#if you loved Up and want a more mature version this might be the movie for you

[the-oaken-muse]

A Man Called Otto (2022) has the same vibes as Up (2009), but, like, if Carl Fredricksen was suicidal

Thank you for coming to my one sentence movie review

[hamletshoeratio]

"But no new content 😭!!" that means jack shit. We have several literal decades worth of content we can watch or rewatch. The writers and now the actors too are not only fighting for their livelihoods but for the futures and the soul of their industries.

Fuck new content, fuck the executives and producers and powers that be who make millions upon millions while the people, who create the content that make them rich, can barely make ends meet.

Here's some suggestions to anyone who doesn't know what to watch;

Nostalgia rewatch; watch old favourites, shows and movies you haven't seen in years but that stayed with you, the ones that mattered to you.

Watch the shows your parents didn't let you watch growing up because they thought the show was "too mature" for you.

Watch the shows and movies people have recommended to you that you never found time for before.

Watch indie films!!!

Look at different genres than what you've watched before and give them a go.

Try films and shows from other countries and/or in other languages. There's dubs and subtitles available and these shows and movies can be just as good if not better than their American and/or English speaking counterpart.

And remember when watching shows, that you do not have to binge them all at once, you can have your own personal tv schedule and watch say an episode a week like you would've done when/if they aired before streaming

Look at some older films and shows, why does it matter if it's in black and white or the camera quality is lower than 4k and hd, so long as it's good? And so many of those shows and films, while not perfect, have aged better than shows that have come out in the last decade, like the golden girls for instance has aged so much better than say glee (ok many many many shows aged better than glee but let's be real for a second, music was better when artists were terrified of the Glee cast doing a better version of their song on the show. I do still wish it was a show my mom didn't let me watch tho, lmao glee was fine but no, her twelve year old being obsessed with Les mis and rewatching it religiously was cause for concern 😂😭 I was just as obsessed with glee for seasons 1-4 especially).

It's ok to indulge your inner child and rewatch the classics tm. The shows and movies you grew up with. Rewatch the shows that got you through sick days from school, the tv movies you remember watching premiere, the cartoons that MADE your Saturday mornings, etc.

On the topic of animation, that's literally an unlimited genre you can tap into, which rarely gets the recognition and respect it deserves.

Don't be afraid to watch the one season wonders, the shows that networks and streamers cancelled after one season in spite of strong reviews and good ratings. Or the shows that ended abruptly around the season 3 or 5 mark because networks and streamers cancelled them because they didn't want to negotiate contracts and have to pay the actors and writers more. Get angry, remember what the actors and writers are fighting for.

The privilege of older shows that either concluded naturally or that writers were given a heads up on might be on it's last season is that you get closure, unlike with the above. That might not mean an ending is good but a bad ending is better than a cliffhanger. There's always fix its fics for a bad ending. And if the ending is good, it's typically GOOD in my experience. The fear of a cliffhanger and zero closure has already turned many against watching new content until the show is renewed for another season or is fully wrapped (and fans don't hate the ending).

Watch the shows that were in their day or are popular or critically acclaimed, they usually hold up to the hype.

Watch the old shows and movies your favs were on/in before they were your favs.

Try a soap or a telenovela, they can be entertaining af (holby city my love, Tuesdays have never been the same since the BBC robbed me of you).

If you liked a reboot or a revival of a show, try the original (in certain cases, the og is even better, see boy meets world v girl meets world).

If you like period dramas, try shows and films from other countries based on their history. A lot of times when people are telling their own history it goes far better than when Hollywood tries it (see the many times Hollywood has actors brought in because producers think they're good for box office and they then go on to butcher the accent their character should have, see Cameron Diaz, Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep and so many others who have absolutely butchered the Irish accent over the years for instance. There's also many many instances even recently of just blatant whitewashing see Matt Damon as the last samurai...).

Listen to recommendations, watch the shows and movies you know your family and friends loved but you never got around to watching.

[poemnic-tarot]

Channeled Message from Your Soulmate’s Higher Self

(Disclaimer : This is a general reading please only take what resonate. For entertainment purposes only)

🧚🏻‍♀️ 💕 🍀 🌷 🌸 You are Loved 🌸 🌷 🍀 💕 🧚🏻‍♀️

Pile 1🌠 “Twin flames”

“I want to acknowledge your mastery of your own emotions. I love that you’ve learned not to control or shame your emotion but accept them for what they are. Your inner strength really shine through and it wasn’t easy so I want to congratulate you on that hard earned achievement, my love. Now your emotion can’t hold you back anymore from taking action. They do not dictate what you can or cannot do because frankly, there is nothing you can’t achieve in this world. You can basically manifest anything.

You are very intuitive and even psychic when we first met and I noticed that about you. I was surprised by how much you were able to pick up on. My feeling particularly because I was not that expressive. You’ve showed me how to balance between true inspired action and just doing things for the sake of doing it. It was hard for me to give something up or abandoned things I’ve started, even when I know it was passed due to do so. Leaving things,letting go of attachment is hard for me. I am the type to keep on reading a book or watching a movie till the end even when I am dead bored of them. There’s no reason for me to continue but there wasn’t a reason for me to leave either. So I’m stuck I guess, I’m very good at getting myself stuck, in the middle, hanging in- between staying or going. But you told me you found that endearing for some reason and gently took my hand and guide me out of my self- imposed prison. You have helped me heal my wound of abandonment, maybe that’s why it was hard to say goodbye to things and leave them, even though they do not serve me anymore.

I admire your sense of adventure, you are the most expressive person I’ve ever met. Even if you don’t know that about yourself. I feel quite a strong kinship with you, like this is not our first rodeo on this earth. Perhaps, we often have more adventures in our dreams, I know I do dreamt of you quite often. I just want to let you know that I love you, I love who are and who you were and who you are trying to become. Every versions of you amazed me cause your true strength alway shines through every time and I will alway recognised your bright essence anywhere.”

Love,

Your Soul Family

Signs: Rose, Lion/big cats, 111, Infinity, Pine trees,Crescent Moon

Love Quotes: "In the end, we all just want someone that chooses us over everyone else under any circumstances."

Song: I See the Light from Tangle

“….And at last I see the light

And it’s like the fog has lifted

And at last I see the light

And it’s like the sky is new

And it’s warm and real and bright

And the world has somehow shifted

All at once everything looks different

Now that I see you

Love Poem verse : Twin flames by @cant-find-my-name

…I recognised negative traits needed

To be discard,

When we met, I think I’ve found myself

The missing piece, part of my soul

Ah, you’re my Twin flames

When I met you I know

We’re one and the same

🧚🏻‍♀️ 💕 🍀 🌷 🌸 You are Loved 🌸 🌷 🍀 💕 🧚🏻‍♀️

Pile 2🍄 If Magic Was Real

"I hope you are taking time to fully sit in your emotions and grieve. It is okay to express your emotion, in fact, it is crucial if you need to cry or break down or just lose it emotionally. Give yourself that permission to do so. You might think that it's strong of you to keep it together for the sake of others or yourself. That it is so mature of you to do so but darling, there need to be a balance. You need to heal but you won't be able to heal if you won't let yourself feel all of your sadness. If you need to cry, cry it out I will be here with you. You are not alone in your sorrows. I would like to give this song to you, maybe it would help "Chiquitita by Cher". It seem you have broken a feather but don't worry, we will try to patch it up together.

I want to tell you that a renewal is coming to you. It was a hard chapter that you just experienced and I hate seeing you pretending to be fine. But your sad eyes is not fooling anyone. It is okay to be sad,to be angry, to let it all out ( in a healthy way not in a self destructive way please). I admired you for holding it together for this long, but more than anything, I want you to let go. Be vulnerable with yourself, I think that is the most beautiful thing. Witness the spectrum of human emotions, it is beautiful. It is time to rest in your nest for awhile until you’re able to fly again. Take all the time that you need, grieve all that there is, broken relationships, friendships, nostalgia. Whatever it is, I am alway there. Listen to music because I love sending you messages through these songs, it has really helped me through my hard time. So I’m hoping music could be a little comfort to you at this time. Take some time for yourself love, cause you definitely need it. Trust me that the sun will rise once more, and all that happened will just been a hard learned lesson and you’ve definitely learn a lot from it.

I know that the real you is not a sad person. You are the most vibrant, radiant, happiest soul I know. And sadness doesn’t suit you one bit, as well as pretending to be happy. You shine best when you are true to your feeling. Winter is over and I cannot wait to welcome you back into the season of spring.”

Love,

Your Soulmate

Signs: Black feathers, birds, 55, Tears drop

Love Quote : “He’s more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.”

Song : Chiquitita by Cher

Chiquitita, tell me the truth

I’m a shoulder you can cry on

Your best friend, I’m the one you must rely on

You were alway sure of yourself

Now, I see you’ve broken a feather

I hope we can patch it up together

Love Poem verse: If Magic Was Real by @cant-find-my-name

.. The world seem kind

When you’re around

To believe again

Is easy

When you’re with me

If Magic is real

It is where you’ll be

🧚🏻‍♀️ 💕 🍀 🌷 🌸 You are Loved 🌸 🌷 🍀 💕 🧚🏻‍♀️

Pile 3🫧 I’ll Never Forget

“You’re working so hard and so am I. We’re trying to do our own work, slowly building strong foundation for the future. Maybe out of fears than anything. This anxiety to keep on going, to do better and better, to improve, constantly striving for a better future. I get it, I feel it too, however, if we keep on going like this eventually our life forces will run out. And physically we can become ill and I really don’t want that for you. So I’m here to let you know that you can slow down, what you feared will not come true. Your deep, dark fears will not come alive. If you think you can’t stop because you think that the fears you feel will transpire. No, it will not, you’ve work hard enough. Outwardly and internally, I’ve watched you tried and tried and alway striving to do better. To be better, but honey, you are already enough for me. You alway will be, regardless of what you did or what you didn’t do or what you will do. I will alway believe that your existence alone is enough for me. To sooth my soul, to lift my spirit up. You don’t have to do anything for me, I am happy just to be with you, to exist with you, to be by your side and bath in your lovely presence

I know you have struggled from a lack mentality, I don’t know if you notice that about yourself. And that is nothing to be ashamed of , I‘m struggling with it too. I understand how you feel, no matter how much you have or how much you do, you just feel it’s never enough. True abundance come from the inside. And you are already enough with the proof that your heart beats for you, the blood flowing in your vein is proof that we meant to exist here as we are. No more, no less.

