with it fairly) is going to be another’s [idk insert literal fucking CP here], and the wide diversity of art makes it nigh-impossible to be able to draw a line between Acceptable and Unacceptable.

And for what it’s worth, the above ^^^ is why Im frustrated with the binary framing of the pro-ship and anti-ship discourse. It just doesn’t work, even the most ardently pro-ship person is going to draw their line somewhere, and even the most ardently anti-ship is going to look at someone else’s judgement and go “but theres nothing wrong with this”. And ultimately, the two camps of pro and anti… don’t actually exist. Ask me honestly which camp I fall in and I genuinely wouldn’t be able to tell you, and if you interrogate your personal moral values and feelings about various dubious media honestly, you’ll realize that you can’t, either.

Sorry. This is a ramble. I’ll summarize:

- I think it’s important to know that Orchard wrote Stockholm, and to allow people to judge her for writing that, because many believe that works like these are morally wrong, period end of, and it’s not transmisogyny for one to judge this fic the same way they judge similar works from cishet writers.

- despite having that opinion, I do agree that the real grooming is much worse than the fic, and agree that making this distinction clear is important.

- I also think its dangerous to discuss the morality of fictional media from an all-or nothing binary framing, because the truth is we do not genuinely hold such extreme positions in real life, we all have a limit somewhere on the spectrum in either direction, which is my main frustration with pro-ship and anti-ship discourse, because you can never fully belong to either camp. Your position on the issue will be a mix of both. Pro some ships, anti other ships.

I hope thats clear? Thanks for the thoughtful ask. Also, mandatory “pls be gentle I’m the birthday girl”

#discourse #pls be gentle its my birthday #cw discussions of CSAM

[pocsinspeculativefiction]

Impressions

Title: Cinderella is Dead Series: N/A; Standalone Author: Kalynn Bayron Author Website: https://www.kalynnbayron.com/ Trigger Warnings: Nothing major Year Released: 2020 Demographic: Young Adult Genres/Subgenres: Low fantasy, dystopian, fairytale retelling, LGBT, sapphic, romance

Synopsis: From Goodreads:

"It’s 200 years after Cinderella found her prince, but the fairy tale is over. Teen girls are now required to appear at the Annual Ball, where the men of the kingdom select wives based on a girl’s display of finery. If a suitable match is not found, the girls not chosen are never heard from again.

Sixteen-year-old Sophia would much rather marry Erin, her childhood best friend, than parade in front of suitors. At the ball, Sophia makes the desperate decision to flee, and finds herself hiding in Cinderella’s mausoleum. There, she meets Constance, the last known descendant of Cinderella and her step sisters. Together they vow to bring down the king once and for all–and in the process, they learn that there’s more to Cinderella’s story than they ever knew . . .

This fresh take on a classic story will make readers question the tales they’ve been told, and root for girls to break down the constructs of the world around them."

Themes:

The negative impact of propaganda, misogyny, heteronormativity, and classism on society as a whole

Remaining fearful and complacent in the face of injustice won’t always protect you from its effects

Best Features

Sophia and Constance are well-characterized protagonists. They are effective but not overpowered. They have positive traits and likeability but are not perfect. They have agency and their motives make sense given their circumstances.

The sapphic love triangle was well-executed. It features opposites attract vs. birds of a feather and childhood friend romance vs. a newer attraction to a person you just naturally click with. Both romances were believable and showed different sides of the heroine.

The exposition about how the Cinderella system worked and its impact on society was described in great detail while also being well woven into the narrative. It never felt like the story halted to explain anything.

King Manford is an effectively hateable villain with the qualities needed in an antagonist from a fairytale and dystopian story like this one. He’s pretty one-dimensional but not without a few surprises.

Worst/Least Appealing Features

The main heroines are pretty static personality-wise. Their personalities are set in stone from the start and don’t change much. If you’re fine with flat character arcs then it’s no big deal.

The pacing is uneven. Plot progression was either extended periods of action sequences or extended periods of planning and debating the next moves. It was hard to maintain interest in what was going on during the planning periods after so much excitement beforehand.

The supporting cast has little involvement in the plot. They deepen Sophia’s understanding of the world and add depth to its themes and that’s about it.

The world wasn’t very interesting. If I were asked to recall anything distinctive about the city of Lille or the White Wood or anywhere else except the palace I wouldn’t be able to. The descriptions are incredibly threadbare and the locations leave no impression.

Favorite Spoiler-free Quotes:

“The pieces of my dress are sewn into place to ensure a perfect fit. My mother fusses over the color of the piping along the hem of the gown. Apparently, it's supposed to be rose gold, not regular gold, so it has to be taken off and reattached. I think the entire ensemble would look very nice at the bottom of a wastebasket, maybe doused with lamp oil and set on fire. No one asked me what color I'd like it to be or how I'd like it to fit.”

“A mural of the king mars the side of a building across the street. He's pictured on a horse at the head of an army of soldiers, his arm outstretched, holding a sword. I bet he's never led an army anywhere except across the squares of a chessboard.”

"My mother taught me that I am a whole person with or without a husband," she says emphatically. "Who I am inside and how I treat others are the only things that matter. The same goes for you. Don't let anybody tell you different."

Overall Rating - 3 out of 5

#cinderella is dead #low fantasy #dystopian #fairytale retelling #young adult fiction #LGBTQ #lgbtqiia+ #lgbtq fiction #black authors #kalynn bayron

[thekeytoz]

Do Your Favorite TV Shows and Movies Inspire Your Fashion Like Gen Z?

Television series and films have seamlessly integrated into our daily lives, especially for Gen Z. Their extensive exposure to television has made it a potent influence on their everyday existence, extending to their fashion preferences. Notably, during the pandemic, television and movies emerged as vital sources of inspiration, breathing new life into people's wardrobes. On social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok, showcasing outfits inspired by beloved films and TV series has evolved into a thriving trend. Let's dive into some of the prominent shows and movies that are currently shaping the fashion landscape.

Gossip Girl (Then and Now)

Gossip Girl, upon its debut, reshaped fashion inspiration, replacing traditional sources with a focus on the younger generation in New York City. The show spanned various styles, from Blair's preppy look to Serena's bohemian style and Jenny's edgy designer outfits. Now, iconic character-associated fashion pieces are available in stores, highlighting the show's impact on the younger generation.

Friends

Friends has emerged as an iconic source of 90s fashion inspiration, encapsulating the essence of the era through its characters' distinct styles. The sitcom's characters not only influenced clothing choices but also left an indelible mark on hairstyles, with 'The Rachel' haircut enjoying a Gen Z revival. These vintage styles have found new life in today's fashion scene and have even made appearances in shows like Euphoria, which we will get into next.

Euphoria

Euphoria offers a fresh perspective on fashion, with each character showcasing a unique and expressive style. The show serves as a vibrant canvas for today's youth to discover their identities through clothing. It not only reflects individual personalities but also draws inspiration from past fashion eras, seamlessly blending styles from different decades into their wardrobe choices. Euphoria epitomizes the essence of fashion for Gen Z, significantly impacting contemporary trends and providing individuals with a sense of bold liberation.

Emily in Paris

Emily in Paris sparked a fashion revolution with its main character's style evolution. As Emily adapts to the world of French fashion, the show leaves a profound impact on how millennials and Gen Z individuals dress. It rekindled the enchantment of French fashion influencing American style. Emily's bold, chic, and colorful wardrobe inspired viewers to elevate their own fashion choices, and her distinct style has left an indelible mark on the wardrobes of many.

Sex and the City

Sex and the City has maintained its status as a fashion icon, primarily influencing Millennials rather than Gen Z. The fashion showcased in the series empowered women to express themselves more freely through clothing. Each character's distinctive style connected with viewers, and many found relatability in at least one character's fashion choices. The show encouraged people to embrace fashion as a source of joy, offering a refreshing perspective that significantly impacted Millennials' and Gen Z's perception of everyday fashion.

Stranger Things

Stranger Things, a Gen Z favorite, is a show not only for sci-fi enthusiasts but also for fashion enthusiasts. It has had a profound impact on the fashion world by bringing back the iconic trends and styles of the 80s. Key pieces from the show, such as the boys' hand-knit sweaters and high-waisted jeans, have become fashion staples. On TikTok, a trend had emerged where creators assemble outfits inspired by the show's characters, perfectly encapsulating the show's aesthetic in modern wardrobes.

The Summer I Turned Pretty

The newest show out of the bunch, The Summer I Turned Pretty is a show adored by tweens, teens, and even adults. The show's main character, Belly, wears outfits that effortlessly embody the charming coastal aesthetic. Belly's on-screen style is primarily characterized by cute and casual fashion choices, featuring elements such as graphic tees, floral-print swimsuits, and snug sweaters. Certain TikTok videos have gone viral after sharing "The Summer I Turned Pretty finds" at Hollister while styling character-inspired outfits from the show using Hollister brand clothing.

In the end, the fusion of TV and fashion is a testament to the ever-evolving nature of style. As Gen Z continues to lead the way, we can expect even more exciting fashion moments inspired by the small screen. So, keep your eyes peeled for the next big trend, because, in the world of Gen Z fashion, the possibilities are as endless as the episodes of your favorite TV show.

Check back soon for even more Gen Z trend alerts. See you soon!

#gen z #gen z life #tv shows #tv series #gen z fashion #fashion #trends

[lunanheartache]

i wrote this to be a whore lore summary but it ended up more as crossroads lore beats after he gets to lot SO heres some crossy lore under the cutt, warning for mentions of underage / child prostitution

crossroads whore lore important beats

* starts out as a survival thing within the first few months of running away from the convent. he is (probably) 15 at most

* it doesn't work the greatest. he and nowhere are both very much social pariahs, more or less assumed / taken as demons

* obviously this is not things im going to write. dont need to think abt it. but its important & relevant to his character

* main things here: he falls into it bc hes seen other street kids do it successfully and get a meal / a room for a night, he is just trying to get nowhere something to eat and a place to sleep if he can. this is clearly a harder sell, asking for essentially 2x payment. also a harder sell bc to the general populace he is more or less infectious. he is scary even as a starving desperate child. it is the skeeviest places in the slums that hes able to get any scores, and even then its very hit or miss

* hes a scary demon child so even creeps (in deeply religious town) dont want to fuck him. basically forced into blowjobs when someone takes him on

* none of this is fun. he is scared & desperate & trying to take care of his brother who still occasionally goes kind of catatonic. hes 15. it sucks. he does not tell nowhere. start of a feeling of personal shame (distinct from before bc they both were "the same." now this is crossroads doing something "bad" himself)

* goes on for a while. it is sporadic & by no means their primary source of income. mostly they are grifting and stealing. crossroads is maybe 17/18/19 when nowhere gets his job with the baker. now they have a relatively stable thing

* with nowheres crime money (not murder yet) they have a consistent room and consistent food (aka can eat once a day for sure). it also means crossy has more time on his hands and more time alone

* he is still a gay teen / young adult. some exploring of the self now that he has a luxury. hes also working more and more magic into his grifts as he figures it out. his grifts get more elaborate bc he can plan them and its just him

* figures hed have better luck magically disguised. cue small uptick in sex work that ends up a little more complicated - hes looking for more money (but they have some) and hes curious. chaotic brain times. agonizing. but hes learning

* starts his priest scam in his early 20s. long con over several months. uses it to get into richer parts of town. early days of it (most human looking) outside of indulgences, hes mostly hamming up the sexually inexperienced & shy priest shtick in bathhouses

* later in his scams, bathhouses stop working. again people dont like to fuck him when he looks how he does & hes kind of into bottoming at this point. he turns more to hanging around the bar of a rich hotel (lion's head) and trolling a bit - hotel is more travelers who arent as bothered by his looks / were going to pay for a hotel escort anyway

* he does not account for this second thing. he doesnt realize the hotel probably has its own sex workers bc in his mind its a poor thing and this place is rich

* (these next few bullet points are whore lore part 1 that i wrote and its technically posted)

* eventually confronted by a hotel employee (technically the owner but crossy has no idea). takes him into a back office and is like essentially like hi. i know youre whoring at my hotel. if you want you can work for me and ull make loads more money

* crossy tries to keep up his priest shtick until the guy pushes that little bit too far for him to do so. he cracks. discussion

* guy (john) is like look. i got clients who talk. bunches r askin me about the priest and i dont have a priest. i can charge like 300% more than what youre charging, you can pick when you want to work (for the enforced scarcity, so ppl pay more when he Is around), and you can keep a good cut. also bc of ur priest shtick i gotta put you in penis jail if ur working. its a bit the clients think its great. hilarious

* crossy is like fantasy jesus christ. youll pay me how much? i dont care what you do, hell yeah. lock me up. i can jack off at home. what do i care when youre paying me that much

* (horny things happen in fic. main important points: crossy, for all of his talk, is still relatively inexperienced bc. people dont want to deal with him. john is like that is fine, i train all my guys :) we'll figure out what you like)

* whore lore part 2 and anything else is crossy trying to navigate this new thing. johns thing is he claims a "reputation for enthusiasm" so cross doesnt have to do anything he doesnt care for. cross is baffled by this & the idea that hes supposed to feel good here. john introduces him to some things. cross falls hard into submissive mode bc he basically doesnt have to think or worry about anything (and thats all he does otherwise. hes an anxious guy). he winds up a little obsessed / addicted to getting to shut his mind off

* starts going to the hotel just for that & the money is more of a bonus. sometimes just shows up when hes had a bad brain day

