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theoddest1 · 3 months

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Hazbin Hotel episode 5 is a rushed mess.

May just make this a continual thing where I review the episodes from here on out.

-Right off the bat, the pacing for this episode is probably the worst out of all other episodes so far. Things just begin abruptly (Lucifer's first song with Al for instance), no build up, 5 months have passed in only 5 episodes of barely any progress or focus on Charlie as a character, a random character that didn't need to be introduced but was anyway ruined the flow further, and this stupid ass rivalry all on the basis of who's the "better dad" is legit the most random conflict of any conflict so far. That will get a point all on its own along with some of the other things mentioned. The pacing left no real breathing room aside from 2 moments: Al's rise to power and Husk n Al's convo. I wanna say the second song would be a 3rd but it just resolves an issue that was present for seemingly years and pulled a "Stolas" with having a song or sob story as an excuse for the lack of effort to reach out and be a better dad. Lazy writing and pacing overall.

-5 months....5 months have passed with barely anything revolving around helping sinners or trust built around the main cast SHOWN ON SCREEN. We are told important information opposed to witnessing the progress itself. This is not only lazy but extremely jarring cause it feels as though episodes were skipped and bonds feel unearned. They get easily resolved in what feels like seconds, and we're just supposed to....deal with it. Angel and Husk barely interact throughout this episode, which, after the crazy ride they had, with the knowledge of a SEVERAL MONTHS passing by as well, you'd think Angel would be shown to be more chatty with him....which he doesn't. Nothing crazy, just small bits of them interacting and enjoying each other's company. Nah. We get that next episode, and even THAT'S lacking. I'll tackle that in a separate post. But yeah, 5 months, and we have yet to see the other guests' views and how it has changed for the better or the process of them realizing WHY they would go for redemption. How that has affected them. Nothing of note has come about from any of these. No other sinners have joined. No other demons seem interested in Charlie's Hotel. Nothing. We are told things have been done, yet it feels like we are still at the starting line, or well, a foot away from it and miles away from the finish.

- Lucifer is a joke. I don't mind me a goofy threat, it adds a charm to them but also shows that they take so little seriously due to their immense power....not Lucifer. No, that guy just....is a joke. Dude is in his mansion making fucking toy ducks for some reason and just has depression (show said it outright, not even depression is spared from "tell don't show")

He does literally nothing, doesn't seem to WANT to do anything, and no one respects the guy. Nearly all in the Hotel lack fear, intimidation, or admiration for the guy (Pentious is the only one who seems to exhibit admiration of some kind). The closest we got is being uncomfortable. That's it. Then there's his scuffle with Alastor. Tell me why he feels the need to argue with this sucka again? Cause last I checked, Alastor is a mere overlord, and Lucifer is The Devil. Wtf is this randomass rivalry that just...S T A R T S? Why does Lucifer get intimidated or moved by Al? It makes no sense. Lucifer has been alive far longer than humanity itself, but nah this random fuck who looks like he robbed a blood bank got him weeping insecurities? I'm supposed to take this sad excuse of a character seriously? How many of these carbon copy characters will Viv make until I finally end my suffering???

-Wtf is Alastor's deal? Why is he so pressed and annoyed? One moment he is as cool and collected as a cucumber and showing only SLIGHT annoyance (Vox and His song), then he goes to meetings and speaks with people far older, far more experienced, and/or far stronger than he show no interest and he gets pissy? How insecure is he that people not caring where he's gone or thinking his ideas are wack is what leads to his eye twitching and him throwing a random ass cuss. Seriously, THAT'S what got him to swear? That his idea for the hotel's name is stupid? BFFR! You can not be serious right now, THAT'S what gets him going? You'd think with how witty and chill he was in the pilot, he would find a quick and a effective smart-ass comeback, not essentially bitch at The Devil. This makes Alastor look like a thin-skinned wannabe, too cause these minor ass comebacks are why he has lost his edge along with some randomass song number?? And at the end of the day, Al just couldn't be damned anymore to even care by the end of the episode, he doesn't speak with Lucifer or give any stank looks, doesn't speak with Charlie, does NOTHING pertaining to the issues prior, nah, he just stands there and watches after telling Mimzy to go away. Some say he did this to simply piss Lucifer off, but that doesn't make sense (not saying it ain't true, just saying if it is, it's nonsensical). First off, if that were the case, why was he annoyed even BEFORE seeing the guy?

If he only wanted to get a rise, why is HE getting angry? Trolls usually don't care enough to be this pissed. Second, wtf would he even gain from doing this? What to help push Lucifer to be a better father to Charlie, request by Lilith to Al so that Lucifer can get his act together?? If so, that's the LAZIEST shit I have ever heard. Lucifer is such a joke, he needed a SINNER to get him back on track....

Regardless, this whole father shit by Al comes out of nowhere and ruins the goddamn flow of the episode. Prior to it all, Al has shown NO interest in anyone and has done jack shit. Wtf does he even do? He's done ONE thing so far and that was help for the commercial. Alastor has shown to be completely useless as of now.

-Charlie, why is she treated as tho she isn't a grown ass woman? She's babied to hell and back and despite being the daughter of Lucifer, hasn't shown any of her abilities to help the hotel. So Lucifer can summon shit but not her? Is she that useless? Also, gotta love how she never asks her dad about the Valentino situation to help Angel out. Man...what a great ass friend. She also doesn't find it weird that Al is just suddenly...babying her? She has zero awareness of everything, I guess, which is getting annoying now. You're over 200 years of age (went to high school in the 1800s according to what her comic was about, but guess that's retconned based on what happens in the following episode).

So she doesn't use her abilities to tidy up the place, she doesn't act her damn age, she doesn't do anything to help her sexually assaulted friend. What a damn joke, just like her dad.

-Mimzy shouldn't have been in an episode about Lucifer. Plain and simple. Her character should have been introduced in one of the earlier episodes. Not during fucking this. And we got a repeat of the pilot with Alastor's backstory retold. So they're down to retell his rise to power but not to make at least a proper recap of the events that happened prior? Key word....PROPER.

-Husk caring about Mimzy bringing trouble is actually fucking stupid. Because of the lack of proper build up to him now finding more reason to like the Hotel, it feels forced that he would be worried about what danger Mimzy brought. And on top of that, yeah...ALASTOR IS RIGHT THERE. You know who else is there? LUCIFER. I get it, Lucifer stood by and watched as the Hotel was being swatted, but he also sang a song about providing what Charlie asked for, meaning if she had asked her dad, he woukd be down to help, so WHY TF IS HE WORRIED???? Also , is Charlie just INCAPABLE of fighting for herself?? "She doesn'twanna hurt sinners-" so she had no defensive abilities??? What???? Also, that's a damn lie, she fought Katie Killjoy on live Tv. Are no other damn people capable of protecting the Hotel??? Why did Al need to step in for that? They were just LOAN SHARKS.

Anyway, the scene where Husk is probing Alastor about Mimzy and treating him as a pet is decently paced and the tone was pretty neat, sucks that this feels like their way of showing that Husk is also under a leash like Angel rather than him being treated as a joke, which btw...horrid way to compare the two. Wanna know why? One is subjected to an onslaught of sexual assault whether he was pushing Val's buttons or not, and forced to be assaulted by various men around him, passed around like a thing. The other is Husk, who legit disrespected Alastor and had to push at him to get such humiliation and terror, and guess what....Al still ended up pushing Mimzy away after she did end up bringing trouble, so he did essentially listen to Husk in his own distant way. This is the ONLY TIME we see Al be downright mean to Husk and probably the only time. Angel has been subjected to nothing but horrid assault after assault no matter the situation. So I better not see anyone say, "SEE LOOK, THEY'RE BOTH ABUSED" stfu. Nothing about their situations are even remotely similar. Just cause the chains are the same doesn't mean the users are. EDIT: Ima say this before people act like I excuse this. No, I am not excusing Alastor's actions. I am pointing out what happened on screen. Husk mocked Alastor, Alastor retaliated out of anger(much like how Angel retaliated at Husk in ep 4 after Husk kept arguing and mocking him) by pulling out the chains to shut him up. He didn't even hit Husk. Again, I'm not excusing it, just pointing out how vastly different Husk and Angel's situations are and how one overlord reacts compared to the other....who is a straight-up rapist.

-Both the songs are mid/ok but pulled down by the awful storytelling....shame. I at first was not fond of Lucifer's voice.....it's ok now, I guess. Idk. I'm still not really feeling it, though.

Episode sucked ass

Pacing was all over the place

ALASTOR AND LUCIFER ARE PISS BABIES

#hazbin hotel criticism #hazbin hotel critical #hazbin critical #hazbin critique #Hazbin Hotel episode 5 #vivziepop critical #vivziepop criticism

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sadaveniren · 4 months

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Why none of this matters

Sada's Yearly Post Christmas BG round up I guess?

A study of 2015 (since we've lost a lot of resources since BG started)

Shit from 2015 with Evidence

1. She got a nose job while pregnant

Left: the “night” of the conception*. Right: her at the London 1D show in September, “pregnant”

*Louis didn't go home with Briana she instead spent the night with Calvin, Ashley and Oli (the two were dating) and there’s a pillow fight video of the four of them while Louis "slept upstairs" that @luckyagain found 🤗🤗

2. The Disappearing Christmas bump

Left: Briana on Christmas 2015 (8 months) Right: Lottie in July 2022.

3. The only bare bump pic we got of her… with her 2016 face

4. She didn't even use her own pictures to post her baby belly

Left: Picture of "her" pregnant belly with no mole. Right picture of her stomach post pregnancy with a mole (also, this is just me but while you may be able to convince me there is a belly button piercing with no jewelry on the pregnant belly, as someone who had a belly button piercing AND a pregnancy that's.... the right picture is not what that looked like post pregnancy)

Shit I can't find evidence for* but I saw with my own fucking eyes

1. The fucking changing timeline of her pregnancy in the early dats (10 weeks to 12 weeks pregnant after we bitched about it being too early)

2. Is it a girl? Is it a boy? The Clarks sure don’t know and also Briana did have a baby show- wait no she didn't have baby shower. No baby shower for Briana.

*probably because i didn't bother to reblog it at the time because 2015 was fucking wild and I honestly didn't think I'd need to - you know - archive EVERYTHING. And the few people who did have since deleted/were deleted by tumblr 🙃

Shit that isn't "evidence" but always bears repeating

It's not real

2. Dirty Dancing Tweet and one of the subplots of Dirty Dancing is a pregnancy thing.

3. The! Pregnancy! Announcement! Was! About! Larry!

4. Were they friends? Were they enemies? Who knows! Not us!

5. This was 2016 but GOD THIS IS SO IMPORTANT. Her post partum attire was WILDLY inconsistent with someone who just gave birth.

I will forever die at the thought of wearing a fucking mini skirt* so many days post partum holy shit.

*reminder the time period post her birth was convoluted as all hel probably to try and get us confused and mixed up in the future (no i don't think they intended bg to go on this long)

And ultimately... even if you can excuse all that, just remember, she literally can't be the exception for everything.

Thank you for your time please enjoy some of the stuff I wrote about last year:

Believe in the Douis break up rule

You're not crazy or dumb or weakfor being frustrated for this

Try not to let shit affect you!

Some more long posts I made last year

Remember! Time is BG's best friend because people end up forgetting a lot of shit that's happened!

#all of these links either go to my blog or bulletprooflarry's because I know my blog ain't going nowhere so help me fucking god #and kati hasn't deleted yet so like HOPE THAT CONTINUES #sada's bg roundup #maybe 2024 will be the year I actually set up a good archive for this shit #maybe not #either way here y'all go!

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fanficonly · 3 months

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Wenclair x Reader -

What Are You?- Chapter 9

Getting back into posting semi-regularly only like a week after the last update... I call that progress... Enjoy 😋

"Excuse me?" Your tone is very offensive and you can't quite process what is happening.

"Wednesday what did we talk about?" Enid placed her hands on her hips, waiting for her oblivious girlfriend to grasp the social implications of the sentence she just so casually used.

"My apologies let me start at the beginning" she looks to Enid for approval and Enid nods turning back to you. "We know you weren't wandering the halls cause you wish to appease your appetite" she states accusingly

'Play dumb,play dumb, play dumb' your mind screams at you

"Uhhh what exactly are you accusing me of?" You reply, extremely confused because why was it such a crime to be out in the halls at 10:30pm? And what makes her an expert on what you were doing? And what the hell has that got to do with you literally having the demand to strip hurled your way by the petite woman?

"No accusations, we are merely suspicious of you" Wednesday narrowed her eyes as panic flooded throughout your body. Crap! This is not what you needed right now. These 2 were relentless. How are you suppose to limit your weirdly growing feelings towards the 2 if in just 24 hours they have made it their mission to be around you invading your space like a rag-tag alien duo on a mission for information.

"Why? You barely know me?" Was all that you could think to say. Like don't get you wrong, you're flattered they are even the slightest bit interested in you, even if it is just because they are weary of you but still it didn't make sense. Surely you were just another outcast to them, why did they care ...noone else ever has.

Well sure the whole draining Enid part obviously peaked thier interest but you didn't think it would go this far. In fact you expected to be attacked by Wednesday and then for both girls to avoid you the rest of the year. Which, as much as it would be soul crushing, was better than hurting the only 2 people you had even remotely connected with in years.

Both girls remained silent and you became fidgety with the lack of noise or explanation. They were looking at eachother now not saying a word and merely making faces. Well... Enid was making faces, Wednesday on the other hand remained straight-faced and unmoving.

"So are you gonna tell us who or what attacked you?" Enid suddenly spoke completely changing the subject.

"Nothing attacked me I told you it was an accident just me being clumsy" You're not sure why you feel the need to even explain. You could just deflect since you barely know these girls but something about them caused you to have an internal conflict when lying to them.

"How dense do you think we are?" Wednesday deadpanned, not buying a single word of what you were saying.

Try Harder.

Convince them.

Wednesday moves towards her bed lightly frustrated with your uncooperative nature and pulls out what can only be described as a surgeons dream suitcase full of torturous looking tools.

"What are you doing?" you take a step back eyes fixated on the array of sharp instruments, holding your hands up in defense. You understood she was violent but was she really going to cut yo with a thousand knives?! A psychopath really shouldn't be this attractive to you ... It's troubling to say the least.

"Relax I told Wednesday she wasn't allowed to torture information out of you" Enid smiled way to widely for someone who just implied that they had discussed causing you grievous bodily harm but the wink it was paired with was even more disconcerting.

"It would make things a lot easier my dear" Wednesday hummed from behind Enid, lightly irritated by the power that her girlfriend had over her.

