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irravenclaw · 1 year

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hphm characters songs ⋆｡ ˚༘ ♫ talbott winger's ◡̈

i was so in love with talbott winger that i curated my very own playlist for him ◡̈ so this is the songs i thought the bird boy would listen to throughout hogwarts (or before and beyond) [disclaimer : i don't have the best music taste. this is just my own thoughts]

a song when he took his first eagle flight as an animagus

First Flight - Henry Jackman (Big Hero 6 Soundtrack)

either 18 or 9 years old me would still be fascinated to see the scene where Hiro took his first flight with Baymax. i would still tear up and feel myself shiver when watching the score. the tune really feels like a good sip of courage and excitement. i think when talbott finally learns how to fly in his animagus form, he would listen to something like this. the first time he soar, the first time he saw the world from above.

summarizing talbott's personality

Flying Solo - Pamungkas

i'm flying solo, i'll shed my own tears and i'll walk my own fears

the title speaks for himself :D however i thought this was talbott's song until i realize the lyrics is not really talbott. the lyrics says that the singer will no more believe in the person who left them, but we know that talbott is carrying the people who left him (his family) in his heart :'DD still a good song, nonetheless

the boy who had lost everything

Everything's Not Lost - Coldplay

if you think that all is lost i'll be counting all my demons hoping everything's not lost

i like to think that this song is the song my mc would dedicate to talbott the moment she learned his secrets. the moment she paid empathy. the song to lift his spirit. "everything's not lost, talbott, at least you have me now!" kind of encouragement. oh and the hidden track's lyrics are also nice. but life is for living, it's somehow simple yet deep. life is for living, for dreaming, for breathing, for reminiscing.

the poet in him,

The Lakes - Taylor Swift

take me to the lakes where all the poets went to die i don't belong and, my beloved, neither do you

OKAY i might interpret this song differently from what it was supposed to mean but this is a truly beautiful song. the moment i learned that talbott is into poetry, the literature student in me quickly approved.

for me, the lyrics "take me to the lakes where all poets went to die, i don't belong and my beloved, neither do you" rather sounds like "take me to the lakes where all poets went to die, but we don't belong because we are yet to die. i still want to write poetry for you."

I KNOW it's not the exact interpretation but it sounds to me like that. talbott winger, a wizard poet, admits himself as a poet and would like to make a trip to the lake where all the greatest poets have gone to, however, he proclaims that he went there not to die, and he would tell his lover that both of them did not belong to that lake. they can still continue living. talbott would still write love poems to his lover. and his love will be eternal within those writings.

to honor his animagus ability and his love to transfigurations

Change Shapes - Rebounder ft. Jesse Rutherford

i change shapes when i feel like i wanna i change shapes when i go to the floor i got somewhere to start, i feel my heart this might be the time that I'm sure

another song that speaks for talbott himself!!! 🎉 how can i mention talbott without his animagus ability and his love towards transfiguration. unlike flying solo, this song fully (from both title and lyrics) describes talbott very well. change shape? he can change into an eagle. change shape? just the sentence to describe his favorite class. i thought that the lyrics also speak for him the moment he decided to open up to mc and consider mc as his friend. he got somewhere to start, this might be the time that he's sure.

honorable mentions

another song that speaks for talbott but i just can't describe it

Sincerity is Scary - The 1975

why can't we be friends? when we're lovers? this is such a two-perspective song. how the mc would ask talbott about his loner behavior even after they date :b talbott would answer "sincerity is scary"

inspired after one of his love letter after being exclusive

Tongue Tied - GROUPLOVE

[Might contain spoiler]

i loved you then and i love you now don't leave me tongue-tied don't wave no goodbye don't break

i read the datamine prophet about how talbott's love letter would look like after being exclusive with mc :) one of them says you'd think I'm better with words, but you always leave me tongue-tied. simple yet sweet. and this song is just the right company when he write those sentences into paper! :)

#hogwarts mystery #hphm #talbott winger #playlist #music #hphm characters #what if #talbott winger x mc #Spotify

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jesswithane · 2 years

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DP Episode/Fanfic idea (part 3? Musical edition): [probably titled 'Old Friends' because I'm unoriginal]

Episode would start in normal fashion; Sam and Tucker arguing about something. Danny is very much done with their BS. He tries to calm them both down with little luck.

In the background there's two male-looking ghosts arguing about arrangements and money versus fame, with a third ghost just sighing and plugging their ears.

Next 'scene' is Mr. Lancer announcing there was gonna be a new school musical [yes, it's that kind of episode] and auditions will be held later. Oh, and everyone should audition because whoever is in the musical gets extra credit (because of course)

The Trio are like "no way are we doing that, who has time" but then the new director and chorus teacher is...the two male ghosts. They look human enough, and I guess the school is tight in staff so sure. So...Danny is resigned to audition to see if there up to scheming and hey, bonus there’s extra credit on the line (he would fight them but after dealing with all the Rogues he's learned he may as well hear them out before sucking them up...also he's tired so sue him]

Anyway, at the auditions where his whole grade plus the theater kids are there. And the teachers are already arguing. Tucker tried finding out who they were -- Mr. Shepherd and Mr. Baum, famous composing and lyricist duo. One went on to score a lot of films and create amazing soundtracks, the other more niche known, but still famous in his own right. They both actually were great friends until something happened (no one knows what) -- unfortunately they died around the same time, both still angry at each other (”well, that’s obvious,” says Sam, watching them bicker).

And then they announce the musical, “Be More Chill,” since it’s “more kid appropriate, you know?” [”We should be more daring, Frankie, why not Beauty and the Beast? or Les Mis?” “Bobbie, you want them interested in the content, not begging for death. Besides, we can’t afford the rights.”]

Turns out, these ghosts powers are being able to make other sing to their best potential, and figuring out who fits the right part. Whether or not they want to be involved (Mr. Lancer does not want to play a teacher in this. He will be playing the Teacher AND Jeremy’s dad. He will not be having pants in this. yes he is upset about this).

So Danny gets up there, says he really can’t sing so he’s ok with the background or whatever. “Kid, just sing,” Mr. Shepherd sighs, “We’ll tell you where to go.”

Welp. Turns out Danny can sing. This is news to everyone. And then Baum goes, “He feels right for Jeremy.” and Franklin goes, “You’re right, ok you’re now Jeremy.”

Danny is not happy.

Tucker somehow gets Michael. He could NOT sing. Now they know the ghosts are doing this somehow. They can’t figure out who Christine can be (i can’t either whatever).

Anyway, this continues with the two directors fighting at the same time as the trio are also fighting. It takes the third ghost from the beginning coming in and explaining what caused the fight, and how they were tired of always trying to be the glue to hold them together.

Feels, musicals, and chills. All that good stuff.

#danny phantom #be more chill #crossover ideas #sue me i want a dp x be more chill crossover #and maybe some merrily we roll along #if anyone wants more details ask me #work is hella slow #and i love this soundtrack

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onewingedsparrow · 1 year

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8, 10, 12, 17, and 19 for the ask game!

(They’re all amazing; it was hard to narrow it down. 😂)

Thanks for the ask, Nova! <3 Lol yeah I loved all the questions too :D

From this ask game!

8. Which tf character has the most different personality from you? Uhhhhh that’s a good question. Maybe RiD’15 Drift? He’s very rigid and not likely to have fun for the sake of having fun. Also most iterations of Shockwave are far more logical than I like to be. Sure, logic is important, but Shockwave seems to go overboard in my book. 10. Which tf character do you think you’d get along with really badly? Probably Starscream, any continuity. He's such a backstabber and I value loyalty; he's super narcissistic and people like that are quite annoying to me. Plus he's generally not very fond of humans and talks down to them, and I'm very feisty so our interactions would probably go much like Miko's and his in TFP. Many insults, mutual disgust. I can appreciate his character in a show but I know I could not stand him in real life haha. 12. List a piece of art not from transformers that you think fits a tf character! Hmm this took me a bit of digging...there wasn't one that came to mind instantly, but it was interesting to consider! Reposting is BAD kids(TM) so here's direct links to artists’ works instead! ;)

First off: this beautiful ocean art by Kazami is really inspiring to me. Most people probably don’t think of the ocean when they think Transformers, but...put simply, it reminds me of the ’Waves ;) I have AU versions of Shockwave and Soundwave occupying my mind, their designs inspired by the sea. And the depth in this particular piece is absolutely gorgeous. The brighter colors are reminiscent of neon, which also makes me think Wavebros, and the darker colors add to the ominous, frightening feel of the deep ocean, ever fitting for those two Decepticons. Oh! You’d probably like this as well! There’s a Fire Emblem character whose design I am absolutely in love with. He’s so spooky!!! His name is Líf and I haven’t reached his chapter in the story yet, but I’m so looking forward to that day because his design alone intrigues me. 💜 What does this have to do with Transformers? Well, he reminds me of Soundwave the most, but his “lightning antennae,” lol, remind me of both Soundwave and Optimus, which is a very interesting combination. Líf’s design gets me thinking about the uncanny ways Soundwave and Optimus are similar, something I hadn’t really considered in depth before. It’s quite fun. Here are some cool Líf fanarts so you can see his vibe! - By Lynarc (my absolute favorite that I’ve found so far) - By Bhai Kun - By Kalkkopf - Screenshots from a trailer (?)

- Bonus: Official art from the wiki because they’re all just so cool

I really like this dude in case it wasn’t obvious by how many of these I’m sharing 17. Which piece of music from a tf media is your favorite? I'm so glad you asked this question!!! I was hoping someone would 😊 This would have to be, hands down, "Did You Forget Who I Am" from The Last Knight. The Bayverse is full of terrible, terrible elements, but Steve Jablonsky’s score is not one of those. All the soundtracks are incredible. And this scene from TLK is so iconic that, every time I listen to the music, I can hear Optimus' voice fill in that beat of silence with the mighty, chilling line that Peter Cullen delivered so well. 💙 It also has a special place in my heart because...I can’t help but see a connection to my faith :) This scene and therefore this song are good reminders for me when I’m having a bad day. Side note: The fact that this song surpassed the TFP theme to become my favorite Transformers piece of music really says a lot about its impact. 19. Which depiction of cybertron in a tf media do you most want to live in? Does the answer vary depending on if you’re human or cybertronian? Lol okay so gut reaction would say "G1 Cybertron" because 1) humans can apparently breathe up there without issue (and not be harmed by acid rain, so that's a huge plus), and 2) while the Autobots and Decepticons were bickering on earth I could just go hang out with Shockwave, who's all alone just chilling 😂 But if oxygen wasn't an issue? Definitely post-Predacons-Rising Cybertron. I would love to rebuild the planet along with Team Prime and listen to their stories as they began to heal emotionally from the long conflict. I would also love to see what elements of the planet they repaired true to the original design, and which elements they rebuilt completely to start off on a blank slate, and the implications of each decision. It would be cool to live in a revitalized Cybertron and watch refugees return and new sparks be forged gradually over time until the planet was bustling again. And if I could show up a bit earlier and be present for Bumblebee's Warrior knighting ceremony that would be pretty cool too. 💛

#robotzzz transformers ask game #asks answered #transformers #maccadam #nova tag

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thedaveandkimmershow · 8 months

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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 15

Friday was the day we discovered Villain Con at Universal Studios and how much we absolutely love it.

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First time through I scored 35,000-something to Kimmer's 20,000-something. Second time through I scored 360,000-something to her 366,000-something, a bump in score that may have a little to do with actually paying attention to the instruction video after our first try.

Afterward: breakfast. We continued to Diagon Alley and the Leaky Cauldron for a repeat performance of Toad in the Hole for Kimmer, Fish 'n Chips for me.

What can I say? It's our de facto breakfast choice at Universal (even though we've gotta wait 'til after 1030 in the morning to order it).

After breakfast, we're perusing shops, watching kids use their wands sometimes successfully, sometimes not, sometimes dressed in Hogwarts robes, most of the time not, though.

They're pricey as hell.

ChaCHING!!!!

Wandering through Diagon Alley, we happen upon a performance of The Story of the Three Brothers from Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows. It's a puppeteering take on the story that's really quite clever. And still powerful.

Plus, you know, it's a really good tale. 🤔

On our way out of Diagon Alley, we stop across the way for a quite thorough photo op at The Night Bus followed by the nearby Fast & Furious experience that, turns out, we'd alresdy experienced in its entirety during the backlot tour at Universal Studios Hollywood. The Kong experience we did at Islands already had a little bit of overlap but this... was the whole deal without the 3D glasses. Still highly effective, though. And a lot.

Of fun.

After that, it's once again time for a Coke and a root beer float at Schwab's Pharmacy which just never gets old, sitting at the counter with our floats, surrounded by photos of movie stars everywhere you look, all to the instrumental soundtrack to Hooray for Hollywood.

Somewhere between one and two, we get back on our hotel bus, seated in the back across from a coupla guys: one old dude and one older old dude. The first one's holding a Voodoo Donuts box that he said just jumped out at him so I ask Really? Just the one box?

Turns out neither of them are here for the theme parks. They stopped in to pick up tickets for the Horror Nights events that start at 6 in the evening and last 'til 2AM with some of the rides like The Mummy's Revenge and Gringotts still running into the night.

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I asked if there are different Horror events and they said there's only one event but with several individual houses.

The older old guy told us Horror Nights started 22 years ago. The old guy said he went 19 years ago, last year, and now this year. I asked the older old guy how many times he's been and he said he's been going from the start

"I haven't been to all of them," he summarized, "but I ain't missed much."

I asked what the best one, the best year, was. He said it was the year, more than ten years ago, when Horror Nights was running simultaneously in both parks. He also mentioned that, at that time, the event wasn't as toned down as it is now.

