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sorcerous-caress · 7 months

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So fun fact about me irl I work with children but often my teacher language slips out like telling my friends to say “bye bye bus”, telling another person in my lecture writing to “be nice to the pencil, it’s your friend.” And greeting a roomful of grown as adults with good morning boys and girls. It’s mortifying but How do you think the companions would react to having a teacher!tav slip up like that.

Dealing with a Teacher Tav

[Bg3, fluff, platonic kinda, nb!reader]

[Gale, Shadowheart, Laezel, Wyll, Karlach, Astarion, Halsin, Minthara, Jaheira, Minsc]

Gale

He delightfully plays along whenever you tell him to thank a stranger or say goodbye to an inanimate object. He thinks it's very silly and joyous.

Teachers have always been a big part of his life, it doesn't phase him in the slightest when you unawarly awake the deep memories of being in wizards pre-school for him.

Says good morning to you back, adding a teacher honorific at the end for the sake of being playful while asking if you've finally graded the homework he handed in.

He gives you an apple occasionally. He thinks he is very hilarious.

Shadowheart

She freezes in awkwardness whenever it happens, not sure if you’re being serious or just playing around. Sometimes, you don't even register slipping up as go on with your day, leaving her wondering if she's imagining things.

She has zero experience with the school system, completely confused by the need to say thank you for carriage after it arrived. It's just a carriage, why should she?

One time while her and Laezel were arguing, you used the same call you'd use in the classroom to get the kids to quiet down and it completely caught them both off guard. They just stood there baffled, forgetting their original argument.

Laezel

Why, yes, she is very familiar with teachers. In fact, she was the best out of her class, ask any githyanki teacher, and they'd tell you endless praise about her throat cutting techniques and sword welding stances.

You, whoever, use very unusual teaching techniques. How would learning a song about washing your hand and brushing your teeth help her in slaying her enemies?

Intriguing, so you take advantage of the brain's tendency to latch on to phrases that rhyme, which makes them easier to remember? And you encode your melodies with instructions to embed them into the impressionable youth?

Huh. She actually is impressed. She made her decision, you will lend your teaching skills to help her embed the most effect way of fracturing someone's spine into a melody to spread to the githyanki children.

Wyll

As someone who has been an unofficial teacher for so many kids throughout his years, he can relate to your struggle a lot. He slips up more than he cares to admit.

The both of you meeting early in the morning while still groggy and tired, your brains working on automatic mods as you greet each other with the same high pitched enthusiastic voice you use to greet a toddler.

Then just stare at each other, complete understanding between the two of you. Like two people accidentally using their customer service voice in front of the other.

You struggle to tie your boots once, and he unconsciously bends down to tie them for you while using the rabbit loop euphemism, only to stop in his tracks as he realises what he's doing.

He uses a curse word once, and you immediately use your teachers voice and say, "we don't speak like that here, that's wasn't very nice."

You're both tired, you both need a nap and neither of you brings it up when the other slips.

Karlach

Much like Gale, she finds it extremely amusing. Top tier comedy to her. Unlike Gale, she hasn't been to any proper schooling system, so she doesn't exactly know what most of these phrases mean or imply.

In a way, it lets her pretend she was a part of something like a school in her youth, like she could've had a normal childhood like everyone else.

She'd indulge you, saying goodbye and thank you to the pigeon that delivered her a letter, or overhearing Wyll's rabbit loop ryhme and whispering it under her breath as she ties her own boots. Who knew this could've been so easy?

Astarion

You remind him of how Leon was with his daughter back in Cazador's manor. Astarion never was close with any of them, but still, he sometimes overheard him attempting to give his daughter a semblance of a normal childhood and growth.

It's endearing when you accidentally use your teaching ways while dealing with the owlbear cub, but he'll never admit it.

Doesn't indulge you with it, he has appearance to keep. Well, unless he has a chance to twist your innocent meaning words into a sex or gorey joke like the 12y old humour that he has.

Ah, the scrowl on your face is the exact same one Leon had around him, such fond memories.

Halsin

Ah, you bring him back to his old days of having to deal with the children at the grove. Although his methods focused more on showing them that nature is a friend rather than inanimate objects.

But who is he to judge your ways? If anything he could learn a thing or two from you to add to his skillset.

Tells you about the fables that were passed down from elf to elf throughout the generations, animal stories have always done a great part in teaching him morality.

Do you happen to have any? Maybe you could tell it to the children of the grove, they are good kids.

Minthara

As a noble, she was only given the best and most prestigious of teachers while growing up. Even the ones that weren't a drow would still be considered the best of the best, crème de la crème.

Yet not a single one of them applied such...childish methods. etiquette and discipline were taught by the lash and threat of punishment, not lullabies and gentle guidance.

....it's not as bad as she imagined.

She doesn't get why some of your companions find it amusing. She doesn't bother indulging either.

But sometimes, sometimes, when it's just the two of you, and she is sure not a single soul is around, she will reply with a pun with the most deadpan face expression you've seen.

Jaheira

Despite what most would think, she actually integrated the same methods into her teachings back when her kids were little, it just happened to be weaved with her more dangerous lifestyle ascept.

Here comes the plane, with the airplane usual holding a good dosage amount of poison to build resistance.

A short rhyme about what to check before leaving the house, except the list has a suspicious amount of daggers and trap disarm kits in it.

If it works, it works, so what if she had to alter a kid's book about a honey loving yellow bear into one with decipherable texts to teach them Harpers' secret communication language.

Minsc

Ah! Boo does use the same method on him sometimes, the two of you have a lot in common. Although Boo's methods do involve a bit of biting every now and then.

Say, how about he teaches you some fables from Rashemen, a lot of them are about a rabbit who got lost after not listening to his witch frog companion.

You could use it in your teachings later! Show the youth the importance of good teamwork. Yes, he is aware of the fact he didn't listen to Jaheira and got captured by the cult. No, he doesn't see why this is relevant? Why is Boo suddenly agreeing with you? He is supposed to be on his side.

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emphistic · 3 months

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"Buttface"

Things Reader Should Acknowledge: I THINK IVE FINALLY GOTTEN THE HANG OF TUMBLR (hip hip hooray!), i plan on having yuuji being sukuna's baby brother, however, yuuji hasnt been born yet

Prologue: Ever since Sukuna moved in next door, you two have grown closer. Like, impossibly close. One might even call you two "friends;" albeit Sukuna would always shut that idea down. But one thing Sukuna wouldn't shut down? — is that he loves to see you smile. And he would do anything to hear your laugh, over and over again.

A/N: this is in the same universe as "I'm Lactose Intolerant", and while the ages of sukuna and reader dont really matter here, i wrote this with the idea of sukuna being 14 years old and reader is 13 years old (feel free to change that to whatever you desire), brownie points to whoever recognizes the movie that sukuna and reader are watching

Please REFRAIN from REPOSTING MY WORK (REBLOGS ARE EXEMPTED FROM THIS RULE)

"This movie is stupid."

"You think everything is stupid, Stupid." You quip back, flicking Sukuna's forehead.

"Touché." He scoffs, and crosses his arms over his chest before leaning further back into the couch. You put your legs on his lap.

You grin to yourself, wondering if he really didn't notice that you called him by the name "Stupid". Then you think, he's probably just in a good mood, and go back to watching the comedy playing on the screen.

"I mean, how can it take you so long to figure out that someone who looks exactly like you is actually your long lost twin sister?" Sukuna moves his hand around to somehow make his point seem more valid.

"Besides, isn't this supposed to be a comedy? Where's the humor in this? This isn't funny, at all," Sukuna drones on — until you decide that you've finally had enough.

"This isn't funny? Well . . . it's not like you're funny, either." You stick your tongue out at Sukuna, in a teasing manner — to which he does the same.

"That's just what you think. I bet you didn't even know that all your friends come to me during break just to listen to me talk. In fact, most of the time, I'm not even trying to joke around, I'm just that naturally funny," Sukuna wore a smug look on his face.

"Sure, 'Kuna. They're just laughing because you have such a funny face. Sometimes I even get you mixed up with a chihuahua, you know."

"Oh really?" Sukuna glares at you, and gets closer to your face.

You copy him, "Yes — really."

At this point, the tips of your guys' noses were just centimeters away from touching. You could practically feel his warm breath on your face.

Woah.

Now you could hear your own breathing quicken.

Since when were Sukuna's eyes so red?

Your cheeks felt warm.

Why are his eyes so, so—?

"Buttface." Sukuna interrupts the silence.

You get pulled back to reality. "What did you just call me!?"

"What, you deaf now? I called you 'buttface,' Dumbass."

"Seriously, someone needs to control your vocabulary."

"Pft, I don't need any controlling."

You laughed, "Sure, Sukuna. Sure."

The movie ended, and the credits rolled. Sukuna grabbed the remote and turned the TV off, before getting off the couch.

"Want something to drink?" He peered over his shoulder at you, raising a brow.

"Ah, sure. Lemonade."

"Too bad, I ain't getting it for you," Sukuna stuffed his hands into the pockets of his sweats and walked off — to the kitchen, you assumed.

You grumbled, and threw a pillow at his back. It just bounced off, though, and you sighed.

He returned minutes later, with a glass of lemonade in his hand. Which was a clear sign he was trying to aggravate you, because he's expressed multiple times his strong detesting of the refreshing drink. (You completely disagree with him, by the way.)

"Dude, seriously?" You frowned.

"Totally serious. I mean, I couldn't resist. This glass of lemonade was just calling my name." He took a sip.

"It is so good."

Another sip.

"Shame you don't have a glass yourself."

And another sip.

You were practically ripping out your hair at this point. "C'mon, 'Kuna. If you won't get me a glass, can I just have a tiny sip of yours?" You entreated him with all your might.

Sukuna rubbed his chin with his thumb and index finger, pretending to think about his decision. Finally, he said, "What's with that name you keep calling me? And — what's the magic word?"

You huffed, "Please?"

He gestured for you to go on.

You clasped your hands together in a desperate, beggar-like manner. "Pretty please, Sukuna? Just a teensy weensy sip? For poor ol' me."

"Hmm, let me think. How about . . . no."

You gawked at the pink haired boy.

"WHAT."

"You heard me."

"Aghhh!" You jumped on Sukuna, trying to grab the glass of lemonade yourself. If he wasn't going to share, you just had to take matters into your own hands — literally.

Your attempts were fruitless, however; Sukuna just kept on raising the glass higher and higher above his head, to the point you couldn't even reach his wrist. Damn him and his stupid growth spurt.

His hand starts to shake as you try to climb him like a tree. Next thing you know, your wish is answered. You got your lemonade. Except, not in the way you had hoped. The lemonade was everywhere. On your clothes, Sukuna's clothes, the couch, everywhere.

"Oh shit." This time, you didn't correct Sukuna's obscene language.

The room became so silent that you would be able to hear a pin drop.

"Sukuna!" You whisper-shout. (You had no idea why you were whispering.)

"Don't look at me, this was your fault!" His hand still held the now empty glass.

"Me? This was all you," you retorted, jabbing a finger into the older boy's chest.

"Sureee, Y/N. Let's just forget about the fact that you were practically climbing my body."

You blushed.

"You could've just gotten your own cup of lemonade, but no, you just had to spill mine."

You scoffed, "Well, you could've shared, but you didn't — because your shellfish."

Sukuna looked at you funny, "Do you mean 'selfish'?"

"Same thing, you know I make mistakes with pronunciation."

He shrugged. Then, a great idea popped into your head.

"Your mess," you exclaim, before pushing off of Sukuna and darting away, only to be pulled back by your hood.

"Hey!" You shout, falling back onto Sukuna's chest.

"This is your mess. You caused this, remember?"

You groaned, turned around, and tackled Sukuna. You guys ended up rolling off the couch altogether. Pillows were thrown, and the lemonade spread onto the carpet.

"Let go of my foot, you big oaf!" You yelled, shoving at Sukuna's face.

"Not until you admit this was all your fault." He continued to wrestle with you on the ground.

"In. your. dreams."

You guys continued to fight, which made the mess even bigger. It felt like hours had passed. Hours where you still didn't get even a sip of lemonade. Then, you heard the sound of keys, and next thing you know; your parents walked in.

Your heartbeat hammered in your chest.

Your mom and dad took one good look at the two of you on the floor, and your mom said, "Knock it off, you two. And clean up the couch. I don't want my living room smelling like lemonade for the rest of the year." They walked into the kitchen.

You turned back to look at Sukuna, just to find him already staring at you. You guys continued to stare at each other before bursting out into laughter. Tears were basically streaming down the both of your guys' faces at this point.

Your mom yelled from the kitchen, "Ah, young love these days. So different from us — right, honey?" Your dad responded with a loud chuckle.

Looking down, you realized the position you were in. Sukuna lying on his back beneath you, while you were sitting on top of him. The expression on your face immediately soured.

You and Sukuna pulled away from each other in record timing, both of your expressions clearly, visibly flustered.

#sukuna x reader #sukuna fluff #sukuna x you #ryomen x reader #jjk x you

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jamietarttsdaddyissues · 1 year

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Okay I’m going to say this and I’m going to say this once.

I do not like how the relationship with Jamie’s father was handled in season 3.

If they wanted to go the route of forgiveness they absolutely could have. If they wanted to go the route of his dad going to rehab they absolutely could have. Those are not inherently wrong or bad. It’s a show about forgiveness and I get that. It’s a comedy and Jamie is not the main character - I get that too.

