#a plot line like that just didnt have a place anymore

[gffa]

Did they at least fix what was wrong with Jason? like did Bruce at least fix what he did to Jason? Like im coming to terms with the fact that Jason as a character is now just a prop to serve Bruce whether to make him look good for saving the streetkid from becoming a Evil Criminal, or to give shock value to readers, or to dispense platitudes about the importance of family and how wonderful Bruce.

and that he will never be allowed to be or do anything good unless is in the service of batman in someway, but at least i need to know that Bruce fixed what he did wrong, and that they didnt just forget about that like the other time Bruce was awful to Jason.

I'm not really aware of them even specifically addressing it outside of maybe The Man Who Stopped Laughing, but like. That's kind of the things comics does, all comics I've read will do this at some point or another. They do over the top ridiculous nonsense and those plot threads often get dropped, I don't think we're meant to take them seriously, just like I don't think we're meant to look at Jason and think of him as the guy who shot an 11 year old child straight through the chest and probably right through his spine, and not forgive him for it. Comics are bonkers and I don't think they're meant to be taken with the seriousness we would of these actions in the real world--otherwise, almost ALL of these people have done things that they could never fix, you know? I don't know where your lines in the sand are, I don't know what you're looking to get out of comics, whether you're here for the canon or you're here for the fandom--and none of that is said with any shade, there's a whole wide variety of reasons to be a fan of something. I can't really give advice here because it's something you have to figure out what you want from comics and what you think they're meant to be might be totally different from what I think they're meant to be. And I'm struggling to word all of this, because I can feel how frustrated you are, how I've been there and felt heartsore about the place my faves occupy in canon, like I was and am a Pietro Maximoff fan in the comics, I have intimately known the pain of a character only being an extension of other characters, being written horribly by those who don't care about him, and desperately holding onto that one run where he was written brilliantly even though it was from 20-30 years ago. Versus that that's just the way comics often are, our faves just are not A-list characters, that comics are on a tiered hierarchy and we have to make our peace with that. Not all of the characters we like are the same ones the company likes or the writers like and that sucks. Whether that means walking away from comics (like I did after Marvel threw the X-Men under the bus for the Avengers in AvX, like I've stopped reading Quicksilver comics because my heart couldn't take it anymore) or just reading comics and then turning to fandom to realize the potential that canon never intended, whatever you need to do to make your peace with how comics operate, that's all any of us can do. I don't know if you're just in need of venting or if this is truly a breaking point for you, but it probably is true to some degree that Jason's always going to be written as an extension of Bruce's character, because Bruce Wayne Sells So Many Comics, of course DC is going to make everyone an extension of him, to some degree or another. (Honestly, right now, I think the only Bat escaping that is Dick and even he is still extremely tied to his relationship with Bruce.) Until those characters sell as many comics as Bruce does, I don't see that changing. All we can do is find the moments of something worth having fun with in the meantime, because comics are not a coherent medium, they are messy and tons of stuff is never addressed on-screen because every writer is coming in with their own agenda and it's pure chaos, and in my experience we just have to find joy in the whirlwind of it all.

[swiftfootedachilles]

Hi! You asked for an ask and I’m always down to ask so…do you have any headcanons about Mickey’s time in Mexico?

wow you managed to ask me about the only thing of this show that i HAVENT rlly thought about so hats off to you

uhhhh okay first, PRE-MEXICO. i think mickey broke out in the first place because he knew ian wasnt gonna wait for him. i think if ian didnt break up with him and dedicated himself to being a prison boyfriend (?) mickey wouldve stayed in. (i also think he wouldve found a skeevy defense lawyer who owes the milkoviches some debts and appealed his conviction bc lets be honest its total bullshit that he got locked away just based off sammi's unreliable testimony. like where the fuck was debby to lie under oath and say mickey was with her the whole time and she saw sammi take more pills than usual and go outside to move things. sorry im losing the plot this is NOT the time to discuss my s6 rewrite.) mikey haf absolutely no reason to stay in prison, stay in chicago, so i think after nearly 2 years of no visits from ian he just gave the fuck up. why not try to escape? hes smart, he can conjure up a decent plan, right? worst case scenario he goes back to prison, which didnt really fucking matter to him bc he was in prison anyway and he just. didnt care anymore.

so, he broke out and contacted ian ina last-ditch effort to get the love of his life back. he knew ian wasnt gonna wait for him, but at the docks hes obviously still shocked to hear ian moved on fast enough to have a boyfriend already. then ian agreed to go to mexico and mickey was SO READY to start LIVING HIS LIFE. he thought that would be IT. him and his lover in mexico at the beach, getting away from all the bad memories of chicago and having a place to START OVER!!! then ian changed his mind last minute and mickey was fucking CRUSHED. AGAIN. and all of a sudden now hes in mexico alone and all his previous plans went out the fucking window because he totally didnt spend the past few days rearranging his plans to revolve around ian being with him.

i dont really think a lot about mickey's time in mexico. i think he was sad. i think he was angry. i think he just did what he could to stay alive and try to move on but he never really didnt. i think he kept his head low and did his job in the cartel and tried to learn spanish but it was too fucking hard so he gave up on that pretty quickly and attached himself to the multilingual members of the gang. i definitely dont think he had a boyfriend. im sure he fucked around with other guys, but i also think he spent more time laying in his shitty apartment that he shared with like 4 other guys trying not to cry too loud thinking about what could have been.

i also dont think he worked for el chapo lmfao sorry to anyone who thinks that but the timeline doesnt even line up. and if he somehow did have a part in taking down el chapo he wouldve been put in witness protection. he probably wouldve gotten killed anyway tho

my dumb ass didnt realize he got a new tattoo until like deep into s10 and i gaslit myself into thinking it was always there LMFAO but i love that he got another tattoo there. i like to think this one was with a clean needle. i dont think this happened in canon, but MY mickey wouldve gotten a tongue piercing! perhaps other ones too. a couple other tattoos, a cartilage piercing, an eyebrow, his nipples. idk. just to change his appearance more. yeah. thats. the only reason.

anyway i think he got back into the US by working with an undercover cop and being a part of a pre-planned drug bust that included him being "arrested" and making it seem like he got extradited to the US only for being wanted. if he wouldve just waltzed into a precinct and said "hey i got dirt on this cartel" his as wouldve been killed so quickly. it needed to be a lot more covert so the other members didnt catch on and get rid of him. i do think eventually they probably figured out he was the anonymous witness whose interviewed were used in trial, which is why when he gets released in s10 the CO tells him the cartel is looking for him. sorry im going all Law & Order here talking about a s6 trial and now a trial against the cartel i need to stop

[moonsidesong]

ok ive finished puyo chronicle. dont play puyo chronicle. if you want to see puyo chronicle just watch the precise museum video uploads of it and ignore the fact they dont have eyebrows because its in citra. im gonna talk about puyo chronicle now.

absolutely miserable slog of a video game. every single open area is nearly completely empty and full of dead ends. every chest is full of lame rewards that i almost never got use out of and i eventually just stopped opening them so i wouldnt have to fight mimics anymore. you dont want to explore anything because there's hardly any reward for it and your movement speed is so slow there's even less of an incentive to go out of your way to trek to a random corner of the map for 200 coins that you wont use.

the final gauntlet, which is a 15-story tower, comprises of like, three stories where something happens and the rest are completely empty and only occupied by common enemies, which by then you will be tired of fighting and actively be avoiding encountering. the devs made a bunch of maps and said thats enough game design for today<3

and then, at the end of it, you fight a final boss that had literally nothing to do with anything else up until that point. rafisol really had the potential to be an extremely cool antagonist if she had been involved in the plot from the getgo but instead she shows up having not at all been foreshadowed prior, you do the same lame fighting style youve been doing for almost every encounter up until that point, and the only saving grace of it is a really cool battle theme. its pretty bad presentation to just watch this supposedly UBER powerful absorption themed final boss just float there menacingly and occasionally throw a line of nuisance puyo at you. rafisol has a lot of cool animations, i dont know why you'd rob her of the chance to show them off in a dramatic way!!!! aaah!!!! its all really disappointing because she's the only female final boss character besides doppelganger arle and shes stuck attached to this soggy sad nothing burger of a video game. i want my evil women INVOLVED sega

puyo characters have never been the most complicated to figure out but they are NOTICEABLY flatter and more annoying. you can see it the most on sig and ragnus who refuse to talk about literally anything other than "bug!" or "im the hero from videogame world!" respectively. the plot spends all its time being completely aimless other than the vague idea of "if we find these stone pedestals, something will happen questionmark???" up until ally randomly starts getting sick when rafisol starts ready to hatch from her evil egg or whatever. the plot's idea is that satan modified this story because he wanted to go on an adventure with arle. and well chroni writers i have to say you guys arent really doing a good job of conveying that when the only places you see satan are at the very beginning and very end of the game.

hey speaking of characters hanging out with arle. theres. too many. of them. i think they were just trying to make the whole skill battle team thing make sense in universe but i think itd be a lot easier to just focus on like. the A trio and Ally and you only hang out with the other characters in the areas they're actually relevant. and they just go "well arle ill be there to help you if you need me!" but they dont physically come with you and then we just pretend that makes sense.

anyway despite it all i still like ally and i still like rafisol despite both of them having terrible haircuts god bless but i wish they were in a video game that didnt suck absolute egg!!!!!!! like i said earlier rafisol couldve been extremely cool if she was involved early on and wasnt just some unrelated problem girl. ive been playing around with a few re-write(ish??) ideas that ive been sharing with my friends to keep my sanity while trudging through this videogame and i might share some of those some other time.

until then please look at this picture again. my favorite part about this game is when accord holds popoi like this. every time popoi was on screen i briefly forgot how much not fun i was having

[dollfaceksj]

because i cannot understand his hypocrisy. He fucks other girls with an intention to try to move on from reader. But still ends up at her door and to some extent its okay, but still even saying I love you to her doesn't seem at all like he is even trying to move on.

