#I intend to live until 70 for one reason only

[surrounded-by-fuckups]

I wanna see them fucking try with 7 as I plan to die that same year

[alicentflorent]

Alright so bridgerton decided to tell a story where they gave their one dimensional 90s-esque blonde mean girl bully a story where we actually see a new side of her and see her learn to be a better person through her friendship with another woman, after previously seeing her treat other women as the enemy and competition we see her putting another woman, her new friend, before herself.

We also don’t just see this character start to grow and change but we learn of her tragic home life who in the second half of the season intends to marry her off to a 70 year old man who intends to rape her until she has at least five forced births. Then she tried to tell her so called women’s rights activist best friend who doesn’t listen because she only cares about her own problems, her mother also won’t help, society doesn’t care so she makes a desperate attempt by declaring herself as whistledown to gain money in her own right to take care of herself and get herself out of the marriage. The silver lining is she actually did manage to get herself out of the marriage so it was a smart move in saving herself but her so called progressive friend makes out that this is means Cressida was always just a bad person and the so called friend never looks at it from the perspective of a woman’s desperation to be free, despite women having freedom has been a major plot point this season and Eloise wants women to be different from societal expectations but no, not like that, not in away that I don’t find morally acceptable. Eloise coud have helped Cressida, the only person to show Eloise kindness and friendship when she needed someone, escape her horrible circumstances regardless of whether she “deserves” help.

But i guess the writers decided despite the development Cressida is a mean girl at heart and did something unforgiveable (but the real whistledown is forgiven quickly) so then they for some reason do a complete 180 and have her resort back to gossiping mean girl who bullies and spreads untrue rumours so that they can justify sending her away to live miserably to make Penelope’s happy ending more cliche by getting rid of her bully instead of making her a nuanced interesting character.

[tobiasdrake]

The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy 70 - Try Some Maritozzo

Day 28 of 100. Well, the good news is that someone else gets to be under attack for once instead of us. The bad news is that I am still present for it for some reason. Just my rotten lu-- WAIT NO, I refuse to sound like Gaku.

I, uh... I'm going to... show these guys what's what? And/or be shown. SOMEBODY is getting shown SOMETHING and I intend to be involved with it.

Oh good. You're prone to panic during attacks. Yeah, I can see why you weren't ranked as highly as Sirei.

Anyway, to be honest, I'm excited to be a part of this. I've been wondering what you all look like in your Magical Girl getups since we met. Here's my bets:

Nozomi is a sword wielder like me but NOT BECAUSE I LIKE YOU OR ANYTHING. Kyoshika gets full Samurai regalia and maybe the Soul Reaver from the Legacy of Kain series. Yugamu gets like shadow powers or some shit so he can be a knife in the dark. Kurara is a giant tomato that eats people.

So I was musing about this but I haven't mentioned it directly here. But. One school has 10 students, one has 5, and the dorms support 15. This suggests to me a redundancy contingency in place; As long as either school survives, we can stave off World Death. If one school falls, the system is designed so we can easily consolidate all 15 students to the other, regardless of which one went down.

That the Revive-o-Matics are set up to accommodate all 15 students regardless of which school they're at only further supports the redundancy theory.

And yet you're understaffed. That still bothers me.

Look how smoothly things run over here! They all just... like each other and they get along and they do what they need to and they just click.

I've never heard of maritozzo but after a quick googling I desperately want to try it. Honestly, it sounds great.

These are the arguments they have. Compared to the shit we've yelled at each other over back at the LDA, this is fucking idyllic. I want to defect. Can I quit the LDA and just live here from now on? I'll bring Darumi and Takemaru. It will be great.

Nozomi can be in charge and guide us with compassion and wisdom, and we'll all just do that for the remaining 72 days.

What.

What the fuck.

Nozomi doesn't use a Blood Cocoon to suit up. She has a completely different....

Nozomi, what the fuck?

Artificial Class Armor!?

You can do that!?

...okay, yeah. The likelihood that she is Karua and she's just been mindwiped or something just shot up exponentially. Something something she can't express her own will through hemoanima because she doesn't have her own will?

Or maybe she's a fragment of Karua. The Namine to Karua's Kairi or something. Nozomi and Karua are even kinda similar names to Namine and Kairi.

I was going to ask why the LDA doesn't have artificial Class Armors but if Nigou created them himself, then that answers that. Does the--

Exactly what I was about to ask, thank you.

I said before that I don't think it's as simple as "She's just Karua but doesn't remember" and I hold to that. There's something wrong with her. Not wrong in a bad way but wrong in a... just an off way.

Like. Not wrong in the sense of "She's not who she says she is" or in the sense of "She doesn't know who she is" but wrong in the sense of "We don't have the requisite information to even grasp what she is" sort of way.

She is, as Nigou said, anomalous. Something that the rules as we understand them can't explain. Which means we won't be able to pin down an explanation for her until we better understand the rules, and when and how they can be wrong.

I think she's connected to Karua.

But I don't think she is Karua.

[emiplayzmc]

Radio Comet Addison (Hex: a97183)

-Height is 6'0" (72. in.), and he's one of the oldest Addisons in Cyber City - he refuses to say his exact age.

-A radio star in the 50s and 70s in Cyber City specialising in radio ad sponsors, he worked at the same station that Broadcast does, and mentored him in the showhosting business when he first started working there. He quite liked Broadcast's hyperactive and enthusiastic nature.

-He gets frequent headaches and CPU overloads for seemingly no reason.

-He's got a big ego, priding himself on his voice and talent which was easily wounded if people badmouthed it - he was also quite snoopy, and knew things about pretty much everyone at the station. Despite these flaws, he's quite a patient man, which made him a pretty good mentor.

-He was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

-He's the first carrier of a virus that doesn't have a known source - aka, he's Patient 0 of it. Hence, he's also the main spreader of the virus by compulsion to do so and conditioning so as to not lose himself completely until a victim is found and infected. He targets and chooses prey, and stalks them like a komodo dragon until the right time to infect comes. He tries to do it as little as possible, but the longer he goes without infecting, the more the virus compels him to do so until it eventually puppets him itself until a victim is found, no matter if it was an intended target or not.

-Because of the damage to his body the virus causes, his original voicebox is shattered, as well as one of his original eyes giving out - the tendency for his parts to give out now has caused a bit of a scavenging and hoarding habit with him, stealing parts from Addison bodies he finds occasionally in the Trash Zone and stashing them in spots he frequents if he needs to fix himself. He keeps his old voicebox in his pocket, but his new one doesn't do him much good since it's also somewhat decayed and broken. The corruption of his Freeze Ring caused his remaining eye to go mostly dark and leak oil as well, save for a dot of ice-blue surrounded by hot pink that acts as the pupil and iris.

-He's very bitter that Cyber City sort of gave up on him after a time... even if the virus was keeping him from just throwing himself at the first opportunity to be saved, he still somewhat had hope that someone would still look for him. The people he entertained still cared, right? He wouldn't just be replaced by a new starlet that caught their eyes...

-Mostly because of his bitterness, partly because of already existing feelings of unease and discontent, he despises the Addison species now, and hates what he is by extension. He despises what they're used for and made to do for their entire lives, and also hates that pretty much everything in the Cyber World - and the whole of the Dark Worlds, to his knowledge - have one purpose that they stick to for their lives, and if you fall out of the system, you're as good as forgotten to them. There have been many times where he's contemplated scavenging and body and trying to masquerade as a Swatchling or something, just to get OUT of being an Addison and try to re-enter society and get himself fixed, but he just never goes through with it. Whether out of fear or the virus or just calling it off, who knows?

