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skyeventide · 3 years

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I’m really really fascinated by your interpretation of Maedhros and I’d love to read more of it, I saw your comment on the post about earlier versions and then was super intrigued

-@outofangband

hello @outofangband ! thank you for the ask, I'm going to try putting it into words, though I'm usually much better at fanfiction to explain how I envision characterisation — and unfortunately I don't have any Maedhros fanfic other than To die in the light (which is less about him per se, and more about the ex thrall who interacts with him; but there's a good swathe of Maedhros as well). still, to explain:

essentially, what I meant with that specific comment is that I don't attribute to Maedhros any personal unwillingness to follow along the rebellion, the first kinslaying, or the Oath, certainly not at early stages. what I instead attribute to Maedhros is an aptitude for politics and a willingness to attempt diplomacy routes and handle public perceptions of facts, no matter how facts actually are.

a lot of this is, by necessity, extrapolation. the bare bones of characterisation are there in the text, but the flesh that is built on those bones varies, and can vary a lot. so mypersonal construction is informed by a few external things too. I basically just... don't really vibe with restrained good person Maedhros, cause that feels to me like the easiest route to construct a narrative that's contrasting, depending: his father's; his brothers'; sometimes other characters' (e.g. Elwing). and like, to each their own, but it's not my thing, and I'm not into singling out the good guy out of the bunch as a trope, it simply doesn't call to me.

I'll try to explain my points about early Maedhros (much as I'd love to explain my headcanons for the whole character arc, that would be so long and complicated that I give up without even trying lmao); also I'd like to add that absence of evidence is not evidence of absence but that's where both "personal construction" and "extrapolation" come into place. essentially, this is what I construct and extrapolate, and I'm not really interested in alternatives, I don't like them, or I just disagree with them. and by contrast, people may think the same of this.

firstly, not against the rebellion and the Oath: the early text in @undercat-overdog's post is to my knowledge the only existing text that gives insight with regard to the state of mind with which the Oath was taken. now the Silmarillion says "a dreadful oath", but the Silmarillion has reason to do so by virtue of hindsight. the entirety of the speech to the Noldor, fear and gloom of the moment aside, is a speech that pushes to action: it seems extremely fitting to me that the taking of the Oath itself should reasonably be something with an upwards push, taken without full acknowledgement of its lines and what they may entail when it comes to other elves. because the stated purpose of moving war to Morgoth is very clear throughout, and even though the reality of the war hasn't hit them yet, the awareness of its approach is very present — there is, imo, a readiness for fight and an acknowledgement of intent: killing a deity.

I also feel that "these leapt with laughter / their lord beside / with linked hands / there lightly took / the oath unbreakable" meshes fairly well with the Silmarillion version, where some of this is not kept but the sons still leap at Feanor's side, this time with their swords drawn. Maedhros in this is not called out as any different — in fact, Maedhros is not called out as being different during the feud either: "lies came between them" with regard to Fingon paints the rumour-spreading among the Noldorin factions as affecting them equally, just as it affects Fingolfin ("grew proud and jealous each of his rights and possessions").

the first kinslaying: again maedhros is not singled out as against it. and again, absence of evidence doesn't equal evidence of absence, however, my preferred method in reconstructing my understanding of canon through the skeleton of its textuality is at times trying to make sense of drafts and grabbing the fil rouge of their logical development. and, when there is someone called out as acting against the Noldor during the first kinslaying, that is Galadriel. Maedhros never even is named in this circumstance.

I also think that the modus operandi of the whole situation is a remarkable early calque of the second and third kinslaying. first, other options are exhausted first: the noldor go north, stop in Araman by foot, and decide the crossing of the ice is too costly, not doable, or otherwise not something they're willing to do (more: people directly blame Feanor for the bitter cold they're exposed to, before they have to cross, if they wish to reach Middle Earth); second, there is an attempt to convince Olwe and the Teleri via words; third, a passage that is textually absent from later deeds of the same sort, but which might be potentially inferred, the leader (here Feanor) sits alone brooding on his options; fourth, action. this is the same as what happens with the later kinslayings, even though the first was not meant to be a deadly undertaking in its conception (it was a theft). but, what I mean is, second kinslaying: failed first option, the battle of unnumbered tears, part 2 diplomatic attempt, the message to doriath, part 3, not textually stated, part 4, action. third kinslaying is muddier and I won't attempt to map it perfectly other than: delayed attack to the havens; diplomatic attempt via message; [not textually stated, may be incorporated in the delay]; action.

either way, my point is: whether Maedhros is outright leader or he isn't, there isn't any fundamental difference in the story beats of the kinslayings. inb4 "Feanor and Maedhros have different character traits" — yes, to an extent. and this is where the early draft from that post returns to my aid in terms of personality building: "the eldest, whose ardor / yet more eager burnt / than his father’s flame, / than Feanor’s wrath". now, I feel there's an important qualitative difference in ardour and wrath, but that line exists and the Silmarillion doesn't contradict it: the fire of life burns in Maedhros, the eagerness here mentioned does not fade from this draft to later versions. (inb4 “the circumstances don’t overlap perfectly”: yes of course they don’t. I’m not trying to argue that they do)

now, what happens when it's time to depart with the ships? Feanor takes counsel with his sons, and the decision is to take the loyalists and go to the other side with them first. what happens when Feanor tries to burn those ships? Maedhros gives his famous lines, "what ships and rowers will you spare to return, and whom shall they bear hither first". my extrapolation here is this: I think it's obvious that the burning was not supposed to happen; and I think it's obvious that the joint decision of Feanor and his sons, dare say of Feanor and his firstborn heir, was to send back a group and carry the rest of the Noldor to Middle Earth. Feanor says lmao fuck you and the rest is history. Maedhros doesn't take well to that, and here comes forth what I think actually distinguishes him as a character: the cool-headed pragmatism that will imo really come forth post-captivity, the diplomatic abilities, and weighing his options with a level-headedness that his father lacks — and I would like to posit, these options are not weighed in a particularly moral way: he appeals to Feanor about Fingon being carried first because Fingon rushed in and got involved in the kinslaying on their behalf (there may be different readings, but they don't appear to me as textually supported as this — and for the purpose of this I am making no difference between feelings of romance and friendship; the quality of the relationship is here irrelevant, the strength of it has more bearing). it isn't "Fingon because he's my friend", or "Fingon because he's a good guy", it's "Fingon because he killed for us". and after he is on this side, actually keeping the rest of their army, an army they need to effectively wage the war they said they would wage, becomes a cake walk.

also, I go back and forth on this, but: it's possible that Fingon gained his "the valiant" sobriquet before the Darkening; it isn't a given that it was gained in this instance, his Alqualonde attack. but I still feel like it's quite telling, whether the epithet is gained now or before, that it's brought up under these circumstances. the last "valiant" deed from Fingon has been saving the day during the kinslaying. whether Maedhros is saying it to convince his father or because he truly feels it's currently deserved, he's nonetheless saying it.

a last point is the envoy with which he accepts to meet with Morgoh's forces: this is very shortly after Feanor's death, and Maedhros goes in with more warriors than agreed, though it's still not enough to counter Morgoth's own breaking of the terms. Maedrhos in this demonstrates that he's willing to pursue diplomacy despite his father's own words, but he is neither blindly trusting nor a good person who's simply out of his depth: he goes prepared to be the larger armed force and brings none of his brothers with him. it's not enough, but the attempt is there.

which reads to me as an ardour and eagerness that are kept in check by pretty solid abilities to plan, and that do not, really, counter his father's wishes in any truly consistent way. yes, the ship burning, but in the long run having all the Noldor in ME was going to be a benefit; I feel he could have well patched-up the problems without giving up any crown. yes, the parleying with Morgoth, but they just lost their father and despite that the Dagor-nuin-Giliath is a victory: he's coming as the winning party and newly crowned king, and he might, perhaps, find another route to proceed.

so these are more or less the salient points of my personal reconstruction of "early Maedhros". it'd be too long to get into post-captivity and this post is already long lmao, but I hope this made sense to you? and clarified how I understand his character with that early draft included as an aspect.

*all opinions and analyses are personal and are not attempting to establish a true canon. they make sense to me; I’d argue that I try to make them as textually supported as possible with a canon so fragmented. if my readers’ here are different, go on y’all’s merry way.

#Maedhros #quenta noldorinwa #answered.#outofangband

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samwisethewitch · 5 years

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a real witch reviews the arcana (aka that phone game based on tarot cards that keeps showing up on your explore page)

I’ve been seeing The Arcana all over Tumblr and Instagram for several months now, and since I am a Genuine Real Life Witch™️ and have been reading tarot for several years now, I thought it would be fun to play the game and review it both from a gamer perspective and a witch/tarot reader perspective.

Spoiler: I really, really like it.

Please note that I have done virtually no research into the developer or development history of this game. This review is based purely on my experience from my playthroughs.

So what is The Arcana?

The Arcana is a fantasy/romance visual novel created by Nix Hydra Games. A visual novel is an interactive, text-based story with static visuals, so it’s almost more like an interactive graphic novel than a video game. Honestly, visual novels remind me of those “Choose Your Own Adventure” books that were really popular in the 1980s and 1990s more than anything else.

(Note: I recently learned that a visual novel is NOT the same thing as a dating sim, although the two genres are similar and do sometimes overlap. Dating sims... simulate dating. That’s really all there is to them. Visual novels typically have a more plot-focused story, and may have other stuff going on besides the romance.)

The story of The Arcana follows the player character, a magician’s apprentice living in the fictional city-state of Vesuvia, who is enlisted to track down a suspected murderer. Where the story goes from there depends on which route you choose to play. There are currently six routes, each with a different love interest. Each route has its own unique story, although obviously there are some overlapping elements.

Sam the Gamer’s Review

Like I mentioned, The Arcana is essentially an interactive novel, so I’m reviewing it the way I’d review a book. So, let’s just run down some of the typical book review questions, shall we?

Is the content good? Yes. It has gotta be difficult to juggle six parallel storylines and make all of them equally compelling, but this game pulls it off. There were parts that genuinely had me in suspense, other parts that had me giggling at my phone, and some parts that were (intentionally) frustrating. I’m really impressed with how each route is totally different from the others -- not just in content, but even in tone. For example, Portia’s route comes across as much more lighthearted and fluffy, whereas Julian and Muriel both have a lot of angst in their respective stories. It’s really well done.

Are the characters well-rounded and realistic? Again, yes. Okay, “realistic” may be a bit of a stretch in some cases Vlastomil but all six of the main romanceable characters have fleshed out personalities that feel natural within the story world. The side characters in this game are also really interesting, although I do wish some of them had bigger roles in the story.

What about the technical stuff (dialogue, grammar, etc.)? For the most part, it’s pretty good. The dialogue flows naturally, and different characters have different speaking styles, which is a little thing that makes SUCH a big difference. I noticed a couple of typos, but nothing too crazy.

The gameplay was pretty good. The only real mechanic is choosing one of two or three dialogue options at certain points in the game. There are a couple of places in each route where these choices are timed, but other than that it’s a very stress-free gaming experience.

Another thing that impresses me from both a writing and a gameplay angle is the multiple ending mechanic. Your choices matter in this game. Each of the routes has an “upright” ending and a “reversed” ending. I’m not exactly sure which choices affect the ending you get, but I’ve only managed to get “upright” endings so far, and I didn’t have to do anything special to unlock them.

Sam the Witch/Tarot Reader’s Review

Honestly, I did not expect this game to be as accurate with its depiction of magick and the Tarot as it was.

Each character is based on one of the Major Arcana, and I feel like they did a really good job of matching their personalities to their cards. Nadia is based on the High Priestess so she’s very intuitive and intelligent but tends to be distant and hard to read, Julian is based on the Hanged Man so he feels the need to sacrifice himself for others (with lots of gallows humor along the way), Lucio is based on the Devil so he’s a fucking bitch all about power and excess, etc.

I reeeeaaalllyy like the use of “upright” and “reversed” endings instead of the typical good vs. bad endings -- based on upright vs. reversed meanings of Tarot cards, of course. I also really love that the reversed endings aren’t 100% negative, just like how reversed cards in readings aren’t necessarily negative.

I don’t wanna spoil anything, but I also really like how the upright endings deal with the upright traits of that character’s Major Arcana card, while the reversed endings deal with the reversed traits of that card.

This game also includes some pretty realistic depictions of witchcraft and magick. Obviously because it’s a fantasy world there is fantasy magic involved, but astral travel is a major theme in pretty much every route, and the way it’s depicted in the game is very similar to my real life experiences with it.

There’s one character who is a kitchen witch and makes homemade enchanted food with magickal herbs, which made me feel warm and fuzzy because it reminded me of all the times I’ve used kitchen magick to make charmed food for myself and my loved ones.

Tarot readings are obviously a big deal within the story world, but there’s also a character who uses runestones! Which I think is neat!!

They mention some real-life magickal plants. Myrrh being used for protection comes up a lot, which, in case anyone was curious, is actually one of the common uses for myrrh in spellcraft.

They clearly did their research and honestly I’m thrilled.

Other Cool Stuff About This Game

It’s probably the most queer-inclusive video game I’ve ever played. Right off the bat, you’re given the choice to choose between he/him, she/her, or they/them pronouns for your character. The pronouns you pick do not affect the story in any way.

All six love interests are romanceable no matter what gender you play as. Which means this is canonically a universe in which everyone is queer. Hell yeah.

Two of the six current romanceable characters are women, and one is nonbinary. The routes for these characters are just as well written and romantic, with just as many wink-wink-nudge-nudge innuendos, as the men’s. There are also multiple nonbinary side characters.

Also! Racial and ethnic diversity in the main cast! And the main characters all have different body types, which is another nice touch.

This is nerdy as hell but I love how the different cultures and ethnic groups in the game are based on real-life cultures? It’s just one of those little things that makes my heart happy.

The art style is pretty as fuck.

In conclusion: I feel like this review is overwhelmingly positive but I just genuinely can’t think of any major criticisms of this game. It’s fun, it’s free, there was clearly a lot of thought put into it. I was really pleasantly surprised. Everybody go download it and play it. You’ll have a good time, and afterwards you’ll understand all the memes.

P.S. I know people are gonna ask so: I chose Julian for my first playthrough because he’s tall and goth and has messy hair and that’s honestly all I look for in a man. Now that I’ve played all six routes, Portia’s is probably my favorite because it’s so cute and wholesome and I just really want a soft bookworm girlfriend, please. Lucio’s route is a close second because after seeing him as an antagonist in everyone else’s routes it’s actually really interesting to see his story told from a sympathetic angle! But like I said, I’ve played all six routes.

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jalebi-weds-bluetooth · 3 years

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Hello AJ. Shy anon here. I recently started watching MJHT and I recall you've watched the show too. I haven't gone too far ahead but I just noticed that Nupur has a lot of similarities with Khushi. (Which is funny because Sanaya is in it as Gunjan who's like such a contrast to Khushi and Nupur). The very first similarity I actually noticed was the clothing, specifically the bangles. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the show. Just any thoughts. I really enjoy when you deep dive and dissect shows and storylines. I hope you're doing well. Bye 🥰

Hello Shy Anon!!!!

