#if anything it is during those moments when they actually allow themselves to open themselves up (minimally ofc) | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

makerinthemaking · 7 months

Text

neil gaiman is a fucking zionist.

"b-but neil gaiman simply said both israel AND palestine have a right to exist!! that doesn't make him a zioni--" yes the fuck it does u privileged ignorant fucks. i shouldn't have to fuckin say this but y'all will say anything for the sake of defending the brits ig? even throwing those being mass genocided rn under the bus?

i used to admire the guy 'til i found out what he's believed, the genocidal state he supports the existence of, & continues to stand by what he said.

israel DOESN'T have a right exist.

not as it is, not as it's been & will always be. a genocidal state built on stolen land. its very citizens have shaped into a culture of discrimination, see the shit they post about palestinians. see questionnaires & statistics. segregation laws many of them gladly endorse. this ain't just the politicians (who have been loud in their prospects of ethnic extermination to allow for more land stealing) nor is it abt jews, abt neil's or anyone's jewish background. plenty jews speaking up against this bullshit, & already there were jewish ppl living in palestine before colonization (brought by an illegitimate act of imposed imperialism & not one palestinian representative in sight. the UK must also be held accountable but they won't be). dare y'all to tell me it shouldn't be the goal to give the land & the power back to its indigenous colonized peoples, regardless of the oppressing settlers already being... settled. it ain't the native peoples' problem to figure out, esp when so many of the colonizing settlers will support the shit thrown at palestinians. there's maybe like 1000 palestinians losses for very israeli casualty. US cops r trained by Israel, not to mention Israel equips them w shit to k1ll minorities in the US. Palestinians stand by BLM & gave advice on how to dodge gas & bullets during protests. they stood by Malcolm X & Black Panthers. BIPOC oppression & fight has always aligned w Palestinians'. israel freely enjoys basics & luxuries & will fuss abt the silliest shit like not getting enough diet flour at the moment, while publicly segregating & making racist mock of palestinians for literally not having access to basic shit like water & shelter & for getting their population violently cleansed & decimated while in an open-air prison. they're not even allowed to try & leave without risk of getting killed, & they're bombed even where Israel directs them it's safe to go (like South Gaza!) but why should they leave? it's THEIR land. would be successful cultural genocide. & now Israel declines offers to recover Israeli hostages just bc they don't wanna return infant Palestinian hostages, & instead Israel bombs places where ISRAELI hostages may be kept. even target-bomb hospitals, houses. freed Israeli hostages come out saying how appalled they are at how Israel failed them & keeps failing them. Israel's also been stealing & jailing/target killing palestinian children for ages. this mass killing's been going on for decades, yet Palestine is demonized by media when they try defend themselves. ain't no matter of "two sides" & "neutrality" when one side is oppressed & the other the oppressor. hamas is israel's oppression fault (& their politics actually see them as a convenience). actual palestinians have stated again & again they don't just want the genocide to end, they also want their stolen land back & the genocidal invasor state to be dismantled. which is what's right. the state of israel often has to delete its own posts cuz they're always found to be fabricated, falsified shit against palestinians, now western jewish AND christian celebrities post abt how "scared" they are, from the safety of their mansions & limos. it was already illegal to wear traditional muslim attire in anti-muslim countries such as france, now it's illegal to even peacefully protest for palestine & if u do ur thrown in jail as a terrorist or deported. these countries publicly support israel. israel has the army the means & the world's support, palestine's been in need of support & neilman ain't helping. should just shut his goddmn mouth. ain't he the one getting genocided this day. i dare that moron neilman to come at me i'll fucking have him, he's just like any other people who won't let themselves be educated anyway. not by us, much less by the oppressed people of palestine, the ones actually getting the shitty end of this situation. im so done. bland fuckin spineless "liberals". so quick to defend the british. stop fucking defending rich public figures online & do something for the persecuted ppl actually getting killed rn.

they're never on equal footing when it's 15 goliaths against 1 david.

no, israel shouldn't fucking exist & neil gaiman is a fucking zionist for even saying it should. not sorry i said this - palestinians r getting worse than rudely worded posts.

not a war. GENOCIDE.

#i dare a bitch to come at me. he knows well how to get his fans to pile on people anyway #Palestine #Israel #free palestine #israel palestine conflict #neil gaiman #neilman #Zionism #settler colonialism #islamophobia #ethnic cleansing #genocide #anti zionisim #Hamas #terrorism

250 notes · View notes

beanghostprincess · 30 days

Note

I wanna see Reiju x Tashigi headcanons from you! I actually think they are pretty cute, the Princess of Germa falling in love for a pretty marine woman

I think they're pretty cute too!! I love them!! That color spread rewired everybody's brains, I think 🩷🤍🧡

I am so so so weak for princesses falling for people they shouldn't. Reiju is the perfect golden daughter, mostly to avoid issues with her dad and because she settles with her position as a Germa member instead of looking for what she wants. And she's fine with that. She's ""mature enough"" to know that as the oldest she should be the one taking care of her (even if awful) brothers.

I mentioned this in another post but the thought of Reiju knowing she's a lesbian but never acting upon those feelings and setting them aside because she's a warrior and a woman and I am so sure Judge has the "you have to give birth to my grandchildren" mentality. And tbh she doesn't really want to have children because she feels she will never be able to be like Sora and is afraid she might end up hurting them if she raises them in that environment. But little tiny headcanon (that will be important later for Tashigi) Reiju finds out she actually can't have children after all the modifications and Judge blames her and she actually has an awful time because maybe she did want children. At least she wanted to choose. Whatever.

As to how they meet, I am not that sure. But it isn't that weird that the marines go to the Germa kingdom. Judge probably suborns all of them, ngl. Not Tashigi, though, of course. But it's not like she can do anything about what Judge does yet. But to go directly to the headcanons, yadda yadda yadda Judge makes Reiju talk with Tashigi yadda yadda yadda it's noticeable she's trying hard to force Tashigi to get out of there before anything happens to her even if she's just constantly teasing and threatening her. Typical "I know you're only threatening me because your father told you, you can get out of here with me" vs "I am fine here, this is my true nature (nope) and you should go before I have to kill you".

I actually really want them to have a whole night for themselves and fall for each other kind of right away? Not really right away but there is something between them and they can feel it. And maybe in the future Reiju can sneak out during her missions to see Tashigi and be a little bit annoying (because she misses her and wants to see how she's doing but won't stop teasing her) while Tashigi tries to make her open up and convince her to escape with her and just... Turn in her family. But Reiju has this mentality of "if I turn them in you have to capture me too because we're the same" and also her oldest sister feelings.

So they have this back and forth relationship in which Reiju won't stop teasing and sometimes opening up and Tashigi won't stop discovering and seeing more and more about her. While Reiju starts falling in love (something she was never allowed to do and still feels like she shouldn't be doing) when she sees Tashigi's kindness (kind of resembling Sora's) and Tashigi just knows Reiju has that kindness within her too. Going back to the children again, at some point Reiju meets the Punk Hazard children being with Tashigi and she just looks so nurturing and sweet with them and Tashigi can't help but just knowing she has a good heart.

And it's also the perfect moment to mention Sanji (without actually saying his name). It's just Reiju saying she misses him and Tashigi seriously thinks at first that she's talking about him like that because he died, but she can see on Reiju's eyes that there is more to that.

I really want to get into simple, generic headcanons now so:

Reiju is always taking off and stealing Tashigi's glasses because it's just fun for her to see her fall and catch her

Reiju sees Tashigi fight/on serious mode and it honestly makes her feel things she has never felt before

Tashigi thinks Reiju is extremely experienced when it comes to dating and sex because look at her but she actually has never been with a woman because she has only had to use her seduction on men. So they're both equally nervous even if it isn't that noticeable on Reiju

Reiju finds so admirable of Tashigi that she goes all the way to fight for what she thinks is right and wishes she could do the same. But she's constantly trapped on the "I'm a Vinsmoke" mindset

Tashigi takes care of her and erases that mindset at some point with so so much comfort and gentleness Reiju has never felt before (I think Reiju deserves to cry and be vulnerable too btw)

Constantly teasing each other and it's so much fun when Reiju wants to be the most flirty and Tashigi ends up flirting back and damn she was not expecting that but she likes it

AGHHH I can't stop thinking about Reiju just admitting and accepting she'll have to get married at some point to a man and Tashigi being so furious about it. Imagine these two dating in secret for a while and just-- Tashigi promising they'll be together and get married or whatever and Reiju letting herself dream for a while about it

"I love you" / "It'll pass" or something like this

Again with the dangerously yours quotes but the whole "If I betray you, I betray myself. If I betray them, I betray my family. My brothers are very dear to me" / "Dearer than I?" feels like something they'd go through

This got angsty- Just imagine Reiju like "Nooo this food was definitely poisoned so sad mmm I will have to kiss you now I guess!!" and it's just an excuse to make out with Tashigi but Tashigi is actually freaking out until she realizes she's just flirting

Tashigi rambles SO MUCH about swords and Reiju loves every second of it because she looks so genuine and excited...

And Reiju actually does listen to everything Tashigi has to say and Tashigi has never felt so appreciated...

Smoker knows his girl is in love but he does not want to know shit about it so he pretends he doesn't know about Tashigi and Reiju's calls in the middle of the night. But Tashigi does look happier and more inclined to work even harder so that is a win for him

Suddenly Tashigi knows a lot about poisons and she says some fun fact about them and Smoker goes "??? Since when are you so into this??" and she gets all nervous and anxious and says she read it in a book

Same with Reiju. Her brothers see her happier and want to tease her about it and her secret but she has been more gentle and motherly to them so... They've been acting softer... Kind of. For some reason they like seeing her happy and they're still trying to figure out why

I honestly think Ichiji is the only one who actually knows about the whole thing but doesn't say anything about it as long as it doesn't affect them

Reiju likes dressing up Tashigi with her dresses because she likes seeing her I classy clothes (and then taking them off but that's another story)

Same thing with Tashigi btw she likes seeing Reiju with her hair messed up and just t-shirts because she barely sees her in a genuine, comforting way

I actually do have more ideas about them because they're making me go insane but... I think this is enough for this post. They're so,,, Cute,,, And I adore them. Let Reiju be free please please please 🫶🏻 So she can date her beautiful, nerd, marine girl 🩷🩷

#going very crazy about them i think #please i need tashigi to have the 'sanji is reiju's dead brother' realization bc it'd be so funny #these two at first are giving so much batman villain x superhero energy tbh #banging my head against the wall #one piece #vinsmoke reiju #tashigi one piece #tashirei

17 notes · View notes

calumthoodshands · 1 year

Text

LUKE HEMMINGS for TUSH magazine

- Tailor made -

On stage, Luke Hemmings is living his bloom, For Givenchy Beauty, the butterfly follows a different trail of scent.

Von Domen & Van De Velde - Into the flowerbed -

Interview by Afra Ugurlu.

It's pouring rain in L.A. when Luke Hemmings joins our zoom call. Just in time, the frontman of 5 Seconds of Summer (5SOS) finds refuge in his car on the side of a quiet road, not far from the big Hollywood sign. A look in the rear-view mirror: At the age of barely 16, Luke and his bandmates from 5SOS found themselves in the middle of an international fanbase. Their songs enthralled especially because of the band's juvenile euphoria, and the Australians quickly soared to new heights in the middle of the YouTube madness of the 2010s. But what happens when boybands grow up? After a decade of pop punk influences and with a little more chest hair, Luke took upon a solo career path for the first time and in 2021 released his debut album “When facing the things we turn away from”; a whole new insight into the obstacles and the success of the last years, he later reveals.

Almost 10 years have passed since “She looks so perfect” and “Don’t stop”. What has the last decade been like for you?

I'm living my dream, what else can I say? It was all very intense. You just accepted whatever came at you. For eleven years, for as long as I grew up, that’s been my whole life. Quite crazy, all the stuff that just came flying at us. I don't know whether we would have allowed ourselves this, even if rather short, break if not for the pandemic. Usually it all feels so fast-paced, I often have to pause to mentally take it all in—if you asked me to describe the last decade, then it’d consist of so many moments like that.

Did you ever feel like you were missing out on certain things and experiences during all that hustle and bustle?

I think they were very formative years, so there are probably some life skills I missed out on. In retrospect, you wonder: when was I supposed to learn that? And then you try to somehow fill those gaps. I had to emotionally catch up, but also with things like doing laundry, running errands and so on. There are some more significant matters, like not being close to my family, not to mention that I was missing my home in general. But then you start to put all those thoughts into another perspective: we did what we always wanted to do: write music and perform.

