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#not to say theyre the greatest things ever now either
oflgtfol · 2 years
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well i did say that first time photographing would not look good
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zan0tix · 1 year
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Do you have thoughts about Dirk and Jake's relationship in canon? I am not anti dirkjake but I do have a hard time understanding the ship and why it's so massively popular. /gen (I have not yet read the epilogues so I'm just working off of whats in the comic)
Oh boy. DO I. Im currently working on a powerpoint presentation thatll be a little guide/recap/compilation.. thing about them whilst im reading act 6 and ill post it whenever i finish rereading the comic and writing all my notes! It will go into all the little bits of dialogue about eachother or narrative ties to certain things and such and such. (Will probably post this some time in the next two months or three. no guarantees)
But! The portrayal of their relationship and who they are and their struggles felt so real to me and it constantly astounds me that theres a fictional character who accurately displayed my own struggles in such a sincere way i feel like im getting put on blast when people psychoanalyise jake english orz
Homestucks character writing and thematic paralleling are some of its best assets and dirkjake are FULL of some of homestucks greatest moments of both. I would say that this post from @/tomatograter goes more into detail about those said moments and also alot of the other reasons i like them! And what they said in this post was true!-
-Theres just so much you can explore in homestuck through their relationship and aaaguh i love it i love it and theyre so important to the overall narrative and its just so nice to see openly gay rep that is as realistic and honest as them in a story like homestuck.
Being a teenager myself coming of age stories are the stories i relate to and find captivating the most right now and i dont think ive seen another piece of media go about its teen characters the way homestuck did. Its got problems on the handling of said characters but i dont think ive read anything else as raw and honest about personal issues teens face growing up and how they affect relationships (of all kinds!) and dirkjake are a big part of that for me!
I dont really like majority of fanon interpretations of dirkjake i wont lie (alot of.. flanderisation and blatant mischaracterisation) i dont really keep track of fandom stuff or ship popularity i just like enjoying what i enjoy and drawing things and talking about it with friends haha
And i have not read the epilogues either! i know the gist of the events in each timeline and i read a couple chapters but that was like years ago at this point and i dont think i will ever attempt to read them or homestuck^2. Some of the ideas that were present couldve been interesting but i honestly have no interest in going anywhere near it from what ive read about it. It sounds like a total shitshow and its not required to enjoy homestuck proper anyway so ¯_(ツ)_/¯
But!! if youd like to hear more about dirkjake in canon id totally reccomend tomatograter's other posts on them!!! his analysis was the thing that made me Really interested homestuck and hehe im grateful because now im here. This post has alot more of his meta commentary about them and theyre all really interesting reads :D
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notthestarwar · 5 months
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for the WIP game, can you tell me more about ‘Fox gets a job- quin/ Fox’ 👀👀
thank you for asking!
OK so i know i've talked about this on here before but i love this au so i'm gonna repeat myself a bit probably.
so its set post war, no order 66. The idea is that the war opened everyones eyes to cloning, in a very bad way. loads of half bit criminals are like. free labour? people we can raise to do whatever we want? why don't we give it a try. theres a background of a lot of shitty gangs going about trying out cloning in a way that would horrify the kaminoans really. this is not good science, this is comic book-esque backstreet cloning in order to take advantage of people.
they are largely not successful. the problem isnt that there are loads of gang owned clones around. the problem is that they keep trying even tho they dont know shit about cloning and so vulnerable ppl are getting kidnapped off the streets for gennetic material and in a baby farm type way to grow clones in. its bad.
enter fox. he's drifting after the war. he doesnt really know what too do with his life. he is looking for a job and he says he wants a job but everytime he gets an interview he's overly honest and tells them things like 'yeah i killed my last boss' (palpatine) and 'my greatest flaw? i'm too competent. it makes my bosses feel inferior' and so understandably nobody will give him a job
he doesnt actually need a job. quin is paying all his bills cause theyre in a weird not relationship and wont admit they care about eachother. fox is deadly embarrased about whatever quin funding him and spending all his days off in fox's apartment might signify and so it is a MASSIVE SECRET that must be kept from fox's brothers.
so fox at this point in his life, stumbles on to one of these cloning ops and ends up helping someone. and it becomes kind of addictive. he wont admit it but helping these people, who are being hurt by cloning, settles something in him. maybe it settles the thing in him that he wont admit is so hurt by the cards he and his brothers have been dealt, by what was done to them.
so fox sets up as a private investigator. but because he's a weirdo who runs from intimacy he kind of. doesnt tell anyone (he cant. this is important to him) but of course, his brothers find out anyway and they also find out that he's running the worst business ever because he's not taking money from his clients. because he doesnt feel right doing it.
now where this is building to (and this is the part that i kinda got stuck on) is he stumbles on to a BIG criminall gang cloning conspiracy. one where they are actually succeeding in cloning people. he ends up investigating this one with Boba! which pretty much happens cause at the start before he knows how big this is, he walks in to this lab, and who has also broken in to the lab and is investigating the same conspiracy? BOBA. and its just like. fox and boba stood on either side of this illegal lab like. spiderman meme pointing. looking out of the window of a car as they drive past each other. that vibe.
and the rest of the story is boba and fox on this unwilling team up. neither of them wanting to admit to feelings but having to kind of both admit. yeah. bad things happened to us and i dont like the idea of anyone else being out there with similar stuff happening to them. they also unwillingly get close. then theres the side plot of fox having to admit his feelings when it comes too quin and admit that theyre kinda living like theyre in a committed relationship without the words. and then the other thing thats going on in the background is cody and obi wan, who are living together, in a happy relationship apart from the fact that they never have an empty house becuase one of them is aways inviting some wayward sibling or other to stay with them. cody and obi wan respectively have no shortage of family so its just constant and both of them act like theyre annoyed each time the others do it, but really, its why they love each other and theyre both so big brother coded and yeah.
so i know i've alread shared some bits of this here and here (and possibly theres a third one floating around here as welll? cant find it)
so here are some other snippets from other parts of the au:
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and from a bit later on, a quin/fox bit
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later on, fox being uncharactaristially honest (it's easier when the person doesnt matter to him)
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and finally, fox's thoughts on the cloning problem
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and i've shared loads sorry so i'll stop now, but yeah. this is an idea i am very excited about and i am very frustrated that i havent been able to form a conspiracy that fits right for him and boba to investigate
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bunny-heels · 10 months
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its the very obvious choice like surface level to say that Ending 4 is what i would consider the canon ending cause like "oh obviously i think it should be this cause its the good ending" but really its cause 1. its not the GREATEST ending and 2. it's genuinely the most realistic
like from endings 1 to 3, i totally believe that Simon would have those thoughts about the world in his last moments. theyre all very accurate mindsets to have when in a depressive state and youre about to end your life, especially depending on how you feel in that moment. what doesnt make sense to me though is him being able to kill either Purnell and Sophie. and its mostly because how the fuck would he have been able to do that in the first place. Sophie i kinda can see happening if shes overall weak and Simon has stronger upper body strength and its taking place in his apartment, which its shown to be, but i still feel like she could easily over power him. but it does not make sense to me at all how he would've gotten away with killing Purnell. especially in Purnell's apartment and not Simon's??? that doesnt make sense???? there wouldnt have been anyway for him to have been able to kill them and gotten away with it, they both could easily get away from him and get the police involved instantly.
Ending 4 is also realistic in that its still a pretty bittersweet thing. like yeah, Simon does get help, has a better relationship with Purnell, and gets to hang out with Sophie again, but he still killed 2 guys, got sent to a hospital where hes going to live in for the rest of his life, and the doctors believe that Sophie visiting him isnt that great for his progress. not to mention when Sophie does visit Simon apologizes to her saying she's wasting her time on him, but she still insist on being there for him, even when she has a new friend that apparently treats her better. and yknow, obviously Simon is still paralyzed.
but i do think the sweetness of it is that it shows a realistic depiction of someone finally getting help but not INSTANTLY becoming better. like his mental state is still clearly not the best, but at least he has support on all sides now that are there for him when he needs it. he didnt instantly get cured of his depression like it was a physical illness and its nice that it shows that he clearly needs the help because he cant do it himself. but its not a bad thing for him to need help basically staying alive. its a good thing because now he has an actual chance at getting better. and it gives a positive light to people like Simon where they need that extra help. it shows that they arent weak and that what they go through is serious and sometimes you really cant just rely on yourself to make ever okay.
fucking sucks that the creator is a god damn weirdo but. yeah i agree that cry of fears depiction of depression is extremely accurate.
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yeahiwasintheshit · 1 year
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Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles
so some magazine, sight and sound, named Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles the GREATEST FILM OF ALL TIME, last year. i hadnt heard of it before and found out its actually on hbomax right now, and decided to watch it. well it isnt... the greatest film. i dont know sight and sound but clearly they are either trolling or theyre the pretentious film snobs types, and being an art school faggot, i kinda loved it too. its by no means the greatest film ever tho. its just not. people will absolutely hate this, and tbh maybe that makes me love it more. but its pure film snob wankery. LOOOOONNNNGGGGG boring static unedited shots of this woman, jeanne dielman, making meatloaf, folding her sons clothes, washing dishes, getting dressed, sitting, getting undressed, walking to the store, taking a bath, reading a letter, dusting, buttoning up her housedress, waiting for the elevator, making breaded veal cutlets, waiting on the elevator, fixing her bed, eating dinner with her son, drinking coffee, wondering if the milk went bad, peeling potaotes, shining her sons shoes, buying groceries, prostituting herself... all very common boring housewife things. and all these scenes were shot with the camera LOCKED DOWN. not one zoom or close up in the whole french movie. yes, its also in french with subtitles, but dont let the language barrier dissuade you from watching it because in the whole 3 hours and 20 minutes of the movie, there may be 18 minutes total of dialogue. its mostly a silent film. a 3 hour and 20 minute silent film, and if you think: silent film... it must has a nice score? no. nope. no score/soundtrack whatsoever. just lots of sound of jeanne dielman’s heels on the hardwood floors tho. lol and even with all that i watched every damn minute of its 3 hour and 20 minute run time, waiting to see what was going to happen next. i didnt pick up my phone once. i didnt even fall asleep. part of the reason was the lead actress, Delphine Seyrig, who really made the movie worth watching. she has the film presence thing... i dont know. captivating to watch. the movie starts with a hook that keeps you waiting to see what is going to happen next. this woman clearly has a very strict rigid life, where daily tasks are repeated exactly the same over and over and over again. her life is on a loop day in and out. and once you see the cracks in that regimented life, things... change... for her, and you start to wonder how someone who lives so precisely can handle change. i wont say anything to spoil, but this worked on me. i was with jeanne dielman the whole way through. loved it.
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sometransgal · 1 year
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do you have any music recs? i’m so bored of my current stuff
Ah that's tough without knowing your tastes but I'll go with my main crowd pleasers first and my weirder ones second
Crowd Pleasers:
Orville Peck - Fantastic queer country music and a great place to start if you think country is bad but are willing to have your mind changed. Try his first album Pony out!
Motionless In White - If you had an emo phase and like heavier metal then i highly recommend them, I've listened since i was a teen and I've always enjoyed. I recommend starting with their album Infamous
Ghost - Consistently described as Metal for people who dont like Metal but honestly I think there's something for everyone to enjoy as long as you can jive with their spooky satanic aesthetics. I personally love their album Impera
Against Me! - Look if youre on my blog you've likely heard of Against Me, theyre a trans leftist phenomenon but just in case you haven't definitely give them a whirl! I especially recommend the album Transgender Dysphoria Blues
Bad Cop/Bad Cop - All woman punk band that I enjoy quite a bit they're album Warriors was my shit back when i was 20
Ramshackle Glory/Pat the Bunny - If you like folk punk you've probably heard them but if you havent I say give them a whirl. I prefer Ramshackle Glory but since they only released a few things if you want more try Pat the Bunny out since he was one of the members. Their live album Live the Dream is great.