Not to offend someone but if I were in reader's place, I would've gladly let him fuck me (cuz why not!) But yeah that's it. Nothing more, nothing less. Even if I would still have feelings for him, that doesn't me a I would walk straight into his toxicity.

He really puts blame on the reader even when he knows she broke up with him for his own sake and there was even full conversation of it, so it also doesn't leave the option for any misunderstanding either.

She even told him that she would be there for him while he is learning to improve himself. She is kind. To me what he does is plainly an asshole move and is making no redemption for it and his moves doesn't make sense to me.

Like what does he expect from the reader now? Seriously reader should also fuck with others if he is doing it. It should be from both sides. Only him doing so and still if reader takes him back, would only prove that she is blinded.

They should just break it off for real

dang this is crazyyy

something tells me u didnt really get the story so ill explain it to you again:

as mentioned, jungkook has never been by himself. he comes from a line of short relationships and situationships and his first actual love is y/n. he is extremely, extremely attached to her.

jungkook has never once blamed y/n, he has only stated the fact that she walked out on him which is true, she did choose to break it off with him. he doesn’t blame her for it, not at all, in fact he understands. he only reminds her that she has no right to fuss over what he does when they are not together anymore and he is right.

you say that y/n should just ‘start fucking others too’ and that it should ‘come from both sides’ but that’s where you’ve lost the plot.

again, jungkook has never been by himself. so his attempts at moving on is looking for affection some place else, he can’t imagine living without it because he never had to nor has he experienced it. (until y/n broke up with him.) he is scared of being alone.

y/n on the other hand, has a healthy relationship with herself as stated in pt1, doesnt cling to the past, forgives anyone that has hurt her without a second thought, always trying new things, always looking for change. the thing with her is that she has fallen deeply in love with jungkook but she isn’t terrified of being alone like jungkook is so for her to start sleeping around doesn’t make sense, she doesn’t crave that. you saying that just tells me you read reminder in a very black and white/one dimensional mindset when its much more complex than that.

i do agree that jungkook saying ‘i will never let you forget about me’ is narcissistic however he never once claims ‘i will never let you move on from me’. yes, he doesn’t want her to move on from him but that doesn’t mean that he’ll actively prevent it.

yes, he keeps showing up at her front door. yes, he knows she can’t resist him. that is selfish of him.

but its been made clear that if she tells him to stop, he will stop. jungkook will listen to whatever she says. he couldve thrown a way bigger tantrum when she first broke up with him but all she had to say was ‘stop’ and he stopped. he processed her words. he asked for one more night and he left without another word.

because he trusts her with his life. he loves her too.

every single time he returns to her home he very clearly asks if he can kiss her and if he can have sex with her because she can decline, she can tell him to leave and he’ll obviously respect that. she just cant bring herself to make him leave because she still loves him, still wants him, still craves him.

so that being said i hope i gave u more insight because i wholeheartedly have to disagree with what ur saying. i respect people’s opinions and thoughts nonetheless and i always encourage my readers to share their thoughts and reactions but you completely misunderstood the story and i just wanted to take the time explain it to you.

[rue-bennett]

I tried to keep this short but no... sorry. I also know that it sounds like I hate the movie but I really did have a fun time. I have smaller problems with the story but this is the main one and idk if it's just that I dont get it and I also met not remember certain things because I only got the chance to see it once so far

my biggest issue, which was also the one I was thinking about while watching the movie, is that I don't really understand what barbie's character arc is? I mean, if the theme is why do I exist, what was I made for, what's my place in this world and what does it mean to be a person.. then that's pretty strongly shown through ken and not barbie. by the time the ending scene came along with barbie seeing the slide show of women with sad music on top I was kinda wondering what was going on? like oh she wants to be human now when did this happen?

I understand what they might have wanted it to be/portray I just thought it was all over the place. is it about overcoming your insecurities, or accepting your flaws, or appreciating the complexities of what it means to be a person or that you can be more than one thing?? (high school musical did it better). It's as if they had a bunch of thoughts about different themes and character arcs and then wrote meaningful moments for them and mushed them all together.

It never feels like barbie felt this overwhelming pressure to be perfect, felt not good enough or insecure about being stereotypical barbie. If they had a scene in barbieland where she wanted to do something outside of her stereotypical barbie role and couldn't, or showed that she felt a lot of pressure being ken's girlfriend, or that once she began to experience human emotion she felt incomplete going back to barbieland (where it would have fit in with being an allegory for growing up/stagnation/fear of change).

At first I thought, well that's okay because she's supposed to be one dimensional /a projection and only gain personhood when America's feeling spill over, but even in the real world there wasn't a lot of implication that she felt inadequate or insecure. It also doesn't work because ken still had hints at internal conflict and unhappiness in barbieland and then that developed when he went to the real world and spilled over to the other kens. all the other barbies should also be theoretically capable of having internal conflict or complex emotions while still being in barbieland.

I know they made a joke about casting Margot when barbie said I'm not pretty anymore. if that's her arc, her feeling pressure to be perfect because she's stereotypical barbie and she can't be anything else I just don't see the through line. it had nothing to do with Margot. Most of the conflict she's in is external. I understand that they wanted it to be rooted in internal conflict about self worth and identity but didnt take the steps to show where that came from.

It's sad because by the end her most consistent conflict was that she just.. didn't love her boyfriend. even then she doesn't treat ken any differently than any of the other barbies treat their ken's so it's not a failing on her part (not wanting/being something she should want/be). not gonna lie I felt really stupid in those last 10 min because it felt as if there was a good chunk of the movie that was just missing.

I feel bad about criticising it because I think everything about it is great but the plot... even then the main problem of the screenplay is that it's comprised of a lot of individually great moments that don't fit into a consistent narrative. from a comedic perspective it hits it out of the park, I have no notes. It's just ironic to me that all the moments surrounding the main theme of the main character seem to have been the weakest overall and the ken comes across as far more human by the end of it.

it's not just barbie though, I also think America and her daughter ended up being underutilised and mostly just existed as mouthpieces for the feminist speech at the end that snaps barbie out of her funk.

we know that America's depression? or mid life crisis? was the catalyst for barbie being influenced (I have more thoughts on that but it's just nit picky stuff) but did we ever find out what it was exactly, was her arc about reconnecting with her daughter (implied by barbies psychic visions??) because they don't seem to have any real or concrete conflict. was her internal conflict yeah its really hard to be a woman and life kinda sucks?

if barbie meeting real women was supposed to be a part of her journey into understanding the complexity of what is means to be human, I don't think they were that useful because they only really exist as a plot device for barbie to gain human feelings and then to expose the patriarchy which I also thought was a bit ham fisted and ironically the weakest part of the story even though I don't disagree with the sentiment.

Given that America's crisis was the catalyst for the events of the movie, her and barbie should have been going on a parallel journey or should have been foils. it would have ended with America's crisis resolving and barbie becoming perfect again but choosing to become human because even though it's messy, she would always exist within the limitations of being an idea. That's obviously what they wanted it to be and you can see hints of that I just don't think it was executed well.

I don't wanna be one of those people that holds women this movie to unnaturally high standards. I see very little legitimate criticism and some of it has been brushed off with the "holding women to extra high standards" but I don't think asking for a coherent character arc for your lead is too much to ask for.

sorry for the ramble lol but I was holding this in for a week

No, thank you for sharing! I actually think you hit the nail on the head with a lot of this and I agree with a lot of it. It did feel somewhat incomplete and I have seen quite a few people talking about how Ken felt like he had more of a character arc than Barbie and I hate that I kinda feel like that's true. I do hope it'll get better on a rewatch (reader: I really enjoyed this movie like I said last night I think I gave it a 4/5 despite that being kinda high given its intense flaws too, the thing is that it is uneven! Very high -- especially in comedy and some of the emotional moments -- and very low -- some of the other emotional moments and plotting and yes hamfistedness).