I remember 2014 and 2015, black, ripped skinny jeans and vans. How do you see yourself now, regarding your style?

Pop punk has always been a huge inspiration, and it was simply the style of all these bands like Green Day, Blink 182 and Silverchair. Back then, I was an absolute late bloomer and had to first of all grow into my own identity. I think it was similar with the other guys. We had found a thing that worked, and just stuck with it. It also just felt like a risk to me, doing something other than that, especially in front of an audience. Around the time of our third album, I started to open up a bit more. Our music was changing, and with it our style. At that point I understood myself a little bit better. From then on it just kind of evolved, and I think it still does.

By now you are someone who likes to step out and look beyond the binary. Was that always something that you were interested in or did you rather find yourself getting into it step by step over time?

Where I grew up, people weren’t open at all, everyone wore the same thing. For a long time, it simply wasn’t even on my radar. And of course, I’m not doing anything that someone else hasn't already done before me. I think it was in 2017 when I just started experimenting with glitter and nail polish. From that moment on it all evolved a bit, but it's actually always been something that fascinated me. It just took a while for me to find that part of myself. I feel pretty doing it, and who doesn't want to feel that way? If you only go on stage with a tracksuit, that might be cool. But I'm not an extrovert, quite the opposite, and when I perform and feel so much bigger, it's almost like playing a character. The makeup only emphasises that and turns me into someone who is not introverted and lost in thought. That's the origin of it all, so to speak.

How can we overcome these toxic gender perceptions and behavioural patterns, and heal?

I think a lot of the stigma we experience comes from people projecting their own insecurities onto us. I understand it better now because I grew up in a place that was very toxic in that regard. I'm from West Sydney, which was very conservative. If you’re a man, you have to be really ‘masculine’ and I think that's just complete nonsense. And I think that just sticks with you, growing up like that. There was a time when I came home and didn't want to wear makeup on stage. There was no way I would have done that, whereas now I just do what I'm most comfortable with. Personal growth means putting yourself first and accepting that people will think what they want either way. So really, you should just do whatever you want. That’s the way I'm trying to see it now. It sounds very simple and banal, but I wouldn’t know how else to put it.

Congratulations, by the way, on the release of your first solo album, “When facing the things we turn away from”. Which things do you want to turn away from this year and what else is there to come for you?

I’m facing myself and trying to be more open with the way I deal with stuff. My wish is to just enjoy everything a little bit more. I constantly worry about what might happen tomorrow. I’m not really present or enjoying the moment to the fullest. Everyone probably says that, but I believe it's more important than ever to live in the here and now. We're always looking for the next thing. You want to be at home when you're out and about, on the road when you’re at home. Only when it's over do you see what you actually had going for yourself, and are frustrated; so no ‘Live Fast, Die Young’. But I also think that this year will be a creative one for me. I want to try out new things. We’ll see which doors are going to open for me.

What kind of creative directions are you thinking about?

I can't really say yet. But also in general I don't want to limit myself by excluding new paths. Doing something by myself musically like the album was very intimidating at first. In the end, though, it was very encouraging as well because it was the first time in a long time that I tried something new again. Obviously I love being in the band, it’s my home base. But the solo album is something I never thought I’d be capable of, and now that I know that I am it’s definitely something I want to pursue further.

How do you manage working both on your solo career and with the band at the same time, and are there any points of overlap?

I have a feeling that with the first album it was a bit easier. We were in lockdown and everything on the band's schedule had to be cancelled. Suddenly, I had more free time than in the last 10 years together. I don’t think I would have made a solo album if it didn't come about this way. With four people in the band, all great songwriters and each having their own projects in the pipeline, I feel like it's actually for everyone’s benefit to give other things a try as well. I wondered what it could be like to produce a song from start to finish, and learned so much in the process. Afterwards, when I return to the band, it makes me feel like I know so much more about the recording process and can thus also be a better band member.

How did writing and composing for only yourself change your overall sound?

I don't know whether it significantly changed my sound, but I feel more confident than ever. When you're in a band, you have the luxury to lean on other people and ask: What do you think of this? Do you think it's good, or should we change this? Or someone will encourage you when you're on the right track, telling you to keep going. With this, the only input came from myself. I had to trust my instincts and first of all understand what my own sound really did sound like.

You have no features on your album. Was it important to you to create your first solo album by yourself?

After 10 years on tour, it was quite good to be alone for once and deal with my subconscious. The album is so personal and emotional to me, it didn't really lend itself to include any features. Maybe someday, but I think it has to fit perfectly then. And who knows what’s coming soon. But I think the point and purpose of doing something by yourself is to get accustomed to working without your usual tools.

What did you learn about yourself while working on “When facing the things we turn away from”?

Newfound empathy and love towards myself. The stories of these songs and the lyrics are mostly things I’m dealing with for the very first time. It's almost like writing a diary, you don't have any idea how to start. You sit down and something comes out of it, and that’s what you then try to decipher.

#5sos #luke hemmings #sololuke #hope this helps!#if you click on the title you'll find the photos @ meg's post!

106 notes · View notes

lultimagoccia · 2 months

Text

Meet the Mun

ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴘɪᴄᴋ ᴜᴘ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴜʀʀᴇɴᴛ ᴍᴜꜱᴇ(ꜱ) ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ?

because peppino is so EMBARRASSINGLY my type, he was what got me into " pizza tower ". i remember seeing the gameplay trailer a bit ago and thinking it looked cool, then logging it away into my memory banks. when i started seeing artwork from the game and drawings of pepp, i knew i had to check it out.

i made this blog a while ago, but was too shy to actually start using it until a few months after i'd made it.

ɪꜱ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴡʀɪᴛᴇ?

anything involving cheating / infidelity makes me uncomfortable. also not fond of writing cruelty towards children. angst with no cathartic pay - off bums me out after a while.

ɪꜱ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏ ᴡʀɪᴛɪɴɢ?

really emotionally charged scenes, whether it be really good emotions or really negative ones. arguments are a personal favorite, but i also just really love when a character can open their heart and reveal important things about themselves, their traits or their core beliefs. i tend to Realize things about my characters in the midst of writing them in scenes like that, which chip away their outer layers and expose the true heart of their personality.

ʜᴏᴡ ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴜᴘ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʜᴇᴀᴅᴄᴀɴᴏɴꜱ?

i start with what's presented in canon, then run through it with a fine - toothed comb to reveal the smaller details, and build my ideas from that. i LOVE taking the little things, the seemingly minor things, and running with them to fully flesh out a character. a lot of what inspires my peppino muse can be narrowed down to a few select moments in the game / concept art / comics that i simply built upon and explored further.

ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡʀɪᴛᴇ ɪɴ ꜱɪʟᴇɴᴄᴇ ᴏʀ ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴘʟᴀʏ ᴍᴜꜱɪᴄ?

music helps keep me In The Zone, but it HAS to be songs i've heard before or i get distracted.

ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴘʟᴀɴ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʀᴇᴘʟɪᴇꜱ ᴏʀ ᴡɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇᴍ?

usually i wing them, BUT for some especially impactful scenes, i have a few basic ideas for things i'd like to address in replies.

ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏ ꜱʜɪᴘᴘɪɴɢ?

very much so! shipping is just another way to explore a character, through the lens of how another perceives them and which parts of themselves they allow to be seen by another.

ᴡʜᴀᴛ'ꜱ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴀʟɪᴀꜱ/ɴᴀᴍᴇ?

castoro, cast for short.

ᴀɢᴇ?

31, about to turn 32!

ʙɪʀᴛʜᴅᴀʏ?

april 13th!

ꜰᴀᴠᴏʀɪᴛᴇ ᴄᴏʟᴏʀ(ꜱ)?

piiiiink.

ꜰᴀᴠᴏʀɪᴛᴇ ꜱᴏɴɢ(ꜱ)?

there are Many, but " daisy bell " by tin hat has stuck around as a consistent favorite over the years.

ʟᴀꜱᴛ ᴍᴏᴠɪᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀᴛᴄʜᴇᴅ?

my gf has been showing our kid the og " star wars " trio, so. kinda those?

ʟᴀꜱᴛ ꜱʜᴏᴡ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀᴛᴄʜᴇᴅ?

gravity falls.

ʟᴀꜱᴛ ꜱᴏɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪꜱᴛᴇɴᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ?

... " world wide noise ". again.

ꜰᴀᴠᴏʀɪᴛᴇ ꜰᴏᴏᴅ?

chicken tikka masala is soooo goooood.

ꜰᴀᴠᴏʀɪᴛᴇ ꜱᴇᴀꜱᴏɴ?

toss - up between spring and summer!

ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴀ ᴛᴜᴍʙʟʀ ʙᴇꜱᴛ ꜰʀɪᴇɴᴅ?

@showmethehotpods has been my dear friend for many years now and we met here on the tumblr rpc back in 2019! she's followed me between several blogs and been there for me during many big life events. i'm so grateful for her support over the years and am happy i have someone who's kept up with me all this time.

tagged by NOBODY so now you gotta do it if u see this, too

#;out for delivery [ ooc ]#;meme response

7 notes · View notes

super-paper · 4 months

Note

Any thoughts on the leaks from the new chapter??

I really enjoyed the dialogue between izuku and tomura this chapter, especially that unhinged look on izukus face as he says he'll rip the damn rug/cover with his own hands if he has too. And that last panel between izuku and toshi, the "you can be a hero!" scene but now saying he needs to let go of ofa...wow, cinema.

Overall i liked it, but I feel a bit aprehensive about certain things, especially after seeing opinions on twt. I knew izuku would most likely give up ofa at the end of the series, so im sad about it (dont get me wrong, izuku giving up ofa of all things so he can save tomura is beautiful,,,,, but im just a big fan of izuku with ofa and everything that it means 😭 i want him to keep his haunted quirk and ofamily). But then on twt everyone was so hyped up and talking about izuku getting New Order.. which left me confused not gonna lie, bc other than Star pointing at something, I didn't get any idea of Izuku getting her quirk. But again, my reading analysis could be in the mud lol. Some say Aura Might is gonna give up his place for Star in ofa, or afo is joining the fight with his trump card, others say the quirk will spread to class 1A, so when izuku opens the vault door, the vestiges of 1A will help him. I have no idea, anything is possible i suppose. As for izuku, while I think at some point he will give up ofa, I think he might hesitate at first (??) Like toshinori, he connects his worth to having a quirk, so emotionally speaking it won't be easy for him in my opinion. But let's see!

I'm gonna be a bit mean for a second and say that "Izuku getting New Order" and "Class 1A shares OFA (Monoma Neito found dead in Miami)" are by far my least favorite fandom theories lmfao.

Anyway, you're definitely right on the money about this also being a battle Re: Izuku's own self perception and who he is without OFA. Izuku and Tomura's biggest hang ups boil down to how they both perceive themselves and how that perception was essentially forced onto both of them by other people until they both internalized it as "fundamentally true" (Izuku believing that he's worthless/useless, Tomura believing that he's evil and that he's having a ~peachy-keen~ time rn). Chapter 412/413 have set the stage for this conflict to finally come to the forefront, so I'm excited to see where things go.

As for Star, people who believe her quirk is "the will of heroism that's gonna get passed on to Izuku" are missing the point of her character, I feel. Star's quirk was cool, but it was also another shining example of a quirk "not being what makes someone an actual hero"-- Star used her quirk to do some pretty fucked up things during her fight with TomurAFO, and ultimately, the moments where she chose NOT to use her quirk and chose NOT to prioritize "the greater good" over everything else are actually her defining heroic moments:

(^ the implication of this scene being that her vestige stopped short of obliterating AFO because she found Tenko hidden inside him)

Izuku has already inherited "the will of heroism" as Star defines it. The will of heroism is more or less "noticing that someone needs help and choosing to act on it." There is beauty in simplicity and trying to work "Izuku obtaining new order" into the mix takes the focus away from that, I feel. Star notices Tenko needs help, and instead of using the last embers of her existence to extinguish AFO, she instead uses those embers to reach out to Toshi and point out where Tenko has hidden himself. Toshi alerts Kudou, who then decides to place his faith in Izuku's ability to save Tomura's heart, and so on and so forth.