Oh I love that show and its cheesiness to every bit! It had the perfect everything - romance, comedy, drama and an excellent way to show a parallel lead that rarely happens now cause the whole focus goes to literally one character...

DAMN THOSE DAYS!!!

Oh Nupur? Haye!

(long exploration of Khushi, Nupur, Mayank, Samrat under cut)

Yes, Nupur and Khushi have a LOT of similarities because:

1) They represent the classic Indian television female lead; manic pixie, colorful, quirky, witty, middle class, wears tons of jewelry such as bangles and earrings and a Bollywood loving dream girl. This is ITV’s basic template for every heroine. Nupur and Khushi are just the far better and memorable ones.

2) They’re also written by the same writer!

However in my opinion Nupur is a slightly more fleshed out and stronger character because:

- She never compromises with her self respect.

- Balances tradition and progressive thinking very well.

- Keeps grudges and demands apologies when she’s been hurt.

- Knows how to communicate.

- Allows people to depend on her as much as she depends on them.

- Is always a sister first, lover second.

- Has ambitions, career, education but ALSO loves romance, marriage, etc.

- GROWS as a character. She starts from being too eager to fit in, naive, unaware, to mature, proud of her roots, intimidating :)

- Knows when to apologize, works on her ego.

- Is fiercely independent post marriage and loves being ‘Nupur Bhushan’ as much as ‘Mrs. Mayank Sharma’.

Nupur would never work with ASR. She’d kill him. No doubt. And sue his dead body.

Also I think given she was a Star One heroine, the writer/s had more room to develop her as an independent woman as opposed to the perfect ‘bahu’ which is what star plus literally demands from all of its heroines.

Nupur never had to fit in Mayank’s household nor meet the ‘Sharma’s’ expectations unlike Khushi who is inborn with what they expect from a Raizada bahu. There’s no standard at the Sharma household. Their ‘ideal’ bahu is one who’s independent and has her own persona. Like Mayank’s mum and Nupur.

I feel Khushi would’ve been more like Nupur if IPK was made as a Star One show. She’d be a slightly calmer, more orthodox and more childlike than Nupur but yeah, actually be treated as an independent character.

Lol, I realised what a brilliant actor Sanaya was when I saw her interviews!

Also, let’s just say that Gunjan was path breaking as an ITV lead.

She’s everything you’d expect in a ‘male lead’ and so different from what they catered.

- She’s extremely intelligent, anti social, a scholar, fiercely loyal to her family, mature, pragmatic, practical and is acutely aware of her surroundings. She’s proud of who she is - even though she is intimidated of new spaces and people. A classic introvert who’s very new to Mumbai. You’ll notice later in the show that she’s a no bullshit woman and her hurt, grief lasts for years.

Unlike other female characters who go over their emotions in a flip and their hurt is never addressed, Gunjan has difficulty moving on from her pain and takes a lot of time to come to terms with her emotions. Also, she’s incredibly sorted and slightly naive about the matters of heart.

She’s so guarded that she ends up hurting the person she loves.

Now I feel ASR and Gunjan would be excellent friends if they met in college. Their personalities and pride on education and intelligence is at par - they’re equals if you ask me.

AND COMING TO MY FAVORITE BOIS - MAYANK AND SAMRAT.

SAMRAT IS MY ETERNAL LOVE. THEIR BROMANCE IS EVERYTHING AND SAMRAT IS THE SWEETEST PUP WITH THE MOST EPIC CHARACTER GROWTH. YOU WILL UNDERSTAND WHY. HE IS THE BEST MALE HERO ON TELEVISION. BOY IS JUST... SO FREAKING NICE. BEING HOT DOES NOT MEAN YOU’RE A DICK. HE’S HOT AND SWEET AND EVERYTHING!!!!

Mayank, I love him. Again, I feel he’s a very mellowed version of ASR. Quick to judge, “once good opinion lost, then lost forever” types (*cough* Darcy), attached to his mum, does not take being lied to very well, is very single focused, slightly self absorbed, refuses feelings for like a billion years, likes being ‘self made’ and is proud of who he is. Also, secretly loves challenges *lol*

In my eyes MJHT, despite being kitschy, cheesy, very 2000s with a barely passable wardrobe, remains as a much superior show than IPK just in terms of writing and characters. Yeah, they do have shit plots in between and you go WTF but in general they never really compromise on the female nor male leads. I mean I wish they went a hundred episodes less but still...

They really focus on fostering a healthy relationship between all the important characters and not just love, but also - most importantly - friendship. In that way, it was incredibly mature writing. I will defend this show with my last breath! AND CAN I SAY THIS SHOW HAD AN ENDING? LIKE A PROPER ENDING?

THEIR ENDING WAS THE EXACT REVERSE OF THE FIRST PROMO MJHT EVER RELEASED AND I CRIED. *spoiler no spoiler but if you can ever search for the “love bole toh...” promo then you’ll know what I mean when you’re done with the show*

I’ll tell you where IPK surpasses MJHT - production value, subtlety, background scoring, direction and chemistry. Like Samrat/Gunjan, Mayank/Nupur will give you all the feelz for sure (and I was so damn excited when I learned that Mohit and Sanaya are a real life couple) but there’s something different with Arnav and Khushi. You can’t tear your eyes away from them and I think it’s because Sanaya and Barun are... brilliant actors.

Barun, especially, is a rare gem.

But apart from that, enjoy MJHT and keep me posted! Also you should write to @leila1 - she’s another MJHT lover like us!!!

THANK YOU FOR THROWING ME BACK INTO MY BACHPAN FEELZ

#ask #shy anon #mjht #jalebi's fav show #MY FEELZ DURING MJHT #MY FAV 2000s SHOW #the perfect cheesiness

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kitkatopinions · 3 years

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Accidentally deleted my Tyrian and Watts asks while I was trying to fix a mistake so... Sorry about that, everyone! Here they are! Tyrian and Watts for the RWBY character asks!

Let’s do Tyrian first, because I have less to say about him, I feel like.

My top three ships for the character

Tyrian/Watts. Dysfunctional villainous romance of the century, no one knows how they’ve managed to make it to their tenth anniversary without killing each other, including them. Tyrian/Salem is my second top ship for him. Major Bellatrix/Voldy vibes with this one, but I could see it. Tyrian/Hazel is my third ship for lack of options. Does this one make sense? No. But I can at least see Tyrian being super flirty and Hazel being endlessly tired, but never really stopping it. (Also I hate Hazel so much lol.)

My three least favorite ships for the character

Tyrian/Qrow sucks for me. Like... I kinda feel like two people fighting each other just gets shippers, which is fine and totally understandable. But for me, Tyrian poisoning Qrow and almost killing him and calling his beloved niece a bitch and then killing Clover is a big no from me, dog. On that note! Tyrian/Clover is also one big no from me, since Clover murdered him. And Tyrian/Ozpin is another really big no from me. Tyrian and his crazy Salem worship can stay five hundred and fifty feet away from my son.

My biggest criticism for the character

They went a little too much on the crazy in the fourth and fifth season and it made him feel annoying. Like, I don’t mind the Bellatrix vibes, but I do mind the movie version Bellatrix vibes, sometimes. It just got kinda annoying. I wish his crazy was always more on the dangerous side and less on the kooky side, but that’s just personal opinions.

My favorite thing about the character

The way people are so uncomfortable around him. Whenever Tyrian talks to Emerald or Mercury, he’s honestly freaky. Like both me and the characters are waiting for him to snap. That’s a great quality in a villain that we’re meant to hate or love to hate. He has a real presence and it’s enjoyable.

A headcanon I have about them

Tyrian doesn’t often try to act normal, but he can, and he’s got a great ‘respectable, cool guy’ act that’s actually a little reminiscent of Qrow or Clover. He’s even passed himself as a Huntsman here and there.

What I would change about them if I was making a re-write

More involvement in volumes 4 and 5, and I’d treat him a bit more seriously and make him a bit more dangerous. Maybe I’d have him wound a member of Team RNJR in his attack as well as poison Qrow (maybe give Jaune a reason to unlock his semblance in season 4 and in response to the pain of a member of his team. Also, his ‘Tyrian purple’ color should be more than just the color of his eyes. Like, how come so many RWBY characters season 4 and onward have such boring colors? I’d give Tyrian some strong purple and pink.

What I I think of their character allusion and what (if anything) I would change about it

Tyrian alludes to the animal fable ‘the Scorpion and the Frog,’ and that’s... really in name only, I think. A part of me wants to give them some kind of points for having Qrow work with him against Clover, only for Tyrian to kill Clover, which lines up with his ‘its just my nature’ scorpion stinging the frog so that they’ll both drown and die. But they didn’t mean for Qrow to really be wrong! They didn’t mean for the lesson to be ‘Qrow shouldn’t have trusted the poisonous villain’ it was ‘wowza does Qrow’s semblance hurt him. :( Too bad Clover got himself killed.’ Which makes the whole allusion kind of suck.

Now for Watts, the single best villain in my opinion.

My top three ships for the character

Tyrian/Watts. See above. This ship would be a dysfunctional mess, but it’d be a wild ride. Watts/Villain!Ironwood. I kind of hate this ship when it’s ‘fallen hero turned villain’ Ironwood. But if he actually had been written as a secret villain or obviously headed that way from the start, I can see him and Watts also being a dysfunctional mess of a wild ride ship, only with way more ‘evil power couple’ vibes than Tyrian and Watts would have. Also my favorite version of this features Watts having been the one to build Penny (maybe by stealing the plans from Pietro) and him and Ironwood raising a still bright and cheerful, still innocent and trusting, villain Penny who will attack to kill with a smile on her face and a ‘it was nice meeting you!’ And this is very weird and niche but Watts/Evil Stepsister (specifically the one with the sharp bangs and highlights.) Someone sent me an ask saying the Evil Stepmother and stepsisters should’ve been connected to Salem and gotten Cinder involved and I totally agree with this. I then started envisioning a world where the step sisters competed with Cinder and all three of them were raised in Salem’s circle. In this version of things, I could totally picture one of the step sisters having a romantic tension driven connection with Watts and the two of them subtly flirting sometimes (and bonding over their mutual hatred of Cinder.) I picked the sister with bangs for no real reason except that I like her look more.

My three least favorite ships for the character

Watts/Cinder. Watts thinks of her like a bratty little girl, and Cinder kills him. Watts/Lionheart. Kinda really hate this one because of how clearly Lionheart was terrified of him. Just a bit uncomfortable for me to see that in a relationship. Watts/Hero!Ironwood or Watts/HeroTurnedVillain/Ironwood. Sorry, but Ironwood in canon got such a bad, bad portrayal in season 8 and the end of season 7, and I just can’t help but blame Watts for quite a bit of it. I only like them as a ship if Ironwood is an antagonist from the start.

My biggest criticism for the character

They shouldn’t have killed him! He was one of Salem’s best followers and one of the best villains and it was such a big mistake to kill literally one of the only actual loyal followers. It threw off any character development for Cinder and it was a big mistake. I really wanted the Cinder / Watts / Neo team up to keep going! I’m so disappointed it got thrown away.

My favorite thing about the character

Watts is an entitled, petty bastard, and I think that’s so good for a villain that isn’t meant to be social commentary (because tbh, RWBY never should’ve tried to be social commentary.) Watts isn’t sympathetic, he’s an Atlas born and raised guy in a three piece suit, he’s posh, he’s upset because he wasn’t given exactly what he wanted. Most of the villains in RWBY are either victims of abuse, systemic oppression, or poverty, and that’s... Not fun in a show that’s never handled social commentary well and is about magical girls destroying Voldemort/Satan with the power of friendship (Ruby literally never says anything about Faunus rights iirc.) Watts is refreshing because he’s exactly the type of villain that you can expect in a show like what RWBY should’ve been, and he flourishes as that. Why would we be sympathetic to Watts when he’s just doing this all because he wasn’t picked first for his tech? Why would we feel soured towards conflicts with Watts and Team RWBY? He’s just a petty bastard being evil because he was snubbed. Why would we be frustrated that incredibly significant problems are being shoved to the side with Watts? He’s a fun villain, he’s not meant to be more, he’s not meant to make you emotionally invested only to then be gutted for it. You can hate to love him without it feeling bad. Maybe that’s why he’s just my favorite non-kid villain (other than Roman.)

A headcanon I have about them

Watts has been trying to build his own AI robot like Penny, in his spare time. He wanted it to be done in time to become a Maiden, but it wasn’t, and Salem gave that slot to Cinder and got after Watts for not contributing enough. He of course thought this was deeply unfair (especially after being made to contribute a lot to Cinder’s Beacon success without getting any credit for it.) And this just fueled his hatred of Cinder, his hatred of Pietro and Ironwood, and by extension, his hatred of Penny.

What I would change about them if I was making a re-write

I would keep him freaking alive and keep up the pair up he had going on with Cinder and Neo! But also I’d increase his relationships with Emerald, Mercury, Tyrian, Hazel... Just some more Salem’s Inner Circle moments to flesh out their characters. Other than that, I wouldn’t change much. He’s a pretty good character.

What I I think of their character allusion and what (if anything) I would change about it

Okay, I’ve talked about his character allusion in a very long post awhile ago, but I’m not scrolling down that far to tag it. To sum it up... I hate his allusion. XD I loved the Sherlock Holmes books and read most of them, and I didn’t realize he was supposed to allude to John Watson until I read someone else’s post saying so, and I started freaking out about how awful it was. Watts has so little in common with Watson, he’s essentially the anti-Watson. Which basically means he’s Sherlock Holmes, the opposite of Watson in almost every way, up to and including freaking faking his death which is one of the most iconic Sherlock Holmes thing ever. Watts is everything Sherlock Holmes is on his worst days, arrogant, callous, consumed with his projects, petty, smug, over the top - as well as being hyper intelligent and a genius who often just gets passed over. He has rivalries with his colleagues like Holmes did. And like I said, he faked his death, only to reveal himself to an old friend later on the cusp of carrying out a scheme. He’s evil Holmes! He has nothing to do with John Watson - caring, humble, down to earth, not brilliant like his friend but content to be ordinary and special because of his emotional depth and devoted heart, medical former doctor who spends quite a lot of time chronicling the successes of someone else because he’s content to live in the background. Don’t get me wrong, a ‘Watson’ character who is evil could work - Watson himself indulged in crime for the sake of Holmes sometimes in the original works and if he worshipped Salem or one of her followers and did everything for her while still being a more humble, more friendly, not brilliant person he could be good - but Watts is not that person. Even the gimmicks Watts is given are stupid and don’t make it obvious he’s Watson. Boy’s got a moustache and a revolver and they thought that’d be enough. Idk why they thought 'we’ll make him Watson’ when he’s clearly a Holmes! Also, he’s supposed to be ‘Watson if he’d met Moriarty instead of Holmes,’ and to that I say boo! Watson wouldn’t turn into a super genius just because he meets a different mastermind!

...That’s summing up my feelings, yeah. Because I have so many feelings about his warped, weird character allusion. If I was changing it, I’d just make him Holmes like I think he was clearly supposed to be.

