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shannankle · 2 months

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Color in DFF Part 6: Episode 11

Parts 1 2 3 4 5

Okay the penultimate week! More color!

Shout out to @slayerkitty and our color discussions! And my phone-a-friend (you know who you are) for letting me pick your brain!

We start with Non in his pink/beige shirt. Now it's no longer just a lightened red but it's covered in dirt and grime making his color even more faded. The men around Non are all in black, clearly indicating dangerous intent and the way Non is being forced further into despair. Unlike the blues and grays of the "friend" group, these guys are completely devoid of color, showing how dangerous they are and how devoid of hope.

Despite this, Tee's uncle has a mix of white which aligns with Tee's white uniform as he pleads with his uncle to let Non live. White then represents salvation for Tee. It's his slim hope that he won't have to live with the implications of his actions for the rest of his life, that he can stop the worst from happening and right things. However, at the same time, the white sheets in the background hang like funeral sheaths, representing the false hope Uncle Deng offers Tee and foreshadowing death and the impossibility of a happy resolution.

Interestingly as Tee enters the room he stands in front of something green. This starts a trend in this episode of lots and lots of green. Now I pondered over this a bit. Because up until this point we've only had green in the following situations:

-Non's sweater (which I previously read as his attempt to be blue but failing, just as he fails to fit in)

-Por's shirts largely in the present (I interpreted this as his color)

-Jin when he tries to convince Non to stay on the film project (I saw this as Jin being in between the blue of the group and the yellow he wears when he pushes back)

-New in the previous episode (especially has he sinks deeper into his despair and revenge plan)

But in this episode we seem to have something going on related to Tee we need to unpack.

My immediate thought here was that green might be associated in Tee's case with freedom, because it is so prominent in the gaming cafe, which becomes Tee's path out of his uncle's orbit. However, the casino has it's own share of green too.

So this is puzzling right? Because up until now almost everything around Tee has been blue, red, and yellow. And now, just like with New in the previous episode, we switch from primary art colors (red, blue yellow) to primary light colors (red, blue green). Red, blue, and green. On top of this switch, we have both Tee's new and old spaces employing green.

So I went ahead and phoned a friend (texted but you get the drift). One thing they pointed out was that green might also be one of Non's colors. Instead of reading his jacket as an attempt on his part to be blue, they pointed out that this could be his color too. If we read his red as connected to his romantic relationships, green then is the color of his friendship. It makes for a mismatch with the group's blue, but not in the sense of him putting on an ill fitting costume, but rather in the sense that they have a fundamental mismatch in their colors. At times Non will wear blues and grays to fit with the group, but the others mostly seem to wear reds, pinks, and greens when they're draining him. I discussed in episode 7 how Por is suddenly in pink while Non wears a low battery shirt, signaling that Por is draining him and his color. Por later also wears green so perhaps it can be read in that light as well.

Back to the casino!

As soon as Non starts working on the casino floor he is in all black/dark blue, with the exception of his red bracelet. He is literally holding on by a thread to his color and to his life. So perhaps we can view the green of the casino as another representation of him being drained of that color.

The casino itself seems to be pretty divided, between the green space of the casino tables and the rest of the space that is primarily red, blue, and yellow. Non is largely shown in the green space where he is forced to work.

The exception is the space where he sleeps and dies (assuming he's really dead). In this space his shirt is clean of dirt, his red is able to shine through again. Perhaps this represents the hope he had before he died of getting out, or if he is still alive it could be a sign of that as well.

Either way, Non leaves the room in the same clothes he came in. This time his shirt is clean but he is being wrapped in a black body bag.

For Tee's part, he initially moves around the casino almost exclusively sticking to the spaces that are in red, blue, and yellow. Despite helping Non by begging his uncle, he doesn't fully start making a change right away.

Until he steps in to help Non at the casino. In that moment Tee moves into the green area of the casino. It's after this scene and his conversation with Perth's character that he starts to work at the gaming cafe. He becomes willing to enter Non's color scheme perhaps for the first time. So while the casino is a draining space for Non, that green becomes Tee's first step towards changing as a person and empathizing with someone.

This addition of green to Tee's color is important visually because he already has been mixing red into his wardrobe. Rather I think the red Tee wears signals two things, poverty and mental illness (or rather the mental illness of his father), two things he shares with Non, showing their similarities, similarities he was ignorant of or refused to acknowledge earlier.

Tee even wears the same shirt with his father as when he gives Non money. The shirt slowly mixes in more of a green-gray hue to what was previously white.

What I find particularly interesting is the way Tee's father is framed. He is in red/pink, much like Non, cementing perhaps a connection between characters who have mental illness, but also have both clearly been wronged by society and the social systems around them. Tee's dad mentions land being stolen from him. And the woman who yells at him and Tee is deliberately wearing a contrasting blue. The same blue that is worn by the "friend" group, by Non's parents, and Keng--all of whom reject, harm, and fail to collectively care for Non. The woman argues that Tee's dad should be locked up in his house, separating him from the outside world. I think there's a real critique here about the failures of inclusion, care, and collectivity (as an aside notice too how Por's mom blames Non's dissappearance on his bad upbringing, using her wealth and power to displace what was a failure of the community to protect Non onto the family unit).

Tee knows intimately what it means to be failed by society, to be uncared for. The only one who steps in to help him care for his father or himself is his uncle who is preying on him. Social systems and care have failed and folks like Tee and Non don't just fall through the cracks but get shoved through them violently.

This is why I find it interesting that Tee is not only wearing red/pink but also flowers--something you must nurture, care for, and help grow. He is wearing this when he takes care of his father, and we see the inversion of familial and care taking roles, and the pain that brings in a society that isn't imagining other forms of care.

Tee wears these flowers as he gives Non money and you can see in the way the scene is framed that Non is also standing in front of pink flowers. Tee is trying to make things right, it's a desperate act of care despite what he's done. It's tinged by guilt, and bogged down within a system that makes money one of the few forms of help that can be offered. And of course it comes in the wake of Tee and others withholding care and friendship from Non.

The gaming center highlights this further with striking greens and flowery pink curtains. Here he is in an environment where he can perhaps change, the green offering that promise. The pink flowers signal the way he is working for someone other than himself.

He doesn't abandon the blue of the friend group, but his colors are expanding sharply, becoming more of a rainbow as his world and perspective opens up.

Meanwhile back at school we get the rest of the boys. Each of them has a drink: red, blue, and green. Both Top and Fluke have red, representing the way that what happened with Non haunts them--though not in the sense of feeling guilty or caring so much as the consequences. Por's drink is blue, because he doesn't even care enough to be worried about consequences (he does have a huge shield against any in his parents). Jin is the one with green, clearly showing that he, like Tee is empathizing with Non and has a conscience, before he storms out of the cafeteria.

Back at the casino, Perth's character is also framed by blue, red, and green. This could represent the way, despite his put yourself first talk, he cares and empathizes with others. Or perhaps the way he tells Tee point blank that it's his fault Non is in this shit hole, moving along Tee's journey to self-awareness. But it could also be a sign that he is up to something that could help Non (for those Non is alive truthers).

After Non's death, Tee's world goes gray, at least for a moment. All color is gone, drained. No green, no pink/red, no rainbow. @tbhimnoteasyonmyself wrote a bit here about some other ways that this coloring represents Tee's grief, gray morality, and lifelessness.

After this, Tee continues to work at the gaming center. He's still surrounded by green, he's grown a conscience and with that comes the way he is now bogged down by guilt. He now wears a red jacket. Before I think his red was more closely aligned with what he shared with Non, things like poverty and mental illness in his life. Now, however, I think we can read this jacket during the sequence with White as a representation of Tee's feelings of guilt that White will help him at least temporarily wash clean. Tee begins these scenes with red on his shoulders, literally carrying the weight of what happened to Non on his back. In another sense, as the only one who knows what fully happened to Non, Tee becomes the only one who can carry on his color(s).

*side note and spoiler for the film Shutter but I feel like this has interesting parallels with the way the wronged spirit in the film sits on Tun's shoulders, weighing him down to represent his culpability, forcing him to literally feel the guilt he is supposed to be carrying but doesn't seem to actually feel, despite telling his girlfriend he never forgave himself.

White enters re-emphasizing the pink flowers. white will offer Tee hope that he is someone better, someone who can care for someone else, and perhaps be cared for in turn. And we get both white and pink flowers again out the back door of the gaming center.

White (the color) contains all colors, and White (the character) opens Tee's world back to rainbow again.

Over time red become colors that White wants to exchange and share.

And Tee gives in, passing off the weight of his guilt to White. He surrounds himself with pinks (care) and green (his conscience and sense of being a good person).

By the end of their backstory, White sits above Tee as a savior of sorts. He has taken the red off Tee's shoulders, leaving him born anew in all white, a fresh start of sorts. Tee moves from grey shirts early on, to a mix of black and white, to this final white. It's a striking contrast to the image we started this post with, where black competes with white, and the white shrouds signal a false hope.

In the present day, Tee wears tie die that mixes blue with pink then orange. We can see this as his struggle between saving himself and protecting/caring for White. But we also might see it as the creeping return of the guilt and pain Tee left behind and buried deep down when he let White take the red from his shoulders. He has to face it once again no matter how much he tries to shield himself from it's weight.

In a flashback of Phi and New, we get Phi in his blue and New in orange. I'm not sure what to do with the orange. We've seen New in blues, red, whites, and of course green coloring, which I wrote about a couple weeks back when we got his backstory. I'm not sure what to do with the orange. Something to reflect on when we have the finale perhaps?

Back in the present, Phi is also in white, representing the crossroads he's on, and his choice to start anew by stopping his revenge plan.

Alright! I think that's everything for now. I'd honestly love to hear other folks readings cause this week was a complicated one. I'm sure there's other interpretations and perspectives on this that would work just as well if not better.

#dff the series #dead friend forever #dff meta #dead friend forever meta #my posts #my meta

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gumnut-logic · 3 years

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Daily Dose of Thunderbirds

I absolutely adore this moment where John pulls up the EMP and zaps the Zero XL (Eos will probably never let him forget it - hence why he wasn’t immediately in the cockpit in the scene afterwards - he was checking on Eos). ::wonders if it might be lying around somewhere as a gif that could be gazed at extensively :D ::

But this moment, Virgil and John together like we’ve never seen before (though I have to say that John obviously knows Two well...what don’t we get to see????) Both professional, smart and powerful. It is just great to see them together.

Also headcanon - the EMP was installed after the episode ‘Chaos’ where it was obviously a gap in their toolkit. Brains would have been very annoyed and patched that gap asap.

Aaaah, what am I doing? I’ve written this all in a fic. Have a excerpt of Thunderbird XL (it’s unfinished, but still has a few interesting bits in it).

-o-o-o-

Two was so familiar it hurt.

One was his daydream, but Two was his reassurance.

Virgil didn’t say anything as he helped him through the corridors. A mop of black hair was his only sight as he looked down at the big man under his arm.

The shoulders supporting him were far broader than he remembered. It slowly began to sink in exactly how much he didn’t know. The uniform was familiar. The green baldric and kit. The tools were new and Jeff frowned at them as if to accuse them of betraying his faith in his knowledge. Why Virgil felt he had to carry a screwdriver around with him everywhere, he had no doubt his son could tell him if he asked.

But he didn’t.

They arrived at the room he expected and it was with some relief that it was what he expected.

It wasn’t until Virgil velcroed him to the bed that he saw the dent in the ceiling. “How did that happen?” It was out before he could think twice.

Virgil looked up from the tray of supplies that were not designed for an antigravity environment and frowned at the bulkhead above them.

“Oh, the exo-suit.”

“What was the exo-suit doing in here?”

Virgil pulled out a palm scanner and began a methodical examination. “Got myself trapped in it. Tried to get myself out. Didn’t go well.”

Jeff stared at the side of his son’s head, but didn’t ask the obvious question as Virgil stared at the hologram of a very battered old body above the bed.

Virgil’s hitched breath was the only sound in the room.

“I-I need to give you some supplements. A painkiller would probably be a good idea.”

“No, son. I can last a little longer. Need a clear head.”

Brown eyes caught his for just a moment before looking away. “There isn’t much else I can do until we get you to a hospital.” Virgil turned away, once again fiddling with equipment, unwrapping a hypodermic needle and fussing with a small bottle of liquid. “This is a basic dose of necessary vitamins and minerals.”

Virgil’s eyes were on anything but his father and the hologram above him.

Jeff reached over to one of the many patches on his suit and unwrapped the seal on his arm. “You’ll need to secure it again.”

His son blinked but said nothing, administering the dose to his father and rebinding his suit with tape. “We need to get you a new uniform.”

“It is enough for the moment, Virgil. We need to get back up top and get out of here.”

He saw the hesitation flicker across that longed-for face. “You’re lying down on one of the medbeds in the cockpit. You’re going to let the medscan finish so when we reach home, we have enough data to know what we have to do.”

Jeff eyed him. The changes were subtle. The confidence level was much stronger, more assured, despite the situation.

“Virgil, we need you up here.”

John’s voice would forever be music to his ears.

“FAB.” A swallow, and Jeff could see his son visibly gather himself. “C’mon, Dad. We have a rescue to complete.”

Detaching him from the bed, Virgil again wrapped his arm around his father and helped him through the great green ship.

Both Gordon and John were in the cockpit. The medbed had already been deployed and was ready waiting.

It very quickly became clear that he had no say in whether he was going to lie on it or not.

Virgil’s directions stood for no argument and to be honest, Jeff didn’t really want to put up a fight, but there was so much to see! After so long alone with only rock and the same broken ship to stare at, everything was so rich in colour.

And his sons. His beloved sons.

He watched their every move, part of him still unable to believe that they were really there.

Virgil fussed, obviously fighting his own demons. Gordon chattered incessantly, but Jeff was so happy to hear and see him, he had no protest.

And John, his saviour…Jeff had never been one for the musical arts, that was always Lucy’s department, but to hear his boy’s voice free of static and interruption…

Reality threatened to fracture.

So, he obeyed his worrying sons and lay down on the medbed. Gravity, wasn’t a factor at the moment, but when they reached Earth it was going to be a definite problem.

Reached Earth?

He swallowed a lump in his throat as Virgil was finally urged to the pilot’s seat and the great ‘bird around them came to life.

He had to see this, so he sat up on the bed and watched.

John contacted the Zero XL. The name of the ship that had brought his boys here felt wrong, as if he had been aboard the Titanic and was now being saved by the Titanic II, but the moment the ship answered…

Brains.

The joy in the man’s stuttering voice had Jeff’s heart stuttering along with it. Not only had his boys come all this way, but Brains as well?

The Brains he knew wasn’t a physically active man. His specialities were academic. He had never been comfortable in space or even aboard the Thunderbirds he had designed, yet here he was, out here where literally only one man had gone before.

Jeff’s heart swelled almost to breaking.

John cut off the connection and that voice was gone. Only to be replaced by those of his sons as they coordinated the return trip.

Scott was clearly in command, but Virgil had his own responses and John was sharp and sure. Gordon sat back quietly, his stream of excited words apparently spent, but his posture was active, as if he was ready to move at a moment’s notice. He turned, looked at Jeff and smiled, his eyes glittering in the overhead lighting.

It became apparent very quickly that his boys’ skillsets had advanced considerably while he was gone.

Which really? Was to be expected, but time and memory were two different things.

The red of Thunderbird Three coasted effortlessly between spinning and colliding rocks, One and Two following best they could.

“Who taught Alan to fly like that?”

Gordon snorted. “He’s pretty much a natural.”

“Dad, you need to lie down flat and let the medscan finish.” Virgil threw it over his shoulder and Jeff got the impression that if the man didn’t have to fly his ‘bird, he would still be fussing.

“You sound like your Grandma.”

His mom.

Mom.

Virgil’s tone lightened and his voice was grinning. “Yeah. Who is always right.”

Hmmm. Perhaps some things hadn’t changed.

-o-o-o-

He did lie down eventually, if only to stop his second eldest from fretting. Gordon turned around at one point and whispered that if he didn’t do what Virgil said, things could get scary. Apparently, he was speaking from experience.

So, the medscan was completed and the nagging stopped.

But then they arrived at the Zero XL and Brains refused to respond. It appeared that his Titanic analogy may be far too possible.

Was fate really going to do this to him? Dangle rescue and then snatch it away?

And leave his boys stranded with him?

Then International Rescue responded.

Situation called, examined, orders issued, resolution found and executed.

A moment of panic to a moment of shocked stillness. The Zero XL floated silent in space, the emptiness eating it with its lack of light.

For all its nomenclature, the ship looked nothing like its predecessor.

Was that Thunderbird Five on its bow?