Please rest assured love, and take a break once in a while. Do something that’s not related to work. I want you to practice winding down, practice letting go and relaxing. No one ever teach us how to truly relax and it is a skill, it doesn’t come naturally to us and we can help each other relax. We can practice together, practice just existing without shame or guilt, or a pit in our stomach that things will go wrong if you don’t do anything. I want you to learned to have fun because when we’re together, it’ll become a skill that will help our relationship a lot. I want to have fun together with you and for you to tell me all about your adventures, your travels and your crazy journey. I can’t wait to just sit down and be with you. Take a vacation with you and have the time of our lives. You are my vacation home.”

Love from,

Your Honey bear

Signs : 88, Roses, Games, Festival, Spider, Designer brand

Love Quote : “I know from that first moment we met. It was not love at first sight exactly but familiarity. Like ‘oh hello’, it’s you. It’s going to be you.”

Song : Voyage by Kep1er

“The sound of waves surging in

Far beyond the horizon

Between the clouds, we going high

Follow me in my way

When the gentle breeze blows

Close your eyes and feel it

We arrived to an unfamiliar island

slowly open your eyes

Love Poem verse: I’ll Never Forget by @cant-find-my-name

Loneliness is a disease

But I think you’ve just cure me,

You make me so happy

I don’t recognise myself,

You warmed my hand

Around your coffee mug

And asked if I’m alright

Your voice sounded worried

And there’s concern sincerity’s in

Your eyes.

🧚🏻‍♀️ 💕 🍀 🌷 🌸 You are Loved 🌸 🌷 🍀 💕 🧚🏻‍♀️

Pile 4🌙Each Night

“Good evening, I hope to meet you again in our dream. I know you dreamed of me and questioned it. Believe in yourself my little star. Your dream is not lying to you. It is alright to hope, to wish, to believe in the impossible. Please don’t think that it’s ridiculous or childish to believe in true love, in soulmate and fairy tales. Because you’re not wrong to hope. Your soulmate exist and you know that but your fears trying to convince you otherwise. I am your soulmate and my message to you is to believe in me. I want to validate your feeling, your extraordinary senses. Your wish in that little star?, I heard it, the universe heard it too and we listen. To all of your wishes and it was not ridiculous of you to wish for love, true love. It is not unrealistic, or rose colour glasses. It is just something that you know you deserve and want to feel. We do not shame or guilt ourself for asking for more love.

I am alway with you, in your dream, in your waking life, in our past lives. That is why you can feel my presence so strongly. It is not just from your imagination. I want to assured you that, it is real. I am as real as the bark of a tree. I can feel you too but truthfully, my 3D self is not as intuitive as you. I tend to brush things off when they don’t make sense, so please don’t be like me.Things doesn’t need to make sense now,it will eventually come together. Unfolding naturally, beautifully. I know you see my signs everywhere and is questioning reality. You are not going mad, just a head up from me. We will meet soon, in a way that you won’t believe. I won’t either but we both know that we wish for this desperately. Earth has been achingly lonely for me. And knowing you exist have helped alleviate the ache a bit. I want you to take your time with life, don’t rush cause when we come together, we can continue this journey together in an even pace,step by step.

Love,

Yours

Signs : North Star, Dove, Diamond shape, Cocoon of a butterfly, 8910, 2020

Love Quotes: “He loves you very much” she said, but more than that, he cares for you. Sometimes love is not as important as truly caring for the other person.

Song : Surefire by John Legend

“Let me breath you in ‘till gravity bends

And we fall through the hole in the light

Make this our kingdom

Somewhere where good love conquers and not

Divides”

Love Poem verse : Each Night by @cant-find-my-name

Oh distance shore

I beg of you

Please no more,

Please don’t keep us apart

I can’t take it

This is destroying my heart,

We are one and it’s time to be

Together again

Next to each other

Hand in Hand

Feel you touch my skin

Smell your scent

I breathe you in………

🧚🏻‍♀️ 💕 🍀 🌷 🌸 You are Loved 🌸 🌷 🍀 💕 🧚🏻‍♀️

Thank you so much for reading!. If this resonate please leave a tip if you like. See you soon!

Check out more of my original poems at @cant-find-my-name .

[em-dash-press]

Types of Love to Write About Besides Romantic Love

There are so many types of love besides romantic love. Let’s talk about how they can spice up your storylines and challenge you to think about your character development/conflict from a new perspective.

Love for Your Yourself

Everyone deserves to love themselves, but we don’t always start there. Characters don’t either. Your story could focus on your protagonist’s journey to falling in love with themselves, becoming proud of who they are, or loving a new version of themselves that feels more true (think: coming of age or maturing into your identity as an adult).

Love for Your Friends

When you love your best friend, you’d do anything for them. For the purpose of this post, I’m leaving out the friends-to-lovers trope. Instead, a story could follow the development of a friendship or the destruction of one. Platonic, devoted love can result in endless scenarios that would make a great story.

Love for a Passion/Cause/Hobby/Career

Another form of growing into yourself at any age involves finding what you love to do. Your protagonist might devote themselves to a cause, start a hobby that shapes their worldview, or begin a new career that teaches them what they like or don’t like.

What you love and what you love doing with your time on this planet speaks volumes. Let your characters speak that language too!

Love for a Pet

People do wonderful things out of love for their pets. I’m not talking about buying sweaters or custom furniture. I’m talking about leaving their homes to find a safer environment, pursing court cases against animals they adopted from abusive homes, and even meet new pet families so their animal makes friends.

You can center a story around this type of love or make it a subplot. Either way, your protagonist will learn important things about themselves when they love their pet. It’s a compelling plot vehicle that often gets sugar-coated, but it can be gripping too.

Love for Your Family

The love your protagonist has for their family might be rock solid. Maybe it’s been shattered and they want to mend it. Maybe the love is never assured, so they have to make a crucial decision to leave.

People don’t have the same family structures or even the same family members, but we can all relate to the ups and downs of loving the people who raised us or grew up with us. It’s an immediate hook for readers—and I’d even say as much of a hook as any overdone, love-triangle romantic plot for a protagonist.

Love for Your Distant Family

It’s also compelling to read about people who are closest to their distant family members. There’s history there or history being made that brings them together. It’s also relatable for many people because immediate family members don’t always love each other. 

Love for Your Found Family

Found family is a wildly popular type of love in fictional stories. I probably don’t have to even mention specific books or TV shows to bring one to mind for you.

There’s immense joy in crafting a family with the people you pick up along your life journey. The intensity of that love can also bring equal amounts of pain. There’s depth to mine, so don’t leave this type of love out of your writing toolbox.

Love for a Personal Hero

Who do you look up to as a role model or personal hero? Your protagonist can have the same love for someone in their universe. It’s part of finding who you are and what you value, which results in tons of potential storylines.

-----

There’s nothing wrong with writing romantic love, but you’re missing out if that’s the only thing you ever try to write. If you don’t think you can handle these other types of love storylines, read about them or watch movies/TV shows with them! As long as you approach the story from the perspective of a writer, you’ll learn from the craft and find new story ideas that interest you.

[zeezelweazel]

Wednesday| General Relationship Headcannons|

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

I'm obsessed with the characters in this show and I can't wait for season 2. I hope they give us more Yoko content cuz I love her but it was so hard to write for her :(

Also I think I'm way too late to the hype but aren't I always?

Characters Included: Wednesday Addams, Enid Sinclair, Bianca Barclay, Yoko Tanaka

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

• Wednesday •

Honestly at first you thought she hated you but then Enid told you that Wednesday hates everyone so you shouldn't take it personally.

The werewolf assured you that she'll open up to you with time so you kept trying and magically it worked.

It was hard to get her to be affectionate with you but after time you learnt that she's going to come to it at her own pace.

Once she does she's a very soft touches kind of person. Nothing to extravagant and not much in public. Words of affirmation are her favourite thing, both to receive and to give.

Gives you private cello concerts that you no doubt love. She'll immediately immerse herself in any interest that you have. Of course at first she'll act like she doesn't care about it but the same night Enid will catch her doing research on it.

You take turns when it comes to planning dates. She usually prefers a setting where it's the two of you alone but will generally enjoy anything gothic and dark.

Fights with Wednesday are a nightmare.

She completely shuts down when she's upset and you'll hardly even get a word out of her when you notice how upset she is. Wednesday herself also has a very hard time understanding how she's upsetting you and she can't show empathy that easy. Once you get the communication going it's going to be fairly easy to solve whatever happened because Wednesday is very mature. She will apologize for hurting you during the actual argument and if she's in the wrong she'll recognise it.

Meeting the Addams family was chaos but they were pretty quick to accept you. The mere fact that Wednesday tolerates you enough to date you was enough for the rest of the family to like you. Of course they couldn't miss giving you a very dark and gory version of the shovel talk but you were pretty used to it from being around Wednesday so much.

Now I won't lie and say she's the perfect girlfriend or anything. We all know she can be toxic and since she's not used to any of this she's bound to make a lot of mistakes.

If you give her a chance she'll give as much of her heart as she can.

