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animethottywithnobody · 2 years

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"You're so pretty"

~ Armin x Dumbification

CW: nsfw, dom! Armin, sub! reader, Armin is slightly manipulative but he’s sweet towards the end, mentions multiple orgasms but only one is written, overstimulation, subspace, sex toys, Armin and reader are in a relationship, black coded reader, afab reader, pet names are used

WC: 1.7k

Synopsis: Armin is usually a humble guy when it comes to people recognizing his brilliance. With the constant praise and compliments, you’d be flattered but not him. No, Armin finds that the reassurance and reward he needs for his smarts is when he has you babbling nonsense and only having him on your mind, nothing but him and his cock flooding every crevice in your mind.

AN: First 2022 Kinktober piece! Literally finished this an hour before it needed to be posted. This is actually a rewrite so if you read the first one… just know this one is 10x better! Still working on my aesthetic and how to write smut so bare with me but enjoy!

❗️minors & blank blogs DNI❗️

Second Person Pov

Whiny whimpers escape you while Armin calmly increases the vibrations of the vibrator on your clit and curls his long, slender fingers in your cunt. Your spread out on the bed you both share with a jeweled butt plug lodged in your ass, a vibrator stuck on your clit, clips clamped on your nipples, and your hands tied behind your back with rope while Armin had his fingers deep in your dripping pussy. All the items were a pink color since Armin likes to keep things organized and uniform, pink meaning you were going to cum… a lot. It’s been about thirty minutes and he’s already made you cum twice, on his way to making it three.

“What was that baby? I didn’t quite get that, do you think you can try again pretty girl?” Armin has a mockingly teasing tone, but you don’t hear a drop.

“Please ‘Min! I-I can’t… no more.” You’ve been moaning and whining as you begged him to stop after the first time he made you cum.

But Armin just can’t get over how pretty you look when you cry and he loves the sounds that fly from your puffy lips. Plus you’re at the edge of the headspace he wants you in so he can’t stop now. His cock is throbbing from the anticipation of you falling into a mindless state where all you could do is say his name and babble how much you loved everything he did to you.

Armin gives you a fake pout that you completely fall for, not sensing the sadistic intent behind it. “But my love, we aren’t done yet. You’ve got at least one more for me, right?”

You look at him with tears streaming down your face from the overstimulation and from the heavy want you have to touch him. He returns your teary eyes with one that feigns sadness and disappointment if only that’s what it actually was. Armin knows the extent of your want to please and impress him so he’s well aware of what to say and what to do to get right into that pretty head of yours.

Your eyes widen and your lips quiver at the thought of disappointing Armin. “I-i’m sorry ‘Min! I’ll try one more time.” Your eyes are filled with determination as you wait for his response.

Armin’s pout slowly turns into a bright smile as he starts fingering you at a fast pace while your pussy drools down his knuckles. He slowly licks his lips before he leans over you, kissing your neck gently as he whispers in your ear. “You are such a good girl. Do you know how happy you’ve made me, my love?”

The flutter you feel in your heart shows all over your face causing Armin to chuckle when he pulls back to see the face you make as he finger fucks his pretty girl. My precious little bimbo. That’s all he can think as he looks at you simply because he knows he most likely isn’t stopping after you cum again. You’re too wet and adorable for him to stop. He feels like you have at least two more until you truly are unable to cum anymore. Then he’ll reward you with the best aftercare for his best girl, even though that's something he does either way. He loves you more than anyone and that’s saying something since Eren and Mikasa are two people he holds very dear to his heart.

Your eyes flutter closed and whiny moans leave your lips as he curls his fingers slightly, picking up the pace a bit. You clench around his fingers and squeeze your hands into a fist, a signal that you are going to cum for him again soon. So being the person he is, he slows the pace of his fingers to a painfully slow rhythm causing you to whine and try to move your hips to simulate a faster pace.

“Hey baby, open your eyes and tell me what you want.” He coaxes as he uses his free hand to gently hold one side of your face.

You lazily open your eyes as you snuggle into his hold on your cheek. Drool falls from the side of your mouth, exposing the fucked-out look Armin has been working for this whole time. Not a single thought in that beautiful head of yours. You’re exactly where he wants you and the sadistic smirk that grows on his face shows just how proud he is of his achievement.

“You… want you to fuck me… please ‘M-min.” You slur out as he smiles at you and gently kisses your forehead. You’re always so beautiful to Armin but he thinks you’re the prettiest when you look so drunk for his cock. The tint showing where your heat rises into a blush across your brown skin, your hair wild and the sweat glistening like pearls on your skin always turns him feral with the want to ruin you completely.

“That’s what you want sweetheart?” You nod your head lazily as you feel like you’re in a hazy cloud.

Armin slowly pulls his fingers from your weeping cunt, forcing a choked whine to leave your throat. Though his fingers are no longer in you, you are both still attached by the thin strand of slick lingering on his fingers. He taps your lips, a signal for you to open your mouth which you do, allowing him to put his fingers in your mouth. He makes sure you suck them clean, one of the things he uses as a way to make sure you’re still conscious and still able to function properly, or he’d stop immediately. Though you haven’t used the safe word, Armin decides that the vibrator isn’t necessary anymore so he removes it gently before pulling down his sweatpants and boxers.

As soon as his cock is free, you immediately wake up from the haze you were previously in. He chuckles softly as he spits on his base before stroking himself slowly. He has such a pretty dick and you will never get over it. It’s about 6 1/2 inches and has a good girth to it with a pretty pink mushroom tip that is an angry red from how hard he is right now. Your wide eyes watch his every move as he hovers over you, rubbing his tip against your opening causing you to arch for more and moan his name.

“My cute little baby. So dumb for my cock, yeah?” You whine as he teases the tip into you before pulling it out, continuing to rub against you. “Patience princess, you know I’ll always make you feel good.” His voice is soft as he holds the side of your face with a small smile.

He bits his lip gently as he slowly pushes his cock into your dripping pussy, hissing at the feeling of you hugging him in your warmth. The sounds that leave you are beyond sinful and solidify Armin’s decision to let this be your last one but he was going to make sure you feel this orgasm for a while. He slowly starts moving faster, wanting the pleasure you both feel to last as long as he could. He always loves the way your pussy feels. He believes you’re both made for each other since you both fit each other perfectly.

The faster he goes, the tighter your hold on his dick is. The room fills with the sounds of your whimpers and whines, his breathy moans, and the sound of wet skin slapping against each other. He starts rubbing your clit when he feels that you were getting closer to your orgasm. You start babbling complete and utter nonsense which brings the biggest smile to Armin’s face as he picks up his speed.

“You wanna cum baby?” You nod the best you can, whimpers tumbling out your mouth. “So cum for me baby, cream all over my cock.” That’s all you need to be pushed over the edge. You cum for the third time, cumming so hard your vision turns white and the scream you let out of his name pushes Armin closer to his orgasm than he was before.

“Fuck doll, I’m gonna cum.” Armin gives you a few more hard sloppy thrusts before he pulls out and cums on your stomach, groaning as he does. He hits his cock against your fluttering pussy before leaning down and kissing your forehead, whispering sweet nothing to you with a gentle voice. “You did so good baby. I’m proud of you.”

He kisses your lips gently before he gets up to untie the ropes from your sore arms, rubbing them to soothe the pain a bit. He unclamps your nipples next, pulling you up and holding you close to him. You wrap your arms around him and sob as he rubs your back, pulling the buttplug out gently. “I know baby, that was a lot but you did so good. I told you I’ll always take care of my baby.” He whispers as he carries you over to the bathroom, sitting you on the toilet gently before moving to get the tub running.

Once the tub is filled with warm water and your lavender bubble bath, he gently puts you inside and follows behind you. Your back rests against his chest as he gently starts washing your body, making sure that you aren't in any pain or discomfort. He washes your hair, doing everything you taught him from the times he wanted to learn how to help you with your natural hair. After you’re both all clean, he dries you off and puts you in a matching pajama set you both share. Armin lays you in bed gently as he gets ready himself to lay in bed with you.

Though the whole process is done without many words except the reassurance and praise from Armin every now and again, you both express your love through actions. As soon as Armin climbs in bed behind you, he asks if you’re okay when he wraps his arms around you with love and protection. You nod lazily as you slowly let sleep take you over knowing that you could always trust your boyfriend with everything.

#kinktober 2022 #attack on titan #armin smut #armin alert #armin x y/n #armin x black reader #black reader

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mayakrish08 · 4 months

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Percy Jackson And The Olympians: The Series

Alright fellas, buckle up for the rant. I can’t believe it’s week 4 already and that we are 5 episodes in. I’m gonna start with the current episode. The story is slowly picking up pace, and BOY I loved this episode. The fact that this episode has the FIRST HUG and the FIRST SEAWEED BRAIN are good reasons for that. Another being the way Annabeth dealt with the situation, and how she admitted that Percy was better than her. It must have taken a lot. It’s been… what, a couple of days, and that guy is tilting her world from its axis. Being a self righteous daughter of Athena, and finding yourself with an impulsive guy like Percy? Ha. The most unlikeliest pair, but let’s not forget their parents, hmm? At least their kids don’t have the emotional range of a teaspoon. And I remember thinking that Percy has made Annabeth cry in a matter of few hours. ANNABETH and CRYING do no go in the same sentence that easily. I also remember thinking that Percy was sooo… Percy! “Where is our ride?” And “You think you know me, but you don’t” and ohh, the ultimate, “It’s… smelly.”

Ares was a douche, but I loved his aesthetic with the black leather jacket and the motorcycle. Felt like he jumped right outta the book.

But but, can we like talk about Grover? Ma Man SLAYED it! IS SLAYING IT actually! The way he dealt with Ares, holy gods!! RESPECT!! He was such a SMOOOOTH CRIMINAL! “Pottu vangardhu,” we say in Tamil. That’s exactly what he did with Ares - getting the information he needed from Ares, but in a way that satisfied Ares’ ego. Ah Grover is such a badass. “So, thank you for the emotional abuse and the cheeseburgers. We will take you up on the ride too.” DAAAAMMNNN DUUUDDEEEE!! Ah I feel in love with him right from the consensus song. {Muttering “Oh Golly, the road’s gettin’ bumpy}

Speaking of, that episode was really good too! I loved how Grover kept deflecting every question, how Percy kept questioning the hierarchy, and how Annabeth was constantly rolling her eyes at Percy, BUT they still didn’t give up on each other, and Grover snapped, and hey! They are finally bordering on the friend zone.

Ah, I wish current Percy and Annabeth could revisit their initial years. Or, I keep thinking, how would House of Hades be, with this cast? *Snort* Ironically, when I think about that, it feels like we are JUST five episodes in. It also makes me feel awed because… We may as well be watching these kids grow up! Like, sure, there will be PLENTY of new characters (Personally, after seeing Hephaestus, I can’t wait for Leo), but Percy and Annabeth are going to be constants, even more so than Grover! So, that means, we will be watching Leah and Walker grow, and we will have a chance of coming back to the first few episodes and coo at how small they are. Gosh, watching the cast interviews now makes me see the difference already!

There is one thing with this series: I keep forgetting the book! It feels like that, certainly! I mean, I don’t remember the Golden Throne thingy, nor did I remember the way Medusa was killed! While the scenes fit the series’ storyline, it is making me doubt my demigod-ness 😭 I also think Gabe is too… decent in this series. He is… MUCH worse in my head. Ugh.

All in all, I think they are doing a good job. At first, I was a bit skeptical, but after watching a certain review of a certain YTber I follow, my perspective changed for the better. Like, she is the perfect Demigod and Witch! Finally, someone I can totally relate to!! Check out her content!

youtube

Alright, I am gonna wrap up the rant for now. But I am planning on posting a review every Wednesday, because I NEED PEOPLE TO TALK TO ABOUT THIS DAMMIT!!

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thenomadinside · 8 months

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10 Places to Visit in Jeju Island

Seogwipo, South Jeju

라바르 lavarr This was probably my favorite out of all the cafes I visited in Jeju Island. The space is split up into three separate floors and concepts: The first floor is where the cafe with a pretty cool interior that looks as if it used to be a bathroom but converted it an art installation. The second floor is a dedicated exhibition space that showcased some paintings by a local artist. Lastly, the third floor is a working space for those that want to bring their laptops and get some work done.

Everything in this building seemed very carefully curated. I also liked that they are environmentally conscious and serve using aesthetic trays and cups that are made out of recycled coffee grinds. This cafe definitely feels more like somewhere you’d find in a more upscale neighborhood in Seoul but overall I liked how they curated the space.

Indigoterie I discovered this place in passing and somehow ended up staying a whole day here. This space is a unique combination of being a vintage artisan goods store that sells a range of clothing and objects, a cafe and also an art workshop classroom. On Wednesdays, Thursdays and occasionally on the weekends, the owner closes his shop to host a workshop that is centralized on excavating found objects by the Seogwipo shore, formulating a unique design and silkscreening it onto your shirt of choice. Definitely was a fun experience if you are looking for something a bit more tactile and hands on.

서귀포옷가게 Personality This brand is completely local to Jeju and the clothing style definitely hoists a lot of personality. I came across this place randomly on Naver Maps and thought it was worth a visit. It’s unfortunate that when I visited this store, they didn’t have a lot of sizes or colors in stock. I think I visited a day or two before they launched their next line of clothes which might explain the lack of supply. Oh well, will probably have to visit again in the future!

West Jeju

Anthracite Coffee This cafe is located in the west coast of Jeju Island so it’s a bit out of the way from both Jeju city or Seogwipo. The interior is definitely moody and has an industrial theme as the space used to be an old starch factory. It’s perfect for some coffee and conversation, but probably not as much for working. I tried both their iced latte and milk ice cream and thought both were delicious. If you have some additional time, I thought Hanlim was kind of a cute town/village to explore.

Camellia Hill I recommend coming to Camellia Hill on a gorgeous sunny day, as I think it makes strolling through the gardens a much more enlightening experience. I unfortunately wasn’t blessed with the best weather when we arrived as it started raining. I was most impressed with the gardens cape that had the pink muhly, as even on a rainy day, it was really breathtaking.

Osulloc Tea Museum Okay, this is probably the most popular spot that people come to visit when in Jeju, but I felt it was slightly a bit overrated. Or to more explicit, I think I just expected more things to do here. There is not much to “do” or really “see” but if you are looking for a casual afternoon to relax and drink Osulloc (renowned brand in Korea) tea and eat sweets, definitely come for a visit. They also sell a handful of Innisfree products, so you can also come to buy skincare products.

Arte Museum Out of all the interactive art museums I visited during my time in Jeju, this one was probably the most “impressive” and experiential. It’s similar to Tokyo Borderless where it integrates both visual imagery, performance and fragrance to create uniquely themed experiences.

East Jeju

고흐의정원 Van Gogh’s Garden This interactive museum utilizes AR (augmented reality) to create multi-dimensional exhibitions of the different eras of Van Gogh’s paintings. This wasn’t my favorite exhibition but could be worth a visit if you have nothing better to do.

Snoopy Garden This was my favorite place that I visited in Jeju and yes I’m biased because I love Snoopy since he’s my spirit animal. Snoopy Garden felt like a comic book adventure park that is broken down into the very many different personas and eras of Snoopy. I definitely felt like a kid revisiting his childhood after walking through the entire garden, and I’m here for it! In addition, they also have a souvenir store that sells many Snoopy-branded products, a cafe/restaurant on the second floor, and even an ice cream truck!

Jeju Folk Village I was pre-hyped at the idea of coming to this village because Dae Jang Geum (Jewel in the Palace) was the first k-drama I ever ever watched growing up. I was so inspired by the dishes that the court ladies made for the king and it definitely spurred an interest to learn how to cook korean dishes. The folk village is what you’d expect: very historical and you can learn about the types of “huts” they people lived in depending on their social status and class. Overall, a decent experience but I probably wouldn’t go back. That being said, the best meal I’ve had was the main restaurant located in the folk village, so highly highly recommend you eat there if you do end up going here.

#jejuisland #southkorea #濟州島 #韓國

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percabethfeelsfandom · 3 years

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How I’d rate the Gods/Goddesses(riordanverse)

This is my rating based off the way Rick Riordan portrayed them in the Riordanverse. The traditional myths have been taken into account but do not make up my entire opinion.

Hestia:

10/10 would give my life for this goddess. In all aspects of the word, this goddess is a goddess. I want a novella of her watching over the hearth and watching out for her family and the heroes. I imagine her being a very comforting presence and warm like a hug, and maybe this is me projecting my mummy issues but I just want her to hug me.

Dionysus:

A solid 7.35/10 for Mr D. Naturally he was a bit annoying, but we were never under the pretence that he he was meant to be anything more than what he provided and I respect that. Him caring about his kids at camp, and staying relatively loyal to his wife is always a plus. And I like his relatively humble beginnings being a hero and becoming a god and then not causing that much trouble in the series. Unlike some other pieces of shit.

Hermes:

4/10. Mans had no right blaming Luke’s thirst for mass genocide on 16 year old Annabeth. Not cool man. Not cool. He gets the points he got because he did genuinely care about Maia, and Luke, but he lost the rest of them by having a blatant favourite (who literally caused so much destruction). However I do still like his line about family in sea of monsters and never giving up on them. Nice meaning. But he was still a shitty father and only intervened out of self interest most of the time.

Aphrodite:

2/10. I hate how low I have to rank her. But my god did Rick do her dirty in his depiction. Just the misogyny, the lack of depth, and the untouched potential she has as a character, as a goddess, THE OLDEST GOD/GODDESS and Rick really made her throw rose petals around the battle fields on one of (what was meant to be) the biggest fights of the riordanverse. Absolute robbery. If I’m not mistaken as well, she was a huge contributor to the issues and obstacles percabeth went through and we do not Stan. HOWEVER, I love her as a goddess normally, and what she could represent if she’s written properly.

Hephaestus:

8/10. I have no qualms with this man. I too prefer the company of inanimate objects to people and get stressed about social interaction. And I too have mummy issues. So me and Hephaestus are on the same page. Let this man tinker away in his little bunker. He never went out of his way to make things harder for demigods, and was helpful when they came to him for help which I can also respect. (Point deduction because it was on his land that Bianca died…if I’m not mistaken).

Ares:

-12/10. This man was introduced as a bully, and gives off the vibes of every phobic, known to humanity. I do not vibe. I do not agree. I do not stan. ALSO his motorbike seat is apparently made from "Caucasian human skin”!!!!!!???? We as children never questioned this? We just went sure aight move on?! Please this man has the biggest small dick energy if I ever saw it and I despite him so much. Mans was also never helpful. Ever. I don’t think. I think Mars was better than him though so I’ll give him that.

Artemis:

9.99/10 all hail queen of the lesbians. Mad respect to this woman. In what she stands for, who she protects and in her actions. She’s what I embody when I stand up for myself in fights and when I speak to have my voice heard. I like Rick’s depiction of her and I love seeing her and her hunters pop up in his books. Would love a couple books on the hunters and their adventures. Also I love archery. And I’m biased to the moon because I love the night so she gets extra points for all of that too.

Apollo:

Prior to Trials of Apollo 7/10, after TOA 9.90/10. Yes it’s a big jump but my god did Lester grow on me. Prior to TOA he was pretty average. He was funny, always provided a good laugh to the plot and was always helping the demigods which I loved. But I know he’s an asshole full of himself so I can’t give him any higher than that until he had some character development, which we got in TOA (specifically after Burning Maze). And I really like who he is now and the type of character Rick shaped him out to be. In the myths he’s a big creep, and I still stand by that idea, hence why he doesn’t get a full 10.

Athena:

3.5/10…ughhh I hate to say this. But part of it is the same reasoning I gave about Aphrodite. I just have so many issues with the way she’s portrayed and it’s not accurate to what I believe in my heart she should represent. And as a child of Athena, I feel like Rick then did her entire legacy dirty. She has her moments, but since I can’t even fully recall one right now, it just proves my point. As a goddess as a whole though, what she represents is everything I aspire to be in life. She’s my entire aesthetic of hard work, creativity, and strength and grit, without taking away of being a powerful female. Zeus’ lead strategist like shit, Rick could have done so much. But he did not. And I am thus sad about it.