My issue is this: the show went out of its way on multiple occasions to show just how violent and abusive James is. Just to give a few examples:

Repeated physical abuse

Repeated verbal abuse

Planning, funding, and likely pressuring the sexual abuse of his 14 year old son (a minor and below the age of consent in both The Netherlands and the UK regardless of the age of the girl in the red light district)

The willingness to beat Coach Beard (basically a stranger to him) with a metal pipe in a 3 to 1 fight in a back alley which could have realistically resulted in his death (and calling Beard “son” right before the final blow)

Jamie literally gave up his dream - a job as a professional footballer on a top hometown team - to leave the country on a trashy reality show just to get away from his father. The show traced a large portion of Jamie’s issues back to his relationship with his father. Not all of course - but that was a big theme of his growth and development.

So even if we entertain the notion that this stint in rehab was successful and James is sober - that’s great. That’s a storyline I wouldn’t mind hearing - IF we had the appropriate time to show it. But the thing is, we didn’t. This season was disjointed and rushed in many ways - and I’m not complaining - I still loved it. But if they’re going to tackle a topic this serious, they need to do it right. They need to be clear that alcohol was not the only problem James had and that sobriety does not absolve you of accountability. As important as it is to portray the message that all human beings can change, including addicts, it is equally as important to show the serious work that addicts in recovery put in to address the hurt that they caused through their addiction. It is not easy work to battle addiction and to mend relationships - sometimes part of recovery is accepting that you can’t mend things with everyone you’ve hurt and that is the right of the victim to decide how they feel.

We were shown none of this. What we got instead was:

A speech from Jamie’s mom about how he is still amazing despite his dad while still somehow crediting Jamie’s talent to his dad’s abuse

Ted telling Jamie to forgive his dad as he’s mid-panic about his safety and his dad’s location

Ted making a point to say the forgiveness was for Jamie’s sake, not for James - which was ALMOST good until they ruined it

Denbo and Bug suddenly supportive despite being just as violent as James in 2x09

James suddenly in rehab for 0.2 seconds

Jamie reaching out to his dad via text despite having no idea his dad is in rehab - something that is realistically compromising his physical and emotional safety

A quick clip of Jamie bonding with his father before the season/series ends for good

The reason I connected with Jamie so intensely from season 1 was the shared experience of abuse from my father. I want to be clear that I know I’m projecting - that’s what fandom is - and I in no way expected the show to end exactly as I wanted. However, this is what I would have liked to see as 1) an abuse survivor 2) a licensed therapist and 3) a person:

The message that you can heal without forgiving those who hurt you OR that you can forgive them and still not allow them back into your life (ESPECIALLY if it compromises your safety)

The message that sometimes people don’t change for the better and you can grieve that relationship while still fostering healthier ones elsewhere.

An emphasis on support systems and chosen family when someone doesn’t have the reality of a parent or partner getting better (we saw this with Bex seeking out Rebecca and Rupert’s assistant)

Instead of Man City suddenly cheering for Jamie, which felt insanely unrealistic, having the cheers of Richmond fans drown out the boos and verbal assaults of the Man City crowd - further emphasizing that despite the pain he has attached to Man City and his father, he has a home with Richmond.

So to wrap up this very long rant, I feel very disheartened by this part of the season. I still love Ted Lasso and always will - there were so many parts of this season I absolutely adored and wouldn’t trade for anything - but I feel that they dropped the ball on this one. Most people don’t get to repair relationships with abusive parents. Is it possible? Of course. Is it important to depict that it can happen? Absolutely. It’s a show about forgiveness. But they didn’t need to do it like this for Jamie’s storyline. They could have kept the speech about forgiving James for Jamie’s sake and deleted all of the rehab/texting afterwards. I still wouldn’t have been thrilled but it would have made more sense to me in context of the show. And it would have meant a lot more to me as someone who’s father is unlikely to ever stop being a risk to my safety.

This just felt bad. Jamie Tartt had one of the best arcs I’ve ever seen in media and he deserved better than that.

#ted lasso spoilers #jamie tartt #James Tartt #anyway #you don’t have to agree with me on this #this is just my take #clearly I’m personally triggered a bit by it lol #I’m not looking to argue or anything just needed to vent #a lot of things felt off this season and I know there’s a lot of behind the scenes reasons for that #some we’re aware of and some we aren’t #but this is one of the ones that hurt #I have a few others too but since this is a Jamie blog I’m just posting about the Jamie ones #don’t even get me started on Sam being told to forgive the people who committed a hate crime at his restaurant #and no further acknowledgement of that trauma and safety issue #and no explanation of how he got onto the Nigerian team with Edwin Akufo actively sabotaging him #okay I promise I’m actually done now #long post

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wen-kexing-apologist · 10 months

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Making the case to watch The Warp Effect immediately if you are watching Only Friends and have not seen that piece yet.

So I see much of my tumblr sphere was getting in to Only Friends today as is our God given right. We are only one episode in and I am already deeply in love with this show and also still trying to figure out how to process my emotions about it in to coherent thought.

But because my brain has not finished loading all the details of what occurred this morning, I would instead like to make a case for why I think it is important to watch The Warp Effect immediately if you are planning to watch Only Friends and haven't seen it.

(ps to @waitmyturtles and @rocketturtle4 I am so glad you started this show!)

The Warp Effect and Only Friends are co-directed by Ninew and Jojo and written by Jojo (+ the rest of the writing team obviously). If you are at all curious about what the style of Only Friends is going to potentially end up looking like, or you want to compare the structure of Only Friends to other paired works, I think it is worth it to watch The Warp Effect.

The Warp Effect and Only Friends heavily feature sex. It is my personal opinion that Jojo used The Warp Effect and its depicted sex scenes as a way to get his foot in the door for what he wanted to/planned to do in Only Friends. When I heard about Only Friends being sex heavy, I automatically placed my expectations for the types of sex and the depictions of sex in OF at the level we got in TWE. Only Friends in the first episode has already exceeded my expectations of what I thought we would get, but if you are at all curious about how the depictions of sex in Only Friends compare in terms how much of a sex scene is depicted on screen, the types of sex people are having, and the overall tone of the sex scenes (aka comedic or serious), I would recommend checking out TWE.

The Warp Effect and Only Friends are ensemble works with a lot of messy, moving parts. If you have been on tumblr and in the BL sphere in the last couple months, you may have seen a number of flow charts circulating, of how each of the Only Friends characters is connected to one another. As we have seen from the first episode, the relationships are already getting messy and complicated, and it stands to reason they may get even more so. The Warp Effect is another show that has a lot going on with all of it's characters that need to be kept track of. In other words, if you are curious about Jojo (+ crews) ability to successfully pull off a 12 episode story of complete and utter chaos.

The Warp Effect and Only Friends cover heavy themes. I must say I had nothing but unrestrained summer winter fun watching TWE, even as conversations around abortion, sexual assault, religious trauma, and homophobia came up throughout the show. I don't think we know the full extent to which Jojo (+ crew) will be covering heavy or difficult subjects, but we already know OF involves: substance use, sex work, and cheating. I have no doubt we are going to get even more sociopolitical commentary from Jojo and co. for this show. So if you haven't seen Jojo's work outside of things like Never Let Me Go I think it would actually be really beneficial for you to get better acquainted with Jojo's domain and how he navigates giving the audience a good time while also making political statements.

Vibes. The Warp Effect and Only Friends have a lot of similarities in terms of it's structure (messy, complicated; ensemble cast; political commentary; sex heavy) but tonally they are already shaping up to be very different. As @waitmyturtles said in a conversation with me and @lurkingshan after watching the first episode "[TWE] is so smart, it knows what it's doing from the very first episode". Similarly, Jojo has a clear vision for Only Friends and knows exactly what he wants to say. And with those surieties comes a distinct difference in the style of the shows. The Warp Effect is very frequently played for comedy. The sex scenes are often intentionally over the top. That is decidedly not the case for Only Friends, and I for one, think that is fascinating.

All of this to say, that I am not sure that we would have been able to get Only Friends without Jojo leveraging his power at GMMTV to first make The Warp Effect, testing out the concept of both feasibility and viewer engagement of non-sponsored, more overtly sexual shows. Or if we did I think it would have come at the cost of a lot of the physical intimacy/fucking moments we are going to get in this show. Which makes TWE worth watching as we start the Only Friends journey.

And while you are at it, you should watch Gay OK Bangkok, which is a partnership between Jojo and Aof as directors, which is incredibly well done, and which Jojo himself says he has drawn inspiration from for what is going to happen in Only Friends. Which is why I'm not writing a whole post about it, because it doesn't need one. Jojo himself has said OF draws from his GOBK days, which makes it required viewing before we get to deep in to Only Friends territory from where I stand.

(and if you do end up watching one or both of these, I would love to hear your thoughts!)

#only friends #only friends the series #ofts #the warp effect #twe #gay ok bangkok season 2 #gay ok bangkok season 1 #gobk #jojo tichakorn #ninew pinya

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vocallywritten · 2 years

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I need to give the cast their flowers 💐

I love Dimension20 and all their seasons hold a special place in my heart, but there is just something extra in A Court of Fey and Flowers. I don't know what it is exactly.

The cast is all amazing on their own, but everyone also has such incredible chemistry and it was so instant.

Lou Wilson is the BACKBONE of this season. He understood better than anyone what a Regency Fey story would be like (equal parts being horny and causing problems on purpose cause you're bored) and he fucking WENT FOR IT. In a story like this you need a Squak. You need a rich, powerful guy who's just here to fuck shit up and do things he specifically will think is funny because he's the idle rich among the FEY. And having a genuine connection with his cousin just makes it so much better. Everytime Lou slips and calls Chirp his sister instead of his cousin I cryyy. Lou understood the assignment and I truly mean it when I say that all the cast did. They really nail the genre. All of them in different ways. But this season would not have been able to reach that perfect balance of Regency and Fey without Lou's character specifically. He's an antagonist, he's an anti-hero, he's a little bit of a villain as a treat, he's here to get in your way, but he might help you out if he thinks that's funnier, he has a cousin who can do no wrong and everyone else can leave. I LOVE him.

Emily as Chirp is amazing as well. Emily Axeford has a bit of a reputation for wrecking DM's shit and causing chaos wherever she can and she is in fine form in this one. What I love about Emily is that even though she IS chaotic at the table, it's almost always with purpose (even if that purpose is "I think this will be funny" she makes the things she does count, in the story, in the fight, whatever she's doing) and she never uses that chaos to take over the table. She's so mindful of the other players and always wants to do things that will make the game fun for everyone while also coming in with this great energy for herself. Her and Lou, like I said before are incredible to watch together. They have such Team Rocket meets Henry and Mary Crawford energy. They play off of each other SO WELL it is a delight to watch every single time they interact. Emily has great range. She's an incredible comedic actor and is also a very strategic player and these two things make for amazing character choices. ("Ostrich chariot pulled by birds!" She prioritized bird puns in her character build when picking spells!!) She is AMAZING.

And what can I say about Brennan Lee Mulligan that hasn't already been said? He's one of the best DMs in actual play. He's incredibly talented and intelligent and he uses humor and comedy as a foundation to create such emotionally rich and resonant stories in a way I really admire. And as a player? He is incredible to watch. His ability to go wherever the story takes him while remaining staunchly in character is great. And I ADORE his dynamic with Aabria. There is truly so much trust and respect there and even though they're really good both as players and as GMs I think Aabria being the GM brings something extra to Brennan being the player. Like I don't know if they just have really good communication, or if they just have great instincts that let them play off each other so well (probably both) but whenever they work together the work is immediately elevated. Brennan as Hobb is such a stand out performance among 5 other stand out performances. Brennan is always very good at nailing whatever genre he's in and my God did he bring his A game here. The serious, dutiful captain pining for someone above his station is like... PEAK Jane Austen. And he didn't even PLAN hitting that archetype. It literally just happened naturally. The power. The skill. I am in awe of that ability to find the most interesting story for a character and make it happen. His desicion to let the dice decide important choices for his character because Hobb is being pulled in two different directions all the time is INSPIRED. He's just great. We all know it.

Okay now we get to the people new to the dome and don't worry I have A LOT to say about them, they're all so talented and amazing and I want them all to come back.

Oscar is playing his first full campaign in THIS SEASON??? ARE WE SURE??? He is out here making huge swings immediately and they're all paying off! It's so satisfying to watch him play. He has chemistry with literally everyone at the table and like this whole table has amazing chemistry, but he is so good at zeroing in on the other character's motivations and figuring out the best way for Rue to engage with and connect with them. I love the way he's so RP focused and every move he makes is always with Rue's motivations in mind. Literally everything Rue does is highly motivated, even if we don't understand their reasons yet and that is SO GOOD!!! Like when Rue didn't sit down at the meeting with the Lords of the Wing I thought that was Oscar metagaming a little bit to mess with Emily and Lou because they were trying so hard to fuck with Rue and it was funnier but NO. They had a reason the whole time!! He's so good at this. And the way Rue had one moment with Hobb and Oscar was like, "I am now the romantic lead in a regency pining fest." is amazing. The way he has developed Rue's arc and their romance with Hobb is just so incredibly well done and he has just done such an amazing job in this season. Another person who absolutely understands the assignment.

Omar next. OMAR! OMAR !!!!! IS KILLING ME!!!! The juxtaposition of his character being a socially awkward loser and also the Hottest Catch at the Bloom is amazing and what he does with it is so fun. And the way he's such a comedic character at the beginning (and yes D20 is a comedy show but he is REALLY playing Andhera as like a comic relief character trying to break into being a main character and not really knowing how and it's so fun) but then he hits us with just some of the most emotional shit known man with a friendly little smile on his face and you're like "WAIT NO GO BACK. What was that???!!!" I have said it before and I will say it again, Andhera is the most capital R Romantic character in the whole show and I just can't handle it because he's also just so funny and can turn on either the tragedy or the comedy at a moment's notice. He's hot! He has a fake voice! He was deeply neglected as a child! He has a creepy grandpa face dog! He's so bad at talking! He has a shard stuck in his neck and it's the saddest fucking thing you've ever heard!! Omar has some RANGE and Andhera is such a fun character. (Also his whole thing with Binx may actually lead me to an early grave. I have not been so obsessed with a dynamic in years. Like platonic, romantic, I don't care I just want them to be devoted shell pals starting revolutions and finding a home in the Court of Craft forever and ever. And I would also like them to hug before the season ends, please and thank you.)

