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babysfirstfic · 3 months

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live now, think later

luke hughes x fem!reader

word count: 1.7k

summary: Luke desperately needs to blow off some steam. In a dingy bar, he finds just what he's looking for...

warnings: Brief allusions to sex, but nothing major. Yet. (18+)

a/n: This is my first ever fic! I would love to hear feedback if you have any. I plan for this to be chapter 1 of 3 (but we'll see what happens)! Shoutout to this Tate McRae song for directly inspiring the title and for subconsciously inspiring the plot.

There were few NHL rookies who had more eyes trained on them than Luke Hughes. Between the constant media attention he received from a young age and the pressure that came with his last name, Luke had always had a complicated relationship with his celebrity.

Don’t get it twisted, Luke was super grateful for all the advantages that came with having two all stars for brothers, and there was a part of him that enjoyed leaning into his status.

On the ice, he welcomed the attention. He loved the chance to put on a show for the fans, reveling in the opportunities to make game-changing plays. Hockey was his craft; the minute he laced up his skates he was an artist, an author, a showman. A single goal could cause an entire stadium to rise to their feet, and the power he felt in those moments was indescribable.

Off the ice, though, it was a different story.

Luke prided himself on his maturity and his charm, his ability to keep his cool even while being peppered with questions and surrounded by cameras. He had years to perfect the art of the interview, expertly dodging personal inquiries and even cracking the occasional smile to make it seem like he didn’t absolutely despise answering the same inane questions over and over again.

But one could only keep up appearances for so long. He found it exhausting to have to perform all the time. Though he understood it was a sacrifice he’d have to make now that he was living out his dreams, that didn’t make it any easier.

After several months in the league, he craved a chance to be something other than “Luke Hughes, the hockey player”. He desperately needed to let loose and to make use of the other sides of his personality, the spicier sides, the sides that the cameras would never get to see.

It was time for this Devil to earn his horns.

Within the first few months of being in New Jersey, Luke quickly learned which bars would bend the rules for him. In his desperation to fit in with any teammate who didn’t share his DNA, he was willing to do pretty much anything to get in, buying fake IDs, signing jerseys, you name it. He felt it showed his teammates just how committed he was to building their relationships, on and off the ice.

But tonight, his team couldn’t have been further from his mind. This time, he’d come alone.

Luke had never had the time or energy for dating, but he thrived on quick hook ups and meaningless sex. No obligation for vulnerability or commitment, just fun. After the whirlwind that had been last year, he needed some fun, and tonight, he was willing to work for it.

His bar of choice was dingy, a typical dive bar, complete with sticky floors and disgruntled employees, but the low key lighting and loud music allowed for the perfect cover. Luke felt a sense of safety in his anonymity, a feeling which was becoming increasingly rare.

Waiting in a booth on the edge of the dimly lit room, he scanned the crowd, searching for a glimpse of excitement, someone to steal the blood from his brain and force it elsewhere.

Suddenly, something, no someone caught his eye. It was you.

In a glittery backless top with a loose, low cut and black pants that you filled out in all the right places, you were shaking your stuff on the dance floor. Your whole body bounced with every movement. Like a beacon in the night, the strobe lights illuminated your entirety, sending colourful fractals bouncing off in every direction. You were practically demanding Luke’s attention, and you didn’t even have to try.

You had sensed his eyes on you immediately and couldn’t help but to return his gaze. He looked young but strangely sure of himself, carrying the recognizable swagger of a man who’s used to breaking the rules and getting away with it. Luke would call it confidence, but if you asked his brothers, they’d call it his raging youngest sibling syndrome.

You were undeniably intrigued. Adding more hip movement to your dancing, you hoped that it would encourage him to join. This certainly was not your first rodeo.

It worked. Slowly, he stood up from his booth and made his way onto the dance floor. You sensed a shift in his energy, like this was something out of the ordinary for him. “Nice to know he has a weakness,” you mused to yourself, just now noticing the flutter in your heart as he inched closer.

Luke hated dancing, but something about you drew him in, like a ship of sailors drawn by the voices of sirens. Though he hoped he might meet a different fate; he hoped you might give him a happy ending.

Eventually, he reached your spot on the dance floor.

“Hey,” he spoke into your ear, leaning in close so that you could hear him above the music. You felt his breath tickle your neck, sending chills down your back and deep inside.

“Hi,” you responded, keeping your cool in spite of the tides coming in beneath you. You didn’t know him, had never seen him before, yet everything within you yearned to be close to him, craved to feel his hand against your skin, begged to know him in every sense of the word. “Sheesh girl, you need to get out more,” you thought, smiling briefly to yourself.

Without wasting any time, you grabbed his hand and placed it on the small of your back, finally experiencing the brief release of skin-on-skin. You looked up at him, attempting to decipher the look on his face. He reciprocated your gaze, flashing his crooked smile, practically threatening to melt you right then and there.

Seeing his smile mirrored on your face, he moved his other hand to match the first, pulling you in close. You nodded to express your approval and quickly fell back into your original rhythm, grinding and swaying your hips to the music. Sticking your hands in his back pockets, you led him through the motions, slowly undulating your bodies to the beat.

Your eyes scanned up and down as you let yourself take him in. There was something about this boy; he completely captivated you. With his arms around you, you felt safe. He lacked the aggression and forcefulness you had unfortunately come to expect from situations such as these. He was clearly strong, but you caught him out of his comfort zone, so he was letting you take the lead, a role you took on gladly.

After a couple minutes of finding the right rhythm, your bodies became one. The world melted away. Luke leaned in and began gently kissing your neck, stopping only to briefly nibble your ear. As your pelvises moved up and down to the beat, you began to feel the friction of something rising just below his belt. You responded in kind, sensing a growing heat and swelling between your legs. Neither of you had done this in a while and it was showing, your bodies overly excitable. But you didn’t mind; you were both getting exactly what you wanted.

“I live a couple blocks from here,” you shouted above the crowd, doing everything in your power not to let out the moan that was threatening to escape your lips. “Maybe we could finish our dance there”.

Knowing full well he couldn’t wait that long, Luke made a different suggestion. “There’s a hotel across the street. I have a room. Care to join me?”

In the haze of the crowd and the music and the night, you found yourself moving off the dance floor, out of the bar, into the open air of Newark.

Your entire body was pounding, throbbing with energy and excitement. Your hand was clasped in his, and only then, as you were making your way through the hotel lobby and down the hallway to the room, did you realize you didn’t even know his name. More importantly, you realized you didn’t care. In fact, it was better this way. No possibility of getting attached or contacting each other afterwards. A true one night stand.

As you reached the room, Luke spun you around to face him, your back firmly placed against the door. “Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked, leaning close, finally allowing you to get a good look at his face in the light.

Your gaze trailed down from his curls to his lips, before resting on his eyes. You noticed a slight sparkle in them, a glint, an invitation. This was your chance. “I’ve never been more sure,” you responded.

Lunging forward instinctively, you reached up, taking hold of his hair and guiding his lips towards yours. Your touch was confident, verging on forceful, a byproduct of the pent up energy that needed an outlet and had finally found one.

Maybe you were a little too forceful. As your bodies collided, they also made contact with the door, sending a loud noise vibrating through the hallway. You briefly paused your moment of passion to laugh, your foreheads still touching, neither of you daring to fully pull away.

“Someone’s a little eager,” Luke spoke against your lips, chuckling slightly before re-initiating the kiss.

Just as it had in the bar, the world melted away, making you forget just how publicly you were displaying your affection.

But you were both being reckless, and Luke knew it. He had been warned about pulling something like this, about bringing negative attention to himself or to the team. He was new and still needed to prove himself. Above all that, he had a squeaky clean reputation to uphold. He was trained to be tight-lipped to the media so that the focus was on his playing, not his personal life. Stunts like this could jeopardize everything he’d worked for, everything his parents sacrificed for. But god, you were making him forget all of that. There wasn’t a single thought in Luke’s mind that didn’t have to do with getting you out of your clothes and under his tongue...

#luke hughes #luke hughes x reader #luke hughes x you #luke hughes fic #luke hughes imagine #luke hughes smut #nhl fanfiction #nhl fic #nhl x reader #my own gif

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silvershiningtarot · 1 year

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👶🏽👼🏾18+ PAC 👼🏾👼🏾👶🏽Channeled Message From Your Kids👼🏾💋

👼🏾Take a Deep Breath and Take five second to inhale and Exhale. I hope it Brings you clarity and comfort to yourself and babies from the universe. Remember this is a GENERAL READING! Take what resonate and leave the rest.

Pile1: Your Kids or Kid wanna send you a message through me so I hope you enjoy it as much I did.

“Hello Mommy

I just wanna say how beautiful you are, the way you smile makes me happy. I love it when you are having a good day mommy. Can I ask you something? Are you ready to be a family with me? I’m already born with you. Tell me all the stories about how you met Daddy, all the vacations you went to and the way you grew up in your home life. I wanna experience everything with you mommy. I wish that I was there right now, hug you and kiss you on the cheek. So you can tickle me while I’m laughing. Seeing you laugh mommy is amazing. Can you sing a lullaby song so I can go to sleep? Can you come to bed with me? I wanna grow up just like you. Lol 😂 I have so many dreams and goals I wanna share with you mommy. I’m so happy you are my mommy. Because you are the best mom in the world to me. I know that you haven’t been okay but I hope I brighten your day. Even though I’m not here yet with you, I can always say to you that you are already the best mom in the world. You always guide me just like I’m guiding me through life that you are ready to bring me soon. Pick up your crown 👑 mommy, you deserve it. It’s yours. No matter what, don't let your crown fall any more. I love you so much, I feel your love ❤️ in you mom. I can feel your energy within you. It’s rushing through me. Thanks 😊. I can’t wait to talk to Dad about this soon. I can’t wait to have the adventures. Even when I do something bad I can’t wait for you to yell at me and tell me that’s wrong. I’ll use my baby face and say sorry haha 😂.. I love you mommy. You always have the light within you, don’t lose it mommy. I will love you forever and ever ♾️”

Pile 2:

“kiss kiss 💋 Mommy. Do you like my drawing that I drew for you today?. I’ve made you a present 🎁. I hope that you do. Awe 🫢 mom don’t cry 😢, those tears shouldn’t run down those cheeks beside I can draw you another one. Mom, you need to relax yourself. You’ve been too hard on yourself lately, why don’t you just relax yourself today. Let’s watch a movie together, can we please. Or we can play a game. Do you need anything mommy? You’re my best friend , you know that right. I see how much love you give to me. Even when I get on your nerves sometimes. Well how about this, this time can I read you a story. Mommy I’ve been thinking, why don’t you put on some music and we can dance around. I love it when you are a happy mommy. Because it makes me happy, don’t you feel the same way? Mommy can you tuck me into bed. Give me a goodnight kiss 😘. I love you so much mommy, I can’t wait for you share stories with me, I can’t wait to hug 🫂, laugh with you and act all foolish with you mommy. Love ❤️ you mommy. I can hear you when you are asleep. I’m watching over you until I come home to you again.”

Pile 3:

“Oooh, I’m so excited we're gonna have another baby. Cool, Am I going to have a baby brother or sister? Can I tell you something mommy? I hope this brightens up your day. I miss you mommy. I’m so excited to be a family with you. Tell me the stories of how I came to be. Haha 😂 I’ll keep a secret mommy. It seems like I can tell you anything in the world. Thank you so much for being my inspiration and being my mom. I feel like it’s a boy this time. We are having another boy. I’m excited to have another boy. Are you excited? I can’t wait for you to help me with my homework. Saying girls or guys they got the cooties. I realize that mommy 🤭. I know that you’ve been having a hard time today but that’s okay. I hope this letter brings you so much happiness and joy from your son. I wonder, What kind of name would you give me? I’ve been really curious about something, but I’ve been watching over you and daddy too. Daddy has a big forehead 😂😂🤭. It looks like a football field. Haha 😂 sorry for being mean to daddy, it's love. But anyways I love you mommy. I know you love me, I know you don’t know me yet but I know of you and daddy too. Thank you for talking to me. I just wanted to share this message with you because I love you 💕 forever mommy, you're my greatest friend in the world and inside and out you are an amazing mommy.”