* he goes wild buying him and nowhere new clothes and sheets and pillows and just everything they couldnt afford before. he still does not tell nowhere what hes doing. when hes not working, waffles between intense shame and like big ol arrogance

#oc posting: crossroads #lot o lore

[hypermania]

I know it's in the title but did Teen Wolf really need to be about teens?

yes. otherwise we wouldn't have gotten the iconic "my mom does all the grocery shopping" line.

but in all seriousness, no, it didn't need to be about teenagers but the story (at least in the first couple of seasons) was actually about teenagers in high school and it wouldn't have worked as well if they had been in college, or older. it would've been a different show.

teen wolf was grounded in the mundanities of high school. the teens spent a considerable amount of time at school or doing school-related activities. i mean, even scott's struggle with becoming a werewolf was largely about how it affected his academic performance ("do you wanna do homework or do you wanna not die?"). the characters were actually confined by the fact that they had to go to school (so much so that scott and allison got in trouble for ditching), which is not generally true in teen dramas. a lot of the early conflict was about the restrictions of having to actually be at school (getting stuck in detention, who you are or aren't sitting next to in class, waiting for the bell to ring, someone being absent, etc).

there was also an obvious distinction between the teens and the adults on the show. that... is just not true on a lot of (most) teen dramas. i think the easiest way to emphasize what i mean is that adults were viewed as outside threats, no matter what. some adults were threats because of their role in the supernatural narrative (peter, the argents), some because they were in a position of authority (mr. harris), some just because they were parents setting rules (melissa, the sheriff), but no matter what, the adults were other. obviously, as time went on that changed, but in the beginning there was a very clear divide. (in comparison: think about how the show treated other teens who were actual threats at times like jackson as the kanima and isaac/erica/boyd—they weren't monsters. they were kids who needed to be protected/saved.)

the other thing that teen wolf did so well in the beginning was romantic relationships. scott and allison's relationship was the biggest most important thing in the world... to them. but beacon hills and the larger story didn't orbit around them. the show was careful not to belittle their relationship just because they were young, but it also didn't get consumed by it.

on the surface lydia and jackson's relationship looked a lot like the relationships in other teen dramas where the teens are rich and good-looking and having a lot of sex, but the second we spent any real time with either of them, it became painfully obvious that they were both extremely vulnerable kids who were terrified of rejection. they were just playing at being adults.

anyway, my point is that early teen wolf would've been a different show if they weren't teenagers in high school. the later seasons prove my point lol

#replies #Anonymous #teen wolf #mp

[phoukanamedpookie]

Head canon: [Spoiler] was passing as white. (MASSIVE SPOILER WARNING for "Death on the Nile")

Explanation below the cut to prevent spoilers.

I'll have to do a reread of Passing and a rewatch of Imitation of Life to go into more detail for why I've adopted this headcanon. Most of this is admittedly circumstantial, but that's why I call it headcanon.

The headcanon is simple: Lynette Ridgeway was passing as white.

I'm gonna be up front and make it clear that there's no smoking gun in the film (pun only partially unintended) to hold up this headcanon. However, there's nothing overtly contradicting it either.

The first thing that sticks out is the casting of Gal Gadot as Lynette Ridgeway, an heiress with strong ties to British aristocracy. Yes, she's the It Girl right now, but come on. There's no shortage of white Brits who could've played that role, and probably for a lot less money. I'm not going to speculate on the filmmakers' rationale for choosing Gadot to play that character, but a woman of "exotic" looks from a Middle Eastern country who speaks with a distinct Hebrew accent does not scream, "white aristocrat" to me.

The movie makes repeated references to her father's wealth and business practices, but we don't hear a peep about her mother. Not. One. Thing. Granted, Lynette's mother is not relevant to the plot, but her absence raises a lot of questions for me. Why is Lynette's mother out of the picture? Was there something about her that the father's side of the family wanted to keep secret? What could it be?

Some of the other characters have known Lynette a long time, in some cases since childhood. None of them mention Lynette's mother. Not once. Not even, "If Lynette's mother was around to see this, she'd be devastated." Diddly-squat!

That conspicuous silence, plus the social and historical context of the story, suggests that there was something about Lynette's mother that would've reflected poorly on the family if it were known. We're looking at business tycoons and British aristocracy in the 1930s. Things like "good breeding" meant a lot. Not exactly bastions of multiculturalism. FFS, look at that British royal family drama with Meghan Markle. That's right now in the present day, and Meghan Markle herself is very light-skinned. So, if there was any interracial hanky-panky resulting in mixed-race babies, the white aristocratic families would have a compelling reason to keep it secret.

Then there's "Cousin" Andrew, a dark-skinned man she's been raised with since infancy. There's even a picture of them as toddlers sitting together in their Sunday best. And, as adults, he's one of the few people Lynette trusts implicitly, despite the fact that he was swindling her. Sure, the high society people can tell themselves, "He's just a friend of the family," but what if there's more to it? What if Andrew really is Lynette's cousin? Or even her brother?

In an American context, this is not unheard of. Plenty of rich white kids were raised with Black kids as "playmates" who may very well have been their biological siblings. If Lynette's dad were an American with a vast fortune who bought his way into British high society, Andrew being Lynette's biological relative becomes even more plausible.

The next piece of the puzzle is Rosalee. The film brings up an incident at a swimming pool when Lynette and Rosalee were kids or teens, and Lynette asked for Rosalee, who's Black, to be removed from the swimming pool. (Note: This is an actual thing that white people did to Black children; Lynette was nice enough not to ask the staff to pour acid in the pool, though.) At some point, though, Lynette discards the prejudice toward Black people she learned from her father. Not only that, but Rosalee explains that Lynette explicitly started enjoining others not to express that kind of prejudice. So much so that she repeatedly hires Rosalee's aunt, Salome, as entertainment for the lavish parties she likes to throw for audiences that are not segregated.

Rosalee, the child she wanted expelled from a swimming pool, becomes a close friend of hers as they grow up together. So close that she has perhaps the most accurate assessment of Lynette's character: someone it's easy to hate and to love.

What would cause such a drastic change of heart on Lynette's part? Yes, there's growing up, learning better, and doing better. But there's just one thing: Lynette is not portrayed as altruistic. She's a deeply self-centered person in that oblivious rich lady sort of way.

(Side note: There's so much to unpack about how Lynette has a habit of using money to control people, to keep those she trusts and cares about close to her. There's a deeply possessive quality to how she shows she cares. This woman casually manipulates people and almost literally tries to buy their affection. And in some cases, she's probably told them, and herself, that it was for the best. Despite her Golden Girl image, Lynette is a deeply lonely and anxious person.)

Whatever it was that changed Lynette's attitude and behavior toward Rosalee must have been personal. Yes, there is the likelihood of someone who can despise Black people in the abstract but find it much harder to hate a flesh-and-blood Black person right in front of them. But what if Lynette found out something about herself that made her feel more connected to Rosalee? What if she found out that her mother lied about her ancestry? That's kind of flimsy, but I'll take it.

So, if Lynette is passing as white, what kind of ancestry is she hiding? My initial guess was that Lynette could be hiding sub-Saharan African ancestry, but there's a couple of details that offer another possibility. The film takes place in 1937, and it's historical context is deeply rooted in European soil. Pay attention to this next tidbit because it's extremely important: Hitler took power in Germany in 1933.

Why does Lynette look like that? Why does she talk like that? Why don't we ever hear about her mother? If she's passing as white, what kind of ancestry would she have to keep hidden?

Here's the possibility: Lynette's mother was Jewish.

If you weren't paying attention to the Whoopi Goldberg drama, in Europe at the time, and for centuries before that, Jews were not white people who practiced a different religion. They were a racialized Other, as part of the "Hebrew race" specifically or as part of the overall "Oriental race." That is, until Hitler said, "Nah, they're literally vermin just like rats," and decided that the world would be better off with no Jews in it.

At the turn of the 20th century, a Jewish person seeking to escape poverty and persecution could make up an alibi ("This skin? This accent? Oh, I'm Italian.") in order to completely assimilate into white society. An ambitious, good-looking young woman who played her cards right could find a way to marry into British high society.

Now, this does create some iffy connotations about Jews trying to infiltrate and pollute the pure white race. Nevertheless, people who were racialized Others did do that sometimes. But those of us who are racialized Others also understand that this decision wasn't made lightly and never without cost.

What was it like for Lynette's mother to completely sever herself from her community? How much of her heritage did she pass to her daughter, if anything? What did she say when people asked questions? Did Lynette's father know? If not, what measures did she take to keep the truth hidden? Was was it like to not be able to openly practice Jewish rituals? Which aspects of Jewish life did she seek to preserve, for her own sake if not for her daughter's?

Did Lynette know? If she did, how'd she find out? How does she feel about Jews in general? If she's aware of her Jewish ancestry, how does she feel about it? Does she completely shun her Jewish heritage, or does she try, in some way, to connect with it? How have her thoughts, feelings, and actions changed over time?

I guess that's what fanfic is for, though.

#eshu watches death on the nile #jewish headcanons #jumblr #cw holocaust #death on the nile #linette ridgeway

[wistfulrat]

this week’s fics! feat. bakeries, bookshops, bisexual awakenings of the angsty and fluffy sort, wolfstar goddads being tender as hell, desi harry reconnecting with his culture, domestic drarry, a lap dance set to akon’s smack that, and more!

But That’s History by @ebbet - 54k - T Harry Potter starts his first year as Muggle Studies Professor only to find that Draco Malfoy has been hired to teach History of Magic.

listen to me. this is one of the funniest drarry fics i've ever read. i was cackling in my bed at 2am because harry’s internal monologues throughout this fic are unhinged. insanely quotable. “what was he, a lothario” and “you were crushing me with your muscular thighs!” are lines that live rent free in my empty head. harry has never played anything cool a day in his life. there’s a faculty meeting where the teachers are planning the yule ball and debating the merits of a DJ when harry decides he must defend his muggle-music-loving honor by dancing seductively to akon’s smack that while a blushing draco loses his mind. i fucking screamed. and the best part is that in between the comedic scenes threading the overall story, you have extremely tender moments of like, padma patil helping harry become a more rooted desi by sharing their cultural traditions, harry proudly donning his sherwani. draco wrestling with his past, going to harry’s lgbtq+ club for students, being sheepish with ron and hermione. ugh, comedic writers with emotional depth are clever and talented as hell!!

Realities, Unfurling by @ebbet - 45k - M Draco Malfoy is released from Azkaban into a changed world.

incredible collage-fic told from multiple povs. 8yrs post-war and everything’s changed. the current state of the magical world unfolds via slice-of-life snapshots from a truly stunning cast. non-binary harry whom is running a non-prof org dedicated to building tolerance and establishing equality for marginalized identities. post-prison-release draco whose life will be changed by the internet. neville’s tender relationship with blaise. andromeda’s fiercely protective mothering. remus and sirius being alive and very hot and just, the tender goddads harry deserved. cho chang being brilliant. baker pansy’s softened edges. found families abound. harry being flustered by their crush on draco and making personalized playlists on an iPod nano.

that all might sound narratively cluttered but the author more than pulls this off. glorious, start to finish.

Knead by @jovialobservationanchor (an @hd-erised​ fic) - 83k - E This is not a story about Harry renovating Grimmauld Place. This is a story about coffee shops and brewpubs, about Ginny and Luna on a farm with creatures, about magical Oregon, coastal road trips, flying, friendship, and Draco Malfoy's lean arms.

cinematic. a love letter to oregon’s expansive landscapes and lively cities. it’s harry finding home in unexpected places and people. in the vast silence of rolling fields, endless coasts, and starry night skies big enough to feel like you’re adrift in space. and it’s also the lingering, intimate quiet of early mornings in a bakery, sitting on a park bench overlooking the city as you eat ice cream next to your crush. it’s harry watching ginny and luna dance and work around each other like bees. it’s the slow unfolding of harry and draco’s relationship as they fill each other’s quiet. finishing this fic is like waking from a good dream. transporting, immersive, lovely. 

Harry Potter and the Bisexual Awakening by @writcraft - 20k - E Harry is perfectly content being single, heterosexual and living in Godric's Hollow with his very clingy rescue dog, Snitch. When Draco Malfoy turns up on Harry's doorstep demanding that Harry teach him how to drive, things quickly become a lot more complicated.

first of all, i feel very seen by draco being a gay-who-can’t-drive. it’s called representation. but mostly i love the ease of harry and draco’s banter, a flustered harry discovering his sexuality, and the way this fic addresses biphobia. also very emo over this exchange: “I think I might be scared of you, but probably not for the reasons you think.” “Yes.” Draco stares at Harry. “I think I might be scared of you too.”

Forged through flowing water by @tedahfromtayla (an @hd-erised​ fic) - 40k - E When Hermione sets up a diplomatic mission to begin repairing the damage British colonisation did to Indian magical communities Harry isn’t going to pass on the opportunity to visit and help his family’s home country. Maybe he should have asked a few more questions about the personnel she had recruited for it before signing on because Malfoy surely has an ulterior motive to be there.

so much to love about this fic. the beautiful settings, from kolkata to mumbai, to the holi festival and colorful lively streets, to remote cave settlements and old intricate temples. it’s harry in the homeland, reconnecting to his family’s heritage and confronting the weight of imperialism in his history. it’s nipping the white savior complex in the bud. this part: That is what England left behind. That is what it still stands for, despite whatever mask of respectability and honour it presents. . .You don't get to step aside and let someone else deal with the mess. You have to listen and learn and then act, Malfoy, you need to learn how to fix your own mess. This is why we're here. my indigenous ass cheered. HP certainly sells the british fantasy but HP fanfic?? fuck jkr, fuck the crown. i love that this fic doesn’t romanticize england’s history. i love that we get to see the vast resilience and beauty of post-colonial india.