Not as toned down? What do you mean?

Well... before it was toned down you could have people chasing you with chain saws.

Oh dear God.

It definitely reminded us of the haunted camping in the Pacific Northwest where you have to sign a waiver before they can do that kind of thing.

In the meantime, our bus pulls into its stop at the hotel. We're all about to get up when I say

One more question. After all the years you spent doing this, do you still get scared?

Oh I was never scared. Jump scares sure. But I was never scared.

Dang.

I'm such a wuss I was scared out of my mind just walking through the woods at boy scout camp alone at night with a single flash light.

Too much imagination, then and now, always gets the better of me.

Back in our room, we relax for a bit before getting ready again and heading out to Volcano Bay.

This time around, we're gonna walk around first to see what there is and, when we come upon the first thing, ika Moana of Honu ika Moana, a wide bore tube run that handles five-person inflated rafts, we definitely think we're onto something.

So we're standing at the end of the run when a couple young women come shooting out of the blue tube. When they exit the pool and walk by, we ask them what they thought. One of them says

Did you hear me screaming?

Oh.

They totally recommend both the green and the blue tubes.

What's the difference? we ask.

The green one's calmer.

So we shove our stuff into the nearest locker ($20 for the day) and walk the long walk to the top platform on the green side. Ride it down. Great time.

Seriously.

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A better one awaits, though, as we continue our walk and come to Tonga of Tanewha Tubes...

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...a thinner bore tube with sections of open tube on the green side which is the one we chose. On this slide, you're on two-person inflatable rafts with both people facing forward as opposed to the other which I traveled exactly backward the entire way down. I even saw Kimmer's hat fly off her head right off the bat, chasing us in the water, down the slide, coming to rest a few feet behind us as we got off that first raft.

After the second slide, Tonga of Tanewha Tubes, we continue along this path that circles the volcano, taking a hard pass on nearly everything more we see that's all very much more intense, more higher, more longer, and sometimes you come shooting out the tube six feet above the water.

When eventually we come to the wave pool, almost a full circuit around the Volcano, we wade across a little bit of it before turning back to the pathway circling the park. We ride Tonga of Tanewha Tubes one more time intending to ride ika Moana of Honu ika Moana but by then it's almost 430 and we really do want to peacefully float a turn or two around the Kopiko Wai Winding River. The lazy one on innertubes.

Which we then do. 😊

After that, a touch after five, we're out of the park, taking a batch of selfies along the way.

After a quick turnaround at the hotel, we're back to Islands of Adventure for our last evening of strolling.

First up, it's Starbucks for Kimmer's peppermint tea. We stop briefly in Toon Lagoon for a touch of tea drinking and people watching. On our way again, we follow the line that comes out of a Family Circus panel in a nearby wall.

It's a riff on what I remember most from that comic strip when I was reading it.

After that, we stroll all the way further to Hogsmeade for Butterbeer and to check on Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure that's, sadly, still a bust.

We're coming up on 8 by now, park closing, so we continue through this section of park we seem to have seen the most: Hogsmeade through Poseidon through Seuss. With night in full descent, we stop at the Caro-Seuss-El for a photo then continue on as Kimmer navigates us into The Cat in the Hat ride which we actually rode during the last five minutes the park was open.

It was a classic end to our day. ☺️

On the bus, we sit across from a family from Arkansas whose daughter's fast asleep on her mother's lap. I tell her it's a fantastic super power kids have. The parents mention how she was wiped out from the day and I mention to them how they similarly look wiped out.

As it happens, they're here with thirty family members on a tandem vacation. He hails from a family of seven siblings: four from dad, three more from step dad. He's the youngest of all those kids while she, on the other hand, is the oldest of four sisters.

He's an electrical engineer. She's an X-ray tech. And her mom takes care of their daughter during those work days. While they've been away, then, her mom's not been shy about reminding them how much she misses her granddaughter.

Go figure.

They've already spent four days in Disney. Their daughter loved all the characters. She wanted to see all the ones she knew. Funny thing is she's not normally social... but ran up to each one and talked and talked and talked.

She's two-and-a-half years old, by the way, and while Universal isn't Disney, she's all about running through the water playground which is how she came to be exhausted and, you know, asleep right now.

I ask if she reads and Kimmer points out she's too young and I point out how Linzy could "read" at that age... but really she was only repeating to me what she knew to be on each page of a favorite book.

That absolutely rang a bell with the family across from us.

Oh... yes. Our daughter does that too.

We talked some empty nesting and how this was like when we just got married. They've actually been many years without a child so this is different for them.

And with that, we bid our fare-thee-wells and head back to our hotel room where Day 6 of our wedding anniversary celebration vacation officially endeth.

☺️

#universal studios #volcano bay #villain con #diagon alley #the cat in the hat #wedding anniversary #celebration #vacation #horror nights #Youtube

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themovieblogonline · 2 years

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Bones and All Review - A Film so delish, you will want to Lick it up

Imagine 1980s America, road-tripping as a fine young cannibal teen, with your ride or die... I mean, let's fucking go - amirite? Italian filmmaker Luca Guadagnino, who brought us "Call Me By Your Name" strikes again with this beautifully crafted film. "Bones and All" follows the adventures of the 'eaters' (cannibals), the two main characters Lee, played by Timothée Chalamet, and Taylor Russell as Maren. We are first introduced to Maren, a seemingly "normal" teen living with her single dad. She slips out of the house to a friend's sleepover party, when the girls get intimate Maren takes a bite of her gal pal's finger. Oh yes, this is how it begins, no giveaways because we see it in the trailer. Maren panics and runs home to her dad, who quickly grabs all their belongings to head out to the next place. Later her Dad gets overwhelmed by the lifestyle and leaves Maren to her own devices, giving her a birth certificate and pointing her in the direction of her long-lost mother, played by Chloë Sevigny. Maren sets off in search of her mother and meets 'eaters' along the way. First, she encounters a creepy guy named Sully played by Mark Rylance,. Sully is also an 'eater' and hopes to teach Maren the ways of the world while relying on her companionship. He brings her to a house where he is starting to feed on an old lady who lived there. They feast together. Maren leaves Sully to continue her journey but Sully was not done with her. Sully had the ultimate lines throughout this film, the best one was funny and creepy all at once: "It's never dully with Sully"... Maren eventually meets the scrawny Lee (Timothée Chalamet) and the two develop a connection by sharing their family traumas and their own search of love and security. They navigate the world together in search of their loved ones and home. Bones and all is based on the book by Camille DeAngelis, which I will be looking to read very soon! The Good: The film was beautifully shot by Cinematographer Arseni Khachaturan. You leave this film wanting to travel the country from dusk to dawn. The soundtrack... let's talk about how the music was so perfect in every way. The original score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross is both brilliant in their own right. The Album track list includes "Lick it up" by Kiss to Leonard Cohen's "You want it darker" And yes, Timothée was amazing but I'm absolutely here for Actress Taylor Russel who was nothing short of phenomenal. Bone and all is super sensual in the most morbid best way ever. While it took me some time, I realized I actually fucking loved the film. It is dark and dreamy and reminiscent of Bonnie on Clyde. It's gory and poetic - two things I love separately but together? Be still my emo heart! The film's openly queer characters and sexual confidence that illuminates the screen are what we need more of these days. The Bad: It had moments where I wanted it to get even rawer but was almost walking on the safety line. Maybe that is my reckless side talking. It wasn't necessarily dully but I was hoping for something a little wilder. Don't let me lose you, I'm just a weirdo like that. Most folx will find this film to be just the right amount of bizarreness and that's fine, to each his own. I needed more here. Overall: Here's the thing, while it took me some time to digest Bones and All (haha, see what I did there?) I was able to conclude that it was just the artistic horror film I'd been searching for a long time. Go see this. -- Cast: Taylor Russell, Timothée Chalamet, Mark Rylance, Andre Holland, Michael Stuhlbarg, Jessica Harper, Madeleine Hall, Kendel Coffey Direction: Luca Guadagnino Cinematographer Arseni Khachaturan Screenplay is written by: David Kajganich Score: Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross Read the full article

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undertale-data · 3 years

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[Image Description: An Undertale chat box that has “WHY FANS LOVE UNDERTALE” at its center. Next to it are a line chart and an Egg from the Dating Hub on its left, and a CRIME measurer (also from the Dating Hub) on its right. End I.D.]

[Image Description: a pie chart titled, “LEVEL OF LOVE FOR UNDERTALE.” The textbox on the top right reads, “On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being the least and 10 being the highest, how much do fans enjoy Undertale?” From the top going clockwise, 12 or 0% chose 5 and below; 23 or 1% chose 6; 98, or 4%, chose 7; 325, or 12%, chose 8; 529, or 20%, chose 9; and 1664, or 63%, chose 10. End I.D.]

It’s clear from all of the data analyzed so far that fans who took the time to answer our survey love Undertale. It is unlikely that they would have taken the time to answer so many questions if they had not, and even less likely that they would have come across our survey in the first place. Naturally, it comes as no surprise that 63% of our responders gave their love for Undertale a score of ten out of ten. 95% gave their love for Undertale a score of eight or higher, and only 12 responders responded with five or below, a number so small that their responses had to be lumped together to be visible on the pie chart. Of those, only 3 responders gave their love for Undertale a score of 1, and based on those responders’ other answers, it is likely that they were only intending to troll. We are very fortunate that the vast majority of responders took the survey seriously, enough so that responses like this are barely a blip in the data.

Now, for our final analysis post of the event, we will delve into the reasons that fans love Undertale so dearly.

(Essay and highlights under the cut.)

There have been countless essays on the impact that Undertale has had on people’s lives. I can hardly add more on the subject than what has already been said, but I hope this summary can provide a brief overview of what stood out among the over two thousand answers given in response to this survey. That said, due to the sheer volume of answers, I could not read every single one in depth—however, I did skim all of them, and some that stood out or were representative of several responses have been highlighted below. If you would like to see what every fan who consented to share their response had to say, you may view the full list of responses here. Note that these responses have not been edited in any way. This document may take a long time to load, as it is over 100 pages long.

(Warnings for mentions of suicidal thoughts in the following essay.)

Several responders loved the theme of choices mattering in Undertale. Whether people played the pacifist, merciless, or neutral routes, they enjoyed how the game reacted to their actions. For some, it even made them consider their own morality. One touching response explained the impact that the theme of mercy made on them. “I realized that Mercy isn't something that's given to those who deserve it. Flowey didn't deserve it. I don't deserve it myself. Shoot, we ALL need Mercy in our lives.” Many fans left similar comments about how the themes of Undertale made them better people.

Undertale changed how its fans treat others, and it also changed how fans treat themselves. The theme of staying determined and the messages of hope in the game were a light to a very large portion of fans. I cannot list all of the fans who said that Undertale helped them out of a dark place, or that they would not be alive if not for Undertale. “DETERMINATION became a metaphor for not killing myself at a really rough time in my life and I’ll always cherish that. Undertale isn’t afraid to go to really dark places but at the same time holds on so tight to its hope.”

Undertale brought fans together in unexpected ways. Some said they met friends or significant others through the fandom. “I wouldn't have met my now husband without Undertale,” one fan said. A different fan who is non-native English speaking mentioned that the game and the fan community helped them to learn English.

It would be impossible to discuss Undertale without mentioning the fan community. Whether for good or bad, many responders mentioned the fandom in their responses. Overall the feelings towards the fandom seem positive, though many made references to “toxic” parts of the fandom without specifying which parts they consider toxic. Others rejected the idea of toxicity in fandom. One response said: “[SLAMS FIST ON DESK] I KNOW MOST PEOPLE SAY THE FANDOM IS TOXIC AND CRINGE OR WHATEVER BUT OH MY GOD. The Undertale fandom, both the UTMV and the actual UT fandom, has been so much fun to be a part of. I've met countless friends because of our shared interest in something related to the game! The art people create can be breathtaking and so inspirational, and the fanfics are so so good!! I've seen people write incredible things for this fandom and it's what made me continue writing!”

One thing that makes the Undertale fandom unique is the way it embraces various AUs. Some fans are tired of AU content, but the majority of responses show a love for the creativity behind AUs. “Roll your eyes at the 50th AU Sans all you want, it's encouraging people to step outside the boundaries of fanart and pushing people to make their own ideas! I mean, hell, it was how I gained the confidence to start making my own original content.” The lack of a judgemental atmosphere seems present in the AU community, according to the responses we saw. There is an interesting balance between AU and canon (sometimes referred to as “classic”) content that another responder pointed out: “The fandom helped keep the game alive all these years, with all of its AUs. Although personally, I always enjoyed AUs that kept characters as close to the classic material as possible (dancetale, outertale) I do appreciate the creativity of the fandom. They almost created entirely new stories with new characters of their own! If it weren't for those people, the Undertale fandom would have probably not been as active as it is now. I do feel like we're getting a resurgence of classic content now too! (In 2021)”

Regardless of the many AUs the fandom has created over the years, the original game of Undertale still feels like home for many fans. They wished they could reclaim the feeling of playing the game again for the first time, but even though we can’t reset time in real life, there is still a special feeling for fans each time they play Undertale. One fan said, “Even the best fics I've read can't capture that feeling of nostalgia/almost-"coming home" that comes with hearing the music and talking to the characters.” This feeling is one that can be cherished time and time again. In the words of another responder: “It always feels welcoming like home or like comfort food that I never grow tired of no matter how many times I go to it.” Others pointed out the strength of the found family trope in Undertale, which likely contributes to this feeling of “home” as well.

