#also this is a many part series of me doing ???? at the screen while drawing dez

[greenerteacups]

In future film adaptations of the HP series, DH is the one book I'm happy for future filmmakers to "mess around" with as much as they like to improve the visual / story experience for all the reasons you mentioned. I'm very happy for them to do a somewhat Twilight film Breaking Dawn-esque departure. Like, instead of focusing on the trio in the woods the whole time, let's get into what the Order are up to, let's show our friends keeping the DA alive at Hogwarts, let's show the other muggleborns having to go into hiding, let's flash over to Draco suffering the worst house guests ever... like we have this expansive cast of characters, let's not waste them for the extended camping trip from hell... also the best part of HP is the wizarding world itself, so many amazing magical set pieces in the world... and we spend the last book mostly in the forest...

Speaking of which, with there being a new series adaptation in the works (with rumours of potentially more HP series to come... perhaps even a Lily Potter / Marauders/ Snape based one...) is there anything you're excited about finally seeing adapted from canon or are terrified of potentially seeing butchered onscreen?

Yeah like and also it isn't even an INTERESTING forest. Like the "children wander into the enchanted forest and face [insert monstrous metaphor for adulthood]" is one of the oldest fairytales in recorded history, with a ton of creepy lore to draw on — you could have had the kids running through mystical haunted forests of ancient Britain! Running into the ghosts of Roman soldiers and Celtic ruins and magical creatures! Forest of Dean could have been COOL.

To your other point: I'd much prefer a Marauders series to a remake of the original. I'm of the not-unpopular opinion that the HP movies are as good as any adaptation of any book can get (save probably the Lord of the Rings movies) in terms of how they balance story structure, fidelity to the text, and onscreen pacing. The cinematography decreases sharply in energy and verve after Alfonso Cuarón, and the later movies unfortunately suffer from the mid-2000s trend of desaturating the frame, but they're solid movies and like — okay, in my heart of hearts, there's a little part of me that's like. Daniel Radcliffe will always be my Harry. I grew up with Rupert Grint and Emma Watson and Tom Felton, and seeing someone else in those roles will never hit me like it did to see eleven-year-old Hermione Granger alive for the first time on that screen. Which is not a real reason. But there you go.

There's also the problem of the genre pivot — the first few movies are obviously children's films, and a whole generation of millennials got to grow up as they gradually changed to Y/A films. But how many children are going to be watching a full season of a HBO miniseries? And how many adults are going to watch that miniseries and then complain it was underwhelming because, again, it's a children's series? It would be better, in my opinion, to start over with the Marauders, whom you can write into adventures that more naturally fit the pacing of a TV show. You can also start with them at like, age 14, which would solve the problem of years 1-3 essentially being about kids in middle school. Unlike HP, nothing happens that we know of in the first 3 years of the Marauders Era that's plot-essential, so strong writing in the pilot and a carefully chosen flashback or two could easily set the stage for a series starting in Year 4.

What I'm nervous about is the contingent of fandom that would expect it to be essentially a TV adaptation of All the Young Dudes, which — while it's an all-time legendary work of fanfiction, like all-time, incredible, wonderful story — does not much resemble what I think HBO writers' room would come up with. ATYD is a slice-of-life bildungsroman about Remus Lupin, and most of its stakes come through emotional tension — you can really easily transplant it outside of a magical setting, and you lose almost nothing. A Marauders show would be an action-adventure series modeled after the Harry Potter books, and it would need an episode-by-episode plot. In ATYD, Remus's development is the engine powering the story. That's not enough in a television series pitching itself as an action-adventure fantasy story, and I don't think the HBO team would be bold enough to depart from genre in this respect. After the failure of Fantastic Beasts, the execs are probably going to clock "Harry Potter show without Harry Potter in it" as a major business risk. Sowhile I'm open-minded and eager to see what the creatives would come up with, I wouldn't envy them the job of having to build out new personalities and arcs for characters that fans have already grown quite attached to their self-designed interpretations of.

It strikes me, too, that Rowling has never gone back to the Marauders as a potential vein for more books, even though she easily could have. She clearly doesn't mind dabbling in the HP universe, and the Fantastic Beasts movies show she's happy to bring the audience back to Hogwarts when she wants to. But for some reason, Harry's parents has always been a little too close to the original series, and I think maybe there's something in her that's afraid of revisiting that period — like if she fucks it up, she's damaging something directly connected to the books that made her famous, cheapening them. Or maybe she just doesn't want to write those stories. Who knows!

I do know that the most important name in that show would be the writing credit, because JKR has demonstrated (1) she isn't great at writing original stories for the screen, and (2) it's really easy to fuck up the pacing of a TV show, and if you don't get the pacing of Harry Potter, then you're not going to adapt it well. The HP books are essentially mystery novels that turn into spy novels. If you don't have that — if you think you're writing a high-fantasy epic from the jump, as the Fantastic Beasts writers seemed to believe, and as the Cursed Child writers seemed to believe — then you're going to write something that doesn't feel like Harry Potter, and most people will notice, even if they don't understand why.

[knight-a3]

Hazbin Hotel Sketchbook Tour Part 10

Masterpost

I need to preface this one by saying that Vox(while not my favorite character) is my favorite redesign. I've made him look so wonderfully stupid, and it makes me laugh every time I look at it.

But first, Angel Dust.

Design notes will be under the cut.

Design notes under the cut

Angel Dust: So Angel makes me uncomfortable. The innuendos and raunchy jokes are not my cup of tea. It's part of why I struggled with his redesign so much. But I think I've finally managed to balance it while also alluding to his mobster roots.

I remember reading somewhere(not sure how canonicallt viable this is but I'm running with it) that Angel doesn't dress super provocatively outside of work. He's more inclined to dress comfy. So I gave him some lounge attire.

But I'm sure he would still want to dress up when out and about in town. So I gave him an outfit vaguely reminiscent of a mobster with the pinstripes and pseudo suit jacket, but also diverts away from it by leaning more into the fashion. He may keep up with modern fashions decently, but he's still a product of his time and upbringing. He's still got some mobster in him. I also preferred the look of his shorter gloves from the pilot, at least on his main set of arms. The second set has long ones like in the series, which would help the animators differentiate them. Tbh, I'd scrap the second set of gloves entirely if only it didn't feel in character.

Overall, I like this outfit for him. I think it balances his femininity and masculinity.

Idk if anyone noticed, but I don't like drawing characters with only 4 fingers. Something about it bothers me. So I've been doing everyone with 5. But I make an exception for extra limbs. Angels' second set of arms has 4 fingers, and the third has 3. Also, the extra sets are black and more bug-like than the main set. I do this to others, like Valentino, as well.

I've also noticed a lot of redesigns give him prominent spider fangs, and I just never liked how any of them looked on him. Instead, I gave him normal teeth fangs

Vox: To begin, Vox needed more bulk so his body could concievably support the old TV models. Twink size wasn't cutting it. The change also had the side effect of making him shorter, which just works better proportionately.

I liked the idea that Vox could never get rid of his original bulky 50s TV, but also wanted him to be able to upgrade. So I decided his true body is the 50s TV, and he adds an upgraded monitor as a head as technology improves. He's hates that he's stuck as an old fashioned TV, so he hides that under his suit. Since the monitor is just an addition, it can be swapped out easily. It can be damaged and he's technically unharmed. But he has to reveal his true body in order to see without the monitor. Unless he wants to use surrounding cameras and move via third person view.

Next, I don't like that everyone seems to have sharp teeth. I want more variety. (Similar to the whole bowtie deal) So I gave Vox "regular" teeth, which help him look more trustworthy. It fits the corrupt businessman vibe. Because his head is a screen, his face can change appearance based on both what he wants and what mood he's in. When he's angry, his face may glitch out, become too big for the monitor, and/or his teeth can become sharp. He might have to reboot after a Blue Screen of Death if he gets too worked up. When he's bored or tired a Voxtech logo will bounce around like the DVD logo, or display a screensaver. When hes feeling sheepish his face will get smaller on the screen(not that he'd ever feel ashame about anything, of course), etc. So many possibilities. I really want an excuse to give him a troll face at some point. It may be an old meme, but it feels appropriate.

Anyway, I love how stupid not having a head makes him look. He looks like SpongeBob and it's hilarious.

[foxgloveinspace]

tron fic recs??👀

Hi there! I have to preface this by saying I mostly read (and currently write) Sam/Tron (or Rinzler depending on the fic). While I do read a bunch of just general Tron fic, I tend to have a ship I like and stick with it.

I am really enjoying Salvage What You Can by TooManyTeeth, more so the concept then some of the ideas. (I don't ship sam and quorra), but I can get over those for the concept of Rinlzer and Tron being in the same Grid and not the Same People, and Rinlzer finding out he's the 'evil twin' as the tags put it. I'm only on chapter 14, and there have been some moments that have down right broke my heart. Lots and lots of Rinzler angst.

Want some fluff about pre movie Tron and Clu learning swear words?? No Stupid Questions by bowiesinspace is the fic series for you! It's crack (in the since that it's silly, not you know. weird). and Just an all around fun time.

While this one has a bit of of Sam/Tron in it, the pov is Alan and it's not exactly about Sam and Tron, it's about how Alan feels, seeing and being around Tron, and is very very emotional. But also my second favorite fic in the fandom. And that is Mea Culpa by 2019-2020 (EnglishLanguage).

My first favorite fic is by the same author, and that is Genesis. I don't have words for this fic honestly. It's from Sam's POV, and it's about him coming back to a completely empty Grid. There are lines in this fic that literally left me gasping for air. It's almost GEN but there's hints of the fact that there will be something more between Sam and Tron.

I'll be a bit of a silly goose, and plug my own fic here, Whatever Here (That's Left of Me) part one has no shipping besides Lora and Alan, and is about Sam fixing the Grid from the other side of the screen, having a lot of family moments with Alan, Lora and Quorra and talking with Tron. The second part will be about Sam and 'Tron' falling in love. (which knowing me and my writing, means also at least two smut scenes). So if you just want to read part one that is a-okay with me!

Lastly, in this category I am recommending every single one of Solar_Siren's fictober collections. (and one Angstpirl challenge in there as well) There is a lot of different ships in here (Mostly Tron/Yori) and a lot of Uprising stuff. A lot of REALLY good fics in here.

and now the rest of these will all be just Sam/Tron.

for T rated fics,

Sam and Tron going on a first date, and it's not going as well as Sam would like but they have a good time. Falling in Tandem by bowisinspace (I also rec all their fics. they are all very nice. The kudosbot fic??? HUh?? Why am I emotional over a little ai?? *cries*)

Late Onset Digitalism by EnglishLanguage & Lobster_Emoji is not finished, but I really enjoyed this fic, and I don't think it ended on a clif hanger? I only read it the one time though. I still think it was worth the read. another Sam fixing the Grid fics, but with some fun twists.

We Are Pilots by shirozora is a CLASSIC samtron, and just Tron in general, fic. I read this fic once a year and its just. really good. Sam goes back to the Grid to try and see if Kevin left any clues on what he meant by 'Quorra will change the world' and instead finds Tron, and a Grid in chaos. (One small note is that, even though it's rated T there is some smut towards the end.)

E rated Fics:

First two are longer fics where the smut is only a scene or two. Last one is a smutty one shot.

Someone Has To Draw First Blood by dreamlittleyo is another classic. Kevin took Sam to the Grid when he was a kid, and only luck is the reason that Sam didn't go with him that night of the coup. When Sam shows back up as an adult Tron follows him out the Grid, and then they fall in love.

One Miracle at a Time by dreamlittleyo another 'Sam goes back to the Grid' fics. I haven't read this one in a while, but I remember really liking it. I should reread it soon. Maybe I'll do it tonight.

Patience, Sam Flynn by bowiesinspace (how many of their fics have i recced haha). Short one shot, it's very nice, I love the end cause they get very snuggly.

[cheesy09]

[CN] Kiro's Screen Date

🌸 Warning: This post contains detailed spoilers for a date that hasn't been released on the EN server yet! 🌸

[Note: This date was translated with the help of Google Translate :>]

——*:･ﾟ✧——*:･ﾟ✧——

[PART 1]

Hearing the sound of pebbles hitting the window, I quickly look down.

Carla waves her hand and points in the direction of the back door of my house. I feel a sense of elation. After confirming that my parents are asleep, I carefully pick up my skirt, go downstairs and slip out the door.

Carla: We have to hurry up, or we'll miss the magic show. It's the hottest new thing right now!

Before I can say anything, she takes my hand and starts running with me.

As one of the few cheerful girls in the girls' church school, Carla is always taking me to experience all kinds of novel things at the moment.

If not for her well-informed sources and the dogmatic atmosphere at home, I probably would never have even had the chance to see the club.

With the town being as small as it is, we arrive at the newly opened club very quickly.

The waiter leads us inside, and the moment the doors open, the music is loudly amplified, mixing with a series of encores.

The man in a white suit takes off his hat to the audience and gracefully walks off the stage.

His blonde hair is particularly dazzling, like a figure walking out of a palace oil painting. People don't stop cheering until the figure disappears around the corner of the stage.

Host: Today's magic has come to an end, please enjoy the rest of the evening.

The music sounds again. The lights of the mirror-ball reflect on the dance floor and all kinds of men and women begin to dance.

MC: ...Is it over?

