#i can change my vibe so easily either for going out or just playing around in my room. my regret really was that i fell for buying lots of

[alsoyooraiyah]

thinking abt how much my makeup collection has minimized and shrunk down through the years bc for some reason youtube decided to show me some old t*ti w*stbrook videos while on autoplay

[kerrtesy]

A Heads Up

Hello everyone, I hope you all are having a great day or night, whatever time it is for y'all.

Making this post to explain and elaborate on some parts of the recent AU (Bowser's Bodyguard AU, which I'm thinking of renaming) I've been working on. This is going to cover the general story idea, overall vibe, and the games I'm covering with this along with questions I think people may have about the general au.

Don't worry I'll always have this AU tagged, so if you don't like it you can block it easily.

So as stated above this is more of a clarification post and just generally covering my plans for this AU just so people know what to expect.

So I want this AU to be around 6 to 8 main chapters, where I will see if I can combine the Paper and Mario & Luigi universes into one. The first chapter will be on the Mario Movie.

What games will you be covering?

So below are games I definitely want to cover, please note the games are listed in no particular order at the moment.

Super Paper Mario

Paper Mario Thousand Year

Mario and Luigi Superstar Saga

Bowser's Inside Story

Dream Team

All games are going to be rewritten within mind of the character/setup changes. I'm not a huge fan of just writing something that is a paint-by-numbers retelling of the original story; if that's your cup of tea more power too you this is not to throw any shade on that!

For both Superstar Sage and Inside Story I do want to include the side stories the remakes added.

I will say Bowser's Inside Story will be heavily rewritten and I plan on calling it "Fawful's Revenge." The two main reasons are that I'm having Luigi prevent Bowser from eating the vacuum shroom which prevents a lot of the original plot, and I just don't want to draw the inside of Bowser. I don't know what else to say here.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Games that will either be short stories or I'm torn on covering:

Super Mario 2

Mario Galaxy (combining 1 and 2)

Mario RPG

Mario Odyssey

Origami King

Mario Sunshine

Luigi's Mansion 1 & 2

Rabbids Spark of Hope

Paper Mario 64

Super Mario 2 is going to cover Luigi's history with the Shy Guys, particularly with him usurping King Wart. This one might become a full/long chapter.

Mario Galaxy is one that might become a full chapter. It depends on what I end up covering. For instance, at the moment I'm debating on whether to have a semi-character death in it. It's weird because on one hand I don't fully consider this a character death, but it also kind of is because they leave the comic at this point and this does heavily impact the cast. So I'm unsure how to fully label this yet.

Mario RPG is a game I am very intrigued by and I would like to incorporate it into the story, but I do not know the plot of the story so it is on the fence right now. I do have at least a few short comics planned for it.

Mario Odyssey is just going to be a few short comics.

Origami King is where I don't know the full plot, but I'd like to do a comic about Shroom City just for some fun world building.

Mario Sunshine I am so torn on whether it would be a full chapter or just a short. I'm going to have to see where I go with it. Whatever it becomes I do plan on calling the chapter/comic "Obligatory Beach Episode."

Luigi's Mansion I'm going to be combining the first two games. I really want this to be a full chapter, I have just been struggling to plan out a full story for it along with fitting it into the rest of the games. I do want to try, but just in case I can't I'm slapping it into this category.

I need to give Rabbids a Spark of Hope a comic or two as Luigi and Bowser have a mission in there that is solely tied to their characters called "The Brains and the Brawn" which helped me think of their setup in this.

Paper Mario 64 will be another backstory one where Luigi attempts to use the Star Rod to send him home, to mixed results.

Games I am not covering:

Please note the games listed below are NOT because I think they are bad games, it's more because I haven't played them and/or I just don't have good ideas for how to fit them into the story.

Color Splash

Sticker Star

Paper Jam

Partners in Time

For Color Splash and Sticker Star, I just don't know the full plots of these games. Though I might do the train scene that occurs in Color Splash when Mario talks to that one Shy Guy.

Paper Jam is similar to the two listed above where I just don't know the plot and I don't want to deal with the multiverse. As in this I'm trying to combine the Paper universe with the Mario and Luigi universe into one.

Partners in Time could change, but at the moment I'm counting it as not covering as I'm just using the concept and the machine E Gadd builds. It won't deal with time travel, but instead the concept of looking into someone's memories. I don't like covering time travel so I'm just skipping it. Like I said I might cover the Cobalt Star and Princess Shroob, but I don't have a lot of ideas going for this so it might just be skipped entirely with her and her sister as villains.

Will there be shipping?

No, I'm sorry if you were hoping for anything. The most there will be is probably implied Peach x Mario, but that's it for the moment. If any of this changes I'll give a heads up just so no one is caught off guard. But romance isn't really the focus of this comic nor do I want to write romance. Listen just trust me on this you don't want me writing romance, I'm not good at it, this is for the best.

Just in case I am also just going to flat out say this so no one gets mad or feels misled when reading these comics. There will be no Bowser x Luigi in this story. Listen it's a funny and shockingly mostly wholesome ship, but it's not happening here. So I'm sorry if you were hoping for it, but I'm not doing it.

There might be some one-sided Luigi x Daisy (honestly thinking about doing Daisy x Waluigi because their Mario Party team name is Awkward Date and that is hilarious), and/or one-sided Luigi x Peasley, but in this Bowser will be majorly crushing on Peach. Bowser and Luigi are just platonic co-parenting the koopalings (think the Dungeons and Dragon movie with Sofina and Edgin). I just wanted to state this here so everyone is on the same page.

Quick side note: This isn't about shipping, but character-wise Donkey Kong and anything related to his games will only be in the first chapter. I struggle to write him and I don't know how to involve him in the other storylines so I'm just gonna have him chill in his kingdom. He will probably be making a reappearance in Dream Team as that is where I plan to end the comic.

What is the overall story/vibe of the comic?

The main story is going to focus on adventure and learning to love yourself. That's really the main premise. The story itself is going to focus on Luigi learning how to like himself for who he is and reconnecting with Mario and others while going on adventures. The big overall conflict will be the Chaos Heart itself. In this I really want to play around with the concept of the Chaos Heart and what if it didn't just go away after Super Paper Mario. I don't want to say too much about it at the moment as I don't want to spoil that part of the plot.

I feel bad because with the initial comic/sketches of this au, I made it seem a lot more dramatic/angsty than it will be. Sure there's going to be some drama but it really is more focused on the fun of the world, the adventures the characters go on, and the friendships that form out of them. I swear it's not as angsty (or I guess edgy, not sure if it was or not??) as the original comic made it seem so I apologize if that is what you were looking for.

Why I am calling Luigi Mr. L in this?

So in this, I am having Mr. L be more of his 'work mode.' It is designed to be more of a persona he puts on so he can do his job more effectively, but it is also still a part of his personality. I want to include more of his temper which is often portrayed through animations in Mario & Luigi (you know his stomping tantrum animations). Along with a few other notes, like how in the first Luigi's Mansion you kind of find some pretty sassy/sarcastic remarks through the pictures he takes with the Game Boy Horror, along with some of his dialogue in the Paper Mario games. I also want to play into him having a bit of an ego as well (playing more into the Mr. L in Super Paper Mario).

However, at the core, I do want to keep him a more socially awkward, easily frightened, and a very kind person outside of the mask/persona. At the end of the day he really just wants what is best for his friends and family. And that he is always ready to help someone even if he is scared out of his mind (though he might complain about not getting paid, or take a bit of convincing when it comes to dealing with ghosts.) I am also keeping the self-esteem issues, more so dealing with the fact he feels like all he has done is stumble through life making one mistake after another, and never being enough for the people he cares about in his life.

What are the inspirations for this?

Ghibli movies, particularly Howl's Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke, and Spirited Away. I love their world building and how they handle character stories.

Magical Girl animes, I cannot stress enough how much the masks and his powers/setup are based on the magical girl shows I grew up on.

Majora's Mask, I want to do quite a bit with the masks themselves in this setup. I'm not going to elaborate much on them yet, because I prefer to reveal how they function in the comics than through this ramble.

Funnily enough, the character design that kicked off this au, or at least Mr. L's design was Death from Puss in Boots the Last Wish. I can explain, it was his cloak and his whistle. I've been playing through Super Paper Mario and I kept wondering what if they incorporated references to Luigi's Mansion more like maybe putting in his whistling, or going with a more horror aesthetic for him. Or even goes more into the concept of shadows as well, playing not only his ties with ghosts but also how Luigi feels like he is constantly in Mario's shadow. And when I saw the Mario Movie and that he was captured by the Shy Guys I was like hey wait a minute, I can do something with that.

So this story is just me playing around with those thoughts. Don't get me wrong though, him building robots to fight you along with the absolute banger of a jazz theme, and his cocky/petty attitude I have no notes and I like how he is done in the game.

So yeah this pretty much covers everything, if you read all of this kudos, I know this was long, but I hope I clarified what this comic is going to be like. Though please note that I have a job and I'm going through school, so this is going to take a bit to get going. I'm still writing out the base story, and I like to have one or two chapters fully drawn before I start posting it. I do plan on posting some of the short comics and doodles while working on the main writing.

Thank you for reading my rambles. I hope you all have a good one! : D

[ghouljams]

i woke up w more brain worms thanks for giving more w ur response <33

but yknow how Tabitha was kinda the new Master for the super mutants in the Mojave… yeah that but König. his ass would be a cult leader too ur so right. you’d hear the radio signal went down and got a bit too nosy and mosey your way up to him like hello need fix? and he’d snatch you and keep you around. like coming to fix his radio was basically a marriage confession!!! and like how are you gonna fight him anyways he’ll just keep bringing you gifts (and bones..) until you say yes :)

ghoul ghost either is running around w a mutated horse (maybe a dog too :3c) or is wandering and doing random bounties (that man would be side questing, no allegiance just vibes)(at the moment i don’t have anything on him but we’ll see after work)(i saw what you said.)

gaz could easily be a synth too i just saw that.. and yeah i was gonna say he could be a minuteman but like ncr ranger makes a lot more sense in my pea brain!! he’d follow his courier around to help w deliveries(his ass just wants to see them shoot things, ur so right about the deathclaw thing) and would try and convince them to come home to cali with him, where it’s safer and he has a home there (totally not trying to trap them, ), like why would you ever wanna go to the strip babes? that place is gross and nasty :( (he’s gambled there a few times, like i can see soap def having fame on the strip and they’re buddies)(also he definitely wants like a whole family and poor courier just wants to figure out where this gambling chip goes to for some money)

clawing at elder maxson’s face w malicious intent btw, but he’s giving price and i don’t like it. that man would be a brotherhood elder who has his own agenda or just a very well respected knight, bc tell me he wouldn’t kick major ass in power armor (that man would be in love when he goes into a town to retrieve a piece of tech and go nuts over the pretty lady who runs the repair shop and offers to fix up his gun)(or maybe he’s w a scribe! who knows ill def have more later though)(im thinking about the ghosts guys rn a lot though)

Best friend Tabitha!! I love her. Bad radio show queen. König gets mad that the radio sucks, kills Tabitha and takes over. You're free to go Raul, have fun, stay safe out there(Raul is immediately executed for helping Former Best Friend Tabitha).

Now König is leader of a tidy cult, he's got some big changes to make, namely: we are militarizing this bitch, and putting some decent programming on the radio. More music, less talking. Also let's make this place a little safer for the humans, start getting some trade going(and catching pets).

Now most humans know not to go investigate the radio signal but you're fresh out of the vault, and eager to see who it is that keeps the radio running. Especially when the in between programing sounds so nice! König's voice following you across the wasteland, promising freedom and shelter for humans and mutants alike. He needs a little help fixing up the radio, but luckily you've got some radio know-how under your belt. Maybe he'll give you a couple caps for fixing the thing!

Well. The programming certainly takes a turn after you fix up the radio. When songs aren't playing your soft moans and whimpers are filling the air waves. König fucking you live on the air so everyone can hear how wonderful and superior super mutants are. Listen to how much pleasure his pretty new pet is in, begging him to come and fill you with his potent mutant seed.

"Some of you may wonder where my pet is today," König lowers the microphone so that slurping and gagging noises can be heard, followed by a short whine of pain and period of heavy breathing before the slurping sounds resume and he sets the microphone back on the table, "aren't they talented? I told you, humans are good for something, and very easily trained."

[saintmeghanmarkle]

Harry is a dangerous sociopath and it is terrifying.

Posted 11 hours ago by u/owlskye

Opinion

[This is long, sorry]

I think it’s time we start seriously considering the fact that Harry is a sociopath, and a dangerous one at that. To be honest, he disturbs me quite a lot, more so than his wife. The aura both of them have are drastically different. When I look at Meghan, I feel that she’s a mean girl. When I look at Harry, there’s something darker and more sinister.

I’m going to go over some symptoms of ASPD (aka, sociopathy) and we can discuss it.

1) A Hunger for Power & Dominance

I don’t know if any of you have got this vibe from Harry, but to me, he seems extremely upset he was not born first. Every time he speaks about how the Royal institution should go away or how bad it is, I get a sense he’s not telling the full truth. It’s missing a “because.” That being: “because I can’t be King.” If this were medieval times, he would’ve murdered his brother for the throne. He is also easily threatened, especially when he see’s himself in competition with children. The way he looks at the Wales kids… terrifying.

2) Devious or Deceptive Tendencies

It is my belief that Harry either played an equal role to Meghan in their “spectacle,” or possibly even bigger than we think. I think he is a highly manipulative individual and will do whatever it takes to get what he wants. I also have an odd suspicion that his complete neglect of preparing Meghan for royal life is due to something devious, but I’m not certain. I find it interesting how he frames William and Catherine to be bad people based on uncomfortable situations he had complete control over. It just seems weird, right? He had an opportunity to let Meghan know what that first meeting would be like, and instead he sabotaged it (she ruined it, too, but he’s a senior royal who could’ve said something.) Also – we know Harry lies. A lot. About everything.

