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kaidanworkshop · 6 months

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Workshop Progress: November Update

Happy Holidays guys, gals, and non-binary pals! Firstly, apologies for the delayed update! Flu and COVID season is in full force this year, and it seemed to have it out for not only the Workshop staff and families, but for our VA Paul Warren! We're happy to report that everyone is on the mend and returning to our regular workflow. Learn from our follies; make sure you're taking care of your own health as well! Last update we focused on our alpha and beta testing progress with the Creation Kit and Assets Team -- progress on that front continues as we add in more recorded lines and refine the new systems we've implemented; this update will be a deep dive focusing on our Writing Team and their workflow process in organizing, evaluating, and proposing changes to the base script via our peer review system. Besides this, we have our fourth recording session with Mr. Warren in the coming weeks; after this session, our business lead is projecting one more session will be enough to complete the rest of the original script, and we can begin to finalize what options the community has towards allocating the remaining funds. We've been compiling a few synopses of what those bonus content options will be, so stayed tuned on that front! Finally, we're very excited to show off some of what we've managed to implement, so one of our Community Team members will be streaming some of our current 1.3 beta for our Discord community this upcoming Wednesday, November 15th, 2023 at 3pm CST, and Thursday, November 16th, 2023 at 10am CST! With that out of the way, here's our Writing Team Workflow Deep Dive! Warning: The below contains spoilers!

The temperatures might be cooling down outside but we're staying nice and warm working on the Kaidan romance lines commission. As we move towards the more emotionally charged dialogues the player can have with Kaidan (i.e. his friendship and romance quests), we realized that our previous script notes for our VA needed to be a bit more robust in order to really convey the tone we're looking for. As much as we all love this silly little 10+ year old game, the reality is that Skyrim's engine has its limitations with regards to NPC emotivity and expression, so the onus falls on the voice acting to carry the extra emotional weight. While Kaidan is, on the surface, a rather reserved person, a major part of the growth he experiences with the player character is allowing himself to more vulnerable and forthcoming with his emotions. For prior commissions, our script to Mr. Warren was aggregated into spreadsheets broken up by quest name and dialogue path, with brief notes on delivery/different quest paths as needed.

For each commission, we have two members of our staff sit in with Mr. Warren and offer direction as he works his way through the script. We tend to get around 3 to 8 different takes of each line, with around 250 - 300 lines per commission. Once complete, Mr. Warren sends us the full audio, and the next leg of processing begins. Our absolute savior of an audio tech gets to work splitting all the hundreds of different takes up into individual cuts, as well as processing the audio for any latent sounds or fuzziness in the background. Once separated, they're placed in an associated thread for staff members to listen to and vote on.

Sometimes we are very lucky, and there's a clear winner for the individual take. Sometimes.

Other times, ties must be split. Or not.

It is also during this process that we'll identify lines that might've been misread or otherwise need a retake. We aggregate a list and discuss our feelings on it, then shoot them back to Mr. Warren with further clarification on what we're looking for in his delivery. The process of receiving, splitting, and voting on the retake lines then begins again.

This method of breaking down these emotion-fueled dialogues really helps us as a staff keep a firm grasp on the original presented characterization of Kaidan, and not get wrapped up in trying to unnecessarily change or otherwise alter his dialogue. There's a reason this follower remains one of the most popular within the Skyrim community, and the last thing we want to do is damage LivTempleton's magic with arbitrary wordsmithing. Still, sometimes changes are needed. We try to keep them as minimal as possible, but some lines stuck out due to strange wording or odd delivery. For example, Kaidan's response to this line was originally "You do, eh? Well keep digging there, you might make it to Akavir." We felt that it didn't flow very well, and depending on how far the player has progressed in his personal quest, it might not make any sense for him to be mentioning Akavir at all yet. The below change smooths out the transition in this conversation.

Another example of a change we're adding in is creating a path for players to exit the romance path completely -- as it is now, if you wear an Amulet of Mara and initiate the romance path, there is no way to change your mind. However, we always felt that the below line pathing was very harsh; after all, Kaidan exits the conversation completely and shuts down. Working in a way to 'break up' with him via this dialogue path (sorry Kai!) felt like an easy way to work in a new mod function without having to create entirely new dialogue -- it saves money for extra content in the future, something very near and dear to our business lead's heart.

Finally, one of our favorite changes is rewording the "How do you feel about me?" dialogue tree. Given that not all players will be following the 'hot' or 'warm' romance paths, this line of questioning from the player felt like the LDB was fishing for compliments -- not a good look in our opinion. We changed this to instead be a more equitable exchange of compliments between the two ("I think we make a good team" & "Can I tell you something? I'm glad we met"). Also, we use this format to track which lines will have multiple nickname/pronoun takes.

As we approach the final sets of scripts to wrap up the revoice section of the Workshop timeline, this process may undoubtedly change again when we begin discussing how we'd like to work with the community in producing Workshop original scripts -- which is exciting! In using a peer review system from start to finish, we keep ourselves open to workflow improvement suggestions that ultimately makes the process easier in the long run. While this method of group voting and review undoubtedly adds extra time to production -- especially given the logistics of scheduling multiple staff meetings to accommodate all the different time zones our staff members live in -- we feel that it results in a more polished product, and one in which all the members of each team feel empowered to discuss and offer their insights for our favorite CVF. We'll see you for the beta 1.3 livestreams on Wednesday, November 15th, 2023 at 3pm CST, and Thursday, November 16th, 2023 at 10am CST!

#kaidan 2 #kaidanworkshop #kaidan skyrim #custom voice follower skyrim #skyrim kaidan #elder scrolls skyrim #kaidan #custom voiced follower #tes v skyrim

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sokkastyles · 5 months

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You ever think about how

is really just Azula-speak for “super-salty that Iroh didn’t avenge Lu Ten’s death like a normal person?”

No, because it isn't. Azula isn't upset that Iroh didn't avenge Lu Ten, and saying so is deliberately taking that line out of context. The context is that Azula has repeatedly shown that her main problem with Iroh is that she thinks he is weak. Her problem is not that Iroh didn't avenge Lu Ten, it's that he "came home crying." She also gloats to Zuko in the scene about how it means that Iroh is "a quitter and a loser' because "his son died and he just fell apart!" The delivery of those lines, the context, and the voice acting, plus the fact that Azula already thought Iroh was weak and the fact that she has learned from her father to disdain emotional weakness and also to be cruel towards people who show it, tell us that she disapproves of Iroh's actions because of what she sees as his emotional weakness, and takes the opportunity to make fun of it because that is how her father has taught her to define her own self worth, by being cruel to others to prove that she's superior. She's not outraged at him on Lu Ten's behalf, her focus is on how he should not be so emotional over his son's death.

The idea that a "normal" reaction to Iroh's grief is to exact revenge is a totally wrongheaded statement. It's not "Azula Speak," it's a violent and inappropriate (and horrible) thing to say for multiple reasons. First of all because Iroh is allowed to grieve his son. The idea that the only acceptable way to grieve is through violence is actually a super toxic idea (and, indeed, Iroh's narrative says so much about confronting toxic masculinity, in particular).

Also, the idea that this is just how Azula expresses herself is both wrong and extremely ableist. I've seen people use this as evidence that Azula is neuroatypical in some way, and the problem with that is that you are equating violence with neurodivergence or mental illness instead of seeing it for what it is, a troubling response from a child to the violence she is being exposed to. Azula acts this way because she's being abused and groomed by her abuser to imitate the abuse and enact it on others. That is why she says this, and it's an absolutely horrific thing to say, for all the reasons I've already mentioned in addition to the fact that the Fire Nation are the aggressors and have absolutely no right to "vengeance" against a city they put under siege for defending itself.

You sent me this twice, you wild, wild asshole. Maybe get a job or something at this point.

#azula #iroh #lu ten

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smytherines · 2 months

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Overly long staircase scene acting analysis because I'm autistic

Watched the staircase scene again, because this is my life now. But I just cannot get over how incredible Joey Richter is in this scene. Every beat is absolutely heartbreaking. The anger and hurt in his voice as he yells "I'm going to single-handedly dismantle everything you've ever believed in," the way his voice breaks.

During the reprise he does a stunning job of "guy trying to be cold and intimidating but is actually incredibly sad and unbelievably angry." The way Owen says "a world without agencies, a world without spies, a world without secrets" with so much quiet contempt for the thing that ruined his life.

Maybe the best piece of acting in the entire show is when Curt steps up into Owen's gun and says "the feelings we had for each other." And Owen looks pained, he looks wistful for a second. His gun lowers to Curt's heart and his hand repositions like he's really struggling with what he believes he has to do. The thing he's been wanting to do for four years. But he just can't manage to pull the trigger, despite having ample opportunity to do so.

When Curt finally shoots his gun out of his hand and aims the gun at his head, the way Joey Richter plays Owen just feels incredibly sad. To me it reads as Owen, not being able to kill Curt, thinking Curt wouldn't be able to kill him either, and realizing too late that he was wrong about that. There's a kind of incredulous disappointment in his voice as he says "so what are you doing?"

I know I get ridiculous with my Owen Carvour headcanon, but this one scene just gives SO much insight into his character and motivations, without outright telling you pretty much anything. That's partially clever writing, but its also just Joey Richter absolutely killing this role, making Owen feel like a real person with real anguish and doubt and anger. Its spectacular.

And it's wild because Curt Mega is also really fucking good in this scene, but kind of in different ways? His delivery doesn't subvert what we know about Agent Mega, it reinforces it. Curt has been grieving for four years. He fell apart after Owen's "death," his alcohol use turning into a full-on disorder, making him incapable of doing the one thing he loves, the thing he feels he does best. And actor Curt Mega does an incredible job at conveying all of that without even saying a word. Curt's stance, the way he braces against the staircase just kind of numb with the realization that Owen is alive, the anger and resentment that he mourned Owen for so long only for him to be out there doing evil schemes. It's all played perfectly.

As an Owen Carvour defender I have issues with what agent Mega does here that are mostly subtextual, so I'm gonna stick to the acting choices within the actual text of the show:

The thing that stands out the most about Joey Richter's performance to me is the little vocal breaks and how raw the line deliveries are, but what stands out to me about Curt Mega's performance is his body language and facial expressions, which are just pitch perfect from start to finish.

Our guy is speedrunning the five stages of grief on that staircase.

First is denial and anger, kinda wrapped up in one package- denying that Owen has the upper hand, there's something about the stance here that feels like he's planting himself with a false confidence, like he doesn't want Owen to know how scared and overwhelmed and sad he is about this. How angry he is that his life fell apart mourning someone who isn't even dead.

Then bargaining- when Curt is pleading with Owen, telling him that he's sure the agencies can pull some strings and get him pardoned if he agrees to give up Chimera. It's hard to describe the expressions & body language in a way that doesn't sound kinda weird, but there's a flash on Curt's face that reads to me like "if you give up Chimera maybe there's a chance for us," which is of course cut off by Owen's anger. There's a desperation, and even a little hint of optimism- it isn't too late to fix this.

Then depression- the expressions here are just heartbreaking, as Owen pontificates Curt is just slowly unraveling, leaning back into the staircase his face just crumbles. Like every word Owen says is physically hurting him. Like he's realizing slowly that there is no going back, that the time they shared & the feelings they had aren't going to be enough. Actor Curt Mega makes so many interesting acting choices here that say so much more than you could say through dialogue alone. The way Curt steps into the gun very much feels like he is accepting that baring his heart to Owen could get him killed, and that it's worth the risk to try (damn, just gave myself more empathy for agent mega here)

And then- acceptance. After Curt has his big moment of vulnerability, appealing to Owen's memories of their time together, and Owen rejects him by telling him to move on, Curt accepts that he has to kill Owen. It reads to me like he isn't doing it to save the world (or at least not exclusively for that) he's doing it to save himself. To remove the spectre of Owen that has been haunting him for the last four years. That as long as Owen is alive he will be haunting Curt.

