#so impressed by how much the setting does for the story fuck me man
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thoughts on atmosphere in the portal series
#portal 1 is small-scale and self-contained and the environment is designed accordingly.#the entire game takes place within the walls of the facility (w the exception of the outdoor ending cutscene) and while you're inside#the most open spaces you get are the industrial guts of aperture in the escape sequence#so portal 1's environmental horror comes from the oppressive prison-like chambers and the empty surveillance rooms built into the walls#portal 2 trades the claustrophobia in for megalophobia. perfect fucking 180#to match the larger scale of the story it pulls back the walls of portal 1's aperture and gives you this#this impossibly#terrifyingly vast facility#portal 2 aperture is unfathomably fucking big#the bottomless pits and the bits of machinery stretching out into the fucking distance#the environmental horror is done in the complete opposite direction but it achieves the same effect#you feel trapped and out of place no matter how big yr chambers are this time around#so impressed by how much the setting does for the story fuck me man
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dj got us falling in love | lando norris social media au
pairing: lando norris x dj!reader
a new hobby can sometimes open many new avenues, sometimes even lead to love
landonorris
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landonorris: the morning after the night before
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user1 lando really be on his hobby game rn
maxverstappen1 so that's where you were the entire night?
landonorris i saw you dancing your heart out so don't complain
maxverstappen1 you are overestimating just how much of last night i remember
user2 dj!lando unlocked ... does this mean photographer!lando is dead?
user3 he's so so sexy oh my
user4 the backwards cap is WORKING
danielricciardo so how long is this one gonna last?
landonorris i swear this is the one for me
yourusername
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yourusername: life recently... check out my boiler room set in the link in my bio it was super fun xxx
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user5 eating up the dj game i am obsessed with her
user6 i need to be at her next set or i'll become a threat to national security
landonorris sick set y/n !!
user7 bro what are you doing here? GET OUT OF HERE
danielricciardo ah i now see where the new inspiration came from ...
landonorris i need you to shut the fuck up
yourusername awww thanks lando, send me some of ur stuff we can compare x
landonorris on it 🫡
maxverstappen1 i don't know how you've pulled this off but i am impressed
user8 what actually is going on in this comment section
landonorris added to their story
[caption: bestest teacher in the world]
yourusername
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yourusername: life recently
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user6 ALERT ALERT MALE ALERT
user7 heavy emphasis on the mug rn
danielricciardo @maxverstappen1 whoa that hand looks super familiar
maxverstappen1 you're right daniel that hand does look familiar ....
yourusername yall crack me up
user8 lando you gonna let them do you like that?
landonorris my pr officier said not to reply
carlossainz55 bro...
landonorris oh shit
user9 mclaren really keep all his brain cells i can't
silverstone
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silverstone: big announcement coming in fast ! y/n y/ln will be headlining the silverstone main stage for this year's british grand prix - the dj will take the stage for the sunday evening slot. see you all there!
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user10 idc this is fuelling my lando x y/n agenda
user11 i'm so fucking excited
landonorris i'll be there
oscarpiastri you are contractually obligated to be there mate
landonorris let me be supportive !!!
user12 oscar is done with the pining
yourusername thank you so much for having me !! i won't let you down
carlossainz55 by all accounts you're too good to do that
user13 have they all just collectively given up on the secret?
maxverstappen1 yes too much effort
landonorris
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landonorris: P2 in quali at home !! super, super happy, lets see what we can do on sunday
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user14 I AM LOSING MY MIND
user15 this is crazy i'm so proud
yourusername lets go landoooooooooooooooooooooooooo so sick
landonorris blah blah blah something about a certain someone being a lucky charm ;)
yourusername does this mean paddock passes for life?
landonorris it might have to
user16 they're so cute
user17 the crowd cheered when they showed her in the garage silverstone is ROOTING for this relationship
oscarpiastri let's get this bro
mclaren
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mclaren: LANDO TAKES HOME P2 AT HIS HOME RACE
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user20 OMG THAT OVERTTAKE AT THE START I AM GAGGED
yourusername unbelievably proud of you lando
landonorris love you too babe
user21 BABE?
user22 LOVE YOU TOO?
danielricciardo i saw that shoey man i'm so proud 🥲
landonorris miss you danny
danielricciardo i miss you more
yourusername am i a joke to you?
landonorris i'm sorry i love you
yourusername love you too ❤️
user23 why is danny always at the scene of the crime?
yourusername
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yourusername: best weekend ever!! silverstone you're the best, my favourite crowd ever !! p.s. lando i am so so so so proud, though if you try to kiss me after a shoey again we're breaking up.
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user24 CONFIRMATION CONFIRMATION OMG
user25 them saying i love you under mclaren's post wasn't enough for you?
landonorris noted.
landonorris ALSO YOU WERE SO SO GOOD I LOVE YOU SO MUCH
yourusername i love you more, thanks for the gig baby xx
maxverstappen1 do you take bookings? my birthday is in october
martingarrix i see how it is
yourusername i'm not getting involved in this domestic you're on your own max
user26 god when is it my turn
landonorris
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landonorris: dj got us falling in love or something like that, love you baby.
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note: I'M BACK - so my absence was a lot longer than expected, i graduated uni (with a first, i'm so stoked) and my housing has been a whole mess. i worked at silverstone, hence the inspo for this imagine... ENJOY !!!
#f1 imagine#f1 x reader#f1 instagram au#f1 x you#f1#lando norris insta au#lando norris x you#lando norris x reader#lando norris imagine#lando norris
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𝐂𝐎𝐎𝐊𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐇𝐂𝐒, monster trio
summary. inviting the monster trio to your annual family cookout
pairing. monkey d. luffy, roronoa zoro, vinsmoke sanji x black!reader
warnings/tags. slight foul language, alcohol consumption, implied weed consumption, wholesome meeting the family content, reader is black but fic can be applied to all races
wc. 2.9k
kazu’s note. tee helped inspire me… even if the idea was all mine xo 💋 @sanjisblackasswife
𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐊𝐄𝐘 𝐃. 𝐋𝐔𝐅𝐅𝐘
“let’s fucking go!”
→ he’s oddly excited to go, mainly because of all the fun stories you’d told him in the past and food
→ wherever there’s a fun time and food, you know luffy’s down
→ the second you stepped in, you lost your boyfriend. in the overwhelming swarm of greetings and hugs and kisses, luffy was nowhere to be found
→ you were asked by all family members where was this boyfriend of yours and your left brow twitched in suspicion, cause where else would the bastard be at this ripe hour?
→ ding ding ding, the kitchen of course.
→ he leaned over the counter, eyes shimmering in want as he drooled over whatever seemed to be cooking in the crockpot
→ your mother eyed him suspiciously, lost and completely confused as to who this clearly non family member was doing in her kitchen
→ you found him and easily, smacking the back of his head while scolding him on proper etiquette, to which he pouted and argued that,
→ “but i’m hungry!”
→ “dumbass, where are your manners?”
→ your mom didn’t take it to heart, however. she appreciated how he could distinctively spot a good dish from away
→ after poutingly introducing himself, luffy beamed at the premade plate in front of him, thanking your mom endlessly with hugs before diving into his meal
→ though stunned by the way he inhaled his meal down, your mom was also impressed by his go-lucky nature, going as far as ruffling his hair affectionately
→ luffy’s definitely best friends with the younger cousins. he keeps up with their games, laughs along at anything and agrees when they ask him to bring them to a nearby park
→ they ask for story times of adventures when he’s at sea, and listen with heart eyes as he tells them about the amount of sea kings he’s slaughtered and bad men he’s defeated, going as far as re-enacting the situations
→ he’s also at the center of the mosh when adults ask the kids to dance for money. he isn’t even doing it for the money, he’s just so full of energy and everyone loves his vibe so much
→ he definitely makes money off it though
→ dinnertime is horrendous. he’s got a big appetite, and you warned your family beforehand, but naturally they’re still in shock at the way he basically SWALLOWS the table.
→ your mom is a huge fan, prepping beforehand containers of food so he doesn’t go hungry
→ even if he’s basically gobbling down his and other people’s share of food, luffy is known for his outgoing and warm personality, so of course he’s the center of entertainment
→ he’s cracking jokes, singing off key, dancing ridiculously and your family seems to be eating it up. they laugh like he’s the funniest man, sing along as if he was making sense, even hype him up when he dances foolishly
→ at some point in the day he’s so stuffed he ends up knocked out with some random kid in one of the rooms upstairs, snoring with the child snuggling into his torso, damn near rolling over him
→ nighttime falls before luffy wants, and eventually it’s time for y’all to go back, but lemme tell you this man is so bummed out
→ not only does your family bash you for “gatekeeping” him from them for so long, but luffy’s pressed because not everybody seems to have left but now you’re forcing him to go too??
→ “lu, we gotta set sail tonight or else nami’ll have both our heads on a platter!”
→ “i don’t care! i’m captain, and i decide we stay!”
→ you’re so ready to shove your fist down his throat when your mom shows up, containers full of food in her hold as she offers a simple solution that has luffy obeying uncharacteristically easily
→ you rolled your eyes, grabbing the packed food as your mom smothered luffy in kisses, thanking him for having shown up and expects to see him more often
→ she also gives him the sentimental “look after my daughter” speech as if he’s not the one that needs to be looked over
→ luffy replies with his infamous laugh, hugging your mom back as his answer makes your chest bloom with warmth,
→ “of course! y/n’s the love of my life.”
𝐑𝐎𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐎𝐀 𝐙𝐎𝐑𝐎
→ “uh…”
→ that’s the face he made the second y’all entered the house, greeted by your skeptical dad who gave him an offish look
→ “so you the thug my baby’s dating?”
→ “dad.” you gave your dad a pointed look, and he rolled his eyes, waving off as he claimed he was joking, but the way zoro was frozen is fear (?) suggested otherwise
→ so, rough start, but zoro decides he’s gonna try his best to make your family approve of him. i guess it helps he brought a bottle of wine (selected by sanji ofc) to woo the fam
→ he follows as you make your way towards the backyard, greeted with love and hollers as everyone chants how it’s been so long since they last saw you
→ you get hugs and kisses from uncles, aunties, grandparents, family friends and cousins, whole time zoro stands behind you like 🧍waiting for you to finish
→ “gonna introduce us to your hunk of a man?” some thirsty auntie practically ogles zoro and he’s frozen to pieces again at the attention on him
→ you roll your eyes and nudge zoro forward to introduce himself, and he inwardly curses you for setting him up like that
→ “roronoa zoro… ma’am.” you nearly decked him up the head for the unneeded formal greeting, but your family laughed it off, amused by his sternness
→ “your name roronoa?”
→ “no sir. i’m japanese.”