Now for the weirder/far less crowd pleaser-y stuff
Days n Daze - More folk punk! Theyre a lot of fun but folk punk isnt for everyon and Days n Daze isnt for everyone either
Moist - If you want to listen to what the ages of 12-16 sounded like to me you should give Moist a try. Theyre indie canadian grunge and while maybe not the greatest ever have a special place in my heart. I recommend starting with their album Creature.
Heilung - How does one describe Heilung... they're basically just dark viking music with heavy pagan elements. They're whole goal is to make music that sounds like you're back in time during a pagan ritual and it works great. Also because theyre a band with that as a descriptor i should say they've explicitly told white supremacists in their audience their music wasn't for them.
Also here's an added bonus of a link to my top 100 on Spotify from last year, there's a lot of random shit in it so who knows if you'll find something you like or not
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bottomburt · 3 months
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gonna be a big venty post about a lot of things im sad about
its not gonna be everything obviously
also dont worry, im ok, im absolutely terrified of dying so my life isnt at risk or anything
i honestly hate my apartment, i wish i didnt have to pay 2000+ dollars a month for what feels like a hotel room. i wish i could be in a house. i want to live in a place that feels like where a person would spend their life in, and this apartment just doesnt feel like that. i hate having to use a community laundry area. i want my own laundry room i want a place that feels like an actual fucking home and not a pair of rooms joined together with some extras like a bathroom and a kitchen. i want an actual living space. i want a front and back yard. i dont want to have to climb 2 flights of stairs just to get back home. i hate living in this place. theres roaches every now and then and im scared theyre gonna keep coming back. i hate not having a garage. i hate having a closes thats barely enough to fit most of the things i have. i dont like the general feeling of the people around me. i dont like being around university students. i hate living right next to a shopping center when its loud as fuck late at night. i wish i had chosen something different.
i hate feeling so lonely lately. 3 out of the 7 days in a week im just at my desk or in my bed just waiting until i feel ready to stream and talk to fucking no one for hours on end. i dont want a roommate though because i like the experience of having to take care of myself. it only sucks when im by myself with my own thoughts and nothing to do and everything to think and the sound of my own voice in my own head gets so grating i just want to hear another person speak to me for once. and the days i do have social interactions are just classrooms where im so burnt out from the classes that i just dont have much to say.
my classes are so fucking stressful. im more stressed out about classes than i ever have been. it doesnt help its adding onto the stress of renting an apartment but the classes feel so much more time consuming and exhausting this semester. one of my classes requires 10+ discussion posts on full chapters of reading and i really just am not motivated to do any of it. the in class time is honestly really good and i like my teachers, but the time outside of class just feels like a 30 ton weight on my shoulders that i just have to drag around until may.
i miss inky so much.
i keep ordering food and it really bothers me. i have the greatest opportunity to cook for myself but i either keep ordering food or the times i do cook for myself end up feeling unsatisfying. i feel like im fucking up cooking rice. i dont even know how thats possible. the rice keeps getting weirdly soggy and gross every time i make it and it just hasnt been the same since the first time i made it. i dont know what im fucking up. its so annoying trying to make rice that just doesnt want to turn out how i want it to.
i have so many boxes that i need to throw out but havent had time to. i know it'll make me feel better if i do but i just can never get any sort of motivation to do it.
the light strips i have put up have been barely hung up for months now. theres a big section of the light strip that i havent put back up so like half of it has just been hanging off the wall and honestly ive just been hoping itll fall on its own so i finally have a reason to put it back up properly. itll just stay like that i guess.
im generally unhappy with my streams as of late. its the same feeling ive felt before where i put in so much effort to my streams and it just never feels like it pays off. i could never quit though because i absolutely love streaming, but even just having a tiny piece of the interactivity that other streamers have would be nice.
i think thats all im really sad about, it felt nice to put it somewhere
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iwadori · 3 years
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hii there !! i'd like to request a haikyuu boys hyping you up before a game with akaashi, tsukishima and kageyama,, tyvm !!
Hyping you up before a game (Akaashi, Kageyama, Tsukishima)
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Can I just say everyone go read @fichyu ‘s works cause theyre an amazing writer (and one of my first followers.) Thanks forrr the request
Word Count: 1.5k
genre: angst (if you squint) fluff
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Akaashi
You were about to play your last match in the tournament besides nationals
You were nervous to say the least
In the previous match you played you made a mistake which nearly cost your team the game, making you all the more nervous
You were in the locker room pacing around the room with your hands shaking. You didn’t want to mess up, you can’t mess up. After the last game your team all looked at you with disappointment and sadness making you feel terrible. Your mood felt a bit better in the match when you saw Akaashi in the crowd, if only you could talk to him right now.
Just then, someone knocked on the locker room door and said “Y/N, are you in there?” it was Akaashi, thank god. “Yeah, I’m in here...” you said quietly.  
He came in and gave you a hug which you desperately received “You did great in that game Y/N.” he said.
“No, I did terrible...the whole team hates me now.” you reply with a frown forming on your face like a sad puppy.
“Gosh Y/N you are so melodramatic sometimes” he laughed “All you did was let one ball go out..”
“But Keiji I-”
“You still won, didn’t you?” he asked looking down at you “right?”
“Yes, we did win” you say rolling your eyes.
“Well, that settles it then Y/N, you won you’re the ace not TM/N or TM/N... it’s you.” he starts “Now it’s the last game before you get to go to nations babe, you’re going to do great!”
He lets go of you and holds your hand, as you walk towards the court, he brushes his thumb over your hand in a calming motion to relax your nerves. When you get there, your team calls you over with smiles on your face and you look back to Akaashi one more time.  
“Don’t worry about it Y/N, I’ll be out there in the crowds cheering you on.” he gives you a hug and a final kiss on the forehead before finishing with “Now go be the ace and win the game.”
After Akaashi’s prep talk, you’ve never felt better. You jog over to the team feeling pumped and ready to the play. The game was hard, a tit for tat with the opposing team battling out for the point. You were on your Agame playing the best performances you’ve ever played. Everytime you scored, you heard Akaashi cheer and yell things like “That’s my s/o!”, “Y/N you’re the best.” which boosted your playing even more.
You end up winning the game with Akaashi smiling at you and telling you “I told you so” after his pep-talk ended up being true. You led your team to nationals with Akaashi coming to every game with his usual cheers and praise.
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Tsukishima.
You were fairly new on your volleyball team.
You didn’t get to play in much matches, and you mainly stayed on the bench but that didn’t matter to you.
You did join a few games as the pinch server, and it was a daunting feeling as when you were subbed in you were usually the ultimate game changer.
The day before todays game, your coach told you that unless you get injured you’ll be playing every minute of todays match which deeply worried you. Especially since, the team your playing against you’ve played with before and in that last match you were subbed in as the pinch server and when you hit the ball your serve went out. Causing your team to lose.
The team assured you that stuff like that happen, and it is completely fine and no one blamed you. But you didn’t care, you practiced your serves and your skills over the next time period making sure you wouldn’t cost the team the match.
Your team was prepared and ready for the match, but you definitely weren’t. You look down and see  a message from your boyfriend,
Tsukishima: come outside  
You went outside and saw your boyfriend there with a one of those colourful cheering things (you know the ones they use in the haikyu games to cheer.) “Kei I didn’t know you were going to be here?” you say a bit surprised.
“Well surprise Y/N..” he said in a deadpan voice.  
You smiled before getting nervous again thinking about how close the game is about to start. Tsukishima grabs your hands to stop them from shaking, and says “What’s wrong Y/N?”
“Tsukki, you saw what happened at the last game, how my shitty serve cost us the game.” you huff in annoyance.  
“Y/N, I'm never gonna understand your love for volleyball but I know that you’re great. You’ll do great.” he says watching you smile “I’ve seen the way your eyes light up when you step onto the court and how you put your all in everything and it makes me fall in love with you even more every time I watch you play.”
“Thank you Tsukishima, but what if I-”  
“You won’t, and even if you do who cares” he says “It’s just a stupid volleyball game anyways” he jokes making you laugh and boosting your spirits.
All your serves were great this game, trying out your recently learned float serve and mastering it every time blowing the competition away. Everyone was amazed by your powerful serves ones which the opposition’s libero couldn’t pick up, scoring more and more points.
You win the game, and your team labels you the MVP of the game, which was well deserved. Tsukishima treated you to a date, a movie and jokes and comments about your opposing team. Ending in a good night.
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Kageyama
You were always excited and hyper, the opposite of kageyama making you a perfect match.
You weren’t that good at volleyball to begin with but you were obsessed with the sport.
You lacked some basics skills for volleyball but made up for it with your powerful jumps, spikes and skills.
Kageyama always seemed very interested in your volleyball games, watching and commenting on your setter’s skill or lack thereof. But when it came to you his interest shown heavily. He wanted to be at every practice, practice game, mini tournament or competition or even if it was a little toss about in the park. He was always interested.  
Even when you were getting a ball to the face or completely missing the ball on your spikes, Kageyama always was invested. Although he didn’t fully know about the sport, whenever you were feeling down or wanted to rant about the problems that involved volleyball he was always there to listen. Making Kageyama the best boyfriend.
What made him either better was in moments like these. Your team just got off the bus and you felt like you were going to throw up your insides. But you saw kageyama standing outside the entrance of the stadium with a small smile on his face and yoghurt in his hand.
“Tobio!” You exclaim wrapping him in a hug.
“Hi Y/N, are you ready for the game?” he asked making you even more anxious.
“No, I feel like I'm going to throw up,” you say with a frown “I think I need to go to the bathroom...”
“Y/N you’ll be fine, eat this it’ll keep your stamina up.” he said handing you the yoghurt.
“Oooh it seems someone's been keeping up with their health facts.” you say teasingly
“Oh, shut up dumbass.” he said squishing your head “But anyways, you shouldn’t worry because although you are lacking in most of the basic skills that are apparently required for volleyball, the way you play exceeds all that and I’ve seen your hard work and efforts and they’ll definitely play off in this match....as long as you manage to not get hit in the face with the ball.” he jokes at the end.
“Oh shusssh” you say playfully hit in his side “But thank you, Tobio I’ll try my best, especially for you.” you kiss him on the cheek leaving him blushing and frozen as you skip off with your team inside.
The game was great, all your serves manage to go over the net and for the time you played for you did great. You and the setter were working in tandem, you hitting every one of their tosses and scoring many points. Kageyama was cheering loudly in the audience, making you smile every time he said your name you were filled with more confidence reminding you of something he said to you a while ago “As long as I'm with you, I'm the greatest,” which showed you more proof of Kageyamas pride over you as having you as his s/o.
You obviously win the game and Kageyama could never be happier. You spent the rest of the night going over the whole game that Kageyama recorded (in full soccer mum likeness.) With Kageyama singing your praises and your faults every time.
AN: I had fun writing this one.... and if you notice I kind of related Y/N to some particular haikyu boys in each scenario jiihesjkhdf but yh i hope you enjoy.