(As an Owen Carvour defender I have to point out that Owen is *disarmed* at this point, so I personally have a whole big rant I could make but this shit is too long already)

Again it's weird to describe someone's facial expressions and body language, but all of the emotions you can infer from this scene are down to just great acting. Two really good actors doing a well-written scene spectacularly. As good as the rest of the show is- and its very good- this scene is why there's still an active fanbase for a comedy spy parody musical, still making art and writing fanfiction and doing edits and memes about the relationship between Owen Carvour and Agent Curt Mega nearly eight years later.

#spies are forever #tin can bros #agent curt mega #owen carvour #curtwen #joey richter #curt mega #staircase scene #SAFtistic

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wen-kexing-apologist · 10 months

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Pee Peerawich Can FUCKING ACT

Alright, I have not been seeing enough praise on my dash for the sheer acting prowess that came out of episode 10. Everyone was great- Copter had the most expressive face I have seen from him the entire show, Suar broke my motherfucking heart, Title was a BEAST with his microexpressions this episode (and could, frankly, use a post all on his own), but it is time to talk about Pee Peerawich Ploynumpol and his acting in this episode.

The micro and macro-expressions that man was pulling? Exquisite and worthy of praise.

Car Ride

Tai asks to stay at Patts place that evening, with an immediate implication of #gaysex

Despite the fact that Pee has not moved that much (considering he is literally buckled in to a chair) you can see and feel the excitement radiating off him in this moment. Patts is pumped. Patts is locked and loaded. Patts is ready to commit traffic violations if it gets him to that dick faster. Pee makes that excitement legible to the audience by making his eyes wide, turns that eye shine up, the way he moves his lips, the way he holds his body, the tone he places in his voice.

gif by @liyazaki

Tai Ride

There are not enough gif-makers watching La Pluie, I need more people to watch La Pluie and know how to make gifs to watch La Pluie so that I can have immediate and easy access to an entire episode’s worth of gifs, because this screenshot does not give enough information here.

What I want to highlight in particular in this scene is that Patts *swallows hornily* when Tai steps towards him. It’s fun for me to see a bit more of a role-reversal here with Patts and Tai. Title is portraying an aura of utter surety in the way that he carries Tai in this moment, and Pee is carrying the excited, yet nervous and cautious energy that Tai usually brings to their emotional connection.

Then of course, we get the easy chemistry between Patts and Tai in the bed scene. I’m probably gonna have to do a separate post about the hands in this episode, so I won’t talk about them here. But we always have to appreciate the way that Pee is able to portray desire.

For the sake of time, I am going to link to my Episode 6 and Episode 7 posts about hands, so you can see how good Pee is at making his hands relaxed and natural in these scenes. (What do I mean by that? I mean, if you compare Pee’s hands here to say, James in Bed Friend, you will notice that oftentimes James’ hands are very stiff, like he’s trying to remember how he’s supposed to hold them).

If you asked me to pick one moment from this scene that I thought was the best part of Pee’s performance, it’s a quick, easy, no contest answer for me, because Pee absolutely crushed the line delivery of “May I?” He makes his voice so soft and kind, and strained/broken. There’s a gravel to it that he doesn’t usually have. Because of it you can tell how important this moment is for Patts.

The Calzone Betrayed Me?

Tai and Lomfon are spotted and a picture of them is sent to Patts, Patts who has been told by Tai that they can’t hang out on Sunday because Tai has work he needs to do. Patts calls Tai to check on him, and it is at this point that I honestly believe that if Tai had told Patts the truth, Patts would have been okay with it. Patts is giving Tai an opportunity not to lie, and Tai chooses to double down.

And it feels like a slap in the face, and Pee nails this moment, this flash of anger and heartbreak that Patts feels when he hears Tai lie to him. And he’s able to switch it so suddenly to Patts’ acting, not Pee’s, when Patts makes his voice cheerful and says that he misses Tai.

He hangs up the phone, and there is not even a second of time between when that phone call ends to when Patts starts spiraling. Again, there are not enough gifs of this show at all, which makes it hard to show everyone the very impressive acting beats, but Pee has a whollllleeeee internal monologue happening throughout this entire scene. Pee makes it so easy for the audience to read Patts’ mind here just in his physicality, in the way his face drops, in how quickly his eyes move.

The anger and frustration is starting to build.

Patts trusts Tai, Patts does not want it to be true that Tai is lying to him, so Patts goes to Tai’s place to check on him. He knocks on the bedroom door, and for a split second there is a smile on his face before he processes that it’s actually Tien at the door.

Lomfon Gets a Shiner (aka Fight Scene One):

This is the point in the story where the explosion start, and it is in these moments that Pee really shines in his performance. Lomfon needs to have consequences forcibly beaten into his skull, Patts needs to grapple with all the frustrations he has had with Tai over the last two years of silence, Patts has been patient, graceful, and nothing but kind, and he deserves to McFreakin’ lose it. We know from Patts final conversation with Nara that Patts can have a temper, we know that he is not abusive (Nara’s interactions with Patts and Patts feelings for Nara would be very different if that were the case), but his temper is a flaw Patts himself is aware of.

Pee has a very difficult job here, because he has to make sure that Patts is allowed to get violent, get loud, and remain sympathetic. Because Patts is a good person, a kind person, who is reconciling with years of unresolved frustrations around Tai and Tai’s silence on top of waiting for Tai to feel comfortable and secure in his connection with Patts, and Lomfon is coming in here to tell Tai something that has the potential to undo all of the months of progress Patts and Tai have been cultivating.

Anyway, Patts wailing into Lomfon is uncomfortable to witness, I am not satisfied by watching this boy who kept disregarding the feelings of every single person around him for the sake of figuring out his own, finally get a face full of consequence because of how blinded Patts is by his rage. Anway, let’s get into the fight itself. Pee handles this scene expertly, the size and severity of Patts unbridled rage oozes through the screen. He makes this fight scene uncomfortable to watch. Now, I’m a simple bastard, right? Normally, I love when a rude character (like Lomfon) talks shit and gets hit. And as much as I have been saying for weeks Lomfon needs to be beaten up, Patts wailing into Lomfon (still holding back because that man did not have bruises and we know there is enough budget for a makeup department to give him bruises if they wanted to, cause they did so for Patts and Tai on the mountain). Anyway, Patts wailing into Lomfon is uncomfortable to witness, I am not satisfied by watching this boy who kept disregarding the feelings of every single person around him for the sake of figuring out his own, finally get a face full of consequence because of how blinded Patts is by his rage.

Pee lets himself be ugly, he lets himself be intense, and over the top, and aggressive, he lets Patts feel all of those things. I have seen multiple posts circulating over the last week defending Patts and his anger, and I think part of the need people feel to explain Patts stems from a fear that people will hate this character after this street fight. Because Pee did his fucking job and did it so well that the violence feels real. His anger leaves shrapnel everywhere and you truly truly get the blind rage that Patts is experiencing in the way that Pee does not allow Patts to be detained, in the way that Pee does not let Patts process a single thing around him.

AITA? (aka Fight Scene Two)

(sorry, this is kind of a self indulgent picture, y'all know I'm a slut for hands)

Now, the verbal sparring match between Patts and Tai immediately following this fight with Lomfon and Tai’s rejection of destiny, is something that has to be handled very precisely by these actors. Too intense and there may not be a clear path to reconciliation, too reserved and Patts’ justifiable anger at everything is undermined, and we don’t want that. Patts’ motivations for beating Lomfon up and our need to still feel sympathy for Patts, us wanting him and Tai to be together at the end does not work if you undermine the logic behind Patts’ behavior. So Pee is toeing a very precarious line here. He has to balance expressing a lot of anger and not making his character irredeemably violent.

And GOD, I mean, a gif or a video clip is one thing, you can watch the scene play over and over and over again, and you can analyze it that way, but I actually want to just put a couple of screen caps in here because well…

Pee embodies that rage. These screen captures are a split second of time, a brief moment, when I take them I take hundreds of them because I am never certain what I am going to get in a singular moment. But every single frame I have of Pee’s face during this confrontation is just the most open and obvious manifestation and portrayal of anger that I have seen in quite some time.

EVERY

SINGLE

FRAME

From a body language perspective (surprise, surprise WKA is talking about body language in a TV show again, how original..) Pee has set his jaw. Pee has set his shoulders. This man is tense, he is stiff, he is using so much goddamn energy. He slouches forward when he’s confronting Tai, leaning in, getting closer to him but still maintaining a distance. They are within arms reach of each other, but Patts is not fully up in Tai’s face. Which I think is important for the audience in maintaining the idea that Tai is safe, and that Tai feels safe with Patts, despite his anger. Which I think continues to hold because Tai is pretty even-keeled in his responses and it is obvious that Tai is not in distress or actually scared of Patts when confronted by this side of Patts.

BUT when Tai responds with “Patts, I can’t understand what you are asking” ohhhhhhh ohhhhhh the way Pee leans back, the way Pee’s shoulders go straight. Like, seriously, look at the second and third image in this set of four (“who do you choose” \\ “Patts, I can’t understand what you are asking”) can you spot the differences in the way Pee holds his body in those two screenshots? Let me know what you see!

[Oh and hey! Would you look at that! A barrier between them…]

Thai walks away, leaving Patts in the rain and this is the critical moment, because Patts breaks down. Patts screams “FUCK!” and just swings his body around like he is trying to forcibly expel all the anger from his body.

gif by @liyazaki

And this is where Pee really starts to crush his performance, because he shifts Patts’ rage to fear and heartbreak in an instant. He is balancing Patts’ anger and Patts’ insecurities on a knife’s edge, and he is wielding it with expert precision.

Fundamentally, (and if anyone as an audience member has not picked up on this theme yet, Patts will state this explicitly at the end of the episode so I am confident in talking about it now) Patts’ biggest hurdle to being with Tai is Tai’s silence. Patts waited for years for Tai to talk. He was patient for years. He has been navigating this relationship with Tai very smoothly. He is understanding of Tai’s hesitations and respectful of Tai’s boundaries. But he knows how easy it is for Tai to slip away, and Patts is OVER waiting for Tai to break the silence. He wants to talk, he may be angry here but he wants to resolve the issue. He is confronting Tai’s behavior, Tai’s lies head on, and he needs to hear assurances from Tai that Tai does not have feelings for Lomfon. Or rather Patts just needs to know what Tai decides, and Tai won’t talk to him about it.

Patts is terrified of being left alone in all of this. Patts is terrified of losing Tai to another “soulmate” because he knows, or knew, that there was still some part of Tai that believes or wants to believe that that is real, and he knows how easy it may be for Tai to get confused, or Tai to overthink, or Tai to retreat and leave him because Lomfon says they are soulmates. What Patts is grappling with here is two years of reaching out over and over and over again only to be met with silence. Patts lost his relationship with Nara because of his connection to Tai. And Pee needs to be able to show the audience the part of Patts soul that this anger is coming from.

Because it starts as him being infuriated by Lomfon not respecting Patts. It starts at him being lied to repeatedly by Tai. The anger starts there and the longer and longer the conversation goes and Tai refuses to just FUCKING SAY that he chooses Patts, Patts spirals further and further in to the part of himself that has been breaking from the moment his soul mate decided not to reply. And Pee

NAILS

THAT

SHIT

gif by @liyazaki

I know I have already used this screenshot but I am placing it here as a visual comparison for where Pee ended with Patts and where he started with Patts in these scenes from the fight with Lomfon until Tai walks away.