As mentioned briefly earlier, the music is part of what makes Undertale feel like home for fans. Even when responses focused on other aspects of the game, many would throw in a comment about the soundtrack at the end. One comment focused on the music said “IT'S SO GOOD like I will literally go through the entire thing over and over and not be bored with it. It makes my monkey brain so happy you have no idea.” Like with the game itself, the music has incredible replay value, an amazing feat considering most of the tracks use the same few motifs. “I think what I like the most about Undertale is how the music attaches you to the story,” another responder said. “They're simple melodies that stick with you throughout the whole game, and they can remind you of both good and bad times.”

If the music sticks with fans in their hearts, then the game’s lore sticks with fans in their minds. Even six years after the release of Undertale, fans are still creating new theories and digging up new secrets. The way the game breaks the fourth wall in particular intrigued many fans and has stuck out through all these years. The awareness that the game shows for the RPG genre makes it memorable. The game plays with the player’s expectations and turns them on their heads, all while reminding the player that they’re in a game. There are few other games that do this on such a large scale, so it’s no surprise that fans cite this as one of their favorite things about Undertale.

Lastly, the LGBT+ representation in Undertale has been a huge draw for fans. Especially in 2015, the sheer volume of non-cishet characters was unprecedented, as one fan pointed out: “It's practically unheard of to see so MANY from just one source, especially during its heyday in 2015-16. Hell, you can't even GET the true pacifist ending without helping two gay couples hook up. It's really nice to see all of them being accepted for who they are and not judged for their sexuality or gender, at least in-canon.” The LGBT+ cast including Frisk, Chara, Napstablook, Monster Kid, Mettaton, Alphys, and Undyne each connected with fans in unique ways. It’s clear how important this is from responses such as: “There are canon nonbinary characters 🥺. i have never seen representation of myself before.” “It made me gay and trans so thanks for that.”

Once again I am overwhelmed with just how much there is to say about Undertale. One responder really understood when they compared Undertale to an iceberg, explaining that there are so many layers to the game that there is something for everyone: “everyone can find something to enjoy in the lore/game regardless of what kind of fan they are! Being able to appeal to various types of fans—from simple happy shipper people to deep dive lorediggers—is the mark of the coolest games!” I would have to agree with them.

It’s been six years, and despite everything, it’s still you. Thank you for reading, participating in this survey, and above all, staying determined.

Highlights:

DETERMINATION became a metaphor for not killing myself at a really rough time in my life and I’ll always cherish that. Undertale isn’t afraid to go to really dark places but at the same time holds on so tight to its hope.

I think the coolest thing was having the opportunity to watch the AU community grow from its bare roots. It's nearly insane how big and complex it's gotten, unlike anything I'd ever seen before. Roll your eyes at the 50th AU Sans all you want, it's encouraging people to step outside the boundaries of fanart and pushing people to make their own ideas! I mean, hell, it was how I gained the confidence to start making my own original content.

i love how the lgbt rep is so naturalized... there are just gay people! and its nobodys business!

The music is my go to answer, but what I really really REALLY love is how the minor characters have so much personality to them when you talk to them. They aren't incredibly important to the overall story, but they're all so likeable and diverse that you just can't help but like them immediately!

I think it was the first videogame I have played that broke the fourth wall that much. Of course there has been other videogames that broke it but just for one or two tongue-in-cheek jokes. The guilt of killing mama goat was also something intense as well that I appreciated as an experience and that I didn't think a videogame could cause on someone.

I love how no character can be seen as completely bad! Everyone builds up Asgore as some horrible villain, but he turns out to be a 'fuzzy pushover' who's broken and just wants his family back by the time you meet him. Then you think Flowey's an irredeemable killer who engineered the suffering of the monsters across many timelines, and he is... but he also used to be the kind and beloved Prince Asriel Dreemurr, traumatized by his death and subsequent rebirth, projecting his best friend onto you.

The fact that choices matter in the game. Your first playthrough and getting the golden ending for the first time. I can never replicate those feelings again, wish I could erase my memories and replay the game from the start.

I wouldn't have met my now husband without Undertale.

(Toxic parts of the fandom aside) The community is possibly one of the kindest I've ever met. Cringe culture is completely dead, and I feel like I can be myself. I felt a very close connection to many of the characters, and I loved consuming content about them when I was in a rough patch in my life.

just everything, the whole game has just impacted my life so much. i know it sounds really lame, but when the game first came out, i would purposely put my hands in my pockets and sway slightly, like sans' idle animation. of course i dont do that anymore haha, but undertale still really impacts me to this day, and i wouldnt have it any other way :)

it made me gay and trans so thanks for that

I realized that Mercy isn't something that's given to those who deserve it. Flowey didn't deserve it. I don't deserve it myself. Shoot, we ALL need Mercy in our lives.

The thing I love most about Undertale is no matter how many times I play or watch a playthrough it always makes me genuinely happy. It always feels welcoming like home or like comfort food that I never grow tired of no matter how many times I go to it. Toriel still makes me feel all warm and cozy in her home, the Skelebros always make me laugh, and I still cry on the inside watching Frisk comforting Asriel. And on the flip side the No Mercy run still invokes the negative emotions in me as well. In short Undertale just feels like a second home to me and I always wish I could stay.

The reader inserts are my favorite way to decompress after a hard day

I think Undertale helped me discover my love for 8-bit games, and made me realize how IMPORTANT music is in video games.

the worldbuilding and character design are my favorite parts of the main game apart from the music! I’m also a huge fan of the random AU music- not for like underswap or underfell i like the stuff where someone makes a megalovania for a random au where gru from despicable me replaces sans as the character. i think its funny

Just... the vibe, honestly? Even the best fics I've read can't capture that feeling of nostalgia/almost-"coming home" that comes with hearing the music and talking to the characters.

there are canon nonbinary characters 🥺. i have never seen representation of myself before.

[SLAMS FIST ON DESK] I KNOW MOST PEOPLE SAY THE FANDOM IS TOXIC AND CRINGE OR WHATEVER BUT OH MY GOD. The Undertale fandom, both the UTMV and the actual UT fandom, has been so much fun to be a part of. I've met countless friends because of our shared interest in something related to the game! The art people create can be breathtaking and so inspirational, and the fanfics are so so good!! I've seen people write incredible things for this fandom and it's what made me continue writing!

There's a scene where Frisk (the player) is going towards what is presumably going to be their death. They will fight Asgore and he will use their human soul to break the barrier and free his people. The music, despite the player's impending doom, is... triumphant. You are not the triumphant one here, and yet, the score invites you to experience the monsters' joy and happiness as they tell you the tale of their subjugation. The monsters are going to be free. This is their victory, but they don't hate you or want you to die. They're just... happy. That scene has always struck me very deeply. I feel it represents the best parts of Undertale.

I loved how well thought out the Geno route was. It really made me feel like I was doing something horrible, and the characters were very obviously reacting to dire circumstances.

I dunno? I like Undertale for it's characters, story, music, secrets and many more. I am not good with Headcanons but I also like the neutral endings and how different they can depending on who you spare and kill

I was very bad at english before, i thought i couldn't progress because i was very shy and not confident. But my sibling and i wanted to have the best experience with this game so we wanted to play it in english. It's this game and the fandom which helped me to make huge progress in english !

THE SOUNDTRACK. IT'S SO GOOD like I will literally go through the entire thing over and over and not be bored with it. It makes my monkey brain so happy you have no idea.

to avoid writing an essay i will say one word. Mettaton

It is like Toby specifically made the games to fit the iceberg meme and it's awesome, everyone can find something to enjoy in the lore/game regardless of what kind of fan they are! Being able to appeal to various types of fans - from simple happy shipper people to deep dive lorediggers is the mark of the coolest games!

I love almost everything about Undertale as a game on its own. The music, the art and especially the characters and how they interact. They made me feel at home. Undertale means a huge amount to me. (I even got a tattoo of the castle when you and MK walk together!) The fandom helped keep the game alive all these years, with all of its AUs. Although personally, I always enjoyed AUs that kept characters as close to the classic material as possible (dancetale, outertale) I do appreciate the creativity of the fandom. They almost created entirely new stories with new characters of their own! If it weren't for those people, the Undertake fandom would have probably not been as active as it is now. I do feel like we're getting a resurgence of classic content now too! (In 2021)

the mystery. toby fox refused to give answers to anything and i think thats very sexy of him.

I just feel guilty for liking it so much when I'm in my 30's. But I recently got diagnosed with ASD, so I guess it explains things a bit. Many ppl consider Papyrus to be neurodivergent, and some adult fans are too, so seeing that makes me feel a bit better.

i think about "Despite everything, it's still you" everyday of my life.

I like how it's just as funny as it can be serious. All routes are this way. I laughed as much as I cried when I played the Pacifist route and then once I opened the game again and Flowey was telling me to let them be happy, I immediately turned off the game. I somehow felt bad.

The Found Family Trope

The True Pacifist Ending is just...man. And the fanworks about saving everyone even when the game doesn't let you? MANNNNNN

I think what I like the most about Undertale is how the music attaches you to the story. They're simple melodies that stick with you throughout the whole game, and they can remind you of both good and bad times.

there's honestly a LOT to love about this game, but i think one of my favorite things about it is just how many lgbt+ characters there are??? i can think of alphys, undyne, frisk, chara, mettaton, napstablook, monster kid, asgore, mad mew mew, the dress lion, the royal guards, and arguably even papyrus off of the top of my head, but im sure i'm forgetting a few from just undertale alone (there's even MORE in deltarune)!! it's practically unheard of to see so MANY from just one source, especially during its heyday in 2015-16. hell, you can't even GET the true pacifist ending without helping two gay couples hook up. it's really nice to see all of them being accepted for who they are and not judged for their sexuality or gender, at least in-canon.

[Image description: A wordcloud in the shape of the capitalized word UNDERTALE. The text is white on a black background, and uses the font found in the game. Some of the most visible words are: Game, Love, Music, Life, AU, Store, Friend, and Feel, which represent the most common words in the essays people wrote about their love for the game. End of ID]

#undertale #analysis #results #undertale fandom census

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itspdameronthings · 2 years

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Going Home Ch8

Summary: Happy Super bowl Sunday. Here is a new chapter! which I’ll post another chapter tomorrow. yes a valentines day chapter. Santi and Apple have something special to tell their family about the gender of the baby. So Yall enjoy.

Sunny morning on super bowl Sunday. Even though it is still chilly outside. All Santiago wants to do is stay in bed. To be with his family. He still can't believe that he is gonna be a father of twins.has been a few days since the last appointment to find out the sex of the baby. He fainted when he heard that it was twins! Which caused him to get stitches on his forehead. He wanted to have a get-together the day after the super bowl, but Apple would not have that! Wants to get the announcement over with! This time she is in charge.took awhile to convince santi to go along with it.

Apple wakes up to the sounds of heavy metal on her tummy. Opens one eye to see headphones on her belly. Moans. Here we go again she sighs. Every morning for the last month. Which leads to the discussion of what kind of music they would be exposed to. Same argument from Santiago. Wants them to enjoy his favorite band of all time. Her rebuttal was for them to enjoy all forms of music. Little does he know. While he is at work . She plays some pop, country ( Uncle Benny's suggestion) even soundtracks from her favorite movies. She tries to get up,but Santi would not have that. He wants to snuggle with her for a little while.

Slowly the two of them make their way downstairs. To the sight of faith and Benny making pancakes. Both of them were clowning around with the batter causing some of it to fall on Benny's hair when he bent over to pick something up. Apple clears her throat,"looks like y’all are having way too much fun. So help me if there is any batter left on my floor. I’m gonna kick y’all’s ass. Don’t think for a moment that I’m pregnant, I can do it.” Benny laughs as he walks beside her, and kisses her cheek,"relax mama bear. I assure you the only mess is in my hair. Go sit on the stool before pope has a conniption.” Oh no! Can’t have that. He has been so protective of her lately. Started by moving his office to a smaller room so the nursery can be near them.also it is nice for faith and Benny to stay with them. They share the master bedroom which once belonged to her parents. Another score is that they don’t have to share a bathroom . Another score is that the room is so far down the hall that her and Santiago can’t hear them. Santiago laughs when he sees Benny with batter in his hair. Sees his angel sitting on the bar stool. That doesn’t sit well with him. Orders her to sit in his leather chair. Apple moaned, “ for the love of-! Shooter! I’m fine! Can’t you stop being mr. overprotective,relaxed,and enjoy a nice breakfast."he sighs as he sits on the arm rest," I can’t help it! You are pregnant. Need to take care of you, and the babies. Don’t want anything to happen to either of you.” Apple looks at him,and rubs his arm,"baby, I’ll be fine.no worries. We have the state of the art security system. Not to mention the best delta force soldiers to come to the rescue. Now be a good boy.” Faith laughs as she cleans up the mess," she is right old man. Don’t want to get more grays. Now you're gonna have more when the babies get here so loosen up for a change.” Santiago goes to the kitchen to get some pancakes for him and apple . Not before he smacks faith on the back of her head," must you continue to call me old? I still can kick ass when I need to. So don’t throw the age card at me.” Faith looks him in the eye,"I call as I see them. Besides, my man can kick your ass any day of the week.” Benny comes down with a towel around his shoulders to see another battle with faith and pope. Which he thinks is funny. He imagined seeing his future niece and nephew arguing like this. Goes to wrap his arms around faith. Listening to them go after one another.