3) Ruthlessness in the Pursuit of Their Goals

Harry has proven this time and time again. He attempted to blackmail his family, so they’d pay for his security. That’s absolutely ruthless, right? It seems like his goal has been to take down William, to prove that Harry is the “better son.” He has been aiming at his brother for quite some time and has said some outlandish things to try and get people to hate William.

4) Hostile or Aggressive Towards Others

As we can see, he’s pretty hostile towards his family. Perhaps if he actually had a horrible life, this wouldn’t matter. It’s the fact that he was content on being a parasite for years, and yet the entire time was seething with hatred and anger for those who gave him a free life. Also, he was an infamous bully in school, and there is footage of him becoming violent with paparazzi. He is not a nice person.

5) Easily Angered or Irritated

I used to think Harry was some type of sloth or something. He just seemed to float around, never wanting to be there. I had no idea how sensitive he actually was since he plays the big, strong military man character. This all changed when Spare came out. This “man” becomes furious at even the slightest little thing. He starts freaking out if paparazzi spot him coming out of a club, even though he’s there with multiple other famous people. He still holds a furious grudge over breakfast sausage. I have no idea how it’s possible to be married to this guy. Imagine an argument with him. Sends shivers down my spine.

6) Irresponsible Decision Making

Hey, let’s speed through the same tunnel my mother fatally crashed in. Let’s leave the Royal Family without a plan. Let’s release a book that will absolutely ruin any chance I had at redemption. Let’s marry this overly excitable egotistical low-level actress. Let’s name our daughter Lilibet, people will love that! I’m going to destroy my relationships with my family! Wait, they don’t want to give me money?! They don’t want to talk to me?! Harry smash! (hulk noises)

7) Superficial Charm & Powers of Persuasion

I hate to admit but Harry does have charisma. It’s natural to develop it from his upbringing. The reason we all used to think Harry was the lovable, mischievous Prince was not because we were told to think that – but because he was. He was very charming and funny. Harry has this certain way of speaking that makes you attentive, which is a bad thing for him because now we’re all paying attention to the spoiled and selfish bs that he’s saying. I’m not sure on his powers of persuasion as my mind is drawing a blank, but I know there’s an example of it.

8) Broken Moral Compass or Limited Conscious

Obviously, he does not care who he hurts as displayed by his smear campaign against his family. His moral compass is obviously corrupted as he thinks a foreign country should be responsible to pay millions for his security. Anyone with a shred of morality would think, “I moved here out of my own free will, therefore I am responsible for all that it entails.” He bragged about the people he killed in Afghanistan because he thought it would make him look like a badass. That’s sick.

9) Few Close Bonds or Relationships

This one applies to Harry now. Seems he has nobody left. A lot of you may think, “he had a lot of friends before he met Meghan, though.” That is true; but what is also true is that he had unstable friendships his entire life, and most long-term ones were falling out before he met her. Another thing to understand is it’s easy to have a lot of “friends” when you’re young, immature, and in the party scene. These people aren’t your “real” friends. If they are, then you must grow with them. A lot of his friends had grown older and matured, looking to settle down. Meanwhile, Harry is stuck in a perpetual teenager mindset. You won’t keep many friends being this way.

10) Manipulative Tendencies

I’ve given several examples of this, but he has some manipulative tendencies that I can see straight through. Harry has learned that all he has to do to garner sympathy and forgiveness is say, “Mum died.” It has worked for a long time. He’s not doing this because he actually cares, it’s to evoke a certain reaction – aka, manipulation. He always has to remind you that his mother, Princess Diana, was a saint sent from Heaven who tragically died when he was young. Not only that, but he also uses her name as an excuse for his actions. “My Mum would be proud of us. She’d love Meghan.” This manipulation tactic works sometimes because she cannot speak for herself, and Diana has a reputation for being “against the RF” even though she seemed to be very good at what she did. He’s putting words in a dead woman’s mouth to justify his actions.

11) Entitlement and Impunity

We all know this one is obvious. The guy thinks he deserves everything in the world for winning the “genetic” lottery (or should I say “family” lottery?). He feels entitled to be King because he seriously thinks he’d do a better job at it. He feels entitled to privileges even William and Catherine didn’t have. He literally wanted the RF to wage a war against the press, and then freaked out when “someone” (cough, William) said something super reasonable: “My girlfriend was treated badly, too. Why should you get special treatment?” According to Harry, the answer was simply: “because I am special.” His impunity reeks when he constantly complains about the duties of his job, because why should he have to do it? He's special. If he treated the military anything like he treated being a Royal, then no wonder it didn’t work out.

12) Social Deviance

He cheats on every girlfriend he has and dressed up as Hitler surrounded by Klansmen for Halloween. He hires prostitutes. I don’t know what more to say.

13) Feeling No Guilt

Harry takes zero accountability for anything he’s ever done. He manipulates, and guilt trips if he’s done something wrong. Or he turns it around on the other person. For instance, the Nazi costume. He has absolutely zero remorse for it and literally, somehow, blamed William and Catherine for it because they “laughed.” To me, it seems like they thought he was telling a dark joke and laughed at the ridiculousness of wearing a costume like that. He turns this around as if it’s THEIR fault for giving him permission of some sorts?! He does not care who he hurts and doubles down on it as well. He’s had numerous opportunities to take accountability and apologize, but instead he further escalated.

14) Failure to Fulfill Responsibilities

I personally think Harry is capable of a lot more than he’s done. I don’t think he failed his military tests because he’s stupid – I think he failed them because he’s lazy, didn’t study, and thought being a Prince would entitle him to be able to bend the rules. He complained about having to “endure” Royal Duties even though it provided him a life of luxury that most people cannot even imagine. He’s an absent parent and lives life solely for himself, and him only.

15) Aggression Towards People/Animals

I’ve heard rumors that Harry has beaten prostitutes up in Vegas. I’m not sure if that’s true but given he meets 100% of the criteria needed to be diagnosed as a sociopath – it would make logical sense for him to follow that pattern. I also do not believe his recollection surrounding his and William’s fight. He acts as if he was begging for mercy and William hit him like a maniac. From what I know about Prince William – yeah, right. (eyeroll) From what I know about Harry – he swung first, and William defended himself. Harry is obviously threatened by his older brother and thought he could fight him to prove something. When he lost, he turns into the victim, acting like big bad William is psychotic. We also have seen Meghan’s dog with two broken front legs. This cannot be officially confirmed that Harry did something, but we do have confirmation that Harry abuses horses. He kicks them so hard with the spurs that he essentially stabs them. I have never seen anything like that before. There is something deeply and psychologically wrong with him.

16) Enjoys Hurting People & Causing Discomfort

I talked about this slightly in #2. While we seemingly won’t ever have official confirmation that Harry enjoys negativity (especially if he caused it – gives him a false sense of power), you can see it by reading his body language and analyzing his words. When Harry is recollecting on stories where his family was supposedly being “mean for no reason” towards them, he has a smirk on his face and a glint in his eye. Go back and watch him telling the story of Meghan’s first meeting of William and Catherine. He’s smirking. This smirk is also known as duper’s delight because he feels this negative picture he’s painting of his family is working. You absolutely cannot convince me he didn’t know this was an inappropriate way to introduce your girlfriend to the future King and Queen. He’s smirking as he describes William and Catherine’s discomfort towards Meghan’s behavior – because he absolutely loved it. He had every opportunity in the world to say something and he didn’t. He let her act like a fool and relished in it.

Watching him at the coronation was actually super triggering for me as I have been abused by a sociopath. The way he stared at William… I’ve seen that before. His eyes were black, and you could feel the hatred emanating off of him. His eyes were wide open as well, as if he was trying to use Superman’s laser against William. This stare cannot be accurately classified as a simple aggressive glare. I know this stare. It says, “If we were alone, I would kill you.” He was hoping William would catch a glance and see this. This stare is purposefully done to make the recipient very uncomfortable or even afraid.

---

I know this man is dangerous. I can feel it. He had to beg to be deployed because he so badly wanted to fight in a war. That is not normal; and then his bragging about the people he killed is even more twisted. He is a highly abusive and predatory individual. He has no shame or guilt for what he’s done. He will never stop trying to destroy his target.

He will not stop bringing up Chelsy Davy in court. The subliminal message that he is sending to her is obvious to people who have experience with this abuse. He states she left him because she couldn’t handle the press. She was with him for 7 years, right? So, obviously she handled the press quite well throughout those 7 years. The truth is: Harry doesn’t love Chelsy Davy. He most likely never did. He is still angry and bitter that she left him. How dare she?! It doesn’t matter that he cheated and deserved it – she left him.

This is a huge blow to the ego for him. He has to be the one to want to break up, he cannot be broken up with because that implies he’s not perfect. This is why Cressida isn’t treated the same; it was mutual. It wouldn’t surprise me one bit if he harassed Chelsy for a long time after she left because he’s still doing it to this day. The subliminal message is: “you will never escape me. You will forever be associated with me. I will tell them that you didn’t love me enough – you were too weak – to deal with this life. It will always be your fault, not mine.”

I don’t like Meghan Markle at all, but I am not soulless. I am very worried for her if she is the one who decides to leave. I feel he has a power over her that we cannot understand and he’s the one calling the shots. People blame Meghan for “Spare,” which I think she definitely had a part in it, but his ghost writer has straight up basically admitted that Harry verbally/emotionally abused him during the process.

When people have nothing left to lose, that is when it becomes most dangerous. This is a special situation for him as it’s his first marriage, they have children together, and he destroyed his ties to the royal family for her. If she leaves and takes the kids, what does he have? Nothing. He has no family to run back to, no friends, no allies, no job. Remember that coronation stare.

A lot of you may hate me for claiming to be worried about Meghan, but I don’t care. Like I said, I cannot stand her, and she’s definitely played her part. I’m not entirely sure what Harry is capable of, but she doesn’t deserve violence or endless stalking/harassment. I seriously am sick to my stomach thinking about how much danger she is in, and I wonder if she even knows it. I hope that if she leaves, she plays it intelligently.

[justhere4kpop]

Chapter 14: Better

“Mingi you can’t be here.” I said hiding behind the door.

“Like hell I can’t!” he pushed the door open. 

“Min please you’ll get in trouble.”

“I don’t care.” he sat on the couch. “Take it back and I’ll go.”

“Mingi I already told you I’m not taking it back.”

“Then I guess I’m staying until you change your mind.”

“Mingi.” my lip trembled. “Please just go. You can’t be here.”

“I can be wherever I damn well choose to be with whoever the fuck I want!” he moreso shouted at the tv than me.

“Mingi” my voice cracked, tears falling. “Please.” I tugged at the end of the hoodie I was wearing…his hoodie I was wearing.

I didn’t want him to go, I wanted him to stay right there. I wanted both of them to stay there I wanted to crawl into that couch next to them and disappear. I wanted to take it all back, but they were better without me. No hate, no threats, no scandals.

“Tell me you didn’t mean it and I’ll go….y/n….Tell me you don’t love Yunho and I’ll go…tell me none of it was real, you were using us for fame and I’ll go. Tell me you don’t love me and I’ll go. ” he stood in front of me. I shook my head no. No….I couldn’t….I couldn’t tell him that. “I’m not going anywhere.” he pulled me into him gently and lifted up my face to look at him, I couldn’t meet his gaze. “You’re crazy you know.” he smiled softly.

“What did you mean no?” I hiccuped.

“I meant no, you can’t just break up with me that easily.” my eyes flicked to his face briefly. “Remember we said we’d deal with it together? Let’s handle it together.”

“I’m too scared Min.”

“That’s why we’re both here. Yunho and I. You don’t have to worry about stuff alone. You weren’t ever alone.”

“Please don’t…….”

“If you think I’m not scared of this every damn day of my life you’re wrong. I’m scared of all of this. I don’t run from it because no matter what my best friends are at my side. Y/n, my love, please…don’t run away from this. If you think Yunho doesn’t feel the same either you’re wrong…..stay here baby….you’re safe here.” he squeezed me tighter and started humming softly. 

It was that stupid voicemail all over again. I started crying against his chest, his shirt getting drenched no way around it. 

“Hey maybe we just moved a little too fast okay?” Yunho spoke up popping in finally. “Sorry I was waiting for the right time to come in with food. I said I was bringing dinner.” I turned around and hiccuped or coughed…still unsure which one kind of in between the two. “It’s okay, let’s pump the brakes a little and just…take our time.” he smiled softly.

Always the voice of reason.

“Please don’t go.” I whispered as he handed me the bag of fried chicken and beers.

“I’m just clearing a space at the table.” he smiled and patted my head. “I’m not going anywhere Tiny.”

“Told you so.” Mingi nudged me gently.

“Min?” Yunho held up my broken camera. “Did you?”

“They did that.” I said quietly.

“The fans?!” Mingi grew hot with anger.

“No the airline….they threw my bag on and it got smashed…I don’t need it anyways.” I sighed.

“You’re a photographer you need a camera.” Yunho deadpanned at me and looked at Mingi.

“Probably not for much longer. It’s fine…Wooyoung was right I don't….I don’t need the job and I can figure something else out.” I shrugged. “I’m okay not having the job.”

“It’s your dream.” they both looked at me.

“I have other dreams too.” I played with the hoodie. “I’m just saying you don’t have to worry…about that.”

We sat down to eat finally, my face puffy from tears. The vibe was tense but slowly calmed as we started eating. I really was happy they were here….I was happy they fought me so hard. I guess sometimes they are right. Yeah…. I needed a hard slap to the head.

“Ow!” I looked at Mingi.

“You said I could slap you when you’re being ridiculous.” he smiled.

“I said that in high school.”

“Still counts. Because you said “as long as we’re together.” he hit me again.

“You bastard.” I rubbed the back of my head. “You’re so getting it later.”

“Promise?” he winked.

“You’re gross.” I stole the piece he was reaching for to eat it.

“Hey! Yunho!!!” he pointed at me stealing the chicken.