(I am curious what similarities and differences people see between the gif above and the screenshot in terms of Patts' body language)

Correct me if I am wrong @bengiyo but I believe you had mentioned in one of our sidebars that they only had enough money to really run this truck once, so every scene was done in one take. It’s not a single shot, there is time to set up and take things down, cool yourself down or amp yourself up, but if is is indeed true they only had the money to run this once per angle, then we really really need to be appreciating Pee’s performance here, because Patts has been a happy, smiley, calm, and patient person for the entire show. Pee and Patts both deserve the emotional catharsis they are getting from a scene this big and complicated.

An Intervention for the Hopeless Romantic (aka Fight Scene Three):

Patts gets drunk and goes to continue the conversation he started with Tai in the rain and Tai does not want to entertain that conversation, knowing that Patts is drunk. Suggesting they hold off on that convo is the smartest thing that Tai could have done imo, because he knows there is a high possibility of a bad outcome from the kind of conversation he would have to have with Patts (though I also do think Tai would have had extremely similar responses to Patts’ questions either way but I digress)

Patts has had some time to process what happened in that earlier fight so he is capable of calming down, but he is also drunk which means that Pee has to navigate behaviors and physicality of someone who has calmed down about a sore point, but who has also #releasedhisinhibitions by getting drunk and therefore making it harder for himself to moderate his physical responses to his fluctuating emotional state.

While I personally do believe that Patts would still be angered by the conversation he is having with Tai even if he was sober, I also think having some time and space to process would have enabled him to manage his responses more and allowed him to make more rational versus reactionary decisions if he was sober. But that isn’t what happens. So Tai is his typical, conflict avoidant, fed off of romance novels-self and is therefore infuriating to have a real conversation with to work through everything that happened that day.

gif by @liyazaki

(Fun Fact: I am pretty certain that pointing is considered to be extremely rude in Thai culture)

This conflict scene is interesting to me because Title is giving a master’s level of microexpressions to his performance as Tai, and Pee is giving a master’s level of macroexpressions to his performance as Patts. I like the dichotomy of the character’s reactions in this scene. I like how Title and Pee are able to root their character’s personalities so heavily in to how they react to and engage in conflict. Tai runs from it, sure, but similarly to Tien he is able to temper his temper, he is pretty good at remaining, or appearing to remain, calm, cool, and collected, in the face of explosive, loud, and large emotions because Tai has always been a shy, introverted person, who intentionally created silence for himself. Patts is the first one to talk in that soulmate link, Patts was frequently the one who reached out, Patts is older, he’s been in relationships before, he knows how they work, and he understands the realities. So naturally, Pee’s going to play Patts with more obvious, easily readable, and intense emotion.

A (not-so) fun parallel in this scene is actually the way that Patts swallows in the following gif:

gif by @liyazaki

At the beginning of this post I mentioned that Patts and Tai seemed to almost change personalities, where Tai was confident and certain and Patts was nervous? Yeah, Patts swallowed hard there (more out of nervousness and horniness) in a similar way to how he swallows hard here before he loses his grip and has that little burst of anger. Patts here, is trying to swallow his anger, but he’s drunk and tired of the bullshit so it doesn’t work. (Pee has some great microexpressions in the moment above too, I want to know what people think is running through Patts' mind based on the small face movements you can see)

gif by @liyazaki

Tai puts up a test. “let’s break up” thinking this might give Patts an opportunity to pause and re-evaluate his behavior right now. Tai is offering a test of Patts’ love for Tai. If Patts really loves Tai he would just inherently know what Tai is thinking and feeling all the time without ever needing to ask. If Patts really loves Tai, he would never break up with him even if he was mad. But, in a drunken, heat of the moment bout of anger at Tai’s sheer inability to navigate conflict rather and refusal to answer what Patts thinks (and I think too honestly) is a pretty simple, straightforward question about who Tai chooses and agrees:

“Alright you said it! Let’s break up”

(not the best screenshot I've ever taken, but I just needed everyone to see the second time Patts points to Tai.)

Pee does an absolutely phenomenal job of letting Patts process his own words a second too late to stop them. Like????????

Pee lets Patts be angry, loudly angry, physically angry but not dangerously so in these scenes. Tai again is not scared of Patts being here.

(it is so interesting to me because I feel like ^this photo makes Pee look younger)

The legibility of feelings in Pee’s performance from this episode is truly incredible. You can see the moment Patts realizes what he just said, you can see how quickly Patts cycles through his own stages of grief and regret at what he just said.

Patts knows he just fucked up. Patts knows exactly how badly he just fucked up. And just as quickly as he is able to fall from the anger to the regret, Pee is able to fall from the regret to the fear. Patts is trying so hard to apologize to Tai, Patts wants to take it back so badly. And my heart is breaking for him.

gif by @liyazaki

He is begging, he is pleading, he knows what happens if Tai closes that door and he is desperate to stop that from happening.

And I think it happens a little bit earlier in the scene than what the gif shows but there is this millisecond in that movement of Tai pushing Patts out the door where Pee switches from panic to heartbreak.

(when I say this change happens in a millisecond, i mean that I literally had to slow the video down as slow as it could go and then just rapidly pressing the spacebar to pause and play and pause and play to creep to it frame by frame for this shot, he switches so fast).

Pee demolished this episode, he left no survivors.

Wet and Pathetic

I have said it already but I think it does bear repeating, due to the themes that were explored in Episode 10 Pee, hands down, no contest, has the hardest job in this episode. Because Patts gets violent, because Patts’ anger is explosive, because Patts’ anger this episode leans more toward unrestrained which can make him come off as aggressive. The way the audience engages in the rest of Patts and Tai’s story falls almost entirely on Pee’s performance this episode.

Once again, because his anger, his violence, his rudeness, and lack of restraint have to be legible as stemming from a deep wound that Tai caused. We have to be able to see Patts as someone with an angry streak but not someone who will turn to domestic violence. We have to be able to see Patts as someone worthy of compassion. If Pee had failed to deliver a performance that was not only legible but heartbreaking, then why would anyone hope they will find a way to work through this. If Pee does not manage to make us feel bad for Patts after having us bear witness to a decently brutal beating (decently brutal here defined as I thought Patts would probably deck Lomfon once, Lomfon would stay down and the rest of the angst would unfold as a result. I truly did not expect a full smackdown with Patts in so blind of a rage that he didn’t even register Tai trying to stop him) the story ends here. But he didn’t fail…he flourished I mean, look at him:

gif by @liyazaki

For the second time today he starts breaking down, first because he so desperately wants Tai to choose him. He desperately wants to be chosen. Second, because he wants to keep Tai in his life, he doesn’t want to lose Tai, and he knows that by agreeing to break-up, with the way Tai approaches conflict and romance, that Patts very well may never see Tai again. I think everyone’s reaction to a heat of the moment agreement to break up will be different, I think there is a world where Patts could have a partner who would recognize Patts didn’t mean it, and would open the door to continue the conversation. But Tai isn’t one of those people. Tai locks Patts out like he locked Patts out in his head for two years.

Sure Patts decked Lomfon (but #lomfondeservedit), sure he grabbed Tai a little too hard, sure he yelled, sure he wasn’t able to manage his emotions better, but Pee was able to deliver a performance that made the rougher parts of Patts’ character go over easier, and goddamn it if my heart wasn’t absolutely shattered seeing Patts sobbing, clawing desperately at the door to be let in.

gif by @liyazaki

Trying to get this out before Episode 11 airs, I just want to state for the record that I agree with @bengiyo, and @ginnymoonbeam, and @lurkingshan that in the grand scheme of the entire situation Tai is in the wrong here. He lied and then he lied again, and then he refused to communicate, and then he pulled some Nora Roberts logic on a real life relationship, and Tai needs to be the one that apologizes to Patts and the one who tries to re-initiate the relationship. I love Tai to death, Title too did a KILLER performance (but is harder to write about because there are not enough gifs in this fandom for any and all of his microexpressions) I get why Tai conflict style is the way it is, I get where he is coming from, I get where Patts anger is coming from, I get where his pain is. But by lying and then refusing to communicate about it, Tai is in the wrong and Patts deserves an apology for the way Tai treated him, and he deserved to be intentionally, enthusiastically pursued.

Anyway, Pee Peerawich acted his little heart out in Episode 10 and he deserves more praise than I have seen him get.

Thank you for coming to my TedTalk!

#la pluie #la pluie the series #pee peerawich #title tanatorn #patts x tai #pattssaengtai #patts x saengtai #pattstai #la pluie meta #la pluie analysis #everyone watch this show challenge #wka long post

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thesherrinfordfacility · 8 months

Text

25 lazarii

so ive been thinking on neils ask and answer about the joint miracle crowley and aziraphale performed. now the way it could read is that the two didn't used to have the power of resurrection/power that is capable of resurrection, but now they do. but could also read that they didn't (as is, retrospectively from now) have the power, because it doesn't belong to them. it's this latter possibility that im going to look at because honestly? the whole thing feels to me a bit OP.

so i realise that it's not necessarily about resurrection as an act, but instead the potential to resurrect. regardless, im going to start from key moments of resurrection as a marker for their abilities:

first notion we have in s1, exactly as neil remarks, is aziraphale is able to revive a dove after warlock's birthday party. originally, this was crowley in the book (and was reportedly swapped for blocking reasons), so im going by the show only in this post to keep consistency:

and this is supported by crowley intimating in the resurrectionist minisode that aziraphale was too late to save morag - that he could only have helped when she was still alive but instead she died whilst aziraphale was dithering:

in fact, to me, the only time i can recall in GO (ie shout at me if wrong) we see anyone successfully resurrected is by adam, and this is marked by the reappearance of my beloved lesley, the international express delivery man:

"Adam had rebooted reality... people who were dead were now alive, and things that were broken were miraculously restored."

the only issue appears to be that crowley now seems to be able to exercise a power of resurrection in s2, where he appears to 'bring back' mr brown, and do so rather confidently as if he always had this kind of power...

this confidence would mirror what he says to shax, here:

although, whilst it may be implied that mr brown was killed by the demon, we only truly see him being hurtled through the air. and, whilst crowley appears to bluff that demons can't hurt humans directly, shax appears to believe him.

now, she could have just come to the resolution that they ought to kill mr brown anyway, rules (fake or not) be damned, but the fact that we don't actually see his death intimates that shax might have just toed the line (the demons yeeted him across the street, but was he technically hurt/killed? was shax responding with her own bluff when saying, "civilian casualty"?)

edit 21/08 - IM SMUG

ergo: was mr brown truly killed in the first place, and therefore did crowley truly resurrect him? i think the majority of people are going to say yes, and i would initially agree, but then we come to the below where crowley appears to have riddled it out:

now it could be a case of s2 giving us the 'what' (they are insanely powerful when working together), but the 'why' (eg. power of being essentially soulmates, love, two halves of the same whole etc.) is what is going to be determined in s3.

but the conclusion that crowley came to (and im thinking entirely with critical-noggin-topped-by-tinfoil-hat head on here) feels a bit odd in the sense that it would be that simple, and doubly-odd that at this point narratively - the series that is meant to set up s3 - that the answer would be given here.

it is a parallel to the fact that crowley and aziraphale seem to work best in cohesion - their body swap proved that somewhat - and the miracle is another example of where working together does work, but neither of them are at the character-development point yet of actually recognising it for what it is and means.

it's definitely the romantic, poetic option - that they are powerful because they do it together - and for that reason i definitely think there's some truth to it, but one of the vibes i got from s2 from multiple set pieces is that things are not initially as they seem. a couple of those things appear to have been resolved (gabriel/beelzebub, for example) but there are a load of chekhov's guns left lying around the metaphorical armoury, and i have to wonder if this is one that we all thought was decommissioned.

i want to also add that the gabriel miracle, in terms of set up, directly mirrors the facing down of satan. a key difference is that in s1, they are holding hands with the literal son of satan, whereas in s2, they are holding hands with a former archangel that doesn't appear to have any power whatsoever:

now, a miracle wasn't performed in the airfield scene (as far as we saw anyway, but potentially not counting adam's ability to retcon papa-dear), but this is directly after aziraphale names adam as 'human incarnate.' furthermore, this incredibly astute observation on the power of names by @rudeaziraphale highlights that adam, by definition of his given name, is meant to be human incarnate, and always was. and then we take into account crowley's line at the end of s1:

"For my money, the really big one is all of us, against all of them."