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jayjaysocks · 4 years

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Listing my favorite animes (because I’m jumping on the bandwagon)

❗️⚠️ *spoilers!! (Duh)* ❗️⚠️

5. Deadman Wonderland

I was really really sad when I found out this anime got cancelled. The music was fantastic, the animation was really good, and the voice acting was incredible. Even the fucking dubbed version (I loved the voice they chose for Senji. God he was hilarious). I binged this show so fucking fast it wasn’t even funny. I loved watching the characters go through their own struggles and grow as people in the very small amount of episodes provided. There was a lot of development within the snippet that we actually saw, and I was thoroughly impressed with how well it was done. I wanted to scream or something when I found out there wouldn’t be a second season.

Sigh. Oh well. At least we got some of the manga’s masterpiece translated into a show, even if we were missing some fucking awesome characters.

4. Guilty Crown

Ugh, don’t even get me started. This anime was beautiful and I got so invested so freaking quickly. I literally go back every few years to rewatch it because I get ship starved.

Shu and Inori’s story was so beautifully done; between Shu uncovering his courage and Inori’s journey of self-discovery, I was continuously awe-struck and filled with feelings—I mean, I had never felt such raw emotion while watching something and I was completely blown away by the affect it had on me. Anger, hatred, sadness, it was all there (even for the main character lmao) and it was one of the first times I had ever felt a ship so heavily that I literally cried at the end. It was one of the very first Animes I’d ever seen and was one of the reasons I got such a taste for them. Thanks for throwing me down that rabbit hole, GC.

3. Soul Eater

This was literally the first Anime I’d ever seen, and my god I couldn’t have asked for a better starter. What I like about this one is that it’s style is so unique and different. It’s very punk and grunge, something I admired and appreciated in a genre that is normally the opposite (like Guilty Crown, for example). Also the fight scenes were badass, like holy shit just look at that gif ??? Freaking amazing.

I loved the way the show transitioned from light hearted to intense and adrenaline pumping so effortlessly. That can be said about a lot of shows, but this one went from *haha cute show* to *holy shit, like they’re actually gonna die ohmygod howaretheygoingtosurvivethis* so smoothly I was genuinely surprised. They made one of the main villains actually cool and each character had their own beautifully done arc. I loved and adored how the show solidified and expanded on the different friendships/relationships that were involved—specifically Soul and Maka’s (also, holy shit, Stein’s arc? Fucking prime, dude). There was a lot of growth in each and every friendship (CRONA!!!), and that really pushed the viewer to invest in the individual characters.

I am fucking delighted that this was my first anime, and (though the ending was a little anticlimactic) it remains one of my top favorites to this day. It set the bar pretty fucking high, and for that I am extremely greatful.

No one asked for Soul Eater: Not! It is the unspoken sin of the Soul Eater world (then again, it is called Soul Eater: Not!)

2. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

If you have been following me for a while, then you are no stranger to my love of FMAB. Some of my most popular posts are about this anime, and for good reason.

Unfortunately, I was late to the party. I actually didn’t watch this until last year, but got invested really damn quick. I have a tendency to be extremely picky about the animes that I watch/like (which is why NONE of these shows are that recent), to the point that I will literally research them before I start watching (a bad habit, do not copy me). I have an incomparably hard time finishing a show when I start, because I get bored really quickly, but this was an exception. I started watching and I just... didn’t stop. I spent a straight week watching FMAB, gobbling it up during any small amount free time I could manage, and finished it before I even knew what happened. I wasn’t picky about it, I didn’t research it, I just dove right in and gosh, I was not disappointed.

The subtle romance that was alluded throughout the entire show was super cute, the devotion the brothers had for each other was to die for, and the struggles that each person went through was more than moving. I never once found myself bored while watching, and that’s saying a lot for my adhd ass. I was invested in each and every second of that damn anime and I was never, ever left underwhelmed. That probably had to do with the fact that every. Single. Character. Had a purpose. I’m not even kidding. Every single person contributed to the big fight at the end and that alone is fucking fantastic.

Not to mention ALL the women, every female character, was a badass bitch. None of them were reduced to sex appeal or romantic subplot, they all had real feelings, real arcs and real, unadulterated badassery that I thoroughly admired and appreciated. I could watch this anime over and over again every single month and I wouldn’t get bored. Between the emotional struggle, self discovery, and personal development of each character, I promise you will not see a lack of plot or meaning here. The more you watch, the more you discover and that is not a lie. There are so many layers to its story, which only makes me wish I had watched this sooner.

There is nothing I have to offer in the ways of criticism, and for that I couldn’t be happier. Thank you, Hiromu Arakawa, for such an incredible piece of art. You deserve every bit of love that this manga/anime gets. You go girl.

1. Cowboy Bepop

Holy shit holy shit holy shit this anime is so fucking good and it has been my favorite for so damn long. I have been watching anime for years, and while some of the shows in my list have moved around, this one has yet to be bumped down from the top (and I doubt it ever will). There’s a reason it became such a cult classic.

For starters, the animation. I mean, just look at Spike and the way they animate his fighting (yes I am aware that this gif is from the movie, but that still doesn’t change my point). The sequences in the show/film have been reused in many other shows and for good reason. It’s good, incredible, actually and they make him look so badass with just a few hand movements. I was consistently impressed with the way the fight scenes were portrayed and wasn’t ever left underwhelmed or disappointed (or, for that matter, feeling like they completely over exaggerated/overcompensated the scene with huge close-ups and tons of debris and lights). I loved watching this and my heart was always pounding with every intense interaction. I didn’t feel bored during any of the episodes and always found myself laughing when they cracked a joke—pretty much all of their funny lines hit and that’s saying something, dude.

The show, while having a lighthearted surface, has a heavy meaning that you don’t see at first glance. It’s about dealing with grief and loss, and how the characters themselves accomplished that in different ways. The most prominent quote is the biggest indication of its moral “you’re gonna carry that weight”. Basically: ‘You’ve gotta pick up your baggage, because the world moves on, with or without you’. Or ‘You’re going to carry that weight whether you like it or not, because life keeps going’. When I figured out the show’s actual message, while staring at my ceiling in the long hours of the night, I almost cried. This realization brought something entirely different to the table, a new understanding of the show’s characters and overall essence.

The main characters, all of them, had depth. They had real, palpable depth, and even if you didn’t want to care you found yourself seriously interested in their lives. Each of them had relatively shitty pasts. Faye with her lost memories, Spike with Julia and the people who fucked him over, Jet with his old flame and the ISSP, Ed and her/his father... throughout the entire show we got to see how all of them dealt with these things, whether they wanted to continue on with life or not. The way they portrayed it was engaging, because the characters individual, contrasting journeys weren’t repetitive or one note. The beauty that the show holds so achinging close to its core, the layers of grief that the characters are wrapped in so delicately is almost suffocatingly real—because they’re all different. It’s something you discover when you think on the subject in a deeper light, which is another reason why I enjoy it so much. It has both a surface story and a deeper one. You can either take the show at face value or choose to understand the underlying moral.

This show inspired my very first, thoroughly fleshed out OC, and continues to inspire me to this day. It has contributed to my own personal growth, and has helped push me to continue my art and writing. It is beautifully written, beautifully executed and even though some of the episodes seem like filler, it has never disappointed me. I rewatch it all the time because there’s something so infinitely refreshing about the beauty of this anime, whether it be the way we watch the characters develop or the overall moral it portrays. This show has given us a message that is essentially timeless, it can be ‘carried’ through generation after generation, and still have the same impact—something I absolutely fucking adore.

I owe so much to this anime, including my very own artistic development. I discovered it during a really shitty time in my life and I couldn’t have asked for better timing. I will never tire of the bittersweet message or the thoroughly fucking fantastic animation. Everyone who contributed to this masterpiece deserves love, because it’s seriously fucking gold.

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ahgaseda · 4 years

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enough | two

even if everyone else leaves me, you’re enough for me, you’re my only one, stand by me forever, only you, just you...

summary : to survive as a single woman in the big city, you resort to letting rich men pay for your company, but never anticipated that your first client would be the boy you once loved, Jinyoung.

warnings : strong profanity, explicit dialogue, references to prostitution, mentions of gang activity, graphic sexual content, potentially triggering elements involving mental health, panic attacks, etc.

miniseries chapters : one / two / three / four / five / six / seven

There weren’t enough cups of coffee in the world to rouse you after the sleepless night you’d had. Once Jinyoung ended the call, you searched the building for him, ultimately alarming security with the way you frantically checked every exit.

Eventually, you gave up, but his words haunted you and replayed in your mind the entire way home. Back at your apartment, you stripped to nakedness and collapsed on the bed, leaving your new violet gown lumped on the floor. Resting on your stomach with a pillow crammed between your arms, you felt your pulse quicken as you played his words over and over in your head.

It seemed Jinyoung had finally found you.

Your entire focus was fixated to him and refused to let go. Your heart raced out of control, practically dancing in your chest at the realization you were to be reunited with the boy you had once loved. Yet bitter tears pricked at your eyes, because you knew there was no reason Jinyoung should bear anything other than hatred for you after you left him.

He had tapped into the poison coursing through your home. He entered the perilous world of the gangs, vowing to surge up their ranks and provide some sort of stability for you in a town going under. But you loathed him for it. You despised the gangs with every fiber of your being for what they had done to your beloved hometown. When Jinyoung joined them, you ran. No, you abandoned him.

And understandably, he never forgave you for that.

Tightening the sheets around your naked body, you struggled with sleep. Jinyoung was your prospective client; the man who was willing to pay your bills in exchange for loveless sex. On your back, you pictured him above you, fitting himself between your thighs and owning you in every possible way.

God knows you had dreamt of this day since you left. What would happen when you were forced to reconcile with the boy you had promised never to leave?

Tears burned your eyes. You imagined Jinyoung taking his pleasure from your body, fucking his anger and stress out on you. Once upon a time, you would have enjoyed that, but now your mind warned you of an image of him pulling away from you and leaving a couple hundred dollars on the dresser.

Would that be your fate with Jinyoung? Was there a chance the love you both had shared was long gone and replaced with hatred? But everyone knew hatred wasn’t actually the opposite of love. It was indifference and just by his sharp tongue at the gala, Jinyoung was far from indifferent where you were concerned.

With a heavy sigh, you decided it was worth the risk. You had to know where this would lead or you would regret walking away. Again.

Staying in bed until the day was half over, you eventually crawled out from under a pile of blankets and called Seokjin to tell him you were ready to proceed. If he prepared a contract with your new client that entailed you sleeping with the man for money, you were ready to sign it. But you said nothing of Jinyoung.

Seokjin returned your initial call a few minutes later to inform you the client had agreed to a meeting and you needed to be at the office in one hour. Panicked, you quickly rushed off of the phone to shower and make yourself look as much like a prize as possible.

Despite arriving to the meeting by the skin of your teeth, you were still the first to enter the room. Of course, Jinyoung would be fashionably late. He probably wanted to ensure you had to wallow and wait for as long as possible.

Sitting at the conference table alone, you mulled over the decision. With your back to the expansive windows, you let the chair swivel to and fro as you tapped your bare toes on the floor. You had slid out of your high heels momentarily, stretching the bridges of your feet of their tension.

“Good afternoon,” Seokjin greeted, marching to the head of the table. You were in the center on the long side, knowing the heads of business always took the ends.

“Afternoon,” you replied tiredly, fighting another yawn.

“You look exhausted,” Seokjin commented, opening his folder and sorting through the papers.

You nodded, running a hand through your hair absentmindedly. “Didn’t sleep very well.”

“Did everything go alright last night?” he quickly asked, visibly concerned.

That always surprised you about Seokjin; how kind and compassionate he was toward his employees. Given his line of work involved trading flesh for money, you initially expected him to be a cold, heartless bastard. After years of having him as your employer, you considered him a reliable friend that you could call at your lowest, darkest times and knew without a doubt he would come to the rescue with sage words of wisdom.

“It went well,” you assured him with a soft smile.

Despite your respect toward him, you didn’t dare tell Seokjin the illustrious, new client was your ex-boyfriend. Knowing him and how he had a set of rules for almost everything, you assumed he would cancel the deal without a second thought. And right now, that was the last thing you wanted.

You needed to see Jinyoung with your own eyes.

Seokjin opened his mouth to reply, but his gaze fell to the approach of your client. You heard forceful footsteps that drew your attention a split-second before Jinyoung strode into the conference room, another man trailing behind him with a briefcase tucked under his arm.

Seokjin leapt to his feet, bowing dutifully, but you were frozen in place and your mouth fell open.

It really was Jinyoung.

He was taller, that was for sure, and much thicker than before. You remembered the skinny boy that had caused endless trouble with you as a child and passionately romanced you as a teenager, always complaining about his oversized ears and full face. Personally, you adored both traits. Once upon a time, you loved everything about him.

Even now, you took long, lingering looks at him, noting the years apart had aged him quite well. He was as handsome ever with his slicked-back dark hair, but there was something icy and rough festering in his eyes. He radiated power and strength, not just from a physical perspective. You knew he was the smartest, most cunning man in the room no matter where he stood.

It was evident that like you, the childhood innocence you both once shared was long gone and had been ripped away violently.

Clad in a crisp, charcoal suit, Jinyoung returned Seokjin’s bow shortly and didn’t bother to offer a glance in your general direction. After your boss cleared his throat, you lifted to your bare feet and bowed as was expected of you, nearly stumbling over your discarded shoes hidden beneath the table.

Jinyoung ignored you frigidly, sitting at the other end of the table and unbuttoning his suit coat as he did so. You were amazed how superior he looked at the moment. It wouldn’t shock you if he could buy the building you currently sat in a hundred times over.

“This is Youngjae, my attorney,” Jinyoung explained, gesturing to the smiling man alongside him. “He’s here to make sure I don’t get roped into anything.”

Seokjin nodded, resisting a frown at the insinuation. “Of course.”

Youngjae was kind enough to meet your eyes and give you a reassuring grin. His very presence flowed with energy and was a stark contrast to the icicle at his side. You found yourself returning a smile to the lawyer before his role in this meeting sank in.

You quickly gawked. Jinyoung had his own attorney? Beyond that, Jinyoung had a lawyer simply to navigate the contract between you and him?

The contract, you were abruptly reminded. That’s right. You were here to agree on a contract between you and your first - and presumably only - client. Bristling, you wished for the awkwardness to be at a minimum, though you trusted the parties involved to be the definition of professional.

For the most part, they discussed the privacy aspect of this deal. Everything would be done under foreign accounts and fake names. Jinyoung reserved the right to a certain degree of anonymity, given the fact he was a supposed pillar in his illegal community.

You furrowed your brow and knew in that moment Jinyoung had kept his vow of working up the ranks of the gangs. You were possibly looking at the kingpin of your hometown, but you also acknowledged he was now here in the city with you. Just how high did he want to go?

“Even with this contract and its inherent nature, consent is still required at every act,” Seokjin asserted, turning the page. “If there is any dissent with this clause, then we may as well call it a day.”

Jinyoung waved him away and nodded his compliance.

You wanted to laugh. Here you were - agreeing to a list of acceptable sexual practices with the only person you had ever been sexually active with. To you, the whole ordeal felt symbolic more than anything else.

