#and I want to practice comics very badly before I tackle some other things

[fuxling]

Pigeon is this bitch ⬇️

[dualdaospirits]

Do you think if they ever reboot ATLA they would make Zutara canon? Reboots have changed quite a few things(the new She-Ra is vastly different from the original) especially with all the support Zutara got post-series

Hmmm, an interesting question. It depends on many things I think, not the least of which being who the showrunners are and the tone they want to set. We may get to see our reboot soon, actually, since there’s a live action Netflix series in the works (they haven’t started production yet though, so don’t get too excited). As far as I know, Bryke is at the forefront, and while that’s great news since it means another abomination hopefully won't happen, it does mean that a Zutara relationship probably isn’t likely since they’re big fans of the Katara/Aang relationship.

That being said, I think it would be a missed opportunity if they didn’t, and I’ll explain why. (Disclaimer for any non-Zutara fans reading this, being a Zutara shipper is not my main motivation for thinking or wanting it to be canon). First things first, the audience. I don’t know if post-series Zutara support would have much of an effect on Bryke, but it’s possible that the producers or Netflix would notice and try to factor it in. However, I don’t think pandering should be the reason they include Zutara--far from it. The original audience that watched Avatar has grown up at this point. Many of us are in our twenties, give or take. We’ve matured, and it would be foolish of the showrunners for ignoring this fact. If there’s a reboot of Avatar, live action or animation, the majority of the audience will be those that grew up with the show, not kids the same age as the audience of the animation. I think that’s evident enough with the release of Avatar on Netflix (notice how many people are rewatching and falling back into their love for the show?) and the comics. Ah, the comics. Some things they did well, others...not. What they did do well is writing the storytelling more maturely than the show. I don’t mean to bash the original show as it obviously had no problems including the dark effects of a war story in bite size, easy-to-swallow chunks for kids (a good thing). However, they treat the audience more seriously, knowing that not everything needs to be spelled out. You see the same in Korra. And to me, that’s part of what makes the Zutara relationship so captivating and intriguing--it’s mature. It’s not easy, and it has faults. It’s not “hero gets the girl after saving the world”. It’s complex. 

I’ll say this now: there’s a difference between a relationship being canon and being endgame, and it’s an important difference. I definitely think Zutara should be canon, if not endgame, in any reboot they do.

Personally, I’m excited for a live action version if they ever get around to it. It brings many new factors to the table, and the majority of them have to do with adaptation. (I’ll mainly be talking about a live action version for a little bit, excuse the art student that shows). Adaptation, especially between mediums, is tricky to execute. You see many book-movie adaptations that succeed, and some that miserably fail, and others in between. This goes for other forms as well, ex: book to comic, book to animation, animation to film, etc. With any medium adaptation, the story will inherently change. You can't hear a character's inner dialogue or prose written in a book in a film, so changes have to be made or the filmmaker must write or use film language to substitute for it. With adaptation, changes must happen, that's a fact. To me, more often than not those adaptations succeed when the creator embraces that fact and uses the medium to their advantage. Sometimes this changes the story, and sometimes that change enhances it for the better. Take Game of Thrones or Harry Potter. The former deals with many characters and worldbuilding that is extremely complex, and they did an excellent job in getting you attached to those characters. However, they did have to change some things from the books, and while some weren’t as successful, others did remarkably. (Before anyone starts raging, I’m specifically talking about the seasons where they still had books to go off of). For Harry Potter, we have eight movies to analyze, which I will not be doing, but I will say that the weakest films storywise were the fifth and seventh, simply because they tried to do both too much and too little, if that makes sense.

How would this apply to a live action ATLA? Well, it wouldn’t be like the animation, most likely. It’s a medium adaptation, meaning that the approach they had in the animation won’t work the same in live action. Think about it--you don’t watch animation, especially 2d, the same way you watch live action, psychologically and subconsciously. There’s a separation there between their world and ours. It lessens with 3d animation, but it’s much much smaller when it’s live action since it looks like our world, more or less. Would GOT beheading and other violence (you know what I mean) have had the same effect if it were 2d animation? No, probably not. Yes, I know that anime has its fair share of gore that can be extremely realistic and gross, but it still doesn’t have the same impact it would if it appeared on your screen with quality vfx. Now, these are extreme examples. I really doubt that they’ll make the violence that intense or realistic in the show, as they’ll more than likely want to keep it family friendly (there’s still kids that watch the original). Another disclaimer (ik there’s a lot of them, but people can misunderstand this kind of critique as bashing, which it’s not): I am not saying that the original animation of ATLA is not impactful, absolutely not. I have no trouble getting attached to animated characters, laughing or crying with them, etc, especially if the writing is good. However, it was a kids show, and it was written with that in mind. This is apparent to me as I’m rewatching the show now. There’s some dark stuff that happens, as is the nature of a war story, and the animation handles it excellently. But think of how different it will be seeing the ruins of the Southern Air Temple, practically a garden of bones, Gyatso’s included, in live action. Show us all the nitty-gritty of the lower rings of Ba Sing Se, and the corruption up top. Let this affect the characters. Bring this moral ambiguity into light, as it was done in the show. I think that if they’re going to tackle a show in this way, not a movie or series of movies, it would be smart of them to lean into these darker themes, not shy away from them. Like I said earlier, the audience has matured, and there’s so much more to explore with these stories and themes. I’ll say with confidence that they’ll definitely do this, and possibly add a story or two. Otherwise, it will just be a rehashing of the original, word for word dialogue. Not that the original is bad (obv not), but I don’t think we should want that. There’s a lot of potential in a live action series, and I think they’ve learned lessons from the abomination that already tripped over itself. It was an example of adaptation done badly. However, you can change a story without destroying it, but it’s a delicate operation. That’s why having the original showrunners on gives me a bit more confidence. To be clear, I don’t think they’ll go full PG-13 or higher. It’s still possible to have family/kid friendly media without shying away from the darker parts. ATLA is a great example of that. If you want a live action example of a show that balances humor, heartache, and violence beautifully, look at Merlin (bbc). 

