#everything within the episodes is absolutely stunning

[kristsune]

So my obsession with the orchestration of tmp has not abated and though we don't have the full theme isolated yet, I had to do the best I could, and simply gathered the intro and outro for the first episode to hear as much of that beautiful orchestra as possible.

[its-all-stardust]

Sugar || 7

Masterlist || Part Six || Part Eight

Steven Grant/Sugar Mommy!Reader

Word count: 5.8k

Series Summary: You meet Steven in a museum gift shop and feel an instant connection. Before you walk out the door you decide, perhaps against your better judgment, that you need him to be your sugar baby. Now you just need him to let you treat him right.

You open your eyes to morning sunlight streaming through the window and an empty bed. Currently, that’s the norm for you and isn’t unusual. But you distinctly remember Steven crawling into bed with you last night.

There haven’t been any more disappearing acts since the first night he stayed at your apartment, but it’s the first thing on your mind when he isn’t beside you.

Maybe he went back to his room.

Maybe he’s in the bathroom.

Maybe it means nothing. You’re in a foreign country, after all; Steven doesn’t exactly have anywhere to go.

You close your eyes and try to relax, but now you’re just thinking of him having another sleepwalking episode and all the places he could get lost in an unfamiliar country. With that thought in your head, you rip off the sheets and jump out of bed, needing to find Steven and know he’s okay. You don’t care that he’s not in bed with you so long as he’s still here.

The bedrooms and bathrooms are empty.

Notably, Steven’s bed doesn’t look like it’s been touched.

You glance at the living room—still no Steven—and are about to rush toward the door to check the locks when you hear something behind you.

“Oh no. I wanted to wake you,” Steven pouts.

You quickly spin around and find him standing in the doorway to the terrace.

“W-what?” you sputter as you stare, confused.

“I was going to wake you for breakfast.” Steven gestures through the doorway toward the table that is absolutely overflowing with food. “I wanted it to be a surprise.”

Your shoulders relax, tension flowing out of you. Your heart is steadily slowing down. “Oh, Steven…”

“Are you alright?” he asks, stepping toward you. “You looked scared there for a second.”

You almost feel silly for being so worried. “It’s nothing.” You give a placating smile. “Let me wash my face, and I’ll be right back out.”

Steven’s hand is on your arm before you can step away.

“Talk to me. Please?” Steven asks softly, eyes full of concern.

It’s a strange feeling having your baby ask after you out of genuine concern. It’s not like the others were cold or particularly distant, but most understood the business arrangement…differently than Steven.

He says your name.

“I thought…you might have had another blackout. I was worried when you weren’t in bed,” you finally admit. You usually don’t share your worries with your babies, no matter what they are. You want them to see you as steadfast and confident. Unafraid.

But ever since the start, everything has been different with Steven.

He pulls you to him, his arms wrapping tightly around you. His lips brush against your temple. “I’m so sorry, love. I didn’t mean to scare you like that.”

Your arms slowly wrap around Steven. You don’t think you’ve ever experienced a role reversal like this. Typically, you’re the one comforting someone, be it friends or family, or babies. You tend to keep things close to your chest and worry over others more than you should. You’re not sure what to make of this.

You love taking care of your babies. It’s the main reason you keep having them. But this—Steven’s arms around you, trying to protect you from your worries—is nice too.

Finally, you settle into him with a sigh. “Don’t take this to mean you shouldn’t tell me if it happens again,” you insist, having a feeling Steven might try to pull something like that.

He pulls away from you enough to look you in the eye. “No secrets, yeah?”

You blink at him, stunned. Something else that’s new for you. A new kind of worry tries to bubble up within you, but you push it down and ignore it.

“No secrets,” you repeat softly.

When he kisses you, you forget how to breathe. Then he guides you onto the terrace, pulls out a chair for you, and starts filling your plate.

As you look at Steven across the table over breakfast, you can’t help but think how lucky you are to have him, to have met him.

An unfamiliar warmth spreads through your chest. Similar to what you’ve felt for him before but…different. You don’t think about what it means.

“What are we doing today?” Steven asks after breakfast, once you’re both ready for the day. He looks you up and down, likely noting that you’re not as made up as you usually are.

“I guess you were half asleep when I mentioned a spa day last night,” you tease.

“What? No! I remember everything you say,” Steven insists dramatically, hand on his heart.

“So you remember how I said how much I wanted to visit the casino before we go back home?” You raise an eyebrow, carefully watching his face for a reaction.

“A-Absolutely, I do,” Steven answers, though his brow is furrowed, confused.

“You liar!” you cry, walking over to poke Steven in the stomach, a grin on your face. “I never said anything like that. It’s like you don’t even know me.”

Steven jumps back, raising his arms to defend himself. “Okay, now that makes more sense. I’m sorry, love.”

You stop your assault and wrap your arms around him instead. “You have nothing to be sorry for, baby. Besides, I don’t think I could ever be mad at you.”

Steven looks at you adoringly. “How did I get so lucky?” he asks softly, more to himself than to you.

“Just by being you,” you answer anyway.

Steven looks away, bashful. “I’m nothing special.”

Taking his chin in one hand, you turn his face back toward you. “Now that’s just not true. Haven’t I taught you better than that?” you lightly scold. There’s no real heat to your words, but you’ve been trying to build up Steven’s self-worth for months.

You pause, thinking for a second. “Do you not believe me because I’m paying you?”

You don’t mean for the words to come out sounding so vulnerable, but they do. It saddens you a little to think that Steven might not be taking your words to heart.

You enjoy it when you get complimented like that, especially since it’s so rare for it to happen because of your professional and financial position and…lack of many close relationships. However sincere you are, you suppose you can understand why Steven would hesitate to believe you.

“No!” Steven argues. “It’s not that I think less of you because of our…relationship. It’s just…” he pauses, taking a breath. “I’m not like you. I’ve never done anything half as remarkable as you. Never started my own company. Never made a vast fortune. I’m just…me. Nothing exciting ever happened to me before I met you.”

That, at least, eases your worries about Steven having doubts about you. You don’t like the way he’s talking, though.

“You don’t have to have changed the world or been on exciting adventures to be remarkable. I like you exactly as you are. And there’s absolutely nothing ‘just’ about Steven Grant.”

Steven’s grip tightens around your waist, and his throat bobs, holding something back.

“Do I need to make you repeat how special you are again?”

He shakes his head, giving you a soft smile. “No.”

Then he’s kissing you, slow and gentle but filled with a seemingly newfound passion. One hand trails up your back, pressing you into Steven’s chest before it stops at the nape of your neck, holding you in place.

Your sense of balance shifts, and you realize Steven is tipping you back slightly. Though you trust he’d never let you fall, you cling to him. In a way, Steven has you trapped, held so tightly you can’t escape if you wanted to.

But you never want to.

If Steven wants to kiss you like this, leaving you utterly breathless for the rest of eternity, you’ll let him.

It occurs to you, then, that you might be a little fucked.

You’ve never seen Steven anything but fully clothed before. He’s never asked or even hinted that he wanted anything else, and you’re more than happy to respect his boundaries. It’s as you said when you explained everything to him in the beginning: you’re not going to force him to do anything and he has to be the one to initiate new interactions. 

That is to say, you can’t help but stare at Steven, clad only in the swim trunks you bought for him before the trip. You’ve seen half-dressed men before. Hell, you’ve seen completely naked men before. But the first time seeing an inch of skin of a new partner always excites you.

The two of you had made it to the thermal baths, just a short trip from the hotel. The natural heat of the water was soothing after the brisk morning air, but it was nothing compared to the heat in your face when you saw Steven step out of the changing room.

“And what you are you looking at?” Steven teases. He knows fully well what you’re staring at based on his smirk. You’re not exactly hiding it.

“Just admiring how handsome my baby is and watching the water glisten on his skin.” Steven flushes at that, even though he initiated it. What was he expecting? All you have for him are compliments. Even still, he is stunned by your boldness. You weren’t lying either; untrue flattery never sat right with you.

You’ve held Steven enough times to know he wasn’t exactly hiding much softness under his baggy clothes, but it was still a bit of a surprise to see the bit of defined muscle of his torso and arms. His stomach isn’t overly defined, but you know that cultivated abs are more for aesthetics than strength. You’ve no doubt that Steven is physically stronger than people would guess at first glance, especially when he’s done up as a gift shop clerk.

“If anything, I should be admiring you, not the other way around,” Steven says, cheeks still red.

“Steven, have you been staring at me?” You bring your arms across your chest, acting scandalized.

Steven sputters and averts his eyes even though you’re perfectly decent. “Don’t act like you don’t enjoy it.”

You float closer to him, careful not to touch him. It would be very bad for you if you did. “Do you like looking at me?”

“Of course I do,” Steven says softly, eyes returning to you, drifting over your form. “You’re beautiful.”

You tell yourself the heat in your cheeks is from the water. It’s always been from the water.

Even though you know you probably shouldn’t, you quietly ask, “Do you like it when I look at you?”

You can’t take your eyes off Steven; at your words, you see his pupils dilate ever so slightly. He nods, lips parted.

“Say it,” you order. You lift one hand, trailing your fingers down Steven’s arm and making him shiver despite the heat engulfing him. You’re treading into dangerous territory. But you can’t help it, and Steven appears…very receptive.

“Yes,” he answers automatically, his eyes never leaving yours.

You drift closer still, now chest to chest, with only a handspan separating you. Your eyes fall to his mouth, your own parting when you catch his tongue quickly darting out to wet his lips.

A splash behind you startles you, sending you surging forward straight into Steven’s chest. His arms automatically raise to hold you, hands resting respectfully on your back, just under your shoulder blades. Suddenly, you’re reminded of where you are: in a public bath, surrounded by people. This is the last place you should be having…thoughts about your baby, who has, so far, expressed zero interest in a more physical relationship.

Even though you’ve had Steven in your arms countless times, it feels different now, with so little fabric separating you from his bare chest. You quickly move away, though you grab his hand as you always do. Even with the heat of the water, he feels different.

Is he warmer than usual?

“Let’s go over here,” you say, shaking the thought from your head and needing to separate yourself from the moment. “There’s fewer people. We should be able to enjoy the water more.”

You start dragging Steven behind you, and he follows along without argument or any words, for that matter. You’re not sure what he’s thinking; you can’t look him in the eye quite yet.

You manage to control yourself and your thoughts enough to enjoy that water. It’s not a regular pool, so there’s no playing or splashing around. Swimming is minimal as the water is only about waist high for the average person.

People are meant to relax in the waters and have a therapeutic experience while the minerals in the water soak into and rejuvenate the skin.

You and Steven sit on one side of the large pool, taking advantage of the built-in underwater ledge that surrounds the entirety of the curved edges. This particular pool is outside, so the two of you are able to enjoy the scenic views that were carefully curated so as not to ruin patrons’ sightlines with modern buildings.

You manage to not think about your hands on Steven’s bare chest.

Eventually, once your skin is primed and supple, you leave the thermal baths to go to your next destination: the spa. Specifically for a couple’s massage and then later a facial for you.

The only thing separating a couple’s massage from a solo one is the simple fact you’re in the same room as your partner. Even more intimate than being in swimming attire together, you’ll be partially undressed, a towel covering your lower half. Granted, you’ll be face down on a table the entire time, but still.

“We don’t have to do it together,” you say when you explain the procedure to Steven. Your appointment is at the hotel’s on-site spa, so you technically don’t have to undress around each other; you get ready in separate bedrooms and just wear your robes down to the spa.