Jinyoung wanted ownership. You had left him and now, he was quite literally buying you back. You knew you were in for a hell of a lot of vengeance, but had gradually come to terms with that. This was Jinyoung. No matter how much both of you had changed, you knew he would never hurt you.

“Alright, with the core rules in place, we can now begin with additions,” said Jinyoung’s attorney, glancing between you and his employer.

“No other parties ever,” Jinyoung said, twirling a pen between his fingers.

“What do you mean?” Seokjin asked for clarification.

You were also curious as to what he was referring.

Jinyoung glanced at your boss, as if it were obvious to a man of his chosen profession, and huffed, “No one else in the bedroom. No threesomes. Don’t bring another girl home for my birthday either.”

You snorted at the idea. Seokjin shot you a warning glare to be more respectful, still clueless as to the nature of your relationship with this surly customer.

“No ass,” you spoke up.

Youngjae looked over in surprise.

“No anal whatsoever. And none of that, ‘Sorry, baby, my aim was off,’ bullshit either,” you elaborated, tapping your hand on your thigh under the table.

Jinyoung chuckled at your sass, but kept his eyes on the contract. He was going out of his way to avoid looking at you. Probably because if he did, he would either melt or combust into a flurry of flames. It was hard to tell at this point.

“Did that happen to you before?” Seokjin asked under his breath, face creased with worry.

You shook your head and quickly explained, “No, never. But the girls have told me to err on the side of caution.”

With amusement, Jinyoung cut in, “I have great aim. Don’t worry.”

“Good,” you chirped, pretending to be impressed.

As the two lawyers in the room scribbled simultaneously on their contracts, you bit your lip to keep from giggling. This whole exchange seemed unrealistic and downright laughable to you. Crossing your legs under the table, you let your bare foot swing back and forth, distracting yourself from the humor of the situation.

Out of the corner of your eye, you took your time studying Jinyoung. The boy always did look damn good in a suit and today was no exception. But you were dreading the inevitable conversation both of you would need to have once this was finished. You needed to know where you stood.

A moment of tense silence later, Seokjin called your name, prompting you for anything else you felt worth including.

You mulled, then remembered, “Oh, my classes take precedence to... intercourse.”

Jinyoung snorted, his attention fixated on the pen in his hand.

“What do you mean?” asked Youngjae, bemused.

“I’m finishing my undergraduate degree. Pre-med,” you explained, sitting up a little straighter with pride. “My classes and exams will have priority.”

“You won’t be in violation of the contract if you choose school over me occasionally,” Jinyoung droned, skipping a perfect opportunity to be vindictive. “Moving on.”

You narrowed your eyes with annoyance on his profile, irritated at being dismissed so easily.

Youngjae met your visible scowl and said, “You will be moving into the Dongjak house.”

“Wait... what?” you exclaimed.

He added flatly, “It is one of Mr. Park’s properties.”

You were tempted to ask who the fuck was Mr. Park, but instead you turned to Seokjin and asked, “I have to move?”

Before Seokjin could pose a question of confirmation, Jinyoung’s lawyer answered, “Yes, we can better control security and access at this property.”

You quipped, “Are you worried I will try to escape or that I’ll have a steady flow of men coming in and out when you’re not around?”

Seokjin sucked in a breath as if he were having a sudden wave of heart palpitations.

Jinyoung lifted the corner of his mouth in a smirk, but still didn’t look at you. “You’re going to pay for that snark later,” he crooned under his breath.

Brow lifted, you asked coyly, “Am I?”

An image of Jinyoung slamming you against the wall and shoving his tongue down your throat passed through your mind. There was a time when you were young and reckless, and you exhausted every possible opportunity to get a rise out of him - knowing his choice of punishment was always rather gratifying.

Disrupting your imagination, Youngjae broke away from his page and asked, “Is the relocation a deal breaker for you?”

With a shrug, you replied blithely, “No, I could use the change in scenery.”

Relieved your acerbic tongue had yet to dissuade the very wealthy client, Seokjin said, “Many of the girls opt for a different location due to security protocols. It’s just a precaution. You aren’t in any danger.”

Brushing some of his hair from his eyes, Youngjae also comforted, “It has a stunning view of the river and is fairly close to Seoul National University, which would be much more convenient for you.”

Stiffening, you turned your attention back to Jinyoung and asked rather roughly, “And how do you know which college I go to?”

The lawyer glanced at Jinyoung for a suggestion of how to answer you, but Jinyoung merely shook his head and your question went answered.

A knowing smile tugged at your lips.

After receiving your acceptance of the deal thus far, Seokjin faced your prospective client and asked, “Are there any additional concerns?”

Jinyoung tapped his finger on the table to a rhythm and snarled, “Yes, I find the ratio of funds unacceptable.”

Seokjin rubbed his chin and inquired, “How do you mean, sir?”

Jinyoung took an outstretched paper from his attorney and scanned the page, finding the figures he was looking for and saying, “Of what I’m paying per month, she gets seventy percent. Your agency gets thirty.”

Seokjin bobbed his head and said, “Yes, that is our usual rate.”

Jinyoung frowned. “No, she gets ninety. You get ten.”

Your eyes widened.

Seokjin nearly choked and replied, “That is unheard of.”

Unfazed, Jinyoung cocked his head and smarted, “I’m hearing it now.”

Seokjin wavered in his seat, searching for a valid argument, and stammered, “Mr. Park, I can assure you that...”

Jinyoung shifted mercurially and threatened, “Keep talking and her share jumps to ninety-nine.”

“Ninety to ten is good, sir.”

Jinyoung plastered a victorious smile on his face and said, “Glad we understand each other.”

You still couldn’t comprehend who this man was at the end of the table, but you rather enjoyed the view. There were glimpses of the Jinyoung you knew - the boy who could literally talk his way out of anything. But the forceful, borderline aggressive man that appeared was an entirely new entity to you and you weren’t sure what the best approach was to dealing with him.

After the pair had finished jotting on their pages, Seokjin called your name and asked, “Do you have anything else to add?”

With a long exhale, you replied, “I want exclusivity.”

Exasperated, your boss whispered, “That is already in the contract.”

“No,” you spoke up, angling to Jinyoung and taking a deep breath. “I want him exclusive to me.”

Seokjin nearly choked again. He would have given you a swift kick under the table if you had been closer.

For the first time since this meeting began, Jinyoung met your eyes. A long glare of mutual defiance passed between you and him.

You didn’t falter under his unforgivable scowl and said, “If I am forbidden to so much as hold hands with another man, the same applies to him.”

Jinyoung chuckled and snapped, “Do I look like I’m gonna be holding hands with men anytime soon?”

You leaned in his direction, lacing your fingers over the table surface, and warned, “If you get close enough to another woman that she can catch a whiff of your cologne, I will walk.”

Jinyoung cocked his head, mouth twitching with annoyance, and seethed when he hissed, “Well, no one doubts you’re good at that.”

You narrowed your eyes at the retort, but felt your heart ache a little at his tone. Swallowing the lump in your throat, you asked, “Deal?”

Jinyoung studied you, letting a lull pass before he agreed, “Deal.”

“Mutual exclusivity,” said Seokjin, a certain edge to his voice that suggested he had finally noticed the tension between you and your client. His attention was piqued.

Youngjae nodded, smirking for a reason unbeknownst to you. “Added.”

As Seokjin and Youngjae chattered over filing the contract, Jinyoung rose and proceeded to button his suit coat. You scrambled to your feet, discreetly sliding back into your shoes, and approached him with caution.

“Gang leader extraordinaire, I see,” you murmured under your breath, careful to utter such bitter words lest anyone else hear them.

“Mm,” Jinyoung hummed as if it were of no consequence, glancing over his shoulder to see how dangerously close you came to him.

The scent of your ex-lover wafted into your nose at the proximity and you blinked through the threat of tears. His cologne was subtle and understated, but he smelled so good, so familiar. Voice quivering, you whispered, “What happened to you? What happened to the Jinyoung I knew?”

Jinyoung angled to face you and snarled, “He died when you left him.”

You stood there, shell-shocked as he stomped out of the conference room. For a moment, you merely wallowed in the silence and loneliness, grappling with the proper way to feel in this situation. You deserved the anger and resentment, but you also stood by the decisions you had made in the pursuit of a better life.

Then, you were reminded of what you just signed and realized that Jinyoung owned you now.

Eventually, Seokjin came to fetch you, saying, “His car is waiting outside. It will take you to his penthouse.”

Nerves bubbled in your throat. Jinyoung had paid the toll. Was it time to cross the bridge already?

Nodding an acknowledgement, you made your way toward the elevator, passing one of your co-workers on the way. She grabbed your sleeve, giving you a beaming, excited smile that comforted you in the midst of your conflicted reveries.

“What a catch,” Kyra sang quietly. “So many girls wanted a piece of that boy.”

The thought of another woman sharing a bed with Jinyoung made you bristle with jealousy. Discarding the idea, you flushed and groaned, “Thanks.”

Kyra clicked her tongue, adjusting a few loose strands of your hair, and whined playfully, “I wish I had your luck.”

You shrugged and began, “He wanted a virgin and I had just joined the second circle of hell, so....”

“Don’t be diluted, sweetie,” Kyra interjected with a scoff.

You tilted your head curiously, asking, “What do you mean?”

She giggled at you, surprised you didn’t know, and said, “He specifically asked for you.”

“What?” you exclaimed.

Kyra patted your arm, hushing you sweetly, and whispered, “I heard Lexi say that he inquired about you after one of his constituents took you to a gala.”

Your eyes were wide, but you quickly made the jump from shocked to annoyed. “Oh my god.”

“He waited for you to jump circles.,” Kyra teased, squeezing your shoulder in encouragement. “You must be exactly what he wants.”

Narrowing your eyes, you whispered scathingly, “That... bastard.”

Kyra gawked at you, confused.

Trudging outside, a black Range Rover lay in wait and Jinyoung perched by the back door, putting a cigarette to his lips and drawing a lighter out of his pocket.

“Are you kidding me?” you yelled, darting forward and snatching the cigarette from his mouth.

Jinyoung glared at you with a vengeance and hissed, “What? You’re the only one allowed to have self-destructive behaviors?”

“You inhale cancer on a regular basis now?” you asked scathingly.

“At least I don’t suck dick for a living,” Jinyoung returned, opening the door and motioning for you to get inside the car.

Glaring furiously, you passed in front of him, sliding into the seat and grumbling when he stole the cigarette from your hand, but didn’t smoke it.

Sitting in the car with Jinyoung was agonizing. Though he was within arm’s reach, he intentionally left a wide space between your bodies. You wanted to confront him for choosing you, but didn’t have the strength or energy for an argument.

You were starting to feel fortunate. Fortunate that your ex-boyfriend had bought you and not some old, entitled bastard. But you also knew the unresolved conflict between you and your first love would potentially leave you devastated all over again.

“Jinyoung?” you called shyly.

His eyes were on the window, as they had been for the entire drive. “We’ll talk when we get there,” he replied harshly, clocking his gaze at the lawyer and chauffeur in the front seats.

You wrinkled your nose, annoyed at being silenced by him for the second time that day, but saw where his attention had fallen and knew he wanted total privacy before such a personal conversation took place.

You were anticipating the moment you were alone for the first time with your ex-boyfriend. Despite Seokjin encouraging you to follow your new client’s cues to give him exactly what he wanted, you had no intention of kissing up to Jinyoung. If he wanted you to beg for mercy or forgiveness, he would be sorely disappointed.

Or so you thought.

The vehicle came to a stop outside of a luxury apartment building and you peered out of the car in awe. Jinyoung told you this was the back entrance and he had better never hear of you coming in through the front foyer. You wanted to sass him, but realized it was more than likely a security protocol.

You trailed at his side as Jinyoung led you to the service elevator in the back. He greeted an older man, an attendant by the name of Mr. Jung who wore a trimmed, burgundy blazer and sported a warm, round face with a bushy mustache.

“And who is this beautiful shadow you have, sir?” the attendant asked politely.

You returned his respectful bow and gave him your name.

“You will be seeing her rather often from now on, Mr. Jung,” Jinyoung explained, withdrawing a roll of cash from his pocket and handing the man a few large bills. His voice lowered to a stern murmur when he told him, “You never saw her. She was never here.”

“Saw who, sir?” Mr. Jung questioned, pocketing the money.

Jinyoung clapped the man on the shoulder and led you into the entry. Speechless, you gawked at the exchange and for a moment, felt like smuggled goods.

“This is my penthouse,” Jinyoung explained as you stood in the corner of the elevator, neither of you having spoken a single word to each other since the brief exchange in the car. The ebony box was cold and suffocating, and made you viscerally aware of your own vulnerability in these circumstances.

Your eyes were fixated on Jinyoung, every slight move he made just a few feet from where you stood. As the elevator ascended to the top floors, he would glance between the door and his feet, shifting his weight and letting out a long sigh of restlessness. You remembered Jinyoung never did have much patience.

The tension was palpable and you searched your brain for a way to cut through, but Jinyoung had made very clear his disposition toward you for now. You weren’t afraid of him, but given how badly you wanted his forgiveness - you tried your best to do what would make him happy. The idea of being wholly at his mercy was at the front and center of your mind.

The bell chimed the arrival at the top floor of the tower and you gripped the rails with anticipation.

The doors whooshed apart and Jinyoung motioned with his arm, singing, “Ladies first.”

You were tempted to roll your eyes, but fought back the urge as you strode forward, your heels clicking loudly on the hardwood floors.

“Wow,” you gasped aloud, taking in the sight of the expansive residence.

The apartment could have been an identical copy of those opulent homes seen in upscale magazines and interior design journals. The place was spotless with an open floor concept, decked with chrome accents in a predominantly white and black theme.

But it was glacially cold and seemed a grey shell with no life to be found in it. There were no pictures. No splashes of color. You immediately wanted to gather as many flowers as you could to stick in a vase and put on the table for a semblance of light in such a dark place.

“You won’t live here,” Jinyoung explained rather sternly, protective over his home. “It’s my personal space. But you’ll come here often to stay the night. There will be times I’ll have one of my boys bring you here to wait for me.”

You barely heard him and certainly didn’t register his words. You were running your hand across the granite countertop in the kitchen. You were reminded of the tiny, old houses you and Jinyoung used to call home. Memories of sleeping in his arms on a worn out narrow mattress came to mind.

The damn thing squeaked as loud as possible whenever the two of you fooled around. You always made Jinyoung sweep the entire house to make sure no one was home before you had sex. Even now you could hear the thing creaking rhythmically in your ears, followed by your laughter in the distance because Jinyoung never failed to accuse the mattress of breaking his concentration and interfering with his stroke game.

You quickly snapped out of the memory, clearing your throat. Jinyoung trailed behind you slowly, watching your every reaction as you meandered through the penthouse. When you came to the first closed door you had encountered thus far, you turned to face him and asked, “What’s behind here?”

“Bedroom,” he replied flatly, without missing a beat.

You shifted your weight nervously, feeling all of the blood in your body rush to your cheeks. Given the new nature of your relationship with your client, you assumed the bedroom would be the destination regardless. Turning the knob, you stepped inside.