“Thunderbird Two, I need options. How do we get onboard?” His eldest’s son’s voice was a balm against the emptiness. “The docking ports are still closed.”

“I’m working on it, Thunderbird One.” John’s voice was ever so calm. The communications expert flicked a switch on the dash. “Eos, do you read?”

“I’m here, John. Though I would appreciate you never doing that again.”

His son sighed. “You were safe, Eos. We’ve gone over this before.”

The female voice was strident. “That is all very well for you to say, you weren’t the one being shot at.”

Jeff frowned. Who else was aboard the Zero XL? The voice was unfamiliar and sounded very young.

“We have a time limit, Eos. Do you still have access to the Zero XL’s systems?”

“Some. You did do damage with that little trick.”

“We need to dock, Eos.”

“Do you have the password?”

“Eos!”

“You did say I should work on my humour.”

Despite the playful tone, it appeared that Eos knew what she was doing as the Xero XL at least partially came to life, sections opening. He watched as Alan slid Three into a port at the rear. One settled into something similar, and then Two slipped under the ship’s belly and docked with a soft thud.

Virgil spoke briefly with Alan and his ‘bird was secured.

The moment Virgil was out of his pilot’s seat, he was beside Jeff, unstrapping him.

“Gordon, meet with Scott and secure the ship.”

“FAB.” The aquanaut’s eyes sparkled at Jeff again as Gordon briefly touched his shoulder before turning sharply and leaving through the rear door.

John was still sitting in his chair, speaking to the woman who continued to be both efficient and difficult.

“Who is she?” He said the words quietly, but Virgil heard him, his head coming up with a small smile.

“She’s Eos. John can fill you in.”

“Okay.” There was obviously a story there. “So, what’s with the EMP weaponry?” He arched an eyebrow.

Virgil’s smile vanished to be replaced with a frown and he looked down. “Brains designed it after the incident with the GDF’s rescue robots.” He cleared his throat. “A lot has happened.”

Quiet. “I’m sure it has.”

His son’s frown was targeted at the bed’s readout before Virgil reached over and lifted Jeff gently off the mattress and set him floating vertical again. “How does that feel?”

Jeff smiled just a little. “It does the job.”

Regardless, Virgil slipped his arm around his waist again and led him out of Thunderbird Two.

The difference between the interior of Two and the Zero XL was vast. He went from reassuringly familiar to alien in moments.

He missed the green immediately.

“Who built it?”

“Mostly Brains.”

“Mostly?”

Virgil didn’t answer and Alan joined them, again reaching out to hug Jeff, chattering just as happily, if not more than Gordon earlier. Virgil didn’t join in, but neither did he let go.

And then they were at the bridge of the ship. Virgil let him go and Brains was smiling up at him. It was so good to see him.

“It’s good to see you, Jeff.”

His own name forced his heart into his stomach. The man was an older version of his business partner, but his expression, his complete lack of stutter…it had been eight years, but Jeff Tracy had worked so many hours alongside this man, he knew him.

And it wasn’t him.

There was only one person it could be and for a split second, part of him wailed at the injustice that Gaat had followed his sons out here to corrupt these moments as he had corrupted everything else ever since he had met the man.

“It’s good to see you, too.” And he offered his hand.

As Gaat reached to shake, Jeff could see fear in his eyes. Perhaps that was what kept the bastard going all these years. A need to prove that he wasn’t afraid, that he wouldn’t run again when faced with the one man who had managed to prevent him from succeeding all those years ago.

The grip of his limp hand closed the deal.

Jeff spun the man around, wrenched his arm up his back and shoved him face first into the bulkhead.

-o-o-o-

Thunderbird X & Thunderbird XL

#thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds fanfiction #thunderbirds #John Tracy #Virgil Tracy #TBDailyDose #nuttyfic reblog

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fermented-writers-block · 4 years

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Just how important IS Hooty?

You know, I can’t help but wonder if some of the secrets and codes in the episodes have been working as a bit of misdirection, diverting our attention away from the deeper mysteries tucked underneath the surface.

After all, I’ve been seeing plenty of speculation about stuff like Eda’s curse, the Boiling Isles titan, and King’s backstory/possible true form, but not a whole lot about the titular Owl House itself, the silly goofball pictured below:

Now, to be fair, he is particularly easy to overlook due to the lack of focus and weight given to him and his actions beyond the apparent role of sheer comedic relief, and much of what he has said is rather dumb-sounding with others emphasizing how annoying his voice is, but it feels very telling to me that this whole show isn’t named after Luz and Eda or their adventures in particular.

I mean, while the show has mainly been focused on the main characters of Luz, Eda, and King, they are the inhabitants of the Owl House, not the Owl House themselves, and with the way this show likes to reframe seemingly minor jokes and offhand lines as important in later episodes, I get the sense that the same might especially happen with Hooty but on a much grander scale.

We’ve seen throughout the series how he can manipulate different parts of the house like the weather vane and shutters, and in Hooty’s Moving Hassle alone, we both learned that the walls literally breathe and had the demon hunters - who were noted at the beginning to capture and sell the most powerful beasts - view Hooty as some sort of house demon tied to the house.

Though the latter could possibly be chalked up to the demon hunters mistaking a powerful display of animation magic from Luz, Willow, and Gus as a demon, the way that Hooty grew feet and the kind of aesthetics with the house’s design makes me wonder about the kind of importance Hooty could potentially be revealed to have.

Namely, that he either used to be or will become one of THE most important, powerful characters on show.

As @elementalist-kdj has noted before, the stained glass eye window of the Owl House comes from the tower behind it, but it has always struck me about how closely the whole house resembles the owl mural - or perhaps the Owl Deity as I’ve speculated before.

For those who don’t know, I’ve made a post before about how the mural and a few other parts of the Owl House seem like they could have come from some kind of temple or building dedicated to an owl spirit/deity that Eda may have found as a kid rather than having made it herself, and said “Owl Deity” appears to be reflected in stuff like Owlbert’s depiction on Eda’s wanted poster and etc, with particular focus on the following:

Obvious house geometry and chimneys aside, the front of the Owl House to me looks both like a more abstract and more realistic depiction of the Owl Deity than the mural itself. For comparison, let’s look at an actual life horned owl, one with brown streaks and a white spot in lieu of triangles and a diamond shaped star:

The dark brown streaks in the chest plumage are hardly uniform or symmetrical, and the kind of “diamond shaped star” that can be imagined with the spot of white in the center of this owl’s chest is less outlined as a clear star and more as a splash of color.

Now, with the Owl House, all of the glass windows on the front besides the eye-shaped one could be abstracted into right side up triangles while at the same time realistically varying in size and placement just like a real owl. And just like the white splash of color in the above picture, the door - aka Hooty - is placed roughly around the same spot on the house as the diamond on the Owl Deity in the mural. Heck, the owl weathervane could be interpreted as a stand-in for the subtle flame/crown above the Owl Deity’s head.

Just turn the eye-shaped window ninety degrees, make the outside more feather-like, and add some horns/ear tufts above the eye, and you could get what would likely look to be a more accurate version of the Owl Deity - albeit one with the wings tucked in as if roosting rather than spread out in flight - with some slight alterations to the feet of the following picture and getting rid of all the dirt right below the house and above the legs:

All in all, what I’m suggesting is that - as Hooty IS the Owl House itself - he could be either a reincarnation of/a new vessel for/an aspect of the Owl Deity, or a severely weakened and amnesiac Owl Deity that Eda had discovered and incorporated into her house.

With this, I believe that the power of the Midnight Conjuring and its effects on Hooty could be an indication that it would require both a LOT of magical potential/power to restore/bring back the Owl Deity in full force, AND the correct spell or ritual to do so.

Obviously, Luz and her friends easily fulfill the first requirement with their showing in Hooty’s Moving Hassle, but that incident merely channeled that power through Hooty rather than into him, and as such, Hooty’s true potential only partially manifested itself with very limited independence.

Heck, it didn’t even manifest in the correct manner at that, what with the feet in the above failing to match the kind of feet the Owl Deity and the IRL owl have as @sepublic‘s pointed out to me before, so to me, the implication seems to be that for as powerful the combined might of Luz and her friends under the Moonlight Conjuring was, that is still just a flash in the pan compared to the sheer amount of power required to actualize the entire Owl Deity.

As for what is the exact relationship between Hooty/the Owl House and the Owl Deity, I suspect that it could be related to how Hooty’s been often described as the house’s defense system and ‘guardian’ both in and outside of the show, and if my theory about the mural and curtains having come from just one of many rooms out of a whole temple is correct, then maybe the Owl Deity is a guardian being that has a mutually symbiotic relationship with its supporters.

Specifically, a being that is the temple housing said supporters itself.

In exchange for offering protection and maybe even some ancient wisdom as befitting the traditional image of a large and incredibly powerful owl in pop culture, its followers may have taken up residence within this temple and ritually offered to help bolster the Owl Deity’s strength and abilities with their own magic, which helps it more easily manifest its true power and knowledge.

However, I’d like to propose that something might have happened to the Owl Deity’s followers a long time ago, whether from something like all of them dying or being killed, the Owl Deity having fallen in some kind of battle or fight and such that led to its followers being forced into hiding, or its supporters somehow being swayed over to the side of someone else - perhaps someone with a closer association to corvids and ravens rather than owls.

From there, the Owl Deity lost a good amount of its power and strength, its temple body eroding away by the currents of time and its legacy falling into complete obscurity until a chance discovery by a young Eda Clawthorne during her studies at he Hexside School of Magic and Demonics.

And within these ruins, she found a miraculously intact room containing the owl mural and its associated curtains, among which she also uncovered a young/infant owl-like ‘house demon’ she brought back with her, eventually giving it the name “Hooty.”

Though I know the justifications for this theory are admittedly rather circumstantial and flimsy at the moment, I just can’t think of any other conclusion that feels anywhere close as likely to actually happen within the show.

I mean, a very recurring semi-major character often being the only one constantly being re-established as ‘just silly comedic relief’ among a whole cast of characters whose small quirks and funny antics constantly returning to show hidden depths?

And the owl mural itself - a topic of much theorizing - is a part of the owl house and therefore part of Hooty himself much like the breathing walls in the ‘living’ room, so wouldn’t that mean that Hooty has a MUCH closer relationship with it?

How about all the points brought up about how Hooty is supposedly a “state of the art defense system” and how Eda has a LOT of people after her who ought to have been able to get past Hooty despite his many showings of incompetency?

Either all of this is just coincidental set dressing and have no actual bearing on Hooty and his role in the story, or this is all part of a massive bait and switch where, between the idiocy and comedy, things are subtly building up towards a MAJOR demonstration of just why the show itself is named not after any of the inhabitants of the Owl House, but after Hooty himself.

#the owl house #owl house #owl house theory #the owl house theory #hooty #theory #speculation #long post #amnesiac owl deity hooty theory

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sanstropfremir · 3 years

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ok alright alright alright kingdom episode two

kinda disappointed that they only showed half the stages, but that's just an editing thing to draw out the content so you can air for longer, i'm not super surprised about that. i would have liked to evaluate them all at the same time, but at least this gives me time to go more in depth for all of them since they're full stages this time and I wrote 3000 words for last episode when they only had 100 secs. so this format will probably keep me sane for longer, i think.

solid stages all round for them, none had especially glaring flaws on the whole. i'm not gonna do a full ranking for this episode since we haven't seen them all, but i will say that btob’s was my favourite from this set and both ikon’s and tbz’s stages were about equal; they both had things i liked and disliked in equal measure so i'm tentatively giving them the same ranking. full opinions and analysis on each stage below the cut, plus another section of general notes because hey what the fuck did you do to that stage mnet???

and for anyone that’s wondering yes i do have the qualifications. also seriously grab a drink or something because this is LONG.

some general notes

and here i thought this section wouldn't be as big as it was last time because mnet was going to get their shit together about the stage design, but noooooooooooo they had to go and make it worse! thanks mnet i hate it! remember how i said you shot yourself in the foot last time? well ya fuckin kneecapped yourself AND all your idols with this one ya dumb fuckin idiots. alright folks welcome back to stage design 101, my recurring segment where i explain the different types of stage layouts and their effectiveness for kpop idol survival shows, i guess.

ok so last week i covered the basics on theatre in the round and traverse staging, which i’ll link here if there’s anyone new or just wants a refresher. i mentioned that its likely that mnet will switch to an in the round style staging because it offers a lot more freedom for camera movement and also for directional blocking. well, i was wrong. so i'm gonna give you a quick rundown of prosceniums. a proscenium, proscenium arch, or just prosc, is an architectural feature that sits around the front ‘opening’ of the stage that delineates the stage from the audience. if you've ever been in or seen any pictures of old european style theatres it can be quite ornately decorated with scrolling, but it's almost always there in most western theatres. it basically provides your ‘wings,’ which are where you exit off into to get offstage, they provide cover from the audience sitelines. pretty much any theatre where the audience is directly opposing the stage across the 180 degree line is a proscenium stage, even if it doesn't physically have the arch. hell, movie theatres are prosc stages. now, there's a secondary architectural feature/device called a false proscenium, where you set a second, smaller archway inside the first prosc, usually done for a specific effect. think of it like a literal framing device; it's often used to visually signify that ‘this is a play, we are telling a story, please be aware that this is a play thank you.’ but sometimes, it can be a semi-permanent structure that’s set in place to narrow the prosc opening. we had this at my university, there was a false prosc set just inside the actual prosc because the stage had a hilariously big prosc opening for a university that never had casts larger than 24 people. so they set false prosc in to make the stage slightly narrower and to widen the wings, because it doesn't matter what size theatre you're in, you always need more wingspace. makes sense? ok, now here’s a very quick drawing of what i'm pretty sure the kingdom stage looks like:

before you get lost: stage directions are oriented to a person standing on the stage, hence SL and SR being reversed. a quick tip for remembering which way is upstage and which is downstage: if you go too far downstage you fall down (most stages are raised between 2-4’ from the floor, so if you step off the end you will actually fall.) the arrows on here signify the entrances i observed during the performances, which is not necessary in this explanation but i just thought it was interesting to note. still not entirely sure what the surrounding architecture is but it appears that the stage is a raised platform inside a room, and not actually built as part of the building. the ‘house’ is just a technical term for where the audience is, and in this case it's where it looks like most of the film crew and the producers/staff are. there’s pretty clearly a platform upstage centre, and i think there may be some others but i don't care about those right now. what i want to talk about is this dumbass false prosc they set IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STAGE. now i suspect that they did this to solve some problems that they could have had that i don't know about, since i don't know who the stage designer was and what the actual limitations of the space are. but basically they've built two stages and stacked them on top of each other to create one very deep stage, and then separated it off with a false prosc in order to control the size of the space a little better, and possibly to add some visual interest. this stage is functional for its purpose, absolutely, and i think, if mnet actually gave a shit about point of view and camerawork, it could produce some really interesting performances. however, because this stage is so deep, it kind of has the same properties as the traverse stage from before, but just with some big led screens in the middle for reasons. you extra have to pay attention to the directionality because you have all the staff and cameras concentrated in one specific cardinal point, so you have to get creative if you want to crossover between the two sides frequently. again, this is not necessarily bad; restrictions often produce some of the most creative decisions. but! we have not seen a lot of consideration for camera and sightlines and audience pov, hence why i think this setup is dumb: it’s not facilitating the best performances it could.

ok now to the actual performances

btob

this is my favourite of the group because it's very clean lined and utilizes a few simple devices to pretty good effect. i realize these reviews are making me sound like i only like simple performances but i promise this is not at all true i'm just very critical and very picky. let’s start with the costumes, because why not.

costumes

i like these very much, i love modernized traditional clothing in all forms, and these are very well tailored and well coordinated. they do the bulk of the work establishing the theme for the performance, along with the costumes on the backup dancers. personally i would have liked them to be a bit more colourful, à la the teal detailing that was on minhyuk’s final look. i'm getting a bit tired of the whole trend of having groups only wear all dark or all white, or maybe sometimes red if they're feeling spicy. obviously uniform colour is the easiest way to tie a group together visually, but on a show like this i think the groups would actually benefit more from looking distinct from each other internally rather than establishing the group as whole.

i liked that minhyuk had a costume change but i didn't really care for how it was how it was broken down. this is a very personal quibble because i literally have spent years prepping quickchanges but the method it broke down wasn’t the most visually compatible with the garment and felt kinda clunky. please ignore this anecdote it's just me being picky.

set

i loved the forest! a very excellent way to divide the stage area and obscure the weird stage lines/architecture that mnet has made. plus the snow, flowers, and fog? makes a really sharp and immediately indicative atmosphere, a very good use of visual shorthand to establish place.