I think your point about a lot of Barbie's conflict being external rather than internal is accurate and probably not the intention of Greta but just what sort of happened. I think that she wanted to be human because she no longer fit into Barbieland once she started feeling emotions, she couldn't go back and couldn't pretend that the world was perfect when the human world was hurting, but full of beautiful emotions and real women and stuff. At least that was my interpretation. Very The Little Mermaid and all that.

I definitely agree that the Barbies should've been explored more... or the movie could've been a bit shorter. Tbh. Some scenes dragged on and others flew by. I think it was at its best when it was being camp and then the emotional moments and sort of glitches in reality would've been harder hitting maybe? IDK. I'm still sorting out my feelings.

For America, I think she and her daughter started getting along again and her daughter Saw The Light of Barbie and so that helped America heal her inner child. Or whatever. Idk yeah I think your point about having a lot of ideas but not quite plotting them together in a smooth or totally sensical way is accurate.

It's like very good but so close to being a better movie.

[oretsev]

hi helloo, i'd just written a novel in ur askbox about s&b and then tumblr crashed and it was all lost :') maybe for the better because it was a total mess of thoughts lmao so let me try to summarise my feelings a bit (im sorry this turned out REALLY long)

i HATE that they speedran s&s and r&r in the most bullshit way possible. the entire amplifier hunt was basically removed, at least journey-wise - they just. find the sea whip in that one cave and then they go to morozova's workshop and thats it?? wheres the shu han quest. where the fuck is the ACTUAL spinning wheel. and why is alina not hounding everyone to find the firebird??? she's supposed to be obsessively seeking it now, why does she barely seem to care? also where's the actual ending to siege and storm. WHERE is my darkling & alina fight. wheres her being saved by mal... where's her white hair !!!! idk that scene was my favourite and once i knew we were getting a tv show i really wanted to see this on screen :((

all the characters and relationships they cut... harshaw, misha, ONCAT, tamar&nadia (because lbr they basically weren't there), honestly i even missed sergei and stigg (who i'd barely even remembered before), nadia and adrik as siblings even. they just cut all these people and their journeys with alina for what, a fetch quest for a magic sword?

also, where's the apparat and the soldat sol? we hear people call alina 'sankta', sure, but the entire religious part of ruin and rising is just. completely sidelined. which is really weird because it's so important!! tolya and tamar's faith is basically nonexistent and i don't like it at all

the whole firebird reveal was soooo boring. like i'm sorry but that scene in the book? absolutely perfect. but in the show... it's just a story! baghra just tells mal and thats it! honestly this entire season was so much telling and not showing too, soooo much exposition and it just really didnt work

now then. ive put this off long enough but. the fucking ending. dude... i don't even know where to begin. how do you fuck up the rewrite of your book so badly that the entire moral of your book is just. completely lost?? literally the entire trilogy is built on the "what is infinite? the universe and the greed of men" quote. you CANNOT disregard that in this way. the point of the entire story is that alina's greed is punished! she loses her powers and she loses mal (sort of). the fold is destroyed by her power but not by her, because she never should have had that much power! now... she loses nothing. she has her power, she has three amplifiers, she brought mal back with merzost (which is still. insane to me like i legit laughed out loud when that happened) and now she's general of the second army and also soon probably queen of ravka??? she doesnt lose ANYTHING to her greed.

and with the ending too... where the hell are they going to take this next? because theyre sure as hell not following the kos duology storyline, what with alina now being nikolai's general instead of zoya (which im also. really pissed off about because zoya's story is SO important and theyve just. shoved her to the side)

i also have some thoughts about the crows and how theyve been handled of course i just don't feel as passionately about them (also because they shouldnt have been in this show in the first place but thats just my opinion <3) but i do wonder how theyre gonna start the soc spinoff when theyve basically done so much of the crooked kingdom plot already? and inej is literally already sailing and finding slavers like... i have no idea how theyre going to dothis spinoff and make everyone happy

very small last points but im so mad that they did the "an ordinary life full of ordinary things" line and then decided to. include nikolai? what the actual fuck? and then they didnt even GIVE malina their ordinary life... sorry im so so angry about this ending

i'm sure ive got more to say but this is already wayy too long and i don't wanna bother u anymore but ive just been mad for 3 days straight and really needed to get this off my chest <3 im really disappointed that theyve managed to screw up my favourite book series of all time so i'm just going to reread r&r and forget this season exists :D hope u have a nice day and thank u for reading this dump slfksdj

RIP but ty for venting!!! i totally get everything you’re saying. all of this comes down to the writers smashing basically all of the books into one season for NO reason. all of the things that make the trilogy & duology interesting & compelling & complex are gone bc there’s no time to show them. it’s constantly going GO GO GO with the plot, & for what?? nothing got added to these characters this season, i didn’t feel any impact during any of the big reveals, i didn’t get any emotional payoff from these characters’ journeys.

& why change the ending the way they do? eric’s already said that a season 3 would go back & touch on s&s things they didn’t address. so this ending is meant to draw out alina & mal’s stories, but why do it this way? why backtrack like that? you could certainly draw out the trilogy without speed-running the original ending like this, but that doesn’t fit whatever weird narrative he has for the crows ig.

[trashworldblog]

alr i have unfortunately not been able to stop thinking about puppet history and i came up with a possible explanation for ryan's "business" with the genie at the end of ep 6. so all we know from the ep is that ryan gets the lamp and uses at least 1 wish to get prof back. there's also the genie's line about doing business with ryan. im assuming for now that it means he used smth other than a wish to get prof back. but what could he have possibly offered the genie in that moment?

[im thinking that ryan offered the genie a chance to undo the wish IF ryan wins an episode of the show. we know from s4 that if the person with the lamp unwishes smth, the genie is able to take the wish away. now, why does it matter that it would come if ryan wins? ryan, according to the algorithm, has never officially won an episode. being 31 episodes into the show without a win, it would definitely seem like a statistical wonder if he won. also smth plot important usually happens when he wins

i think its going to backfire at the end though because has anything good ever happened when ryan has won. now, having no way of possibly knowing what will happen next season, this is all speculation. however, i think that bc prof and ryan are on good terms, ryan is going to win an ep (either the penultimate one or finale) and it's going to serve as the catalyst for the genie's return. i also think it will usher in the substitute's return

i think the genie and the sub are going to team up at the end because they'd benefit from helping each other. the genie hates prof and masterminded a whole deal just to get rid of him (yes i think he was the head of that deal and i could elaborate but not rn). hes def not happy about being forced to resurrect him on a technicality. and then the sub obv hates ryan and probably does even more so now after the finale. its a match made in hell and i think theyd team up to get rid of ryan and prof

oh shoot i think i may have forgotten to mention it (pls ignore this if i did) but literally, what could ryan have offered to the genie other than something bad happening if he won. he just fist fought a hologram that was trying to murder him, i doubt that he wouldve been able to come up with something that has literally no statistical possibilities. besides, wanting to win an ep got him into this whole mess in the first place, it would make sense if he didnt want to win anymore]

.

hii!! thanks so much for the ask! ive been thinking about the points you've made and i think i finally got my thoughts together so that they'll (hopefully) make sense.

ok! so! im not sure if ryan did have to offer something to the genie. in my understanding of genie lore (which is Very limited) i dont think that genies can outright refuse wishes. so i dont belive that ryan had to offer anything. HOWEVER! genies can interpret and mess around with the wish if they feel like it. unless ryan isnt aware of this, (which is possible) its possible ryan did offer something to convince the genie not to mess around with his wish. the problem is what does ryan have to offer? it could be as simple as if the genie needs a favor, ryan has to help out. I feel like that gives us the most options on where the lore takes us.

i honestly dont know if ryan is going to win in future seasons. my guess is that he wont lmao. listen! its a complex victory algorithm!! the professor probably doesnt have that much control over it!! (although i can see the professor saying that he balanced the victory algorithm and ryan still loses lmao) if ryan DOES win, it will absolutely backfire and it'l be hilarious.

GENIE AND SUB TEAM UP GENIE AND SUB TEAM UP!!! YES YES YES I LOVE IT!! they definitely can help eachother out and it would be incredible to see!! i can see ryan and the professor teaming up after the genie and sub team up! also if ryan has this secret deal with the genie, it would complicate this whole team up thing more becuase if ryan doesnt help thr genie the genie might be able to rekill the professor (or send him back in time, or to the wonderium arena).

i also think theres gonna have to be something that leads to getting the puppets out of the wodnerium arena. im not sure about that yet.

anyways, yeah! thats my thoughts on the direction the lore can be taking. we'll see what happens!

