#i'm not really explaining all that very well but [meme voice] i just think she's neat. anyway.

[pinoruno]

spn poetry month - day 6 - shadows: blood in the backseat

a tribute to anna for today's "shadows" prompt! wanted to explore the angels'-deaths-as-wing-shadows sort of idea, & this odd dissociative-grace thing sort of just. Sprung Forth.

@spnpoetryrenaissance

[alienaiver]

atsumu's nose scrunches up as he looks at the four images his recently-turned 12 year old niece has sent him on snapchat. it's pixelated pictures of a hatsune miku plushie (whom he knows, thank you very much) with various captions reading drink miku juice, panik atac 😳 a repeat of drink miku juice and then PANIk atAK 🥹. atsumu's not even sure he understands the gist, if there even is one and calls your name as he gets up from the couch to reach you in the bathroom.

you're barely out of the shower when he shoves his phone into your face, "what the hell's this suppos'd to mean?" he asks, eyebrows raised and voice laced in genuine confusion. you squint to get a look at the pink undertoned pictures and quickly gather where he's got it from. his niece is obsessed with hatsune miku and while her uncle respects it, encourages it with gifts even, he can't claim he knows whats going on, exactly. you smirk, "what, you dont get it?"

"hah?" he can barely contain the snarl before he pulls his phone back to get another look, to find the hidden meaning. you carefully start drying yourself off with a shrug, "its okay if youve gotten old, 'tsumu."

the sentence is barely out of your mouth before his eyes are widening and he goes straight to speed dial; you know who hes calling.

being an athlete in your early 30's isnt easy or forgiving and the age complex has hit your husband particularly hard; it doesnt help that his brother, his twin, betrayed him by getting a daughter when they were much younger, letting him feel age that much more clearly watching her grow up. miya osamu the betrayer, is his contact name on atsumu's phone.

the phone barely rings twice before hes storming back into the living room, voice vivid as he barely greets the man on the other end, "'samu! please tell me we're not old yet!"

you let out a snort as you finish up your routine in the bathroom and get into comfortable pajamas for the evening. the bickering of the brothers are heard no matter where in the apartment you situate yourself, "well if I'M old, yer old, too!" you hear him yell with a groan, trying to explain the concept of memes and how they, in his humble opinion, needs to make some goddamn sense.

you cant admit to him now that the meme didnt mean much to you either, that its probably meant to be a little nonsensical and how the trends of his teen memes versus the teen's memes now are vastly different. it'd just hit his complex more and youre not sure neither you nor osamu is ready to deal with that kind of blow.

you enter the living room to find him sprawled on the chaiselong, hugging one of the throw pillows. you come from behind and let your hands travel from his arm and around his chest before grabbing onto his jaw to make him look at you, "'tsumu, you can just reply the misspelling of the word panic back, and call it a day. she won't know you didnt get it."

he theatrically sniffles with raised shoulders and all before he looks at you, "you sure she wont see through me?"

you hold back a grin as you lean down to kiss his cheek, "i promise. she doesnt think of you as old if shes sending you those memes, y'know? fake it 'til you make it or whatever, right?"

atsumu leans up to reel another kiss out of you, and you happily comply. its not fun to see your husband genuinely distressed but you can never really hold back from teasing him. hes got to get over his complex anyway and luckily, you and his twin are masters in calming him back down. he sighs and you cant help but think he looks a little pathetic and sweet as he picks up his phone to open the chat, "so i just write 'PANIK' in bold letters?"

you nod as you hum, massaging the back of his head, "youll sound young and cool if you do that." you reassure with a small smile playing on your lips. you feel him puff out his chest, "well. i am young and cool, so of course shes sending me all the most fire memes, right? because i'm hip."

you laugh this time, throwing your head back before you look at him with so much love in your eyes, "yes, the hippest husband in town. now go clean up after dinner like you promised you'd do while i showered."

[yudgefudge]

Footballers as Pokemon Trainers, YNWA EDITION

Klopp, Alisson Becker and Virgil are in this post. Also this one is kind of longer than the others, sorry! I just really like how these teams came out and wanted to explain my reasonings behind them!!

@liverpool-enjoyer, @addictivewhispering and @lonely-salamander the usual! come get ur food, etc.

Firstly, as I'm doing Liverpool's manager, I'd like to cover Liverpool's mascot Pokemon as well, which I'd say is Moltres. Because it's just like the red bird on the Liverpool thingie. All mascots will probably be legendaries/mythicals/pseudos unless some other pokemon fits PERFECTLY for it.

Now onto Klopp himself.

Jurgen Klopp

now my friend theo (@addictivewhispering) made an EXCELLENT post about how different coaches would be as pokemon trainers, and with their permission I'll be putting that here:

i think klopp would prioritize speedy pokemon with good attack. glass cannons who are fragile defensively (get it bc liverpool players are always injured...). he'd use lots of priority moves along with things like u-turn and volt switch to try and overrun the opponent. always tries to hit as hard as he can, lots of boosted crit rate moves too

That sums up what I'd see his Pokemon fighting style to be! As a coach he gets to go past the 3 pokemon pattern I've been doing so far, but other than coaches (and Ronaldo, when I get around to him), everyone else should have three pokemon.

Talonflame

Although I don't believe it would be his starter, I believe Talonflame would be Klopp's signature battling Pokemon. First of all, it's the red YWNA bird. Secondly it fits with his fighting style; Talonflame plays as a fragile cannon and can also be used as a pivot since it learns U-Turn. Another thing I did with these was I tried to make them advantageous (and disadvantageous) in certain conditions, as a cheeky reference to how Klopp often blames the outcome of a match on the conditions of the pitch (the wind, height of grass, etc.). So for Talonflame, it has a 4x weakness to Stealth Rocks, which is the most prominent entry hazard in the metagame currently. It's also powerful in the Sun weather, and really bad in Rain.

2. Perrserker

This is what I believe would be Klopp's starter Pokemon, and by extension, his partner Pokemon. When I sent Max an ask about this sort of thing, she suggested Melmetal for Klopp, but I don't give legendaries to trainers, so I decided on giving him a Steel-type. Perrserker has his beard and also his toothy grin, as well as jovial attitude, but fierceness in battle (on the pitch). Perrserker's ability, Steely Spirit, powers up other Steel-types in the party (although I didn't give klopp any more steel types) which feels very YNWA to me. Also, Perrserker is very good in Sandstorm.

3. Abomasnow

This one is the main part of my "translating the Klopp blaming the weather meme" idea. Abomasnow is bearded like Klopp as well. But for those who don't know, Abomasnow's ability sets up Hail (called Snow now) which is obviously its most advantageous weather. It also has a 4x weakness to Fire, which ties in with Talonflame and having disadvantages in certain situations. And although I agrre that Klopp would use sweepers, I do think he would still want to set up an Aurora Veil.

4. Hydreigon

Drei is the german word for three. Hydreigon is german. Jurgen is german. Hydreigon also has a 4x weakness to Fairy type.

5. Noibat

Jurgen would capture a Noibat because he found it cute, then would realize it can amplify his voice, then use it when celebrating at the sides to make his laughs of joy heard, as well as when he shouts orders. He also thinks it's very cute. It also has a 4x weakness to Ice.

idk if u've noticed, but it seems like Klopp's team is good against one another. Well it was intentional. I feel like Klopp would unintentionally do that. Then he's just like. Oh well. Anyways

Alisson Becker

Does not like battling that much, if at all. Prefers contests if anything, but really just wants to vibe, tbh. Also I accidentally made him a Fairy type trainer. Oh well.

Shiny Ribombee

Max said that Alisson would have a weakness for cute things like and I agree. Cutiefly (Ribombee's baby form) is the smallest, cutest thing ever. I feel like Alisson would meet it by catching it between a pair of big goalkeeper gloves and just fall in love with it. Idk. And then they were inseparable from there.

2. Mega Gardevoir

Alisson always gave me the vibes of "fierce, cute protector" which is exactly what Gardevoir is. People think it's weak and flimsy because of it's design...but it can literally open black holes. Yeah I'm not 100% about this one but I think it fits. Well, I can guarantee you Alisson would have a Ralts.

3. Cottonee

Another example of him having a weakness for pretty things. The way Cottonee's cotton is styled reminds me of Alisson's hair and beard as well. Also I imagine he lets it use Aromatherapy to calm him down when he's anxious.

Virgil:

Virgil definitely just likes big, defensive, scary-looking Pokemon. But secretly they're all just sillies like he is.

Golurk

Golurk would definitely be his starter...like that's Virgil embodied right there. It has his looming stare, big frame, and also it fucking flies and I think Virgil would find that awesome, and take Alisson on rides with it.

2. Metagross

Similar reasoning to Golurk tbh. But here's the thing. Despite how big and strong Metagross looks, it's still weak to Knock Off (dark-type move), and that fact for some reason, reminds me of that video of Van Dijk tripping where the commentator called him van disney. yeah don't ask idk either.

3. Grimmsnarl

Alisson kept bugging him to capture a 'cute' fairy type,,,,,and it's this fucking thing yep

[emma-is-swaggy-and-epic]

Y'know what, since i've fleshed out my new OCs a bit more i think it's time to explain them more in-detail! Starting with my danganronpa OC: yuriko togami (so needless to say: SPOILERS FOR DANGANRONPA AHEAD!!!)

I have complete character sheets of her as well as my other OCs on arts and OCs amino (my username on there is VixinTrix)

Oh, and also i feel i need to prefice this by saying that the only danganronpa game i've played so far is trigger happy havoc. I've watched a youtube video a long time ago explaining ALL of the lore but i've tried to forget most of it so that it doesn't ruin my experience playing through the games so i may get some stuff about the game's lore wrong with this character, like i'm not sure if byakuya actually DID rebuild the togami corporation or if people just SAY that he did as a joke considering i only ever see people mention it in the comment sections of meme videos....but i mean...either way i guess it doesn't matter considering yuriko's mother CANONICALLY DIED BEFORE SHE COULD EVEN BE CONCIEVED so she's already not following established lore in that regard...

Yuriko (yuri for short) comes from a danganronpa AU where celestia ludenberg never died (how and why that is the case is up for your interpretation) and she eventually got married to byakuya, resulting in them having a daughter....that daughter, of course, being yuri!

Yuri was born as the heiress of the togami corporation, she lived a sheltered life so she never really had any friends aside from a borzoi puppy she got for her 13th birthday. Growing up all people could really see her as when they met her was just the daughter of celeste and byakuya so she felt the need to prove to the world that she was more than that so she took up chess and constantly practiced every chance she could, which eventually earned her the alias of the ultimate chess master

Personality-wise, yuriko comes off as very cold and harsh much like her parents though it's less "i'm so much better than you and i don't think you deserve my respect" but more "i genuinely do not care about anything that's going on and i just want to be left alone" which means she doesn't really emote much, but when she does she looks absolutely unhinged (think omori's battle portraits in omori)

Despite this however, yuri is very gentle and is quick to crack a joke when she needs to...though it's kind of hard to tell considering she always talks in a very monotone voice (my voice claim for her is simGM's portrayal of kourtney kardashian) plus she LOVES dogs more than anything and will sob uncontrollably if she sees a puppy

Due to the stress of being the heiress of the togami corporation and nobody seeming to care about her aside from who her parents are, she took up smoking weed sometime later in life and she became almost dependant on the substance (and yes, while i know smoking is a VERY SERIOUS thing, i feel like i need to mention that i got the idea of making her a stoner because before i actually drew her design, i liked making jokes about her recreating the "420 gucci gang, my mom took my vape" meme and stuff like that and it kinda just stuck)

Also like, a few days after i made her i realized i accidentally just reinvented my little nightmares OC myrtle soooo.....