Surena!!!!!!! Is!!!!! AMAZING!!!!!! I've probably called every cast member amazing but Surena especially deserves the title. They are so incredible. She had a hard job coming in, playing someone pretty separate from the rest of the group, an outsider playing a role they were uncomfortable in and really just knocked it out of the park!! And her character is so essential to getting the plot moving and the connections their character made have really done a lot in making the whole story of this season so engaging. All her reveals and her secrets!! And leading that to them finally letting down her walls and trusting people. I am at the edge of my seat whenever Surena/Gwyn/Binx does basically anything because she's so embroiled in the main mystery. Like other people came ready to party and make matches but Binx is spying and ready to tear down the institution from the inside and I LOVE that. So many great stakes in the show come with their character and her choices. Like Lou is the backbone of the show in terms of tone and setting the right scene, Surena spent half the season carrying the whole plot on their back (not that the other players didn't move the plot forward or have interesting things going on. They ABSOLUTELY did! But this story would just not be the same without Surena doing some brick laying from the beginning). Her characterization of Binx is also just so charming and I love watching her reactions when other players are doing cool things. (And also Surena has a great smile. That also can be said. It's sort of relevant to what I was saying 🤣) Binx is a great character and watching how Surena plays them as both a spy intent on justice and a socially awkward outsider is just such a joy to watch.

And finally Aabria. @quiddie. Can I talk to you directly for a second about what a talented and intelligent and empathetic and AMAZING GM/DM you are?? Because you are absolutely incredible at what you do. Whatever extra spark this season has I think is down to Aabria and her ability as a GM. She's so GOOD at finding the things her PCs care the most about and making them happen so organically. She is always just SO prepared and ready and willing to roll with whatever punches the PCs might throw her way. And the way she hypes up the players and wants to make sure everyone is having a good time is very wholesome. Her entire vibe is both exactly what I aspire to be as a GM and also exactly the kind of person I would want as my GM. She has such an eye for detail and I love how she weaves the important stuff into the story with so much grace you don't even know she's setting something up until she brings it back a couple episodes later and punches you directly in the face with it. Aabria knows how to tell a good story and she is so good at working with her players to make sure that story is fully collaborative. And as someone who loves a good romance subplot, I really respect her coming into D20 and being like "This is great, but what if more characters kissed?"

In conclusion I love everyone involved in this project. It's just so well done and well acted and well made all around.

I need a season 2 with the Pack of Pixies. One season is just not enough.

#a court of fey and flowers #acofaf #dropout #d20 acofaf #dimension 20 #aabria iyengar #surena marie #omar najam #oscar montoya #brennan lee mulligan #emily axford #lou wilson

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mixnmatch4dead · 6 months

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Hellooo 🥺 politely asking for a Coach and Bill mashup

It’s been 6 months exactly since my last upload, sorry for the wait! I admit there was a bit of a reason for the delay on this one… I actually didn’t advertise mash-ups.

Swaps are when one character takes on the character role of another, while mash-ups are the two characters as one person. I wasn’t sure if i should draw Bill as Coach or Coach as Bill, and I didn’t want to disappoint. I do have experience in making mashups/fusions, though, so I figured I might as well give what you asked for, since I thought it would be cool even if it was a misunderstanding… and since I made you wait for so long….. I mashed the whole casts of l4d1&2 into… i guess left 4 dead one-and-a-half?

Say Hi to the Left 4 Dead Mash-Ups Line-up! (Ordered by height, tallest to shortest)

Since this asker also pointed out that they were interested in mashing their personalities specifically in the past, I’ll also go into detail on how I picture them acting ^^ I also did doodles anytime i got tired or stuck with the mash-ups, you can also find them under the cut <3

Coach+William Overbeck (Mashup name… Vet?) -

Perspective : This vet is very kind-spirited but very protective of the trio he finds himself working with. He wants to see all of them make it to the other side, and if that means risking his own life, he’s ready to put it on the line. He expresses this by frequently checking on the health and well-being of the others, commanding them around in dire situations, putting his body between his pinned teammates and the infected if he has to, and teaching them survival skills that help outside of combat, in case they wind up without him.

Granddad Friend? : Since the second-oldest person on the team is deceptively irresponsible, he’s completely taking the slack of the caretaker role for the whole dang team. He is willing to be mean and go above the others if he thinks they’re being irresponsible with their own lives. Like Bill, he is fully willing to leave people behind so long as the three are safe, and also like Bill he WILL minimize your injuries a little if it means you keep moving forward. (“If you’re not bleeding out, you’re not allowed to cry” moments)

Humor : Like Coach, he’s got good humor when the situation calls for it… as soon as things get serious, though, he drops the jokes and smiles entirely. He’ll make jokes about his favorite foods and whatever silly situation deserves a little chuckle, so long as everyone is alive and well for it. Sure, comedy heals all wounds, but sometimes you need to focus and get out of the situation before you can try to fix things. He has a BIG laugh and is very receptive when the others joke with each other.

Religion : A practicing Christian like Coach, he will sometimes mention it when he feels the situation calls for it (including chastising people for cursing despite swearing ALL the time. Bill says Bitch a lot, but Coach says Shit more than anyone else in the game!)— I could see him doing other things like the ‘valley of the shadow of death’ prayer from the Swamp Campaign.

School Colors? : Admittedly inaccurate, there’s not a single school in Georgia with a green and purple color scheme. In my defense, Coach’s school is three hours away from Savannah and he keeps saying he “lives around here” in the beginning first campaign, so...

Medical History : With Bill and Coach’s combined histories and backgrounds, they’re in a bit of a worse condition than either were originally. Bill, with his injury in the war and age, combined with Coach’s knee injury that was bad enough to knock him out of sports… It’s never specified which knees either injured, but I actually considered cutting one off entirely in case they hurt the same one. This is all without mentioning Bill’s canon PTSD, which carried over since this is a combination of both characters. He uses a variety of things to improve his mobility and comfort, sometimes even using a wheelchair when they’re available and someone else on the team is willing to carry it when the landscape becomes inaccessible.

Smoking : An addiction he took steps to successfully break a long, long time ago to be a good example to the students he taught. He only started again when he realized… this really was the end of the world has he knew it. It helps with the pain in his joints, too. He still refuses giving any to the other three.

Nick+Francis (Mashup name probably Frick) -

Perspective : A gambler and a biker with a bit of a history of getting into scrapes and other dangerous situations, he has learned absolutely no lessons except when to start running away. In past experiences, he found he was better off working on his own, and brushed off positive experiences with teams as ‘only a matter of time’ or exceptions. He usually just looks out for himself, but he’s realizing that this situation genuinely requires cooperation… and that he likes knowing that the others are there for him.

Infected! : While we know all of the protagonists are carriers, we don’t actually know if all of them have caught the green flu before they all meet! However, since Francis and Nick are suggested to have a very similar intro to the apocalypse, it’s very VERY likely that Mr. Frick here is the first of the group to actually carry the disease, and that he catches it before the infection becomes a local problem.

Irresponsible : He will immediately use something on a whim if he’s trusted with anything. This includes eating any snacks in his bag, drinking all the water in a bottle meant for the group, and taking pills on an instinct the first moment something bothers him. Is it selfishness? Not really, he just doesn’t think when he thinks he’s been provided a quick fix.

Graying : He is actively graying and it would be visible if he didn’t dye it… though he kind of got the wrong color. He doesn’t want to talk about it.

Picking Favorites? : He has a favorite teammate, and he only pretends he doesn’t because it means he likes them in general. His favorite is Rochelle&Louis by a long shot, mostly because they’re the most fun to talk to and seem to be on the same wavelength as him. But in like… a way that balances him out. It confuses him.

Rochelle+Louis (Mashup name likely Louchelle bc i like it) -

Perspective : To this mash-up, there is always a silver lining, even if you have to force it into existence. The power of positive thinking can go a long way, and they’ll be the first to remind the team pessimists that though this is the end of the world it isn’t the end. And then they get roasted for saying that, and have to verbally fight for their life.

Sarcasm and Banter : They will meet every roast with an equal or slightly greater burn. Bickering with Nick+Francis usually ends with a verbal murder on one of their sides, and they’re kind of lucky both of them are so quick to laugh it off.

Need for Normality : Out of all of the mash-ups, they’re the most insistent that they continue following the pre-apocalypse rules as well. That does not mean they’re always considering it, like they’ll trespass like crazy and take when they need it, but they don’t like it when their teammates steal from homes or small businesses. It kind of hurts to imagine the family that they’re taking from, even if they’re likely all dead.

Theater Kid : They can PROJECT like nobody’s business! They’re so good at making sure their voice carries, it’s kind of hard to stop! Which is bad when there’s a witch in the area, but boy can they verbalize when they have a problem of some kind. Also, from a history of being the one to manage things on a stage, they’re incredibly good at rephrasing Bill’s directions when he’s a bit more vague.

Anxiety : Quick to startle, easy to concern, and overall the most generally confused by the more hectic natures of the other three. They don’t understand why the others are so ready to just drop everything and make the worst choice just for the hell of it, but it is NOT helping their fears.

Ellis+Zoey (Mashup name either Elley or Zellis) -

Perspective : A college student considering dropping out and relieved that now they don’t have to think about it anymore! They’re happiest when they’re not thinking about anything— especially not have screwed over the world’s gotten. Any reminder of how they don’t know the situation their closest friends are in (and likely saw their family die) will close them off from the group, making them snippy and reserved until the others can get the humor back into them. It’s not intentional, it’s depression and fear for the future. They’re always ready to call the Francis&Nick mash-up for his bullshit.

Apocalypse Prep : What Zoey and Ellis have in common is that they had very similar reactions to learning about the Green Flu— that being shutting off the world and preparing the only way they knew how. While Zoey consumed a bunch of zombie movies in a depressed fugue state until her parents died when the infection became public, Ellis tricked-up a truck and used it to ram into zombies until one almost killed him, and their mash-up was probably doing both.

Short but Mighty! : Smallest of the team but can absolutely hold just about every other team member over their head. They’d absolutely love to show off how many gasoline canisters they can carry at one time, then trip and spill everything everywhere. Probably said they could beat a charger at an arm wrestling contest once.

Keith Stories : Expanded to include other friends and family members, this mash-up keeps Keith and will talk about him and others all the time.

Team Child : Are they 21? Yes, but do they act like it? Not really. It’s easier to see them as a teenager than a student with a full-time job, especially since they never act like it. Their open gullibility does not help.

I’d add more notes, but I’ve been doing this for awhile and I still have finals due. As I mentioned before, I’ve done mash-ups in the past and I had a LOT of fun doing them again, so if there are any other mash-ups you’d be interested in, I’d love to hear it! (Difference between mash-ups and swaps: you can mash more than two people at once…) I still have finals the day this is going to be posted, but that also means I have break for the next three weeks!

Doodles I mentioned before below!

#character mashup #nat’s art #l4d #left 4 dead #left 4 bill #left 4 Francis #left 4 Louis #left 4 zoey #left 4 coach #left 4 nick #left 4 Rochelle #left 4 Ellis

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heyyallitsbeth · 2 months

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so i let the hyperfixation win.

over the past several hours i rewatched Sword Art Online and SAO 2.

(this time dubbed, last time i watched it subbed)

here are my thoughts:

-anyone who said the dub was bad is just wrong. Kirito's VA really shines in the more comedic or sweet moments (like when first meeting Yui), he reminds me of like a Peter Parker. and oh my lord, the breakdown by Suguha's VA was just a masterpiece. Still have chills from watching it.

-i have such a big appreciation for every character. This time it really shined through how good of characters Kirito, Asuna, and Suguha actually are.

Kirito's internal conflict throughout SAO2 is so good, grappling with their actions they needed to take in SAO to survive. and throughout all of it you can tell how much they truly loves their friends and family, and how kind hearted they really are. Asuna definitely fits into that role as well, being so ready to take care of Yui and so desperately wanting her to be safe and loved and cared for.

And oh my gosh Suguha. I remember people absolutely hated her arc because it is problematic, but the fact is, it's played entirely serious, her feelings arent taken as a joke. She has a genuine and real internal struggle for feeling things she feels she shouldnt, and how she feels those feelings arent reciprocated or cant be reciprocated, and having her heart broken twice by someone who she loves and someone who also does still genuinely love her. Its absolutely heartbreaking to watch.

Man, Sinon is still fantastic. She's still my absolute favorite, and I think she is one of the best characters in the show, and pretty much steals the show from her introduction. Her arc ties in so seamlessly with Kirito's and how they help eachother heal and grow is fantastic. Only complaint is we never got a scene of the rest of the Gals being jealous about the grenade hug she gave Kirito. After Kirito and Sinon nearly died, wouldve been some nice relief so you didnt feel like you yourself were dying.

-Speaking of, while there was definitely a ton of fanservice, the pseudo-harem aspect with the jokes were kinda cute, between characters seeing flirting happen around them, getting embarassed over it, its fun. Especially when people got jealous of Sinon flirting with Kirito over Excalibur. That part was very fun, since they did that infront of everyone else, almost like they were trying to get a rise out of them. Theyre not exactly the pinnacle of comedy, its definitely a trope, but theres something nostalgic about it that makes it kinda enjoyable.