“Holy…” you trailed, eyes wide at the floor to ceiling windows covering the entire east wall. You approached them like a jubilant kid, planting your palms on the tinted glass and peering out at the vast city below you.

The hues of Seoul reflected in your eyes, every color possible splashing across your vision. You imagined the sight from this window would be breathtaking when night fell. For a moment in the silence, you turned somber, reminded you were such a small person in such a gigantic universe.

But this was your reality and it was time you faced the music.

Pivoting around to put your back to the rest of the world, you dropped your purse loudly on the floor and began unfastening your coat.

Jinyoung furrowed his brow, his hands buried in his pockets, and asked sharply, “What are you…”

“How do you wanna do this?” you asked, emotionless as you pulled off your coat and tossed it on to the nearby dresser.

Disapproving, Jinyoung shook his head briefly and deadpanned, “That didn’t take long.”

Shaking your hair loose, you interjected, “Should I keep the heels on? I know a lot of guys are into that.”

Jinyoung glanced down at your shoes and ran a hand through his slicked-back hair, snapping, “Hold on.”

You stopped, putting your hands on your hips.

His voice cut sharper than any razor when he countered, “You think I brought you here to fuck you?”

You looked around and snapped, “Why the hell else am I here?”

“The house is getting ready for you,” Jinyoung explained, taking your words in stride. “My driver is going to take you there in an hour or so.”

Settling your eyes on the massive bed, you trailed, “But I’m supposed to…”

Waving you away with disinterest, Jinyoung interrupted, “I’m not in the mood for sex right now. Sorry to disappoint you.”

Taking a step toward him, you argued, “You bought me for sex, but you don’t want to have sex with me?”

His rage boiled over when he whispered, “I bought you so no one else would.”

You flinched.

Jinyoung shifted, rounding on you and raising his voice slightly to yell, “Imagine that - having to pay for the love of my life.”

Stiffening, you could feel the atmosphere devolving into exactly what you had been expecting. Trying to retain some semblance of control, you breathed, “Jinyoung…”

“Do you know what it cost me, sweetheart?” Jinyoung cut in, his tone shifting to something patronizing and resentful. “Do you know the price I paid to let you keep your soul?”

“I don’t want free money. I work for what I earn. You’re paying me to sleep with you,” you defended, almost shouting.

Jinyoung snorted. “Not just that.”

“Right, you’re paying me to ‘date’ you,” you sassed, scoffing with disgust.

Fire flashed in Jinyoung’s eyes and he quickly sneered, “I’m paying for you to do what I want - whenever, wherever, however I want it.”

You folded your arms in contempt and reminded, “I still have to give consent.”

“Of course, I’ll have your consent.”

You rolled your eyes.

Jinyoung smirked almost menacingly, running his tongue across his teeth to tease, “You don’t think I can see you, darling? Do you think I’m fucking blind?”

You blinked in surprise.

“Every time I get too close to you, you hold your breath and stare at my damn mouth.”

Feeling yourself spiraling out of composure, you barked, “Whatever.”

Jinyoung was back to the game you had lost the night before and his sinful words rushed back into your mind. Noting the indecision evident on your face, Jinyoung persisted, “Your body is screaming for me to touch you.”

“I don’t hear anything,” you retorted, brushing past him to avoid the impending confrontation.

Jinyoung grabbed your arm and spun you back around to face him, hissing, “I’m not going to fuck you until you beg me for it. Until you swear you’re going mad without me. You won’t feel me inside you until you scream for me to take you.”

Shivering, you whispered, “I’ll never beg, Jinyoung. You won’t break me.”

“I will break you. I will make you know what I felt. I want you to know how it feels to have the person you love break the fucking soul out of you.”

Tears were already festering in your eyes and your first instinct was to flee. This was what you dreaded most . You couldn't face the pain you had inflicted on him. You couldn’t be reminded what a cruel animal you were for abandoning him the way you did. Nearly defeated, you whimpered, “Jinyoung, please…”

Jinyoung was only getting warmed up. You could hear his strong voice quivering with emotion when he told you, “Because that’s what happened to me. You tore my goddamn heart out.”

“I…”

“You,” he yelled, releasing your arm and pacing away. “The one person who was always there for me, who swore on her life to never leave me, left me to die so she could save herself!”

You shook your head vehemently and cried, “It wasn’t like that.”

Indignant, Jinyoung hissed your name with a snarl like poison had filled his mouth. “I don’t want to fucking hear it. Make yourself comfortable,” Jinyoung snapped coldly, discarding his suit coat and draping it on the bed.

Down to his dress shirt, he loosened his tie and began unbuttoning the cuffs of his sleeves. As he did so, he dropped heavily onto the mattress, letting out a prolonged, strained breath.

For a moment, you merely stared at him. This had nothing to do with money; this had everything to do with the sweet boy you betrayed years ago. The wounds had yet to heal. You realized you were the creator of this monster. You had made him what he was.

Perhaps that meant you were the only one to coax him back to the surface.

Approaching with caution, you touched his arms gently, feeling the tight muscles beneath the white fabric of his shirt. He bristled at your touch, surprised you would take this route after all that was said and done, but settled down just as quickly.

Skimming your palm across his chest, you whispered, “Jinyoung?”

“Hm?” he huffed, resorting to hiding his face behind his fingers.

You kneeled down before him, forcing your way between his legs and resting your arms on his thighs. He had no choice but to lower his hands and look at you.

“Kiss me,” you murmured, staring up at him with the most innocent look you could muster. Making yourself appear demure and submissive, you hoped and prayed he would take the bait.

Jinyoung tilted his head, clasping your chin between his fingers and surveying your face. “Are you giving me orders, baby girl?”

You blinked and softened your voice, beseeching in a whisper, “Please, kiss me. Please.”

Jinyoung sighed, his breath warming your skin.

Impatient and desperate for a mere fragment of forgiveness, you placed your hands on his thighs, rubbing softly, and pressed, “I’m begging you to kiss me. Jinyoung, I need you to kiss me. Please?”

Truly, you thought he wouldn’t discard enough of his pride to indulge you, but then you felt his muscles flex under your fingertips a split-second before he leaned forward and captured your lips with his own.

Every memory of every kiss you had shared with this man flooded into your mind. The love you once shared together filled you with warmth and energy, enticing you to fight for what was once yours.

Time slowed, but at the same time passed much too fast for you to keep a grasp of the world around you. Jinyoung kissed you for what felt like days. You were lost in everything he made you feel, hyper aware of every part of him before you.

You soaked up the smell of him, knowing the taste of him would linger on your tongue for hours to come. His body felt firm and unmovable against yours. His hands were rough yet tender as they came to hold your face. He took the lead with his kisses, breathing softly into your mouth, and rendering you suspended in some otherworldly place you used to exist with him by your side alone.

Jinyoung teased his tongue over your bottom lip and you opened your mouth with a soft moan to grant him access, but he didn’t take it. He merely wanted to know if you were inclined to give it to him so easily.

When he pulled away, you swayed between his legs, opening your eyes slowly and letting your vision focus on him. Jinyoung still held your jaw, searching your face for something to make him feel even a shred of mercy.

Finding nothing, Jinyoung lowered his hands and harshened his eyes.

And after a pause, he said, “That’s all you get from me for now.”

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a/n : this story was previously Lacuna on my old blog, minheoney. I’m really excited to finally finish it! This fic was my baby for so long and I’m ridiculously happy to give it a new home :)

Hey there, beautiful! If you enjoyed this, please leave a like or reblog or follow me! Or maybe buy me a coffee so I can keep writing? Or check out my masterlist here for more stories! Thanks for reading :) - Katya

This work is fictional and for entertainment purposes only, but is licensed and protected under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. Any instances of plagiarism will be dealt with accordingly. Do not re-post or translate without my permission.

#got7 fanfiction #got7 #park jinyoung #got7 smut #jinyoung smut #got7 fanfic #got7 fic #jinyoung fic #park jinyoung smut #jinyoung fanfic #got7 scenario #got7 reaction #got7 imagine #jinyoung imagine #jinyoung scenario #jinyoung reaction

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mediaevalmusereads · 3 years

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The Black Tides of Heaven. By Jy Yang. New York: Tor, 2017.

Rating: 3/5 stars

Genre: novella, fantasy

Part of a Series? Yes, Tensorate #1

Summary: Mokoya and Akeha, the twin children of the Protector, were sold to the Grand Monastery as children. While Mokoya developed their strange prophetic gift, Akeha was always the one who could see the strings that moved adults to action. While Mokoya received visions of what would be, Akeha realized what could be. What's more, they saw the sickness at the heart of their mother's Protectorate. A rebellion is growing. The Machinists discover new levers to move the world every day, while the Tensors fight to put them down and preserve the power of the state. Unwilling to continue to play a pawn in their mother's twisted schemes, Akeha leaves the Tensorate behind and falls in with the rebels. But every step Akeha takes towards the Machinists is a step away from Mokoya. Can Akeha find peace without shattering the bond they shares with their twin?

***Full review under the cut.***

Minor spoilers under “Characters.”

Content Warnings: violence, blood, suicide

Overview: I kept seeing this book pop up on lists of non-Western fantasy and lgbt+ reading lists, so I took the plunge and bought a copy. The plot seemed interesting, and in many ways, it definitely was. There was rich worldbuilding and intriguing politics, and I appreciated the way gender was treated. However, as much as I loved the ideas in this novel, I ultimately felt that I was reading an outline rather than a finished product. There are a lot of places where things would happen or characters would do things and I didn’t quite understand why (other than, perhaps, to create drama?). If Yang had fleshed out those moments and made a full-length novel, I think The Black Tides of Heaven could have been a more satisfying read.

Writing: Yang’s writing is fairly well-balanced between telling and showing in most places. I had no trouble immersing myself in the world or the plot, and the sentences flowed together well so I never felt confused or lost. There were a few blips here and there - for example, when we’re first introduced to the character Thennjay, his backstory is dumped onto us in about a paragraph, which made me think the author wanted us to absorb it right away without doing the work to make it more significant or interesting. But otherwise, I think Yang’s prose was well-crafted.

Plot: This book primarily follows twins Mokoya and Akeha as they come to terms with their supernatural (?) abilities against the backdrop of political unrest and rebellion. We follow them from birth to age 35 as they struggle with their mother’s control, their gender identities, and their relationship each each other, all while some rebels are mounting a resistance campaign against the throne.

At first, I liked the idea of this plot, but ultimately, I felt like a lot of the important political stuff was unsupported or undervalued. The main conflict is supposed to be between the ruling class and a working class (teamed up with some from the disgruntled ruling class?), but it felt like the conflict was never established as part of the lived reality of people in Yang’s world. For example, we never see how the working class is treated - we don’t even see the Protector doing anything cruel or outright bad. She doesn’t actively manipulate Mokoya or try to use their prophecies to gain more power (at least not on-page). We just get the vibe that the Protector is corrupt or power-hungry with a few sneaky, ruthless deals thrown in here and there. As a result, the political conflict didn’t feel very important, so when a big plot point happens (like Thennjay being the next Head Abbot), I felt like we were told its significance rather than feeling its significance.

The same lack of support seems to also happen in the development of the romance(s). Whenever Mokoya or Akeha would fall for someone, it seemed to come out of nowhere. There is one which particularly feels like insta-love, and the love interest is so new to us, the reader, that it’s hard to see why our POV characters fall so hard for them.

I also felt like major scenes or sections didn’t build upon each other and seemed to be inserted for action or drama. For example, early in the book, the twins escape the monastery to avoid being separated by their mother. While they are out, they find a cave full of supplies and randomly have to fight a kirin - an extinct mythical beast. The significance of the cave or the kirin is never brought up again, and it turns out the twins never had to slip out and escape anyway, since they were eventually told they wouldn’t be separated. It made me wonder what the point of the twins being at the monastery was - what did they learn there that would be important later in the book?

Lastly, the time skips make the main conflict of the plot feel less urgent. I understand that with politics, conflict can continue for years and years; however, when a scene happens and then 10+ years go by, it feels like the plot isn’t really building up anything. I think to make these time skips more effective, Yang could have shown us how tensions keep growing year after year until there comes a moment where the people reach their breaking point (or some major development happens, etc). As it stands, I didn’t quite get that feeling.

Characters: This is story is mainly told from Mokoya’s and Akeha’s POVs (though the prose uses third person, not first). What I appreciated most about Mokoya and Akeha was their gender journey; in Yang’s world, children are raised genderless until they are around 18-20, when they are given the opportunity to choose (or “confirm”) their gender. I really liked the way Mokoya and Akeha talked about their genders - Mokoya speaks about “feeling” like a woman, while Akeha struggles to be a man despite being raised in a family of only women. They change their language to reflect their change in identity, and I liked that the world around them didn’t expect someone to choose a gender based on patriarchal expectations.

That being said, I wish there was a little more work put into developing Mokoya and Akeha’s involvement with opposite sides of the political conflict. To me, it felt like the decisions to get involved weren’t personal, and we’re told more than shown that certain things are significant. For example, Mokoya reveals at one point the extent of their involvement and complicity in the political plot, and it kind of just felt... empty. Like we weren’t shown Mokoya doing things, nor were we shown a scene where the outcome was determined by Mokoya’s involvement. We’re definitely told about it later, but we don’t get to see it.

I also felt like Yang asked readers to care about certain characters who had little involvement in the twins’ lives. For example, Mokoya reveals at one point that she is pregnant (this is long after the twins confirm their gender identities), and Akeha feels a longing to meet his niece. However, something happens to the neice that makes their meeting impossible - and this all happens in about 10 pages. So, I felt like I was being asked to absorb the emotional impact of this event without really having time to feel Akeha’s longing.

The niece is one example where it felt like side characters were mainly used to further a plot or as somewhat underdeveloped characters. While I liked the idea of many supporting characters, the book was so short that it didn’t feel like these characters had any time to make a grand impact. I would have liked to see more work put into establishing a few supporting characters as key pieces in this political plot, perhaps with everyone seemingly coming in and out of the twins’ lives to try to push them in one direction or another. The first Head Abbot is one example of someone who could have had a larger role, as is the Protector and Thennjay.

TL;DR: The Black Tides of Heaven is an intriguing novella with interesting worldbuilding and likeable protagonists. However, the disjointed plot feels a bit too rushed and supporting characters feel a bit too one-dimensional for this book to be a truly satisfying read.

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rosaliekali · 4 years

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I have feelings about why I’m just not a fan of Napoleon and Leonardo’s routes despite liking the characters and I need to write them out. These are just my opinions so take them with a grain of salt, but I narrowed down why I’m just not a fan to some points. It’s fine if you disagree and think they are the best routes in the game, but these are just some of my own criticisms.

Very, very long post ahead. Obviously, it will contain a lot of spoilers.

I’ll start with Napoleon’s route. Napoleon’s route just has so much going on that it is not able to really accomplish much. There are so many plot points to the route that the writers can’t give each point the time it deserves.

The first plot point is the route’s goal to humanize Napoleon. “The Emperor” / “The Nightmare of Europe” are some of the titles Napoleon holds, and the game tries to get readers to see him as just a man. MC goes in not knowing much about him and begins to see him as a person in order to show readers that even he is just a man that can fall for MC, but the route just doesn’t do it properly.

