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raven-at-the-writing-desk · 4 months

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You wanna know what I just realized....You know how in chapters 1-4 MC/Yu kept asking Crowley to go home. But Once Chapter 5-7 they stopped asking to go home and gave up. Why? Did they just change their minds once they got friends or did they just give up on trying completely until Orthro put it back in their brain? Or Did they just gave up on asking adults period?

Oooh, interesting topic 🤔 I went back in each book to see when instances of Yuu asking about going home were brought up and (shockingly) this actually happens very little, maybe a few times max in the main story (not counting the prologue):

***Main story spoilers (INCLUDING book 7) below the cut!!***

In 1-19, Yuu does NOT ask Crowley; Crowley is the one who brings the topic up. He claims he is in the library to research a way to send Yuu home, and definitely is not reading the latest edition to a new novel before anyone else (which, come on, we all know Crowley is just giving a convenient excuse for himself). Crowley's presence here is then used to inform us of a way to dethrone Riddle via duel.

In 2-4, Yuu DOES ask Crowley when summoned to his office. Crowly then says he is busy preparing for an inter-dorm Magift/Spelldrive tournament, so he hasn't made any progress for Yuu. In 2-14, Yuu also wonders about when they will be able to go home while talking around the campus at night, but does not discuss it further with others.

In 3-6, Yuu does NOT ask Crowley; again, Crowley is the one to bring up the topic when trying to get Yuu to convince Azul to stop his shady dealings. He uses their rising food bills and all that "effort" he's putting into researching as a means to guilt trip Yuu into agreeing.

In 4-2, Yuu DOES ask Crowley if he's actually researching. This occurs because Crowley is all decked out for vacationing in a tropical destination, so Yuu of course questions whether he's doing any real work. Crowley defends himself by saying "When in Rome, do as the Romans do!" and that he's broadening his knowledge base by researching in a southern region.

After book 4, there are no new explicit or even implied scenes of Yuu asking Crowley anything about home. However, 5-33 does feature a flashback to the prologue in which Crowley is struggling to find Yuu's home on a map.

There isn't really a strong mention of Yuu going home in book 6, unless you want to count Yuu talking to Mickey through the mirror and wondering what's on the other side.

7-10 and 7-11 has Ortho to concluding that the mirror with Mickey could be a "connection" to Yuu's original world, and can thus serve as a route home.

Most discussion of Yuu going home is concentrated in the prologue (as it is an important piece of the set-up and explanation for Yuu's presence in Twisted Wonderland), as well as book 7, when the issue becomes very relevant again. There is the occasional instance of Crowley using "oh, there might be information here about a potential way home" as an excuse to rope Yuu into an event's story (ie Glorious Masquerade), but nothing meaningful ever comes from it. These are just contrivances to bring Yuu and Grim along for a more immersive self-insert experience.

If you want a boring answer as to why Yuu asks/seems to care so little about going home and stops completely by the start of book 5, I would wager it's the metacontext. Even in books 1 through 4, Yuu going home is mentioned like maybe once and then is dismissed for the rest of the book. You’ll also notice that in these instances where Yuu going home is mentioned, they are almost immediately then used as a springboard to propel the problem of the week onto them to resolve. Yuu going home isn’t a plot point for most of the main story, it’s a plot device to force Yuu into an OB boy’s path.

There is very little urgency granted to finding a way home because you, the player, WANTS to be in this magical world even if Yuu, the actual in-game character, may be uneasy being away from their friends, family, and home world. Yuu's unease is most likely not depicted or not frequently brought up because it would interfere with the player's enjoyment of the escapism to another world. These desires very obviously clash with one another. However, because the game itself is trying to tell you its story, it has to provide a reason (no matter how nonsensical it is) for there to be no progress made in the search (thus keeping Yuu in Twisted Wonderland), and that reason often happens to be Crowley's incompetence. This is not true of all iterations of Yuu (as the light novel has a strong focus on Yuuya’s anxieties about being in a new world), but it must be this way specifically for in-game Yuu since they are the most easy one for players to project into.

If you're looking for a meatier answer, consider this: book 5 is the turning point in the main story. Before book 5, Yuu seems to defer to Crowley for finding a way home. They don't really wonder or investigate into this area on their own. By the start of VDC/SDC training, it's mid to late winter, or about halfway through the year. Given that Yuu is incentivized by the promise of renovations to let the NRC Tribe boys use Ramshackle as their base of operations, I get the impression that maybe Yuu thinks they'll be stuck in Twisted Wonderland for longer than initially anticipated. Rather than an "I give up", it feels like a "boy, this is taking a while so might as well upgrade the accommodations and make myself as comfy as possible while I wait it out" This thought is helped by the fact that book 5 is also the first time when both Yuu and Crowley don't mention them going home, but also nothing disparaging or hopeless is referenced. As I've said before, we still get a flashback from Yuu which is centered on them going home, so it's clearly still a topic on their mind. It's just not consistently shown to us so as to not interfere with players self-inserting or to avoid making the gaming experience not fun by focusing on Yuu's distress or worries.

Many other significant things happen in book 5 which makes it the "turning point": Malleus reveals his true identity to Yuu, Grim finally going a little feral from the blot stones, and Yuu seeing and speaking with Mickey clearly. From there, Yuu starts thinking about the mirror and how it could lead into another world. They begin to take more agency in their own return, later confiding in their friends about Mickey and what he means for them.

Book 6 mostly glosses over Yuu going home because... well, let's be honest, there's a lot more immediately at stake with six students being kidnapped and experimented on. Yuu's focus and concern is on getting them (and especially Grim) back safely. They weren't thinking about themselves or their own situation back then, they were thinking of others.

Going home returns in book 7 because it has story significance once again. Yuu going back to their own world adds to the growing dread and sense of loneliness that our OB boy for the evening, Malleus, feels over Lilia's departure. It helps to push him closer to the brink of snapping. What's more, this contributes to the overall themes and questions that book 7 poses: those of farewells, change, and leaving friends behind. These are sentiments that Ace, Deuce, and Grim discuss in 7-17, and they parallel Malleus's own anxious thoughts. In all previous books, Yuu's own quest to get home is not closely tied to the themes of a particular book, or it simply was not relevant to mention (it would disrupt the ongoing conflict or pacing).

Finally, to more address each of the specific things asked by the asker (since I know the information in this post is sort of all over the place and might be hard to match up to each question):

[Yuu] stopped asking to go home and gave up. Why?

Yuu did not frequently ask about going home to begin with. (Again, likely because on a metatextual level, the story needs an excuse for Yuu, ie the player, being present in Twisted Wonderland and experiencing its happenings.)

At that point, it comes down to individual interpretation as to why, but personally I believe Yuu realized that the solution was more complicated than just poofing up a portal home, so they decided to make themselves comfortable while they waited for updates rather than keep asking only to be constantly disappointed. Later on, events going on around Yuu become too hectic for them to focus on their own wants.

Did [Yuu] just change their mind once they got friends?

Wouldn’t this imply that Yuu didn’t consider Adeuce and Grim “real” friends until the start of book 5??? I just don’t think that’s true; they were friends way before this point, not hanging out with each other for convenience’s sake. Why would they sit together at lunch every day? Why would Yuu try to help Ace make amends with Riddle? And why would Ace defend Yuu when Riddle insults their upbringing? Why would Yuu try to free the idiots of their anemones at the risk of going homeless themselves? Why would Adeuce use public transportation to go all the way from the Queendom of Roses to Sage’s Island because of a SOS text from Yuu? The same logic goes for the Ramshackle Ghosts, who are very friendly with Yuu and Grim. They play games with them, tell them about the school, and even do Yuu’s chores for them while they’re held hostage in Scarabia.

I also think gaining friends isn’t necessarily a strong enough reason for Yuu to renounce their old life and suddenly be committed to staying. Yes, it can be said that this could change depending on individual interpretation of Yuu—but assuming a very basic backstory, a regular person would not be so quick to forgo their old friends, family, etc. I don’t think new friendships are a significant motivator for Yuu no longer asking about home.

Or did they just give up on trying completely until Orthro put it back in their brain?

Yuu didn’t stop thinking about going home just because they stopped asking about it. Post book 4, they are shown to have flashbacks to earlier discussions of going home. Yuu hardly ever expresses thoughts about their original world or wanting to go back (most likely to not break the self-insert immersion of their character), so it’s easy to perceive this as “Yuu gave up completely/Yuu forgot about it until book 7”.

Or did they just gave up on asking adults period?

I believe Crowley is the only adult Yuu really asks about finding a way back. I doubt Yuu actually thinks all adults are as useless in this endeavor as Crowley is, but we aren’t ever shown Yuu communicating in this manner to other adults. Crowley is the only “required” adult to interact with on account of being the headmaster typically forcing you into the plot anyway. In conclusion (I know I keep bringing this point up, but it’s because I truly believe in it), this is all probably done for convenience and/or to allow the player to fantasize and imagine themselves or their own Yuusonas navigating these circumstances. They don't want to constantly keep the story gloomy by having Yuu angst about how they miss home or how badly they want to go back. They want you, the player, to enjoy the world and the people of Twisted Wonderland and never want to leave, even if it may be contradictory to what Yuu themselves fails to express in the narrative. This is 100% intentional, and it's made clear because it ties in very deeply with the themes in book 7, which is when the idea of Yuu going home becomes extremely relevant again. Book 7 creates an analogy between a digital pet that Malleus owns and how sad he is that its lifespan has to end, that the digital pet is just "fiction designed to amuse". This is also true of what Twisted Wonderland (the game) is. The player is in the same circumstances as Malleus, who is too attached to his fiction and doesn't want to let it go.

As much as the game's structure encourages self-inserting, it cannot be denied that, ultimately, the perspective of the player ≠ the perspective of Yuu. The player does not actually have to worry about never returning home or being stuck in a foreign world, at the mercy of strangers (which, if not for entertainment purposes, would be something truly terrifying to deal with). The player is glimpsing into this other world for fun and can step away whenever they want. Yuu can't.

askhdvasoydvuealalf I know this was a lot, but I hope it made sense and properly communicated my thoughts ^^

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bunny-atsunset · 2 years

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[softdom!Leona as Your S/O Headcanons] PART 1: SFW

This lion forgets nothing! He is a genius after all so even though he mostly keeps it to himself he remembers all of your conversations and takes note of your special interests. He may not always understand them or be into them but he tries to be a supportive mate.

He reads your body language well and knows when you're mad, sad, or flustered. He memorizes your preferences when it comes to food, clothing, and drink. He takes note of what position you fall asleep in and your class schedule. When he does manage to come to class with you he always brings two of everything.

Leona wants nothing more than to have an equal, a partner, a mate. He secretly wants to be by your side at all times. (Even though he recognizes that this is NOT realistic.) Quality time and physical touch are his favorite love languages to give and receive.

He gives you your space when you request it or want to go hang out with your friends. He wants you happy. And will deny that little pang of insecurity and jealousy he gets when he thinks about how boring he might compare to your more light-hearted friends. He just wants to make sure you actually have a good time around him too. So, he might need some reassurance in that department.

The lion makes an effort to eat his meals with you OR pretend he hasn't eaten yet so he can eat with you again. (He doesn't mind the extra meals, and he encourages you to have them too!) He will try to stay up till you come to his dorm to spend the night OR sometimes he might come to yours as well. He wants to make sure you are okay and subtly tucks you in the blankets so you are comfortable before you two fall asleep together. He can have a hard time sleeping at times, but having you there comforts him.

Leona's heart tugs when he sees you in his clothes or things he has given to you. Not only does it mark you with his smell but the mingling of your scents is a reminder that you chose him over everyone else and that you are his.

He doesn't make a big fuss about all the gifts though. There is no fanfare, wrapping paper, or bows. He just sighs and asks "What do you need, bun?" His whole closet is at your access 24/7. He knows you can be a proud thing but, he will give you anything if you just ask. He cares little for material things himself but if they can make life easier for you, then his bunny will have it.

