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army-of-mai-lovers · 3 years

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Why Amon Should Have Been An Android

(spoilers for LoK and Young Justice season 1)

If you followed my LoK liveblog at all you may have noticed that I theorized at one point or another that all four major villains of LoK (Amon, Unalaq, Zaheer, and Kuvira) were secretly robots/androids (the term I used was robot, but the more accurate term would have been android.) Now, with Unalaq it was definitely just because I found him boring, with Zaheer it was to make fun of the fact that he was an Airbending prodigy with zero training, and with Kuvira it was because it was a thing at that point for me to predict that an LoK villain was a robot (and I was kind of right that time!!)

But with Amon? I was completely serious. We never see his face, his cause is stupid (and the perfect way for his programmers to start some trouble in Republic City), and he was able to resist bloodbending, which, if you’ll recall, requires that the victim have blood for it to work. You know who doesn’t have blood? That’s right, androids/robots.

But there’s another reason that I sincerely thought Amon was going to be a robot (android), and it’s the reason I’m writing this. There was something naggingly familiar about LoK to me, and no, it wasn’t that it was a sequel series to ATLA. To me, LoK doesn’t really feel a lot like ATLA (barring, of course, the very poorly shoehorned in fanservice cameos of Iroh, three times, like he’s a recurring character or something.) I struggled to pinpoint exactly what it was, but in my own observations and the observations of other people that I was talking to while liveblogging, a couple key differences became clear:

[ID: an image of Korra from the back looking out towards Republic City, which is shown to have large white skyscrapers, a bay, and numerous smaller buildings. Much of it is obscured by fog and clouds. The city is built in the middle of a sprawling bay. /End ID]

1. the setting of LoK is incredibly Americanized and Eurocentric. While ATLA displays a lot of cultural insensitivity towards the cultures it borrows from in choosing how to depict them, LoK...doesn’t really depict other cultures. Republic City to me felt very similar to how 1920s New York is typically depicted in media, and no setting in the Earth Kingdom or Water Tribe was explored enough to really explore the unique cultures of those settings. While you can tell in ATLA that bryke was somewhat interested in (a vague, exoticized, unrealistic vision of) East Asian culture, LoK is very clearly inspired by America and Europe, with very little else influencing how the setting was depicted.

2. there are no “unimportant” people in LoK. Everybody is related to somebody we know from ATLA (or somebody from ATLA), a powerful business mogul, military, somebody high up in the government, a celebrity, and/or the Avatar. The only character I can really think of that’s an exception to this is Kai, who really does not have much of a role. (I guess you could argue that Mako is an exception but y’know...he was a famous pro-bender for a while there) You don’t just get to meet a regular person living in a village anymore. Every character in LoK has political, social, or cultural power.

These points, put together with the technological prowess of the world of LoK (which is different season to season and sometimes even episode to episode depending on how the writers are feeling that day), made the show feel very distant from ATLA, but very, very close to another show that I have watched and loved. And that show is Young Justice.

[ID: an image, from left to right, of Batgirl, Blue Beetle, Bumblebee, Beast Boy, Miss Martian, Nightwing, Superboy, Wondergirl, Robin, and Red Arrow in the foreground, posing together. Above them and in the background are the adult heroes, obscured in shadow. From left to right, Red Tornado, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, Batman, Superman, the Flash, Green Arrow, and Wonder Woman. They are all against a gradient blue background. /End ID]

For those not in the know, Young Justice is a DC animated cartoon focusing on the teen sidekicks, proteges, and relatives of superheroes like Batman, Superman the Flash, Green Arrow, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, and others banding together to form their own superhero team. YJ is set in America, vaguely, with characters residing in cities with names like Gotham City, Star City, and Central City (a naming convention that Republic City fits right into). And as is apparent from the premise, most of the characters you’ll meet in YJ are superheroes, related to superheroes, or otherwise important business moguls, celebrities, or political figures. And while the world of YJ is of course significantly more technologically advanced than that of LoK, there’s more overlap than you’d think. Besides spaceships, teleportation, smartphones, and genetic engineering, there’s really not a lot of tech that YJ seasons 1 and 2 have that LoK doesn’t.

So you may be thinking, “ok Arthur, we get it, you’re a fucking nerd, what does this have to do with robots?” I’m glad you asked! One of the storylines of YJ focuses on the war between rival tech moguls Tio Morro and Professor Ivo, in which they build increasingly sophisticated androids. Ivo’s are pretty much just designed to kill supers, but Morro’s are expressly designed to mirror the human psyche, and desire to be a part of human society. Amon very clearly also desires a community, and does much of what he does to integrate himself into a community of nonbenders where he really doesn’t belong. Further, Morro’s androids are immune to threats that humans are not immune to because they are not made up of organic matter. For example, in season 1, episode 3, Miss Martian attempts to read Red Tornado’s mind, to no avail, because she can only read the minds of organic beings. In a similar vein, Amon was able to resist bloodbending, and while unfortunately that was not because he was an android, it would have made sense given the conventions of the cartoon android genre. I didn’t realize it at the time, but my previous YJ knowledge very much influenced the way I read that scene. The way Amon’s body was animated very much mirrored the animation of Morro’s androids trying to resist their evil creator’s programming.

So, I’ve taken you through the what, the how, but I promised that I’d say why Amon being an android would have been better, and I plan to deliver. First, it needs be remarked that while Amon being an android wouldn’t have made much sense, it would have only made slightly less sense than the canon explanation of Amon being Tarrlok’s secret brother. In fact, I’d argue that, if handled correctly, Amon being an android could make more sense and be more impactful. Here’s how I envision it: android! Amon would be pretty similar to Red Tornado, in that he would know that he was an android and be programmed to help people. He was of course, built by Hiroshi Sato (that man designed and likely built all the Equalists’ weapons he has the range), who sees himself as a sort of father to Amon. Hiroshi tells Amon about the systemic disenfranchisement of nonbenders and how a Firebender killed his wife, and Amon, being programmed to want to help people and to desire participation in human society, decides he wants to lead a revolution against benders. However, an android can’t very well openly lead a revolution (you could add a bit in the backstory episodes about how humans don’t trust androids or something), so Hiroshi and Amon come up with the story that Firebenders burned his face and hands, which is what prompted him to lead the revolution. Thus, his whole body, including his face, is covered, and his followers assume that it’s because the burns are so bad, and they follow him. In the latter half of the season, the krew would uncover Hiroshi’s involvement with the Equalists, but Asami would be the one to realize that Amon is an android that Hiroshi built. Amon being Hiroshi’s “son” of sorts would be another element of Asami coming to terms with the evils of her family, as Amon in this case would be a machine programmed to be easily manipulated to follow Hiroshi’s cause and would consider himself her brother, and she would have to reckon what to do with both of them. The nonbenders’ cause would still be legitimate after Amon was exposed as an android (unlike it is when the literal figurehead of their movement is also antithetical to their movement) and the heroes would have to reckon with the realities of bender supremacy and the hurt it caused. Amon could even get a redemption arc and work with world leaders to make a better society for nonbenders and androids like himself (I’m sure there’s some parallel you can draw between nonbender oppression and android oppression, though I can’t think of one atm) As an added bonus, Amon wouldn’t be able to bend, so he couldn’t bloodbend Korra, which would be one less time that an LoK villain took away Korra’s bodily autonomy. Amon could even be a recurring character in the later books, because really, wouldn’t LoK have been more fun with a newly-redeemed android sidekick still learning about what the world is outside of his creator’s narrow worldview? Plus, that would give Asami more to do in books 2 and 3 than meet Varrick and participate in love triangle drama (Amon is of course replacing Varrick’s presence on the show), and getting to know and bond with Amon could be the catalyst for her visiting her father in prison in book 4.

Remember, I didn’t claim that this would be good, I claimed that it would be better, and since the bar was on the ground with that secret brothers twist that wasn’t too hard to accomplish. tl;dr bryke are cowards, take the plunge and make him an android.

#still don't understand why bryke cut pro bending after b1 #it was genuinely brilliant #i know amon's not a bender but i would want him to be involved in a pro bending storyline post book 1 somehow #longpost #meta #ehhhhh is this a meta tho?#genuinely kind of a stupid meta but once my brain made the republic city star city central city gotham city connection this genuinely #would not leave my brain until i made it #amon #lok #idk honestly i feel like what i wrote is actually more thematically appropriate for an atla sequel series #like found family and redemption and that junk #plus asami could potentially get an arc #if i were writing it she'd get an arc #well generally if i were writing the show asami would get an arc but also specifically with this android thing #tbh if you ask me how much of this is a joke i couldn't even tell you #it is a thing that exists and you can interpret it as a high effort joke or as sincere #it's 2020 cringe is dead

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mattzerella-sticks · 4 years

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Caught (a 9-1-1 fic post-s3 finale)

Photobooths are prime for catching special moments and making them last forever, even if they are less both and more open spaces with a backdrop. When Athena, Bobby, and Michael stumble upon one such moment between Buck and Eddie, what will they do?

And how will it affect Maddie and Chimney?

T, 3.7k, Athena/Bobby, Buck/Eddie, Maddie/Chimney

Athena finds operating a laptop with only one hand maddening. Typing up an e-mail takes double the time, she needs breaks when shopping online, and scrolling through social media becomes dangerous when she accidentally likes pictures she didn’t mean to. If she had her choice, Athena would be on her phone. But the hired photographer from May’s party e-mailed the pictures from the photo booth, both Bobby and Michael nearby when her phone pinged. Instead of having her husband and ex-husband crowded at her shoulders, Athena pokes her password into the given space while the men gather snacks. When she finally has the first picture loaded, Bobby places the bowl of popcorn by her sling and Michael hands off a soda.

“I think we’ve never looked better Bobby,” Michael laughs, pointing at the screen.

Athena snickers into her drink, studying the picture. Bobby’s jaw dropped in a faux yell; guitar hugged tightly against his chest. Fingers hooked as if he were playing something. Michael’s expression mirrored his except the tinsel wig on his head making it immensely funnier. “Don’t you be trying to steal my man from me, Michael,” she warns, attempting severity, “You already got a doctor eating out of your hand.”

“Okay you two,” Bobby settles his arm across Athena’s chair, chuckling, “we’ll never get through these if you two are bickering. Athena, click onto the next picture?”

They kill the next half-hour like that, pausing every so often to laugh at a few pictures. Like Maddie with May, the two women back-to-back and imitating an old spy poster. Or Chimney and Hen battling with the inflatable guitars like they were axes. Although not every picture was funny. Michael and Athena thought May and her boyfriend gravitated closer than necessary for a simple photo. And Athena needed a moment, collecting herself from the sheer adorableness of Buck and Christopher’s faces pressed cheek-to-cheek.

The next few pictures included Buck as well, except Christopher’s father joined in the fun in his son’s place. Eddie sipping a drink while Buck played the guitar. Him raising a leg mid-kick while Buck locked eyes with the camera. Smoking on a corncob pipe as Buck runs wild behind him. Flexing, playing the guitar, and jumping. One picture had half of his face cut off.

Buck must have landed closer, because Athena clicked on and they occupied the same breadth of space. Eddie, non-plussed, while the younger man messed with him. Grinning, swinging beads in his face. Then wincing when it struck the soft spot between his brows. Brushing gently over his nose in a cursory inspection, too close. Followed by –

“Oh, my,” Athena gasped, hand over her mouth. She felt Bobby tense at her side and Michel mutter a curse under breath.

The photographer, with perfect timing, captured the briefest of pecks. Buck’s lips on Eddie’s, both puckered. Expectant. None of them can decipher who initiated the embrace. Only that it happened and there was no mistaking the intention

“Well I’ll be damned,” Michael says, “this is…”

Athena glances at her husband, “Did you know about this?”

Bobby shakes out of his stupor, turning to her. “No, I… I had no idea,” he says, “I mean, they’re close but I always thought it was more like… brothers?”

Michael snorts, drawing Athena’s attention. “Do you have anything to add?”

His mouth thins, and he inches back. “No, I’m as shocked as you both are… A little intrigued… and embarrassed I didn’t notice those boys swung on my team before… But shock is at the forefront.”

She sighs, sagging in her seat. Her finger scrolls onto the next arrow except she cannot continue. Athena finds herself staring at the picture again. “What should we do?”

Bobby hums and squeezes her shoulder. “We can pretend this didn’t happen and let them come to us in their own time?” He nods at the screen, “For the first month at least. If they don’t say something past then, I will have to bring it up anyway seeing as fraternization between coworkers requires tons of paperwork.”

“Okay, then I guess we keep this to ourselves until they own up on their own,” she says, moving on, “or you need evidence if they try and deny it altogether.”

“Always thinking like a cop,” Michael laughs, nudging her, “you’ll be back on the streets soon enough.”

“We’ll see.” She finally clicks onto the next picture, another Eddie and Buck. More bashful and with ruddy cheeks. If there were any confusion about the prior scene, this added the final layer of context. “They do make an adorable couple.”

“And a hot couple…”

Athena elbows Michael with her good arm, scowling. “Hush up. Think about your doctor.”

The mood returns, not at the same level it was before the discovery but there the same. They finish viewing the album and then spend more time dividing it. Creating folders for their friends and family so they can have their pictures. Athena finds the kissing scene again and immediately puts it, and the accompanying aftermath shot, in its own folder. She forgets it when they start compressing the files for ease of sending.

Unfortunately, when attaching Buck’s pictures to the e-mail, his zip file contains two folders.

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

Buck find Eddie in the kitchen, pouring milk into two bowls of cereal. His heart skips a beat at the scene of pure domesticity. The way sunlight streams through the thin curtains and makes Eddie glow in its beams. Makes him look more irresistible than he already is. He tugs his shirt down over his chest and walks over, wrapping his arms around Eddie’s chest. “Breakfast? Really?”

“What – not a fan of Fruit Loops?”

“I love Fruit Loops,” Buck chuckles, kissing at the bruise on Eddie’s neck he made earlier. “But I don’t know if three o’clock is the perfect time for them.” Still, he takes the bowl from off the counter and opens a nearby drawer.

Eddie grabs spoons for them both. “Breakfast isn’t a meal… it’s a state of mind. It’s the first thing you eat when you get out of bed. And since we haven’t left the bed since now…”

“We could’ve left earlier,” Buck reminds him, “If you weren’t so damn horny.”

“I wasn’t the one practically crying for dick in my ass –“

“Hey, hey!” Buck cuts him off, cheeks burning hotter the longer Eddie laughs. “I wasn’t crying, I was… heavily suggesting.”

“Sure…”

He scowls, sticking his spoon in Eddie’s bowl and stealing a bite. “If you didn’t want a second round, all you had to do was say so. But don’t go complaining because I was making sure you were having a great time while Christopher’s at camp.”

“Oh, no,” Eddie shakes his head, grimacing, “please don’t quote my son’s card while we’re talking about sex.”

“You started it,” Buck smirks, pointing with his spoon. “Your fault if you can’t handle the heat.”

Eddie shoves at him, jostling the milk and spilling some onto his shirt. A soggy Fruit Loop dove from his bowl and landed on his foot, near his big toe. Buck retaliates with a push of his own, although Eddie catches his wrist and drags him into a kiss that makes him forget about the milk stain, dropped Fruit Loop, and Eddie’s teasing.

They break for air, foreheads pressed against each other. “We should really be eating.”

“Yeah.”

It’s another five minutes standing there. Balancing bowls of cereal and trading kisses. When they finish, Eddie guides Buck into the living room. They cuddle on the sofa, Buck crossing his legs under him and flicking the television on. Flipping through channels until he finds a cartoon he likes. Halfway through the SpongeBob episode, he feels a heavy stare. Buck turns, cheeks stuffed with cereal, to find Eddie watching with a small grin. “What?”

“Maybe I should have sent you to camp alongside Chris,” Eddie says, “that way you could have had fun with all the other kids.”

He swallows, glaring. “Shut up…” Eddie leans forward and brushes his lips across Buck’s cheeks, halting any further protest. Unwilling to let Eddie win, however, Buck redirects his attention elsewhere. Namely his blinking cell phone, resting on the coffee table since last night. Buck must have forgotten it sometime between Eddie kissing him and Eddie carrying him out with Buck’s legs around Eddie’s waist.

Buck opens it, wincing at the number of messages.

Eddie peers over his shoulder, spoon in his mouth. “Popular?”

“Something like that…” He scrolls through the notifications. At the tagged pictures on Instagram and the missed calls, choosing his texts first. Sees five from Chimney asking about where his is and if he can come over. Then twenty from Maddie progressively growing angrier the longer Buck didn’t respond. Buck types back on the last message. Answers her ‘Buck I am not kidding you better answer me asap we need to talk’ sent at one-twenty-three with a ‘Sorry b there soon’ at three-thirteen. “I gotta go to Maddie’s…”

“What for?”

Buck scans through the texts again, shrugging. “Doesn’t say. But it must be important if both her and Chim were on my case.”

Eddie knocks shoulders with Buck. “Want me to tag along?”

“I’d appreciate it,” Buck tells him, “but if we’re supposed to keep this low-profile, I doubt showing up together will help.”

“But we always show up together,” he argues.

“Not after having fantastic sex.”

“You’re right,” Eddie concedes, thoughtful expression transforming into one more devious. His fingers tickle Buck’s thigh before he squeezes Buck’s cock. “I’d rather show up after mind-blowing sex.”

“Eddie, you’re killing me,” Buck whines, “I’m too tired.” Except he lays his bowl on the table alongside Eddie’s and happily relaxes onto the couch. Lying underneath the other man while he licks at his collar bone. Buck giggles while his friend’s stubble rubs against his skin. Absentmindedly Buck looks at his phone, scrolling through more apps. He opens his e-mail and sees the message from Athena labelled: ‘May’s Graduation Party Photos’. “Hey Eddie, the photos from May’s party are here.”

“What?” Eddie asks, rising momentarily for air.

“Pictures!”

“Another time, Bucky…” he presses a sloppy kiss at his jaw, smirking. Toying with Buck’s shirt. “Be with me now.”

“Let me take a quick look.” Buck ignores Eddie’s pleading, opening it. Downloads the file and clicks the icon, switching apps. He opens the first folder, a photo of Buck and Maddie greeting him. “Oh, these came out nicely…”

Eddie continues dropping kisses on different points of his body while Buck scrolls through each picture. “Really, Buck,” he gasps after sucking a mark onto Buck’s hip. A feat that usually leaves him panting, sweaty, and writhing in Eddie’s embrace. “Can’t this wait? Feeling unappreciated…”

Buck threads his hand through Eddie’s hair, patting it. “Almost done,” he tells Eddie, “There’s another file here… looks like it’s only two –“ He cuts off, eyes widening.

Startled, Eddie raises a brow at him. “Buck? You okay?” Nothing. Eddie crawls up and forces Buck’s gaze away from the phone and towards him, tilting at his jaw. “Speak to me. What is it?”

He cannot speak. So he shows Eddie his phone, watching the blown pupils retract as the mood shifts.

It’s a photo from the party, one they hadn’t realized was captured. Their first kiss. When Buck was so overwhelmed with happiness and warmth and, staring at Eddie, crossed the divide without thought. A quick peck that left them stuttering and blushing and unsure where they stood. Buck ran away, not waiting for Eddie. Moving until the other man dragged him into an empty room to explain himself.

