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jotarothekidsmissyou · 2 years

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⁷/²⁹/²² ˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ ɴᴇᴠ ɴᴏᴛᴇ: ᴛʜᴀɴᴋꜱ ꜰᴏʀ ᴀʟʟ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴏꜱɪᴛɪᴠᴇ ꜰᴇᴇᴅʙᴀᴄᴋ ꜱɪɴᴄᴇ ᴍʏ ʀᴇᴛᴜʀɴ~! ɪᴛꜱ ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ ᴋᴇᴘᴛ ᴍᴇ ᴍᴏᴛɪᴠᴀᴛᴇᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ᴄᴏᴍɪɴɢ ᴜᴘ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ɪᴅᴇᴀꜱ. ɪ’ᴍ ᴛʜɪɴᴋɪɴɢ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴛᴀᴋɪɴɢ ɪɴ ʀᴇQᴜᴇꜱᴛ ꜱᴏᴏɴ,ꜱᴏ ʙᴇ ᴘʀᴇᴘᴀʀᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ꜰʟᴏᴏᴅ ᴍʏ ɪɴʙᴏx (ᴊᴋ..ᴘʟᴇᴀꜱᴇ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴍᴇʀᴄʏ ಥ‿ಥ).

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ ᴀɴɢꜱᴛ, ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ᴜᴘ ꜱᴇx, ʙɪᴛᴛᴇʀ ꜱᴡᴇᴇᴛ

The final straw to any marriage is signing off your signature on divorce papers. The act alone is excruciating. Where did all that love go? The importance of wedlock is sharing life that long commitment together. Wanting to awake up next to that specific person everyday; no matter if it rained or snowed. But how come that wasn’t you? Why couldn’t you and your ex husband be able to celebrate your 50th year anniversary. Showcasing to the world that love still exists…

The day in which the divorce papers arrived was too cruel. It hurt knowing the fact he kept is word and filed for divorce. But it was for the best..Jotaro was barely home; he’s duty has a tentative husband and father fell by the waistside. The two of you tried to work things out but happiness never seemed like an option. He said it was a better and safer option if you guys got a divorce..you never knew what he meant by that..

You still kept your last name, Kujo, for Jolyne’s sake. It was set as a reminder that even though the two of you weren’t married anymore, you both remained as parents to your daughter. It was the least you could do. Regardless with all the pain, you were still in loved with him. You cared about his well-being, even though the two of you parted ways. Sometimes you stayed awake wondering if he ate or had proper rest. Just because the two of you legally were divorced didn’t mean those feelings have to dissipate. He made sure you and Jolyne lived comfortably in Florida, anything you guys needed he was able to provide. No different from when you were married to him.

Once a month he came to visit for a week. Jolyne treated his return like a celebratory occasion. Finally being able to see him instead of hearing his voice over the phone. Just like you, she missed him fondly but made peace with her parents being separated. The two of you got along effectively despite everything, saying it was best to have a mutual companionship rather than being spiteful. All for Jolyne’s best interest..right?

It was around 12 PM and you were finishing with the final details around the house. This week was one of those weeks Jotaro came to visit, and fortunately for Jolyne, she only had a half a day at school. Which was the cherry on top to a fulfilling day. Her parents “together”, good food and souvenirs all awaited her once she came home. The middle schooler had a pep in her step as she walked to the bus stop. You couldn’t help but to smile warmly at your daughter, relishing in the fact that she was happy. If she was happy you were happy, that’s all that matters, right?

Jotaro was supposed to arrive by 3pm, but by the doorbell ringing and no packages being delivered today, you knew it was him. You felt unprepared, you haven’t started making dinner, nor were you properly dressed to be in the presence of your ex. For a split second you paused like a deer in headlights questioning yourself, “Should I go answer the door?” For the second time the doorbell rang, and you immediately ran into the opposite direction where the door was. He wasn’t supposed to be here this early, nevertheless, you had to look your best. In the back of your head you felt stupid for doing this, what you already had on was appropriate. But something about being alone with your former lover frightens you. Majority of the time it was you, Jolyne and Jotaro whenever he visited, there weren’t many moments the two of you were alone. And if they did occur, the two of you would engage in small talk.

Similar to horror movies the door creaked open revealing a tall figure. At your eye level you stared at Jotaro’s chest, causing you to blush terribly once you met his gaze.

“H-Hey,” You muttered. You think after all these years of knowing Jotaro you’d get used to speaking to him. But alas here you were, stuttering like a fool at his beauty.

“Hey..may I come in? I brought gifts,” In his right hand he held up two gift bags, ones in which Jolyne anticipated for. You moved to the side in a scurry inviting him into your home. As you turned your back to him you mentally gathered yourself, not wanting to make things more awkward.

“Sorry I haven’t started making dinner. Is there anything I could get you?” You asked, setting your eyes on the kitchen to avoid his gaze.

“I’m fine and besides I came a little early than expected,”

“Yeah,”

And there it was, that awkward silence. Was it going to continuously be like this until Jolyne came home?? You couldn’t bear a second longer of this. This whole ordeal wanted you to scratch out your eyeballs. You were alone with your ex whom you still had feelings for. Thus making your emotions run high.

“You know..one of these gifts are actually for you,” He said pointing at one of the gifts, breaking the silence. For the first time since he’s been in the house you had the courage to look at him. Your heart pumped hard in your chest, as you felt it in your ears. Those eyes of his were the perfect mixture of blue and green causing you to look deeper. You were like a sailor lost in sea, dehydrated, thirsting for water. How your quivering lips begged for a droplet of non salted water in the scorching heat. You felt as though you’re going to collapse, due to you neglecting your body‘s needs. That’s what it’s like whenever you looked over at him..

“Thanks I’ll open it soon,” It was one thing looking at him but it was a whole different story when you were standing next to him. You tried to not sound ungrateful, but considering how fast your heart was beating, you kept your distance. He wasn’t yours anymore..so why were feeling like this?

“Come here Y/n,” He called out to you desperately. Pretending you didn’t hear him you grabbed a knife and started cutting up vegetables. Each slice you cut it made a loud noise against the cutting board, drowning it any background noise.

“Please,” Jotaro called out once more. Repeatedly shaking your head no you bit your lower lip. All these emotions you kept sealed away were starting to unravel. You hated it. You hated how he arrived early to see you, you hated how he brought you something, you hated how he acted as though you two never gotten a divorce! But what upset you the most was..you were still madly in love with him.

Your vision stared to blur because of the tears your eyes were gathering up. Mentally you cursed at yourself for not distracting yourself fully as you felt the knife being no longer in your grasp.

Jotaro placed his hand abdomen rubbing little circles to soothe you. Back when you two were married he would caress you like this to ease your stress. A gentle moment you both shared.

“I still love you,” You whispered with tears staining you cheeks.

“I still love you too,” He instantly replied kissing down your neck. “Let me make it up to you,”

Once the lock to your bedroom door was heard, you both clung on to each other. Holding the back of your head Jotaro smashed his lips hungrily to yours. Intertwining your tongue with his, neither of you fought for dominance. But rather, to savor each other with the little time you had. Out of breath, a thick string of saliva connected the both of you. As it resembled the bond forever linking the two of you as one.

“Do you think we have enough time?” Jotaro painted, hinting at Jolyne’s early arrival.

“Yeah, we just have to make it quick,”

From the pocket of his pants he pulled out a condom. Thinking it was best to avoid little slip ups that could possibly put you both in an unexplainable predicament. However, you on the other hand thought otherwise. If you were going to have sex with him, and possibly for the last time, it had to be all or nothing.

“Im on the pill and besides I haven’t been with anyone but you,” You stated, implying for him to fuck you raw. His face softened and threw the rubber elsewhere.

“I haven’t either,” Jotaro aligned his pink tip at your entrance, opening your legs as far as they could possibly stretch. With one last kiss Jotaro entered inside you, stretching your aching walls to capacity. Your face twisted in a combination of pain and pleasure. Definitely this wasn’t your first time but it has been a while since you’ve taken his cock entirely. It burned, but it felt too good to tell him to pull out. Getting used to the feeling both of you stayed in that position, moaning in each other’s mouth, finally being reunited. Knowing your habit of squirming he pinned your hands above your head. You felt small underneath his massive body as he can do whatever he pleases with you. However, that wasn’t the mood he was trying to set. Jotaro wanted to make love to you, an apology for all the times he’s disappointed you.