-Speaking of the psuedo-harem, guys if all of you are constantly flirting with eachother (not just Kirito surprisingly, happens between the other girls frequently) and jealous of any affection with that, just start a polycule. You're a group of gamer girls playing MMOs together and all of you have slept in the same bed with eachother. Stop snipping at eachother and start dating eachother. Polyamory is pretty cool. Kirito and Asuna can still be the main duo and be the parents to Yui and Strea; but yall gotta work on the jealousy or just do what every other group of girl gamers does, polyamory. Lisbeth you should not be angrily drinking while watching Kirito and Asuna talk. (this is mostly a joke, im not actually saying they *have* to do a polycule, its more of a joke because of how tropey a lot of the flirting and jealousy is, and yknow, gay girls do polyamory, so dont take this part toooooo seriously.)

-Speaking of girls dating girls, the LGBT rep aint half bad. Argo canonically using both male and female pronouns is really cool! Most of the girls flirt with eachother a lot too, which is nice. Between the female avatar, the willingness to pretend to be a girl, the introversion, the desire to be an avatar in a virtual world more than irl, Kirito might be transgender. All good stuff here.

Overall, SAO is honestly way better than I remembered, even if some parts definitely show its age. You gotta piece it together a little bit with headcanons, but i do that with every show, nothing is perfect. Except Sinon. And a world where trans Kirito is canon. Those are perfect.

#sao #sword art online

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big-lonely-idjit · 5 months

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I was tagged by @sothischickshe (thank you!!) to list my favorite first-watch movies/films seen in 2023. These jumped out at me and are listed from most to least recent release cuz of reasons:

1. They Cloned Tyrone (2023) - I. Love. This. Movie. Great talent and serious shiz in a fun, lighthearted way.

2. The Festival (2018) - I love festivals so I was interested, the liberation and adventure worked and were a lot of fun.

3. Tully (2018) - After trauma, our minds really can do crazy, unexpected things. Usually movies show detrimental effects. It’s great to see the ultimate positive impact.

4. Ip Man (2008) - After Rogue One I needed to see more Donnie Yen. I added all the Ip Man movies to my queue. And, since dubbing turns my stomach and watching subtitles takes effort I didn’t watch until the movies were about to leave. Forced to stop procrastinating, I watched the four movies and they’re really good. Ip Man is so humble and modest and skilled, yet no one will listen to him unless they get their ass kicked. Which is convenient.

5. Trick ‘r Treat (2007) - I’m not sure how I missed this, exactly. It may not be high art, but it has its twists and morals, and they pay off.

6. Infernal Affairs (2002) - Too many cop/gang movies have too many needlessly complex twists (Looking at you Scorsese). In this movie everything is organic.

7. To Wong Foo: Thanks For Everything! Julie Newmar (1995) - I’m kicking myself for never having gotten to this. I meant to. It’s really good and very similar to The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.

8. Reckless Kelly (1993) - Had I known Yahoo Serious had made another movie, I would’ve seen it immediately. I loved this! He took the Ned Kelly story, made it his own a bit, and it sort of feels like if Buckaroo Bonzai were more of a Robin Hood love story. This man is so bright, I wonder why we don’t see more of him.

9. Bringing Up Baby (1938) - What a great movie with the greatest stars! I love Cary Grant, of course. Like, who doesn’t. And I love Katharine Hepburn. I assumed she’d be Katharine Hepburn in this movie—tough, masc, wearing pants—just sexy Kath. I was completely unprepared for her to come on screen and be the sweetest, most kittenish woman ever. I knew she could act but was not ready. That makes everything she does even more of a flex. Very stressful and sweet rom com.

Honorable Mention:

Mr. Vampire (1985) - I loved being introduced to a clearly influential horror/comedy genre I didn’t even know existed. I loved that it looked like it was made in the 50s but was showing some time in the way back. And the recurring cast in different roles/stories into the sequels has kind of a Cornetto vibe.

Not sure I know 9 people so tagging @supernovaodessa @hayleylovesjessica @manicmoonbug @dissimulations @dietcokeandnotebooks @left-the-porch @jadziwine if you feel like it.

#movies #2023 #tag game

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junpei-iori-ace-defective · 4 months

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what's your opinion on the whole akihiko characterization discourse going on. also get well soon man!!

Ty homie! Also I have a lot of opinions on Akihiko!

Let me preface this with, I don’t think it’s Alejandro’s fault. I’ve met him before, he’s super chill! He’s a great voice actor! I think with better voice directing/writing this issue could have been completely avoided.

Spoilers/Full Opinion under the cut bc, oh boy do I have a l o t to say.

So. First things first I do agree that Aki’s new voice is waaaaay too deep. Like. I understand wanting him to sound a little more mature but he did not need to be THAT deep. Bro should not be lower than Shinji. However, I don’t think that is Alejandro’s fault.

In stressful scenes, when Aki’s voice gets a little higher, I was literally screaming in my brain. “THATS IT THATS HOW HE SHOULD SOUND!”. I think the voice director was so focused on trying to make Aki sound more mature that they were pushing Saab too far in the deep direction.

Also I don’t know how they broke up the recording sessions, but I could tell a BIG difference in the voice acting for the whole cast when the Yakushima trip happened. Like they all sounded so much better. Especially Aki and Yukari. I can’t tell if it was just me getting used to the new cast, or if it was a new session, but they did sound better. While still being deep, Aki did sound more like himself and Yukari had some of her bite back.

Aki also improved writing and voice acting wise for his second awakening and after. To quote from the live blog I did on discord “no more damnit shinji. But goddamn Alejandro put his whole soul into that.”

I think with better voice directing Alejandro could have really made Aki shine. Idk if it was just. Miscommunication or smth bc the rest of them sounded fine. But I still don’t think it’s on Saab. I know he has the range. It seems like a direction issue to me.

Now on to the writing/characterization. Whooo boy it is r o u g h.

Every. Single. Fucking. Word. Out. Of. This. Mans. Mouth. Was. Protein. They flanderized my boy sooooooo bad.

I’ve been told they wanted to make him closer to the japanese version and the arena games but like. I don’t think it was this bad????

I honestly think it was Atlus’ attempt to add more comic relief to the game. Which I understand, but I don’t think it was needed.

Part of the charm, for me at least, is how depressing Persona 3 is. Like. Of course the game is depressing as shit! It’s about death, destruction, doom, gloom, despair, ect. It’s supposed to feel so hopeless because that’s how it really hammers home it’s main point. In the last act, you, S.E.E.S., and other characters realize even though life is depressing and cruel, that there’s hope in the end. That the bonds you have forged will save you AND the world. Like you gotta hit rock bottom to get back up!

So trying to add more comedy just feels. Off. Especially choosing Aki of all people to be comic relief. Junpei has always been the comic relief TM but his character is done so fucking good that even though he’s the comic relief TM, the moments where he does get serious hit so much fucking harder.

Unfortunately with Aki, it does not work the same way. Aki is such a serious character that it’s hard to make him comic relief without ruining his character, which is exactly what fucking happened. All the serious scenes, especially with Shinji, just felt so weird bc the game sets up Aki as mr protein workout man. That when he is serious, it feels like a completely different character.

Like with his video recording that you can watch in the meeting room. What makes that funny is Aki is such a serious character that seeing him be an absolute idiot and fumble IS the humor.

I think Aki is just like. The worst choice to make comic relief. Like everyone else has funny bits and quirks, which makes them so realistic and likable! And Aki does too! But turning his whole character into work out protein work out is just a massive disservice to his character.

It did seem to taper off towards the back half of the game. Especially after Shinji’s death, and progressing through his link episodes. But all of the flanderization did hurt his character really bad. I hope Atlus stops trying to add humor where there doesn’t need to be any. Because honestly it doesn’t make shit funny, it just makes things not make sense.

(Side note, I think thats also what the other persona games suffer from too. Is Atlus being worried about the games being too dark that they add humor where there doesn’t need to be any. Which leads to weird plot things/mischaracterization)

Long story short, Do better Atlus lmao. I still love Reload. It’s literally the best remake I’ve ever seen/played. And I think all game studios should look at Reload and take notes. But it has its issues. And so does this version of Aki.

#asks #persona 3 #reload #sorry about the essay lmao #ive been thinking about this for a while #tbh #also feel free to discuss in the notes #i like seeing other people’s thoughts

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aspiring-writer-hidden-voice · 1 year

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ice-joestar sent me a request the other day!

Please tell me if you are not comfortable with this request ~

Genre : comedy. Fandom : bnha. Characters : kirishima, izuku, bakugo and shinsou.

Request : * please listen the song Captain save a hoe - E-40 * and reader whenever possible when he sees her boyfriend hero shouts "I wanna be saaaaaved" 🤣🙈

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you so much for the request! I had fun while writing this! So I present:

Being saved by the heroes in a different sort of way!

Eijiro Kirishima

“Another day, another dollar, another caffeinated grind of the mill.” You sigh heavily while slipping out onto the busy streets full of people. To them, just like the bosses at your three part time jobs, you were a replaceable cog in a never stopping machine that was the economy. The large hoop earrings you wore glittered subtly in the weak sunlight coming in through the clouds hanging low enough to obscure the view of every towering building around. Today was one of the extremely rare days you had off from all the work so you’d setup a time to meet up with your super secret boyfriend that no one knew about. A quick glance was spared over your shoulder as the call of your name rose above the traffic. Groaning, you turned to face the three men who came to a stop a short distance from you. “Seriously? What do I have to do for you three to take the hint that I’m not interested?”

“Doll face, c’mon, you know he’ll pay good money for your time!” They chorused.

A twitch appeared in your brow. “I don’t care if he’s offering the freakin’ Taj Mahal! I’m busy!” You were just about to turn away when they dared remind you of the family debt still owed and mention of forgiveness if you agreed to the marriage interview. Did no one seriously understand that’s exactly why you would rather work so much it it meant that you’d be free from marrying someone like their don? “I’ll settle the debt on my terms, not yours or anyone else’s.”

They surrounded you with serious expressions. “You’re coming with us even if we have to drag you.”

Your gaze darted around the crowd until it locked upon a familiar head of long crimson hair. Making a break for it, you slipped past the trio and all but tackled the unsuspecting man who grunted from your weight colliding with his that sent you both to the ground in a heap. Snuggling up to his side you stiffened when three pairs of hands made to pull you back up. “I need to be saaaaaaved, Sharky!”

Each pair of foreign hands instantly vanished from your behind as he all but slung you over his shoulder while standing, relief filling you when spotting the goons disappearing from sight. It was short lived due to the sudden smack to your behind courtesy of the red head’s palm meeting it. “Hey!”

“That’s for making me wait.” He grinned, those ruby eyes of his side eyeing you as he began walking. “Wish you’d just let me marry you already and then they wouldn’t even think of coming anywhere near ya.”

“And let you inherit my family debt? Not on my watch.” Your tongue stuck out between pursed lips. “And what the heck was that back there? Thought you wouldn’t have crumbled like that in a million years!”

“You caught me by surprise!” A smirk raised his lips when three other goons dressed in a similar manner to the previous ones appeared ahead. “Guess they can’t take a hint that you’re not interested. Should I knock them to Kingdom Come?”

“And get yourself thrown in jail?! No!” That devious glint in his eyes should have been your warning that he was scheming something devious but it wasn’t as if you had the strength to stop him anyways as he set you on your feet. “What are you—” Pain seared as his teeth suddenly took hold of your shoulder.

Whatever signal it sent the new three instantly made themselves scarce but not before the resounding impact of your palm against his cheek filled the air. Swallowing the lump that had risen in your throat, you fixed him with a glare. “Bite me like that again and I’ll let my kids loose at your agency, buddy!”

As if on cue, a boy and girl around the age of ten came catapulting as if from thin air to land duo kicks to the pro hero’s core, their combined momentum causing him to knock into a nearby light post. “Leave our mama alone, you shark!”

A smirk raised your lips when Eijiro swept them both up to playfully gnaw on their shoulders and earning fits of laughter. Looked like if things continued he might be the one who needed saving.

Shinsou

A hand drug down the span of your face while sighing in exasperation as a small bell rang. The chair across from you became vacant as a break was announced, giving you a brief reprieve from the seemingly endless candidates. How had you let your friend convince you this was a good idea in the first place?

“Another drink?”

Oh, yeah, the free open bar. The empty glass disappeared but was quickly replaced by a full one courtesy of a waiter who bowed then departed with a friendly smile. Your lips pursed once taking a sip then fell into a frown when one of the candidates approached your table. They wore a tan corduroy- seriously? -suit with a fuzzy caterpillar stache beneath their long nose. Before their mouth could open your hand had risen with a shake of your head. “Sorry, it’s a no from me and not because of your strange obsession with antique dolls but the fact you live in a building that was once an abandoned asylum which earns my answer.” The table’s surface met that of your forehead when they took the hint to leave and did so, leaving you finally alone to your thoughts within the canopied space once the curtains had been closed. “Ugh, not a single one piqued my interest and the ones that almost did were promising psychopaths.” Your gaze flittered up to the curtains made of chiffon, searching for your friend and gaping when finding them beelining for the exit with one on each arm. That traitor! The table met your forehead again with a drawn out whine. “I wanna be saaaaaved!”

“See your friend ditched ya. Mine did too.” A voice from the booth behind you commented, their shadow shifting closer to your own.

“Greatest in the world they are.” You sighed once downing the rest of your drink. “And I heard they don’t let anyone leave unless they’ve got a partner so no escape for me.”

A disinterested grunt was his answer as you picked at an invisible piece of lint on the seat. “Keep a secret?”

“Not like I’ve got anyone to share it with currently.”

“I’m supposed to be looking for a villain known for targeting couples in the area but doesn’t look like they’re here tonight.”

A laugh bubbled up your throat. “I can one up ya, buddy, my friend brought me here to meet some guy whose got a brainwashing quirk just so that I wouldn’t feel so bad about my own. I can make people act like any animal I name so long as I maintain eye contact.”