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steveharrington · 2 years
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pls post all ur thoughts on no way home i am looking for reasons to live and your opinion on spiderman is one
you make me blush..........
this is actually really good timing because i saw nwh about a week ago so i've had time to marinate and reflect. first let me say i enjoyed the movie and had a lot of fun watching it <3! ok now im gonna tear it apart.
this movie is so insanely complicated. its embarrassing for the mcu to blatantly copy into the spiderverse and do it so BADLY? like i have always hated time travel and multiverse stuff because its confusing but when i watched itsv i was simply blown away by how succinctly they explained the multiverse. i think the greatest strength of itsv's plot is that it doesnt overexplain things. oh theres a machine that opens our dimension up to others and it got messed up? great cool! but nwh is like okay so there's this spell and its very dangerous but dr. strange does it anyways (?) and it gets messed up because peter. talked during it. but its fine because its contained inside a little box but not really because now villains from other dimensions are coming through but its okay because we can send them home but ONLY if peter finds them and brings them to the dungeon first BUT ned also has powers now (??) and he brings the other spidermen into this dimension which like idk why they didnt just come when the villains did but whatever but also peter feels bad now because theyre gonna die etc etc etc like just the basic conflict of the movie can only be reached once you get past all these explanations and circumstances and i hate that tbh!! i dont think a spiderman movie should be that fuckin complicated!! but that's a byproduct of where the mcu is now that they want to incorporate characters from their existing tv series and characters from other franchises. they Have to explain how a sony spiderman got into this movie so they Have to jump through hoops. it sucks! but anyways
im happy with the way they incorporated tobey and andrew. it was really well done. i was so worried it was just gonna be like....5 minutes of content and just a bunch of references without any substance but it wasn't and i'll give them that. i think letting andrew's peter kind of find closure from gwen's death was really nice and meaningful. also andrew is just so funny. and since im talking about andrew's peter and gwen anyways i might as well say something controversial. i dont............care about tom's peter and zendaya's mj. LET ME BE CLEAR i fucking love and adore zendaya and i think she's great. and tom's good too. but like every peter & mj moment in this movie just made me fucking bored like they speak to each other in such a fucking serious & heavy way the whole time. there's no levity or humor between them. andrew's peter and gwen had such a good established back and forth and i think what makes her death so jarring in tasm2 is that until that point, their relationship is so light and fun. tom's peter and mj don't ever seem to have any fun lmao they dont feel like 17 year olds in a happy relationship. im not saying theyre in an unhappy relationship, either, it's clear they love each other! but it's a drag to watch them interact because every interaction they have in this movie feels so heavy and serious and then when the ending happens and they have reason act in a way that's heavy and serious i didn't really feel anything because they're Always like that. and again it's not zendaya or tom's faults i think it's the mcu's writing and the way they're so hellbent on raising the stakes until tom's peter just lives an unbeliveably horrible life. i also didn't feel sad when may died idk maybe it's me!!
now let me nitpick a little. and let me also say that i was a tasm warrior when those movies came out okay. i LOVED tasm2 like i ADORED that movie and still do. and the haters always said noooo its confusing its not well written. and now they wanna come crawling back. yeah sure okay. anyways. they didn't respect the legacy of tasm2 in this movie :( electro didn't act like the electro we knew in tasm2. in that movie, even at the end when he's about to die and nwh picks up, he's just coming into his powers for the first time and he's insecure and his vendetta against spiderman is coming from a very personal place of hurt. in this movie he's just like...a cocky guy. they gave him mcu disease. not to mention the stupid little line where curt connors is like "last time i saw you, you were a little geek" UH how would curt connors have known him?? max was very clearly a nobody who no one at oscorp paid any attention to. so fuck that. also i know ive said this many times but the lack of Any mention of dane dehaan's harry osborn is just dumbbbbb like he was the main big bad of tasm2 and he was setting up the now defunct sinister six (rip) and he KILLED GWEN. the storyline that andrew's peter is still dealing with in this movie. and he never once mentions harry. thats just bizarre to me.
i cant rlly think of anything else these are all my big thoughts. i really don't know where the mcu can go from here. this movie is so messy and complicated and that's only going to increase as the web of marvel's properties continues to tangle. they refuse to step down from their "crossover of the century" mentality because they're banking more on big, midnight premiere crowd screaming type moments than the coherency of their individual movies. if they want to keep bringing in characters from their netflix shows, their disney+ shows, their franchises owned by sony etc etc they're going to end up just making it all into a huge mess that you're required to watch every single installment of to understand. and yknow i love that tom's spiderman has reached the reset point of being who the character actually is. i feel like that was the mcu's acknowledgment that they really fucked him up by making him iron man jr. who fights crime in space with giant robot spider arms. but it cant stay that way right?? because sooner or later the mcu's insistence on making everything bigger and better is going to drag tom's spiderman into space again and he's going to become a larger scale hero again. which is fine! but it will never be as good as tobey and andrew's peters
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Fic idea
Everybody lives/Nobody dies AU set during the restoration of Erebor
Every able body has a job because its the beginning of winter and if they want to move into the mountain before it snows they have to clear it and patch any outer holes pretty fast
Bilbo can't do much because he's not as physically strong as a dwarf so he helps the wounded for a while and after that ends up in charge of food distribution and because hes the only one with the patience and (drilled in) manners ends up being the diplomatic negotiator when it comes to getting the food
and occasionally other items because dwarves dont want to deal with elves and elves dont want to deal with dwarves
So Thorin has recovered enough to start being a king again and it takes him a while (since hes either struggling to move about or sitting in meetings he cant run from) but he eventually realizes Bilbo has ended up with most of the work and duties assigned to the Queen Consort
Thorin feels all warm inside but he feels bad that Bilbo doesnt know about all this and decides he'll tell him next time he sees him...
...except next few times he sees him Thorin can't get him alone or Thorin gets called away. And then Thorin makes the mistake of imagining what it would be like if Bilbo was his consort... and never gets around to telling him because this way Thorin can keep playing pretend
This comes back to bite him of course because all his decisions do eventually
Way back when his grandfather was on the throne and they still had their kingdom Thorin's family set him up in a arranged marriage. It fell through after Smaug and last Thorin knew she was betrothed to some other dwarf
Well turns out he died before they ever got married and now that Thorin is on the throne and has his kingdom back her and her parents want to revive the engagement
They show up and Thorin obviously doesnt want to do this. He hasnt even fully recovered enough to actually bask in his glory and happiness. His largest argument against it is that Fili and Kili are already his heirs, and since arranged marriages are only created to ensure the continuation of the royal line (with the whole 1/3 population being female and therefore scarce) theres no need
Why all that is happening shes ambitious and tracks down Bilbo and asks to be included in the affairs, since is to be the Queen and he is doing the Queen's duties
Which of course Bilbo didnt know about as theres no royalty in the Shire
Thorin doesnt know she did this until she comes into a meeting with Bilbo since shes shadowing him (well as much as a Queen-to-be can shadow)
Thorin is angry. Bilbo looks mad. Thorin is now scared.
He thinks Bilbo is mad he's been doing a job equal to the King's workload and nobody told him. Thorin knows he shouldve given Kili that job as soon as he was recovered (since Fili as Crown Prince is shadowing Thorin) or got over his little fantasies and told Bilbo himself
Bilbo is actually mad that 1) Thorin is getting married and no one told him (which isnt actually confirmed but the bride acts like it is) 2) Thorin has been engaged this whole time (not true) 3) she keeps messing with his system and his charts
Bilbo as a hobbit has had manners drilled into his very core so of course he's "willing" to work with Thorin's betrothed for hours each day. Of course he acts like everything is fine. Of course he says nothing bad about her to her soon-to-be family
So of course Thorin (and Fili and Kili and Dis if shes there) think Bilbo is perfectly fine and any irritation he has is coming from having to keep adjusting his schedule and his system. Or elves. You can always count on elves to ruin your day
Then to Thorin's horror it starts to look like theyre becoming friends
Once Bilbo gets over the greatest of his itty-bitty (ha!) heartbreak he actually likes her. He really tries not to.
When that happens Thorin decides hes got to put a stop to this and puts his foot down. He is the king and his word is final. He is not getting married.
After that whole fiasco Bilbo is mad at him again 1) he has to adjust his system again to get it back where it was since hes obviously gonna have to go back to doing this himself without a partner 2) Thorin has no tact and now Bilbo and several others are scrambling to fix this mess 3) Thorin will marry someone eventually, and now the pain is being drawn out
Also Thorin never specified why he doesnt want to marry her and that brings up its own set of problems (such as insulting her whole house)
The company sends Biblo in to get answers on that last one because apparently hes the only one other than Dis that can drag answers out of him, and Dis knows but wont tell them.
Its the end of a very long day, Bilbo does not want to do this. Thorin really doesnt want to deal with this anymore tonight. Neither get what they want
Thorin says things that make this worse because of course he did
Anyways Thorin doesnt get his act together until hes informed that Bilbo has made preparations to leave mid-spring
Thorin is heartbroken which means he does one of two things: get angry and in your face, or get silent and isolate himself
Its only mid-winter now which means if someone doesnt do something this is gonna drag out another 3-4 months
Bilbo still goes around and sees his friends and basically ignores Thorin because he will not have the last weeks with the greatest friends he'll ever have get passed up because hes moping around over being in love with a king. A dwarf king. A king of incredibly secretive people. Most of his people dont trust him with anything beyond broad organization. As if he stood a chance
The days start getting longer which mean feasts will happen soon which mean Bilbo and Thorin have to actually talk to each other one-on-one
Thorin ends up swallowing his pride and apologizing. Goes back to what he thinks is the beginning of all this and also apologizes for not telling Bilbo about consort duties which gets Bilbo all confused because what does that have to do with anything? Unless its him making assumptions about hobbits? So Thorin has to explain why he didnt tell him that he was doing the consort's duties
Bilbo is all like "oh..." and instead of doing the easy thing and telling Thorin he likes him back he decides to go the embarrassing route of "thats why you kept giving me jewelry and gifts! You like me!" Eventually he gets around to telling Thorin that he likes him and he was only leaving because him getting married and therefore replacing Bilbo just reminded him that he doesnt belong here with dwarves and he really didnt want to still be in Erebor the next time the topic of weddings come up (just wait till Thorin finds out Kili fancies a elf... hopefully Fili's future engagement is less rough then this while fiasco)
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sanstropfremir · 3 years
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episode 9 baby!!! dear lord that was a lot!!
frankly, i'm still in shock that i full on manifested an opera stage, AND it was a rock opera stage at that! plus i got a jazz stage AND a taemin stage??? if they’re pulling out all my favourites now then what on earth are they gonna do in the finale??? this was a very overwhelming crop of stages, i thought i was going to be prepared, but oh no i was not prepared. i'm just going to get right into it because this one is gonna be long and i have many words. i'll discuss in airing order first, and then put my personal rankings for this round at the end.
btob
costume
changsub, you absolute king. spectacular. stunning. incredible. zoot suit riot playing in my brain on repeat. will i finally get the zoot suit revival of my fucking dreams instead of this current drab ill-fitting suit trend? for those who are wondering why in the fuck changsub is dressed like that and what on earth i’m talking about, the specific cut of suit that he’s wearing is called a zoot suit, which were popular in mexican, black and italian american communities in the 30s and 40s, until they were outlawed by the united states war production board as a fabric rationing method as part of the war effort in 1942. there was a huge amount of mob violence surrrounding the wearing of them (there were actual zoot suit riots) as they were direct counter culture fashion to the predominant drab trends of white americans at the time. i'm actually very impressed they got a proper (modernized) cut of zoot suit instead of just putting him in an oversized one; there are actually specific structural differences. the pegged trouser legs, large should pads, and knee length single breasted jacket are key features, and they were often in much more flashy fabrics than a pinstripe, but they get points for effort. i wish they had put all of them in zoot suits but he’s playing the ‘lead’ actor so i will begrudgingly forgive them.