You don’t have an issue being unclothed around your babies. Nudity isn’t inherently sexual, and you don’t consider this a sexual situation. You’re here to relax while a stranger eases the semi-permanent tension from your muscles.

But that’s your perspective, which doesn’t mean it aligns with Steven’s.

“We can always do separate rooms,” you continue, wanting to give Steven every out. Since your relationship hasn’t progressed past kissing, you’re unsure what his feelings will be. Yes, he admitted to staring at you in the pool, but you were still covered then.

“I want to be with you,” he insists. “I’m fine, I swear.” He doesn’t look at you, and his voice is slightly higher pitched than usual. He’s nervous at the very least, but if he says he’s fine, you won’t argue. He’s more than capable of making decisions for himself.

When the two of you are led to the massage room, you purposefully keep your back to Steven as much as possible as you disrobe. Even without the robe, neither of you is completely naked, still having some sort of bottom on. But you have no desire to make Steven uncomfortable with your casual nakedness.

Will he still try to look, though?

A little excited, you crawl onto the table and glance at Steven from the corner of your eye.

You fight the frown that attempts to form when you see he’s already on his table, face carefully set in the opening at the top and arms obediently at his sides.

Then there’s a knock on the door, and you have no choice but to lie down.

“Do you get massages often?” Steven asks you as the masseuses begin. You’ve been together for months, but this could just be something that hasn’t been brought up before.

“Not as often as I would like,” you sigh as your masseuse works out a particularly stubborn knot from your shoulder. “I feel like I never have the time, so I always book one whenever I go on a trip. Have you ever had one?”

“No,” Steven manages before letting out a satisfied groan.

What part gets him to make that sound?

“Sorry,” he says, and you think he’s apologizing to his masseuse. “More tense than I thought.”

After a moment and another unexpectedly pleased sound from Steven, he addresses you. “You know, love, you could—” He abruptly cuts himself off, the airy tone to his voice suddenly gone, as if he’s coming back to himself.

You wait for him to continue, but he doesn’t, and with your head down and forced to look at the floor, you’re unable to read his body language.

“I could what?” you prompt, confused.

“It’s nothing.” The answer comes quickly.

You almost ask if he’s sure, try to encourage him to finish his thought, but as hands glide over your back, you change your mind. It’s possible that whatever Steven meant to say is for your ears only.

The rest of the appointment passes in relative silence with only a pleased sigh from you here and there. You keep your ears open, hoping for something else from Steven, but he doesn’t let out another sound.

In other situations, that just wouldn’t do.

Stop it.

You would shake yourself if you could.

Once the massage is over, your mind buzzes more than it usually does after what is supposed to be a relaxing session. Steven is constantly bouncing around your mind today, and a part of you knows that isn’t necessarily a good thing.

You want to scold yourself for your mild obsession with your baby. One-sided attachments that go too deep always end badly.

But is it one-sided? He wants you to meet his mother, after all.

“Love?” Steven calls, pulling you from your thoughts. You’ve been standing with your back to him, staring off into the distance since you got off the table.

“Sorry, just thinking,” you say, finally turning to face him. Your eyes immediately lock onto his swollen lower lip. Reaching up, you run your thumb along it. It’s flushed red and has definitely been bitten. “I know I didn’t do that.” You look at him, eyebrow raised.

Steven flushes, his cheeks matching his lip. “I was trying to be quiet,” he answers softly. Likely embarrassed by the sounds he was making, you muse.

“You poor thing.” You keep rubbing your thumb along his lips. Then, as if hypnotized, you can’t think of anything else besides kissing him.

So you do.

You aim only for his lower lip, pressing gently against it as if to soothe a hurt.

“All better?” you ask when you pull away.

Steven nods, and your hand falls from his face to land on his chest, where you bury it in the fluffy fabric.

“I have my facial next. Do you want to try one?” You’re genuinely curious. Maybe he wants to get into skincare. Your eyes scan his face, pinpointing potential treatment areas.

“I’m not sure that’s for me,” Steven says, taking your free hand and leading you toward the door.

“Okay. Are you going to relax in the room then?”

“I dunno. Maybe I’ll do a little shopping while you’re busy.”

“Make sure to buy yourself something pretty,” you say as you and Steven are about to part ways. He smiles at you, squeezing your hand before leaving.

“Today wasn’t too boring for you, was it?” you ask Steven. Now after dinner, the two of you are in your usual place: lounging on the couch.

Even though you plan these vacations based on your preferences, you still want your babies to have fun. Steven enjoyed the park and the impromptu visit to the bookshop yesterday, but some men would rather be caught dead than go on a spa trip.

It may be the standard that sugar babies create a character that’ll please their mommy or daddy rather than be their true selves one hundred percent of the time, but you want Steven in particular to be entirely honest with you.

“Not at all! I don’t think I’ve ever been so relaxed, to be honest,” Steven answers. He’s at one end of the couch while you’re at the other, both of your legs up on the cushions and tangled together. He knocks one foot into your tight. “I would have told you before we did anything if I wasn’t interested.”

He did bow out of getting a facial, but that was almost a given. It would have been more surprising if he had said yes. A baby lying about certain things is expected. They do what they have to in order to keep their jobs.

“Are you sure? Because aside from today, you’ve never told me no before.” You never questioned it, but now you can’t help but think there’s a chance you’ve misread something or done something wrong.

Before you had money, finding people interested in the same things as you or doing certain activities you favored was few and far between. Making and maintaining friends can be a difficult endeavor. And now that you do have money, anyone new in your life is expecting more higher-class activities than walking through a park. Sure, that park may be in Germany across from a very nice hotel, but it’s still a park, and finding amiable friends is even harder now.

Steven laughs. “Alright, if you really want, I’ll get a facial.” You smile at his teasing, but he must see something in your expression. “I always say yes because I like spending time with you. I like the things we do together. You once said you’d never make me do anything I was uncomfortable with, and you never have.”

He then untangles his legs from yours and gets off the couch, only to step toward you and sit by your hip on the edge of your cushion. He takes your hands in his. “I don’t think I’ve ever been as happy as I am when I’m with you. And just because you pay me,” he says it flippantly, like it doesn’t matter at all. Like it isn’t why he’s doing this. “Doesn’t mean I’d let you walk all over me.”

“What about Donna?” you can’t help but ask. Steven’s words are sweet; they make your heart race, but you find them hard to believe.

Steven fumbles a bit but quickly says, “That’s completely different. Technically, she doesn’t pay me. Not to mention, everyone knows I don’t like Donna. And…”

He goes quiet, his eyes wandering down your face. 

“And?” you ask breathlessly, needing him to keep talking despite your skepticism.

“And I definitely don’t want to kiss her.”

Heat flashes through you as Steven takes your face in his hands and leans into you. His lips meet yours, soft but urgent as if he could kiss the doubt from you.

And it works. For now.

You reach up, fisting your hands into his shirt to keep him close. You stay like that for a while, Steven wanting to thoroughly assure you of his honest honesty, his affection.

When you finally part, Steven staying at your side, you’re able to ask the question that’s been plaguing you for hours.

“What were you going to say during the massage?”

Steven freezes for a moment, caught off-guard. Then his face immediately starts to flush, exciting you. His hands are no longer on your face, instead resting in his lap. You reach out and rest one hand on his, patiently waiting for him to work up the nerve.

“It can’t be that bad,” you encourage. “You almost let it slip earlier.”

“It’s inappropriate,” he mumbles, suddenly shy as if he hadn’t just been making out with you.

“I’ll be the judge of that.”

Steven takes a breath, steadying himself. “You know…you could give me a massage anytime.”

“Oh?” You raise an eyebrow, trying to ignore the electricity dancing along your skin. He’s gotten better about asking you for things, with the exception of more intimate touches.

“I just think…” he hesitates but finally meets your eyes, his pupils dilated. “It’s something a good mummy would do.”

“That’s not inappropriate at all,” you purr as you start running your hand up Steven’s arm. “But what about the other way around? Wouldn’t a good baby want to give his mommy a massage?”

“We can do that too,” he agrees eagerly. He’s starting to get jittery now that he knows you’re receptive. “I’m fine with either.”

“Good to know,” you murmur, more to yourself than to him. Your hand stops on his bicep, and you squeeze, feeling the muscle hidden underneath his shirt. You can’t wait to get your hands on him properly, especially after what brushing against him in the baths did to you. “It’ll have to wait until we get home, though.”

Your hand drops from Steven, and you fall back into the arm of the couch.

“W-what? Why? Steven practically whines, and a grin blooms across your face. You can’t contain it; you don’t want to.

You don’t say anything at first, instead looking your baby up and down as he squirms.

“It’ll be something to look forward to. And it’ll give me a reason to not keep you here all to myself.”

You lean forward, your lips finding Steven’s neck in a fleeting kiss. He shivers under your touch.

“That wouldn’t be so bad, would it?” he asks breathlessly, his eyes blown black.

“Not at all,” you agree and kiss him again.

You said nothing when, after getting ready for bed, you walked out of the ensuite bathroom and saw Steven in your bed. He had the sheets pulled up to his chin, watching you, waiting. He said nothing as you crawled into what had been designated as your side of the bed.

Before settling down, you gave Steven a chaste kiss on the cheek and said, “Night, Steven.”

He wished you a good night with a smile and a soft murmur of your name. You both fell asleep soon after.

Depending on the time of night, on how long you’ve been asleep, you’re not the lightest of sleepers. Random sounds throughout the night hardly ever wake you, but tonight, something does.

Eyes bleary with sleep and mind still foggy, you don’t realize what you see at first.

A dark shape standing by the window on the other side of the room. Rumblings that start as nothing but turn into…arguing?

Then you notice the empty side of the bed, sheets barely disturbed as if they were moved back into place. You start gaining clarity.

“Steven?” you call, your voice scratchy. “What are you doing?”

You don’t know what time it is, but surely it’s late.

Steven immediately stops talking. He turns away from the window and walks back to the bed, his movements somewhat stiff.

When he gets in, he doesn’t inch his way closer like he did before. Instead, Steven seems to be staying as far away as possible.

“Go back to sleep. Everything is fine,” he says softly. 

You don’t argue. Your eyes were already half closed as soon as he touched the sheets. It registers for a brief moment that something about Steven’s voice sounds…off, but you fall asleep before you can think about what it means.

“What were you doing last night? By the window?” you ask in the morning over breakfast.

“Pardon?” Steven asks, lifting his fork to his mouth.

“I woke up, and you were just standing by the window. I hear you talking. Was it your mom?”

Steven only looks confused, but then understanding and dread wash over you both.

Steven’s fork falls onto his plate with a clatter as he covers his face with both hands.

“It happened again,” he quietly cries. You rush to his side, pulling him to you.

“It wasn’t so bad. You answered when I called, and I don’t think you even left the room,” you try to reassure him.

Steven’s arms slide around your waist as he buries his face in your stomach. “What if it’s worse next time? The first time it happened, I wandered the city! I don’t remember anything that happened last night. And you said I was talking? To who? About what?”

He smothers a distressed sound against you.

“I don’t know, but you seemed to know who I was and where you were—enough to know to get into bed, at least.” You don’t think your words comfort him. One hand moves to brush through his curls. “We’ll figure this out. I promise,” you say with a confidence you don’t quite feel.