Purity Control by yrfrndfrnkly - 28k - T In which Harry tries to ignore his trauma with fantasy Quidditch but Malfoy's Thereness™ is distracting and all his classmates want to talk about are unicorns, virginity, and Muggle music.

tender 8th year fics where they go from bristly as fuck to understanding and soft 100% guaranteed to make me emo as hell. all the teens have traumas and no one wants to talk about it but eventually Things are Talked About. it’s good of the adults to finally notice. everyone just wants someone to hold their hand. and this part: “You’re the only person around here who’s a bigger mess than I am.” “I thought maybe we could be a mess together,” pls don’t look at me as i weep over their gentle empathy.

Advent, a comic by dustmouth - WIP - T It's Harry and Draco's first Christmas together and Draco is determined to live his full yuletide fantasy, come hell or high water.

dustmouth, patron saint of whimsical drarry. whose illustrations singlehandedly reinvented wizarding fashion. whose cheeky and tender comics are like a soothing balm to the utter depravity of this carnal world. harry and draco being domestic, draco’s xmas spirit brand being “traditional unhinged”!! extremely my shit. we’ll absolutely be reading this all december.

Little Spaces by @dracoladon and @lazywonderlvnd​ - WIP - E Draco's back from France and working on the spell damage ward at St Mungo's with Hermione, who invites him over for dinner. Without telling Harry. This is a roleplay, which means Harry is written by one author (lazywonderland) and Draco by another (dracoladon).

the switch in distinct character voices works so well for this fic!! tonally i feel like i'm watching an episode of the office. i personally love harry and draco being Pissed Off at how much they want to bone each other. the battle of the tapenade was the most riveting dinner scene i've read in a minute. clever, hilarious, emotionally tense. can’t wait until that inevitable moment post hate-sex when they’re gonna be like “oh noooo it’s a Heart Boner as well!! >:((” hell ya we’re subscribing for chapter updates.

Dragons Don’t Know Paradise by @teacup-tai​ - WIP - E In 2004, when Remus spends two scary weeks in the ITU due to complications of pneumonia and his HIV condition, Sirius walks around the house like a ghost and Harry finds comfort and strength in Draco through a chat in an online LGBT forum. Harry falls for him, but Draco has a lot of secrets and, before long, will need to come clean—even if he believes that no one is able to understand a dragon.

non-magical bookshop AU. remus and sirius’ relationship is a marvel. the ease of their affection with harry makes me so emo. draco’s friends being insistently present even as he tries to isolate himself. this is a story about acceptance, found families, and falling in love at a distance. the intimacy, the longing, the tenderness. what a fic!! i keep coming back to this part:...he looks at ease, inside his body, a body he needed to fight for. He’d made peace with his struggles and his scars. And Draco realises he wants that. He wants to be at ease inside his body, the body that now carries a virus. He wants to be at peace with his own existence. you hurt for draco so deeply but you get moments like these where he affords himself a kindness that feels foreign and it’s just!! the boys navigating grief and learning to be vulnerable. so good.

#drarry fic rec #drarry #we live and die for desi harry aka hari poddar bc fuq jkr #a lot of soft drarrys this week but in my defense ive been reading hella angst and my depression was not finding that cute #weekly drarrys

[pilvimarja]

Drabble | Ficlet | ●●● | teen Lawrusso | adult Lawrusso |

Prompt used: “Were you drawing me?”

The final period of math with Mrs. Woodward always feels like a painful, mind-numbing eternity. The old hag adjusts her horn-rimmed glasses and drones on about equations on the other side of the classroom, completely oblivious to the fact that her monotonous voice and the hum of the overhead projector threaten to lull half of the class to sleep.

Johnny rests his cheek against his knuckles and pulls out a fresh sheet of graph paper from his trapper keeper. He starts to doodle in the margins, faint lines that begin to take the shape of various cartoon characters that look slightly off because he’s drawing them from memory.

His gaze wanders around the classroom and gets stuck on LaRusso who sits a few desks away from him. His eyes are on the equations Mrs. Woodward is writing on her transparency, but it doesn’t look like he’s any more interested in taking notes than Johnny.

Johnny studies his profile, the sharp cut of his jawline and the tiny bump on the bridge of his nose, how he worries at his bottom lip with his too-big front teeth.

His hand is moving on the paper before he realizes what he’s doing, and when he looks down, there’s a rough sketch of LaRusso’s face next to a doodle of Daffy Duck.

Johnny drops his pencil, ready to crumple the entire paper in disgust, but he stops himself at the last moment and turns his eyes back on LaRusso.

Maybe he can salvage his sketch and turn it into something unflattering, slip it into LaRusso’s locker after class.

Johnny grins to himself as he sets his pencil back on the paper and continues to work on his sketch.

He tries to exaggerate LaRusso’s most distinctive features, but it’s like there’s a wire loose between his hand and brain, because the face on the paper isn’t the least bit unflattering.

Johnny’s a little horrified to realize that he’s made LaRusso’s stupid face just as pretty as it is in real life. His cheeks prickle with heat as he stares at the dark lines from his pencil, the way they’ve captured the slender arch of LaRusso's neck, the full curve of his ridiculous, pouty mouth and—

Fuck.

He turns his eyes back on LaRusso and jumps in his seat when he realizes that his model is staring back. There’s a confused, slightly suspicious pinch between LaRusso’s eyebrows as his eyes flick between Johnny’s face and the paper on his desk.

Johnny shoves the drawing into his trapper keeper and pretends to pay attention to Mrs. Woodward's equations for the remaining ten minutes of class. He feels LaRusso’s eyes on him, drilling into his beet red left cheek and he’s tempted to give him the finger, but he doesn’t want to spend his Saturday in detention.

When the bell finally rings, LaRusso scrambles up from his seat and makes his way to Johnny's desk.

“Hey, man, were you drawing me or something?”

Johnny pretends not to hear him. He hurries into the hallway and elbows through the crowd of students, but LaRusso catches up and circles around him until he’s blocking Johnny’s way to the lobby.

“What the hell is your problem, LaRusso?” Johnny barks, pretty sure his face is the same shade of red as LaRusso’s over-sized hoodie.

“What’s my problem?” LaRusso laughs, a little incredulous. “You’re the one who kept staring at me for the last twenty minutes of class like a creep.” He drops his gaze to the trapper keeper Johnny’s clutching against his chest. “Come on, Johnny, I know you were drawing me. I just wanna see it, okay?”

Johnny gives LaRusso a stone-faced glare. “Why?”

“I don’t know, man, just curious, I guess,” LaRusso says airily, like it’s no big deal and Johnny’s being a stubborn ass.

He reaches out for the paper that’s peeking out from the bottom of the trapper keeper, his eyes huge and wary like Johnny’s some rabid dog, ready to sink his teeth into his wrist.

And Johnny doesn’t know why he let’s LaRusso grab the paper and pull it out of the folder, but he does, and now it's too late to do anything about it.

“It’s, uh…” LaRusso shakes his head as he blinks at Johnny’s drawing, his brows climbing towards his hairline.

“That bad, huh?” Johnny sneers.

“What? No! I mean, I guess I was expecting something like those pictures in Mad Magazine, you know?” LaRusso strokes his fingers along the pencilled lines of his nose and brings his hand up to touch his actual nose. “I had no idea you were into art and stuff.”

“I’m not,” Johnny insists, but that’s a lie. He used to spend hours in his room, sketching his favorite superheroes and cool cars and hot bikini-clad babes riding unicorns and badass dragons.

“Well, it’s really good.” LaRusso hands the drawing back to Johnny and glances around the half-empty hallway. “I, uh, I could pose for you sometime. If you like.”

Johnny wants to laugh at the suggestion, but there’s something vulnerable in LaRusso’s expression and he gets the feeling that there’s some hidden layer in the offer. Like one of those invisible olive branches.

He looks around to make sure there are no Cobras in the hallway and shoves the drawing back to LaRusso’s hands.

“Maybe, if I'm desperate.”

#Lawrusso #Lawrusso drabbles and ficlets #I love the idea of teenage Johnny sitting in his room and drawing babes riding unicorns #I try to make each drabble and ficlet a stand alone story but this can probably be read as continuation to Seven Minutes in Heaven

[lemon--squeezy]

𝐁𝐚𝐝 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝 | 𝐎𝐍𝐄

Summary: 𝐀𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐧 𝐇𝐨𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐞𝐫 found love during his teen years and ended up married to his high school sweetheart. However, he hadn't been prepared for the effects caused on him by a younger Agent and coworker.

Pairing: Aaron Hotchner x Original Female Character

Warnings: Mentions of/implied attemped rape, sexual scenes, adult language, angst, boss/employee relationship, cheating, age difference and  canon-typical violence.

A/N: Before we start I just wanted to warn you that English is not my first language so you might see some grammar and spelling errors, if you spot any just let me know please. I hope you can bear with me! This story in also available on Wattpad 

“You made a really deep cut and baby, now we’ve got bad blood…” — Taylor Swift

Rays of a morning sun shine through the many windows, bringing a needy warmth to the cold bullpen of the Behavioral Analysis Unit. As soon as one enters the room, the bitter but invitingly warm scent of black coffee would invade their nostrils; a much needed drink to endure the consuming aspects of working for the FBI. Hushed footsteps, discussions of rapports, chairs moving around and whispers of good mornings are the prominent sounds filling the environment. 

At the center of the room, three distinct agents are discussing among themselves about gossips of the office. A strong, shaved headed man, with dark skin and a smirk plastered on his face. By his side, half sitting on his desk is a woman with fluffy bright blonde hair, thick black glasses supported by her delicate nose and wearing colorful clothes, making her stick out in an ocean of grey suits and blazers. Standing in front of them is a raven-headed woman, with pale skin and dressing a dark outfit like no one else could do. 

While grabbing his mug and sipping his morning coffee, the man looks at his wristwatch, slightly shaking his head in a mocking disapproval and declares, “It’s officially five minutes since our work time started and Agent Davis hasn’t arrived,” he flashes a smirk to the black headed female who had being part of the team for barely a month and continues, “I hope you’re ready to witness your first breakfast time quarrel between the bossman and Amy.” 

Emily, the sophisticated gothic woman, stares confusedly at her teammate and says, “Okay, I’m gonna take the bait. What are you talking about, Morgan?” 

He flashes a mischievous smile, “Do you want to explain it to the newbie, baby girl?” Morgan asks the blonde and eager female to tell the new girl about the most volatile - and funny to watch - dynamic of the team. “I’m pretty sure you’ve already noted that my lovely girl Amelia Davis and our stiff yet good-looking Superior don’t tolerate each other,” Penelope happily blabbers. “Since today is Monday and Amy loooves partying hard on the weekends, she’s already late. Something that displeases the bossman who is constantly waiting to scold Amy because of her little mistakes.” 

“That is intriguing. Are you sure it isn’t all about sexual tension? That would explain their behavior.” Agent Emily Prentiss questions inducing a gasp from Penelope and a laugh from Derek. 

“We’ve all considered it at some point,” the man affirms. “Just don’t say that to Davis or she will lecture you about how terrible it is that two people of the opposite sex aren’t allowed to sincerely and deeply hate one another,” he concludes and looks in the direction of his Superior individual office through the open blinds. “Hotch seems to be especially annoyed today so I bet he won’t even wait for Davis to reach her table before he calls her attention.” Morgan deduces and the elevator cheeps in sync announcing new arrivals, making the three agents stare in its direction. They see a couple of interns hurrying to the coffee marker and the next person to come out is the disheveled figure of Agent Davis. Her crystal blue eyes are hidden by black sunglasses, the woman’s usually perfect long brunette hair is currently disheveled, her button up white shirt is supporting some wrinkles while her dark grey blazer is in her left hand along with her bag. She connects the fingers of her right hand with her temple massaging it in a foolish attempt to ease the headache obviously caused by a hangover. 

Amelia tries to walk discreetly in the direction of her desk, hoping she would pass unnoticed by her boss, but she isn’t successful. Seeing her state, Derek whistles and loudly states, “I think someone had a wild night,” he laughs with Prentiss and Penelope. His booming voice affects the balance of Davis, making her stumble over her own feet and before she gets a hold of her chair and tells the man to be quiet, the harsh sound of a door opening echoes through the entire space of the bullpen. 

“Agent Davis. My office. Now,” the chief unit’s demand rings like thunder, giving chills to the ones around.  

“Fuck,” Amy murmurs while taking off her sunglasses  and dropping her belongings on her desk. 

The brunette drags her legs, taking her time along the short way to her boss’s office. 

Amelia feels like she’s in high school and the principal is calling to lecture her, but that’s something she never experienced during her school years since her teachers adored her effort to have the best grades and eagerness to learn. Besides, she could always blast a polite amiable smile to make people bend at her will. It came easily to Amy, being friendly and kind towards others, virtues that paid off and made everyone like her. Well, everyone but him. 

The door to the room is already opened and to Amy, it resembles the entrance of a

scary and dark cave. After she’s inside, she makes sure to close it to shield herself from the curious ears of her coworkers. She goes straight to one of the chairs across from the stoic man, a journey she’s so used to, considering that Hotchner’s constantly expressing his discontent with her whether it was about being a few minutes late, or about a typo in a rapport, or even choosing to use a grey folder instead of the yellow ones. Everything would lead to criticism and by now she would just take it with humor. She mumbles a good morning but Aaron simply ignores it.