Sure, we start out fine. MC finds little things within Napoleon which do show us he is just a man, his laughing fits / his love for chicken / his tendency to oversleep / his love for the children he teaches, but it’s just not really pulled off correctly. The way that it tries to humanize Napoleon for most of the route is just through surface level stuff. Little quirks he has which give MC a very basic comprehension of who he is as a person. Nothing too deep or advanced. Then, when we start to get somewhere on humanizing him-delving into his past and early life-we’re shown the scene with Napoleon pulling his sword out and calling himself the Nightmare of Europe again.

This scene pretty much threatens to undo the humanizing the route attempted in the beginning. It shocks MC and there’s a part of her that has to grapple with who Napoleon presents himself in moments of danger and who he is with her. Honestly, this isn’t a bad thing. Had Cyikemen given MC ample time to figure things out and process the two Napoleons she knows, it could have pulled off everything else seamlessly because MC would then accept that Napoleon is a complex person and that she can still see the human parts of him that he has shown her thereby really making him human-but it just doesn’t manage this. The route has so much other stuff its dealing with that MC pretty much just shoves this memory aside and continues on with her romance of Napoleon. It fell flat when I read it and didn’t accomplish the humanization it tried in the beginning.

To be fair, I will give the writers credit for this plot point because it did start off well and it was genius to have Sebastian serve as MC’s friend in this route because he really helped her see Napoleon as a man by counseling her and speaking to her about his past, but I personally just didn’t feel like it pulled off what it aimed for.

The second plot point is the demi-vampire arch. Napoleon is not a full vampire at the start of the route, he is still half human. As the route progresses he begins to change into a full lesser vampire and the game tries to make this a major shift in who he is. However, reading the route...I just didn’t care.

I get that the writers wanted to mirror the whole ‘humanizing Napoleon’ with ‘Napoleon wanting to stay human for MC so she could think of him as a regular man,’ but I don’t think they managed this. The reason for this is because we’re not really shown much of a difference between Napoleon and the other residents. Sure, he’s half human and closer to MC biologically...but why should we care? MC grows to trust him first because she knows she doesn’t risk being bitten at his side, but it’s not like the other residents are much of a danger to her. She trusts them too eventually, pretty quickly might I add, so it’s not a big deal. Plus, Napoleon is pretty close biologically to the others too. There’s not a huge difference between Demi-Vampires and Lesser Vampires. What Napoleon has to face in terms of romancing a full human isn’t all that different as to what the others face in their routes.

The writers tried to make his transformation this big deal probably to tie it into the fact that Napoleon only ever wanted to be seen as a normal man, but I just wasn’t feeling it. Plus, it’s not like it was this major thing with MC either. So the whole arch just felt unnecessary in my opinion and apparently other routes haven’t felt the need for it either considering Napoleon doesn’t undergo much of a transformation outside of his own route.

The third plot line is the villain arch. This one I don’t have much to say. I think it was done properly and I did like the sadness it brought with it. I will give the writers points for it, I just wish it hadn’t been crammed in with the other plot points. Not much commentary on this.

Finally, the last plot point is the romance itself. This is the one I really didn’t feel. MC is a great character, she’s from a modern era and confident / highly educated with a knowledge of several different languages / well traveled / charming / witty /etc...but we don’t see that in Napoleon’s route. MC just doesn’t stand out or make herself seem special. I know that this is normal in Japanese Otome’s, cultural differences and all, but this isn’t a problem in some of the other routes. The fact that it was present here just made the route fall flat.

Yes, Napoleon didn’t want to be an Emperor and really just wanted to be a simple man-but I just don’t understand why he would fall for such a simple MC. Napoleon would have no doubt have had access to women more beautiful, charming, educated, etc. than her as a human. However, because Cyikemen erases all previous lovers in their games, we can assume he never truly fell in love until MC. For me, this just isn’t realistic. His MC isn’t as established as the others, this route doesn’t make her shine like other routes, so him falling for someone who is so simple compared to the other women he would have met before just didn’t really make sense.

I feel like we could see why MC fell for him, since we were shown her thoughts, but its a mystery why Napoleon fell for her so fast. Sure, she saw him as a normal man which is what he always wanted...but that’s not really enough to build a relationship out of. Perhaps a friendship or something but not this big love story Cyikemen wants to present. I mean, even Jean asks Napoleon at one point why he fell for MC since he doesn’t see anything really special about her and I was inclined to agree.

The route just doesn’t really show us a good romance or a good MC which is unfair considering how good her character is in other routes.

So, really, Napoleon’s route just had too much going on at once and couldn’t really manage to do it all at once. It was dealing with so many different plot points that it couldn’t really flesh it out well. I love his character, but I just wasn’t a fan of his route.

As for Leonardo’s route...oof. I love Leo, he’s one of my favorites, but his route fell all kinds of flat.

For one...why do we care that he is a Pureblood? Sure, he’s eternal and will outlive MC and mourn her forever in comparison to the others, but this isn’t a major thing in his route. MC finds out he’s a pureblood pretty late in the route and its just smoothed over. We aren’t given much of a reason to care for it and it’s not something really pressed on us.

Quite frankly, the game tried to make it this BIG SHOCKING reveal...but it wasn’t? It didn’t really affect the story much, didn’t drive a wedge between them, and it wasn’t all that surprising. I could guess Leonardo was a pureblood when I first started reading the route because of how pressured he is too marry (the game never specifies it but it’s obvious he meant he was pressured by family because who else would care so much about him marrying?) so we can guess he’s still prominent enough in society which corresponds to him still having ties to people like family, he is great friends with Comte and I could guess they knew each other for much longer than the others plus there wasn’t much of the dynamic we see in the other residents in terms of Sire / Sired, and it’s revealed in other routes pretty early on. Sure, the others don’t know he’s a Pureblood either in his route (except for Will) but it’s not a secret in other routes besides his. If Cyikemen wanted it to be this big shocking secret...it didn’t work?

Now, what the game did do pretty well was dealing with the fact that Leo was closed off before MC because he was tired of losing people. We could sense his heartache and how lonely he was, it was a good idea to also add in the watchmaker’s death to highlight this and have MC realize Leo was crying internally that day too, and I’ve spoken about how Lumiere was also a nice touch, so I will give credit there. They did a good job in that sense, but it wasn’t perfect. I feel like the event story where MC reads his letters may have pulled that one off better than his route, but that is not to say the route did a bad job.

The arch with his villain was also okay. I feel like it wasn’t as good as Isaac’s arch or Vincent’s, but it wasn’t bad. Not much to say here either.

The plot point I really have a problem with is the fact that the love story between them is just so...unrealistic? When you have a character so closed off from people, it’s not a good idea to show them falling in love with MC that fast. I mean, Leonardo specifies MC is the first person he has ever loved and the last he will ever love...but we don’t see why?

Leonardo has never let people in, so what makes MC so different? Like Napoleon’s route, she doesn’t establish herself as a strong character here. There is nothing about her in this route that would compel a polymath, genius like Leo to fall so hard and fast for her when no other woman before has enticed him. Him falling for her and admitting it as soon as chapter 7 comes out of nowhere. MC just isn’t complimentary to his personality and we aren’t shown why he falls so fast considering we are told he has never fallen in love before.

It’s never a good idea to show such a closed off character as falling so fast for MC. It makes the love story feel cheapened. The funny thing about this though is that Arthur’s route could have encountered this problem too, because Arthur wears a mask and has never fallen in love before, but his route didn’t have this problem. Why? Because we are shown why Arthur fell for her.

Arthur’s MC compliments his personality in every way. They have a chemistry the moment they meet and we feel it. We get why he falls for her because he is drawn to her right away. Plus, we see why Arthur wouldn’t fall for other women before MC. All of the other women surrounding him in his route are shown as symbols of lust and one night stands, none of them really stands out as a romantic rival because they all look at Arthur and see a lustful man. No one really tries to get to know him as a man with a heart besides MC. The other women serve as a foil to MC’s character and they show us why Arthur was able to let her in but not the rest-because she was different. She saw him for who he really was and he fell for her-

Leonardo’s doesn’t do this. We don’t know why Leonardo fell for her when there would have been thousands of women before her that he would have met. Women that probably complimented his personality better and women that probably would have made better partners. Him choosing MC above them is just not something we can understand outside of the magic that is an otome.

Finally, the power imbalance between Leo and MC is also pretty frustrating. I’ve talked about how the MC in Leonardo’s route just isn’t really confident or mature compared to him, and yikes! Forget about the fact that he is immortal and centuries older, just see him as a human for a second, there’s still a large difference between them. Leonardo essentially renders MC as a child or as someone not as emotionally mature. There’s a power imbalance there due to inexperience.

Don’t get me wrong, age gaps aren’t bad when it comes to consenting adults, but the power imbalance here was a great example of what it should never be. MC can’t hold a candle to the experience Leo has and Leo keeps seeing her as this innocent thing he has to protect. And you know what makes it worse? The game knows this.

Too many event stories / side stories operate under the story line that MC feels intimidated or inexperienced with sex and seduction compared to Leonardo. She never feels confident compared to him and has to make him see her as an equal partner because he often tends to make her seem more childish than she is. It’s a world of yikes and the fact that the game knows this yet continues to push the narrative between them is an even bigger yikes. Arthur’s route avoided this by making his MC as confident and experienced as him, but Leo’s really didn’t care to fix it.

His route just isn’t that well written. The fake relationship plot is a nice plot to have, but it’s pretty wasted here. The other residents don’t really buy them dating, why would they date after 1 day after all?, and it’s not really played off nicely. Plus, the love story is just so unrealistic and yikes that it just fell flat.

I love Leo as a character but his route just wasn’t it.

---

I was just not a fan of either route to be honest. Thankfully, the other routes are better.

#cyikemen #cybird #Ikemen Vampire #ikevam napoleon #ikevam leonardo #route critique

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badbookopinions · 3 years

Text

Winter’s Orbit - Everina Maxwell

B- : an A+ romance but I would have loved to see a single subplot.

Prince Kiem is a charismatic, irresponsible junior member of the royal family of Iskat, a small Empire spanning a few planetary systems. When his grandmother the Emperor orders him to marry the Jainan, the widower of his dead cousin, he and Jainan get mixed up in a planetary conspiracy.

This is only the second or third romance book I’ve ever read, so I don’t know if it’s common in romance for the main characters to be fleshed out and for everything else to kind of revolve around it.

I thought the love story was beautifully done, but Maxwell has created this whole empire and started talking a lot about fantasy politics - I kind of wish the story had expanded to include more of the world it’s set in, and given some of its side characters their own arcs.

But, like. Kiem and Jainan? Fantastic characters. They’re such charming protagonists - I was emotionally attached to them both before I was 25 pages in.

Maxwell manages to give us will-they-won’t-they suspense without ever crossing the line into too much or annoying. It’s genuinely a joy to watch the two of them interact, and this is the first instance of miscommunication stopping a couple from being together I’ve seen where I didn’t get frustrated a few pages in.

I’ve heard people advertise this as ‘it reads like fanfiction’ and I can understand why - it’s compulsively easy to read, relies more on character dynamics than the ticking clock most SFF stories have, and isn’t afraid to have scenes that are just meant to be enjoyable to read and don’t advance the plot.

Also, it had my favourite trope of ‘simulation to take you through your own memories’! I love that trope.

Plot: not much of it, to be honest. Character-focused stories are great, but I do wish that even if we didn’t go deep into the galactic politics like I wanted, we’d at least learn about the best friend Bel, who seemed there to be a plot device.

Characters: peak. Like I said, Jainan and Kiem are perfect and the development of their relationship is perfect, as well. Like. The Left-Hand-of-Darkness-style scene in the tent? Jainan gradually coming to trust Kiem while Kiem is head-over-heels immediately but still respects Jainan’s boundaries? Peak. There wasn’t a single character trait on a side character, though.

Setting: would have loved to see more of this. I’m especially interested in the different cultures between main society of Iskat, featuring dinosaurs in a winter setting, and Jainan’s planet, Thea, which operates on a complex clan system I’d loved to have dived into. I’ve heard Maxwell is planning another book set in the same universe - I’d be excited to read that.

Prose: fine. There were some great one-liners from Kiem, which I can appreciate.

Diversity rating: everyone is Space Race (you know, non-white and ethnically ambiguous living in a post-racial society), a mlm couple, casual queer representation (including nonbinary representation).

#winter's orbit #everina maxwell #badbookopinions #mlm couple #casual queer rep #high romance #space opera #adult fiction

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laufire · 4 years

Note

In depth fandom ask: the last fandom you joined bc I can't remember it now

Well, I guess the last fandom I’ve properly joined --making a few edits, starting yet-another-WIP etc.-- is Black Sails, so. Plus I want to talk about it a little, spoiler-free, in case you decide to watch it ^-^ (I’ll leave that to the s3 post I need to finish...).

Top 5 favourite characters: Max is my number one, without a doubt, and of the rest of my faves Silver has an edge... but the remaining positions are a tough fight between Flint, Jack, Madi and Miranda, and I honestly can’t choose DD:

Other characters you like: Mr. Scott, Anne, Idelle, the Maroon Queen, Billy, Eme, Abigail... This show has a lot of great characters tbh.

Least favourite characters: I still loathe Peter Ashe with every fiber of my being. Alfred Hamilton is obviously The Worst(TM). And though it hasn’t grown into hate (yet), I don’t like Woodes Rogers one bit ¬¬

Otps: Flint/Miranda, and the combos in Flint/Madi/Silver and Anne/Jack/Max (in no particular order at the moment because I just HAVE TONS OF FEELS ABOUT THEM ALL).

Notps: I don’t have strong NOPE feelings towards anything, but I’m not into Eleanor/Max (which is a dynamic I actually really like BUT that I’m glad it doesn’t return to shippiness LOL); Eleanor/Rogers (I might be indifferent towards Eleanor most of the time but I haaaaaate Rogers for her. RUN GIRL), Flint/Vane (booooooooring).

Favourite friendships: Max & Silver (THE duo I swear), Jack & Max, Flint & Silver, Idelle & Max (I might not have said so before but I guess I like a little conflict LMFAO), Billy & Flint (NOT a friendship, but their relationship absolutely cracks me up I swear. “Who’s Billy?” XDDD).

Favourite family: Madi’s family, which is all I can say without getting spoilery. I just. *lies down on the floor overcome with emotions* xDD

Favourite episodes: the problem with binge-watching (okay, I’ve taken s3 more slowly but) is that they all kinda blur together LOL. Hmm. The season finales are all *chefs kiss* so far (sometimes in a very painful way... I’m looking at you s2. Though the ominous Flint/Silver moments in the s3 were A LOT too); any in which I get to see Max & Silver scheming together ofc. And the first handful of eps in s3 were particularly enjoyable to me because I was drowning in PURE ANGST and Flint & Silver feels xDD (I can’t NOT believe the fandom seems to call one of those “the shark date” asñldfjasdfñl).

Favourite season/book/movie: oof. I honestly can’t pick; s1 is probably the “least” because the others include better moments for some of my secondary faves, and because there’s a plot that’s really hard to watch... BUT it has things on it I adore to pieces too. s1-2 doesn’t have Madi (major drawback xD), and s3 is after one of my faves’ death... but frankly they’re all neck and neck so far.