• Enid •

She's so sweet and energetic

A true ball of sunshine

You guys met during your first year at Nevermore. Enid was the one who approached you. She came up to you all giddy and excited saying something about how she just felt attracted to your aura. You couldn't say anything to that so you just kind of accepted that she's your friend now.

As you might have guessed the platonic feelings quickly turned into romantic ones. Enid needed only a tiny bit of encouragement before she asked you out.

Although she can be a little bit overbearing at times. You need to communicate with her and tell her that she needs to tone it down just a bit. She might be upset at first but she'll understand.

She plans the best dates ever. She knows exactly what you like and will combine both of your interests so you can spend quality time together while having fun.

Absolutely adors pda and will want to be touching you in some way 24/7. Obviously she'll respect your boundaries. You find it endearing how she craves your touch so much.

You're her go to person. Whenever she's stressed about something, either that be something small like losing another one of her favourite nail polish or big like the whole Hyde situation, she'll show up at your dorm expecting to be comforted.

It's actually easy to get her back to her cheerful happy self. She just needs snacks her favourite movie and you.

Although it's different when it comes to her worries about her family, especially her mother and the wolfing out obsession that she seems to have.

You're going to have to let her rant. She'll be pacing around the room talking animatedly and her claws may even come out but soon enough all her feelings will be out in the open. She made it quite clear that she didn't want you to get involved with her family and their problems.

She only ever allowed her father to meet you and after getting pass the initial awkwardness it was pretty nice. Her dad was a soft spoken kind man who immediately took a liking to you. Enid was ecstatic to see you two getting along.

Your relationship with Enid might have some slight problems at first but it gets better with time. You'll be the annoying constantly stuck in the honeymoon phase couple everyone loves and hates.

• Bianca •

The queen bee of Nevermore was of course intimidating.

Which is exactly why she was the one to approach you first. You shouldn't expect her to make the first move though.

Bianca would want something romantic but not to over the top, subtle but sweet. Thankfully you gave her exactly that and of course she accepted. The entirety of the school was all over you guys after you announced your relationship, gossiping and looking, some even had the courage to come up to you and congratulate you.

While Bianca loves being the centre of attention normally, when it comes to you she wants some things to be kept between you two. She enjoys the quiet moments you guys share a lot. That of course doesn't mean that she won't take you out for the best dates.

She isn't too into pda but not entirely against it either. A light peck on the cheek and the casual hand holding is as far as she'll go. Unless she's jealous that is. Jealous Bianca is a sight to behold. She gets jealous quite easily, believe it or not. Divinia had to convince her that using her siren song on the person being all over you wasn't a good idea too many times. Instead she settled for placing her hand around your weist while glaring at the other person. It's pretty safe to say that she got the message across.

Her siren song and the whole manipulation nuisance only becomes a problem after a certain amount of time when we guys have already been in a relationship for some time. It's when she starts seeing this relationship as a serious thing. Her insecurities and the voice of her mother try to convince her that you'll leave once you realise who she truly is. You on the other hand can't lie and say that you've never thought about how Bianca might have used her power on you. It was a silly though that you quickly discarded.

This entire ordeal thankfully ended before it could escalate into something bigger.

Bianca is a mature person so whenever you're having any serious fights she would be very easy to talk to and she'd try to resolve the issue the best way possible. When it comes to small and petty arguements on the other hand her snarky nature will come out full scale and she won't hold it back.

Bianca might also trust you with everything that's going down with her mother but she wouldn't want you to intervene at all. She has it all under control and she expect you to show trust in her.

All in all Bianca is a pretty good girlfriend even if you relationship isn't perfect, with the regular ups and downs.

• Yoko •

With the whole dark and chill aura that she has she's truly irresistible. The attractive vampire had her eyes on you for a pretty long time but she didn't make a move. Instead she simply waited to see just how you would approach her. She's someone who's lived for decades so patients is her strong suit. Enid tried to tell her that it's kind of creepy how she just stares at you and never dares to makes a move but Yoko insists that she simply enjoys the excitement of waiting.

The build up was truly worth it in her eyes. She stayed behind in class one day packing up her things and tidying her desk when you walked in, flushed a pretty colour with red roses to match ber lipstick on your hands. You were stuttering and fumbling over your words so obviously flustered and it was such a sight for sore eyes. If you weren't so nervous you would've noticed the way the pretty vampire was looking at you the way a wolf stares at a rabbit.

She took pity on you though and accepted the flowers. After she took your hands in hers, placed a kiss on your knuckles and left with a promise of a date. A promise that she didn't forget. Your first date was something so hopelessly romantic but Yoko made sure not to go overboard, she didn't want to scare you after all.

Yoko is a very private person in general and she loves being alone with you in quiet spaces were you can just relax and spent time together. She'd definitely plan things that both of you can enjoy. You can expect her to be very good at planning dates but also dating in general due to her many years being alive. Yoko also absolutely loves pda but in a very different way from Enid. She's more of a chill character but she needs to have her hands on you in some kind of way. Casually throwing an arm over your shoulders when you're sitting or a gentle hand resting on your hips.

Arguements with Yoko can only be described as weird. If it's a small arguement it won't cause much of a hustle, especially if Enid evolves herself. Big arguments are a different story though. Yoko is an immortal vampire that has been alive for god knows how long. If you aren't a vampire like her then after arguments you'd feel like a child. She's so good and understanding and so damn mature that it annoys you when it absolutely shouldn't. It's bad enough that sometimes Yoko takes it to heart and completely shuts down spending hours upon hours alone trying to understand you.

In the end the entire friend group has to invert themselves in the equation so that everything can be solved and go back to normal.

Speaking about vampires qualities, biting was a very taboo subject in your relationship. At first Yoko would constantly flirt with you about biting you and marking you just so she could fluster you. Then when you asked her if she'd actually do it she profusely refused. You thought that she was just scared of hurting you or something so you tried to prove to her that you're not as fragile as she thinks you are. Turns out biting is a very intimate thing for vampires so she might do it once you guys are very serious.

In the end if you're not a vampire I think it'll be a very difficult relationship especially since Yoko will have to deal with you ultimately dying but if you're immortal like her it's pretty sure to say that you've found your soulmate.

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

[thislovintime]

Head premiered on November 6, 1968. (Edit featuring the two Tork songs - in the studio and demo versions, respectively - and a line from the movie.)

“What’s happening as time goes on is that the movie [Head] is becoming a chronicle of an age. At the time, it was just a chronicle of the Monkees.” - Peter Tork, The Monkees Tale (1985) Q: “What do you think of the music from the film ‘Head’?” Peter Tork: "Well, since I wrote and produced two of the songs myself, I think it’s fine. I did ‘Can You Dig It?’ And ‘[Long Title:] Do I Have To Do This All Over Again.’” - Goldmine, 1982 “The funny thing is that the lyrics [to ‘Long Title: Do I Have To Do This All Over Again?’] came to me right out of the air. I was just playing those chord changes on the guitar, and I opened my mouth and that’s what popped out. The song was weirdly prophetic. I had no idea that was going to be my attitude about anything having to do with music when I wrote that song." - Peter Tork, Listen To The Band liner notes (more about "Long Title..." here) “‘Can You Dig It’ is about the Tao. The hook line I wrote in my dressing room on the set [of the television series in 1967]. The chords for the chorus I’d written in college, and [they] had just stuck with me.” - Peter Tork, Head box set liner notes (more about "Can You Dig It?" here) "I think they're ['Can You Dig It?' and 'Long Title...'] the best songs in the movie [Head]. I love both of them. I thought they were just terrific. He had plugged himself into that whole Stephen Stills connection and was working with those guys. I think they fit the movie better than anything did. When those two songs start up in the movie, it comes alive for me.” - Michael Nesmith, Head box set liner notes “Thorkelson expressed a preference for the Monkees’ ‘Headquarters’ album, because it was the group’s first self-performed album […]. The soundtrack to the [...] movie ‘Head’ also is among Thorkelson’s favorites. ‘It was a little tinny, but back then I guess we were a little tinny,’ he said. ‘That movie will always look good,’ commented Thorkelson.” - The Bowling Green News Revue, May 24, 1979 "'When we made Headquarters, I thought I'd died and gone to heaven,' says Tork. 'My whole goal had been to be a member of a band that worked. The next thing I know we're making a movie and it doesn't have anything to do with the business of being in a band together.' [...] 'There's some weight behind the idea that Bob and Bert wanted to wreck the Monkees, to stop it cold in its tracks,' says Tork. 'I've never known for sure. Bert and Bob might have thought out loud: "Let's kill the Monkees!" Or they may have not thought so out loud but at some unconscious level, they were sick of the Monkees and wanted to do something else.' [...] 'It was a joy seeing a movie being made, but I didn't like working for Bob Rafelson,' Tork says. 'I did what he told me, but I can't say that I ever had any heart connection with him.' His favorite scene, in which he recounts what he has learned from an Indian mystic, was actually directed by Nicholson. [...] Tork has seen Head around 80 times but it took him years to work out why it bothered him so much. In the movie, the Monkees are hoodwinked, bamboozled, chased, assaulted, mocked, trapped in a black box and reduced to dandruff in the hair of actor Victor Mature, before ending up back where they started. In the words of the sardonic Nicholson-penned theme tune, 'So make your choice and we'll rejoice/ In never being free.' 'Most people are dazzled by the psychedelia, and that's fine, but for me finally the point of the movie is the Monkees never get out,' Tork says sadly. 'Which is to say Bob Rafelson's view of life is you never get out of the black box you're in. There's no escape.' So how would a Peter Tork cut of Head end? 'There might have been a scene where we get out,' he says wistfully. 'We jump in the water and get away.'" - The Guardian, April 28, 2011

[cafephan]

I have been a fan of D&P for a long time... I'm so happy the gaming channel is back. I felt it was the most "real" version of themselves of all their channels...