“Just take a different piece.” he shrugged his own mouth full.

“Whoa whoa this is a partnership, you can’t just take sides like that.”

“Just did, eat, there’s too much chicken here.” he gestured towards the chicken.

Okay….maybe I was stupid for breaking up with them for 4 days….

“You know you talk a lot of shit for someone who’s single.” Yunho winked at me while looking at Mingi.

“Oh I’m single? Guess who else is.” he pointed at Yunho. “You betray me all the time anyways. Just like those letters! Every time!”

Oh god….losers….my losers.

~Prev/

tags: @yunbug, @gxlden-bxbyy, @byuntrash101 <3 <3 <3

[just-call-mefr1es]

using my big brain skills, i will now use my band-o-meter to guess what instrument the basement boys™️ +others would play💥 i am totally a professional, expert at vibes n shit😎 each word i say is canon /j

Griffin

ngl, i can see him in the clarinets section. definitely a woodwind, no arguments on that. hes a lil squeaky (WHEN PLAYING YALL) but pretty good overall. probs sits at the end of the row. memorized all of the fingerings and can switch between them pretty well. THE BEST at fast paced pieces, will spontaneously combust during slow ones (honestly same)

Billy

i feel like he would play tuba or euphonium, leaning more on euphonium. at first, i thought he seemed more like an art kid, but now that i have the mental image of him playing euphonium, i change my mind. hes pretty good, part of an endangered species though. 💯💯 has complained about his instrument being too heavy, but enjoys just resting against ghe case whenever he brings it around.

Vance

Percussion. I don’t need to elaborate.

Bruce

first of all, definitely in the woodwinds (again lmao). i was thinking either a bass clarinet, oboe or a saxophone? if saxophone, definitely an alto. although, i am thinking more oboe/bass clarinet….. yk, knowing bruce, he probably plays all of em, or maybe im just lazy. we’ll go with alto sax. vance has totally made a ‘saxy’ joke about it (projecting cause my wife does that with himself)

Robin

I think he’d be a trumpet. yeah, he would. he loves that thing. he probably has blasted it on accident though so r.i.p woodwinds in the row infront💔 he probably thinks that he can hit high notes easily, so he tries to on the first try and fucking dies. hit or miss with fast pieces, he likes them but also hates them. has asked finney how to subdivide because he zoned out

Finney

same issue with bruce, but with clarinet and saxophlne (no hobo). then i thought about it and went, ‘yeah, he’d be an oboe’. at first, i was thinking of making bruce play the oboe and finney the sax, butttt i like this better ngl. part of an endangered species, only two other hobo players with finn🙏 god at sightreading

Gwen

looking back im realizing how indecisive i am lmaoo. so our two options were clarinet n trumpet. took me a lot of back and forthing until i thought, ‘hell yeah she’d be a clarinet’ so here we are. carries the clarinets, and is probably louder than most trumpets. she’s 50/50 on sight reading. she could be awesome at it or terrible, depending the piece. complains about eighth notes.

Amy

let me project for a second and just- ‼️‼️flute‼️‼️ damn i love me flutie patooties. anygays, she has more luck hitting high notes than robin (rip) but flutes are built like that, but she can hit them without trying. she shifts 294749103 times in her seat because flute can get uncomfortable (projecting some more). sits next to gwen and they compare what each of their pieces are constructed 💗 (i do that with my friends too lmao)

[kmze]

Thoughts on 2x01 - 2x11 So much better than S1, I am so much happier having more characters involved in the storyline and Katherine is such a great villian. I also noticed the lighting is warmer and brighter this season. I think I read somewhere that was intentional because they were introducing werewolves (warm orange hue) whereas the first season was vampires (cold blue hue). Also feel like I can SEE the scenes now (modern lighting on shows is the bane of my watching experience everytime) Random thoughts under the cut!

I cannot stress enough how much Katherine makes everything better, Nina deserved more accolades for how she played two very different characters interchangeably so flawlessly. Her presence even made me care more about the love triangle and the albit messed up dynamic. I mean her and Elena look EXACTLY the same and the Salvatore's want me to believe there's no transference issues? I'm so sure.

I definitely get more from Stefan and Katherine than I do from Damon and Katherine though. Katherine brings out the meaner side of Stefan that he pretends doesn't exist and I appreciate that. She is clearly still under his skin though as much as he wants to deny it because I really loved their scenes in 2x04.

Damon and Elena have great sexual tension and chemistry but I just cannot vibe with it because he killed her brother like a month ago?? I just continue to be flabbergasted by that (I am a hater).

Obviously I have seen the Stefan and Caroline scenes from 2x02 and 2x03 dozens of times but watching them like this in a rewatch makes me love them even more. Especially their scenes in the woods and at the swimming hole, Stefan is so much lighter around her. Even his scenes with Lexi last season didn’t feel as effortless. I know this early on he's friends with her because of Elena and "hero-boyfriend" duties but he still let her distract him at the grill because I think he genuinely likes being around her. Him showing her his insecurity about Damon and Elena already shows they have a lot of trust building between them. I love them.

I was so happy and almost cried at Liz being the first person to see how much Caroline changed when she became a vampire! The physical strength gave her so much confidence and Liz saw that instantly. It was so sad watching Caroline (kudos Candice) have to compel that away. I was just thinking in S1 like damn I can't believe their relationship was this rough but this moment sold how and why they become so close in the later seasons.

It’s really not a surprise Aimee and Sarah died, they were always too eager to get wasted in a town with mysterious deaths weekly. The odds were never in their favor. Katherine killing Aimee on the dance floor in front of everyone had me cracking up though! The best crazy bitch ever. The masquerade episode was probably my favorite so far in my rewatch, this is when the contrived events work with everyone playing a part in the game!

Caroline turning into a vampire really helped start to remove her from being stuck under Elena. Especially now as she's getting involved in Tyler's storyline who truly has nothing to do with Elena narrative-wise. She's even got her own love triangle brewing already.

I like how easily Stefan accepted he was going to be stuck in the tomb with Katherine for a few days, as if it was a weekend retreat. In all honesty he probably wanted to avoid Elena and the self sacrifice mission so he wouldn’t have to go along with it since he’s in “boring-choice-matters-self” mode. Because I thought it was odd he wouldn’t let Elena even see him and then told Damon to keep her away from there, so that's my theory.

Trapping Elena in the house was the best move for everyone involved. I’m sorry but the whole suicide mission was getting on my nerves. Girl shut up and sit down.

Someone should really have told Jenna already about vampires because then she'd stop inviting them into the house! Sadly I do not care about Alaric and Jenna either, I remember when I first watched I did but now, meh.

Bonnie and Jeremy are cute I don't care what anyone says! I know they have their issues in the later seasons but they could have come back to them, I can't have nice things.

Bonnie and Damon really do have great chemistry as enemies to reluctant allies, I will never forgive TPTB for denying me this.

Elijah is zzzzzz so far.

Lines that made me laugh:

Damon: Elena’s on a martyr tear that rivals your greatest hits (I yelled! he wasn't lying oh my god!)

Caroline: They were more... gold with amber highlights (she's so unintentionally funny)

[jakethesequel]

My Scott Pilgrim Takes Off Review

From a long-long-time Scott Pilgrim fan.

Quick-form style:

PRO: The animation is stellar, does a great job at both adapting and upgrading the original artstyle with a bunch of motion.

PRO: I especially love all the little background references. Not just the ones related to the original comics or whatever either, there's a lot that are just aesthetic references to gamer stuff or Toronto landmarks (Honest "Ed's"!). Does a lot to make it feel more like it's really set in late 2000s/early 2010s Canadiana. I think you could fill a whole wiki just categorizing all the little connections they fit into every episode.

PRO: Truly a once-in-a-lifetime voice cast, I'm actually amazed they got the whole cast of the movie to come back after thirteen years.

PRO: Extremely funny with the jokes, as the comics and the movie both were, but even more concentrated, especially if you're sharp enough to catch all the background details and references.

CON: The main storyline feels rushed. More on that later.

PRO: Both the licensed soundtrack and the original compositions go fucking hard, rivalling the movie's already impressive album.

PRO: A lot of characters who didn't get a ton of development in the comics or movie get extra screen time and are seen in a new light that really fleshes them out as complete personalities where they might have been one-note before.

CON: A lot of the characters who were more important in the comics or movie have underdeveloped arcs in the anime, so they feel half-baked.

PRO: The scene-to-scene dialogue, and the way the characters socialize with each other, often feels fresh and real the way they were in the comics. It's cartoonish, of course, but they talk like long-time friends talk.

CON: Lisa Miller, my favorite tertiary character, was not included. Unforgivable.

Overall? Takes Off was an enjoyable addition to the series. Even with all its glitter, it's not as good as the original comics, but that's a high bar. I would say that Takes Off is equal or even better than the VS The World movie, and that's a good ass movie! The attention to detail and production quality is substantial in both. I personally think that the story in Takes Off had a little more substance, but I think opinions are going to vary strongly on that, and I can easily understand the other side. In any case, if you're new to Scott Pilgrim, Takes Off is a lot of fun, and if you end up liking it, the comics are even better. If you already enjoy Scott Pilgrim, Takes Off is a strong spin-off and worth watching.

Points heavier on spoilers below, and heavier on details as I slowly forget what "point form" means:

PRO: From the start, the first episode is bursting with love for the original series. There are multiple scenes that are shot-for-shot recreations of the comic, and it's a real treat to see the comic panels animated and voiced by the movie cast.

CON: Knive Chau's introduction is kind of brushed over. They basically say "Knives Chau: Scott's 17-year-old fake girlfriend (more on that later)." Except: There's never really more on that later.

PRO: A lot of the first episode's changes are done in a really funny way that fits the vibe. Obviously the Amazon -> Netflix change is just corporate politics, but delivering Netflix DVDs makes it feel like even more of a period piece. And changing Scott's awkward infodump from Puckman to Sonic cartoons - "one guy playing two versions of the same character" - is a cute lampshade hang.

CON: A lot of people are going to be turned off by the show's central twist. Everyone expected this to be an adaptation played straight, since that's what was advertised. It sure as hell shocked me when Scott "died"! I have no doubt some people are gonna have a more intense reaction and feel shitty about the rug-pull.

PRO: However! I came around on it pretty fast myself once I figured out what they were doing. While I would have adored a direct adaptation from the comics, I cannot complain about getting a brand new story by the original creator, and I think the whole AU idea of "what if Scott lost to the Seven Evil Exes" is a really fun one to explore! Regardless of execution, it's a cool concept and I kind of admire the balls of sucessfully pulling a bait-and-switch on such a major production. Managing to keep your main plotline a secret while working for a major production company and hiring box-office-topping actors is no small feat!

PRO: Again, the AU-fanfic-type stuff is a lot of fun. It's great how the League of Evil Exes finally gets to do their whole evil plan, and succeed in killing Ramona's date, then fall apart when they realize this didn't actually get them anywhere.

PRO: Also, while their fight does kind of unfairly nerf Gideon compared to his other appearances, it rocked seeing Matthew Patel clean house. I'm just a sucker for when a weak early enemy managed to usurp power through some bullshit. And of all the Evil Exes, he needed the glow-up the most, he got the least scenes out of any of them.

PRO: METRIC'S BACK!

CON: Even though he comes back to life, the funeral scene has weird vibes. Scott's friends and family reacted more emotionally when the comics did the "extra life" gag, but this is to their knowledge an actual permanent death. Even if she feels responsible, it's jarring that Ramona, who knew Scott for like two days and has an established habit of running from difficult feelings, seems more affected by grief than friends Scott that had known for years like Wallace, Kim, Stephen, even Envy. Hell, Knives was "dating" Scott for longer than Ramona's one-night stand, but she moves on quicker from the death of her fake boyfriend than her comic/movie counterparts do from just a breakup.

PRO: The casket just having spare change in it is a fucking great visual gag.

PRO: KIM PINE YURI???

CON: Kim's backstory and character arc gets shafted, and Scott's backstory loses complexity. More on that later.

PRO: There's less typical-late-2000s-loser type jokes about lesbians, and less catty bodyshaming, which is good. It might have been realistic dialogue at the time but it'd probably feel out of place in a modern production, even a period piece.

PRO: Related, Ramona has less internalized biphobia and doesn't make "experimenting in college" excuses about her sexuality. Some may feel like this simplifies her character, because her treating Roxie like an experiment is an important flaw, but I think it's a positive change. I'd rather her character be a bisexual girl with relationship issues than a comphet girl with relationship issues. The latter just reinforces bi erasure too much for me.

CON: Ramona inexplicably feels more loyal towards missing-presumed-dead Scott who she has had one date with than comic Ramona felt towards comic steady-boyfriend-of-several-months Scott, despite anime!Scott not getting to apologize for two-timing Ramona and Knives like comic!Scott did. I think this oversimplified her character and weakens her arc. More on that later.

CON: There's obviously an issue of balancing plotlines with runtime, but Roxie has a much more involved and interesting role in the story in the comics. She even moves in with Ramona for a while. The drama!

PRO: It's very cute seeing Knives hang out with the Sex Bob-omb crew on her own terms. She does that in the comics too, after she and Scott break up, but it's mostly offscreen unless Scott or Ramona also happen to be in the room. It's also a good addition to have her involved with the music herself rather than just be a fan.

PRO: Dead Kennedys needle drop. Fuck yeah.

PRO: In general, spending time with all of the Evil Exes is a lot of fun and does a lot of work to make them feel like well-rounded, fully realized characters. For me, I think this is the biggest benefit Takes Off brings to the series, and something that genuinely makes re-reading the comics more enjoyable. The Exes' scenes in their books pop more with the added detail to their personality from this anime.

PRO: Each Ex (sans Gideon/Gordon) gets their artstyle-shift backstory with Ramona lifted right from the comics.

