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ordinaryschmuck · 3 years

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Starkid Musicals Ranked from Worst to Best

Salutations to you, random people on the internet who most certainly won’t read this. I am an Ordinary Schmuck. I write stories and reviews and draw comics and cartoons.

Welp. I finally did it. I've watched the entire Starkid musical library, and I must say, most of these plays fit my writing style perfectly:

Humor that is cynical yet random

Leaning in with comedy while sprinkling in some well-executed drama

An understanding that any type of story works as long as the cast of varying personalities of characters is dynamic enough to result in some phenomenal chemistry.

This is in almost all of their plays, excelled through fantastic writing and stellar performances driving the overall quality. And it inspired me not only to review each musical, but also ranking them all from worst to best. Or, more accurately, least good to most good. Because even at their "worst," Starkid still provides a funny, enjoyable experience that will keep you laughing with its comedy and your toes tapping with its catchy music. So strap in as I go in-depth into how Starkid proves how they are the masters of humor and melody.

(I'll also provide links to each musical, which is all for free on YouTube, so you can check them out yourselves. Just know that their early work is impossible to enjoy without subtitles, so you might want to have Closed Captions on when watching.)

#12-Holy Musical B@man-Everything about this play makes it seem like it's the weakest to me. The jokes, songs, and characters in Holy Musical B@tman just don't hit as hard as Starkid's other plays. It's still good, but compared to their best, the cracks show a lot more. That is, except for the ending. Not only is there a great speech that shows what makes superheroes so beloved, but "Super Friends" might just be my favorite finale song Starkid has ever put out. Holy Musical B@tman may not be the best, but it's at least worth the time.

#11-Firebringer-This was stupid. Really stupid. Funny as f**k, but still pretty stupid. Although I will give credit to one of the central pairings being LGBTQA+...Even though it makes little to no sense based on the characters' previous interactions. But in fairness, Starkid really sucks at writing good romantic relationships, so at least Firebringer has the benefit of being gay. And as we all know: The gayer, the better. The play is still stupid, though.

#10-Me and My Dick-The world in this musical makes little to no sense. Penises and vaginas are sentient and can communicate with their humans. And yet the penises and vaginas can also talk with each other, form relationships, leave their humans, and reinsert themselves into others--Yeah, it makes no sense...But, DAMN, is it funny! Every joke and innuendo Me and My Dick has about human anatomy works, and I could not stop laughing at each of them. Especially the names that were given to the vaginas, which are just...I mean, I'm laughing just by thinking about them. That should tell you how funny they are. This play might be illogical in every way, but if you turn your brain off and watch it for the humor, you'll definitely be in for something fun.

#9-ANI: A Parody-What's weird about ANI is that its best qualities are also weaknesses. A good chunk of the jokes are hilarious and expertly delivered. The issue is that most of them are about taking potshots at the Star Wars prequels, which might be the laziest jokes to make in a Star Wars parody. Then there's the soundtrack, having several songs that are a bop to listen to. The problem is that ANI suffers from the same issues as Tarzan and Brother Bear: Yes, technically, it is a musical, but it's one where none of the characters sing, and some people in the background do all the singing instead. It's all an odd balancing act of quality content made through questionable choices. ANI is still an entertaining play, but the force isn't as strong with this one.

#8-Black Friday-This might be the least funny play that Starkid has ever put out. Not just because it leans extra hard into drama, which was pretty effective during certain scenes. It's just when there are jokes in Black Friday, they tend to fall flatter more here than they did in other plays. Also, the plot of Black Friday might not be the best one to play straight. The serious moments work best when focusing on the characters and their personal struggles, but through the big bad that's supposed to be threatening? Not so much. Even if it was meant to be funny, well, I wasn't laughing. And believe it or not, I consider that to be the best judge of whether or not something is funny. That being said, while Black Friday isn't the most humorous Starkid musical, it's still pretty good. The characters are excellent, the songs are awesome, and the story is somewhat easy to follow. I would have appreciated a few more laughs, but I can respect these talented people wanting to challenge their strengths.

#7-Starship-This play feels very...Disney. It follows a familiar formula we've seen several times: The main character wants more than what he has in his crappy life, miraculously gets the exact thing he wants, falls in love with a girl in a short amount of time, faces off against a campy/over the top villain, realizes the hand he's been dealt isn't so bad, and in the end, gets what he wants anyway. Starship is still pretty entertaining through its jokes, characters, and songs, but it also feels weird that Starkid leans into these tropes when they would eventually make a much better play by making fun of them. The end result is not bad in the slightest, but it's also nowhere near their best.

#6-A Very Potter Musical-Starkid's first production, and boy, what a start to something wonderful. Every one of their gimmicks and motifs is present in A Very Potter Musical. The use of parody to playfully mock characters and stories they love, making songs that are as funny as they are emotional, and creating characters that work because of their lines and the actors' performances. Oh, and also, it's funny. And it’s not just through a parody angle, like making Cedric be a perfect boy who's always smiling. It's also funny through its jokes that work, even if you ignore the fact that it’s a parody altogether. Case in point, there are these two bits, one involving Voldemort and Beatrix with the other involving Ron and Hermoine, that are written and delivered so well that I was in tears much more than with any other Starkid play. When watching A Very Potter Musical, you'll not only understand how parody works, but you'll also gain an understanding of why Starkid turned out as successful as they did.

#5-The Trail to Oregon-What can I say? I'm a sucker for comedic dysfunctional families. And seeing a family of idiots make their way to Oregon via The Oregon Trail parody? Yeah, that's a win for me. The play may be another family road trip narrative, which some people might get sick of at this point. But because the dynamics and comedic chemistry everyone has with each other are on point, the end result proves that you don't need an original story to tell an entertaining one. Although I will say that out of all of Starkid's productions, The Trail to Oregon has by far the worst ending. Without giving anything away, the play spends way too much time on this one stupid joke that any of the characters could make. Comedy is defined by personalities, as are most things, so making the joke work for anyone is a bad move when this one, in particular, doesn't fit as well for some characters as it would for others. Plus, the finale song "Naked in a Lake" is a really poor choice to cap off this musical. It's catchy, but to me, a finale song should encapsulate everything about the story, characters, and themes. Not paying off a joke that I honestly wouldn't want the payoff for. So while the ending could have used a lot more polish, that doesn't change how The Trail to Oregon is a pretty funny play that I won't mind revisiting when I have the chance.

#4-A Very Potter Sequel-Hey, sometimes a sequel is better than the original. Sure some jokes don't land, and some story beats aren't as impactful as they thought they were (Serious Black's introduction, for example), but there are far more improvements to this play than the last one. The performances are stronger, the jokes are funnier, the music is catchier, and the characters are much more entertaining in this play than in A Very Potter Musical. Especially new additions like Lupin and Lucious Malfoy, who provide great comedy and sublime drama at times. And Umbridge. Sweet Mother of all that is holy, Umbridge. While A Very Potter Sequel never made me laugh to tears as the first play did, twice, Professor Umbridge carries the comedy so well that she surpasses all of that. Plus, on top of it all, this play nails its ending through a bittersweet note that really captures what makes Hogwarts so special to these characters. I always feel like Starkid's plays tend to lose steam during the last few minutes, but A Very Potter Sequel is one of the few instances that it just builds and builds to a perfect ending. A Very Potter Sequel might not always hit the right marks, but the results are just magical when it does get it right.

#3-The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals-This one is pretty clever. The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals is one of those stories that manages to be explicitly hilarious yet implicitly disturbing. For instance, people suddenly bursting into perfectly choreographed musical numbers in a world where songs are exclusively diegetic is pretty funny (especially through the characters' reactions to it). However, knowing what happens to these people and why they sing and dance so expertly helps make the whole situation pretty dire. It's an excellent balancing act that not many stories can accomplish. And while The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals leans one way or the other at times, it's still all handled really well. Oh, and also, you know how most people say the villain song is the best one in any musical? Well, technically speaking, nearly every song in The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals is the villain song. Including the finale, which is just too brilliant for me not to give a round of applause. If you're a person who unfortunately doesn't like musicals either, I'd say be more than willing to give this one a chance. It's funny, catchy, and if you think of the implications, pretty damn disturbing.

#2-A Very Potter Senior Year-...You know how Avengers: Endgame is a bit of a mess, yet people still love it for how much of a perfect (sort of) finale it is? It's the same regard with A Very Potter Senior Year in my eyes. It's far from a masterpiece, but the many, many solid scenes that cap off this series help make me willing to overlook the mistakes. The characters, callbacks, and overall message about how things end was done so expertly well that I physically can’t hate this one. I can understand how it's more of an ok play when compared to the rest of Starkid's productions, but sometimes, ok is wonderful.

#1-Twisted: An Untold Story of a Royal Vizier-...It's Twisted. Everyone loves Twisted! And how could they not? Everything about this play just screams Starkid at their best. The comedy is uproarious, added with the fantastic delivery of the actors and the characters' personalities. Everyone feels as though they have one step in reality and the other in insanity. This, to me, seems like the best type of character work when going for the parody angle. Parody is about giving slight yet snide remarks toward the work you're mocking, which I feel works best when characters drop the suspension of disbelief audiences have when enjoying such a story. And Twisted definitely nails its satire in not only poking fun at Aladdin but also making jokes towards Disney as a brand. From their movies to their inside jokes to their formulas to even their corporate dealings with Pixar, nothing about Disney is sacred in Twisted. But on top of being funny, Twisted might just be the most successful Starkid has been with telling some really compelling drama. The jokes allow themselves to take a back seat to let serious moments play out, and even comedy is added, it provides more for the experience rather than taking anything away. You see this not only through the actors giving it their all but even through some really gorgeous and heart wrenching musical numbers. Oh, and also, Twisted has the best Starkid soundtrack, featuring songs that are epic, funny, and, as I said, heartbreaking. You cannot get better than this and, if you want to get a friend interested in Starkid as a whole, this might be the play for them. Scheherazade may have a thousand tales, but his one is a tale I wouldn't mind hearing for a thousand nights.

And that's about how I feel about Starkid and each and every one of their plays. Odds are your ranking would be much different from mine, and I'm all for that differing opinions. Feel free to make your own ranking if you want because I'm honestly curious where fans would place these plays above or below others. I'm relatively new to enjoying their work, so I have no idea what the consensus is. I do know one thing, though: If Starkid can still be incredibly entertaining through over ten years of content, then I am excited to see what they can accomplish next in another ten years.

#starkid #holy musical b@man #firebringer #me and my dick #ani: a parody #black friday #a very potter trilogy #the trail to oregon #the guy who didn't like musicals #twisted: the untold story of a royal vizier

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tuiyla · 4 years

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So I finally watched The Owl House

I wish I’d do this with every show I watch but it seems like only a lucky few get the She-Ra style rant of love treatment. Well, I finally watched The Owl House after my dash having been flooded for the past couple of weeks and I have some thoughts. Slight spoilers below.

First off, I love the whole vibe. I had a faint idea that this show would be about magic but I didn’t know much before watching - except for one thing, we’ll get back to that. The way it builds its world and deals with magic, though, is so refreshing. And I just have to mention here that I laughed out loud at all the Harry Potter jabs, they were hilarious. I expect we’ll learn much more about magic and its users as the show goes on but as far as the first season goes the introduction was really solid. It strikes the right balance between leaving things to the imagination but being more than “wave wand and magic happens”. It’s colourful, it’s creative, and I even like the ovens and school tracks, despite knowing that the story is about not conforming to those. It makes the Boiling Isles unique and make me want to learn more about the world even beyond the characters and the main plot.

TOH also presents a world that’s much more macabre than I was expecting from the Disney Channel, not that that’s a bad thing. I found myself thinking of Adventure Time at certain points and pondering, at scary moments, how kids would react. I think kids love this, though, and besides, nothing can be more scarring than Courage the Cowardly Dog was. It’s not that terrifying, of course, just daring enough to stand out. Overall the show has what I would classify as more of a Cartoon Network vibe than a Disney Channel one, but I admittedly haven’t really been following many Disney shows. In any case, I dig it. I dig the weird creatures and the beautiful backgrounds and I appreciate how alive the Boiling Isles feel. It doesn’t take long for TOH to immerse you in its world so I’m for one am hooked.

I make a big deal of loving the world itself because rarely does it happen that world-building stands out to me so soon in a series. I do love carefully constructed fantasy worlds but for the most part I’m more interested in the characters themselves. Here, I’d say it’s close to being a 50-50, which is something that even Avatar can’t say with its elemental masterclass in world-building (which is mostly because the character depth there is unrivaled but still). So yeah, kudos to The Owl House for achieving this. From Luz’s glyph magic to the covens and the titans, I’m excited to explore this world more.

Now, the characters. The real meat of any story. Starting with Luz, I have seen some criticism that she’s a generic hero so far, the “I’m a weirdo”, heart of gold, upbeat variety. I don’t think this makes her bland, though I do admit that being told over and over again that she’s weird makes me less engaged, even she’s also shown to be weird. I like the message of her arc and that the chosen one trope was deconstructed almost right away. I like that she’s relentlessly enthusiastic and kind to people and I like that she doesn’t have to get more bitter in order to get development. Instead, she learns from her mistakes but keeps being herself and brings her unique spirit to the Boiling Isles. We need protagonists like Luz, not just because she’s latina and bisexual but because her learning process doesn’t involve cynicism. Sure, there is a lot she needs to learn but her heart is presented as an asset and a sort of source of magic. I’m excited to see where her story goes, for sure.

I’m gonna write briefly about the other characters before I get to my favourite one. Eda is super cool and I quickly got over the fact that she’s not Beatrice Horseman, lol. She embodies such a youthful energy but the show also allows her to be a middle-aged woman comfortable in her own body - well, owl curse notwithstanding. Also, her relationship with Lilith is one of my favourite parts of the whole show. Eda subverts so many of the mentor’s traditional tropes and I’m here for it. I kinda thought she was the villain based on her design and when I didn’t know anything about the show but hey, happy she’s not.

I don’t think I’d even seen a picture of King before starting to watch the series and at first I thought I’d get tired of him real quick. He’s the type of character who can get really annoying instead of endearing really fast if he’s not given any depth or charm, both by way of writing and voice acting. Luckily, I ended up liking King and his antics. His design is indeed adorable and Alex Hirsch is a genius. The only time I felt like he went too far was, perhaps surprisingly, in the book writing episode, “Sense and Insensitivity”, but even there going too far was the point. So yeah, King’s also great, there’s much potential in his backstory and general character.

Alright so really quickly, other characters: Willow and Gus are generic best friend characters and though they already have other things going on, I expect more development as the series progresses. I like that Willow is actually super powerful, just not in the way people expected her to and Gus is clearly also talented despite being younger. I’d be happy to see more of the other kids, get more familiar with Hexside. Edric and Emira are fun characters but they were really shitty in their first episode so I was kind of surprised they weren’t more of a nuisance to Amity later on. I’m all for supportive siblings so I wouldn’t mind a good relationship between the three but I feel like it’s more complicated than that with the Blights.

Finally, I also have to mention that Hooty is... well, quite something, isn’t he. Much like with King, I thought he’d be much more annoying but somehow the show is self-aware enough that it makes Hooty tolerable. I’m almost always torn between feeling sorry for him and being thoroughly weirded out, and I think that’s the intention? It’s fitting that he’s the titular character as he embodies the tone of The Owl House well in my eyes. He’s there for the comedy but there’s just enough there to hint at something more. Very bizarre, strong CN vibes, here for it.

Now that I’ve written a paragraph more about Hooty than I expected to, let’s talk about Amity. Listen, no other character stood a chance to be my favourite as soon as I learned Mae Whitman voiced Amity. That woman gave me Katara so now I have a quasi Pavlovian response to her voice. I’d also say that I knew more about Amity going into the show than I did about any other aspect of TOH. I heard somewhere that she started out as an antagonist, I knew her parents were abusive, and the reason the show blew up on my dash and my general online bubble is the Grom episode. Lucikly I only saw stills of Lumity beneath the crescent moon but the pure Sapphic energy of that was enough to gay migrate me to this show. I’d like to note it here though that The Owl House is a good show in and of itself, the queer rep is just a nice extra. I’m gonna spend the next couple hundred words going on about Amity and her crush on Luz but I don’t value only that. The Gay Migration is great and rep is great but I’m also grateful to have a solid show behind it. That being said.

I’m a total dyke for Amity Blight. I was very biased before even being introduced to her character but I genuinely find her to be fascinating and she has great potential. She’s developing quite quickly, like much of The Owl House, but an arc not being stretched out for several seasons before getting a rushed conclusion is refreshing. The progress hits all the beats and the only note I have is that I want more. She starts out as a generic bully but the opportunity to be more is there from the beginning. We find out early on that she used to be friends with Willow, we see that she works hard and values honest work. When she becomes Luz’s rival, it doesn’t last long before Amity shows that she’s open to new perspectives. That’s not to defend or even justify her earlier and nastier moments, Amity was rude to both Luz and Willow. But through all that, she becomes a complex character who does bad things but isn’t a bad person and grows when she gets the space to. I think that’s neat.

Luz’s decision to befriend her might be cartoon logic but as someone who subscribes to the “kill them with kindness” ideology, I can totally relate. Amity’s softer side doesn’t take long to show and “Lost in Language” is such a great episode to show how complex people can be. Again, I was already biased when it came to Amity but she’s consistently shown to be capable of self-reflection and growth when others give her the chance. I think her past and potential future friendship with Willow is a great way to explore many different topics and I’m trusting the show to do it justice. I also can’t wait to meet the rest of the Blights, if only to get me some angst and further develop Amity. I half expected Grom to take the form of her parents. Too dark for Disney? Well, we don’t know Amity’s dynamic with her parents, exactly, but there’s so much subtext and potential. I love what we’ve already seen from her but I’d also say that she has one of the greatest potentials in the show.