I think you bring up an interesting point with She-Ra and it’s divergence from the original. I haven’t seen the original animation, but I can say that the new one was successful in telling a new and fresh story in the same universe. The act almost as parallel stories in that universe. How To Train Your Dragon is the same way--the book and movie have very very little in common story wise, but it’s a beautiful trilogy nonetheless. Would this work with ATLA? Possibly, though I doubt they’d want to stray away from the original’s core themes. Though, you can fight me on this, Zutara does align with those themes, but that’s another post (this one is long enough). However, it’s such a complicated question because it inherently considers countless possibilities, so there’s no definite answer. It’s a beloved show that’s already been butchered once, so how much would they be willing to change?

Now, how does Zutara factor in? (getting to the point now). For many of the reasons above, I think it should be canon. Their dynamic, their rocky relationship, the journey of trust and acceptance, the connection they have, all of it is ripe for exploration, especially in a revamped, inherently more mature story. Instead of a predictable relationship where there was never any real conflict (Katara was always loyal to Aang, and their fights were never truly consequential), you have a relationship coming from a difficult, seemingly impossible place, one that requires time to establish. Like I said, it’s not an easy relationship. Part of it is strengthened by Zuko’s wonderful redemption arc. He needs to build a foundation of trust before almost any of the Gaang trust him (Aang, the angel, is willing to give him a chance almost immediately in Book 1, and though she didn’t care one way or the other at first, he did accidentally burn Toph’s feet). What would a Book 4 have brought us? Despite what Bryke say about it being a false rumor, Ehasz, a co-producer, said that it was at least discussed, plus Book 3 definitely had more to give, so I take it with several grains of salt. Anyways, even wondering about it hypothetically produces interesting theories. We see at the end of Book 2 in the cave that Katara, once she overcomes her immediate, and warrented, repulsion of Zuko, she’s able to connect and see a bit of his heart underneath the layers and layers of angst and anguish obscuring it. This scene is popular in the Zutara fandom for a reason. However, I think that making changes to characters, especially in Zuko’s case should be done extremely selectively and purposefully. His arc is one of the most fantastic accomplishments of the show, and I think very little should be changed. For example, he should still make that doomed, yet inevitable choice in that cave to join Azula, but perhaps they’ll include his mother as a more forefront character, especially when he goes back to the Fire Nation. By all means, give Ty Lee and Mai more than just a conversation to supply their backstory. Thoroughly explore the swampbenders and the Freedom Fighters. Show more of the original airbenders in Aang’s memories! There’s room for exploration without dismantling the world or characters like the M. Night film did. For Zutara, I think that expanding Book 3 and giving the characters more time with each other would be invaluable. Think of how quickly Katara and Zuko grew close, from Katara threatening to off him first time he even hinted at being a threat, to becoming one of the most instinctual and formidable teams in the Gaang, to saving each other’s lives in the final battle. That’s not even mentioning the Southern Raiders.  The conflict over the entire show as the backdrop for a relationship like that, romantic or platonic, is incredibly suitable for a reboot. If it was explored, the outcome would be so powerful. 

I said before that there’s a difference between canon and endgame relationships. This just means that a relationship can be confirmed and explored without being the outcome. If Bryke include Zutara at all, that’s most likely how they’ll do it: adding a love triangle that ends up with Katara and Aang getting together. Honestly, it would be a method of making K/A a more interesting relationship and a way to have the characters grow a bit. However, this has the awful potential of just shitting on Zutara and turning it into a toxic relationship, which I’d rather not see.

But if it wasn’t Bryke running it? Absolutely, I think Zutara would, and should, be canon. Adaptation should take risks and be willing to explore, and I think Zutara is the type of dynamic we should see.  

[chyrstis]

2019 Writer’s Year in Review

Tagged by @amistrio! Thank you so much, because this was a lot of fun to tackle, and apologies to everyone for the wordy set of paragraphs ahead! And for my rambling.

Word count:

It’s been a weird year. Because nothing really took off until late June, and I’ve really been trying to make up for lost time every since.

I was able to get in a little over 100K down in total, and I’m honestly grateful for every second of it, because I wanted so badly to start writing again, but wasn’t sure what would do it. Guess this silly game’s it!

Number of smut scenes:

Uh, well...four total, I want to say? (there’s more in my wips, but we’ll leave those alone for now)

And considering the fact that I was majorly rusty writing anything to begin with, I didn’t think I’d be writing any smut at all this year, so whoops. Goes to show what I know. XD

New things I tried this year:

Hopefully this isn’t a cop out, but jumped into a new fandom for one. :D It’s been quite the trip ever since, and I’m incredibly lucky to have met the people I have so far. It would’ve been a completely different experience otherwise, and I’m glad I was able to. And I’d like to give @sharky-broshaw a special shout out here, because without her encouragement to even pick up FC5, this wouldn’t have been possible at all. (and also, she’s one of those awesome people mentioned above, as well as you, so <3)

Tried the Comic Sans font trick for my wips, switching to writing with it in the hopes it’d keep me writing consistently. It’s honestly been the thing I’ve used consistently ever since switching from Calibri to it back in October, and I think it’s safe to say it works? Or its become easy enough on the eyes to not bother me much while using it, but I’m not about switch back now.

