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checkoutmybookshelf · 5 months

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From Criminial Mastermind to Fairy Tale Hero: The End of Artemis Fowl

Here we are, everyone: The final Artemis Fowl book. It has been a journey revisiting the first series I was old enough to follow and fandom, and it's wild to me that we're finally at the end. Especially since I picked up the first Artemis Fowl book in late elementary school (I'm genuinely not sure when though, because the first book came out in April of 2001, when I was in fifth grade and it's very possible I didn't pick the book up until sixth grade, which would have put me at 11, same age as Artemis in that first book) and the final book came out in 2012, when I was in my junior year of undergrad. So at that point, Artemis, Holly, and Butler had been part of my life for a long time. And now here we are, to say goodbye to them again after this leisurely re-listen/read. Let's talk Artemis Fowl: The Last Guardian.

Artemis grew and changed so much across eight books, which makes sense because holy cow do kids change a LOT between 11 and 15. We get so busy living life in those years that we don't really think about how much we truly learn and grown between prepubescence and full-on teenagerhood, but that is a time of massive change, and I think that more than anything else really justifies how Artemis goes from a chillingly vampiric child to a teenager with enough compassion and empathy to understand that sometimes the right choice is a heroic self-sacrifice for the people that your people (both humans and the people, in this case) love. Artemis also did a really interesting version of that thing so many teenagers do where they hit a point where they can't just phone in their abilities anymore and have to actually put effort in, but for Artemis it was emotional rather than intelligence. And yet even when making said heroic sacrifice, we have the absolutely beautiful callback to the end of book one, where Artemis drugs his mother, Butler, and Juliet to keep them from being harmed by the bio-bomb. To stop Holly from preventing him from stopping Opal, Artemis sedates her. The more things change, the more they stay the same...

Except where best villain ever Opal Koboi is concerned. By this book, Opal is so disconnected from reality that she is willing to risk literally going nuclear to escape captivity, and then just...casually sparks off the apocalypse because if there is one thing our girl wants, it's to be Empress of the World, and if that means using spirit zombies and an ancient fairy doomsday device, then I guess it's a good thing she's already versed in black magic. Or something. Opal is fully and completely off the rails at this point, and if you catch yourself referring to yourself as "Mommy" in reference to the spirits of several scores of ancient elven berserkers who would--barring a geas--murder you for it, you might want to stop and take a long, hard look at your life choices. And maybe don't forget that you've cloned yourself, because that's the kind of little detail that can completely ruin your chances of being Empress of the World.

Holly quite possibly deserves every medal that exists for managing to drag Artemis's extremely out-of-shape butt through increasingly dangerous and high-stakes missions while navigating fairy politics and *checks notes* breaking up with her commanding officer after a disastrous date where they both got kicked out of a crunchball match. (And once again...HOW DARE Colfer leave this in exposition and not show us this amazing disaster of a date!?!?) Holly has also just been through the emotional wringer with Artemis and every time he decided to double-cross or lie by omission to bring off a plan and every time he does something infuriatingly human that drives up her blood pressure and yet makes the mission succeed. And then she has to sit there and watch him die to save humans and fairies. Seriously, the fact that Holly Short is a functional being rather than a hot mess is nothing short of a miracle.

And then we come to Butler. Long-suffering, super fucking over it, broken-hearted Domovoi Butler. Artemis got DAMN lucky that the whole "put my spirit in a clone of me" plan panned out, because if it hadn't, Holly was entirely correct: Butler would never have recovered. Butler and Opal might be my two favorite characters in the entire series at this point. That's not where I started--for a very long time, Holly was my favorite character, and Commander Root still gets an honorable mention--but as a grown-ass adult (I'm not doing that math for you, if you want to know that I'm old, you do the math), I cannot escape how dedicated, competent, kind, and just AWESOME Butler is. I feel like the vibe here is very similar to the thing that happens when you watch Sound of Music as a kid and either Maria or one of the kids is your favorite character, but when you come back to it as an adult, Captain Von Trapp is EVERYTHING (RIP Christopher Plummer, we loved you). Butler has a similar vibe but in a different genre.

So, I was an adult and had enough experience of watching fandoms to see the mixed reactions to this book being released. People were sad the series was ending, people were disappointed because the series had seemingly drifted, and people loved it. My reaction was pretty mixed, because I had a lot going on, I knew there were good things here but I was also kind of missing the heisty, criminal mastermind vibes, but also OPAL KOBOI. So I was pretty unsure how to feel about this book when it came out, and then I didn't reread it for literal years because I went to grad school.

Returning to this book now, I have suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuch respect for how Colfer tied up the series and how he pulled off a new Irish mythological cycle, but updated for the twenty-first century. I have enough life on me to appreciate the changes Artemis goes through, and enough literature degrees to have a new and deeply fulfilling perspective on the series structure. Last Guardian is not my favorite book of the series--it's not even in the top three--but I think that what it does is genuinely impressive and I love how you can finish this book and go instantly back into the OG Artemis Fowl. The story does not, strictly speaking, have to end. And that is a vibe I can 100% get behind.

I deeply love the Artemis Fowl books, and I cannot recommend the series enough. They have so many strengths, are incredibly well-written, and they live rent-free in my head even now as an adult.

#artemis fowl #eoin colfer #artemis fowl the last guardian #artemis fowl and the last guardian #domovoi butler #holly short #opal koboi #children's literature #children's books #books and reading #books & libraries #books and novels #books #book recommendations #middle grade sci fi #middle grade books #middle grade fantasy #middle grade fiction

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guess-that-ship · 3 months

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S9 Semifinals

The Sea and The Sky

In a past life they were soldiers tasked with protecting the kingdom, positioned in different stations so their only means of communication were through calls, still they slowly fell in love. After a catastrophe wipes their kingdom clean, they get a second chance at life as normal girls. However, that doesn't last for long as they're soon called to protect the planet once again.

The Sea fell in love with the Sky first, but couldn't chase that love as she was plagued by visions of the apocalypse. Though she yearned for her destined partner to be by her side, she couldn't bring herself to condemn the Sky to carry the same heavy burden. Still, the Sky couldn't stand to see the Sea suffer alone so she goes against her own wishes to be as free as the wind and joins the Sea in protecting the world no matter what it takes.

The Sea always makes the Sky promise that should one of them get hurt, the other should move on and prioritize the greater good over everything else. Little does the Sky know that the Sea would throw herself in the face of danger and risk dooming the entire world if it means saving the Sky. Little does the Sea know that her stubborn Sky wouldn't uphold her end of the promise either.

the sun and the moon

They've been together for nine thousand years, they've been ~together~ for two hundred years, and they only went on their first real date a few days ago~

Sun is an all-powerful ruler, who was once radiant and beloved. Moon is his closest, most trusted servant, who is bound to Sun with a magical contract and has been by his side for thousands of years. No worries, though, Moon is very happy with this contract and even asked for it back when it broke. You see, Moon is OBSESSED and fanatically in love with Sun from beginning to end.

Even when Sun became a cold and heartless villain, sacrificing countless lives to achieve his goals, Moon remained hopelessly devoted to him, though for a time, his method of showing his love became twisted and cruel. Later after the truth came out, Moon regretted these actions and stopped his cruelty, and also somehow became EVEN MORE OBSESSED and dramatic about it. His life is entirely devoted to Sun, and if Sun ever stops existing or no longer wants him, Moon no longer has a reason to exist either~

And through it all, despite Sun insisting that he has no emotions and doesn't know how to love, he puts up with all of it. Even though it should be impossible for Moon to overpower Sun and have his way with him, Sun lets him do what he wants and indulges in his whims. He's quick to comfort Moon or assuage his worries when he's upset, and he's extremely possessive of Moon and misses him dearly when they're separated. Moon is a wildly overdramatic and fanatically obsessed guy, but he's SUN's wildly dramatic and fanatically obsessed guy, thank you very much.

P.S. they also raised Sun's child together~ (and somehow, that kid even turned out pretty okay)

#s9 #tournament poll #s9 semifinals

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thefinalvoid · 1 month

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Just watcged ep 1 of revolution girl utena. Thoughts below the cut the tldr is i fucking loved it.

i realize i dont know who utena is. Anyway. Banger intro, lots of queer themes.

Huh that prince story is something ill need to remember, it obviously carries narrative weight. Also the prince character looks like the other girl from the cover.

Wakaba either has a girlfriend or wanted her friends to think she's “just a normal girl hehe not waiting for my partner in battle” i dont know what actually the main plot is. I know they fight. Saw that in the banger intro.

Fancy ass school. I dont know if i should trust it tbh

Ah so utena is the girl with the pink hair. Based. I had it wrong lol. Also she has a point. Thats the way it goes!

Wait are Wakaba and Utena dating? (Or at least does Wakaba think they are dating?)

Hell yeah utena! Be a prince that saves princesses!

Utena has amnesia??

Anthy Himemiya! I thought she was utena tbh. Before i started watching.

Hey dont diss Anthy Himemiya! The fuck wakaba she's literally taking care of the roses.

Fuck yeah get Saionji’s ass. Dont let him be mean to Himemiya.

Im sorry the student council exists by the will of the end of the world??? The fuck is this school.

The end of the world is people. Okay. Sure why not.

Fuck you saionji

Lmao. Onion forehead.

Oh no why would you make me laugh at wakaba having an onion forehead then show her heart getting broken (btw what the hell are the dating rules at this school?)

Anyway im going to kill saionji. Lets go murder a guy utena.

Sorry im sorry i find forbidden forests hilarious. I know i have a forbidden forest but like. They are objectively a hilarious concept. You cant ban people fron the wilderness.

Oh shit its the fucking rumor uwasa girls from magia record iroha get over here

FLOOD

What the fuck is this forest

Are the end of the world people living in here

I mean the song keeps saying “absolute destiny: apocalypse” so. I assume that yes the end of the world people are here

Epic inverted castle

Oh that cgi. For the spinning castle. Its not good. Not immersion breaking tho i think i only notice it bcz im a Nerd.

SAIONJI BRO SHES EXPLAINING THE RULES. DUDE. this is kinda like getting to the point of being comically evil tbh. Utena if you dont fuck this guy uo im gonna be so dissapointed in you

Wait so Himemiya just has to marry whoever is the champion duelist thats so fucked up. End of the world people I do not like you.

WOAH SHE HAS A SWORD IN HER. saionji The imagery says you are killing her. I mean the text is saying that too but the imagery is saying that you will be her downfall if you are not stopped. I would stop if i were you.

Oh yeah dont bring a wooden sword to a real sword fight. Utena please. I believe in you!!!

GET FUCK SAIONJIIIII

Oh fuck Himemiya with the killing blow “cheer up schoolmate” ahshshahsjkdhsjaj yessss kill him

Touga Kiryuu what the fuck. Utena is not going to like you i think. Are you the next mini villain.

“Better just forget about it” GIRL. YOU SAW SO MUCH SHIT.

“From this day forward i belong to you” WHO DID THIS TO YOU HIMEMIYA. WHO FORCED YOU TO BECOME A SWORD LAMP. I WILL KILL THEM

#revolutionary girl utena #rgu liveblog

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lime1991 · 11 months

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Patricia Parker aka Black Willow, the ONLY spider-person in New York!

This is just a fun little drawing to kinda bring back Patricia Parker, my spidersona/oc i created after into the spider-verse in 2018 lol. Her actual design DOES have a mask I just didn't feel like drawing it in this bc like why would she have to wear a mask in the middle of nowhere overrun with foliage and dead buildings lol. She was originally age 10 when i made her but since its canonically been a year between itsv and atsv shes 11 now. And shes very artistic so her web-shooters are glue bottles. dont even ask how it works i dont know. its like how sun-spider uses her crutches as her web-shooters.

ALSO, the apocalypse shes living through isnt like a zombie one or anything. I kind of want to steal the apocalypse that happens in Ultra Despair Girls where all the adults are killed and the world is run by children (i also read a book where this was the case in 5th grade so i love the concept). So her canon events of her uncle dying would happen and bc he was her only family left she'd be completely alone and she learns to survive and be a positive person/hero during the apocalypse.