Another way in which this potential manifests is Lumity, of course. Again, they’re developing quite quickly but that doesn’t mean it’s rushed. I’d love to explore Amity’s crush more and what Luz means to her. The Grom episode surpassed all expectations, still and gifs don’t do the stunning dance sequence justice. The animation is so smooth, the colours are amazing, the music is on point and the Sapphic vibes complete the picture. Poetic cinema, truly. Molly Ostertag and Noelle Stevenson are really out there giving wlw animation fans everything we ever wanted, huh. It also warms my heart that the crush is made very clear, not just by Luz’s name being on the note but by the delightful gay disaster that is Amity in “Wing It Like Witches”. I never thought I’d ever see such a relatable useless lesbian in animation so kudos to Dana Terrace and the whole crew. Wow, how far we’ve come.

So yeah, Amity is a funky little lesbian and I’m a 100% here for her gay disaster moments, but I also love where Lumity is going thematically. They’re great as foils and I’m hoping that they won’t get together at the very end. Look, I love me some Bubbline, Korrasami and Catradora, but it’s time a wlw relationship had the chance to exist onscreen and not only in the last episode. The Owl House has a great chance to do that. I know the creators don’t want romance to be the main focus and I respect that, I think the world they created deserves to showcased and explored to its full potential. Lumity could be a great subplot though, as representation on the one hand and as a thematically interesting dynamic on the other. Plus, Luz and Amity are just cute and sometimes, it’s as simple as that. Oh, and also the whole Little Miss Perfect thing? One of the best fandom discoveries I’ve made in a long while. Not only is the song truly perfect for Amity, I love that Joriah Kwamé went on to write Ordinary as well. This right here is why fandom is beautiful.

I think that’s about it for season 1 initial thoughts. The moral can be a bit on the nose at times, especially in the early episodes but the show is ultimately for kids and I appreciate its message. Interesting world and magic system, good characters, great potential for later seasons, just a well put together show that I’m really glad I started watching. I’m kind of sorry I didn’t keep up with season 1 as it was coming out but I would not have been able to wait between episodes. The pacing is good overall, deffo moves fast but I wouldn’t call it rushed, and the “filler” episodes still add something to the story. I’m not sure if I would still feel like the show moves at a fast pace if I hadn’t binged it but in any case it isn’t rushed, the necessary beats are all there and have time to sit. I’m going to watch as it comes out from now on so hopefully season 2 will arrive early next year.

Oh, and: I’m very new to the fandom, barely just found out about Little Miss Perfect, so any and all tidbits, fun facts, and fic recommendations are welcome. Also if you just want to chat my inbox is always open!

#the owl house #toh #amity blight #lumity #luz noceda #my thoughts #down another rabbit hole i go

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enigmainvestigations · 4 years

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Character list

This is going to be a brief breakdown of Ed’s relationships with the other characters in Gotham mostly from his Riddler days. This is from his perspective, theirs are mostly still open (besides the ones that I explain here). Also, these relations can change over time which many of them will. Please note- This list is for those who are curious, and for writers who might need some inspiration in the case a character comes up in their writing and they get stuck. You don’t have to reference this, these are just my current ideas on these character relations.

Heroes:

Batman- HATE. I’ve gone over this already in his bio, but I’ll use this to explain some things from Batman’s perspective. At first Batman saw Ed as someone unable to control their compulsive behavior, and thought Eddie just needed some intervention. However, as the years went by and he began to be the focus of Ed’s schemes he started to see him as a cunning, intelligent, and very dangerous criminal. Especially when it became clear to him that Ed had no regard for others, and Ed’s plans regularly put other’s lives and well being at risk. He knows that Ed’s intelligence and his ability to process and retain knowledge is extremely high, and he worries that Ed’s intellect might surpass his at some point. Ed’s motives were always rather simplistic even if his methods weren’t, but Batman saw his potential and believed if Ed truly applied himself he could become much too dangerous. Because of this he handled Eddie very specifically. He would normally take on the Riddler on his own in hopes of controlling their interactions, and keep himself as the main focus of Ed’s ire. Nightwing- Greatly dislikes. From his time as Robin being a bratty teen with a smart mouth, Ed sees him as an annoyance despite only having brief encounters with him through the years. Oracle- Ed has no idea Oracle is the previous Batgirl, but he REALLY dislikes her. Since Batman doesn’t really control Batgirl he’s had more interactions with her than the Robins. He’s been on the receiving end of too many of her beastmode attacks to have anything but negative feelings toward her. Jason Todd- **I haven’t decided if this is post, pre, or if the Red Hood arc is going to play out like the canon* Robin (Tim)- Ed doesn’t like any of the Robins, but he does have a very slight respect for Tim. He’s had much more interactions with him than the previous two, and he knows that he’s smart and capable. He certainly keeps his guard up around him, and chooses his words wisely so not to divulge too information. Batgirl (Steph)- Dislikes, but doesn’t take her too seriously.

Batgirl (Cass)- Dislikes. Only in his brief interactions with her, he really doesn’t like her. The reasons should be obvious.

Alfred Pennyworth- None

Jim Gordon- This one is a bit complicated. When Ed worked for the GCPD he had very few interactions with Jim, but the two were cordial. When Ed became The Riddler Jim felt betrayed since he used a lot of information he’d complied while working at the department. Over the years though Jim began to see Ed as someone who couldn’t control himself and was suffering with mental issues. He took the stance of treating Ed the way he treated him, but tries not to get him too riled up. He figured out that if he treated Ed with respect then Ed tended to behave and not get too excitable. On the other hand, Eddie actually likes interacting with Jim. He finds him quite entertaining, and likes watching Jim try to hold his tongue in his presence.

Renee Montoya- Complicated as well. When Ed worked for the GCPD Renee found him to be very odd, and he gave her the creeps though she couldn’t quite put her finger on why. When Ed became The Riddler she also felt betrayed, but she was much more confrontational with her anger toward him than Jim. Through time she also began to see Eddie the same way as Gordon, but she finds it hard to control her distaste toward him. The fact that he can escape handcuffs, and any cell they put him in makes her very nervous around him whenever he’s in custody. Eddie tends to find her outbursts rather funny, and usually would try to get on her nerves whenever he was bored when around her. Renee was rarely the main focus of his attention, but when she was he would be quite rude to her in hopes of getting her riled up. Harvey Bullock- Also complicated. Same situation as the other two, but Harvey actually liked Ed a bit when he worked at the department. He found his snide comments to be very humorous, as long as they were directed toward someone else. He also felt betrayed, but Harvey personally suffered more from Ed’s betrayal. Since then he has a deep disdain toward Ed, and feels zero sympathy or understanding for him. He’s very open about his anger with Eddie, and would often berate him whenever he was in custody. Eddie however loves interacting with Bullock. He finds Harvey’s anger very entertaining, and typically focuses on baiting him into an outburst. He’s used these situations multiple times as a distraction to escape custody.

Villains:

Bane- They haven’t had much interaction, but anyone who breaks the Bat Ed is going to like at least a little bit. Black Mask- Good. Ignoring Roman’s trigger happy temper, Ed tends to find him easy to work with since Roman’s motives are relatively simple. Clayface- Good. He’s hired Basil on a few occasions and found him pretty easy to work with. Catwoman- Dislikes, despite the two not having any real confrontations. The two are respectful to each other, but Selina thinks outside the box too much for Ed’s liking. She’s also better at certain skills than he is, which really messes with his ego since he doesn’t trust her. Long and short of it is- Selina makes Ed feel inadequate so he avoids her, but he’s not stupid so he doesn’t piss her off. Harley Quinn- As The Riddler Ed found Harley to be an annoyance, and couldn’t understand why Joker wouldn’t just kill her. He viewed her as unintelligent, and a waste of time. He generally treated her like he would a child, which sometimes worked and other times Harley found patronizing. *By the time Ed quits his criminal career however, him and Harley have an odd relationship. They’ve survived some very close calls, and even though he still finds her annoying he seems to accept her presence around him even though he tends to ignore most of what she says. Their chumminess is odd, and quite suspicious to everyone else in the city. Hush-**I haven’t decided if this is post Hush, pre Hush, or if Hush plays out like the canon or not**

The Joker- Ed is one of the few people who can be around Joker repeatedly without getting killed. He made the mistake of teaming up with Joker once, and quickly learned his lesson never to do it again. After that he figured out how to deal with Joker, and kept him at arms length. He has The Joker mostly figured out, and doesn’t find interactions with him to be as unpredictable as others do. He also likes that whenever Joker comes to him needing something silly for one of his plans, he can charge him ridiculously high prices and Joker will pay without a second thought. His reputation of dealing with Joker is a bit of an ego boost for him, thinking he’s learned how to manipulate him. The reality is though, Joker doesn’t kill him simply because he finds Ed’s sensitive ego and his self destructive behavior hilarious. Killer Croc- Eddie thinks they’re alright, but they’re really not.

Mad Hatter- They’re alright. Ed can’t be around Jervis for too long because his fantastical ramblings get on his nerves, but he tends to play along with Jervis’ delusions enough that Jervis thinks he understands. Because of this Ed finds him easy to influence. He has little interest in Jervis, but his mind control tech is something Ed’s always been trying to get his hands on. Unfortunately for him, currently Jervis is unwilling to fully share it.

Mr. Freeze- Its really 50/50 with these two. Even though Ed sees Victor as an easy way to make some money, or someone to have do some dirty work for him if need be, he also finds Victor’s anger to be exhausting to deal with. He knows Victor doesn’t like him and only really uses him for his own objectives, but Victor also makes their interactions quiet rocky. Ed will work with him if the opportunity arises, but he’ll keep their business brief. The Penguin- Good. The two of them have very similar skills at persuasion, manipulation, and deception. They practically do a constant dance of give and take with each other, to the point that now they both see the other as a valuable resource. Since they both dabble in similar assets the two have found its easier to work together than to be competition, which has really made them both more successful in the long run. From Ed’s perspective this is a battle of intelligence, but he has recognized that Os is aware of it and surprisingly isn’t put off by it like others are. He respects Os’s boundaries, and finds business with him to be smooth sailing. Os has a good level of respect for Ed. Not only because of his intelligence, and reliability, but also that Ed is smart enough to never fully trust Os. He’s used to being underestimated by people, and Ed’s unwillingness to divulge too much is a level of cunning he admires. *Os is not happy about Ed’s “career” change. He doesn’t believe Ed has turned over a new leaf, but his sudden switch makes him very uneasy. He has people watching Eddie very closely. Poison Ivy- Not at all good. Ed made the mistake of underestimating Ivy early on, giving her the opportunity to see him as the manipulative jerk he really was. She hasn’t trusted him since, and he usually has to avoid her in order to not get crushed by her plants. Ra’s al Ghul- None. **I currently really want to keep the Gotham criminals in the dark about the League** Scarecrow- Dislike. Considering that Crane is an actual intellectual and a genius, Ed does not like interacting with him. He isn’t outwardly hostile toward Crane, but he definitely avoids him whenever he can. Crane’s intelligence really messes with Ed’s ego. Mix that with Crane’s creepy nature, and his constant psychological analyzing, he usually makes Ed feel like an inferior child. He’s also a bit scared of him and that fear toxin. Two-Face- Also 50/50 with them (I didn’t do that on purpose). Having to interact with two people in one body with two separate motivations can be quite stressful for Ed, but at the same time he enjoys the game. Harvey isn’t as easy for him to manipulate as he can with others, and he’s had a few close calls with Harvey where he pushed things too far. This seems to have fueled his interest in the game more, rather than deter him.

#text post #Eddie post #Edward Nigma #character post #character list

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narutsuart · 4 years

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Updated Three Houses Top 10 Females List:

Just in time for International Women’s Day! I’ve been working on revising my list as much as possible in light of revisiting Three Houses, playing Ashen Wolves, and rethinking my love for each female character I put on my last list. I will this time do the my list from Tenth place to First place. Just a heads up my # 1 one spot has not changed so don’t expect some crazy surprise there.

Disclaimer: please don’t flame me or comment about how “WRONG” I am it’s just my personal opinion or preference. BE NICE! and maybe reblog or comment your favorite list if you’d like?

#10: Shamir:

My opinion Shamir literally has not changed. She is just a cool character, I love how despite her debt to Rhea she isn’t kissing Rhea’s ass like Catherine or Ciril. Did I mention I really don’t like them lol? She’s badass and she has an excellent character design. Perfect blend of sexy and badass.

#9. Bernadetta:

Bernie dropped another spot going from 8th to 9th. I still have an abundance of love for Bernie, and I want to protect her at all cost. I still hold the opinion that while she’s an absolutely hilarious character, she can still get repetitive and stale pretty fast upon replays. That being said when I was thinking of characters that might potentially drop to below my top ten I couldn’t reasonably see myself dropping her out of my top 10, as Bernie is still a genuinely enjoyable character, and I do have a soft spot for her.

#8. Sothis:

Unfortunately Sothis dropped down a bit no fault of her own, simply because I enjoy the ladies above her more. That being said I really do enjoy Sothis. Even though our time is brief with her, I really do love the snarky little goddess. It’s funny, last time I made this list I had gotten her Christmas altand expressed my excitement, but I didn’t have her Mythic version(aka original version). I just recently I finally got lucky, and pulled her Mythic version!

#7 Dorothea:

AHHH THE PITCH FORKS!! I’M SO SORRY!! I know! I know! WTF?! I honestly any think of a perfectly justifiable reason as to why Dorothea has dropped so low on my list. She went from 4th place to 7th place for those that don’t remember. I honestly feel disgusting for putting her so low....I absolutely adore her character, her design is absolutely stunning, and I still enjoy most of her supports, but honestly I can’t justify putting her any higher than the women above her on this list. Like many who have dropped lower in placement it’s of no fault of her own. I just happened to realize I love the women above her more. I still believe deserves all the happiness, love and care that she desires!

#6. Hapi:

Hapi is such a fucking gem, I don’t know if it’s just the dub but Hapi’s dialogue is just so ahead of its time period and I love it so much lol. She has some of the funniest quotes and her habit for nicknaming everyone is hilarious. I’m aware that it’s not a trait unique to her, but I’m of the opinion that her nicknames far surpasses Dorothea’s nicknames. Now if we we’re talking strictly design Hapi would place 4th out of entire female cast for me, and that’s impressive feat since Three Houses has an abundance of amazing designs. In fact if I was strictly talking design a lot of the placements on this list would actually change. For example Hapi would actually rank above Constance for me in terms of design, but is trumped by Constance in terms of character. I might do a separate list for “best” designs in the near future.

#5. Rhea:

I KNOW ITS BLASPHEMY I STILL have both Edelgard and Rhea in my top 5?!! As those who saw my last list can see Rhea’s placement has not changed. I love Rhea so much is because she’s the perfect foil to Edelgard. Rhea is an excellenty written character with a lot of emotional depth. She acts as a perfect foil for Edelgard’s character they are so similar yet so different. It also makes sense that she and Edelgard’s ideals would come to clash. I’m of the opinion that if Edelgard and Rhea just talked about their views it still would still not end well. Rhea sage guarded her fabricated history of Fódlan for a thousand years and would not just tell the truth because Edelgard called her out. She would’ve branded Edelgard a heretic and have her executed. That type of tranquil furry is honestly unsettling and I LOVE it. Btw the only reason she tells the truth in CS and VW is because in CS she doesn’t think she has much time left, and in VW she doesn’t have much time left and chaos is marching on Fódlan’s door. Likewise Edelgard would sympathize with Rhea’s past if she told the truth, but would insist that Rhea step down from power or tell the truth to the world which would still lead to conflict. I personally agree with Edelgard vision for Fodlan more, and personally think Rhea is unstable, and worst SOLE leader for Fodlan, but neither are evil people and I can empathize with their motives and reasons for doing the morally grey things they do. Neither of them “do nothing wrong” like people claim and in fact do a LOT wrong. It’s those wrong things they do that makes them intriguing characters, and more relatable. They also both have the potential to do so many good things for Fódlan depending on the route.

#4. Constance:

GOOD LORD Costance is truly a one of a kind. I was pro Constance since her design was first revealed in the Cindered Shadows DLC trailer. That being said never did I envision loving her THIS much! Her motivations are easily understandable, and her fall from grace makes even more sad when you realize that haughty attitude that she almost always has on display is due to her compensating for her lack of status. Constance is one of the funniest characters in the game to me and she came out AFTER the game lol. She’s an incredibly intelligent prodigy when it comes to all things magic yet she has this naivety that people are able to exploit like Yuri with the “bootlicking nobles” phrase. She takes it so literal that she tries it out for her self, and tries to make a way for the boots to taste better making it easier to lick their boots......I CANT EVEN!!... honestly Constance could top this list if it weren’t for her split personality..... don’t get me wrong her split personality when in sunlight can be funny every now and then, but honestly it does more harm to her character then helps it in my opinion. Her change in personality when in sunlight is implied that to be because of the trauma of the fall of House Nuevelle, but we never get any real explanation for it or anything implying she can overcome it. Its not expanded upon, and never treated seriously. In fact it’s played for laughs and it’s something people just accept as Constance just being Constance. I honestly felt Constance C rank support with Ferdinand was done so well. She calls him out for his usually insensitive comments about status and makes him regret his words immediately. I had so much respect for her in that moment, come the b-rank support she acts all submissive and praises the ground he walks on....which ruined the c-rank support for me tbh. That being said, as you can see based off her placement this trait of hers doesn’t ruin the character for me, just keeps her from being higher.