“Tell me, Agent, what’s your excuse for today? Two weeks ago there was something wrong with your car, four weeks ago it was a problem with shower. I can’t wait to hear about another one of your misfortunes,” there’s venom watering each word, his eyes colder than a winter day and his entire posture screams irritation.  

Amy thinks how he’s ever so ridge when she’s around. Every time she enters the same room as him, the jet black haired man would instantly go ridge like her mere presence was a heinous crime. She’s used to it and more than happy to demonstrate that she is also offended by his existence.  

“Would you believe me if I told you that my nanny died?” Davis playfully replies and grins, which boils Aaron’s anger further. 

“Do you think this is some sort of joke?” he snaps, standing from his chair and positioning his hands on the desk that separated them. “I can’t have people in this unit that don’t take their job seriously and I don’t have time to endure irresponsibility and lack of respect.” 

I bet you would have a lot of free time if you just left me the fuck alone, dude - Amelia thinks while maintaining eye contact with the man. 

“One more day of tardiness and you will have to suffer consequences. Is that clear enough for you, agent?” he fumes. 

She bites her lips and swallows a bitter response. Not afraid of the outcome, just too tired to deal with her boss’s intensity so early in the day. “Yes, boss.”

“You can leave now,” he grunts and sits back in his chair. Starting to reach for one of the files on his desk; at the same time, Amelia makes a quick way out of the room. Once she gets to her chair, she releases a loud sigh, longing for the day to be over already. 

“That seemed intense.” Emily comments. She and Morgan are in their respectives chairs and Penelope has made her way to her own office - after the end of the show, of course.  

“You have no idea,” Amy answers while starting her work. 

 “If you don’t mind me asking, what happened between the two of you?” Prentiss carefully asks, genuinely curious.

“He’s the one who decided to hate me since my first day, I’m just returning the sentiment,” Davis explains, unbothered by the question, being a curious person herself she knows how it is once interest sparks. That’s when Dr. Reid and Agent Jareau arrive, talking to themselves. Spencer is carrying a notebook with a sketch of a boy’s face in it, moving around the room frantically and picking a telephone. 

“What’s wrong?” Amelia worriedly questions. 

“Need to get that to everyone as soon as possible,” Reid hurriedly explains while making a call. “Detective Barnes, this is Special Agent Doctor Spencer Reid of the Behavioral Analysis Unit in Quantico,” he clarifies to the person on the other side of the phone and continues rapidly, “Have you had recent murders involving prostitutes? They would’ve been stabbed to death and their hair would’ve been cut off by the killer,” that causes the other Agents to exchange confused glances, intrigued by the sudden event. 

“When was the last recent victim?” the Doctor inquires to the Detective on the line. 

Seems like we have a case, Amy processes. 

#criminal minds #aaron hotchner #ssa aaron hotchner #aaron hotchner fanfiction #aaron hotchner imagine #aaron hotchner fic #agent hotchner #aaron hotchner x oc #aaron hotchner x you #criminal minds fanfic #hotch x oc #aaron hotchner x reader #aaron hotchner x fem!oc #aaron hotchner angst

[vaguely-concerned]

X-men Evolution; the great 2021 rewatch liveblog

exactly what it says on the tin, about halfway through the show I had TOO MANY FEELINGS and had to start writing some of them out haha (gets quite gambit & rogue/gambit heavy in the latter half, Because of Who I Am as a Person)

- this is my childhood’s x-men, my formative experience with them, and I’m happy to report that still seems like a good thing. the little eleven year old within me gets to geek out and have a good time with the characters and the surprisingly good animation and writing, adult me gets to CACKLE at regular intervals at the fashion/technology/absolute bonkers hot garbage comic book nonsense they use to justify a storyline every now and then, it’s been a good time 

- I was like ‘ah well it is super dated it probably won’t be quite the same now’ and then rogue’s HAIR did the THING in the opening and ‘it’s all coming back to me now’ started playing in the background... the little baby queer in me swooning across time and space

- such a good beast, both his design and the writing, my heart aches for him all the time. he’s just so passionate! about being a teacher! helping young humans learn the stuff they’ll need in life! the most wonderful nerd man, just let good things happen for him

- I’m going to go ahead and assume that rogue’s ‘crush’ on scott is more of a deeply complex psychological process about desiring normalcy and intimacy and trying to figure out if she’s queer and dealing with her emerging sexuality and latching on to the first and best safely unavailable and nonthreatening older boy to project these issues onto rather than actually being a real thing, because I respect her so much as a person and I cannot bring myself to imagine she’s honestly attracted to a man who has POSTERS OF CARS on his bedroom wall. (I’ll give jean a break just because she seems to have a longer deeper history with him that might counteract some of that libido-kill, and also she’s a jock so lol)

like I am very sorry but can u imagine being a teenage girl with any interest in a boy with model cars in his bedroom when gambit’s swanning around being a much, much, much worse choice on almost every possible level but in a teen girl kryptonite kind of way? inconceivable  

(I drag scott quite a few times in this and it’s not because I don’t love him, it’s just his tragedy to be the most draggable man in the world)

to be fair by the time gambit shows up that whole Situation has mostly played itself out I suppose but still  

- toad’s design is so ineffably brilliant, I can’t quite tell you why but that ugly cute charm has really stuck with me, he’s one of the characters I remembered the best to this day just visually

- poor evan... he truly never had a chance, did he, they just saddled him with the most 90s teen bullshit they could come up with like he’s some kind of ‘what adult writers think teens like’ frankenstein’s monster ;______; it’s not your fault honey

- poor poor POOR storm, she gets one focus episode and they were like ‘we’re going to make an episode so racist -- ‘

I’m still STUNNED at how bad it was, but undeniably I laughed hysterically to the point that my neighbours were probably worried when that dude was earnestly like ‘He [stunningly breathlessly racist caricature of a ‘witch doctor’ guy] has stolen her powers, and he’s going to use them to take over Africa!!!’ fhajsdlfhsakjldfh oh really? tell me more, like how the fUCK this could be on television within my life time fasdlfhsdkjfhsad f  just... fahjksdfh

- it’s a testament to gambit’s appeal as a character that his charm can survive what they’ve done with his hair and beard choices in this one fajskfhs regrettable but true I still fuckn LOVE him and in my highly biased yet Correct opinion he should have been around much more. get you a man who manages to stay hot through sheer Vibes even with a bowl cut

- aw scott/jean is kind of sweet in this show even if it’s taking them forEVER to get there, I like it 

- it’s very nice of rogue to not mention magneto’s romantic daydreams and nostalgic memories about charles xavier after touching his face that one time... or maybe her brain did her a service and repressed it, there’s some stuff you shouldn’t have to know about your father figure   

- the danger room is the very definition of ‘why do we even have that lever’ and I wonder what the fuck prof x does to have enough money to replace everything that gets busted all the time

- I’d say that a lot of the writing holds up surprisingly well! (but some of it is also incredibly inexcusably racist in ways that beggar belief, so... not full marks here) the characters have distinct voices and their arcs are set up and delivered on solidly for the most part, and there’s a lot of love showing through in small moments that are just there to have a funny/interesting thing to say about the characters and how their powers work separately and in combination. listen, sometimes I get so thirsty for like. basic goddamn competency in storytelling, let me have this

- ugggggh why is there captain america in my x-men have I not suffered enough... very very funny when prof x goes ‘sounds like you knew rogers personally’ and logan is like ‘I did ;)’ *all the students ganging up on steve rogers* “did you fuck our teacher, captain america?!”

- fskadfhas WHY are you showing me hot young-ified magneto’s ass fksjahfskj charles is not even here to see it, what a tragic waste erik 

- ...I was sort of kidding before but uh I think logan genuinely did fuck captain america (or at least wishes very much that he did lol)

- wanda can have a little watching the world burn. as a treat for the way every single adult in her life has fucking failed her (’aren’t they treating you well here’ professor x she’s in a straightjacket)  

- poor rogue tho can you imagine finding out after your biggest crush on a girl yet that she’s your fucking MOM in disguise... I would break out in cold sweat every time I thought about a boob forever after

- well seems like they really just had all that homoerotic rivalry stuff between quicksilver and spyke in their first ep only to never do anything with that again ever?? I mean even without the gay undertone that seems like a dynamic you spent most of an episode setting up writers what the hell haha

- dslhfkasjlh GAMBIT THERE HE IS MY BOY IS ON THE SCENE THIS IS NOT A DRILL!!! I don’t even care about his awful hair situation or the fact that his eyes are wrong here (coloured contact lenses, maybe, for a watsonian explanation? though he’d probably have to get them made special, considering he needs the sclera and the iris covered up in different ways, I’ve seen some comic panels indicating he has been known to?)

(cute little detail: when he shuffles the cards the first time we see him he ends with removing the top card to show the ace of hearts beneath <3 foreshadowing baBEY he’s a... good-ish boy deep down. hey he tries okay shit gets complicated sometimes lol) 

- cracking UP at gambit perched cheerily on the edge of a crate dispensing cards in the middle of the battle... he’s like ‘eh it’s a livin’ sfsajkhf remy stop working for supervillains just because you had nothing to do on a thursday afternoon and they said they’d pay you

- I’m guessing magneto must have imposed a strict order of silence on these guys or something because I cannot imagine any other reason for him to shut up, especially once he notices rogue is a QTE (or, far more likely, they hadn’t settled on any voice actors for the new characters until next season haha. it is kind of odd that they’re all keeping up near monastic silence, though, even sabertooth lol) 

- WHAT an epic first meeting for us rogue/gambit fans here... first his shadow like there’s fireworks going off behind him lighting him up and then he gives her the fuckn king of hearts and she’s so enchanted by his dumb handsome face she doesn’t even notice it’s about to blow up in her hands and it all happens in heavily meaningful silence afjsdfjashjk no wonder this ship ingrained itself in my hindbrain  

yeah look smug while you can remy she’s gonna have you on your knees one day and you’ll be happy about it lol

- god storm is so COOL, everything just fading out of focus when she really gets going... give her more screen time, show!!

- mystique is every person... this person... that person... that bird... that cat... that wolf... I’m not even sure she’s not also me... are you sure she’s not you? 

- holy fuck I respect the hell out of the decision to just... blow up the entire status quo in a season ender, I only vaguely remembered that (actually in general I appreciate how good the continuity is -- buildings and places that get damaged in battles need to be repaired or rebuilt, it makes the consequences feel more real even when no one gets seriously hurt. where they get the money to restore scott’s car and logan’s motorbikes every time they go cablooie is still an open question tho lol is it credit card fraud, professor? is it telepathically acquired blackmail???) 

- I first watched this when I was nine or so, so it’s a real experience to go from my starry eyed intrigued ‘oh my god... they’re teenagers’ to my horrified adult perspective of ‘oh my god... they’re TEENAGERS D:’

that goes double for the brotherhood boys honestly, I’m here with tears in my eyes like ‘I’m sorry the system has failed you so badly you’re all just a bunch of dumb kids whose caretakers clearly fucked up spectacularly’  

like lance is always waiting for mystique to come back because she’s the closest thing he has to a safe parental figure, may we speak about how crushingly depressing that is 

- rogue is so ready to throw hands at literally any moment and for that I love and treasure her immensely (I think getting to see her be so surly and unreasonable and sometimes difficult and jealous, like any teenager, meant a lot to me as a kid who was not really allowed to be any of these things, this version of the character has stayed with me so deeply. she holds on so fiercely to her right to feel what she feels and be what she is even when it’s ‘ugly’ or unreasonable, which I think plays in really interestingly with how her powers involve getting invaded by other people’s thoughts and memories to the point of overwhelming her own sense of self and the fact that she clearly has a lot of self-loathing and self-consciousness and confusion about her identity as well. I love her so much)  

- oooof this is the ‘the gang experience a microaggression’ episode huh (well more like macroagressions really)

hits a bit different with adult eyes and perspective huh

- hearing jean sound almost like a child when she says ‘that’s so unfair!’ somehow has me like ;______; -- she has to be so adult and responsible all the time, and having her be reduced to the kid she still is and should get to be in front of this awful awful man she could squash like a bug with the flick of a thought... ugh I’m Big Sad (it is funny that jean seemingly plays Every Sport tho djfhaskj)

- MY BOY IS BACK!!! this time with the duster coat and his eyes the right colour, im so happy (too bad about the subdued colour scheme tho; I adore his dumb bright pink getup with my whole heart)

it’s kind of adorable that he takes the time to take the bullies aside and go ‘I know these guys can’t wreck you without getting expelled, but I think you’ll find no law set down by god or man would stop me from doing so whenever I wanted to. so piss off and leave them alone’ lol he’s looking out for them, in his own way

- in this episode: remy lebeau wrangles some kids while looking bored yet mildly amused the whole time. what the fuck does magneto have on you for you to agree to this level of babysitting duty buddy

- fun detail I noticed b/c when I get a fave I hyperfixate: he gave rogue the king of hearts before, but he ‘introduces’ himself to the brotherhood here (lol) with the jack of hearts, probably to symbolize he’s here as someone who works for magneto in this setting and not as his own man? it’s a demotion he’s given himself there, anyway, might be he’s not very pleased about his current position huh 

- I like it when rogue and kitty team up, they’re not very effective together but their squabbling is so cute and non-aggressive 