[goatpaste]

tell me more about your hatred for sbr <- also hated sbr

ok i just awnser a BIG chunk of what i hated in that last ask, which is mostly surrounding the circumstances of the shit poor writing of lucy's whole character story line

but im like!! i really think the general plot was neat and fun! i like parts of it a lot! the main cast are GREAT the setting is FUN i like the set up!! i like their goals and stories!!

but then when they start digging into lucy's stuff in kansas city its just like.. man this kinda fuckin sucks!

theres some neat fun chapters here and there still ofc! i really love the sugar mountain arc it was SO good. i loved johnny and gyro way more than i thought i was initially and that was one of my favirotes in terms of a narrative i wish they told about like. OUGH

ALMOST ALL of them are chasing after this stupid magic corpse for different grand reasons to fix their lives. a magical cure

Johnny to fix his legs, diego to never be looked down on again and HP to make up for her sins

their all obsessed with this and cant focus on anything else

and the end of the sugar mountain arc was SO good with the "heres to having nothing"

This a group of people fixated on some grand goal thats just always out of their reach. never realizing their are connection to people right there with them that MEAN something.

i just think some places SBR has some story character narrative and other it just falls very very flat

then when it came to the end of it, everyone got such CHEAP deaths. Diegos was close to being something, but even then he dies and they cut away to Johnny and Gyro going, woooahh thats crazy.... anyways

AND HOT PANTS GOD DONT GET ME STARTED ON MY FEELING ABOUT HOT PANTS AND ESPECIALLY HOT PANTS AND HER DYNAMIC WITH DIEGO BECAUSE THATS JUST A WHOLE OTHER TOPIC THAT DRIVES ME CRAZY

BUT IT SUCKS you watch hot pant begin to crumble in on herself as she realizes she will never truly be absolved of her past and now is willing to die to do something good for the world. then just dies in a manner that if you blink you'll miss it. the amount of ppl iv seen say they didnt even relize Hot Pants died in the scene she died in? INSANE

Then the finale was like, fine. it was fine. it felt very much like the p5 ending in some ways, but if it has a lil more narrative and connections between characters or whatever?

we get a decent end scene from gyro before he goes.

THEN WE GET HIS GOLDEN SPIRIT LEAVING HIS BODY AND ITS TWO PAGES WERE HE BASICALLY GOES "take it sleezy :-)"

then goes away why johnnys on the ground spiraling

LIKE IT KINDA RUINS THE MOMENT LOL

AND THIS FINALE IS FINE OR WHATEVER

THEN THEY INTRODUCE THE ALT DIEGO FINAL ARC AND I REMEMBER JUST BEING LIKE

HOW MUCH MORE COULD THERE POSSIBLY BE TO SAY. HOW IS THERE MORE STORY

because let me tell you, i LOVE diego but those chapters made me wish diego was still fucking gone. alt diego SUCKED those chapters SUCKED there was literally no point to them

the scene with Johnnys dad reads like a "and then everyone clapped" kinda shit

and i think the ONLY reason they even did that fucking shit was to set up shit with the corpse and diego.. LIKE MAYBE IM READING TOO MUCH INTO IT, havent read jjl... but like IDK im like... you have a magic corpse and a dying diego in this room and put it into a special box to keep the corpse like a coffin.. set to stay sealed for 80 years... ok.. not gonna think about that and the potential for this diego i dont even like diego to return later or something. IDK I MIGHT BE CRAZY READING INTO IT. but the parallels to it and dio from pb and erina and everything is like... ok...

but it was duMB ALSO

the whole page about johnny going to Gyros home land jUST for his family to not even be there anymore. then be like, and that grand quest gyro was working on this whole time for that boy? well that boy was set free! gyros life and dedication to his choices payed off!!.................

then that boy died of a cold or some shit a few years later

WHAT IS THE POINT OF TELLING ME THAT

those last chapters was a wait of all of our time

[honeymouthedtales]

manhwa anon - omg didnt expect to get a special cla rec list thank you!! 😭🩷 i cant really describe what tropes are my favorite because i am a total newbie but from the few i’ve read: i also LOVE villainess tropes, esp. those with smart and cunning fl (im currently reading villainess turns hourglass, obsessed with the fl she’s so evil and smart, and not really a villainess but think navier of remarried empress- her brain is just so huge ugh im in love)

another aspect i like is when the story focuses a lot on imperial politics and high society strategizing etc, i find it really fascinating!! basically the heavier, more dramatic stuff, as opposed to light topics & fluffy romance all throughout the story :3

if you have any !!must read!! recs for beginners pls also share, even if they dont fit those tropes!!! 🫶

sorry this took a lot but my mental illness went downhill these days

i've already mentioned my faves i think but i can go a little further. you've already mentioned navier who's a real queen, but when it comes to scheming main characters I can mention:

The Villainess Is A Marionette: the setting is a bit all over the place with the inspiration but the art is gorgeous and both she and her twin brother are schemers and tbh even if he is the villain sometimes I feel like siding with him ahah. There's a lot of intrigue and court factions in it!

The Way To Protect The Female Lead's Older Brother: i am in love with this webtoon, not only the art is gorgeous, everyone in it is kinda insane. The fl doesn't want to be a villainess but has to become it in order to survive and isn't she an amazing villainess? I also somehow really love the male lead, I like when they deviate from the buff guy stereotype, he has a very youthful vibe (and I loved that he was a prisoner of the fl's family at the beginning of the story). I also love the other male lead and I normally despise the second guy very bad, but tbh as someone who read the ending of the novel I personally wouldn't know who I was really hoping to win in the end. Anyway, if you like gothic and a little gory themes and a lot of scheming this is also very pretty.

The Broken Ring: I really like the female lead so much, she's one of my favorite in existence. When you read villainess webtoons, most of them are just normal girls who end up a villainess and conquer everyone with their charm/sweetness, but in this case she is a girl who gets to live her life for the third time and after suffering in both the previous lives she is quite tired and just wants to marry her 'no thoughts in that pretty head' chosen husband and live on her own. There's not that much of a plot with adventures and kidnapping but I love that it has a very mature feel.

The Villainess Lives Twice: if you like the fl of villainess turns the hourglass you will also like her. The plot does sometimes get a little unbelievable but there's a lot of politics and intrigues and going to ballrooms to make connections, I definitely recommend but don't expect a very how can I say refined plot.

I tamed my ex husband's mad dog: I thought it was a little strange at the beginning bc it's one of those adopting a very cute weak teenager and then he grows up to be my knight who loves me and I can't control him anymore damn, and when they meet he's 16 and she's 25, but ACTUALLY I'll put the spoiler after a few lines bc idk how to write it in white so you can avoid it ;;

apparently the guy is a isekai returnee as well? So he was just pretending to be a child after reincarnating?

Do of this what you want. Anyway they're both kinda selfish and trying to use the other for their selfish reasons in the end.

The Princess Imprints a Traitor: this is also one of those stories that are about a returnee who comes back and tries to change the past. She's absolutely not a villainess, but I like how smart she is, how she protects her people, and how she goes hard into politics because the only way to save everyone would be becoming crown princess and changing things herself. Also the plot is very unique, with magic and alchemy and spellbound servants who serve their masters in bed? Although she's too noble so she refuses lol

Isn't Being a Wicked Woman Much Better? I live for people who become a villainess and decide to keep living as a villainess. She's smarter than everyone, she's rich, she has power, I just hope she can leave everyone penniless and enjoy herself forever.

I'll be the matriarch in this life/I shall master this family: she's not exactly a villainess but after returning from the dead Florentia is the most scheming and business savvy 5yo and then 8yo and then 12yo in existence. I've been waiting for her to grow up for two seasons and I can't wait for her to show me what she can do in the next seasons as well. It's more light-hearted compared to everything I've recced until now but I think it's a top read and I love the fl <3

This got very long but if you send me another ask I might do a part two!

[hella1975]

Whats the most 'wtf' threat-message-comment thing you remember getting?

Maybe not a mean comment, but the most like 'why do you feel comfortable saying this to me' thing?

oh to be honest ive never received any actual AWFUL asks/comments but i have received a lot that toe a very fine line to the point i cant even remember all of them. like it's clear there was never any malicious intent but some people just reallyyyyy do not understand boundaries. most of the time i just wont answer but if im in a bad mood i tend to tell you guys off for it lmao so you've actually probably seen the worst ones.

i guess not threatening or mean, but one comment that has always stuck with me just bc of how 'wtf?!' i was about it is this one commenter i had on ao3. they were a reallyyy loyal commenter for MONTHS like every single chapter they'd leave at least a paragraph, and two thirds of the para would always be pure praise for my writing, which was why it was kinda complicated bc i KNEW the rest of the comment wasn't intended to be criticism, they were just the kind of person that clearly didn't have a filter. so what they'd do is they'd say all these compliments, but then they'd say what they DIDNT like about my writing. and my attitude with fanfiction is that unless the work is actively problematic, you just do not tell the author their shortcomings. idc if this isn't a widely held opinion; it's my opinion. ao3 authors are giving us this shit for FREE out of their own time more often than not while balancing jobs and a social life - it is their HOBBY and it's not your place to tell them you dont like their plot or the way they wrote something. write it yourself if it bothers you so much. and so for ages i just didnt respond to this person's comments even though MOST of the comment they'd leave would always be positive, bc the tagged on parts always felt passive aggressive. like they were clearly part of the Annoying atla fandom bc they'd always get annoyed when any of the characters held zuko accountable for anything. they openly admitted that they just wanted zuko to be babied and didn't like it when people were mean to him, a sentiment that REALLY pisses me off, and they were also SUCH a katara anti which, yk, red flag. but it was fine. it wasn't a big deal, i could handle the comments and i genuinely just forgot about them as soon as i read them.