Demeter:

6/10. I have no issues with Demeter. Kinda boring. I think that’s what most of the fandom thinks as well. She just didn’t get enough screen time or development. I have no attachment to her. I think the powers that she has, and has passed on to her kids is cool though so there’s that. But in the series as well she doesn’t do much. She also (initially) doesn’t fight in the battle of Manhattan so maybe I’m slightly bitter there. But yeah, i’m indifferent.

Hades:

8.99/10 Okay so hear me out I know this man gets so much bad rep in the myths and that’s part of why he doesn’t get a full 9. But I really really love the way he’s depicted in the riordanverse, especially with his entire arc with his kids/specially with Nico. Like literally one of my favourite quotes In the entire series is “my children are so rarely happy, I would like to see you be the exception.” Out of the gods listed here (and excluding Dionysus), he acts like a genuine parent to his kids and tries. And like there’s issues, sure, but he works on them. And since so much of the first series is about how the gods are neglectful, seeing him change and seeing him fight for Nico is my everything.

Poseidon:

7.1/10. Honestly this feels too high considering mans was nearly If not just as bad as Zeus in keeping it in his dam pants. His points come from treating Sally like the queen she is, and trying with Percy (albeit too little too late but I can see the minimal effort). That being said, he’s really shitty in the myths so I can’t really give him anything higher than this. He’s barely a dad, and sees Percy more as an ally than an actual son or human being that needs attention. I like him more in Fanon and the way that I write him lmao because I humanise him. But I won’t lie he’s dilf material, and I still like rick’s depiction of him.

Hera:

3/10 I’m surprising myself with this rating because tbh I might even push her to 4.5 just because she’s so consistent in her own goals and agenda, and that perseverance is very admirable even if it was at the cost of some of my favourite characters. She was very much two faced though and fucked around stuff that she should have stayed out of. Her hatred for literal children though is a bit problematic. I have no attachment to her but I admire how much she just wants a family. However she just really needs to assess how she approaches that since it’s a bit messed up.

Zeus:

-5/10 I really don’t Zeus, his character, him in the myths, everything about him. He gives off the vibes of a man who abuses the power that he was given. And I don’t like that. It makes me uncomfortable and I don’t like him at all. His treatment of his children, of the demigods, and the way he governs Olympus. Not a fan. I could rule Olympus better and I’m a mentally unstable, serotonin deficient 20 year old with a hyper fixation on greek mythology and Minecraft. However despite not liking his character, I think Rick does a great job at depicting him accurately to how he was in the myths.

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pepsicup · 3 years

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Problems Of A Spaceman

Chris Beck x Stripper!Reader 6.4k words

Summary: Chris attempts to gain some confidence back after his fiancée leaves him, though, the journey is different than he thought it would be... (smut, mentions of cheating, self-deprecation, exotic dancing, space kink because duh, dope fucking music choice if I do say so myself)

Author note: yes I did write this four years ago, this is an updated version since I recently found it after deleting my other blog, enjoy.

2037

It shouldn’t even be a thing. Chris didn’t get nervous, this was something new for him. After thirteen years of education, five standard spacewalks and a back-to-back trip to the newly colonized neighbouring red planet, nothing should phase him anymore – but that was space. There were things significantly more nerve-wracking than his current situation; perhaps he was better at being an astronaut than fulfilling his social and romantic life.

While taking all the prerequisites required for NASA and in medical school, he didn’t have time for fraternizing with anyone, most people in the medical field experience that. It was a miracle that he could even keep the attention of his ex-fiancée during the mission to Mars since he didn’t exactly know how to flirt. No matter how intelligent he was, all of that did nothing to help him in his personal life and everything that came with it.

Furthermore, the sexual aspect was a problem for him, too.

He’s never had an opportunity to explore himself with another person, of course, he’s had plenty of sex but, it was nothing more than the standard modus operandi. Beth was hard to navigate, she was disengaged and blatantly selfish, eventually blaming him for her unfaithful tendencies and lack of interest when he was the only one making an effort. It ended as it began, a complete circumstantial shitshow and because of that, he is on a mission to gain self-confidence back.

Since she kicked him out, he’s been sleeping in the spare room of his good friends’ house for the last couple of months while his new apartment is being renovated. Mark Watney was a single man who knew what that position felt like, and who also knew the beginnings of a solution. The ability to pay women for their undivided attention did wonders for a man’s ego, especially at an exclusive gentlemen’s club rather than a regular strip joint. It is more of a candid transaction that was valued at both ends.

And it is very exclusive. It required a reservation to save a slot since it was so well-known and a general, but hefty, fee at the door as insurance.

He made it sound like the easiest thing in the world, but on the other hand, Chris was so fucking anxious to go that he could vividly feel his blood pumping in overdrive. He’s never, ever attended a place like that before. But as he looked up at the classy, luminescent sign of the building that lit up the dark parking lot, he started to wonder what exactly he’s getting himself into. Just as long as he isn’t awkward, maybe everything will be okay.

Don’t be weird, don’t fuck it up. Simple.

He repeated those words in his head as he was looked over by the heavy before being let in and did everything the lady at the front desk told him to. After that, it was time to be escorted through the big fancy door.

The initial shock passed through him quickly, the smell of perfume, cigars and liquor weren’t as bad as he thought it was going to be. But once he rounded the corner into the main lounge the nerves were back. The wild colours in the dusky lighting gave the atmosphere an alluring feel as he bared witness to scarcely clothed women dancing on stage, at tables with other men and walking around the floor.

He adjusted his ball cap to sit lower on his face and scanned the room for a free seat, suddenly feeling a little overwhelmed and needing to sit down before he either collapsed or backed out entirely. Chris Beck was not good at this.

Could he perform surgery after surgery for 16 hours straight? Yes.

Can he proudly say that he is an award-winning astronaut that helped shape the future of space science? Fuck yeah, he can.

Can he say that he can bed anyone he wants and walk around like he owns the place? No, no he cannot.

The spaceman sat in a vacant booth near the left side of the stage, tucked away in a dark corner to observe as he planned. Yeah, he was good at observing. Watney reassured him before he left, stating that he did specialize in human anatomy and he should do what he does best...observe, evaluate and execute, which helped a bit. A doctor’s point of view was his only saving grace right now, he’d stick to that comfortable method for as long as he can.

Observe.

He found himself zoning in on different interactions that played out as time ticked by. Many lovely women took their turn on stage, very healthy and some men had been taken behind curtains and even thrown out for inappropriate behaviour. He made of a note of that in the back of his mind if there ever came a time. No touching.

He didn’t know how much time had passed since he arrived. There were a few nice girls who came over to talk to him, but he declined any offers they threw his way respectfully and chose to remain where he was instead. Although, just when he thought about turning in for the night, the lights suddenly dimmed until it was almost pitch-black. So dark that he couldn’t even see his hand.

The emcee bordered more background music that rattled his chest through the speakers above the circle booth, it increased slowly and he assumed it was building up to another track. The crowd of regulars and new attendees alike cheered loudly at the change of pace, Chris perked up and clapped along with them even though he had no clue as to what.

“Ladies, gentlemen and every-damn-one in between, we have a special treat for you tonight.” the man announced heartily.

He continued as the music came to a peak, then dissipated as he spoke the moniker of the next dancer, “Your house favourite has decided to give you a dance that I think is out of this world...please welcome to the stage, Ares”

The patrons went wild as Chris, on the other hand, went rigid – almost choking on his drink.

As the projected images of deep space filled the room in a flash, a dancer was now on stage walking around in something simple, yet sexy. No one could get enough of her or the choreography, staying for her performances that always seemed to have a different aesthetical essence every time she made an appearance.

The modest man couldn’t stop looking at her, she was the main focus of the room – but for him, the significance was completely different from the others. What were the chances that one of his biggest passions in life could be used as an exotic dance theme, materialized right in front of his eyes?

But when the music started...that’s when things even more interesting.

The song wasn’t one he anticipated, he assumed it would be the same club music that made his eardrums shudder, but this slow beat only made his senses buzz, and not just from the vibrations. He enjoyed the older music his commander played after years of listening to it. So, when he detected the beginning of this underrated 1972 classic by Harry Nilsson, this stripper had his full attention.

Bang, bang, shoot em’ up, destiny Bang, bang, shoot em’ up to the moon Bang, bang, shoot em’ up one, two, three (One, two, three, four)

The woman circled the pole as the song started to wind up, making little gestures to the regulars and letting the music guide her. She hit every deep strum of the guitar by waving her hips from side to side delicately, still holding on to the shiny metal planted at her side.

As the artist started to sing the corresponding words, she spun around the pole. The lights caught the small crystals on her one-piece and somehow, scattered like the night sky on her bare skin. Her hips moved sinfully as her body followed the fluid movements like Saturn’s rings, circulating with the natural orbit of the planet. Or pole in this case.

I wanted to be a spaceman That’s what I wanted to be But now that I am a spaceman Nobody cares about me

Next, with every distinct beat, she put her back to the pole, slid down and arose in one fell swoop. She twirled once, flipping her hair behind her head and rolling her lower body ‘round and around and around and around as the words called out above the hollering. The attention was now drawn to her lower body.

Highlighting her assets as dancers called it.

Hey Mother Earth, won’t ‘cha bring me back down Safely to the sea But ‘round and around and around and around Is all she ever say to me

She melted down on all fours to crawl across the platform, doing the next progressions effortlessly. She laid on her back, arching her body like a tidal wave entranced by the moon, rolling onto her stomach, and using her knees to sweep her torso across the floor until she was up in a kneeling position again.

The way she created a giant slip from her ass to her shoulders gave the perfect view of her behind to the men and women on the left side of the stage, money cascading across her body. It was quick yet elegant.

I wanted to make a good run I wanted to go to the moon I knew that it had to be fun I told ‘em to send me real soon I wanted to be a spaceman That’s what I wanted to be But now that I am a spaceman Nobody cares about me

She repeated similar moves to the first chorus but on her knees this time, feeling up her own body, wiggling her assets playfully at whoever she wanted – connecting with the audience. Chris was captivated by the way she carried her body like that, the slightly distorted music gave a sexy edge to her routine that caused his cock to throb in his jeans.

In his big doctor brain, he was trying to figure out how someone could be so graceful. Even if he felt ashamed of viewing her so strenuously, he justified it by observing her anatomy like the surgeon he was.

She didn’t wear high heels, opting to be barefoot, and the only extravagant makeup she wore was something that made her body sparkle. Her simple lingerie wasn’t something that stole the show, she just came as herself. The differences help him tell a lot about who she was, the little details sending signals to his genius mind.

Hey Mother Earth, won’t 'cha bring me back down Safely to the sea Around and around and around and around Is just a lot of lunacy (yeah, yeah)

The break in the lyrics gave a sense of anticipation, the echo prepared everyone for the next verse as the song swerved in and out of a muffled tone. Then, she was watching him.

Chris abruptly looked away as the mood changed, his breath hitching as he erratically glanced around before settling on her again. She appeared to be showing off for him now with a smile on her lips. He swallowed thickly as his mouth began to water and dry out at the same time, exchanging aggressive eye contact with the woman that had his undivided attention.

The music got lost in the background noise as they disappeared into their own world, his heart pulsed in his ear and his breath shallowed as everything around them was lost. It was like the earth had stopped spinning, the gravity giving out so the spaceman could feel weightless. There were faint pictures of the cosmos floating across his flushed skin, revealing his lip clamped between his impressively white teeth.

'Round and around and around and around and around (So bring me back down) 'Round and around and around and around and around Safe on the ground

He wasn’t trying to be sensual, Chris chewed his bottom lip when he was either content, uneasy or nervous. And nervous he was. Those eyes said innocence but the rest of him screamed sex fiend who could pound her into another universe if provoked, it definitely piqued her interest.

She never had the pleasure of seeing a person in tune with her like that before, it was refreshing. He looked like he was genuinely enjoying the way her body made him react but on a more personal level, something difficult to accomplish from 15 feet away.

Hey Mother Earth, better bring me back down Safely to the sea But around and around and around and around Is all she ever say to me, yeah

She had to be the one to break the intense eyefuck that was taking place, on both ends, in the middle of her set. Chris sensed the music drift back in, the planet rotating once more and coming back to himself after his mind floated away into endless space amongst many stars filling the void. As the song came to a close, she followed the rest of her routine with similar moves, collecting herself after a mere moment.

Everything was simply...simple.

But there was still so much of the unknown that came with the woman she was, remaining understated in this line of work and feeding a lot of emotion into her life passion. He could feel it.

That is the exact reason why she was a house favourite.

You know, I wanted to be a spaceman That’s what I wanted to be But now that I am a spaceman Nobody cares about me Say hey, you Mother Earth, you better bring me back down I’ve taken just as much as I can But around and around and around and around Is the problem of a spaceman

Evaluate.

That spaceman had a problem alright.

She just took him on a fucking cosmic ride that will be burned into his mind for the foreseeable future. His pants were now painfully tight, pressing his cock close to his body so that every time he moved his tip would be stimulated by his silky briefs. He was being forced to evaluate his current predicament.

He thought about the next step as the projections faded from the room and her along with them, completely vanished by the time the lights dimmed down and back up again.

Chris originally wanted to stay for a while longer to watch some more, not pushing himself to do more than he was prepared for; progress takes time and it depends on the person. He evaluated the options in front of him, either pursue the course that led him to the woman who just blew his mind or, stick with what he had been doing for the past five months – fucking his hand while he rested alone in his bed.

Eventually, after he gave into the disconcerted feeling picking him apart, he went with the familiar option and kept his head down in disappointment at his lack of confidence, sliding out of the booth. He just wanted to go home at this point, maybe he would try again another day. He nearly reached the exit when a security guard abruptly stopped him from leaving, he thought he did something wrong at first but as it turns out, that was far from what was the case.

“No, you didn’t do anything—you’re being requested by a dancer” the large man chuckled.

Chris looked up at the man that towered over him, questioning the authenticity of the claim. He clapped him on the shoulder.

“If I were you, man...I would take the dance. She rarely takes requests but offering...one in a million”

The security guard walked him into the back where the exclusive rooms were and into one with a large circular seat, gentle lighting and parlour cabinet full of assorted items. It wasn’t a suffocating space, but he felt like he was running out of oxygen

“Enjoy the show, man” with that final word, he left Chris alone in the room.

Once the door clicked, he rushed to rub his sweaty palms on his dark jeans and took a shaky breath as he sat down, pulling on the neckband of his sweater. In the meantime, he worked on not being so high strung, the door being behind him didn’t help as he waited for her to come. While the anticipation slowly drove him nuts, he ran the three steps Watney reminded him of in his cloudy mind.

Observe, evaluate and...execute.

Execute.

He was startled at the hands sneaking around his shoulders and lightly down his chest, making him jump in a bit in the big velvet chair. He was too deep in his thoughts to hear the door open behind him or her walking in on his stiff back facing her. Chris heard her soft chuckle behind him and felt the warm air caress his sensitive neck.

“Easy loverboy” Ares cooed in a low voice.

If it wasn’t before, his heart was racing at lightspeed now. She had such a strong effect on him.

“...you’re very tense. Did you know that?” she whispered behind his ear.

He shivered at the feeling and slowly nodded, not trusting his stupid mouth to not say something awkward.

She chuckled again, “You have the prettiest blue eyes...even from a distance”

The woman walked around his seated boy, keeping her hands on him but moving them with her until she was faced with the mystery man from the darkest corner in the lounge. He wasn’t looking at her, but around her, and trying to find somewhere to rest his relentless gaze. It was all in vain though, she trailed her finger along his jaw and under his chin, forcing his eyes to hers.

“Hmm, there they are—better up close” she bit her lip softly.

He looks so timid, with his big beady eyes and those perfectly pouted lips working in the evilest ways. Chris blushed at the compliment, feeling better about himself already.

Watney might actually be right about this whole excursion after all.

“I—uh, thank you” he murmured.

Chris cursed himself for already stuttering like a dumbass.

In his defence, she was touching him ever-so-gently and how can he not trip up his words with her looking like a holy goddess. Ironic, given the circumstance. And now, he couldn’t look away.

Especially since her hands travelled upwards to pull his NASA ball cap off, then leaning forward while maintaining that close proximity as she unzipped his sweater, helping him pull it off.

“We don’t need those” Ares whispered, tossing the garments on the floor.

But there was always some teasing before the actual contact.

As she put distance between their bodies, he was resting almost slack in the chair – legs parted, arms limp at his side and in his lap as soft music began to play. The apple of throat bobbed in his tight throat as she began moving slowly in front of him, full of grace and precision. She was like a supernova, its effortlessly soft edges melting into the black of space as her skin did with her bodysuit. The fact that he was the only one seeing it made the experience that much sweeter, all those feelings coming back from earlier.

He was also able to recognize that she was wearing subtle glitter and rhinestones that temporarily fused to her skin, causing the shine and sparkle of her body on stage.

Once she gave him time to get comfortable, she spread his legs apart and hovered her back over his chest, grinding her ass into his lap. The shampoo and light perfume made his sex twitch as he inhaled it in, trying his best not to give in and touch. He kept his hands on the edges of the chair, his fingers digging into it painfully – he remembered what happened to the other guys, how they got thrown out. Chris just wants to watch, that’s good enough for him.

No touching.

Ares leaned forward slightly, arching her back and hitting his private areas in all the right places, gradually making him break out into a small sweat. The woman rubbed her ass on his lap expertly and before he knew it, she pressed herself against him to lay her head on his shoulder.

“I hope you know, the way you looked at me...you really know how to get a girl hot and bothered.”

Of course, he blushed again. His face was burning like the sun at this point.

“I...I was just enjoying it—you are very talented” Chris laughed nervously.

He turned his face slightly, absentmindedly following the heat of her skin until he was fanning her neck, so close...but never touching. He was so, sooo close, but felt so far.

She stood up without warning and slowly turned around, pushing him back into the back of the chair more and watching as he widened eyes dilated further at her forwardness. He’d clearly never had a lap dance so he probably didn’t know about what happened during one. She set her legs on either side of his thighs, effectively straddling him to get on with the real deal. She smoothed her arms around his neck and left them to hang lazily off the back of the chair, never breaking eye contact the entire time.

“That’s very sweet, I can feel how excited you are...”

As she began to move, their heads fell back simultaneously from the direct friction. Ares righted her head after a second and pressed into his personal space, their noses touching every time she moved up his lower body and back down again. She circled her hips a couple of times and breathed out a sigh, it was nice not giving lap dances to the clingy regulars and giving a man like this her talented movements and motions instead. It was different this time around, the atmosphere was weirdly intimate – he just gave off that energy.

“Very excited...” Ares added.

Chris shuttered as she rested her entire body weight on his clothed erection at the sentence, now realizing how difficult it was not to touch. Though she picked up on his hesitation and demeanour instantaneously. She stroked all over his arms, chest and stomach for the first time, feeling how cut the guy really was, there were endless muscles. Very practical.

He gave her a shy smile, “It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this way—to, uh...to have my body behave this way, I mean”

“Ah, I’m turning you on?...” she asked, leaning in.

Chris didn’t know what to say to that, he’s never been good in these situations and more often than not resorted to the only thing he knows everything about. He’s starting to lose his cool and what happens when he loses his cool?

Well, he is not very smooth.

“I, um...it’s the body sending signals the corresponding part of the brain...neurons fire commands and simulate the, uh...ohh,” a moan cut off his rambling.

He could feel himself getting closer to his release, something he didn’t want but also desperately wanted at the same time. He was already on edge when he was in the booth, his brain constantly stimulating his sex to the point where his boner couldn’t go away. The way it was being dragged across his pants made him groan even more.

She giggled, “Has anyone told you that you’re a dork when you’re nervous?”

Chris shook his head, closing his eyes to try and fight off his orgasm until the lap dance was over. He had to swallow most of the breaths that became more and more erratic with every sway of her hips.

The way his skin flushed a dark pink and his breathing picked up confirmed she was doing a good job, but the only thing that threw Ares off was the fact that he was shaking violently, a straining vein on his neck making an impression in his flesh. She was unknowingly pumping his shaft along with his jeans, practically coaxing his seed to just burst out of him.

Chris felt his balls go stiff, cock pulse and tighten right before he lost control. The thing that pushed him to his limit was his balls compressing between his legs when she quickly swivelled her hips. He gripped the arms of the chair and thrust his hips upward, letting out a long mewl and finally giving up on holding back as pleasure took over his ability to think properly. Ares stopped moving while he continued riding out his orgasm that felt too goddamn good, cum seeping out of his boxers and down his thigh.