(A certain someone else also inherited that will, but he's just being a massive fucking tsundere about it. Can't wait for someone to finally call his ass out when the inevitable mind-meld happens.) (/hj)

Anyway, I feel u regarding the OFA vestiges-- but at the same time, I think it's good that they're finally being allowed some autonomy in how they choose to go out considering how they lived/died in the first place. I still maintain that we're gonna end up whittling OFA down to Yoichi, Toshi, and Nana bc they're the three most deeply connected to Tomura (in addition to having the most unresolved feelings and lingering regrets centered around Tomura/AFO). I also think it's pretty neat how "One for All" is now coming apart at the seams because they're starting to work together for "the one" rather than the "all," if you catch my drift ;)

#mha spoilers #thank you for the ask!#sophie.txt

10 notes · View notes

blues-valentine · 1 year

Text

A debated opinion but I wouldn’t mind if Can I Have This Dance is a full group song with each couple having their own part, preferentially during Homecoming/Prom because that would be so cute, that if Rina gets Right Here Right Now and I Just Wanna Be With You because it’s more meaningful since it fits their whole arc.

In fact, High School Musical 3 as the school production for the season Rina is a couple and Ricky is a senior is perfect. Look at those lyrics:

Everything about Rina has been about change.

Ricky's fear of change and Gina's life constantly changing so she dosn't allow herself to think too far ahead but Ricky is been her yes. So for Right Here Right Now, if Rina’s arc for S4 is like I predict it will with them feeling unsure about their future because is Ricky's last year at East High and now their whole public relationship with everyone inserting themselves into it then the lyrics fit just right: "I'd wish this moment was ours to own it and that it would never leave" and then with being afraid of the future and linking it to Gina’s speech about her life being all about maybe and holding onto the present and the journey: "Right here, I promise you somehow that tomorrow can wait for some other day to be, but right now there's you and me". Ricky’s senior year/decisions approaching: "We know it's coming and it's coming fast (but right now, there's you and me) so let's make every second last". And we back again with the theme of change: "A bend in the universe is gonna make everything in our whole world change (it's changing) and you know that where we are will never be the same". It’s prefect for a moment when they're feeling like nothing is going like they want it to because of their fame and time is running out.

Then there’s Just Wanna Be With You: "You know how life can be. It changes over night. It's sunny then raining but it's alright. A friend like you, always make it easy. I know that you get me every time. Through every up. Through every down. You know I'll always be around. Through anything you can count on me." I mean, "I thought we sort of got each other" is pretty self explanatory for them and it really highlights the rollercoaster that has been their journey though out all these four seasons.

Actually, I can see this song being sang by two different couples (the full song does), the first part for Ryan and Kelsey on the piano (could be Seblos) and Rina taking it off from where Troy and Gabriella start since it’s the part that fits their relationship and most of it till the end kind of like in the movie version (the rehearsal, not the actual show). I can see that song being Rina focused but with the other couples as backup.

And even Gabriella's solo Walk Away is so Gina coded and it mentions change. This song is when Gabriella had to leave East High earlier because she got an early admission into college. "I guess I should've known better to believe that my luck had changed. I let my heart and forever. Finally learn each other's name. I tell myself this time is different, no goodbyes 'cause I can bear to say it. I'll never survive the ones that's coming if I stay. Just walk away and don't look back 'cause if my heart breaks it's gonna hurt so bad. You know I'm strong but I can't take that." And I just remember Kristoff Lullaby: "You light the world for me. You live life fearlessly, braver than the braver of us do" and Ricky’s “Gina’s a fighter and she’ll come back for opening night” Like, Gina is Gabriella. I'm sorry, she's so her coded.

And we know there's only one person that can sing Scream and that's Ricky Bowen and the line: "Yeah, the clock's running down, hear the crowd getting loud. I'm consumed by the sound. Is it her? Is it love? Can the music ever be enough?" that's Ricky Bowen coded. I can imagine him singing this when he is feeling overwhelmed about having to make decisions about his future, about music, about having to be away from Gina. Josh would eat this bad.

CIHTD is aesthetically iconic but the lyrics can apply to every couple on the show so I wouldn’t mind that one being a group song with all the pairings together singing some parts because it would look pretty cute on a big scale dance. “A Night To Remember” needs to happen too. Like, it’s basically a need for them to do this.

#hsmtmts #gina porter #ricky x gina #rina #ricky bowen #text post #hsmtmts season 4 #rina hsmtmts #high school musical the musical the series #seblos #jetney #madlyn

32 notes · View notes

palettepainter · 9 months

Text

Here are those Dr Pepper headcannons I accidentally wrote out in that ask just incase any of you Dr Pepper enjoyers wanna read em

-Tina didn't like Floyd from the beginning, so she wasn't exactly pleased when she kept finding her sweet baby boy hanging him. She was convinced that no good busker boy was gonna be a bad influence on her baby. While Teeth and Floyd often tried to keep more intimate moments to themselves, with Tina's constant hovering it was pretty difficult. On the few occasions Tina did allow Floyd over (often after being persuaded by Gerald that everything would be fine) the two had to be very careful, Floyd especially, since Tina would study his every move as if waiting for him to mess up or do something impolite. This is what started Floyd's habit of calling Tina ma'am

-The flashbacks in episode 6 take place during the 1960's, a time where homophobia was still strong in many parts of the world. Tina was suspicious of Floyd, but everytime she got close to thinking there was something more to their friendship she'd laugh lightly to herself, there was no way her sweet boy would fall for someone like Floyd. Whenever the two where round at Floyd's house his parents - Terri and Mick - were only slightly less suspicious. Floyd and Teeth didn't feel quite as pressured and on edge as they did around Tina, they were still careful to keep any actual kissing and such for when they where totally in private, but their facade of being platonic pals sometimes slipped every now and then: Mick and Terri would find the two huddled suspiciously close to each other on the sofa, sometimes they'd catch the way Floyd would smile at Teeth a little longer then he would at others, sometimes they'd catch the two being flustered and sheepish around each other for no reason. Mick was probably the first to put two and two together, neither decided to say anything, figuring Floyd would come to them and tell them if he wanted to

-Any dates they had in private where often in Jerry's Tunes. I like the hc of Floyd and Terri working at the shop, owned by a chap named Jerry (theres a Jim Henson puppet, so I think it'd be sweet if the owner to the shop was a Jerry Nelson puppet), with Terri working as like a second boss whenever Jerry was out of town. Floyd has had to lock up/open shop before so he has access to the keys, and on his shifts, during the boiling summer afternoons when everybody was out or in the cold winters when everybody was huddled inside, the two would hang out in Jerry's Tunes. Durning his later shifts in the evenings sometimes the two would hang out in the small staff only room (basically a very small kitchen with drinks, food, some chairs and a toilet), they'd talk about random things and practise music together, exchange eager but still shy kisses, just a lot of innocent messing about

-When he was younger Floyd was not a picky eater and generally ate anything, which sometimes meant he didn't eat the most nutritious food. Teeth took note of this after watching Floyd eat so microwavable snacks at work, so one day he brought Floyd a small tub of his families famous gumbo. Floyd promptly devoured the serving in ten minutes, and to this day swears up and down that no body cooks gumbo the way Teeth does. When they where younger it was one of the few ways Teeth could make a gesture of affection without drawing suspicion

-They had a few dates down by the swamps. Teeth's Grandma lives down in the bayou so he's not scared of the place, but he knows to respect it and not mess around. Floyd often walked across precariously floating logs at the edge of the swamp just to mess with Teeth, or he'd pick up a frog and surprise Teeth with it - by letting it jump at him when Teeth least expected it. Floyd would always apologise and never took things too far to the point either where in actual danger though (the two did get chased a little by an alligator one time though, causing Teeth to become very angry at Floyd when all he could do was laugh - albeit from fear and the rush of aniety. They where fine in the end)

-The two have very different builds to each other, and that was the same when they where younger. Teeth was short and plump while Floyd was skinny and lean. The two didn't really share their clothes, but Teeth one time offered Floyd his signature jacket to wear when Floyd left his at home. Teeth's jacket was too big on Floyd, especially concerning the sleeves, which dangled over his hands. He laughed while he rolled the sleeves up saying how he was "I'm practically drownin' in this thing!" Teeth thought he looked very cute, and made a habit of offering his jacket to Floyd whenever he could

-During his early teen years Floyd was very self conscious about his eyes, or lack there of, so he started to wear glasses in an act to try and look more normal (also because his eyesight was bad, Floyd has long since given up trying to understand how one without pupils has bad eyesight). Teeth always knew Floyd had...well, voids in the place of eyes, but when he first saw Floyd with his glasses off it felt special to him, because he got to admire Floyd's face in it's entirety. To Floyd's surprise Teeth was actually enwrapped with Floyd's eyes, he found them fascinating, unique, special. It was one of the few things that got Floyd flustered when they where younger

#Muppets #The Muppets #Muppets Mayhem #Dr Pepper #Floyd #Floyd Pepper #Teeth #Dr Teeth #Floyd x Teeth #Headcannons

19 notes · View notes

sasukesun · 11 months

Note

You know, I don't know which part is more annoying when it comes to ships, if those who defend the canon or those who defend the fanon and then allege queerbating or that they were robbed, the first one are annoying because they don't stop harassing those who enjoy the fanon but the latter tend to lock themselves in a bubble where they believe that it's really the author's fault and that he guides them along a path to repent not give them anything later, examples of this we have zutara, narusaku, etc (within the typical "we were stolen") and within queerbating there are examples but many times that word is so worn out because the fandom's own imagination believes that couples will happen that never even had a chance, some will say that sns is queerbating but for me not because I would never have been hope that the ship became canon and at most one could expect an open ending without ships (which wasn't possible because they still wanted to exploit the story with the new generation), this also happens in the fandom of bnha, black clover, Kimetsu no yaiba (here I don't know who is more desperate if the lgbt or the dudebros with their canon ships without real development), even jjk with itadori and fushiguro. It's like each party creates a version, they believe it's the absolute truth and then they complain when it doesn't turn out as they expect and they criticize the author.

i actually think narusasu is the opposite of queerbaiting. there’s a huge difference between giving meaningless hints to instigate the audience and develop a relationship while not being allowed to give it the real name to it due to homophobia. queerbaiting is a marketing resource, naruto and sasuke’s relationship isn’t used to sell the story… actually a lot of dudebros, which are the main audience of naruto, hate and complain about the gayness. the name itself indicates that it’s used as bait, as a hint… naruto and sasuke’s relationship is the most developed in the series, they don’t have mere moments that are used as shipping bait… you know which pairings have? ss/nh/nrsk, and they are all one sided still. that moment during war in which sasuke doesn’t let sakura fall is a shipping bait, especially when you consider that kishimoto already knew about boruto and yet made no effort to give important moments or develop ss (actually he made sasuke say he had no reasons to love sakura a few chapters later, which is negative development). naruto holding hinata’s hand is a shipping bait, kishimoto said neji died as a cupid, but it’s impressive how the moment is still not romantic from naruto’s side and naruto still ignores hinata until the end of the manga lol, it’s a shipping bait because kishimoto knew he had to pair naruto and hinata together for the sake of boruto. same about naruto telling minato that sakura was his girlfriend during war, but when he’s really talking about important things in their farewell, he changes the subject. can’t even say that sk has shipping baits because no one cares about that pairing lol i don’t even think sasuke saving her could count as shipping bait when it’s so clear that there isn’t anything emotional about it. but all those pairings consist of those moments that make the shippers go crazy, yet they have no meaningful interactions or development. i made this joke a while ago but i wouldn’t say that’s far from the truth lol.

again, those shippers that claim they were robbed just got too instigated by the shipping baits, but there isn’t really good development. would say zk has some development, since they were enemies in the beginning and all, but it’s really not like the shippers claim as well, that zuko truly understands katara and that it would be a better choice because [reads smudged writing] aang is an abuser and just like ozai… (what fr). idk about black clover and i know little about kny but i don’t think the others you’ve mentioned have queerbaiting either, they just have developed male friendships that shippers that have at least one mlm pairing for every media they interact with go crazy over it.

#ask #anonymous

10 notes · View notes

slowlystupendousdelusion · 4 months

Text

Going to London on a whim definitely paid off cause I managed to wrangle my way into Macbeth twice

Some further thoughts:

1. Okay so I think it might have been the arts interview where Tennant says not to worry about understanding Shakespeare because if the actors are doing their job right you will be fine. He's right and this cast utterly succeeds at that.