Buck had nothing. No reason why he kissed Eddie except that it felt right. Which he proved by pressing him against the wall and kissing him again. Eddie answered in kind, flipping him around and hauling his leg up. Thumb brushing his kneecap.

They broke, muted sounds of the party filtered through the door. Eddie cleared his throat, “We still need to talk about this.”

“Definitely…”

Both men said their goodbyes, five minutes after the other. Promises that when Christopher left for camp, they would restart their conversation. Eddie drove straight over, card still in hand when he knocked on Buck’s door.

Buck hung it on the fridge before they tripped up the stairs in hurried excitement, shedding clothes and tumbling on the bed.

Talking came after the sex.

“What do you think it means?” Buck asks, “Why would Athena send this?”

Eddie shrugs, mouth flapping worriedly. “I don’t know,” he finally says, “Maybe she… maybe she sent without looking?”

Buck rolls his eyes. “Karen and Hen had their photos taken but I don’t have any of theirs. She definitely saw this.” His mind works double time, connecting loose threads into a makeshift sweater. “Wait,” he says, pushing Eddie off him and onto his knees. “Wait, hold on… do you think this is what those texts were about?”

“Texts? What texts?”

“Chim and Maddie,” he reminds Eddie, “the urgent texts that – that didn’t mention what made them so damn urgent. Do you think… Athena sent this photo to them, too? To Hen? Everybody?”

Eddie sighs and runs his hands up and down Buck’s shoulders, added warmth like a candle fighting an iceberg. “Athena wouldn’t do that,” he says, “I’m sure this was nothing. Maybe even a… a simple way of letting us know she knows and she supports us?”

“Still…”

As if seeing the smoke billowing out his ears, Eddie stands and offers a hand. “Come on.” Buck squints up at him, curious. “You think Maddie and Chimney know about us. You won’t know by sitting here spinning out. When we get there, we can see what they have to say.”

Buck fights his smile, but a tiny smirk still appears. “We?” he asks.

“Yes, we,” Eddie tells him, “So let’s move. I think I have a shirt that’ll fit, but it might be a little short?”

“What about my clothes from yesterday?”

“Please,” Eddie matches his smirk, “we’re not sure if they know about us. Why make it obvious by doing that.” Most of the tension from moments ago disappears with their laughter, Eddie ridding him of the rest by hauling Buck into a tender kiss. “Hurry,” he whispers, “because if we stay here any longer, I won’t want to leave the house until tomorrow.”

“Tempting…” Buck pushes off, smiling. “Very tempting, but I already promised Maddie. She’s mad enough at me as it is.” Eddie tries catching his wrist one more time but Buck, aware of this trick, dodges at the last second and bounces off. The other man chases with great speed.

The playfulness helps distract Buck from the impending appointment with his sister and their friend. And leaves him grateful that he and Eddie crossed over in their relationship, onto the next level. Into what it was always meant to be, what it kept building towards over the years. Abby’s return the final push giving Buck the clarity he needed in understanding his feelings.

When the hurt finally stopped, the loneliness he expected to follow didn’t. Because Buck had his sister. The one-eighteen. Christopher and Eddie.

Especially Eddie. Especially when his lips tickle his neck, and delays them further.

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Maddie paces the floor, chewing on a bite of pickle. “What’s taking him so long?” she asks Chimney, her boyfriend watching from a nearby couch. “I swear, if he isn’t in this room in the next five minutes…”

Chimney stands, walking towards her. “I’m sure he has his reasons,” he tells her, “he didn’t answer his phone until – what? Three? Maybe he was busy.”

“Too busy to answer a text?” She pokes his chest, huffing. “Too busy to get his ass over here and learn that he’s about to be an uncle?”

“Well, you didn’t tell him he was going to be an uncle in the text so he probably didn’t think it was that urgent.”

She glares, readying another onslaught. Luckily for Chimney they hear the buzzer for his apartment ring. Maddie shoves the rest of the pickle in her mouth, nodding at the door. “Let them in and bring them into the dining room.”

“Anything else, my queen?”

Maddie ignores him, setting at the table with her hands folded. Listens while Chimney speaks into the intercom and lets Buck up. In the minutes between that and Buck arriving, she thinks. About what it felt like seeing both plus signs appear on the pregnancy tests and the cocktail of emotions erupting within like a volcano. Happiness and excitement, but also fear. Worry over whether she was ready, or if she would be a good parent. Memories of her own childhood flooded and distracted Maddie until she broke free from their chains and realized Chimney spoke to her in the living room.

He tried, but in the days that followed Maddie’s party her nerves only shredded further. She needed her brother. And when Maddie mustered the strength and reached out, he kept her waiting.

Anger won out when she laid eyes on him, incised further when she notices Eddie. “Is that why you weren’t answering me? Too busy ‘hanging out’?” The exaggerated quotes make Buck flinch in a way he hadn’t in years. Not since he was a little kid. And she finds herself back in Hershey once more. And Maddie’s doubt in her skill doubles.

“Sorry Maddie,” he says, stepping into the dining room, “time just got away from us and… we came as fast as we could?”

She glances between them, both men with reticent expressions. As quickly as it arrived, the fire inside fizzled into embers. “I’m sorry,” she says, kneading at her temple, “I’ve just been… a little stressed.”

“Stressed, why?”

Chimney answers, “Because of recent developments. Recent developments that we wanted to speak to you about.” He glances at Eddie, frowning. “Eddie…”

Eddie points at the living room, shrugging. “I can wait in there while you talk –“

“No,” Maddie stops him, “no you can join.” She looks at Chimney, smiling. “I don’t see why he shouldn’t be here, right?”

“I guess.”

Buck and Eddie share a cryptid look, slowly sitting across from Maddie and Chimney. Her brother fidgets, tugging on his fingers in the nervous way he would when mom or dad lectured him after landing in trouble. Although why he did it now, Maddie was unsure of. She reached across and grabbed his hand, waiting for when their eyes met to speak. “There’s something we need to tell you.”

His brows scrunch up, “Yeah… I get that.”

“It’s about,” Maddie searches for an entry point, unsure where she should start. “Well… you know at May’s party?” He tenses in his seat. “How we left a little early? That’s because Chimney noticed something and I – I put things together, and we had to go –“

“Maddie I can explain –“

“Because all these signs added up and,” Maddie stops, blinking. She pulls away from Buck, “What?” Buck stares at the table, shoulders hunched high. “Look, I was going to tell you but, well, we know what would’ve happened if this came out so soon after Abby showed up. And the party was the worst place if we wanted to keep this secret, I didn’t mean for it to happen there it just did! We thought it was better to take it at our own pace and – and let people in when we were ready, y’know?”

“Slow down Evan,” Maddie grabs his hands again. Squeezes until he gives her the floor. “What are you talking about?”

He pouts. “I was… you brought me here because you and Chimney saw us, right? At the photo booth?”

“No,” she says, “I wanted you here because I found out I’m pregnant.” Buck chokes, seizing under her grip. “But what are you talking about? Us? You and who else… and why should it involve Abby?”

“You’re pregnant?” he asks, eyes glistening with unshed tears. Buck tries closing his mouth but he cannot force his jaw shut. “I’m… I’m gonna be an uncle?”

“Yes, Buck, you are,” Chimney adds, leaning over the table. “But can we go back? What happened at the photo booth?”

Maddie studies her brother slowly shed his shock. Replaced with cheeks redder than his birthmark, failing at subtlety when glancing at Eddie. Eddie hides his face, Maddie imagining it in a similar state. With nothing there, her attention drifts and latches onto the first clue she finds.

A circular bruise on his neck near his collarbone. There’s no mistaking what it was.

“Oh my God,” she says, “Oh my God!”

Chimney sighs, “What? What is it!”

“Buck. You and Eddie?”

“Buck and Eddie – oh,” He sees them in new light, understanding dawning. “Oh my God, you two are dating!”

Eddie reveals his own ruddy cheeks, hands switching tactics from shielding to squeezing Buck’s shoulder. “And you thought they knew!”

“I, I – uh…” Buck splutters, cornered. He points at Maddie, “You’re pregnant! I think that’s more important!”

“But you and Eddie,” she insists, “you and Eddie!” Maddie laughs, stress from the past few days seeping out of her. “I can’t believe – you and Eddie!”

“Yeah, yeah, me and Eddie…” Buck slumps into his seat, glaring. Clearly uncomfortable with the attention.

She sees where his thoughts drift, though, and tosses a lifeline. “I think it’s great, Evan,” Maddie says. Waits for when their gazes lock again. “Really.”

His stiffness eases the longer they stay like that, until a gooey smile spreads across his face. “Talking about great things,” Buck says, gesturing at her and Chimney, “a baby? You’ll be a mother and – and you have to tell me how it happened.”

“I think you know how it happened, Buck,” Chimney chuckles, “Plus, I think we should be asking that of you two.”

Eddie rolls his eyes, slinging his arm over Buck’s shoulders and pulling him closer. Buck instinctively leaning into Eddie’s side. Maddie pauses, stunned by how well they fit together. Hindsight makes everything obvious but she should have seen this coming. “We can compare stories,” Eddie says, “but since baby trumps new relationship, you two can start.”

Maddie nods, sliding one hand free from Buck’s hold and to Chimney’s. Tangling their fingers together. Uniting their family as they take their next steps into unfamiliar territory. Maddie expects the next nine months will be difficult and taxing. Not only with the baby but working while pregnant and then planning what comes after.

With her family at her side, Maddie feels confident in handling whatever challenge comes her way.

#911 season 3 #911 on fox #athena grant #bobby nash #michael grant #athena x bobby #athena/bobby #evan 'buck' buckley #eddie diaz #buddie #buddie fic #buck/eddie #buck x eddie #maddie buckley #howard chimney han #maddie x chimney #maddie/chimney #911 on fox fanfic

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fleetwoodmak99 · 3 years

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Primed for Sin (4/10)

SUMMARY: Arthur tries figuring out what to do while Elena does her own investigation on who the clown was. Finding the journal was a step in the right direction. Elena confronts Arthur on what he has been doing.

WARNINGS: Stalking, taking photos without permission, bad writing lol.

I’m so sorry this part took a little bit for me to get out. I've been dealing with a lot of shit emotionally and just can't seem to get in the zone. This definitely helped me through it so I'm really thankful. Don’t worry, smut is on the way. I know this is starting to get long but it just so fun to write about this guy.

Part 3

Elena paced around the living room. She didn't even know where to start about what had happened the previous night. It kind of felt like it didn't even happen, like it was all one big horrible dream.

Luckily she was able to occupy Michael with his favorite plate of spaghetti and cartoons while she tried processing her emotions.

She knew she should have called the police. She should be putting him in jail for what had happened but she couldn’t bring herself to do so.

The men who surrounded her the night before would have probably done much worse if the clown hadn't been there. Yet she shivered every time she thought of him.

She was even more surprised when she found the journal that belonged to Arthur. The man had seemed so sweet. She never thought he would be capable of such things.

Yet here she was, looking at the mans journal. She needed answers as to why he was there and who he really was. It couldn't have been a coincidence for the clown to have shown up at the right time.

Opening the first few pages, it seemed like a normal journal. Some drawings here, some jokes there. Nothing too out of the ordinary. It wasn’t until she got into the thick of it that things started to come to light.

He talked about being in pain all the time. That he wanted to snap. She couldn't help but feel bad for the man but it soon dissipated when she soon saw the drawings of naked women. She guessed every guy had fantasies like that. She just didn't expect to be apart of them.

Going through the pages, she felt her privacy grow smaller and smaller. Photos of her at work, picking up food, playing with Michael and the one that shocked her the most was one of her in bed wearing barely anything with her hands between her legs.

Reading the text, he would describe performing very specific sexual acts on her that she didn't even know was a thing. Not that she had much experience, but she certain had no idea a person could have such a dirty mind.

As she hate to admit, she almost felt excitement from it. It made her feel special to have someone want her so badly in this kind of way. Of course she didn't expect for it to be in this sort of way but she honestly didn't feel as angry or upset about it as she probably should be. Thankful that he had shown up when he did but there was a small part of her that didn't ask for this and just wanted things to go back to normal.

Eventually the cartoon ended and Michael once again was wanting to play with his big sister. She had to suppress what she was feeling for now but she knew eventually she would have to confront Arthur.

______________________________________________________________

Arthur too seemed to be having a difficult time processing what had happened last night. He sat on the couch with a lit cigarette in hand, he could feel the burning sensation as the smoke grew in his lungs.

How could have he been so stupid? He thought to himself. Leaving his journal there was just about the foolish thing he could have done. The good news was he hadn't been arrested yet meaning she hadn't told anyone. Maybe she didn't know it was him.

Arthur had to admit that it felt good to put those rich Wayne dicks in their place. They had touched her, they were the ones who crossed the line. Yes, he wished it didn’t end the way it did but it was a good thing those assholes are off the streets.

He had watched the new stations to see if there were any reports on it and wasn’t surprised when he saw the local station all over it. They would describe the men as heroes, describing the scene as a blood bath. Lucky they still didn’t have any leads.

He could feel his anger grow but it was slightly put to rest when he heard a gentle knock at the door. He gave a quick glance over at his mother who was passed out cold in her usual spot on the love seat. She must of not heard anything because she continued to breath softly with her eyes shut.

Arthur got up and quickly came to the door, moving multiple locks and swung it open. He came to meet the weary brown eyes of none other than his sweet girl Elena.

She must of not expected him to be dressed in nothing but light blue pants and socks because she pause for a moment. She began looking him up and down, taking in deep breaths before opening her mouth.

"Umm, can we talk?" She said, trying to sound stern but nothing came through but a shaky voice.

Arthur stood there, not knowing what to do exactly. He didn't expect her to just show up and demand to talk to him. How did she even know which apartment was his? He stared at her while he tried to gather his words. He knew what was probably going to come.

"O-of c-course." He forced out as he moved to the side to let her in. She kept her head down as she walked past him. Arthur closed the door behind her, watching her every move as she started to examine the apartment, stopping when she saw his sleeping mother.

"Oh." She whispered, "I didn't realize we would have company. I thought you lived alone." She turned to him as he started to push his hand through his hair, looking down at the floor in embarrassment.

"I-its only temporary. S-she's very s-sick a-and needs a lot of care for right now." He shook his head back and forth, not wanting to seem like some sort of fuck up. He could feel his throat starting to tense up as laughter threatened to break through. “I-I’m s-s-sorry.”

Even he didn’t know why he was apologizing but he just felt so terrible, he felt like he needed to make it up to her. He looked up at her when she let out a big sigh. She looked so heavenly with her glossy eyes looking at him so innocent like.

“Arthur, you don’t need to be afraid of me. I would never judge you.” She offered him a gentle smile. He didn’t know if she was joking or not. Why was she acting so kind towards him? His hope raised when he thought this thing could actually working out. It came crashing down when she continued to speak, pulling out his brown journal, placing it on the kitchen counter. “But we need to talk about this.”

Arthur closed his eyes, not wanting to go down this road with her but he knew he didn’t have a choice. So with a groan, Arthur sat down at the kitchen table. He hoped it was far enough away so they wouldn’t wake up his mother. Elena hesitated but followed Arthurs movements, joining him at the table.

Arthur grabbed a cigarette from the small cardboard box and sparked it up. He slowly took a drag of it before offering it her. He cautiously watched her as she hesitantly took it and brought it to her lips, taking a big inhale. He could tell she was nervous too. She would keep playing with her hands and her leg hadn’t stopped twitching since she had arrived.

He opened his mouth, “What do you wanna know sweetheart?” Her eyes focused in on his as she breathed the smoke out. She wasn’t used to being called sweetheart. It made her feel giddy inside like a teenager at prom.

She handed Arthur the cigarette before speaking. “Well to start, I wanna know what exactly these are.” Arthur watched as she opened up the journal to reveal the multiple photos of hers in various places. She held one up to him. “Did you take this?”

Arthur licked his lip as he searched for the right thing to say. He took a quick drag of the cigarette to give him more time, never leaving her eyes. “Yes, I did.”

Elena crossed her arms and leaned back in the chair, shaking her head in disbelief. “W-Why?” She looked so scared. He hated that he made her feel that way.

He took another drag of the cigarette before passing it to her once again. This time she didn’t seem that interested. Arthur let out some air before speaking to her in a defeated tone. “I-I never wanted to hurt you. I-I just don’t want to be so alone anymore. I want to be close to someone. Y-you’re so perfect.”

It honestly scared him to be so raw with her. She could easily shut him down but to his surprise she didn’t. She just stared at him, not really knowing what to say. She could honestly understand the aching desire to be needed by someone else. That didn’t make it excusable.

She decided it wasn’t time to turn soft. She needed to know everything. “How did you get those photos, Arthur?”

He took another hit of the cigarette. “I think you already know how.”

"By following me, right? How long has this been going on?” He could hear the anger in her voice. This isn’t good.

“I-I started after we first meet." He watched her eyes grow big.

That long? It had only been a few days but that didn't mean it push major boundaries for her.

"And last night?" Her eyebrows raised as she spoke. Swallowing hard she continues, “Was that you? Did you kill those men?”

She could feel herself starting to tremble just thinking of the events that occurred the night before. How could she have gotten into this mess with a complete stranger. They never even went on their first date. She began to doubt they would ever have a normal relationship. Well, if they would ever have one after all this.

She was pulled from her thoughts when Arthur started to ramble, “Y-yes I-I did.” He tried to study her expressions but her face didn’t change from the look of intimidation so he continued to try and make things right.

“They had their hands all over you. T-they w-would have hurt you. “ This time his voice started to get stronger and became more dominate. “If I-I wasn’t there, I don’t even want to know what they would have done to you.”

She knew he was right. Honestly, she probably would have ended up much worse. Elena looked down in shame. Once again, she was speechless.

“I-I’ll leave you alone if that’s what you want.” Arthur spoke softly, not wanting to do any more damage.

Elena closed her eyes and shook her head. She opened her mouth to speak but only a few sounds came out. “I-I don’t know what I want.”

Elena was so confused. She couldn’t even understand all she was feeling but she knew it was a mix of fear, excitement and confusion.

Fear, because the man clearly had pent up anger that could be unleashed on anyone but who didn’t in this city.

Excitement, because she never really had someone who was this interested in her. Normally, men get turned off by single women who have certain responsibilities involving children in the 70′s. She could tell Arthur was different.

“I-I promise. I’ll do anything to make you feel better.” He wanted to reach out his hand to her. She looked so sad and confused. He just wanted to console her, tell her everything was going to be ok.

“I-I” She stuttered, not knowing how to get the words out. “I just need some time Arthur. This is a lot for me to handle.” Water started to pool up in her eyes.

It hit Arthur like a bus but at the same time he understood. He didn’t want to see her upset and he certainly didn’t want to give her space. He knew if it meant they would be together down the road than he was going to do whatever it took.

He simply stated, “I understand.”

Her eyes stayed locked on his, "No following. I need to be completely alone." She felt like she was going to burst into tears at any moment but she held herself together.

"Of course. D-do y-you know how long?" He wondered how long he would last before he would feel the need to follow her again in order to keep her safe of course.

She shook her head, looking down at the floor. "I don't know. A few days."