→ “well that’s new.” you glared at the same thirsty auntie, hoping she wasn’t somewhat shading you for your taste in men
→ regardless, zoro went through the crowd and attempted to present himself, though it was unnecessarily stiff, you rubbed your hand on his back for his efforts
→ zoro finds it really hard to find peace and quiet at events like these, though he doesn’t hate it but isn’t exactly used to so much familial love in one place especially with the lack of family growing up
→ he does find peace in the normality of everything, no piracy or wild government issues involved
→ your dad manages to find him and challenges him alongside the other uncles to a drinking contest, but because you know you have an advantage, you decide to place bets on winners
→ bets are predictable enough; everyone besides your mom and you bet on the undefeated champion that was your dad. joke’s on them cause naturally zoro won
→ he swipes his hand over his mouth, smirking at your dad across the table as you stand next to him, arms crossed over your chest and smirking tauntingly back you guys looked so badass
→ your dad eyes you both saltily, and zoro fears he fucked up yet again by taking the challenge too seriously, but when your dad breaks out in laughter and gives his hand to shake, a sweat dropped from his hairline in relief
→ you made about 350$
→ your (single) aunties cannot get over how good looking he is. they swarm around him, praising him for his out-of-this-world visuals and smother all over him, pulling at his cheeks and tugging at his biceps
→ and in returns he’s just like “uh, thank you.” while giving you a look to save him, but you’re evil and let him suffer alone
→ now when the kids get ahold of this man, just wish him goodnight at this point cause you’re not seeing this man for the rest of the night
→ they love this man ☠️ is it the fact that he seems so unappeased and stoic, or the fact that he’s a new piece of meat to bother, he really couldn’t tell
→ they tug on his arms, sit on his lap, play with his hair, and ask for stories of what it’s like to be at sea while being such a strong pirate
→ “you got three swords?!” “i do.” “can i use them?! please?!” “i’m pretty sure y/n would kill me.” “no she wouldn’t! she lets me play with swords all the time!” “uh…”
→ when you caught him giving piggyback and airplane rides to your very happy younger sister, you leaned against the doorframe and teased him about how well they got along to which he bluntly denied
→ you saw the fond smile on his face tho
→ still you drag him downstairs to meet up with your older cousins and family friends, slipping on some slides as your dad corners y’all at the entrance
→ “we’re gonna go take a walk.” you smile sheepishly, kissing his cheek and your father gives you a look, seeing easily past your lame excuse but does nothing to stop y’all
→ “we are?” your confused boyfriend mumbled, tugging your sundress and your cousins and friends laughed at his naivety, saying something along the lines that they’d get along just well
→ the walk taught him a few things; weed is definitely not for him nor his throat, you get overly affectionate when you’re high and your one short friend is hilarious when he’s hungry
→ he gets along well with other significant others of family members, all in the same “freshly arrived” boat. he and your sister’s boyfriend actually bonded over the kendo matches airing on the sports channel
→ when night comes, he’s almost drained by how much social interaction he was put through. you wish everybody a goodnight and they threaten you to bring him back to the next function “or else”.
→ you’re at the door with leftovers and drinks, and when you leave the door, zoro realizes he probably should privately share his goodbyes to your dad, and so he goes back when you don’t notice
→ you noticed you were talking to yourself for a while, so you frown and wonder if your man got lost while you were busy ranting about how happy you were
→ you head back to the house, ready to search for a lost moss but you halt your step when you hear familiar voices talking
→ “you take good care of my baby, roronoa. she better be in one piece next time y’all come ‘round. got it?”
→ you roll your eyes at your dad’s usual protectiveness, ready to counter on his behalf but you’re cut to the chase by your boyfriend,
→ “i love her, sir. nothing bad’s ever gonna happen as long as i’m around, i swear.”
𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐒𝐌𝐎𝐊𝐄 𝐒𝐀𝐍𝐉𝐈
→ “sounds like a good idea, my love!”
→ sanji blends in with your family alarmingly well. it’s barely been a few minutes since y’all got in, and he presents himself with bouquets of flowers and wine, and the whole house has fallen head over heels for him
→ sanji used to be a waiter alongside a sous chef, so his conversational skills are flawless. he knows exactly what to say to make your members feel listened, nods when they speak and engage in their stories
→ your mom is in love with this man. when he presented himself, he reached out his hand and when she laid hers in his, he kissed her knuckles all gentlemanly and gave a wink, and she was weak in the knees
→ you had no worries about sanji meeting your family, you knew they’d fall for his charms just as you did
→ unsurprisingly, most of his time is spent in the kitchen with the ladies, even though they tell him he can go relax elsewhere with the men. he presses that he’s fine and he’s willing to help with the preparation, as he is the chef’s cook
→ you find him minutes later wearing an apron cutting up vegetables, laughing brightly at whatever story your mother had to share
→ while he spends his time in there, the tipsy aunties spill and rant all the family’s tea, from unplanned pregnancies to cheating scandals, and sanji’s nosy ass is all in for the business, going as far as asking questions and throwing in his own opinions
→ like imagine “you’re joking! is that not her sister’s ex man?! what a low blow!” “i know right? she’s been shady as fuck.” he gasps dramatically, hand on his hip as he pauses from mincing the garlic
→ dramatic bastard
→ he offers to help set up the table as he’s used to doing it on the ship, and your mom almost feels bad for making her guest help her with everything, but he expertly holds plates in his hands as he winks, “anything for my mother-in-law, mademoiselle.”
→ he’s so used to eating last, making sure everyone’s gotten a good taste before he can sit back, so he’s taken aback when your mom slides him a plate on the counter
→ you’re rolling your eyes playfully as sanji tries to push the plate back respectfully and offers that your mom eats before he does, since she did make everything
→ “give it a rest, she’s as stubborn as you are.” you nudge your shoulder against his, and he straight up pouts, before nodding and thanking her for the meal
→ he was stunned at the outburst of flavours, not having ever tasted anything as unique as soul food in his life. he has literal hearts out of his eyes and his mother mentions warmheartedly how cartoon-like it was little does she know
→ though you underestimated sanji’s stubbornness when you caught him doing the dishes, claiming he was unloading the amount of work your mom would have to do
→ she was baffled by his kindness, wrapping her arms around him and planting a kiss at his temple, chanting how he was her new favorite and you teasingly scoffed at the bashful blush that crept at sanji’s face
→ your younger sister is in love with him. like, actual love. she wants to marry him and keep him in her room for the rest of her life, so she says.
→ when nobody wanted to play dollhouse with her, he felt his chest ache at the way she seemed defeated, instantly reminded by his own childhood, so he offered to play with her and she was immediately crushing
→ “sanji, i love you! be my husband!”
→ he chuckles sheepishly, “but what about your sister, darling? it wouldn’t be room nice if i left her alone.”
→ your sister pouts and has tears swelling in her eyes, and sanji is such a sucker he gets swept in by her manipulative tactics, that he leans forward on a knee and holds her hand reassuringly.
→ “how about you get older first, then we’ll talk, okay? you’re still my favorite after all.” he ruffled her hair and revelled in the way she looked away so shyly, nodding before running away
→ “i’m wounded, sanji.” you flatly spoke, a smirk on your lips as he rose to his feet, scratching the back of his neck in embarrassment
→ while you laid in the living room and digested dessert, you suddenly missed the presence of your boyfriend as he was hogged by your mom all day
→ you got up and made your way to the kitchen, to which you saw sanji sat across the counter, notepad and pen in his hands as he scribbled on the paper while your mother rambled
→ “what’s going on here?” you eyed the two suspiciously, who both froze mid-action, before turning to you like a deer caught in headlights
→ they both denied that anything was happening, that they were just catching up on their lives as if that wasn’t what they’d been doing all night. you sighed, letting it slide as you beckoned him over, complaining you missed him
→ eventually the night came to an end, and everyone was bummed that he was leaving. it almost made you feel like they could care less about you ☠️
→ everyone sent sanji kisses and hugs, forcing him to come by and visit, and to bring something he made next time so they can ogle at yet another skill of his. he promised he’d blow their minds away, with a kiss at their knuckles ofc
→ your little sister was so bummed, tearing up at the door as she watched you guys get ready to leave, and sanji desperately didn’t want her to be mad with him, so he told her to turn around, and he unclasped her necklace and slipped one of his rings on her chain, before putting it back on her neck.
→ her eyes mimicked his similar heart eyes expression, dropping her teddy on the floor as sanji kissed her knuckles. you thumped him up the head and told him to hurry up so y’all could leave
→ deep down you were happy that he was getting along with your bitter baby sister you were just tired
→ your mom was the last guest to watch you off, and after hugging you goodbye, she moved onto her new favorite and hugged him too, before pulling away and holding his hands affectionately
→ “i’m so glad y/n found you. keep her happy sanji, you’re a great boy.” she had tears swelling in her eyes, and when sanji tightened the hold on her hands, you watched him with hidden admiration,
→ “i’m the lucky one, mademoiselle. i’ll do my damn hardest to give her the happy life she deserves.”
i gave up halfway leave me alone 💀
#roronoaswifey.exe#kazuha’s works 📂#one piece#one piece headcanons#one piece x black!reader#one piece x reader#luffy x black reader#luffy x reader#zoro x black reader#zoro x reader#sanji x black reader#sanji x reader#one piece fanfic#x reader
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I didn't really wanna talk ahead of the Dungeon Meshi anime but I had this thought bugging me as I was skimming the manga. So, spoilers for what's to come.
I don't think it's any coincidence that Laios' party, out of a cast of infinitely more capable people, makes it to the final floor of the Dungeon. Why? Cause they aren't heroes.
Look at Kabru, he's the poster boy for anime protagonists. He has a tragic backstory, a personal beef with the dungeon, skills trained by a master of the crafts, and a large party who seems genuinely friendly together. He has everything going for him to one day dive to the bottom and gain closure for his story but he just can't. He never will, because the dungeon does not work on his logic. It turns out that there is no plot armor against hearing a siren sing for the first time.
What about Mithrun then? Personally wronged by the Demon, he's the paradigm of vengeance. A tragic hero who will do anything it takes to get to his goal and probably die achieving it. He has a party full of dark history and interesting dynamics, really laden with moral greyness. Not Berserk but a step closer to it than Kabru's story. But he is, unfortunately, also a classic hero archetype, and although his skills are impressive they aren't fit for the ecosystem around him, singleminded vengeance will see you killed by changelings, the cold, or starvation.
Shuro, it's gotta be Shuro right? A man from a distant land but a familiar one to the primary readerbase. He goes back to train, hone his mind, collect a party, and save the love interest from a cruel fate. Perhaps he will learn there is no saving her, and tragically be forced to slay the monster she's become. His journey ends the second Faligon dies, so he has no chance, ever, of becoming the Dungeon Lord. There doesn't need to be any extra traps to deter him, he'll get what he wants at the fourth level and be gone, his desire simply isn't pointed that way.
Laios, on the other hand. None of his party are heroes, they're all here for selfish reasons and have absolutely zero illusions about heroics and greater goods. Laios is here to save Falin, he only wants his sister to be safe. And to eat and document monsters. Marcille is here for forbidden magic and Falin, and her two desires coincide with her resurrection. Chilchuck is here because he got paid up front and can't leave without rumors spreading. Senshi was always here and he just wants to live in peace with nature. None of them have heroic intent, broadly. But it also means they don't have heroic conceit either.
Laios' party will eat anything. They'll run from battle, take shortcuts. They treat monsters not as grand challenges to overcome but something to fight for their lives with. With their teeth if need be. There is no honor here there is only living. Honor gets you strangled by treasure bugs. Revenge will see you abandon your party to giant spiders for the mere shot at your target. Duty sees you skipping meals because your goal is so important. It is striking how different the dungeon is between Laios and the others. They all treat the dungeon as their personal hell to be striven against and conquered, only Laios sees it as an extension of the living world and understands his place in it. And I think that is so fucking cool, it's so multifaceted. Like, their exact skill set is perfect for getting through the dungeon because of how they all treat it. But also because the dungeon wants them there, because they have very personal, strong desires. Desires that shape their skills, and desires shaped by their skills in a kind of Ouroboros.
And it's an interesting question of how much of both factors into their progress in the story.
#dungeon meshi#delicious in dungeon#dungeon meshi spoilers#I just think it's neat how only an unlikely hero could make it all work#like it doesn't matter how skilled someone is if they don't try to integrate into the ecosystem#it would be like climbing a mountain without ever having lived on one or trained to climb or reading anything on them
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Guard Dog
Riader!Joel Miler x Dark!fem!reader
Masterlist : Taglist
Summary: Joel attempts to raid the wrong house, and having the Joel Miller on his knees before awakens something in you... and in him.
Content and Warnings: DEAD DOVE DO NOT EAT Dub con on Joel (Is it non con? idk. Idk how im supossed to tag this but it's no where near the violence of tww someone help), references to non con from Joel to other women, gun sucking, fem domme, dark!reader but Joel is also dark soooooo, subby Joel, dead bodies, Nick reference (if you read TWW you know lol), multiple orgasms, overstim, dumbification?