-It's unknown what the virus does to a host's systems EXACTLY, but clearly Radio doesn't take it well. It's caused his systems and parts to slowly deteriorate over time, causing him to have to learn to fix himself with whatever means he can. It doesn't help that his Freeze Ring is also corrupted because of the virus, causing him a lot of pain that can only be curbed by taking the ring off, or constantly be eating healing items - HP is a different thing from his body's deterioration.

Anywaysss, FINAL PINK ADDI REF SHEET! That's all of my Pink Addis done! ^-^ Just because, here's a playlist I made for Radio / Zero because yes :]

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0xomIoF8QEoTwIYNco9MgS?si=cs86h9udR-KWN5pHg88dDQ&pi=TdO11IHvQqqb-

[imponderabillia]

David Sylvian - Perspectives (Polaroids 82-84)

”In the early part of 1982 I had, for numerous reasons, decided to take a rest from songwriting. This was to be the first break I had had since I’d started as a child at the age of 12. It was therefore not surprising that to relieve the subsequent frustration caused by this action, I turned to the only other creative outlet I’d known, and which had been my main preoccupation until my discovery of music, drawing.

The freshness brought on by this change, the naive pleasure of working and learning in a virtually unexplored area for me opened many doors.

Not least of which being my new found appreciation of the world of the arts. Drawings, paintings, sculpture, ceramics, a universe of creativity which had always been hidden from me, suddenly came to life. I had of course been aware of works by various famous artists before, but although I was able to appreciate a lot of what I had inadvertently seen, I had never felt anything emotionally from the work in the way that I could quite naturally feel from music.

Now all was changed. I first realised this whilst visiting a major exhibition by a painter living and working here in England, Frank Auerbach. The depth and intensity of emotion I experienced surpassed anything I had felt in music for a very long time, if at all. I explain this because through these and various other similar experiences my outlook on life and work changed (or maybe matured would be more appropriate) at quite a dramatic pace. In the midst of these changes came my first attempts at Polaroid montage.

It was during a visit to Hong Kong, one of the stops towards the end of a rather lengthy tour, that I first started working with Polaroid film. As was my routine throughout the tour, I would return to my hotel after the day’s performance and there I would stay for the remainder of the evening, reading and drawing sketches. On our arrival in Hong Kong we found ourselves with a day free. However, having been there fairly recently, and not having particularly enjoyed the place, I decided to spend the day at the hotel, and among other things write some letters and complete some rawings. By evening, having filled all the paper space available with notes and sketches and wishing to continue working on ideas formed while drawing, I turned to the only materials available to me at that time, the Polaroids. This is how it started and so it has continued since, constantly developing, trying to find different uses for the same materials, and when a new technique shows itself using it to the advantage of creating interesting photographs/pictures. I feel I must point out that although looking back I know there were other artists working with Polaroids in the same, or similar areas as myself (most notable of these being D. Hockney), at this time (the remaining months of ’82) I was working totally by means of self-discovery as I had no other possible guides. I gradually became more aware of the work of others towards the middle of ’83. Sometimes consciously (and I hope with humour) I place references in my work to that of others.

Prior to my work with the SX-70, my interest in photography was to be found in areas of concept and design. I never intended or expected to become personally involved in photography, indeed even now my knowledge of the practical side of the art is extremely limited. For this reason and also because of the nature of the work I do, I would not begin to think of myself as a photographer. I have far too much respect for the people who spend a large part of their lives working with the camera (Brassai, Kertesz, Riboud, Benton, McBean and Ray) and who give true meaning to the word.

I do not see the work in this book as an end in itself. Essentially I believe that there are only a handful of pictures I have produced which transcend the techniques used and show a possibility of standing up to time. The remainder are either very personal pictures and ‘or show and explore germs of ideas which may be followed up in the future by work in other mediums.

My experimenting with Polaroids is about at an end. Although I’m still working with the techniques I’ve developed in an attempt to produce pictures of a more lasting quality. I’ll soon be turning my interests to new areas, using, along with new ideas, the more valuable I have learnt from working with Polaroids."

[georgiapeach30513]

Hi Peach <3

Mrs. Pasta checking in on you today. I hope you had a good week. Do you have any fun weekend family and Father's Day plans?

I see you have gone and watched the anticipated film, Materialists. =) I myself have not seen it yet, but I am very much a Celine Song truther thanks to her feature debut, Past Lives. However, I'm going to be honest with you all, when I first watched Past Lives I turned it off halfway through. There were a number of things that didn't click with me and I only watched it BECAUSE of how critically acclaimed it was. Let's just say, if I had a Letterboxd account my initial reaction would have been 2 stars. But then I sat down and rewatched it. This time, I woke up. And then I rewatched it again. And now it's a solid 4.8/5 stars from me while the script itself being a 10/10. I think for anyone who really understands Celine Song as a filmmaker, she's not for everyone. And I don't look down on those who didn't like Past Lives or even may think she's a one hit wonder. Because art is subjective. But that's part of why I admire her so much and I think she's really going to have a long career.

I was thinking about Materialists last week and before the review embargo dropped on Monday, I predicted that the RT score would be 80s (mid-high) to low 90s. The audience score would be more heavily mixed (70s?) and letterboxed would be mixed. [Did I get it right?] I think that the bait and switch marketing tactic is going to be part of the reason, but ALSO: I'd like to point out to all the people commenting on this film's trailers, "how is this an A24 film? Why wasn't it distributed by Universal? Why is A24 going commercial?" Well...sounds like from the reviews, it's an A24 movie for a reason. I also think Celine has a shot at Best Screenplay nom part 2. Not a shoo-in, maybe a long shot, but a shot nonetheless. So never say never. Anyway, I think she deserves to keep on making films and being recognized for her ability to not shy away and just give people what they want. She takes these risks that may not work for everyone, but she boldly stands behind it. And I really really respect that.

Also, I have a feeling some people on here are going to take the mixed audience and some mixed critical reception as a hit point to dunk on Ramen but you know what's funny? He's being lauded as the standout performer on most fronts, even from critics who did not enjoy the film. I mean, if you simply watch the first trailer, I think your answer was right there. His line delivery in that trailer was a glimpse into what you were going to get. But don't take my word for it. Peach, I'm sure you'll share your thoughts when the time comes. I do have to say, I tend to agree with critical reviews more when the film leans auteur/indie, rather than popcorn. I feel like with Red One, people were WAY too harsh and I didn't understand that at all. With Materialists, I'm vibing with the critiques in some ways, but also, I have a feeling this will be an experience you need to have more than once. Celine's movies need to be rewatched, and for good reason.

Lastly. I'm being a little messy right now and PLEASE nobody take this seriously but I think it's kind of cute that Ramen keeps mentioning must love dogs as a dating green flag and Dakota keeps bringing dogs to her interviews. She also had the cutest dog Zeppelin (RIP) for years who was in her AD video with the limes. Ramen keeps mentioning self-deprecating humor as an admirable trait and Dakota keeps being the most self-deprecatingly witty unserious person ever.

Until next time. XO

Good evening, Mrs. Pasta! I hope all is well with you. I wouldn't say any Father's Day plans, but we are going to be going on our summer vacation tomorrow 😊 I'm ready for some sand and crab legs! Do you have any plans?

I love your commentary of Celine's work. And I do agree, she won't be for everyone. This is not some flashy big box office hit movie. It was never intended to be. But when you have a movie that truly makes you think about the dialogue and the goings on within the movie, you've got yourself a winner. A24 truly knows how to pick movies that leave you wondering and guessing about some things.

I'm excited for more people to see the film, and I'm actually scratching my head at the fact that they're labeling this a romcom. To me it's more a romantic drama. There's so many beautiful calm moments that it definitely is a romance. And there are some mildly funny parts. But overall it is a study on human behavior with love.