#3. Petra:

On a much lighter note, Petra is my 3rd favorite! If you notice she has dropped down from my second favorite spot. This is due to no fault of her own I, just happened to realize that I loved my number 2 spot more. With that being said Petra has still gotten the victory! Like I mentioned in my first list, Petra is just a delight. I love how she’s so dedicated, and always willing to learn. Funnily enough my initial expectation for Petra’s character pre-release was vastly different then what her actual character ended up being. She’s one of those character’s who’s design got revealed MUCH earlier than any details about her personality and her design gave me the impression that she was the aloof, intimidating, and serious type that doesn’t have time for making friends or fun. I don’t know if anyone else got this impression, but obviously I was wrong! Petra truly does remind me a lot of Starfire from the original 2003 Teen Titans tv show and kinda re-awakens that childhood cartoon crush in me lol. Petra is just awesome there’s not a single support I don’t like of her.

#2. Marianne

Now if you saw my old list you probably noticed that Marianne moved up a bit. Naturally I still love her design(I’m a sucker for light blue hair I think lol), but upon revisiting Three Houses I realized that leaving Marianne at 3rd place somehow didn’t feel adequate. Funnily enough she was technically the first person I S-ranked in Three Houses due to locking myself out of the Crimson Flower Route on accident. Honestly she has become my favorite character to S-rank in Three Houses even more so than my number one spot! Anyway my love for Marianne is very different for most character’s as she is one I feel can really relate to on very personal and emotional level. I’m gonna get real for a minute. I honestly I had been in bad place in my life recently. I had been feeling like the world has been crashing down on me. I have plenty of things to be happy for yet I often felt depressed. I’d often had “friends” call me out, saying I have no reason to be depressed, or that I have been blessed with so many things, and while I agree I’m very blessed, they couldn’t understand how I felt, as all they could provide was the view of an outsider looking in. While the action of suicide was something I never considered, I’d had been contemplating the value of my life or if it was really worth living. First want to clarify that I’m in MUCH better headspace than I was then. I definitely feel like I’m getting better. I have my ups and downs, but I’m currently making better friendships, I’m actively getting the help I need! I’ve always sympathized with Marianne, but now I can say that I really empathize with Marianne. When we take things at face value she seemingly had everything going for her, being brought up into the nobility, trained for success, and even having an extremely rare crest. By all means to an outsider looking in she had every reason to be happy. Of course while all these things sound nice especially in the context of the story they are in actuality a source for her depression. In her C-rank support with Ferdinand we see his confusion as to why Marianne dislikes being a part of the nobility. This support is one of the few times she expresses real anger, and is when expresses she never got to have what she saw as a normal life, she never wanted to be a part of the nobility and the weight and the expectations of being nobility was crushing her, as she had to adhere to standards of those around her. She was also taught to fear her crest as curse, so the blessing many commoners would be estatic to receive was thing she deemed as a curse. Over the course of the story and through her supports, Marianne begins to learn how to be more accepting of herself and gain more self-confidence. Naturally her timeskip appearance reflects this. She looks well-rested, expressive, and she genuinely seems more happy. I will never forget In her A-support with Byleth, that over the course of 5 years she had abandoned her depression and suicidal thoughts thanks to the genuine and long lasting friendship‘s she’s made and that she managed to uncover the truth of her heritage, and overcome the fear and hatred of her Crest. Her character arc is a very powerful thing to me, and is also example of what makes the 5 year timeskip so great. In addition to her character arc Marianne is just so cute, don’t get me stated on how adorable her habit of talking to animals is! Marianne is a fucking fantastic character and I love her so much.

EDIT: So I wanted to clarify that if I’m being honest Marianne and #1 spot are technically both tied as #1 me, and are so for very different reasons. For the sake of creating a Top 10 and to avoid a cop out list I chose to put her at second. To me Marianne is “BEST GIRL”. She’s my favorite female character to marry, she’s most endearing to me, she has like my third favorite female character design in all of Fire Emblem, and I relate to her on an emotional level. That being said this next character is “BEST CHARACTER” I like more for her role in the story, how her character is written, and how she was designed. Despite this I do not marry her NEARLY as often as Marianne. While I ship her with F! Byleth(OTP!) she’s not someone I personally would persue romantically. In other words Marianne is more my type and I tend to be biased with her while this next character is female character that I feel is the BEST WRITTEN and the female character I respect the most out of the cast.

#1. Edelgard:

Upon revisiting Fire Emblem Three Houses story as well as playing the Cindered Shadows DLC, nothing has changed, in fact my love and resolve for Edelgard has only been strengthened. I made a huge in depth posts for Edelgard a while back explaining her past, motives, and reasons for what she does. The posts had spanned multiple reblogs of details and clarification and I went over the typing limit in every single one. I won’t divulge further into all that. Like I mentioned last time I created my top ten list, aside from her being IN MY OPINION one of the best written female protagonists in Fire Emblem history, I absolutely love her design, its probably one of my favorite designs in all of Fire Emblem. That being said, If I had to say while she’s definitely close, she doesn’t have my all time number one favorite design, that spot goes to Azura from Fire Emblem Fates. Edelgard will always be my favorite Three Houses female character no matter what and I’m so happy she was brought into existence!

Well that’s my revised list, I had a lot of fun writing this list and I hope it was enjoyable for you guys to read as well! I would really love it if you guys comment or reblog with your own list of favorite Three House females! Y’know what?! Comment or reblog with your list of favorite females in the entire Fire Emblem franchise if you’d like! I’m very interested in seeing your lists Happy International Women’s Day!

#fire emblem #fire emblem three houses #fire emblem three houses cindered shadows #international women's day #edelgard fire emblem #fire emblem marianne #petra fire emblem #fire emblem constance #fire emblem rhea #fire emblem hapi #fire emblem dorothea #fire emblem women

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temarisnara · 3 years

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for the meme: naruto, sakura, sasuke, kakashi

THANK YOU!!!!!!!

naruto

general opinion: fall in a hole and die | don’t like them | eh | they’re fine I guess | like them! | love them | actual love of my life hotness level: get away from me | meh | neutral | theoretically hot but not my type | pretty hot | gorgeous! | 10/10 would bang hogwarts house: gryffindor | slytherin | ravenclaw | hufflepuff (i haven’t actually thought too much about these so i’m going with my gut here but dicey and i were talking tonight about the generational difference between naruto and jiraiya when it comes to loyalty. jiraiya grew up in a time of war and is a solider, he was trained to be loyal to the village. if it came down to it, he’d kill even tsunade if she betrayed the village. naruto is loyal to people. if sakura betrayed the village, he would never give up on her, just like he never gave up on sasuke. naruto wants to protect the village because the village is where the people he loves live. naruto’s entire narrative arc is about bonds so i’m pretty sure he’s a hufflepuff) best quality: god i just wrote a fucking essay above about it- his loyalty and bonds to other people. everyone he meets is now his friend whether they like it or not ! he was just such a lonely kid, desperate for attention, for love, for acknowledgement, anything at all. and it would’ve been so easy for him to sit in that, to let himself hate the village, to resent them- but he didn’t. he set out to prove them wrong and he did. he is so, so, so fucking good. worst quality: HIS TASTE IN MEN. okay like, on the real, it’s not his fault and boruto isn’t real but it’s such UTTER BULLSHIT that the entire fucking series he met these people who got fucked over by the village status quo and he promised them he was going to change it when he became hokage and he fucking didn’t. its BULLSHIT. it’s not his fault, that’s not him, but GOD i’m MAD. ship them with: SAKURA, sasuke, gaara, shikamaru, sai, kiba, hinata. brotp them with: SAKURA- in fact all of the above list. he has great dynamics with them. also, kakashi, iruka, jiraiya, tsunade, choji, i like to imagine his and ino’s dynamic as fucking hilarious when they’re older. oh and i want him and karin to be annoying cousins together like PLEASE i DESERVE THIS. needs to stay away from: STOP SHIPPING HIM WITH KAKASHI!!!!!!!! ENOUGH!!!!! GO TO JAIL!!!!!!!!! misc. thoughts: that’s my fucking BABY i’ve shed SO MANY TEARS over this blonde idiot. he’s so good.

sakura

general opinion: fall in a hole and die | don’t like them | eh | they’re fine I guess | like them! | love them | actual love of my life hotness level: get away from me | meh | neutral | theoretically hot but not my type | pretty hot | gorgeous! | 10/10 would bang hogwarts house: gryffindor | slytherin | ravenclaw | hufflepuff (again, havent thought about it before now, but my gut SCREAMs gryffindor. she’s so...punchy, and head strong, and hard working. just like. all the gryffindor traits!) best quality: sakura’s character development lives rent free in my head. like. okay. sakura always had potential. she ranked high in her classes, she had better chakra control than naruto or sasuke, mastered things quicker than them, was observant and book smart. but physically and emotionally, she was weak! she could not hold her own in battle the way naruto or sasuke could, and often her fear got in the way, if not straight up controlled her. when naruto and sasuke fought, she could do nothing but beg them to stop. when sasuke left the village, he easily knocked her out. and sakura knew she was the weak link of team 7. so she resolved to get stronger. she sought out tsunade and trained with her for four years. and like, tsunade is an insane person. sakura would break her bones and tsunade would have her keep training and just heal them later. she mastered healing. she mastered chakra control. she developed fucking superhuman strength. she refused to be the weak link anymore, to just sit back helplessly while naruto and sasuke fought. she’s from a civilian family, she has NOTHING in terms of innate ninja abilities like literally everyone else in her class, but she became the strongest female ninja of her generation and surpassed her legendary sannin mentor through sheer hard work and determination. FUCK. she’s so cool. worst quality: again, this is NOT HER FAULT, it’s bad sexist writing, but sakura is such a fun and obnoxious character who matches naruto beat for beat, but when sasuke comes around she’s a shell of herself. even when she’s MARRIED TO HIM she doesn’t act like herself. she’s reverted back to that inflatuated 12 year old she’s long outgrown! bro, WHAT! ship them with: NARUTO AND INO. and. ok. listen. i’ve become soft for sasuke/sakura’s potential. if sakura got to be herself with sasuke, they’d be, at the very least, FUN. and sasuke/naruto/sakura is so fun. also rock lee is so sweet, i would not have been mad if they’d been endgame. brotp them with: NARUTO AND INO. kakashi, tsunade, hinata, rock lee. needs to stay away from: STOP!!! SHIPPING!!! KAKASHI!!! WITH!!! HIS!!! STUDENTS!!!!!!! misc. thoughts: i knew i would love sakura. look at her. she has pink hair and she punches things. 10/10. but she quickly, quickly became not just my favorite naruto character, but one of my favorite characters in all of shounen anime. the ball was dropped with her, multiple times, but she’s still such a dynamic fucking character with the best character development.

sasuke

general opinion: fall in a hole and die | don’t like them | eh | they’re fine I guess | like them! | love them | actual love of my life | there aren’t words to describe how i feel about him hotness level: get away from me | meh | neutral | theoretically hot but not my type | pretty hot | gorgeous! | 10/10 would bang hogwarts house: gryffindor | slytherin | ravenclaw | hufflepuff (sasuke is...hard. i think the argument for gryffindor could also be made, but i’m leaning towards slytherin) best quality: i’m so tired. the thing about sasuke is....he deserved so much better than he got. i can’t tell you what his best quality is because his entire character arc is him being self destructive. he’s not fucking well!!!! the good parts of him he either tries to snuff out, or the story glosses over them to show how far he’s fallen. I think, the one good quality that refused to die, is his protectiveness. Him protecting Naruto in the Zabuza arc was such a pivotal moment for him, for his and Naruto’s relationship, for Team 7, for the story. It was the moment where everything changed. He was so desperate to protect Naruto from Itachi, he was super protective of Sakura in the forest of death, and even in Shippuden, he’s protective of team Taka, and unfortunately the moment I finally broke and said fuck it, I love Sasuke, is when he protected Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi from the infinite tsukiyomi. worst quality: his extremism lmao like. god. again, dicey and i have talked about this, how characters who challenge the status quo are portrayed as ~crazy~ and extremists so yet again, its BAD WRITING but also PROPAGANDA! god. but like, i’m sorry, fuck the village but he wanted to go after people who were not involved in what happened to Itachi. I understand his anger, but I wish the narrative had treated it and him with respect rather than throwing a fucking dart at a board to decide what Sasuke’s character arc was going to be about this week! ship them with: naruto, suigetsu, juugo, and again, lowkey sakura. brotp them with: naruto, sakura, kakashi, team taka, itachi needs to stay away from: STOP SHIPPING HIM WITH HIS TEACHER AND BROTHER. YALL. misc. thoughts: i’m so fucking tired. what was kishimoto trying to do with him! i don’t understand! sasuke was right! he was fully right to hate the village, to demand change. why did kishimoto have the village repeatedly doing heinous, evil things, validating sasuke’s resentment, but sasuke was portrayed as being in the wrong. ALSO, the ENTIRE. FUCKING. POINT. of naruto is bonds, and how important friendship and love is, and sasuke’s entire GODDAMN NARRATIVE is about him breaking those bonds to become stronger, and destroying himself in the process, and everyone he loves telling him this isn’t the right path, and FINALLY he accepts it- and then in boruto he’s JUST. ALONE? HE HASNT MET HIS DAUGHTER IN 12 YEARS WHEN FAMILY WAS SO IMPORTANT TO HIM???? I HATE IT. I HATE IT. THIS IS SO BAD. SASUKE DESERVED BETTER.

kakashi

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nellie-elizabeth · 4 years

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Schitt's Creek: Happy Ending (6x14)

Y'all when I tell you I cried... gosh. This was just so perfect and lovely, and it's exactly what I want to be feeling after watching a finale of a show like this. Gorgeous.

Cons:

I honestly... don't really have any? I guess maybe it felt like Roland and Jocelyn and Twyla got slightly short-changed by this finale, but that's a nitpick. The focus was where it was supposed to be.

Pros:

Where to even begin?? I love a show that can be cheesy without feeling over-wrought or unrealistic, and this finale hit that spot for me. You have all of the "I love you" moments between all of the family members. It might seem like a simple thing, but hearing Alexis tell her mother that she loves her, hearing Johnny and Moira say that to their kids, hearing Stevie say it as Johnny and Moira drive off... it's just so perfect and meaningful and sweet.

And Patrick and David's wedding... god, it means so much to have something like this, to have the finale of the whole show be centered around this wedding between these two men, to see the whole town rallying around them and supporting them. Sometimes I get annoyed that every sitcom wedding has to have some catastrophe, and when I heard that the venue was ruined because of the weather, I was prepared to roll my eyes. But this show is so absolutely amazing at taking a concept you'd think would be played out, and then adding to it, or contextualizing it, or just imbuing the characters within it with so much pathos and humanity, that I don't mind a cliche or two.

On the comedy front, I kind of loved that David got a "happy ending" massage, and Patrick and Stevie's contrasting reaction to that fact were just pitch-perfect hilarity. I particularly loved Stevie asking if it was good, and Patrick saying: "Don't answer that. Was it? Don't." And also how hilarious is it that David assumed Patrick knew about it, and was paying for something a little extra for his husband-to-be? These two are a disaster. But in the best way. David even tells Patrick in his vows: "you are my happy ending" which is the perfect mix of comedy and sweetness. A little inside joke for the two of them and their best friend Stevie, to share in that intimate moment.

The vows, though... the vows were so amazing. I got incredibly choked up when Patrick started singing, and then David talking about feeling safe... it was just so much and I love them to pieces and they were so cute and affectionate the whole way through the episode and their love gives me LIFE.

Then let's talk about Alexis. She's going to be heading off for New York soon, but I like that this episode didn't linger too much on that. We saw her make some more in-depth goodbyes to the town, particularly to Twyla, in last week's episode. This week she's here for David, and I loved that. Again, mixing the comedy with the genuine emotion, we see that Alexis is wearing a white gown to the wedding, one that very much looks like a wedding dress. As she's walking David down the aisle, they end up looking a bit like bride and groom. What I really liked about this little snafu is that Alexis wasn't doing that thing where she wanted to be the center of attention so she dressed in white. It was kind of genuinely a screw-up, and she denies that it's a problem, but then actually feels bad about it later and talks about how she wanted to impress David on his big day. Of course, David says that Alexis always impresses him, and the two walk down the aisle together.

I just... I love Alexis so much. She's probably the character, out of the four members of the Rose family, that it took me the longest to understand. I don't necessarily mean this as a bad thing, I just... she sneaked up on me, in a way. I thought she was funny at first, but now I think she's funny, and dear, and powerful, and means so much to me.

Speaking of mixing comedy with sincerity, there's Moira, with her elaborate Pope-inspired wig, and her heartfelt officiating of the ceremony. I just love Moira so much. She's so strange, yet so undeniably human. I love how Johnny was rejected as a candidate for officiating the wedding because he was going to be too emotional, and then Moira was kind of a mess too, even though nobody will tell her so.

I do want to take a brief moment to talk about Stevie and Alexis. Because... is it just me, or was there a nod to the idea of the two of them being a couple? Maybe it's just shipper goggles, but in the final scene, when David, Patrick, Alexis, and Stevie are all standing outside of the motel, and Moira and Johnny are preparing to leave, David mentions that Alexis hasn't gone to bed yet, and Stevie sheepishly confirms that she hasn't either. It's not really discussed more than that, but then Alexis pulls Stevie to her while she stands with her arm around David right at the end, and I just... yes, please. Let's pretend that happens for them. I'm all about it.

I love a good call-back, so the fact that the "Welcome to Schitt's Creek" poster now includes a representation of the Rose family, in the familiar troubling pose, but now with Moira behind Johnny who is bending over... that shit is golden.

This is one of those episodes, one of those shows, that I could talk on and on about forever, so I think I'll stop here, and give the finale a perfect score.