CON: Even so, the Exes' appearances aren't totally even. Particularly Roxie, Todd, and Gideon/Gordon. Matthew, Lucas Lee, and the Twins benefit the most from the extra screentime, but every Ex has a few of their bumps shined off. Mostly in their backstories: while I love the flashbacks, they're all a lot less confrontational with Ramona about her own faults than their other appearances would suggest, again simplifying Ramona's story and weakening her arc. In previous appearances, many of the Exes were a lot less "fight Ramona's new BF to win her love back" and a lot more "fight Ramona's new BF because she broke my heart and I want revenge."

PRO: Simon Pegg and Nick Frost guest cameos!! That's how you KNOW it's an Edgar Wright project through and through

PRO: Young Neil becoming a cinephile and an accidental screenwriter is a great storyline, and the ongoing lampshading of adapting existing storylines makes room for a lot of good jokes at the creators' own expense.

PRO: WALLACE WELLS YAOI? Well, that much was more expected. But Todd Ingram/Wallace Wells yaoi? That's new ground!

CON: Again, it's a question of managing runtime and work-hours, but the Envy->Todd<-->Wallace love triangle isn't as interesting as the "taking a full page out of this volume for a relationship chart" love lattice from the comics, though it's still hilarious and a delight to watch. It would be fully in-character for Wallace to steal Envy's boyfriend, but that's nowhere near as juicy as the web of jealousy and desire between Scott+Ramona+Envy+Todd+Lynette+Knives(+Gideon, later on).

PRO: I'm glad they didn't re-cast Kieran Culkin, but I'm also grateful they wrote in a mea culpa about casting straight actors to play gay characters.

CON: Envy herself has very little character in the anime besides being Scott's bitchy famous ex-girlfriend, where the comics paint a much more sympathetic picture. Maybe an issue of Brie Larson being busy with Marvel, but unfortunate all the same. More on that later.

PRO: "Edgar Wrong"

PRO: Narration by Weird Al Yankovic

PRO: They have a lot of fun joking about Scott Pilgrim VS The World thanks to the set-up. I feel like every time there's an in-universe joke about adapting Scott Pilgrim (real life guy) into Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life (movie) it also works as a fourth-wall joke about adapting Scott Pilgrim (graphic novels) into Scott Pilgrim VS The World (movie). If the writing was less tight I think it'd be grating and either feel too meta or too avoidant, but I think they walk that line with talent and make most lines work on both levels. It's nice to see the creators take a good-natured jab at themselves for the issues the real movie ran into adapting a not-yet-finished 6-volume comic into a sub-2-hour super-overbudget studio movie with a professional soundtrack from several major indie rock stars. That joke about the movie not being able to make up its losses didn't come from nowhere, unfortunately, but I'm glad they can laugh about it.

PRO: The Chau/Stills songwriting team is great. They develop their own friendship in the comics, too, but it comes to life way more here. It does see them relegated to more of a comic relief role, rather than their more complicated arcs in the comics, but more on that later.

PRO: Gordon Goose from North Bay Ontario is an inspired choice, as is him friendshipping it up with Lucas Lee after they're both broke, as is especially him hooking up with Julie. I could honestly even see them getting together in the comic or movie versions too, if the story had gone a little differently. They've got great chemistry that I never even considered.

CON?PRO?IDK: Gordon Goose from the anime is an entirely different character from the comic's Gideon Gordon Graves. Some parts could fit: him originally being a loser from North Bay, him hanging out with Julie and Lucas Lee, even the anime-binge depression spiral could fit if events conspired for him to lose everything. Other parts, though, are trickier. I mentioned that he was a far weaker fighter than in other works, but that's minor and idk maybe it's a rock paper scissors thing (Scott is stronger than Matthew, Matthew is stronger than Gideon, Gideon is stronger than Scott). The BIG changes are that he doesn't seem to have any of his evil genius plots going on besides the League of Evil Exes. In the comics, he infected Ramona (and later Scott) with the Glow, a kind of emotional infection that enables and encourages avoidance; and in the movies, he stuck a mind-control chip in Ramona. (Also in the comics he kidnapped and cryogenically froze his 7 ex-girlfriends sans Ramona in a giant machine to "save" them until he could convince them to take him back, because he's a massive fucking asshole.) He did both long before Scott and Ramona met, so it's odd that there's seemingly no counterpart in the anime. It's also super different that after losing his wealth he stops being obsessed with Ramona. Where the other exes might have been more revenge motivated, Gideon was the one who really did want to try and win Ramona back by any means. His main character trait is that he's pretty much incapable of letting go when women reject him. There's echoes of that when Julie talks about his high school years, which I think is a good addition, but it makes it odd that in the final few episodes he's almost entirely uninterested in Scott and Ramona. Maybe that's Julie's influence, but that's a hard sell without actually showing it. (Plus, Julie didn't want Scott and Ramona together either, so almost a shared goal.) All in all, this makes Gordon Goose feel way more divergent from comic/movie Gideon Gordon Graves than any other character is. Still, I'm hesitant to commit to calling this a negative. It's different, but it might have been a difference needed for Takes Off to do what it wanted to do. Part of me wonders whether a Gideon played a tiny bit closer to norm would have been better, but I'm not confident in that, so decide for yourself.

CON: Gideon/Gordon never mentions his fetish for dressing people (Envy in particular) up like dolls.

PRO: While I know time travel plots get tiring, I much prefer it to Scott just being dead, or someone having just kidnapped him regular style.

PRO: The aesthetic for future-Toronto - and especially Old Wallace's sugar daddy's Nintendo mansion - fucking rocks.

PRO: Old Scott's character design, both in his time travel gear and his street clothes, totally nails the "Scott Pilgrim from a Bad Future" assignment. No notes.

PRO: He keeps his X-Men jacket (of course) while literally playing out his own Days of Future Past storyline. You absolutely know he's loving that fact. He wants to be Cable so bad.

PRO: Lots of characters in the future timeline wear masks, and the bus has a little disinfectant machine. These are already kinda staple tropes for dystopian futures, but there's another layer that makes it even better: If you look at the timeline Old Scott lays out, saying that about 13 (or maybe 15) years have passed since Young Scott's era, it seems pretty clear to me that they're referencing the 13-year gap between the movie and final book releasing in 2010, and the anime releasing in 2023. Suggesting that Young Scott is from around 2010, and Old Scott is just from... this year. So it's entirely possible the masks and disinfectant aren't for ANY kind of cool futuristic reason, that's just how alt future Toronto dealt with Covid-19. Personally I find that detail clever and also hilarious, it really got me when I realized.

PRO: Old Scott, subtitle: 37 years old, looking a solid decade older than that. I know red hair can go gray quick but he is not looking great for his age. Which isn't at all surprising considering his lifestyle.

CON: Some people, especially those who were heavily invested in the Scott/Ramona relationship from the comics or movie, are going to be upset over Old Scott and the divorce/separation reveal. I get it. Especially in the comics, they go through a hell of a lot of growth, and learn to genuinely love each other in a way they never had with anyone else. It sucks to see them fall back to their worst habits, Scott turning a breakup into a neurotic attempt to fix anything except his own behavior, and Ramona running away from a relationship with zero communication or closure and creating another resentful ex.

PRO: However, I'm not one of them. I have my gripes with the time-travel plotline in general that I'll get to, but I think Old Scott and Old Ramona going through a separation and a rough patch after several years of marriage is realistic and an interesting place to go. The comic had (still has) the most deeply developed relationship between Scott and Ramona, and left them on the strongest footing possible for their happy ending. Even the comic, though, never really promised them "happy ever after," it just said that they had all the skills they needed to make their relationship work, and left it up to them to traverse that long journey. Now, maybe you disagree with me and you think that comic Scott/Ramona should have been able to handle a rough spot better than anime Old Scott/Old Ramona. Thankfully, the anime gives you an out here: Old Scott's VR photo album has a couple details that show his timeline isn't exactly the comic or the movie storyline, so we can avoid stepping on the toes of existing endings, and explore new possibilities without overwriting your old headcanons. Personally, I think that even with all the growth they've had at the end of the comic, it's believable that Old Scott and Old Ramona could have a big argument that leads to them temporarily separating. Even when you've got good interpersonal skills, big arguments happen, and even when you've worked on them, your gut-reaction coping mechanisms still come up. Whatever the argument was, it's not hard for me to imagine avoidant Old Ramona to put up space between her husband instead of dealing with a stressful argument. It's easy to imagine dumbass Old Scott interpreting their separation as a call for permanent divorce, and no matter the age Ramona Flowers is never the kind of person to proactively call up an ex to resolve a misunderstanding. I think it's a really interesting and juicy narrative choice. If they had really landed the execution with this, I would outright love it and think it was a great addition to their love story.

PRO: DP input for the VR vault which is a giant Game Boy. Sick.

PRO: THE VIRTUAL BOY! (Or "Virtual Guuy")

PRO: For some reason Old Scott bro-ing it up with the Old Katayanagis and making retro throwback music in the garage works really well? Like for some reason I could see it happen even in the comics continuity if they (a) came back to life and (b) did a redemption arc for kidnapping Kim Pine.

PRO: Callback to episode 1's sugar daddy joke, and they genuinely had me wondering if they were going to make Wallace hooking up with Scott on the rebound a thing.

CON: Honesty I think they should have just committed to the (not really that old) Old Man Yaoi! Live a little!

PRO: Silver Fox-y Wallace Wells living up to his destiny of being a rich drunk trophy husband. And aging more gracefully than Scott despite going fully gray.

CON: You've got to wonder where the rest of Scott's friends are. Again, we've got to consider the runtime, and that he's in an unusual life situation, but in the comics when he gets into a similar depressive funk, a lot of his friends and family reach out to him, and he tries to reach out to them. A "17 missed calls from: Stephen Stills" or a "Kim doesn't talk to me anymore" line might have gone a long way to excuse their absence. It's also notable that despite his extremely unsuccessful music venture with the Old Katayanagis, Old Scott seems to still be unemployed, which is an example of his character development being cut short compared to the comics. More on that later.

PRO: Old Ramona's character design is as stellar and on-brand aesthetically as Old Scott's, plus the benefit that Ramona actually knows how to dress cool. Fucking baller.

PRO: Also she looks exactly her age (not given in the show but likely 38). Not surprising given she's got a healthier lifestyle than Scott, but I guarantee her natural hair color has gone completely white by now. You cannot be doing a full bleach and dye job every morning ma'am! Those follicles are stone dead!

PRO: It's incredibly endearing seeing her try to undo Old Scott's time travel plan through giving Young Neil the screenplay, and even more endearing when she calls Scott her one true love. The contradiction between her thinking of Scott as her true love and going through this massive effort to stop his time travel plan, but not being willing to go to Old Wallace's house and actually talk to Old Scott, is great. It's the closest the anime has gotten so far to giving Ramona her original character arc, which really got sidetracked by Young Ramona playing Columbo. More on that later.

PRO: For those who weren't keeping track of the meta Scott Pilgrim story, it now goes: Scott Pilgrim (real guy, old timeline) -> Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life, a memoir by Old Young Neil (memoir) -> Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life (movie script adapted by Old Ramona, credited to Young Neil) + Scott Pilgrim (real guy, young timeline) -> Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life (failed movie and making-of documentary) -> Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Musical (adapted by Stephen Stills and Knives Chao). It's also entirely plausible that all of these versions eventually inspire Old Young Neil to write his memoir and create a bootstrap paradox. Incredible. Plus, the musical part continues the metacommentary by being roughly analogous to the real-life anime!

PRO: Delorean rollerskates, need I say more?! Actually, the choice to use this kind of Back to the Future "one timeline that corrects and adjusts when time travel happens" is really smart. Especially when Old Scott says he doesn't want to send Young Scott back because he seems to always end up marrying and separating from Ramona regardless, or when Old Ramona's script doesn't stop the eventual divorce and Old Scott getting unstable. In this part of the story, it's a great way to show how them trying to literally change the past instead of resolving their current issues will never get them anywhere.

PRO: Old Ramona and Young Ramona failing to synchronize on a vibe for their photo

CON: This is where I started to feel the ending getting rushed. Over the final episode, it felt like all the existing plotlines sped on to a quick resolution to make room for the very sudden AK field and Even Older Scott climax, which itself felt in a hurry to finish.

PRO: Scott apologizing to Knives and taking responsibility for being an asshole creep.

PRO: Knives saying she's glad he's not dead but she's glad that it broke them up. Get his ass, Knives! He's earned it!

CON: While these are super important scenes to include for both Knives' and Scott's character arcs, and I'm super glad they made it in since it'd be weird if they left it unspoken, it does feel unearned. Scott has barely been away a couple of days, and it doesn't seem like either he or Knives have had the time for serious introspection they would need to get to this point. Scott could have been inspired to be better than Old Scott's example, I guess, but he clearly thinks of Old Scott as a different guy and doesn't feel responsible for Old Scott's actions. Even if the memoir/movie/musical/VR robot experience showed him Old Scott apologizing at some point, I don't buy that he's emotionally intelligent enough to internalize doing it himself, and if he did it would still feel unearned because he'd basically be following a walkthrough rather than understanding it himself. And Knives? From her perspective, in a couple of days her inappropriately older fake boyfriend introduced her to his band, cheated on her, and then died. Since then she's been hanging out with his old band rather than any friends her age, and writing a musical about the life of her dead ex. She has not been in a position to realistically process that their relationship was fucked up. Both the apology and Knive's response, though necessary, feel rote rather than genuinely felt.