Though in my defense, myrtle and yuriko MAY look similar and have similar character motivations but I ASSURE YOU THEY'RE TOTALLY DIFFERENT!!! See, myrtle is a pretentious emo brat who takes things way too seriously and her whole story is her trying to fix the universe after she created a dimensional merge with her reality bending powers. YURIKO is a dog-loving stoner who plays chess and simply doesn't give a shit about anything

Also if you think about it, yuriko is pretty much just shaggy from scooby doo....they're both stoners with pet dogs who come from rich families....not only that but considering yuri is a DANGANRONPA OC, that also means she probably solves mysteries....god fucking dammit...

[wanderlustqueen-writes]

hi Alice! hope you're well! for the fic questions meme : 7, 14 and 27 please?? ☺️

Thanks for the ask, Krikkit 🥰

7) Share a snippet from one of your favorite pieces of prose you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

“You want me to do WHAT?” Hange’s voice came out squeakier than she anticipated. Then again, the tone was justified, given the absolute ‘nutty as a fruitcake’ nature of the Commander’s request.

“I said I want you to bond with him,” Erwin’s words were deliberately slow this time. He was standing by her desk in the science laboratory, the light from the candle dancing across his stern face.

“I heard what you said” Hange replied, her eyes wide open, outstretched hands waving aimlessly at the air in front of her “I just… why? How? How do I even-”

“He’s been here a while but hasn’t made friends with anyone so far.” the commander caught a glimpse of Hange’s eye roll and sighed in response. “I usually stay out of your businesses, but given the nature of what we do, this intervention is necessary. Levi’s raw talent won’t be of much help if he is not able to trust his squad. Or vice-versa. So I need someone to… break the ice. To make him feel more comfortable with the Survey Corps. Someone to bond with him, so others follow suit”

Hange listened carefully to Erwin’s words. Their leader, as usual, had his eyes on an important goal that the others hadn’t seen yet.

“I understand that, Erwin. But why ask me ?” Hange pointed towards herself as if she was a rotten apple at the market stall. “It’s not like I’m someone he is particularly fond of. Hell, he seems to hate me even more than he hates Mike, and I heard that Mike shoved his head into a pool of sewage once!”

“He did no such thing.”

“Really?”

“Yes. It was a puddle of muddy water. Anyway, I’m asking you because everyone else is scared of him”

“But-”

“Just think of it as an experiment. What works? What doesn't work? You’ll find out. And if that doesn’t motivate you, just remember that I’m commander and this is an order.” As soon as the last word left the leader’s lips, he turned on his heel and left the room.

This is part of Hypothesis Number Two, which is my favorite fanfic that I wrote. I'm proud of this snippet because I really let go and allowed myself to have fun with the characters, no pressure. I particularly liked that Erwin maintains his authority figure but with a little bit of sass, which makes the interaction with Hange seem more intimate and lighthearted. All in all, I feel this resulted in really light and funny piece.

14) What’s the worst writing advice you’ve ever come across?

Not a specific advice, but anything too dogmatic is a big no-no for me. I believe different people thrive in different conditions, and recommendations and guidelines being expressed as definitive rules, like "you have to write everyday" or "you must use the three act structure" and whatnot, can create anxiety and block creativity.

27) How do you feel about collaborations?

I think collaborations are such a beautiful expression of creativity and comunity-building in fandom. I would LOVE to do a collab with a fellow creator, though I'm not sure how it would work out, since I'm a very very slow writer!

(If anyone is interested in doing a collab, they can totally message me! ☺️)

[blorbology]

The other day I was thinking about the fact that I've been told my longer fics are written in a fairly unique way. While I view this observation as neither negative nor positive (it is what it is), I thought it might be interesting to dig into that particular topic more.

I feel like writing style works similarly to artistic style: you tend to come into your own eventually after enough practice and work at your craft. I couldn't actually cite a specific writer as inspiration for my writing style (or "voice" I suppose), but I also tend to not want to mimic prose styles—not even the ones I like the most. Because of this, even my earliest "writing voice" would probably feel somewhat familiar to anyone used to my work.

It feels weird to say I've always had a stable writing voice, but that's more or less the truth for me. I've bettered it over the years (versus finding it the way some do), but I think I've always felt secure in what I had. It probably helped that the old days of FFN gave me hundreds of reviews on 'fics and a lot of encouragement.

A long time ago, I saw a piece of fanart I really liked, and sought to redraw it in real life. This was the early 2000s, maybe 2002 or 2003. It was an MLP fanart of...I want to say Glory and Baby Glory (from the 80s), and I redid it on a huge piece of paper I'd taken from my school's art room. I busted ass to replicate the piece. It was a great replica, actually, and I posted it online, eager to share my hard work. I'm sure you can imagine what happened! The community recognized the source immediately and was annoyed with me. They scolded me for copying an artist, explained why that wasn't a good idea, and I never did it again. (I felt stupid but I realized that day that nobody cared how well I could replicate someone else's hard work; people wanted to see my spin on the idea.)

After that, I always had my own very recognizable style of art and I didn't seek to recreate the work of others, even if I liked it a lot. I just started drawing what I wanted how I wanted to do it—in my own style.

While I found many things to like about the prose of friends and published authors, I never tried to mimic someone else's prose wholesale. I've never even been tempted by it; writing like someone else feels so incredibly unnatural; I'd sooner give up writing entirely than tell my stories the way someone else would.

That said, this post isn't really about writing "voice" so much as the specific way I tend to tell stories, though I do think actual writing style factors in here, and I'll get to that in a second.

My favorite genre of fiction for a good number of years was historical "inspirational" fiction. You may laugh if you wish, but I grew up in a very strict Christian household, and...frankly there wasn't much literature to choose from. My mom loved doing "daily devotions" and at some point, on the recommendation of someone else, she started reading us "Love Comes Softly" by Janette Oke. All four of us kids really loved it. We memed the hell out of it and to this day we have at least one in-joke based on it. It was part of a long book series, and eventually I read them all. This book tackled a surprising amount of issues, including domestic violence, and had a great trope that I still adore: a marriage of convenience.

I was obsessed with Janette Oke's books after that. Roses for Mama, The Bluebird and the Sparrow, A Bride for Donnigan, the four-book seasons series, and They Called Her Mrs. Doc. There were plenty more, but those were some of the most iconic to me.

If you didn't know, the very specific subgenre of Historical Inspirational Romance Fiction (can I call it HIRF?) tends to read similarly across the genre. Some novels play up the romance a little more, some the relationships between the characters, some the faith aspect, but generally speaking these books tend to have predictable elements. The male lead usually has a bestie he's emotionally vulnerable and open to. The female lead's friends, siblings, and/or other family members are important to her and play a role in the story. These stories tend to feature or utilize animals. There is almost always a focus on relationships overall, in every story. In Roses for Mama a family of four is orphaned and the oldest two siblings raise the youngest two and run the farm. The primary relationships are between the four siblings and their friend group(s). The challenges of "parenting" siblings are here. Kids tend to act like kids in these books too. There are huge varieties in the ages of characters and some young women have best friends who are decades older than they are. Some of these writers are very serious too about being accurate regarding the places they're writing about (coal towns full of immigrants who are mistreated by the coal companies for example).

The first book I loved was I'll Always Love You by Hans Wilhelm. The Velveteen Rabbit also holds a place in my heart.

Relationships are ALWAYS at the core of everything I write these days. I love exploring how people affect the world around them. I like to write about the complexities of sibling relationships and friendships over the years. I love history and how "the times" impacted the way relationships worked. HIRF was foundational to me as a reader and a lot of those elements are things I have chosen to carry with me. Everything I write is about a character journey more than it's about anything else.

Yes, I want to write about the blorbos in situations, but these situations are a means to an end. I want the situation to happen but I want to explore every facet of how it affects the blorbos.

Dumping a baby on Raine in Break Open the Sky was a way to explore a character trying to do the right thing but feeling completely overwhelmed by it. It was about breaking cycles and doing better for the next generation. It was about choices, about how difficult they can be to make even when they're selfish. And it was about learning to trust and love while finally having a place and the safety to begin healing from trauma. The baby was the means to that end—a plot vehicle, yes, but hopefully she didn't feel that way because she had her own needs and impacted the story right to the very end.

I think my particular writing style, my "voice" if you will, lends itself well to this particular type of slow-burn character-study-esque storytelling. I try to hit a middle ground with descriptions and write a lot of engaging dialogue. I try to write people being people without being too sparse or detailed. Both sparse and detailed writing have their places and genres they do really well in, but in the very weird subgenre of writing I've nestled into I do think my voice tells the story to satisfaction.

As to what subgenre I'm writing in... I honestly don't know what to call it. It's like HIRF in spirit, but I tend to substitute more "adult" themes for the romance and have less or no focus on religious faith (though it depends on the characters). I don't actually think there's a name for it, though of course if someone has a name for it, I'd be happy to learn what it is. In the meantime I'll just consider what I write to be HIRF-adjacent.

[lemonhemlock]

What are snapewives?

alright anons BUCKLE UP this is going to be a bumpy ride

i received this ask yesterday & externalised it to one of my friends who is a little bit of a, let's say, MEME HISTORIAN. an internet dilettante. a dabbler. and this is what she so graciously conveyed to me for you all.

"http://web.archive.org/web/20130311072442/http://www.journalfen.net/community/fandom_wank/1015949.html?thread=134116749#t134116749 ^okay this is honestly the best source if you want a quick and dirty nothing can explain it better than the post that started it all it loads slowly but it is the post I first saw :))) in fucking 2006 bc I've always been an asshole

there's also a journal article on this: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/276042424_'Snapewives'and'Snapeism'_A_Fiction-Based_Religion_within_the_Harry_Potter_Fandom :))))

also, as someone who's occasionally dipped into pagan tumblr, the way they used to talk about snape is the way some of them talk about their gods :)))

Lady Darkness: understand, I can only write when I can concentrate on my love for him. Indeed he feels so very close then, like he's looking over your shoulder to see if you do it like he wants it to be.. Sometimes I don't write for weeks, and then suddenly I am a writing machine..endless and full of ideas. Putting on some music helps though..if you know what he likes. Ever tried classical? It works really well, I think he likes it, just like he likes the dark music (not too fast, a little vampire rock style ) I hope he'll be telling you to keep making pictures, they're awesome! Some are so good I feel so moved by them I have to see them, and yes..he feels so close then sigh

https://fanlore.org/wiki/Snapewives ^the fanlore page is easier to understand, but it doesn't have the impact of the original

ETA: On October 14, Lady Darkness and Snapemaniac reconciled. Said Snapemaniac, "I have returned to the Master's Dungeons. My loyalties lie with Severus. As of today, they're talking about how it'd feel to be "caught full force in that glare" of Snape's.

insane :))))

ETA 3: Snapemaniac is just as nuts. "Severus Snape intimidates JKRowling. This is why she wouldn't want to meet him. She is afraid of him."

the comments are also a riot, if you can have a look at some of them (the webarchive LJ link)

Severus is looking over his shoulder at me and he seems suspicious of my laughter- "TELL ME, CAN YOU READ?….MY NAME IS SEVERUS SNAPE, THEREFORE, DO NOT TAKE LIBERTIES WITH IT!"- SNARLED SNAPE The things I feel Severus won't tolerate: 1) Being dominated 2) Disrespect (do not call him just Snape, he hates that.) 3) Prying into his personal life/disregarding his privacy 4) Being told to give up his grudges [talking about Potter] 5) Disobedience to his commands/advice/wishes 6) Being ignored 7) Undermining his authority to anyone else 8) Silly behaviour/childish behaviour 9) Being harrassed/made fun of/laughed at/picked on He really hates this /He sees laughter as nonsense and doesn't waste his time with it./ 10) Wasting his time and efforts 11) Half-heartedness/weakness of any kind/being thought of as weak 12) Shortening of his name and adding 'cutesy' words to it [UGH!!] 13) Improper use of language and misspelling words/vulgarity-constantly 14) Laziness of any kind [All Capricorn No-Nos] Imagine Severus standing at your back with his nose pressed to your ear, growling in that deep voice. Oh Mercy!!