"Babe we discussed this" Enid's smile never wavered and instead she spoke through gritted teeth, trying to convince you that you were in no danger. Honestly, the smile that pulled at your own lips was of a betraying nature considering they were literally talking about the fact they had pre-discussed torturing you. But they were just so ... Funny and cute and- stop it! You free yourself from the cage you were about to trap yourself in.

"Yes dear" Wednesday folded. It seemed rather unnatural for a woman of her standing but you chose not to pry, instead changing the subject

"Ok lovely to know you won't be inflicting any harm on me but what's with the umm- the surgical equipment then?" you point to the devices and relax slightly, still keeping your guard raised.

"I do usually use these to inflict harm but they can heal all the same." Wednesday speaks arranging the tools neatly across her table

well that's terrifying.

You flit your eyes between Wednesday and the sharp instruments, unable to hide the discomfort you feel and then ultimately look towards Enid with a pleading look.

"I Promise it's safe. Wednesday has extensive medical training" Enid walks closer to you, hands raise to show you that she was not trying to hurt you.

"Umm well I just-" How do you get out of this! There's no way they are going to let you leave but if you stay that means more questions and more questions means more suspicions raised.

"Look" Enid raised her shirt exposing her torso ever so slightly and it's as if by instinct you look away. What was she doing, this kind of exposure made you physically ache with desire. Once she reaches you however she takes a breath and says "Mine healed". This sparks your interest and you slowly trail your eyes to her torso

You're eyes widen at the sight of 4 large scars painted across her hip.

"Oh my god what happened?" you can't hide your concern, it looked painful almost like the person or thing that inflicted them was attempting to kill rather than injure.

"I'll tell you my story if you tell me yours" she speaks more seriously this time and you can't help but let out a breathy "huh" as Enid lowers her shirt, a small innocent smile playing on her lips, teasing you.

"Well played" you mumble, rolling your eyes.

Before you can say anything else or Enid has a chance to respond you hear Wednesday's voice

"Enid come here darlin I need your claws" she didn't turn away from the desk until Enid skipped over to her effortlessly retracting her colourful claws.

Wednesday craned her neck slightly up and whispered something in Enid's ear and you watch as her eyes flick to you quickly then back to Wednesday. She kisses the pale girls cheek and you hear Wednesday say "Take this" and the 2 move in sync, the image of what they are doing hidden by there bodies "Here" Wednesday says again.

This is your chance , while they are distracted, just creep towards the door slowly and quietly and ...

No that would never work they could just corner you tomorrow. But you could just avoid them, give you time to think of an explanation? You did need to be stitched up but you had also already called your wicked godmother, regardless of whether she had answered or not. But could you even trust Wednesday near you with a literal murder weapon? Thoughts swirl in your head violently as you try to make a decision.

Quick you're running out of time!

Fuck it. You decide to do exactly what you had originally planned after much deliberation in your own head.

You take a step back. No indication that either of the girls had noticed. Thank God they were so focused on the equipment instead of you. So you continue to walk backwards, finally reaching for the door after moving agonisingly slowly towards it and never taking your eyes off of thier backs.

Your hand lightly twist the door a very very quiet click is heard and you wince at the noise, your eyes jumping to Enid and Wednesday who still seemed oblivious.

Right as you go to swing the door open and make a break for it, the door knob slips from between your grasp and a loud BANG! From the door closing shudders throughout the room

"What the-" was that magic? Who the fuck slammed the door shut? You eye the door up and down then physically jump at the sight of a disembodied hand at the foot of the door wagging its finger at you "Holy fu-" you hold your hands down in defense much like you had when the mouse had scuttled it's way towards you and then turn your head towards the eyes in the room.

Wednesday and Enid made no attempt to move from where they were stood and instead both stared at you, arms crossed in disapproval of your failed escape attempt.

"Thank You Thing" Wednesday says politely still looking at you eyebrows raised. Right now you're not sure whether to die from embarrassment being bested by a hand or to drop to your knees and plead not guilty.

Plan failed.

"Uhhhh, I was just-" you're kind of glad you were interrupted because even you weren't sure what half arsed explanation your brain would muster up for you anyway.

"Trying to escape we know" Wednesday deadpans and the way her eyes drill into your soul is either really unsettling or incredibly captivating... You haven't decided which yet.

"She's not a prisoner Wednesday" Enid's disapproval moved towards Wednesday then back to you reassuringly "Youre not a prisoner Y/N" she sighs out making her way towards you, Wednesday following suit as if magnetically connected to the blonde

"Kind of feels like I am" you let out a nervous laugh while side-eyeing ... What did Wednesday call it ... Thing?

"Leave if you must Y/N I am only trying to help" Wednesday spoke

"In return for what though?" you weren't used to getting things without anything expected in return. Someone helps you, you owe them a favour it's as simple as that. And although you hadn't known them all that long you're brain was bombarded with various dangerous scenarios you may end up in trying to make up for everything.

"An explanation of who and what you are" Wednesday says and stares at you expectantly. Well you knew she was straightforward but damn tell me what you want straight up why don't you.

"Wednesday!" Enid shot her girlfriend a look. Clearly subtlety was not Wednesday's strong suit

"Heh she's straightforward I'll give you that" you find yourself smirking at Enid as if admiring her choice of mate.

"Not a lot of anything else she does is straight don't worry" Enid pipes up taking the opportunity to lighten the mood and you let out a surprised laugh at the witty response.

Her girlfriend however simply rolls her eyes at the joke, but fails to suppress the small smile that flashes across her features for a millisecond. Then her face twists into one of annoyance

"You want honesty?" Wednesday took a step forward offensively, wide eyes threatening you And although you were slightly terrified you pursed your lips rubbing your chin and taking a more loose step forward yourself

"Yes I do" you found yourself challenging the girl, tilting your head.

"You don't know who you're messing with" Wednesday warned and you watched as Enid tugged harshly at Wednesdays sleeve, silently trying to end the impending conflict

"I like to think I could take you" you fold your arms. You weren't one to back down from a fight ... As long as that fight wasn't with ... Certain people in your life.

"Enid she's a comedian" Wednesday eerily tilted her head to the side, mirroring your actions and eventhough it shook you to your very core you told yourself to suck it up and sarcastically said

"Why thank you" performing a courtesy and smiling.

"Listen-" she starts but you can't risk her coming up with an airtight argument against you

"No you listen I appreciate what you're trying to do but this is bigger than-" and yet you were still interrupted obviously failing at asserting any kind of dominance. But really what hand did you have to play here

"Stop talking." She demanded, finally some kind of emotion peaking out from beneath her icy exterior.

"What I-" again she didn't let you finish.

"You want honesty?" She asked rhetorically again "You. Hurt. Enid" each word felt like a thousand cuts and all you could do was submit and look away in shame, prompting Wednesday to continue "And yet I am still here offering you aid in your time of need because it is what Enid wants and quite frankly I would like to help you aswell and I am not sure why so let me help you or don't..." She begins to move towards you with a fiery and threatening posture "but just understand this you do not want me as an enemy I will make sure that every moment in your life becomes nothing more than a waking nightmare and- " the passion, the fire, the energy she exerted was mesmerising and you're sure it's the most she's spoken in one breath since you met her.

"Okayyyyyy" Enid placed herself between the two of you. With each word Wednesday got closer and closer to you and honestly the relief you felt seeing the back of the blonde's head before Wednesday reached you was incredible

"You're right" you sigh in defeat "I'm sorry and I know that's not enough but I would like to make it up to you... The both of you" Everything Wednesday said was right and although you couldn't share much with them, all they had done so far is try to help so you could accept the help and start making amends. In fact you were going to accept the help and start making amends immediately.

She nods at you then motions for you to sit on the bed.

"I've just always been taught to be defensive I know you're only trying to help" you continue trying to settle the Seer even more so before she took a needle to your skin

"I believe you... now... I ask you once again to take your top off" Wednesday repeats and this time you can't help but reply

"More like an order but okay" unbuttoning your shirt nonetheless only pausing when Enid chimes in

"I know it's hot isn't it" she smirks and you laugh a little and weirdly enough find yourself nodding in agreement

"Enid" Wednesday's voice says it all and with no more words spoken the blonde submits.

"Sorry babe" she mumbles trying to dull her excitement.

What is going on?! You're really unsure of everything now. How quickly you switch between hating eachother and helping eachother. It's like Enid was the peacekeeper, the balance ... And to be honest the flirt and Wednesday was... Ohhhh now you understand why they work so well together.

So you do exactly as instructed and continue to take your shirt off, unbuttoning it slowly and rather timidly at that.

"Sorry it's a little awkward" you nervously laugh letting the shirt fall off your shoulders

"It's perfectly fine we have already seen-" Enid's words tangle into a grunt as Wednesday harshly elbows her in an attempt to stop her from talking.

"What?" You halt your actions, your chest half exposed and now suspicion filling your gut while continuing to remove the item of clothing but slower this time with more distrust.

"I meeean- it's nothing we haven't seen before you know, we're all women here" Enid laughs it off but you're still skeptical.

You had every right to be as at this very moment, Thing had been inspecting the box you came in with and as he popped open the lid the mouse you had so triumphantly caught earlier scurried out hurriedly and ran down the table leg.

""Ah nooo I just caught you you little- " and again your words fall short when you watch the mouse run towards Wednesday, scuttle up her leg and practically dive into her pocket

Your mouth slowly falls open in mortifying realisation.

"You ..." You say the word accusingly pointing a finger at both girls and slowly rising from the bed, as you consider pulling the shirt back up over your shoulders

"Y/N its not what you think" Enid screeched out defensively

"It's probably close to what she is currently thinking" Wednesday rebutted, not helping the situation AT ALL.

"You guys were..." With each passing moments your mind fills in the blanks. They never left! They were there the whole time! While you were undressing and calling your- oh god...

"No no it's not it's not what you think" Enid is stumbling over her words now but nothing could stop you from the information encasing your head with fears and doubts galore.

"She's a smart girl I'm sure she'll connect the dots" Wednesday smirks as if enjoying the thrill of being caught in a lie.

"Wednesday!" Enid yells face palming and shaking her head

#wenclair #wenclair fanfic #wenclair x reader #wednesday addams #enid sinclair #wednesday #wednesday x enid #wenclair what are you

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gars-jasons-gf · 1 year

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Gar Logan Headcannons in a Relationship with reader

titans!gar logan bc he's my comfort character and i love him

(also im in love with this gif rn so yeah)(also, again this is my first post so plsssss like support and stuff)(also, again, for the last time gif isn't mine)

Alright, before i even start let me just say that dating gar is like having a best friend. That is bc he is your best friend. Before you two even started dating he made sure to be your best friend so he could know everything about you. Your birthday, favorite food, favorite color, your background, he'll learn everything about you.

He is like the biggest softie ever. Like for a boy who can turn into a killing, murdering, scary ass tiger(even tho he avoids killing and that stuff) he is the softest and most caring and thoughtful out of everyone. Like we all know this. But he is has a massive soft spot for you like he is nice and stuff to his team mates but to you, he could be mid argument with someone and as soon as you walk into the room he'll look over at you and his whole expression will soften.

He just loves being around you and he'll find any excuse to be near or with you. Training, he'll def train with you. Missions, he personally asks Dick in private if you two can be on missions together. Cleaning, his excuse was "oh they'll definitely need help with folding the clothes." "they're literally folding her clothes only." "and it'll get the job done faster." There was def a time where he said he needed to go with you to take the bins out, because someone might jump you on your way to the bins.

Basically the point is he loves being around you.

So who did tell the other about their feelings first? Him. It came out by accident. During an argument. After a mission. In the rain. You both were arguing about you being hurt and not being able to go on the next mission after you had previously brought up the fact 'you could go on a mission right now.' He was quite concerned for you saying you were not ready. Clearing taking it a bit further then it needed to go. So when he said "it's because i care about you and you can't go on another mission this week." and you retaliated saying "it's not your choice." Then he finished it by saying "I love you, alright and you can't get hurt again this week, you almost died tonight." Leading you to smash your lips onto him.

After that kiss let's just say he was very happy and couldn't stop smiling. Even days after the kiss, he couldn't make eye contact without smiling or blushing. Leading some weird questions asked by the team. Eventually Gar told Connor who told Kory who told Dick who told Donna who told Dawn and Hank and somehow Jason found out. Then about a week after the kiss Gar popped the big question to you asking if you wanted to be his partner to which you said "yes." Bc y wouldn't you?

But, it takes like 3 weeks for one of you both to say the word. Like THE word. The Love word. It was him again. This time he was zoned out and staring at you when he said out loud "god y/n, i love you so much." to which you lifted your head up and looked at him with the biggest smile ever. He was panicking until you said it back. But you both can guarantee that Kory was in the room at the time and got it on video or Kory and Dick are watching you both through the security camera and then leaked it on the [yours and gar's ship name] group chat that they have for some reason.

Now dates. It's mostly take out food like pizza or thai. You'll both play video games most of the time and cuddle but that's something you both enjoy. That's something that brings you both joy eating, cuddling, playing video games it's all that you need.

Pt 2?????????

#garfield logan #garfield logan x reader #titans x reader #titans gar logan x reader #gar logan x reader #gar logan #headcannons #dick grayson #kory anders

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thatdeadaquarius · 1 year

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Sobbing and crying just saw your post of us sounding like a Sim, and I am DYING.

What if it went the other way? They can understand us, but we can't understand them!

Us : hey so what the fuck is happening why tf am I in genshin impact

Them : OMG ASKSKSKSKS FEDERRRALL MEERKK TREEESO! (Omg it's the divine God I'm shittinh myself oml) or whatever idk)

Us: excuse me what the fuck did you just say about my mother? (US mishearing or maybe the words are randomized? Who knows)

Everyone just being confused and frustrated on why you can't understand them. Is it because they aren't worshipping you enough? Maybe some friendship level BS where obly those who are lvl 10 can understand u or smth? Who knows, certainly not the Creator.

I highkey am thinking about writing smth for this now but having it be for like each archons reaction or smthin but who knows. I just wanna see a bunch of divine beings confused outta their mind in like whatever cities square and it turning into a "holy game of charades"

Also happy early birthday ajdjdjkdkdkdk

I”M SO LATE SO THANK YOU FOR THE BDAY WISHES LMAO SORRY KARMA MY BELOVED

AHHHHH U INSPIRED ME BY THE ARCHONS HOLY GAME OF CHARADES-

AND OH NO LVL 10 ONLY FRIENDSHIP UNDERSTANDING-

(づ￣ ³￣)づ here have a hug for your patience- sorry karma!! :')

LMAO this inuyasha gif- obviously everyone else guessing what ur doing and the 2 others r like ppl like Venti or Kaeya who r just fucking with ppl by joining you lol

OK BUT WHO DO U HAVE LVL 10 FRIENDSHIP?!