AN 1: This essentially came of two thoughts, me thinking hmmmm how to write raider!Joel in a new way? 2. I want to avenge Little One. Joel did her so dirty and is still doing her so dirty in the dark timeline addition, lowkey wanted someone to get revenge for her. Plus, subby Joel is always a win for Fen and Maura lol
AN 2: Shout outs to @ramblers-lets-get-ramblin and @toxicanonymity for talking me through this idea, esp Toxi for letting me use the gun blowjob bit lololol if you like that concept, I encourage everyone to check out toxi's raider joel Or maybe Jake's part in the chasing series
***********************
Whoever it was, they had chosen to raid the wrong fucking house.
Yes, you were a single woman. Yes you lived alone. But no, you were not helpless, far from it, actually. Whoever it was is lucky they had made it past the set of boobytraps thus far. Actually, it sounded like a few of them had been taken out as it was.
*
Joel watched in relief as the arrow went through Nick’s skull. Relief it wasn’t him. He never liked Nick that much anyway, real creepy guy. In fact, he didn’t like any of the men that this house had gotten either. It was exhausting, trying to lead a group of dumbasses and whatever the fuck was in here it wasn’t worth it, so Joel attempted to make his exit. Thing was, leaving was proving just as hard as entering was. Whoever lived here didn’t want anyone living to tell the tail. Stepping over the dead bodies of a few of his men, Joel had narrowly dodged more arrows, spikes, darts; the whole lot, until some secret fucking door opened up like a goddamn scooby-doo house and there you were, gun to his forhead.
“Joel fucking Miller, I’ll be damned.”
Joel narrowed his eyes. He didn’t recognize you, but you knew him. That wasn’t surprising, he’d gained a bit of a reputation from raiders, fireflies and regular people. “Who the hell are you?”
You tell him your name, first name at least, and make quick work of taking out the gun in his hand. “Armed with anything else, Miller?” He said he wasn’t, but you knew that was a lie. “Don’t believe that for a second.”
“Then why the hell did you ask?” His texan drawl was prominent, especially when he was worked up.
“More fun to mess with you.” Keeping the gun pressed up to his temple, you press your body against his in turn as you pat him down for more weapons. It didn’t hurt that he was handsome.
“JESUS!” Joel jumped as you grabbed at his ass. “Watch your fucking hands.”
You can’t help but giggle; he thinks he's in charge. “You could be hiding weapons anywhere-” He tenses as you slip your hand between his buttcheeks as much as his jeans allow. “-Can’t be too careful.”
Joel was a brutal man, you heard stories of his rage and carelessness for human life, including women. There’d been many such stories of him forcing himself on women, kidnapping and trafficking… maybe he needed a taste of his own medicine? You take your time on his top half, feeling up every muscle, every bit of pudge, every dip on his broad body. Then, onto the lower. Without hindrance, you grope at his crotch and are very impressed by the size of him; and amused by the way he’s already semi-hard. Men are so easy, it’s funny sometimes.
“This make you excited, Miller? Or does it scare you to be at a woman’s mercy for once? Maybe a little bit of both?”
Joel didn’t look at you, lips pursed in a hard line.
You continue, moving the gun to his pants as you kneel before him to check lower. “I bet this is more your speed isn’t it? Having a pretty woman on her knees?”
The scoff above you doesn’t go unnoticed. “Mighty full of ourselves, aren’t we?”
After taking a knife and a gun that were strapped to his ankle, you stand up, satisfied with your work and the ever-growing bulge in his pants. “I own a mirror, Miller. I know what I got going on.” Degrading won’t work on you. With a nudge, you press him towards your room.
“Yuh gonna kill me?” There was no fear in his voice when he asked. This was a man prepared for death whenever it came.
“We’ll see. Gonna have a little fun with you first.”
*
Having Joel Miller on his knees for you was a goddamn treat. He looked so good like this, so submissive even if his bratty little face wanted to put on a show.
“It’s natural, you know.” With a glance down, you let him know that you are referencing his half-hard cock. “The adrenaline.” You squat in front of him. “How many girl came when you forced yourself on them? How many felt their bodies betray them? Did you laugh at them for getting wet?”
“I didn’t-”
“It’s humiliating, isn’t it?” Your gun was still out, knowing physically he could probably overpower you still. You weren’t weak by any means, but you also were aware he had far more upper body strength, muscles bulging through the seem of his shirt sleeves. The cool end of the gun prodded at his face as he tried to keep calm; the bob of his adam's apple and subtle rise of his chest was giving away his nerves. It was exhilarating, having a man that many feared, the cause of death of so many men, someone of damn-near legendary status and his knees for you… You couldn’t help the reaction the thrill had in pooling in your stomach. It was natural, wasn’t it? That’s what you told Joel.
Using the gun, you move his face around a bit to really take in his features. Strong nose, curly salt and pepper hair, soft brown eyes and lips you just really wanted to make whimper.
“Your quite handsome, you know that?”
An ironic chuckle. “I have a mirror too, sweetheart.”
You can’t help smiling at him as you straighten back up. “Take off your shirt.”
He rolled his eyes but did as he was told.
“Obedient thing, aren’t you? Bet I could train you, bet that’s what you need, isn’t it?” You slip your hand in your pants, feeling up your own wet cunt as the thrill of power elevates things. “Tired of having to decide, having to lead…” Maybe the adrenaline was getting to you, but you suddenly wish you had a dick to make him suck. You don’t, so you settle for the next best thing. You tap his lips witht he barrel of the gun. “Open.”
Joel hesitates, a slight spark of fear in his pretty eyes as he keeps his lips tightly closed, and that just won't do. You slap his cheek with the gun, and as grunts in pain the seal of his lips pops open.
“Ah-mph” His cry of pain was quickly muffled by the gun being shoved in his mouth.
“Suck on it, cowboy. Act like you fucking enjoy it.”
You don’t think he needs to act. Joel sucks on your gun like he would a dick and you furiously finger yourself to his rhythm. As he closes his eyes, you can hear a low groan emitting from his throat and his hands twitching at his side.
“Touch yourself, go ahead.”
He didn’t need to be told twice, his right hand flying to the seam of his pants and palming at his full erection.
“Good boy, good fucking boy” You praise. “Just an obedient little dog pretending to be a lone wolf. Is that it? You just want someone to tell you what to do, huh?” You release the gun from his mouth and can’t help but grin as his lips chase it.
“Y-yes.” Joel admits, face strained in tension as he kept touching himself. Must hurt, being constrained like that.
“Take it out. Eyes on me.” You guide his face to look up at you with the tip of your gun. “Look in my eyes as you do it.”
As he released himself, Joel did indeed look up at you; he looked up at you as if you made the stars in the sky.
Once his cock was out, all 9 or so inches, you take off your sleep shorts and straddle over him but not yet putting it in. “I don’t think I need this gun anymore… but I think you like it.” When you sink down on him, gun pressed to his ribs as a firm reminder of who was in charge, you hold your breath in order to hear the simple whimpers and guttural groans that Joel tried so hard to hide.
“This is where you belong, isn’t it?” You goad him, eliciting a quiet ‘yes’ from his lips. “Under me, belong to me.”
You are speared on him, his dick spreading you open and stretching you unlike anything you had felt before and you loved it. Every chance you had, you felt his muscles, reveling in the fact such a physically strong man was so mental weak for you and only you.
“Can I cum? Please?” Joel begged for you, pleaded ever, lips quivering even as you kissed him.
“Almost there, baby, almost- mmmm- almost there. You can cum after me, okay?”
Joel nodded quick, tiny nods and hesitantly moved a hand to your hips. He looked up at you bouncing on his cock for permission, and when you nod back he goes to thumb at your clit.
“OH GOD!” You shout, breathless, slick all over your thighs and his pants, his touch sending you over the edge. You cum hard, walls pulsing all around him and he doesn’t ask again before spilling his seed inside you, filling you to the brim.
Your body relaxes, but then Joel throws you to the ground causing you to drop your gun and for a moment you thought he bested you, got you distracted; until he dove right into your cunt with no regard for the lost gun. He didn’t care about beating you, he cared about tasting you. As he desperately licked his cum out of your dripping hole, you tugging at his curls, Joel humped the floor as if he hadn’t just gotten released. You pull him close, riding out another orgasm on his face. When you cum a third time, you have to push him back, the overstimulation from the desperate man’s tongue, lips and beard being too much. When you do, he looks up at you with wide eyes as if he had done something wrong, but you pull up and into a kiss before laying him down on the floor to kiss him some more.
“Not sure if I wanna let go of you, cowboy…” You tease, playing with his hair but keeping him firmly pressed to the ground. “Might have to keep you around, but my little guard dog, how about that?”
Joel’s eyes were glossy, his face so fucked out you weren’t sure he was fully cognizant. “Baby boy too tired to speak? That’s okay, I’ll take care of you too. You be the arms; I’ll be the brains. You won’t have to have a single thought outside me again, okay?”
***********
Part 2 here
LOWKEY NERVOUS BC THIS IS SUCH A DIFFERENT JOEL AND HE DOESNT DO A LOT OF TALKING?!?!?!?!?!??! UNSURE HOW I FEEL
Anyway I do hope to write more maybe? so if you wanna be tagged comment below! I liek the idea of having a joel I can kinda just write stuff about whenever instead of a story and an arch and characters to balance. This is just more casual. and i dont gotta go nuts keepingup with posting like my other stories. Im think a v joel tess kinda vibe where she's clearly leading him
I was supossed to be working on the next part to my Javi P x reader x Santi AU buuuutttttttttttt I couldnt get this idea out of my head. So. here you all go! I'll try and work on that, the dark! TF boys, TWW, and the Will Miller story lol its kinda a lot rn
Please consider reblogging and commenting to support your fav writers <3
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#dark fanfiction#dark!joel#dark!reader#Guard Dog Series#dark joel miller#the last of us hbo#joel miller#non con#joel miller fic#joel miller smut#dark#dddne#dead dove do not eat#joel miller x f!reader#joel miller fanfiction#joel miller x reader#fem reader#fem!reader#joel tlou#joel x reader#dark reader#dub con#tw noncon#tw dubious consent
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Its a Game pt.6
[ A/n ] - Hey everyone here is part 6 i had to cut it a bit short so i could get to the good bits in part 7 that i am currently writing and i also started another multy part story that i think y'all will like!
[ Pairing ] - Harry Styles x Reader!, Dylan O'Brien x Reader!
[ Genre ] - angst
[ Part 1 , Part 2 , Part 3 , Part 4 , Part 5 ]
[ Masterlist ]
Harry drove home from seeing you with a million thoughts swimming in his head. Why did he say he loved you? That was fucking stupid. I mean, it is true. He did love you but obviously it was the wrong time. Had he really taken so long to realize your intentions were greater than you let on? He really should have thought about that more. These sequences of events were a product of not needing to think when he was with you. Not seeing you for months then having an awkward encounter with you and then weeks later he pulls up to see you in a parking garage and says he loves you. I mean what the fuck. Who does that? Harry apparently does that now. Gone are his days of confident mystery. Perhaps he should learn to think when he’s near you. To be independent of you. Despite this, he’s regretting the timing of his impulses and now you know he loves you and you still will go home to another man. How was he supposed to process this and now having to see you at the festival? Rehearsal after rehearsal and then a whole weekend of you. Perfect you.
The thoughts consumed his mind the whole drive back to his LA home. The car pulled into his driveway, and he shut the door as he fished for the key to his house in his bag. The welcoming smells of laundry and cleaning products filled his nose with a scrunch. He needed to sort himself out. He used to come home to his NY apartment and smell you. Your vanilla and cinnamon scented perfume. Like cookies fresh out of the oven. Warm and truly inviting the opposite of the chemicals and detergent stinging his nose currently.
The days before the start of rehearsal seemed to drag on. Meeting after meeting and workout sessions in between for both harry and yourself. In total it had been about a week since you asked him to meet you at the garage. Dylan still didn’t know, and you still couldn’t get Harry’s declaration off your mind.