2. I'm generally terrible for my mind wandering when I'm watching things (the rewind button on my remote is much abused) but I was enthralled from start to finish. Even with having seen it multiple times. Not a hint of my mental shopping list.

3. My potentially controversial opinion is that I might like the cheap seats better? When I was in the stalls I was off to the side, whereas the standing tickets obviously you're looking at the stage head on. I think some of the visuals were far more striking from the back - you get full impact from the lighting and the blood seeping out at the death scene and the people behind the screen at the back. I don't think the warm to cool light changes are as noticeable from the front. However, you obviously have a much better view of the actors and the nuances of their performances (although because of the set up of the theatre from the side you are blocked from seeing everyone on stage at some points). It's a bit more intense up close, and it does feel like the actors are looking directly at you (Not me quailing in my seat during prolonged eye contact 😅)

4. I think I went through the overall choices made before but some more things I enjoyed: how much humour is imbued throughout, Lady Macbeth being warm and likeable, Macbeth lying prone multiple times through the play mirroring his final send off, Macduff "all my pretty ones?", Macbeth's little face when he gets both swords, him questioning the manhood of the cutthroats, the absolute softness of Macbeth's embrace before completely pulling the rug out from under you and murdering a child in the same gesture.

4. Minor miracle how Cush Jumbo managed not to get her bloodied hands on her very white dress? Very impressed with this.

5. I think the one thing I would say is that they should have made Fleance/Macduff's son/Young Siward have more obvious costume changes between them

6. I still love how pared back the stage and costumes are. It's incredible how rich the experience is with actually not a lot.

7. I think I'm sold on the binaural audio; the play opens in darkness and you hear a bird move from one side to the other in your headset. Not only do I look from one side to the other like a fool, but my brain reckons it can see the wings in the gloom. There are multiple moments that the delivery is far more intimate than would be allowed without use of the audio. I think this could be really beneficial for larger theatres for those in the cheaper seats too. Also, maybe better for inclusivity for those with visual or aural impairments if everyone has a headset? The drawbacks for me are the occasional crackle you get from the mic pack, and I guess maybe it feels like you're further removed from the actors themselves. Also I guess if I'm sitting at the side my left and right sounds don't quite match up with where the actors are looking based on where the left to right sounds are for those sitting centrally? It didn't really affect my enjoyment any, but would perhaps need to be considered if this was used in different performances/larger theatres etc.

8. What the binaural audio did not stop was me hearing the woman sitting next to me gasping and jumping about ten foot into the air multiple times during the performance. She absolutely had not noticed anything going on behind the screen at the back until they started hammering, and of course I then jumped myself cause I was not expecting noise/motion from that side. This was incredibly funny but awkwardly coincided with some of the most intense parts of the play. (Although I imagine if I hadn't already seen it I might have been less entertained)

9. Have I said how good it was? It bears repeating

10. Standing Ovation discourse: Friday night I was surprised by how few stood? As the painfully British person I am, I was hoping that someone else would stand up first but they didn't in my block. Also I almost garotted myself on the headphone wire when I stood up so maybe this was a consideration others were having. I was sort of shocked that others didn't stand after we did (not because I think I'm some kind of influencer but IME British standing ovations are motivated by social pressure in a "oh gosh all these other people are standing up, I guess I better had too" sort of way. There has to be enough people doing it to overcome the innate "you must not make a scene" directive that burns within our souls.) No one stood in the front row of my bit at all. Sat Mat had noticeably more people standing, including in the front row.

11. The person sat next to me said to her husband as it ended "I certainly wasn't wowed by it" and I was utterly shook. I don't think I heard any one else being particularly critical (but also I would never say anything so damning about a show I'd seen in the theatre itself so maybe it's not a fair sample)

12. Honestly I needed a full on hour or so to decompress after seeing this, I was fizzing under the surface.

#jammy git #macbeth #donmar warehouse #david tennant #cush jumbo #do i need to spoiler tag for a 400 year old play?#shakespeare #theatre

5 notes · View notes

traumatas · 1 year

Text

Nothing More Comfortable

Rating: General Audiences

Category: M/M

Relationship: Reigen Arataka/Serizawa Katsuya

Tags: Reigen Arataka, Serizawa Katsuya, 5+1 Things, Fluff, Mutual Pining, Slice of Life, Sharing a Bed, Love Confessions, Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn

AO3 Link

Summary:

Pinpointing when exactly his feelings for Serizawa had grown deeper than just friendship is impossible. One day he had simply enjoyed the other’s company and the next he had found himself wondering how the other’s hands would feel around his waist, how his lips would taste like if Reigen were to lean in or if gliding his palms across Serizawa’s arms would make him shudder. The feelings had snuck up on him so silently and naturally that they had caught him completely off guard when he had finally realized their presence.

----------------------------------

Or: Five times Reigen and Serizawa sleep where they aren't supposed to and one time they actually make it to the bed.

Chapter 1

A sharp knock at the office door makes Reigen’s head snap away from his laptop screen. He takes a look at the time and then narrows his eyes towards the entryway.

The sun had vanished behind the buildings of Seasoning city a while ago and it is far past Spirits and Such’s business hours by now. It’s rather unusual for him to get any customers past closing time and if it weren’t for the mountain of paperwork he had neglected during the week, he would have left already.

For a moment he hesitates, his fingers twitching against the keyboard. He wonders if he should simply pretend to not be there at all, but he’s sure that the bright light of his desk lamp is enough to let anyone outside the door know that someone is around after hours.

One of his hands moves to rub over his face.

Reigen knows that he doesn’t necessarily look as presentable as he wants to, but financially speaking he can’t afford to let a paying customer get off the hook. After tightening his tie properly, he pushes back his chair to stand up, already planning out how to convince whoever is behind the door to come back in the morning.

Those plans prove themselves as unnecessary just as much as his concerns about any late night clients before he even makes his way to the door.

“Reigen?” Hearing Serizawa’s voice isn’t what he expects and with another short glance at the time he confirms that the ESPer already left hours ago to attend his night classes. “Can I come in?”

Slightly relieved that he wouldn’t have to deal with putting up his customer service mask after all, he allows himself to relax. The last bit of distance between him and the office door is crossed with a few long steps and it doesn’t take long for him to pull the keys out of his pockets. A soft click later, the door is unlocked and he pulls it open in one swift motion.

In front of him, in fact, is Serizawa. There’s a sheepish smile on his face and he looks down at Reigen with an apologetic look, one of his hands rubbing at the back of his neck.

“You had me worried you were a client for a second.” With his arms crossed in front of his chest, Reigen steps aside to let the other in and locks the door behind him once more - just in case. “What are you even doing here? Not that I mind, but I thought you’d be home by now.”

He turns around to take a good look at the ESPer. He is standing almost awkwardly in the middle of the office and it makes Reigen raise one of his eyebrows in confusion. The last time he had seen the other look this bashful around him had been quite some time ago - so long, actually, that it makes Reigen a little uneasy. “Is everything alright?”

“I’m okay.” Serizawa says quickly and considering that he looks neither alarmed nor troubled, Reigen decides to believe him. When he takes the time to muster him properly, he realizes that - if anything - the ESPer looks tired, the bags under his eyes much darker than they normally were. It does make Reigen wonder whether he had gotten enough sleep recently. Then again, it is late enough for him to feel exhausted himself, eyelids heavy. “Just… may have missed my last train?”

Reigen frowns rather deeply now, trying to remember whether the other had ever mentioned the schedule of his trains changing. He could swear he had said goodbye to Serizawa later than this on multiple occasions. However, once he turns the information over in his head for a few moments longer, he’s reminded of what exactly the problem is. “Ah. The construction side.”

“The construction side.” The confirmation is followed up with a small embarrassed laugh. “I forgot that it started this week and I kind of got caught up in a conversation with my classmates.”

He pulls his shoulders up in a short shrug, the small smile never fully leaving and despite him looking a little uncomfortable for interrupting, Reigen doesn't mind. If anyone is welcome in the office this late, it's Serizawa after all.

“Actually- “ When he chimes up again, his cheeks are dusted a darker shade of red and Reigen catches himself finding it quite endearing. Though, rather than allowing himself to ponder that thought for much longer, he blames it on his lack of sleep. There's no time or need to go down that road right now. “I was wondering if it is okay to crash on the sofa tonight? I hope that’s not too much to ask for? I’m not really looking forward to walking home for almost two hours. Ah-”

The ESPer seems to remember something and Reigen finally notices the plastic grocery bag he’s holding. The logo on it lets him know that Serizawa must have stopped by the 24-Hour convenience store down the street before heading over. With his smile growing a little larger, he holds it up as if to show it off. “I got us dinner too. It’s no fresh takoyaki but I figured you probably haven’t eaten yet either.”

Teasingly, Serizawa nods his head towards the mound of paperwork waiting to be done and it’s Reigen’s turn to feel a little flustered when he catches sight of the other’s knowing glance. “I - I guess you’re right. Can you blame me, though? With how dull paperwork is, it’s no wonder I lose track of time.”

“I never said I blame you. Just thought that you should take a break at this point - even if it’s just for some convenience store sushi.”

“Can’t argue with that.” Reigen snorts and he watches as Serizawa places the bag down on the small couch table to pull out two cans of iced tea and some plastic wrapped sushi - the 50% off end of the day stickers not entirely lost to Reigen. “Suppose it is time for a break, mh? Gotta say, if you missing your train means free dinner, I wouldn’t mind letting you sleep on the sofa more often.”

In response to his teasing, he earns himself a raised eyebrow and an amused look from the ESPer who’s in the process of getting comfortable. He pets the space next to him for Reigen to join and decides not to comment on it. Though, the both of them know quite well that Reigen is most likely going to be the one to treat them to some lunch next time.

“It’s the least I can do for asking to invade the office like that.” Serizawa settles on and gives one of the cans a few taps before pulling the tab open and offering it to Reigen. Thanking the other, he takes it and doesn’t hesitate to take a good long sip, pleasantly surprised to find it salted watermelon flavored. He doesn’t recall ever mentioning it being his favorite and he most certainly isn’t about to complain. Still, he does wonder if it had simply been a lucky pick or if Serizawa had truly paid enough attention to which sugary drinks he likes to indulge in.

He stops studying the condensation running down the colorful print on the aluminum can when a pair of one time use chopsticks is shoved in front of his face.

“Don’t worry too much about it.” He finally says and places down his drink in favor of parting his chopsticks. Without much care, he pops open the plastic lid of the container and shoves one of the pieces into his mouth. Not bothering to completely finish chewing, he continues, chopsticks moving through the air as he talks. “I had to crash here a few times. There’s a blanket somewhere you can have. It’s really not that big of a deal, just don’t make it a habit.”

Implying that he isn’t sure where the blanket is, is a lie. Reigen had spent his fair share of nights staying at the office until late into the night in an attempt to deal with a variety of insurance companies, client emails and paperwork. Though, that isn’t something Serizawa needs to know. He is more than content to let the ESPer think that he might actually have a social life outside of them grabbing drinks or dinner together and he would rather avoid looking pathetic in front of him.

“R-really?” The disbelief in Serizawa’s voice surprises him a little and when he looks at him, he is greeted by a beaming smile that makes his cheeks heat up. Unable to look at the other’s face any longer and in an attempt to ignore the way his heartbeat picks up, Reigen turns back to his food. “That’s kind of you, Reigen. Thank you. Do- do you want me to help you with the rest of the work so you can head on home?”

The offer is a generous one but another hesitant glance at the ESPer’s tired eyes is enough for Reigen to know how awfully guilty he would feel to accept. During their opening hours Serizawa had pulled enough of his weight already and considering that he is diligently attending night school as well, he probably needs the rest far more than him.

Swallowing down another piece of sushi, Reigen shakes his head.

“No need to. As long as you don’t mind me working, I’ll be alright. This isn’t part of your job anyways.” He shifts and loosens his previously tightened tie again to combat some of the warmth in his face. “Maybe I can show you one day, but nothing you have to worry about for today. You’re already doing great work, Serizawa. I think you earned yourself some rest today.”

Out of the corner of his eyes, he watches the other fidget with the tab on his own drink, his smile soft and gentle. Reigen can’t help but find it incredibly beautiful - objectively, he tells himself.