10/10

And now for the show as a whole. God, it's hard to believe I only discovered Schitt's Creek long enough ago to binge it and catch up before season six began. It feels like such a big part of my heart. Everything about it is a celebration of joy, and it far surpassed any expectations I had when I first started watching. I really fell in love with these characters, with this town, with the atmosphere of hope and growth that it all represented. This is a show I'll be recommending to people for a long time, and coming back to binge again before too long. The only thing stopping it from being a perfect 10/10 is that I felt like the beginning took a while to get its footing when it came to developing the family relationships, and Stevie got a bit short-changed in the final season. Those are just small things, at the end of the day, so this show still gets incredibly high marks from me!

9/10

#review #schitt's creek #schitt's creek review #schitts creek #schitts creek review

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hamliet · 5 years

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Hi,hamliet. I love redemption arcs (Zukos is my fav). But after recent chapter i feel very sad , i want Shigaraki be redeemed. How do you think will he be redeemed? And How? Thanks for answer

Hi! Same on Shigaraki. I’m really shocked that some people keep saying it’s an example of how he’s always just been bad from birth when it’s... the opposite. It’s showing us how Shigaraki, like Eri, never had a chance, and needed someone to save them--but unlike Eri, the only one who came for Tenko was an abusive monster.

i don’t know if you watch Star Wars, but it’s a very similar situation to Kylo Ren in the latest movies. Someone watched from birth and subtly manipulated, whose home situation wasn’t that great, and then when things implode on their own an abuser (Snoke) sweeps in to prey on a vulnerable young person.

The thing about both Star Wars and BNHA is that they are optimistic stories. Star Wars is a fairy tale according to its creator George Lucas. BNHA is shonen, not seinen, and it’s a superhero story to boot. (Grimdark superhero movies have, er, not done so well *cough* DC *cough*.) There is no place in either of them for “put the mad dog down they can’t be saved.” (And even in dark stories look how... terribly that was received in GoT season 8.)

These aren’t cautionary tales, and showing us Deku=always good and Shigaraki=always bad negates the point of Eri in the narrative and is pointless because... we already knew Shigaraki was a villain and Deku our protagonist? Such a black and white reading offers them no chance at growth, insists the story will stay the way it is, and is hilariously ignorant of the genre (also keep in mind like... in superhero stories the ones that have been historically best received are the ones with complex sympathetic villains who aren’t just bad apples because they were born bad *cough* Loki and Erik Killmonger *cough*).

Anyways. All that to say, Shigaraki (and Dabi!) should be saved. All Might himself, our heroic hero to heroes, wanted to save him, and his older mentor Gran Torino insisted no. Considering the themes of BNHA are the younger generation doing better and surpassing the older, that uh, doesn’t work for Gran Torino to be right, fam.

However, redemption arcs are complex, and surviving them is definitely not guaranteed. I would say that for Shigaraki, I expect him to get even darker after this arc, culminating in a lowest point that will probably have the fandom screaming “SEE IRREDEEMABLE” while ignoring that actually it’s a pretty normal step in all redemption arcs (see: Zuko helping Azula almost kill Aang in the end of the second season of Avatar, thereby rejecting Katara’s offer of redemption, and Kylo Ren deciding to be Supreme Leader instead of going with Rey and her shutting the door on him in disappointment.)

So don’t be surprised if Shigaraki does something truly horrific in the coming arcs, like way more horrific than we’ve seen this far (my personal guess, and this may be wrong, is that All Might will try to save him, and Shigaraki will succeed in killing All Might). But my guess is then that Deku would be able to reach out to him, save him, and Shigaraki will be instrumental in defeating All for One.

#ask hamliet #bnha meta #bnha 236 #mha 236 #mha theory #bnha theory #mha meta #redemption arcs #redemption #shigaraki tomura #deku #midoriya izuku #all might #dabi #kylo ren #star wars #mallas28

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crystaljins · 6 years

Text

By its cover | 08 Finale

Characters: Hoseok x Reader

Word count: 6.9 k

Synopsis: Your annoying little brother Jimin accepts a dare and summons a demon into your living room. There are multiple problems with this. 1) Demons are the most hated species on earth. 2) That demon happens to be Jung Hoseok, the most popular guy on campus 3) The fact that Jung Hoseok is a demon is his biggest secret and 4) Jung Hoseok hates your guts. You’re in for a wild ride. Demon!Hoseok, magic-university!au and enemies-to-lovers!au

Notes: Finale!! The ending for this fic was so hard! THere was so much I wanted to happen and I didn’t know how to make it happen. My aim was to make your heart feel kind of tingly and warm and hopefully I succeed in that. Please enjoy the final part to this fic <3

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

Part 8: The monster within

You wake up at some point in the middle of the night with a crippling sense of humiliation and embarrassment and a headache so bad it feels like someone has taken an axe to your skull. You recognise the symptoms of magic exhaustion. Perhaps you exerted yourself too much that day, or perhaps the distress from Hoseok’s rejection depleted your meagre magic stores to the point you passed out. Either way, Hoseok must have carried you home and deposited you in your bed- you are unshowered and salty from the day out but are too tired to magic the grime away. Instead you get out of bed and shower the manual way. You appreciate the stream of hot water and let it numb you to the embarrassment and misery that the events of the day have caused.

You have bigger things to worry about than Hoseok’s rejection, because you are scheduled for your prac exam early the next morning. You leave a note for Hoseok, telling him to meet you by the car at the precise time you intend to leave and hope that it is enough to limit the interactions you have to have with him the next morning. You then retire to your bed and luckily you are so exhausted that you do not have time to dwell on anything Hoseok said to you earlier that day. You just fall asleep with the knowledge that you just have to get through this exam and then you can process later.You awaken the next morning and it is the determination to survive your exam and the dread of what stunt your lecturer may pull that gives you the courage to brave through seeing Hoseok’s face. He looks at you and goes pale and eats breakfast in your father’s bedroom.

As agreed, he waits for you in the car and you get in after him without a word. You do not know what to say to him. You aren’t mad or anything… just hurt. Embarrassed. You wonder what signals you must have been giving off for Hoseok to reject you in such a brutal way. You wonder why he kissed you if he just wanted you to forget it. You wonder a lot of things and then you remember that you should be worrying about your exam and not Hoseok and so you slam that train of thought down.

“Would you consider rescheduling?” Hoseok says suddenly. “Do this exam when you aren’t soul-bound to me.” He begs. Confused, you frown at him as you get out of the car. You feel frustration and hurt well up inside you.

“I don’t know what your game is, Hoseok,” You say tiredly. “But no. I can’t reschedule.” Your tone leaves no further room for argument. Hoseok clamps his mouth shut, chastened.

Hoseok follows at a reluctant distance as you begin your death march towards the room your exam is being held in. It’s supposedly a five-minute exam where your awful lecturer will present you with a synthetic wound. You are to scan it, write down its parameters, clean it and heal it entirely all within five minutes. You’ve gotten a lot better at not overloading the synthetic wound with your magic since the initial disaster, after constant practice, but you are still terrified.

The process to the exam involves signing in and waiting with other people from your course until your name is called within the lecture theatre. You will then proceed to the front where the lecturer is to assess you with the protection of a silencing spell for privacy. Apparently he is to pass the healed wound on to others for them to later assess- his purpose is merely to ensure no one tries to cheat. Still, you can’t help but feel apprehensive as you sign your name off. Hoseok opts to wait inside the room as well- he settles into a seat near the entrance of the classroom and you sit as far from him as you can.

Each name that is called sets your nerves ablaze. You have long surpassed the sensation of butterflies trapped in your abdomen- instead the sensation is closer to angry wasps. You do know what has incensed them to attack the lining of your stomach as they do but it does not help with the remaining magic exhaustion symptoms that have yet to completely fade. You find yourself wishing, in your moment of weakness, that Hoseok was sitting beside you, his hand resting carefully against yours as it does when he wants to comfort you but isn’t sure how. But that thought makes you feel worse to the point there is a dull ache in your chest.

By the time your name is called, you are a mess of nerves and misery. Lots of eyes flicker to you- you are, after all, well known in the cohort. Whatever happens next is sure to be interesting. You hold your head high as you approach the lecturer- the smile on his face is greasy and confirms your fears. He has something planned. You do not know what but you know the next twenty minutes will not be pleasant for you. You do not acknowledge Hoseok as you pass him. You can feel the heat of his concerned gaze as you walk down the aisles towards the front.

“Are you nervous?” You lecturer questions idly, and had you not endured nearly a semester of his torment, you might have thought he was being friendly. But concern for you is not something he is capable of, not as long as you are a witch.

“I suppose.” You answer absently, feeling nauseous like you are about to vomit. He just smiles as he begins to prepare the synthetic wound you are to perform the healing spell on. You fidget nervously and flinch when you hear someone softly calling your name. Confused, you turn your gaze in the direction of the soft call to find Hoseok gazing directly at you.

“Good luck!” He mouths, shooting you a thumbs up though his expression is so concerned he just looks pained when he tries to smile at you.

You are surprised but as you search his gaze you find nothing but earnestness. You bite back a smile- no matter what he said, or how he hurt you, Hoseok is Hoseok. Kind to a fault, encouraging to fault. It seems that whatever made him push you away so suddenly is not enough for him to abandon those characteristics.

“Thank you.” You mouth back, and then you turn. Your lecturer waits at the front of the room, leaning casually against his desk.

“It’s a special one.” He says, in a low voice. Most people don’t bother to watch you- they are too busy mouthing incantations or meditating to preserve their magic stores. “Made just for you.”

The synthetic wound levitates about a metre from where your lecturer stands. You inhale deeply and go to walk towards it but your lecturer holds up a hand. He has thin, spindly finders and his face is always pale and narrow. You think it’s pinched meanly- there is a certain hollowness to his whole frame. He flicks his fingers and the edge of the room goes blurry and out of focus. A side effect of the silencing spell, you know.

“You won’t pass, you know.” He tells you menacingly as you hold your hands out to begin scanning the wound. Surprised, you pause to look at him. He folds his arms and to the people outside the bubble of the silencing spell, it merely looks like he is just casually observing you as you prepare to perform the spell. “I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time, little witch.” He sneers, but he says it with a practiced smile, tilting his head to the side. It looks like he’s warmly encouraging you.

“Watch me.” You answer, filled with a spurt of courage and a desire to no longer be stepped on by this horrible man. He laughs, like you’ve just made his day with a hilarious joke. He nearly doubles over with the force of it.

“Be my guest.” He tells you, gesturing for the wound. “I just want you to know, before you do, that you’re not the first witch to try this course. Every now and then a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, over-glorified magician gets it in their head that they want to help people. And I know exactly who inspired each and every one of you. But sooner or later every witch or warlock that walks in here quits. I make sure of it. There won’t be another mistake like her for a long time.”

You are so shocked by his tirade that your eyes water with frustrated tears. This man, this awful, petty, rude man, has the audacity to call the woman who saved your father’s life a mistake after he’s done his best to make your life a living hell for the better part of a semester. Yet he teaches healing, an entire discipline dedicated to helping people. The irony of it is bitter on your tongue.

“You’re a bully. A pathetic, sad, jealous bully.” You say back. “You may have scared off every other poor witch or warlock to walk in here but you won’t do that to me. I won’t bow to a bully.” You say bitingly. You are so sick of cowering to his bullying, of cringing with fear every time you walk into his lecture theatre. What right has he, to make you feel like this? Why do you fear him when he’s driven by petty jealousy and fear? His eyes flash with rage and he unwinds his arms, ready to yell at you when he recalls that the only thing that conceals his words is the silencing spell. He quickly returns to his relaxed, unbothered posture.

“I don’t like you, you little witch.” Your lecturer snaps through a strained smile. “Everyone should know their place and it disgusts me that you don’t. You come in here with childish dreams, when all you’re doing is hoping to upstage people who were born for this career. What, you think just because your species has a large magic supply that you’re all that? That you’re better than a species who has cultivated the art of healing for countless centuries? Know your place.” He snaps. Then he leans back with a smile that isn’t as strained- instead it is smug, like he knows something that you don’t. “Or rather, learn your place. Proceed before you hold up the other more worthy students.”

Incensed, you want to kick and scream. You want to lash out at him, to protest his harsh words but you know it is useless. He is nothing but a bully and will never be anything but a bully. Your job is to make it through this subject and then you will never have to deal with him again. Perhaps, when you are a successful healer one day, you can expose him for the awful person he is and protect a younger generation of witches and warlocks with dreams. But for now, you just have to pass this exam.

Raising your hands, you can’t help but be conscious of how drained your magic supply is. You close your eyes, willing it forward from your fingertips, to engulf the wound so you can scan it. It’s like waiting for the last dregs of sauce to squeeze from the bottle. You almost think it’s not there and are ready to face the humiliation when you become aware of it, trickling from the centre of your being outwards. Concentrating, you direct the flow towards the synthetic wound before you.

The second your magic comes into contact with the synthetic wound, everything goes wrong. It feels like a suction- suddenly your magic is being sapped from you without your consent. Like there is a vacuum attached to your soul and its greedily consuming your very being.

You cry out with surprise and stumble back, trying to break contact with the wound. Outside, you are sure people watch you with confusion, at the way you fall to the ground. It feels like you’re trying to yank yourself out of quicksand, but you cannot break the seal the cursed synthetic wound has formed around your magic. It has latched onto you and sucks you dry like a parasite.

“What have you done?” You cry out, desperately, and tears begin to stream down your face. You feel sick and dizzy- it’s painful, like he’s ripping your organs away from you. He just watched apathetically.

“You’re a witch.” He observes. “So I’ll end it in a minute. I just wanted to show you what it feels like to have the thing you value most taken from you by someone you despise. Perhaps then you’ll think twice about-“

The room spins around and dark patches swim through your vision. You doubt your lecturer wanted to kill you- he probably just wanted you to experience the pain of magic exhaustion and the humiliation of failing in front of your cohort, but what he didn’t know was that your magic supply is almost empty. It’s been sapped dry, and you retch and spasm as the synthetic wound he had cursed to drain your magic drains the last dregs of what you have. You gasp, like all the oxygen is gone from the air and think that this may be it.

Then the room explodes with heat and the blurry cover of the silencing spell shatters around you. It feels like glass, the way the room explodes around you. Suddenly chaos is all around you- the room is filled with terrified screams and flames lick the air around you.

For Hoseok has lost control. Horrified, and barely with the strength to stand, you turn to face the demon. Flames lick along his biceps and shadows dance with wicked delight across the room, tormenting the screaming students. His arms have grotesquely disfigured themselves into dark talons. Hoseok stumbles mindlessly forward, unaware of the way the fire singes and consumes the carpeted floor of the auditorium as he moves forward. Because a demon who has lost their control of the chaos that reigns deep within them can only focus on one thing. And Hoseok has a target.

“Hoseok!” You gasp, though the words are choked and raspy and not audible above the panicked screams of your classmates. Your lecture screeches and scrambles back, terrified of the being before you. Hoseok glares at him- his irises have vanished. The entirety of his eyes glow a demonic red, even the sclera. Hoseok snarls and falls forward onto all fours. It is a beastly posture and tongues of flame spiral around him.

The beast before you is why people fear demons so much. The sheer power and danger they pose to society is terrifying. Hoseok pounces forward, charging straight for your lecture and for a second, just a split second, terror locks your limbs in place. You are already immobilized by the way your magic is sapped, but the terror freezes even your lungs- your breath dies in your throat with a choked scream.

But then you recall that this is Hoseok. Kind, charming, beloved Hoseok who has lived his whole life hating what he is and he has not lost control because he is a monster who cannot control his temper. No, you know that now- can sense the link that binds your souls together. You know why Hoseok has lost control so drastically and dangerously. Because his magic has been entwined so tightly with yours since the soul-binding that the danger you just faced was enough to snap the tight hold he had of his demonic powers.

And so in the next second, you throw yourself forward, wrapping your arms around him as he leaps for you lecturer.

“Hoseok!” You cry once more, feeling the heat of flames dance along your clothes and singe them. You feel the pain as sharp heat peels the exposed skin of your arms. Your hands sizzle on contact with his overheated body but you do not release him. You are weak and exhausted and you know that any second you will lose consciousness from magic exhaustion but still you cling to him. Because you cannot allow him to hurt your lecturer, not because your lecturer deserves it but because it would destroy Hoseok to know that he’d hurt someone like this. “Hoseok, it’s me!”

Your cry seems to do the trick. He goes still in your arms. Flames still dance around him. Still snarling, he looks at you. At the way you weakly cling to him. Then he tosses you off like you weigh nothing. You cry out as you collide with the ground. Hoseok raises his taloned claw. You flinch, preparing for him to strike you. But the strike does not come. Instead he slices through the synthetic wound. Its hold over your magic snaps loose.

But the tension is gone from the air and slowly the air cools. Hoseok blinks and the red is gone from his eyes. He looks down at you, and then disbelievingly at his taloned arms as they revert back to their original form. All that remains as the chaos subsides is Hoseok amongst the carnage. His clothes are singed and people begin to pop out from where they shielded themselves with chairs and shielding spells. The lecture hall is in tatters. Your lecturer has passed out from terror.

Hoseok is in the centre of it all. Tears stream down his face. His chaotic magic tore through the glamour potions he used to suppress his horns and tails and every single person can see the features he’s so ashamed of.

“(Y/N)?” He asks in a choked sob. “(Y/N), what happened?” He reaches for you, extending an arm to where you had been thrown. Then he steps forward and collapses into your waiting arms, sobbing in horror at what he’s done.

And that’s when everything goes black.

You awaken in a hospital bed. Your burns have been healed by magic- all that remains of them are the faint scars. They look like they happened years ago rather than a few hours earlier. Your hand itches- a shimmery, near translucent lines wraps around your skin like chains and leads away to a bubbling contraption in the corner you recognise as a magic generator. A magic crystal spins rapidly on top of it, casting tiny fractured rainbows across the white room that spin like a disco ball. You recognise it as the treatment for magic exhaustion- the healers must have decided to replenish your magic supply.