Carla: What a pity! I wonder If I'll be able to sneak out again during the next performance...

Carla lets out a regretful sigh and pulls me to sit in the booth next to her.

But after just one look behind her, she suddenly seems to have discovered something and her face livens up again.

Carla: You sit here for a bit while I go put my makeup on. Since I'm not interested in magic, I've got to find a handsome guy to dance with, otherwise these tickets will have been in vain.

MC: Wait...

When I look up, I see a pair of blue eyes behind Carla's fiery figure.

The man not far away is clad in a white suit. Before I can react, he walks up to me, and with a slight twist of his fingers, a flower suddenly appears, held between his fingertips.

Magician: The most beautiful flower, given to most adorable and charming lady in the room.

He immediately hands over the flower to me, his blue eyes particularly clear in the light, akin to shining stars in the night sky.

I am left a little stunned for a moment, hesitant on whether I should take the flower from him.

Magician: You don't like magic?

MC: No, I like it very much.

MC: It's just my first time seeing this kind of magic... I'm sorry, my friend and I just missed your show.

Magician: Do you still want to see it?

His slightly drawn-out voice carries with it a certain temptation, pulling me into its tide, and I nod almost subconsciously.

He smiles and sits down on the plush seat next to me, asking the waiter to serve us two glasses of wine. He then takes out a deck of playing cards.

Magician: Actually, magic can not only change things out of thin air, but can also provide many interesting forms of entertainment.

Magician: For example, in the this deck of cards, I can guess your heart.

MC: Guess... my heart?

Magician: If I guess correctly, you have to answer my question, if not... I will give you whatever you want.

Magician: Want to give it a try?

He holds the cards with a determined look on his face, and his blue eyes look straight into my heart with a hint of aggression and bewitchment.

My heart cannot help but beat faster, yet I deliberately raise my voice, unconvinced.

MC: Okay, please start.

Magician: Please choose a card from this deck. Remember the type and number, don't show it to me, and then put it back in again.

I draw out a 9 of hearts, then turn the card over and put it back, following his instructions. He shuffles the cards a few more times.

He puts his hand on the cards, as if sensing something, then takes one out and hands it to me.

After taking a good look at the card, I cannot help but widen my eyes. It is the 9 of hearts that I drew.

MC: ...How did you do it?!

Magician: I said I could do magic.

Magician: First question, tell me your name.

MC: Jenny.

MC: Please sir, what is your name..?

Magician: Kylo.

He raises his eyebrows slightly. At this moment, the stars seem to be condensed within his irises, rendering me unable to look away.

Kylo: Miss Jenny, shall we continue?

Kylo: Right now, everything has only just begun.

His slender fingers fingers fold the cards then, and the pile of cards dance regularly in his hands, drawing a beautiful arc in the air, and are then handed to me.

The inadvertent contact of our skins leaves my fingertips with a slight burn.

Just when I am about to take over, the cards fly obediently into his palm in the next second.

A slight smile appears on the corner of his mouth and he waves the cards in front of me again, his mischievous movements making me even more eager to try.

We play like this one game after another, chatting more and more speculatively with each magic trick, until the waiter comes to remind us that the club is about to close.

What occurred just now was akin to a beautiful dream, but now that I have woken up from this dream, I am a little ashamed to find that Carla has disappeared without me knowing when.

I quickly search the surroundings with Kylo, but even until everyone has gone, she is nowhere to be found.

Waiter: If you're looking for the lady who came with you, she and another gentleman have already left.

After listening to the waiter, we are left with no choice but to walk out first.

The street lights are turned off in the early morning, and a few crows can be heard in the distance every now and then, making the already dark night even more eerie.

Kylo chuckles into my ear. He seems to have read my thoughts.

Kylo: I'll take you home. I want to hear more interesting things about your school.

——*:･ﾟ✧——*:･ﾟ✧——

[PART 2]

Kiro: This is my first playing the male lead since I started acting. It's truly great being able to work with my senior.

In the dressing room, Kiro takes off his top hat, straightens his jacket and then sits down not far away, slightly reserved.

He is the best among the newly signed actors of the company. Although his qualifications are still relatively young, he will definitely go on to become a good star in the future.

MC: Don't say that. We both belong to the same company, so there will be many opportunities for us to work together in the future.

Assistant: Miss MC, your coffee.

MC: Betty, also...

Just when I am about to ask my assistant to make another cup for Kiro, the door of the dressing room creaks open.

Assistant Director: This is the script for the next scene. The screenwriter has just revised it. It would be best for the two of you to walk through the scene in advance after reading it.

Assistant Director: We plan on deleting Carla's part to make the rhythm more compact. After finishing the shots, we will shoot the entire scene from the doorway to the end.

Taking the script, I glance at it briefly and then frown slightly.

MC: It's a bit different from the previous content...

The previous scene where Kylo sent Jenny home is changed to that of an intimate one, with the inclusion of hugging and kissing scenes that are somewhat bold nowadays.

Kiro, who is standing on the side, is also left stunned. He looks at me with a bit of hesitation and then quickly averts his eyes.

Although he has deliberately turned his head, I could still make out the slight blush on his face.

Assistant Director: This is the version that has been approved by the higher-ups. Though it's somewhat challenging, I believe that the two of you will definitely give us the best of your acting skills.

Assistant Director: If you want to finish the shoot before dawn, focus on this... and...

After a few more explanations, the assistant director leaves, taking my assistant out, leaving us alone with the scene.

Apart from the roar of the fireplace, no other sound exists in the dressing room.

After I read the script again, I adjust my mental state, get up and walk to Kiro.

MC: Relax a little. After all, this is a required course for actors. Let's try the dialogue first, shall we?

Although I am a little nervous, as an actor with more experience in the industry, I try to keep my tone as relaxed as possible.

After hearing what I said, he nods slightly and stands up, taking a deep breath, as if he has made up his mind.

Kiro: [slowly exhaling] Okay.

I pick up the script, flip to the revised scene and clear my throat.

MC: I'm home, Mr. Kylo.

Kiro: Then I wish you... sweet dreams.

Kiro's voice during the dialogue is clearly a little softer, and his hands grip the edge of the script rather unnaturally.

He doesn't dare to look at me with his twinkling eyes. After repeating the lines again, he hesitates and does not continue.

Though it is also my first time shooting such a scene, and I can't keep my face from feeling a little hot, for the sake of moving forward, all I can do is calm myself down and let myself take the lead.

MC: Here, put your hands on my waist, pull me into your arms and kiss me.

As I speak, I take his hand and put it on my waist, taking the initiative to move closer to his arms.

Kiro: MC...

Surprise flashes across his face for a moment, obviously not expecting me to do this. He is about to pull his hand away, but I pull him tighter towards me.

MC: Let's focus on the script. Here it says that the magician wants to kiss... Jenny.

MC: If you're not used to it yet, we can turn off the lights first.

I try my best to control my stiff fingertips, raise my hand to turn off the light in the dressing room and breathe a sigh of relief.

This way, the growing heat on my face will not be exposed to him.

I am unable to see his face clearly in the darkness, only an overlapping and ambiguous silhouette outlined by the firelight emitting from the fireplace.

Everything is magnified. I can clearly feel the heat of his palms transmitting through the thin lacey fabric at my waist.

The close distance makes his breath fan across my face.

His eyes are like a deep sea. The moment our eyes meet, there is a touch of aggression and anticipation within them that makes my heart tighten.

After a brief silence, I pout and am about to say something, but my lips are suddenly enveloped with a light warmth.

He kisses me.

His warm breath occupies my lips and my breathing grows chaotic. It takes me a while to murmur that sentence.

MC: That was my first kiss, Mr. Magician.

We embrace each other in an extremely intimate posture. Beneath the beautiful light and shadow, he is a little closer than before, completely encircling me within his arms.

I put my hands on his shoulders and breathe against his warm lips, as if the two of us are melting together into the sea.

His breaths are a little fast, and his heartbeats beat rapidly against his chest. For a moment, I cannot even tell whether they are his or mine.

Although I am left momentarily stunned, I keep telling myself in my heart that this is an act.

However, I am not the only one left stunned at this moment.

Kiro: [dazed murmur] ...That was also my first kiss.

His words fall between our intertwined breaths, seeming to cause the temperature around us to suddenly rise.

MC: ...You got the wrong line.

A trace of what is left of my sense of reason makes me realize that this isn't a line, and I quickly change the subject to cover up my restless heartbeat.

My words clearly make him panic. Kiro quickly lets go of me and quickly turns the light back on.

Perhaps because he got caught in the embarrassing situation of "getting the wrong line", his face turns a little red, and he turns around, looking down at the lines in the script that he is supposed to say.

And because of this, I am glad that he isn't able to notice my reaction--

I am also breathing rapidly, my face heating up.

Likewise, he won't know...

This was also my first kiss, Mr. Kiro.

——*:･ﾟ✧——*:･ﾟ✧——

[PART 3]

Kylo: Good evening, everyone.

Kylo: It was fate that allowed us to meet on this night.

On the club stage, the red velvet curtains are drawn to both sides with the music, the spotlight drawing the audience's attention to the young magician.

Kylo appears on the stage in a well-tailored white suit. He takes off his hat in greeting and then a rain of flowers showers down on the venue.

The next instant, he waves the magic wand in his hand. A cluster of firelight rises and the flowers disappear.

Kylo: Are you ready to join this miraculous feast?

I see him throwing his hat into the sky, and then the dazzling ribbons explode, the hat changing from one to three.

Kylo raises his chin in the face of the bright spotlight and takes one of the hats with great confidence.

He takes his time making his next move. His blue eyes look around calmly before he opens his palms--

Under the intense drum beat, a snow-white rabbit emerges from the hat. It shakes its ears and jumps into his palm.

The audience then exclaims and cheers, stands and applauds, and several people in fancy attire throw gold coins at the stage.

At this moment, I play the role of Jenny and sit in the booth somberly.

Sommelier: It's quite a pity that you just missed Mr. Kylo's performance, miss.

The sommelier on the side vividly describes to me the performance I had just missed while clearing out the glasses.

I turn to look at Kylo and smile shyly.

MC: But I don't think this is the only time Mr. Kylo will perform. I'll arrive early next time.

Kylo: Then I will reserve the best seat for you.

He says, putting on his hat and bowing to me like a gentleman.

Kylo: It's getting late, and I honestly can't find any reason to keep the lady.

Kylo: So, let me escort you home safely, alright?

-

Kylo and I walk side by side on the way home, and I sneakily look at his profile in the moonlught.

Perhaps it's because it's my first time being so close to someone of the opposite sex, but every time our eyes meet, my heartbeat keeps speeding up uncontrollably.

After hesitating for some time, despite my embarrassment, I finally ask the question that made me most curious.

MC: Mr. Kylo, someone like you... must already be in a relationship with a girl, right?

Kylo: You guessed wrong. I don't have a girlfriend.

Kylo: However, at his moment, I'm encountering a beautiful love, so maybe I'll have one soon.

Like some kind of invitation, he takes advantage of the situation and takes my hand.

All of a sudden, my face feels hot and my heart pounds heavily.

His palms are warm and dry, and somehow, I let him hold me until I reach the door of my house.

MC: ...I'm home now.

Kylo: Then, I wish you sweet dreams.

MC: The same to you.

I nod and prepare to open the door, slightly reluctant, but his voice comes from behind me again.

Kylo: I have never felt time fly so quickly...

Kylo: Perhaps the romantic night calls for a romantic farewell.

His whispers are carried to my ears by the wind. I try to steady my mind and look at this person who is still able to be eye-catching even in the dead of night.

MC: [blushing] Mr. Kylo...

Before I finish speaking, he takes a step closer to me, a smile on his face, and immediately puts his hands on my waist, drawing our breaths closer.

Kylo: We need some romance, right?

This is clearly a line in the script, but looking into his eyes, I feel as if I have fallen into a deep sea.

He puts me in a trance, and I am unable to tell whether this is a part of the act or not.

MC: [blushing] I...

In an instant, all those unspoken hesitations are swallowed up by his kiss.

Different from the shyness in the dressing room some time ago, his breathing closely intertwines with mine, as if wanting to loose himself in the sensation with me.

Kylo: [murmuring breathlessly] Tell me...

He asks me softly, as if he were bewitching me.

My breathing is a little chaotic, and I begin to respond to him involuntarily, slowly snaking my hands around his neck.

MC: Yes...

A trace of tenderness suddenly flashes in his eyes, but he does not let me go because of this, only continues to deepen the kiss.

It isn't until the camera lights not far away flash that I am suddenly brought back to reality and stroke his cheek.

MC: ...That was my first kiss, Mr. Kylo.

Director: Cut! Come in earlier and come again!

I quickly take a deep breath and nod to the director.

MC: Sorry, director. I'll adjust my state.

After responding to the director, when I turn around and look at Kiro before me, my originally calm heartbeat starts to race again.

MC: ...Well, you've made a lot of progress from what you did in the dressing room.

Kiro: Yeah?

Kiro: But I don't think it's enough.

Kiro: When facing the person you like, you have to make her feel it more clearly.

Kiro says it so candidly that I have to blink in surprise for a moment.

There is clearly no change in his facial features - it's the same as ever.

And his behavior at this moment is completely different to that of the shy young man who was in the dressing room half an hour ago.