The morning’s revelation sours the mood for the remaining day of your vacation. Steven tries to remain in good spirits, but his worry about his sleepwalking hangs like a cloud over his head.

Though he loved everywhere else you had taken him, the tour of the ruins of a once great castle didn’t seem to hold his interest as much, try as he might to absorb the history the guide was providing and taking more photos.

The trip to the airport is silent. You’ve never been good at comforting people, often unable to find the words. You don’t know what else to say to Steven other than what you already have. What you can do, though, is be there for him.

For what you lack in words, you make up for in other ways. Making sure he ate, packing his things for him, holding his hand, and refusing to let go.

If your peers could see how you’re treating Steven, they would probably sneer and look down on you. Sugar babies are for providing comfort, in various forms, in exchange for material and financial gain. They aren’t meant to be looked after like children. But Steven is also in a vulnerable state, needing extra care where he usually wouldn’t.

Though you have no interest in children and don’t see Steven as one, you need somewhere to express your caring tendencies and affection. Sugar babies have always been the best and safest outlet for you. If your positions were reversed, you hope someone as kind as Steven would show the same care toward you.

“I’m sorry I ruined our holiday,” Steven quietly says as the jet starts moving. These are his first words in what you’re sure have been hours.

“You didn’t ruin it,” you assure with a shake of your head. You cradle his face in one hand and stroke your thumb across his cheek. “I had a great time because I got to spend it with you.”

“But I did. Ruin it, I mean.” Despite his disagreement, he doesn’t do anything to move away from you. “First with the sleepwalking, then the moping around. And then I felt bad for not talking, so I wanted to talk even less. I’ve been horrible to you.”

You shake your head again. “You haven’t—”

“Hush,” Steven cuts you off. You’re a little shocked, to say the least. He’s never done that before. “There’s something else. I thought about waiting for a better time since I didn’t get it as an apology, but I don’t want to wait.”

“What are you…” you trail off as Steven turns away from you and leans down to grab the backpack he kept at his feet instead of stowing away.

Finding whatever he’s looking for, he keeps his hand in the bag, and his attention falls back to you.

“That wasn’t how our last day should have ended, and I’m really sorry. This was how it should have ended.” Steven quickly pulls his hand out of his backpack and thrusts a small, hinged red box toward you. It’s perfectly square and is even tied with a white ribbon.

You stare at it, unmoving. “You got me a gift?”

Steven nods, and your heart skips a beat.

You carefully take the small box from his hand. People don’t…give you gifts. Your brain short circuits a little.

“When did you even get this?” You think back, trying to remember if you got any notifications that could tell you when and where Steven bought it.

“When you were getting your facial. I went on a trip around town.” You look up at Steven, then. You definitely didn’t know about that. “I wanted to find the perfect gift for you while we were here.”

“You didn’t use your card.” An accusation filled with confusion.

“I did use my card, just not the one you gave me. I wasn’t going to make you pay for your own gift.” He fidgets a little and gets a nervous look that has nothing to do with the jet taking flight. “Open it? Please?”

You examine the box again. Recognizing the shape, you can guess that it’s jewelry inside, but not what it looks like. It could be anything, and who’s to say what Steven thinks you’ll like. Now you’re the nervous one.

You say a silent prayer, hoping you actually like the gift and won’t have to crush Steven when he still isn’t in the best state of mind.

Carefully tugging on the end of the ribbon, the bow falls apart and slides off the box. The hinges are stiff, but you ease the lid open and peer inside.

Lying on a pristine white cushion is a bracelet. A strand of small, delicate white pearls is twisted around a thin, wire-like band of gold that is shaped into a repeating wave. Beautiful in its simplicity and daintiness, you find it stunning.

“Oh, Steven…” you say breathlessly, lightly running your fingers along the bracelet. Then, you thrust the jewelry box back toward him and hold out your left hand. “Put it on.”

Not the most elegant way to ask, but you’re practically buzzing with joy that you can’t think to ask properly.

With shaking hands, Steven carefully lifts the bracelet from its cushion. He struggles with the clasp but eventually gets it wrapped around your wrist. Then he grabs your hand and presses his lips to your wrist, just above where the bracelet settles.

His lips are barely off your skin before you take his face in your hands and pull him into a heated kiss. You can barely control yourself, but judging by the moan Steven lets out, you’d say he’s not complaining. 

“I did a good job?” he asks when you pull away, his face flushed and lips swollen.

“You did amazing. I love it.” You kiss him again. “Thank you, Steven,” you say softly, trying to put as much feeling as you can into the words, hoping he knows you mean them.

You’re thanking him for more than the bracelet. You don’t say it out loud—you can’t—but you’re thanking him for caring about you. For thinking of you and wanting to show you that you mean something to him. He’s not doing it because he feels he has to; he’s doing it because he genuinely likes you.

It’s an unfamiliar feeling; you almost don’t know what to do about it.

One thing you can say for certain, though, is that it makes you l—care about Steven all the more.

For the rest of the flight, you’re curled up against Steven as much as you can be, your head resting on his shoulder. Your hand rests on his, your bracelet flashing in the sunlight.

Series taglist: @multific @uncle-eggy @kezibear @local-mr-frog @peachyrue-777 @kpopslur@tejasvkris @thewinterv @buffkirby2020 @mynamesstevenwithav @lumpatto @apesarecuul @howellatme @kult6 @sadslasher13 @homuraak3mi @moonysgal @blackholegladiator  @mercurysjoy @spktrgantenk

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[simp4wom3n]

Hidden Jealousy

Pairing: Jenna Ortega x Reader

Requested: Yes/No ~ request @madullaoblangata

Summary: Y/n and Jenna's relationship was a secret to the public meaning as far as everyone else knew, you were both free game. At the Wednesday premiere, a reporter gets a bit too flirtatious causing Jenna to feel... Jealous? ~ Word Count: 1.167k ~ Warnings: jealousy?? otherwise none

A/N: Hi!! the first of MANY jealousy related requests is hereee. Let me know what you guys think of it so I can hopefully perfect my jealousy writing skills <3

As much as you hated large and public events, you had a soft spot for premieres, especially this one. Working on Wednesday was easily the best 8 months of your life. It was without a doubt the favourite cast you’ve ever worked with, making so many wholesome memories on and off set. And of course the highlight, you met your girlfriend Jenna. The two of you haven't gone public with your relationship yet, wanting to keep it within friends and family for now, which sadly meant as much as you disliked it, at events like these you had to keep your affection to a minimum. It also meant that as far as everyone else was aware, you were single and up for grabs, much to Jenna's dismay.

Despite both of you getting ready in your shared apartment, the two of you arrived in seperate cars in order to avoid speculation. Arriving just before Jenna, whilst posing for a few photos you heard the crowd go absolutely nuts as she walked into the premiere looking absolutely breathtaking. Trying your best now to gawk at her, you watched with a pleasant smile as she approached you, pulling you into a small hug as if it were two friends reuniting.

To your disappointment her touch didn’t linger as she pulled away promptly, giving you a sympathetic smile as she returned her focus to the press. Before joining the rest of the cast, you two stood for a few pictures with your arms around each other's waists. You all eventually split off for interviews after taking some pictures with the whole cast, with you and Jenna appearing next to each other in separate interviews.

"Hi Y/n! You look absolutely stunning thank you for taking the time to talk to us" the young interviewer smiles as you approach her. "Of course! and thank you I love your outfit as well". You notice the warmth of her cheeks as she adoringly smiles at you. "Aw thank you that's so sweet of you", she replies giddily earning a tight lipped smile in return.

"So, your character in Wednesday is very unique" she explains as you nod along. "Do you think that is the reason for everyone being so in love with your character? Because talking from experience there is just something so enchanting about her, like I fell in love in the first episode." You chuckle politely as you bite your lip in contemplation. "I mean... I think a person being undeniably themselves is quite an attractive attribute, so in that way I guess I could see where the fans are coming from."

"And don't forget your looks! I mean I can barely take my eyes off of you". You gave her a polite smile despite starting to feel a little uncomfortable with all the compliments coming your way, but you knew you had to be friendly and respectful to the reporter, even if you've had enough. "Thank you". As you tried to compose yourself you couldn’t stop thinking about your girlfriend next to you, 'Jenna's not going to be happy when I tell her about this'.

Jenna was in fact not happy at all. Participating in her own interview adjacent to you, she had to contain herself from showing her distaste for what was going on. Standing next to you allowed her to hear everything the interviewer was throwing at you, all the compliments about being 'in love with your character’ and how she can ‘barely take her eyes off of you'.

Jenna felt sick to her stomach and assumed you would feel the same, but when she glanced over at you, you appeared to be having a great time. The kind smile on your face said it all. Her heart sunk a little when she saw your expression. A random interviewer who was clearly interested in you had the pleasure of seeing a smile that was usually reserved for her. Her sadness was quickly replaced by an unfamiliar feeling… Jealousy? No, she doesn't get jealous, that's ridiculous. All she knew was that she'd had enough of seeing you being shamelessly flirted with.

"So I noticed that both you and your character are currently single," your eyes widening slightly in surprise as you gave an uncertain nod. "Give us a rundown on your love life and the love life of you character". Chuckling to fill in the awkward silence as you tried to think of a response to the intrusive question. "Um... well I guess my chara..." "Hey honey" Jenna suddenly interrupts, leaning into your side and slipping her hand into yours, squeezing it tightly. You turn to her in shock, innocence written all over her face.

"Hey" you look at her with furrowed brows, confused by her interruption and her use of the endearing term considering you weren’t public yet. Jenna ignores your gaze as she turns to the reporter, "What was the question?" she asks with a smile. "Oh I was just asking Y/n about their love life in and out of the show." she replies innocently. "Oh that's a good question. Well I'm personally routing for her character and Wednesday to get together. As for in real life, well..." she turns her head to look at you with a cheeky smirk, to which you look at her with an amused yet puzzled smile. "She's taken" she states assertively, pressing a kiss on your cheek as she pulls you away.

You mouth a 'Sorry' to the reporter as you let Jenna drag you away. As soon as the two of you are out of sight, Jenna pulls you into a tight embrace and you can't help but laugh. "What was that about?" you chuckle. "I didn't like the questions she was asking you! She wouldn't shut up about how you were so attractive and how everyone is in love with you." she mocks as she pulls back from the embrace. "Your my girlfriend and she was obviously flirting with you and you were enjoying it." your face drops at her confession. "Hey" you comfort, tilting her chin up so her eyes meet yours, "I wasn't enjoying it I promise". "But you were smiling" she retorts "Only because I have to Jenna. I didn't want to seem rude. Also why would I have eyes for anyone else… I love you and you only" you apologise placing a soft kiss on her forehead. "Besides..." you look at at her cheekily, "you look hot when your jealous"

"I was not jealous!" she quipped, feigning offence. You smirk at her rejection a let out a small chuckle. "Mhm. Whatever you say". "Oh shush" she shoves you jokingly before walking past you back into the premiere. You stand there for a moment, you lips upturned in a gentle smile. 'I made Jenna Ortega jealous. Huh.' you giggled in disbelief before turning on your heals and catching up with your girlfriend, instantly intertwining your fingers, the position in which they remained for the remainder of the night.