Because a majority of adults in this universe are dead now, every single typical spider-man villain is just a traumatized child (like the warriors of hope in UDG) and the stuff that happens within her story causes her to wish she'd never gotten bit. since shes experienced so much tragedy she definitely would sympathize with Miles in wanting to save his father and in general stop these fucked up canon events. because if there was a universe where she could have a normal loving life with her uncle and didnt have to kill other traumatized children... she'd go there in a HEARTBEAT.

#across the spiderverse #into the spider verse #spidersona #spiderman oc #artists on tumblr #my art #digital art #my ocs #ocs #Patricia Parker #Black Willow

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abelllia · 9 months

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3, 10, 12 !!

3. screenshot or description of the worst take you've seen on tumblr

Oh hmmm genuinely hard because I like to mind wipe whenever I see a bad take. The *one* that I remember was from twt too. I'll describe it anyway even if I have talked about it here before. It was something implying that Jon wouldn't take another character's trauma seriously. Since it's the violence ask I'll mention that the other character was Martin. The first time I saw it I genuinely blank-screened in a negative way because it did NOT compute. It was set in S1 but even then I can't imagine Jon not having at *least* an "oh, shit" moment. Especially since Martin's trauma in the thing was childhood trauma. Got me going 😒

10. worst part of fanon

Originally, I had three whole paragraphs about aspects that I dislike but I realized they all just point to one thing— flattening.

Flattening of characters, of morality, of the concept of the entities, yadda yadda. This has happened in every fandom since time immemorial for either comedic purposes or sorting purposes. We love putting things in neat little boxes because it just makes things easier to digest and communicate. Martin is the sunshine one, Jon is the tsundere, Tim is the flirt, Sasha is the Girl™️, Elias is the Ad Campaign Villain with a twirly moustache. It's easy to understand but just less...interesting? I don't want to rag on stuff made for fun/memes, I like funny haha fandom memes. It just feels like a lot of fights about the characters boil down to ignoring the multitudes they contain. The contradictory aspects which make them who they are.

Everyone has probably already said their piece about character flattening so I'll go about the morality thing and how people really like to fight about who's in the right and who's in the wrong. Guys, this is tma, they've all done bullshit. No one is ever going to be completely in the right in this show they've all been shitty people to each other at one point, that's what's *fun* about it. My favourite part is that how, even though I may disagree with a character's actions, I can understand *why* they do it. It makes them feel more like people to me. For an easy example I'll just choose the Gertrude-Michael thing. Yeah, Gertrude sacrificing a human being to an entity who tore his who from his what is pretty shitty. One strike in the wrong. However, from how Gertrude and literally everyone else understood the world at that point, her actions can be considered heroic because in their mind, she just stopped an apocalypse! Saved billions of people from becoming Fear Food. One strike in the right. However, as we soon will know it was basically useless. Gertrude will find out that the Ritual would have never worked anyway so all the sacrifices she did (Michael, Jan, who knows who else) were in vain! Yeowch! Two strikes in the wrong. Ain't it fun? Yet I still see Gertrude interpretations that act like she just did it for fun or something, not that she thought the whole world would end if she didn't sacrifice this one dude to the Distortion.

Honestly I'm not satisfied with this ramble and I think there are plenty of flaws in it but I don't want to write anymore and I don't want to think. Yeah, flattening stuff is fun sometimes but not when it seeps into serious-ish discussions.

12. the unpopular character that you actually like and why more people should like them

Look hear me out– Basira and Peter Lukas.

Basira to me is compelling to me for so many reasons. She's the most mentally....secure? character in the show, like she logic'd her way out of the *Unknowing*, and it's implied that she's had to be like that from a young age. Based on her S3 pre-Unknowing statement about how that's how her father raised her. But, she's also so controlled by her emotions. Most clearly and notoriously with Daisy, but another example is when her fondness for Jon in S2 overrode her goal to catch him for potential murder. Her emotions matter to her but also calm logic. Which can lead to a lot of interesting and *frustrating* contradictory moments. Again, notoriously with Daisy and how she treated her vs Jon in S4. She's so incredibly flawed and I love it. She's so secure in her own mind that she doesn't even challenge her own biases and instead present them as fact. It's *such* an interesting character trait and it would be so fun to dig into. However, I also realize that probably also the exact reason why people dislike talking about her. She's a hypocritical murder cop accomplice and that can give anyone an incredibly sour taste in their tongue thinking about her (it gives me a sour taste rn like, should I really be writing about her?)There's just so much I want to pick her brain about though. Insert thing here about liking her as a character does not mean I like her as a person.

Peter Lukas is a piece of shit, but he's a funny piece of shit and I like that. He's living apathy and he's so useless and skfjejcjsnnd

Yeah I can't even defend him he's just such garbage, but I find him fun to bully. Someone once pointed out that when he lost the bet with Elias he acted like a little kid throwing a tantrum and I found it so funny. This man isn't doing anything, he's not even the captain of his own ship in anything but name, Tadeas does all the navigation shit. He really is just some rich kid. A sad strange little man and he's unwillingly a fave because of it.

#abellasks #choose violence ask game #thanks for the ask i'm still scared but it was fun #def not maintagging this #negativity #long post

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messers-moony · 2 years

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Devotion: Chapter Twenty-Five | F.H

Paring: Five Hargreeves X Fem!Reader (Series)

Summary: In which the Hargreeves siblings come together to stop the end of the world.

Disclaimer: I don’t own the Umbrella Academy. All rights go to the creators of the show, the comics and everyone in between. Gifs used in these chapters are NOT mine and are/were found on Pinterest.

Warnings: Cursing, Sex, Nudity, Violence, Gore, Alcohol, Drugs, Smoking, Intense Scenes, and Abuse (if I missed any let me know)

—Golden Hearts

❝You don’t kill someone by accident.❞

She watched his face contort. He was going through every stage of sadness, anger, and remorse. His face flickered with so many emotions. Y/n waited for which one he settled on. She didn’t expect him to pull her closer and place his lips on hers. Her eyes widened, and Five’s were squeezed shut. Y/n relaxed and let her body melt into his. His hands were on her face, and hers went to his shoulders.

His lips were bitter and soft. They were bitter from the coffee he had drunk earlier. His lips were much softer than back in Dallas. They were less chapped and more pillowy. Kissing in a place that caused her so much pain felt awkward. But Five was here, and he was holding her. These were his actual hands, not some figment of her imagination. She could feel his bones beneath his shoulders. She couldn’t do that before.

Her palm moved over his heart. She could feel it pounding beneath it. Y/n sighed into the kiss. He was actually alive. He wasn’t just in her imagination anymore. She hadn’t done it for nothing. She had done it. She had brought him back to her. Her lungs burned, and Five pulled away. She kept her eyes closed. Y/n wasn’t ready to see the anger on her face. His hands were still gentle.

“Hey,” Y/n flinched slightly, “Open your eyes.”

She opened her eyes. He wasn’t angry. He had tears in his eyes. She tilted her head. Y/n looked more carefully to see a tear trailing down his cheek. She wiped it away with her thumb. It was hot and wet beneath her touch. Five seemed visibly relieved at her small show of affection. His nose seemed a little red. Y/n couldn’t tell if it was from the cold or the tears he was struggling to hold back.

“I’m not mad,” Five said, his voice wavered, “You did what you had to.”

“But I-“

Five shushed her, “You made a sacrifice. I know you loved Ben as a brother. Most of us did, but you saved us from the apocalypse. You are the only reason I made it out of there in time to save you all. If you didn’t do that, we’d all be dead.”

“You were never made to be the villain Reginald wanted you to be. He trained you to be better, hoping you’d turn on us all. He wanted everyone to hate you. He wanted you to suffer.” Five explained, “You were never that. You were a little girl who wanted to protect and keep everyone safe. Reginald failed because you are the hero.”

“You were never a curse. You were the blessing in disguise.”

Her heart pounded, and the tears in his eyes were gone. She could see the sincerity in his eyes. They were so beautiful in the light. She’d been fond of green as a girl but never knew why. It was because she always associated the color green with him. The green of his ambition, stubbornness, and tranquility. The green of his eyes, her shoes, and her old zip-up jacket. Everything made sense.

But they didn’t have time. They never had time.

“Come on,” Her voice felt thick, “We need to get to the Infinite Switchboard.”

Y/n took his hand in hers. He picked up the briefcase. Her eyes felt blurry, but she swallowed it back. Y/n’s shoes clicked against the floor and occasionally kicked debris across the hall. It didn’t take long to reach the Infinite Switchboard. Y/n knew the Commission like the back of her hand and all the shortcuts. Five put down the briefcase and plugged in the correct wires. He turned the knob, and Herb showed up on the screen.

“There's been a rip in the space-time continuum. It's swallowing everything.” Herb said, “Oh, my sweet Dot, Iris, and Josh from accounting, they're all gone. I've tried everything! I don't know what else to do. The timeline is collapsing.”

She heard screaming from the screen, “This is… the end.”

Y/n swallowed harshly. Herb had gotten vaporized in front of the screen recording a message. She turned to see Five staring at the screen in deep thought. Y/n sighed and fidgeted her hands together. The entire Commission had been vaporized. Y/n couldn’t imagine the number of ghosts wandering around. She heard footsteps, and Lila walked into the room holding a book.

“I could kill for some scrambled eggs right now.”

“This is bigger than the timeline, Lila.”

“What's bigger than the timeline?”

“The entire universe.”

Lila nodded, “Yeah.”

“The missing dogs, people… It's the opposite of the big bang.” Five said, “Instead of the universe expanding, it's now collapsing in on itself.” “Like a prolapsing rectum.”

Y/n snorted, “That's a weird analogy, but yeah.”

“Here, then.” Lila held up the book. Five took it, “This might give us some answers.”

Y/n hadn’t seen the book in ages. It was a green cloth book with a circular pattern on the front reading, ‘The Commission Paradox Protocols.’ Five flipped it open, “Master handbook.”

“The one and only.”

“Here we are. Okay, protocol.” Five said, “‘In the unlikely case of the grandfather paradox, the founder and any essential personnel should-‘“

“‘…be immediately remanded to the operations bunker.’”

“The founder.”

“What founder?” Y/n asked.

“I don’t know.”

More rubble fell from the ceiling, and Five pulled Y/n from where she was standing beneath it. Her heart raced. He held her close to his side. Five sighed, “We need to find that bunker…”

“ASAP.”

“Jinx.” Lila smiled, “A-B-C-1-2-3, personal padlock.”

Y/n rolled her eyes as she walked out of the room, “Can you not-“

“You can't speak!”

Five huffed, “All right.”

Y/n followed behind Five and Lila. They walked up and down the halls. She had been through every part of the building. Y/n had never seen an operations bunker, however. Five continued to read the book as they walked around. Lila fidgeted and walked around carelessly. Y/n blew a raspberry as they walked up a staircase.

“This is just like a bunch of bureaucratic bullshit. There's no clear directives in here about crisis management.” Five complained, “You know, I shouldn't even be here. I was… I was out. I was done, and yet here I am, swept back into the chaos.”

She watched him scratch the back of his neck, “Why can't I just escape this hellhole?”

“Because you love it.”

Y/n heard a squeak and looked at Five. She saw Lila give him a disgusted look, “My bad.”

They walked to the top of the Commission. The glass ceiling was broken, and snow was falling, “Face it, Five, apocalypse problems are the only things that get your heart pumping.” He scratched again, “I don't know why people keep saying that. I don't actually like chaos. I don't want disorder. I…I want retirement.”

Lila laughed, “Yeah, right. What? A normal life of groceries and taxes? You would die of boredom.”

Y/n watched Five pull open a blue door, “Yeah, well, you're not exactly cut out for domestic bliss either.”

“'Course I'm bloody not.” Lila agreed, “Thank God!”

She followed them through the doorway to see stairs going down. Y/n followed Lila down the stairs, “I mean, maybe it's a tone thing? I don't know, but you could really work on, like, the way you speak. It's very… It's irritating.”

Five climbed over a desk in the hallway, “You know, Y/n doesn’t mind how I speak.”

“Don’t bring me into your quarrel.”

He shook his head with a smile, “Why are you smiling, you little pisspot?”

“'Cause of that.” Five pointed straight.

Y/n tilted her head, “Well, you could have led with that.”