***
“And then he stood there with that fucking smirk of his and was like ‘I Lov youu’ I mean who says that after you just told them why you needed space in the first place.” You punctuated your sentence with a hard smack to a punching bag. You never would have caught yourself in the gym before all this Coachella nonsense. Yes, you were grateful blah blah blah, but this was some serious stuff. Asara joined you on occasion and this was one of those times. Blass your personal trainer he’s heard a ton of drama fall from your lips. Asara grinned and held back a laugh at your impression of the man. The two of you hit the bags in tandem as the conversation continued.
“I think he just misses you. You were on and off for so long you know.” Asara spoke between the sounds of fist hitting bags. You sighed and rolled your eyes.
“Yeah, he missed me while he was fucking another woman high off coke.” You punched the bag and Asara chuckled.
“Y/n he tried to tie you down several times, and I remember you always ran away every time he tried. Now, that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t have used his words, but the man did try. And don’t act like you don’t partake.” Asara stood off to the side as she finished her set.
“That’s not what I mean. He just gets carried away and I don’t mind taking care of him after he’s faded but it’s not healthy to do it that much. And as for trying to tie me down… I was completely loyal to him, and he knew that. I want to be shown off and he wants to be secretive and private.” You paused for a second to remove your boxing gloves. “We never saw eye to eye, but I love him too.”
“Right and now that you can both agree on something what are you going to do about Dylan?” Asara made a good point, and you weren’t sure how to break the news.
***
“Do you think I’m ready for this?” You looked up at Dylan with fear in your eyes. It was starkly different than any look he has seen on your face before. He always knew what to say but this time he just sort of looked at you. You looked to him for something. Anything would have been fine just anything to let you know that he could level with you in this moment. You were searching, reaching for anything in the deep recesses of his eyes and you couldn’t find anything.
His lips turned into a smile, and he pulled you in close. For Dylan in this moment, he was so proud of you that words weren’t enough. You allowed yourself to be pulled to the hug, but your arms stayed at your side. It was eerily frustrating for you. Being spoon fed the idea that he wanted to give you what you deserved, and you deserved more you needed more. You needed what Harry could give you. Out of the corner of your eye you could see him speaking with his production team and you glanced between the two men. When your eyes settled back on Dylan, you knew you needed him to leave. The two of you stood backstage at a mock rehearsal for the night you were to perform on stage at Coachella. Voices and the sounds of metal scraping against each other while the sun beat down on the field. Dylan decided to join you for moral support, but you felt so separated from him. It was like he did understand what you needed in that moment to help you feel better. You stared at the wall and your mind went blank. This had to stop.
Harry stood off to the side with his team. Each of them primping him and measuring fabric for the show. He did a good job at staying impartial when Dylan was around. For the few times they ended up in the same room or when he saw a photo of him on his Instagram feed because you posted him, or he just happened to be in the photo. You didn’t fully warm up to him just yet and Harry knew you didn’t forgive him yet. In his mind he decided he needed to be on his best behavior to win you back and gain your trust. Harry couldn’t lie and say he wasn’t snooping, he definitely was. And he could tell Dylan was doing a shit job at comforting you. The guy looked nervous enough for both of you.
“Um I gotta go Dylan.” You spoke softly and pulled away from him after he placed a kiss to the top of your head. You looked disappointed if harry could even say that. Dylan seemed to take the hint and disappeared off to sit with your friends. The dress rehearsal was dragging on for everyone so harry could imaging you felt stuck right now. Nervous and unsure who to talk to. Having a solution come to mind he made his way over to you. At first you didn’t notice. You were marking beats and paces in your head like he does, and it made him smile to think about you valuing his creative process.
Harry decided you needed space and he leaned onto his team as they finished the preparations. He would be back in two nights to perform, and you would be joining him on stage. His nerves caught up to him and he was glad you were off with your people so he couldn’t make a fool of himself again. You looked good though even in your comfortable clothes to practice. Your hips hit every marked beat and he almost got lost watching you.
The next day of rehearsal went by fast, and you were up late again practicing for the show. Beat after beat and step after step, you went over it in your head until it was time to gather backstage. You arrived at the venue the next day in a pink dress. A car service picked you up and your team met up with you. Flashes of light and screams cold been seen a mile away from the stage. Harry was prepped and ready to descend upon the crowd. You stood off to the side and took deep breaths. Harry saw you from the corner of his eye and looked over. You looked so scared. So different from how he was used to seeing you. You looked so vulnerable.
“You’re going to be great darling.” His voice carried a low register that caught your attention through your in-ears. He had walked over to comfort you. The glitter on his outfit fell to the ground like snowflakes and you stared at the glistening specks. For some reason, the closer he got to you the slower your heart began to beat.
“Give me your hands.” His voice was firm but soft as to not call attention to you. You listen despite all that has happened and how much you wanted to walk away and be alone. Your hands fit into his so perfectly. Harry held onto you gently and rubbed his thumbs onto your palms. Your breathing was shallow, but you stayed in that spot not daring move your sight from the floor.
“Look at me darling.” That pet name would haunt you if this ended up anymore tragically. Harry caught your eye, and you stared right back at him. His eyes didn’t give anything away that he didn’t want them to, and you just stood there looking into his eyes for a few minutes. You wanted to cry. Dylan could have never comforted you like this. All these months and weeks replayed over and over in your mind as you held hands with Harry.
“Just look for me if you feel nervous out there, okay? Focus on me.” Harry let go of your hands and walked up the stairs. You closed your eyes, and you could hear the excitement in the crowd build. The screams got louder and louder as the music began to play and he walked out. Secretly your heart was doing flips. Warmth flushed your face, and you gave Harry a small smile. He brushed his thumb against your face and turned to walk on stage. You stood back and looked at the crowd as he started to perform. The opening notes of adore you began to play, and the audience went crazy.
Three songs and then you heard your cue. Walking closer and closer to the stage you heard your song begin to play through the speakers and the beat matched up with your heart.
Liked by harryswife33…and 3849 others
y/nandharryshipper1 y/nrry for lifeeeeee
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Harryfan54 stop they are for sure meant to be together.
Y/nnnfan22 y’all acting like she isn’t in a relationship rn
Reply to Y/nnnfan22 y/nrryshipper9 right lol its weird even for me. Like I get it but harry is definitely in over his head with this one.
Liked by assa22, harrystyles and 93820 others
Yyy/nn3 baby’s first Coachella tyyy @\harrystyleshq for inviting meee
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Y/nnnfann0 bae looking so fucking good
Harrystyleshq loved having you
Harryfan96 Harry gets to have that any time he wants and I’m jealous
You put your phone down after looking back at the post. A notification flashed at the top that Dylan had posted and for some reason you wanted to keep him out of your mind. Now Harry isn’t stupid, and he especially isn’t stupid when he’s sober. He saw how fast you ignored the notification. He didn’t quite see who it was from when you put your phone down so fast, but he guessed it was from Dylan. He would be lying if he said it didn’t amuse him but the idea that you still gave an ounce of energy to that man made him feel detached from reality. The room was cold like he asked for it to be, but his neck felt hot. The veins in his arms bulged for a second and then before he could succumb to the jealousy you started speaking.
“Thank you.” You sounded so meek and shy. Fixing yourself like a teenager on a first date. Is this what he’s done to you? His darling used to be a spitfire. Real sassy and sickeningly sweet with her attitude. “Thank you.” If this were almost a year ago, he would have you pinned to a wall already. Fuck your “thank you” He needed that feeling back in full force. This simmering tension was frustrating. Was he just supposed to stay away from you? He knew you wanted him back. You didn’t have to say it, that’s what this whole game was about. Harry has studied you and the way you act the only thing that made this different the other times you’ve played cat and mouse with him is that you found a new toy to fuck around with. “You look fucking amazing.” Harry sighed and shifted on the sofa the pair of you were sitting on. He wasn’t lying the skirt you were wearing was low cut and your waist was twisted and curved like when he used to hit it from behind. He should probably stop but who wouldn’t think about you like that?
You noticed that Harry was staring. Staring in your eyes studying you. Staring at your clothes or lacking thereof. Staring at your lips imagining God knows what and you stared right back. It was almost like how you see in the movies. You moved in slow motion as you scooted closer to him on the seat. Your legs crossed and your hands were cradling your phone. Harry sat opposite of you with his legs spread comfortably. His arms were lying over the back of the sofa. The two of you were sure there were more glamorous couches to be lounging on, but the accommodation wasn’t of concern when your lips met for the first time in months. Something about the kiss was electric. Your phone fell to the floor as harry pulled you closer. The position was awkward with your arm trapped between his body and yours. Your legs remained crossed until Harry’s hand gripped the skin of your exposed thigh. His firm palms and fingertips massaged the muscles you had been using to dance all night. Neither of you broke for air until your phone began to ring from the floor.
Harry leaned forward and picked up the device first. His mood dampened as he saw the name flash across the screen. In a split second it crossed Harry’s mind to decline the call on your behalf. All it would take is one swipe of a finger, one press of a button. He would have his lips back on yours in a second. You sat across from him looking expectantly with wide innocent eyes. Such a loud juxtaposition from the smudged lipstick smeared across your plush mouth. And all the nasty things he knew you could do and say with it. You were so beautiful and the second you answered the call you wouldn’t be his anymore.
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Ordem Paranormal Quarantena fucking knocked it out of the park it was insane Im grappling with so much I'm so insanely tired
There was a funny bit I was thinking of around the whole second bit where I was going Carol you hallmark protagonist fuck
Because first of all her name. that was the main part it's on the same level as Noel and Nick and Holly but there were also certain aspects of her character that in my delirious mind reminded me of the hypocrisy and drama of the typical independent business lady in a christmas movie as well as the I-can-do-no-wrong mindset of a romantic fantasy shoujo romance protagonist
And I thought. Man. There was a very clear path this story couldve taken with these characters and setting if it were not roleplay.
(note: not talking about the ccs or the actual characters but the Tropes the characters fall into and Could've been in generic science fiction horror)
A plucky new scientist with dreams to make a difference in an evil monster-ridden world and prove her skills despite being underestimated and looked down on by her friends and colleagues, and her direct senior with whom she has a negative relationship with due to his demonstrated lack of practical skill but mysterious higher connections to the board and therefore is ranked higher while she falls behind. She has moments of butting heads with him before the disaster breaks out in the facility and she has to struggle to stay alive and hidden until she's rescued by that same suddenly impressive senior with whom there's multiple tight spaces to be stuck with and convenient makeovers and sudden cold they have to share body warmth for. It's overWhelmingly easy to guess the plot
The plot in which None of the gang are mentioned. Because in this hypothetical B-list horror romance, they don't exist as people, but plot devices and tropes
They're there to provide funny moments and emotional weight as well as conflict to the overdone plot.
You have Luis, tank, everyman strongman with a soft heart and unclear but dangerous living conditions (poor). Probably the backup boyfriend in case the thing with Mikael doesn't work out, ends up sacrificing his life to save her due to some completely preventable situation cause she was too stubborn to listen, and gets a future project (maybe even a baby) named after him.
You have Jeffrey, funnyman, scapegoat, coward with zero friends and terrible priorities, multiple jobs (poor). Kind of useless, constantly infuriating and taking up space and meddling with things he doesn't know Anything about when she could've made a solution if he'd handed it over and dies to the zombies for the crime of irritating our protag.
Diego, hippie allegory, lives out of his backpack he literally calls his home, his life (poor) and has herbs (weedhead) that she'd try to be Fixing and eventually succeed in 'reforming' and sending him back to school due to her natural disposition in helping those in need.
You have Lucie, finally another girl, unfortunately in both horror and tropey romance, we Hate any other woman besides our all-powerful and beloved protagonist, so she's the nerd archetype but not the cute, efficient way our protag is nerdy but in the weirdo unnecessarily jargon-filled and Unappealing (unattractive) way. She dies the same way in the movie.