People have already been piling up on Ramen, long before the movie even came out. They have no intentions of seeing the movie (so they say), but they definitely have a lot to say about Ramen's performance based solely on a less than three minute trailer. I love when people cast judgement on a few minutes. But alas, I will not be getting on any hate train. I haven't before, and I'm not starting now, and I'm glad. It was such a pleasant time at the movies yesterday. And I know that this is going to be a turning point for Chris and his career.

As far as Red One, I know everyone is probably tired of my thoughts on that movie, but if you were expecting an Oscar bait movie, then of course you were disappointed. I didn't expect anything but a Christmas movie, and I was pleasantly surprised when it showed so much more heart that I had originally anticipated. And dare I say, Dwayne's better dramatic performance.

I don't want to put too much emphasis on the last paragraph, because I do think at the end of the day that there are two actors that are trying to sell people on a romance movie. I just think some choices have been...interesting? But! What I will say is that Dakota now has a fan in me. I have seen so much Dakota content over the past couple of weeks, and I got to say, she has me cracking up with her unserious tone, and dry humor. And Celine truly got an amazing performance out of her.

As always, I'm glad that you came and stopped by, Mrs. Pasta. I hope you have a pleasant weekend.

🍑

[phantomdialogue]

˗ˏˋ. ݁₊ ✶ ˖ 𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜 𝐢𝐝𝐨𝐥 𝐛𝐲 𝐤𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐭 - 𝟐/𝟓 ☆ . ݁ ˖ˎˊ˗

sequel to neon gods

premise: psyche dimitriou knew that there was always a price to pay in olympus, but her life was not one she was willing to give. eros is the one with the orders to bring psyche's heart on a platter to his mother, aphrodite, but he just can't do it. perhaps they can find a way around these orders to save her life and save what may be left of his humanity.

couple: eros and psyche dimitriou

tropes: eros (cupid) and psyche retelling, marriage of convenience, beauty and the beast (? it's literally referenced at one point), kind of instant love

review below!

review:

i liked neon gods... to be fair it's been the only katee robert book i've truly liked. but this just did not live up to that at all as a second book in the series. i feel like all aspects of it fell flat. on one hand, the story quite literally takes place over at most a week. so the romance feels very rushed and fast paced where we have our characters shouting i love you's after just a few days. the world building once again lacked (one of my major issues with neon gods) when i feel like it could have continued to be built up after the previous book. the characters were just a bit too one dimensional. obviously these are books that i feel like are read for vibes or smut and unfortunately, i just didn't vibe with it and the smut was a bit much while also feeling slightly underwhelming.

something that i liked about neon gods was the vast collection of characters we got introduced to and i feel like we really only saw 3-4 characters in this book in comparison that weren't the main couple. considering this book takes place in olympus where the thirteen are all living and the two characters are clearly involved in the social life that comes with that, we spent so much time in ero's apartment that i just got bored.

i started this book back in march... i truly could have dnf'd this book but wanted to just finish it since i was already 70% of the way in. it was just fine. nothing special or anything that stood out to me. i really don't think i'll be continuing the series after this one and i think this has just solidified that katee robert is not the author for me and that's okay.

q & a:

are they endgame? - i really do have a hard time believing that any "instant love" couple are endgame so i'm going to have to say no i think. they're both still young too. this feels very much like the frat guy and sorority girl who get married after the first month of college and then get divorced when college is over and they no longer go to parties or anything like that. maybe i just really didn't like the book enough to believe in their connection but i think they'll eventually break up.

did i cringe? - no and yes? i don't know. it's hard to say if the cringing i did was at the characters or the writing or just the way i felt reading it. it wasn't the most pleasant reading experience and i think that with it taking me over 8 months to finish this book, it's fair that i may have cringed a bit even if i don't remember the reason why.

favorite part? - i wish this was something i could just easily pick but i think that it just all felt "fine" to me. nothing stood out and nothing really caught my attention. i feel like i spent probably 70% of this book just reading the words because nothing was quite gripping me enough.

least favorite part? - i said this when i read neon gods and i'll say it again here but god just a bit more world building would make these books so much better. i'm sadly aware that it will likely not happen but there could be so much interesting information to really build up this world and it just isn't there and it's really unfortunate in my opinion.

favorite quotes (some spoilers here, of course, but minimal):

I was a hunter of monsters, of people who intended to harm the only family I have in this world. Until one day I looked up and realized I’m the biggest monster of all.

“Bold of you to assume my mother and logic have ever been on speaking terms. Do you know her at all?”

“You deserve better than to simply be your mother’s weapon, Eros.”

I don’t have a heart, but my future bride does. It’s my job now to ensure it stays safely within her chest.

This marriage is going to set off all sorts of chaos. Strangely enough, I can’t wait.

We’re spinning out and in the depths together.

It’s not that she seems younger, exactly, but that she’s put down a burden she carries with her always.

[obi-waankenobi]

Noirlander

PRE-RELATIONSHIP

How did they first meet?

Noir was his mentor, of course. That didn't develop into feelings until later, but that's how it started.

2. What was their first impression of each other?

Homelander was, I think, impressed by Noir, if for no other reason than Noir had the experience and credentials that he himself lacked. (Mirrorlander, of course, saw him as a threat, but that wore off when Noir offered to help him out.) Noir, on the other hand, saw this wide-eyed (and quite frankly terrified) naive kid getting worked over by Madelyn and decided NOPE ABSOLUTELY NOT and decided "Welp, this is my son now"

3. Did any of their friends or family want them to get together?

Canonically, of course, they don't get together. In my little AU though, nobody cares as long as Homelander is leaving them alone. (And of course everyone is too afraid of Noir to say anything :'( )

4. Who felt romantic feelings first?

Noir, although I'm not sure either of them are emotionally aware enough to realize they're in love. I don't think Homelander would realize that he had a boyfriend (in a similar way that I don't think he ever thought of Stillwell as a girlfriend) and I'm not sure Noir could articulate what exactly was happening with his feelings--the mixture of parental/platonic/brotherly/romantic love baffles him. If asked, he just shrugs and says he loves the Homelander, and then goes back to his doodles.

5. Did either of them try to resist their feelings?

Nah. Like I said, I don't think either of them actually realized there were feelings like that.

6. If you had told one of them that the other would be their soulmate, what would they think?

Noir would just shrug; he doesn't believe in soul mates. Homelander would make That Face. You know the one.

7. What would their lives be like if they had never met?

I think both of them would both be far more ensnared in Vought. Homelander would have been completely at the mercy of Stillwell, and Noir would have simply become Stan Edgar's lapdog.

GENERAL

Who initiated the relationship, and how did it go?

Okay so I've got this whole little AU where Noir lives (you can see it on my AO3) and that's what I'm going with 😤 Neither of them did. Noir intended to leave, but didn't make it out of the building before turning back around and showing Homelader exactly what Soldier Boy had done to him. The night before the showdown, they had sex in an effort to comfort both themselves and each other. Although thinking about it, Homey moved in for the kiss first 🤔

2. Did they have an official first date? If so, what was it like?

Not really. They're not actually aware they're in a relationship 😭

3. What was their first kiss like?

Noir was terrified because he had his mask off and I'm not sure Homelander was sure he was going to do it. (They obviously enjoyed it though.)

4. Were they each other’s first anything (kiss, relationship, etc.)?

They were both each other's first experience with a man. Noir, dealing with his own traumatic childhood and self-esteem issues, hadn't ever actually had a relationship before at all.

5. What’s their height difference? Age difference?

Noir is 6'3". Homelander is 5'11". Noir is in his early 70s, and Homelander is almost 40.

6. What’s their relationship with each other’s families?

Noir was more than happy to put Soldier Boy back in the box, and he absolutely adores Ryan. He also doesn't have any family for Homelander to get to know.

7. Who takes the lead in social situations?

Homelander, obviously. It's easier to take the lead if you're the only one who can talk.