Ok, he can work with that. For now at least. Maybe this was a good thing. They could both focus on what they wanted but Arthur already knew what he wanted. He felt like she was already his. They belonged together, he just had to give her some space so she could see that.

With that he took one last hit of the cigarette before putting it out. Releasing a sharp breath, he stood up and offered her a hand. She looked uncertain if she could take it or not.

"Don't worry. I-I'll do as you say my love. Just know I'm one call away. I'll be here when you are ready." His voice was as soft as an angel. She wanted to believe him but she knew she would be looking behind her back everywhere she turned the next few days but she had to at least try to trust him.

Deciding not to dwell on it anymore, she offered him a fake smile and took his hand. He could tell it was fake but didn't say anything.

He was spot on when he wrote in his journal about how soft and small her hands would be wrapped around his. His hands were monsters compared to hers. He gave it a gentle squeeze and started to pull her towards the door. Honestly, he was taking this really well. She had no idea what to expect when she first walked in but this wasn't bad.

He opened it and letting her through, never let go of her hand as she turned around now on the outside of the apartment. He gently placed his other hand on her cheek, forcing her to look into his eyes. He was hesitant to make such a bold move but he just couldn't help himself.

He watched her reaction then gently began rubbing her cheek when she didn't protest. He could tell she was a little nervous. She was breathing heavily and placed her shaking hand on his bare chest. She probably never been touched like this. He slowly moved his face closer to her, closing the gap between their lips.

He stayed there for a moment. Connecting his lips with hers was almost intoxicating. He was scared if he moved his legs would give out. Elena must have felt the same way when she leaned into the kiss, not really being able to fight against him. Still, she didn't push him away after everything that had happened.

He gently released her from his grasp, allowing her to stand on her own. Her mouth slightly parted in shock as to what just happened yet still she found no words.

With a sinful smile, he repeated the same words that she had said to him when they first meet. "I'll be waiting for your call Elena. Have a good night."

He gave her a peck on the forehead before closing the door behind him. He's not gonna lie, he had no idea how he got away with that but it just went to further show that she was made for him and him only. He knew this, now he just had to wait.

#arthur fleck x you #arthur fleck x female reader #arthur fleck x reader #arthur fleck x y/n #arthur fleck #joker #joker 2019

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neriad13 · 3 years

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Favorite Media of 2020!

There was a large swathe of this year during which I was unable to concentrate on reading (as there probably was for a lot of other typically-frequent readers), so, as a result, I ended up listening to way more podcasts and watching way more TV shows. Not a bad thing, but boy did I read way less books than usual.

However, for the first time in a while, the amount of fiction I read was about equal with the amount of nonfiction I read. Last year’s reading resolution was to read more fiction, so...success??

I did read a lot of phenomenal fiction when I had the energy to do so this year.

Books - Fiction

The Martian - Andy Weir

This book is the hardest of the hard sci fi I think I’ve ever read. Every single aspect of it is minutely researched and calculated. The author literally wrote equations to write this book. The science is insanely impressive and yet...it never loses its sense of humor or humanity in the mix. In fact, they’re the thing that drives the entire story.

Warlock Holmes - G. S. Denning

Way early in the year I was strolling down the fantasy aisle at the library, when this cover caught my eye. I took one look at it, went “oh, this looks silly” and...proceeded to devour the entire series in a matter of weeks.

It is very silly. Especially when it’s pointing out something that was silly in the original. There’s something so satisfying about Watson immediately answering Holmes with the correct number of steps in their flat when he’s trying to make his point about how most people don’t pay attention to things like that.

World War Z - Max Brooks

Every single scenario in here could easily support an entire book. A park ranger whose job it is to contain the yearly zombie spring thaw? HECK YES. I’d read tens of thousands of words about that. A Chinese admiral who defaults, steals the government’s premier submarine, loads it up with the families of his underlings and takes to the sea for years to live in the maritime economy that has sprung up in a world where everyone is trying to escape the shore? That could be an entire movie on its own.

Every chapter was more creative than the last and as a huge worldbuilding fan, this book was so, so fun.

An Unkindness of Ghosts - Rivers Solomon

In which a queer, neurodivergent protagonist solves a mystery on a spaceship which is a microcosm of antebellum era politics! This had a beautiful, mysterious, wonder-inducing writing style and it was a joy to peer into the wildly differing minds of every single character.

Books - Nonfiction

Underland - Robert MacFarlane

In every chapter, the author visits a different hole. Basically.

It’s an exploration of caves, catacombs, mines, nuclear waste facilities and the hidden underbelly of every forest. It was fascinating. And fundamentally changed how I look at time.

Rejected Princesses - Jason Porath

After years of having enjoyed the web entries, I finally got my hands on the first book and was not disappointed.

There are the more entertaining entries, of course and the art is as charming as always, but what struck me the most were the more difficult stories. The deeper you go into this book, the more horrific it gets. The author does not hold back on the indignities suffered by the historical figures he writes about. It’s terrible...but also very, very illuminating.

The Gift of Fear - Gavin De Becker

This book - while maintaining all the essential information in it - could be pared down to one sentence in a sea of blank pages and that sentence would be: trust your instincts. End of story.

But in a world where instincts are either customarily suppressed or going haywire, it’s not quite that easy, which is why I’m glad there is more to the book.

I picked it up thinking “ha ha, betcha can’t help a person with anxiety who fears all the time already” and...what it actually ended up doing was giving me the tools to differentiate between real fear and unfounded fear. And did help with the anxiety quite a bit.

Fanfiction

Watch Over Me - cakeisatruth

A Bioshock fic from the point of view of a little sister who is learning how to trust and be an ordinary child again. Dark and sweet. An excellent combo.

All That is Visible - Ultima_Thule

An exploration of a minor character in a well researched historical context? That’s my jam! How did they know?? A Tron fic about what it’s like to be a female programmer in the 70s.

Graphic Novels

The Adventure Zone - McElroys + Carey Pietsch

Yesssssssss! It was a running-to-the-library type event whenever my library got a new volume in. The jokes are so good, the art is so lively and the ways in which they added the details that the podcast couldn’t necessarily get across is *mwah*

Trail of Blood - Shuuzou Oshimi

Hoooooooly shit, the art style of this one!! It’s beautifully detailed and expressive, sure, but the real draw for me was how it changes with the emotional state of the main character. There’s this sequence in which he’s consumed with anxiety at school and all of his classmates become blurry and unfocused, until they can’t be recognized as humans at all, that particularly sticks with me.

It’s a horror story about a kid who witnesses his loving mother push his cousin off a cliff for seemingly no reason and is then obligated by her to keep the secret, which is eating him from the inside out. It’s so good, guys, please read it.

Level Up - Gene Lien Yang/Thien Pham

A story about a kid who is haunted by his late father’s desire for him to become a gastroenterologist. It’s funny and touching and the ending gave me what I can only describe as a feeling of exhilaration. Y’know that feeling when something unexpected but not out of left field, perfectly in tune with the narrative arc and gut bustingly funny happens, all in the same panel? That one.

Film

Searching

This is a fairly standard thriller about a dad trying to find out what happened to his missing daughter. It’s also found footage...but not in the usual way, which was what made it so compelling to me. It’s told through the dad’s phone calls, google searches, social media interactions, news footage, security cameras and webcams. It was such a cool way to tell a story.

Train to Busan

There’s a lot that’s already been said about this movie and I don’t think there’s much more I can meaningfully add to that. Suffice to say that ya gotta take care of each other if you’re going to survive a zombie apocalypse!!

TV Series

My Brother’s Husband

As close to a perfect adaptation as a person can get (barring the entire conversation in English which was...oof). I was so happy when they took it a step further and showed Kana and Yaichi actually getting to meet Mike’s family.

Zumbo’s Just Desserts

I watched a lot of baking shows this year. Like...a lot. They were my much-needed comfort viewing for the year and this one was my favorite, even over The Great British Baking Show (which I LOVE). Why? Because the pastry chef for whom it’s named makes such bizarre and wonderful desserts and fosters an environment in which the competitors do the same. I’ve never seen anything like a lot of the desserts that make an appearance on this show. Every single episode was an awesome surprise and so help me, this show had better get a third season.

She-ra and the Princesses of Power

There’s also a lot that’s been said about this one, so I won’t say much more. Suffice to say: DAMN. That’s how you do an 80s toy tie-in cartoon remake.

Infinity Train

This show’s premise is probably the most unique I’ve seen in recent years. Its balance of comedy, horror and existential dread is also *mwah* I also love how much it trusts the viewer to figure things out on their own.

Primal

A late entry sliding in before the year ends! I finally got to watch the second half of the first season last weekend and it was EXCELLENT. The pacing, the brutal fight scenes, the adorable dinosaur antics, the animation, the quiet moments - *mwah-mwah-mwah-mwah-mwah*

The most emotional moment for me was the part in which the protagonists watch, with sorrow, as the rabid dinosaur who’s been trying to kill them all night dies an excruciating death.

Also it sets up a fascinating new plotline right before ending in a cliffhanger!! Another one for the ‘had better get a next season’ list.

Games

Night in the Woods

This is one that’s been on my to play list for a few years and I was so glad I finally got my hands on it. It’s like...The Millennial Experience (TM), the game. I felt so seen, playing it. The character writing was fantastic.

Prey

I don’t know why I put off finishing this for so long. I guess I wasn’t in the right alien killing headspace for a while?? Anyway, the setting is gorgeous, the alien biology is weird and cool, the ethics are delightfully murky and the interconnectedness of the station was really cool, especially in the OH SHIT moments at the end.

Podcasts

The Adventure Zone

I tried to narrow this down to one favorite arc, but found that I couldn’t do it. I love Balance for its comedy and creative energy. I love Amnesty for its drama and acting. I am loving Graduation for the depth of its world and the way in which the real story behind everything that’s happened is slowly unfurling. It’s a good podcast all around.

The Magnus Archives

Who obsessively listened to every single season while playing Minecraft in about a month? Surely not me, nooooo. Of course not.

There’s also been a lot said on this one, so I’ll keep it brief. I’ve seen things in here that I haven’t really seen elsewhere in horror. My particular favorites were the creepy psychiatric hospital in which the horror comes not from the patients, but from the denial of the doctor to believe them about their mental illnesses and every single thing related to the Anthropocene. The one with the Amazonian village made out of trash - CHILLS.

#tma #taz #prey 2017 #night in the woods #infinity train #warlock holmes #she-ra #zumbo's just desserts #a thought

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monkey-network · 4 years

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Eizouken v. Ratatouille: Dawn of the Creative Drive

WARNING: This critique will contain spoilers for Eizouken episodes 1-4 and the film Ratatouille. Also this is long. And yes, I had to make this or else I would’ve exploded. Enjoy.

Youtube’s TheRealJims made a video review of pixar’s Ratatouille not long ago, check it out by the way, and one thing about it caught me deep. He described Ratatouille as “a progressive kind of film, not in the political sense, but a very forward looking movie.” This line stuck with me as I begun to watch Keep Your Hands Off the Eizouken, an anime about a high schooler, inspired as a child, working her way to create anime with her friends. It wasn’t until episode 4 where mind threads started to knot, where that line about the pixar flic started to click with this anime in a way I’ve never thought of before. As such, I found that these two have a great thematic link, a connected warp between the creative minds of adults and children. Eizouken and Ratatouille do the remarkable in giving us the bouts and beauties to having a creative, “progressive” drive, and I wanted to explore how they stack up differently and similarly. And with that,,,,

The Ignition

The beginning scene of Eizouken where Midori see her inspiring anime for the first time is personally my favorite moment of the anime so far, borderline perfect. Like Remy, we already see her have this extrinsic passion for drawing once she arrives at her jungle gym of a newfound home; crude as they look, we see her seedling talent in jotting the details of her world onto paper. It’s then when she watches Future Boy Conan where her passion becomes etched in stone intrinsically. Miyazaki was her Gusteau, the bonafide inspiration that, taking it all in, made a simple hobby into a driven pursuit. Ratatouille more or less streamlines this whole moment with narration (makes sense cuz it’s a film) but they nonetheless bring home how a talent can be solidified if given the right push. Even if you didn’t have a desire to have a fulfilling career from it, you can’t deny that there was a moment in your life where something (be it a show, game, book, etc.) was the foundation to your biggest hobby, which then allowed you to explore it more as you grew up.

One thing to note is how Ratatouille handles Remy’s character with his interest. In spite of his palette gift, he doesn’t become a snob or too good towards his rat family; there’s not a moment where he claims he knows better than his skeptic father, they just idealistically disagree and their connection remains intact throughout the film. He has taste and knowledge, but isn’t smug about it. Midori is rounded the same way, she doesn’t push Kanamori or anyone to accept that anime is the best thing ever, and there’s that layer of anxiety to her love of anime that humanizes her aspirations a little more than Remy. It was a lot easier for Remy to be a cook than it was for Midori to make anything beyond concept art, or be sociable about it for that matter. At the same time, both remain humble in their ignited desires and understandably had to deal with an initial drawback to pursuing their dreams which is where...

The Helping Hands

Now, I’m not saying Midori is puppeting Tsubame or that Tsubame is a subversion of the whole rags to riches trope. I say like Linguini, Tsubame is one of the bridges for Midori to live out her desire, with the added bonus of being just as on board in scaffolding Asakusa’s passion to its most palpable form with her own dream of being an animator. Midori and Remy, be it their figurative or literal limitations, needed the likes of Linguini and Mizusaki to make things come to fruition. Even when Linguini doesn’t desirably wanna be a top chef himself, he witnesses Remy’s skill and is willing to put himself out there to work together and make the best cooking at the restaurant. Likewise, Tsubame is more than willing to work with Midori if it means not being forced into doing what her parents want and sharing that pathos of anime with a similar mind. And unlike Ratatouille, it helps that Tsubame is already adept in animating; I’ll talk to more on this later, but I’m glad Ōwara didn’t force us a character that wants to be somebody but has done nothing for herself. That’s what I noticed with both of these features, there’s a great semblance of support when passion is there but can’t progress singularly. There can/will be people out here to help you and they will come when you least expect it. Linguini and Tsubame both work well as the muscle of the cast, the character that does the heavy lifting in bringing the meal or anime to life. As such, we essentially have our director and the more hands on conductor of the project, but this all can’t be done without the producer.

Colette and Kanamori serve well as the anchor for our respective characters; we can’t just have the four characters go nuts with whatever, there needs to be some stability, a reality to the ambitious madness that can come with creating. Kanamori isn’t teaching the two any ground rules of anime, but she understands the analytics and guidelines to keeping things on track. Colette helps Linguini, by extension Remy, on the known etiquette to being productive in the kitchen, the same can be said for Kanamori in helping Tsubame and Midori in getting the film done clean and timely. While making a meal isn’t the same as making a whole cartoon, the ins and outs of getting things done have a parallel organized track. There’s especially more to making animation, especially on a deadline, and I’m glad Eizouken doesn’t shy away from giving you the thought process in what might go on behind the scenes; it practically gives you the ropes on what could happen if you were in each of the trio’s shoes.

Additionally, these two are the most resolute of the three characters; they stick to the mission understanding where Remy and Midori are philosophically, and Tsubame and Linguini are fundamentally, coming from. She and Kanamori exhibit the practical outsider, the one to truly stick their neck out, don’t put up with bullshitting, to push the creative drive further. Both see the weight that comes to production and while Colette has her fallback in the 3rd act, they make sure everything goes as planned. They truly practice what they preach and are the glue that holds things together. The only disadvantage Colette has is that she lacks a relationship with Remy, it’s mostly indirect at the end while Asakusa and Kanamori are initially on better terms since they were already close friends. But with our characters on the move, there’s hardly such thing as a perfect run,,,,

The Fallback

This part is where Eizouken and Ratatouille truly divide because the problems that arises for our characters come in differently. Ratatouille has more outside factors coming in with the fact that Remy is a rat and is pulled between his connection with humans vs his own kind. Eizouken is more in-fighting between the three where Tsubame and Midori’s ambitions have to face off against Kanamori’s more realistic shut downs and options. Eizouken also presents the compromises that can come with being a creator where Ratatouille reasonably montages through the hardships that can come with human puppetry and becoming an instant hit in the kitchen. Success is portrayed more consistently in Ratatouille than in Eizouken, which focuses more on the progress. It’s obvious given that, again, making food is not as time and energy consuming as making a feature; we see that animation is a lot more than just drawing all your ideas onto the equivalent to a flip book.

To sidetrack a bit, I came to agree with Jim that Monsters University is the antithesis to Ratatouille where the hard work that one puts into their dreams doesn’t mean imminent or easily delivered success. It’s a bizarro film in that, while not breaking new ground plotwise, MU is grimly realistic in that your passionate drive won’t always lead to getting the spoils you exactly want. Eizouken cleverly sits the middle of the two, where success is achievable if you put the effort in, but that effort realistically won’t go exactly how you want. Mizusaki wants everything hand-drawn and Asakusa wants a story, but come to understand that shortcuts need to happen if they want to get it done by the council meet. Kanamori isn’t crushing their aspirations for the hell of it, she makes it clear that time and the student body are not on their side. As opposed to Ratatouille, the final boss that are the critic(s) are notably secondary to getting the project done somehow. As mentioned before, I’m glad Ōwara made Tsubame already apt in animating because we can focus less on her being able to do it, more on the limitations that come with doing it. She has the skill, but has to bargain on her capabilities with what’s necessary as we see the tolls that come with the job.

Where I say these two collide somehow is the facet of the outsider putting the effort in for their goals. Remy and Midori are gifted and near encyclopedic in their trades, but are reasonably setback by both internal conflicting question of how far are they willing to go in exercising their drives. Remy more external than Midori since he could literally be killed if the truth was out too soon, but there is that self doubt in both of them where it can be hard to imagine that anyone can cook or that creating the great world is possible. It’s near the end of the arcs where they truly stand up for their beliefs and I appreciate that both handle the determined directing of our MCs in a respectable, pretty relatable way. They finally get to call the shots. They never sacrifice what could’ve been for what could be dauntingly realistic either; both offer an organic sense of optimism. But, with this optimism, comes the endgame that truly puts it all to the test in...

The Moment of Truth

Mr. Anton Ego, Skinner, and the Student Council are undoubtedly the final piece to these puzzles. It’s smart that they’re only present by the end of the arcs, only mentioned initially as the antagonistic force Remy and the Eizouken need to convince; they didn’t need to shoehorn their looming gavels any further. Naturally Skinner parallels the council president, a disingenuous hothead that antagonizes our MCs in a more unfair light while secretary Sakaki represents Ego, an intellectually honest person with actual standards and can see the forest for the trees. Eizouken’s episode 4 perfectly conceives why Kanamori is the boss, as she effortlessly confronts the allegations against them; not so much bluffing as she is spotlighting the council’s rash judgement. Unfortunately Kanamori can only debunk them so far, which leads to Midori overcoming her anxiety to demand that they’re given a chance. It’s great that Asakusa can suffer in silence for only so long before pushing herself to say something. This falls in line with Remy’s dad showing his son the grim realistic front of humans and rats before coming back to help him when he realizes Remy’s determinism. It’s like the rat says, the only way to go, “With luck, forward.”