The door to your hospital room opens suddenly, and you whip around. You are surprised and delighted to see it is your father who enters. He glances at you and smiles. It is a tired smile but brimming with relief and joy.

“You’re awake.” He comments warmly. He walks over to you, dragging a chair towards him so he can settle at your bedside.

“I’m awake.” You answer, in an attempt to reassure him. He smiles- you can see dark circles under his eyes and deduce that he must have only just arrived in the country.

“Jimin will be glad to know. I had to bribe him with some money for the vending machine to get him to stop crying.” Your father informs you fondly. He reaches out and grabs the hand that doesn’t have the magic line wrapped around it. “How are you feeling?”

“Pretty alright, actually.” You admit. You’d go so far as to say you feel like a million bucks. The magic exhaustion that has been plaguing you for nearly a month is finally gone. Your father nods pensively.

“I’d imagine you feel great, now that the soul-binding has been broken.” He comments.

“What do you mean?” You question. You did notice Hoseok wasn’t in the room but you had assumed he was waiting outside. But if the soul-binding is broken…

Your father shrugs, getting up to check the settings of the magic generator.

“Well,” He says, watched the hypnotic way the magic crystal spins. “It seems you were dying of magic exhaustion.”

He says it casually, but you catch the pained edge to his voice.

“What?” You cry. “Dying?”

He nods. He dabs away a couple of tears from his face before he turns towards you.

“That soul-binding really did a number on you.” He tells you. “It took a lot of organizing but I managed to meet with an old friend of mine, who actually happens to be one of the rare demons with a university degree. She informed me that when two parties are soul-bound, the demon party parasitizes the magic supply of the non-demon party. That’s what Hoseok’s been unknowingly doing this past month. I… I told him all this on Saturday night when I called him. He didn’t pass on the message?”

You feel numb with belated horror.

“No.” You say breathlessly. “He didn’t breathe a word of it.”

Your father goes on to explain just what had transpired between the two of you. Apparently, soul-binding is an ancient spell, rarely used these days once people realised that demons were not mindless beings they could enslave to do their bidding. Jimin had found the spell in a book in the public library. It should have been thrown out long ago but apathy of the general public towards the well-being of demons had lead to a woefully out-of-date and poorly kept collection of demonic spells. But essentially, the spell binds the demon and the summoner’s souls together. The demon is provided with the summoner’s magic while the summoner is provided with the protection of the demon. Unfortunately, since neither of you had been aware that such a bond had been formed between you, you had been unknowingly providing Hoseok with more and more of your magic. The closer the two of you got, the more you subconsciously supplied him and drained yourself. It explains the fatigue you had experienced- you had been on the verge of magic exhaustion for an entire month. No doubt, had the soul-binding not been broken, you would have eventually succumbed to it and died. The thought is a chilling one. And as for Hoseok, his sudden inability to control his normally well-restrained demonic powers came from having an abundance of magic he was unused to controlling. Like holding a puppy only to have it transform into a raging bull in your arms. It all makes sense- you knew that somehow the soul-binding had been draining you but you hadn’t known or wanted to face the full extent that it had. You had just been putting off the inevitable because you didn’t want to believe Hoseok was capable of hurting you, consciously or unconsciously. Your father had explained this all to Hoseok and booked the soonest flight back but Hoseok had been too horrified and self-conscious to pass the message on to you.

As for how the soul-binding broke, your father is forced to resort to theorizing for he was not present in the lecture hall. Apparently your lecturer, when questioned by the authorities, had only wanted to scare you a little. Drain your magic enough that you were unable to complete the assessment and would be forced to drop out. He had been unaware of your predicament. As had everyone else. But when your depleted magic stores had been drained to the point of danger, Hoseok had sensed it. Had detected the way your very life forced wavered and had lost control in his desperation to save you. Your father speculates that Hoseok must have subconsciously broken the soul-binding before losing control because the amount of magic he used to destroy the auditorium would have killed you. Still, Hoseok had saved your life, though at a cost. Now everyone knew his true identity.

Your uni has apparently agreed to keep it quiet and not punish Hoseok if your father agrees not to press charges against your lecturer or leak to the press the amount of bullying that has been happening at his hands. The lecturer, of course, was fired as soon as his actions came to light. So Hoseok’s education is safe, even if his social life is now essentially slaughtered.

Your father leaves you to rest but you cannot sleep. You are so perplexed over the confusing happenings over the past 48 hours. Hoseok’s actions the day before suddenly make sense to you. It wasn’t just because it was too soon after Yeri for him to be getting close to you. He must have been allowing himself one last day to enjoy your company before he pushed you away for your own sake. Perhaps he had been hoping that if you hated him or were no longer close to him you would stop subconsciously supplying him with magic, or that the soul-binding would dissolve. And now you understand why he lost control- it really was because of you, just as you had realised in that moment you stopped him from attacking your lecturer.

But rather than be happy or relieved that Hoseok doesn’t actually hate you, you are hurt. You are hurt because he didn’t tell you the truth. You are hurt because now the truth is out and Hoseok will have to spend his days a loner because of something out of his control. Because of you and your immature brother. The two of you ruined his life. He broke your heart by lying to you and pushing you away, but you also broke his by indirectly being responsible for the exposure of his deepest darkest secret. It’s so tangled and messed up and you don’t know how to even begin fixing it.

You are discharged from the hospital early the next morning and return to uni the next day. And things go back to normal, oddly enough. Jimin is absurdly kind to you, horrified that he was almost responsible for the death of his beloved sister. Your father grounds Jimin but also comforts him and returns to being the head of your little family. And Hoseok has vanished- he doesn’t answer your calls or texts and somehow he evades you when you wait outside his classes. You would think he wasn’t attending class at all if you weren’t aware of the whispers about him in nearly every hallway.

Though you are hurt, you miss him. You understand why he did what he did, and gradually as the days go by, the hurt starts to fade as you begin to forgive him for his confused actions. It is replaced with a debilitating concern. Where is he? Is he ok? Are people being mean to him?

Finally the day arrives that you have your answer to those questions. It seems all you needed to do to find him was to stop looking. For you stumble into the library ready to study. You are surprised to find so many seats unoccupied- normally the university library is packed and finding a seat is a struggle.

Then it occurs to you that all the unoccupied space is actually people giving someone a wide berth. At the centre of all the abandoned desks, sits Hoseok. He is intently focused on whatever he is studying- you would almost think he hadn’t noticed the way he’s been given a wide berth if it weren’t for the way that every now and then he shoots a sad glance at the empty seats around him.

Gripping you bag strap tightly and hooking it more securely around your shoulders, you stride forward with the determination of a woman who cannot be stopped.

You forcefully set down you books in the seat opposite Hoseok’s. He flinches at the sudden noise and looks up.

His eyes land on you and then they go comically wide.

“(Y/N)?” He asks, horrified. “You can’t be here, you have to-“

“Shhhh.” You cut him off, holding a finger to your lips. “It’s a library, Hoseok. And this is a free seat. No minding seats for friends.”

And with that you settle into your seat. Hoseok looks like he wants to protest further, but you gaze determinedly at your book, refusing to acknowledge him. Eventually he sighs with resignation and returns to his studies.

He cannot handle it for long, however. He grows antsier and antsier. Whispers begin to spring up around you as people realise some idiot has decided to sit opposite a demon. People look and point fingers and roll their eyes in disgust and each time Hoseok flinches like they are pelting rocks at him.

When someone passing by shouts something obscene at you about your relationship with demons, that is Hoseok’s tipping point. He shoots to his feet so rapidly the chair screeches beneath him. You wince at the sound.

“Follow me.” He says between gritted teeth.

“I’m studying!” You protest, playing dumb. He does not allow you to take that stance, however. He merely grabs your hand and begins to drag you behind him.

When you reach an alcove he deems quiet and secluded enough, he drops your hand like it’s burnt him. Immediately you feel like a fool for the way you miss the warmth his hand provided.

“What are you doing?” He demands. Avoiding his gaze, you sheepishly glance downwards.

“Well, I was studying,” You joke, and when he continues to stare at you with an unimpressed look, you begin to fidget beneath his gaze.

“(Y/N).” He calls your name warningly. You know that he’s not going to drop this so you sigh in defeat.

“I just wanted to see you.” You admit softly. “You looked lonely and I know you hate being alone.”

Hoseok looks away, his face scrunched up like he’s in physical pain. You reach up and place a comforting hand on his forearm. He looks down at where your fingers wrap around his arm and he looks like he may cry.

“I deserve to be alone.” He admits. Your jaw goes slack and he continues as if a dam has broken and all his inner thoughts are rushing out. “My whole life I’ve always thought it was so unfair the way people feared my kind. I hated having to hide myself because people couldn’t look passed the fact that I’m a demon. And now I know why, it’s because I’m a monste-“

“Hoseok, no.” You protest, cutting him off. Your grip around his arm tightens so that you are no longer attempting to comfort him but instead holding him in place. “You’re not a monster!“

“You could have died.” He says suddenly, heatedly. “I don’t think you understand that. You almost did die and it would have been because of what I am. If I were a warlock or a sunsprite or a pixie you would have never been in such a dangerous position. And that’s not even starting on what could have happened to any of those innocent bystanders in that lecture hall. By some stroke of luck, no one got hurt, but they could have.”

“But they didn’t.” You assert forcefully. “They didn’t because you wouldn’t have allowed that to happen. Everything that happened in that lecture hall had nothing to do with you being a demon. It happened because that lecturer is a bad man. He’s the one who almost killed me, not you. You saved my life Hoseok.”

When he stares at you in complete and utter confusion and bewilderment, you soften your grip on him. You lean forward and pull him into your arms- he goes limp like a ragdoll the second you’ve tugged him down to your level. His arms hang limply at his side. You get the sense that maybe you’ve broken whatever wall he was trying to keep up against you.

“My dad told me what happened. Why you lost control… It was to save me. And you know what, Hoseok, if you hadn’t destroyed that wound, it would have killed me. Not to mention, you somehow figured out how to break the soul-link before releasing your powers or I definitely would have died. I wasn’t going to walk out of that room alive if it wasn’t for you.” You tell him surely. You think you feel dampness pool in the crook of your neck and shoulder. Hoseok’s body shudders with a repressed sob and his arms come up to wrap tightly around you.

“I’m really sorry.” He gasps. Confused, you just tighten your arms around him, thankful for the privacy the alcove offers you. You consider casting a silencing spell but your magic still hasn’t quite recovered to what it was. “For saying those things that day. About wanting to keep my distance and about Yeri and about not wanting to be close to you. They weren’t true. I was just so scared. You’re the most wonderful friend I’ve ever had.”

“That’s ok.” You say softly. “I’m a little frustrated that you didn’t trust me enough to tell me the truth, but it’s ok, Hoseok. You’re not a monster.”

He nods. It seems he does not have the courage to face you because he continues to speak to your neck.

“Even if I’m not,” He says slowly. “Everyone knows the truth now. You can’t be seen with me, or I don’t know what they’ll do to you-“

“Hoseok.” You say, pushing on his shoulders so that he is forced to take a step back and you can look into his face. “Since when have I ever cared what other people think? Is that honestly why you’ve been avoiding me?” You ask incredulously. To your surprise, he flushes and looks away.

“What would you say if it was?” He asks softly. You plant your hands firmly on your hips.

“That you’re a dummy! Hoseok, before we were soul-bound, my days consisted of driving Jimin around to social commitments and studying alone in my bed room.” You tell him. You aren’t ashamed. “But you… you changed all that! For the first time I’m going to parties, and mixing with people and I have plans on the weekend. And that’s all because of who you are. But if having that life means I throw aside the person who gave it to me then I don’t want it. I… I…” You flush red and it takes you a few goes to force out the words that come next. “I want you, Hoseok. I don’t care that you’re a demon and anyone who does care isn’t worth the time it takes to tell them to go away.”

Your face is red by the end of your confession, and you pant slightly with the exertion of your rant. Hoseok’s eyes are wide and his jaw is slack by the end of it. Then to your immense surprise, he bursts into laughter. Full bellied, genuine, nigh shrieking laughter. You would think he were sick or in hysterics were it not for the way he fondly wipes his eyes and steps closer to you.

“I should have known better.” He says warmly. “I tried to push you away because I was worried the only friend who’s ever liked me for me would be sent running for the hills if she learnt I had almost killed her. I didn’t think I could face the thought of you thinking that I was a monster.”

“I don’t!” You protest earnestly. “And I would have been scared if you told me the truth, but not of you. Never of you!”

He smiles, and it’s a tender, warm smile. His hands come up to tuck stray hairs that are loose around your temples behind your ears. The gesture is tentative and intimate and it makes your heart beat slightly faster.

“Then… do you think you could do me a favour?” He asks slowly. You blink up at him and smile and genuinely as you can muster.

“Of course!” You tell him warmly, relieved that he seems to have abandoned the piles of self-loathing he had been buried beneath.

“Would you… would you…” He flushes an interesting shade of red, and he looks away. “This is harder than I thought.” He confesses with a laugh. Then he gathers his courage and plants a hand on each of your shoulders. It forces you to look at him head on. “I get that you want to be friends with me… But do you think you could want me as more?”

Your jaw drops and never in your wildest dreams could you have imagined the way your whole body flushes hot and your heart attempts to leap out of your chest at his words.

“More?” You question breathlessly. “What do you mean?”

Hoseok looks self-consciously at the ground, breaking the steady eye contact between the two of you.

“As more than a friend, I mean. Like… as a boyfriend?” He questions tentatively. He disguises his embarrassment by clearing his throat. “If you want, I mean. Like… I’d take you out on a date first, but-“

The universe is against you it seems because in that moment, before Hoseok can finish explaining and before you can answer, the two of you are interrupted.

“Hoseok!” It’s Hoseok’s friend, the performance major Namjoon. He doesn’t seem to notice that he’s trespassing on a private conversation. He looks concerned. “I’m so glad I found you Hoseok! There’s something really important you have to come to, right now.”

Concerned, you and Hoseok exchange a glance. Namjoon’s gaze flicks to you.

“(Y/N) can come too.” He says warmly towards you. “But it’s definitely urgent, can’t wait another second!” He says, and before either of you can protest, he has grabbed Hoseok by the wrist and is dragging him behind them. Hoseok squawks in protest and you follow at a slower pace.

You are concerned- most of Hoseok’s friends abandoned him after the revelation that he was a demon spread around campus. You don’t know Namjoon well enough to know if he took the news well. Your apprehension only grows as Namjoon leads the two of you through winding corridors, deep into one of the campus buildings. Hoseok doesn’t protest or attempt to escape, however, and that gives you courage. He shoots you a reassuring smile over his shoulder and it eases the tension in your body somewhat.

Finally, Namjoon comes to a stop beside a door. It is shut and you cannot see any light coming from it.

“Alright. The thing I needed to speak to you about is in here, Hoseok.” Namjoon says solemnly, and you almost would have been afraid if you hadn’t caught the mischievous, playful sparkle that shines in his eyes in the meagre lighting of the corridor.

Hoseok eyes Namjoon suspiciously, before hesitantly opening the door.

Only for the dark room beyond the door to flood with light. Dozens of people burst out from behind tables and chairs and desks. They all scream “surprise” so loudly that Hoseok leaps nearly a metre in the air with fright.

It’s an unused classroom, and judging from the banter hanging over the far wall that reads “Congrats on being a demon”, it’s a surprise party.

Hoseok looks at Namjoon, bewildered. His eyes are teary as he waits for an explanation.

“It wasn’t my idea.” Namjoon says sheepishly. “Seokjin suggested we do it. We know people haven’t been treating you right since the truth came out, but we want you to know Hoseok, that we love and support you. Demon or not!”

Hoseok tearily thanks Namjoon and your heart warms at the way he is instantly tugged into the festivities. It is perhaps not as large a crowd as a surprise party for Hoseok would have drawn in the past, but there is at least a solid dozen people in the room. That’s twelve people who love Hoseok enough to overlook he’s a demon. Twelve whole people who accept him for who he is. The thought has you teary. Hoseok had been made to believe that everyone hated but that wasn’t the case at all. The thought has tears forming in your eyes as you too are dragged into the festivities.

It is only later, as the energy of the party starts to die down, that you are gifted a moment to say something to Hoseok. It’s a fleeting moment. People have brought a cake and demand he cuts it like a birthday cake.

“If you touch the bottom you have to kiss a girl!” Hoseok’s friend Seokjin cries out gleefully. Somehow you have ended up pushed and jostled through the group of people until you are standing right beside him.

“You never answered my question, you know.” He tells you in a low voice as people scream through a weird congratulatory anthem you’ve never heard before. You frown, confused until you recall the conversation you had been having earlier before Namjoon accepted.

“Oh.” You say in surprise. “Well, I suppose if it’s a favour to you,” You tell him softly, a gentle smile tilting your lips that has Hoseok’s heart beating faster in response. “Then of course I could consider you as more. I’d love to be your girlfriend.”

Hoseok’s reply comes in the form of his knife reaching the bottom of the cake. People hoot and holler gleefully, declaring that he must now kiss a girl.

He presses a gleeful smooch to your lips.

And that is the moment you know for sure, surrounded by the people who love Hoseok and genuinely feels like friends to you for the first time. That everything’s gonna be ok with you and Hoseok.

#jhope fic #jhope fluff #jhope angst #hoseok fic #hoseok fluff #bts fic #bts fluff #jung hoseok #jhope #hobi #enemies to lovers au #demon au #writing

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loquaciousquark · 6 years

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Talks Machina Highlights - Critical Role C2E15 (Apr 24, 2018)

Hello hello hello! As @eponymous-rose is away doing Important Science, I’m covering TM recap duty tonight! Tonight’s guests: Marisha & Liam. Tonight’s announcements:

This Saturday is International Tabletop Day! G&S is running special programming all day to celebrate.