Pile 4:

“Peek a boo Mommy I see you, 🤭🤭. Wanna play a game with me mommy. I know you are worried about me. I just wanna tell you no need to worry I’m okay mama. Kiss kiss 💋 you’ve been through a lot in your life, I’ve seen it before I’ve always been watching you even when you were young like me. Whenever you see that one brightest star ⭐️ that’s me shining my light on you mommy. That’s my gift to you. The universe wanted me to tell you that I’m your son and daughter talking to you. I know both of us, just know that I’m protecting my sister here. Soon as we come into this world together. I know we’ll be a happy family together forever, even when we don’t get along sometimes but it’ll never change between us mommy. I can’t wait to go shopping with you, picking out my favorite toys and clothes and my own room too. Drawing on the walls and coloring books. I wanna dance with you on stage and sing along with you mommy. I’ll beat up daddy for you whenever he’s driving you crazy. Haha 😂 Mommy I sent you messages. I feel like I’ve been ignored or you have been ignoring me mommy. I don’t like that it makes me cry. But don’t worry, I hope my message this time brightens up your day today mommy. Whenever you see the stars, drawing or a sign. Think of me mommy, that’s me communicating with you. I just wanna be in your arms right now mommy. I don’t like it when you don’t want to talk about things. Makes me sad 😔 when you cry 😢 or whoever your feeling down, even daddy too. I feel it when both of you are down. I’m proud to be your kid. I’m forever your kid from the stars and always being looked after because of you. Mommy close your eyes. Peek a boo, I see you haha 😂. I love you mommy. Forever grateful to you. Don’t worry I’m saved because you are safe. Your love and energy keeps me safe and alive. Whenever you stress mommy, I’m stressed. Try to sleep for me, I know you’ll take care of me. Just like I’ll take care of you even when I grow up.”

#pac reading #free tarot reading #tarot reading #tarot cards #fs pick a pile #future spouse #future #paid services #paid readings #free readings #18+ only #adult only

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cienie-isengardu · 6 months

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Your latest post has finally spurred me into asking you this. Based on his bio, his intros with Liu Kang, and everything else you brought up, what do you think about Tomas being the traitor instead of Bi-Han? Or, if NRS really wanted to go all out with the 3D era references in MK1, both Bi-Han and Tomas being traitors, and being the New Era Noob-Smoke? Or Sub-Smoke, rather, due to Bi-Han being Sub-Zero.

Tomas being the traitor for sure would create more surprising plot twist than what we got with not-so-subtly choice of Bi-Han, as Sub-Zero’s betrayal was hinted in his and Scorpion’s biographies way before the full story mode was revealed:

[...] Under his leadership, the Lin Kuei will come out of the shadows and fight for its place as one of Earthrealm’s great nations.

and

But Sub-Zero's unprecedented moves to cast off Lin Kuei's traditional duties have frozen Scorpion’s enthusiasm. He fears that he may one day have to battle his brother for control of the Lin Kuei's legacy.

A hint also supported by the earliest officially shared Liu Kang vs Sub Zero intro dialogues, especially the “Your actions cost lives, Bi-Han!” and “Earthrealm isn't yours to rule”.

So, in all fairness, the most surprising choice of the Lin Kuei subplot wasn’t Bi-Han’s betrayal per se but rather showing us mainly the already tense relationship between brothers, which in my opinion didn’t fully use the emotional impact the shattered brotherhood could otherwise have had. Of course, the game's storyline is a specific medium and with such a big cast, there is limited space to explore in depth characters’ psyche and thus some plots feel rushed to fit the greater scheme of things. Granted, the storyline and intro dialogues provided us enough nuances to know the conflict between Lin Kuei brothers is not so one-dimensional, even if so far only Bi-Han’s desire for freedom and independence is flashed out, while Scorpion & Smoke’s desire to uphold tradition seems to be solely the “good guys” thing. And don’t get me wrong, characters who have a strong moral sense are cool and inspiring on their own, but Kuai Liang and Tomas through the story mode have never given any real counterargument why the tradition should be upheld in the first place or how it benefit the clan, besides it was their father’s teaching.

(And I do find the “Lin Kuei only serves” mindset disturbing, when one remembers the clan members are trained from childhood to fight, to kill, and if needed to die for Earthrealm and doesn’t that resemble the Umgadi system whose members are denied any ties to family as their main purpose is to serve the Royal Family? There is a huge difference between an adult person choosing on their own to dedicate their life to service in greater good - a very admirable trait! - and teaching children they are destined to be someone’s servants, because it’s the great “honor” and “tradition” that must be upheld. Just saying.)

Now, Bi-Han as the traitor (more or less) makes sense within the provided storyline, especially if we add the expanded knowledge about his motives and goals coming from intro dialogues. In contrast, Tomas is pretty much sidelined through the course of story mode and really, if not for the direct ties to adoptive brothers and intro dialogues, he could as well not be in the story at all.

If the story played as it played, I fear Smoke’s choice to betray would not have that big impact, unless the truth about Liu Kang’s role as Keeper of Time came out (and with that his part in Smoke’s family death) or Shang Tsung managed to play on his desire to be seen as a true Lin Kuei while he is constantly denied the respect and omitted by other characters. Bi-Han is just a tip of the iceberg in that regard (and yet not once he denied Tomas right to consider himself the son of the late grandmaster or even his or Kuai Liang’s brother). In all fairness, Liu Kang contributes a lot to how Tomas is treated, as Fire Lord, despite the close relationship to Lin Kuei and being implied to be responsible for orphaning Tomas, literally did not acknowledge him in any meaningful way through the whole story mode. He has never called Smoke by his name, nor called him alongside the Sub-Zero and Scorpion (chapter 1 & 2) and despite Tomas’ fulfilling his duty to Earthrealm and helping in direct way to established Shirai Ruy, his deeds are still omitted in favor of Kuai Liang.

Frankly, despite being one of Grandmaster’s sons, Smoke is never taken into account when it comes to holding any title within Lin Kuei, as Kuai Liang is treated as obviously choice, both as the next Grandmaster of Lin Kuei (after Bi-Han) and the new leader of Shirai Ryu (and let’s not forget Scorpion was the strategist/leader during battle, even if technically this was his first war and there were more experienced characters, including Ermac/king Jerrod.) Kuai Liang is a great warrior, no question about that, but it really feels like Tomas is acknowledged only by his adoptive brothers.

So, if played right, Shang Tsung (or even Bi-Han?) could talk Tomas into joining “the Liu Kang’s opposition”, as he holds resentment for Fire Lord over the death of his family (though that one works best AFTER the big revelation). Intro dialogues also provided information there was a time he did not consider being adopted into Grandmaster’s family as anything good, which of course is understandable, considering it was Grandmaster's men who killed Tomas’ mother and sister for a simple accidental trespassing on Lin Kuei land.

Not to mention he was not adopted because of compassion per se, but because of Grandmaster’s guilt. Considering how Tomas went from disliking the man and/or situation he was forced into to almost blindly holding to “tradition this”, “traditions that” mindset, I wonder if we should consider him as a potential victim of Stockholm Syndrome?

Also, what is interesting, Smoke looked up to Bi-Han ("And to think I once idolized you."). Granted, we don’t know how young Sub-Zero acted back then, besides being cold to Tomas, as intro dialogue pointed out, but I think there is something to say about Tomas idolizing the one brother that openly challenged their Father’s ideas. We have of course only evidence of Bi-Han’s criticizing Lin Kuei old politics in current story mode however as Sub-Zero’s “frustrations ran deep” it is possible he was outspoken about the issue before. So it makes sense to assume the idolizing happened back in the days when Tomas (most likely) resented the man that decided to adopt him after his men murdered his mother and twin sister over a trivial matter - and maybe Sub-Zero’s headbutting with Father was what impressed Tomas the most? As in, however cold Bi-Han was, at least he didn’t pretend everything was okay?

Smoke’s BIO gives him the LOYALTY as a main theme

- and despite what happened between the brothers, he still hope for reunion with Bi-Han and refuses to give up his estranged brother to anyone outside Shirai Ryu for judgment, so we can’t say he and Bi-Han had never been on good terms.

Frankly, the visual side of story mode adds a lot to this feeling, as with exception of like two scenes (awaiting for Liu Kang/meeting room and joining Kuai Liang and Bi-Han after Sub-Zero’s fight with Nitara and Ermac), Smoke is the one standing at Bi-Han’s right side, not Kuai Liang - the de facto second-in-line of succession.

I won’t lie, this is pretty surprising detail - and who knows, maybe Smoke is supposed to have soome importance after all and/or is the middle child, thus occupying the more symbolic (prestige) place, the same as Bi-Han was usually placed at Liu Kang’s right side, implying his higher status as Grandmaster.

I, for one, would love to see Tomas either betraying Liu Kang on his own or joining Bi-Han, so we could have a new take on the Noob-Smoke team, this time without Smoke being cyberized and cut from memories but also challenging Keeper of Time's choices by characters that weren't the main villains in previous timeline(s). My heart would be bleeding for Kuai Liang as his friendship with Tomas is a great part of Lin Kuei lore but then Tomas, story wise, had valid reasons to resent Liu Kang (death of family, never being acknowledged). I wouldn’t cross out the possibility of Smoke joining Bi-Han in later events (or pretending to join to spy on him, because you know, Tomas is the master of stealth, so he should be good at that stuff) but I fear NRS is not gonna give him any meaningful focus anytime soon. Johnny was joking how Tomas “got the wholesome sidekick thing down cold.” but looking at MK1’s story mode this is not a joke, just a truth.

#mortal kombat #tomas vrbada #smoke #sub zero #bi han #kuai liang #liu kang #my replies #i'm really here for the possible variants of lin kuei relationships #i want kuai liang & tomas friendship as bad as i want noob-smoke #i'm not picky

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wonderfulworldofmichaelford · 1 month

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Psycho Analysis: Princess Azula

(WARNING! This analysis contains SPOILERS!)

This is one of those characters I should’ve done a long time ago, but just never got around to because I felt it was just way too obvious. I mean, come on, Avatar: The Last Airbender is considered one of the greatest works of western animation. Everyone and their mother has talked about this show at some point, so what could I even add?

Well, as it turns out, the way people talk about Azula is exactly what inspired me to write this! I have never seen a character so completely and critically misunderstood! Hell, this is a character that people like to disregard the core themes of the story to talk about! Discussion of her online made me so genuinely angry that I decided fuck it, it’s Azulain’ time! So here we go, my 200% anger-fueled analysis and review of the mentally-unstable Fire Nation princess who terrorized the Gaang!

Motivation/Goals: Azula has basically made it her life’s mission to be the ultimate tool of the Fire Nation, and specifically her father Fire Lord Ozai. To that end, she does basically whatveer he tells her to do? Kill the Avatar, conquer Ba Sing Se, take out her brother and uncle… So long as what she does has a net benefit for the imperialistic goals of her country, she’s down for it, and doubly so if she thinks it will get her even a little crumb of daddy’s attention.

Performance: Superstar voice actress Grey DeLisle of Literally Every Fucking Cartoon Ever Made fame lends her voice to the crown princess of the Fire Nation, and her smug, condescending delivery really sells Azula as a manipulative schemer who is constantly playing 4D chess to outmaneuver her opponents. I think I might even go so far as to call this one of DeLisle’s finest performances ever, for reasons pertaining to her delivery of lines in certain parts of the story that will be described below.

Final Fate: Azula’s fate is a perfect example of the show’s excellent writing because it robs us of catharsis in an extremely narratively satisfying way.

Throughout the finale, we watch as Azula’s mental health rapidly declines as literally everything in her life spirals out of her control for the first time. This is a girl who has defined herself as always being two steps ahead, always having everything firmly in her grasp, and yet her brother has run off with the heroes, her two best friends “betrayed” her, her father gives her the throne but only because he is crowning himself the Ultra Super Cool King Deluxe, and she is constantly grappling with feeling as if her mother viewed her as a monster while also subconsciously knowing that Ursa did truly love her. Keep in mind, all of this is happening to a teenage girl, so is it any wonder she completely and totally snaps?