i didnt love the screens, they reminded me a bit too much of rolling whiteboards from grade school, but they are thematically relevant. also, i feel like we didnt actually get to see about half the choreo for them? fuckin mnet and idiocy again. fun use of rear projection with the dancers’ shadows, and also good use of them to direct traffic, if you will.

personally i think that the sheet gimmick from tbz’s performance would have been a better fit here instead of the screens, especially since the fabric motif was already established at the very beginning of the performance. plus you can do some really fun shadow work with a stretch fabric screen.

personally i think there could have been a little bit more integration between the forest area and the screen area, or they could have done the whole thing in the forest space, but that would require a bit more consideration of camera and choreo maneuverability

sound

really liked this arrangement, obviously the song is iconic but they added a more traditional instrument sound. has good structure for the loose narrative that they had and they were well to label this as ‘theatre’ version because this did follow very closely to a traditional musical theatre sound and style

lighting

no complaints. the overall theme for this episode is apparently blue and red? again with them i like their dedication to a limited colour palette and i especially like the blossoms at the climax

staging

there was pretty clear camera choreo and a minimum of nausea inducing moves. i think some of the effectiveness of the staging got chopped by the editing but that’s not really btob’s fault.

i was just saying i wanted them to give minhyuk some time to shine, i was not expecting to get it so soon! this is a very smart choreo that proves you can be interesting without doing a lot of tricking. minhyuk obviously did a lot of practice and work with that sword, his movements are very fluid and he knows how to handle it. and it looks like its either a blunted proper blade or a correctly weighted replica. a lot of the times when sword choreo looks fake it's because the person either hasn't had enough practice or the weapon is not weighted/weighted incorrectly. only complaints are that you would never hold your fingers/palm that close and un-anchored over the edge of the blade, which is just a safety thing. also you would never scrape your blade on the ground like that, nor toss the thing like dead fish but that's a respect thing with a live blade and this is clearly done for dramatic effect so i’ll forgive it. please ignore this anecdote also it’s just my third dan getting uppity.

ikon

costume/set

smart thematically to go with the sort of miscellaneous 30s-40s (western) aesthetic because it's the fastest way to make it look like you built a theme with mnet’s weird pseudo art deco nonsense they've inexplicably got going on in the set dec. however, they should have stuck the theme all the way through, it would have been more visually cohesive and more interesting. we expect more hiphop/electronic sounding songs to come with these kinds of 4th gen costumes, it would have been anachronistic in a fun way to have them do that second half in 40s style suits. here’s a performance from sdc3 that uses that kind of anachronistic play (this was a combo stage with two ballroom dancers and it has a 20s aesthetic but close enough.) also here’s another routine from sdc3 that does a similar effect on a much more abstract scale, and also it’s a fucking incredible performance and it got slept on by the captains. also yes i know these are incredibly experienced career dancers but they way they construct narrative within their routines and their stage presence is SO GOOD.

do not speak to me about the backup dancers costumes, holy shit i hate them. i hate them so much. how do you manage to hit too shapeless AND too fitted in the same fell swoop? i'm so mad at these. i'm neutral on bodycon dresses on the best of days but these were absolutely the wrong choice for this stage. generally kpop has abysmal costuming for female backup dancers on the whole but this is just like.....especially lazy. the point of the costume are to help give an indication of where and when you set your performance. they started off with a vaguely 40s theme and then jumped abruptly modern. why? also skirts like that are the literal worst choice for dancing in, hello?? the men’s looks are just sloppy, when you have a garment that big you want it to serve a purpose within the choreo, whereas with this it's just hiding the dancers’ movements.

as for ikon themselves, see everything ive said about black on black on black styling in the previous two reviews.

the actual set is minimal and that's tragic. i mentioned mnet’s weird art deco theme and it was smart of them to try and play off that with a lack of stuff. definitely a mismatch of stuff pulled from yg’s prop storage, but they made it work as well as they could. no other meaningful comments i’m just kinda sad about it.

sound

the arrangement is fine, no complaints from me. they keyed up the old hollywood style musical theatre sound in the beginning which i really liked. i didn't mind the song/tone switch, i think they pulled it off.

staging

same as btob they learned more towards a theatrical style, which is smart for this particular format of show. i think this was the smartest staging of these three, and also i think the only ones to not get the crew in shot.

despite seemingly leaning into a more old hollywood style the narrative was a bit too loose for my taste. i'm not sure what i would have done to make it clearer at this moment since they had so little to work with, but i did get by on my previous knowledge of the songs. that shouldn’t be the only indication of narrative though! all elements need to support it!!

also like btob they had a pretty intentional point of direction and there weren't a crazy amount of spins. they also used the camera cuts the most effectively that i've seen so far. the first half is actually all in one take!!! incredible!!! thank you!!!! this is how you do it!!

the lighter flick gimmick was well pulled off and a good example of how to use a couple of simple tricks to good effect.

ikon as a whole has really great stage chemistry with each other, and they're extremely cohesive performers. this is a really strong physical performance from them, the dance was very solid and clean. good use of levels without verging into acrobatics. this might be the best group choreo i've seen so far, but we’re not very far so that's not a very high bar to clear.

it's a shame they had the budget of 1 banana.

tbz

i liked this stage better than their intro stage, but i still think they have a long way to go and they're still over ambitious. personally i find stages based on specific pop culture properties to be kind of twee and ineffectual, because it requires a specific knowledge of that pop culture property to work. sometimes the specificity can help with a narrative but you're at risk of alienating a larger portion of your audience out of sheer non-knowledge than anything else.

costumes

again, interesting garments physically, but not much clarity of relation to the theme other than the colour. also the backup dancers???? another case of backup dancers being from an entirely different stage, what is up with those coats/dresses? looked more like they belonged in either sweeney todd or a vampire movie.

hands in front of the camera again, but these were used much more effectively. i'm not the biggest fan of mixing metals and i’m partial to silver on the whole so i didn't love the jewelry, but at least it was vague and stereotypical enough to denote ‘fire magic’ even if it does rely on a derivative middle eastern shorthand.

set

the stage set itself is fine, although definitely feels a bit haphazard to me. doric columns and frozen rocks and whatever that cover for the pyrotechnics was at the front, combined with the candles and the chaise lounge? like ikon, it felt a bit like they were pulling out of the props/set storage. not that all these things do not work together, it's just that you need a thread to tie them together, and this didn't have that for me.

sound

it's a crime they have a song called ‘no air’ and its not a jordin sparks cover. just saying.

i didnt really like this arrangement, again like their intro stage it didn't have a strong structure that suited the narrative, because they were pretty clearly trying a narrative on this one. also were most of the adlibs playback? they were singing live but there were so few shots of anyone specific singing.

lighting

probably the weakest of the three. the projection design was a bit too tacky for me, and although i appreciated the small amount of variety in colour, it felt way too concert-lighting for me.

staging

the editing on this stage is wack and did no one any good. the hands leading/pov was a really smart device and they should have stuck out the one takes like ikon did, it would have made the whole stage feel a bit more cohesive. a lot better directional camerawork from them this time around, well done. again with the hands in front of the camera gimmick which i actually preferred this time, since they were a part of the narrative. the stretch/silhouette fabric i think they pulled off quite well, even if it didn't really fit thematically with the piece. i actually worked on a show a very long time ago that used this exact same effect with dancers and also rear shadow projection, and it requires a lot of rehearsal and trust to pull off well, so props to them. i think it was the wrong choice because there isn't an established motif for the fabric, so it kind of appears out of nowhere for one specific visual moment and then disappears, and i think that time could have been better served for something else narratively relevant.

again, these 4th gen groups are overly focussed on gimmicks as a way to make up for the lack of experience. personally i think this will be detrimental in the long run, and a reliance on gimmicks means that you don't trust your performers. tbz have the manpower to be doing some pretty cool collective dance work and i dont think its being trained or utilized correctly. they are suffering from a lack of cohesive stage presence right now and that can be fixed with training and time.

this might be because the group sizes are so different between these three but this choreo is very directionless. mnet is also providing to be absolute garbage at editing and i feel like i can't see the choreo at all.

this is a thing i've noticed with kpop camerawork in general, there’s very little regard for actually viewing the choreo as a singular work. and for some reason the camera always needs to be moving???? people do actually want to see what’s happening on the stage. the choreographer can only see from one spot, so from that spot is how they are intending it to look. you wouldn't need to upload full cams of every music stage if you just filmed the choreo properly in the first place. if you watch the two sdc3 clips i linked you can see a clear difference in maintaining the integrity of the choreo, even though both shows use several cameras and a lot of cuts. obviously for kpop you want the money shots of idols’ faces but i definitely think there’s a healthier middle ground than what we have now.

ill wait for full subs but i want to know where in the fuck in sk you can rent a tank thas clearly been custom made for underwater photography, because that’s extremely cool even if it was absolutely unnecessary to the actual stage itself. i can think of several ways off the top of my head that would have achieved that same freezing effect without any of that wasted time and effort.

mnet decided to drop full cams while i was writing this and despite watching those my opinions are the same.

in conclusion, some more general thoughts:

i think ikon and btob got it right by leaning more into the theatrical than the cinematic, if that makes sense. i might be talking up my own ass here but these are theatre performances, and they should be treated as such. trying to do things that you can do on film isn't going to do you any favours in the long run, and it makes it harder to make a cohesive performance. i’m harping a lot about narrative but it is so important to performance. although it is not technically necessary, when doing big theatrical performance stages like this it does help with clarity of intent and general success. humans have brains structured around storytelling, it is literally the way our history has been passed down for tens of thousands of years. the atlantic published an article recently on narrative and memory, and it's a really excellent read for maybe after you've taken a break from this behemoth, oh dear god.

tldr: the stages were good but disappointing in their own ways. mnet continues to sabotage via weird stage design decisions and bad editing. see you next week! (or in my ask box if you have questions)

#kingdom review #kpop analysis #kingdom #oh dear lord this is almost 4k #to anybody that actually reads this thank you and im sorry #text

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kyber-heart · 4 years

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Lightsaber Colour Headcanons

Literally no one asked for this, but a conversation on Dromund Kaas genchat prompted me to think about my approach to the colours of Lightsaber crystals. This is a general system I personally use for my own role play and character creation.

A Note: I personally prefer the lore ascribed to Kyber Crystals that was introduced in the Disney Canon. In this universe, all Kyber Crystals are colourless until bonded with by a Force User. Jedi tend to meditate and form a bond with their crystals. Sith use their hatred to dominate and corrupt the crystals through a process called ‘Bleeding’. It is also a rite of passage for Sith to claim a Kyber crystal from the hilt of a Jedi’s lightsaber. In the old Expanded Universe, Crystals just grew naturally and a Jedi could select any colour they desired. Red was typically synthetic, however naturally occuring red crystals existed too. While I personally prefer the new lore, I think my general headcanons for the 7 shades of colours work with both Expanded Universe and Canon lore.

As I said, there’s typically about 7 shades of colours:

BLUE - Blue is typically the colour associated with Jedi Guardians. These are Jedi that focus primarily on physical combat, protection and defense. Examples are obviously; Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Kanan Jarrus, Orgus Din, Satele Shan.

GREEN - Typically associated with Jedi Consulars, Jedi that prefer diplomacy and reasoning to achieve their goals. These Jedi are less likely to resort to violence but can fight if pressed to do so. Typical examples are Yoda, Kit Fisto, Ahsoka Tano during The Clone Wars, Luke Skywalker.

YELLOW - Yellow is the colour usually found within the Jedi Sentinel discipline. These Jedi tend to balance their martial skills and intellect to perform unique tasks within the Order. They are usually found out in the galaxy serving local systems, with investigation and infiltration of organisations and cults, working with governments to keep peace, and liaising with Jedi Order regarding potential recruits. Examples include: Bastila Shan, Atton Rand, Visas Marr.

ORANGE - There is no specified meaning behind the wielders of Orange Lightsabers however, SWTOR’s in-game codex lists them as a Sith/Dark Jedi colour. To that end, I personally tend to think of Orange as being the colour of Dark Sentinel types. One theory that has emerged is that Orange could be a colour related to Jedi and Force Users who never engage in physical combat however the existance of Yaddle, to me, disproves that.

PURPLE - Similarly to Orange, there is no in-universe explanation for this colour, however when looking at the users of Purple Lightsabers such as Mara Jade, Mace Windu, Revan, and Jaden Korr, there does seem to be a pattern of physical combat leaning Force Users, who have turned from the Dark Side, have been seduced by Dark Side, or are generally aggressive fighters. Essentially I consider this to be the mark of a Guardian-type who is dark side inclined.

RED - This is the colour of The Sith, at least typically. Adi Gallia utilised a red lightsaber crystal around the time of The Phantom Menace and switched to blue after the re-emergence of The Sith, no explaination was ever given that I can find. Red bladed lightsabers and their association with The Sith signify that the user has given themselves over to the Dark Side and let emotion control their actions. Typical examples would be Darth Maul, Darth Vader, Darth Sidious, Darth Malgus etc.

WHITE - There are only two notible examples of White Lightsabers in Star Wars media. The first and most iconic, is Ahsoka Tano in Rebels. The other is the Imperial Knights of The Fel Empire from Star Wars: Legacy comics. The Knights used Silver blades with simple uniform hilts. Both examples demonstrate a rejection of The Light Side and The Dark Side, instead following their own path as Ahsoka did, or swearing loyalty to another such as The Imperial Knights. Thus I infer that white symbolises a break from the strict binary of good and evil and instead dedicating life to other pursuits.

So, to get the obvious meta reasons out of the way. George Lucas was very binary on the colours; blue are for good guys, red is for bad guys. Green only came about because Luke’s lightsaber was difficult to distinguish against the blue sky during the Episode 6 Sarlaac pit scene. Purple only exists because Sam Jackson asked for it. White and Yellow only exist in Canon because Filoni and J.J. Abrams respectively thought they looked cool. George also insinuated that the Yellow that the Temple Guards use is only for them and they might not even by Kyber Crystals.

There is also the issue of The Darksaber. Considering the uniqueness of it’s blade it can’t even be said that it’s a true lightsaber or that it uses a Kyber crystal. There are multiple instances of Lightsabers being created with a myriad of stones, gems, and even glass. The black core and white crackling effect might be the result of some unique material found in the Mandalore system. The High Republic also showcases a character with what I think is a black lightsaber core in it’s concept art. I hope that project can shed some new light on these things.

This is also something that applies to synthetic Lightsaber crystals made my Jedi and Sith. While it was typically practiced by Sith, Jedi have been known to use Synthetic crystals too. Luke Skywalker’s green lightsaber in the old Expanded Universe was powered by a synthetic Green crystal that he forged in Obi-Wan’s hut on Tatooine.

Anyway that’s my word vomit on my personal readings of Lightsaber colours. Feel free to cyber bully me about it.

#anto's ramblings #star wars headcanons #star wars roleplay #swtor roleplay #i have not edited this #i'm on mobile and just running with this #might clean it up later #but again #this is ***my*** personal approach and opinion #i'm not telling anyone i'm right #or that they should abide by this #lightsaber colours #long post #sorry

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launenji · 4 years

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Center of Your Universe - A KNJ Fanfic | Prologue

Pairing: idol!Kim Namjoon x idol!Reader Status: Ongoing Word Count: 3031 Genre: Rivals2Lovers. Fluff. Eventual implied smut and angst. Slow burn. idol!AU Summary: It’s 2019 and Kim Namjoon is conquering the globe with his Bangtan brothers by his side. However, BTS can’t seem to shake their top girl group rival from chasing their names across music charts and award nominations worldwide. Now, the boys have no problem with that in any way; in fact they’ve come to respect the girls of HELIOS and their never ending climb to fame that seemed to match their own success. The only real “problem” Namjoon sees is that HELIOS’ confident, fearless, and overall badass of a leader seems to absolutely hate him. And as much as he doesn’t want to admit it, it does keep him awake at night. A/N: Hello! After a year of diving into BTS and reading fanfics about the boys, I wanted to write my own with the beloved Rivals2Lovers trope, because who doesn’t love that good shit? So this is my first official fanfiction, this will be ongoing although I’m not sure how many parts I’ll be producing, but I have the entire story line written out! I also am fairly new to how kpop fanfics are generally published on tumblr, but I’ll do my best. I hope you enjoy this story as much as I have creating it! Prologue | Ch 1 | Ch 2 | Ch 3

Prologue: Definitely a (fan)Boy with Luv

March 2019 There was an unspoken rule that came about RM of BTS’ personal life, and that was to live as Kim Namjoon as soon as he steps foot in his hometown of Ilsan. RM existed while he was at work in Seoul; busy with performance schedules, writing lyrics, producing beats, recording content, and basically leading the biggest boy band of the generation to great heights of fame and success. That’s who Kim Namjoon is on a near daily basis. So when Namjoon can find the time to take a few days off and head back to his childhood home for some much needed rest, he’s only Namjoon; a regular twenty five year old guy who loves long walks among nature and grabbing drinks with old friends. And right now he was Namjoon; a regular twenty five year old guy at his parent’s home, dressed in a tank top and sweats, head bopping to his latest musical discovery on Spotify as he pours an entire bag of chips in a bowl for a mid afternoon snack in preparation for some much needed catching up on his netflix shows. Pausing the song on his phone and housing his earbuds in their case, he shimmies over to the couch with his bowl of chips in a small celebratory dance for these rare days where he can go home and actually relax. No pressing schedules to attend, no pulling out his hair to create the right lyrics for their next song, no band/roommates screaming and chasing each other around their shared Hannam apartment after yet another failed prank attempt; just him alone in the house ready to kick back and finally relax.