eunkwang those are the stupidest sleeve garters ive ever seen i love them never take them off. they’re like someone decided to repurpose a suspender in the worst way. excellent. i do love that they’ve got three of them in oxford saddle shoes, another great touch.
love the three piece and the fedora* on peniel. it's also in a relatively close period cut; waistcoasts (vests) were generally cut much higher in the neck pre-war, we only start seeing the neckline slide down in the 60s (i think? i don’t remember when exactly). also love to see a proper sleeve and jacket length, it's good practice to have at least a finger’s width of sleeve cuff visible ahead of the jacket sleeve when hanging at rest. also looks like there’s french cuffs on everyone, which is also great.
minhyuk in his slutty lowneck shirt....thank you. in addition to the zoot suit revival i would also like a revival of those ultra low necklines on mens’ shirts from like 2010-2011. i don’t think those are the same boots from the backdoor stage but those are some beautifully cut boots. i also loved the little details of his crewmember look, especially the chunky watch and the string bracelets; those are super realistic, i know so many crew with them and i had several for many years. and who doesn’t love a visible button fly?
none of any of the other costumes are period in any way shape or form but i’m forgiving it because there’s several layers of meta in this stage, and they explicitly based it on la la land, even though we don’t respect la la land in this house. do i wish they had gone more strictly period with at least the jazz club ‘actors’ a little more? absolutely, but i'm not mad about it.
set
again we’ve got a good delineation of the two different ‘stages,’ there’s the club itself in the smaller stage and the soundstage set in the larger space. you can pretty clearly see all the ‘pieces’ of the set on the soundstage, especially the obvious set painting techniques on false prosc frame and the window facade from that first little scene. also the you can see the castors (wheels) on all the setpieces too, which is another nice little versimilitudinous** (triple word score!) touch, as old hollywood movies were made still using theatre stagecraft techniques.
i love how the visual shorthand for ‘this is a set wink wonk’ is just...leaving a ladder on stage. i see it all the time and it's so funny. it doesn’t always make sense because as soon as there’s actors on set the ladders are the first thing cleared because actors cannot be trusted, but yes there are always ladders, so. also psa ladder safety is no joke, please be careful on ladders.
nice streamline of the mnet deco into the club. i’m consistently surprised at how well the designers have been able to mask it or use it to their advantage, because in the normal kingdom stage lighting it is SO obvious and stylistic that it always sticks out.
i'm going to ignore the fact that they implied changsub and miyeon were drinking wine out of martini glasses.
lighting
no complaints, it does its job. everything is visible and super clear. love that the ‘scene’ changes are made through the lighting, it's a really simple and effective device to change atmosphere. purple/blue/amber are the most flattering colours on human skin and that’s why you see it so commonly in stage lighting. also blue/lavendar is the best way to show nighttime/moonlight.
really nice and subtle projection work, especially with the billboard bit and the blue moon sign in the club. despite being obviously meta/’world breaking’ it’s actually very seamless and fits well into the flow of the stage.
sound
i love love love the big band feel in the intro, combined with the piano lead. very duke ellington, as all things should be.
no complaints. i love big band. i love eunkwang’s voice. i have nothing else to say.
staging
i LOVE this movie within a movie within a performance meta nonsense! it's such a fun concept and it is exactly what i wanted ikon’s first round stage to be! i also love to see btob consistently coming up with concepts that are inventive and fun and allow them to showcase their technical performance skills without the aerobics the younger groups are putting themselves through. it provides a really lovely variety and it just goes to show that you can make impressive, dramatic stages without having to be serious or ‘dark.’
i do wish they had leaned into the band director/lead singer with eunkwang a bit more; this could have been a really excellent place for a tap number a la the nicholas brothers or an homage to cab calloway. i know i know this was meant to be la la land themed but la la land is a cheap and whitewashed version of jazz and look me right in the eyes and tell me this isn’t the greatest tap routine of all time. i know i’ve typed this out somewhere before but la la land is just a conglomeration of old hollywood tropes and so stylistically cheap that this would have such a better visual core if they had actually looked back at the real old hollywood musicals like stormy weather. even singing in the rain and an american in paris have such phenomenal visuals and are really beautiful examples of the scope you can pull off with a limited technical capacity and sticking to these old techniques.
now that i'm thinking about it, oh my GOD i would DIE for a lindy hop routine in kpop PLEASE. i know it would never happen because kpop doesn’t like partner dancing and not a single kpop boy has the chops but oh you think fourth gen has too many acrobatics?
this got off track but i think you see my point.
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ateez
costume
these are really sharply cut suits. and the detail work on the beading??? so beautiful. i'm disappointed that they gave me a rock opera stage without the true ridiculousness of rock opera costuming, because they could have pushed this a lot farther if they really wanted. a tragic lack of gay little outfits, seonghwa’s lace choker is just not enough! two favourite suits: hongjoong’s and yunho’s.
that being said i do actually really like these. this stage is actually very modern opera with a kpop twist and i'm a little surprised by that? i continue to be impressed by the ateez team who are clearly doing their research.
i'm absolutely not going back through their stages to check all the choreography but i wonder if you can track all the ‘wound’ placements to places they’ve been ‘hit.’ i wouldn’t put it past them to have put that thought in but also i’m not expecting that much either.
who is this white grim reaper bdsm executioner chain arm man. where did he come from. i have no idea and i love it.
why is honjoong blindfolded. it was such a fast beat, if youre gonna blindfold someone give it a little longer and some more obvious narrative weight!
seonghwa does that quickchange, runs across that massive stage to the smaller set, and gets into places in like 45 seconds. it's not the hardest quickchange in the world but still, under a minute is fast for any quickchange, especially when there’s travel time involved. i think the fastest, most complex quickchange i ever did was in university which was a 50s cocktail dress into a flannel and culottes with a shoe, hair, and jewelry change in 35 seconds. and that took three dressers. quickchanges are always impressive. the added bonus of this review being later is that i can specifically reference that you can see him book it the fuck off stage in the full cam!
cute moment with the backup dancers dressed in costumes from the previous stages. i'm assuming this is a time travel reference? i'll get more into my thoughts on this in the staging section. regardless, love to see that iconic seonghwa moment again.
set
this is such a restricted space! they really pared down their dancing space with those staircases and ....arms? honestly i have NO clue what these are supposed to be. the only thing i can maybe think of is flying buttresses??? but why?? i mean, i'm 90% sure theyre just there for drama and i agree but i do still have questions.
there’s a lot of moving parts in this set? the buttresses, and the upstage centre staircase. i don’t think the staircase is totally automated because i spotted some dancers securing it in place, but it’s still a moving part. i do really like that we get that expanding upwards energy, because it's really tough to get functional level movement in this kind of a performance, mostly because of its length and because it moves so quickly. so seeing the downward vertical movement and then the upward movement was actually a really nice visual contrast that made use of how tall those fucking ceilings are, and the fact that they had less horizontal space. in sort of similar way to sf9’s jealousy stage, using long, narrow vertical lines really makes it feel like a castle space. the interiors of castles, especially the really old ones, are a lot smaller than you think they would be.
i’ve actually seen that type of small house/tent/thing several times in various types of performances before, but i think this is the first time i’ve seen it used as a time travel device (other than in the say my name mv). aesthetically it's a bit incongruent but i dont really mind because i'm used to watching rock operas that look a lot weirder than this.
lighting
there is so much happening. i have NO clue what the projections are doing. i dont hate it though, so that’s a plus? there’s a clear-ish colour arc even if it does get a bit funky in the middle, which is why the projections dont feel as insanely distracting as some of the other stages we’ve seen.
the climax is a perfect example of how to light a busy stage with primarily red but still maintain clarity on the performers. a little bit of red goes a long way; the spark stage from last week would have looked so much better if they had done what the ateez designers did here.
sound
i know it's only ode to joy, but answer already gets my motor running and then i get so gassed by the guitars and then by the time those vocals come in i'm inconsolable. i don’t know why i wasn’t expecting a rock opera stage but i'm so glad i got that surprise because i genuinely love rock operas so much. it's two of the most dramatic genres in music, what more could you possibly want?
staging
the choreo for answer is so goofy that I'm kinda glad this was mostly terrible mnet boom shots. i love it, but you can't deny that it's goofy. i spotted a couple of moves from their other choreos as well?
choreographing dance fights is just as difficult as choreographing real fights and i think they did a fairly good job here. i think it was a solid mix of dance and conflict that erred on the side of dramatic rather than accurate and i prefer that over trying to be ‘realistic.’ i’ve only ever seen one truly realistic fight scene on stage and that was for a deeply naturalist play (boring and a waste of the medium), but the best fight scene i’ve ever seen was in the prague national ballet’s adaptation of kafka’s the trial where three ballet dancers beat the absolute snot out of the main character with the most beautiful leg extensions. that whole show was probably one of the best pieces of dance i’ve ever seen, holy fuck it was so good.
despite how insane the music and the visuals were going, i actually really liked how sedate this was, on the part of ateez’s performance. there was a really sophisticated and resigned energy from them that is very different from what we’ve previously seen and i think that was a pretty admirable risk to take. reaching the top and then throwing away the crown? especially in a competition where every other stage has involved stealing crowns or royalty and there’s a group competing that got here through that very concept? that shows a real maturity, peace of mind, and foresight that i did not at all expect from a bunch of 22 year olds.
here we come to a very interesting comparison. both ateez and tbz are very heavily leaning on previously established group lore. we all know my thoughts on why it isn’t working for tbz, but here’s why i think it is working for ateez: it's because it doesn’t matter to the audience’s understanding of the stage. i had absolutely no fucking clue what was going on the first time i watched this, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying the music and all the weird shit they were doing. i totally believed that they understood what was going on. there’s a loose enough established conflict right at the beginning that draws us in, and really it doesn’t matter who they're fighting because they win in the end. the key here is that they’re so earnest. they believe 100% in every move they make on that stage. there’s no winks to camera, there’s not a drop of irony. they really deeply care about the ridiculousness of it all and that’s what makes it work. i sure as fuck dont know what’s going on, but i can see that they do, and i trust that. this is what i meant when i talked about convincing the audience you belong on stage in my stage presence post. i’ve never once believed that juyeon was anything other than an idol. he’s talented and very beautiful and he may occasionally stand on that stage like he owns it but it's always as juyeon. as an idol. but when hongjoong flaps around in that gigantic fur coat i 100% believe he’s a pirate captain. I believe he’s a punk rebel leader. i believe him a resigned king. there’s always a level of irony you have to fight as a performer because we all start from a place of disbelief. acting is not just lying to the audience, it's lying to yourself too. and if you succeed in convincing yourself? well, you’re already halfway to convincing us.
i checked it out because i wanted to see if they did the blindfold how i expected them to and was genuinely surprised by hongjoong’s fancam. the boy is EMOTING even when he knew the camera wasn’t on him; that’s a real dedication to craft.
ok i'm finished talking about this stage, this is over two pages in my document, there’s so many things i have not covered here but that’s fine, i'm quite sure any further thoughts will end up out there at some point.
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sf9
costume
let’s get it out of the way......crop top. crop top? crop top. crop top.
ok, besides the crop top, i think i might actually like the backup dancer outfits more...? i find mannequin adjacent looks really fascinating and i thought there was a lot more they could have done here in connecting the two thematically. i actually think a change of costume on the boys would have been very interesting, especially because there was a lot of inference and direct reference to changes of colour.