8. Who gets jealous easier?

Again, Homelander. But Noir doesn't have any (real) relationships besides Noir, so there's not really anything for him to get jealous over. 😭

9. Who whispers inappropriate things in the other’s ear?

Noir literally cannot speak so once again, Homelander 😭

LOVE

Who said “I love you” first?

Noir, although they both flash each other the sign fairly regularly.

2. What are their primary love languages?

Noir shows his love by... what do you call it. Acts of service. He actually knows how to cook (although he's got his own way of doing things) and likes to make people meals. Homelander does have to check on him though, because the only thing worse than dissociation in the kitchen is dissociation in the kitchen while the stove is on. Homelander is... he listens to Noir, asks questions, engages with him, and makes Noir a part of his life. His love language is treating someone as an equal, even though (to him) they wouldn't be otherwise.

3. Who uses cheesy pick-up lines?

Neither of them.

4. How often do they cuddle/engage in PDA?

In public? They don't. In private though, they're very touchy.

5. Who initiates kisses?

Generally Noir. There have been a few times that Homeland has tried initiating smooches when Noir was zoned out and it... did not end well. 😭

6. Who’s the big and little spoon?

They switch. Noir likes being the big spoon though. He sees Homelander as his responsibility, and when Homey's little body is curled up against his, he feels like he's actually able to protect him.

7. What are their favorite things to do together?

They enjoy playing with Ryan. It makes them feel as close to a normal family as they're ever gonna get.

8. Who’s better at comforting the other?

Noir is better at it simply because Homelander has the emotional skills of a potato. He tries though, and for Noir, that's enough.

9. Who’s more protective?

Oh, both of them. The most frustrating thing is that there's only so much each of them can do for the other.

10. Do they prefer verbal or physical affection?

Physical, absolutely. Noir loves the way that touch makes him feel less monstrous and scary, and Homelander is just a very tactile guy.

11. What are some songs that apply to their relationship, in-universe or otherwise?

I don't really do this whoops 😭

12. What kind of nicknames do they call each other?

Again, they don't really do that, whoops

13. Who remembers the little things?

Homelander remembers things like dates, anniversaries, etc. Noir generally just has a vague idea of what day it is. But he remembers things like if you offhandedly said you liked a movie or a certain type of music. They both remember little things, just... different little things.

DOMESTIC LIFE

If they get married, who proposes?

Time to break out the Momlander and Dad Noir AU (ft. nonbinary Homelander) Noir proposed. Homelander got pregante and Noir proposed a publicity wedding. It was meant to help keep Homelander's ratings up, as well as protect her reputation from the fact that she was having a baby out of wedlock.. It very much started off as a "fake relationship" thing.

2. What’s the wedding like? Who attends?

It's a very thrown-together affair, just something so there are photos for the news. They literally just wear their costumes and a bridal veil and tie. There were other members of the Seven, a few other big-name supes, and some Vought employees and and actors who filled out the world's strictest NDAs.

3. How many kids do they have, if any? What are they like?

Just Ryan, and he's... Ryan. He's a sweet kid who's a little shy. They've done their best to keep him out of the paparazzi, to the point where they actually do keep a house in the suburbs they retreat to. Neither parent enjoys going out in civvies, but Ryan is their precious perfect angel bab and they would do anything for him. 😔❤

4. Do they have any pets?

Ryan has an incredibly fancy aquarium when he's staying at the Tower. A gift from Uncle Kevin. He takes care of them when Ryan is off being a normal child. (The Homelander is not happy about this, but see question 3.)

5. Who’s the stricter parent?

Probably Homelander, simply because she... doesn't exactly know better. But she tries, and Noir manages to be a counterbalance to that so it generally works out okay.

6. Who worries the most?

They both worry 😭 Noir is worried that he's going to accidentally hurt Ryan--he barely held him at all at first--and Homelander is afraid that she'll screw him up. But again, their worries and strengths help balance the other one out, and things work out fine because it's my story and I said so :@

7. Who kills the bugs in the house?

Homelander would kill them, Noir would ignore them, but Ryan was very intent on the fact that they should take them outside, so lately, that's what they've been doing.

8. How do they celebrate holidays?

In addition to having their little suburban home, they've also got a cabin out in a more rural area, which is where they go to celebrate holidays, especially the ones involving fireworks.

9. Who’s more likely to convince the other to come back to sleep in the morning?

Oh they both do this. Noir was very sure to teach Ryan about Saturday Morning Cartoons so that they could get just a bit more sleep. :'(

10. Who’s the better cook?

Noir, but Homelander is learning.

11. Who likes to dance?

Noir, obviously. Look at those moves 😭

(questions)

[lady-of-the-spirit]

3, 8, 9, 20, 27, 32, 35, 51, 53 and 64 for the fic writer ask game!

3. on a scale of 1-10 how much do you enjoy incorporating romance into the average story?

It has its place, and I am guilty of slipping romance or at least shippy vibes into fics that I did not INTEND to be romantic. I also like writing it in general, even though I struggle with writing the physical aspects (kissing). so I'd say, probably like, a 7/10. which is surprising, because the majority of my fics are rated Gen.

actually I went and figured out that out of all my fics, 70% of them are rated gen which I think is a fun coincidence.

8. what’s your relationship with constructive criticism and feedback like? do you seek it out? how well do you take it?

If I ask for it, I would like it. I don't want it if I didn't ask for it. I may still read it and consider it, but I'm gonna be annoyed by it. Feedback in general? fine - but I do like more than just "I liked this", although I love those comments. when I'm looking for FEEDBACK though, I need more than that. I need to know all your thoughts.

9. in an ideal world where you’re already super successful and published, would you want to see a tv or movie adaptation of your work? why or why not?

If I'm involved, why not? I think the majority of my (imagined) works would work better as a series, though. We've seen how turning longer works into movies works - usually not very well. I want to see my ocs on the screen. (in my dream world it would be an animated show, especially the fantasy ones, but we can't have everything in this live action obsessed world.)

20. what is your favorite trope to write?

soft fics: found family

hurt/comfort fics: trauma reveals

27. do you share rough drafts or do you wait until it’s all polished? And who do you share them with?

depends on how much thought I put into a fic. I'll usually at least scan through and reread fics before publishing, but if it's a fic I wrote in one sitting totally at random? I'll skim it and then post without thinking twice. Fics that I put more thought in, I'll go over at least a few times before publishing. I've only shared rough drafts a few times, and that's when I'm really unsure about the story for some reason and need someone to give it a scan and let me know their thoughts.

32. do characters influence your writing style?

oh definitely!! Every character is a little different so that changes how I write their perspective, so that automatically changes the voice I use when I'm writing.

35. tell us about a character who’s very different than you who you love a whole lot

Most characters I love a whole lot are very different from me lmao but the one who comes to mind most of all is probably Yataka from Arata the Legend. He's a very prim and proper man, very focused on etiquette and being a gentleman, he hates being touched, is obsessed with cleanliness, and also is a HUGE bitch, will bicker like a 5 year old with his best friend (neither of them would admit to being best friends and have one of THE MOST dynamics of all time), and has the capacity for extreme violence and absolutely unhinged behaviour. he also hates himself so much. I'm obsessed with him I love him so much.

51. share the synopsis of a story you work on that you haven’t published yet

Sersi gets harassed/assaulted and the team/whoever sees it are fiercely protective. (aka more Sersi whump and team dynamics.) (I'm still debating whether Ikaris should know or not because he may straight up kill the person.)

53.when writing, do you have an outline? and do you stick to it?

depends on how much I care about the details of the story, or how much I want to get it right. Especially if it's a longer fic, I want to plan as much as I can ahead of time. Or if it deals with more serious topics, I want to figure out how to deal with those ahead of time.

64. what is your favourite title for a fic you’ve read?