That being said though, I love their banter but can't help but feel like they force some stuff...like I grew up, I wish they did a bit too if that makes sense. Some of the jokes seem like they are trying too hard to be edgy and young. But still watching all the vids!

i agree with you in part! but let me tell you my thoughts which i know you didn’t ask for :)

they’re smart guys who have been in this game for a long long time, they always keep an ear to the ground in terms of what is trendy in both content and humour (see all of the old days of collabs, tags, diss track, draw my life, and modern day taking on trending and upcoming games on dapg and having somewhat of a presence on tiktok) so they are well aware that some of their jokes tailor to a more modern audience - such as the quick editing style, some jokes about pop culture, referencing popular tiktok sounds etc, and generally referencing more modern day and current topics, so that new viewers that might stumble across the channel won’t see two thirty something gay guys making constant outdated jokes and will want to watch more of the content alongside the long time phannies that dnp won’t let out of the basement - but i personally think they intertwine that so well with references to both their past (see the roblox video was a love letter to the older fans but also let new fans know where they came from) and older topics that we will remember from the time they occurred (example being the reference to the piss incident - many new fans would just know the name and be like omg fnaf movie these guys know what’s up, and older phannies cackle in remembering how awkward the video was)

anyway this answer was a lot longer than what you were probably expecting, but my conclusion is to continue expecting more ‘young and edgy’ jokes - they need to keep things fresh in terms of keeping new viewer engagement, for example if a new fan tuned in to any modern day dapg video and it was just filled with more mature references and references to their past, the shorter content phenomenon means that sadly new viewers probably won’t stick around if there’s not something to keep their attention

BUT i do strongly believe the comfort content will keep coming - they are so grateful that so many of us are both still here and returning after the hiatus, they wouldn’t purposefully upset us by trying to soft reboot themselves to appeal just to the modern, new audiences!

[kmlaney]

WIP questionnaire

tagged by @coffeewritesfiction and I am so sorry to take this long on a reply. Thanks for the tag!

Tagging @fallenscintilla (if you want! No pressure!) and @waywardwizzard and anyone who wants to!

1. What is the first part of your WIP that you created?

The very first line was: “D’ya think I care how it tastes?” I posted an edited version here. There's a snip of the original here.

For the record, it started as a character background for a TTRPG. In fact, it wasn’t even going to be the character I was going to play. Harrowed (undead/revenant) gunfighter? *eyeroll* Too cliché. I even made a homebrew archetype to play: a “spiritualist” in the late 1800’s sense. But that first line kept bugging me so I figured, okay. Fine. I’ll write this one scene and then work on my spiritualist. 

Yeah. No. I never played the spiritualist.

2. If your story was a TV show, what would the theme song/intro be?

I did all the fan stuff for Phil and Skyfallen, like playlists, faceclaims, all of that. I never did that before. I selected music for the theoretical TV show: main theme, a rotating list of outro/credits roll music, pieces for certain kinds of scenes. So if Skyfallen were a TV series, this would be the theme:

3. What are your favorite characters that you made? Why?

That’s like asking which of my pets was my favorite. I love them all. I guess I loved Phil enough to make them the viewpoint character. They’re a more-mature version of the kind of character I wrote when I was a kid, now with serious problems I can explore as an adult. I like Phil’s father, whom I was determined to fridge in the beginning because fridging is usually a female character. Ha Ha! Then I went and gave him a character arc that could only end in his death so he’s not fridged after all. 

I like Travelling Sam for being a conniving, money-grubbing jerk, but he’s fun to write. I like Eva as Carnival Mom; Maury for being a flamboyant, fun-to-be-around person hiding a serious drinking problem that everyone knows about. I like Doc Butcher for his name, for actually being trained as a vet but caring about everyone, and trying to do his best when he’s in over his head because he can’t do nothing. 

I like Maker Lewis for his change of heart, though he was already on the fence and just needed a shove. And I like Miss Warren for being a nosy reporter whom Phil doesn’t want to like but ends up liking anyway. She also lets me play at muckraking reporter. Choosing words to specifically slant a piece is a load of fun.

4. What other pieces of media do you think your fan base would share?

Skyfallen has its roots in Westerns, so people who like cinematic westerns are a potential fanbase. I include horror, steampunk, and gothic elements, so if your venn diagram of interests includes those things then it might be for you. 

Things I like that influenced or feel like this story: Silverado, The Magnificent Seven, RIPD 2 Rise of the Damned (movies. I hate to admit that last one but it was fun). Deadlands (TTRPG game. I created Phil for this setting). The Dark Tower novels--primarily Wizard and Glass but any of the parts dealing with Roland’s world. 

There is zero romance. Phil’s ace, there is no main love interest, and anyone who gets together does so very off-screen. 

5. What has been your biggest struggle with your WIP?

When writing the draft, the individual scenes flew out of my brain. I could hardly write them fast enough. In deep editing, though, it’s the big-picture stuff I find challenging. Which themes do I want to emphasize and which are less important? Do I really need all this buildup or should I start later? I need to show certain things so the later ones make sense, but that makes it even longer. It’s already very long; shouldn’t I be cutting things down? Argh. It's frustrating.

6. Are there any animals in your story? Talk about them!

There are animals. Most are utilitarian: Horses, dogs, cats, chickens, cows. There are monsters also (for certain values of “monster”) all along the continuum from “non-sapient animal” through to “self-aware human intelligence.” 

The way they figure into the story is more interesting. In life, Phil liked animals in general and had a special fondness for horses and mules. After dying and coming back reanimated, animals can’t stand to be around them. Phil doesn’t figure it out right away, and it hurts when they do.

7. How do your characters get around? (Ex. Trains, horses, cars, dragons, etc.)

For the area the characters are in for the bulk of the story, most people walk, ride horses, or ride in wagons, carts, or coaches pulled by horses or teams of horses. There are a couple of trains but they are rare. In other areas, trains are common, as are ferries and lake boats. Airships exist; they are novelties and considered simultaneously luxurious and dangerous. In larger cities, along with the horse-drawn vehicles, people have bicycles, rickshaws, pedal-powered rickshaws, and palanquins. Automatons in a variety of configurations may be subbed in for horses or people in any of those conveyances. 

8. What part of your WIP are you working on right now?

I’ve identified some specific foreshadowing that needs to happen. So I need to add that in. There are a few names that aren’t consistent; they’re flagged so I can fix them. I need to put in a few encounters so later ones make sense. It’s not exactly foreshadowing so much as worldbuilding. So editing stuff.

9. What aspects (tropes, maybe) of your WIP do you think will draw people in?

I have a hard time identifying tropes in my work, probably because I’m in the trees, so to speak, and can’t see the forest. Or groves, to push the metaphor. Having said that, here’s an attempt:

Portal/isekai

Found family

Unlikely group of heroes

Humans can be evil; monsters can be sympathetic

Religion, Magic, and cults 

Monsters dwelling among humans

Enemies to not-friends (don’t push your luck)

Things get worse

Everyone has secrets

Lost memories, memory tampering

Weird West

Steampunk and Gothic Horror

Gunslinger/trick shot

Noble Demon/antihero

Good is not nice

I did come up with one of those taglines that you might see on the bottom of the cover of a book: 

“Every Skyfallen has something they want to forget. And everyone in the Mistlands is Skyfallen.”

10. What are your hopes for your WIP?

Originally I was hoping for traditional publishing. I might still try to go that way. I’m also looking into self-pub, and websites that host serial stories. I think this story fits better into a serial format than a traditional book format. I need to make it more coherent (hence editing phase)

[nonbinaryeddiekaspbrak]

FANFIC RECS!

here's a revamped version of my rec post - each fic will link to it's corresponding ao3 page, a summary in my words, small notes/review, and a disclaimer for more mature ratings if needed.

enjoy!

(* = new entry, last updated: Dec 3rd, 2023, still going through recent bookmarks)

(ps. let me know if you want your mention to be removed!)

IT

and a stain on my shirt - venom crossover, vv good, also a fix-it, venom finds another eddie to latch onto, a lot of humor, reddie get together, venom saves eddie

awake my soul - pretty angsty, keep an eye on those trigger warnings, this was pretty good, i rlly couldn’t take any breaks with this one, richie and eddie get jumped but in the process of putting away the ones responsible for the hate crime richie finds that he’ll have to come out sooner than he’s ready for, added bonus of art!!, happy ending, has fan reactions and news coverage as things are slowly revealed

come over here and overwhelm me - nsfw, a VERY GOOD rec, SO tender, the fluff is so well written, richie is having a bad day nd eddie comes to the rescue being so hfwjaklhj!!!, this fic said bottom richie rights nd it opened my eyes

don’t break character - HE/THEY RICHIE RIGHTS, richie finds that maybe his journey of identity isn’t over when he hears the word “nonbinary”, very!!!!, fjkdkslahfkl, just him having he/they pronouns is so exciting and flappy hands-worthy

I killed a clown. ama! - it chapter 2 except it’s through the lens of social media from posts by richie eddie myra and background fans, very very entertaining, canon compliant until eddie’s death it’s actually a fix-it, fair amount of angst??