Once he found a way to maneuver himself back to Earth, he went completely limp in the chair as if he just ran a triathlon when the reality of what just happened hit him. That just happened, he hasn’t cum in his pants since his first year of university, and didn’t have a clue of what to do about it.

Why didn’t he just stay home? He could have avoided this if he just isolated himself in his room like he usually did.

“Huh...that’s never happened to me before,” she said in a tone he couldn’t quite decipher.

He glanced away after opening his eyes, still in a daze, “I...um”

For a moment he thought he made her uncomfortable and was getting ready to apologize, possibly leave if she wanted him to. But instead, he tilted his head as the embarrassment on his face was replaced by confusion at her smirk and gentle eyes. She dragged her ass across him once, making him hiss at the sensitivity of his half-hard cock still dripping with arousal.

Usually, she didn’t allow excessive touching and avoided any kind of sexual encounters at work, it wasn’t her thing – but there was something about this one that told her he should be pleased. To be honest, he wasn’t some run-of-the-mill scumbag or pompous prick like the usual attendees are, she’s starting to see he’s a plain, genuine guy. That’s why it took him by surprise when she leaned down and pressed a long kiss on the crease of his throat, sucking on it periodically.

“...I thought there was no, mhmm, touching” Chris stammered.

Ares held on to the baby hairs at the back of his neck, then ran his soft hair through her fingers as she kissed her way across his face. Their lips brush together as she spoke.

“Shhhh, let me take care of you...and this” she moved on him again, a mischievous gleam in her eye.

Chris whimpered out a noise of surprise when she finally connected both their lips together, she sucked his bottom one between hers and nipped at it tenderly. She grabbed his hands, placing them on her to encourage him to feel her, to touch her body. He was hesitant with his movements, still diffident even when she slithered her tongue into his soft mouth, twirling and caressing his.

When they disconnected he panted heavily in the shared space, she hummed at his expression, desire. After she climbed off his lap and kneeled in front of him as her hands began to unbuckle his belt and tug at his zipper.

“Okay, this is happening? Right now?...oh” Chris breathed out.

Everything was happening so fast, he didn’t have time to think about the repercussions of his irresponsible, but tempting actions. His voice of reason was screaming its concern and he couldn’t help but listen to it as he sat there, immobilized while she worked his pants, then cum-soaked briefs down his legs.

“You really don’t have t—” he groaned throatily as she pumped his shaft.

It was always the dorky guys who have the nicest and fullest cocks she had ever seen without fail – he was no different in that department, a decent length, thickness and fit for her. Ares stroked him until he was fully solid again, admiring the way he turned his hips up at the feeling of her hand around him – at least, if they stopped now, he’d have a good visual to fuel his lewd imagination late at night.

She quirked a wholesome smile, “We need to clean you up before things get too heated”

Chris would have mentally retracted the concept of using her as ammunition for his masturbation thoughts, but he was too busy with his eyes rolling back at the most damning sight in the universe. She began to lick the cum from where it was on his body, on his cock, all over his thigh and what remained on her fingers; swallowing everything before working him over with her mouth.

“Jesus Christ...” he growled, reeling in an abrupt lust. He held the back of her head as she sucked him off, “it’ll be over very soon if you don’t get up here”

Even taken aback by his tone, she grinned and gestured at him stand up along with her, encouraging him to pull the bodysuit straps down. Chris kissed along her collarbone faintly, tugging the lingerie down to expose her breasts and gleaming heat to his eyes. He kissed her neck as best he could, not knowing if he was making her feel good in the least but still giving it his best shot.

“God, you are beautiful...”

Luckily, she moaned at his rumbling words on her skin, relaxing him a little bit.

This was crunch time, they need to do it now. Ares rushed to pull his white t-shirt off, appreciating his abs, pecs and biceps as she pushed him back down on the chair forcefully – he looked like a complete stud but had the sweetest personality ever. She giggled as he squirmed out of his pants and kicked off his shoes so he could be fully naked like her, climbing on him again as he did so.

Chris didn’t want anything binding him while this happened.

“Do you have a condom?” she mumbled against his lips, kissing him again.

He made an affirming noise, gesturing for her to pick up his pants where his wallet held one in a hidden pocket. He quickly fumbled the leather out and tossed it with his pants to the ground, barely getting the condom out before she snatched it and rolled it down the length of him. She propped herself on her knees, coating him in her growing wetness as she prepared to take him.

But, he hesitated and held her just above him.

“Are you...are you sure you want to do this—with me?” Chris asked, his eyes held a sadness that she never wanted to see from him again.

Of course, she wanted to...now more than ever.

To reassure him, she cupped his cheek with her free hand and pressed their foreheads together. The woman revelled in the way his mouth dropped open, eyes becoming hooded and a gasp hitching in the back of his throat as she sunk onto him. Looking deep into his eyes and watching the sadness dissipate into satisfaction. He grasped her waist with one arm as she began to ride him at a steady pace, his cock stretching her.

Chris groaned loudly, choking on his moans every so often when she caressed the right spot. The speed increased as he began to enthusiastically meet her thrusts, causing them to both murmur muffled whines and whimpers into each other’s mouths. One hardy smack of his thighs to her ass pierced their ears when he gave a particularly harsh snap of his body, pulling her down as he kept up with his hard thrusts into her.

“Fuck, do that again...” she shivered as he fucked her so carefully, making her needier every second.

He had his brows furrowed in concentration, focusing on pleasuring her and tried to forget the doubts he had to live in that moment. This was more than spontaneous sex for him, he was making love to someone – feeling good for once. He has never fucked someone before but, if anything, he was giving her the most carnal, admiration-fueled sex he could.

She bounced faster as he, in turn, bucked into her harder. She was clenching, he was throbbing...it was too much.

“God, that’s it, just like that,” he grunted, continuing to manually move her slowing hips.

“Shit, you’re gonna make me cum...” she groaned, “...please tell me you’re close”

Chris nodded fervently, keeping his eyes locked on her for as long as he could. In the final stretch, as her clenching became more prevalent, he kept one arm around her as he trailed his hand down to her clit. Just when started to rub, his fingers caught the nerves underneath and made her cry out.

“Does that feel good for you? Is it okay?” he asked politely.

Ares sobbed her ‘yes’ in a pitchy tone.

He hugged her tightly against him as everything started to unwind, leaving his pelvis to stimulate her clit. The woman clenched hard around him as she lost her vision, the way her cunt gripped made him speed up his thrusts to continue moving. Her low whine near his ear did him in, his lower body ghosted on a final thrust as he stopped completely – his heaving was muffled by the clenching of his teeth, letting himself tremble in her arms as he filled the condom with his cum.

After a while of sitting there, Chris broke the silence, “I...I think my time is up”

She laughed at his witty remark, not realizing how much that boosted his mood and tugged at his heart, or how she just single-handedly repaired his self-worth. There was no way to process it, all he knew was he felt amazing, he felt...content.

Ares stood on weak legs, climbing off him and allowing him to dispose of the condom. Chris had a dopey smile on his face as he pulled his pants back on and did the fastenings quickly, she was already back in her bodysuit by that time. He appeared to be lost in deep thought as she handed him his shirt, smirking at him – his skin flushed a soft rose when he finally noticed.

She scoffed.

“Do I really make you nervous—after that?” she retrieved his sweater and cap off the floor where they were forgotten.

Chris laughed quietly before shifting back to his serious face, smiling somewhat. She wondered why he was there in the first place when he could have women lining up; well, if he wasn’t so humble that is.

He cleared his throat, “uh...thank you for that by the way. You didn’t have to do what you did...I just” then began rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

“I’m not good at this stuff, one-time things and strippers—or, I mean exotic dancers, I didn’t mean for that to sound like th—”

To save him from himself, she curled her fingers around his shirt collar and pulled him in, kissing him thoughtfully. Chris cupped the back of her head right away and held her waist as she encompassed the modest stranger with her warmth. He chased her mouth after she broke away from his pursed lips, brows furrowing at his want to keep kissing her.

“You talk a lot, it’s sweet” she giggled at his actions.

Following that encounter, he felt like a new man. She let him make love to her, or fuck her, whichever it was. He couldn’t get over that woman, she felt authentic in his arms, unlike Beth who felt out of place and made him realize his ex was never meant for him at all.

Chris was walking away, leftover clothes in hand and messy sex hair weathered by her hands, but before he could slip behind the curtain leading back to the lounge, she called out to him. When he turned to face her, she was in a robe and leaning laxly against the wall, just as dishevelled as he was.

“For the record, I’m not good at this—” she gestured between them, “—either”

He drove home with a smile on his face and satisfaction coursing through him.

Although, he couldn’t shake the nagging feeling of having a mere fling. Not even knowing anything about her while doing something so intimate, something personal to him. He wished he would have asked her real name or her number, so he could thank her properly or even, possibly ask her out.

He had a feeling about her, the attraction was undeniable now.

Perhaps it was a god working some sort of miracle or the planet’s alignment giving him mystical energy, maybe something as simple as luck. But, as he started to get ready for bed that night, a piece of paper fell out of his jeans as he stripped to have a shower.

Curiously, he picked it up and looked it over.

xxx-xxx-xxxx Just because I knew you wouldn’t ask for it. Call me sometime. – Y/N

Maybe he would take her out.

After all, he felt as if they had this connection, even if it was unconventional from any other relationship he had before. One thing he knew for sure was he liked the sound of her name on his tongue, repeating it in front of the mirror and practicing what to say to her...thinking about her until he fell fast asleep.

The spaceman used to have problems, but now?

He has none.

#the martian #sebastian stan #chris beck #chris beck smut #chris beck x reader #chris beck x reader smut #sac writes #space daddy

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wedreamedlove · 3 years

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Xu Mo vs. Mo Yi [Character Study]

I can never get over the aesthetic of these two pictures placed side by side LOL. But, anyway, the point of this post is to nip any undue comparisons in the bud and claims of copying organize my thoughts and compare these two characters to highlight their similarities, differences, and further explore each character through these contrasts.

Q) If you like Xu Mo, would you like Mo Yi?

Honestly, I think this depends on what you like most about Xu Mo. I already knew beforehand that I gravitate towards characters who think 5 steps ahead, are predominantly logical, and scholars/gentlemen, so it’s not surprising I bias both Xu Mo and Mo Yi.

However, as I got to know Mo Yi further (Themis is around 6 months old now), I find that he’s distinctively different from Xu Mo on three crucial points that’ll determine whether people from either camp will like the other character.

1) Stance on Others

In a post for Xu Mo, “Into Your World”, I argued that Xu Mo is an alienated genius who had troubles getting along with others, until he mastered the social game as an adult. However, you can still see glimpses of this as he tries to understand MC’s world and shares his own.

To be fair, Mo Yi’s past is still under wraps but I feel confident in saying that, while he was probably highly intelligent compared to his peers [SR Sculpted Heart], his isolation doesn’t seem to come from his innate nature but rather his social position (there’s heavy implications that he’s like some sort of noble or something) [SR Snowy Pine Fairytale].

IMO, these backgrounds really shaped the way these two men interact with the world.

Xu Mo has a detached and indifferent view towards other people. They simply exist and don’t bring anything positive or negative to him. His ambition to ensure the survival of humanity reflects this too because it’s pure utilitarianism; everyone (apart from MC) can be sacrificed equally for the greater good. If anything, he probably finds other people to be interesting subjects to study, no matter what kind of person they are. IIRC the only time he expressed dislike to people, or a group of people, was when he told Hades he enjoyed killing thieves LOL.

Meanwhile, Mo Yi has an elitist streak to the point where he and his MC actually clashed opinions and debated each other [SR Warm Fingertips]. It’s incredibly ironic because he’s a psychiatrist who treats his patients without judgment, but at the same time he looks down on so many things and people (PUAs, people who betray love, hypocrites who only seek power and fame) [Ch2; Personal Story Ch1-3; SSR Moonlit Ball].

One of the things I noticed early on is that Xu Mo draws from the Eastern scholar archetype, “Xu Mo Character Study”, while Mo Yi actually draws more from the Western gentleman archetype.

So, just to summarize this section, Xu Mo is detached from the world naturally and likes to observe people and try to blend in. Mo Yi deliberately draws a line between him and others and, at times, has the casual cruelty of someone born as nobility (arrogance is carved into his bones, even if he tends to keep it low-key because he generally has a “gentle and polite” attitude).

2) Stance on Love

Xu Mo didn’t understand love, or really even emotions. Love is grown between him and his MC (there’s multiple analogies throughout the game about how their love is like a seed). I think [Ch25] pretty much sums it up for Xu Mo, where he goes through that emotional rollercoaster and muses about how, at the end of human evolution, emotions should be discarded. He also admits that MC taught him the “fear” of a normal person, because now he has someone he cannot give up no matter what, which goes against his previous utilitarian beliefs.

Compared to this, Mo Yi fell in love at first sight. Yes, you read that right. The “scientist and logical” archetype fell in love at first sight LOL. Not only does he acknowledge it right off the bat, but he fully embraces it too and believes that real love makes people better versions of themselves [Personal Story]. Mo Yi is a through and through psychiatrist in that he never underestimates how primal emotions (and love) can be.

Heck, not only is this central to his personal story, but we also have hints that one of Mo Yi’s parents fell in love at first sight with the other person (and he inherited their predisposition for that). Unfortunately, their love had a tragic end and Mo Yi seems to have a huge grudge against his father for whatever happened to his mother (again, Mihoyo is keeping this a mystery LOL), but Mo Yi explicitly confirms that even if his love leads to a tragic end he will still walk down this road and attempt to change it [SR Cool Summer].

IMO one other difference between them re: love is this exchange that lives rent free in my head which I saw in a Xu Mo/Reader/Mo Yi fanfiction LOL. Bear with me here.

Mo Yi: Wearing a mask for a long time will tire you.

Xu Mo: It’s enough just to wear one in front of the necessary person.

Xu Mo and his MC make great efforts to understand each other’s worlds, but this understanding comes from the doors he chooses to open to her. He reveals himself as much as possible, but I think he’s an inherently private person (and there’s all that Ares stuff) so there are times where he hides things so that he doesn’t worry his MC. I think this is enough to count as a “mask”. Sometimes he pretends he’s okay when he’s not.

On the other hand, while I think Mo Yi shares the sentiment in not wanting his MC to worry unduly, he tries to reveal himself as much as possible. There’s an amazingly relatable conflict in him here where he wants her to know every side of him, but he’s also terrified of how she’ll react if he shows her his ugliest sides and imperfect sides (he has some sort of phobia or fear about imperfection, but Mihoyo has been keeping mum on the exact details of this so far) [Personal Story; SR Sculpted Heart].

It’s pretty ironic that Mo Yi wants to be perfect, but he realizes that the more perfect he is the more of a sense of distance there’ll be between him and his MC because of the subconscious pressure someone “perfect” brings LOL [SSR Border of Light and Darkness].

3) Stance on Growth

If you haven’t realized that one of Xu Mo’s greatest themes is the phrase “Take your time in growing”, then what have you been reading? Jkjk, but seriously this gets repeated in multiple places, although my brain always goes back to [Blossom Date] for this.

Even if he and his MC start off with fundamental differences (she believes all people have inherent worth and can’t be involuntarily sacrificed), he wants to personally watch the journey of her maturation. He also subtly guides and teaches her. Unfortunately, due to circumstances of the main story, he doesn’t get his wish and she grows up a lot out of his eyes, but their relationship still revolves around him wanting her to have as much time as possible to grow.

He’s, for a lack of better word, extremely gentle about this (setting aside as much of the Ares and story parts as we can, because LovePro’s story is tragedy on tragedy LOL). I think [Autumn Blaze Date] shows a good analogy for this, because he holds the bicycle steady for MC until she can get going on her own, and he also catches her the first time.

Meanwhile, Mo Yi... ha ha ha. I just came out of chapter 3 for his [Personal Story] and let’s just say his philosophy is tough love. It’s ironic because, in many of his other dates, he wrestles with an internal conflict to protect his MC but also to let her experience all sorts of things to both test and temper her.

This is going to touch on the previous topic about love for a moment, but a part of Mo Yi’s love at first sight experience is also “testing” the other person through all sorts of situations and, after seeing all their different sides, he can determine whether his love at first sight is one that’ll last for the rest of his life or if it’s just a fleeting moment of beauty and emotion.

He also extremely respects his MC’s sense of justice and pursuit of the truth in the world, no matter what she encounters, and I wouldn’t be surprised if this is what drew him to her in the first place. But MC’s occupation and beliefs will make her confront a lot of dark and dangerous things and so, whenever possible, Mo Yi lets her confront these in “controlled” situations to train her. If I had to make an analogy, IMO, he’d let his MC ride the bicycle and pick her up only after she falls, or when she’s like 0.1cm away from the ground LOL.

Mo Yi is (perhaps rightfully) called out on this by another character, who believes Mo Yi is too arrogant in believing everything is under his control and he can prevent MC from getting hurt whenever he lets her get into dangerous situations, and I’m interested to see if Mihoyo will let him experience failures with his philosophy so he can grow more, like the things Xu Mo went through re: his personal beliefs [Ch24].

Overall

I don’t know how well I explained myself, especially for people who don’t know anything about Mo Yi, and each section goes back and forth between the two characters LOL so here’s another section that attempts to describe their overall atmosphere.

If, like I said in my Headcanon Notes, Xu Mo makes me immediately think of all the words for soft, gentle, light, still, water, etc etc., then the words I constantly think about for Mo Yi is messily human. He’s like a bundle of contradictions, but coherent because it’s being intentionally done.

Mo Yi doesn’t discriminate against his patients, yet he can be elitist and looks down on others. He wants to let MC have dangerous experiences, but also wants to protect her. He wants to be perfect, but he also wants to reveal himself entirely to his MC because that’s real love.

In contrast, Xu Mo has a very clean and orderly personality LOL. You can draw clear cause and effect lines from his personality to his actions.

So, anyway, these are two interesting characters who start off with similar archetypes as scientific logical men of scholar/gentleman dispositions, but yet they’re also on opposite ends for a lot of things such as their approach to emotions and the world.

Oh wait, lastly, because I don’t have a good place to put this—but I think it’s funny—is that both characters are pretty possessive and greedy, but while Xu Mo does things in a sneaky, cunning and fox-like way Mo Yi gets ridiculously open about his jealousy and it’s hilariously cute but also almost childish? I often forget Mo Yi is older than Xu Mo by a year, because Xu Mo honestly feels a bit more mature than him LOL. If we count them actually aging by when their game came out though, then Mo Yi is 28 and Xu Mo is 29 now.

#mr love queen's choice #tears of themis #mlqc xu mo #mlqc lucien #wdsjb mo yi #love and producer #weiding shijian bu #mlqc #love and produc(ing) meta #tears of meta

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fyexo · 4 years

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200924 20 Questions With SuperM: The K-Pop Supergroup On Their New Album & Becoming ‘Like Family’ With Each Other

Last year, SuperM notched a huge win when their self-titled “mini album” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. The K-pop supergroup -- which consists of members of EXO, SHINee, NCT 127 and WayV -- had generated a huge amount of buzz before releasing a single track thanks to its star-studded lineup, and with the No. 1 bow, SuperM was off to an explosive start.

With Super One, the group’s first full-length out Friday (Sept. 25), SuperM continues its positive momentum. The hopeful, hook-stuffed album allows all seven members of SuperM to shine, while also expanding the group’s pop aesthetic and finding the right balance between singing and rapping. Songs like “Wish You Were Here,” “Better Days” and lead single “100” demonstrate SuperM’s dexterity -- and even though it’s still uncertain when their global fans will be able to see the songs performed live, the collective sounds prepared to put on an eclectic, wide-ranging show with these tracks.

Ahead of their new album’s release, the members of SuperM answered 20 questions about their musical backgrounds, leaning on each other during the pandemic, the highlights of Super One and more:

1. What’s the first piece of music that you bought for yourself, and what was the medium?

BAEKHYUN: An Avril Lavigne CD. I really liked her music when I was young so I remember going to a CD store with my brother to buy her album.

2. What was the first concert you saw?

KAI: I remember I went to my first concert when I was 16 years old. This was Usher’s concert when he came to Korea. Seeing him perform onstage inspired me to work harder towards my dream to become an artist like him. I still can’t forget the energy and the vibe of people around me and remember wanting to perform on a big stage like that.