CON: Likewise, Ramona and Scott being so madly in love when reunited. They've known each other for one and a half dates, 1.75 at most. Scott is slightly ahead because of the VR memories and meeting Old Ramona, but not by much. Now, Scott is honestly the kind of guy to fall headfirst into a romantic fantasy with a woman he's barely met, but Ramona is not, as shown in the anime when she decides to pull back and not have sex on the first date. In the comics they take things pretty slow to accomodate her needs there, not moving in together, not saying "I love you" for a while, taking a break from each other midway through, they go for a couple volumes before she even tells him how old she is. It's super out of character for her to go head over heels like this without hesitation. She has been trying to solve his disappearance for a while, but that hasn't really caused her to get to know him any better. Someone might argue it's because she's seen how their lives play out in Old Ramona's movie, but that has uncomfortable elements of predestination and denying free will that I'd rather not think about. If I was trying to fix this, I'd maybe say that talking with her exes and making peace with them while looking for Scott helped her get over her issues, or that being more impulsive than comic/movie Ramona is actually timeloop-style the reason their future marriage is unstable. But that would all be fanfic, it's not present in the actual text, so I've got to call this one against the anime's favor. In general, the anime tends to take a very love-at-first-sight ("sparks") view on love, which is in opposition to the comics' more mature view of love as an ongoing practice. More on that later, maybe.

PRO: AK (Anti-Kiss) fields taken visually and conceptually straight from Evangelion's AT (Absolute Terror) fields. I'm a sucker for eva! This and a few other references seem to make clear that the creators are gunning for Takes Off to be to Scott Pilgrim as the Rebuilds are to NGE.

CON: I genuinely don't think Old Scott is smart enough to come up with this. I know the Old Katayanagis are said to have designed the nanomachines, but I don't mean the technical side, I mean the strategic side. Scott is pretty stupid, bless him. Old Scott is still not very smart. Scotts Pilgrim are just not the kind of guy to ever consider a Plan B. I just don't buy that Old Scott would ever think to himself "I should have a backup plan in case my first doesn't work," he's too confident and too stupid for that. The AK field feels like a red herring for Gordon Goose going evil again, since it's similar to the Glow and mind-control chip, but it ends up going away without much fanfare. Even Older Scott even admits they would always figure out a way to get rid of it, so it's kind of a lackluster final mystery.

PRO: All of the evil exes showing up the musical but being totally uninterested in fighting Scott is a fun reversal of the norm. Especially the Katayanagi twins being totally fine acting on prophesies of bro-ship from their special little vegan robot oracle.

PRO: Despite being a downgrade from megalomaniacal genuinely evil ultimate villain to greedy but affably evil Saturday-morning-cartoon villain, seeing Gordon Goose get back to sinister plots is a big plus, and "It wouldn't hurt any of us! ...Maybe some cast and crew," is a great line for him. Even when he tells Even Older Scott that he has no interest in what's going on and wants to go back to the play, though it's an unthinkable sentiment from obsessive comic/movie Gideon, the line goes out with enough confidence and disrespectful disinterest that for me it actually makes up for it!

PRO: In general, I love when a show gets an opportunity to bring the whole cast to the event, putting all the personalities on display. Especially a formal event, because then sometimes you get fun new outfit designs! In Takes Off it feels even more special because this isn't just all the characters getting together at Scott Pilgrim the Musical for a last hurrah, it's also metatextually all the creatives from previous Scott Pilgrim projects reuniting against the odds in Scott Pilgrim the Anime for a last hurrah.

P: Speaking of all the characters getting together, there is - by technicality - an appearance by Lisa Miller, one-hit-wonder extraordinaire, in the finale. She's in the crowd of graphic novel characters drawn in to populate the musical's audience, face partially obscured. I do not consider this a proper appearance and will still count the lack of Lisa against the anime. However, in the sprit of fairness, I will offer a partially obscured PRO for this cameo.

PRO: Even Older Scott has clearly given in to the Satsui no Hado! Design elements like the hair, bandana, raggedy gi, wrist wraps, and inexplicable tan all call to mind Akuma and Dark Ryu from Street Fighter. I wonder if the Shoryuken input for Old Scott's vault was intended to tie in to this?

PRO: Even Older Scott acts like Master Roshi even though he's only 47. That's only like, Bulma in Dragon Ball Super years, man! How are you that buff but aged that poorly?

CON: Even Older Scott's plan makes zero sense. You've seen Back to the Future. You can't kill your younger self, dude! Total paradox! You'll cease to exist and therefore can't have killed your past self and therefore your past self should exist blah blah blah.

PRO: Even Older Scott is absolutely stupid enough to have tried it anyway. Especially after 10 years isolation.

PRO: "Even Older Scott VS Everyone" and "The World VS Scott Pilgrim" are nice wordplay, I'm here for it.

CON: The confrontation between Young Scott (and associates) VS Even Older Scott lacks emotional stakes, since it kinda came out of nowhere. There's the AK field, but Even Older Scott says they would figure that out anyway. There's the barebones stakes of Even Older Scott turning everyone into spare change, but nobody really seems to be afraid of that as a threat, and it's confusing what that would even mean with the time loop. Their dialogue suggests kind of a philosophical conflict between Even Older Scott trying to control Young Scott's life, and Young Scott wanting to make his own choices, but that also seems undercut by the time loop: if Young Scott was actually going to make different choices, Even Older Scott wouldn't exist. Maybe this is just the dialogue having some trouble getting the conflict across? They could be going for Even Older Scott futilely trying to change the past, VS Young Scott wanting to have the freedom to make those choices even if it causes him to suffer in the future, "better to have loved and lost" and all that. That's thematically cohesive so I think it was their intention, but I don't think it was communicated well in the fight.

PRO: Nevermind anything else, the fight scene itself is fucking fantastic. Expressive and punchy animation everywhere, banger music, and a chance to show off just about every character's personality as they contribute to the fight! Even some characters who haven't had major animated sequences yet get a shot in the spotlight, and often with a bonus to boot, like Knives finally getting her trademark knives from the comics/movie! We get even more chemistry between the characters when they team up and work together for combo moves, so not only does it give a moment of glory to everyone's individual personality, it gives us a spectacle to the relationships they've built, too. The circumstances surrounding the fight might not make a lot of sense, it's unclear why they're fighting or what they're fighting over, but in HOW the cast fights this whole sequence evokes an astounding amount of character.

PRO: Even Older Ramona. Gets another great design. Actually looks her age, and good for it. Actually looks like Bulma in Dragon Ball Super.

PRO: Even Older Ramona, to her credit, returns her original character arc. She stops running away from the romantic messes she's left behind, and comes back to fix it. A+

CON: I don't buy that Young Ramona has internalized that message enough to mind-meld about it. Ramona after 13 years of marriage and 10 years to think about it, sure. But not Ramona on her third actual date with Scott, 3.25th at best.

PRO: Human Instrumentality Quantum Super Reimona I'm drowning in Evangelion references here

PRO: Super Ramona finalizes Ramona's missing character arc! It might be a bit rushed, but it is a complete character arc. It might have taken her 23 years longer than the comic, but hey, this is a different story working at a different scale. They got there in the end.

CON: Even Older Scott never really gets his character arc. Super Ramona gives him a second chance and reverses his villain arc, but he's really at the same place at 47 that he was at 23, which kinda sucks. But, more on that later.

PRO: Super Ramona's "it's never too late to try and mend what you've broken" ending still leaves open the possibility of a rekindled Scott/Ramona romance, and at the very least implies they stop isolating themselves and develop a healthier, friendlier relationship. As far as I can tell, this fully resolves the timeloop AND gives a relatively happy ending to a complicated romantic relationship, both of which are hard as fuck to write. I salute the writers. Even if Scott and Ramona are destined to have a falling out 13 years down the line, they're also destined to forgive each other after 23, and who knows, maybe they've got a chance to get back together again in after 24. It's a messier narrative than the comics to reach the same basic message, but in it's own special way it's still beautiful.

CON: It does kinda leave Scott and Ramona's non-romantic relationships in the lurch, though, after a decade-long absence. Even Older Wallace deserves a thousand apologies and a foot massage for putting up with these two.

PRO: I love a good "where are they now" sequence! Matthew, Gordon, and Julie settling their differences and sharing the evil plots amongst themselves. Young Neil driving the mario karts on movie sets. Stacey getting some eye candy at the café and resolving Julie's joke from earlier about Luke getting a job there. Good stuff.

PRO: Knives fully joining Sex Bob-omb is a particularly genius choice.

PRO: It's true. As an anglo Canadian, our French does suck. (Our schools can never decide whether to teach us Parisien or Québecois and we end up speaking neither)

CON: Is it bragging if a Netflix show includes a scene of a video rental place shutting down? Feels like... when a cat wants to show off the mouse it killed lol

PRO: Simon Pegg and Nick Frost eating Cornettos. Magnifique.

PRO: Also hey! It's Mobile! Wallace's boyfriend from the comics! He's also psychic! And I guess works for Nintendo also? Damn, he's the total package.

CON: No real representation for Lisa Miller, the world's best D-list failgirl! 0/10

CON: NO STEPHEN STILLS YAOI! I joke, but I do consider it a major flaw that Stephen Stills never gets to come out. The movie got a pass because he hadn't come out in the comics yet, but there's no excuse here. The subtly concealed subplot in the comics of him breaking up with Julie and coming out of the closet in the comics is one of my favorite parts, and in the anime all he gets is an ex-girlfriend with no reference to him coming out at all.

CON: In fact, almost all of the original supporting cast gets this treatment. Scott, Wallace, Stephen, Knives, Kim, Envy. Even arguably Ramona, despite being the new protagonist. While their jokes are fun and it's a treat to see their personalities on screen, their pre-existing character arcs get neutered, disappeared, or straight up reversed. Sure, though I hate to admit it, it makes sense to cut Lisa's character, since she has no reason to show up in the first place if Scott's gone. But the rest of the supporting cast were the heart of the original comics; Their complex development over the books is what made the comics so special in the first place, and it's a heart all adaptations and spinoffs since have mostly lacked. I want to go into more detail on how these characters got done dirty, but I'll save it for another post. I'll link it here if I ever finish it.

PRO: Through the whole show, it's clear everyone loves Scott Pilgrim in all its forms: comics, movie, video game, anime. Bryan Lee O'Malley, Edgar Wright, the entire movie/voice cast, Metric, Anamanaguchi, and now Science SARU clearly have a lot of passion for these characters. There's a ton of work put in to bring this to life that wouldn't happen if they didn't genuinely care for the series. You think Chris Evans isn't getting better offers?

PRO: THE FUCKIN PLUMTREE SONG THAT STARTED IT ALL. FUCK. YES. WHERE MY HALIGONIANS AT

A NOTE IF YOU'VE GOTTEN THIS FAR:

I know I've written a lot about how the anime doesn't compete with the comics, or where it's fallen short, but I want to be clear that I actually really really like the anime. I think it's great! It's clearly a labour of love. It's just a lot easier to write a lot of words analysing parts that fail than parts that succeed. Scott Pilgrim Takes Off succeds at A TON OF THINGS!

I would honestly say that it succeeds far more than the movie, and people love that movie, myself included! It's a cult classic! The Scott Pilgrim graphic novels are just that good that it's hard for spinoffs to match up. If you ask me they're some of the best comics ever made, but I'm long biased by my personal history with them. You can never really be neutral about a high school favorite.

I think "spinoff" there is the right word, despite the show's marketing. It's not an adaptation by any means. It's not a sequel. It's doing its own thing, and it did it really well. If you expected an adaptation, I understand your frustration, it's shit as an adaptation. But I'd encourage you to give it another chance as a spinoff, it has a lot of value to add to the whole Scott Pilgrim experience, just as much as the game, and just as much as the movie.

[gummybugg]

Meet my OC Elijah from Crater City!

I have another profile! i had to redraw him from this post because it was time for a change.

Inspired by that one picrew @ reelrollsweat made!

Detailed Bio under the cut!

˗ˏˋ [intro]

Name: Elijah (he/him)

Role: secondary protagonist

Dob: Sept 21; aged 24

Sexuality: bi

Mbti: istj

Occupations: fast food employee, electronics employee, and arcade employee

bio / summary: At 18, Elijah is kicked out of his home and must juggle three jobs, his family affairs, and the threat of becoming “repurposed”—a procedure that implants biotech in the body to “fix” unruly/indebted citizens. As much as he wants to maintain a quiet life, he knows that in order to make it in Crater City it takes grit—a daunting fact he must face even if he is afraid he’ll turn out like Him. 

˗ˏˋ [appearance]

Height: 5’9”

Hair: medium brown, curly, undercut with a star shaved on either side of his head above the ear

Skin: fair

Eye: brown

build / physique: medium build (not too fit)

notable features: tooth gap, covered in freckles, slit in left eyebrow, left brow piercing, industrial piercing in left ear, double lobe piercings in each ear, snake bite piercings

clothing style: punk/alt, heavy/dark makeup…

˗ˏˋ [more]

tag for your oc: elijah

aesthetic / vibe / tropes: star motif; punk/alt

traits / quirks: generally hopeful, friendly/polite, will tell others great advice instead of following his own, loves to help, overthinker, blushes easily, non-confrontational, very resourceful, dresses more intimidating than he actually is, indecisive, takes a bit to warm up to others, quite defensive

quotes: “Blair, you can't just tell a man—who's clearly out of it—to ‘suck it up’ because the world has already ended!”, “Look around you, Blair. We live in a fucking hellscape! The water is red, the sky is green, and we're about to be turned into scrap metal! This is not a joke!”, “Oh, this is it! We're going to have to go back into hiding again, and he's going to call the police, and we'll be repurposed!”

fun facts: hemophobic, enjoys letting Blair do his makeup, has out-pizza’d the hut, gives the best hugs, has a pet hamster called No-Clip

hobbies / skills: coding, gaming, can drink up to 7 energy drinks in one day, plays guitar, sings, skateboards, can deliver punches so hard they make you see stars

likes: video games, the color yellow, cartoons, doing makeup, spontaneously dying his hair at 2 am, sci-fi movies/media, punk rock, collecting pins/buttons/patches, info-dumping with his friends

dislikes: Feeling stuck or useless, feeling like a victim, slow work, discourse, blood/gore, organizations, cultists, his family

moodboard:

playlist:

(may update this page as I see fit!)

...