Favourite quotes: “I am ruined over you” always comes to mind DD: “Liked is just as good as feared”; Max combo with Eleanor about sand (typing that down made me think of Anidala LMFAO. The scene itself is very different though! xD) in the s1 finale; “in another time, in another place, they would call me a queen”; “this ends when I grant them my forgiveness, not the other way around”, Mr. Scott’s “No. Only YOU.”... honestly, this show’s dialogue is just too good(TM), I could just quote it all back xD. And of course, I HAVE to mention “WHO’S BILLY”. It’s the law.

Best musical moment: the score is perfection all around, but given that I never skip the intro just to listen and watch it... yeah, the intro xD

Moment that made you fangirl/boy the hardest: well, I *might* have lost it the moment CAPTAIN FLINT COMES OUT TO LONG JOHN SILVER OVER A BONFIRE, IDK XDD

When it really disappointed you: the fact that I won’t get to see a fully fleshed out Mr. Scott-Silver dynamic is MAJORLY disappointing, let me tell you. That Flint’s actor didn’t somehow get his mother (aka Maggie Smith aka Professor McGonagall aka Lady Violet) on the show too ¬¬. LOL.

Saddest moment: character’s deaths of two of the characters listed on “top 5”/“others you like” xD.

Most well done character death: the hanging in 3x09 was well done and served its purpose.

Favourite guest star: for a value of “guest star”... I’m going with Idelle.

Favourite cast member: Jessica Parker Kennedy is the one that I know and love for other projects she’s done.

Character you wish was still alive: THE ONE WE TRAGICALLY LOST IN 2x09.

One thing you hope really happens: I’m cheating because I know there’s some of that in s4, but I want to watch more Flint/Madi interactions pls.

Most shocking twist: well, I wasn’t spoiled for Mr. Scott’s plot in s3 so I was (pleasantly) surprised by that xD

When did you start watching/reading?: a little over two weeks ago; I watched (devoured) s1-s2 and 3x01-3x04 in a few days because I wanted to meet Madi, and then I tragically had to slow down :(((

Best animal/creature: I will always love Treasure Islands’ parrot that Silver named after Flint LMFAO.

Favourite location: Nassau aka Max’s ~domain xD. And Miranda’s house.

Trope you wish they would stop using: noooooone. I love the tropes this show reuses LMFAO. Romantic Betrayals(TM), triumvirates, “good things happen in the dark/away from civilization”, the power of narratives, social climbing and revolt... bring them oooooon.

One thing this show/book/film does better than others: quite a few xD. But one that really stands out to me is the dialogue; both the ~deep and sorrowful type (there were so many quotes where I had to take a break to freak out properly lol), and the humorous ones.

Funniest moments: I know I’m repeating myself, but I recently rewatched the pilot to edit some scenes and I keep remember the WHO’S BILLY one xDD (which I maintain it was Flint trolling him. He could give Abigail a rundown of Billy’s whole life story AND he shamelessly checked him out that one time. Flint knows who Billy is, he’s just an asshole xD). Really, all the scenes between Billy and Flint in that episode are comedic gold lmfao. Billy’s “oh dear I fucked up” expression when he tells Flint the crew has started to think him weak and Flint looks half a second away from murdering him right there, his WTF face at Flint’s antics with the stolen page... Gold, seriously.

Couple you would like to see: I meannnnnn. I would’ve been very happy if the show had decided to go with Flint/Madi/Silver, for one. Bonus if Miranda could’ve been included. Or just explicit Flint/Silver in poly arrangements (THEY ARE IN LOVE, IT’S JUST ~COMPLICATED XD).

Actor/Actress you want to join the cast: MAGGIE SMITH DAMMIT.

Favourite outfit: literally everything Max wears in s3. Eleanor’s s1-s2 outfits were things I’d love to wear too. Flint’s ~dramatic coat. Miranda’s collection of supposedly-puritan-but-showing-the-goods dresses xDD (and ofc her London clothes), Jack’s clothes (he’s Nassau’s fashion icon lbr).

Favourite item: the books!! Especially when Flint gave Miranda “La Galatea” as a gift (given that sometimes he reminds me of my OC Latoya, you might understand the freakout I had when he gave the other member of my OTP a book titled like that xDD).

Do you own anything related to this show/book/film?: no, but I kinda want to. I did have a Treasure Planet computer game I tragically can’t find... it was about collecting money in increasingly difficult scenarios LOL. And I probably have more pirate-y/Treasure Island theme stuff. I had a long pirate phase xD

What house/team/group/friendship group/family/race etc would you be in?: Max’s because I like being on the winning team, thanks xD (though I do ~align more with Flint and Madi’s lbr...).

Most boring plotline: Eleanor and Vane’s ~romance is not at all badly written... but the fact that I find both of them boring kinda ruins the whole thing because I always wish that time went to someone else xD. Also, Blackbeard. Meh.

Most laughably bad moment: n/a.

Best flashback/flashfoward if any: the London flashback where Miranda goes to Flint’s house unannounced to take him to an art gallery, she finds him half-naked and he gets all awkward about it lmao. And then they hook up in the carriage :DDD

Most layered character: we get to explore Flint and Silver the most. Silver’s development in particular is something that never ceases to impress me ngl.

Most one dimensional character: except the one-note characters I wouldn’t really call anyone completely one-dimensional, tbh. Though I do think the fandom attributes more complexity to Thomas than it’s seen in canon? Like, I like what I see; I think he’s functional, he works well, and he adds wonderfully to Flint’s (and Miranda’s) story, but I don’t see him as a full character in his own right. Which is perfectly fine for the narrative so far, but I fear it might fall apart for me at the very end.

Scariest moment: I never know what to say in this... I mean, I guess Flint killing a man with his bare hands in the pilot Like That was scary xD. I understand why Silver freaked out LOL.

Grossest moment: any of Max’s interactions with Vane tbh. Stay away from her ¬¬

Best looking male: Flint has that ruggedly handsome thing going on for him, if you’re into that (and sometimes I do appreciate his ~aesthetics... very sad he shaved his head in s3 though. Like, I get you did it for the Angst, honey, and trust me, I Feel U, but still). I feel like I might be forgetting someone, but seriously, none of the dudes in this show so far do anything for me LOL. I can honestly say I love them for their personalities xDD

Best looking female: I have a weakness for Max, but Miranda, Madi, Anne, the Maroon Queen, Idelle, Eme... all of them are gorgeous in their own way. This show is good for sapphic women’s enjoyment in that sense xDD.

Who you’re crushing on (if any): I could crush on any of the women mentioned above tbh.

Favourite cast moment: I have literally only seen this post about an interview where Flint’s actor says he’s too old to party with The Youth of the cast and just wants to chill on the weekend... with bonus Max and Eleanor’s actress talking about how Vane’s once climbed the side of a building up AND back down. I’m with you, Toby Stephens, you don’t need those shenanigans xDD

Favourite transportation: the Walrus, for sentimental reasons LOL. I liked stolen Spanish warship too.

Most beautiful scene (scenery/shot wise): lots of good ones, though I think my fave might be the one of Miranda sitting by the window in London. Or the one of Charles Town burning down, I liked that :))) (I remember thinking “Flint better go full Daenerys on them”. And he did! It was nice xD).

Unanswered question/continuity issue/plot error that bugs you: n/a, so far.

Best promo: n/a.

At what point did you fall in love with this show/book: I liked it from the word go, but the moment that TRULY cemented it for me was in 1x03, with Max making a decision that I... frankly didn’t expect. It made things worse for her in the short-term, the storyline itself was difficult and disturbing to watch and I still have some mixed feelings about it. But what it said about her as a character and how her journey goes after that... I was in awe of her, and of the show.

#missbrunettebarbie #replies #my thoughts #black sails #black sails thoughts #talking to the void #bsmax #miranda barlow #james flint #john silver #flintmiranda #silverflintmadi #silverflint #silvermadi #billy x flint #bsmadi #i think those are the most prominent ones #thanks for the ask :D

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crunchybones-mcspine · 4 years

Text

OKAY BLACK FRIDAY THOUGHTS BABEYY

I really enjoyed it. They had some fun themes, interesting ideas, and the lighting was so much fun to look at.

The set was really cool. Nothing super ostentatious or overly extravagant. But exactly what was needed, simple and effective while still being sweet to look at. In classic starkid way. I LOVE the use of spotlights and the tinsel. That was really damn cool and i wished they had used it more. Though i understand why they didnt.

Kim has the voice of an angel my god. The banana child has an incredible voice that really worked with the finale song.

I love that corey finally got his solo. I lovw that it was a weird frank n furter meets capitalism vibe. Joey stole the stage whenever he was in a speaking role. Incredible perfirmance on his part that guy felt gooey and greasy in all the worst ways. I would loved to have him more explicitly referenced as Wilbur, because unless i managed to miss it its only heavily implied?

The wiggly jingle is great. The void wiggly song is awesome and once again KIM. But a fair few of the other songs seemed a little plonked in? Or very samey? (Might just me my terrible hearing not able to pick up on the song shift though that could be on me) As much as i adore Dylans voice he was near exclusively ballads and softer songs, and without his son on stage with him or seeing more of that relationship full stop they felt a little hollow.

However his duet with Kim when theyre in the playground with Hannah was incredible. I personally just would have liked a few more intense songs with a bit more oomph to them. But thats an opinion based on preference not a fault with the show itself.

I loved Gary Goldstein. Loved him. I dont know why but i do.

Macnamara has mad gay vibes and also seemed the most rounded as a character??? Maybe thats because weve seen him before but he had the most fleshed out feel. The other people with that feel were the president and maybe lex? But the rest felt a little 2d, however i am super excited to see where theyre gonna go with them and how theyll grow if we see them again.

I did feel as a whole the story was a little stretched out. There were lots of things going on in different places all at once and it was hard to properly attatch to their stories. But again thats just me. Im genuinely excited for starlid to get more ambitious in their projects and this is a good start even if i myself am a bit slow to follow.

Like i said earlier paul matthews autistic icon.

Curt was wonderful as the president. I really loved the cowardly wimp only president because he thought it was a cushy job in power but when called to step up he wilts. I really liked that and the jabs at polititians at the top that takes.

There were a few GREAT one liners.

The first death i feel could have been pushed back a little. For maximum hurt. Again there wasnt much time to really really appreciate the character. And feel that ACHE.

Becky Barnes good for her! On both counts.

But that said her relationship with tom felt? Meh? I didnt really care too much it was a bit bland and kind of sudden? Idk im not to interested in romance plots anyway so might just be me.

One the subject tho lex and ethan parenting the banana child was hilarious and wonderful that was amazing.

Overall, not my faviurite starkid show but i did love it and really look forward to seeing where theyre taking everything. Seeing more hatchetfeild is awesome. I nearly cried at the sight of paul and emma which is very lame on my part, and it was really nice to see sections expand. I feel if theyre really gonna pull this multiverse dealio off they might have to step away feom referencing their own universe too heavily though? The firearm authorisation line worked wonderfully and was a funny nod, but the hidgens reference (as much as it pains me to say given how much i adore him) was a wee bit on the nose. Fun nod though.

Im really looking forward to seeing where theyre going!!!! Bring on more hatchetfeild!!!!

#long post #shut up ezra

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fabulousquel · 5 years

Text

GreedFall: Tips + My Review

So I picked up this game out of curiosity because I’m currently working on an RPG style historical fantasy that draws inspiration from a similar time period. I wanted to see how someone else handled the ‘flintlock’ genre and told a story with elements of this era. I am in no means a pro game reviewer but I completed the entire game yesterday and I have a lot I want to say.

There are some spoilers in this, so if you’d like to avoid reading them, don’t read the "Story” section.

Tips:

Do your companion quests early and as soon as they pop up. There are some incredible lore bits and development of your character as well as your companions within them. Also if you sideline a companion for too long, they might leave your party in ways that might surprise or unsurprise you.

Certain dialog options will give you more quest content. For example, you’ve caught a criminal and you are given the choice to kill them on the spot, or capture them for trial. If you kill them, your quest line ends there. If you decide to trial them, another quest line opens up and you get a lot more flavor.

You can essentially just follow the main quest line if you want to speed-finish the game, but you lose a lot of context and additional dialog options if you do so. You will also wind up fighting the final boss at a much lower level, thus making the fight harder, but not impossible. They may have made this an option for people coming back wanting a challenge or to try a different build. But in my opinion, they should’ve made the side quests a mandatory thing because it’s a huge disservice to the context of the main story without them.

Don’t forget to give your companions gear upgrades- especially if you’re playing on more challenging modes.

If you want to avoid bloodshed and sneak into a camp, make sure you put on a chest piece of that faction.

Put some skill points into Stasis no matter what build you roll with.

The Soundtrack:

It’s amazing. The snare drums going off in combat sequences create a very distinct and powerful mood. The zone music is very well orchestrated. It’s now up on spotify as well!

Combat & Talents:

Of the RPGs I’ve played, this most reminded me of a combination of Red Dead Redemption, Final Fantasy with the option to semi-turn style with spells & traps, and a very versatile talent tree system that is really...fun. It’s the first time in a while that I felt I could make an effective solid build and playstyle around what I wanted to do most. Combat takes getting used to but I set up my keybinds to be a lot like ESO and I adapted very quickly. I went shortsword / gun tactical and it was immensely satisfying.

The Story:

[SPOILS AHEAD]

The difference between historical fiction and historical fantasy is that a historical fantasy does not seek to retell history accurately, but rather take inspiration from it. How heavy this inspiration goes varies from story to story. This is how I approached interpreting the story, even in its very realistic parts. As I played through, there were several themes that became very clear to me. Keep in mind that I played through the game with De Sarde taking the Neutral Good alignment choice in most dialog options.

The Elephant in the Room: Colonialism. This is one of the big criticisms I see with the game, and truth be told, it is a point of criticism for myself. The game treats the colonizing factions exactly like colonizers of real history, and it’s a subject that still rightfully touches nerves. One faction seeks to profit, another nation seeks to convert, and another seeks to experiment on. While there are subgroups of these factions that are more extreme than their leadership- the leadership seems complacent about it until condemning evidence is brought up. While extremely problematic this is, it is very true to what has happened in history surrounding colonialism, and places you in one uncomfortable situation after another in a frighteningly realistic way. It makes your decisions as De Sarde in some instances painful but it can be satisfying to see how your actions affect justice in these matters.

Some critics have said that De Sarde’s choices do not always condemn truly objectionable events enough. I agree that more depth could have been added. But in my playthrough, De Sarde’s role starts out as a truly neutral party looking for truths, and they gradually became more adamant on stances as the game progressed. By the end, my De Sarde was about to 1v1 Theleme, and drag out the Bridge Alliance governor. So I am unsure if this is a perspective coming from those who haven’t completed the game in its entirety with all side quests which influence reputations more & seem to flesh out more dialog options.