Tag-list: @nitchxhdc @emeraldevan @looseheartedlady @the-night-owl-blr @badassjaguar @txmxav @oh-thats-cute @blckrwidow @cacciatricediartemide @flaiire1805 @rainbow-love4ever

[burst-of-iridescent]

atla live action thoughts: episodes 3 & 4

SPOILERS AHEAD

tw: opinions

things i liked:

jet, you beautiful, beautiful man. had me twirling my hair and kicking my feet fr i NEED this show to get a season 2 just so i can see more of him in the ba sing se arc please netflix

but looks aside, sebastian amoruso DELIVERED on the performance. the softness, the vulnerability, the charm, the intelligence, yet also the ruthlessness beneath it all? KILLED IT.

the moment between him and katara where he tells her to remember her mother as she was alive and not just her death was absolutely lovely. “remember the sunrise” made me very emotional

on that note, can’t believe jetara fake marriage is canon now lmao

i am SO here for desi omashu. i love the vibe and aesthetic of the city and again the visuals are STUNNING. live action repping the south asians better than the original ever did i’ll be honest

shameless fan service but “MY CABBAGES” being so fucking dramatic had me dying

of all the things i expected from the atla live action, secret tunnel and omashu being lesbians wasn’t even on the list but i’m not mad. hilarious that they turned the cave of two lovers into the cave of two platonic siblings though

jet, omashu and northern air temple arcs actually meshed together better than i thought. the NAT episode never sat well with me in the original so i’m glad they moved them to omashu instead.

the freedom fighters were RIGHT OUT OF THE ANIMATION. casting directors absolutely killed

love that they showed resistance movements within the fire nation and azula being part of rooting them out. it’s a nice nod to the deserter, since i’m guessing they’re not including that episode

really glad to see that the atla live action is following the tradition of having weirdly unnecessary zutara crumbs in every iteration of the story because what in the om shanti om was that zutara scarf moment. 10/10 no notes

having one of the earthbenders transporting iroh be angry over losing a loved one because of iroh’s siege of ba sing se was a really great change. i’ve always thought the original glossed over the true extent of the damage iroh did, so having him come face to face with what he’d done in the past was a great way to add some complexity

“how dare you beat up that child!” everyone go home seeing zuko being beat up by a random old lady is the highlight of this series. really love that they were just running around throwing things at each other that was major book 1 zuko/aang fight energy lmao

SECRET TUNNELLLLLLLL

leaves from the vine instrumental was 100% to inflict emotional damage and it fucking worked. the scene between zuko and iroh at lu ten’s funeral was so beautiful & then to have it flipped around at the end when iroh says “everything i need is on this boat”… fuck you for this netflix i didn’t need these tears today

things i disliked/am conflicted about:

not a fan of what they’re doing with katara’s character. they’re toning down a lot of her rage and fierceness, and boiling her down to “trauma over mother’s death.” in the original katara didn’t freeze jet and splash water at him because he tried to fight her, she did it because she was hurt and pissed off! there’s no way animated katara would’ve just run away from jet without sending a water whip at his face first. i’m concerned for how the pakku fight is gonna go tbh

bumi my guy, what did they do to you 💀 this series seems hellbent on having everyone remind aang that he ran away which doesn’t work when a) you already changed aang actively running away to him just going off for a break and b) you’ve made that point! the original omashu episode was about bumi teaching aang to look at the world differently, here it just weirdly feels as though he’s punishing aang by venting all his anger and despair on him?? that’s NOT what animated bumi was like & they didn’t even have the two of them go sliding down the delivery system in the flashbacks so adding it in at the end felt very out of nowhere. they didn’t even genuinely seem to be FRIENDS

having aang immediately figure out it was bumi was… sigh. can we please not do the thing where characters already know everything it’s giving me trauma flashbacks to the percy jackson show

jet’s plan feels more reasonable here than it did in the original. i get they’re trying to show that he didn’t care about the collateral damage to innocent people and that’s bad, but idk him wiping out an entire town unilaterally felt more extreme than a few bombings.

heavily dislike what they’ve done with zhao. i know they’re trying to show him clawing his way to power but that’s more of a long feng move than a ZHAO move. it’s important that zhao always holds more power than zuko and that he has an overinflated sense of ego from the start for him to fulfil his narrative purpose of serving as a warning to zuko of what he might become.

i like seeing mailee but why are they in this show? it feels as though they’re cardboard cutouts there for fan service instead of being actual characters

overall i liked these episodes better than the previous two & i do enjoy how action-packed and visually pleasing the show has been so far.

overall rating: 8/10 for episode 3, 7/10 for episode 4

[baoshan-sanren]

best cdramas I’ve watched since the last one of these posts in 2023 (and some I’m still looking forward to seeing)

A League of Nobleman (watch on WeTV VIP | watch on AppleTV | watch on Viki | watch on bilibili | watch on YouTube) Adapted from the novel "The Mystery of Zhang Guo" (张公案) by Da Feng Gua Guo (大风刮过) starring Jing BoRan, Song WeiLong, Hong Yao, Guo Cheng and Wang Duo. Definitely gay, but in like a very focused, we-have-a-mystery-to-solve way. Loved the acting and the plot; cannot believe people actually gave Song Weilong shit for his acting in this drama. He was aMAzing. The downside is that the editing grew progressively sloppier as the drama progressed, and although majority of the visuals were very satisfying, I never realized how crappy the quality of the light was until I tried gifing some of the scenes. The upside is Jing BoRan holding kittens. Enough Said. 7/10

The Blood of Youth (watch on Viki | watch on YouTube) Adapted from the novel "Shao Nian Ge Xing" (少年歌行) by Zhou Mu Nan (周木楠) starring Li HongYi, Liu XueYi and Ao RuiPeng. Love this goddamn drama. I adopted the entire cast within the first 3 episodes and then I spent the next 37 terrified that half of them would get killed off. There’s def some major character death in this drama my chickens, so keep that in mind (and not a canonical death either, from what I understand). Anyway, this is my fave genre by far so I’m never really picky, but this drama is exhilarating and gorgeous from beginning to end. Highly recommend. 9/10

New Life Begins (watch on iQIYI | watch on Viki | watch on YouTube) Adapted from the web novel "Qing Chuan Ri Chang" (清穿日常) by Duo Mu Mu Duo (多木木多) starring Bai JingTing and Tian XiWei. Just sweet and fluffy. The plot is easy and devoid of complexities, but very satisfying nonetheless. The acting is definitely on another level. The entire cast has bonkers chemistry, and it’s about time someone made good use of Bai Jingting’s comedy potential. One of the top 5 easy viewing dramas on my rewatch list.  8/10

The Legendary Life of Queen Lau (watch on Viki | watch on YouTube) Adapted from the web novel "Huang Hou Liu Hei Pang" (皇后刘黑胖) by Ge Yang (戈鞅) starring Li JiaQi and Li HongYi. Loved this. Although it doesn’t shy away from difficult subjects, this is basically a comedy from beginning to end. Not gonna lie, I mainly gave this a go for Li Hongyi, but it’s hard to even notice him when Li Jiaqi is in the room. There’s no shame in being overshadowed by superior talent :) 7/10

(yeah, after all this, I rewatched Nirvana In Fire again)

Under the Microscope (watch on Apple TV | watch on Bilibili | watch on iQIYI VIP | watch on Viki) Adapted from the novel "Xian Wei Jing Xia De Da Ming" (显微镜下的大明) by Ma Bo Yong (马伯庸) starring Zhang RuoYun and Wang Yang. Continuously impressed by Zhang RuoYun’s skills. This drama is 90% grit and tension. Drool-worthy visuals. Interesting plot. Sound mixing that gives me a Mo Ran style boner. Make your friends watch it and they will hate you. 9/10

Till The End of The Moon (watch on YouTube | watch on Apple TV | watch on Viki) Adapted from the web novel "Hei Yue Guang Na Wen BE Ju Ben" (黑月光拿稳BE剧本) by Teng Luo Wei Zhi (藤萝为枝). Starring Luo Yunxi and Bai Lu. This was so breathtakingly gorgeous. The chemistry between the actors, the visuals, the special effects, the costumes, everything is stunning in this drama. The romance is by no means original, but still manages to draw you in. Absolutely worth watching at least once. 8/10

Still waiting on:

Immortality - based on danmei novel The Husky and His White Cat Shizun by 肉包不吃肉 starring Chen Feiyu and Luo Yunxi (you can think I’m a clown but you’d be wrong bc I’m a wholeass circus)

Winner Is King - based on the danmei novel Sha Po Lang by Priest starring Tan Jianci and Chen Zheyuan

Step By Step Lotus - based on historical novel Return to Ming Dynasty as Prince by 月关 starring Zhang Binbin and Luo Yunxi

Eternal Faith - based on danmei novel Heaven Official’s Blessing by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu starring Zhai Xiaowen and Zhang Linghe

Joy Of Life Season 2 - based on wuxia novel of the same name by 猫腻 starring Zhang Ruoyun and Li Qin

Story of Kunning Palace - based on the novel 坤宁 by 时镜 starring Bai Lu and Zhang LingHe

Flying Phoenix - based on danmei novel of the same name by 風弄 starring Dai Jingyao and Shu Yaxin

The Story of the Bat - based on danmei novel Bat by Feng Nong starring Mao Zijun and Zhang Yao

The Longest Promise - based on xianxia novel Zhu Yan by 沧月 starring Xiao Zhan, Ren Min, and Zhang Yunlong

Mysterious Lotus Casebook - based on wuxia novel 吉祥纹莲花楼 by Teng Ping 藤萍 starring Cheng Yi and Zeng ShunXi

Follow Your Heart - historical drama starring Song Yi and Luo Yunxi 

The Thirteen-Hongs in Canton - historical drama starring Zhu Yawen and Yu Haoming

White Cat Legend - based on manhua of the same name starring Ding Yuxi and Zhou Qi

[danceofthephilos]

Theory: Did Tadashi call the police on S?

The first beef between Langa and Adam gets famously interrupted by a police raid. It's the only time the police interfere with S specifically in the whole series and the plot thread is not followed up on, leaving this raid as a bit of an oddity.

What I'm proposing here is nothing but a theory - I consider it possible that this is intentional subtext woven into the show, but I would not be able to confirm it one way or another.

My proposition is that Tadashi called the police at this juncture, and that this is completely in line with how he expresses his concern for Adam throughout the whole series. Let's dive in!

Almost immediately preceding the police raid is this reaction shot of Tadashi looking stunned by Adam standing motionlessly under the flickering streetlight. It's when Adam decides that Langa not only could be but definitely is his Eve - even from a distance, observing through the live feed from the drones, Tadashi can tell that Adam is deeply affected by this.

When the episode aired and we didn't yet know a lot about Tadashi, I thought that this shot's inclusion was doubtlessly meant to imply that he is the one who put a stop to the race. With Kiriko's further involvement and the slow reveals about Tadashi's devotion to Adam, this could seem like it was a red herring. But... was it?

Let's dissect this bit by bit!

As I said before, this is the only time in the series that the police messes with S. But not only that! It is also the only time that S has been on the police's radar in recent memory of the characters:

So: why now? Why at this exact point in time? Is that really just some insane coincidence? Is it Kiriko? (It's not, we'll get to that.)

It's noteworthy that the S system shuts down immediately. As the police usually doesn't bother with S, this is not routine. It's a very swift response to something that is completely unusual if not unprecedented. It could be that Tadashi just has very quick response skills, but... It's undeniable that shutting everything off on time would be far easier for him to accomplish if he knew this would happen.