3. Who made you realize you could be an artist full-time?

TAEMIN: My mom was the first person actually. When I was very young, she saw how much I enjoyed singing and dancing and encouraged me to audition. Since then, I started moving towards my dream to become an artist and performer. She helped me discover my passion at an early age and encouraged me to do what I love, and for that, I’m forever grateful.

4. What’s at the top of your professional bucket list?

TAEYONG: I just want everyone I work with to be happy, and work together for a long time. This includes not just SuperM members, but also the rest of the staff and the team behind the scenes that make it all happen!

5. How did your hometown/city shape who you are?

MARK: I think everyone is influenced by their hometown and where they come from. It’s really special to be a K-pop artist and perform in front of fans in Canada, where I’m from. When we performed in my hometown during the world tour earlier this year, it was such a significant “homecoming” moment for me. Canada always has a special place in my heart.

6. What’s the last song you listened to?

LUCAS: The last song I listened to is Justin Bieber’s new song, “Holy.” It’s a great song to listen to when you are feeling tired. I listen to it on repeat when I’m on the move during the day and it puts me in a good mood.

7. If you could see any artist in concert, dead or alive, who would it be?

TEN: I would choose Michael Jackson, because I always regret that I didn’t get to see him perform onstage live. I look up to him as an artist, and I’d love to see him sing and dance live at one of his concerts.

8. What’s the craziest thing you’ve seen happen in the crowd of one of your shows?

MARK: Well, one thing that happens at every show is how emotional I get seeing the venue packed with our fans. Before going onstage, I always take a peek at the audience from behind the curtain, and it’s hard to describe the exact feeling in words but it feels surreal — too good to be true, almost. Especially for a standing audience, it’s not easy standing for hours straight in a tight space, but their energy never goes down. I never feel tired onstage because of them. It’s still pretty crazy to me to see and feel their energy every time. I miss them!

9. How has the pandemic affected the way you’ve created music in 2020?

BAEKHYUN: The process of creating music, writing and recording songs, was pretty much the same. However, planning the album promotion during pandemic was a little different, since everything had to be done online. We had to think of fun and unique ways to interact with our fans, from creating our own reality show to holding livestream, AR tech-based concerts. We have a lot more creative content in store for our fans, so stay tuned!

10. What was your reaction to SuperM’s mini album topping the Billboard 200 chart last year?

KAI: Everyone was super happy. We put our heart and soul into the album and worked really hard on it, so in a way, we were looking forward to the results. When we saw that the EP hit number one on the chart, it was one of the happiest moments of our career.

11. What’s the biggest difference, creatively speaking, between last year’s mini album and Super One?

TEN: The mini album was more about introducing SuperM and our SMP-style performances, whereas for Super One, it shows more of our different musical styles and really brings out the dynamic qualities that we possess as a group. So, to put it simply, Super One is the completed version/look of SuperM. Also, what was important for us when creating this album was to include a message of hope and deliver that positivity and strength to listeners. Music can really lift your spirits when you’re feeling down, so I hope people find healing and happiness while listening to our music. That would make us very happy.

12. Why did “100” make the most sense as a lead single?

TAEYONG: “100” is all about speed and energy, so it’s the perfect single to showcase SuperM’s power as the opening act of Super One. It also helps convey the message that we are always moving forward at full-speed, giving our 100% in all we do.

13. What’s one song on the album that you suspect will be a big fan favorite?

LUCAS: I think fans will like “Better Days.” It’s a nice ballad song for a great start to your day. It also contains a message of comfort and empathy to help get through these difficult times. We hope our fans can feel the warmth of this messaging through our vocals and fluid rapping.

14. How has the group bonded during what’s been a wild 2020?

TAEMIN: We’ve been through a lot and have always been there for each other through thick and thin so naturally, we’ve gotten very close. They’re like family now. We didn’t have to “try” to become close, it just naturally happened -- as if we were destined to be in the same group.

15. SuperM has been part of a massive year for the global expansion of K-pop. How does it feel to see so many K-pop songs, albums and artists setting records?

MARK: This makes me really proud. I remember growing up in Canada, a lot of people at my school didn’t know K-pop. It was mainly just popular among Koreans. Now, so many people all over the world know about it and K-pop is getting so much attention. I feel honored and proud to be a part of this movement. Bringing the two cultures closer together and building that bridge through music is such a historic moment, and I can’t wait to contribute more to it and create great music for listeners worldwide.

16. What’s your go-to song that you’ve been singing along to lately?

BAEKHYUN: These days, I have Eric Benet’s “Still with You” on repeat, so I’ve been singing this a lot lately. This was one of my favorite songs in high school, and ever since I started spending more time at home, I’ve been revisiting some of my old favorite playlists. They bring me back to that moment when I was in school, aspiring to become an artist.

17. What movie, or song, always makes you cry?

TEN: This always changes, but when I can empathize with the characters in a movie or connect with the emotions in a song, it makes me cry. I recently cried watching the animated film, Grave of the Fireflies. I watched this for the first time when I was young, but re-watching it as an adult touched me in a different way.

18. If you were not a musician, what would you be?

LUCAS: If not a musician, I’d probably be a firefighter – a job that saves other people’s lives is truly inspiring to me. But if not a firefighter, I’d definitely choose a career that make people happy, just like what I try to do now through music and performing.

19. What’s one piece of advice you would give to your younger self?

KAI: I would tell my younger self to take care of yourself and stay healthy, because health is so important! I would also tell him not to be so hard on himself and enjoy the ride as a young teenager. This is the time for having fun and trying different things! Back then, I was so focused on my career and working towards my dreams that I didn’t spend a lot of time doing “regular teenager experiences,” which I wish I did more of!

20. What’s your message to fans who have been supporting SuperM -- and waiting for this album to arrive?

TAEMIN: It’s been almost a year now since our debut, and we are incredibly grateful to have so many fans cheer us on. We put our heart and soul into the album knowing that our fans have been waiting for a long time. While we’re sad that that we can’t meet them in person, we hope they can feel the positive energy through our songs and performances.

Jason Lipshutz @ Billboard

#exo #baekhyun #kai #t: interview #album: super one #200923 #e: interview

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starlit-dreaming · 4 years

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[WMMAP] Lucathy Ideas (5/?)

me, earlier: i’m not gonna be posting lucathy ideas for a while until i managed to finish ch8 for crescendo!!! me, now: i have a visceral Need for lucas with piercings and no one can stop me, not even when my future self, who will inevitably curse me for continuously putting off on my current wips ;;;;;;;

because every post is starting to feel like it’s just gonna get longer and longer, i’m now gonna be using the read more so i don’t have to cry every time i see an essay length of ideas udyiflhgfdyik

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | [5] | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11

Lucathy -- (kind of) Horimiya AU

• i couldn’t think of a better name for the au ngl but i think it’s good enough especially since it’s a ship name too so

• If you don’t know, Horimiya is a manga (from a webcomic called Hori-san to Miyamura-kun) which is basically about a popular girl that essentially has a side of herself that she doesn’t want people to know, and it just so happens that this dude in her class finds out about it. The guy in question appearing to be a completely different person than what he displays himself to be at school.

• Okay, based off on that mini summary, I was more or less “holy shit Athy would be the popular girl while Lucas will be her classmate yes this is perfect”. Because I was sleep-deprived when I made these notes, I didn’t really consider the whole “but Lucas would be a fantastic delinquent-looking character //shakes fist” because, well. sleep-deprived.

• Claude is a businessman who constantly travels overseas and tends to notify the family that he’s back. Diana is a full-time dance instructor at a university. Felix is Claude’s secretary and sometimes has to travel with him, too, which more or less caused Diana and Lily to spend time together.

• Athy has a younger brother (Areum is my default name cause the spelling tends to make me think of using Ares as a nickname for him). Because her family is wealthy but prefer a simple lifestyle, Athy more or less handles the chores and takes care of her little bro (who’s, idk, 5 years old?)

• Felix and Lily are married and Lily’s family runs a flower shop instead of a bakery. Lucas is their adopted son -- he was adopted in his first year of middle school except Lucas was pretty much goes full-on delinquent look by getting piercings and all that. He grew out his hair to avoid the hassle of teachers constantly reprimanding him over it by the time he’s a high schooler.

• Cabel and Helena are both Lucas’s friends from another school (shindou and his gf), while Ezekiel and Jennette are Athy’s friends

• all i had for the rest of my notes was “former delinquent lucas wiTH PIERCINGS FORMER DELINQUENT LUCAS WITH PIERCINGS”

• that one scene between miyamura and souta about him taking his sister away and fiudrsljtukhd

• oh god i just realized that it could be changed around a bit so that helena and cabel would be the main pairing (especially since helena has a little brother and. there’s too many possibilities that i’d have to consider if i ever come back to this au dyiukiljdhg)

• ok but no like seriously helena would be hori -- popular girl at school, but housewife-like and caretaker of her younger bro at home while cabel is almost like miyamura

• actually never mind i can’t imagine cabel appearing to be the gloomy classmate type who rocks the Punk Aesthetic™

• lucas is definitely the popular guy at school with a bad boy image though so that’s why it at least works for lucathy instead of calena

• anD ANOTHER THING, AS I’M REREADING THIS MANGA. that one kiss scene in horimiya. it’s smooth as fuck??? yes or yes

the person i used to be -- Canon Divergence + Memory Loss AU

• instead of Claude getting amnesia after the whole magic burst, it’s Athanasia who loses her memories and i really want to explore the possibilities

• She doesn’t remember everything -- all she has are bits and pieces of her memories, and she is, more or less, similar to LP Athanasia in the fact that she’s quieter, but definitely more socially inclined. She remembers some moments between her and Claude, and if it wasn’t for the fact that she feels safe being around her dad, she most likely would’ve thought she was in danger because she remembers how she drowned one time, as well as the time that Claude stated that Athy would be treated as a princess and the fear that she felt over the acknowledgement, etc, etc.

• Claude doesn’t approve of anyone outside of the palace visiting Athanasia when she doesn’t remember much of anything. It’s hard for Claude to tell if she’s happy, and he’s definitely blaming himself for not getting to her sooner.

• She vaguely remembers Lucas, but it’s to the point where she ends up concluding that Lucas might be her lover depending on those memories -- i.e. dancing together in her dance classes, him visiting her at her balcony at night, etc. Because magic is so cool??? Plus he’s her childhood playmate, according to Felix and Lillian. It’s practically a love story, after all -- a princess, a magician who saved her from dying, and they’re childhood friends???

• When Lucas gets back, he immediately picks up on the fact that Athanasia was affected by something magic related, which affected her memories, and that it’s not something he could really mess with.

• She also thinks that Felix and Lillian are together, but is absolutely taken aback when she realizes that they aren’t.

• The black magic affecting Claude is also back, but since he has his memories, it should go away easily with the more time he spends with Athy.

• The Lucathy Kiss™ ends up happening, but it happens when Athy thanks Lucas for helping her get away from Ezekiel and her saying something about how obvious Ezekiel is. And because she thinks that she’s dating Lucas, she’s very willing to kiss him

• At one point, someone tries to tell her that she and Lucas weren’t romantically involved before her memory loss, but she ends up stumping everyone when she responds with “then how am I able to remember Lucas?” (Granted, Lucas does confirm that they weren’t dating, but it’s pretty obvious to her that they both have feelings for each other, especially because he makes her heart skip a beat a lot of the time???)

• They both agree to take things slowly, because Athy doesn’t want to cause someone’s death if Claude and Lucas get into a magic fight, and Lucas wants to be absolutely certain that Athy actually likes him and not because of her memory loss.

• She does regain her memory because of the magic tree branch (which sounds really shady to me for some reason. like. “take a hit of that magic tree branch and everything will be A-OK”)

list of videos -- (kind of) YouTuber AU

• in this au, i’m thinking that Athy was abandoned at an orphanage and eventually became a professional dance instructor at a university, probably. idk if i want to go into the complexities of claude and athanasia’s relationship, because if he does get introduced then it ends up becoming a “hey. so you’re the kid i abandoned” type of discussion that i’m really not interested in considering

• when she was in high school, people kept bothering her about makeup tips, so she would privately post videos on youtube and just send them to her friends because it was easier that way since most of them would ask the same thing, and not everyone were in the same group chats as her.

• she just didn’t consider the fact that she’s gorgeous and popular among her classmates. so the video link got shared around a lot and she ended up amassing a large following.

• she starts posting her dance choreography after she enters university in order to improve, mainly because she thinks that she keeps messing up, but also cause helena is bummed out for never being able to watch athy dance (helena is like. athy’s #1 fan and she might or might not fite anyone who tries to take that title from her //coughJENNETTEcough)

• lucas ends up in the same dance class with athy, partly because of a dare with cabel, partly because alcohol was involved, and he’s not sure if he ends up regretting it in the end or not, because he gets paired up with athy and that more or less becomes part of the norm in their class -- they’re dance partners

• lucas is more of a tech wizard who messes around with music in his free time to the point that he accidentally ends up being cabel’s music producer and recording engineer (and helena’s, too, cause those two became a package deal at some point after they started collabing) he posts the music on his youtube channel cause money. and the money aspect of being a youtuber is what makes athy consider making all her vids public

• cabel’s a gamer and is a bit of a prankster. he mainly focuses on video games now, and occasionally sings covers. helena is more of a singer, though, because her youtube is primarily comprised of covers

• please listen to songs by us the duo (i recommend “no matter where you are” (their live wedding performance) or “like i did with you” or “never gonna leave you” and iudfksiukh a lot of their music is about loving each other and honestly i just love them so please just pick one of their songs and listen??? i can easily see calena being the musician couple and that lucas sometimes gets stuck with third wheeling cause he’s their music producer)

• anyways, athanasia is an accidental youtuber. because she ends up posting a dance choreography featuring her and lucas, where lucas was helping her rehearse for one of her classes and it just ends up becoming a popular video in the dance community. like. she’s still getting a teaching degree and is gonna be a dancer instructor, but she ends up being a famous one that the university she went to immediately offered her a teaching position that would be available once she finishes her teaching degree

• i think that’s all the ideas that i had? well. i’d also like to imagine that lucas and athy are probably married and have kids

my teacher and my sister’s best friend -- Modern AU

• so this au is more focused on the pov of helena’s brother (fiore or chrys are the names i’m thinking of; chrys being short chrysanthos, and mainly cause it means ‘golden flower’ which works perfectly for the popular ‘beautiful flower’ lol). his name is still up for debate

• in this au, helena and athanasia are roommates, and helena ends up being the sole guardian of her younger brother (idk maybe helena’s parents got into a car accident, leaving her with the family business or something). helena’s younger brother is only in middle school. mainly cause lucas would seem like the type of teacher that’s just really fucking Done with everyone and internally curses himself for ever deciding to settle on being a science teacher

• and yeah, middle school science teacher lucas is also the worse teacher to have for some of the students. cause while he’s convinced that students aren’t studying, the students just flat out don’t understand the lessons. except for a couple of them like helena’s younger brother. at one point he just flat out ends up being the computer lab guy and test administrator rather than being a science teacher-teacher and the administrative side of being on the staff suits him better than being an actual teacher

• the only reason why he ended up becoming a teacher was because cabel suggested “why not become a science teacher” when they were in high school and lucas 100% regrets ever listening to him. cabel’s probably a teacher too

• so helena is pretty much busy running her family’s business, and because she doesn’t have family, athanasia naturally helps her out. when helena’s younger brother moves in with them (after the possible death of his parents), athanasia becomes one of his emergency contacts and ends up being his ride to school and home.

• lucas with glasses pls and thank you

• Athy’s a proofreader, so her schedule is more flexible in comparison to Helena, and in those instances, she more or less fills in. everyone assumes that she’s his older sister, too, since they’re both blondes and they don’t really bother saying otherwise because it’s a bit of a hassle to deal with that.

• in his first year of middle school, athy and lucas do NOT get along at all. they’re very passive aggressive when they meet each other for a parent-teacher conference (maybe they met once on a blind date back in college)

• by a series of unfortunate and convenient events, lucas ends up bumping into athanasia outside of parent-teacher conferences or in school events. korean bbq (helena, her bro, and athy went out and ends up meeting lucas and cabel with his bros and sister). the mall (she dropped helena’s bro off so he can hang out with his friends and decided to do some minor shopping for herself. and ended up tossing a guy over her shoulder after he touched her butt, probably??? and lucas just happened to be there. or maybe, we go the normal route by athy bumping into lucas, and she ends up being his ride home after cabel bailed on him to go help his sister with something, since cabel’s his roommate that owns a car and all)

• regardless. shit happens. their relationship improves. and helena ends up spilling the deets in the fact that lucathy are exes who ended up breaking up on not so great terms because of a series of misunderstandings that they were too stubborn to work through. and they’re now finally talking things out because they don’t want to get everyone caught up in the crossfire of potential arguments (mainly for helena’s brother’s sake) and realizing “oh, well now i feel dumb for ever thinking of that to begin with”. one of the misunderstandings being that athy was interested in ezekiel despite dating lucas and that he was her rebound, while athy thought that he was only dating her so that he won’t have to deal with girls constantly confessing to him. so lack of communication on lucas’s part and too much insecurity on athy’s side.

• i kinda want a moment of jealous lucas. where his coworker is flirting with athy type of jealousy and lucas just stepping in, calling her athy, and helping her get away from the guy???

• idk

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | [5] | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11

(note: future wyn here. im definitely cursing my past self rn. this thing is practically 3 pages??? and yet i’m nowhere closer to reaching 11k for the ons au or finishing ch8 of crescendo)

#lucathy #who made me a princess #suddenly became a princess one day #wmmap lucas #athanasia de alger obelia #wmmap ideas #sbapod ideas #ideas for the wyn #wynter writes #starlit rambles #//long post #wmmap #sbapod #rambles: the lucathy ideas

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dinopant · 4 years

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Yknow i shit on fo3 a LOT (rightfully so to be fair is a fucking mess) but its still my favirote fallout game

So a shout out to the thing in the game that I DO like

Lone wanderers dad is a good man i like him a lot

The lone wanderers story is very cool i genuinely like it a lot, its not as intertwined with all of the world like the couriers is but its simple connection tk your dad who was is very neat. This story of legacy and sacrifice

The lyon pride, while I still have complaints about how this group was like executed in the game i think it has a lot of potential! I think something very interesting could have come from it if fo3 didn't feel so half done. AND i think fo4 with is BoS leg humpy behavior they rEALLY could have pulled from fo3 story but they don't and it feels so week I have so much to say in how they could have done the BoS in fo4 but that's a long rant for another day

Elder lyons and Sarah Lyons while still have the same general issues I have this the pride I still like them and think their cool

Star paladin!! My fuckin God mother who none of the fandom even tries to remember exist??? The only time I see people remembering she exist is to fuckin whitewash her and make her young and sexy for mods >:(

Sierra petrovita! What a fucking gem, a crazy queen I love her and her nuka cola aesthetic she knows what she likes!

Buttercup the first bi girl to ever exist i love her

Red from big town also i love her that is my friend

The family, they were dumb and coulsa been way cooler buT the fact there sure were a cult of people who clearly gained health from drinking blood living in the sewers is very very funny. Just some fucking vampires in the sewers

The metro, I know the trains suck to navigate but you KNOW while your down their its just kinda cozy and fun to be down there

Charon, yes another thing of fo3 that feels like it just isn't finished and could be more but I do know we all love Charon

In general all of the underworld was very neat and characters in there like charon, snowflake and gobs moms! Love it

Gob!! Once again its a place in the game that feels like it could flesh out more but :/ guess ill die!

The republic of Dave, fuck Dave im the king of his fyckin funny civilization

That one randomly spawning group of hockey players who basically had diamond city's idea of baseball being a blood sport but for hockey which, very funny orginal kings

Butch deloria, he is very funny and I love him very much. Absolutly all I love, goofy grease who's gang consist of like 2-3 people and their all cowards. Also butch is the only companion in the game it feels like you sorta actually have companion quest with.

Point lookout, I think that dlc is VERY fun. I like the feel of it and it has neat stuff. Plus the cult shit which let's you do stuff in the dlc area AND in the main game area.