- pietro is what draco malfoy would be if I ever found malfoy interesting to watch for even one moment, every time quicksilver talks I’m like ‘what wonderfully insufferable thing is going to come out of your mouth this time you little shit :’)’

- a) why are scott and logan shirtless for this scene? I am not complaining on the logan side of things at least but why and b) I laughed so hard I almost fell off my couch when scott asked logan if he’d ever been in love and he was like ‘once. she was the most beautiful bike I ever saw’ falsdfhaskjfhsakjlfhasklhjfd THE BEST VERSION OF WOLVERINE EVER, ACCEPT NO SUBSTITUTES 

- mystique’s sheer dedication to being a petty bitch is kind of inspirational tbh, almost makes me want to go on a completely bonkers and extra crusade of personal revenge myself  

- oooh they’re doing some genuinely cool things with vision/lack of vision in this one (it’s the scott left on his own in the desert without glasses one btw) even visually, dang! I’m so sad this show didn’t get more seasons than it did, honestly, it deserved it

- hell yeah jean wreck her, go get your man with the suspiciously specific clothing damage normally done to female characters 

awww :’) okay yeah they’re super sweet, I love the tiny loving animation details like how he leans his head against her and her stroking his hair away from his eyes

- nooo don’t bully evan leave my t0tally r4dical sk8er boy alone :(

- I love the running joke of people fleeing in blind panic only to reveal that what they’re running from is kitty’s cheerful well meaning little face fskfaskh 

- scott and jean are already peak married after officially being together for one episode and it’s adorable, and they just stone cold threw logan under the bus, rip wolverine we hardly knew ya

fjasdlfasldfhslajdkfhsadkjlfhsdkjalfhsdakfh h jean establishing herself as the alphabitch of this relationship by throwing her man to the wolves right after dsjfhaskjfhaskjhfsakjdhfaskjhfaskdhfskjahfskdajhf get smarter or get volunteered scott 

- ...eyepatch lady is so hot ngl

oh evan went to the place hank used to go to calm down ;________; (honestly he’s kind of won a place in my heart just by being a pretty normal teenage boy haha)

- jesus fucking CHRIST can you imagine being storm having to look her sister in the eye as she tells her ‘I lost your only child, he’s *vague gesture* somewhere in the sewers we think’ this poor woman

- amanda the self admitted monster fucker you are so VALID (I love her and her family’s design so much tho!)

- it’s so cool that even in his human ‘disguise’ kurt’s fingers follow the shape of his actual hand beneath it rather than moving like a five fingered hand, it’s such a lovingly consistent little detail 

- magneto and mystique in a breathless race to see who can be the shittiest parent... tune in next week for yet another parental nadir (also some low-poly gambit appearances in this one, for those at home keeping score (me), he’s in the background looking like someone drew him with their eyes closed fakjldfhasd look how they massacred my boy)

- someone please teach the brotherhood boys about consent huh

- jean ‘soccer mom before her time’ grey and her SUV dfhakjlhds :’)

- im sobbing rogue baby girl i’m so sorryyyyyy, this voice actress is so good, my parental instincts suddenly kicked into overdrive hearing the crack in her voice :( (bb me was right tho rogue centric episodes ARE the best episodes. that tension between ‘do I identify witn this character or am I crushing on her?? both???’ now has the fun new addition of ‘oh god oh no you are a baby I want to shield you with my body from everything trying to hurt you’)

- mystique is like ‘so you see despite you telling me you never wanted to see me again I completely disrespected that and posed as a friend your age, manipulated you by offering you the mirage of direly needed emotional intimacy and belonging and added some sprinkles of homoerotic tension to it just to massively worsen your already existing grievous psychosexual trauma and identity issues... out of love’

god go jump in a black hole you fucking monster 

- there’s some very interesting and quite subtle subtext about the people she’s morphing into and what that says about her mental state/how it shows off some of her emotional baggage with the rest of the team. it’s like she’s switching between people/powers that fit the purpose as if she’s going through cycles of fight/flight (and then bursts of freeze where she’s herself, which is... so sad)

- this whole episode is hurting my heart but rogue at full power is undeniably epic  

 - ‘professor x get your goddamn act together and get this poor girl some fucking tHERAPY’ challenge

- SAFE PAPA LOGAN ;_____;

- EYYYYYY opening straight on My Lad, I cannot stop winning!!!!! 

fasdfhsad disintegrating the window with a smiley face... remy I do love you more than my heart can bear honestly, hello may we speak about the fact that his urge to be a little shit is so deep and strong it survives mind control (that little breathed out ‘hiah!’ as he vaults the fence too dsakfjsd)

hahaha and he does up the coat fhsalfdsaj 

- magneto dismissing other telepaths like ‘puh-lease, your Meaningful Looks have got nothing on my ex-husband’s’ 

- :’) rogue and kurt sibling timeees

- say what you want but this pyro guy’s got job satisfaction in being a creepy arsonist with a weird recurring horse theme (well at least twice but still weird)

- I love how beast is the kindest man to ever walk the earth but also straight up savage, this man drags people so hard their ancestors wince in their graves

- gambit taking the time to complete the guard’s game of solitaire -- this episode is giving me everything I want. u little disgrace mr lebeau

and THEN he takes the spider out in the most hilariously bonkers way my heart is so FULL

(I love that when magneto moves by he looks startled and has to quickly move his head out of the way to avoid getting kicked in the temple too that’s a fun detail)

I’m so INTO how this sequence shows off that his greatest strength isn’t even his powers (which are pretty straightforward, really, he makes go boom, longer time and bigger thing bigger boom) but that he’s clever and creative and always extremely ready to be the most harebrained-bananapants-extra-in-a-deceptively-laidback-sort-of-way person in the room (I actually have some genuinely Deep Thoughts about how his whole character does a really interesting thing with having the straightforwardly destructive nature of his powers yield to what his nature as a person is, and how using the playing cards play (heh) into it, maybe I’ll write it out some day. just the fact that he could use anything, but he deliberately chose something that adds style and playfulness and corny charm to it and that also limits the damage of the explosions compared to if he habitually used something with more mass... I find it fascinating how much he’s made a story around himself with it and how deeply it shows he does have a good heart, at the end of the day, in almost a metatextual way. he doesn’t want to destroy things or people, he’s at worst (and best lol) a thief.)

- I honestly have literally no memory of white nick fury (which seems so weird now isn’t it funny) in this series from when I was a kid, he clearly did not make an impression on me lol

- mr wolverine ‘assigned canadian at birth’ x-men 

- oh man I dig the androgynity of x-23′s outfit (even tho they had to compensate with the long hair, which... kind of doesn’t make sense in-universe but does on a design level because it’s a crucial thing that she’s a female clone of logan so yeah okay fine whatever have your arbitrary gender markers if you must haha)

ooooooh that’s actually really clever, they make her gender gradually more obvious as she unravels through the episode and her outfit changes -- first the mask coming off, and then her jacket opening to show her silhouette more clearly, that’s cool!  

- my god what really sets this show apart is how much it invests in little character and relationship moments, it’s just so fucking GOOD! it gives laura looking in on those moments such depth and weight because it’s new to her but established to us as an audience, this is how you make found family devastating people (storm growing bonsai trees is so charming too haha) 

- ooof this is honestly quite harrowing 

SHE’S SO SMALL COMPARED TO HIM I’M CRYING (at least that part of his genes translated over faslkfsjdh short king, I say this with all the love and support of a fellow short monarch)  

- tabitha seems to just be running around doing precisely whatever the fuck she wants and you know what I support her even if she is an asshole her father left her a bunch of trauma and no fucks left to give 

- still thrilled about professor x explaining the spider key fuckup to magneto after the fact like ‘magnus you dumb bitch this is why we split up’ 

- awww kitty has anime and movie posters on her wall and sleeps with a stuffed toy :’)

-          remy                           rogue

                              🤝

doing completely unnecessary parkour around the brotherhood living room seemingly just for the hell of it... I’m not saying soulmates but fucking soulmates 

- fhsadkjlfhsakjldfhsadjkfhsdajkfh just as gambit’s soul-level need to be a little shit survived his bout of mind control, rogue’s deep and urgent desire to kiss gambit full on the mouth survived hers I can’t breathe

she looks so pleased with herself too GOOD FOR YOU GIRL at least get something out of this other than more trauma 

also not only the fact that he’s smart enough to figure out what’s going on (though he’s only partially right about who’s behind it. I do so enjoy gambit/mystique deep and sincere antipathy as a constant across all universes tho lmao pure wlw/mlm hostility) but also that he keeps fending her off like he’s not trying to hurt her even though she’s in nigh on unstoppable and invulnerable terminator mode... awww 

- gambit having absolutely no patience for wolverine and sabertooth’s bullshit macho-off and consistently being this little biker trio’s one brain cell is adding years to my life with every passing moment

his voice is a little different in these scenes too, a bit softer and less like he’s trying to impress someone, it’s nice

- hank: well I barely recognize any of these (completely made up) ‘ancient egyptian hieroglyphs’ but from what I can make out -- *proceeds to infodump a perfect coherent narrative* fjdhfak  

listen this whole thing is such nonsense on so many levels, I’m just turning my brain off so I won’t have to think about it okay, the compulsion to put ancient aliens in egypt haunts us as a culture 

- I am CACKLING about gambit in the snow after having to listen to these two chucklefucks ooze testosterone at each other for hours

he started out taking it in good cheer and is now reduced to ‘dieu would both of you just jump off this fUCKING mountain please’

- ah. a little oops-a-daisy there, we seem to have unleashed the apocalypse. please stand by (they really don’t pull their punches with the season cliffhangers in this show haha)

- opening the season on gambit’s merrily grinning face is the easiest way to gain my favour. yes good this season may commence 

baby u r my

 ANGELLLLLLLL

(he’s so cute here tho haha I think it shows the design isn’t unsalvagable, just get him better hair and stubble more like logan has and you’ve basically got it) 

love his exasperated eyeroll when the dude gets spooked (by his eyes? or just the general weirdness?) too

he’s just trying to keep this crazy family of evil mutants together and unmurdered by one another until they’ve managed to avert the end of the world, bless him  

- oh NO rogue’s LIP wobbles my hhhhhheart ;____; such a good animation detail to put in

- like... I know kurt is just a sad scared teenager with a lot of shit going on and all the adults are too busy averting the end of the world to help him... but buddy maybe don’t ask your sister to wake her abuser (who forced her to kickstart the end of the world!!!!!) when she feels utterly unsafe even with her statue version around huh

- ...wanda is good and I want only good things for her. and for her dad to be disemboweled for what he did to her both the first time around and when he forced her to forget I mean what 

- magneto throwing an epic satelite-slinging tantrum b/c ‘no I am the biggest sexiest strongest mutant of the pack :(’... erik fucking get over yourself 

- yes boys absolutely go along with a plan suggested by a dude who looks at you like this 

nothing bad can come of this surely asdfkhsa

- lance’s quarter of a braincell always trying to go ‘hey wait, maybe... not do this???’ and it never helps lol

- in this episode: Logan Has A Bad Day 

...some very specific bondage positions he’s held in here, I am sure this episode awakened something in someone once upon a time lol 

- logan shielding x-23 with his body... im fine it’s okay I’m not crying don’t look at me

- afsdhlsdfjasdlk those sure are some ‘scottish’ accents flsadkjhkdsjahfsd

- scott relieved to finally be able to cede the position of ‘charles xavier’s least favourite son’ to someone else fjsaklfhsajd (poor scott it’s not your fault honey)

supremely cowardly to suggest there is an ex-wife involved rather than charles slutting his way around the british isles back in the day but okay

- kurt with a cold is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. it’s okay kid it’ll get better soon

- ...is there an implication here that professor x is naturally blond. because I am losing my entire little mind about it (i mean he at least has to carry the gene, as does this lady?)