However, as soft as he is for you this man will CALL YOU OUT and s c o l d you. He will give you tough love when you need it and not mince words. Most likely, he acted as a mentor figure to you before you were together, begrudgingly helping you in class as a subtle way to show his affection for you. Ask him for advice on any subject since he is very knowledgeable about most things. It won't be the most sugar-coated words but he will be honest with you because he respects you.

He loves to talk with you about his culture and he will teach you new words in his native language and about traditions in the palace. This will get him thinking of the f u t u r e for once, secretly fantasizing about how both your lives might play out together. This man is always 5 moves ahead when it comes to you. He can't help it, it's in his nature.

Expect to be groomed and scent-marked often by him. It is traditional for beastmen to do and he learned it from books he used to read on the subject. After you two are alone is when he saves his special nicknames for you. He hums them in your ear as he lazily braids a piece of your hair to match his, occasionally licking your neck affectionately. He loves baths too and he will always ask you to join him. If you help him wash his hair and brush it out he will scrub your back for you and dry you off, wrapping you in your towel.

Leona will rub his face all over yours and bury his nose in your hair often. He requests lots of attention too, nudging at you and laying his head in your lap until you get the message to pet him back. (He's sometimes too proud to just ask.) Groom him back by detangling his hair or massaging his face. Make sure you include the sensitive area of his scarred eye and kiss it gently.

"Keep doing that bun...and you'll never get ridda' me."

#twst #leona kingscholar #twisted wonderland #leona twisted wonderland #leona twst #twst headcanons #leona kingscholar headcanons #leona x gn reader #leona x reader #leona kingscholar x reader #leonakingscholar #disney twisted wonderland

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wen-kexing-apologist · 1 year

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Isn't It Difficult Enough to Be Born Poor?

Once again, I must start this post out by saying...Fuck you @respectthepetty. You did this to me, I currently have eleven (11)...ELEVEN (this will be 12) long as all hell analysis posts about Moonlight Chicken and at least half of them are your fault. Because you started posting about colors and then I had to start thinking about my feelings when I watched television. And here we are. If you are worried about what your legacy will be as a role model. Don't be. Your legacy has been talking about colors so much you have converted half the interest in to color analysts. This one isn't about color though, I just needed to curse you out for creating an analysis demon.

All that said, let's get in to Jim and Li Ming this episode.

So, Li Ming has just had a very emotionally draining conversation with his mother, and he is trying desperately to leave the house and just go, go anywhere cause Heart's not home, when Jim comes waltzing in and accidentally blocking his exit. "Where are you going now?" and GOD LI MING DOES NOT HAVE FUCKING TIME FOR THIS.

The most exasperated face to date. But it's not really Jim's fault that Li Ming is acting like this, he's just a casualty of war. A safe vessel that will hold all Li Ming's emotions.

"Outside." "Where?" "Don't know yet," "What do you mean?"

Guess who's making eye contact again after a conversation with his mother where he very rarely looked in her direction????

Side note: I love this line "I haven't decided where I want to be yet," because it can be relevant to so many things and is a foundational theme of this episode, with no one acting on the choices they have before them until Gaipa's mother dies

"Then stay home and study," and here we go, another adult, telling him what to do, not being there for the conversation beforehand and having no idea they are plucking at an already frayed cord.

"I'm going to Heart's home," he tries to leave, Jim stops him.

Li Ming already knows exactly what Jim is implying here. But his mother is home, and he's already exhausted, and he just...he just wants to leave. But he's not afraid, he's calm, if annoyed.

He's happy to entertain the conversation, just not right now. Right now he is tired, and he just wants some time alone, some time with Heart.

Jim, once again, does not respect Li Ming's question, and forges ahead, because he needs to know, needs to confirm his fears.

Get, his ass Li Ming! To me, it helps so much prevent a fundamental breakdown in Li Ming and Jim's relationship here to have Li Ming know that Jim is gay as well. I think that knowledge, coupled with the exhaustion he is already feeling, just lets the rest of this conversation go over surprisingly smoothly.

"Li Ming, I'm your uncle," "Adults can do no wrong? Adults can kiss but kids can't? Is it the wrong thing to do? Is the world coming to an end?"

For Jim? The answer feels like a yes. Because Jim grew up in a very differently world than Li Ming has. He has internalized so much homophobia, not just from society but from his own sister, the person he had to rely on the most when he was young. A person whose opinions are very clearly shown to matter to Jim. Everything Jim has repeated so far in this show that is homophobic is a direct quote from his sister.

To Jim being gay has made life so much harder for him. Hell, he himself was a victim of the legal system, with Beam's family taking all the money he and Beam had saved, because gay marriage is not recognized so they could not open a joint bank account and everything was in Beam's name. This is a very real struggle, and a possibility Li Ming himself could face one day. A reality that Li Ming has no concept of because he's eighteen, and he hasn't lived his life yet, he hasn't faced society the same way Jim has...

But to Li Ming? Being gay isn't a big deal. Because Li Ming was raised by an openly queer man. Even if Jim is far more careful and restrained about showing physical affection or giving too much attention to Wen men in public, his friends all know. Leng teases him about it, Leng teases Gaipa about it. Jam knows about Jim. Beam's family knew. Wen literally walked in to Li Ming's room the night Wen and Jim had their "one night stand". Li Ming knows Jim is gay.

So while Jim and Beam were navigating being queer even just ten, twenty years ago with no one obviously queer elders around them to guide them, Li Ming has grown up around multiple queer seniors, one of whom is his uncle. Of course he has an entirely different perception of how significant it is to be gay. He had nothing but positive queer role models around him to guide him as he grew. Role models who were open. And I love the post from @respectthepetty and this post from @heart-ming that talk about the pressure Jim puts on himself, especially after he realizes that Li Ming is gay. All he can think about is every way that he has failed, when the fact that Li Ming is able to say so casually, so quietly, with a touch of disgust on his face: "So what? What's the big deal [that I'm gay]?" proves that he has succeeded at being a queer role model. Because Li Ming does not hate his queerness.

I love this shot once Li Ming leaves, because there is a moment of recognition. Oh shit, Jam is here.

Followed by Oh shit, I outed Li Ming to his (historically homophobic) Mom. Yet another thing for him to be able to blame himself for.

Something that I have really appreciated about the two Fourth and Gemini shows from this year, is that in both of them, the children are spared from their own parent's ignorance. Li Ming does not know he has been outed to his mother, and he will not hear her say the homophobic things. Jim is the one that will carry that weight. He is the one that will address her concerns, and tell her she is wrong. Li Ming does not need to experience that.

"Was it my fault I left my child in your care?"

YEAH JAM. GIVE HIM A BREAK, HE'S FUCKING RAISED YOUR CHILD FOR YOU.

And God this moment sucks so bad because you know that she is voicing his worst fear. He already blames himself, the sentiment Jam states, and Jim repeats "Li Ming might not have become gay if he didn't live with me," that is 100% what I knew Jim was thinking in this moment in Episode 6. "oh shit, Jam is gonna tell me that I rubbed off on him,"

And it's so interesting to me the way they placed the sequence of events in Episode 7, Jim talks to Jam and Jam asks if she can blame Jim for Li Ming being gay because he wasn't gay when he lived with Jam, and JIM IS IN THAT MOMENT ABLE TO BE LIKE "what if he was that before living with me?", "What's the point of placing blame? He does nothing wrong."

When confronted with ignorance, he is able to stand up against it, speak out about it, and confront his sister's biases. But when he goes to see Wen, he repeats the same thing she did "Li Ming might not have become gay if he didn't live with me,"

Also, best part of the talk between Jim and Jam was this moment:

Jim is finally starting to listen to his nephew's wishes. He will not make a decision as big as having Li Ming move back in with his mother. He understands that Li Ming needs to choose this. And, I will note that this is a conversation she has already asked Li Ming about, and she didn't get the answer she wanted so she has resorted to asking the family member Li Ming loves and trusts to get him to change his mind. And she holds the deed title over Jim's head about it, trying to give him the ultimatum that he can only get the deed if he helps her rob Li Ming of even more of his autonomy. And Jim finally says no. "Don't do this" he begs, and at the end of the episode he returns the deed to Jam.

Cut to soon-to-be-father Leng, talking about how expensive it is to have and raise a child. And this is something Li Ming is painfully aware of in his own right, he's held Jim's "I pay your tuition" statement right back over his head. Li Ming is aware that Jim is struggling to make ends meet, he's aware that they live in poverty.

"Don't have kids," Leng says, only partly joking, but with a smile on his face. And Li Ming has just come from a terrible conversation with his mother where he was faced with the thought of actually having to leave Jim to go back to a home he didn't used to be wanted in. "Did you ever consider abortion?" is a very answer-seeking question, it's intentional, and it's not about Leng, it's about Li "I didn't ask to be born" Ming. Leng is honest "I thought about it, but Praew's parents want a grandchild so I'm okay ot have this baby. But I can barely make it through the day, how am I supposed to raise a child?" and I think that is a wake up call for Li Ming in a way.

Jim is his parent. Jim is barely making it through the day. How is Jim supposed to raise Li Ming? No one knows, but he does it. And he does it cause he loves Li Ming.

To preface this, if Li Ming ends up going to America and doing the Work and Travel thing, I am completely fine with that, but I am on the Interpreter!Li Ming train so I at the very least want a seedling of doubt to be planted in Li Ming's mind. And I am choosing to believe it is this moment. Right after Li Ming is faced with the actual, very real potential threat of having to leave Pattaya, Heart, Jim, his community here, he asks Leng if he would still want to stay with his parents if they were alive. Leng says "Probably not. Everyone has their own life to live. And parents cannot be with us forever," (I see you P'Aof and P'Best, you evil evil motherfuckers)

This is Li Ming's face after Leng makes that comment. That boy is haunted and that boy is thinking. The wheels are turning. He is evaluating.

Cut to Wen and Jim. "What fight did you have with your nephew?" is literally the first question Wen asks when Jim shows up at his apartment. And I both love and hate that Wen so often has to act as the go-between. I mean from the sense that he is between the two generations and can be respected at both ends of it, it's great, and it's nice that we establish that Li Ming trusts, values, and listens to Wen, that Wen fits in this family. On the down side, I really wish Li Ming knew and could see how many times Jim has sought out council to better understand his son nephew.

Heart is Li Ming's safe zone when he feels misunderstood, Wen is Jim's.

Jim gets done denying everything his sister said, telling her she is wrong, that being gay does not work like that, that there is no one to blame, but he internalized that shit and immediately went to Wen to try to process his feelings.

"I can't help blaming myself for it. Li Ming might not have become gay if he didn't live with me."

"How come Saleng is straight? He's been with you for a long time as well. Trust me it has nothing to do with you."

We need this scene to explain Jim's behavior. To show the struggles he is having with his internalized homophobia. To how how deeply he loves and looks up to his family. That he catches and carries the shame, the guilt, the blame of his queerness when it's called in to question by his sister. But that he is able to recognize and shed that shame when Wen asks him very simple questions. Because he knows the answer to them, you can't catch queerness, Li Ming isn't gay because of Jim, in fact, Jim being queer was a protective factor in Li Ming's own relationship to his queerness.

"And what era are we in now?" Wen says "No one really looks for reasons why people are gay anymore."

That is the question of the hour for Jim isn't it? What era are we in now? Jim is stuck in the past. He is trapped under decades of struggle and strife, and the behavior he had to have to survive. He is shifting his paradigm, slowly but surely, and this is the question that Jim will need to answer for himself in order to better understand his nephew and in order to shed some of the weight he carries.

"What era are we in now?"

Not Jim's era. We're in an era of change.

Jim does not remove Wen's hand. We are in an era of change.

"You are gay, aren't you? Why can't you accept your nephew is gay?"

"I can accept that. I'm just worried about him,"

This is Jim's fundamental character trait in his relationship with Li Ming. He's just worried about him.

"You do know that it's not easy being gay in this country. I can't see how he is able to lead a good life."

We are in an era of change.

"If [Li Ming] wants to tell someone you will hear it before me, trust me," Jim says.

"Because you are strict,"

Li Ming has been telling him this from the beginning, but that's his child, and it's difficult to give up that need to protect him. We are in an era of change. It is time for Jim to accept that Li Ming is growing up, and he has to start seeing Li Ming as an adult if he wants Li Ming to trust him.