Benny was outside working on his launcher. See if it still works. Took him a long while to make it work. Last thing he needs is a defective launcher. Wants everything to go smoothly for his buddy. Soon as he finished putting in the confetti in the launcher;goes inside to warm up. Faith was waiting for him with some hot chocolate. With lots of marshmallows. After taking a huge drink. Pulls Faith close to kiss her warm lips. She sighs," feels like someone needs some warning up. Since santi and Apple are downstairs. How about we go upstairs to take a nap. Hmmm?" Benny pulls her along,and not before Santi comes behind her,and wraps his arms around her belly," what are you thinking about love? Inquiring minds want to know. " Apple sighs," oh , just thinking about how happy iam. I am with the love of my life and so glad to see Benny so happy. " santi kisses her cheek," I agree. I thought I would ever find any happiness in my life. Look at me. I'm gonna be a father. Never thought in a million years that I would find the love of my life. Had to look no farther than my hometown." That declaration made Apple tear up.

Both Benny and Faith cuddle under the warm comforter. She lays her head on his chest.Listening to his heartbeat. Feel his fingers drawing patterns on her arm. Enjoying the closeness he has with this beautiful soul. Sure she is a smart ass,but underneath all of that armor lies the most purest soul known to anyone he has met. Faith looks into his beautiful blue eyes," what are you thinking about handsome? " he pulls her closer to him,and looks at her," about how blessed i am to have you at my side. All the while I was jealous of santi and frankie. Both of them have their own special someone. All it took was for me to move here to find the what I was longing for for so fucking long. I am glad I waited,or I wouldn't have the pleasure to get to know you." Faith kissed his chest. Caused him to shiver. He rubs her lower back. Caused her to close her eyes. How she enjoys his soft touches. Both of them closed their eyes so they could rest. It is gonna be an eventful afternoon for the blended family.

Benny woke up to the sound of loud pounding on the bedroom door. He rubs the sleep from his eyes. Opens the door to see Santi. With his arms crossed,” Are you aware that everyone just arrived? We go to get outside for the reveal.Hurry man!!” Benny hurried as fast as he could. Faith gives him his hoodie. Followed by a sweet kiss to wake him up. Him and Santi sneak out through the balcony from Santi’s bedroom so they can get outside without being seen. As soon as they reached the garage.Benny got out the launcher. He is so ready to use this baby for a long time. Like a kid in a candy store. Santi laughs,” you sure this thing would work? I mean we had a hard time fixing it. Lucky that Catfish had the knowledge to help us do this or we had to resort to the popping balloons”Benny slaps Santi on the shoulders," Amen brother. That is not the Delta Force way. We love shooting things . not Popping things. So go get the others. By looking at my phone. It is almost halftime."Santi goes inside to get everyone to come outside. It was hard since it was getting colder. Felt like the Andes. Told himself to forgo the speech and go right to the reveal. Everyone is present and freezing. Will moans,"Pope get on with it man. I Am missing the commercials."Randi stays inside to tend to the baby. Santi motions for Benny to shoot the launcher. With a loud bang comes the sight of blue and pink. Which caused both Will and Frankie to say," i don't get it,” Benny slaps his brothers’ shoulders,'' you are proud uncles of twins. A boy and a girl sheech!” Both of them rushed to the proud parents to give them a huge hug. Will looks at benny,"you knew the whole fucking time!. Never thought to let me in on the secret. I'm good with that.``Benny pulls Faith to his side,"lets go inside. I’m starving for some grub.” While they head inside . He watches the rest of them laughing at Santi’s crappy jokes.

Soon as everyone left. The house is quiet. Santiago and Apple both went to bed. Benny and Faith stayed downstairs to listen to some soft music . While swaying to the soft melody. Benny’s mind was somewhere else. Thinking about the angel he is holding. One that stole his heart . One that looks good in his baseball caps. Ever since the party today. Thought about making love to Faith. Something they barely talked about. Faith pulls him tightly. Don’t want to let him go. He broke the silence,” there is something that I want to ask you. Want you to hear me out . Want to say that I love you darling. Wanting to take it to the next level.” Faith looks into his eyes,” Ben are you sure you want to? I mean considering that I am still you know untouched . I’m embarrassed to tell you that.” He guides her to the couch. Sits beside her. Holds her hands,” why do you have to be embarrassed about being a virgin? It’s nothing to be ashamed of. I would love to be your first . Would make it special for you. Not here though , but somewhere special. “ Faith lays her head on his shoulder,” you would do that for me? Even if I'm shy about giving myself to you?” Ben smiles, and kisses her sweet lips,” like I said before baby. I will take care of you. Don’t worry. It’s getting rather late. Since we both have to work tomorrow. Need to get to bed “ he got up so he could carry her upstairs. Santiago looks away from his book. Noticed Benny carrying Faith. Caused him to smile.

After seeing Benny carrying Faith to bed. He could get back to reading the pregnancy book he bought a few days ago. Which he is almost half way through. Apple turns over to stare at her handsome , sexy man. Looks like a professor in his silver rimmed glasses. He was afraid of getting them. Only time he wears them is when he reads. She eases her way over to him because she was getting cold. Also it is past his bedtime. Ever so gently , she touches his cheek,” baby boy of mine. Time to put the book away. It’s getting late. “ santi looks down at her. Damn she has that glow about her. Which is sweet and sexy all the same time. Puts the book down,and slowly takes off his glasses. Apple stops him,” no,leave them on while I kiss you. Looks so sexy.” Santi pulls her close so he could kiss her. Taking his time. Licking her lower lip. Caused him to shiver. If things go any further. He needs to take his glasses off. Don’t want to break them. Lowers himself down so he could concentrate on his pregnant love. Rubs her leg. Trying not to hurt her. Nibbles on her neck that caused her to moan. His hand slowly pulled up her shirt so he could kiss her belly. Then he felt them kick! He smiles,” that was the first time i felt them kick! Oh man!” Apple smiles, “ they want to say hi to their daddy.” He lays his head down her tummy while she plays with his hair.

#Triple Frontier #santiago x reader #benny miller x reader #oscar week #Garett Hedlund #going home

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kumoriyami-xiuzhen · 3 years

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Hakuoki Yuugiroku 2 - Harada Chapter 5

This is my first post of the month, so I’ll start by asking you to please support me if you can through my ko-fi, and paypal or patreon which provides access to my hakuoki blog translations and early access to my postings. Also, please let me know if you have any hakuoki drama cds that you’d be willing to share that are on my Lookout List since i either do not have audio for those cds or do not have audio that I can share…. and if you are able to remove watermarks from a video, please contact me…

well... i mostly drove op.3 and souma-hen out of my head with some of the original hakumyu musicals. i had to re-rip all of my hakumyu cds since the files got lost cuz my passport stopped working... then i started to distract myself by listening to the Kazama-hen soundtrack and a bunch of BGM tracks from Saito-hen, Hijikata-hen and Reimeiroku, which resulted in way more music being stuck in my head. lol *insert pitiful laugh here*. maybe i’ll finally be able to motivate myself into finish my score for kazama-hen’s yaisa this time around (it’s hard to stay focused on a +10 min song that’s reaaaaallly not meant for the piano though i was able to match most of the notes to when they played when compared to the actual song starting from the 4th measure, which i consider to be insanely good considering how there are 333 freaking measures or roughly 46 pages in my damn score. still need to fix a number of sections though)... and i know ive done a ton of procrastinating on it.

anyway, enjoy~!

oh, and i have one non-hakuoki translation planned for this month (next week).

Hakuoki Yuugiroku 2 - Harada Chapter 5

Translation by KumoriYami

After a short walk down the corridor through headquarters, I stopped when I reached the room for the Tenth Division [reword later?].

Yukimura: Speaking of which/Anyway, Nagakura-san did say that he was apologize to Harada-san for getting him wrongly accused of stealing sake.

I didn't know if Nagakura-san was already here......?

I stepped into the room.

What immediately came into view was the sight of Nagakura-san pressing both of his hands together to apologize.

Shinpachi:——That's how it is! Sano, I'm sorry! I didn't expect for for this to happen!/things to get to this point/develop to this stage!

Harada:......In other words, I was almost banned from going out because of something that you did? Shinpachi.

Shinpachi: We-Well...... if you look at the outcome, it should be fine...... right......

B-But, that’s it. I just put the sake in your room because I wanted to share some delicious sake with you——

It was just bad luck that things ended up that way... [i think?]

Harada: I get it, I get it. I know exactly what happened.

Harada:......But, for me to have been accused without any/for no reason, it's not to much to think that I'd lose my temper, right?

Harada-san cracked his fingers as he spoke.

He was smiling, but his eyes weren’t happy at all.

Shipnachi: U-Uwaaah...!. calm down, Sano! Why are you hitting me!

Harada: Shut up! You should be thankful that I'm just hitting you!

It seemed that Harada-san was quite furious as he looked genuinely angry.

What should I do......!?

Stop Harada-san <-

Evacuate/Get away

Yukimura: Pl-Please calm down, Harada-san! You can't use violence/Violence is not allowed/Don't use violence!

I hurriedly grabbed/hugged Harada-san to try/and tried to stop him.

Seeing me appear so suddenly, Harada-san was startled, but shortly after, he regained his original scowling expression.

Harada: Don't stop me, Chizuru! That guy, Shinpachi, has earned a good beating!

Yukimura: But, but rather than saying that it was Nagakura-san's fault, wouldn't it be better to say that this was just a coincidence/this was an unfortunate misunderstanding......!

Harada: You're someone who doesn’t try to offend anyone... .However, Shinpachi. In the end/first place, this incident, were it not for your love of sake/alcohol addiction, none of this would have happened!

Shinpachi: Guh......

Yukimura: But, but starting/engaging in privates fights is punishable by seppuku, so please, please calm down......!

I was almost shaken off, but I desperately continued holding onto Harada-san.

However Harada-san forced me aside and walked over to Nagakura-san, and then smiled.

Harada: Don't worry, Chizuru. This isn't a private fight. I have no intention to start a fight/fight with him.

Shinpachi: Th-That’s right! Although I was prepared to get beaten, won't/cant you forgive me/I was prepared to get beaten, but you’re actually prepared to forgive me...!? No, as expected of my best friend! The broadness of your mind is comparable to Hijikata-san [reword later. sounds archaic lol]!

Looking at the smiling Harada-san, Nagakura-san let out a sigh of relief.

Is that how it will work out/Will that be how this ends......?

The moment/Just as I let go.

I caught the sight of Harada-san's smile deepening as he clenched his fists behind his back.

Harada: Right, I'm not going to fight you——

Harada——But I'm going to punish you! Grit/Clench your teeth, Shinpachi!!!

Shinpachi: GUAHHH!?

Nagakura-san's depressed screams could clearly be heard even outside of headquarters......

Afterwards, Harada-san and Nagakura-san went to Hijikata-san's room......

Once the situation was explained in detail, the order for Harada-san’s house arrest was lifted.

......Instead/On the opposite end, Nagakura-san was severely punished......

Harada: Really, that bastard, Shinpachi....... he can’t/won't stop causing problems.

Yukimura: Ye-Yes. But I think that Harada-san also went too far....... However, it's good that the suspicions against you were cleared because of that, Harada-san.

Harada: Speaking of which, I forgot to thank you. Thanks, Chizuru.

Yukimura: Eh?

Harada: What you did. It's thanks to you that I was able to prove my innocence [tl word i have is more "to your credit/contribution"].

Yukimura: Th-That sort of thing...... what I did isn't such a big deal.

Harada: Haha, a bit of modesty/humility is good, but when a man thanks you, you need to accept it honestly, since it's a necessary condition of being a good woman/but it's a condition of being a good woman to honestly accept when a man gives thanks, alright?", alright [i think????]?

Seeing Harada-san smile, I couldn't help but also laugh/smile.

Harada: So/Anyway, if you want to go to the festival, just call me at any time/call me whenever. As thanks/As a gift, can I accompany you/keep you company then?

Yukimura: Yes, thank you.

Although there were many twists and turns......

I’m really glad that Harada-san's ban on going out was lifted.

The sigh I let out in relief escaped into the depths of the cool corridor.

-end of chapter-

#hakuoki #hakuouki #hakuoki yuugiroku 2 #harada sanosuke #Yukimura Chizuru #nagakura shinpachi #hakuoki game translation

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pair-annoyed · 3 years

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Anime I Watched This Fall

My first semester of college is officially over and the December holidays are upon us! I hoped to make one of these posts sooner, but I have been incredibly busy with schoolwork. Now that things have slowed down, let’s take sometime to reflect on things I’ve watched.

These anime are listed in chronological order and encompass everything I’ve watched from 9/1/2020 - 12/15/2020

Like always, they will be rated on a 1-10 scale; 1 meaning complete garbage, 10 meaning masterpiece. I will offer my thoughts on what I did/didn’t like about each show!

1. The God of High School - 6/10

Despite the stellar animation from MAPPA and my high expectations, I was really disappointed by how this series was treated. Most of the story’s crucial elements were handled poorly. I finished this series feeling more confused about the plot than when I first began. The power system is really cool, but poorly explained. More time should have been spent on exposition and world building for this series, instead the fights were given the most screen time.

2. Doukyuusei - 7/10

I really liked the style of Doukyuusei. Granted, this was another movie I chose to watch primarily because of the hype surrounding it. The dynamic between Kusakabe and Sajou is an interesting one, and I also enjoy how the movies different acts were separated by the seasons. However, there's nothing that really sets Doukyuusei apart from other romance movies, its a little generic. Still, I enjoyed it nonetheless.

3. Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu 2nd Season - 8/10

My opinions on Re:Zero’s second season are biased. This was, by far, the sequel I was most hyped for during the summer/fall anime season. I was so happy to see the story’s continuation and I’m looking forward to the season’s second part coming sometime in January. Re:Zero is one of my all time favorite series because of the way it handles it characters and power dynamics. I also really enjoy the show’s psychological aspects. If you haven’t already, give Re:Zero a try!