Her final Agni Kai with Zuko during the height of Sozin’s Comet is epic, but it’s the conclusion where she is defeated by Katara and left as a sobbing, flailing mess that really knocks Azula’s character arc out of the park and cements her as the ultimate antithesis of Zuko. He had the guidance of a good, kind father figure, while she was stuck with Fire Hitler; he had a group of friends to love and support him, while she only had companions who put up with her out of fear and turned on her when they finally had enough; he was able to come to terms with his past traumas and grow to be better because of his numerous support systems, while all she had were toxic influences that led to her essentially collapsing under the weight of her internal conflict. She is what Zuko could have been if no one lent him a helping hand… and it is soul-crushingly tragic. The last we see her, she is a broken mess of a person, someone who has literally lost everything in their life, had the sole purpose of their existence stripped from them, and has just been reminded that she lost because she is a lonely, miserable, pathetic individual without any friends.

After her being on top for almost the entire show, this should feel like a triumph! But it’s not. It’s sad. It’s tragic. There’s no joy to be found. And boy oh boy, is it fucking powerful.

I’m just going to ignore what happens to her in the comics. It’s better that way.

Evilness: So here’s where things get really interesting, because while Azula does some truly evil things throughout the show, there is a tendency to exaggerate just how awful she is because most of her evil actions are just things she says she wants to do/has done. Combined with her smug, arrogant demeanor and it’s easy to believe she would do these things, but we don’t actually witness them. To wit, while she taunts Sokka about torturing Suki to the breaking point, when he finally reunites with her she sure doesn’t seem as cripplingly broken as Azula implied. I think it’s important to note that, as Azula is a massive liar, if we don’t actually see her do something (even something she’s threatening to do), it’s not really a mark against her. She’s a cunning manipulator, after all, conquering an entire city without lifting a finger.

On that note, though, she does have plenty of wicked moments under her belt. She conquered Ba Sing Se for the Fire Nation, she constantly tried to kill Aang and her brother while they were on the run in the Earth Kingdom, she had her friends locked up for defying her… Like she’s one messed up daddy’s girl. Even taking into account the inherent tragedy of her character and the fact she’s a teenage girl, she still kind of steps up to crossing the moral event horizon. She’s very much the product of grooming in an environment meant to espouse the joys of fascism and imperialism, and since she never had a strong guide like Iroh her moral compass is busted.

With all that being said, I think she’s a solid 5/10. She does some really nasty things, but at the same time a lot of what colors the perception of her is stuff she only implies. Also I’m not considering any of her pre-breakdown fights with Zuko as truly evil; this is just how siblings are. You bet your ass sibling squabbles would look just like that if they could shoot fireballs from their hands.

Best Episode: For all her badass moments, awesome schemes, incredible fights, and powerful moments… “The Beach” might be her best episode. This might sound crazy, but I stand by it; I think showing us an awkward, human side of her really helps to sell that Azula isn’t actually some unstoppable force. She’s just a teenager who has no social skills and can’t exist outside of the confines of being a royal or a warrior without looking like an absolute weirdo.

Best Quote: After outmaneuvering season 2’s arc villain Long Feng, who concedes to he rand says she’s beaten him at his own game, she flippantly replies, “Don't flatter yourself. You were never even a player.” I don’t think even Jet got so brutally murdered. It’s the sickest burn in the series aside from Zuko’s scar.

Final Thoughts & Score: The whole reason I even wrote this Psycho Analysis is because the constant and critical misunderstandings of Azula I see online constantly piss me the fuck off.

There is a subset of Avatar fans who completely and steadfastly believe that Azula is in fact an irredeemable monster, a complete sociopath with no redeeming qualities who needs to suffer and die. They reject any attempts at assessing the character in a more nuanced light, because “why can’t villains just be evil?” They treat her as if she’s some sort of pure evil being instead of an emotionally stunted child.“She’s crazy and she needs to go down” might as well be the mantra of these media illeterate Avatar fans, parroting opinions that mirror the words of Iroh after Azula almost killed him but ignoring that crucial context as well as Iroh’s entire character. Like, do these people actually pay attention to the core themes of the entire show? You know, mercy, redemption, humanity, the importance of all life? Did they miss the part of the finale where these core themes were cemented by Aang removing Ozai’s firebending with energybending, or were they too busy bitching about it being a deus ex machina to realize it’s thematically appropriate?

Like they want Azula to just be this evil, unredeemable cartoonish villain in a show that explicitly says no one is like this. There’s even a point in the final episodes where it’s pointed out that genocidal colonizer tyrant Ozai was once a sweet, cute little baby, and didn’t just spring forth as a fully formed Red-Hot Hitler. Azula is a person groomed by an unrepentantly evil father to be the Fire Nation ubermensch, the ideal tool for the conquest of the rest of the world. She was never allowed to have a normal childhood, as evident by her awkward behavior and social ineptitude when she’s actually allowed to cut loose and be around people her own age in a relaxed setting. Everything that she is—a liar, a manipulator, an attempted murderer, an egomaniac—are all the result of Ozai’s upbringing, being entrenched in the propaganda of her nation, and a lack of authority figures with a moral compass in her life. She didn’t have an Iroh to guide her, all she had was Ozai. In this sense, Azula is as much a victim as she is a victimizer.

But she is a victimizer. She is still consciously making bad decisions, she is still doing evil and sometimes appearing to enjoy it. There’s no reason to believe she couldn’t turn things around if given a helping hand like her brother was (though there would need to be a lot more effort due to her being in Ozai’s company unimpeded for way longer than Zuko), but she’s not some innocent little bean who’s being persecuted by others. Azula is still a villain, and viewing her as just a mere victim is a disservice to the character just as much as painting her as an inhuman monster. She is a very nuanced character, but she never gets the sort of POV work Zuko does to fully flesh out what’s on her mind and let us see the world through her eyes so the work done for her is more subtle, at least until her final breakdown. At that point, the show is literally beating you over the head with the fact she is an incredibly tragic character whose entire existence is pitiful and broken, and who lives as a mirror to Zuko, showing him a dark path he could have walked down if he didn’t receive love, support, and compassion.

Ultimately, Iroh wasn’t wrong when he said “She’s crazy and she needs to go down,” but I take it with emphasis on and. Azula is, in fact, crazy. She is incredibly mentally disturbed, her mind warped and molded by her father to the point she breaks if she starts to lose control even a tiny bit. And, as an antagonistic force working against the heroes, she does indeed need to go down. I’m sure he wasn’t too happy with his near-death experience, but you will not convince me that the sweet old Iroh, who himself changed and redeemed himself after being a fucking war criminal who nearly conquered Ba Sing Se, could not see the nuance in the Azula situation and genuinely saw his niece as some beast to be slaughtered.

But that’s enough with the ranting, let’s get to the actual final thoughts and score for Azula. She is one of the most engaging and magnificent villains in animation, a real firebrand (heh) whose numerous schemes are gripping to watch, building her up as someone you want to see finally get defeated only for the writers to pull the rug out from under you and remind you just what Azula really is. Avatar had no shortage of brilliant and subversive writing, but I think Azula’s ultimate arc is an unsung masterpiece among it. The character is so mired in discourse these days it’s easy to forget it, but she genuinely is a grand character.

For her score, I’m gonna say she gets a 9/10. She’s easily the best villain on the show, far outshining her rather generic father, the deliciously hammy but ultimately rather shallow Zhao, and the scheming but relatively minor Long Feng (to say nothing of the numerous minor villains that range in quality from wastes of time like Combustion Man to genuinely amazing and horrifying like Hama). I think the only thing holding her back from a perfect score is that sometimes it feels like things fall into place a little too perfectly for her, and she doesn’t face setbacks too much until the very end, but considering the immensely powerful culmination it’s nothing that ruins her. Azula is a character just as rich and deep as anyone else from the show, and I really wish more people looked at her with nuance.

I also wish the fucking comics didn’t exist. Maybe I’m asking for too much.

#Psycho Analysis #Princess Azula #Avatar #Avatar: The Last Airbender #ATLA #Grey DeLisle

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stem-sister-scuffle · 3 months

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STEM SISTER SCUFFLE: ROUND 1 MASHUP 4

Violet Baudelaire (A Series Of Unfortunate Events) vs Ema Skye (Ace Attorney)

Violet Baudelaire is an Inventor!

Ema Skye is a Forensic Scientist!

Why you should vote for each contestant:

Violet Baudelaire:

"She is only fourteen (later fifteen then sixteen as the story goes on) yet here she is straight up going around solving stuff with her (equally as smart) brother with inventions she makes. "Anyone who knew Violet well could tell she was thinking hard, because her long hair was tied up in a ribbon to keep it out of her eyes. Violet had a real knack for inventing and building strange devices, so her brain was often filled with images of pulleys, levers, and gears, and she never wanted to be distracted by something as trivial as her hair.” - Lemony Snicket, The Bad Beginning"

"She makes inventions to get herself and her siblings out of scrapes all the time, she's excellent and we love her"

"Excellent at engineering tools/inventions in crisis situations with whatever resources are lying around. (And she built a telegraph machine at age 7, to give you an idea of what she can do when she *does* have sufficient resources)"

"Violet is a very resourceful young lady with a fantastic mind for inventions out of anything and everything available. We see her building really intricate Rube Goldberg machines in the Baudelaire mansion pre-fire, and afterwards she uses her inventiveness to get the siblings out of all sorts of difficult situations, including breaking a baby out of a cage. She's very cool."

"She's fourteen years old but her ability in mechanical engineering saves her and her siblings from numerous terrible situations. She can work with limited materials to find ways to get out of any scenario and never gives up, even when the odds are against her."

"She’s like 14 years old and can design and make machines out of nothing in a very short amount of time (literally was hurtling towards certain death by falling off a cliff and managed to save herself and her brother)"

Ema Skye:

"I love her a lot and she's very important to me. We get to see her story from being a high school student who's really into science, to becoming a detective, to then finally passing her forensics exam and becoming a forensic scientist like she always wanted. I cosplayed her before"

"Ema has been interested in forensics ever since she was a kid. She's extremely passionate about it. She works very hard and despite bumps along the way she does manage to achieve her dreams/career goal and get into forensic science. She is amazing and I love her enthusiasm and I love her :D When she was like 16 she personally had her own spray bottle(s) of luminol testing fluid, what a dork (in the best way!). Forensic science is practically her whole life. What an inspiration. The first thing on her wiki page is the quote "Yes! Isn't it amazing? Ah, the power of science. It's my life." Bless."

"this girl is so silly. Her favorite thing is luminol. You have an ace attorney pfp you know her. She is my favorite ever. She calls Klavier Gavin a "glimmerous fop" (accurate description). She wears a lab coat over her school uniform. She brings snacks to crime scenes.i love her your honor"

"shes like every enthusiastic autism girl with a science special interest who then gors to college and gets a job and is tired and a mean lesbian but still is a freak about forensics. i love her"

"SHE WORKED SO HARD TO GO INTO FORENSICS. SHE HELPS EVERYONE DO FORENSICS. SHE THEN FAILS WHEN IT COUNTS AND BECOMES BITTER BUT GETS OUT OF THOSE FEELINGS LATER ON. I love her dearly she's so silly and fun when she needs to be, and I think her failure is fascinating but I'm SOOOOO GLAD she was able to become a forensic scientist in the end :)"

"Showed up and gave Apollo random forensics supplies at just the right time. Not sure if this was authorized. Does not Mayte though she can do anything she wants. C’mon man you know her you know why she’s the best you get me right"

"She's fun and good at science and has pink lenses in her glasses and I like her a lot"

"She is so excited to be using her fun little toys to solve crimes."

"She’s a gosh darn professional in a house of fops. Is passionate about her work and was inspired partially by a murder case she was involved in as a witness. She’s really cute and really quirky, and ya girl knows how to snack. She accessorizes really well. I cosplayed as her once and found myself more and more impressed with her style choices as I was putting it together. We stan a fashionable yet practical STEM queen."

