#but he had already been cast so it’s a bit different haha

[lulu2992]

How to be cast as a Far Cry villain

Sources: Michael Mando - Troy Baker - Jean-Sébastien Décant

[bwabys-scenarios]

Reunited

Feitan x Reader Route

Part 1

part 2

!!REBLOGS APPRECIATED!!

warning: brief mention of human trafficking, brief torture scene, Feitan masturbates at the end

taglist: @tsukilover11 @sxyriii @shidoni-san @living4tomrua @lemonslut @honeylunalove @sugarrushdaydream @canthebest1 @whorermoviestar @fabitheraven @ashdownunderscorebeloved @astresoleil @smuttysammie22 @yandere-enthusiast @lostsomewhereinthegarden @sketchy-owl @bekahtaylorgriggs @zanzie @dabisimp21

if you’d like to be ADDED to the taglist, please comment a red heart ❤️, make sure you’re able to be tagged/mentioned, and have your age in your bio(IF YOU ARE ALREADY ON THE TAGLIST, YOU DON’T NEED TO ASK TO BE ADDED AGAIN!!)

(Name) dropped her suitcase off at Leorio’s before making her way to the location Phinks and Feitan provided in her note. Apparently, Machi would be waiting for her, and would take the console so it would be safe while (Name) ventured into Greed Island.

“Machi!”

The pink haired woman looked up just in time to catch the girl crashing into her. “H-hey! Don’t you know what personal space is?”

She pushed (Name) back a bit, huffing. “Haha, sorry. I’m just happy to see you’re safe! Fei told me… what happened with Paku…”

Machi sighed, ruffling the girls hair. “Yeah, yeah I’m fine. Come on, let’s get you into the game. Fei’s probably worried sick.”

“Worried?”

‘Ah, she’s dense.’

Machi didn’t answer, leading her towards their hideout. “Fei requested that I stay to make sure you got into the game safely.”

(Name) giggled, holding a hand to her cheek. “Aww, that’s so sweet of him.”

(Name) gasped when she felt a pair of arms wrap around her from behind. “(Nnaaammeee)~ you’re here!”

Shalnark laughed, giving her a good squeeze before Machi sent him a look. “If Fei knew what you were doing right now…”

Shalnark stuck his tongue out at her. “What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him. So…”

He seemed different, his hands holding onto her waist as he leaned forward. “Who was that dark haired man you saw when Feitan told you to stay put?”

(Name) tilted her head. “Dark haired man… you mean Illumi? He’s a friend.”

“Do you typically make out with your friends?”

This caused the girl to pause. “First of all, that’s none of your business, secondly, how do you know that?”

Shalnark sat her down, smiling. “Aww, but I asked first! What is your relationship with that man?”

(Name) sighed. “Again, he’s a friend, the assassin that kidnapped me. Feitan is aware of that, but…”

She twiddled her thumbs. “He kind of proposed to me at dinner.”

“Proposed?”

“Yes… I met with him to discuss why we left off on bad terms, and possibly continue our friendship. However…”

She scratched the back of her head. “He um… proposed to me. I’m still not sure how to feel about it.”

Shalnark hummed. From the camera he placed at her front door and room, he’d seen several… things. Thankfully for (Name), he removed the camera before she and Kurapika enjoyed their night together.

“I see.”

“Now answer my question, Shalnark. How did you know that?”

The blonde only shrugged. “Dunno!”

Knowing she wouldn’t be getting an answer from him, the girl only sighed and pulled out the cookies she’d brought. “There’s at least two for everyone, and…”

She stepped forward, towards the coffin covered in flowers. The lingering troupe members watched as she placed an offering of freshly baked goods on top. “I hope you like these, Paku. They’re cat cookies. I… I really wanted you to meet my kitties one day…”

Shalnark stepped forward to comfort the crying girl. “She would of loved those, (Name). Thank you…”

He held her as she cried, patting her back.

———————

(Name) looked over the cast green field after walking out of the small tower. “So, this is greed island… Killua and Gon are supposed to be here, along with Fei and Phinks. Hmm…”

The girl stepped out, twirling around. “Hmm… they said to wait after I got here… so I guess I’ll just…”

She sat under the tower, pulling her knees to her chest. It had only been a few minutes, but she was already growing bored. “Did he say how long it would take? I can’t remember…”

“Did. Second line of note.”

(Name) jumped at the voice sounding next to her, her eyes lighting up immediately. “Fei!”

Feitan grunted when she jumped into his arms, his hands moving down to her hips immediately. “Took longer than thought.” he said, pinching her hip.

(Name) pouted, half heartedly swatting his hand away. “I… I was busy with a friend.”

He nodded, quickly pulling his hands away when a low whistle resounded next to him. “I see you’ve got your girl back now, Fei.”

“Tch.”

Feitan had long since given up on correcting his fellow Troupe members on the relationship he had with (Name). Part of him didn’t want to, he truly did see her as his woman.

But that didn’t mean he didn’t get embarrassed, especially when (Name) was in war shot. “Your girl?” (Name) asked, tilting her head.

Feitan waved his hand dismissively. “Don’t listen to Phinks. Stupid.”

“Hey!”

“Stupid and smell like cheap cologne. Stinks.”

“Oh you little bastard!”

She watched as the two glared at each other, giggling into her hand. “Oh, stop it. No need for all of that. SOO…”

She leaned her head against Feitan’s shoulder, causing the man to stiffen, then relax. “What’s our plans?”

The two glanced at each other before looking back to her. “About that, (Name)…” Phinks said softly, scratching the back of his head.

“You go back.”

(Name) blinked, looking at Feitan with a raised eyebrow. “Go back? What do you mean, I just got here.”

Phinks sighed, taking over. “Listen, there’s been a lot of player deaths recently…”

‘Aside from the ones we’ve caused.’ Phinks thoight, keeping it to himself.

“And we think it’s better if you go back home and wait for us to come get you.” he finished, patting her shoulder.

(Name) looked between the two, eyes starting to get a bit watery. “Fei… I can handle myself. You’re underestimating me again…”

The dark haired man began to panic at the sight of tears streaming down her cheeks. “No, no cry. Not underestimating. Just…”

He took a deep breath, leaning against one of the pillars supporting the tower. “Just worried.”

(Name) sniffled a little, wiping at her tears. “Worried? You’re worried… about me?”

He nodded slowly, glad that his coat was covering his slowly turning pink cheeks.

(Name) looked at him before leaning forward to plant a kiss on his cheek. “That’s sweet, Fei. Thank you.”

He could barely control the urge to pin her against the column and take her right there. (Name) was always so sweet, so cute. He felt the tip of his ears turn red, quickly turning away from her.

“Tch.”

Phinks noticed this, snickering lightly. “Okay lovebirds, let’s get (Name) back to the hideout.”

Phinks pulled out a Leave card, holding it out to (Name) and instructing her on how to use it. Before she did, she looked to Feitan, here eyes softening.

“Fei?”

He stepped toward her, leaning into her touch when she cupped his cheek. He was embarrassingly weak to her touch, unable to keep himself from pulling away. “Yes?”

Her lips hovered over his, before she pulled away with warm cheeks. “I’ll see you l-later?”

And with that she was gone, leaving Feitan red as a tomato, reaching out to the empty spot in front of him.

“She almost…”

“She was about to kiss you. Man, aren’t you lucky?”

Feitan snapped out of his daze her presence had him in, turning on his heels. “Let’s go. Have work to do.”

————————

(Name) fell onto the floor of their hideout, rubbing her ass and cursing. “Shit…”

Shalnark and Machi were in fighting stances in front of her, relaxing when her familiar aura reached them. “Oh, it’s just you.” Machi said, sitting back down.

Shalnark helped (Name) up, brushing off her skirt for her. “You took quite the tumble, huh? Why are you back so early?”

(Name) frowned at that, folding her arms over her chest. “Feitan and Phinks said it was too dangerous and I should go back. Apparently a lot of players have been dying lately.”

Shalnark nodded, tapping a finger against his chin. ‘It must be a real problem if Feitan sent (Name) back. He seemed so eager to her again.’

“Hmm… I see. Well, what are your plans now?”

(Name) sat down, pouting. “I’m not sure… I was hoping to spend more time with Fei, but… I guess I won’t be able to if he’s gonna be busy.”

Shalnark’s eyes softened ever so slightly, the man plopping down next to her. “Hey, no need to pout. I’m sure Fei will call you as soon as he’s able to. He…”

He trailed off, smiling. “He really does care about you, ya know? You’re… kind of his everything.”

This made (Name)’s face heat up. She playfully smacked Shalnark’s arm, giggling. “Oh don’t tease me. I…”

The blonde looked completely serious, putting a hand on her shoulder. “(Name), I don’t say this lightly, but your safety and happiness is Fei’s biggest priority. Your nen is incredibly useful, if he didn’t care about you he would have kept you in greed island despite the danger.”

She couldn’t argue with him, looking down at her lap. “Really..?”

She wasn’t asking because she didn’t believe him, she just needed that confirmation. “Really.”

Machi huffed, pushing herself off of the concrete slap she’d been sitting on. “We should get moving soon, considering those kids knew of our hideout.”

‘She means Gon and Killua.’ (Name) thought, a little sad she wouldn’t get to see them in Greed Island.

“Where did they say to meet them again?” Shalnark asked, pulling out his phone.

Machi listed out a location, making (Name) blink. “Oh, that’s really close to my home!l

Shalnark flicked her forehead. “You shouldn’t blurt things like that out, (Name). We’re criminals, remember?”

The girl poured, rubbing her forehead. “But… but you’re Feitan’s friends. I trust you!”

This caused the two to pause. It wasn’t often that they heard those words from anyone outside of the Troupe.

“It’s stupid to trust people you barely know.” Machi said, giving her a flick to the forehead as well, but it was halfhearted. It felt nice to be treated as a person, not like the cold hearted thieves they were.

But were they really all that cold hearted, when (Name)’s words warmed their chests so?

Shalnark suddenly perked up, grinning. “If where we’re heading is close to your home, we can accompany you there!”

“Shal.” Machi warned, raising an eyebrow. They both knew just how protective Feitan was of (Name), how he hadn’t even planned on most of them meeting her.

Shalnark shook his finger. “Ah, ah, ah! I’m sure Fei would prefer (Name) getting home safe and sound. Traveling alone is dangerous after all, especially after…”

A silence filled the air as Shalnark’s sentence trailed off. “After what?” (Name) asked, tilting her head.

‘After you’ve been associated with us.’ Shalnark thought. They’d been careful to conceal her identity, but a skilled nen user would be able to pick up on faint traces of the phantom troupes aura on her. It put a target on her back, and Feitan’s infrequent visits were probably to protect her.

“Nothing, nothing. The others are in town grabbing supplies right now, and we’ll be leaving after. You said you dropped your suitcase off with a friend, yeah?”

She nodded, and Shalnark smiled. “I’ll take you into town to grab it. And don’t worry, I have my own business to take care of so I won’t snoop.”

“I haven’t even said yes to going with you all.” (Name) said with a laugh.

“Oh? Do you not want us at your home? How cruel!” Shalnark teased, holding an arm over his face. She giggled, removing his arm to look at him.

“I didn’t say that, silly. You’re all welcome.”

He didn’t expect his heart to thump against his chest like it did when she began pulling him away. “Let’s get going then, before my friend mails my suitcase off!”

——————

Leorio handed her suitcase, giving her a hug before she was off again. Shalnark was waiting by a boba shop, holding two cups.

“Here, I got you one.”

She gasped, taking it. “Oh, thank you!”

The two left, but not heading towards the hideout. Instead they showed up at the airport, where the others were waiting. Shizuku, Franklin, and Kortopi.

“Oh, hey (Name).” Franklin said, waving at you with his large hand. She waved back, Shizuku tilting her head at her.

“(Name)? Isn’t that Feitan’s girlfriend?”

Franklin grasped Shizuku’s head. “You’re not supposed to say that part out loud, Shizuku.”

“Oh. Sorry. Hello (Name)!”

Said girl stood there with her face growing hot. “Hello… and hi Kortopi.”

The small… person waved.

Shalnark helped (Name) onto the airship, Franklin carrying her suitcase. “Let’s get seated. It’s going to be a long ride.”

As the day turned into night, (Name) ended up falling asleep on Shalnark’s shoulder. Out of the bunch of them, he was the least intimidating.

“Ooo, if Feitan saw he would be pissed.” Shizuku said, pointing to the two.

“Bleh, what he doesn’t know can’t hurt him.”

Shalnark gently ran his hand over her hair. ‘Fei better treat her right. She’s special, truly.’

It took a few days for the group to reach (Name)’s home, and once they were walking down the path to her house, she started getting excited.

“I can’t wait for you all to meet my cats!”

Shizuku nodded, walking alongside her. It seemed the dark haired girl subconsciously stuck near (Name). Maybe it was her soothing presence, maybe it was because she was the only other girl in the group, but she felt pulled towards her. “Pakunoda liked cats.”

A silence fell over the group, (Name)’s smile fading. “Yeah…”

The awkward silence of was broken when Franklin breathed in, his eyebrows furrowing.

“Is that…”

He pushed between (Name) and Shizuku, walking forward. “Smoke.”

(Name) blinked, tilting her head. “Smoke? Why would there be smoke? Maybe one of my neighbors is burning leaves or something…”

Shalnark and Franklin glanced at each other as they continued walking.

As they drew closer to (Name)’s home, the smell of smoke became more intense. At some point, (Name)’s walk became a jog, before she started straight up sprinting.

“No… no it can’t be!”

Her home, or at least what was left of it came into view. Shalnark was running after her, attempting to grab her arm to pull her away but she moved too quick.