But he doesn't give me a chance to ask for an explanation. He nods to the director and indicates that the filming can start.

With the sound of the film machine turning, I pick up the hem of my skirt again, as if I have already transformed into that young girl who doesn't know much about the world, immersed in that alluring golden light.

A newcomer whose acting skills have improved so quickly--

I think I want to get to know you again, Kiro.

Director: Action.

MC: That was my first kiss, Mr. Kylo.

Kylo: Then I must be the luckiest person in the world.

MC: Do you say that to other girls?

Kylo: No, you're the only one in front of me.

As he speaks, he takes off his coat and puts it on me, tightening it around the collar.

I startle, looking at the coat he put on me so naturally.

This isn't something that's in the script.

I am unable to keep myself from looking up at him, but he just looks at me with a smile and tucks my wind-blown hair behind my ears.

The coat is stained with his warmth and gradually merges with my own, prompting me to take a step closer to him under the heat.

At this moment, I am no longer confused about whether I am Jenny or MC.

I just obey my instincts at this moment and place a gentle kiss on his lips.

He immediately hugs me tighter, his hands wandering around my waist, and then gently strokes my back.

I gently close my eyes and what follows is a longer and more lingering kiss from him.

God knows how bold such a performance is. We are expressing love in front of everyone as if no one else was around.

Looking at him in front of me, feeling his breathing and touch, I gradually am unable to tell whether these emotions are real or a performance.

Since we have to shoot different scenes and angles for editing, we kiss like this countless times.

And I have drowned in that deep sea countless times.

By the time the director shouts "Cut", the sky was getting brighter.

Watching Kiro pack up his luggage alone in the distance, I suddenly feel a little uncomfortable.

Maybe I need to process what happened today.

I don't say anything more to Kiro. When I am about to leave in the car, he comes and knocks at my car window.

Kiro: Miss MC, can I have your contact information?

Different from the wandering look he has during filming, his eyes are pure, and shine in the morning light.

He makes my heart skip a beat again.

MC: Certainly.

I don't want him to see anything, so I lower my head take out the lipstick from my bag. With feigned nonchalance, I write my phone number on a piece of paper and hand it to him, and then ask my driver to drive away.

Looking at that figure gradually disappearing in the rearview mirror, a faint anticipation starts to spread in my heart.

——*:･ﾟ✧——*:･ﾟ✧——

[PART 4]

But ever since that day, he has never contacted me.

Another day of shooting ends. As soon as I open the apartment door, the apartment manager on the first floor pokes his head out.

Manager: There's no call for you today, Miss MC.

MC: ...Thanks.

Manager: God, this is the first time I've seen you care so much.

Manager: You've been waiting for this call for three weeks, right? Tell me, what kind of person is this "Mr. Kiro"?

Seeing his look of interest, I smile politely in response and hurry back home.

The anticipation I felt when I handed over my phone number and name a few weeks ago has now turned into a slightly gnawing irritation.

The memory of that sweet and raw kiss has appeared so many times in my dreams in the middle of the night, that it honestly felt more like a dream.

Could it be that he is an expert? Not only is he an eloquent magician on-screen, but he's capable of leaving people anxious and sleepless at night off-screen as well.

Thoughts come to my mind, so I simply kick off my high heels and throw myself onto the sofa with a sigh.

To be honest, I could just contact him through the company while he is filming in other states.

But what is the point of contacting him like this? If he really thought of this as only a temporary emotion, then I might as well extinguish the flames that have ignited in my heart as soon as possible.

MC: Go ahead and film your movie. If you don't want to contact me, then don't contact me!

-

Kiro: Miss MC! Long time no see!

The next time I meet him is a month later on the set of a commercial we are co-producing.

As soon as I arrive at the beach we are filming at, the man who cast me aside and ignored me for more than a month immediately runs towards me.

He still smiles at me as brightly and warmly as the sun, and his eyes as blue as the sea can still easily take away my soul in an instant.

I turn my head away as if nothing has happened, deliberately not looking at him.

While I had some begrudging thoughts at the prospect of filming with him, the company has spent a lot of money to get this soda commercial.

Neither the reward in front of me nor my professional ethics has given me the chance to refuse.

Kiro: The response to the movie was very good. Everyone recognized our characters during the filming.

Kiro: People keep saying that we're a perfect match, a real couple!

My heart, which has been anxious for quite some time, becomes incredibly light. The corners of my mouth helplessly long to rise along with his, but I pull them down again.

I calmly straighten my back, raise my neck pretentiously and gracefully respond to him with a sideways glance.

MC: Yeah?

Kiro: I met a few movie fans a few days ago who asked me about your latest whereabouts...

As he waits with me for the camera to be set up, he talks about the daily happenings of this period, as if nothing has happened.

The irritability that has been with me for a long time lingers around me, mixing with the happiness of seeing him, and becoming more and more and complex than I am used to.

Kiro: How are you lately?

The "culprit" in front of me blinked his sincere eyes, an innocent look on his face.

Photographer: The props are ready! Come over here, you two!

Before I can answer, the photographer interrupts us.

But that was alright, otherwise I didn't know if I could maintain my composure on the surface.

After all, other than him, filming a summer soda commercial on a winter beach is sad enough.

Photographer: This set of promotional pictures needs to highlight the concept of drinks being incorporated into life. The two of you can chat about anything and find that casual everyday state for yourselves!

I sit under the parasol and make a cute gesture of enjoying the sunshine. Kiro is half-lying next to me clearly, reaching out to pick up a bottle of soda as if to drink it.

"Click--"

Photographer: Great! That's it! Keep going!

I straighten up and gesture to get something from the picnic basket. He changes his posture in response and looks back at me.

Kiro: You and I haven't seen each other for about a month.

Kiro: Like the photographer said, what should we talk about?

Photographer: Next one!

I am so angry that I hear the photographer's voice in my ears, so I immediately open my eyes wide and put on a sweet smile.

Kiro also raises his hand to put on his sunglasses, his face glowing.

"Click--"

The moment the camera moves away, my expression immediately collapses and I can't help but stare at him.

MC: Want to chat with me now? Did you take my phone number and forget about it a month ago?

Hearing my words, a trace of panic flashes across his eyes. He closes the magazine and is about to take my hand, but I cleverly sidestep him.

Photographer: Look at each other again! Smile... a little more sensationally!

I raise my eyebrows and look up at him, our eyes meeting in mid-air.

Kiro closes one eye and raises the corners of his lips in a teasing arc, though he is unable to remove the panic from his eyes in time.

"Click--"

This time, his outstretched hand grasps a hold of my wrist.

The warmth from another person irons my skin and is enough to warm my heart in this cold.

Kiro: I haven't forgotten. I've always kept your phone number!

Kiro: It's just... I haven't found the time yet...

MC: It's just a phone call. Do you need to find the time?

I can't help but complain quietly.

All I want is to know what he thinks of me, and meet with him and chat with him outside of the camera.

Kiro: Because it's a very important matter... so I've been thinking about how to tell you.

Kiro: Later I finally realized that I should tell you in person rather than on the phone.

He pulls my hand hard and prompts me to fall directly into his arms. Then the sound of the photographer pressing the shutter comes, one after another.

Kiro: What do you say?

Kiro touches my cheek with one hand and lowers his head.

The distance between us suddenly shortens and I fall into a clear ocean.

His breath gently brushes the side of my face and I breathe it in, along with the air.

Kiro: Will you go on a date with me?

"Click--"

I don't know if I had time to adjust my expression in the final photo and give a smile that met the requirements.

-

I don't even remember how I said goodbye to the photographer, thanked everyone at the scene one by one, and retired to the break room.

Involuntarily, my heart is roaring, and my cheeks have turned crimson.

Even after I wrap myself in my coat, my breathing still doesn't calm down.

A mischievous sound comes from beside me and a golden color that is more dazzling than the sun breaks into my line of sight.

The tip of his nose is still stained red due to the sea breeze. When he stretches out his hand, a piece of crystal clear fruit candy appears.

With another wave of his hand, the candy in his palm turns into a flower.

The corners of my lips rebel against my reason and raise due to this familiar scene.

MC: Is this also a trick by Mr. Magician?

Kiro places the flowers in my hand with immense care. He slows down his voice and speaks softly.

Kiro: You are the magician who has cast a spell on me.

Kiro: During the time I haven's seen you, I've thought about you every day.

Although I am slightly aware of his intentions, I still childishly choke him.

MC: ...It's been more than a month and you still haven't broken the act?

Kiro: Whether on or off screen, I have missed this lovely and charming lady.

Kiro: Rather, it was because I wanted to distinguish whether it was the you on screen or the you off screen that I couldn't forget...

Kiro: That's why I took on that scene that was shot out of town. I already knew your number by heart, and I had passed by the phone booth hundreds of times, but I still never called you.

Kiro: Because I realized that I couldn't just seek you out - I wanted to stand higher in order to be close to you.

Kiro: So when I came to know you were going to be shooting for this commercial, I worked hard to get the opportunity for this as well.

Kiro: Whether she's an innocent and lovely young lady on-screen, or a professional celebrity who hides her nervousness off-screen.

Kiro: Or the vibrant and lively MC in front of me, who secretly glared at me several times.

Kiro: As long as you are in front of me, you leave me fascinated.

He looks straight at me, slowly but not allowing me to refuse, and leans forward, pressing a little warmth to my lips.

Sweet, and just as raw and clumsy as that night.

Different from the master magician, standing before me is the sincere and passionate Kiro who belongs only to me.

I close my eyes and give him the same unskilled kiss.

The fire in the break room crackles, propping up a corner of spring flowers in winter.

Kiro: Will you go on a date with me?

He lowers his voice and whispers into my ear, sending a steady stream of heat that leaves me dizzy.

I put my arms around his neck and peck him on the cheek.

MC: Isn't it happening right now?

[END]

——*:･ﾟ✧——*:･ﾟ✧——

✨ Trivia: The 9 of Hearts card that MC drew in the start of the date symbolizes satisfaction and joy. All misfortune is reversed or mitigated by this card. It gives the message: enjoy today and stop worrying about tomorrow.

Translation Masterlist: HERE

[siriouslytired]

Feedback fest 2024 🌻

Well RIP to my bookmarks because I just noticed that so many of my favourite fics have been deleted or made anonymous/put in a collection. Thought it would be fun to do this anyway.

Also apparently I managed to post this when it wasn't done (can you tell technology doesn't like me?) And for some reason I couldn't edit the original post (and what's up with that??). So uh, if anyone had liked the first post I deleted it because I got annoyed.

All fics on the list can be found on AO3

A Year In Toussaint by astolat

The Witcher; Rated E; Geralt of Rivia/Emhyr var Emreis

"[...] - and found himself spilling the whole sob story of his success to Emhyr, who actually broke and laughed out loud when Geralt got to the racehorses."

One of my comfort fics, will read it for a multitude of reasons but mostly just because it's so well-written and engaging (which is just all of astolat's fics really)

Hunger and Appetite by thegoodbutter

Shadow & Bone; Rated E; Aleksander Morozova/Alina Starkov; Modern AU

I couldn't actually tell you how many times I've read this, it's just SO GOOD. And the food descriptions are just fantastic, makes me want to cook up a storm/start baking something even though I hate doing the dishes afterwards.

The Stars Don’t Shine, They Burn by Sarcasmismydefaultmode

Shadow & Bone/The Witcher; Rated E; Alina Starkov/Emhyr var Emreis; Second Best AU

Read it. Do it. It's so fucking good. I usually don't read crossovers anymore but I couldn’t resist this one and it was so worth it. It blends the two worlds so well while making sure that the edges are obvious enough that you can still tell which parts came from what canon.

Amazing Grace (series) by Druid Moon

Marvel Cinematic Universe; Darcy Lewis/Clint Barton; Many references to different forms of crafts

A relic from when I mostly read MCU fics that I return to again and again and again. Super cosy, slightly sad, incredibly well-written, one of those fics that just draws you in once you start reading it.

coronas of wolf-teeth and rivers by Dialux

A Song of Ice and Fire; Not Rated; Catelyn Stark/Ned Stark; AU; Robert dies at the Trident, Ned dies at the Tower of Joy, Catelyn becomes Queen of Westeros

I remember reading the summary and basically attacking my phone screen to open the fic. It ties itself together so neatly from the premise and the way Catelyn is written is just fantastic.

Diplomatic Relations by KrazzeeAJ1701

Star Trek; Rated M; James T Kirk/Sybok; AU, Female James T. Kirk

Listen, I had a phase where I mostly read gender swap and I found some real gems - this being one of them. I don't re-read it as often as I should but every time I do I remember how much I like it and how fantastic the writing is. The set-up just makes sense and the progression of the story makes you want to keep reading forever.

the ghosts won't matter because we'll hide in sin by soapboxblues

A Song of Ice and Fire; Jaime Lannister/Lyanna Stark; AU

A cute little AU where Lyanna survives the Tower of Joy and is subsequently turned into a political pawn etc etc. Incredibly well-written and the pieces just fit together so well.

The Debt of Time by ShayaLonnie

Harry Potter; Rated E; Sirius Black/Hermione Granger; AU, Time Travel, Soul Bond

I must have read this at least 15 times by now. It just works so well, you know?