ETA: upon doing some research into this I can indeed confirm that charles xavier does seem to be naturally blond, and after this knowledge I will never be the same 

- “listen, dracula” fskdafghasd oh scott you sweet baby angel I love you

- I know jean’s abilities are a bit ‘as strong or as weak as the plot needs right now’ at this point (so you can have the setup for what’s going to happen with them eventually and she’s basically invincible ;____;), and normally I’m cool with it but god I want her to just squash lucas like a little bug

- ewwwww please don’t ever say ‘daddy’ like that again

- ...what the fuck is even going on this episode’s a mess 

like okay the split personality thing could be something but the way it’s done... what just happened lol

- MY BOY EVAN IS BACK! with a real glowup too (...though kind of weird how he suddenly looks like a grown man)

- augh scott’s eyes are so pretty oh my god ;__________________________;

- that episode in the first season where evan makes the ‘this is my new family!!’ video is so sad now (also, again, his poor poor parents) 

- time for: life affirming road trip with gambit (involuntary) faskljdfhaskjd

stunt therapist remy lebeau 

- I mean the way he goes about it is batshit insane and it’s very much secondary to what he’s actually up to but this is the first time rogue’s sounded genuinely hopeful and confident and like herself in like a season <3 

- he is disconcertingly pleased about her nearly throwing him off the train, and may I just say I agree it’s so nice to see rogue with her old fire back 

- the first time I watched this it was of course dubbed into norwegian, so I had no idea either of these characters were southern lol (though to be fair I probably wouldn’t have had much context for what it meant exactly either, I was like ten at the time and not too interested in america) I seem to dimly remember the norwegian voice actor did a little more of a ‘french’-tinged accent for gambit all over tho haha  

- you know what respect where it’s due, pyro dude knows to live his life for the lols and one has to admire his sociopathic dedication to it

interesting that he, too, seems to have fucking hated magneto -- I wonder if the implication here is that he kept all the acolytes in line with blackmail or by keeping something/one hostage? (except sabertooth maybe he’d just have to say ‘you get to fuck shit up and fight wolverine’ and that’d be enough)

- fsdakfhsd he’s so focused on her he doesn’t notice that guy about to hit him fkafhsa 

- fuck everything else except whatever the hell these two’ve got going on

- it’s weirdly cathartic to have rogue have a conversation with someone who was not happily adopted as well, I don’t think kurt like. gets it because his parents loved him unconditionally and still do 

birds of a feather motherfucker  

- fun detail: when the x-men team are on the shore and logan is sniffing around scott is stepping in something and trying to wipe it off his boots in the background

- when he wakes up after passing out from the touch he’s smiling even though she’s standing over him looking like the rage of god outlined by the moon fsajfsa well the last time he passed out like that it was from a kiss, maybe he still has some hopes and dreams in that direction lol (also he recovers from the tumble down the hill first and is checking on her before accidentally brushing her cheek with his hand, which I thought was sweet) 

and it was in that moment he knew he fucked up *passes out*

- ‘I can explain’ can u remy. can u  

- did it ever even occur to you to just. ask her. to help you. I mean I know it didn’t but like rogue’s always one second away from throwing hands with some bully and is stupidly ride or die, if you’d given her the puppydog eyes she would have crumbled immediately (fair enough I guess this entire episode is telling us he’s not from a background where he has much experience with people just helping him without a price haha) 

- his eyes glowing when he’s angry or upset or using a lot of his power is undeniably cool as all hell. I’m just saying it would be Big Sexy if they sort of flickered with light in moments of genuine vulnerability okay  

- his coat... his coat is what makes the Silhouette tm and I could not be happier about it 

- another parent of the year contestant enters the running lol “hey remy have you ever considered that you’re more of a walking bomb factory than a person? that’s certainly how I think of you hahaha c’mon kid let’s go” 

- the running joke of jean luc getting dollar signs in his eyes seeing the other mutant powers and gambit being like ‘nO!!!!’ and pulling him along is amazing haha

- from the way he looks when he touches rogue accidentally and the way he talks to his dad I’m sort of getting the feeling this gambit might actually be a bit younger than he looks?

here too -- idk why but it’s making the ‘wait is he baby???’ alarms go off in my head haha. very early twenties at most. 

- and we’ve officially seen him with all the face cards in the heart suit folks! (yes this is the sort of thing my brain notices no I don’t know either)

- poor logan running his ass off this whole episode in a panic and then she’s like ‘nah he’s fine (in several meanings of the word ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ) please put him down’ hfaskfsda

- rogue without makeup!!! her eyes look so naked like this haha <3

- oooh here’s a really interesting thing that tickles my brain a bit in this specific part of the scene where gambit frees his dad -- the part where he’s leaning against the door frame waiting for jean luc, who’s about to suggest using the opportunity to ruin the rival gang from the inside rather than slipping away while they still can

from his expression here he knows what’s about to happen, what jean luc is about to say, and it’s clearly a ‘man who thought he’d lost all hope loses last additional bit of hope he didn’t even know he still had’ sort of situation. he KNOWS what jean luc is like, and it still hurts that he really, honestly can’t give him even this, can’t appreciate that remy’s already done all this shit for him when he extremely didn’t have to, without immediately (no really, it took him less than ten seconds to go there? jesus) demanding more.  

remy tells him “I’m just here for you” and jean luc does not understand it. remy seems to be sincere in this motivation -- rogue certainly thinks so, having experienced it second hand and found enough at least emotional merit in it to decide he was worth saving even after all his bullshit (lol a bit of a running theme maybe. I think it’s very telling that after she absorbed mystique she was like ‘what the FUCK you’re a fucking monster’, and after she absorbed gambit she went ‘you did the wrong thing for the right reasons’ after she got over the first wave of outrage) 

there’s also what he says as he stands there: “You don’t need me for that”, with the distinct implication that jean luc would only keep him around because he has a use for him and for no other reason -- and then jean luc shamelessly doubles down on that by specifying that it’s not even him he’s got a use for as such, just his powers. that’s some kicking puppies level of deliberately missing the point, it’s almost impressive in how cheerfully mean it is haha

this idea of using people is really important in this episode because remy’s doing basically exactly the same thing to rogue to begin with; it doesn’t really matter to his plan that it’s her that’s with him through this, just what her powers are. (I think it’s  p r e t t y  solidly implied that he does actually like her a lot outside of that too and maybe there is some comfort in having her around for this, but mostly he’s behind a smokescreen of lies through the whole thing sooo I doubt he’s even aware of it, honestly)     

but then it does matter that it’s her when she comes back for him, even after what he did. and unlike jean luc he understands what that means, that she did that for him, and that she didn’t have to. and instead of asking her for more, in return he gives her the thing it’s been established is what he considers the most valuable thing he has; his ‘last card’, the thing he’s credited with keeping him alive many a time, basically. it’s gone from using to mutuality, a tentative place of friendship, and at the end of the day he is a different man than his adoptive father, with a capacity for selflessness and love he lacks. which is of course some of the same stuff going on with rogue and mystique too, except rogue acted from a more fragile and unstable place and did something she regrets, or at least has a LOT of doubts about now, and she found some catharsis in helping someone make a different choice in a similar situation. man there’s some Stuff going on under the surface here haha

(by the way it’s a weirdly... meaningless yet intensely meaningful thing, the gifting of a symbol? of an idea? but he’s putting something very crucial of himself into her hands, is the subtext, and he expects her to understand, which she also does seem to do. at the beginning of the episode he’s proving that he’s seen something true about her -- “You’re such an unhappy girl”, knowing where she comes from, the way she’s mourning her lost confidence and autonomy with her abilities -- and here she’s proving she’s seen something true about him. :’) I wish this show had gone on long enough for this dynamic to progress, it’s really interesting and touching)   

- gambit dragging himself up onto dry land seeing someone approaching (to help?!): :D

gambit seeing that it’s logan and the look on his face: D: 

- rogue using her powers so confidently and fearlessly in this episode tho!!!! 

- *me crying* and then her FAMBILY comes to take her home and he says he’s looking out for her too and kurt still loves her even though they’re having a conflict thing between them and she’s finally able to use her powers without so much fear again and --

- ...did I just watch some baby lesbian love at first sight shit right now???  

- okay last two episodes let’s go

- HELL YEAH STORM (I love that she’s like ‘don’t give me a dumb order like that and I won’t have to disobey it’ too sdfjsaj) her voice has such command I’m usually very much not the ‘step on me’ type butttt

- y’know I feel like apocalypse’s main fault across all versions I’ve seen of him is that he’s like an immortal superpowered god king and he’s not even sexy. like at least make him hot if he’s going to be insufferable in every other way 

- also callout post for apocalypse: one time he made gambit into the Horseman of Death... and didn’t even make him sexy!!! you were handed remy lebeau, supreme bi disaster slut of the x men universe, and you couldn’t even make his brainwashed superpowered evil side hot?? a beautiful stubbled twunk with glowing red eyes and extremely charming :> face practically delivers himself into your hands and you do that to him???? I mean I’m sure apocalypse did some other bad stuff too but that was the worst one

(comics are so dumb y’all) 

- having to watch jean cry is emotional terrorism!! ;___; she has such older sister/mom energy, whenever she gets sad and helpless it hurts 

- oh, OH so PROFESSOR X you’ll make into a hunk and ~*strategically*~ rip his clothes to show off a nipple and a flawless pec in a way that makes me extremely uncomfortable because he’s like The Dad??? apocalypse you are rotten to the core this is unforgivable 

- so wait wanda never actually gets her real memories back. what the FuCk I hope that was a dropped storyline because they ended the show tragically prematurely rather than like. the plan

- why is spyke calling storm ‘storm’ show that’s his auntie o!! >:(

- as a society we need to acknowledge that apocalypse looks like a fucking clown

- ooooh yeah I have been thinking that this show’s greatest visual weakness so far has been not having a visual way to show telepathy/battles of the minds, but this is a pretty cool way to do it! better late than never

- I’m so happy rogue gets to end this herself, since she was forced into starting it against her will, it’s just nice and neat storytelling

- YEAH FUCKING TELL HER KURT AND ROGUE I AM SO PROUD OF YOU and she has the temerity to look pissed off oh my god

the only valid thing mystique has done in her entire life is be in love with destiny. literally everything else she gets up to is a travesty. like I know objectively she’s hot but my loathing for her stops me from even appreciating it. I do enjoy loathing her tho so please don’t change her haha

(a bit odd to have kurt’s attitude to her swing so much but I’m just going to assume he and rogue had a good long conversation after ‘cajun spice’ and that he understands what’s going on better now)

- this last part is such a cruel tease faskdfhsdaj ‘here are all the cool-ass things we had planned. sucks you never get to see it huh’ im devastated 

- magneto without his helmet and playing charmingly with children like charles is going ‘well at least I saved my marriage finally’ fsadkhfjsd (honestly tho I would be super interested in seeing how they’d redeem this magneto because he’s been a real bitch the whole time lol) 

there’s an interesting thing here where magneto looks down at wanda as the last thing he does on screen before this epilogue part (yeah I hope it fucking haunts you forever what you did to her erik you absolute piece of hot garbage) and the last thing charles does is look at jean b/c he knows what’s going to happen to her and it breaks his heart... Dramatic Parallells  

- just the hint of jean as the phoenix has me in full D:D:D: mode tho maybe I wouldn’t have survived it

- gambit in the last groupshot with his arm around rogue ;^) I mean I’m sure they’re headed for some turns and roundabouts along the way but what’s that thing she says as her wedding vow, that she’ll always find her way back? anyway that got me in my heart

- man I really wish this show had been given more seasons, we were barely even getting warmed up here :’(

#x men evolution #x men #gambit #rogue x gambit #aaah this is like therapy for me... just dumping all my emotions into a tumblr post and then let them go into the ether #I am now wondering if I'm desperate enough to go all the way back to the x-men animated series (which I've never seen before!) #like am I willing to go there for more Contente. time will tell I suppose #happy tag #...this is very long #MAN why can't I channel this dumbass energy into fiction writing I'd get so much DONE

[lesetoilesfous]

For DADWC: "“Why are you whispering?” for either Fenris/Anders or Hawke/Anders please

Hey, thank you so much for the prompt! I just, really enjoyed this mental image. I hope you like it!

(If you’d like me to write you a dragon age fic, send me a prompt from here!)

@dadrunkwriting Pairing: Fenders

Characters: Anders, Fenris

Tags: fluffy nonsense, pre-romance, enemies to sort of friendly colleagues, Anders likes cats

Rating: Teen and Up

“Look, if this isn’t urgent Fenris then I actually do have other things to do with my life than follow Hawke around like a sad mabari puppy. I know! I know, it’s hard to believe but I find myself occupied with things like... a life. Responsibilities. Friends who aren’t criminals. Take your time on that one, I know it’s a stretch.”

It’s evening in Kirkwall, and through the broken walls of Darktown the sky is lilac shading down to indigo, sinking into the inky blue of the sea. The sun burns between the Twins like fallen treasure, and in the rafters there’s the snap and rustle of pigeons and seagulls nesting for the evening. Fenris frowns at the mage’s back. “Why are you whispering?”

Anders crouches, and begins to click his tongue. “Because I don’t want to scare her off.”

Fenris’ frown deepens, and he steps closer, leaning past Anders’ shoulder. The mage immediately waves him back with a quick, impatient movement. Fenris keeps leaning, peering down the narrow crevasse between the wooden beams supporting the wall of Anders’ clinic and the rough stone of the cliff. A cold wind whistles through the gap, passing a shiver down his spine. “Don’t want to scare who off?”

Anders pushes Fenris’ knee, and after a moment Fenris moves it, letting the much taller man attempt to wedge himself further into the gap, one hand out with his fingers curled. “Look if you’re going to stay then could you at least make yourself a bit less, I don’t know, dark and brooding?”

Fenris glances down at his armour, and raises one hand to the hilt of the greatsword on his back. “That...might be complicated.”

Anders sighs, and settles to sit on the dirty earth floor. “I’m not asking you to disarm. Just. You know, make yourself smaller.”

Fenris hesitates, and looks again at the velvet darkness into which Anders has been staring. Far off, children squeal as they chase one another, and the voice of an adult calls them for their dinner. Fenris crouches, squatting on his haunches. Anders resumes clicking his tongue.

A ghost comes out of the crevasse. Fenris has lit his lyrium brands in one heartbeat and is charging forward in the next. Anders tackles him into the rough cliff of stone beside them, yelping, “Fenris, no!”

There is a very distinctive hiss as the white cat that had been creeping out of the shadows retreats back into the cliff, and down a crevasse too narrow for either of them to follow. Anders slumps, arms still braced against Fenris’ chest, watching the shadow disappear. The light of Fenris’ brands casts him blue and ethereal. 

“Andraste’s knickerweasels.” Anders turns to Fenris, breath huffing over his nose and lips. “Fenris! I told you to make yourself small, not attack the damn thing.”

Fenris clenches his teeth. “You neglected to tell me what you were doing. I thought it was some kind of demon.”

Anders’ mouth jumps in the direction of a grin a split second before he snorts, raising an eyebrow at him. “A demon?” Fenris glares. “A demon. Really.” Anders cocks his head to the side, still leaning on his arms against Fenris’ chest, still so close Fenris can feel the tickle of his laughter on the sensitive skin of his neck. “Tell me, Fenris, have you ever actually met a demon?”