Benito was Made to be hated. It's the sly evil smirk and sunglasses and a beanie with the unprofessional labcoat and talking about things he doesn't understand like he does and taking her accomplishments and mocking her life as a scientist fighting to save the world and how he always seems to be looking down at her and definitely wouldve been the one to hide an infection and endanger the group he's the character whose death you're Meant to starting cheering for when he's dragged kicking and screaming onto the rusty laden, jagged roof and played with and pounced on till his insides squeeze out of him like toothpaste
Mattias was there so our protagonist could have her badass "I'm not like you I won't take a life because you're a coward" speech before he turns and nearly gets the group
Emi and Anderson were there so we could have a real man-to-man fatherly conversation about what it means to protect the ones you love and to pass on the torch as 'Leader' before he succumbs to the virus and begs to die before he hurts his girl, and so they could have wholesome pseudo-parenthood with a confused but reasonable child who absolutely understands that they're doing the right thing because they're the good guys and calls Carol mom when she's in danger near the end
It could've been a zombie survival plot about two arguably well-off individuals facing the consequences of a project they still believe could change the world and their tag-along group of meatshields to throw at the problem until their glorious melancholy escape where they're hailed as heroes for containing and eventually completing their groundbreaking research
and a horrific experience for a group of people who just wanted to make an easy few bucks till the next paycheck. They could've split those 50 dolalrs and jumped each other in the parking lot they didn't need to go through all that
Carol is driven, she's serious, she's ambitious and believes in the good that her research (the team's research) will bring and she's surrounded by people who don't understand that they're the good guys and are trying to find fault in her So she's willing to make sacrifices so she's willing to take it upon herself to decide who the team needs more she doesn't care if she dies as long as the world knows she saved it she needs to hear anything and everything people say in case it's about her or something she might care about it she's got braided hair and easily breakable glasses
Mikael is keeping things to himself to preserve his level of control over the situation because who knows what these guys are really like and he Saved them by telling them everything they need to know and they repay him by chopping his arm off? they're ungrateful and unserious So he kept himself safe while they had numbers and clues on their side They Managed Didn't They? Aren't they alive right now? they don't understand how important it is that he lives no one understands how important it is that Nidere lives he's got stylish curly hair and a fitted turtleneck
They both have a need to be heroes in a sense, to matter in the grand scheme of things they need to be at the forefront they need to be the ones who saved Everyone. Everybody is Only Alive because of THEM.
It's just really fascinating to me how. A different perspective of things kind of switches their roles as protagonists and cannon fodder
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Perhaps some of you remember that time I wrote up an entire essay for the TVTropes forums to get William cemented as a Magnificent Bastard because you literally have to get fictional characters vetted by people who care an absurd amount about this to add them to the trope page.
I am now back on my bullshit, and just got Albert confirmed (Louis is in the works, but the voting looks good for him so far). I did his write up today and it should be up later this week? I enjoy the short version as well.
And now:
The Work
Moriarty the Patriot is a (very loose) retelling of the Sherlock Holmes stories combined with James Bond set in the late 1800s, focused on Professor James Moriarty and exploring his motivations.
The Character
This post is to open a discussion specifically on Albert James Moriarty, older brother of Professor Moriarty (who we already confirmed) and one the Professor's Co-Dragons. Albert is the original "Moriarty" family member biologically who took the other two in as children, and is the leader of MI6 for most of the series.
Why Is He a Bastard
I mean, he kills his own younger biological brother and his mother by hand and then arranged for the entire rest of his family and servants to die in their sleep in a fire. So like. Is that enough?
He also took two orphan kids in, then basically said, "Hey, in exchange for getting your little brother heart surgery he needed to live, help me murder like so many people. Kthx."
He tends to come off colder than either of his brothers, which is sort of impressive since they're all murderers.
I like Albert, but he's certainly a bastard.
But Not That Bad?
Much like his brothers, Albert is trying in a very fucked up way to improve society by murdering people he thinks are making society worse. He is...trying to help in a Pay Evil unto Evil sort of way.
Honestly, Albert is the Moriarty brother who gets the least amount of sympathy from fans, although this shifted a fair amount after it was revealed he has severely untreated OCD, which is a massive contributing factor to his need to eliminate the hypocrisies of all these abusive nobles who keep going to Christian churches. But it's not like most people with OCD are murderers, so there's a limit to how far this Freudian Excuse is going to take him.
Is He Charming/Magnificent
Albert is, according to an official Japanese fan poll, the second most popular character in the series (second to the protagonist of the series, who won by a landslide). This seems to track from the interactions I've had with people. So people are charmed by him.
Albert is also in the series pretty much assigned to "socialization" on behalf of everyone else. He doesn't seem to really like it very much, but he gets along with people rather well. According to his official character profile, he's still getting asked out and courted even after losing his title and going to prison for the murders, so apparently people are really into him.
He also has a similar flair for the dramatic to his younger brother. This is absolutely a man who is going to revel in elaborate schemes and acting a part. While he often asks his brother to arrange details and plans, he always shows up to convince people that he's just so worried about his kidnapped brother, please help him, and oh, gasp, people have died, how tragic.
But Is He Brilliant?
This, I think, is a key factor in Albert's case here: Most of William's subordinates are very subordinate to him. It's made clear that William expects all of his crew to be able to think and plan for themselves and make their own decisions, but the series doesn't always take time to show that off for everyone. Albert does get that time.
Albert often sees opportunities before he engages William for a plan to make it work. Manipulating Mycroft Holmes into getting MI6 created so he could lead it was Albert's idea, and he executed the plan (and he leads MI6 when it's not doing Lord of Crime business), even if William came up with many of the details to help him out. Albert is the one who sees the potential in Adam Whitley and brings the topic up to William.
Also, Albert was the first person to bring William's dreams of killing nobles and creating a brighter world into fruition and set it into a tangible, real path. He and William are frequently tagged as the only two who originated the entire plan.
Albert is a brilliant opportunist and an excellent man to have making sure everything goes off without a hitch, even if the details of getting things done aren't really his forte.
He's brilliant.
What About His Competition?
Most of the nemeses in the series are focused on William, and Albert is his subordinate. Basically none of Sherlock or Milverton's attention ever splashes Albert's way. The person he really engages with in a competitive dance with is...Mycroft Holmes. And while Albert doesn't exactly win, neither does he lose to Mycroft. They come to a couple of agreements and passes to work together and watch to make sure the other isn't getting in their way.
Verdict:
Yes.
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so, like, i don't think Alastor is actually as strong as we've been lead to believe?
first of, because i know what y'all are like- i'm not saying he isn't strong. the shield in the finale obviously requires some firepower (though i think you could make the case that the shield isn't just powered by him, but that's another post-) and he is an Overlord. but! i think he plays up his own power, and does A Lot of manipulation and scare tactics to seem even more powerful than he actually is. after all, why bother fighting battles when you can scare off most of the competition?
now, obviously the biggest thing here is the finale. Adam trounces him, and does so easily. even doing their fight, Alastor doesn't actually hurt Adam. there's no direct clash of power up until Adam beats his ass in two hits
but, Adam is also the leader of the exorcists, and the first man. of course he'd be strong. but i do think it's a hit to this image Alastor loves to put on, of being this untouchable horror that could easily overtake Hell, if he so desired
secondly, Valentino's comment to Vox
now, if Alastor actually beat Vox, there is not a single doubt in my mind that Valentino would lord that shit over Vox. he would, absolutely, bring it up. so the fact that he says almost is noticeable. it means that Alastor and Vox was most likely on equal footing, if not outright pointing at Vox as the stronger opponent. because if Alastor didn't beat Vox, it either means a draw, or that Vox beat Alastor
and you can even see this in their duet. Alastor doesn't beat Vox- Vox beats himself. Vox crashes through his own inability to control his emotions, which, again- Alastor manipulates. he's playing Vox like a fucking fiddle, and that's super cool and impressive, sure, but that's not pure strength
and this goes hand in hand with how the Overlords (and the general public) views Alastor
people are not scared of Alastor. not the general public, not the Overlords. in episode 3, when people are 'afraid of him', it's not Alastor they're afraid of- it's Zestial
(i'm not going to spam a bunch of caps here, but it's pretty easy to glean if you look close- the background characters look at Zestial, and it's not until Zestial shows up that we get this whole 'everyone is afraid' bit. and we had plenty of time to showcase them being afraid of Alastor, but they didn't)
even Alastor himself is shaken to see Zestial, if only momentarily. and during the meeting, sure, Camilla is surprised to see Alastor, but she's not scared, and when he teases at where he might have been, she doesn't care
and neither does anyone else. Alastor is an Overlord, yes, and he's powerful, yes, but he's not- noticeably so. he's not a big threat to any of them, and that's goes so against the front he's putting on. Alastor wants to be powerful. he needs to be powerful. and it's not that he isn't, he's still very much an Overlord, but he's just- he's not a particular big fish in this pond
and lastly, i think it's extremely interesting that, out of everyone, it's Mimzy we hear the whole Radio Demon story from
it's not particularly noticeable that Angel didn't know about him, because he didn't in the pilot either, but it's like. Mimzy? we're getting this story from Mimzy?
not Pentious, or even Husk, or anyone else. plus, the way its set up...
it reads less like a true story, and more like a scary story you'd tell around a campfire or some shit- and it's not that i think she's lying, because i don't, but it's. interesting
Angel and Pentious is shocked when Mimzy finished her story, which means this story is new to them. Pentious didn't know about it, and he's been attacking Alastor pretty consistently since Alastor got back. which kind of leads me to believe that Alastor doesn't... really have a reputation? at least not one that's widespread
see, the thing is, sure- Alastor's been gone seven years. but that's not that long of a time for a really terrifying Overlord to be forgotten about- and no one reacts to him. there's no scene in the duet where people are terrified of the Radio Demon being back, no later scene to showcase the fear he inspires. there's nothing
and yeah, Alastor is a terrifying presence. he plays into it so very well
but all of this... i don't think Alastor has as much power as he likes to pretend he does, especially not before he disappeared. i don't think he's as big of a deal as he makes himself out to be, and that's fascinating to me
because it makes me wonder... what did he make a deal for?
#hazbin hotel#alastor hazbin#i know he has a last name now but i refuse. hazbin last name forever#this post has been haunting my ass for DAYS. and now it's DONE and i can finally make y'all read my brain#LISTEN TO ME. HEAR MY KNOWLEDGE. ALASTOR IS A WEAK ASS PISS BABY WHO WANNA BE COOL SOOOOOOOO BADLY
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💖💙💜 owen harper bisexuality masterpost 💖💙💜
i've had this in my drafts for a minute but i figured i'd finish it up and post it today for bisexual visibility day :D
it hasn't cropped up recently, but i've seen a lot of people who've questioned owen's bisexuality over the years and i thought i'd compile all the 'evidence' (although it completely baffles me that we got a show with five canonical bisexual characters and people want to write two of them off as straight / "heterflexible" ?? there shouldn't have to be 'proof' of owen being bi, RTD said torchwood is about five bisexuals fighting aliens in cardiff which means they're all bi, full stop. also, bisexuals should never have to 'prove' they're bi, and in regards to fictional characters, i'm sick of people nit-picking who 'deserves' to be counted as rep and refusing to 'claim' certain characters if they're morally grey or if the fandom simply doesn't Like them as much-)
but i digress.
so without further ado, here's everything i've found that supports owen's status as a bicon :-)
explicit canon instances
➤➤ obviously, we have to start with his gay kiss in the first episode of the show. there's a lot to be said about that kiss, i'm not gonna get into all that here, but i've seen a lot of people say it's not proof of owen being attracted to men, and i wholeheartedly disagree. you can literally catch him smiling very happily after the kiss (and one of owen's few genuine smiles of the series, too). i don't think a straight man (or even a "heteroflexible" man) would beam at another guy who's just informed him that he wants to fuck him. a fair amount of people have also said they interpreted owen calling the taxi as him intending to get away from the couple, but i don't understand how they're getting that impression, because that smile makes it seem very much apparent to me that running away is the last thing he wants to do.
it's also, notably, the first time we see bisexuality IN the bisexual show, which i don't think should be discounted. like, we see owen do something gay before jack does, for fuck's sake. is it a good first impression of how torchwood portrays bisexuality? no. is setting owen up as a more sex-driven, opportunistic bisexual nicely contrasted against ianto & tosh's more romance-oriented brand of demisexual bi/pansexuality? in my opinion, yes. i love that the torchwood bisexuals all practice their bisexuality in different ways. that's very special to me. 'cause it's realistic! real bisexuals all experience bisexuality differently! obviously it'd be a different story if he was the only bi rep, because lord knows we've seen enough of that already, but torchwood makes an effort to show us five different brands of bisexuality, and five different bi stories that largely only exist in the subtext, that aren't the focus of the show, and it's fantastic. it's all i could ever want out of bi rep, honestly, even if it is a bit dated now.
