#cause we are riding to the ultimate climax of the series

[jimlingss]

Sugar and Coffee [15]

Chapter 14 - Chapter 15 - Chapter 15.5 OR Chapter 16

➜ Words: 3.4k

➜ Genres: 99.5% Fluff, 0.5% Angst, Pâtisserie school!AU

➜ Summary: It isn't hard to be a pâtisserie chef, but it's not a piece of cake either. It seems like for you in particular, life keeps throwing in one wrench after another. It always finds ways to make your sweets bitter. The cherry on top is Jeon Jungkook — a rival with a sensitive sweet tooth who always finds ways to complain about you.

cr.

The white noise rings your ears.   It’s cramped — your legs are aching and you try to shift your other butt cheek off to alleviate the soreness of your bottom. There’s a baby crying a few rows away, the lavatory doors opening and closing, and not to mention, the constant whirring of the plane engine.    You look over to your left. The bitch Jeon Jungkook stole the window seat and now he’s oblivious to your suffering. His doe eyes are pinpointed on the small screen in front of him, headphones in, watching some kind of action movie. Your eyes stray to the screen for a second, but the flashing gets too much and you shut your lids.   You should’ve gotten one of those neck pillows to rest in, even if they were grossly overpriced at the airport.   But there’s no other choice. You put your elbow on the armrest, palm trying to hold up your heavy head and support the weight. As you doze off, your head bobs painfully. You lean back again, trying to find a spot, but to no avail. You nod off again and your neck nearly snaps.   Jungkook suddenly takes off his headphones. “Hey. You can use my shoulder, you know.”   “It’s fine,” you mumble, waving him off.   He stares at you for a second and then goes back to watching.   Though out of the corner of his eye a few minutes later, he notices your head lolling down, neck snapping again. He clicks his tongue in annoyance. “Tch.”   And Jungkook guides your head gently to his shoulder. Then, he flops his head on top of yours to keep it in place. Your breathing eventually steadies and he smiles, returning to his movie.   //   It’s a relief when you finally touch down and after several minutes, you’re finally able to grab your luggage and shuffle off the aircraft after hours of sitting there. Every bone in your body aches from the stiff seat, but you begin to feel a lot better when you step out of the airport.   The balmy weather hits you, the warm temperature embracing your being. You inhale the fresh air, able to see the blue ocean hugging the horizon, shimmering in the bright sunlight.    “Welcome to Tahiti, kids!” Namjoon looks over at the scenery with an equally satisfied expression as his wife. “Taxi ride is only six minutes away.”   “How was the flight for you two?” Sejeong asks.   “Not bad,” you answer, stepping on Jungkook’s foot when he mumbles something about his shoulder being sore and he laughs at your feigned ignorance.   The car drives all four of you to the resort and once you arrive, you’re overwhelmed by the warm welcome the people greet you with. The place is called the Intercontinental Tahiti Resort and Spa and it’s especially fancy for what you’re usually used to.   The lobby is grand, white pillars and high ceilings, bustling with tourists. There are people walking back and forth, flowers in their hair and around their necks, women’s dresses flowing, kids running about. The scent of the salted ocean fills your senses as the air conditioning cools your skin. You can’t believe you’re here.   “Feel free to get settled in today, you two. Take a look around and relax. We start baking tomorrow.” Sejeong hands you the confirmation forms to check yourselves in.    Both her and Namjoon are staying at one of the junior suite bungalows. They apologize for only being able to book the standard room for you and Jungkook, but you’re more than thankful already considering that this was a trip all-paid for.   You two are next in line at the lobby as Namjoon and Sejeong wave farewell, dragging their suitcases with them.    The woman behind the desk smiles. “Hello. How can I help you today?”   “We have a reservation.”   “Of course. Let’s take a look here.” She scans the paper and begins typing. “And your name is Jeon Jungkook?”   “That’s me.” He offers an ID and she nods, eyes skimming over it with a smile.   The woman hands over the key card and a booklet set with pamphlets. “Your room is two hundred twenty three on the second floor. Breakfast and lunch is included, this is also non-refundable. Your check out time will be at eleven a.m. There’s a few packages you can take advantage of during your time here. Room service is twenty four hours. If you ever need anything, feel free to call or come down to the lobby and we’ll help you out. Enjoy your stay!”   He nods slowly, but the woman looks off to the next people in line and you stop her before she can call them. “Wait. Is there….uh...my room?” You point to yourself.   She looks at you and then at her monitor. “It says two people are staying in this room. The standard room, correct?”   “Yes, but there’s supposed to be two rooms. One person in each, not one room.”   The woman takes the papers again, shuffling all of them. She types something into her computer and then shakes her head. “My apologies, it still says there’s two people staying in one room.”   “There must be some sort of mistake.”   “Should I call Namjoon?” Jungkook holds up his phone, brows knitted together.   “No, we shouldn’t bother them.” You don’t want to when it was clear they had plans to enjoy themselves for the rest of the day. With a sigh, you lean over the counter to the woman. “Umm...is there another room I can book?”   “Let me take a look here for you.” She clicks away. You wait with bated breath and yet again with your shittiest luck, she shakes her head. “I’m sorry. It looks like we’re fully booked here until the end of the month.”   You’re at a loss and you plead with the woman again as if it’ll somehow help. “Is there really nothing you can do?”   “My apologies. There aren’t any rooms available, so there’s nothing we can do at this time. We can give you free vouchers to the lounge area if you’d like for the trouble you’ve been through.” She takes something from underneath the front desk and slides it across the counter. “We get our wine from the famous winery here in French Polynesia.”   You don’t cry. Even if you want to.   But you take the vouchers since it’s still better than nothing.   When you’re off at the sidelines, Jungkook stands with you, suitcases by your side. “We can go talk to Sejeong and Namjoon.”   “Then what? They’re fully booked.”   “Then you can stay with Sejeong and I’ll stay with Namjoon.”   “They’re at a bungalow, Jungkook. This is practically their second honeymoon and I don’t want to bother them.” You take a deep breath and shrug. “It’s fine. It’s whatever. We’ll just stay together.”   “Are you sure?” Jungkook’s brows lift, eyeing you.   “Psh. Why not? We’re friends.” You bat your hand. “And I don't have germs or cooties like you think I do, Jeon. Promise I shower every day, so you don’t have to worry about it.”   The man scoffs with a small smile. “Fine by me then.”   But in spite of you the both trying to convince yourselves, it’s not a fantastic situation.   The room has a one king-sized bed, not two twins like you had hoped on your way up the elevator. It’s a whopping three hundred and seven square feet to share with Jungkook. One bathroom to your left as you enter, the bed taking up most of the space, a cabinet with a television and one table with two chairs.   You slide the glass doors open to let in fresh air. The private terrace is small too.   At any other time, you wouldn’t mind dorming with your best friend but considering the circumstances of your relationship lately, you can feel the tension in the air. It makes your palms sweaty.   “This is a really nice place,” you breathe out.   “Yeah.” Jungkook drops his duffle bag by the table. “There’s not even a sofa. Should we request one?”   “Where would we even fit it?”   “Right.”   You look around. Even if Jungkook would opt to sleep on the floor, there’s no spot for him unless he wants to lay underneath the table. Or in the hallway by the bathroom door where you could potentially step on him in the middle of the night during a trip to the toilet.   “We’ll make do,” you reassure. “We can sleep with our heads on opposite ends.”   “What if I kick you in the middle of the night?” he asks and when your expression washes over into impassivity, he grins. “Just saying. Can’t promise I won’t….”   “Fine. We’ll sleep normally. The bed is big anyway and sorry, Jeon, but your muscles aren’t as massive as you think they are.”   He laughs and falls back onto the soft mattress like it’s a pile of snow and he’s trying to make a snow angel. In one second, he’s ruined the fresh sheets and wrinkled them. “What do you think you’re doing?!”   Jungkook lifts his head. “What?”   “You’re lying on our bed with your dirty clothes.” You approach and try to push him off to no avail. “We were just on a plane for god knows how long.”   The boy grins and gets up. “God, you’re so uptight.”   “No, I’m clean,” you correct, glaring. “We’re not living like pigs. Try being neat for once. Just for a week.”   Jungkook sighs and as he brushes past you to the balcony, he ruffles your hair tenderly. “You’re lucky I like you.”   You scoff, trying to fix your hair while watching his broad backside, how he leans on the railing to soak in the view.   In the free time that you have, you get yourself cleaned up and take advantage of the bathtub for a bubble bath. You indulge as much as you can, trying to enjoy the resort before you have to start working hard on the cake.   You come out wearing one of your sun dresses and Jungkook looks up from his phone.   “Pretty,” he murmurs while a tiny, modest smile spreads into his cheeks.   You swallow hard, trying to keep your face from heating like a furnace. “Of course. What else would you expect of me?”   Jungkook laughs boyishly. “That’s true.”   You didn’t expect such a genuine response. But he doesn’t pay any mind to how caught off guard you are, merely getting up from his spot and grabbing clothes from his luggage. “My turn. You better wait for me. I don’t want to walk around by myself.”   “Or else what?” you taunt playfully.   Jungkook’s eyes darken right before he shuts the door. “Or else I’ll tackle you.”   Unfortunately for him, of all the things he was worried about, he didn’t consider the bathroom part. The moment the door closes, the scent of your shampoo and body wash surrounds him. It’s suffocating, thick in the air. He’s overwhelmed in your aroma and his pants unwillingly stir.   Jungkook rolls his tongue in his cheek, frustrated by his predicament and it hasn’t even been a full hour yet.   By the time he’s out of the bathroom, you're appalled.   “What took you so long?! Did you take three dumps?!”   “No,” he sharply answers and you don’t push when he’s surprisingly so defensive about it.   “Well, let’s go before it gets too late.” You grab the vouchers and swiftly exit your room.   Jungkook is decked out in a full tourist outfit — khaki shorts and a blue collared shirt. You’re in a floral print dress that would look perfect paired with your sun hat, but you’re saving the outfit for another day.   The two of you walk around, taking a peek at all the facilities they offer — the spa, swimming pool, tiki bar, restaurants, gift shops, and the venue where the wedding is being set up. You run into Chungha and her fiancé too. He introduces himself while she embraces you, thanking the both of you for coming and hoping the flight went well. But the pair of them only linger briefly to talk before they’re running off to take care of other things.   After grabbing a bite to eat, you and Jungkook decide to take advantage of your lounge vouchers.   “Are you sure this is alcohol?” You swirl the deep liquid inside your glass. Taking a sip and smacking your lips together, you try to decipher the taste on your tongue. “Tastes more like grape juice.”   Jungkook smells his own drink. “This one tastes like raspberries. They said it was alcohol though.”   “Huh. It’s pretty good then.”   He hums, taking another mouthful.   “Would you like another, miss and sir?” The waiter comes by with a kind smile and a cloth draped over his arm like a personal butler. “You still have credit on your voucher.”   You look at Jungkook who shrugs. “Might as well use it all.”   “What would you recommend?” You direct your attention to the waiter.    Between you and Jungkook, you both try nearly every kind of wine they offer.   You muse that the woman at the front desk must’ve felt really guilty to give you such a great deal. But you don't feel so upset anymore over having to share a room with Jungkook. At least not once you’ve gotten a taste of all the berry wines, another grape, fruit wine, dried cranberry, and one licorice flavored.    While you’re not a wine expert and there’s little you can comment on, aside from the fact that it’s very fruity and the acidity is high, you can tell it’s delicious. You actually forget it’s alcohol.   You give the beer a chance, but it’s disgusting enough for you to give the entire thing to Jungkook.   You don't keep count on how much you drink with him, but it’s enough that the waiter comes by with some glasses of water.   Your words slur together. “You know what I hate?”    “What?” Jungkook languidly grins, an easy smile on his features that has you feeling some kind of way.   “Everything. But also small spoons. I can’t eat out of a teaspoon! Why do they think I want to eat my ice-cream or crème brûlée with a—”   “Toothpick,” Jungkook finishes your sentence as laughter bubbles out his throat.   Your spine straightens and you look at him in surprise. Did he read your mind? “Yeah! How’d you know?”   “I think you’ve told me before.”   You wonder if you’ve really spent that much time with him that he knows such a small detail, but you’re baffled at how he can recall so easily. “How’d you remember?”   Jungkook shrugs and then burps. You wrinkle your nose until you hiccup too.   The boy is resting his head in his hand, elbow propped up on the table. His lids are seemingly heavy, every blink slow and gradual. But he stares at you intently like you’ve got something on your face. “Do you hate me?”   “Sometimes,” you answer truthfully without missing a beat. “But not really.”   “You don’t hate that I like you?” He leans in closer, but you don’t mind. If anything, he’s too far for your liking. You like it when he’s close.    You tap the tip of Jungkook’s nose like he often does to you. “I couldn’t hate you, hate you. You’re my best friend, silly.”   “I can’t be more than that?”   “I don’t know. I don’t really wanna talk about it.”   “I do.”   You pout, eyes straying off and then you gasp. “Look! The sun’s going down. You know what I’ve always wanted to do, Kookie? Walk on the beach to watch the sunset. We should go look!”   He follows after you, but not before stopping to ask for the bill until the waiter reminds him that it was all free of charge.    You and Jungkook happily hop across the resort with you leaning on his arm. “You think we’d get kicked out if they knew we were drunk?”   “Why?”   “Cause public intoxication. Is a resort public?”   “I think so. Just don’t make it obvious.”   “How do I not make it obvious?”   “Maybe stop giggling and whispering to me,” Jungkook says louder than what your voices have been and laughs at your reaction. The pair of you get onto the beach, stumbling together.   The sky is painted in orange and pink hues, the golden hour glowing on your skin. You can hear the sound of the waves lightly crashing against the shoreline, the spray of the salty mist in the air, the tide bubbling and fizzing away.   But it’s hard to enjoy it when you’re bumbling all over the place. “Ugh! I hate the sand!”   “Then why’d you wanna walk on it?” Jungkook giggles, holding onto you before you trip.   “I don’t know. Cause ‘s romantic, I guess.”   But at the moment, it isn’t romantic at all. There’s sand grating in between your toes, exfoliating your feet and hurting with every step you take. You swear it’s going to get in your underwear somehow.   You step towards the shore where the sand is flat and softer, wet by the water and where it’s more bearable. “Woah. The water’s so blue.”   Jungkook treads right up to where the tide kisses the beach. He quietly observes, watching the ocean and you come up behind him. When the timing is right, you shove the boy with all your might.   “Fuc—” He shouts, loses balance and puts his weight onto his knees, kneeling in the water.    You laugh hysterically, cackles coming from your stomach. You bend over, hugging your stomach. The boy stands up in dismay, shaking water from his hands. His khaki pants are completely soaked like he peed himself. “Why I oughta—”   “Stop! Jungkook!” You shriek with tipsy laughter as he starts chasing after you. “I’m sorry!”   “Too late!” He screams back and sprints after you as fast as he can with a dark vengeance. You obviously don’t make it far with sand flailing everywhere and his legs being longer than yours. Jungkook ends up grabbing you by the waist and pushing you into the sand. “Ha!”   He starts to laugh in absolute mirth, taking pleasure in your demise as sand gets into your underwear. Now it’s going to follow you around for the rest of your life.    “I just showered!” You laugh, getting up and trying to get rid of the tiny grains to no avail.   “How do you think I feel?” His grin is infectious and Jungkook tries to wring out his soaked khakis. Watching him makes you giggle. “It’s fine. We can shower together afterwards. It’ll be quick and painless.”   “Yeah? In your dreams, Jeon Jungkook!”   “Oh, it’ll be in my dreams alright,” he teases, astounding you with his outright shamelessness.   The both of you eventually calm down enough to realize you probably look crazy screaming at each other on the beach during the calm sunset. You slowly make your way back, still infected by drunken giggles that seem to be unable to stop.   Jungkook tries to walk without his wet shorts sticking to his skin and you take off your sandals altogether, attempting to clap them free of sand. On your way back, however, you’re interrupted by a cute lifeguard getting off her shift. She’s a beach blonde with a beautiful tan who boldly introduces herself to Jungkook. She even shakes his hand and invites him to a beach party happening tonight, leaving the two of you utterly stunned.   When she leaves, you wiggle your brows.   “What was all that?”   “You tell me.”   You grin at him. “Are you going to go to that party?”   “Nah.” Jungkook throws his arm over your shoulder, keeping you from losing your balance before you make it back to the hotel room. “I’d rather spend time with you.”   “Psh. Sorry to say, Jeon, but I’m pretty boring.”   “No, you’re not.” He looks down at you, an endeared smile gracing his features that makes you divert your vision elsewhere.   You feign nonchalance. “She was cute. You should totally go for it! Get it while you’re still young. You’re not always going to attract the ladies like this, you know! Gotta take advantage of it as it comes.”   Jungkook laughs in that boyish way that makes you feel funny. “Why would I need to when you’re the only person that actually matters.”   You almost choke on your own spit.   Jungkook laughs, lightly knocking his head against yours.   “I’d rather you’d be the one to notice me.”   Little does Jungkook know you do far more than notice him.

[grimmywrites]

So, about Infinite Darkness...

I’m gonna try to be as succinct as I can (I failed) about all the problems I had with it, but my list is pretty long... Yes, this has spoilers. Let me state upfront: if you’re not a hardcore RE fan, you can skip the show. Below I’ll tell you why.