VM Origins #6 is out at all available online comic retailers. The final touches are being placed on the comic collected edition; details to be released soon!

Wednesday Club airs tomorrow at 7pm PST.

826LA hit the $35,000 reward tier this week! This means Matt will be hosting another Fireside Chat soon. (Liam reveals that the vintage robe & a tiger ring Matt wore in the last chat were gifts from him after a certain jazz-hands-related event in the last campaign.) As a reminder, all donations are doubled up to $40,000 thanks to a generous critter matching donations.

Pillars of Eternity is out in two weeks! Reminder that the characters of VM will be playable as voice sets in this campaign; the new portrait art for Vax was released this week. Check it out at versusevil.com/criticalrole! Liam extols Travis’s voice acting and the “finesse” in his performance and hopes that fans will be very happy with it.

Reminder: Dani Carr hosts Critical Role Recaps every week.

CR Stats for Episode 15

48 natural ones this campaign so far ($4800 from D&D Beyond to 826LA!)

67 natural 20s so far, even without a Lucky rogue!

Over both campaigns & 51 initiative rolls, Ashley averages only 9.5 on her initiative rolls. :( However, she’ll be on Talks next week! Yay!

Beau is super into working for the Gentleman right now. As long as she makes friends in high places, she’s happy (in part because she knows they won’t last long).

Liam doesn’t miss trap duty at all. (He’s enjoying being a screw-up wizard.) That said, he still enjoys watching Sam bring his magic touch to his old class.

Beau fundamentally trusts that people will always act in their own self-interest, which is why she told Jester to take care of herself first. To Beau, selfishness & survival are synonymous--most people want to make sure they aren’t going to get caught or killed. That’s how she can trust untrustworthy people to work for the good of the group, and why she thought Caleb & Nott needed to be part of a bigger conversation.

Sam, of course, very briefly FaceTimes into the show with the knowledge that Liam called him a comedic genius. He wishes everyone to know that this is accurate, does a remarkable Howdy Doody impression, and leaves.

Caleb didn’t have any experience with the Zone of Truth spell before and paid close attention while it was being cast, but “nobody asked him any questions, so I guess it’s fine.”

Caleb’s one-on-one with the DM hasn’t changed his playstyle or character interpretation yet, since it didn’t reveal anything significant. He does think it might have given Caleb a mildly different outlook on certain things/his mood a little bit, but no fundamental shifts yet. Beau’s one-on-one shifted her perspective a lot--she doesn’t respect authority at all, so being put in her place was a good check on her personality & took the edge off her wrecking-ball habits. Both Marisha & Brian talk about respecting someone willing to call them out on their crap.

Gif of the Week: this glorious thing by @scottc_miller on twitter. Poor everyone. Poor drunk Nott.

Beau is officially warming up to Molly. Awwww, my heart. “I don’t know if Molly’s warming up to Beau, but...” Brian: “Self-preservation, guilty until proven innocent...an optimist!”

Molly’s amnesia reveal hasn’t really changed Caleb’s opinion of him. He does trust that Molly told the truth within the Zone’s context, but he knows that may not be the whole truth. The only person who’s changed in Caleb’s estimation is actually Beau; Liam talks about a low score he rolled on an arcana check on the magical symbols, which Beau surpassed, and in the moment Caleb realized that meant Beau must have had some formal schooling. “A little checkmark went ‘boop!’ in a box.”

Beau is aware of her own terrible flirting with women, & Marisha references Beau’s strong preference to be in charge in her interactions. Marisha also talks about some of her Meisner acting classes/acting methods in how scenes are structured and it’s actually really, really cool. Liam segues into his first week in NYU at his very first voice acting class where they laid on the floor and did “pelvic thrusts” to loosen the diaphragm. Marisha recalls her college voice acting teacher telling her she was terrible and shouldn’t pursue voice acting because she spoke from the back of her throat.

All of Caleb’s spells have been selected for RP reasons over functionality/utility. Liam knows it’s not the most optimal build &, as might be expected, doesn’t care in the slightest. You go, boo.

Liam and Marisha giggle over fighting such a classic old-school monster as a gelatinous cube. Liam honestly wishes Frumpkin could have been dissolved; Caleb emphatically does not. Marisha remembers finding the old cube mini with Matt which could be opened up so other minis could fit inside, and they sat in their living room for some time putting minis inside it. The pair that slays together stays together. Liam also remembers a Comic Con that had light-up gelatinous cube minis which he attended riiiiight after meeting Marisha.

Fanart of the Week: this by @sephiramy! Look at how good everyone looks, awwww.

Liam jokes that he personally excluded Quebec from the giveaways and it’s inexplicably hilarious, especially given Matt’s apologies for it on the regular show.

Beau’s hand going numb on the cube attack didn’t phase her at all; she’s still in the “adolescent” phase where she isn’t afraid of any bad things that might happen to her.

In re: screwing the DM with in-universe D&D choices: “Path of the Duck for the fuck.”

When it comes to HP management, the rest of the party is trying to make sure they can get people up when they’re down, especially since Jester canonically dislikes healing. Marisha reflects on the last campaign where she & Sam often filled the blanks around Ashley’s healing, and feels everyone’s trying to fill a similar role now. Liam and Marisha would ideally like another healer, but neither Beau nor Caleb are paying much attention to maintaining a balanced party comp.

The cat’s paw version of Caleb’s spell was always planned given his attachment to Frumpkin.

Liam talks about pre-stream puzzles from campaign one, including a complicated hydraulic puzzle that Taliesin’s dragonborn paladin sidestepped with one brute force elbow. He also remembers a child’s square puzzle that took “a group of adults an embarrassing time to solve.”

Cast- and staff-wide digression into puzzle-shaming Gandalf for flunking the Moria door riddle. Gandalf the Grey--more like Gandalf the Bad at Riddles, amirite

Beau’s ability to solve the magic puzzle feels to Marisha like the lessons your dad makes you learn as a kid, even though you never think you’ll use them--(such as being made to learn to change your own oil despite thinking you’ll always use AutoZone), but then you end up using the skill later on and resent it the whole time.

Caleb’s increased participation in discussions lately is an intentional choice on Liam’s part.

Beau’s improvement in dealing with the rest of the M9 is due to her becoming more comfortable with them.

Caleb recognizes Fjord’s arcane power, but doesn’t question it at all due to the magical nature of their world. (Neither Liam nor Caleb trusts Fjord to be neutral good: “He spat saltwater out!”)

Marisha makes a great point about how everyone in a D&D party is by definition magical and special, but everyone in the M9 right now feels like they’re still discovering what that means. Liam points out that VM very much felt like strong, special people with greatness thrust upon them; M9 feels like a troupe of random carnies.

Marisha on why she’s playing a human in D&D when so many possibilities exist: “Some people like playing ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances.” She likes going from an all-powerful half-elven archdruid prodigy to a schmo who can just punch things really hard.

While discussing impostor syndrome, Brian quotes David Milch: “So much of the accomplishment in art comes not from the discovery of one’s gift but from its acceptance.” He likes that the leveling system supports the slow growth of a character in an RP sense and allows the character to learn and accept his or her strengths. He likes that it’s not straight escapism, it’s the combination of one foot in reality and one foot in fantasy.

Liam points out that since their group is very theater- and story-driven, they often use the leveling process to support story choices and character growth over class optimization. Marisha relates it back to the choices in Disney movies, where sometimes the protagonist discovers their innate power & embraces it in order to succeed, vs. where sometimes a protagonist must overcome an innate feature and rise above it in order to succeed. She loves that dichotomy. (Brian feels Scanlan represented similar principles in the last campaign.)

Liam’s favorite moment of the last episode was Sam’s small drunk goblin irritation.

In re: the rising from the floor at the end of the last episode, Liam hopes there’s a way to talk their way out of any upcoming fight, since Caleb’s pretty tapped. Beau: “This is fine.”

After Dark: I Know What You Did Last Summer Edition

On transferring from the relationship between Vax & Keyleth to Caleb & Beau--both Liam & Marisha have had some disputes about everything that went down in the High Richter’s house. Marisha: “I wouldn’t use the word ‘disputes.’” Liam: “What would you use?” Marisha: “...Clarifications?” They both are struggling with how much their in- and out-of-game relationships have changed over the course of the two campaigns.

The crew photoshops Liam’s hairy V-necked chest onto Marisha live. What even. How.

Marisha does miss some things about spellcasting, but enjoys watching everyone else struggle with concentration checks and saving throws.

Liam and Marisha both enjoy building characters and then assigning the classes that fit their story, instead of deciding what class to play first & building a character to that.

Brief aside where both Marisha (not Beau) & Caleb (not Liam) talk about how much they love Jester.

Liam discusses in- and out-of-player knowledge when it comes to Fjord. Liam knows there’s an eldritch horror behind him, but Caleb has no clue. Marisha sees him as the altrustic half-leader who’s hiding a lot. Liam hypothesizes that someone was about to die, and Fjord saved whoever it was by offering himself to Cthulu. Liam doesn’t think Fjord is good-aligned. Marisha doesn’t trust his smarts.

Marisha tells a story about Taliesin’s hair at C2E2. They were doing group photos when a family with a little girl came up who asked Taliesin his favorite hair color. He answered “I’m really into the peacock fade with the blue and the fade into green and the purple and the emerald,” and the poor girl was a little overwhelmed. (Marisha once answered her second-grade teacher’s question about her favorite color as “iridescent” and feels the teacher was more impressed with her vocabulary than her color choice.)

If they were pulled into Exandria today, Marisha would like to be a wild magic sorcerer or a paladin; Liam would be a wizard.

If the M9 were stuck in a cavern with no food, Marisha would eat Fjord first since he’s probably already a little salted.

Beau’s martial artistry is inspired by Ip Man.

Liam steps out for a moment after a coughing fit, then returns in order to stand very, very close to Brian. Close enough that Brian’s ear rests on Liam’s stomach. Close enough that Marisha feels left out and both of them cuddle on Brian’s lap to end the show. I’m glad I’m not kidding.

See you Thursday!

#critical role #critical role spoilers #talks machina #talks machina spoilers #long post for ts

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invitedeath · 6 years

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HEADCANON LOG; 002.

↳ the little things

i’ve thought a lot about little details that can easily be dropped into threads, little tics or traits that might not matter in the general plot of the thread, but certainly build and assist creating that aura around sephiroth for which he is famed. that cold, human-less vision of grandeur that inspires not only awe but raw and very justified fear.

he always had quite a presence; his strength a recognised and respected fact in gaia and even branching into other games and franchises. he was the best, and that was not just a fancy title either. he was regarded as an almost impossible standard and yet people still tried very hard to reach that. you can take your pick from a variety of canon characters who exhibit that goal too, from people like genesis who wished to surpass him in heroism as well, to people like cloud ( who were more common in their wants ) who wanted to achieve that greatness sephiroth seemed to relish in. he was a poster boy for soldier, in more ways than one, but no doubt after his ‘death’ his traits shifted as did his ideals and wants.

during the development of advent children, to create this new otherworldly vision of sephiroth they changed things about him which i absolutely do intend to write in character because i just think it’s incredible. the most notable and my favourite thing they altered, was the lack of blinking. firstly, for humans to not blink it is often regarded as something creepy, unsettling, strange and uncommon. to not blink alludes to it being staring which socially is usually pretty uncomfortable for most people. but sephiroth, so separated from humanity, not blinking is hardly a bothersome trait at all. in fact, detaching himself further with even these slight little traits that most humans would take for granted until a situation occurs where it becomes obvious that someone is not blinking, it only furthers him from the mass of humanity and thus sets him apart as a more divine creature, not needing the same ticks and habits a human would naturally possess.

in the animal kingdom, it is common for a lack of blinking to be associated with dominance. to not blink is to create a threat; wolves, cats, generally animals that need to establish some kind of ‘alpha’ role tend to use blinking as confirmation that they are not a threat. if you stare at your cat for too long they might get the impression that you’re ready to fight them, which is hilarious really. so even on an animalistic level, not blinking is an act that inspires wariness.

there’s a lot about sephiroth that a character can find unsettling. he has an incredibly deep, calm voice, despite even facing someone potentially about to try fucking his shit up. of course he has that gaze; even if he did blink, the serpent-like narrowness to his pupils seem to fixate upon his target like a true predator ready to devour its prey. his confidence just rolls off of his shoulders and he makes no habit of concealing the fact he considers himself a god amongst mere men.

another thing they changed is the decreased breathing. he almost never takes in a deep breath, which to me is more of a symbolic kind of change than a power move. we equate a lack of breathing to death, and sephiroth has certainly died a few times, but in this case it seems to be more in line with him being above life as opposed to without it. he is just so powerful, so god-like, he discards the needs a simple life form would require. it only really adds to his creepy aura.

everything about him, from his posture, to his voice, to the lack of blinking or breathing, to the very way he carries his sword, it all boasts of a strength immeasurable to the naked eye. it’s almost impossible to not wonder who he is, what he wants, what he is capable of, regardless of the setting. there’s just something so mythical about him, which also is rather clever considering his life as a general and how his legacy and power was regarded to be something fantastical and historical. he stands so apart from anyone, both in belief and strength, and it is in even in these smaller, finer details, that we understand why being near him is so damn unnerving.

#「 LIFESTREAM ; HEADCANONS 」#i think about his development in AC a lot really. because these design choices really are clever #i feel they only add an unease to an already unsettling presence and it works #puts my hands together in prayer....... tru god life

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ellana-ravenwood · 7 years

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Each tattoo is a story - Batmom x Batfamily

Good idea. I wrote it in the very short free time I had available today, hope it’s still ok, and that you guys will like it :

You can find my masterlist here : @ella-ravenwood-archives

_________________________________________________

It’s Tim, who wondered about it first.

You guys were all coming home from a (rare and peaceful) day at the beach, when he noticed it. And curiosity got the best of him.

Of course, you’ve always had a lot of tattoos even before you became his mother. It was so normal for him, so part of...You, that he never even wondered once what they meant.

Until that day.

Until he noticed a small symbol on your ankle, surrounded by bigger designs that attracted all the attention. And it surprised him so much, that he just had to ask you. He resisted the urge to ask you right away, thinking it was none of his business but...it was too much now. He couldn’t stop himself. And as all the family is helping Alfred putting away their beach stuff, Tim cracks.

You noticed him staring at you for a while now, so you were expecting a somewhat personal question (which never bothered you, why would you have secrets for your own family ?). But nothing really prepared you for what he was about to ask :

-Mom...Why do you have Superman’s symbol tattooed on your ankle ?

Bruce freezes. Your other boys are suddenly very attentive, and Alfred...Oh bless Alfred, he couldn’t help but smile because he thought that the way Bruce tensed up each time the word “Superman” was uttered was just the cutest (they all knew by now, that you and Clark used to date).

Your husband turns toward you and, his brow furrowing, asks :

-...You have a Superman symbol tattooed on your ankle ? I never noticed...

-You should have had, you often kiss it when we...

-OH PLEASE MOTHER ! No details about anything regarding your intimacy with father please. Just tell us why you have a Superman tattoo...Please.

You chuckle a bit at your youngest son’s comment, but your gaze doesn’t leave Bruce’s, and you smile at him...it’s not a mocking smile, far from it, and he relaxes. You’re not going to tease him about Clark once again (ever since he discovered you had a thing with him, one of your favorite past time was to make comments about it, just to provoke a reaction in him...and oh a reaction it provoked each time alright...a very nice and pleasurable reaction you might say).

But you’re in no mood to tease him on the subject, especially since you had such a pleasant day and you just don’t want to ruin it by making him grumpy (even though he never stays grumpy very long once you manage to get some time just you and him). Besides, you can see it kinda disturbs him that he never noticed this particular tattoos...He thought he knew your body by heart ! And yes, he did kiss your ankles more than once so...why did he never notice it ? If you could read his mind you’d tell him that maybe, he was always a bit too busy to actually pay attention to that minuscule tattoo.

To be honest, you’re quite surprised Tim saw it...Bruce was right. That boy really was the most observant and smartest you’ve ever met. You were pretty sure that he even surpassed his father in that area and...the fact he noticed that tattoo while Bruce had your ankles right in his face more than once proves it (oh the number of time your ankles ended up on his shoulders, and he turned his face to kiss it as he pumped into you...well, come to think of it, maybe that’s why he never noticed indeed, you guys were always quite busy when your ankles were close to his face...).

You smile at your sons and you say :

-It’s just because Clark has been an important part of my life, and still is. He’s one of my best friend. Just friend dear, don’t make that face.

They can’t help it, they can’t help but snickering at their father’s reaction, this little “jealous face” he always make, where his nose and mouth crease.

But, what you just said about this tattoo makes Tim think and he asks :

-Do all your tattoos mean something ?

You give him an enigmatic smile and nod. And you just know they’re going to ask you what they all mean.

************

And that’s how you all end up in the main living room at the manor, with you in a sport bra and shorts, explaining what every piece of art means on your body.

The bat’s meaning on your collar bone is obvious. You don’t even have to talk about it. So are the four little bird following it.

The huge piece you have on your back, that seems abstract...actually isn’t. It’s the blueprints of your birth place, The Narrows, one of Gotham’s poorest and most dangerous neighborhood. You got it tattooed when you turned 18, it was your first tattoo, and you got it in honor of your parents who were murdered, and of your brothers who unfortunately hung out with the wrong people and got killed in a drug bust...You also got it tattooed to remember where you’re coming from. So that no matter where you’d go, you’d always know that the Narrows were printed into you. That it was just part of you.

Your arms were bare, when Bruce first met you, and Dick even remembers that he saw you with tattooed less arms too...And yes. Yes it makes sense because...Your arms are dedicated to your sons.