BUT THEN one day they left me a comment being like 'im going to stop reading this fic' which that alone is such an odd thing to alert the author about, but then they proceeded to explain to me why they weren't going to read anymore. like they spent an entire para being like 'this is why i dont really like this fic anymore' LMAO?? and i distinctly remember them saying something about zi se and how they hated him partially because they hate kids but mostly because he was an OC which i just thought was such a fucking funny thing to say like the cheek?? i was flabbergasted and i was kind of sick of their shit at that point, so my response was (para-phrased): 'not to be rude but in future i think you should consider when commenting on fics if your comment is actually necessary.  it can be very discouraging as a writer to be told directly by a reader that they don't enjoy your story and don't like the direction you're taking it. i'm confident enough in taob and my own abilities that i can brush it off very easily, but i'm just worried that if you said this to a newer or smaller fic writer it could really impact their confidence. the decision to stop reading isn't the issue here, it's just that you felt the need to explicitly tell me about it' which i thought was very hot and mature of me. like i very rarely pull out the 'taob is one of the biggest fics in a very big fandom' card but when dealing with rude people i have no shame in being like 'i will not miss a single reader like you realise that right i will not notice if you stop reading' so yeah as an experience it was all just very odd JSKDGHKJDSH

[ungirthed]

want to make a place for my thots of anything with no viewers if i remember to come on here. i cant believe i keep having to make these since i end up getting followers and interacting. but i'm an adult with shit to do irl and things to fight and this fandom is almost 20y old so idt i will do that. lol. just finished atla like 20y too late cos my parents hated me and my bro watching tv growing up. journaling/blogging thots!!! ugh. i wish i didnt hve adhd and dyspraxia lmao gonna split them up so i dont get overwhelmed reading my bullshit. if u stumble upon this it doesnt make sense sry

politically a lot of critique that i have to think about. character and plot wise it was pretty good and tight esp for a kids show. amazing female characters. can't wait for the bi agenda from LoK but i may take a while for that. p much i have to say these are great characters and i could talk a lot about them but i'm shocked at what i took away with regards to the romantic rships from the show and the characterization via it.

re love lines:

i wish kataang was written better in the show (MY opinion if any1 stumbles upon this). i don't ~ship~ zutara bc i am an adult and even back then no cos who cares lol but i see the appeal and am attracted to that. i do think we have to retire the trope of the "both sides but falling in love" not because it isn't possible but because post 10/7 (free palestine) i don't think it's worth it to look at it this way anymore. until someone proves themselves not worthy of death because of the resistance fighting back then they NEED TO PROVE THEMSELVES IMMEDIATELY. no more of this i'm in a concentration camp but he's a nazi bullshit. no more i'm a slave but he's the slave master's son (i mean in this case u could have been related but no1 listens to me!) it's repetitive, reductive, and untrue.

that being said: i just never care about the typical bildungsroman love story. you see the One Person bc i guess the kids tasked with saving the world have to be monk-adjacent (in aang's case quite literally) bc understandably theyre so fucked up lol. but it's always sooooo boring to me esp if it's f/m.

katara is such a complex character and mae whitman brings a wisdom to her voice that can be frustrating to connect with for me but her character arc, her strength, her MIND, her heart, and her fists. i think ppl probs like zutara the most when shes' going batshit and no one can understand aang's perspective. but aang is one of a kind and the cutest smartest sweetest loser ever. not my fav char but i love him. he's like if i had a younger brother and not an older one lmao.

of course they're (kataang) together. they were meant to be from the moment they saw e/o and that stupid cave kiss...this is why you don't wait until 32 to watch this lol.

but nothing surprised me and it was meant to be the way it was written. that's also why i find it understandable but shocking people in the universe and apparently outside of it were surprised at aang's turmoil over ozai. like are you joking? he's a 12 year old vegetarian monk. which: i loved his vegetarianism and obviously he was going to be but very casually they put in a line that hints as to why he would be and why many of us are...so i am dedicated to it again.

so wrt that and zutara...the episode where he's with her with the dude that killed her moms and his support of her i can see why people like them. the cave ep obviously but this show is veryyyyy free with affection i noticed and there's some jealousy but they all get over that pretty quickly. i read some of the comics and i could see different rships happening and i definitely think this world lends to queerness (me personally i love monogamy but a certain type lol so not rly interested in much poly but i do like a throuple) but i could see most being bi+ or having identified as that in the past, or labeling themselves but nto limiting. that's just an aside for meee...

so like katara was being katara. i could see suki and zuko being romantic but also a deep friendship that could be deeply affectionate either affect or physically or both bc that's who these ppl are. katara is a very intense person and that's part of why she can be annoying. that's part of why they ALL can be overwhelming. theyre intense, traumatized, repressed kids and teens with mostly good hearts (or just a person so disconnected from herself but also a fascist so u know. her going nuts lol)

hmm what else oh yea. so i came away with maiko......gjpasig the show was paced and plotted well. i am a libertarian communist (anarcho-commie) so MANNNNN i wish they did better on that front but again i must remember i am 32, ancom, and the world is diff. but anyway lmao so team avatar is who i would want to spend time with but i got so interested in mai and ty lee (mailee...). that beach ep conversation was so good, that whole ep, their argument. it was extremely teenage and showed how fucked up they all are. how confused and fucking lost and pathetic. how small their lives are. how boring....so mai...

[poguestvff]

CALL ME BACK P. 2 — JJ MAYBANK

in which, JJ and Y/n finally reconcile whilst sat on the bathroom floor

taglist | masterlist | 1.8k words

warning(s): very small descriptions of wounds, angst if you squint, fluff, for the most part, and nothing else i dont think. she/her pronouns part one !!!

The ringing of the phone beside her hadn't made y/n budge instantly. She wasn't expecting a call, her parents knew where she was and who she was with, her friends knew where she was and who she was with. she didn't exactly think there was a reason for a phone call so she let it ring. When a soft ding followed it, the boy beside her let out a sigh.

She raised from the bed, sitting up as she stretched her arms above her head. Y/n picked up her phone from the small table as she noticed the photo she had tried posting finally went through, the tagging of Topper's account making his phone go off as well. She swiped down to the notification center, finding a voicemail from JJ. Her heart seemed to sink within her chest momentarily. She hadn't seen that name in a couple of days, hadn't come in contact with him in a couple of weeks.

It wasn't something she wanted, it was something she needed. Something they needed; Space from one another. She should've seen it coming, hurdling at her at a rapid pace since the time they'd began dating, but she ignored just about every sign until it was right in front of her. She never blamed him, she never would blame him. Y/n understood he had a troubled time showing affection, he was her best friend after all, she knew him in and out, there was no reason to not hold a candle to his name.

Seeing his name made a mountain of things run through her head. Questions upon questions on whether she should listen but a gut feeling made her decision final as she lifted the device to her ear. "Uh, hey. Hey, Y/n/n." She could hear the shakiness, the sound of hesitance that wavered within his voice. "I don't know why I called... Yes, I do. I just really need someone right now and—and everyone's gone. I didn't know who to call except you. Just... just if you get a minute call me back." Then the line went silent.

She looked over to Topper, the boy sleeping sound beside her on his stomach previously though now he lay, staring right back at her. "Was that maybank?" He asked in a groggy tone, a yawn following as he rubbed at his eyes. She hummed, pushing her legs over the side of the bed. "Why did he call?"

"I uh... he didn't say." she said in a low, confused tone, holding the phone in her lap. She couldve called him back, she probably should've. But she didn't know how she'd react if she heard his voice and have to listened to his pained tone again. She typed out several different messages, all in preparation to send but she couldn't decide on which one immediately.

"It's too early, just go back to sleep." Topper said, pulling lightly at the back of her shirt. She looked over her shoulder to him, seeing a tired smile on his face that she didn't reciprocate. "What?"

"I really have to go, Top." She told him as he let out a sigh, turning over on to his back to stare at the ceiling. "He needs me—"

"Just like how Pope needed you to come to dinner the other day or like how Kiara needed your help to chose an outfit."

She clicked her teeth, shaking her head as she stood, setting the phone on the bed. "Don't be an ass." She muttered, grabbing her hoodie from the floor as she threw it over her head. "This is different."

"Tell me how it's different."

"It's JJ! That's how it's different." She exclaimed, hands tossing up before settling at her hips. "If he needs someone and I'm the person he calls, it's not for a dinner date and it's not fashion advice. it's because he genuinely needs someone."