So it's time to listen:

"No,"

"Why?"

"I hadn't seen her in 5 or 6 years. Out of the blue she showed up and told me she loves me. Do you expect me to love her back just like that?"

"Can't you love her simply because she is your mother?" Jim certainly loves her just because she is his sister. Even though she's hurt him. Even though the blame he places on himself, the internalized homophobia, all of that comes from her.

"I know I owe her gratitude. But being a mother or father should not be an excuse for everything,"

Li Ming is smart in this way, he is showing Jim that he has opinions, he has justifications for his behavior, and they go against tradition, sure, but that has always been li Ming's thing. Why do powerful people have the right to hurt us? Why do I have to love someone who's hurt me?

"But I think your mother loves you too,"

"Love can't be forced, right? Just because she gave birth to me, must I love her back? If you ask me if I love you or not, I can answer that more easily,"

"I can easily say that I love you,"

Moonlight Chicken is a show about family, found or otherwise. Li Ming has shown his love for his uncle repeatedly in this show. In the way he steps up to take responsibility for the broken alcohol so Jim doesn't have to stress about money. In the way he listens to Jim and calms down when his emotions get too out of control. In the way he shows up for Jim's birthday party even though they fought. In the way he always looks Jim in the eye. But he hasn't said the words "I love you," to Jim, not since we've been following them at least.

Jim gives Li Ming a olive branch beer.

"Get a taste of being an adult," WE DID IT FOLKS! WE GOT THERE!!! JIM HAS FINALLY DONE IT, HE HAS FINALLY FIGURED OUT WHAT LI MING HAS BEEN ASKING FOR THE ENTIRE GODDAMN TIME!!!! *airhorn noises*

And because this is literally all Li Ming has been wanting, the apologies, the trust, the honesty, the willingness and need to explain, to help Jim better understand his actions follows quickly. And Jim reciprocates that gift with his own, "I wasn't mad at you for the cigarette, I was mad at myself for demonstrating that behavior,"

"What about Heart?" he teases "Have you tried him out already so you know you like him?" and it's not really an apology, but it doesn't have to be. Because I do think Li Ming understands where Jim was coming from, it's difficult to be gay. Uncle Jim is worried about him. But this, again, is Jim's way of showing Li Ming he is on board with their relationship. He is teasing him, and they are back to their regularly scheduled program after this.

God, Jim loves his nephew so much. And God, this is the happiest and most carefree that I have seen Li Ming be outside of when he's spending time with Heart.

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toxicanonymity · 1 year

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Rock Bottom Ch 2 - The Prey

3.2k Words (20k overall): Corey observes Michael from a distance, then strikes out on his own to make a kill, only for Michael to take all the action in more than one way, while Corey watches. Reader gets railed.

Michael Myers x Reader; Corey thirsting for Michael

She manages to free her legs to either side of Michael. They're spread wide. Her feet are even farther from reaching the floor now. Michael closes the small gap between them with a thrust, and she groans. Corey can't see the knife, but he waits for the life to leave her eyes. It doesn't yet. It doesn't seem to at all. Michael is playing with his prey again, Corey thinks.

Rock Bottom Index / Other Chapters

EXPLICIT 18+ MINORS DNI variety of depravity including possible r*pe

Corey pulls up the hood of his sweatshirt and tries not to make a splash as he crosses a creek bed. It’s dusk, and he’s in a neighborhood not far from where he first encountered Michael earlier this week. Corey had emerged from the sewer changed and wanting more. He found a small amount of relief in the shower afterwards, and with Allyson later that night, but a different need remains unmet. A deeper void needs filling.

Michael’s lair is close to Prevo Auto Yard where Corey works. He doesn’t know it, but Ronald used to give leftover takeout to the vagabond Corey killed. That’s how close Michael’s lair is. After work, Corey watched from the overpass as Michael left the drain, then Corey followed him on foot. He’s been tracking Michael for an hour now. The darker it gets, the more trouble Corey has keeping up, and it’s not because Michael is fast.

Michael is like a cat. He slinks, he stalks, he watches, he seems to teleport small distances, making no noise at all. He’s solitary. He feeds. He plays with his prey. He naps, for years at a time. He seems to be drawn to people who don’t show interest in him at all, people who don’t see him coming.

Michael hasn't attacked anyone tonight, but he may be casing houses for new victims. Corey isn’t sure yet how Michael chooses his prey. He feels like he knows Michael intimately, but that’s only in a cosmic, metaphysical way. Most of Corey’s practical knowledge about Michael is based on news reports and rumors, just like everyone else. Based on that, most of the victims don’t seem to deserve it. There must be something to learn from watching Michael in his element.

Corey looks around 360° and sees Michael nowhere. He spends another few minutes trying to locate him then resigns himself to calling it a night. If Michael has noticed Corey on his tail, he may be getting ready to kill him, but the prospect of Michael popping out from behind a bush and attacking him excites Corey more than it scares him. Nothing scares Corey now.

A crash comes from the one-story house closest to Corey, and a light turns on inside. Corey ducks behind a tree to watch. He expects to see Michael bringing his knife down on an unsuspecting stranger. What he sees is a man and woman arguing. It's a huge window. Michael is nowhere in sight. The man wears a t-shirt that was once white, ripped jeans, and an unfastened belt. The woman is in a button shirt and underwear. She throws something at the man. Another crash. When the man turns around, he’s holding a pistol.

The man corners the woman in the kitchen and puts the barrel of the gun against her throat where it meets her jaw. She grabs a bottle from the stove, smashes it on his head, and expertly disarms him. She's pointing the pistol at him now. Corey recognizes her - It’s her. She picks up a pair of jeans from the floor and pulls them on with one hand. She leaves, slamming the door behind her. A thick, dark liquid trickles down one side of the man's head and he winces.

She's a Haddonfield Sheriff’s Deputy, or at least she used to be. Squad cars could be on their way right now. Corey disappears into the night.

2019

The first time Corey met her, it was Summer 2019. Corey was working at Prevo saving up for college. It wasn’t unusual for a law enforcement officer to stop by Prevo. Criminals use scrap yards for unsavory purposes, like ditching a getaway car, or worse, disappearing someone’s ride after disappearing them . She came into Prevo that day tracking a warrant.

While Ronald fetched something in the office, she wandered into the garage where Corey was working. She leaned against the truck he was fixing. He was getting ready to weld, so he warned her, “Uh, you should probably go back in the office. It’s not safe.” He gave her a shy, apologetic smile, and put his welder helmet down.

She moved closer instead of moving away. Uncomfortably close. Corey relented and pulled the welder’s helmet back up over his curls and waited.

“I like your jumpsuit,” she said as she sized him up. Corey was built solid. His unassuming posture made it easy to miss sometimes, but not to her.

“Heh, it’s just, uh, the uniform. We all have it,” Corey nervously chuckled. He took his glasses from his jumpsuit pocket and put them on, pressing them up into place with a brief little smile, then blinking. He looked down at her nametag. She must have thought he was looking at her chest. She seemed excited.

“Mmm,” she reacted. “Same here. Our uniforms aren’t as practical though,” and unbuttoned her top two buttons. She was wearing a thin undershirt, so the gesture wasn't completely obscene. “Not a lot of room to stretch.” She clasped her arms behind her butt and jutted her chest out, tossing her head to the ceiling. She met Corey's eyes again. “You look like you could do just about anything in yours.”

“Heh,” Corey blushed, looked around, and adjusted his glasses. She glanced at his crotch and he reflexively covered himself with the dirty rag in his hand. She didn’t see his growing bulge, but she knew. She winked.

Ronald returned from the office and cleared his throat judgmentally, "Deputy." Corey didn't have any business getting mixed up with a woman like that. Joan would have Ronald’s head.

She rolled her eyes, then smiled at Corey one last time. " Corey . Bye, Corey." She turned to Ronald, noticed the security tape in his hand, and squealed. "You're the best, Ron!"

"Heh, bye," Corey mumbled to no one, smiling. She was smoking hot and had a nice ass. He wiped his hands with the oil rag. Corey sensed she would forget about him by the end of the day, whereas he would think about this for weeks.

A few months later, around the time of Jeremy Allen's accident, she was stationed at the courthouse in pre-trial security screening. When Corey was arrested, he spent a week in jail. Two deputies, Hawkins and Mulaney, escorted him to the courthouse in the back of a squad car for his arraignment. Hawkins seemed to feel for Corey and treated him nice. "Shackles, Mulaney? He's just a kid."

Mulaney was a prick. "Protocol. Take it up with the Sheriff, old man."

They entered the courthouse through the inmate tunnel and approached the high-security screening station. Hawkins put his hand on Corey's back. "It's okay, son," nudging him toward the metal detector and body scanner. It was heavy duty enough to scan body cavities, but they still did pat downs.

She and a male deputy were both standing behind the body scanner wearing latex gloves. They always make sure there's a woman available in case a female inmate needs a pat down. Corey recognized her and blushed. "Aggravated Manslaughter," Mulaney proudly informed her. She raised her eyebrows and motioned come hither to Corey with both hands. "I know you," she said softly. "Arms out, hands facing down."

She started with his fingers, dragging her hands along the tops of his arms, in toward his neck. She gave his biceps a little squeeze and whispered, "Oh, hello." Corey gulped. Then the underside of his arms, starting with his broad palms. It was uncomfortably intimate, but Corey savored what might have been the last time he'd feel a woman's touch for years. She rounded the corners of his armpits and ran her hands down his sides. Corey shuddered. She stepped closer and said "I like this one even better," giving his prison garb jumpsuit a tug. She did remember.

She popped a squat as she ran her hands down Corey's hefty thighs all the way to his ankles. She hooked her hands around his ankles and did the backs of his calves and hamstrings on the way back up. Corey was getting hard, but she was blocking anyone else's view with her head, then body, as she stood up.

Her hands approached the apex of Corey's back legs. Her male counterpart smirked and looked the other way, clasping his gloved hands behind his back like a soldier and adjusting his posture. She gave Corey's ass a quick squeeze with both hands. The chub in his groin thickened. She looked down and kicked his foot lightly, "Spread 'em."

"Alright, we're on a schedule," Hawkins said, shaking his head.

"Tell you what lady," Mulaney piped in. "I've been bad . You've got my number. Heh heh."

"Dream on, Doug." She squatted down again and finished up by frisking Corey's inner and outer legs, bottom to top. When she got to his crotch, she seemed to like what she saw. She stood up, leaned a thigh into his hardness, and brought her lips to his ear. "Good luck." She rotated his shoulders and Corey shuffled his feet to face the courtroom. She sent him out with a pat on the butt.

Her male counterpart glanced down at Corey's jumpsuit. He said, "hey man, no sharp objects," and laughed with Mulaney as they high-fived. Corey was beet red. A boner joke, how original.

Behind Mulaney and Hawkins, another pair of deputies escorted an inmate through security. The inmate eagerly approached her and extended his arms. The deputy laughed, "Shopliftng? Ha, fat chance." She stood with her arms crossed and nodded toward the male deputy. Shoplifters didn't interest her.

Present Day

It's been two days since Corey met Michael. He wakes up with clarity: The man who was roughing her up would be the perfect victim if he's not already dead. Corey thinks about it while he works on a station wagon. Knives are kind of Michael's thing. He considers taking a wrench from the shop. Corey doesn't stop by the sewer after work. He wants to do this on his own and prove himself. He puts the wrench in his backpack with his scarecrow mask and rides his motorcycle back to the neighborhood. He turns off his headlight and idles. There’s an old red truck in the driveway. No patrol car.

Corey parks his bike on the next street and creeps through the woods. It’s dusk. He sets his backpack down against a tree and watches through the window. The scene is illuminated by a brass floor lamp that stands between the den and modest kitchen. There's a hall behind the lamp. The man is wearing an A-line tank, sitting in a recliner that has seen better days. He's eating a TV dinner. The glow of the television illuminates the stains on his shirt. No one’s going to miss this guy.

Corey leans down, without taking his eyes off the window. He removes the scarecrow mask from his bag. He stands up. “Pull a gun on a woman?” Corey thinks under his breath. “Do it again. Fuckin' coward.” It sounds tough in his Northern accent. There’s something about guns Corey doesn’t respect. He and Michael have that in common.