Story: What a mess. Honestly, they turned me off right at the beginning with all the military stuff. It’s the same reason people didn’t like Chris’ campaign in 6; didn’t they learn anything from that? So, the story wasn’t the best thing I’ve ever seen. Honestly, it had more plot holes than anything and so many points where I went: “I don’t care about this.” Again, it was a jumbled mess. Capcom, hire me and I’ll do better, I swear. Let’s just sum it up by saying it’s a rehash of things we’ve seen SEVERAL times in the series before. If you’re gonna do it AGAIN let’s make the story unique and interesting. Oh, there are shady people in the military that want to use bioweapons in war? Okay, we’ve known that since the first game. We’ve seen it time and time again. Look to re8′s ending for example: the BSAA are now starting to use engineered soldiers - THAT was a reveal that was far more interesting. The way it was addressed and overcome in this show was just... so lackluster. Ultimately, it just felt like this entire thing didn’t need to happen. It changed nothing, it impacted nothing, and I’m aware that it really couldn’t since it was after re4 and before re5. There was just no lasting point and all the ‘themes’ (if you can call them that) made absolutely no sense, but I guess I’ll get into that with the characters? Pacing: Absolutely god awful. One minute we’re in the White House fighting zombies then I blink and it’s over and I’m like: Oh, we’re done? Another we’re in a sub and then I blink. Oh, that’s over, too. Also, the creators must’ve taken a page from the last couple of seasons of Game of Thrones (which is an abysmal idea, don’t fucking do that) because with a few cuts here and there we went from Guam to China back to DC. Guess everybody learned how to teleport so they got exactly where we needed them to for the “climax”. Let’s talk about that climax: There was none. Let’s look at Degeneration and Damnation (no I won’t talk about Vendetta). Both had their weaknesses but Leon and the climaxes were BADASS. Leon doing parkour in Degeneration? Leon going against Lickers and the huge Tyrants in Damnation? Those were amazing scenes. He did a few cool things here and there but nothing that got more of a laugh out of me. My man is coming off re4 where he rampaged through a village, a castle, and an island of mutated creatures to save one girl. C’mon now. Characters: By now (if anybody is even reading this rant), you’ve noticed that I’ve talked a lot about Leon. But what about Claire? Yeah, they lied to us about them working together. She got sidelined again. A lot of people are upset about this -- and yeah, it sucks because I do love Claire. Leon has just happened to be my favorite since 1998 so I wasn’t as heartbroken. That doesn’t mean I’m not disappointed, I’m just not very surprised. Leon - My main problem with Leon is Nick, his voice actor. I’m so sorry for all those who like him, but he just isn’t good enough for me. Paul Mercier (re4, Degeneration, Darkside Chronicles) and Matt Mercer (Damnation, Re6, Vendetta) would have been more appropriate. Nick tries his best, but he’s just too soft sounding to be post-re4 Leon. This is a man who is quipping one-liners left and right a couple of years ago. Now he’s barely smiling and doesn’t feel confident at all, and I think a lot of that is because of his portrayal. There are times where the lines hit, but more often than not they fall flat. I never felt that way with Paul who is my favorite Leon or Matt who gave emotional performances every time. Also, his decision at the end? I can understand it, but explain to Claire! Claire - I like Stephanie as Claire, I have no problems with her. She makes her sound tough and ready to do what she thinks is right. Unfortunately, the story completely sidelines her and makes her role obsolete. Everything she uncovers (because that’s her role apparently, just there to Nancy Drew) is already told to us through flashbacks and other characters. Why even have her? Was it just to show us WHY her and Leon don’t talk often? A waste. Shen Mei - I don’t care. I felt nothing for her. They tried really hard, but they just failed to flesh these new characters out and when her time was up I once again went: Oh? That’s it, then. ‘Kay. I think I laughed a bit, sorry girl. Her whole plotline was to get that chip in Leon’s hand, nothing more. Jason -  I don’t care. A character I thought I felt sorry for with his ptsd but nope. Once his story unfolded - messily, I might add (I hate the REPEATED flashback shit. Tell me once and stop teasing me.) I just went... okay, what the hell is your plan? To spread fear? ‘Kay. It was dumb and made no sense. What, he wants everyone to feel terror so they know? It needed to be clarified. It’s like they couldn’t figure out more synonyms for fear and terror. So, what? It helps keep Leon from going public with the chip and that information? Because he knows it’ll just cause mass hysteria? And then you’ve got Claire’s side - she’s not an agent and she believes the people have a right to know. They’re both right, but there’s no goddamn communication between ANYONE in this show. I just felt exhausted by it, nothing else. Not to mention it’s useless angst because of the plot of Degeneration. Wilson - Our bad guy. Let’s just sum up really quickly in case people were confused by the plot: He was putting infected soldiers into war zones so that even after they died they’d kill anybody involved, then he’d bomb the area and clean up the evidence. These soldiers didn’t show any symptoms because they had inhibitors that kept the virus at bay until they died, so they had to take regular shots to stay human. He’s the one who gets the zombies into the white house so that he could blame it on China and get the US into a war with them. That way he could send in his soldiers and infect the populace. From there, he’s the only one with the cure so he could rake in LOTS of money selling it to the world. AKA: he wants to use the US military to infect everyone so he can make a profit. He gets infected by Jason and gets away... then meets up with someone who gives him an inhibitor. This someone is working for Tricell, the big bads of re5 who work under Wesker. So it leads right into the fifth game. That’s all he is, a tie in and yet another example of someone in power trying to profit off the viruses of the RE world. Honestly, nobody else is worth mentioning. Animation: They’re getting better at it. Leon and Claire looked especially pretty, but there’s still a stiffness here and an issue with everyone’s mouths while they talk. I want to praise how different SOME of the characters look - the president and his aides all look appropriately aged and grizzled and distinct. Same with Jason. Other characters (side characters mainly) kinda look generic. Shen Mei for example isn’t very distinct. I mean, her grandpa and brother (both one scene wonders) were more realistic looking than she was. Even Claire - they gave her a bigger nose and made her look more in line with her Revelations 2 model (thank god I love that model). Movement was pretty fluid, I wish we’d seen more fighting and cool action -- though not to the extent of Vendetta. Maybe that’s what they were trying to avoid, but it didn’t make it any fun to watch. Enemies: This is the last thing I’ll comment on. The zombies were fine - they always are. I heard a ton of reused sounds from remake2, as well, but I thought of it as an Easter Egg more than anything. They looked good, their gore was good, all set there. Problem was, they were basically the only bad guys. That’s a huge fucking disappointment. I know people recognize this series as ‘the one with the zombies’ but that’s not true. Every game (save 7) had MULTIPLE enemy types all created through bio engineering. In this show we see three types. THREE. Zombies. Zombie rats - a one-scene wonder that Leon dispatches fast and easy. I’ll admit, they looked cool but there was nothing else to them. “They’re a bioweapon” and then Leon fries them all with some electricity and we’re done. Jason’s mutated form. Okay, I have to admit, I really loved his design. He was cool, I liked that he could talk and emote. But, other than that? He didn’t DO anything cool. He mutated once and hopped around a lot. That’s it. I mean, a bioweapon that keeps his mental capacities? C’MON! We could’ve done so much more with him. Again, this goes back to why the climax was so bad -- he and Leon didn’t fight. One jumped, the other ran around to catch up and fired a few bullets and a rocket at him. Then he used an acid bath to finish the job. (Also, explain to me WHY he mutated into a tyrant-like creature while everyone else with that specific virus was another form of zombie? We see Jun (Shen’s brother) mutating almost crystal-like at one point but... what? You leave them off for a while and they turn into crystal zombies? Make it make sense.) I’m sure there’s more to say, but honestly, unless you’re a hardcore RE fan like me, I’d say you can skip it. It wasn’t a fun ride, there weren’t any stakes, it wasn’t emotional... it just... was. I will end on one good note that made me smile, though: I loved seeing the Ashley Easter Egg.

[otterskin]

Thoughts on the Loki (2021) Finale

On the final villain:

On....THAT...moment...

Written thoughts with spoilers below line

So...this is for the final episode, not the series as a whole, and is being written in the AM after finishing the episode. It'll be a bit of a mess.

First off, overall impressions - this felt like mostly set-up for next season. We spent a lot of time with He Who Remains, and it was pretty messily written. A lot of repetition and waffling that didn't really move the plot forward, a consistent problem in the series (and often the sign of a writer-driven product instead of a visual director-led one).

That said, even though we spent way too long on the endless monologuing, I adored Jonathan Majors in the part. He was everything you could want from a colourful comic book baddie - entertaining, stylish, charismatic, energetic, even a little nuanced, and most importantly, INCREDIBLY fun to watch. This episode belonged mostly to him, and that wasn't a bad thing, as I found myself more entertained with him hopping up and down on furniture than I have for many other stretches of the show, though I do wish they'd been more economical and compacted the writing so we had more time to focus on other aspects of the plot. As it was, it felt overly drawn out and there was only so much hopping Majors could do to keep us all entertained.

Another series-wide problem came to a head here - but there's a possibility that things might turn around in a second season (or get even worse). My complaint with the last episode is that Loki has become a passive character, without motivation of his own or the same personal vendetta that Sylvie has. It is Sylvie who drives the plot forward, causes problems, and who has the deepest lore connection to events. Loki felt pasted on top, haplessly, and while in the first two episodes his struggles to get ahold of the situation were entertaining and kept the character moving, after Sylvie's introduction he became far more docile and pretty much just acts for the benefit of Sylvie's quest, rather than for any personal reason. He just wants to make her happy, sees value in her rather than himself, and pretty much follows behind her like a puppy, eager to do as she wishes. This is very obvious at the start of the episode, where Sylvie literally leads the way and reminds Loki that this is her story, not his, and Loki allows her to make the big decisions. Heck, when confronted by Miss Minutes, Loki is thrown some shallow lines about giving him a throne and the Infinity Gauntlet or whatever, whereas Sylvie gets the promise of an emotional payoff, of happy memories and companionship.

In the conversation with He Who Remains, Sylvie is the one who feels like she's at her ultimate crisis point, and Loki is just there for the ride. However, this seems to have had a point. Loki, lacking the same emotional engagement Sylvie does in the death of HWR, is able to think of others and potential fall-out. He fights her as pacifistically as possible, and even straight up says that all he wants is to make her happy - and that's not enough. He's not enough. After a nauseating kiss (sorry, guys, but this still feels gross to me in an innate way I can't overcome), she uses the distraction to boot him out of the climax and take her revenge.

Horrible kiss aside, this is kind of interesting. Sylvie is finally acting a little like a Loki - causing chaos because of her own hurt and pain, betraying people who want to help her, acting out her emotions with violence even though that won't give her what she really wants. If this episode was mostly about HWR, the other main character was Sylvie, and she finally got some meaty stuff here. I applaud that, and am very glad of it.

Unfortunately...that did leave nothing but table scraps for our technically the main character.

In this final episode, Loki is outshone by everyone else. Sylvie gets the big emotional, self-sabotaging moment (one I think works well and goes a long way to making me warm to the character), HMR gets to be the charismatic and entertaining villain who dances and prances, and Mobius and Renslayer are off in what feels like a separate story.

But is that a bad thing?

I suppose it is if this continues into Season 2, in which case I rather they retitle the show to SYLVIE and have done with it. This was more her series than Loki's in terms of active character writing. However, I think it could be part of a larger plan.

Loki did make a mistake here, same as Sylvie. And that mistake was thus - believing in her more than he believed in himself, and putting his self-worth into how she valued him. (Hence his hurt when she said she didn't trust him - intentional or not, it reminded me vaguely of the Vault scene from Thor 1, where Loki is going though his big emotional scene and Odin is frustrated that Loki doesn't believe him when he says he loves him, except now it's Loki frustrated that he is not believed.)

If the writers intended for that to be the error, then we could have an interesting Season 2 arc for Loki, where he has to find value in himself and not through romance or a different Loki. He learned to open up and be honest in this season, similar to Thor: Ragnarok, but that vulnerability and honesty got him betrayed. What does he learn now? Forgiveness, one assumes, but also, one can hope, to move away from placing all his eggs into one Sylvie basket. Perhaps other characters can be introduced who he can have all sorts of relationships with that are far more healthy.

On top of that, he's been given a quest - to stop the ultimate Conqueror - but he needs a more emotional tie into that villain and story, and it can't just be because 'Sylvie, Sylvie, Sylvie!!!' And right now, I don't really see one, other than that Kang/HWR is the 'King of Space' he mentioned wanting to be. I assume Season 2 will have an all-out war between Lokis and Kangs, variants all, and that could be fun, but I sincerely hope Loki and Kang get some alone time without Sylvie to work out a more interesting reason for them two to be at odds. Right now, it's just philosophically, whereas Sylvie has the more interesting story.

I'm not sure making Loki a side character in his own show was the best strategy overall, though. He honestly felt more driven, interesting, and vital in the THOR films, even in Thor 2 where his addition was an afterthought. In those films, his motivation might involve Thor, Odin, Frigga, etc., but they didn't totally dominate his actions, and he didn't follow them around waiting for what they were going to do. He very much had his own agenda and desires.

This romance is very much at the root of the entire series' issues, and it is an albatross around Loki's neck (and around Sylvie's as well, she really didn't need it and it makes her less interesting and another example of a female lead in a male-named show always being the love interest). In the comics, Loki and the Enchantress have an on-again, off-again thing I'm not a huge fan of, but it is recognized as a toxic relationship that's bad for Loki and holds him back from being his best self. If the series aims to do a similar thing, with Loki breaking free of his reliance and devotion to the Enchantress to be a good person on his own instead of through Sylvie, it would help make him a more active character.

Sylvie herself could go in a few directions. I'd like to see her go down a dark path for awhile and get to have some villainous fun. The righteous hero on a revenge quest schtick in the show so far made her the dullest Loki of the lot (when really, a kid who grew up in apocalypses should be quite eccentric), and whenever an actor having fun entered the screen it was painfully obvious just how little charisma she was allowed to have. While Majors outshone her in that department again, same as Grant and Wilson in the previous episode, she did feel much more exciting and dramatic in her choices, and I think her despair after killing HWR and betraying Loki, instead of finding a clever solution like Loki was urging, could lead to an interesting arc. She's still very Thor-like in a lot of ways and I'd like to see her tap into her intelligence.

However, if she does go down a dark path and our Loki's arc is only to pull her out of it, that once again makes her the main character and our Loki a side character, caught in the wake of her great saga. And I have a feeling that's where they're going with this...

Sigh.

And now I think I've talked myself into hating it.

Hey, Writers I'm sure aren't reading this! For the Love of Odin's Beard - let Loki be the main character in the next season. Find him something that motivates him that has NOTHING to do with Sylvie.

Thor never actually wasted all the much time trailing after Loki in the Thor series or Avengers, he had a lot of other things going on. He had his own personal reasons for caring about the plot and what happened to him. He had his own journey and wasn't an afterthought in Loki's story. He had characters outside of Loki who mattered to him, too.

Let Loki have the same.

[xoruffitup]

Sexuality In Neon Genesis Evangelion: Adolescence & Violence

(I’m literally 20 years late to the party here, but if anyone still cares for NGE metas, this hasn’t left me alone...!)

It takes only a few episodes into NGE to sense there’s some form of unrest beneath its surface. A palpable sense of unease and malcontent shadows the characters, seeping into the bleak cityscapes and following Shinji’s listless drift from one battle to the next - creating the unrelenting sense that this show has no intention to coddle or comfort you. Much will not be explained, or even directly addressed. Most of that unease you’re feeling as a viewer will be left for you yourself to decipher – probably in a manner uncomfortably and bracingly personal. I would call this a mark of artistry, in that the viewing experience becomes something deeply intimate and unique from person to person.

The obvious narrative explanation for all this dark ambiguity is the evocation of Shinji’s troubled psychological state. He mopes in his dark bedroom, rides the train alone with his headphones in and no destination, and accepts the role of Eva pilot only when his refusal would make him feel yet more despised. He is utterly directionless and thus helpless – caught in a paralysis between his pathological need for external affirmation and his crippling fear of being hurt. He craves kindness and care from others, but is both unwilling and unable to forge such positive connections with others because he presupposes doing so will cause pain. Therefore, he makes few self-motivated choices and rebukes all notion of the driven, intentional protagonist. 

Shinji’s rejection of the traditional mantle of the hero’s journey, and his repeated regression into unassertive self-hatred also signals an unorthodox approach to storytelling - where the narrative flows around the inhibited, apathetic characters rather than through them. We as the viewers do not become invested in the narrative progression as an extension of Shinji’s own investment. Rather, a central part of the narrative becomes the self-aware exploration of its own impact upon Shinji and the wider cast of characters. Shinji, Rei, Asuka, and to a certain degree Misato and Ritsuko, do not determine the narrative direction through their own choices and thereby set events in motion; they are instead passive, reactionary presences drawn along by the provocations of seemingly inevitable series of events. (Angels attack – characters respond; Gendo or Seele give some unexplained order – characters react; Instrumentality begins – Shinji reacts)

As the curtain is finally drawn back from the human instrumentality project in the show’s final act, we realize Shinji was not simply whiny or poorly-written: His constant struggle between the fear of pain and need for intimacy is in fact the defining tension of the show as a whole. The “Hedgehog’s Dilemma.” This dilemma saturates each character’s personal trauma, fears, and desires, and finally elevates the characters’ internal reckoning in the face of instrumentality to create the show’s climax.

The show’s indirect yet masterful depiction of Shinji’s depression and undefined malaise is, in fact, keenly intentional and central to the story’s purpose. In a show defined by endlessly rich even if agonizing ambiguities and a narrative style that reveals itself only in subtlety, no minor detail is inconsequential. And so, I repeatedly found myself trying to discern the purpose of a recurring element that could be neither accidental nor innocuous. I am referring now to the show’s consistent and blatant preoccupation with the sexualization of its (female) characters and the infusion of sexuality into inter-character relationships. 

The sexualizing and/or objectifying gaze is applied far too often to be anything but an intentional layer generating narrative meaning. In a show that elegantly weaves together psychological, religious, ethical, and technological allusions to construct a cutting inspection of the human psyche, this preoccupation is not a mere trope or “fanservice.” The recurrent reference to characters’ sexuality and their depiction as sexual objects cannot be a neutral or peripheral element of narrative meaning. Beyond the impossibility of this element being unintentional or divorced from the show’s narrative purpose, we are also obliged to make ourselves aware of the gendered lens through which this depiction of sexuality is filtered, and the power balance or imbalance this depiction enforces upon the characters involved. Consistent nudity to the point of fetishism and sexual inferences to the point of defining character cease to be superficial and become something pernicious.

Below, I will explore two different frameworks through which to interpret the show’s sexual overtones. The first framework – adolescence and the fear of adulthood – aligns with my initial response to the anime, while the second framework – sexual violence –reflects my more troubled response to the End of Evangelion film. 

Framework 1: Shinji’s Adolescent Fears of Adulthood and Intimacy

Lest we forget, Shinji is only the tender age of 14. His internal struggle with self-worth and identity is exacerbated by its intersection with puberty and Shinji’s fraught understanding of his own budding sexuality. Shinji’s characterization of being highly dependent on the guidance and praise of his elders highlights both his adolescence and his own inability to confront his growth to adulthood. His unwillingness to navigate the perils of adulthood (as well as its corresponding sexual relationships) is probably evoked most clearly in his Episode 18 conversation with Kaji. After Kaji opines on men and women’s inability to understand each other – let alone themselves – Shinji merely replies dismissively, “I don’t understand adults at all.”

Given his 14-year-old perception of adulthood as something impenetrably mystical, it follows that his own budding sexuality acts as both a source of anxiety and a central aspect of his journey through adolescence. The often discussed parallels between Shinji’s relationship with Asuka and Misato’s relationship with Kaji further cements sex as something firmly belonging to adulthood; just as Asuka’s eagerness to present herself as sexually mature reflects her desire to appear independent and “grown.”

Coming to terms with one’s sexuality is of course a commonplace metaphor for the development from adolescence to adulthood. However, the characters’ understanding and comfort with their own sexualities also plays a key role in their internal reckonings and decisions which occur within instrumentality. 

During his moments of metaphysical introspection, Shinji’s confrontation with his deepest fears repeatedly presents itself in the form of sexual temptation. We see him translate this need for external validation into unconscious sexualization and desire for the women around him.  While fused with Unit 1 in Episode 20, Shinji is questioned by imagined specters of Misato, Rei, and Asuka. He reaches his breaking point when, after admitting he only pilots the Eva in hope of earning others’ praise, he cries out for someone to take care of him. After pleading, “someone be kind to me,” all three women appear to him naked, asking repeatedly, “Don’t you want to become one with me? In body and in soul?” In this imagined ordeal of self-examination, Shinji’s deepest, most fundamental need for approval and warmth from others is coded into the prospect of understanding and intimacy associated with sex. At a subconscious level, he perceives the offering of sexual union as the highest form of acceptance. Shinji therefore feels varying degrees of conflicted, guilt-ridden desire for the women around him, in the most primal form of his craving for acceptance. 