"What? Heaven and hell, against... humanity?"

so actually, is this what the miracle comes down to? that the power they exhibited is not just crowley and aziraphale together, but them, and humanity binding them together? crowley and aziraphale were always meant to be the same character - we know this from when neil has talked about the initial drafts he sent to terry - but actually are they truly whole without the entity that made them, influenced them, into who and what they are now?

the last thing i'll note is neil's earlier march ask here, which indicates that to bring someone back from the dead is a 'heavier weight than they could lift'. that may well just simply reference that together they could do it, absolutely, but i have to wonder if there is a secret third ingredient in the mix as well.

#good omens #the only other option i have is that god stuck her oar in but that feels a bit too much and i dont have enough to parse that option out #probably so many errors in this but pretend you didnt see them #i write everything from my phone and as soon as i write anything that has more than like six gifs my phone #simply goes into meltdown and becomes the temperature of the sun #s3 narrative spec #25 lazarii theory

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8turning · 9 months

Note

can u do a 8turn love language & how they would individually show their love for their s/o

thank you for this request, anon! ♡

⌕ . . . 8turn — love languages !

bf ! hyung line + jangshinz x gn ! reader ★ fluff ★ bullet-point ★ headcannon ★ warnings: minor food mentions (myungho, yoonsung, & kyungmin). the hcs get longer the more you go scroll (sorry). let me know if i missed anything!

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀〈 REBLOGS ARE APPRECIATED ! 〉

⁰⁰¹ : JAEYUN.

quality time. physical affection.

my brain turns to mush (/pos) whenever i think about jaeyun but i will do my best to not explode 💔

jaeyun absolutely adores just simply existing in the same space as you - often times you two stay in the same room without exchanging a single word because your work loads are too occupying.

jaeyun loves to be around you in those times, but he loves even more when there's no distractions. no work or group chats blowing up or emails to check off. simply just you and him in the seclusion of his room (after he's kicked minho out, of course).

you'd spend most of your time together watching films or shows, taking time out of your schedule to watch when either of you were able to visit the other.

more often than not, you'd end up falling asleep next to him (its okay, he fell asleep too).

half of his body would be thrown over yours once you woke up, his temple pressed to your chest as your fingers instinctively began to run through his hair. jaeyun lived for moments like these with you.

plus, you both falling sleep mid-way through the film only gave a better excuse for you to visit again - its a win-win for everyone! (except minho, who just wants to be in his room).

he'd like to be inside with you whenever possible - for both reasons of his job and for his own preference.

loves loves loves just lounging around i can not express that enough.

does everything in his power to make sure you are comfortable with him 100% of the time, even if that means having absolutely NO ONE in the dorms when you visit, drawing closed the blinds and making sure no one sees you together, he’ll do what he can.

jaeyun strikes me as the type to prefer your hands being held or have his bicep resting on your shoulder so he can rub his thumb along your nape soothingly.

the only word i can think to describe how he loves you is comfortable. everything’s about jaeyun is so comfortable.

⁰⁰² : MYUNGHO.

physical affection. acts of service.

with how often myungho can be seen being physically affectionate with his members, it's hard to believe he wouldn't be that way with his s/o!

if anything, he'd be even more affectionate towards you. whether its an arm around your neck, hand holding yours, or his chin on your shoulder when he hugs you from behind, he absolutely loves connecting with you in such a way.

one of his favorite ways to show his love is by playing with your hands. its such a simple act that can be done mindlessly, but to myungho, there's more thought in such an action.

he loves to intertwine your fingers with his just to undo them, taking one of your hands in both of his and tracing over your knuckles and nails, the tip of his index finger following the lines in your palm before closing your hand between his.

when you hold hands, he prefers to have his thumb on the outside of yours so he can swipe over your skin smoothly. if you were to copy that action on him, he'd be the happiest man ever.

on days where its a bit more taxing for you both or you are unable to see each other for a long period of time or maybe your schedules just don't line up, he'd do his best to make sure you know he's thinking of you.

things like: if you say you're hungry, he'll immediately open a delivery app and order your favorite take out for you, the full meal at your doorstep within the hour (he'd pay an extra fee if it meant it got to you quicker).

of course, you'd do the same for him when given the opportunity, and it makes him happy knowing you'd go the same lengths to help him that he would for you :]

⁰⁰³ : MINHO.

quality time. words of affirmation.

he's always so smiley :( you could be doing the most mundane things and he'd just stare lovingly at you. even once you've caught him, he doesn't say anything.

you're so mesmerizing to him without even realizing it. even if its just him scrolling on his phone across from you while you study, he loves every second of it. he loves being able to look up past his screen and see you so concentrated, not knowing he's even admiring you.

minho knows you'd likely turn your face away bashfully if you knew he was staring, so the fact he only had to move his eyes in this position is definitely a bonus.

even if you caught him staring, his eyes would be so full of love that you couldn't even be mad at him.

something he was a bit more shy to do was express his admiration to you verbally. . . but that's not the case when it comes to text messages or notes!!

you'd rarely have a morning without a message from him encouraging you for the day. messages during your time away were somewhat common as well (if he was able to find in between his own schedule to send them).

minho would never miss a chance to wish you a goodnight, telling you how proud he is of you for pushing through the day!

when he gets the chance to visit you, he'd leave notes for you on your desk or in your bag. under your pillow or stuck on your fridge or counter.

minho's secret time! he's unsure if you've ever found it, but he put all of his feelings onto a sticky-note (well, all the feelings that could fit on there) and put it in your phone case. if you ever did find it, you never brought it up.

minho felt what he said was a bit cheesy - too lovey-dovey, but its how he felt about you, so he doesn't regret it all too much. if his members ever knew what he wrote, he'd never hear the end of it.

the words he wrote were only meant for you, anyways :]

⁰⁰⁴ : YOONSUNG.

gift giving. quality time.

yoonsung ♡

if you've read any of my other headcannons with yoonsung, you'd know the yoonsung-matching-with-s/o conversation is one i speak on a lot!!

yoonsung thinks every moment he shares with you is precious - he likes to make memories with you even through the most mundane of tasks.

if you're cleaning together, he'd be sure to have music playing and sing throughout the entire ordeal (the mini concert you get is a reward for all of your work).

he'd also love to try new recipes with you! finding whatever either of you had lying around/left over and trying to make something delicious . . . it works out about half the time - but you both have fun nonetheless!

yoonsung (i've said it twice but here's a third time) loves the idea of making bracelets with his s/o :( he finds the elastic string with colorful beads the most fun - you get to make them for each other so you'll always have a piece of one another with you :")

he's usually slower than you too 😭 wanting to make sure everything is aligned nicely and that it isn't too loose or too tight on your wrist.

if you express you're not too fond of jewelry, he knows how to work with that, too. whether that's buy buying matching shirts or a pair of shoe laces or simply giving you a few of his favorite sweaters, he'll find a way for you to have part of him with you wherever you go.

he loves spending time with you and it doesn't matter too much to him what you do together. if you wanna go see a movie or have a meal outside, he's down! or if you want to take a rest day with your boyfriend and stay indoors, he is more than happy to oblige.

if you're into keeping up with shows, he's gonna be there to watch them with you whether you're together or miles away! it's always nicer to have someone to talk about them with and its even better when they show the same amount of interest and enthusiasm as you do.

thinks little displays of affection can be just as powerful as the bigger ones, and with both of your busy schedules, he does whatever he can to make sure you know how much he appreciates you :]

⁰⁰⁵ : HAEMIN.

quality time. physical affection.

unlike myungho, haemin is much more reserved with his physical affection. he's not a huge fan of pda and typically gets shy when he tries to initiate it.

but his lack of initiation does not mean he doesn't enjoy it! he prefers to keep that kind of affection in the privacy of the dorm (and its not like he can show it outside of the dorm at this point in his career anyways).

but on the rare occasions you're both able to meet outside the dorm - hoods pulled over your heads and masks on your face - he becomes a bit more bold.

reaching for your hand across the table at whatever shop you decided to meet at and interlocking your fingers. joining your arms together as you walk down the sidewalk, enjoying the day together. he lives for the quieter displays of affection.

not because he isn't proud to be with you - he feels the happiest he's ever felt at this point in his life. but he understand with his occupation it gets a bit tough, and the last thing he wants is to jeopardize your safety. so for now, you'll remain behind the scenes for just a little while longer.

spending time together is a difficult task to plan, but you make do with the time you do get and spend it in the best way you can.

because of haemin's reserved nature, he enjoys being indoors with you a lot. catching up on shows or watching a movie is simple but one of his favorites - it allows him to relax and escape from his hectic schedule for a while, and that all becomes even better when he gets to do that with you!

maybe you have to study for an exam or tackle some project for work, even if he has absolutely no idea how to help you, he'll be by your side (or in the next room if you request for him to) making sure you don't push yourself too much and that you take a break once you need it.

he shows his love and admiration in the softer ways - ways he's reserved only for you to see and for you to receive.

⁰⁰⁶ : KYUNGMIN.

acts of service. words of affirmation.

kyungmin, similar to haemin, enjoys displaying his love for his s/o in more subtle ways. placing his hand on the corner of the table if you dropped something, putting the straw to your drink in first before his own, or making sure you have enough charge on your phone before you go anywhere are just to name a few things.

he never wastes an opportunity to tell you how much he appreciates you as his s/o.

kyungmin strikes me as the type to Not Care about about his idol image when it comes to being in a relationship LOL

if one day you're out and someone recognizes him, he'd do his best to make sure your face is covered from whatever cameras might have sprung up.

at the very least, he wants to make sure you're safe. pulling your jacket collar over your face, taking off his hat and putting it on you, rushing to use a mask or simply pulling you to his chest and making you walk backwards . . . he's ready to go to whatever lengths to protect your identity.

his career would never stop him from bringing you around - he's not too fond of the idea of keeping everything private all the time, but that's not to say he isn't cautious when and where he needs to be.

for the times when your schedules just don't line up the best, he will never go a night without talking with you.

whether that's accidentally falling asleep on call with one another, a simple goodnight text to let you know he's drifting off while thinking of you, or something in between, he makes sure you know you're on his mind.

most days he wakes up earlier than you, so that means almost every morning without fail, you'll wake up to messages from kyungmin.

anything ranging from what he's eating for breakfast to how much he misses you to what his schedule is for the day. . . if he doesn't talk to you he feels this unwavering weight on his shoulders from guilt.

always wishes you a good morning :( sometimes popping in a cheesy "hope you dreamt of me ♡" before he has to shut his phone off for some hours.

he can easily tell when you're stressing out and when a burn-out is creeping up. he's the first to tell you to take a break and regain your energy slowly rather than force work out of you.

while at the time you may feel like you need to cram, you know listening to his advice will always prove to be more fruitful. which results in many praises. "i love you, and i love how ambitious you are, but taking care of yourself comes first, okay?"