"she is literally everythingggg to me. she has wanted to be a forensic scientist since she was 16 y/o and introduces forensic investigation mechanics to the series like luminol and dusting for fingerprints. when she does not get her dream job, she becomes depressed and bitter, only cheering up when she talks about forensic science. later on, when she attains the job, she is much happier! science is her entire life and her career and she is tremendously autistic about it. also she's such a girlboss i love her <3 ema must go through btw. she is the ultimate woman in stem"

"Ema Skye has been interested in forensics for many years due to case that occurred when she was younger. Even though she didn't pass the test to become one at first she had still continued trying till she made it. She always lights up at the mention of anything revolving sciene. She gets so happy when she's able to work with her forensic tools and investigate the crime scene <33"

"Teaches Phoenix wright about forensics"

"she wears a cool lab coat and I don't really know what else to put here but she's neat"

"she is so autistic about forensic science. she goes against the police rules to take fingerprints. she infodumps to anyone who will listen about forensic science. ema is so special to me and I love her very much"

"Ema is a girlboss! She started using forensics and scientific investigation to help solve murders when she was just 15 years old. she autistic and bisexual bc I say so :)"

"Literally the only character in universe that uses hard evidence in trials."

"The skyentific detective…."

"Its literally her personality ok. Just listen to her theme(s). I just love her"

"She is literally me <33 I love her. I need to see her grow up happy and healthy and i need to tell my friends and family about her."

"Wants to be a scientific investigator and solve crimes scientifically, forced to be a cop. Goes from teen with a weird hobby to reluctant cop to everything she ever wanted and I am so proud"

"She’s just a little weirdo. And she keeps trying to be a forensic scientist, but she has to finish high school first. She solved the murder her sister was accused of "

"Forensic science fascinates her. She sure is a woman jn stem. I am sorry I am very tired i dn what to write"

"I need to actually finish AA but it’s her. You probably have more submissions with better reasoning but I like her vibes from what I did play."

"She's got all sorts of cool gadgets which utilize the DS touchscreen"

#stem sister scuffle #round 1 #violet baudelaire #asoue #a series of unfortunate events #ema skye #ace attorney

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onejellyfishplease · 5 months

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Good morning, Jelly!

So, regarding the question I mentioned last night; As you are well aware of by now, my Tabletop Turtles AU (or TTAU, for short) esentially combines RotTMNT with D&D mechanics and tropes.

And if you are going to tell a classic D&D story, you need to have your adventuring party face off against a dragon, right? The question is, which iconic RotTMNT villain should I turn into a dragon? I've got two options I've torn between, both with their own pros and cons (I apologize in advance for the slight info-dump)

1) The Shredder Aesthetically, this is the easiest option. I mean, the Shredder is halfway towards being a dragon already. Just slap some wings and a tail on that sucker and boom, you have a dragon. And let's be honest, a Shredder dragon would look cool as fuck. And the lore wouldn't be too difficult to flesh out either. But there is one problem with this idea, and that is that the Shredder isn't the 'final boss' of RotTMNT. Which means I'd need to come up with a climactic threat to come after this dope ass dragon. And how am I supposed to top a creature that is so iconic to Dungeons and Dragons that it's literally in the name?

2) The Krang Making the Krang dragons would help them fit in with the fantasy setting, where aliens might feel a bit out of place. Though, while having the Krang be dragons will solidify them as a world-ending threat that blends iconic creatures from both the show and D&D, it would open a whole can of worms in regards of questions to answer. How would I design them so that they look recognizable while still retaining that classic D&D feel? If they aren't aliens, what would exactly would the technodrome be? How would they krang-ify people? What's the deal with those mech-armor things? would they still use them? These are just a few of the questions that would need answering.

In short, the Shredder would be the simpler option in terms of design and lore but would give me an extremely high bar to clear when I introduce the Krang. I could just… not use the Krang at all, but they feel like too much of an important part of RotTMNT canon to just ignore, y'know? On the other hand, the Krang would fit better thematically, but come with a plethora of design challenges and lore questions to answer.

I know this is a bit of complex lore problem, and you might not be able to provide a miracle answer that will solve all my problems, but hearing your two cents on this will be very helpful. After all, you have much more experience creating AUs (you seem pretty much incapable of not constantly making new AUs), and this is the first real AU I've created since I was a child.

First of all, I love the name youve chosen!! very cool.

And oof i get the struggle between thematic and aesthetic choices! it can be really hard!

I have a few suggestions that might help?

(just saying that i dont know much about dnd lore besides looking through a few of the books and osmosis from being around my brother)

Okay, Idea one: Kraang as Beholders? they kinda look similar i guess?

Idea two: (this ones a bit more fleshed out)

In a lot if tmnt iterations, the kraang use technology to become physically stronger (ie the mech suits) but since this is dnd, perhaps they should have a more magical solution. perhaps, they lean more into the possession role. perhaps here they act more like parasites? perhaps theyre taking over the minds of dragons and other dnd monsters- using them to their own will? (taking inspiration from rabies here). then u could get some kraangified dragons.

maybe the defeat of shredder can cause the release of the kraang?

this way you could still do the dragon idea for both of them.

the technodrome could be an amalgamation of possessed monster that have become so twisted that they have moulded together? (depends on how dark u wanna go here)

id say you could turn them both into dragons and get away with it if u make their designs, nature and goals different enough.

have the shredder be originally a dragon, but then merged himself with so much magical and cursed armour that he no longer looks like one

(or -another thought- make him a man who wanted the power of a dragon, and so through both magic and armour twisted himself into something vaguly dragon like)

making them related to one another (not just genetically but also thematically) might work aswell?

maybe the shredder created the kraang? maybe in his goal to make a synthetic biological dragon (why he would want that idk, something powerful that shares his ideals) and it went wrong?

woah that was a lot of rambling. i realise that i mostly did both the shredder and the kraang as dragons instead of anything else. my bad.

i hope this helps!! i know i threw a lot of rambling at you just now!

#sneak peak inside of jellys head #its chaos in here #asks #caffetato-the-caffeinated-potato #i love my mutuals

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pyropsychiccollector · 1 year

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A post from a buddy of mine recently got me inspired to do this, myself... But surprisingly not for Makoto. Don't get me wrong, Makoto's a great guy... But I feel like I haven't talked a lot about some of my other ships, they're just kind of... there.

I'm gonna take it easy, though. Don't wanna burn myself out writing these. However, for all you rareshippers out there, I felt it's long overdue to write an "analysis" for at least some of your diamonds in the rough. Tonight, I figured... why not start with Hajime? Let's dust off one of his ships and take a look at it. I'll leave Hinanami alone for now, 'cause that's a pretty well-covered one.

... So let's touch on the other girl that had a presence at the beginning of Hajime's journey in Danganronpa. Let's examine...

Hinazuryu (or Hinatsumi, to distinguish from the... yaoi variant)

Natsumi's often one of those girls that are brushed off by the fans for... reasons. Mainly the fact she died pre-game in Goodbye Despair, and was only there for an episode in Despair Arc. But aside from the brevity of her existence, how canon just speed-runs through the details involving her, in the short time we meet her in the anime, Natsumi is... uppity. Prickly. Whatever word you want to use. Natsumi's not a "people" person, she's picky about who she interacts with. She came to Hope's Peak for one reason, and one reason only: Because her brother's there. And she's a girl seemingly willing to do anything to achieve her goals. Because she's a daughter of the Head of the most notorious yakuza clan in the modern era of Japan, the Kuzuryu's.

Natsumi's not like most people in the Reserve Course. ... I mean, you kinda get that from the way she and Hajime aren't "blue people" from their perspective, but it goes a bit farther down the rabbit hole than aesthetics. People usually join the Reserve Course to get that "prestige" of, "Look at me! I attended the best school in the world, and I wasn't an Ultimate!" Even Hajime gravitated to the Reserve Course because he admired Hope's Peak so much, and hoped that by studying here he'd find the resolve to... be someone. To take pride in himself.

Natsumi already has that pride going for her. For better or for worse, she thinks her criminal family is cool. Powerful. They're so well known that even the general public knows they're crooks, yet the police can't or won't touch them - probably because lack of evidence, bribery, and/or blackmail. Naturally, this means Natsumi's not an angel, she was "born" to be bad, and she hasn't had a reason for reflecting on this because she's still a teenager, a child.

... But Natsumi's not completely happy. Sure, she knows who she is. Knows where she fits in life. But like anyone else, she yearns for something, for someone - in this case, it's her brother. It's not enough to be attending the same school. Because Hope's Peak is the best in the world, and her brother was accepted as an Ultimate, one of the people destined to guide society... at least that's how the academy and the rest of the world look at it. So it's like, Natsumi's here, but she's not here... All she's done is navigate a the huddled masses of society to the front of the line... but now there's a cordoned off area, like when you see celebrities attending a movie premier. She's at the front of the crowd, but Fuyuhiko's canoodiling with the rest of the celebrities. She wants to be out there with him... But she can't yet. Because before anything, Hope's Peak needs to recognize her as an Ultimate like her Big Bro.

And this is where Hajime enters the picture. Natsumi gets to the front of the line, and she meets this other guy that's frustrated to be here like her. Hajime wants to be at Hope's Peak, but above all he wants to find pride in himself. To have a talent, to be good at something. So even if Hajime doesn't completely "get" Natsumi, he at least empathizes with wishing to get into the Main Course. Hajime is a bit intimidated by Natsumi being with the yakuza, but at the same time he's going along with society's grand delusions and thinks that Natsumi's as much a "nobody" like the rest of them because she's not an Ultimate. He does think Natsumi's too high and mighty for a Reserve student, and it doesn't help when Mahiru comes to deliver lunch for Sato, because Natsumi takes that as her cue to start something... because she and Mahiru have history. Natsumi's got some burning jealousy and envy going on, calling the photographer a goody two shoes and threatening her because the way Natsumi sees it, if there's an open slot, then she can squeeze into the Main Course. Be with her brother.

....... It doesn't go that way. Of course it doesn't go that way... Natsumi riles up Sato twice, and it takes Hajime (and Mahiru, the first time) to keep things from getting violent because Natsumi's threatening the photographer. It's not a shining moment for Natsumi, it's not meant to be. She's too goal-driven. Her yakuza blood is seeping through. I've talked with Vergilsama92 a few times about the romanticization of yakuza in Japan, it is a thing to pain yakuza in honorable, tragic lights... But honestly, yakuza are still criminals at the end of the day. and this right here is a good example of the daughter of a kumicho being too cutthroat, too willing to do anything to achieve her goals. Hajime defends her not out of some servitude to the mob, but because as someone that idolizes Hope's Peak, who thinks he and Natsumi resonate as far as that goes... he doesn't want her to get in trouble or lose her chance by doing something stupid. Hajime barely knows this girl. ... And he still empathizes with her.

Unfortunately for Hajime, it's not as simple as Natsumi caring about the academy. About having a talent. Perhaps Natsumi does want pride, to some extent, but it's as she explains it to Hajime: she feels left behind if Fuyuhiko just goes on as the Ultimate Yakuza and she's nothing. Hajime absolutely understands where Natsumi's coming from... 'cause he feels that same "gap" between him and Chiaki, or any Main Course student/staff for that matter. Hajime tries using Chiaki's words of wisdom to cheer Natsumi up, that she doesn't need to have a talent or be an elite. ... But unfortunately, it backfires a little bit - because Hajime's grasping around in the dark for a light switch just like Natsumi is. Chiaki's advice is good... But you need something to fill the void of talent, and Hajime can only assume for Natsumi that would be her relationship with her Big Bro, tries to console her with the fact Fuyuhiko's happy to be with her regardless of title... But Natsumi's just too bitter, frustrated, and depressed. She idolizes Fuyuhiko just like Hajime idolizes Hope's Peak... and she believes her Bro should only have the very best people around him. She wants Fuyuhiko to be proud of her, not looking down from above, to stand by his side.