Like the scene where Ego eats the titular dish, the moment we finally see the anime in full is almost disgustingly perfect. It’s fitting that a riot was going on before the presentation only for the action packed film to essentially come to life and throw chaos right back at everybody with powerful air waves, tank shells, and the tank itself jumping off the screen, literally blowing the audience away. Eizouken has literally more louder of a scene than Ratatouille’s, but both offer that climatic impart equally hard in their respective moments. They don’t shy away from grasping that immersive feeling of what you loved the most about food and/or animation, those invested in the film/series are basically with Ego and the student audience as those moments happen. It kinda hurts the brain how perfect these two moments are. Eizouken and Ratatouille, in a meta sense, weren’t successful only because they poke at our nostalgia or love, but of how they go the mile to convey it significantly. Ratatouille by the end, thanks to Ego, provides the apt idea of open-mindedness; that greatness can come from anywhere. Eizouken does this but adds the step that being open-minded can come with seeing what the efforts of that determined greatness can lead to. And with this, we see how it ends, or how it begins...

The Step Forward

I mentioned this before, but I loved that immediately after their demo reel finished, they weren’t worrying about any approval from the council or audience but discussing about what to improve on next. We see the soon boundless enthusiasm of the trio when, regardless of , they want to improve and do more as a team, all while the secretary approves the club in the hopes to see the fruitful potential. Compare this to Ratatouille for while Remy succeeds in convincing his family and Ego of his talent, they don’t sacrifice realism too much. Gusteau’s is naturally shut down, rats and humans aren’t suddenly living together by the end. At the same time, the movie wasn’t really about that, but about achieving small victories, optimistically grasping that palpable progress. Like Eizouken, Ratatouille leaves us with the progressive prospect that there’s the potential for more, for better.

To quote Jim once more, I say what makes both Eizouken and Ratatouille work fundamentally is that they keep the finger on the pulse of their respective message(s) while still creating enjoyable moments; they don’t sacrifice the fun of getting things right for pushing why it matters. They don’t sellout the bonds between our characters for irreverent romps in the kitchen or studio. Both offer a meaningfulness to their respective crafts, blending its many flavors into a well made dish that explores what it means to create and the steps that come with it. What it means to have passion and utilize that to its capable extent. What it means to enjoy a meal while watching an impressively finished production. They’re also very well animated; thanks Yuasa and Bird.

#keep your hands off eizouken!#keep your hands off the motion pictures club!#eizouken #eizouken anime #KYHOE #Ratatouille #pixar #disney #anime #animation #critique #analysis #Good Stuff #long post

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0poole · 3 years

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Humor in Writing

Most of the time I feel like dismissing what might seem like “faults” in writing because I haven’t actually made anything myself, and especially haven’t gotten any attention to what I make, but every once in a while something really ticks me off. Of course, I still try to take it with a grain of salt because of my lack of true experience in writing, but considering I’m hoping to actually become some degree of a writer I feel like it’s worth actually trying to explain what I think is a fault with things and why.

There always seems to be one specific thing that bothers me a lot when reading/watching stuff, and it’s the hard switching of tone from comedy to sincerity, or something similar to that, or vice versa.

Honestly, even though it sounds like the motive of a cartoon villain, I kinda think there’s too much humor in the world. It’s probably just entirely driven by opinion and preferences, but I feel like so many people are striving and looking for comedy that it hinders so many other things. I feel like, both in real life and in writing, having so much humor everywhere creates a pretty big gap between that tone and sincerity, which is pretty much always needed at some point. The big line between comedy and sincerity makes it so much harder, emotionally speaking, to feel good about the switch. I’ll try to explain…

First of all, this whole line of thought, even though I’ve been thinking it forever, was spawned by me watching Epithet Erased. Took me long enough, because I’ve seen some of the characters around and really loved their designs, but I finally watched it all, and I gotta say… It was interesting. Also, this is probably just going to be very ranty and opinionated but I will (hopefully) have something more valuable to say after. But, anyways, for one, it felt just barely too close to some of the premises for the stories I’ve thought of in various ways, but I guess that’s just bad luck on my part. Second, I feel like its humor really brought it down for me. Some episodes felt so long winded (although not necessarily “boring” I guess) because I felt like I got the joke they were trying to tell relatively quickly after they started it, but carried it so far. It didn’t help that, at least for a few of them, some of the characters felt like archetypes that I’ve seen a lot around the internet, or at least were simple enough that I understood what they were instantly, and when they are carried out through long character-focused moments it felt like nothing was happening. I feel like some of the characters are fine enough, even if I may not like them, but Giovanni and Indus were the two big ones that I thought had a little too much time given to them…

But more relevant to what I’m trying to say, sometimes the writing jumps way too far from the very comedic tone it’s trying to put out and into it trying to be sincere. The worst case of this was when Sylvie met Mera in the museum storage, and Sylvester tried to out Mera’s nightmares, only to see that her nightmare was the reality she was already in. With the scene change, and Indus becoming more serious with Molly, it felt like a good enough departure from the usual comedic tone to warrant the deeper motive of the character. But, then, of course, they had to trash the whole tone by adding the line about her also being afraid of ducks. There was absolutely no good reason to warrant that line and I will die on that hill. Not only was it just humor, but it was spontaneous “random” humor, and so on… I honestly hope people could just understand where I’m coming from there by how out of place it seems. I feel like the only defense they could use, apart from “just liking it,” would be that it’s comedic relief, but I genuinely feel like since practically the whole thing up until this point was comedy there was absolutely no need for comedic relief. The scene itself is like the opposite of comedic relief, like “Sit down and pay attention” or “Turn your brain back on” or whatever. The climactic point of the scenes before it were reached, meaning the sincere conflict there should be focused on, and apart from that one tiny little line it worked well enough. The fact that it was so tiny and insignificant is basically why I hated it so much. They literally could’ve just scratched it off of the script and only good things would have happened.

Something a bit similar happened before when Molly revealed her backstory to Giovanni. It wasn’t quite as bad, but when a scene goes from comedy to “my mom’s dead and my life sucks” you do feel the shift a little too quickly. I feel like it’s not as bad because it could just be Molly’s character, seeing the tragedy of her life as just sort of normal and not really that remarkable, meaning she’s more likely to just randomly bring it up.

But I definitely wouldn’t be going off this much about it if there wasn’t at least a little bit more. Zora was literally the reason I wanted to watch the show, because I saw a drawing of her a while back and thought she was just some random OC, but when I heard she was from this show I instantly wanted to watch it a lot more. I think the same thing happened with Molly, but I think I knew she was from the show to begin with. Anyway, Zora was the main character who I loved from the get-go and loved even more the more I learned about her. She’s such a perfect amount of diversion from being a generic cowboy in the little design details, while still being 100% cowboy material. Then, when I saw that her power was “Sundial,” or more generally just time powers, I loved it. The big thing that seems little conceptually is making her key term “sundial” instead of just “time” or whatever, because of how much it relates to her cowboy-ness, with it being associated with the “sun” people often associate with Death Valley and the Wild West and whatnot. Not to mention, it’s just a cool power.

But that’s kinda the thing, though. She’s so insanely strong. She could literally kill anyone on a whim. I don’t see how anyone could be cracking jokes in her presence. It’s kinda more general of a gripe, but when she aged up Howie it was borderline terrifying, and yet… right after, they’re cracking jokes again. It’s just so jarring. She could have literally reduced him to dust, and they’re so casual about it. I know Percy is supposed to be kinda blind to some obvious things, but I feel like even she could see the horror. That said, though, Percy is also one of my favorites. Her powers feel so natural yet interesting for what she is for some reason.

Frankly, the visual character designs alone for this show are all really good. Whether or not I’m into the writing, I can’t deny that the show kept me coming back just because it feels so good to just look at it, you know? The minimal animation, vocalized stage directions, and top-down scene view was really interesting to watch, since I’ve never seen it before, and seems like a perfect way to produce more content with less budget. It made everything feel super crisp and tidy, despite being animated so simply. Not to mention that the general lack of animation meant the few scenes where there was traditional-level animation felt really good. The voice acting was also amazing, (again not directly tied to the writing) especially when the voice actors carried their character and emotion from the scene into the stage directions, instead of just reading them out plainly. And, at the very least, the premise of the show is also really interesting (at least to me, mainly because I created 2 stories with a similar idea without even knowing anything about it. Simplified, specific superpowers are just perfect for character designing, you know?)

But I am kinda acting like the writing was bad, but it really wasn’t all things considered… I’m just not really into comedy, and when the comedy I don’t like is paired with writing and practically everything else I do like it doesn’t sit right with me. Considering this idea and some of the story beats were adopted from a DnD(-esque?) campaign, I feel like it’s much more fine. Frankly, I’m surprised I didn’t realize it sooner. Once I read about that, everything just fell into place. I’m not really into DnD either, though…

So, I feel like there are things to gain from thinking about this. While Epithet Erased is still on the mind, I feel like I’ve realized something about the juxtaposition of comedy and sincerity, that being that comedic characters can exist in sincere surroundings, and vice versa. Zora specifically could be one of these characters, because she’s so powerful that she probably sees everything around her as trivial, while the other characters have more sincere reactions to her obscene power. She could easily crack a sick joke that no one laughs at because she’s the only one who can find humor in whatever’s going on. By contrast, the thing about Mera’s fear of ducks was a product of the scene and not of the character, so it just ruined things. Nothing about it was made to be funny to the characters, it was made to be funny to the audience, even though the audience should be in sincere mode then.

Another character that I think works like this is Charlie from Hazbin Hotel, who is the sincere personality in a world of complete and total insincerity. She’s basically a more unique kind of straight man (despite being neither straight nor a man), who are always the grounding in comedic casts, like Squidward in Spongebob. I guess in sincere stories there are comedic relief characters, and in comedies there are straight men. You know, these are probably all things other people have figured out already… at least I can feel good knowing I sort of reached them on my own…

I think a good solution for stuff that’s primarily meant to be a comedy is to make it almost entirely comedic, at least with the inclusion of a straight man if needed. The big name that comes to mind is good ol Monty Python, the backbone of 14 year old boys’ humor style. At some point I realized why I like the humor of The Holy Grail, at least above other comedic movies, is that they don’t hold back at all. At no point whatsoever do they pull back the veil and put in a sincere moment. And, of course, since I can basically recite the entire movie from memory I think it did wonders. I think when it comes to comedies like this, trying to be too sincere at certain points makes it feel even less sincere than if it didn’t have the sincere moment at all. This might be a product of the 00s American family-rated live action comedies who all feel like they fall into that same boat, where the entire movie is hijinks, but then at the very end they pull that all back and have something really impactful happen, with the idea being having some shoehorned message about “family” or whatever. I can group so many movies into that category that it feels almost corporate how many there are like that, and because it’s both overdone and geared towards too generalized of an audience, trying to capture the comedy-lovers and sincere-lovers, it really just fails in both ways. Or, maybe people love them because they’re just barely bad enough to enjoy it in a so-bad-it’s-good sort of way. I dunno. If I wasn’t a little nostalgic for the time those types of movies might be my all-time least favorite.

But I’m a stick in the mud who hates comedy so I’m not really equipped to tell anyone how to do it right. Instead, I feel like there’s some seriously untapped potential in other forms of “feel-good” tones, like casual lightheartedness and just plain fun. I feel like those two things really work towards creating sincere stories that are still enjoyable, and not just one shot of sadness after another, while still having a dash of impactful emotion in them.

I feel like this is where Pixar really shines. People say “It’s not a true Pixar movie if you don’t cry at the end” because I think Pixar movies are great at making the audience lower their guard, and when the moment is right, hitting you right in your heart to make you feel the right emotions. For example, what I’d call my favorite movie of all time (for intents and purposes, if not for real), Inside Out, is all about emotional sincerity, where it’s trying to get across how it’s okay to feel sad, even though the world around you tends to say happiness is always what you want. For most of the movie, it’s a pretty casual romp around the inner workings of Riley’s mind, with some jokes thrown in (because it doesn’t have to be completely without jokes). I’m not really sure how to explain it, but the various jokes in Inside out feel like they’re sort of blended with the interesting workings of this fantasy mind-world, like the fact that earworms are just the little blobby workers in our minds sending the memory of the song back up to the control panel for the hell of it, or that our dreams are a product of a Hollywood-like place in our minds. These things definitely are there for humor, but something about them feels much more fun than just any kind of generic comedy.

Then, I feel like the most important thing about fun and lightheartedness is that they feel like they blend so much better with the sincere moments. Obviously if it’s too quick it’ll still be bad, but I think it’ll be much less bad than with comedy. Maybe you could think of it like a spectrum with pure comedy at one end and pure tragedy at the other, with fun and lightheartedness just barely crossing the midpoint towards the comedy side. Since there’s less of a gap between it and tragedy compared to pure comedy, it feels less jarring. Plus, it just feels more reasonable logically speaking, since comedy sort of puts up this insincere barrier to sort of suspend the disbelief that the events in question are supposed to be taken seriously, which makes breaking that barrier harder once it’s established. With fun and lightheartedness, there may be an expectation of it sort of maintaining itself but there isn’t as much to say there isn’t something hiding in the background. In Inside Out at least, throughout Joy and Sadness’ journey they are pretty determined to get back to the control panel to save Riley, but they’re for the most part confident they can do it (or, you know, just Joy’s confident), so they sort of interpret the world around them in a more casual light, but with that lower-level need still there. But when Joy falls into the abyss of forgotten memories and the hopelessness sets in, you feel it much more, because it was sort of already there to begin with, and it was just made perfectly clear at that moment. I think Bing Bong’s emotions during the scene also make it pretty emotional, since he’s being casual about his death while also being sincere about his sacrifice for Riley’s sake. Not to mention his inner sadness was outed while talking with Sadness.

I feel like if I were trying to write an actual essay I could probably phrase all this a lot better. I just think there’s a ton of value to lightheartedness in stories, as opposed to comedy, for the sake of “feeling good.” Pretty much all of my favorite things have that tone to them to some degree, like Wander Over Yonder, my for sure favorite TV show. It definitely feels fun in a way that can elicit laughs, but it’s not a lot like “This is a joke and you should laugh” most of the time (Disregarding the Evil Sandwich, my least favorite character in the show). I also think Steven Universe succeeds very well with that tone, creating an extremely comfy atmosphere when it comes to the less climactic episodes.

I also vastly prefer the lighthearted resolutions to the conflicts in lighthearted stories. Frankly, I am infinitely more likely to cry to a comfy and happy resolution than I am to the actual sad parts. I’m not really sure what it is about them, but I guess the characters finally being happy again after emotional turmoil warrants a happy-cry. I swear, if I think too hard about the scene where Riley finally admits her sadness to her parents and just sits in their warm embrace, I tear up. It feels so much better than hijinks-danger-hijink resolution.

But yeah, the stories I want to write the most will all inevitably have that sort of lighthearted flair to them, unless of course I choose to go more inherently serious with a story. There’s nothing wrong with that either.

With regard to the really big claim I made before about there being too much humor in the world, the themes of Inside Out, and what I said about comedy’s insincere barrier, I really think the world as a whole would benefit from valuing humor a little less. It feels like there are so many situations where people sort of want to maintain their good feelings with humor instead of more directly dealing with issues in a sincere mindset. For example, if people say something disagreeable (but not insane), It feels like too many people resort to making jokes at that person’s expense and not dealing with the issues directly. Obviously if someones saying some insane bullshit it’s fine, but when the more reasonable takes that are just barely put under the same umbrella as the insane shit are made fun of, it really deepens the trench between the people of different opinions. Of course, humor isn’t the only thing deepening that trench, but it really feels like one of them a lot of the time.

Apart from that, I feel like using humor as a way to distract from general negativity and negative emotions like what Inside Out sort of warns against can be pretty detrimental too. Obviously happiness can still be around, but putting up that kind of barrier between you and the necessary sincerity for emotion with comedy just makes the unpleasantness of the unpleasant stuff that much more unpleasant. I’m saying this one at least out of personal experience, since I have sort of developed to be too subconsciously against super sad and sincere real world scenarios. I haven’t personally felt too many of them myself, but I definitely feel myself blocking off some of my own emotional vulnerability, especially around other people. I can consciously talk against it, like I’m doing now, but I feel like it’s going to take a long time for that barrier to really break. Is humor to blame for that sort of thing? Maybe, with a dash of toxic masculinity and other buzzwords people often avoid for reasons I mentioned in the last paragraph.

Even though this one is much more unreasonably generalizable than the last two things, I feel like the popularity of self-deprecating humor across the internet also (probably?) takes a toll on some people. Obviously some people might just use it to their genuine benefit, but since it seems so common surely some people are putting on a self-deprecating face to get along, and eventually maybe even believing what they used to joke about themselves. Either way, it might be a product of an extreme departure from any kind of narcissism, making being self-confident and self-loving just that little bit harder for people.

But, while I’m not the most equipped to judge writing, I’m even less equipped to actually debate for the existence of all those things, so just know I’m kinda speaking with my heart and not my brain here. People obviously want and need different things, and I’m probably just projecting. Hell, maybe that’s me self-deprecating to not make me seem weird to everyone else. I dunno.

No matter what, all this reliance on humor really just shows who is and isn’t funny. Sometimes, people really need to get a grip. Frankly, I don’t think I’m that funny either, which is why I’ve kind of had the humor beaten out of me by one too many awkward silences after a weird joke in my elementary/middle school days. I guess that’s my cartoon villain origin story.

#rant #rambling #opinions #writing #humor #comedy #epithet erased #poole #etc

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celmation-gibson · 4 years

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Hello, Well 2018 was a Great time for Cinemas, and what a Year for such Creature Features such as the ones I will be reviewing here, and now may I present to you some reviews of the movies that I've observed on the Big Screen that year.

Pacific Rim: Uprising – My First movie to see in Theaters since I couldn’t find a Perfect time to see Aardman’s ‘Early Man’, but I’m pretty sure this Year would be a Monster of a Movie experience in the Cinemas. Since I’ve have and Watched the First film on DVD, I would think that I should enjoy its Sequel that has been made, and even though Mr. Guillermo Del Toro (the first film’s Director) didn’t direct this Film, he Helped Produce it as well. And as I said before, I do Love a Good Giant monster film, and this film was always filled with Suspense, Action, & Drama, and I would Fear that there won’t be any Hope left if those Giant Monsters win. Also it breaks my Heart wide Open to see a Character who I say and Liked in the First film died in this one. And that one Villainous Character is sure a Wicked Dick (*pardon my Language*) about this one being Possessed by a Kaiju Masterminded Brain. And surprising how that Rouge Jaeger was controlled by a Kaiju Brain, Hit him once & he’ll hit you back Twice as Hard. But I’m glad the heroes win in this Battle, and it took near the Tail end of the Film for the Movie’s Title to appear, unlike the First one where you wait 15-20 minutes for the Main Title to appear in a longest prologue, but for Me, I would almost stick with the Original Film.