In this scene, the offering of sexual intercourse is also a direct foreshadowing to the prospect of union with all during instrumentality, and either the acceptance or rejection of that union. In End of Evangelion, Shinji’s crucial choice during instrumentality is again presented in the same terms: Asuka, Rei, and Misato’s voices all asking “Do you want to become one with me, body and soul?” Shinji’s mix of attraction and repellence (for he fears intimacy as intensely as he craves it) when confronting this question indirectly depicts his struggle to decide between a solitary but self-defined existence, and the sacrifice of his autonomous self to total union. Thus, Shinji’s repressed desire for sexual intimacy becomes in and of itself a key facet of both his decision to ultimately reject instrumentality, and his conclusive creation of an independent and capable identity.

In line with my earlier reference to Asuka’s desire to appear sexually mature, the anime consistently uses sexuality as a means of revealing character - often probing at characters’ deepest vulnerabilities. Misato is likely the most direct example. It is through her sexual relationship with Kaji that she confronts her conflicted feelings towards her father and their profound impact on her. During instrumentality, she also admits she enjoys sex as an escape mechanism from pain and a way to prove she’s alive. She seems to perceive sex in the opposite perspective from Shinji – who on some level finds it threatening. This could be attributed firstly to Misato’s maturity in age and correlating comfort with her own sexuality. Secondly, this speaks to the show’s use of sexuality to build character in ways beyond Shinji’s troubled adolescent shame. The show’s focus on its characters’ sexuality can therefore be viewed as a means of prying into the inner conflicts they each seek to hide from the world. Note it is also through the reveal of Ritsuko’s sexual involvement with Gendo that we understand the reasons for her troubled relationship with her mother, her dedication to NERV, and her knowledge of its secrets.

Though sexuality is used as a sometimes literal, sometimes symbolic, but often effective vehicle to portray abstract concepts and internal, non-physical conflicts, this does not fully explain or justify the show’s gratuitous use of the male gaze. Though the depiction of sexuality often serves the purpose of character development, this depiction is exceedingly gendered. Though Shinji is shown naked, his nudity serves comedic effect (when he runs out from the bathroom in Misato’s apartment in Episode 2) or appears highly stylized (embracing Rei’s equally naked form in End of Evangelion). By contrast, Rei and Asuka’s bodies practically serve as set pieces. The pilot suits and contrived “camera” angles incessantly present their bodies as aesthetic objects for consumption. 

Furthermore, early appearances by both female characters immediately define them as objects of sexual focus. The first time she appears, Asuka tells off Toji for looking up her skirt; Shinji ends up sprawled on top of Rei when she’s naked while first trying to get to know her in Episode 5. If we apply the interpretive framework of sexuality as a means of navigating adolescence, then it is exclusively Shinji’s journey towards adulthood with which the show shares its perspective and identification. It would therefore follow that Rei and Asuka serve merely as signposts or attractive obstacles along the path of Shinji’s development. Their bodies are exploited as tools through which to challenge and probe at Shinji’s psyche. While Shinji’s sexuality bestows him personhood and agency, Asuka and Rei’s often seem to do the opposite – instead reducing them to only the means towards Shinji’s end. Yet, even the justification that Rei and Asuka’s objectification may serve Shinji’s character development falls short, given that the girls are still depicted in a lewd and hyper-sexualized lens even when there’s nobody but us, the viewers, around to witness. 

Using sexuality as a key vehicle to convey the male protagonist’s psychology creates an inherently gendered narrative – one in which a male protagonist acts out his conflict upon female bodies. This uneven and highly exploitative depiction warps what might have been an adolescent journey of self-discovery and growth into something far less constructive and much more unsettling.

Framework 2: Pervasive References to Sexual Violence

As I argued previously, Shinji’s repressed and conflicted sexuality can be viewed as a mirror of his character-defining struggle between the desire for love and the fear of pain. In this case, Shinji’s exploration and acceptance of his own sexuality becomes in and of itself a central element of his character development and, by extension, the show’s narrative resolution as a whole, given that the outcome of instrumentality rests on Shinji’s shoulders alone. It then becomes crucial that Shinji actualize his latent desire for sexual intimacy and ultimately master his own sexuality – as the chief expression of his internal development towards accepting his relationships with others and the co-dependent process of creating his own identity, self-worth, and reality.

In the abstract, this idea seems relatively healthy. However, the “Don’t you want to become one with me?” scenes and essentially all of End of Evangelion left me with a distinctly uncomfortable impression that couldn’t have been more different from that of a guileless adolescent navigating puberty. Seeing the “Don’t you want to become one with me?” question repeated to Shinji in the End of Evangelion context made me circle around one key question: Why is this imagined physical offering by the women in Shinji’s life presented as temptation? Why does the timing of this sequence reappear while Shinji is experiencing instrumentality? Or rather, why is the experience of instrumentality itself presented with the air of sexual temptation or seduction? This all culminates into the depiction of sexual desire for the female body as something needing to be tamed or conquered – given that it is only through Shinji’s repudiation of these offerings that he ultimately also rejects instrumentality. This supposition implies an adversarial relationship between Shinji and the object(s) of his sexual desire. This implicit hostility paints sexuality now as a struggle for control and/or dominance, rather than a source of self-discovery and growth. 

I’ll note now that most of the observations and criticisms explored in this section speak almost exclusively to End of Evangelion. In my view, this implied hostility embedded into the exploration of sexuality is much more present in the film, whereas the show largely maintains sexuality as a means of fumbling adolescent growth and complex characterization. To frame what might be seen as an extreme interpretation, I’ll begin my closer reading of End of Evangelion with this Catharine MacKinnon quote:

“Once the veil is lifted, once relations between the sexes are seen as power relations, it becomes impossible to see as simply unintented, well-intentioned, or innocent the actions through which women are told every day what is expected and when they have crossed some line.”

The crucial dynamic supporting this darker interpretive framework – a dynamic much more palpable in End of Evangelion – is power relations. Referring back to my previous point wherein the persistent objectification of Asuka and Rei undermines their personhood to the same degree that it enhances Shinji’s – End of Evangelion takes this imbalance still further. Rei and Asuka’s sexualization not only serves Shinji’s development, but becomes the main stage upon which Shinji’s fight for self-determination plays out. This is to say that Shinji’s actions and key elements of the film’s narrative as a whole are acted out upon women’s bodies as both battleground and symbol. End of Evangelion resorts to a mode of storytelling that is explicitly gendered, portraying its conflict through a starkly male lens. Through the film’s imagery, brutality, and indulgence in the explicit, Shinji’s narrative is acted out through the depiction of women’s bodies as objects either with destructive power or being destroyed themselves; and as threats which much be conquered.

The Shinji we see in End of Evangelion experiences highs and lows far more extreme than his anime counterpart. EoE Shinji is shockingly depraved, powerless, and violent – in that order. His experiences in relation to the navigation of his sexuality take on a tone of violence and aggression. If he cannot act out his sexual impulses – if he cannot subdue the tormenting yet desired female body to the point that satisfies his desires (even if not always sexual in nature) – he resorts to violence to assert his will. During the kitchen scene within instrumentality, it is at the point when Asuka coldly rebuffs his pleading for her help that he first strangles her. Thinking back to the above quote re power relations – is this the “line” beyond accepted behavior where Asuka becomes deserving of male violence?

Violence takes many forms – all of them an embodiment of power relations. Yes, Shinji masturbating over Asuka’s stripped, unconscious form in the first scene is unequivocally an act of violence. No matter how “fucked up” and past sense Shinji may have been in that moment, he is still a man demeaning a woman and taking pleasure from the act – her inability to consent and even her comatose state all fueling male sexual gratification. Aside from the considerable shock value, this scene sets the tone of Shinji’s actions towards women throughout the film as relations of power and dominance. This scene further establishes repressed sexual desire and thwarted sexual frustration as the latent foundation of Shinji’s interactions with Asuka throughout the film; thus creating motivation and tension with the potential to drive him to further forms of violence. 

In EoE, Shinji shares some type of sexual experience with all three women to whom he’s closest. First, his repulsive descent into depravity at the film’s very start. In this moment when he’s at his lowest, it is his most base and yet powerful instinct that takes over. He exacts pleasure, comfort, and distraction from Asuka’s body despite its fleetingness and her lack of consent. Second, Misato realizes that physical intimacy is the only thing that will get through to Shinji in his shell-shocked state. With a heated kiss, she delivers on the show’s hints of sexual interest between the two. Demonstrating just how well she understands Shinji, she promises him “We’ll do the rest when you get back,” knowing the promise of this ultimate physical act of approval and care is likely the only thing he will fight for. To put this in blunt terms: Shinji is promised sexual access to a woman whose praise he values, and this prospect of sexual fulfillment is what motivates him to finally enter Unit 1. While he isn’t imposing dominance over Misato here the same way he did to Asuka, this keeps with the film’s overall gendered perspective wherein Shinji’s triumphs or rare moments of purpose are marked by his access to women’s bodies. 

Third, Shinji’s interactions with Rei/Rei-Lilith within instrumentality. It first must be noted that Rei is depicted naked for practically the whole movie. Sure, this might be necessary for the initiation of instrumentality, but it also serves to complete her objectification. I can by no means see it as mere coincidence that the advent of instrumentality and potential unleashing of the cataclysmic Third Impact is all represented by a giant, naked female form. What would be the greatest threat from the perspective of the male-gendered narrative? Precisely this – a female body that is overpowering, unconquerable, and unfathomable. By extension, I also don’t believe it’s coincidental that Shinji’s attainment of self-determination in his decision to reject instrumentality happens concurrently to his sexual union with Rei. She explains to him that no, he hasn’t died, “everything has just been joined into one.” This “joining” is depicted utterly literally, without any of the subtlety by which the anime presented sexuality as representative of total union within instrumentality. Thus, the resolution of Shinji’s character arc and the film’s climax as a whole occurs when Shinji finally attains fulfillment of the sexual desire he has harbored since the film’s beginning. The following shot of him and Rei naked with his head in her lap resolves the crisis of instrumentality with an unmistakable post-coital essence. 

After these three encounters, we have the much-debated final scene of Shinji reuniting with Asuka after emerging from instrumentality. By this point, Shinji has taken advantage of her comatose body and strangled her, but she still has not shown herself amenable to his sexual desires as Misato and Rei have. She remains beyond his ability to either control or dominate. And so, while Rei’s giant, naked, and broken (read: conquered) body rests in pieces behind them, Shinji asserts his newfound will to attack the woman who has resisted his desire and refused the gratification he sought – both physically and emotionally. 

This scene left me possibly even more disturbed than the film’s opening. To me, this ending implies that along with Shinji’s discovery of self-determination comes the male’s unfettered triumph following a struggle defined by sexual violence. In this final scene, we see the resistant woman subject to yet more violence at the hands of the protagonist – until at last, she no longer resists. In my view, this final scene was the occasion of Asuka’s capitulation. She is finally subdued to the point of acceptance and affectionate response even when being subjected to violence. She responds to Shinji’s aggression not with retaliation, but with a loving gesture. Her final words of “how disgusting” reminded me immediately of the hospital scene, and what Shinji had asked of her there: “Wake up, help me, call me an idiot like always.” Now, the man’s desire is at last satiated.

Beyond the narrative reliance on sexuality as a form of power relations, EoE also engages in gratuitous degradation of female bodies. They are either imbued with threatening, destructive power (Rei-Lilith), or experience destruction themselves (Asuka in Unit 2 and Rei-Lilith at the film’s end). Both Rei and Asuka’s bodies are subjected to extreme violence throughout the film, even while still being depicted as sexual objects. While suffering horrific, graphic injuries during her fight in Unit 2, Asuka is depicted writhing in agony in the entry plug with a disturbing sense of the erotic. After her body becomes the apocalyptic vehicle of instrumentality, Rei’s giant naked form is depicted crumbling to earth, stripped not only of her clothes but any sense of the human. Her split-open head rests beside the sea of LCL – a symbol of the male protagonist’s moral and psychological “victory.”

Framework 2: Counter-Arguments

Though I was disturbed by the rampant and dehumanizing sexualization in EoE, there were also plenty elements of the film I admired and remain deeply fascinated by. I don’t wish to seem overly disparaging, so I’ll briefly mention two counter-examples to this more critical framework.

1. Rei denying and rebuking Gendo and asserting her own will, while depicted as naked. It’s hard to overstate the enormity of Rei’s decision here. After existing as a seemingly unfeeling clone created for the purpose of realizing Gendo’s desires, Rei brings his plans to a crashing halt right at the pinnacle moment. The scene metaphorically traveled from 0-100 very quickly. It began with the insinuation of Gendo joining with Rei in a vaguely sexual sense, and his hand sinking into her breast in an unconventional bodily invasion while she showed discomfort. But then she asserts, “I am not your doll.” Her nakedness seems transformed from vulnerability to power. She is no longer the passive instrument of a man’s realization of his desires. Instead, she asserts her personhood and makes the individual decision how to employ the power within her. In so doing, she decides not only her own fate, but practically that of the whole world. 

2. Shinji and Kaworu’s dynamic could be seen as refuting a binary reading of gendered power relations. Taking Shinji for bisexual has the potential to revise my interpretation from ‘Shinji subconsciously desires sexual access and control over women’ to ‘Shinji subconsciously desires sex and control’ period, without the emphasis on women as the subjects of his struggle. If this gendered binary is removed, then his growth and self-actualization need not come at the expense of the female characters around him. Extending Shinji’s repressed sexuality to encompass desire for Kaworu also alleviates the connotations of dominance and confrontation embedded within heterosexual sexuality. 

Writing all this out was largely my personal means of resolving the million jumbled thoughts in my head after finally diving into this stunning masterpiece of a show. I’ll say again - what makes this show such a timeless work of brilliance is its highly personal resonance in the minds of its viewers. In the end, it isn’t a story about robots, aliens, or even sex at all – it’s a self-reflective act forcing you to wake up and confront your own role in creating the very reality in which you live. What kind of world have you made for yourself? Have you trapped yourself in confinement of your own making, or have you imagined every possible version of your world and liberated all the possibilities hidden in your creation of self? Evangelion can mean something different to every one, and no single interpretation is more correct than any others. So that said – a hearty thank you to anyone who actually read all the way here, and I’m always eager for discussion! :)

[alexzalben]

What do you think of all the backlash the last Riverdale episode received? I’ve never seen the writers speak out like this before on all the hate.

This is a pretty complicated topic that I probably can’t do justice with one Tumblr ask, but I’ll try to address some of the broad strokes ideas here. And hang tight, because this is gonna go long.

First of all, a caveat: I have by no means read through every comment the writers were responding to, nor do I know what they discussed or how they’re feeling about things, nor do I speak for them in any way.

However, I do think one of the joys and downfalls of making TV in the social media era is the accessibility of the creative team to fans. Joys because it opens up new ways of understanding how a show is made, demystifying the process, which is always a good thing. Downfalls because to some fans - not all fans, by any means - it makes them feel like they have a say in what happens in the show.

On the latter, it’s not to say that the writers aren’t listening, on many series they’re well aware of what fans think about their show, the plots, the ships, etc. Sometimes they’ll even shift where they’re going based on fan feedback. Nikki and Paolo on Lost are the example I always go to, where they were introduced to show the outside perspective of what other survivors were doing while Jack and his gang were going on adventures... And everybody HATED THEM. So much so that plans changed and they were literally buried alive on the show by the end of the season, in a very unsubtle metaphor.

That said, there’s a difference between what I perceive to be the tone around Nikki and Paolo, which mind you was pre-Twitter days, and what some shows have to deal with now: one is constructive criticism presented as “hey we don’t like this”; the latter sometimes veers into “you suck and you should kill yourself.”

I want to emphasize again: this is not everyone. Usually there is a small section of any group of people that delves into hyper-negativity, and they always get an outsized focus to the number of people who actually do that. Again, example here, but for a while I was part of a pretty popular online sketch comedy group. We got tons of views, tons of comments, I’d estimate 95-99% of those comments were great. Did I internalize those? Of course not. I internalized the one comment out of 100 that told me what a shitty writer I was. That’s the one that rolled around in my head all night, because it seeped into the fear that most writers have that they do suck and will never be successful, at any level. It’s Imposter Syndrome, plain and simple, and it affects everyone no matter how famous (or not) they are.

Reason I mention that is it’s entirely possible that 99% of the comments to the writers of Riverdale this episode were mostly fine, but if 1% of them were of the “fucking kill yourself” variety, that hurts, a lot. It’s not on everyone, by any means, but that pulls the focus, and it’s horrifying every time no matter how often it happens (and believe me, it happens far too often).

Specifically with Riverdale, there are another few factors that are exacerbating this. One is, and I don’t want to diminish this: the pandemic. We’re a year in and people are crumbling mentally. Nothing has been “normal” for a year, that impacts every single aspect of your life, and some things are easier to lash out at than others, like a TV show. If a deadly virus is causing inconsistency? Not much you can do about that. If your fave TV show is shaking up the broadcast schedule and changing your favorite couples? Complain to the writers, the directors, the actors, etc.

The other is the arc of this season so far, which I do think is driving people fucking nuts. This again gets back to the pandemic, but ending with episode 19, waiting months, and then coming back for a premiere that is actually the third to the last episode of the season? That’s unsettling. It throws you off kilter, because it’s not the right rhythm. I know this sounds a little silly, but it’s actually very important: stories have a rhythm to them, and a lot of TV shows in particular have had that rhythm broken. Riverdale had three episodes that were all essentially climax, then upended the show with a time jump, and has continued to mix things around almost every episode. And then it’ll be going into another three month break.

This is definitely the point where someone says “mix things around? they’re doing the same couples they always did.” Sure, theoretical person. But having sifted through fan comments and tweets over the past couple of weeks, every single week one section of the fanbase has been 100% sure it is their ship’s time to shine, and the next they’re being told it’s done forever, and then the next they’re back on, then the next they’re done... It’s an emotional rollercoaster ride, and that’s how the writers designed it, and it’s frankly not over yet. But add in that pandemic uncertainty above, and you have a recipe for people panicking.

Also, and again, this is a small section of any fanbase, but it’s very clear that because of this hyped up panic, some people are being absolutely terrible assholes to other fans. I know I don’t usually curse this much, but the amount of gloating I’ve seen from people on all sides, back and forth, is super gross. Personally, if someone is sobbing for whatever reason, my reaction has never been to quote tweet them with “you lost, get over it” and a peace sign emoji. It sucks when people are sad, and we have a moral obligation to make sure other people feel okay. Don’t know if you’ve ever heard this one, but “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Sort of an important life rule.

Overall, I think a fanbase is stronger is they support each other rather than engaging in ship wars, and I do think there’s a lot of people who do do that. Or just express their displeasure, without attacking people. But there are some people who do, and that’s overall making the whole tone of the discussion that much worse.

So what’s the solution here? I always emphasize to my writers that it’s okay to have a negative take as long as you provide something constructive about a way out of the situation, and I’ll apply that both to the Riverdale fanbase, as well as this extremely long Tumblr ask.

There are three things I’d suggest, and both of them are on you. By “you” I mean the general you, and the reason I suggest them, versus what the writers and creators of Riverdale can do is that “you” are the thing you can control and change.