... And man, poor Hajime just has no idea what to say. Because he gets her. That's the whole reason he's reaching out to a relative stranger in the first place. And here's the ironic beauty of this scene: it's okay that Hajime doesn't know the answers yet. Some people might say, "Makoto would've known what to say, Chiaki would've known, Chisa would've known..." And to that, I say that's not necessarily true. Conundrums like this take time to sort through, and the fact that Makoto, Chiaki, and Chisa are all Ultimates, it would've made it challenging to interact with Natsumi at first - not because they're so arrogant, but because Natsumi would see them as, rightfully or not, people that are superior to her. Natsumi wouldn't be so quick to open up to a bunch of random Ultimates, not at this stage. She's too bitter and hurt.

In this instance, I really would argue that Hajime was the "best" person to connect with Natsumi in the beginning. They're not completely the same; Hajime just wants pride in himself, and Natsumi wants to feel equal to her Bro. Hajime doesn't have the answers yet, they both need to remove their idols from their unreachable pedestals, but with some more time it's possible that he and Natsumi could have settled into this mutual search of "something else". I'll reiterate: It's okay to not know what to say. I read an article recently that talks about how as a society we need to have a ready, immediate answer to every little thing, every eventuality... And that's just not true. You don't need to know how to make yourself presentable, to sell yourself... You just need to be yourself. It's one of the hardest things, I know. XD Employers want this and that, demand you to do this and that, but sometimes you just have to take a step back, to divorce your private life from your job. Just "be you." Not what somebody else tells you to be.

I suppose that's the crux, the tragedy of Hajime and Natsumi here. They're teenagers doing what teenagers do best: Trying to find themselves. Hajime wants to be good at something, Natsumi wants to be her brother's equal. Unfortunately, however, that puts them at the mercy of Hope's Peak's agenda, because all those lies they feed the public? If Hajime and Natsumi want to get their wishes, they'll have to become Ultimates. That's the only surefire way to get anywhere in life, that's the magic spell Hope's Peak has weaved over the general populace. But Reserve Course have no hopes of transferring into the Main Course - they're cash cows. And if on the very rare chance they develop a talent, then they go from being a cash cow to a guinea pig, an animal in a cage purely for observation to funnel all that research into the Kamukura Project. And Hajime's in the most dangerous position of all, being the first potential guinea pig for that Project. The academy's offering Hajime a carrot, and he's really tempted to reach out and take it... But he met Chiaki. Met her teacher. Met Mister Tengan. And now he's met Natsumi... And Hajime's just so lost on what he should do. He only has so much time to make a decision, and it's going to change his life no matter what. He'll either go for the carrot, and lose himself in the process; or he'll be cast out because his family isn't rich enough to keep sending him to school there.

Hajime feels this tug between two ideals - Chiaki's and Natsumi's. He wants to believe in Chiaki, that there's another way... but he jives with Natsumi so much that it hurts.

And then the unthinkable happens: Even though Hajime just met her, Natsumi dies. Sure, the audience could see that Sato was deeply disturbed, that she had her own obsession in Mahiru... And Natsumi threatening the photographer sent Sato over the edge. However, the characters don't have this omniscient understanding of people; Natsumi dies within days of being accepted to Hope's Peak's Reserve department. You might not think that this would impact Hajime so much... but it does. Much like how Darth Maul killing Qui-Gon helped decide Anakin's fate in Star Wars, the same kind of tragedy happens here: Hajime had someone that resonated with him. He had someone that bounced a dialogue off with him to help figure some things out... And now that person's gone.

Say what you will about Natsumi being a terrible role model or a terrible human being because she was a yakuza, but from what we can deduce from her death is that she is a victim in this case. Not a blameless one, but nothing suggests that she truly planned to off Mahiru, unless you take Sato at her word. We're left with this impression that Sato jumped the gun, and now Hope's Peak is in a pinch because of the upcoming exams - so they sweep the murder under the rug because the academy's good name comes first above all else.

Hajime plunges on ahead, oblivious to the politics involved. Because... he needs to find out the truth of Natsumi's death. Even if he barely knew her, he needs to know who killed her, and why... To give himself closure as much as Natsumi. Hajime's still so lost and reeling...

... And he can't catch a break. He overhears Sato and Mahiru talking in the courtyard, and is on the right track with suspecting Sato of the crime... But Sato refuses to talk to him. Leaving Hajime with only one option: Talk to Mahiru. Which... obviously doesn't happen. Because Hope's Peak doesn't let Reserves onto the Main Campus... And Juzo goes rough on him because he's trying to protect Hajime in his own arrogant, misguided way. Because Juzo knows the Steering Committee would bury the kid if he made too much noise about this murder.

It's the last straw for Hajime, however... He's hurt, he's broken... and Chiaki's "hope" rings hollow for him, because he doesn't see how a nobody like him can live in this world where the elite bury the nobodies like they don't even matter, a world where he's so powerless. He still admires and loves Chiaki a lot - but he can't live on like this. and he winds up choosing to take the carrot that Hope's Peak is giving him.

I come to the end of this long-ass summary of canon... to say that this only plays a very small part of my love for Hinatsumi. It's a small, yet meaningful part. Because like how Chiaki's death "snapped" him back to Hajime, it was Natsumi's death that was the trigger to the chain of events that cornered Hajime. Hajime barely knew this girl... and yet she had such a profound effect on his life because they were like reflections in a mirror. Honestly, Hinatsumi has some parallels to Naezono for me, 'cause Sayaka didn't get to live long, either... XD Admittedly, however, Natsumi is not a lovesick puppy for Hajime like Sayaka is for Makoto. ... Not. Even. Close.

Honestly, if Natsumi's death could have been averted, that would just be the starting point to a world of new possibilities. Let's start with the fact that Natsumi opened up to Hajime about her brother in the first place. This is a guy she just met, she's been looking down her nose at all these other "scrubs" that are their classmates... and here's this guy that, as wishy-washy as he can be, has shown that he has some spine. And sure, he whines and quibbles over how they're gonna get accepted into the Main Course, but he wants to get there. He could use some more time stewing in the pot or whatever, but Hajime's not completely hopeless. At least he tries to talk back to her, talk like they're equals; everyone else is so relaxed about being in the Hope's Peak... even though they're frankly not. Whether or not Natsumi realizes this yet, Hajime's someone that she respects on some level. Enough to tell him about her brother and how he deserves only the very best. And hey, maybe it's something that she's been meaning to get off her chest, and she hasn't found anyone to listen to her up until now...

At least it's a start. I imagine if Sato's attempted murder had failed for whatever reason, there'd still be this tension between Natsumi, Sato, and Mahiru; and Fuyuhiko and Peko would probably be dragged into it. But that obvious point aside, as the deadline for Hajime's decision draws closer, Natsumi would most likely press him about what's eating away at him, why he's so hung up on getting into that main campus...

And I think Hajime might just open up to her about his decision, in some capacity. Whether he tells her about the Project, or whether he keeps to the confidentiality agreement, he would still convey that his tuition's running out... And there's something he needs to decide on, if he's gonna stay here or not. Even if he keeps mum about the Project, Natsumi would probably understand it's something clandestine, something a bit too intense for Hajime's current level. ... And she'd probably tell him to just not have anything to do with it. Natsumi has seen shady shit, and it's not stuff that she'd wish on Hajime. If it was money troubles he was having, he should have just told her; I can see that as an attitude Natsumi would have. In a situation where Natsumi is saved from dying by Hajime (and yes, there's a few fanfics out there to that effect), her family would feel this sort of indebtedness to him, and would likely offer a deal for tuition money. But in worlds where the attempted murder is thwarted through other means, and Hajime doesn't have that reckless savior status going for him, I can see Natsumi talking with her brother or her dad to get a "job" lined up for Hajime, whether as a lookout or train him up as a bodyguard, whatever they feel Hajime needs to do to earn that tuition money, and they'd go from there.

Of course... I don't see Hajime all too thrilled to be making a deal with a yakuza group, but the alternative is losing his place at Hope's Peak altogether or accepting their Project when he's still so uncertain. In the spirit of "open-mindedness", I think Hajime would take a shot with working with the Kuzuryu's if he's primarily working with Natsumi or her brother that he hasn't met yet. The reason for that is that he knows Natsumi (... well, a little) and she seems sincere enough that her brother has scruples, too. Maybe he can have an effect on them or their family; and if not that, well, being trained in some capacity isn't a bad thing. Few others seem so willing to give Hajime a chance, and the ones that are honestly have their lives more together than Hajime does.... XD It's just speculation, but based on how he interacts with Natsumi and Fuyuhiko, I think he'd take a shot with them. ... Even if the carrot Hope's Peak is offering is so tantalizing. XDDD

Whatever path Hajime takes, whether it's leaving Hope's Peak or working with the Kuzuryu's... I think Natsumi would stay in touch, at least. Maybe if their friendship deepens, she'd transfer to his school eventually, if he decided to leave. It's just a hunch more than anything, but they wouldn't break off their tentative friendship, regardless of what Hajime does. Without a murder, Hope's Peak is less antsy, and that gives Hajime a much more "friendly" environment to avoid rushing into deciding to do the Kamukura Project. If he stays, chances are he'll meet Mahiru properly, meet Fuyuhiko and Peko, and possibly all of Chiaki's classmates... But as cozy with Chiaki as he is, I have a feeling Natsumi would get territorial before long. Seeing the goofballs that is Fuyuhiko's classmates, Natsumi might even lose a bit of confidence that going to the Main Course is what she wants... Hajime's a lot easier to handle, and some of them would just piss her off.... (人◕ω◕) She probably wouldn't give up going to the Main Course right away, and neither would Hajime, but more time to think about things would chill both of them out.

To properly end this off, I'll get into the more "shippy" reasons for why these two work. And yes, it's not because they're both Reserve Course... though that helps in chilling Natsumi out. That she's not being talked down to.

... *stares at height difference between Natsumi and Hajime* Just don't say anything, Pyro.... (人◕ω◕);;;;;;;;

Obviously, Hajime and Natsumi have different, even clashing personalities. This is great, because they balance each other out! They complement each other. Natsumi is short-tempered, foul-mouthed, bossy, stubborn, but she's got a backbone, and she'd help Hajime build up his. If Hajime works for the Kuzuryu's, it might be touch-and-go at first because Natsumi may be playful and screw around with having him do stuff for her or Fuyuhiko... But she'd also, sooner or later, pick up on his potential for talking to people. That is to say, Hajime might not have the answers to everything, but at least he tries and at least he listens. Natsumi might nudge him to "counselor"-esque positions, maybe at first (jokingly) suggesting to provide counsel to yakuza who want to leave or retire from the gang - Hajime would deadpan back that yakuza don't "retire" like most "professions." Maybe she wouldn't be completely hands-on with telling Hajime where to go, but if he eventually found something himself that he was relatively confident in, Natsumi would support him all the way.

Hajime, on the other hand, may be wishy-washy, uncertain, cautious, and down on himself a lot... But he does have scruples, he reflects, and he'd be down-to-earth which would offset Natsumi's fiery spirit. He might not be able to defuse "every" conflict Natsumi is a part of, but if they hang around each other enough, he'll help chill Natsumi out. In turn, she'll help give him a tenacity, a determination. Hajime would probably meet Fuyuhiko (and Peko) sooner rather than later, and boy would he be nervous. lol But he'd get to know Fuyuhiko a lot, and Fuyuhiko would see the balming effect Hajime has on Natsumi's obsessive drive to be his equal. And Fuyuhiko would approve the hell out of that. Anything to keep her from the stark raving madness that she embodied at the start of the school year.

Hajime and Natsumi would be a slow buildup for a romance... and that's honestly fine. Natsumi would see Hajime as a friend before anything else for a long time, and she'd have these other ideas for "boyfriend material"... And maybe she'd learn the hard way those types aren't what she's looking for. They'd sort of stumble into the romance, with Natsumi getting a bit jealous Hajime's so comfortable around Chiaki... give Hajime the cold shoulder if worse comes to worst, but then find out she misses his company, and tries to make it up to him. Hajime in turn gives Natsumi space when it seems like she needs it, and cares about her; though he'd probably flip a bit if he realized he was falling for a yakuza...