Took part in a gift exchange for the first time after waffling for two weeks on joining up. Simply put, I was terrified of what I’d be able to make for it, and that my gift was going to fall apart or fall short, but it turned out to be a hell of a lot of fun all around.

Jotted down notes, dialogue, and scenes on my phone, first suggested by @statichvm! I would’ve lost so many stories, exchanges, and moments to my forgetfulness otherwise, so this is totally a habit I’m going to keep up with for the long haul. (and Macy, you’re also one excellent person to have met here, and I hope you don’t mind me sending you some <3 this way too)

Favorite thing I wrote this year:

I really want to say the Exchange fic / I won’t ask for much (but just this once, I’d like you)

I spent a good day or so wondering what on earth I’d want to tackle for a Sharky/John fic only for the silliest idea to hit: what would a romantic comedy be like with these two? One with 100% more blackmail and arson? The outline practically wrote itself after that, with a few more tweaks later on for some added development.

After that every day from November onward I’d jot something down for it. Then I’d write a little more, and while it was a story that came together pretty easily, it was long. Absurdly so, considering the time constraints I was working with, but I seriously don’t think this idea would’ve come to me at all or have been written without this, so I’m glad for the push (and the person that inspired it!) and that it was given the chance to exist.

I also had free reign to indulge in a lot of my favorite tropes, write two characters that I love, throw more than a few curveballs at Sharky, and have John discover a whole new set of expressions to make at Sharky in general. ...All while including lots of banter and teasing and pining.

So this was definitely something I was heavily invested in finishing, as well as being able to share it with @finefeatheredfarcryplayer. It would’ve crushed me to abandon it otherwise.

Favorite fic I read this year:

Shoot, I’ve mentioned a few here, here, and here, but here’s a few more, and all from FC5, because I’m still digging that game a bunch.

This fic by @outranks which is an old favorite of mine, because I’m absolutely weak for Sharky/Dep/John in any form or fashion. The intimacy and ease with with they all play off of each other here’s fantastic, and I love how this is is a small peek into how well they could compliment each other.

The Deputy and John meet pre-game by @seedsplease. I may have gone through nearly every fic available in her masterlist (and will likely do so again, because I love her work that much), but I really couldn’t get over the tension here, and how it really did seem like a snapshot of a moment that could’ve happened before the game started.

Why Can’t We Be Friends? by @finefeatheredfarcryplayer. I was checking in on this series back during the summer offering up an alternate means of resolving FC5′s events peacefully, and it’s been fascinating to see the story’s journey from that point onward. There’s a lot of moments that I love in this series, and I can’t wait to see where it’ll lead to at the very end.

Lyrical Alternatives by @narcis-the-monk. I fell in love with this series months back, and really could just keep on reading story after story in this AU for as long as it could go. Not the least of which is due to how the relationship between Sharky and John plays out here, and it’s equal parts heartwarming and heartbreaking as it progresses. Mostly the first, but when the second hits, oof.

Writing goals for 2020:

Actually attempt NaNoWriMo this year, or failing that at least get more down in an outline for either of the original stories I want to tackle. I’ve put this off writing anything for either for too long now, and I really should start getting some those ideas down.

Write a little (or edit) every day

Possibly keep a short record of what I tackle from month to month

Read more. I know this is a little weird here on a writing goals list, but reading really does get the old idea center going

Tagging: @twistedsinews @guileandgall @marymay-fairgrave @sneaky-apostate @jenchwuq and anyone else that might be interested! 

[mangled-dreams]

Gabriel and Winchester reader hanging out and eating sweets, because reader needed to spend some time away from their brothers. Maybe some extra cute shit please.

Here ya go. Took me a while, but I hope this statisfies your need for fluff with Gabriel and reader.

Sweetness.

Groaning loudly you run your hands through your hair. It's greasy and too long for you taste and you need a shower but that would mean going by Sam's room and for one reason or another he's been a big ol' grouchy bear. Dean hasn't been much better.

Ever since your last run in with some moderately worrisome vampires they'd been acting like big pouting babies. It's not like the hunt went badly, but there had been a cock up. You'd slipped in some blood and nearly lost your life.

It wasn't like you'd done it on purpose, but you're pretty sure having your older brothers seeing you in such a life or death situation really struck a nerve. In all honestly you understand it but it's the way of the game. You already know what happened to Adam and don't have a desire to follow in his footsteps.

Unlike your older brothers you didn't have the distinct pleasure of knowing John Winchester. He knocked your mom up one year in the eighties and then skipped town. To be fair your mother knew what he did for a living... well, if you call it living. She too had been a hunter, just not to the same extreme. She taught you how to hunt the monsters that hide in the shadows.

It was when your path crossed with Dean and Sam that you got to know them. It'd been a bit much, especially with how intense they are and how skeptical they were of your parentage, but after a few conversations, some photos and a screaming match later they accepted you as one of them.