“Tammy! Missy!” she screamed out. Her home was in ashes, the surrounding fruit trees burnt to a crisp. (Name)’s eyes filled with tears, stepping over what once used to be the threshold of her home.

“(Name)!”

Shalnark pulled her back by the waist, causing the girl to kick and scream. “No, let me go! I have to search for my cats! I c-“

“Use Gyo!”

She paused, focusing her aura into her eyes.

She scanned the rubble of her home, seeing no aura. “See? They aren’t here. Even if they were… killed in the fire, there would still be a faint aura lingering for a few days at least.”

She relaxed, taking in a few breaths before turning on her heels. “Their cat sitter… I told her she could take them to her house if she was too busy. She must have them!”

Shalnark nodded, gesturing for her to call her cat sitter. She walked off to speak to the cat sitter as the others inspected her home.

Shizuku shrugged. “It’s possible something caught fire inside. Maybe the cat sitter left the stove on.”

“No, it reeks of gasoline.” Franklin said with a shake of his head.

“Who would do this? (Name) doesn’t have any enemies, she’s-“

Shalnark paused, taking a better look at the scorched doorframe. There was something etched into the wood, his eyes widening in anger.

It was a star, with an eye in the middle.

“That’s… the symbol of the human traffickers that hurt (Name).” Shalnark said, just loud enough for the others to hear him, but quiet enough that it didn’t reach (Name).

Shalnark took a picture of the mark. “I’m glad we came with her. There’s no telling what could of happened had she been alone.”

Shizuku left the others, again wandering towards (Name). The girl gave Shizuku a smile, causing her to tilt her head.

“Hey!”

(Name) came walking back with Shizuku in tow, a smile on her face. “She has my cats, so they’re safe.”

“That’s great news, (Name).” Shalnark said, giving her the best smile he could. His mind was racing, trying to sort everything out. ‘Are they back? Why would they burn her home down? It doesn’t make sense… at least we have a confirmation that the organization is indeed still active.’

(Name) sighed, sitting down on the remnants of her porch. “I guess this means that I’m homeless. Again.” she huffed, Shizuku sitting next to her.

“Hey, (Name)?”

She looked to see Shalnark standing before her. He was smiling, but it was strained. “Yes?”

The blonde took a moment to respond, picking his words carefully. “I… think it’s best if you come with us.”

“… I mean I’m not against it, but why?”

Shalnark bit his lip. He didn’t want to bring up the painful memories of her past. He knew full well that her mood would be soured, and she didn’t have Feitan to clingy to for comfort right now. “We’re going to see Fei.”

This was a detail they’d left out. “You’re… what? Why didn’t you tell me before?”

He looked away, rubbing his neck. “We figured he would prefer if you didn’t come, considering how dangerous it was on Greed Island. But…”

The image of the mark on the doorframe flashed in his head. “Things have changed. We aren’t exactly traveling to meet him anyways, we were just getting ready for when he came back through the console. That and get as close as we can to greed island.”

“But… greed island is a game, is it not?”

As Shalnark explained that, the sun started to go down. “Ah, we should get a hotel for the night.”

———————

The next morning, (Name) woke up the the sound of arguing. Her and Shizuku had shared a room for the night, the girl stirring in the other bed.

“It’s too early in the morning for them to be fighting.” Shizuku groaned, covering her head with a pillow. (Name) patted her back.

“I’ll go talk to them. You rest.”

Shizuku peeked from under her pillow as (Name) left the room, feeling fuzzy. She couldn’t deny that it felt nice to have someone worry about such an insignificant thing as her getting to sleep in. ‘She’s nice…’

(Name) knocked on the boys hotel room. “Hey, why are you arguing s-“

The door swung open, revealing a disgruntled Feitan. “Fei!”

She tackled him in a hug, sending them both sprawling to the floor. The man yelped, and the rest of the men stared wide eyed. They’d never heard him make that sound before.

“(Name).”

He stared up at her, cupping her cheek as gently as he could. Feitan was conflicted. He was excited to see her again, but when Shalnark informed him of what happened… he felt his blood pressure rise.

“I missed you…” (Name) said softly, leaning into his touch. It was hard for him not to cave and pull her in, to press kisses into her soft cheeks, but he held back.

He didn’t want the others to think he was weak, after all.

“Just saw me few days ago.” he said in a hushed voice, helping her stand up. She pouted, putting her hands on her hips.

“I always miss you, Fei. Even if it’s only been a few days.”

‘Fuck.’

She always knew how to make his heart race with just a few words. The dark haired man didn’t answer her, instead sitting on one of the beds.

“So, we’re going to be visiting greed island, yeah? When do we leave?” (Name) asked, plopping down onto the bed. Feitan shrugged.

“Want to do soon as possible.”

As they spoke about their plans, (Name) leaned her head against Feitan’s shoulder, still tired. It was only 7 am, and they’d gone to bed late due to Shizukus ramblings.

As she dozed off, Feitan allowed her to lie her head in his lap instead. “Always falling asleep.” he said, running his hand over her hair. “Should be more alert.”

She hummed softly. “When I’m around you, I know I can let my guard down for a bit…”

Feitan’s hand trembled ever so slightly as he continued to run his hand over her hair. Once she was asleep, the conversation shifted. “Said you found mark of human trafficking?” Feitan asked, his hand trembling for an entirely different reason now.

Shalnark nodded, leaning against the wall as he pulled up the picture on his phone. “Yep, clear as day. I assume they had some part in burning down her house.”

Feitan cursed, gritting his teeth. “Bastards. What more they want from her? Haven’t taken enough?”

Franklin grunted. “One of the last orders from the Boss was to get as much information on that organization as possible.”

“Yeah.” Feitan said, looking down at (Name). She looked so peaceful in her sleep, despite all the horror she’d been through, despite the fact her house had been burned to a crisp.

“What are we gonna do about the girl?” Kortopi asked, pointing a finger in (Name)’s direction.

“Well we can’t just leave her alone. They’re obviously after her, for some reason or another.” Shalnark pointed out.

“And she’s the only link we have to the organization that was taking Meteor City kids.” Franklin said, looking down at the girl.

“She stay with me.” Feitan answered, placing a hand on her back and rubbing soothingly. “My woman. Need her to be safe.”

Phinks walked in then, carrying a few takeout bags with Shizuku in tow. “Hey, I got breakfast.”

——————

After breakfast, (Name) left to go change into some new clothes. She was happy she overpacked, considering all the clothes she left behind in her home were now gone.

Feitan accompanied her, not wanting to let the girl out of his sight. “Hurry up.” he grumbled, waiting on her bed.

She walked out of the bathroom wearing a pair of jean overalls and a pink turtleneck underneath. There was a cute bunny stitched into the chest pocket, Feitan finding her adorable.

“I thought this would be warm and cute. What do you think, Fei?”

He stared at her for a moment before answering. “Warm definitely.”

She giggled, slipping into her sneakers. “Fei~”

“… yes?”

She leaned forward, giving him a hug. “I wasn’t joking when I said I missed you. The last few days have been tough, and…”

He could her her choking up, and it broke his heart. He shushed her with a squeeze to her thigh, causing the girl to yelp. “I’m here now. Protect you.”

She nodded, nuzzling into his shoulder. “Thank you, Fei…”

He held her close, the thought of her returning home alone and possibly being hurt by the people who caused her so much pain as a child made his blood boil. Feitan couldn’t let her be alone, now that he knew they were after her.

They left the hotel at 8:30 am, and got on a boat to sail towards green island at around 10 am.

By the time they reach it, it was nearly sunset. (Name) was being carried by Feitan after falling asleep again, and their interaction with Razor after breaking into Greed Island sent them back to the nearest shoreline.

“Fuck, that was just a huge waste of time!” Phinks groaned out, kicking the nearest tree. It toppled over, nearly crushing Franklin.

“Hey, quiet. She sleeps.” Feitan hissed out, holding (Name) close. Phinks huffed, marching away to let some steam off.

“Guess we’ll get back in the “legal” way next.” Shalnark said, keeping his voice low.

Feitan didn’t like this idea. Bringing (Name) back into Greed Island posed more risks to her safety, but there was no way he’d leave her alone without someone he trusted to watch over her.

“Have to make quick. Can’t let her be alone too long. Risky.”

(Name) stirred in his arms, the man patting her back to help her ease back into a more restful sleep.

The group returned to the game, seeing Chrollo’s name had been registered there. Unfortunately it wasn’t Chrollo’s but Hisoka.

The good news was, there was an exorcist that could remove Kurapika’s nen blade in Chrollo’s heart.

As plans were carried and deals were made, (Name) was kept distracted by Shizuku, who had plenty to talk about, even if most of her rambles were idle chat that didn’t mean much. (Name) listened intently though, occasionally butting in to share her opinion.

This seemed to make Shizuku quite happy. Not many people listened to her rants, and she finally had an outlet.

“(Name).”

The two turned to see Feitan returning, looking tired. (Name) jumped up from her seat on a stump, walking over.

“We leaving.”

He handed her and Shizuku a leave card each.

———————

(Name) sat on the old sofa of an abandoned house, occasionally sneezing. It was dusty and cold, but not that awful. At least there was a roof over her head.

The group made the abandoned house their temporary hideout as they discussed certain matters.

“It’ll take the exorcist at least a few months to find and help Chrollo. It’s best we go our separate ways and rest until we get word from them.”

(Name) frowned at this. The past few days she’s been so busy moving place to place that she hadn’t even had the time to grieve the loss of her home, or form any plans on what she’d do about it.

‘I could return to my parents house, but it’s already crowded there, and it will just worry mom and dad…’ she thought, sighing into the apple juice box Feitan had stolen for her.

“What’s wrong?” Shalnark asked, noticing (Name)’s sad sighs. “You’ve been sighing for the better part of two hours.”

“What doesn’t she have to be sad about? Her house burnt down.” Shizuku pointed out, causing (Name) to sigh again.

“Do you have somewhere to stay?”

(Name) looked up to see Phinks standing over her. She had always found him to be a bit intimidating, but now his voice was soft and caring.

“No… I mean yes, but… I could stay with my parents but they have a lot to deal with already and I don’t want to worry them.”

Feitan held onto her hand. “… could stay with me.”

(Name) looked up, her cheeks warm. “W-what?”

“Yeah!” Shalnark agreed enthusiastically. “Fei, Phinks, and I are all roommates! There’s a spare bedroom we use for…”

He wanted to say the room they used to keep Feitan’s victims in before being taken down to the basement, but he was quick to clear his throat. “We use for storage. You can stay there while you get your affairs in order!”

She began to tear up, causing all three of the usually cold hearted men to tense up. “Thats so sweet of you to say… I really don’t want to be a burden…”

“No. Not burden.”

Feitan held onto her hand tightly, not caring that the others were looking at him. “Important.”

Nobunaga leaned against the wall, nodding. “Not only did Uvo and Paku adore you, but the boss said treat you as our own, and we don’t leave our comrades out on the street.”

Feitan swiped away her tears with his calloused fingers. “You take care of me, I take care of you.”

This was what sent (Name) over the edge. She began openly sobbing, leaning her head against Feitan’s chest. “Th-thank you Fei! I love you…”

He wrapped his arms around his, feeling his face turn red. “… we leave in morning. Make sure you packed up.”

——————

They reached Feitan’s shared home a few days later. (Name) was exhausted from the constant travel, and just wanted to collapse into the guest bedrooms bed.

However, when she tried to open the door, she was blocked by Shalnark. “Woah, uh, you can’t go in there yet. We still have to… clear things out.”

She raised an eyebrow, but was too tired to question it. Instead, she plopped down onto the couch to nap, before she fell asleep, she noticed how filthy the home was.

There were fruit flies everywhere, dirty dishes in the sink, dirty clothes strewn across the floor. ‘I have my work cut out for me…’ (Name) thought as she drifted off to sleep, pulling the throw blanket over herself.

She woke up a few hours later, feeling refreshed yet exhausted at the same time. The house reeked like rotting food, sweat, and dirty laundry.

“Okay boys.”

She stood before the three, who she’d called into the living room. “We got your room cleared out!” Shalnark said cheerily.

“Good boy. Anyways-“

Shalnark’s jaw dropped as she continued talking, having to cross his legs to hide his boner.

“This house is a wreck. I say this with love, truly, BUT HOW DO YOU LIVE LIKE THIS?? I saw a dirty sock in the fridge!!”

“It’s not dirty, I like to keep my socks cold.” Phinks said, shrugging.

“Okay if you want to keep your socks in the fridge at least put it in a ziplock bag. Our food is in there.”

“We don’t have ziplock bags.”

“And that ties into my next point. There’s like nothing here! If you told me this house was abandoned I would believe you. There’s no rags, no oven mitts, no silverware.”

Feitan shrugged. “None can cook. Eat out.”

She groaned. “Fei, sweetheart, that’s not sustainable.”

“Still alive.” He countered.

(Name) rubbed her temple. “Okay, I see that talking this out is useless. I’m going to town and getting the essentials, then I’ll be cleaning this house so living here will be tolerable.”

‘She ain’t even been here a day and she’s already acting like she owns the place.’ Phinks thought, amused.

She begin to pull out her wallet, but Feitan snatched it out of her hand. “Hey!”

“What you doing??”

She huffed, reaching for her wallet. “I was seeing what my budget would be for shopping.”

He raised an eyebrow. “We give you money for that. Don’t spend your own.”

“But…”

Feitan placed her wallet in his pocket. “Stolen money, don’t worry.”

She pursed her lips. ‘That doesn’t help anything.’ she thought, pulling her backpack on.

“I’m going into town. I’ll be back in an hour.”