For One Last Day by fideliant

The Hobbit; General Audience; Bilbo Baggins/Thorin Oakenshield; AU

"The things we don't do for love." It's so bittersweet and lovely and all those wonderful things that make me want to smile and cry at the same time. Sort of chances-not-taken and now we're old wrapped up in this little moment that fits so well into the canon of LOTR.

Eurybia by Annerb

Pirates of the Caribbean; Rated T; Elizabeth Swan/Will Turner; Jack Sparrow/Elizabeth Swan; AU

"A love story. Elizabeth Swan and the sea." Read it. Just do it. It's so so so good. And it's barely 1200 words so you can read it and then spend an hour contemplating what you just read and still have time to do other things.

[fragmentofmemories]

Since you reblogged that post about how it's ok to send you questions & statements 👀 I'll try asking a few!

a) do you draw traditionally ? if yes what's your favourite medium ?

b) do you have a favourite Touhou-related track/song ? or any recommendations ?

c) is there any voice actor you especially like ? (from any country)

d) is there a specific character or media you really like but don't make fancontent of (for whatever reason) ?

Feel free to only answer to the questions that interests you btw~

I feel like most of these answers are going to be boring because I'm somewhat neutral on these (lol), but I'll try anyway--

a) The answer is... Not really! I spent my earliest drawing years (2019-2020) using a sketchbook and whatever stationery I had. Nothing really professional or creative, just me practicing for the first time.

Which is to say I haven't drawn traditionally in a long while. As soon as I got my first and current tablet, I switched fully to Digital.

Although, that's part of the reason why I want to buy a new tablet with a screen (I don't really know what those are called).

It's not traditional, obviously, but I feel like it'd help me improve my drawing skills further. Also I need to switch my old tablet.

Don't ask me for any pre-2021 drawings btw. Besides being very low quality, I just don't feel like talking about them.

---

b) If you haven't listened to the Cafe de Touhou albums before, I'd definitely recommend those! There's 8 of them, each one themed after a different game, but they're all great.

As for official tracks, I can't say I have many favorites, but if I were to pick a few:

This might be a hot take of sorts, but music is probably the aspect that interests me the least about Touhou. By no means I'm saying it's bad, obviously. I'm just saying that, compared to the characters, gameplay, worldbuilding and everything else the series offers, the music never interested me as much.

---

c) VAs are something I haven't payed much attention to, unless it's someone very prominent in the field and you can immediately tell "Oh they hired X again for this character".

I'm guessing Johnny Yong Bosch comes to mind first when it comes to VAs, just because he tends to voice my favorites (lol). He's the current voice of Zero (Mega Man), and he also voiced P4 Hero (Persona 4), and Lelouch vi Britannia (Code Geass, also my favorite performance of his).

Meme answer, but I'd also like to add Carlos Villega for being the Latin American voice for Hisoka in 1999 Hunter X Hunter. I say it's a meme because, for some reason, he was given a French accent in that version and I can't think of him without it as a result.

1999 HxH's Latin American dub didn't age very well, but it's nostalgic to me nonetheless.

---

d)

Since I'm pretty much in a Castlevania mood rn, I have to wonder why haven't I drawn Shanoa yet?

She's one of my favorite protagonists ever (if not my favorite), her character is tragic and incredibly well written, and her design is just plain elegant.

Yet, I never stopped to think "I should draw her next", for some unknown reason. Perhaps in my spare time, while I'm taking a break off ODG, maybe?

Besides her, there are other characters I really like yet never drew before, which is to say Leif and Shanna (Fire Emblem), Kasumi Todoh (Art of Fighting) and Rei Reiho (Devil Summoner)

Lastly there's my non EO/CoH DRPG parties (I.E currently Labyrinth of Zangetsu and Stranger of Sword City). Drawing six characters at once takes a long time...

[desultory-novice]

Another Lightning Round!

This time, we're answering:

-Borb Feet -Shadow Dedede and The Mirror World's Dream Fountain -Kirby Royalty -Soul of Kirby?! -Forgiving the "unforgivable" Dream Friends (a lo~ng post for an old ask!)

Hee hee! I'll tell you what, anon, at first, I wasn't sure how to take this comment (something I mentioned on stream) because getting good at drawing feet on the internet is... well...you know!

But given I myself started this by pointing out how bad I was at it with Galacta Knight, I really do appreciate the compliment! Next on my list.... borb hands. I've seen so many people draw Kirby's n-nubs (?) in ways that really make them look so marshmallow-y and fun!

-

Hello?! That idea of the Star Rod never getting repaired after Shadow Dedede broke it?! Fantastic! Imagine it drying up, and of course, the effects something like that would have on the mirror world!

(Has anyone else stumbled across that gorgeous but haunting series of "bad end" pictures a certain Kirby fan artist did on Twitter? I remember one had Dedede with a dried up Dream Fountain. That's very much what I'm visualizing here!)

Now, I vague~ly recall that there's some debate about the "darkness in his heart" part of the Shadow Dedede pause screen?  That the English version says it is Shadow Dedede who has to overcome his darkness whereas in the original, it is OUR Dedede who has to overcome his "shadow" that being Shadow Dedede.

...But just because it isn't saying that Shadow Dedede is trying to overcome something doesn't mean he doesn't represent a painful mark in both Dedede's histories. And such a "mistake" (unknown at the time) is an excellent possibility!

Lastly, thank you! The steady influx of lore and theories everyone drops into my inbox reminds me of my favorite parts of fandom in the old days and is a major treat!

-

This is NEAT! While they may not have known about each other in the past, you bring up a great point that after so many games, these various planets (dimensions? in the case of Fluff) are forging bonds with each other. Everyone likes the Galactic Star Alliance from the anime, right? What's interesting is that we kind of have a basis for such an "alliance" forming in our current Kirby-game verse!

Kirby has helped these monarchs get in contact with each other, becoming a link across multiple planets. So I think the idea of them getting together and talking now, in the present~post-game of Forgotten Land is a possibility! Let each other know if any suspicious activity is happening or if everyone is still doing all right.

Although that reminds me of something that came up in the stream... Since King Dedede is the "self-proclaimed" ruler of Dream Land... is there an ACTUAL ruler of Dream Land/Popstar waiting in the wings? Waiting for their return? Or sealed away even? (D-Dark Nebula, is that you?)

Either way, a meeting between those 5 sounds both intense and fun! I would love to come back to this idea with a sketch or illustration of some kind!

-

I'm digging into the backlog for some of these. Also, I can't believe I never answered this one?! Sorry if this ask is too old even for you, @emeraldcoloredwinter

(I'm also sorry in case I did in fact answer it in the past and can't find it - because Tumblr's search is really unreliable. If I repeat myself here, I'm sorry. If not and this turns out to be relevant...great!)

Frankly, I would love to see all kinds of soul lore expanded upon in future games. Partly because I have my headcanons as to why Sectonia/Pres. Haltmann died for realz versus why Marx and Magolor came back and if we get more tidbits, I can come closer to completing my conspiracy corkboard!!

(As well as figure out just where Drawcia lays in the current state of "canon." And maybe figure out some stuff about Zero, Zero 2 and the Dark Matters and what happened to them!)

On the one hand, I feel like Void did a rea~lly bang up job at feeling like you were battling the soul of Kirby. Or at least "a Kirby." I mean, seeing Kirby's face appear on Void, with all those childish movement patterns and that smile before defeat?

But Void was also composed of a variety of thoughts and feelings, so it wasn't exactly our Kirby. Then we've got the Shadow Kirby battles in Kirby Fighters 2, which also come somewhat close in concept, as you're fighting someone with the same ability set as you. That would be another good way to do it, I think.

But it still doesn't quite scratch that itch, does it? ... Now, I feel silly that I can't remember if this is a real thing or I'm just combining a bunch of games in my head (I-I may be old but I'm decades away from the point where I should have to fear being senile!!) but watching some Castlevania longplays... there was a part of one of the games where you go through one of the old castles, right? Maybe it wasn't in black and white, but it is in my memories.

And Kirby had a part like that too, in one of the games! At least, I think it did...? (Okay, maybe I AM going senile...)

:cough: That aside, something like those visuals above when combined with the feelings evoked by the 8-bit nostalgia portion of Void Termina's The Star Conquering Traveler Suite...

I can only imagine it would be sad. Maybe it would involve some kind of sacrifice or some kind of origin story. A time-travel game even? Something that takes us back to our favorite hero's beginnings. Despite it inevitably being THE penultimate fight, I can't picture it being a big dramatic battle so much as one of those interactive cutscenes, or something with never-seen-before-now gameplay elements. But it would feel like a true goodbye to the Kirby series. Oh, it might be able to continue on past that, just like things didn't end after the Star Allies completion picture either.

...But expect a lot of fears (and tears!) of something happening when it finally did.

Personally, I can't help but think Kirby's Soul would look like Retro Kirby or Popopo from Twinkle Popo. It might not even be called "Kirby's Soul" but have a more archetypical name like "Soul of a Traveler" or "Soul of Youth." 

...Soul of the Spring Breeze.

-

Another super old one. Gah, me and my slowness... The sad thing is, I had nine~ty percent of this written out a while ago but just didn't know how to finish it. I'm so sorry about that, @vexx-ation !

It was a really good ask though and I'm glad I gave it another shot. Now then, I think that in large part, this would boil down to who was most harmed by those characters and in what ways!

-

[Dark Meta Knight]

Dark Meta Knight is the biggest mystery because... DMK refuses (or can't) talk to anyone so we know nothing about his feelings. And we don't even know how he returned the first time after death (?)

Meta Knight is the one DMK has arguably hurt the most (excluding maybe Kirby) but I feel like Meta Knight is also the one who needs nothing from DMK to understand forgive them. It really all depends on where Dark Meta Knight is coming from. Was DMK a willing agent in Dark Mind's takeover? Then Meta Knight would be more hard on/untrusting of his shadow for certain. But being his mirror counterpart, I think he would take it as a sign of something lacking in himself. That he is only one step away from making such a turn. But if you, like me, think that the placement of certain objects and events in Amazing Mirror (Radish Ruins as DMK's "stage" and Shadow Kirby showing up one last time before you face off against DMK) are indicative that something more subtle is going on, Meta Knight may not even require an apology from DMK at all. Either DMK was manipulated or was attempting to manipulate the situation in the Mirror World's favor. In which case Meta would just silently nod and go on with his day.

Then there's King Dedede, who, at least in his own parallel mode, was seemingly attacked at random by DMK. That certainly puts them off on a wrong start, but I also think that Dedede would be able to eventually laugh it off and compare it some of his Meta Knight's more belligerent actions in the past (something that would probably fluster Meta Knight, as he wouldn't expect that comparison, mirror counterpart or no.) IE: I find it hard to believe the guy with a wrestling ring in his castle would hold an ambush against somebody for long, especially as he won.

It would take Bandee probably a bit to come to terms with the scary version of someone he most likely respects, but DMK has his cute (?) side too (like in his idle animation) so I think Bandee could come to accept DMK, especially after both Meta Knight and Dedede express that they no longer hold any hard feelings toward the dark knight.

Kirby would probably be the closest thing to a "holdout" here, only because Dark Meta DID ambush two of his friends (depending on the timelines) and he'd want to know that's not going to happen again. Afterwards though? DMK's right to be a part of the group is never questioned again!

-

[Susie]

Susie... ahhh, Susie. Let's just note that all the classic Susie discourse disclaimers go here and remind everyone once more that they're on a Susie-friendly blog and to some of you, what I am going to say may come off as being exceptionally "light" on Susie's crimes. It is what it is, however. If you want a brutal takedown of Susie, there are dozens of other blogs who will give it, I am certain. I can only go in-depth on things from my view of my Kirby-verse.

In random order: Bandee was the only one to not be incapacitated for large chunks of Planet Robobot's story and I believe that were the game to be remade in the modern style (or even had it been released on more powerful hardware than the 3DS) Bandee would have been a second player character just like in Forgotten Land. And if we assume that of him, then we can assume Bandee would have been exposed to Susie's entire plotline same as Kirby.

Bandee is, at least in the novel-verse (and it's not a bad HC in general) the most empathetic member of the Dream Team. Bandee can sympathize with and care about just about anyone. And Bandee might have been wondering if there was something going on with Susie before even Kirby started to see the cracks in the secretary's facade of corporate perfection.

While Bandee wouldn't like the things she, her father, and the HWC have done to Popstar, I think that once he sees where she's come from, his own anger would be tempered down. That everything reverts at the end (ironic (?) that everything is almost "magically healed" except the Haltmann's shattered family bonds) would be enough of a relief for Bandee that I think he could move on to looking at Susie as just a person. (And isn't he the one in the novel who gives her the pocketwatch back or am I mis-remembering that?)

I actually think Susie "as a friend" could be more intimidating to Bandee that Susie as an enemy. She's a sympathetic enemy. As a friend, she might be a considered too "extra" for the small warrior Dee! XD

On that note...I don't know why, but in most cases, I just see King Dedede as being very forgiving toward people in trouble. Oh, he will grumble about it to no end! But I don't see him EVER hurting anyone while they're down.