The first is changing the tone of the discussion. Realize that there are people deeply, emotionally impacted in different ways by this TV show. Allow that they may be having different emotional reactions than you, and give them the space and the support to work through it. If you’re a Varchie fan, it actually makes you a better fan to check on a Barchie fan and see if they’re okay. If you’re a Barchie fan, it’s okay to be happy for a Varchie fan and sad at the same time. Mainly because none of you had anything to do with it. This isn’t even a case where you wore your lucky socks and your fave team won the game. The writers are writing what they wrote, and you are a passive observer, not involved other than the involvement you bring to it. So if everyone supports each other regardless of the circumstances, that will improve things overall.

The second? Disengage. Take a break. Stop watching the show. You have no obligation to tweet, or go on any other social media outlet for this series, nor do you have to keep watching the show if it hurts you. In fact, taking a show break if you feel too involved is a very good thing. Check out, clear your head and come back much later and look at it with fresh eyes.

Third? Think before you comment. It took me a long time to get here with this one, and I’m still working on it, but before you comment: pause, read it over again, and think “is this something I really want to send?” You do get that rush of taking whatever anger you’re feeling and getting it out of your body and mind, but ultimately it’s usually more damaging than either waiting, posting something a little more thoughtful, or not posting at all. It’s really thinking about what you’re adding to the conversation, and what you’re hoping to get back.

So there you go. Lots of thoughts there, and I’m sure there’s lots more to say. This is only my outside perspective on this, and I hope it’s helpful at least in some small way. And if not, that is cool, too!

[clemanime]

Buck

A/N: Soooo... here I am... back and ready to give you everything you want. I will try my best to update stuff. Also I’m coming out with some series cause why the fuck not? Hope you ready.

Warning: Smut boom

Bucky runs into an old friend he met on the run and they… catch up

Boom

An explosion sounded down the road. She shot up from her desk, rushing towards the fire alarm and pulling it. “Everybody out!” She yelled at the top of her lungs. “Don’t panic! Don’t trample people! Be safe and get out!” She continued.

Another explosion went off, shaking the place as fire rushed through the office. She held her hands up, forming a wall of energy to stop the flames. “Get out!” She yelled. She kept the fire at bay as she rushed down the stairs. The building would have tumbled if she wasn’t using her powers. When people made it safely out she ran out quickly. She got everyone across the street and away from the crumbling building. There was another explosion and she put her hands up, keeping it contained so that it didn’t harm anyone else. When it died down she put her hands down, huffing. That took a lot out of her.

On the rooftop of the nearest building there were three men standing watching her. “Take her now while she’s weak.” The one standing in the middle said. “Be careful. She still has power left.”

     “Yes sir.” The ones on the ground said in unison.

Back on the ground four men moved towards the crowd of people watching as the police and firefighters arrive. They each separated, making sure to stay within the crowd and stay hidden.

She stood in the road, waving down the officers. One of the men rushed from the crowd towards her, pulling gun and pointing it at her. He shot and she put her hands up, forming a forcefield around herself as more shots rang out. Each of the men reloaded at different times, alternating between her and the police officers that were on the scene.

     “Take her now!” Their boss yelled into the intercoms.

One of the men walked towards her, holding up a different gun as he aimed it at her. She kept her shield up, feeling safer. But the ammunition was different, a recreated bullet. He pulled the trigger and it penetrated her field, shattering it and hitting her hip. She gasped, letting out a scream of pain.

     “Grab her and get out of there! The A-” Static

The men on the ground looked up at the building, not being able to see them from their spot. “Sir?” No response. “Sir?”

     “I’ll give you the option of walking away. Walk away and leave the woman. Or stay and see what happens.” A voice said behind him.

A taller gentleman stood behind the man. He wore a black long sleeve with one of the sleeves missing so that his metal arm could move around freely. He wore black cargo pants and laced up combat boots. He glared at the man, punching him with his metallic arm and sending him back.

The other men sprung into action, going to reload their weapons but she held her hand out, breaking them apart. She groaned, shaking her head and looked at Bucky as he engaged in battle.

As they fought another man rushing up to her. “Don’t worry Miss.” He said as he picked her up. He has dirty blonde hair and a full beard. She kept her eyes on Bucky, hoping that he would be alright.

     “You’re just going to leave him there?” She asked, looking at Bucky as he managed to fend off the three men he was fighting.

     “I think he’ll be able to handle himself.” Steve smirked. He carried her to a truck, placing her in the back seat and closing the door. She hadn’t noticed the person in the driver seat. A random man in a nice suit. He started driving, the ride silent.

Bucky was struggling, his head pounding from his hangover. One of the men managed to get the jump on him, wrapping his arm around his neck and squeezing. “Need help?” Steve asked as he walked up towards them.

     “What do you think!?” Bucky yelled as he struggled. He flipped the guy off of his back and into the guy rushing him. There were only two left, he should be able to take them out easily. Steve walked towards him with a smirk, taking the somewhat smaller one and headbutting him. He looked at his friend and smirked, crossing his arms.

Bucky managed to get him on the ground, pinning him and pulling his knife out. He twirled it in his hand before pressing it against his neck. “Start talking.” He stated.

She laid in the bed, staring at the ceiling. She sighed, shaking her head and holding her hands up. She tried to conjure a small sphere but got nothing. She sat up, wincing but shaking it off and concentrated. “Come on...” She sighed. “Come on.” She got nothing. She got up, walking over towards the small dresser with pain medication on it and tried to lift it with her energy.

     “What are you doing?” She jumped, bumping into it and letting out a pained holler. “Jesus Christ!” Bucky rushed towards her, grabbing her arms. “What the Hell?” Bucky wore a black t-shirt and a pair of cargo pants, still wearing his combat boots.

     “You can’t just pop up out of no where.” She said quickly. “I was trying to use my powers.” She blinked for a moment, clearing her throat and looking down as she crossed her arms. “I didn’t expect you to actually show up today.”

     “You should be resting.” He stated quickly. “Lay down.”

     “Buck.” She sighed as she shook her head. “I can’t be here. You know that.”

     “Just stay for a little. At least until you're healed.” Bucky crossed his arms as he stared at her then motioned towards the bed. “I’ll handcuff you if I have to.”

     “It’s not like you haven’t done it before.” She sat on the bed. She was referring to the night that he handcuffed her to his bed because she wouldn’t take the night off after being beaten up by a group of men. She wanted to go back out and find them but he wouldn’t let her. “I don’t get it.” She held her hand up, trying to get pain meds float to her but nothing happening. She gave up and shook her head.

     “Did they get the bullet out?” Bucky sat next to her, arms crossed, muscles flexed.

     “Yeah.” She nodded, laying back. “It hurt like Hell.”

     “That’s usually what happens when you get shot.” He smirked. “So these guys that you told me about that time... they were after you again.”

     “Seems like it.” Bucky nodded, looking over her. “I don’t get it through. Why can’t I use my powers? It was the first time my shield was broken Buck.”

     “The bullet they took out of you. The guys after you made it so that they would be able to use it on you.” He explained, repeating what he was told. “Apparently there was a lot of trial and error when making those bullets.”

     “Trial and error.” She repeated. There was a silence between them as she let the information sink in. “So I won’t be able to get my powers back.” She sat up, looking at him.

     “I don’t know.” He crossed his arms as he looked back at her. “Banner should be able to tell you later I guess.”

     “Well... that’s a bummer.” She put her face in her hands. “I didn’t rely on my powers that much but it feels shitty knowing that I won’t be able to use them when the time comes.”

     “I get it.” He nodded. “Maybe you should leave it to the professionals though.” He continued. “I don’t need you getting hurt because you think you’re a hero.”

     “Wow.” She scoffed, standing up. “I’m doing more than you guys. Showing up when there’s a body count and taking out the bad guys.” She crossed her arms as she stood in front of him. “I’m tired of you Barnes! You’ve never had faith in me! It’s always ‘let the professionals handle it’. ‘Maybe you should rest.’ ‘Don’t go back out there.’” She rolled her eyes, stepping closer to him. “I chose not to be an Avenger because I don’t want to be tied down to a team that shows up late. A team that shows up after people die or get hurt.”

Bucky stared up at her, taking in her words. But he didn’t speak. “We’re doing more than you think.” He mumbled. “We brought everyone back. Stopped Thanos. We did a lot to save the world.”

     “I know. I was there.” She huffed.

     “You don’t have to join us. Just... don’t do anything crazy.” He stood up, pulling her into a hug. She wrapped her arms around his waist, closing her eyes and taking him in. “I don’t want you getting hurt anymore.”

     “I’m always going to get hurt. I’m a moving target you know.” She let him go, looking up at him and grabbing his metal hand. “Just like you were.” He hummed in response. She moved around him so she could leave but Bucky stopped her, grabbing her hand and pulling her back against his body. “Buck...” She shook her head. “Remember what happened last time?”

     “I thought it was pretty exciting.” He chuckled as he cupped her cheek.

     “Nearly breaking your new arm was exciting to you?” She questioned as his hand slowly moved down her back. She shivered, letting out a shaky breath. She closed her eyes, gripping his shirt as she shook her head. “Buck...” She looked up at him, moving her hands so that they were on his neck. She pulled him down, kissing his lips.

Bucky picks her up, sitting her on the dresser as he tugged at her clothes. Her tattered clothes were now torn and on the floor, her body covered with his as he pulled his shirt off. He adjusted her hips, playing her clit and pulling silent moans from her lips. She looked into his blue eyes, staring up at him as she felt her climax slowly building. “B-Buck.” She shook slightly.

     “I know Doll.” He smirked as he pushed his fingers inside of her. She mewled, opening her legs wider as his warm fingers expertly worked her closer to her climax. She bit his shoulder to keep from screaming as her body shook violently with her peak.

Her body went limp and she sighed, looking at him as she licked her lips. Bucky made work of his pants but a knock on the door stopped him. “What is it?” She asked, keeping Bucky in front of her in case the person walked in.

     “It’s Banner. I wanted to talk to you about your blood work.” Bruce said through the door.

She pouted, wanting to continue but ultimately sighing. “You gonna move?” She whispered but he didn’t budge. “Buck...” She leaned her head to the side but he cupped her cheek with a smirk. “Bucky...” She bit her bottom lip. He undid his pants, pulling his member out. “James I need to talk to Banner.”

     “Then talk.” He smirked. She couldn’t find a hint of joking in his eyes, the head of his cock pressed against her entrance.

     “Uh.. go ahead.” She said to Banner.

     “You want me to tell you through the door?” He questioned.

     “Yeah.” She bit her bottom lip as Buck slowly pushed into her, staring into her eyes. She dug her nails into his shoulders, shaking her head as she tried to keep her moans in.

     “Alright.” Bruce spoke. “Well it looks like you’ve still got your powers. But they’re weak right now because of the bullet.” Bucky thrust his hips at a quick place, pulling a yelp from her as she bit him. “Are you alright?”

     “Y-yeah.” She said quickly. “I’m o-okay.” She looked at Bucky, narrowing her eyes only to close them when he continued to thrust his hips.

     “You’ll get your powers back eventually. When? I’m not sure.”

Bucky pushed her legs farther apart, hitting deep inside of her and causing her to gasp. “I-Is that all!?” She questioned as her hands moved to Bucky’s waist.

     “That’s pretty much it.” Bruce confirmed. “If you need anything just let us know.”

Bucky hit her sweet spot, pulling loud pleasured moans from her. “I noticed you got more excited when you were talking to him.” He held her ankles, adjusting her so that her feet were on the dresser as he pounded into her. “You like nearly being caught?” She felt the bandage shift and a dull pain coursing through her.

     “Fuck... Bucky.” She felt her climax building as she closed her eyes, staring at him as her body quaked. She shook violently, her body leaning forward as she clung to him. Bucky pulled out of her, his seed spilling on her heat as the head of his member rubbed against her heat as they both road out their highs. “Nice.” She smirked. Bucky grabbed part of her torn clothes, cleaning her up.

Bucky picked her up, laying her on the bed and kissing the top of her head. He covered her up. “I’ll get you some clothes.” He put his shirt back on and reached for the door but it was slammed shut. He looked back at her with a smirk. “Looks like you got your groove back.” He smirked.

     “I did.” She nodded. “And I’m all healed up so come here.” She sat up, beckoning for him to get closer to her as she licked her lips. “Come on James.” She taunted. Bucky smirked, stripping himself of his clothes as he sauntered over to her.

[hellzyeahthewebwieldingavenger]

Spider-Man v3 2099 #23-25 Thoughts

Some mixed feelings.

 There was a lot of stuff I liked, and a fair amount I was disappointed by.

There was some art and dialogue production issues, which I think might’ve occurred because the series was wrapping up and whoever was in charge didn’t catch as they were prepping for whatever the next project was.

But more significantly, I honestly felt that there were several unanswered questions:

·         What was the big bad thing Miguel and Liz did that was talked about back in volume 2 #1?

·         What actually caused the Maestro’s version of 2099 to happen?

·         What caused that future to alter into the Sinister Six’s future?

·         What was up with those purple Mohawk mutant people from volume 3 #1 who obviously had something to do with Tempest but it’s never explained

·         How was Tempest’s mother involved with the Fist

·         Shit there wasn’t any resolution for Tempest’s mother at all was there!

·         What exactly did Tyler Stone plan to use Tempest for? Was he really just tempting her to take his treatment so she’d stab Miguel on sight?

·         Why should Sonny Frisco be left in the present day? He’s from the future and has some future tech leftover from his Iron Man armour

·         What happened to the Sinister Six 2099? Electro is presumably shut down for good but what happened to Venom, Vulture, Doc Ock and Sandwoman? Yeah presumably they’re all going to team up in 2019, but Sandwoman was nowhere to be found and IIRC she wasn’t dead. Moreover they were still around in 2019 under the employ of the Fist.

·         How did Tyler Stone travel to the past?

·         How did Tyler Stone join up with the Fist?

·         How did Tyler Stone rise to what seemed like the leadership of the Fist

·         What happened to Venture and Glorianna?

·         What happened with Miguel’s fellow time traveller who created the new version of X-Factor? Was that really just very loose and light set up for Secret Wars 2099?

·         The payoff for the Alchemax prison facility which was then turned into a terrorist internment facility was...just the place for the final showdown to occur? Really?

Why DID the cure for Tempest’s cancer turn her into an insect monster back in Vol. 2?

Also, not really an unanswered question but the emotional investment into Miguel and Tempest’s relationship is still rather hollow as I talked about back in issue #20. It just kind of feels significant because Tempest has been around since waaaaay back in the backup story from ASM volume 3 #1. Not to mention Miguel’s survival is definitely a dues ex machina.

The harsh truth is the more I think about the resolution of this the more I come to the sad realizing it at best left an awful lot to be desired.

Objectively it’s very problem riddled.

Now that being said...on a pure enjoyment level I did LIKE it.

I don’t think I ever expressed this before, but the reason I started calling posts like this ‘Thoughts’ rather than ‘Review(s)’ like I used to is because, whilst I firmly believe a story can be objectively evaluated, I found it stressful and well...not fun doing it.

Plus I do this blog for me and realized posts like this one are more for me, so I have a record of my thoughts and feelings for these stories.

I’m not saying me liking something or disliking it makes it good or bad objectively. But what I am saying is...well I enjoyed this.

I was disheartened by the lack of pay off to a lot of stuff, but I did enjoy the ride while I was on it.

Let me talk about a few minor things that annoyed me before I end more positively.

So a Pokemon Go parody is intrinsic to the battle to save the future. I dunno, that just feels both on the nose and unearned since Pokemon Go! wasn’t even a thing when this series began. Also Tyler Stone’s motivations were rather underwhelming and Miguel didn’t get enough of a showdown with him. Granted, I guess you could argue said showdown already happened in Secret Wars 2099. He same applies to the Sinister Six 2099, especially Venom given that he is Miguel’s brother from another mother. Furthermore the explanation for who Aisa is, was a tad underwhelming but not illogical as I’ll address later.

Now for positives.

For starters it’s funny that whilst this issue came out in like September 2017, it’s depiction of 2019 wasn’t that far off. The only things it a little wrong was that people aren’t as much into Pokemon Go! as they were in 2017 and Silk to my knowledge doesn’t operate in New York city anymore. But all of those are easily No. Prized so in theory this comic’s depiction of 2019 is actually canon. I think it basically HAS to be or else the Fist’s plan could still happen and Miguel would’ve prevented nothing. Although the Marvel.wiki says otherwise. But they aren’t always right.

My biggest point of praise is in regarding Gabri.

Maybe I was being dense, but I honestly didn’t figure out who he was until he stabbed Tyler Stone with a stinger like Tempest’s.

See, when these issues were coming out I obviously saw the covers of Miguel in his new suit alongside another Spider-Man 2099, one wearing the original red and blue 2099 costume. But I wasn’t paying enough attention to notice the red and blue costume was similar, yet clearly different to the original. I was thinking that it was simply Miguel from another universe, another timeline or another point in time, possibly playing off of the Edge of Spider-Verse issue with the alternate Miguels back in volume 2 issue #5.

But no...this is the son of Miguel O’Hara, the Spider-Man of...well we don’t actually know what year he is from. He’s a time traveller and whilst he’s partnered up with his mother in 2019, he looks to be about Miguel’s age. Giving him a suit similar yet unique to his father’s, with his ‘cape’ evoking his mother’s wings and such was a nice touch. I think PAD in making him a time traveller adds just enough credibility to his powers too as some kind of future technology. I doubt we’ll see much more of this character, but damn I’d like to, even out of his outfit he seems pretty cool.

And if nothing else, I just like that Miguel has a legacy and got to KNOW that.

Another thing I really liked about the structure of the story essentially allowed for there to be two climaxes, one in the future of 2019 where Aisa was the final boss and one in the present of 2017 where Miguel got to settle his business.

Let’s talk briefly about Aisa. So she’s literally one of the Greek Fates. I found this underwhelming, but I can’t say it wasn’t a logical reveal. In fact it justifies the Medea story arc with Elektra as that in hindsight was putting Greek myth on the chessboard for PAD to use later.

In fact these last three issues can be looked at as PAD essentially treating elements across his 2010s Spidey 2099 run (or at least the issues that weren’t mandated events) as chess pieces that came into play here.

·         Back in volume 3 issue #1, Miguel referenced Peter, Silk and Miles being around to pick up his slack. Those 3 saved the civilians under mind control.

·         The Sinister Six and Tyler Stone obviously all showed up in the Sinister Six arc beginning in issue #10, and in particular Tyler was popping up sporadically since the Secret Wars mini

·         Strange 2099 with the help of Cap 2099 ultimately save Miguel’s life and they were showing up before and during Secret Wars

·         Tempest’s insect form was introduced back in v2 #11-12 and was critical to the climax of this story. In fact I love the poetry of Miguel and his father Tyler both dying via stingers, stingers passed down from mother to son no less

·         Sonny obviously was showing up on and off since Secret Wars

·         The Alchemax Prison is something that’s been lingering (and unfortunately was often ignored) since way back in v2 #5

·         I already explained the Greek myth angle

·         Man Mountain Marko has been building a grudge with Spidey since before issue v3 #10

In a sense it was rewarding seeing all this stuff come back into play for the climax, but it definitely could’ve been done better, in a more satisfying way. Frankly, if the Medea story had been cut to 2 issues tops we might’ve had an extra issue to fix some of this stuff.