Lila walked toward the room. Above the door was a glowing sign that said ‘Operations Bunker’. It led to another room covered in old brick. Y/n looked at one of the walls and walked toward it. She placed her hand on it, and it was freezing. Y/n slid open the wall. It relieved another hallway, and to the left was a circular door.

“Exsqueeze me.”

“You're excused.”

Y/n watched Five close the sliding door. He was scratching frantically at his neck. Sweat was piling on his face. She knew the symptoms. Lila walked toward the door and put her face close to the recognition system. It scanned her face, and something buzzed. Y/n jumped. Lila walked back.

“We're screwed.”

“Unauthorized access.”

“Jesus. You're sweating like a dodgy shrimp on ice. What's wrong?”

Y/n heard another squeak, “Its paradox psychosis. Five try to scan yourself.”

He walked up, and Y/n watched it illuminate his face in blue before speaking, “Access granted.”

“I guess you're essential personnel.”

The door slid open. Inside was blue lights and black tile. To the left were two pods and whiskey on a glass coffee table. The walls were pristine white. Y/n walked in after Lila and saw Five stop at the entrance. The door slid closed behind him. He stopped scratching, and his skin wasn’t glowing as much from sweat. Lila and Y/n walked toward the cylinder lying horizontally in the back of the room.

“That's him, huh? The founder.”

A ventilator was providing oxygen inside the metal tube. The man was pale, and a head was outside of the container. He had long grey hair and a full beard. Five narrowed his eyes at the man, and Y/n walked onto Five’s right. Lila sighed, “I was expecting more man and less… can.”

“It can't be.”

Y/n tilted her head, “What's wrong?”

“It’s me.”

Y/n felt the world stop spinning. Her heart dropped. She heard Lila laughing over the ringing in her ears, “No way. This whole time, you've been complaining about the Commission, and you're the one who founded it. Classic.”

“If I did,” Five replied, “I have no memory of it.”

Her hands trembled. She slowly started walking backward. Five turned to her, “Y/n?”

“Y- You,” Y/n stuttered, “You did this.”

Five hesitated, “I did what?”

“Made this place.”

“I have no memory of it.” Five said, “I’ve hated this place just as you have.”

“No.” Y/n can feel her throat closing, “You’re the reason. You’ve always been the reason.”

Lila tilts her head, “I’m confused.”

“Y/n, you have to listen to me,” Five stated calmly, “We have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Y/n’s knees buckled, and her back was leaned against the wall. Her head pounded. Her eyes burned. Her ears rung continuously. She was tired. She brought her knees beneath her chin and rocked herself. Five looked around, “Something's not right. I don't have paradox psychosis. I could feel it outside, but in here, it's… nothing.”

“Never were too bright, were we?” The voice rasped, “The operations bunker is paradox-proof.”

“I constructed it as a panic room in case of a collapse in the time continuum. In this room, all permutations of yourself can exist. You must be here because of a… Kugelblitz.”

Lila furrowed her eyebrows, “Is that like a cheese blintz?”

“It's German,” Y/n interjected, “‘Ball of lightning.’”

“It's an extra kinky kind of black hole. The kind that can suck up entire timelines.”

“Bingo.”

“So, how do we fix it?”

The old Five chuckled and then coughed, “You don’t.”

“If you created all of this, then you must have created a solution.”

“All that will be left is… oblivion.”

Y/n looked up, “Oblivion?”

“What do you mean?” Lila asked.

Y/n watched the latches swing open. She swallowed harshly when the man was ejected from the tube. He was extremely pale and had a tattoo on his chest. His left arm was amputated from just above the elbow, “This is what you have coming.”

“Listen to me, you ass. I just spent the last 20 days running around saving the world from apocalypses, only to keep trying to save the world.” Five seethed, “Now I am stuck in this pubescent body, my hormones are raging, and all I wanna do is go out and buy a 1970s Corvette Stingray and live with my girlfriend.”

“Take it easy on him, Five.”

Five glared, “Lila, this is between me and myself, so stay out of it. Thank you.”

“Now, this Kugelblitz, it is not some tiny leak that we can simply fix by patching a couple of pinholes. It is a giant trash compactor which is grinding up the universe and consuming it whole. So tell me how you stop it!”

“Whatever you do…” Y/n heard the heart monitor beeping frantically, “Don't save the world.”

“What do you mean, don't save- Five!”

The room powered down, “How do I fix this?”

Lila placed two fingers on his neck, “He's dead, Five.”

Y/n looked up. Five’s face was stuck in shock and despair. He was breathing heavily, and his hands trembled at his sides, “Can I have the room?”

“Er… I don't think I should leave you three alone.”

“Lila, I need the room.”

Y/n watched Lila give her a two-finger salute before walking out of the chamber. She sighed, and Five turned to her. His eyes were wild, and staring directly at her. Y/n was a ball on the floor. Her heart pounded. He got closer and closer. Y/n squeezed her eyes shut. Five knelt and wrapped his arms around her body. His body was shaking profusely.

“I’m- I’m so sorry.” He muttered, “I didn’t know.”

He held her tight. It wouldn’t fix the damage done. It was too late. But she accepted and put her arms around him. He fell into her chest. It wasn’t worth holding a grudge. Grudges were never worth it. It had only brought her pain and misery. She watched everyone fall apart because of the resentment against their father. Y/n wouldn’t lose Five over a grudge.

Y/n perked up and slowly moved him off. He tilted his head. She walked over to the man lying still on the ventilator, “Five, come here.”

He got up and looked at the man’s chest, “What's this?”

“A clue,” Y/n replied.

She dug out her knife and handed it to Five. He carefully made a rectangle and took the skin off of the body. The back was drenched in blood. He wiped it on the man’s cloth before putting it in his blazer pocket. Five handed the knife to Y/n, and she wiped the blood with her sleeve. Y/n put it back into her jean pocket.

“Think you have enough energy to jump us out of here?”

Y/n shrugged, “Maybe.”

“We’re about to find out.”

Five walked toward the door. It slid open. Y/n took a deep breath before exiting after him. Lila perked up, “So, how do we get out of here?”

“Well, we’re about to see if Y/n has enough energy to give me enough juice to bring us back.”

Lila smiled. She placed one of her palms around the briefcase handle and one on Five’s shoulder. Five put his palm next to hers. He turned to Y/n and nodded. She placed her left hand around Five’s shoulder. She heard him yelp. Y/n looked at the briefcase, and his hand was glowing blue. Y/n felt her body depleting and let the rest of the energy she could flow into Five.

Y/n felt the blue surround her. She felt her knees buckle into something soft. She opened her eyes and saw the hotel surrounding her. The red carpeted floors, the wood walls, and everyone staring at them. Y/n saw Luther wearing a white shirt and maroon tracksuit. Diego wore all black and his knife belt. Allison had khaki pants and a velvet green button-up. Viktor had a grey-blue polo and black pants.

“Five,” Y/n gritted, “One day, I’m going to kill you.”

“I’ll add you to the list.”

She watched Lila and Five stand up. Her legs felt numb, and her body felt paralyzed. Lila walked over to Diego and wrapped her arms around his neck. She held him close to her. Five walked over to Y/n and held out his hand, “I don’t think I can stand.”

Five’s eyes widened, “My body is numb, dipshit. I gave you every bit of energy I had.”

“Where have you guys been?”

“Facing my mortality, Viktor.” Five replied, “I don't recommend it.”

“You had the briefcase? We've been looking for this!”

“Well, look no further. That's the last one on Earth.” Five groaned, “Or was the last one.”

Allison scoffed and sat on the stairs. Five picked up the case, “Yeah, that's toast.”

Luther walked over to Y/n. She was laid on her back facing the ceiling. It was coming back to her slowly. It felt like ants climbing on her skin. A large, calloused hand was placed in front of her face. She put hers in it and saw soft blue eyes. Luther helped her sit up, placing her back against a pole.

“Th- Thank you.”

“It’s no problem.”

He walked over to Diego and pulled him aside. Y/n couldn’t hear them, but she saw them whispering to each other. Allison was still sitting on the steps. Her knuckles were red, and she had some dried blood beneath her nose. Y/n felt the small first aid kit in her back pocket. She had to wait for the feeling to come back to her legs. Viktor had a gruesome cut on his right cheekbone. It had already dried over. Y/n sighed.

“Hey, Chatty Cathys,” Five called, “Quit the chitchat, all right? I'm calling a family meeting here.”

Lila tried to walk away. Diego pulled her back, “That means you too.”

“Where's Klaus?”

Y/n heard footsteps and saw Stan walking past the elevators. Diego’s eyes widened, “I'll be right back.”

“Don't leave me with your–“

“Dieg- Lost another. Great.”

“Hey,” Y/n called, “I’ll catch Diego up to speed.”

Allison glared, “Spit it out, Five.”

“Oh, well, since you asked so nicely, sister mine, our little paradox brought forth a freaking Kugelblitz.”

“What the hell is a Kugelblitz?”

Y/n sighed, “Did dad never teach you guys German?”

Everyone stared. Y/n felt the tingle in her legs again. She used the pole to help support herself. Her feet still felt wobbly against the floor, but she could stand. Y/n felt the eyes staring at her. Allison scoffed before walking over to the bar. Viktor followed. Lila and Luther weren’t far behind. Five held out his hand.

She put her arm around his shoulders. He helped her limp to the bar. Luther pulled out a stool between Viktor and Lila. Y/n climbed onto it. Allison was on the right of Lila and Luther on the left of Viktor. Five walked behind the bar and started pouring shots into tiny glasses. He placed them in front of each person.

“So this Kugelblitz, it’s…?”

“The end of everything.” Five said, “Every rock, every star, every atom sucked into a radiant black hole.”

Y/n threw back her shot, “Randomly collapsing matter every moment in time across all existence till nothing's left.”

“Hate to say I told you so, but…”

Viktor rolled his eyes, “You love to say I told you so.”

Y/n watched Viktor drink and Five drink from the bottle. Lila turned around and placed her shot on the bar, “You know, it's impressive. Whoever knocked off your mums hated you all enough to end the entire universe.”

“We don't know that.”

“It doesn't matter who created the thing.” Allison interjected, “We just have to kick its ass.”

“Oh really? How?” Luther replied, “Are you and Diego gonna punch it in the Kugel?”

“The best plan is to go back in time and eliminate the paradox and destroy whatever it was that took out our mothers and stop the Kugelblitz before it starts, but we can't do that.”

Y/n blew a raspberry, “Briefcase is kaput.”

“And why the hell can't you just jump us out of here?”

“Last time I tried that, we all got trapped in time. Do you really wanna risk that again?” Five retorted, “Plus, I wouldn’t have enough juice by myself to do that. Y/n would have to help, and it might kill her in the process. It’s a lot of energy that goes into those jumps. I can’t always do them alone.”

“What's plan B?”

It didn’t take long. A large wave of energy flew through the hotel. Y/n shivered. It was ice cold. She put her arms around herself, trying to make warmth. A couple of minutes later, it happened again. She heard muffled screams around the hotel and turned to see a man get vaporized by a teal barrier.

"What the hell was that?” Diego asked, standing behind Lila. Stan stood between Y/n and Lila. Klaus appeared next to Five.

“That was a Kugel wave.” Five said, “Oh, it's getting worse.”

“How long do we have?

“At this rate of escalation, if you factor in-“

“How long, Five?”

Y/n shivered, and Five sighed, “Four, maybe five days before the rest of existence is blitzed.”

“We should've given them Harlan.”

“Luther.”

Y/n furrowed her eyebrows, “What about Harlan?”

“The Sparrows said if we turned him over, we could end the fighting and work together to save the world. But if we didn’t-“

“But we tried to make peace. Okay, and then the step-siblings from hell attacked and kidnapped you and tried to kill us. I mean, come on. We can't trust them.” Viktor interrupted, “Working together would be like trying to defuse a bomb by pouring gas on it. It's only gonna make things burn down faster.”

“But don't we need the big bad glow-y thing in their basement?”

Y/n stared at Klaus. He was still wearing the yellow button-up, but it had the buttons complete. In the center of the shirt had a large blood stain in a circle. She narrowed her eyes. His heart was right beneath the color. Five stopped fidgeting with the shot glass, “Klaus, do you know where the Kugelblitz is?”

“Oh, yeah. I saw it.” He gasped, “When I went to visit Dad. It's in the old storage room where Mom used to keep all her luggage.”