She wasn't quite sure why Topper was so upset over this. they weren't dating, they were just close friends. Friends who spent the night together, watching comedy movies until they cried of laughter. Nothing more, she didn't doubt that for a second. Especially when she knew even when she did these things with JJ, there was always the happy, bubbly feeling within her that didn't feel the same with Topper.

And so the boy rolled his head over to her, fingers thumping against his chest. She couldn't tell what was going on in his head. He hadn't looked angry and there wasn't a frown on his face. It almost looked like he was expecting this, expecting her to defend JJ, tooth and nail. "Then go, y/n."

He looked like he had more to say, like he was biting his tongue, but if he had, he kept those thoughts to himself. "I will." She said, grabbing her phone and her keys, placing them in her back pocket to leave the thornton house.

She sat in the drivers side, pulling her phone from her pocket as the second she'd opened it, JJ's contact was still there. She still hadn't decided on what to send and so she finalized her messaging that she was on the way, sending that she was on her way and a heart. Which, ironically, was the same heart, once again, that they had sent weeks ago before for the last time in their last and final text conversation.

Driving the direct route that she'd known to the chateau had made her stomach feel unnerved. She’d recognized every turn, every stop sign, and the dirt road leading up to the plot. Finding that the front door was not properly closed, clearly slammed as she remembered that the screen was missing a screw causing it to need to be closed slow. The creaky door made someone in the house move as Y/n entered. "JJ?" She asked, making her way further into the home. "Jay, it's just me."

Another noise came from the bathroom as she moved around the corner, seeing JJ sat on the floor. The back of his head was against the wall and his eyes were closed though soft tear streaks shined across his cheeks from the way the light hit them. He opened his eyes finally, only side eyeing Y/n as she stood at the doorway. "i'm sorry."

"Don’t even think about apologizing." She said, pushing his feet back lightly to open the bottom cabinet, finding the medicinal items she needed. She sat in front of him, her knees digging into the hard wood floor below them. She could feel his eyes on her every move while she poured the alcohol onto a small hand towel. "This is gonna sting."

"I know." He replied, a sad smile coming on her face as she began to clean up the small cuts on his cheeks and the split lip. Her opposite hand held his chin lightly, dragging the towel lightly over his skin. She avoided all eye contact, he knew that for a fact as his eyes darted around her face.

She sat back on her ankles as she pointed at his shirt. He nodded, arms raising though wincing in the process as she rushed to his aid, helping him pull the dirty tee from over his head. The bruises that had become more prominent in the time of him waiting on the floor had caused for a heavy feeling to settle in her chest but she didn't say a thing, continuing to work in silence to help ease his pain just enough, leaving at one point to grab a cold beer from the fridge to place against his abdomen since there wasn't a single thing in the freezer other than the quarter filled ice tray.

"So...you and Topper." He said as she tilted his head to the side to clean the blood from the side of his jaw. She gave him a rather chagrined glare. "Sorry, just looking out."

"You don't have to look out anymore." She mumbled as he frowned. "And no... Topper and i— never." she cut herself off.

He went silent for a second, feeling the way her short nails scratched at the side of his cheek lightly. "You’re wrong." he said, suddenly, in Y/n's opinion as she gave him a confused look. "i always have to look out for you. like... like how you're doing right now."

"That’s different." She said for the second time that day.

"You wanna tell me how?"

She sighed, placing her hands in her lap as she sat back. "It just is, JJ. I’m sitting here cleaning your stupid... wounds like old times. This is nothing new."

"And because you and topper's friendship is new, it's different?" he asked. She placed her hands over her face, letting out a low groan against them. "It it's different because we're exes? Because you and Topper dating shouldn't be any of my concern now? News flash, you and Topper even remotely being friends was one of my concerns when we were friends."

She moved her hands from her face, staring at him. "No. what? No, what are you talking about? I didn't even come here to argue about topper, I don't get why it's even a topic right now." she said, her voice faltering near the end before she began leaning forward again to place a bandaid over his cheek.

"Because you know..." he trailed as she didn't even bother stopping. "You’re not... his."

"So what? I’m yours, is that what you're insinuating?" she asked, collecting the trash into her hand.

He didn't answer immediately, fiddling with his fingers in his lap instead. "Yeah." He mumbled. it was clear to him that she had not expected that answer. She stopped, pulling back again, so they could look directly at one another. "I didnt just call you because I could, I called you cause I needed you. I couldve called anyone but I called you because you know me best and i know you best. I know you well enough that you'd drop whatever you were doing for me. That's selfish, yes, but I needed you. Not want, need. A want would be that i want you back."

He was right because that's exactly what she did. And she knew him well enough to see the way he suck his shoulders just slightly in fear of what she'd say next. What she did next. Y/n's hands moved to rest on both of his cheeks, leaning forward to press a light kiss to his forehead before hugging him to her chest. "It didn't work out the first time." She told him in a lower tone.

"That was a trial run, i know what not to do." It was a joke, she knew. He had terrible timing. She heard the emphasis on the ‘I’, implying that he was the only one who made mistakes with the relationship. She let out a very minimal laugh at this, shaking her head at his antics.

She pulled back, running her thumb over the bandaid on his cheek. "We know what not to do." She correct him, placing a gentle kiss to his lips that he returned.

And within that moment, They both knew they were neither a want or need for one another. They were both.

[terriblygrimm]

nttd had really strong individual moments/scenes, but imo was very weakly strung together.

but! all of the characters were great and lovable which was expected!! it was good to see them again :’)

more ramblings under the cut to avoid spoilers

the baby plot was dumb af, and so was the undercurrent of the dramatic romance plot. i wouldve much preferred bond and madeline to have a more amicable break up, and for it to stand, and to have them later reconvene and work together to take down spectre due to their individual respective interests in seeing its demise - not due to some dramatic hidden kid lol. but ah, hollywood.

now- james dying.

james bond is the suspended campy adventure where he’s invincible and nothing ever happens to him against all odds. that’s what’s fun, reliable and stress free about his franchise. this one was heavy though, which is more in line with craig’s bond than any other, but i still didn’t want to see the dude get defeated and die 😅

watching him shoot safin and crawl away on his last leg clinging to life would’ve been significantly more triumphant (bc bond doesnt give up!) it could’ve been left open-ended with the audience wondering if he made it or not. that would’ve been up to the viewer’s interpretation - whether or not they want him/this figure to survive. instead at the end he just kinda shrugged and was like ‘eh guess ill die’ lmaooooo

or he couldve taken up M’s position after mallory’s big fuck up, and paralleled the forceful yet “peaceful transition of resignation” that transpired between M and mallory in skyfall. that wouldve been a satisfying ending for craig’s bond imo, essentially following in M’s footsteps since she clearly loved him and he loved her. she wanted him to grow up and mature and he did by the end of his 5 films. he would’ve made a formidable and wise M. and he could’ve been mentioned/name dropped in future films but the actor wouldnt be required to be in it. if they just shifted the franchise’s focus a little bit it could easily be done.

loved nomi, loved paloma, loved q, loved felix, loved moneypenny. i also loved madeline in her individual scenes. it’s weird because in a film about bond.. he seemed like the weakest, most forgettable one. didnt like that much considering this was his last outing. i was hoping for full out bond-ness and instead i just got depression lol. not really liking this trend that hollywood has of not allowing its franchise characters to actually move on in any sensible or significant way - they’re always just killed. it’s uncreative and automatically expected once an actor says they no longer want to be involved anymore.

we got FED as 00q shippers tho lemme tell you…. those two were linked the entire damn film. from the beginning with the jumped up aston martin helping bond escape (i LOVED how comfortable bond was with the car’s abilities - he worked q’s gears like a pro 😏. and when he was just calmly sitting there while the car was being shot at.. so confident in q’s skills in making it bulletproof :’)), to bond interrupting q’s date (q clearly you’re not meant to move on 🤧) and bond staying at q’s place, to mallorys “shut up q i know he’s staying with you” lmao, to q calling him james (!!) and being in his ear until the very end, to q’s clear distress at the vitals and how he downed that shot of whiskey at the end… it was all ultimately so sad but so great

anyway - enjoyable to watch but not really a film you watch straight through a second time. aside from strong and enjoyable individual moments, it was definitely one of the weakest craig bond films.

[papers4me]

Fruits Basket Manga Review , ch 110

The writer doesn’t need to rush to akito (antagonist) & give us quick background exposition & escalate her mentality to the exploding moment, simply cuz tohru (the protagonist) isn’t emotionally in her most vulnerable moment yet. Tohru’s issues will be presented deeper  with each pov chapter she’ll have. So what should the writer do now?