Running your hands over your face you groan and gather up your supplies to take a shower. There's still bits of meat and blood in your hair now that you let yourself play with it  Scrunching your nose you piled everything in your arms and head to the shower. Glancing in Sam's room you see him with a headset on and a book in his hand.

He pauses as you pass by calling out to you sitting up on his cot.

"Yeah?" You ask pausing and backtracking a few steps. "What's up?"

Sam looks you over, looks at the toiletries in your hand then to your face again. "How are you doing?" He asks in his baritone voice. It's no match for Deans but it's pretty intimidating to just about 90 percent of the spooking community.

"Fine. I'm heading to take a shower. There's blood and other shit in my hair." You respond fighting the need to touch your hair again. As much as it is gross to have dead creature bits and blood coating your hair it's worse touching it.

"Gross. Yeah, you should shower." Sam says as if giving you his blessing.

With a quick rise and fall of your brows you nod  giving a tight lipped smile and move down the hallway. You hear AC/DC playing in the large family room of the bunker

Dean doesn’t remark when you pass by. Entering the bathroom you start the shower and strip down. You don’t wait for the water to heat up completely and step in head first. You want this gunk out of your hair quickly.

It’s about ten minutes when you turn off the water and grab your towel, trying your hair and face first before lazily drying the rest of you. You’re in no hurry to get out of the bathroom. The tension in the bunker is nearly at choking levels.

“Well, howdy there partner.” Gabriel partially sings with a bad southern accent followed by a quick whistle. “Getting’ all clean for me?”

Rolling your eyes at his remarks you straighten your spine and look at Gabriel. “Funny, now get out before I roast you like the little pig you are."

Gabriel disappears almost instantly and you dress in silence, well relative silence. You can hear Gabriel chuckling from whatever place he disappeared off too. Brushing out your hair you open the door and find Sam and Dean trying to intimidate Gabriel on the opposite side of the hallway.

It's quite hilarious to see your bothers trying to loom--well not try, they are much taller than Gabriel and can loom over him, but to see his smirking chubby face smiling and hazel eyes roll unfazed by Dean or Sam is too comical. Frowning you cross your arms over your chest and sigh to hide your amusement.

"Down boys, he's here for me." You say watching Sam and Dad snap around to look at you with the firm scowls in place. "Let's go Gabe." You add ignoring your brothers and jerk your head down the hallway. Gabriel chuckles, his smugness level at maximum. "Get your ego in check, Gabriel. I just need chill time." You says walking ahead of Gabriel.

"Well, you heard 'em. I must be going. Keep practicing in the mirror. You almost unnerved me." Gabriel says lightly jogging to catch up to you.

"Don't tease my brothers Gabriel; That's my job." You tell him thankful your bothers didn't call after you. For the most part things have been quiet and allowed you to leave in relative peace. You doubt you'll get that peace for too much longer.

"Come on! It's my specialty! The big moose and that pipsqueak squirrel, you can't expect me not to take a few jabs at them." Gabriel whines still follow you to your own room of seclusion. It's the only room in the place with a special hidden hallway leading out of the bunker for emergency evacuations.

You don't know for sure, but you doubt Dean or Sam know about it.

"They're still my brother's Gabe," You tell him flopping onto the lounge chair.

Gabriel rolls his eyes, his mouth remaining shut, instead he tosses a baggie of your favorite chocolates hitting you right in the stomach and sits down across from you. You both lounge lazily, your feet hanging over the arm rest.

"How's heaven doing?" You ask absently, you don't really care but the silence has stretched on far too long. Gabriel shrugs at the question.

"It's like it's always been, full of angels with sticks up their asses." Gabriel responds in the same tone as you.

"Man, I wouldn't have any idea what that's like."

"Yeah, what's up with them? I mean I'm not their favorite angel in the world, Castiel has that title taken." He isn't able to hide the bitterness in his tone. Despite his sour words about your brothers he actually likes them a lot.  He doesn't quite fit in with heaven and he's not really suited for the average human, that's why he likes the Winchesters.

"Hey, if you want, you can be my favorite angel. I like Castiel just fine, but I prefer more mischievous angels." You offer with a slight shrug. You don't want to let on how nervous you really are at making such a bold offer. It may seen nonchalant and as if you're pitying his hurt feelings. You don't really let on your true feelings, call it the Winchester Curse.

Gabriel stares at you munching quietly on a Nestle Crunch Bar. It's actually really touching that you'd say that. He doubts your brothers would be very happy to hear you say that. Looking at the Sugar Daddy half chewed in his hand he twirls it then looks at you.

Curiously you lift your gaze and glance over at Gabriel, eyes locking instantly. "I'll gladly be your angel."

Your whole face bursts into heat and your eyes glance away shyly. The intensity in his eyes makes you feel as if he's accenting a proposal from you. Despite the shyness you can't help your smile.

"No! No! Gabriel you stay away from 'em!" Dean shouts barreling into the room. You jump to your feet ready to right out of reflex before relaxing.

"Really Dean? You have to spoil this?" You groan like a moody teenager.

"What? Spoil?" Dean stutters flabbergasted by your response.

Shrugging your shoulder you motion to Gabriel still relaxing on the couch, "What? You have Castiel, I want Gabriel. He's a scrappy fighter, not to mention he's not bad company. You got Cas, Sam--whether he or anyone else likes it has Lucifer, I think I can handle Gabriel." You add fairly certain Gabriel can't be too hard to handle since you both are a mischievous.