Jotaro moved in and out, setting a slow pace. A couple of thrust in, and your thighs were already shaky, you felt every inch of him. Your cunt tightly swallowed him whole as he penetrated you balls deep. Your nipples harden against his grinding body, sending you into pure ecstasy. Jotaro didn’t change his pace, he just kept things nice and slow, while leaving love marks.

“I’m sorry,” He whispered, sucking your upper neck. “You hate me don’t you?”

“I do,” You moaned, wrapping your legs around his waist. The new position pushed him even deeper causing him to let go of your small wrist.

“Shit,” He hissed.

Now that he had all his strength and wasn’t multitasking, Jotaro could begin to really fuck how he wanted. The skin of slapping echoed in the room as he had you in a new position. You sat up between his legs enduring all the times he thrust his hips to yours. You bounced up and down his length whimpering at the praise he was murmuring.

“Be a good girl and look at me with those pretty eyes,” He suggested tracing his finger over your stomach bulge.

“I’m so close~” You whined.

“Me too,” Holding onto your hips, Jotaro quickened his pace. For the life of you, you held on, begging for him to cum inside you. And so he did. The orgasm hit you like a train. It was so intense. Jotaro cum filled you up even more causing some to drip down your thigh. After calming down from his high, Jotaro ran a bath, which he typically does whenever he’s intimate with you. You leaned back against his chest and enjoyed his company along with the warm water. Neither of you asked what this was, it was all too complicated.

“I’m so exhausted--“ Jotaro sighed before his eyes damn near popped out their sockets.

“IMM HOMEEEE!” Blurted out Jolyne’s as she busted through the front door.

“I’ll order a pizza,”

“And I’ll go greet her,”

#jotaro kujo #jjba #jotaro x reader #jotaro x reader smut #jjba x reader #jojo bizarre adventure #jotaro imagine #jotaro x y/n #jotarosmut #jjbathirst #jjba x y/n #jjba x reader smut #jojonotsfw #jojobizarreadventuresmut #minors dni

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buttherainbowhadabeard · 5 months

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Unpopular Opinion: David Tennant Should Never Have Returned To Doctor Who

When a teary eyed David Tennant as The Doctor uttered the words “I don’t want to go” in his 2010 generation scene, it was a heartbreaking moment for fans. Saying goodbye to such a universally loved incarnation would be hard, but this was Doctor Who. Change was inevitable, and often, exciting.

So when the BBC announced that Tennant would be returning to the iconic role 15 years on, as part of a series of 60th anniversary specials, I was sceptical.

It looked like I was the only one though, as the internet erupted with anticipation and jubilation. I, however, thought the 14th Doctor reveal was a huge distraction that disrespected both the outgoing and the incoming actors.

Don’t get me wrong, Tennant is one of my favourite modern Doctor’s. His mid 2000s run as the 10th Doctor was funny, frightening, heartfelt and unforgettable. He had some of the best companions and villains, and some of the smartest and most compelling stories. But all good things come to an end, and now his emotional first exit felt a bit hollow.

His return really took the shine off Jodie Whittaker’s finale. Yes, her years as the 13th Doctor were responsible for some of the worst Doctor Who storylines in recent memory. But this was hardly her fault, and instead of enjoying her last moments as The Doctor and reflecting on the good bits (the first female Doctor in the show’s history), fans were shouting at their screens for her to hurry up and regenerate so their favourite could return. It was almost like the show was doing a reset and hoping we’d forget about her.

It also meant that the now 15th Doctor (Ncuti Gawta, the first gay, black Doctor in the show’s history) had to wait a little longer to make his debut, which seemed on-the-nose too.

The BBC were making it crystal clear who they thought their most popular Doctor was. Tennant has had more screen time than any other modern era Doctor, and now he’s the only one still alive and kicking post regeneration across all eras. Haven’t they ever heard of 'jumping the shark' or having too much of a good thing?!

He had four consecutive seasons from 2005-2008, with a fake regeneration at the end of Series 4 that saw him get cloned and live happily ever after with Rose Tyler on parallel earth. From 2008-2010 he travelled sans companion in a series of specials, before reluctantly regenerating into Matt Smith. In 2013, he made an appearance alongside Smith in the 50th anniversary special.

And now in 2023, he’s done three extra episodes alongside Catherine Tate reprising her role as his much loved Series 4 companion Donna Noble. These specials ended with him bi-generating (one Tennant Doctor, one Gatwa Doctor - don’t ask!) and continuing on as The Doctor, complete with his own TARDIS. He will, he says, stay put on earth to let Gatwa go off and have his own adventures. How generous of him!

Firstly, Tennant’s latest run didn’t feel like a 60th anniversary either. Instead it felt like a very late follow up and conclusion (or even an alternative ending) to Series 4, so the opportunity to include other cameos and celebrate the show’s rich history was lost.

In ‘The Star Beast’, the monstrous Meep really just provided a reason for The Doctor to see Donna again. In ‘Wild Blue Yonder’, The Doctor and Donna fought creepy doppelgängers of themselves (again, talk about self-indulgent!), and in ‘The Giggle’, Neil Patrick Harris’ promising Celestial Toymaker did little more than put on a funny accent and do a funny dance.

Sure, it had some fun and heartfelt moments. I'm glad the DoctorDonna Human-Time Lord metacrisis has been resolved. The Doctor's tender moments with Donna were nice. His two redheaded companions (Donna and Mel) holding his hands as he "regenerated" was touching. Even Tennant and Gatwa's interactions were surprisingly sweet. However, the whole jaunt just felt like an excuse to reunite Tennant and Tate and capitalise on their lingering popularity. Which leads me to my second point…

No other actor has been able to continue on as The Doctor, so the fact that this is the first exception to the rule shows that the studio is very obviously playing favourites. They are keeping Tennant’s sprightly sneaker wearing, pin stripe suited spaceman up their sleeves to roll out whenever they please. If the ratings plummet, the can bring Tennant back. If the fans want it, they can bring Tennant back. If Tennant wants it, they can bring Tennant back. Does anyone else smell a spin-off?

Thirdly, I don’t buy the idea that The Doctor can be - and wants to be - domesticated at all. Despite everyone telling him that he needs to stop and slow down, he has never once done so. In every incarnation, he/she is an energetic, chaotic and forever on-the-go entity that can’t stand waiting or having to sit idly by.

So, all of a sudden we're expected to believe that he’s going to stay with Donna and her family and just hang out on earth like a regular human? I doubt it. He even said it himself to Rose in Season 2, when trying to justify why he can’t settle down. "You can spend the rest of your life with me. But I can't spend the rest of mine with you." If bi-generation had have happened to Peter Capaldi’s 12th Doctor, I might have accepted it better because he said he wanted to rest. It would’ve made more sense there.

And lastly, but probably most importantly, everyone loves a bit of nostalgia, but bringing beloved characters back from the dead to get ratings up again isn’t a good enough reason. In reality, it just reeks of lazy writing or a lack of creativity, and in turn, a lack of closure. The whole point and poignancy of a show like Doctor Who is that The Doctor must change and move on, as we, the audience, have to move on.

When someone plays The Doctor, they do it for a limited time but they leave a lasting legacy. Having Tennant on standby undermines that. I want the writers to invest in their new actors and have faith in their new adventures instead of having earlier models waiting in the wings.

So for me, the best thing about these three specials and the finale wasn’t that Tennant didn't have to say goodbye this time. It was that Gatwa finally got to say hello...

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atopfourthwall · 1 year

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Getting caught up on Dr Who (hadn't watched anything since the 50th anniversary special) and I was curious for your thoughts on Heaven Sent and Hell Bent.

Heaven Sent is amazing! Moffat at the top of his game and one of my favorite type of stories - the mystery that makes no sense. The journey is incredible, great pay-off and the music some of Murray Gold's best. The Doctor telling the story of how many seconds in eternity is awe-inspiring, a motivating reminder to persevere even when things seem hopeless or at their lowest. It's scary and hopeful and I in fact have "How Are You Going to WIN?" on my whiteboard right now. I'll rewatch it any time. Hell Bent is garbage! Wasting multiple plot threads on a mediocre, nonsensical conclusion to the plotline about Gallifrey being lost AND the Hybrid thing. It introduces a bunch of headscratching nonsense and lore to the Doctor's past and continues the trend of making the Time Lords pathetic and weak compared to how super-duper-awesome-amazing the Doctor is and makes him obsessed with saving Clara above all else to the point of trying to screw with time even though he has espoused on how wrong it is multiple times, not just in Classic Who but New Who and feels really insulting given everyone else who he could have done this for but chose her for no good reason. It continues some of Moffat's worst writing tendencies, caring more about showing how clever and cool the Doctor is and throwing in stuff that's supposedly cool and neat fanservice but really doesn't make any sense the more you think about it. Any good parts of it are buried in the nonsense and I never want to revisit it, continuing a trend that Moffat had for a couple stories where he has great lead-ins to the finale, but the actual finale was massively disappointing (breaking only with 12's actual finale, but it seems plenty dislike Twice Upon a Time [I personally like it] and probably view that as the true finale and thus the actual season finale "The Doctor Falls" would be its superior lead-in). Also, "What if the hybrid isn't one person, but two?" is one of the dumbest lines of dialogue ever BECAUSE THEN IT'S NOT A HYBRID.