This is a connected plot, meaning the emotions belonging to the previous chapter are still lingering & needs to be dealt with. There is no stupid laughing & cooking or even dumber momentarily amnesia. Nope! There is this:

-The Art of Writing Slow-Burns: (Lingering Emotions:)

Last time kyo hugged tohru thro the sheets. sth he wouldn’t do if it weren’t for the heartbreaking moment of tohru’s tears & the reason behind them. Why wouldn he do it? cuz he believes he’s the reason of her pain & is setting his mind on leaving her & being imprisoned as a punishment. He  wouldn’t do it cuz he loves her but he did it cuz he loves her. why? cuz love is illogical. Kyo’s heart moved him effortlessly to embrace her & “ his tenderness covered her pain” as the writer put it at the end of ch109.

Last time tohru hugged kyo thro the sheets, sth she wouldn’t do if it weren’t for the comfort of his warmth enveloping her loneliness & providing safety & a home. A home can a person. Why wouldn she do it? cuz Tohru is someone who hides pain behind a smile, someone who thinks she’s ugly & unlovable cuz she’s grieving still after all this time. She’s thinks she’s a burden. But here she confessed to kyo unprompted or advised by anybody. He only asked a fleeting question. but tohru cant hide who she is friom him anymore. Still, he accepted her & tenderly held her thro the sheets & she threw her body at him, she initiated the hug.

The sheet hig is the biggest emotional moment between kyo/tohru yet. It altered how they feel for each other cuz in that moment tohru’s mask fell & kyo was the most honest with himself emotionally. That’s not sth you move from with the stupid ED song. They both try to carry out normally afterwards cuz they live together after all. The slightest touch brings..... sexual tension!!!  it was so bad poor yuki left the house running!!!!!!!!

The writer cleverly escalates the sexual tension as they awkwardly try to find a talking topic, then dissolves it a bit when kto asks if tohru wants to go out together & where, then escalates it when tohru suggests buying eggs cuz she’s awkward, then dissolves it when kyo grumpily agrees but this is just grocery shopping” not a fun going out”, the escalates it when tohru said she’s happy for just bring together with him regardless of the location & kyo looses it! sexual tension explodes!

The target of the slow-burn isn’t the characters... the target is the audience! the writer plays with their emotions & cleverly puts the audience in a place where they desperately want these two idiots together but still remember why they aren’t! that’s very important. Having the readers cheer for a romantic relationship includes the readers understanding the obstacles ahead & how big they are & still cheer. If the obstacles are meh~ the readers will find the couple unrealistic, if the obstacles are so big & the couples emotions aren't buildup properly, then the couple themselves will feel meh~. Glad kyoru survived such writing mistakes both manga & anime ( anime hurt their characters more than their relationship).

-Yuki wants to move on from the unofficial son third wheeling his mom & her man:

The writer jokes abt yuki admitting he felt as a son watching his mon & her bf. I love tha this joke becuz it cleverly addresses the following points:

it is cleverly weaved in with the kyoru incident from last chapter. Sth happen & yuki doesn't know what is & doesn't want to! Yuki represents the audience I talked abt in the slow-burn point above. He is us. He’ll cheer for them to be together & will be so frustrated when they can’t. It adds to yuki confronting kyo at the climax!!! You see in the anime kyo/yuki stopped interacting much in se03. Then tada~~ big fight when it’s a must! & can’t be escaped... Here we still have kyo/yuki moments despite each boy moving away from his issues being the fault of the other. Basically better writing.....

The writer cleverly used this to address that yuki still feels like tohru’s son sometimes despite being more independent now, which is natural as you cant switch ur feelings with a button. But also the writer doesnt stay in this moment long & use it to build the next moment.. yuki/Aya , yuki/machi & aya/mine.... sadly all there dynamics are shortened in the anime like kyoru’s.

-I don’t think yuki/Aya  moment suffered much from the cuts, the entire school parents meeting ep us enough to reconcile the brothers. Aya defended yuki that day & so did yuki. He completely accepted him & stood up to him in front of the mom.

- More aya/mine would’ve been good to see & I would’ve preferred it to yuki/motoko moments in the anime that served nothing. but aya/mine too are stand alone story. They’re the most alike couple in a healthy way. Aya is the guy who protected his woman the most. simply cuz he’s the snake. snakes are secretive. he kept her to himself, even from yuki!!! impressive.

- What I lament from the cut of this mini yuki adventure?

1- This: ( yuki’s facial expressions) This is sth the anime fears, either cuz (a) pretty yuki is 100% pretty all the time, so no expressiveness cuz it leads to showing eyebrows & hiding them under layers of hair is the A.B.C of pretty characters... (b) Yuki in the anime is a prince 98% of the time, except with kyo (they got rid of this in se03 & give them one honest/ugly moment together) & with kakeru (one tiny moment in se03 in match’’s focus ep & then quickly back to prince yuki!)..., ugh!!!!!! I hate how yuki is prince thro & thro in the anime!!that’s why they couldn’t get rid of any motoko content!!! he’s a prince there... heck! school girls float after him the graduation ceremony... what’s up with that!! lol.

2-. This: ( machi with the toy that tohru/kisa/kagura/momiji & kiro like! so cute!!! also, foreshadowing yuki’s future chosen extended family! (his bro & his wife), (yuki & his wife) & best friend/his brother in law! Also, yuki is so himself! no glitters, no bubbles & no pretending anger! <3

Side Notes:

The lovely @mizzraynelly​ made notice kto’s speech in ch109 abt not vising his mom’s grave! Even tho it’s such a minor line, it’s one of the biggest cuts that foreshadow the accumulation of kyo’s guilt towards his mom. Kyo’s thing is guilt towards ppl he loves & fear of hurting them, by keeping this feeling alive in readers’ minds, the writer is making sure that the climax will hurt like sharp knives cuz the readers are on the same wave liength as kyo!!! epic buildup consists of tiny subtle pieces!

 Luckily, kyoru as a ship felt so strong in both manga & anime despite the later cutting half of their moments. Why? cuz the chosen cuts didnt affects the romantic relationship...no... the cuts affects the characters’ own personal struggle... most precisely tohru. Kyo’s own character struggles had better luck in the anime despite the cuts, simply cuz (a) was drawn with very expressive emotions & the anime team lingered on them in his scenes. (b) His character design as a whole was very expressive, the anime team didnt give him constant wide eyes like tohru & didn’t fear expr4essivness will affect for his “beauty “ like yuki. (c) kyo was given one ep per season for his issues which altho not much but way better than tohru (d) most important: kyo’s issues are very universal & very relatable” feeling guilt, mistakes & choosing wrong. That’s sth we all do!!! Tohru’s thing is grieve: this is very personal & most ppl experience it differently. 

I love kyo’s oufit!!! we have a hint of this moment in se03, ep 10 when yuki was fighting kyo... but they made yuki see them shopping as opposed of him seeing them being sexually charged!

I’m so mad this kyoru moment is cut!!!!!! tohru as a woman with pending sexual emotions is so refreshing & underrated in the trope of “ girl saves guys”. Also, it contradicts the pure mom image that’s been suffocating her since se01 ep 1!!!!! oh now i know why it’s cut... That’s why! momma tohru is so pure for such things & only when it’s the last two eps, then will allow her to be a woman choosing to live away with her man by her own desire! Why the anime only allow things ti happen when there’s no escape!!! I’ve always felt tohru/kyo is the type of couple to be expressive emotionally & sexually with each other based on seeing that ALL of their romantic interaction involves body language & I’m so happy there’s a canon proof so early before the future glimpse in finale!!!!!! 

I liked the aya-story, but it felt like the typical “ lesson of the day” formula, so I didnt analyze it much, but I enjoyed the brotherly interaction so much!! It had a gold mine of yuki being himself & so nit a prince! Im so happy I saw it! <3.

Every time yuki looked expressive is a happy moment for me!

[kjnwoos]

hi hello! my name is daisy (she/her, 21+, cst) and i’m so excited to be here!! let me introduce you to my boy kwon jinwoo, a 23 year old chef from seoul running away from a career-ending family scandal. under the cut is (probably too much) info on my guy along with some possible connection ideas. give this post a ❤️  if you’d like to plot or feel free to msg me here or on discord @ daisydaisy#5293 . just as a general heads up, i sometimes forget when i need to respond to ppl so please never worry about double messaging/giving our messages a bump if i haven’t replied. i can’t wait to write with you all! 🤠

before we dive into all of that, i do want to say that jinwoo’s backstory/information has a lot to do with chef stuff and also shady business stuff. aka things i do not know a whole lot about. so if any of my information/terms are wrong, sorry in advance! 