Rampage – As I said before, I do Love a Good Giant monster Movie, and this is one of them. And it was a God-Epic monster Mash, even had some hilarious Moments, like when George flips the Bird, and I was like “Did that Primate just flip a Bird?”, though I do know another Ape who can Flip a Bird. And not to mention that the movie is actually based off an Old Arcade game of the same name, and if you Look very closely in the Office Building of Energyne, there are Arcade Cabinets of the Original ‘Rampage’ game, and ‘Rampage: World Tour(?), though I’m not quite sure what the other one is. And the monsters are Hardcore Badass, I don’t know which one(s) are Great (though I pick all of them), and for Bonus, there was another Creature in the Beginning of this Film that was a Rat Test subject. And the Sequence where they hunt the Giant Wolf Down was Awesome and it gave me Goosebumps completely. Plus some Good Elements from the Game is Included as Well, such as Eating People, Tearing down a Building from top to bottom, the military being involved, and Destruction of the monsters themselves. Even when me and my Dad were watching it in the Theaters, and when Dad watched the Commercials for the Film, one of his Favorite Quotes from the movie was “And of course the Wolf Flies”, LOL! And the Lizard Monster in the Film was so Massive & a “Pain in the Ass”, there was no End in that Creature, even when you plant an Explosion in his Ears & throw Missiles at him, he gets back up again, and I thought the Impalement on George would have Killed him Completely, but it was just thru his Shoulders and Thank goodness not the Heart Area or Between the Chests. But still, this film was an Epic Fun Thrillride, the characters are Great & Fun-filled, and I guaranteed this Year would be a Monster Movie Experience in the Theaters.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom - Well, me and my Dad seen the first 'Jurassic World' in Theaters back in 2015, so we figured since we love Dinosaur movies, we go this this latest update, and to our Surprise, Original Jurassic Park star Mr. Jeff Goldblum (the big Chill, the Fly(1986)) will be starring in Guest Role, and it was a Surprise seeing him in a Honda(?) commercial to promote the Film. And That my Foodtown was already selling products, even sodas & Chips in Promoting the Features, and it featured some of my Favorite Dinosaurs in the Film such as the Classic T-Rex, and boy was that Opening Scene in the Pouring Rain so Intense, the Surviving Raptor of the Original JW film Blue, who is one of my Favorite 'Good Guy' Raptors, the Comical Dino Hard-head Stiggy, who I find entertaining & Funny in the Movie, and My Favorite Villainous Dinosaur, the IndoRaptor, and if you think the Indomenous Rex in 'Jurassic World' was Terrifying, this IndoRaptor is one Badass Creep, even when she(?) smiles while playing Dead while one of the Soldier guys was about to Chip a Tooth off her, kinda gives it like a Cartoon-y feel to it like the minor ones in 'the Adventures of Pinocchio'(1996). And that Epic moment where the Island was in Volcanic Eruption was so Frantic, even one scene in the Film was shot in One single Lengthy shot during those Round Vehicle Thingies, an I thought the Part where one of the Brachiosaurus was Left behind on the Island while Massive smoke was covering him was the most Disturbed sequences in the Film. Well i certainly enjoyed the film, while my Daddy didn't, cuz he thought there wasn't much action or creature footage in the film, as he thought there was more of some "Love Stories" being put into it, that's why he might like 'Rampage' more, where they showed some monsters earlier in the film, but you might say that some Critics praised Pratt's and Howard's performance, Bayona's direction, the visuals, Michael Giacchino's score and the "surprisingly dark moments", while others suggested the series had run its course, criticizing the screenplay and lack of innovation.

Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation - Well, Mr. Genndy Tartakovsky Never Fails to impress us with this Three-times Charmer, and how Lucky was I to reserve a Seating to see this on my Birthday of 2018, after a Good Morning at the Meadowlands flea Market, and a goof Lunch at Taco Bell, I hit the Theaters with my Dad, and the Movie was Fantastic, and since Mr. Genndy Tartakovsky Co-written this Film (along with one of the 'Austin Powers' writer), I know what some Moments in the Film, there are certain scenes that are free of Dialogue, just like the ones in 'Samurai Jack'. And it was a-bit strange to see a Character from one the 'Hotel Transylvania' shorts that I've never seen, and that short was "Puppy", but in order to watch the short (even for myself), I have to watch that Gross-out 'Emoji movie' for it. But for HT3, the Climatic part of the DJ Battle with Professor Van Helsing (Drac's old Nemesis, and was surprise to see him still Alive in Machine parts) & the Kraken was Awesome, I didn't remember the first Official song played, but I do know the second being 'Don't Worry, be Happy', and the Final one was none other than the 'Macarena' and supposedly it's the Extended River remix version of the song which I have on my I-Tunes and have no regret in Purchasing it, along with Daft Punk's 'One More Time'. So I like the Film and can't wait to get it for Christmas, along with 'Rampage' this Year. And I even heard that Genndy will be working more at SPA where he will be set to Direct an R-rated animated feature titled 'Fixed', and an Adventure Film named 'Black Knight'.

Smallfoot - When I saw some Preview ads on CartoonBrew, I thought this looks kinda Weird and thought I'd just pass on it, but after seeing some TV Ads for the film, and seeing how interesting it looks, I thought I'd give it a shot, and kinda find the movie very Interesting if you wanna feel Young at Heart, and was Lucky to see it on Columbus Day, the only Actor(s) in the Cast i know were comedian Danny Devito & Basketball superstar Lebron James, and to my surprise seeing the closing credit of the film that Cartoonist Justin Roiland voiced in the film as well as one of the Yeti folks in the Kingdom, and I only know the names Common & Gina Rodriguez starring in the film. And the Music and songs in the Film are Nice, and I like how some Advance the Characters or Advance the plot, and it was Hilarious hearing one Song being sung in the tune of Queen/David Bowie's 'Under Pressure', and since Common is a Rapper in real-life, he did a Good Singing on when the Stonekeeper himself tells Migo that Humans & Yetis were Enemies in the old ages. And the other reasone I like watching this film is that I'm also Fascinated with Yetis and Drawing them, as you can see from my old 'YETI & other Stories' story in my Gallery, and one of my Yeti inspirations was the old Unfinished/soon-to-be-Finished David Allen film 'the Primevals'. And don't forget that the SF film was inspired by a book called 'Yeti Tracks', which is a good thing that some Films were based on Books such as 'Mr. Popper's Penguins', 'Home', & 'the Adventures of Pinocchio(1996)'. And I like how the Film was promoted "from the Studio who brought you 'Looney Tunes'" in which case, it is made by Warner Bros., and also the people who worked on 'Storks', and this film now made me think of two Environmental Animated films from 20th century Fox such as 'Ferngully: the Last Rainforest' & 'Once upon a Forest'.

Halloween(2018) - I never even heard that the Original 1978 classic is getting a Remake, although It may not look like a remake, but a True sequel to the Original film, and avoiding stuff on what happened in 'Halloween II(1981)', 'Halloween 4 -Curse', & 'H20'. And I read that the original star Ms. Jamie Lee Curtis will be in this Film, as well as being executive producer for the feature along with the Original 1978 Film's Director Mr. John Carpenter, as in they want to make it look Perfect as the original Monsterpiece, and they did succeed in it in Keeping the Spirit & Atmosphere like the 1978 movie. And I gotta say, Micheal Myers is one 'Pain-in-the-Ass' monster in this Film, like he always is in the original series, and I feel sorry for the People who got killed by that Creep, the Podcasters, the Boy who was equipped with a Gun along with his daddy, and a Woman who Micheal murdered and left a Baby behind. And an amazing thing my dad found in a Twist of Story is when Micheal got hit by the Sheriff, the Sheriff and the Late Dr. Loomis' student professor went out to investigate and kill Micheal, only for the Sheriff to be killed by the Professor, and when the Professor dude wore Micheal's mask, my dad thought that he was gonna be the New Micheal Myers, but Micheal resurfaced and soon killed the Professor afterwards. And one part in the Film which left the Audience in an applause is a Sequence that was based off the Original film, when Micheal attacked Laurie and pushed her off the Balcony, he saw her Body Lying there, but when Micheal turned away and looked back again, she was gone, just like what happened in the 1978's film ending. even after watching this film with my dad, he still had alot of Questions need to be Answered about some parts in the film, and I wish they showed more of the Ending with Micheal being Burned alive in the Cellar. And this may be one Creepy Classic that i might never watch again, but I just stick with the original Masterpiece of Fright & Shock.

the Grinch - Man, I am seeing alot of Good films in 2018, and this one may be the Last that interest me that Year, and this one was an Adaption of Dr. Suess' Classic Holiday Tale, 'How the Grinch stole Christmas', or simply titled 'the Grinch'. And seeing how Interesting it looks after seeing some Previews and TV Ads, especially that part where the Grinch whispers to Max and Fred "This is the Loudest Snow I've ever heard in my Life", I've decided to give it a Go, and hoping to see if it's Fascinating like the Original 1966 Animated Classic and more Better than the 2000 Live-Action Jim Carrey one, and it was. How lucky i was to see this movie on a Day off afternoon on a Wednesday, and I thought i would be the only one seeing the Film in Theaters, but it was also some Girls and their Parents & Guardians, possibly had a Half a day off. But for the Film, I Loved how the Narrator of the Film narrates in Rhyme, like the Original Dr. Suess books, and how the Writers improvised the Story using the same Lines in the Books, and It had a Great choices in Christmas soundtrack, especially in the part with Grinch Wake-up Radio with some Familiar tunes I know and Cherished. And it was a Great Film produced by the Wonders of Illumination, the Wizards behind 'Despicable me', 'the Secret Life of Pets', & 'Sing', plus they did another Dr. Sues adaption such as 'the Lorax', even some of the character designs in the film made me think of the Designs from Disney features such as 'Wreck-It Ralph' & 'Monster University'. And some of the Voice Cast in the film I know of was Keenan Thompson of 'All That' & 'Keenan & Kel' voicing Bricklebaum, a jolly citizen of Whoville, and Angela Lansbury as the Whoville's Mayor, and how Surprised/Not Surprised to hear another Familiar Voice in the Film playing one of Cindy Lou's Friends, who that boy is none other than Mr. Sam Lavagnino, the Voice of Baby Grizz in 'We Bare Bears' & Pepper and Alien King in 'Summer Camp Island'. And I'd thought Ms. Cindy Lou Who would have a cute design just like the one in the 1966 Classic, and she did have a Cuter design in this Film when it comes to the Creative Artists of Illumination. And Yet, this has become another Holiday Classic, and when I told my Mother how much Fun it is, she might be hoping to get the Film on DVD for my Niece to Enjoy.

There was a Movie called 'the Meg', though I may have interest to see that, but I wasn't sure how much interested I will be with the Whole thing. And sorry if I didn't felt like seeing 'Ralph breaks the Internet' or 'Into the Spider-Verse', I go for the Obscure & Non-Disney taste in the Cinemas as of now.

#2018 #best of #movies #smallfoot #the grinch #pacific rim uprising #rampage #jurassic world fallen kingdom #hotel transylvania 3 #Halloween #george #reviews #cindy lou who #indoraptor #my artwork #drawing

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ordinaryschmuck · 3 years

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What I Thought About "Echoes of the Past" from The Owl House

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

What probably gets debated the most in the fandom is the legitimacy behind King being the King of Demons. Some believe that there's truth to his statement, while others, like me, like to think that he was just some stray Eda picked up off the streets. Either option seemed likely, especially since Season One never gave an answer that leaned one way or the other.

Then here comes the writers finally answering the question of who King is in episode THREE of Season Two! Because, again, they don't waste time on giving fans exactly what they want.

Fans wanted answers behind King, we got 'em, and analyzing what those answers mean requires going deep into spoilers. So if you haven't checked the episode out yet, I highly recommend that you do. Trust me, it's worth seeing.

Now let's review, shall we?

WHAT I LIKED

Luz Experimenting with Spells: Hey, look! More proof that Luz isn't an idiot like some people flanderize her to be!

But, seriously though, this is a perfect little thread to introduce into the story. Luz collecting knowledge from Lilith's old books and past work she and Eda made adds to Luz's intelligence while also providing a believable explanation for how she gets new spells. It's also nice to see that she has this little notebook (or spellbook) to help see what works and what doesn't. It's a level of experimentation that proves her dedication to becoming a witch while also exemplifying how she isn't stupid. Occasionally reckless, sure, but you can't say that the person who figured out an invisibility spell through showing her work is also an idiot.

Francios with a Knife: How did Francois get a knife? I don't know. But the fact that a random knife plopped out behind him with little to no explanation is funny, and I will not hear otherwise.

I don't make the rules. I just abide by them.

Luz’s Invisibility Spell: I breezed past this, but I honestly love this invisibility spell. More specifically, I love that there's a limiter. It can turn you, objects, and people you're in contact with invisible, but only as long as you can hold your breath. It helps make the spell something the characters can't always rely on, which is appreciated. Because if it works as long as they concentrate, what's stopping them from sneaking into Belos' castle and assassinating him in his sleep? It's a smart way of explaining why they can't always rely on something, despite how insanely useful it is.

Luz: Let's gush about Luz some more, shall we!

"Echoes of the Past" is another episode that has Luz on top form. She is constantly supportive of King, even if Lilith has a point in the dangers of indulging his fantasy as a powerful tyrant. Doing so would cause more harm than good, especially when King finds out Luz doesn't believe him, but her going along with it was all done with the best of intentions. Luz doesn't want to hurt her friend, and even if she did in the long run, she still makes up for it by helping King learn more about his past.

And, as another reminder, Luz isn't stupid. She's the first to say they should leave when it's clear how dangerous the castle is and is quick to figure out there should be more at the top. Luz is a loyal and caring friend who's also guarded and intuitive when the situation calls for it. This episode understood that, so here's hoping other fans will too.

Lilith: Yeah, she's still growing on me.

I feel like this episode shows a better idea of Lilith's place in the group more than the past two. She's a person who's obsessed with knowledge and learning but considers herself above the jovial nature of King, Luz, and definitely Eda. Therefore, she acts as the perfect catalyst for what jumpstarts this week's adventure. It doesn't surprise me in the slightest that she almost instantly dismisses King's claims due to considering herself more knowledgeable than everyone else. Still, I like how she's willing to believe King once she finally sees evidence that seemingly proves he really was the King of Demons, to the point of referring to him as "her lord." Hooty does the same thing, but it comes across as him fearing for his own life and choosing to be friends with someone who could maybe kill him in an instant. For Lilith, her newfound respect comes from the desire to learn more, and it's that desire that makes Lilith an enjoyable character to me. It's adorable to see, and it has some comedic flavor in moments like when she dismisses everyone else and their emotional revelations to take pictures of the carvings around her. I'm sure she'll cause some controversy like other characters with rushed reformations, but for me, I'm more than ok with her addition to the main cast.

More of Lilith’s and Hooty’s Friendship: HOW DOES THIS WORK!?

ON PAPER, IT SEEMS LIKE IT WOULD BE A BAD IDEA, BUT IT F**KING WORKS!

HOW?!

WHAT BLACK MAGIC DID THESE WRITERS USE TO MAKE A RELATIONSHIP SO UNEXPECTED COME ACROSS AS SO ENDEARING AND ADORABLE?!

And where can I get some for my stories...just asking.

But seriously: HOW?!

Hooty Making Himself Portable: Ah, yes. The classic bit where a character does something horrifically grotesque off-screen, and we have nothing but character reactions and sound effects to imagine what happened between shot A and shot B. It's an oldie, but given how hard I was laughing (mostly because of Luz's gagging), it's still a goodie.

Eda’s Portable Bathtub Boat Thing: I mean...I was expecting Eda would use something to catch up with the others, but...that thing...well...I mean, I'm still laughing just by thinking about it. That should tell you how well executed this joke was.

John Luke: ...I'm gonna go ahead and add him to the list because HOLY S**T was this guy disturbing! From his design to his movements to even the sounds he makes when moving, everything about John Luke screams as something that will stay in kids' nightmares for a while. Now, this might seem like a complaint, but to be honest, I'm more than alright with how creepy John Luke is. I highly doubt adult viewers will consider John Luke scary, but I guarantee he'll terrify some of the youngins that this series is aimed for. And that's fine. It's good to creep kids out a little bit with something somewhat scary, as it might introduce them to more good horror stories later in life.

Plus, the reveal that John Luke was only a guard for King is pretty solid narratively speaking. You can see how John never really meant to hurt King aside from one accident when Eda escaped with him. If you want to read into it, I guess it might be questionable to tell kids that something that looks dangerous is secretly nice, but that's really nitpicky, in my opinion. John Luke was a fantastic threat that is designed and animated well, with a solidly executed twist. Some might hate what he presents, most will fear him, but we can all agree on one thing: His theme is awesome (can I get the track for that, please)!

King’s Backstory: Finally, at long last, we know who King is, thus putting an end to a year-long debate. And I fully mean it when I say that the writers gave the best possible answer. Because in a way, everyone was right. Yes, King was just an animal that Eda decided to adopt, like the nature-loving hippie she is inside (She's got the hair for it). However, while he may not be the King of Demons himself, he is still the son of someone who deserves that title. So while he isn't the King, there's a chance he might be the Prince. Once again, there's no direct answer, but given how the writers came up with something that pleases everyone while still providing more questions for debate, it acts as a brilliant move, in my opinion. So whatever answer we get next, I'm sure it will be just as perfect.

Baby King:

My heart was not prepared for that level of cuteness!

King’s Breakdown: NOR WAS IT READY FOR THIS LEVEL OF SADNESS!

But in all seriousness, a HUGE round of applause to Alex Hirsch for his performance in this episode. He expertly captured the raw emotions of shock, anger, betrayal, and sadness that King must have felt when finding out that everything he believed he was is a lie. It's one of those moments where I don't hear a person voicing lines in a booth (or wherever the hell VAs are voicing characters nowadays), but instead hear a living person being emotionally torn apart. It was heartbreaking seeing King so vulnerable as he's so guarded with his emotions. Seeing him like this adds so much more layers to a character that many would mistake him as a cute, comedic animal sidekick. But just like with Luz, there's more to him than people will tell you.

“I don’t even know what’s real or fake anymore!”: I'm just pointing out this line because I believe it's what convinces Luz to help King learn more about who he is. Hell, not knowing what's real or fake is the main reason why Luz got sent away in the first place, so I feel like she can relate to King when he's in a similar predicament.

Hooty and Lilith vs John Luke: This was just a cool scene with some epic moments of dodging John Luke's attacks and some funny ones, like how Hooty said the word "pain." It's a ten out of ten that I would rewind to watch again.

King’s Other Horn: I'd question the logistics of how a horn that got broken off when he was a baby still manages to fit perfectly in the present...but it is neat symbolism of King accepting his past and letting it be a part of him, so who cares?

(The fact that the colors of the broken-off piece don't match the rest of the horn is nice attention to detail as well.)

WHAT I DISLIKED

It's a Little Too Predictable: I pretty much figured almost every little twist the episode offers. But, I'm willing to say that's because I'm in my twenties, and I've seen enough stories similar to this one, so I'm more likely to know what will happen. The little monsters watching this will see it for the first time, so they'll most likely get more surprised than me...And that was my only complaint about the episode...which is more of a personal problem than an actual issue...I guess that means it's perfect.

IN CONCLUSION

"Echoes of the Past" is an easy A+ in my book. It gives lore and backstory that furtherly develops the characters that episodes like this should. It also tells a tragic story about King that still sprinkles in a few good jokes every now and again to lighten up the mood. Sure, there are some nitpicks I could mention (how did King remember his own birth?). But when the good stuff is done so well, what's the point of dwelling on small, insignificant issues? This is still a phenomenal episode that flew past all expectations I had for it, and it continues the winning steak this season is having so far.