“Why didn't you tell anyone?” Diego glared.

Klaus poured himself a shot, “I did. I told you!”

“You say stupid shit all the time!”

“Of course,” Five muttered, “It appeared in the same place we did.”

Y/n felt the chair on her left move. Viktor gave her a polite smile before hopping down. She jumped down and followed him. Luther wasn’t far behind. They made it to the lobby right before the right staircase to the upper loft, “Hey.”

“Why are you protecting this guy, huh?” Luther asked, “It’s like Peabody all over again.”

“Harlan is nothing like Leonard.”

“That I can agree with.”

Luther shook his head, “Well, he’s clearly got some kinda hold over you.”

Viktor didn’t say anything, “Stop covering for him.”

“Covering what?”

Y/n jumped, seeing Five standing next to her, “What's going on?”

“He didn't mean to hurt anyone.”

“Really? You mean, when he did this?” Luther pointed at Viktor’s cheekbone, and Stan hissed.

Y/n saw everyone crowd around him. She stepped back next to Stan, who sat on the counter. Y/n groaned and leaned her head on the boy’s shoulder. Stan gently put his arm around her, keeping her upright. Five had fire in his eyes, “Wait, Harlan did that?”

“That's it. I’m gonna end him.” Diego said.

“Look, I know how it looks, but Harlan didn't ask for this. If we hadn't gone back to 1963, if I hadn't have saved him-“

“He killed Jayme and Alphonso, not you.”

Y/n’s eyes widened, “Excuse me? They’re dead?”

“It was an accident.”

“Accident?” Y/n narrowed her eyes, “You don’t kill someone by accident.”

“Y/n, stand down.”

“No,” She spat, “I won’t. I know he was a kid, but he is no longer that little boy. His actions have consequences, and it got two people killed.”

Viktor tilted his head, “Why do you care?”

“Because I risked everything and have enough blood on my hands to fill a fucking ocean so that I could come back to the Academy.” Y/n said, “I won’t let some clumsy adult take that from me and make it for nothing.”

“He's the reason we're in this mess,” Luther replied, “And he's our only way out of it.”

“Luther's right. If we're gonna have an iota of a chance of getting out of this alive, we need access to the Kugelblitz.”

“There's only four of them left. We can just overpower them.”

Y/n glared, “And risk some of us dying in the process? You’re being selfish.”

“As if you haven’t been selfish your entire life.”

Five held his arm out to stop Y/n from moving forward, “Harlan is insignificant.”

“You told me once that no one is insignificant.” Viktor said, “They'll kill him.”

“Uh, so?” Lila interjected, “We are talking about one person versus saving billions of lives here. I mean, is this really a debate for you people?”

Y/n chuckled, “Thank fuck. Someone with a brain.”

“Hey, Little Britain? You don't get a vote.”

“Hey,” Y/n spat, “She lives here too.”

“I agree,” Klaus said, “Besides, she's family now. Kinda, sorta.”

Lila hummed, “Thanks, kitten.”

“I don't give a shit about the Sparrows, but I'm not gonna let scary-ass Grandpa finish you off.”

“Five days ago, he was just a little kid.” Viktor replied, “And what? Now I'm supposed to just decide whether he lives or dies?”

“Viktor, we're down to ethical triage here, all right? We can't save everyone.” Five said, “The kindest cut wins.”

Luther stepped forward, “You always wanted to be on the team. This is what it is.”

“Saving the world means making the hard calls.” Y/n crossed her arms.

“I hate this.”

“Yeah, I know.” Luther replied, “I'll go get him.”

“Wait, no. Let me do it. He trusts me.” Viktor sighed, “I can convince him to come quietly.”

Y/n huffed and jumped up on the counter. Stan looked up at her and smiled. She let him lean on her shoulder. Diego gave her a smirk and pulled out one of his knives. Luther and Klaus walked toward the bar. Five scratched the back of his neck before leaning back on the counter. She ran her nails against his scalp, and he melted into her. Diego and Lila walked off somewhere. Y/n put her other arm around Stan and rubbed his shoulder with her thumb.

“You know that I know you aren’t Diego’s kid, right?”

Stan immediately pulled away, shock on his face, “How- How did you?”

“I’m a mind reader,” Y/n replied, “I knew the minute Lila introduced us.”

“Are you gonna tell him?”

“No,” She said, “Lila will tell him on her own and why.”

He leaned back in her side, “If you knew, why have you been so nice?”

“Because every kid deserves love.”

Five was still leaning on her palm in his hair. Lila called for Stan, and he jumped off the counter. He jogged toward her, and Y/n sighed. She took her hand from Five’s hair, and he jumped next to her on the counter. Y/n leaned her head on his shoulder. His right hand interlaced with her left, “I don’t have a good feeling about this.”

“Well, it’s all we’ve got.”

“Yes, but Viktor isn’t going to give up that easy,” Y/n added, “He doesn’t stop.”

“I know,” Five replied, “We’ll figure it out. Come on. I need a drink.”

Y/n watched him hop off the counter. She did the same and followed him to the bar area. Klaus sat on the countertop, and Luther sat at a table with a glass in his hand. Five walked behind the bar and pulled out two glasses. He filled them with whiskey. Y/n took one and leaned on the back of the bar. To her left, Klaus was looking in his lap.

She took careful sips of the oaky and sweet drink. It glided down her throat. The glass was cold against her fingers. The caramel liquid was smooth and warm. She perked up when she heard footsteps against the carpet. Viktor was walking toward the entrance of the hotel.

Five walked around the bar, “Hey. It's time.”

Luther walked beside him, “Where's Harlan?”

“He's gone.”

“You let him go, didn't you?”

“Harlan's death is not gonna stop the Kugelblitz. It's just gonna be another tragedy on a tragedy, and we can find another…” Viktor replied, “I will find another way.”

“Well, congratulations, Viktor.” Luther chuckled, “You managed to destroy everything. Again.”

Five sighed, “I really thought you were smarter than that.”

Y/n snickered, “Hate to say ‘I told you so,’ but,”

She downed her drink and dropped the cup on the counter. Klaus scoffed and jumped off the counter, clapping his shoes together, “Well! That went great!”

He sighed and dropped his shoes on the ground. Y/n used the stool to climb on the bartop. She crossed her legs and sat facing the main hallway of the lobby. Klaus grabbed a bottle of alcohol and three shot glasses. He filled them. Y/n watched him slide one to Five and herself. Five sat on the barstool to her right.

“Thanks.”

“I saw my future self die.”

Klaus gasped, “That's crazy. Almost the exact same thing happened to me. But I didn't die, but I did, but…”

“He told me not to save the world. And then he died.”

“I don't know.”

“What do you think he meant by that?”

Y/n chuckled at them talking over each other. They turned to each other, “Well, shouldn't you know?”

“Shouldn't you know about your- Okay.”

She picked up her shot glass. Klaus picked his up, “Well, up your ass.”

“Salud.”

The alcohol burned her throat. Y/n placed her glass back on the wooden bar top. Klaus did the same. She tucked her hair behind her ears. Five held the glass of alcohol in his hand, “Klaus, I've dedicated my entire life to stopping the apocalypse. Apocalypses, plural.”

Klaus grabbed the bottle to refill his glass, “And he tells me… That it's… it's, what? It's meaningless?”

“Oh, well, I don't know anything-“

“Maybe that's his way of saying not to become him, but…” Five sighed.

Five took the shot. Klaus’ face softened, “Oh, you're really messed up about this, huh?”

“I've cheated time so much. I guess I just figured I'd somehow cheat death.” As Klaus took his second shot, he replied, “But it turns out; I die a one-armed nightmare inside a bureaucratic hellscape of my own design.”

“Spoiler alert!” Klaus chuckled.

Five reached into his blazer, “Not to mention the trashy tattoo.”

“That’s fucking disgusting,” Y/n said.

“Is this your skin?”

“I'll be damned if I go out with an old man tramp stamp.”

Klaus ran his fingers against it, “If you don't wanna end up like this guy, why don't you just do something completely different? Completely different– Move upstate, and become an alpaca farmer. Though I don’t think that’s Y/n’s style.”

She shrugged. Five looked thoughtful, “Yeah, I could—the timeline's malleable. We've proven that much. I could try and break the cycle, but-“

“Yeah, sure.” Klaus continued to run his fingers along the tattoo, “Just keep your arms and extremities away from sharp objects, and don't join the Mothers of Agony.”

“What?”

“The tattoo.” Klaus replied, “It's the symbol of the biker gang, the Mothers of Agony.”

Y/n furrowed her eyebrows, “You know them?”

“Like two timelines ago, they were… How do I put it?” He smiled, “My farmacistas.”

Five put the skin in his pocket, “This is good.”

“'Cause you know…”

“Thank you, Klaus.”

Y/n felt his hand on in hers and was encased in blue. It was a breeze on a winter day. It was quick but chilling. They appeared on the street near a black building. Five took her right hand in his. He squeezed it tight and walked toward the building. It was black brick with a red poster at the entrance that read, ‘Mothers of Agony.’ There were multiple motorcycles parked outside, and people lurked outside.

#Five x you #five x reader #Five x y/n #five hargreeves imagine #five hargreeves fluff #five hargreeves x reader #five hargreeves x you #five hargreeves #five hargreaves x reader #Five hargreeves x y/n #number five x you #number five x y/n #number five x reader #number five #tua #tua au #tua netflix #The Umbrella Academy #devotion— Five Hargreeves

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king-maven-calore · 2 years

Text

RB2 reading part 3

Ch 11: it’s so cute they pay respects to the land. Feels good, feels organic

Andry my sweet summer child stop getting on my nerves with these self-righteous spiels “Don’t lose your heart along the way.” How bout you gain some common sense? y’all killed soldiers who would have killed you, not a bunch of innocent civillians 🤦‍♀️

“I have both right and cause, Captain.” Meliz an-Amarat’s voice carried all the storms her ship was named for. She climbed up the rail alongside Kireem, using the ropes for balance. Her salt-worn coat was gone, leaving only breeches, boots, and a light shirt.-

🥵 WHAT an entrance ma’am 🥵 and then her using Corayne’s full name lmao such a mom move to let her know she’s in trouble 😂

I was drowning, she realized, sighing out another precious second. I was drowning and she is the surface. She is air.

All the complicated love, the yearning, the clashing of wills between mother and daughter, followed by that gut wrenching callback to when Corayne asked Meliz to take her with her followed by that fucking quote “How fare the winds?” “Fine, for they bring me home” I have been anihilated.

Ch 12:

thank god a Sorasa chapter to bring my poor heart some respite. Off to agreat start with her going over to pester Dom 👀

clue me in on this guys, why is Dom being such a jerk to Sorasa? Like he didn’t see how she took care of Corayne in the desert with the horses. Did I hallucinate that scene or what

“Hopefully it doesn’t call you too soon,” Sorasa said, lowering her voice. “I can’t do this alone.”

“Fear not, Sarn. The iron bones of the Countless will never be broken.” She put her fist to her breast in salute. “And I’m having far too much fun to leave now.

I’m loving Sigil so much. Like she was fun in RB but now her relationship with Sorasa, and just her cocky personality over all are giving me life.

These Companions eat better during their hard journey to save the world from the apocalypse than me in college😐

Not Dom riding between Cor*ndry lmaooo 🤝 Based

Luc: Milky skin, raven hair, green eyes??? Addie come collect your man.

Nooo they’re offering her everything she ever wanted but she’s a different person and can’t have it ANYMORE

OK OK SHE’S LEAVING BUT SHE’S COMING BACK I KNOW MY BEST GIRL

13: VICTORIA THIS POV SWITCH ISN’T WORKING FOR ME HOW DARE YOU I’m fine I’m fine

Taristan being good to doggos omg don’t know a better man 🥰

It was the first time they’d been alone since their wedding, an afternoon that had left Erida fuming and her sheets ruined in the least satisfactory way.

I really appreciated that description of Taristan covering Erida’s mouth. It was super horny relevant to the plot

👁👄👁 fam...