Humanity Has a Sickness This was written both physically and metaphorically in how humans are as susceptible to committing atrocities as they are to growing ill. Throughout the story as De Sarde, you play almost a detective in uncovering the truth about the people you were raised to believe were benevolent. De Sarde does not take these accusations of corruption lightly, but they also treat it very seriously. Piece by piece, De Sarde learns more about each factions true intentions, and the lies, corruption and greed that intertwine. But at the same time, the story attempts to reveal the potential for all people to ‘do better’ and change- and some of this is seen when you use De Sarde’s charisma + intuition dialog options. This theme especially became clear in the arc when De Sarde finally gets to speak to the god of the island, En on mil Frichtimen, who expresses to him that the malicor (sickness) is a result of them poisoning their own land with their lack of care or concern for it. En on mil Frichtimen urges that the colonists need to listen and learn from the Islanders’ ways if they wish to heal the sickness.

Where to Draw the Line at “For The Greater Good” I feel like this is a theme that crops up with any story involving Utopian ideas. GreedFall does a good job of backing up each faction’s actions with their point of view, whether it is morally misguided or not. This truly emphasizes the human element in the mix, underlining that no perspective comes without its flaws. As De Sarde, one thing you are constantly faced with as a detective is defining a line of where something has gone too far. It is sobering and somewhat frustrating to watch factions step over a line that could have easily remained morally sound. But it is also equally satisfying to see how much influence you can have in swaying others to make a different choice. This theme becomes the summit of De Sarde’s character progression when he is forced to make the choice of taking your dear cousin, Constantin, out of power, or joining him. And when you’ve done all the side quests there are in the game, the decision becomes far more meaningful than this just being the final boss fight.

This theme also seems to come full circle by the end of Petrus’s quest line, when you discover your true origin- how your mother was kidnapped from the island in a rash attempt to bring a healer to the continent. This realization that everything you’ve known has been a lie and kept secret from you...all for the “greater good”.

Things I Liked:

I appreciated how much love and care went into the worldbuilding- especially with the native Islanders. From what I understand, a linguist was hired to write a language for them that was a mash-up of Flemish, Breton, Gaelic and Irish. I appreciated that they brought forth inspiration from the Gauls and Celtic nations of the Iron Age in Western Europe before they were subjected to Christian Missionary activity.

The art & atmosphere was amazing. While there are a few clipping issues with hair, even big AAA games have them. The level of detail put into the game art wise is just very visually pleasing.

The devs did a good job in making a fantasy world that was LGBTQ+ friendly, and giving us diverse character customization. Anyone from any faction had a diverse set of features.

Things I am Critical of:

While I understand that there is a point of growth to watch De Sarde go from neutral to invested in a cause, I really do think they should have been given less complacent responses earlier in the game. I understand limitations but I don’t think it helped with handling colonialism in a truly neutral way.

I wish you could start the game as someone from a faction of your choice, rather than only the Merchant Congregation, especially considering how your origin is written.

IT’S DEPRESSING. A lot of the game is depressing... which maybe makes all the little things you do that shine some shred of goodness still in humanity all the brighter. But it definitely hurt my soul in places and back to point #1, I wish I could have been more aggressive with De Sarde earlier in the game.

Recycled assets: there were quite a few of them- mostly noticeable with buildings in the main cities, which is probably what marks the difference between an AAA game and a more independent studio.

Potential Triggers:

There’s a lot of heavy subjects in this game including religious abuse, manipulation, some body horror (though it’s not super grotesque), one instance of suicide that I know of, xenophobia, and general violence.

Features I Wish it Had:

You can’t ‘jump’...but you don’t really need to. I still wish I could though.

For all this beautiful scenery, I wish they gave us better screenshot taking options.

Different fights for the different Coin Arenas and a meta achievement for completing all of them.

I wish I could play it with friends.

More armor options!

I wish the companions had better and more in-depth romance options. They fall a little flat in diversity of personalities.

Final Thoughts:

I personally enjoy diving into stories that we should be morally critical of, and I like it for what it reveals in the best and worst of humanity. Colonialism has done and continues to do irreversible damage to peace and prosperity among people and nations in real life. Spiders picked a topic that nearly everyone has been affected by in one way or another and it’s understandably a heated subject. Some folks do not want to dive into such deep subjects, just as there’s some stories I cannot stomach comfortably. So I respect and understand that.

Overall, GreedFall exceeded my expectations but there’s definitely some hiccups. It’s a fun game if you’re into a detective-style RPG, political intrigue, history, and interested in exploring this sort of setting. While I think the story could have been written better in places, I was satisfied with the outcomes I triggered, even if that satisfaction took a very slow build up to. It left me feeling hopeful? That perhaps people still have a chance at treating each other better than they do.

#greedfall #review #just thoughts #big post

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teenybeanielinguine · 5 years

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Outlander S4 - A Reflection

With that explosive finale behind us and a long Droughtlander ahead, I’m taking a moment to look back on this season and reflect on the good, the bad, and the ugly.

(I’ve had some time to unpack and process, so be warned: this is a LONG review, with mild spoilers for The Fiery Cross.)

The Good:

I understand that this was a divisive season for many fans, but I personally loved it! I could write a whole book about everything I loved, but for the sake of time, I’ll confine my praise to the best part of this season: the amazing cast of actors who bring my favorite characters to life.

Caitriona Balfe reprised her role as Claire Fraser with stunning success, and really sparkled when she shared the screen with her fellow cast members; her most powerful moments this season were definitely the mother/daughter conversations she had with Bree and Marsali. Though she handles tragic scenes with ease, I hope she is given a chance to enact lighter, happier sequences in Season 5; Jamie and Claire need more laughter and teasing, less heart-felt speeches and drama.

As our leading man, Sam Heughan played Jamie to perfection; he managed to tell entire stories with his eyes alone. Same as with Balfe, he captures tragedy easily, but I want him to stretch out a little and show off his acting chops. There will always be drama in Claire and Jamie’s lives, but please sprinkle in some more fluffy moments, so we can see Heughan laugh! Jamie’s roles as patriarch and leader are also going to be significantly expanded in the next season (the last few moments of the finale teased that a bit), and I can’t wait to see Heughan tackle that challenge.

I’ve been tentative about Sophie Skelton in the past; after all, Brianna is one of my favorite characters, despite her polarizing nature, and I was worried about her portrayal. But Skelton nailed everything (the rape scene and its aftermath, in particular, were deeply chilling), and I have complete confidence that Bree is in safe hands. In the finale, we saw Bree finally become a mother and reunite with her husband (not gonna lie, I’ve had that reunion on a loop ever since it aired); these two events are going to play major roles in her character growth (so excited for next season!).

Richard Rankin was a tour-de-force as Roger; I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the screen every time he appeared. Any issues I had with his character were purely a result of writing and production choices, and despite those issues, Rankin still managed to make the character wonderfully, emotionally, lovably human (for further evidence, please refer to the idiot hut). Roger’s journey is one of the most difficult transformations in the series, and next season will be challenging for Rankin; I’m particularly interested to see how he handles Roger’s growing relationship with Jamie.

All the leads were supported by a strong set of secondary characters, from Duncan Lacroix as the miraculously resurrected Murtagh to David Berry as the fabulous Lord John Grey. John Bell was one of my absolute favorites, with his spot-on portrayal of Young Ian (that proposal! the emotional goodbye!! running the gauntlet!!!). Ed Speelers played Stephen Bonnet in a way that brought back shivery memories of Black Jack. Honestly, there was no weak link in this cast. Special shoutout to Braeden Clarke (Kaheroton) and Tantoo Cardinal (Adawehi/Nayawenne in the books); hopefully we’ll be able to see even more powerful and complex First Nations characters in the coming season (to this effect, may I humbly suggest showing Young Ian’s time among the Mohawk? Would love to see that first-hand rather than having the character describe it after the fact; also, you can never have too much John Bell).

This Season’s MVPs: Lauren Lyle and César Domboy. Marsali and Fergus are never more than side characters in the books; you never hear the story from their POV. Thankfully, the show saw a chance to expand their roles and took it. And oh boy, did Domboy and Lyle deliver! Their nuanced performances just blew me away (”If Not For Hope” comes to mind). I hope that we see even more of them going forward.

The Bad:

No adaptation is perfect (although if you have found one that is, please message me immediately). It is especially difficult when the adaptation in question has to fit an 880-page book into a mere 13 hours; to put it into perspective, the audiobook version of Drums of Autumn is a whopping 45 hours long! Though I like to nitpick and criticize, I am not so arrogant as to think that I could have done a better job, and I am very grateful to the writing and production teams who tackle this impossible task. I am also strangely content with most of the deviations they’ve made from the source material (Murtagh as a regulator is particularly genius, with really interesting implications for next season).

That being said, there is some room for improvement. And one area that definitely needs some fine tuning is Claire and Jamie. This year, some very vocal fans found issue with the fact that we didn’t see our main lovebirds enough, and there weren’t enough sex scenes, and why weren’t they in this episode?! For me, none of those things were an issue, especially given that we saw Jamie and Claire way more than any other characters this season. I don’t think we need more J/C time; I think we need better J/C time.

I wish the show would stop beating us over the head with Jamie and Claire’s epic love; we know their love is deep and everlasting, that’s why we keep coming back! (That, and the kilts.) But we need to move on from soap-operatic speeches and tender love-making; those were more interesting in the early days of their marriage, when their love was a new, fragile thing. Show me instead the easy comfort of a long-married couple: the teasing, the laughter, the bone-deep happiness. Balfe and Heughan have such great chemistry when it comes to that kind of thing, but we’ve only gotten snippets of it this season! Rather than another over-the-top, tear-jerking scene where Jamie and Claire reassure each other and reaffirm their love (again), give me Claire cuddling up to Jamie under a snowbank after his back gives out and telling him stories. Or exchanging amused looks with him when Young Ian does/says something silly. Or Jamie teasing Claire about that time she hit him in the head with a fish while he was trying to fight off a bear (true story). Or Claire teasing Jamie with her new breeches (I’m not going to say no to sex scenes entirely). Get rid of the excessive drama (this couple already has more drama than they know what to do with); bring on the fluff!

Speaking of moving on, the show needs to let Frank Randall go. By this point in the series, he’s been dead for a few years, and quite frankly, good riddance (pardon the pun). His character was cast in a sympathetic light for narrative purposes; the producers wanted to make him the antithesis of his ancestor, Black Jack Randall, so they carefully omitted the fact that he was at times a racist ass with a string of mistresses (my apologies to any Frank fans; as you can see, he’s not one of my favorite characters). The problem is that they took it too far, painting Frank as a martyr and putting first Claire, then Jamie, at a big disadvantage. Despite this mistake, I’m fine with using Frank to flesh out Brianna’s character (his only redeeming quality is his aptitude for fatherhood), but that should have happened very early on in the season, before Bree makes the journey through the stones. That journey is a pivotal point for Bree; she is driven not only by a need to save her mother, but also by a deep curiosity and longing for this birth father that she’s never met. In the book, she even goes so far as to abandon the name “Randall” and adopt “Fraser” for the journey. But that sentiment was lost entirely by the decision to have Frank accompany her on the voyage, narratively speaking. We no longer get the feeling that she’s eager to meet/bond with Jamie; even worse, the writers had her casually dropping Frank’s name into every conversation! No matter how great Tobias Menzies is, we have neither the time nor the will to keep devoting so much energy to a deceased character (who isn’t that critical to the future story, btw). Heading into Season 5, we need to make our final, belated goodbyes to Frank Randall.

One 20th century man we should have seen more of instead was Roger Mackenzie. As we dove into Season 4, I was so excited to see his developing relationship with Brianna; remember when they were super cute together, a million years ago in Season 3? But too much focus on exposition meant that we didn’t see them until three episodes in, and instead of the slow burn I had anticipated, we got a lot of unnecessary drama. Why on Earth is Roger a misogynist all of a sudden? What happened to the sweet proposal where they both decide they’re not yet ready for marriage? The lack of screen time meant that Bree and Roger’s entire relationship development was crammed into one episode; coupled with poor writing choices, the result was a shaky romance that was hard to root for. I was lucky enough to have the books as a safety net; I know exactly how deeply they love and respect each other, despite the mayhem onscreen. But the fans who hadn’t read the series (and even some who had) didn’t understand why these two were an endgame couple, and I don’t blame them. That last reunion scene helped cement their relationship a little, but not enough; unfortunately, Season 5 is going to have to waste some of its precious time rectifying this misstep.

Which brings me to my last point: the pacing. With so many new characters and so little time, it is more important than ever that the show learn to juggle all the storylines more smoothly. The pacing of this season was so uneven, it gave me whiplash. Gone are the days when Claire and Jamie were the only focus; from now on, their ever-growing family is going to continue complicating matters. Outlander needs to evolve to meet this need if it wants to keep up. (Also, could we revert back to a 16-episode format, like in Season 1? Please and thank you.)

The Ugly:

I will readily admit that I am new to this fandom. I got hooked on the show during summer 2018 and devoured the books shortly thereafter. When I joined Tumblr in the fall, it was because I wanted to celebrate this story with likeminded people and geek out over the upcoming season.

The actual experience was a bit more jarring (suffice it to say, I didn’t know hate-watching was a real thing that people did). I don’t want to chastise or implore certain fans to adopt a more positive outlook; I’ve seen a lot of posts about that already, and I’m not inclined to add to them. Instead, I’d like to share some of the guidelines I impose on myself when I contribute to any fandom (I’m not saying these will or should work for everyone, but they have worked for me):

Love, not hate. To me, a fandom is a community that comes together out of love. Knowing this, I try my best not to express any feelings of hate within that community; I don’t think it’s an appropriate place to share those feelings, and I don’t want to diminish the fandom experience for anyone else. If I find that I no longer love or even like the show/book/movie that the fandom is centered on, I disengage from the community entirely, because I no longer consider myself a fan. And that’s perfectly fine; there is no rule that says that once you’re in a fandom, you’re in it for life.

If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all. Despite the fact that I love the subject matter, it is not an absolute, unconditional sort of love. I often find myself disliking certain aspects or getting frustrated by opposing views (this is doubly true when it comes to adaptations). I let myself express these dislikes and frustrations only if I can see the silver lining; in other words, I allow myself to say a few negative things about a character/scene only if I can supplement them with a good dose of positivity as well. Too much uninterrupted negativity borders on hate.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T. I’m a very anxious person with self-confidence issues, so I have a hard time expressing my opinion online, even anonymously. That’s why I’m never going to tear anyone else down for doing so. I may disagree with you, or dislike the way you expressed yourself, but I’m going to be respectful even if it kills me, because that’s how I would want other people to interact with me. Even with the Internet as a buffer, I think it’s important to remember that we are all human, and all equally capable of hurting others and being hurt ourselves.

Again, these guidelines work for me, but it’s completely subjective. And even though my experience in the OL fandom hasn’t been a bed of roses so far, I’ve still met some amazing people with incredible things to say. My favorite fandom moments of the season? @futurelounging‘s beautiful thoughts on episode 12 and @breefraser‘s hilarious criticism of Roger’s sartorial choices.

I’d love to hear from other fans! What worked for you this season? What would you have changed? Favorite fandom moments? If you choose to reply, please be kind and respectful.

#just a few thousand thoughts #i'm rambling a bit over here #feel free to stop me #or come ramble with me #Outlander #outlander season 4 #drums of autumn

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