Armed with his snacks, drink, and the tv remote, he makes himself comfortable on the couch and finally finds that one show he’s been dying to catch up on. However, just as he’s about to press play, the front door swings open with a loud bang. “PUT. THE REMOTE. DOWN.”

A shrill voice echoes through the family apartment as the newcomer rushes in, hastily chucking her bag and keys on the counter before skidding to a stop between Namjoon and his only source of rest and relaxation for the night. Kim Kyungmin, loving younger sister to BTS’ beloved leader, stands before him with arms folded and with an unyielding glare. “Just because you’re home for the weekend doesn’t mean you can hog the tv the whole time you’re here, hand it over.” She extends out her palm, fingers flexing for the remote. Namjoon groans. “Minnie, I was LITERALLY about to watch my show, can’t you just record what you want to watch and watch it later? Y’know, when I’m usually not here?” Namjoon scoots to the other end of the couch in an attempt to continue on with his planned afternoon of relaxation. However Kyungmin manages to lunge for the remote and swipe it away at the last second, holding it above her head much to her older brother’s annoyance. “Not when you’re watching something you can literally watch anywhere else.” She shifts her pointed glare at his phone then at him before plopping down in his original spot on the couch, quickly switching through the channels to find the show she’s desperately looking for. “That doesn’t solve my solution to you recording your show and watching it later.” Namjoon points out, shoving a chip in his mouth as he watches his sister reach her designated channel. It’s a Knowing Bros episode that seemed to have just started. “If I do that then I can’t react to the episode in real time with Miyoung.” Kyungmin states matter of factly, thumbs flying across her phone as she texts her friend in question. Feeling defeated, Namjoon gives up his quest for his solo Netflix and Chill night he originally planned and settles to watch along with his sister. At least it was a show he actually did enjoy, especially when he was able to be on it with his members at one point. He reminisces his time on the show as he watches as the cast banter over some new found popular trend, the guests of the episode haven’t seemed to arrive just yet. “So who’s on the show this time?” In an immediate response to Namjoon’s question, the classroom door on tv whips open revealing four of the most recognizable women in Kpop; Lee Yuna, Chung Sumi, Han Hyojin, and their leader, Y/N L/N “It’s HELIOS!” Kyungmin lets out a high pitched squeal that Namjoon cringes away from. HELIOS. Arguably the most famous idol girl group to come out of Kpop history to date and BTS’ current standing rivals in the game. Namjoon internally scoffs; okay, so maybe the term “rival” seemed a little too harsh for their relationship to the girls. Let it be clear that there was no beef between Kpop’s fastest rising boy and girl groups despite what the media may try to spin about them. Namjoon and the boys actually do respect the ladies of HELIOS to a high regard and honestly believe that they deserve every inch of recognition and success they’ve received over the years. If the boys of BTS can understand anything, it’s the struggle of trying to make it in such a competitive and demanding environment that is the world of Korean entertainment. Much like them, HELIOS came from humble beginnings; hailing from a small entertainment company established by one of the most respected music producers in the industry. Despite debuting a couple years after BTS, HELIOS grew to be a well known name among teens and young adults. Their unique take on the “girl crush” concept and their unconventional practices of flourishing naturally as an idol group captured the hearts of many, and soon became a trending topic alongside BTS. Namjoon saw many similarities between BTS and HELIOS in the way they’ve grown to their current point of success. Much like the boys, HELIOS liked to connect with their fans personally, most of their viewership grew from watching their growth as an idol group on social media. In fact, the girls each had their own social media accounts and were good at posting daily doses of their lives on and off stage whenever they could. Their fans felt like they could really relate to them on a personal level; recognizing that, at times, these four beloved idols were just girls following their dreams. Other times, their fans were often reduced to a squealing-to-near-tears mess, as currently exhibited by Kyungmin. Namjoon was surprised she hadn’t started frothing at the mouth at this point. “Ugh! I just love them sooooo much!” Kyungmin groaned, voicing out her text message before tossing her phone aside and giving her undivided attention to the tv. On screen, HELIOS stood at the doorway as the hosts of Knowing Bros gaped in awe at their presence. The three women stood strategically in formation with you front and center. Namjoon let out a quiet sigh through his nose. Now while BTS and HELIOS had no history of any animosity towards each other (actually the only interactions they’ve really had was congratulating each other on a job well done in between set switches), the only “problem” Namjoon could find was that you, HELIOS’ renowned leader, seem to hate his fucking guts. He has voiced his concerns plenty of times to his members, especially after passing you and the girls by during music shows. You had a tendency to give everyone but him the time of day, and Namjoon didn’t know why. “You’re probably looking too much into it, hyung,” He remembers Jungkook telling him after another failed attempt to talk to the fellow leader. “I mean, you never talk to her, so I don’t think she has a reason to hate you.” “He’s right,” Jimin pipes up from across the dressing room. “It could be the way she is, after all she always looks like she’s got a 1.5 meter pole stuck up her- Ow! What!? I was just kidding!” His remark was short lived with a swift smack to the back of the head and a warning glare from Hoseok. Though it was rude to say, Namjoon couldn’t deny that, to a certain extent, you did look a little uptight most of the time.

Watching closely on screen, he studied your resting bitch face-like expression. Despite being dressed in a standard school uniform that admittedly made you look cute, you looked like you were ready to take names and kick some ass while poised in your signature power stance. One hand over a hip cocked to the side as your sharp gaze trailed over the Knowing Bros cast before walking in. Even your movements seemed powerful, as if they were carefully calculated with one foot strutting in front of the other in perfect sync with the sway of your hips, not that he was paying attention to that specific detail. His eyes quickly shifted over to your other members as they moved more naturally on to the set and waved their hi’s to the hosts. Everyone gave their applause as the girls took their place at the podium in front of the classroom. “Please introduce yourselves!” Clearing your throat, you throw on a smirk before making a creative introduction. “Hello, we are from the “Top Tier Global Rising Stars” High School.” The other girls share similar smiles as you before dropping into their standard greeting. “2, 3, Shine On! Hello, we are HELIOS!” The studio erupts in applause and awes of amazement welcoming the girls. Namjoon looked over to Kyungmin with her knees drawn to her chest and chin resting on top, staring intently at the tv. “What? No more weird orgasm sounds for your favorite girls?” That earned him a hard smack to the face. “Shh!” Well, this was his day off to relax. So as he slumped lower into the couch, Namjoon carried on watching the show alongside his sister. About 10 minutes into the show’s friendly banter, Namjoon realized that wasn’t much he knew about the ladies that made up HELIOS until now. For instance, he learned that Lee Yuna was actually the eldest of the group, being the same age as Yoongi. Their fans, appropriately named HALOS, dubbed her as one of the most beautiful women in Korea as she joked about her nickname “The Universal Beauty” to rival Seokjin’s title of “Worldwide Handsome.”

He also learned that the second youngest, Chung Sumi, was actually a naturally talented rapper who freestyled over beats she found on Youtube and posted them on soundcloud during her highschool days, which prompted her to be the first signed trainee at their entertainment company. It reminded him slightly of his underground rapping days leading up to his own path to an idol.

He even learned that Han Hyojin, their own maknae, could basically do anything from singing to rapping to dancing, making her a deadly triple threat for her young age. She could definitely give Jimin, Taehyung, Hoseok, and Jungkook all a run for their money. But what intrigued him the most was your backstory, something that you never revealed until this point. “So Y/N, you’re not actually from Korea?” Kang Hodong inquires. You shake your head in affirmation. “But you speak Korean so well!” Seo Janghoon chimes in, “Where are you from?” “The States, California specifically.” You respond, prompting a stock sound of amazement over the broadcast. “Another idol from California!” “Speak English for us! Come on!” This causes you to scoff, shaking your head. “What would you want me to say?” “Introduce yourself in English!” Yuna urges you with a bright smile, a round of cheers in the room encourages the idea. Namjoon stared in awe as he watched you introduce yourself in your native tongue to the camera. You seemed more comfortable and natural talking in English and it captivated him in a weird sort of way. Both Kim siblings kept their attention on you as the cast prods on with questions about your personal life and Namjoon can’t help but feel much more admiration for you as an idol and leader who’s made it this far after hearing your story. You share to the cast that you were nothing short of ordinary growing up. You’ve lived a normal life with your hard working parents and siblings. You were an average student with no strong ambitions to pursue for the future. The only passion you did have growing up was dancing, and it brought you as far as signing with your company to become a trainee after graduating high school. Without anything else to lose, you eventually made your way to Korea in hopes to find a suitable career that included dancing, however being an idol was totally out of your range. “So you initially didn’t want to be an idol?” Kim Heechul asks earnestly, you give a small shrug. “I didn’t think I was really cut out for it.” You answer cooly, then turn to your members with a soft expression. “But training with my members made me realize that I could do it and make something out of it.” Your girls return the heartfelt smile, something only Namjoon could completely recognize as a genuine bond between members. It tugged at his heartstring seeing this; despite your cold demeanor, you actually do care immensely for the people around you, which he could heavily relate to. If Kim Namjoon wasn’t impressed by you before, he surely was now. However that still doesn’t change the fact you can’t seem to stand him whenever he’s around you. The show finally cuts to commercial, giving Kyungmin enough time to call her friend and squeal about the events of the show. “And she was a cheerleading captain during high school! Can she BE any cooler!?” Namjoon watched incredulously as his sister took her conversation to her room for a quick break. He remembered teasing her once, when his fame with BTS began to rise exponentially, to never ask him for autographs or connections to any idols she may find herself gushing over in the near future, because he swore he’d never do it. Kyungmin only scoffed at her older brother’s feigning arrogance. “Oh please, you’ll never catch me drooling over any idol group at your expense.” If only she could see herself in a few years giving into the HELIOS craze and buying every single piece of merch she could. The look on Namjoon’s face was unbelievable when he came home one day to find Kyungmin framing a huge poster of your face to put in her bedroom. Her piercing glare stopped her brother from prodding any further with her newest obsession. “Not one word.” And with that, she carried your framed face off to her bedroom where it hangs next to her doorway. Well at least she hasn’t asked for your autograph. Not that he could get it anyway, you would definitely reject him if he even so much as breathed in your general direction. Despite finding out his sister was a die hard HALO, he was proud that she at least had good role models to look up to. However, the idea of her number one bias being the very person that hated him wouldn’t stop bothering Namjoon. Would he ever figure out why you just flat out disliked him? Should he even care at all? Why should he? It’s not like you two were friends. Did he want to be friends with you? Namjoon is pulled out of his inner monologue by his sister walking back into the living room with her hand over her mouth and eyes wide at something currently on her phone. She honestly looked like she was ready to cry. He rolled his eyes at her, now that’s just being a little too dramatic. “Alright, what is it now?”

Kyungmin wordlessly turned her phone towards her brother, revealing your personal twitter profile and your newest post. It was a new concept photo of you with the silhouettes of the rest of HELIOS behind you. Dressed in shades of burgundy and maroon, you held a finger to your red painted lips. The caption that goes with it is simple and vague, but gets its point across. “HALOS, you ready? One more time~ D-10”

Namjoon counts down the days quickly in his head, leading up to what seems to be your comeback date. Coincidentally, it’s the day after BTS’ planned announcement for their own comeback; Map Of The Soul: Persona.

He sits back and bites the inside of his cheek, deep in thought. If HELIOS was releasing their new album the same time BTS is, then you will most likely be promoting on music shows within the next coming months too. That meant more chances to pass you by in the studios and more time to figure out what the hell was your problem with him. Was it weird that the thought alone made him a little excited for your comeback more than his? His eyes caught sight of the show that just returned on air, now with you on screen teaching the hosts the moves of your latest single. He felt his cheeks heat up just a bit as he witnessed you sway your hips to the beat of your song before forcibly ripping his gaze away to look out the window instead. Yeah, it was pretty weird, and he really needed to stop dwelling on you so much. But that night, he laid in his bed, unable to get you out of his mind.

Even though he told himself to not get hung up over you, here he was under his covers at 3 AM scrolling through your Instagram, looking at every single selfie, candid shot, and freestyle dance video you’ve posted since your debut; still thinking about the fact that even though you intrigued him, you still didn’t like him. Eventually he scrolled back to your teaser photo he saw earlier that day, brows furrowing at your post before locking his phone out of frustration. Okay, he had to stop. At this rate he was going to turn into his sister, another HALO sucked into the HELIOS craze. But was that really a bad thing?

#bts fic #bts rm #namjoon x reader #rm x reader #namjoon fluff #namjoon fanfic #rm fanfic #namjoon au #bts rm x reader

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anoceaninthesun · 4 years

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Needs Improvement

Thanks largely to a brilliant suggestion by @shineejeya the Home Improvement AU continues with this ficlet (mini-series ??). This time the renovating teams tackle their toughest assignment yet. If only it was all about the house and not the feisty, beautiful client.

Summary: When Yamanaka Ino meddles in her best friend’s love life quest to DIY renovate her new fixer-upper, Haruno Sakura finds herself caught up in a home improvement competition between four handsome, creative questionably qualified renovators.

(Home Improvement AU, Modern AU, Slice-of-Life AU)

Pairings: FoundersxSaku (IzuSaku, TobiSaku, MadaSaku, HashiSaku), ShikaIno, other background pairs

Rating: T

Genre(s): Romance, Comedy, General

Warnings: none really—except maybe swearing, atrocious flirting skills and the Founders being renovating crackheads (not literally, but almost)

Pt.1

“Another satisfied client here on From House to Home!” the man’s boisterous voice yelled from the TV. Senju Hashirama stood with his less than impressed brother on the clients’ front yard. Yamanaka Ino leaned forward, drinking in the naked torso of Uchiha Madara as he rushed into the shot, sweaty and with a prominent grass strain streaked across his glistening skin.

“Next time it’s our win, Hashirama. We lost the battle not the war, and all that.” he declared. Hashirama laughed, throwing a well-muscled arm over his rival’s bare shoulders. Ino wet her lips, mesmerized as credits started to roll. She got a firm nudge, blinking at the lightly scowling face of her boyfriend.

“Why are we marathoning this?” Shikamaru grumbled. Ino began to explain, only for him to scoff preemptively. “Like I don’t know,” his dark eyes glared at the screen, which now displayed an energy drink commercial. “You don’t care about home improvement.”

“I like some of the aesthetics they use on the show, okay?” Ino fired back, leaning back into the couch, and Shikamaru’s arm. “And,” she added a little defiantly. “I’m looking, that’s all. It’s like window shopping because we both know I’m off the market.”

“Bad analogy.” he rolled his eyes, though his body was less tense beside hers. “You’ve never gone to a store without bringing half of it home a day in your life.”

The blonde absently smacked him with a pillow as the theme music to From House to Home filtered through the room, the next episode starting. “You know...” she hummed.

Shikamaru groaned.

“Be quiet, I’m thinking.”

“Meddling.” he corrected.

“Agree to disagree,” Ino folded her legs underneath her. “You know how Sakura just moved into that new place on the other side of town, right?”

“Hard to forget. You dragged me to her house warming party.” Shikamaru yawned, running a hand through his hair.

Ino scrunched her nose, “And I still say it needs a lot of work. I know Sakura’s proud because it’s her first house, but, you’ve seen the place.”

“I’ve seen the couch. I was napping through most of the party.” he corrected.

“But what if we got them to come and renovate it,” Ino motioned to the TV, watching with rapt attention again as Senju Tobirama used a power saw to cut a board into uniform pieces, his biceps flexing as he worked. The cameraman chose that moment to zoom in for a close up of his sharp, tattooed jaw, and Ino nearly swallowed her tongue at the way it clenched in concentration.

“Sakura wouldn’t go for that.” Shikamaru’s eyes narrowed, his fingers on the remote and dangerously close to changing the channel.