The curtains shifted as a laugh sounded but it wasn’t mocking or degrading. If anything it sounded as if he was interested and excited. “That I’d kill to see.” A finger appeared within the curtain’s split, pulling it back to reveal a young man with tousled navy hair and heavily shadowed eyes. Even so you couldn’t help but think he was handsome. “Shinsou’s my name. Think you’re friend was talking about me, I’m the one with the brainwashing quirk.” The smallest of smiles lifted his mouth’s corner as you offered him your hand with a self introduction. His hand was a bit bigger than your own but not overly so as he shook it with just enough grip to relay sincerity. “Couldn’t help but overhear your earlier statement. Whaddya say that we save each other and get the heck out of here?”

You both shared a smile when a figure came to a stop before your table, looked like tonight was going to be exciting after all. Maybe the two of you should work undercover more.

Deku

“Seriously?!”

Tenya slid the glasses he wore back up the ridge of his nose. “Affirmative. You wrongly answered the last several practice questions repeatedly.” That bright light glare appeared across the lenses. “Perhaps we should review the material again.”

Your arms rose to cover your head as it fell to rest upon the table. “I can’t think straight anymore! I can’t even remember my own name by this point!”

“An exaggeration if I’ve ever heard one,” he sighed while looking at the nearby clock, “though I do suppose a break is in order.”

“Freedom!” You crow loudly while standing, stretching arms above your head while walking towards the nearby door that would lead to the outside patio.

The cool night air felt so good against your skin as the door slid closed behind you, earning a blissful sigh from between your lips as you took a deep breath. Cedar, pine, even the faintest hints of the coming frost teased your nose with each inhale you took. Stars twinkled above your head from their blanket of night as you took a few steps away from the dorm to stand on bare soil. A sound came from your right, which you promptly ignored thinking that it was a small animal or a classmate returning from an errand, but felt annoyance fill you when the presence didn’t dissipate. “Oh, come on, Tenya, I just got out here. Break can’t be over already!”

“Sorry to disappoint,” a different voice than you expected came with a chuckle, “but I can leave you alone if that’s what you need.”

Your hands instantly latched onto his wrists before the forest haired teen could move away, almost about to cry in relief knowing it was Deku who had come to find you. A wide grin lifted your lips as he tilted his head at your display of excitement when an idea occurred to you. “I need to be saaaaaved, Deku, and you’re the perfect person to do it!”

Within his freckled cheeks rose a bright red blush capable of rivaling Kirishima’s hair at your words. “I- You- What?!”

His gaze and yours remained steadfast until it dawned on you just how he was taking them. A shriek slipped up your throat while releasing his wrists, turning away so that he couldn’t see your blush with a squeak. “That’s not what I meant and you know it! D-don’t go twisting my words like that!”

“S-s-sorry! It won’t happen again!”

With a sigh, you faced him once ensuring that your face had returned to normal and bristled when the call of your name came from inside. “Now seriously, I need you to come in and save me from Tenya’s study session!”

His emerald gaze flittered between you and the dorm door, the gears within his mind visibly cranking before they came to a halt, and a grin nearly split his face in two. “I’ve got a better idea.”

Not in a million years had you expected him to do what came next.

Textbooks and various other notes were laid out across the table you’d been using, Tenya and Deku on either side of you. The spectacled classmate looked to be in better spirits while bouncing between the various papers while Deku’s calming presence seemed to fuel your motivation to succeed in the night’s study session. If something wasn’t clicking via Tenya’s explanation, Deku would bounce in with his own that would fill in the missing pieces you needed. The problems and questions which had tripped you so badly before now seemed like minor little skips like hop-scotch. Anytime that you began to feel overwhelmed he was ready with a smile and briefest of nudges that were his knee against your own that gave silent encouragement.

Night gave way to daytime, meaning that the day of the big test had arrived, but you picked up that pencil with purpose and confidence. It may have taken you a bit longer than you’d liked yet the satisfaction that rose upon handing it to the sensei was more than you could almost bare. Patiently you waited outside his classroom with two drinks in hand; one for him and the other for yourself. He perked the moment his gaze found you, hurrying across the hall once closing the door behind him, and grinned widely when you offered him the sweet treat.

A blush tinted his cheeks when you winked. “Thanks for being my hero and saving me, Deku.”

The biggest and brightest grin you’d ever seen on him appeared as the sun outside came out from behind the clouds, blinding you by the glare off of his pristine white teeth.

“Ah, I’m blinded by the light!”

“S-sorry!”

Katsuki

Anger filled you as the gathering crowd down below began pointing their phones upwards in your direction. Flaming cheeks aside, you were grateful for the breeze that swept by which cooled your skin slightly against the sun’s harsh light. The clothing you wore was becoming tighter with each passing second the longer you remained in this embarrassing position. It had just been a normal day of work when a villain all of sudden came crashing through the nearby wall where you were standing. Guess no one would blame you for holding a grudge agains them yet it was the hero who had come barreling in after who fueled your current anger and resentment. If it hadn’t been for them then you wouldn’t be dangling by the strength of your jacket’s fibers which had been skewered by a support beam while the rest of the building was almost rendered to ruin.

“I already said I’m sorry so forgive me already.”

“Like hell I will!” You shout back venomously at the speaker while several of your coworkers encouraged forgiveness. “Are you all serious?! He was the one who made me wind up in this situation! My favorite skirt is ruined too!”

A drawn out huff sounded from the lone figure who stared up at you with bright carmine eyes. “I’ll buy you another one, damnit, so quit your complaining!”

With your own huff, you crossed your arms and faced away from them with a snap of your neck. “I wouldn’t be in this mess if Deku or Red Riot had been here instead.”

“Son of a—Take that back!”

“No!” Brief satisfaction filled you when silence fell until suspense filled gasped sounded, earning your interest.

Out of nowhere a hand took hold of your chin, causing your head to turn towards the building’s wall that you’d fallen out of and find yourself transfixed by bright red eyes shining with amusement. Dynamight, otherwise known as Katsuki Bakugo, trailed a gloved thumb across your lips as his own lifted into a smirk. It was still warm from the explosions that he’d set off earlier, causing the faint traces of charcoal and salty sweat to tickle your nose. “I said take it back.”

“Make me.” The retort had slipped out of your mouth before consciously aware it was about to, surprising yourself and him judging from the widening of his gaze. Fuse had been lit on your temper, being as it had already been one hell of a long day for you, so you were just getting started. “You were sloppy, rushing, and inconsiderate of the innocents who were around you! That villain was just trying to steal some food from the nearby grocery store across the street, right? There was no need for you to go berserk on them like that! And as far as I’m concerned, you’re the one who needs a giant helping of humble pie because that was just pathetic!”

His expression became one that you knew all too well which meant he had something planned for you before he released and turned away. “Fine then. Hang here all night for all I care. I’m not gonna lift a finger until I hear the magic words.” That smirk raising his lips became more devious when he pointed downward where a few male members from the workplace were gathered.

It didn’t take long for you to understand why they were directly beneath where you were hanging thanks to a breeze that swept through. A brief shimmy of your hips and thighs revealed your worst fear: the tights you’d opted to wore had torn to reveal the underlying underwear! You now knew a whole different level of embarrassment and humiliation as they continued to stare up at you despite how vigilant you tried to fold your legs. How long have you been hanging up here with the whole city block getting a view of your underwear?!

“I’m waiting.”

Swallowing the lump in your throat, you sheepishly hung your head. “I’m sorry, okay, I didn’t mean all that. It’s just been—”

“I wanna hear you say it.”

For a split second you had no idea what he was insinuating until spotting the smirk he wore. “N-no way!”

He leaned against the nearby slab of concrete. “I ain’t moving until you say it loud enough for them side characters to hear.”

Pride abandoned you when a wolf whistle sounded from below. The humble pie that was meant for him instead shoved its way into your own gullet as you took a deep inhale. “I need you to saaaaaave me, Dynamight!” You practically screamed at the top of your lungs.

By the look on his face he definitely hadn’t expected you to shout, let alone scream, the phrase he wanted to hear. Especially not with as much emotion that was behind it. A flush bloomed within his cheeks from beneath the mask that spread down his neck and to the tips of his ears as he remained frozen in place. The next whistle though broke him free of the stupor and he effortlessly freed your coat from its confinement, easily hoisting you up into his arms so that he could carry you while preserving what was left of your decency by tucking an arm beneath your behind. Hiding your face within the crook of his neck, you failed to witness the warning glares he shot any who attempted to approach before placing you upon your feet. He kept you from walking away by the fingers that lingered around your wrist, ensuring that you saw his raised eyebrow that asked if you were truly okay then released once you’d nodded.

Later you found a replacement for your ruined skit and panty hose waiting for you courtesy of a delivery person as your residence.

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cringelordlikesplaz · 2 years

Text

plastic man characterization i guess

this is a long post be warned

Man, writing Plastic Man is suspiciously difficult. I think it’s because there’s a severe lack of consistency to his character. Especially through the eyes of multiple writers who clearly don’t read each other’s work. Plas original personality from the Police Comics is good but needs a serious update, and an updated version of his OG personality skirts the line between him and Elongated Man a bit too much. I’m not saying it can’t be done and that his OG personality is exactly like Ralph’s, but there are notable similarities that would be a bit glaring, especially with his current personality.

And of course the “silly wacky funny man” personality is good, but the problem with that is that so many writers just. Aren’t funny. The jokes he makes actually have to be funny and can’t ALL be references. A kind example of this is probably the version of Plas from Justice League Action, and the most common example is the version of Plas bad writers make when they can’t see the “comedy relief” aspect of his character. And those writers aren’t even funny, so the comedy relief just turns out to be fucking annoying, so. Eh.

And then there’s what I like to call the “dramady” personality, which is the one where he’s still a fully fleshed out character without sacrificing the inherent humor that he brings to the table. This is probably the best version for a modern audience, but again this has problems relating to the writers in the fact that he actually needs to be funny. And the drama portion of him needs to be good too. Writers keep recycling the same story beats with him and it’s asdfgfdsasdf. “He doesn’t take things seriously but eventually learns to take things seriously and only then does he get respect” i’m going to kill you. Shut up shut up shut up He does take things seriously you would know that if you had ever picked up a comic book in your life, my dear comic book writer, how do you not know the continuity. How do you nOT KNOW THE CONTINUITY YOU’RE THE ONE WRITING COMIC BOOKS-

And all i’m trying to do is write fanfiction man, and that’s not even all I want to think about

Cause Plastic Man has not only a supporting cast, but rogues as well!

So like, Woozy. Oof. He’s a real pain in the ass to modernize. Given the amount of “stupid and fat” jokes Woozy was practically made of back in the day, there’s genuinely very little to go off of. Well, traits that people remember, anyway. Woozy did have a very defined personality that contrasted Plas’s pretty well. But with Plastic Man getting updated Woozy’s gonna have to get revamped if one wants to keep an interesting dynamic between the two.

From what I can gather, Woozy was a bit meaner than Plas, less into following the rules or being a good person, but he did like Plastic Man. And I feel that’s the important thing to gather from his character, is that he’s snippy a just a little bit selfish while still being a friend to Plas. And while Woozy didn’t have any shining examples of helping Plastic Man on a case (there are examples. They just aren’t shining) he showed a great amount of concern every time Plas was put in harm’s way.

Woozy wasn’t a hero though he did do heroic things- it honestly felt like he was following Plas around because he liked Plastic Man. They were friends, and even though Woozy was a coward and selfish and would lie to get fortune or fame, he went with Plas and willingly gave that all up. Well, begrudgingly, but he still sacrificed it. People don’t respect Woozy because he wasn’t painted in a very good light- he was either mean and a hindrance or he was fat and stupid, and those are neither complementary or actual character traits.

But he still showed a certain amount of bravery, and I think that’s what should be highlighted in a newer version of the character. He’s the kind of man who sincerely doesn’t want to step into danger, who routinely asks to go somewhere nicer, but still steps up to plate when the time calls for it. People call it cowardice but it’s not cowardice to want to protect yourself. And it is bravery when you put yourself in danger to join a hero on a mission, even if your help ends up being accidental.

If, and this is a very strong if, Woozy was going to be permanently added back into Plas’s canon, he likely wouldn’t join him on missions anymore. A bit sad, but reasonable because he’s a powerless civilian, no matter the weird luck that he sometimes has. I actually have more to say about him but I can’t let his section run too long.

Then there’s the multiple women in Plastic Man’s long, long history. Not including his rogues, there are quite a few women who I think have made a serious impact. Angel, Ramona, Agent Morgen, maybe Penny. I have Opinions on each of these women, and how they were portrayed. Angel is his current ex-wife and we’re supposed to feel for Plas because of that, but the thing is Angel has only ever been depicted as an asshole, so it ends up seeming like the divorce was probably a good thing. She seems hard to please and unloving, and you have to wonder is she ever truly loved Plas to begin with. Because we know he loved her. It ends up being so one-sided and... cruel, in a way. Plas could not help the horrible shit that happened to him and when he came back, he was blamed for it. It paints Angel in a very negative light and seems to be a sign that the divorce was probably a good thing. Plas might have been in an abusive relationship, even if it was more “mild” compared to other abusive relationships.

This is not a bad thing, writing wise. Antagonists, especially civilian antagonists, are a rare breed in comics lately. Maybe Plas should have a bitchy ex-wife. It could act a sort of twist on the tropes of “Plas is a bad dad” and “of course this womanizer couldn’t keep a stable relationship”. Other characters hear that Plastic Man is divorced and they assume bad things about Plas. They assume the reason for the breakup is because of some sort of failure on his part. But in actuality it’s Angel who was the problem, a woman who can’t see passed her own nose and see that there are forces outside people’s control that can hurt people other than herself. Who knows, though. She’s only had like, six or seven? pages of existence. Her backstory would have to be changed, I don’t like the idea of a women who was once a prostitute being depicted as a Karen in comic books. It’s insulting to prostitutes.