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increasinglygeeky · 1 year

Text

Special Delivery | Alma

fandom: gokurakugai

pairing: alma x gn!reader

genre: fluff / tooth-rooting fluff / a hint of angst but not too much so don't worry

notes: ooc I guess (there's not a lot of chapters), lesbian!tao cause I know that woman has sex with other women, I refer to tao and alma as brother and sister cause that's what they are to me, a lot of this are my own headcanons so I can connect some dots, spoilers for the series so far

summary: uh-oh! looks like our favorite troubleshooter has a crush on the person who delivers his food.

(08/05/2023: Good news! As of this note, we're getting serialized Gokurakugai in Shonen Jump! I'm so happy!)

"It's almost time. Do you think they got stuck in traffic? Do you think they forgot our address?" Alma mutters nervously as he paces near the front door of their office/apartment.

Tao sighs in annoyance. Her cigarette leaves her mouth and smoke billows out from her lips. Once again, her little brother is getting worked up for such an uncouth reason. So once again, she has to make sure he doesn't exhaust himself.

"Alma."

"Oh crap! What if a Maga got to them cause it smelled our food!? Aaahhh!" Alma shrieks as he grips the red strands of his hair tightly.

"Alma!" Tao stands and slams a book on her desk, making her partner in crime jump and turn towards her.

"Y-Yes, Tao?" He asks, now a bit more anxious thanks to the noise.

"It's only been thirty minutes since you ordered. So if you don't calm down, I'm sticking you with cleaning up the bathroom until I'm finished eating." Tao reminds him as the taller one nonchalantly sits back down and opens up the book that rocked the room.

Alma stares in a deadpan as his sister then takes a hit from her cigarette. The redhead was very aware that he shouldn't be acting this way. He fights monsters that crawl up from the pits of hell on a daily basis so what's getting him so worked up? Over a food delivery no less?

You see, ever since that new diner a few blocks away from the Troubleshooters opened up, where you could just about order anything from cheeseburgers to an entire salmon entree, Alma found himself infatuated.

Not just with the varieties of food on display, but with the pretty delivery person he saw in the window getting ready to head out.

The delivery person in question? That was you.

On that day, time seemed to stop as Alma watched you pack the edible items into your insulated bag. Or was it some type of cooler?

The point was, the second his baby blue eyes landed on you, the half Maga boy was frozen. His palms felt clammy, a knot churned in his gut, he could see his breath fog on the glass, and his face flushed red.

Behind him, Tao stopped her brisk walk and saw that her brother seemed to be stuck in place. Being the inquisitive person she was she headed back over to the display window, took in Alma's awestruck expression, and followed his line of sight. To where you just about finished packing signaled by the swipe of your brow.

The gunslinger grinned.

As you hefted your bag and left the back way, Tao shook Alma by the shoulder, "Wake up, Al".

The redhead rapidly shakes his head and meets his sister's glassy gaze, "Tao? What just happened?"

"I should be asking you the same thing. You okay? Your whole face is red."

"It is?" Alma placed a hand over his chest. He could feel his heart thump wildly and his Solution thrum in time with it. "My chest is beating like crazy. Oh no! I'm not coming down with something am I?!"

Tao just chuckled softly. God, the kid's innocence was downright adorable. But that didn't mean she could let him in on it right now. Not before she got the answers herself.

"You're probably just hungry again. Why don't we order something from here?" She thumbed to the diner and he seemed to like that idea.

"Yeah! You're right! I'm gonna get myself a triple cheeseburger with curly fries!" Alma happily dashed into the building with his sister following behind.

Once the overhead bell jingled, Tao had to stop herself from breaking into laughter once she noticed how her brother at the booth was swinging his legs back and forth like a five year old at an ice cream bar. "Over here, Tao!" He boomed merrily despite being a millimeter away.

It was crazy, she thought. How seeing you made the redhead's day much brighter. After all, they were almost killed during a mission earlier for the umpteenth time. It's amazing to know how resilient one person can be. Even if they needed an extra pick me up.

"In a second, Al." The silver haired woman turned to the hostess next to her, "Excuse me..." She gave your description and asked for your name. Once she got the information, she took out at least a thousand in cash and her business card.

"From now on, we'll only accept deliveries from them."

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"What do you think they'll be wearing?" Alma asks in a dreamy voice while looking through the peephole.

"If I had to guess, the same things from the last time they were here." Tao replied, just thankful her brother wasn't roaming in a panic anymore.

"Right, the uniform." Alma leaves the door and sprawls his body over the couch. Clutching a pillow to his chest, he let his thoughts wander to something else. He calls for his sister.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think it's weird we somehow get them every single time we order?"

Tao breathes in her cigarette and exhales, "I think I remember hearing them say they're always understaffed or something."

Alma doesn't respond. He turns his body away, palm covering his ear.

Tao can't help but believe that he might figure it out. Finally. After like, weeks of this. "Do you wanna talk about anything?

"Like what?"

"I dunno. Whatever you want. Just to pass the time, I know you're getting antsy."

Alma's gulp echoes through the office. He reverses his sides so his sister can see the light dusting of pink on his cheeks. Slowly, he gets up and goes over to the chair in front of Tao's desk and sits. With his head lowered, Tao waits to see what he does next.

"I don't want them to come here!" Alma blurts out and lifts his head, tears of frustration pricking his eyes.

Tao stares in bewilderment, "Who are you talking about? You don't mean..." They both say your name at the same time.

When finally questioned, Alma breaks down and explains that he feels like he has a heart attack and straight up dies every time he opens the door for the exchange. Where he has to make eye contact with you and those few seconds feel like an humiliating eternity. He knows at that moment he has to speak, but he feels his lips are glued shut. He dances a stupid jiggly dance as the money leaves his hands and are replaced with his curly fries. Then, he can't recognize his handwriting on the receipt.

What's incredulous is that by now, you aren't scared away from his behavior. How you couldn't care less if it's Tao who answers instead of him.

He also doesn't know why the spell seems to always break when he shuts the door on your retreating form. The only things he could think of for the rest of the day is either your bright smile, your bell like voice, the way your uniform shows off your figure, or how his hands still buzz after they connect with yours.

Tao sighs deeply once he finishes the rant.

She understands completely. Now she knows why Alma seemed a bit too distracted when working jobs sometimes these past few days. Each time, they would've said goodbye to you again just before.

But hey, at least her gut feeling was right on the money earning her another win.

Speaking of distractions, The redhead looks to be off in another world.

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"Ah! Somebody help me!" You scream as you attempt to escape the Maga that was chasing you.

When the creature's claws come down, you manage to duck and weave into a nearby alleyway. Only to stop when you realize you've reached a dreaded dead end.

You look up at the monster, it's mouth opening up; primed and ready to swallow you as their next meal. You whimper and attempt to shield yourself when... you hear your name being called from the heavens.

"Get away from them!" Alma rages from on top of a building in his Maga form.

You catch a glimpse of him despite the creature in your way, "Alma, please save me!" You cry out.

He jumps and flies down. He's able to slice the monstrosity in half with his sword. You're in shock as the Maga dissipates to reveal the Troubleshooter, looking as dashing and unbothered as ever.

"Sorry I'm late, babe." He cheekily replies as he moves his sword to his shoulder and flips his short hair.

"My hero!" You praise and rush into his awaiting arms. Once the two of you embrace, you pepper his face with grateful kisses.

"Heh, what do you say we get out of here and grab a bite?" He suggests pridefully.

You nod your head with great enthusiasm and with his hand on your waist, the two of you leave the dingy place only to come face to face with... Tao.

She is certainly not happy.

"Oh. Hey-"

"ALMA!" She roars.

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The redhead yelps and falls back in his seat onto the wood floor. He winces in pain a little as Tao looks on in exasperation.

"You okay?" She asks.

"Yeah." Alma lifts up his chair and returns to a sitting position. "Sorry about that. I know you hate it when I drift off in the middle of something."

"You bet your ass I do." Tao grumbles through her cigarette.

"Tao, do you think I'm allergic to them? Is that even possible?" Alma wonders.

The smoker blinks a few times, before she lets out a hearty laugh. Making Alma fume in embarrassment.

"What's so freaking funny?" He demands.

Tao wipes a few tears, "No, you're not allergic, dumbass! You have a crush on them!" She reveals.

Oh.

"Oh."

A puzzle piece clicked in place in that big brain of his.

HOLY SHIT! SHE'S RIGHT I TOTALLY LOVE THEM! Alma yelled in his head as he felt coughs of surprise escape his throat.

"Jesus, dude. Here." Tao hands him a water bottle which he opened and downed eagerly.

Once he finished, he gave his sister a pissed off look. "Dammit! You knew about it this whole time, didn't you!?" He exclaimed.

Tao responded by giving a sly grin and tapping the end of her cigarette butt on her ashtray, "I may have. Sorry, but I just have to see where some things lead to." She remarks. The mischievous glint on her glasses tells Alma all he needed to know.

"Oh, you freaking-!"

Alma was cut off by the sound of their doorbell ringing.

"MOTHER FUDGE! THEY'RE HERE!" He cried and raced to his bedroom. Tao couldn't even finish calling his name when his door slammed shut.

The doorbell rang again as Tao leaned back in her seat and felt a headache forming.

You in the meantime, were waiting ever so patiently when the door to the Troubleshooter's finally opened. Which gave way to Tao's tall stature. You flashed your brightest smile at her.

"Hello again, Sister T-"

"He'll be out in a sec." She interrupts before she shuts the door with a bang.

Another one opened, behind it was Alma hiding under his bed covers. Tao just let her eyes roam over in slight concern. For him or was it the fact that when she agreed to take him in all those years ago she never once thought she had to deal with hormones? And she thought Alma in his Maga form was bad enough when he went berserk. In hindsight, this is actually much more complicated.

So what else could she do but light up again and take a seat next to him.

"Why didn't you bring in the food?" He mumbles.

"Because you're going to have to face them at some point. Might as well be now." She suggests.

Alma moved the blankets enough for his sister to see his eyes. "Could you put that out? I don't want the smell to get on my stuff." He says.

"Sorry." Tao drops it and snuffs it out with her shoe. "I don't get it. I've never seen you act this way before. Do you really feel like it's the end of the world if you... confess to them or something?"

Confess.

That word made Alma's head spin, "No. But now that I know what this is, I'm scared that they may not like me back. Not to mention I'm gonna have to let them in on my little secret. What if they... think I'm a monster?"

Tao isn't exactly an expert when it comes to romance either. Every woman she's dated either broke it off with her or the relationship fell apart on it's own. Okay, maybe she's the one who dumped them as well. Hell, it means she has learned a few things from all that.

She lays a hand on Alma's covered stomach, "It's the hardest thing to do. Airing it all out for someone you want to take a chance with."

"Yeah. Man, I forgot you would know how it feels." Alma reminds the both of them.

Tao solemnly nods.

Then, slowly, the blue eyed boy sits up, leaning against a higher pillow.

"If you ask me, those ladies missed out on someone as awesometacular as you."

His sister felt light headed all of a sudden. She turned away to cover her face as she saw the corners of her glass covered eyes become blurry with the smallest of tears.

"You good?" Her brother asks.

Immediately, Tao turns back to him, a nice smile as a greeting.

"Yeah." She takes off her glasses.

Alma concentrated hard on her next words. Tao may be 'hard at work saving the world' kind of serious most of the time, but it's only when the glasses come off that she's about to get vulnerable.

"Listen, the last thing I want to happen is for you is to grow cold and bitter from heartbreak like me. But I'd be damned if I'm gonna let you ruin a friendship just because you end up repressing shit you can't afford to keep in already. You're young and you may not think so, but you fucking deserve to be happy Alma. Even if it doesn't last." She proclaims.

Her partner in crime seemed to take this to heart. With the way his face keeps contorting, it looks like he has found his answer.

"What would I do without your kick in the pants?" He smiles gratefully.