Corey uses one hand to place the mask on his face and the other to position the elastic in his curly hair. Next, he removes a hefty, two-foot wrench from his bag and stands up straight, enjoying the weight of it in his hand. He lets it drop to his side and the wrench extends itself with a satisfying clink.

Corey strides slightly uphill toward the house. He doesn't make much of an effort to hide, but there's no light in the yard, and the idiot is absorbed in the tv. The man is laughing with a shitfaced grin, chewing with his mouth open, until he seems to see something in the yard. The douchebag puts down his fork and slowly finishes chewing, squinting out the window. Corey ducks out of his line of vision, still making his way up the hill with his eye on the kitchen door.

The douchebag begins to stand. Crumbs fall off his shirt. Behind him, a shape emerges in the hall. The imposing silhouette could only be Michael Myers. The man doesn't see Michael. He's still squinting into the yard, and standing not quite upright. Michael steps forward. His mechanic suit is like Corey's, but the collar is upturned and his arm muscles are visible through the fabric. Corey's jaw drops and his briefs tighten. Michael stands with his arms to his sides, not holding a weapon. His fingers twitch.

Corey is torn between walking faster to claim his kill and just watching Michael work. Michael doesn’t give him much of a choice. He grabs the brass floor lamp with both hands and disassembles it in one swift motion. The lampshade rips against the wall with a crash and its light flickers out. The man sees Michael's reflection and looks around like a helpless animal. His eyes bulge.

The lamp rod is in two hollow parts with a wire in between, like long, brass nunchucks. Michael wraps the middle cord around the guy's neck, brings the rods together and twists them like a tourniquet with one massive hand, holding the man up by his belt with the other as he flails. Corey drops the wrench into the grass and rushes closer to the window.

The man is grasping at the cord with both hands and tries to make eye contact with Corey, as if the grown man in a scarecrow mask will save him. The TV continues to illuminate his dirty shirt in pale colors. Michael releases the man's belt and wraps his arm like an anaconda around the man's torso to stop his flailing. The man's movements slow down. He's not dead, but he's weakened. Michael loosens his grip and discards the lamp. Playing with his prey. The man gags and coughs, trying to catch his breath.

Michael stands still again, feet spread. He wiggles his fingers almost imperceptibly, then stops. His physique is one to behold. His lower jumpsuit is tight on his thigh muscles and crotch. Does the thrill of the kill turn him on, or is Michael just packing ? Corey feels movement in his own jumpsuit and adjusts the crotch.

Michael seems to see Corey out the window. Corey wonders if Michael would let him kill the guy, and bangs the window. He side-skips toward the kitchen door to let himself in, curls bouncing. Michael crosses the kitchen in two long strides, his boots heavy on the linoleum. He locks the kitchen door without looking at Corey, opens a drawer by the sink, and removes a knife. He returns to the living room in no hurry at all.

"Hey!" Corey protests. He jumps back over to the window and bangs on it. Michael ignores him and stands there with the knife. The man has grabbed a shotgun from the wall. Michael push-kicks it away, unphased. His work boots break the man's fingers and send the shotgun crashing into the TV. Sparks shoot from the TV as it dies. The man holds his limp fingers in his good hand and sobs as smoke comes from the TV. He's drooling.

With an effortless swing of the knife, Michael finishes him off from arm's length. The douchebag raises both hands to his throat and gurgles. Blood trickles over his mangled fingers. He drops to his knees. As life leaves his eyes, he looks at Corey, then falls forward onto his face, out of view.

Corey's disappointment at being locked out of the house quickly turns to elation and arousal. Watching Michael kill was more satisfying than he could have imagined. He had a front row seat to an apex predator in its natural habitat. That was worth more than killing the guy himself. Michael killed him so much better than Corey could dream to. It was art. Michael is so much bigger, more powerful, more equipped . Corey is turned on by his own inferiority, but also wants to learn.

Michael stands there breathing and waits. Corey bangs again on the window. Now that it's over, he wants in. Even if Michael chokes him. Especially if Michael chokes him. Below the window, Corey palms himself through his jumpsuit. A wet spot appears. His brow furrows and he breathes heavily, and looks back up at Michael. Corey's breath fogs the window. Corey is painfully engorged, the wet spot growing at the front of his jumpsuit. He must relieve himself. He fumbles frantically with his zipper and reaches inside. He begins to stroke himself. Michael's mask tilts, watching him.

A shadow moves behind Michael. Michael side-steps out of the way and turns his head toward the hall, waiting. His fingers twitch. There's someone else in the house.

The female deputy emerges from the shadows. Her eyes fall on Corey's mask and she screams. Michael whips around and grabs her by the throat, slamming her against the wall. Her scream turns into a whimpering cough. Michael effortlessly lifts her off the ground, dragging her up the wall. She kicks and thrashes, and her arms disappear behind his chest.

Michael reaches between her and himself. A knife clatters to the ground with barely any blood on it. She groans loudly. Her strength doesn’t seem to fade. Michael is so much bigger than her. He seems to take up the whole hall. He jabs his body into her again. And again. She screams, and Michael covers her mouth. A picture frame falls off the wall behind her.

With a single step and pivot, Michael flips her to the other wall, her legs wrapping around him. Michael presses his body into her. Corey removes his mask and takes in the view. Michael's sculpted ass flexes rhythmically. Around his waist, the jumpsuit looks looser than Corey expects.

Michael's jumpsuit is unzipped . He's not killing her. He's fucking her. Michael Myers fucks, and Corey has a front seat view. Corey pumps himself furiously. Michael continues thrusting into her, faster and faster. His upper back muscles flex intricately under his jumpsuit.

She moans and squirms. Michael pins both her arms above her head and quickens his pace. The screams and groans run together into one long cry. Corey breathes heavily, desperately milking his engorged cock. His eyelids are heavy. He blinks hard and forces his them open, not wanting to miss a second.

Michael finally slows down. He thrusts her into the wall three more times, much harder and slower, then holds perfectly still, his monster cock still pinning her to the wall. He steps back and she slides down unceremoniously into a heap on the ground. Corey climaxes with a groan, and Michael's head whips to the window. Michael slowly zips his jumpsuit and stands there breathing.

Michael looks down at her and tilts his head. She's wearing a button-up shirt, which is open. Threads stick out where buttons are missing. The bottom of her skirt is up at her belly button. Her underwear is in tatters. Her chest is heaving. She doesn't try to escape.

Michael leaves her alive and slams the door on his way out. Corey catches his breath and zips up his suit in a daze. It's unclear if Michael is a rapist or if she is a conspirator, but the scene gives Corey an idea. He'll bring Michael his prey.

If you like it, drop me a comment or kudos (you don't have to log in) on AO3 - the dopamine makes me write more lol. You can also subscribe to get alerted about new chapters.

#halloween ends #michael myers fanfic #michael myers x reader #michael myers smut #corey cunningham smut #corey cunningham x michael myers #corey cunningham x reader #slasher fucker #micheal myers #ao3 works #ao3 fanfic #rock bottom fic #rock bottom ch 2 #toxicanonymity oc #toxicanonymity ☠️#love2cuck #tw rape #tw noncon #rock bottom fic ☠️

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mister-eames · 18 days

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Hello Ash! So, we know that Dom got into dreamsharing because of professor Miles, but how do you think Arthur and Eames got into the industry? And why did they stay, what attracted them to it?

(this is especially true for Arthur, who seems to not have side gigs apart from it, from what we know at least)

And do you think they'll stay after inception?

Hello lovely!!! Oh I love this question and I'd love to know your thoughts/theories as well!!

For Arthur, I love the fandom fave military backstory, and having been a part of the original project. Or maybe Miles used to work in the US and it was Arthur that was one of his 'best and brightest' that Cobb corrupted. Mostly, I gravitate towards the idea that Arthur was never a student or in the military - that he worked himself up into a position as a research assistant through sheer hard work and happenstance, met Cobb through this position and got roped into dreamshare when Cobb went off the rails.

Arthur, to me, seems to be one of the most grounded in having a life outside of dreamshare/criminal activity. I think he was deeply attracted to the exploration of it - to the knowledge, the learning. A whole new world of ideas, notions and theory that he couldn't extract from any book. His thrill was the unspooling of it all. If Arthur wanted to know about dreamshare, its mechanics, its history, then he had to work for it, experience it. Dreamshare, to Arthur, was a challenge, it was the chance to dream up the life for himself that he always wanted - to make the money everyone said he never would.

But then, I think, once Arthur had learned and experienced as much as he could... it stopped being a challenge. It stopped being fun, something he enjoyed. It stopped being the thing that lit the fire under him. That, and what happened to Mal. Maybe he just wants to do something else, go back to a semblance of normality. I truly think he got a big dose of 'play stupid games, win stupid prizes' with Mals death, amongst other things to where it just wasn't worth it anymore. He stayed to get Cobb out of his mess, and didn't return to it, after Inception, except potentially for a handful of times when someone really needed him.

For Eames.... also love the military backstory. Solid. Works for me, love it. I'm also fond of the idea that he was just a young man down on his luck at one point, got into stealing, forging, cat burglary, whatever, and was tasked - either by fee or by blackmail - to steal a PASIV. Of course, seeing what a high price it fetched for, he kept it for himself. The rest is history.

I have a headcanon that Eames was actually retired from dreamshare at the time of Inception, and that he couldn't help but have one last chance at succeeding where he had failed before (and one last chance to dream with Arthur again). I don't know if he ever goes back after. Maybe on very rare occasions, to see if he's 'still got it'. My feeling is that his heart hasn't been in it for a long time, and that the detriments truly outweighed the benefits for him.

I like to think they were both on the path of different things in life besides dreamshare at the time of the movie. Neither of them seem particularly invested in the work itself for the reasons I mention before - especially Arthur, he didn't even want to take on the job, had no professional interest whatsoever. Eames barely kept a toe in the door prior to his recruiting. That, and I think they're at a transitional point in life - thirty-ish/thirty-something - where your priorities are just...changing. Your drives are different, your goals. You look back at your twenty-something version of yourself and say see, you survived, it's time to take a deep breath now. With all of the imagination, influence and investments they must have, I don't know if they would want to spend their time moving forward the same way they did the decade before when they were young and careless, after all they've been through.

#love to know your thoughts!#inception #arthur x eames

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dojae-huh · 3 months

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Hello! Just want to say again that I'm glad I found your blog, your down-to-earth commentary, especially about the business side of it all, is very much appreciated :)

Hi. Thank you for letting me know, I'm glad you find some more down to earth posts useful. In part, I run this blog to offer an alternative in fandom experience.

Thing is, we, as k-pop fans and as people who don't work in showbusiness or South Korea, don't have enough knowledge, experience or inside information to have a strong educated opinion on most of things when it comes to idol companies and their executives. We can have opinions as customers - I like this music, this promotional strategy works on me, these outfits are ugly, this concept rocks -, but not as business analytics. Especially considering how much media play, false information and difference in cultures we face.

However, nowadays everyone has the illusion that they know better, that their opinion and feelings are valid when it comes to any topic. And spread and defend their opinion like it is the ultimate truth.

I've recently come across a twit starting with "it appears that" and ending with "for sure". In a span of a few sentences the fan offered an imaginary scenario and finished with a "this is truth". Of course to "prove" that SM is evil, heh. Such baseless statements easily play on fans' love for their biases, evoke an emotional response, call to arms, they give an answer to "Who is to blame?!", provide a target for unleashing frustration and anger.

When one solo-stan blames our bias, we can call bullshit because we know how things really are. When a fan blames Chris Lee or SM, other fans are ready to accept the words as believeable. Either because they share the sentiment, or have no own opinion on the matter, so any will do. If everyone around says the same thing, it should be true, afterall? That's how our brains are wired: follow the majority, agree with the tribe, mirror everyone's current emotion.

We can't see the inner works and we don't know the inner rules, but we can see the results of labour and sometimes a reflection of things.