Mother ship zeta dlc was boring as shit BUT very specifically the abominations scream pointing at me very funny. Very funny alien abduction. But beside that kinda not a good dlc

The pitts, while again ough problems. Playing as a good person and getting to absolutly kill the shit outta the slavers and take their baby and baby is yours now is very fun. Ans those funny horrible creatures running around while you collect iron

I personally find it funny that the timeline decided that the lone wanderer did all of their shit in a years time. Just seems funny compared to the other main characters who like the sole, spends years looking for their son. And the lone wanderer restore project purity and the distribution of clean water to the wasteland

The antagonist and mechanist started in f3 and are so funny like? Their just?? Fuckin weirdos ruining everyone's day and have?? Super powers (ar least one of them?) Like?? Their just making today bad for local citizens as they fucking best the shit out of each other with robots and ants?

The Harkness quest was so neat and was literally this bridge into the fo4 story yet the institution is literally nothing AND they don't bring up hid nor hair of Harkness??? WhY isn't he mentioned in any way??? Anyways I love harkness thats my friend

All of little lamplight and big town. Little lamplight are my children I care about them their all terrible and have cute names dogs. And big town fuckin makes me so sad those are my friends

Your cute lil house in Megatron that you get to customize (barely and i wish their was better options but still)

Deputy slimm is a friend

MORIA BROWN my friend and crazy aunt moria brown? I love her very much

AHHHA I ALMOST FORGOT THREE DOG. Literally one of the best parts of the games, hes the best radio host! And yall sleep on him! I honestly love him more that mr. New Vegas tbh,,, he's just so good and im always sad thinkin about how his voice actor was wanting to return to the role for fo4 but they diiidnt like cowards

Theres other things im sure but these are like top of my head favirote fo3 shit

#feel free to add i love to remember the things in the game thay make me happy

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codylabs · 4 years

Text

My Top 10 Ships

I’m not a very romantic sort of guy, I’m not real forgiving to departures from canon, I get easily annoyed at inconsistencies, and I don’t watch much television and movies, so in order for me to ship something, it has to be a GOOD ship. I default toward rejecting ships, so to impress ME, it must be built on logic, and evidence, it’s gotta be something I can suspend my disbelief far enough to accept. And it’s gotta have story behind it, something deep, some hefty emotional weight; if it doesn’t tickle this man’s cold reptilian heart with strong beats and excellent writing, it goes straight to the trash. I absoLUTELY will not stand for any of these weird little cute, pretty, pandering, trashy crack ships that everybody seems to be clumsily throwing characters into. Most ships are trash ships. They are not good ships.

You think your ship is good? You like your ship?

You ship it?

No you don’t.

Get out of here.

You will listen to me. I will tell you. Look at me. I’m the Captain now.

Here are the 10 good ships.

10. The Rocinante, The Expanse

A resoundingly excellent ship. Unlike most ships you see out there, this thing was actually designed with realistic space combat in mind. It’s got 6 computer-controlled gatling turrets covering every angle, it accelerates in whatever direction it’s pointing, its bridge is right in the center to put as much armor as possible between enemies and crew, overall a much better-designed vehicle than most everything you see about.

That being said, I didn’t have much connection to this ship. Its crew weren’t really interesting, the aesthetic was kinda bleak, and I basically stopped watching after the phazon showed up. And the Rocinante itself has pretty poor redundancy. Enemy bullets can literally just pass through it (as is realistic for a ship this size) so how about multiple main engines huh? Absolutely tragic oversight. And its interior looks too much like an Apple product. How are you supposed to work on it? Where are the wires and pipes??? The handholds?????

9. Ares IV M.A.V., The Martian

Almost more of a symbol than a ship. A symbol of freedom, of escape. A beautiful symbol. This is what Mark Watney spends the whole movie trying to reach, with an entire world backing him up, and an entire world trying to stop him. It’s the goal of the movie, and it just looks so beautiful when he finally reaches it and sees it sitting there in the middle of the desert, ass down, nose up; a tall, proud symbol. This ship has a special significance for me because the author of the original book really did his research on the scientific requirements and details of a Mars Ascent Vehicle, and it was actually inspired by the E.R.V. in another book, ‘A Case For Mars’, which I read when I was younger. “Makes its own methane-oxygen fuel on-site by using nuclear power to break down CO2 in the atmosphere and combining it with stored hydrogen, don’t you know.” I say as I adjust my spectacles and puff my pipe.

The M.A.V. in the movie does have a few issues, such as hallway and rooms running straight up through where the fuel tanks ought to be (instead of a lift/ladder on the exterior) and a rugged, industrial aesthetic that looks too heavy and cumbersome for a ship of its type. (And you’re seriously telling me he couldn’t have used the capsule’s RCS to literally bypass the movie’s entire climax? WHY NOT? The book never mentioned him having to drain the monopropellant!!!) But I’ll let that slide. Great movie.

8. Biggest Boy, The Greatship

(I don’t know the ship name so I had to make up a name. You know what, I think it’s actually just called the Greatship.)

So it’s a starship the size of Jupiter, empty, unmanned, perfectly mysterious, that comes gliding into the galaxy a couple million years into humanity’s future. Where did it come from? Who made it and how? Good questions. It’s powered by matter-antimatter annihilation reactions from within planet-sized internal tanks, and its engines use hydrogen and fusion exhaust as reaction mass, and its hull is made of hyperfiber, a super-strong fictional material with a 4-dimensional lattice structure, able to weather impacts by spreading them out over various dimensions where the impact occurred in a different place.

I hope that after the first few entries, you didn’t get the impression that I am somehow against futuristic, far-out, impossible technologies. Quite the opposite! I love me some hyperdrive and anti-gravity and A.I. and stuff. However! Ships must be well-designed for the technology available, and must take no creative liberties except those explicitly allowed by the difference in the setting. The laws of physics don’t disappear when the magic crystals come out, the magic crystals are merely a different tool to combat them. Engineering will always exist, should start with the tools and work outward, form follows function. Star Wars ships, for instance, are trash because they don’t mount their repulsorlift arrays consistently, they’re not aerodynamic, and their engines aren’t aligned around their center of masses.

So I like the Great Ship. Although the story is pretty far-fetched, and a lot of crazy, out-there scifi events transpire deep in the ship’s depths, the book always strictly kept its own rules in mind, and never broke those rules, no matter how outlandishly crazy things got. Thanks for comprehending something so incomprehensible, Robert Reed. You inspired me miles in my own work.

7. The Ghost, The Sea Wolf

The story may be fiction, but the Ghost was as real as ghosts can be.

Jack London did his research. No, not research, he LIVED this. The Ghost is a seal-hunting schooner much like one that he served aboard during his rollercoaster of a life, and he captured every detail of its operation, of its requirements, of its mechanics, and of the incredible toll it took on the people that lived such a life. The boat is made to feel as oppressive and claustrophobic as a prison, as if it were an extension of the monster that commanded it, directly in contrast to the expansive beauty of the sea around them. My goodness, what a beautiful book. What a moving, interesting, challenging book, with such a story! This book is one of the climaxes of fiction, and one of the inspirations for Shifting Sands, if I remember correctly. I would recommend this book to anybody. Beautiful.

6. Ferbnessa, Phineas and Ferb

Okay, so I hope we can all agree that Vanessa is nothing but bad news. But that being said, Ferb knows exactly the relationship he wants, and by golly, he goes for it. Most male characters would stutter or get nervous or lose confidence around their crush, especially if that crush is about a hundred miles out of their league or if they already had another boyfriend, but Ferb? No. Not my man Ferb. He’s slighly too much of a legend to fall for such childish pitfalls. He doesn’t posture, he doesn’t creep or flirt or try to sabotage the other men in her life, he doesn’t even speak a word, he just maintains his blank expression, cranks his own already-inhuman levels of confidence and competence up through the roof to borderline olympian levels, and continues being himself. These rare moments of Ferbly passion are some of the few open windows we get into the grandiose machinations of his mysterious mind, and he uses it to bring out the best in Vanessa as well. And in the future episode, set years down the line, wouldn’t you know it, they’re a pair.

All joking aside though, this whole ship is basically comedy. It’s a super small part of the show, it’s only in like 5 episodes, it’s a running gag, it’s hilarious. It’s great. And it fits right into the tone and the feel of the show, because P&F’s entire world really is a comedy about going for it and living your dreams. So this is just the best thing ever. It’s been about a decade since then, and I still burst out laughing at how much of a pristine picture of ideal masculinity Ferb is. Become like Ferb, boys, and you will become men.

Legendary.

Eat your heart out, Dipper.

3. Shunk, Voltron

(I don’t know the ship name so I had to make up a name)

Huge props to the voltron team for making a female alien character (even a romantic interest) with NO BOOBS. Do you have ANY idea how sick and tired I am of artists throwing a big ol’ pair of balonkadongs onto lobsters and snakes when almost everything in the real world besides folks and cows have either 0 or 8+ of them? Everything’s gotta be traditionally sexy and recognizably-feminine and GREAT now you just canonized all the porn! Disgusteg

but now look at Shay. She’s a rock person. She’s got silicon-based biology, she probably weighs 500 lbs and bleeds sand. She’s got enormous hands and weird knees and no nose and lumps everywhere, AND YET STILL the show plays all the tropes 100% straight with her being a fair young maiden and a sweet princess. And it works because Hunk is just this great guy who’s exactly as sweet and caring, and he’s not the most attractive of the Paladins either, so he probably lives his life looking past appearances. He doesn’t care that she’s an alien rock, he cares about her as a person, and she obviously worships him right back. Even though Shay is shown in season 1 and then never again until season 7, Hunk still avoids alternative romantic entanglements, citing ‘a rock I know’, and it just adds to his persona as this infinitely loyal teddy bear. I tip my hat to this, the single ship I know that’s 0% sexy and 100% wholesome.

And Hunk is the best Paladin. He’s just the greatest. I revere him. I salute him as he walks past. This man among men. Look at this guy. I don’t even care about any of the other ships in Voltron (I mean, the Castle of Lions is okay, but it’s outriggers are kinda spindly) but Hunk and Shay deserve each other.

4. Wendip, Gravity Falls

So Dipper’s 12/13, and Wendy’s 15. That’s a pretty giant age difference. Maybe you fans have fooled yourselves into thinking it’s not, but it is. She knows it. He knows it. His sister knows it. Your mom knows it. So halfway through the show, when he finally got around to confessing his feelings to her, she told him no. Sure they’re still friends, sure they like each other, and sure they have a lot of chemistry and they still have a movie night every Friday, but at the end of the day, he’s a smelly little midget who has to go back to California at the end of the Summer, and she’s a older girl with approximately zero romantic feelings for him. So the notion that it could work out is pretty obvious to everyone, and especially to him, pretty much hopeless. And he really did handle it all pretty poorly and immaturely too, he objectified her and stalked her and simped up a storm and sabotaged her boyfriend, so perhaps he deserved what he got. Perhaps it’s better this way.

And yet.

And yet Wendy never really got a happy ending in the show. And Dipper never got a conclusive romance either. So after everything, it’s easy to think about it how he thinks about it, by wondering how things could have been, if everything were just so slightly different, if she’d said yes or if they united again. She wishes she could be younger, he wishes he could be older. She’s more dominant, he’s more recessive. She has a lot of serious issues in her life, and could really seriously use a driven, heroic, intelligent friend to help her out, give her purpose, and steer her right. And Lord knows he could use somebody with street smarts and actual muscles to have his back now and again. They complement each other perfectly. They make up for each others’ weaknesses. They’re everything they ever wanted from another, and if you do the math, their children would be actual literal supersoldiers.

Or at least that’s the way a lot of people see it. There’s been immeasurable mountains of fanfiction and fanart from people who are just so sad that in a show full of happy endings and dreams coming true and old regrets being resolved and children growing up, that one ending would never be happy, one dream would never come to pass, one regret would stick with you forever, one child would never grow up. Maybe if you extrapolate out the story they’d end up together? Or maybe they’d find other, better partners? Maybe romance isn’t all that important in the grand scheme of things, and this is the best ending there could have been? Perhaps, perhaps not. But in any case, there’s a lot of very rich storytelling potential for the untold journey before them, and for the paths that could have been.

Stop drawing fetish art of Wendy, you insufferable heathen actual donkeys.

3. Kataang, Avatar: The Last Airbender

Now HERE’S a serious relationship. Not just a romantic ship, (though it is that,) not just some cutesy, funny thing or some ship-war fodder, (though it is cute and funny and did spawn a ship-war,) not just a matter of certainty and destiny, (though it is certain and was destined,) this is a real, TANGIBLE relationship, that these characters built together over a solid year of on-screen adventuring and fighting. They’ve helped each other through trauma, they’ve been there for each other in their darkest moments, they learned martial-arts together, they’ve fought back-to back against grown men, they’ve worked front-to-front sawing through steel girders, they’ve saved each other’s lives, he once ACTUALLY DIED and she brought him BACK. They end up respecting each other, and valuing each other in the intimate way that only true friends do.

And they’re shown working through all their imperfections and mistakes too. Aang sometimes oversteps boundaries and says stupid stuff because he’s a kid, and Katara sometimes scolds him and controls him because she’s motherly and orderly, they get jealous of each other, but none of those things drive them apart, and they deal with them, and they conquer them, and they keep a very legitimate and multi-faceted friendship going, and that’s the key to it all. The fact that this friendship becomes romance is just proof that it was a friendship of quality.

I think people tend to overlook or forget this ship because the last few episodes of the show found them in a pretty dark place, needing to deal with matters of life and death and justice in very different ways, and unlike all their other issues, we don’t really get to see them reconciling these differences before the story ends, which kind of leaves a sour taste between them. And Katara goes on a couple missions with Zuko around the same time, so now half of all people want Zutara, when in actuality, Zutara is a trash ship, which is a true science fact.

2. Serenity, Firefly

Only reason this ship isn’t #1 is because it isn’t constructed using a proper aerospace philosophy; it’s made of bulky machinery and steel beams and chunky plates, it looks more like an ocean vessel from the inside, and is WAY too big for its 6-12 person crew and light cargo capacity. Plus it doesn’t have any room for fuel and its got no wheels on its landing legs and no downward-facing windows and its reactor is just too dang SMOL and its engines are attached too flimsily. This all wouldn’t be too much of an issue if they were going for a far-future aesthetic, but if you’re trying to do something grounded and semi-contemporary, you need to lose some weight girl, I’m sorry.

But by gosh does it make up for it in heart. The entire inside of this ship was mapped out and made on set, with so many homely little decorations and touches to make every room feel like the person who inhabits it, sterile professional blue for the doc’s medbay, warm happy red for Kaylee’s engine room, all-serious-business-but-also-plastic-dinos for Wash’s cockpit... It hit me hard when this baby it crashed in the movie, and it felt almost real when River pretended to mind-meld with it. This ship has more soul in one buffer panel than most shows have in the entire cast, enough to make it seem like its own character, even in a show crowded with charming characters. I love this ship intimately, even if I would have built it differently.

1. Colonial Vessel 46.18′\, Gravity Falls

(I don’t know the ship name so I had to make up a name)

You didn’t think I’d leave out this one, did you? After all the fanfiction I’ve written? This is basically my ship at this point. Anyway, enough about me; the vessel beneath Crash Site Omega really is the quintessential alien ship; its perfectly cliche flying-saucer design taps into all the audience’s pre-existing fanciful notions and imaginings and disbelief-suspension, meanwhile its presentation isn’t cliche or fanciful in the slightest.

There’s not much to say about it from a technical standpoint, besides personal musings: it would need anti-gravity to stay airborne without thrusters, it would need a FTL drive to cross the distances it did, its drones would need to be made of some kind of semi-liquid to move like they do... But these sort of out-of-the-box, never-before-seen, world-expanding brain-knocks are exactly what makes this ship special. It’s an alien ship, built with technology unknown to people, forged from materials that people don’t possess, and inhabited by beings we will never meet. For all we know, this ship could be perfectly sound from an engineering standpoint, and no engineer in the audience could claim to prove it otherwise, because unlike something like the T.A.R.D.I.S., they never try and fail to explain it away with science buzzwords or canonize its details or show off some fancy glowy reactor. This ancient husk is left as a yawning pit in reason, and that’s beautiful.

Moreover, this ship is an amazingly powerful narrative tool, and a mind-blowing surprise to drop in as a setpiece during the show’s final episodes. This ship embodies everything that made the show’s mysteries special: the evidence presented so early and so consistently, the creativity in creature design, action, and worldbuilding, the yawning depths of unknowable lore, and most of all the burning, unquenched desire to know more... The imprint this ship made in the cliffs over the town has been hanging over the characters’ heads the entire series, and its hull was below their feet from day one, so when they finally revealed it, and explored it, it felt invigorating. Rewarding. This ship, and the glorious feelings and thoughts it represents, have inspired to no end, and haven’t ended yet.

Honorable mentions:

Westley and Buttercup, The Princess Bride

Ooooh man I tell you what, it was really hard trimming this down to 10 for the list, and this one just barely didn’t make the cut, and that mainly because I have a sweet spot for animation and for warrior women, and this sweetness ain’t animated, and this damsel is as distressed as they get. And they don’t have a whole lot of chemistry? I don’t know how to measure that, but I feel like there was a lot of friendship stated that was never shown? Is it sacrilege to say that about True Love? I guess I’ve never exactly had True Love, so what do I know?

The entire plot centers around his devotion to her, and her love for him, and the lengths they go to for one another. He studies fencing and wrestling and wits and tactics for years on a pirate ship as he tried to return to her, and she refused the advances and the offers of an actual prince for as long as she could, even though she thought him dead, and was ready to kill herself when she knew him to be alive and not to be hers. And just such excellent action and characters and humor and story in the entire book surrounding it. Possibly an even better movie, somehow. Happy happy happy happy. They don’t make movies like this no more, why is that? Sad.

Endurance, Interstellar

Actually a pretty realistic design, all considering. They nailed the aesthetic, and the cinematography, and the feel.

It does lose points though, firstly because the shuttlecraft require a booster stage to make it into orbit when leaving Earth, but for the rest of the movie, whenever they’re landing on planets with similar gravity and atmosphere, they can just fly away like it’s no big deal, which is a big inconsistency, both with real life, and more importantly with itself. And how did an under-equipped and struggling space program put this thing in orbit in the first place, anyway? And why don’t their ships land on their asses like proper rockets? And why not tell the crew members the full plan before leaving? See, it’s little things like that, little inconsistencies made for the sake of fitting with story beats and simplifying it for the audience’s sake, that sours this ship for me. I don’t mind creative liberties, but actual plot holes? This thing has a few plot holes, and plot holes are absolutely yucky. So although most of this ship is very yummy, the yucky parts make it all yucky.

Yucky.

Plus its heavy cargo shuttles are about the least-aerodynamic things imaginable, and that’s also yucky, and there’s porcelain tiles in the stasis bay, like what?

Couldashouldawoulda been yummy.

The Hermes, The Martian

This ship. This friggin’ ship.

A beautiful ship. A well-conceived ship. A mathematically sound and engineered ship. It had so many many good ideas behind it. So much math went into calculating its thrust and orbital dynamics for this movie, so much work went into making it fit a contemporary space aesthetic, the panels, the heat sinks, the tanks, so much PRESENTATION I could KISS IT HMWA, but taken as a whole, engineering-wise, the whole ship falls flat on its face, because it just doesn’t fit together. It doesn’t make sense. Look at all those countless modules along its length. What do they do? They don’t do anything! It’s a quarter mile long, and it’s built for only 6 people? It’s meant to carry a lander? Where does the lander dock? Why are the useful airlocks so far off the center of gravity? Why does it have a cockpit? Why is the forward airlock so looooong? Why is the entire ship so loooooong? Why is the ring spinning so slowly? It’s not hard math to figure out how fast it needs to spin! You’re telling me you did ORBITAL DYNAMICS but not the SINGLE physics 101 equation needed to figure out how fast the ring needs to spin??

Btw, let’s talk about that rotating section in the middle! Think about the rotating section! That rotating section means that the front and the back of the ship aren’t actually connected! There’s just a pair of ring-shaped slip-slidey bearings bridging the ship’s middle, slip-slidey bearings that electricity, computer signals, and water and air pipes can’t cross. Why did they design it that way?? In the book the entire ship spun, which makes so much more sense! Why does it have solar panels when it has a reactor canonically capable of 40 times their output? Why are the fuel tanks so small? Why is it always facing prograde even when canonically burning retrograde? Why? WHY? BLRRRRGGGGGRGGGRGGG

In Conclusion, Ships Are Neat

41 notes · View notes

authorized-trash · 4 years

Text

The Passage of Identity and Time

2116 Words

Analogince

Virgil escapes to a better family, one that’s much more accepting.