'

you just don't get drama like this anymore

https://www.reddit.com/r/HobbyDrama/comments/d4wwir/harry_potter_fandom_married_to_severus_snape_on/ ^this post is also a primer of sorts :))

i'm sorry I couldn't provide the full lowdown, but I think this is good bc it's mostly primary sources :)))) you can't beat that"

[magmacannon]

OC ask meme lets go 16-20 and 31 & 32

YEEHAW let's do it... these are fun ones thank u

Which one of your OCs would be the best at biology (school subject)? Best biologist would be Yarrow if he actually focused on it because organic sciences come more easily to him, but also he might not be the best because his focus would be everywhere. Roman is the secondmost likely to do well at it because he's a giant nerd who lives for school and knowledge and just always does that with all his classes.

Any OC OTPs? oOO with my own guys not as much but me and my wife have a few... huge shoutout to the OGs Roman and Vince, still going strong quite literally 14 years now! (Of my own characters besides this I think I'm... forming an otp for two skyship captains... late-middle aged milf rivals is very tempting to me)

Any OC crackships? fjfhd GOOD question. I think Yarrow smash or passing every character I have is very funny as an idea, and maybe the funniest possibility is like. the absolutely world-ending relationships between the primal gods of my setting (the giant 200 mile centipede has the hots for the unknowably huge primal god of earth, go girls!!!)

Introduce an OC that means a lot to you (and explain why) Okay choosing one is hard but I've been thinking abt him a lot so it's time to talk abt Yarrow!! Yarrow was the first developed OC that I made that wasn't either Just Me but slightly different (i.e. Roman) or tied/inspired by some sort of media (FR, other games I'd played) and like... idk!!! He's very important to me because of that but because he was the first character that I sat down and purposefully made a detailed background for, and is still one of the few characters I have that is intensely bold and has hard edges to him. He represents overcoming obstacles to me and becoming genuinely good person because you want it even if you're not perfect or 100% successful all the time, and then applying that same grace to others. Also he's fun to get clothes designed for and can be a goofy guy on the side which means I have fun with him in serious and silly situations.

Do any of your OCs sing? If they sing, care to share more details (headcanon voice, what kind of songs they like etc)? Of my developed OCs that I can think of off the top of my head, Roman and Yarrow and Sgositova can for SURE sing and do so enough that others would know about it. Roman's a tenor with the best overall vocal skill of the bunch (he can get very loud if he wants to and still sounds pretty good!), Yarrow's a high baritone who has evolved to be a little more smooth jazz than his original voice claims (somewhere in the slider between Michael Buble and Frank Sinatra), and Tova's the worst singer technically with the most gusto and she's a husky-voiced alto (sea shanties will do that). OCs that can sing decently but don't do it often are Rho (higher alto than Tova, could sing lounge jazz if she wasn't shy) and Leynth (tenor as well, beautiful voice but has trouble with breath support and holding a note without accompaniment).

Pick one OC of yours and explain what their tumblr blog would be like (what they reblog, layout, anything really) Gonna pick someone I haven't mentioned as much it's time for Grey because I think his blog would be objectively funny. Grey's blog is aesthetic black and white photos of modern architecture, grandiose party aesthetics, jewelry and suits (with links to buy them that were either there or he added on his own), and advertisements for his own business products (assuming they existed). He'd tag things with a three digit code depending on type and would have everything queued and genuinely it'd be hard to determine whether his account was a personal or company account until one day he posts something notably horny or extremely emotional and then quickly covers it up with about 80 reblogs.

Which one of your OCs would be the most suitable horror game protagonist and why? Roman.............................................................. just because he'd be a miserable little bastard who's nearly crying and says "who's there????" at every noise. Special mention to Dehiscence for being the monster in a horror game tho they'd do well.

[urstruly-ghst]

Hi! Can I ask for Idia with a celebrity s/o who simps for him whenever she can? and then his fellow dorm leaders find out and gape at him like crazy-

I hope it's not too specific! Thank you very much!

NOTE : im a huge simp, not an idia simp, but he can get it. like HIS BIRTHDAY AND GHOST MARRIAGE CARD?!!!??!

idia shroud

Oh, Idia didn't know how he can score a prize! I mean, a celebrity who's mega famous, falling for a dweeb like him!

He knew you as the best thing that happened to him but he absolutely refuses you also thought the same. He always sees you as someone who's too above his level, and it causes insecurity.

But, even then, you remind him how much you adore him. I mean, you could barely keep your mouth shut when you first started dating. Ultimately, your management had to say "shut your mouth, you're an idol, you need to keep this under the wraps"

You pouted, as you wanted the entire world to know your cute boyfriend, but you agreed, deciding to stick with the under the wraps affection.

You're a simp, like a huge one, the secrecy of your relationship was now an amp to the affection you so badly give. Honestly, how can one not love Idia?!

You coo, nuzzle, cuddle, act like a touch starved person, but dont worry, he utterly loves it and doubles your love. If you don't get to be with him due to your job, you send memes, voice messages or force him to call you.

Idia unconsciously also talks about you without filter, he is utterly whipped for you, so he kinda just spits it out. He even forgot he also said so much in a meeting for his dorm leaders

They hardly believed in that, until you spoke up. They were in shock, but you're joyous when you heard people freaking out.

Soon enough, everyone will know your relationship with your husband. (He isn't but you're sure he is)

----

"THE CELEBRITY?!", the dorm heads yelped as they heard Idia and you cooing at each other, while Idia was on his tablet forgetting the mute button.

You both froze, the face you saw on Idia's screen was beyond hilarious though. Idia fumbled on his desk, mewling an embarrassed "yes" while looking at your face. You smiled encouragingly for him, you trust him to say your relationship.

Idia explained, answering each questions about the relationships, but you just sighed lovingly, looking at the screen seeing Idia get a burst of confidence when it came talking about you.

You revelled in that look, feeling your heart race each moment, you think about how everyone is going to know about you two. It might cause outrageous news, but then again it means no more sneaking out of shoots, and definitely more pictures!

Plus, it gives you an advantage to not sneak in to his school if his dorm head fellows believe him! You giggled, while opening your mic announcing something while Idia was speaking.

"Yea! I'm all Idia's!! Aren't I lucky?? Gosh, if you guys seen him play his games or when he rejected the Ghost bride... god I hate that bride ... She's so ambitious!! Oh but who can blame her?! Look at--!!"

"StoP IT THEY DO NOT NEED TO KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS!!", Idia blushed, while he playfully glared at you. He knew you too well, because some of your thoughts need to stay thoughts really.

[aeempress]

Apritello Express Evidences, part 1

Greetings, Apritello enthusiasts and attention! Here comes a loong post is written by totally nerd. You've been warned. Here we go.

The thing is that Apritello is a double-edged sword. The series shows us established friendship of these two, give us a lot of content with them. We can see development of relationship through interaction between the characters, their reaction about the situations they are put in. We can sense their synergy and bound through the show.

Donnie and April have incredible chemistry, and both options, brotp and otp seems fine to me.

But let me tell you why I ship them.

Apritello is the kind of pairings, which consists of small details, hints, that's hidden, but if you're sharp and attentive one, you will notice that. Apritello has a strong foundation: the best friends trope.

And from the very beginning, it works as planned.

When I start watching show, I could say that April and Donnie are best friends. It is worth noting that April is like an older sister to the other brothers, more of a sisterly figure than a friend, but with Donnie she behaves somewhat differently, namely, as best friend. Obviously, she sets him apart from his brothers, although girl tries to pay attention to all of them equally. And Donnie behaves as well.

Dee's battle shell designs for April needs as well as his. His shell transform into comfy spot for taking ride for April. Special and only for her. Because his bros are not supposed to use it (at least, he carries no one on his back), Donnie carries them by his techno-bó or his limbs.

This tiny detail shows his special treatment to her. April is a very, very special occasion to D. Don does care about her comfort, he accept the way she is. Donatello does not try to prevent her from participating in their affairs because he respects her decisions and is pleased that April can be shoulder to shoulder with him.

D is glad to be at her service.

Yeah, Dee's still playing cool, he has image to perform as tough and coolheaded guy. So Don doesn't show his intentions, interest and feeling to other people (he's tryin', but fails). Because his actions matter. They are always small, hidden, but meaningful.

April, in return, trusts Dee and depends on his tech, even knowing what his inventions are the opposite of success (usually).

Go on. Look at Donnie's facial expressions and body language when April is near.

Donnie seems more relaxed when she's around, happier. His emotional response is always different from his brothers ones.

Oh, and look, he wanted to be first to give her a high three.

They worry about each other. Look at Don. He does worry about her way more than his brothers. Yeah, they all want to protect her, but Donnie is more expressive.

Mayham has no particular sympathy for the brothers: he is afraid of Raph and behaves aggressively, he is indifferent to Leo and Mikey. Mayham immediately takes a liking to April. And then the details come back: he let Donnie touch his neck. The most vulnerable place for any living creation, for a second. Let him to study an important vial without any hesitation. Mayham depends on April trust for Donnie. When everything goes wrong for Don, the little doggie comes to his rescue, just as April would have done. Is the hint transparent enough?

We can see links with "A mystic library", wherе Donnie begins to look for solutions to save April's pet. Yes, this may seem like his next leap, "sit down, I'm smart, and now I'll solve all the problems, watch and learn," but Don says one phrase that opens up the veil of the second plan, what happens behind the scenes. "My illiteral colleagues and I was conducting a mustic research, with a life of the beloved pet, hanging in a bounce".

Strange wording, Donatello. Beloved pet? Not yours, as we can see. I can say, that everything in this sentence is true, but Donnie and Mayham has something more.

Continue. Next episode "Origami tsunami". Interactions are kept to a minimum, as April herself appears for a maximum of 5 minutes in the series itself. But devil is always in the details, dear friends.

When April was attacked and hung up, the only one who excitedly called out to her was Donny. Raph is furious that the thieves have escaped, Leo is frustrated that their plan has failed, and Mikey is worried about the salami.

Yeah, we didn't see his worries about her when she fell, because Donnie is on the mission and must be coolheaded turtle, and second, he's calm because now April life is safe and sound, out of the danger.

Dear passangers, Apritello Express arrives to the next station - episode "War and Pizza".

Bare facts:

1. April has Donnie's number on an emergency call.

2. "Anything for you"

3. Donnie is the reason why Alberto knows April's name.

No one calles April by her name (except for Donnie, while phone call, but Alberto wasn't nearby) it was "Captain O'Neil" by her chief, her badge seems blank. And yeah, you can say, that's just economy of budget, but I assure you: in the first episode we were shown the name of the delivery guy. The animators were not lazy bones and wrore "Stewart" on his badge. So if something isn't there, then it either shouldn't be there, or it really isn't, that's how this show works.

So, the reason explained in the episode. When Al has short circuit, parts of its new code flashed through its mind.

Info about April was in its memory, in its code. Alberto was a lame animatronic, and it seems somewhat outdated. I do really doubt about Alberto is being something smartass machine with complicated AI like Freddy's Pizza's ones. Quite questionable. Donatello fix Al's brain and wrote code, synchronize with his remote control. He put information about Cap O'Neil into animatronic's head. All this pictures are kind of massage: "You was created for birthday celebrations. You are machine, and there concepts of "life" and "birth". Do great party for this birthday kid and April won't be like this". Or, something like that.