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hit-song-showdown · 1 year

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Year-End Poll #24: 1973

[Image description: a collage of photos of the 10 musicians and musical groups featured in this poll. In order from left to right, top to bottom: Tony Orlando and Dawn, Jim Croce, Roberta Flack, Marvin Gaye, Paul McCartney and Wings Kris Kristofferson, Elton John, Billy Preston, Carly Simon, Diana Ross. End description]

More information about this blog here

*Turns my chair around so I can sit in it backwards*

So. You were just caught trying to cover up a major break-in into the Democratic National Committee headquarters in order to cement your reelection.

As I alluded to last poll, one major historical event I need to mention is the Watergate scandal. The actual break-in took place the previous year, but the resulting investigations and trials won't start to take place until this year -- after Nixon's reelection. However, there aren't many songs about the incident from this time, or at least not in the charts. Most of the songs protesting Nixon tended to focus on the war.

Speaking of the Vietnam War, 1973 does not mark the end of the war, but it does mark the beginning of the United States' exit. To bring it back to the music, one of the 60's polls included the Monkees' Last Train to Clarksville, a song that wasn't explicitly written about the war, but had the war projected onto it because it's a song about someone leaving home and not knowing when they're coming back. It seems fitting that one of the songs on today's poll is Tony Orlando and Dawn's Tie a Yellow Ribbon[...], a song that wasn't explicitly written about the war, but had the war projected onto it because it's a song about someone coming home and not knowing what his welcome will look like.

Soul music is continuing to have one of its golden ages, with artists like Roberta Flack and Marvin Gaye topping the charts. It's been a while since I talked about Billboard from the business side of things, but the explosion of this genre gives me a good excuse to do so. In 1973, the Billboard chart for R&B songs was changed from "Best Selling Soul Singles" to "Hot Soul Singles". This change may not sound that significant, but it becomes more notable when you see how often this title changes. This article goes more into depth about Billboard's complicated history when it comes to its representation of Black music.

Which reminds me, it's time to start talking about disco. It will reach the polls soon, I promise, but now feels like a good time to set the scene before we get to that point. As I mentioned in a previous poll, the disco scene really came out of soul. Especially Philly Soul, which had lush instrumentation that worked really well with the overall atmosphere of early disco. At this point in history, disco is still an underground subculture, and musically the line between it and soul music isn't that clear. Disco as its own genre of music that could be identified as such by the average listener will come later.

I don't usually talk about the formation of genres until they reach the charts, but I'm going to make an exception here. Because 2023 is the 50th anniversary of this genre, the genre has grown into a dominating musical force across the globe, and it's the only genre I actually studied in college.

In 1973, a Jamaican-American teenager named Clive Campbell (more widely known as DJ Kool Herc) and his sister, Cindy, started hosting parties out of their apartment in The Bronx, New York. These parties would play a lot of funk records, but he wouldn't just play them. Instead, he would play two copies of the same record on a turntable so he could extend the percussion section of the song, also called the break (which is where breakdancing comes from). This would lay the foundation for hip-hop, further expanded by artists like Grandmaster Flash and Afrika Bambaataa. All three of these men are still alive and I've linked interviews with some of them.

Hip-hop and rap are often used interchangeably, but there is a difference. Hip-hop exists both as a subculture and as a style of music. It incorporates art forms such as DJing, breakdancing, graffiti, beatboxing, rapping, and many other elements. That's why I said DJ Kool Herc helped set the foundation of hip-hop. Within early hip-hop culture, the MC was mostly there to bounce off of the DJ and keep the energy up. That isn't to discredit the difficult work of early MCs (trust me, if you were bad at it, the audience would let you know). Rap itself as an art from has a plethora of different artistic roots in Black culture, from scat singing in jazz, to various traditional West African storytelling techniques, to early 20th century gospel groups, to rhyme games, to Black radio DJs. The genre started to get more notice outside of the party scene as wordplay and flows started to expand further, especially as the first hip-hop groups started to form and the MCs became part of the "band". Like disco, hip-hop was still very much an underground subculture, but it would soon take over the nation.

It will be another 17 years before the first rap song reaches number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (Vanilla Ice's Ice Ice Baby). We won't see a rap song featured on these polls until 1995. But it's hip-hop's 50th birthday, and so much of modern American culture doesn't make sense without its involvement.

#billboard poll #billboard music #tumblr poll #1970s #1970s music #1973 #tony orlando and dawn #jim croce #roberta flack #marvin gaye #paul mccartney #wings #kris kristofferson #elton john #carly simon #diana ross #billy preston

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infintiandbeyond · 1 year

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Marigolds don’t taste like honey || Bakugou x GN!Reader

Prompt: Reader catches hanahaki disease for Bakugou. Will he figure it out before it's too late?

This is my first real completed fanfiction work. Please be nice. I tried to make this gender neutral and non discriminate so everyone can enjoy. Constructive criticism is welcomed. No beta so if there are mistakes please let me know. Thank you and enjoy.

Warning: Angst, happy ending, mentions of blood, near death experiences, self-sacrificing behavior, oblivious boys, tears and cursing.

Word count : 5.5k

Read this on AO3 as well

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You and Katsuki had been friends for exactly 7 years, 11 months and 29 days.

You were on the verge of spending 8 years by the side of the rudest, self-centered, egotistical megalomaniac and could not think of any other way you would have rather spent your time. Because no matter how much Katsuki pushes your buttons, it's hard to hate the love of your life. And it’s moments like today that make you realize just how gone you are for your best friend.

You glanced around at the pieces of marigolds scattered around and the splotches of blood that stained your favorite Dynamight graphic tee as you gaze at the last few moments of the sunrise over the horizon. You reached your hand up and brushed against the trunk of the tree that had been here for years. Childish scratches had been carved into the trunk.

Katsuki + (Y/n)

Well…at least he won’t be alone. You looked at the brightening sky one last time and whispered your final goodbye as the heaviness in your body finally caught up with you, closing your eyes to the sound of firecrackers in the distance.

___________

A day ago…

“Mina, I really don't think this is a good idea.” You threw yourself onto the bed inside your apartment, suppressing the urge to hide inside the closet and never see the light of day again.

“(Y/n), think how romantic it would be for you to confess to Bakugou on the anniversary of the day you guys became friends. I can't think of a more adorable get together story.” you could hear Mina swooning over the phone at the thought of how picturesque that moment would be in theory. However, in reality, that is probably the furthest thing from the truth that could happen.

“You mean how suicidal it would be to confess to an emotionally constipated man that could kill me without a second thought,” you moaned in frustrastion. “We’ve been friends for forever and I would hate to ruin the years of trust built into that bond over a stupid crush.”

You got off the bed and started to head to the small kitchen down the hall for a glass of water. They could feel the start of a sore throat beginning, maybe karaoke night with Mina and Denki wasn’t the best idea in hindsight.

“But it isn’t stupid, you won’t ever know if those feelings are reciprocated if you never give it the chance.” Mina was a sweetheart, really, but when it came to matters of the heart, her approach tended to lean more towards the hopeless romantic side of things. You could tell she meant well and maybe she was right, Kats might feel the same way.

Or he could hate her for even suggesting such a thing. Honestly there is a 50/50 chance here.

“Maybe you’re right Mina, I'll go see if he wants to hangout after patrol next week and maybe I will have the courage to confess by then.” You continued to take some more sips of your water. Geez, I might have to grab some cough drops. The tickle in your throat seemed to get a little worse with the addition of the water. you feel the phone vibrate on your face, indicating an incoming message.

BoomBoomBoy:

Hey idiot, I left my lunch in my fridge so I have to order takeout. I’m getting some curry from the place on 50th, and I don’t want to hear your fucking complaining about how I ate it without you. Meet me in my office in an hour.