I fucking told y’all Erida was entering her Rep era she’s all like “Where is the old innocent Erida?... Dead” 💀

chills oh my god she’s going down the darkest path NOW she’s a villain alright

14:

I didn’t stop to take notes during this one but I just... I thought this was going to be a fun “fighting multiple enemies while bickering moment” but instead I get this brutal moment of desperation and grief and a door being closed on Sorasa’s face. Shutting her away definitely and forever from her only family and all she ever knew. And only now does Dom respect her?? blind idiot. He does not deserve her... I can’t keep reading 🙃. I need a break. These past chapters beat the crap out of me

#I can't believe this counts as entertainment #I'm suffering #like in a good way but it still hurts #should have picked up embroidery as a hobby #reading live blogging #BB spoilers #Blade breaker #RB2

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barkingbarghest · 6 months

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hi please tell me about the zombie christmas musical. i have an inkling i know which one it is and i would love to hear more about it!!

omg lol... ok so it's called Anna and the Apocalypse (AatA) and its primary sin is that it wanted to be Too Much All At Once and consequently became a shambling mass of disjointed ideas. Also it's a great example of writing that is Not Tight. They're trying to do a lot but they're not being efficient about it.

[edit: putting a read more because i.............. well. i typed a lot.]

the Biggest example of this, there's a lot, but like ok they really liked the musical episode of Buffy. And not to spoil Buffy, but the song at the climax of the musical episode of Buffy is where Buffy sings about her conflicting duty as The Guy Who Fights Monsters and her desire to stop fighting and take the rest she's earned from saving the world you know like, several times. There's more to it but again I don't want to spoil Buffy in case that's something you're into

How that relates is, that the people who wrote AatA really liked that number and they were like "ok let's do that" so the song at the climax of the movie has our heroine singing about how she's a reluctant hero who will fight since that's what's expected of her. "It's been said the world's a stage / and everyone must play their part / well if that's true I'll act with all my heart" and "There are some things in life / you just can't control / but I'm ready to fight / I was born for this role" it's all very reminiscent of Buffy "magical girl who is the only person who can fight vampires and whatever" The Vampire Slayer... except Anna, our heroine, is not at all like Buffy and has no reason to feel this way.

Anna and the Apocalypse is a story about some high school students in a small town in Scotland who have to reckon with zombies at Christmastime. Anna is our main character, and she is a disillusioned teen who doesn't care about stuff and she just wants to get out of this dead end town and she doesn't care about people etc etc. It would be a fitting narrative if she started off like this, and through the events of the movie and the zombie apocalypse, she learns that when push comes to shove she does care about people and she is willing to fight for them, but she doesn't. Her characterization is a flat line except when the movie needs her to be something else. It's very noticeable and weird.

And like, the whole cast is like this. We follow a handful of kids besides Anna: John is Anna's friend singular and he's got a crush on her but she's friendzoned him and that's kind of it, Steph is a social justice warrior working on a film project and struggling with being an outsider by proxy of being a transfer student, Chris is a filmmaker roped into helping Steph, Lisa is Chris' girlfriend who exists for 1) singing a horny song and 2) it's sad when she dies via zombie, and Nick who is a Mean Hot Boy who had a fling with Anna and maybe he wants more of that but she doesn't but it doesn't matter because it doesn't go anywhere because this movie is 98 minutes long and we've got a lot to do and we're not very efficient storytellers!

The antagonist is the vice principal (vice dean?) Mr. Savage who is Comedically Villainous and not in a campy way just in a sledgehammer way. He hates kids and he hates the idea of fun but he likes being able to take away their candy and boss people around. Which leads me to my next point: tone. this movie does not balance comedy and drama. It's so bad. It wants these heartfelt moments but it can't commit to them and it wants to be funny but The Christmas School Pageant is so bad and guys we can be funny without resorting to kids and adults reacting to Lisa's horny song and the bad rap about fish that's bad on purpose which is the joke.. it's so bad. That screen time could have gone to so many other things. Better things.

They should have given a side plot to John and Steph, 1) because it would give John a much needed focus-that-isn't-Anna and 2) because John and Steph share an insecurity about not being bold enough. John sings about how he's too cowardly to tell Anna how he feels and Steph sings about how she's worried nobody will take her documentary about the homeless problem seriously and she's just another voice in the crowd. Do something with that! C'mon!!

And it's wild because like there ARE good things about this movie like the songs are pretty catchy, and the actors mostly do a great job with what they've been given, and I remember the choreography being pretty fun, but christ bacon sandwich the writing!

There's like, a song where the kids are huddled in a building looking at news stories about the zombie thing and being worried about their families and their own survival, but then the song they are singing is about the tragedy of kids these days being on their phones all the time and lacking a 'human connection'??? It's so disconnected from the story.

'Turning My Life Around', a duet between Anna and John where they juxtapose the characters' cheerful optimism with the zombie thing starting (imagine kids dancing down a street and in the background of the shot there's a guy spurting blood it's that kind of thing). It's a fun song and a fun scene and it's great. For some reason, Anna has taken her antidepressants for this song and this song only! Immediately before the song she is a sulky teen and immediately after the song she is a sulky teen. But! For the bit! She is cheerful!

Ok I've gotta stop because but I'll close argument with this list of inspirations from Wikipedia:

"Director John McPhail said that Anna and the Apocalypse was influenced by the films West Side Story (1961), The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) and The Breakfast Club (1985), as well as the Buffy the Vampire Slayer musical episode "Once More, with Feeling". McPhail also said that the film includes "nods" to the zombie films Night of the Living Dead (1968), Dawn of the Dead (1978), The Evil Dead (1981), The Happiness of the Katakuris (2001) and Shaun of the Dead (2004). The crop tops and short shorts seen in the film were inspired by the costume design in the slasher film Sleepaway Camp (1983)."

My guy that is too many things to try and be at once.

wait wait wait also John's harmony at the end of Break Away is so good and I love to sing that part where everyone's singing the refrain and he's singing about how he doesn't want Anna to leave in direct contrast with the rest of the cast singing about the things they're trying to get away from. Malcom Cumming if you're out there you did a great job on this movie.

also the incredibly Scottish line "What was I thinking / This isn'ae Disney" mwah chef's kiss

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seoafin · 2 years

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morgan ive got to know your thoughts on tua s3. i went into it so hyped to see certain characters get butchered like they did (from a writing perspective) is … upsetting. and the plot holes like … ??

hmmm im on episode 9 rn and idk....i just think it's so lacking for some reason. i think one of the main reasons why is because while i love the dysfunctional siblings dynamic, i thought in the second season the siblings had fantastic character development individually and together as a group. only to still see the frustrating miscommunication that plagued them in both the first and second season at play. they never share anything with one another (with viktor that's understandable) no matter how much it's in their best interests too. another key theme in TUA is how the world always ends because of their shortcomings as a family; no matter how much individual action is taken to stop it, they work better as a team and family, and in fact their individual actions end up speeding up the apocalypse or even causing it.

spoilers!

i think the one thing with the umbrella academy is that if everyone just communicated and for once took each other seriously and at face value past moments of intense (and scary) vulnerability, it would be a lot easier to save the world. honestly i get it. their childhood was fucked up and they all have daddy issues and while we didn’t get over it i thought we got better!!!!! they don’t even notice klaus is gone for like 2 days LMAO. or even luther.

the new season still had many enjoyable moments that was unabashedly in character with its weirdness. but as for allison....like she finally got the OP power up i wanted to see but did it have to be like THAT????? ms. girl just had to speak a little faster but instead of using it on her foes she’s going after her siblings??? i’ve seen differing opinions on her character this season most bad but also some good that liked allison spiraling and thought it was important to point out that allison has the same trauma as all of her siblings along with the racial trauma of the 60s. yeah the girl was due for a complete mental breakdown. as much as i hated the SA scene i thought it was painfully aligned with the vain and jealous character we briefly saw in season 1 before character development. i definitely didn’t like harlan’s treatment though :(

i still have one more episode to watch so we’ll see how i feel after it ends....but still for someone who was expecting to like this season much more than the second im kinda disappointed. especially with the treatment of the sparrows who were all super one dimensional!!! all of them have super cool and awesome powers but we only see them as villains. shame!!!!

add on: it hurts so much to see klaus being taken advantage of 😭 Reginald is going to HELL for what he did.

#one thing i actually thought was done well was how they portrayed that slippery line between love for your siblings and resentment #once again the sibling dynamic in this show remains unmatched #ur right abt the plot holes though it could've been much better thought out 😭#i waited so long for this.....#ask

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anon-exe · 2 years

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I was really excited to learn there was a new brs anime and haven't caught up after episode 6 and... don't think i'm going to unless there's something really cool in the later episodes but my expectations for that are.... yeah

I have a "scale of interest" for stories that is essentially just a hope scale that goes from "The protagonists are very obviously going to beat the antagonist every time" to polar opposite "well this is fucking dismal," I'm just gonna skip other explanations and say dawnfall is on the direct opposite of having any hope

like yes. I know it's edgy. I know it's apocalyptic. I know it's dystopian. and empress says shit like "I want to save humans" but it feels so empty and lifeless and I'd say i guess maybe that's the point but even then the other 2 have memory loss kind of but still have emotions could she not be a little bit more... or it's not even her it's how its shown I guess. but mainly what I'm saying is it feels so hollow and lifeless. Like obviously there's going to be a positive outcome ending but I wouldn't feel anything about it. I don't get attached to any of the new human characters cause the immediate feeling right off the bat is that I shouldn't care about them cause they're all going to die (not that they were intriguing at all anyways ) did care about one human character but immediately knew they were gonna die and guess what. they died. wow. their death was tragic and I couldn't even cry over it cause it was not only expected but I was also, i don't know what the right word is, but essentially "god fucking damnit" emotion.

an apocalypse isn't exactly going to be a hopeful place at all but like. wtf am I rooting for then in your story. only rooted against the villains cause they were literally fucking vile and repulsive on every level with no fucking depth, and even then I'm still barely rooting for the heroes cause it's just like "yeah...go... maybe like... not die or something. whatever." Like in the story who cares about the greater good? the army guy I guess does but is so cold and asshole that I don't care about him, the boy and girl characters would give me hope if they were more unique or even like lasted a little longer but they didn't, that other adult(?) girl doesn't really care, dead master only 'cares' for the same reason other girl does, strength cares but (tries not to?) express it and brs/empress is the main one who does but is represented like an actual robot even tho the other memory loss girls aren't which isn't a great combo in this souless world

and also the very bad innapropriate mention under uh the thing that thing

sexual assault / necrophilia mention warning

why is there so much rape shit mentioned. well not only mentioned i'm only forgetting cause i try to PURGE IT FROM MY FUCKING MINDSCAPE AS MUCH AS I CAN COUGH HORRID SMILEY SAGA COUGH but like off the bat. there's the army guy threatening the guy that looks like a teen kid to. dead corpse. nasty. i want to avoid saying it correctly. and then there's uh hacker. girl. who acts very creepy i dont want to fact check what she said and then dead fast literally saying she wanted to kill and then defile empress. and then all of the fucking YUCK saga that's. way too much what the fuck. that's fucking weird. Like I'm very open minded but that's a bit too much stretching to say the previous was not fucking weird. but smiley is all beyond that WHO THE ACTUAL FUCK THOUGHT THAT. THAT. *GESTURING* THAT WAS A FUCKING GOOD IDEA. If i wanted to talk about it I would rant but as i mentioned HRRGRGGGNNNNNGH. Smiley in the least repulsed way i can describe him and the decision to him is "The best way to get someone to stop watching your show and want to run it over with a fucking car, truck even, if you will,"

anyways to conclude my whyisthisanessaylengthanimepost ; once the series is over someone upload a video of literally just every scene strength is in cause they are literally all I care about in that show. got dam.

#if I seem vague in this from not remembering it's cause i watched this a bit ago and will not. will not rewatch.#General content warning mention like sa being mentioned cause of show contents and other stuff #also there's like. the whole more revealing clothing that's just done in an honestly gross and unappealing manner to mention #LONG POST. OOPS #dawnfall spoilers ig.

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docgold13 · 2 years

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365 Marvel Comics Paper Cut-Out SuperHeroes - One Hero, Every Day, All Year…

April 19th - Gambit

Abandoned at birth due to his burning red eyes, the Mutant child who would ultimately be known as Remy LeBeau was kidnapped from his hospital ward by members of the New Orleans Thieves Guild who referred to the child as ‘le diable blanc’ (The White Devil). The Guild believed the child to be a prophesied conduit who would unite the warring Guilds of New Orleans.