Feitan was about to offer to accompany her, but Shalnark pulled him back. “Hey, we need to talk over some things.”

He glanced at (Name), who was walking out the door before signing. “Wear mask on face. Keeps you from being recognized.” he called out after her.

“Okay!”

They waited for her to fade close the before her before speaking.

“When she was sleeping at the hotel, I found a tracking device on her.”

Feitan’s casual grip on the wall next to him turned into a tight grip, small cracks forming in it. “What?”

Shalnark nodded. “It was pretty advanced tech, it took me nearly 30 minutes to remove it. I ended up driving a good ways away from the hotel and leaving it in a trash can in the next town. Hopefully that will get whoever has been tracking her off her trail.”

Feitan could barely hear him, he was panicking. ‘Who would want to track her!?’

Phinks put a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, man, it’s going to be alright. He removed the tracker, so no one will know she’s here.”

Feitan nodded slowly, moving to sit on the couch.

———————

(Name) grunted, struggling to carry the groceries and essential items she bought for the house. It was as much as she could get in one trip, she’d have to go with the others the next day for more.

“I’m home!”

Shalnark was quick to run to the door and help her with the bags she was carrying in. “Woah, you sure got a lot.”

She nodded, gesturing for him to walk towards the kitchen. Shalnark followed behind her, putting things up as she took things out. “I saw there were no cleaning supplies besides a broom, mop, and bleach, so I went ahead and got all the essentials!”

She began unloading cleaning supplies, pulling on a pair of gloves. “Shalnark, please vacate the area. I need to get into the zone.”

He stifled a laugh at how serious she looked, just giving her a nod before leaving the kitchen. Once he was out of earshot, (Name) turned on her phone and started playing pop music as she got to work.

Shalnark glanced back at the kitchen before walking down the basement stairs, the sounds of muscle tearing and blood dripping barely fazing him. “Hey, Fei?”

The dark haired man looked up from his victim, eyes narrowed. “What? Busy.”

“Please… help…”

Shalnark ignored the poor bastard on the table. His rib cage was exposed, Feitan occasionally snapping a rib then chuckling.

“I just wanted to tell you (Name) is home, so try to be more quiet.”

Fei perked up at that, dropping his pliers onto the man’s chest before pulling off his blue rubber gloves. “She home? When she get back?”

“Just a few minutes ago, and she’s on a cleaning spree.”

Feitan snorted, walking over to the deep stainless steel sink to wash his hands and upper arms. “Would do that.”

He followed Shalnark upstairs, stopping when they reached the kitchen door. The sound of some love song was playing behind it, with (Name) singing along.

They looked at each other before entering.

“Holy shit.”

In the fifteen minutes Shalnark had been gone, she’s nearly transformed the place from a pigsty to a functional kitchen.

There was something cooking on the stove, steam rising from a large pot they hadn’t had before. It smelled amazing, causing Shalnark to sigh contentedly.

She placed the last dish they had, which was not many, onto a towel she was using to let them dry. (Name) looked up, giving them a smile. “Hey, boys, I was just finishing up with the kitchen. I’m making some stew for dinner, it should be ready in an hour or so.”

Shalnark fell at her feet, wrapping his arms around her legs and nuzzling against her thighs. “You’re an angel, sent from above!”

Feitan was quick to scoot Shalnark out of the way with his food, growling lowly as he pulled (Name) into his arms. He didn’t like others touching what was his, especially not someone like Shalnark who was good with women.

“Aww, Fei, what’s wrong?”

(Name) cupped his cheek, giving him a concerned look. “He’s just jealous.” Shalnark blurred out before running away from Feitan.

She shook her head at the two, getting back to work.

————————

By the time dinner was ready, she finished throwing away all of the old food and picking up the laundry strewn across the living room. The house was far from clean, but it certainly looked better.

“This is delicious!” Shalnark explained, wolfing down the stew (Name) prepared. She blushed, waving her hand dismissively.

“It’s just a simple stew, nothing special.”

“Still, it’s quite tasty.” Phinks said, taking another bite.

Feitan ate silently, but he too was enjoying his meal. It reminded him of the days he spent living with (Name), and his heart fluttered when he remembered that those days would be able to continue, considering she lived with them now.

“Tomorrow I’m going grocery shopping again. It was hard to carry it all back alone so could one of you come with me?”

Although Feitan wanted to volunteer, his hands were tied. Phinks raised his hand. “I’ll go. I’m not busy tomorrow.”

With that, the group finished dinner and went their separate ways for bed.

(Name) entered what would be her room for the first time, sighing softly. The room was plain, with a queen size bed, ratty gray comforter, and a desk next to it. She huffed when she plopped down onto the bed.

“It’ll keep me warm tonight at least, but I’ll have to add a comforter to the list for tomorrow.”

A knock at the door made her jump. “Come in?”

Feitan opened the door, peeking in. “(Name).”

The dark haired man approached her, sitting on the bed. “Doing alright?”

(Name) sighed, leaning her head against his shoulder. “I guess. It’s all a lot to handle. The last week has been exhausting.”

Feitan nodded slowly, his finger rubbing circles into the back of her hand. “Understandable. Lost home.”

She turned to him suddenly, smiling. “I’m just glad I have you, Fei. Without you, I would have…”

She stopped, her eyes half lidded as she looked at him. They were so close, noses nearly touching. Feitan swallowed, feeling his heart begin to race.

“Feitan?”

He took a moment to answer, his eyes on her lips. “Yes?”

She leaned forward, inching ever closer. “Would it… would it be okay if I kissed you right now?”

She didn’t receive an audible answer, instead, Feitan’s hand shot out and pulled her in by the front of her shirt, crashing his lips into hers.

His arms wrapped around her, pulling her as close as possible as he kissed her. She relaxed into the kiss, reaching up to run her fingers through his hair, mewling into his mouth when his tongue began to dance with hers.

He pulled away, panting as he stared at her. “Wanted… wanted to do that for long time.”

Her face was hot, the girl nodding slowly. “Me too…”

Although Feitan wanted to pin her down and take her now, he knew she was exhausted. So the man stood, planting a kiss on the top of her head. “Goodnight (Name).”

She pulled him down for another kiss, causing the dark haired man to melt. When she pulled away, he was staring at her with the softest eyes she’d ever seen him make. “Goodnight, Fei.”

Feitan sunk onto his bed, stroking his cock to the feeling of her lips on his that still lingered. He wanted nothing more than to have her pussy sinking onto his cock, to hear her little moans and whimpers, but…

He came, staring up at the ceiling.

Feitan wouldn’t be able to wait for her much longer.

[cloudysonder]

On "Daddy Issues"

Ok, I know I'm a bit late to the game here, but I was gathering my thoughts after experiencing episode 5 and 6

Let me preface this with the fact that I am a Hazbin Hotel fan; it's cringe and it's not the best writing in the world, but I love the characters and the concept and the art. I know a lot of people disagree and completely despise it and hey, you do you, but this is a silly little thing I enjoy and think is fun

but oof. episode 5 and 6 were rough, execution-wise. Also worth mentioning that episode 5 followed on the heels of episode 4, which was dealing with a lot of heavy topics and gave Angel a lot of character development very quickly and had a wonderful song and a budding relationship between Husk and Angel that was fantastic, so to get a confusing and overwhelming yet completely inefficient episode (ep 5) and then an episode with SO MUCH HAPPENING that it absolutely bowled you over with plot points and world building that weren't given a single second to breathe was really disappointing. I'll put the meat under a read more, but that's the thesis

this post is just gonna be on episode 5, and I'll make another one on episode 6 bc christ almighty both of them are gonna be long

Episode 5 was something I was really looking forward to-- Of the main cast, Charlie and Vaggie seemed the least intriguing to me (oh, did I say "seemed" past tense? haha! they still most definitely are the least interesting!), and I wanted to see how they would introduce something they've been building up to for a while: Charlie's famed "Daddy issues"!

Turns out, instead of actually keeping it as a point of intrigue for Charlie's character and using it as a point of tension to show that hey, Charlie isn't actually a perfect person, and she's also in pain with the rest of the sinners because her own family relationships are falling apart, they solve it in a single episode. That's right! The long-awaited, complicated, divorced parent and child relationship that twisted Charlie into a validation seeking, people pleasing princess that "wants to fix other people so she doesn't have to deal with her own daddy issues" (quote by Husk) is solved with a charming performance by Jeremy Jordan and a song!

Look, it's no secret I'm a huge fan of Loser, Baby-- I clearly have no qualms with storytelling through song. But you cannot song-plain this one away. We've established over 4 episodes that Charlie and her father have kept in minimal contact for seven years. That's a Long time (don't go trying to be like, oh time to charlie works differently, bc that shit's not established, and everyone in the show still treats seven years like a long time). We know that the last time they called each other was 5 months ago.

"More than Anything," solves basically everything by making the following points

Charlie was inspired by her Dad's dreaming

Lucifer was ashamed of his failures and hid away from her

Lucifer does, however, want so so deeply to know Charlie

Charlie wants to know Lucifer

They love each other <3

these are fine endgame points. Dare I say... good endgame points to arrive at?? But you can't stuff ALL these revelations into a single song and call it a finished relationship arc when they haven't spoken for real in 7 YEARS. Also, making Lucifer so goofy and silly and fun and charming is Not helping the establishment of his character as a self-hating former dreamer who doesn't want his daughter to make the same mistakes he did. It just turns him to tumblr sexyman cute quirky sympathetic never did anything wrong and loves his daughter, completely downplaying his absentee parenting.

You can't have him turn from "I do not care about your life. I do not care about your project. I will not ask about your passions and your dreams. I am already ashamed of my own." to "ur so right bestie!!! dreaming is so slay mama!!! I love you so much you're my little baby girl I love you so much, you're right and I will support you!!!" in the course of a single episode without like.... at least 3 real, in depth conversations happening. The song is beautiful, but you can't poetry your way out of an actual relationship arc.

BUT! But, but but! The fault does not lie completely with Lucifer, but also with Charlie. girl just forgave him??? For everything????? Despite having been so scared to call him at the beginning of the episode? It's very unrealistic for a kid to just accept that a parent loves them apparently so so deeply when they've never seen proof of it in the last idk just spitballing a number here SEVEN YEARS. If you want to make the crux of a failed parent-child relationship miscommunication, you're gonna have to get into the ugly--- the grieving of what you could've had earlier, the wondering why you didn't reach out earlier, the anger at why they've suddenly changed now--- and you're gonna have to explain why the miscommunication went on so long.

sometimes, if you have a pair of completely uncommunicative people, seven years may be reasonable. But Charlie is open about her passions! She's public! She constantly reads about "The Story of Hell" and paints Lucifer in a positive light! And Lucifer is quick to reciprocate any interest Charlie shows in him! He's quick to offer help, to spoil Charlie and show love! (Lucifer's points are two points that make SEVEN YEARS of MINIMAL CONTACT and MISCOMMUNICATION make ZERO SENSE).

additionally, Charlie's lowkey only point of intrigue that was set up (her relationship to Lucifer, the King of Hell) is now just... kapoot. solved. pish posh. now she's a done character.

THEN EXPLAIN WHY I STILL DON'T GIVE A FUCK ABOUT HER???? I haven't seen her actually struggle in a way that's not played off as a bit, we don't get a real charlie breakdown monologue, there are no stakes for me as a hazbin hotel viewer to want everything to go well for charlie besides my acab rad leftist ass being like redemption and forgiveness is good and ultimately benefits society

she's fun, she's bubbly, she's kind! but those are all basic things we knew from minute 1 she was on screen. I need to see her struggle. For a main character, she sure as hell doesn't feel main. And I expected better female characters from female writers (feat. in my next post, Vaggie????? What the hell?).

goodnight new york city, you've been great!

[snowmist-hashira]

[Chapter title: Candlelit Resonance]

Yuichiro Tokitou x Reader

Wattpad:(One shots) Tokito Twins x Reader Archive:Kimetsu No Yaiba: Tokitou Twins x Reader Details: ♠ Information ♠ Master list: ♠ Yuichirou Tokitou ♠

Artist: 砂糖🐾原稿🔥[na_sanSS63] [砂糖]

Links; Twitter & Pixiv

During the days I lost power, I couldn't reply or do much, so I ended up making a fanfic about it. I wish Yui was with me during that time, but you get the idea! I had candles right next to my paper and ink pen, I felt like I had time-traveled back to the Taisho era, HAHA.

Tags: @aeolia18 / @demonslayeranimex (Scheduled)

The flickering candlelight cast dancing shadows on the walls, and the soft glow of the moon added a touch of ethereal beauty to the scene. The rain outside added to the cozy atmosphere, its rhythmic patter creating a calming backdrop. The surroundings exuded an ambiance of mystery and nostalgia, as if the area had been transported to a different time.

Y/n continued to write, her focus seemed unwavering despite the dim lighting, as the pen glided smoothly across the paper, leaving behind a trail of her thoughts and emotions. Her face was gently illuminated by the flickering candle, revealing the intensity of her concentration.

Outside, the heavy rain served as a natural barrier to the outside world. The sounds of the downpour were muted, cocooning Y/n in her thoughts and words. The combination of candlelight, moonbeams, and rain created a unique atmosphere, making it feel like time itself had slowed down.

"Y/n, why aren't you sleeping yet?" Y/n turned her head toward the source of the footsteps and met the concerned gaze of the person who had interrupted her writing.

The candlelight flickered, casting shadows that danced across Yuichiro's features. He wore an expression of both care and curiosity, wondering why Y/n was still awake amidst the dimly lit room and the heavy rain outside.

"I couldn't sleep," Y/n admitted, a small smile playing on her lips. Yuichiro stepped closer, his silhouette gradually becoming clearer in the candlelight.