ALL the backup dancers are wearing the same wig and i LOVE that.
special mention zuho’s.....jacket? the right idea but it absolutely should have been one of those extreme french cut bodysuits, you COWARDS. don’t come at me with this ‘male version of venus’ if you don’t have your whole torso out! come on!
set
not sure if this is meant to be a department store, a factory, or a white cube gallery. honestly you could make the case that they’re all the same place anyways. more on this later.
i loved the movator and wish they had used it more! that sequence was so good and they could have done some more interesting repetition sequences to further highlight the ‘sameness’/the breaking of that sameness.
i feel like the set could have been used more as a whole? i would have loved to see some mannequin interactions with those boxes, because all they did was dump colour everywhere.
....why did they feel the need to include the rain bit? i know it's likely because it's in the mv and at the 2018 dream concert taemin does perform move in the rain, but with the standing still and the box walls with the words it just looks like a department store ad. which i...dont think is what they were intending?
lighting
nothing really to say here. it has a similar feel to the mayfly rap stage, which is fine because the lighting for that was good. i could tell what was going on all the time and that’s the most important part. notable standouts are the lips sequence, that's fun use of pop iconography and very effective, and the scanning lasers at the beginning.
the repeating sequence in the edm dance break is actually done pretty simply, it's just what happens when you point a camera that’s livestreaming to a monitor directly at that monitor. it's a very cool effect and it was neat to see it used intentionally, especially with the handheld leds.
actually i also really liked the lightbox tables, those were cool.
sound
the remix was fine for the most part, it was about what i expected it to sound like. i did however greatly dislike that unnecessary edm break in the middle. what was the point of that? it didn’t add anything to the overall sound or arc of the stage because it was SO out of place. there was no connective tissue around it.
oh i was also not a fan of the effect on zuho’s mic. no one else had a discernible vocal effect so it felt a little out of place. also for some reason his cadence and tone right at the end made me think of some of the voices that bo burnam uses for his vocal masque sketches/songs, especially repeat stuff, weirdly? took me right the fuck out of it. i listened to it again after i slept and i’m still getting it, so maybe i’m just going insane so best ignore this part.
staging
loved the mannequin tree, not a clue why it was there.
do actually think this is a successful cover because it does what i was hoping it would, which is take move completely out of the taemin context and put it into an entirely new one. however, i’m really struggling to figure out what exactly that new context is? and what theyre trying to say with it?
obviously they went for a ‘show your own colours/individuality’ vibe, like i said in the set section, where exactly is this supposed to be? from the start i get factory/mechanized environment, which is fine and grand because mannequins and making repetitive motions and products and all that, makes sense. but then there’s stacked shelving type units happening and curtains and that combined with the mannequins give me pretty big department store vibes, which is also fine, because that’s still a comment on commercialization and the mass production of product. but then we get to the movator and the repetitive movements of the dancers say pretty clearly factory, but the lighting and projections are very pop art referential, plus combining that with the white set, just makes me think of an art gallery. so now is this a comment on the commercialization and commidification of contemporary art? are they making a statement about being ‘real’ artists among the others who have lost the critical understanding of why pop art was even a thing in the first place? and then the rain bit at the end literally looks like a department store ad, so are they then making another statement that they still are that packaged product? maybe the episode has more clarity in it but i’m genuinely a bit baffled by what the underlying statement is here.
i suspect it is not as deep as i'm making it, but i did say that i was likely to be hyper critical of this stage AND i am a grad student, so here we are.
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tbz
costume
ok of all the ‘fourth gen’ style costumes we’ve seen, i actually like these ones more than most. i'm not entirely clear on the theme but i'm assuming it's meant to be post apocalyptic, and i'll take that.
backup dancers in black!!! we’re beyond this!!!
this will be a running theme with this stage, but i’m disappointed these don’t have more depth.
set
compared to every other stage, the set here seems especially plain. there’s so little set dec that it's disappointing. i do like the movement of the pieces themselves combined with the blocking; that first slide underneath the arches was slick and i would have liked to have seen more of that.
yea ok the big snake was cool and also a fairly complex build, but the transitions around it were a bit awkward for my tastes. especially the turn around, why did they even show that at all? you have control over what the audience sees, you can totally not show scenic transitions. skz were super smart about hiding theirs in last week’s episode.
also if you have a bigass puppet like that, i wanna see some more movement from it! it doesn’t have to be complex, we literally just saw a kraken balloon arm wave around aimlessly, but at least there was movement! that snake had a long ass body, why didn’t they at least take a pseudo dragon dance movement with it, that would have been such fun to watch with the iridescent scales. there was a lot of opportunity here!
lighting
i don’t hate it but also.... not a lot to say about it on the whole.
there were two really smart ideas here, the first being the front projection section, which i was SO glad to see! i explained in a previous review, but the projections in kingdom are not actually projections per se, because they’re actually massive led screens. there are two common types of projections in performance, rear projection and front projection. rear projection is when the projector is behind the screen, and front projection is ‘normal’ projection. rear projection can produce a crisper image because you have full control of the light values, because the projector is in a separate room from the performance space. but the downsides are that the projector has to be in a separate room from the performance space. so if you’re short on real estate, it's not ideal. front projection is much more common, because the tech is a lot cheaper and easier to access, especially now, and it requires less real estate because you can ceiling mount about the audience (you can move a projector wherever, this is just the most common spot in commercial theatres). but! in order to get an actually crisp image, you have to be really careful with your light bounce. it’s exactly the same principle as how you kinda can't see a projected screen when you have all the lights turned on, but when you turn them off it's a lot clearer. front projection works best in pitch dark, so when you use it in a theatre you gotta be smart about it. i use front projection a lot in my personal art practice as a singular light source, and that’s what tbz did here in that traveling/snake intro sequence. it’s a really fun technique that they used as a good gimmick because it’s not something we’ve seen before, and you get some great shadow effects because the projector is throwing light directionally at the performers (they have it set up close to the floor, it’s probably on a wheeled cart of some kind). however i did not like the snake intro. a bit too cheesy and out of place, especially because the asset quality didn’t match the rest of landscapes that we have been seeing.
the second smart idea, which is partially also a set and blocking thing but whatever, was that final image of the eclipse within the circle architecture with all the members standing in front of it. it was a great shot and a great ending pose, but it felt like a concept photo. like someone had that image as the idea that they then built the stage around, instead of a narrative first and then imagery after.
sound
this remix had SO much promise! those first two minutes were SO GOOD. i love that dirty discordant strings bit, it's gross and right up my alley. but it really fell off in the back half and i'm sad about that.
staging
i'm sorry tbz but.....what did you actually do differently than exo here? with the exception of the continual game of thrones references? nothing here felt transcendentally different from the original monster. and especially coming RIGHT after sf9’s move, which did go beyond its original context. this feels more like an awards show stage cover than a stage at the level of the others we’ve seen just this episode.
again like with the skz stage, there’s no conflict here. no tension. yes they do a great job covering the dance but it just isn’t enough! this is obviously personal preference and i'm sure lots of people liked the fact that it was uncomplicated, but even just a hint of narrative tension could have pushed this into more engaging territory. and if they didn’t want to do that, i would have loved to see them make up for that with extra visual spectacle. this is the no limits round! ikon is putting a full jungle on stage and these are grey cubes!
i think this is a perfect example of what i talked about at the end of my tbz section in my episode four review; this is a good performance, there are good elements at play and good ideas at their genesis, but the core of the issue is that nothing about this is transformative. all of the ideas here are just exaggerations of the original song. fuck, the snake was even IN the mv! and they didn’t even include the best part which is the lip chains! ive said before and i'll say it again; being a good artist has two steps, the first is understanding the material and its context, and the second is elevating the material from that context and synthesizing something new. tbz are really good at the first step, but terrible at the second.
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ranking
btob - the cleanest and the most fun of the round. everything i wanted.
sf9 - fun and a good cover, despite being conceptually baffling.
ateez - very extra dramatic nonsense with an unexpected dose of sincerity. and it’s rock opera, of course i love it.
skz - fun, with some good thematic devices but generally lacking in arc. also australian accents, that’s an automatic ding.
tbz - honestly the first two minutes of the remix and the costume are holding this above 6th. it just wasn’t fully formed.
ikon - aesthetically this is a great set design and although i do love the opening and closing moments, everything else scrapes me the wrong way. super personal preference here, i’m not expecting anyone else to agree with me.
i feel like my rankings were probably pretty easy to guess if you’ve been around reading the reviews for long enough. i do have very specific tastes after all. i know sf9 ranked first in the episode but i have no idea what the other slots are. i’ll find out when i watch the episode in a couple of days, but i think yea a first for sf9 is fair. i do think its mostly because it’s a taemin song and you have to do something horrendous in order to fuck up a taemin song, but there is a lot of thought and work that went into that stage.
ok i'm done now, sorry this was later than usual, but i was busier and there were four stages that i had to review. also technical difficulties because tumblr is a garbage platform and nothing works properly. comments/questions/opinions always welcome, i know i didn't expand on a couple of points that i could have so hopefully y'all have some thoughts too!
* the type of hat that ~society~ has told you is a fedora is actually a trilby. what peniel is wearing is a real fedora, i felt the need to correct this unjust hat malignment.
** meaning ‘the appearance of being true or real.’ you do sometimes hear it used by normal people, but it’s more commonly used as a descriptor in film and theatre. it’s also one of the five rules of neoclassical theatre, which are: versimilitude, purity of form, five act structure, decorum, and purpose. the most prominent playwrights from that era are moliere and racine if youre interested in what those look like in an actual text.
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kissryuwuji · 4 years
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krew with phones
did i write this at 3am 2 months ago and never looked at it again? maybe.
Korra has an android, most likely a Sumsang Galazy uhhhh smth idk i don’t keep up with phones. It’s not the one with the pen tho, it’s probably an older generation one bc if she had a latest model she would have too much power (no she wouldn’t)
like if this was in canon, she probably got it at the end of s1. Like imagine aang’s spirit going up to her and being like korra,,,,,,,, here’s a sumsand galazy bc u can’t navigate the city at all,,,,,,,,
anyway she has no idea how to use it but she catches on pretty quick how to text. Makes a lot of typos. Abuses the emojis. She likes the arm, hands, shrug, sports ones.
is appalled by how different the iphone emojis are from android
The type to backspace all the way to the first typo she made instead of tapping it or holding the word or whatever. And then she forgets what she typed and it strays from what she originally had.
Didn’t know the front camera existed. She’s like, whaT!? I’ve been staring at the dark screen to pick food out of my teeth! So now that’s what she uses it for.
Asami has the latest model of iPhone that has the home button bc she actually likes it
she probably has other iphone models just to tinker with them.
I bet by the time iphone releases their next model, she’s already made her own that has more space, better cam quality, faster speed, more durable screen, etc. than their model and the home button is still there.
Does not use emojis very often, and if she does it’s the thinking face with the hand on the chin 🤔 when she’s talking to Korra or Bolin
Also has a work phone, but it’s filled with a lot more stuff than her personal phone
that OR she has a sumsang note or whatever has the pen bc she likes that feature when she's commuting and she can doodle or draw over blueprints
does not put a period at the end of her sentences
Mako has kept the same flip phone for the past 3 years even though it’s all scratched up. He texts slowly bc abc2 def3 ghi4
responds late bc the sound is broken and the vibration thing got weaker
uses a lot of acronyms. Probably makes up his own too, like chl (coming home late) or wduw4d (what do u want for dinner, because the u is the second press and y is the third press).
Don’t expect emojis or emoticons bc he has a character limit. When someone sends him a text with an emoji, it either fails receiving it or it just pops up as the diamond with a question mark in it
If his flip phone allows group messaging, the messages always come individually instead of altogether.