Fenris shoves Anders away, hard, and the mage topples backwards, tripping over his own feet before he hits the wood and plaster wall of his clinic. Scowling, he makes a show of brushing down his dusty clothes. “Ow.”

Fenris moves in the direction of the staircase, pausing at the top. “What exactly were you planning to do with it?”

It takes Anders a moment to finish mumbling something under his breath before he replies, distracted. “The cat? Oh, you know. Blood sacrifice and reading her entrails, that kind of thing.” Fenris grimaces, and turns to leave. Behind him, Anders sighs, loudly. “Come on, it’s been three years. You cannot seriously still think I’m a blood mage.”

Fenris studies the wall beside Anders and the graffiti on it instead of looking at the mage himself. “I am sure I do not know what you are, mage.” Then he turns on his heel in the dust and begins to walk back down the sun-baked steps outside of Anders’ clinic. He’s halfway down, low enough to no longer be able to see the sun as it drowns in the sea, when Anders speaks again, more quietly this time. 

“I was - I’m lonely. I just. I thought it would be nice to have some company.”

Fenris pauses, turning to look up at the man on the landing above him. “My understanding was that you were never alone.”

Anders rolls his eyes. “There’s a difference between having a cause and having a companion. You of all people should understand that - I mean, shit.” He stops, abruptly, biting the inside of his cheek. He narrows his eyes at Fenris, but there’s something of a smile at the corner of his lips when he adds, quietly. “You always make me say more than I mean to.”

Fenris meets his eyes for three long heartbeats before he breaks his gaze, and resumes his descent. “I do not make you do anything, mage. Good night.”

Fenris is halfway up the second staircase when he hears Anders’ reply. “Night, Fenris.” 

It may as well have been a trick of the wind, or an echo from elsewhere in the Undercity, as thugs and workers and criminals headed to their beds or to those establishments here which still had the audacity to call themselves taverns. Still, Fenris glances back on the next landing. Anders is gone when he looks, and the light above the clinic is blown out.

#dadwc #my fic #fenders #fenris #anders #wardenari #da2

[danny-chase]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Titans (Comics), Nightwing - Fandom Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Donna Troy & Dick Grayson Characters: Donna Troy, Dick Grayson, Roy Harper (mentioned), Garth (mentioned), Joey Wilson (mentioned) Additional Tags: non-graphic injury, Stitches, Donna and Dick are plutonic soulmates, Dick is emotionally repressed, mention of vomiting, Bruce is a good dad, POV Donna Troy, childhood best friends to adult best friends, Whipped Cream, a little fluff at the end, Teen Titans as Family, technically they're adults though, no beta we die like DONNA SORRY HONEY, Dick Grayson is Bad at Feelings, Donna Troy is slightly better at feelings Summary:

The one where Dick gives Donna stitches as she reflects on how he's changed throughout the years.

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“Donna, sweetheart, I love you, now hold still.” Dick carefully positioned her forearm on an examination table. A deep gash left blood steadily trickling down, squeezing out through his iron grasp. He wiped down the area with disinfectant, smiling at her fondly and projecting the perfect image of calm.

 Donna marveled for a moment. He was a well-oiled machine, moving with explicit confidence and practiced precision. She could easily believe him to be a paramedic, or even a doctor, if she didn’t know he’d dropped out of college. She remained stony face as he injected the local anesthetic, acutely aware of his eyes flicking from the gash to her face. Despite the painful stinging radiating through her arm, she was proud to say she didn’t flinch.

She was tired of hurting her best friend. She was the one who wasn’t careful enough, hadn’t dodged in time. But none of that ever mattered to Dick, perhaps it wasn’t fair, but if she flinched, he’d feel even worse.

 She still remembered the look on his face the first time he gave Roy stitches.

 There’d been tears welling in his eyes, his brow furrowed in determination and his skin lacking any color; he’d bit his lip so hard it bled. The instant he was finished, he raced out of the room, faster than she’d ever seen. Garth had followed, only to have the bathroom door slammed in his face; Dick had sobbed and vomited until he was left dry heaving.

 And here he stood, expressionless before her. “Can you feel it?” He gently pressed a finger near the wound. <em>Can you?</em> She wondered, trying to read past the blank haze in his eyes. “Donna?” He asked more firmly, voice even and unrevealing.

 “Nope.” She popped the p and kept the tone light, watching as suspicion flashed behind his eyes. He knew she wouldn’t complain, even if she could feel her arm. “Dick, I really can’t feel it, I promise.”

 Dick’s eyes always reminded her of a hawk. He inspected her face, and finding it clear from deceit, he turned his eyes to the wound, flicking on a bright lamp, and began wordlessly cleaning it.

 That first time, Dick hadn’t come out of the bathroom for hours and when he finally opened the door, he announced he was quitting the team. He was back the next day with a medical textbook, refusing to do anything until he finished memorizing it. They had to call Bruce in the middle of their sleepover because he wouldn’t sleep.

 He’d been grounded from Robin; they hadn’t seen him for a week. She’d been angry at the time, but now she realized Bruce was probably just trying to give him a break. The day he came back the book was memorized, and he had a little fake pad to practice stitching on. Bruce bought him his own surgical tools and gave him extra lessons. He had a small, jagged scar where he’d let Dick give him his first set of sutures.

 Dick was thirteen when he’d frantically given Roy stitches (later she realized he only knew how from watching Alfred), fourteen the first time he’d practice on Bruce, and sixteen by the time he began doing it apathetically. He did a lot of things seemingly apathetic these days, but if she was careful, she could spot the crinkle at the corner of his eyes, or the downward twitch of his lip.

 Slowly, Dick’s tweezers found and picked out the last metal shard. He was twenty-two now, and as he was readying their x-ray machine, the equipment was purchased by Victor’s father and not his own. The Titan’s Tower had been destroyed several times over, but by some miracle of engineering, the medical bay’s equipment always survived. He wrapped the wound, and draped lead over her, hesitating briefly before speaking.

 “I’ll be back in a second, it won’t take long.” He promised. She nodded; not like she was going anywhere. They’d done this before; Dick always doubled checked. But she couldn’t recall a single time he’d found something more.

 One time, he’d skipped the double check, and she’d heard Roy yelling at 3am, having been woken up when Dick’s worry got too intense to wait. But Roy had given in, the x-ray done a few minutes later. Sometimes, it was just easier to give into Dick’s paranoid behavior. One of these days, she liked to joke, they’d just put lead in their sheets or MRI equipment in the walls.

 Dick strode back in, evidently pleased with the results, and they began their silent tradition. Well almost silent; he turned on some ambient music, the same kind he listened to when studying. She let her mind wander, and his fingers never wavered as he removed the bandage and began the first stitch.

 She closed her eyes, thinking about times when things were simpler. When they went on picnics in the park and played frisbee together, how Dick would braid her hair and paint her nails before dates with Roy, had laughed loud, cried hard, and loved freely. He was the same as before but could flip on a dime and shut away who he used to be. She found herself missing the little boy who cried after giving stitches.  

 “Done.” She opened her eyes to an apologetic smile. He began wrapping the wound once again. “Lay off it for a while.” It was an order and a request, sometime long ago the distinction had faded away. She rolled her eyes to finish the routine.

 Her arm stung, but the weight in her chest was heavier and more distracting than the steady throb of pain. She wasn’t thirteen anymore, and neither was Dick, but she could pretend for the rest of the night that they were young and invincible (despite having physical evidence contradicting her).  

 So, she grabbed his hand tight and before he realized what was happening, began dragging him across the room.

 “Donna, I have work tomorrow.” He protested. Well, that would be easy enough to deal with.

 “Call in sick.” She suggested, not slackening her grip, lest Dick escape and fly off somewhere far away.

 “I’m out of sick days.” He stumbled along, doing his best to protest without causing harm. “And I have to patrol tonight.” Donna laughed, but not unkindly.

 “Let the city watch itself. Take a day without pay. Honey, you’re rich.” She suggested.

 “Doooonnnnnaaaaaaaaaa.” He groaned, as they made it into the hall. “I have a life, I can’t just…”

 “Drop everything to spend time with me?” She asked sweetly. “Sweetie, you have before. What makes tonight any different.” Dick opened his mouth and closed it. She steered them into the kitchen, finally releasing him. “We’re going to make hot fudge sundaes, and watch Scooby Doo, and fall asleep on the couch talking about boys.” Dick wrinkled his nose.

 “You hate Scooby Doo, and only <em>you</em> talk about boys.” She gave him an unimpressed look. She saw the way he used to look at Joey. “Donna, I know what you’re trying to do, and it’s great but I-”

 “Need to take time to take care of yourself?” She asked incredulously. “Wow, me too.” She held up her arm. “What a coincidence, less talking, more cartoons.” Dick stared at her. She counted the seconds as she stared back.

 He sighed, breaking first. She’d won this battle, though she had no idea where she stood in the war.

 “I’m going to lose my job.” He muttered. A bonus in her eyes, it would do him good to sleep more than three hours a night. She rummaged around for ingredients in the fridge.

 “Cry me a river.” An empty demand, he never would, not anymore.

 “Why are you so mean to me?” He pouted. She grabbed a can of whip cream and pointed it at him threateningly.

 “Because you have terrible bedside manners.” He stuck out his tongue and stole the can, dangling it over her face as she laughed and opened her mouth. He accidentally squirted some up her nose, but she didn’t mind.

 And as he pulled out the bowls, they fell into familiar conversation; the space gained through the years seeming to slip away as she was reacquainted with the man who gives her stitches.

#my writing #Dick Grayson #Donna Troy #Titans #DC give us more fab five content please #tw: injury #tw: blood #tw: vomiting #it isn't graphic i promise #Nightwing #Wonder Girl #Troia

[airyairyaucontraire]

watching the new season of the Baby-Sitters Club

every time I see the guy who plays Watson I get a strong vibe that they really wanted but couldn't get Paul Rudd to be salt and pepper shakers with Alicia Silverstone (Paul Rudd's quality goofy stepdad energy is well established by his brief scenes in Night at the Museum)

the costume people on this show understand Kristy Thomas' aesthetic or lack thereof so well, that is exactly the right sort of swimsuit for her to wear

okay this episode takes place at the end of summer, following Camp Moosehead (as distinct from Camp Mohawk in the books). It is presumably August. There is pink blossom on the trees in Kristy's new neighbourhood. I do not pretend to understand the climate of Connecticut but I am sure that isn't right. Of course for whatever scheduling reasons a TV show may need to film at a different time of year than the episode is set (the Pikes' beach vacation episode looked almost wintry) but they couldn't do anything about the blossom? In scenes next to the Brewers' swimming pool, there is visibly water vapour rising off the surface - it has to be heated on a cold day.

nothing but respect for Claudia and Stacey but I don't understand how or why they think Logan is going to discover Mary Anne is on Instagram now. Do they just assume everyone is? And that they perpetually search for everyone they know in case they've joined?

MALLORY COPIED KRISTY'S SWIMSUIT

it feels weird that they took the name Shannon and gave it to a different character who's an adult

wow, Kristy does not like Jessi, and I don't remember that being an issue (the only real clash I remember between them was when Kristy was like "Christmas is for everyone, isn't Kwanzaa racist?")

okay so Ashley Wyeth is being introduced as a friend of Janine's and someone who is already seen as the coolest girl in school (in a Teen Vogue political activist way), when in the books she was new, Claudia's age, and everyone thought she was weird except Claudia who related to her as an artist - it's so strange how they're playing mix and match, at that point you might as well just come up with a new character name.

naturally Kristy makes everyone take a psychometric test

claudia's soft puffy hairline is so cute

#bsc

[fancoloredglasses]

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (a body count in the Dini-verse?!)

(Thanks to Media Graveyard)

[All images owned by DC Comics and WarnerMedia. Please don’t sue me]

In 1993, Bat-mania was running wild. Tim Burton had released his second (and final) Batman film and Batman: The Animated Series was a huge hit. Therefore, DC and WB Animantion decided to release a feature-length film based in the series (with it’s stellar voice cast) while they looked for a new director to replace Tim Burton (and actor to replace Michael Keaton).

One problem: they decided at the last minute to change the release format from direct-to-video to theatrical and didn’t have time to do a marketing push. As a result, it under-performed at the box office, which is a shame since, as a PG-13 film, it was a lot darker than Fox Kids would allow and therefore appealed even more to the teens and young adults (such as myself at the time) that caught the show whenever possible. In fact, Gene Siskel of Siskel & Ebert said he enjoyed every aspect of the film except the voice of the Joker. Mr. Hamill, what do you think about that?

(Thanks to Loukhyax)

Yeah, I think it’s hilarious as well.

The movie introduced a new villain to Gotham: a name is never officially given, but given the title of the film, it’s the Phantasm, who resembled a character introduced in the Batman: Year 2 arc of Detective Comics known as the Reaper.

(Thanks to CBR)

If you would like to watch the film, it’s available on KissCartoon.

We open on the penthouse of mobster Chuckie Sol briefing his lieutenants about a counterfeiting scheme when...

...Batman crashes the party (when will garden-variety criminals learn to not do business in Gotham?) and makes short work of the gang, but Chuckie escapes. He rushes across the skywalk to the parking garage. However...