“Speaking of the devil, he just demanded I spend his lunch with him so I gotta head to the office now. Maybe I'll be able to ask him to -” You began to cough very hard, as if there was something stuck in the back of your throat. “Sorry Mina, I think I'm coming down with something, but I am going to start getting ready now.”

“No problem, I hope you feel better, and remember even if he says no, there's still a place for you in my heart.” you loved Mina, truly. They hung up the phone and left to get ready to eat lunch with Bakugou, not noticing the three flower petals lying precariously next to the glass of water.

___________

At the office…

You march your way into the building, past the receptionist and into the elevator that was specifically reserved for Midoriya and Katsuki. You pressed the button for the top floor. As the numbers on the screen begin the increase, signaling your ascent to his office, you couldn’t help but feel a heaviness weighing in your stomach. This is the kind of confession that could change the course of your life. You and Katsuki had been friends for so long and much of your lives were ingrained with each other’s presence. Movie and dinner nights when he was free from patrol, quick lunch outings when he couldn’t get away from the office, quiet brunches at the coffee shop when you were having trouble sleeping or when work got too stressful. He was a pillar in your life that you didn’t think you could afford to lose.

The elevator rang, notifying you that you had finally made it to your desitination. You walk briskly down the hall to your left, hoping to not lose your nerve. As you get closer to Katsuki’s office you can hear the gruff rumbles of his voice through the walls.

“Of course I don’t know what to fucking do Shitty Hair, i’ve never been great at this type of shit.” Bakugou sounded very frustrated with the topic of conversation. You start to slightly open the door, aiming to signal your entrance, just in case this was a sensitive topic. However, before you could peep your head around, the next words that tumbled from his math stopped you in your tracks.

“You know it’s not that fucking simple, dumbass. I can’t just tell them how I fucking feel. I think I might actually love them- No, I know I fucking love the shit out of them and I can’t do anything about it.” There was a slight pause where you assumed Kirishima was answering him. “FUCKING FINE!” He lowered his tone, “I’ll talk to them tonight about it and see, but if this shit doesn’t work and I lose her, you're gonna wish I had killed your ass.” His voice had sounded more serious than you had ever heard him before. Even more than when he had declared that he would stop at nothing to be Number One.

I felt something drop on your hand, and looked down. Water was dripping from your hand. You quickly touched your face…no that wasn't water. You had started to shed tears and didn’t realize it. You released the door like it was on fire and ran to the nearest restroom.

Katsuki is in love…

You grasp at the edges of the sink as you try to coach yourself to breathe. You glanced up at the mirror and grimaced at the puffiness of your face and the redness of your eyes. Grabbing some paper towels you start to wipe your face with some cold water to try and salvage your demeanor before you have to go back. As you finally get cleaned up and start fixing yourself to head back out the door, a sudden wave of dizziness starts to overtake you. You lean over the sink and begin to hack and cough as if something was lodged within the back of your throat. Little splatters of blood began to cover the white porcelain sink and you watched yourself in horror as little by little, bunches of yellow petals began to litter the rest of the sink. When you had finally finished with your coughing fit, you looked at the sick. In utter despair you fell to your knees at the sight of 3 rather large marigold flowers on top of the pile of petals.

Katsuki is in love… and it's going to fucking kill me.

___________

You finally were able to manage and get yourself together enough to exit the bathroom. Bless whoever has to clean up that mess. You shakily made your way to the frosted glass door labeled: DYNAMIGHT. You slowly knock on the door, interrupting Katsuki’s current conversation.

“I ALREADY TOLD YOU FUCKING EXTRAS THAT IM TAKING MY LUNCH AND TO LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE!” his voice bellowed throughout the hallway, bouncing off the walls. You opened the door anyway and peeked your head in the door. Bakugou sat upright at his desk and hurriedly hung up the phone, not even bothering to tell Kirishima goodbye. You resist the urge to not feel offended as he laid his eyes on you. His features visibly softened as he recognized who had knocked on his door and graced you with a wide and vicious smirk.

“Hey shortcake, what took you so fucking long?” To an untrained eye, he looked as if he had been waiting for you to come this entire time. But you could tell, outside of walking in on his earlier discussion, the slight sheen on his forehead, the rhythmic tapping of his fingers on his desk and the shakiness behind his shit-eating smirk very much signaled that he was nervous about something and DID NOT want to talk about it. Your heart thumped loudly in your chest.

“Hey Firecracker, what are you up to?” You secretly hoped that he would clear up the fog of confusion in your brain. You’re his best friend, he told you everything. The day that he thought about leaving Endeavor’s agency and starting his own, he spent the night with you planning out everything to get started. The nightmares he had about the LOV, were comforted by you. You were there for everything, and as much as it would pain you, there’s no way you wouldn’t be there for this.

“Absolutely nothing, just dealing with some goddamn PR nightmare. Some dumb shit about my image not being too great.” Your heart dropped. He had lied to you. He lied to you. He LIED to you. Katsuki is in love with some women and didn’t even plan to tell me about it. Your shaky smile dropped fiercely, but you quickly recovered and attempted to give another smile but only managed a bleak grimace. Bakugo, mistaking that look as a response to his answer, gestured for you to come and sit at his desk with him. His usual client chair was replaced with a comfortable armchair in anticipation of your visit. He knew that the chair was unbearingly uncomfortable on purpose to make his clients uneasy in his presence but switches it out for something more comfortable when you visit him.

“Come sit the hell down shortstack.” He had also taken to calling you aggressively affectionate names after a small incident in which you yelled at him that calling you a ‘dumbass idiot’ all the time wasn’t the most friendly experience. Thus these ‘sweet’ insults were formed.

You walked your way over to his desk, why he had it at the absolute other end of the room still astounded you but you’re starting to believe everything about his office was an intimidation tactic. Usually it doesn't bother you but after the events that just occurred, it starts to nip at your nerves, leaving you a little unsteady. Once you had made it to your designated chair, you were shocked to see that in place of the mediocre curry that you were expecting from Mrs Lee’s cute little curry shop down the street, Katsuki had placed you very beautifully made bento boxes on his desk. The smell of his signature curry wafts up your nose and you look at him in confusion. He gave a slight smile in response.

“You really think I’d feed you shit that wasn’t the best, huh?” He raised his eyebrow in question. “You know know my food is the fucking best, and I don’t settle for anything less than perfection.” And while those words would usually send your heart soaring at the gesture that is so unapologetically Katsuki Bakugou, you couldn’t help but feel a faint pang in your heart at those words and you feel your throat start to close up just a bit. You gave a strained smile back at him. “Damn Kats, you didn’t have to do that. How am I supposed to hold up my end of this friendship if you’re always trying to one up me?”

“You’re not. I’m the fucking best.You can’t compete with me.” He looked at you proudly, as if he was pleased that he could do shit like this and leave you feeling swept off your feet. You sat down in your chair, feeling a little lighter than when you came in. You both began to quietly dig in, but you could still feel the nervous energy radiating off him in waves. You glanced up at him and noticed that he was already staring right at you.

You blinked at him, “Suki are you okay?” you gently grabbed the hand that was still tapping away at the edge of the desk. That was the name reserved for the softest of moments, when he knows you're genuinely concerned.

He blinked back, shaking his head and gave you back a shaky smirk. “Yeah, just going through a lot of shit at work, but we’re not here to talk about that bullshit. We’re here to enjoy a nice lunch by yours truly. So don’t worry your pretty little head, ya little ankle biter.” He ruffled the hair on top of your head. You swatted his hand away, and he gave a deep chuckle as you attempted to readjust your hair back to its original state. You spent a lot of time looking presentable… not that you’d be able to do what you planned to do anyways.

“I got a couple of things to do after work today but I’m coming over tonight.” Bakugou had a way of inserting himself in your life without asking but knew when he was welcomed. You were sad. Would he go confess his love tonight and tell you in the aftermath? Am I the asshole if I tell him to fuck off? You shook the thoughts away. “Okay, i’ll pick out some movies then.” You hate your life sometimes.

“Not any of that psychological thriller shit either, can’t get a good night's sleep after that.” He frowned at the thought.

“All Might’s new documentary is out.” You suggested, knowing that he couldn’t resist seeing his hero. His eyes lit up. “Now you’re talking, tiny.” You finished your lunch in companionable silence.

___________

Home…

Once you made it through your apartment door, you raced to the toilet. The next several hours were spent in a pattern of throwing up bloody golden petals and researching the hell out of what you hoped you weren’t experiencing. You stared at your phone.