Of course, Dedede was also unconscious for 99% of Planet Robobot. Was he even awake when his DNA was stolen? Does he know? I mean, not knowing wouldn't be great at all, but I can't help but think that more than being harvested and bottled, his biggest concern, just based on his priorities, would be that his castle got destroyed AGAIN. Why can't the poor man keep a castle?! He didn't even do anything this time!! (Even the Halberd made it!) So, yeah, imagine a confrontation with Susie and Dedede and Susie tries to imagine all the things Dedede is going to call her out for and no, he's just upset about his castle getting wrecked. Susie is surprised he even cares about that "dinky, dusty old thing" and thus, a shouting match begins.

But again, I don't think it would last for too long. I think the things Dedede and Susie would clash on would be petty things. Dedede is pretty manly in his interests and Susie is very girly. They're blue and pink, even. I think Dedede would forget or just plain ol' not care about Susie's more "human rights" crimes and make MOUNTAINS out of the little things. Although they do share a love of machinery, and that might be something that would bring peace to the VERY petty disagreements. At least until Susie chastises Dedede for using "old parts" while Dedede goes on an old man rant about how those old parts are three times as reliable as all this easy to break new stuff! (Dedede is the equivalent of the guy who put his first car together by hand. Susie is the "born plugged in" type.) So, yes, they fight, but not for the reasons you think. ^^;

...As for Meta Knight, I think countless paragraphs have already been written on these two and most people know where I fall about now. Meta Knight, whether we saw it happen on screen or not, was able to figure out what Susie's deal was faster than anyone else, and while he didn't care for having his autonomy stolen (not to mention, I can't imagine he liked all the bulk of his un-asked for cybernetic upgrades. Mecha Knight is a tank. A stark contrast to Meta Knight's fast "here and away" style.) But if anyone in the entire FRANCHISE understands that sometimes your morals take a backseat for your goals, it would be him and now that the dust has cleared and the HWC was on the losing side with Susie as it's sole survivor (speaking brutally) there's no reason to be angry with her anymore. That said, I believe that, much like happens in the fandom, Meta Knight probably gets questioned fairly often (by people who know) if he's upset at Susie, with some not believing its possible he wouldn't be. But I really think to him, it's just something that happens when you're pushed into a corner.

What Meta Knight would care about is not what Susie has done in her past (to him) but what she does now.

...That said, I think he will find an "excuse" to be somewhere else when she looks at him with stars in her eyes and a wrench in her hand. (I am a firm believer that the Star Allies scene is meant to be taken comically, not seriously. I have nothing against Mecha Knight unwanted modification angst but that scene should not be your sole "proof" such a thing exists.)

And of course, as for Kirby, Kirby has already accepted Susie. He ran to her side when she was injured. He agreed with her request to stop Star Dream, and he accepted her invader armor. There's nothing else to forgive. Acceptance is freely given.

Lastly...

-

[Marx]

Marx is the silly one. Very silly. I think, on my first draft of this post (I made the choice to write it again from scratch rather than base it on my previous version, so that it was up to date with my current feelings) I took the concept of Marx and forgiveness very seriously, but then I booted up Star Stacker (SNES) again and remembered that the story began because one day, Dedede saw a sparkling star flying through the sky and decided, "I'm gonna shoot it with a cannon!" So, in case this needs to be restated...

The people of Dream Land are absolutely buck wild.

Probably, due to the comparisons with his spiritual successor Magolor, there's been a casual attempt to try and make a bigger deal out of the "ship in a bottle" events of Milky Way Wishes.

I don't want to be a hypocrite here. I'm a huge fan of "Let's try to expand on Marx's backstory, personality, and motivations using every tiny scrap we've got" and I do so relatively shamelessly. I love the idea that there might have been buckets and buckets of angst and pathos behind his decision to trick Kirby into bringing Galactic Nova into Popstar's orbit so he could kick our beloved puffball into the darkness of space and wish to make the planet his own...

...but do I think that those acts in a vacuum are on the same scale as what all the other big, bad, last bosses have done?

Not really.

Well, not like the modern villains. Marx is a bit more like Dark Meta Knight or Daroach in the breadth of his bad guy-ness. His act harmed very few people in practice. It could have gone on to harm more eventually, had it succeeded. It might have even been devastating! Similar to if Dark Mind's reach was allowed to expand into the peaceful non-Mirror Popstar. Or if Dark Daroach went on to rule as the second coming of the Lord of the Netherworld!

But... it wasn't. The clown's dreams lasted only a few brief minutes. To the people on the surface, Nova exploding probably looked like no more than a shooting star. ("Everyone make a wish!")

...The only person Marx needs forgiveness from, then, is Kirby. And that is the story of several hundred different fanfics and fan theories and frankly, I enjoy all of them because the ~potential~ dynamic these two characters share is one of my favorite things in the series.

And, leaving the "middle" of that journey for we, the fan creators to come up with, I believe we can at least say that, in the end, the two seem to have made up successfully.

...Now, there's still the question of would the rest of the Dream Team LIKE Marx or forgive him upon hearing what he did! I think Meta Knight would be wary of him for a lot of reasons. He's unexpected and uncontrollable. He hopped in to attack the group during the Star Allies credit sequence. But Meta Knight also (in an alternate timeline) thought wishing on Galactic Nova for a ridiculously selfish wish was a perfectly sane thing to do so I gather he would have little issue with Marx's ambitions, if not his actions. And as for his attempted murder of Kirby, Meta Knight is :cough: also guilty of that so yeahhhh. Maybe he doesn't LOVE the jester's antics or even tolerate them, but he wouldn't decry them from a moral high ground...?

I personally love the idea that King Dedede is headache-inducingly familiar with Marx. I like the idea that Marx might have even gotten his title of "jester" thanks to King Dedede. According to the Dedede Encyclopedia entries on twitter, Dedede had no idea about Marx's attempted takeover of Popstar nor did he know about Marx's "true form." Thus, it's easy to imagine that to Dedede, Marx is nothing more than another cute, silly resident of Dream Land, like the Waddle Dees. He may even treat Marx with the same paternal kindness he gives the Waddle Dees. At least until Marx goes a step too far!

TLDR, I love the version of their relationship as implied in the Kirby Storybooks, where Marx is one of "those troublesome kids" who teams up with Kirby to play harmless pranks on Dedede. It's so crazy wholesome, something that you can't always say about Marx!

...Lastly, Bandee... Oh, empathetic little Bandee. I feel like Bandee would probably be the one to eye Marx the most critically. Because Bandee has eyes on the ground level to NOT be fooled like Dedede nor so extreme that he can't hold Marx accountable like Meta Knight. I think Bandee is probably the closest to Kirby in seeing Marx for who Marx really is, but doesn't have the "complex" relationship Kirby and Marx does that inspires Kirby to forgive him no matter what he does.

Not that I think they fight or don't get along, necessarily. (In fact, the sudden spike (?) in MarDee - am I spelling that right? - shippers has rekindled my interesting in their dynamic) But I do think that while Marx is giving everyone his "Who? Meeee?" eyes, Bandee is off on the side giving Marx a narrow-eyed look of "You don't fool me."

But again, I think that honesty may be something that could turn into a kind of closeness they don't have with others! Plus, biased, but I also completely love, love, love the idea that the one Waddle Dee who is tired of being "just a Waddle Dee" and the one Noddy who is tired of being "just a Noddy" have an understanding that none of the naturally over-powered residents of Popstar can ever understand.

It's possible to write them as rivals or enemies. These two, quite frankly, could be very cool together in a variety of ways!

[skidzobrainia]

My Turbo F.A.S.T. Ship opinions and ideas (Part 1)

This is once again, one of my longposts about Turbo F.A.S.T. Please note about how I use the language of “ship,” which is more synonymous with “character dynamic” to me than always being romantic.

I will not be talking about anything I don’t want to be confused as romantic here, just popular ships, how I feel about them in a platonic AND romantic dynamic sense… also, this only talks about ships that include Turbo. He has so many, so I decided to get all of the ones I could think of done in one post.

Press read more! (￣▽￣)

TURBO/WHIPLASH

To begin this post with the more popular ships… I’ll begin with Turbo and Whiplash, because I have the most to say about them that isn’t stuff you’ve heard from me before.

Okay… I entirely understand why people ship this one. They’re the two characters in the entire series that get an incredible amount of development and screen time together. (Other than Turbo and Chet, who are without a doubt the number 1 in this category, but they aren’t a ship… for one big hopefully obvious reason.)

Their Mentor/Mentee dynamic is incredibly endearing and funny in the movie AND in the show. Turbo does stupid shit, Whiplash sets him straight and it’s a lesson learned… Whiplash gets caught being wrong for once and Turbo takes the chance to laugh and be snarky about it (or even when whiplash is right, lol.. )That’s a pretty simplistic view of them, but it’s tried and true and will personally always make me happy.

I’d argue going into the show they change a little bit… instead of solely having their mentor/mentee dynamic they feel more like incredibly close friends to me. They still have that structure around them, but the way they interact now challenges that even more in a way, to where I’d consider them equals (I hope you get what I mean by that) I think Terror Of Tickula to be a pretty good episode that highlights what I enjoy about them. Turbo also seems to be more confident about challenging things that Whiplash says than the others, even longer into the show.

All that being said, do I ship them? No… honestly, I’d think I would, but for some reason I just don’t jive with it! I don’t have so much as an idea of how they’d be in any other way than what they already are.

TURBO/HARDCASE

This is a pretty popular one, and I sort of understand…

I really enjoy their dynamic, even though personally I am not interested a romance, or “enemies to lovers” situation with them. (however I do joke about them being exes a lot if that says anything LOL)

They’re really funny when you put them in a room together. Other than when they are in the obvious situation (Hardcase trying to kill Turbo or to defeat him in general, like, so many times) , I could best describe them as this situation: people who really dislike each other… except, when one of them has two tickets to a movie and nobody else to bring They’ll enjoy it and laugh and joke about it together but once they leave the theatre they do not jive with each other anymore (mostly because of Hardcase being Hardcase… but Turbo is pretty insufferable too LOL. If they weren’t destined to be enemies I think they still wouldn’t get along.)

Their conflict is incredibly funny to me and lends to a lot of fun situations when writing fanfics or drawing fanart… Hardcase is pretty smart, but it’s like the minute he’s up against Turbo he kind of loses that sense. Turbo’s not really so afraid of him so much as he is annoyed that Hardcase keeps calling him… Why do they have each other’s numbers anyway? Is it because of that one episode where Hardcase gets invited to the parade? If so then it’s really funny that Turbo didn’t just block his number or something. Adds to the charm of their relationship.

While I don’t really understand a romantic interpretation of their relationship that would go on in the current show with their canon dynamic, I still think the previous mentioned “they’re exes” joke I always make could be interesting to think about. equally as funny even. Although if it’s not exactly true to canon… ships aren’t meant to be true to canon anyways!!! if they’re fun and interesting then they have a place in my heart! So if a fan of this ship wanted to talk to me about it, I’d love to hear why you like it. I could definitely be persuaded!

TURBO/SKIDMARK

(Turbo has so many ships…)

Okay. I can’t lie on this one. If you’re my mutual, my friend, or have talked to me for more than 6 seconds, you know I love them. Both in a “they’re such good friends!!! Yay!!” Way and a I Like Putting My Barbie Dolls Together And Making Them Smooch way. 513 are my wonderful little lab rats. (snails?)

I have lots and lots of thoughts about them.

Platonically, they are an incredibly fun dynamic. I think it was pretty cool how Skidmark found Turbo cool in the movie (and then Skidmark and the rest of the crew decided to entirely humble Turbo after being insulted by him LOL, which I think then puts them on equal footing… they find EACH OTHER cool!)

I don’t think I’d exactly call them best friends actually… I mean, they are. Everybody in the crew are best friends even if they don’t always act like it (I’d consider them all like one big family as a better comparison) but Skidmark and Turbo aren’t best friends in the same way that Skidmark and Shadow are best friends. Turbo thinks Skidmark is annoying very frequently… and Skidmark also thinks the same of Turbo sometimes… That’s where a lot of their comedy comes from, but it isn’t all they are… they have a genuine friendship and a lot of the time Turbo gets dragged along with Skidmark’s ideas, or has to defend him because of them, and Skidmark is happy he’s there.

To me, their attitudes about things are pretty similar and that’s why they get along well… and also why they don’t get along. They’re both the type to make quips and jokes about people (I’d consider Skidmark more successful about it though LOL) and sarcasm doesn’t really mix well with sarcasm unless they’re both in on it!

As for a romantic ship… I like it a normal amount (lie.) For their actual dynamic in a romantic sense, I believe it would actually be largely the same as canon! You need to remember that Turbo has his Turbo-isms when it comes to liking somebody (I don’t think I have to explain that. Just watch Turbo drift) and so does Skidmark… which I think would probably be very. Strange. But not as puzzling as he’s been in the show, honestly!

To me, the ship (romantically) is best portrayed in a way where they first and foremost are portrayed as incredibly genuine. Like, I don’t think Turbo would be acting so over the top if he actually knew someone he liked beforehand..: which is the case with them! I ship this (and most things) with the intent that it’s post-canon, really… they’re like lightning rods to their own quirks. I guess. but, it also isn’t Turbo and Skidmark if they aren’t in some funny or even awkward situation. (Which is good, because in my experience, romance can absolutely be fun, and make you laugh. And everybody knows it is also incredibly awkward.) they always work best with comedy, or something over the top in general…

You don’t need to convince me of them. I’ve been convinced for 11 years.