it’s not real - WATCH THE TRIGGER WARNINGS, a lot of angst, very intense, eddie has an amazing richie impression, almost like they share the same braincell, eddie is also vv caring and will drag any faceless internet account down with him, could def make it in celebrity PR according to richie’s manager steve, richie comes out but he gets a horrible reaction and then finds himself in the middle of a clusterfuck of things that unfortunately couldn’t stay in the past, bill apparently also gets cancelled a lot and he cannot cook, he’s also the only other loser in here, a black mirror au, AGAIN WATCH THE TRIGGER WARNINGS FOR THIS ONE

oh, wouldn’t it be nice? - nsfw, some angst, eddie finds richie’s obituary that he got from adrien (the park scene in chap 2; at least i think it was adrien), SUPER SWEET OMG, i had to stop a few times from the sheer amount of emotion this gave me

parental interference - in 1989 some parents are coming to their senses when it comes to a certain clown, i love went he’s an awesome dad, T rating, i suggest a peek at the trigger warnings/tags just in case, canon-typical triggers, again i really love wentworth tozier in this fic he’s a 10/10 dad

predicament bondage - nsfw, richie is 100% a sweetheart, eddie is fjdsljfkslf i love this version of him, richie is cast as a dom in a movie so he decides to get information from a professional which is eddie but he finds that working with eddie might bring his heart into the mix, a lot of internalized homophobia so watch out, ur honor i love eddie here

puppets and plants - the way this was written? *muah* my number two rec, some angst, the intimacy of u nd the guy set up across from u at the farmer’s market, amazing stanpat dynamic, trans eddie and ben!, pride parade!!

the king is gone - absolutely AMAZING time travel fix-it, fairly long, some angst, some fluff, not at all a boring read

the lockbox - pushing an M rating? maybe a T?, asexual eddie finding out that he’s ace and everything that comes with realizing u aren’t straight, honestly made my ace heart so happy, bit of angst

work friends and emergency contacts - outsider pov, eddie makes a work friend, fix-it w both eddie and stan living, eddie gets a divorce pre-itch2, damon just wants the best for richie and eddie, reddie getting together, richie visits eddie at work

STRANGER THINGS

bottle it up until it overflows - ohhhh boy, i absolutely love the vecna possessing mike trope and this fic definitely lives up to high standards, rated mature, bad parent ted wheeler and internalized homophobia, basically mike gets vecna'd is the entire plot - @ghoulsanderson

i feel like i know you (but we never met) - post season 4 of stranger things, ambiguous / open ending, teen rating, oh boy this made me emotional!, without spoilers i have to say this is such an angsty fic and i love it, this fic is written beautifully, the party all forget will because of vecna suppressing their memories, spoilers: mike puts everything together to figure out who the "missing person" is - @andiwriteordie

something's made your eyes go cold - TW SUICIDE ATTEMPTS, rated mature, mike is chronically suicidal, very very angsty but relatable (sadly), oneshot - @defendingtammythompson

when everything was fiction, future and prediction - two words: time travel, mike is confronted by his younger self and figures out a few things, very much hurt/comfort, rated teen

9-1-1 TV

*all the time in the world - i literally know nothing about the dsmp but the way this was written is so beautiful, i love angst and buddie but also buck angst gets me the most, evan buckley used to be someone called karl jacobs but eddie doesn't know that and thinks buck is a war veteran, he's not entirely wrong but also don't make me fact check that beyond reading this, this fic makes me feel super autistic in a way i can't explain, time travel and secret identities are just so my jam dude, bonus chris moment that made me squeal bc chris eddie and buck are so family material - @official-impravidus

*my palms and fingers still reek of gasoline - such a good crossover, the characterization is very very good, i definitely need to read it again, a pjo au that has a twist, demigod buck and eddie are special to me now, having buck be on that side is an interesting choice and i like it, buck's mom being aphrodite makes so much sense - @trashyinfernomusic

[mythicaldemigoddess-of-deltarune]

Which Version Of Eggman Do You Think Is Extremely Attractive And Hot...?

just so ya know, my attraction for Doctor Deep, is that he is kinda funny, and he is bit of a cute idiot....also he is kinda cute.

though some forms of crushes can be less big at times, I'm still not interested in trying to get a boyfriend (even though I had bad luck with online boyfriends....and even with guys I knew in Real Life who didn't really return the feelings or noticed that I liked-liked them.) , when I'm able to and hopefully I wont have trouble making it like I was having trouble with it yesterday, I will make myself a Gray-Aroace Flag with the Fictoromantic with it...there can be different types of Aroaces ya know...I guess only some can understand why I would be both Gray-Aroace & Fictoromantic, even if there is the chance I might be...in love with someone, but they will have to respect my space, not touch me if I don't want to be touched, and no surprise hugs that might startle me.....anyway back to talking about this poll...

who knows if this will get enough votes before the week is up.

I still plan to make a poll that has to do with Transformers, Steven Universe and maybe a few extra worlds...

this would be my third poll, also yeah I know I'm being weird with this one as well, not sure if I can make more than one poll in one day or if I have to wait until the time limit of the poll is up...

I have no idea about the chances of Doctor Done-It getting votes on this poll, but I added him in anyway.

I guess I can see if I can make another poll on the same day as this, but I'm not sure if it is possible...guess I can see for myself, which it works it means both polls will have that 1 week time limit, I would make it 1 day but that might not be enough time for many who might end up seeing the polls too late.

if it turns out I will have to wait to make another poll until this one's time limit is up, and there is a winner...I guess I will have to wait.

I will still check to see if it is possible to post two polls on the same day, and if it is maybe I can do it everyone once in a while...

anyway hope some like this weird poll, and yeah I know of the chances some Sonic Fans may end up crushing on Eggman...

you can't hide it, stop being in the Crush On Eggman Closet...

anyway I will check to see if I can make another poll on the same day next, right after I post something else first before that...

anyway pick a Eggman and wait to see which one of them wins. :)

[vergilsama922]

Hearts of Hope: Makoto & Sayaka 1

This is a new series within the Hope universe. Just showing everyone how the egg is with the various and numerous women~ Part 1 of these stories is going to refer to either the time period of Makoto when he was in Hope's Peak Academy or Post-Graduation while Part 2 is when he's married and living in Neo World Island~ Now without further ado, let us dive into some good ol Naezono eh? (人◕ω◕)(人◕ω◕)(人◕ω◕)

In the waning days of their tenure at Hope's Peak Academy, Makoto Naegi and Sayaka Maizono found themselves in the gentle ebb and flow of transitions. The protected haven of the academy had served as a crucible, tempering their youth with trials and tribulations, friendships and rivalries, dreams and despair. Now, as they stood on the precipice of a new journey, they were no longer the naive students who'd first walked the academy's hallowed halls. They'd grown, matured, changed - together.

With graduation looming, a palpable sense of nostalgia had permeated their daily lives. Even as they eagerly looked forward to the freedom and possibilities the future held, they couldn't help but feel a pang of melancholy at the thought of leaving behind a place that had become a second home. Amidst this bittersweet whirlwind of emotions, Makoto made a decision. Before they took their first steps into the world beyond, he wanted to create one more memory within the safe cocoon of their student life.

Mustering up his courage, he asked Sayaka out on a date. A date, he told her, to celebrate their shared past and the promises of the future. But this wouldn't be a regular outing to a café or a movie. No, Makoto had something else in mind. He wanted to take her to a place that held a special place in his heart. A place that, to him, represented tranquility and respite amidst chaos.

So, on a cool spring evening, Makoto led Sayaka to a place on the city's outskirts. It was a hidden gem - a lush meadow cocooned by a veil of verdant trees. Specks of vibrant wildflowers peppered the landscape, their soft hues gently complementing the vibrant greens. A little distance away, a bubbling brook meandered its way through the meadow, its ceaseless melody adding to the natural symphony of chirping crickets and rustling leaves.

Sayaka took a moment to drink in the serenity of their surroundings. The cacophony of the city seemed a distant memory here. She breathed in the crisp, fresh air, a hint of wildflowers and dew-kissed grass teasing her senses. The corners of her mouth tugged upwards into a smile. She turned towards Makoto, her eyes reflecting the tranquil beauty of the meadow.

"Makoto, this place is beautiful…" she whispered, her voice barely above a murmur. The tranquility of the surroundings had seeped into her, rendering her usually lively demeanor into a softer, more serene version of herself.

Relief washed over Makoto, making his heart flutter in his chest. "Remember when you said you wished for a place where you could escape the city's noise, even for a while? I thought you might like this," he confessed, his gaze never leaving her face.

Sayaka looked at him, her eyes twinkling with unshed tears. "I do. I love it, Makoto," she admitted. She then looked around, a sense of awe in her gaze. "How did you find this place?"

He shrugged, feeling a sudden warmth creep up his cheeks. "I used to come here when I needed some time alone. To think, to dream, to hope."

The gentle rustling of the leaves and the soothing sounds of the brook filled the twilight air as Makoto and Sayaka sat on a blanket, their hands gently intertwined.

"Makoto… what are you planning to do after graduation?" Sayaka asked, her voice filled with curiosity.

He hesitated for a moment before answering. "I… I've been thinking about teaching," he confessed, a tinge of pink coloring his cheeks. "I want to go to Tokyo University, study pedagogy, and maybe, just maybe, become a teacher. I mean, I… I've always enjoyed helping others, and if I could do that while imparting knowledge…"

His voice trailed off, but the spark in his eyes was unmistakable. Sayaka couldn't help but smile, her heart warming at the sight of Makoto's passion. "I think that suits you perfectly, Makoto," she said, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze. "You have a way with people. I think you'd make an amazing teacher."

There was a silence as Makoto basked in the comfort of Sayaka's words. He turned to her, a soft smile on his lips. "What about you, Sayaka? What's your dream?" he asked.

Sayaka paused, her heart thumping in her chest. It was a question she had pondered over ever since she had decided to leave the idol industry. "I've been thinking…" she began, her voice tentative. "I've always loved music, even outside the idol scene. I've been thinking about studying it more formally. Maybe… maybe attend a conservatory?"

Makoto listened, his gaze never leaving her face. He saw the uncertainty in her eyes, the hopeful glimmer as she spoke about her dreams. "Sayaka," he said earnestly, "that sounds amazing. You're incredibly talented, and your passion for music is evident. I believe in you, Sayaka. And… and I'm with you, no matter what."

Sayaka nestled her head against Makoto's shoulder, the warmth of his body providing a sense of security she had never felt before. The steady rhythm of his heartbeat was a comforting presence, lulling her into a sense of tranquility she found only in his company. She wrapped her arms around him, her fingers tracing patterns on the fabric of his shirt as she mulled over her feelings for him.