5 Times Where Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji Lose a Braincell and 1 Time Where They Lose Another on account of it being a perfect summary of the fic.

fanfic writer ask game

[kiss-my-freckle]

Most of the fandom hates Enzo and likes Stefan more and think his ending was unfair at the end of the show even though he had more happiness and treated Enzo like shit. They call him an overrated guest star and say Bonenzo is a dollar store Bamon even though he appeared in more episodes of TVD than Klaus. Enzo being abandoned and orphaned at the age of 4, most likely being abused in the workhouse as children commonly face, living on the streets from the age of 14 until he died of tuberculosis at 27, being turned against his will, unexpectedly waking up with a thirst for human blood, serving in World War II and getting captured by Augustine, and Damon leaving Enzo to die in a burning cage to save himself are things overlooked by his haters. When Enzo finally escapes after 70 years people treats him like garbage, ignoring his trauma, and acting like it’s not normal that he does the things he does after everything that he’s gone through. He fights for people who wouldn't necessarily do the same in return. Caroline calls him a traitor because he chooses Lily even though he's nobody’s first choice. People are offended when he doesn’t do what they intended him to do despite his mistreatment. He finally finds someone who loves him unconditionally but we barely get to see how they got together because the writers don’t care about Enzo and Bonnie. And then Stefan kills him as collateral damage. Many talk about how Bonnie was mistreated and I agree, but no one talks about Enzo. He had a traumatic life, only 3 years of happiness, and then he died. He didn’t even get a funeral.

I consider Enzo one of their best guest stars and felt he had more to offer the show than the rest of them. He fights for people who wouldn't necessarily do the same in return because he has no one, and he hates seeing people taking advantage of things he doesn't have. He went against Stefan for the same reason he fought for Damon those 5 years he was an Augustine vampire. Damon was supposed to be the hope Stefan clung to just as Stefan was the hope Damon clung to. So Enzo stopped Damon from giving up on Stefan while he was an Augustine vampire, to then kill Ivy Because Stefan gave up on Damon. Made worse by Stefan's actions. Fans ignore the fact that Stefan denied Zach the ability to parent his own daughter, literally had her adopted without his knowledge and erased his very memory of her existence. He hid her survival from Damon for the sake of guilting him straight, which never worked because Damon never had a problem feeling guilty. Damon had a problem with people seeing him feel guilty. He hid his guilt like the rest of his humanity. I agreed with Enzo choosing Lily for that same reason, I just didn't agree with the writers choosing to have him desire her. I feel he suffered more than both brothers combined and still got screwed in the end, but I loved his character for everything he brought to the show.

[yellowspiralbound]

Cringe is dead but I'm not so here are the godly parents I think the Avengers (and a few others) would have if they were Riordanverse demigods.

Tony - Dionysus

Most people would go straight for Hephaestus when assigning Tony a godly parent, and that's not wrong, but I think Dionysus is a better fit. Tony is an alcoholic. We see that all the time. He has been since he was young. He also engages in all sort or merrymaking and revelry and is also quite dramatic - all of which are Dionysus's specialties. He also has a similar personality to Mr. D in the earlier movies, in my opinion. I think the most accurate thing to call Tony would be a son of Dionysus and a legacy of Hephaestus, with Howard being a child of Hephaestus.

Steve - Nemesis

At first, I thought Athena would be the best choice for Steve as she's a goddess of war strategy...but let's be honest, Steve is not a paragon of wisdom or reason. He shucks those traits relatively often. I think Nemesis, the goddesses of balance and retribution, is a much better fit. Steve's whole shtick is retribution; he hurts people after they've hurt someone else.

Thor - N/A (for obvious reasons)

Bruce - Janus

Might be slightly fucked to put Janus as Bruce's parent tbh but it's kind of the only god that fits him. I could have gone Ares because of the whole "I'm always angry thing," but I just don't vibe with it. Janus, as the god of transitions and the in-between, works way better and incorporates the hulk aspect of Bruce better.

Natasha - Psyche

Natasha was actually really hard to pick for, but I think Psyche, the god of the human soul, works best for Natasha. Natasha has a very intimate understanding of humanity and what makes people tick - as a super spy, she kind of has to. Psyche being her godly parent would add to this insight.

Sam - Athena

Sam is always shown to be somewhat calculating. Unlike other members of the team, he has no superpowers or enhancements to back him up; he barely even has body protection at first. Because of this, he relies on his wit. He's clever, wise, reasonable, and a good strategist which all fall under the Athena umbrella.

Bucky - Aphrodite

This is actually the idea that prompted this post; I've been toying with the idea of writing a crossover fic with Bucky as a child of Aphrodite for a while. Aphrodite is the goddess of two things - love and war (though she's only a love goddess in the Riordanverse and people rarely recall she was a war goddess as well). Tell me that Bucky's entire life isn't defined by one of those two things. Like, pre-WWII, his life is determined by his love for Steve. He lives with him, takes care of him, and is his emotional support. He then goes to war for 70 or so years until it is love that brings him back out. He's so Aphrodite coded.

Scott - Hephaestus

Scott is defined by the things he can build and the complex physics he understands. It's how he makes his living, however shady at first, and it's how he becomes a superhero. An argument could be made for Hermes, but Scott never set out intending to be a thief; that's just where he ended up.

T'challa & Shuri - Bast, obviously

It's literally canon that Bast is the goddess (or one goddess of a pantheon) worshipped in Wakanda. She bestows the Black Panther with their powers. It's kind of a no-brainer.

Yelena - Hestia

Yelena always wanted a home, even one that wasn't real. She wanted a sister and a loving childhood. I just think it'd be fucked up and fun if her mother was literally the goddesses of home and family.

Carol - Ares

Carol is definitely the rage part of war. It's contained but definitely present. She's a powerhouse and she'd make him proud.

[spaciousreasoning]

More Steps Forward

The realtor showed up this morning and proceeded to "stage" our place for the photographer, who arrived later in the day. Not only were the cats quite disturbed, but Nancy and I were more than a little discombobulated.

Our home is scheduled to go up for sale on Friday, and then an open house is planned for Saturday, which requires us not to be present. The study and the pantry are both off-limits, since they provide storage for much of the stuff we are in the process of packing.

We hope that someone makes an offer very soon, then we can return to a semi-normal way of life until it is time for us to actually pack up and move to Oregon. For now, it feels like we're living in a place where we cannot be quite comfortable.

A lot of this is obviously weighing on my mind, since I missed updating my main website on Sunday and forgot to create and post the calendar for March on my Facebook page until almost the end of today. Fortunately, when I went to create the new calendar there were some recent photos available to provide a decent background.

On the other end of things, it's still fairly cold and weathery in Oregon. In addition to the big ice storm in January, there has been some snow, and the high on Thursday is only going to be 51º. Of course the high in Tucson tomorrow may only hit 60º, but it's going on back to the 70s by Saturday or Sunday.

Oregon will certainly be a new experience. I just hope we're not too old to get accustomed to it. It is an adventure we look forward to, but there could be some bumps on the road. Which is one of the reasons we intend to get a new car once we're there.

[buckrecs]

Subby Bucky

masterlist | req masterlist

Control by @cake-writes

Bucky isn’t usually one to relinquish control, but this time he does.

please. by @buckybarnesdiaries

Bucky needed to be spoiled.

I See Sunshine ‘cause I Know That You Are Mine by @duckybarnes1917

Bucky enjoys being your good boy.

Tied Up by @duckybarnes1917

Bucky wants to be tied up, teased, and denied.

Crooked Crown by @rookthorne

Sometimes the King needed his Queen to take care of him, and you were more than happy to oblige.