Warnings: Anxiety disorder, depression, homophobia, transphobia, dysphoria, cussing, panic attacks, heavy crying, misgendering, use of deadname

Virgil didn’t start out his life as Virgil.

He started it out as Amber.

Born in small town USA in the year 1998, a baby named Amber was born. Her parents were ecstatic. The gender of the child did not matter to them, only that they had one. They had been trying for a child for months before the news of Amber arrived.

The baby was small and wrinkly, as most are. Her father called her a raisin, earning a swat on the arm from the mother.

Amber grew to a healthy height and weight for a two-year-old. She could talk and walk by now and was quite the rowdy child. Her hair was growing in curly and that odd almost-black brown her mother was known for. Her eyes were a deep brown, with little specks of amber around the iris. Long lashes surrounded the round eyes, making her quite the lovely child.

(“Oh, she’ll grow up to be quite the lovely child.”)

Amber continued to grow, and by the time she turned seven, she had shot up to four foot seven, a good head taller than all of her peers. She had cut her hair by now, a cute bob all the teachers loved. Her young idea of fashion was mud stained shorts and tank-tops.

By the time Amber hit ten, she could tell something was wrong. She didn’t understand why she suddenly couldn’t play football with the boys, and why she couldn’t just go to grandma’s Easter party in pants and a shirt.

(“That’s not a very feminine look Amber, you are a young lady, and you’re old enough now to act like it.”)

For now she could ignore the growing feeling of discomfort in her skin. Amber could pretend nothing was wrong. And when the other girls commented on her odd nature, she dubbed herself a tomboy.

That’s right, a tomboy. The totally normal option, and the only correct one.

The only socially correct one.

… But then puberty hit.

Amber hated how her thirteen-year-old body changed so quickly. She was five foot eight and had been dubbed ‘giraffe’ by the nasty boys in school. Her height didn’t bother her, however. No, it was the hips that thickened, and the chest. She hated it, hated that she hated it. She didn’t think she was bad looking, per say, just… She didn’t look herself. She didn’t see a future in the person she saw in the mirror.

With the self-loathing came the depression, and with the depression came the anxiety. There was so much of it. By the time she turned fourteen, Amber couldn’t do anything more than stare at her wall for hours, too anxious to move, anxious because she wasn’t getting done, anxious for what this could mean for her. Anxious for the grades, but too anxious to get up and do something about them.

Around this time is when she started looking at her family at an outside point of few. Picket fence, white, Christian people. Extremely conservative, and right winged. She started finding flaws in their logic, started resenting every word that came out of their mouth.

Amber was a sheltered child, and only received a device with access to social media at fifteen. There, she found an escape, making friends.

She discovered the term ‘Transgender’ online.

Everything clicked in that moment. The more research the more tears. Amber outright sobbed as she read, this was it. This had to be. She tested it out.

(“He found what he was looking for, and he knew in his heart it was the right choice.”)

She loved the way the pronouns sounded, beaming, she ran downstairs to her- his parents. His, him, he. God, did that sound so nice.

Amber ran downstairs to his parents, but stopped. They were talking again. About the people who pretended to be a different gender. It hit Amber like a ton of bricks.

They were talking about people like him.

He walked right back into his room and cried.

The anxiety worsened to nearly unbearable amounts.

Amber continued to research and found that he wanted to save up for a binder. He began a savings account, saving every penny he got his hands on.

It took ages, but he finally, finally, convinced his mother to cut his hair.

(“You look like a guy now Amber.”)

God did that comment fill him with joy.

(“You look like a butch.”)

Don’t say that like it’s a bad thing, lesbians are lit af.

(“Do you really like it cut that short?”)

No shit.

Amber had never felt more confident, but there was one thing missing.

A proper name.

He scoured every male baby name he could find. Scrolled through every writer’s website. Hell, he even looked at the girls names to find one.

It wasn’t until he was studying old literature when he found it.

Virgil.

He loved the way it sounded. Virgil. Such a nice name, genuinely extremely aesthetic in his opinion.

Amber no longer fit, it didn’t feel right. It never felt right. Virgil.

Virgil.

He was now a junior in highschool, owned a binder, had short hair, wore baggier clothes, and went by Virgil openly at school. By now the hate had long since died down, and he was decently happy. Still ridiculously and ludicrously anxious all the tie, but that was something to look into at a later date.

Right now, however, he had to get away from his home.

He loved his parents, but they were just so… hateful towards any kind of minorities. POC, LGBT, and anyone who wasn’t a white Christian were seen as sinful in their eyes. Virgil was tired of being forced to attend a church about a religion he didn’t know if he believed. He was tired of listening to their bullshit.

So when the time came that he went to college, he moved into a apartment He had gotten scholarships due to grades he had been careful to keep up and didn’t have to rely on his parents money.

His roommate, an agender person by the name of Logan Thomasson, was one of the nicest people he had ever met. Supportive too. Logan and him hit it off. Logan was a bit hesitant at first, but eventually told Virgil that xe used xe/xyr. Virgil smiled and told them he’d accept xyr no matter what.

Virgil’s parents didn’t notice his efforts to distance himself at first. Not until the second semester of his second year, when they had heard nothing from him. By now Virgil had long since started testosterone, and his voice had dropped significantly. It was almost time for summer break, and Virgil was making plans to stay at Logan’s for the break again, when he got the call.

“Amber, honey, are you there?” His mother called into her phone with that sickeningly sweet voice she used when she wanted to sound nice. Virgil gulped audibly, staring across the room at Logan, who was sitting with him to keep his nerves down.

“Yes mother?”

“Are you sick dear? What’s wrong?”

“No mom, I’m not sick.”

“Then why is your voice so deep, Amber? You know I hate it when you lie.”

Virgil bit his lower lip and closed his eyes, feeling the tears fall. He couldn’t delay the inevitable. Sure, maybe it was a shitty thing to say to his mother over the phone and not in person, but he wouldn’t be able to stand her face.

“I’m not.. I’m not Amber, mother.”

“… What? Sweetheart of course you’re Amber, what has gotten into you?” By now Logan had gotten and moved across the room, and xe was sitting on xyr knees in front of Virgil’s hand, putting a hand on his knee.

“No mom, I go by- I go by Virgil now. I’ve been taking testosterone treatment for a year and a half now.”

“Amber.”

“No- Mom it’s not-“ Virgil choked up, “It’s not Amber, I’m sorry, I’m-“

“Amber I’m coming to pick you up. That college isn’t good for you. I knew we shouldn’t have sent you to a damn liberal school,” his mother could be heard shuffling around, presumably covering the phone with her hand, “Adam, your daughter believes she’s a boy, a boy Adam.”

Virgil started sobbing now, sliding off his seat. Logan was quick to scoop him up in xyr arms, holding him tightly. Virgil rested his forehead on xyr shoulder, looking at the phone in his trembling hand.

“Mama please,” he mumbled wetly, watching the screen fill with tears. The world becoming a blur. His heart pounded in his chest. He couldn’t take this, he was going to have an anxiety attack.

“No, Amber, your father and I will be there shortly. Goodbye.”

The phone beeped, and Virgil threw it.

He cumbled in on himself, crying hysterically. He wanted that to go better, damnit. Maybe a little acceptance. Anything. God, it hurt so bad.

Logan shifted him around so that xe could pet his hair, mumbling xyr stupid math equations in his ear the way xe did, in that stupidly endearing way that Virgil loved so much.

His parents, true to their word, arrived that night.

They didn’t bother to knock. Virgil didn’t even know how they knew where he lived.

Logan was the one to see them when they arrived, Virgil had locked himself in his room. Logan had suggested it actually, god Virgil loved xem so much.

“I do not believe you are supposed to be here.”

“Amber lives here, yes? Where is she, we’re leaving. You would not believe how this place has contorted her mind.”

“Ma’am, you need to leave. Both you and your husband.”

“Now who do you think you ar-“

“I’ve already contacted security. The officer is a good friend of mine, they will see you out,” Logan smiled over the couple’s heads, at the officer who was standing in the door.

The couple spun around, spotting the officer. By now Virgil had poked his head around the door. He might as well watch his parents leave, this may very well be the last time he says them this close, or not through a picture.

This was a mistake on his part however, because when his mother flipped around to confront Logan again, she spotted him.

“Amber! Sweetheart! You have to come with us! I’m not letting my baby go to Hell!”

Virgil crept out from behind the door, looking levelly at his mother, “No mum, I’m not leaving. Now I believe Logan asked you to leave. This is his-“

“Our, Virgil, how many times to I have to tell you it’s our apar-“

“This is Logan’s home as much as mine, and xe wants you to leave.”

By now the security officer had already gotten Virgil’s dad out the door, and had walked up behind the mother.

“Ma’am, these two have asked you to leave multi-“

“Xe? XE?! Amber! These are demons! You are possessed, please baby, come with us- please!”

“Ma’am! Either you leave or I arrest you, that is a direct order! Out, now!” The officer shouted, furious. They escorted the woman to the door, Virgil’s mother throwing a fit all the while.

“You’re all evil in the eyes of god! You will repent one day! You will!!”

And with that the door shut.

Virgil gave a small, defeated smile, looking at Logan. Logan breathed heavily out of xyr mouth, before walking up to the dark haired young male. Xe gave him a small kiss at the top of his head, ruffling his hair.

“I’m so, so proud of you.” Xe said softly. Virgil snorted softly.

“You think they’ll still let me go to Thanksgiving?” He joked.

Logan laughed.

A week past and Virgil had done nothing but delete the nonstop flow of messages from his old friends and family. He had no reason to talk to them. Not anymore.

He and Logan had started dating since then, and both were extremely happy. Hell, they had even been debating the pros and cons of inviting the cute security guard, who was named Roman, into their relationship. The guard had been flirting nonstop with the two of them, and honestly, they were smitten by the non-binary officer.

A few months later found them all happily watching movies on the couch with Logan’s ball python Dee.

A year later found them all happily married, with Roman’s brother Remus as best man.

Months after that found them adopting an adorable baby named Patton. The child was a spring loaded ball of red curls and freckles.

Virgil didn’t start out life as Virgil.

But he sure as hell didn’t end it as Amber.

A little fic a did as a sort of vent

I wrote all in an hour and a half, and I honestly don’t think I have it in me to go back through and fix it if there’s mistakes.

#logan #patton #virgil #roman #analogince #analogical #agender logan #nonbinary roman #trans male virgil #misgendering #transphobia #homophobia #anxiety #depression #deadname use #sanders sides #sanders sides fanfic #deceit mention #remus mention

245 notes · View notes

throwingideasatthewall · 3 years

Text

Clone Wars Escape from Kadavo

Well this is certainly a scene change and one that doesn’t really make sense,

I mean I thought it was a Camp of Holding for slaves

Where they got transported to different places on the island to do slave labor, per hap -s

Now there’s apparently a lava pit under it,

How?

That

-doesn’t make any sense

Also wtf,

Coal, metal

Since when was refinery really this place’s MO (Like this is really starting to feel like they got the Mandalorian And This Set -ting s Switch ed,)

Not to say they can’t be a coal/mining industry,

Just, that the setting should reflect it,

From we saw there was nothing to indicate this was anything but an ar chai c Soc-either

With no flues Or fu -mes

To indicate that they were burn Ing combustibles,

Honestly some kind of stalactites mine,

Or someplace where they dig for “valuables,” -like prized st- one for Jew elery- Would make more sense- - Anyway, I’m getting. way too focus -ed on the se- tt - Ing- - Again Rex is just straight up chilling, This is n’t his first rodeo with abusers,

Ok, seriously what was up with the Wil -h el m,?

(Like I don’t honestly see anything steep enough to fall off)

You could say it was a whip but we haven’t seen any Of That, Ye t-

I don’t get the screaming-

Also that dude just attacked him out of nowhere,

Like could we have gone establishment of that?

Like,

What was even his ber-zerk butt- on there?

Dude was doing his job

Like if it was a faster thing you kind of have to establish that before hand - Also then the environment, the ma jor ity, Would be working at a breakneck speed, With a sense of anxiety, In the air,

Then, the whip,

He- was?

(Like that was just plain - pointless

Not even an emotional reaction

Like that told us absolutely nothing about the setting and character

The mate didn’t even have a reaction

It’s one random guy that just decided to hit someone else-

Like that’s not even calculated never mind systematic,

Also I like how Rex like yeah I wouldn’t know anything about that, feck’in Jedi -

Also “Effect?”

Not really more like

“ Dave’s having a real rough day and I really don’t want to talk to (In that state)

Like they didn’t wince.

There was no antici pation-

No anxiety,

Like no signs of this is had a permanent psychologically damaging affect

(Note all toxic behavior is harmful, The difference here is Between The intensity of the in-dentation,

It can get pretty bad

And enabling tox can have serious effects (Pretty bad)

(Requiring a lot more time to undo)

From; Dave is really an asshole,

To I am really an asshole,

To The world is really an asshole (And Dave is the savior-)

(Apologies to anyone who’s chosen name is Dave or similar vernacular, It’s not out of any Mala- cian- Just the first identi fication I could think of,

And tox- ic logic is really not something you wanna enable,

Again what the Frick?

(This is really not an or-ganic way to introduce your rules

Like, “oh yeah speech is for-bidden, Have a nice day,”

Like you think dude-

Like you were pretty damn path -etic abu ser- (s) - (Sla vers) Wow,

There was no emotions or anything -be cause the set up was so poor,

W- h -a t

Again the emotion is non existence,

Also what the fuck happened to Rex over there? -

When did he go down?

(Like don’t get me wrong I saw a flash in the corner?)

But why him?

[also did the scenery just completely changed because he was on the far end of Ken- Obi with something in between

Some thing they were shoveling the stuff on?

That’s just gone in this shot]

[Also, From a narra- tive, standpoint wouldn’t it have made more sense and been a more engaging concept, If the guy had threat -ene d- The clone in Obi- wan’s stead, Seeing as of the republic’s version of slavery,

Rex pos s- ib ly

Reflec- ting on the (Other Species?)

And contrasted with them,

On how much Obi-Wan views him as a possession,

(Or his reaction to the people under him getting hot ,and why)

Allo- wing for more heart,

“I’m sorry,”

“No Wors e- Than The Kamino -ins,”

Rex’s Sub Cat;

Seeing the people he was trained (and order-ed) to protect Harm -ed - Much like the people (under him) were harmed during the Kamooin. s-

Groom -ing, ?]

Any -way,

Again, and what was the emotion? - M-aster

Rex must be like, Kar- ma

If he’s not,

[Never mind he isn’t asleep just one frame made it look weird?]

Ai- gh -t

Oh yeah seriously check up on that one guy instead of you know the person under the command,

Also;

What The fuck?

IS THAT GOOGLY EYES?

What the feck,

What is with that expression-

What is with that facial-

(Seriously someone tell me what emotions this is supposed to por- tray!

What?

Also yeah

they completely waltz. -ed past the ab- us -er. Be- Ing - Con- fron ted- by the Con- Seq- Uen Ce (s) Of their actions,

It’s not pointed out that Obi-Wan totally caused this by (not)- listen-ing, To dude’s initiative to stay out of it

(Or, what he did to Cody Rex, and basically all the clones,)

(And what could’ve been a good moral about negative effects of “Pos- itive over- invo lv e- Ment- )

so I am slightly big mad

Not com- -pletely

But I’m get-ting th-ere

Drinking my slightly bitter ju-ice-

Gett -ing pr-etty salty

Which is odd since I normally don’t criticize aesthetic differences

Like This- -

The problem is it isn’t the aesthetic that I have a problem with, (You want to have a Obi-Wan show more compassion to the slave of similar generation then to Rex?

(That’s per-fect-ly fine and could even show how he values his job and Mission over someone he is actually wound- ed-)

However that’s not it-

(It doesn’t even do that)

My problem with it is that it shows no emotion

No emphasis

No moral

It’s - empty - Watching this scene, there is absolutely nothing I get out of it,

Also wow that was a quick turnaround,

Like seriously it generally takes longer for that kind of behavior to be indented,

This is literally the only Jedi he’s seen be there

One time

This is barely scraping logic, And even then, not really requiring- pre-knowledge of the emotions and general plot (before hand)

I know that I should feel bad for the slave because slav-ery is a bad thing And any real person would be pretty upset it/ Suffer for the toxic environment,

Note; it’s not from the medium

I didn’t gain that knowledge from the medium

(In which the chara- cters actions and emotions, Make me conclude, “oh wow, slavery is a real bad thing!”

No the characters are wooden puppets with no emotion,

Going from; Point a to point B

Nothing to connect them (No preamble)

No emotions

No motive(s)

‘why is Obi-Wan doing what he’s doing?’

‘I don’t know’

(And I honestly don’t think the wr- iters did either)

And no damn interest

Barely scraping logic..

‘Why is Obi-wan doing what he’s doing,’

‘Because he has the rescue the slaves,’

‘ why does he have to rescue the slaves,?’

‘ because you have to rescue slaves,’

It’s literally circular

Rely- ing completely on the cookie cu- tter,

Resulting in it being as flat as a cookie when rolled over by a rolling pin,

Where It should; Be;

“ why does Obi-Wan want to rescue the slaves?”

“Because of his dedication to his moral compass/ because of his dedication to his generation/ non- clone- ena blers,/ (Whatever you want to put there)

(Hey that was almost emotion from ,Rex)

(We’re 2:29 Min Ut es In, And I’m already salty about the episode refusal to be fun,

That’s nice exposition *Palpatine*. Sidious,

Tra- dition (S);

Mill-

That’s literally all I -heard-

-(I assume they’re saying “millions,”)

Which would actually be neat if we got to see some you know human soldiers on the Darkside to counterbalance the whole do you know clone troopers, contrasting the dark side’ s more ethical but none the less toxic practices,

To the light side’s- Gen Break-

De- fiance?

(I think you mean that other Zygerian’s death because we have literally not seen the queen act even remotely rebellious,

Yeah she con- templates possibly free- ing them,

But we haven’t seen her openly communicate with either of these 2 to inform them

And she still wants to keep Anakin,

So she at least has one Jedi,

With the others possibly be blamed on a -prison break-

And literally nothing that we’ve seen com-municating the concept of open - rebel- lion

Or any of the connection between her and the separatist,

Again seriously how am I supposed to feel about that (Also the one person that gives even the slightest bit of emotion and it’s the villain,)

Like I’m surprise’d Dooku’s surprised by that

(Er-)

O-k

Whe-lp

(Also, now there are flues). (Don’t recall seeing them last time,)

Or just sticks with gold on them

(I am very con- fused,)

This seems pretty different

And totally safe

(Also wasn’t the castle blue?)

But I’m not against it because it could work with the symbolism of wild, Or just. Wor -k (I know I’m being way too hop- - eful but I try,

Re- hash-

Easy-

So why is there no other emotion

And why do you look like a caveman,

(Eyebrows constantly furr- Ow- ed)

Also what was with the pro-nunciation and emotion?

Bare,

Also literally no one else is paying attention to that guy? ?

‘ he also doesn’t cause me to have any emotions’

Like seriously I know that it’s a cat person but you still have to show some sentient emotion here

If there’s no emotion, there’s no risk,

(Part of sent- ience)

Att- end,

Again that’s not the cha- llenge I think they were trying to make it out to be; (Un-accountabili- ty) Aka What it would work best as;

Remix;

“ I’ll would never turn away from a challenge,” Anakin said snarkily,

The queen se- duct iv el- y

Taking his light saber, - that works better;

- Ser-iously - Um- No,

(Last time someone fall from a height that high, they died,)

(You have to play by your own rules, )

Wha-

Also again wh -at-

Sky -walker

When ?-

Would be nice if you ever feckin showed it,

(Seriously the concept of Obi-Wan having to come to terms at least temporary that his Over-involvement has hurt people is an interesting concept,”

Also bullshit that you know that

(Pretty)

(You’re all enabled and you haven’t spent any time around Obi-Wan)

(That’s a stupid plan and the animation really doesn’t help,)

Zy-ger

Perm - R- i-,

Oh yeah so no reserves, about using the term, “master” After this schism ? - Y-eah - How? - W-at

[The emotions are off the roof and I have no idea

with the scale of escalation

W-at]

Lesh - Li- fe

You did- n’t? - Emo tion-

Wh-at?