"Writing in the dark can't be good for your eyes." He said, glancing at the papers on the table.

"I know, I’ll sleep in a bit. I thought you were already sleeping, Yui."

Yuichiro approached and sat down next to her, his gaze fixed on the written words on her paper. He gently said, "I was waiting for you."

Y/n's heart skipped a beat at Yuichiro's words, feeling a rush of warmth and affection. She couldn't help but smile, realizing that he had stayed awake for her, just as she had stayed awake for the power to return.

"I'm sorry for keeping you waiting," Y/n said, her voice soft and sincere.

"I'll keep you company," he offered, pulling up a chair and settling in with his elbow on the table and his chin in his palm, his gaze fixed on her paper. Y/n felt a mixture of surprise and appreciation at Yuichiro's change in approach. He was usually the one reminding her to take care of herself and get some rest.

"Eh? Are you sure? You've had a long day already," Y/n frowned slightly, tilting her head in concern. Her statement earned her a gentle flick on the head from Yuichiro.

"Aww!"

"I should be saying that to you," Yuichiro responded, giving her a concerned glare. Y/n couldn't help but sweat drop at his words. Both of them had technically had an exhausting day, but she could see the evident fatigue in his expression. His eyes were slightly half-opened, his gaze oddly dazed, and his eyelashes fluttered a bit more than usual.

After a few seconds, Y/n's gaze softened, and a small smile graced her lips. It was evident that Yuichiro was tired, yet he still made the effort to keep her company—now that's true love.

"Alright then," she chuckled, picking up the pen again. "But if you feel sleepy, go ahead and sleep, okay?" Yuichiro nodded in response, his eyes darting back to what she was writing.

"What are you writing?" He asked, adjusting his posture to get a better view.

"Just random stuff, doodles, and poems," Y/n replied, tilting the paper slightly to show him. Yuichiro's eyes wandered across the paper, trying to make sense of the doodles and poems. The combination of his fatigue and the dim lighting seemed to add to his dazed expression, making Y/n giggle quietly at the sight.

"You look adorable like that," Y/n teased, affectionately poking his cheek. "Tired, but still trying to understand my random scribbles."

Yuichiro's cheeks flushed slightly at her comment, his gaze momentarily shifting from the paper to her. The dim candlelight danced on his face, accentuating the softness of his features, and Y/n found herself falling in love with him all over again.

It was in these unguarded moments that she saw a different side of Yuichiro, one that only she had the privilege of witnessing.

"Yui, do you want to drink something?"

"Mhm... Maybe tea." He responded, Y/n carefully made her way to the kitchen, using her phone's flashlight to guide her through the dimly lit house.

Once in the kitchen, she searched for the tea bags and a kettle. The rain continued to pour outside, the sound of it creating a cozy ambiance. Despite the darkness, the candlelight and the phone's flashlight provided enough illumination for her to find what she needed.

The comforting aroma of the tea enveloped Y/n as she dipped the tea bag into the hot water. The room was already filled with the gentle glow of candlelight, and now the sweet scent of herbs added to the tranquil ambiance. She felt a sense of calm washing over her, the weariness of the day slowly subsiding.

Y/n then came back with a mug on her other hand, her heart swelling with affection as she looked at Yuichiro in his peaceful slumber. She set the mug of tea on the table and took a moment to simply admire him in the soft glow of the candlelight.

She had seen him in various states, from the confident and determined to the tired and weary. But in this moment, with his usual guard down and the stress of the day finally fading away, he looked so vulnerable and serene.

Gently, she reached out and brushed a strand of hair away from his forehead, her touch light and tender. She couldn't help but smile, knowing how hard he worked and how much he cared for those around him.

Y/n marveled at his peaceful slumber, not wanting to disturb him, but the moment she placed the mug down, he stirred awake. She couldn't help but chuckle at his dazed look and spoke softly, "Yui, go to sleep. You're clearly tired already."

Yuichiro blinked a few times, trying to shake off the remnants of sleep from his mind. He looked up at Y/n, a small smile gracing his lips despite his drowsiness.

"Y/n, come here," he said, his voice gentle and soft. Y/n blinked in surprise but followed his request nonetheless. She approached his side, and unexpectedly, Yuichiro wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her down onto his lap. He pulled her closer to his chest, leaning into her embrace.

Y/n's heart skipped a beat at Yuichiro's unexpected gesture. She felt a mixture of surprise and warmth as he held her close in a tender embrace. The sound of his steady heartbeat against her back sent a shiver down her spine, and she couldn't help but blush at the closeness.

With her head resting against his shoulder, Y/n felt a sense of intimacy and vulnerability that made her heart flutter.

"Y-Yui... Aren't you uncomfortable?" Y/n asked, causing his arms tightened around her slightly, as if seeking comfort in her presence.

Yuichiro's voice was soft and sincere as he replied, "Not at all. I find comfort in holding you close." His warm breath tickled her ear, sending a shiver down her spine.

As he rested his cheeks on her shoulders, Y/n could feel the tenderness in his touch. His strong arms enveloped her, creating a sense of protection and safety that made her heart flutter. “How about you?”

Shaking her head, she stammered, "N-no, I'm comfortable." She was relieved that her back was turned to him; otherwise, he would have noticed the evident blush spreading across her cheeks.

Yuichiro smiled softly, though he couldn't see her blush, he could sense her warmth and shyness in her voice. He tightened his embrace gently, wanting to offer her comfort as she had offered him earlier.

"Good." Y/n could feel him smirking, a soft chuckle escaping his lips as he leaned closer, placing a gentle kiss on her neck. "You're gonna stay like this for a little while..." he murmured, his warm breath sending shivers down her spine.

Her heart skipped a beat at the proximity of his words, and she couldn't help but feel a mixture of excitement and nervousness. His touch was gentle yet possessive, and it made her feel cherished and protected.

"Alright," she whispered, her voice tinged with a mixture of bashfulness and anticipation. "I'm in no hurry."

[aninamated]

Ok, Ok, this is something I've been dying to know. What do the family dynamics of the main cast look like? I've been able to piece together somethings like Nequello having two little sisters, Xav having a cousin, and both Scarella & Ignio having siblings, but what about the parents? Do you think we'll ever see them in a show? Will they remain offscreen? Sorry if I went on a bit of a rant there, it's 11:11pm rn and I'm tired 😭. Hope you have a good night🌙 (or morning depending when you're reading this!☀️)

Hi! Hope you had a good night too! ✨️🌙

I really love everyone's families. They all have very different dynamics, especially the siblings.

Like how Scarella's brother Joey likes to tease her a lot and Xav's cousin Fennah is more like a sister or even mother figure to him, always telling him what to do.

Then there's Aquello's sisters and they are a lot younger and like to play a lot and annoy their older brother who has to be a lot more serious/has a lot of expectations. Ignio's older sister Ember always cuddles him, which he doesn't like 'cuz he's too cool and too old for that' haha.

And Ed has siblings too, who are similiar to them but also very opposite in personality.

I made some art of all of them together a while ago, which you may have seen. I honestly can't wait until I get to animate their first official appearances in the show 💕

And we'll definitely see everyone's parents at some point as well. Bit of a spoiler, but they are pretty connected to everyone's (future) character arcs.

There's really a lot of love in these families and that's why I personally like them so much (I'm talking so much here already haha) 💖

I hope to give everyone and their families at least one (or more) episodes to show them off. Might take a while to get there, but it's something I definitely look forward to

[lostacelonnie]

Hi, don't know if you remember me but you recently rbed my post about how Siegfried reuniting w his daughters was a rushed scene and I wanted to hear your opinions on the matter? Sorry if it's overstepping but im just curious haha.

Have a nice day!

AH HI!!! right yes i did thank you for reminding me!!!! i have very strong opinions on the matter so ill be happy to share.

(for people who haven't seen the og post, here it is)

THE SHORT VERSION: i agree with you completely and am Extremely Angry at mihoyo because EVERYONE is mischaracterized in that scene. or rather, in the entirety of moon arc, but that's something for another post.

THE LONG VERSION:

I Am So Fucking Mad.

so first of all, im probs gonna focus on bianka a lot in this because im unbelievably obsessed with her. and goddamn was that scene so bad. and also repeat a lot of things you Already Said.

to begin. it's very rushed!!!!!! this scene in its Base Format is inherently flawed simply because... bianka would not reveal her origin that early. like obviously at that point she was already being written very ooc [LIKE EVERYONE ELSE IN THE ARC. SERIOUSLY. IM SO ANGRY ABOUT THAT] but arrrghgh. at least before this scene they at least pretended to preserve bianka's. how do i call it. General Cautiousness?

this is something that clearly means a lot to her and is shown before trying to figure out how to break the news in a gentle way. she is simply not a person who would say [in a very strangely spoken way] "oh im your daughter by the way". She Would Not. this is a woman who would awkwardly try to hang out with these two for a solid 2 months as she feels out how to Tell Them. while obviously, during moon arc she had already spent enough time with the rest of the main cast to Chill Out a bit, she's still just!! kind of emotionally and socially awkward!!! but in a completely different way than showcased in moon arc. does that make sense

also bianka does not speak like that istg if mhy doesn't learn the difference between a character that is Kind Of Serious and a character that sounds like they use a thesaurus for most their sentences-

but kiana and siegfried aren't safe from this either!!!!!! as you said. they departed on Not Great terms and have been separated for years. while they act as if its been maybe a couple of days. its very disappointing for me personally to see the complete lack of regard for the fact that yes, they do care about each other and this reunion is a very happy one, but still!! their bond was. a rocky one.

plus, there's a giant difference between a preteen and, at that point, an adult woman so. siegfried is not meeting the same person he lost. kiana has changed, and due to her experiences- probably even abnormally so, so they NEED to rebuild their relationship simply because even IF before their separation there was no conflict, it would change the fact its been far too long to treat each other as if they have never been apart.

AND the fact that kiana especially was so... unbothered? by the fact that DURANDAL IS HER SISTER. like. do i even have to elaborate. kiana kaslana, world's #1 identity crisis haver, someone who idolized, hated, and respected bianka [in that order], was just like. okay 💗 yay 💗? sighs so deeply. look at how they massacred my girls

theres much more i could say but i dont quite know how to put most of my dislike of this scene into words so like. arrggh. it was personally very very frustrating to me because, as i said, i am a big fan of both kiana's and bianka's. identity, and especially family heritage, is an extremely important part of both of their characters and it was physically painful for me to see a scene i looked forward to A Lot be dismissed like this.

which, unfortunately, is true for most of the moon arc, since it was the worst offender for characterization [or rather, lack thereof] in the entire game, with basically everyone being reduced to a mildly philosophical much so devoid of personality i probably couldn't tell their lines apart if presented with a couple. but alas.

at least salt snow holy city arc was amazing

[prince-kallisto]

Book 6 had me thinking-

ARE WE GOING TO SEE THE IGNIHYDE SENIOR STUDENT AFTER THE FIRST NRC ARC IS OVER?!,!,

Like omg omg. I’m so excited to see all the seniors (if we get to see them). I have no idea what some seniors could be based off of, just because TWST did such a good job of combining some roles (e.g Trey being both a card soldier and the ‘King of Hearts,), and some roles would be a little unnecessary (e.g an Iago for Jamil). After racking my brain some, I thought of some ideas for the seniors while keeping any sequel Disney movies out of the picture:

Heartslabyul: The Mad Hatter or the White Rabbit. TBH I feel like Cater was kinda robbed for not being a rabbit-themed beastman. I think his attachment to Magicam and following the trends could’ve been a good parallel to the White Rabbit’s obsession with time. But I can see the White Rabbit being a RSA student, so I hope we get to see him in the future. But the Mad Hatter would be SUCH a contrast to Riddle’s strictness. I could also see the Caterpillar being a fun character to have, but I think he’s a bit more obscure compared to the two potential seniors. (Plus Heartslabyul already has enough characters-)

Savanaclaw: Shere Khan and/or Kaa. Here me out: I could not figure out anything else for Savanaclaw without digging into the sequels haha (Zazu already got twisted in the Savanaclaw hometown event), but since Jack isn’t really based off the Lion King either, it only seems fair. Plus, there’s a canonical reference to the Jungle Book in TWST, with Vargas Camp and the “red flower,” aka fire. I think Shere Khan’s ferocity could be a fun contrast to Leona, while they both share a cunning attitude. Plus, I think the red flower could be cute reference to how Scar got burned alive in the Lion King haha

Octavinelle: That one little French guy who tried to cook Sebastian. Just kidding- but I am actually stumped for this one. Apparently, the shark that Ariel and Flounder swam away from is named “Glut” (probably for gluttony?), so perhaps the shark? I even thought about King Triton, because he did have an antagonistic role in Ariel’s POV.

Scarabia: The genie? Like I said earlier, the way Scarabia’s story played out didn’t make an Iago-character feel necessary, and Grim even got a few of the cracker-jokes. I thought it was really cute how Azul was briefly considered Jamil’s “genie in the lamp.” But the Genie from Aladdin did end up in the hands of Jafar, and did some bad things under his command. In the TWST world, I could definitely see the twisted Genie being a really powerful mage who went to do ambitious things for his senior year.