When I came to k-pop, I knew SM as the company that overworks its artists, has lawsuits with them, is super strict. Broken in two halves TVXQ and EXO with half of its members gone weren't a good representation. So when I started to get to know NCT better, I started to wonder if I was lied to or that something had changed in SM (the latter). Neos were taught how to songwrite, SM persisted with good quality music for NCT despite the group not taking off right away, artists not looking slavelike, there was SMstation and interesting projects.

Sure, I can observe bad work: poorly prepared concerts (Link), constant failures with album production (omitting Doyoung's name, boring designs for 127), tasteless stylists, etc. However, I also see good work: artists flying first/business class and living in 5 star hotels, being given opportunity to go to the beach, museums, to enjoy sightseeing in new countries; opportunity to explore one's creativity (soundcloud, NCTLabs, solo performances for Link); SM giving artists second professions (MC, variety host, model) that will aid professional longevity (Doyoung hasn't finished school and doesn't have a degree, but I'm not worried for him, even if SM collapses, he'll always find a job. Same for Taeyong, he came as a blank page, now he is a songwriter and a producer, he can even become a choreographer); neos progressively being given more choice and say, their opinion being consulted and their ideas being implemented once they gain enough experience (Golden Dust story, Taeyong making his own setlist for his concert, Doyoung saying Unity should not have solo-stages, Ten choosing the mood and genre for his solo, etc).

Most importantly, I can see many friendships between neos and producers/managers, and that Haechan and Doyoung, who experienced all of SM's downsides personally and not once, continue to like the company. Meaning, the good should outweight the bad. At least for now.

Fans learnt the name of Chris Lee and continue to blame him for everything to this day, although he doesn't own any shares in SM and has stopped being a CEO a year ago. He is a token scapegoat.

Should I blindly trust fans or should I go read Wikipedia, interviews and listen to the guy himself? In situations like these I always choose the latter.

Sure, I can't tell if he evades taxes or participates in shady business, and what neos think of him (aside from Doyoung calling him "hyung" in public and not being afraid of getting punished for it), but I can see he was the person who overlooked all the early NCT songs (we have "Limitless", "Cherry bomb" thanks to him); created SMStation and SMClassics (say thank you for "Try again", "Star blossom"); found Dem Jointz ("Kick it", "Punch", "Sticker") and multiple other songwriters who now work for SM; brought to Korea the idea of songwriting camps, in which Kun participates nowadays and where he befriends foreign creators; invested SM money into a publishing company (and not a winery or a hotel business), which means SM artists will be secured to have a lot of songs to choose from in the future, and Korean young producers will have access to the global market. He has been with SM close to 20 years, and he is evidently a music nerd, ergo he understands artists and their love for music. So why should I hate him? I have no proof of him taking money away from neos, but I have evidence he was very essential to formation of NCT and the quality of SM sound being maintained. On the contrary, I'm inclined to suspect the quality of albums (song setlist, production) is raising again because he is back to supervising A&R in SM.

#ask me away #food all around chips all around #notes in the margins #chain reaction

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crossdressingdeath · 7 months

Text

Volo: Perhaps you would hazard a guess as to why the mob turned on me? Kyvir: Did you speak out against the cult of the Absolute? They have eyes everywhere. Volo: It is not the eyes that I fear, it is the intelligence behind them. The Absolute is merely the outward form of something far more insidious. Volo: The Lord of Murder has returned. Volo: As he did a hundred years ago, Bhaal has set his accursed sights on Baldur's Gate, and his temple runs red with the blood of the innocent. Volo: And just as then, he has more than one Chosen to manifest his gruesome plot. He has Orin. Volo: And he has you. Kyvir: Bhaal does not have me - I reject his influence. Volo: I see that. You have at least a measure of self-control, but Bhaal's inheritance is not shrugged off so easily. Volo: The heart of a Bhaalspawn is a flipped coin that lands on its edge. Volo: Yours is a family set upon self-slaughter. Volo: When there are two or more, they will destroy one another until a single heir to the throne of blood remains. Volo: In times gone by, there was an errant-hearted Bhaalspawn who stood against his foul father, and brother Sarevok. Volo: Optimist that I am, I hope you are of similar heroic vintage. Kyvir: I hope so too - I think I can be the hero the city needs. Volo: I believe you will be.

"Bhaal doesn't have me," Kyvir says, lying, like a liar. He's going to make the right choice in the end but oh boy is it up in the air for him right now.

At first I thought that Volo thought that Bhaal being involved would be a huge shock to the party, but then he knows about Durge being Bhaalspawn so I guess he was just being dramatic about it. He is in general not sharing any new information here, maybe he's more helpful in a non-Durge run where you don't have (mostly forgotten) firsthand knowledge of all this. I especially like the bit where Bhaalspawn destroying each other until one remains is treated like a Big Thing when a) Jaheira discussed the importance of killing Orin to consolidate all of Bhaal's power in someone who is hopefully reasonably non-evil with you the same night you remembered being Bhaalspawn and b) Orin's already extended an invitation to fight to the death for daddy dearest's favour. Thank you Volo, we knew about this already. Evil is one big happy family that repeatedly stabs each other in the back for personal gain! In general while Volo is aware that Durge is Bhaalspawn (side note, how does he know that) I don't think he's aware of the whole "former Chosen of Bhaal and head of his temple, crafted from his divine essence in the name of bringing the world to a bloody end" thing. ...Actually I don't think anyone's aware of that at this point other than Durge themselves, it hasn't come up with the party.

Assuming Volo's talking about Gorion's Ward here (which I assume he is, whenever people mention heroic Bhaalspawn it's usually them) I think this is the only time they're referred to with gendered pronouns, although given how consistently they're referred to with they/them elsewhere I assume it's a mistake. But once again people are pointing Durge at Gorion's Ward and telling them "Be like them. Don't be Bhaal's obedient Chosen, be like them." Which is kind of interesting since based on the official canon on the wiki they were both active in the city at the same time (canonically Gorion's Ward was a guy named Abdel Adrian who died in 1482 DR, ten years prior to the events of BG3, and to make the timeline fit even if you don't make Gorion's Ward that particular guy they'd probably follow the same timeline) so it's entirely possible that the two of them knew each other and even if they didn't Durge was probably aware of their older sibling's presence. They probably spent most of their life pre-tadpole being told not to be like them! ...Also I suspect I'm gonna start getting plot ideas when I eventually do play the first two games and start developing a character for them because the idea of the heroic Bhaalspawn who saved the city meeting their much younger half-sibling who's now become the deadly favourite of the father they (Gorion's Ward) fought against and choosing not to tell anyone about them is very good.

Also, I love how while Volo does have concerns about Durge he's still confident that they can be a hero who saves the city. At least part of that is because just like Jaheira and Minsc he was around when Gorion's Ward was doing their thing and so he knows Bhaalspawn can do a lot of good, but I think he also does have at least some genuine confidence in the person he spent a good amount of time travelling with. I love it when characters have faith in Durge to be good despite their parentage!

#bg3 #bg3 volo #durge #bg3 spoilers

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imperiuswrecked · 1 year

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How would you describe Jim Hammond's character? Please and thank you.

JIM!!! I love Jim very much, and thank you for letting me wax poetic about his character. I love so many things about the character but to describe him I would say that the surface level is not who the character is. Many other characters and fans look at Jim like he's the nice guy, he's chill and laid back but that's only because he's often in the presence of Namor who anyone would look very calm next to, lol.

So I often feel there's two eras of Jim's character, the Golden Age/Invaders Jim who is much more fiery and cheeky. He's more hotheaded and I feel a lot of it ties into him being very new to the world so it hasn't worn him down yet and he's very curious during this era, like a puppy who can set things on fire. However the second era of Jim's character has a more somber air to him, like he's been through A LOT, he's been through so much. Being deactivated and reactivated and killed and brought back quite a few times that by the time we get to what is my favorite times of Jim (The Torch/Secret Avengers/All New Invaders) he is just "Old Man" vibes, like all he wants is to pet his cats and live a good life but he can't stay away from super heroics.

Jim is a good man with a good heart but he's often lost in his own thoughts about the world, his place in it, and what it means to be human. It's why Marvel has Frankenstein's Monster or Pinocchio references to Jim because he is looking for his soul or wants to be a real human. Jim's character arc is often tied to his humanity and whether or not he has a soul or is human. It's also tied to the fact he self scarifies himself to save the world or his friends.

Jim is a good man but also he won't hesitate to do something like burn Hitler to death, or threaten to give someone cancer because they killed his friend. So like I said, the surface of easy smiles, quiet, good guy Jim doesn't show his whole character, and because Jim was programmed to absorb behaviors and knowledge from the people around him and I feel a lot of his good cheer comes from his son, Toro. WHO I SHOULD MENTION IS A MATCHED SET, YOU DO NOT SEPARATE, BRING BACK TORO TO JIM MARVELLLL!!! I seriously LOVE Jim and Toro being a family and need more of it. But yeah getting back to Jim, like most times his bastardy cheeky side comes out when he's around Namor.

Namor says Jim brings out the best in him but I feel the opposite is also true, that Namor brings out the asshole side of Jim, like he's all nice to other people but Namor can handle his real personalty and it's just very interesting to me to see that.

So what I feel most of Marvel gets wrong about Jim is that they keep calling him an Android but imo Jim isn't just your run of the mill Android, and I wish Marvel would go back to calling him The Synthetic Man, again because it's much more interesting than lumping Jim in with a bunch of other androids. That also includes ditching the whole "robot insides" they often do, and make up something more interesting for the Horton Cells.

Ok, because this is getting long, let me wrap up, because otherwise I would go on. lol.

I see Jim's character as a still pool of water, where you think you know everything but it's much deeper than you would think and it's just fascinating to me because usually characters who are associated with fire have this trope of being too hotheaded and impulsive but Jim is an old man, a dad, and grandfather type to all the kids (and cats) he manages to collect.

And if you haven't read it then PLEASE read Marvel (2020) #6 because it's so sad and I love it very much. Also one last thing, this is my favorite art of Jim! Art by Mukesh Singh

#jim hammond #human torch #toro raymond #imp answers #sorry i was just rambling with no line of thought lolol

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gwydionae · 7 months

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Ok, serious question for One Piece fans.

Here's the TL;DR:

I'm at Fishman Island in the anime. I know lots of future spoilers for WCI and Wano. I love pre-time skip Sanji and WCI Sanji. I hate Fishman Island Sanji. The question is, as a Sanji fan, how much disappointment should I prepare for in Punk Hazard/Dressrosa/etc until WCI? Is he going to stay this obnoxious until then?

And here's the rather long explanation rant because sometimes you just gotta vent:

I started reading the manga, like, 20 years ago, but I dropped it during the Fishman Island arc. There were many reasons for this (some unrelated to OP entirely), but a big one was Sanji. He had always been my favorite character, and while there had been moments pre-time skip that I didn't love (see: Clear Clear Fruit and it's improper uses), I found he became downright insufferable after it. I don't have to love everything about a character for them to be my favorite, but FI pushed me past my limit.

I have since skimmed through Whole Cake Island and bits of Wano due to seeing spoilers that made me believe that may have changed over time, and I did really like the parts that I read. Well, most of them, anyway (see: invisibility and it's improper uses, Sanji). So between that and hype over the live action version, I went back and started watching the anime for the first time.

I am once again in the early goings of Fishman Island, and I am STRUGGLING. Every time Sanji is on screen my brain is warring between remembering what I like about his character and what I'm seeing play out currently. He used to be overly fond and protective of woman, to the point that his inability to fight them hindered the crew. Now he's an active pervert drooling in the face of every pretty woman who is hindering the crew simply by bleeding to death at the sight of any woman including his own crewmates. Had this happened, like, once, MAYBE twice, ok, it's a dumb gag, but whatever. But it's not a one off gag. It just keeps going, to the point where it doesn't feel like a gag anymore so much as an actual character trait. It's like his flaws (which can make for interesting character drama, like his inability to physically harm Kalifa) are now his core personality, and everything I liked about him isn't even there anymore. Heck, part of his training was to learn to cook foods to help his crew, and he hasn't even cooked anything yet, and he was separated from his crew for two years!