🚗 Want to rot your brain with each sporadic Crater City post? Join the taglist! Maybe I'll finish this wip someday, who knows! (dm to be added/removed): @writeouswriter @lyra-brie @digitalsatyr23 @talesfromtheunknowable

[mondscheinprinzessin]

Idk if I sent one before so feel free to discard but:

❝  when your eyes are on me,  i feel like something worth seeing.  ❞ with Joel/Joonas/Aleksi? Or Joel/Niko 🖤🤲

it's established Joel/Joonas, and developing Joel/Joonas/Aleksi

Aleksi was watching Rilla on the couch.

On most days he felt guilty for bringing her with him to the studio, he doubted it was exciting for a dog to lay around and watch them figuring out a song or wait the endless hours Aleksi could be absorbed in production. But then again, she seemed to love the attention she got from the other band members whenever they were around, and he couldn’t deny she was good for the spirit.

His eyes wandered up to Joel who was so deep in his own world that he couldn’t suppress the small light in his eyes while rubbing Rilla’s stomach who didn’t seem to mind the hand on her at all.

He liked to pretend that Aleksi’s dog was merely a distraction to their work, or that he didn’t like dogs (or pets in general, Rommi wasn’t an exception to this), but Aleksi had caught him several times cuddling and playing with Rilla, to the extent that Joel’s mentality obviously had changed in the past weeks or months.

Furthermore, Aleksi was relived to see a little spark to Joel’s person, as everything about him could only be described as dark since a week or so.

Joonas had assured him that it was nothing to be concerned about, or rather nothing Aleksi could do anything about but nonetheless Aleksi had wished to be able of help, and even this tiny change to Joel’s demeanour was a comfort for Aleksi’s soul.

It wouldn’t be a very productive night if Aleksi kept on eyeing the cuddling pair on the couch, but he couldn’t look away from the picture either. It warmed his heart, and he was aware of how quickly it could get creepy if he kept this up, but could anyone blame him?

���You two are cute.” It slipped out of his mouth before he could really think about it.

Joel looked up at him right away, hand stilling. “Sorry.” Came to Aleksi’s surprise an apology. “We will never get finished if I just sit here. Where were we?”

Aleksi had simply given a compliment, how did Joel twist it into an accusation?

“I don’t think we will finish this anyways, not the right vibe today, you know?”

Joel nodded slowly; Aleksi not sure if he understood him right this time.

“We can’t produce a banger every night.” Aleksi clarified therefore. “And Rilla absolutely loves your cuddles, don’t disappoint her by stopping now.”

A sad smile appeared on Joel’s face, and he directed his attention back to Rilla who had been watching him attentively with her dark eyes, undoubtedly waiting for his hand to come back pet her.

“That’s all I’m good for today anyways.” Was said in a quiet voice, as if the casualness could deter from the dejection of the sentence.

“Hey, that’s not true.” Aleksi cut in, not willing to be a bystander of Joel’s downtalk.

“No? I haven’t given one good idea, and all I’ve done was sitting around. All I am today is a burden.”

“Joel-” Aleksi began to defend Joel from himself.

“No yeah you’re right, sorry. My mood has been absolute shit recently, I can go home- I-”

Joel interrupted himself when he clearly didn’t know what to say anymore, and Aleksi easily discarded his work to join him on the couch.

“You’re not a burden.” He started. “Your mind is shit, yes, but you’re not. I want you around, even when you feel like this.”

‘This’ didn’t need to be spelled out; they both knew what it entailed since it wasn’t the first time Aleksi experienced Joel in such a terrible state. Although before, when Aleksi had been relatively new, Joel had still tried to hide it as best as he could, even going so far as to find appointments as an excuse not to show his face in the studio.

Joonas, as the loving boyfriend, had always tried to distract Aleksi from the reality despite Aleksi having found out quickly that he had only been doing this based on Joel’s wish. And Aleksi couldn’t be mad at Joonas since he was just trying to help his boyfriend.

Not that Aleksi hadn’t been sad that Joel apparently didn’t trust him enough to let him in far enough to show his real self.

That’s why he was actually feeling somewhat proud that Joel now trusted him enough to even admit he was feeling this way right now. Even if he was ready to bolt at any wrong move.

Joel blew out air from his nose, disbelieving, almost a sarcastic expression joining it. “I’m feeling worthless.”

His eyes were stealing a look of Aleksi, most likely searching for assurance. And Aleksi would gladly give it to him, oddly not losing his brain with Joel’s blue eyes watching him carefully.

“When your eyes are on me, I feel like something worth seeing.”  

“You sound like Joonas.” Joel said with a little pout, evidently not accepting Aleksi’s words.

“Yeah? Then he might be smarter than he acts.”

This evoked a start of a full smile on Joel’s lips, and Aleksi allowed himself to reply in kind. He has never been one for serious and heartfelt conversations, but he had sensed Joel needed this, and it has been easier to tell Joel this earnest truth than it had ever before, and he had discovered long ago that Joel sparked new, unknown feelings and reactions in Aleksi, so he shouldn’t be too surprised at this turn, but it nevertheless felt like a victory to be so open with another person.

But it was Joel. Lots of things have been easy with him.

“If you start being poetic with me too, I will go to Tommi next time. He’s realistic at least.”

“He will give you a reality check in 2 minutes, and give you a good meal and the advice to be honest to Joonas, and send you on your way so he can watch his sports match.”

Both laughed at this more than realistic story, and Aleksi was pleased he could distract Joel enough that he forgot about his worry for a few seconds.

At the sudden noises, Rilla looked up from her blissed state to watch them both but was quickly satisfied when the petting continued.

It felt so harmonic, and frighteningly intimate to be sitting here with Joel, both so close, and in Aleksi’s opinion growing only closer, that he felt horrifyingly caught in the act when the door opened and Joonas stepped in with their food.

“They were out of that sauce you love Aleksi, said to come earlier if we want extras with our orders.” Joonas started to talk without batting an eye at the situation on the couch. “Bullshit if you ask me, they were just too lazy to ask the cook to fill up a portion, but what do I know. But hey, if you want, we can meet next weekend to make dinner and do our own sauce, I bet we can find a recipe online. We will have unlimited saucey access for our midnight soul food, how does that sound?”

Putting the bags with the food containers on the little table in front of the couch, Joonas walked around and to Aleksi’s confusing surprise, not only gave Joel a kiss on the cheek but Aleksi as well as if they’ve always done this.

“And for my beloved, two fortune cookies for extra luck.” Joonas said and showed two cookies in his hand which Joel took with an eyeroll.

Sitting down next to Rilla, the couch just so big enough for them all, he began unpacking their food, still ignoring the situation they found themselves in. If ignoring was the right word. Aleksi wasn’t sure if Joonas just happily enjoyed this all.

Like Aleksi did. And his guilt over this diminished with every minute they ate and talked.

He also couldn’t suppress the blush when Joel without warning kissed his other cheek that he recognized as a silent thanks Aleksi didn’t feel he deserved, and he averted his eyes back to Rilla when he saw Joonas’ very knowing smirk.

[itz-bug]

Saw blue beetle today !!!! And i am happy to say it was very good and fun :D definitely go see it if you can

Gonna talk about it lots under the cut! To be honest, this post is more for me to just record my own thoughts for myself, but you’re welcome to read if you’re looking for the movie opinions of a certified Blue Beetle Enthusiast, or if you’re desperate to feed on the Ted Kord crumbs the movie leaves for its viewers. (To be honest most of it is me talking about Ted sorry. hes my bbygirl)

- very minor spoiler warning -

First things first:

Jaime was so good!!!! His character was so sweet and earnest, and they aged him up to around 22 (he’s literally just graduated from college), which I think makes him a very unique superhero. He’s just returned from school as a first gen college student and feels like he’s finally in a position where he can provide for his family, only to realize he’s still totally unprepared for the real world.

Speaking of family, the Reyes family is the backbone of the film, and each of Jaime’s family members is given their time to shine. Another breath of fresh air for comic book movies! Not only does the hero have a family, but the family consists of fleshed-out characters who all bring different strengths to the group. I liked Milagro a lot specifically. Like Jaime, she’s also been aged up and is now probably 17-18. I thought she was written super well. She’s sarcastic and relaxed, and her relationship with Jaime is perfect sibling representation. Milagro is given a surprising amount of emotional moments, adding to her depth but also not taking away from any of Jaime’s development. Honestly, if you’re on the fence about going to see the movie, go see it just for the Reyes family dynamic. They’re seriously all great.

The other main supporting character is Jenny Kord, Ted Kord’s daughter. Jenny is smart and resilient, and I enjoyed her a lot, despite her bearing very little resemblance to Ted personality wise. I know why she exists: to push the plot and act as the link between the two blue beetles. She’s also Jaime’s love interest because of heteronormativity reasons. Still, I thought her character was done very well. Jenny is half brazilian and thankfully NOT Beatriz da Costa’s daughter. Her relationship with either of her parents isn’t explored much. Her (unnamed and presumably unimportant) mother died when she was young, and Ted disappeared off the face of the earth when she was only eight— I think. To be honest, the timeline confused me a little.

Anyways, Ted Kord is portrayed very interestingly in the movie. Not in a necessarily bad way, though. Ted makes zero physical appearances in the film outside of a single, vague painting of his likeness where he has a mustache and maybe a beard (wow!). That being said, his face is totally unremarkable and unrecognizable. Which is fine. I’d almost prefer them to keep him vague unless they give him a full-fledged appearance.

BUT, there is a scene where Jaime has to change clothes, and Jenny offers him some of Ted’s old clothing, and Jaime walks out in a bright blue windbreaker tracksuit. It’s totally 80s, totally silly, and totally Ted. The nod towards not only Ted’s outrage fashion sense but also his 80s dad vibe was very much appreciated.

There are lots of little moments in the film where Ted’s silliness seeps through. His lab is one example. Jaime describes Ted’s gadgets as “batman but if he had ADHD.” In the Bug, the computer has a female robotic voice that addresses him as “Teddy,” which Jaime’s uncle compliments as sexy. Ohhh the Bug. Easily one of my favorite parts of the film. It’s beautiful. It looks just like it’s comic book counterpart, with the little trapeze rope swing and everything. It also has a “beast mode,” where, when triggered, the Bug plays 80s rock and starts destroying everything around it. It’s also capable of poison gas farts. Perfect. Ted’s personality shines through everything he’s left behind, giving me hope for whatever might be in store for his character on the big screen.

The only reservations I have about Ted’s transition to film would he his relationships. His sister, Victoria, functions fine as a villain but isn’t anything special. She’s a capitalist. She’s evil. Like Jenny, lacks similarity to Ted himself. As for Ted’s dead wife (sad but also it’s hard to care), Jenny describes her mother as the one who “showed Ted the world was worth protecting,” which doesn’t sit quite right with me. For one, it seems weird to make a dead, non-comic-canon character so relevant to Ted’s superhero origin, and also, I think Ted deserves a little more credit than that. I’d like to think he’s always been a good guy, plain and simple. It also means Ted couldn’t have been a superhero for very long, which I think detracts from his coolness. I think Jenny even said Ted became blue beetle when she was a young girl, so it sounds like he couldn’t have been a hero for more than like 10 years? It just seems like a strange and unnecessary change to make. Then again, I realize most of the people watching the movie care very little about the second blue beetle, so I guess I can’t complain too much while knowing the intended audience.

That’s not gonna stop me from talking about boostle though!!!!! Unfortunately, Booster Gold is not so much as even hinted at in the movie, which I kind of get but still mostly hate. It just feels wrong to have a movie where Ted Kord’s career is one of the driving plot points and Booster is nowhere to be found. They are a package deal, DC!! I wasn’t even really expecting a verbal mention of him. Literally just a gold star somewhere in the lab, or a pair of yellow visors, or a blue and gold poster, or SOMETHING.

The life of a boostle fan is one of disappointment.

Still, the optimist in me is saying to hold onto hope. There’s a Booster Gold series in the works, so maybe DC is saving up for a totally reinvented blue and gold origin, or there’s some connection between the two that has yet to be discovered. Hopefully. Surely DC wouldn’t be stupid enough to overlook one of its most iconic duos? haha?

Okay. This post has run a lot longer than I thought it would. Ultimately, Blue Beetle is a very good movie that does the characters of Ted Kord and Jaime Reyes justice. It’s fun and silly but also heartfelt. Even though there’s a few minor things I’m hung up on (because I’m insane), Blue Beetle did a lot of things right, and I feel like this movie has been one of the best comic book adaptations yet. Here’s to hoping we see a live action Ted one day, and he doesn’t totally suck ass.

[sillyfudgemonkeys]

Ngl I'm surprised you haven't said anything about Yukari yet given how you are with her and how reload made her less bitchy

H....a....ha......hahahahahahahahfjsdakfj;alfjkajfk;lakf

Slight vague spoilers (general P3/not P3R specific, tho I wish these asks were directed towards my "Silly plays P3R" blog TT0TT):

Oh....oh anon....you don't know how many times I had to stop myself from going on a rant.

Oh it's pissing me off. "But wait she's less bitchy!" That doesn't solve ANYTHING! If I'm suppose to like her despite being bitchy, then why are they making her less bitchy??? It feels like they realize that she's too rough around the edges so they should sand her down! But then that's not Yukari right? Shouldn't we love her despite that? No? Then what's the issue with people hating her being bitchy in the first place?

It feels disingenuous. Just....*inhales* Yeah P3R is reminding me of why I dropped FES the first time I played through it ohhhh boy.

But.....that was just my first reaction. Pre-Fuuka arc. She does feel a lot friendlier.....but some of the content (that feels new rather than retranslated) doesn't.......vibe well with what we know about later.

They DID NOT do a good job showcasing Yukari's discomfort with Mitsuru. Like both presentation or in the voice direction.

Like visually, if you look at the PS2 ver of the "She's too busy for us commoners" 4/20 scene you can see Yukari does NOT look happy to see Mitsuru.