(But that's still three home runs in a row. Meaning that a stinker is coming. Ooiee, is it coming!)

#the owl house #the owl house season 2 #king of demons #luz noceda #lilith clawthorne #toh hooty #the owl house reviews #what i thought about

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epitheterasedgen · 4 years

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Redwood Run: Thoughts

I have a LOT of thoughts on Redwood Run as an arc. While it did make the show more interesting and expand upon the world of Epithet Erased, compared to the Museum arc, I strongly feel that there’s a clear discrepancy between the two. So, without further ado, here’s my personal list of the top pros and cons of Redwood Run! (Warning: LONG POST)

Things I LOVED about the Redwood Run arc:

How strong each character was in their personality and inner alignment. Percy is lawful good, and you can DEPEND on her to always follow through with that. She’ll follow her duty to the law until the end, even when it means putting away Ramsey at the end of the arc (someone she’s grown a friendship with). Likewise, Ramsey is a true neutral through and through: he’ll do whatever is best for HIS safety, HIS well-being, and he’ll switch to whatever side of the law will help him do that. Zora, I think, is lawful evil: even her motivation still seems to imply that she wants to be a villain and do villainous things… she just wants the playing field to be equal. And when she breaks her own rules, she shows remorse and calls the battle a draw, rather than going for an easy win. Even Howey Honeyglow is a lawful neutral, with his sole motivation and personality trait being WORK. He doesn’t care if you’re a villain or a cop, you’d better darn well DO YOUR JOB-- and just like the primary characters, it’s his steadfast dedication of staying true to himself that makes him likable.

The foreshadowing. Okay, some of it (like Percy’s explanation of eraser cuffs and Ramsey writing a note to himself) was pretty obvious, but Ramsey’s initial plan of “Zora can’t get me if I’m already locked up” is itself foreshadowing to what will happen to him at the end of the arc!

The worldbuilding. Even if there are quite a few plot holes in regards to how Eraser Cuffs™ work (wouldn’t Mera have been confused if she forgot her own epithet? Why does Ramsey remember Percy’s, and in that case, can’t criminals just remind each other of their epithets? Why does Percy know that building two or three towers will knock her out, when supposedly she doesn’t remember anything about her powers?), I still love that we get to see more of the world these characters live in.

The peril. I thought it’d be hard to live up to the Museum Arc’s level of intensity without sacrificing originality, but the writing does a pretty good job of this, albeit by laying down some rules that may or may not make total sense in the context of the Museum Arc. (For instance, the fact that guns only deal minor impact damage-- this helps explain away a lot of the initial danger of the Bonzai Blasters, and also makes Zora a uniquely strong/scary character in that her guns can ACTUALLY kill people.)

The set-up of the rest of the story. While I thought Episode 4 had a much better conclusion than 7, I can’t deny that the end of 7 made me really want to see where the rest of the story goes... And that’s the main purpose of a season finale, isn’t it? Good job, Jello. I’m now literally taking on a freelance webpage design job so that I can afford VRV using your link.

Things I DIDN’T love about the Redwood Run arc:

The side villains. I have to admit, Bugsy and Arnold, as well as all their minions, kind of disappointed me. It’s just a personal preference, but none of their jokes hit quite like I think they were supposed to, and I found myself waiting for their bits to be over whenever they showed up onscreen. Unlike the Museum Arc, where I was deeply invested in every character presented (except the other kids and Molly’s dad, who you’re SUPPOSED to loathe), a lot of the side characters just fell flat. The bartender wasn’t really funny either (although the cat was), and the only tertiary character I really liked was Howey Honeyglow-- although he wasn’t perfect either, for the purposes of something I’ll talk about last.

The epithets. There’s something called “the promise of the premise,” which consists of the gimmicks that make a show unique before you get into the characters, plot, ect. Basically, it’s the fun, gimmicky hook that makes people want to watch the show in the first place. Sadly, it’s a common phenomenon that after the first season (or arc, in this case), shows quickly lose sight of their own premise under the weight of all the OTHER stuff they’re excited to show off. For Epithet Erased, the gimmick is (obviously) the existence of “epithets:” words tied to a person’s soul that give them powers. The thing is, while there are plenty of inscribed characters in the show, only one of them actually takes advantage of the promise of the premise: Molly. Why? Because what separates an ~inscribed~ from any other show’s superheroes is that their powers are derived from the word itself… giving opportunities for a set of powers based on a word with multiple meanings. Molly’s epithet is “dumb,” which can mean simple (hushabye), stupid (dumb hypnosis), or quiet (silence bubble). Unfortunately, no other characters take advantage of their epithets in this way, and since Molly isn’t in Redwood Run, the “promise of the premise” kind of dies out, making epithets no different than Marvel superpowers or Quirks from Boku No Hero Academia.

The swearing. I know a lot of people will roll their eyes at me for this, but hear me out. The reason that swearing is effective in episode 4 of the Museum Arc was because you aren’t expecting it. The show is almost entirely clean up until that point, so when Mera swears, you’re startled, and it effectively emphasizes her pain. (The only weak swearing before this, if you even count it, is when Giovanni lectures Molly in episode 2-- also a very emotional moment.) Likewise, when Percy steps up with her REAL-***, ******* SWORD, it’s hysterical, because you’re so used to the vibe of a children’s cartoon that it completely throws you to hear a “real” weapon being spoken about in a “real” manner. (Plus there’s the added bonus that it’s Percy, which becomes funnier the more you get to know her.) That’s, like, level 99 humor right there. But then Redwood Run comes along, and… it’s not SUPER often, but characters swear in non-funny, and non-emotional scenes all the time, and you get pretty numb. I think the same effect of the Museum Arc is intended when Zora harshly swears (and is either cut off or censored) during the final battle, but it didn’t work on me. By then I’d heard so much casual swearing, I fully expected it. (And I usually like the gag where it cuts from a character just before they swear, but again, it’s not funny when you see it coming.) Not to mention the fact that I got my little cousin into the show after watching the Museum Arc and dubbing it safe for her age range (she’s a mature kid, been through a lot, reminds me of Molly), but then felt really awkward when we started watching Redwood Run and the swearing was just… there. For no reason. (I know a lot of people don’t care about this, but for the record, she didn’t like it either. Personality-wise, I relate a lot to Percy and my cousin takes after me, so it just made the whole show less enjoyable for us overall.)

All in all, Redwood Run is still an objectively good (and enjoyable!) arc, with the solid writing, characters, and dialogue outweighing the negatives. But I’m picky about what I invest my time into, and if I’d seen Redwood Run before the museum arc… well, let’s just say I wouldn’t have stuck around long enough to be signing up for VRV.

#this is probably the most controversial thing I'll ever post but keep in mind it's all personal opinion #epithet erased #tw: long post #long post tw #redwood run #non-gen #show analysis

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smokeybrandreviews · 4 years

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Cheeseburgers

The Infinity Saga is over. The MCU is moving forward into uncharted waters. Disney+ has pushed back certain shows and moved up WandaVision. Black Widow finally has a well deserved movie, postmortem. The future is wide open but, before we get on a brand new pain train, i wanted to take a look back and talk about some of my favorite movies from the first eleven years of the MCU.

Avengers: Infinity War

This movie, man, is probably peak MCU. There are better films in the series but you’ll be hard-pressed to find a film that walks the line of comic book and cinema to deftly. This is the penultimate tale for that first decade and what a f*cking climax it was. Holy sh*t! There was just so much good in this film, from character development to visual flair to legitimate stakes. I’m a massive Marvel fan and i am well aware of the Infinite Gauntlet saga in the comics but seeing this sh*t? Seeing Thanos actually Snap? I never though in a million years that would happen onscreen. And then it did. It was at that point i absolutely knew the MCU was about that life. I knew to expect the unexpected because , with the wealth of the Marvel universe to draw from, they were going to craft some motherf*ckers of stories.

Like, I f*cking cried when Pete got dusted. I shed legitimate tears and I’m not even embarrassed to say it out loud. For a film to move me like that? and it’s not Forrest Gump? Motherf*cker had to be on point, for sure. The entire theater was silent as those strings hummed and Thanos sat on his farm, smiling contently. I had never experienced that before The entire auditorium - completely silent. We were in disbelief. We were in mourning. I saw Infinity War in theaters four times and literally every time, the same thing happened. In two hours and some change, Marvel had gave a theater full of people straight emotional trauma. Your movie has to be absolutely on point for that to occur.

Speaking of Thanos, yo, how was this big ass purple grimace looking motherf*cker one of the best antagonists of film, period? How was this cat written so well? I lost my sh*t when they teased him at the end of Avengers and that little bit we got of him in Guardians was cool but i was not prepared for how goddamn formidable he turned out to be. Josh Brolin brought this character to life but the writing gave me real agency. I was flabbergasted by how great this character turned out to be. Thanos felt real. He felt flawed. He felt legitimate. Id have to put him up there with The Dark Knight Joker and Hans Landa as one of the best antagonists ever.

Spider-Man: Homecoming

I adore Spider-Man. Ive written at length about that love. He’s the reason i even picked up that Marvel comic all those years ago. I’ve seen every cinematic iteration of Webhead and i mst say, this portrayal is the truest to the source material i have ever seen. Cats get on the MCU about making him Tony Stark jr. but most people don’t understand that’s where he was going anyway. Most people don’t know that, in the comics, he’s basically Reed Richards jr. and since the MCU has no Reed, Tony is a pretty smart substitute. But that argument is inconsequential because the core of who Spider-Man is, the actual spirit of the character, has been captured so perfectly by this version of Pete, it’s borderline miraculous. I love Tobey McGuire’s take in Pete because he was the first to do it. Kind of like how i have such nostalgia for the 89 Batman. That version of Spider-Man felt like the old Lee/Ditko version from the 60s. Andrew Garfield was adequate. He didn’t get a fair shake though, mostly barbecue the writing in his run was so goddamn terrible. But this new kid? This casting was as perfect as RDJ was to Iron Man.

Tom Holland kills it as Spider-Man. His version of the character feels right. It feels modern. It feels like Ultimate Pete but grounded in the spirit of the 90s cartoon version. He’s this massive geek, this kid really, granted power in tragedy and it feels so goddamn authentic, i couldn’t believe it. The second he showed u in Civil War, i absolutely knew Underoos was about to be a star in these films and that is saying a lot considering how loaded this cast has become. Homecoming was the first film we got to see Pete stretch his legs and it was f*cking brilliant. Everything about this movie is what a great Spider-Flick should be and the MCU nailed it! if i never got another Spidey appearance, this movie was more than enough to sate my appetite. Homecoming is my second favorite MCU movie. I loved every second of it!

Also, how about that Aunt May stinger, though?

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Look, i love the Dark Knight. For me, that is the pinnacle of a capeflick. That movie was a great crime thriller first, a Batflick second. Nolan approached it with a grounded sense of reality that left you, as an audience, breathless. It is one of the best films i have ever seen in my entire life and Ledger gave one of the most brilliant performances ever captured on celluloid. There is nothing as good as that film in the MCU. The Winter Soldier comes f*cking close, though. This movie made me sit up and realize that the MCU had some teeth. Until this thing came out, i thought we were going to get a bunch of flamboyant costumes and snarky Wedonisms. I wasn’t mad, mind you, Avengers was dope, but Winter Soldier took all that campy bullsh*t out back and murdered it. This movie was the MCU growing up and almost everything afterward has been brilliant. The Winter Soldier forced everyone to step their game up with how goddamn brilliant it turned out to be. I can’t say there were any performances as great as Ledger’s Joker but i can make the argument the overall writing was better than The Dark Knight, and that is stupid high praise.

Guardians of the Galaxy

This film has no right to be as good as it is. I went into this thing on a whim, mostly because I thought it was going ti be filler like Ant-Man or something, and then it wasn’t. It was great. Legitimately great. I had no idea the MCU could take a C-rate team like the goddamn Guardians and uplift them so beautifully. James Gunn took those characters and wrote the best Star Wars film since f*cking Empire and I didn’t think that was possible, not with this wayward branch of Marvel History. Seriously, if you do even a minuscule amount of research on who the Guardians are, they’re a joke. I mean, they have a f*cking talking Raccoon on the team! Gunn had the wherewithal to lean into that and he produced one of the best in the entire MCU. He took these loser clowns and injected so much emotion and humanity into them, you couldn’t help but love their rag-tag asses. This was the first MCU movie to move me to tears. That stuff about Quills mom? I felt that. Both times. On an extremely personal level. I was the young Quill. I watched my grandma, the only person who i believe loved me unconditionally up to that point, die just like Quill’s mom; Cancer and everything. I was about his age when it happened, too. That sh*t f*cked me up. To this day, i have nightmares about it. Seeing that sh*t so accurately captured in a capeflick was the most for me and I legit had to leave the theater until the first part of the movie passed. To this day, i can’t watch that scene. I can just barely make it through the Dance of to Save Th Universe, but that opening gambit? No way. It hits way too close to home for me. Still, for a comic book movie to solicit such a response? It has to be special and Guardians is one of the best.

Iron Man

Boy, we’ve come a long way since Tony Stark uttered those fateful word, “I am Iron Man.” But none of these other films would even have the opportunity to exist if he hadn't said them. Iron Man had the tall order of being the first, proper, MCU film AND compete with The Dark Knight. N one thought a film about B-List superhero, narcissistic billionaire, and straight up lush, Tony Stark, would amount to anything. How wrong everyone turned out to be. I knew, from that second i saw the teaser and concept art by Adi Granov, that Marvel was taking this sh*t crazy serious. Then there’s the casting of Robert Downey Jr. That sh*t was a boon, for real. The entire cast of this first film was impeccable but RDJ makes this movie. He IS Tony Stark. Even before he got comfortable with the character like in the later films, fresh out the box with the scripts, you can tell he knows how to bring this tinkerer to life. You had to nail that aspect in order to have any chance to build something great and Marvel hit a goddamn bullseyes, for sure. Revisiting this flick, Iron Man isn’t as good as the later films in the Infinity Saga but it still holds up against the vast majority of entries and that’s saying something.

I love these films, man. As a geek growing up reading these stories, reenacting them with their action figures, sitting glued to the television every Saturday as their cartoons aired, I never imagined id see such a berth of fantastic media brought to life on the silver screen. Seriously, some of my favorite interpretations of these characters appear exclusive in the MCU. War Machine, Thor until recently, Ant-Man, f*cking Hulk? i never gave these assholes the time of day in the comics but in the MCU? They’re fantastic! And it has everything to do with how well written they are in-universe. There are over twenty films in this run an i love all of them to varying extents. Spider-Man: Far From Home, Black Panther, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Endgame, Thor: Ragnarok, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 all could have made this list. For sure, they’re 6 - 11 or whatever, but that speaks to the sheer depth of the MCU. I’m not even counting flicks i would consider B-tier like Captain Marvel or Avengers or Iron Man 3 or Doctor Strange; All of which are still dope in their own right.

There is just SO much great in these films and i can’t wait to see where we go next. With Disney acquiring Fox, Marvel finally has the full toy box to play with and i am absolutely a tizzy with the potential arcs they can adapt. Secret Wars? Annihilation? Age of Apocalypse? Avengers Disassembled? Dark Reign? F*cking Onslaught?? I have no idea where we are going but i am, for sure, jumping on this pain train once again.

#Marvel #MCU #Infinity Saga

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smokeybrand · 4 years

Text

Cheeseburgers

Avengers: Infinity War

Spider-Man: Homecoming

Also, how about that Aunt May stinger, though?

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Guardians of the Galaxy

Iron Man

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konan-supernova · 5 years

Text

Always

Based on this post by @sandersfanders

AO3

If anyone had told Virgil, on any date before (or even after) July 15th, 2017, that he would be accepted and loved by the other sides to the extent he was now, he would have laughed. He would have laughed, and laughed, all to cover up how awful he felt inside.

The thing was, he didn't really think that it was so impossible for them to love him, and certainly not for him to love them. The only barrier would be his own fears, those hateful fantasies that kept him up each night. Those thoughts that seemed to crawl up his back and settle on his shoulders, weighing him down just a little more each day.

If he ever let them close to him, if he ever allowed himself to be loved… Well, how would that end? Not well, surely. And if there was any sort of deviation from that perfect happy ending he longed for, he would never be able to escape it.

Think about it. The four of them were facets of a personality, fragments of a person. If they broke up, that could ruin Thomas. And Virgil would never, ever put Thomas at risk.

So he stayed distant, or as distant as he could. He smiled at their jokes, hesitantly embraced their hugs, and ignored the panging in his chest every time one of them smiled at him. All because he couldn't do this to them, to Thomas.

He did a wonderful job of holding himself back, too. An outsider might never guess that he had hated turning down their offer to join a relationship with them, that it had sent him to his room to cry for the rest of the night. One might never know how hollow it made him to see them kissing, holding hands, dancing their happy little relationship dance all around the commons.

Because Virgil was a very good actor. Until, of course, he wasn't.

°•°

“Morning, Virge!” Patton smiled, flipping a pancake as Virgil trudged down the stairs. He grunted in response, shuffling towards the coffee maker. He poured out the leftover contents from whoever had used it last (he suspected Logan, the logical side had a tendency to stay up late with a cup or two) and began to brew some fresh.

“Morning, Pat,” he finally greeted once his coffee was finished. He lifted to mug to his lips, sighing contentedly as he drank.

“That tired, huh?” Patton seemed slightly concerned to see him down the entire hot mug in just a few seconds. Virgil nodded and refilled the mug, not drinking it so quickly this time.

“Why, what a wonderful morning!” Roman leapt down the stairs, already in full costume. He shot the other two a large smile, and blew a kiss at Patton before moving to turn on the TV.

“Ah, I would not suggest television before breakfast,” Logan was quick to follow down the stairs, still tying his tie. “While there are not any extreme health risks, it would likely make Patton upset to see that you-”

“Wait, are you watching Steven Universe?!” Patton gasped, sliding the last of the pancakes onto a plate before rocketing towards the couch. “I didn't know there were new episodes out yet!”

“There are not,” Logan gave a small smile and sat down beside Patton, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. “Thomas has been keeping an eye on the airing schedule, and has not yet noticed any updates about either the movie or season six.”

“Reruns are always good, though, are they not?” Roman had paused the show, still in the opening theme song, to address his boyfriends. “Of course, if you'd rather we-”

“No, no,” Patton leaned towards him, “this is perfect.”

Virgil watched the three of them, wondering if the butterflies in his stomach had anything to do with the wonderfully aromatic pancakes sitting on the table in front of the couch. He glanced at the plate, still steaming, and shook his head, finishing his coffee and heading back upstairs. He had work to do, and it wouldn't do well to sit around and watch cartoons all morning.

Though. For some reason, he really, really wanted to.

°•°

Virgil stared at the card in his hands, his thumb tracing idly over Patton’s terrible drawing. He blinked, and a dark splatter appeared on the paper, just next to crayon-virgil’s face. He stared at it, only shoving it aside as another small splatter appeared nearby. He pressed the card under his pillow, then brought his blankets up to his face. He wiped his eyes, fingers shaking against the cloth.

Why them? he asked himself. Why, of all the people you could love, would you choose them?