(Ugh, don't mind me, just unearthing feelings buried real deep a decade ago. ANYWAY)

I know he gets better. He'll never feel quite like his pre-time skip (especially pre-Thriller Bark) self again, but I know that WCI adds in some really interesting layers to his character, and while Wano still has his perviness turned up a bit higher than I'd prefer, there's real depth to his character to keep him from sinking back into the one note gag that is Fishman Island. He will get growth. He will go back to being an enjoyable and rounded character one day.

I just really need to know exactly how long I have to wait for that to happen.

Sanji is (obviously) not the only thing I like about One Piece. I like nearly all of the Straw Hats, I've gotten attached to more than a few side characters over time, and the fact that it's so long and hasn't (to my knowledge) felt like a mad scramble of retcons is highly impressive.

But here on good old tumblr, I expect people to understand about the blorbos. They're different. They're special. And feeling like I wish one of them would finally succumb to death by nosebleed is, to put it mildly, not ideal.

And thus the question at hand. Because if I have to put up with this Sanji all the way until WCI, I might just scream. But at least if I have the warning ahead of time, I'll know to expect it rather than fruitlessly hoping he gets better before then.

Just give it to me straight, doc. How bad is it?

(The one thing I know of him between now and WCI is that his mind/soul/?? gets stuck in Nami's body - not sure for how long or what all he... does... in there, though. So please spoil that for me. I do not want that kind of surprise.)

#one piece #sanji #black leg sanji #vinsmoke sanji #sanji is not a vinsmoke #sanji one piece #one piece sanji #help an old fan out guys please #man #i have been wanting to vent about this for ten years now XD #got too distracted by turtles to bother back then though so i'm doing it now lol #old lady yells at cloud

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decolonize-the-left · 1 year

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Not sure if you're aware but tlou was written by a hardcore zionist...I haven't watched it but palestinians online have been saying the show is making them v uncomfortable with the zionist messages encoded in it. Just thought you might wanna know

After a quick Google search it doesn't look accidental.

This article immediately shows up. And a search for TLOU Zionism on Tumblr we see this article pop up over and over.

Here are some key points in the article (the whole thing is good tho and I still definitely left important parts out).

Druckmann drew parallels between The Last of Us and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict again on the official The Last of Us podcast. When discussing the first time Joel kills another man to protect his daughter and the extraordinary measures people will take to protect the ones they love, Druckmann said he follows "a lot of Israeli politics," and compared the incident to Israel's release of hundreds of Palestinians prisoners in exchange for the captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in 2011. He said that his father thought that the exchange was overall bad for Israel, but that his father would release every prisoner in every prison to free his own son.

"That's what this story is about, do the ends justify the means, and it's so much about perspective. If it was to save a strange kid maybe Joel would have made a very different decision, but when it was his tribe, his daughter, there was no question about what he was going to do," Druckmann said.

[...]A "cycle of violence" is a tempting way to interpret this conflict, or any conflict, because it signals careful nuance while quietly squashing more difficult conversations. By suggesting that since both Wolves and Scars are equally implicated and equally in pain, we are free to stop thinking about the problem. All parties include both good and bad actors. We're all human. Both sides.

This common, centrist position on violent conflict, while better than absolute dehumanization, is not coincidentally a world view that allows conflicts to drag on forever. Suggesting moral equivalence and a symmetry in ability between sides also invites us to throw up our hands and give up on better solutions because of implied and unexamined perceptions about "human nature." Indeed, the game is unrelentingly cynical, and this cynicism animates most of the 30-odd hour experience. Whereas Abby and Ellie find interpersonal resolution at the end, the game seems content to leave the question of community-scale cycles of violence as a regrettable fact of human existence. Even if the Wolves and Scars meet their mutual end, the game leaves us with the knowledge that a resistance group from the first game, the Fireflies, and other groups, are regrouping and gaining strength. The cycle continues.

[...]But "cycles of violence" are a poor way to understand a conflict in a meaningful way, especially if one is interested in finding a solution. The United States, for example, hasn't been at war in Afghanistan for almost 20 years because it's trapped in a "cycle of violence" with the Taliban. It is deliberately choosing to engage with a problem in a way that perpetuates a conflict. Just as the fantasy of escaping violence by simply walking away from it is one that only those with the means to do so can entertain, the myth of the "cycle of violence" is one that benefits the side that can survive the status quo.

In The Last of Us Part II's Seattle, Scars and Wolves hurt each other terribly, and the same can be said about Israel and Palestine. The difference is that when flashes of violence abate and the smoke clears, one side continues to live freely and prosper, while the other goes back to a life of occupation and humiliation. One side continues to expand while the other continues to lose the land it needs to live. Imagining this process as some kind of symmetric cycle benefits one side more than the other, and allows it to continue.

[...]The Last of Us Part II is an incredible journey that provides not only one of the most mesmerizing spectacles that we've seen from big budget video games, but one that manages to ask difficult questions along the way. It's clearly coming from an emotionally authentic and self-examining place. The trouble with it, and the reason that Ellie's journey ultimately feels nonsensical, is that it begins from a place that accepts "intense hate that is universal" as a fact of life, rather than examining where and why this behavior is learned.

Critically, by not asking these questions, and by masking its point of view as being evenhanded, it perpetuates the very cycles of violence it's supposedly so troubled by.

I think is a very good criticism and I'll say that even giving characters "good" reasons to carry on with their very hateful goals seems doubly malicious in that context.

Like I could type out a long response justifying specifying character actions by saying "oh it's trauma" or "loyalty" or something but like the article says none of those reasons are really good enough when you look at the scale of conflict or what's it's actually a commentary on.

The logic Druckmann uses also dehumanizes the characters themselves in a way that removes their free will. Their trauma happened, it shaped them, and now everything else is just a domino effect of that. Everyone is a victim of unavoidable sets of circumstance. Circumstance made them who they are, they didn't have a choice in the people they got to be. Which means they have no choice in their actions.

Predeterminsm. And that may be literally true as a player of the game or watcher of the show since we cant change the course of those things or the characters themselves.

But real life doesn't lock us into stories or dialogue or behaviors that we can't walk away from. Ever. Even people "just doing my job" have a choice to lie down their guns in real life.

....within this context I feel like, if nothing else, the game serves purpose as a litmus test. It puts you through an emotional roller coaster fraught with bad intentions, awful deeds, and selfish acts and then it asks you: Was it worth it? Was it just a game? Would you do the same?

And what does that say about the kind of person who says yes?

It says you easily fall for genocidal and fascist propaganda, for starters. And who says you haven't already fallen for it if you're already sympathetic to Joel or Ellie's unjustifiable homicidal behaviors.

Because they are unjustifiable. Most people eat too much, depend on friends/family, or go to therapy when they're suffering a loss. They don't go on elaborate murder sprees. That's not the behavior or reaction of a person who's emotionally sound at all.

#TLOU #The last of us #decolstw #asked #answered

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theonethatyaks93 · 1 year

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Extended Thoughts on Season 3 PaTB Segments+ My Problem with Complaints About Reboot Brain

Hello! After much consideration, and after a few re-watches of Season 3 episodes, I decided to add some more thoughts to the Pinky and The Brain segments. I previously reviewed these episodes in another post so check those out for my initial thoughts. However, some of those opinions are a tad outdated so go look at my initial reviews and then come here for my updated thoughts. Just a heads up, these may become severely opinionated, especially with my thoughts on "All's Fair in Love and Door" as well as a brief little mini-rant on Brain from the reboot. Alright, let's begin.

"How to: Friendship": After looking back on this segment, I noticed a few things that I failed to see on my initial watch. First off, the macaroni hearts from the storyboard made an appearance at the end when Pinky learns that Brain kept that picture! How did I not see that? But that offers up a few questions. Pinky didn't put those hearts there. Did Brain do that? Was it a continuity error with the animation team? If Brain put them there then...? Honestly, my thoughts were racing after seeing this. I also found the ending very sweet and I still think that this segment is adorable. It's not the cutest segment from the reboot anymore (you'll see in a moment what took this title) but I still think it's really fun

"Royal Flush": Not really too much to add for this one. I found Pinky's lack of knowledge when it comes to British customs very funny and the song is still great (also, Pinky has a British accent! The irony of him not understanding British things while sounding British was something that made me laugh very hard!). That one line Pinky says after Brain mentions how the situation was "too romantic" made me scream in delight! Pinky is gay! I was kind of confused initially on why this episode was more focused on Pinky compared to the poker game and Brain, but I guess they just wanted to focus on something aside from Brain since Pinky hasn't gotten too many starring episodes.

"Talladega Mice": My initial episode ranking is now outdated. After re-watching this segment and it still making me laugh for 2+ minutes after watching, I can safely say that this is the best segment from the third season of the reboot. Everything in this segment is simply perfection from the writing to the animation and expressions to the dialogue and voice acting. It all works so incredibly well. We get to see a softer, more gentle side of Brain where he actually wants to help Pinky. Pinky's stress problems are portrayed with such realism, and as someone who also suffers from minor stress problems, I saw a lot of elements I could relate to. The things that struck me the most included the ways Pinky coped with his stress being strikingly similar to the ways I cope with my own stress, Brain being incredibly supportive and reassuring to Pinky (even listening to his wants and needs may I add), Pinky's stress attack being portrayed in a realistic manner (yelling, heavy breathing, shaking.), and the sheer number of adorable interaction between the mice. Even on my second re-watch, this segment still had me in tears because I was laughing so hard. This is the hardest I've laughed at a segment since the first "Pinky's How To". Every joke just lands and every moment manages to be either cute, hilarious, or a combination of both. The tickle fight in particular has to be one of the best moments from the season. This is the cutest episode from the reboot by a landslide and I love it to pieces. I plan on watching this over and over again.

"Mad Mouse: Furry Road": I don't have too much to add that I didn't already say in my initial review. I thought the animation was expressive and fun and some of the moments were funny. I found the premise very interesting and these were some of the more unique human characters. I loved the times when Brain defended Pinky. I just thought that Brain was very cool in this segment; thankfully, he strayed away from being unlikable or cruel.

"Groundmouse Day": After going back, I found this episode to be funnier since I paid more attention to the references. I loved how Brain got more and more insane as the episode continued on. I found the scene when Brain had finally taken over the world and Pinky was being supportive so cute. The satire and dialogue truly stole the show and I feel as though these segments managed among the best in terms of writing (also the kiss!!!).

"All's Fair in Love and Door": This is going to be a controversial opinion, but I think this episode was amazing. I know, everyone was mad that the deleted storyboards shown weren't in the segment and that they would've made everything better. You have a right to be frustrated, mad, or disappointed. However, I still think that this episode works on its own. And some of the storyboards were kept in the final cut. Do I think if they'd included those storyboards that it would add to the overall segment? Yes I do. Do I think that they would've changed my ranking and my opinion for the better? I don't think so. I actually think that the "Brain is in the closet" metaphor is still present; you just need to look a little closer past the surface to see it. Pinky is clearly jealous in the final cut, as hinted by the delivery of the lines. Brain's sexuality was also hinted at due to the ending (seriously, that look and that reaction!). I have my theories on why some of these storyboards were cut, but I don't let these affect my overall viewpoint. I'll defend this episode till the very end. I won't let deleted scenes change my opinion; I just look at the segment for what we got. If you are upset about the deleted scenes, that's okay. I'm not mad at you. But this is my opinion and the way that I look at this segment and all it has. Also, I think that Brain's reasoning for making this alternate world isn't entirely true. He might've felt guilty about Julia and he might've wanted to be with someone just like him, but I still have the feeling he's hiding something. Just the way he tells Pinky not to go in there and the way he reacts after Pinky does end up in the world shows he could be using this as a place to escape from his world. I have a theory that Brain uses this world as a way to escape from his problems: the struggles with Julia, his constant failures, his possible love for Pinky. This world serves as a place that fixes these. Julia is fine, he doesn't care about world domination, and Pinky isn't included here because Brain loves him and want to keep him just the way he is. Brain doesn't want to tell Pinky because he fears that his friend might be angered by what he sees or that Pinky might mess things up. The destruction of the fictional world not only serves as Brain "coming out of the closet" so to speak, it also shows that he has finally accepted that the world he didn't make is the one he wants to live in. This explains why there's always an uneasy feeling in this fictional reality and why Brain seems to almost look uncomfortable at times, like something is wrong (for example in the wedding photo and when Julia hugs him). The moment where Brain covers Pinky up to protect him shows that Brain has chosen Pinky over Julia, therefore proving that he loves Pinky more than he ever loved that fictional Julia. The ending also shows that Brain has essentially allowed Pinky to be the only thing he cares for, as hinted by his facial expressions and tone. Even when he starts talking about getting over his ex in a better way, he says never mind after seeing Pinky, showing that something must've happened inside his mind on that day. This only a theory and the interpretation might be completely off but nonetheless, I still love this episode quite a bit. (Ps: Sorry for the rambling!)