This is further supported by the way Tadashi just casually rolls up to pick up Adam, not stressed in the slightest by the unusual threat to their little operation (and Tadashi does stress about anything that could threaten Adam's reputation, we see it often.)

Adam also immediately points out the strangeness of this event, while we as the viewer are treated to a foreground shot of Tadashi's impassive, unconcerned face.

It is then Tadashi who looks into the matter. It is his word we have to trust if we want to blame the police raid on Kiriko. But... should we?

We know Kiriko as incredibly persistent in her pursuit of Adam. Would she really discover that Ainosuke Shindo walled off a whole area from police patrol, and then quietly accept it as that same area is removed from patrol once again? That should be raising huge red flags for her!

If Kiriko had a hunch of Ainosuke Shindo doing something illegal at the abandoned mine out of town, that should be her absolute first priority to investigate! It's her best bet at getting him to court!

But Kiriko herself never once mentions the abandoned mine, altered police patrol routes, or anything of the likes. To her, this is about perjury. She's only ever seen following the perjury and collusion trail; never once does she discuss anything adjacent to S. Even presuming that she's merely suspicious about the abandoned mine in general, without any reason to connect it to Ainosuke Shindo, the person whom Adam is in contact with to assure S's continued protection is the chief of police.

Kiriko is working with Chief Matsumura throughout the rest of the season, and until he intervenes to prevent her investigating the Shindo estate and sends her back to Tokyo in the finale, there's no indication that she distrusts him, nor anyone within the Naha police, at all. If Tadashi's account of events is correct, Kiriko grew suspicious of illegal activities at the abandoned mine, thought it had been removed from the patrol route by someone higher in the chain of command, and had it raided... only for her to think nothing of it when it was removed from the patrols again, and continue to completely trust the person who would have authority over these decisions without so much as following up with him about what happened.

If Kiriko is meant to be the culprit behind the raid, this is a huge plot hole. She should, by all means, have become a threat to S itself.

However! The only person who ever implicates her in this is Tadashi. If Tadashi was the one who called the police, Kiriko would have been an incredibly convenient scapegoat for him.

So then... isn't Tadashi a loyal dog? Why would he go against his master like this, so early in the show? Let me explain!

First off, it's important to remember that at the start of the show, Adam hasn't been attending S in years. People there treat him as a legend and many have never seen him. Recently, Adam has been focused on furthering his career and only consumed S passively via videos - no skater interested him enough to go out personally.

Tadashi supports this. Over and over we see him concerned for Adam's career and reputation. He believes that a 'normal' successful life is what is genuinely best for the man.

For years now, Tadashi has blamed skateboarding (and himself) for everything wrong with Adam's life. He believes that he led Adam astray and he is desperate to fix his 'mistake'.

Tadashi is not an outsider to the value system of the Shindo clan. As the child of a generations-long servant family, he grew up on the estate as well. He too spent his whole life internalizing the 'life lessons' taught by the Shindo adults. As Aiichiro's secretary, he might have spent more time with Adam's father than Adam himself ever did. Tadashi definitely listened to his views over and over and over.

And because of that, what Tadashi regrets about Aiichiro burning Adam's board is not that he didn't stop it or that he didn't stand up for Adam... It's that he taught Adam skateboarding in the first place and thus led to him 'needing to be punished'.

As such, it's no surprise that he opposes Adam's initial return to S. He wants to 'make up' for his 'mistake' by leading Adam into a normal life. Participation in S is to the direct detriment of that.

Tadashi feels no disdain for Adam, of course. On the contrary, he feels endless love and affection. He genuinely wants what's best for him. Well, what he thinks is best for him...

Which means that Tadashi is a product of the Shindo clan through-and-through.

And all of that wraps us back around to where we started:

After years of Adam doing well in Tadashi's eyes (no hospitalizations, yay!), this happens. Adam is affected in a way he's never been before - he's had objects of affection in the past, but none of them made him stop dead in his tracks like this.

Tadashi knows Adam. And he knows Adam is about to be obsessed.

So he panics and tries to rip Adam and Langa apart as soon as humanly possible. He wants to nip this obsession in the bud so Adam won't be distracted from work. So Adam will be able to live the perfect life that everyone wants for him.

It's even possible that Tadashi didn't stop at calling the police.

At the start of the tournament, we encounter a group of masked skaters who are hellbent on getting Langa out of the race. The way they talk about Joe here is dismissive. When they say to let him have the win they use the form くれてやれ which is rather rude and dismissive - they're not doing this for Joe's sake, they just don't care if he wins. It's Langa they're after.

Now, it's possible that they just want to take an arrogant rookie down a peg. That seems like something thugs would do. But there is one person who has a vested interest in Langa falling short of Adam's expectations and not making it to the finale - that person is Tadashi.

The assault on Langa in this race is a similar oddity as the police raid - it's never addressed before or after it happens, standing isolated as a momentary obstacle that doesn't contribute to the overall plot of SK8. Being 'out of place' ties these two incidents together - and thus may tie them to Tadashi.

It might not be coincidence that Tadashi enters the tournament as Snake only after the assault team fails to take out Langa.

Entering the tournament shows that Tadashi is not afraid to go behind Adam's back if he thinks it serves Adam's best interests. But becoming 'Snake' means alerting Adam of his betrayals - to me, that seems like a drastic final measure after the sneakier ones failed.

The tragedy of it all is that even though Tadashi is deciding over Adam's head, going behind his back, and generally repeating his family's abusive mantra at him over and over.... Even though Tadashi does all these things, he genuinely loves Adam. Everything he does is for Adam's sake. Unlike the aunts or Aiichiro, he does not see Adam as a representative of his own power. He just loves him, but he expresses his love in the only way he's ever learned to do it:

By forcing him to fit the mold.

[the1trueanon]

I FINALLY GOT THESE DONE HERE WE GO:

ACTOR AU SAGE!!!

Fun fact! Actor AU is currently the only WH AU to have a version of Sage instead of Rosemary! :D

Her intro stuff is really long, so I'll put it under the cut (AAAA IM SO EXCITED TO SHARE HER)!!

So, for the Actor AU, Sage actually isn't an actor at all! She's a singer and songwriter who has pretty recently (like, within the past year or two before meeting the WH cast, maybe?) become very popular. Sage's personality and music draw a lot of inspiration from AURORA and MALINDA -- songs that tend to have a lot of deeper meaning behind them. She's eccentric and honestly a bit weird, but she's most known for being open and honest about herself and her music, and for being very caring and sweet. She's able to immediately connect to people and help them see different points of view, which is part of why she's gotten so popular with both puppet and human audiences.

Wally, of course, doesn't really trust it, considering how he thinks and what he believes. He assumes she's probably just another attention-hungry diva, thinking they're the shit, using the whole "lets all be best buds!" schtick to sell out. So he doesn't really pay attention to her or what she does too much, besides taking note of her rising popularity.

That is, of course, until he meets her.

Due to Sage's rising popularity, the show executives decide to have her come on the show as a sort of guest star. Wally doesn't really like this, but they're able to negotiate him to at least try it out for an episode and they'll decide what to do after that. Wally reluctantly agrees, but he's not too optimistic about it. He's really just expecting another one of those "rising star" types, y'know? (Which, fair enough, when you consider what all he's probably had to deal with in his time, plus the fact that all he's probably ever seen or heard of her is in interviews, and he puts on an act well enough for his, so.)

I have a whole actual comic planned detailing this that I'll hopefully finish and get out soon (sitting and writing comics is hard when you have near-zero focus QwQ) but essentially he's outside, before filming for the first day of this, just to get air before having to go back in and start directing things and getting ready and she approaches him and just starts talking with him. And he has no idea who the fuck this is??? (Honest to god, he'll never admit it now but he thought she was an intern or something at first XD) But slowly he goes from just answering her shortly to actually participating in the conversation?? And not just a "how's the weather" sort of thing, but like. Actual deep conversation, about what he's doing out there and talking through a little bit of the stress and stuff. And eventually he kinda like, comes to and realizes he's been talking way too much about way too deep stuff and he's like "hold up who tf are you again?" Which is about the same time her manager (who has been named Savannah and she's also a sweetheart) comes out looking for her and before Sage heads in she fully introduces herself to him, and he's just. Stunned. Absolutely blown away.

Here he was, expecting some diva he'd have to give the shake down to, but instead he's met with just. A girl. An honest, strange, caring girl.

This continues throughout that week of filming, Sage subverting every expectation Wally previously had of her. The whole time he's just more and more startled by Sage and who she is. Her whole team is super sweet and she obviously has very deep trust in them, and jokes with them like friends. She treats his staff with utmost respect (which, admittedly, makes him act on his best behavior every time she's around. He doesn't wanna look bad in comparison XD). She seems to genuinely enjoy her time there and what she's doing. Even more than that, Sage honestly has a very poor filter, so she talks a lot about everything lol, but it can be good! Because this is how Wally learns about her drive to create and how much she genuinely wants to bring people together. He finds out that really, the two of them have very similar visions, just for different audiences. Later, he and the executives and director and stuff are all discussing if they wanna keep doing stuff with her and her team and he's just immediately like "Yes. Absolutely. She has a similar vision to me. We either keep doing stuff with her or I'm personally helping fund her, capiche?" and they're all like "👀Got it" XD

And then, of course, there's her music. Which, after that first day of filming, he searches up as much of as he can and listens to it. And is again absolutely blown away lmao (there's another little comic idea I have for this too hehehe but its much shorter than the other one)

And thus begins Wally's journey of self-improvement, led by Sage's example /j XDDDD

ANYWAY HRGHRGHRGHRHGR THATS ALL THE EXPOSITION IMMA GIVE HERE CAUSE THATS A LOT AND THERE'S STILL A TON MORE STORY IN MY BRAIN BUT AUUUGGGHHH I'M SO NORMAL ABOUT THIS AU (also Frills, I have no idea what spell you've put on me with this thing but I have never made such cinematic art before O-O don't stop XD)

As always, Welcome Home belongs to Clown (partycoffin) and Actor/Diva Wally and the Actor AU belong to the wonderful @frillsand!! 💖💖💖

[best-underrated-anime]

Best Underrated Anime Group J Round 3: #J5 vs #J6

#J5: Girls live in a school, but not by choice

#J6: Students transported to bizarre new realities

Details and poll under the cut!

#J5: School-Live! (Gakkougurashi!)

Summary:

Carefree high school senior Yuki Takeya looks forward to the School Living Club every day. Consisting of the president Yuuri Wakasa, the athletic Kurumi Ebisuzawa, the mature Miki Naoki, the supervising teacher Megumi Sakura, and club dog Taroumaru, the club prides itself on making the most of life at school. There is only one rule the club members have to follow: all members must live their entire lives within school grounds.

Propaganda:

If you like Madoka Magica, you’ll 100% like this series. It’s hard to explain without spoilers, but it has a huge plot twist in the first episode. The anime is a short one with only 12 episodes, but it has an amazing manga as well! It mixes a cute slice of life high school anime with a darker plot, and it’s handled so well. It doesn’t seem like it’s just dark for the sake of being edgy like some other similar series. It covers topics like mental health and grief well, and it has as happy of an ending as possible for a series like this. The plot twists were executed so well, and I was sobbing by the end of the series.