...someone is waiting for him. Chuckie thinks it’s Batman, but it’s not Kevin Conroy’s voice. Instead, this figure is voiced by Stacy Keach (best known, at least to my generation, as Mike Hammer) This figure is armed with a axe-like gauntlet that slices Chuckie’s pistol in half. Fortunately for Chuckie, the figure (the Phantasm) is distracted by a car in the garage allowing Chuckie a chance to run. He grabs a nearby car and high-tails it. However...

...the Phantasm jumps on the hood. Chuckie manages to shake the Phantasm off, but rather than do the intelligent thing and get away, he tries to run the Phantasm down, resulting in...

Since cars in Gotham can’t fly (not even the Batmobile) and this is a PG-13 film (so death is allowed), this is the last we see of Chuckie Sol. Batman arrives on the scene as Chuckie’s car crashes into the building next door, and despite the fact that he’s at least 8 stories up, people on the street identify him (sometimes it sucks to have a distinct silhouette) and guess that he killed Chuckie.

The next day, Councilman Arthur Reeves is having a field day condemning Batman for Chuckie Sol’s death, despite Commissioner Gordon’s protests, and calling Batman a loose cannon.

At the Batcave, Alfred (voiced as always by legendary actor Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) thinks Reeves is full of it. I mean, Bruce Wayne is the very model of sanity. “By the way, I pressed your tights and put away your exploding gas balls.” God, I love Alfred’s dry wit! Batman collected a piece of Chuckie Sol’s windshield, finding a residue on it, and has the Bat-Computer run an analysis.

Meanwhile, Reeves is talking to a woman on a plane approaching Gotham (so this is supposed to by noir-era but they have phones on planes?) Whoever it is, it’s been 10 years since she’s been in Gotham and has a history with Bruce Wayne.

Meanwhile, at some sort of high-society function at Wayne Manor (I hope he hired caterers rather than make Alfred do all the cooking and serving) Reeves catches up with Bruce and talks about Bruce’s love life, in particular a woman named Andrea Beaumont (WHAT? Not Selina Kyle?)

This prompts Bruce to think about Andrea and we are treated to a flashback...

We open up on a cemetery where a young Bruce Wayne encounters a woman talking to a grave (her dead mother)

The woman is, of course, a young Andrea Beaumont (voiced by Dana Delaney, who would later voice Lois Lane in other Dini-verse shows) While there’s a bit of flirting, Andrea drives off. That evening, Bruce makes his debut on Gotham’s streets...

(Thanks to The World’s Finest)

Wait, was that a young Harvey Bullock in that police car?

As Bruce practices in the front lawn, Andrea arrives unannounced. Andrea flirts with and attempts to outmaneuver Bruce until...

I don’t think the Tibetan masters taught Bruce that hold!

With that Moment the flashback ends and we return to the present as Alfred summons Bruce back to the party.

Meanwhile, a car pulls up at Gotham Cemetery and a man (criminal boss Buzz Bronski) exits the car to pay his respects to Chuckie Sol. “Chuckie... Chuckie... You always were a loser” Way to show respect to the dead, Buzz! Then...

...the Phantasm shows up, looking for Bronski! Bronski runs until he trips over a wheelbarrow containing a pickaxe. Brandishing it, he waits for the Phantasm. He swings it, but the Phantasm slices its head off (the pickaxe’s head, not Bronski’s) Bronski runs, calling for his goons. Then he trips and falls into an open grave. Kinda fitting, all things considered...

...as the Phantasm pushes the statue serving as a headstone onto Bronski, crushing him. The goons arrive in time to see the Phantasm stalk away and once again think it’s Batman.

The next morning, retired crime boss Salvatore Valestra (voiced by Abe Vigoda) reads the morning headline and has a panic attack.

Meanwhile in Commissioner Gordon’s office, Reeves has apparently also seen the Morning Edition and is screaming at Gordon to arrest Batman, but Gordon still refuses to believe it and washes his hands of it. Therefore Reeves takes matters into his own hands and rounds up a few cops (including Bullock) to take Bats down.

Bullock takes Reeves to the roof and turns on the Bat Signal. However, Batman was outside Gordon’s office during the argument and knows not to take the bait. Instead Batman heads to the cemetery where he discovers a residue on the grass similar to the kind he found the previous night.

...and while he’s here, he figured he’d say hi to Mom and Dad. He then hears someone talking to a grave. Three guesses who.

“Bruce?”

Uh oh...

Later that evening, Andrea is having dinner with Reeves (no accounting for taste, I guess) as Batman watches from a ledge next door, triggering another flashback.

Bruce and Andrea (now a couple) attend the Gotham World’s Fair and appear to be having a marvelous time.

Well, now we know the inspiration behind the Batmobile.

Andrea drops a mention that her father wants to meet him and Bruce agrees. Bruce wonders why he’s deviating from The Plan, but Alfred doesn’t seem too worried (quite the opposite)

Later Andrea and Bruce stop by Mr. Beaumont’s (also voiced by Stacy Keach Hmmm...) office. Beaumont introduces Bruce to Arthur Reeves, one of his hotshot young lawyers. Bruce and Beaumont are getting acquainted when Salvatore Valestra drops by for an impromptu meeting. Beaumont politely asks Bruce and Andrea to make themselves scarce.

As they leave, they see a street peddler being mugged by a few thugs on motorcycles. Bruce decides to step in, despite Andrea’s protests.

Bruce takes down two, but the third gets the drop on him and they get away with the peddler’s money. Andrea tries to check on Bruce, but he stalks off angrily.

That night, Bruce tries to decide between The Plan and a life with Andrea. As luck would have it, she calls at that time. Unfortunately, he doesn’t want to talk to her right now. If you’re not careful Bruce, she’ll make your decision for you.

He then rushes out into the night to speak to his parents in order to persuade them to release him from The Plan.

“I didn’t count on being happy.”

Then Andrea shows up and they share a teary embrace as the flashback ends.

The next day, Reeves is stopped in the street by Valestra’s car, being ordered to get in. Valestra demands to know if Batman really has crossed the line, and Reeves confirms it before exiting the car.

Back at the Batcave, Batman discovers Sol and Bronski were “business partners” in shell companies. Also on the list is Valestra. Batman decides to pay him a visit. Alfred asks about his plans for Andrea.

“You think you know everything about me, don’t you?!”

“I diapered your bottom. I bloody well aught to...Sir!”

At Valestra’s place, Batman lets himself in and helps himself to papers lying about.

(Thanks to DC)

With the flashback over, Batman takes the picture and leaves.

Meanwhile, at the abandoned ruins of the Gotham World’s Fair, Valestra drives in to meet...

What, you thought he’d miss a chance to be on the big screen?

It seems that the Joker and Valestra know each other. Valestra feels as if Batman is going to kill him next and wants to hire the Joker to protect him. When Joker refuses, Valestra mentions that the Joker will be next due to their history (you’d think Bats would have a ton of reasons beyond whatever Valestra is talking about to kill the Joker)

Joker’s not amused. However, Joker’s happy to help Valestra and bring a smile to his face (that’s not ominous at all...)

Elsewhere, Andrea and Reeves return to Andrea’s hotel room after a night out. Andrea sees her balcony door is open and calls it a night, practically shoving Reeves out the front door. Then she tells Batman he can come out.

“I like the cape. Not sure about the mask though.”

Batman asks Andrea about the picture and where Beaumont is. Andrea says she doesn’t know, then Batman calls her on her lie (she told Reeves she and her father are “closer than ever”) With that she throws him out, but not before dropping the bombshell that she knows who he is.

Later that evening at Valestra’s apartment, the Phantasm comes calling, but...

Well, Joker did want to put a smile on his face. Nearby is a camera and a speaker as the Joker’s voice is heard.

“Whoops! Heh... Looks like the joke is on me!”

With that, the Phantasm rushes out before the apartment explodes. However...

(Thanks to Richard Zenteno)

Gotta say, that was a pretty good escape. Made better with Andrea arriving to facilitate his escape.

Later at Wayne Manor, Alfred once again has the unfortunate task of patching Bruce up. Since the Bat was out of the bag, Andrea sat by as well. Once Alfred was done he excused himself, and Bruce again asked about Beaumont, leading to one more flashback...

Andrea hears her father being threatened, then barges in...only to become a hostage to Sol, Bronski, and Valestra (whom he’d been embezzling from). Beaumont swears he’s give them what he owes them tomorrow.

After the trio leave, Beaumont tells Andrea they’re fleeing Gotham. He vows to get them out of this mess...no matter what.

Bruce guesses that the Phantasm is Beaumont. Andrea says she’s in Gotham to stop him. She apologizes for everything and tries to leave, but...

I’d say she’s forgiven. The next morning, they discuss if they have a future together with Batman needing to stop Beaumont. As she leaves Wayne Manor, Alfred and Bruce discuss what a life with Andrea would mean for the Batman. Looking at old photos, Bruce finds...

He reminds Bruce of someone...

I see we’re going with the Jack Napier version of Joker’s origin.

Later at Reeve’s apartment, Reeves is chewing out whoever is running the Batman Task Force (probably Bullock) Then a familiar voice (and maniacal laugh) is heard from the shadows. Joker reminds Reeves that they’re connected through Beaumont and wants to know who’s behind it, because it ain’t Batman, And whoever it is might be after him next!

In fact, Joker thinks it might be someone well-placed in the city’s government who has a few skeletons and might wanna deal with them. Reeves assures Joker it’s not him, but that’s not good enough as he attacks Reeves...

...and apparently gave Reeves the last laugh. Reeves is taken to Gotham General and sedated. However...

You knew he’d want to have a chat as well. It turns out Reeves sold Beaumont’s whereabouts to Velestra and Company when his election campaign needed money.

I don’t think he’ll be calm for a while.

That night, Batman pays another visit to Andrea, but she’s not there. As he snoops around, the phone rings, and it’s a certain cackling clown, letting Andrea know he’s sorry he missed her at Valestra’s, but he’s thinking of her and is sending her a present...

...via airmail. So...he thinks Andrea’s the Phantasm? Wait, how is that possible if Andrea was flying in while Chuckie Sol was being attacked?

We then cut to outside the World’s Fair site, where Andrea supplies one final flashback...

We open on...wherever Beaumont and Andrea are hiding. Andrea comes home to find...

Napier...or whatever the Joker’s name was prior...coming out. Andrea rushes in to find her father dead as the flashback ends.

We cut to Joker’s hideout where the Phantasm shows up. Joker once again hints he knows who’s under the mask so...

...Andrea unmasks (still doesn’t explain how she could kill Sol when she was on a plane) The pair tussle, during which Joker’s acid-squirting flower destroys Andrea’s gauntlet. While she removes it, Joker shows that Harley’s not the only woman he’s willing to smack around (not condoning it, just reporting the action. Also, Joker’s a real piece of work) Joker has Andra pinned, but leaves himself wide open...

...right in the center ring! THAT certainly wouldn’t fly on Fox Kids! Joker sics his robotic “housewife” (I guess this was during one of Joker and Harley’s “breaks”) while he escapes. Unfortunately he doesn’t get too far, as the housewife hasn’t been very well maintained and lasts all of 5 seconds. Andrea starts smacking Joker around (what’s good for the goose...) However...

...never let it be said the Joker isn’t adept at improvised weaponry as he gets help from his friend Oscar Mayer. Joker beats a hasty retreat to the fairgrounds. Andrea gives chase, but the Joker turns on a wind turbine to keep her off balance.

Just as it looks like Andrea wound be turned into chum by the turbine, Batman shows up...

...sacrificing a perfectly good Batcycle to spoil Joker’s fun. Batman then puts two and two together and tells Andrea to check his work, what’s more, he figured out what I’ve been wondering: she came into town, killed Chuckie Sol, then left again so she could fly in as an alibi (sneaky!) Andrea tells Batman she intends on finishing what she started, with or without his help, before vanishing in a cloud of smoke.

With the heartstring pulling out of the way, the Joker decides Batman is a better playmate than Andrea and gets Batman to chase him into a miniature Gotham City.

(Nice product placement, Warner Brothers)

Joker decides it’s time to do his best Godzilla impression and tears up the mini-Gotham while fighting Batman.

Looks like he’s getting more than he’s giving in this fight. Joker then calls in an airstrike of mini-drones...

...with razor-sharp propellers (I’ll admit, I was expecting them to be kamikaze fighters) As Batman deals with the drones, Joker sets timed explosives (what is it with villains and time bombs?) After dealing with the drones, Joker (like a fucking idiot) announces not only that he set the bombs, but how long Batman has to defuse them or escape.

I see Joker has his escape plan prepared...

...although he really should’ve had made his announcement after taking off instead of giving Batman time to catch him. The pair fight as Joker attempts to regain control of his jetpack. Eventually, Batman forces Joker to crash.

“For once, I’m stuck without a punchline”

That’s when Andrea shown up to finish the Joker off. Batman pleads with Andrea to leave before the bombs go off, but Andrea’s thirst for vengeance is too great.

Then, on cue, the bombs go off. Joker laughs maniacally as Andrea’s smoke envelops them both...and they’re gone. Batman somehow staggers out of the fairgrounds before the place is completely razed.

[OK, I know in the film Andrea is supposed to have gotten her revenge, but given the Joker returned to plague Batman in Superman: the Animated Series, Static Shock, both Justice League series, and even thirty years later in another Dini-verse film I intend to eventually review, I’d say he somehow escaped]

Later at the Batcave, Alfred tells Bruce that Andrea didn’t want to be saved, and is grateful Bruce never fell as far as Andrea did into the darkness.

With this heartbreaking ending, the closing credits roll.

#DC comics #dini-verse #batman #joker #kevin conroy #mark hamill #Fan Colored Glasses