Ramona?? She’s hot. Like, intimidatingly hot. People before me have recognized that and they are correct. She only had I think one appearance in Brave and the Bold, and she seemed like she wanted Plas to stop goofing around and help with the baby. Which, fair. I like to think, and this is entirely my own headcanon and not based on anything, that Ramona is pretty fucking smart. Like, she should be a surgeon or something. A brain surgeon. She deserves it. Girlboss. She could have a Jessica and Roger rabbit relationship with Plas. “He makes me laugh” sort of thing. Ooh, maybe she could be asexual? Maybe, maybe, there’s not much to go off of with her.

Agent Morgen is probably the most defined woman Plas has ever had a relationship with. She, more importantly than anything, is a great contrast to Plas and can be genuinely funny! My God! A Woman! Funny! In comics!!! An almost extinct species. I may cry. Of course the 2004 run was very cartoony, and if it were to be truly inserted into the DC’s canon, some of the things Morgen did just wouldn’t fly. Killing Woozy being one best examples. Yeah sure he got resurrected at world record speed, but HOLY FUCK WOMAN! You just killed that guy!!! You can’t just- why- and it’s fine. It’s fine. It’s fine! She’s forgiven asdfdsasdfgf.

I’m exaggerating, of course. Like I said, the 2004 comics were cartoony, and though it had its moments, you weren’t really supposed to take it seriously most of the time. I still think her most interesting dynamic with Plas, even though her redeemed self is highly entertaining, is when she was plotting against him. When she was being conniving and evil? Best shit. It’s like the asshole-ex-wife thing I said before but cranked up to eleven. She’s smart, she’s a cop, and she’s gonna kill you. I loved fucked up woman but I am very biased here, and I’m not sure if that would be a good look for Morgen as a character.

Penny, do you remember Penny? I remember Penny. She was from the cartoon. And while the Plastic Man Adventure Comedy Show has certainly aged (hula hula is an affront to my eyeballs and I Will Scream), Penny is a welcome reprieve. She’s the one of the few women who genuinely likes Plastic Man. Like, no drama, no beef, no sass, she just likes him. She thinks he’s hawt. She think’s he’s smart and kind. Those things are occasionally up for debate in current canon, but I don’t think she would care. Penny likes Plas, and it was absolutely romantic back in the day, but I could see it be changed to a platonic relationship. She likes Plas, Plastic Man likes her back, they’re friends or lovers or whatever, but it’s a good, healthy relationship. Plas needs more of those. (all heroes do but shh this ain’t about them) She should have a few minor changes but honestly she’s pretty swag.

and then there’s all of Plastic Man’s rogues (or at leas the memorable ones). Which, holy fuck, I don’t think I can write about them right now. But I need to figure them out too, since DC refuses to.

all i want to do is write fanfiction why do i have to do so much legwork there should be better canon materialllll D:

#plastic man #long post.#all i want is to write fanfic #and there's too much dc canon and not enough plastic man canon #ugh #would appreciate help if anyone's interested

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honeybeekao · 2 years

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Oh you finished secret service do you have any Eden thoughts about it or is it mainly madra related

90% of my SS screenshots are madara or kohaku however oh my god i didnt truly get how funny ibara is until i read this. like my thoughts on him are he is an evil little creature who for some reason has so much power it's insane

BUT HE'S ALSO SO PETTY? amusing. that's the word im looking for he amuses me a lot. the comedy of them both silently thinking here gets me, madara is so intuitive i adore him

(translation by hyenahunt) SS spoilers ahead

he's smart but the fact he didnt see madara betraying him from a mile away... okay girl. (side note MADARA WHY DO YOU. LAUGH IN YOUR INNER MONOLOGUE IM GOING TO GET YOU /loving)

also i generally like jun already ive read like so many random little stories so already being acquainted with him, hes my best friend. think the eden dynamic makes my heart melt theyre sooooo fun to observe. i understand why hiyori is like that in textposts now also love him I DONT HATE ANY ENSTARS CHARACTERS so my opinions are either positive or neutral. i NEED to see more im so bad at reading but i promsie to read Gang n conquest Soon jfdfjfxj ANYWy Umumyny i just???? secret service was so enjoyable. So so good, ignore i binge read all 30 chapters at 3 am on no sleep

NAGISA. THE WHOLE CONSPIRACY ABOUT THE GODFATHER BEING REPLACED i think i had to reread it like 3 times because what the Fuck. enstars LOVES replacement subplots. i also didnt really know much about nagisa before, i'd seen the eden anime eps and my first 5* in 2020 was his dream of the wasteland card. i find him really endearing, and and see.. unlike madara, /i/ can understand his ramblings <33 eden are just very compelling i think, theyre the most keychain-core of the cast i would get eden merch. have i mentioned kohaku yet no i haven't um okay so he's actually my favorite character in SS ngl

the way he genuinely does care about madara and sees right through him

You've got it rough,

Madara-han. That's exactly why I can't leave ya alone.

his entire role in this story feels a little protagonist-like. wanting so Badly to just fly around the world to find madara because the guy won't answer a single message and he's tied down by the preliminary regulations that Somehow rinne has decided they're following. he worries about mama getting into trouble but equally thinks about his life in general. how madara sacrifices his own happiness and dreams for the sake of working for the lesser-evil of justice. constantly on the move and he's never got his guard down, always pretending.

kohaku's inner monologues are just so, profound and thoughtful, i adore him. he's very caring

"Once I rip off all those masks you're wearin', I know I'll be able t'see the real you."

ALSO HIS ANALYSIS ON THE IDOL INDUSTRY??? i hate that this 15 year old is so eloquent he makes me insane.

OH MY GOD AND i loooved kohaku's interactions with eve. learning about how their respective units contrast eachother— but they both have similar roots of "everyone involved has a rough past"

"I'm a living corpse."

gatekeeper as a villain is also amusing to me good god. i wanna see the entire temple scene animated do you understand how much i wanna see madara kick gatekeeper away then IMMEDIATELY be in a staring death match with kohaku? THEIR ENTIRE FACADE FIGHT IS SO FUCKING GOOD it's so good i love the words shot at eachother.

"You're a nice kid. There's gotta be some psychological barriers that'll stop you from killing me."

as the expert in the skill of murder that he is, i personally would not be able to handle even a 10% chance that kohaku was serious. MADARA COULDN'T FULLY TELL BUT JUST HOPED HE'D GOTTEN HIS MESSAGE. theyre both silly fools and the fact that hiyori just had to watch like "What . is going on Huh". one of my favorite scenes in enstars ever

i could ramble sbout how kohaku's instincts to scold madara like a mother is so intriguing to me but i should do that in its own post probably. gosh he's the coolest kid i love kohaku

#enstars #this isn't an analysis i just really enjoyed secret service #translation by hyenahunt #kohaku oukawa #madara mikejima #ibara saegusa #nagisa ran #alex 🥔#secret service es

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heyclickadee · 8 months

Text

Aaaaaaaannnd it looks like my inevitable biennial Darkwing Duck phase just hit. Apologies in advance. I am probably going to be annoying.

So! Darkly Dawns the Duck:

1. Who do I have to kill to get the original opening scene back in with the rest of the episode? Like. That little action sequence is a perfect way to introduce the character and the show. Almost everything you need to know is right there. Darkwing is a mildly bumbling adrenaline junkie who’s just barely good enough at his “job” to get things done. Also, it’s a cartoon; the violence is made up and the injuries don’t matter. Unless they do.

2. Almost everything you need to know. The rest of everything you need to is in the very next scene where Darkwing is hamming it up, handing glossies to a cop, and lamenting the fact that he spent all afternoon ironing is cape now that there’s nary a reporter in sight.

3. Darkwing narrates his life and monologues to himself. He’s such a tool. I love it.

4. Listen, I’m aware that Tad Stones is very much a Silver Age comics guy, and that this cartoon is completely uninterested in explaining how, exactly, Darkwing pays for, you know, all his very expensive equipment (besides moonlighting as a freelance SHUSH agent from time to time), because it’s just not that kind of show, but I’m interested. (Honestly, the more ridiculous the explanation, the better.)

5. How long did it take Darkwing to put together everything for the breakfast routine? I mean, it’s not as though he has a life outside of being Darkwing, so I guess he’d have time. But still.

6. I always forget Tim Curry is in this. Taurus Bulba is slightly less funny and unhinged than you’re typical Darkwing villain, but he’s honestly half of what makes this intro episode work. He’s a little more serious, so the stakes feel a little higher.

7. Aaaaand Darkwing’s still monologuing to himself. As he does.

8. The fourth wall is paper thin.

9. “Clever of me to use my spine to break my fall.” — Tech Badbatch, probably.

10. More (less?) seriously, last time I hit the inevitable biennial Darkwing Duck phase, I kept trying to find a Darkwing Duck podcast to listen to, and I kept getting frustrated, because the hosts kept talking about this show the same way they would about, say, Batman: The Animated Series or Young Justice. Yes, they’re all animated, yes, they’re all about superheroes, and yes, they all stretch physical reality to some extent, but Darkwing Duck exists in an entirely different genre than the other two. Heck, it’s even in a slightly different genre than the original DuckTales series.

It’s a cartoon—a cartoon grounded by an emotional center in the relationship between Gosalyn and Darkwing—but a cartoon along the lines of the old Looney Tunes shorts nonetheless. Like. No, Darkwing doesn’t have secret superpowers. He gets anvils dumped on his head until he gets over himself every episode because it’s funny. The laws of physics as well as any danger of real physical harm coming to the characters is dependent entirely on the emotional needs of the scene at hand, and the emotional needs of the scene at hand tend to be rooted in comedy. Same goes for continuity. I may or may not be a hypocrite about this at times.

11. So I just hit the part where Darkwing and Launchpad meet and good lord, Darkwing really is a jerk and Launchpad really is a golden retriever.

12. I love how Bulba just casually mentions that his henchmen murdered Gosalyn’s grandpa.

13. Speaking of Gosalyn….

14. Man, I love Gosalyn. I love that she’s kind of a “problem”, that she tends to act out, that she’s a handful, and that she’s clearly upset by having been told that she’s a problem by the adults in her life (by the ones at the orphanage, anyway). She’s an outgoing but clearly lonely kid, and one of the very few kids from any shows from this era that actually feels like a kid.

15. Okay, yeah, I know I just went on a rant about cartoons, but adult me panics every time I watch the part where Gos realizes that Hammerhead is there to kidnap her.

16. Just an observation, but Darkwing is way more…I don’t know, personable with Gosalyn once they get back to his hideout than he was with Launchpad in that earlier scene. He’s still self aggrandizing and sarcastic, but he’s not nearly as caustic. (For now.) I’m honestly not sure he knows how to talk to other adults in a “normal” way when he’s doing the Darkwing thing, which is more or less all the time.

17. Aaaaand I’m reading too much into it now. Back to the funny.

18. I paused and now I can’t breathe

Look at this idiot.

19. I love that Taurus Bulba just happens to have an airship shaped like his face. In prison. Just because.

20. Photos taken moments before disaster

21. “You should have seatbelts, too!” Blink twice if the S&P department is making you say that, Gos.

22. That said, it is actually really sweet that Darkwing does end up taking the helmet Gos found when he rides off a few scenes later. (

23. Little girl blue 🥹

24. Okay but WHY did Dr. Waddlemeyer make a Simon Says the control panel for his levitation ray?

25. Man, Darkwing is such an insecure jackass.

26. Listen to the kid, my dude.

27. See? That’s what you get! (Darkwing really deserves the dressing down Bulba gives him in this scene. Also: Does he make funny accordion noises when he gets squished like that?)

28. Why do I get the feeling that if this episode came out today and was a Star War that people would be complaining about how hard it was for Bulba’s hitmen to catch a ten year old?

29. Honestly, I love how they thread the needle of Gosalyn being perfectly capable of handling herself and yet still being a kid who may eventually need help if the problem gets too big.

30. Oh, the jail scene. I’m still annoyed that the most unhinged part of Darkwing’s monologue is missing (the episodes on the DVDs and streaming and elsewhere that I’ve found are the ones that ran in syndication. And, for Darkly Dawns the Duck, that means it was cut in two and chopped up to fit in the syndication time slot, so there are a few scenes missing. The ones I miss most are the opening and part of the jail monologue), but what’s left is still probably the most honest thing Darkwing says about himself the whole show. There’s something about him that’s just. Deeply maladjusted. And it’s great. I love it. 10/10, no notes.

31. Nope, got serious again. Time for Launchpad to bring the funny.

32. Launchpad made a damn stealth plane shaped like Darkwing’s head. Just because.

33. Ah yes, the tried and true Darkwing method of combat: throwing yourself bodily at the enemy and shouting nonsense.

34. I always somehow forget that Bulba just decides he’s gonna murder a kid for kicks. He’s got the code by that point, he doesn’t need her anymore, and he doesn’t need to twist Darkwing’s arm to get anything. He’s just gonna kill Gosalyn. It’s just child murder time. And it feels like Gosalyn’s in danger because, again, the rules of physics apply depending on the emotional needs of the scene.

35. “Mom was right. I should have been a dental hygienist.” That is such a random line and I kind of love it.

36. Sorry to being this back around the The Bad Batch because, again, this show is a completely different genre of animated show, but Gosalyn’s little, “He couldn’t be…,” when she sees the ramrod destroy the top of that skyscraper and take Bulba and Darkwing with it reminded my of the fact that when a child protagonist in a show for children says something like that about a semi or fully parental figure thought to be dead, they’re almost always right. No, I will not let this go. This hiatus is so long.

37. This orphanage director really is just. The worst. “Oh, sorry you won’t through a traumatic life changing experience kid, don’t understand why you’re too upset to talk to anyone today. Your loss I guess.” Like seriously.