The final thing I want to talk about is issue #25 specifically. I don’t know if this was intentional, but to me issue #25 read as PAD delivering a microcosm of Miguel.

In various scenes, organically strung together, we see different facets of his personality. The dives are not necessarily deep, but this one issue, for any faults you might find in it’s plot, speaks a lot to who Miguel O’Hara is as a person.

It’s light, it’s subtle but it tells you the cliffnotes.

He’s sarcastic.

He’s sardonic.

He’s not a murderer, but is willing to be violent, willing to kill.

He is on the side of the angels, but is absolutely not one of them.

He values family but they frustrate him.

He’s far from wholesome.

He’s willing to make the sacrifice play for what’s right, for what has to be done.

He faces his own destruction head on.

He has a cynical streak in him.

He’s got anger in him and acknowledges it can compromise him.

He’s smart, both in terms of scientific brilliance and tactical thinking.

Hell even the use of his powers and gadgets (we could include Lyla in that) get one last ride in this issue.

And it’s all capped off with him saving everyone at the cost of his lover, his child and his own life. Only for him to come back to the world he’s saved, his home and ring in the new yea, the new century in factr. 2099 is OVER at last!

But he doesn’t celebrate. But he also isn’t Peter Parker, so he doesn’t somberely mope. He just gets on with it acknowledging what he’s lost, what it was for and rolling his eyes at the fact that the good times aren’t going to last.

And yet...it’s not depressing.

THAT’S Miguel O’Hara to me.

Over all, this arc 100% could’ve been better. But as a fond farewell to the character, possibly even being the last time his creator will ever write him, it was a Hell of a ride.

And for that ride, I thank Peter David and Will Sliney.

[gimmeanaplease-blog]

From Glass Slippers to the Glass Ceiling: 15 Ways Disney has Improved in the Face of our Cultural Shift

Disney has had a long and complicated history with being outdated. Sexism and racism plague the older movies. However, in the past decade it’s been clear that with the shift of public views Disney has been making a run to catch up with the times.

1. Disney’s First African American Princess

Disney’s shift into the new culture all began with their first African American princess. Tiana began as a hard working woman who simply wanted to achieve her dream of owning her own restaurant in New Orleans. With an upbeat attitude and more than a few bumps in the road she meets her prince, falls in love, and defeats the evil witch doctor.

Tiana remains, however, as hardworking as she started out when pursuing her dream. Even when she marries Prince Naveen she doesn’t use her newfound privilege to get her restaurant. Rather she uses the money she’d earned from years working as a waitress in a cafe as well as the allies she’s met along her journey to buy the abandoned building which she envisions as her future restaurant. With her new husband she renovates the place and opens the door to her new life.

2. Breaking Their Own Rules

Merida was Disney’s next great leap into Disney breaking their mold of the standard princess. Merida was messy, ungraceful, and she hated having to act “like a princess”. She’d much rather stuff her face with food, sport her unruly natural hair, and go shooting archery in the woods. Throughout the movie she participates in activities that her mother initially deems unfit for a princess.

In the ultimate act of defiance of the movie, Merida takes off her headwear containing her hair, rips her dress for mobility, and shoots three arrows into their marks in a competition men were engaging in to become her fiance. She obliterates her competition and shows that her hand in marriage isn’t to be won.

3. A Strong Independent Woman

In the past Disney has had heroines that don’t need a man to save them. From Belle to Mulan we saw princesses who saved the day all on their own. Yet time after time we saw they always ended up with their man in the end. Along comes Brave, a story of a young Scottish princess to be betrothed by her family. Merida, however, loathes the concept and in her own act of rebellion she deems that she will be competing for her own hand.

Through a convoluted plot involving bears and family drama at its finest, Merida finds herself at the epicenter of having to repair her broken relationship with her mother. The central conflict isn’t her engagement to a man she just met, it was simply the straw that broke the camel’s back. Even at the end of the movie when we’re expecting the stereotypical happily ever after, Merida remains single. “There are no intimate evenings, sparkling jewelry, dazzling gowns (Merida, in fact, hates her formalwear), sweet gestures or smart give-and-take dialogue that foreshadow a final, emotional kiss. The suitors are simply buffoons, not fit to brush Merida’s flowing red hair, much less match up with her archery skills” (Zakarin, 2012). To add onto the quote from The Hollywood Reporter, Brave didn’t even star any men that weren’t Merida’s family. She was the first true Disney princess to end up without a man at the end of her movie.

4. Prince Smarming

During the climax of Disney’s biggest hit in years we’re expecting a Prince Charming saves the day moment. Anna is about to succumb to a frozen heart so a collective breath holds as Prince Hans leans in to deliver True Love’s Kiss in order to reverse the curse. Then through a head spinning twist, we find out that Hans had been our villain all along.

In Roxane Gay’s Bad Feminist she details the trials of “Prince Charming”, “The man in most fairy tales, Prince Charming in all his iterations, really isn’t that interesting. In most fairy tales, he is blandly attractive and rarely seems to demonstrate much personality, taste, or intelligence. We’re supposed to believe this is totally fine because he is Prince Charming. His charm is supposedly enough” (Gay, 2014). The writers of frozen use this subconscious ideal of what audiences expect of Prince Charming to disguise his true intentions. In reality Hans wants the kingdom and is willing to kill both princesses in order to achieve a spot on the throne.

5. Maleficent and the Me Too Movement

Maleficent is a movie that came out in 2014 depicting the villain of the same name’s side of the famous story Sleeping Beauty. Starring Angelina Jolie, Maleficent is a tragic hero of sorts as when she was young, she fell for her best friend - and future king - Stefan. Stephan’s father, however, had sent his son off to kill Maleficent as she is the queen of the faeries and keeping him from conquering the land. To prove he’s killed Maleficent, Stephan must deliver her wings to his father. Unable to bring himself to kill her, Stephan gives her a sleeping potion while they are together and cuts off her wings in her sleep.

Sound familiar? That is because this scene is meant to depict a rape scene. Writer Linda Woolverton talked openly about the scene with the press, “I had done some research, and the biggest surprise is that she’s a fairy, not a witch. I’ve always wanted to do a dark fairy story. Then I watched that scene where she curses the baby, and I’m thinking “well if she’s a fairy, where are her wings?” Suddenly it was “boom. Lightbulb. Oh! It’s the wings!” Then I worked backward from there to create the Stefan relationship” (Krischer, 2014). The portrayal of the scene is vastly important to culture as only 3 years later, the Me Too movement brought to light the ever present normalization of sexual harassment and assault that women face every year. The fact that an action is so prevalent in society that it has an allusion in a Disney movie is both heartbreaking and incredibly telling.

6. Queer Eye for the Bad Guy

Disney has had a long history of queer coding their villains. The most basic definition of queer coding is using giving characteristics, behaviors, and actions to their characters so that the audience may read them as gay. Often these are stereotypes such as the Lefou's flamboyance, Hades’ sass, or Ursula’s likeness to a drag queen. Now Disney attempted through their movie to depict a gay character in it’s live action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast. However it seems their belief of depicting a gay character is turning Lefou’s flamboyance from a 7/10 to a 12/10. There was even a brief scene of him dancing with a man but if you blink you could miss it. Rani Barker describes how this act is harmful to the LGBT+ community, “The problem, as queer people, is this continues to treat our stories, our yearnings, and our experiences as unspeakable. Something to be whispered, scrutinized and doubted. Keeps it closeted right in front of our faces” (Barker, 2016). It feels like a spit in the face for the first “gay character” in Disney to be such an obvious trove of stereotypes.

All is not lost for Disney’s representation in the LGBT+ community though. Andi Mack, a television show on the Disney Channel features a character that has openly admitted that he is gay and actually approached an arc where he had to come out to his friends. He is not a throwaway character either, he is one of the main characters on the show. Hopefully this character on the small screen will pave the way for proper representation on the big one.

7. Zootopia’s Depiction of Race Relations

Zootopia on the surface appears to be the classic Disney talking animal movie on the surface but underneath the detailed animation and so many puns is an actually complicated statement on race relations. The animals of Zootopia are divided into two types, “predator” and “prey”. As the plot develops Judy, a rabbit cop, and Nick, a civilian fox, discover that there are a series of attacks developing where predators are suddenly “going savage”. As Judy took the lead in the case, she must be the one to talk at the press conference despite them still not knowing the true cause. Chaos ensued as an all out battle broke out between predators and prey.

Not very subtle huh? Charles Pulliam-Moore describes how this scene in particular applies to our society today, “As much as the scene is grounded in the world of Zootopia, it's shot through with elements of many of the real-world police-run press conferences that have followed in the wake of the dozens of high-profile shooting of black people in recent years. Though Judy admits that the ZPD doesn't know the specific details of the case, reporters focus on the few problematic soundbites she feeds them while taking in visuals of rabid, muzzled animals that the police have detained” (Pulliam-Moore, 2016). Both in the movie and in real life it’s media that digs into certain words and forces a fear fueled narrative to cause prejudice in people’s day to day life. Though Zootopia doesn’t quite rise to the ranks in favor of a child’s story happily ever after, it was bold of Disney to try to scale that height in the first place.

8. Realistic Bodies for Women (Finally!)

The proportions for female bodies in Disney has been a rough ride for decades. Since the release of the first princess movie, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Disney has long regulated the eurocentric ideals of beauty with large eyes, full lips, and a ridiculously tiny waist. Momentarily it seemed like we’d seen a shift via Nani Pelekai in the 2002 movie Lilo and Stitch. Nani defied the Disney standards of beauty with a large nose, a darker skin tone, and even a more realistic stomach. Yet as the next princess movies rolled around, they resorted right back to their usual bullshit.

The tide shifted yet again in 2016 with the release of another Hawaiian based film, Moana. Unlike Lilo and Stitch, Moana was a titular film for the company as it was it’s next big “princess movie” after their big hit Frozen. Moana was the soon to be chief of her tribe and she sported everything the princesses of the past hadn’t. Moana had wild hair, a darker complexion, realistic muscle tone for the activities she participated in (climbing and sailing), and much more realistic proportions. Moana brings forth a body type that much more girls see when they look in the mirror than those looking at Ariel or Jasmine.

9. The Importance of Female Solidarity in Feminism

Yet another climax of a film yields an entirely different result. This time the movie we focus in on is Moana. She and the demigod Maui have traveled across the ocean to return the Heart of Te Fiti. They are stopped by a lava monster Te Kā. When all seems lost Moana discovers that not only is Te Fiti missing but Te Kā is not who she appears to be at all.

It is Moana who realizes that Te Fiti and Te Kā are one in the same. Valentina Boré remarks on the importance of solidarity in feminism perfectly reflects Moana’s thoughts as she returns her heart “If we don’t try to understand what our other fellow feminists have gone through, how can we really make a change for anyone at all” (Boré, 2015). She makes the connection that Te Fiti had her heart stolen from her by Maui and thus lost herself. Through Moana’s kindness and comfort for another woman, she is able to save her island.

10. Real Portrayals of Diverse Cultures

Moana and Coco are two of the most recent additions to Disney’s animated movies. Both contain great amounts of respect towards the given culture shown. It is clear that a great amount of research went into both of these films, including featuring songs in the native languages. In Moana the song “We Know the Way” features a large portion in the Tokelauan language while a lot of the songs featured in Coco are Spanish.

Coco, especially is a feat to be admired. Director Lee Unkrich early expressed concern of rejection as he, himself, is not hispanic or even latino. However, to combat this Unkrich and producers opened the film to Latino cultural consultants for criticism and the ability to toss around ideas to better improve the film. This was met with initial outrage by the company since, for the longest time, production was meant to be kept under tight wraps. Producer Darla K. Anderson commented in an interview, “We don’t normally open up the doors to let people in to see our early screenings. But we really wanted their voice and their notes and to make sure we got all the details correct” (Ugwu, 2017). To go against traditions in order to assure that they got the movie correct shows true care and love for their story and what it will mean for other people.

11. The Voices of Coco are All Latinx

Coco was a movie unlike any before it. The Pixar film depicted a Mexican story of a young boy Miguel getting trapped in the land of the dead when he tried to connect with his estranged ancestor who shared his love for music. Coco was based around the holiday Dia de los Muertos and surrounded an entirely Mexican family.

What sets Coco apart from other films of Disney’s past is it’s determination to have an entirely latinx cast. Everyone from the lead Miguel to the featured character of Frida Kahlo to unnamed correction officers are played by latinx actors. Even Princess and the Frog, who had a mostly colored set of characters as well didn’t mimic this action.

12. What Makes a Princess?

Disney, like many other industries, has poked fun at itself more than once. This typically involves a playfully jab at character’s affinity to burst into song. Tangled and Moana alike have teased the song filled musicals but none have been so ruthless to Disney’s archetype of a princess as Wreck It Ralph 2.

Vanellope stumbles upon a trailer full of all the princesses we are familiar with, claiming that she is a princess as well. Naturally, they have to question her. In detailing the scene writers describe, “As the princess encounter evolved, the writers played off the fact that not only do Disney princesses often get kidnapped, but that they are forever gazing into “important waters.” (In their attention to detail, one princess fan at the studio noted to Ribon that Mulan does not look into a puddle, but rather a horse trough. Robin’s enthusiastic response: “Even better!”) The scene also skewers the reliance on a lumbering hunk to solve a damsel’s thorny problem” (Cavna, 2018). While Disney is only making these jokes in jest of their past and how each of the princesses have something in common, it’s nice to see that they’re acknowledging Disney’s untold rules of what makes you a princess. It takes Vanellope affirming that people say her problems were all solved because of a man for the princesses to accept her as so. Ironically, this is the one point that connects all of the princesses together. 

13. Stories About Mental Health

Outside of physical representation Disney has created a rich environment for representation for mental health as well. Inside Out was a movie that told the story of physical manifestations of a girl’s emotions having to deal with making her happy after a cross country move takes her away from familiar surroundings and friends. Throughout the movie it shows clear depictions of Riley, the girl who houses the emotions, experiencing what many people can recognize as depression.

The standout of them all seems to be a Disney creation that isn’t even a full length film. Before every movie Disney airs a Pixar short. This separate story can hold just as much emotion as a full length movie but sometimes the message can be missed completely based on racism alone. Before Incredibles 2, a short called Bao aired. Bao featured an Asian Woman who became the mother of a dumpling that came to life. However, as the dumpling grew older he became more dismissive of the mother while she became more desperate to hold onto her dumpling child. At the climax as the dumpling tries to leave she eats him. Now, any person with half a mind can recognize this as a metaphor for empty nest syndrome. This is a feeling of loneliness and depression that a parent may feel when their child leaves the home. It is revealed at the end that she was reflecting on her relationship with her human son after all. Given, she did not actually eat her son but more than likely got into a nasty fight to push him away.

Yet, some people simply didn’t get it. Rather than recognizing the story as a mother and son fighting and coming together once more; people saw a dumpling and a woman with Asian features and completely shut down. The thing is, they could’ve told this story with any race of mother and son and food of their given area. “Our cultural signifiers might be different, but basic human emotions are an experience that spans all of us as humans on this planet” (Jitchotvisut, 2018). Any mother who cares for their child would experience empty nest syndrome but the creators of Bao chose to make this character Asian and they didn’t need a reason to do so either.

14. Putting a Woman in Charge

After John Lasseter was asked to step down amid accusations of misconduct a new head of Disney Animation was needed and there was only one man for the job, a woman. By the end of 2018, Jennifer Lee would become the new Head of Disney Animation. Only joining in 2011, Lee quickly gained wins under her belt such as being a co-director for Frozen, being a co-writer for Wreck It Ralph, and being a key component to Zooptopia.

Lee marks a change from Disney’s initial brand of vapid misogyny and truly shows how the brand has taken a turn for the better. In response to her promotion she replies, “My hope is to support the incredible talent we have, find new voices, and work together to tell original stories. The great films of Disney Animation — the films I loved as a kid and my daughter has grown up loving — are magical, timeless, and full of heart, and it is our goal to create films that carry on and grow this 95-year legacy for future generations” (Berger, 2018). We should be able to look forwards to seeing these new groundbreaking stories with a woman at the lead of the studio.

15. Using Their Other Brands to Reinforce this New Image

Along the years the empire that is Disney has bought out many other companies. The cultural shift has created a wave that rippled these industries as well. Star Wars and Marvel alike have seen a move towards the society Disney began reflecting in 2009.

Star Wars revived after 10 years of remaining dormant with an all new story with a female at its center. Not only that but 3 of the other new heroes are all people of color: Finn played by John Boyega is an African American man, Poe Dameron played by Oscar Issac is Guatemalan, and Rose Tico is played by Kelly Marie Tran is a Vietnamese woman.

Marvel’s shift took more time but isn’t any less prevalent. Perhaps the most apparent is the bold move to have an almost entirely African American cast for the 2018 film, Black Panther. With a world of research on the culture backing the project the film broke records and earned Marvel it’s first Oscar.

Disney backing these projects reflect it’s turning tide and the world is more than supportive.

Sources

[konyah]

Beginnings

Chapter 5 – Cherry Cake

Summary: Sakura helps Sasuke celebrate his birthday!

Rating: M

Disclaimer: I don’t own Naruto

A/N: I’ve been wanting to write this FOREVER! Sorry it’s been so long! School got busy, I got sick, and then the holidays rolled around lol. Regardless, I feel like this is my best chapter yet!!!!! Hope y’all enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it~

First Chapter HERE | Previous Chapter HERE | Part of Origins series

-

Onyx eyes slowly fluttered open to the scent of smoked fish and miso soup cooking. He rolled over, expecting to find his lover next to him, only to frown at the lack of her absence. Of course, she was by the fire, preparing food. Who else would’ve been preparing a meal?

The shinobi slowly sat up, wiping the sleep from his eyes.

“Good morning, Sasuke-kun.” Sakura smiled warmly at him, flipping one of the filets. “Or, I guess I should say afternoon.”

“Hn.” Sasuke stood up before walking over to her, “You woke up early.” While it was a statement, he meant it more of like a question. He sat down next to Sakura at watched the flames cook their food.

“Yeah. I thought it would be nice to make breakfast for you.” She leaned her head against his shoulder, “After all, it is your birthday.”

“Ah.” He couldn’t help but to lean into her touch; it had become a natural reaction for him, “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” A giggle escaped her lips, “I also have a small gift.”

The Uchiha raised his eyebrows at this. Honestly, he wasn’t expecting much of anything – he couldn’t even remember the last time he received a birthday gift. Sheepishly, Sakura brought out a pair of his pants, pointing to a seam where a hole had previously been.

“I know you’re not really into physical gifts. So I figured you’d want something more practical.” She looked away, “I know it’s not much, bu-“

“Sakura,” His eyes softened, “Thank you.” He took the pants from her. It was such a small gesture, but one he greatly appreciated.

After the two ate their food, they packed up and continued on their journey. They were in a comfortable silence, when they heard a familiar hawk screech as it flew towards them.

Sasuke held his right arm up for the bird to land on, and Sakura daintily grabbed the note that was around its foot. After dismissing the bird, Sakura handed him the note. It had very familiar, messy handwriting.