Gabriel jumps up from the couch, no longer able to sit behind you.  "Yeah, give me a change to make them the happiest hunter in all the land." Gabriel laughs changing your jeans and tee shirt to the fairly tale princess dress. Dean's clothing changes to a generic king costume. In the distance Sam shouts and you assume Gabriel changed his clothing as well.

Chuckling as Sam stomps down the hallway you tell Gabriel, "Pink's not really my color. I like dark blue." He nods, his eyes closing for a moment before your dress color changes to a deep ocean blue.

"Change my clothes back now, Gabriel!" Sam shouts dressing a regal dress in similar design to Deans. You have to cover your mouth to keep from just busting out in laughter. Dean has to hide his similar reaction.

Gabriel gives his trademark smirk and takes you hand before the king and queen and kneels before you. "Your highness, will you take this angel to be your guardian?"

Dean and Sam begin to raise their voices in objections and that Gabriel needs to knock this crap off. You just laugh and hand your other hand over his. "I do." You answer silencing your shocked brother. Their shock is nothing in compared to the shock you get when Gabriel's smile changes from his normal trickster smug smile to a genuine smile and he jumps to his feet, his hands holding your face in place an he kisses you.

"Gabriel!!" Dean bellows, red faced and angry.

Smiling against your lips and winks at Dead. "I'll be back for my bride late. See you then, honey." Gabriel promises stepping away from you before Dean can tackle him to the ground. Stepping back Dean grabs at air, falling into the chair Gabriel had been sitting in.

"Gabriel get your feathery ass back here!!" Dean shouts looking at the ceiling as if it would show where Gabriel went of too.

Sam simply covers his face with his hand, shaking his head groaning. "Really, Y/n? He didn't even change our clothes back." Sam keeps shaking his head, turns on his heel, and walks away less than regally in his regal dress.

It'd be more funny if Dean wasn't shouting he'd cut the arch angel's wings off if he comes anywhere near you again. Sitting down you grab another piece of candy and munch on it feeling much happier than you had earlier.

Oh yes. Having Gabriel as your angel is going to be amazing and hilarious. "Hey Dean," You say watching Dean swing around to look at you. You smile at him. "You look good in a crown." You watch as your words catch him off guard. He's so adorable when he's not sure what to say or do in response.

[rose-of-the-court-blog]

A Little Bit of Gay History

Inspired by this hilarious post: x

I took some (a lot) of liberties with this, especially with the beginning, but I hope no one minds! This is my first fic for the aftg series, so hopefully the characters aren’t too ooc :’) 

By the way, I don’t necessarily like writing Kevin as a constant drunk. So this is a one-time dealio. My next fic will be ab him overcoming his dependency on drinking <3 I love Kevin Day y’all

Neil Josten was used to nights out in Columbia. He enjoyed the drive, the house, and the time spend with the Monsters, his family. It was a time where all five of them could relax (sort of). Neil had gone with the Monsters a dozen nights and expected the same order of events to happen each time: drive, Eden’s Twilight, dragging Nicky, Aaron, and Kevin’s drunk asses home, then properly relax at the house. What he wasn’t expecting tonight, however, was a drunk ass Kevin practically clinging to Neil by the end of the night.

Earlier in the evening, Kevin and Aaron had done competitive shots and did so many they lost count and couldn’t tell who won. Next, Kevin joined Nicky at the bar to try out some of Roland’s new mixes. Then Kevin shared a quiet drink with Andrew after he’d been dancing. It was around this time that Neil noticed that Kevin’s green eyes had gone a bit hazy and his stance a but wobbly.

Andrew had silently gotten up, which meant Neil and Kevin did too, but he motioned for them to stay. Neil figured he was either going to the bathroom or going to find his wayward twin and cousin. Normally, Neil was fine with being alone with Kevin. Tonight, however, has turned out to be a different story and had Neil fervently wishing Andrew to make a hasty return.

“Neil, I need you to listen” demanded Kevin. “Listen!”

Kevin grabbed Neil’s shirt and shook him a little, as if he could make Neil magically listen to his profound insights by force. He’d been trying to gain Neil’s attention for the five minutes. Even though Neil was with him and listening to his rambling the entire goddamn time. 

Neil closed his eyes. He had a headache.

“Do you understand? Neil, do you understand anything at all?”

Kevin may be family, but that didn’t mean Neil didn’t want to sock him right in the throat.

Neil took a deep breath. “No, Kevin, I don’t understand. I don’t understand anything of what you’re saying. Do you know why? Because you have yet to get to the fucking point you useless vodka-fucking bastard.”

“You can’t fuck vodka.”

“You’re right. It’s a talent only you’ve personally achieved. Congrats”

“How would that even work? Vodka is a liquid-- wait. Lubricant.”

Neil couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He could do nothing but stare as Kevin drunkenly pulled out his phone to google it, almost dropping his phone three times in the process. Neil wanted Andrew to hurry back more than ever.

Andrew.

The very thought of Andrew, Aaron, and Nicky coming back to Kevin spouting nonsense about using vodka for motherfucking lube was enough to make Neil desperate. He didn’t want to think of the consequences of Kevin and Nicky bonding over hypothetical alcohol-based lubricants. No. Just...no.