4. Saint☆Oniisan (Movie + OVA) - 8/10

This was a wonderful comedy. I wasn’t sure how the subject of Jesus and Buddha living together would be tackled, but it was handled wonderfully. I was laughing for pretty much the entire movie. I love the art style and little references to both Buddhism and Christianity, plus the incorporation of Japanese culture. Saint Oniisan is a bright comedy, with two eccentric main characters. If you like a show that doesn’t take itself too seriously, and need a good laugh, I can’t recommend this more.

5. Clannad: After Story - 10/10

Never, while watching anime, did I cry as much as I did while watching Clannad: After Story. I didn’t realize how much I related to Okazaki until I saw him grow up in After Story. I was left sobbing, especially after episode 18. I still, to this day, cannot listen to the Dango song without tearing up. The original Clannad is nothing special, but the continuation of its story its something heartfelt, emotional, and down-to-earth. I love Kyoto Animation with all my heart, and Clannad made me appreciate everything the studio has done just a little bit more. Thank you Clannad, for reminding me about the kind of person I strive to be.

6. Nakitai Watashi wa Neko wo Kaburu - 5.5/10

The art in A Whisker Away was beautiful. The story itself, however, is nothing too enjoyable. I found it difficult to like our protagonist or her love interest. Nothing about this movie is inherently memorable. The emotional climax came far too early which made the second half of the film seem long and drawn out. All in all, the movie has a wonderful concept, I just believe it could have been so much more emotional than it was. When I watch a move, I like to empathize with the characters. It’s difficult to do when the characters aren’t given the proper exposition to be empathized with.

7. Shikioriori - 6/10

This is less of a movie and more of a collection of short stories. Flavors of Youth is something you shouldn’t watch on an empty stomach, all of the food looks incredible. The same cannot beside for the rest of this feature. The stories themselves seems heavily clichéd. Much like A Whisker Away, the initial premise is intriguing, but the execution results in something that comes across as trying too hard and carries no emotional weight with the viewer. If you plan on watching, pay more attention to the artwork and animation than the actual plot. You won’t be missing anything.

8. Vinland Saga - 7/10

Vinland Saga helped me get out of the rut that Clannad: After Story. Not only does this show have a great story, its action packed with lots of interesting fights. I especially enjoyed all the Nordic history embedded within the show. Its really unlike any of the other historical anime I’ve watched. I will say, it’s gory. But, compared to all the other things I watched this time around, I finished this series the quickest. Its good, its graphic, its fast paced!

9. Mononoke Hime - 7/10

It’s ironic considering how much anime I’ve watched that I have yet to watch all of the most classic Studio Ghibli films. Princess Mononoke is grittier than most other Ghibli films I’ve seen, but it’s message is positive and its characters are wonderful. I can’t really speak ill towards classics like these. I guess maybe my one complaint is that this movie could’ve been a faster pace. Other than that... I really enjoyed everything Princess Mononoke offered! I understand why it’s so popular.

10. Howl no Ugoku Shiro - 8.5/10

Can you believe it took me this long to finally watch Howl’s Moving Castle? Me neither!! This movie is so endearingly beautiful. I loved every second of it, from the characters to the soundtrack. So many iconic things come from just this one movie. I would like to take this time to thank my best friend for reminding me that Studio Ghibli films are wonderful! Thank you for watching this with me, I loved it! All in all, I regret not watching this sooner!

11. Toradora! - 6.5/10

Toradora took me a while to finish, just because I lost interest about halfway through. But, I powered through it, and ended up really enjoying the show! I’m not the biggest fan of the ending, but that’s just a personal preference. Somehow, this show also made me cry? I’m not entirely sure why because Toradora! is probably the thing farthest from sad. Apart from the show’s dull slice of life moments, it was super cute! A much needed light-hearted romance.

12. New Initial D Movie: Legend 1 - 5/10

Full disclosure, this is the only thing related to Initial D that I’ve ever watched. My band and I watched this expecting to hear some of that iconic Initial D music, itself all we got was a mildly confusing story about different types of cars. It was cliché and frankly a little boring. Although, I am still considering watching the original Initial D just so I can hear the music in the way it was original intended. I’ve got no other opinions on this movie. It’s best not to watch these movies without the context from the rest of the franchise.

13. Uchuu Patrol Luluco - 7.5/10

I didn’t really understand why people enjoy studio Trigger so much until I watched Space Patrol Luluco. I loved all the fun references to other studio Trigger works. I loved the humor, and I loved all the bright colors. The animation was extremely high energy, and the art style fits the show’s premise. Each episode was only 12 minutes long so it was a super quick binge. If you’re looking for something quick, light-hearted and comical, this is the perfect show to watch.

14. Orange - 7/10

I owe a big thanks to a tumblr mutual for recommending this show to me! This holds the honor of making me cry by episode 3! I honestly did not expect the subject matter of this show to be as dark as it was. Usually when I see the genre ‘shoujo’ I do not associate it with a love story like that of Orange. The heavy subject matter made it a little too close to home for me, but I still really enjoyed this series. It reminds me off all the good times I had with my friends in high school, and of all the regrets I carry with myself to this day.

15. 3-gatsu no Lion - 7.5/10

March Comes in Like a Lion is another show that was a bit of a slow burn for me. Each episode left me feeling emotionally drained, so I had to take a lot of breaks while I was working on watching this series. Shaft, the studio behind this anime, holds a special place in my heart because I loved their work on the Monogatari Series. March Comes in Like a Lion is a little different. It’s driving force it is characters, and it was cathartic to watch our main character transform through the entire duration of the first season. I know the show’s second season is much better, so I’ll be starting that soon!

16. Yojouhan Shinwa Taikei - 8/10

I loved how artsy and smart The Tatami Galaxy is, but honestly I couldn’t watch too much at once cause it would hurt my head. I also couldn’t watch this show while I was tired because the speaking rate is much faster than typical anime. The Tatami Galaxy is so unique for its medium. I loved the different time loops and the crazy animation. The characters were fascinating. The dialogue, although very fast, it also fantastic. There’s an element of humor to this unique story telling, and I enjoyed ever minute of it!

Currently Watching:

Hunter x Hunter - 6.5/10 (As of Episode 30)

I pride myself in having watched a lot of shounen anime, but I was reluctant to start Hunter x Hunter for years because I thought I would find it boring. I was oh so very wrong. Considering great shows like Naruto and Fairy Tail that fall under the same category, I expected Hunter x Hunter to be subpar in comparison. It gets a low score for two reasons. One, the power system was introduced a little too late and now I’m wondering if all the fights post episode 30 will involved nen in some way, shape, or form. Two, its still on hiatus.

Two Cursed Additions For This List

Please to do not let these be representative of my anime taste.

1. Yarichin☆B*tch-bu - 4/10

I am a CLOWN for not knowing this was 18+. The only reason I watched this was to see why everyone was talking about the pink-haired boy with the glasses and tongue piecing. I know why now, and I regret it. This was a massive mistake on my part. But hey, at the least the art and ending song kinda slap?

2. Euphoria (Dropped After 1 Episode) - 2/10

If you know what I’m talking about when I say Euphoria, I am so sorry. And no, I am not talking about the HBO series. Seriously, don’t google this. Don’t watch this. Don’t interact with anything related to this. You’re probably wondering, “Then why did you watch it?” I did not watch this willingly. You see, I have a very bad habit of starting anime and then taking months to finish them. I made an ultimatum with a friend, lost, and then was forced to watch this a punishment. Not a fun experience. I’m very glad there are no GIFs of this on tumblr...

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dappercritter · 3 years

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Godzilla vs Kong: Brutally Honest Thoughts

(Took me long enough, eh? Depending on home video releases be like that.)

So first things first, I have a confession to make: I spoiled the movie before I watched it. I was impatient and they had only announced an HBO Max premiere in the states and a theatrical run in Canada at the time. Afterward, I got heads-up from a friend and immersed myself in the opinions of those lucky enough to see it early. I’m just saying that I have some preconceived opinions that I’m sticking to.

That said, Godzilla vs Kong turned out to be more fun than I expected! But you already knew that. Everyone did. The two kings of movie monsters had their rematch and this time it was with glorious Hollywood SFX powering it this time.

The human story was fun but it’s clear they stopped trying at this point. Team Kong stole my heart, especially Jia. Team Godzilla (although the Conspiracy Crew would be a more fitting term since they spend more time chasing down mysteries than trying to back or understand Godzilla) was more fun than I expected and their dynamic was surprisingly enjoyable. Bernie is actually kind of funny, it's nice to see Madison acting more assertive, and Josh was fine--he was the only sane man of the bunch but he was also the butt of the jokes. Still, all the hardcore conspiracy jokes got old fast and it feels off seeing the daughter of two scientists turn into an edgy conspiracy crackpot. Why not an edgy science major?

Team Apex are fun villains, especially Walter Simmons who's a great megalomaniacal CEO type, but Ren Serizawa is a joke. I like his actor's performance but he's just another footnote. Nobody bats an eye at his last name, although the only heroes he interacts with are Nathan Lind and he just misses Team Godzilla. He really could have just been any other villain, but instead, they had to sully Serizawa’s legacy further while robbing a good actor of some interesting material. (As is, it turns out he was just an egotistical jerk with daddy issues--an easy puzzle to solve on day one--after all...)

However, I still cannot and will not approve of the fact that somebody thought it would be a good idea to make the heroes of a sci-fi story into hardcore conspiracy theorists in this day and age. Likewise, I’m not a huge fan of how they essentially made the Hollow Earth into its own universe complete with a crazy portal and an environment with its own laws of physics, nor am I totally crazy about the huge leap in technology that was made between this and KOTM, or G’14 for that matter.

The monsters as awesome as they are, are the biggest mixed bag in the show.

Kong is at his best in ages, and while I am all for the new heroic warrior character that Legendary have crafted and I acknowledge that making him a worthy opponent for their god-tier Godzilla was going to be a hurdle, I think they did a splendid job. Seeing Kong using agility and acrobatics was a glorious sight to behold, and something about Kong becoming a tool-user and weapon wielder just feels right. It’s a far better demonstration of Kong as a “thinking animal” (*wink, wink*).

I’m much less thrilled about their treatment of his greatest opponent ever. After everything they’ve done to build up Godzilla as the incredible force of neutral good fighting to maintain balance and all the build up to ancient rivalry debating back to a great Titan war--even going as far as putting his name in front Kong’s this time!-- they’ve reduced Godzilla back to glorified bully for Kong. He only gets the minimum amount of sympathy from the cast of his movie before they go off to deal with the conspiracy plot or focus on Kong and the Hollow Earth. Worse still, he is somehow more powerful and more aggressive than ever for a good chunk of the movie which leads to an outcome I’m sorry to say we all saw coming. Somehow, I suspect that the reason behind this was how Wingard cited Godzilla vs. Mothra, vs. Destoryah, and Shin-Godzilla as influences for the monsters scale and story, which while cool and all, are all movies where he was played up as a mostly stoic antagonist rather than a three-dimensional character like Kong. (Though ironically vs. Destoroyah and Shin did a better job of making Godzilla feel more sympathetic and in both of them he was a walking nuclear reactor meltdown.)

Due to the unfortunate time constraints of the three-way deal between Toho, WB, and Universal at the time this was in production, Kong was unable to secure a proper sequel that could develop his skillset like Godzilla’s did. Nevermind the fact the filmmakers completely surrendered to the “nothing matters but the monsters” mentality that a chunk of the fanbase has been spouting since this universe unofficially kicked off almost 10 years ago. (Sidenote: Oh god, I’m turning in an old fart already.) As a result, the movie trips over itself trying to set up Godzilla and Kong’s rivalry as well as building up Kong as a worthy opponent to Godzilla while expanding on their shared lore, and as a result countless plot points set up in in the previous movie and tie-in movie are thrown out the window. I’m sorry to say but in spite of all hopes and illusions of grandeur, it’s safe to this damn thing is a Kong movie with Godzilla as the bad guy.

...at least until HE shows up. Yup, Mechagodzilla. The biggest spoiled twist of the centuries steals the show so the movie can pull a Dawn of Justice. But! It does it much better than the fractured DCEU’s most controversial entry ever could. Mechagodzilla’s inclusion gets a decent amount of build up thanks to Team Godzilla/the Conspiracy Crew, and when he shows up, does he make an impression! At first, I wasn’t sure how to feel about his inclusion or his design, but I’ve come to like this one. He’s basically a kaiju terminator built in Godzilla’s image made purely out of heavy machinery piloted by the best Ghidorah head. It’s a jarring change of pace compared to previous MechaG’s but it grows on you after a while. With the abundance of weaponry stuffed into him, he feels like a fitting update of the original killing machine, and even if his inclusion feels like an easy way out of the big showdown, it’s fun to see him played as a literal colossal heel for the kings to team up against. Not to mention he looks shockingly good with those red highlights. However, one still can’t help but wonder how and why he was made in this universe, or how he feels like pure heavy machinery one minute and then an extra-large Ultron unit the next.

As for the the big throwdowns we’ve all been waiting for... well, we’re still in the mixed bag deparment. While the fights are all exciting and excellently choreographed, and benefit from some more eclectic lighting and cinematograph, I’m sorry to say that as far as the rematch of the century goes they dropped the ball on this one.