Trigger Warnings: Animal Cruelty or Death, Graphic Depictions of Cruelty/Violence/Gore, Derealization

#J6: Sonny Boy

Summary:

Thirty-six students find themselves and their school building suddenly adrift in a void-like dimension. When supernatural powers awaken in some of them, a sense of detachment begins to divide the group. Despite the student council's attempts to impose order, they clash with the students possessing special abilities, who rebel against their strict control.

This conflict leads them to discover that this world has its own set of rules—and following them is necessary for survival. After one of the students decides to take a leap of faith, the school switches dimensions once again. While they deal with the unique challenges and circumstances that each world presents, the students must unravel the mysterious phenomenon and find a way back home.

Propaganda:

Sonny Boy is one of the best shows to come out in recent years. The setting and plot is very fantastical, with superpowers and dimension travel, but fundamentally the story is about the characters. The character writing is really unique. Even the side characters feel like real people, not just cheap gimmicks.

But the main draw for a lot of people are the visuals. Sonny Boy looks like no other anime. The backgrounds are just absolutely stunning, and the realistic character design helps contrast the unreality of the world. There are these amazing visual sequences that just blow you away with how creative the writers must be.

I can't say much without spoiling but it's the kind of show you just have to experience. This is the kind of show where people either love it or hate it. If you are looking for clear, linear storytelling, this is not the show for you. If you're looking for a straight mystery where everything is solved in the end, you might be disappointed. If you want to cry, and feel something, and think about what it means to be alive, then I cannot recommend a better show.

Trigger Warnings:

Animal death - a bird died and is used as a metaphor

Flashing lights - many weird kaleidoscope effects and other sequences

When reblogging and adding your own propaganda, please tag me @best-underrated-anime so that I’ll be sure to see it.

If you want to criticize one of the shows above to give the one you’re rooting for an advantage, then do so constructively. I do not tolerate groundless hate or slander on this blog. If I catch you doing such a thing in the notes, be it in the tags or reblogs, I will block you.

Know one of the shows above and not satisfied with how it’s presented in this tournament? Just fill up this form, where you can submit revisions for taglines, propaganda, trigger warnings, and/or video.

[mysteriousmissfsart]

Twisted Wonderland Thoughts and Theories #1

I’m here with some thoughts and theories about the new Diasomnia episode 7 chapters!

This update contains some of the most unsettling chapters of the game. It just made me shudder all over.

Well, I don’t want to give too many spoilers up here.

So, as always I’ll put everything under a cut!

Spoiler warning: Screenshots and description of events. Read at your own risk.

This update is just crazy!

It’s starts of all lighthearted and then becomes DARK at the end.

I’ve been trying not to cry but it was really hard-

As you all probably know by now, Malleus is my favorite character and I feel really connected to him.

It kind of feels like he’s the fictional depiction of my personality and me as a person. So seeing him snap and lose it, hit home really strongly. It was really hard for me to not feel like I could see myself in his shoes.

The way he screamed at Lillia in chapter 37 and told him “I WON’T HAVE TO LOSE YOU!!”, made me cry.

He sees Lillia as family and a friend. He’s not afraid of him or who he is. He sees beyond the scary exterior that Malleus can’t get rid of.

Malleus is attached to that. He’s attached to anyone that can see beyond his cold, scary exterior.

He could have refused being anyone’s friend at any time and he wouldn’t have been attached to anyone.

Right now, Malleus knows that those close to him have not hurt him in any way. So to him, it’s scary if they suddenly leave and that’s why he acted so rashly.

I’ll give a bit of an INFJ personality example, as I think he is one. His choices in this update make it clearer that he is, indeed, an INFJ.

INFJs don’t usually lose people but, people lose them. Let me explain: If I (an INFJ) befriend someone or get to know someone that later hurts me, I won’t make a fuss or fight. I would leave silently and have that person regret what they did. However, we only leave if we no longer see a solution and no longer care. If we fight and cry, we see a glimpse of hope and we still care. That can change at anytime though.

INFJs don’t like losing people they care about. We over think it and make ourselves feel like we wronged the person that left, even if it wasn’t our fault. We try to do anything we can to make our loved ones stay by our side. Loss hurts and it hurts much more when there are regrets involved as well as overthinking.

This is exactly what Malleus did in this chapter, he did what he could to make his loved ones stay. It might not be morally right but, he did the thing he found was within his power.

That is what made me emotional. He did exactly what I right now would say that I wouldn’t do and that it’s fictional, I don’t have such power. But when I think about it, if I were him, I would have done the same, if it was the only thing I could do. He’s scared of loss, he’s scared of being truly lonely. If I were in his shoes, I would have done the same. No matter how much I knew that they would hate me when they got back. I would believe that what I did was for them, even if it was selfish, I would believe that I did the right thing.

I think this is how Malleus feels and I understand that not everyone agrees with what he did. I am not trying to justify it. All I know and believe is that he acted on his fears. He lost his parents and now the person he saw as a friend and a family figure is going to leave him as well? Well, I think any of us would have snapped and gone mad.

I’ve also suffered a lot of losses of dear people. This is probably why I feel so much sympathy for Malleus. It’s much worse if you can do something and don’t do it. Even if it’s not the ideal solution. Well he did what he did so there’s no way of changing that.

Or maybe there is-

This brings us to the second part of this post. The theory part. (Even if we had a bit of theory above too)

We’ll also be discussing his overblot form. So first a screenshot from the game. (I’m also looking at the full overblot image)

I’ll just say it. He looks absolutely stunning and I would like to know where he found this stylish outfit-

Really-

Mhm-

The blot tears are dripping down much further than in the other overblot designs. They’re basically telling us that he’s been holding back his pain for hundreds of years.

The thorns symbolize the shackles of his position and power and everything he’s had to suppress.

He also has a belt over the thorn corset, it’s fastened in a way that makes it feel hasty. It feels like a symbol for hastily suppressed emotions, that are on the verge of erupting.

His horns are glowing with the same color that his powers have. His tail does the same.

He has blot markings on his face and his hand that look like dragon scales.

The markings on his face and the slicked back hair reminds me of Maleficent’s image with her head piece and horns.

The ends of his outfit are torn but with a spiky thorn like look on them. Even his leggings and underskirt(?) have spikes and look like thorns. His cape has green thorns as well.

He has this thorn harness(?) over his chest and a collar metal like tight around his neck.

His whole overblot outfit gives off the impression of symbolizing restraint and suppressed emotions.

No matter how much he smiles or laughs, there is still this coldness to it. It’s like he’s numb to his emotions.

We’ll probably get to know soon enough.

His shadow looked a lot like Maleficent in this image below:

Now for another image.

This basically shows how strong Malleus is. His powers put a whole country/island to sleep. I think he would have been able to do much more damage had he wanted to. He’s too strong.

The last images for this post are here and with them the last part of this post.

“You will be the heroes of a fairy tale.”

This makes it seem as if Malleus is telling them to fight him. Or that he’s giving them a second chance to save themselves from this fate. Or he’s not talking to the characters but to the people playing the role of the main character. To us. He’s telling us to be the hero of this story and save ourselves and the others.

There have also been these theories about the Yuu-verse and that there have been a lot of Yuus that have failed at stopping Malleus. Maybe there is a hidden chapter that unlocks after you defeat Malleus in the battle. But it’s impossible to win so I don’t know how this will go.

I think he might be alluding to The Sleeping Beauty trope and how they will be heroes, either saving each other or getting saved. He might also be alluding to the Maleficent movies and how she was portrayed as a hero instead of a villain in that story. He’s basically talking about the story of Twisted Wonderland as well, and how it’s making villains show heroic characteristics. It’s an amazing line and just makes the gears turn in my head.

If you look closely here, the logo is rippling like water.

The fact that Malleus started singing Once Upon a Dream at this moment makes it feel as if you’re being in a dream. The rippling images in movies and the sound of a harp playing always meant that the character was getting a flashback or dreaming in old movies. This might indicate that the game is going to start over until we save everyone from Malleus or that we’re all goners now.

I have a feeling that Idia or Maleficia (Malleus’s grandma) or both might help us out of this situation.

Or we’ll get a super out of the box surprise with all of the Yuus arriving at the door from different universes to help us (the current Yuu) defeat Malleus. That would be epic.

Or a more ultra super maximum universe can not comprehend out of the box surprise where the great 7 come and save us with Maleficent as the leader. That would be epic beyond belief.

Or all of the above.

I’d be happy with anything as long as it makes the wait worth it.

This part at the end of chapter 37 made me shudder because it was really unsettling.

Malleus is humming to Once Upon a Dream and it sounds hypnotic and scary. It almost sounds more like the Maleficent movie version more than The Sleeping Beauty version. The first is much darker and sounds scary while the latter is upbeat and sounds happy and sweet.

It feels like we’re getting an early ending, like a game over after meeting the final boss. It’s like we’re starting the game again. Like we woke up from an eternal sleep, to try our luck with saving the world again.

It just feels melancholy and like dejavu, like losing your memories but remembering the feelings you had associated with them. It’s strange and it’s a great thing that this game has accomplished. You don’t get this feeling easily in real life. This game should get awards and worldwide recognition for the amazing work put into it.

—————————————————————————

Thank you for reading this! I really love explaining and sharing my thoughts and theories on the things I like. It took me 3 hours or more to write this as properly as I could and to get my thoughts across as much as possible. I really hope I did a good job.

I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!

You can always tell me what you think as well!

I would love to hear your thoughts!

This is my favorite main story episode so far and it really pulls at my heartstrings in every possible way.

I look forward to the conclusion and how everything unfolds.

Thank you for reading!

-Miss F

[aq2003]

sw visions s2 review! i overall enjoyed this season more than the first, the variety in animation mediums was amazing and a lot of these were just fucking stunning to look at. thoughts and ranking under the cut:

9. sith

i have beef with this one. i think this by default takes the spot as my overall least favorite star wars visions episode across both seasons just because of how it does the dumb "you can use both the light side AND the dark side :) dont worry about it" trope. the animation is cool in some places but (likely due to disney+ deep frying the video quality?) it felt weirdly hard to look at in others. i do love the painting aesthetic but it feels the least true to the star wars spirit. i think the duel from season 1 executed the "darksider vs former sith" idea much better

8. i am your mother

this one being so low on the ranking is just a testament to how much i enjoyed all of the other episodes. i think this short succeeded fully with what it set out to do, it's just a fun story about a mother-daughter pilot duo which is great! simple and enjoyable.

7. aau's song

this one was just really adorable. i loved the aesthetic and the animation, the characters felt so.. fuzzy. huggable. really nice breather to end off a volume of really good stories. loved the visuals for the crystals and the character design for the jedi in this episode especially

6. the pit

bruh i was so fucking sad when THAT happened . i get why they did it but it felt so unfairrrrr aaaaaaaaaaaaaa. i liked the animation and character designs and this one also has some really creative visuals for the settings. but i thought the resolution to the conflict felt a little too .. easy isnt the right word for it. but i think some of the writing falls a little short in an otherwise really good story.