In Makoto, she found not just a friend, but a confidante, a pillar of support, a beacon of hope in the harsh reality that was the world outside Hope's Peak Academy and the Idol industry. He had stood by her through the highs and lows, his unwavering faith in her a constant source of strength. He was her rock, her safe haven, her source of comfort.

Sayaka turned her gaze to the night sky, the myriad of stars twinkling above a reflection of the multitude of feelings swirling within her. She loved Makoto, she realized, not just for his kindness, his resilience, or his unwavering faith in her. She loved him for his simplicity, for his sincerity, for his ability to see the best in everyone, for his ability to light up the darkest corners of her heart.

And as she lay there, in his arms, under the starlit sky, she found herself overwhelmed by the depth of her feelings. Her heart felt like it would burst from the sheer intensity of her love for Makoto, a feeling so profound, so all-consuming, that it left her breathless.

"Makoto…" she whispered, her voice barely audible over the rustling of the leaves. He turned his gaze to her, his eyes mirroring the same depth of feelings that she felt. "I… I love you. And I… I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

Her confession hung in the air, her heart pounding as she awaited his response. Makoto remained silent for a moment before pulling her closer, his embrace tightening around her. "I love you too, Sayaka," he murmured, his voice filled with sincerity. "And I… I can't imagine a future without you."

As Sayaka nestled herself against Makoto, he took in the scent of her hair, a sweet fragrance that reminded him of cherry blossoms and a hint of vanilla. The sound of her soft, even breaths provided a soothing rhythm to the quiet hum of the brook, the ambiance of the evening only enhancing the peaceful atmosphere between them.

Makoto had always admired Sayaka, even before their shared experiences at Hope's Peak Academy had deepened their bond. He was captivated by her grace, her talent, and her determination, but also by her vulnerability, her humanity. It was these facets of her character that had drawn him to her, had made him fall for her. His heart fluttered at the memories of their shared moments, the whispers of laughter, the shared secrets, and the quiet moments of understanding.

He thought back to the time when he first realized his feelings for Sayaka. It wasn't during one of her concerts, nor was it during the grand events organized by the Academy. It was during a quiet moment, in a library, while they were studying together. He had glanced at her, her face illuminated by the soft light of the lamp, her nose scrunching adorably as she concentrated on a complex math problem, and he had felt an overwhelming rush of warmth. He had known then, that his feelings for Sayaka were deeper than mere friendship.

The reality of their conversation hit him then, making his heart pound in his chest. Sayaka Maizono, the girl of his dreams, wanted to build a future with him. His Sayaka, who had faced the world with such grace, was asking to face the future together, their future. Makoto knew then, that this was more than just a fleeting emotion. It was a promise, a commitment, to face the future together, to navigate the path of life hand in hand. They've already navigated through the turbulent waters with the disbandment of the Steering committee and the Reserve Course Riots and subsequent merging with the main course after all.

Sayaka chuckled softly, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes as she teased, "You know, Makoto, I've been thinking… we've survived the craziness that is Hope's Peak, right? So, college should be a piece of cake for us."

She paused, leaning in closer to him, their faces mere inches apart. Her voice dropped to a playful whisper, "But just to be safe, maybe we should go to the same university, don't you think? It would be… more fun, don't you think?"

The playfulness in her words was evident, but beneath the surface, Makoto could sense the genuine concern. They had been through so much together, had weathered storms and braved challenges that would have torn many apart. The thought of facing another transition, another chapter in their lives without the other was daunting.

Makoto chuckled, shaking his head in fond amusement. "Sayaka Maizono, are you suggesting we take on college together? I'm starting to think you can't get enough of me."

There was a moment of silence, the air between them charged with anticipation. Then, Sayaka broke into a fit of laughter, her mirth filling the quiet night. "Makoto Naegi, the modest one," she giggled, shaking her head. "But yes, I guess you could say I enjoy your company."

Sayaka's laughter slowly subsided, replaced by a tender look of affection. The quietude of the night, the glimmering stars above them, and the serene rustle of the brook nearby set a peaceful ambiance around them. Leaning in, Sayaka gently held Makoto's face in her hands, her azure eyes glinting under the moonlight as they met his.

"Makoto," she began, her voice barely a whisper against the tranquil sounds of the night. "This journey… our journey has been full of ups and downs. But with you, I know I can face any challenge. You make me believe in a future that's… beautiful."

The earnestness in her words made his heart thump loudly in his chest. He took her hands in his, warmth radiating from the connection. "Sayaka, the future will have its challenges. But there's no one else I would rather face them with than you."

The words hung in the air, the heartfelt sentiments echoed by the symphony of the night. Slowly, as if time itself had decided to prolong the moment, they leaned in, their eyes closing in anticipation. Their lips met in a tender, meaningful kiss, a testament of their love and promise of a shared future.

Underneath the starlit sky, by the gurgling brook, two hearts promised each other a journey together. Their dreams, their fears, their hopes – everything felt shared in that moment, creating a bond that was unshakeable, invincible. It was a sweet end to a memorable day and a beautiful beginning to many more.

As they finally pulled apart, their eyes met again – shining with an unspoken understanding, a silent pledge. They were ready to face tomorrow, and all the tomorrows after that, together.

Hope blooms after all~

[fiftysevenacademics]

I am in the oldest cohort of Gen X. Cable TV didn’t come around till I was a teen, and commercially-available Internet, not until I was well into adulthood with a child of my own. Growing up, the only free media you could enjoy were network TV and radio. If you wanted to hear specific music on demand, read particular genres of writing, or see movies, you had to buy records, subscribe to magazines or buy books, or go to movie theaters. Or, you could borrow books, magazines, and music for free from a library.

It was completely normal, even a point of pride, for people to pay for subscriptions to multiple newspapers, typically, your local paper and a larger regional one, and multiple magazines. If you couldn’t afford to subscribe to stuff, you went to the library. Kids saved up their allowance money or, if they were teens, got jobs so they could buy the records (vinyl) they wanted because radio never played their favorite songs often enough.

You only got the TV channels whose signals were strong enough to reach your TV set, which meant that if you lived out in the sticks (like I did growing up), even with rooftop antenna you still only got one or two channels, and in some places, you couldn’t get any. Everyone my age remembers fiddling with the “rabbit ears” on top the TV or yelling directions at their dad while he was up on the roof tweaking the antenna to get better reception. It was the 70s equivalent of “can you hear me now?”

Needless to say, I took to the Internet like a kid in a candy shop. All the news! All the entertainment! All the knowledge and aesthetics and giggles and drama and tragedy for the price of an Internet connection.

But as the Internet matured, it turned into the grubby capitalist hellscape we have now. It was probably always the inevitable outcome of giving capitalist enterprises and complete strangers unfettered access to our wildest dreams, fantasies, and thirst for knowledge, but we were having so much fun it was easy to think we had some kind of control, or that the party would last forever.

Now, the websites and networks we love the most are shutting down, the music and video streaming websites we’ve gotten used to enjoying for free or minimal cost increasingly dictate what, when, and how we enjoy media and can snatch it away from us at any moment. What passes for news is often just gossip passed around on social media because newspapers are being devoured by hedge funds and being run more like money laundering operations than journalism with integrity.

To those of you who grew up entirely in this era, it might feel outrageous to be asked to subscribe to media you enjoy, or to purchase physical or digital versions of music or movies that you can own forever. I, too, hate paywalls and do what I can to get around them, and I, too, have been badly spoiled by the Internet.

But I do recall a time when I subscribed to a half dozen magazines and the local paper, how much fun it was when one of my magazines arrived, to sit down with a cup of coffee and flip through it, deciding which articles to read now and which to read later, or just enjoying the lavish pictures. I recall going out in the morning to collect the paper and that brief moment of anticipation as the headline and cover photo unrolled in my hand. I remember flipping through the fashion and lifestyle magazines at the library for hours when I had time to waste and wanted to immerse myself in some kind of aesthetic for the day.

It all really wasn’t so bad. In fact, it had its own distinct pleasures and inherent boundaries that are lacking in today’s streaming and digital media.

So now I think we’ve come full circle. The only way we can continue to have an Internet we enjoy is by paying for the services we find most fun or useful. It took some time for me to come around to this because, like I said, I, too, have been coddled and indulged for the past thirty years.

But once I started looking at it as the same thing as subscribing to a magazine, which I used to love to do, it all made sense. If you want Tumblr or any other website, publication, or social network you love to stay around, you should subscribe if you can afford to. If you regularly read a magazine or newspaper online and find it very useful or fun, you should subscribe or donate, even if it doesn’t have paywalls. Buy digital or physical copies of albums, songs, or movies/shows you love—don’t count on Netflix or Spotify to let you enjoy them forever.

[carewyncromwell]

"Well, well -- looks like we caught a little princess."

"'Extremely dangerous: keep out of reach of children.' ...Cool!"

x~x~x~x

Hey, I said I'd have more of my characters dressed up for Halloween! Well, here's Carewyn and Jacob's uncle, Blaise Cromwell, and his son, Tristan, dressed as Colonel Muska from Studio Ghibli's Castle in the Sky and Sid Phillips from Pixar's Toy Story, respectively! I'll be honest, I did waffle a little on who I was going to dress these two up as, but I'm overall really happy with how they turned out!