When the view switched to a safer scene of Uchiha Izuna chatting with the Uchiha team’s clients, his girlfriend finally broke free of whatever spell she was drooling under.

Now Ino was already springing from the couch and flitting around in search of something. Shikamaru observed, not bothering to get up when he knew from experience it was futile. “It’ll be a surprise! I’ll get on their website and submit a request on her behalf to be one of the next houses they choose to renovate.”

“You know what, fine. But this wasn’t a ‘we’ idea. It was a ‘you’ idea.” he drawled, slumping back into the cushions and reaching for the bowl of chips on the table.

Hashirama lifted his aviators, the quaint shop’s warm atmosphere and heavenly smell almost making his toes curl. The walls were a mellow pink, a sample table containing tiny, fresh-baked sweets on a table by the front door. Shelves lined one wall where packaged candies were neatly arranged by flavor, large lettering at the top of each shelf to label.

A middle-aged woman in a cheerfully decorated apron smiled at them from behind the display case. “Oh! Hello,” her eyes shone just a bit brighter as she took him in, and then Tobirama who had shouldered forward from behind his brother. “I’ll be with you shortly.” One last, appreciative glance and then she was back to boxing up the customer’s order.

By the hunch in his back and the distracted look on his face as he thoughtfully peered into the case, it would be a while before he finished deciding.

Not that Hashirama really minded.

“I told you it’d be okay if I took that detour,” The elder Senju grinned, “We still made it early.”

Tobirama stared around the bright space, which doubled as a sweets shop and bakery, picking a booth in the corner by the front glass. Their producers had called the impromptu meeting in the middle of the week, and so the younger of the “Reno Twins” (a nickname his brother despised for some reason) was sure it was bad news. More importantly, he was sure it was Hashirama’s fault.

“Good thinking,” Hashirama beamed, doing his best to ignore his brother’s mood. “You save us a spot and I’ll order us some snacks!”

He wandered over to stand and look at the baked goods on display. The bell above the door chimed again, and the young cashier, who had just accepted payment for the order she’d been ringing up, paused.

“Hello, welcome to...” The same woman who had greeted them came from the bake with a tray of fresh croissants, which nearly slid onto the floor when she stopped abruptly.

“This is where we’re meeting?” The baritone voice was familiar, as were the footsteps on the tile floor behind him. “Well, at least it smells nice.”

Hashirama spun, taking in the sight of his old friend and rival dressed casually in a leather bomber jacket, opened enough to reveal a tight gray tee-shirt underneath, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his black jeans. While Madara idly perused the pastry selection, Izuna greeted the Senju with a wave and a small smile. He looked comfortable in a soft red henley and blue jeans.

“So none of the producers have arrived yet?” Izuna asked after stepping out of their short, friendly hug.

Hashirama shook his head. “Not so far, but then we’re early.” The man who had been buying sweets finally moved past them on his way out the door, his sleepy eyes slightly more alert as he munched a donut.

“Hi,” the baker peered as closely as she could at them all. They weren’t exactly in disguise, and the show’s popularity had only grown in the last several years. It was now one of the highest-rated on their network. It wouldn’t be a surprise if they were recognized. “So sorry for the wait. Are you ready to order?”

Hashirama quickly got an assortment, three small spiced plum cakes for himself and daifuku for Tobirama. He added Izuna’s slice of apple pie and the fondant o’maron Madara kept eyeing to the tab as well, ignoring the complaints from the latter.

When they were all seated at the booth Tobirama had chosen, Senju on one side and Uchiha on the other, Hashirama picked up his fork and savored the first bite of the succulent dessert.

Izuna took a sip of water before addressing the elephant in the room. “So, what do you think this meeting’s for?”

Madara, who had finally stopped grousing enough to eat, lifted his head. “We’ve won the last three challenges consecutively. Maybe the network’s decided From House to Home would be better with just one team.” he innocently bit into the chestnut-shaped cake. “Us.”

“Huh,” Tobirama sat down his glass with force. “There you go again, making asinine conjecture. It might be true that you’ve enjoyed a small winning streak as of late, but I wouldn’t let it go to your head.”

Hashirama bit his lip, wondering if he should just go ahead and jump in. There was definitely more than a little friendly rivalry between all of them, but Tobirama and Madara tended to exchange words that were more caustic than charitable when they got worked up. Which was...frequently in each other’s presence.

“Oh?” Madara leaned forward across the table, eyes narrowing, “Care to explain?”

Hashirama swapped looks with Izuna, and he could tell both of them were now a bit apprehensive about the direction the conversation was headed. “The last three challenges you’ve worked on houses for lonely, single women.” Tobirama explained calmly. “Our clients have been older couples. It doesn’t take a moron to see you appeal to the lowest common denominator.”

“Are you saying our renovation can’t stand on its own merits? This is pitiful, Tobirama,” he sighed. “I knew you were a sore loser, but control yourself.”

“I’m simply wondering what removing your shirt has to do building fire pits or converting attics into studio office spaces.” he insisted. “You play on sex appeal more than actual skill.”

“I resent that.” Izuna chimed in, disgruntled. Hashirama frowned at his brother. Despite Madara’s...eccentric habit of losing his shirt, their rivals worked hard, and when they won a challenge, it was because their vision for the week’s reno had been better.

Tobirama raised a brow at Izuna but didn’t take it back. A thick tension settled over the table.

“What’s this?” a new voice guffawed. “We leave you boys alone for hardly half an hour and you’re going at it? That’s not going to work.”

“Gengetsu-san,” Hashirama’s chest fluttered with relief as he stood, smiling at the approaching team of producers. Hozuki Gengetsu led the way, followed by a stout, elderly man leaning on a cane, affectionately dubbed Old Man Onoki. The third producer present, Terumi Mei, had beelined for the sweets, though she looked reluctant to sample any.

Gengetsu eyed the food on the table with interest, not hesitating to reach for one of Tobirama’s daifuku.

“Oi,” Tobirama scooted his plate away and the blonde man only laughed. “This place has the best pastries in town, doesn’t it?” he plopped down on the end of the booth beside Izuna, stroking his chin. “We thought the cozy atmosphere would be best to break the news.”

“Cancellation.” Tobirama said.

“No, nothing of that sort!” Onoki waved him off. “Don’t be so cynical.”

Although the others might have hid it better, Hashirama could tell that they were relieved that whatever the news, it wasn’t that.

“We’ve been thinking of what the show should do for its 300th episode, which subsequently starts a new season. And then we got a very interesting letter.” Gengetsu rubbed at his short goatee, his eyes twinkling.

Madara leaned back in his seat, arms crossed and staring out at the street, where a group of shoppers had happened to spot him and were already pulling out their phones.

“As much as I like seeing them a little hot under the collar with the suspense,” Mei sashayed over with a plate in each hand “I think you should just get on with it.”

“Here’s how it’s going to go, boys...” Gengetsu successfully snagged one of Madara’s cakes and waved it around before taking a bite. Afterwards, they had to wait for the man to get his bearings as he groaned exaggeratedly over the flavor. “Oh, this is heavenly.”

“Hozuki-san, today.” Tobirama urged. Hashirama nervously elbowed his brother, but Gengetsu took it in stride.

“I was right, wasn’t I? Only one team’s staying on the show.” Madara’s smirk was victorious. “You’ve made the right decision, I assure you.”

“Hold on, hold on--how’d you know?” Onoki grumbled.

Hashirama felt his jaw drop, eyes widening more than the plate his unfinished plum cakes sat on.

Tobirama’s neutral expression shifted into a full blown frown. “You can’t be serious.”

And although it was Madara’s idea to begin with, some of the fire left his eyes, his lips parting.

“Uh, I don’t see how this is going to work either, actually.” Izuna tilted his head. “The show’s been two teams competing since it started. How is switching the format now, when the ratings are solid--or better than ever even--going to be...”

“Not forever.” Mei clarified. “Just for the season premiere. It’s true it’s always been two teams facing off on two separate houses. But what if you all joined together and completing just one house?”

“All of us working together?” Hashirama was the first to recover, and the idea instantly sent excited sparks through his brain. “I’m intrigued. What kind of project is it?”

Admittedly, he’d considered a few times before what would happen if he and Tobirama ever joined up with Madara and Izuna. Competing was fun because the Uchiha brothers were worthy competitors, but collaborating could take their projects to a whole new level.

It wasn’t an idea he’d pitched to the execs because everyone seemed content with the dynamics already happening. But in the end he hadn’t had to say anything!

“A young woman by the name of Yamanaka Ino wrote to us recently. Her close friend bought a new house.” Gengetsu explained through his chewing. “Miss Yamanaka feels it’s in need of renovation. She signed up for the house in question to be featured on an upcoming episode of the show, and after thinking it over and looking into the property itself, we think this could be the time to try something new.”

#my fanfic #my ficlet #MAYBE a mini-series??#i never post up fics on tumblr or do one shots: HELP #needs improvement #naruto modern au #slice of life au #home improvement au #haruno sakura #yamanaka ino #uchiha madara #uchiha izuna #senju hashirama #senju tobirama #shikaino #foundersxsaku #idek what else to tag lol #this is sort of crack?? or maybe not??#thank u jeya for the inspo

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overthinkingkdrama · 4 years

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Exit Review: Extraordinary You

Synopsis

Eun Dan Oh is a happy-go-lucky high school girl with a heart condition and a one-sided crush on her childhood friend. That's it. That's her set up. But she carries it well, with verve and energy. She feels certain this world is made for her and things are going to work out. Imagine her horror and surprise when she discovers that she's a character in a romance manhwa with a plot thinner than tissue paper. Not only that, she's not even the main character. She's an extra who exists only to facilitate the romance between the leads. Everything will certainly not be okay.

Now Dan Oh will do whatever it takes to shift the plot in her favor and take control of her fate.

Review

Story: This is one of those rare dramas that immediately sets fire to the Kdramasphere with the electric buzz that comes with a unique high concept and all the promising potential that goes along with it. Everyone is waiting with baited breath to see if the writing and direction can live up to that potential and whether that concept has the legs to get us through 16 hour long episodes and--wonder of wonders--stick the landing.

Not unlike another drama with a similar premise, W: Two Worlds, I started this drama and immediately fell in love with the concept and the characters. It seemed so full of promise, and I knew I was going to be in it for the long haul. Though I do think it managed a rather more cohesive and focused telling than W, I still don't think Extraordinary You had the necessary stamina and ambition to fulfill all the hopes I had for it.

As other people on this site have pointed out more eloquently, there is a lot of innate existential horror that goes along with the idea that you are merely a character in an imperfect story written by an indifferent writer. There is so much that can be done with that, especially once you establish antagonism between creator and creation. It's possible, since I am unfamiliar with the source material and I would imagine the web comic has a little more freedom to play with the parameters of this world, that this comes down to a problem with adaptation. But still, I found that the last third of the drama sagged significantly and the conclusion felt more like a cop out than a real resolution, never addressing the inherent horror of the characters' situation, but only changing the setting and circumstances.

Acting: Kim Hye Yoon is the single best thing about this drama, and I mean that up to and including the really strong concept and the built in meta levels this show has. After finishing Extraordinary You I also went and watched SKY Castle which is a drama that has been on my list for a while, and she's good there too. I think she's going to be a big star. She handles the huge emotional switches Dan Oh's character calls for very well. She's funny and bubbly and brings energy to every scene she's in, but she's also exceptionally good in the quiet and sad moments. I think if we give it a few more years she'll be swimming in the same kind of drama waters as Park Min Young. She's clearly got the chops for it.

As for the rest of the cast, I thought Lee Nan Eun and Jung Gun Joo (Joo Da and Do Hwa respectively) were the stand outs. I thought they imbued their characters with a lot of charm and appeal, even though the writing kind of did them dirty at the end.

As for everyone else, I thought they were serviceable. I'm definitely in the minority here, but I thought Lee Jae Wook was totally wasted as the perpetually dyspeptic Kyung. From what I understand he's a lot better written in the web comic. Here he was flat and frustrating. Here's hoping I'll Come to You When the Weather is Nice is a better role for him.

This being my first brush with Rowoon, I don't know if his performance was more a result of the constraints of the character or his own inexperience as an actor, but I thought he was fine as Haru. At least he's at the upper end of passable idol actors. Functional enough not to be embarrassing or distracting. He's well cast in the sense that his face looks too perfectly formed and symmetrical to exist in nature, so the explanation that he was just drawn that way makes sense. (Oh god, how rabid is the SF9 fanbase? Please don't flame me.)

Production: The production choices seem like they're exactly what they need to be for the setting. The school and the uniforms look like they were lifted right out of a shoujo manga and there are a lot of fun effects--like the sunbeam that follows around the heroine, or the blurred aura that indicates a characters internal thoughts are differing from their stage actions--and sound design choices--like the page turn noise indicating we've moved to the next scene. The whole thing is very pretty. It has that sheen of the idol drama, and that's not a bad thing. I would have loved it if they had leaned more into the existential horror of it all. There's a part later on (mild spoilers btw) where a region of the story is literally shutting down and the lights start going off around the characters and all I could think was "wow, I wish they had done more of this kind of thing."

Feels: Although Extraordinary You couldn't live up to all my expectations and hopes for it, there is still a lot to enjoy about this drama, especially in the first half, and I hope that a lot of younger viewers coming into dramas for the first time get the chance to check this one out. It seems like it has great potential as a gateway drama. It's certainly a better option for the uninitiated than Boys Over Flowers, which was my gateway, and sets the bar considerably higher.

Would I recommend Extraordinary You? Probably, especially for shoujo fans, people who like stories with meta story levels, or new drama fans.

7.5/10

#extraordinary you #a day found by chance #haru find by chance #exit review #kim hye yoon #rowoon #lee jae wook #kdrama reviews

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bellamygateoldblog · 4 years

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The 100 Aesthetic/Preferences Tag

Tagged by: @blodreina-noumou ty babe!!

This is a tag game about AESTHETICS, not content, plot, characterization, etc. Just keep that in mind.

Rank the seasons from favorite to least favorite:

2 > 1 > 3 > 5 > 4 (me, petty: *won’t even put 6 on the ranking*)

2 - I think 2 has Octavia’s best look, very ‘Grounder In Training’ which was really really cute lol. Then there was the beginning of Clarke’s desent into grime, from pristine princess to getting weighed down with the dirt of her own emotions and percieved obligations and I liked to see it.

1 - everyone is clean and baby-faced and it reminds me of a simpler time. Was a fan of guard!Bellamy hair gel and all, it really brought out the douche in him. This season has my favourite Raven (she GLOWS) and Clarke Sky Babe looks. Jasper’s goggles. Dropship site was iconic.

3 - I appreciated the grimy aesthetic of season three because they really committed to the Goin’ Thru It.

The drastic shift in Jasper’s look was something I really liked. His boyish features are gone and now merely a ghost of innocence remains, in it’s place we have a more mature, hardened demeanor in the form of facial hair and a lack of cute, floppy hairstyle.

5 - we got the spacekru ‘clan’ look! In previous seasons we’ve seen clans have markers indicating who they belong to, Trikru with their earthy colours and wearing leaves, Azgeda with their furs and white paints, and Floukru with their ocean imagery, and now we see the survivors of apocalypse in their bluish-grey space tones styled in a way that makes it absolutely clear they’re all apart of the same group. We see a new headscarf for Emori, still very much herself but refashioned. And no glove! She’s completely comfortable with her new family. The scarf was very unique to her character so someone tell me why after all this they completely threw it out for season 6? Oh yeah it’s because season 6 isn’t real, it didn’t happen, I do Not See It.

All the boys glo-ed up. Loved that. All the girls started wearing their hair looser, Raven has her two strands sneaking out of her signature ponytail- she still very much looks like ‘Raven’ but everyone just in general looks more relaxed, like they’ve had a breather. In terms of the world, I loved the stark differences in the three main locations, and every one of them felt haunting but in different ways. Ghost lands. The wasteland of 5 was almost reminicent of the desert back in season 2, now devistated. The bunker was suffocating and chilling. The valley felt weirdly sinister in all it’s colours.

4 - eventually everyone looked peak skaikru, no longer delinquents in their various multi-coloured bomber jackets, marking their youth, but fully-fledged members of their group. I liked the way s4 almost paralleled s1 in look, they’re all wearing the same colours, but while they are all technically clean, they still look less presentable and exhausted compared to S1. Bellamy, again, like in season 1, is in his guard uniform but it’s more an upgraded and more mature version. In a way it looked like we came full circle. And Clarke and Octavia both going back to a more skaigirl hairstyle was the cherry on top. Luna’s costumes are probably my favourites on the entire show. I have no idea how we went from costumes of such intricasy and consistency to...’what in the name of halloween store clearance sale is that?’ in season 6.