5. the bandits of golak

and i KNOW the people that made this were fans of tcw/rebels. (was that sabine's phoenix symbol i saw on the side of the train????). loved the dynamic between charuk and rani, i get why they had to part ways but i got sad when they did nevertheless. the texturing on the models feels very reminiscent of tcw's style and it tickled my brain <3 except i think the character designs blow tcw out of the water <333

4. journey to the dark head

FUCKING SUE ME. i loved this one. studio mir put everything and i mean EVERYTHING into the animation on this one. toul and ara are great characters and i love how they played off of each other. bichan's character design went HARD AS HELL i literally don't care if some of the story didn't make sense to me because ouhghhhhh this was just a whole MEAL for my eyes . if that makes sense. studio mir i love you

3. 2. the spy dancer

i CANNOT in good faith put this at any spot below a 2 so i guess we'll have a tie here. the animation was absolutely fucking STUNNING and the fight scenes were also, like journey into the dark head, complete and utter bangers. loi'e is probably my favorite protagonist out of all the episodes this season, just the concept for her being a performer and also a spy for the rebels is [chefs kiss]. i also do love a good ironic twist and this one Has it <3

2. screecher's reach

perhaps this one is ranked so high because it was placed right after my disappointment from episode 1 and perhaps it's because it struck such a chord within me that i truly cannot explain. daal and her friends were so cute and the colors and backgrounds were truly beautiful to look at and god. the story on this one. fully fucked me up. crazy how a story this dark and upsetting made me feel better than episode 1 but it gave me Such a level of tragic catharsis. (is that the right word for it? it's unsatisfying but on purpose and i love it) this one probably isn't going to be as high on other people's rankings but i don't care. i love it. it's dear to me.

in the stars

this one just straight up made me cry. i don't why it hit me that hard but it definitely has to count for something. this one is also really fucking beautiful to look at like the rest of my top 4 but this one has an aesthetic that lends itself really really well to the storytelling. the scene of the painting telling their mother's backstory is just.. ugh my heart. i love koten and tichina so much it's unreal. the final scene where they stared down the walker mirroring the painting made me fucking lose my mind. perhaps i was not feeling very hopeful for their fates after what happened in episode 2 but i was so happy when it did end on a happy note. also them finally seeing their mom's star in the sky.. i just.. ugh. lay me into the ground!!!!!

[yakkyrwhackr]

My Thoughts on Sonic Prime Season 3 (Spoilers Ahead!) I'm going to structure this in a sandwich style of reviewing, because there's a lot of good, a bit of bad, and a decent chunk of lame shit. Let's hop in, shall we? The Best: Grim Big Let's start this review off with the thing I adored about this season the most: GRIM BIG, BABY!!! Grim Big is the funniest shit ever and I loved every moment he was on screen The Lame: The Grim Bots (Minus Grim Big) The Grim Bots are cool in concept, but they just don't really do anything and have no notable personalities. They're just there as fodder. Alpha Grim Sonic does get a TINY bit of personalization in episode 5, but that is ENTIRELY carried by Shadow challenging him to "prove his worth" and the mild scowl AGS gives in response. Also the Grim Birdies are the most annoying fucking things in existence and I hate their sound effect. Alpha Grim Sonic could NEVER be Chaos Sonic.

The Great: Fight Scenes One of the best aspects of this season was the fight scenes (minus the ones within the Kracken and Mothership) by far. All of them are such a treat to my eyes and I loved every second of it. The Lame: Inconsistencies The writing seems to pingpong in tone a lot. One minute everything is hopeless, and then sonic has a plan. That plan falls apart due to infighting, rinse and repeat. Nine also feels a little inconsistent, as sometimes he's angsty, sometimes he's cocky, and sometimes he's manic. It's pretty jarring. Dread is also inconsistent. He said in either episode 2 or 3 that he had no incentive to fight, and then in episode 4 onwards, he's fighting with enthusiasm. He really only gets an actual incentive in episode fucking 6, which he abandons IN THE SAME EPISODE.

The Good: Nine While Nine was a bit inconsistent at times, he was still pretty good in this season. I can tell the VA and animators really tried. I just wish he was given a better and less inconsistent script. He gets really good in the final 3 or so episodes.

The Bad: The Retro Scene Just like in other seasons of Prime, the retro scene was pretty bad. But I feel that this season, it felt especially cheap and unnecessary. It looked like a fucking flash animation. Not even dialogue this time. It was pointless too because the entire first season had Sonic reminding Nine of him and Tails' friendship.

The Extra-Enjoyable: Jack, Squad Commander Red, and Renegade Knucks All three of these were great. Some were greater than others (Renegade Knucks was definitely the best by far and was the one of the only characters I can definitively say I cared about. Like, Renegade absolutely STOLE the show.) I enjoyed watching them on screen. Again, some more than others (I love you, Renegade Knucks), but all were enjoyable nonetheless. The Thing I'm Undecided About: Sappiness Sonic is a sappy guy. I am more than aware of that. However, I feel a few scenes put too much sappiness for the scene, or used sappiness when it could be used elsewhere. For the sake of being fair, the sappiness in the final episode WAS a good use of it. Overall not my biggest problem with the season. (I ran out of bads so the sandwich style ends here)

The STUNNING: Animation The animation in this season was PHENOMENAL. Multiple times this season, my brain was just in constant awe with how good it looked. Everyone was super expressive and bouncy. Definitely amazing. The Peak: Shadow Shadow was GREAT this season. I loved his interactions almost as much as I loved Renegade Knucks. Definitely the best Shadow has been written in a WHILE. It was a breath of fresh air in an otherwise flanderized character. We got a bit of Shadow in season 2, but this is where I think he really shines. I certainly will not forget the ultimate lifeform beefing with a 9 year old. Peak, honestly The Very Nice: Rusty I feel Rusty had more time to shine this season. She had more lines, her animation was more expressive, and even her voice actress seemed to read her lines with a bit more emotion. I especially liked her monologue against Alpha Grim Amy. Show's still not canon though :)

[tending-the-hearth]

you made a post a while ago about a bad batch au where fives lives- any new thoughts on that given the newest season?

SCREECHING TY ANON I GET TO TALK ABOUT MY FAVORITE AU

this is going off of Fives' murder being faked, and Fox, Cody, and Rex being the only ones (besides the Batch) who know everything.

i mean... just imagining the first night on the Marauder after Echo's brought into the Batch. It's been years since the Domino twins have been able to sleep beside one another, since they've been able to reach out after a nightmare and feel their twin already moving to hug them.

The Batch was worried about not having enough bunks, but Fives and Echo were a tangled mass of limbs and passed out on Fives' bunk before they could say anything, so that solved that issue.

(seriously though, imagine not having the other half of your soul next to you for years, and then you get them back after you've both been traumatized to hell and back? the twins aren't letting go of each other any time soon)

i think the training exercise that the Batch does in episode one of the first season would 100% bring up some very not great memories for Fives and Echo, both of training with Domino, and the day at the citadel. While they obviously trust the Batch, there's still certain things they keep within their little bubble, so the Batch doesn't really comment about how glued to each other's sides the twins are after everything.

Fives remembers Omega from when he and Tup were on Kamino, and she remembers him. It's not until they're on board the Marauder leaving Kamino that Omega hurls herself at him, latching onto the Arc and hugging him as tightly as she possibly can. Fives can't resist hugging her back, and they're attached at the hip after that.

Fives also would (as I've said before) want nothing more than to help Crosshair, because he knows what it's like, and while the current season 2 doesn't exactly support this scenario, i can never get the thought out of my mind of Fives and Echo sitting down on the landing platform on Kamino, Crosshair between them, and the three of them just sitting in silence. After an hour of waiting, Hunter steps out of the Marauder, and he sees Crosshair laughing at a story Fives is telling about Hevy, Echo's arm around his shoulder.

so moving into the canon season 2, Echo and Fives are absolutely in the same mindset that they could be doing more.

Everyone still things Fives has died. the clones heard the whispers of the 501st soldier who was killed for asking questions.

Fives hearing that more of his brothers are dying, dying for the same reason he nearly did? He'd jump at the chance to help Rex save them, and Echo would too.

the reunion with Cody is honestly all I can think about, just Cody running through the underbelly of Coruscant, tailed by one of the assassins, and as he ducks into a shadowy alley, the assassin is stunned, and Cody's pretty sure he's seeing ghosts as Rex and Fives and Echo step out of the darkness, and all his adrenaline just leaves him as he collapses, but Rex and the twins are at his side, pulling him into a hug, and the four of them are reunited, and Rex and Cody can't help but breath sighs of relief because they're okay, their twins are okay, and they can help the rest of their brothers.

[rays-of-fire-and-ice]

BLEACH: The Thousand Year Blood War Ep 10 Reactions and Thoughts

Overall reactions:

Whelp, I don't know about you, but I was an emotional wreck after watching this one. I was so in awe of after watching Kenpachi and Unohana's fight that I forgot Renji and Ichigo were even a thing in this episode. While there isn't too much tot talk about in this one compared to last week's episode, I still just wanted to rant and rave about how much I loved the highlights and talk a little about Unohana's death.

Highlights:

Kenpachi vs Unohana continues and concludes: I cried, I almost screamed, I fell out of my chair again, and I even choked. WHAT A FIGHT! This is right up there with Yamamoto vs Yhwach for sure! There was stunning moment after stunning moment, JUST LOOK AT SOME OF THESE:

The last one in particular just screams 'HYPE!' I love this change from the manga. Even without context, each moment as a gif or as a clip is incredible to watch. You could freeze on most of these frames, take a screenshot, and chances are it'd make an epic screensaver or background. But the part that takes the cake for me is Unohana's bankai reveal. The moment she said 'Bankai', I choked. The seiyuu absolutely killed it, giving Unohana just right amount of menace as she speaks throughout the reveal. And to finally learn what it does, it's the cherry on the cake for me! I was hoping we would get more filler for the first time Unohana and Kenpachi met, but it was still a great moment, and seeing Kenny emerge from the massive mountain of bodies definitely got em hyped. And even though I knew it was coming, I still gasped and started to tear up when Unohana got impaled and Kenpachi threw his sword away. Just, look at this moment and try to tell me you don't feel anything:

Kenpachi's voice actor also did an amazing job throughout this moment, conveying the regret and grief he feels for killing the one person who brought him the greatest fight of his life. And then hearing Kenny's zanpakuto...AAAAAAH! In fact, this adaption was s effective it made me temporarily forget why I wasn't really a fan of why Unohana got killed off. Even when I go back and reread this fight, as much as I love it and looked forward to seeing it animated when the anime was announced, I still hate that Unohana had to die. Yes I know, if we had two kenpachi-level captains the war would probably be over within hours. Yes, I know removing Unohana, a master healer, raises the stakes for the other Shinigami because now who's going to bring them back from near death? Yes, Kenpachi needed some development to become OP as heck for end and finally get that bankai everyone wanted to see, but did it really need to happen by killing Unohana? I think I feel this way because Unohana is one of my favourite characters, and her character got more layers added to her during this fight, only for it to come to an end just as quickly as these layers were revealed. That's just a personal gripe of mine and has nothing to do with animation staff, who not only knocked this adaption out of the park, they blew it out of the water and into the stratosphere.

Renji and Ichigo - aka the dorkiness continues: more silliness with Renji and Ichigo, this time with Oetsu, who makes them do this famous pose:

I only wish we got to see the whole post rather than a pan down, but this still got a laugh out of me. Actually, considering how serious most of this episode was, the silliness was welcomed to offset some of the sadness. That being said, when Ichigo failed to find his zanpakuto and was sent back to the World of the Living, I couldn't help but feel a little hyped for what's come to.

So if I understand right, next week we're getting two episode back to back? Well, regardless, I am VERY excited for the next episode/s. We're getting Everything but the Rain arc, and we all know what that means!! :D

[phant0m-l0rd]

(I should’ve learned my lesson the first few times this happened, never to edit big chunks of text on tumblr because sometimes it’ll refresh for no reason and I’ll lose everything right before pressing send. Anyway, off to rewriting this whole thing I go!!)