38. Yes! The pink shirt and the sweater vest.

39. Darkwing is so aggressively dweeby. 10/10, no notes. Again.

40. I mean, okay, his name’s Drake Mallard, sure, and that’s how he’s introducing himself to the orphanage director here, but. Like. I like both versions, but OG Darkwing is Darwing first, and Drake Mallard second. DT17 Darkwing is Drake Mallard first, and Darkwing second. If that makes sense.

41. Okay, so, I understand that OG Darkwing and Launchpad are sort of the Kirk and Spock of the Disney Afternoon, but I don’t really ship them. I just don’t get the vibe (again, from the OG versions—DT17 versions have a different vibe). That said, I do kind of love the idea that there’s nothing going on between them but that everyone who knows both of them just assumes that they’re a gay couple raising their daughter, and they both know it and are fine with people thinking that.

42. This isn’t how adoption works but it’s okay it’s a cartoon and it’s very sweet.

#darkwing duck #I’m sorry #give it a month and it’ll be out of my system #I’m not going to watch every episode #or do this for every episode I watch #but. uh. there will be more #don’t worry the bad batch isn’t going anywhere #I just briefly have too many thoughts about the silly cape duck show

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hournites · 2 years

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Bake it till you make it

for @theozmachronicles

Hournite Week Day 7 - Romantic Comedy

~.~

Beth heaves a weary sigh, closing her books from the study session a half hour after the JSA meeting at the garage. “Great.”

Rick sneaks a look at her from his desk. She’s not one to be so pessimistic or downtrodden at all.

At first, Rick ignores it because he gets her, this English assignment is ridiculous, but then she gets up and announces she’s going to leave because she has to bake. She makes it sound like a death sentence.

Rick’s brows knit together. “You love baking.”

“Not exactly,” she mutters.

Rick begins to scoff, which turns into a laugh-cough when she shoots him an unimpressed glare.

Is she serious? Beth—the only girl Rick knows who brings homemade three-course meals in sectioned containers for lunch and had somewhat run a soup kitchen working around her parents' work schedules for years—was trying to tell Rick she’s not a fan of being in the kitchen? “Uh, yes. Yes, you do!”

“Not for this.” Beth lets out another sigh and starts to explain. “Before we were a part of the JSA, I signed myself up as a Prairie Dog Bake Sale Member.”

Rick stares. Rick is smarter than he looks, but more times than not he probably appears dumb next to someone as all-around bright as Beth. He tries to correct that by at least half-pretending he knows what new obscure factoid she’s talking about to carry on a conversation with her. This is not one of those times he can fake it. “And that is…?”

“It’s for volunteer credit. You bake at least 3 dozen batches of separate baked goods for bake sales. I used to do it with my mom and dad. I liked doing it together because it was family bonding but now….” She doesn’t finish and she doesn’t have to. According to Beth, the Chapels are always either too busy or too involved. Never in between.

Rick stares down at his essay outline and thinks about how much he doesn’t want to write it. “You need some help or something?”

Beth immediately perks up. “You want to come over?” She grins. Rick would throw himself in a heap of flour and baking soda if it meant that grin stayed on her face. So that settles what they’re doing after JSA training that afternoon, clearly.

~.~

They were going to be making brownies (nut-free), cookies (gluten-free) and cupcakes that Beth pulls out five hundred different toppings, icing tubes and decorations for, so Rick assumes they won’t be free of anything.

He stands in her large kitchen with his hands awkwardly hanging by his sides as she gets organized. He already tried opening five different cupboards only to find nothing he was looking for, so Beth explains how her kitchen is set up. Rick’s sat on her porch to pick her up for school over a hundred times but never has he found himself actually inside of her house. It all feels very sleek and expensive.

All of the measuring cups, mixing bowls, pans and trays are compartmentalized just so. He watches Beth hum to herself as she occasionally consults the massive recipe book.

“Sorry,” she keeps saying, shooting glances over her shoulder at him as she arranges everything together. “I’ll have it together in a moment—You should see what it’s like baking with Chuck, he lists the ingredients and steps out right in front of me, it makes all the setup so easy.”

Rick would kind of like to see it. “We can still do it that way.”

“Oh, I suppose, but…” She wrinkles her nose. “It’s not very inclusive for you. We should do it the old-fashioned way.”

He picks up one of the containers of sugar from her pantry that she placed beside him. “Do you want me to start with the dry ingredients and—”

“Oh, no, that’s okay. You can just mix stuff!”

She makes a grab at the sugar, but Rick just grips on tighter, his mouth agape. “I am not useless in the kitchen, Beth!”

Beth reels back and blinks at him, needing the second to process. “Wait, you really want to bake?”

“Why else am I here?”

“I’m sorry,” she says yet again. Rick quirks an amused eyebrow. He doesn’t think anyone ever apologized to him so much before, if ever. “I just assumed you wanted to keep me company.”

“No?” What did she think he was going to do? Watch her sweat over the oven while he ate grapes or something? What the hell? “I’m helping.”

She lets out a tiny breath. Rick can tell she’s wonderfully pleased. He flips over the recipe book page for the brownies, trying not to smile to himself. “Do you want me to take these and you do the cookies?”

Beth stands on her tiptoes, trying to see the book in his hands. Rick lowers it and she peers over. “Sure, if you want? I can print the steps out so we don’t have to keep flipping back and forth.”

“Cool.”

Rick is pulling brownies out of the oven nearly an hour later, wearing bright orange oven mitts with the Blue Valley Medical Centre insignia printed on them.

“I think they’re done this time.”

He had tested them ten minutes before, as Beth warned her oven ran hot, but it needed a few extra minutes.

The oven beeps incessantly. He drops the brownies on the cooling rack and shoves one of the mitts under his arm. He presses the off button over and over with no success in cutting off the piercing noise. This oven is freakin’ fancy with all of its conventional settings and shit. An annoyed growl escapes his throat. “How do I turn this damn thing off again?”

Beth spins in her apron, yellow, and still covered in the brown sugar Rick accidentally spilled on her in a crossfire; she was backing up from the kitchen island with her batch in her hands as he was concentrating on levelling the one-cup with a knife—It was a hilarious disaster.

Her cookies are already packed and stored away. The dry ingredients for the cupcakes are just mixed in with the wet on her counter. “Double press on cook time,” she instructs.

The warm smell of chocolate lures her in. She holds the handle of the oven, eyes bright, enchanted by the perfect brownie tin.

Rick drops the oven mitts to the side and inspects it with a toothpick Beth laid out. He admires the nearly clean toothpick with only a few wet crumbs, incredibly smug. “Told you I could—Hey!”

Rick snatches Beth’s wrist from picking at the hot tray. She stills, caught red-handed. Her brown eyes pool even darker as she sucks in a breath, sheepish. “I just want a taste!”

“No! It hasn’t cooled yet!”

He’s acutely aware that he’s still holding her wrist. It’s soft and warm in his grasp. Rick lets go and flushes, thinking desperately about anything that’s not the adorable wide-eyed look she gave him for her desperate plea for brownies. “I mean—I thought these were for the bake sale, anyway.”

Beth doesn’t say anything. She just brushes her hands against her apron before side-glancing up at him.

Nice going, Rick. He snapped at her over brownies and now she’s going to kick him out of her house and never invite him over again.

In the awkward silence, Rick starts to panic as Beth continues to serve a completely unreadable expression. “I’m an asshole,” he blurts out after moving the brownie batter bowl and spatula, to open drawers to find a server and knife to fix everything and cut her a square. “You can try the brownies, this is your kitchen and—”

Beth laughs.

Rick freezes, slowly turning around. “You’re not mad.” His shoulders slump with relief and he wipes his forehead with the back of his palm.

“You’re a Gordon Ramsey!”

“I’m not!”

“You are!” She nods, covering her mouth with both hands, unable to help the eruption of giggles that follow. “And you just smeared chocolate batter in your hair!”

“What?” He reaches up and finds his hand sticky. He splutters. “So? You’re covered in sugar!” he shoots back.

Beth gasps out another startled laugh. “That’s not the same thing! You bumped into me!”

Rick smirks with a terrible idea. “Wanna make it even, then?” He reaches for her with his messy hands but she evades him with a yelp, dancing around the kitchen island. “Don’t! It’s too soon for another wash day!”

Rick doesn’t know what a wash day is and at this point, he’s too afraid to ask. Either way, he isn’t planning to actually throw ingredients in her face, but still steps forward just to see what she’d do. Her shriek is worth it.

She grabs a whisk from off the table to defend herself and fixes her stance very much as though they were suited up in battle.

“Rick, I mean it!” She points her whisk at the sink. “Wash it off! Now!”

Rick’s feet walk him over to the sink automatically. It’s gotta be something to do with Beth ordering him around. It’s best not to think about it too hard.

~.~

Rick groans at his third failed icing rose in a row. Beth, on the other hand, has perfectly frosted twelve blue daisies. Her hand is steady and her gaze is focused on her cupcake handiwork. Her tongue sticks out just a bit, eyes squinting as she appraises the pattern. Rick lowers his disaster cake to lean his chin on his palm at the island and watch her.

“You’re really good at this.”

Beth smiles without taking her eyes off the cupcake. Her hand turns to get a new angle, finishing off the last petal with a thick layer. “Thank you!”

She takes a look at Rick’s progress. She does a double take but smooths her instant mirth over with a quick smile. “Yours is good too!”

He rolls his eyes.

“It just takes practice.” Beth hands him another plain vanilla one. “I’ve been doing this with my parents for so long, that’s why my lines are good. When is the last time you decorated a cupcake?”

“Beth. You know, as it is plainly obvious, I have never decorated a cupcake.”

“Which makes this a phenomenal first attempt. You’ll get the hang of it!”

She shows him her technique again and Rick copies her very sloppily. He stares down at his mess and decides to run it over with a knife and smother it with toppings instead like oreo bits and MnMs.

Beth flashes him two thumbs up when he presents his new and improved decorating method. “It looks great!”

Now he knows she’s just being nice on purpose. Rick studies his work. He thinks this would give someone instant cavities. “It’s not too much?”

“Why don’t you try it out?”

He slides it over. “Why don’t you?”

“Oh, so now you’re letting me try?” she teases, peeling back the paper liner. She bites into it and makes a happy sound.

Rick leans in again, captivated. He rests his head against his arm, letting the other hang off the table, enjoying the taste test a bit too much. She’s as bright as ever, unable to stop taking more bites. Beth must be a chocoholic. Rick loves finding out tiny facts like this about her.

“It’s that good?”

“Mmm!”

He grins into his palm.

“Oh my gosh,” she manages out a few bites later, her mouth full. “I need water.”

Rick gets a glass. “I’m poisoning you.”

“No!” she insists after the longest gulp of water Rick’s ever seen. “It’s very thick. Intense.” She chews some more. “Rich.” She lights up. “That’s it! We’re calling these Rick’s Riches!”

“I wasn’t aware that cupcakes need to have names.”

“They do now.” Beth finishes off the cupcake and scrunches up the wrapper. She’s got cookie crumbs on her mouth. She starts naming off other name ideas for the brownies and cookies to provide on labels for the bake sale, but Rick can no longer concentrate. He feels her breath stop on his thumb when he reaches out with a napkin, brushing it off.

Beth swallows. “Rick.” She touches her lips.

“Uh.” He doesn’t know why he did that. “You had some..oreo dust.”

He sinks in his seat, abashed. It made so much more sense to brush the crumbs from her mouth in his head. In his head, where he couldn’t actually feel her face with his touch. The softness of her lips, the roundness of her cheek like he just did now. Rick squeezes the napkin into his fist with his other hand.

“Thanks,” she says.

He is making this weird. Rick clumsily gets on his feet. “I should—”

“You don’t have to go.” She mumbles something else under her breath. Rick doesn’t catch it.

“What?”

“I didn’t mind it, I said.” Beth is looking anywhere but at Rick. Before he can even register that, she shoots him another nervous glance and then bolts out of her seat for the opposite end of the kitchen.

“You know what? Silly me, we need to clean up!” She pushes a broom into his empty hands. “Clean! Clean, clean, clean.” She finds a sponge for herself and starts scrubbing the island surface like a neat freak.

Rick grips onto the broom unable to do anything—Think anything but her words. A different kind of sickening sweetness twists in his stomach. She’s still going at it, the spot isn’t even sticky anymore. He’s never wanted to kiss a girl so badly in his life.

“Beth? Can we talk?”

“About the cupcakes? Sure!” she chirps, “I was thinking Classic Kooks for the gluten-free and—”

“That sounds fine. I meant about us.”

Her voice falters. “Us?”

“Like….What just happened….”

She shrugs so casually that Rick knows it’s being faked. “What’s there to say?”

A silly smile spreads across Rick’s face as she gets more and more flustered, chattering circles around what she just admitted.

The embarrassment gets to her and she stops huffing. “So what that I said that I liked that you touched my lips? It was with a napkin and I like to be clean! It’s not that big a big deal!”

“Okay,” Rick says, still smiling.

“It’s not!” she insists.

He sets the broom against the island and steps forward.

“I don’t see you sweeping anything. Why are you putting the broom down? That’s the opposite of—Mmph!”

Beth’s eyes grow cross-eyed at the smashed dusty rose cupcake to her mouth. She gapes and gasps, eyelashes blinking fast up at him in total shock. A chunk of icing drops on her shoe.

“Oops,” Rick says. “Let me get that.” He foregoes the napkin, wiping some icing clean with his thumb. He slows the movement when she halts him. Her wrist on his hand, still on her face. The current in her eyes rises like a challenge.

“Don’t make me,” she warns, voice dropped to a breath of a whisper.

“Make you what?” Rick tries to ask innocently but before he could get the full sentence out, Beth wiped her sticky mouth and smeared cupcake icing right across his face.

“Get even.”