"Probably be in some government lab."

"Oh, ha-ha."

The twosome leans over and hug each other with a warmth only they were familiar with.

Once they pulled back, Alma speaks, "But there's still a problem with me not being able to look them in the eye."

Tao thinks for a minute then leaves the bedroom. She returns with a pair of darkened sunglasses which she puts on her brother.

"You're kidding me." Alma is stupefied.

"Not really. Now get your ass moving; they've been waiting this whole time." Tao glares and shoves him a bit.

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"Dang it!" You mutter as you miss a critical moment on this particular level of Candy Crush.

You hear the door open. Locking your phone, you look up and see your cru - I mean - your good friend, Alma. Wait, why is he wearing those sunglasses?

"Hi, Alma! Finally, I thought you were never going to show up! Then I was going to have to eat all of this by myself!" You chuckle sheepishly. Stupid, this is his house. You turn away and shove your fist in your mouth.

"Sup?"

"What?"

"I said sup?"

"Oh... I'm good. Why are you wearing those glasses? We're indoors, silly." You ask, a matter of factually.

The redhead leaned against the doorframe, an obvious attempt at a 'chill, cool guy' pose. "Oh, me and Tao were trying on new accessories, no big whoop. Wanted to look nice before I came to see you."

You made a motion indicating you believed him but on the inside, the half Maga boy was freaking the heck out. Somehow, the glasses worked but that didn't stop him from feeling unworthy to once again, be blessed by your angelic beauty and presence. Especially to a lowly monster like him.

You on the other hand wore rose colored glasses, not Alma's sunglasses, mind you. But the way he presented himself made your stomach's butterflies flutter. Why were you here again? Oh, yeah. To give them their dinner... and a special surprise.

You sneaked a glance at the pink box hidden under the Troubleshooter's meals. You wondered if Alma would like it, cause that would have to mean he liked you, right?

When you first saw him staring at you from your work's window, you thought he was the cutest boy in the world. It sucked you had to be away from the diner most of the time when he and his sister came to stay for a bite. When you weren't peering over at their booth every couple of seconds, you managed to get a few words over to him. You didn't catch a lot of what he said mostly because you were entranced by the sound of his voice.

Then when you heard about his and Tao's exploits, you were stunned. It really made you admire him more... the way he put his life on the line and looked good doing it. Until the admiration turned into something much deeper. Oh god, you liked liked him. A crush as regular people called it.

He was a superhero basically. Why would he ever give you the time of day when all the action you got was taking in how people decorated their hallways or living rooms?

But you were not so easily swayed. Despite your worries, you had to shoot your shot before someone else swept him off his feet.

What's that old saying? The best way to a man's heart is through his stomach.

Luckily, you were in position to deliver just that. That's why the pink box holds the key to unlocking the next chapter of your love life.

Now let's hope Alma isn't as oblivious as he seems.

"Here, you guys must be starving." You held up the hot bag and presented their boxes with their desired dishes.

"Sweet! Come to Papa!" Alma took the box that always had his name on it.

Which you wrote... and never once forgot to bust out your fanciest cursive.

"I can always count on you. Making sure my burger and curly fries are safe from dumb goons who might want to steal them."

You giggled at his remark.

He saw your cheeks twinge pink.

His did too.

It was cute. You are so freaking cute. He thought.

Then, pressure fell over you two. It wasn't comfortable, far from it. It was so tense because there was one reason why.

You both were contemplating on making the first move.

With a few quick gulps here, eyes darting this way and that, lips pursed with elation, and sweat pouring down from your foreheads there...

"Well, I'll see you later! Enjoy!" You squeak out and started dashing down the hallway.

What was I thinking?! I can't do this! Guess your nerves got the better of you. Better luck next time.

Alma called your name and the next time you blinked, he was in front of you. Oh right, he has superpowers.

"What is it!?" You questioned, a bit more nervous now that the sunglasses were gone and you were looking him dead in his beautiful baby blues.

The redhead merely presented the payment.

"You forgot the money." His smile showed off his sharp canines. Making him look more adorable to the point where your heart went pitter patter.

You could've collapsed to your knees right then and there as you stared at the dollars and coins. "Sorry, I don't know where my head is today."

"I know that feeling."

Once the receipt was signed and the change was given out, Alma blocked you once you attempted to walk around him.

"Is something wrong?" You asked.

"Yeah..." He replied.

In the short time you've known him, you never saw him looking so damn serious.

Dear lord, was it hot the way he stared you down.

That stopped your jitters in its tracks cause it was replaced with... longing.

Then, he puffed up straight as a board and swiftly bowed down to you.

"Huh?" Needless to say, you were confused by this.

"I'velikedyousincethemomentwemet! Wouldyoudomethehonorofgoingonandate withme!?" The way he was saying this is like his keyboard was smashed in.

You processed what he said...

HOLY CRAP!

DID HE JUST ASK YOU OUT FIRST!?

You let out a gasp, a sigh, and a relived chuckle.

Alma lifted his head up to you laughing at him.

Oh no, laughing at him?

He left his bowing position and frowned.

"I guess this means no?"

You quickly stopped and took in his saddest expression.

You knew how to remedy this. Your crush just did you a huge favor.

"Alma, I have something I want to give you. Here." You reached in the bag and took out the pink box.

Thankfully, he accepted it. He took out the note from the envelope attached to the box. In the same cursive he recognized from his dinner boxes, it said:

"Dear Alma,

I want to get to know you better because I think you're really cool. I'm so lucky for our visits at work and at your home. I appreciate what you do to protect our town and I can see us being more than friends.

I can't deny it anymore. The truth is, I like you a lot.

I hope you accept what I have in the box. So I can take it as a sign that you feel the same way about me.

Would you maybe like to see a movie together one day?"

He read the "Love" ending out loud and opened the box right after.

Inside it, was cookies in the shape and decorated of you and himself. They may be a bit crude but the little figures were holding hands.

He took out his and met your gaze. You were twiddling your fingers with a face as red as his hair.

"Go on, you can say it. I'm so corny. I wasn't planning on being here when you opened it." You giggled again.

His stern focus on you never wavered as he placed the cookie back in the box and set them both down.

He didn't want to know what would happen if he looked away for even a second.

"Alma?" You were a little worried since he wasn't talking.

He stands back up, closes the gap between the two of you, gently grabs you by the shoulders... and kisses you.

It's soft and tender as hoped by you both.

Small and meager you were since he overshadows in height. He smells like everything the sun would be if it weren't lethal. Alma thinks you smell like the embodiment of everything that's sugary and pure.

The only sound was both of your heartbeats drumming in your ears.

It feels like an eternity passed in the empty hallway when you finally broke apart.

Trembling breaths were exhaled.

Now you were locked onto each other for real, minds slowly coming in for a landing from being on cloud nine.

"You free tomorrow? Seven?" Alma asked, panting a bit.

"Yeah, I am." You responded, trying to catch up as your body was still shaking from this giddy feeling.

Alma is gleefully laughing before he picked you up with those strong arms of his and twirled you around. He let you go safely and grabbed the cookie box.

"Great! I'll pick you up!" He waved goodbye and went back into his apartment.

When you heard the door shut, that's when you dropped to you knees.

You touched your lips which were still tingling from the kiss.

Guess there was nothing to worry about after all.

You silently squealed to yourself. You felt like anything was possible.

Now that your friendly neighborhood Troubleshooter has agreed to go out with you.

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"HELL YEAH!"

The second he got back, Alma went straight to the couch in order to have a one man jumping party on it.

He was ecstatic! You liked him! You really liked him enough to make sweets with his face on it! He was never going to forget this moment. He didn't know what came over him when decided to go for it and outright kiss you, but he sure as hell enjoyed it! All his troubles seem to go up in the flames of first love now that he was going on his first date with you.

What about the part where he'll have to tell you his Maga secret? Well, that's a problem for future him. Right now he needs to bask in this high for as long as possible.

"Pinch me! I must be dreaming-- OW!" he stopped jumping to rub his side in which Tao earned a glare from him.

"My bad, thought you were serious."

She sat at her desk and started working on her bowl of tomato basil soup.

"Aren't you going to ask me how it went?" The redhead tapped his foot impatiently.

The silver haired woman lets out a sigh, "I take it went well?"

"More than well! We kissed! They made me cookies and we're going to the movies tomorrow!" The happy boy resumed his jumping and cheering.

"Congrats, you picking them up?"

"Yeah!"

"So you know where they live?"

That's when Alma remembered he didn't. Plus, he didn't have your phone number nor that you had a shift tomorrow either. Did you even agree on a movie? Verbally?

"Aw, crap..."

As she watched her brother sink into the couch cushions, Tao groaned and opened her phone to call the diner for your number.

Ah, young love.

Really does make fools of us, doesn't it?

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essycogany · 6 months

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Sweet Prime!Sonic Moments

My favorite scene in Sonic Prime should be a great start.

Episode: 5 “Barking Up The Wrong Tree.”

First thing I want to establish!

Episode 4 “Unwelcome To The Jungle,” and 5 made me laugh the most. Random I know, but I believe they have some of the best jokes and character interactions.

From Gnarly Knuckles acting like Sticks from Sonic Boom. To Hangry Big having one of the most normal line deliveries done for him.

“A shard? We don’t know...”

Then the episodes gave Sonic moments of annoyance and frustration with the scavengers and Thorn’s shenanigans. We could use more of Sonic being done with everything. It’s so entertaining.

(It also reminds me of Boom!Sonic so that’s an extra point.)

I wouldn’t say this show is perfect. Far from it actually. But I do appreciate what new sides to Sonic the show brings to the table.

Without further ado, let’s get into the overanalyzed ramble pile.

Quick recap

After Sonic’s argument with Thorn about finding a better way to express herself to her use to be friends and to figure out how to take better care of the jungle, Sonic responds with this:

Then he runs off to get Thorn to follow him. Which means Sonic already had an idea to get Thorn to come to her senses.

Side note. Even if Prime!Sonic isn’t the brightest, I wouldn’t say he’s dumb.

(Mostly)

In combat he’s able to trick/fool people or enemies plenty of times. Even in this scene Sonic tricks Thorn into lunching her hammer to allow sunlight into the unhealthy jungle.

Then we end up here. The scene that made me love this version of the character more then I already did:

Yes, the ear twitch at the end was added on purpose.

I find it hilarious this dude could have went on with his plan without really saying anything to the tree. Obviously this scene would’ve been boring without any dialogue, but to me it gives the impression Sonic has a soft spot for nature.

Environmentalism has always been the key point for the majority of this franchise. I also like in most media Sonic’s been a flower loving guy. It seems to be a consistent thing that Sonic has an appreciation for plants. Talking about how pretty they are. Having knowledge about them and so on.

Back to the scene. Sonic talks to The Great Green. Not a surprise since he talks to Flickies in this show too.

I don’t know why, but I just love the fact Sonic took time to reassure the tree he’s got things under-control. Even giving it a little pat to show affection.

Sonic even hugs a palm tree later on in the show which I find hilarious and cute.

In terms of characterization, I believe this scene is a brilliant way of showing how this character is in general. Sonic having sympathy for the tree while it’s branches goes down. Sonic’s worry for Thorn and how much she’s lost it by being overprotective and practically destroying the main thing she tried to protect. Proving how much he does his best to find some kind of connection to what is basically a stranger. Despite how similar Thorn and Amy are. Then the blue blur tells The Great Green he has a plan in mind.

Sonic: “I know just trust me.”

You’re NOT the Lorax, Sonic. Jokes aside, I like how Sonic clarifies to the tree he’s going to be careful.

Sonic later on:

This shows a bit of growth compared to the first episode. At least Sonic’s not being reckless this time and knows what he’s doing.