So when he reads one from bolin, he has to go back to the folder, press up, click, read korra’s LOL with a bunch of emojis (he Cannot see the emojis), then repeat.
He can’t message them all at once, so he just sends whatever he has to say to bolin so on bolin’s end there’s just a long line of mako’s messages pertaining to the group chat that he has to relay to the group. But by the time he does that, the group already moved on to whatever else. When he has smth to say, it’s frustrating, but otherwise he wouldn’t mind doing this when he's on break or is bored
If he decides to upgrade his phone (most likely because the others pitched in and got it for him), he gets the blackberry phone with the rolling cursor and he likes playing the ball and brick game on his breaks.
He says he doesn’t miss whipping his phone out and opening and closing it because really it was such a hassle to do but it has sentimental value for being his first phone and it’s kind of muscle memory for him to flick his phone open when he pulls out his blackberry.
Bolin has an LG smart phone (idk what gen) bc he’s the younger sibling.
he abuses the camera and runs out of space and has to constantly delete apps and pictures and videos.
The earliest video he has is probably a probending match so he could rewatch it and learn strategies (not really he just wanted to capture toza’s match)
it's a super shaky video. no you can't zoom in.
his first picture is a blurred sidewalk and his first selfie is probably blurry too because he didn’t know the thing needed time to capture the image or wtv and he got excited and tried it with mako afterwards.
His second selfie with mako was probably two months after he got his phone because he found out you can change the default background so he takes one with mako and mako hasn’t smiled for a picture since he was 8 probably so he kinda just does what FEELS like a smile but it comes out like a straight line. 
The camera is not the greatest but bolin probably enjoys how pixel-y it looks until he gets a glimpse at asami’s photo qualities.
Bolin uses the 🤪🤩😬🤯 the most, but also always matches the food emoji to whatever he's currently eating.
Korra's camera roll consists of screenshots she intends to look at later and sometimes theyre of her teeth when she accidentally takes a picture while picking the food out
Asamis personal camera roll starts off with pictures of places shes been to and slowly fills up with candid pictures of her friends. No one ever noticed she snuck a picture of them until she makes a scrapbook
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anakinthetrashking · 4 years
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BnHA One-Shot Fic Recs (pt1)
Making some fic-rec posts has been on my to-do list for a while and I’m finally doing it, yay! Currently I have 6 word doc pages full of just BnHA recs. So I’m splitting them up by length and completion, so first up is (part one of) one-shots! Let’s go!!!
Lets start with some classic Izuku and DadMight!
Pictures, Posters and Tender Beauty by ProPinkist (tumblr: @dazais-guardian-angel ) Rating: G    Category: Gen   ~4,400 words Summary: Izuku has virtually every All Might-themed item out there, and prides himself on all of it, as Toshinori is well aware. However, somehow, the boy still decided that there was something vital missing. This is fluffy and very cute. No one truly appreciates All Might as much as Izuku does, but 1A comes close. All Might deserves all the love, and this fic truly provides!!!
Dear Mr. All Might by QuizzicalCrow (tumblr: @quizzicalcrow​ ) Rating: G   Category: Gen   ~5,000 words Summary: As the #1 hero for decades, All Might has collected a lot of fan mail over the years. Toshinori tracks down a series of letters that only now, years later, does he appreciate for their significance.  I always love the thought of All Might looking through his fan mail, even if he can’t get to all of it. This was a wonderful glimpse into that AND it was made to be so, so personal and sweet. Go have some heart-healing fluff.
Growing Pains by LordofLies (tumblr: @theangelofchildren ) Rating: G   Category: Gen    ~5,900 words Summary: Izuku finds himself changed by his encounter with the Hero Killer, but changes of a more physical kind are in store for him as he begins to truly accept One for All as his own. Once, he would have been thrilled to look more like All Might, but now those connections are as much a source of anxiety as they are of pride.Or, Izuku wakes up one morning and sees the world through different eyes. Izuku having anxiety and Toshi being there to help him through it and calm him down? Sign me UP. Its also a pretty cool take on how One for All is able to change things about it’s holder. Could this happen in cannon? Who knows.... Regardless, it was a great read!
I’ll Carry You Home by Renesvetta Rating: G   Category: Gen   ~2,700 words Summary: While training with All Might, it wasn’t uncommon for Izuku to be so exhausted at the end of the day that he unwittingly fell asleep without regard for where he was. It consequently became part of All Might’s routine to help his young protégé home. During that time, Izuku may have let loose more than one sleepy confession towards his mentor.  Yes, it is as adorable as it sounds. Its tagged with “self indulgent Dad Might fluff” which is both accurate and appreciated. In other words: Superb you funky little writer!
Simple Gifts by QuizzicalCrow Rating: G    Category: Gen   ~6,700 words Summary: One year ago, Izuku received the greatest gift he could ever imagine. Now he’s determined to return the favor for the one responsible for it all with a gift of his own.  First off, I love the idea of Izuku and Toshi quietly celebrating the anniversary of passing on OfA from All Might to Izuku. Even just taking the day to hang out with each other. It’s a really precious idea. But there’s not just fluff! Izuku finds himself in a fight, again. (cool villain quirk, too!) I love all of the small details that are in this fic (and in Crow’s other works, too!) anyway its exciting AND very heartwarming, so go read it!!!
Affectionate by Sevi007 (tumblr: @sevi007 ) Rating: G   Category: Gen   ~2,600 words Summary: Toshinori starts to show affection very easily around his students. The  reactions he gets for that are not quite the ones he had anticipated - well, not all of them, at least.  Toshi is LOVED, APPRECIATED, and 1A feels like HOME. how many times can i say “cute” and “heartwarming” on this post?? bc these are some amazing writers, whom I adore, and their writing makes my heart WARM. AND. FUZZY. i mean, even just the first few paragraphs of this one just, really sets the scene of what i like to believe the 1A dorm is (on a good day, lol). its a really nice read, so go treat yo’ self by reading it.
paint me in trust by dinomight Rating: G   Category: Gen   ~6,400 words Summary: The first mark Izuku gets is a slight brush of green across his temple. It’s the soft touch of a mother holding her son for the first time. Inko has one to match, the same shade of green staining the tips of her fingers. Hers is more noticeable; Izuku’s tends to blend into his hairline. He loves it anyways. He has to. It’s the only soulmate mark he has. (Or: how Izuku goes from just green to a rainbow, UA-style.)  Ok, so this fic sort of plays off the idea of soulmates, and does not fit in with soulmates in the usual form of the trope. First off its completely platonic. Its categorized as Gen and sticks to that. Also it doesn’t seem to be as obligatory and permanent as you would think it would be. It seems to be more of the universe telling you who has the possibility of being important in your life. I really really loved this, it was so adorable and gives you that sweet, sweet Izuku angst, before healing your heart with the power of friendship and found family!!!
The Die Has Been Cast by ChiwiTheKiwi (tumblr: @chiwithekiwi​ ) Rating: G   Category: Gen   ~5,400 words Summary: “There’s something about that kid you aren’t telling me, isn’t there?”When no answer meets him, Shouta tries again.“You know something about Midoriya’s quirk that you haven’t shared with me. Is that right?”(Or: A canon "What If" surrounding the latest manga events and focusing on Aizawa finally making a connection.) First off, this fic has spoilers for the manga, so dont read unless you’re past chp212! I loooooooove OfA reveal fics, especially when it’s Aizawa that finds out. He deserves to know!!! its kind of important!!!! This fic chooses a great moment to work off of, and does a great job with Aizawa’s character. I really enjoyed it and couldn’t keep myself from going back and reading it just now LOL
These last two are actually two-shots, but it makes it an even 10! also Izuku and dadmight, so we can continue the theme here...
Some Unspoken Thing by LittleKy Rating: G   Category: Gen   ~7,900 words (2chps) Green, Toshinori has always thought, is the color of life anew.(Or: It's time for Yagi Toshinori to finally accept that he has a son, now, in all but blood. It's time for Midoriya Hisashi to accept that as well.) YES ALL MIGHT! ADMIT THAT IZUKU IS YOUR SON! great portrayal of the characters and really hits the nail on the head for DadMight. and Izuku in this story is just the smallest green floof that you wish to give a hug. NEVER MIND ALL MIGHT, YOU TOOK TOO LONG SO IZUKU IS MY SON NOW AND IM NOT GIVING HIM BACK ( no but seriously i want to hug this fic its so cute TTuTT )
LAST BUT NOT LEAST! I See You by BirdAntlers (tumblr: @aarymk )
Rating: G   Category: Gen   ~15,400 words (2chps) Midoriya Izuku is a quirkless child, blind from birth. Yagi Toshinori is the most powerful man in the world, loved by millions. They could not be more different, and yet their loneliness is the same.   (From a pair of AU posts on Tumblr that got way out of hand; I wanted to put it here because it turned into more of a fic than a "what-if." Basically a vessel for me to vomit as much Dadmight as I can.) Hey, you! Yeah! You! Do you want to cry? Do you want to start sobbing in a public space?? Do you just want to be destroyed with words and be left there kneeling at the feet of a writer who has torn out your heart and stomped on it before they gently wipe the tears from your face? Yeah?? y oU Wan NA D IE??? READ THIS AND GET REKT.  you’ll thank me later
(under the cut is just me rambling, i kept all the important stuff up here, ur welcome)
Now that the actual recs are over I can rant here- look i really tried to slim my recs down, but i have almost 300 bnha fics bookmarked,some of them are “to read” or theyre in progress, etc but i managed to get this list sorta slimmed down? a little?(to only 58!!!) but as i was gathering this post together it felt like i dont have very many Dadmight recs on that list??? but i havent rechecked all the other fics i was just going through the oneshots. i... kinda read a lot more fics with AIzawa in it instead. it be that way. DadMight content is SO GOOD. but my fav is aizawa im sorryyyyy anyway i have another SEVENteeN oneshots to put in rec posts and that does NOT include the mulitchapter and friikin series and stuff... and like i said this is aaaaaaallllllllllllllll BnHA. batfam fic posts will come after, and then star wars, and then maybe star trek? we’ll see. i have a very specific taste in ST fics and that is Tarsus IV whump. which. i have not read in a while. when they say “that trope came from ST” for sooooooo many tropes, you WISH other fandoms had tarsus as a trope, holy crap it is TOP TIER angst fodder. if you love to write/read whump, angst, and h/c i would HIGHLY recommend that you take a bit of time and explore the content and stories there. heck maybe i will make a ficrec post for just tarsus angst. ok.
my INTENTION is to edit these posts later with little links to the other fic rec lists so that itll be easier to find. but., its me, so itll either happen in painful detail or not at all
asdjkdgh its 2:30am and i need to sleep and not be rambling incoherently again I WILL SAVE THIS AS A DRAFT. 