      Hey Teme! It’s your birthday and I just wanted to wish ya a good one! I hope you have a happy 21st, especially with Sakura-chan! Speaking of which, I’m gonna give you a tip… Consider it a birthday present. You should try showing her some affection. Maybe hold her hand? She really likes ya, y’know.      Anyways, take it easy today!

  N & H

Sakura giggled at the note, Sasuke letting out a snort. If he knew that the two had been sharing a bed for the past 3 months, doing more than just sleeping…

The idea of what his reaction would be was highly amusing to the two.

“Well, we can’t disappoint Naruto, can we?” She chuckled, holding out her hand.

“Hn.” He smiled, weaving his fingers through hers, giving a gentle squeeze.

-

Night quickly arrived for the two, and they decided to settle in a nearby cave. After a typical dinner, Sasuke sat by the fire and watched the flames dance. A few moments later, once finished with cleaning up (she insisted since it was his birthday), Sakura leisurely sauntered over to him. She slowly lowered herself onto his lap, resting her hands behind his neck. She drew gentle, tantalizing circles.

“Your birthday isn’t over yet.” The pinkette teased him with gentle kisses around his ear, hot breath causing goose bumps on his skin, “And I really like you, yknow.” She was quoting their friend with a smile across her lips.

“Is that so?” Sasuke settled his hand on her rear, drawing her closer, a smirk on his own lips.

“Yeah, I like you so much, Sasuke-kun.” She pushed her hips into him on the emphasized word, “I wanna do things with you.”

His pants became tighter, “What kinds of things, Sakura? Be clear.” His voice was almost a hiss as she pushed against him again.

“Naughty, bad things.” Her kisses trailed to his cheek, “I want you take me anyway you want. I want you to make me yours tonight,” She pulled her head away so she could see the desire in his eyes, which was reflected in her own.

“Sa-su-ke,” She stressed each syllable, the last one going up in pitch, “kun.”

Before she could even gather what had happened, Sakura was pushed onto her back. A gasp attempted to escape her mouth, but she was cut off when his lips came crashing down on hers.

Clothes were off in a matter of seconds, practically torn from their bodies. Sasuke kissed down her neck and chest, his tongue flicking out to taste her skin. Her hands gripped his hair when his mouth enclosed around her pert nipple. His right hand gave attention to the other one.

Sasuke’s legs were in between hers, and she used them to relieve the friction where she so desperately wanted him. Getting the picture, he started kissing down her stomach, then past pink curls. He went to kiss her folds, but quickly changed direction and went to her thighs.

“Sasuke!” She protested with a groan, “Don’t be mean.”

“Hn.” He smirked.

“Stop tea-“ She stopped mid-word when he used his index and middle fingers to part her folds.

“You’re wet.” It was a simple observation.

“A-Anata…” She could feel her cheeks flush and heart race.

For good measure, he used his thumb to spread said wetness. He gently pulled his thumb away, a string of her juices following. “Really wet.”

“Please…”

That was all he needed to hear. Sasuke dipped his head and licked painfully slow – from her opening up to her clit. Sakura closed her eyes, and leaned her head back with a small moan. His tongue swirled around the nub just the way she licked. The kunoichi bucked her hips against him, urging him to use his fingers. He kindly obliged.

He could feel her walls tightening, signaling that she was close. Sasuke took his mouth away, causing a moan in objection.

“Sakura. Look at me when you cum.” He kept the pace with his fingers the same. Embarrassed, emerald eyes locked with black and violet. The two maintained eye contact as he continued with his mouth. Her hips continued to buck against his mouth, her breath in sync, growing high in pitch as she got closer. Sakura fought the urge to squeeze her eyes shut as the orgasm rolled through her body, fingers pulling dark locks.

Sasuke’s pace slowed down as he helped her ride out waves of pleasure. However, he never stopped. Confused eyebrows furrowed down at him, unsure by his goal. When he was positive that the sensitivity of her orgasm had faded away, he sped up his ministrations.

Desire slowly began to build up again, his intentions clear. Her mind spun as the intensity of his tongue mixed with the power of his fingers controlled her body.

“Fuuuuck.” Her voiced quivered as she pushed her ass off the ground, reaching for her finish. Sasuke struggled a bit as he raised his head with her, speeding up. Her nails danced between clawing at the ground and pulling his head deeper into her core. Ultimately, they settled with with tugging at his hair.

Breath caught in her throat, she unraveled before him for the second time that night. Her orgasm rolled through her muscles, and she laid back down on the ground.

Sasuke sat up, sliding his fingers out of her with ease. She was panting, chest still red. He held up slightly pruned digits, separating them so she could see the result of their actions. Her eyes met his when he slowly licked the juices.    

“You’re perverted.” Was all she could think to say.

“Hn.” His smirk was devilish.  

Despite her statement, she reached her arm out to him. Locking fingers, he helped her sit up. Sakura’s soft lips quickly met his, letting him know how good he did. As she slipped her tongue in his mouth, she wrapped one hand around his cock. He responded by moaning into her mouth, tightening his grip in her other hand.

She pulled her mouth away from his, their noses still touching. His lips remained parted, panting against her mouth. “Making me cum twice…” She sucked his lower lip, letting it out with a small pop. “I’m the one who’s supposed to be pleasuring you, y’know.” Her pumps picked up in speed.

“Tch. You don’t understand.” Sasuke leaned his head to the side as Sakura kissed down his chest, her hand still relentless. “Making you moan for me, feeling you tighten around me…” Their eyes met as her mouth closed around his cock. “It drives me mad.” His jaw clenched as her little, wet tongue swirled around the sensitive part of him.

His knuckles turned white as he squeezed her hand more. The Uchiha didn’t dare look away as she changed her movements to lick up and down his shaft. The way precum was starting to bead from his slit, the way her eyes looked up at him in the most sinister way (obviously, his words inspired a newfound confidence in her) … it was all way too erotic.  

Sasuke released his grip from her hand, moving it to her neck (but not squeezing). He coaxed her back to his mouth. Though his thoughts were anything but, his kisses were gentle.

As she leaned back, Sakura’s hand reached out beside her to find her pants. Sasuke lifted himself up, allowing her to grab what she was looking for. With a smile, she opened the square packet and removed the latex condom. After she properly rolled it on him, she wrapped her arms around him as he aligned himself at her entrance.

Sasuke could tell that she wanted him to kiss her, but watching her mouth fall open with satisfaction when he pushed inside her was incredibly gratifying. It wasn’t until he was completely within her that he rewarded her with a deep, passionate kiss. He started with a gingerly pace, lazily allowing his cock to burry inside. When she pushed her hips against him, he moved faster.

The two stayed in this position for a while, their body heat, sounds, and scent filling the room. Feeling his climax getting close, Sasuke suddenly pulled out, causing a confused look from Sakura.

“Get on your hands and knees.” He was panting.

Blushing, she did so. This was their first time in a position other than missionary. She was both excited and nervous. He gently pushed her head down, so only her ass was in the air. Sakura turned her head to the side so she could look back at him.

Yeah… He’s definitely a pervert.

Though, when he slowly re-entered her, her moan was anything but innocent. In fact, Sasuke discovered that she was the perverted one with his next few pumps. While massaging her plump asset, still pounding into her, his thumb so-happened to graze her other opening. The gasp that escaped her lips caught his attention and he diverted his gaze her face, ready to apologize for accidentally crossing a boundary.

Instead, she was biting her lower lip, eyes squeezed shut. She didn’t look uncomfortable at all – if anything – he thought she wanted more.

To test the waters again, he ran his thumb over her pert hole, circling around it a few times. She responded by eagerly smacking her ass against him more.

Oh, she wants this? Sasuke retreated his hand and sucked on his thumb. Just when she thought he was done teasing her, the pinkette suddenly felt a second fullness.

Even though the Uchiha only went in to his first knuckle, the hollow moan that she let out echoed off the walls and went straight to his cock.

Before Sakura could comprehend what was happening, her walls tightened around Sasuke, encouraging him to move faster. High pitched moans and curled toes signaled that she was incredibly close.

Coil finally snapping, she dug her nails into the ground. The only reason why Sasuke pulled his thumb out instead of riding it with her was to catch his lover as her quivering legs gave out.

“Fuck, Anata.” She panted, “What was that?”

“Hn.” He chuckled, leaning over to kiss her back, “I could ask you the same.”

“Dirty man…” Sakura rolled over so she could properly kiss him.

“You enjoyed it.”

Instead of making a retort, Sakura snaked her tongue into his mouth. A strong arm went under her back to lift her into his lap. Instead of settling there, he pulled her down so he was on his back and she was on top of him. The look he gave her told her exactly what he wanted.

“Eh?” Emerald eyes went wide as her face flushed, “B-But I don’t know how to be on top…”

“I believe you said that I could take you anyway I want,” He smirked, thumb drawing imaginary circles on her hip, “Am I misquoting you?”

With an embarrassed pout, she pressed him back inside of her. Sasuke used his hand to help her find a comfortable pace that felt good to them. She started out with her hands on his chest, but ended up moving them to his legs to reach a better angle.

The view of her perky breasts bouncing, mouth wide open with gasps, almost made Sasuke unwind right there. However, as her legs were still weak from before, she couldn’t hold this position for very much longer. Before long, she was bent over him with her head against his neck.

Sasuke understood that he needed to move if he wanted to finish with her. Hand on her ass, his pumps became animalistic. He was quickly climbing the steps to completion, but knew that she still had a while to go. To speed things up, he brought his hand around to her pink curls and used his finger to apply pressure to her clit.

She clenched around around him, moaning his name. For the fourth time that night, she came around him. This time he joined her, with sweet grunts leaving his lips.

Completely spent, Sakura practically collapsed on top of him, causing his member to slip out of her. Sweat caused their bodies to cool down and their breaths eventually returned to natural.

“What inspired all of that?” Sakura nuzzled into his neck. His arm wrapped around her.

“You.”

She snorted, “I meant what you did with your thumb.”

“You practically begged for it.”

“Did not!” She sat up, pouting.

This time he chuckled, “Did you like it, though?”

Eyes darted away from him. Wasn’t the answer to that obvious?

“Sakura.” He grabbed her attention again, “Thank you for spending my birthday with me.”

Of course, Anata,” She kissed him with a giggle, “We should go to bed, though. I’m exhausted.”

Sasuke agreed, and the two got comfortable for the night, getting out blankets to keep them warm.

“Goodnight, Sasuke-kun.” Sakura closed her eyes, “I love you.”

He responded by gently tapping her forehead.

Next Chapter

[btsiguess]

This Is Just To Say (m) - 6

Summary: To say it’s unusual to have a soulmate is an understatement, and most people desperately wish to have an elegant name scrawled upon their wrist. In reality though, you’d have to say it causes much more issues than it solves.

Pairing: Yoongi/Reader (Jungkook/Reader ; slight Namjoon/Reader)

Genre: Fluff, Smut, Angst

Word Count: 3879

Warnings: Smut, but never with who we all wish it would be with god DAMN it.

A/N: Here have a garbage soulmate/college au that no one asked for.

Chapters: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

“Jungkook,” you mumble out between kisses, “Jungkookie we have to get going or we’ll be late.”

You feel Jungkook smile against your lips but he doesn’t pull away, instead he takes the opportunity of your frustrated huff to slip his tongue into your mouth. He’s got you perched on the desk in his room, the homework that he had previously been doing there now scattered haphazardly on the floor around you.

It had been a while since you had last seen your boyfriend, at least for more than a few minutes. He had been at practice almost always for the past few days, and you had been up to your neck in midterm papers. Jungkook was definitely struggling too, with trying to balance his homework, his practice, and you -- and so while it pained you, you had started to extricate yourself from him just a bit. You wanted him to do well. If that meant not seeing you as often as you would’ve liked you were willing to deal with it.

Finally though, you were both free. The baseball team had won their series of games, and had a bit of a break as a reward. Jungkook obviously had been the star player, as usual, and you smile fondly underneath his lips as you remember the way Jungkook had pushed passed the group that had gathered around him to congratulate him after this last game in order to embrace you.

You’re caught up in the way his lips move against yours, and what started out as an innocent peck has now escalated into something much less proper.

You gasp and your boyfriend begins to kiss down the column of your neck and your hands alternate between pulling him closer and trying half-heartedly to push him away.

You had made plans to get dinner with everyone. Since Jungkook and you had become an official couple, it had been so easy to pull away from your friends and just hole up with him, but you weren’t about to be that guy. Your plans started in fifteen minutes, and the little diner you had chosen was a twenty minute walk from the dorms.

“Jungkook,” you try again, “We have to go.”

“C’mon babe,” he says, “we can be quick. Please, I need you.”

He accompanies his statement with a slight thrust of his hips, so you can feel his desire against you. Your breath hitches at the feeling, and heat floods in your core. You had been hoping to take your time with Jungkook later, to really savor the way his body felt against yours, but you knew that there was no way you could wait after this.

Jungkook doesn’t stop kissing your neck as you think it through, and with each swipe of his tongue you can feel your resolve crumbing. Your boyfriend lets his hands slide down over your waist, to push up the skirt you’re wearing before fumbling to undo his pants and he briefly stops his ministrations along your neck to look into your eyes.

“Is this okay?” He asks and you can’t help but nod. The idea of sitting through dinner while you’re aching for your boyfriend seems like useless self torture.

Jungkook pushes your underwear to the side and presses two of his fingers into you, and you gasp at the feeling of being so full. Your boyfriend’s fingers are long and skilled, and they curl deliciously in all the right places. You don’t have the time to fully appreciate it though, and soon you’re grasping his hand and tugging him forward to press your mouth against his.

“Kookie,” you gasp between kisses, “please put it in, I can’t wait anymore. And we’ve got to hurry.”

Jungkook just nods, shifting his member out of his underwear and pressing it inside you as slowly as he can managed in your rushed state. The stretch is a bit uncomfortable, since you haven’t been with him in a few weeks, but ultimately the feeling makes your head spin pleasantly.

“Fuck, babe.” Jungkook says lowly, “you’re so fucking tight. I’ve missed you so much.”

You wrap your legs around his back and pull him into you deeper. You both groan loudly at the feeling and suddenly Jungkook’s hands come down to your hips to pull you closer to the edge of the desk. He begins thrusting into you, starting slow and gaining speed rapidly, and it isn’t long before you’re writhing against him, arching your back and shifting your hips in the hopes that you might get closer to him.

Every slide and drag of his hips has your head reeling and you can’t focus on anything other than how good he feels inside of you. The desk is thumping on the wall behind you as Jungkook thrusts into you harder and harder. You can distantly hear the sound of your own moans falling from your lips, but it’s hard to control yourself with the way Jungkook is moving his hips inside you. He seems to like the noises you’re making to, and he abruptly leans forward to nip and suck at the juncture just below your ear.

The change in angle this causes had him brushing up against your G-spot and you feel your orgasm mounting.

“I can feel you clenching around me,” Jungkook whispers in your ear, “are you going to cum for me?”

You can’t think coherently enough to reply, but your boyfriend doesn’t seem to mind. He simply reaches his hand between you to rub and pinch at your clit, hurdling you towards your climax.

“Come on babe,” he says, “I want you to cum.”

Your vision whites out momentarily as your orgasm hits, Jungkook doesn’t stop thrusting into you as you ride out wave upon wave of pleasure, and it isn’t until you catch his wrist in your hand that his merciless onslaught against your clit stops.

“Jungkook,” you gasp, as he keeps thrusting into you, “Kookie I’m too s-sensitive.”

“I’m close babe please,” he begs, “I can’t stop. I’m going to cum.”

You nod your head and your body swims in overstimulation. Jungkook’s hands are rough on your hips as he chases his high. Your hands come up to tangle themselves in his hair, and he kisses you without slowing his movements. Suddenly he strikes that spot within you again, and in your sensitive state that alone is enough to rip your second orgasm from you. There’s no build up to the pleasure, but again your body clenches down around Jungkook.

“Fuck, fuck.” Jungkook whimpers as he follows you over the edge, filling you with his cum.

“H-holy shit.” He gasps, as he pulls out of you, resting his head on your shoulder while he catches his breath. “That was amazing, babe. You’re amazing.”

You nod as you try to bring your legs down. Jungkook stumbles to the bathroom cleaning himself off before helping you as best he can.

You stand shakily, and Kookie puts his arm around your waist to steady you. You glance down at your watch and groan. You were so late.

You flatten down Jungkook’s hair one last time before entering the diner, trying to make it look at least slightly presentable.

“Jungkook do I look okay?” You ask nervously, adjusting your shirt for the thousandth time. He catches your hands in his, bringing them to his lips to kiss them.

“You look fine, babe. Don’t worry. They might make fun of us but at least we’ll be in it together.”

“Yeah but--”

“Come on, it’s just our friends. Let’s just go in. We’re late enough already.”

You mumble quietly under your breath about how the reason that your late is because of Jungkook, but he just smiles at you. He wraps his arm around you and pulls you inside the diner. It’s not hard to locate your friends in the restaurant’s small interior, and as you approach the table, the group cheers loudly, clapping at the fact that you are finally here.

“Sorry we’re late.” You apologize as you take a seat next to Namjoon.

“No worries,” Namjoon shoots back, “I just hope the sex was worth it.”

“With Jungkook?” Taehyung interjects, “she probably didn’t even --”

“Hey! Woah!” You say, “S-shut the fuck up, Tae.” You could feel your cheeks heating up and you glanced at Jungkook. His face was red as well, and you let your head fall into your hands as Jimin and Hoseok both congratulated your boyfriend on getting lucky.

Eventually, the din dies down and you steal a glance from out behind your hands. Your eyes immediately lock with Suga, his heady gaze sending a shiver up your spine and you straighten up quickly. There’s something utterly unreadable in the dark orbs meeting your own; some underlying emotion to deep and complex for you to comprehend.

The boys around you are chatting—still about your sex life—but you can’t hear them. You’re too busy drowning in Suga’s eyes. He doesn’t seem eager to break the contact either, his mouth quirking up at you in a small smile. He nods slightly at you, as if to get your attention, and then his eyes shift. You feel suddenly empty from the absence of his gaze but then you’re torn from your internal musings by Taehyung’s riotous voice.

“See Kookie! She’s not answering!”

“B-babe!” Jungkook cries a little hurt, and you glance at him.

“What? What’s going on?” You ask, quickly placing a hand on your boyfriend’s shoulder to comfort him.

“They were asking,” Suga says, “if Jungkook had made you cum.” The words sound so sinful coming from the older boys lips, and you suddenly feel heat pool in your core. The way Suga had asked sounded like a challenge, and you felt wholly out of your depth.

“Your silence seems to be an answer in and of itself.” The boy continued, before arching an eyebrow.

“That’s not true!” You say quickly. “He, he did make me… you know.”

“Cum?” Suga asks and you feel Jungkook tense next to you as he watches your interaction with the other boy. You hope that the blush on your face is mistaken for embarrassment instead of the odd arousal you’re feeling and the raucous teasing from the other boys lets you know that they’ve not caught on to the faint heat flickering in your belly.

“Y-yes.” You stutter out, “Actually I finished twice.”

The table erupts into hoots and hollers and Jungkook hides his face in your shoulder.

“Babe,” he mutters, “this is so embarrassing!”