BC I GOT NOBODY 😭

ITS RLLY HARD TO DO OKAY-

I HAVE TO PUT ACTUAL EFFORT INTO THE FEW THAT ARE LEVEL 4-5

ID BE SO FUCKED-

Oh no.

Oh god (you??) no.

What if you had the highest friendship with little d**ks like Scaramouche.

noooOOOOOO

He’d be like, “Eh, I don’t feel like translating today.” 💀

Also I’m rolling with the idea that

perfect understanding = lvl 10,

Most words 7-9

Some words 5-6

Kinda ?? they get 2 words per sentence or smth 3-4

Basically nothing 1-2

◇

Anyway ornery bitches like Scara/Xiao/Alhaitham/Rosaria/Diluc (all for diff reasons like diluc/xiao would just be overwhelmed and dont like ppl that much lol, whereas haitham doesnt give a fuck lmao) would kinda suck to have as translators

OH NOT THE PEOPLE WHO WOULD JUST LIE ABOUT WHAT U SAID ON PURPOSE TO DECEIVE THE MASSES LIKE Heizou/Yae Miko/Kaeya/Venti

They pull something like “oh well the god of gods said I could have the last slice of cake/an extra glass of wine hehe”

For different reasons these people would also be ROUGH translators: FISCHL OH NO- , Zhongli, Albedo (he simply would omit “unnecessary details”, cyno, ITTO PLEASE, Raiden (puppet) bc shed take stuff too far/too literally u would never be able to communicate jokes, Razor (im sorry bbyboy), Shenhe

THE CHARADDEEESSS

THE CHARADES OF THE GODS

You may or may not get another title of a jokester god bc of these SILLY charades 💀

The people u have higher levels of friendship with giving hints LMAO

♤

“Uhhh….. Oh! Oh! Greatest Lord wishes to see a dance performance!”

Nahida’s sweet voice rings out in Yujing Terrace, her tiny hand waving in the air like an elementary student who’s really excited to answer. …Which isn’t that far off honestly.

“Hmm, I disagree Buer, I believe the Hundun Emperor is saying they wish to take a bath perhaps. I am also attempting to use context, as it has been a long day for them.” Zhongli is in his classic “majestic thinking gentleman” pose, and you’d admire it more if it weren’t for the fact that they don’t seem to be getting what you’re saying.

You hadn’t yet found someone with a higher friendship level than 2 or 3 (hey, don’t blame yourself, you really have to put effort into friendship levels to get them anywhere and you were still busy screwing around in Sumeru when you got spirited away).

So needless to say, most people were getting “the, me, I, you, etc.” rather than the actual important keywords you needed them to, hence the godly charade game now.

As you “hold” something, you throw your hands up in the air, still keeping your hands wrapped around nothing. You think if somebody told you last week that you’d be playing charades with the archons in Genshin Impact so you could actually communicate with them… well you don’t know what you would have done. Maybe just gave them a really awkward laugh.

“Oh! Are you asking for a weapon? Akitsu Mikami, my emperor, we or our nations will surely provide protection from any harm that might befall you. Hm, I suppose we should offer something anyway… I wouldn’t want to displease them…” Ei mutters to herself, having taken over her puppet once more for the occasion.

She and Buer, still retaining their authority status, had asked for the area to be cleared in order to try and get closer to communicating with the Divine First, or you.

“Ha! What idiot would try to hurt the All-Parent in their home, unless they wish to get thrown?” Venti cheekily says, as you don’t understand him, but judging by Zhongli’s clenched jaw, Ei’s sigh, and Nahida’s giggle, you can guess.

You give your own sad sigh… it’s already been 3 hours. 😭

How hard is charades for 4 archons??

Well… apparently very hard.

You put your face in your hands, and you hear the (retired) archons start to debate something, you can tell it’s getting a little passive-aggressive between Venti and Zhongli by their tone alone.

…Okay, now it’s just aggressive.

The archons eventually give their attention back to you so you can go back to your charades lol

You tried opening your mouth and closing it, very obvious, they can’t go wrong.

…Turns out they can.

Somehow you find yourself with a hot tea brewed by the geo archon.

(Venti attempted to offer you Dandelion Wine, or Osmanthus Wine even, and only god, well you now, knows where he pulled them from. Ei swatted his head, he looked so offended, and his cheeks were all puffed up, heh.)

Giving up, you just try to motion for them to stay still, your hands gesturing like trying to calm a wild animal.

They give you questioning looks, and you begin to walk off, they all seem to immediately start discussing something with each other. All of the gods look very conflicted, and after a minute of you getting further away (yes, you’re almost home free, Xiangling here you come! ) Nahida skips to catch up with you.

She gives you a beaming smile, and you can’t bring yourself to not return it. She's so much cuter in real life, even the official art didn't do her justice.

You make your way towards the restaurant, finally.

And apparently you’re happier than you thought to smell the savory scents flowing out of the kitchen because your stomach growls loudly.

You’re too hungry to even attempt to stop it, no one will care, except Nahida’s eyes go wide. She begins to sputter, and flail her hands desperately trying to charade an apology at you.

…you were just trying to tell them you were hungry. 💀

☆

Ask box open again! :] 🎊

Pspspspspssubliminalmessagingyouwillsendthatdeadaquariusanaskpssppspspspspssss

✨️Hope you guys got smth out of this rough draft✨️ ♡

:D hope u guys have had a good weekend!

My senior art exhibit is april 6th so wish me luck and prayers (from any religion im not picky pls)

Safe Travels,

💀♒️

♡the beloveds♡

@karmawonders / @0rah-s / @randomnatics / @glxssynarvi / @nexylaza / @genshin-impacts-me / @wholesomey-artist

#hope this was alright i felt like my scenario wasnt written the best :/ but i tried ig #i still def wanted to write abt the gods charades lmao #but idk if i did that funny idea justice #venti would literally just mimic whatever charade your doing hes useless #hope u arent a venti main lol #genshin impact #genshin sagau #sagau #genshin imagines #genshin sagau ideas #gender neutral reader #genshin isekai #genshin god reader #genshin impact sagau #genshin impact self aware #my asks #dammit why can tumblr memorize all my tags for me #genshin scenarios

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genericpuff · 7 months

Note

I followed artsangel since her previous comic immaterial. I have to say she IS talented and has the skills. But her style is verrrrry time consuming and she would only update every 2 weeks. I used to study her art a lot because I was always impressed by it, and Im fairly certain it did not look like like that when it was on canvas. I used to see her progresses on her stories and she uses a lot of assets and predrawn faces to keep her consistent pixar look. The faces were less uncanny and more expressive. Now the eyes are all wonky and displaced.

I think she may have used ai to polish her panels. Perhaps the workload proved too much, or maybe she was feeling insecure. I was concerned when she got picked up by webtoon because I could tell it would be difficult for her to keep up the schedule. Ai is super powerful but its not powerful enough to make a COMIC, not even consistently. She probably using it as an enhancer to her already great skills. A shame though, she doesn’t need it.

Also I think the reason her preproduction period was so quick is because she was highly prepared before launch. She already has multiple comics under her belt and webtoon probably didn’t need to change much. Im sure she just reused her canvas comic for her reboot and built a buffer in the meantime.

Having to meet deadlines can definitely be a reason but not an excuse IMO.

One creator I can think of who has a similar style (albeit in black and grey) is figmentforms, creator of A Tale of Two Rulers.

Updates are slow, she posts maybe a new page once a month, the art is gorgeous but it's clear it takes her time. It's a free to read comic. It's worth the wait.

That said, if she wanted to make her updates more frequent, I wouldn't blame her at all for utilizing new tools and methods to do so - but it wouldn't justify her in using AI tools that are stealing other people's art.

There are loads of shortcuts that artists already use that are fine because they're still genuinely handcrafted. 3D models, overlay textures, blur effects, etc. are all tools that artists use to help speed up the drawing process and were made by hand.

And beyond that, the need to make the process more efficient isn't a crime, but it's in how you do it. You can use these tools irresponsibly or at the cost of your own comic's quality. Case in point, Lore Olympus and Let's Play, which are both godawful in how they implement 3D backgrounds and stock images:

Creating comics is finding a balance between efficiency and quality, not sacrificing one for the other and using it as justification to avoid criticism for that sacrifice.

If Sarah Ellerton was using AI based on her own art and being honest about it, I don't think anyone would be nearly as upset. It might prompt a debate over what's ethical in the world of comics - whether or not it's right for consumers to pay for a product that's being churned out of an AI prompt - but at least it wouldn't be theft and it would probably just be there as an aid to an artist who's been doing this for 20 years and had to find a way to make the process more efficient. I think AI can be used as a productive tool if it's implemented responsibly and without being at the cost of another artist's work.

The issue is that 1.) Sarah is being VERY suspicious over the whole thing which leads us to believe that she's NOT using ethical AI assistance, and 2.) there's a VERY clear distinction near the end of her previous comic, Immaterial, where you can basically tell when she adopted AI. The main character Alex, for example, literally became a whole other person.

This is a common problem for AI coloring prompts, a LOT of them are bad at rendering darker skin tones (I think I mentioned this in my last post, but I literally got to playtest AI coloring tools from WT's a couple years ago, and they could NOT figure out darker skin tones, any dark colors that were put down were assumed to be shadows so characters just looked like white characters with the curtains pulled over their face).

She just looks like a SamDoesArts poster girl now. Everything unique about her has been stripped away and you can see this transition in the final page of Immaterial and the first episode of Quantum Entanglement:

None of it feels like organically her, it feels like a cheap machine reproduction.

I don't doubt that this person has evolved a lot as an artist or that her older work was genuinely her, she's clearly got a lot of skill that only someone who's been drawing comics for years would gain.

But it's clear somewhere along the way she succumbed to insecurity or stopped caring enough to start using AI to do the heavy lifting. I mean honestly, her work from before was fine! So I don't see why she would be using it for 'polishing', there are so many ugly ass webtoons on the platform so even the art from Immaterial - even if she had to simplify it a bit more to make it easier to meet deadlines - would likely be a refreshing change of pace.

But the way she's utilized AI here, I was quicker to assume Sam Yang drew Quantum Entanglement when I first saw it.

And it is a shame, because, as you said, she doesn't need it. Her art is perfectly capable on its own and while I can understand her need to make the process more efficient, there are better ways to do that than using AI that's clearly ripping off other artists and then lying about it. It's a shame she'd put her reputation on the line as a seasoned artist just to meet Webtoons' stupid deadlines. Like, how can it be worth it?

#quantum entanglement #webtoon critical #anti AI

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fiction-is-the-new-reality · 3 months

Text

Pt 2: if only you knew

The Start of a Long Night

prologue and part one and part three!

word count: 4k

warnings: major violence, adult language, and angst

a/n: thank you guys so much for your patience. I’m so sorry this took literally forever to write and post. I’m not going to make excuses or anything, I just hope you guys like it. Pls give feedback! Love y’all 😘

The entire night was one fight after another. You couldn’t remember the last time you stood still. The multiple close encounters and being thrown around had caused your outfit to tear, not to mention the grime that had accumulated was making you feel ten times heavier. Watching the last guy fall to the ground, you thought about how he must have been the twentieth guy you had fought.

You notice that Gotham is gradually getting brighter. The downpour had turned into a drizzle as you made your way towards the clock tower. Keeping off the street and using the roofs of Gotham for travel. Once at the clock tower, you looked around, ensuring no one had followed before allowing the entrance to open.

Bright light filled the room as Barbara used the computer. Surveillance footage and maps are pulled up. Hearing the door close, Barbara began speaking.

“Morning sunshine. How’s it going out there?” You almost missed her question. Her voice was so soft compared to the abrasive noises you had been around all night.

When you hesitate to respond, she turns to you. Her eyes take your appearance in. “God, you look rough.” Her face scrunches up as she notices the bloody splashes on your skin.

“Thanks, Barb.” The couch squeaks as you flop onto it. Your head instinctually goes back as your eyes shut, enjoying the brief moment of rest.

“Can I ask for a favor? I need an update on tech. My radio shit the bed halfway through the night.”

“You could call Lucius. Surely he’s got something that’ll help.”

Puffing air out through your nose, you object, “And have Bruce get wind of it?”

“He already knows you’re out there fighting. What’s wrong with him knowing you’re being safe about it?”

“It makes the risk of us running into each other much higher. I’d rather just avoid that altogether.”

“You’re going to have to see him, eventually. He cares about you, you know.”

“Yeah, I’m sure in his own emotionally constipated way he does.”

There’s a silence that falls over the room. Neither of you cares to break it. Having no strength to fight back, you let the silence pull you into sleep as your eyes grow heavy.

Jolting awake, you take in your surroundings. There’s sunlight coming through the small gaps in the shutters and Barbara is back at the computer. Groaning as you rub your face, you feel extra gross now that everything has dried.

“I decided to be nice and let you have my old stuff.” She tosses a thick smartphone-looking device and an earpiece at you.

“These are long-range devices. The comm has multiple lines you can connect to. I programmed mine, Tim’s, Bruce’s, and Dick’s, that way you’re not alone out there.”

“Thank you, this is amazing.” Getting quickly accustomed to the device before you head out to go to your apartment before nightfall.

“I’ll keep in touch tonight. It might help to have an extra pair of eyes on me.” You lean down to hug her. She smiles and hugs you back.

“Hopefully, things will go back to normal soon.”

You both know it won’t, you don’t think there’s going to be a normal Gotham after this. It seems too unreachable to even hope for.

When you finally get home, you dedicate an hour to taking a much-needed shower. After the shower, you gather your sewing materials and take a proper look at your clothes.

The outer layer is scuffed while the mesh sides are sliced through. You stand in your living room deciding whether to settle for a makeshift look for tonight or dedicate the time to fixing the clothes. You’re about to just say fuck it and not worry about it until you remember the kevlar fabric Dick had dropped off. You run to grab it from the drawer in your bathroom. Settling on just reinforcing the holes with kevlar, for added protection.

After running it through the sewing machine you’re happy with the outcome. You shimmy into the clothes, moving in different ways to get the somewhat tight underlayer over your body. Reloading your gear, and pulling the hood over your head, you leave your apartment as Gotham is being covered in shadows again.

You flip on the your transmitter and wait to hear where you’re needed the most. Sitting down with your legs hanging over the roof's edge, you look out onto the streets below. It would usually be a pretty sight, Gotham being lit by all the neon signs. But observing the riots unfolding below, on the empty streets, illuminated only by flickering neon signs and the occasional car fires, only added to your unease. The absence of people served as a haunting reminder of the chaos and destruction that had taken over the city.