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jungxk · 3 years
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// rant
i'm jus so heartbroken rn i've been crying for the past hour i jus need to put my feelings out there, i hope it's ok w you.
my mum wakes up today and jus starts berating me bc i didnt put washed dishes into the cabinets & the kitchen looked messy for her. i'm supposed to do it bc there's nothing else i actually do but yesterday i had woken up in the evening nd they called me to pray straight away so i totally forgot about it (coupled w the fact that i dont like doing it either cuz there's always sm dishes nd it's such a hassle). she jus started scolding me senseless nd im someone who doesnt get mad easily, even if i do i tend to stay quiet bc i dont like conflict & angry emotions are ugly. but i couldnt stop it today? she kept calling me selfish nd she's been calling me that the past few days as well bc i never help out w chores or anything. she's always asking me "what do u do for this family" or "what do u do in this house" every single time nd ofc i cant say shit bc i dont. i'm doing uni online nd it's really not that easy but bc i dont talk to my family like at all, they think i'm all good. the other day i pissed them off nd my parents straight up said "why do we need to pay for ur uni ure not doing anything anyway" & i jus... i didnt even know if i even deserve to feel sad over it. they were asking me what i wanna do after uni as if im not just in my first year & when i said im not sure they got so mad and my mum purposely said "just marry her off" to push my buttons into giving them an answer. they keep saying i'm pushing them into being the worst and saying the worst to me but how is that fair? they're parents? adults? i'm jus 20 & i can control my emotions? but today really jus pushed me she got so mad at me for the littlest things nd i jus exploded. I asked her why she's mad and she's like cuz of the kitchen bla bla bla nd it got so frustrating i told her it's not my problem nd i jus wont ever eat again since all the unwashed dishes piling is my fault. nd then she got mad at me for that and scolded me. I hate being touched but mostly i hate being hit. imagine getting hit at 20 years old bc my mother is too emotionally unstable that she cant take a few seconds by herself to calm her anger down. I hate it. nd bc i said it's not my problem she came nd told me "yea it won't be ur problem when i die too! i'll make sure when i do, u never come see me." jus... what kind of parent says that? i'm so careful w what i say & i slip sometimes bc i'm human but how can a mother say that? she doesnt know anything about me. she doesn't know i dont like being hit, she doesnt know i dont like it when ppl act impulsively on emotions. sometimes i feel like i really am the problem nd that i'm really selfish. spending shit ton of money to get me to study, maybe i am selfish. i dont mind it. i know myself well enough to hate things about myself. but to have parents who barely know me as a person rather than a daughter, getting this much mad at me for smthn so simple jus makes me so sad. bc i was doing the task when she asked. she does things like this then wonders why i cant ever talk to her. entire family thinks i'm immature bc i behave exactly how they treat me. 20 years. I never ask for much. but it's starting to feel like asking to study in the uk was my greatest downfall. it feels like i dont deserve this. every day i'm itching to get away, to live alone bc they've made me feel like i can never work well in groups. it's always somehow my fault as if they havent been invalidating me nd my feelings since birth.
nd i can never tell them all these bc i'm never confident in them. i'm never confident in whether i would be accepted nd comforted without ridicule or scolding. my brother & father tell me it's like that, that jus bc i may get a scolding shouldn't stop me from being open. but what kind of stupidity is that? my mother who makes me feel like the world is ending when i accidentally break smthn, that it wasn't an accident but rather it's me nd that i jus cant do a good job— where is the comfort i can ever find coming to her w a problem?
nd bc of that we're not close. bc of that she's closer to my cousins & everyone else really. they've never concerned themselves to talking about family issues w me but when i dont know, they shame me, saying i never bother to ask— how would i know when to ask? should they be telling me when there's smthn going on?
this makes the concept of family so repelling for me. there is inherently no reason to ever have a child that isnt selfish or self fulfilling. what they do as parents is to make them feel as important nd respected as they expect from the child. but it's never like that w south asians. emotions dont exist if ure the child nd apparently getting mad is a norm nd shouldn't stop u from being emotional w someone.
at times i tell myself that i should pay back every penny my parents spent on me. bc sometimes it feels like it's being used to make me act or feel a certain way. i dont wanna feel this way. theyre my parents, i know theyre good people. but i'm so hurt by the things going on nd the things from the past. my mother invalidates me sm. she more or less kinda blamed me for feeling useless and depressed last year. my brother was telling her to go easy on me nd she got so mad & frustrated bc she didnt know what she was doing wrong. "if she feels so useless why doesnt she do anything about it?" like that was such a golden chance for her to have comforted me nd i couldve opened up? but she ruined it nd hurt me again.
last year i lived w her alone nd my dad was in our home country. I was having some troubles w him gone but i dont call or text bc... it always felt like a drag. it never felt like a conversation nd the only time it did was when i complained to him about my mum. so much shit happened between my mum and i & this person advised me to jus write some of my feelings to her. so i wrote her a long letter nd i included saying how not having my dad was hard on me too. flash forward im in my home country & w my dad. i know nobody here bc i didnt grow up here. i'm doing online uni & basically have to stay indoors cuz of covid. she brings that letter up when she was to berate me nd it jus feels so uncomfortable for me? like ok my actions dont line up but i wrote that cuz i was looking for comfort nd understanding. if i knew it was going to be held against me, i would not have done it? "u said it was so hard for u without him, so what do u even do for him here now?"— what can i do? i'm just 20 nd the situation im in is not normal? i'm grateful to be w my dad again but what can i do? &it always freaking comes down to house chores. i try my best. when our maid doesnt come i do my best w my tasks. i know it's not enough but i jus... i dont even know. ig that part of me is selfish nd lazy.
it's so suffocating here. all my feelings are bottled up nd im so scared what that would do to me in the future. but at least i know i'm too selfish to ever spend the rest of my life w someone.
sorry for the long rant. i hope this didnt ruin ur mood or anything i jus need an outlet nd ur blog jus feels so comforting nd welcoming. thank u for listening to me nd my feelings. God bless u really kssjdjsj
i’m rlly sorry this is happening to you bby. idk what race u are but this sounds so much like that asian mentality where emotions are black and white and comfort in any way is out of the question. ur still rlly young tho so ur relationship with ur parents has room to improve i promise. i think it’s rlly important for u to move out whenever u can tho bc that’s what rlly improves the relationship. having said this i do think the way your mum talks to u/treats u is emotionally and mentally abusive so whether you want to uphold that tie with her in the future is ur choice i just rlly hope u get somewhere safe and away from ur family soon x
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Hamilton!firstprince au
(cross posted from twitter with a couple of edits b/c i couldn’t make them there)
in which i loosely follow the plot of hamilton except its firstprince and alex and henry get a happy ending. inspired by the striking similarities i noted between our favorite first son and his namesake hamilton in the broadway musical
the similarities:
both have/will have a political career
both often talk too much/don't mind their words
both began as lawyers
both extremely motivated but overwork themselves (“nonstop” +  “you have a fire under ur ass for no good goddamn reason)
both had some sort of sex scandal that impacted their career plans
hamilton speculated to be bi
the story
the setup of the colonized country alex lives in is similar to the usa vs england but fictional bc alexs race would have limited his opportunities in america's early years
idk names for either of these countries so its now the colony and the motherland
alex + his mom live alone in the poorer southern part of the colony
but his dad + june live elsewhere + they dont rly contact e/o (tho they do know of e/o’s existence)
june becomes a journalist who writes important pieces abt independence
when alex comes of age his mom reveals she used to be part of the rebellion
thats actually why his dad left to raise june bc it was too dangerous
his parents met in the rebellion but oscar left first for june while ellen stayed until she realized she was pregnant w alex
ellen still has some rebel contacts but she mostly sheltered alex to keep him safe
now tho alex decides to join too + the rebellion sends him up north to the capital for an education bc he's smart + they need people like that
he attends uni + meets like-minded people there
tension grows btwn the colony in the motherland, and alex + his friends write/speak out often and this goes on throughout their schooling
they’re also troublemakers in general too, much to the annoyance of the motherland soldiers stationed in the capital to prevent rebellion
henry is one of those soldiers
he's from a noble family in the motherland but was sent overseas as the sort of black sheep of the family due to his sexuality
the idea was to let him be in charge in the colony + reestablish a reputation there w/o embarrassing the main family back home
henry hates his job + feels bad for the colonists but still does what he's told anyway
alex + fhis riends like to bug motherland soldiers for fun
nothing  enough to put their lives in danger too much (although yes that too esp when drunk)
henry becomes a favorite target of alex's bc he's awfully stoic + statue like + on the way to uni - overall fun to antagonize 
there's also the fact that alex is angry at all the soldiers for oppressing the colony + holding up the motherland monarchs tyranny (but also alex just is the type to fight literally everything and anything) 
it becomes almost a daily ritual for them to argue 
henry wonders why this colonist keeps on picking a fight w him but soon almost looks forward to it
many of the other soldiers know or speculate why henry is in the colony but none make the effort to get to know him; some even call him arrogant or undeserving of his position
alex doesn't 
of course alex also doesn't know him
and alex hates him
but he doesn't whisper behind henry's back
henry comes to read some of the essays alex publishes speaking out against the monarchy + also hears alex speak to crowd in the square
alex is a talented + charismatic public speaker
henry finds himself growing increasingly sympathetic to the colonists cause
at the same time he and the other soldiers are order to be stricter and dole out more punishments
the others gleefully do so which makes henry concerned about alex's safety bc alex often seems to have no self-preservation skills
henry asks alex for a word when he's alone 
“am I in trouble?” “no but you bloody will be if u keep going on like this” 
“this is serious” “so am I” “you can't go around saying things so openly you'll get yourself killed”
alex tries to leave at this point “I think I'll be ok” but henry shoves him against the nearest wall 
“listen to me! stop acting like this is a game! ur putting ur sodding life in danger! I dont bloody care what ur opinions r but why must u declare them around enemy soldiers? how is this helpful 2 ur cause? u cant fight if ur dead” 
“you'd b surprised how effective martyrs are” 
cue enraged henry noises 
alexs gaze turns hard “listen i  appreciate/the advice” he says sarcastically “but I dont need an enemy telling me what to do. I can take care of myself” 
there's a stirring in alexs chest after he removes henry's hand and stalks off that he's pretty sure is anger
like it can't be anything else 
while alex is trying to convince himself of that, the tensions boil over + soon the two sides are on the brink of war then the fighting starts
henry + alex don't talk much for a while bc they're both busy on their sides preparing
school is on hold during the war so alex + his friends are looking to serve + bring glory to their names 
alex esp is recognized for his intelligence + becomes the recognized general rafael lunas secretary
luna is the george washington figure in this case who is impressed by alex wants him as his right-hand man
alex is disappointed his role is not on the battlefield bc he knows he has a good tactical mind + he could change the tide of a losing war + gain honor and status thru it, which would put him in a good position to be elected in the future
as secretary, alex is in charge of a lot of important correspondence eg for more supplies + men, so the motherland soldiers figure ambushing him off the battlefield would make things hard for the colonists
henry overhears this plan + immediately worries for alex's safety but he's cornered by another soldier to talk strategy + misses the chance to take out the men then
henry manages to catch that they're going to attack alex at night when he leaves + henry arrives just in time to kill them in a panic
alex hears the gunshot + yells “drop ur weapon”, drawing his own gun
henry obviously does + alex inspects the scene he keeps a gun fixed on henry
“what's going on?” he asks, eyeing henry w/ suspicion
henry explains everything + looks positively terrified bc he just betrayed his side even tho the motherland and his family has treated him like shit since he came out but still. 
becoming an outright traitor is not something henry ever planned + leaving behind everything he's ever known w no hope of ever going back is terrifying
but he also doesn't regret protecting alex
alex questions henry but can quickly tell henry is sincere + is telling the truth
henry explains his change of heart + they have a heartfelt moment in/just outside luna's office.
alex almost died + henry just switched sides, emotions are running high and they escalate into a kiss. the moon is out + it's all very romantic but they don't admit their feelings yet
soon after they go to luna, explain the situation + talk w the other generals/people in charge
henry is sent away on an assignment + is watched closely at first but he proves his loyalty quickly
henry and alex write letters back + forth that turn into love letters 
besides managing correspondence for luna, some of alexs ideas of sneak attacks/stealing supplies help turn the tide of the war andhe also writes to other countries for foreign aid
eventually the colonists win in this huge up start that no one anticipated bc the motherland is known as the most powerful country in the world
he + henry reunite in the capital of once the war is over
alex finishes up his studies + practices law + soon is chosen to be part of the new lawmaking body
things are going pretty well for alex w his legal + political success and his relationship with henry
they dont live together but theyre dating tho no one else knows
alex pretends to be single instead + says he doesn't want to be tied down
it works while he's still in his early 20s but as he gets closer to 30, people start to find it strange + tell him he needs to settle
being married to his work is also not a valid excuse anymore
it turns out alex made quite a few political enemies due to his strong opinions that he always vocalises + can be unwilling to compromise on
they don't like his ideas or more often hate him and hence his ideas too
they look for some dirt on him bc atm he has lunas support which has a lot of sway + decide they need to find out why he hasn't married
they manage to find out about henry + threaten to tell the public
alex is obviously distraught re the consequences personally + politically
so alex and henry discuss what to do 
henry is willing to put alexs political career 1st but firmly explains their relationship can't continue if that's the case
henry gave up his whole life + any possibility of going back to his family so he's not willing to be someone's dirty little secret  
alex doesn't know what to do so he goes to consult luna who he's become very close with over the years
luna is not quite old enough to be his father but he's like an uncle + he always calls alex “kid”, much to alex's annoyance
but alex knows he'll have some good advice
alex + luna end up having a long conversation
like washington luna has always been very vocal abt his regrets re his naivety + desire for glory back in his youth
hes always said that this was his greatest regret in life. but then he tells alex like he had another great regret in life- letting go of the love of his life
alex is surprised bc luna's never mentioned anyone special
“who is she?” 