WebMD

Hanahaki Disease (花吐き病) : a disease in which the patient coughs up flower petals when they suffer from a one-sided love. It can end when the object of thier affections returns thier affections (romantic love only; strong friendship is not enough), or when the victim dies. It may be cured through surgical removal, but with the infection goes all romantic feelings for thier beloved.

No.Fucking.Way.

What the hell does WebMD know? I need a medical professional, because I can’t possibly be going through the dumbest shit in history. You call up Recovery Girl, having gained a more personal relationship with her during your time in UA. She was able to make some room for you in her schedule.

When you made it to her office, she was already set up and waiting for you. You made your way over to the medical bed and began to explain what was going on as she checked your vitals. When you mentioned the pile of petals that began to appear seemingly overnight, she looked at you with a horror stricken appearance. It did not look comforting. She confirmed your self-diagnosis, it was Hanahaki and you were in the final stages.

“Oh dearie,” she paused with a heavy sigh, “I can have you scheduled for the surgery in three days. You’d have to avoid whoever it is until then, or risk furthering your condition even more, and considering you’re in the final stages already you’d be facing a fatal end.” She hung her head and placed a hand on your shoulder. “Everything will be oka-

“I don’t want the surgery.” You said it before thinking, but you were sure about your decision. Losing feelings for Katsuki, means losing everything they had built over the past almost eight years. They’ve been through so much together and you’d be damn to have to lose it all now. You looked at her in a false determination. “I’m going to talk to him. There’s gotta be something we can do. I refuse to take the easy way out here.”

She tried to stop you as you began to collect all your things and head to the door. “But dear, if you confess and he doesn’t return those affections then you could die.” She looked as if the room might collapse on her at any moment. She had grown fond of you in the past few years you’ve known each other and would hate to see you risk your life. You shook your head and walked out the door, missing the small tear that ran down Recovery Girl’s face.

“Young Mr. Bakugou better realize his feelings for them before it's too late.”

___________

As you pulled back into your apartment complex, the panic and reality of the situation had started to settle in your mind. You began to hyperventilate. How the hell are you going to save yourself and your friendship? Can I really hope for the best and confess? Even if I don’t, I still have to explain the gravity of the situation. Would it be delusional to hope that maybe Kat’s mystery girl was me? You started to feel a little hope in the pit of despair you call your heart.

You were greeted on your own front door steps by the man in question. Katsuki Bakugou stood firmly in front of your door with bags in his arms, irritation on his face and knuckles poised to knock fiercely again. “OPEN THE DAMN DOOR, (Y/N)! I KNOW YOU HEAR ME FUCKING CALLING YOU.”

You rushed to his side and grabbed his hand, nerves sparking at the touch. “Don’t burn my door down, you damn spitfire. I just went out real quick. Geez, you’re so impatient.” You open the door to let you both in, he makes his way straight to the kitchen. Placing his overnight bag by your door and the snacks he bought in the living room. Throwing his jacket on the coat rack, he made himself at home on your couch, scrolling to the All Might Documentary scheduled to come on.

“You know I hate waiting, it's not like I was worried about your ass or anything.” What you didn’t manage to catch was the small blush on his upper cheeks at his behavior as he faced away from you and fiddled with the TV remote.

Once you go and get comfortable, you make your way onto the couch right beside him. This was a common occurrence between the two of you. Days when you both were free from responsibilities and work, you’d cuddle up on the couch and binge whatever TV trash was on today while sipping on some handmade cocktail Katsuki had made for the two of you. They were always good and ALWAYS strong. It was a nice distraction from the woes of everyday life, which was particularly helpful on days like today.

Before you were even aware, you’d both fallen into easy conversation, drinks were flowing and it had begun to reach further into the night before you had gained the confidence to finally have a conversation with him. You both stared at each other, a moment of silence had passed, and then you both opened your mouth.

“I need to talk-”

“I have a question-”

You both stopped and blushed in embarrassment at the moment. You swallowed your nerves and let him go first.

“So (y/n),” he never really says your given name unless it's urgent. He swallows hard. “There’s been something that i’ve been meanin to talk to ya about. I’m not really sure how you’ll take it but it’s important that you understand that I would never want to hurt ya, and your friendship means the absolute fucking world to me.” He gets a little choked up. “Um..there’s this girl ya see… and i kinda like the little shit but i’ve just been uh… a little too distracted to talk to her. It’s not because I'm nervous or any dumb shit like that… just a little overwhelmed with some things. But tonight is the night im gonna tell ‘er.” He was breathing a little too heavy as if these were dying words. “(Y/n), I really fucking like - no im in love with-”. His dialogue was discontinued by a loud ringing sound coming from his phone. He looked really frustrated at the interruption. He picked up his phone and glanced at the caller. You were only able to glean the name from the top of the phone before you swiped right on the caller and looked at you - Round Cheeks.

“Sorry, (y/n) - fuck, i really need to take this right now. Just hold on a sec.” He raced to the spare room and closed the door.

You sat on the couch frozen. You weren’t sure how to feel. You were almost sure you had a chance at this, but from what it sounds like…you’ve been friendzoned pretty hard. For fucking Uraraka. You could hear your heart beating in your ears. The blood rushing to your face at the utter embarrassment you would’ve just made of yourself had you confess your feelings for this man. This man who valued you as a friend, and apparently nothing more. Your chest started to feel constricted. Your airways are closing. You were overcome with several emotions all at once. Anger, jealousy, despair and of course… fear. You were gonna die unless you got that surgery.

He exited the bedroom, looking very relieved and almost… happy. You guess the phone call went well. He walked in big strides to your side and grabbed your hands. They were sweaty like always, it was one of the things you had always liked about him, no matter how self-conscious it made him. You both stared into each other's eyes. You could feel the oncoming signs of another floral arrangement, and if he said those fatal words to you, you didn’t know if you’d be able to take it. He started to open his mouth again, but before he could finish his thought, you stopped him in his tracks.

“Hey Katsuki, i don’t think i’m feeling too well. Could we maybe raincheck for another day. I think i’m going to be sick.” You start to clean up the snack wrappers from the living room. He immediately looked concern.

“If you’re feeling sick, munchkin, then let me help ya.” He started to walk away to maybe make some soup or grab medicine like he always does, but that’s not what you wanted. You wanted him to go.

“No, Katsuki, I think I'm all good here by myself. I’ll just go to the doctor’s tomorrow.” You hated turning him away, but it was for both of your own goods.

“What the hell is up with ya, shorty?” He was starting to get frustrated. Why won’t you let him help? “Just let me take care of ya.” He walked over to your side where your back was turned towards him. He grabs your arm and turns you around. You were crying.

“NO, BAKUGOU! I'M GOOD JUST LEAVE!” You shrugged his hands off you and headed towards the door. He was just making this harder for you, why couldn’t he just understand. He needed to go, the longer he stayed the sicker you felt, but when you looked him in the eyes, it broke down every defense you had, you couldn’t lose your feelings for this man. No surgery could stop these feelings.

“I'M NOT JUST GONNA LEAVE YOU HERE TO FIGHT THIS DAMN SICKNESS ALONE!” He just wanted to help you. He cared about you more than he wanted to admit, and you denying him was something he didn’t know how to take.

“Fine then,” You put your shoes on and grabbed your keys. You looked back at him as you put one foot out the door. “If you won’t leave then I will.” Maybe you were overreacting here but you couldn’t stand to stay there in that room with him, knowing that any second you’d cough up bloody marigolds and have to explain why you might die there in his arms. You closed the door behind you, coughing on your way out as you struggled to make your way to your car.

___________

Bakugou wasn’t sure what the hell was going on. One minute he was enjoying the only real piece of comfort he had in this world, and now he stared at a closed door as the love of his life walked out on him. Confusion settled in his stomach.

What the absolute fuck just happened? He replayed all the events of tonight's festivities. You guys were finally watching that All Might documentary that he had been putting off for ages just to watch with you. You were both a little tipsy but the atmosphere was light and fun. You looked so beautiful. Your cheeks were flushed from the alcohol, and you stuffed your face with chips, not worrying about how you might look. He loved that about you. The way you were unabashedly you, how you cared about him, how you seemed to love him. It was that moment that gave him the confidence to confess. He had to tell you now, there’s so much he wanted to do, to experience, to learn with you, and if he didn’t take those steps now, he might never take them. He steeled his nerves to tell you the truth of his heart, but before he could say those important words, Uraraka called.

Fucking round cheeks has the worst fucking timing. He had commissioned Uraraka and Kirishima to set something of a date up for the two of you, had this evening gone to plan. However, the plans were a bit time sensitive, given that your friendship anniversary was in two days, and he wanted everything to be perfect, this call was important. He swore he had only stepped out for two seconds to confirm the dinner reservation and the schedule swapping he did to ensure that no one would bother him for work duties that day.