"How The Brain Thieved Christmas": I don't really have anything else to add here. I mentioned everything in my initial review and it hasn't changed since. The only thing I failed to mention was the ending in more depth. It definitely gave off "A Pinky and The Brain Christmas" vibes with Brain receiving a meaningful gift and Pinky getting something that tied into the episode (i.e. a spellchecker since the letter to Santa probably had poor grammar and the Pinky doll since that was something Pinky wanted and it was a plot point in the episode). I honestly think this should've been the final episode. Don't get me wrong, the James Bond parody was good, but it was only a cold-opening. This should've been the final episode since it has the feeling of one of the most popular episodes from the spin-off.

"International Mouse of Mystery": I've talked about this segment before in my initial reviews and in my episode 10 rant. I literally don't have anything else to add, so go check those out.

Closing Thoughts and Reboot Brain Rant: I've been seeing a lot of hate recently for Brain from the reboot. Many call him a villain, a poor character, and a worse counterpart to his original self. Some even debate the reboot's canonicity due to these factors. This truly breaks my heart to see because I personally love reboot Brain. I think he goes through an incredible character arc and improves so much after the first season. I believe that most of this controversy is geared towards the first season, which I agree with, but I've also seen others get mad at him for things in season 3 episode 7 (the previous section explains my theory/viewpoint on the whole situation). Calling Brain a villain is a slippery slope since I rooted for him in every episode except for one. Brain is one of the characters that you want to see succeed and I think that the reboot offered a new take on the classic formula. Brain becoming more insane is likely due to the fact that he's been trying to take over the world for nearly 30 years and has failed every time. The writers were trying to emphasize this important aspect. There were a few missteps when it came to Brain's character; season 1 being the pinnacle of this. For example, the infamous "Mousechurian Candidate" segment was the only time in the reboot where Brain was portrayed as exceedingly unlikable. He manipulates Julia, mind-controls her, says things that don't align with his character at all, and never apologizes or shows remorse for any of his actions until the third season. The scene where Brain causes Julia to lose her mind was one of the worst and most uncomfortable scenes from the franchise since it was very dark and was trying to be funny to which it failed. This was Brain's worst moment in the entire history of the show; thankfully it hasn't been repeated. He improved drastically in season 2, going through a character arc where he learns to appreciate Pinky more. The development he received in certain episodes such as "Narf Over Troubled Water" helped to move his character forward. In the third season, Brain's arc continues along, and somewhat reaches its conclusion in the Christmas episode. I think that if we got a fourth season, Brain's development would come full circle. I don't fully disagree with the statements people have been saying about Brain. Sometimes he can be out of character and mean, but he never stays that way. He's almost always redeemed by either a piece of character development, a funny moment, or a great episode after a weaker one. I'd also argue that the reboot's version of Brain is more expressive and sticks to his character development more than when he did in the 90's. For example, in certain episodes of the spin-off such as "A Pinky and The Brain Christmas" and "Megalomaniacs Anonymous", Brain learns to treat Pinky with kindness and to not neglect his feelings as well as realizing that the real reason why he wants to take over the world is to make it a better place. These aspects are contradicted in other episodes were Brain mistreats his friend and where his more malicious nature is shown. Brain was stuck in a sort of character circle, meaning that he would go through some development, and would undo that development in another episode, only to essentially redo that arc again at a later time. Brain in the reboot goes through a continuous arc over the course of three seasons, seemingly keeping his development after each segment. Sure, sometimes he takes a few steps back into the character circle, but he always pulls through.

Once again, I'm not saying that if you dislike reboot Brain that you're a bad person and that your opinion isn't true. My perspectives are only my personal thoughts and others can agree or disagree with me. It's just that when people criticize him so harshly that it just hurts to see. I don't want to hate Brain. I never want to. But sometimes, it can be so difficult, especially when he does things to Pinky (my personal favorite character). I personally really like the depth that Brain has in the reboot, as well as all the development he gets such as expanding on his control issues, his impulsiveness, and his possible lack of self-confidence. I understand why he's gotten all this hate, but I do think it is a little extreme in some cases. I'll always stand up for Brain; he's one of my comfort characters and I relate to him immensely.

Whew! That was a long post! I apologize if things were a bit rant-like at some parts; I just wanted to share my frustration at things. So, those are my extended thoughts! I hope you liked season 3 (or at least liked the "Talladega Mice" segment). My next post is going to be the biggest I've ever made so, stay tuned! (Sorry for the rambling!! Here's a pic of the mice for your troubles!!😊 )

#pinky and the brain #patb #brinky #animaniacs s3 #animaniacs spoilers #the rambling is strong with this one #opinions of season 3 #min-rant #somewhat biased thoughts #this took way too long!#I love these mice so much!!!!#gay mice #brinky is canon

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gamergirlbonestaskforce141riot · 9 months

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as for the questions, here are my requests :)) you can absolutely choose to only do one of them, do some or even al of them! everything's fine by me!

15, 16, 21, 31, 34, 37 (her with her hyperfixations lol) and B and H

for me these are the most interesting ones based on her canon (and after reading your answer to the previous ask)

Ooooh no no, I'm doing ALL OF THEM <3 you don't deserve less given your support!

15. How do they speak? Is what they say usually thought of on the spot, or do they rehearse it in their mind first?

It depends on the language she's speaking at the moment.

Obviously, if it's French, German or Russian (in that order of knowledge), she'll take a moment to think what she wants to say and how to say it... unless she is effing angry.

She is basically fluent enough in English to barely think about it unless it's some obscure vocabulary that she hasn't encountered before for some reason, and she has no shame in looking it up.

And Spanish (Castilian) is her mother tongue, so she just lets it out. She has the problem though that sometimes, she knows how to say it in one language but can't for the life of her remember how it is in the other, and viceversa (happens to me -_-)

And if she's angry, like ANGRY ANGRY she forgets any language and just howls at you in Spanish (while Soap's rolling on the floor usually)

16. What makes their stomach turn?

Literally? Creepy crawlies. Worms, centipedes (omg, those), slugs (not snails, those are cute), etc etc... makes her skin crawl. If she sees them and is prepared, is not that bad, but if she gets the nasty surprise she might even let out an undignified screech. Johnny only tried to prank her with a slug once, and she didn't talk to him for a week.

Figuratively? She has no problems with blood, guts, and all kind of side effects of being a SAS operative. But what grinds her gears is abuse. Of all kinds. She sees bullying or abuse of any kind, she'll get her hands dirty, consequences be damned. She was bullied while a kid until she started fighting back, and she'll be damned if she tolerates it in her presence.

21. Why do they get up in the morning?

*TRIGGER WARNING*

It hasn't been mentioned I think, and nobody asked, but after her parents death, and the following death of her only surviving grandparent, she fell into deep depression, not knowing what to do now that she was truly alone in the world. She even considered going to a cliff somewhere and... you get my meaning.

She instead decided to leave college and enlist, guided by grief and the desire of fighting the same kind of terrorists that murdered her parents (she worked that out in therapy long ago).

Meeting Johnny gave her an anchor, her person, the sibling she never had. They were each other's support, taking care of each other, and in her worst days, if she got up in the mornings was so he wouldn't have to worry.

Now in the TF141 she feels she has a purpose, a place where she belongs, and although some days it's still hard, it's steadily getting easier.

31. Who are they the most glad to have met?

Well, first and foremost, Johnny. Not even him is aware of how much his friendship has helped her. Riot literally has no one apart from him, prior to being in the Task Force. She is friends with Kate Laswell (no spoilers but... BUT), and was friendly with her squad, but she is quite an introverted person and for her is difficult to open up.

She is glad to finally be in the 141 (again, no spoilers, BUT), and she cares deeply for the core members, feeling 'at home' at last, and she's thankful that it seems they accept her. That Price has unofficially adopted her (making her sign up papers making him her next of kin) means more than she can say with mere words.

She'll be glad to meet Nikolai (in two chapters) and later down, Zhar, with whom she'll connect in ways she never expected, and quickly.

And of course... she's glad she's met Simon.

34. How hard is it for them to shake a sense of guilt?

She won't shake it. She'd dwell and drown on it. The loss of Phoenix Squad and her survival (if you can call what happened 'surviving') makes her feel survivor guilt that eats her alive in her worst moments. She couldn't have known, she couldn't have prevented, she couldn't have done anything to save them, but guilt is irrational.

37. Do they have a system for remembering names, long lists of numbers, things that need to go in a certain order (like anagrams, putting things to melodies, etc)?

Lists. Lists and lists and lists. She can remember by heart dozens of dog breeds,recognize music bands just by the singer (but not know the name of the song), swear words in different languages including ones that she does not speak fluently (much to Zhar's disgust, Riot learnt bad words from Nikolai. Bad, bad Nikolai), has music in her head all the time and taps her fingers to the rythm or hums with it. But she'll forget to eat more often than not.

Notes in her phone, in napkins, in kleenex, food wrapping, on the back of her hand, in whatever piece of paper or card she can get her hands on if she absolutely needs to write something down or gets something in her head that needs to be remembered later.

Most of the time in a mix of English and Spanish, unless it's vocabulary of any of the languages she's obsessed with learning at the moment, or improving.

Her notes can (and do) include: chemistry or physics formulas (she forgets those most of the time or mixes them up, and needs them if Johnny is not near), names and pronouns of the recruits she's currently in charge of (along with nicknames if needed), the number of the nearest pizza chain, ...

B) What inspired you to create them?

Brainrot mostly. I started getting COD videos on TikTok and fics and gifs on Tumblr around last Christmas, and listening to ONE LINE, literally, from Ghost made me all mush. Then I started watching more and more, and got the itch, which I hadn't had in years. Like, ten years. I used to draw, I even had (it's still there but inactive) a gallery in DeviantArt, and I wrote fanfiction. Had shit happening in my life and I stopped, had no energy or motivation anymore.

I started fantasizing about writing again, had the script in my head, dialogues, I started taking handwritten notes, I wrote the first chapter in three hours by hand while watching over an exam. The character was fleshed out, at least the basics, since minute one, and I based Riot on my Commander Christine (lol) Shepard which can be seen here. The surname is from Vega from Street Fighter (which is supposed to be Spanish and it's so cringey but I like the name)

H) What trait do you admire most?

She's resilient and relentless. She's like a bull, she won't stop for anything if she has to get to you, tearing walls if needed. She also has a strong will and won't be swayed this or that way (unless you manage to manipulate her, in which case you better prepareAHEMLASWELL). Stands up to anything and anyone, no matter rank or size (and without care for the consequences... which is not really healthy, honestly)

#oc ask game #ask game #thanks for the ask!#i love asks #oc asks #christine riot vega #riot vega

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coeureina · 10 months

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WOL Inspo Chart

Was tagged by @oazuredragoon , who clearly can't get enough of this girl so!

Left side, top to bottom:

Lexa kom Trikru (The 100): Lexa's entire aesthetic and introduction was what made me get hyped about the show seeing as how she wasn't in the books. She was always interesting to me for how she commanded the respect of her people and was a visionary. She did what she needed to do even if people ended up hating her in the end. It was a trait I knew that Iza needed to have.

Eris, Goddess of Discord (Sinbad): Eris by far was one of my favorite villains and in the beginning even with Iza being hailed the Warrior of Light, she was indeed a villain. Eris is the true, pure representation of malevolence and deviance which after losing her entire family, that's who Iza became. In order to beat the Garleans she had to be just as ruthless, manipulative and intelligent as they were. They bought chaos into her life and she would return the favor BUT despite that she remained a woman of her word.