Blaise's second choice was Magnifico from the upcoming film Wish, since that character is voiced by Chris Pine, my face claim for Blaise...but honestly, we know so little about the character so far that I couldn't really guess how proper of a fit the casting would be, and honestly, most of what I've gathered so far led me to think it's not as good of a fit. However smug and arrogant Blaise can be, he really isn't a show-off, vain, or interested in positive attention from the masses, the way Magnifico seems to be...so ultimately Colonel Muska -- easily my favorite Ghibli villain of all time -- felt like a better fit to me. Just like Muska, Blaise is more than crafty enough to emotionally manipulate others to get his way, and his motivation honestly comes back to his family line. He's not the sort to want the world to love or praise him, but he is absolutely the sort to want the power he feels is owed him by his heritage, and he has been poisoned enough by Charles's toxic masculinity to bypass values like compassion and nurturing kindness in favor of violence and control. Not to mention I could totally see Blaise "coddling" Carewyn in a similar way that Muska "coddles" Sheeta, acting all understanding and decent until he's challenged and put in a position where he might not get what he wants. And honestly, Mark Hamill just knocks the SOCKS off Muska in the dub, which is the version of Muska I first encountered as a girl!!

My second choice for Tristan was Victor Van Dort from Tim Burton's Corpse Bride...but I'm sorry, as much as Tristan has the "isolated, piano-playing Goth boy" element down, especially in his fashion sense as an adult, I felt like Victor just didn't capture the slightly messed-up, darkness-loving, eccentric aspect of Carewyn's youngest cousin. Tristan loves studying both human and animal anatomy, to the extent that he has a dog skeleton in his room and dresses it up like a pet. He finds macabre amusement in telling Carewyn that Hogsmeade village got burned to the ground by the Death Eaters. He has no social skills and has a bad tendency to boss people around when he wants something rather than use even the barest amount of politeness. TELL ME that doesn't remind you of a certain crazy neighborhood bully with a love of ripping toys apart and putting them back together in freakish creations. Plus, I'll just be honest, working at the Oogie Boogie Bash at Disneyland, Sid's meet-and-greets are just ridiculously fun. Fortunately unlike a lot of other Disney and Pixar "villains," Sid isn't a truly evil person -- just an incredibly mean-spirited kid -- and considering he does seem to have chilled out by movie 3 enough to get a cameo working as a garbageman, I'd like to think that like Tristan does, Sid eventually matured a bit and maybe became a slightly better person.

Happy Halloween, all! Much love!! xoxo 🎃

[hookedonapirate]

Lady Cassidy's Lover

Summary: 1919 England, Emma Cassidy, wife of a baronet, finds herself trapped in a loveless marriage after the war leaves her husband, Neal, paralyzed from the waist down and unable to produce an heir.

Despite the obstacles, she sticks by her husband's side at Goldby Hall, his family's estate, but when she meets former army lieutenant and Neal's aloof gamekeeper, Killian Jones, she feels curiously drawn to his distant blue eyes and quiet demeanor.

At first, she seeks him out for reprieve from her soulless, mundane existence at Goldby Hall, but what starts out as purely physical quickly turns into more than either of them expects.

But Emma is a baronetess, wife of an aristocrat and Killian is a working class servant. Their love affair is frowned upon, and she risks losing her title, her wealth and her position in the world by being with him. But she is determined to get her happy ending with the man she loves. Even if it means losing everything else in the process.

A/N: Despite Emma's last name and marriage to Neal, this NOT a swanfire fic! This definitely ends with Captain Swan so if you're expecting swanfire, this is not for you.

This is the Lady Chatterley's Lover au no one asked for. I had never read the novel but when I watched the newest movie adaptation (there are 4 that I know of), I simply had to write this for CS even though I already have a mountain of wips in my doc. This fic will mostly be following the 1981 and 2022 versions. If you haven't watched the 2022 version, I highly recommend it, if no other reason than to watch Jack O'Connell.

This fic deals with mature themes (some of which the book was banned for back when it was written), adultery, postwar, language, smut.

Hope you enjoy!

Catch up: Ch 1 I Ch 2 I Ch 3 I Ch 4 I Ch 5 I Ch 6 I Ch 7 I Ch 8 I Ch 9 I Ch 10 I Ch 11 I Ch 12 I Epilogue

We've got to live, no matter how many skies have fallen—D. H. Lawrence, Lady Chatterley's Lover

Chapter One

Emma releases a heavy sigh as she slumps down onto the sofa, relieved the ceremony is over with. If only the day were done too, so she wouldn't have to be subjected to dancing and all the other useless traditions of a wedding reception. Now she has to listen to dreadful toasts and her and Neal's family drone on about how perfect she and her new doting husband are together.

"So, how does it feel?" One by one, her sister, Mary Margaret unbuckles Emma's shoes and pulls them off her tired feet.

Emma shakes her head. "I don't know. Ask me tomorrow." Perhaps then she'll feel differently about exchanging vows with a man she barely knows.

She and Neal had met and courted shortly before he was shipped off to war, and during his leave, he had confessed he'd hated being without her and asked her to marry him. She had said yes and they were quick to get married before he returns to the front. Their fathers may have had a hand in rushing things along as well. Britain declared war with Germany three years ago, heightening Sir Rumpelstiltskin's long-held desire to see his only son marry and produce heirs to their fortune.

Emma's father, Sir Leopold, wants her to have a stable husband, and who better than a man with a hereditary rank and title? She and Mary Margaret were raised in Kensington by Sir Leopold, a royal academician and their mother, Eva, a well-educated socialist, and had what one might call an aesthetically unorthodox childhood. They had been taken to Paris, Florence and Rome to breathe in art, and to the Hague and Berlin for socialist conventions where the speakers spoke in every civilized tongue.

Emma comes from wealth and Neal from aristocracy, so some could say it's the perfect match, except for the fact she has not known him long enough to truly love him. But from her perspective, this marriage is the perfect arrangement. The perfect way to get her father off her back about finding a suitable husband like her sister's. Furthermore, she does not have to worry about getting hurt by someone she does not love. She has experienced what it's like to lose someone she loves. She lost her mother ten years ago to illness and had to witness her father almost become a shell of a man without her. Emma made up her mind long ago she would never give her heart to a man. She would never submit to him emotionally.

She has been with men before, of course, but none she had loved.

A man is like a child, and if he doesn't get what he wants, he whines and fusses, exposing an unpleasant side of himself. But a woman can yield to a man without yielding her inner, free self. A woman can take a man without truly giving herself away. Certainly, she can take him without giving herself into his power. Rather, she can wield the power over him.

"You need to eat something."

"I need to get out of this dress first." She doesn't quite care for the high-waisted empire line, the tiered skirt made of dreadful lace or the sleeves that fall to her elbows. It reminds her of a tablecloth rather than a dress. Don't get her started on the extravagantly large bouquet of flowers that nearly touched the ground when she held it. And she'd tossed away the Juliet veil as soon as she had returned to the bridal suite.

Mary Margaret agrees as she takes her hand and pulls her up, helping Emma out of her wedding gown and into a simpler dress for the reception.

"How do I look?" Emma asks once she's in it, twirling around in the green dress to give her sister the full effect.

Mary Margaret smirks. "Well, I doubt Neal will want to stay long at the reception."

Emma's cheeks warm as she stands in front of the mirror and removes her earrings, replacing them with emerald ones that will match her dress. She and Neal have not even had sex yet, so tonight will be their first time. "You don't think his mother would've approved?" Neal's mother was the daughter of a viscount before she died.

"Well, I'm not entirely sure I do."

Emma rolls her eyes at her sister as she recoats her lips in red lipstick. "Are we talking about the dress...or the wedding?" Not everyone can find their prince charming as she did. Mary Margaret's marriage to David was definitely not forced or rushed. They are true love, as she always likes to boast. "We had to marry quickly before he returns to the front in the morning."

"Yes, but couldn't you have just had sex with him instead of marrying him?"

Emma laughs. "Mary Margaret! Be serious." She studies herself in the mirror, turning and running her hand over her dress, deciding to leave her blonde hair braided into a crown atop her head. She looks like herself, but somehow different now that she's married. She had honestly never thought this day would come.

"I am. It's much less commitment, and it's all Neal will want anyway."

"Neal's not like that. He's kind and thoughtful. He makes me feel safe."

"You mean safe from getting hurt?"

Emma looks up to see Mary Margaret's reflection in the mirror as the brunette narrows her eyes. But Emma knows she can't lie to her sister. Mary Margaret would see right through her. Emma stands and turns around to face her. "Precisely."

Mary Margaret places her hands on Emma's shoulders. "See, that's just it. If you never open that heart of yours up to anyone, you'll grow old and gray without ever experiencing the wonderful things life has to offer."

"I do experience the wonderful things life has to offer." Not that sex is really that wonderful. It has always been merely a way to let off some steam.

Mary Margaret tilts her head. "I'm not talking about sex. I'm talking about love."

The clearing of a throat interrupts their conversation when Neal steps into the room with a tray of three wine glasses. "I brought reinforcements."

The two women blush when they realize he must have heard the tail end of their conversation.

Mary Margaret goes over to Neal and grabs one of the glasses, taking a sip. "You read my mind."

"I nearly drank yours on the way up," he tells her, chuckling as he hands one to Emma and takes the other one for himself. Setting down the tray, he clinks his and Emma's glasses together. "Cheers."

"Cheers." Emma smiles at her new husband and takes a sip.

"Our fathers are preparing their toasts."

Emma groans, not looking forward to going downstairs. "Can we face them together?"

"Of course." He smiles at her, and she has to admit, Neal is not the worst man she could've chosen for a husband. He's handsome and charming, his eyes crinkling at the corners when he smiles. She can tell he cares for her. "You look beautiful, Ems."

She offers a smile in return. "Thanks."

After they finish their wine, she takes his offered hand, allowing him to lead her downstairs, where their fathers give speeches and announce their hope for a new heir to Goldby.

~*~

Two years later

Dearest Mary Margaret,

I knew the war would change us all, I just didn't know how much. It feels as though it ended half a lifetime ago, not half a year. Neal and I have already moved away from London, and we've just arrived at Goldby, his family estate. Once we get settled in, I expect to write to you often.