“E-either way. Let’s finish up eating so you can go lay down.” Playfully, he raises his drink for a toast and it makes Serizawa look back at him. When he nods, there’s a familiar admiration behind his eyes that never fails to make Reigen’s chest feel a little lighter, fluttering with emotion. Both of them chuckle a little once the ESPer moves to lightly tap his own can against his in a small cheer.

They don’t eat their food as quickly as Reigen had anticipated, neither of them able to stay quiet for very long. Conversation finds them easily and maybe it’s their exhaustion and the warm light of the desk lamp, but they allow themselves to lean a little closer to each other, simply talking about whatever topic comes their way. While Reigen enjoys hearing himself talk, he knows just as well that listening to Serizawa is quite pleasant and after a long day it's refreshing to not be the one filling the silence in the office. However, he does have to force his eyes away from the ESPer’s lips more than a few times. It’s a weak attempt at staying focused on what the other is saying instead of getting too distracted or lost, his heart beating loud enough already.

Eventually, they finish their sushi and when Reigen catches himself staring at the way Serizawa tilts back his head to finish his drink, he decides that it’s probably best to go back to work. With his cheeks now bright red, he slaps both of his hands on his thighs, gripping to the fabric of his pants a little tighter than he needs to. Before he’s able to say anything else, he has to clear his dry throat and he wishes he still had some of that iced tea left. “Anyways. I should probably go back to work now.”

As quickly as he can, he stands up from the sofa and grabs their trash to throw it into the nearby trash can. He wants to get back to his work rather urgently now and he hopes that he doesn’t look as suspicious as he feels.

“Are you still sure you don’t need-”

“Still sure.” Reigen interrupts, waving his hand through the air dismissively. With just a few quick steps he’s by the cabinet and pulls the blanket out from one of the bottom shelves. He makes his way back to Serizawa to hand it over to him. “You need your rest, remember? I need you to be in top form tomorrow. After all, we do have a tricky client to take care of.”

It isn’t a lie, but in the end, this is less about the client and more about himself and Serizawa. The other looks far more tired than an hour ago and Reigen finds himself in desperate need of a break from the feelings weighing down in his stomach.

Even if Serizawa looks confused, he nods nonetheless and takes the blanket with a small and genuine thank you. In response, Reigen tells him once more that there’s no need to worry about it, all the while trying to rub his slightly damp hands dry as inconspicuous as he can.

His chair squeaks in protest when he falls back into it and stretches, his lower back popping loud enough to earn him a concerned look from the other side of the room. Thankfully, the ESPer doesn’t comment on it and when he seems like he finally managed to get himself comfortable enough to lay down, Reigen flicks off his desk lamp. The sharp glow of his laptop screen is the only light in the office now and he realizes almost immediately how it strains his eyes uncomfortably.

He hears Serizawa take in a small breath as if to say something, but Reigen interrupts him before he even gets the chance to speak up. “I’ll be fine.” He reassures him, even if that isn’t necessarily the truth. Working with the printed out sheets will no doubt be a challenge, but Reigen truly wants the ESPer to be able to get as much sleep as he possibly can on the cheap and uncomfortable sofa. Not wanting him to worry, Reigen adds, “I don’t think I will take that long.”

There’s a moment of silence that stretches a bit too long to be comfortable and he’s sure that Serizawa is debating whether he’s telling him the truth or not. Reigen does feel a little nervous at the thought, but the silence only lasts another second.

“Okay. You can turn it back on if you need to, though.” Serizawa settles on, much to Reigen’s relief. “And thank you again, Reigen.”

“Been there, done that. Missing a train happens to the best of us. Now go to sleep. Bosses orders.” His tone is not even close to being serious and there’s not a moment of hesitation before he continues. “Goodnight, Serizawa.”

“Goodnight, Reigen.”

He can hear the ESPer shuffle and shift on the sofa in an attempt to settle but soon enough he quiets down. With Serizawa now resting, it’s easy to get back into work, even if his progress is much slower now. With the only light being the dimmed screen of his laptop, reading the documents proves itself as harder than anticipated and he has to double check everything now and then, just to make sure that the only numbers incorrect are the ones he dares to purposely fudge. Once in a while, one of his hands moves to rub over his face, the action usually followed by his palms pressing against his eyes in an attempt to get rid of some of the tiredness.

Reigen curses himself for not starting with all of his when he should have and there’s no doubt that he would be done by now if he had worked on it little by little instead of doing it all at once - that, or he could have at least skipped today’s lunch break to do himself a favor. At this point the numbers and letters on the screen become scrambled and he groans quietly when he eyes the still relatively tall stack of papers next to him, doing his best not to wake the ESPer with his sounds of annoyance.

However, simply acknowledging the other’s presence is enough for Reigen to glance past his laptop and towards the sofa by the window. It takes a moment for his eyes to adjust to the darkness of the room, but soon enough he can make out Serizawa’s sleeping form. It’s highly inappropriate of him to watch his employee sleep, but he has a hard time tearing his eyes away again. He shouldn’t stare and yet, he feels like this might be his only chance to get a good look at the other without having to worry about being caught.

Despite the ESPer’s legs hanging over one side of the sofa, he looks peaceful. His chest is rising and falling rhythmically and his head is resting on his folded up suit jacket that’s propped up by one of his arms. The top few buttons of his shirt are popped open and his tie is placed over the backrest, neatly folded and brushed straight.

With the shades not completely drawn, the moonlight manages to spill through the window, illuminating Serizawa’s face well enough for Reigen to see his slightly parted lips even from where he’s sitting. There’s no denying how handsome ESPer is, especially not with every feature of his face relaxed and calm. The mere sight of it causes all of the previous warmth to return to Reigen, his heart beating faster against his ribcage almost immediately. It’s involuntarily but he has a hard time suppressing the small and appreciative smile that takes hold of his lips, his head tilting slightly to rest against the palm of his hand.

As the other's boss, he knows for a fact that he shouldn’t sit here and let his eyes wander over Serizawa’s frame, the nice shape of his jaw or the little bit of collarbone poking out of his button up. Most of the time Reigen is doing an at least acceptable job at keeping himself in check and the fluttering in his stomach at bay, but he’s painfully aware that it becomes harder to ignore each passing day.

It’s neither appropriate nor fair to Serizawa for Reigen to be as attached as he is. Whenever he catches his heart beating a little too fast or finds his fingers twitching with the desire to reach out, he has to consciously stop himself and it never fails to make him feel guilty - incredibly so, even. With how kind and honest the ESPer is, it’s hard for Reigen not to feel like he’s taking advantage of him for his own selfish desire to not feel lonely or unwanted.

Now, however, he does permit himself a moment of indulgence and entertains the thought of what it might be like to wake up next to the ESPer in the morning. Reigen had done nothing in his life to deserve someone like Serizawa, but with how tired he is, it’s hard not to dream about strong arms wrapped around his middle and the scruff of a beard on his face while warm lips press against his own.

Softly, he exhales and after a good few minutes of watching the other breathe calmly, he tears his eyes away once more. There is still more than enough work to take care of and he shouldn’t be getting lost in something this far out of his reach. To him, Serizawa is probably the best friend he ever had and he knows that there is no point in ruining what they have with irrational What-If’s. If anything he should be thankful for what they were right now.

With the pleasant warmth now replaced by the heavy weight of reality, he turns back to his laptop, trying to pay full attention to continue where he had left off to return home as soon as possible.

#serirei #mp100 #mob psycho 100 #my writing #serizawa katsuya #reigen arataka #traumatart #i suppose

17 notes · View notes

criticallyacclaimedstranger · 8 months

Note

I have so many questions for the fanfic ask so strap in 😏 I really want to ask all of them but I should limit myself to like, 10.

12, 17, 18, 22, 26, 27, 29, 34, 36, and 77

Anyways I'm a little drunk so thank for answering these in advance and Ily 💙

(GAAAAH I HAD ANSWERED FOUR OF THE QUESTIONS ALREADY WHEN I SLIPPED ON MY GODDAMN TABLET AND CLOSED THE TAB AND I LOST ALL OF IT.)

Ziz, my drunken angel. I want to get drunk too, but I'm too tired. Now I have to copypaste all of these suckers for you instead.

12. Do you outline your fics? If yes, how detailed are your outlines? How far do you stray from them?

Mostly not. For longer fics or multichapters I might have some stuff jotted down just to remember to include it later (because I forget shit) but no, I don't really outline my fics.

17. Do you have a writing routine?

At the moment, I mostly work during down time at work. I have other things I'd rather do during my spare time, so in order to write anything at all - and I want to write, but not enough to use my spare time for it - it's going to be on company time. Front desk duty days are the best because we don't get many customers, I usually don't have anything pressing to work on while waiting for customers to show up, so I write smut. Perfect. It's a huge privilege, and I intent to enjoy it for as long as I can. So my routine is mostly "check if anyone's behind me, then open up my private email, and go to drafts, where I save my wips", haha!

18. Do you enjoy research? Which fic of yours required the most research?

Um, yes and no? Because I don't allow for writing to take a lot of time, I don't really feel like doing research at the moment. But if I feel like the fic requires it, a bitch will definitely google some shit. The most research I did in this fandom was for What Spring Does To The Cherry Trees. I had absolutely no idea about what life on a Texas cattle ranch would be like. I expected there would be cows and Stetsons. So I did a fair bit of reading up on that, plus what the military looked like in the early 1990's. (Nothing like I needed for my OFC, so I still made things up. It's fanfic.)

22. Do you title your fics before, during, or after the writing process? How do you come up with titles?

AFTER. Omfg, after. Listen, I will have created the post on both Tumblr and Ao3 and be ready to hit that Post button, if it wasn't for the teensy tiny little detail that I LACK A GODDAMN TITLE. Titles are the worst. I very very rarely have a title from the start, or at least one that sticks with me throughout the process, and makes it until the end. I usually go for song lyrics (simple but somewhat easy), or something descriptive and boring (um, "The Artist and the Builder", anyone? Scoff!).

26. What’s your least favorite part of the writing process?

The title. And the sex scenes. Ugh.

27. What area of writing do you feel strongest in?

I feel like I write relationships well. I write female characters well, I like them independent and headstrong, not too sentimental or dependent. I like writing the day-to-day of relationships, the kind of boring stuff, the banter. Two people who rib the bejesus out of each other but will never be mean to each other and will always have each other's backs and also have phenomenal sex. Also she doesn't cook.

29. What’s something about your writing that you’re proud of?

I am proud of finishing fics that I've worked on for months or even a year. I'm proud of not compromising my ideas, even when I suspect that taking the story another way would give me more notes. And I am so, so proud of my chubby!reader x Frankie series. The comments I got on those fics still make me tear up. I am so humbled that I could give readers the experience of really seeing themselves in that reader insert. I honestly never thought it would be so huge, that people would actually see themselves in it, but they did, and they told me, and I am just. Wow.

34. How much of your personal life/experience do you include in your fics?

I did a lil day trip with my two doctor friends yesterday, and they talked about different medical professionals/originals that they met during their internship. And I listened, and told them: "You know that one guy is ending up in a fic, right?" They laughed, and said "Go right ahead, he deserves to be in a one!" So I do pick up stuff from around me, and from my own life. But most of it is make-believe because hahaha I do not have a Frankie of my own and I do nothing interesting with my life honestly :')

36. What fic are you proudest of?

As already mentioned, the Forever Starts With You series. But also What Spring Does To The Cherry Trees. And Jay and Frankie. Heck, I'm proud of almost all of my fics! Some are written with a lot of integrity, some I'm just proud of finishing, some have resonated so beautifully with the readers. Don't make me choose.

77. Why do you enjoy writing fanfiction?

I am a creative person. I've always written stuff. Fanfic in "easy" in the sense that you are served a world and characters that people already know, so you don't have to spend time setting all of that up. It's also a communal experience, something that brings people together. And of course I love the responses! I'd be lying if I said I did this for myself: if I did, I wouldn't be posting. I post my fics to share the, and I love it when people tell me I did good, yes, but mostly I love it when I make people feel something. Maybe I made them laugh, or cry, or horny (seriously, people: you have got to be more open about that! TELL ME MY SMUT MADE YOU MASTURBATE, I WILL BE ALL HEART EYES!). Maybe they recognized themselves in the fic, felt seen, felt appreciated. That's the good stuff. That's the reason I write. I'll continue to post stuff for as long as I have stories to tell but if I'm completely honest: I wouldn't bother anymore if I didn't get comments. This is fandom, it's supposed to be a community with interaction.