“Why Kookie? I’m just telling them how good you are in bed.” You tease, despite the way embarrassment rolls in your stomach as well, welcoming the feeling if it means shedding the confusion caused by Suga.

“But still it’s embarrassing…” Jungkook mutters.

“Maybe next time you’ll think twice about making us late then!”

“Can we please change the subject?” He asks and you lean your head onto his shoulder, laughing. You feel his shoulder shake a little too, and so you know all is forgiven.

“Let’s talk about how we could be in philosophy club right now, listening to Zach talk out of his ass for like two fuckin’ hours.” You say, and Namjoon nods.

“Yeah, but I miss the arguing…” Joonie says. “Arguing with you is no fun. You always win.”

You beam at him for a moment, before you hear Suga’s slight scoff.

“Speak for yourself, Namjoon. Seems to me last time Y/N and I went toe to toe, I came out on top.”

You simply stick your tongue out at him, not wanting to cause a scene and to your surprise Suga returns the gesture, smiling widely at you.

Your heart flutters at the somewhat unnatural display of softness, and you can feel your cheeks heat a bit. It seems that when you’re around Suga you’re always blushing.

“Namjoonie,” you say, “let’s argue. For old times sake.”

Namjoon nods and thinks for a moment.

“Mmm, I got one. Do you think morality is based on ultimate moral truths or do you think it comes from a selfish place?” He asks you.

“Oh, it comes from a selfish place, man. Absolutely.”

“Aish. I agree. How about… Oh, I have one for your cynical ass: do you think people are inherently good or do you think people are inherently bad?”

You don’t need much time to think before you reply, “Inherently bad.”

“Now we’re talking.” Namjoon says, slamming his hand down on the table. “I think they’re inherently good.”

Taehyung, too, hits his hands on the table, creating a drumroll.

“Step right up!” He cries, in a fake smarmy old time circus ringleader voice “Watch the biggest event of the year, nae, the century! The greatest debate perhaps of all time!”

“Who will win?” Jungkook chimes in, in an equally as obnoxious tone, “Will it be Namjoon? Will it be the lovely Y/N?”

“It’ll be Y/N!” Tae interrupts before the two boys start a quick exchange, each playing off the other in a clean cut way that makes you think they’re well practiced at dual mockery.

“Place your bets now!”

“Choose your sides!”

“You can only get it here, folks!”

“The battle is about to begin!”  

The table is quiet for just a moment until you let out an unbecoming snort. The rest of the table joins in, until you’re being shushed by the other patrons of the small diner. Suga quickly flips the party poopers off, and you giggle quietly at the way they shrink back from his cool glare.

Taehyung hops a little in his seat. “Who wants to give their opening statement first?”

“Wait!” Jungkook interrupts again. “Who agrees with who?”

“I agree with Namjoon!” Jimin pipes up, and the rest of the boys at the table nod their heads in agreement. Including Jungkook. Including Suga.

“Are you kidding me?” You cry at the seven boys in front of you, who merely shrug their shoulders helplessly.

“This is just like that one time in tenth grade when Miranda Arluah forced me to go to Bible study in order for her help on an essay I was writing, and then just made me sit there while all of the kids tried to get me to believe in God for two hours. Fuck you guys.”

The boys all chuckle, apart from Jungkook who gazes at you desperately.

“I’m sorry, babe! I can be on your side if you want!”

You laugh too, placing a small kiss to your boyfriend’s cheek. “Nah, Kookie. That’s okay. I like a good challenge.” He smiles down at you and gives you a small nod.

“So, Y/N,” Tae says, “since you’re the underdog in this game you can decide who has to talk first. You or Namjoon.”

“Joonie.” You say immediately. You hate going first.

Namjoon wastes no time, cracking his neck dramatically before beginning.

“I think people, generally speaking, are inherently good. If they weren’t, then really what would stop us from just doing whatever we wanted? We as a society have begun to hold ourselves accountable for our transgressions, and that isn’t based in self interest. It’s based in the desire to be better. Morality may be selfish, but it can still be good. Sure, there are some evil people in the world. There are people who do horrible things, but ultimately, we as a society can collectively recognize that some things are bad and some things are good. Because we can differentiate between the two, and have decided on the whole to pursue being good, I’d say that means our goodness is inherent. And that it’s also altruistic.”

As Namjoon comes to a close the whole table claps, keeping up the pretenses of an incredibly intense debate. You snicker at the boys antics before steeling yourself for a moment, preparing your argument in your head.

This was always a thrill for you--right before a debate. You knew there was no way that you’d change Namjoon’s opinions around, you were fighting to persuade the other boys. If you could just change one of their minds, you would be the winner. At least in your mind.

“Y/N, you’re up.” Tae says.

“Okay. I first want to dispel the idea that everyone being inherently bad is a negative thing. Having our tendencies lean towards the ‘bad’ doesn’t make us bad people. We are made, as human beings, to feel selfish. That’s what allows you to survive. Without that selfish instinct, we would all fail. You can talk all you want about how without being inherently good we would basically just act like vicious animals, but I don’t think that’s true. Even when we are acting in accordance with societal rules we’re doing so out of selfishness. And even beyond that I think that viewing the world from my perspective is the more positive outlook! If you think that everyone is inherently bad, then when people do good things it’s much more profound and significant since it means they actually had to consciously make the decision to be good. If people are inherently good, then we have to choose to be bad. And I think that’s so much worse.”

Namjoon goes to open his mouth again, but the waitress comes up. She places the check down on the table in a huff, even though your group hadn’t requested it. You all laugh at the passive aggressive action, making sure to tip extra for the poor woman’s struggle. Then you all clean yourselves up and begin to see yourselves out, promising that the rest of the debate can wait until another day.

As you walk out of the diner, Jungkook is pulled away from you by Namjoon. The older boy wraps an arm around your boyfriend, muttering something about needing to speak with him before he’s whisked away. Before you can truly find yourself alone, though, Suga is beside you. You two are trailing behind the others slightly, walking slowly so that Namjoon and Jungkook will be able to catch up with you once they’re finished. With no other eyes on the two of you, Suga lets a small smile grace his lips as he looks down at you. You reciprocate eagerly, enjoying the slight tingle you feel at being the one to make Suga act so differently.

“I liked what you said in there, you know.” Suga tells you and you glance up at him.

“What? In the debate?”

“Yes. I don’t think you quite changed my mind, but it’s sort of beautiful… the way you see things.”

By now you have both simply stopped walking, preferring to wait for your other companions while having a direct conversation. You bring your hands up to your face gently, hoping that your hands might be cold enough to cool the heat Suga’s words bring to your cheeks. Suga reaches out gently and takes one of your hands in his, pulling it away from your face. He quickly replaces your hand with his own, his cold fingers cooling the skin much more rapidly than yours ever could. His hand lingers on the side of your face for just a moment before pulling away, and you swear that his touch must have burned you because you’re face is on fire.

“Sorry.” He mumbles. “Your face is really red, you know.”

That didn’t help.

“You’re not supposed to say it, Suga. You’re supposed to pretend you don’t notice!” You scold playfully, though his words do make your stomach tumble with embarrassment.

“Why not? You look pretty when you blush. I think I should point it out.”

Your heart somersaults in your chest and you desperately wish you could be anywhere but here. Anywhere but with this tantalizing boy in front of you, while you wait for your actual boyfriend to come bounding out from somewhere to put his arms around you.

You feel guilty as you smile up at Suga. You can tell you two are standing much too close than is strictly necessary, but you don’t pull back and you don’t drop his stare.

At least not until you hear the muffled sounds of Namjoon and Jungkook coming towards you.

You and Yoongi both take a step backwards each looking up to await the return of your friends. Jungkook approaches you with a strained smile, eyeing the older boy standing next to you wearily. Suga’s eyes don’t leave the ground, and he scuffs his foot against the pavement a few times. Namjoon too, is oddly quiet and you wonder briefly if you’ve missed something.

“Uh, guys. You all good? Got something you want to tell me?” You ask, laughing nervously. “Is this an intervention? I swear I only did coke once and it was on a dare.”

The boys remain silent.

“That was a joke I’ve never done coke, I’m sorry for making a joke about drug addiction it’s a really devastating illness.”

Jungkook simply wraps his arm around you, before pulling you away from the other two men. His arm is tight around your waist, but you manage to spare one last look behind you. Your eyes meet Suga’s and there’s harsh emotions resting there. He looks almost upset. Almost angry. Almost jealous. But you quickly shove that thought out of your head, letting Jungkook drag you away without complaint.

It’s only when the two of you arrive back to his dorm that he allows you to extricate yourself from him. You turn to gaze at him, taking in his distraught face before you ask, “Kookie, what’s the matter? Have I done something wrong?”

Jungkook sits down on his bed, pulling you so you’re standing between his parted knees.

“No, babe, no. Namjoon… Namjoon just really pissed me off.”

“What happened? Please tell me?”

Jungkook pauses for a moment, biting down on his lip.

“He just pointed out the way Suga looks at you. The way he acts when you’re around is different… Namjoon says he has a thing for you.”

You feel your stomach drop at your boyfriend’s words. You don’t allow yourself to feel anything other than panic at Jungkook’s statement, knowing that if you analyzed your feelings too deeply you would be the one in trouble.

“It doesn’t matter Jungkook.” You tell him, and he wraps his arms around your waist, hugging you tightly.

“It does matter. I don’t like the way he looks at you. It’s like he feels you belong to him.” Jungkook practically growls out the words, and you’re momentarily surprised at his display of jealousy. You rake your fingers through his hair gently, leaning down to kiss the top of his head. He relaxes slightly under your soothing gestures.

“Jungkook, it doesn’t matter if Suga likes me. It doesn’t matter if he thinks he’s got some weird hold on me. Because he doesn’t. I’m yours, Jungkook. Just yours.”

While there’s meaning behind your words, and feelings, you know that you’re not being completely honest with the boy burrowed into your abdomen. You know that Suga’s attention affects you, even if you’re not quite sure what that means. But you also know you care desperately for your boyfriend, and wouldn’t let anything jeopardize that.

You feel bad about lying, you do. But what can you say? Aren’t humans inherently bad anyway?

A/N: Hey long time no see. Yeah nerds I finally updated my fic and now my eyes feel like they’re going to bleed because I’ve been writing ALL damn day. Not just fic. School too. Fricken SChool. FricKEN MidterMs HElp me.

Y’all know my favorite girl @gimmesumsuga was my editorrrrrrrrrr.

[odrseasonone]

The Fates of My Characters

so, for many of them, i hadn’t made up my mind precisely what would happen to my characters, but for some i have.  i think it’s always a good idea to keep these sorts of things in mind when writing (and ofc just bc something worked for the rp doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll work for a series obv but yeaH) so just as a refresher, here’s what i was thinking!!  my more recent characters...idk...but w my older characters, i generally have ~some idea but yeah obv all of this can be changed!! really only cassius, charles, and avelina MUST die bc even dezod could just be locked in some ~chamber of eternal torment~ or whatever if it turns out that’s what works best.  im going to put them in two categories - decided and undecided - but really that just means ~general idea~ vs ~100% open~

DECIDED

vincent alainon

dies probs bc of dmitrei given his general trajectory lbr hahaha but idk

not before we get some sort of climax over his whole situation tho but whether or not that’s wrapped up happily idk

cordelia arrington

learns the truth! has a terrible fight w her bro! probs never sees him again and then feels super guilty when he’s gone *waves flag*

def eventually fights against rowena tho!!

her claim is def also always hanging over her - in both good and bad ways and both as pawn and stateswoman at different times

may or may not rule/be proclaimed queen asp

cris barret

should’ve been a dragonrider but his wife died on their wedding day so he wouldn’t be bc his bro betrayed them all #yay

has lots of fun depressing adventures

probs dies at the end and is reunited w ana in death but not before lots of suffering and angst transpires *another sarcastic yay*

*broods*

but yeah not 100% decided on this either but i caN see him falling to his death from a dragon or something gratuitous like that lajsdf

avelina beaumont

dies but close to the end, having (whether literally or figuratively) lost all her daughters and everything she holds dear...

except that one thing which is dearer to her than all others: her ability to hate alex - that she will always have ;D

evie beaumont

dies, most likely (indirectly) bc of her mother and/or her claim

most likely either falls to her death or is burned at the stake bc im mean af

but not before discovering her courage and gumption and doing her utmost to help aragoth!! 

(how effective she is on a more than personal level idk but props for effort!)

i’d also like her to go on some sort of adventure incognito a la [ this post ] possibly while traveling to the south or smth

esp given how that same journey went for celia ;D

but whether or not her compatriots know who she actually is - or even that she’s not a man - or are trying to help her idk

either way hijinks and hilarity and adventures ensue and she gets to be brave and go places and see and do things <3

i actually have a whole bunch of conflicting ideas about this journey so ladjflkjdskf

may or may not end up marrying anyone after all but deF gets offered around as we already know hahaha

cedric boleyn

i was gonna kill him but then lauren wanted kate to strike a deal w dezod to resurrect him

probs dies saving someone or something heroic and tragic like that

which im cool w but if he returns, he doesn’t come back the same...

probs comes back w a mission to kill roran bc dezod isn’t a faN

then he has to be killed all over again probs so thaT’S fun too

jesper dalmas

100% dead man walking tbh

but won’t conveniently die until he’s caused lots of trouble and accidentally forced lynessa and avelina to go north etc

esp bc they can’t really kill him now bc they killed jon and they can’t have bodies piling up...

charles degrey

100% dies heroically - possibly by cassius’ hand, possibly in some way defending roran or something

dezód destriksyon

obv he dies at the end bc we know roran is his undoing (but whether or not roran is the one to kill him idk?)

but not before something climactic goes down between him and rowena and safira and ric!!

whether separately or all at once idk

cassius montagu

100% dies may or may not pull a vader and kill rowena and/or show someone else how to first tho - rhaegar also dies

may or may not somewhat redeem himself towards the end

lucian moran

dies - its just a question of hoW

possibly killed as an offering to the demon god so that’s fuN

loys mortain

cries ;D

no but i feel like he probs lives and gets to be reunited in the end w his one true love - keys <3

but his death may or may not be faked or whatever idk

also never consummates his marriage w celia but he doES (and don’t let any children read this!) hold her hand at least once!

racy stuff

rochilda thaon

dies - possibly killed as a sacrifice to the demon god, possibly by rowena or dezod or something?????

osmund urry

dies but is cool w it

i mean, he’s not suicidal, he’s just... ‘its my time’ or whatever its more bittersweet than tragic

jon valles

stabbed to death at his own wedding - it’s the best day in aragothi history

adela vipont

is forced to actually look the world in the eye asp but mostly she’s just ridiculous smdh <3

probs has to ultimately make a decision that forces her out of her comfort zone to do the right thing™

normand vipont

dies just a question of how and when

probs has some sort of entanglement w the pirates asp bc of the seafaring thing and we need a naval battle ;D

may or may not ever make any headway in his goals????

emylyna vipont

probs dies but not before somewhat redeeming herself hopefully???

UNDECIDED

edmund browne

probs ends up somehow embarking on a quest/emotional journey for which he is 100% unprepared tbqh

ivette bryant

becomes a dragonrider w a green dragon <3

does her utmost to help others gain freedom as she has done - wether literally or figuratively

her ultimate fate tho is a mystery - who knows maybe shE falls from her dragon instead of cris maybe she lives idk

lena castillon

will probs finally get to travel!!!

beyond that idk

dominick fletcher

idk but i do know that nothing good is on its way ;D

roderick fray

a hot mess, fucks around, makes things worse, eventually grows into something more hopefully

possibly dies?????

james garin

is a lil shit first, last, and always ;D

no but idk what happens to him exactly in the end hahaha

comes back to the south 

tries to become a better man!!!

tristan lanquetot

rides off into the sunset w ophelia probs to heal but idk might die to expunge all those murders #yikes

roseline l’archer

brigitte mortain

honestly probs dies doing something stupid but whether that’s before or after the story ends idk ;D

may or may not marry

if she does marry rob, she 100% runs away/tries to run away and/or tries to poison him #facepalm

radulfus osmunt

isabella quincy

can see her burning, can see her saving someone, can see her redeeming herself (those not mutually exclusive obv)

can also see her living??????? idk

andrya rience

most likely gets some kind of comeuppance/punishment but probs lives??????

lysander stafford

eventually gets his - both literal and figurative - story straight but from there idk

warin thorel

100% makes armor and/or swords or something for the new dragonriders

100% does something dramatic w those arms before them probs

beyond that tho idk?????

aymon vaux

is a dumbass till the end but idk when that’ll be - whether during the storyline of odr or later hahaha

remon vipont

undecided but im leaning towards death tbh

deF strives v much, has a whole lot of angst about his child if/when he learns of her true paternity, etc

joffrey vymont

travels all over the place!! makes tons of mistakes!!

gresilda wystan

[redscullyrevival]

Fool’s Fate: The Tawny Man Rundown

@sonnetscrewdriver I’ve moved on to Dragon Keeper!

Plot/Setting/Narrative

Jesus

Okay

Holy shit???

I need a moment

Alright, so lets start easy

Being the Age of Sail nerdo I am this book’s voage bits were amusing and then a bit dissapointing; an apprecaition of sailing and living the sailor LifeStyle isn’t really a Six Duchies thing it seems, huh?

I was SO excited with getting a glimpse of my precious Bingtown babies in the last book that I was stoked for a high sea adventure in this book but wah waah mostly it was sea sickness and brooding 

Honestly I let myself down because this is a Fitz story and, well, how else would the sea be depicted?! LOL 

Poor Thick

Poor everyone for the most part, yikes

Farseer had a lot of mystery to it, a lot of slow burn world building/concept reveal with answers eventually given; Liveship Traders showed it’s cards on the table for the most part but thrived of the suspense of all the threads coming together or possibly unraveling; Tawny Man is the first series where I understood events before the characters did, the results of which made the series much more subdude than the last two. 

Not in a bad way, just, ya know, different. 

“Life Is Change” is very obviously the big overarching connecting theme between the Realm of the Elderling series and I only have praise for the fact each series has it’s own distinct tone and approach to the same (and shared) characters - it’d be a hallow utterance if the book narratives themselves did not change and grow series to series. 

The change in Tawny Man is big; it’s big for the narrative space and it’s big for Fitz and it’s big for the reader.

And you can accept the change or reject it, that’s a option we as the reader has.

I choose to embrace it.

But oh man, oh my god, I will miss The Fool. I’ll miss “Fitz and The Fool” as a unit. I know there is a new series and I’ll get to it eventually but I’ve got four Rain Wild books (YAY!) before I come back to Fitz and his part of the map so this is a solid goodbye for a while and it feels odd to part with them in the place we do.

Odd, but new. 

I’m talkin’ out my butt - I’m a little sad okay?! But I’m happy too. 

And I think that’s what this book was going for; a kind of reaffirmation that life and change is hurt and happiness and a lot of effort went into guiding readers through feeling that message as well as understanding it on an informative level.  

Ultimately I enjoyed Tawny Man more than Farseer, it’s just much more my-type-of-story. 

I never really agreed with/bought into Fitz’s choices within much of the Farseer Trilogy. I understood Fitz’s logic of course, so his choosing to let expel his pain and hide away (and all the other choices along the way) were not make or break issues for me; there is much to enjoy simply being along for the ride.