Your loving sister,

Emma

Lady Cassidy gazes vacantly through the window as the motor-car winds through the park of oak trees. The sky is about as gray and murky as the future, for who knows what tragedies it may hold. Clouds of smoke rise from the chimney of the pit in the distance where Misthaven village struggles to stay afloat beyond the park gates.

The car pulls up in front of the eighteenth century home made of brown stone that sits on the top of a knoll, overlooking the park. This is her new home in the smoky Midlands where she and Neal will finally begin their married life at Goldby Hall, the family seat. His father had died of heart failure, and Neal is now baronet. But he claims his father died of chagrin since he and Emma are without a child. And they most likely will be childless forever. Not only did they never get the chance to consummate their marriage the night of their honeymoon since she had been too exhausted and he had been too anxious about returning to war, they never will.

The chauffeur opens Emma's car door and grabs her luggage.

"Thank you." She steps out, taking in her new home. This place is nothing like her childhood house in London. Goldby certainly needs a lot of work.

The housekeeper, Mrs. Potts, who worked for Rumpelstiltskin, approaches with her husband to greet them. "Welcome, Sir Neal. We've been praying for you."

Mr. Potts helps him out of the car, picking him up and placing him into his wheelchair. An explosion during the war left Neal paralyzed from the waist down, and the doctor said he may never be able to walk again.

Emma tries not to think about that, however. She tries not to think about how she may never get pregnant or be able to give birth to a child as long as she's with Neal. She will never get to raise children or watch them grow up and run around the park at Goldby. She can't think of herself anymore though. She is married to a baronet, whom she vowed to have and to hold, for better and for worse, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health until they are parted by death. After he returned from war, he told her he could never lose her, and she promised he never would.

She will spend the rest of her life keeping that promise.

"Mr. and Mrs. Potts, this is my wife, the new Lady Cassidy."

Mrs. Potts turns around to greet her with a curtsy. "It's so nice to meet you, milady."

Emma smiles, bows her head and steps toward her. "Nice to meet you."

Neal wheels himself over to his wife, and the four of them avert their attention to the worn-looking house towering over them. "There's plenty of work to be done," Neal comments. "Hire back all the workers we can, Mrs. Potts. Old girl's seen better days."

Emma places a hand on the back of his chair and tries to be optimistic. "We'll bring her back to life."

~*~

"Killian Jones." Sir Neal looks up from the application in his hand from where he sits at the other side of the desk. "You, uh, worked for my father before the war?"

"Aye, sir. For two years." When he returned, he heard Rumpelstiltskin had passed and that Neal would be taking over and hiring new staff.

"And you were an army lieutenant?"

Killian nods. "I was very sorry to hear about your father. My condolences, sir." He wishes he could say Sir Rumpelstiltskin was a good man, but that would be a lie. He was ridiculous, chopping down trees in the forest and weeding men out of his colliery to shove them into the war while he, himself, was a coward who stayed safe at home and buried his country in heaps of debt while claiming to be patriotic.

"Thank you." Neal looks at him skeptically. "Do you honestly believe returning to gamekeeping will be satisfying after your time as an officer?"

Killian shrugs, his fingers drumming along his wool cap. If he could, he would leave. Every night, he dreams of escaping to a new place where a new voice says his name with warmth, where eyes filled with love look at him instead of ones filled with hatred and betrayal, where he is not dismissed. There is no freedom here, there never will be. Milah doesn't love him, but nevertheless she holds him close. One more possession.

"Bit of quiet would do me good. I've seen enough of what war does to men." Not only had he seen men brutally die in battle, but his brother had been one of them. Every day, he tries to push away the horrific images that have plagued him since the war. Every day he tries to forget. About the war, about her. Being a gamekeeper, tending to the animals, breeding them, enjoying the quiet of the forest while protecting it will be therapeutic for him.

"Hmm. As have I." Sir Neal has learned firsthand what war can do to men. He himself was paralyzed from the waist down.

Rumors about his injury had spread before Neal came to Goldby.

Neal sets the application down and joins his hands on the desk. "Very well then. Welcome back, Mr. Jones."

"Thank you, Sir." Killian turns around and heads out of Neal's study, moving past the long line of men seeking employment. He was lucky the baronet had hired him so quickly, and he is grateful. Killian receives a monthly war pension, but since he and Milah are still legally married, she's entitled to half of it. So now he is stuck in Misthaven, barely skimming by to make ends meet while Milah prances around with various menfolk of the village, spending the money he had earned by going to battle and risking his life.

Now he spends restless, lonely nights in his cottage, thinking about his brother and the war and everyone else he has lost.

But at least he has Jolly to keep him company.

He returns home to his cottage, where she's waiting for him at the door. His lips crack into a big smile when he sees her. "There's my good lass." He kneels down to ruffle a hand through her fur as she yaps, wagging her tail excitedly.

She truly is a good dog and the best companion he could hope for. She's loyal and trustworthy and always appreciates his affections, unlike his wife who betrayed him to be with other men.

After everything that's happened, Jolly is the one good thing in his life.

All he has left.

[anemoflower]

💿🎵💜 with elias? :3

↳ Music Ask Game

Hi hellooo thanks so much for the ask!! :3

💿 - Give us a song that fits your f/o's vibe!

I don't really know why but I associate this song with him:

➤ Take Me Away by Jake Alan

It's a punk goes pop song from a movie I never watched (but it's on my list) It's very punk-y (duh) and I think the vibes fits him very well? Like... a little bit carefree, doesn't want to grow up (he's still more mature than me lol) Ok maybe it's because I've been listening to this song on repeat while desinging him

🎵 - What song would you recommend to your f/o?

I'd recommend any song from Black Veil Brides or Starset (because these are my go to bands which I listen to and recommend to… almost everyone)

And also songs I'm currently focused on. (and I know he might like them bc we have a very similar music taste) For example I go to him like "Hey, I've been listening to this song for the last few days, you probably already know this one, but pls let's listen to it together!"

➤ Paradise by Future Palace

At the moment it would be this one :> Since I listen to mostly emo songs I'd like to imagine him cupping my face with his hands and looking at me like "Are you ok" x'D "Yes, why? I just like this kind of music"

💜 - Give us a song that describes you and f/o's relationship!

➤ Mindset by Every Avenue

It's a song I used for a lot of oc ships but... with Elias it feels kinda special. It's also kind of upbeat and cheerful and I think that's how our relationship feels like <3

(I just add some lyrics here):

I got my mind set on you There's nothing you can do to change my mind about it Inside out, you're beautiful There's nothing you can do to change my mind about you

I just- I love the chorus. It feels like an unconditional love, that whatever happens they still love each other and think the other is the most beautiful person on this earth. Also the story the lyrics tell in this song kinda fit them. (I can imagine this as another version of their first meeting etc. :3)

[childofaura]

I apologize for sending you an ask regarding Byleth's VA and it’s sort of insensitive of me for doing that so to make it up….

What are your thoughts on Mela Lee aka the one and only VA for Tiki?

No worries, there was nothing insensitive about that ask! Honestly I know I’ve got an irrational dislike of Byleth, I just didn’t want to be unfair to both Aguilar and Tirado. Especially since I don’t watch much dub stuff anymore so I wouldn’t be able to even gauge their outside stuff (even though we strictly review the FEH work only). But your ask wasn’t rude at all.

I really like Mela Lee! She’s also the new voice for Jade in Mortal Kombat, which I think she was a great pick (Now if only they didn’t shoehorn in that dumb Kotal Kahn romance… and also if only her living costumes were as good as her Revenant costume because whoever decided to go with brown fabric on a brown-skinned character, I am going to sit their ass down and drill in the importance of good costume color scheme.). I’m also fond of Linda Lee in MK9 for giving Jade the perfect balance of sass, concern for Kitana, and also confident/flirty energy, but Mela was a fantastic casting as well for the stern air she gives Jade in certain moments. And I’ll always love her “By the Gods, no” response to Johnny’s pass at her.

So Mela plays Tiki (child and adult), and Naga. I’m actually kind of surprised that she doesn’t play Nagi since Nagi’s supposed to be a reincarnation of Naga.

Performance-wise, Mela is a lot of fun to listen to. It’s funny because her voice isn’t exactly young, per-say, but somehow for baby Tiki the way she captures the childlike energy kind of overrides any disbelief you might have with the voice. Baby Tiki is so innocent and sweet, and her lines are adorable to listen to. I still think Legendary baby Tiki has the best baby Tiki art. Now adult Tiki is an absolute gear-shift, and while the child-like tone is gone, there’s now an air of maturity and a whisper of the days long since passed. But there’s still a bit of silliness in her lines or demeanor, like her Brave alt about falling asleep. And finally, Naga. Adult Tiki might be mature, but Naga is majestic, ethereal, and noble in her voice. In Awakening and in her base Mythic form, she has an air of distance, but we were blessed last year to get a Halloween alt for her, and now we get to see a side of her that’s playful and loving towards humanity in a more personal way. Honestly, I wonder if Mela has ever voiced any audiobooks for children, she certainly has the voice for it. Also gotta say I feel like she’s super un-utilized for Western cartoons and movies, I can see she’s done some VA work for TV but I’d be casting her as ALL the princesses/queens if it were up to me.

I think she was a perfect fit for both versions of Tiki and Naga, no doubt about it. With a performance like that, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who can outperform those lines for Tiki and Naga.

Ok so range… I’d have to say not really, no. But that’s not always a bad thing, and definitely not in Mela’s case! There’s some actors that just have that specific voice that casting directors are looking for, and Mela just has a really good specific voice for that. So maybe there’s not much range, but that’s more on Mela being a certain type of character most of the time.

So overall, Mela would sit at an 8/10 all things considered with the range, but personally to me she’s a 10/10 with just how great her performance is. Let’s hope we somehow get another Naga alt in the future, and let’s keep it up with the Tiki alts!