#asks #pazizz #fic asks

3 notes · View notes

messenger-of-stupidity · 2 years

Text

After Love is Gone

Heheh I wrote genuine angst again. It’s been a while since I did that.

CW: Imp!Damien x Imp!Angel (if you’ve watched the imperium damien videos, you already know what to expect. Spoilers will be here.), cursing, arguing

Redacted Masterlist

Ao3 Link

Read below cut.

Angel pressed shaking fingers to their lips, stopping just short of actually touching them. Their eyes were staring blankly at the window and the moon that shown outside of it. Damien was pacing along the floor, ranting about something or other that had happened that he was upset about. Angel couldn't honestly care. Once upon a time they listened to his words, enraptured by the way his tone would fluctuate when he grew more passionate or wanted to press meaning onto specific words. They dropped their hand, still looking out the window. It didn't matter to them if Damien noticed their lack of attention. The world was ending and he was angry about the peasants or something. Angel couldn't understand how he didn't get that none of it mattered anymore. They leaned back to press their back onto the bed, their gaze falling up towards the ceiling instead. A feeling of vertigo swept through them and they closed their eyes, letting the spinning feeling sweep them away.

How many times had they done that? During the late nights where Damien's warmth felt more feverish than comforting, the nights where that was the only movement they were allowed to have as magic held on tightly to their body? Far too often. They had always thought that they would be the ones to tell their friends if their friends were in a toxic relationship. They had been the person to point out a bad relationship the earliest when it came up on TV dramas. And yet here they lay, only their mind being theirs while everything else belonged to the King Imperial. Consort. They reminisced from when they used to just be known as Damien's partner. They preferred being his unempowered partner than what they were now.

"Are you listening?" Damien's agitated voice pulled them out of their thoughts. Their eyes slowly opened again and propped themselves up on their forearms, a response already on their tongue. Not even their words were theirs anymore. They were tailored to whatever Damien wanted them to say, or to be nothing at all. They hated those moments, where his magic had a grip on their throat and they could only cry silently as he enjoyed the quiet. He didn't see anything wrong with it anymore. When he had first started stealing from them with his magic, he had felt guilty after a few hours. Now it was his given right to take from them. They regarded him quietly and he repeated his question. "I said, are you listening? Answer me." Not even a please.

"No." They said instead and their heartbeat picked up in speed as he frowned at them. They didn't care if he got upset at them for not listening. He didn't get upset if they lied, as long as the lie suited them. Great, he had also taken a good portion of their morals from them. They sat up fully and smiled down at their hands. Why were they smiling? There wasn't anyone to fool anymore. "Damien, can I ask you something please?" They asked softly. He sighed but sat down beside them, leaning back on his palms.

"Fine, if you must. What is it?" He asked. At least he still gave them the time of day. How long until that was gone too?

"When are you going to keep your promise for unempowered?" They asked. It was an age-old question at this point, and the frustrated groan that Damien emitted proved it. But this wasn't like the times before. This wasn't just checking for an update anymore. They didn't believe any of the updates. Not anymore. No, this was checking to see if anything was salvageable at this point. Because even after everything he had stolen from them, they still loved him. They still felt their heart flutter when he cupped their face gently in his warm hands, when he pressed a kiss to the apple of their cheeks.

"We've been over this already. The answer isn't going to fucking change." There it was. Confirmation. It didn't hurt as much as the fact that Angel wasn't surprised by the answer. They should have been surprised. They should have been upset that it was just another lie. But they weren't. Their heart gave a painful squeeze and tears gathered in their eyes as they bit down on their bottom lip. Their hands were still shaking. "Are you crying?" Damien asked and he sounded irritated by it. He didn't care if he was the cause of the tears anymore. He used to care how Angel looked at him. "I thought you wanted to have good nights." He added. Angel stood up and walked away from him, wrapping their arms around themself in an effort to self-soothe. They had no expectations that Damien would do it. He only got physical contact from them when he wanted it or decided that Angel wanted it. When they wanted space, he wanted to be in that space. When they wanted to be cradled within his arms, he would be too busy.

"I don't know anymore, Damien." They whispered. The room fell quiet bar the low buzz from the electricity. He stood up and walked towards them, hands going into his pockets.

"What do you mean?" He asked. Angel laughed as tears made little trails down their face.

"I mean what I said, Damien."

"What do you not know about?" He pressed.

"Everything. I don't know if I can be who you want me to be. I don't know if I can survive your love. I don't know if I can fucking stand you anymore. I don't know how I can love you." They said, their shaky voice raising as the dam for their emotions started to crack and fall apart. He stared at them, his brow furrowing before the corner of his jaw twitched and the temperature increased. Angel scuttled backwards, wary of the heat, their arms tightening around them. Their fingers curled inward as they gripped the fabric of the hoodie they wore. They missed the way his gaze used to flash with hurt when they did that. Now they only saw his frustration increase. Was he only angry nowadays?

"And what the hell do you mean by that?" He snapped. Angel sighed softly as they locked eyes with Damien.

"I don't love you anymore." They said. They saw the hurt and shock from the statement fill Damien's expression before it was replaced with anger. He moved towards them and they stayed still as he stopped a few inches from them. The wave of heat coming from him hit them and they felt their skin start to flush to combat against it. It didn't help that they were wearing their comfort clothing, not clothing made to specifically keep their body cool. They didn't back down though. They were done being meek.

"Stop lying." He said through gritted teeth. Even now he was trying to take the truth from Angel. They wouldn't let him.

"I'm not lying Damien. I don't love you anymore. I don't feel safe anymore. The world out there is falling apart and dying and you don't fucking care. You only care about holding on so tightly to your beloved fucking power. Well newsflash Damien, that power isn't going to mean shit when there's nothing left to rule over anymore. What are you going to do then? Are you going to go onto that damn balcony and survey the disaster you caused?" They were growing angry, but it felt good to let these emotions out. They didn't know how much longer they would be able to before the biggest imbalance between them and their lover came out to play. They could tell their words were hurting Damien and making him angrier. Good.

"You really wanna say that? You don't understand what power can do since you've never had any. And you want to know why you've never had any? It's not because I withheld it from you. It's because you don't fucking deserve it. You wouldn't know what to do with it. I do know what to do with it. You don't even know how you would go about changing what you so desperately want to. So don't act like it's so simple. You don't get it and you never will." Damien said, his voice raising with his temperature. It scared them, but it was also so freeing. No image-tracking. Just venting it all out. Except this time they wouldn't let it end with just continuing on like nothing ever happened. They weren't going to return to the life that was sucking everything out of them. They weren't going to be a husk to be manipulated like a marionette.

"I know I'm unempowered. You like reminding me a lot. But that doesn't mean I'm stupid. I'm not blind, like you are. I can see what's actually going on out there despite the fact you keep me locked up in this shitty cage you call a palace. I can see that whatever this is between us isn't working. You aren't willing to change anything and you aren't willing to let anyone try. You're such a... control freak! You have to control everything all of the time." They said and wiped this tears are with the back of their palms. Sweat had beaded up on their forehead, bridge of their nose, and above their upper lip. They took a step back from him, the heat combined with their vertigo making them dizzy and feel faint. Damien laughed cruelly and stepped away from them too, running his fingers through his hair.

"Oh spare me the pity. Does it look like I care if I'm a control freak? At least I'm able to control things, unlike someone else." It was an underhanded jab. Both of them knew why Angel couldn't control anything. It was a sore spot, and him pointing it was only hurting more each time.

"It's not pity. I don't feel anything for you Damien except contempt." They said, their voice lowering. Damien rolled his eyes, but he recognized the deflating. Angel wished they were able to do more. Argue more. But it was all moot points. Damien didn't have to care about what they said. He only had to wait until they made themselves tired, like a misbehaving toddler. A sob wracked their body and they fell to their knees, hands covering their face. They could hear Damien's footsteps pace a few times before he approached them and sat down in front of them. He pulled them towards him gently and Angel let him. They hated that they did, but comfort was comfort no matter the source.

"You know I love you right?" He said softly, his hand rubbing circles on their back as they clutched onto him tiredly. Their tear-filled gaze moved towards the moon again, the light blurry.

"This isn't love. Not anymore." They said back, their voice breaking. They felt him stiffen and tense, but they didn't care. "It used to be love, I know that. But that was before any of this. Before you were caring about the wrong things. When we were younger. Love is pure, kind, equal. This... this is a twisted dark form of love. If it can even be called that." They added in a whisper before closing their eyes. Their mind was made up. They were done with this. Damien held them throughout the night and well into the mid hours of the morning, but Angel's mind was made up and they were stubborn.

𓆩♡𓆪

Angel stared up at Damien from where they kneeled in the plaza. Their wrists were chained by magic behind their back. They were finally considered a threat, despite the fact they had no magic. They had spilled everything to the public, ruining the king's image. He wasn't someone who supported equality or change towards a better future. Advisors had tried to discredit Angel's claims by stating that they were just trying to get back at Damien because of an argument the two had gone through. The advisors had the facts right, but the timeline wrong. The argument had been a last straw, and Angel did want to get back at Damien. But it wasn't just because of the argument, it was because of everything that had happened that lead up to the argument.

Damien was looking down at them, panic and hurt in his gaze. No anger this time. They laughed bitterly. The Damien they knew now was a twisted form of what he had been. But so were they. They supposed this is what happened after love was gone. But that was okay. Because they were finally free. They said their piece and it would reach the right ears, even if the advisors' plan worked. They closed their eyes one last time. They let the vertigo sweep them away one last time. They never felt the sword hit their neck and they missed their head rolling as their body toppled down unceremoniously, blood pooling.

#redacted asmr #redactedverse #redacted audio #redacted imperium #imperium damien #imperium angel #fanfiction #redacted fanfiction #redacted headcanon #read trigger warnings #angst

24 notes · View notes

timeagainreviews · 2 years

Text

“The Power of the Doctor” is a mixed bag

Psychologist Barry Schwartz once said, "The secret to happiness is: low expectations.” His reasoning was that if a person approaches everything in their life with either low or no expectations, they leave themselves open to being pleasantly surprised. Last night’s episode “The Power of the Doctor,” had me thinking about that quote a lot. In my previous article, I mentioned I only had the faintest of hopes that now former showrunner, Chris Chibnall, could end his era well. The bar was so low that I really only dared hope he would not make yet another controversial change to the mythology. Anything beyond that would be icing on the cake. It would seem that after a five-year period of shoddy writing, my expectations were low enough to leave me pleasantly surprised.

Those of you familiar with this blog will know that my number one consideration for every story of Doctor Who is simply- did I have fun? While “fun,” is a rather subjective concept, it’s really why I love Doctor Who. I have a lot of fun watching it. Mind you, I don’t apply this to every piece of media. Some media isn’t meant to be fun. Some of it is meant to be challenging. Even Doctor Who can be more like a medicine than a treat. While theme and character development are important, sometimes the heart wants what the heart wants. Sometimes we love something in spite of its flaws. It was actually in Nash Bozard’s review of “Revelation of the Daleks,” that I first heard anyone take this stance. After ragging on about the absurdity of the story, he had to admit that when it was all done, he wasn’t bored. “The Power of the Doctor,” is by no means perfect, but it was fun.

As many great stories begin, this one starts with a train heist. I was reminded of the Capaldi era’s “Mummy on the Orient Express,” and also to some degree “Time Heist.” The Doctor and her crew aren’t able to pilot the TARDIS directly into the speeding train so they have to improvise with what is one of two ladders in this episode which must be dropped down from a less-than-ideal height. The fam tucks and rolls but gets a little too close to death for Dan’s comfort. Upon entering the train, they discover a group of Cyber Masters attempting to hijack a sort of coffin which presumably holds someone or something important. In what turns out to be one of a number of fake-outs on Chibnall’s behalf, it is revealed that it’s a mere child within the coffin. I say fake-out because it was my and everyone watching with me’s dreaded assumption that this little girl was the infamous Timeless Child.

Chibnall continues to utilise these types of fake-outs throughout the rest of the episode. You get the feeling that it’s his little way of nodding to the story he would have liked to have told under different circumstances. Coronavirus may have been a factor, but ultimately it felt a lot like a mandate from the BBC. While his era is not without its fans, it has been hugely controversial. What’s funny then, is that while a lot of this feels like Chibnall being restricted, it oddly makes him seem like a better writer. In having to hint at the story he wanted to tell, it allowed for subtlety that a story like “The Timeless Children,” lacked. When Vinder and the Doctor part ways, you could almost imply that he is her father by the knowing look he gives her. They even hold on this look for a moment in order to highlight its implied significance. I like being able to wonder if he’s her father. Just as I like to wonder if the woman from “End of Time,” was the Doctor’s mother. With room to wonder, there is mystery, or as David Lynch puts it- room to dream.