TURBO/BURN

Last ship of this post!!! Because I’ve been writing this for about 2 hours and I wanna be done already.. don’t worry, there will be more posts like this…

I’ll start with the fact that Turbo and Burn are actually one of my favourite dynamics in the entire show, albeit most of my thoughts of them come from The Disappearing Act.

A lot of their interactions feel like them challenging each other, really. Whether it’s Burn finding Turbo annoying/overbearing and calling him on it, Turbo responding to being “attacked” and either going way too far or falling flat with it. And it’s fun to watch! And it makes it so much better when they get along or have a common goal (whether it’s specifically in an episode like the disappearing act or in any scenario in general.)

That is, of course, not the majority of their dynamic… but I’m of the opinion that those situations are where it’s at its best. It brings out parts of their individual characters that aren’t done so often in this show, how Turbo can get incredibly unfair and jealous when he’s being challenged about something he’s sure he has down… and how Burn isn’t all mean, just very emotionally driven, as well as assured of herself. Which, unfortunately I think this show leaned towards her mean side far too much near the end, which is why I believe this dynamic has opportunities for people to explore both of their traits (as well as celebrate Turbo and Burn’s similarities!! Because they do have them. There is no wonder why they get along when they aren’t bumping heads.)

The question of whether or not I ship them is a complicated one. Partly because I enjoy Burn/Chet a whole lot, but also because I believe considering them in a romantic relationship would fundamentally change their dynamic… but with enough brainstorming about how they’d be like, I see it being a ship I can enjoy once in a while when I wanna have fun.

You made it to the end!!! Yay!!!!!! Hashtag #awesome thanks for reading

[eryanlainfa]

I just realized that even though i see your art of him and you talk about him a lot, i don't actually know anything about aiden. so. infodump to me about your OC lore please.

!!!! hi <3 I have SO MUCH to say about Aiden- and yet I don't share that much about them! I draw them a lot but never give much context, my bad xP

I did answer an ask a while ago about them here if you want! it has all the basic infos you might need and I've just updated it a bit because some stuff was outdated and I wanted to add some details. I also think you can find (very) few things in the eryanwrites tag

But you're asking for infodumping so!!! Imma infodump MORE >:3c

(this is in addition to the post I linked- you might want to read said post before, to have more context)

⚙ Backstory stuff

Despite being born in Old Corona, Aiden spent half of their childhood in another village even farther away from the capital. This village is run by a small saporian community and was mostly filled with travelers so people tended to come and go, lots of witches came by looking to seal their power to pass as human. So Aiden and their parents were easily welcomed there.

When Aiden was a child, the local Grandma (Aiden never learnt her name- she was just referred by everyone as Grandma) used to play with Aiden's hair a lot while she told stories. Aiden avoided cutting their hair for her, and even after her death they still refused to cut it.

Said Grandma was the village's healer and quickly became Aiden's role model. She was the first person to mentor Aiden in their quest to become a physician.

Aiden's second mentor is the current royal physician, the only one who didn't leave when the Queen got sick and no one could find a cure. Both of Aiden's mentor were/are unhinged and definetly shouldn't be trusted to teach children but that's why I love them.

Aiden is very not normal about human bodies. Both because of autism and the way their mentors educated them about it. Aiden is pretty desentisized about stuff most people would find gross.

⚙ Aiden's relationship with other characters

Aiden has a pretty good relationship with their parents. They're very loving people but a tad overprotective, it kinda made Aiden avoid talking to them about big problems because he was scared to worry them more than necessary, but overall they all love and care for each others. Aiden is just terrible at understanding and communicating his own needs.

They have many friends within the castle since they've been working here for a while now. They're also known outside of the capital since his mentor sometimes send them away, either on errand or to take care of villages without doctors.

Aiden isn't close to the main cast of tts, beside Varian. He respects and admires most of them but he doesn't consider them friends since he never really got interested in getting closer to them. They do know they can count on him when any of them gets hurt or sick, it's his job after all.

Aiden has a bestie- his name is Daniel, he's the son of the merchants proccuring most herbs for the physicians, and is currently part of the royal guards. He isn't a very fun person but Aiden enjoys how down to earth he can be.

⚙ random stuff

During the series Aiden went through like... 4 different leg prosthesis in one year because people (bad guy of the season) kept on breaking it. (I'll admit it was my go-to excuse as to why Aiden doesn't appear in canon. They're always off screen doing random things or laying on the floor stuck somewhere 😔)

They're very sensitive to temperatures since the Storm that made them lose their leg.

Aiden's magic got sealed by a tattoo on their back when they were very young, so as they grew up the tattoo got deformed and the seal weakened. Their extended family is the ones completely getting rid of it- by removing part of the skin. Hopefully for Aiden he was under hypnosis when that happens and he has no memories of it whatsoever. Varian is the one who found out about it and it made him really mad.

So you know Venefica's magic is linked to mind control. And Aiden caught feelings for Varian long before he caught feelings for them himself. Varian is very obvious about his feelings, yet Aiden doesn't acknowledge it at all. That's because they're somehow convinced Varian's feelings aren't genuine and is caused by their own magic they never learnt to control.

I mentioned witches cannot break promises so they avoid doing any, since it can easily end badly for them. Aiden (so far) made 2 : one to Quirin and one to Donella. The first one lowkey resulted in the loss of their leg. The second brought distrust between them and Varian. So yeah. Promises bad.

The only reason Hugo is allowed to call them Hobble is because he helped a lot with their prosthesis and still does

⚙ shipping stuff

At this point if you don't know I ship Aiden with both Varian and Hugo then-.. Idk how you escaped all my posting about them but I admire that, this is impressive. Anyway-

I wanted to try doing an actual love triangle so when each of them catch feelings it starts with : Aiden -> Hugo ; Hugo -> Varian ; Varian -> Aiden. Then things just... happen and at some point they all have feelings for both of the other and they are struggling to figure out what to do about it.

The first two to get into a relationship are Aiden and Hugo, but it's not really romantic, they're just having fun. Hugo quickly understood Varian was the team leader but the boy kept Aiden in high regard, so getting Aiden on his side would eventually bring Varian to it too. Aiden is very aware of it and is fine with it as long as Hugo isn't actively trying to get them hurt.

I have.. the worst love triangle dynamic chart ever :

I don't even know if its readable to others but oh well-

Anyway. I think that's enough! If any question rises I'll love to asnwer them! About Aiden or other ocs or timeline stuff- or aus- anything is fine

[notmuchtoconceal]

Red Dragon was adapted to film three times. No cinematic portrayal has yet captured the particular majesty of its literary source, nor its subtle metaphysical quality, though each is interesting in its own right.

William Petersen remains my favorite Will Graham, and Manhunter the most sublime of the film versions, mainly for what it leaves unsaid. For how it draws you into a trance state through its hyper-modern design, full of minimalist white and chrome furnishings which emphasize empty space. It remains first and foremost a Michael Mann film, capturing the professionalism of being a G-man and Petersen's Will is allowed to return to domestic bliss upon its conclusion, cementing a kind of 80's optimism complete with cheesy synth music over the closing credits.

Ralph Fiennes remains my favorite on-screen Dolarhyde, mostly for he's the only actor who embodies the character's brutish physicality, though I don't particularly like the film he's in. The 2002 Red Dragon comes off like a cash-grab, capitalizing off the success of Silence of the Lambs, and its aesthetics -- while capturing more of the decaying contemporary gothic of its literary source -- are diminished by the film attempting to please too many masters. It reminds me of the similarly inferior late 90's film of The Talented Mr. Ripley, being both more loyal to what's on the page, as if to please legions of disappointed book readers, though also -- bloating the run-time with extraneous new subplots which flatter a general audience's pre-conceived biases. It frustrates you by giving you what you think you want, then doing its own thing anyway, though not very well, and you're left wishing it had just trimmed the fat and done something new instead of faffing about and having nothing new to say.

Edward Norton is by far my least favorite Will Graham, mostly for he comes across as a total charisma vacuum. Think the logic of casting him as Will was he was also a Hulk and the Narrator in Fight Club, so he's got cred struggling with latent psychopathy. Except in this he doesn't turn into a CGI monster or have Brad Pitt to play off him. Will is a complete entity in his own right and Edward Norton seems like a mask or shell.

NBC's Hannibal is the best adaptation of Red Dragon until it comes time to adapt Red Dragon, at which point it feels largely perfunctory.

As an adaptation, Hannibal is endlessly fascinating. Bryan Fuller compared himself to a remix artist, and that assessment is spot on.

When I watched the series for the first (and thus far only) time, I had just re-read the original trilogy, so I could see with fresh eyes and hear with open ears, the ways he turned bits of interior monologue into dialogue, fleshed-out the backstory, moved things around, changed the pace and flow through subtle re-framings. The closest point of comparison really is Mary Harron's excellent film of American Psycho (which distills to a sleek 102 minutes a work of four-dimensional Dostoevyskian tragedy masquerading as brand-name gore shlock), not only for how it juxtaposes primal violence with gourmet cooking, but narratively, structurally, in how it remixes and reinvents; turning Patrick Bateman's book-end revelation of his void state from a late-onset cry of despair to a stoic thesis statement simply part of his morning routine.

Bryan Fuller reinvents so much, draws out the queer subtext so totally, and ultimately has to -- the story he's telling is fundamentally about a man facing himself, being repulsed, but ultimately liking what he sees. The literary Will spurns Hannibal's one-side affections forever, which come across simply as sardonic taunts from a predator; yearning to take shelter in a woman's arms, but ending up deformed, for his primary opposite is the wounded Dolarhyde, not the Dark Prince Hannibal.

Hugh Dancy's Will is an entirely different beast. Every episode begins with based on Red Dragon, but the emphasis is right there in the title.

I suspect Bryan Fuller felt like he had to introduce Clarice at some point and kept putting it off because she had no place in the world he created. It's not only that his Will and his Hannibal are in love, and he'd be introducing a primordial tension into his own dark fantasy. The literary Will Graham may as well become Clarice. They share the same descent into the underworld to speak to the Devil Behind Bars. They speak to the same agent of unconscious revelation to get into the mind of a killer.

They are of the same mind, being both of Thomas Harris.

The Silence of the Lambs onward is a transgender narrative, not an androphilic one. The literary Clarice, prideful, self-assured, totally lacking in bullshit other than what's been trained into her, is an immediate delight. She's the one who ends up under Hannibal's control -- consent gradually surrendered -- as her true wants are revealed through drugs, hypnosis, childhood regression, the exhumation of her father's corpse. As Dolarhyde is the literary Will's shadow, so is Buffalo Bill Clarice's. She yearns to become a lawman like her father the sheriff, he yearns to become a beauty queen like the implied memory of his absent mother.

Will sees himself as a deformed monster. Clarice sees herself as a manufactured Other. Hannibal is inside both their heads.

The Devil Likes Him Some Cornpone Country Pussy.

The third book is titled Hannibal because Hannibal is its protagonist, even if for the bulk of it we follow Clarice. I had read an Amazon review back in 2008 or so, where someone accused it of being "clearly ghostwritten" because of its shift in narrative voice, yet this is wishful thinking. Its told from the detached, birds-eye view of a hyper-lucid Luciferian madman who is accounting for and manipulating all variables, luring all the extant players into his web of associations to claim his final prize.

I enjoy Ridley Scott's film version, for it's a Ridley Scott film. He has a well-studied classicism, but also a very down-to-earth ruggedness which fits the material perfectly. Most of his excisions are sensible, considering the running time. (Margot being even more politically volatile in the early 2000's when the backlash to Buffalo Bill seemed to be the trans representation issue... none, it would seem, being better than something easy to caricature by the heterosexual masses.) I recall a comment Scott made about thinking Hannibal was "turned-on" by Clarice's sense of Justice, and it being immediately clear this was his own fetish, not necessarily something implied by the text. (Picture now, Scott and James Cameron Bro-ing out about how he leveled up Ellen Ripley.)

Julianne Moore is a great replacement for Foster, being now an older, more jaded woman. The film is so deliberate, I appreciate how it inverts its literary counterpart's Satanic ending moreso than say -- the earlier un-alluded to Purple Noon, where Tom Ripley is brought to justice as if entangled in the umbilical thread of fate. Rather than Clarice being seduced by Hannibal, Hannibal is seduced by Clarice, chopping off his own hand much like a chastised young Tyr to a She-wolf Fenrir.

Bryan Fuller's treatment of the novelistic material here is close to about the only point in the series I'd call vacuous and self-indulgent.

It feels like he's subverting the pacing for the sake of being contrarian rather than giving his story room to breathe. Maybe it's because I like Scott's Hannibal so much, Fuller's treatment of the same scenes and characters feels like a pale imitation, of both its literary source and its filmic predecessor, yet I feel intuitively I may have been overwhelmed or alienated by the void of heartbreak, my rational faculties rebelling against what seems to be implications of a telepathic reality. I suspect those episodes will always be a mixed bag, being both too slow and too fast, largely for how behind-the-scenes tensions introduced conflicts into the pacing. Now understanding that his Will is replacing Clarice, and Clarice can only become the Bride of Satan by mutual recognition, I find Will's need to dive into Hannibal's past necessary, though by this point, the characters had largely outgrown whatever sources may have inspired them, and even if the second half of season 3 is more even, it feels constrained by the skeleton of its intended adaptation.