In an ideal world, perhaps Natsumi leaves the yakuza behind to raise a family with Hajime, someday. Like Fuyuhiko, she has scruples; and it's possible that Sato killing her is a sign that Natsumi isn't all hardcore and violent like she puts on. ... Maybe Sato just got lucky, we can't be sure. But I like to think if she keeps on developing, Natsumi will see the criminal underworld isn't all as glamorous as she thought it was, as a kid. Perhaps Hajime would see the conflict between morals and duty, and suggest they get out while they have the chance; Natsumi might not take it so well at first, but... Like Fuyuhiko, she might come to accept she can't "change" the family to the extent that she would want.... 'cause yakuza are criminals at the end of the day. They're not gonna be able to keep up an "honorable" facade forever.

That aside, in general, Hinatsumi is nice 'cause they're two wayward souls that balance each other out. They push and tug each other like the moon and the waves. Chances are, even if Hajime refuses the Project, the Tragedy's still gonna happen, just maybe not as we know it. But at least in this path, Hajime and Natsumi both have a chance to live and fight the good fight with Future Foundation. If the Tragedy never happens, well.... they'll still probably realize Hope's Peak isn't all it's cracked up to be. And they don't need to be Ultimates to live a satisfying life~

Hope you enjoyed my long-ass analysis/speculation on the Hinatsumi ship. Like I said, I wanna do this for some of my other favorite minor ships... Just to spread the love around. :3

#Danganronpa #Analysis #Hajime Hinata #natsumi kuzuryu #Hajime x Natsumi #Hinazuryu #Hinatsumi

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mdhwrites · 10 months

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You know they are often described as the same character, but why was Amity more interesting than Hunter if they both follow the same pattern (which is just the redemption arc)

I was seeing endless possibilities for Amity's character to go anywhere after S1 there was just too much on the plate that was catching your eye but not all of it, so to keep your interest going.

Hunter just feels too set in stone for some reason. Nothing outside the golden guard or Caleb would have had the same charm.

If Amity was set to become a teacher you would wonder why and how. If Hunter was doing the same you may be like "ok, cool"...

I think that did happen in the final episode too, many questioned why Amity chose to be.. some abomination engineer?

Not many batted an eye on why Hunter chose palismen carving, it just happened and they accepted it.

This ask is rather "why did this thing work for that one but not for this one as well?"

So this has to come down with something that TOH did eventually stop understanding but was strong in the first season: The difference between internal and external motivation.

Now, of course, Amity's motivations will become entirely external and this will be what effectively murders her character but to begin with, she is extremely internally motivated. It takes until Understanding Willow to hear about her parents whatsoever. Hell, before then, we get the twins being sent to meet up with Amity with a packed lunch made by their mom that she forgot, implying a potentially good, normal home life early on. Her external influences in general seem to be fairly low except for setting what the end goal is: Head of the EC.

But that's just an extension of the internal motivation of "Be the best." Be the best student. Be the best witch. Be the best Blight. Be the best EVERYTHING. She early on seems to have a genuine problem of obsessing over every failure and as a 'gifted' student back in high school, I relate with that EXTREMELY HARD. She is ready to attack herself for every failure, see every setback as the worst thing to happen to her and be ruthless with those who get in the way of her goals. This extreme mindset is unhealthy but it lets you know her priorities so even a more balanced Amity is still going to care about studying, about the future and get upset at herself when she can't solve something. She just, you know, won't murder someone over it.

These internal influences tell us a lot about her. We get a very vivid base for a character to work from because we understand what underpins her own desires. This makes it so that even if you swap the setting, you know how Amity will behave dependent on these core principles. If she's suddenly Spider-woman, she's going to work herself to death and be traumatized the first time she fails and loses someone. Not someone close to her: ANYONE. Make her a big sister in Rapture and you can bet your ass that she drains a hundred times the splicer corpses than an average little sister does in a day and she will NEVER stop tracking her prey if the order is given to kill. The context of where she is or what she's doing is reinforced by those internal desires that are mutable across different elements.

This also makes expanding and complicating those internal desires interesting! After all, getting an explanation for why she considers perfection so important can genuinely highlight where she might have mistepped so as to become so extreme. For an example from my own work: Azu is inspired by Amity but is genuine nobility. Her words carry consequences and one slip of the tongue can unmake a person or trap her with favors she didn't mean to imply. She lives in such constant fear of this though, influenced by the disinheriting of her sister and brother as well as just a well meaning but too strict mother as a well as a king who will likely kill her if she exhibits too much personal pride, that if she has no need to talk to you... she doesn't. She is silent to most and careful with the words she says otherwise. Always on edge because she hasn't had anyone teach her that you can relax, not that she ever entirely would because her base character cares about success too much, and so those external elements become exciting because they feed into the internal and help deepen and expand on the character as a whole.

This is also why the scapegoating form of redemption in TOH is so... boring. And usually extremely flawed, even when at its best. By saying everything a character has done or believed was because of someone else, you lose those base character traits and TOH never replaces them. If we believe Odalia is the ONLY reason she cares about success, and only really see her striving for perfection again with being Luz's girlfriend, but otherwise discarding her future, studying, etc. like that, her strive for being the best is no longer really a part of her. She cares about Luz's perfect girlfriend because of the external influence of fear that Luz might leave her otherwise but what internal mechanism in her makes her fear that so much? Why is she willing to abandon so much for one person? Why is it that Amity's entire life besides Luz is so easily abandoned by her?

This is what makes her transform into a generic love interest. Even Eclipse Lake, which is a natural progression for her, in the long run feels like a trope. After all, it's common for someone who has a crush to have an episode where a misunderstanding causes them to break down and question if the one they love even likes them, let alone reciprocates their feelings. The only difference is that Amity and Luz are already together. After this, she'll never show that same fervor again and not care about being the best at anything for herself but only ever for someone else. She does NOTHING without it being to impress her father, basic survival, or because Luz approves of it and that's when a character stops feeling like they have an internal life and their own person hood and starts just becoming a doll on the screen that you can feel the writer manipulating.

This is the position Hunter STARTS in. Frankly, it's also the position Willow starts in to some extent. Both of them will change how they act and behave for the sake of an episode with minor characteristics that make recognizably them, kind of, but otherwise they don't seem to have internal cares. The closest Hunter ever comes to having something is that he actually is a people pleaser, unlike Luz. Except... Also not because he constantly breaks Belos' laws, his orders, etc. like that. A real people pleaser would kill Flapjack and turn him in. We never actually get a reason as to why Hunter keeps Flapjack besides the fact that he's actually Caleb and if your reasoning is purely because they're not actually their own character, that is a fucking problem.

But seriously: How do we ever know how Hunter will react to something? Everything Hunter does is influenced externally. Looking into wild magic? Only because it will make a cure for my uncle. Have my own palisman? Well, if I kill it, Luz will be pissed at me and I guess I care about that for some reason. Go recruit for the EC? Only because that's how Darius says I'll get my cape back. Free the people I just recruited? Only because it made Willow sad. Break free of the EC and my uncle? Only because otherwise I would straight up die, not because my own personal beliefs clash with my uncle's.

It's why I don't find Hunter compelling, even trying to strip him down to brass tacks or use the most interesting sides of him because I'm not sure there any sides of him. This also infects most of the cast as they become just generally good people because their actions are so... basic. There's no flavor to them because very few of these characters have a core as the series goes on. A way to summarize them and pitch them to others besides "Good person who does X magic." The most personality they have is their toolkit and while Batman's utility belt is neat, it's BATMAN and his personality and how he personally tackles issues, personal and otherwise, that bring us to the story.

And TOH over and over again seems to think losing your personality is the only way to have character growth as it repeats the loop over and over again. First Amity, then Hunter, and then the Collector even, shown off by his immediate recoiling into not knowing what FUCKING DEATH IS just so he can be a little guy.

A basic, good person with no personal desires, cares, motivations, ethos, etc. except to do whatever will make Luz everyone happy. Real deep and compelling characters in the end that way, aren't they?

=========

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead, If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

And finally a Twitter you can follow too!

#the owl house criticism #toh critical #amity #hunter #Character Writing

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centrally-unplanned · 1 year

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Watched the new Dungeons & Dragons movie and the original D&D film from the 2000's back to back yesterday, which was a very amusing comparison. The new movie was quite good! Its highly standard of course, but its not afraid to be that, who doesn't like a scampy rogue and a gruff barbarian and an ecoterrorist druid wild shaper and all that. Dead moms and daddy issues for an arc as required by law, which is fine as a structure. On that structure is a lot of very fun action scenes, creative directing, and a really good cast, Chris Pine & Justice Smith in particular know exactly how to play their roles, and when has Hugh Grant ever not knocked it out of the park.

It was very smart about limiting down and keeping small the crew, their goals, and what everyone can achieve. Chris Pine's Edgin is presumably a bard, but that just means he plays the lute; he has no spellcasting abilites, no Songs of Inspiration, he is the idea man and he uses his charisma to lead a team like any person would. As I joked, the druid is not a druid, she instead can only wild shape, since that is enough power for one film. Our guest paladin is the same, just a warrior with principles. The team has a sorceror and that is enough 'mechanics' for the squad. What this frees up is a lot of space for worldbuilding; you visit a ton of places in the Forgotten Realms very quickly, but since its just a team of dudes who you understand you spend that time getting to know the setting and the characters. The actual plot has a lot of moving parts, you can be legitimately surprised at times due to that, without giving you things you aren't gonna understand in that plot.

Even with the powerset they have some of the fight scenes need idiot balls to make sense; the Underdark sequence is the biggest culprit there, many many moments of "bro you can teleport, and you can turn into a bird, why are you running on your little human legs?". But its never for things that really matter, a little idiot ball here and then is fine.

Meanwhile *man* is the 2000 film a trainwreck - it has a very stacked deck going against it. It was a film trying to use 2000 CGI to the maximum extent, for which nothing has aged worse - every sequence with a dragon should honestly just be removed. It was shackled with of-the-time humor styles that age awfully, in particular Marlon Wayans porting in the wacky-black-sidekick character archetype that he (as 1/2 of the Wayans Brothers) popularized never works once, it was always cringe my guys and doubly cringe in a fantasy world. I didn't realize this, but its apparently trying to recreate the success of The Mummy (1999)? The male lead is 100% styled after Brendan Fraiser as a leather-clad explorer with the same exact hair, and the female lead is styled after buttoned-up librarian Rachel Weisz. Which, when you know, makes it really embarassing, its a failed attempt at recreation.

The issue is all of these 'ambitions' reduce its ability to be a fun fantasy b-movie. If the dragons were cool obvious puppets, no one would care, thats great! If you just had a fun likeable cast fighting bad guys, you would like them, you would accept it, but they try so hard to be zany and filled with conflict (there is a whole mage-commoner caste system plot line....ughhhhhhh) you don't like any of them. It even simultaneously has a badass action chick on the side while its main female lead is reduced to powerlessness due to plot demands and the romance arc, in the same film, which is *worse* than just having either one.

Also award for literally the worst case of boob armor I have ever seen in my life:

She better be storing some long-range MK-class explosives in there because otherwise those torpedo tubes are fucking empty.

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aurumacadicus · 10 months

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A bit ago you asked for podcast app recommendations. Do you have any recommendations for podcasts to listen to?

These are all the ones I listen to, I'll add a little summary for each one if that's alright.

Stuff You Missed in History Class: This podcast has been going for over a decade, starting in 2008. The format has changed since its inception and honestly, you don't need to go through the entire playlist (unless you want to!). Each episode is about a certain event, figure, or theme from history with show notes that cite their sources, and the hosts are very upfront about where and how they got their information. Some of these subjects are two-parters, but that's the exception and not the rule mostly. I enjoy learning about new things from history or, if I know the bare basics of them, I enjoy learning more in depth information. My suggestion is to just scroll through and see what topic interests you.

Criminalia: This is another history podcast, but each season focuses on a certain type of crime, with each episode focusing on someone in that theme. At the end of each episode, the hosts also make up a cocktail and mocktail inspired by the subject that day. (The first two seasons don't have mocktails because they only realized how popular a non-alcoholic version would be after season three where they made mocktails to go with the "imposter" theme and they got really good feedback about it.) Some of the seasons are hit or miss for me, but even if I don't necessarily like the theme, the episode is still good to listen to from a learning standpoint.