Reaching up on his tiptoes, and hating himself and Kevin all the more for it, he made a desperate grab for the phone. “No. Shit, no. Hold still. Kevin don’t you dare--”

“Apparently,” Kevin loudly began, easily evading Neil’s grabby hands thanks to his gigantic asshole height. “vodka as a lubricant would be very unpleasant thanks to the acidic properties. What a shame.”

Neil grabbed Kevin’s arm, yanked it down, and then used Kevin’s newly healed hand to slap Kevin in the face with it.

“Stop that,” Kevin hissed. He yanked his arm back, harshly, from Neil’s grip and overbalanced, falling back into the wall with a thud. Kevin blinked. Then slowly began sliding down the wall to the floor in all his drunken glory.

Neil wasn’t impressed. “You deserved it.”

Kevin’s eyes were still hazy, but he managed to scowl all the same. “If anyone deserves to be smacked it’s you. You haven’t been listening this entire time.”

“That’s because you never got to the actual point. You’ve just been talking nonsense at me this entire time.”

“Nonsense?!” Kevin spluttered. “the gay history of the world isn’t nonsense!”

What.

“What?”

Kevin scoffed. “You never listen.”

Neil was two seconds away from committing murder. Family be damned.

When Kevin opened his mouth to speak again, Neil was quick to interrupt him. “You can tell me all about your history stuff later, but right now Andrew is coming back and we need to start heading back to the tower.” That last part was a lie, but Kevin didn’t need to know that.

“The junkie is right. Get up, time to go.”

Neil startled so badly that he nearly toppled over and landed on Kevin. A hand shot out and grabbed Neil’s bicep and pulled him back abruptly. He turned and gave Andrew a grateful look, who squeezed his bicep gently before releasing him. 

“Jeez, Neil, be careful!” Nicky laughed, arriving out of nowhere to Neil’s right. Seems like Neil was correct in assuming Andrew went to look for his family. When Neil turned back around he saw Aaron lifting Kevin up and putting one of his arms around his shoulders. Privately, Neil thought they looked ridiculous with two drunk-out-of-their-mind men leaning on each other, with one being pint sized and the other a giraffe with a queen tattoo, but wisely chose not to say anything.

Wymack would be so proud.

Andrew turned, having established that Aaron could handle Kevin, and led them all through the exit to the Maserati. To home. 

Neil had all but nearly forgotten the Incident That Shall Not Be Named by the time Monday rolled around. Andrew had perfectly distracted him all weekend, with witty remarks and truths and kisses, that Neil didn’t really give Kevin’s odd ramblings a second thought. 

Andrew had subtly asked him what Kevin was on about when he’d arrived, but Neil had been stubbornly silent on the matter. Neil wasn’t going to be repeating any of what he heard to Andrew. He didn’t want to relapse into another headache.

Now, though, Neil was coming back from his morning jog. The day was starting off nicely. He’d woken up, limbs entangled with Andrew from their chests to their toes, the closest they’d ever held each other. A morning kiss (and the subsequent complaint that Andrew would never allow this again because morning breath wasn’t worth it. Neil knew better though). Being allowed to wear Andrew’s favorite hoodie while out on his jog. The crisp, cool morning air--

Ping!

Neil stopped. It took a moment, but then he remembered the iphone Allison had bought him. He rarely used it, but he knew the sound the his email notification going off. It was frustrating how every little sound the device made gave Neil small bouts of fright. Ridiculous. 

Scowling, Neil pulled the damn phone from his lower pocket in his cargo shorts (jorts forever banned by the Foxes’ collective effort -- even Aaron’s). Pulling up the email, however, Neil quickly became confused. Why was Kevin e-mailing him?

To: Neil Josten

From: Kevin Day

Subject: The Affair of Radu III and Mehmed

Surely, this was a mistake? After all, Neil distinctly remembered Kevin rambling on about a paper he was doing on a man named Radu III. Neil hadn’t paid much more attention beyond that detail because it was about history and honestly? Fuck that.

But why was the subject titled “The Affair of Radu III and Mehmed” then? What kind of history essay was this?

What the fuck, Neil thought. What. The. Fuck.

...

Neil clicked it.

“DELETE IT!” Kevin roared. “NEIL, I’LL MAKE YOUR LIFE HELL IF YOU DON’T DELETE THAT RIGHT NOW!”  

With a shit-eating grin, Neil dodged Kevin’s tackle and made a break for it.

“NEIL!”

Everyone was staring at them. 

Neil didn’t dwell on this. There was no point. In the matters of life and death there was only you and the mean of survival. For Neil, that meant getting to the other side of the court and into the goalies post as fast as possible.  

A jump over some fallen exy balls, running in zig zags through his teammates, a mad dash to the goal-- 

“Andrew!” Neil called, breathless, coming closer to him. Andrew was there, watching the entire chaos unfold, and making no effort to help him. Neil slowed down.

A fatal mistake.

A hard body collided with him, tumbling them both down to the court, with Neil face-planting right at Andrew’s feet.

“Got you, you shitty little gremlin.” Kevin spoke menacingly in French.

One moment Neil was wheezing and gasping for air, and in the next, the body was suddenly off of him. Neil took the opportunity to turn on his back.

Andrew had grabbed Kevin and lifted him off Neil and was now leveling a severe gaze at him. For once, Kevin ignored the threat Andrew posed in favor of the one Neil had.

Neil slowly grinned up at him, and responded in French. “Gay history, huh?”

Kevin made to lunge at him again but Andrew put his arm out and stopped it. 