GENERAL:

birthday:  july 17, 1998

cancer sun, taurus moon, capricorn rising

born in seoul, sk

family: kwon wooseok (dad), shin minhee (mom), kwon jinyoung (younger brother, age 14)

traits: (pos) thoughtful, courteous, nurturing, open-minded, passionate, (neutral) emotional, reserved, introspective, observant, (neg) standoff-ish, reclusive, insecure, temperamental, judgmental, lavish

career: former executive chef at “simmer”, an upscale modern fusion restaurant in seoul

ABOUT:

traveled a lot as a kid because his parents own “intaste”, a french style gourmet restaurant that started with one location in seoul but now has hundreds across the globe

mom, minhee, was the creative brains behind it all and was the og chef de cuisine at intaste. she then turned it into a business that raked in the money and allowed jinwoo to grow up without wanting a single thing

dad, wooseok, joined intaste as patissier and eventually became cfo of the corporation. he was the money brains behind it all

jinwoo grew up in kitchens and loved every second of it

his family all got along well together, his parents were strict but nothing out of the ordinary. his only wish was to be able to see his parents more often instead of growing up with a nanny

went to the best schools, got decent enough grades, didn’t care much about grades tho as he knew he wanted to be a chef

his little brother jinyoung came around when he was 9 and he couldn’t have loved it anymore

jinwoo is, in general, a pretty loyal dude for everyone but do NOT mess with jinyoung. that is one line he will not allow anyone to cross

after graduating high school, jinwoo went straight on to being a sous chef at the intaste in seoul, not bothering with culinary school or university

worked his way up to chef de cuisine after 4 years, then (much to his parents disapproval) decided to leave and start something new

jinwoo started at simmer, a new modern fusion restaurant that an old buddy from intaste had opened 

in general, the public thought jinwoo was a good chef (he had appeared on some talk shows to promote things and had been in the tabloids since he was young due to the high profile clientele his parents rubbed elbows with)

in general, the food world thought he was over-rated and a nepotism baby

a few months after simmer opened, news broke that jinwoo’s dad had been making really shady deals with politicians and had a bunch of off-shore bank accounts with embezzled funds

jinwoo’s mom called him and told him to take out as much cash as he could and hide it away because he may lose all of his inheritance if he didnt (idk if this could actually happen in real life so uhhh) and to go to a place out of the way to let it all die down

and that’s how he ended up with a moving truck at maehwa, a frown on his face, and a trunk under lock and key stored in the back of his closet

FUN STUFF:

guy is a chain smoker, tbh. likes to open the window in his room, look out at the property and lose track of time by smoking

you can always find him in the kitchen late at night because the man does not know how to go to bed 

(headcanon that jinwoo gets stressed so he cooks and leaves trays of food in the fridge and plates of sweets on the counter that magically pop up in the middle of the night for everyone to enjoy. he gets flustered if someone tries to thank him for them)

his brother encouraged him to journal so he has a bunch of well loved, falling apart journals to write in when he gets frustrated

he likes to stay on his own and doesn’t really open up/talk to people so he has an image of being cold but really, he’s just shy 

super emotional guy who will have emotional outbursts and esp gets loud when he’s cooking and something goes wrong 

pansexual but doesn’t really date or have partners. he doesn’t allow himself to make the time to be romantically involved with anyone (that obvi can and will change when he meets the right people)

doesn’t really wear leisure wear, he normally is in at the least a sweatshirt with jeans

CONNECTIONS:

someone in the house who he can be his one (1) close friend

someone in the house who can not stand him

someone who knew him outside the house (maybe they ran in the same circles in seoul)

someone who found the trunk in his closet and won’t leave him alone until they find out whats inside

someone who knows all about the embezzlement/possibly was affected by it personally

a cooking buddy / someone to stand in the kitchen and cut carrots and peel potatoes with jinwoo, both in silence

someone who wants to learn how to cook

any and all romantic tropes can be applied here, i am up for almost anything 

someone who really tries to get jinwoo out of his comfort zone and fails constantly, but not without annoying jinwoo to high heaven first

a chill buddy, someone to sit outside and drink a beer with late at night

[pufflocks]

Summary: Sitting in the living room with tsukishima rubbing against you in need. Give him a hand and reassure how pretty he is. ♡

Warning: Minor fluff • Minor smut • proof read • 《Edited with tags》

Cast: Top!M!Reader x Bottom!Tsukishima

○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●

Tsukishima hums to himself quietly as he listens to k-pop through his earbuds. Getting lost in his own small world with you was always a gateway for him when volleyball slowly put him under pressure. He never did admire the sport as much as he probably should considering how far he's come playing it. Kei and you were third years now and a new year came a whole new relationship between you both.

You guys met in their 2nd year of high school and to think the H/C male, you, would end up having courage to ask him out. It wasn't cliche now that you think about it. More like asking a simple question with a plot twist, ending in a good way. Perhaps..

○

'Hey, Kei.' Y/N asked.

'What ?' Kei looks up from his book. He borrowed it from Y/N's house when he stayed over for a project.

'Are you,' He paused. What if he doesn't go that way ? Y/N had thought.

'Spit it out or I'm leaving Y/N.' He mumbled fixing his slightly crooked glasses. You giggled bashfully at his snarky remark. He was so beautiful. Unbelievably really.

"You are so pretty Kei."

●

Kei's shoulders sagged as he took off his headphones. He looked up at his boyfriend, whomst shoulder he was laying on. Studying his face was a habit they picked up from eachother since you always seemed dazed by the boys pale rosy cheeks.

A face that held so much hidden frusttration he has yet to express with him yet.. You could only wonder why he was so beautiful for a tall lanky guy as himself.

"You think I'm pretty ?" Kei pondered. His response being a gentle kiss landing near his matching pale neck. His neck, unlike his face, had many cute small freckles just under his jawline.

He slightly huffed as his hand calmy made its it's way to the your arm that snaked around his waist.

'His waist is a ballerina's dream as it is also feminine and slim.' You would think every so often in times like this you would emerge your body onto his.

How did his arm get there ?

No one knows but Kei did know how the atmosphere resembled of a heated gym. Reminded of how they literally just handled any type of horny that possessed them a few hours ago.

When did it become so darn hot ?

"I'm kinda horny, lil dino." You said. Resting your chin on the other teens shoulder. Arms still sneakily pinching his slim fat near his hips. His body was all too cute to you.

All Tsukishima could do was scoff at the nickname. Why did this man, aka you his boyfriend, have the utter audacity to bring such names up in the middle of something sexual ?

'Such a meathead you are when bone hard.' He had thought scanning your much more bulky form and tent in your pants. How could you blame yourself though ?

"I love you lots y'kno ?"

Another question, though being rhetorical, Kei could not answer as he only brushed some hair out of his significant others face showing of his E/C eyes.

'These eyes specifcally seen all of me..' Kei thought blushing at his own thoughts. Getting slightly hot thinking about the countless sweaty sex you both would have when you just couldn't hold yourself anymore. Taking him in one of the schools bathrooms was one of your favorites if you had to think. He would get so ansty and quite frankly messy, just thinking of who could walk through those doors.

"Didn't we jerk off each other an hour ago ? How can you be so horny after that 2 hour in a half session Y/N !" Kei exclaimed pushing his boyfriend off his body. You huffed dramatically laying back on the comforting couch. So dramatic you would have to be to get what you desired of your pretty ballerina like lover.

About to give up hope Kei sighed and removed his glasses. Seeing the blondes ministrations you quickly slung your arms around the yet again ballerina's dream waist, and promptly sat him in your lap. Chuckling slowly as you laid back down on the comfortable couch.

"You are so perfect ya know ?" Kei heard this line from him umpteenth times since you've dated. Though how frail said make was, he didn't always believe his words too often. Why didn't he believe you if your words being nothing of truth ?

You saw your boyfriend rut his hips into his from your recycled choice of words. He didn't always believe those words sadly, but it was pleasant thinking if he 'was'.

Halting his hips with your heavy hands, you grabbed your lovers hand putting it just behind his rear end onto the straining hard on you gained in under a few minutes.

Smirking you say, "Believe me when I compliment you, love. Though you are frail masculine ballerina, you never fail to stiffen and rile me up." That hit Kei hard. And his face bloomed like pretty red roses in spring, as he attempted to continue his grinding in a whine when he didnt get the friction he wanted- needed. He would later slap himself in utter shame to even think your choice of words got him this needy ! To his fault though, your hand was still grounded in its place. Refusing of any friction, for now.

"Let me go Y/N.. I wanna feel at least something !" He slightly pouted tilting his head to the right. This was always pleasant. Having him wanting is always what got you giving into this little ballerina of yours ! So beautiful. So fucking sexy, it's almost bogglingly how you got this stupid lucky.

Kei hated this of course. All he had to do was bring up the mention of a dildo plunging his arse instead of you, but he didn't have the mind for it. He was already in too deep as he desperately flicked and prodded his light pink nipples in earnest instead. The small fact his front was already damp from his slick pre.

"You needy for me bubs ?" You whispered. Giving shy fingertip touches over the lanky teen. Greatly getting a shy nod with a surprised gasp as you jutted your hips up to meet with the blondes ass. The sweatpants barely doing him any justice.

"Ah-!~ No, please- please touch me and stop fucking teasing me !" He tried to muster up a demanding front. How cute he could be on these rare evenings only you spent with him.

Pondering on your next move you scanned his sweatpants. He borrowed them from you after the sesh a while ago and now another set of your clothing was dirtied by him.

Ever heard of a filthy yet graceful ballerina ?

Pt. 2 ? ☆