Before you jump down, a low rumbling makes you pause. As the sound reverberates through the air, you turn your gaze in its direction, your eyes widening in disbelief. A massive, fully armored car comes barreling around the corner, its plated exterior gleaming under the neon lights. The men on the road barely have time to clear out of its path. It makes no attempt at stopping; it continues barreling down the street toward Chinatown. As it disappears from your view, the unmistakable sound of the Batmobile's engine reaches your ears, and in the blink of an eye, it speeds off toward the military car.

Guess I’m using the bike tonight.

“Vulture, you have to see this,” Oracle’s voice comes in over the comm.

“If it’s basically a tank on the streets of Gotham, I’m aware of it.”

“Yes, that, but there are actual tanks in Gotham. I’m tracking several transport helicopters. Gotham is about to be flooded with them. Batman could use the help.”

“Not sure I’m much help against tanks, Oracle.”

“Maybe if you talked to Lucius, you would be.”

She closes the line before you have time to say anything back.

Pulling up your mask to cover the bottom of your face before saddling up on your bike. You give a quick twist to the throttle, revving the engine of the bike. The powerful roar fills the air as you speed through the dark streets of Gotham. The men quickly dispersed as the bike zoomed past, leaving an empty space in its wake.

You spend your time following cop cars that are being chased by thugs in vehicles and stopping momentarily to stop the bigger groups of armed men.

As you drive, the number of cars similar to the ones Bruce was following earlier increases, and you start to spot men in full body armor.

Stopping near Bristol, you hide your bike and quickly make your way to a high vantage point. You watch as a group of men set up what can only be described as a checkpoint. There are crates full of guns and they put up walls that cover them from street view.

Oracle’s voice causes you to jump as she begins talking over the comms.

“Something’s happened at ACE Chemicals. There’s a new character, he goes by the name Arkham Knight. Be on the lookout for any militia.”

“Funny you would mention it. I’m looking at what appears to be a checkpoint full of militia.”

“Don’t engage. They are very organized and heavily armed. That Arkham Knight guy put them through a lot of training.”

“I can’t just let them set up a checkpoint. I’ll swoop in and check it out. If I start getting my ass handed to me, then I’ll dip.”

Barbara sighs, knowing she’s just pleading with a brick wall.

“You get out of there at the slightest hint that you’re losing.”

“You got it!”

You take a few moments to think of how you’re going to approach the fight. After watching them, you finally see a blind spot. Getting back down on the street, you run over to the right wall of the checkpoint. You give it a minute and then you hop over. There’s a crate to your left, you roll behind it as you listen to hear footsteps. Soon enough, one officer walks by the grate. Lunging forward, you wrap your arms around his neck, pulling as tight as you can. He falters from the lack of oxygen, but he’s taking too long. You need to get back to hiding before the others notice. Pulling out a baton, you hit the side of his head with just enough force to knock him out.

Laying his body behind the crate, you wait for another one to walk by. You repeat the same process to the second guy. Unfortunately for you, the others notice the disappearance of their coworkers.

Taking a chance, you stick your head out of your hiding spot. Not noticing anyone, you start your crawl toward another box, that’s in the center of the floor.

You feel your body being lifted off the floor before you even see the person. Then you’re being flipped around and brought down onto the floor which has you almost blacking out. You wheeze as your lungs collapse from the air that’s being forced out of them. Your eyes involuntarily shut as you try to regain your breath.

As you’re finally able to open your eyes, they widen at the sight of a massive metal boot coming toward your windpipe. By pushing your body up at an angle, you narrowly avoid getting hit by the boot. Jumping to your feet, you create space by taking a few steps back from the two men.

“We were told to look out for Batman. Didn’t realize we’d have some wannabe.”

Faking a laugh, you take out your rope and throw it over the bigger man, yanking on it gets him to stumble but he stays upright. Sprinting at him, you use his shoulder as leverage to wrap your legs around his waist. Using all your weight, you toss yourself back and pull the rope, causing him to fall. Flipping around at the last second, you let him break the fall. Making quick work with the ropes around his legs, you tie him up.

Before you get too far into tying the man up, you hear footsteps behind you. Turning to look you find that there’s a metal pipe headed directly at your face. Using your arm to shield your face, you grab the pipe from the man. Taking the pipe out of his hands, you stand at full height. Flipping the makeshift bat in your hands you start using every ounce of strength to swing it back and forth. You feel the bat make contact multiple times, and the man groans with each hit. A blow to his knee causes him to crumble over. Not stopping there, you hit him in the stomach, causing him to curl in on himself. You remember that there had been another man, glancing over your shoulder, he’s gone.

Shit.

You crack the pipe down on the man’s head twice. He stops moving, but you can see his chest still rising. Turning around, you’re met with the sound of a gunshot.

As you look ahead, you see the man you failed to tie up, his figure casting a long shadow over you. Upon impact, the bullet bounces off your body, tumbling to the ground. Smirking at the guy as you start walking towards him. He smirks in response and proceeds to fire the weapon in rapid succession; the sound echoing through the air.

Pulling out your baton again, you chuck it at the wall behind the guy. It bounces off the wall and slams into his back. He lowers the gun for just long enough for you to run towards him. You grab his wrist and forcefully strike your palm against the joint of his elbow. It cracks loudly as the bone shatters. The gun falls and so does the man. You deliver a kick to his head, and he falls, unmoving.

Taking a look around, you attempt to find what’s keeping the walls up, then you hear the soft beeping. Following the noise, you’re able to find the remote, taking it off the man, you place it on the ground and crush it with your baton. The walls fall and you’re able to see the street again.

There are multiple tanks in front of you. It doesn’t seem like they notice you as they drive on by, but you don’t want to risk it. You leap behind the little wooden crate on the floor.

“I found those tanks you were talking about. I just saw multiple driving together in a line.”

“Did they see you?”

“I’m talking to you aren’t I?”

Oracle lets out a small laugh, “True.”

“The checkpoint is destroyed. I took some damage to my suit, but it’s still intact.”

“Hmm, good work.”

“Thanks. I’m going to stick to the rooftops. I don’t think my bike would hold up against those tanks.”

“Stay safe, I’ll keep in touch.”

Running across the street you get on top of the building. You begin to make your way around Gotham by leaping from one building to another.

Incoming call

You’re about to jump when the call disrupts you.

“Hello?”

“Good evening, It’s Lucius. I was told that you need a new suit, are you able to stop by Wayne Tower? I’ll need measurements before I can start with any updates.”

“Uh, I don’t really need anything. I appreciate–”

“Mr. Wayne said that you would try to resist the help. I’ll have the Batwing pick you up. Please stay in your current location.”

“Uh, thanks?”

“Hey quick question, how the hell did Lucius get my com line?”

“Oh uh….I let Bman know you were out there fighting with handed-down equipment. He didn’t like that idea so he reached out to Lucius.”

You groan, “Oracle-”

“I know you didn’t want him to know or to help, but take it as him trying to rebuild the bridge.”

The line once again closes before you can say anything back.

You stare off into the distance.

Over the years you have heard all of Dick’s thoughts. All the good and bad ones. How sometimes it’s the best thing in the world and then the next minute you want to pull your hair out.

There’s something in you that can’t imagine working with Bruce. There’s still a part of you that blames Bruce for what happened. There’s still that part that seethes with anger when you think about how nothing was done after what Joker did. You won't betray Jason like that.

Even after all this time, the grief and the guilt still consume you. You can still see his youthful face, that the life of a kid on the streets of Gotham had already hardened. You wonder what he would look like now. You’re pulled out of your thoughts by the noise of the Batwing circling around.

As you arrive at Wayne Tower, more memories of you and Jason flood your mind. How the two of you used to do homework together, and how you two would pester Bruce while he tried to do his work. Every place you two had been to held a bittersweet spot in your heart.

Standing at the end of the hall is Lucius. He smiles warmly at you as you get closer.

“Hello, miss. I'm glad you were able to make it. Please come in, let’s get started right away.” He holds the door open for you.

Inside the room are multiple measuring tapes, fabrics, and weapon holsters. He begins with taking your measurements and asking what you have in mind for your suit.

“It’s crucial that not only are you recognized as your own person but that you’re also well protected.” His voice helps ease you a little. For just a few minutes you’re able to forget everything going on outside the tower.

He goes over your fighting style if you’re more acrobatic like Nightwing or more of a heavy hitter like the second Robin. The mention of Jason makes your heart sink.

“I guess I’m somewhere in between the two.”

“Very well, is there a specific color in mind?”

“I guess dark green if you can, black is fine as well.” He nods and picks up the book with all the measurements.

“It’ll only take me a few hours to get it all put together. I’ll let you know when it’s done.”

“Thank you, Lucius. I appreciate your time.” He smiles back at you.

The peaceful feeling you had earlier was instantly shattered as you emerged onto the chaotic streets of Gotham. Everywhere you looked, clusters of armed men patrolled the streets, their presence adding an air of tension. As you glance around, you spot another checkpoint situated high above on a nearby building.

As you leap onto the roof, a rush of adrenaline courses through you. You take into account how many more men there are compared to the last checkpoint. You hesitate for a minute, maybe you should leave this for Bruce. But you’re too stubborn and prideful to not at least try.

By sneaking around the edges of the roof, you’re able to pick off some of the unobservant men. Moving further onto the roof you were able to destroy some of the sensory guns. Being too focused on infiltrating you don’t realize the attention you’ve garnered.

You stop as you hear a robotic voice over their coms.

“Don’t forget your training! Don’t embarrass me!”

As the robotic voice echoed through the comms, your heart raced as you quickly strategized your next move. With the element of surprise gone, you know that you have to act fast and take out as many people as possible.

You move swiftly, dodging the ones reaching out to grab you. You land hits on some of them with your baton. You’re swinging punches and dodging as many as you can. Too caught up in trying to knock someone out you don't notice the man charging at you.

Being slammed to the floor for the second time tonight you struggle to counter his moves. You finally throw him off and get back onto your feet.

Suddenly the right side of your body is engulfed by a pain so intense that you can’t move any further. Looking down there’s a blade sticking into your stomach. Grabbing it with both hands you yank it out and throw it behind you in hopes of hitting someone. You feel yourself falling and you can’t do anything but brace yourself. You finally cry out in pain as you hit the ground. Grunting heavily as you get back up your nerves scream in agony. But you have to get back up.

Rest later, survive now.

Getting on your feet you start swaying, only making it a few feet before, a pair of hands seize you. As you try to wriggle free, they quickly immobilize your hands, securing them tightly behind your back with ropes. Before you know it, the man is hoisting you up over his shoulder.

You start thrashing back and forth. Trying anything to get out of the grasp, doing everything you can. Nothing works.

You’re tied to a chair in an empty room. You scan your eyes around the room, looking for an escape route. You can feel blood leaking out of you. It’s gone cold and sticky and your suit is sticking to you uncomfortably. Your attempt at fleeing earlier had only caused you to do more damage to your open wound.

The ropes squeak as you pull them against the chair. Attempting to rub them against the backing of the chair to try to wear them down proves futile. You just keep pulling at them in hopes they’ll break.

Two men throw open the door and walk in. One has a med kit with him and the other is carrying a taser stick. They lock the door behind them.

“Why do you care if she lives or dies?”

“I don’t, but the Knight will have our heads if she dies. You know he wants to be the one to take care of all the little vigilantes. It’s personal for him. I’m just stopping the bleeding.” The one in white comes and kneels beside you.

He cuts the blood-soaked suit away and lazily wipes at the blood that’s still coming out. Taking thick gauze, he pushes it up against the wound and then uses multiple layers to secure it before taping it.

He turns his head towards the other man, whose intense gaze suggests he's eagerly anticipating an opportunity to deploy the electric weapon. “All done. Let him know we got him a prize.”

An idea pops into your head about how you’re going to get out of here. Letting your head flop down like dead weight against your chest you begin to mumble softly to the medic.

“What is she saying?”

“I’m not sure. Speak up.” The medic barks the order at you.

“Can’t breathe. Need…need.” Then you put on the best performance of your life. Convulsing your body and gasping for air.

“Oh fuck, what did you do?”

“I didn’t do shit! We have to untie her, quickly!”

They make quick time to get your convulsing body untied and lay it down on the floor. Dramatically you stop convulsing and heave out a final breath.

“Fuck fuck fuck, we’re so dead.” The medic sounds like he’s almost in tears.

You sneak a peek and see the medic getting ready to start compressions. They’re so scared of Arkham Knight that they’ve forgotten to check your pulse.

As he goes to place his hands on your chest, you grab his arms. Bringing him down to you as you curl your body up, you slam your head into his, before tossing him towards the other man.

Gasping for breath from the excruciating pain, you stumble before running towards the guy with the taser. Locking your arms around his midsection, you’re able to lift him off the ground and slam him harder into the door. He drops the taser as his hands go to grab your shoulders. You drop to pick up the taser.

There’s a banging on the door as the people outside try to get in. You pay them no mind. You’re running out of time before you collapse.

“If you unlock that door, I’m going to shove this so far up your ass you’ll feel it in your brain.” You spit at them.

Looking up to the skylight above you and then towards the table that’s covered in your weapons. You know you’ll need a boost to get up there but you can’t move the table yourself.

Taking the taser you jam it into the medic's neck, moving out of the way as he drops. You gesture to the other one.

“Pull that table so it’s below that skylight and I won't shoot you.”

He stands still, challenging you.

“Bullshit, Batman doesn’t let his lackeys kill people.”

“Well unfortunately for you I’m not one of his fucking lackeys.”

Taking out your small pistol, you aim it at the skylight and fire. The nonlethal bullet cuts through the glass, and you turn your gaze back to him as it crashes around you. He swiftly moves the table under the skylight.

“Appreciate you doing that for me man.” Your voice is dripping with sarcasm and he scoffs a disgusted laugh.

Standing on the table, you don’t even spare a look at him before you take the pistol and pull the trigger. The nonlethal bullet hits his shoulder, and he examines himself to see the damage before realizing it didn’t pierce his skin. When he looks back, you’re gone.

You move away as fast as you can. Your heart thumps and the drumming of your blood in your ears adds to your headache. Jumping from one building to another, your wound grows larger. Looking down, you noticed that the once-white patch of gauze was now stained with patches of dark red. Getting to the edge, you see a shorter building that you’re able to lower yourself down onto.

Your eyes droop and you wobble. Stopping for a moment you brace yourself and try to push forward but your legs don’t allow you to go any further. You collapse.

Using the energy you have left you push the comm.

“Oracle I’m injured….need….help.”

“Phoenix, what happened? How bad?”

“Stabbed in side…can’t keep my eyes open.”

“Hey, hey keep talking to me! I’ve let Batman know, he’s on his way. Just keep talking to me.” You feel bad from the panic in her voice. She’s trying so hard to fight it but you hear the shakiness. You don’t have the energy to fight against having Bruce come to save you.