He would only ruin them. He could see it now - the tears streaming down Patton’s face, the anger written in Logan’s eyes, the waver in Roman’s voice as he told Virgil to leave. If he joined them, the delicate balance the three had built… It would disappear, and they would all fall, and they would never be able to see anything good in him ever again.

Sure, they might have some good moments before the collapse, but what was a handful of good moments with Virgil compared to a lifetime of happiness without him? Exactly. Nothing.

So, why them?

He didn’t know. And it wasn’t like he actually loved them. Not like they loved each other, anyway. To them, he was family, not a lover. And he was happy with that.

The blanket fell from his fingers, and his chest shook with sobs.

°•°

“Has anyone seen Virgil today?” Thomas asked, glancing at each side before lingering on Virgil’s empty spot in front of the stairs.

“I saw him while I was making pancakes this morning,” Patton recounted, tapping his finger on his chin. “He seemed pretty tired, he may have gone back to sleep.”

“Sleeping during the day? He really is a vampire!” Roman exclaimed, eliciting a small smile from Thomas and a little giggle from Patton.

“I’ve just been feeling… a bit ‘off’, y’know? I was wondering if he had anything to say about it, or if he was causing it, or…”

“Well, how have you been feeling?” Logan asked.

“I guess… lovesick?” Thomas said, his arms raised in a shrug. “I can’t tell who I’m lovesick for though… It’s been throwing me off for nearly two weeks now.”

“Wait, two weeks?” Roman glanced at Patton, who just shrugged. “Could… Could we be...”

“Well, I’m not sure Virgil is the cause, based on what you’ve said. See, two weeks ago-”

“Absolutely nothing happened,” Roman had stretched his arm across the room, and now held it over Logan’s mouth. Logan raised an eyebrow, at him, crossing his arms until Roman retracted his arm. Thomas watched the scene with increasing confusion, hardly bothering to look to Patton for an explanation (the moral side only shrugged as a response to his inquiring looks).

“Roman,” Logan began softly, “you were the one who suggested we tell Thomas about this… situation. I believe that now would be the ideal time, as it would likely help to explain what he is,” he paused, sending a sideways glance at Patton, “feeling.”

“A-as long as Patton’s okay with it,” Roman nodded. Patton smiled at the two of them, nodding his head enthusiastically.

“Well, shucks, both of you know I was just waiting until you were ready to tell him!”

“Tell me what?” Thomas asked softly, gaze flickering between the three of them. He didn’t miss the nervous look on Logan’s face, or the way Roman’s half-smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Guys? You know that whatever this is, I’ll always love you, right?”

“Of course, Thomas,” Roman sighed. “It’s just… a bit nerve-wracking, is all. But we’ve been meaning to tell you…”

“We’re in a relationship!” Patton jumped in, hopping up and down. “The three of us got together two weeks ago.”

“Not Virgil?” Thomas looked confused.

“To be completely honest, it would have been ideal to include him,” Logan sighed, “but he denied our offer to join the relationship. Understandable, but regrettable all the same.”

“I see,” Thomas smiled, a small weight lifting off his shoulders. “Well, I guess that explains why I’ve been feeling lovesick, with the three of you… y’know.”

“If it doesn’t settle down within another few days, feel free to let us know, and we shall see to it immediately,” Logan flashed a quick smile before sinking out of sight, with Roman and Patton quick to follow.

“See ya, Thomas!” Patton called as he disappeared into the floor.

“Until next time,” Roman bowed deeply as he sunk out, leaving Thomas alone in his living room.

He sat down on the couch, sighing as he pulled out his phone. He didn’t feel any better, but at least he had an explanation for the feeling that had been plaguing him for the past two weeks.

Oh, well. It would probably get better soon.

°•°

Things were only getting worse.

Virgil could barely bring himself to leave his room, even for meals and videos. Now that Thomas knew about Logan, Roman, and Patton, they hadn’t been bothering to hide their affections in front of him (though managed to restrain themselves for videos), and the sight had just been killing Virgil.

He knew that he was doing the right thing for everyone by keeping away from them, but it hurt so much. Every time Roman planted a kiss on Patton’s forehead, Virgil wanted to cry. Every time Patton jumped onto Logan, hanging off his back as the taller side walked around the commons, Virgil wanted to scream. And every time Logan wrapped Roman in a sleepy hug, draping himself over the prince’s shoulders, Virgil forgot how to breathe.

He wanted that. He needed that. But he couldn’t ruin it. He couldn’t do that to them. To Thomas. To himself.

You’re doing the right thing, he told himself each night he spent alone in his room. If they could see what would happen otherwise, they would thank you.

Virgil took what little comfort those thoughts offered and wrapped it around himself along with his blankets each night. He pressed his head to his pillow, barely hearing the crinkling of Patton’s card underneath - he was too busy trying to block out the sound of the three of them laughing on the floor below.

°•°

Virgil leaned against the wall as soon as he was summoned, looking around the room to see who else was there. Everyone but Roman had appeared, and after a moment, the fanciful side had arrived too. Thomas sat on the couch in front of them, wrapped in a blanket and looking rather depressed.

“Are you okay, Thomas?” Patton was the first to speak up, looking worried.

“No,” Thomas sighed. “I… That lovesickness I told you guys about last week… It didn’t go away. In fact, it’s gotten worse.”

“Lovesickness?” Virgil asked, a horrible feeling building in his stomach. Did he pass his idiotic feelings onto Thomas? How long had he been making Thomas suffer because he couldn’t control himself?

“Yeah… I’ve been feeling weird since the other three got together, and I don’t really understand why.”

“Well, it wouldn’t be the first time one of us passed a particularly strong emotion on to you,” Logan began. “I just… I thought that it would have settled by now, seeing as the three of us are rather happy in the relationship. At least, I am.”

It isn’t you, Virgil wanted to say. It isn’t any of you…

“I love our relationship!” Patton agreed. “If there’s any unhappiness here, it isn’t coming from me.”

Virgil struggled to keep a straight face, and it took every ounce of his control not to burst out with an explanation. But he couldn’t tell them, it wouldn’t be fair. And if he explained, they might feel obligated to help him - and as happy as that might make him in the short term, it spelled disaster in the long run.

“Roman?” Logan was looking towards the fanciful side with an almost pained glance. “If… If you are unsatisfied with what we have, you can always… you can always tell us. You know this, right?”

“Of course I know,” Roman nodded. “But this isn’t coming from me. When we got together… It was the happiest moment in my entire life.”

“So, where is this coming from…?” Thomas stood, tugging the blanket tighter around his shoulders. “I don’t understand…”

“Virgil…” Patton was looking at Virgil, a look of understanding dawning on his face. Virgil’s eyes widened, and he inched closer to the stairs, praying that Patton wouldn’t say it.

“Virgil?” Logan looked confused, and he glanced between the two. “I don’t understand. What does he have to do with this?”

“I should think, well, everything,” Roman sighed, sending Virgil an exasperated smile. “I should have noticed sooner… I’m the romantic one, aren’t I? What a fool I’ve been!”

“What are you talking about, Princey?” Virgil barked, his heart pounding in his chest. Logan's eyes widened behind his glasses, and he let out a little gasp.

“Oh, Virgil,” he said, a bittersweet smile forming on his face.

“What is it, Logan?” Virgil hissed, tears threatening to spill from his eyes. As hard as he tried, there was no hiding it now… Only Thomas seemed to have missed the memo.

“What is going on?” he asked, shuffling forward in his blanket.

“I think that the source of your feeling these past three weeks has been Virgil,” Patton explained, sending a soft, apologetic smile towards the anxious side, who met it with a teary glare.

“Virgil…? But, I thought you said he denied your…” Thomas turned to him suddenly, realization glinting in his eyes. “Did you lie to them?”

“I-” he cut himself off, voice cracking. How could he explain this? It sounded paranoid, silly, stupid, but he knew that it was real, that it could happen if he told them the truth. If he loved them.

They all stared at him, waiting for an explanation that he could never give. He let out one pathetic choked sob before disappearing, collapsing on his bed. For the millionth time in those three weeks, he sobbed into his covers - this time, feeling as though he had brought on the end of the world.

°•°

The others didn't come to talk to him until later that night. Maybe they wanted to give him time to cool down, or maybe they needed time to think about what to say. It didn't really matter to Virgil either way, he had managed to calm down by the time he heard a knock on his door.

“Virgil?” it was Logan’s voice that followed the sound, softer and more vulnerable than Virgil had ever heard him. As if in a trance, he found himself pulling the door open, taking in the sight of the other three standing in the hallway outside.

“Yeah?” he asked, his voice miraculously steady.

“We would like to talk about… about earlier,” he said vaguely. He didn’t need to explain - anyone with a brain cell could tell what he was referring to.

“Sure,” Virgil swallowed, his fingers tapping quietly against the door. “In here, or-?”

“It may be beneficial to have this conversation in the commons, or even with Thomas. Er, however,” Logan added, as if sensing Virgil’s spike in panic, “we could simply fill him in afterwards. If that would help.”

“It might,” Virgil nodded curtly. He led the way down the stairs, acutely aware of the three sets of eyes on his back. He sat down on the end of the couch, relaxing slightly as Logan sat down a few feet away. Roman and Patton sat close to Logan, leaving a considerable amount of space between them and Virgil - a small comfort, but one Virgil did not overlook.

“So,” Roman began, clapping his hands together. “I think we should just lay down some facts first, right?”

“Sure,” Virgil nodded.

“So, three weeks ago, the three of us got together, yes?”

“Um, yeah,” Virgil nodded again, eyebrows furrowing.

“And you turned us down when we offered you the chance to join our relationship, correct?”

“Yeah,” Virgil was a bit quieter now, resting his forehead on his folded hands. “I did.”

“Was it honest?” Patton asked, managing to avoid an accusatory tone.

“No,” the word tore its way out of VIrgil’s throat before he could stop himself, and his eyes flew open to see the other three watching him intently. “I mean, I… I meant it, but I didn’t…”

He trailed off, blinking slowly. Just say it, he told himself. They’ll either understand and let you be, or they’ll…

What would they do?

“Virgil?” he had been quiet a bit too long, apparently.

“Yeah, sorry,” he cleared his throat. “What I meant is that while I, um, would like to be… with you, I don- didn’t think it would be a very good idea, y’know, for me to join, well, uh, you.”

“Why not?”

And there it was. The million dollar question, the one brick that would topple the entire tower.

“Because…”

Say it, Sanders, say it!

“Because if something, like, happens - something really bad, I mean - and it ruins us, um, the relationship, then we… we have to live with it.”

“Yeah?” Roman sounded confused. “Doesn’t everyone?”

“Exactly!” Virgil exclaimed. “Everyone has to just, like, deal with it! And if we end up hating each other, we can’t just leave, and move one, we have to…. What would that even do to Thomas? We are him! If we hated each other, how would he…”

He didn’t need to finish his thoughts, his years of dark fantasies, twisted imaginations. Roman had wrapped him in a hug, and so had the other two, based on the number of arms wrapped around his shoulders and torso.

“Virgil…” Roman swallowed, his voice muffled in Virgil’s neck.

“Roman,” Virgil sniffled.

“I don’t think I could hate any of you - especially not you, Virgil,” Patton breathed, his voice shaky and muffled. “I would love to be with you, to show you that we could never hate you, could never hate each other, not like that.”

“There used to be a time where I hated you,” Roman sighed, pulling away slightly. “Even then, I would have given anything to protect you. Now that I… Since I’ve gotten to know you, I don’t think I could ever go back to that, no matter what you do.”

“Virgil, I am not very good with emotions,” Logan sat up, pulling away from the half-hug, “but I know enough about them to know what love is - and I know that I love you. I would never force that upon you, but if you are worried about that love fading, I would advise you to let go of those fears. Nothing you could do could ever make me hate you.”

“What if I ate the last of your Crofters?” Virgil asked, his voice shaking.

“I would be upset, but not mad, and definitely not mad - or upset - at you.”

“If you really don’t want to be with us, I understand,” Patton nodded, finally pulling away from the embrace. “But if you do, please don’t let your fears stop you. We will always love you.”

“Always?” Virgil croaked, wiping a tear from his eye.

“Always,” the others said unison.

“Okay,” Virgil breathed. Just like that, what seemed like a lifetime’s worth of anxieties lifted off his shoulders. He took a deep breath, finding it easier than ever to get air. “I want to be with you. All of you.”

“Good,” Roman smiled, booping him on the nose. “Because I have a very hard time taking ‘no’ for an answer.”

“Oh, stop it,” Patton shoved him lightly, earning an undignified gasp from the royal.

“Fiend!” he cried out, collapsing against the table. “Someone, help me!”

“Good luck, Prince Roman,” Logan snorted. “I have to make dinner.”

“Virgil, please!” Roman cried out as Patton jabbed at his ribs, the two of them giggling on the floor.

“Begone, beast!” Virgil shouted, wiping the last of his tears from his face, replacing them with a smile. “This prince is under my protection.”

“Understandable,” Patton giggled, “have a nice day!”

“I thought I was on my own there,” Roman panted as Virgil pulled him up.

“None of us will ever be on our own,” Virgil said quietly, wrapping Roman in a hug. “Not anymore.”

“Yeah,” Roman agreed. “Never again.”

Virgil buried his face in Roman’s shirt, his racing heart finally beginning to calm. He smiled as Roman wrapped an arm around his back, offering the most comforting words he didn't know he still needed.

“We’ll always have your back.

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champofpallet · 5 years

Text

There were some rumors around Alola as Red was getting some decorations put up around his work area at the Battle Tree. The same sorts of rumors you would hear at a shopping mall when a bunch of teenagers start gossiping, or when you read some urban legends on the internet. The talk of the Battle Tree today was about this mansion that had just set up around the abandoned shopping mart. Now mansions don’t just fall from the sky, of course they couldn’t that’s impossible, but from the way they were talking it seemed more and more like that was the case.

Red’s body shivered and shook though it was hard to tell if it was from excitement or pure terror. Probably both knowing how terrified of ghosts and how naturally curious he is. Almost causing a scene by nearly falling off the ladder he was perched on, he successfully added the orange and black pumpkin lights to the tree’s branches and hopped off with a grin. What on earth was he planning? Surely he wasn’t going to check this place out by himself, right? No you were never by yourself as long as you had Pokemon.

Today wasn’t a busy day at work anyway, and Blue wouldn’t mind filling in for him one more time right? Actually he should make it up to him for all this time he’s saved his butt. Perhaps he’ll catch a really cool Pokemon and give it to him. Yeah! That ought to be worth being forgiven.

He passed the abandoned Mega Mart and makes a sharp turn forwards towards the back of it. For some reason the place got all cloudy and hard to breathe. Red coughs as he made his way forwards, placing a hand over his mouth to block the thick fog. Scary houses and fog went together like peanut butter and jelly, the perfect combination. Red hated that. That just confirmed that he was right about the house being haunted. He could practically feel the anxiety rise in the pit of his stomach as he made way for the door. What if it turns out like what happened with his cousin where he was turned into a ghost by a prank of some Gengar and Haunter. Oh jeez there went the anxiety again. Why Arceus was he born with such a curious mind? He silently reaches for the door. Locked. Won’t even budge. Well he did all he could do, and he could have sworn he saw a person in a hockey mask and a chainsaw in their hands so he was going to hightail it out of there.

Skreeeech!

Oh good! Out of nowhere the door opened letting him in! How...wonderful. Well there was no stalling now. Red had to make sure everything in there was safe, not just for the humans that might want to visit, but for the Pokemon that might wonder into it. If that abandoned mansion in Cinnabar could have Pokemon wandering in there even when the door was locked, whos to say they won’t wonder in there somehow? With a pitiful sigh, Red continued on his venture through the house.

The scent of rotting mildew hit his nose making him want to gag. Didn’t anyone open a window? The walls were rotting and falling through, but once in it’s youth it must have been really extravagant. A red velvet looking carpet covered the wooden floor. There were some dents through the rug as if to hide a trapdoor. After dealing with Team Rocket so long you learn how to spot traps from a mile away. The walls had pictures of strange men whose eyes followed Red as he went across the floor. Oh Arceus why did he decide to do this? He was distracted by the odd decor when his foot slipped and he fell onto the floor. As his body hit the floor some odd smoke rose up making him go to fight or flight mode. Since there was nothing but odd smoke to fight, Red went with the second best option and hurried up the rickety stairs into the second story. There was also some odd howls coming from this floor so maybe he should get out of here.

“Arceus don’t tell me, I’m about to be spirited away like in those ol’ stories…” Red said silently to himself. Just hearing his own voice comforted him even if it was only a little. And besides, he just has to remember what he told himself before: you’re never alone with Pokemon at your side! His Pokeballs were still in place telling him that they were with him. So he just had to find a way out of here so he can leave and never come here again! But wait! That person who was in the window before looked rather small. Could that have been a child? There went his inner hero instincts again and he reluctantly ran up the stairs trying to get to the last floor. Some things popped out at him, and from what Red could tell they didn’t look like Pokemon, but he had to continue on! Walking up higher and higher until he had reached the top floor.

“....I can’t believe I’m doing this...but I gotta save that kid!”

Like an episode of a cartoon Red ran through the rooms looking for the child but only to come out with those things popping out at him like one of those story books with the pop-up pictures. He had looked everywhere in the house and now he was starting to feel weakened. Oh Arceus he was going to die here. He was going to die and the ghosts will pick his bones clean. Do ghosts even eat? Wouldn’t it just fall through? Red’s mind wandered off to other things. At least his Pokemon are safe in their Pokeballs with everything they needed to survive. He didn’t want them to suffer like he was right then. Red collapsed to the ground with his eyes closed. There was no way he would be able to save the kid now. There probably wasn’t even a kid there in the first place. Just a trick to get him inside most likely. Ghosts are clever beings. Smoke began to rise again, Red watches uninterested. Huh...even the ceiling was fancy. Full of cobwebs and cracks, but fancy. Even the square door that led up to who knows what was decorated. Wait...the window he saw the child out of was one that was a lot bigger and longer that the normal sized room kinds he saw in the other rooms. Could this be a way out or another trap? Only one way to find out!

Feeling a wave of energy rush into him suddenly, Red bolted himself up and pulled down the secret door letting what looked like a rope ladder fall. He swiftly climbed up the ladder and looked around.

“Kid? You here? Hello?” Red heard a soft step behind him. He turns his head to greet the child only to be met with the loud sound of a chainsaw and someone in a hockey mask staring down at him! Out of shock Red let go of the ladder and screamed as he descended downwards. The ground was so old it just had Red fall right through it all the way to the basement! His body shaking like a leaf and hiding his face, Red tried to apologize and beg the crazy kid to spare his life. “PL-PLEASE SPARE ME! I WAS JUST ABOUT TO LEAVE! C-C’MON!” His words were half yelling and half sobs, he did not want to die here. The kid jumped down the hole that Red made from his fall, their chainsaw still revving up. Each time Red got more and more close to fainting, but because he thought he had a way out, his body forced himself to stay awake. Darn that inner hero instincts again. The child went closer to Red before pulling off their mask.