Don’t get me wrong, the fights are all great in their own ways, but there’s a drastic change in the feeling of weight and power with the monsters. Godzilla, Kong, and even Mechagodzilla all feel strangely floaty in most of their fights. One moments they feel like true behemoths shaking the very earth with every movement and then it’s like they’re in Godzilla Unleashed, running, jumping, and throwing each other around with speed that feels that almost makes you wonder if the Hollow Earth’s gravity inversion stuff is leaking out into the world. While it’s all perfectly cool, you can’t help but wonder how Kong is able to leap between aircraft carriers and buildings, when Godzilla got the ability to blow a hole through the Earth itself, or how a colossal machine is able to move so nimbly or why it has to be flashing blue all the time.

It’s fascinating and fun but you just can’t help but wonder how we got from almost posthuman disaster and war movies exploring how we’re at the mercy of the ancient almost mythical forces beyond our comprehension, we’ve found ourselves smack dab in the middle of Bayformers meets Jurassic World levels of Hollywood absurdity where anything and everything can and will happen in the name of getting to the monster fights. Although I can’t say I’m surprised given the director’s take on Death Note made some questionable choices with it’s take on the infamous cast while still coming up with some genuinely inspired choices. Still, all things considered we could have gotten worse compared to ther cinematic universes made by WB and Universal.

As for some misc. thoughts to close up this rambling mess:

-The soundtrack is fantastic. A great continuation of the feel of Skull Island’s mixtape with some truly wonderful picks. Special mention goes to the opening and ending songs, and they GOT AN ELVIS PRESLEY SONG IN HERE! YES!!! The three kings of pop culture together at last!

-While this movie didn’t need to be any more overstuffed, it would have been nice if the rest of the Titans didn’t disappear entirely from this movie. I get that Godzilla: Dominion already explained what happened to them all more or less, but it really is a missed oppurtunity that we never got to see another Titan war. Or Rodan attacking Kong to avenge his pterosaur bretheren from days long past. Speaking of which...

-“Save Mothra” jokes be damned, Mothra would have been a welcome gues star, not just to help break up the big fight, but to show off Godzilla’s softer, more protective side. And yes, I want more Mothzilla. Shut up, we deserve it.

-Boy, Monarch sure does a whole lot of nothing up-top, huh?

-The cinematography is a great update but there’s a little too much neon lighting, especially in the Apex HQ and the Hollow Earth throne room. It feels like they’re trying just a little too hard to sell the more futuristic, Hollywood sci-fi feel.

-The score is... great but not that great. Of course, I’ve always had mixed feelings about Tom Holkenburg (AKA Junkie XL)’s music. I liked Kong’s themes, but they REALLY dropped the ball with Godzilla’s theme. Mechagodzilla’s works really well as long you ignore that it’s just Godzilla’s theme in this movie with an ominious choir added in.

-The new Hollow Earth creatures are all perfectly fine. Actually, I thought they were another highlight! Especially the Warbats, Hellhawks, and Doug the Titanus Foetodon Man.

-I want to do a release the extended cut campaign but I don’t think any of us have the energy for that s**t anymore.

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nickmillerscaulk · 3 years

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Good Girls 4x08 Soundtrack Review

Disappeared for a minute this week, but I’m back (for now) to shout at you all about what we heard in 4x08!! Let’s blame this ep’s emotional whiplash for delaying this review, cool?

Songs that made me feel things?

No ~feelings~ feelings which... honestly thank god?? Considering how Rio’s betrayed/hurt/shocked/sad face at the picnic bench caused me serious emotional D E S T R U C T I O N that I’ve yet to fully recover from.

Montage check! A wasted or taken soundtrack opportunity?

STRIP. CLUB. MON. TAGE.

An absolute award-winning (by me—I awarded it) *FRENCH RAP* banger by Laylow called ‘MEGATRON’ that was basically the epitome of what I consider a perfect Good Girls soundtrack choice.

Bop/banger status?

THERE’S NOTHING I LOVE MORE FROM GOOD GIRLS THAN A BOP/BANGER PAIRED WITH A MONTAGE. NOTHING. ‘MEGATRON’ WAS A TOP TIER CHOICE AND NOW I WANT TO CRIME PROPOSE TO JONATHAN LEAHY???? DOES THAT EVEN MAKE SENSE? WHO KNOWS, I AM OVERWHELMED.

Any memorable songs?

M E G A T R O N straight into my veins babyyyyyyy

Fave song from the episode?

*downs a shot with Ruby and gets up on the Sweet P’s stage with Beth and Annie*

(guess)

Least fave song from the episode?

Ok so like... there were other songs in 4x08, but Laylow saved the goddamn day and tbh that’s all that matters to me!

(If I HAD to pick, it’d be ‘He Lives Alone’ by Dory Previn bc 70s music simply doesn’t jive with me or gg, for that matter, and I’m not sure it added anything to Gene’s confession montage.)

How did the music fit with the episode’s ~vibe~?

Like I said in my lil intro... 4x08 left me with some emotional whiplash. When the ep ended, I was like THAT WAS SO GREAT but then all of the heavy Rio backstory stuff came rushing back and it all made me DEEPLY sad for a few days?? So I guess... I also had mixed feelings about the song choices/vibes.

Still digging Rio’s bar vibes (‘The Sun Will Open Its Core’ by Sleep Party People) and Sweet P’s literal bass-induced vibes (day or night, Sweet P’s always be bangin’). The final scene’s song/vibe (’Yakuza Park’ by Surf City) reminded me a TINY bit of ‘Kimono Hill’—something about it felt both optimistic/troubled. As for the 70s stuff... JL continues to lose me, tbh.

OH but get this: I loved the custom score work in this ep too. Like when Beth’s in the hot tub and disassociating? Magic. The arrest scene? Poor choices were made, but I appreciate how the pulsating score picked up in tandem with the tension/heartbreak.

Wishlist/Manifest-The-Songs-You-Want List

Hmm honestly kind of stumped about what I want from the soundtrack at this point. More memorable song choices for episodes as a whole?? Dare I say ‘surprise me’??

Overall ranking: MEGA (wink) into only one song this week/10

Episode Track Listing:

The Sun Will Open Its Core - Sleep Party People MEGATRON - Laylow Yakuza Park - Surf City He Lives Alone - Dory Previn The Inventor’s Dream - McDonald and Giles

(Those last two songs aren’t available to stream anywhere, but JL wrote a brief twitter thread about them, and it’s p cool even though I will forever disagree with the 70s song choices!)

...

(good girls s4 playlist)

(nmc’s gg s1-s4 faves playlist)

(previously on nmc’s gg soundtrack review: 4x07)

#give me ALL the strip club montage gifsets #i don't think we appreciated it enough!!!#BETH AND ANNIE. ON STAGE. AT A STRIP CLUB.#WITH A FRENCH RAP SONG PLAYING.#LIKE. COME ON.#do we think i'll write up 4x09's review before the hiatus is over? hahahahaha #xoxo your friendly neighborhood good girls soundtrack aficionado #oh look she's talking about music again #nbc good girls #good girls nbc #gg s4 #gg 4x08 #good girls soundtrack #gg soundtrack #nmc good girls s4 soundtrack review

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365days365movies · 3 years

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February 14, 2021: Brokeback Mountain (Review)

SORRY! This one was never published. So, rewind to yesterday for me, and stay tuned for the Recap and Review of the next film tonight! Anyway, in terms of Brokeback Mountain...

This sums up my feelings exactly.

I tell you, I enjoyed this movie FAR more than I thought I would, and it definitely wasn’t what I was expecting. It’s heavy, it’s tough, it’s not afraid of moral ambiguity and complex characters, and it’s a VERY good character study, holy shit. And that actually has led to something...interesting in my analysis.

But I’ll get there. Overall, this has managed to further cement Ang Lee was one of my favorite directors. Seriously, he’s been fantastic for me this year, and I’ve now seen 4 of his films. Winning me over. Oh, and one more thing. Remember how I said my girlfriend was a huge fan of Jake Gyllenhaal? Here she is, by the way.

Well, I’m a big fan of Heath Ledger. And, yes, it’s partially for the obvious The Dark Knight reasons, but also...honestly, he’s great in 10 Things I Hate About You.

Takes some GODDAMN TALENT to make me like a character like Petrucio, who is maybe one of Shakespeare’s biggest pieces of shit in any play. Plus, I also remember him in The Brothers Grimm! That was a movie I liked when I was, like, 15. And it always greatly saddens me that he’s gone. Ugh. Guts me.

Speaking of being gutted, let’s talk about this movie! Recap’s here and here!

Review

Cast and Acting: 10/10

They’re perfect. Yeah, uh, Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal COMPLETELY DISPPEAR in these roles, as Ennis and Jack. I was 100% involved and convinced by these two, and that’s one hell of a feat, considering that both of them are actors I know very well. I expected to see Mysterio and the Joker the entire film, and they both vanished into these roles, I CANNOT emphasize that enough. And their chemistry, while complex and nuanced as SHIT, is fantastic. Not necessarily my favorite couple (sorry, guys, Fonny and Tish still take it for me), but arguably the most fascinating. That might be because of the environment and setting of the film as a whole, but they expertly dance within those lines.

Oh, and the supporting cast? WHOO! Yeah, Michelle Williams knocks it out of the part, Anne Hathaway also vanished into her role, Linda Cardellini had a memorable scene or two, and Randy Quaid was also surprisingly good! Seriously, no slouches here. An all-around perfect cast for a near perfect film.

Plot and Writing: 10/10

...Near perfect. I will say, there will be a few negative points in here. But writing? Naah. Plot and writing are SUPER goddamn strong here. The original short story by Annie Proulx is definitely one to look out for, but its adaptation by Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana is...well, it’s basically perfect. It’s not overly sappy, it’s very realistically romantic and heartbreaking, it’s surprising, it’s engaging...what else is there to say? This is some of the best writing and plot that I’ve ever seen. I can’t think of any prominent flaws.

Directing and Cinematography: 10/10

...Ang Lee is legit one of my favorite directors right now. Like...hot damn, this movie’s gorgeous. Oh, and don’t worry, I didn’t forget Rodrigo Prieto’s gorgeous cinematography; not sure how I could if I wanted to. This movie look amazing, the direction is spotless...look, this is a great movie, OK? If there anything that isn’t absolutely perfect about it? Well...

Production and Art Design: 7/10

Yeah, production design is kind of odd. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great, but it NEVER feels like the 1960s, ‘70s, or ‘80s. And while that might actually be the point to a certain degree...the film also somewhat relies on this taking place in those time periods. So, yeah, that is a legitimate weak point in the film for me, one of very few. And don’t get me wrong, this movie LOOKS fantastic! It’s just not quite as timely as I think it’s supposed to be.

Music and Editing: 9/10

Music likewise is fantastic, especially the sweeping orchestral ballad that I’ve 100% heard outside of this context. However, it’s not quite soundtrack worthy for me. Still beautiful, and Gustavo Santaolalla’s score is gorgeous, but not necessarily my favorite. And the editing is fantastic, and I have no complaints about that. Good job to you too, Geraldine Peroni and Dylan Tichenor!

92% feels good for this one!

This is a film I recommend to everybody. Unsurprisingly, it’s pretty big on Tumblr, but it’s also big...everywhere. Oh, and before I say anything else, in today’s edition of the classic show The Oscars are Bullshit, this film 100% deserved the Best Picture Win over Crash. Like...VERY much so. The Oscars suck.

Speaking of the Oscars, I was tempted to do Moonlight next, but that movie (from what I understand) is a bit broader than a romance in terms of genre. So instead, let’s continue the LGBT-rain with another romance between two men, but more recently this time. And hey, why not one that miiiiiiiiight have been snubbed for that coveted Best Picture award, huh?

February 15, 2021: Call Me By Your Name (2017)

#brokeback mountain #ang lee #heath ledger #ennis del mar #jake gyllenhaal #jack twist #ennis x jack #jack x ennis #michelle williams #anne hathaway #romance february #user365 #365 movie challenge #365 movies 365 days #365 Days 365 Movies #365 movies a year #usersmile #usermeerkat

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twinvictim · 3 years

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your opinions on each of the post team silent games and a rating out of 10. hand 'em over

YEAHHHHHH FINALLY CATERING TO ME!!!

Uh really long post oops. for reference, my rating for the first 4 sh's are as follows

Sh1: 9/10 Sh2: 7/10 Sh3: 9/10 Sh4: 9.5/10

Silent Hill 0/Origins

overall score: 7/10

Alot of the games issues can of course be attributed to it being a psp game, and while i won't excuse everything bc of that, j have to be honest and say I think it had so much potential as a (very) late ps2 game. Not to mention, the game ON THE PSP functions as it should. (The ps2 port does fucking not tho..oops) ans you'll see that this is...a rarity post team silent.

The story has alot of potential, Travis as a character is interesting and sympathetic and j think his dynamic with alessa js super fascinating to dig into, both of them being abused children and there was alot of intrigue regarding his powers, the game feels like a smaller more watered down she, and for that I can't fault it too much. The weapons system isn't my favorite but the combat itself is reminiscent of 1 and 2 and I really like a good chunk of the monster design, there was clearly thought and care put into it, nurses and strughtjackets/lying figures be dammed. The unlockables are pretty cool though and alot of the environments look pretty cool for a psp game, hell i LOVE the theater level its super unique, I would love to see it in (actually functional) better graphics. I also think the puzzles are pretty solid, not hair pulling like sh1 even if they're not quite as clever as say sh3.

My biggest criticisms come from the reuse of sh1 characters (just alessa and Travis would've been fine, maybe dahlia and some more org characters would've been better) the bad ending being straight up bad writing. Not to mention they did the sh3 thing of "kill too many monsters and get the bad ending" which is...stupid. The foreshadowing of the butcher being? He's just kinda there, I like the lead up but it would be more interesting if the butcher represented something from those years between Travis' father dying and him being an adult. And while there's more replayability imo than sh2, it doesn't have difficulty sliders and that makes it kinda hard to come back to quite as often. Not to mention unlike sh1, 3or sh4 there's not as much horror focus and random events.