Delicate by @bucksangel

Bucky Barnes, known as the ‘king of New York’, is ruthless and powerful, running everything with an iron fist. He has no weaknesses, other than you. You’re his world, his soulmate, his angel, and he’d do anything and everything to keep you safe. What John Walker, an up-and-coming mobster with irrational tendencies, doesn’t understand, is that you’ll do the same for Bucky.

in your arms i’m born again by @bonky-n-steeb

you want to find out exactly how many times is too many times for the super soldier.

Starved. by @buckybabieboy

Bucky's first time after 70+ years

The Tailor’s Son by @kinanabinks

After a decade away from Chicago, you're back home to rule over your domain - and to finally make the tailor's son yours.

Overstimulation by @metalbuckaroo

"As long as you want me to, sweetheart. I'm all yours."

Insatiable 19.1 by @thenhewaswrongaboutme

After finally returning from the mission gone wrong, Bucky has you right where he wants you— spread out on the bed with his head between your thighs. He’s a little eager, but it’ll be fine— right?

so you had a bad day… by @dirtychocolatechai

reader edging Bucky who's had a rough day

Can you see what I see? by @dailyreverie

Mission Accomplished by @buckyseternal

sometimes your work is stressful. coming home from an especially aggravating mission, you take out all of your frustrations on your boyfriend.

Dirty Little Secret by @moonlight-prose

bucky's long kept secret soon becomes reality.

Control by @cake-writes

Bucky isn’t usually one to relinquish control, but this time he does.

You Know Just What I Need by @sinner-as-saint

Freshly out of uni, Bucky Barnes comes back to live in his family home. Given he’s the only son of a billionaire, he needs security around at all times. And his dad puts you in charge of his son’s safety until he comes home from a business trip. You intend on doing your job as perfectly as always, but what you didn’t know it that Bucky is a spoilt brat who is only interested in pestering you and making your life a living hell… until eventually you are left with no other choice but to teach him a lesson in order for him to learn how to behave.

drabble by @becca-e-barnes

making a subby!dbf!Bucky cum inside you

Touch by @ro-is-struggling

Bucky was not a fan of physical contact, that was something you knew about him even before you started dating him. What you didn't know was how incredibly touch starved he was. That is until one lazy Sunday afternoon, when you take your relationship to the next level.

Losing Control by @flordeamatista

Control is reclaimed by you

Occupied by @goodgirlofglory

You have dragged Bucky into the handicapable toilet on the main floor of the administrations floor of S.H.I.E.L.D and intend to swallow his cock. Who is he to say no?

Big Boy by @goodgirlofglory

tying up a big strong metal armed super soldier and making him cum over and over and over while he’s begging

Delicate by @bucksangel

Bucky Barnes, known as the ‘king of New York’, is ruthless and powerful, running everything with an iron fist. He has no weaknesses, other than you. You’re his world, his soulmate, his angel, and he’d do anything and everything to keep you safe. What John Walker, an up-and-coming mobster with irrational tendencies, doesn’t understand, is that you’ll do the same for Bucky.

Stupid by @coffeecatsandcandles

Without reason, Bucky asks for a divorce.

I Hate U by @duckybarnes1917

Bucky hates you. Until he doesn't.

The Storm He Claims by @sstan-hoe

with a hot-headed wife like you, Bucky's life was never boring. Add to that, his daughter. Seven years, cute as a button with the temper of her mother.

The Interview by @sweetbbarnes

After directing a successful movie about Captain America’s life, the media seems to think that you and Steve Rogers would be the perfect match. Little do they know, your heart has already been taken by his best friend, the infamous ex-assassin James Barnes. And although you two are in a secret relationship and even secretly live together, when Bucky hears people talking about how you and Steve would be perfect for each other, his insecurity gets the best of him. But it’s okay, because you are determined to show your soldier just how much you love him.

Purr for me by @rookthorne

A deal had been struck, and since you had claimed victory that day, you were more than eager to collect the reward of such a win.

plaything by @captain-buckyyy

[seat-safety-switch]

My cousin recently came by the house with the ‘72 GMC pickup truck that he’d found at a storage yard auction. Turns out the previous owner put it there, presumably intending to get around to finishing it, and then stopped paying the bills for whatever reason. Over the years, the indebted truck began to sublet its space to a group of rodents, and then eventually the yard owner decided he would rather be renting that space to someone who could pay.

The hammer decided that my cousin would get it for five hundred smackaroos (an audaciously large number; he works in technology) and then, after a couple bug bombs in the interior, he drove it home. Everything was decrepit and poorly-maintained, with a variety of parts-store wiring hijinks on full display inside the cabin. One valve cover – and only one – had been replaced with some gaudy chrome bullshit, which wasn’t even bolted down properly and was seeping oil. There was no way any reasonable mechanic would rate the vaguely banana-shaped frame, which gave the truck a depressing lopsided angle to the cab, as “extant,” let alone street-legal. I was in love.

Of course, he wouldn’t let me have it that easily. In my family, we were raised to do things the hard way, and that didn’t include cutting deals for slack-assed cousins who already have a shitload of unfinished, non-running Mopars stuffing their yard and neighbourhood and never call Grandma Switch to talk about spaghetti sauce anymore. We decided that we would instead call upon our other family tradition, the Christmas Day heads-up, no-prep drag race for pinks.

I hustled out whatever I could get to run. This time, my fearsome steed was a ‘70 Scamp with half of its grille missing, and the other half hole-sawed to make room for a 63-millimeter ball-bearing turbocharger that probably used to live on a Komatsu heavy excavator. Somewhere inside the engine bay was the world’s angriest four-cylinder engine, whose make and model I could no longer remember after having driven over the shattered crankshaft of so many on my way to a thirteen-second quarter mile and subsequent ejection from the venue because I couldn’t bother to even put in a chintzy bolt-in roll cage.

You might think that a stock ‘72 GMC pickup (horsepower: not much) does not have a snowball’s chance in Hell against the screaming ferocity of Chryco’s finest feature-lightened sedan for the impoverished. And you’d be right, especially after I had a friend slink over to his truck in the parking lot and cut two of the spark plug wires. Sure, my cousin’d blame the packrats in the yard, and maybe even his own lack of attention to the vehicle’s integrity, but ultimately the truck would stay within the family, ensconced within a protective radius of broken cars in my back forty. I was feeling pretty good about the whole thing, betraying a family member for a small monetary gain and all.

Friends: hubris has its cost. You might remember earlier that I mentioned this took place on Christmas Day. Well, it turns out that when you spin a little bit on ice, and rev the whatever-it-is engine to the moon as a result, all that spicy air from the turbocharger really wants to escape out the oilpan. On the plus side, the momentum from the horsepower generated up until that explosion, and the reduced friction from my 17-year-old all-seasons drinking up the oil cascading from the shattered wreckage of the engine, carried me at least an eighth of a mile to victory. At least until the violently misfiring truck passed me at a snail’s pace, slowly plodding its way to the end of the block.

My cousin even gave me a ride home after, which he went to special pains to point out was actually my gift for this year. Nothing like family.

[vikkirosko]

♊ Psiioniic x fuchsiablood!Reader Oneshot Runaway Princess 💛

You spent your whole life in your underwater hive, which was more like a palace. It was far from your choice. The Empress has been in space for a long time and captured planets, but you knew that when the time came, she would come back to fight you. You saw how the heiress who was before you died and you didn't want to die. You dreamed of living a full life. You wanted to travel, you wanted to make Alternia better, you wanted to meet other trolls. You wanted to meet your matesprite. But for this it was necessary to leave the hive. You took the time to prepare for this, but finally you could escape and go free. You left the ocean hiding yourself under a hooded cloak. You couldn't let anyone see you, especially you weren't supposed to be seen by Dualscar. He was a loyal servant of Condesce and if he found out that you had escaped, he would catch you and send you back to your hive. You walked barefoot through the streets, not afraid of difficulties. However, in the first city you got into trouble, though not through your fault. In this city, the rebels staged their performance in the square. You heard about them from Dualscar and according to him they were one of the main enemies of the empress, but looking at the troll who spoke, wanting to convey his thought to others, you could not see him as an enemy. But you were forced to hide when you saw the highbloods approaching, about to arrest them. That day you went unnoticed and were sure that you would not see them again. But at the market, when you were going to buy some food for yourself, you saw how goldblood troll tried to bargain and buy bread cheaper, but it didn't work out. You watched this for a few minutes, after which you approached him and the seller.