➤➤ the other explicit moment in the show: asking tosh and ianto for an end-of-the-world threesome in sleeper (s2ep2). i've actually never seen owen bi-deniers (fhdskjf it's a conspiracy) even mention this scene. owen literally asks ianto if they can have sex with each other to his face, and he's dead serious when he asks it. that's... i mean you can't mistake that as anything else. like fhdsjkf??
➤➤ next we jump to some of the, i suppose, extended universe content. whether the books are canon or not is debated, but the novel 'another life' features owen playing an online simulation game, and it makes a point to depict owen flirting with someone with a male avatar + wondering to himself if the guy would be down for cyber-sex. [someone posted part of that scene here. for context, owen's also got a VR headset on during that bit.]
➤➤ another instance is on the website, which some also don't regard as canon, but, i mean, i don't know who worked on the things we see on that site, but obviously they got their information from somewhere. they probably consulted with the writers on the show, or at the very least got notes on what things to touch on. anyway, there's a portion of the site where you can find a 'background check' on owen, and it's just a collection of messages from some ex-lovers of his. one of them is a man.
again, some people disregard the canon validity of the website, but the way i see it, the information on this site was released while the show was airing for fans to look at and to gain further insight on the characters. one of the things they felt a need to tell us about owen, important enough to be featured in his background (wayyy before the katie plot was developed), was that he wasn't just interested in women. personally, i regard that as canon. you can find this here. and even if you wanna say fragments jossed this background, it doesn't joss his, like... identity.
next we have things said by russell t. davies himself + by burn gorman (owen's actor)
➤➤ again, RTD (who's torchwood's creator, but i'm assuming everyone reading this knows that) explicitly described torchwood as "a bunch of bisexuals living under cardiff and fighting aliens". that's not ambiguous. [i don't have a direct source for this quote, it was apparently said on the dvd extras.]
burn's comments on owen's sexuality include...
➤➤ (when asked who owen fancies) "Owen's pretty cocky, he'll try it on with whoever comes along." [x] and yes, this is vague, but vagueness is often interpreted as proof of bisexuality. (for example, in the pacific rim dvd features, newt's bio stating he was interested in "whoever will take him" was widely interpreted by the fandom as him being bi.)
➤➤ (in regards to owen's "let's all have sex" line) "I don't think he [...] thinks about the implications, or whether it's with a man or a woman." [x]
(ok i have to admit, although i absolutely adore burn, i'm not super fond of the way his 2006-08 self would talk about how torchwood handled sexuality*. however! he kind of hit the nail on the head in saying that, even if it's in the context of owen wanting end-of-the-world sex, because my take on how owen sees his own sexuality has always essentially boiled down to thinking he'd be like, "well, why wouldn't men also be an option?" (well, with sexual attraction anyway; i think owen's relationship with romantic attraction is far more complex.) i think he resembles jack in that way; anyone's a prospective sexual partner, if they're attractive and interesting and he decides he wants them, and he's also impulsive as hell, so he doesn't think too hard about gender in the moment if he decides he's into someone. there's not really any hang-ups.)
➤➤ and ofc...
(out of context this could look like he's just jokingly calling owen an alien-fucker, although owen makes his thoughts on alien-fucking pretty clear in countrycide lol, but it was said in the context of owen/andy as a ship [x].)
*if you're wondering what i'm referring to, it's a comment here [x] about how the torchwood team's bisexuality is a result of being in a pressure cooker environment and having a 'wartime mentality', and they just kind of 'take what they can get'. the implication that bisexuality is out of desperation/accessibility rather than attraction is pretty damn icky, BUT i love him lots and he generally seems to be pretty woke these days (+ otherwise has always seemed to grasp why torchwood's rep was so unique and groundbreaking and important) so i'll go ahead and hope that was just, y'know, simple 'being a straight guy in 2008' ignorance. fifteen years is a long time and i have faith his opinions have evolved by now, esp considering he used the word 'pansexual' at a 2016 con [x]. (actually, ok, you caught me, that last bit wasn't super relevant and i didn't need to bring it up, but i just wanted to gush about him doing it because how often do you hear that word out of celebs, especially older and presumably straight ones. and in 2016, too. kinda slay of him, ngl)
aaand finally, some random, non-explicit little things that i think support him being a bisexy king (several of these are goofy and half-serious)
➤➤ in episode 2, they make a point to cut to owen smiling after jack's line about "you people and your quaint little labels". one might argue he's smiling at gwen & carys on the screen, but cutting to him immediately after jack says it very much implies he's reacting to jack's words, and i think it's particularly poignant after, again, we saw him kiss a man the episode prior. (which, another thing - owen's literal introduction features him kissing a man, like that's gotta count for something. if the literal third thing i ever see a male character do ever is kiss a guy, that means something.)
➤➤ and of course, in the same episode, we get "period military is not the dress code of a straight man" .... owen's the only one of them with working gaydar. also what a fruity thing to say
➤➤ speaking of fruity things to say, in s2e10 when they're all watching the old film, owen goes "look at the state of them 💅" and he says it SO cunty for no reason it always kills me fhsdkjfd
➤➤ combat.
➤➤ no, really.
➤➤ bonus: in the combat commentary, it's mentioned that when RTD saw the above scene between mark & owen, he said it was "the gayest thing he'd ever seen".
➤➤ in the three monkeys, a big finish audio featuring owen & andy, owen flirts with andy repeatedly. even if he just does it to be annoying, it's still pretty damn gay. also the pet names... (he calls him sweetheart, sunshine, and tiger. it's half-mocking, sure, especially because it's owen, but there's also a domesticity to it.)
➤➤ and then there's the hope's "you're alive again and you want crisps?!" "be glad that's all i'm asking for" (owen was like 'i will not use this as an excuse to try to sleep w andy i will not use this as an excuse to try to sleep w andy i will not use th') these are the only two audios i've heard with this duo, i'm sure there's more examples in the other two. i know gooseberry literally has owen sabotaging andy's relationship with his gf and that is... woohoohoo.... i'll update this once i get through those.
➤➤ …. this is my personal opinion but i lowkey think he kinda wants john hart a bit when they all first meet him in kkbb hdskjfds. gwen & tosh both seem very charmed by him and they're meant to, it's supposed to be like 'oh, look at jack's ex waltzing in and charming the pants off everyone (ha), and only ianto and jack see through him' - owen isn't given a flirty line of dialogue or even a close-up shot of him eyeing john like the girls get, but if you watch him closely he certainly looks… intrigued by him. i think owen's more of a bi disaster than he lets on.
➤➤ in episode 10, diane notes that owen has "beauty products" in his bathroom. obviously this shouldn't be indicative of sexuality, but how many Straight Men in 2006 were moisturizing lmao. hell, how many do nowadays 😭
➤➤ gwen & owen's dynamic settles into a lovely little friendship in s2 and owen lowkey gives gbf vibes <3 them making fun of the movie in s2e10 together + the cheek-kissing at the end of s2e9… bi besties!!
➤➤ the peace sign he throws up in meat when he meets rhys fdsjk i don't even believe in some of the silly internet jokes abt bi culture but c'mon
➤➤ have you seen his taste in women. diane is soo butch and gwen's a total tomboy in s1. that's bi culture babey!!!! i too like girls when they're boys
➤➤ i already talked about it but the aforementioned scene where he asks tosh and ianto for a threesome... he asks them, like, immediately after they team up and bully him for not comprehending that there's "no phones. phones all broken. anyone there? no, 'cause the phones aren't working." that was suuuch a disaster bi owen moment for me. i too would get a little revved up if tosh and ianto both bullied me at once <3
aaand finally... the biggest Evidence of all....
➤➤ he's a leather jacket bisexual. need i say more
and that's all! thanks for reading!
[credit for the dividers used in this. didn't tumblr used to have built-in dividers? i miss that.]
#mine#torchwood#torchwood posting#owen harper#tell me why im nervous to post this fhdskfds#my anxiety is like someone's gonna get mad at me for this somehow#shhhhh#beating it with a broom#look at my post boy
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So I was listening to "Being low as dirt taking what's important from me" by Tuyu and it got me thinking: we got enough angst between Jamil and Kalim, give me angst between Jamil and his parents.
We know that Jamil sincerely cares for his family since they're the reason he puts up with everything but I get the impression that he only has a real genuine relationship with Najma. I feel like his parents only have a very superficial of who their son it and that is some good angst just in itself.
So I kinda just wanna see Jamil snap at them. Think of this scenario: Jamil has an s/o back at NRC. They've kept quiet cause he doesn't want his parents harassing about "how could he be distracted when he should be serving Kalim". This is post-OB, meaning Kalim has come a long way in finding other coping mechanisms, actively working on being observant, and in being more independant. Anyway, Jamil heads home for vacation and io and behold his parents are trying to put him in an arranged marriage with a girl from another servant family.
Cue Jamil going quiet as they joyfully explain who he's gonna marry. Then he just fucking explodes.
Completely loses whatever's left of his filter as he rages on them about everything. His hatred for their situation, the servanthood, and his lack of freedom. He especially rubs in how they clearly care more about the Asims than their own children and how they're the reason he overblotted. He lets out that he already has a lover because "unlike you prostating pathetic worms I have a life outside of Kalim".
Mom/dad try to slap him to make him stop but he just grabs the hand and slaps them back HARD. Finally, he finishes off with "you digusting beings low as dirt, how dare you try to take whats important from me?!"
At this point his composure is gone. He is enraged, he is full on sobbing as he yells.
His parents? They have no possible response that could ever satisfy him. They can't even mutter some sort of comeback.
Najma? She was on her way to greet him when she overheard him lose it. She's shocked and hurt at hearing Jamil's words but not really surprised nor does she blame him.
Jamil? He just takes his bags and goes right back to NRC to spend the break with his s/o. He turns off his phone and refuses all forms of communication throughout the entire break. The only people he picks up for is Kalim and Najma after about two weeks.
Kalim? At this point, he is fully aware of how unfair Jamil's situation is and is pissed that the Vipers are trying to ruin Jamil's relationship after months of Kalim (trying) being the best wingman possible. He also scolds the Vipers cause "he's already giving away his future, how dare you ask for more?!" He angrily orders that Jamil is to be left alone and they'll talk after the break.
Bonus angst: the supposed fiance was the daughter of another major servant family who had been in love with Jamil since they were children. And by that I mean she loved his servant persona and has no idea how much of a hot smug asshole he is. She was waiting in the next room to surprise him after his parents explained the new arrangement. There she was smiles and giggles at marrying what she thinks is the man of her dreams before that dream is shattered when she hears Jamil's tirade. Her heart shatters into a million pieces as she learns that not only does he hate the future set for them but he also already has a beloved.
Yeah we get so little info about Jamil’s parents that it’s hard to tell just what they are like or how their relationship is with Jamil. I mean, for the Scalding Sands event, all the adults were pretty absent (perhaps conspicuously, perhaps they only decided to start adding in the parents in the following hometown events, who knows).
That absence of Jamil's parents in the story other than as authority figures may be telling on its own, but it’s not like some of the other students are super chatty about their families either. And Jamil’s private enough, anyway, considering he didn’t mention Najma, either. Since I do agree that he and Najma definitely do care about that each other, in that particular sibling way with its own hiccups.
I certainly would not be surprised (and may have said this somewhere) if Jamil’s parents are of the sort that they are doing what they think is good for their son / children, but they don’t actually stop and think about the child’s point of view or opinion. (This may also be because my husband had an upbringing like that so it sure resonates and checks out.)