Evelyn O'Connell (formally Carnahan) (The Mummy): Evie's love of history, knowledge and adventure in general is another one of the bases of who Iza is at her core. She adapts that philosophy of "if she could touch something and see it, then it was real".

Right side, top to bottom:

Avatar Kyoshi (Avatar the Last Airbender): Everyone knows Kyoshi as the "take no shit" Avatar and this is extremely true but she is also a person who was empathic, considerate, trusting and level-headed. She also suffered from low self-esteem and doubted her abilities to be a good avatar. To loved ones, she showed those soft traits. To the world, she is the direct, fierce and assertive woman we know and has always been an idol of mine. It would have been easy to pack on only good traits to the making of Iza but I wanted her to have hidden gems as well that only the most determined of people would find.

Naruto Uzumaki (Naruto): The entire story of Naruto from beginning to end is emotional and so inspiring. To be doubted and feared to loved and respected is something he earned through years of having one goal and dream. In many ways, Naruto and Iza are truly one and the same in that respect except the talking. Iza would much rather just beat someone's ass.

Lynn Wiles (Pulse): Lynn's personality of seeing life for what it is and having the ability to connect with everyone she meets while while being incredibly cheesy is who Iza was and who I hope to make her once again. It's one of the many things that has to be drawn out by the right people.

Honorable mentions: Nesta from ACOTAR. IYKYK.

Template can be found here for anyone interested! Tagging @phoebe-of-ivalice @bunaribae and anyone who hasn't done one!

#ffxiv #ff14 #ffxiv oc #oc: izayla bizemoux #wol inspiration chart

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redwayfarers · 10 months

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🤎 multiple kisses / kisses all over / kiss after kiss for whichever ship you feel like <3

Ty for dropping by <3

🤎 multiple kisses / kisses all over / kiss after kiss // ship: Thesor x Rhodarth

In hindsight, Thesor now realises, needing an army as a moral support to accept Rhodarth's invitation for a walk sounds so silly. He almost reminds himself of how he acted in Vodena, but that too makes so much sense he can't fully find fault in his own behavior.

He hasn't been this interested in anyone for decades, he's almost forgotten how it feels to.. look forward to things. To the barest of smiles, and the steadiness of their presence, and the laughter and the touch of hands, one that is devoid of any carnal desire but desirable nonetheless.

That's not to say he doesn't want to sleep with Rhodarth. He just wants other things too. That knowledge is far scarier than he'll ever let on.

"Rhodarth," Thesor calls, trying to will his voice into something calm, "I'm curious. How short was the shortest person you've ever been with?"

Rhodarth laughs. "Shorter than you, I assure you."

Thesor huffs. "Most certainly, but that doesn't answer my question." He knows he isn't very tall, and he's seen how tall Cassander grew up to be, but there is an appeal to just burrowing against a much taller person's side. He won't do it, of course, not here. He's just curious.

"And the honest answer is that I do not remember," Rhodarth continues, "although there have been shorter people."

"And how did you solve the issue of kissing without breaking your neck?" Thesor presses. Emboldened by his own question, he brushes a hand against Rhodarth's - he's not yet entirely sure of their levels of comfort respectively regarding public displays of affection like this. Rhodarth seems content to leave it at that, though there's warmth in his yellow eyes.

"I think I know what your melusine friend would suggest," he says. "Climbing a tree. Inteus would suggest it as a joke, but Ionneon would be very serious about it."

"She'd even offer me support as I climb," Thesor shakes his head. "I don't know what I'd do without her."

"Not kiss me," Rhodarth says and Thesor stops dead in his tracks. There's a content smile on his face, and the wind plays with his hair, showing tips of pointed ears. The corners of his eyes crease, but it's a joyful thing. Thesor has a feeling he needs more of that in his life.

"I don't see any trees nearby," he states and it makes him bury his face in his hand to breathe out the laughter that presses down in his throat.

"I suppose we'll just have to find another way, then," Rhodarth supplies, and walks a little back to where Thesor stands, holding the the sash he borrowed from Oria earlier. He then looks around - no signs of life beside them - and leans down. "I do think my neck can endure a couple of kisses though," he adds quietly and closes the gap between them.

Thesor leans into it and closes his eyes. It's hardly their first kiss, but there's something about emotionally charged kisses that leaves him breathless and stunned, something he cannot quite get enough of.

"I'm curious how many," he says once they part for air. "And only then will we go looking for trees I can climb."

Rhodarth merely nods and kisses him again. And suddenly, it doesn't feel quite as frightening as it had before.

#wayfarer #wayfarer if #inspo birb has come to town #thesor sereno #rhodarth nairan #thesor x rhodarth #listen. listen i tried #i think rho deserves happiness #this is very off-timeline bc thesor's story isn't the mc story #and if it doesn't read like rho i'm sorry.#but like i do like rho and i did try my best here #two sad men falling in love is everything to me #ask game

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buttermynutter · 2 years

Text

Making Beaches | 3 - Waves

Plink. Plink. Plink.

You could clearly hear water shifting from the other side of the stone, but the boy didn't emerge.

Cautiously, you lifted yourself up onto the rock, peaking over. It was unfortunate that he seemed to have the same idea, as your faces almost collided together once you looked over the edge.

Both of your screams echoed throughout the cave - just when you thought it was over, he would yell, then you would scream again, the process lasting for so long you were no longer sure what you were screaming about.

Ironically, it was you who fell backwards this time.

Your heart was pounding heavily as you watched him clamber to your end of the rock, peering over with eyes bigger than any pearls you had seen. As much as the sand dug into the palm of your hands, you didn't dare to move from your position.

His mouth was moving furtively, and you would've found it humorous if you weren't certain that you looked just as anxious as he did. Of course, you had anticipated the moment he would wake, but truly experiencing it was a different matter.

"You're real," he gasped softly, so pale that you were afraid he was going to pass out again.

You only nodded, not sure how to answer that statement, wishing that you could do nothing but slowly sink into the sand.

"Wait, I know you're real," he continued, his voice becoming more steady. "Well, not you, just mermaids, but I guess I thought you had all left when magic left the city, and I also-"

The boy gulped, and you couldn't help but think that his tangent had made formulating a response just a little more difficult. Should you wait for him to continue? Greet him? Swimming away and pretending nothing had ever happened was becoming more appealing by the second.

Just as you were about to open your mouth, he shakily said, "Thank you. Sorry, I should've started with that, I think that how you saved my life is much more important than a..."

He motioned downards, and you flicked your tail in understanding, causing his jaw to drop lower than it already was.

"You don't have to thank me," you responded, bringing your hands up to rest on the rock. To your surprise, he didn't shy away - instead, he leaned forward ever so slightly. You thought back to what he said and added, "It's true, most of us left some time ago, but my reef decided not to. We do a good job of hiding anyway, and moving the central reef isn't very convenient."

"Central reef?" The boy furrowed his eyebrows; it amused you how the already sharp angles of them dove as he did so.

"Reef," you repeated, racking your brain. "I guess it's a little like your... neighborhoods? Just a community."

His face lit up, and you had to say that it pleased you to see him with such a positive expression.

"Oh, that happens with us, too. Piltover hasn't moved anywhere for a long time, even after the big war."

Before you could ask, he remarked, "Piltover is our 'central reef'. I'm not sure why, as far as I can tell it's just the fanciest."

"And you live there?" you asked.

The boy shook his head, his face dropping. "They call us the Undercity, which should tell you what they think of us. Better than underwater, I suppose."

He said the last words with a grin, and you couldn't help but return it.

"Also, how does a whole community of you manage to stay hidden? I know you must do it well since you're the first mermaid I've seen, and even that was your choice."

You didn't expect the encounter to be going so smoothly until now, but his acknowledgement that you deliberately had been seen by a human struck a chord with you.

Hearing about things from outside of your small world did interest you greatly - the knowledge you had been brought up on was so restricted, you could note the different significance of every grain of sand in the reef.

You knew that there was always a chance you could be seen with him, but it would most definitely be worth it.

"I guess that we just have to swim faster than you run."

A silence clung to the air for a moment, yet it was strangely comfortable. You had only traded several lines with him, but you could tell that the human was good company - the thought started to spiral into wondering why you were discouraged from interacting with them at all until he coughed nervously.

"Can I touch it?" He sputtered again before adding, "Your tail, I mean."

You laughed a bit and nodded; you supposed that you had forgotten what a shock this must have been to him, it was a new experience for him as well - not to mention that whereas you could watch the humans from afar, he had never seen your kind before.

He slid tentatively into the water, landing at your side with a soft splash.

"Should I do it like... petting a poro?"

You gave him a questionable look and he blushed, slowly reaching towards your tail.

"Sorry, you probably don't have water poros."

He winced at himself but you didn't acknowledge it, instead taking his hand and placing it on your scales.

His eyes widened immediately, and he hesitantly started brushing, a ticklish sensation running up your tail.

"Does it feel like if your skin was touched?"

You shrugged, pondering an analogy the both of you could understand.

"Imagine that your skin was touched after its been covered with sand."

He nodded, deep in thought before suddenly standing up, his eyes swinging around the entirety of the room.

"I forgot the whole reason I came out here, I had to meet with someone - no, I even forgot to find some flowers for Rio," he rambled, his tone strung with frenzy. "I can't leave now, I haven't even asked you if you have gills!"

You laughed and heaved yourself onto the rock, shaking the water off your fin. The light catching your scales seemed to distract him for a moment, and you took the time to say, "It's okay, being late is better than being dead. Besides, you can tell me what a Rio is the next time we see each other."

The boy grinned up at you at the statement, his startled demeanor melting away.

"So there will be a next time?"

You nodded, wiping away a droplet of water that had been caught on his eyelashes.

"I hope so, at least. You can't see it from the outside, but you should be able to tell from here that you can slide through the vines."

To your dismay, his face dropped at your suggestion.

"Actually, I don't know if I think I can. Especially without my..."

He started looking around furtively, his small rotations casting rings of water that moved just as hurriedly as his search.

"That?"

You pointed over to the stick you had found earlier, still on the stone you had originally placed it.

He let out a loud sigh, wading over.

"I can never thank you enough - I don't know if this happens to mermaids, but some humans, their bodies are, well."

The boy paused, grimacing, and his whole being seemed to deflate as his eyebrows lowered along with his eyelids, gazing at his feet.

"They're broken."

You weren't quite sure what he meant, but his expression was more than enough to wring your heart a bit, the feeling in your chest tightening.

"You can use the rocks on the side, then. I know they're dry, and they should be flat enough for waking."

"Waking?" he said, carefully making his way to the patch of terrain. "Oh, walking! When we move our legs it's walking."

You tilted your head, repeating to yourself, "Walking. I guess I've always misheard that in stories, then."

Unexpectedly, he laughed, the sound full of light reverberating throughout the entire cave. He approached the stones with the angled part of the wood in his hand, turning away. You mirrored his movements, already treading to the boulders of the cave's mouth.

Something about the hollow sound of the water dripping from his clothes to the floor from behind you was rather comforting.

Suddenly, you heard him shout, "I'll wait here tomorrow and the day after, same time as now!"

You perked up and rotated towards him, catching a glimpse of his smiling face at the edge of one of the stones you had pointed to.

"Tomorrow, then! It'll be a change of pace to see you dry," you called while lowering yourself into the water and passing through the rocks - despite the fact that you had enjoyed your encounter, being immersed in the ocean was still thoroughly refreshing.

A realization abruptly hit you and you rose quickly to the surface, peering above the mouth at the cave only to see his still-wet hair disappearing from view.

You wanted to shout, but you knew that you had already drawn too much attention to yourself and sunk back into the sea, watching the bubbles flee with your sinking, the sunlight bidding you farewell.

You had never got his name.

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

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#arcane viktor #viktor/reader #viktor x reader #viktor #viktor x you #viktor arcane #viktor league of legends #arcane #arcane x reader #arcane fic #arcane fanfic #arcane league of legends #netflix arcane #league of legends x you #league of legends x reader #league of legends #league of legends fanfic #viktor the machine herald

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