“Spare you? Hehehe what did you think I was going to do? Kill you? Don’t be silly!” A girl with purple hair had said as she places the chainsaw down. Red couldn’t believe his eyes. “Acerola!? What are you doing in this place? Didn’t you see the odd smoke? Or the howls? Or anything I just went through!?” Red’s voice was half relieved and half enraged at how nonchalant she was being about this. Red felt like he almost died a few times and he was doing it all to save her! Or...well a kid he thought wandered into the mansion but STILL! “Do you like them?” Acerola asked with a cat-like smile. “I made them myself! Well with cutting them out. Mimikyu did the drawing, she’s good at that.” A shiny Mimikyu with a crayon in her claw waved at them from upon her trainer’s shoulder. “But I think the smoke machine is busted. Your big butt landed on the thing as you fell and it went kablooey! Though maybe you fixed it? It was releasing too much smoke. Maybe the smoke overdid it, but there was too much of the stuff so I put on the first mask I could find. Tried to open the basement door but it was stuck so I had to look in the attic to find the chainsaw. Had no idea why the attic door was closed...must’ve been some pranks from the ghosts.”

Red still looks peeved by the whole situation, his heart still pounding in his chest as his face pouts. “First of all, where did this house come from and why would you use a chainsaw on a door? Is this place even yours? And second of all...what is all this stuff for?”

Acerola grins again and places her hands on her hips. “I wanted to make my own gym! I know that guy with the whole karate suit is the only gym in Alola, but that’s the only one we have! You need eight gyms right? So I’m gonna be Acerola the ghost type gym leader~!” She spins around and does a little pose. Red just stares angrily at her. “Okay fine, I’m sorry you had to go through all that. This house used to be mine before me and my parents moved out. It was getting old and broken down, so instead of destroying it, I tried to turn it into a gym. See? And because of the hole your big butt made, I have a place to install the portals! So I ought to thank you somehow.”

“Did you just call my butt big? Twice?” Red seems to only be paying attention to some things as his mind was still on the whole haunted house situation. Acerola pondered for a second then took out a Z-Crystal. It was as white and smokey as the fog that was everywhere before. She hands it to Red smiling as sweetly as she could. “Here you go! I think you’ve earned your first Alolan gym badge,Trainer!” Well even if he ended up being chased by decorations, running from odd smoke, and falling through the floor five times in one fall, at least he got a Z-Crystal out of it.

#writober2k19entry #writober2k19 #haunted house #looong post #but I had fun writing it

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snkpolls · 5 years

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SnK S3E14 Poll Results (Manga Reader Version)

The poll closed with 355 responses. Thank you to everyone who participated!

Please note that these are the results of the manga reader poll. Anime only watchers are suggested not to read if you do not wish to be spoiled about certain events! Anime only viewers, click here to view your poll results!

RATE THE EPISODE 346 Responses

Despite some negatives about the animation of this episode, 87% of the fandom enjoyed it overall, giving it positive votes!

Animation's not movie quality, but damn it was a good episode

I think it lacks some kind of tempo: some moments are stretched out, others are too short.

Could've been paced better, better music choices, less cgi roof shingle focus and could have cut the thunder spear flashback or at least have shortened it... but it didn't look terrible. Although, I wish the fight had a bit more "weight" to it, with moments such as eren punching reiner ( "This is the place where I once called home!" )

Loved it!

Reiner Vs Eren looked a bit stiff, but overall it was a great episode.

The mUSIC WAS SO BOMB

IT WAS SO GOOD I CANT WAIT FOR THE NEXT ONE WIT NEVER CEASES TO IMPRESS

WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING WAS YOUR FAVORITE MOMENT? 346 Responses

Levi agreeing to fight the Beast Titan was the winner in this category with 31.5% of the vote. The Thunder Spears in action come in second place and Levi sassing Erwin in third.

Levi the madman not losing any of his sass

Liked Erwin’s monologue

Reiner and Erwin’s inner monologue was pretty nice in this episode imo. I like the manga just as much as the anime but hearing their voices in the anime, especially Erwin’s, made those scenes heavier and much more real to me.

Hange looked amazing!

WEAPONRY! It's the way to get it done! WEAPONRY! It's effective and it's fun!

WHO DID YOU FIND YOURSELF ROOTING FOR MORE? 346 Responses

With the 81.8% of the votes, Eren was getting the majority of cheers from the fandom, while only the 18.2% were rooting for Reiner.

Seeing Anime people hating Reiner hurts my feelings. Specially because it will take a lot of time until we see the Marley arc

WHICH SIDE OF THE WALL WOULD YOU RATHER BE ON? 345 Responses

89.3% of respondents agree that they’d much rather be inside of Shiganshina facing off with Reiner than dealing with the threat of the Beast Titan.

STRATEGY MAPS: WHO DID IT BETTER? 345 Responses

This question has a more equal response, with 54.2% of the fandom believing that Isayama did it better with the Strategy Maps while the 45.8% preferred WIT’s animation of it.

HOW MUCH DID YOU SYMPATHIZE WITH ERWIN AS HE REFLECTED ON HIMSELF? 348 Responses

33.3% of the fandom sit directly in the middle between sympathizing with Erwin and feeling that he needs to shoulder the responsibility of his decisions, while 28.2% of respondents truly sympathize with him.

Erwin's speech was the moment I was holding my breath for in this episode, and it was done justice. Not as impactful to me personally as the manga version, but justice done. And that's all I'm asking for.

That look on dead!Mike's face... It was revolting, because real, alive Mike would never have looked at his best friend like that. And that just tells us how terrible Erwin's own perception of himself is... God, he deserves a hug. :'(

HOW MUCH DOES IT HURT TO SEE THE 104TH ATTACKING REINER? 347 Responses

This answer had a lot of relatively equal votes! About 40% of respondents overall didn’t feel too badly about the 104th attacking Reiner, while 23.3% of the fandom felt neither sad nor happy about seeing the 104th attacking Reiner.

104 kickin ass?!?! bless the lord?!?!

If I was anime only I would be happy seeing Reiner's suffering. But as a manga reader I felt a bit of sadness when I saw him being attacked by the SC.

RATE HOW WELL THE ANIME ADAPTED THE CHAPTERS OVERALL: 347 Responses

The fandom seems very pleased with the adaptation of chapters 75-76, with 49.3% ranking it at a 4, while 36% of respondents gave it a 5.

I was so looking forward to Erwin's reflection moment, especially the scene in which he stood on top of all of the corpses. Really well adaptated, just as I expected it to be (even though it was better in the manga, maybe because it was my first contact with it)

Great, faithfully adapting some aspects from the manga, but still the quality should've been a lot better. I hope WIT would rise the standard bar in the future episodes. Overall, it was satisfying to watch.

WERE YOU SATISFIED WITH THE ADAPTATION OF EREN VS. REINER? 347 Responses

Overall the fandom gives the adaptation a pass, with 64.6% of respondents feeling it went about as expected, while 21.3% believe that it was worse than their expectations. The remaining 14.1% felt it exceeded their expectations.

IMO they really could've done better with the OST in Eren vs Reiner fight.

Eren vs Reiner could've had better music to fit the scene. It was a little generic?

Although the adaptation of the Eren vs Reiner fight wasn't as good as I was expecting, I still enjoyed the fight. Definitely wasn't as disappointed as a lot of other people are. I just hope they do my Boi Bert justice next episode.

HOW PUMPED WERE YOU TO SEE PIECK’S TITAN UP CLOSE? 348 Responses

As expected of Pieck! With a slight winning edge, 36.8% are hyped for best girl, while 36.5% feel that WIT captured the eeriness of her titan perfectly! 10.6% felt she looked very cool.

I RABU MY CUTE WIFE PIKU

This design fits her more than the initial one Isayama did back when he wanted to have a middle aged man instead of Pieck. So yeah, I like this one more.

I feel like the Cart Titan looks more feminine than it does in the manga.

It'll be very surprising if she suddenly talks or makes a short noise in the anime version lol

Cart Titan might be my favorite character design of any anime, cartoon, or show. She’s just as beautiful here as in the manga.

They made the eyes more feminine. But it clearly resembles Pieck

I’ve been waiting so long for this I’m satisfied and excited af :’)!!!

GIVEN WHAT HAPPENS LATER, DO YOU THINK ERWIN’S PLAN WAS A GOOD ONE? 347 Responses

64.6% of the fandom feel that Erwin’s plan is the best decision they could have made, while 16.7% feel that while the plan was good, there may have been better options.15.9% are still not sure of the answer.

I don’t even know my own name anymore

This episode really cemented the fact that Erwin never stopped caring about his dream to find out the truth of the world and that Levi made the wrong choice.

Erwin no

DO YOU FEEL THAT ERWIN’S REFLECTIVE MONOLOGUE HAD THE SAME WEIGHT AS IT DID IN THE MANGA? 344 Responses

Erwin’s self-reflection is an emotional part and adds important weight to Erwin’s character! 56.1% of the fandom thinks that the scene was as good as they remember it in the manga, while 25.3% were more deeply impacted by WIT’s rendition of the scene. 18% felt that it could have been done better.

I WAS NOT READY FOR ERWIN'S MOUNTAIN OF CORPSES I DID NOT KNOW IT WOULD HAPPEN SO SOON AND IT CRUSHED ME

WIT does action well, but character moments not so much. The mountain of corpses was almost too big imo. Somehow it had more impact in the manga. Making things bigger and more extreme doesn't necessarily make them more intense in terms of emotional impact.

WHAT DID YOU THINK ABOUT THE ANIMATION AND SOUND EFFECTS OF THE THUNDER SPEARS? 345 Responses

Well over half of the fandom were pleased with the animation and effects of the Thunder Spears. We’ve been waiting a long time and it seems the vast majority of us were not disappointed! :’)

seeing some of the thunder spears in action made their function and operation easier to understand.

YAASSSSSSSSSSS!!! THUNDER SPEARS MAH BOISSS!!

Oh man I did not expect the thunder spears to make those high-pitched squeals but it was actually amazing

Thunder spearsssss

WHICH SCENE FROM THE PREVIEW ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO? 347 Responses

With 44% of the vote, manga readers are most looking forward to seeing the Bertl Bomb™! Following behind that at 23% is seeing Marco get eaten by Araki Titan, and 17% of respondents are looking forward to Armin and Bertolt’s confrontation.

I'm REALLY looking forward to watch Marco's death (even though they already showed it in the Lost Girls OVA) and the flipping Serumbowl, which will be epic "

really good cliffhanger, left me uhhhh,,, hung

BERTPISODE WHEN

The ending scene really hyped me up for what's coming

Can't wait to see the corps get obliterated by rocks

GIVE ME THE BIG SWEATY......... LET ME ENJOY HIS LAST ANIMATED MOMENTS :(

These week long waits keep getting worse

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS ON THE EPISODE?

WHERE’S MY MOBLIT? THEY CAN’T JUST KILL HIM OFFSCREEN WITHOUT EVER SHOWING HIM! :(

Seeing Anime people hating Reiner hurts my feelings. Specially because it will take a lot of time until we see the Marley arc

It was so so slow. I mean I loved every second of it but it was painfully slow, they showed every characters thoughts. Not a bad thing, but not good either idk. I guess it has to build up the tension before the battle.

Does Hanji get prettier with each passing episode?

Needs more Sawano

Aside from the slow/awkward reiner vs eren fight, the animations were honestly sO amazing! the smooth ODMG animations and the Thunder Spears—even down to Reiner sliding back down the wall; it was verryy impressive! In addition, the pacing is honestly perfect and it draws out quite the tension and emotion! Loved it!

I remember reading Eren saying "This is where I...where we..once called home! I'm taking it back!" in the manga and I was like "YES! DO IT!!" but in the anime it didn't have that feeling. Not to mention that the OP had a better punch animation than the actual episode? The second half of the brawl felt more in tune (probably helped by the music that carried from Erwin's part of the episode).

I hope there are gonna be as little changes as possible. WIT butchered one arc already, let's hope they won't repeat those mistakes.

WHERE DO YOU PRIMARILY DISCUSS THE SERIES? 331 Responses

Thank you to everyone who participated! We’ll see you again in a few days!

#snk spoilers #snk s3 #snk poll #snk polls #poll results

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poorguysheadisdoingwhatnow · 6 years

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things from NC Newsies

THE TRUMPET SOLO I STAN

Crutchie is really channeling his inner 90s newsies it's fantastic

When Jack tells Crutchie to come with him to Santa Fe, Crutchie is kind of bashful and reluctant

Jack has drawn a picture of Crutchie riding a horse and he GIVES IT TO CRUTCHIE

carrying the banner is fantastic I'm pretty sure Jack is buttoning Crutchie's best for him at some point and it's so pure

Finch is IRISH and I think Specs is also IRISH and I think Romeo is ITALIAN AND IT'S GREAT

TOMMY BOY IS A GIRL SHE’S MY FAVORITE

Jack smacks a delancey with the crutch and THE CRUTCH BREAKS and Crutchie had to use it as a cane the whole rest of the scene I have never laughed so hard (he came back out the next scene with it tied in the middle with a strip of cloth)

This Davey is so delightfully awkward he's wearing a full suit I am in love

And Les is so sure of himself he’s so confident I love this child

Pulitzer waited the whole song so he could put his shoes on dramatically at the wax line and I can't take a man in bright red socks seriously

He said "shave me too close and you may cut my throat" and Nunzio GIGGLED

Medda is amazing and lovely and geez what a performance

After Jack leaves the drawing for Katherine (which he draws on the back of a poster) she stares at it for so long like all the way through the next set change

okay the world will know we got Davey in his vest and tie but no jacket he’s eVoLvInG

Jack paints “strike” over the headline

Davey doesn’t start singing along with the others till like the second verse and even then he’s really hesitant until near the end when he starts doing the motions

It’s Crutchie, Jack, Les, and Race that go into the World building. Davey tries to follow them but the door closes on him before he can

“I think we launched our strike in a most auspicious manner”

silence from the others

“...woo!”

Katherine’s so sassy she mimics the way Jack says “What’s the last news story you wrote?” when she says “what’s the last strike you organized?”

okay before watch what happens when Jack’s like “I can tell you what i’m hoping for tonight” Katherine looks at him and just laughs it was great

and when Katherine starts watch what happens, there are newsies sitting in the towers behind her, but as the song continues, they keep straightening up and leaning forward to listen to her

seize the day is great at the beginning everyone runs in and every person looks around and stops like they were expecting more people and are crushed that they’re not there

there’s a nervous newsie (becomes one of the scabs) that runs away in the middle of Davey’s solo

speaking of Davey’s solo, it was amazing. he started all tense and nervous with his shoulders up high and then he slowly got more confident, especially closer to Jack’s speech

also when Crutchie comes out with his strike sign, Race gestures to Davey and goes “that’s great”, and then to Crutchie and goes “that’s pathetic”

also that nervous newsie made my life he was so scared of the others (actually all three of the scabs seemed really scared but I mean they were scabbing)

dance break was lit, they didn’t spin on newspapers, they sat on stacks and hit them like drums with other rolled-up newspapers

fight scene was so sad y’all I swear I had to hold back tears, one of the Delanceys grabbed Crutchie’s crutch and just bashed him in the head and knocked him out and they dragged him off stage so fast

there were still newsies running from the cops in the background at the beginning of santa fe

like they were sprinting

“Tommy!” when one of the newsies couldn’t find tommy boy for a second it broke my heart

Santa Fe was so emotional I love the way Jason Gotay sings holy shit

king of new york was amazing, the erster line killed and there was a great moment of that awkward laughter after Jacobi’s joke, you know like when an uncle tells a bad joke and you’re just like “ha...yeah”

Davey and Katherine are besties fight me they hug more than Jack and Katherine hugged the whole time

DAVEY GOT THE WHOLE TAP SOLO TIME THEY GAVE HIM TAP SOLOS HIS SLEEVES ARE ROLLED UP HIS TIE IS GONE I AM 90% SURE HE CHANGED INTO A BLUER SHIRT

Katherine’s first tap solo was so cute she sat on a chair and barely moved her feet and then when she got going they kept picking her up

Les and Race chilled in the background together they’re buds

all the newsies kept playing catch and keep-away with the newspaper

“and you ain’t even dead!” was a clear, quality line

SURPRISE LETTER FROM THE REFUGE CAUSE IT WASN’T IN THE PROGRAM

okay when Crutchie gets to “when that train makes-”, it’s not that anyone shushes him, it’s that a kid beside him sits up really fast from a nightmare, reaching out, and Crutchie slowly helps him lie back down and shushes him back to sleep

also he still had his crutch

and Snyder came in at the end and yelled for quiet and Crutchie lay down really fast and stuffed the letter under his pillow

THE TRUMPET LIP SLUR I STAN

the butt swat after “we’re inevitable” is very pronounced

also their conversation about Crutchie is done much more sad than angry and it about broke my heart

“POOR GUY’S HEAD IS SPINNING”

whenever Hannah brings Jack into Pulitzer’s office, he kind of bows to her and she is totally blushing as she leaves I feel ya Hannah

okay this Pulitzer is so sinister his voice is so deep I love him

also Katherine didn’t come in till he said the line “I think she can hear for herself”, the Delanceys brought her in

Jack didn’t put up much of a fight, it’s like he just gave up, his shoulders slumped and he just let them take him to the cellar

“now that there is firm” is still the stupidest line in this whole musical

BROOCLYN IS HEER THEYR HEER

SPOT CONLON HOLY SHIT he has his PIMP CANE FROM THE 90s I died

mmmmm the rally LES BROUGHT HIS DATE also there were so many little kids there they’re my fave

everyone ran and ignored Jack after he finished speaking, also Katherine had snuck to the edge of the room and was watching what happened

also the cartoon of Pulitzer was him with a baton, stepping on a kid and hitting another with said baton

so “Specs showed me” WE SEE SPECS SHOW HER

she talks really fast she’s so nervous about her plan but still so sure, it’s more like she’s talking so Jack doesn’t interrupt her

SHE SLAPS HIM INSTEAD OF KISSING HIM WE STAN AN ICON

Kath and Jack don’t even kiss till near the end of the duet and their hug is so big and pure they keep hugging all the way offstage

they all have lanterns going into the cellar, and they’re all singing really quietly and you can hear how nervous they all are about getting caught

Bill and Darcy my heart

“And proud to be a part of your revolution” he sounds so reluctant maybe Katherine made him

they have a dance break during the last verse at the key change and we see all the newsies handing out the flyers and Jack and Davey are at the top of the towers throwing more into the air

omg Pulitzer’s office, first of all Spot sits right down on the desk and finds a cookie and just starts eating it like what a mood

shit Davey’s got some nerve now I absolutely love how Daniel Plimpton portrayed him and his character development I could write an essay about it (and I might)

Spot is such a little shit omg

THEY WON also Jack’s totally about to leave he has the stuff he packed and Katherine just whips out a bag like damn she really is by his side isn’t she

“What’s Santa Fe got that New York ain’t? Sandstorms?”

Jack and Kath kiss and it’s so cute and when the others notice another newsie DIPS SPOT CONLON

Crutchie’s back and he looks like he did in the Refuge I about cried again

but dang his “you’ll be laughing all the way to the pen, little man” was so vengeful sounding I love it

their finale was fantastic the lighting and everyone’s little bows one guy did airplane arms

anyway this show was absolutely perfect

#the best thing i've ever seen #bravo raleigh #like #damn #newsies

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