“What the hell is going on?” Dan demanded. 

“Kevin and Neil both messing around during practice?” Allison peered down at them, haughty, but curious. “I have to know what’s going on. Come on, tell us the drama.” 

Renee put a placating hand on Allison’s arm and put herself in the middle between the three around the goal and the rest of the foxes. Her smile was kind but her voice was firm. “Their business is their business. You all should know that by now.”

“We know that,” Matt protested, who was looking very bewildered right now. It’d be comical if only Neil weren’t facing Death By Not-So-Heterosexual-Kevin right about now. “But come on! We can’t help being curious. Exy is like their life blood, they never do this.”

“Some things are more important than exy,” Kevin gritted out. A shocked silence filled the court.

“Holy shit.” someone whispered. Neil was too focused on Kevin’s deepening scowl to investigate.

“Do you think this has anything to do with what Kevin was talking about at Eden’s?” Nicky loudly whispered to Aaron, who shrugged. 

“What happened at Eden’s?” asked Allison. 

“Nothing,” stressed Kevin.

“Nothing, huh?” Neil snorted. 

“You stay quiet.”

Neil opened his mouth to tell Kevin to fuck off but just as he was doing so Wymack burst in.

“What the actual fuck is going on here? Dan, Kevin, Neil, explain. Right now.”

Before Dan or Kevin could speak, Neil took his chance. “Kevin accidentally sent me his history essay this morning instead of his teacher. It was a 7 page analysis on the gay relationship between Mehmed and Rabu III, the brother of Vlad the Impaler, and how historians continuously overlook their affair due to heteronormativity.”

“Excuse me,” Nicky cut in. “What.”

Neil shrugged and waved his harm towards Kevin dramatically. “Not-so-heterosexual-Kevin is real.”

Kevin narrowed his eyes at him. “I never said I was heterosexual. Just that is was easier.”

“So, like, you’re what? Are you bi?” Allison asked. 

“Smooth.” 

“Hush, Dan. I need answers.”

“Same,” Nicky agreed.

Kevin rolled his eyes. “Me being bisexual has nothing to do with the game. Leave it alone and get back to practice. A year later and I’m still disappointed in your subpar playing.”

“Hey now, you can’t just write an entire essay on the gay affairs of royalty figures, drop that bisexual bomb, and then tell us to drop it!”

“I can, and I will, Nicky.”

“And I don’t have enough whiskey for all this,” Wymack said. He had his hand covering his face as if that’d protect him from the stupidity he was surrounded by.

Suddenly, Nicky grinned. “Dark Kevin, tell us all how gay history really is.”

Kevin sighed. He looked to the ceiling as if the heavens could save him and then closed his eyes. “Everything. Everything is fucking gay.”

[periodicreviews]

RWBY Volume 4 Episode 7

After being disappointed with the quality of the fight in episode 6, episode 7 explains why. They put the A-Team on Qrow vs Tyrian in episode 7 and the B-Team on Tyrian vs RNJR in episode 6. I get it, it’s simple allocation of resources, but it’s still disappointing that the shift in quality was that noticeable. Weiss’s scenes continue to be solid and logical. But the Oscar scene exhibits another example of an emotional rollercoaster that been popping up too often during this season.

Oscar’s emotions

After watching this scene with Oscar for the first time, I thought it was pretty average. But after watching it again, I realized how weird Oscar’s drastic emotional changes were. He goes from denial “I’ve decided you’re not real”, to panic “I’m talking to a voice in my head”, back to denial “I’m done listening to you”, to confusion “Why did I know that?”, to more denial “oh yeah, I must’ve seen it in a picture”, to despair “I never agreed to anything”, and finally anger “Get out of my head!”

It’s hard to really describe this progression in words so I would recommend replaying it and just watching how his emotional state changes. The whole idea they seemed to want to get across was that Oscar is very unstable emotionally due to the presence of Ozpin. But I feel that it would’ve been more effective had the scene been reduced to just two emotional states.

I hate to pull in Evangelion, but I feel if any show knows emotional instability, it’s Evangelion.

After a series of defeats, Asuka’s pride as “the best” has been badly damaged. She's based her entire identity around being the best Evangelion pilot and it is slowly slipping away from her. She was previously able to keep her feelings buried but battle after battle has worn her out and she is ready to snap as soon as Rei tries to give her advice that comes off as an insult.

The scene starts with 40 seconds of silence, simulating the real awkwardness that one would experience trapped in an elevator with someone they hate. Then, Rei says “If you don’t open your heart, your Eva won’t move”, implying that Asuka’s inability to control her Eva is her own fault. Asuka explodes in anger and doesn’t stop yelling until the elevator doors close, separating them once again.

The viewer doesn’t need to see Asuka wavering between listening to Rei, to denial, to panic, etc. Just Asuka yelling at Rei for a minute is enough to show just how on edge she is.

I get that these two situations are very different because we’ve seen very little of Oscar, whereas at this point in Evangelion, the viewer is familiar with Asuka.

The basic message of the elevator scene is that Asuka is on the edge and really unstable. The scene begins in one emotional state, has some sort of progression, and ends in a distinct place. Oscar’s scene seems like it is supposed to convey the same thing, but it feels like it just goes in a complete circle to get that across and ends with Oscar in seemingly the same state he started in. Again, maybe that was their whole point to show he’s so confused and can’t escape this cycle of emotions, but it’s hard to tell.