In his later childhood, Remy was placed in the care of a gang of street thieves who taught him the ways of pickpocketing, burglary and safe-cracking. Later, Remy was taken in by the then-patriarch of the Thieves' Guild, Jean-Luc LeBeau, adopting the boy.

As part of a peace pact between the Thieves’ Guild and their rivals, the Assassins Guild, a marriage was arranged between Remy and Bella Donna Boudreaux, the granddaughter of the head of the Assassins Guild. Unfortunately, Bella Donna's brother, Julien, objected to the marriage and challenged Remy to a duel. Remy ended up killing killed Julien in self-defense and was hence banished from New Orleans in an effort to maintain the fragile peace between the two guilds.

Remy wandered the world as he plied his skills as a master thief, aided by his Mutant power to charge objects with explosive energy. He employed playing cards charged with kinetic energy as his trademark weapon. Remy’s skill with cards, his caviler attitude and willingness to take great risks earned him the nickname ‘Gambit.’

Following various misadventures, Gambit found himself in the employ of the villainous geneticist known as Mr. Sinister. Sinister used Gambit to gather a team of Mutant mercenaries which he led into the Morlock tunnels beneath Manhattan. Gambit was unaware that Sinister's true intentions were to massacre the Morlocks. When this came to light, Gambit attempted to stop them, but the Marauder named Sabretooth grievously injured him and left him for dead. His injury notwithstanding, Gambit did manage to save one Morlock (a young girl who would grow up to become the X-Man known as Marrow).

Years later, Gambit encountered the Mutant heroine, Storm, after an adventure had resulted in her being transformed into an amnesiac, preadolescent version of herself. Storm had returned to the thieving of her youth and she and Gambit ended up pulling off a series of capers together.

Gambit saved Storm from The Shadow King and ultimately helped her return to The X-Men whereupon she was restored to her adult self. As thanks for his aide, Storm sponsored Gambit’s admission into the X-Men. It took some time for the other X-Men to come to trust Gambit, yet his valor and smart decisions in the filed garnered their respect.

Gambit soon fell in love with his X-Man teammate, Rogue. She also loved Gambit, but the nature of her Mutant abilities made it so she could not have skin to skin contact with anyone else without absorbing their thoughts and abilities. She did not want Gambit to feel trapped in a relationship devoid of physical intimacy. Yet this did not dissuade Gambit; he loved her unconditionally and was unafraid of what a future with her might entail.

Sadly, Gambit’s relationship with Rogue (and with the X-Men) was put to a temporary end when Magneto brought to light Gambit’s role in The Morlock Massacre. The revelation resulted in Gambit being expelled from The X-Men and abandoned by Rogue.

Forlorn and forsaken, Gambit endeavored on further adventures and later ended up allied with the Mutant villain, Apocalypse, who proclaimed that he could restart the Mutant populace following the decimation of the M-Day event. Thankfully, Gambit was eventually able to become freed of Apocalypse’s influence.

Over time, Gambit was slowly able to earn his way back into the X-men’s good graces and became a teacher at The Xavier School, where he was a mentor to the young Mutant known as Bling! and also helped to look after Laura Kinney.

Gambit’s efforts to win back Rogue took much longer and was further hampered by the meddling of Rogue’s mother, Mystique, who very much did not want the two together. Nevertheless, the pair became close again and ultimately rekindled their romance.

Later, Kitty Pryde sent Gambit and Rogue on a mission that saw them go undercover to a couples' therapy retreat at the Paraíso Island Center. The mission was actually about rescuing a young Mutant known as Charmaine, but the adventure itself forced the two to confront the events of their past from each other's point of view - an experience that greatly strengthened their bond.

Not long thereafter, Kitty Pryde and Colossus held a wedding ceremony. Kitty ended up backing out at the last moment, leaving Piotr at the altar. During the would-be reception, Gambit became inspired by Storm's words on marriage and decided to propose to Rogue on the spot. She accepted and they were married by the rabbi that was going to officiate the marriage originally planned for Kitty and Piotr.

Married life suited them both well and, following an action packed honeymoon, the couple ended up relocating together to the Mutant Nation of Krakoa. There Gambit has continued to serve the X-Men as a member of the current iteration of Excalibur.

A version of Gambit featured in the Fox Films’ movie X-Men Origins: Wolverine where he was portrayed by actor Tyler Kitsch. The hero first appeared in the pages of Uncanny X-Men Vol. 1 #266 (1990).

#365 Marvel Comics Heroes #Marvel Comics #Gambit #X-Men #Excalibur #Rogue #Tyler Kitsch #cut-out #paper art

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lordmomohismomoness · 3 years

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As of late, I have been obsessed with Webtoons. So I figured it was time to make a rec list of my favorites! Though, I couldn't narrow it down to 10, so here are my top 29! In no particular order:

Kind of Confidential by Vivian Darlin

Romance/Superhero updates weekly

-a superhero loses his powers and is saved by a supervillain on the run. Zen and Rena are my OTP and Batcat is adorable

The Witch and the Bull by Moonsia

Romance/Fantasy/Adventure updates weekly

-an a-hole who hates witches gets cursed as a bull, whose only hope is the witch whose career he just ruined

Ghost Wife by Sejung

Romance/Horror completed

-she is constantly followed by ghosts. But she does have a powerful but unsocialized demon to protect her. Bonus! This one has a sequel that just premiered!

I Love Yoo by Quimchee

Drama updates weekly

-she is a loner and down on her luck. When she meets two brothers who are complete opposites, her luck gets even worse. But at least she's not alone

The Kiss Bet by Ingrid Ochoa

Romance/Drama on hiatus

-all she wants is a special first kiss, but a little bet and some new transfer students make it really complicated

The Red Archer by IsabelleRanson

Romance/Adventure/Historical updates weekly

-a mashup of history and adventure, it's Maid Marian's turn to be a badass

The Makeup Remover by Lee Yone

Drama/Romance updates twice weekly

-after becoming a model in a make up competition, she shakes things up with some social commentary

Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe

Romance/Fantasy updates weekly

-Hades and Persephone just want to be happy. But their family is less "The Tanners" and more "Jerry Springer'

Like Wind on a Dry Branch by Dalsaeowl/Hwaeum

Drama/Romance updates weekly

-after losing everything to a plague, she starts her life over as a mage in the prince's harem. Heartwarming friendships and ugly crying included

Let's Play Mongie

Romance/Drama updates weekly

-the person that ruined her career is her new neighbor, and her love life just went from 0 to complicated

Future You by Kumokayaa

Romance/Fantasy updates once a month

-she's a time traveling assassin with no way back home, and he is a cop investigating her company. What could go wrong?

Cape of Spirits by Kris Nguyen

Fantasy/Adventure completed

-an ex prince joins his kidnappers in order to stop the spirits from destroying the world

Subzero by Junepurr

Romance/Fantasy updates weekly

-the princess and last of the azure dragons agrees to marry the prince of the crimson dragons as part of a peace treaty to end the war. But there is a lot more going on in the kingdom than meets the eye, and she has secrets of her own

Tower of God by SIU

Fantasy/Adventure updates weekly

-he climbs the tower to find a girl, but his very existence threatens the hierarchy within. This one is really long, but also AMAZING and addictive

Lumine by Emma Krogell

Fantasy updates weekly

-an orphaned werewolf is hired as a bodyguard to a standoffish witch. What they both really need is friendship

Nice to Meet You by Wishroomness

Romance/Drama updates weekly

-what starts off as an innocent prank turns into a wild romance

Little Mizzi Muffett and the Spider King by Catfish

Horror updates once a month

-something dark and evil is stirring, and she is the only one that can stop it. With the help of the spider king who has decided to make her his bride

Freaking Romance by Snailords

Romance/Sci Fi completed

-an interdimensional bisexual love triangle. Need I say more?

The Rose Prince by Samuraiflame

Romance updates twice a month

-after her twin brother's death, she takes his name and persona so that the kingdom can still pass on to her. However, the neighboring king sees right through her disguise

Siren's Lament by instantmiso

Romance/Fantasy completed

-she is stuck, half siren and half human. Now she must find a way to break the curse before she loses everything and everyone she loves

My Magical Maid by J_hp

Fantasy/Romance updates twice a month

-a witch lives in secret as the physician of the king...who hates witches

Shadow Bride by Sae In Lee/Soo Bean Lim

Romance/Fantasy updates weekly

-this one just started, but it is off to a great start: a beautiful thief who is barely getting by catches the attention of an awkward prince who is the true heir to the throne

Villain to Kill by Fupin/Enuji

Action updates weekly

-another new one. A hero gets reborn... as a villain. Now he is is trying to take down those that killed him, without losing his mind or bringing the apocalypse first

A Good Day to be a Dog by Lee Hey

Romance complete

-the only way to break her curse of turning into a dog is to get a kiss while transformed. Which would be a lot easier if the person she needs to kiss wasn't terrified of dogs

The Spectrum of Us by Sen-Chan

Drama/Romance updates weekly

-a cat in love with a wolf is complicated enough without throwing the cops, the mafia, and a tiger in the mix. Also keep an eye out for her other work Cat vs Dog which will premiere on originals soon!

My Roommate is a Gumiho by NA

Romance updates twice weekly

-after accidentally swallowing his bead, a college student moves in with a strict 900 year old fox so they can find a way to safely remove it. Hijinks ensue

That Awkward Magic by SomeBunny

Romance updates three times a month

-the jock and the loner agree to fake a relationship, and it takes the school by storm. But also, yer a wizard harry

Or: two dorks in love, but one is having a gay crisis and one is having a witch crisis

Eleceed by Jeho Son/ZHENA

Action updates weekly

-a secret agent gets stuck in the body of a fat cat and decides to mentor an optimistic kid with super speed. Wholesome, action packed, and hilarious

Act Like You Love Me! by XUANN

Romance updates weekly

-three people know each other but don't know that they know each other. It's gonna be fun when they figure it out

Great, my OCD says I'm not allowed to have 29 recs and must make it 30. But there are five I am torn between adding. We'll go with:

My Grim Romance by Gears of Rain

Romance updates every two weeks

-instead of dying, she gets a new roommate - in the form of a dramatic grim reaper who lost his powers

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anolyso · 3 years

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Utena thoughts...about 2 weeks later

I've been putting it off for way too long and so most of my thoughts stopped being fresh. On top of watching way too many analysis vids post-watch, but still I do at least want to put my 2cents of Revolutionary Girl Utena out there for the world.

Utena is perhaps one of the most famous "magical girl"/shoujo action shows out there for not only it's transgressive themes of relationship abuse and low-key pretty much being the poster girl for like actual feminist perspective on/in anime...but also just doing it all in both a heavily allegorical and understated, yet super over-the-top stylish fashion

But that's it's reputation preceding itself, is Utena worth while all these years? The answer is Yes, but it also really shows it's age and budget in pacing and repetition, tho as an appreciator for "behind the scenes" compromises in art, it's more showcasing Ikuhara's talent in working around both taboo and long-form budget constraints with just well-thought out and iconic imagery that - while episodic and formulaic - is just very good at filling the 39 eps with feasts for the eyes.

Utena broadly is about tomboy Utena with memories long ago after her parents died being "saved" by a princely figure like a princess...except she's so enthralled by the nostalgia that instead she becomes a full on Prince herself and receives a dueling ring to fight in the Ohtori Acadamy secret duels for "engagement" to Rose Bride Himemiya Anthy.

Utena is divided between 4 arcs, only the first and last being Manga adapted from hearsay:

1: Student Council Saga

2: Black Rose Saga

3: Akio Ohtori Saga

4: Apocalypse

From back to forth I'd say that Akio + Apoc is more just escalation into the finale while Black Rose being anime original comes off as a glorified side-character study which while complementing the secondary cast, feels like one of those Anime movies that has to say "but if you don't watch this part, it's pretty much optional for the main plot" despite it also actually introducing the most important antagonist within it's margins.

More importantly, it's the Student Council (arc and the actual people) that lay the foundation but also a large part of the show's focus which ironically puts Utena in the background until like almost the finale and some in-between developments, so it's less "Utena (and Anthy Himemiya)'s story" until the very end, but more like a showcase of how fucked up the system at large is (pin in that).