Like R!Yukari's body language DOES NOT change, but in the PS2 ver we can clearly see she's......not feeling comfortable around Mitsu. (due to how P3P operates we miss out on that detail entirely, as the scene also plays out a lot faster/slightly differently but that's for a diff comparison post. This game is suppose to be remaking the original not P3P 8U)

Then it's reinforced with what she says.

The line "She's busy with the student council" type line doesn't really sound (tone wise) hostile in the JPN undub or P3R dub. But I'm guess SOMETHING hostile (either the phrasing used in Jpn, or maybe it's the tone I'm missing out on) because Junpei points it out to her. She then does sound uncomfortable in the JPN undub while trying to be like "oh no it's not like that it's just...." response line.

And in the OG eng dub we can easily hear her hostility no need to explain that. Sounds a bit bitchy but yeah. Then her discomfort in response to Junpei matches the undub's response line.

But P3R???? Her tone in the "She's busy with the student council" line DOES NOT give any type of hostility at all. This doesn't even account for the retranslation of the line (which tones it down even more).

The old line used to be "She's probably busy with things like Student Council, unlike us." and the new line now says "She's not like us. She's busy, you know? With the student council or whatever."

The original translation gave off an inherent hostility we can easily pick up on. The second one, the only flippant thing in there is "or whatever" but after it's prefaced with.....what kinda feels like her DEFENDING Mitsu. The rest of the sentence sounds like she's defending MItsu's behavior, and the "or whatever" feels more like a "and so on" rather than "tch whatever" feel.

Combine that new translation with the new voice direction/actor in P3R......the whole line just.....doesn't hit. Which isn't good because the rest of the scene continues on. Junpei calls her out on hostility, and I'm left here thinking "What hostility???? That's the hostility of a wet paper towel if I've ever seen one!"

Then her defensive response sounds more unsure, and confused (like is she aware she has issues with Mitsu????). TT0TT When in the JPN and original english it sounds more defensive, like she's trying to cover it up hastily.

(oh and this isn't even touching on the worst portraits. Were the OG P3 portraits skrunkly? Yeah. Did they provide a clear vibe tho? Yeah.)

Like is P3R Yukari SURE she's Yukari?

The answer is yeah.

She still makes the same hypocritical errors. Such as harping on eavesdropping on a bully (and then not reporting....to either a teacher or MItsu. Good job keep it up, you're really paralleling Mako here!) And only stepping up because of Junpei making fun of her over a ghost. XP

Or after Fuuka joins. She still HARPS on it so fucking much. "Are we sure she wasn't forced" I dunno Yukari. You barely put up a stink when I joined and said I didn't want to be leader at every fucking turn. Nor did you harp on Junpei joining. NOR do you really bring up feeling forced to join (which I'm pretty sure you can't say that since when you trauma dumped on me you told me you joined to find answers >_>). But yes let's bring it up every 5 seconds, say you'll drop it, then NOT drop it. Even tho Fuuka's fine with it, and literally the only option is to leave the creepy bad place alone????

(what really sticks out with Fuuka is that....she feels fine with it in the scene, doesn't look pressured and.....we really don't get a lot of scenes with Fuuka up to that point so we have NO BASIS on how she usually acts. So it really just makes it look like Yukari wants to just stir the pot for no gd reason)

Then she ropes the new girl into committing a crime, and then NOT consulting her about it before dropping that fucking bomb during a meeting (one she interrupts btw). Acts out, gets her damn answers, keeps acting out. Then suddenly apologizes, Mitsu is like "oh ok", then Yukari is in her room being like "Oh no, did my feelings not get through to her? Did I not express my emotions right?" No it's because you're acting like an asshat! TT0TT I wouldn't accept your apology either like stop it.

Then we get to the damn beach, she finds out the "truth", the Kirijou group (aka Mitsu and her dad) despite not being the actual ones to fuck the world up, still take responsibility. Give her the truth that they know, say "it's really our fault, not your dad's" and Yukari loses it. Acts out in ANOTHER meeting, throws another tantrum. Is mood swinging like a motherfucker (which I get but...), which flips from being upset, to saying horrible things, to apologizing, to saying horrible things again, and rinse repeat. Saying stuff like "I'm jealous her dad gets to live, that's kinda horrible. I'm horrible aren't I?" (man more Mako vibes? Surprised she didn't call herself scum u_u) Like damn, she's losing it. I should totally slap her, that'll make her come to her senses, no? :0 No no I really think that would be good for her. She's at her lowest we should smack her back (to the top). That's how it works.....right? >:( ("Ok ok Silly we know your still hung up on that" and I will never not be hung up on it.....moving on 8U)

The difference is that this version feels off because she just SUDDENLY gets pissy outta nowhere (like there's not a small ramp up, it's just full mania RIGHT NOW! At least the other one was as JARRING)

Voice wise, Heather is fine, it just feel like there's......some stuff missing. Michelle could be TOO bitchy at times, but even with Heather really.......smoothing out all of Yukari's flaws (awww but I thought people loved her flaws??? Why are you smoothing them out? :0) she still is.....deeply unpleasant.

I finally got Aigis (jk at Shinji now), but man.....it was rough getting there. It really reminded me why I dropped FES the first time I played TT0TT Her and Junpei are too much.

Speaking of Junpei (small side rant, but it's because he and Yukari both were wildin' at the same fucking time TT0TT). But his blow up after the Heiro/Lovers fight..........it's just so out there??? TT0TT

I get it's because everyone is praising the leader but man...... it still feels outta left field! I think it should've been placed after Priestess. The built up to that a bit better, plus he could be riding off of having just been saved and acting recklessly.

I dunno the timing just felt off. But Junpei's feels more because of the source. Yukari feels like it's because it's half source and half new voice.

(also funny reaction I had in the Shinji arc: *is morning at school gate* Yukari: Hey! So I've been thinking about Shinji Me: Stop thinking. Every time you think bull shit gets stirred just stop Yukari: Why do you think he rejoined? Me: Why are you so NOSY??? TT0TT Stop it!

The irony is if she actually was THAT NOSY like she always is maybe she could've changed something, but I guess she's just so wishy washy in what she gets nosy about???? TT0TT "I don't like spying on this guy and doing stuff behind his back" *proceeds to spy on Mitsu and do stuff behind her back*. Like she'll go balls to the walls one second, then "eh" the next???? god she's such a hypocrite.....'it's a flaw' and it's an entire person I'd avoid IRL.

But fr, the game's already SHOWED me enough info, but why does it feel the need to really try to spell it out for me??? Those scenes aren't optional what do you think I'm MISSING??? TT0TT)

What gets me is fans are like "oh you can't handle a girl that's a little bit mean" ????? Yeah I don't want to be around someone who is going to be mean to me wtf???? Why would I be nice to someone who is only going to make me feel not the best? TT0TT I already dealt with that in high school and lower I ain't doing it again skdjflkjfa

Tldr; Yukari is a hypocritic character that the game seems to not realize. She gets away with a lot of stuff, and is wishy washy on her morals. It's her way or the high way (and this gets worse in the Answer). It doesn't matter how much they try to soften op her voice she still has those faults and is a drag to be around. It doesn't matter how nice she decides to be with me, I can't help but shake the feeling she'll screw me over too. (not as much as I don't trust Junpei, but still enough for me to doubt her word every time she talks).

[not-so-anonymous-scotch]

Etho finds Nebris' name in the Death Games rotation, and takes the opportunity quickly. Nebris savors the moment instead, even if it hurts. m/m nebtho, focused on violence, character death (respawning), 2.2k words.

AN: wow been like 9 years since i wrote a nebtho fic but this was fun. i really tried to push the vibe i have for them especially bc i wanted this to differ enough from the ethubs fic i did too. i can be a bit more silly and foward with nebris in a way i cannot be with bdubs. and i can admit i struggled a tad on the "suggestive" part bc in my head it just kept going to literal smut, oops. this is not smut but i think i need to get that out of my system privately.

[ read full fic below cut ]

Nebris- the name was etched on the silver sword when Etho had gone to check the status of the Death Games'. It had been a while- the last times Nebris had popped up, Etho hadn't been around for it, and he hadn't yet heard of anyone succeeding with a kill on him either. He wanted to change that.

A different tactic could work. The armor and weapons had to be used, but it didn't have to be on until he started attacking, right? He wanted to play it casual. With the hub still under construction, Etho could probably give off the idea that he was casually chipping away at the build, while being able to hold a casual conversation with Nebris. Letting his guard down would certainly help.

After sitting around and making himself busy with nothing, it was only a matter of time before Nebris walked through the portal by chance- and he did. Peeking from around the corner where he chiseled away at the quartz walls, Etho watched Nebris step out into the center of the hub. He wasn't trying to hide- not yet- and caught the other's gaze.

“Oh, hey!” Nebris gave a short wave as he approached Etho, heading up the steps of the east wing. “I was just coming to see if I could like... claim a spot in here.”

“Yeah- yeah, it's not done yet but a few guys already took some spots.” Etho nodded to the area behind him. “Go pick whatever spot, Bdubs will fit it with the system we're planning.”

It was only a few moments after Nebris has placed down a chest to store his materials that Etho heard a sigh.

“...Uh, hold on- I need to get rails. I'll be back.” Etho didn't respond as he saw Nebris head back down the stairs and through the Nether portal to spawn.

His tone was stiff and Etho wondered if he was able to tell why Etho was linger around. Nebris always liked playing along though- so he'd be back. Etho knew he would be.

Etho got up from his spot, tucking himself around the inner corner of the Nether portal. He took the assumed Death Games armor and weapons, prepared for the fair fight. There could have been a better chance to get it done before this, as Nebris could easily return with better armor... but this was better than missing entirely. As Etho waited, he eyed the area. The storage room was not far off, and if Etho could direct Nebris over there, he had a good chance of making it hard for him to fight regardless of his gear.

His heart was beating in his chest as he waited for the sounds of the portal again. In the corner of his eye Etho saw it- on the right, he could see Nebris stepping through the portal. He undoubetly knew Etho was behind him, but couldn't react fast enough when Etho stepped forward with his sword extended. The feeling of something sharp prodded at Nebris' back, making him look over his shoulder at his perpetrator.

“Vyou're always so forward.” Nebris said as he stood there, looking back at Etho.

Etho kept the sword in place. “You didn't come back with armor. Did you not expect me?”

“Oh, I did. I just thought it'd be more fun if I came unprepared.” Nebris grinned, giving a short shrug.

“More fun more me or...?” Etho chuckled. “Cuz I don't think you're going to have lots of fun dying.”

Nebris scoffed, “Of course I want to make sure you enjoy yourself.. But I'm not dying today.”

With that, Nebris quickly turned around and tried to side step, but was blocked as Etho jabbed his sword to where he tried to slip out. It clanked against the netherbrick door frame of the storage room, making Nebris stop once more to consider his moves. This corner of the hub was a tight squeeze, and he knew that was why Etho nudged him this direction.

He glanced from the sword then back up to Etho. Within seconds Etho pulled the sword back again and gave Nebris no time to think as he rushed forward, forcing him through the narrow entrance of the cluttered storage room.

“Oh, you son of a-” Nebris was cut off as he focused again on not meeting the blade of that sword, sliding against one wall of chests. Even as he came unprepared on purpose, Nebris was confident he could make his way out of this.

Etho was silent still as he went for Nebris, this time the blade grazed the top of his shoulder before Nebris could be fast enough to avoid it entirely. There was a wince, and Nebris quickly tried to duck out of the way again, trying to slip past Etho and get behind him. But following that poor decision, Etho was able to trip him with ease, the tight quarters allowing Nebris no room to recover. He put out his hands to stop himself from face-planting against the wall, grunting as his breath was knocked out of him.

In no time at all Etho approached him from behind, slipping the sword under Nebris' chin. The flat side of the blade was cold as Nebris felt his chin tilt up, Etho using the rest of his body weight to keep him in place.

“Shit-” Nebris hissed under his breath. When he swallowed, he could feel the blade against his skin. “Okay, I know I didn't come prepared on purpose but come on- you're going too fast.. Slow down a little.”

Etho tilted the blade slightly, his free hand pressed against Nebris's back to keep him there. “Well I'll admit I feel like you're going easy on me..” He leaned in. “No one else has killed you recently, Nebris. Being clumsy, no armor...”

Nebris chuckled, turning ever so carefully against the sword to look at Etho. “Yeah, I would've ended this in minutes if I had my gear. Can't I savor the moment of being actually at risk of dying by your hand?”

Etho rolled his eyes, pressing his weight against Nebris again. “Maybe I should just finish this...”

Nebris' eyes widened slightly as Etho tapped his chin with the sword, leaning his head back to avoid it further. His hands scuffed against the wall as he felt the pressure of Etho holding him against it.

“Whoa, I said slow down.” Nebris cleared his throat. “It's not gonna be satisfying if you rush things, you know.”

Even though Nebris was quite sure he had no chance in this fight now, he was going to delay his death in whatever way he could. Etho was very straightforward and to the point and he was easily flustered by Nebris' antics. It was the one thing that could buy him some time.

He shifted against Etho, tilting his hips slightly. Each movement had him dangerously closer to the sharp side of the blade, but all he was doing was trying to wiggle free from Etho's grasp, even if that means rubbing up against him in all the wrong ways.... or just the right ways to fluster Etho.

Nebris could feel Etho keeping himself still in order to stop him as much as possible, but when Nebris wriggled against him again he felt Etho flinch. For a moment the weight against Nebris lightened, and he took that as a good sign. Etho could only handle the contact for so long if Nebris managed to irritate him enough. Yes, irritate. It totally had to do with irritating him.

“Stop-” Etho hissed under his breath. “Stop moving.”

Nebris held his breath as the sword got close again, Etho pushing back against him the moment he realized he almost gave Nebris room to escape.

“Hey, hey- Just tryin' to get comfortable.” Nebris said, breathlessly as he tried to avoid the sharp blade.

His snarky response didn't help, as Etho immediately pushed the blade closer to his neck. “You are- you are such an ass.” Nebris clenched his teeth, instinctively recoiling and pressing back up against Etho.