Pomefiore: I’m actually stumped for this one…I thought about the Magic Mirror, but we already have Mira Mira for Vil AND the Dark Mirror. Pomefiore has a pretty perfect balance of cast and inspirations, so I don’t know. The…King??? He didn’t appear in the Disney movie, but he is technically a Snow White character. There is the Queen’s raven, but uh… (*eyes Crowley and Levan*)

IGNIHYDE: PAIN AND PANIC AND MEG. AJXHSHAKXHSB. This post was originally just going to be about these guys, but y’know. BUT I’D LOVE TO SEE A TWISTED MEG. I love Ignihyde, but it was one of the few dorms that felt like something was sorely missing. Thinking about it, it would’ve been really cool if we got a sneak peek of TWST!Meg, who perhaps did his internship at STYX? I’d love to see the dynamic with Idia Axhxbahjzjz. I could really imagine TWST!Meg being that cool-headed, mature and charming senior, but perhaps STYX has dirt on him in some way, leading to him acting differently towards Idia? Like perhaps a relative or someone close to TWST!Meg Overblotted, and was taken away by STYX? I’m surprised Pain and Panic weren’t students in TWST, but if they were seniors, I wouldn’t be surprised if these two were “combined” into one character, like how the three hyenas were combined into Ruggie.

Diasomnia: Diablo- *eyes Crowley again*, or…the briars??? Diasomnia also did a good job of turning some really unique concepts (e.g Maleficent’s lightning for Sebek) into characters, so I wouldn’t be surprised if a briar-themed character was introduced. Silver and Sebek also represent Maleficent’s henchmen pretty well, so it would feel a little redundant to include them.

All in all, I’m REALLY excited to see the seniors one day, and I think I’ll end up being surprised by some of the character inspiration. I honestly don’t think they’ll have a major role in the story, just because TWST has found a good balance in side-stories and Gacha with the current amount we have. But I think it would be really fun fanservice, so I don’t mind if they end up like Neige or Rollo. But all I need IS A TWISTED MEG SHCHHSJZHZHXHJ

[risette-blast]

PERSONA 2 INNOCENT SIN SPOILERS AHEAD! DON'T READ THIS IF YOU'RE REMOTELY INTERESTED IN PLAYING THE GAME AND HAVEN'T BEEN SPOILED ON IT!!

(oh there are also traitor spoilers for P5 in here, but I feel like anyone who has played P2 has also played P5 already lol)

so last night, I finished P2IS. the ending still hurts by the way lol. but i've had a bit of time since then to think about the game in retrospect. so i wrote up a thought dump with sort of my "initial" thoughts on the game on twitter. afterwards, i decided to repost it here but with more detail since i'm not constrained with a character limit the same way I am with twitter (it's still gonna be in bullet points bc I don't really want to structure this like an essay haha)

this game's ending really was brutal. this is the main thing I've commented on ever since finishing the game, but it truly is awful. Maya is stabbed and killed, Lisa can't even heal her with Dia no matter how much she tries. the Earth is destroyed by suddenly stopping its rotation, causing the resultant inertia to instantly kill everything. in the end, it just turns out to be a rigged game between Philemon and Nyarlathotep (god that name is hard to spell lol). and then the entire cast is forced to go back in time and forget their memories with each other and everything to prevent the world from ending again. it's truly a cruel fate for them, I really did want them to have a happy ending so it just really hurts. 😭

a lot of this game's moments hit hard due to how good the OST is. this has honestly gone up to being one of my favorite Persona OSTs, and given how strong its competition has been, that's a noteworthy feat.

the gameplay was ass lol. I can't pretend it was good, it's worse than P1 in some areas which is wild (still liked IS more overall though, 1 has some very questionable mechanics)

now apparently this is specific to the PSP version, but man the menus were so slow. thankfully I was playing on an emulator so I even had this option but I genuinely just sped up the game somewhat frequently just to get through the menus more quickly

it was also probably the easiest Persona game I've ever played. P5R is genuinely harder. i'm not even kidding. I've gone on and on about how easy P5R is (on twitter), but P2IS makes P5R look challenging in comparison.

the characters were great. i didn't think I'd care about them as much as I did. they all had wonderful bonds with each other. personally I felt like yukino was the "weak" link, and like she doesn't have the bonds the other do so it only makes sense. and even then? she has some great moments and is genuinely well written too. I had played P1 before this but yukino wasn't in my party so she essentially disappeared; it's nice to actually get to know her.

that said, I don't rly like how P1 and P2 both kinda hide extra character details behind very optional dialogue that's easy to miss. it's not nearly as bad in IS though bc they get more characterization in the main story, so a lot of the characters in IS resonated with me more on a first playthrough than 1's characters did.

I've heard some people say P2's shadow encounters are better than P4's. I'm not sure I agree with that at least just from IS, but I thought they were pretty competent. I did like that they built up to the shadow encounters throughout the game, it's an interesting approach.

...personally I still like the P4 shadow encounters more overall. I just also really like the way the IS shadow encounters were handled too especially in the context of the story.

the dialogue about personas and masks was really cool. I wish the new Persona games did acknowledge that everyone has multiple masks they put on. the only characters from P3-P5 who really explore this imo (as far as I can remember) are Rise and Akechi, and even then, it's not nearly as substantial as 1/2. Rise's arc is more about her accepting that she can have multiple selves that are all her, and with Akechi, while he has two different masks that represent both the facade he presents to society vs his true nature, it's just a case of facade vs true nature, whereas IS acknowledges that everyone has multiple masks they present to society that form a full self.

I personally wasn't too invested in the romance options, and the game clearly didn't consider them super important either seeing as they barely affect the story or interactions, but I really did like that Jun was presented as a genuine, serious option. also it's not like P3-5 where it's kinda subjective, I feel like Jun just fits the best especially in retrospect.

I now truly understand why newsona's mechanics (calendar, s.links, etc) wouldn't work at all. there's no room in the story for that.

I didn't think the pacing was the best tbh. it feels like not a lot happens at first, then they throw a ton of story at you halfway through the game, then a lot more near the end. it could've been distributed a little better. I hear EP is better with this though.

I do have a few issues with the way the plot was presented. tbh it was just a little absurd lol, and also revealing that the whole story was Philemon vs Nyarlathotep (again, tough name to spell lol) at the very end was kinda mid. maybe I'll like it more with the context of EP. but what really made the story for me was ultimately the characters and their development, not so much the actual events in the plot itself, if that makes sense.

I love the ending theme, kimi no tonari. when you realize that the sumaru city (and a lot of songs in the game) share the same general leitmotif it just makes you sad to hear them in retrospect 😔

[pynkhues]

Do you have post-Emmy predictions or thoughts for Snook's career?

Oooo, I'm actually not too sure? She's such an incredible actress, and I'd really love her to hit the A-list, but her choices even since Succession started and her star rose have been kind of odd ones? Like Pieces of a Woman was such a bit part for her, albeit one in an interesting art house movie, Run Rabbit Run saw her as the lead in a pretty terrible psychological thriller, and The Beanie Bubble? Just - - yeah.

Really odd choices.

I do suspect her career has likely been impacted a bit by the fact that she moved back to Australia, married another actor who has a steady, ongoing gig (Dave Lawson's a part of the core ensemble in Utopia which is a very good and very funny sitcom here!) and has had a baby, to say nothing of the pandemic, and I think she's perhaps still feeling out herself what she'd like her career to look like.

That said, I thought it was really smart that both Sarah and Jeremy have gone back to theatre for their first major roles post-Succession, and Sarah's move I think is particularly smart strategically given it's a Sydney Theatre Company production being performed on London's West End, which kind of relaunches her in theatre in two different spaces.

Sydney Theatre Company is a huge deal in Australia and a world class company - Cate Blanchett and her husband, Andrew Upton were co-artistic directors there for a number of years, and it's a home for many of Australia's best actors like Rose Byrne, Toni Collette, Hugo Weaving, Heather Mitchell (my beloved!!). Sarah already had a relationship with STC prior to Succession - having played Joan of Arc in the STC production of Saint Joan in 2018 - so for one of her first major roles after the series to be back at the Company does really feel like both a homecoming and an opportunity to ascend within the theatrical elite in Australia. The production though that she's in being in the UK's West End I feel offers that two-fold as well.

Getting back into STC though I think opens her doors again to local connections, particularly with the Cate Blanchett set and given Blanchett's been moving steadily into producing in Australia, I could see Sarah being cast in one of her productions? Hopefully a film, given The New Boy and Shayda were infinitely better than Stateless, haha.

In my experience with actors in Australia, the ones with young children tend to lean towards theatre residencies and TV because it's (generally speaking) better / more flexible hours and steadier work, and in many ways, Australian TV is having a bit of a renaissance right now with shows like The Newsreader, Deadloch and Boy Swallows Universe, so I could absolutely see her headlining a mini-series? Perhaps a literary adaptation?

I'd love to see her in something from Jane Campion, Jennifer Kent or Goran Stolevski, and I think all three are a possibility - Goran probably least at this stage just because he's such a new voice.

I think she'll probably pop back up in some US films and TV, and I think she'll probably land a few really meaty ones, but I do kind of think she might be more likely to work between Australia and the UK in the future? I couldn't quite tell you why, and I could be wrong, but yeah. I guess my prediction is that she'll have an incredible career, but I don't necessarily think it'll be US-centric post-Succession, or tremendously high profile.

[journey-to-the-attic]

eeee okay!! i was gonna ask about the actor au i know its from ages ago but im a sucker for that kind of au 😭 thinking about the cast all taking care of each other on set and stuff and everyone is ik's biggest hypeman/woman, after all shes carrying the whole show on her back. ik falling asleep mid-scene and belphie carrying her back to her trailer and telling off the directors for pushing her... beel sneaking her snacks on set just in case.... mammon and ik making each other crack up while theyre trying to film........

i do have a soft spot for this genre of au, especially since here the actors just get to be regular people... allow me!! (this ended up being more au framework than cast interactions so feel free to ask for more of those haha)

okay so quick refresher on what i'd previously established: jtta is a show, and everyone's an actor in it

for simplicity's sake, they all have keep their names, and the character they play within the show is just named for their sin/role

so lucifer's character's is Pride, mammon's is Greed, so on for the other brothers - diavolo is The Prince, barbatos is The Butler, etc

of the brothers, in this au, only beel+belphie are still twins, and satan+lucifer are cousins, but the rest aren't blood-related

now starting to add some stuff...

diavolo's already very well-known before being cast, he'd be the Big Celebrity Name that draws in people

they're all from varying backgrounds - lucifer used to be a concert pianist, solomon was in stage magic, asmo's an idol, satan and simeon were both in theatre, luke started out in local pantomimes and got scouted, etc.

of everyone, simeon, levi, ik and luke are regarded as 'newbies' to showbiz

ik and luke because they're young, though luke has more acting experience (ik got called to audition purely by chance so this is her first role)

simeon because he came into acting from having been a nurse, which doesn't really prepare you for the job

and levi because this is his first role, his previous work has always been on practical effects and such (so he ends up being the most nervous in interviews)

before being cast in the show, lucifer and mammon were already acquainted - lucifer was mammon's mentor when he first got into acting, so they're under the same agency (they get called 'double threat' because they tend to appear in the same productions)

satan and lucifer are fairly distant emotionally, but they aren't on bad terms, they just had different trajectories in life before both ending up in acting

(satan starts a faux-rivalry with lucifer to prepare for their roles as wrath and pride feat. all the baggage from obey me, and it turns out they're actually very good at annoying each other in real life)

everyone has the same base personalities - mammon is still loud and impulsive, levi is still self-conscious but passionate, diavolo's still cheerful and confident

but with some elements softened (for example, barbatos isn't a super dedicated butler who literally lives to serve diavolo, he's just a good friend of his)

partially because the different setting means there's a different sort of social hierarchy, partially because they're all humans who lived mundane human lives and experienced a lot less trauma

e.g. lucifer is still fairly formal, stern, and not exactly cuddly, but he's much softer by default, has less sophisticated speech patterns, and has a higher tendency to joke around with the others

before they start filming, they get the cast to spend a few weeks together to get a feel for their chemistry

the seven 'brothers' click fairly quickly, but it takes a bit longer for the purgatrio to do so because for some reason simeon and solomon can't STAND each other in the beginning

it's so bad at some point that they almost consider recasting, but then one night they get drunk together and suddenly they're best friends the next day

ik's probably under a lot of pressure, since she's completely new to all this and is now expected to shoulder basically the whole show

diavolo and barbatos would be the quickest to take her under their wing

but ik is a little (a lot) intimidated by her new co-star, given that diavolo is like a ss-tier celebrity (as is asmo, solomon (though he's less mainstream and more cult-following), and lucifer to some degree

so at first she gravitates towards levi instead - who is similarly new to the scene, and not too busy arguing with solomon like simeon

and since levi's also spending time with his 'brothers', at that point ik gets pulled into the group

it's only after getting used to lucifer that ik can graduate to just accepting diavolo's support without freezing up

anyway by the time filming starts the entire rest of the cast has agreed: ik must NOT be bullied by the directors, we are going to make her first acting job go as SMOOTH as possible

there's actually a bit of an issue where they film scenes from earlier in the season before the characters have actually bonded in canon, but because ik's already formed a very strong bond with the 'brothers', their acting ends up being too familiar

the scene will call for pride to very haughtily look down his nose at the lost kid (ik's character name) and say something scathing, and instead lucifer will look at ik with the Gentlest eyes and deliver the line with entirely the wrong vibes

they're still actors at the end of the day though, so once suitably scolded they do know to ignore their real life relationships and play the roles as directed

one time ik accidentally breaks a prop mid-scene, which mammon notices before the directors can, so he grabs it and makes it look like he did it instead (he gets a reprimand for not being careful, but nothing otherwise. even so ik feels so bad that mammon has to distract her with card game)

later they figure out what happened while reviewing the footage, and when they go to ask mammon about it he's like "yo you stay QUIET about this, understand?!!"

beel is ik's designated hide-behind person when she gets nervous/uncomfortable in interviews, while belphie is the designated deflect-the-questions or tell-the-interviewer-to-fuck-off person

[sflow-er]

In honour of International Asexuality Day, I present to you...