“he” luna corrects “he was my best friend. we had something a relationship but it was short-lived bc I decided I wanted to join the military + attain glory. i thought thats what i wanted in life. turns out that stuff is meaningless w/o anyone to share it w. nor did I even achieve it. perhaps i did accomplish some things but now in my retirement I have no one by my side. i have found that life is meaningless without love and family.  
“i tried to find my friend to reconnect after all these years even as simply friends but he died in the war. alex, I see many similarities between us. don't make the same mistake that I did, alexander. glory + lasting legacy mean nothing if you're alone in the end
“if you make choices that are motivated by love and family you will be a lot happier”
alex takes his advice even though he kind of hates sort of giving up to his enemies
he decides to choose henry and his own happiness over politics bc in the end he's done a lot of good work and that much is enough
also his enemies probably would try to blackmail him throughout his career if he was doing something against their interests
so he + henry leave the capital and move uptown and the two of them have a quiet retirement + engage in philanthropy for the rest of their lives
separately they've amassed a decent amount of money - henry kept a portion of his inheritance despite being unofficially disowned and alex made a lot of money as a lawyer and then politician
as it turns out alex still has a tangential role in politics when some of his former allies go to him for advice
all in all, alex happy with his final decision to be with henry and step away from politics
the two of them live happy and full lives together
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the-order-of-fools · 3 years
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There was a knights cheering up the reader when theyre sad post, but how about the reader cheering the knights up when theyre upset?
King Knight may be a decadent dandy with enough charisma to resurrect the dead (despite Specter's scoffs), but he has a soft... inner... shell... that needs to be tenderly stroked. Which sounds wrong. Very wrong. He can take quite a few insults as long as he has wit on his side. Though, once he doesn't, things take a turn for the worst. He doesn't consider himself a fool, no, he's the greatest! The fairest in all the land! The perfect king! Even so, they still think of him like that. Is that why none of his banquets are ever attended? Do they consider him enough of a simpleton to ignore his very status? That can't be... No, no, no. There's only one person he trusts, even more than his dear... mother. He sheepishly explains himself, underlining how these words "don't exactly" hurt him in any way, they're only bothersome thoughts. He looks up from his hands, rubbing at small grey spot on his crown. The royal Blacksmith seems to be doing a poorer job every-time he asks for a new finish. Speak to him, tell him he's great. List off what makes him worth it all, what makes him "kingly”. He'll listen for hours, blinking away the tears behind his helm
Specter Knight isn't new to moments of sadness. Whenever he looks back at what he has accomplished, he either sees a reckless child who managed to forsake the only family he has ever had, or an empty shell, wasting away after an oath that was ripped from him by the Enchantress. Depressive thoughts come and go, you can't really blame him when you catch him staring silently at the moon - you know, he would be gazing at his beloved locket instead, if someone hadn't stolen it. It's like he has lost a part of himself. You promise yourself that you will have retrieve it, someday, somehow. Anything to make him happy. The only thing you can currently do is walk up to him, quietly - he's mumbling words under his breath, curses addressed to either himself or the universe - and hold him into your embrace. He won't return it, he's be lost in his own thoughts. Words aren't needed, he's not in any condition to hear them anyway. Sit next to him in silence, make your presence known, remind him that he's not alone and, despite all the evil he has done, someone is still beside him
Treasure Knight is able to withstand both extreme physical and emotional pressure. Still, he has his limits. If he has a berserk button, it would be gold. Insult it, tear it apart with your words and he'll want to snap your neck with his bare hands. After the surge of rage, he grows awfully quiet. He turns detached focusing on the task at hand or searching for a way to resolve whatever may be weighing on his mind. He becomes quite frightening, standing as still as a statue. You're sure the diving suit he inhabits turns otherworldly when he's like this. His voice is monotonous and cold, he's curt and doesn't seem interested in your presence. This can last for days on end. He doesn't seek affection, comfort or anything of the sort. You typically avoid him when he's in such a state, rarely checking in on him to see if he has recovered. It's only after his recovery that he's able to voice what upset him. Even then, he seems awfully calm for someone who was practically alone for a week straight. Strangely, he only enters his vault when he's in a better state of mind, which makes his whereabouts quite easy to guess when he’s “missing”
Tinker Knight normally doesn't let himself be distracted by moments of sadness, as his work requires almost all of his time and effort. This becomes a problem when his work turns into the source of his sadness, frustration or stress. Dreadful lack of inspiration, him not meeting his own impossible expectations, burnout moments that everyone experiences from time to time - he hates not being at the top of his capacity, which always results in him losing all of his confidence, blaming himself for mistakes that don't exist and for his so-called laziness. Sometimes, he even hits the working table or his own forehead out of rage, not hard enough to cause damage thankfully. His depressed state distorts the perception he has of himself and of his own productivity, and that's where you come in. Let him vent out, no matter how awful his complaints might sound. He might even cry from stress if he feels comfortable enough in your presence. In any case, just wait for him to calm down, then explain that productivity isn't all, that he needs to take care of himself before taking care of his projects, and remind him that you don't value him any less during his moments of unproductivity. He'll be thankful for each of your words
Propeller Knight tends to be laid back. Sure, he can be very overdramatic at times. He has played the "offended" card quite a bit, draping melancholically over a couch, waxing poetically about what "horrors" he has faced. He acts, he follows his charismatic sky pirate persona. You can hear it through his expressive tone and see it through his ostentatiously exaggerated gestures. There are few things that truly strike a cord with him, and when they do, the mask shatters. His crew have grown accustomed to it. They know the ins and outs of their captain, even his rare yet present anger. He barks orders and seems utterly detached from everyone around him, he only has his goal in mind and the rage  tearing him from the inside out. Avoid him as much as possible, attempting to reason with him will worsen his state. There have been cases of Propeller throwing himself into combat despite being outnumbered, he clearly lacks self-preservation when his anger bubbles over. At most, the only sign of self-preservation he has is hiding himself away. The presence of Plantos helps him a great deal, they calm his nerves and steady his hammering heart. If sadness still fills his mind, he will cry either alone or seek you out if you're particularly close. He has grown quite worried of this unfortunate trait of his. Aggressive fits of anger have deterred many of his past partners, and for good reason. He will tentatively seek affection in this state, requiring reassurance. Not lies, meaningful, honest, reassurance from you.
Polar Knight has a unique way of dealing with negative emotions. At first, you would say he has no emotions at all, let alone emotions that could possibly crush his portentous vigor - instead, he's very much affected by them. He became much gloomier after joining the Order and he spent his days shoveling intensely and training regularly to keep his mind focused. Now, his preferred method of dealing with negativity remains training. He never seeks help or speaks at all, even his signature grunts turn into silence. You might see him training intensively, sometimes even in the middle of a snowstorm, all alone. There's no use talking to him when he's upset, he will barely give any sign of appreciation. You could surprise him with warm blankets or a hot beverage that you have purposefully made for him instead. He appreciates gestures much more than any kind word you could ever tell him. He must be one of those people who don't think others would be able to understand how they feel, so don't bother him with that. Give him his space and respect his sadness even if its source is unknown to you, he will greatly appreciate it. If he's comfortable enough, he won't be opposed to you caressing his beard out of affection sometimes
Plague Knight rarely seems down in the dumps. He's off giggling, creating massive explosions and discovering new alchemical formulas with Mona. He doesn't give a squawk about anything. He takes the town's folks insults and answers with venomous retorts, still laughing. You would absolutely describe him as overzealously confident if you didn't know him better. He's... awkward. A part of you suspects that he has raised himself. He covers up his asocial behaviors with mockeries and... well, laughter. You have grown able to easily recognize his dreadfully nervous laughs. You know for a fact that he wouldn't admit his true feelings even if his life depended on it. So secretive, trying to hide himself for fear of rejection. It's only through learnt-behavior that he eventually manages to soften up. He minimizes what bothers him, another attempt to impress you for fear of losing the very person he loves. If there's one thing that he won't distort, it's his need for cuddling. He has become a touchy person over the years, maybe because he was lonely for so long? Perhaps, for now he's relentlessly tapping his fingers against your back. Nervous tic.
Mole Knight's sadness usually doesn't turn into anger or frustration. He's not good with emotions, even though teamwork has taught him how to interact with others. He seems to know himself little, which didn't allow him to develop the ability to defend himself from negativity. Not entirely, at least. You will see him dig with much more fervor than usual, pushing himself further and further and being as active as possible. Work cheers him up and helps him forget his sadness, but running away from his emotions doesn't always help. His flames burn very faintly, their hue is dim, they don't sway as energetically as they usually do. He can't ignore his sadness forever, no matter how focused he is at the moment. Take him aside and stop him from digging further, let him focus on you instead. Strangely enough, considering the thick armor that protects his essence, he is quite sensitive to physical touch. Hug him and let his claws envelop your figure, see how the flames will start burning as brightly as ever - he's very warm, so don't feel embarrassed if you find yourself blushing after having hugged him
Black Knight is, by definition, a loner. On top of being a loner, he has trouble admitting his emotions. He tends to push them aside as he wants to be seen as powerful and resilient. Still, he can't keep himself as composed as Polar Knight. He avoids your gaze when upset. Do not touch him, he can be... harsh when expressing his need to be left alone, which makes him feel even worse deep down. Terrorpin, despite not joining him in battle anymore (not after the incident at the Tower), helps him, rubbing its head against his chest until Black places his hand on it. His failures are too fresh in his mind. He can't bear the thought of failing to protect his friends again. This often makes him feel inadequate, sometimes even unwanted. The extended period of time he spent all by himself made him quite resilient, physically speaking, but left a deep scar in him. He must have experienced something similar when he left Shield Knight and Shovel Knight to venture out alone, but the rest of his thoughts are unknown to you. Words won't cheer him up, flashy demonstrations of affection won't either. Sit next to him by the fire and don't hold back a sympathetic smile, it might not seem like it, but he's intently watching you from under his helmet. Slowly but surely, his hand will look for yours while he's caressing Terrorpin's shell absent-mindedly
~Mod Propeller and -Mod Tinker
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