The struggle began again, this time with more force as Nebris was more keen on actually wiggling free. Their clothes scuffed against each other, short breaths echoing in the small storage room. Nebris was desperately trying to turn himself around, grabbing back at Etho to pull that sword away just enough for some freedom. With one hand he gripped Etho's sword wielding arm, pushing back against him as he awkwardly tried to shimmy out.

“Etho, please-” Nebris' voice came out quiet, feigning innocence in his tone. “Etho-”

Etho lost his footing ever so slightly, allowing Nebris the smallest of openings. Nebris ducked out of the way, turning to face Etho. Still between him and the wall, Nebris wasn't offered much more safety, but he could have a bit more control at least.

Or so he thought- glancing back up to Etho, Nebris' eyes widened when he felt a hand grip his shirt, and the sword wielding one pull back for a strike once again.

“Okay, I think we're done here.” Etho said with a huff, glaring down at Nebris.

Panic was quick to strike Nebris as he put his hands against Etho, back in the struggle. Nebris didn't exactly have the upper hand, but he'd gained the advantage by turning himself around. No longer pinned down, he was able to push Etho back, disrupting his attempt to kill him. The two were locked in a back and forth until Nebris managed to get out of Etho's grasp, stepping away from the wall. But Etho bounded towards him with quick intent.

Nebris felt his feet slide out from under him, stumbling on his way towards the exit, as Etho managed to knock him down. Nebris kept his grip and Etho came down with him, their bodies thumping against the floor. Even with the wind knocked out of him, Etho did not forget his goal. Straddling Nebris and keeping his weight on top, Etho straightened up and steadied the sword in his grip.

It took Nebris a moment to recover, as the pain from the fall radiated in his skull. He could feel the pressure of Etho on top on him, and blinking his eyes open he was greeted to the same glare.

In just that moment, the glint of the sliver sword flashed as Etho brought it down. With little thought, Nebris put his hands out in front of him. With searing, burning pain, his hands wrapped around the blade as he attempted to stop it from slicing his throat. Red budded from the cut on his palms, seeping up from under the silver. It moved so smoothly against his skin, cutting deeper with each slight shift.

“Agh- shit, shit..” Nebris winced, fingers wrapped around the blade. He tried not to blatantly clench his teeth when he looked back up to Etho.

Etho leaned in closer, pressing the blade down with both gloved hands. “What are you doing?”

He could swear there was a grin of amusement under that mask. Nebris was just making this more painful than he needed to.

“Uh.. I- I'm.. trying to not die?” His voice came out strained, even as he chuckled. Each push Etho gave made the blood run a little quicker, and make Nebris bite his lip a little harder.

“I thought you were excited for me to kill you?”

“Try- try to kill me- try.”

He was holding back, a lot. Pained sounds were caught in his throat.

“No try, Nebris. I'm going to.”

Etho pushed the blade closer, only an inch away from Nebris' neck as he continued to hold it back. Their bodies were pressed together, with no intent to widen the gap now as Etho remained on top of him. He was going to get this kill, and if he needed Nebris to hurt enough that he begged for it, then so be it.

“Nebris...” Etho hummed, watching as the red spill down Nebris' wrist, staining the sleeves of his shirt. “If it hurts so bad, you should really just let me kill you now.”

Nebris' face was pained, even as he tried to fight through it. “Oh its fine, I can wait this out.”

Etho used his weight to push down again, receiving a gasp in response and a mutter under Nebris' breath.

“Hm? What was that?” Etho looked down at him. Nebris' hands were trembling.

“God-” Nabris hissed in pain, “Fuck you.”

“Is it too much?” Etho chuckled.

Nebris nodded lightly as he squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, breathing hard.

“So...”

“Kill me- you can kill me.” He was trying so hard to not sound like he was whining- begging for it.

“Can I hear a 'please'?”

Nebris groaned, each second longer doing nothing to help his situation. “Dammit Etho-- kill me, please- please kill me.”

Hands released, the sword met Nebris' throat with ease. Right across the center, the kill was made. The moment his body faded, Nebris found himself shaking his hands in irritation, stinging against his skin ever present even when he respawned back in his base. The moment he gripped that blade in defense, he knew it was going to leave a nasty scar, and it wasn't going to end in his favor...

Across his fingers and his palms he could see a thick pale line across his skin. He exhaled, ignoring whatever witty comment Etho left in the chat. Dying was not something he liked to do. But there was a reason he hadn't been murdered in the death games by anyone else... Nebris had to save it for just the right moment. The right person. And there was no person he'd rather have than Etho.

[equinoxts2]

15 Questions from Mutuals

@withlovefromayre​ tagged me and although I feel awkward singling anyone else out to tag, I’m happy to answer these questions. Ramble incoming!

Are you named after anyone? This is very embarrassing, but in 2014 I changed my name to one of the regions of a world where a then-favourite game site was set. Five years later, when I couldn’t take the high-tension, high-drama events that site did at least twice a year or the way the site’s staff encouraged the greedy, heartless attitude of most of the other community members, I turned my back on the fandom and have regretted picking that particular name ever since. Either way, I just couldn’t live with my birth name any longer - that never felt like me, to put it mildly.

When was the last time you cried? Last week, when I had two major emotional crises in two days. Sometimes I feel so out of place on 21st century Earth that I want to sue the universe for misincarnation or something.

The second time it happened last week, my mum took me for a walk round the park across the street to help me calm down. Nothing could lift me out of the depths of despair though - until we were nearly home and she picked a dandelion and gave it to me to blow the seeds off. Getting to be a kid again for a couple of seconds helped me to smile again, and pulled me back from the brink. I’m going to buy myself a piece of jewellery with a dandelion on it, so I can remember how much it helped me.

Do you have kids? No, I acknowledge that I’m not cut out to be a parent or a partner. I do consider all nine generations of sims I’ve raised so far to be my babies, though.

Do you use sarcasm a lot? Sometimes, when I’m with someone I know won’t take it personally, like my mum. If I’m being completely honest, I can dish it out but I can’t take it.

What sports do you play/have you played? Truth be told, I’m a couch potato. Sixteen years of depression can do that to a person, though I am trying to get more active and healthy. However, I was very active as a child and I did once win a skipping rope race at my primary school sports day.

What is the first thing you notice about other people? Whether I feel comfortable around them or not. I’m autistic and I find it difficult meeting new people, but there are some people - including my regular support workers - who I’ve clicked with almost instantly. Others, I just get... spiky vibes or something from them.

Scary movies or happy endings? Definitely happy endings. I love musicals and Disney movies - and whatever I watch, it always helps for me to have a box of tissues handy. 

Any special talents? I’ve been told I’m very insightful. I’m good at language creation, wordplay, worldbuilding and writing, with a particular flair for comic verse. I can also create and edit mods for Sims 2. One day I’d like to publish fantasy novels for children and young adults who might be going through rough times, to offer comfort and escapism and not hit too close to home by setting them in our world.

Where were you born? Whipps Cross Hospital in Walthamstowe, London. Apparently David Beckham was also born there. *shrugs* Whatever.

What are your hobbies? Mostly it’s Sims 2, reading about and creating various fantasy worlds, solo roleplaying, Plants vs. Zombies 2, and my mum and I are currently hyperfixating on another game app, Two Dots, which I discovered by accident. I also love being out in nature and have planted some wildflower seeds around the park near my home.

Do you have any pets? At the time of writing, I have an aquarium with six fish - one male and three female platies, one rummy nose tetra and one silvertip tetra who is easily the boss of the aquarium - and there’s an indeterminate number of amano shrimp in there too. It’s been nearly 18 months since we had to say goodbye to our elderly dog, Charlie, and I still miss him, it doesn’t feel right without a clueless lump of fur around.

How tall are you? 5′4″.

Fave subject in school? School was a living nightmare for me, but I did enjoy writing and art. I used to cry myself to sleep on nights before geography lessons though, because although I love learning about other cultures, I couldn’t bear hearing about wars and natural disasters.

Eye Colour: Dark brown.

[mommybard]

What format do you play?

Commander! Right now my either in-progress or completed decks are...fuck where's that toolbox. Ayula - Monogreen Bears. Because bears are the best animal ever and no I will not take feedback for this statement at this time. Kodama of the Central Tree - Monogreen Kamigawa Spirits. It's silly, not the strongest, but I love spirits. Yuriko - Dimir Ninjas. Thinking of changing this to a Sultai one with Tatsunari at its head cause Yuriko is just such a target once she enters the battlefield. Sure she cheats out easily but like I feel bad because people see her and think my deck is gonna be so much scarier than it actually is Magda - Monored Dwarves. Because dwarves are one of my favorite fantasy races <3 Heiko Yamazaki - Monored Samurai/artifacts. Yeah, I normally hate artifacts, but she's a queer samurai rebel, so of course I was gonna make a deck for her. Gyome - Golgari Food deck. It's silly, but its fun and I love it. Can't wait for the lord of the ring set to come out so I can make another food deck. Gretchen Twitchwillow - Simic Moonfolk Landfall deck. All about bouncing lands back to my hand with the moonfolk and playing extra lands. I love Moonfolk, and I wish they got more love Kotori - Azorious Vehicle Moonfolk. Look, you give me an excuse to play moonfolk and I will take that fucking excuse. Uses all the newer Kamigawa ones who cared more about vehicles/artifact creatures instead of bouncing. Rhoda & Timin - Azorius Spirit Control. All about tapping other peoples creatures and boosting Rhoda for it. Not as mean as other azorius controls, I just want to tap your stuff not stop you from doing anything whatsoever. Ranar - Azorius Spirit Blink/Foretell. I LOVE SPIRITS OKAY SUE ME AND THIS LETS ME PLAY THEM A DIFFERENT WAY. Millicent - Azorius Spirit Tokens. I will not defend myself again, spirits are the best and the other tribes, besides dwarves and moonfolk, can suck it. YOU HEAR ME DRAGONS. YOU CAN FUCKING SUCK THIS ECTOPLASMIC DICK. Miirym - Temur Dragon Tribal. LOOK. HE'S A SPIRIT, AND I MADE IT DND THEMED OKAY. Gisa & Geralf - Dimir Zombies. Not as strong as some other zombie decks cause I themed it hard around Innistrad vibes. Captain N'ghathrod - Dimir Horror Mill. I couldn't resist playing the mindflayer. And he's so much fun. Umbris, Fear Manifest - Dimir Horror Exile. Started this one before Captain to make an Ashiok themed deck cause I love their spooky dream haunting nb ass. Satsuki - Selesnya Saga. I love Sagas and really enchantments in general, and I find her fun. Anafenza - Abzan themed Abzan deck. Look, Tarkir is the greatest plane in the multiverse and of the factions on Tarkir, the Abzan are the best <3 Go-Shintai - Five Color Shrines. Purposefully not made to be as degenerate and scary as the normal Go-Shintai bullshit decks, just made it to play all my shrines together. Manabase is a fucking mess on this one. Naomi - Orzhov Unnatural. This was originally my Mardu Samurai but it just felt like a mess so I took it apart and refined it into her <3

[starberrywander]

If you're pro gender abolition, how can anyone be trans*gender* without *gender*? Fucking transphobe kys

Responding probably isn't the best choice because I'm getting the vibe you won't care what I say but I wanna express this idea anyway.

First of all, I have no idea what post you're referencing so I assume its a bit old and I can't guarantee I still believe all the things in it. Just a heads up before you call me a hypocrite over something I don't remember saying. My opinions change a lot because I spend a lot of time seeking new perspectives. Because of the community around it I probably wouldn't refer to my own views as "gender abolition" anymore. Maybe "gender liberation" but I don't really label it anymore, its just an aspect of my perspective.

Second, if you insult me again this conversation is over. Chill the fuck out, people are allowed to have opinions. Get a grip. You're acting immature.

Lastly, at the current moment here is how I view gender: Gender is a social category created by cultures based around the social roles given to each sex. When people have different roles in society, they tend to form communities and sometimes derive identity from the experience of that group.

However, human beings cannot be easily sorted into these categories and because biology is not the same as self perception, trying to use the unconnected categories to sort people is going to result in some error. That's trans people.

It seems you are approaching gender as something that is.... solid? objective? measurable? I don't know the exact right word. But gender is not a tangible thing that either does or does not exist as a fact of the universe. It is a social concept created by humans, which means we can choose to un-create it. Or edit it. Whichever works out best. So I would like to live in a world where gender doesn't exist (at least as we know it today), but I do not and never have claimed that gender doesn't currently exist. It currently exists and people are free to trans it as much as they want. In fact, I would encourage people to go wild and trans their gender all over the place to fuck with gender roles, because that proves how bullshit it is to divide people into rigid categories like that.

I don't see gender as a bad thing. It is a neutral thing that arises from the bad practice of assigning social meaning to reproductive biology. The thing I have an issue with is when people's sex is used to determine what is and is not socially acceptable, or to assume things about who they are as a person. I think that sex should have no social meaning, basically. Gender, I don't care. It can continue to exist but I think that in a world where sex no longer has social meaning gender would start to become obsolete. It probably wouldn't mean as much to identify as a certain gender because you would now be free to just be yourself and define yourself fully, so I predict that people would stop using gender as an identifier and it would kinda fade away.

And who knows, maybe my predictions are wrong. I'll never know unless we change the perception of sex, and I'm not confident that will happen in my lifetime. For now, gender is a neutral concept and I see not being cis as a rebellion against enforced, sex-based social roles. A rebellion that I am very much a part of and have been since before I was active on this site, so idk how you came to the transmisic conclusion except maybe by assuming things based on the fact that I used the words "gender abolition" once. Which if so, is a massively impulsive assumption and a sign you should maybe check yourself for reactionary impulses and emotional reasoning? Just a suggestion, I don't have enough detail to know for sure. Maybe I'll make a post later on about language vs communication but I just woke up and wanna get back to my day.

Anyway, I hope that helped. Imma go play phasmophobia.