Oof that sort of a confrontation with his parents, though. For some reason I do feel like Jamil would not generally seriously stand up to his parents - at least not until something like that, when the straw breaks the camel’s back (again). Though I could be just assuming here. Though he certainly has been going along enough (and also has been told to do so since very young) to keep to his position with Kalim.
Tho honestly, his parents definitely deserve some choice words for their choices. Maybe, from their point of view, they’re ensuring a materially comfortable and in some ways perhaps even influential future for their child. But they sure aren’t ensuring Jamil’s happiness or mental or emotional wellbeing.
Oh boy would that be a tumultuous situation, though. Like in some sense, I’d imagine it would be cathartic for Jamil, to let that all out.
Yet, it would also be so disappointing. Yet another crushed hope for his parents to do better, yet another sign of how they treat him. It would be rough, especially trying to reconcile his parents' actions with any affection that Jamil may think they still do feel for him (and that Jamil feels for them). Sure ain’t easy.
I do love Kalim being on Jamil’s side in this, though. I mean, I do think in general that is likely, no matter where we are in the timeline. But especially here, if Kalim can tell that Jamil’s genuinely upset, and Kalim has a better understanding of what’s going on and how things have been affecting Jamil.
Though Kalim is not much of the sort to lash out, imo. So instead of scolding the Vipers, I’d think it’d be more likely for him to focus on trying to cheer up Jamil, or to try to mend the rift. Like more carrot than stick, you know?
Whether Jamil would be in the headspace to appreciate that kind of approach is another thing altogether.
And oof to that bonus angst. Might be better for all parties involved, in the end, but certainly not a pleasant way to learn about it.
#twisted wonderland#jamil viper#ner talks#chatting with folks#lex752#kinda just banged out my thoughts in one sitting when I saw this ask so let's hope I'm making a decent amount of sense
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Neon Genesis Evangelion 21
NERV Origins: The Clownshoes Abduction
Okay, so this one is kind of confusing, because it flashes back and forth a lot. Let's go over the present-day stuff first and then we'll cover the scenes from the past.
Admiral Clownshoes gets abducted right under NERV's nose. I gave him a silly name because I couldn't be bothered to look up his actual name, but to be clear, he's the second-in-command of NERV, after Gendo Ikari himself. So it's kind of amazing that he could get kidnapped like this, although it's also kind of stupid, because this guy has done fuck-all since the story started. Gendo's the mastermind of NERV and the Evangelions and everything else that goes on here. Misato and Ritsuko pretty much handle all of the logistics and combat stuff. All the "Vice Commander" ever does is stand beside Gendo and make wry observations to him. I don't get the sense that he has any real purpose in the organization. I named him "Clownshoes" for a reason.
Anyway, NERV Intelligence suspects Kaji Ryoji, who was recently kicked out of NERV for being a double agent working for the Japanese Interior Department. Since Misato is known to be his lover, they hold her in a detention cell just in case she's an accomplice.
Regardless of Kaji's role in the abduction, the ones who wanted Clownshows are SEELE. I was starting to get the impression that SEELE was the name of the committee of grumpy old men who talk to Gendo Ikari whenever things go wrong. But apparently SEELE is another, even more mysterious group of dipshits behind the committee of grumpy old men. They wanted to talk to Clownshoes directly, without Gendo in the room, so they staged this abduction to make it happen.
Near the end of the episode, Kaji shows up to rescue Clownshoes. Clownshoes warns him that he might get killed for this, and Kaji says that he just wants to get closer to the truth. Uh... how does this help, exactly?
Like, I really don't get it. SEELE wanted something from Clownshoes, but we never actually find out what it is. They're mad about Eva Unit 01 absorbing an S2 from that Angel it ate a couple of episodes back. Now they think it's become a god, and they've lost confidence in Gendo. But what's Clownshoes supposed to do about that exactly?
And how is Kaji connected to any of this? I think the idea here is that NERV or SEELE set him up to take the fall for the kidnapping. The fact that he's rescuing Clownshoes seems to suggest that he wasn't the one who kidnapped him, except no, Kaji's been playing one side against the other the whole time. He's totally the kind of character who would kidnap a guy to spite NERV and then free him to spite SEELE. I'm not saying that's how it went down, but this episode doesn't really make it clear to me that he didn't abduct Clownshoes.
Somebody eventually catches up to Kaji near one of those slow-moving ventilation fans, like the one that stymied Goku in Dragon Ball GT. Yes, I'm still mad about that, by the way. He asks some unseen character what took so long, and then there's a gunshot sound and I guess that means he's dead. Well, good. Kaji sucked and I hated him. Rest in piss, you smug womanizing prick.
By now, Misato's been released, and she's pretty sure that means Kaji has already been killed, but then she gets a voicemail from him, and he says his goodbyes. Also he asks her to tend his watermelon garden for him. Man, fuck your watermelons, Kaji. Nobody's got time for that shit.
Misao breaks down and sobs over the dinner table, while Shinji hears her from the bedroom and covers his head with a pillow to drown out the crying. He doesn't know what to say to comfort her, but he does understand what she's going through.
All right, I think that does it for 2015, so let's look at the flashback stuff.
In 1999, Professor Clownshoes is tasked with mentoring a promising young student named Yui Ikari. She looks... familiar. Oh dammit...
Soon after, Clownshoes made the acquaintance of Gendo....... Rokubungi. He and Yui eventually start dating, and the next time Clownshoes meets him is after Second Impact, on a research mission in what's left of Antarctica. There, Gendo informs him that he and Yui have married, and he took her last name.
Eventually, a man named Keel, working for the SEELE organization starts the whole cover story about Second Impact being caused by a meteor strike. Clownshoes knows better, that it was caused by a "Giant Man", Adam, the First Angel. He eventually figures out that Gendo Ikari and SEELE knew Second Impact was going to happen. That's why Gendo left Antarctica right before it happened. He had been working with Misato's dad's research time, and I guess they discovered Adam and Gendo left them to take the fall.
Clownshoes threatened to expose the conspiracy, but Gendo showed him something first: An underground expanse, that "someone else" excavated. I don't know what that's supposed to mean, but this is the space where the NERV base is located in 2015. SEELE and the Ikari's established a research facility here, and I guess that's what convinced Clownshoes to go along with their secrets? I don't get it.
One day in 2004, Yui was working on some sort of experiment, and she brought their son Shinji to work so he could see it. Over there on the left is Ritsuko Akagi's mother. We'll get to her in a moment.
Clownshoes didn't approve of Shinji's presence in the lab, but Yui wanted him to see her experiment, to show him how bright the future would be. Those were literally her last words, as she died shortly after saying them.
So this is where that rumor started about Gendo killing his wife. She died in an accident of some sort, but it's hard not to imagine Gendo being at least partially responsible, since he's the driving force behind everything that went on in this place.
But Gendo was cleared of any wrongdoing, and soon after her death he started working on the Human Instrumentality Project.
However, it's still possible that Gendo had something to do with it. Even if he didn't directly sabotage Yui's work, he might have manipulated Dr. Akagi into doing it for him. That's because Akagi had a thing for him, and when Yui died, she admits to herself that she had hoped it would happen. Not long after, she and Gendo make out in the lab...
And Akagi's daughter, Ritsuko sees them going at it. This is like her first day on the job, and she sees the director porking her mom. Wild.
Not long after, Gendo starts bringing some other kid to work, and he explains that he's decided to care for the daughter of some acquaintance, which is totally the sort of thing a genuine hyu-mon person with real organs would say out loud. He introduces her as Rei Ayanami and... oh fuck we're really doing this. Akagi even notices the resemblance right away, so it's not a coincidence.
One night, Akagi sees Rei wandering around by herself, and Rei calls her an old hag. Akagi warns her that she'll get in trouble with Gendo, and she says he's the one who always calls Akagi a useless old hag. Akagi snaps and murders Rei in a fit of rage. Uh... okay?
When Akagi comes to her senses, she apparently throws herself over the safety railing, dying among the three supercomputers she just finished building. Soon after this, Keel reorganizes this thing into the NERV Agency.
And yeah, I think that's everything.
So if Rei isn't some sort of clone of Shinji's dead mother, this show is working very hard to fool me into thinking so. I mean, the resemblence of Rei to Yui aside, we see Li'l Rei get strangled to death in the past. So how is Rei alive in the present? If she's a clone, it stands to reason Gendo has a few spares.
I don't know the why of it. Maybe he just desperately wants his wife back, so he's waiting for one of the clones to grow up so they can get married. Or he thinks he can resurrect Yui but he needs a Rei to serve as a vessel for her disembodied consciousness. Maybe Yui's mind is trapped inside Eva Unit 00 the way Shinji was stuck in Unit 01 recently. Or maybe Gendo just wanted a loyal follower, and he only used Yui's genes because he had a sample handy.
For my part, the Yui-Rei connection is the only part of this that actually matters to me in this episode. Kaji's death is irrelevant. I'm glad he's dead. All the stuff with Ritsuko and her mom was dumb. Like, aside from killing Rei and then herself, all Dr. Akagi did was talk about the supercomputers she named after the Three Wise Men, and how she modeled them after three aspects of her personality. It's just a callback to Episode 12, with nothing else added.
And the whole story seemed to be centered around Clownshoes, except he never actually said or did anything to justify all this attention. I don't know why he threw in with Gendo in the 2000s, or why he's in such a high position in NERV today, or what SEELE expects him to do, or what he's actually going to do instead. Kaji freed him like it was some bold play to tip the balance of this story, but I can't see how. Well, there's still five episodes to go, so maybe they're building up to that.
Oh, right, one other complaint: I was really hoping to find out about the Second Angel. Remember? Adam's the First Angel, the one who exploded and caused Second Impact. The first time we see an Angel in this show, it's called the Third Angel. So what happened to the Second Angel, who would have appeared somewhere in between? I just assumed a flashback episode would have touched on that. Oh well.
#neon genesis evangelion#2024ngeliveblog#shinji ikari#gendo ikari#clownshoes#misato katsuragi#ritsuko akagi#naoko akagi#kaji ryoji#rei ayanami#yui ikari
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can you talk about your issues with blue eye samurai
I can! warning: i will spoil the show here.
This show has an incredible issue with consistency, among other problems which make it one of the worst series i've watched in a long time. It has a basic plot thread it wants to follow and everything it does is malleable for the sake of said plot beats. The main character's personality can change from one scene to the other depending on if they want the moment to be funny or sad. Battle wounds, established personality traits and other Deus ex machinas vanish randomly when they become irrelevant. The show also has no idea of the tone it's going for. It wants to be everything at once, funny, tragic, epic; and does so by lazily copying better media of reference down to at times remaking shots nearly 1:1. It does nothing it attempts well.
The historical setting is a mess. For a show who's premise is entrenched in a particular historical period you'd expect it to be a major part of the story, but Japan is mostly used as a cliché set dressing. Each episode pulls out a few cultural setpieces in a shallow way that felt ridiculous if not borderline offensive. It's Japan right? Oh we gotta reference the Sakura. The sumo ring. The matcha tea. And I say Japan and not historical Japan because I have doubts about the veracity of every cultural element and how well researched it is. Keep in mind I am no expert, I know very little of either the country and the time period but even with that every episode made me go huh? This is not true. There is little to no effort spent on accurately representing a foreign culture's history and it is very visible in how the characters act - aka like modern american TV characters. The worst part? The cultural things its cast casually goes against are referenced...as jokes or as set dressing for each episode's look we are in Japan;););) scene. So, they know. They just don't care.