Overall, solid game its fun to play, very silent Hill and if you're willing to look past a few continuity errors and accept its a little different and slightly derrivitive at the same time, I like to say I had alot of fun with it and still do. (Maybe I just like Travis alot...idk)

Silent Hill: Homecoming

Overall score: 6/10

Once again most of the issues here are gonna be corporate fuck ups, but I'm also not gonna beat around the bush, this game isn't like...good. its bad actually. "But you gave it a 6/10?" Yeah bc its not NEARLY as bad as some other games I've.. experienced.

The negatives here are, many and vast, so let's run them down. Firstly the games performance is janky on console (ps3 at least) and abysmal/unplayable on PC, what with framerate issues that are detrimental to game play on pc and make the third boss impossible. That said on console it is completable and not even too terrible...usually. Scarletts boss fight however is terribly unbalanced and broken on all skews so :/. The combat is...functional but not anyone's favorite, it's difficult to use any actually strong weapon and you can pretty much strong arm ur ways through shit with just the knife (except scarletts first form..don't try it, it won't work) for some people this will be borening (not my opinion but w/e). Most of The puzzles...leave alot to be desired. I hate sliding block puzzles. Also no run button? At all?? No easy mode? Ok... also what is this.. wheel design for the inventory...im accidentally using my serum..what is serum also? And why is the item pickup noise like...bass boosted.

The character models look awful most of the time, and comically unfinished other times, some human models are just grotesque, (judge halloway, Adam shepherd, mayor Bartlett. .you get it) and yes...there are sexy nurses. Bc of course there are. (Whole ass out???) They did straight up have some terrible endings for this game (ph ending for one, the way you get the ufo? Hell the ufo ending is kinda boring. I like the in water ending here too but. Yeah.) the story has some, problems. To say the least.

However, while the performance is bad its not the worst I've played (on the ps3 once again..unplayable on pc) and I hardly noticed the framerate when I was just running around, I personally found the combat kinda fun, between trying to dodge accurately and still attack and not use all my health items (bc those and ammo are actually rare! Unlike some games...) it is kind of a challenge and reminds me of a much worse sh4. And hey, the health items both heal an understandable amount of health that i can easily read with a bar (unlike 1-3) and they're not a complete joke (unlike sh4...) i find the exploration really fun and sure the characters look shit but the environments are Fucking great. The church is one of my fav sections, short as jt might be and yes it stole the confessional scene but its pretty well written and acted I think. The monster design is pretty fucking rad too honestly, I like the schism, siam, I like the DESIGN of the needlers even if they make me so mad to fight, and hey the nurses and ph don't show up that much to be too aggregious. The boss monsters are also fantastic design wise, very unsettling and the boss rooms are interesting as well.

The story has problems but it also has alot of potential, the concept of people sacrificing ther children for silent Hill and being overcome by their own pain and guilt is pretty fucking cool, and alex is a good character they did a good job of giving him personality, ppl bitch about him being a soldier but a) he's not and b) soldiers are people too, and a sh game that could tackle toxic masculinity, be critical of the military, and also tackle abusive religeious parents is pretty intriguing, not to mentions themes of brotherly love that's complicated bc of how they clearly favored Josh . Sure, it misses the mark, but I like taking the potential and thinking about it bc its compelling to me. And like I said, i like alex alot.

Overall, bad game yes, but not the worst as it has enough good for me to honestly really enjoy it, besides it is pretty funny when it is bad. Don't play the pc port tho

Silent Hill Shattered Memories

Overall Score: 8/10

Unpopular opinion im sure but honestly? I find this game ALMOST on par with the team silent games. Its really that good, yes its a wii game, so this is my score taking into account the motion controls BTW.

For the good, man where do i start. Its BEAUTIFUL for a wii game and esp for a post team silent game, the graphics are nice and Constsitent, the environments are pretty and it has a pretty nice cold color pallet to contrast the warmer tones the series tends to skew towards. The acting and intrgrige are all on point and the WRITING is fantastic, its one of those games you play the first time not knowing the twist and play the second time picking up more and more clues and things that strengthen that twist so much more. Like sh2 its a simple story told in such a clever and interesting way that you'll probably be too invested to put it down, I beat it in one sitting in 6 hours bc i was so engrossed in the narrative. And the Puzzles man! The puzzles are phenomenal and fun to accomplish and there's even a little bit of variety in a few places on repeat playthroughs. The level of detail in this game is insane really, the things that change with the different psychology answers are pretty cool too and tho it all plays out relatively the same its still fun to see the different things you can get to happen. The gimmicks like the phone as an object, taking pictures, sneaking and zooming in, they're not too intrusive as to take away from the exploration or other game play but not completely useless and have some pretty fun Easter eggs too. The game plays sort of like a worse outlast with good puzzles and for that I do have to commend it. Oh and the fucking MUSIC is INCREDIBLE idk something ab this soundtrack has alot of heart put into it clearly.

Now, it's not perfect. The thing is, it is a WORSE outlast type game, in the running and hiding sense but well, the hiding is completely useless, its a run away game, which is ok, but I understand that people aren't gonna be a big fan of that when silent Hill has always balanced combat ad puzzles and exploration. The running segments are..aggravating, mostly bc its hard to figure out where to go, not to mention using motion controls that don't like to work half the time to fight the monsters off of you. Also, the monsters are not scarey in the slightest and the raw shock scream is actually enragaging if you've died one to many times, there's also...not really any penalty for dying. And once you're out for these running segments,there's no danger, no monsters, nothing to hide from despite having a hiding mechanic. Its not really a horror game more of a psycological thriller and I understand that the fact that its not horror can be disappointing. The psychology things might be a bit overhyped And yeah fine, the wii foreplay scene...well yeah its weird but it IS also funny as fuck.

That said, there's still alot thats good and alot thas unfair criticism lobbed at this game. Harry didn't have much of a personality in sh1 bc he's a ps1 character and sm really fleshed him out well, not to mention giving cybil some nice characterization, and they did some interesting things with dahlia and kaufmann. And Lisa.. well I'm gonna be honest I never found Lisa all that interesting in sh1..so it doesn't bother me that she's the way she is in this game. I know people hate the "horny" aspect of it but to be completely fair, YOU choose to make the game that way, don't answer in a sexual manner or look at boobs or anything else and you won't have an overly sexual game, its...literally that easy. Its given as an option for the play id they want to go for what is arguably another joke ending. (You cannot tell me sleeze and sirens is meant to be a real serious ending to the game. Cmon) and you can complain about the innacuuracies if you want but its a spin off, a retelling of the original game. Its not canon, and it didn't change the original game. It just took the ideas presented there and made them more human and lest fantastical, there's some supernatural elements but it takes a backseat to the human moments. And its honestly really cool.

Overall, great game, i reccomend it if you don't mind some slight jank with the motion controls and honestly? Look up directions on where to go for the running segments and you'll have a pretty good time overall.

Silent Hill Downpour

Overall score (so far): 7.5/10 *to be noted i haven't finished actually playing it yet but I know the basic plot and some of the details so I doubt it'll change

And so for the final silent Hill Game, I have to say, i don't think it deserves NEARLY the hatred it gets, there's alot about it that i find really cool and even fun and I think its a solid entry, a little better than origins in some parts and its downsides are both unfortunate and once again, mostly Konami's fault . That said, I'm also not gonna kid and say its a good game, just that I like it alot and we should be nicer to the last silent Hill game were probably ever gonna get.

Downpour has a pretty good, original story overall, there's alot to it, alot of intricacies and intrigue to it that honestly make it a pretty sold silent Hill game. Its different enough from the others to stand out but not super far removed from its themes and messages. I like that it doesn't try and lean into the cult aspect and tries to do something else with it, it doesn't try to explain silent Hill, but just use it to torment the characters, as it should be. There's tragedy ad human feelings here and some of them aren't the most...sensitive but they are pretty reasonable reactions id say. Playing as someone who's odds are stacked against him from the beginning as he's a prisoner is a cool way to open the game, someone convicted and you must discover if he is a good person or not. Themes of revenge explored more than in sh3 which is pretty cool. The environments look pretty nice, and i like the look of the otherworld, once again being unique with its cooler color pallet, but without the ice so it really feels like its own thing. The EXPLORATION is awesome with an actual open world which I think works well, there's alot to do in town (unlike sh1 and 0 on limiting hardware and 2 which just pretends you can explore to town but you cant) there's alot for cool little stories and sidequests to do, my favorite so far being the cinema (which has a section of ACTUAL fixed cameras like old Resident evils which is smth SH has never done and its super fucking cool!) And all the sidequess help strengthen murphy as a cheacter and argue for his innocence or complexites. The weapons system is pretty cool, picking up items and attacking with whatever you might find, finding cool Easter eggs with exploration and having fun noticing things. And it does honestly have the strongest side characters outside of SM. The puzzles are pretty solid and fun to figure out with some cool mechanics and the seperate difficulties is a great thing to bring back (actually done well like sh3) I also kind of like the method of triggering the night world/rain/monsters, and silent Hill really feels likes its constantly punishing Murphy, as it should. The music might not be Akira but its still pretty damn good, and fuck yall I like the Korn song, and you CAN press start and skip it yknow. (Thx tomm hewlit)

The negtitives tho, well they are there. For one it has the worst performance of any sh game outside of pc homecoming and like...the hd collection, the framerate like to shit itself alot lmao, its not usually detrimental bc I've played re2r with similar framerates but, yeah its not great. Not to mention while the models look better than hc they don't animate well or often at all, and the game has trouble loading in the models as fast as they should. The sound mixing could use...some work too, poor murph sounds like he's eating the mic. While I find the games exploration really fun, murphy also has the issue of not running very fast so it can be a little annoying to get back to a place you want to be when you can't run that fast, not to mention the loading times. The monster design is def the worst in the series, maybe on par w SM. Which is disappointing bc there's some pretty good moments here and there, but not nearly enough to make it scary and there's so much you can do with monsters with this premise. Also, the running sections in the otherworld are better than SM ad even more engaging than the brief ones in 2 and 3, but still, I'd prefer to do puzzles or fight a boss or smth. I will also say, the endings are, iffy while the main 2 endings are really good and Anne's bad ending as well as the joke ending are great, murphys bad endings are weird and ooc for the muphy you come to know in the game (even more so than Origins) plus, idk that the writers knew all that much about prison andbprison culture, nobody in a real prison would be mad ab Murphy killing a pedo (there's some racist implications here and there too which is. Unfortunate and disappointing. I like Howard and Robbie but they are a bit tropey, esp Howard) that said Anne is a compelling albeit unlikable character and thas pretty cool to see pulled off.

Overall, while it has downsides, I don't think Downpour is worthy of all the scorn it gets, this can have problems and you can point them out without disregarding the good parts and while it is unfortunate it doesn't run better and have some extras and didn't handle some things great, I still think its worth a playthrough, esp if you go out of your way to do the sidequests.

Bonus round

Book of memories is not a game I intend to play bc I don't wanna get a vita and can't imagine I'm missing much. It doesn't look bad pwr say but I'm not interested tbh

Fuck PT. :)

#entries #silent hill #long post #thank u thank you #ill try tk put a cut in here at some poitn hold on srry

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litwitlady · 4 years

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Omg I just know you’re gonna write the hell out of these sleepy prompts haha 37 or 3 for Malex :) can’t decide!

#3 - ‘Don’t be nervous, you can come closer.’

On the radio, a twangy country superstar sings about lost romance and broken hearts. Dirt and debris soaking up most of the sound. It’s midday and the junkyard is quiet. Michael is bent over a brand-new Silverado, engine already wrecked. He swears as he cuts his finger on a jagged piece of metal jutting out where it doesn’t belong. Sucks the wound between his lips and wipes the sweat from his brow. It’s only 10am but the day has already gone on for far too long.

He tosses his wrench onto his workbench and reaches down into his beat up cooler. His fingers glance across the long neck of a cold beer before settling around a half-frozen bottle of water. Twisting the cap off, he gulps down the entire bottle, eyes never leaving the beer. The day stretches out even further ahead of him, sober and sun-drenched.

Back beneath the truck’s hood, Michael cranks away at the broken, jangled mess. After all these years, the work is monotonous. Dull enough to let him loose inside his own head. He tries to drown out his hectic thoughts by humming along with the current song floating faintly from the radio. The same twenty-five song playlist in rotation damn near every day. Except on the weekends which are dedicated to decades past – golden oldies Michael considers the soundtrack to his youth. Lonesome melodies haunting the empty, loveless houses he’d once passed through.

He hums through two more songs, getting lost in his work. So lost he doesn’t notice when he starts to sing under his breath. So lost he doesn’t notice when the lyrics no longer match those echoing out from the radio.

Would you meet me in the middle, could we both stop keeping score

Michael sighs and presses his knuckles into his eyes. Alex’s song sneaks past his defenses at least once a day. And he’s found no cure. Not screaming along at the top of his lungs. Not biting his tongue bloody. Not refusing to listen to music for days on end. Nothing has worked. It always finds him no matter where he hides.

Resting on the truck’s bumper, he pulls out his phone and thumbs through his contacts. Leaving grease smudges behind. He stops on Alex’s number and sits staring – wondering what might happen if he actually went through with the call. Behind him, a soft whining breaks through his thoughts. He ignores the tiny noise at first. The junkyard is filled with whines – bad engines, metal signs blowing in the wind, the rickety roof shifting above the makeshift workshop. But the sound continues, and Michael decides to go investigate. He could use a good distraction.