Some ace Henry “proof”

aka. shaky screenshots with even shakier interpretations! 🖤🩶🤍💜

Don’t take this too seriously, I’m sure it won’t be confirmed in the show and I know most people regard him as an allo! It’s just a personal headcanon that delights and comforts me. 

So as you may know, I’ve been on the ace Henry train since S1. Back when many people saw sexual attraction between him and Stella in the exam scene, I just...couldn’t. I’m not blind to SA by any means and I seldom hc characters as ace, but I just got a vibe from him.

Like, is this really supposed to be SA?

Because to me, these just read as “I see what you’re doing and I applaud your hustle” and "okay that’s me told” when Stella flips him off / hints that he’s creeping on her. (Again, I don’t mind if you see them differently!)

So what if we just accept that as a headcanon and run with it? What else could we interpret as “proof” of Henry possibly being on the ace spectrum? More screenshots etc. under the cut.

Well, we can also read further into his lack of interest in the sex part of the video scandal. Here he is, talking about how Wille and Simon got together and being an oblivious sweetheart to Wille, while everyone else is eagerly talking about them having sex and being filmed at it:

Moving on to S2 - where it’s very easy to cast asexuality as the reason he acts the way he does when something related to sex comes up. Aces being awkward about sex is a tired stereotype, but as it’s not our only “proof” in Henry’s case, I don’t see any harm in letting it count in our favour.

He already sounds and looks a bit awkward referring to the video in S2EP1 (obviously it’s because Wille is there, but we can easily hc it as both), but it’s his part in the whole Wille and Felice saga that truly makes him uncomfortable.

He looked like this interrupting Wilmon in the locker room even though they weren’t doing anything...

...but that was nothing compared to his awkwardness when he barged in on Wille and Felice making out. It’s hard to get a screenshot of his best expressions, but he almost looks like he totally forgot that sex was even a thing and he’s got absolutely no idea what to do or say now.

(Also, isn’t that a nice explanation for him being rattled enough to whine to his bestie Walter about this moment, even though he should definitely know that Walter is a massive gossip?)

The next morning, he is the very opposite of excited when Vincent puts him on the spot. Again, it’s because Wille is there, but we can easily hc it as him also thinking ‘ugh I forgot that everyone thinks hookups are the most interesting thing in the world and now they obviously want me to tell the story again’:

And then there’s his next scene.

S2 seems to confirm that Henry isn’t aromantic, as he is writing a sonnet to someone. After having already hc’d him as a romantic ace, I was incredibly nervous to see his reaction to Vincent’s hilariously serious advice to send a photo instead of a letter - which by the way makes me wonder which method Vincent used on his own date - but then I got this gem:

He looks so done, haha. With Vincent or the allos? Why not both!

(Also, the sonnet thing doesn’t rule out him being somewhere on the aro spectrum. Demiromantic, perhaps? The book report scene where he just doesn’t get how anyone could be in love with a person they haven’t even talked to could certainly be interpreted to support that.)

So are you convinced yet?

What’s that? You’re pretty sure it was Henry kissing the girl in the corridor in S1? Well, even if it was him, we could chalk that up to experimentation (or sex favourability), and I genuinely don’t think it was. The boy’s hair is way too long at the back and also looks a bit different at the front compared to Henry’s hair in S1, and there are several other boys with similar haircuts. There’s no reason we can’t interpret it as being one of them. (I had included a screenshot of this too but tumblr didn’t like it for some reason.)

So, keep on headcanoning! Whether it’s Henry who gives you a vibe or some other character.

Happy International Asexuality Day!

[juneviews]

my precious's first premiere

hi everyone, this is gonna be a post to condense all of my thoughts about the my precious premiere! I will also give my full review, first without spoilers, and under the cut, with. enjoy :)

BEFORE THE MOVIE:

so I didn't really get what I expected from this premiere, simply bc I didn't know what to expect, except for my own experience with premieres in france, and also imo gmmtv didn't give enough information about it.

I arrived at 5:45 pm at siam paragon's cineplex (2h15 before the movie), and already knowing where to withdraw my ticket was hard, so I had to ask a gmmtv staff, but after that it was easy. there were SO MANY people waiting for the actors, it was a bit overwhelming tbh & didn't help me know where to go lol.

I immediately understood that the press conference that is usually done inside of the movie theater, was done in front of the entrance hall, meaning a lot of people without tickets came to see it, whereas a lot of people with tickets were pushed far from it. since the conference was livestreamed, imo people with tickets should've been front row. the time of the conference wasn't announced either, so I missed it coming down to get dinner before the movie. when I came back, the conference was half over, and I could barely see bc there were too many people. I think it's a cultural difference, but I did expect to get to see the conference by paying for the premiere ticket which is twice as expensive as a regular one. but whatever lol, I had other good moments.

first of all I accidentally ran into winny which was insane lol, he literally came put of nowhere & I was in his way lmaoooo. also, I chose a seat in the first row thinking it would be close to the stage (as indicated on thaiticketmajor), but there was no stage so I was just too close to the screen. I ended up moving seats before the movie started bc a lot of the seats were empty (I'll talk about it later.)

ALSO! I got a poster of the movie & photocards, I got chimon, euro and the one person I didn't want to get... ohm 😂 (I already knew I would get him tho so it's all good haha)

but then I saw film's face peak out from the emergency exit, and realized the cast were gonna come greet us. as we were waiting for them, the other gmmtv actors that came to the premiere came from the regular entrance, and sat at the back. here's everyone I saw clearly apart from the my precious cast:

winny (duh, he ran into me lol)

louis <3

prigkhing <3

force <3 (with his cute glasses!!!)

ciize <3

jan <3

jane <3

phuwin <3

joongdunk

aun napat

tui from project alpha

then it was time for the main cast to come & there were SO close!!! but they stayed very little, and barely said anything. since there were 3 different theaters with the premiere, I'm not surprised or mad, though.

and then, it was time for the movie to start! after the movie, I literally passed by the actors who were leaving the theater at the same time as me 😭🫶

MY PRECIOUS REVIEW (NO SPOILER)

I really liked this movie. in fact, I absolutely loved the first part, but imo the second one dragged a little bit. though I'll say this: because this movie is set during y2k & the 2000's, it incorporates some thai specific events which I always love to see! the acting was very, very good, as expected, and nanon imo was perfect for the role!

also this is not a spoiler bc it says nothing about the movie: I SAW NANON'S ASS!!! like, his entire backside!!! everyone was screaming so fucking loud hahaha, I find it very bold bc I've never seen this type of scene happen in a thai movie before, especially not from the main lead!

there's also a lot of nanonchimon crumbs, and it made me realize how much I would've actually wanted them to play a ship. yes, THIS is when I realize it lmao.

the acting was so good, and especially nanon was made for this role, he was so lovable in it! I'm such a fan of the nanonfilm ship, they have amazing chemistry together & are just adorable <3 everyone else did an amazing job, but I especially loved chimon in this more comedic role I've never seen him in before, he was so cute (yes I'm slowly becoming a chimon fan shhhhh) :')

the cinematography was beautiful & overall the writing was very good, creating so many high impact scenes that I will remember for a long time for either being hilarious (it's a very fun movie, gosh I love thai humor), adorable or very touching. I laughed, I smiled like an idiot, I was touched, I almost cried...

I especially loved the depiction of friendship in this movie, it was very believable & cute! what's nice is that even though the side characters aren't that developed, they all have such recognizable traits that they stood out a lot.

so yeah overall I really loved this movie, even though the ending does lower its note for me.

MY PRECIOUS MOVIE REVIEW (SPOILERS):

warning: once you click "read more", you will be spoiled!

NANON KISSED FLUKE PUSIT!!! NOT A SMALL PECK EITHER!!! HE MADE OUT WITH HIM!!! THREW HIM ON A TABLE!!! AND SAT ON TOP OF HIM!!! THEN NEO KISSED HIM TOO!!!

I AM ABSOLUTELY FUCKING DEAD LMAOOOOOO I'M NEVER GETTING OVER THIS 😂😂😂

context: film ends up marrying fluke pusit, and the friend group (nanon, chimon, neo, euro & ohm) who were all in love with her, go to tease the groom to ask to kiss film once. fluke answers yes, but they have to kiss him first. all of the guys complain, and give up. but not nanon!!! he goes for it, and once he does, all of the other guys follow, and poor fluke is attacked from all sides 😂😂😂

this is so fucking funny on so many levels, first of all this would be an iconic scene no matter what, but the fact that I'm a fan from everyone involved makes it hilarious 😂

now though, if film is married to fluke, that means it's not a happy ending, and it's not. the whole movie ends to show what could've been, with nanon & film marrying each other, but instead they fight for a dumb reason & never see each other again until the wedding.

in my opinion, that sad ending felt too forced. from the beginning, lin & tong's relationship (that's their characters' names) advanced smoothly bc they both put in effort & clearly showed that they like each other.

there's an adorable scene (one of my faves from the whole movie, probably the one after the nanonfluke kiss lmao) where lin invites tong to sleep in her bed, and they almost kiss, but tong pulls away because he's too shy. AND IT'S THE CUTEST SCENE EVER!!! nanon is so adorable in it, he did so good I wanted to squish his cheeks!!!

so for them to be so committed to each other, even when they were long distance, and then break it off for a dumb fight... doesn't sit right with me. it always annoys me when couples who clearly love each other & are meant for each other don't end up together bc it feels so forced. but tbh idk if a happy ending would've hit as hard.

all of that to say that I still really liked this movie & I loved going to this premiere as the only non asian person there lmao, and also ohm's character always has a boner & neo's character always scratches his balls & ass 😂 thought y'all should know, this movie is very dumb but adorable at the same time!

anyways good night, I'm drained!

[mrs-luigi-vargas]

WIP Wednesday

I mean to do these more often than I do but Wednesday is usually my busiest day of the week because its the day I actually have to do a work commute longer than the 10 feet from my bed to my desk XD

Anyway, when the year started I wanted to have the angsty aroace!Mario fic written for Valentine's Day/AroSpec Awareness Week but then I looked at what I had left to write for it and how much time I had and there was no way I was finishing it within that deadline, lmao. So I put it down and decided to work on some other WIPs instead; I have some outlines and ideas from late 2020/early 2021 that I can knock out real quick, with how much my writing skills have progressed. And it would be nice to actually put a tangible dent in my WIP pile for once. I already wrote two of them, and luckily I have a different aro!Mario WIP half-outlined that I can definitely write and finish in time for ASAW so I think I'm going to focus on that, now. It's not much to do with Mario being aro itself (aside from Peach being mad about amatonormativity for a bit, ha); it'll probably mostly be, like, platonic cuddling and junk. But it'll be nice to get another entry in the aro!Mario series after so long…It's really hard to get ideas for new fics for it :(

This also means I have to pause the WIP I was actively in the middle of working on, which was a late-2020 idea about Kamek accidentally shrinking himself and Mario deciding to mind him. Because I don't know if I'm looking in the wrong places or something, but its really hard to find fics where people are shrunken that aren't, like, Borrowers fusions or a vore thing. Which, no shade to either of those, but they aren't the vibe I'm after, haha. But I suspect the shared change in perspective and helpless vulnerability and having to trust someone who could just crush you if they wanted etc etc etc is still fueling it all regardless :)

So anyway here's some of the tiny!Kamek fic because I won't be working on it for a hot minute —

“Either that spell I’d cast was more powerful than I’d realized,” Kamek slowly said, “Or I somehow managed to shrink myself, instead.”

“...”

“I’d shrunk myself, didn't I.”

Mario’s mustache curled up in amusement. Kamek ground his teeth and fumed. Of all the stupid mistakes to make...!

Despite his magic reserves being low, Kamek reached into his sleeve for his wand; whether to put himself back to normal or knock the amusement off Mario’s face, he couldn't say. Either way, his hand came out empty. And it did so the second time Kamek rummaged in in his sleeve, and the third, and the fourth, and the — 

Absolutely not panicking, Kamek dove back into the tree hollow to overturn every dead leaf and stick pile and moss clump in search of his wand. He didn't find it, of course, and he spared a moment or two to just stand there, head in hands. With how today was going, he’d probably dropped it just after miscasting that spell. On the very dim bright side, though, at least he knew why his broom wasn't working; those enchantments weren't designed to play nice with these sort of shrinking spells. Kamek sighed. Curse Lord Bowser and his incessant, almost impossible demands...

Kamek lifted his head to find Mario peering through the opening of the tree hollow, watching him with a furrowed brow, considering Kamek’s misfortune. He backed up to allow Kamek to leave, and once Kamek stood upright, he extended a hand to him.

“I don't need your help,” Kamek snapped. Ignoring Mario’s hand, he turned on his heel, marched a few steps, tripped over a protruding bit of exposed bark, and lost his balance. His next step was on empty air, at a height borderline unsurvivable, with little but a broken broom to break his fall.

So he fell. And he hit the ground. Sooner than he’d expected, considering. Kamek unscrewed his eyes and found the surface he’d landed on was whiter than he’d expected, as well. And then it moved, and Kamek lost the little balance he’d been barely holding on to. Mario’s worried face filled Kamek’s vision, and he realized that he wasn't dead because Mario had caught him.

“...I suppose I should thank you,” Kamek eventually said, with no intention of thanking Mario. Mario huffed, but still watched him, lips pursed in thought. He was being quieter than usual, and that combined with the sudden awareness of just how vulnerable he was —  many fractions his size, unable to cast any spells, sitting on his archenemy’s palms high in the air — had Kamek swallowing nervously.

“You can put me down, now,” Kamek hesitantly said, because Mario was a good guy, and he would do that. For sure. Hopefully.