By the Council themselves is:

Kyouichi Saionji: The biggest jobber, like actually introduced as the most despicable loser ep 1 and proceeds to be a complete arrogant joke for the rest of the show. Honestly in another shojo "love" story, they'd find some way to redeem him but semi-compellingly they turn him into like an Aqua-lad type pathetic brat with an inferiority complex to the actual Student head

Miki Kaoru: the naive "nice, non-threatening soft boy" that also just never actually listens to the girls around him. Probably adds more complexity to the whole patriarchal idea on analytic reflection since yeah, the whole "nice guy finishes last" plays up better when the kid comes off as that "ally" energy of wanting to save Himemiya from being the Rose Bride but also low-key won't actually not just do the duels and win her cuz he's that sorta wishy-washy hypocrite. Arguably the least hateable guy in the cast (minus mascot Chu-Chu)

Juri Arisugawa: TRAGIC LESBIAN TRIANGLE LOVE. Probably the biggest point to of both "not-explicitly homosexual" but also really freaking obvious since her entire story is her girlfriend stealing her "boy crush" when actually she was crushing on her and being pretty much frustrated throughout her story as pining most of it. It's quaint by today's standards but also like damn girl, get over her she was like the worst back stabbing bitch (literally if Black Rose counts)

Nanami Kiryuu: SPEAKING OF QUEEN BITCH, it's been a long time since I've watched a High School girl bully and honestly it's kinda refreshing. If Miki is "soft-boy uwu" Nanami is a brat that gets her come-uppance often, featured prominently as an anime only with the MOST filler/comedic episodes but also not low-key, being the most out-spoken actual brother complex ironically spins perhaps the biggest twist and ironic relationships of "I love my brother but not-like-that but also like-that" by the end. Mostly comedic relief but I find her inclusion to actually add a lot more to juxtapose...

Touga Kiryuu: Big Student Council Prez himself, the first arc antagonist and also a strong foil to Saionji and later a stepping stone for Akio. Touga is THE image of a Princely Playboy Heart-Throb that in any other Shoujo romance would have the main girl win him over from all those "other girls" despite him being apathetic if not outright manipulative of them. Good thing Utena is better than that and really puts a spotlight on just not-actually-ok his power hunger for "the power to bring the world revolution" that leads him to heavily objectify Anthy, arguably even more than Misogynist Trophy Girlfriend beater Saionji, since he doesn't even see her as more than a means to an end despite professing and looking the Prince part but lacking all the actual virtues.

The Student council matters more since they're characters and subsequent tragic flaws are the ACTUAL meat of the show and on second rumination actual shows more how fucked up the system/gender dynamic/power hierarchy is since - while it blatantly fucks over Juri who can't just outright say who she likes - also show almost it's own sub-text of Masculine failings: Saionji desperately clinging to being TOXIC MASCULINE™ and completely falling short underneath Touga; Miki's "nice boy" act belying him trying to replace his low-key nostalgia for his sister (also a bitch, but apparently was more like Nanami in the manga); and best yet Touga being the quintessential "Prince in all but actual behavior" by emulating a cutthroat and Machiavellian world view but coming up empty because well, he's just an illusion of a prince...but that leads in way more to the big finale piece where I'll reintroduce the actual story's main trio

Utena Tenjou: Tomboy Prince with brain empty except for lesbian thoughts. Honestly probably what every western "STRONG INDEPENDENT WOMAN" archetype wishes they were since while having very tomboyish personality in athletics, blunt speaking and also VERY oblivious to the actual plot for REAL DRAMATIC IRONY, but also never actually demeaning her being feminine partially due to her love of an childhood prince and how she maintains her relationship with both her friend Wakaba and later Anthy. Honestly mostly a plot device after S1 until she gets ACTUAL development by the very end and instead kinda bumbles her way into undoing the entire REVOLUTION OF THE WORLD. I kinda wish she felt either more cognizant or at least felt like she was developing/properly rebuking the rest of the cast's power obsessions but I guess that's for the movie.

Anthy Himemiya: Actual Trophy Wife with a dark secret (darker than ski- wait no that's terrible scratch that). Set-up very much as an immediate princess in distress while also being the most femme Yamato Nadeshiko, Anthy being the Rose Bride as a literal prize who acts and behaves as whom she's "engaged" with desires while otherwise being quiet, wry, mysterious and noticably submissive, by the end it actually plays up into THE BIG REVEALS of just how abused she's been into a hopeless acceptance...like y'know actual abuse victims.

Akio Ohtori: Grade A Antagonist, probably the most insidious I've seen a villain in a while, Akio is notable for, back in 1997, being perhaps the big go-to of actual deconstructing the facade of a whole shoujo genre's "hots for a teacher/sexy man putting the moves" and highlighting how actually exploitative and abusive a person like that really is. Being Himemiya's brother (somewhat justified in the manga by both being a weird Sailor Moon-esque reincarnation of gods/godesses of Dios), despite how much of his motives are runing the background and how the entire back story is uh...brought up in like barely in the last arc with little lead up (some scenes feel like they'd be a full melodrama season and they just have like 1 scene in the final arc episodes) he manages to one-up Touga (in the plot as well) by instead of "just" objectifying girls, not-just-flat out saying Utena looks best as a princess, but y'know the fact that he is implicitly yet constantly exploiting and victim-blaming Anthy for her own suffering for "the power of Dios/Revolution of the world" turns it on its head

I've spent all this time on characters but in truth a lot of the meat of the show relies again on the Council Members fleshing out the issues of system leading to outright divorcing "being a Prince" (heroic altruistic virtues) and "being a man" (considering like all but maybe the comedic relief have some deliberately misogynistic behavior) and beyond just the plot (or rather character) synopsis, the talent goes far more in how it's framed, the symbolic/allegorical shots, the repetition adding a good episode formula flow to character showcases, probably the most "tasteful" allusion to uh...*ahem* sexual abuse that so many other edgier/prentious shows fumble. Both in how intimidating yet understated it's foreshadowing is until they hard-reveal it despite never explicitly naming it even tho it sends Nanami into hysterics

Really it's both a massive blessing and reason for it's cult beloved status for it's aesthetics but also it's burden, for being a full 39 episodic season by season character development study of everyone BUT the main trio except for snippets and the very end that makes it greatly appreciable as a legitimate work of art.

What I wanted more to say however (long overdue) is that a large part of following is, visibly at least, western feminist critiques and yes while it almost seems like Utena fits the "deconstructing patriarchy" story like a glove...it's weird how almost none of them actually can give a good historical account of actual Japanese female/gender/sexuality norms nor Anime contemporaries actually were. Like Tenchi Muyo and Berserk came out the same year (Cardcaptor Sakura the next) and despite how you can "feel" the influence in lots of modern shows like SHAFT's signature visual imagery cuts or many WESETERN shows having straight scene references to Utena....almost no one has a similar feel to Utena until like Princess Tutu comes out.

Really tho probably should've watched Utena and then Tutu because while it's undeniable that Utena is a major pillar of shoujo re-codification - what with everyone before Utena was saying they thought it'd be like a Rose of Versaille or Lady Knight rip-off...whose laughing now? - it's almost like there's a missing link between it and it's major western fanbase (probably with what few anime did get overseas, this one probably rose to the top), or how very noticeable there IS an influence on it's genre in Japan

Almost none of the big analyst fans actually know A) it's not "a deconstruction of Magical Girls" since despite Ikuhara working on Sailor Moon just before this, almost none of the tropes line up and instead more with Shoujo genre as a whole. or one of the major inspirations was Takarazuka theater.

And this is not to dismiss how inspirational it is to it's western fandom, but while I am notably cynical towards placing things on pedestals, there's probably something about cultivating the whole pop-culture feminist reading commune with people making weird time-loop theories while kinda most of it is just filling in a mad-lib mostly thanks to Ikuhara just keeping things on the vague and letting the audience take away their own perspective.

Again, most of the show is completely sub-textual or visually/symbolically depicted and never stated nor properly defines it's weird key words (End of the World, Revolutionize the World, Power of Dios, Rose Bride, all things said constantly but never really said what they "mean". But that's also perhaps its charm, in it's allegory and very Death of the Author approach, it has definitely allowed it's fan theorizing and appreciation to flourish so there's something there for that.

Ultimately I'd say Utena the TV series is great more so for what it isn't...or rather I should say it's great for not just subverting Shoujo tropes and archetypes for the Japanese audience but also that despite dealing with some very serious and heavy subjects in obtuse and perhaps understated ways for the time, people have allowed it to be put on it's pedestal because they can easily fit it in themselves.

Honestly though, not that a more "straight forward" approach wouldn't detract from Utena but I will say that the movie, Adolescence of Utena, is very much the best encapsulation of what Utena strives to be (for another big blog post) and while the TV series has plenty of time and flexes it's directorial muscles with budget constraints and season pacing UNrestrained, the movie will trim a lot of the fat

#long post #Revolutionary Girl Utena #I haven't actually done my Anime thoughts in a while #Maybe I'll keep this on my main blog this time #I wrote this mostly on facebook tho if I wrote it here first I'd better integrate images probably #anolyso's media time #uh...except now that's on my main blog

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chicoriii · 3 years

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Season 4, Episode 14 - Sentibulleur (Sentibubbler)

I just seen the episode today, because I wasn't looking forward for another Alya-centric one, I'm already sick of it. I did it only now when have more free time. It's the first time, since I'm a Miraculous fan, when I'm starting watching a completely new episode without feeling even a bit of excitation. I'm not gonna lie that I enjoyed it, I don't, because it's not my cup of tea. This is why this post is more about why I dislike Alya favouritism than Sentibubbler itself. But I need to clarify that I didn't enjoy the episode mostly because of personal taste, I'm not trying to say it's "objectively" bad (though opinions are never objective, only facts could be). If you love Alya's arc, it's completely understandable that you probably love this episode as well.

I thought it would be a DjWfi episode (to be clear, I haven't seen any trailers of it, only one screenshot, which was said to be from this episode, but I don't remember seeing that moment in it at all, and the ending card), but poor Nino was just a background character. This is literally an "Alya is amazing" episode in which she is saving the world with a very little help of Ladybug and even less of Chat Noir, who is treated more like an offending trash. After watching it, I see fan edits like that are even more accurate to describe season 4 (not made by me, I just stole it from Cartoon Apocalypse's video).

Adrien was supposed to be a deuteragonist and a second main character, but Alya is much more like ones than Adrien has ever been. He has never gotten as many episodes focusing on him as much like those with Alya in a season (and we can be sure, it's not the last one) and he has never be as much the main hero in a fight against villains in any of them. Instead of giving him more screentime, he's putted even more in the background than before, because Alya needs to shine. Why they can't do it without treating Adrien that much unfair? I'm not gonna hide that I hate it and it makes me feel that maybe I should stop watching the show, since it looks like it's not something I really enjoy anymore. Adrien is my favourite character, so I'm really pissed of that Alya is stealing his role. We will see, but once I will be sure that Alya favouritism is gonna last forever, I would consider stopping watching the show seriously. Especially that doesn't go hand in hand with good writing. In this episode nothing as much absurd like in Optigami happened, but I still have one big issue.

It's not a problem with Alya herself. I'm used to like her, even if she's been annoying me sometimes before S4. But I don't know what to think about her this season, since I have some issues with her writing. I just don't like the idea of as much favouritism any of the characters who are not the original main ones, especially if Adrien is treated that bad by the writing at the same time. I would say the same if it was Kagami, who is my third favourite character in the show, after Adrien and Plagg. As you see, I like the Japanese girl even more than Marinette, but I still don't think that making her more important than the protagonist would be okay (it would make no sense, but you know what I mean).

Besides, I've seen people speculating that Alya is going to fuse the fox with ladybug Miraculous in an episode in which Marinette is akumatised (if one will ever happen). Don't you see how much unfair to Adrien/Chat Noir it is? Alya is already getting much of special treatment, more than a character who was supposed to be the next most important one after the current Guardian of the Mother Box. An episode with Marinette as an akuma should be the one in which Chat Noir is saving her without help of any other heroes, just like she has saved him alone in Chat Blanc. If there was a fusion of the fox and ladybug, it would mean that's not a story mostly about Marinette and Adrien anymore. It would make it clear that the writers are not even try to hide the fact that's now it's Alya the second most important character. Adrien could be the third one at best, Chat is only a sidekick of the Ladies, not really a hero equal to Ladybug anymore. Besides, episode like that is most probably the only chance to see Tikki using her power without a wielder. Wouldn't it really interesting to see what bad happens when Tikki is using Lucky Charm all by herself?