The little circus on your bicep is for Dick, when the official adoption papers were signed. Below the circus is written a date, the day Dick Grayson officially became your son, and next to the date are little symbols that do not seem to make any sense...That is until you explain that, when Dick arrived home, a lost little 8 years old boy, he was just so shy. And to communicate with him, you’d draw things. Like, yourself smiling and hugging him...and slowly but surely, he warmed up to you. Hugging you for real, calling you “mom”...but when you still communicated only through drawings, he drew things for you and...you got them tattooed on your skin.

Those symbols meant something, and just showed how bad at art Dick used to be. They was a heart that looked like an apple. A house or...maybe a gift ? There was a stick figure...dancing ? And the face of a character smiling.

Dick tried his hardest not to cry at the thought that you got tattooed on your skin those silly drawings he made for you...and the memories of how amazing you’ve always been to him were almost too much.

On your forearms, there was a tire less car and...oh that was about Jason for sure. It was an aston martin (one of Bruce’s favorite car...you couldn’t really get the bat mobile tattooed) and it missed all its tires. Below that, there was a silhouette of a boy wearing a hoodie, with a comic bubble that read : “Haha gotta run faster old man”. Bruce wasn’t amused (but deep down, he thought it was extremely cute).

The two tombstones on your other bicep didn’t need any explanation either...and the little arrows below them that pointed to a two bright star design didn’t either. Every thing was symbolizing Jason’s and Damian’s death, and the stars were them coming back to you.

You had a small coffee cup on your wrist. For Tim of course. Next to the coffee cup was written “X 9324″ and your family couldn’t help but laugh at your accurate portrayal of the number of coffee cups your son drunk. There was also a little computer, and a “sleep is for the weak”.

You had a lot of arabic things written on your arms too and Damian almost teared up when he realized they were things he told you that you loved...Things he told you that came straight from his heart.

You had each of them drawn as Robins. Dick being the biggest one, blue. Then Jason, red. Tim, yellow. And finally, Damian, green.

Above your elbow was a drawing of Damian and Tim drawn Chibi style, and they were fighting. Above was a very exasperated Dick, and a “FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT” Jason and they all burst out laughing when they realized that those little characters on your arm, it was indeed definitely them. How did they never notice ? They were just so used to your tattoos...

And oh there was so many tattoos on your arms related to them...A staff, Dick’s two stick, a gun in a “stop” sign, their symbols, their date of birth, their favorite food (Jason got excited to see you tattooed some chicken drumsticks on you, he thought it was hilarious) etc etc...your arms were a canvas in honor of your children, and oh how touched they were by all of that.

Your legs had massive pieces on them. One leg was...just wonderful. A sort of abstract depiction of your relationship with Bruce. From the day you met at a charity event you organized (one to give easier access to books to poor population in Gotham) which was represented by books flying off at the start of your thigh, to your wedding, represented by a lot of colors (your super friend’s costume colors) and two rings, to when you adopted your children (four colorful dots tattooed with the aquarelle technique...one blue, one red, one yellow and one green). Everything was there. Even the way you were so sickeningly in love with each other, there was definitely your silhouette and his kissing...Gross.

Bruce’s heart beat wildly as he realizes you had an entire leg tattooed just for him...That it symbolized your life with him...And he never even wondered what all those things meant !

On your other legs you your favorite places in Gotham drawn. One of the park. The rooftops. The docks. It was just a lot of wonderful pieces about your favorite city in the World (though not many understood why you loved that place so much), and there, lost in the middle of all of it, was that superman tattoo...You told them it was one of your first one. You didn’t really expect to have that many tattoos.

Alfred full on cried when he saw that you had a “butler” drawn on your ribs, but hey, why wouldn’t you ? Alfred was such an important part of your life...You also had other things on your collar bone that didn’t have the bats and the birds, related to Alfred : a few tea cups, and a “sassy, butler is sassy” that made everyone laugh. The other side of your ribs were still bear, so was your stomach and belly in general, and you told them that, once another important event would occur, you’d draw something there too.

All of your tattoos had meanings. All of them. And you had too many to explain everything to them but...Now they knew.

They already knew how important they were in your life, but now even more than ever. You had your skin permanently changed with reminders of them...

Many hugs were exchanged, many laughs too as some of your tattoos were just based on very funny memories (like for example, you had a “R.I.P Sledges” with a broken red sledge representing all the sledges you broke with your sons over the many winters you all had together), and almost tears too, as some memories were painful, or just made them have happy tears.

************

You spend the entire day talking about your tattoos. And finally, you told them about everything and...satisfied their curiosity.

After kissing your cheek lovingly, your sons’ follow Alfred in the kitchen for their snacks ritual of the day (tea and crumpets...for real) and you’re left alone with your Bruce.

He comes closer to you and asks :

- What about the one you have...you know...between your thigh, right before your...

-I know which one you’re talking about Bruce, and this one ? It’s just a meaningless cute one.

You can see he doesn’t believe you, and as he narrows his eyes at you you just smile and can’t resist to laugh.

-Meaningless cute one uh ?

You nod, but you damn well know he won’t let go off this. And you also know what his technique to make you talk is...When the first tickle wave hit you, you are able to hold your laugh in but...Oh it’s always impossible. He knows all your sweetest spot. He knows where to touch you to make you beg for him to stop tickling you.

-I won’t stop until you tell me what’s that tattoo means !

-Fine HAHAHAHAHAHHA I’LLHAHAHAHAHAHA I’ll tell you !

And it stops. But he’s ready to start again if you don’t actually comply...You look at him and you say :

-It’s about my first time.

-Your first time ?

-Oh please, you know what I mean. The placement is pretty obvious really.

-I just wanted to hear you say it and...Wait, why is it a manta ray ?

You slyly smile at him and manage to slip away from his grasp, and can’t help but laugh loudly and run away when you hear him say :

-Don’t tell me your first was Aquaman !?

Fin.

_____________

Hope you liked it. Wrote this during my pause at work, so like in 5 minutes so if it feels rushed I’m very sorry. Hope it’s still fine.

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rate-out-of-10 · 7 years

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THOR: RAGNAROK REVIEW

Thor: Ragnarok is the 17th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe; and this is just counting the feature films, not any of the TV series. I’m not going to spend too long on how monumental that is, but it’s worth mentioning. Also, with the first two solo Thor movies getting mixed reviews from audiences and critics, the fact that Thor: Ragnarok, the third solo Thor movie, and (again) the 17th MCU movie, is so well received and by all accounts a great movie is pretty astounding. Marvel and Disney have continuously knocked it out of the park, they have the winning formula.

SPOILERS AHEAD

CHARACTERS AND PERFORMANCES

The Marvel universe is filled with wonderful characters, everyone has someone to connect to and love. Thor: Ragnarok might be the best example of how vast and colorful Marvel is (alongside of the Guardians movies, of course). Our man Chris Hemsworth returns as Thor, and the fit has never been better. Hemsworth has always seemed to shine brightest along with his other Avengers, but here in Ragnarok Thor comfortably fits the main stage and our center of attention. Chris is extremely charming and funny in his role in Ragnarok, hitting a stride and comfortability with the character that’s so easy to see. Honestly now, Hemsworth and Thor are inseparable images, it’s never been clearer. Next to Thor is perhaps another fan favorite, Tom Hiddleston as Loki. I’ve always enjoyed Loki to an extent, I felt as though he was a bit flat in The Avengers (2012), but he’s always been welcomed on screen. Here in Ragnarok, he seems stuck in a mischievous loop. Perhaps it’s the start of an arc for Loki, but I wish I saw something different from him here. Just as something seems to look like its turning for the best, he falls back into the same old, same old. The ending of the film, where he finds himself heading back to Earth with Thor and now all of Asgaard on a big space ship is perhaps to be the best place for him to land, but we’ll see. I was probably most excited to see Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner/The Hulk in this. I was excited to see how he’d fit in, the backstory of him winding up with Thor, and to be honest I just missed Mark Ruffalo. Mark is so kind and gentle and the perfect counter to his Hulk. Banner is funny and just a fish out of water, like Thor is too, and it’s fun to see their chemistry flare on screen. Hemsworth and Ruffalo share the screen phenomenally well, they are just too fun. Also joining the cast, in spectacular fashion, I definitely wanted to highlight is Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie. Tessa was mysterious at first, but felt like a friend by the end. She was wonderful and empowering. I can’t wait to see more from her.

Now the big thing to talk about is Cate Blanchett as Hela, the Goddess of Death, and Thor’s long lost sister. Marvel has had its run-ins with flat, choppy, all too typical villains, and while I don’t think Hela fits that description, she doesn’t surpass it too far either. Hela is a lot of fun to watch on screen during battles and Cate looks incredible in the role (don’t get me started with that perfect eye flare when she stops Mjolnir), but her character progression is what I take issue with. It feels as though she’s more of the same with the rest of Marvel’s misstep villains. She actively looms in the background of the plot, building her army, scheming, and just being all around menace to Asgaard, but she never exceeds it. She wasn’t the worst Marvel has offered, but she’s not top tier either.

Now, Thor: Ragnarok is loaded with colorful and interesting supporting characters, as well. Jeff Goldblum’s Grandmaster was hilarious and you could just tell he loved every minute of what he was doing. He was just having fun and allowed himself to dive deep into the melodrama of his character. As well as Jeff Goldblum, the director himself (Taika Watiti) takes up a hilarious CGI role in Korg. In a movie loaded with comedy, Korg somehow manages to stand out as one of the funniest additions to the movie. And of course we get our Doctor Strange appearance from Benedict Cumberbatch. He really just has a smaller role, moving the plot along, but it is worth mentioning the direction of Strange’s character. He seems to be mastering his mystic arts quite well and his outfit is just so comic-book, it’s glorious.

WRITING AND DIRECTION

As Thor’s third film, the writers and director, Taika Watiti, had to make Ragnarok definitive. Kenneth Branaugh’s Thor introduced us to the character, his world, and his family in Shakespearean fashion. The first Thor (2011) isn’t my favorite of the MCU, but I respect it immensely because of Branaugh’s Shakespearean eye for drama. It was a great, creative direction to go in for Thor’s introduction. Thor: The Dark World (2013) made a much more streamlined superhero movie. It’s not bad, but it’s just all too obvious of a movie, plus with the MCU’s debatably weakest villain to date, it made for a weak second outing for solo Thor. Ragnarok decided to take Thor as far away from what he (and we) knew and twisted the movie into something that was just fun. That, I can tell, was the main topic in the production meetings. This movie was just made to have fun. Yes, it advances our main characters and sets the stage for some big things to come, but all in all Thor: Ragnarok is just fun. It never takes itself too seriously, it takes itself for what it is, and it was great to see that. One thing that made Spiderman: Homecoming (2017) so infectious was how it took what it was doing with a grain of salt, and brought us away from the world ending threats and gave us smalltown, neighborhood Spiderman. Ragnarok does something similar where the stakes are indeed high, but the emphasis of character is what moves the movie forward. Sure, there were plot convenience issues, but they’re barely worth mentioning. Ragnarok stands out because it’s truly one of the best examples of character driven storytelling in the MCU, for our heroes. The plotline with Hela is really the only spot where the writing falters, but the film never dips too low, and hits high points consistently.

The first act of the film might be the area where I had to push through, but that’s only because the lighthearted approach was, at first, off-putting. I didn’t quite grasp what the film was trying to do, what it wanted to be (as some critics say), but once I allowed for the film to take me on this colorful, fun, and exciting journey with its characters, the film became immensely enjoyable. That’s what I’d say to first time viewers, expecting a hard hitting, more dramatic movie, especially after Age of Ultron (2015) and Civil War (2016), this movie is meant to be energetic and easy-going, while moving our characters forward in wonderful ways.

Thor: Ragnarok, in addition to wonderful characters, has some wonderful set pieces and CGI sequences and a kick ass soundtrack to boot. Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song” is the lead take away track from the movie, but the original score has a great 80s Sci-Fi vibe, like a brighter Blade Runner. Aesthetically, visually, the film does a wonderful job, right down to the costumes; it’s grand.

FINAL RATING: 8.75/10

#thor #marvel #mcu #thor ragnarok #film review #movie review #comic books #chris hemsworth #cate blanchett #tom hiddleston #super hero #out of 10 #reviews #review #writing

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oumakokichi · 7 years

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NDRV3 Transcripts: “Once I’ve fallen in love with someone”

First of all, I’d just like to thank everyone for the overwhelming reception to the ch.5 post-trial translation! The post has even made its way into the r/danganronpa subreddit, which is honestly pretty cool. I’m glad that these translations are helping clear up some misconceptions that people might still have.

Now, I couldn’t help but notice there has been some talk about Ouma and Saihara’s relationship lately. Back when I was still in chapter 4, I decided not to transcribe that bit where Saihara and Ouma log out of the VR world because it had already been discussed pretty extensively on this blog. But I’m taking that back - I think we can all benefit from analysing the original Japanese text.

It’s a short exchange, but also very insightful. After all, if we get to hear what someone’s thinking even if the protagonist isn’t around, then it must be pretty important. Enjoy!

@ne0dym once again continues to deliver yet another really excellent transcription! This is one of the scenes I think people have most wanted to see translated in Chapter 4. Although it’s very, very short, it’s extremely interesting and insightful, providing both foreshadowing for Chapter 4 overall as well as very essential character insight to Ouma.

I’ve translated it to English under the read more as always. Thank you all so much for your support; finding out about the Chapter 5 post-trial transcript being featured on reddit was super cool and exciting!

More translated transcripts here, if anyone is curious!

I hope you all enjoy! If you could reblog or spread this around, that would be great--both ne0dym and I are very thankful that you’ve all been so supportive so far!

OUMA: あ、先に最原ちゃんがログアウトしていいよ？探偵として気が気じゃないでしょ？さぁ、どうぞどうぞ。

Hey Saihara-chan, it’s okay if you go ahead and log out first, you know? Nothing’s troubling that detective’s intuition of yours, right? Go ahead, you first, you first.

SAIHARA: ……

OUMA: あ、待って…せっかく2人きりになったし、1つだけ言っておきたい事があるんだ。

No, wait… Actually since it’s just the two of us now, there’s one thing I wanted to talk to you about.

SAIHARA: …な、なんだよ？

…Wh, What is it?

OUMA: キミって使えるよね。

You’re very useful, you know.

SAIHARA: …は？

…Huh?

OUMA: だから、バカな百田ちゃんなんかと絡んでないで、オレの友達になり��よ。オレなら…キミの力になれるはずだよ？キミがみんなを救えるように、オレが力を貸してあげる。ほら、みんなを救いたいんでしょ？

So hey, you should just stop hanging out with idiots like Momota-chan and be friends with me instead. If you did…I could be your strength, you know?* I could lend you my strength so that you could save everyone. Come on, you really do want to save everyone, don’t you?

(Translator’s Note: “Kimi no chikara ni nareru” is a very shounen phrase, surprisingly enough. There’s a lot of ways to interpret a phrase like this, but it basically means “to be relied on” or “to lend someone your power.” Ouma’s proposing a full alliance between only him and Saihara here, and hilariously enough he’s using fairly similar phrasing to things Momota says all the time.)

SAIHARA: ……最原終一。

……Saihara Shuuichi.*

(*T/N: They say their own name into the phone in the parlor of the VR world in order to log out. So that’s the context for this.)

-SAIHARA LEAVES-

OUMA: にしし…振られちゃったか。でも、そう簡単には諦めないよ。

Nishishi… Guess he shot me down, huh. But I won’t give up that easily.

オレって…好きになった人は、首を絞めてでも振り向かせちゃうタイプなんだよね。

After all… I’m the type of person who won’t turn back once I’ve fallen in love with someone. Even if it means putting my hands around their neck.*

(*T/N: Dark humor on top of dark humor. The natural assumption is that he means this phrase literally. There’s a lot of imagery with Ouma and strangulation—although he’s always on the receiving end of it, and three separate times at that. But this phrase is meant here non-literally, in the sense of a determined or insistent pursuit. It’s a very dark joke and piece of foreshadowing for what’s to come in Chapter 4 itself, and it’s also him talking to himself about just how determined he is to strike up an alliance with Saihara now that he’s fallen in love with him.)

So as always, we get a scene with Ouma that can be taken one way at face value and be read an entirely different way on a second playthrough.

The natural assumption here when reading this for the first time is to assume that Ouma is just being creepy, sneaky, Up To No Good, or even downright evil--moreso considering Miu’s body discovery happens right after he and Saihara both leave the parlor immediately following this scene. It’s clear throughout all of Chapter 4 that Ouma knows much more than he’s letting on, and the last line in the scene, where he talks only to himself and not Saihara or anyone else, feels more like an ominous premonition of what’s to come in his villainy and scheming.

However, knowing what we do about Ouma throughout the rest of the game, particularly Chapters 5 and 6, this scene takes on some different meanings. Ouma is certainly still far too forward and aggressive with his interst in Saihara--Saihara wouldn’t have gotten so pissed off otherwise. The fact that Saihara, who is normally quite timid and soft-spoken, actually got angry enough that he left the parlor immediately without even responding, is proof enough that Ouma went way too far in saying “hey, ditch all your friends, I’m much cooler, we should team up.”

But it is also a fact that Ouma was not lying about wanting to save the group. His offer initially seems like yet another one of his lies. It feels like a trap meant to lure Saihara in, and most people on a first playthrough probably wouldn’t think he was serious at all about all the “I’ll lend you my strength” stuff. But every single bit of evidence we see about Ouma in the later chapters after this proves that he was absolutely investigating who the ringleader was, and that he wanted to put the whole killing game show to an end. Therefore, his offer to team up was actually legitimate.