"I will pay for this bread and for a couple more loaves of bread separately"

They both looked at you in surprise. You were shorter than goldblood troll and neither he nor the merchant expected that you had money.

"1 d0n'7 kn0w wh0 y0u 4r3, 8u7 y0u d0n'7 n33d 7h15"

You smiled at him.

"I just want to help a little, you won't owe me anything"

You gave the money to the merchant and gave him a large bag of bread, taking a small one for yourself. The troll looked at you with a slight frown, and then spoke.

"7h4nk y0u"

You just smiled at him, intending to say goodbye and leave, but the screams made you freeze in fright.

"Grab them!"

You didn't have time to react as goldblood troll grabbed your hand and ran. You could barely keep up with him. You ran until you disappeared on the outskirts of the city, in a small alley. You were both trying to catch your breath. You felt like your legs were buzzing and your heart was pounding. You couldn't control your emotions and laughed. Troll looked at you and froze. It was only after a couple of seconds that you realized that the reason for this was that your hood was falling off, allowing him to see who you were. You hurried to put the hood back on, but he already managed to see what you were trying to hide.

"Wh0 4r3 y0u?.."

There was no threat in his voice, but you understood that how this troll would treat you depended on your answer.

"I am an heiress... But I don't want to hurt anyone, honestly! All I want is a peaceful and peaceful life... I ran away and I just want to get as far away as possible, to a place where they won't look for me..."

You lowered your eyes.

"50 7h3 run4w4y pr1nc355..."

He looked at you thoughtfully.

"C0m3 0n, pr1nc355, y0u h3lp3d m3 4nd 1'll h3lp y0u, 1n7r0duc3 y0u 70 50m30n3 wh0 can h3lp y0u"

"I have a name... I (Y/N)..."

"4nd 1'm M17un4, l37'5 g0 pr1nc355, w3 n33d 70 m4k3 17 83f0r3 5unr153"

He took you by the hand again, leading you further away from the city. You understood that maybe he was deceiving you, but you wanted to believe him. You wanted to believe that this meeting was not accidental.

[ikemenomegas]

Hey!! (animeomegas here <3) I don't know anything about jjk, but I love actor AUs and I was wondering if you have any fun ideas for Naruto, the arcana or Mystic messenger? For some reason I've been imagining how a Mystic Messenger TV show would work and sketching out poster ideas for it 😫 This isn't really intended as a request, I just want to hear your stream of thought haha. Hope you've been having a wonderful day! <33

Hi @animeomegas I actually had a really long day but it was nice! I got a lot of things done. I hope you also had a good day ^^. So, okay okay okay you know I love casual stream of thought... and talking ahaha, and I also love behind the camera drama (I am also avoiding any wip work because 9+ hours at work fried the thesaurus bit of my brain)

Naruto

Naruto is such a specifically anime show. The budget for a complete 1:1 live action remake would probably make people so mad, there would have to be so much CGI for the final battle.

I feel like it could work for actors au as either:

1. Make Naruto a movie series. It's probably got a cult following like Star Wars and started off as some kind of original idea in the 70s and then got acquisitioned by a huge conglomerate in the 90s-2000s era, and had enough films (like the fast and furious franchises XD, so... eight at least) that it was able to cover all the material up until our time lol.

I actually went and reviewed the arcs because I love procrastination through research oop, but if you cut out/combine the filler arcs/turn them into serialized shows for streaming, you're left with enough material for about 3 movies from genin-days (when the actors Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura age from 11-14) and 5 movies from the shippuden era (there the main trio actors age from 16-24)

Playing off that nostalgia factor, Jiraiya's actor either played Minato or Naruto in the 70s film. He's since become a very famous actor/producer/director. Kakashi's father also played Kakashi's character in the original 70s film, so having him return as Sakumo for the Pein arc was a little Easter egg. There's a couple of instances of this throughout the series. For example, Madara is actually played by the same actor who played Sasuke in the og series, and the makeup used to age him in the flashback arcs gets high praise. Hashirama is played by the same kid who played Rock Lee in the first films too. Tsunade was played by the same girl who was either Ino in the original, etc.

Kind of like marvel, there's a ton of actors who are only sort of or not very famous when the films start, and the kids are certainly no-name actors (kind of [Sakura reads to me like a former disney-channel kid lol]), and then as the films get wildly popular, the franchise gains the Midas touch and even all of the recurrent minor characters get arcs/spinoffs/or see further success in their careers.

And as with marvel, it truly becomes like... everyone famous in a certain generation was in the Naruto franchise.

Sasuke had some actual industry connections prior to casting, but that was only because his brother was a young up-and-coming model. They sort of spring-boarded one anothers' careers. Playing the franchise characters traumatized them oop, and irl they're very close. There's a noticeable uptick in viewership for compilation videos of the Uchiha brothers being best siblings after about movie 6 when Sasuke finally kills Itachi and movie 7's fight with Kabuto is one of the most watched clips ever.

Also marvel-esque, I think people have mixed opinions about the ending lol (just like they do the anime) because on one hand, explosions! amazing visual effects! the whole ensemble ready to assemble! stacked nostalgia value! answers to some of the most asked fandom questions! amazing physical feats (Naruto and by extension Sasuke mostly insist on doing their own stunts)! and on the other... you have some of the thousand story threads being lost in the sauce, lackluster characterization for a some of the ladies, leaning perhaps too much on nostalgia value, complete obliteration of power scaling, suddenly there's almost too much content, and you have to have watched all three spinoff series to understand some of the in-world references, also fighting between the original concept creator and head writer and the production teams :p (yes this is Io being too literal haha)

2nd option: The Naruto characters all belong to the same representative entertainment company (think SM or YG /pulls face because cabal culture disturbs me/). I think this is more like an idols AU, and the relationships are significantly more catty and have more drama, but they're all actors/other entertainment related career lol so it's also kind of actors au?

The company probably tried for a ninjas/powers theme during recruitment and promotion so that's where you get Kakashi associated with dogs and lightning, Sasuke associated with snakes and later hawks and fire, Naruto associated with frogs and wind, Sakura associated with slugs and healing, Itachi associated with crows and dreams, Haku associated with ice and mirrors, Sai associated with tigers and ink, Tenzo/Yamato associated with trees, Gaara associated with tanuki and sand etc.

Itachi and Sasuke have an infamous rivalry that never really "resolves" so much as disappears because Itachi retires for a few years to deal with physical and mental health issues. It would be during this time he goes public with a relationship and he gets married before making a comeback. Even after the brothers reconcile and do projects together, people still bring up their Fighting Era and it pisses Sasuke off because the public doesn't really know what happened and he hates the speculation. Part of the controversy is that Sasuke left the company only a few years after signing on, joined a small rival company that was later embroiled in scandal, and then returned to the same company as his brother right around the time Itachi took a break.

Kakashi is the oldest of the "new generation" that's promoted during that time, but he's a very successful child actor turned model and adult actor. He did a bunch of shows that have great repeat value though so he basically lives off residuals and picks his projects and is very obvious but rather quiet about the ways he critiques the current entertainment industry. He's very good friends with Tenzo, stagename Yamato

Haku is a musician first and an actor second. He made his debut as part of a short lived idol group before going solo and starting musical stages. He's an up and coming favorite for historical dramas.