When it comes to...a bit more troubling topics, the show sucks too. The first episode reveals its main character is crossdressing to make her way across the world and the show has many secondary female characters in female social roles to contrast her to. This premise is a great one: watching a woman evolve in a sexist society by disguising herself into something she's not. Is it well done? Lol, nope! Gender remains explored in a very surface level way. The thing is, if the characters indeed acted like their time period would imply, I would be fine with much more, as this is a society with very strict gender roles. But given most of the times they act like modern american TV show characters, it stings that despite the MC's position, said gender roles are not much explored. Notable examples that made me facepalm damn hard: a side character who's established as a rich brat trying to work her way out of an arranged marriages ending up finding satisfaction in said arranged marriage; and the main character herself who i will repeat spends her whole life passing as male and fighting dudes, getting found out by the villain mid-fight because of her "fragile female bones". What the fuck?
Additionally, the show has two disabled characters, a blind man and a man born without hands. The former is written okay, the latter is not. He is treated like a comic relief and spends his time on screen (where he's not being a buffoon) sucking up to the other characters. It feels frankly insulting to have your fat guy with a deformity be this archetype and he is not allowed much growth or serious moments.
I'm not a woman, I'm not japanese and I am not disabled so all of what I say here should be taken with the grain of salt of: it's my impression, as someone who's not been on the recieving end of things. Seeing this show being celebrated for being progressive is a fucking joke.
#partially copied from my anilist post on it#i also have beef with the animation but thats less important#i AM physically deformed and i gotta say: inuoh having its deformed guy be a literal monster with a curse still felt kinder#ask#blue eye samurai
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Morganatic Idol first impressions from the prologue (just a bunch of incoherent thoughts)
• mc in prologue says this is her Cinderella story, and you know what, from Jace's route that I'm on so far, I can see it
• at this point we are all tired of the 1 month time limit set for IkeSeries [this is a +ONE game but they follow the formula] but here we go again (IkeVamp, IkePri, IkeVil, now Morganatic Idol)
• mc, my girl, LEAVE THE AEGIS COMPANY OH MY GOD 😭 (tldr they treat her like complete and utter crap)
• one does not simply steal a presentation idea and get away with it (bombastic side eye at MC's boss)
• also, what the hell is sakura on thinking mc will be able to balance both company work and housekeeping at the same time (Jace, we stan our makeup king, was the first one to point out how difficult that would be but nooo sakura didn't listen)
• my girl gonna die from overwork holy shit
• we don't meet Gem Cuddle until towards the end parts, they'd make a good setup for Act 2 because MC didn't even know they existed
• I need whatever MC has to even get any sort of energy at all because holy crap I would cry several times a day if I were her
Onto the characters
• Eito Sakura, is your head ok bdhshsh props for letting MC have a redo of her presentation but straight up invite her to work as a housekeeper and live in the same penthouse in less than an hour that you knew her? my guy, WHAT
• now to Gem Cuddle's Hitaki: oh he's sus alright, I wouldn't trust him at all, but if it were between him and Miu, I'd trust Hitaki more, smooth talker but very much up to no good (reminds me of Alfons in Ikemen Villains and yes they do share a seiyuu)
• Miu is actually reminding me of Gilbert von Obsidian and scares me more than Hitaki - Miu is very very suspicious and lowkey terrifying when he smiles because you know damn well he's plotting something (ily Gilbert but you are scawy)
• Nagi is the only seemingly sane one in Gem Cuddle with Hitaki and Miu are just going ふふふふふふ all over the place, the ONLY green flag in the entire game so far
• to exe Creed, I will constantly bring this up: WHAT THE HELL ARE YALL C A S U A L OUTFITS THOSE ARE NOT I T
• whoever said Xeno is just modern day Chev personality without the murder (and the bunch of dramatic medieval politcs), I might have to agree with you, and given how he's the poster boy, much of the prologue gives him quite a spotlight with MC noting a lot about him
• someone please give Ivy a break, he's giving me extreme IkeSen Hideyoshi vibes because he's pretty much the mom of exe Creed (his profile describes him as the older brother type, but no I'd say he's more of an actual mom because he has to constantly keep looking after the others in his group) and gives MC info here and there
• Jace is surprisingly bordering on polite in the prologue, albeit still flirty and one of the first to take notice and pay mind to MC aside from Sakura (just in case you forgot, Jace is the token womanizer and MC is quick to remember all of that in his route) but what the actual fuck is his casual outfit I'm still crying at it
• Finn's biggest impact on me was his casual outfit because why, just why, man, WHY, the whiplash I had seeing him in that because it reminds me of the guys I used to know who dressed godawful 😭😭😭, he's fast to back up Jace though with the "bruh wym let her live and work here as a housekeeper when she also works in a company" at Sakura
• Hugh is just eepy, that's it, he's so eepy in the prologue either Ivy or Finn nudge him awake, he's cute though
All in all, its a standard Ikemen Series style prologue, but if I am to be honest, Gem Cuddle is the actual group who I find bustling with more personality (despite two members being very two-faced) and dynamics from the prologue alone and not exe Creed. From a story standpoint, it all makes sense. MC sees exe Creed as robotic without emotions, it's difficult to see what exe Creed has in store through her eyes aside from the fact that they're hot idols that seemingly lack human emotion.
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8path2 demo first impressions like less than a week before the full release because I am. So bored.
It's mostly spoiler-free! Mostly!
Ochette - My starter! I relate to her a lot in terms of atmosphere and physique (because I too am small and brown and from an island country)! Mechanically, she's my favorite traveler because of just how much they've buffed the Hunter job - like?? You are just never going to run out of stuff??? For breaking and healing??? Her story's a little slow-starting for now and I'm keeping a close eye on it in case uh - some unsavory things happen. Culturally.
Castti - Out of all the stories, I look forward to playing hers the most. Castti was my second Chapter 1, and my god is it a wild ride. I also just love Castti as a character - like? She's nice without being too motherly or demure? Her personality has darker undertones to it that isn't immediately obvious but it's clear to us that she's ultimately a model apothecary that has a heart of gold??? She's steeped in so much mystery and I'm dying to know more about her
Throne - I was absolutely not expecting much out of Throne. I will admit that Therion's story tempered my expectations a bit - but her story came swinging out of the woodwork being so distinguishable from Therion's that it made me care about her so much like?? I want so badly to see her be free. Her Chapter 1 set the scene for her circumstances and personality so well that it made me attached to her gjdjfjf also her recruitment is S-tier 10/10 Throne is a dog person
Osvald - Man I was actually most excited for Osvald's tale when the trailers first dropped - and while it's still amazing in my eyes, I feel like the other Chapter 1's just whisked me away a lot better than if I just started with him like how I initially planned. That said, I am extremely happy about getting to play as a canonical DILF whose first chapter is a freakin prison break :DDDD
The amount of worldbuilding it establishes is also refreshing like - I just screamed when they explained that he was the only prisoner there with a muzzle and I want so badly to examine the implications of that.
Partitio - Partitio's Chapter 1 made me shed tears. I was not fucking ready. I was not READY for the way they handled his story - it was a refreshing and hard-hitting portrayal of commerce and it does so much for his character like??? There's too much that I can say about Partitio's well-founded optimism and circumstances and personality but I'd be here for hours and I would not be fucking past the scene where he asks his dad to pretend that there was meat in the stew. I love Partitio so goddamn much.
Agnea - Agnea's story is what I'd describe as a lighter Partitio - and I say this in that this was the second-closest time that this game was able to make me cry. I went into this expecting a light story about a girl who wants to make everyone smile, and I got it - but the way they went about it endeared me to Agnea so much that I unironically would bawl if I think about how sweet and earnest she is. I want to see her succeed so bad and my god the full release really can't come any closer huh :'''DDDD
Temenos - I did not expect to like Temenos this much. But then I played his chapter and it begins with THAT and I just - his story is going to make me scream. It already did actually - multiple times, whether it be because Crick is dying of the gay or because of the things it does to my Catholic Guilt?? I feel like I'll end up relating to Temenos the most out of the 8 just because of that angle of doubt it shines on religion even if I do feel like the insurgents are too heavy-handed.
Hikari - Oh Hikari gods bless you. He is precious and I mean this completely as in he is so full of love for his people and that just broke me. He embodies the spirit of 'these are my dear, beloved people. They are mine, and I love them all so much.' and I am a goddamn sucker for it. And he's not without intrigue outside of that either like??? The mystery behind the curse of the Ku Clan??? It mechanically being integrated as his Latent Power and how the voice acting reflects that??? God why is this game so good at this and why is the 24th so far away
#octopath#octopath traveler#octopath traveler 2#i don't know who my favorite is why did they go so hard on all of them#i have not felt so much equal love for an ensemble cast of characters in so long#it actually kind of frustrates me that we only travel 4 at a time#their in-battle dialogue is#s-tier#i love that they all say each others' names and acknowledge each other in battle#it's such a small addition#but it makes all the difference and it's insane to me
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“Barbie” (2023)
-a big budget, pop art, visually interesting film with a vibrant personality. I love it!
-also, easily the best use of Ryan Gosling since “Drive”
-I’m truly impressed with what Greta Gerwig got away with here.
+she crammed this with energy and made me hearty laugh the whole time
-the story is Barbie discovering sadness, the real world, clashing with the patriarchy, and just the wonderment of being a woman
-there’s a couple small details I want to highlight before the big stuff
-Kate McKinnon’s look is almost certainly inspired by the awesome cult film “Liquid Sky”, another tone poem of a film
-the small, tender scene of Barbie telling the old woman (at the bus stop) she’s beautiful, and said woman saying “I know” with a vicious smirk is magical
+it says just as much as the soon to be famous “being a woman is impossible” monologue in its own beautiful warmth
-the opening riff on “2001: A Space Odyssey” is the film personified; irreverent, playing with greatness, funny, colorful, and just a blast
-(after a man notes he is not part of the board) “I’m a guy with no power...does that make me a woman?
-I like how there are two matrix tributes; picking between two choices/shoes (original) and the at first mysterious Ruth being the Oracle (“Reloaded”)
-“after I found out the patriarchy didn’t include horses, I honestly lost interest”
-alright then, onto the big pillars
-here is a film saying, with all earnestness and actual thought, that we should approach our hearts with collectivism, bond over our shared yearns and desires and messiness
-(only a scold could say this film excludes love, a scold who didn’t actually watch the film and just wants any kind of attention)
-Margot Robbie nails every bit, from first thinking about dying, to discovering tears, to making Barbie’s naïveté to growth a journey of substance
-this film is unapologetic about being feminist (which shocked the fuck out of me) and does so with actual insight, not checking off a list (which is rad)
-note too, cause grumps will try to bury this, it asks men to not define themselves by conquering others, or stepping on necks, but by creating worth on their own goals and just being present in the moment. It asks them to free themselves from their own shackles
-there is a certain richness to male characters when female directors (and writers, etc) take over; new colors are displayed in the rainbow
-it is so immensely satisfying to see actual sets (practical, on camera) and vivid primary colors (after years of blurred muted-ness)
+its value in the aesthetic form and character of the film is immeasurable
-there isn’t a single false note in the “impossible to be a woman” speech, aptly delivered by America Ferrara. It simply presents itself with the courage of its convictions
-said being truly sucks and absolutely rules; the sheer inconsistency is its beauty and power. Neatness does not contain growth
-I like how the film emphasizes the under seen will truly change and save the world
-oh, I almost forgot to mention; I just about rolled out of my chair at the ribbing of zealots for the Synder cut of Justice League
-this is an artificiality to this film that is staggeringly authentic
-this is truly one of the best examples of just being the world and subverting the world in the 2020’s (and frankly all time); this will be studied and admired for years
-also also, the battle at the beach and the dance street fight among Ken’s is an all timer of a scene (it uses the past to power the present)
-I have a sneaking suspicion this may be the “Iron Man”(2008) to the upcoming Mattel cinematic universe; the vast number of following films will largely be less interesting, less full of the personality of its creators (with some exceptions)
-but this film is worth it; it is alive and joyful. It cannot be accountable for the world(s) that comes after it, only how it exists during its run time.
-and, truly, Gerwig has made something special here. It’s just going to make the lives of everyone who accepts it for what it is (love and color of form) many times better. It is a triumph
#barbie#greta gerwig#margot robbie#ryan gosling#america ferrera#kate mckinnon#will ferrell#michael cera#film#barbie 2023
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