The Silence of the Lambs has been adapted to film precisely once, and it captures the essence of the novel almost well-enough to render it redundant. There's near nothing missing. What's cut is stitched back together with a surgical elegance befitting a master cosmetician.

The film is so sleek and streamlined, its makes corresponding sections of the novel seem clunky and bloated. When I remember the events of the story, I confess, I tend to remember the film better than the book, the way William Faulkner remembered his own evolving private daydreams of Candace Compson moreso than whatever it was he'd published in The Sound and the Fury -- "If you'll excuse me, I'm having an old friend for dinner." (Lecter's chemistry-based shit joke about Chilton is an absolute riot, though. Terrible it couldn't make it in.)

Anthony Hopkin's Lecter would never have become as iconic as he is without Jodi Foster's Clarice. As an adaptation, it's a masterpiece precisely because its a collaboration. Everyone on-screen is embodying a particular flavor of unspoken obsession, and everyone behind the camera is capturing it with an almost documentary realism, the same way Harris's prose has a journalistic objectivity, even when he's touring the fetid landscapes of his own inner hell. It works so well because there's no sole author to be burdened by the weight of the material. Its dispersed throughout the entire cast and crew and everyone is there for each other.

Furthermore, the story is inherently cinematic in a way Red Dragon simply isn't. Clarice is a plucky young professional woman looking to make it in a man's world, while Will Graham is retreating into early retirement for the duress the work is inflicting upon his tattered mind.

Will's isolation is chosen. Clarice's is imposed from without. We see her running the obstacle course alone. We see how male law enforcement officers look at her on the job. We see how even her own superiors need to play mindgames and switcheroos and put her at a disadvantage.

She has to play quid-pro-quo with Hannibal. She has to open up. She has to share. Will knows what Hannibal is because he's like him in a way she isn't. He can't be seduced by him. His pain is too constant, the threat too real. The literary Will lacks a certain feminine charm, which Mads's Hannibal is well-acquainted with, already seeming to have found some part of Mischa again in his friend and protégé, the gender-swapped Alana Bloom, who is also surrogate sister to Will, making them brothers.

In contrast, the novel Red Dragon is about highly introspective men being alone with themselves and thinking intense thoughts. The portraits of Will and Dolarhyde's psyches are two interlocked soliloquies which brutally clash like gongs by the conclusion. The literary Will, Dolarhyde and Hannibal are all playing the same game of cat and mouse from a distance, each alone with themselves. Hugh Dancy's Will is not only made more cinematic, but also incidentally charmingly feminine by having his monologues cut up into dialogue, as he's forced to physically converse with Hannibal, who in this version he's meeting for the first time.

The visual emphasis is also why it's so easy to reduce the filmic Buffalo Bill to a gay monster. The ways in which they function as a dark mirror to Clarice are not as obvious when you lose their interiority. When you simply present their sensual butterfly dance while the fat girl (Hollywood fat, of course) screams for help in the pain well, they become a blank screen for the audience to project their own fears of seeing or being an Other, but in a public place -- surrounded by people similarly disgusted, each a participant in the ultimate pretension of normality.

What makes the novel of The Silence of the Lambs unique is how its unmistakably a sequel to Red Dragon. The film version of Silence of the Lambs exists in relation to nothing but itself. Thomas Harris is repeating his previous work's structure, now with different characters.

It's much easier to get Clarice's interiority on-screen when you have Jodi Foster's eyes and voice to work with, and in the book she retains Will's quality of brooding intensity, but with an awareness of how what she says aloud supports and contradicts her interior monologue, which is naturally contrasted with Bill's. You can see the Clarice/Bill entanglement as a logical repeat of the Will/Dolarhyde one, and with this absent, the filmic emphasis shifts to Clarice's darkly subdued romance with Hannibal, which similarly becomes the emphasis in Bryan Fuller's television version, but with the focus of his meet-cute being Will.

That Silence of the Lambs should be such a crowd-pleaser is no surprise. It's the only entry in the original trilogy which has a happy ending which falls within the dictates of the common tribal morality. The killer is caught. The woman is saved. Clarice is redeemed and graduates on-time. Her professional surrogate father is proud of her. Hannibal escapes. An element of danger remains. A sequel promised. It doesn't ask us to dramatically re-shift our focus or reconsider all we know.

A rare act two high note.

The Devil is in the Details, and details are the domain of long-term prose.

Reading is itself a solitary and introspective activity. That is, unless one is reading scripture. That a man should realize the degree to which he is like a Devil Himself, or how that same Devil He Is could be the sole True Want of just and upright professional woman, for the so-called "Good Men" who uphold the law fear and revile her, isn't the type of thing you'd want to share communally with loved ones, unless you're willing to take on the responsibility of hurting them in the way they need to be hurt.

[hyperfixat]

Really Silly Levi Fic (~650 words)

Literally made this only for me. If someone else likes it that’s on you.

Me and Fnaf and Levi and Tsl we are so silly.

Levi gets it. He’s the same way with TSL as you are with FNAF.

“AHHH!” He screams and tears his headphones off his head. “WHAT THE FUCK?”

You hold your hand over your mouth and giggle.

“WHAT THE FUCK, MC?” Levi turns to you in his spinny chair. “What is this game…?”

“Five Nights at Freddy’s,” you reply, still kinda laughing.

“Why did the bunny attack me? What the hell is this game about? Why is it scary?” Levi is no stranger to horror games, but he wasn’t expecting some human world game to be… actually able to startle him.

“What do you think?”

“It’s cool, I mean, the concept is neat, but what part of it is your favorite. You said this is your special interest, right? Like what about it… makes you go?”

“I like the characters, and the games, but I really like the lore speculations. Like it’s crazy how many possibilities could be canon. In the VR, I think it was, the narrator says something about the first games being the ramblings of a mad man, and that’s meant to be a joke, but if it isn’t a joke that means everything before it came out was fake, and that makes you wonder what is the cannon then? Like were there any child murders? What did William Afton even do to become a bad guy? Did the spring lock incident even happen?

“It’s really hard choosing what to believe, and a part of me is pretty sure the dev didn’t really plan much lore out. I wouldn’t have made much lore for a game I didn’t know would take off, and draw in a crowd. There’s probably a little bit of lore that he’s built off of, but it’s so convoluted, that I want to believe the ‘it’s all fake’ theory.”

Leviathan nods as you speak. “I must say that is a lot more than I expected from an animatronic game. What’s your favorite game in the series, MC. We should play together.”

“I like the third one, with Springtrap. He’s the only animatronic in it, and he’s also like a ghost - zombie man. Lots of people think he’s sexy, but he’s British or something.”

“Ah,” Levi makes a sound of agreement as he opens his Steam account to look for the game. He set up a human realm router to access the games you like.

You continue to talk about random parts of FNAF, not much of it making sense cohesively, but Levi doesn’t mind. He knows what it’s like to be in a happy spot just spewing whatever is on his mind about TSL.

It’s nice having someone to talk about your interests with that won’t find your intensity odd or annoying.

“Okay, it’s downloading now,” Levi clicks out of the steam application and waits for the desktop shortcut to open. “You know the thing you mentioned about William Afton kinda reminds me how in TSL the Lord of Shadow….”

You let him blabber about his seven lords while he boots up the game. The haunting music of the title screen plays beneath his voice, and he’s starting the first night as he talks.

He quiets down after a minute of explaining the connection he found, focusing on clicking up the monitor to check on the ventilation.

(“YOU SAID THERE WAS ONLY ONE ANIMATRONIC?! WHAT WAS THAT?!”)

“Thanks for letting me info dump on you, I love talking about FNAF.” After all five nights with Springtrap, and a brief time on DevilTube watching the clips from TSL (third film rendition) that Levi connected to FNAF, you both lay in his tub.

“I’m always talking about Ruri and The Seven Lords, MC,” Levi snorts from under you. “I like it when you talk about your interests.”

“Mmhm,” you shove your face in the pillow next to his head. “‘s embarrassing sometimes.”

“It’s cute,” Leviathan assures.

[snakeeyesdraws]

What version of Mario is your favourite? Is it the new movie or the game verse?

This is a great question!! Truthfully, there's very few Mario versions I don't enjoy - I can get entertainment value out of all of them!

Cards on the table, I'm always gonna cherish the Mario & Luigi series above all else - I think this series really captures what I love about this world/these characters the most. It really nails the vibe of "two brothers going on crazy adventures with whacky but memorable characters" that I always look for in my Mario content! Making Mario and Luigi both the heroes and emphasizing how well they work together with gameplay mechanics is mwah, chefs kisses, no notes.

Of course, I love all of the Mario series! Mario Odyssey, Mario Galaxy, New Super Mario Bros, all great and enjoyable games. Paper Mario especially is near to my heart. I think while I take most of my inspiration from the Mario & Luigi series (especially art wise - I'm still learning how to draw in that style!) all of the series are wonderful in their own way.

Now as for the movie... I did enjoy it! I'm so grateful that its release got so many people, including myself, either into this franchise for the first time or got them to revisit it. Mario hasn't been a main hyperfixation for me since I was little, but now it's my main one and it's given me so much joy, so I'm super thankful for the movie existing!

That said, I do agree with a lot of the criticisms with the movie, mostly around the plot and pacing. I don't like how much it speeds past all the potential development for the characters, I don't like that fan favourites like Bowser and Luigi barely appear in it, I don't like that no one gets any real development for their characters. Even something simple as "Mario learns the wonders of this new world" and "Luigi learns he can be brave" really don't come across when the film is RUSHING to get to the next plot point.

This keeps the movie verse from being my favourite, BUT. What did I really enjoy in this film?

These goobers and their dynamic, oh my god. My favourite parts of the movie are when they're on screen together and we get to see them interact, they REALLY nailed the sibling dynamic!! I love what they set up; Mario is the over protective big brother (places himself in front of Luigi when confronting danger, makes traversing the construction site easier and safer for Luigi), Luigi is his emotional support, they work together and LIKE working together, they tease each other, they worry about each other when they're not together, it's everything I want out of these characters!

The movie may not be my favourite VERSION, but it def has one of my favourite portrayals of the bros' dynamic. This is exactly how I envision their relationship whenever I draw/write/daydream! And the fact that so many fans have incorporated their "nothing can hurt us as long as we're together" theme and dynamic into fan works has made me just, so happy

TL;DR because I kinda rambled all over the place; M&L series is my favourite version of Mario if I had to pick, but the movie versions of Mario and Luigi as characters are also very dear to me, even if I tend to only rewatch their scenes together as opposed to the whole movie haha

[writerblock-sucks]

[ ☕️ ] fan video … faith dancer’s analysis

faith’s masterlist

note | thumbnail made by me

warning(s) / includes | n/a

a/n | posted based on this youtube series, i do not claim to have a dance history or degree (or whatever) so everything here is either a rephrased version of what the youtuber said in other videos or my way of showing a more in-depth detail on how i see faiths’ dancing

taglist | @lovely-sanie @skzfairies @skz-angel @still-astray @felixsbrat @smh-anon @alyszaen @alixnsuperstxr

intro

known for being the nation’s hidden gem, the member is consistently complimented on her dancing abilities 

the second longest training period in stray kids, of 4 years thought to be put in to the next jyp girl group, accommodated quickly to the hardcore and intense chores that only boy groups were know for at the time [clips of her on sixteen and stray kids survival show]

faith is part of vocalracha, but on many occasions has been given the chance to show her extensive dancing capabilities 

stray kids faith [faiths’ scars + case 143 fancam starts play on screen]

tutting

tutting is a style of dance that requires incredible body control, a skill i believe faith has mastered to the point i would put her in the top best body control in 4th maybe even kpop overall

isolations and body locks are also a buy product of faiths’ tutting skills, making for readable, accurate, and clear dance moves

and depending on the music, her body movements and dancing can come off as feminine and dainty or powerful and masculine

her understanding of isolation and body locks makes her appear taller and more masculine, making for cohesive performances with stray kids and any other male idols

fluidity

smooth and seamless execution of dance moves are again thanks to her extensive body control

[faiths’ easy + domino fancams start play on screen]

but also her completion of isolations, and body rolls are a good example

watch how both seungmin and faith execute the body roll in silent cry

[shows both seungmin and faith silent cry fancam side by side]

watch how the seungmin’s body roll stops at his stomach, making the movement look “broken” and choppy

while faith finished her body roll, hit all key points (chest, stomach, pelvis, and tailbone), and her hand glides along her body down to her thigh

putting her understanding of lines and fluidity to work, creating a fluid yet big movement

imploding

imploding is a form of explosive style, meaning the energy one has is compressed and contained inside the body, making a popping effect

imploding dance style means one needs muscles, so it’s not surprising to see this [shows a collage of faiths’ muscles]

however, faith’s imploding skills can be accounted to where she comes from

south africa, which as a rich history in many things, one known being the dance history

faith's most used dance style from south africa culture is pantsula, bhenga, and bujwa

[faiths’ charmer, wolfgang, double knot fancams start playing]

fast footwork, body control, fluidity, etc, and everything that is used in all forms of dance that faith uses in her dances and freestyle is used in these south african dances

outro

to end of where we began, how her home country affects her

not only as a dancer but also as a producer, being raised in a country in riched with extensive musical history

helped lay the groundwork for body control and fluidity, that many would train years for

combined with her physique and quick learning, proves why she should be known as the nation’s hidden gem

[…]

however her dancing is not only skill, her stage presence is eye-catching

even if she isn’t in the center stage still draws viewers' eyes cause of her aura alone

stray kids being noted as concept chameleons, faith is not exempted from the skill, pulling off covers like fancy by twice or bang, bang, bang by big bang

her rapping and singing skills help transition in many songs, meshing well with the other members

shows she is not just ‘the female member of stray kids’ and that stray kids are a well-oiled machine that works together, and each member is an important part that makes the group what it is

© lowercase intended | writerblock-sucks

[thehaniverse]

[24.05.19] Haikyuu Movie Review

FINALLY!