Gaara and Naruto are child actors who have been best friends for ages and help one another work through the inevitable industry challenges. They separately become really popular role models for kids from their hometowns. Kankuro is Gaara's personal rock in the working world, even though Kankuro's bad-boy image and slightly freaky aesthetic don't surface level seem to match with Gaara's more reserved and authentic method of dealing with the constant press.

Shikamaru and Nagato both separately give me musician/model vibes, but in different genres. Shikamaru quits the music thing very quickly to become a producer lol because more math and less fighting with fickle public opinion.

Mystic Messenger

If you sketch the the poster idea you haaaave to post it, please pretty please Amy?? Because you're so right, the whole plot is absolutely like a thriller/romcom kdrama. (Because the characters are well fleshed out it could also work with preserving the character backstories but have them all have entered acting later on.)

I looked up some Kdrama posters and the one where the leads for "because this is my first life" are standing in a stylized apartment balcony reminded me somewhat of thee game, mostly because the MC is stuck in the apartment for a good portion of the seven days lol.

If the whole Mystic Messenger plot were a drama...

MC is probably a rookie actor with one or two well done but not widely distributed productions under their belt.

Yoosung was maybe a child-actor which makes the whole ingenue thing kind of funny for his fans. Like yes, this is his first "adult role" (his baby face means he otherwise plays a lot of high schoolers) but it's this odd mixture of experience meaning he plays the role perfectly, but lack of experience with normal people resulting in a lot of blushing and stammering and totally tunnel vision flirting during the press tour haha.

I'd love for Jumin to come from a similar but less severe situation as game-Jumin. Like maybe his father has remarried a bunch of times, but he actually gets along with the stepmother who's been his mother for most of his life and he takes her to premiers with him. He grew up poor so he finds playing a lot of wealthy heirs type characters because of his looks to be a very strange turn of events, but he overall doesn't talk about his past much in public.

Hmmm, Jaehee seems the type to play a lot of severe characters in her usual roles because of her appearance, but like game-Jaehee she's got a very cute and adorable side that's coupled with a very genuine personalty. The interviewers probably make her do a lot of aegyo T.T poor Jaehee. She probably also worked her way through a prestigious drama school, either in-country or abroad, so she loves to read.

Zen always offers to do the aegyo with Jaehee so she doesn't have to suffer alone haha. He on the other hand never went to drama school, he's been acting since he was about 17 so all his training was in-company, although his company helped to put him through college where he did an advertising and media degree. He didn't have the exposure Jaehee did to classical media and arts, so they are irl very good friends who bond over their interest in business and Zen's interest in gaining a deeper understanding of acting and theater.

I see 707 as the person who was probably an idol musician before he started acting and mostly left group music behind. I've never played his route through, but he seems like the kind of person who is sometimes frustratingly talented lol. He is a natural at almost everything he tries which sometimes stresses him out because he wonders if there's something else he should be doing besides acting.

V seems like the kind of person however who was maybe a model first, and then turned to acting? I hate to say this, but it's the kind of situation where his incredible looks and sweet irl personality have garnered him a very devoted following but his parts in dramas tend to be second-string or somewhat minor or... kind of weird lol, and when he is the lead the show is usually only "okay" because the writing will be strange 😅 which is technically not his fault, but to be honest most of his income comes from promotional deals.

You like Saeran, right? so I won't leave him out! He's got this doe-eyed look that makes me think of a new debut actor! This is also one of his first major roles so he and MC lean on each other a lot and have to work hard to make sure their relationship off-screen is comfortable because they have so many scary intense scenes later on. He and 707 are either irl siblings, or just because so close during filming that they're truly like brothers now and 707 is always seen supporting Saeran, especially when Saeran decides to venture into the music scene and his vocal style and color means he explodes into popularity almost right away.

The Arcana

Somehow I can see this becoming an HBO drama? or maybe an Akuzon special because it's very good about placing lgbtq themes in-world (which was sort of groundbreaking when the game debuted). This one is so hard because each route gradually ended up diverging so much and in such different ways and expanding on the world in such a rewarding diversity of directions that you could truly have a beautiful, successful show no matter what route was filmed.

You could potentially have a Witcher-type situation where you really do have multiple routes and timeline splitting. If someone who's got a really good editing team working with a really tight writing team I think they could do it.

But otherwise, this is another situation where the main cast has had friend configurations for a While and doing this project brought them all closer together!

Ilya and Asra have known one another probably the longest industry-wise. They did a smaller well received indie film once about five years before Arcana with the vaguest of nods to brokeback mountain (I've never seen it, sorry) but a much happier road trip lovers plot, so having to play disillusioned, one-sided pining ex-lovers who had a very toxic last year to their relationship is... something XD.

Asra and Muriel have been personal friends since their days as students - they went to the same camps and programs to study acting and in their interviews, they have a fun time talking about some personal anecdotes (like the fact they did indeed frequently camp at a lakeside together as children) which made it into their own characters' backstories.

Nadia and Lucio are very Nikolaj/Gwendoline during their press and off-screen interactions. They find their characters' personas to be sort of hilariously poorly matched.

Portia is a famously hard working actress who clawed her way through the world of cinema and still managed to stay a decent, well grounded person. She's not actually related to Ilya irl but they got along really well from the beginning so there's lots of videos of them acting like siblings off screen.

Because the on-site shoots for Arcana required so much travel, the cast got to spend a lot of bonding time together, and saw a ton of unique places. The cast always has stories of swimming and hiking or trying new food or pictures of each other at famous sites during their days off. Muriel is actually the one who plans the outdoor adventures the best, he was an athlete and had military training before becoming an actor and he loves being outside so he'll lead these kinds of outings. People adore his social media because he's got that outdoors guy vibe but he's very sweet and he smiles a lot more irl than his roles usually do.

Portia and Julian are the most likely to get lost in any place, but they're also super fun to travel with because they always find interesting people and places that are off the beaten path.

Nadia and Asra have the most normal but also most aesthetic social media feeds. They always seem able to catch the golden hour light somehow...

After Arcana, they each often end up cast in or around the same movies/franchises/series as well, because they do work very well together. The show also helped them break out of some type casting, to their delight.

Lucio trends towards action and romcom films, he does often get typecast as some kind of villain, but his redemption arc in Arcana actually helped him break into more of the antihero type roles. He can be adorably goofy at times.

Nadia used to play the femme fatale quite frequently but since Arcana she's been able to take on softer roles, still often playing a woman in power, but she's been able to mix and cross genres. She also has been working on a screenplay and wants to try directing.

Portia was famous before Arcana but the show helped enter her into some of the more mainstream conversation and she has her first action-type role soon after Arcana ends.

Asra has a delicate physique and had some trouble in the past with being passed over roles that required more "force of presence" in the past. However, since showing his side as the secretive, enigmatic, manipulative magician, he's been able to try on the hats of villains, return to some roles on the true stage (his first love), and play the lead in a more serious political thriller.

Muriel had the opposite problem with his large build often precluding him from anything but action films. Since Arcana he's been able to try a few romantic lead parts, and has embraced his popularity by searching out meaningful mid-budget films where he can broaden his talents.

Julian is very tall, so he used to play quite a few more domineering, dastardly types in the films he did before Arcana. The show also brought him into the spotlight. He still does well as the sneering, dangerous, tall and dark type, but he's found that he can and is willing to push for playing something softer, someone who follows instead of leads in the on-screen dynamics. You and Ilya end up in a bodyguard type of drama at some point where he spends a lot of time on his knees swearing his devotion and playing a lot of subtext lol.

MC in this seems like they would have been a more experienced actor before taking on the linchpin role for Arcana, but the show granted you the experience to step into other roles both in front of and behind the camera and we'll probably see an MC directed and produced short film or indie film within the next few years!