“I’m…still…here Barb. I can’t….move. Too…tired.” Your words come out thick like honey as you begin to lose consciousness.

“Bruce, hurry. She’s passing out.”

There’s silence on the other end. With her eyes closed, she leans forward, as if on the verge of offering a silent prayer. The thought of losing another friend is unbearable for her.

Bruce finds you with your hands clasped around your side. He assesses your vitals, you’ve lost a lot of blood but other than that you’re stable.

“I’ve got her Barbara. She’s going to be ok.”

“Oh, thank god.”

They both let out a shaky breath.

taglist: @thegirlwiththeyarn @pank0w @geminizmoonz @emilia527 @elizamay @anime5005 @babypaperwitch @skypperlegacy @rwylm-things @mayo-0-o @ex-cla-ma-tion @pheonixfucu @not-herexo @g0atmansbridge182 @theg0ddesshera @redhoodedangel @just-lost-inbetween-worlds @marigiano @lyralibra @peterparkers-bbymomma @lilocapoca @magic-without-bloop @misaki-kira8 @blackcanary130 @ykyouluvme @kiwi03 @xbonniepricexx @definitelynotanalien @ghostlyleech @pinkmaggit666 @0littlestwolf0 @stupid-ninja @reanie-xoxo @kittykatchicha @bunz-lover @justalittleb1tcrazy @gghoulpool @snackeyalleyjuice @deadplantluver @comealivedaya @thefandomdiaries07 @peter-parker-tony-stank-trash @awstrck @gemini-bichxx-blog @jennifermoyas @xdrin @harleycao @screamingsilence3 @ex-pinguina @kat-nee

#jason todd #arkham knight #red hood #jason todd x fem!reader #arkham knight x reader #red hood x reader #dc comics #if only you knew #iyok #if you only knew pt. 2

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floor031 · 2 months

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re my last rb: my ranking of nami's favourite partners for general illegal activities whenever they hit a new island, pre & post-timeskip, including but not limited to:

swindling

scamming

small-scale grifting

gambling (& therefore cheating at gambling)

small-scale heisting (ones that require infiltration or more subtlety than usual)

ok let's go

pre-ts (pre-grand line):

zoro - it's so fun to get dramatic with him. he's very perceptive, he always plays along no matter what, he knows when to push the intimidation (and is very good at it. eternal attack dog privilege ftw) & when to dial back. he also knows nami best/longest out of them, though that quickly stops making a difference in most contexts

usopp - OBVIOUSLY!! he is quite literally perfect in every grift you can think of. the only problem is that he starts fumbling when the other party at, say, the casino gets a lil too threatening/seems to be catching on. whereas nami (& zoro) chase the adrenaline he doesn't like to toe the line TOO much.

sanji - automatic 3rd b/c she gets annoyed with how he can't function when a hot woman so much as breathes his way (she doesn't even scam other women! not when she can help it!) or if it's a grift that requires him to get the least bit touchy with her. but he IS objectively GOOD at it.

GREAT WALL OF CHINA

400. luffy - she does not let him grift OR gamble with her. subtlety of a fucking toddler. derails every single grift/mini heist. NEGATIVE poker face, ESPECIALLY when he's actively trying. when she's forced to bring him along though he always notices something she hasn't because he is bizarrely perceptive like that, he just doesn't really care. unfortunately this also means he doesn't always care to inform her about what he observes. (luffy: "but you told me to keep quiet!!") he also has really good luck so if he manages to stay quiet and not attract attention he can act as a good luck charm. however that is impossible

(later) pre-ts:

usopp - everything stays the same AND he's getting better at keeping his cool. what's not to love. this is their bonding activity

zoro - nami has learned the hard way that they both CANNOT take themselves seriously for long when they are required to get touchy. he's also demoted bc he refuses to part with his swords, which is really quite inconvenient if she wants him to be her partner for, say, a gala dinner they're sneaking into.

sanji - still 3rd but a closer 3rd now!! stay strong sansan!! more on earlier, grifting with him isn't as effortless/fun as it is w usopp or zoro but that is in no way due to lack of skill on his part. he's not just good at landing a cover; he's strategic like zoro and flexible like usopp. plus, he just FITS into a high class setting with the seamlessness that neither usopp nor zoro have which makes him very, very useful for grifts requiring more formality. however due to his also aforementioned flaws he cannot hit top 2 im (not) sorry...... ALSO! this is partly bc im so sanamipilled but i do think that she's grown to enjoy the touchiness sometimes - and now she can admit it to herself. 's a fun little excuse for her to indulge sanji a bit, especially if their mark for the night is easy

robin - she is last bc she is usually simply not interested in all that. however she will creep people out with her general aura when needed!

post-ts:

usopp - everything is just so easy with him x2. they fall back into their dynamic and it's perfect and even BETTER than before because they're both a little out of practice after 2 years, but they've also both got new tricks up their sleeves. they don't get as many chances TO grift anymore in the new world though. always onto the next big adventure. plus now she's notorious enough that people actually RECOGNISE her in bigger cities/towns (she's not too happy about this)

sanji - he's been promoted :) but also demoted especially freshly post-ts bc of fishman island related crimes.

zoro - he doesn't let nami convince him into grifting with her anymore :-(( but if nami still requires someone to stand menacingly behind her as she extorts some rando then [mbappe voice] He Will Be There No Matter What

luffy stays the same :p

chopper is too young to be engaging in these activities & franky and brook are wayy too conspicuous. jinbei just joined they do not have the time for that shit yet. also i havent read beyond wano

#op #one piece #strawhats #straw hat pirates #east blue crew #nami #usopp #zoro #sanji #luffy #robin #qin poast

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minthara · 2 months

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really long personal answer to an anon i got. trigger warnings in the tags.

First of all i wanna apologise to everyone who follows me for the last few days lmao, but i feel like if i dont post about it im literally gonna kill myself. I need somewhere to write down my thoughts because i feel bad always going to the same 2 friends i still have and complain about the same situation again and again about a dude they dont even know that well.

Thank you so much for ur message really, and sorry if im gonna take it as another excuse to write down all my thoughts, but i think it will really help me.

So the pathetic thing. I didnt ever post about this and in real life i think only like. 3 people knew. But after we broke up i begged him for months to take me back. It really was pathetic. And when he called me pathetic i think he was just very very hurt, because that was the second time i broke up with him (just a few weeks ago). It was in the sense of me begging him for so long just to break up again a few months later. I feel fucking stupid even writing this. I spent about 10k euros trying to get away from him, it fucked up my life so massively that i lost a job i really loved over it.

And now my new job is about 5 minutes away from our old apartment and i think thats a huge reason why i cant get over it. Every day i walk past restaurants, the supermarkets, anything we went to together. I had to buy snacks for work today and just burst into tears in the fucking supermarket because we used to go there together. The people at work are always so appreciative bc i know the area so well but they dont know how much it fucking hurts me and its so stupid like. Should i just avoid that part of town forever??? No fucking get over it bitch like wtf its a fucking supermarket.

And it also hurts because i know i wasnt always perfect and there were many times i was super mean to him. But at a point i couldnt deal with his ADHD anymore and that sounds so shitty but im a super organised person to the point where sometimes i wonder if thers anything ocd related but i dont think so. In my head i swap between i have ocd, i have adhd, i have borderline, i have autism - i have no idea whats wrong with me, but the way i feel cant be normal. I know this because the way i behave isnt normal, i know i can come across as really strange, i cant judge social situations well and often dont know how to behave. But i constantly criticised him for symptoms of his mental illnesss.

But i never physically hurt him, and that was the last straw for me, why i left. I dont know how u can do that to a person you love.

And im just mourning the life i thought i was going to have so, so, so much. I know on tumblr ppl somehow think youre brainwashed when you want a traditional marriage and kids and stuff, but i really thought that was going to happen in the next 2 / 3 years, thats how i planned my life since i was fucking 21 and i met him. And now im almost 27, and i cant even go on dates because i cannot bear talking to new people because all i want is a clone of him but better.

I know i will look back at this and think “u cried about THAT guy???” in a few years, because thats how its always been in my life lol (except for one relationship, but were still really really best friends). I always think afterwards i will never love someone that much again. But it hits so much harder because it was such a serious relationship lol i really wanted to marry him. Sobs lol.

#asks #anonymous #abuse cw #suicide cw #i feel so much better after writing this down lol #blondshell salad on repeat if u know u know

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clatoera · 4 months

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Picket Fence is Sharp as Knives Chapter 2: Barefoot in the Wildest Winter, Catching my Death

Heeeeeey. Welcome back, I call this a mini chapter. It's still almost 3400 words. Thats insane of me. This chapter is

Clove centric/ Clato

20 months after the war/ 7 after the epilogue of ARWBFB

Ironic because the starbucks I wrote this in was so cold my fingers were fucking numb, which you will understand the irony of once you read it.

This is not..intense. It's just a palate cleanser after the Glimmer Prequel I posted this week. I think everyone needed it. I honestly wrote it because we got 10 inches of snow last week and currently are getting multiple more inches as we speak.

Anyway!

Chapter title from Evermore (Taylor Swift)

Masterpost

AO3

Theres also a good bit of cashmere/enobaria mentioned in honor of @bodyelectric77 giving me brain amoebas. I'm just going to tag @kentwells because this whole sequel is your fault. Anyway! Love y'all! love the besties! love everyone! ( I just..love love),

By virtue of the location, the widespread villages littering the biggest mountain range in Panem like sprinkles atop a cupcake, District Two gets substantial snowfall. The kind of snow that allows an extra industry for capitol elites to come and pretend to live like a district citizen in a heated, maintained cabin on the mountainsides, where people can party and celebrate the simplicity of a winter snow in the way that only someone who doesn’t have to worry about keeping heat on can do.

If you were a child in the district without the commitment (Privilege? Curse?) of training, you could celebrate heavy snowfall with snowball fights followed by hot chocolate with your friends in one of your living rooms. If you were a trainee, a possible tribute, snow meant drills in the cold, running despite snow reaching your knees, agility trials on ice. If you were a trainee with just enough of a rebellious streak, snowfall meant you snuck out with the other kids in your class and rode makeshift sleds down the hills otherwise used for terrain testing. And if you were a trainee that got caught, snow meant laying on your back in a bank of it, in shorts and t-shirts, until your skin burned and your body ached. If you were the right kind of District Two training kid- the punishment was worth the glimmer of childhood you got to experience.

The snow was not even the worst part– District Two was extremely cold. Not the type of cold where the cute jackets and scarves produced in District Eight would be sufficient, but the type of bone chilling cold that it was a miracle the majority of the population did not freeze to death by the end of a particularly bad winter. The academy just factored the weather into training– figuring out ways to layer, to stay warm, how to get rest in these types of conditions, and how to keep at peak performance despite below freezing temperatures. The embarrassment of a tribute losing because they lost grip on a weapon (“because of the weather” is an unacceptable excuse), is deeply ingrained in any child who has gone through training in District Two. They considered it to be a privilege to train in such harsh conditions, a leg up on competitors of how to deal with what could be thrown on them in the arena. Weather was not an excuse for failure.

Clove, of course, knows these things. Years later she can handle Brutus’s remarks about her clumsy frozen fingers almost ending her life, but at the time it was an insecurity that was fortunately never addressed due to the scandal of her long-term hidden relationship and accompanying secrets coming to the surface.

Despite her games being a literal arctic blizzard, the snow and the cold had not bothered Clove in the immediate after her games. Sure, there were times where if she closed her eyes long enough on her porch that it felt like she was back in the arena for the briefest of seconds. However the heat of adrenaline that rushed to her chest brought her right back, and when her eyes would fly open and land on her Victor’s Village yard she’d be snapped back into her new reality. A reality of survival and victory.

She was even somewhat fond of the snow, with the recollections of childhood, of times her and Cato had snuck out back in the dead of night to “practice” in the wintry conditions.

“If it weren’t for your hair you’d blend right in.” Cato teased, but his hands slipping under her arms and knees revealed that he meant business. He tossed her, as hard as he possibly could, into an adjacent snow bank, where her tiny teenage body did indeed slip under the entirety of the pile. The fifteen year old girl would have in fact blended in if not for the deep espresso color of her hair. And the constellation of freckles all over her skin. And the deep evergreen color of her eyes. None of which, Cato knew, were normal details to notice about one’s training partner.

The brief distraction would always be enough for Clove to grab him around the ankle, pull his feet out from under him, and bring him tumbling down right into the snow beside her.

They’d always sneak back in with icicles in their hair, water dripping off their clothes as the snow melted away, and a redness that danced across both of their noses and cheeks. Sometimes the only thing that could properly warm them up after was sharing the same dorm room bed, with snide remarks from Clove about how he may as well be a human heater. While those remarks may be snide, they were never a complaint that is.

It wasn’t snow after her games that bothered her, and truthfully, last winter hadn’t even been too terrible. Maybe somewhere, some cosmic control of the universe decided the people of District Two (realistically, the people of all of Panem) had suffered enough the previous year during the war. A couple of inches here or there, temperatures that dropped but never quite hit that bone chilling type of cold they were so familiar with. It was cold but not cruelly so, and that was nothing short of a miracle considering how many District Two citizens were displaced and without housing as a result of the rebels’ bombing. Those signature temperature dip and the blizzards would have been catastrophic to a district that was already facing such immense population loss.

Now, over a year and a half since the conclusion of the war, brutal weather was back to strike their home with a bite.

Multiple feet of snow combined with temperatures plummeting to near zero, both confirmed what Clove knew was coming: Winter in District Two was back with a vengeance.

While Cato had been thrilled to have a classic District Two winter; to take his little sister sled riding, to introduce her to hot chocolate and the power of a hot bowl of soup at the end of a day in the cold (courtesy, of course, of Clove), Clove had truthfully been dreading the impending storm.

The cold, quite frankly, hurt.

It did not hurt from the biting sting of cold wind against flesh or because of tingling fingers and ears from too long outside; no, it hurt deep in her body, in every single movement of her joints. It hurt like her skeleton was crackling, like the marrow inside her bones itself was forming ice crystals that shattered with her movement. It wasn’t just the flexion of her fingers and shoulders that hurt at this point. It hurts to exist. It felt like her ribs were cracking with the expansion of her lungs. With every step, a dull pain inside of her hip sockets begged her to stop moving and just rest. She hadn’t been prepared for every joint that had been dislocated and every healed fracture to remind her that she was never truly going to be able to heal from what Snow had done to her.

Clove, for the first time, understood what they meant when they called it bone cold. And holy shit did it hurt.