What he finds is a blue-gray pitbull puppy inside a rusty yellow VW Beetle – windows all busted out and flowers growing wild through the wheels. Little paws propped up against the door, tongue swatting up at his nose. Michael approaches slowly – the puppy trembling and clearly terrified at his presence, disappearing into the car’s footwell.

A dog is not what Michael needs. He sighs and turns his back. But the puppy starts to cry again – more desperate now, lonelier somehow. He spins on his heels and yanks the door open, puppy scrambling away.

‘Don’t be nervous, you can come closer. Not going to hurt you, little bit.’ He reaches down and wraps his fingers around the dog’s soft belly. Picking him up and cradling him against his chest. He’s warm and still shaking, but he nuzzles into Michael’s t-shirt anyway.

A dog is not what Michael needs. He finds an unused crate and lines it with newspaper, tossing in a couple of clean shop towels for good measure. Places the pup onto the improvised bed and watches him squirm around, sniffing at his new home. His temporary new home. Because a dog is not what Michael needs.

He tries to climb out, tumbling over backwards. Tries again with the same results. Michael finds himself smiling – almost laughing. And he forces himself to look away. Digging around in his toolbox for the screwdriver he needs to keep working.

But it’s no use. The puppy keeps mewing and Michael’s heart can’t stand the pitiful noises. He hoses off a dusty hubcap and fills it with clean water. Grabs his phone and dials Maria’s number.

‘Guerin.’

‘DeLuca.’

They haven’t talked much since the hospital breakup. Polite hellos and sad smiles whenever Michael enters the Pony. But she’s the first person he thinks of when he considers his current predicament. ‘Do you have any dog food – or something a puppy could eat?’

He hears her whisper something over her shoulder and then, ‘What – a puppy? When did you get a dog?’

Michael sighs. ‘I didn’t get a dog. But there’s a puppy out at the junkyard. He needs to eat and I’m working. All I’ve got is some stale breakfast bars.’

‘Call Isobel. Or a vet. I’m working.’ She hangs up. He supposes it was too early to start asking favors.

But she’s right – he should call a vet. Or, better yet, drop the dog off at a vet and get back to his very simple, not at all complicated mutt-free life.

He calls Isobel instead.

‘Michael, make it quick. I’m at the Women’s Action Committee luncheon and about to give a speech.’ Other people might sound flustered before public speaking. Isobel sounds like she’s at a day spa.

‘Would you mind swiping some leftovers a puppy could eat and heading over to the junkyard after?’ The puppy in question starts to yip. Finally hoisting himself over the side of the crate and splashing headfirst into his new water bowl.

‘Oh my god, Michael. You got a dog?’ He can barely hear her over the clatter of the luncheon.

‘There is a dog temporarily in my care. That’s all. Can you help me or not?’

‘Not until later tonight. I’m meeting with the mayor about the abandoned UFO museum. We’re hoping to start a women’s shelter. Call Max.’ Someone shouts her name. ‘Gotta go, Michael.’ She hangs up.

The puppy’s ears are soaked. Dripping in the sand as he busily noses about. Tail wagging so happily his entire body wiggles. That’s the first moment Michael knows he’s in trouble.

Against his better judgment, he phones Kyle. ‘Valenti, you’re a doctor. Help me.’

‘I’m not a vet! And I’ve got surgery in thirty minutes. How did you even get my number?’ He hangs up.

Michael refuses to call Max on principle.

That leaves him exactly one option. One terrible choice. He scrolls back up to Alex’s number. But he can’t make his finger press the call button. No matter how hard he tries.

He plops down in the dirt and pulls the puppy to him. He nips at Michael’s fingers playfully and chews a hole in his threadbare shirt. Michael likes dogs – he does. Has always wanted one, but never had the ability to properly take care of one. Having barely been able to care of himself most days. ‘Wonder where you came from, little guy?’ He scratches the puppy behind its ears. ‘Where all your brothers and sisters wound up? Probably safe and sound in warm homes.’ He swallows, hating the emotion that has crept into his voice. ‘Snuggled tight in the arms of some little girl or boy.’

The puppy licks his chin and Michael hugs the puppy closer. ‘But you got thrown away. Or maybe your ran away, huh?’

Scrambling out of his arms, the dog hops back to his water and continues splashing about. Michael returns his attention to Alex’s phone number. ‘He probably won’t answer anyway.’ The puppy ignores him. ‘He has a boyfriend now.’ He rolls in the dirt, little feet pawing at the air. Michael leans back against the Chevy and closes his eyes.

He hasn’t seen Alex in weeks. Has worked tirelessly to avoid seeing Alex for weeks. But he has seen Forrest. Fucking everywhere. The hardware store – the minimart – the gas station. Back at the library and even at the grocery store late one night. In the goddamn cereal aisle.

‘Guerin.’

‘Forrest.’ Michael’s heart beating so hard it breaks.

‘See you around. Enjoy the cereal.’ And Michael had smiled tightly. Watched Forrest leave and imagined him driving straight to Alex’s and crawling into bed beside him.

When he reopens his eyes, the puppy is gone. The junkyard far too silent. Sun so hot everything looks hazy. ‘Where’d you go?’ Michael calls, panic bubbling up in his chest.

That’s when he hears the frantic yapping. He climbs to his feet and jerks around the corner of the Silverado. Eyes scanning the yard as quickly as possible. But the puppy is fine. Better than fine, even. Locked safely in the arms of none other than Alex Manes. Barking and licking at whatever bit of skin is closest.

Alex grins down at squirming puppy and then back up at Michael. ‘Hey.’ The dog barks and bites at Alex’s ear. ‘Is he yours?

The sight is overwhelming. Too much for ordinary afternoons at the junkyard. Michael’s eyes soften. ‘He is.’

#malex #malex fic #sleep prompts #Anonymous #more of the cozy side of the prompt lol

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allthefilmsiveseenforfree · 3 years

Text

Dangerous Minds

Those of my readers who haven’t known me long may not know that I was once a corps member of Teach for America. I taught 10th and 11th grade English for about 5 weeks, then I was told on a Friday about my “involuntary transfer” to another school in the district, where I’d be teaching 7th and 8th grade English instead. I went from having about 110 students to about 190. My classroom had no books (textbook or otherwise), no pencils, no paper, no markers or chalk, but it DID have one of those folding lamps that come out of the ceiling at the dentist’s office. The kids had been in there for 5 weeks with a rotating roster of subs; they’d done no schoolwork of any kind. I was teaching in a very poor area of the city, and my students were predominantly Black and Hispanic. One of my 10th graders wrote his first personal essay about getting shot the previous year. I say all this to tell you that when Chad asked that I review Dangerous Minds, the 1995 adaptation starring Michelle Pfeiffer of the true story of Louanne Johnson’s experience teaching in inner city schools in California, I was prepared to laugh it off as a cringey, Lifetime-movie representation of my experience. Is that what I got? Well...

For the most part, what I got was a ball of anxiety in my chest. It’s well-worn territory, obviously. A teacher bonds with their students from the wrong side of the tracks, and ends up learning just as much from them as they learn from him/her. Usually poetry or music features heavily as a tool that can set the students free from the depressing circumstances of their lives. Depending on the rating, usually a student dies, and the teacher learns just how Important their job is, so they commit to it even harder even though it pays no money and garners no respect from the administration who just doesn’t “get it.” But these cliches and stereotypes and broad strokes exist because at their core, they’re true, and they make me anxious and uncomfortable and I can’t laugh at them or Michelle Pfeiffer being a Nice White Lady because I’m too busy being angry about the systems we put in place that straight up abandon so many kids, all in the name of white supremacy.

Some thoughts:

Oh we’re starting right off the BAT with “Gangsta’s Paradise.” Fantastic news. Two things I associate so strongly with this song is skating around the skating rink in 2nd grade and buying the Weird Al cassingle of “Amish Paradise” and wearing it out.

Ooh, the score was composed and performed by Wendy & Lisa! Love that, you don’t see nearly as many film scores as you should composed by women.

God, the salary is $24,700 a year and Louanne acts as though that is appealing - I can’t tell if that’s because it was 1995 or because teacher salaries are so dismally low that this feels like a good salary?

This scene in which Louanne goes into her classroom for the first time and the kids are all shouting at her and getting in her face and sexually harassing her and throwing paper balls at her is giving me stress hives.

Also her friend Griffith (George Dzundza) saying, “You wanna teach, so teach! All you gotta do is get their attention” is rather disingenuous. Trust me, you can have their attention, and still not be able to teach.

I’m excited to see Sally-Can’t-Dance from Con Air as Raul (Renoly Santiago). He’s honestly fantastic in this, with a tough exterior but a sensitive and gooey inner sweet boy. All of the teens give pretty solid performances, but he’s a real standout.

I recognize this is based on a true story and Louanne Johnson’s lived experience, but I am not sure it’s wise for any teacher, regardless of grade or subject, to be teaching her students how to fight each other. Or taking them to dinner on what looks to outsiders like a date. I know some people have a problem with the bribery (giving her students candy for speaking up in class) but I have no problem with it - you get paid to do all the dumb stuff you don’t want to do at work, why shouldn’t kids be compensated for going to school if they don’t want to be there? External motivation goes a long way to building up internal motivation.

Mm I do love me some Courtney B. Vance, but he’s such a quiet, condescending ass in this. It’s a different vibe than I’m used to seeing in a principal in a movie like this.

Ooh, Griffith grading papers and saying “What a fuckin’ idiot” is a real mood.

“Since when has the Board of Education done anything for us? We barely get fuckin lunch” is legit. The lunches my students were served in summer school were some of the most horrifying things I’ve ever seen. One day it was spoiled milk, white bread, and pickles. And one of my students put his in a microwave that was hidden in the back of my classroom behind some dividers and left it for a week. And just so you know, as stomach-churningly awful as that sounds, the day I found “pickle man” as my student called him, isn’t even in my top 5 worst days teaching list.

I like Griffith, and I’m glad Louanne has a friend, but frankly I’m not that interested in these interludes between them - they really feel like they slow down the momentum from the scenes of her in the classroom slowly earning the kids’ trust. The pacing is kind of a mess, because the most dynamic sections all revolve around the kids in the classroom, and I feel like that only makes up about a third of the movie.

One thing I know for sure is you do not get in the middle of a fight between students. I have a friend who worked in the same district I did who interrupted a fight and got punched in the face because of it. And her principal blamed her.

Oh wow the way the soundtrack picks up when Emilio finally engages in the class is some kinda cheesy. And it continues through the rest of the scene to a distracting degree. Oh Wendy and Lisa, I hoped for better.

Can I just emphasize that to reach these kids, Louanne uses her experience as a LITERAL MARINE by demonstrating she can kick all their asses, and then she bribes them by paying for 25 kids to go to an amusement park for the entire day with her?

Also, even if they like and respect her now, I call bullshit at any scene in which ALL of the kids are A) sitting in their seats or B) silent, and especially C) both.

Um suddenly feeling some weird vibes with Louanne and Raul having a dinner date at this fancy restaurant by themselves. Also, the double standard here is pretty telling - there’s no way this scene makes the movie if Louanne had been a male teacher and Raul was a female student.

Wait wait wait, she’s also loaning Raul $200? Like, is this why I didn’t make it as a teacher? Because I wasn’t a former Marine taking students to amusement parks and fancy dinners and lending them money? I was 25 and could barely afford rent. Maybe teachers who have enough money to take care of themselves are better equipped to take care of others. Idk, I’m just spitballin here.

Oh “Gangsta’s Paradise” is happening again! We already heard the whole song over the opening credits but now it’s happening again about 3/4 way through. I mean this song is definitely the best thing about the film, so I get it, but it feels weird that they think we wouldn’t notice it playing to completion twice.

Michelle Pfeiffer is doing everything she can to make this movie feel less cheesy and more real. Like, you can tell she’s really trying with her performance. Of course, it’s not like the character is a huge challenge acting-wise, but she is definitely committed to the part and can walk the line of both accessible and tough.

This scene where Louanne tells her class she is not going to be there next year, that what happened to Durell and Lionel and Callie and Emilio made her too sad to stay has not aged well at all. And it’s certainly true to life, and I say that as someone who did the same thing. It’s not something I’m proud of, but it’s a reality - the fact that I’m a nice white lady is exactly the reason that I can choose to leave when things get too hard. Just because the kids convince her to stay at the end in this very rushed “all’s well that ends well” way doesn’t sweep this scene under the rug, and it shouldn’t.

Ope, “Gangsta’s Paradise” shows up one last time in the credits for good measure.

Side note: after the film, I researched Louanne, and she’s still teaching, which honestly made me emotional (in a good way). And I’d like to point out the racist ass bullshit the studio and screenwriter Ronald Bass pulled by changing the poems the students read to Bob Dylan lyrics when Louanne originally used rap lyrics from popular artists in ‘89-’90 to teach the kids about poetry.

Did I Cry? No, but I did get heartburn from anxiety flashbacks.

This genre of film is easy to mock and parody because it tells the same story and hits the same beats to the point that they’ve become cliche. Ultimately, the truth at the heart of the movie (which is the un-nuanced and candy-coated depiction of Johnson’s real memoir, My Posse Don’t Do Homework) is that high schoolers crave someone who will see them and validate them, someone who is willing to put in the effort. The quality of the package that truth is wrapped in varies, and this one certainly leans in hard on stereotypes that feel like cheat codes rather than any real illuminating depictions of living teenagers. But as cringey as it is to watch, maybe it’s not a bad thing to remember that all people - including those who are trapped in poverty and all the cruel injustices that entails - want to be seen and valued for who they really are.

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