DNA: ID: One of my true crime podcasts. I like this one because it focuses more on how DNA testing has solved cold cases using genetic genealogy. I also appreciate that the host doesn't use full names to protect the privacy of a lot of people in the story. She uses full names for victims and perpetrators, and some family, but people who turned out not to be involved in the case are given initials. My only beef is that she does so much research on the cases, but she doesn't extend that to learning how to pronounce some non-English names. However, otherwise, she does treat each case with a lot of gravity and respect, so. Idk. She's recently started interspersing solved cases with cases seeking more information on recently identified Does so that's pretty cool.

Dear Hank & John: It's a comedy podcast about death, where two brothers give you dubious advice and bring you all the news about both Mars and AFC Wimbledon. They're currently on a "we'll update if Hank feels like it" schedule because Hank is currently going through chemotherapy but they have 372 episodes to tide you over in the meantime. I enjoy it a lot because I enjoy the Green brothers' sense of humor, and on the occasions that one of the brothers is away for something, their guest host is always interesting.

Good Assassins: Part historical, part true crime. I've only just started this one so I'm gonna copy and paste the summary because I don't think otherwise I would do it justice: A spy story. A detective case. The mission was simple: to arrange the death of one man. The goal was to send a message to all Nazi fugitives around the world: "we can find you and we can kill you." This is the true story of an undercover mission to hunt down a savage Nazi murderer who helped Hitler’s forces kill 30,000 men, women, and children. The survivors gave him a name after the Holocaust: The Butcher of Latvia. The spies would travel halfway around the world to carry out the sentence. The mission wasn’t for one life. It was for 6 million.

Welcome to Night Vale: This was the first queer media I consumed since I watched Tara die in BtVS. I was tired of kill your gays so I simply didn't consume any queer content. This show simultaneously healed me and hollowed me out for all the other shows that could have been this good. I like each story line, I like the additional novels, and I like the weather. This is my comfort show. I start it from the beginning every time I catch up to the recent updates.

Good Morning Night Vale: The official recap show of WtNV. It's hosted by Meg Bashwiner (she voices Deb, a sentient patch of haze), Symphony Sanders (she voices Tamika Flynn, the former teenage militia leader, current City Counsel member), and Hal Lublin (he voices Steve Carlsberg, Cecil's brother-in-law). I feel like I'm hanging out with friends talking about Night Vale when I listen to it. :) I think if you like recap shows, it's a good one.

The Murder Chronicles: Ngl I started this in season one where it was called The Shadow Girls, which I started because it was advertised as a deep dive into the Green River Killer's victims instead of just being about him. I was interested because the host was in the same age range as GRK's victims and she talks extensively about how scary it was for girls her age at the time. She also goes into how the police failed the victims and why, and also how it affected her. It also has a push for one of the victims to get the reward she was promised for turning Ridgway in. It felt like a cause. The second season is more about other true crimes which is... fine. Doesn't have the same heart that the first season did, but does include interviews with the detectives who worked on the cases, though, which I find interesting. Idk it's not really doing much for me anymore so I might drop it.

Scene of the Crime: Delphi: This is a podcast that (ostensibly) focuses on one case per season, but it's literally just one season and then a ton of advertisements from other podcasts from their company. That being said, they went forward with the families' permission, including numbers for people to leave tips to the police. Since they have the permission of the family (and interviews with some family members, even) it's one of the few that I'm comfortable with. That being said, I'm only subscribed to it still in case there's another update in the case. They don't seem to have published any episodes in a while.

These are the ones I listen to on Amazon Music, which are all true crime:

Cold: It's a narrative podcast focused on missing persons cases. It's got three seasons-- Season one is about Susan Powell, season two is about Joyce Yost, and season three is about Sheree Warren. They're well-researched and use recordings from the victims/perpetrators which is very interesting. The host seems to have permission from the families (at least the first season seems so) but even if he didn't, he doesn't make emotionally charged statements. He states the facts. I'd even go so far as to say the most emotion he ever shows is when he talks about why Susan Powell's case means so much to him.

Suspect: It's an investigative series about mislaid justice and the kinds of weighty decisions that detectives, lawyers, and jurors make every day - decisions that, once made, are almost impossible to reverse. Both of these seasons are incredibly interesting, including interviews with people involved in the cases. There hasn't been a new episode since February, but it's still a good show to go back to, I think.

Killer Psyche Daily: This podcast is hosted by former FBI profiler Candice DeLong, who I'd actually heard of (worked on the Unabomber case). It's a short, daily podcast (tenish minutes per podcast) where she draws on her years of experience to break down current criminal cases for laymen to understand, look back on historic crimes, and share insight on how the mind of a killer works. On one hand, it definitely errs on the side of police. However, she was also law enforcement, so it makes sense and doesn't really annoy me. On the other hand, she also has a lot of insight on the psychology of criminals, and she has guests on regularly who also have a lot of information to add to current cases who don't come across as pro-police.

There are a handful of others that I've listened to on and off but obviously they haven't really stuck with me.

#aurumacadicus answers #areufingkidding #podcasts

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inkwell-intrigues · 11 months

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TSTS Annoucement

I was hoping this wouldn't happen. Like, I always knew it could happen -I remember seeing this happen to a bunch of fanfiction writers when I was a kid- but it really sucks.

So, I'm crazy burnt out from writing AND Cuphead has stopped being my current hyperfixation. (I'm also on different medications now- which probably doesn't help.)

Even the thought of Cuphead right now gives me pretty bad stress, because of how far behind I've fallen in writing The Strength and The Sight.

I know I made a post literally a few weeks ago saying that I was back and all that stuff, but... After I sat down and started trying to write I began to realize that not only was I badly burnt out, but also The Strength and The Sight's plot/focus/etc has changed multiple times during the process of me writing it. This has led to a LOT of inconsistencies in terms of the plot, character arcs, and in general, the pacing ended up being all over the place because of it.

For instance, Chalice is supposed to be one of the main characters, but her role in the story has changed a bunch AND I ended up focusing on her a lot less than characters who were supposed to be side characters- like Ginette. (I love Gin, I swear, but she wasn't supposed to be as big of a focus as she ended up being. -That mainly came about from me getting super obsessed with her character and forgetting my other characters- In multiple chapters, she even overshadows the brothers. Oops. xD)

This all has led me to realize: Even if I wasn't burnt out- I simply cannot continue writing a story that I know has inconsistencies.

So, does this mean that The Strength and The Sight is over? No. No, it does not.

This post is me announcing that I will NOT be taking a break or canceling the story in the traditional "burnt-out fanfic writer" sense. Instead, I will be REWRITING the entire story- starting with outlining the plot from the beginning in lots of detail and sticking to the plot I set.

This rewritten version will be filled with full-color illustrations, more focused, and A LOT shorter. While mulling over the idea of a rewrite, I realized just how needlessly long TSTS has become. Like, the book which I use as a reference and inspiration, Scythe by Neal Shusterman, is only 102k words, while mine- which is not even halfway done- is 114K. (There are a lot more examples of my word count v.s. other books, but I won't bore you all with those numbers.)

BUT, I don't want to leave you guys in the dark while I begin this intense process of rewriting TSTS. So, instead, I want to continue posting on this current fic as a sort of "journal" of my progress. I know a lot of you guys are writers yourselves, so this could be a super cool opportunity for you guys to see my process and learn some tips and tricks along the way.

My long-term goal is to post a probably 100% finished redone version of The Strength and The Sight when The Cuphead Show is renewed and the new season releases on Netflix. (I'm manifesting so hard, IT WILL BE RENEWED I KNOW IT) Or I'll try and release it if/when Studio MDHR releases another Cuphead thing/game. Whatever comes first.

Until then, I'll be using this as my progress journal. I'll be posting rough sketches (because I'll also be doing updated illustrations!), rough outlines (with redacted spoilers, lol), and more!

I know this is probably really disappointing. I'm kicking myself quite a bit here and wishing I'd been able to finish TSTS before I got burnt out, but I believe that everything happens for a reason. My hope is that TSTS will be a much better and higher-quality novel because of this rewrite.

Thank you for your patience and I'm truly sorry for all the delays. I promise that I'll do everything I can to make The Strength and The Sight worth the wait.

-- Your Friend, Inkwell Intrigues

#tsts #the strength and the sight

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kalopseance · 1 year

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im a little nervous for her, honestly. shes not one of the most popular ones i have, so i fear deeply for her. hpwever.

dont you motherfuckers like detectives

if so, vote for my beloved embry in the oc round of @transfemswagbracket ... assuming i submit her in time LOL p.s theres a typo above lol. shes actually 145cm, not 155cm. even shorter. tiny.

A famous detective in the kingdom of Valenstein, Embry Ward is both a respected yet distrusted figure. She's been known to solve some of the most complex mysteries throughout the entire country; making her into quite the celebrity. However, her goals and actions can often seem very contradictory to the values you would assume a detective to hold. Embry exclusively investigates cases that peak her personal interest, and enjoys the thrill of investigation as a game and a way to test her intelligence. She refuses to cooperate with any sort of organization, even those that have offered her enormous rewards in exchange for working with them. Because of this, Embry is both respected and widely admired, but also acts as a nuisance to those who would be happier if their crimes weren't investigated. She makes a living through investigative journalism and report writing. Though she lives in her little studio and gets by independently, she actually does come from quite a high-class, wealthy family. When she was young, however, she was treated as an outsider and shunned for her supposed inability to behave and act like a 'normal' child, unable to express empathy or be 'obedient'. Out of her large number of siblings, she was close to the oldest, her brother Archer. It was when Archer and Embry had a fight many years ago that Embry lost trust in the only member of her family who she loved, and unable to cope, she ran away and started living on her own when she was barely thirteen. Years later, after becoming a respected and famed detective, the case of the Valenstein Killer, a violent vigilante, catches her eye. This, combined with hearing the news of the supposed disappearance of her older brother Archer, Embry is inspired to track down both the Valenstein Killer and the brother she used to love, figuring out the connection between the two cases. As she investigates further, she finds a new thread to follow - her brother's strange obsession with protecting the Valenstein Killer. She has a great love of sweets and sugary things. She hides this in an attempt to seem more mature. Likewise, she's often mocked for her small height, and she worries about being treated like a child. She wears glasses despite having perfect vision, purely for the sake of looking more intelligent. Later down the line, Embry Ward is further caught up in the mysteries and events surrounding the Valenstein Killer, and she finds herself confronting a reclusive cult known as The Sanctuary. Here, she meets an odd green-haired human girl who belongs to this cult. Despite the difference in ideals and philosophies, Embry finds herself fascinated by this girl...

shes genuinely an asshole but manages to be the most morally upstanding person in her group. though the 'most morally upstanding' isnt like, a high standard when shes surrounded by Murderboy And Friends. shes stubborn, stuckup, prideful, arrogant, untrusting, but she still has her own morals and a very justified dislike of authority and the corruption she sees. admittedly, if the question is whether or not she has 'swag', thats questionable. does she? shes pretty fucking cool honestly shes incredibly confident and intelligent and self-assured but shes also kind of a loser.

sometimes shes furry

this is her playlist lol.

'I DONT TRUST U ANYMORE', 'everything costs', 'pioneer spine', 'freedom, pt. 1', 'ghost town' all fit her very well. Actually like her whole playlist is very fitting

posts which is really really embrycore:

#propaganda

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xian1na · 1 year

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more words about buncha spring animes

Hi, it's me again, still motivated to watch spring shows and write about them! There's nothing new on my list so far. There's also a bit of a problem because I'm kinda behind on some of these series so if you've just watched a new episode of Jigokuraku, Yamada-kun or Heavenly Delusion and look everywhere for some discussion... you won't find it here, unfortunately. Still, hope you enjoy!

Hell's Paradise (ep. 4) - We start to meet more side characters and see what their deal is. So far, it seems like they all have pretty similar goals - eliminate the competition and look for the elixir of life in peace. I wonder if there'll be anyone who takes a completely different approach. Although I guess Yuzuriha is kinda that. I mean, she still probably intends to eliminate the competition but in a less straightforward way. I'm curious to see how will her alliance with Gabimaru and Sagiri go (I have a feeling it won't be long-lived though xD). Speaking of Sagiri, I was super disappointed right after watching the episode. What's the point of introducing a cool chick with a sword, if you don't show her being cool and using her sword? i thought. But some manga readers let me know that this is just temporary and Sagiri will in fact, get to be badass. Well, fingers crossed.