Ozpin’s Proof

The only new thing in this scene besides showing us that Oscar is unstable, is showing Ozpin attempting to prove he is real. Ozpin asks Oscar if he can describe the headmaster’s office in Haven. Oscar hesitates but begins to describe a room and ends the description with a confused “Why did I say that? Why did I know that?”

My question is, why does this part of the scene exist? In the context of the conversation, it appears to be an attempt by Ozpin to convince Oscar of his legitimacy. At the same time, it also operates to convince the audience of Ozpin’s legitimacy.

But wouldn’t it be even better if Oscar was describing an object or location that the audience was already familiar with? Or does that not add anything to the scene at all?

The audience is reasonably sure that Ozpin is who he says he is since we don’t really have any reason to doubt besides the fact that he “died”. The voice actor is the same and he seems to talk in a way that is consistent with the character. Several allusions were made in past Ozpin dialogue that there was more to him than meets the eye. The whole gears/clock design of his office and “I’ve made more mistakes than any other human” line while talking with Ruby are the only two examples I can quickly think of. These two examples seem to line up with this possession ability shown here.

But if we’re being a little more skeptical that maybe this voice is Oscar just hearing things or it’s a plot by the enemy to manipulate Oscar, what else is there to convince us that this is really Ozpin?

I think that if they had Ozpin describe an object the audience was familiar with, such as the statue at the front of Beacon Academy, it would’ve helped reinforce that this voice really is Ozpin. At the very least, it would’ve allowed the audience to visualize the statue in their head and strengthen the idea that Oscar is seeing the same statue in his head. Using the statue still wouldn’t “prove” this isn’t an enemy plot, but neither does the headmaster’s office.

I suspect at some point in the future, we will get to see this room on screen by Oscar or some other character and maybe they’ll make some reference that “Oh yeah this really was the room”.

Weiss

The issues with this season in general continue to confuse me since at the same time scenes with Weiss are generally very strong besides the weirdness in episodes 1 and 2.

Her actions in the previous episode at the Schnee Dinner Party have led to a reaction that makes sense given what we know about her father. The improved facial animation is used quite well here and doesn’t come off as over the top. Her emotional state throughout the scene also feels very natural going from shock, anger, sadness, and finally resolve. The scene begins in one emotional state, has some sort of progression, and ends in a distinct place.  

This scene benefitted from just being between her and her father. The presence of Ironwood or, god forbid, Jaune as a comic relief character, would’ve lessened the emotional impact. Weiss struggles with her family is something that she should resolve on her own, in my opinion.

Even just the simplest thing of her father starting out the scene right next to Weiss and then progressively distancing himself from her so he can exit the room makes me appreciate this scene even more. His movement has a practical purpose in the scene, but one could argue this growing physical distance is a metaphor for the growing emotional rift between Weiss and her father. I could be reading too much into this but given the high level of quality these scenes have maintained, I think it’s more likely.

Qrow+RNJR vs Tyrian

This was a very solid fight in terms of animation and choreography, maybe the best this season. I thought it was better than the Qrow vs Winter fight, but I realize I lot of people like that fight even though it didn’t do much for me personally.

My only problem with this scene is how much it conflicts with the episode 6 fight between RNJR and Tyrian.

In episode 6, right up until Qrow shows up, it appears RNJR has been so badly beaten that all they can do is stand there as Ruby is about to be stabbed or taken. I realize this was done for dramatic effect which I addressed in my episode 6 review. 

But now just a couple minutes later, Nora and Ren jump straight into this battle. You could argue that that couple minutes allowed them to recover a bit or they had some senzu beans saved just for this occasion. You could also argue that they had energy to jump in because they weren’t significantly hurt in episode 6. But if they still had energy, why jump in for Qrow and not Ruby?

Later on, this exchange happens.

Tyrian: "Do you WANT to be taken?"

Ruby: "No! But I can't stand by and watch someone get hurt!"

Except that was literally what happened in episode 6. Right before Ruby is about to be stabbed, we see Nora and Ren on the ground looking on helplessly and we see Jaune standing and looking on until he closes his eyes. I guess technically it’s different because Jaune had his eyes closed so he couldn’t “watch someone get hurt” and Ren/Nora were watching but not “standing.” It just feels like a bad joke when I describe it like that.

In real life, this disconnect between how damaged the fighters are and Ruby’s line that almost seems like a reference to the episode 6 fight is most likely just the result of a communication breakdown. The B-Team went off and animated episode 6 while the A-Team went off and animated episode 7. But now when put side by side, the issues become apparent.

At RTX 2016, I listened to one of the panels on animation discuss how important storyboards were to the process in RWBY. In theory, a fight fully mapped out with storyboards would’ve been shared with both teams and they could tackle each half independently to come up with two pieces that fit together when complete. Maybe it wasn’t fully mapped out, maybe time/budget constraints got in the way, or maybe there was a change halfway through and it unintentionally made the B-Team look worse. Maybe the director isn’t doing a good enough job of overseeing the big picture and making sure everyone is working towards a single goal.

All I have is speculation and hope that the situation improves.

 After episode 7 or maybe just due to the winter holiday, I feel like I lost interest in the show. But now that the soundtrack is out, I kind of just wanted to finish the show so I could buy the soundtrack. I’m interested in moving on to episode 8 with its title “A Much Needed Talk”. Did the crew have a half-time locker room pep talk over the holiday and address some of the lingering issues? I’m hoping so.