The music in this scene is nice too. I don’t think enough people talk about how great the music is in this show. I’ll say it’s another highlight for me.

I also love the angle of the weak tree looking down at Sonic’s cherry optimistic self. The leaves falling here and latter on in this episode are VERY nice touches.

Don’t get me started on the voice acting here. Deven Mack is my favorite Sonic VA. Not because he sounds better then the others, but he takes what makes ALL of them great and combines them into one. Deven has so much range it’s not even funny. Also if someone told me Sonic was voiced by an actual teen here, I would’ve believed them. Hot take! Prime!Sonic sounds younger then Movie!Sonic if I’m being honest.

Also, even though I’m not an animator, I believe the character models in Prime has some of the BEST facial expressions for the Modern Sonic cast has EVER had in 3D. I think they have the widest range of emotions. I’m fine with anyone who disagrees though.

In conclusion. This scene solidifies something about Prime!Sonic I believe most who love him would agree with. He’s by far the sweetest version of Sonic The Hedgehog. At least from what I’ve seen so far. Not to say other versions don’t have their moments too. It’s only due to this and other moments I may talk about in the future that makes Prime!Sonic my favorite. Hope you enjoy my little character geek out.

Stay Creative! 💜

#sonic the hedgehog #sonic prime #Sonic x #sonic and the black knight #sonic movie #sonic boom #character analysis #Prime!Sonic is best boy #I can’t wait to talk about him some more #He takes Sonic being a teenager to a WHOLE NEW LEVEL

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morsesnotes · 7 months

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Going through Shaun Evans' past work has made me realize how much my tastes have changed. He's often acting opposite a broody guy with dark hair, and when I was a teenager I loved those guys. That's who I'd be tuning in for, and I actually did watch Boy A ages ago for Andrew Garfield before I knew Shaun (though even then I was thinking "Who is that guy?").

Watching these movies and shows now, it's funny how little the broody types interest me. It's always such a relief when Shaun pops up and breathes some life into the scene by being unabashedly on the verge of tears or indignant or sinister or goofy, and I've kept feeling like I wish his character had a bigger role. Do you know what I mean?

I feel like in British stuff in particular there was a stoic reserved way of acting (especially among men) which was popular in the 00s-10s whereas with Shaun there's always this strong sense of passion and personality coming from him. It's refreshing, and I wonder if that's to do with his working class background because I've noticed it with other working class actors too. There's just something extra there which is compelling.

And a lot of that plays into his performance of Morse because while yes he is the ultimate sadboi, it's not in a meek or mopey miserable way, which it could've been. He has a fire raging in him at all times, comedic timing, gentle sincerity - so much in his eyes, line delivery, and facial expressions which make Morse the dynamic character he is.

#idk i'm sure i could've worded this better. i hope it makes sense and isn't just random thoughts scrambled together #shaun evans #endeavour #endeavour morse #itv endeavour #thinking thoughts

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orionsangel86 · 11 months

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Subtext Glorious Subtext! A Dreamling on Netflix analysis in The Sandman - Part 3

1589

Insert distracted boyfriend meme here...

1589 is when the queer coding starts ramping up a notch. Let me tell you how I am fascinated by their choice of actor to play Shakespeare - a twink with stars in his eyes - amazing. Bravo. Not even Hob manages to look at Dream like he wants to be utterly ruined by him the way this actor looked at Tom Sturridge. Here on Tumblr.com I am sure we are all very much aware of the theories and speculation about the actual Shakespeares sexuality with the consensus being that he was probably bisexual, and my GOD have they decided to lean into that on this show.

There is a lot to analyse in this scene. Hob’s dialogue about what he has been up to is almost word for word the same as the comic, but Ferdie’s delivery is perfect with its mix of flirtation and desperate need to impress. Look at this dramatic fool:

Dream’s curious reaction to his bragging is almost as if he is trying to figure him out, but unlike the comics/audiobook, the conversation between Shakespeare and Marlow is interspersed with this one, with Shakespeare pulling Dream’s attention before Hob has even finished talking. This adds extra tension to the scene and raises the emotional stakes. In the comics, Hob had already finished talking when Shakespeare gets up and starts reciting Faustus to the point that he draws Dream’s attention prompting Dream to ask Hob who he is.

One of the interesting changes made is the removal of Hob’s description of Kit Marlowe as “bent as a pewter ducat.” A wise choice as it comes across as somewhat homophobic, but its removal also serves to not “other” Marlowe and therefore “other” the idea of homosexuality as something different to Hob. The other similar change to the show was the removal of Shakespeare flirting with the waitress whilst Marlowe claimed he’d “stick to boys, my horned “actresses”.”

It’s funny to me that by removing the moments in this scene that canonically confirm one characters queerness, the show also removes any interpretation that could “no homo” the other characters, ultimately making everyone appear much gayer in general!

(My giffing skills are woefully inept so have an image of Shakespeare's heart eyes instead)

When Dream approaches Shakespeare in the show it is insanely heated. The music swells with mystery and intrigue, Shakespeare stands and stares at Dream in complete awe. Enraptured by Dream’s gaze. The whole

“Have we met?”

“We have, but men forget in waking hours.”

Sounds like the ultimate pick up line. It's basically a play on One Upon A Dream from Sleeping Beauty in my opinion! This line is in the comic, and also in the audible book, but the delivery of the line in the show is the only time it comes across like a come on. Tom Sturridge please explain yourself?!?

In fact, all the acting choices here blow my mind. Seriously. I wanna know what the director told these two. Its really easy to see Dream’s proposition to Shakespeare as something beyond a business transaction. With the mysterious and rather romantic music, the soft candlelight, and the cameras keeping in close up of the two characters as they hold each others gaze... It’s a moment where you raise your eyebrows and wonder if the show just implied that their lead character just took THE Shakespeare off for a one night stand passionate enough to inspire the entire “Fair Youth” series of sonnets.

Joking aside, it doesn’t help the extremely queer undertones when the camera cuts back and forth between Dream, Shakespeare and Hob looking on at them with an expression one can only describe as hurt.

(Gif link)

It’s the editing in this scene that really sets it apart from the comic and audible book. Dream is distracted throughout Hob’s talk, and continues to look over at Shakespeare much to Hob’s apparent distress. When he eventually gets up to leave, he holds a hand up to stop Hob talking and simply walks away. Which only causes to further upset Hob and heightens the emotional intensity of the moment. As Neil Gaiman said in the episode 6 watch party - Hob is having to watch his date get up and leave him half way through. It’s specifically framed in a way to emphasise the hurt Hob feels, as well as the envy towards Shakespeare.

This is far more subtle in the comic and practically non existent in the audible audiobook where Dream actually tells Hob “Excuse me” before approaching Shakespeare. I found this funny because where the audiobook interpreted Dream’s behaviour in the comic as rude and clearly sought to attempt to change that, the Netflix show makes his behaviour worse by framing it as Dream abandoning his date. Playing up the emotions of the moment and making the whole scene come across like a live action distracted boyfriend meme!

I do encourage every Sandman fan to listen to the Audible audiobooks, but fair warning, the tone is NOT the same. The meeting with Shakespeare is played completely straight (in both senses of the words). This is in no way a criticism of the audiobook, but it is an excellent indication of director decisions and how different elements in different mediums can convey certain tones. I find that the show in general plays heavily into Dream being other and oftentimes it is very easy for other to be subtextually layered alongside queer (see the entire history of queer coding in cinema and why gay people love the horror genre). Interestingly, the audiobook doesn’t give Dream this same vibe. People such as Hob, Shakespeare, Constantine, etc, they just treat him as a bit of a posh lord. His otherness isn’t heavily emphasised in scenes set in the Waking World, indicating he is better at blending in than he is in the show.

So after Dream goes off to ravage Shakespeare - ahem - make a business arrangement with Shakespeare, the final 1589 scene is Hob’s final reaction. The line is the same across all mediums.

“Everything to live for, and no where to go but up.”

In the comic, the final panels here do not give any indication that Hob is upset by Dream’s leaving. He get’s distracted by the joys of having white bread. Simple pleasures please comic!Hob far greater than mysterious black clad lords.

The audiobook follows this along to the letter. Audible!Hob is joyful, laughing and happily reminscing about killing for bread (NGL I don’t particularly like Hob in the audiobook. No offence to Mathew Horne but 1. I can’t separate his voice from Gavin in Gavin and Stacey, and 2. I just think he comes across as really laddish and I find it offputting.)

In the show, Ferdie gives an absolute brilliant performance with just the right mix of hurt at being ditched for a young twink, and hopeful optimism for the future. Gone is any mention of killing for white bread, and in it’s place is a thoughtful Hob who looks at the spread of food laid out for his Stranger, and accepts it almost as a consolation prize. He’s gonna eat through his hurt and try to forget about this for the next century, but we all know he won’t forget at all.

Follow on to Part 4 to read my analysis of 1689

#Dreamling #dreamling meta #the sandman #sandman meta #dreamling week #dreamling week 2023 #sandman comic spoilers #dream of the endless #hob gadling

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sonic-gallery · 25 days

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Another World Ogiri June 2023 [What are Tails and Marine doing...? ]

The delivery man who eats the food on the way and asks for refills is dangerous.

Two characters appear every month in surprising outfits and situations! Let's enjoy Ogiri together with illustrations that will make your imagination run wild!

This time, Tails, who plays the heroine on stage in a cute costume, and Marin, who plays the gorgeous and brave protagonist, appear! In contrast to Marin, who is playing her role and enlivening the play, Tails seems confused by this situation...?

What kind of lines or narration would you use?

You can style it based on the atmosphere and world view of the two of you in the game, or you can create a bold arrangement! In the example, Tails can't hide his confusion from Marine, who is bright-eyed and arrogant to the max... Such free glee jokes are also OK!

Please enjoy it and tweet with the tag "#Isekai Ogiri" on Twitter ♪

We will introduce the good ones in a reply from Sonic's official Twitter account.

We are looking forward to your fun Ogiri posts!

Act6: “The true princess!?”

A large stage in a theater shining in the spotlight. "Tails", the heroine of poor fortune, appears in a beautiful dress from the balcony of the set. In front of the audience, who were holding their breath, she uttered that famous line...

"Oh, Romeo, Romeo. Why are you...?"

...Romeo? Why am I singing? ? what is this music? ...Where is this? Tails, who had been doing his best until now, suddenly came to his senses and was in a state of panic...!

As if she had just noticed that many people were watching her, she started to wave her skirt around in a panic. Just then, a familiar voice came from downstairs.

"Ah, my beloved little fox, Juliet~. I can't help but think that I'm so handsome~♪"

Tails leans over from the balcony and is surprised to see the owner of the singing voice.

It was the mysterious figure of ``Marin'', a raccoon girl who once went on an adventure with Tails, wearing a sparkling old costume and singing with a dreamy expression on her face.

"Marin! Why are you here...? And that strange outfit...what the hell are you doing here?" (...Idiot! Tails! Who are you? (Tan? We're in the middle of a performance now! We did it yesterday too, right?)" "A performance? I'm sure we did it yesterday, but... what do you mean? What the heck is this memory of...!? And this dress... What is it!?”

Marin looked over at Tails, who was flustered with embarrassment, and spoke to him in a low voice.

"(Tails, did you skip a line? Oh no. It's about time for the audience to notice...!)" "That's right! We were in the middle of a performance...!"

Tails certainly has a strange memory of being on stage that he has never experienced before. But now that I'm in such turmoil, I can't even act. Tails bursts into tears and Marin tries to cheer him up.

"(...Alright! It's time to leave this to us! The show must go on, Tails!)" "Thank you. I can't believe the day will come when Marin's baseless self-confidence will look so reliable... ..”