Oshi no Ko (ep. 3) - I'm starting to have a feeling that Oshi no Ko will be one of these shows that everyone agrees is great but I'm just not feeling it. In my last post I mentioned that I don't like dialogues here a whole lot and that impression still stands. Take, for example, the scene where Aqua is acting in the drama they're shooting. The whole scene is silent, we can only hear the music. We don't see how did Aqua do, exactly, we can only guess from Kana's expression that it was probably amazing. Cut to Kana praising Aqua for using interesting acting methods and Aqua dismissing that as not that impressive at all actually. Well, if you say so I'm going to take your word for it you guys, but I'd really like to SEE what you were talking about. But it seems that Aqua is planning to pull out the big guns in the next episode so I'm keeping my hopes up.

Heavenly Delusion (ep. 4) - Lots of really interesting little things in this episode. Strap in, let's do some theory crafting. The weirdo babies are probably the monsters in the making. I wonder if all kids in the facility are going to be turned into monsters at some point. Tarao's sickness suggests that. I also thought that the fish with hands that Maru and Kiruko have been fighting has similar ability to Kuku's but Kuku seems to be alright, so there're other possibilities - that the kids are some sorts of inspirations for the monsters, that they are side-effects of research or something like that. Well, whatever it is I definitely want to find out. Things also look good on M&K side of things - beating the monster with the power of weed was great and I also liked the guy who was simping hard for his brother.

My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999! (ep. 4) - Wow, Akane is really dumb isn't she, taking so much time figuring out that Eita is Rurihime. I thought it was obvious by the end of the last episode but instead we had to spend a couple minutes just getting that out of the way. I also laughed a bit when Akane said that if Eita is a guy then there's no way that he and Yamada are in a relationship. I wonder if this cluelessness is going to be acknowledged at some point. The rest of the episode was alright. Runa's acting like a massive brat but I expect that after a little bit of conflict (maybe an episode or two) she'll chill out a bit. Akane doesn't seem aware that she's falling for Yamada, which would explain her total non-reaction to him still being a high-schooler in episode two. Anyway, do you remember what I wrote about Skip and Loafer last time, that I expected it to be something a bit different and had to readjust my expectations? Funnily enough when I sat down to watch Yamada-kun episode four I expected something more like Skip and Loafer and ended up being a bit disappointed. Speaking of which...

Skip and Loafer (ep. 4) - It's oddly refreshing to see a show in which the characters actually talk to each other, respect each others' feelings and don't act like dumb bricks all the time. I mean, the subplot with mr drama club pres roping Mitsumi into convincing Shima to act again? I feel like in many other series there'd be a couple of episodes of drama and misunderstandings following that premise. Here? Mitsumi just talks to Shima about it, empathises with him and tells the pres to kindly, shove off! DAMMIT this show is just so wholesome and nice. And this is before we even get to the second half of the episode and the importance of just chillin' out sometimes. I like Skip and Loafer more and more with each episode.

And, just like last time, I'm also catching up on GWitch and SpyFam.

The Witch from Mercury (ep. 4-6) - Holy shit, poor Elan. I heard that Gundam doesn't mess around with characters' deaths but this still took me off-guard. And there's also the mystery of what exactly did Prospera do and/or what is the real nature of Aerial. I can't wait to watch more. Even apart from episode six, so many great things happened in these three episodes. Chuchu punch! Guel acting all tsundere! Suletta's little breakdown during the exam (I love her so much)! This show's so good.

Spy x Family (ep. 4-5) - Episode 4 was a good adaptation of the manga but didn't elevate the source material much, it was pretty by the numbers. Episode 5 though? What a wild ride. I was mostly shocked at how amazing it looked. It seems that the studio decided to slow down the pace a bit so they stretched some manga chapters (it happened in ep. 3 as well) but that really gave them a chance to shine and flex with this original material. And I'm excited for the next episode, because you know what's coming... 𓁹‿𓁹

That's gonna be it from me. Thanks so much for reading and (hopefully) see you next week!

#anime spring 2023 #spring anime 2023 #anime #jigokuraku #hell's paradise #oshi no ko #tengoku daimakyou #heavenly delusion #yamada kun to lv999 no koi wo suru #my love story with yamada kun at lv999 #skip and loafer #skip to loafer #the witch from mercury #spy x family

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fritextramole · 10 months

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I've gone through my Netflix and Hulu lists to add their contents to the list, and in a week I'll be back from visiting my brother - so it's time for the next poll

Wealthy high school student Payton Hobart has known since he was 7 years old that he is going to be the president of the United States. The first step toward that goal is to become his school's student body president. To do that, he will have to navigate the treacherous political landscape of Saint Sebastian High School. Hobart feels he needs to win the election to secure his spot at Harvard and continue on his projected path to success. To achieve his goals, he'll have to outsmart his ruthless classmates without sacrificing his own morality and -- most importantly -- carefully crafted public image.

Veronica Mars used to be the popular girl with the cool friends and the jock boyfriend. A series of personal and family traumas have made her an outcast - albeit one with a sarcastic side and a snarky sense of humor. Now, she helps her private investigator father dig into the lives of the rich and famous in the messed-up town of Neptune, Calif.

British spy Fielding Scott is sent to Berlin in 1961 on a mission to find out why vital information is hemorrhaging; he must identify, expose, arrest, or eliminate the traitor.

`Apple Tree Yard' is an adaption of Louise Doughty's best-selling novel of the same name. Written by Amanda Coe, the four-part psychological-thriller stars Emily Watson, Ben Chaplin, Mark Bonnar, Susan Lynch and Steven Elder. The story follows Yvonne Carmichael, a married woman with two grown-up children, who appears have everything a career, a home and loving family. However when she meets the charming and mysterious Mark Costley, she finds herself making choices that could cost her everything that she values.

Elizabeth Bennet and her sisters attempt to navigate the world of love and high society in an age where class and money matter. Despite their differences, Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy manage to look past social standings and fall in love.

Four roommates navigate their new freedom on the prestigious campus of Essex College.

A Philadelphia couple is in mourning after an unspeakable tragedy creates a rift in their marriage and opens the door for a mysterious force to enter their home.

A family moves into their dream home, only to be plagued by ominous letters, strange neighbors and sinister threats.

A darkly comedic drama detailing the lives of three women living in three different decades: a housewife in the 60s, a socialite in the 80s, and a lawyer in 2019, each dealing with infidelity in their marriages.

"Dave" centers on a neurotic man in his late 20s who has convinced himself that he's destined to be one of the best rappers of all time. Now he must convince his closest friends, because with their help, he actually might convince the world. Simultaneously exasperating and inspiring to his friends, he vows to leave no stone unturned on his quest to become the next superstar. The half-hour comedy is based on the life of rapper and comedian Dave Burd, better known by his stage name Lil Dicky.

#the politician #veronica mars #spy city #apple tree yard #pride and prejudice 1995 #sex lives of college girls #servant #the watcher #why women kill #dave hulu

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ludrii · 1 year

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1. Games on your to-play list?

2. do you sleep with your door open or closed?

3. tell something supernatural that happened to you

4. what kind of reputation do you think you have?

5. what's your ideal job?

6. what made you start your blog?

7. What do you wish people would stop asking you?

8. If I could only know one thing about you, what would be the most important thing?

9. What was the last concept that inspired you?

10. Your last obsession? And why?

11 Do you ever want to get married?

12. A movie you like to re-watch?

1. Games on your to-play list?

Deathloop, a game about an assasin stuck in a timeloop, in the same day repeating again and again.. My friend played it and said it was cool, so I wanna check it out.

The The Upturned, horror comedy. Recommended by a friend again.

Then Ori and the Will of the Wisps, sequel to my beloved game Ori and the Blind Forest. Already got it, although I keep postponing the day I play it for some reason xD

Ah, and of course, Silksong, sequel to Hollow Knight. Or prequel, whatever. Just another game about bugs.

2. do you sleep with your door open or closed?

Closed, I can't imagine leaving it open, it fills me with unease.

Also our cat could just walk in and sleep in my bed.

3. tell something supernatural that happened to you

Hmm... I got a few

It's been a while, but me and my brother were home alone, and we were up past our bed time. We were on our way, but we just kept talking and talking.. Then we heard a clap. As if someone clapped their hands. That startled us for a while, but then we kept going, and talked more. When we've heard a loud "SHHHHH", we decided to go to sleep.

Sometimes when we were home alone again, we'd hear cutting noises come from the kitchen and then there would be bread crumbles, even tho our parents always clean it before leaving.

From the newer ones, I was once really upset, scrolling mindlessly on Tumblr, when a cold-ish air surrounded my hand. Kinda like a breeze, but static. And out of nowhere I could smell roses, despite it being winter and everything being frozen.

Oh and last time I was going down the street and stopped suddenly to look at something. Not the best idea cause someone could walk into me. Which almost happened- I heard the sound of boots scratching the pavement as someone right behind me had to stop just as suddenly as me. I turned around, kinda startled- and no one was there.

4. what kind of reputation do you think you have?

I always felt like my classmates thought I'm arrogant. I'm an outcast in my class. But it's getting better I think. I tried talking to them more so I could show them who I really am.

On here, on Tumblr.. just sum artist. I don't think I really have a reputation here at all. But I got a few people who care about me, and that fills me with happiness and determination.

5. what's your ideal job?

Heh, if only I knew. I need my freedom- I'm not much for structure, I find fulfillment in my own things I'm passionate about. I'm one hell of a procrastinator, I'm messy with socialising (I wanna but it drains me out, I need it but I can't, and then I need my alone time too), if I lose my passion my vision fades and it's hard for me to keep going. Sometimes I have a block and can't do The Thing and it sucks.

Busywork kills me. Standards kill me. I wanna do my own thing without outside pressure to meet some quota or goal I don't believe in.

Plus, school kills me too, and nowadays you can't do almost anything without a degree.

So, you tell me. I'm only built for dancing, drawing, and robots xD

6. what made you start your blog?

At first I just wanted to see where all the memes on Pinterest came from, but then I decided to do what I tried on Instagram long time ago and it failed- share my work. I just wanted others to see what I do, to spread the joy, so I tried it once more..

And without an algorithm killing it, it worked.

7. What do you wish people would stop asking you?

Uhhhhh "Can you draw me?" I suppose xD There's definitely some question that gets on my nerves, but I can't really think of one rn. I'm more tired of the "You're an adult, you should be independent and responsible and be able to do (x)"

8. If I could only know one thing about you, what would be the most important thing?

Uhhh idk? That I'm an artist?

9. What was the last concept that inspired you?

Hmm.. Asexual succubus was an interesting concept.

I felt more inspired by your drawing of us two though. Motivation bomb.

10. Your last obsession? And why?

Glados, I suppose, although it's not really an obssession, or at least not That Much. Tho she had me replay both Portal games, and replaying is not a thing I really do, especially if the story doesn't change. I dunno, she's just snarky and sarcastic and funny and I'm addicted to her voice. Idk.

Actually what am I saying. That was some time ago. Now it's Helluva Boss and Hazbin Hotel. Idk. Demons funny.

11 Do you ever want to get married?

No. Well, maybe. Like, I'm open up to the concept, but it's not my lifelong wish, if you get me. Depends. Rn more opposed to the idea though. Maybe to prove a point you don't need to get married to lead a meaningful and happy life, idk..

12. A movie you like to re-watch?

Robots (2005), Megamind (2010), How To Train Your Dragon (2010), Shrek 1 and 2, Interstellar, Martian (2015), the Men In Black trilogy, the original X-Men trilogy, The Incredibles 1 and 2, Wall-E,

Oh wait, just noticed you wrote "movie" not "movies"-

Well, too late now xD

#Thank for asking!#this was fun #noodlez #ludrii asks #I know it's been a while since you've asked this shhh xD

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