She tried the rational and logical ways to warm up. She tried a shower with water so hot it should have blistered her skin off, but only slightly brought her down from the feeling of ice in her veins. She layered on two, three of Cato’s already oversized sweatshirts, swimming in layers of clothes that made her look like a child playing dress up without any warmth radiating deeper than her skin. She had laid in bed, weighed down by a comforter plus another ten pounds of throw blankets, that didn't even touch the ache inside her.

All this is to say that Clove tried a lot before her desperation for any comfort resulted in her current position. On the floor…in front of the fireplace… both on top of and underneath the same ten plus pounds of blankets she had dragged downstairs with her. Even this, the combination of blankets, heat, and Cato’s clothes were only enough to slightly tamper down the ache.

Still, it was apparently just enough for her to fall asleep that way, because the next thing Clove knows, she’s being gently shaken awake with a foot on her shoulder hearing the panicked whispers of “Babe….babe…Clove..babe…Clove..are you alive?” That can only possibly come from Cato, who is insistently shaking her awake. “Clove?”

“Hmmm?” Clove murmurs, peaking one eye open to glance up at the man oh so kindly waking her. He stands over her, flecks of snow melting on the tips of his hair, cold water running off the black waterproof fabric of his coat and onto her face all the way down where she lays under him. “Move back, you’re making me colder.”

“Are you okay?” He nudges her again, but kneels down to closer to the same height as her. He reaches out with an ungloved hand, and the second his icy fingers touch her face Clove recoils into her blanket shell. From this height Clove can see the redness along his cheeks and over his nose that makes him look closer to twelve than twenty three. “Why are you on the floor?��

“I’m cold Cato, and it really fucking hurts.” She whines, tucking her hands into the blankets with her. “I can’t get warm.”

“Right..okay…did you try the bed–”

“Do you think I laid on our living room floor without trying the bed first?”

“Okay, what about those really hot baths you like, I can take you-”

“Cato. I tried it. This is all that helps.” Clove whimpers, rolling from her back onto her side, facing the blaze in the fireplace.

“I’ll be back just… Give me like..fifteen minutes.” Cato stands, and is already taking long strides upstairs before Clove even gets a moment to ask where he’s going.

She lays there for what feels like years in the glow of the fireplace, in the warmth it irradiates and the minimal relief it provides. She feels the presence of him behind her, the light tugging of her blankets, before she sees him.

“Don’t unwrap me, Cato, I’m warm-” Clove protests, but when she feels large, warm hands sliding under her layers and practically wrapping around her torso she melts. “You’re warm, oh my god.”

She doesn’t see him smirk, but knows him well enough to know he is, before he twists her to face him with the easiest twist of his wrists. He flashes her a grin, before pulling her flush against his bare, warm chest. Clove notices, absently, the way his wet hair falls just over his forehead how it did only in the immediate time after he showered until it dried.

“I’d prefer hot but I'll take it.” Cato taunts lightly as Clove buries her cheek against his chest, right over where his heart. “Comfy?” He teases, and a furrowed brow and a single narrowed green eye looks up at him in protest.

“Very.” Clove sighs, curling into him as his hands travel along the skin of her back and bringing heat with them. “You’re like a personal heater.”

“You could have called me, Clove…” Cato reminds her, tucking one leg over both of hers, using as much surface area contact as he could to bring her relief. “I would have come home.”

“You were with your sister, I wasn’t going to interrupt.” She doesn’t mention the embarrassment, the humiliation even, that she felt at the newest physical reminder of her time in the Capitol. A girl who used to love the snow, who loved the cold, now in pain greater than she’d ever admit to her husband. There were some things she didn’t even want him to know– her reduced pain tolerance, being one of them.“How did she like it?”

“She loved it!” Cato lights up, his smile reaching all the way to his eyes as he recounts his afternoon playing with his little sister. “Mom about killed me when she found out I was letting her go down the hill alone, but she had fun. No bones were broken.”

“Mmm, remember that time we found a trash can lid, and I sat on your lap as we went down that big hill behind the training center in the middle of the night?” Clove muses, freeing her hands from her blankety protection and tucking them against his abs. She holds back a giggle at the way he flinches away from her cold touch, his muscle flexing under her fingertips.

“You mean when we slammed into the brick wall and thought you broke your nose? And the giant bruise on my forehead that looked like you decked me with the handle of your knife?” Cato muses, wrapping Clove even tighter in his grasp, smiling to himself when he realizes that all the layers she used to try to insulate herself are his. “Of course I remember.”

“Your entire body weight landed on me and crushed me into the wall, yeah, I thought I was broken.” She wants to lift her head to scowl at him, but she is simply too warm, too comfortable, too safe right now to care. “You were giant, then, too.”

“We’re just lucky it was Brutus that punished us, not Enobaria.” There is a fond smile on his face as he thinks back to what cannot even be considered a simpler time –surely, laying on the living room floor with his wife, no games in sight, was far simpler than being fourteen and grasping for a glimpse of childhood– but certainly a nostalgic memory.

“Lucky? He made us run four miles barefoot, Cato. I would have taken whatever Enobaria was going to throw at us.” Clove tucked her icy feet against his for emphasis, and Cato actually flinched out of the way that time. “See? You still don’t like cold feet.”

“Speaking of Enobaria…doesn’t she have that hot tub, why didn’t you go over? She’s in One isn’t she? You would have had it to yourself…” One would have thought, twenty months into sharing custody of Enobaria with Cashmere and District One, they’d have gotten used to her schedule, used to her not always being readily available at their beck and call.

So many things had kept Enobaria in District Two, of course, in the past thirty some years of her life. Be it the limitations of interdistrict travel, the secret nature of her relationship with Cashmere (who had her own limitations, of course, considering the extent of the Capitol’s influence and abuse on her for over a decade), her commitments to her district and training, or maybe even Clove. Many reasons had existed to keep the Victor woman home, and now in the dawn of a new country, Enobaria had taken her well deserved freedoms.

Of course, that did not mean that they could keep track of her.

Some may go as far to say that Clove, Cato, and even Brutus, missed her sometimes.

Not that a single one of them would ever utter those words to her.

“I thought about it.” Clove sighs, turning her face to press the other cheek against his skin, equally warming her face. “But they’re actually here, I guess they’re here for a while…until Glimmer has the baby. Cash wants to stay in One for a few extra months straight after, I guess, so they’re making up time here for now. And I did not want to interrupt something over there again, especially not in the hot tub…” She shutters, not from the cold this time but from a distasteful memory that she clearly has brought to the surface. “Besides…I didn’t really want to go outside.”

“It’s kind of funny that Enobaria and Cashmere act like kids with divorced parents…back and forth back and forth to split their time evenly. Why don’t they just stay here?” Cato raises an eyebrow, a coy smile on his face. “District Two is obviously the better option.”

“Cashmere can’t leave her brother and sister, you know that. And she’s definitely not leaving now that Glimmer’s gonna have a whole kid soon.” Not just a kid, a little girl, a fact that Clove had to hear from Glimmer multiple times a day. “It would arguably make more sense for her to move to One if we’re suggesting permanent moving..and you know she isn’t going to leave here.”

“Enobaria would never survive with a neighbor named Rhinestone.”

Clove’s laugh is muffled against his chest, but he’s right. Splitting their time, like kids traveling between homes on holidays, was going to be their best bet. It didn’t make it any less funny, to imagine the mentor they all know and love spending half her time there.

Her laugh fades as her smile falls, and Clove can’t bring herself to meet his eyes. “I’m sorry I have to lay on the floor like this, I know it isn’t comfortable.”

“Clove..”

“I’m serious. This is just another new weakness, I guess. Just another thing Snow took from me.”

Cato’s hand slips off the skin of her back and Clove bites back a groan at the loss of warmth, before his hand holds the exposed side of her face. He doesn’t force her to look at him, simply strumming his thumb along her cheekbone. “Clove? I will bring the mattress down here, and we can sleep in front of this fireplace for the rest of Winter, hell, for the rest of our lives if it makes you feel even the slightest bit better. You aren’t weak, babe. I don’t even know if I could have survived what you did. You were tortured. And if this is how winter is going to go, this is how we’re going to survive it. Together.”

The composure she had tried so hard to maintain crumbles like the facade it is, and the gasping breath she takes startles Cato to the point that he has to look down at her.

“It hurts to breathe, Cato. My lungs hurt and my ribs hurt and it hurts to move and it hurts to bend my fingers. It’s like I'm frozen inside and it hurts.” Clove gasps out, burying her face firmly in the center of his chest. “I didn’t think i’d be in this much pain because of some fucking weather.”

Hurt. Pain. Neither words that Clove would ever admit to, not to anyone else in the world. To anyone but Cato, they made her a target, they made her vulnerable, and they made her weak.

“I know, Clove. I know.” He admits, bringing his hand back down to her side, warming her up from the inside of her shirts. “I wish I could take it for you.”

I wish I could take it for you.

What a gesture that is, in District Two, where pain makes you weak and vulnerable. To be willing to carry that burden, to take on that proverbial target. Only among District Two, would the admission of pain and the subsequent willingness to take it be such a marker of love.

“I just feel like someone could take me out so easily and i’m so useless right now and-”

“Noone’s coming after us. Noone’s going to take us out. And if they were, I think I’ve got it covered. I’m a Victor, too, you know.” Cato promises, bringing his lips down to kiss the top of her head, where she is nearly trying to burrow into his skin for the warmth he so readily provides. “I’ve got us, Clove. Pretend it’s my turn to keep watch in the games, okay? Sleep…relax..I’ve got us.”

“Am I gonna get a turn?” Clove nearly teases, and he can feel her lips quirking into a smile against his skin.

He snorts, and somehow manages to pull her closer. “Once a snowman isn’t your biggest opponent, sure.”

The pinch he feels on his side is enough for him to know that she was going to be just fine.

#clato #cato and clove #arwbfb au #arwbfb tag #always remember we're burned for better tag #clato fanfic #the hunger games fanfic #clato fanfiction #clato tag #clove tag #cato tag #cashmere and enobaria #cashbaria tag #arwbfb sequel #pfsk tag #picket fences sharp as knives tag

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e-adlirez · 4 months

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An Independent Callout Update

Hi everybody, this is uh, this is exactly what it says on the tin, and I figured I'd make one.

Last you saw me I was offering some appreciation for some funni Tumblr art, and sharing a project long-ish in the making (it was like two months it's not that long). I figured y'know, maybe we can let sleeping dogs lie, maybe I can work on other things and maybe take a br--

NOPE JUST KIDDING someone's still up and about and still trying to prove himself somewhere in the blameless route. I've genuinely never seen someone make this many backflips to make them look innocent since Grace Chastity, which is an accomplishment, by the way! Not a good one by any means, but an accomplishment nonetheless!

Let's dive into it, shall we?

Here we have a Cadillac trying to claim that he was hacked. As you can see, he's failed miserably at trying to ping @2deadkat, @ratonahat and @bloombirdreads, in an attempt to call for help. He's failing to ping them because they blocked his ass a whiiiillleeeee ago. And of course, the "it wasn't his fault, it was someone else acting in my name!" excuse! This is peak "I can't be having impure thoughts! This is the other guy's fault for making me horny!" Cadillac is there something you wish to confess in front of the class?

Two holes in his excuse:

One, you didn't seem to have any issues when you were trying to convince me into thinking that you were trying even the tiniest modicum of owning up to your mistakes (which I have screenshotted here in case you think you can delete them and say I can't prove anything). It was really more of a "I'm changed in literally 2 days, I'm not like that anymore!", which is about as believable as falling into a black hole and coming out alive. In other words, not at all. Even less believable since your writing style doesn't seem to have changed from your older posts to your newer posts, hm....

Two, Cadillac, even if you were telling the truth and got hacked, how did you not notice? Getting your account hacked is a very big deal! You could lose personal information, get doxxed, have your account become a mouthpiece for scams, and that's only the half of it! How did you only notice this just now, on December 22nd of 2023? This is a big affront to your internet safety! It would be impossible!

And if you want to say this is a recent development, then uh, buddy, I have some news for you.

Here I have a screenshot from one of my personal Discords, and so far it's the earliest secondary record I have of Cadillac's shenaniganery.

And you can tell it's really early because a reply to the mini-rant around the same day mentions this funny little detail:

This was back when Cadillac had only made two shirtless G posts on his blog. From July 26th, 2023 to December 22nd, 2023-- that's a five-month time period! Almost half a year of not realizing that you've been hacked! And the strangest thing is you haven't changed a bit before or after! This hacker must've done a very good job making your posts sound like your own by extrapolating your internet personality from-- and I counted-- eight bare-bones posts, hm? /sarcastic

Well okay, remember how I said Cadillac's been very consistent this whole time? Well, I lied. There's Cadillac's most recent post as well:

Dear me, you're sounding awfully mature and respectful here! Is this a miracle? Could you possibly have actually been hacked and the person behind the screen is actually a decent person all alo--

OOP I GUESS NOT!

Buddy, I didn't even need to pull up GPTZero for this, you were sounding so corporate and so fake it wasn't even a contest. You ain't slick, Cadillac, not slick at all.

And for the record, I plugged my entries in the callout post in there too because why not

Yep, a lotta hooman to go around with me, Cadillac. This one in I'm writing right now took about an hour :D Whether or not it's because of having to find sources or just to find a good way to say what I want to, I'll leave that for everyone else to decide.

Anyway, this is your Cadillac callout update, goodnight tristate area.

Yes Cadillac you can bet your ass that the only reason anyone would ever be unblocking you would be for no other reason but this: making callouts that aren't going any time soon. I will admit, one flaw in my original post was the fact that I hyperlinked more than I screenshotted, giving you an opportunity to wipe the evidence. Well, you've got nowhere to hide now, Cadillac. I've caught you in 4K, and these posts aren't going anywhere.

#geronimo stilton #callout post #update #also the “I'm clean now” post has only one like which I can only assume was him self-liking his post #can I get sad trombone noises please #and cadillac if you really wanna make things right #stop replying and making excuses and making a fool of yourself in every way possible #just #show us that you've changed #and stop trying to pin the blame on someone else or trying to rope other people in this mess #they're not helping you and they never will #the pingfail is just proof of that

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crusherthedoctor · 5 months

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Get a Load of Traits - PART 2: Dr. Eggman

It's that time again, folks. Time for another analysis you didn't ask for.

I explained how the setup goes with my previous installment revolving around Sonic, but to recap: for the sake of not dragging things out too much, I’ve decided to keep it all thematically consistent by sticking with 9 main points per character, in terms of what I personally consider the highest priorities for each of them. These will usually not be listed in any particular order of importance or relevance unless stated otherwise, and while there may be other major traits that might not get mentioned (in which case, feel free to bring them up yourself if you see fit), this keeps things simple and focuses on the points that have the most flexibility with how much of the character they encapsulate.