When he stepped back out into the living room, he could feel a change in the atmosphere, but that wasn’t enough to deter him from talking to you. He walked towards you, butterflies in his whole body. He grabbed your hands. They were soft. Comforting. Just like you. But before he could express these thoughts to you, everything went to shit.

You were sick, you usually were after a few too many drinks but never this early in the night. He went to grab your tylenol from the medicine cabinet, he couldn’t resist the urge to take care of you. Especially, when that’s all you’ve ever done for him. He’s gone through a lot to be the man he is today, and a majority of that he owes to your too-kind-for-your-own-good nature. But today you didn’t want his help, you wanted him to leave, and he couldn’t for the life of him figure out why.

He sat on your couch, confused about what to do now.

Maybe I should call Shitty Hair, it was his dumb fucking idea anyway. He looked around for his phone but couldn’t find it. He walked past the front door, where he saw you had dropped your phone in your haste to leave. He looked at the time 5:36 AM.

The sun is about to fucking rise and their out there, god knows where, sick to thier goddamn stomach. What the hell am I doing? I need to go find them.

He was about to grab his jacket when he caught a missed call and voicemail from Recovery Girl. He knew you two were pretty close, especially after all the time you spent by his side in the infirmary. He clicked on the voicemail, it must’ve been important if she left a voicemail.

“Hello dearie, I hope this doesn’t reach you too late. I did some analysis on your bloodwork after you left so I could see if there were some more options for you. Unfortunately, it seems as if you have contracted a very rare form of Hanahaki Disease. This particular form takes place over a 24 hour period and only allows you that time frame to find a cure. I’m not sure when you first started to develop signs but it is imperative that you give me a call right away.”

Bakugou dropped the phone from his hands. Hanahaki Disease? The fucking love disease? You had fallen in love? And with some dumbass idiot who didn’t feel the same way?

How dare that bastard not love you? You were perfect. You were kind, caring and smart. You didn’t take anyones bullshit and you stood by those you love. Now you were god knows how long away from fucking dying and there was nothing he could do?

No. There was something he could do. He could find you and make this right. Even if you didn’t love him the way he loved you, you didn’t deserve to die over it. You deserved to be happy. He was going to make sure that fucking happened. Bakugou grabbed the door but was met with a wet sensation. There was blood on the door, and a trail of yellow petals greeted him from the door to the parking lot.

Fuck…I hope im not too late. He jumped in the air and began to search for your figure. You didn’t make it far. Your car was haphazardly parked on the side of the park that you two often frequented together. You were laying by the tree that you two had carved your names in years ago. His heart seized at the sight of so much blood and flowers that surrounded you.

He landed by your side. Two fingers pressed against your throat. You were barely breathing. He had to get you out of here.

“Shit, wake up shortcake.” His voice sounded teary. “We gotta find the bastard that did this to ya. I’ll make him pay” He started to pick you up.

You roused a bit from the noise. You had to be dreaming. Bakugou stood over you. The rising sun shining behind him, giving him a golden glow. You smiled.

What a way to go. You raised your hand up to his cheek. Blood smears across his cheek. Even though he wasn’t real, it couldn’t hurt to lift this heaviness off your shoulders. You locked eyes with him and croaked out your last words.

“I’m sorry for loving you, ‘Suki. You mean the world to me and I wish I could’ve told you.”

Bakugou froze in his panicked state. You loved him? Then why the fuck were you dying? Of course he loved you too. How could he not.

He grabbed you by the face. “Don’t you ever dare be sorry for loving me, because I’m sure the hell not.” He pressed his lips to yours so brutally, you’d think he was waging a war on your face.

The suffocating feeling in your chest lifted itself so quickly as if it had never been there. You could breathe again.The feeling of being on death’s door had miraculously disappeared, and against all odds you had lived. You had lived because Katsuki loved you and you loved him back.

Tears gathered at the corners of your eyes and you wrapped your arms around him.

“I love you so much Katsuki.”

“I love you too (Y/n). Now let's get your ass home, and into some clean clothes. I can’t let my girl get sick for real.” He quickly lifted you off the ground, not giving you a chance to voice your protests. But you’d gladly be in his arms forever.

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astoundingbeyondbelief · 10 months

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Kaiju Week in Review (June 18-24, 2023)

The big news of the week, of course, was Netflix finally releasing Skull Island, the first new Monsterverse story in over two years. It's a surprisingly standalone piece, with no Monarch and minimal references to Kong: Skull Island, and going off his Twitter, creator Brian Duffield largely prefers to let the work speak for itself. I have quibbles with some of the creature designs—not enough florafauna!—and the characters can be too flippant about their life-threatening circumstances, but overall I had a good time. Annie's a great character—think Saeko from Son of Godzilla as a bloodthirsty teenager—and the obligatory Titan nemesis is a cut above most of the Monsterverse's original creatures.

As for its future, Season 2 is already written and recorded, but won't happen unless Netflix sees big enough viewing numbers for Season 1. I'm frustrated by that, especially given how many loose ends the season finale had, but it's pretty typical stuff from the company.

Dismal news about the American Shin Ultraman Blu-ray/DVD from Cleopatra Entertainment: they didn't bother to include translations for the ample on-screen Japanese text. That was enough for me to cancel my preorder; I tend to be pretty tolerant of the various unforced errors by the companies releasing this stuff, but that level of laziness (the translations already exist!) just renders the discs pointless in my eyes.

Toho is crowdfunding another Showa suit replica for a character's 50th anniversary this year... Jet Jaguar! If successful (or semi-successful, like last year's Gigan campaign), it'll feature in a new short film to premiere on November 3, as has been tradition since 2020. Interesting that they went for Jet Jaguar over Megalon; I suppose he'd be cheaper to produce, and the largest film studio in Japan seems hellbent on hamstringing these wonderful little shorts.

Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons #1 is out. Hard to judge it so far as it's mostly setup.

In other news related to Godzilla vs. Megalon's 50th, Bandai will release a Movie Monster Series figure of the 1973 Godzilla (MegaroGoji) on July 28 as a Godzilla Store exclusive. Pretty big news, as they've only released figures of the tweaked '74 and '75 suits previously, and those were back in 2003 and 2004, respectively. NECA didn't get to this one either.

#kaiju week in review #godzilla vs. megalon #godzilla #jet jaguar #skull island #king kong #godzilla here there be monsters #shin ultraman

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best-underrated-anime · 6 months

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Best Underrated Anime Group F Round 1: #F4 vs #F5

#F4: Young boxer in futuristic Japan fights in tournament

Follows the story of a young man that only goes by his ring name “Junk Dog”, set in the late 21st century. People live in a large metropolis, those without citizenship forced in slums called the Restricted Area. Junk Dog fights in fixed matches in the Restricted Area in a sport called Megalo Box, which is boxing augmented by metal exoskeletons.

One day, Junk Dog almost crashes into the CEO of the Shirato Company on his motorcycle, and he tries to pick a fight with her guard, Yuri. Yuri ends up fighting Junk Dog in a match, beating him and challenging him to fight him in a tournament called Megalonia. Forging an ID and taking the name Joe with help from his coach, the young fighter only has 3 months to win enough matches to rank high enough to get into the tournament and face Yuri. Not just for his pride, but also because of threats from the mafia, who wants money from Joe and his coach that they don’t have.

#F5: Kidnapped princess torments demons to get better sleep

The beloved Princess Kaymin Aurora Suya Rhys has been kidnapped from the human kingdom by the wicked demon king. Though she’s treated well, she quickly finds that there isn’t much to do in her cell aside from sleep and comes to the conclusion that the sleeping conditions of a prisoner aren’t fit for a princess. It doesn’t take her long to escape her prison cell and begin her quest of getting a good night’s sleep.

Titles, propagandas, trailers, and poll under the cut!

#F4: Megalo Box

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Propaganda:

Megalo Box is a series that got some recognition during the Crunchyroll Awards. It even aired on Adult swim’s late night anime block, even gaining a second season. But it seems like after the initial season, all interest of the show evaporated. It’s rarely talked about in fandom spaces or in anime video essays.

Which is a shame! It's a solid watch. The music is stellar. The characters are enjoyable, even if the plot of the main character Joe being a massive underdog that claws his way through a boxing tournament is a little predictable. But to be fair, this show was created to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the boxing manga Ashita no Joe.