Dan leaves the show almost as quickly as he joined it. After breaking open his space suit during their mission, Dan decides life with the Doctor is too dangerous and leaves the TARDIS, presumably to end up with his love interest Diane. It was interesting to me that an episode that re-introduces Tegan Jovanka says goodbye to another companion for very similar reasons to her own when she also parted ways with the Doctor. The violence and death became too much. Speaking of re-introducing characters, how could I go any longer without mentioning Ace? As you may recall, Ace was my biggest worry about the centenary special. After seeing her in promotional photos, I worried they were going to make Ace a boring old woman with her business suits and fancy job, but I was pleasantly surprised by her portrayal. I’m sure it doesn’t hurt that Sophie Aldred has continued playing the character in audio format for the last two decades, but it was reassuring nonetheless.

The introduction to Ace and Tegan is a bit of a head-scratcher. Somehow, over the years, they have come into contact with one another and frequently work together on their Sarah Jane Smith-esque adventures. Ace is investigating a series of missing paintings, while Tegan is on the other side of the world tracking seismic activity. For no reason whatsoever, they assume these two instances are linked, and for no reason whatsoever, they’re absolutely right. After being recruited by Kate Stewart to help with official UNIT business, it is revealed that the Master has been adding himself to priceless works of art, something which never comes up again. It’s weird then that they dedicate so much time to this aspect of the story. They even rent out a gallery where Ace investigates a digitally removed painting. Seriously, there’s some weird cropping going on in that scene that prompted me to ask a curator friend what was up. According to her, it’s entirely plausible that they may not have had the budget to move the painting and therefore it would have been cheaper to remove it digitally. This somewhat begs the question why they didn’t just build a set or choose a different location, but whatever.

The Master appears in many different forms in this episode. So many that I might suggest they lose track of things a bit. We first see the Master in St Petersburg at the Winter Palace, posing as the mad monk Rasputin. Sacha Dhawan’s beautiful dark eyes are hidden under milky blue contacts which really sell the look. While I was collecting my notes about this episode I came to one puzzling question- why was the Master posing as Rasputin? It’s implied at the beginning that he may be the catalyst for the Russian revolution, but what that has to do with the rest of the story is anyone’s bet. I asked my friends and I skimmed through the episode on iPlayer, and nothing. I genuinely don’t know why he did that. While it gave us the opportunity to watch the Master gyrate his hips to Boney M’s “Rasputin,” the only reason I can think they chose Rasputin is that it looks cool.

When the promotional photos of Dhawan as Rasputin were released, I figured Chibnall was going to incorporate the bizarre (if not slightly embellished) account of how he died. According to some accounts, Rasputin proved to be notoriously difficult to kill. He was shot, poisoned, beaten, and drowned. It would have been a fun thing to incorporate into the story, as being a Time Lord would make the Master equally difficult to kill. Oddly this never comes up, and from what I can tell, he really only wants the Winter Palace as a base of operations where he and the Daleks and Cyber Masters can enact their grand scheme.

As grand schemes go, the Master’s Dalek plan doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. Basically, the Master lures the Doctor in by holding the Earth hostage with stock footage of volcanoes poised to erupt due to Dalek intervention. The Master’s TARDIS has also merged with a planet that has been fully cyber converted. The planet hangs in the sky like a second moon harkening back to the Earth’s twisted double- Mondas. The little girl from the beginning turns out to be an energy being that takes the form of something you want to protect as a survival technique. The Master harnesses its power in order to bring his Deathstar-like monstrosity to life. The problem with most of this is that a lot of these elements exist purely to look cool, which is a continual problem of Chris Chibnall’s- great ideas without much exploration. The Doctor as a Weeping Angel looks cool. A guy with teeth in his face looks cool. The Master as Rasputin looks cool.

Another version of the Master that we see is the Master in the present day, giving a twisted lecture on plate tectonics and magma to a room of academics who have all been murdered by his tissue compression technique. UNIT comes and takes this Master away and he spends the rest of the episode giving Tegan, Ace, and Kate a hard time. The Master reveals that his tissue compression can be reversed and as he does, it is revealed that a small figure of the Lone Cyberman is actually a sort of Russian nesting doll full of Cybermen. This whole sequence was weird as the Master could have just used the Cyber Masters as he had been the whole time. I guess Chibnall wanted to see Ashad return. It’s fine though because the Master remarks how glad he is that he took the time to clone him down to every last detail, including battle damage! The line was about as shoehorned at Yaz saying “I love you,” to the Doctor at the beginning of the episode.

Speaking of shoehorned love, Thasmin is somewhat in effect, but I imagine not enough for the shippers out there. There’s no great kiss between the Doctor and Yaz, though there are implied moments of romance. More than the show ever implied before. Seriously, why pander to shippers? Have you seen some ships? They come out of nowhere at times, like this one. People want to see the Doctor and Yaz fall in love, so they invent a romance in their head. What I do like is that in this episode, Yaz is forced to view her own importance to the Doctor after seeing the number she did on both Tegan and Ace. We’ve seen it before with Rose and Martha. They’re not the Doctor’s first and they have to rectify that. Luckily, Dan has fucked off so the Doctor and Yaz get lots of downtime to partake in lesbian processing.

Did I say Dan fucked off? I meant to say the role of Dan will now be played by Graham. Now, if you thought the sudden appearance of Vinder was out of nowhere, just wait until Ace finds Graham inside a volcano! The episode shows us numerous times that there are multiple volcanoes set to explode, yet somehow Ace and Graham run into one another at the exact same time under one of many multiple volcanoes. Graham is down there doing his own Sarah Jane Smith-esque adventures. It’s sort of implied that this is what companions do after traveling with the Doctor- they continue her work. Fair enough, but still a bit too convenient. I’ll excuse it though because I rather like Graham, and watching him and Ace blow shit up with nitro nine is all I ever really wanted.

In a somewhat cheeky fashion, Chibnall has the Master comment on just how messy and disparate his plan sounds. It felt like a moment of fourth wall breaking where Chibnall acknowledged some of the criticism his work has faced. That and the Master saying the words “The Master’s Dalek Plan,” made me smile. It takes guts to do such a bad pun. I was glad to see him having fun on his last outing. It’s odd that in his final moments, Chibnall finally seemed to be enjoying his role as showrunner. It felt more like a love letter to the things he admires about Doctor Who and less like a chore thrust upon him by the network. Part of me had wondered where this guy had been hiding for the last five years.

The Master manages to capture the Doctor in a Dalek. No dodgems jokes though, it’s all business. Luckily Yaz witnesses everything and begins to recruit a posse. The Master has amassed his new “fam,” and the Doctor has hers. Thus we reach the title of the episode as we learn that the real power of the Doctor is the fam we made along the way. Or as Davros would put it- she turns her friends into weapons. But this isn’t about that. New year, new me. And it’s a very new Doctor as the Master’s real plan would have it. Using his cyber planet as a source of power, the Master force regenerates the Doctor into himself.

Ok, let’s get this out of the way- it’s a bit John Simm. It’s a bit of a callback. I think that’s fine because it’s great to watch the Master parade around as the Doctor. It was fun to watch Missy do it, and it’s still fun now. The bit where he pulls out the recorder of the Second Doctor made me warm and fuzzy. The Master playing an eerie rendition of the Skye Boat song was mad and forlorn. Great imagery. You really get a sense that Sacha Dhawan’s performance is channelling a kind of deep melancholy. He sort of sits there like a pot about to boil over. He possesses a demeanour which causes one to wonder if he were to lunge at you, would it be to kill you, or to kiss you? He may just break down and cry. He seems constantly on the verge of a nervous breakdown and I really like his take on the character. I wouldn’t want to be him either.

What’s strange, however, is the Master once killed off the Time Lords within the Citadel all because he found out he might have a little bit of the Doctor in him. I kinda wish the Doctor had called him out on his own double standard. But that’s the Master. He is a contradiction. Plus he’s also actively profaning the Doctor’s name. In the Master’s own twisted way, he’s living his truth. Reclaiming his body as his own by taking over the Doctor’s. Sure, a big problem with the Thirteenth Doctor and the Spy Master has been that it often ends with him pontificating while she’s tied up, and that’s still present. But the Master’s arc as a guy who is disgusted by his new truth to a guy who creates the next truth is a complete character arc for him.

As the Master reeks hell with Yaz in tow, a plan begins brewing, though I largely am not sure how. Vinder stows away on the TARDIS unbeknownst to the Doctor. I rather liked him in this episode. He had a badass moment where he puts the Master in his place. To borrow from Mike Tyson- “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” Or in this case, shot in the shoulder. Where I am most confused is where the Doctor’s AI comes into play. I’m assuming it has to do with the static charge, but I’m not exactly sure how it worked. I thought maybe it was a “Day of the Doctor,” scenario where over a course of years the TARDIS AI system makes a facsimile of the Doctor’s consciousness for the purpose of its use now? Is that what happened?

What really matters is that none of that matters because we’re now at my favourite bit. Everyone quiet down. Alright, get this- David Bradley, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy and Paul McGann all showed up. I mean, they were nearby, but they’re here… sorta! It was very much a Five-ish Doctors scenario. Sadly Tom Baker couldn’t attend and Madame Tussaud said no. Also, I think Shada’s canon now. The Thirteenth Doctor is also there, natch. She’s not quite crossed the rainbow bridge yet and the Doctor’s consciousnesses are here serving Missing Adventures book cover vibes in their matching red and black robes. All except the Eighth Doctor who looks suave as fuck. Love that for them.

One issue I feel has persisted throughout the Jodie Whittaker era is the BBC and the show’s desire to make her share the role of the main character. It’s incredible to see our favourite Doctors in one place, but even in her swan song, she’s forced to share the role. She doesn’t even get to have her own comic book, she has to share it with the Tenth Doctor. It’s like when Marvel used to try to sell books by throwing Wolverine in. I wish on some levels we could have gotten Jo Martin before or after Jodie. Part of me held out hope that she would regenerate into her in the end. I get that this isn’t just a regeneration episode, this is 100 years of the BBC, dammit. But still.

We did finally get to see Jo Martin do more and I couldn’t be any more excited about it. Somewhat surprisingly, and someone expectedly, they do not give her mystery away. What they do give is a lovely little bit of her coming in and being a chilly renegade, straight putting the hurt on the Master. What they did was leave me wanting more. More of her please. I’ll take one spin-off, thanks. I said it in the comments the other day that I was waiting for this episode before I could really take the entire era for what it was. Now that I know the Fugitive Doctor is to remain a mystery, I feel I know more about her, oddly. I mentioned last time that I was frustrated by the way she was written. Now I can quantify her character in my consciousness better.

Thanks to her friends and her AI selves, the Doctor gains control of her body once more. To stop the volcanoes from destroying the planet, the Doctor needs both her and the Master’s TARDIS. The Doctor gathers all of her friends around her TARDIS console like a remix of “Journey’s End.” By linking her TARDIS in tandem with the Master’s, they manage to jump the cyber planet forward to modern times when the volcanoes are erupting. The various stock footage shots of erupting volcanoes made me yearn for a bit of the RTD era which always felt like an invasion was happening everywhere. It wasn’t just the Doctor meeting Cybermen, they were showing up at your front door! Where are the people abandoning their homes and frantically rushing to leave the vicinity of their local magmatic spire? It seems small, but this involves the audience more than the knowledge that volcanoes erupt seemingly across the world at the same time of day. There aren’t time zones, silly. That’s why this episode wasn’t simulcast, it’s 7:30 pm everywhere!

The Doctor frees herself of the Cyber Masters. Ace and Graham have dispatched the Daleks in classic fashion, and Tegan and Kate prove themselves quite capable at demolition. Though I must say, I really need to know how 69-year-old Tegan Jovanka managed to drop into a dark hole and climb out unscathed. I’m 39 and I would have spent the next week in bed saying “Don’t touch me, I’m baby.” It’s the kind of discontinuity like Yaz and Dan seeing two old people get cracked like eggs by Weeping Angels and then appear in the next scene having somehow escaped. It’s not even that this is discontinuity, it’s that seeing Tegan with a serious limp would have ratcheted up the tension. Janet Fielding got some great moments that were very true to her character, but they missed a trick there. Imagine the next scene with her starting instead at the bottom of that lift shaft. Her leg is broken. She has to tie a bit of cable and rebar around her leg like a splint. She drags her way into the next room and still manages to save Kate from cyber conversion. It could have easily been more, but instead, it’s nothing.