Except Mario didn't. Instead, he transferred Kamek to one hand, opened the front pocket of his overalls with the other, and dumped Kamek in there as if he was some common — 

Kamek struggled to right himself in the small, mostly enclosed space. “Wh — You —!” he sputtered. “How dare you — !”

Mario chuckled at Kamek’s indignation. The vibrations of it rumbled through Kamek's body, and the whole ‘you’re very tiny and powerless and more-or-less at your archenemy’s mercies right now’ dilemma screeched back to the forefront of Kamek’s mind. So he shut his mouth with a clack, thinking better of poking his head out of the pocket to give Mario a piece of his mind. Through the meager opening above him he saw Mario give him one last look before starting to move; with the way the world shifted probably meant he was at a brisk walk, down the forest path to who-knew-where.

Kamek sighed, making himself comfortable the best he could given the circumstances. Well... at least Mario wasn't likely to let Kamek get accosted by wildlife again. And besides, all Kamek had to do was wait until he could scrounge up enough magic to cast spells again; though he was still without his wand, he’d still be free to ditch Mario and make his own way back to the base for his spare wand and broom. And then he could make Mario pay for this indignity ten-fold.

[caesarflickermans]

first of all it's amazing that you got to go to the premiere!! hope you had a lot of fun there! 1. lol this is a pretty abstract question -- idk if you've seen the posts about how the meanings and emotional impact of food (and other physical, sensory aspects of the setting) were largely lost in the original thg movies even though these elements affect the tone and symbolism so much in the books. do you feel like this was handled better/differently in the tbosas movie? 2. what did you think of the portrayal of tigris? <3 3. what did you think of the portrayal of dr. gaul? (no heart for her)

thank uuu <3 I'm still baffled, lol, I was in talks with LG the entire week, got the semi confirmation Monday, but only got the ticket Saturday at 2 AM my time. Maria, I kiss you. And it was so much fun !! Got to watch it with some lovely people from the fandom :)

1- early in the movie, Tigris opens the almost empty fridge to offer Snow some food. He refuses, saying that the Grandma'am should eat instead. There's also a scene around Snow bringing LG food, one which starts at the Academy (I think this is different from the book?) but he essentially steals Academy food.

So I'd say it's in there, and I suppose it is more a deciding factor whether this is enough for you or not.

2- I loved Tigris. I think she was well cast. Hunter plays her as a lovely bundle of joy. She's a bit more quiet and introvert. I would love to hear your thoughts on her final line in the movie, because it did cause a whole lot of conversation in our group haha

3- I think Viola Davis did her well. She's like in the book, more a chirpy villain who loves her twisted science experiments. I think for what was offered to her, she did really well, though I'll say that for all love that I have for Viola Davis, I think it should have been a white woman to play into the white feminist line rather than (I assume accidentally) playing into this whole notion of oppressed turning around to oppress. But we've already talked a lot in the DMs about the diversity casting.

[handsingraphite]

A Mishmash of Thoughts on KP World Tour Manila

I just need to get out my thoughts and feelings on everything that went down last night at the KPTS World Tour Manila stop. There aren’t a lot of places where I can scream into the void, but this is one such place.

As with all my screaming, it tends to get very long, though, so they’re under the cut.

On the Day of the Show

MOA Arena has a sporting event capacity of 15K to 20K. It can actually accommodate more at the producers’ discretion (of course, considering safety standards). It’s a huge venue, in short. Given record-high inflation, the fact that some people would have to fly in from their provinces and find accommodation etc -- I was afraid that the venue would only be about 30-50% full. Even though I do believe that without logistical constraints, they had enough of a fanbase here to fill that arena.

But when I arrived at the venue, there were so many people. That was a core memory for me: seeing the same level of enthusiasm as for any other touring artist, the organized fan projects, and the banners and lightsticks being passed around. I saw photo-op booths for the different cast members. People were so nice, too: I was the only one who’d gotten into Soundcheck, so I was on my own, but other fans immediately approached me, talked to me, and helped me out. It was such a nice atmosphere to be in.

I do regret not coming earlier to go around all the fanclub initiatives. I hadn’t realized that the Soundcheck winners would basically be held inside the venue already from 2PM. 

(Side note: I think in the future, there’s a better way of going about this. I remember getting into Soundcheck for another artist in the past, and the Soundcheck itself was held not too long from the show start. It also did not have such a long queuing time. Being there by, technically 12PM for the strapping, meant that we could not leave for ~8 hours.)

Soundcheck

Ticket strapping started at 12PM which was a nightmare to queue in due to the noonday sun

I was at the entrance by 1:45PM, on the dot, but nothing was happening yet; we stood in line for 30-45 mins and in typical Filipino spirit, were jokingly heckling the marshals 

“Kuya, anong petsa na kami papasok diyan!” (Kuya, what day will we be able to go inside!)

Someone asked the marshals if they saw the cast, and one Kuya said no. But that the important thing was that we get inside in an organized line HAHA

A girl wearing a Sailor Moon costume joined the line and everyone was ooh-ing and aah-ing over her; the BOC videographers actually did an interview with her, which she absolutely deserved

Another fan came wearing a really beautiful dress that may have been Thai traditional clothing (? not particularly sure about this)

There was a collective sigh of relief when they opened the lobby doors and we could feel the blast of cooler air reach us

We were finally let into the lobby area at about ~3PM, cue the lining up for the merchandise booth (it was empty at the time) and handing out of fan benefits

Soundcheck started at ~4PM and lasted for 20 mins, which felt a bit cut short but was fun to be part of nonetheless. Some highlights (I was focusing on Mile, Apo, Jeff, and Barcode the most):

Everyone just started screaming as the cast came out and they were very clearly taken aback by it, but also very happy

Apo was the pack leader/main spokesperson: I know so many fan accounts talk about how hyper he is, but you really can lose sight of him in a second if you’re not paying enough attention. He was zooming up and down the aisles, going from corner to corner, and was generally just very lovely and bouncing around. Also his English is so good, and throughout Soundcheck and the concert he took the lead in introductions

Apo accidentally hit Barcode in the face, lol, poor Barcode

Mile was quite chill and laid-back! But he had the biggest grin on his face the entire time. It’s funny to see Apo running circles around everyone, meanwhile Mile took his time walking. The word I’d use for it is that he seems very deliberate in his movements -- including making his way to Apo at the end

God bless Jeff Satur and his voice. Absolutely loved that it was 100% live, and he rendered Free Fall so well; there was a moment I managed to get on video of him with Barcode behind him, and Jeff stopped singing so he could hear the fans instead

Barcode looked so fluffy! Every time I see him I am reminded by my own younger brother, I love how shyly he was going around to greet the fans

At the ending climax of the first Thai song, Jeff/Apo/Tong/Bible etc were fooling around and raising their hands to the sky dramatically

We started chanting “Isa pa! Isa pa!” (One more! One more!) but they probably thought we were just making noise and they left lol although I’m sure even if they’d understood they would still have needed to end it there

We couldn’t go out of the lobby anymore, so we got to hear the sound of Slot Machine rehearsing

All in all, typical Soundcheck length and the cast were conscious of making sure to approach the different sections. I would like to have even a fraction of Apo’s energy. I would definitely like to have Jeff Satur’s voice. 

The one thing to improve on is what I mentioned about queuing time, and relative time between Soundcheck and show start because just staying in one area for 6 to 8 hours is a bit of a downer. Plus a lot of people didn’t get to eat a proper lunch and/or dinner.

Show Proper (Scattered)

Slot Machine was such an energizing opener. They went for ~30 mins and the entire crowd was with them: Free Fall is absolutely divine to hear live. It’s that pump-up song, you know? They worked the crowd very well, and also made a lot of interactive moments e.g. asking us to make their sign, asking us to move in specific ways, throwing out guitar picks (?) A couple of fans behind me were losing their minds over the guitarist, it was really funny. They amped up they hype level very quickly, no lull moments.

There was a bit of a lull transitioning into the main show and so many fans were just randomly screaming thinking the cast was about to go out. But the roar that came out when they finally appeared was massive -- they just stood and took it all in, and a lot of them were failing to keep a straight face because of the crowd response. Everyone got a huge cheer which seemed to overwhelm many of them.

Throughout the show they kept calling the fans “beautiful”, “cute”, etc and complimenting the people who showed up in costumes. And the crowd ate it up lol we’re very easy to please: Show up and breathe, we’ll scream. Tell us we’re the best, and we scream harder.

Found myself thinking that Us was such a great performer, his styling was on point, and there’s just something indescribable about how he performed that really drew my attention. I was frustrated that I didn’t hit record, apparently, at the part where he goes, “Lips, hips, neck, fingers...” because that was such a good moment.

Barcode also has so much potential as a performer -- I’m thinking maybe the most out of them, just something in the way he carries himself at such a young age. He was charismatic during his Pretty Savage cover, cheeky and very much out to prove he’s capable of taking on a concept opposite of the wholesome, innocent vibe he had playing Porchay. Then he came up to the front and did This Song is Called You in the most earnest, puppy-like manner possible and tried to interact with everyone. We absolutely failed him when he stopped to let us sing the song, though. He very cutely fell to the ground in such a young teenager fashion, like, guys you had one job. Sorry, Barcode -- we’ll do better next time, so you have to come back, yeah?

Dance performances were fun, the crowd favorite was easily the bodyguard dance. When I tell you everyone around me got on their feet and surged to the barriers to start recording the moment that they started grinding on the stage floor... But then I remember that the Filipino crowd eats up these performances. 

Honorary mentions are: the Bible/Build scene midway through the show (still can’t tell how much of the screaming was due to the pairing vs the performance itself lol), and the Bible/Ta weapon-wielding dance along the middle of the aisle.

In general for the dance performances, though, the light shows they had going on sort of fritzed my eyesight. Which isn’t on them, I just hadn’t noticed how much my eyesight has deteriorated -- but I couldn’t properly look at the stages head-on, there were just a few moments where the lights didn’t go crazy enough so I could actually pay attention.

At this point I’d say they have great energy and stage presence, and as mentioned above, Us and Barcode have potential. It’s not a section where you can wholesale say they’re good at dancing, though, so like me, you’ll need to not take these so seriously and just enjoy what they’re giving.

Came alive for Perth’s Sailor Moon performance. He had a bit where he mentioned about the fan costumes and I thought they would call up the fan who wore Sailor Moon, but they didn’t, unfortunately. But I was very hyped for this skit because it’s just really good fun and a breather, and also, I’ve loved Sailor Moon as a kid. It definitely felt like a moment where I was harkening back to my childhood and Perth also fully committed to the bit, along with Ping, Pong and JJ, which made it even better. 

Show Highlights (for me)

No words for how wonderful Jeff was the entire night. He had my favorite performances. Especially him showcasing his musicianship with Why Don’t You Stay, because he makes dynamic vocal choices every time and his runs were so controlled. This is the sound of a singer who has spent years honing their craft. I’m really looking forward to him having a solo concert and would be among the first to buy tickets.

I have a hundred thousand feelings about him choosing to sing Leaves by Ben & Ben as the tailored song choice for the Manila stop. Aside from the fact that his voice criminally suits it, and that he sung it in a way that made it feel new -- Leaves means a lot to me personally. It was the song that got me through the early months of the pandemic, when there was so much bleak news coming in. I remember I would play it every day as a mantra to get to the next day, trying to keep living, trying to reassure myself I wasn’t alone in this though it often felt that way during the lockdowns. So thank you, Jeff. I fully expected he would sing one of the more classic OPM songs e.g. Hawak Kamay, but this song choice was even better. And he rendered it so well: the original song is softer, like a gentle reminder of things that would be better, but Jeff made this one sound like a conviction. Things are better, and even if they aren’t, they will be.

I would say that everyone’s cheers for Tong was the biggest one of the night, especially during the ending ment -- even before his declaration. He and Tankhun are universally loved. It was very sweet how he tried to tell the fans to conserve their energy during his performance in the first half of the show. (Note: That’s what tells you he’s new here: Manila concert crowds don’t let up until the very last second.) But of course I’m also going to bring up his cute moments at the ending ment, when he said he liked hearing us scream (at just about anything they did at that point, help), and when he asked to speak in Thai. I don’t think any of us expected he’d make a declaration right then and there, and right on cue someone brought a Pride flag (props to them for getting it past the guards) because it was such a pivotal moment in the show when Tong took it and waved it.

I have so many feelings about that moment. I’m so proud of Tong, because in the society we are in, it takes courage and heart to make a coming out statement. I’m happy for him, that he felt he was in a safe place, that he could say it with such strength. For us in the Philippines who are part of the LGBTQIA+ community or are allied with it, it may seem like we’re more accepting. But our general society still isn’t. Anti-discrimination and same-sex marriage bills languish as our politicians bring out bibles to argue against the granting of equal rights. Every day is a battle to get through, being who you authentically are, without being judged and oppressed by the surrounding environment. But we fight, every day, still. That was -- is --  a triumphant moment in the show, and for us in the community as well, to be seen and heard. To show a solid front. We all hold the line for each other.

Not everyone has to make a coming out statement. God knows Tong didn’t owe it to us, or to anyone but himself, but he still did it and I’m very grateful to him for it. But to everyone else who are still figuring it out, or are pressured, or maybe don’t feel safe enough yet to speak their truth, know that it is alright. We process it in different ways, and also need a conducive environment that will keep us safe.

Ending ment was very touching and meaningful for everyone, because the fanclubs (both local and international) prepared a fan video to play. It clearly surprised the boys because they were ready to start saying their thanks, then they had to turn around and watch. A lot of them started going teary -- but Mile was in permanently smiling mode, and so was Bible. The fanclubs put a lot of effort into making that MV -- I heard there was supposed to be another one that didn’t get aired due to some mix-up with Live Nation, but they’ve said they would post the part that was cut. 