Still, the anime keeps things fresh. It has added political commentary about class and race dynamics. Joe is brown-skinned, looks mixed, and is an undocumented citizen in the city he lives in. He has to fight in illegal fixed Megalo Box matches in the slums in order to make ends meet. Even that provides little protection, as he and his coach Ganbu get threatened by the mob for more money that they can’t produce. It also touches upon how children are abandoned and abused by the system with Sachio.

Joe is the ultimate underdog story. He ends up going by “Gearless Joe” because he fights his matches without wearing any Gear—aka the metal exoskeletons use in Megalo Box. He’s essentially boxing old-school style against others an unfair advantage with tools that augment their punches and movements. Joe did this in the first place because he was too poor to buy a new Gear, his old one falling apart, so he felt he was better off training and using his natural body in matches.

The second season also explores Joe's struggles with depression and drug addiction as he trains another Megalo Boxer, which is interesting and adds another layer to him.

Plus, the show also has racial diversity in the side characters. The English dub cast voice actors of the same ethnicities for Pepe, Chief, and Maria. Also, Kaiji Tang voices Joe, the lead.

Trigger Warnings: Child Abuse, Graphic Depictions of Cruelty/Violence/Gore.

The anime is about boxing, so characters get beaten up quite a bit (even in fantastical ways). However, there’s also some other violence threats (like Joe’s coach Nanbu getting his eye cut and threatened to earn money by the mafia). Also, a kid named Sachio joins the group to help Joe and gets beaten by thugs and threatened a few times through the series.

#F5: Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle (Maoujou de Oyasumi)

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Propaganda:

This show is probably the single most charming parody of a fantasy RPG setting I’ve ever seen. It takes an extremely generic premise and flips it on its head with a simple shift in protagonist. The characters are all fun in their own right, but Princess Suya steals the show through extreme slapstick violence against her captors and a nonchalant attitude towards literally everything that isn’t immediately related to sleep. While it’s easy for a plot like this to quickly become comedically stale, the show is careful to avoid exhausting its premise by introducing new characters that serve as unique obstacles to Suya’s goals as well as by ramping up the audacity of her actions. Additionally, we get occasional glimpses at the hero’s party as they quest to ‘rescue’ the princess, scenes that serve both as story progression as well as a nice change of pace from the princesses antics. While the premise may not be for everyone, this show executes on its concept flawlessly for anyone who finds the premise amusing.

Trigger Warnings: None.

If you’re reblogging and adding your own propaganda, please tag me @best-underrated-anime so that I’ll be sure to see it.

#anime #best underrated anime #polls #poll tournament #tournament #anime tournament #animation #animated show #group stage #group stage round 1 #tournament polls #megalo box #megalobox #sleepy princess in the demon castle #maoujou de oyasumi #group f

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solarflicker · 3 months

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What's your favourite song in jcs +favourite version of it??

It took me like a month to pick a song, and ultimately I can’t pick a favorite. So instead I’m gonna go with Hosanna and Simon Zelotes, which is very underrated imo

First of all, it’s the sermon on the mount, easily one of if not the most famous of Jesus’s sermons. And despite hearing it constantly the song makes it sound fresh and resonant. The audience becomes swept up with the crowd, almost like inviting them to be a part of the story in a way.

So much happens in the song. The Jewish leaders approach Jesus and express their anxiety (an opportunity to portray them sympathetically), and you get to see how Jesus responds to them (ranging from fiery defiance in 2012 arena to low key acknowledging but mostly ignoring in 73). And you see the crowd that Judas is afraid of and you see how Jesus responds. Sleepy little smile and getting smacked in the face with palm branches (73), just reveling in the attention bathed in gold light with giant posters of him flying around (2000), being one man at the heart of the crowd (2012 arena)(btw that’s how Bensus makes his first entrance in the overture). You get to see how people put him on a pedestal and how he feels about it. You’re seeing what got him to his status, and you get to see him in his element.

And it’s a good time to look for Judas! This is the crowd he’s frightened of. In both 2012 productions he’s watching the events play out from scaffolding. In the 50th Anniversary tour he is largely absent (i call him peekaboo Judas bc he pops on and off stage so often), but he makes an appearance when Jesus sings that “there is not one of you who cannot win the kingdom”, and the line is sung directly to him. And they reconcile for a moment before Simon Zelotes begins and Judas leaves. This contrasts with the 2000 version where the adoring crowd calls for his death and disturbs Jesus, who then stands close to Judas who gives him an “i told you so” look and seems to think that Jesus has gotten a wake-up call.

I can’t even begin to analyze each Jesus’s reaction to “Hey JC, JC, won’t you die for me?” It’s the turning point. For the rest of the play and by extension his life, Jesus can never be happy again.

And then Simon Zelotes! The guy gets one moment in the spotlight and spends the entire time talking about how everyone is on fire for Jesus and how all the glory is for him, and then pulls Jesus aside to tell him about how he wants to use his power for political advantage (of course I think an uprising would have been justified but the point is that wasn’t what Jesus had been talking about.) Simon and his fevered mob have taken Jesus’s influence and used his words for a different mission.

Seeing Simon power belting with a coordinated flash mob backing him up completely captures the high energy and obsession of religious fervor and feels very similar to services I have seen and experienced, down to the political motives that Simon only discusses with Jesus and not the congregation he influences. He isn’t completely upfront with them. He doesn’t introduce himself, everything in his character is all about Jesus.

And then the end is so slow and sad after Simon finishes his song. Usually Jesus is weary and disappointed, but I remember one production where Jesus was angry with Simon.

I thought I could pick a favorite. Right now my top three are 50th Anniversary Tour, 2012 Arena and 1973 (tied), and 1992 London

#jcs 2012 arena #jesus christ superstar #jcs 2000 #jcs 1973 #jcs 2012 #jcs 50

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worstjourney · 4 months

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End-of-2023 Update

I forgot to crosspost my November update from Patreon (in my defence, I was in Norway and then ill) so here is a mashup of November and December, wrapping up 2023 in one convenient post.

Book Stuff

I have finished an outline for the three remaining books of the series. This pass is just making very basic decisions about what gets included and what doesn’t, and roughly shaping the narrative so that I have a basic road map in place before getting creative. Cherry’s 600-page brick is actually quite lean when approached with this lens; I’m trying to let him make a lot of these decisions for me, but sometimes our priorities don’t really align and I’ve had to bring in other sources. Once this bullet-point list is done, then I go back over each section with my storytelling brain turned on, and go into greater narrative detail, so that when I write a script I only have to think about making a good script, and not structural matters. It’s a slow process, but it’s rewarding to feel that, after many months of chasing the whirlwind, I’m finally making forward progress on bringing books into the world.

Events

At the end of November, I made my first-ever trip to Oslo to speak at the 11th annual Roald Amundsen Memorial Lectures, a weekend of intense polar nerdery at the Fram Museum. Other speakers included scientists, explorers, filmmakers and musicians, all unified by a love of polar history, as well as a recreation of the celebratory dinner given for Amundsen on his successful return from the South Pole in 1912. It was a spectacularly good time, and highly recommended to anyone who might be inclined to go to that sort of thing in future. I will have to go back sometime to give the Fram Museum more dedicated attention, as the talks took up most of my time there and I hardly got to explore.

In December, I was supposed to have been a historical guest on a Zoom panel discussing Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Sinfonia Antarctica, which started life as the score to the 1948 film Scott of the Antarctic. However, too many of us were ill on the scheduled date, so it was deferred to January 15th. I will share the link, when it becomes available, over on Patreon; should a publicly-accessible recording be produced, I will share that here. The panel also includes Polar historiographer Anne Strathie, who will be bringing her expertise on Herbert Ponting and his photographs in particular, and two experts from the States, who will be approaching the material from a biographical and musical perspective, respectively.

An online event which did come off was being one half of the second keynote of Terror Camp, an online gathering that mashes up a fan convention and academic conference. The esteemed nonfiction-writer-turned-novelist Francis Spufford and I talked about writing Polar history, from two very different perspectives. It was excellent fun and seemed to have been received well; I don’t know if the recording is available to those who weren’t registered in advance for the event, but if you’re desperate to see it, it may be worth asking.

Media

I came back from Norway with a stack of books and one DVD. Being ill through the greater part of December gave me a chance to start tackling them, and I’ve written a bit about some of them on December’s Patreon Update, because there wasn’t much else to write. Feel free to nip over there if you’re curious; the post is, like all Updates, open to the public.