I felt like doing this because I watched a lot of kdramas this year. Everything will be after the “keep reading” line. Some prompts will be edited because I didn’t watch any dramas actually made in 2022, so if you see things being crossed out like this and [inserted text], that’s what that is.

(featuring a bunch of gifs I made over the course of this year and never posted anywhere)

→ First drama completed in 2022: Black (2017).

→ Favourite actress discovered in 2022: Kim Hye-soo. I absolutely loved her in Hyena (2020) and fell in love with both her acting and her (she's literally the perfect woman). She was fabulous in Signal (2016) as well. Her ability to nail both comedic and serious acting is a testament to her amazing range.

→ Favourite actor discovered in 2022: Honourable mention to Ji Chang-wook, whom I adored in the 3 series I watched him in this year.

However, my favourite actor I discovered this year has got to be Lee Joon-gi. Truly a master of his craft; I’m convinced there isn’t a single thing he cannot do. His acting range is amazing, from subtle and subdued to incredibly emotional.

→ Favourite original song from a drama [discovered in 2022]: Adrenaline (Vincenzo OST). I feel like this song fit the series so perfectly, but also sounds really good as a stand-alone song. I love its brooding, ominous, yet entrancing atmosphere.

→ A visually beautiful kdrama [discovered in 2022]: I’ll be mentioning this series a lot in this post, if only for the reason that it’s become one of my favourite series of all-time, from the second I watched it, the series being Flower of Evil (2020). The cinematography of this series is one of the many elements that makes it stand out from a lot of other dramas I’ve seen. It’s so beautiful, the lighting is always stunning, the colours are soft, the framing is always on-point…

Take this shot, for instance, which is from the opening scene of the drama (I just had to gif it). It instantly draws you in and sets the tone for the rest of the series.

→ A drama you dropped in 2022: Strong Girl Bong-soon (2017). I’m actually surprised I made it this far into this series before dropping it considering how uncomfortable the humour made me feel. From thinly veiled homophobia to crass humour to making light of domestic abuse, this series shocked me, especially considering it isn’t that old. So many series have had narratives of female empowerment and have done so so amazingly well that this series feels very subpar in comparison, in my opinion.

→ Favourite character [discovered in 2022]: Do Hyun-so in Flower of Evil (2020). He stood out to me the most because of how complex and multidimensional he was, and how well all the different facets of his character were portrayed by Lee Joon-gi. I felt so empathetic for his character, angry at the tragic circumstances that had shaped his life, and endeared by the kindness and softness he retained despite all he had been through. His character is tragic but is also an exemplification of resiliency in the face of adversity.

→ A [drama discovered in 2022] with an interesting story: W (2016) had a very interesting premise that was actually executed surprisingly well, in my opinion. In brief, it centres around a webcomic that has somehow come to life, with there being a portal between the real world and the world within the comic book. It’s very entertaining.

→ Oldest drama you watched in 2022: Time Between Dog and Wolf (2007) which I’m currently watching (only 1 episode left). I started it because of Lee Joon-gi and have honestly not been disappointed one bit. Sure, the filming and editing is dated, but that doesn’t detract from the quality of the narrative and the acting. Nowadays, this premise (a revenge undercover story) feels like it might’ve been done many times, however it does not feel boring in this series at all, quite the contrary. It’s been incredibly engaging.

Furthermore, I just have to say… I love 2000s fashion and hairstyles. I mean, look at this. Oh and how could I forget the single earring.

→ Have you rewatched a drama in 2022? Oh yes. I tend to rewatch series quite a bit once they’ve graduated to being comforting series for me. Not sure if I rewatched The Guest (2018) this year or if it was in very late 2021, but I know for sure that I rewatched Her Private Life (2019) (my comfort series at the moment), Vincenzo (2021), Flower of Evil (2020), Sell Your Haunted House (2021), and Suspicious Partner (2017).

→ A drama that kept you on the edge of your seat: Most action/thriller series I watched this year kept me at the edge of my seat, so I cannot list but one. The 3 that stressed me out the most were Signal (2016), Mouse (2021), and Voice 1 (2017).

→ A drama friendship that stole the show: There’s actually quite a few so narrowing it down to one is hard. I think the friendship between the 3 lead girls (Yoon Ji-ho, Woo Su-ji, and Yang Ho-rang) in Because This is My First Life (2017) was really great and heart-warming.

I must also mention the amazing friendship between the two leads (Hong Ji-a and Oh In-beom) in Sell Your Haunted House (2021).

→ A drama you found boring: Nice Guy / The Innocent Man (2012). I watched this series for Song Joong-ki and sadly found it quite boring past the halfway point, which is a shame because it was really great up until that point. I kept with it until the end for both Song Joong-ki and Moon Chae-won but I’ll admit I did fast-forward quite a few scenes near the end and just wanted it to be over.

→ A writer or director who caught your attention: I’ll admit, I didn’t really look up writers or directors this year, but I was really impressed by the writer of Black (2017), Choi Ran (who, it turns out, also wrote Mouse (2021), which I’m only now finding out). Her writing in Black impressed me because of the sheer amount of plot twists and details that were in the series and the fact that there were still very few plot holes.

→ Favourite drama poster of 2022: Flower of Evil (2020) has some of the most memorable posters, to me.

→ Standout secondary character [discovered in 2022]: Choi Yoo-jin in The K2 (2016). I don’t know if she can really be considered a secondary character given her prominence in the series, but nonetheless I absolutely adored her. The perfect antagonist, not one-dimensional at all, on the contrary. Song Yoon-ah’s acting was stunning.

I must also give an honourable mention to Mo Tae-Goo in Voice 1 (2017), whose portrayal by Kim Jae-wook was both haunting and captivating.

→ A drama that made you laugh: Quite a few dramas actually did manage to make me laugh this year, and one of these is Live Up to Your Name (2017). Kim Nam-gil is truly an amazing comedic actor (I loved him in Fiery Priest (2019), which I watched last year). I have yet to watch his more serious roles, but I will.

→ A drama that made you cry: I don’t know why but, despite watching quite a few depressing series, the one that has made me cry the most this year is Time Between Dog and Wolf (2007). I don’t know what it is but this series has made me sob, whereas I know more recent series with similar premises haven’t tugged at my heartstrings in this way. I don’t know if it’s the nostalgia factor but safe to say this drama is making me feel all the emotions.

→ A drama that was better than expected: Simply because I was apprehensive when I saw it was about sports (as a non-sports fan), I did not expect Hot Stove League (2019) to be the absolute masterpiece that it was. Goes to show, you truly cannot judge a book by its cover. This series may be centred around baseball, but it’s so much more than that. It truly amazed me with how realistic it was, with the characters feeling like very real people whom I greatly empathised with.

→ Shortest / longest dramas you completed in 2022: None of the series I watched were shorter than 16 episodes or longer than 20.

→ Favourite costumes of 2022: Simply because I loved Hong Ji-a’s fashion style in Sell Your Haunted House (2021) and would wear it myself, I’ll go with her wardrobe.

→ Sweetest romance of 2022: Toss-up between Healer (2014) and Suspicious Partner (2017). I guess the key to a good romance, for me, is for either Park Min-young or Ji Chang-wook to be involved haha.

→ Most disappointing drama of 2022: Strong Girl Bong-soon (2017), for all the reasons listed previously.

→ A [drama discovered in 2022] that deserves a shout-out: Hot Stove League (2019) simply because I’m afraid people might glance over it simply because, in appearance, it’s about sports, but it’s truly spectacular and I think more people should give it a shot. Another drama that I want to shout-out even though I know it’s already incredibly popular is Itaewon Class (2020), simply because it’s great and heart-warming (despite it getting depressing at times).

→ Something you want to see more in dramas: I’m enjoying seeing more and more lgbt representation in dramas and hope it’ll keep going in that direction because it’s just a nice thing.

→ A 2023 drama that you’re excited for: I don’t really look at future releases, I just find out about them after everyone else…

→ Was 2022 a good drama year for you: Yes- I believe I watched a total of 23 kdramas this year (not counting rewatches) and the vast majority of them were quite enjoyable. Other dramas I watched this year but haven’t mentioned in this post were Crash Landing On You (2019), Lawless Lawyer (2018), Descendants of the Sun (2016), 38 Task Force / Squad 38 (2016), and What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim (2018).

→ Favourite drama [discovered in 2022]: Flower of Evil (2020) (*pretends to be shocked*). Honestly though, this series was such a masterpiece that it’s second only to Stranger / Secret Forest (2017) when it comes to kdramas, in my mind. Everything that it set out to accomplish it did so well. It’s one of those rare series where I struggle to find any flaw in it. My mom, who also watched it (and has watched even more kdramas than me at this point), also said it might just be the best series she’d ever seen right after she finished watching it.

[local-redhead-bookworm]

Just finished binging Castlevania: Nocturne last night and oh my word it was so good! Spoilers ahead though:

The costumes are absolutely stunning.

I love using the French Revolution as a backdrop for this series and it being relevant to the plot.

Richter is a very distinct character from Trevor and I love that. Also seeing him have PTSD from losing his mom, freeze up during battles, and run away is so important to me

The characters for this show feel more like young adults or late teenagers than the slightly more mature cast of the original series, and I like that.

The animation style is different. I think the characters’ designs feel more distinct from each other than in the original series.

Annette is awesome. An earth-bending warrior who’s hunting down the man who enslaved her? Her character design? Fantastic. I can’t speak to the accuracy or quality of her different cultural backgrounds, but I thought it was a cool element.

Edouard my boy has done nothing wrong ever, he’s just vibing singing opera and casually being part of revolutions

Maria? Just everything about her design and character? Love her

Olrox. I literally will never shut up about Olrox. An Aztec vampire, voiced by a native voice actor, who can turn into a dragon? Confirmed gay within the first four episodes? Also he has such a badass introduction and an impeccable sense of style. He may be evil but he draws the line at colonizers

We are still leaning heavily into the corruption of the church hierarchy as a theme in this franchise, and I am here for it. The Abbot is hair-tugging-inducingly self-righteous. Someone put it better than I did, but essentially he’s that one old conservative at your dinner table who actually doesn’t think certain people deserve rights

Forgemastering has taken on an even more mad scientist flavoring than before, and yet the new forgemaster seems worse at creating effective monsters?

Drolta’s costume design is impeccable, and she’s an excellent villain

The theme of vampires being representative of the rich, the church, and colonizers is so good! Especially to the point that the arch villain of the series is literally a white woman who has appropriated the title of an Egyptian god and is planning to rule the entire world, enforcing her own idea of what the proper order is. I eat that theme up

Also my boy is back and looking like his Symphony of the Night design!

My only critique is that the pacing feels a bit fast, but that doesn’t make or break the show for me.

[aftanith]

Stranger Things S4E4, "Dear Billy"

Today I'm covering the fourth episode of Stranger Things season four, and you've gotta know it before I even say it: Max's escape from Vecna is one of my absolute favorite scenes across all of film and television. I was so touched and so impressed; it's like the Duffer brothers reached through time and into my own extremely depressed seventeen-year-old psyche, plucked out one of my own maladaptive music video daydreams, swapped out Within Temptation's cover of Running Up That Hill for Kate Bush's original, and put it on screen. I'm simply stunned.

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