So Alberto did - do a memorable party. And he do what his creator programmed him to do, but in his way.

4. In other words, Alberto was a tool to impress April. Don flaunts himself in front of her, stating how he did the upgrade while doing the upgrade, even though April is fully aware of his tech wizard. And his abilities supposed to help Cap O'Neil to finish the birthday party, so she will stay at her job, not fired. All thanks to Donnie and his upgrade Alberto. (Or not)

By the way, Donnie was the last to leave April in ruined "Alberto's". And it's not an isolated case, it is a pattern.

5. They understand each other without words.

First, Donny came at her at the speed of light. Second, she hadn't even finished speaking before Dee was taking Al apart. Third, their chaotic, well-coordinated work? Donnie was a distraction (although he wanted to just take a break from the battle or let Alberto's guard down, while April just knocked him out). Donnie and April are great team, and sometimes the DonniexApril team is much more precise, coordinated, and interdependent than the DonniexBrothers one.

D&A feel each other and anticipate each other's actions, their skills complement each other, creating an incredible synergy of their interaction. They act as a whole, while it's not always possible with his brothers, even though they're family and know each other the way more Donnie know April. And Dee hasn't trained with cap O'Neil.

Donatello didn't show his crush for April. No puppy, loving eyes, no lovey-dovey speeches, no planning schemes (at least, the audience don't see one) . He just want her attention, but stays cool and hidden. D is already her BFF, but still.

The same thing is claimed in 5B episode - Mascot Melee. Donnie has no problems with interaction with idol of his childhood - Atomic Lass. She'd put Leo in a stupor, but Donnie? He playfully challenges her to a dance duel. Yes, he adores this character, who may have become his measure of the attractiveness of others to Donatello, determined his type. But still, he's playing all cool and confident guy, he's really smooth with girls, so you will never see a puppy loving eyes from him. Only two things can betray him at this point: his voice and his body language. Remember, how's soft his voice became for Atomic Lass? Now I want you to remember the scene before, in turtle tank, when April sent guys a meme.

D is the first to respond to the message, despite the fact that Mikey is sitting closest to the screen. And the responding is a little too emotional for this situation, don't you think?

And this face of his. And he comments it. He likes her sense of humour.

The only difference between April and Atomic Lass is that the first one is a real girl who is a friend of their family, practically a member of it; and the other one is just a fictional character. It is easier to say about love for a fictional character, because it brings less problems for a teenager, especially when he is living with three brothers and a father who likes to tease as well. Donatello needs to be careful and outline the area of emotions he could show, so that he does not get hurt.

Now, dear passangers, we are returning to the previous episode, shall we?

Donnie presents to his brothers his precious Turtle tank, but she's gone, and it's really necessary to find out, who has taken her. And the first person to suspect is April.

Something is odd, don't you think? Yeah, Raphael has taken tyre for their "Midnight special", Leo claimed that Donnie's stuff is common, but they are D's beothers. It's natural for family to borrow(stole) stuff of each other. But this trend was not observed in April. She would never steal anything from Donnie, much less steal anything from him.

Actually, there is a good, logical and solid explanation here. April was number 1 in Donatello' suspect list, because he simply told her about Turtle tank. His brothers didn't know he were working at Moon buggy, except Mikey (Orange helps Dee get the vehicle from Repomantis), but they didn't know what exactly Donnie was working for. They didn't know he build the Turtle tank, he kept it a secret, to surprise his brothers. But April knew.

- Alright you! Where's our turtle tank?

- Hi, DONNIE. You have 9 seconds to say, why are you just broke my door.

- Someone's stole Donnie's turtle tank.

- Haha-ow, I see. As your best friend, you naturally suspect me.

- She gets it!

- Oh-ho, don't give me that! You're the only one could taken it!

The only one, because she knew about it.

As Splints said in this episode - "April is not a snitch"

Donatello does trust April and share with her both, sorrows and joys. But we are not shown this directly. We do not see the action itself, we do not see their calls and conversations on the phone late at night, we only see the consequence. We have no choice and take it as a given.

And the way she cooled him down? Fast, efficient, and Donnie seems to used to it. Moreover, she slapped everyone, but still, she throw Don out of window the last. However, why such a large time delay between him, being slapped and him, was throwing out of the window?

And my favourite scene. It was obvious that Donnie had taken the hardest hit (judging by his scream and the way he was putting his knuckles back in place). Don then claims that their inner circle is secure, Mikey tries to make amends for everyone, and April agrees, blowing them a kiss and closing the window. Cute and mean, isn't it? (You're cute! but mean! why do I always go for your type?! - ep. War and Pizza)

Nota bene: Donnie wouldn't apologize to April. Tough, not caring badass boy image, remember? Even to best friends. It's hard to him to express his feelings by using words, he cannot do it in proper way. But he has Mikey, who is so alike inner him. Michelangelo apologizes not only for himself, but for D mostly, because D starts suspected April.

Let's continue: the episode 8B: Hypno Part Deux

• Donnie put "Donnie's blocker" at April's phone to protect her.

It's common thing that your friend install some programs or apps on your device. But you will always ask your friend to do such a favour, and you will always know about what, when and where were installed on your phone.

And April didn't know Donnie had done something with her phone. It was a real surprise for her, to see blocker with "Donnie says no-no-no".

And you know, the interface of his app. The way he tell this current phrase. Donnie could put a huge banner "THE APP YOU WANT DOWNLOAD TO IS A REAL PIECE OF GARBAGE", as usual antiviruses do. But no, voice interface. It makes the app more personal and thoughtful. Because when Don made gifts for his brother, the program was voiced by a computer-generated female voice. Yes, the tank's interface is voiced by Donatello himself, but his voice sounds more like Google than the real Don. And, we talking about HIS BABEY, for a second. Bit still, the point remains.

• Also, Dale.

Dale is nerdy boy in purple, wow, how convenient for making a parallel with certain purple turtle.

But thing is, April doesn't like Dale. He's clingy, remora guy, who has a little obsession with April, even he's not harmful, still, such behaviour freaks girls (and not them only) out. Her classmate is usually tell her what April O'Neil is "his favourite person" and he loves her. There is little that is attractive about this behavior.

So, there is nothing new and unpredictable here that Dale was rejected. Because April didn't, doesn't and won't like him because of his lame personality and strange behaviour. Our girl in yellow do right thing: she clearly sets personal boundaries and does not allow any dubious personalities to invade them. So that's the reason she refuses to go on a date with him at the end. He's weird, obsessed, and she doesn't like him.

Donatello, as far as I concerned from different versions of TMNT, was always a little obsessive with some things. And, you know, putting a blocker inside your best friend's phone seems a little weird, because it's, in simple words, violation of privacy and personal space. And there are people who may regard this as stalking or sorta.

Yeah, for the most part, he gets away with it, not only because April's focus is in a different area, but also because their bond is stronger than April's with anyone else at school.

She has known him for years. Donnie is her best friend. I can't say that it's fine to her when Dee violates her personal space - her phone, but April can accept Donatello's personality in general.

And he does really have good intentions. Donnie installed this blocker, developed by himself only for one reason: to protect personal space April from fishy apps from nowhere, from being hacked and etc. Don knew her too well, how much she depends on stupid apps that will distract her. He also knew well, that he can't be with her 24/7 to fix problems with April's phone, so Dee put a part of himself to prevent any harm in the future.

And again, "Donnie's gifts"'s vibes. Donatello genuinely cared about April, because he wrote, coded, developed, designed, and dubbed it, turned on the database, and installed it all on April's phone. 'cause, you know, writing programs in general is a bit of a hassle, but writing an antivirus is much more difficult, because viruses are changing, and questionable applications are finding ways to bypass. Do you feel how much effort Dee put in for her?

But Donatello didn't mean to fix April, as he tried to do with his brothers. Purple turtle accepts this girl the way she is, and tries his best to play smoothly with April, by adjusting, not being passive aggressive jerk. It's his outstanding way to show his caring nature, soft side.

Remember, small but meaningful actions.

Maybe, Donnie also can foresee that April may be forced to download some suspicious program, but still, it work: he managed to prevent April being hypnotized, even if couldn't be physically with April at the this moment - Dee was working for Repo Mantis, building dog's paradise for Todd. That's why, by the way, Leo and Raph were dragged into this whole situation. Mayham would teleported literally anyone to help his hostess. Donnie just wasn't at the Lair at the moment.

And on this note, we'll take a break for now. Stay tuned, expect parsing of the series, there's a lot to discuss.

Part 2

Part 3

[canonicallysoulmates]

Just saw your post about the post phase 1 Marvel movies and the meme you used for CA:CW. So I'm here to ask and get you cancelled. What did you think about the movie? Are you Team Stark or Team Rogers?

........................................................I knew this day would come......okay, let's get me cancelled!

I hate this movie, I hate this movie with every fiber of my being. Watching it was torture, it as the longest 20hrs of my life. It was like living out one of those very confusing math problems I started this movie at 10am somehow 6pm rolls around and there are still 2hrs left! Coño cómo?! I watched this with my mom, and when we checked how much time was left we were left looking at each other like 'que carajo what twilight zone bullshit is this?' It's one of those Marvel movies that I am so glad I did not waste my money on, I wish I could get a refund for my time but I made my choice and I shall now have to deal with it.

I hate this movie for many reasons but I'm not gonna make y'all wait any longer for what you're really here for because I know what y'all really want to know is whether I am Team Iron Man or Team Captain America. When it comes to the political aspects ie. the Accords, I am Team Neither.

Now, I cannot get into a comprehensive debate about the Accords because the writers did a shitty ass job, in a 2 and a 1/2 hour movie that felt like a lifetime, at explaining what exactly the Accords are in the movie universe. Emphasis on the movie universe, because I have seen debates go on in this motherfucking fandom where some people will bring up aspects from the comics Registration Acts but we're not talking about the comics okay, we're talking about the movies! And they're two fucking different things! And the movie did a shitty ass job at explaining what the Accords are, and that's one of the reasons I hate this movie: that it's so badly written.

But back to the point, which is where I stand on the teams when it comes to the politics, I am Team Neither because ultimately they were both idiots on how they handled this, and I think they both have good points like yes the Avengers and other superheroes should 100% be held accountable if they fuck up, the fact that they are superheroes and the "good guys" doesn't mean that their actions shouldn't have consequences but at the same time Steve's mistrust of the government and concerns that the team and others could be weaponized are also valid so I think they both have good points when it comes down to it and the smart thing to do - and in my opinion what would have made a much better film- would have been to come together and make like a counterproposal, decide on amendments, try to ensure they can get a representative so they have a voice on the table.

So, there you go when it comes to the Accords I am Team Neither however when it comes to the characters and their actions I am 1,000% Team Tony. At the end of the day he wanted to do what was best for both people and for his team, he wanted to keep the team together because he knew they were stronger together, and he was thinking long term not short term.

And then there's Steve who is an asshole in this film and completely lacks self awareness, cause there's a scene in the film after they've found out about the Accords where Steve goes "that's because he already made up his mind" about Tony and I'm just like bitch so did you, pot meet kettle, Rogers you knew from the get go that you weren't going to sign those papers don't go acting different and then like- here's the thing Steve has some very good points when it comes to the Accords but one of his points is that the UN is filled with people with agendas and agendas change which true but also motherfucker you yourself have an agenda! The whole Sokovia mess is an example that they cannot be trusted to hold themselves or each other accountable because inevitably the time will come where they'll want to protect their team mate like we see in this movie Steve do with Bucky, or how he wanted to protect Wanda because he looks at her as if she were a child not an adult. Steve, you lot are not exempt from having your own agendas and biases.