If you’d like to hear the guys you mostly only see in photos, you may appreciate this fine programme from the vaults of Radio New Zealand: https://www.ngataonga.org.nz/search-use-collection/search/28712/ It’s RNZ’s take on the 50th anniversary of the Expedition, including many clips from the parallel BBC programme for which my beloved tapes of Sir Charles Wright were recorded. This show also contains a good deal from Tom Clissold, who was living in New Zealand by then, and T. Griffith Taylor. Many thanks to the intrepid Allegra Rosenberg for finding this and bringing it to my attention.

Also hot off Allegra’s desk is the followup to Antarctic Lovebirds, looking at further communications between Atkinson and Pennell, and their lives post-Expedition. I challenge anyone not to be a little bit in love with these guys.

On Patreon

I’ve started doing themed months on Patreon. November’s theme was Scott’s Ponies, and saw the following posts (currently available to Patrons only):

Equine Studies

The Backstory of Scott’s Ponies

A Guide to Scott’s Ponies

The theme for December’s posts was Writing, which included:

The Art of Adaptation

The Master Timeline, Again

Understanding the Characters

The Shape Of The Rest Of The Series

There was also a secret post for the Paper Money tier, who get bonus behind-the-scenes features. The Writing theme will probably spill over into January a bit, but with one or two more visually-oriented posts if I can manage it.

If you want to see what Patreon is like without committing to anything, you can sign up for a week’s free trial at almost any tier, and read as much as you can cram in your eyeballs in that time. You can also subscribe directly to the Free tier and you will get Updates like this, as well as any posts that get made public. Of course, if you feel moved to toss a little cash into the potato pot to support the creation of these graphic novels, that is greatly appreciated, and you get weekly posts in return.

–––––––––

2023 is a mixed year to look back on. On one hand, I did a lot of things; on the other, I made vastly less progress than expected. I think, primarily, I underestimated how much time and energy the publicity rounds would demand; I thought I could juggle that stuff with getting the research in order, and it turns out, I really could not. I think I know better now what sort of events are worth it and which aren’t, but whether I’ll be allowed to act on that knowledge in future, I don’t know. Even excluding the bookselling business, it felt like every time I had a span of work time, something would come up that would keep me from working – December’s illnesses being the latest example, but in a long string of unforeseen somethings that had to be accommodated. I don’t remember this happening when I had a “real” job, and I’m not sure why. 2024 isn’t looking much better in this regard: I already know that January, February, probably May-ish, and possibly September are compromised. I need to figure out how to use these as bookends to keep me focused between times, rather than letting them be derailing distractions. (Any advice here is gratefully accepted.) But I have at least got the ball rolling on writing, so as long as I keep chipping away on that, I ought to inch forward … and once the writing is done, the drawing, which is the fun part!

#events #update

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variousqueerthings · 6 months

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i went and read through all the scorecards and commentary you’ve written so far, and i just have to comment that i think you’ll have a much better time rewatching twelve’s era - it’s got its own problems, of course, but it’s such a breath of fresh air. i think m*ffat actually took some of people’s biggest criticisms of s5-7 to heart - the hamfisted sexiness is toned way down, and he did away with the whole “the doctor is the center of the universe and the most specialest guy ever” angle almost entirely. honestly, i almost have a hard time believing both eras were written by the same person.

hahaaa thank you, and idk why the below got so long, when your ask was relatively simple, blame it on the hyperfixation!

I acknowledge I tend to write m*ffat (mainly because im not trying to put stuff in tags to be a buzzkill but also as a joke about censoring him), but I do think he got... better

in the sense that he was overall less sexist and more character-driven later on and seems to have really run with a lot of what people wanted set up in terms of genderbending Timelords and queer lead characters, although I am finding s6 has some really good stuff... not.... his episodes so much lol...... but I'm liking it more than s5 which runs contrary with my assumptions/memory of his era, which is pleasantly surprising

I don't think he's egregious in the way writers like, say, Joss Whedon were, I've not heard stories of him being an asshole on set (except for that one story about him throwing a hissyfit about not getting the horse through the mirror in GitF back in s2), which may just be me missing stuff, so can let me know, BUT... nothing I know of. and while he's said some... Highly Dubious Shit About Women Especially and also asexuality, I genuinely think he's been working on some of those biases and fucking nonsense

we went from the Doctor kissing a lesbian without her consent to Bill Potts (who has some flaws -- the fat joke I've been seeing mentioned on Tumbls, the somewhat off-centre flirtation with the one-night stand she doesn't get to have that seems more like it comes from girl-on-girl porn than like a way lesbians might speak with one another)

from writing Rants about the dullness of asexuality that assumed a cis- and heteronormative perspective of the Doctor (he's a bloke of course he'd want to have sex was a lot of the Vibes of it) to in a "confused but got some of the spirit" writing about how the Doctor wouldn't understand human definitions of sexuality and monogamous relationship structures (there's a post about that somewhere in the depths of my blog @fabiansociety made some excellent points)

from describing the original first casting for Amy as "wee and dumpy" to... well, actually can we have some clarification there sir, also the shit you said about Karen Gillen basically just being cast because she was hot (I'm not saying I am super Yay Moffat after all), but at least toning down the sexy sexy talk on the show from what you say!

also maybe a smallish thing, and idk how much power he had and and and, buuut I appreciate how he went from the way he talked in GiTF about how Reinette was "worthy" of the Doctor because she was cultured and educated and whatnot... when Rose is literally the companion of the season and semi-textually Created Ten (regardless of youknow, reads of the relationship and all that, definitely important to the narrative and the Doctor), to having Rose appear as The Bad Wolf in the 50th anniversary special... haunting the naaarrative baybey

and I remember feeling like "Missy" when introduced was just a rehash of River Song rehash of Irene Adler (or whatever way around those characters existed) but then Gomez is actually amazing as The Master, to the point that she's the Number One thing I remember from that era of the show

and he's not an asshole about trans people, which, low bar perhaps, but not in this flipping country, especially not saying so out loud, which, like... Doctor Who is a big deal in this country and RTD is obviously a big ol' queer who's been yelling from the rooftops from Day One, but to not just have it be him, to have a cultural institution firmly in our corner, it's good feeling-wise, and Moffat is a part of that too

and what you're saying, which I cannot quite remember the details of but will eventually reach, the pivot from how the Doctor is portrayed in the Eleven arc vs the Twelve arc, and what the core of that story is, and the glory of Capaldi!

the limitations of this praise then come in the fact that he was learning this stuff while running two of the biggest British institutions, a version of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Who, and so the above Things that he was a dick about, alongside the mocking of fandom during Sherlock and the weird "queer but not queer" stuff with Sherlock/Watson (look, the fucking... BBC marketed it through the lens of a ship, and then there was a whole idk... campaign to make fandom seem weird and over-invested, and then of course Sherlock actually sucked as a show for so many reasons...) means that he's managed to be a prat in real time and it's meant that what should have been fun engagement in storytelling wasn't so much for many of us wincing through the shit he was saying and writing in his shows

... that time he was like "people are accusing me of being sexist, but I love strong, sexually confident women who can step on me, and having a dominatrix kink that I'm projecting onto my female characters onscreen is the opposite of sexism actually Check Mate" (that paraphrasing was mean, sorry not sorry, but also.... I could find the quote or just a handful of handy videos that have aaaaalll of the quotes... because they were happening.... in national newspapers and in interviews and panels and twitter and.... like.... not in private... there's more I'm vaguely remembering but not sure enough to just throw out there, so yeah... but he did not shut up!)

also I will never think he's a good writer so much as Very good at thinking up cool concepts that others might be able to run with or work with him on, and he should never ever be left to his own devices and encouraged to do whatever he wants (... Sherlock..... Jekyll.... from what I've heard, Inside Man....) AND I think generally and hope that RTD2 is going to be about heralding in the next gen of creators, including perhaps... a future showrunner who didn't grow up when Classic!Who was in its infancy (I don't mean that as a diss, I just mean that we've had three of those showrunners so far), and perchance isn't a cis man, because I think a lot of cool shit that could have been better might have been if moffat wasn't learning the ABC's of third wave feminism at the same time

Gosh and he's the least sexy writer I have ever come across... maybe not ever, but considering how confident he was being about allosexual alloromantic Doctor, that man is as sexy as getting slapped by a wet fish (unless you're into that, in which case insert something else here)

ALL OF THIS TO SAY... yeah, I'm excited for Twelve. and I'm enjoying Eleven more by watching the way I'm watching and being able to set criteria for worse and for better!

#im watching nu!who #im watching eleven who #the measurement #long post #ramblerambleramble

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