I initially thought I'd be able to watch the movie online when it dropped back in February, but none of the usual suspects were uploading the damn movie, so I was dying trying to avoid spoilers online, but I'm glad I managed to until it was finally revealed to be showing in Korea!

Let me tell you, as a multilingual person, there is no bigger brain-fuck than watch a movie in a second language with subtitles in your third, but considering Haikyuu is my favourite anime of all time, I just couldn't wait anymore.

So, after such an arduous wait, was the movie actually worth it?

HELL YEAH!

Heads up, I've written this without any spoilers, as I also went into this without reading the manga (intentionally.)

Intially, I, like many other fans, was disappointed that the movie was ,in fact, a movie rather than a 5th season, but after watching it, I totally understand why they decided to do it this way. If they'd done it as a series of episodes, it ran the risk of being too slow-paced, which was one of the major criticisms of the 4th season.

The pacing of the movie was perfect - the right level of slow emotional flashbacks to add context without being too repetitive of past seasons, while still being fast-paced and action-packed throughout the game.

I also loved the unique perspective they gave in this movie, it's something they've never done to this extent throughout the anime, and honestly, something I haven't seen in other anime I've watched. The chaotic energy really made you feel like you were more than just a spectator and the disorientation made everything so much more tense - I LOVED it. (I honestly wanted to watch the whole movie again there and then just to experience that part again.)

One thing I've always loved about Haikyuu is the ability of the writer to make you appreciate just how hard these kids are working, and the background and character growth throughout the movie honestly left me teary-eyed at the end - the character development continues to be one of my favorite parts of this anime. There's honestly so much I want to say about this but due to spoilers, I'll have to hold back for a while until the screenings have taken place worldwide. Maybe I'll write a part 2 after additional viewings.

Finally, let's talk about the ending. Man. This was an interesting experience for me because Nekoma is actually my favorite team LOL but of course, as viewers, we can't help but root for Karasuno. Every point and every play was bittersweet but nothing hit as much as the ending, rather than any overwhelming sense of joy for the winner, it was more that sinking feeling of 'oh, it's really over? Just like that?" I imagine this is how the losing time would feel in every game, you always want to believe there's another chance, or that the end isn't really the end yet, it was very surreal.

The best parallel I can draw is the sinking feeling I had when Karasuno first lost to Aoba Josei. Yet at the same time, because of the growth of all the characters, it was still a beautiful ending.

Ultimately, it was everything you'd expect from Haikyuu, I laughed, I cried, I fought back screams in the theatre XD I really do want to reassure anyone who thinks the movie replacing a season will be lackluster - it was anything but! I hope you enjoy the viewing and I'd love to hear your thoughts after.

[paullovescomics]

FCBD 2024, part 2 of 5

Romeo Vs. Juliet - So this seems to continue from the Kill Shakespeare series (hence the subtitle, "A Kill Shakespseare Adventure"). I have not read this series, so a lot here was lost on me. However, it seems to incorporate characters from many of Shakespeare's plays into one world. Obviously a lot has gone down since the first volume began back in 2010. It's interesting, though I didn't really know what was going on. I think I have at least the first volume in pdf, thanks to a Humble Bundle from years back. Time to finally read it?

Boom! Box 10th Anniversary Extravaganza - Similar to the other comic offered by Boom! this year, this one has samples of ongoing series. This time, there are four: Lumberjanes, Giant Days, Zawa, and Midas. The Zawa sample is a key moment from the first issue (I read that one, it's quite good), while the other three appear to be new. Giant Days is fantastic. It's like a sitcom in comic book form. I'm pretty sure I've read all of it, unless some new minis have escaped my notice (which is highly probable). Lumberjanes is well known, and very cute. Midas was new to me. It has a very different premise. Interesting. That's Zawa on the cover.

Conan and the Battle of the Black Stone - The last time I was really into Conan comics was when they were being published by Dark Horse. The IP roams around almost as much as the character himself. The current run at Titan Comics seems to have started fairly recently? Anyway, this FCBD issue gives you a look at the big story happening now, which has to do with a mysterious sigil that appears across time, and draws in various characters from Robert E. Howard's fiction. Some of the folks I'd never heard of. (Professor John Kirowan?) But I know that Howard wrote a lot of things besides Conan and Solomon Kane, including non-"genre" stuff like boxing stories. Pulp writers really had to grind out stories. This is written by Jim Zub, and he's written loads of good fantasy comics, so I bet this will also be fun.

Star Wars - Two stories in this one. The first one has our post-Empire Strikes Back crew of Luke, Leia, Lando, and Chewie going back to a location from that movie to rescue some rebels. It's neat, the call-outs don't feel too arbitrary (ymmv), but these stories with the main characters, set between the movies, with today's concerns about making everything fit just so, always feel hemmed-in to me. Still, it's a good read. The second one ties into the ongoing Darth Vader series. These have a little more elbow room, since Vader had little screen time in the movies, and there was little to no indication of what he got up to in between them. So we have a new character here, and a returning one that is unexpected. Even though this story is not set on Tatooine, I kept thinking that it was, because the planet is wasteland-y, and there's a cantina that would fit in there. It's not like lots of expanded universe stories haven't gone back there. I'm always at least low-key interested in the SW EU, but my reading mood hasn't taken me there in a while.

[dekusleftsock]

I am begging you and every other MHA fan to raise your standards cause Kohei gave everyone a yuri couple only to immediately kill one off.

…how many times has horikoshi faked deaths in this series. Because it’s A LOT. Afo, allmight, izuku losing his arm, bakugou, touya, Ochako literally last chapter, like… the story isn’t done yet my dude.

BUT HEY IF YOU WANNA ACTUALLY CRITIQUE HORIKOSHIS WRITING THEN IM ALL FOR IT HAHA

So how do I think horikoshi has seriously failed mha… hmm…

1: her

Her entire character. Well, not entire character. She GOT a lot of screen time and development don’t get me wrong, especially later in the series, and yes I love the fact that bakugou and dekus relationship was more prioritized than Izuku and Ochakos, but does that mean he prioritized her character? No! Nope! NADDA! Ochako is repeatedly sidelined throughout the story, and is also somehow excluded from a lot of arcs that SERIOUSLY RELATE TO HER CHARACTER.

Imagine if ochako was a part of the stain arc at all. She joined for selfish reasons like iida, he has a blood quirk like toga (which could’ve EASILY been foreshadowing to her not being freaked out by blood like most people), could’ve been a great way to show some nuance to her character….

And yet… AND YET…

That brings me to mistake number 2: Shoto Todoroki

Do I think shoto’s character is written badly or wrong? No! Of course I don’t! The entirety of the todoroki storyline, especially with its connection to hawks and the dirty parts of heroics, is really really good! I think it’s one of the most well handled abusive families in all of fiction. It understands EVERYONE in the family, and horikoshi is still able to show so much character and development in just a few scenes, like Natsuo or Rei.

So what IS my problem?

The fact that Ochako, her story, her CHARACTER AS A WHOLE… becomes sidelined due to horikoshi’s choice to prioritize his character over her’s. Again, it’s a great story and I wish he could balance both of them in mha, but he COULDNT, and he made the choice to sacrifice a woman’s character over a man’s.

Though I will say, a note on how ochako could’ve been in the stain arc: toga as a concept was created later and for ochako specifically, so it does kind of make sense as to why she wasn’t involved. Plans change and writers change, their ideas for their characters and what direction they go will ALWAYS change, and sadly you can’t predict that you won’t change a character or it’s direction at any point. It sucks! But that’s how a lot of these really long manga’s go. They have to write and then draw it pretty fucking fast.

And tbh I don’t really know what id do in horikoshi’s shoes with ochako and shoto! But it is definitely a critique we can acknowledge. It would take some seriously extraordinary writing skills to be able to balance, what, 3 deuteragonists? Katsuki, Ochako, AND Todoroki? Especially since one of those characters has a very complex trauma storyline that involves like five other characters? I honestly wouldn’t know what to do in his shoes!

I just wish he had picked the woman out of the two of them, but I think everyone knows that his manga wouldn’t be half as popular were he to have made it focus on two guys and a girl, instead of three guys, one of which is conventionally attractive and has major main character energy.

Anyway number 3: the overhaul arc

Ugh I have such mixed opinions on this arc. On one hand it has some really interesting storylines… when they’re on their own.

From what I understand, horikoshi did this arc because he wanted to try his hands at a longer arc and he had never really done that before. And while it’s great and very obvious he learned things from this arc, it just… takes up so much god damn space and gives us absolutely nothing long term.

Like yeah it makes a few points, like how high schoolers shouldn’t be involved in all of this and kinda sets up the ending rn where the actual adult heroes are sacrificing themselves for the next generation (ex: the guy that I forget the name of who’s now bakugous heart, allmight for deku, midnight for Mina/all the other kids, Mount lady, Aizawa for deku and all the other kids, Mirko for bakugou, etc etc), where as villains sacrifice the next generation for THEMSELVES (ex: afo and shigaraki, overhaul and eri, the gun arm girl for deku, also afo for dabi, etc etc) which is really good to do!

It’s just. Yk. Done by basically every other arc.

AIZAWA REPEATEDLY SHOWS THIS, ALLMIGHT REPEATEDLY SHOWS THIS, ENDEAVOR REPEATEDLY SHOWS THIS. Like it’s the entirety of Mount ladies arc, learning to be a hero and sacrifice for the next generation. Sacrifice and the fact that we forget 1-A are high schoolers is constantly shoved down our fucking throats; we don’t need this arc that takes so god damn long, only adds more characters that aren’t that important, TAKES AWAY FROM YOUR MAIN CAST OTHER THAN DEKU AND ALLMIGHT, JUST for it to tell you explicitly that “kids shouldn’t be fighting the battles of the previous generation, but they have to”. It just. Ugh.

There’s so much time in that arc fucking WASTED on nighteye or mirio’s character. Do I think the big three are really interesting? Of course! The contrast between mirio to deku is fascinating! It really shows how much deku can’t become allmight.

But you know. We talked about that a season ago mha. Yk. When he learns to use kicks instead of punches. Or yk. Gran Torino’s entire arc surrounds that. Everything about deku is nothing like allmight. That’s the entirety of their characters together. It’s repeatedly shown to be dekus biggest insecurity. He’s not allmight. YOU DIDNY NEED THIS ARC TO TELL YOU THAT AGAIN.

It’s like, everything that matters in this arc has already been shouting at you throughout the entire show, and everything else is never really used again outside of a mention here or there. It’s REALLY CLEAR Horikoshi was just doing this arc to try doing a long arc, not thinking about the long term of said arc.

Hmmm what else is there to complain about…

Eh, I guess the fan service? Which is, yk, in every other shonen anime/manga out there. Sometimes with people far younger than anyone in mha.

Ugh it’s like people like you just want me to be screaming “horikoshi did this! Horikoshi did that!” Every five seconds. I read the manga, I’ve talked about these flaws before on my account. Sorry if I… enjoy the manga???? Wait… omg!

It’s almost like I’m an mha account and it says RIGHT HERE IN MY BIO! Crazy!

Like seriously, what was your point? You were mad at drawings on a screen and someone enjoying that story and just… wanted to make someone’s day worse?

Did you expect me to heave over and be like “yes master anon! Toga is the worst written character in mha and horikoshi is a bad writer!” He’s a capable writer who understands his audience more than people give him credit for.

EVERY story has flaws. Every. Single. One. And because mha is literally everywhere and the fandom can get annoying because, it’s literally everywhere, I can understand getting annoyed sometimes. But you can’t sit here and expect me to solely focus on how bad horikoshi’s writing is because you’re mad at one thing. Toga SHOULD be selfless for ochako, sorry that it means thinking that she’s going to die???? What do you want from me?

I don’t have to “raise my standards” because horikoshi uses a lot of subtext and symbolism. I have other gay media I watch or read.

But like every single lgbtq movement that’s ever happened, it takes BABY STEPS. There aren’t many, if any, gay shonens out there, and if mha wants to be the first one it has to play by the rules. It has to make you think this is every other heterosexual shonen ever.

Shojo didn’t just become gay, it had to have shows like sailor moon censor a lesbian couple to be “cousins” so that other shows could exist. Madoka had to be at least semi subtle about its queer coding.

That whole meme where it shows one show saying “x show walked so that y show could run”, yeah that’s how every gay genre was made. Horror didn’t just become gay, it had to have community and relatability build up over the years, along with those new gay writers remembering where they came from, who paved the way.

My point being: I don’t give a shit if you think horikoshi is an awful writer who you think I can’t criticize. However I DO KNOW that if toga and ochako fully get together you’ll NEVER be able to avoid mha. And that thought makes me smile so much more than just the fact that they’re canon.