And through pretty much the entire movie, he has this whole my way or the highway attitude like this man does not know the meaning of compromise in this film, and he has such tunnel vision for Bucky- and listen! listen, listeeeeeen, I get it, I don't judge Steve for making his bestie a priority; I understand that Bucky is incredibly important to Steve, that he's the one person who's gonna look at him as just Steve and not as the Steve Rogers, I get that he carries a guilt over what happened to his friend, I understand he misses him, I understand all of that and respect the ride or die game but goddamn he was so focused on being a good friend to Bucky that he forgot about everyone and everything else and was a shit friend to Tony.

Actually a lot of people in this film were shit to Tony for no goddamn reason but Steve was such a shitty friend not telling Tony about his parents, that was a shitty ass thing to do and listen! I know what some of y'all are thinking you're thinking some version of 'he wanted to protect Tony' shut the fuck up. No, no, that's an excuse and it's a cheap one, you know damn well that was a shitty thing for Steve to do and y'all know damn well you would have reacted the same way Tony did if someone who you thought was your goddamn friend knew about something horrible that happened to people that were important to you and they never told you; that kind of shit hurts, and finding out someone you thought of as a friend doesn't care about you as much as you care about them hurts.

And y'all know goddamn well how emotions work, you know emotions aren't gonna wait for the rational brain to kick in don't some of y'all go playing dumb as if you didn't know this shit. Same way deep down all of y'all know Tony was holding his punches, that man gave Thanos a fight and got some blood if he had wanted to kill Bucky he would have. Don't none of y'all motherfuckers try to play games and act like you don't know this info.

Steve was a shit friend to Tony. Period. The least he could have done is have some empathy or compassion towards Tony when he saw his parent's being killed- and I swear to motherfucking god to the person who is getting close to their keyboard thinking of saying he showed compassion by not killing him back the fuck away from your motherfucking keyboard what did I tell you about playing stupid, this is properly tagged, stay in your fucking lane. Some of y'all be acting as if it were still 2016 and we're gonna be talking about that too, anon wanted my opinion on this film so now I'm going off.

Back to what I was saying, in some ways Steve wasn't a perfect friend to Bucky either cause he kept looking at Bucky and thinking of the guy he used to know but Bucky's not that person anymore, he's been through a lot of shit and it feels at times like Steve didn't fully realize that.

I hate Steve in this movie, I wanna punch him in the throat; he's an ass, he thinks he's above the rules, he's unaware of his own flaws, he might be a good friend to Bucky but that's it. I don't blame Steve though I blame the writers cause they're the ones who wrote him this way; moving on from Steve, I wanna talk about Wanda real quick, I don't hate the character of Wanda but I do hate the way she was written in this film, I hate that the writers expect us as an audience to look at this adult and think of her as a defenseless child who should be exempt from consequences, I hate that instead of actually doing something with her and exploring some interesting dynamics they just give her an AI boyfriend and a pinterest quote which sounds nice but falls flat especially considering she says said quote as she uses her powers (which is what people are afraid of) to send her love interest down several floors of a building. They could have done so many cool and interesting things with her, shame they didn't.

Another thing I hate about this film is what it did to the fandom, and how it was promoted because it was very much promoted as a pick your fighter, pick a side type of movie and after this movie came out I feel like the divide between Tony fans and Steve fans grew toxically and the effects are still seen to this day like some people really do be acting as if it were still 2016 and attacking others for what side they went with or for who their fav between the two is, and I'll be very honest a lot of the hate I have seen has been directed towards Tony and Tony fans. I hate that, I hate when TPTB deliberately pits fans against each other cause it just encourages a toxic environment.

Let me think was there anything that I liked about this film- wait, oh my god talking about all these other things I hate almost made me forget the thing I hate the most about this movie: it's pointless. Its existence is unnecessary; the biggest aspect of this film isn't the politics of the Accords, it's Steve and Bucky and how far Steve is willing to go for Bucky and have him by his side...but Endgame exists. The end of Endgame turns this film pointless, because the only true point of this movie is the relationship between Steve and Bucky that's the biggest takeaway from the whole thing, but then you have the end of Endgame where Steve just leaves Bucky.

I hated this film before I saw Endgame but after.....I never plan to watch Civil War again but if I did I'm pretty sure I'd self combust cause I'd be so angry I'd scream every time Steve appeared cause that son of a bitch ends up leaving; tears the whole team apart only to end up leaving his friend behind in the end.

I hate this film, I hate everything about it, well that's not true I love the Tony and Peter stuff, but aside from a couple of things I hate this movie, someone give me time stone I'm eliminating it from the timeline.

So, there you go those are my thoughts on CA: CW.

In conclusion, I am Team Neither on the Accords, Team Tony on everything else, Steve I still like you but this movie demoted you in my eyes and makes me wanna punch you in the throat.

[a-pretty-nerd]

Tomura Shigaraki x AllMight!Daughter!Reader

Chapter 9

Premis:

When The League of Villains discovers that AllMight has a daughter, they are quick to snatch you up and hold you hostage. Shigaraki had a careful and thought out plan, but that was before you got there. Now you’re in the mood for some not-so-healthy rebellion.

Word count: 2,756

Warnings: Cursing

A/N:

Oh dear lord I'm slow at getting these out. Life's been kickin' my ass lately. But thank you to everyone who's been giving me feedback on my stuff, I really love to hear from you guys!

Taglist: 

(So sorry, I forgot when I originally posted!) 

@craftybean13 @babayaga67 @imjustverable

@bat-eclecticwolfbouquet-love

@kamenoyaki @hentaiqween101 @skzero-99 @justanotherlifeff

@witch-o-memes​

Chapter 8 Chapter 10

Two months. You've been "missing" for two months now. The days flew by, your time occupied by quirk training Shigaraki insisted on but never told you why. The times you tried to ask he'd brush it off, or say something like:

"So you don’t throw another fit." His words were harsh but he said them with a flat and bored tone. Like it was a poorly acted line.

So now you had better control. You could move things on command, you knew basic combat, you certainly knew how to kick Dabi's ass by now, that didn't take too long. You were being allowed more and more freedom. Even allowed to leave for a convenience store runs with Toga once or twice. No one policed you, told you what you could and could not do anymore. You could have easily ran away by now. You supposed they really didn't need you either. For their plan to work all they would need was some blood and Toga could easily pass as you.

That idea sent a shiver down your spine. You're sure Shigaraki has thought of that already, so why hadn't he? Why was he training you? Would he use your quirk against the heroes in some way? Was he grooming you to turn and fight your father? You wouldn't. No matter what you wouldn't fight your father. Would you? You shook yourself of this thought as you walked down the ally to the back door of the hide out.

Toga unlocked the door and you stepped in, greeted by a dark and dingy back room. You made your way through the dark halls, following closely behind her as she led you up the stairs that finally led to the parts of the building with power. Soon you found yourself walking to the familiar living space where a few people rested. Dabi laid himself out on one of the couches, Spinner sat fiddling with his burner phone, and Twice had started yelling at the TV before you arrived.

"Luuuunch!" Toga shouted. Toga was often used as the errand girl, she brought back necessary supplies, oftentimes food. Today Toga asked you to tag along and help out, and there wasn't a single objection to the hostage going out on the town. You sat the heavy bags down on the coffee table, taking out the contents as you spoke.

"Where are the others?" You asked.

"Mr. Compress was sent on an errand of his own. And Shigaraki's probably pouting in his room. He'll come out when he's hungry." Dabi groaned as he took his meal from your hand.

"Oh. I'll just bring it to him." You said, absent-minded. All eyes turned to you, looking confused and shocked. "What?" You asked.

"Nothing! It's just-"

"He doesn't like to be disturbed." Toga and Twice spoke. You paused and looked at the box in your hand. It would get cold if he didn't eat soon, and besides, none of you had had much to eat lately, you were sure he was hungry. You knew you were.

"I'll just leave it at the door and knock. It'll get cold and then he'll be in an even worse mood." You told them. They watched you turn and walk up the stairs to his "room". You stood in front of the door, with such thin walls you could hear furious typing on the other side. Loud clicking of a mouse, and the sound of a computer's fan. You took a deep breath and softly knocked on the door. Suddenly the sounds abruptly stopped, followed by a bark.

"What!?"

"Foods here." You called back. You heard footsteps on the other side growing louder and louder until the door flew open. You stared up at the tall man as he looked down on you. His hair hung over his face, his eyes hardly visible. Your heart rate quickened the longer you looked at him. What the hell is wrong with you?

"Give it to me." He held out his hand, his pinky holding out in preparation to receive the box.

"You said you liked spice stuff, right?" You asked as you placed it in his hand.

"Yeah."

"We got you their spicy special. I hope it's not too much. The sign said 'caution' on it." He scoffed at you, turning the box and looking at the writing on it. He fell very quiet. Inspecting the box, you suddenly worried that something was wrong with it. That maybe you'd messed up somehow. But before your anxiety could reach its peak-

"Thank you." His voice was low and soft. You could hardly hear him. Then before you could respond he closed the door and left you alone again. Did he really say that? You never heard him say that to anyone. Granted, you hardly knew him but still, the way he said it, it made you feel... special in some way. You shook yourself from your train of thought and shuffled down the hallway, pausing when you heard movement and the door to Shigaraki's room open. You froze.

"Wait a minute." He barked. You turned too look at him. He hung out of the doorway to stare at you.

"W-What?" You asked. Shigaraki had a way of making people feel like they were in trouble. His ability to easily become an authority figure was something you were beginning to understand now.

"You...went out?" You nodded. He paused and looked away, his eyes shifting as the gears spun in his head. He turned back into his room as he spoke, "come here for a second." He asked. You slowly made your way to his room, the door left wide for you to peak inside. A dark room lit by portable light fixtures and a laptop computer which sat on an old desk. A cot thrown to the corner covered by the same old and tattered blankets the rest of you had.

"Am I... in trouble?" You croaked.

"What? No. Close the door behind you, you'll let in a draft." He ordered, seeming genuinely confused by your question. You closed the door behind you, leaving you completely alone with him in his space. Your heart raced.

You watched him turn and look up at the wall which he had decorated with plans. Pictures of heroes and villains cut out and pinned. Newspaper clippings, printed out articles and research essays. He was planning something, but what it was was difficult to determine. You did notice however, a cut out of an empty figure with your name on it pinned to the center of it all. You stared at it for a second before he broke you from your train of thought.

"Well?"

"Huh!?"

"What do you think?" He asked. His attention turned to his meal, he picked at it, taking a few bites.

"Of what?"

"...the plan." You looked back at the wall, puzzled you tried your best to gain any sort of information from it. Only being able to find bits and pieces. You knew it involved you, your father, and the take down of hero society. A cut out piece of article said something about the rise of villains, that more and more people were turning to villain work. How those rates have a correlation with classes. You slowly turned back to look at him.

"I'm sorry you're gonna have to explain this to me." You told him. He rolled his eyes and stood, directing his attention to his work as he spoke.

"This is the second part of the plan."

"What was the first?"

"Taking you as a hostage."

"Right. But, didn't you say the plan was to expose the heroes after they weren't able to rescue me and not only expose the faulty heroes but also my father as a neglectful and flawed individual not worthy of the hero title?" He paused.

"Yes."

"But that didn't go as planned."

"....."

"Didn't you say something about making a video to broadcast outing myself as All Might's daughter and causing panic? What happened to that plan?"

"It became leverage. If they attempt to come for you, then we'll go with that. But if we do that now, they'll come for you now and we'll be forced to fight."

"Isn't a fight...a good thing? You'd get news coverage and You'd no doubt gain supporters."

"Normally it would. But a fight isn't what we need right now. The heroes have us surrounded. If we make any move at all, we're in their hands. We won't be able to win."

"Not even with your quirk? Couldn't you-"

"Not with everyone here. As strong as I've gotten, I'm not strong enough to keep them from getting swept up and dusted too."