6 - sanctum’s costumes were literally so ugly i don’t even wanna talk about it please don’t make me do it...

ok i go

1) Controversial ik but Emori’s Prime dress missed the mark. I liked the addition of the cape, but, again, it was so bare otherwise. There was no embroidery, no jewels, and the accessories they did give her were clunky and looked cheap. It looked too prom night. She was supposed to be royalty. And she didn’t look like it at all.

2) Absolutely hated the fact they put a pound of makeup on each of the space sisters’ faces. And the fact they gave them all unnaturally curled hair. Meanwhile Clarke and Octavia still somewhat look natural and ordinary so...what’s going on? And why?

Rank Clarke’s hair each season from best to worst:

1 > 6 > 2 > 4 > 5 > 3

some thoughts;

Not a fan of her season 4 hair, and i can’t articulate my dislike very well but why’d her roots get so dark? She never had dark roots in season 1, this character is a natural blonde, and yet over the seasons they became progressively darker and tbh? It started to irritated me. Also I don’t think the cut framed her face quite right? SOMETHING okay? Something about it......

Rank Bellamy’s hair/beard each season from best to worst:

3 > 1,2,4,6 < 5

The real debate: Bellamy in the blue shirt or the tan?

They both look the same to me. lol. Blue.

Clarke’s blue dress or pink dress?

Neither. Both weren’t very good looking. If you were holding me at gun point I’d say blue, but the cut did the opposite of help. And if they were gonna have a moment where Clarke, oblivious to her own *ethereal beauty* and not like the other girls, walks down the stairs ready to throw her hair into a messy bun and get sold to One Direction, they could’ve at least put her in a more suitable dress. Something a bit more glamourous, sophisticated, something to justify the 10 people in the room staring up at her in awe. It’s such a casual, tasteless dress? And she isn’t even wearing shoes? She isn’t wearing anything shiny, she didn’t do anything to her hair. We saw what other dresses and accessories Delilah had in her closet, the yellow and pink soft-flowing, feminine classy dresses and the pretty headwear she wore in her own short time in the season. But you give Clarke, your protagonist, that unflattering one? One that she so clearly hastily threw on and headed out in? She got two outfit changes, while none of the other main girls got any at all, and they were both ugly LIKE what was even the point?

Favorite Raven season: Her season 1 baby face just cannot be beat, she looks beautiful. And I only use that word very particularly.

Raven’s ark vest or red bomber jacket?

how about that red popper shirt from season 4

Raven’s ponytail or her s6 look?

Ponytail. It’s Raven. S6 look betrayed what her character was about.

Favorite Octavia season: 2! I love the baby grounder look.

Octavia’s hair in s2 (the braids) or s4 (the ponytail)?

The braids just because they were more interesting to look at.

Blodreina or Skairipa?

Blodreina. Like I said somewhere up there ^ that whole costume was a breath of fresh air.

Favorite Murphy season: S5!

Murphy with long hair or short hair?

I appreciated the rat boy look while it lasted, but the short hair makes him look good, while his other hairstyles pretty much were just there to contribute to the climate of his character.

Favorite Monty season: 5. Bout time they made him look grown. He’s actually a pretty ruthless and passive aggressive kid, the fact he looked so sweet in previous seasons really tricked a lot of the fanbase into believing he was some tiny cinnamon roll.

Favorite overall episode: I’m awful at seperating episodes. I just can’t do it lol

Favorite scene of all time: I just don’t have the best memory for these things. I quite liked the reveal of Blodreina, the transition is takes from Cooper in the very first arena fight to current day, and it switches from blue to red, and slowly reveals Blodreina. The music change gave me chills. Everything about the scene just felt really dark and eery. I was uncomfortable. And I loved it.

Biggest wish for s7: Visually/aesthetically, decide which style you’re going for. I’ve said this before somewhere but Sanctum was a confusing mess of sci-fi, royal, prom night, and divergent amity. Pick one and get back to me.

I want a better designed world. I want all the set and costume designers to actually communicate and work together to make the world look like something professional and not a cosplay convention on a cheap set with a big paper mache castle.

Also I’d love for all the girls to not be all dolled-up. Give Raven her ponytail back, I’ll even settle for the low pony. Give Emori her headscarf back. And go get them all some face wipes. Maybe give someone other than Clarke an oppurtunity to wear something besides their murder gear. And maybe make that something actually good looking. Put some effort in. Sheesh.

I don’t follow many people and most of the ones I do are hibernating lol. I fully encourage someone to steal this. But in the meantime: @johnmurphysreddit @awesomenell65

#the 100 #tag game

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he-is-lightning-in-a-bottle · 6 years

Text

McDanno Quotes that Kill Me

This is actual, real life dialog. I PROMISE!

Danny, to Steve: “Well don’t just stand there and be handsome. Say something.”

Danny, to Steve: “Wow, look at you. You clean up nice, babe.”

Steve, to Danny: “I love you.” Danny: “I love you, too.” (They actually exchange I Love Yous all the frickin’ time, but I’m including this one from 7x01 because of the way Steve says it. It’s like he thinks their mutual love is the solution to the problem they’re fighting about.)

Kono, later in that same episode, to the team, about Steve & Danny, in a singsong voice: “Aw. They in love again.”

Danny, to Steve: “You’re a half-baked cookie. Soft. Gooey in the middle.... That’s why I love you, babe.”

Danny, to Steve: “You’re like a big marshmallow filled with testosterone.” (Honestly, I think there must be even more quotes of Danny comparing Steve to sweet food that he wants to eat, but I can’t find them right now. Let’s just say this is A THING.)

Danny, to Steve: “You are a whacked out control freak, but I love you.”

Steve, to Danny, after a counselor suggested that Danny was causing Steve too much stress with all his worry about Steve’s health: “Don’t change. I love you, man, the way you are.”

Danny, on the phone to Steve: “You, um, you miss me, don’t you?” Steve: “Oh yeah, I wish you were here, but you don’t swim.” Danny, bickering: “I don’t swim? I swim. Very well, actually. I just choose not to.” Steve, bickering: “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Eavesdropper, to Steve: “You talking to your wife?” Steve: “I’m talking to my partner.” (Nevermind that this just makes the dude think you’re gay, Steve, NOT that you’re talking to your work partner.)

Joe, after Danny tries to bicker with him while Steve is absent: “Is this what you and Steve do? Bicker like an old married couple?”

Prisoners in a prison yard, after seeing Danny & Steve bickering: “How long you two been married?”

A new co-worker, after seeing Danny & Steve bickering: “How long have you two been married?” (This seems to be a running theme.)

(In fact, they even call themselves married!) Danny, to Steve, “Because our marriage has become predictable.”

And later, Steve asks Danny, after Danny doesn’t understand why his making retirement plans (which at this point don’t include Steve) should hurt Steve’s feelings: “Okay, let me ask you a question. If you were still married to Rachel, and you made a decision like this, a big decision that affected her, how would she feel if you didn't tell her about it?” Danny: “Are you comparing my failed marriage to our relationship?” Steve: “Are you gonna answer the question?” Danny: “She'd be upset.” Steve, as if Danny’s just totally made Steve’s point (because they’re married, too, right?): “Thank you.”

Steve, smiling to Danny, while Danny’s holding up a thong: “You gonna get an evidence bag or are you gonna put that thing on?" (Jesus Christ, this is some serious FLIRTING.)

Danny, standing between Steve’s spread open legs in a doctor’s office, staring at his shirtless chest: “Now, if you would please do me this one favor.” Steve: “No, I will not bend over and cough, with your cold hands.” Danny: “It’s not that kind of favor.” (Yes, they are really flirting here, as there is literally no other interpretation of these words.)

Steve, on the phone to a very frustrated Danny who doesn’t like that Steve can’t answer any of his questions because they’re all classified: “It's protocol Danny. I'm sorry but I can't answer your questions right now, I gotta go alright?” Danny, challenging the notion that it’s all classified: “Well I got an easy one: What are you wearing?” Steve: (stops mid-stride and smiles, opens his mouth to talk but closes it) Danny: “You know what? Don't answer it. I'm sure it's top secret so I will take a guess. (pauses) Cargo pants!” Steve: (who of course is wearing cargo pants, smiles even bigger) “Goodbye Daniel.” (Is it just me, or was Steve totally thinking that Danny was coming on to him there for a second?)

Danny, to Steve, proving he’s not remotely disturbed by people assuming he’s gay: “I personally would have gone with the gay thing to keep our cover.”

Steve, holding out his hand to Danny when he realizes Danny’s claustrophobia is kicking in: “Here. You can hold my hand.”

Danny, to Steve, after Danny flew all the way to Afghanistan to make sure Steve was rescued: “What are you looking at me like that for?” Steve: “I can’t believe you flew all this way.”

Earlier, when the military brass came in and wanted Danny to leave Steve’s bedside: “Hear me? You're gonna need to step outside.” Danny: “No, no, no. I'm gonna stay right here with him.” Military Brass: “Excuse me?” Danny: “I'm not a soldier; you don't have any authority over me. So I'm gonna stay put.”

Danny, to Chin, about what Steve’s body language means: “And he just switched the phone from his right hand to his left hand, which means he wants to punch something.” Chin: “Well, you know your boy well.”

Danny, to Steve, upon seeing him in his dress uniform: “Wow. You, uh, you look, uh, very nice. Suit, tie, it’s good.” Steve: “It’s for you. I wore it for you.”

Steve, to Danny: “What’s up, good-looking?”

Steve, to Danny, after getting a giant hug from Danny’s daughter after rescuing them both from a hostage situation: “What? Nothing? No hug? Nothing?” Danny: “I am so happy to see you right now I’ll give you a hug, I’ll give you a kiss, pick a base.” (I’m not the only one who thinks Steve picked the wrong base in response to this, am I?)

Harry, to Steve and Danny after witnessing their bickering: “I mean, don't get me wrong, it's clearly coming from a place of love. That's why you're going into the restaurant trade together. Can't bear to be apart, right?”

Steve, to Danny, about a couple that’s breaking up: “Hey, what about therapy? They try therapy? It worked for us.” Danny: “I don't know, it seemed pretty definitive. He's the one who wants the divorce, not her.” Eavesdropper: “Did you just say us?” Steve, to Danny, ignoring the eavesdropper: “You know what you need to do? You need to call Stan. Man to man, talk to him. See if you can convince him to give it another shot.” Eavesdropper, tired of them ignoring his VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION: “Wait a second, you two lovebirds have a therapist?” Danny: “Yeah, we got a therapist.”

Steve, to Danny, after Danny hired a stress counselor to follow Steve around all day and give him advice on how to reduce his stress levels (honestly this whole conversation is just a great big ball of WOW HOLY SHIT): “Let me ask you a question. What's with micromanaging my health all of a sudden? What's going on?” Danny, after a pause: “Okay, because I'm scared that you're not taking this seriously.” Steve: “Why would you say that?” Danny: “When you told me that you had radiation poisoning, it was you were very casual. It was like, uh, you were telling me you had, uh, eczema or something like that. And it was the same thing with the liver. I give you my liver, you don't follow any of the post-op instructions. You don't take nothing seriously. That's why.” Steve, dismissively: “You're exaggerating, all right? You're overexaggerating.” Danny: “I'm not overexaggerating. I am genuinely scared for your health. Okay? I lay up at night, I'm sick about it. I can't sleep. I almost called that therapist to try to get another session.” Steve, taken aback by Danny’s sincerity: “Why wouldn't you say something to me?” Danny: “What am I gonna say to you? That -- that I'm stressed about the fact that you are not taking this thing seriously about your own health? I mean, I... I'm not gonna put that on you. It's my own thing. Wh -- What am I gonna say to you?” Steve, looking a little humbled: “I'm scared, too, man. I know I don't I... I don't show it, but deep down, I'm scared. You think I don't want to live a long life? You think I don't want to maybe get married someday? Have my own kids? I love your kids. All right, Charlie, Gracie, I want to watch them grow up.” Steve, to Danny, after Danny asks him to be his partner in retirement too: “I believe in you. I believe in us.”

#mcdanno #hawaii five 0 #h50 #steve mcgarrett #danny williams

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3w-writer-with-wings · 5 years

Note

Maybe Judai for the ask thing? (ㆁᴗㆁ✿) if that hasn't been done of course ^^

Why I like them/why I don’t

To be honest I didn’t like Judai that much at first. He was cute but other than that he was just an average overpowered character to me and his outgoing persona didn’t really help. The first time I watched GX it was in my native language dub and Judai happened to have the same voice as a character from another show that was extremely annoying, so I wasn’t that fond of him at all. Around the end of the first season, the airing stopped and I continued with English dub and while he was slightly likeable with a different voice I still didn’t like his character at all. But then season 3 happened… and it changed my mind. He felt like an entirely different person and the plot finally started getting interesting. It was like the new season made him start taking things seriously and with each new episode, it felt like he slowly started revealing his true self. And at that point, it finally started making sense why he was so happy and outgoing the first two seasons - he was lonely as a child and card games was the only thing that made him happy, so it makes sense that once he got accepted to school all about card games where he met new friends made him all excited. This was already hinted once in season 2, after his loss to Edo where he could no longer see cards and was convinced he has nothing else to do in Duel Academy so he just left. From all protagonists, Judai has by far the most unique development and from where VRAINS is now, Yusaku is likely to follow Judai’s journey of self-discovery. In a way, both of them are complex characters that are dealing with their breaking points in their own way.

One other thing that I really love about Judai is his ability to talk with Duel Spirits. There have been several characters in other series with the same ability, but no one had as much focus as Judai had. I absolutely loved his connection to Yubel, about how obsessed she became with him to the point of hurting other people and how much she wanted to protect him at the same time. The fact that Judai uses Super Fusion in order to merge them together was a really nice conclusion and in a way, it symbolized the fact that Judai matured.

What I like about their appearance

The fact how normal he looks compared to other protagonists XD. Like seriously all protagonists are either embodiment of rainbows (Yuya and Yuma) or edginess (Yugi, Yusei, Yusaku) and Judai is just an ordinary teenager in a simple school uniform and a puffy hairdo that looks like a Kuriboh.

Do I prefer their dub names or original names?

Judai and Jaden sound very similar so I tend to switch them depending on the situation because some of my friends are not familiar with his original name. In my fanfics I use his original name most of the time, but honestly, both versions sound okay and are not that different compared to some other dub names.

OTP

Spiritshipping all the way! Judai X Johan is not only my favourite GX OTP but my second favourite OTP of all Yugioh series! (they are just a little behind Keyshipping and Puzzleshipping). From the first episode where Johan showed up when Ruby and Winged Kuriboh played together and when Judai welcomed Johan to the Duel Academy, I knew there was something special about to happen. And boy was I not ready for this! The way those two dorks interacted with each other, how others described Johan as “Judai with a southern accent” and just every scene where they showed up together - it was a blessing! And when Judai went to look for him and how he sank deeper and deeper in depression while trying to find him was absolutely heartbreaking. And when Johan came back and Judai was instantly better was just so wholesome to watch. In my headcanon they really are more than friends, they just don’t show it that obviously and I’m completely fine with it. Their personal lives shouldn’t interfere with the plot and deep down I believe that they settled down once Judai returned from his travels. In my perfect reality, they founded a school for people who can also talk with the Duel Spirits and the two of them help others control their abilities.

NOTP

I’m not really sure about Fusionshipping… It just doesn’t feel like a ship at all. I already hate Ryou’s overall character since really, he duels just for power. To him, Judai is not even a rival, just a mere opponent that might pique his interest if he is strong enough. Even in the show, he appeared only when the plot demanded him to do so and had little to none motivations other than power. I completely lost respect for him when he said he wanted to duel Supreme King aka. Judai’s alter ego ALL WHILE JUDAI WAS UNCONSCIOUS AND SUFFERING FROM TRAUMA INDUCED FEVER JUST A FEW METERS AWAY FROM HIM. Like dude chill out, not everything is about power. I was so glad Edo called him out on it cuz seriously this dude would be the worst possible boyfriend. It was even worse when he tried to “help” Judai overcome his trauma cuz really he had zero empathy to help someone as traumatized as Judai. If those two were to date, it would either be over fast or would result in a really unhealthy relationship.