Who called- the guards?

Seriously if this is such a constantly abusive (tox) relationship than how do they not know,

(Unless the previous guards got killed and these are the newbies,)

Because you don’t act like it all don’t have any of the characteristics generally associated with constantly rein-forc -ed toxicity, Show- ed no emotion including (anxiety and anticipation) In that previous fight,

As well as no negative con- seq- uen ce s for your behavior - Even now your voice is just “ oh I’m dyi-ng- -,’. .

Meep,

[Something happened

not a Tumblr refresh,

Gist;

There’s absolutely no emotion in the scene and the fact that she just dies after that being the threat is just kind of cheap,

[and the fact that she had absolutely no expression (Or emotion) during that entire fight Not showing any of the general signs - Just no)

And that expression is a weird way way to end

The scene. not the movie that still going, (Un-fortunate- ly)

Uh, why Off to you obviously evil factory, land,”

Kick,

Hey isn’t it that minor antagonist that hasn’t showed up since the last episode? . . . Why? . . . And he included the clone why?

(Oh yeah I want the Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi, And especially the to my knowledge (default) clone.

And Rex who is honestly a lot more intimidating,

K-i

[Again this is supposed really be about. Ken-obi but I’m really focusing on Rex,]

Wh- at- -

How?!

They were on a bug?

I-

Ok-

Sorry my memory gave out for a moment at the whole Anakin durp face thing - -

W-h

W-

Wood

Again, how is he supposed to do that?

- Ter- - I-l

Sl-av es

So Ahsoka goes to rescue the slaves while An-a kin, stays here and carves a hole,

En-ough

No emotion!

Oh, I thought he meant Ah -soka - Oh so yeah let’s bring a warship into what seems to have been intended as a stealth mission,

Screw Fitt Ing Re Action-

And-

W-

How did that change the fact that they have the button that can kill all the slaves,

(It didn’t)

Obi-won just apparently stopped giving a fr-ick -

Ray-

Well then they were impossible to take out,

F-a - S-l

But only the Tyger-ian (Apologies for any misspelling I mean Ahsoka’s kind,)

“He -at,”

“Cut,”

Ge-n-

Rex did more than Obi-wan,

Also yeah completely forgot about that,

Also he said kill,

[Not further im-prison,” ]

Rex had some rage-

Also you’d think that be Obi-Wan considering how much he’s gotten ,screwed with This entire ,time - Wh,at

Wh -y -

Wh -y - H-ere - How is Rex still fighting guys? - Also thanks a lot Obi-Wan you useless piece of shit,

[Again, would n’t it make sense? .)

W-ell

- You just came into a door just hop them - over- - Lan d-

Wait, How did you just get in, there though,

. Co- vert - ?

O-Kay, new character,

W-h

(Also oh no they gave plo another fleet

Great )

Ser-iously, what where are these guys coming from? , You’ve literally been allowed this dude to heck around the entire time while Rex did all the hard work

La-me,

Also seriously where was all that - ,coming from- - Wh at-

Where was the emotion? - Hey that had no meaning, symbolism or emotion behind it - whatsoever,

A-i

- W-h - - - Whelp, was completely boring

Covenants of a good, fun story;

- Set; Excessive in instances that don’t directly affect the story’s up, cohesivity

-Tone; Is appropriate

-Emotions; And appropriate, and consistent and manage to keep a consistent tone,

(Un-nessary, Typically switch-ed for a more logical tone, In works of non-fiction,

Though may be in both, So long as note is given,)

This film (Movie - Gets absolutely none of it right except the basics for a good story

It’s co - hesive- But damn boring and empty,

Story - Re-write. - (I needed something fun after watching that boring documentary,)

So let’s get into it, - (May feature episode -overlap)

Obi-Wan emerges from the carrier, With R -ex,

(Obi-Wan possibly sub- con-ciously mov -ing In Fron -t Of Rex-)

[Or Cody]

The minor antagonist welcome(s) them; Obi-wan trading some banter with him - It being part of a plan to get captured,

Unfortunately somethings went ar-ray and instead of Cody being the back up plan; he got taken with him

The minor antagonist - quickly cuts the chatter - By having the guard (S- bring Cody forward, introducing him as Obi-Wan’s Slave

Giving a veiled threat of “ would be a shame if something happened to such a ,pretty specimen,”

Obi-Wan getting def-ensive,

The atag, Com menting, “ Pretty protective, Of your toy, Aren’t You,”

Before having them thrown somewhere,

Next time, we see them they’re getting e- scor- ted- for gem Min- Ing,

(Possibly some black humor from the vil -ains- about how people will pay, “An arm or leg

*Pos-sibly yours,

For the stuff,’

On the way there one of the guards notices Rex (Cody)’s ey-ing the place. warning him That, ‘He’s not the only one under ob -servation)

Possibly causing a wincing or anxious reaction from them . (I would generally encourage flashbacks to be able to - show the emotion em- ot ion,)

(Under-stand what is going inside their head,)

But for now I’ll stick with the example given by the show which is no flashbacks, The guard making it clear what will happen

Shock- -Ing-

The clone (Eith er) Ha-ving a bad reaction to this,

Knee jerkingly reaching out,

The guard grabbing him and holding him back - - Forced into a distressing circumstance of fa il -in g- The Miss- -ion -

Those two are pretty much out of the action for the rest of the episode being stuck

Obi-Wan can’t do anything without hurting Cody Cody can’t do anything without hurting the slaves - Most of their part is contrasting the condition,

Most of the action is with Ahsoka, Who talks down that dweeb (Maybe someone near-er to her age) And they go break Obi-Wan out so he can back up, Anakin

In the Dooku fight,

The most consistent and clear char- -acter Being Q -ueen, Being a slaver-

If it’s Ana- Kin,

Anakin having to begrudgingly put up with this slaver’s nonsense

Be-grudgingly

- Her talking about how life is slavery and him just not...

Then Dooku Shows Up,

(The whole transition between the mine scene and the Anakin- slaver scene, Being a cut from the sparks in a mine To the jewel on her finger With extra focus being put on the jewels,

Possibly all done with all of them Zy- gar-ian (Or of all the planets that she’s taking people from-

Zygarian Heir loom)

A black stone (in the middle of her chest) By a pendant (Generally implied to be by Count Dooku)

Toxic court-ing implied,

Count Dooku announces a surprise visit,

The Queen is pleased but nervous (Hands behind -back)

“I-”

Putting a wine glass down behind it,

Dooku is immediately aggressive

The queen offering Anakin as a consolation prize

As the youngest and newest to the-ir possible rank,

Dook-u snark Ing,

Dooku threaten -ing to kill

The queen having issue with that whole main characterization being the collector of rare things

(Possibly a reflect- Ion about the no speaking rule)

More likely Dooku dismissing her con- cerns just saying that he can always get her a new one,

“The Queen possibly wincing at a raised hand - if we want to go for indications of physical tox-’

Poss-ibly a conversation about why she put up with him

“He treats me well”

Focus on the necklace and pendent to - contrast with the choking necklace-

Possibly a poison Sub-line

- If you want to go there, - But focusing on Ahsoka, they broke those guys out,

Ahsoka finding a heartbroken Jedi, Explaining that their res -pect ive clone friend, Has given up on them

Ahsoka finding that person,

Who manages to explain that he can’t move either-

To be cut off by the guards who has really had enough of every- thing-

Decided - screw it if pain isn’t going to make you stop and then might as well put them in a life or death situation,

Add-ing time on the clock (Or at least a new var- iable-)

Ahsoka possibly does a whole speech thing (Since seriously we’ve seen none of her involvement or even care about her own spe-cies) Via dem on- Strat Ion-

(Very likely leading to a riot situation,)

As they didn’t plan on the Tagroatians (?) Rebell ing due to crush -ed spirits,

That happens - Those two re- unite and go to fi-ght Dooku

(I never. really cared for the Zy- ger- Ian queen,)

If she lives in then, she’s grateful for them driving off Dooku, Allows them to get off with the slaves,

(Necklace might have information might not,)

*Honestly I felt it made more sense for Anakin to be the one in the mine; The Zy- garian queen, and Obi -Wan hav- ing boomer ban -ter, With Obi-Wan a lot more aware of that stuff, (Show-ing worldliness by identifying the stones) While Anakin compares the circumstance to the one that he used to live in, And the one he enabled Rex living in, While Ahsoka, could team up with a Zy-ger-Ian round her age, Possibly some conversations about enabling- May-be Ahsoka talking about getting a clone command of her own- (If we want the clone commanders to be a constantly featured theme here) Boomer Bait, Busting Anakin out of the mine, Obi-Wan getting hidden behind a cur-tain, And going to heck over Dooku, (Slaves recovered-)

Both the Zy- Gar- Ian- (And a flirtatious promise to return By Obi-wan, ) [contrast Mandalorian] Gets Free- Dom- - End- -

0 notes

she-who-fights-and-writes · 4 years

Note

8, 9, 4, 1

1. Favorite Champion?

I like Mipha mostly because she’s so soft-spoken and kind but also a total badass, not to mention that Mipha’s Grace helps me out a LOT! Tbh I love the Zora in general, and I especially loved Mipha in the Champion’s Ballad DLC!

4. What have you named your horse(s)?

They’ve mostly been named after Greek Gods.

My first horse was Apollo–he was brown with spots on his butt and had super sucky stats. I sold him off to that guy for the “A Good-Sized Horse” quest.

My second horse was Venus, who was pink and white piebald who also had sucky stats–I just wanted a pink horse to put flowers in her mane. I only just recently let her go to make room for other horses, which broke my heart because we’d been through so much together.

My third horse was named Ares. He was brown with a black mane and had better stats than the other two because he was fully brown, but he died from a Guardian and I didn’t bother resurrecting him because by that point I’d already found another horse.

My fourth horse was Hermes. He was brown with a black mane and was fast, but I didn’t really have too much attachment to him because I’d only just lost Ares to the Guardian. It was at this point where I started looking up where the fast horses were because I wanted five and four star stats, and I let him go not long after I found out how awesome the stats were of the horses near Serenne stable.

My fifth horse is Hades. He is black with a white mane and has five star speed. He is still an awesome travel companion today, though I’ve been using him less and less because he doesn’t have that much strength so I can’t use him much in battle. He’s also very hard to maneuver because he’s so fast, and he doesn’t have much stamina.

My sixth horse is Poseidon. Poseidon is my go-to horse, my main travel companion. He has great stats. Four strength, four speed, and five stamina. He’s awesome in battle, just the right speed, and he helped me a lot on the Mounted Archery camp. He is also blue! I’ve wanted a blue horse since the beginning of the game, but my brother (falsely) told me that blue horses have awful stats so I never tried.

I got him post-Ganon fight, and I might just fight Ganon again just to ride him into the final battle! Naturally, he’s one of my current horses.

I named the white royal stallion Athena, even though it’s supposed to be a boy, and she’s the one who I rode during the Ganon fight because she was more balanced than my other horses at the time. She’s one of my current horses.

I named the Big Horse Hercules. He is super fun, but I often just ride him for the aesthetic and the occasional battle; I travel a lot, and he’s just too slow to get anywhere quickly. He’s one of my current horses.

And finally, my most recent horse I caught is named BIG YOSHI. He has green hair and even though he has a stupid name he has awesome stats. He’s one of my current horses; past me would’ve never had the heart to give a horse such an inglorious game.

8. Favorite mechanic?

I really like how time slows down when you shoot arrows in the air. Idk why it’s just really fun for me.

9. One-handed or two-handed weapons?

One-handed ALL THE WAY. Though I have to admit that savage lynel crushers are very, very fun.

Send me a Breath of the Wild ask!

#maddytalks #answering asks #botw #breath of the wild

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avaantares · 4 years

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FFVII:REMAKE - A Review

So I beat the game two weeks ago and started writing down my thoughts while they were fresh in my mind, but I didn’t post anything then because my one IRL friend who is also playing it hadn’t finished it yet and I didn’t want to risk posting anything spoiler-y. But the extra time has allowed me to play through the game again on Hard difficulty, which has allowed me to reconsider and elaborate on some of my thoughts. And frankly at this point I just need to dump my Very Big Opinions somewhere, so... here ya go.

I discuss visuals, gameplay, character and story below. I’ve tried to keep spoilers minimal up front, though obviously if you want to go into the game totally cold, don’t read this. All major spoilers are clearly tagged. All of it is below a cut to spare your dash.

Also, there are pretty pictures, because why not?

First, my background with this franchise: I played through the original FFVII multiple times; I’ve watched and rewatched Advent Children and Last Order, played Crisis Core, gave up on Dirge of Cerberus despite my deep love for Vincent Valentine (sorry, VV, but your game was just a mess), and lamented that Before Crisis wasn’t available in my country. I even played (and own!) Ehrgeiz, the obscure fighting game that featured the main cast. (Still bitter that they didn’t keep Miki Shinichirou as the voice of Sephiroth. He’s one of my faves.)

^ Ehrgeiz, a mediocre fighting game that forever endeared itself to me by including Turks!Vincent Valentine as a playable character. 💖

In short, I’ve been waiting for this game for DECADES.

So. Here we go. My thoughts on Final Fantasy VII: REMAKE.

The good:

The character models are very pretty. With individual pores, threads and scuffs visible, they’re so detailed that it’s almost impossible to reconcile them with the mouthless sprites from the original game – even more so than Advent Children (and dear goodness, that was over a decade ago now, wasn’t it?). Still, they’ve kept the costume details and absurd proportions largely intact (Barret’s fists are literally larger than Tifa’s entire head, yet somehow it works visually), so it’s not too much of a departure from the familiar.

They’ve kept the aesthetic. I was afraid the game would try to update the iconic world of Midgar, but by and large, it’s full of visually-arresting designs that preserve the gritty-industrial look and feel of the original.

Japanese version is included. BLESS YOU, Square Enix, for including the Japanese voices and character animations. Not only is it impossible for me to hear Cloud in anything other than Sakurai Takahiro’s voice, but the Japanese script is a bit nicer to the characters. I’m not really keen on the English dub… but more on that below.

They fixed the spelling of Aerith’s name. This may seem like a minor point, but considering it’s been 20 years and I’m still bitter that Devil May Cry still hasn’t corrected “Nelo Angelo,” it’s a small victory.

Improved combat. Admittedly, I wasn’t sold on the new combat system at first, but after playing through the game twice, I’ve come to really like it. It has a few rough edges and can get chaotic in some battles, but it does a decent job of blending the feel of an action game with turn-based strategy. The fact that you can switch to a more traditional turn-based system if you prefer is also nice. (I haven’t tried Classic mode yet, though.)

Weapon customization. The Skill Points system allows you to upgrade your loadout instead of acquiring new gear. The tutorial was somewhat lacking (I didn’t quite figure out the multiple-core-unlock thing right away), but I appreciated the ability to add materia slots or stat buffs rather than just cycling through a dozen swords that Cloud apparently keeps in his back pocket.

Background dialogue management. On the whole, the conversations as you run through town enhance the story without slogging down the gameplay; you don’t have to stop and talk to every single resident, because snatches of their conversation reach you (and your on-screen chatlog) as you pass. You can stop and listen for more detail if you want, or you can just keep moving. The extra worldbuilding is really nice.

The music. The orchestrated versions of the original themes are excellent (and some of those music cues gave me goosebumps… Did I spend way too many hours immersed in the original game? Probably). I can take or leave some of the collectible jukebox tunes, but the background music in general is good. (But did I earn that Disc Jockey trophy? Yes, yes I did.)

Supporting character development. Jessie, Biggs and Wedge actually have characters! And personalities! Clichéd ones, admittedly, but it’s an improvement over the original game killing them all off within the first few minutes. The game also does justice to the Turks, and actually surprised me with how much depth of character it gave Reno and Rude in particular (perhaps setting them up for a mini redemption arc so players forgive them for dropping a plate on tens of thousands of slum residents?). Their moments of concern for each other and (brief) crises of conscience made them more than the stock villains they were in the original game, more in line with their temporarily good-aligned characters in Advent Children. Tseng, likewise, was on point. However, I do have to qualify all this with one irate question: Where the heck is Elena?! Seems like the female characters are always getting left out… /sigh/

Improved plot devices. REMAKE cleans up some of the more questionable and outdated content from the original. As you likely already know from the demo, the new game somewhat exonerates the protagonists by having Shinra blow up their own mako reactor to turn public opinion against AVALANCHE (possibly because someone finally realized that it’s hard to sympathize with characters who are willing to melt down an entire reactor and kill a bunch of innocent civilians). AVALANCHE are still eco-terrorists, but they’re… terrorists with a conscience? I dunno, at least they feel bad when people die now… Likewise, the weird and uncomfortable Honey Bee Inn segment of the original game has been reborn as an amazing dance extravaganza. Less voyeurism/prostitution, more Vegas floor show (complete with minigame choreography) and makeover. The whole Don Corneo scenario is still hella creepy, but frankly, there’s nothing that can fix that.

Series references. Fans of the original will appreciate all the inside jokes and direct references to the original game and other franchise entries: One-off comments about Chocobo racing; a broken console in Wall Market that shoots at you; a framed picture of the original 32-bit Seventh Heaven; ads for Banora apple juice; side mentions of characters and plot devices from spinoff games; PHS communication… The game definitely pays tribute to its history. They even recreate the original loading screen and several of Cloud’s iconic poses/animations throughout the game:

The neutral:

Recycled gags. Look, I know Advent Children was the ultimate evolution of FFVII for a while, and admittedly, it did some things very well. The running gag with Rude’s sunglasses and the victory fanfare being used as a ringtone are some of the best moments in the film, in part because they were so unexpected. But as much as I enjoyed the repeated nods to AC in this game, they felt a little desperate, like there were no new jokes to insert so they had to double down on the ones they’d used the last time this franchise had a renaissance. (See Rude’s broken sunglasses, below.) And fitting into the series as a whole, it feels a little weird. Why is Rude’s ringtone the same as the clones’ from Advent Children? Does Barret really need to sing the victory fanfare over and over when he defeats an enemy? Is there supposed to be some history behind that song that was left out of the worldbuilding? It just feels too meta.

Arbitrary localization of names. I don’t really grasp why it was necessary to rename so many items and characters for the English market. Some changes make sense for localization (e.g. Whack-a-Box certainly works better for an American audience than Crash Box), but others seem arbitrary, like changing Aniyan Kunyan to Andrea Rhodea or Mugi to Oates (a play on the meaning of his name in Japanese, but... does it matter?). And then… well, I don’t want to spoil A Major Plot Element, but there’s another thing that changes names from one English word (in the Japanese track) to a different English word. Why? No idea. It doesn’t affect gameplay, and it’s not really a problem, but listening to the Japanese track, I found it jarring to have the subtitles contradict what I was hearing.

Underutilized characters. While the whole gamut of original FFVII characters make appearances, several of them aren’t used to full effect, or aren’t used at all to advance the story. Rufus Shinra’s bossfight is a decent challenge, but while his character was vital to both the original FFVII and Advent Children, his presence in this game is little more than a cameo. His fight could be cut or swapped out with any other boss, and it would have zero effect on the plot. Similarly, while Hojo is a key player in the full story (which this game doesn’t cover, since it’s only a fraction of the original timeline), he’s largely wasted here, except as a means of extending play time by making you wander through corridors and fight a bunch of monsters for “research.” (I have no idea what his motivation is; you’d think he’d be more interested in recapturing Aerith or Cloud, but instead he just... opens an elevator and lets them leave? after they beat up some midbosses.) Reeve Tuesti actually has a solid presence in this game, but since he’s ONLY ever active as himself, there’s no explanation for the random Cait Sith cameo in one scene (players new to the franchise probably have no idea why a random cartoon cat showed up for a few seconds and was never mentioned again). Obviously the plot arcs have to change when the game is covering only a few days’ time in a much longer story, and the major players need to be introduced at some point if they’re going to feature in later games in the series, but from a narrative standpoint, there are an awful lot of superfluous characters doing things for no reason in this installment.