But with Tawny Man it was very satisfying for me to see Fitz come back again and again to his past decisions and not cast them off as impervious to change or impossible to face. 

That’s a beautiful message.  

I embrace that message very much in my mind and I will try to embrace it within my own life as well. 

And this isn’t relevant to anything but a little thing I’d like to preserve for my own amusement: This was the first book I’ve ever read on a Kindle! Lee got me one for my birthday for my “Year of Book” project. It took a little time get use to but once I adjusted I really enjoyed it - particularly the fact that if you are reading a borrowed book from an online library it shows you what others have highlighted as they read! I found that very interesting and I enjoyed highlighting my own favorite bits (which, not shockingly, coincided with many other people’s favorite bits).

For Rain Wild Chronicles I may start a new section for these write ups where I relay some of my highlighted sections, ‘cause why not? These are already long and useless, might as well really own them. 

Fitz

I know there is a lot we could talk about when it comes to Fitz in this book 

But I kinda already covered him in the setting/plot/narrative section above

And I really just want to let anyone bothering to read this know that I’ve never liked Fitz more then when he cleaned up and donned fancy Jamaillian digs and walked into Molly’s family chaos to tell a grieving family he is FitzChivalry Farseer and he’s gonna look after them.

I was shocked and horrified and thrilled and laughing

Fitz truly changed! It wasn’t just description of his inner change (although that was lovely, good for The Fool, thank you Fool) but the end of the book drags a bit as it does so as to allow Fitz to act on this inner change - which is something I’ll never hold against Hobb. 

So many books end quickly after their narrative climax but Hobb likes a good post cuddle and god bless her for it. 

Cutting a story off after the final movements have played is dramatic and can help events stand out as an experience in an audiences mind; but there is unique pleasure in seeing the individuals of an orchestra pack up their belongings and shuffle out isn’t there? There is a true affection for humanity’s relentless plodding along in those final chapters. Fine by me. 

The Fool

): 

So I freaked out towards the end there, ya know? 

And much like with when it happened to Fitz, a part of me thought it a cruel thing to do, to bring someone that far gone and that brutalized back.

I understood the thematic ouroboros of The Fool’s return and as a fan it was a relief of sorts but there is still that small part of me that found it cruel all the same.

I’m floored with how moved I was by the aftermath of the Fool’s death. Fitz’s quest to find the body and then to restore dignity to his friend - that was some rough stuff. 

It wasn’t “true grief” like with Nighteyes (for me anyways) but rather a form of anticipatory mourning, but in reverse? Hard to explain.

The point is yes, I cried.  

Oh oh oh how I hope The Fool can learn to manage in a world they can’t see into or shape. I hope to see the Fool again after visiting the Rain Wilds. 

Hap

lol

fuckin’ Hap

I love this idiot 

I love how all around Hap epic and fantastical things happen and his story is just him coming of age and figuring his shit out

Good for him

Does he know who Fitz really is though?! This was never addressed?! 

Prince Dutiful

Dutiful cracks me up

I love how he’ll go into PRINCE MODE and be near perfect Sacrifice and royal and awe inspiring 

then he laughs at boogers

Dutiful is hilarious to me, how I see him switch back and forth between mature young prince to out-of-his-depth-survivor brought me much joy

I love his friendship with Thick; I love how he falls for Elliania’s transparent baiting; I love how he’d be cool outwardly but skill “WTF is happening?!?”

What a joy! 

Chad

In the last book Chad really slipped through my fingers but now we’re back to our normal rocky relationship.

I like Chad

but then I don’t

And I think, finally, I’m okay with that duality 

Thick

My sweet little man

Everything about Thick is my favorite thing

I especially love how he is often described as being bored

Discussing intrigue and espionage and dragons? BORED 

Hahaha!

No wonder he and Nettle get along so well

I especially loved how he decided, for himself, to stay with Fitz on  Aslevjal

I’m excited to come back and hear more, learn more, about Thick

Nettle

I wouldn’t wanna be on Nettle’s shit list, would you?

What a storm of a person!

Nettle isn’t very defined still, she is a bit reactionary and never quite gets totally fleshed out by the end of the book. 

Which is a bit of a shame.

But! Nettle of the Dream World is a different story. 

She feels much more defined there and I dunno, maybe that’s intentional?

I like her but I’d have to spend a lot more time with her in the solid narrative space rather than the abstract dream/skill narrative space to really have opinions or emotions over her as her own character rather than her as a character and how she relates/involves/moves Fitz, Burrich, Molly, or Thick.  

Elliania

Elliania has a similar disadvantage as Nettle does but at the same time she still has more definition (to me) then Nettle; her motivation and actions are followable and her personality is filled in with Outisland society.

And she ain’t afraid to smack a bitch up with her titties out.

So she gets some mad bonus points right there.

I really felt for Elliania’s struggle and she totally won me over in the scene where she comes up from inside the Pale Woman’s domain dragging her forged sister and mother with her.

One of those scenes where the grandure, emotion, and awe of it all was very powerful

loved it, love her

Web

YEAH

Don’t need permission to do what’s right - fuck yeah

Web’s the friggin’ best guys

I want a spin-off of him teaching Old Blood children and Fitz

Swift

This little shit

I love him, I love all of Molly and Burrich’s wild children, but Swift gave me anxiety lol

I’m actually really intrigued by Swift but he’s too brief and wild at the moment, I hope he mellows out a bit but still keeps that confrontational fire and uses it for good

Burrich

NO. 

God

Damn

It

When my man showed up on Aslevjal I was shocked

I was so mad 

I was also very happy of course but ughgughgu

I WAS CONFLICTED and had good right to be

Oh this man, I really adore Burrich even though he is a flawed person - that’s what is so compelling about him though.

We kept learning things about and from Burrich up until the very end. 

I’ll miss you, Heart of the Pack.

Molly

I’m devastated for Molly

I’m Happy for Molly 

I’m very pro-Molly in general even though she is a bit vague

Like, she is more than just a plot device but not by a whole lot, ya know? 

What I wanna do though is sit her down and have a real heart to heart; ask her if she really thinks Fitz will ever be truly free himself of his duty, from his duty to the Farseers or from his own idea of honor.

That man is going to leave off on some quest or some shit you know it, I know it, she must know it! 

Be safe Molly, but happy, but alert

[curtiskyle]

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[ridersinreview]

Kamen Rider Agito

Hello to my two followers and anybody who finds this in the Agito tag. Since my Stronger review went so well I’ve decided to review what is maybe my favorite Kamen Rider Series Agito!

Agito is the father of most modern Kamen Rider tropes and I can’t wait to dissect them. Now we’re going to dive into the first episode of Toshiki Inoue’s first Kamen Rider series, Kamen Rider Agito Episode 1: The Warrior’s Awakening under the cut!

We start off with a commemoration of Kamen Rider’s 30th anniversary followed by the lovely scene of a bunch of scrap scattered around a beach. Apparently a large storm has just passed causing some damage to the Nagoya area. We follow a young boy picking up scrap when he see’s something peculiar in the sand

A strange metal cross! Not only that but those little dials start moving around ominous! But we have no time for that because we’re now heading off to the city, in particular the under ground police training facility for the Squad Against Unidentified Lifeforms, or S.A.U.L. for short.

(Ignore the discrepancy with the text on the screen, it’s a mistranslation) And we that figure in blue, our hero of the show Kamen Rider G3. Kind of weird that he isn’t called Agito but this is a pretty weird series. G3, or Makoto Hikawa, is showing off the suit to his superiors by dodging, blocking, and shooting freaking cannon balls shot at him at high speeds! The long and short of it is that G3 is an Unidentified Lifeform killer, and he’s being directed by Sumiko Ozawa the best character in the entire show.

She is the creator of the G3 armor and as the testing ends we get to see the face of the suits operator.

And wow he is like a pretty puppy. Anyways he, Ozawa and Ozawa’s assistant Takahiro Omuro

(wow that picture sums up his character doesn’t it) are the team in charge of the G3 system and  S.A.U.L.’s first line of defense. After the training/showing off for the higher ups Hikawa decides to visit his friend in the O Parts research center for the police. Sure that seems like the kind of thing a police department would have.

Okay time for some real talk. Some people might be confused at why the police have an organization called S.A.U.L. or what Unidentified Lifeforms are. The answer is that Agito is a sort of sequel to Kamen Rider Kuuga. In that series the police relied on Unidentified Lifeform Number 4, what they called Kuuga, to fight and defeat the Unidentified Lifeforms, until the end of series when they developed their ultimate Nerve Breaking Bullet. Now two years later in universe S.A.U.L. seems to essentially be a response to not wanting to rely on Kuuga anymore.

So anyways Hikawa meet’s up with his friend in the O-Parts division Sakiko Mikumo

And she explains the purpose of the O-Parts Division, to examine strange technology from ancient civilizations(like the ones that gave Kuuga his powers) she shows him their latest acquisition, the metal cross from earlier. She tells Hikawa that it’s essentially a giant puzzle left by a long lost civilization and she wants to find out what’s hidden inside and he agrees.

The change locations though to a local Middle School where some girls are playing soccer. Their fun is ended however when while chasing an out of bounds ball one of the girls sees the impossible.

A young boy has been stuck into a tree far to small for him to fit in. Let’s not get too hung up on child death though because we now make our way to Johuko University where a professor is speaking to his students about their graduate thesis.

He is Professor Yoshihiko Misugi and he starts talking about how the chosen topic of one of his students, psychic powers, is not suitable for a thesis. Before the argument can get too far though they are interrupted by a young man here to give the professor the books he had left at home.

(Yep, this picture sums him up very nicely.) This is Shouichi Tsugami who the professor describes to his students as a young man living with him due to special circumstances. Shouichi leaves after saying he will be cooking dinner for everybody, prompting the professor to decide he will be eating before he gets home. Not caring about the sick diss to his coking skills Shouichi starts to head back home, but on his way back to his bike he crosses paths with another man and feels…something.

The music stops, an eerie sound is heard as both men stop moving for a second. You can feel the tension rise, building and building to an explosive climax! And then the moment ends and they go on their ways not knowing what just happened, or the significance. I mean we don’t either but we know that these two are connected somehow.

So now Shouichi is walking his bike home having run out of gas and is met by Mana Kazaya, the professor’s niece and Shouichi’s housemate.

She asks him is he remembers anything and reveals to us that Shouichi has amnesia! Shouichi however doesn’t really want to get his memories back in that big of a hurry, after all having amnesia seems pretty normal to him so why does he have to remember. Mana and him banter for a bit showing their friendship and Mana tells Shouichi that if he remembers that he’s actually really rich he should marry her and rides off much to Shouichi’s dismay.

Another cut, man this show does not like focusing on a scene for to long does it, and we are with the mysterious man who crossed Shouichi’s path earlier reenacting the opening to the first Percy Jackson movie. He surfaces when called up by the school’s swim coach and we’re given his name, Ryou Ashihara, as well as the fact that he is a member of the college’s swim team.

Apparently Ryou has only just recovered from getting hit by a freaking truck and is now ready to swim again in today’s big race!

Back in the G-Trailer Hikawa has just finished another round of testing the G3 armor but his mind seems to be on something else. Ozawa confronts him on this and asks if he’s thinking about the O-Parts group, but that isn’t the only thing that’s on his mind. You see Hikawa has heard of the murder at the Middle School and thinks that it’s something that us normally impossible.

We change locations to a home where a wife is saying goodbye to her husband as he leaves for work, but the entire scene is so tense. The mother looks frightened and lost while the husband is cold and distant. As the husband leaves for work he is being followed by a strange furry humanoid who makes a strange gesture

That’s when so many things start happening at once. A one of the many locks on the cross is opened, Shouichi has a seizure while vacuuming, Ryou has a seizure in the middle of his race, and this odd leopard creature kills the husband. So yeah, shit went down. The wife realized that her husband had forgotten some papers and goes to get them to him, but when she looks around she only finds

So of course the police are called in to investigate the scene. Not only that but we find out that the boy that was killed earlier was the child of the couple we saw earlier. Hikawa is there thinking that an impossible crime like this could only be done by Unidentified Lifeforms, unfortunately he needles the wife a little too hard on if there was anything unusual about her family and she goes off crying. Hikawa tries to follow but is stopped by fellow cop Toru Hojo

who tells Hikawa that S.A.U.L. has no jurisdiction over the murder because the Unidentified Lifeforms are all gone. When Hikawa tries to counter with the fact they were shoved into trees in a way that is literally impossible to do Hojo claims that the murderer only used a trick and that even if he doesn’t know what the trick is finding out is his job.

The scene ends with Hojo letting Hikawa investigate the scene as long as he stays out of his way. So we switch over to the hospital where Ryou is in some sort of coma. Apparently his muscles are convulsing and producing high levels of heat. The doctor suggests it could be the result of intense training but the coach tells him that Ryou is too good a swimmer to do dangerous training that close to a race.

Back at the professors house Shouichi is working on a garden he has in the front yard with the professors son Taichi Misugi.

Apparently Shouichi is really amazing at farming as shown by the fact that he has a freaking gigantic vegetables. Mana shows up and wonders if Shouichi was maybe a farmer before he lost his memory, which finds “Udderly Ridiculous”.

So yeah Shouichi makes puns. It’s pretty fitting and nobody likes them. The police don’t have time for jokes as the wife calls Hikawa to show him something about her family. She says to meet him in the middle of the park at night and that will obviously end very well. As she waits in the park our monster is waiting in the bushes.

We get some shots of Shouichi washing dishes and Ryou laying in a hospital bed as a glowing halo appears above the Jaguars head as he makes his odd gesture before going in for the kill. As the Jaguar is chocking the life out of the wife Shouichi and Ryou start convulsing and hearing a strange ringing. Hikawa arrives at the park but he’s to late and find nothing except for the wife’s purse and a photo of her son.

Yeah we’ll be looking at that in the analysis. Hikawa figures out what happened real quick and scans the tree’s and finds to his horror, like son and husband like wife. He looks for the killer and he sees the jaguar monster. Hikawa tries to fight the monster but the Unidentified Lifeform(?) literally stops the bullets mid air and vaporizes them. The Jaguar’s halo glows, he grabs Hikawa up with no effort at all, and he… throws him away and continues to walk away, not even runing. Hikawa calls the G-trailer and chases after the Jaguar and like anybody would do in the situation he fires his gun at it.

The monster can freeze bullets midair though and turns them to dust. Now the Jaguar begins to run, thankfully before he can lose it the G-trailer appears and Hikawa goes in to suit up into Kamen Rider G3.

He gives chase on his specialized Guardchaser motorcycle and is ready to kick monster ass. Hikawa catches up to the monster at an abandoned warehouse and pulls out the GM-01 Scorpion, the gun he used to obliterate cannon balls earlier in the episode, only for it to have no effect. Okay it’s immune to bullets but that’s not that bad, maybe G3 will have it’s time to shine in close combat. So the Jaguar charges and G3 loses the gun and is slammed into a car without landing a single hit.

After trying and failing to do any damage to the creature Hikawa is given the order to retreat after his helmet cam was damaged and the rest of the suit is mangled, but he can’t even stand up at this point. Before the monster can continue the assault though someone arrives.

(The light is from a car exploding by the way. It was awesome if you haven’t seen the episode) This mysterious figure attacks the jaguar and unlike G3 he doesn’t get his ass handed too him. In fact he manages to not take a single hit before he throws the monster away and prepares his final attack

The rider kick. Agito leaps into the air after getting energy from that symbol on the ground and strikes the monster with one final strike. Then without even looking the Jaguar's halo appears and he explodes

gloriously.

The episode ends with two more Jaguars looking on from the distance and uttering a single word, “Agito”

Next time on Kamen Rider Agito: Who is Agito? Ryou is getting worse! Mana thinks Shouichi might be better of with amnesia! These new monsters, unknown!

Characters:

Makoto Hikawa/Kamen Rider G3- So far it looks like this is our main character. He is the operator of the G3 armor and despite looking adept the armor itself is not up to snuff. Hikawa himself is a very nice character. He is very respectful to everybody around him and despite being a little dense in his questioning of the wife he is immediately sorry. What is a pretty good about him though is his courage. Despite being faced with an insane looking murderous Jaguar creature he still chased after it without his armor. Even when the G3 armor was failing he wasn’t running away and was ready to die to avenge that murdered family. I am looking forward to examine his character moving forward.

Shouichi Tsugami- Shouichi is very interesting. He has amnesia but doesn’t seem to even care about finding out who he is. He doesn’t seem to have any desires, just happy to be in his garden and doing housework. His connection to Ryou though is interesting and as one of the candidates for Agito he is a character I want to see more off.

Ryou Ashihara- Ryou has the least amount of screen time of the three leads but his accident, recovery, and relapse make a good mystery for the show. From his interaction with his coach he seems to be very relaxed around people he cares for, but the fact that the only person in the hospital is his coach makes you wonder where his family is. He is a candidate for the identity of Agito.

Mana Kazaya- The friendly niece of the professor and Shouichi’s friend. She seems to have a crush on him and cares more about finding out his past then Shouichi is. She doesn’t have much to do but she is important to the story later so I’ll be documenting her character progression along with he three leads.

Sumiko Ozawa- The best character in the show. Ozawa is the creator of the G3 armor and a very harsh person. Something I didn’t really note in the recap proper is that when Hikawa called for the trailer Omuro said that they don’t have permission to dispatch the trailer, but Ozawa says who cares and goes anyways.

Toru Hojo- Hojo is presented here as the Scully to Hikawa’s Mulder. He claims that there has to be a rational explanation and refuses to believe that the Unidentified Lifeforms could be back.

Sakiko Mikumo- The head researcher of the O-Parts division for the police and a close friend of Hikawa. She really want to figure out what the Cross Puzzle has inside and this curiosity seems to stem from a need for answers. She seems to essentially be a mixture of several different characters from Kuuga.

Professor Yoshihiko Misugi- Shouichi’s host and a college professor. He seems to be a sceptic when it comes to psychic powers and that was given a fair amount of focus so that implies that this will be a focus of the show.

Final Thoughts:

I love Agito. I love it so much. This is without a doubt one of my favorite rider series and maybe even one of my favorite shows period. Now that that’s out of the way time to focus on what I think was done really well. The music in Agito is top notch, from creepy ambiance when the Lords(the names of the monsters that is never mentioned on show) are attacking to Agito’s battle theme Believe Yourself which always pumps me up. The Lords themselves are well designed. The Panther lord looks very nice with a horrific mouth and eyes that just pierce into your soul.

This show is also very different from the other show I’m reviewing right now Kamen Rider Stronger. While Stronger was focused on just Jo and Yuriko with a little bit of villain screen time Agito spreads it’s time between three protagonists. Another thing Agito has done is set up a mystery. There are so many unanswered questions and little hints that we are starting to get, like the photo the wife left Hikawa. I’m guessing most of you noticed the oddness of the picture. Agito is as much a mystery at times as it is a Kamen Rider show with small questions that act as arcs like the picture and longer ones like Shouichi’s amnesia.

Despite having already watching this show I’ll do my best to keep spoilers past what I’ve already covered a minimum and act like a first time watcher when it comes to analysis.

Special thanks to Tv-Nihon who’s subs were used for some of the pictures and the Kamen Rider wiki who provided the rest.