OT3

Competitorshipping or Jun X Judai X Johan is actually something I didn’t know I liked. I do ship Judai with both Jun and Johan, but I’ve never really seen all three of them together. This all changed when I got a request as a secret santa to make a story with three of them as a functioning relationship. I wanted to change a request at first since I’m not keen on writing threesomes, but the more I thought about it more I thought it could work. So in my story, I made Jun and Judai into childhood friends that befriend a transfer student Johan and together they become roommates during their college years. After graduation, they separate for a few years, Judai travelling overseas to pursue his career in acting and coming book illustrating, Jun marrying and getting a son and Johan opening his own clinic. Eventually, they all live together again since Judai gets a new job nearby and Jun divorces and gets custody of his son. Johan and Judai help him raise his son and the story continues with Johan and Judai adopting a child (my OC). If you’re interested you can read it here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16790146/chapters/39405268 I still have three more chapters to go. While I was writing it, I realized just how much the three of them interact in the anime, especially with all bonding over the fact that they can talk to Duel Spirits. It’s a relationship that could as well work and I’m sure they feel the same way about it.

The favourite card they use

It might be useless, but Winged Kuriboh is by far my favourite monster in the whole GX. It’s simple but gives away just enough nostalgia to make it work. I love how much Judai interacts with it and in a way Winged Kuriboh is his constant companion, providing him comfort whenever it can. I also love how it used to belong to Yugi and was given to Judai because “something was telling him it belongs with him” like Yugi could hear its voice. In my headcanon, Yugi knew Judai was a reincarnation of the Supreme King and gave him Winged Kuriboh so the spirit could help him control his power. Winged Kuriboh is not just a spirit, it is Judai’s partner.

The favourite moment they were in

When Judai merged with Yubel it was like Judai made a huge step in his life. For the first two seasons, he approached his problems with confidence and a grin on his face. He was having fun, not really thinking about his actions. This was all a mask to run away from his past of loneliness and fear. With season 3 the past finally caught up with him and he was forced to face it. Yubel wanted him back after she was discarded and Judai knew it, afraid she would find him again. After seeing his friends fading away, succumbing to Supreme’s King power and being scared of using Fusion, Judai is literally lost of what is he supposed to do. In the end, he finally faces Yubel, claiming all responsibility on himself. It may seem like Judai succumbed to his yandere stalker when he played Super Fusion, but from what I’ve seen it, he did it as a way to apologize. It’s true that it was his parents who sent Yubel to space and he couldn’t do anything about it, but for someone who has a superhero deck, this was Judai’s heroic sacrifice. He was scared and unsure of what could happen, but in that single moment, he made a very mature decision. He knew Yubel would only stop once the two of them are together again and he did it so his friends would be saved. This was when he truly acted as a hero, giving everything up to save someone who has been putting him in so many dangerous situations, because when he forgave Yubel he was ready for the true battle.

Least favourite moment

A basically entire first and second season when he acted like the way overpowered character. I know this was necessary for his later character development, but some episodic plotlines and duels were just plain stupid and completely unnecessary considering how many of them were there already.

Would I fuck, marry or kill them

How about if he adopts my child OC? XD Yeah I would definitely marry this dork. He is sweet, childish and full of energy and at the same time he is mature and knows how to handle the situation. In my slice-of-life headcanon he is an actor and comic book artist, living with his partner Johan and together they raise their shy adoptive son. I think he would make a great dad and would be great with kids in general, like organizing birthday parties, babysitting and having art workshops with children.

(Here’s Judai with my OC from my fanfic Safe in Your Arms ;) I used several references for this drawing )

#Judai Yuki #yugioh gx #yugioh series #Spiritshipping #johan andersen #chazz princeton #jaden yuki #the child on the drawing is my OC that shows up in multiple fanfics of mine #look for Hunter13Hawkie on AO3 and Safe in Your Arms #I drew the sketch #I'll color it soon

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ptw30 · 5 years

Note

So you're saying this theory about Shiro being bp in pre-production, it expanded upon s7 to s8? I thought it'd be just the scripts but there're so many inconsistecies with lion color and lines it baffles me. If they had almost two seasons ready, why would they put effort in remaking them, wouldn't that make up for a higher budget? why would DW EPs change their minds about the former version? (also, I'm sure this means there's no alt s8, just a s8 over a s8)

So which of the four people I started to explain this theory to are you?

To clarify - no, they didn’t change the Black Paladin role from Shiro to Keith in pre-production. According to this -

(Keith’s panel is double the size of everyone else and off-center, thus taking over Lotor’s panel.)

- the EPs changed Seasons 7 & 8 in post-production.

The Theory: Seasons 7 & 8 were a mess because essentially, we were watching different parts of Seasons 3-6 that were re-purposed following the insertion of the clone subplot.

After watching Voltron: Legendary Defender Season 8 and seeing how Allura and Kuron’s struggles paralleled, I realized - they don’t parallel. These struggles match. Honerva invades Kuron’s mind just like she invaded Allura’s, is connected to Kuron and Allura through some sort of mind-link, and eventually is able to override Kuron’s mind while Allura receives visions in hers.But why would the EPs and writers do the same fight over? Why would they choose to redo parts of the story, rather than advancing the plot?That got me thinking about other theories about reused episodes. Coupled with “Knights of Light” being Shiro’s paladin journey sans Shiro - it occurred to me – Seasons 7 and 8 are, in part, Seasons 3-6. And thus – here’s what I think the original order of the episodes were, heavily influenced by interviews and foreshadowing, and most likely, a bit of bias, too.

Season 3 (released as Seasons 3 & 4)

Season 3 up to “Hole in the Sky” was originally plotted and shown as is; however, we know from EP interviews that “Reunion” was originally slated after “Hole in the Sky” and “The Legend Begins” was a two-parter.

After the clone subplot was conceived, “Reunion” was pushed back, “The Legend Begins” cut to one episode (but footage reused later), and “The Journey” inserted. The reused footage of Lotor’s ships and Shiro being added after the fact (where he barely interacts with the rest of the paladins) puts most scenes from “The Road Home” and “The Way Forward” in Season 3.

I also want to add in here – while the EPs said they wanted Shiro to die at the end of S2, they originally said earlier that the execs told them Shiro couldn’t be out a full season. That means Shiro was slated to return – my guess within 26 episodes, a full production season, not a full release season (which is 13 episodes).

So I surmise Season 3 originally looked something like this:

Changing of the Guard

Red Paladin

The Hunted

Hole in the Sky

Reunion

Matt and Kuron’s Keith’s reunion in “Black Site” with parts of“Trailing the Comet”

The Legend Begins Part 1

The Legend Begins Part 2 (with the flashbacks we saw originally in “Knights of Light” Part 1 and 2)

Code of Honor (switching out the scene with Kuron for a scene with Kolivan; Keith returns to save the team) and/or The Journey Within

Fight scenes from “The Road Home” with paladins being captured/Zethrid and Ezor torture scenes/Black Site ending

The Voltron Show

Begin the Blitz

A New Defender

Just want to add – I wonder if originally, the five paladins stuck their bayards into their lions in “A New Defender” to give Voltron that extra punch, rather than Allura powering up Voltron with a deus ex machina. Then Lance seeing Shiro in the Void would have been the cliffhanger, not Keith almost dying. That would also explain why Keith’s near-death experience was never addressed by the team - cuz originally, it didn’t happen.

Season 4 (released as Seasons 5 & 6)

An early theory by @sol1056 was that Keith was the second son of Zarkon, born in the rift. It makes sense, particularly since Krolia had no bearing on the plot other than birthing Keith. Sure, she found the Blue Lion on Earth, but as the Galra Empire was originally announced to be misogynistic, and thus having no female warriors other than Lotor’s generals – then Krolia was never meant to be a Galra soldier and therefore, could have not found the Blue Lion.

I surmise – from Zarkon’s seemingly infiltrating Shiro’s mind in the pilot episode, to Haggar being able to hack Black and Shiro’s bond literally, and Red being on Sendak’s ship, where Shiro also spent some time – Shiro helped the Galra, perhaps inadvertently or unwillingly, to locate the Red and Blue Lions.

Also, please note - Cosmo was originally inserted into this season, and as you know from previous posts, Cosmo most likely took the place of Shiro in the script, seeing as Cosmo and the Black Lion have the same teleporting abilities. (Yes, I believe the paladins were going to go all AtLA and get powers.)

For this season, I start to get a bit creative since the blanks are gaping here, as the clone subplot came to a head:

The Prisoner

Blood Duel (with Haggar remembering Keith)

Postmortem (if not in the last season finale, then here is where Shiro would yell to Lance and Keith wouldn’t have been in the Void, seeing as he’s not the Black Paladin OR Allura missing from the Void and Keith in Red’s position)

Kral Zera (a bit different, with Keith and Lotor going to Kral Zera; also, there would have been fallout from the team finding out Shiro may be alive)

Bloodlines (Lotor and Keith finding out they are related)

White Lion

Omega Shield (Allura having issues, not Kuron)

“The Colony” – changed as Keith doesn’t find Romelle (potential deletion all together)

Black Paladin redux but this time with the team finding Shiro’s body being drained by Lotor - Lotor and Keith fight

Knights of Lights Part 1 – team goes to find Shiro with Allura feeling for Shiro’s presence, not using the entity; minus the og!paladins flashbacks, which now aired in the third season; Keith says “you’re back to Shiro,” not Black.

Knights of Lights Part 2 – Keith meets Zarkon surrounded by the paladins; found family trope achieved; Shiro’s history in the arena revealed or even “A Little Adventure” flashbacks

Defenders of All Universe - Voltron vs. Sincline

Please note: “Knights of Light” is a bit of anomaly. I feel it would work better as a mid-season climax - perhaps set in Season 7 - but if Shiro was to return prior by the end of the original Season 6 and Allura was having issues due to Honerva going to Oriande, then KoL would have to be in this season.

Also, since “The Colony” was literally an eight-minute scene inserted in the middle of an episode and later, the Alteans become pawns - there’s a chance the Colony could have been deleted all together and Honerva, as Empress of the Galra Empire, still could have completed her plan.

Season 5 (released as Season 7)

This season originally had Shiro back in Black with Lance and Keith going back to their original lions. Allura would be the one on the Atlas bridge by the end of the season, not Shiro.

Considering this - as well as the re-purposed parts from Season 3-6 - here is where budget question comes in. Moving “Prisoner’s Dilemma” here so Shiro unlocks his bayard and seeing as Pidge should have gotten her bayard upgrade after Olkarion, the original Season 5 may have looked something like this:

Shiro and Keith parts from “A Little Adventure” (originally written for “Across the Universe”)

The Ruins (Shiro teleporting him and Keith)

Battle Scars

Prisoner’s Dilemma

The Last Stand Part 1

The Last Stand Part 2

Know Your Enemy

Heart of the Lion

Trial by Fire

Lions’ Pride Part 1

Lions’ Pride Part 2

Adding in here “Monsters & Mana” and “The Feud” - you have thirteen episodes overall, but my guess is these filler episodes were added to take the place of content that eventually was ejected from the plot - such as Lotor’s redemption and Shiro’s history, Lance and Blue getting back together, etc.

Season 6 (released as Season 8)

I’m not even going to guess how this season originally looked, though we can assume “Genesis,” “Uncharted Regions,” “The Zenith,” and “The End is The Beginning” were all in the original rundown but with Allura in Atlas, Lotor returning to help Voltron, and the team back to its original line-up. And seeing as Allura went to Oriande and helped build Sincline, the natural progression of her storyline would have been to change Atlas on the fly in Season 7 and then in Season 8, merge Atlas and Voltron.

But more importantly, here’s where the budget was really made up -

Launch Date (filler)

The Grudge

Genesis (maybe the White Lion wasn’t supposed to die originally)

Day Forty-Seven (filler)

Clear Day

Uncharted Regions

The Zenith

The End is the Beginning

There are only eight episodes created here - not thirteen. Coupled with using this season’s budget for “Razor’s Edge” and some of the scenes from “Bloodlines,” that brings the total to ten. By injecting the clone subplot and choosing to redo the storyline for Black Paladin!Keith, the EPs were able to cut-and-paste together the remaining episodes of this season.

There are also short cuts in production you can see, such as leaving errors in animation and/or post-production. If the EPs and team were truly making sure VLD was the best it could be, we wouldn’t have:

Shiro calling for the MFE pilots to be ready to launch, and the Iverson doing it again less than four minutes later in “Uncharted Regions”

Atlas saying that it would cover the lions and then Keith saying they were giving Atlas a shot (A shot at what? Atlas was just supposed to help) in “The Zenith”

Quintessence colors that aren’t uniform, considering Keith’s bayard now changes to the same color of Black’s tail when Shiro pilots (There is a gentleman whose sole job at DreamWorks is make sure the colors align.)

Luca coming back from the dead, Lance in Blue, Yellow having Red’s fire power in “The Zenith”

Reused dialogue lines from previous seasons and perhaps even recorded dialogue with Shiro as the Black Paladin - Shiro as part of the field team in “Day Forty-Seven,” Shiro standing in for Griffin in “Prisoner’s Dilemma,” almost Shiro’s entire dialogue from “The Grudge”

Lance and Allura’s conversations with the original paladins not making any sense in “Knights of Light,” seeing as Allura isn’t overlooked. In fact, Honerva wanted to recruit her.

Pretty much - VLD cut corners in the last seasons to make up the budget and delivered us a torn-apart story with offensive message and yet another set of ridiculous wings.

TL;DR - Who really knows what happened with VLD, but what DreamWorks delivered wasn’t the original episode rundown, seeing as the team was supposed to be in their original lion line-up by the end of the series with Allura and Lotor being alive in Atlas and Sincline, respectively. And tbh - it hurts to see what we could have had and know there was an incredible story the EPs and DreamWorks not failed to deliver but refused to.

#Voltron #voltron critical #vld season 8 #vld #shiro #it's a marketing thing #it's a business thing #meta #allura #atlas #sincline #honerva #lance #keith #voltron legendary defender

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gumnut-logic · 4 years

Text

Thunderbird XL (Part Two)

I’m feeling better now and so I was able to get my teeth into this today. It is not turning out to be what I expected it to be, but I hope you enjoy it anyway.

This fic is a sequel to Thunderbird X. Part One of Thunderbird XL can be found here.

This fic is heavy with MAJOR SPOILERS FOR 3.25 &3.26. Please be warned. It is using a lot of material from these episodes at the moment, but ultimately it is a continuation of Thunderbird X and may deviate slightly from canon for that reason. Or do whatever the heck it wants to because all my fics do that, damnit.

Many thanks to @scribbles97 for the advice and read-through. This does contain the bit from this morning, but there is lots more to follow.

Two was so familiar it hurt.

One was his daydream, but Two was his reassurance.

Virgil didn’t say anything as he helped him through the corridors. A mop of black hair was his only sight as he looked down at the big man under his arm.

But he didn’t.

They arrived at the room he expected and it was with some relief that it was what he expected.

It wasn’t until Virgil velcroed him to the bed that he saw the dent in the ceiling. “How did that happen?” It was out before he could think twice.

Virgil looked up from the tray of supplies that were not designed for an antigravity environment and frowned at the bulkhead above them.

“Oh, the exo-suit.”

“What was the exo-suit doing in here?”

Virgil pulled out a palm scanner and began a methodical examination. “Got myself trapped in it. Tried to get myself out. Didn’t go well.”

Jeff stared at the side of his son’s head, but didn’t ask the obvious question as Virgil stared at the hologram of a very battered old body above the bed.

Virgil’s hitched breath was the only sound in the room.

“I-I need to give you some supplements. A painkiller would probably be a good idea.”

“No, son. I can last a little longer. Need a clear head.”

Virgil’s eyes were on anything but his father and the hologram above him.

Jeff reached over to one of the many patches on his suit and unwrapped the seal on his arm. “You’ll need to secure it again.”

His son blinked but said nothing, administering the dose to his father and rebinding his suit with tape. “We need to get you a new uniform.”

“It is enough for the moment, Virgil. We need to get back up top and get out of here.”

Jeff eyed him. The changes were subtle. The confidence level was much stronger, more assured, despite the situation.

“Virgil, we need you up here.”

John’s voice would forever be music to his ears.

“FAB.” A swallow, and Jeff could see his son visibly gather himself. “C’mon, Dad. We have a rescue to complete.”

Detaching him from the bed, Virgil again wrapped his arm around his father and helped him through the great green ship.

Both Gordon and John were in the cockpit. The medbed had already been deployed and was ready waiting.

It very quickly became clear that he had no say in whether he was going to lie on it or not.

And his sons. His beloved sons.

He watched their every move, part of him still unable to believe that they were really there.

Virgil fussed, obviously fighting his own demons. Gordon chattered incessantly, but Jeff was so happy to hear and see him, he had no protest.

And John, his saviour…Jeff had never been one for the musical arts, that was always Lucy’s department, but to hear his boy’s voice free of static and interruption…

Reality threatened to fracture.

So, he obeyed his worrying sons and lay down on the medbed. Gravity, wasn’t a factor at the moment, but when they reached Earth it was going to be a definite problem.