The bad:

THE PADDING. Dear goodness, there is so much padding to make this a standalone game instead of just the first chapter of a longer adventure. I got really, really sick of running literally from one end of the map to the other on side quests – and that’s me, an avowed trophy hunter who spends hours scouring dark corners for collectible items in other games, saying that. So much of this game felt like time fill that didn’t really advance the story. It’s also full of unnecessary new characters with improbable Squeenix hair, like Roche the super-annoying motorcycle SOLDIER (below), or Leslie, Don Corneo’s doorman who somehow merits his own backstory and side quest. (Though in fairness, every FFVII sequel has added superfluous characters, with Crisis Core possibly being the worst offender.) But it just felt really drawn-out and bloated for a game of this generation. If this game had been as compact and tightly-written as the other games I typically play, it probably only would have taken me 15 hours to beat instead of 50. (I don’t actually know how many hours I spent on it the first time through, as I didn’t check the play clock before restarting on Hard difficulty. I do know it took me over 110 hours total to complete the game on both modes, though much of the second run was spent dying repeatedly on a handful of nasty fights. Hard mode removes items and MP replenishment, and if you run out of MP at any point during a chapter, you’re going to die. A lot.)

The pacing. Related to the above... the Midgar portion of the original game was just the setup for a larger story. It wasn’t meant to have its own complete dramatic arc so much as to introduce you to the world and the major players. Consequently, there are some really odd beats in this story, as well as a total lack of urgency in your mission. There are no natural places to slot in the side quests and minigames, so they’re shoehorned awkwardly between plot sequences. “Quick, our friend is in mortal peril and needs our help!” "Okay, cool, we’ll go rescue her after we spend ten hours running around town doing random errands for townspeople and playing games with the local kids.” Uh... what?

The graphics just aren’t as good as they should be. While the character models are gorgeous, there are a lot of low-res background textures and weird polygons that don’t quite match up with other components. Most egregious are the Shinra logos, which frequently get close-ups as part of the fixed camera work and, frankly, look like lossy JPEGs. (See image below, screencapped from a PS4 Pro. Those jagged edges on the logo are present throughout the entire game.) There are weird clipping errors and artifacted images and reflective surfaces that don’t reflect, making the game look more like something from the PS3 era than a 4K late-gen PS4 game. (And it’s not that we don’t have the technology: Uncharted 4 was released back in 2016, and the rendering of its vast world was twice as pretty. Devil May Cry 5, released in early 2019, has far more realistic textures and object interaction. Granted, those are different types of games with fewer NPCs to render, but I feel like there’s no excuse for a game this big to look this mediocre.)

The HUD could be better. The lower-corners concept is okay, though it took me a while to train my eyes to travel between both sides of the screen and track the fight action. But for a long time, I didn’t even notice the commands in the upper left corner of the screen, and after playing through the game twice I still have no idea what they say because I couldn’t focus on the tiny text long enough to read them while trying not to die in combat. (I just looked it up; apparently they’re combat control shortcuts? Huh, that would have been useful to know.) It wasn’t until my second time through that I realized there even WERE separate controls on screen during the motorcycle minigames; I had resorted to panicked button mashing to figure it out the first time through because there was no tutorial (you’re just dropped into the action) and, having ignored the small text for the previous hundred combats, I had no reason to look for on-screen instructions there. Not that it would have helped, since on many backgrounds the text in the upper left is really difficult to read (see below). It’s worth noting that I have better than 20/20 vision and played this game on a large TV screen and still had trouble reading some things; on a smaller TV, or for someone with less acute vision (like my sister, who is blind in one eye), I think even the basic menu controls would be difficult to see. While you can resize the font for subtitles, my cursory glance through the menu did not uncover an option to increase the size of the HUD.

Inter-fight menu mechanics. Specifically, the inability to save (or save loadout settings) between fights in a multi-part sequence. There are several back-to-back fights in which it is necessary to switch characters or change gear between bosses. The game treats them as one continuous fight, though it does allows you to access the equipment menu by holding square during key cutscenes. Which is good, if you only have one of a particular materia or accessory that you need to switch between characters, and in most cases when you die the game lets you restart just before your current fight instead of restarting the whole sequence -- also good, since some multi-stage bosses can easily take 20-30 minutes to beat, and if several of those are strung together in sequence, you’re in for a long play session to get past them. But since it’s treated as one fight, you can’t save between bosses (more than once, I had to leave my PS4 running in Rest Mode overnight and just hoped we didn’t have a power glitch), and if you happen to get killed and need to restart the fight, your loadouts reset. Which means if you’re, say, fighting the end boss on Hard difficulty and get killed in the first two minutes -- which happened to me a lot -- by the time you restart the fight, sit through the unskippable cutscene, access the menu and rearrange all the materia and accessories you need, you’re spending five or six minutes gearing up for two minutes of play, and then doing that over and over again every time you die. It gets really old.

The English dub script. *deep breath* Okay, look, I know I can be a bit elitist about translations, but I really do not like the English adaptation of this game. It makes Cloud come across as less socially-awkward and far more of a deliberate jerk, Aerith is mouthy and even swears (which is not accurate to her original character), and it downplays some of the symbolism that’s more obvious in the Japanese script. One quick example: When Aerith gives Cloud a flower, she says (in Japanese), “In the language of flowers, this means ‘reunion.’” It’s subbed/dubbed in English, “Lovers used to give these when they were reunited.” That’s a subtle difference, but since the concept of “reunion” is a freakin’ huge part of the FFVII plot, and since Sephiroth was on screen literally seconds before that line is delivered, my brain automatically went, “OMG REUNION!!!” while I’m guessing people listening in English only picked up on the romantic subtext. It’s a pretty minor thing, and of course translation is always a complex balancing act between literal meaning and local market understanding, but the English version just seemed to me to have a different vibe overall. (Unfortunately, the English subtitles are the same as the dub, so unless you can understand the Japanese audio you’re kind of stuck with that dialogue.)

[WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW THIS POINT]

- …And my #1 complaint about Final Fantasy VII: REMAKE is…

…it’s not actually a remake.

Sure, the game starts out the same way and covers a lot of the same events, but fundamentally, it’s a sequel, not a retelling. It’s evident from Cloud’s future-oriented visions throughout the game that something else is going on, and the ending MAKES NO SENSE if you don’t already know the story. Heck, even the rest of the game doesn’t really make sense if you don’t know the story -- Sephiroth’s presence is never explained; Zack isn’t even introduced, just shows up randomly at the end; Cloud’s flashbacks of Tifa and her dead father in Nibelheim are left as a complete mystery (and since she evidently remembers the burning of her town, judging by her dialogue outside Aerith’s house, why doesn’t she even react when Sephiroth shows up?).

The core elements of the plot – the Feelers (Whispers) preserving a specific fate; the three entities from the future (whose weapon types just happen to correspond to certain named characters) defending their timeline; the return of post-Advent Children Sephiroth (the only time we’ve seen him in human form with one black wing), who has inhabited the Lifestream since his death and promised that he would never truly disappear, who in the end appeals to Cloud directly for an alliance rather than attempting to control him, because he knows now that Cloud is strong enough to defy the Reunion instinct; the change in the outcome of story events in which Biggs (and, unconfirmed as to which timeline he’s actually in, but quite possibly Zack) now survives his intended death -- all point toward Sephiroth trying to manipulate destiny into an alternate outcome in which he is victorious, and using this naive version of Cloud to facilitate it. That means this game is taking place in an alternate or splinter universe, created at some point after the events of the original Final Fantasy VII, and possibly even after the events of Advent Children.

All of that is fine from an overall continuing-story perspective – it opens up a lot of interesting possibilities, like the fact that Aerith might survive now that Cloud has seen prescient flashes of her death (among other events), and there are opportunities for more story twists and changes from what players might expect. But touting this as a remake of the original game has the potential to confuse players who are new to the franchise. FFVII was groundbreaking back in 1997, and it defined JRPGs for an entire generation of Western gamers. But that was more than two decades ago, and a lot of current gamers weren’t even born then, so while they’ve probably heard of the classic game, they aren’t necessarily steeped in its lore. FFVII:R relies heavily on prior knowledge of the series to carry its twist ending, so it largely fails as a standalone game.

Also, speaking as a longtime fan of the franchise… I honestly found the ending rather lackluster. It was a twist, of sorts, but not the sort of shocking, mind-bending revelation that made the first game so iconic. Granted, it’s hard to follow an act like revealing that your protagonist’s entire identity is a lie, not to mention killing off one of your main characters a third of the way into the story! But when the surprise ending is just, Surprise! We’re going to change things up a bit this time around so you aren’t entirely sure what’s coming! Also, here’s a gratuitous Sephiroth fight because everyone expects that, even though it doesn’t serve the main story at all nor resolve any conflicts previously established within this game! it smacks of Different for the sake of Being Different, not for the sake of a really amazing storyline they’re hiding up their sleeve. It’s a bit of a let-down, and I find that I... just... don’t really care that much. Which, for someone who’s been a fan of the series for nearly a quarter of a century, means there’s a Big Freaking Problem somewhere. If you’re not keeping the attention of your die-hard fans, how do you hope to build a fanbase of players new to the franchise?

Given the pacing and story issues inherent in this game, I’m not convinced that the following game(s) in the franchise are going to be structured any better. Considering the amount of pure side-quest padding they did in Midgar, I have no idea how they’ll maintain that same tone on something the scale of the World Map portion of the original game, unless they just completely eliminate things like Fort Condor and the submarine and the spaceship side quests. I have a feeling the Gold Saucer is going to be reduced to a Jessie flashback, a Chocobo race (probably to win a key item), and a battle arena run like the coliseum in Wall Market in this game. If they include all the story elements and side characters from the original, this series is going to be a dozen games long.

Still, on the whole this game was enjoyable, and I’m glad I played it. It wasn’t as good as I’d hoped, but they haven’t completely killed off my interest, so I’ll probably continue with the series whenever the next game comes out. Though I’m not really sure if the higher-priced edition I pre-ordered was worth the extra money, so I may wait and see how the next game is shaping up before deciding which version to get...

But if they don’t give me a really pretty (playable) Vincent Valentine in the next installment, I may riot. I do have priorities.

#final fantasy vii #final fantasy vii: remake #ff7:r #final fantasy 7: remake #ff7 remake #video games #long post #review

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silentprincess100 · 4 years

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I wrote a Takaritsu fan-fic or something

I know this isn’t really the place to post it. IDK lol.

FINALLY after loitering about the fandom for long-enough.

Summary:

Ritsu wakes up the morning after he confesses to Takano and reflects on the nature of their relationship and what drew him to Takano both then and now.

Inspired by the line: “There is something that can’t be said to completely belong to then but also can’t be said to completely belong to now that is blossoming inside my chest” from Onodera ritsu no baai chapter 27. I might have translated it wrong, but I like the idea of it.

Onodera Ritsu was staring at the inside of his eyelids.

He could see the orange glow of the morning sunlight waiting on the other side. But he didn’t want to wake up yet.

Especially after what he had done last night.

He had done it. He had really done it. He had confessed to Takano-San.

He groaned aloud and flopped over on e bed, pulling his pillow over the back of this head.

He had known for a lot time that this was what he had to do, that this was what he was going to do. Of course it was Takano-San. Deep down, he had known it had always been Takano-San, had known it was always going to be Takano-San.

But the confession had had to come on his own terms. He wasn’t some naïve, giddy teenager anymore, but an adult with his own circumstances, riddled with the scars and defenses ones inevitably gets from being alive for 27 years (ok, twenty-six and some). He was old enough, mature enough to realize that not hating someone is not the same thing as loving them (ahem, Takano San), and that lust was also not the same thing as love (also looking at you, Takano-San). Love was something more complex altogether; it was messy and complicated and it took time and trust, and it couldn’t be just forced by simply saying I love you. After all, the two of them had had a really nasty breakup which ended up hurting both of them deeply. No one in their right mind could expect them bounce back from something like that as if nothing had happened.

For better or for worse then, their breakup and the aftermath had become a part of what shaped him. And if Takano-San couldn’t accept him for who he was now, then this was never going to work.

He hadn’t fallen in love with Takano-San simply because he had loved him then. What kind of a moron jumps to falls in love again with someone who broke their heart, someone they had spent 10 years trying to forget? He wasn’t born yesterday. What he liked about Takano-San, what he admired about Takano-San, was his ability to so valiantly hide his vulnerability behind his rough exterior, his utter calmness and self-possessed assurance in the face of chaos (whether it be the end of the cycle or hard-ball negotiating at the board room table with Yokozawa and the others), and his easy confidence in his own abilities.

But, of course, his competence warranted such confidence - and watching him do every day what he was good at was ... sexy, although Ritsu was loathe to admit that to the mega-ace super-talented ultra-editor - anymore than he already had, of course. In other words, Takano-San could do exactly what Ritsu so longed to do - be effortlessly put-together, smooth, cool, and confident. And unlike Ritsu who felt crippled by his anxieties about his family, about (possibly) inheriting Onodera Shuppan, about keeping up with work every day, Takano was able to just be in and enjoy the moment. Whereas Takano was the duck, smoothly gliding across the water, Ritsu was the feet, desperately flailing awkwardly around, so obvious and frank in its struggle to stay above the water. How appropriate also that Ritsu would be the feet of this relationship. He let out another long-suffering groan.

He had to admit, part of what he liked about Takano-San was how much Takano-San liked him, despite how much of a mess he was. Heck, he believes and likes me so much more than I like myself, Ritsu thought to himself with a dry laugh. But in all seriousness, it felt good to have someone believe in you even when- no, especially when - you didn’t believe in yourself.

And he loved the dedication Takano brought to his work. Behind his mask of confidence a Takano’s-san also worked his butt off. The feeling that everything had to be just perfect was something that Ritsu could 100% relate to, even if he wasn’t nearly as close as Takano-San to achieving it.

And yet, he had to admit that there was a undeniable part of their past in their relationship. For instance, his love of books. And the way they could talk about their favorite authors for hours. That passion for reading everything under the sun, as well as that thoughtful, withdrawn nature was what had drawn Ritsu to him initially. He still found that attractive as hell.

And something like a childlike idolization still lingered in his feelings for Takano-san. No matter how many times he tried to convince himself otherwise, it was true that he was, after all this time, still chasing after Takano-san, stubbornly clinging to a childhood crush. Takano-san had also been his first, after all (in so many ways.)

Like he had said before their relationship, his interest in Takano-San was something that could not be said to completely belong to now. Yet it also could not be said to completely belong to then either.

So while he hadn’t fallen in love with Takano-San simply because of what had happened in the past, he also couldn’t say it it wasn’t also because of what had happened in the past that they were where they are now. Or it wasn’t not because of what had happened that he felt so strongly about him. Or it wasn’t not not...?

Ughh it was complicated.

With another groan, he flipped over and finally opened his eyes, letting the sunlight flood in. He rubbed at them a couple times as his eyes adjusted to the light.

Takano-san’s room had the same layout as his own, only it was 1000 percent neater. He hadn’t expected Takano-San to be so particular about where he kept his stuff, to be so bare-bones, monastic aesthetic. But in a way it suited him. To allow himself the control he likes over everything and everyone else in his life. Not that he’d ever admit Takano-San had any control over him or his life - though it had been embarrassingly clear to him for a long time now that of course he did. Looking around at Takano-San’s few possessions, he felt an unprecedented calm settle over him.

He wouldn’t mind waking up here every day. No, he wouldn’t mind at all. But he didn’t want to disclose that to Takano-San just yet. Love was one thing, but moving in together was - whoaaa way too fast. Maybe, he mused, they would keep both of their apartments and just like alternate or something like that. Yeah, that’s it. Alternating. As much as he loved Takano (wow, it really was a load off not to have to have an internal battle royale with himself every time he thought about Takano - which was a lot) he hated change.

He sat up, rolled out of bed and toed on some pants that were lying around after their - ahem - activities of the previous night. Takano had laid out a shirt for him since his other one was in the wash (for reasons that made him blush furiously).

He slipped into the bathroom to brush his teeth and freshen up - he would be damned if Takano-San tried to kiss him again when he had morning breath (honestly this had happened more times than he wanted to admit) - and got ready to face the music. But just as he was about to step into the living room, his courage faltered.

How was he expected to face this man he now loved? It wasn’t like one teary confession and he would become a lovey dovey person destined to live happily ever after. He still had his pride - damnit! What did Takano-San expect after all- for him to fall all over him fawning and subservient and lovey-dovey? Please!

But. that still left the question of how to act now. Should he be extra short with him? Show him his place and not let him get too smug in his newfound knowledge that, yes, Onodera did love him back?

He didn’t get a chance to answer that question.

“You know I can see you standing there. What are you doing?” He heard the rumble of Takano-san’s just woken up voice. He furiously blushed.

“I know that,” Ritsu snapped back, but without much vitriol. “I am just.. thinking about my day that’s all.”

But when Ritsu walked in, and saw Takano sitting on the bookshelf nursing a cup of coffee, he wasn’t as lecture-y or condescending as he usually is. Rather he had such an adoring, amused look on his face that stopped Ritsu in his tracks for a moment.

“And what do you plan to do?” Takano blew softly on his coffee, never letting his eyes leave Ritsu.

“I’m ... I’m not sure yet.” Ritsu walked awkwardly and mechanically into the kitchen. He picked up a mug like a robot and jerkily poured some of the coffee left in the pot.

“You know you’re acting super weird, right now, right?”

“Well, sorry if my presence bothers you so much,” Ritsu bristled.

“On the contrary...” Unknowingly to him, Takano had slipped off his perch and sidled up against him. “I made you breakfast.” His voice was low and warm.

“Thanks...” Ritsu said awkwardly, glancing sidelong purposefully refusing Takano’s love-filled gaze. But Takano reached over and grazed his fingers along his cheek and gently turned his chin towards him.

“Um!” Ritsu jumped back instinctively.

Takano wavered for a split second - anyone who didn’t know him as well as Ritsu wouldn’t have even noticed - but then stepped in to close the distance between them and dipped his lips to meet Ritsu’s. Ritsu tensed a moment before giving into the affection.

Takano brought his hands up to cup Ritsu’s face as he deepened the kiss. His fingers stroked along Ritsu’s cheek lovingly, and Ritsu felt weird, as it always was when Takano was overly loving and gentle. Ritsu couldn’t help but pull away for a second.

“Ah- Takano-san...” He faltered.

He suddenly remembered their discussion of names last night. They were both close and Ritsu had had his legs locked around Takano’s waist, letting loose cries of “Takano-San” and “ah!!” Takano had silenced him with a kiss and then whispered low and deep in his ear - “No Takano-San, Masamune.” And Ritsu had been so gone as to whimper “Masamune” over and over like a prayer.

Thinking of this memory, Ritsu blushed furiously and felt very, very warm. He put up a hand to stave off Takano’s morning advances.

“Don’t you think we should — er...” he hesitated.

“What do you want, Ritsu?” Takano-San tucked a stray hair behind his ears.

He didn’t really feel like he wanted to call him Masamune though. For him, the name Takano-San symbolized his newfound relationship with this man - something that was different than the one he had had with Saga-sempai. Plus, calling him Masamune would remind him of being jealous of Yokozawa in the early days of their dalliances.

But Takano-San didn’t bring up the name thing like Ritsu thought he would, rather ruffled his hair and said, “C’mon, let’s go eat.”

Ritsu managed a mild glare at the patronizing behavior, reaching up to fix his hair immediately.

Takano-San was already in the kitchen finalizing their dishes. Ritsu watched him from afar, watched his lean but muscular arms reach to put out the plates, his slightly missed raven hair, his strong hands. Takano-San really was the most beautiful man he had ever met. Ritsu wouldn’t have minded just sitting here watching all day.

The two of them - they worked. Ritsu’s frantic, blustering energy with Takano’s cool confidence. In different ways, both of them wore their hearts on their sleeves. And they already knew so much about each other’s pasts and quirks. Ritsu could imagine doing this, waking up to breakfast from Takano every day for the rest of his life. He would never tell Takano-san that, but he could allow himself the fantasy.

Maybe it was complex. And yet at the same time maybe it was incredibly simple. The two of them, as they were now, were an imperfectly perfect product of both their past and their more recent experiences. A mosaic of old and new, for better or for worse.

Maybe it was precisely that, Ritsu thought, smiling softly, which made all the difference.

#Sekaiichi Hatsukoi #fanfiction #onodera ritsu #takano masamune #pg-13 i guess #post-canon #morning after (confession that is)#OOC? I hope not.#Someone help me get an AO3 account... or something.#okay maybe a little more than PG-13 i hope it doesn't get deleted #Am I writing why Ritsu likes Takano or why I like Takano?

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