"Right."

"We're in a tight spot. One wrong move and we'll be wiped out."

"What about your supporters? Couldn't you get help from the outside."

"I could, but the heroes would see it coming. They have our signal tapped. Any sort of communication has to be verbal or written."

"Homing pigeon?" You offered. It made him smirk.

"Right now we're like a fox trapped in its own hole by hunters."

"So... we dig?" That made him smile, wide.

"Dig. If we could smuggle ourselves out of the city, we could reach a clear spot where we can call for backup to get us."

"Why not send one person to smuggle themselves out? Toga could easily disguise herself and leave."

"They have a barrier."

"What?"

"Part of the city is closed off until further notice. They know exactly where we are. If one gets out, they won't hesitate to come for all of us. We all have to get out at once and they can't notice until it's too late."

"But how the hell are you gonna do that?" His smile widened. He looked truly excited and happy. For the first time you saw your capture seem truly excited about something.

"We have a few secret recruits in the city. Spies." He turned his attention back to his meal box, reaching in to pull out the inner box that held the food, to reveal a piece of paper sitting underneath in the flimsy take out box. "I didn't know they were letting you out of the base now." He spoke as he opened and read the note within the box.

"I thought, you knew. I thought you were the one that said I could. Dabi said it was fine." He read the note and stood to pin it up on the wall before speaking.

"I've been too busy with this to worry about you. You shouldn't believe everything that Dabi says. I told him to make sure you just don't have another episode and cause a scene before we leave. I thought assigning him babysitting duty would keep him busy." He chuckled. "There's just one thing I don't understand." He turned back to you. "Why didn't you leave?"

"I...I..."

"You had the opportunity, but you're still here. Why?" You froze. Why? Why didn't you run?

"I was scared I'd be killed." You lied. He laughed at you.

"Don't lie to me. You lost that fear a long time ago. You know that's not true. If I wanted you dead I would have killed you a long time ago."

"You've kept me alive to use me as bate. To, to expose the truth." You argued.

"With Toga, we wouldn't need to." You swallowed hard. You knew he had thought about this.

"I'll tell you why I stayed, if you tell me why you've been training me." He scoffed.

"To keep you busy, to keep you from having another episode."

"That doesn't make sense. You could have drugged me, killed me, you said it yourself. But you kept me alive, you kept me busy. You could have kept me on my meds, unable to use it at all but you insisted I learn my quirk. You trained me yourself. Why?" His smile faded and his expression became dark.

"I asked you first." He growled. You looked away from him and thought for a moment before gaining the strength to answer. You knew the truth for a while now. You never wanted to say it out loud. You refused to look at him as you spoke.

"I don't wanna go back. But you probably already knew that by now. You just wanted to hear me say it, huh?" His smirk returned.

"Had a hunch." He snickered.

"Now you answer me."

"Why don't you wanna go back?"

"We had a deal. Answer my question now." You barked at him. It took him a long pause. A full minute of waiting in silence felt like agony.

"I thought it would help you feel better." He muttered in a surprisingly husky tone. "Keep you from asking me to dust you again." That's right, during your episode...

"I'm sorry." You blurted.

"What?"

"I'm sorry I... I asked you to kill me." You hid your face from him. He shifted and crossed his arms across his chest.

"It's not a big deal, I dust people all the time."

"No, I know. But like, I can't imagine being asked to by someone having a fucking break down happens all the time too. I kinda...kinda put you in a shitty position." When you looked up, he looked confused. Comically so. "What?"

"I took you hostage." He reminded you. You couldn't help but chuckle, that made him more confused.

"Shit, yeah, you're right. Guess I shouldn't be so hard on myself huh?" He looked away. "Still. My intentions weren't to upset you."

"You didn't upset me."

"It seems like I upset you." You toyed. His guard was down, he was vulnerable, and allowing you to be there.

"Shut up. You didn't answer my other question!" He shouted in an almost playful tone. You couldn't help but smile, only to have it slowly fade as you thought about your second answer.

"I don't want to go back because..." you stopped, the words getting stuck in your throat. You were unable to speak. He looked down at you, waiting for an answer. He seemed almost relaxed. He seemed normal. Like a normal guy leaning against the wall of his bedroom with his arms folded across his chest. Your eyes wandered up to his scarred neck, bright red scabs forming. Inflamed and fresh. He had recently scratched at it again, clearly in an upset state too. When he blinked you got a clear view of the scarring around his eyes.

"Boss!" A familiar voice shouted from outside the door. "Boss!" Before you could move the door was thrown open, Spinner's wide eyes finding you standing there. He shook his confusion loose before turning back to Shigaraki who quickly changed his position to attention. "Come quick!"

You followed him back to the living space where the old television sat. The news playing loudly as everyone gathered around to watch in panic. Swat teams and heroes decorated the screen as shot after shot showed them surrounding your building. Fear ran from your toes to your head, making you feel nauseous and dizzy. Shit. Shit. Shit. They're here for you. But you...you weren't ready to leave. And what about-

"Not again! - We can take 'em'!" Twice shouted at it like a sport was playing.

"Tomura, what are we going to do!?" Toga asked, frantically bobbing up and down in panic. He watched the TV intently listening in.

"After receiving a tip from an anonymous source, police and heroes found missing tourist Y/L/N Y/N being held captive by The League of Villains in this abandoned office building. Officials are working now to safely rescue the hostage."

Suddenly a loud voice was heard both on TV and through the halls of the building.

"League of Villains. We have you surrounded. Please let Y/L/N go and no one will be hurt." A cop shouted through a megaphone.

"C'mon Shigaraki, what's the plan?" Dabi asked, clearly starting to get uncomfortable. Before Shigaraki could respond, you spoke.

"Well, looks like this is it for me." You began walking away, only to be stopped by a strong, four-fingered grip pulling you back.

"Where do you think you're going!?" He growled.

"The jig is up, Shigaraki! Let me go! I'm not useful anymore. All they want is me, if I'm out of your hair you'll be able to escape easier." His grip tightened, pulling you closer as his red eyes bore into yours.

"So long as you're here they won't dare make a move. You're still my most valuable player. You're staying right here."

[kaydeefalls]

Choose a fic of your own to answer: 1, 2, 13, 25!

Thank you! <3 And you know what, since you're giving me dealer's choice, I'm gonna go with my LEAST popular Old Guard fic by AO3 hits or kudos -- Awakenings, the Nile-centric one -- in the hopes of somehow luring folks in to read it. 😜

1. Favorite line of narration?

Lykon is twenty-three years old; he has been a son and a merchant and a soldier. He will not die unavenged.

His hand has found the hilt of his knife. With his final burst of energy, he slashes out and cuts his killer's throat, and they die together on the bloodstained stones of Tyre.

And some minutes later, they gasp awake together as well.

Everything is very confusing for a while after that.

2. Favorite line of dialogue?

"You're all like me, aren't you?" Nile finally asks. "You can't die. In my dreams, I've seen…" She trails off, shaking her head. "Thought I was going crazy at first, but something told me you were real. I can't explain it. I just knew."

"I know," Joe says softly. "We all felt the same, when it first happened to us. We dream of each other until we meet."

"So those dreams, they'll stop now that I've seen you in person?" At Joe's nod, she blows out a breath. "Oh, thank the Lord. Begging your pardon, but there's only so much of your nocturnal activities I care to witness."

13. Easiest scene to write?

Lykon's section, far and away. It was just fun. Now that I feel like I've gotten a hang of his voice/personality, at least a little bit, I'm determined to incorporate him into every AU I write from now on. This fandom needs way more Lykon.

25. Favorite thing about the fic - this is your permission to brag!

I just really like the concept, okay? Swapping Nile in for each of the other immortals' moments in history. I'd had this fic on the backburner for quite a while, and honestly expected someone else to write something like it first, but no one else did (though of course it's 100% possible I've just missed it, in which case, point me in that direction!). I've seen a few where Nile was born in different eras -- usually just in the background of a Joe/Nicky fic to give the excuse of one of THEM to be born in the modern day -- and those glimpses have always fascinated me. So I made a whole fic about it. And I really think each of the glimpses does work for her, I feel like I could spin out whole long AU fics for each one of them. <3

Fic ask meme, if you'd like to play! Because it's one of those nights.

[hws-cernunnos]

Italian 101:expressing romantic love and attraction

As promised I'm back with the romantic version of this post :D Link

As usual long post ahead (❁´◡`❁)very long oof

Let's start this journey by defining each role with it's name :)

It can be quite useful to understand a certain type of mentality ! You'll see what I mean right away.

Boyfriend is ragazzo and girlfriend is ragazza and they literally mean boy and girl ahah. Now, it's normal for unmarried native English speaking couples in their late 20s and beyond, to call each other boyfriend/girlfriend. That's really not a thing in Italian. Ragazzo/a are only used by teenagers because it does feel quite infantile to refer to your s/o in such terms in our language 😅 especially if you live together... Ex:{nation x}è il mio ragazzo/la mia ragazza

... Which brings me to: compagno/a. It's the word used by adults to refer to their s/o and it means partner as in life partner and it really doesn't matter whether you're only dating, living under the same roof and/but decided not to marry(but maybe start a family!) it's still the correct terminology! So realistically the Italy Bros would call their s/o their partner, at their current age :) And oh! If you ship them with Vanya it could be a great pun since it also means comrade ahah. Kids of course don't make use of it because a) it indicates a committed relationship as I explained, it would be weird b)it kinda sounds like classmate lol (compagno di classe). Ex:{nationx}è il mio compagno/la mia compagna

Weirdly enough it's not that uncommon to hear a teen say fidanzato/a, which supposedly should only indicate your fiance ahah. As a kid it profoundly amused me to hear fellow 12-year-olds talk about their fidanzati. But it is indeed a common way to call your loved one and I used it myself to talk about my friends' bfs/gfs. As you can imagine it lost such connotation, but I can say that many still feel quite nervous about being called fidanzato/a because they feel like they're about to step on the altar. Ex:{nationx}è il mio fidanzato/la mia fidanzata

Talking about altar... Husband is marito and wife is moglie. On the other hand groom is sposo and bride is sposa. Ex:{nationx}è mio marito/mia moglie. As you can see they don't need an article, *John Mulaney voice* quella è mia moglie! I'm so sorry.

A more yoyo *snort* way to refer to your bf/gf is tipo/a, which literally means dude/dudette ahah. Ex. {Nationx}è il mio tipo/la mia tipa😎.

Onto dialectal versions:) very important tbh, could give that something more to your texts. A common way to call your bf/gf in many northern Italian languages (except my own rjrnh) is moroso/a. It stands for "amoroso", loving and it takes the article according to the language; in most cases it does, in Veneto it doesn't. Ex:{nationx}è il mio moroso/la mia morosa or (in Veneto's case) ho visto mio moroso parlare con mio fratello(I've seen my boyfriend talk to my brother). Would be cute in a social media au like, bio "mio moroso🥺" link to the poor lad's account.

In many southern Italian regions you can find zito/a :) (it's used in Apulia, Sicily and Calabria as far as I know!!) and it pretty much means lad/lass.Ex:{nationx}è il mio zito/la mia zita. I'll assume someone like Mano would use it in a more intimate context.

Common terms of endearment and silly pet names ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ

A very common mistake I've encountered in ffs is "mi amore". Italian really doesn't work like Spanish, in our language "mi" isn't a possessive adjective but a particle that indicates the indirect object :3

Ex:Mi piace il gelato.(I like ice cream, Ice cream is liked by me).

Mio is what you're looking for ☺ and it doesn't change according to gender because the adjective takes the word's grammatical gender (amore is masculine). In this case the adjective should be postponed "amore mio", unless in an example like this:

Ex. Sei il mio amore(you're my love).