Reached Earth?

He swallowed a lump in his throat as Virgil was finally urged to the pilot’s seat and the great ‘bird around them came to life.

He had to see this, so he sat up on the bed and watched.

Brains.

The joy in the man’s stuttering voice had Jeff’s heart stuttering along with it. Not only had his boys come all this way, but Brains as well?

Jeff’s heart swelled almost to breaking.

John cut off the connection and that voice was gone. Only to be replaced by those of his sons as they coordinated the return trip.

It became apparent very quickly that his boys’ skillsets had advanced considerably while he was gone.

Which really? Was to be expected, but time and memory were two different things.

The red of Thunderbird Three coasted effortlessly between spinning and colliding rocks, One and Two following best they could.

“Who taught Alan to fly like that?”

Gordon snorted. “He’s pretty much a natural.”

“You sound like your Grandma.”

His mom.

Mom.

Virgil’s tone lightened and his voice was grinning. “Yeah. Who is always right.”

Hmmm. Perhaps some things hadn’t changed.

-o-o-o-

So, the medscan was completed and the nagging stopped.

But then they arrived at the Zero XL and Brains refused to respond. It appeared that his Titanic analogy may be far too possible.

Was fate really going to do this to him? Dangle rescue and then snatch it away?

And leave his boys stranded with him?

Then International Rescue responded.

Situation called, examined, orders issued, resolution found and executed.

A moment of panic to a moment of shocked stillness. The Zero XL floated silent in space, the emptiness eating it with its lack of light.

For all its nomenclature, the ship looked nothing like its predecessor.

Was that Thunderbird Five on its bow?

“Thunderbird Two, I need options. How do we get onboard?” His eldest’s son’s voice was a balm against the emptiness. “The docking ports are still closed.”

“I’m working on it, Thunderbird One.” John’s voice was ever so calm. The communications expert flicked a switch on the dash. “Eos, do you read?”

“I’m here, John. Though I would appreciate you never doing that again.”

His son sighed. “You were safe, Eos. We’ve gone over this before.”

The female voice was strident. “That is all very well for you to say, you weren’t the one being shot at.”

Jeff frowned. Who else was aboard the Zero XL? The voice was unfamiliar and sounded very young.

“We have a time limit, Eos. Do you still have access to the Zero XL’s systems?”

“Some. You did do damage with that little trick.”

“We need to dock, Eos.”

“Do you have the password?”

“Eos!”

“You did say I should work on my humour.”

Virgil spoke briefly with Alan and his ‘bird was secured.

The moment Virgil was out of his pilot’s seat, he was beside Jeff, unstrapping him.

“Gordon, meet with Scott and secure the ship.”

“FAB.” The aquanaut’s eyes sparkled at Jeff again as Gordon briefly touched his shoulder before turning sharply and leaving through the rear door.

John was still sitting in his chair, speaking to the woman who continued to be both efficient and difficult.

“Who is she?” He said the words quietly, but Virgil heard him, his head coming up with a small smile.

“She’s Eos. John can fill you in.”

“Okay.” There was obviously a story there. “So, what’s with the EMP weaponry?” He arched an eyebrow.

Virgil’s smile vanished to be replaced with a frown and he looked down. “Brains designed it after the incident with the GDF’s rescue robots.” He cleared his throat. “A lot has happened.”

Quiet. “I’m sure it has.”

His son’s frown was targeted at the bed’s readout before Virgil reached over and lifted Jeff gently off the mattress and set him floating vertical again. “How does that feel?”

Jeff smiled just a little. “It does the job.”

Regardless, Virgil slipped his arm around his waist again and led him out of Thunderbird Two.

The difference between the interior of Two and the Zero XL was vast. He went from reassuringly familiar to alien in moments.

He missed the green immediately.

“Who built it?”

“Mostly Brains.”

“Mostly?”

Virgil didn’t answer and Alan joined them, again reaching out to hug Jeff, chattering just as happily, if not more than Gordon earlier. Virgil didn’t join in, but neither did he let go.

And then they were at the bridge of the ship. Virgil let him go and Brains was smiling up at him. It was so good to see him.

“It’s good to see you, Jeff.”

And it wasn’t him.

“It’s good to see you, too.” And he offered his hand.

The grip of his limp hand closed the deal.

Jeff spun the man around, wrenched his arm up his back and shoved him face first into the bulkhead.

-o-o-o-

End Part Two

#thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds #thunderbirds fanfiction #jeff tracy #Virgil Tracy #john tracy #gordon tracy #alan tracy #scott tracy #tag spoilers #tagspoilers

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duhragonball · 5 years

Text

Dragon Ball Z 154

Vegeta and Trunks are finally back from the Hyperbolic Time Chamber! Remember, this is a special room where one year passes inside it for every day that passes in the outside world. They were supposed to have come out several episodes ago, but for some reason they ran late.

So what were they doing in there? Trunks claims that they managed to surpass the Super Saiyan form after just two months, but Vegeta wanted to keep working on it until it was just right, but before he can specify any details, Vegeta shushes him. He also discourages Goku from using the Time Chamber himself, since there won’t be any need. Vegeta plans to defeat all of their enemies single-handedly. The others can’t believe that, because they know how much stronger Cell has become, but Vegeta’s full of confidence. What, for a change?

Meanwhile, Bulma flies up to the Lookout in her aircraft. Once upon a time, it was said that airplanes couldn’t fly up to the top of Korin’s Tower. So I don’t know if this is a plot hole or Bulma’s tech happens to be that much better.

Also, the Nyoibo is still being shown connecting Korin’s Tower to the Lookout.

Elsewhere, the androids have taken refuge on an island, where they hope Cell won’t be able to find them. Fortunately, they’s invisible to ki senses, and they don’t need much in the way of provisions. There’s birds on the island, so 16 is all set.

18′s not as thrilled about this hideout as he is, though.

Notably, 18 is amazed that 16 went out of his way to help her and 17 against Cell, even though he was built solely for killing Goku. I mean, the same could be said about 18, since she helped 16 flee the island to come here, and she was built to kill Goku. I never quite understand why characters treat 16 as unique among androids. They were all built to destroy Goku. I guess the fact that 16′s all-mechanical means that he was never originally a human with any other goals, but still.

Bulma shows up on the Lookout and learns about the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. She’s surprised by how much Future Trunks has grown, and then she asks why Vegeta’s hair didn’t grow out over the past day. Vegeta explains that Saiyan hair doesn’t grow like human hair. So I guess this is why Trunks and Gohan have hairstyle changes while Goku and Vegeta don’t.

Anyway, Bulma’s here to hand out Saiyan uniforms that she made based on Vegeta’s old outfit. Vegeta and Trunks change into them because they needed new clothes anyway, while Goku and Gohan switch into them because hey, free clothes.

Piccolo and Tien, however, are like “fuck Vegeta and fuck his clothes too.” I don’t know why Bulma made these for everyone. Piccolo can literally make his own clothing, for one thing. I can see Trunks wanting a set, but that’s about it. But I get the impression that Bulma has some sort of uniform fetish going on here.

Goku offers to teleport Vegeta to Cell, but Vegeta’s like “fuck Goku and fuck his instant transmission too.” Something I hadn’t noticed before, but Vegeta and Trunks’ uniforms have turtlenecks, while Goku and Gohan’s have an open collar.

So now it’s finaly time for Goku and Gohan to take their turn in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, but first, there’s one thing Goku wants to take care of, and it’s really important .............................................................................................. ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. .............................................................................................................................................................can we get something to eat before we start? Ha ha ha ha ha. There’s food in the chamber you big goof.

Meanwhile, Cell seems to have narrowed down his search to an archipelago not far from the previous battlefield. I’m not sure I follow his logic, since he thinks this is the only place they could have reached with 16 being as injured as he is. Why wouldn’t they have hidden underwater? Why couldn’t 18 have flown into outer space? Who’s to say that they aren’t still flying to some other place further away? For that matter, Cell seems to be basing all of this on the idea that 18 wouldn’t just ditch 16 to save her own skin. This is actually true, but how would he know that?

Anyway, Cell’s strategy is to just yell really really loud and threaten to destroy every island until she comes out of hiding. One of the islands has a city on it, and the populace is confused to say the least. Also, this city is home to the guy with a T-shirt that reads “THE SUPER SAIYAN” on it. He’s never heard of Super Saiyans, and neither did the guy who sold him the shirt, but he’s rockin’ that look anyway.

Cell is so friggin’ loud that they can hear him all the way over at Master Roshi’s island. Well, at least they know what’s going on.

The problem with Cell’s threat is that everyone knows he can’t risk killing 18 or then he’ll be stuck. But he insists that he’ll destroy the islands anyway.

16 assures 18 that Cell won’t really go through with it but then he starts blowing up islands, startng with the one that’s populated. R.I.P. “The Super Saiyan” T-Shirt.

So, minor spoilers here, but later on, the Dragon Balls get used to wish back all the people Cell killed, but what does that do for the people who were living here? Do they just reappear in the middle of the ocean? Would Shenron restore the island they were on as a courtesy? Or would he place them on the shore of the nearest continent?

Even though Cell’s not bluffing, 16 insists that they’re better off staying put. He reasons that Cell is only using enough power to destroy the islands, but not enough to damage 18, so no matter what happens, she’ll survive. But 18 figures that won’t help 16, since he’s hurt. Okay, true, but when he was healthy, he turned out to be stronger than 18, so maybe he’d hold up better than we think.

Interally, 16 wonders why Cell is so driven to become perfect. I always though this was a dub thing, but it’s in the Japanese version too. The reason I thought it was a dub-ism is because it seems kind of pointless. Cell already explained his motivations to Piccolo several episodes ago, and 16′s the one who refused to fight anyone but Goku. If anyone understands the compulsion to follow a program, it’s him.

Anyway, Goku’s hongry.

He eats like eight bowls of stir fry or something, then has an apple for dessert.

While this is going on, Bulma watches Trunks climb one of the columns. Aww...

And then they enter the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. Not much that I can say, since we already saw this part when Trunks and Vegeta used it before.

#dragon ball #2019dbliveblog #goku #perfect cell saga #vegeta #trunks #gohan #piccolo #tien #android 18 #semiperfect cell #cell #android 16 #bulma #mr popo

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startrekvigilant · 5 years

Text

episode one introduces us first to a specific family living on earth. this scene takes place somewhere in north america, and these characters are all to be played by aboriginal actors.

a father daughter duo are camping in the woods.

the father brings a large game to the traditional campsite where the daughter is playing with futuristic toys. the father calls out her name, she switches off her game and runs out to him. He teaches the daughter something about the hunt or preparing the meat, maybe tells her a silly story of what happened when he was out hunting or something and it's a nice bonding moment.

the father tells his daughter to go tell her mother they can start getting ready for dinner and she gets on a teleporter to her home.

instantly we shift focus away from the forest to this beautiful high-tech kitchen, in the centre of which is a large table surrounded by the rest of the daughter's family.

at the head of the table is the mother, where the daughter runs up and tells her mother what her father told her. every body begins talking about tonight's big meal when the daughter's older sister walks into the kitchen in full starfleet regalia.

the mother sees her first daughter and comments on her new uniform. everyone is impressed with her promotion and she mentions that she has to go to pluto before the unveiling of a new telescope, which means missing the big family gathering. the older daughter is upset but her mother promises to save her favourite dish which cheers her up.

so now the story follows the older daughter as she leaves her home and teleports to the starfleet academy in san francisco. she'll be walking through large crowds of people, introducing the audience to the diversity of earth in this century.

from the academy she gets in a shuttle pod to a docking station in orbit, where she'll wander the halls trying to find the starship she needs. she'll follow a big crowd of people in one direction, but get stopped by a ticket master who tells her these ships are warp 5 destinations and they'll pass right by pluto. they have a conversation, then she's directed to the warp 1 terminal.

as she walks there she passes groups of children, all heading in the same direction as her. there are also a lot of tourists in these halls, of many different species.

she rounds a corner and suddenly there's the vigilant.

it's meant to be a triumphant moment for the audience, and the cinematography will be an homage to the earlier movies but the characters on screen don't feel the same excitement we do. they clearly recognize this ship as old and junky, but at first the audience doesn't notice that.

the older daughter will then board the ship where she will be greeted by Rex, the captain. Rex is going to be either hungover or slightly tipsy but this is where the older daughter will theoretically pass the baton to shift focus onto him, and we can introduce the rest of the cast and begin the episode.

so most of the vigilant crew is introduced in the first episode, except for david and theeca, who will each be introduced in the second episode.

After we pass the focus onto rex, we'll go on a quick tour around the ship to show the audience how it operates and who operates it.

After rex the biggest characters we meet are the medical bay main crew: cecil, justine, and tony (Chief Medical Officer, Head Nurse and Med Bay Ensign, respectively), who will always be seen dealing with some sort of highjinks in the background (or foreground) of an episode.

From there we go to the engine room to see the patchwork of tech from different centuries and meet delvox and george (it will be established over the course of this season that delvox is the main reason this ship is still in space now even though it's been in service for 140+ years, and george is his ever-eager assistant).

After that we walk the halls, where we meet muurk, a security officer, for the first time. The conversation with muurk ends, rex continues to the bridge, and as he ambles through the halls the many side characters will quickly be introduced to be seen later in this season and beyond. This ship will have around 150 crew members in total (the number might fluctuate time to time) and I think it's vital to have the same actors- the same people - as often as possible to really establish how small of a ship it is.

By now rex is at the bridge, where he interacts with midge at the communications centre. bayta zee will be at her security station, and hank at the helm with a very frightened unnamed human ensign in a red shirt navigating beside him. This is where we can begin the episode "for real."

The idea is that the vigilant has been hired by the lunar school board to take large groups of children on a tour of the solar system. one of these kids will eventually reveal themselves to be a telepathic alien. this kid is adopted, and before they got on the vigilant they had a fight with their adoptive parents and now are determined to run away to their "real home planet."

so they take over rex's mind (which was easy for the child to do since rex had been steadily drinking all day) and divert the tour lightyears off course. the home the child is searching for has long since been destroyed by internal conflicts, and eventually they will relinquish their mental hold over the captain.

At the end of the episode we're back orbiting around earth, the children and teachers have all left and rex has snuck away from the bridge to go to the surface. He does this frequently; run off to a transporter or shuttlepod once back in earth's orbit to disappear into his favourite bar - Homeworld - and drink real alcohol while still on active duty.

Homeworld Bar is a nice place, a small yurt in the literal middle of nowhere, earth. It lies at the centre point of four dirt roads where the borders of china, kazakhstan, mongolia, and russia used to be. Filled with various knick-knacks, it has dim lighting but a warm atmosphere. there are always under a dozen people inside, including staff.

The first time we see it is the ending of the first episode, where Rex has slunk off to after having his mind controlled for the entire day by a six year old throwing a temper tantrum. Usually, no one notices that he's gone since the missions are so very menial. However this time it's different, this time Rex actually needs to be doing his job. His navigator is dead, his ship went thousands of light years off course and all he was supposed to do was go out as far as the cometary nuclei and back.

Basically, he's in for some deep shit.

Admiral Holiday makes his first ever appearance, hailing the Vigilant only for the crew to discover he's left the ship completely and no one bothered to stop him, again. They bring up the admiral on screen where he yells furiously at the crew, and then notices the captain is no where to be seen. He cuts the feed abruptly and the remaining main bridge crew (Hank, Bayta, and Midge) just look at each other desperately.

We cut then to the homeworld bar. The sun is streaming thru in dusty beams, the air is a little smoky and there are maybe two other people quietly talking and drinking in the corner.

Rex is slumped over the bar, three drinks already finished around him and a fresh one in his fist. The bartender is standing over him disapprovingly, but Rex has been coming here for so long he's learned to just give the man a drink when he asks for it.

The admiral beams onto the planet's surface outside the bar and walks in. He takes a moment to adjust to the lighting and strides up beside the pitiful figure hunched over his drink.

The admiral sits down and Rex looks up, drunk. It takes a second, but he finally recognizes the admiral and realizes he's been caught. The admiral berates him for a while but then softens, telling him he's read the file on his starfleet career.

This makes Rex stiffen.

Holiday doesn't notice or doesn't care, and mentions how Rex used to be someone; how a few years ago he was in charge of one of the most successful five-year runs of the 24th century, what happened? This only results in angering Rex, who clumsily lashes out. That just makes the admiral more pissed off at his behaviour than he already was.

So the episode ends with our valiant captain being ordered to daily medical and psychological examinations to ensure this type of thing never happens again.

"Why don't you just fire me?"

"Good luck finding a replacement, no one else wants this job."

#star trek #star trek: vigilant #original content #writing #and that's that on that #long post

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