"(You can always rely on us!)...I remember the days of exciting dreams with us, Juliet~♪" "Huh? Oh...Oh, Romeo~♪ I don't know if you did a great job, but it was fun~♪

...Thus, Marin's obvious words of help and Tails' subtle responses were surprisingly well-received by the audience, and they were able to survive the performance that day.

A few days later......

Tails, who had calmed down, researched the changed world on his own and was able to get a general understanding of the situation.

Tails tells Marin about this every day and tries to convince her to take some action, but Marin, who has memories of being the chairman of the theater troupe "Yashinomi Troupe", has no idea what he's saying. . On the contrary, Marin takes all of them as ideas for a play, and somehow ends up incorporating them into the content of the next play...

Tails was starting to get fed up with the days when his appeals were in vain. After the performance, Tails is sitting in the dressing room, feeling helpless as usual, when Marin enters the room in a good mood.

"Good job, Tails! Today's story was also brilliant! Thanks to Tails for always providing us with interesting stories!"

While saying this, he opened the refrigerator with a practiced movement, took out a cup containing a semi-gel-like liquid in a suspicious primary color, and handed it to Tails with a proud look on his face.

"...Let's drink the special drink that we made that will really energize you! Blue Material's rice koji mixed with palm fruit juice! It'll make you feel energetic!" " Ah, thank you...I'll refrain from doing so. ...I want to stay healthy. More importantly, it's about Eggman that I talked about yesterday..."

Tails tries to explain the situation to Hato and Marin today.

"Let's talk about the story right away? He's that guy who does something outrageous to conquer the world and behaves suspiciously, right?"

In her mind, "Eggman" has become an evil old gentleman who gets in the way of the main characters in the play. He appears in various scenes saying things like ``What a crazy name'', but this is also gaining popularity. Despite feeling like there was a misunderstanding, Tails continued talking undeterred.

"And you probably don't know this, but Silver..." "I'm telling you, that famous genius skater has psychic powers! Don't worry. I'll definitely use it on stage tomorrow! Skate with that! We're going to elope!'' ``...Haa''

Visual Kei vocalist, egg fortune teller, mysterious hero ``Vectorman''... No matter how much Tails thanks the situation, which has changed drastically from its original world, Marine treats it all as material for a play. is.

Looking at Tails, whose shoulders slumped as if this day would be no good, Marin sat down next to him with an overly compassionate expression on his face and spoke slowly to him.

"You know, Tails. I'm really going to buy Tails for thinking seriously about the material. I have a dream and a mission as the chairman of this ``Yashinomi Troupe.'' If I do my best and make everyone around the world smile, I'll use the money I earn to build a Marine Palace!"

Marin puts one foot on the sofa and raises her fist. It would have been a great speech if it wasn't for the second half, but Tails smiled bitterly, thinking that this regrettable feeling was also one of Marin's strengths.

"...I respect that spirit. But... everything I say is true and not a joke. It's also true that Marin is not a resident of this world. ? That's right! You live in the same world as Blaze! Don't you remember anything from this?" "What...! The same world as Blaze!?"

Marin's eyes widen and she shows a big reaction. A few seconds of silence reigns in the dressing room.

Finally, Tails regains the light in his eyes, thinking that he has finally understood the story...

"...I understand! In other words...it's finally time for me to become the Magical Princess!" "How did that happen?!"

Tails closes his eyes and feels helpless. Am I the only one who feels that something is wrong with the world? A great feeling of loneliness and despair attacked Tails.

"Uh, waaaaaaaaaaaa!"

I can not continue......! Thinking this, Tails starts running, ignoring the mess of his skirt, and rushes out of the dressing room.

"T-Tails, wait!"

Even though he was shouting that, he didn't chase after him...Marin smiled bitterly, thinking that he was in trouble every time, and took a bite of the drink he had failed to give to Tails...

"Wow, first of all! What is this!"

The taste was so bad that I cried out the loudest of the day.

"The curtain falls..."

``Yashinomi Troupe''.

A very popular theater troupe run by the star actor Tails and the ambitious chair Marin. Although their appearance and memories have changed, they still seem to have retained their original personalities...

...and that time. The door at the back door of the theater suddenly opened, and as I was looking inside, a figure ran out wearing a fluffy pink dress and wearing a haphazard form, colliding with a thud and knocking me over!

"I-I'm sorry!"

Saying that, that familiar figure lifted the hem of her skirt and tried to stand up... As soon as she looked at me, she froze for a few seconds... and said in a thin voice as if she could somehow squeeze it out. I said this to him.

"So...Sonic!? It's Sonic, right!? He's dressed like that, but he's Sonic, right!?" " It's been a long time, Tails! You've changed so much in a cute way...it really suits you. Isn't it?"

...And then Tails got tired and confused again. I started crying in the back alley of the theater, and it seemed like I was bullying a girl, which was a problem...!

It's amazing how Tails hasn't changed even after my transformation! As expected of Sonic, he said it with a tearful smile, but that was his line, wasn't it Tails?

After a while...

"So, this world has changed drastically due to some kind of 'disaster' caused by Eggman."

Tails regained his composure and began to organize the situation for Sonic.

"We were all trying to stop 'something' right up until the last moment, but we couldn't stop in time. Everyone was replaced by something with a different appearance and memory...Sonic was the only one who somehow escaped the change. ” “...You too, Tails?”

Tails is a little embarrassed and points above his head, humbly admitting that there was a time lag.

“Maybe it’s because of this that I was able to remember who I was before?” “What about that tiara that suits you?”

Although a little embarrassed by Sonic's mockery, Tails explains that before the incident, he had a yellow Chaos Emerald in his possession.

"This tiara is probably a transformed version of the Chaos Emerald. I think it exerted some sort of power to protect the memories I possessed..."

Sonic nods loudly.

"I see. If that's the case, this is mine too...?" "That's right! It's the Chaos Emerald! Sonic had one too! Maybe my reasoning is correct after all...! ”

Tails continues that there must be other friends like him who have regained their memories.

"Okay, I get it, Tails! First, find a friend who has the Chaos Emerald! Together, we'll solve the mystery of the anomaly! Then, we'll defeat Eggman and restore the world to normal! That's what we're doing, right?" "Yeah! Chaos I think I can tell Emerald with my energy detector!" "Great! Tails, you're the best after all! ...Eggman isn't having any luck, either? I can’t believe I still remember it!”

The two silently dodge the thumbs-up and start running. The ``resistance'' against this great disaster that has occurred in the world has now been launched by two of the best people.

to be continued......!

#Sonic #Otherworld Comedy #Miles “Tails” Prower #Marine The Raccoon #Sonic The Hedgehog #Sonic Channel

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peachymilkandcream · 5 months

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Hi! I have a scenario in mind. After giving birth to their firstborn, Evelyn realises that Levi treated her a lot better during her pregnancy. Post-delivery hormones fogged up her brain and in a stupid split second decision she concluded that if she couldn't run away from him, she could at least try to make her life easier during those nine months. So she decided to ask him for another baby. What would be his reaction?

Levi x Evelyn -> No Escape

(A/N: Ooh this is a good one, we've never seen a slightly mind broken Evelyn before so I think this is going to be a good one with a sweet sweet prompt. We love to see it ;) Also it doesn't help that I've been looking at Levi as a dad arts on Pinterest :P)

WARNINGS: implied noncon/dubcon, forced marriage, forced pregnancy, manipulation, mind breaking, yandere themes, yandere behaviour, domestic violence, slightly soft and good father Levi should be a warning in and of itself, etc.

=============================================

Evelyn watched Levi with their firstborn son, Furlan, he had bragged to her months prior that he would be just as strict with her as their children, but he was unusually loving and sweet. He held their child with such care and love, talking to him in his soft voice, bouncing him gently.

"Did you know you're the descendant of the strongest bloodline on earth? Oh yes, personal guards for the king, a line of warriors and soldiers, the most feared in the land."

Despite herself Evelyn let a small giggle escape. "I thought you never cared about where you came from."

A smile creeps onto his face. "Oh I don't. But he'll care. My reputation is shitty at best, respected and loved only because I'm feared. He'll be different, respected because he is the first Ackerman in a long time. We're better than any of those stuck up rich pricks, our name's been around longer than theirs."

She shakes her head playfully. "The feared part might stop if you keep acting this way towards him."

"Mm, he won't fear me. He'll be in awe of his dear Papa, riding on the front of my horse and seeing what a hero he is. He'll be disciplined, but that doesn't mean I can't spoil him, I'll buy him a pony, that way he can become better than everyone else, show those other rich brats he's the best."

She rolls her eyes as the little bundle squirms and cries. She stands and takes him from her husband. "It's time for little one to go to bed."

Levi's reluctant, but hands him over. "I'll leave you to it wife," His hand cups her cheek, a glint in his eye. "Come to me downstairs when you're done."

She shivers, but nods in agreement, watching him as he retreats downstairs.

As she settles in the child her mind starts analyzing Levi's change in behaviour over and over. Had the birth really changed him that much? Changed them both? Here she was thinking warmly of her abuser, smiling and laughing at his sweetness. Even during the pregnancy, he had treated her differently, he didn't have sex with her as roughly, he didn't beat her and was overall loving and sweet. He was like a real husband, tending to her needs, a life without stress or work as he took care of everything.

She looked into the face of the sleeping infant, and her heart squeezed. He looked just like his father, the same raven hair and grey eyes, she was trapped. She couldn't leave Levi now, where would she go? And if she thought escaping on her own was difficult enough, if she ever left with his child that would be unforgivable. Levi would hunt her down with more vigour. Where would she go? A single mother with a child? No one would take her in, and the thought of the little one on the streets when he could stay here and have everything he could ever want in life? The choice was simple, she had to stay. But that doesn't mean she couldn't make it easier on herself in the process.

==========================================

Evelyn stole into the living room, trying to gather the courage to speak to the man she called husband. His expression was as stern as ever, focused on his book. But she knew that it was just his focusing face, she had come to learn his expressions, all of his quirks and habits. Despite everything it was still Levi, the same person she struggled and cried with, and rejoiced at their victories. They had been best friends, telling each other everything. Her mind went back to those nights on the beach before all of this mess, their pants rolled up and barefoot in the sand. Her singing some song they both knew as he chased her to throw her in the waves, showing his smile and laughter that no one ever saw. She missed that Levi, and if having his children brought it back, it would be worth it.

"Levi?"

He looks up, nodding with approval. "You came, good, come sit by me."

"Uhm...before that- can we talk?"

Levi rolled his eyes, undoubtedly waiting for one of her rants about his behaviour. "What is it?"

She shifts between feet, trying to find the right words. "So, I was thinking," She takes deep breaths, trying to keep herself in check. "delivery wasn't as difficult as I thought-"

"Well that's good I suppose." He had already gone back to his reading, half listening to her.

Finally she blurts it all out. "I want another baby."

He freezes, turning slowly to look at her. "What did you just say?"

"I want another baby."

He scowls at her. "That's not something to tease me about wife."

"I'm not."

He shuts his book aggressively, coming to stand in front of her. "And why all of a sudden do you want to have my child when before you fought me so hard?"

She shakes slightly, his intimidating presence getting to her. "I...I like being mom."

At this he softens, taking her hands gently in his. "Oh honey...you really feel this way?"

She nods, tearing up a little, this kind of niceness she wasn't used to. "I do Levi...honest..."

He brings her gently into his arms, holding her close. "Okay, okay, we'll start trying soon, alright? Once you're all healed and everything then we'll start trying."

She held onto him, thankful that this had gone off so smoothly.

#attack on titan #break me slowly #levi ackerman #levi aot #levi x oc #levi x reader #shingeki no kyojin #yandere levi #yandere levi x reader #yandere levi ackerman #oneshot requests

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