Job was the first to speak and he was still recovering from the MV reveal, so he couldn’t find the words right away. Then the “We love you” chant started.

Barcode also got his own chant and it was such an Aww moment. He once again recounted his past, of not being able to travel abroad when he was younger. I’ve been in the same position before, so this message resonated with me. I really hope he finds more success and is able to bring his family around with him abroad soon.

Jeff is an angel and he earned Manila’s loyalty tonight. We love good singers. Really hoping he comes back with his own show.

Apo got his own chant as well, and couldn’t speak for a good few minutes waiting for the fervor to die down a bit so he could be heard. I remember him speaking very fluently in English almost the entire time, and he told us they’d been invited to Manila before (him and Mile), but that they waited until they could bring the entire cast and crew with them. (Note: I don’t remember anything apart from that because he glowed the entire time. I was a bit distracted.)

Mile was adorable, what the fuck. He looked teary-eyed but was smiling the whole way through, and said he was supposed to visit the Philippines before but did not push through because of the pandemic. He also said his father and brother had told him that the Philippines/Manila was unique and cute. He did seem so overwhelmed, said his “heart was shaking” at some point, likely because of the crowd response. It was funny because he said something about wanting to show his shaking heart, which then prompted the crowd to start chanting, “Take it off! Take it off!” pertaining to his shirt so he could “show his heart.” Personally endearing to me that he was smiling at first, thinking we were just making random noises, and then the slow descent into him realizing what we were actually asking him to do. He said a very bashful, “Next time, next time” to placate the crowd.

He asked to speak in Thai to give a more eloquent answer. But there seemed to be some issues with the translator, they couldn’t really catch up to whatever he was saying and there was just silence, so he took the reins back up in English. I was a bit sad by this, that he couldn’t express himself as he wanted to, and have some additional thoughts about the in-show translations later.

Mile and Apo. They deserve their own section for the many moments they had during the show:

The opening scene was well-choreographed, and who doesn’t love Apo as Porsche struggling his way out of his bindings while Mile as Kinn walks about like he owns the place (he probably does). It’s an entirely other thing to see Apo kicking around the place with so much strength and grace. There was a great push-and-pull atmosphere between them, up until Apo ran.

The pier scene was a major kilig moment and everyone was shouting for the kiss every other interval. Once again -- some notable translation issues here. But they were very sweet, Apo’s body acting was great (he was flopping around while standing), and they added in a few more unique touches in how they interacted with each other. Nothing too major. We were all holding our breaths for the kiss and was disappointed when the lights turned off. :(

The post-canon beach bar scene is now one of my core memories. Apo and Mile came in holding hands, pleased as can be, and then Apo made Mile do the cutest twirl. In most fancams of this segment, the sound was always too grainy to make out their singing, but I was pleasantly surprised to find Mile and Apo sing really darn well, too. Obviously not at Jeff Satur-level, but certainly in the category of “those high school boys who would sing and make people fall in love with them.” 

When You Say Nothing At All is also personally meaningful to me, given I grew up with my mother playing it all the time and my friends usually covering it for performances. The crowd sang along, as always. Apo kept touching Mile and everyone kept screaming about it; so he touched him even more. Mile had to pause singing at some point and looked so giddy. At another point he just kept trying to make us sing some more even though the song was clearly at its end, going “When you say...” and the crowd sort of confusedly singing back, “Nothing at all...” several times. Apo was also clearly enjoying the sing-along because he took off both of his in-ears to listen, and only put them back in when it was his turn.

Fly Me to the Moon is of course, a piece of the Mile & Apo lore, and Apo sounded really good singing it. He has a strong and clear voice, and a tone made for the more relaxed, slower songs. I’d love to share a video of it because the sound is actually very clear, but the image quality is shit so I’m figuring that out. In any case, cheeky Apo realized pretty early on that we would scream at whatever they did, and do whatever they asked. I think there was a moment where he stumbled a bit, like he was supposed to sing the rest of the song, but then made Mile stop and sweetly asked us if we would sing along with him. Then he restarted even stronger than his first pass at the song, and Mile was having the time of his life off to the side watching this unfold. 

Mile did the cutest little tongue-out expression when he said Kinn and Porsche would sing us another song backstage. Please elaborate on this, good sir!

They were so cute running out of the stage, still tightly holding hands :(

Their fanservice segment where Apo first walked out wearing their Thai national costume and looked gorgeous doing so. Then Mile came out dancing in the cutest way to the cutest background music, and came hopping down exactly like a Samoyed to join Apo, where they very cutely walked down the aisle making Thai hand gestures.

I got to see them really up close when they went down the stage. Essays have been written about Mile and Apo looking unreal. I’m not sure I’m the one with the words to make it real.

Apo really does look exactly that beautiful as he does in photos, and actually even more so, except he’s doing it while living and breathing and glowing right in front of you. He’s so gorgeous. His features are very sharp and pronounced. There’s no mistaking him and his physique for anyone else’s. And as my seatmates would say, he’s really just so hot and walks like he’s the shit, which he really, really is.

Meanwhile, Mile has a smile that my friend describes as the “most genuine ever” which is a description I’m fully onboard with. He’s very pretty, much more handsome than even his photos would have you believe. I’m not sure how that’s possible. But he radiated so much happy energy, and was very attractive while doing so. He was just simultaneously laid back and yet the one person in the room you had to pay attention to the moment he decides it.

Their many, many moments together in the ending ment and even during Soundcheck. They would separate and then gravitate toward each other. I loved all of the guitar moments during Apo’s band solo, when he and Mile walked down the aisle in perfect replica of the rockstar guitarist with his vocalist muse. When Mile knelt down doing his guitar solo as Apo walked to the front of the stage and rocked out to the beat, it felt a little bit like he was paying homage. Then he sat by the side of the stage and interacted with fans while Apo worked the front.

The hand-off was already expected but no less cuter for it, when Mile willingly gave over his guitar to Apo even though he was perfectly capable of settling it in its stand himself. But are we going to complain about an iconic MileApo callback? No, we are not. Mile likes to remind us that only Apo gets to touch his precious things, and we are all here just to say, “Yes sir, noted sir.”

Mile’s This Love performance was so fun, the crowd was hyped singing along with him, and he spent a lot of time on the front stage rocking out! He moves so much like a dad, but like an attractive one? This is the weirdest combination I’ve ever had to write out. But it makes sense? I don’t think there’s any way to describe it? Any way his tone suits the song and I think he chose well. The guitars did sound a biiiit wayward without him there as well, which let me just say, he’s a really skilled guitarist and carries a lot of the technical moments on that instrument. The rest of the band are pretty good instrumentalists as well, they sounded quite solid. 

I can’t fail to mention Apo as an amazing crowd-worker. He matched the Manila crowd’s energy really well, and was very charismatic, whether speaking in English or in Thai. He knows how to initiate crowd moments and was just a very vibrant presence on the stage. Also he very much projects himself as the leader in a lot of things, I think I somehow expected Mile to do that, and was surprised to find it was the opposite.

There was a cute moment of Apo gravitating to Mile when Mile was about to throw out his guitar picks to the fans, they talked for a bit, Mile threw the pick, and then Apo gave him a light butt tap as he walked past him.

Also a cute moment when Apo made Mile dance with Jeff, and I did capture the part where Barcode and Tong piled onto the dancing as well, it was a fun quartet moment.

I just really want to say it was so great and affirming to be able to see them in person, performing their scenes again, and I really, really want more acting projects from them as a couple or on their own. I need it.

Wrap-up

When I came on show day, I was burnt out at the end of nearly three weeks of stressful work, averaging 3-4 hours of sleep daily, and barely recovered enough to be energetic in a 3-hour long concert. I was worried I wouldn’t enjoy it from feeling so miserable: I developed a migraine during Soundcheck, and then had the issue with my eyesight fritzing because of the lights. 

But the Manila concert crowd can buoy you straight out from hell. It was such an energetic, good-vibes bunch, where us and our seatmates enabled each other, screamed together, and just kept feeding off the surrounding energy. It was also great that they allowed some Gen Ad/Upper Box seats down to fill emptier seats in the middle, so you could really see the full strength of the crowd. I would estimate it at about 75 to 80% full, with the gaps really being in the weird upper corner sections. Overall, the experience was as fun as it was because of the crowd’s energy and incessant determination to support the cast in every way possible.

I loved being part of that crowd, and most of all, I loved watching the cast fall in love with it as well. I’ve never aspired to be a famous artist -- but I can imagine this is the vindication one feels, when they are recognized by so many, and see that much support being thrown at them. I’m happy we made them so happy. The entire time, they were clearly walking around half in disbelief, but managed to stay on task despite the frequent screaming.

You can see how hard they’ve worked to make the show as it is, to showcase everyone and interact with the fans as much as possible.

It was not without its hiccups: I have a major complaint regarding the translations. At some point I almost preferred there being no translations at all, because it sounded like bland dubbing in between their lines, and there were entire sections where the translations just... didn’t come, like in Nodt’s speech as Big, or when Mile was talking during his ending ment. I understand translating is hard work, maybe there were audio issues as well backstage. This is generally something that’s the producer’s responsibility. So hopefully Live Nation, if they ever produce another KinnPorsche show, makes it a better translating experience because it was a hiccup that wasn’t easy to overlook.

There were also quite a few sound and lighting issues, particularly in the opening of the show where we paused for a significant lull (5-10 mins). I’ve already talked about Live Nation’s timing with the Soundcheck, but they also had so many issues regarding the concert preparation.

Those aside, the cast and crew made the entire experience worth it. But I’d be remiss if I also didn’t mention the other international fans who joined us, and all of the fanclubs’ hard work putting together the ads around the city, the food and gift support, the photo booths, and the fan concert projects. The crowd was insane last night, and I felt very grateful to have been part of it all.

As I’m writing this, they’re already flying back to Thailand. I’m sad they didn’t get to go around more as quite a few of them wanted to. I hope they do get the opportunity, though, at least privately if it’s not as part of a public event. I really do look forward to seeing them again.

If you’ve reached the end, thank you for reading through all of the word vomit. And if you did also go to the Manila concert, do share your experience as well! Always great to hear the fans’ different perspectives. 

TL;DR 

KP cast member: *breathes*

KP Manila concert crowd: *INCOHERENT SCREAMING, LAUGHING, CRYING, LIGHTSTICK SHAKING*

[animunerdery]

your art is very good and i love it a lot !! ur vrry talented ! however, you seem to still draw usopp with his minstrel lips? i know thatd how they look in canon but a caricature is a caricature. im not saying thid in a mean spirited way, i just want to see your art improve and not alienate who you're trying to depict

Oda certainly has some “issues” with his designs, Usopp and most of the other black and brown characters, along with pretty much all of his women have fairly obvious “these were designed by a Japanese dude who loves boobs and has probably only seen non asian people in film/media vibes.”

That being said… if it were up to me, I probably would still exaggerate a fair amount of features, but push them more towards the direction of the ethnicity / nationality they’d represent.

Luffy and Vivi for example, I would definitely make brown. I’m pretty sure the live action show will be a disaster given how bad cowboy bebop was, BUT! The casting of live action Luffy is spot on! Curly hair? Check! Thick assed eyebrows? Check! Feral boy energy? Check!

Zoro I’d have it so he dyes his hair, his eyebrows can be dark thick assed Asian eyebrows and the moss is his choice cuz he’s an idiot and thinks it’s cool.

Nami, I’d make her overall a bit more elfin; give a bit of an upturn to her nose and freckles obviously. Aside from that not too much of a change. Animu already makes ppl kinda white looking…

Usopp would definitely be wide nose instead of long nose and frankly I’d give him more prominent eyelids. I think he’d be darker relative to the other mugiwara even if Banchina is mixed race.

Sanji I would definitely give a much bigger much more French nose and maybe make him more like a French Buscemi overall? Sanji’s biggest problems are in his writing, but I think Oda has definitely been showing growth in our weird confused little misogynist.

Chopper I can see as half Asian tbh bc there’s a ton of Asians in Canada. Also he’s a kid so not that different from the way I already draw him haha.

Robin I think would also be more about making that nose more prominent and making those deep set eyes and heavy eyelids pop. Though tbh she could be kinda mixed too, like white Eastern European mixed with Asiatic Steppe ppl blood could also work?

(The main thing I’d change with all the women is waistline and boob size lol, also Nami face, I would definitely make Hancock and Tashigi clearly Asian. Love that Nojiko is black in the live action and would totally make Miss Double Finger black as well. Vivi would totally be brown, why not black? Ptolemaic Egyptians are essentially Greeks, so more Middle Eastern Mediterranean Sefardi vibes for Vivi.)

Franky doesn’t really need much change except maybe the nose also being more prominent? He already does look kinda like a large white dude to begin with lol. His butt-butt chin thing is weird but within the realm of cartoon liberty.

And my Brook would probably look like an older cross between Marley and Hendrix. So not thaaat different from Oda’s design I guess? I think of him as being from Jamaica at any rate, no idea where Oda had actually slated him to be from…

I didn’t do them, but Jinbei would probably be an older chunky Asian dude, and Yamabro would probably be an albino? The whole white hair red eyes thing lol…

At any rate… design is still incredibly labor and thought intensive so despite his issues, I take my hat off with full respect to Oda sensei and base my drawings off those designs.

Also… redesign takes time and energy as well and tbh this blog is just dumb throwaway doodles that take me 5-30min to cobble together. If you wanna see beautifully redesigned mugiwaras, check out these blog rolls of incredible artists who actually put time and energy into their work!