It should also be noted that these posts are made with the game portrayals in mind, because the games mark the core of the franchise, and as such, they objectively contain the purest essence of the cast. Adaptations generally like to play by their own rules, some more gratuitously and inexcusably than others, and this will inevitably crop up with certain entries. All that being said however, I’ll attempt to stay focused rather than devolve into another rant about this adaptation or that adaptation, only directly referring to them if I feel it’s necessary for the point being made.

Anyhow, for today’s installment, the spotlight shines on everyone's favourite villain that they pretend isn't a villain: Dr. Eggman.

He's larger than life.

Where could he be???

He's shaped like an egg. He laughs and bellows like it's going out of fashion. He proudly announces when he's in the room for no other reason than to inform everyone that he's in the room. He takes sadistic glee when you don't have enough memory in the memory card. Why would you want to sawdust away this side of him? What are you, a Hollywood writer?

Just as Sonic is a fun hero, it's integral that Eggman is a fun villain. He's all about the colour, the spectacle, the raw energy. This is non-negotiable. If you approach this character and think he needs to be made grounded because he has a silly name or something, then you are going about this the completely wrong way. Villains like Eggman get praised all the time for being vibrant and wacky, so frankly, there is no excuse to write him off for it.

He is genuinely smart.

"Oh yeah? Well if you played nice, I wouldn't need to transform you into a tedious gameplay mechanic that appeals to furries and is guaranteed to give this game negative reviews from IGN. Haha, gottem."

Look at the screencap above. He was able to turn the tables against Super Sonic right when it looked as though he was thoroughly cornered. How was he able to achieve this? By planning.

*leans closer to the mic*

P L A N N I N G.

Yes, he is not literally omniscient. Yes, he can be prone to the occasional oversight. Yes, unexpected events can transpire that would be difficult if not impossible for him to account for. But all that aside, Eggman is a genius. He does have an IQ of 300. He talks a big game, but with all the amazing tech he's created over the years, and with all the ways he's pulled a fast one over the heroes, he has proven that he can play the big game. Need I remind you that this is a human, and his arch-nemesis is the fastest thing alive, not some dude on the street. He would need to be on his A-game in order to last.

And yes, it is indeed him who does all that brainstorming. Ever since day 1, he's always been very hands-on with his operations, not needing to steal the credit from another scientist or force a hostage to do it all for him. His plans? His weapons? They're all him. Would a mere bumbler be able to subdue the Time Eater?

He is genuinely evil.

"What's this shite I'm hearing about a Mr. Tinker...?"

We've got the Triforce of Funny Man. We've got the Triforce of Real Intelligence. Now here comes the hardest pill to swallow: the Triforce of Actually Malevolent.

For reasons that can be pinned on certain portrayals that are coincidentally more commonly found in adaptations, fans are all too willing to remove agency from Eggman's villainy. When they're not claiming an amnesiac personality that peaced out as quickly as it arrived is his true self, they're claiming he has all these heated gamer moments for the purpose of avenging his Wasted™ grandfather, Professor Gerald Robotnik. Or they claim he's not as bad as other villains in the franchise because he "only" wants to conquer the world, rather than destroy it.

Now how can I put this gently...

youtube

No, I am not just saying this because I personally happen to favor Eggmen with proper villainous balls to their name rather than glorified frenemies with Sonic at best. Even when exorcising myself of all potential bias, the Eggman we see in the games is still a very different fellow from what a concerning number of fans say with a straight face he is.

He stuffs animals inside robots on a regular basis. He lies, cheats, and backstabs on a regular basis. He fired a laser at the planet with the intent to fracture it, with no consideration for destruction or fatalities. He conquered other planets just to reduce them to self-indulgent attractions for his theme park. He drove a friendly robot to insanity after they were willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. He wanted to destroy Station Square right out the gate, with the only difference come the end of his rope being that he changed tactics to more suicidal means out of desperation. When the Deadly Six were defeated, and the world remained in a dire state, his only reaction was to express relief that there was still something for him to lord over. And although Forces may have glossed over much of his rule, it's clear that it wasn't pleasant for anyone other than himself. Throughout all of this, he rarely brings up Gerald in a consistent manner outside of SA2 and ShtH, and in fact, even in those games, it's pretty clear that he only cares about Gerald's scientific legacy and how that makes him special in the process due to being his grandson. He's never been shown to give a damn about the rest of Gerald as a person, including the philanthropist he was at heart prior to his last days.

Not wanting to destroy the world is not an act of kindness. It's simple logic: he can't conquer something that's not there. And is treating the population to a lifetime of slavery really that softer than a quick and (relatively) painless death? I'm sure TV Tropes would say yes, but what do you think?

He's a self-made man.

Egg Jameson confirmed.

Our horizontally enlightened fiend did not start with a kingdom of his own. He was not a test tube baby who could shoot lasers out of his hands from day one. He was not born a demon, nor did he hail from a bloodline of gods. When he began his path in life of being a furry shamer, he had only his gadgets and tools to work with. Yet, he has managed to carve himself a bountiful list of pro gamer moves over the years despite his mortal human status, including harnessing the Time Eater as mentioned, bringing his dream Eggmanland to life in all its glory, and the engineering marvel that is Metal Sonic... and almost never suffering from financial troubles despite the frequent destruction of his machines at Sonic's hands. (Keep Sonic 4's name out your fuckin' mouth.)

And speaking of that last part, there has been evidence across the series that he has more than one way of ensuring the moolah keeps rolling in. We've seen him set up casinos, carnivals, Extreme Gear companies, newspaper factories, and other facilities to extend his reach. We've seen his robots mine for resources all over the world, and occasionally other worlds. We've seen him own a literal ocean of oil. We've even seen him sell his stripped down robots to chumps who don't know any better. For all his childish ways and penchant for plagiarizing the Death Star, he's surprisingly good at money management.

Then there's his specific approach to scheming and beating Sonic. Winning on its own is never enough for him: he wants to win on his terms, by doing things his way. So he might steal a shiny gem, but he'll use it to power the tech that he made. He might wake up a sleeping beast, but he'll have an Egg Carrier operating alongside it. The doc is always pulling his weight no matter the game, because if he didn't, how could he back up his self-admired intellect without it ringing hollow? You know he wouldn't be having that.

All of this goes a long way to explaining how he grew a knack for being so pro-active as a villain in the present day of the games proper. Instead of having it easy by being born an almighty superbeing, he had to work his way up using nothing but his brain. Because Dr. Eggman is a man with quite a few admirable qualities. Just a shame that morality is not one of them, no matter how much I've been gaslit by fans into believing otherwise.

His ego is his motive.

Don't say it.

As we discussed, for all his manufactured admiration of his late grandad's genius, he doesn't mention him as often across the franchise as fans would lead you to believe. But you know which moustached gentleman he does mention a lot throughout the franchise...?

An overfilled sense of pride is to be expected for a pure villain. Regardless of their motive and their means to fulfill said motives, they're expected to think highly of themselves to some degree. But Eggman is not your everyday egotist: he IS the ego. Many villains have made statues of themselves, but how many do you know who have defaced historical monuments and plastered their visage on them? How many villains do you know who call half of their machines Egg Something? How many villains do you know who make up every single boss in more than one installment?

That's because Eggman's ego isn't just part of his character: it's the source of his drive. Everything he does, everything he wants to do, is fueled by how much he loves himself, and how displeased he is that the rest of the world does not feel the same way. He wants everyone to bow down to his excellence, he wants to conquer the world to satisfy his lust, and even that wouldn't keep him satiated forever, since evidence has shown that he would just make a grab for the whole universe if he got bored. He cannot picture a world where anyone else matters, because they're not him. Over the span of three decades, his inflated self-worth at the cost of everyone else's agency and wellbeing has not diminished one iota, and unless SEGA decides to pander hard to the Eggdad standom, this is not likely to change anytime soon.

Which leads me to my next point...

The consequences are irrelevant to him.

Quote by Billy Mitchell.

Part of the recurring problem with Eggman being woefully mischaracterized as not such a bad guy when you get to know him is because people like to suggest that since he rarely shows outright sadism while committing his evil deeds (except this is also not true; see Tails' story in SA1, or the sheer ecstasy in his tone when he betrayed Emerl's trust in Battle), that means the results that spring from them are more excusable than the likes of Mephiles, Starline, Disney, etc.

Putting aside the fact that he's still willingly committing these deeds to begin with - with no regret at that - let's assume they mean in reference to ordinary citizens and the like. Now maybe it's true that he's not known to dedicate much of his career to making things personal with random nobodies. But let me ask you something: when he declared his intent to destroy Station Square with Chaos so he could build ROBOTNIKLAND THE ULTIMATE CITY WHERE I WILL RULE IT AAAALLLL COME ON CHAOS LET'S FIND ANOTHER EMERALD SHALL WE Eggmanland over its remains... did he say anything about letting the residents evacuate? Did he provide a means to help them evacuate?

What you need to keep in mind is that Eggman showing little interest goes both ways. He doesn't give any thought to these folk period. If his giant mech killed people who were in his way, or he fired a cannon at Whocaresville and the people living there didn't have time to get out of dodge, he's not going to shed a tear and call for a moment of silence. Because, as we've already established, the only person that matters is him. So long as he gets what he wants, and so long as there are still other people out there to worship him, what's the big deal if some kid is now without a parent or a home?

He is not a good master.

"Also, I did create a vaccine. That's what you get for listening to our loving fans who hate us."

Well, at least he shows a more caring side to his creations, right? Sure... if you don't pay any attention to how it plays out onscreen.

My dude is certainly willing to shower his creations with high praise, but what advocates of Good Guy Eggman fail to note is that he praises them because he made them. An achievement for them is an achievement for him, because how would they be so brilliant and competent if it weren't for who built them that way? And you know what else? That praise conveniently only manifests when the creation is doing their job: the moment they fall short of his lofty standards, he flips like a switch. Can it truly be considered sincere and from the heart if he's that willing to turn on them that easily?

Of his many robotic stooges over the years, two that he held in high esteem were the E-Series and Metal Sonic. He made a show of tasking the former with an important mission, and the latter has been recognized repeatedly as one of his crowning masterpieces. And yet, all of the E-Series bar Gamma were discarded and essentially left to fend for themself in an unfamiliar world, with Beta being forcibly modified without a second thought. Gamma was only spared because, you guessed it, he was the one with a victory to his name. As for Metal Sonic, for all his longevity and special treatment, he too is not immune to punishment in the event of failure or disobedience.

And Infinite? His prized right-hand man during his six month conquest? Whisked away without a word after one bruh moment too many, followed by making a point to show off his own mastery over the (real) Phantom Ruby.

Needless to say, this is a stark contrast from the goofy dad you often see in fanart.

His will is equal to Sonic's.

"I'm gonna have to reset, that was a practice run."

Being a regular human does not serve as a limitation for Eggman's status and capabilities, unless you're a hack writer who believes superficial power levels are the instant-win key to a good antagonist, or a well-crafted story in general. On paper, a hedgehog with Sonic's level of power should have dealt with this silly old man once and then never again. That happened with aliens. It happened with gods. It happened with talking ballsacks. Yet Eggman is still around. Despite being subjected to a wide selection of situations that should have Big Oof'd him, with Sonic normally not considering saving him from said perils a high priority, Eggman keeps surviving, and he keeps trucking on.

Why? Because main villain immunity, yes, but compared to Bowser the fire-breathing turtle, and Ganon the occasional boar-shaped demigod, a human scientist managing to persist for as long as he has is still impressive even without the out-of-universe justification. This detail of his character is even incorporated into his boss fights: the Egg Viper battle ends with a kamikaze attack. The Mega Death Egg Robot had a second machine stored inside it, keeping up where the fight left off as the first one conks out. S3&K in its entirety was practically dedicated to his absolute refusal to call it quits.

He doesn't give up. He never gives up. And he's not the type to piss his pants either. When the odds are stacked against him, he will either give it his all with much gnashing of teeth, or he'll retreat because it's the tactically sound thing to do. What he doesn't do is show fear and plead for his life. (Unleashed doesn't count, that was a Wily ploy.)

He hates Sonic.

Or else he wouldn't have made this.

You would think this would go without saying. You have not spent enough time in the Sonic community. I wish I was you. (Then again, I met my friends through it...)

There are many people - many, many, many people - who will vehemently drill into your head with the trustworthy assurance of a SonicTuber that Dr. Eggman, arch-nemesis of Sonic the Hedgehog, world's longest Attempted Sonic Murderer champion, secretly likes the guy deep down, and would never wish for the Blue Blur to actually kick the bucket for good. They claim that when push comes to shove, the old doctor would never fully commit to world domination, because he simply enjoys his bouts with Sonic too much.

For X!Eggman? Probably.

Boom Eggman? Definitely.

Game Eggman? The Eggman? No.

Eggman hates Sonic. Eggman loathes Sonic, and he loathes the rest of his multicolored accomplices just as fiercely. The amount of times he has tried to bust a cap in Sonic's ass is plausibly in the triple digits. He has subjected Sonic to all kinds of threatening, terrifying situations with the explicit purpose of either killing him or hitting him where it hurts. He shows happiness when Sonic is in pain, or has appeared to have been vanquished by his efforts. What about any of this suggests that he likes him? Because of respect?

Now yes, that much is true. It's evident that Eggman respects Sonic as an opponent who can keep up with him, and it's true that he enjoys their battles to an extent. That's not the same thing as actually liking the guy on a personal level. For all the respect he may wield, he would still gladly rid himself of the hedgehog the first chance he gets. Remember the big moment in SA2 in which he launched Sonic into space? He bid his farewell, in a semi-mocking tone, then went right back to business like it was nothing. And what about Forces? What did he plan on doing with Sonic once he got bored of waving his victory in his enemy's face? That's right, he planned on slamming the red button on him. Sorry you had to find out this way, that's what happens when you don't Play The Game.

Ivo Robotnik is a jovial man, but his goals are dead serious. He wants his empire more than anything else in the world, and he will get it. For whatever thrills their encounters may provide, he would piss on Sonic's grave without a moment's hesitation in order to make progress with his ambitions. If he wasn't serious about taking over the world... why the fuck would he do all that he does? Do you really think he spends all that time researching ancient tablets because he wants to be Sonic's friend? Do you think he enslaves alien races because it's not like he likes Sonic or anything baka kawaii desu (please don't unfollow me, I won't do it again)? I don't think so, chum. There'd be no game, and no franchise, if Eggman wasn't coming up with ways to put him in an early grave. And then probably vandalize the grave after.

---

If you understand all of these points, and if you can take to them, then I believe you should have what it takes to write a good, or even great, portrayal of Dr. Ivo "EDP445" Robotnik. No portrayal is going to be one-and-one with that of another, there'll always be subtle distinctions depending on the writer, but you'll be fine as long as he's not a softie or a fool who only exists to be replaced with a gay platypus.