The scenes which paired Ace and Tegan up with their respective Doctors left me feeling overjoyed. As a big fan of the Ace years with the Seventh Doctor, I was happy to see them get a proper emotional goodbye. Not just a voiceover done in post. It’s weird how natural it felt seeing them back together as if no time had passed. Both pairs. Having the Fifth Doctor say “Brave heart,” and Tegan say “Rabbits,” was fan servicey as hell, and I would have been upset if they hadn’t done it.

In a last fit of rage, the Master declares that if he doesn’t get to be the Doctor, then neither does she. The Master turns the floaty timeless child energy spider (I said what I said) and swipes the Doctor with it’s energy beam before collapsing. Yaz is forced to carry the Doctor back to the TARDIS like Kevin Costner in the Bodyguard. She then carries her over the threshold which I guess counts as the first Doctor Who gay marriage. The Doctor and Yaz are registered at John Lewis for anyone curious. Yaz takes everyone home like a good designated driver and later the Doctor wakes up from her blackout like “Whahappen?” She realises she’s regenerating so the Doctor takes Yaz on one last adventure- a bit of ice cream atop the TARDIS.

Whether or not you ship it, Mandip and Jodie are giving their whole ass in these scenes. I can count on my hand, maybe, the number of times we’ve seen the Doctor cry. Nine in “The End of the World.” Ten when the Master refused the regenerate. And the Eleventh Doctor when he’s pleading with Idris not to die in “The Doctor’s Wife.” It’s fitting then that the Thirteenth Doctor shed a tear for her oldest friend and semi-love interest. Both Jodie and Mandip left everything on the soundstage that day. It was a fitting goodbye for both characters. After Yaz gets dropped off, we learn that Graham and Dan have formed a sort of “friends of the Doctor,” support group. I liked this because it was more than a cute way of some great cameos (William Russell! William Russell!), but it was also an interesting take on the role of companion. Being the Doctor’s companion would leave scars, both physical and emotional.

The Doctor decides she needs to regenerate alone. She goes to Durdle Door, a picturesque vista overlooking a large body of water. She keeps her final moments short and playful, a bit like her. She tags the next Doctor in and braces for impact. Now, I know you probably all knew this was coming, but she regenerates into what BBC and Titan comics have always wanted- David Tennant. It’s always great to see Tennant, but I found myself strangely morose watching him appear. Seeing him in the trailer only compounded that feeling. Leading up to “The Power of the Doctor,” I had mostly ignored behind-the-scenes stuff other than what I saw on social media. It was a point of stress for me. But the David Tennant and Catherine Tate stuff I had absorbed a few months ago. I felt like I had gone from new Doctor Who to an older episode. But even more, I felt a tinge of regret at the state the show had gotten itself into.

Part of me wonders what Chibnall may have done given more time and less restraint. Part of me shudders to think it, but part of me sees that his story was unfinished. What happened to Lenny Henry’s character? Who were the Division? What was up with that Irish cop? What was the weird house? What was the whole point of the Grand Serpent? Who put the universe back after the flux? Didn’t the Daleks and Cybermen get genocided by the Doctor at the end of that story? What happened to the future Master? Was he crushed in that building alongside the Cybermen? Chris Chibnall once said that no showrunner adheres to what came before them. I can see why he said that, he doesn’t even pay attention to his own stories.

Perhaps waiting til the last episode to help me square away this era was naïve. If I hadn’t enjoyed the era by then, it was pretty apparent I still wouldn’t. Maybe it was a sort of morbid Halloween Michael Meyers deal when I need to see the body to know he’ll never be back. I need to see the life leave his eyes. In hindsight, I find myself still feeling about the same, but maybe a little more open to revisiting the episodes at some point. I don’t suddenly like bad writing because it has an ending. It does, however, give perspective. It is now a definite thing. The Chibnall era has a beginning and an ending. I had fun watching the final episode, which is more than I really hoped to ask for. Regardless of how much I may or may not have softened to the show, one thing remains a constant- I can’t forgive giving a brown man up to the Nazis.

10 notes · View notes

limey-self-inserts · 1 year

Note

Howdy Limey!

I wanted to ask these from the rolodex vocabulary ask game but first, please allow me to take this moment to remind you my Ask box is always open to come chat about the highlights of your week or gush about your f/os anytime!

10. Vociferous: What are some things your f/o is passionate about? Why are they passionate about these things? Do you share their passions? How likely are they to get into a debate over their passions? For Douxie!

3. Izod: How tough is your f/o? Have they ever reached their breaking point and if so, what happened and how did they pick themselves back up afterwards + how did you help them through this time? For Alucard!

8. Bauble: Does your f/o like to collect anything? If not, do they own something that brings them immense joy and satisfaction- if so, tell us about it! For Sirius!

2. Appellation: If possible, look up and tell us the meaning of your f/o's name + tell us if you feel it reflects your f/o in any way (those of you with OC f/os, It's your time to shine ;)) for Obitus!

Cheers,

Moxie @tex-treasures

hey hey! thank you for sending in the ask! (and I'm so sorry this took so long to complete)

Vociferous: What are some things your f/o is passionate about? Why are they passionate about these things? Do you share their passions? How likely are they to get into a debate over their passions?

oh Douxie is ON with music, especially rock and heavy metal. he likes to spend his spare time making up riffs or learning tunes from songs he's been listening to recently. he's also super passionate about magic, especially in the practical aspects. being able to blend music and magic is such peak Douxie because he's just putting his all into what he loves

Avalon is a fellow magic-caster but has a very different perspective due to being self-taught. you can bet that they and Douxie will be sat down for hours debating how certain spells are cast and comparing notes/experiences of it, with Douxie intrigued in how Avalon learned spells without the studying and Avalon wanting the actual teachings to better understand what they can do. of course, sometimes it means they'll get heated in which method is best vs. which method is correct

Izod: How tough is your f/o? Have they ever reached their breaking point and if so, what happened and how did they pick themselves back up afterwards + how did you help them through this time?

(cw Castlevania spoilers, assault mention)

Alucard is. hoooo, he is tough. he is very tough, despite going through an exceptional amount of hardship. he had to fight and kill his own father (regardless of the massive threat Dracula posed to the rest of humanity in the instance). he ended up living predominantly alone for several months, and when he did welcome people into his life in the form of a pair of wanna-be hunters - well, those hunters tried to kill him out of fear he was hiding secrets from them. so he killed them in retaliation. that was definitely a breaking point for him. he opened himself up with trust and it hurt him badly for it. it took the offer of trust from a different stranger to start picking him back together

Crow was hurt badly during Alucard's breaking point. they didn't so much help so much as retreat from humanity alongside Alucard. they were a comforting presence, but not much else

Bauble: Does your f/o like to collect anything? If not, do they own something that brings them immense joy and satisfaction- if so, tell us about it!

ooooooo Sirius does enjoy collecting small trinkets whenever he goes on excursions. this can range from pressed flowers to shiny rocks to small gems. mostly reminders of places he's been to.

he never really developed a taste for expensive items during his childhood in noble life, and instead finds joy in beautiful and rather natural items. he might pick up a piece of jewellery, but more likely simple pendants or leather-banded items, things where the beauty is found more in how the item was made or a singular gemstone in the piece

Appellation: If possible, look up and tell us the meaning of your f/o's name + tell us if you feel it reflects your f/o in any way (those of you with OC f/os, It's your time to shine ;))

Obitus' name come from the Latin word 'obitus', associated with the approach of death/dying/setting of the sun. 'obitus' is the base for the word 'obituary', a short descriptive of someone's death with general information on the person.

as an assassin, this fits very appropriately with him. his approach bodes death to the unsuspecting and suspecting alike. he certainly takes his job seriously.

#cw assault mention #answered #world: castlevania #world: trollhunters #world: magia #thank u again for the ask!#brain is rotating the f/os like microwave #many thoughts....

5 notes · View notes

stellatenuem · 1 year

Text

mmm love writing ren post-royal and his character regression and people hitting me with the 'thats ooc for joker though' and im like listen. listen? reverse character development is fun and sexy actually. let them become Worse

and within my ren's canon, a character regression works because ren was raised in an enmeshed family. and toxic familial abuse cycles are magnified by proximity. especially wherein the abuser is unable to see the victim as anything other than an extension of themselves.

an enmeshed victim doesnt act like themselves when under the abusers influence. ren the person takes a backseat to a series of behaviors (healthy or otherwise) he developed while trying to cope with and survive the trauma he went through while living with his parents for 16 whole years. that doesn't just... become resolved even though he was able to grow in tokyo.

if anything, something like that can make it even harder to be put back in that kind of environment. i speak from experience. its such a devastating thing. you live in the dysfunction for so long you dont realize its impact until youve been away from it. you were okay. you felt better and you didnt even realize it until things go back to the way they were before. that moment of mindfulness, of being horribly aware of the before and the after can be so depressing.

environment is everything.

during his year on probation ren started developing emotional equity and forming the closest thing they've had to secure attachments up to that point. ren arrived in tokyo traumatized. he was planning on keeping his head down and staying quiet. he didnt want to make any friends. he didn’t think he could. what would be the point in trying? others would make up their minds about him as soon as they’d find out he was a criminal. they would abandon him, too.

ren didn't trust anyone around him. they decided they would create a personality as cold and distant as they needed to in order to protect themselves. then the universe dropped one Ryuji Sakamoto in front of him and those plans began to fall apart. ryuji, ann, and morgana literally opened ren up to wanting to TRUST people again. that maybe he isn't as damned as he was made to believe.

he grew as a person and found where he belonged. but he isn't free yet. ren's parents do everything they can to erase that person. they still command enough control over ren through their traumabond that re-inspires rens learned fear of them. so ren's trauma brain allows them to slowly pick away at the confidence and sense of self he'd come to find. even if its a betrayal of himself. even if at times he's able to summon the courage of joker put up a fight, its rare for him to see any wins.

ren's parents rule by emotional abuse. fear. and isolation. they go from shaming him heavily for a year with the silent treatment, to scrutinizing and watching his every move. trying to have control over every aspect of him again. where he goes. who he talks to. what he spends money on. how he spends his time. ren begins regressing more and more. and its not only their toxicity that lend to this. even if his parents were healthy and loving, ren still would have struggled deeply because of everything he'd been through over the year he was away.

aside from the horrific trauma he endured at the hands of the police, being toyed with by a malevolent god who erased his friends from existence in front of his eyes, and being betrayed by an adult he trusted in maruki, ren lost goro twice, and in the wake of that loss, was separated from his irl support system.

death and the grief that comes from it transform the life of the person experiencing it. it changes how you interact with your routines, hobbies, relationships, and even yourself. the person that emerges from a grief situation is not the same one who experienced the tragedy it in real time. and rens grief at times is powerful enough to swallow him whole. to impact his functioning as he tries to go about his life.

and every time he falls below his parents standards, tries to establish autonomy, they just punish him more. isolate him more by taking away his phone, his laptop, his only lifelines to his friends. he's going to get worse. hes not going to act like his authentic self. hes going to fall into his worst mindsets and make unhealthy decisions. even someone like ren, who knows full well his parents treat him like shit, at his core, still wishes for their love and approval. its one of the hardest things to reconcile with, even as a adult, that your parents will never be the people you need them to be.

in a way, he's got to grieve over that, too, now that he knows now what unconditional love looks like. (because of his found family and friends) like, this kid was ghosted by their parents for a whole year. after his life as he knew it was completely shattered and he was shipped off to the city to live with a total stranger. ren had been effectively abandoned by them to fend for himself. i cannot begin to comprehend how fucking emotionally damaging that is.

imagine that happening to you and then at the end of your year away, after you've been through so much more hell (most of which you cant tell any normal person about) youre just supposed to??? go back to living in their house with them??? after they did that to you? like. thats fucking sick. and then go back to gaslighting you and acting like they didn't hurt you. and theyre the victims, actually.

#sometimes things really do get worse before they get better #ooc.#cw abuse #discussions of abuse #headcanons.

4 notes · View notes