The sponge falls from her hands. She grabs Rick instead, kissing him with her frosty lips, yellow apron pressing flour into his shirt. Her hands catch in his hair and it feels perfect. Rick kisses back, embracing the sweetness and the cake and the way Beth clings to him in the kitchen of her house, the realness of it all. They are never coming back from here. Rick is never coming back and it doesn’t matter if that’s nerve-wracking, in terms of stopping, he doesn’t want to.

“Beth?” Dr. Chapel stands at the doorway in her lab coat, surveying the mess in her kitchen and on their faces. “…Hello Rick.”

Rick turns around, scrubbing uselessly at his face. If it weren’t pink from the icing, it would’ve turned so from sheer embarrassment. Beth reaches for his hand still, slowly unfurling every tightly clenched finger one by one.

“I came home early for Prairie Dog bake sale prep…” She raises a paper bag of ingredients. “…But I see you have that handled.”

“We were—”

“I don’t need the details,” she says. “As long as my kitchen gets cleaned up after yourselves.”

Rick gulps. “Yes, Dr. Chapel.”

“And Rick?” Her mother blinks at him. “If you’re going to make a habit of re-enacting romantic comedies with my daughter, please call me Bridget.” She sets down the groceries. “I’m showering off the hospital funk. Save me a cookie, please. And some brownies for your father."

They stand in absolute silence after her mother leaves.

Rick rubs the back of his neck. "We should probably, uh. Do what your mom said. Clean up."

Beth shakes her head. "It's supposed to be three dozen per treat."

"Oh." Rick calculates the sheer amount of cookies and cupcakes that would take. "We're going to be here all night."

Beth grins and leads them to the kitchen sink, dunking a towel under warm water. She brings it to Rick's face, dabbing at the pink streaks and sprinkles from his eyebrows. "I don't think I'll mind."

#hournite #hournite week 22 #rick x beth #hn fic #tkv fic #fluff #the BAKING AU AT LONG LAST #beth chapel #rick tyler

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opuestocomplementario · 2 years

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Love in The Air EP8: review and commentary

I watched the episode, and I have many things to say about a lot of what happened there. I thought about making more post relate especially to the some characters only but for now I wanted to rant about the episode a little, specifically about the structure of the episode.

Structure of the episode

So, a 51 minutes long episode. Right? Legit, LEGIT, there’s 10 minutes of already seen scenes (ex. Payu and Rain in the race and kissing), then we have another 10 minutes of unnecessary scenes. How do I know they are unnecessary? I don’t, but I read the novel so I know some things that happen and also, I don't need to be a genius to know that half of it was comedy relief and didn’t give anything to the story. So, as much as I love how fast the episode was and the laughs I had, I don’t think the editing and the scenes presented were good.

The NC scene is an example. The actors, incredible; the music, amazing; the lighting and the pace, a masterpiece. However, that scene is supposed to show and to tell us more than it did. I don’t know how exactly you can make a novel into a book or how much info you need to put together in scenes but, let’s be honest, that scene caused so much trouble because it wasn’t like in the novel. The scene was supposed to show how amazed Prapai was with Sky knowing how to have sex. How this man was taken back by the innocent looking guy; it was supposed to show how they fought for dominance, and how conflicted they were both. In different senses, but conflicted at least. I wish they could have focused more on Pai expressions and movements.

I just can’t enjoy the decision of putting the focus solely on Sky when it comes to mental and emotional stages, while the only thing we get from Prapai is his back, his suits and his minute-scenes with other characters. Like, yes, Sky is our main character, but the focus is on both of them as persons. Like I said with Rain and Payu. We need to see a change in both of them. Prapai is not the whole package like Payu; he doesn’t have anything to figure it out, he doesn’t know what he wants, and he should, hence, have more screen time.

The thing about how both of them ended up having sex is also so problematic. I feel like these actores could be so good at showing that they are joking or being sarcastic but the crew is not giving them a chance to do it. This is something that happens too with Payu. I remember being quite upset at him for a while because I do in fact understand when people are being sarcastic or playful but having a serious face. Payu had too much of a serious face for anyone to realize it (specially Rain). But Sky and Pai thrive on irony and wordplay while having bitch faces and smiles. They actually understand each other in that scene, but while in the book Pai was supposed to be joking and taking back by Sky determination, in the series it looks like Pai is forcing himself on the kid. And this does not necessarily need to be shown in their inner monologues. There’s no need to hear the characters to pick this up. Just show their faces, make them work with their body, I DON’T FUCKING KNOW. JUST DON’T DO WHAT THEY DID.

I don’t know why but I have a feeling they are trying to make Pai more of a badass than what he really is. Maybe trying to line up with Payu but it is not working. Pai is playful, more playful than Payu. Him having this serious aura around him is not really working for me. Fort's face is way too cute and has a beautiful smile that does not look good in a serious setting. I know he can do both, but really, he should have the expressions and the playful manners that he had while talking with Sky in his apartment, and not the serious one and the almost violent one that he had before the NC scenes. Am I making sense? Idk. I am having controversial thoughts.

Another thing I said before: why the fuck are we seeing the same scenes of Payu and Rain? Why don’t we have one that actually lines up with the story in time? Why switch from Sky and Pai fucking to Payu and Rain kissing? I can not even start to try to make sense of it. It just doesn’t.

I would also have liked it if they showed the race between Payu and Pai from previous episodes, instead of Pai alone. Or IDK, having more development in the conversation between Pai and Saifah. To make it look more like Pai was more troubled. If they showed a scene where Payu and Pai were racing and suddenly Payu wins against Pai they could make them talk about how Pai was distracted about something, and then they could talk about what Pai should do about it, and Payu could say he shouldn’t bother Sky if he is not serious. @ memindy I am taking job offers, hire me so I can fix this mess. Jk.

The only thing I loved about the filming was every scene with Sky. Every shot made with him was an absolute masterpiece; the faces he made and what he said made so much sense. I like seeing him hurt and sad (affectionate obviously). His interactions with Rain were also good; I liked how they show their bond and how they care for each other.

Also, the whole podcast thing about “today's topic: How to forget the one you want to forget". What was that? Why did they do that? What was the point? How can we make it never happen again? It was supposed to be an inner monologue? Of who?

Random thought 1: I just realized Rain wasn’t the one who left Sky. Payu took Rain with him without checking if he was with someone. So, let’s all gather to fight the stupid whipped men instead of the poor young boys.

Random thought 2: do you all realize that these two men decide to court these two poor boys and make their life impossible? Like, Pai and Payu are the whipped ones but Rain and Sky are the ones dealing with the consequences. They didn’t even ask for it; they were there looking pretty and suddenly they had to deal with mafia, kidnapping, kink discovery, courtership, and more. I don’t know who is supposed to be the lucky ones.

Another thing is while I appreciate the interactions with the friend group and all, those scenes don’t do anything to Sky’s story. Except his weird conversation with Ple after he said how Rain was busy with Payu.

So the structure of the episode overall is a mess for me. We have short conversations, many characters introduced, many spaces (Sky university, Sky apartment, Pai work, Pai house, Pai gym, the racer training) and not enough depth in any of them. It feels like there is so much of telling but not enough of showing.

Story/Characters

A lot of this is self explanatory from the items before. But anyway, I would say them again. So, we have him minding his business in the ilegal event. He caught the eye of this beautiful and hot man. Said man saves him from the guards and then takes him somewhere without people (this sounds like a horror movie but bear with me) and for a moment, a little moment, Sky allows himself to picture this man getting interested in him and wanting to talk to him (aka hit on him). This fantasy Sky made last until Pai opened his mouth and “jokes” about some kind payment. At this point, Sky gives up, again, on someone actually getting interested in him. Men always want one thing from him, and that’s why “they are all assholes” and the line after it is what broke me: “You are also an asshole”. Sky liked Pai. Even on a superficial level, he was attracted to him. And he realize Pai wasn’t worth it. That’s the curse to him. I find this interesting because Sky, by not giving attention to Pai indirectly is saying Pai is not worth the fight. Pai is not worth the cry, the sadness, the fantasy. Because he ended up being like everyone else and Sky does not want to cry for everyone else. I might be freaking out but I really love when the popular guy needs to get the attention of the unpopular one, because that means he is proving his worth. He is taking himself for sure all the time until someone hits him with reality.

I have to praise Peat face expressions in those moments where we can see him actually enjoying some of Pai tactics, like the flowers, or the “I am going to pursue you”. He wants to, but he knows it is not serious. “Guys like him only want sex”. He really tries to not fall into that track of thought, the one where he allows himself to fantasize about a guy good enough who likes him so much that he would go through all of that just for him. To Pai it might look like a challenge, a conquest. But for Sky is also a challenge; he needs to remain true to himself so he doesn’t get hurt.

Back to Pai. Yes. He is an asshole. Like why do he said to Sky “you are cold” or something like that after fucking. Are you really trying to get his number or a kick in the balls? Pai is playful but doesn’t seems to know exactly when is good time for being it and an asshole with people most of the time. He can’t be taken seriously. I also feel like he doesn’t know what he looks like or loves, so he asks questions and tries to gather information from other people on how to act. THIS IS WAY I NEED HIM TO STAY AWAY FROM PAYU. Those two have 0 flirting skills or courtship. But as I said before, Sky is breaking the boxes Pai had about people; he doesn't know how to flirt or court because he is not the one who does that. However, I do like how he tries to start over with Sky in the final scene. Introducing themselves first, asking what interests them, is almost like normal flirting. Please, let this continue because at least he knows the basics.

Random thought 3: What exactly is what caught Pai eyes on Sky? Like, yes, they fucked but they didn’t talk. What is the thought process of this man to get whipped after one night stand? Really asking, I want to know. Is a game? My guess it is. Having someone reject you is what makes Pai excited, but that excitement can only last for a while. He took 3 months to go and ask Rain for Sky number. What took him so long?

Overall, I really like our main character Sky. I like him so much. I love how Peat potrays him; he has the whole package of being a insecure boy. There is a little thing that bothers me a little and is how they talk about him about being a confident one in sex. I don’t think he is confident in it and we should praise him much if we know his backstory. Is actually sad how he knows all of it, really.

Anyway, this was all the messy rant I had for the episode. <3

#love in the air the series #love in the air #love in the air ep8 #review #prapaisky #prapai x sky #this one is so long #i apologise for this #but i have things to say #rant #bl shows #payurain

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actuallylisteningtolyrics · 1 year

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Iscariot

"Until now, I knew this of myself." Right from the start, I'd say I'm too confused. Knew what? I think since songs often lack a greater context and have few methods of conveying context, it's extremely important to establish clear context right from the beginning.

The rest of the first verse tracks for me. The poetic irony that the person who told you not to be so trusting, was the one that betrayed you. As if he were trying to save you from himself.

With this "that's" section... I'm not really clear on what "that" is. My best guess is for Jesus to lose his faith.

I think it's a strong premise for a song. Biblical betrayal.

Dreams

Does a good job of not confusing me which I consider a serious accomplishment.

It's a song about a girl having feelings but keeping them to herself because for whatever reason, she can't be with this person. And she talks about how hard it is because she's so in love.

Wow, I would--very much like to be in love myself!

Paranoia Purple

A song about paranoia, with a clever color spin although I don't feel it's fully realized.

I'm not sure what "color in as many lines" means. My best guess is it's a coloring book metaphor, meaning he'll do the work of coloring things in and doubling as adding color that isn't purple.

Otherwise, it's a great song about how paranoia can make you sabotage something that's going well. And once a fuckin' gain, wish I had love!

It's a compelling and emotional premise.

While I think I can write about things outside of my experience, it'll definitely be easiest to tap into things you're personally feeling.

"How could I forget about you now." Not sure what this is conveying. I suppose a sort of disbelief that she let him go.

Polaroid Solution

This appears to be using a very specific metaphor which would be cute for people who understand polaroid cameras but for me, I'm lost as heck.

As a song in general, it's making a lot of references to specific things that I need context to understand. References can be very alienating.

In general, it's a very academic song about how technology distracts from understanding the self. It's like a crossword puzzle or a research project as a song. I'm not into it.

Maureen

It seems to be a very similar song to Dreams in terms of being about someone who has strong feelings for another person that can't be realized.

More specifically, it's about someone who's just fed up about hearing about his crush's sexual exploits because it's painful and he feels lonely. And boy, do I find that relatable.

This is what I feel a song should be. A strong premise with understandable lyrics. Maybe the one thing I'd add is story progression.

Bad Kids

A very simple party song about partying, calling attention to being cool. Doesn't feel too redundant because it builds onto the concept in a simple way.

It's maybe overly simple but I'd much rather that than overly confusing.

Don't Change Your Plans

I feel like I analyzed these lyrics before but I don't remember.

It's a song about someone who needs to move on with his life, and he's telling the girl he left behind not to build her life around him.

He has a wandering spirit but doesn't appear to fully understand it or have a healthy way of handling it.

See, these are lyrics done right. They're clear and simple but also provocative.

Whatsername

Already did this many times before so I can reap the benefits of knowing the lyrics. Glorious.

You Can Make Me Free

A simple song about how someone can generate wondrous possibilities for someone. I know exactly what it's about.

It's worth pointing out that I like when lyrics don't repeat themselves.

Keep An Eye On Dan

A mother and a father who are separated, and the mother's simultaneously worried that he'll hurt both her and their son. She still has feelings for him but something bad happened in the past.

A clever premise! A great song.

Carol Brown

This is the right way to do comedy. Actually good music, clever jokes, quirky.

Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting)

A simple song about partying on a Saturday. Who wouldn't like this. With some fun details about the night.

"Best friend floats at the bottom of a glass" is a little confusing but I imagine he means his reflection.

Undertow

I have no fucking idea what these abstract-ass lyrics are supposed to mean.

Via the chorus, it seems like being so passionate about love that you shout it from the streets and hurt yourself.

Run Away With Me

A great, sweet love song. Ungh!

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