Oh and, one last thing...

Heroes manual lied to you. Sorry, English fandom.

#Get a Load of Traits #Opinion #Dr. Eggman

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fairycosmos · 6 months

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its more about how a person can even bear to casually post about other things while an entire nation is being slaughtered in the dark without any means of communication, which means that the rest of the world needs to raise its voice for palestine bcs actual palestinians are actively being prevented from being able to share the unimaginable horror that they're living through

i think being afraid of spreading misinformation is a cowardly excuse to not do any research, because while seeing the true extent of everything is overwhelmingly painful, its not even the tiniest bit close to what palestinians have to go through at every waking moment, and what they've BEEN going through for the last 75 years

this is probably the most well documented genocide in history and its actually very easy to find accurate resources, read up on how palestine got its land stolen, share one of the thousands of posts about which brands to boycott, literally anything about palestine that will prevent it from fading into the background and only being proven later as one of the biggest tragedies the world has ever seen after its too late to do anything

i felt like i was raising my voice/opinion by amplifying resources and posts that would actively help those in Palestine, often messages that come from those experiencing the situation themselves. i say i don't want to make my own post about it because i know there's more for me to learn and in that sense i don't want to spread misinformation - i absolutely am trying to do my research currently and spread info from/donate to reputable sources and charities. i really think that's all i can do while reading up on what is going on myself. i will keep focusing on Palestine and raising awareness as much as i can, both online and offline. this is the last ask i'm going to answer on the subject for now, and again i apologise for seeming blasé or overly casual with my blog when this is going on. other than that, what i'm doing is really all i can do in this moment.

if you guys are interested in donating to Palestinian aid: 1, 2, 3, 4

#anon

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aceofspades-sml · 1 year

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My extensive thoughts on the main characters in Newsies uk

Last post about the show I promise but I have too much to say about those guys

(Again I was sat in Manhattan and everything you guys know the drill at this point )

Starting off with Jack !

He has so many emotions ??? Like Michael is so good at portraying Jack's feelings here, and I think the one that comes back the most throughout the show is anger. He is angry at the world, he is angry because the newsies' life is literally so unfair, and don't get me started on his disgust toward Katherine in act 2. Like he doesn't even want to be near her he is staying as far away from her as possible and that's very striking

And that's the thing about Jack's anger, he is never just angry he is also incredibly sad and bitter ?? You can see exactly how broken this boy is and I love it

Also his version of Santa fe is legit so sad. Because first of all, he really makes you notice that Jack just got out of a fight. He is soaked and tired, stuggles to walk and has to hold on to everything he can find to keep his balance. And the way he sings is kind of a mix of angry and hopeless and his voice breaks and it hurts so much

And the final note ?? One of the best I've heard, it's not only the tone it's the emotion in his voice it's the way he is reaching desperately for something he knows he can't get and you can really feel that in this one note

I have so much stuff to say about hopeless Jack and I need to talk about his attitude in the watch what happens reprise because he is literally tired of this, he is desperate and genuinely scared for all his guys because he just wants to protect them and he can't. And that's why he gives up later on in Pulitzer's office, because the mention of Crutchie is enough to literally break him so don't even try telling him about Davey and other newsies going to the refuge

His speech at the rally is so heartbreaking istg I can't deal with this. The way his voice just breaks on every sentence because he understands exactly what's at stake here. And his "how long can you go without making money" line ? I'm like 99% sure he was speaking directly to Tommy boy. Tommy boy who had been a scab, and the last of them to join the strike. It's so specific and so cruel but at the same time devastating because Jack knows his newsies so well. He knows Tommy boy will be vulnerable to this I-

Also after the rally the newsies all pass by Jack shooting him darks looks and he just. Doesn't want to look them in the eyes. Excuse me while I scream in my pillow

His relationship with Katherine was very interesting too. Their dynamic was actually quite different from anything I've seen, overall much more genuine and less superficial than in some productions

+ during I never planned on you, his physical comedy is literally adorable ?? Like he makes Kath pose for him to sketch her and at some point he even tilts her chin up

One more thing I have to talk about, because getting a poc Jack is absolutely amazing and it changes so much stuff in the show ??? Like not explicitely, but the undertones are really different in the context of Jack being black. E.g. his entire Seize the day monologue feels so much more emotional, and Michael really speaks slowly to insist on every single line and make sure we know what he is talking about

Another striking scene about this is Something to believe in. I think that's part of why I said the Jack x Kath dynamic hit different, because this context really changes everything in this song, with the turning point being "I know girls like you don't wind up with guys like me". And it's not just about Jack being poor it's about him knowing very well what having a different skin color means in this world and he is scared to hell about it

The point I'm trying to make is that having a poc Jack gives a whole new dimension to the show and I absolutely adore the way Michael chooses to show this

Also I want to talk about Javey because why not but uh let me tell you Jack does not like Davey at the beginning. He is actually mean and when he talks about needing Les to sell newspapers he is clearly implying "but I don't need you." This changes later on, I really liked the scene before they run from Snyder when Jack thinks Davey need a place to sleep because it feels like okay I don't like your vibe but you're one of my guys now so I want to protect you

Anyway they become closer after that but yeah the way this dynamic starts off is very different

But then they become so intimate ?? I'll come back to this with Davey but they actually get close physically and emotionally, not only with the strike but also because they genuinely start liking each other. I think you need the context of the fandom's vision of Javey to appreciate this relationship development to it's fullest but when you have it boy oh boy

Davey < 333

This may not all be coherent because the most constructive thing I can say about him atm is very close to "alekkkajja" so deal with me here

He is autistic. And gay. Ryan kopel I owe you my soul for this

The first time he comes on stage it already looks pretty clear that he is extremely anxious socially, and as the show goes on it's literally obvious that this guy is autistic as hell

He is stimming for the entire show ??? Always fidgeting and doing something with his hands, little nervous gestures all the time, stuttering when he has to speak in front of people...

When I say stuttering, I mean it. At the beginning it's clearly because he is extremely anxious and doesn't want to speak up on front of the others, he is refraining himself from saying what he really thinks. But then it changes ! Character development !!! He starts stuttering because he is rephrasing what he wants to say so he can make it clear, not because he is afraid to speak up !

Also his character development as a whole is just so amazing. It's not just the way he gets more self-assured throughout the show, it's the way he is clearly becoming more comfortable with all the other newsies ! It's the way at the beginning he is standing very far from the other (literally the other end of the stage) because he doesn't want to be a part of the strike, and then he goes toward them, he comforts them. It's the way he goes from the scared guy who stutters all the way through the "you gave me nineteen" line, to the guy who has to speak up at the rally in front of all the others ! And it's so clear he does not want to do this, he would rather be anywhere else, but he still has the courage to do it ! I could go on for hours about this but the way he gains self-assurance is just. So interesting.

Obv I can't talk about this without talking about the watch what happens reprise. For me it was the moments where I could really see how much he had changed (and how autistic he was) because he is just so excited ! He is talking fast and loudly, he goes toward Jack, tries to establish physical contact with him ! He just got so comfortable around him, he feels free to behave like this with Jack ! Also plotwise this is really the best interpretation of this scene imo, because his excitement is SO contrasting with Jack's hopelessness and it makes the whole dialogue 100% more moving

Also the way his voice goes from "is that a real place ?" = excited bc Jack you're so talented - to "ohhh is that Santa Fe ?" = okay this is bad

Also "we. Are. Inevitable." *Ninja pose*

+ "tell me how quitting does Crutchie any good ?" "Exactly" in the most I-told-you-so singsong voice ever

Did I ever mention this boy is gay

The scene after Jacobi's ? That's gay flirting if I have ever seen it. "Why don't you come over ?- TO MEET MY FOLKS" yeah sure we believe that

"It's- it's good to have you back again" he is so bright and happy and it's just adorable to watch pls

Idk who cares about this but um. When they all get in the triangle to say their names during Seize the day. He says Davey. He doesn't say David. He calls himself Davey. I'm gonna need a moment to recover from this

Coming back to the "being comfortable around Jack" thing but !! The reaction to meeting the governor !!!! When Roosevelt's shakes Jack's hand Davey runs toward him excitedly and they both fangirl so hard like "bro did you see what just happened ???"

Okay one last thing and i'll stop but he is incredibly protective of Les. During Seize the day he is the one to drag him away from the fight instead of Jack and during the rally he is pulling Les behind him to prevent Jack from getting to him and that's honestly so heartbreaking because it also shows how deeply disgusted he is with Jack at this moment

Yes I'll stop now sorry but I love this Davey so much you don't even know

Katherine

I'm gonna be honest here, I never really liked Katherine. But Bronté's Kath ? I can and will die for her

She seems to be more aware of the situation. Like in Watch what happens and at Jacobi's she seems to actually understand what is at stake, maybe even more so than some of the boys

Also she is very responsible, during WWK she is on the aisles (right-hand side looking at the stage), taking notes about what the boys are doing ; and when she meets them at Jacobi's, instead of giving in to them turning her down and to Jack's flirting later on, she always tries to come back to the topic at hand= the strike. Imo this was very nice because it establishes her as an actual and serious reporter

Due to this it actually feels like she is very present in the show, because I think part of why I didn't like Katherine before was bc I felt as if she was established more as a plot device for Jack's love story than as an actual character (that's only my opinion tho). But here she really appears as a reporter who is essential to the strike, like a mix of Broadway!Kath and 92!Denton, which makes her whole arc so much more interesting imo

Sidenote but this essential role is also shown when she is the only one we see on stage looking at the banner at the end of Once and for all which is really cool

And she is so sassy ??? Like at Jacobi's she replies to the boy's insults in a very sarcastic tone, and during watch what happens she goes "a girl ? It's a girl ! Is that even legal ?" and mimics/mocks the attitude of the editors . Okay queen

"the guy painting places he has never seen is calling us crazy ?" is said to Davey instead of Jack

Also yeah "now would be a good time to shut up" I think a guy behind me gasped so yeah thanks queen

After the rally the emotion in her voice felt SO real and genuine. The way she proposes her plan to Jack feels like she is trying real hard to make up for not telling him everything, because she knows she has no excuse for it so now she can only try to do her best to make him forgive her. Also if I'm being honest, I never really liked Something to believe in as a song, but again, Michael and Bronté actually made me fall in love with it. Their voice were really intense - tho it was last sunday's show so I can't tell if this level of emotion with their voices almost breaking is and everytime thing or if Bronté was really losing it. Which, fair.

Moving on to Crutchie !

YES ??? This interpretation of Crutchie is just so different (in a really positive way)

Just to make it clear, I love AKB and I have nothing against his Crutchie. But after years of watching Crutchie be this little soft ball of sunshine who sometimes talks to Jack, this one really felt like he was finally allowed to express his full potential on stage

Because boy this Crutchie is loud. He is center stage. You can't miss him, he is always whistling, talking loudly, being noticed, you don't have a choice but to see him, you can't just not aknowledge him because he is right here and he makes you notice him

Also he is like. Essential to the narrative. Because he has a clear leadership role toward the other boys (telling them to run after Seize the day...). And his relationship with Jack is incredibly important here, from the beginning to the end it's them, Crutchie and Jack. That's established very clearly in the Prologue, but to me the most important scene to show this was the WWH reprise. Because Jack is so heartbroken and hopeless because of Crutchie. He is almost giving up because he's so genuinely scared for him. And don't even get me started on Jack's attitude when Pulitzer talks about Crutchie in the refuge bc my boy is this close to a breakdown

Also due to this Letter from the refuge hurts so much ?? He misses Jack and all the boys, and he clearly put the accent on telling Jack to take care of all the others ! To protect them !! He is in the refuge and all he wants his to know his friends are safe !

And his whole arc his so much darker in this ?? He is very aware of their situation, willing to buy the papers before the World will know and when Henry asks "at those prices ?" his answer is a very definitive "like we got a choice ?". And when he gets beat up after Seize the day he is actually pleading very loudly for the boys to come back for him and for Wiesel not to hit him. In Letter from the Refuge he actually seems to be in physical pain, and at the end when he gets back from the Refuge it's not just "yeah I got back that's nice" it's literally yes I went through hell and I came back. And oh boy his "may I ?" before cuffing Snyder and hitting him ? He's not joking around, he actually wants to make him pay for what he did

This is the Crutchie this fandom deserved and I would die for him thank you very much

And finally (yes I'm almost done I promise), Race !!!

Okay this is definitely my favorite Race

He has nothing to do with Ben's Race. If you ask me, he is much more like 92sies Race, though obviously not the same

He isn't just a goofy idiot joking around, he is really mature. He is one of the oldest and most mature newsies, and it shows, through the way he dresses and his attitude as a whole

Yes he still likes messing around, like in King of New York, but he is also very responsible toward the other newsies and is really shown as Jack's right-hand man, with many scenes where it's really obvious that he has a leadership role. E.g. at the beginning with his "Henry get down here", and during once and for all when he seems to be giving instructions to the newsies around the stage. Also he clearly cares a lot about them and wants to protect them so yeah overall a much more mature Race than what we got with Broadway

From what I saw he is still very close to Albert, and also to Specs ? Which makes sense because they are all among the oldest newsies. Finch also hangs out with them sometimes but less frequently

Also he is literally rough around the edges. He is actually ready to pick up a fight with the Delanceys at the beginning and oh boy don't get him stressed because then he is ready to lose it

Okay I really want to talk about his relationship with Davey because um. Race actively dislikes him for a solid half of the show (let's just assume no one likes Davey at the beginning okay). His "aren't we the hoi poloi ?" is actually mean. Maybe my take is entirely wrong, but imo the way Race sees it, Davey is just that priviledged guy who suddenly came in and has no idea what's at stake for most of the newsies, and he very strongly despises him for it. And at the beginning he is clearly not happy with Davey putting his guys in danger with the strike, which comes back to the idea of him being a leader and having to care for the younger newsies. Overprotective Race we stan

This changes after Seize the day tho, during Kony they actually seem to get closer and establish an intimate bond during the song

Also at some point (I think Seize the day ?) he gives Les a piggyback which is pretty cute

Okay I promise now I'm done ranting but this version of the show is actually amazing because the actors have an entirely different take from the Brodway show so it really feels like you're rediscovering it all over again

#also a few days ago i messaged ryan about autistic davey bc i had questions and um. he did not answer. i still have hope okay #anyway yeah i'll keep you guys updated on this #+ i also messaged josh barnett to say i loved his race and let me tell you he is the sweetest person i ever talked to #newsies #newsies uk #jack kelly #michael ahomka lindsay #david javobs #ryan kopel #katherine plumber #bronté barbé #crutchie morris #matthew duckett #racetrack higgings #josh barnett #leo's newsies analysis

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