And to be fair, this season has really way too much Alya generally, I'd like to see more other heroes, not just Rena Rouge and Rena Rouge over and over again. I want more new Miraculous wielders and since Ladybug is calling the old ones (though she definitely should not do it), I want to see them in action too. We need to get a full transformation sequence of Ryuuko at least once. But the more episodes they are released, the less I believe it would ever happen. Good thing that they found few seconds to show Chat's sequence (only a second time in 10 episodes!), but still no Cataclysm. I wonder if they are even going to show it after season 3.

I have no idea what writers are planning to do. If they're want Alya to be a permanent Miraculous holder who is treated like co-guardian by Marinette forever, why they write her that way? Why isn't she really noble and careful? Why all those red flags she's giving Marinette (those she always ignore anyway): like letting Mr. Ramier know that Ladybug's the Guardian now, though she asked her to keep it as a secret, or stealing a Miraculous that almost made Ladybug's identity exposed. Are any of those events be relevant later? Are they there to show that saying Alya everything about the Guardian things and giving her the fox Miraculous permanently are bad decisions? If yes, what's the purpose of Sentibubbler? This episode doesn't seem to be really significant, it's more like another one fan service for Alya stans. The previous ones were actually important, this one could be missed without much a loss for the plot. The only reason it could be seen as significant is to make Marinette letting her guard down even more. But isn't she extremely careless already? After revealing her identity, she immediately started to tell Alya all the Guardian secrets, gave her a code for the Miracle Box, as well as the Miraculous permanently, despite her identity being exposed and all the wrong things she has done. Marinette is already dealing completely reckless with Alya, there's no reason to make her even more. Besides, that dream can't be a prophetic one, right? I remember that adult Bunnix really believed that exposing Ladybug's identity is something what Alya is able to do (from her time at least), but I think it's impossible to happen in real. That's why I see this episode as the most "fillerish" from all of this's season those have been released till now. Other ones introduced new characters or Miraculous wielders at least, nothing really new and crucial happened in this one. There's nothing bad in fillers, but why another Alya-centric one? Why not focusing on a character who hasn't been favoured this season instead?

The most stupid thing in this episode is that Rena Rouge made an illusion in which Ladybug says that she won't give the Miraculous to her anymore, for two reasons. One is that Gabriel bought that very weak lie without questioning it at all. It's clearly a plot armor. I know that they tend to make Gabriel very dumb when they need it from the beginning, but it's extremely stupid even to him. Hey, Gabriel, you know Rena Rouge's identity for some time now and Ladybug has been already giving Rena the fox few times before after her identity being exposed. Why that sudden decision? Isn't it suspect? Second is that it's been portrayed as a clever thing, while it makes Alya unable to be Rena Rouge anymore, if they don't want to show to Shadow Moth that was a lie. I'm not talking only about the battles, Rena can't be seen in public, since Ladyblog is not the only place which is showing content about the heroes. So then there's no reason for Alya to keep the fox anymore. Unless I interpret it wrong, and Marinette doesn't think it would make Gabriel stop going after Alya. But to me it looked like that and that's also make Marinette dumb anyway, because she is still unable of seeing how dangerous it is for her best friend. Alya's plan worked once, but it doesn't mean it would work again, once he discovers the lie, it would make him even more suspicious of a bond between Rena Rouge and Ladybug. Marinette is risking not only safety of Paris and the whole world, but also safety of her best friend. Why everyone is able to see that obvious thing, not only the girls but also all of the Kwamis? I'm not going to change my opinion that they are dumbing down all the characters who are involved in it and that's just bad and lazy writing.

And where's Su-Han when he's needed. I've been working on the English subtitles for the French dubbing of Furious Fu recently and now I remember that he said that he's going to observe Marinette and take the box from her is she makes a slight mistake. She's keeping making bad decisions, but he still isn't showing. That was a lie? Because if he doesn't see anything wrong in how's Marinette is dealing with her guardian duty, I'm gonna to lose the rest of my faith in the writers.

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I'm so sorry. I wanted to be active on Tumblr at least a bit after seeing this episode, but I still don't feel motivated. It's painful to say that season 4 is mostly a disappointment to me, especially that I hate the biggest story arc of it.

#miraculous ladybug #ml sentibubbler #ml season 4 #ml spoilers #ml spoiler #ml season 4 spoilers #chicoriii about S4 episodes #chicoriii #original post

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thedivinedemom · 3 years

Text

An AU of DC with a mass crossover of PS4 properties.

Provisional name: Players Searching for Detectable Changes (Get the pun?)

The setup:

This is the future of DC, a world where the old guard has slowly withdrawn and the newer generations have risen to the occasion. The original Titans in particular, most of which have formed the new Justice League while many other, very similar teams had started to form across the world. One of which was a resurgence of the Teen Titans, led by an older and purified Raven. She wanted to make the Teen Titans something akin as it was for her, a place to belong and learn to use one's powers.

The first 'class' of such individuals include:

Stargirl (of the now-disbanded JSA and still getting used to the Starrod)

Blue Beetle III (Freshly attached to his alien symbiote and freaking out a bit)

Robin V (to work on his anger issues, mostly at the new Batman's request)

Kaldur (a half Atlantean half metahuman who is struggling with his identity and the surface world, Aquaman feels a kinship for the boy seeing their similarities)

Static Shock (a promising new hero but little experience working outside his city or in groups)

Mary Marvel (she's... she's going through alot. Fresh from a coma, her brother is distant as he acts as the new Wizard, and she may be, sorta kinda, being corrupted by Black Adam's gifted power)

The team was rough and there was plenty of head butting (Mostly between Stargirl and Robin/Damian as one is almost the unanimous leader while the other thinks he should be) but they were getting there. They were more of a clean up crew for the Justice League, they did more than the "kiddie missions" that the Outsiders didn't do, and they meant more than the PR grab that was the International team. Though they didn't seem to amount to more than that. They still did their best, pushing past the silent ridicule, as they went about their missions.

This may be why tempers were so high that day.

One day, outside a little city by the name of Weller's Point, the prisoner transport for the villain Plasmus had an "accident". Released and awakened the creature went on a rampage, heading ever closer to the populated area. Luckily, the mentor of the New Teen Titans could teleport. The new team did fairly well in the fight, though they did struggle a bit as Plasmus was not a being where simple brute force would work. It made the fight tricky and more than a bit... messy.

Messy enough that juvenile and emotionally compromised Mary Marvel lashed out against the downed villain but was stopped by her teammates... things escalated from there. Restraint turned blows and the whole team struggled to stop their powerhouse without hurting her. The ones who do the best are Raven, Stargirl, Blue Beetle, and oddly Static.

While both of the former could use their abilities to restrain her to a very effective degree Static was actively draining her of strength, or at least of the electic aura she was radiating and blasting with. Frustrated, done with the situation, and a bit petty Mary launched her largest attack yet by saying her magical word.

SHAZAM.

Virgil did what he did best, he handled that lightning as it came crashing down towards Mary and the Titans restraining her. Well, he tried. The bolt was just too powerful, too unlike anything he had ever encountered. He could not handle it and it was dissipating, if anything it clung to him or tried to jump towards the girl. He had to get rid of it and he had to get rid of it quickly, safely too if he could help it.

He shoved it into the ground, into the power lines. He did it as carefully as he could, trying to prevent overload or flashover as guided the charge into the power grid.

What happened next was a combination of a few things. 1. The Mystic and transformative properties of the Lightning, 2. It is effectively being filtered through a bang baby, 3. The kryptonite power plant owned by, provided by, and operated by Lexcorp.

This interaction, this new charge, cycling through the power grid interacted strangely with a number of devices but none more so than PlayStation 4s and the devices connected to them. This new electricity changed things, literally. It brought fantasy into reality.

Whatever game was loaded into became a part of our reality in a small way. Sometimes TVs, Controllers, and even the system changed to reflect items from the game but the bigger change came with the Players. If a person was playing their console during the surge then they would become a metahuman with abilities based on the playable character they were playing.

The city, the county even, was now flooded by an abundance of metahumans and items of varying power of devastation. Static felt horrible.

He couldn't help but compare what has happened here to what happened in Dakota City but on a wider scale. And this time it was his fault. His sense of responsibility wouldn't, couldn't, let that stand. He had to fix his mistake and his team was dragged along for the ride.

The story to follow is a mix of Final Crisis and Kingdom Come with a bit of the Young Justice cartoon in events and themes, a few twists and likely a bit lighter in tone but to the DC geeks this should give a rough idea… Maybe a bit of Marvel's Civil War but hopefully not the rushed knee-jerk mess that that ended up being.

But it's here that I start having issues with my planning. One part in worry as outside the set up we start to follow the perspective of OCs (something rarely smiled upon) and another part in wondering which OC to focus on.

Now, one thing I love in fiction is progressive powers and the conflict escalating from the different paths people take in said progression. In that vein, I have a pair of protags in mind as well.

The main two/co-protagonists:

The Lawkeeper- a cop before the change and now a member of a task force made up largely of those affected by the surge. A gamer, a man of color, and a believer of the spirit of the law. He doesn't always get along with his fellow officers but he believes in what the blue does. He believes that an organized response is what is best.

His abilities are based on those of Jesse Fades of Control. Meaning he has tremendous psychic potential but he needs 3 things to reach his full potential.

1.Items to bond to so he can generate these psychic abilities. Jesse's used altered items of her universe to get thematic abilities from them (ex: a safe to generate a shield, a carousel horse for a dash ability, ect). Here he can use items generated by the surge.

2. A patron/partner entity to help guide, give insights, and empower. It also let's the user enforce reality, basically becoming an anti reality warper.

3. A bonded morph weapon or a weapon to come to his hand when called.

The knight- a recent college graduate who instantly decided to go the route of the caped hero. She, after figuring out how to get her powers to work, instantly went the route of a caped crusader. Going out to the streets, saving lives, stopping instances of surge item abuse, and (in the humble opinion of the local Police Department) getting in the way of operations. In her opinion they were taking too long to get things done.

Her abilities are based on those of Prince Noctis of Final Fantasy XV. This means she has tremendous physical and magical potential but like the above she has a number of check marks needed to gain access to the character's full power.

1. A gem/crystal to draw power from.

2. 13 magical weapons to boost strength. The generated game weapons will do and I have most picked out in a way that likely would help the plot progress.

3. The blessing of 5-6 gods.

4. A power ring of some king to channel all this power.

I keep debating the two above as I do like the idea of both of them climbing in power and clashing over conflicting ideals of what to do with their power. At the same time, I think that just smooshing aspects of both into one (which is actually where they started, a single character) and play off the different ideologies of how best to help people from within her friend group and precinct along with internal conflict. Maybe have the one be a fellow officer they butt heads with because of the... precarious nature

Another OC I was thinking on, keeping with the theme of what to do when you have power, is a thief who played Persona 5. Like both of the above they would be crippled in their ability to use their abilities without a way to fake the connection to. In this case, without the Mementos App, they would need an item that could affect or enter the hearts of others. Luckily, more unlucky really, there are plenty of items floating around that can do just that. Namely Keyblades.

Most other Players are an odd mix but most are variations of the Shooter build. Peak physical humans who heal quickly and often have bullet time. But there are enough other variations to cause trouble. Demigods of unreal strength, men and women who can easily tap into a patron for powers from the outside, 2 variations of spider powers, cat eyed men and women who can cast magic with simple gestures, and so much more. But the real issue was the first two, the demigods without a parent to protect them and those easily connected to a divine source.

The disembodied New Gods of Apocalypse were very happy with those groups. For how bad this can be please look at what happened to Mary Marvel in canon Final Crisis.

Thoughts and opinions would be appreciated.

#dc community #fanfiction #dc fanfic #dc fandom #playstation #mass crossover #orginal character #dc fanfiction #dc fanfiction idea #outline

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