Tesoro works the same way!! "tesoro mio".

As I mentioned in my platonic love post patata/o is very common and so is It's diminutive patatina/o, but it seems like carotina/o (little carrot) is popular as well (not as much tho! Once again the masculine form is pure invention ahah :)) .

Many use sugary sweet stuff like pucci-pucci which don't really mean anything dbbd we all probably collectively think they sound cute(or irritating, depends who you ask).

One I've seen a couple of times in ffs is caro/a...which indeed means dear in Italian!! But it's not that popular:( mostly because it sounds straight out a 50s commercial. It's used in a ironic way and once again ,with others I've mentioned in the other post ,to address someone who happens to be particularly annoying.

My favourite ones have to be respectively tato/a for Feli and principe for Mano. I truly thought tato/a(tatino/a) were panitalian but my main moots are from the South and they said it's not a thing there,,,? Quite the revelation. It doesn't mean anything, it's just baby talk and it's used for.. Anyone really... Your child, your pet, your bf... Might be a short form for the so popular patato but who knows ahah

Principe truly fucks me up. The idea of Romano calling his bf prince out all of things sends me. And yet it seems like it's quite popular in some parts of the South?? In my friend's @flamaflavio words "I've seen 30 something years old women use it". Oh btw princess is principessa just in case :3

Any kind of cute little animal is game(for example cucciolotto,little puppy or topolino/a little mouse that I've already mentioned). And ah in English there's this thing where you take your s/o name and add bear, in Italian it's orsacchiottino, little teddy bear.

Almost forgotten about it, a bad boy type of character might use dolcezza, sweet thing, or piccolo/a baby.

Let's conclude this post with some sentences o(〃＾▽＾〃)o

Sono innamorato/a di te "I'm in love with you"

Mi sono innamorato/a di te "I've fallen in love with you"

Ho una cotta per lui/lei "I've a crush on him/her"

A more sappy one could be "sei la luce dei miei occhi" (you're my eyes' light). It's also said by parents to their children

Ti adoro "I adore you"

Mi piaci "I like you"

Sono pazzo/a di lui/lei "I'm crazy for him/her"

I won't cover compliments but I can tell you how to say someone is hot ahah. You can say:

Che figo/a! (He/she's really hot!)

È davvero bono/a (He/she's really hot)

A funny way is "È proprio gnocco/a". My girl @flamaflavio introduced me to " È un intero piatto di gnocchi " "He/she/they is/are an entire plate of gnocchi" and I've never been the same😭

We also say "è proprio manzo" to talk about a guy ajsjsj. Manzo means beef, so I suppose it's the Italian version of "beefcake". On the same tone of the gnocchi plate a common meme is " Non è solo un manzo è un'intera macelleria " He's not only beef (a steak??)he's an entire butcher's.

In genovese slang(not language mind you, kids language ahhehs) we might jokingly say "Che beccio". A beccio is a very confident (and hot?definitely stylish) guy.

A more crass way can be "Che fregno/a"

Will keep this PG djdj but you can check this link out if you want some funny horny on main expressions ahah link

Aaand we're done!!! Just let me know if you've enjoyed this and what you'll like me to cover in next post 🥰 thanks for reading this

[revchainsaw]

Nausicaa and the Valley of the Wind (1984)

Prayers and Salutations Cult Members! I am your mysterious minister Reverend Chainsaw and this is another nights revival service at the Cult Film Tent Revival. I bring you a special word tonight. Tonight's word is about a person who roamed the earth, in a time where people were backward and warlike. A leader emerged into a kingdom full of eschatological expectation. This leader came preaching peace, and was killed for the sins of the world, but was resurrected. In that resurrection a new hope was brought to the planet, and true healing through the power of love in the face of violence is made possible. I am talking of course about Princess Nausicaa from the Valley of the Wind.

The Message

Nausicaa and the Valley of the Wind is the film that put studio Ghibli and Hayoa Miyazaki on the map. No animated feature this grandiose and epic had been achieved by 1984, as much as Disney may beg to differ. The tale may be simple, and it may feel super 80s to us today, but Nausicaa is a masterpiece, and the fact that Howl's Moving Castle is brought up alongside Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away more often than Nausicaa is a farce and a tragedy.

The film takes place on a fantastic planet that seems to have suffered the ravages of an apocalyptic war. A war that involved gigantic warriors with powers so devastating they about made the entire planet inhospitable if not uninhabitable; save for a few areas. The fall out of this ancient war has left the earth in a state of repair, where the natural processes of a planet healing has creating giant toxic jungles.

Beyond these jungles lie two imperialistic factions, they seem almost to be city-states but it's not terribly clear. The Kingdom of Tolmekia, a militaristic proto-fascist society of almost Spartan sensibilities. Tolmekia is governed by the ambitious and cynical Princess Kushana, But I like to call her Furiosa. Just like Furiosa, Kushana is physically missing parts of herself, a visual metaphor for her metaphysical lacking and the parts of her humanity she has cut away. Kushana's world view is one of fear, a fear that can only be quelled by waging a genocidal campaign against her enemies.

Speaking of enemies, the Athens to Tolmekias Sparta would be the Pejite Kingdom. The Pejites might like to view themselves as simply responding to Tolmekian aggression, but the narrative of the film, and the story told quite visibly on the body of Kushana, is quite different. The Pejites are just as bloodthirsty if not more palettable in their approach, but like the Tolmekians, they believe only their own lives have any value. And thus, in this theatre of war, a Giant Warrior from the ages before is unearthed by the Pejite Kingdom, Stolen by the Tolmekians, before the forces of nature themselves, seem to conspire to drop the Giant Warriors "egg" right into the Valley of the Wind.

The Valley of the Wind is populated like the world of Avatar the Last Airbender, that is mostly of children and the elderly. The people of the Valley have been able to remain untouched by the ravages of war and the toxic jungles of the damaged world primarily due to geographic luck that's explained in minor exposition in the film. They are ruled by a King, and they are all deeply enamored by their beloved Princess Nausicaa.

Nausicaa is a gentle soul. She is kind to animals, she is empathetic, unreasonably patient, and bears pain and grief inflicted on her out of cruelty with a saintly understanding. She really is a thinly veiled Christ figure, scratch that. There is no veil. But she's also my favorite Christ figure. She does not preach a message, as much as she tries to save everyone from their own short sighted goals. She is not perfect, she does lash out and do some fantasy sword fight murder, but she regrets her actions so deeply that it seems to have played a part in motivating her to become even more compassionate and patient with the evils of the world.

Nausicaa discovers yet another plot by the Pejites, who are afraid of the possibility of the Tolmekians awakening the Giant Warrior, to use animal cruelty to enrage a group of almost invincible giant insects known as the Ohm. By luring the Ohm into the Valley of the Wind where the Tolmekians have become an occupying force, they hope to completely wipe out everything that threatens them. The Tolmekians DO awaken the Giant Warrior and pure pandemonium ensues. Nausicaa manages to save the Baby Ohm and calm the rage of the bloodthirsty Ohm swarm, and to defeat the warlike tendencies of both the Pejites and the Tolmekians. All the while fulfilling a prophecy fortold about a messianic savior figure called the Man in Blue.

Now that you have heard the Gospel of Nausicaa, please stand to receive The Benediction.

Best Character: Half a Person

Now that I've spent the better part of this review gushing about our Lord and savior Nausicaa. I have to admit, she's at times a bit too perfect, a bit too saccharin. Even her flaw, or her one weakness and her failing to be perfect, just adds to the perfection. I can't even say she never makes mistakes cuz she made one, and that's infuriating. It's even more infuriating that I still think she's a great character. Normally this kind of thing really kills a hero. Most Chosen Ones are the most boring and least likeable characters in their narratives. I don't know how Nausicaa avoids this trap, but she does. I'll have to do some meditating on that.

However, just like in your typical Chosen One fantasy narrative, the hero is a lot less fun than the villain. I'm going to say the best character in Nausicaa is Kushana. I want to be like Nausicaa, but I don't understand her. She's almost alien, even though we learn all about her. Kushana is mysterious, secretive, and enigmatic, yet I understand her. She barely has an arc, she doesn't really change. She's cold and cynical to the bone, but I don't need to see much of her situation to completely understand why she is the way she is. I usually hate totalitarian bad guys, but Kushana I like. Sue Me.

Also fun fact, did you that Nausicaa means 'Sinker of Ships'. That's kinda fun.

Best Scene: Spoiled for Choice

I'm going to be lazy and say take your pick. There is really not a bad seen in this movie. If the action isn't going, then there's intriguing dialogue. If there's no dialogue then you may be about to get hit with a forceful burst of whimsy. There's horror, there's swordfights and aerial dogfights. The only thing in Nausicaa I don't like to see, is the bloody tortured Ohm Baby. It's like a god damned Sarah Mclachlan commercial.

Best Creature: Foxy Shazam!

The Ohm are so simplistic yet so detailed. The number of eyes is alien, but the way they are used is expertly expressive. Who'd think you could get me to love what basically amounts to a silverfish with the intensity that I love a kitten. How did Miyazaki pull an Okja with a creature that should be haunting our dreams? I don't know.

And what about the Giant Warrior! If you are an Evangelion fan then you probably already know that Hideaki Anno designed and animated the melting goopy biomechanical beast. Surely a sight that would make both H.R. Giger and Clive Barker giddy with excitement. Just the image of the silhouettes marching amidst the desolation of the old world is burned into my brain.

So which of these is the best creature from Ghibli's first outing? It's fucking Teto. It was always gonna be Teto you idiot. Just look at Teto, he's adorable. He's too cute to exist. I'm so alone. I need a pet.

Best Character Design: Tolmekian Regalia

I originally included this category to talk some about Kushana, however, at that time I also thought I was going to say Nausicaa was the best character. I thought hard about deleting it, but I think it's a different category and you can't accuse me of playing favorites because my favorite character is clearly Teto. Just to keep it simple. It's the two costume shift from full military regalia in white and gold, to the one metal arm, warrior princess get up. It's a great costume and a great look. Get on this shit cosplay nerds. It's great for Cons in Canada, you have to think about layers, and you can't keep going as Mr. Plow. It's lazy.

Best Excuse to Talk About Patrick Stewart's Character: Lord Yupa

I just realized that I was about to write this whole review without talking about Lord Yupa. Lord Yupa is a sword saint and all around badass I think a lot of entertainment, especially in the west is lacking bad ass old men. Lord Yupa particularly shines in the early half of the film as a warrior and as a wise council to Nausicaa. If she's Jesus then Yupa is John the Baptist. He is also voiced by the elegant and eloquent Patrick Stewart. He also comes with 2 chocobos!

Worst Character: For Whom Asbel Tolls

This might also be the worst actor category as well. Actual Cannibal (haha meme) and actual monster (haha real life) Shia Labeouf doesn't so much act in the role as he read the lines and it was recorded. The good news it doesn't effect the film too much because Asbel is completely forgettable. He is a catalyst to some of the action, but besides that I don't really care for him.

Worst Aspect: To Be Fair ...

It would be unfair to completely ignore anything negative about Nausicaa. I have already mentioned in many places that there are some pretty corny, or pretty predictable tropes to this movie. But what I can't capture in words is exactly why it feels fresh when it's done in this movie. I suppose that's what makes it good. It's just so good that it's weak points are lifted up by it's strengths. Some people may bored of Nausicaa's unyielding goodness, or that she very rarely chooses to take action as much as she chases and pleads with her surroundings, but I mean, she does pay for that eventually. It's a fantasy story and it hits a lot of timeless themes that have been hit in stories for as long as human beings have been telling stories. Some people may feel that it doesn't do enough to stand out.