Not only that, but Saihara was the only one he would even consider teaming up with. It was an offer he almost didn’t make at all--but seeing that they actually were alone for a brief moment without anyone else there to eavesdrop, he risked asking. And he felt that Saihara’s trust in the rest of the group was perhaps the biggest liability, because the group as a whole was becoming very, very complacent in relying on Saihara’s detective skills, while only Saihara himself was struggling to think for himself and find out the truth about things.

That quality of wanting to find out the truth, and of trying to think for himself despite all the lies and illusions surrounding them in the killing game, was precisely one of the things Ouma liked best about Saihara. Saihara’s constant development and improvement of himself ever since Chapter 1 made him someone who even Ouma, who is very good at predicting scenarios and the behavior of the people around him, “couldn’t figure out” (according to his own whiteboard in Chapter 6). He couldn’t figure him out, and yet he definitely felt that Saihara wasn’t the ringleader or a bad person, moreso considering how Saihara was clearly stepping up to the plate and trying to keep the whole group from dying.

So Ouma did propose his alliance after all. It’s clear to see from Ouma’s particular lack of interaction with Saihara prior to Chapter 2 that he likely didn’t think much of him until Saihara “became the protagonist.” After that, however, he became incredibly interested in his unpredictability and detective skills--and most of all, he found Saihara fun, as is evident from his FTEs.

Considering the nature of the killing game and the paranoia, doubt, and suspicion it encouraged between all the students, trusting anyone was never part of Ouma’s plans. It was a liability he clearly didn’t originally intend, and only stood to hinder his plans to investigate things for himself and track down the ringleader. And yet, he does propose an alliance with Saihara and offers to “lend him his strength,” and therefore put his trust in him.

It’s clear that he felt Saihara’s ability to surpass his predictions and expectations might even lead Saihara to be able to notice things he himself could not--perhaps even things about himself, such as the role he was letting himself play and the façade he was putting on in order to keep the group together.

It doesn’t excuse Ouma’s actions or his insisting that Saihara’s closest friends were only holding him back, but it’s clear that he very much was hoping to propose an actual alliance here that would theoretically have been able to put an end to the killing game much sooner. It’s just that he went about proposing that alliance in the worst way possible (because he’s quite an idiot for someone bordering on being a genius).

Anyway, there you have it. Alone in an empty room, after Saihara has left, Ouma confesses only to himself that he has “fallen in love with” Saihara, and that his interest and fixation with him is part of the reason he doesn’t want to stop trying to propose an alliance between them no matter what. Throughout ndrv3, Ouma is very clear about the fact that a Supreme Leader should be willing to do “whatever it takes” in order to accomplish their goals, and that certainly applies here, to this scene.

He fell in love with Saihara, but he ultimately goes much too far with trying to remove the rest of the group from Saihara’s path, because he thought of all of them as untrustworthy and as “holding Saihara back.” And this is something I’m very glad he gets called out on and forced to think about by the end of the Chapter 4 trial.

In any case, I feel like this is one of the scenes I reference the most in my meta, so I’m really glad I had a chance to translate it in full! I hope all of you enjoyed, and again, a huge thanks to ne0dym for always providing the transcripts for these!

#ndrv3 #new danganronpa v3 #kokichi ouma #shuuichi saihara #saiouma #ndrv3 spoilers //#transcription #my meta #okay to reblog #submission #ne0dym

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chicleeblair · 7 years

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make your own rubber duck: the consequences of pilfering muggle 💡

One of my favorite fics at the moment is @waspabi’s “Hermione Granger’s Hogwarts Crammer for Delinquents on the Run.” It’s an AU based on the premise of Harry being found at seventeen, not eleven, and brought not to Hogwarts, but becoming part of an underground resistance led by the five who helped canon!Harry infiltrate the ministry–the first time–and Draco Malfoy. Chapter nine posted over the weekend, and I reread chapter eight to refresh my memory. i’m glad I did, because one of the many incredible details struck me in a way that let me put some of my thoughts about wixen* and muggle culture into words.

NB: i don’t think there are spoilers in this, but if you’re concerned, go read the fic and come back. read the fic even if you’re not concerned–it’s amazing.

“He felt like a lumos in the dark.”

That simple thought from aspabi’s Harry ignited the Harry Potter, cultural studies, and literary analysis sections of my brain Inside Out-style. It’s such a poetic way of demonstrating the way he is assimilating into wixen culture, and how quickly he is doing it. Canon!Harry might still think of something more muggle like a light switched on, but this Harry’s mind is so eager to latch onto having a place where he belongs, an identity that isn’t shunned, that his thoughts are shifting more quickly, likely sub-consciously.

I always loved the wixen idioms JKR used, but they were mostly comedic set dressing. “God Rest Ye Merry Hippogriffs” is hilarious, but it’s clearly shoehorning wixen culture into something muggle which makes one wonder how many cliches like “the kneazle’s among the pixies now,” originated from wix, if any did. it makes sense that so much of their culture overlaps with muggles since the Statute of Secrecy is relatively recent, but it also seems like they almost fought against separating further by allowing themselves to adapt rather than constantly altering muggle things without showing any respect for the original creators. The train of thought led me to considering how even muggl(e)philes* like Arthur Weasley are condescending toward a group of people whose technology he insists on altering rather than coming up with something more suited to wix. I’m not saying he shouldn’t be inspired by cars, but the wixen precedent of stealing things like steam engines and adding a few charms seems cheap and almost appropriative. we never hear about wixen novels, but I almost wonder if there is at the least a genre of adding wix to muggle books in the vein of “pride and prejudice and zombies”–The recent upswing in paranormal stories would be incredibly easy to adapt after all. (of course Harry Potter’s publication caused that, so would that universe be different? Paradoxes!)

all of that said, wix are clearly reacting to having been an oppressed–even endangered– minority at some point, and things look like children dressing up as witches on Halloween is also a culturally appropriative, although ignorantly done, but the fact Harry’s thought is so original and serious compared to JKR’s cliches is kind of a micro example of why I really love this story: the implications are intentional, it explores the pitfalls of wixen culture without requiring that it be analogous to the muggle world, and it truly explores both what it means to be a resistance group and what it means for Harry to finally have a place to belong after being told he’s worthless. I love alternate universe stories that both commit to their world and also stay true to the books, delving deeper rather than reinventing. Good fics do what I wish Arthur would do, which is to let canon inspire, but not be held back by it. Wix want to feel superior to muggles, but they clearly envy them as well. And by using disdain to hide their covetousness, muggleborns are looked down on, encouraging them to abandon their understanding of muggle technology rather than using it as a jumping-off point. Wix are thus limited to making assumptions in the vien of Ariel and Scuttle from The Little Mermaid. They might have far less dinglehoppers and more unique inventions if they simply allowed themselves to acknowledge that muggles had surpassed them in some regards and be willing to be unique rather than proving they can make Muggle things better because MAGIC.

going back to @waspabi’s Harry, the originality of this line and its placement makes me think that a Harry who hasn’t been surrounded by the endemic prejudice against muggles at Hogwarts–even ignoring For the Greater Good, old!Dumbledore is on the patronizing end of the spectrum–represents a new way of thinking, as does the titular Hermione. She doesn’t charm flashcards to speak just to make them “better”, she integrates muggle teaching techniques, for example. It’s a matter of balancing, not one upmanship, and waspabi demonstrates that by having Harry think of a lumos in the dark rather than, say, a caterwauling firework or a torch, because in this case the purely wixen idea works best.

I hope I’m getting myself across clearly here I don’t mean to say that wix need to cut the cord completely, the opposite in fact. I mean that they should be willing to use muggle ideas when they’re necessary, and to come up with their own concepts and designs to address a need, not to just steal the muggle technology and make it their own because they think they are entitled. Strangely, i think wix need to be a bit more selfish, to think of themselves as a whole, rather than worrying about muggles and who is related to them. Perhaps canon!Harry moves toward that as an adult, but waspabi’s Harry is so desperate to claim his new identity that he beings to do it at seventeen, and perhaps he will inspire his peers to do the same.

after all, the idea of God rest ye Merry hippogriffs is funny, but I found the lyrics to “a cauldron full of hot strong love” to be even better.***

if you’ve made it this far reward yourself and read the fic that inspired this mammoth post. it’s far more entertaining and clearly thought-provoking.

* a gender neutral alternative for wizarding/“witches and wizards” originated by essayofthoughts afaik

**muggl(e)phile and its counterpart muggl(e)hobia has potential he been used elsewhere, but I’ve never seen it, so if it’s used credit would be appreciate. that said, any linguist want to chime in on if the “e” should be used or not?

***I could devote several more paragraphs to the fact that although pottermore describes Warbeck as being acclaimed and well-off, she’s mocked in canon and preferred by Molly Weasley–a blood traitor–and i wonder if that is a sign of internalized wixephobia. the quibbler is in a similar place, though tabloids are muggle, it's not as clearly ripped off as "the daily prophet" which could totally be a non-magic title for a paper. (wixi-? wix-?)

#long post #hp #harry potter #thinking too much about books #thinking too much about fic #Hermione Granger's Hogwarts Crammer for Delinquents on the Run #fanfiction #fanfic #wizarding culture #wixen culture #wizards #witches #wix #muggle technology #mugglphilia #mugglephilia #mugglephobia #the function of a rubber duck

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hellsbells91 · 7 years

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Black Sails 4.09 Watch Notes

Whew, well now *takes breath*. Black Sails wields tragedy like Flint does his sword - unrelenting and with little mercy xD

That being said this episode on the surface felt a little anti-climactic, I won’t dodge any criticism there - especially when you compare it to season 3 the story here feels a little constricted, in the way that the focus now is on tying everything up to Treasure Island, the war almost takes a back seat. The more I let everything sink in though, because BS really knows how to send me into a state of shocked incomprehension, the more perfect everything gets.

A moment\s silence for all the characters who did not make it out of this episode alive. I mean it’s logical to think that no one can make it out alive to divulge the location of the treasure and of Skeleton Island, but it still hurts.

Anyway on to the rest:

“Your opponent’s wrist is from whence the attack is born. It is its past tense, from which it cannot separate itself. The end of the blade, where the attack arrives, is it’s present tense, which also cannot be denied.”

“All warfare is the same. In it there are two questions are of paramount importance. Who was my opponent yesterday and who is he today.”

Flint’s words pretty much sum up some of the show’s main themes don’t they? At least in terms of characters and their motivations - everyone is tied to their past somehow, everyone has a story, perhaps none more so than Flint. To have offered freely the information of his past to Silver in s3, information that he states here is key to knowing your opponent, showed a great deal of trust. And it leads Flint into questioning Silver - a man who has worked hard to separate himself from his past - where he came from, and it also leads to in my opinion some of the most moving material in the show as this episode brilliantly cuts between the present and a series of sparring sessions between Flint and Silver.

The flashback scenes with Silver and Flint showcase Black Sails at its best, away from the guns and the battles (though those are awesome too!!) to focus on the complex relationships forged between the characters. To see Flint and Silver alone together and not having play to their personas or put up a front is a rare gem, the gentle soundtrack to these scenes heightens their intimacy, and along with the jokes and easy smiles we get a sense of true friendship and peace that is ever so upsetting because unlike Flint and Silver in that moment we’re burdened with the knowledge of what’s going on in the present.

Silver’s leg is a huge point of insecurity for him, and we’ve grown used to seeing him act brave for the crew’s sake, as if he’s not tired or in pain - going so far as to actively reject help. He often hides the injury from them, and even now he talks about how the men must view him. But in front of Flint, he abandons the metal leg without a thought:

“But for pride to be an issue between you and I, I think we’re plain past that by now.”

You said it John ;)

When Flint first asks Silver the truth of his past though, Silver is suddenly quick to brush him off, and flippantly tells another story to try and dodge the truth. But when Flint pushes him, we see a sudden change in Silver. Through a combined expression of sadness and fear, John’s mask slips, he gets this faraway look in his eyes and once again I am ACHING to know what happened to him. Flint is probably the first person to take actual interest in John’s history, and caught off guard it seems like John’s first instinct is to run away from probing questions as he simply tells Flint that it’s not important and leaves.

Silver’s past is obviously something that must have been quite traumatic (he says he can’t bear it to be known), but it’s something that Silver has chalked up to “shit happens” basically and has since decided that he doesn’t need ‘a story’ to try and make sense of himself, and has completely cut himself off from who he was. It seems as if whatever did happen to Silver growing up, Silver has become so used to being uncared for that somewhere he began to believe that that’s just how things are, that’s how the world is. So he cares for no one, and lives in service of himself only. He says his past is of no consequence but it’s also undoubtably shaped who he is. We don’t learn of Silver’s tragic backstory, but it is tragic nonetheless. Perhaps even more so when you consider that the rest of John’s life is now to be dictated by a story and a legend that was made up about him by someone else without his permission.

The editing during Flint and Silver’s final confrontation is so clever and beautiful that I’m just gonna stop to fangirl for a moment. I absolutely adore the way we cut between their verbal argument and the sparring, comparing once again the connection between the past and the present. Attack and counter-attack, juxtaposing one fight in which they are friends with another in which they are enemies, all building up to the moment in which Silver catches up to (and potentially surpasses) Flint. The whole thing together is like a metaphor for their relationship, Silver doesn’t quite surpass Flint, the fight is interrupted before that moment, but at the end they stand truly as equals, beautifully rounded off by Silver’s conversation with Madi in which he states that he has earned Flint’s respect and so he shall do the same for Flint.

Just like the wrist and the edge of the blade, if Flint is the past then Silver is the present, and we see this connection not only through Flint and Silver themselves but also how the characters around them see it. One man asks John if Flint would have gone left or right, assuming that their minds are so closely linked that John would know (this scene was hilarious I loved it). Rogers asks Billy who does he think will prevail and Billy can’t answer, only stating that Rogers should make a move first. Silver knowingly sends men to their deaths and Israel Hands muses over how alike he and Flint have grown - the wording specifically on having learnt from Flint is so fitting considering the flashbacks are of Flint teaching Silver how to fight. Watching other characters offer to kill the other for them is also satisfying to see because Dooley and Hands both consider that Flint and Silver wouldn’t be able to kill each other if it came to it, and the two in question immediately reject the offer. The instant Dooley suggests that John may have to die brings a flash of horror to Flint’s face. It’s surely something that Flint must have factored in at some point, and yet, to have it said aloud, to have it confirmed as a very real possibility, Flint cannot bear the idea. And then when the moment arrives Flint shoots Dooley dead without a thought, which if anything only reveals to Silver that Flint cannot kill him.

This is all just a testament to how entangled Flint and Silver are with each other, and dammit if I don’t love it because this here is the core of the show.

Stepping back from Flint and Silver for a moment, the scene with Rogers and Madi is just wonderfully horrifying, and we’re reminded again how little Rogers must have known of Eleanor if he imagines her knitting. Once again I love the editing here keeps the clicking of the needles at the forefront whilst keeping Eleanor herself out of focus, in shadow or not even in the shot at all. It’s really creepy. And Rogers saying Eleanor’s death is the pirates’ fault? Fuck you.

The difference between Madi and Silver’s beliefs however is becoming apparent again. When Silver asked her not long ago if he was enough for her, Madi didn’t answer, now here we have two episodes in the first of which John declares he will choose Madi over the war, and in the second Madi says she would choose the war. I’m not saying she’s wrong, ‘course not, Madi has always been in this for much larger reasons - despite loving Silver, she cannot forget generations of brutality that have been dealt out to her people. If anything, kudos to her for sticking to her beliefs.

I am left wondering though if Madi is Silver’s wife, how does she come to let go of this war? To settle into domesticity with Silver? It seems as if this difference in their ideologies is a rift that is just too wide to be reconciled and something they might just grow to resent each other over. Surely Madi’s end cannot be so tragic as to be forced into a life she doesn’t want?

Maybe there’s a period between Black Sails and Treasure Island in which Silver and Madi continue to coordinate efforts with Julius into freeing the new world? I’m not sure, but this might also help to explain Silver’s motives in going after the treasure all those years later? If he does it for Madi, in the sliver of a chance that the cache would help them… Or maybe he does it just because he doesn’t want anyone else to have the cache, to be consumed by the power of it and split apart because of it. I’m just speculating here, I don’t think we’ll ever find out for sure.

Extra thoughts/predictions:

- Billy, I tried to defend you. But I also feel it would be totally hypocritical of me to demonise Billy for killing his brothers when Flint and Silver are doing the exact same thing. He’s in the right place at least to get a map to the cache from Flint and go on the run, living in fear of being found by Silver.

- I am here for Madi dropping truth bombs on Rogers.

- I would have loved more from Jack, but his ‘mmhms’ are keeping me going in an episode that would otherwise be pure pain. Oh do you think that if Jack and Featherstone are close enough, they’ll just see all the smoke from the Walrus and be able to pinpoint their location that way?

- Oh Joji. Now that you’re dead, I will never understand your motives. I’m still finding it hard to believe that he would so easily and readily betray Dooley and Flint. And his goddamn face is indecipherable. I kinda wish he’d gotten to say something before he died.

- I need a moment for DeGroot as well. My steadfast grumpy old pirate. The one so wary of Flint and Silver, yet sticking with them through everything. He stuck with the Walrus and her crew, trying to save them until the end. Go Mr. DeGroot. You will be missed.

- I am hoping that Max and Anne will make it back to Nassau before the end, and maybe without Rogers’ presence and with Mrs. Mapleton on the council, they may have just found an alternative route into taking power back, especially since last week we learnt that the council’s faith in Rogers is shaky at best. Maybe MAYBE Granny Guthrie will be so impressed by what they have been able to do without a man, that she will allow Max to lead without a husband.

#black sails #xxxvii #4.09 #James Flint #john silver #watch notes #starzblacksails #bs spoilers #I could probably go on and on for ages about Flint and Silver

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