Summary

I have defined the S tier for myself as "near perfect and personal favorite" films. I like to think that Nausicaa and the Valley of the Wind is near perfect. Some may say that it looks like it might just be a personal favorite. In the case of Nausicaa, I'm having a very hard time telling the difference. I think it would be overly simple to claim that Nausicaa is just an ancient archetypal heroes journey with an 80s anime coat of paint. I think it's doing quite a few new and interesting things with that formula, those things are just playing out all around that narrative as opposed to being at it's center. For a first full length outing by the studio, you can really see Miyazaki's heart and the values he holds close to. I'll repeat myself so that we are completely clear on the matter. I think Nausicaa and the Valley of the Wind is a near perfect movie.

Overall Grade: S

[gascon-en-exil]

Dark Deity Pre-Release Character Opinions

This isn't actually a tier list, but someone helpfully created a template for this game and it's as good a way as any to do a little visual showcase for this cast. Characters are listed by their class sets, which are fixed but offer a nice variety in terms of promotion options. My opinions on each are as follows, from left to right in each row. Most characters have introductory profiles written up on the DD subreddit, if you'd like to check them out yourself.

Warriors

Alexa

You know those buff female blacksmiths in Echoes and Three Houses that some people wish were playable characters? That's pretty much Alexa. Can't say I'm too hyped about her myself, but warrior + tomboyish female character will do that for me...or not do it, I suppose.

Benji

Seems to have been written to become a meme, and I still can't decide whether that's clever or stupid. Kind of like Raphael only with a bigger emphasis on training than on eating, and with brotherly devotion replaced with brotherly angst that might theoretically go somewhere if the character isn't reduced to being a goofy joke all the time.

Fenton

Doesn't have a character profile, so as far as I know he's just a generic dwarf because DD swaps out its inspiration's loli dragons and other vaguely fetishistic shapeshifters for the two most cliché non-human races in Western fantasy. I wonder whether his VA will voice him with a Scottish accent, to go all in on the (ironic?) laziness. There are a handful of elves in the playable cast, but Fenton is the only dwarf so for better or worse he's representing.

Helena

She's the embodiment of the FE exotic swordswoman archetype, but curiously DD seems to have turned that broad ethnic brush inward. Helena's last name is apparently a Japanese verb, her art shows her with a spear (as in the association of the naginata with women), and she studied and trained in a monastery that seems to blend elements of Buddhism and Shintoism. Not sure how all that fits into the larger setting yet, but at this point she's still got more background development than Petra.

Irving

Our Hero, the one front and center on the cover art. He sounds a bit on the blander side as far as lords or lord equivalents go, with his most promising hook for me being his established friendship with Garrick (see the ranger section). At best I can hope for a bit of a romantic friendship dynamic, although they sound a bit rougher overall as they're military academy schoolmates I wonder why DD went with that instead of lordlings of different territories.

Rogues

Brooke

Looks like Camilla; has a backstory like Niles. Cleavage aside though the sexual element of both is toned down here, and there might be some sapphic bodyguard shenanigans to be had as her current employers are a pair of highborn sisters further down this list.

Cia

For some reason she reminds me of Tressa from Octopath Traveler, only bustier and a bartender rather than a merchant. She's still just a small town girl with big city dreams, and this being a tactical war game following those dreams will inevitably involve stabbing people.

Corvan

Hard to judge him at the moment, as his profile was only the second written and so isn't terribly detailed. He's a moon elf with scholarly interests, apparently. Still, as of right now he's the only rogue who doesn't slot loosely into either a ninja/assassin or pirate aesthetic, so that's kind of neat. Also, he's one of several characters to have FEH-esque beach fanart made of them already, so clearly someone's into elf twinks.

Ford

A former officer at the military academy Irving attends and a smuggler who dotes on his niece, Ford has major dad energy. Per developer reveals he's also bi, and as I mentioned before I'm totally fine with that. More bear sex, please - but what guy in this cast would hop in the sack with Ford? Only time will tell. His personal skill makes him extra dodgy, which combined with the mug of booze in his art makes me think of WoW brewmasters who dodge-tank through the power of being wasted.

Wren

Like Brooke, he's an assassin from a foreign nation - in his case the same one as Helena so presumably he's a not!Japanese ninja. I'm not really feeling him at the moment. What is it about Hao'Fen (the city/territory he and Helena come from) and massive families? That comes up in both their backstories.

Rangers

Caius

I feel like this is the third or fourth character to grow up in some slum or other; at least they've all been in different towns so far. The relative rarity of noble characters is certainly different from FE, but it reduces the political stakes which leaves me wondering a bit about the story. Anyway, Caius is a small town desert hunter who learned how to make arrows out of animal bones. How aerodynamic is bone, I wonder?

Garrick

Irving's BFF and seemingly the Hector to Irving's Eliwood, only with more flirting (his intro doesn't specify that Garrick is flirting with women, but I'm not going so far as to say that indicates anything). He's the academy headmaster's son, with a strained relationship with his father for some of that hotheaded lead tension. Notably, his VA is the one I'm most familiar with in this cast, as he's the voice of Revali from Breath of the Wild as well as love interests in two different erotic gay dating sims I've played. In other words, I know what this guy sounds like making awkwardly simulated sex noises...and I have no idea what to do with that information.

Maeve

She's a half-elf with a very storied background, so much so that it's all rather hard to follow her exploits when little of what's being described has been fully revealed yet. I'm expecting her to be a mid/lategame recruit, unless she's dropped in early on to reveal that (sun) elves exist or something.

Rose

Imagine if Bernadetta were a commoner, although we can only hope they'll be less screaming. Alternatively, Neimi without an obvious boyfriend. She won the beach contest so now she has official swimsuit art, which I guess makes her a top-tier waifu in the eyes of players who care about such things.

Sophia

A ranger in the "has animal companions" sense, although whether that will come into play mechanically aside from her personal skill - Butter the ferret can attack with her! - remains to be seen. Her preference for the company of animals is explained by a lack of social graces, so prepare for klutz-related humor. Of note to those interested in F/F is that her introduction specifically brings up her connection with Sloane (see the mage section) and how close the two of them are.

Clerics

Faust

Doesn't have a profile yet, so not much to go off other than his decidedly unhinged look. The cleric class set does feature some darker-flavored options, so presumably he's more naturally aligned with those. His VA was announced to be the YouTuber behind So This is Basically Fire Emblem and other similar videos, so I'm picturing a kooky and somewhat demented Henry type.

Lincoln

Also lacks a profile at time of writing...clerics get so little love. The Discord has identified him a bland blond paladin sort, but as we know from the likes of Perceval and especially Dimitri that doesn't necessarily mean he'll be boring (or not gay).

Maren

The soft-spoken healer type, and also a childhood friend of Garrick although her intro sibling-zones him but then this game is inspired by FE so who knows if that'll stick. She may have some interesting thoughts on the theology of the setting, as there seem to be several faiths and she's said to have a complicated relationship with her own. I will be utterly shocked if she's not either Irving or Garrick's eventual love interest.

Samara

One of two princesses of the country of Aramor, which appears to be loosely inspired by the Middle East. Heaven help us if the Khalidstans ever get wind of this game. Unfortunately aside from her bond with her older sister (in the mage section) and the knowledge that Brooke has been hired as their bodyguard there's not much to Samara at the moment. Hopefully the clerics all do some comparative theology in their bond conversations, and this isn't like Sacred Stones where none of the clergy characters from different countries ever compare notes. The succession crisis involving Samara and her sister vs. their less-loved cousin the king's son might be a major plot hook? It's still too early to tell.

Vesta

Much like Maeve her backstory has entirely too much going on to really follow at the moment. Basically she's a human who grew up in a sun elf city because Reasons (seriously, I don't know what they are) and was called to a clerical vocation and also something about taking a journey. Has an unfortunate case of silly boob armor, which unlike a certain other character probably won't be rectified this close to release.

Mages

Alden

Maren's precocious younger brother, also basically Ricken up to and including the comically oversized hat. As a unit he follows the tradition of Donnel, Mozu, and Cyril of having a personal skill that buffs his stat gains, so it's safe to say he's a growth unit. At least he'll probably join early.

Liberty

Comes with dead brother angst and a connection to the "aspects" system that will hopefully make more sense once I've played the game and know how it functions both mechanically and from a storytelling perspective. Otherwise she looks to be a busty older - as in, not a teenage - mage in the vein of Calill.

Monroe

Got the first ever character profile, so it's really short. He's the son of a duke and sounds like a bit of a snob, albeit one that can make explosions happen to back up his haughtiness. He's got some scarring around his eye that surely must come with a story. Someone also made featured fanart of him in Heroes summer banner style, so I guess he's got somebody horny already.

Sara

Samara's half-sister, with comparable fantasy Middle Eastern flavoring. Has an interest in discovering magical artifacts and being a just ruler in the event she winds up on the throne (so, almost definitely), and she and Samara travel around with the assassin Brooke as their bodyguard. There's maybe some lesbian possibilities there? Either way, Sara has enough development where I could see her as a major supporting character.

Sloane

Comes with a genuinely fascinating backstory involving manipulative double-crossing parents, an education in the cruelties and deceptions of social life (reflected in her personal skill), and disinheritance - and yet it's all likely to be overshadowed because she may go down as DD's equivalent to Fates's face-touching. Her initial art is even more revealing than Camilla's, and while the developers later gave her a more modest redesign after negative feedback I get the feeling that this controversy may live on. Her introduction mentions her hunting for both heirs and heiresses and she's now been linked to Sophia, so safe to say she's another confirmed bi character.

Adepts

While the other class sets are standard fantasy fare adepts require a bit more explanation. They have innate magical abilities and appear to be feared and distrusted most places in the setting. Functionally they remind me of adepts from the Golden Sun series, if anyone is familiar with those games. The classes in the adept group tend more toward physical/magical hybridization than those of other sets, so that will probably be their mechanical niche. Oh, and their default weapon type is lances, which is a plus in my book.

Aurima

Along with Caius and the royal sisters, he's another one from the desert nation of Aramor. An arena fighter who got touched by a god in what I assume was a non-sexual way and came out of it with a new appearance and adept powers. Also, he's confirmed to be over 40 - how often do you see that in games like this?

Bianca

Looks like a more carefree Mathilda from Echoes. She's a ranking officer in the Delian army which sounds like it'd sit uneasily with her adept powers. Her profile describes Lincoln as her close friend, which is still about the most we know about him at this point.

Elias

This guy's writing plays more into the fairly standard coding that comes with adept powers, as we know they manifested shortly before he was going to confess his feelings to a male paramour and afterwards he was forced to flee his homeland and wander the world. He also spent time among dwarves, so insert short bear jokes here? In the present he's attached to Cia in what seems to be a platonic way; maybe she's a fruit fly, or maybe she just likes having a friend who can light drunken assholes on fire? Elias is definitely into guys, but I would still be a little surprised if he turned out to be totally gay as that's such a rarity in these sorts of things.

Iris

Oof, another lengthy and rough backstory. Iris had better parents than Sloane, but she also had to deal with permanent facial scarring (hence the mask) after a bandit kidnapping and the stigma of manifesting as an adept pretty much eliminating the prospects of her making a good political marriage. Also, she and Elias both come from Neullais, which is prominently featured on the continental map on the DD subreddit but doesn't seem to come up all too often in backstories. I think it's a not!France? Hard to tell.

Thae'lanel

A World of Warcraft blood elf, flowing anime hair and apostrophe'd name and all. I like WoW so that's not terribly grating, but as he has no profile yet there's little else I can say. Thae'lanel is mentioned in Maeve's introduction as a member of a sun elf group called the Exiled, which I'm guessing is tied to his adept status in some way. He and Maeve form yet another adventurer/bodyguard duo.